The Life and Literature of F Scott Fitzgerald

ABOUT THE AUTHOR The Life and Literature of F. Scott Fitzgerald By Jillian Thompson May 16, 2012. English newspaper, The Guardian, once asked Jonathan Franzen, the Pulitzer Prize nominated author of The Corrections, to contribute what he believed were the greatest rules to abide by for aspiring fiction writers. His response was â€Å"Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money† (Franzen). The novels of Francis Scott Fitzgerald suggest that he would agree wholeheartedly with Franzen.In his Notebooks, Fitzgerald wrote, â€Å"There never was a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn’t be. He’s too many people if he’s any good† (Fitzgerald 61). Fictionalizing emotions and backgrounds are an unparalleled resource to writers, and some of the greatest stories in literature have grown from the personal lives of novelists. Dickens’ David Copperfield, Hemingway ’s A Farewell To Arms, and Kerouac’s On the Road are famed illustrations of autofiction techniques, featuring a protagonist that has been modeled after the author, and a central plotline that mirrors the events of their lives.A close examination of the known facts of Scott Fitzgerald’s life is enough to establish that there is a profound relationship between his personal dispositions and the subject matter of his novels. It is also fair to conclude that he was deeply concerned with class, wealth, and their effect on the corruption of â€Å"The American Dream. † The novels and short stories of Scott Fitzgerald are documents that illustrate the hazy and glamorous Jazz Age, and had Fitzgerald’s own life been any less hazy and glamorous, some of America’s greatest literature may not have come to pass. THE LIFE OF SCOTT FITZGERALDFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born September 24th, 1896 in St Paul, Minnesota, the only son to middle class parents , Edward and Mary Fitzgerald. His parents instilled him with a fear of failure, and an obsession with wealth that would haunt his life’s ambitions. At an early age, he proved himself an imaginative and talented writer, and despite some academic struggles, he was accepted to Princeton in 1913. Intent on following his family’s advice, Fitzgerald dedicated himself to the pursuit of social and intellectual attainments, the path he believed would lead him to fame and fortune.He joined any extracurricular activity that he believed would increase his social standing on campus, but the beginning of WWI put an end to any possible fruition of his efforts. He left Princeton for the army in 1917, and was stationed at Camp Sheridan in Montgomery, Alabama, where he began work on a novella called The Romantic Egotist. It was also there that he met the woman who would change the course of his life forever. Her name was Zelda Sayre, the â€Å"golden girl†, and in her, Fitzgerald met his match in both ambition and extravagance.They had a whirlwind romance, but in the summer of 1919, Zelda grew tired of waiting for his success, and ended their relationship. Devastated by her rejection, he moved back to St. Paul, more determined than ever to become rich enough to win Zelda back. He rewrote The Romantic Egotist and in a letter to his publisher wrote, â€Å"I have so many things dependent on its success—including of course a girl† (Bryer and Barks 149). In 1920 This Side of Paradise was published. The novel was an overnight sensation with postwar youth, and two weeks later Fitzgerald and Zelda were married.They became the icons of success and youth, the first â€Å"it† couple if there ever was one, but the tumultuous beginning of their relationship never quite faded away. He and Zelda lived far outside their means, and Fitzgerald continually sunk into debt. Zelda’s impulsiveness, once interpreted as charming, had become erratic, and emotionally draining for Fitzgerald and his writing suffered. While living in Europe, Zelda overdosed on sleeping pills, and flung herself down a flight of stairs in a jealous fit. Fitzgerald had Zelda institutionalized, and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia.Fitzgerald’s dream of his muse had become a nightmare, and he worked through his emotions the way he always had, through writing, and Tender is the Night was the result. Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940, while writing his final novel, The Last Tycoon. Zelda died not long after, locked in a room awaiting treatment as the sanitarium set fire. They are buried together, with a shared headstone that quotes the final words of Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby. â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past† (172). FITZGERALD AND THE JAZZ AGEPerhaps the most vivid and poetic character of any Fitzgerald novel is â€Å"The Jazz Age† itself. The histori cal backdrop of the glamorous world of Flappers and speakeasies that’s envisioned when one thinks of the â€Å"Roaring Twenties†, make the perfect canvas for Fitzgerald to place his characters, who share Fitzgerald’s own conflicted feelings on Jazz Age morals. The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise both center on the theme of love warped by status seeking. They can be read as harsh criticisms of 1920s America, and its disintegration during an era defined by material excess.With the end of WWI the American economy soared and brought about an era, from 1920-1931, which was marked by unprecedented national wealth and prosperity. The rise of the stock market and the shock of the war left America with a generation that compensated for the chaos by creating a society centered on materialism. People began to spend and consume like never before. The conservatism and modest values of Victorian society that marked the previous generation were too suffocating for the y outh who grew up fast during the â€Å"Great Crusade. A person from any background now had the opportunity to earn a fortune, especially if they were helping to supply the demand for bootleg liquor, such as Jay Gatsby was. But this giddiness was short lived, and after the stock market crash, those that had enjoyed the rapid succession from penniless to millionaire as a bootlegger, quickly lost everything as the economy crumbled. Even before the stock market crash, Fitzgerald portrayed the decay of the Jazz Age as the self-consuming society of excess that couldn’t possibly be sustained through its greed and cynicism. Fitzgerald always idolized the luxurious lifestyle of the rich.As the Fitzgerald’s fame rose in the early 1920s, he found himself slowly being seduced by the opulence of his newfound life. But despite the excitement of his new life, Fitzgerald struggled with the mixed feelings of hypocrisy associated with falling in love with a girl who was everything heâ €™d ever dreamed of, but who led him toward the materialism he had once despised. Fitzgerald developed his characters as representations of these inner conflicts. Arthur Mizener, Fitzgerald’s most noted biographer, wrote that Fitzgerald’s work so perfectly defined the Jazz Age because Fitzgerald nfused both sides of himself into what Mizener called â€Å"the middle-western Trimalchio and the spoiled priest† (297). The symbol of the green light on Daisy Buchanan’s dock in The Great Gatsby represents Fitzgerald’s hope for the future, but also the awareness that it may never be realized. Writing The Great Gatsby allowed Fitzgerald to confront his feelings on the superficiality of his world and its inhabitants. Even the title The Great Gatsby is a reflection on the Jazz Age as a masterful illusion. THE AUTHOR AND THE HERO The heart of any study on Scott Fitzgerald is of course his work.However, Fitzgerald wrote only about himself and the people and places with which he was familiar, therefore his life and his work are inextricably bound together. â€Å"There were four or five Zeldas and at least eight Scotts,† as James Thurber once put it in his book Credos and Curios, â€Å"so that their living room was forever tense with the presence of a dozen desperate personalities, even when they were alone in it. Some of these Fitzgeralds’ were characters out of a play or a novel, which made the lives of the multiple pair always theatrical, sometimes unreal, and often badly overacted† (63).In fact, reading This Side of Paradise is like reading a biography of Fitzgerald. A young man from the Midwest serves in the army, falls in love with a rich socialite, and they break up, leading him to search for success by any means available. Jay Gatsby and Amory Blaine, the young dandy protagonists of The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise, pursue and glorify wealth to win the affections of the woman they love, much like F itzgerald himself did to win Zelda Sayre.Gatsby and Blaine are perpetually romantic adolescents whose lives are based on the mistaken idea that enough money and fame can keep the love and beauty of the past crystallized forever. The romanticism of Gatsby and Blaine, which at first rises above the frivolity Fitzgerald associated with Jazz Age society, eventually disintegrates to unveil the corruption wealth causes. The Great Gatsby’s narrator, Nick Carraway, is a young man from the Midwest with an Ivy League education, exactly like Fitzgerald.Nick’s background makes him an ideal narrator because he is able to see past Gatsby’s superficialities to the man underneath. Fitzgerald uses Nick to express his opinion that an ideal based on a materialistic foundation is a self-defeating and ultimately destructive goal. Then lastly, there’s the girl. The object of all-consuming affection. Fitzgerald’s muse for his female protagonist was of course his wife, Ze lda. In fact, she was more than just a muse. After sharing her personal diaries with Fitzgerald, he used verbatim quotes to write the character of Rosalind Connage in This Side of Paradise.He wrote, â€Å"all criticism of Rosalind ends in her beauty† (Bryer and Barks 201) and told Zelda â€Å"the heroine does resemble you in more ways than four† (230). Like Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, Zelda never took to motherhood and was never particularly domestic. According to Fitzgerald’s Notebooks, the famous line from The Great Gatsby, â€Å"I hope she'll be a fool–that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool† (Fitzgerald 22), is based on what Zelda said after her daughter, Scottie, was born. The most accurate portrayal of Zelda is most likely in Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald’s last completed novel.This is a story of a man of almost limitless potential who makes the fatal decision to marry a beautiful but mental ly ill woman, and who ultimately sinks into despair and alcoholism when their doomed marriage fails. He wrote it about their time in Europe, and the Lost Generation community of writers, a term coined by Fitzgerald’s close friend Ernest Hemmingway to describe those who came of age during World War 1, including Gertrude Stein, T. S Eliot and Waldo Peirce. In the novel, he chronicled the decline of Zelda’s mental health, and his discovery that she would never return to the way she was.The Zelda in this novel not was the glorified beauty of This Side of Paradise or The Great Gatsby, and she a wrote a semi-autobiographical account of her own as a form of revenge against Fitzgerald after their marriage dissolved. After she was committed, Fitzgerald wrote in his Notebook, â€Å"In an odd way, perhaps incredible to you, she was always my child (it was not reciprocal as it often is in marriages) †¦ I was her great reality, often the only liaison agent who could make the world tangible to her† (478). â€Å"SO WE BEAT ON†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Fitzgerald, 172)The beginning of The Great Gatsby is prefaced by a poem written by a fictional character from This Side of Paradise. It reads, Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you! (6) If the words of Jonathan Franzen are true, then it can be assumed that Fitzgerald’s greatest adventure into the unknown was his relationship with Zelda. Their relationship became the basis of his life’s work, which made him one of the greatest storytellers American literature has known to date.

A Review of Zoot Suit, a Book by Luis Valdez

A Review of Zoot Suit, a Book by Luis Valdez In Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit, the zoot suit has many conspicuous and inconspicuous meanings. The zoot suit is an ostentatious outfit that many Chicano gangsters wore in order to gain recognition of the police and the people of Los Angeles. The boys’ family members believe that the zoot suit symbolizes insubordination while police offers and press view it as delinquency. The boys of the Thirty-eighth Street Gang, who admire the zoot suits, regard the zoot suit as empowering. In the play, there is a clash of opinions as to whether the zoot suit represents power or delinquency. The zoot suit helps many chicano boys of the Thirty-eighth Street Gang identify themselves with the other boys as they face discrimination and aggression from the Downey Gang and police officers. In the beginning of the play, El Pachuco, who is Henry Reyna’s alter ego, expresses his appreciation and passion for the zoot suit. He describes putting on a zoot suit, â€Å"†¦makes [Chicancos] feel real root look like a diamond, sparkling, shinning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Valdez 1.1.3). Rather than hiding, El Pachuco displays himself as if he is a radiate gem that all can fawn over because he dresses in style, and therefore should commands respect. The zoot suit gives the boys the confidence and swagger to gain esteem from their fellow boys and the Downey gang, a rival group. The boys use the zoot suit as a uniform symbolizing the ideology of a group of individuals fighting for common goal which was Chicano pride. Even more, El Pachuco, who dons the zoot suit, epitomizes the Chicano spirit because he reminds Henry Reyna to not waver from trying to gain respect from the police. In the end, El Pachuco states he is, â€Å"†¦the ideal of the original chuco was to look like a diamond to look sharp hip bonarro† (Valdez 2.6.16). Therefore, the boys looks up to Pachuco as a genuine symbol of what they are fighting for. The boys feel more formidable when the other boys put on the zoot suit because it gives a sense of brotherhood and community. In packs, the boys feel comforted by the numbers but with the zoot suit, the boys feel invincible. In the eyes of the police and the press, the zoot suit is seen as a symbol of misconduct and malice. After the police disperses the barrio dance and Sergeant Smith detains Henry and the rest of the boys who are main culprits of the Sleep Lagoon murder case, Smith interrogates the boys, and sarcastically comments, â€Å"you pachucos are regular tough guys† (Valdez 1.3.1). By sarcastically insulting the boys for being a bunch of tough guys, Smith is in actuality calling the boys weaklings and therefore, considers the zoot suit powerless and only a symbol of rebellion. Sergeant Smith believes that the zoot suit is just a mere ostentatious attire that makes the boys a target of discrimination. He goes further and declares, â€Å"I hear you pachas wear these monkey suits as a kind of armor. Is that right? How does it work? This is what you zooters need a little old-fashioned discipline (Valdez 1.4.41). Smith again uses name calling instead of properly addressing the boys. The à ¢â‚¬Å"zooter† signifies that Smith utterly shuns the zoot suit and thinks its so ridiculous that the boys wear them. He even goes as far as to question the secret powers of the zoot suit as if to play of the boys emotions and taunt the zoot suit further. Clearly, the police dont take the power of the zoot suit seriously. Even the headlines of the Los Angeles newspaper articles â€Å"Zoot-Suited Goons of Sleepy Lagoon† (Valdez 1.5.15) shows the yellow journalism uses zoot suit in a derogatory term and labeled all Mexicans as Zoot Suits. The press goes further and comments that, â€Å"the Zoot Suit Crime Wave is even beginning to push the war news off the front page† (Valdez 2.6.15) in order to reveal to the audience that wearing zoot suits and being seen in them was considered a crime and a rebellious action that cannot be ignored by even the news. The symbol of the zoot suit bring depth to the play as so many different individuals perceive the zoot suit in their own way. For the boys of the Thirty-eighth Street Gang, it defines their group and intentions. By wearing the suit, the boys make a single stance against the oppression and discrimination by the press and the police officials. However, for the press and police officials, the zoot suit only symbolizes the crime and wrongdoing. They believe that the zoot suit only affirms their beliefs that the boys are reckless. The zoot suit is truly a symbol of the disagreement of individuals within the Los Angeles community.

Law for Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Determining HRIS Needs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Determining HRIS Needs - Research Paper Example Though the adoption of technology in HR department has exhibited a whole range of advantages in managing firms’ human resource, technological advancement equally poses a wide range of challenges that span ethical, financial as well as legal implications. Technological advancement within the field of HR presupposes higher skills for the staff. Moreover, the staff in the firm wholesomely expects higher levels of accessing data than was the case before adopting the HRIS. This therefore shows that in adoption of these systems, there is a need for proper future planning. There may be some requirements for changes in technology or government regulations in the future, which in the event of unpreparedness may adversely affect the firm. Such planning needs are: need for caution in incorporating the ever-dynamic social media as tools of recruitment. New applications as well as legislations keep showing up hence the need for a better system that would accommodate the dynamics. There is the need to adopt systems that can easily expansion and reporting requirements as stipulated by different legislations and government regulations, as this will always keep changing. Taking caution on the use of hosted approaches through which firms rent services from other service providers or unreliable software. Technological advancement may face out the software in use thus lending the organization helpless. While taking long range planning for these HRIS, an organization should also be aware of the changing trends within the HR practices where records are showing that managers are adopting HR systems through which analysis of individual employee performance can be monitored and evaluated. This will assist in the choice for the most appropriate systems to minimize costs of revising and changing. Finally, long range planning will take into account transparency challenges where the system adopted should ascertain confidentiality of personal information. This is especially important with the technological awareness that is currently exhibited (Johnson and Gueutal, nd, 4-6). HRIS requires periodical analysis. There are the advantages that make the methods more appropriate than others. However, it is worth noting that the methods exhibit major setbacks and can thus not ascertain accurate measurements. Error-some data may result from the drawbacks that are associated with data collection faults associated go these methods. Apart from the limitation of time, both focus group as well as the interview method is limited in costs, human resource requirements and language barrier (U.S. General Accounting Office, 1991, 40-66). On matters of costs, interviews as well as the focus groups require the services of one on one questioning for the purpose of focus groups while the interviews may be over the communication media as well as the one on one interview. These two cases require a lot of funding as compared to other methods as the secondary data. In relation to human re source, the interview method and the focus group methods both require the services of competent personnel. In the instance of poor personnel, the data collected is inaccurate while the reverse is true. On matters of language, it is seen as a critical disadvantage because the two methods of collecting data requires some form of communication; either written or better still the oral communication. In the instance of differences in language, communication would not take place and in the process, no data at all will be collected. From the above analysis, the

Sociological and Culturalist Accounts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sociological and Culturalist Accounts - Essay Example Furthermore, the model shapes our culture. It gives us the necessary resources, cryptogram and tradition through which the society compose a universal culture, and that which enables us to fit in the very culture. The question of who possesses media power and the powerless, or even those that can implement might and brutality, and those who cannot is a clear display of the media and its associated culture. The centrality and influence of mass media in modern culture cannot be overlooked. This is a true demonstration of how a number of media sources mainstream information and messages to the society through such forms as internet, newspapers, articles, and Radio. Such information despite positive impact to the society creates an illusion of things not beneficial to the very culture. Mostly, media power proves to be symbolic and persuasive. The media primarily have the greater potential in controlling extensively the mind of readers or viewers but not their actions in a direct way. In such cases of physical, coercive force however, the control of action, that is often the ultimate aim of the exercise of power, is mostly indirect. Whereas the control of intentions plans, knowledge, beliefs, or opinions in mental representations that monitor overt activities is presupposed. Despite the pervasive symbolic power of the media, the audience will generally retain a minimum of autonomy and independence, and engage more or less actively instead of purely passively, in the use of the means of mass.

Sam 386 unit 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sam 386 unit 6 - Assignment Example There is a special set rules that apply to the prosecution of defamation of public figures. In order for a private citizen such a neighbor or a friend to prove defamation against an individual, they only must prove that the individual acted negligently. The concept of negligence means that a â€Å"reasonable person† would not have made or published the defamatory statement. For a public figure, it is much harder to prove defamation since the accused must show â€Å"actual malice† in their statement. The plaintiff must prove that the accused published the statements with knowledge that the statements are untrue or in restless disregard of the truth. This makes the prosecution of defamation of a public figures much harder to proof for the plaintiff in a court of law. For a public figure it is important to recognize these differences in the treatment of defamation cases. Although it may not seem fair for public individuals to be treated differently under the law, a public figure by definition has agreed to have their private lifes scrutinized under the public lens as part of their responsibilities as a public

Implementation and Evaluation Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Implementation and Evaluation Plan - Assignment Example During planning for the implementation process, precision of relevant details and focused execution is of essence. There are various approaches which have been fronted by many medical practitioners and scholars as being effective in this process (Canadian Council on Smoking and Health, 2003). As has been noted in earlier discussion, effective cessation interventions for tobacco related issues require a healthcare facility-based program, which was approximated to take a minimum of at least 6 weeks. This would combine various methods and tools to assist in the implementation process. While carrying out this plan, the participation of all stakeholders is of greater importance since owning of any program by those affected is one sure way of ensuring it is well implemented. The implementation plan would take the following steps: Determining the first program and type that needs to be addressed Here, the cessation intervention programs will take into account the three most important types of gaining change. These would be the awareness of the effects and necessity of changing the behavior, supportive environment that would ensure the nurses are not attracted to smoking and are encouraged by the efforts, and the change in lifestyle for these nurses to start seeing some of their normal practices as actually being abnormal. This implementation part requires that the health facility identifies prior to implementation the strengths and relevant weaknesses of the nurses to ensuring that the above aspects of change are realized. In this case, we take advantage of the strengths that these smoking nurses have to adapt to change by using them to conquer their weaknesses. This is because the implementation program is geared towards making sure that we have a long-term effect and change in behavior in that the cessation would last longer (Royal College of Nursing, 2002). While creating awareness; the level of awareness for participants is increased by creating an interest in the topic. In this case, newsletters, health fairs, posters and testing for toxic levels could be realized. This simply works by motivating the nurses to attend the intervention program. In lifestyle change, the behavior of the participant is changed. This will be done through modification processes, skill building to tackle the urge for smoking and using the experiential learning processes. This kind of implementation practice should be done throughout the period allocated for the intervention program. Supportive environment will be given so as to ensure that a long term, healthy and sustained lifestyle is achieved by these nurses. This will be implemented by putting much emphasis Determination of the level of intensity of the intervention program In the implementation process, the level of intensity in which the intervention program is being carried out will help in the determination of the degree of success, and this is affected by the amount of resources in place, time that has bee n allocated for such an exercise, and the human resources available in the carrying out of the process. It is expected that the level of awareness for nurses attending the intervention for cessation of smoking might not be high since most of the nurses might assume they already know enough. However, it is envisaged that since an enabling environment that supports change of behavior would have been put in place, including best exercise facilities, provision of healthy foods

Business Analysis of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Dissertation

Business Analysis of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream - Dissertation Example 4. Critical review of the existing strategy: position, alternatives and options as well as 5. Recommendations on how the existing strategy can be improved. In attaining the objectives above, the paper will undertake a review of the case study of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. This will provide a primary source of information and ideas. There will also be an evaluation of secondary sources to identify relevant theories and concepts that define the landscape and set the scope for the cases at hand. Question 1 What makes Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream a Successful company? In order to assess the reasons for the success of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, there is the need to conduct a SWOT analysis. SWOT analysis involves the examination of the strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organisation in order to make inferences about the components of the business (Bailey, 2004 p17). Ben and Jerry's successes can be attributed primarily with how they utilised their strengths to take advantag e of opportunities. Also, they minimized their weaknesses and threats in order to navigate through tough times to be able to attain their current status. Strengths 1. A clear vision and an efficient effort to attain the vision: This led to the creation of a successful business model for Ben and Jerry's. The business model of Ben and Jerry's is so strong that it can enable the company to create numerous brands and also expand its operations to different parts of the world. The main operations in USA, Europe and Asia provide high turnover that enables the company to attain extremely high results. 2. Focus on healthy products and brands to build a strong customer base: The company has managed to build a reputation for the production of healthy products. This has caused the company to become popular amongst major customers around the globe. These brands can thus be well promoted and marketed throughout the world. 3. A strong corporate social responsibility system and environmentalism: B en and Jerry's have a strong reputation for being socially responsible. In consolidating the company, they had a policy of spending up to 7.5% of their profit before tax on corporate social responsibility (Greenfield and Cohen, 1997: Hopkins, 2004). This amounted to as much as $1.1 million annually. With such a commitment to giving back to society, Ben and Jerry's created a reputation of being a socially responsible organisation. With this feat, they could convince customers that they were more interested in the development of the society with their money than the profit motive. This boosted Ben and Jerry's Ice Creams' image and enabled them to gain a solid reputation. 4. A heavily diversified range of ice creams: Although Ben and Jerry's specialized in ice creams, they have a wide range of ice cream, frozen yoghurt and ice-cream novelties. This way, they were able to serve different customers with different brand requirements. This enabled them to continue generating revenue in all situations. This is because their range seemed to fit all potential ice cream demand. Hence, they managed to capture a large share of the market. 5. A strong network of shops: Ben and Jerry's have a strong network of shops throughout the world. They have maintained a powerful system of franchising that enables them to get entrepreneurs to invest capital in their

Free

Freedom Road Term Paper Essay Howard Fast, the author of the book Freedom Road, was born on November 11, 1914 and died at the age of 89 on March 12, 2003. Fast lived a long and adventurous life. A few of the things he did throughout his lifetime were; joining the American Communist party in 1943, serving a prison term in 1950 for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and his books were purged from American school libraries. On the other hand some of the positive things that happened in his life was that in 1953, he was rewarded the Stalin Peace Prize and in June of 1937 he married his first wife, Bette Cohen. In adjunction with his adventurous lifestyle, Fast spent most of his time writing. He wrote seven works of nonfiction, two autobiographies, fifty-two novels, five short stories one essay, and seven Masao Masuto Mysteries under the Penn name E.V. Cunningham. As well as writing, he created two films based off novels. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Fast) In the book Freedom Road, Howard Fast tells a fictional story based off the true events that occurred during the Constitutional Convention. The beginning of the book does not start the way most books start. This novel starts by talking about the main character, Gideon, as if we are supposed to know who he is. At first, this is confusing but after a couple of pages, you catch on and start to understand a lot easier. The first thing we are told about in the book is how all of the freed men from the small town of Charleston, had left a few weeks back to go vote. However, neither the town nor the men who left knew what voting actually was. Not knowing what voting was, made everyone who stayed in town very nervous and worried, they were not sure whether or not those men would be coming home or not. Therefore, when they men were spotted walking back into town everyone was extremely excited and could not wait to hear all about this voting thing. However, it seemed that none of the men were really talking, until one of them tells the town that they have some big news to share with everyone. Thus far, into the book, we have yet to hear from the main character, and we have actually been reading from his wives point of view. Once the returning men started talking, the book transitions from the wives point of view to Gideon’s, and that is when things start to pick up. We learn that the men’s big news is the fact that Gideon was elected to be a delegate. Because of his prowess in battle, the other ex-slaves looked to him as their leader in peacetime, but he was an uneducated man who felt himself unsuited for leadership. Yet knowing that his people wanted and needed him, he was determined to make himself fit into the pattern their hopes had cut out for him. However, none of them truly knew what a delegate was or what exactly a delegate did. The only thing they really knew was the Gideon would be receiving a letter once all the votes were counted to tell him if he had won the election. Several months go past in the book and nothing happens, no one in the town hears anything about Gideon being elected. Then one day, the postal man comes around and hands Gideon the letter that he had been waiting for. At this point in the book, we find out how afraid he is to go to Charleston because he is a â€Å"nigger.† He feels as though he is not very smart. He does not want to go â€Å"to city full of white houses†¦ full of white folks making fun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 16-17). So in order to help him overcome that fear Brother Peter tells him the people need a leader and because of how strong Gideon is physically and mentally, he was chosen to represent them. Because of Brother Peter, Gideon decides to go to Charleston. When he arrives in Charles and he realizes that, he has no money and no place to sleep, so he ends up sleeping under a hay barrel for the first night. It is the next morning when Gideon is offered a couple of cents for some physical labor, he reluctantly accepts the job realizing that he has no other option but to. Because of that money he is able to rent a room for the nights he will be at the convention, buy some food, and clothes that will look appropriate for the convention. Moreover, this is when we start getting into the convention. For the first couple of days Gideon was determined not to speak at the convention, in fear of making a fool of himself in front of all the educated white folk. Yet one day he is outraged and just cannot help himself, he gets up and speaks. Nevertheless, he was still embarrassed that he could not find the right words for what he was saying and for the fact that he sounded very uneducated compared to some of the rest. However when he was given some books that taught him how to read and speak properly, he began to speak out more and voice his opinion. To his surprise he was heard, people started to listen to what he was saying, and even siding with him. Fast explains that the Constitutional Convention worked because, though neither black nor poor whites were overly fond of each other, both realized they had a common enemy in a planter group. With the help of Gideon’s voice, and many others they fought against the planter group. The fought for a system of public schools, the abolition of imprisonment for debt, a simple and fair divorce law, a statute making it impossible for a wifes property to be sold in settlement of her husbands debts, and a measure for universal suffrage – which, came as close as man had ever come to giving women a break and land. Even though he fought for all of these things, the most important ones for Gideon were fair and equal education, and land. Throughout his time at the convention lets his wife slip away from him and stands by while a white northerner helps Gideons oldest son, Jeff, through medical school in Scotland; there was no medical school in America free enough from prejudice to accept him. Gideon loses site at what he loves the most in his life, and lets them all slip away because freedom seems more important than family. Some of the themes of this book are love and understanding, vigilance and perseverance, and hope. The reason why I say that a theme is love and understanding is because in the beginning of the book we hear about how his wife has stayed by his side through thick and thin. She waited for him though the war that he willingly signed up to go fight for. She let him go vote because she realized that even though no one knew exactly what it was, it was something of importance to her husband. In addition, though she has just gotten her husband back and did not want him to leave again; she understood that t his was something that he needed to do. She stood by his side, maybe not physically but mentally, throughout the entirety of the convention. Although this theme is not a main theme in the book, I think that it is a rather important one. The other theme I had mentioned was vigilance and perseverance. I believe these two themes are the main themes of the book, because everyone in this book is persevering in one way or another. Brother Peter insists that Gideon goes to the convention. Everyone at the convention is pushing for exactly what it is that they want written down, and his son is moving to a land unknown to him for an education that he cannot receive where he is. The last theme I had mentioned was hope. I believe that hope is the most predominant theme throughout the book, because every single person has hope. In the beginning, the town and the men who left were hoping that this voting thing was not going to get them killed. Gideon’s wife hoped that he would not leave her again, and when he did, she hoped that he would be okay and that she would get to see him again. The people of the convention all held on to the hope that what they say and what they want will be written down into a law. Then we have Gideon himself, he has hope that he will be able to read, write and give all freed slaves the right to an education. The theme of hope plays repeatedly throughout the story. All of the stories characters played a large role in the book, everyone influenced the book in one way or another, but a few of the characters that stood out to me are Brother Peter, Gideon, and Cardozo. The first character that really stands out to me is Brother Peter. I think the fact that he did not stand up and ask people to vote for him, as a delegate was a selfless act. All of the people in town look up to him and ask him for advice, they would have easily voted for him as they did Gideon, but brother Peter knew that Gideon would have more to learn from being a delegate than he would. Brother Peter also knew that Gideon would have more of a fight in him than he would. I th ink the reason why Brother Peter was so pushy about Gideon going to the convention was that he knew that Gideon would get things done. The other character that stands out to me is Gideon. Gideon starts in the beginning of the book being illiterate, but pushes though the struggle of learning how to read and write by himself. He also struggles with the fact that he is poor and does not measure up to some of the other people in the convention. Gideon fights for education and freedom so much that he lets go of everything that he truly loves. He lets his wife slip away and his son leaves. He forgets that he has people waiting for him back home. Even though I hate that he loses sight of the place he came from and his family, he over comes many struggles and fights to achieve his goals. The other character that stands out to me is Cardozo. Cardozo is the first person at the convention that comes up and talks to Gideon. I like the way Cardozo sees things differently, he is a black man that has been free all his life, got an education, socialized around white people his entire life. Therefore, when he first talks to Gideon he wants him to explain why black people should have en education. Once Gideon explains himself Cardozo understands, and helps Gideon as much as he can. He introduces him to all the right people, he supports him in the convention, and most of all he gave Gideon books that taught him how to read and write. He gave Gideon what he had come to fight for. I think it takes very kindhearted people to stand by someone who cannot even form the words to fight by themselves. Before I actually started reading this story, I thought it was going to be another extremely boring history book, however once I started I could not put it down. The way this story was written was fabulous. The way Fast incorporated Gideon’s thoughts, his writing and speaking was interesting. I loved that the real facts of what happened during that time was not just thrown in our faces, it was mixed into the fictional story that kept you interested. I think the way that we are lead through the past so effortlessly was a fascinating way to keep reader interested. I like the way Fast incorporated all the different kinds of people at the convention. In the story, the laws of freedom, education, and land would not have got through without the black folks and poor white folks being there. I think the way Fast portrayed Gideon, as a strong illiterate freedman was a great way to grab the reader’s attention and walk us through the past in a wonderful way. I think the only thing that Fast is really missing is more of Gideon speaking. Fast does an excellent narration of illiterate folks, but he does not do enough of it. Overall, this book was great, I will most likely be keeping it, and not reselling it so I can re-read it repeatedly.

Part I Professional Development Plan Nursing Essay

Part I Professional Development Plan Nursing Essay Introduction Nursing is a profession of caring. As a nurse respect for human dignity is one of the core values I strive to maintain throughout my career. Advocacy is the consequence of that respect and requires that as a nurse, I am accorded the ability to understand healthcare from the patients perspective and range of socio-cultural factors that influence their decisions. I have acquired the knowledge to assess how each individual interacts with and relate to others, families, and communities within a constantly changing society. As a nurse and agent for change, it is my responsibility to analyze how their environment can positively or negatively affect health and research means that will promote the modification of stressors and develop alternative resources that can be made available to the individual. As a nurse on the forefront of my career, I hope to continue to evolve and assist our future nurses to be adaptable to those changes. Part 1: Personal and professional goals My name is Melinda Kelly, and I would like to share with you information about myself and my career goals. I currently reside in El Paso, Texas which borders New Mexico and the country of Mexico. I also reside in Scotland seasonally from June through August of each year. I came to the Southwest from Natchez which is a small town in Mississippi, because the opportunities available in my chosen profession of nursing were limited. My mother who was the charge nurse at a local convalescent home gave me my first nursing opportunity in the eleventh grade when she hired me on as a Nurses Aide in training. My mother is my role model. Every day of her working career, she displayed love, compassion and empathy towards her patients. The nurses under her tutelage were a source of information and never made others feel as if they were an inconvenience. My professional goal is to obtain my Doctoral degree in Health Services self-designed program which will allow me the opportunity to choose courses that are education based. I chose this specialization because I have a commitment to learning, both personally and professionally. I know that returning to school and pursuing my degree will open up other opportunities in a world in which knowledge and class interaction will inspire me to advance my career even further. Now as an online student at Waldens University, I hope to develop the skills and the foundation for the facilitation of learning through research, evaluation, advisement, and mentoring (NLN, 2008). Part II: Educational Background and Research According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2005), the shortage of faculty in schools of nursing with baccalaureate and graduate programs is a continuing and expanding problem. The deficit of faculty has reached critical proportions as the current faculty workforce rapidly advances toward retirement and the pool of younger replacement faculty decreases. It is because of this shortage I feel that all nurses should have the opportunity to give back to the field of nursing through education. After I left Mississippi, I continued my career as a Nurses Aide and worked as one for 5 years, during which time I found a rekindling of the love I had for caring for others and decided to continue my career by enrolling in nursing school in the Bachelors of Science of Nursing (BSN) program. In 1986, I challenged the Licensed Vocational Nurses licensure while in my second year of the (BSN) program and to my surprise passed the boards. I then worked as a Licensed Vocational Nurse for 5 years in Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Geriatrics while returning to school part-time. I attempted to return to the Bachelors of Science of Nursing program full-time, but was put on a waiting list and not wanting to wait any longer, I chose to complete the Associate Degree of Nursing program at New Mexico State University in 1991. Working as an Associate Degree Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric ICU and Newborn Nursery was fulfilling but the long hours became impossible after my divorce. I needed an occupation that would allow me the freedom of being available for my children and earn a living. I left the hospital for Home Health Nursing. In Home Health, I discovered the independence in nursing that few hospital nurses can experience without an advanced degree. But I found that I still felt inadequate when it came to discussing and applying research to the work environment and also felt limited in my conversations with other (BSN) nurses. It was working as a school nurse and being around educators which instilled in me the desire to follow a specialization in education. I felt it was imperative that I further my education and gain the knowledge that I felt lacking for all those years. This led me to Grand Canyon University where I could attend class online and continue to work full-time and obtain my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. I completed my degree August 27, 2008. While attending Grand Canyon University I completed the Capstone Project: Effects of Nursing Shortage on Patient Care. The devotion to this project and the information I obtained encouraged as well as motivated me to go all the rest of the way in my education. Attending Walden University was the next step in my learning. I entered Waldens Masters program in nursing education and graduated June 2011. Entering collegiate education as a faculty member, I found I would have to return to school in order to obtain my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development. I will also have the opportunity to perfect the APA style of writing as well as learn more in the field of research and its various applications in nursing. I am encouraged when I read how Wal dens faculty is contributing to professional nursing journals and hope to one day to be in their league. I am also encouraged that Walden, as a reputable institution, will provide me with the knowledge and skills I will need in order to be successful in my future endeavors. I viewed other colleges information on their Doctoral courses and their descriptions that was provided and I was impressed that Waldens University did not treat their students as a financial entity but had a vested interest in their success. I also liked that the Doctoral program provided a course that would assist the student in beginning their program of study (Foundations of Graduate Study in Health Services (HLTH 8001 3). Waldens mission, vision statements and visions of social change states Walden University supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society (Walden, 2008). By contributing to the nurse educator faculty shortage, I hope to better society by assisting with educating the nurses of tomorrow. Part III: Plan of study and program of study form Now that I have returned to school, I am reading more research papers and reviewing the APA writing style. I plan to devote more time to reading, reviewing and applying the information I learn into my daily routine. The subsequent pages include my Program of Study Form for Health Services Degree Program plans for the Doctoral program. My completion date is targeted for March of 2014. I am dedicated to becoming a professional researcher and educator through Waldens University. Upon collegiate education, I found I would have to return to school for my Doctoral of Philosophy (PhD) in order to advance and teach BSN students, which was my dream. I began this journey applying in the Education department, but soon found that I had nothing in common with my cohorts, and subsequently found my home in the Health Sciences department. I chose to return to healthcare because I feel I can make a greater impact on future nurses all levels of curriculum. In addition, I feel that the information and training I will acquire through my PhD program will assist me in problem solving, research and development.

West Side Story Essay -- essays research papers

West Side Story Day 4: 2-page essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The West Side Story portrays the lives of two different gangs living in America, as well as their beliefs and examples of living a good life. The expectations of what people consider the good life to be may vary on a person’s morals and their dreams of what life is truly about. In this movie, whether or not these characters were good people, lived a good life, or lived in a good society is a very controversial topic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The characters of the West Side Story were not good people. The two gangs focused their lives on fighting with each other rather than attempting to get along and accept the differences between them. The gangs did not have any hopes or aspirations for their futures and cared about nothing more than being in a gang. Each gang made one mistake after another and never learned from any of them nor did they try to. Doc, an old and wise man, informed the boys with his knowledge and tried to open the eyes of both gangs to the hatred that engulfed them. Everything Doc had to say went through one ear and out the other, because the boys refused to see past their differences. The Jets, one of the gangs, accept what society believes of them and never make any effort to erase their bad history. They listen to what others tell them, agreeing to the excuses for their bad behavior. This is just one example of how the boys do not attempt to make a better life for themselves, or try t...

Youth Representation in movies Ten Things I Hate About You compared to Stand By Me :: Papers

Youth Representation in movies Ten Things I Hate About You compared to Stand By Me From the very beginning of both films we can see there is going to be a big difference. At the very beginning of "10 things I hate about you" we see a big town, which I think is Seattle because in the background I can see the "CN Tower", and also there is a sort of modern U.S.A. high school rock being played which is kind of upbeat. Unlike "Stand By Me" which starts off with an adult sitting in a car, in a field, in the middle of nowhere, and there is slow old music being played in the background as the adult is reading a newspaper article about an attorney being killed (later on we realise that the attorney was once a very close friend). Also from the very beginning "10 Thing'sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦." starts with very bright colours which shows us that its is going to be a cheerful, interesting and happy film, we can say this because that's the kind of feelings people get from bright colours. However "Stand by me" starts off with a quite dull colour scheme, because of the dull colour scheme we can say that it is going to be a sad film, as well as an emotional film. Also the youths in "10 Thing'sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦." lifestyles are basically going to school which we can relate to and also, they date, get drunk and have lots of friends which we can also relate to. However the youths in "10 Thing'sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦." are very privileged and we know this by all the places they can go and hang out, for example paint balling boating and all the sports that they are offered from school in which they can take part. Unlike "Stand By Me" which must be during the holidays because although the children mention school, we never see them in school, there lifestyle is completely different to the youths in "10 Thing'sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.", for example Chris, Verne, Gordie and Teddy usually lounge

French Revolution :: essays research papers

The French Revolution signaled the beginning of the rise of the Bourgeoisie in national politics. By how the French bourgeoisies helped to cause the French revolution, and how the French bourgeoisie lost control over the bourgeoisie, and by the major effects of the French Revolution. The French bourgeoisie helped cause the French revolution by the Absolute Monarchy, which is a ruler with complete authority over the government and lives of the people he or she governs. This was wrong because of the Enlightenment being tax. King Louis XVI had total power and denied all right of the people. Some problems with the Estates General was that the estate general parliament was made up of 3 classes, The first class which were known as the clergy was made up of .5%, the second class nobles who were made up of 2.5%, and the third class commoners which was made up of 97%. In this estate Third class had no say in government this cause a problem by the voting each Estate had one vote first & second would shut out third with a total of 2 to 1 votes. The enlightenments did not agree with the estate. The enlightenments was a group started in France, and inspired by philosophers they were emphasized on democracy which is a government in which the people hold ruling power. The enlightenments had the inspiration of the American Revolution and of the democratic changes in England. The Economic causes that it led to was the Royal Debt, which meant France bankrupt, and loans. It also caused many wars such as the Louis XIV French & the Indian war, and American Revolution. Another major cause was the unfair tax practice, which was that the first two estates paid no taxes, and the third paid toll. By this many causes occurred with the poor harvest and Class struggled among estates. There was no social mobility disgruntled third estate who were led by the bourgeoisies who were upset no social status and no political say. In 1789-1792 the Bourgeoisie revolu tionary leaders ended feudalism and transformed the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. In may of 1789 Louis the Xvi called a meeting of the Estates General because he was desperate need of money, Third estate refuse to accept the traditional way of voting, which was each state had one vote. They wanted all estates to meet together and each person to vote.

Strategies Formulation

STRATEGIES FORMULATION Business Strategies As there are rapid growth credit card business Hong Kong, Hang Seng Bank need to put more effort to increase their credit card customer base. They should put more resources in developing credit card products and improve services. Functional Strategies Product Strategies The Boston Consulting Groups(BCG) Growth-share matrix is applied to assess the sizes and positioning of the Credit Card. Hang Seng Bank Credit Card business is positioned as ? Star? as it has covered high relative market share in fast growth credit card business.The Bank? s credit card business is lucrative and will become the Bank? s further cash cow. The bank has to spend substantial fund to keep up with high market growth rate and fight off its competitor? s attacks. Product Development In order to serve in such a competitive environment. Hang Seng? s target is to provide premium credit card products supported by premium customer Services. Apart from strengthening its exis ting business, the bank also made progress in diversifying its credit card business and expanding its customer base. MarketingTo improve the credit card business in the industry, the bank has adopted a new marketing strategy. Traditionally the bank relied solely on the ? word-of-mouth? approach to promote the services. Such strategy was most successful in the old days but would need to be supplemented in today? s world of communications. More marketing promotions have thus been organized to increase customers? awareness about the credit card offered by the Bank. Series of innovative and aggressive marketing campaign have been carried out to reposition Hang Seng Retail Banking such as ?The Best Goes On Showcase? which promoted the credit card business. Human Resources Excellent products without premium services would only lead to product failures. Hence the Bank has invested a lot of resources on staff training and development. To tie in with the changing environment, the Bank? s tra ining focus on the service culture will now be changed to a sales and services culture. The bank should reinforce staff training especially the product knowledge and the selling skill which is very important in promoting the increasing number of new products and services in the near future.On the other hand, the development of staff is very important as well since a well trained and highly motivated staff with an all-round personality would definitely bring about improved productivity. Recommendation The credit card business is one of the fast growing financial services industry. Hang Seng Bank credit card has positioned at No. 3 with sixty hundred thousand cardholders and the 2nd Merchant Sales Volume bank in Hong Kong. It have potential for the bank to increase their market share in the business.The following recommendation will improve their performance in the business. 1. Enhancing operational efficiency Simplify credit card application form and shorten the time to issue a credi t card to customer, say within 2 weeks time. The improvement can provide customer a convenience way to get a credit card 2. Airline mileage program Most of the credit card issue bank have already launched the airline mileage program in their credit card services like Hong Kong Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. The feedback are welcome to cardholders.In face of the keen competition, Hang Seng bank credit card should add this kind of program to the credit card service. 3. Target new market segments Differentiated marketing strategy should be continually adopted. Consider the lifestyle, income and benefit segmentation. The people in this segment are high potential group. 4. Promotion Strategy Hang Seng Bank credit card should put more resources in promotion which can increase their company images. Using gimmick souvenir and pre-approved to attract customer application intention. 5. Merchant Sales Increase merchant sales will also increase the bank revenue.Since every transaction in a c redit card, the issue bank will grain 1% of the purchase and merchant sales bank will grain 1% as well. Align with other big and famous department store, supermarket and restaurant to introduce ? Co-brand Card?. The will increase the credit purchase rate. More important it will also carry up the merchant sales. 6. Card Referral Program The Card Referral Program is one of the way to increase the credit card customer base. The program show that the bank just give out a small amount of money and get a large return of cardholder.

Life of Pi book

In the book, Life of Pi[1], Yann Martel proposes many religious differences, and similarities from religions located around the world. These questions ask such things as, is it possible to be a multi-religion person? Are all religions different? How are some religions the same? Life of Pi was written in 2002 and is a fascinating story of how a young man, Pi Patel, makes it in a world with his own personal beliefs. He adopts the three major religions of the world being Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam.Life of Pi is a very questioning book at times and has the capability of persuading nonbelievers to re-evaluate their religious thought process and beliefs. After reading this book you will be comfortable in the knowledge that you will have on other religions, and just may judge them differently. One of the questions that surfaces in this book is â€Å"can a person believe in more than one religion? † The author uses the Christian, Islam, and Hindu religions all in one character to represent the different struggles that Pi Patel is facing within him self, just as animals were used as symbolic representation for people in the first story. As for the question itself, a person cannot believe in more than one religion at a time. This is shown when the three holy men meet Pi in the park and they argue over his religious practices. While arguing Pi’s father reminds the three holy men that â€Å"there is freedom for practice of whatever religion in this country†[2]. The holy men screamed in unison, â€Å"Yes! Practice-singular†[3]. This point supports how even the three major holy religions of the world believe that you can only have one. However, it is possible for people to change religions throughout their lives. As religions are faith based through personal convictions that come from within, you have purpose in what you believe, and therefore are only able to believe in one at a time. To say you believe in Christianity and Hinduism would be like saying you are both a communist and a progressive conservative, which are different philosophies. You have to choose one religion or another, just as in this story you need to believe the first story or the second story, and you cannot believe that both of these events occurred. A person cannot believe two tales of the same legend. The second story with people resembles culture within North America and how everything in the North American world is looked at as bare facts. Most people only believe things that they can see with there own eyes, or feel with there own hands. Starting from our education as children, to jobs in adulthood, knowledge of bare facts measures how much we are capable of doing. In math you add numbers that have relevance to our society, in science pre-determined experiments with actions or re-actions occur, as well as predictions and conclusions. Everything MUST have an answer. If there is a topic to which we do not have an answer we dig for scientific answers, and refuse to accept folk tales or stories from higher powers. In an area of the world with steadily declining religious numbers[4], we need to exercise our faith and imaginations. We all need to have an open and searching mind like that of a younger child. Pi Patel shows just how blunt and â€Å"factual†[5] North America people are by telling the second story, including the murder of people on a lifeboat. Murder is something we can all relate to, thus making the second story â€Å"the right story†[6] to most people. After the second story of realism, many people feel the first story to be a waste of time, showing again just how North American people struggle to explore the imaginative or symbolic side of things. Everybody justifies their respective view by saying, â€Å"that’s not even possible†[7] or â€Å"I’d have to see it to believe it†[8]. The first and second story connects in a way of showing resemblances between the two major religions of the world, Christianity and Islam. The purpose of this is to show how alike Islam followers are to Christian followers. They share most of the same religious views, with very minor differences in stories of interpretations. They also share many of the same characters, such as Jesus, who is God’s son. Jesus sends messages from God and heals people in Christianity, and in Islam a prophet shares the word of God. These two parts in the story show just how different the two religions are, yet are so similar. The first story also shows how, in the eastern world, the people are much more imaginative, by using Hindu and its animals to add a twist to create the first story. It uses the animals to also describe the real people that were on the boat such as the Orangutan, Pi’s mother. In Hindu a person who is caring and involved in religious studies has the possibility of becoming a monkey after death[9]. Pi’s mom was a very caring person who was against the eating of the zebra, or the young sailor. A zebra is looked at as an honest, friendly, and creative person because of his stripes[10]. By using these animals he is trying to show just how North American culture is so bare factual. This story parallels our own personal internal struggles as well as the struggles of different cultures and religions in the world. We begin to understand we have to ultimately face and deal with our own struggles, allowing us to come to terms with our own beliefs, where we are at in our own lives and how we fit into our culture. This story could be interpreted with different meanings by different people, but ultimately causes the kind of thought that moves us forward in terms of who we will become. The purpose of this story is to show the similarities of some religions, and also to show that the things that are different, are not so different after all. This is a book attempting to change minds on religious discrimination and indifferences.Reference http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_prac2.htm

The School Systems on Bilingual Education

Throughout the world, language defines who you are and where you come from. Something unique to the United States of America is that we not only have one language that unites us, we have hundreds that separate us; that is the core of the problem. Instead of forcing people to learn English as soon as they enter the country, the government has been mollycoddling and pampering non-English speakers. Such programs as bilingual education have been at the source of the problem. Bilingual education has said to many foreigners that its ok if you come to America and don†t speak English, it†s only our language, but we†ll cater to you. It all simmers down to one simple point that bilingual education is not necessary and is harmful to the United States as a whole. Voting ballots were just sent out in the mail last week. Something was very noticeable, not only was it in English, but it was in Spanish as well. One very common sign that English education in this country has not improved was just sent to millions of voters all over the country. If things do not improve, the children of those Spanish speaking citizens, in ten twenty years down the road, will be as illiterate in English as they were the day they were born. â€Å"The character of American life 50 years hence will determined†¦ by what happens in elementary school classrooms where immigrants† children are learning – or not learning – English† (Barone). Everything that influences a child†s life happens in their early years, and if English does not influence them then, they may never be. â€Å"†¦for many years Latino kids failed to learn enough English to score well on tests and qualify for good jobs, thanks to ‘bilingual education,† which in most cases was neither bilingual or education†(B! arone) The school system for non-native speakers seems not only inadequate, but in the need of great reform. Immersion seems to be the only answer to that great problem. It is not only theorized that immersing and teaching straight English would be the solution, it was actually tested out. Last June, California was the first state to completely do away with bilingual education with Proposition 227. â€Å"The proposition mandated that these students take English immersion classes, unless their parents specifically requested that they continue traditional bilingual education programs.† (Forbes) The government gave parents the right to allow their children to continue with the slower bilingual programs instead of letting them mainstream into English. Not only were educators against this move, but also President Clinton himself did not condone it. (Samuelson) The results, however, were overwhelming. â€Å"Test scores of children from Spanish-speaking families†¦.rose. In second grade, average reading scores of students with limited English ability have jumped in the past two years from the 19th percentile nationally to the 28th percentile. In math, the same ! students went from the 27th to the 41st percentile..† (Samuelson). With everyone against this new idea of reform for schooling, not only did they succeed, they out-witted 28 and 41 percent of the country. Something must be done right if such numbers jump in such a short amount of time. † ‘The kids have taken to English and are absorbing it like sponges†Ã¢â‚¬  (Wildavsky). Younger students have more of the want and the need to learn, they don†t become lazy or intolerant of school, something that develops during the teenage years. They have gained a language and a new place and outlook on the world. Along with this fast paced English education called immersion, comes along a new identity. Until a person understands and can speak the language of the country, he or she doesn†t really feel like a citizen, or an American. Many immigrants want this education for their sons and daughters, so that they can have a better life in this country knowing English, unlike them. â€Å"A recent national survey conducted by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan organization, reports that 75 percent of the foreign-born parents say that the school†s first priority should be to teach English quickly..† (Pedalino Porter) Immigrant parents are usually very strict on the English education issue, like most parents feel, they want their children to grow up and live American lives, better lives than their parents had back where they came from. Not only do these parents condone the teaching of straight English, they become quite rowdy if it doesn†t happen. â€Å"In Los Angeles, the parents of Mexican-American children! in the Ninth Street School staged a boycott, keeping their children out of school for several days in 1996 to protest the school principal†s unwillingness to increase the amount of English language instruction after appeals by the parents† (Pedalino Porter) The passion that these parents possess is so fierce for their wish for their children to have a better life, they would give up or protest anything, including a couple of days of their child†s education. â€Å"Of course, my parents replied. What would they not do for their children†s well-being?† (Rodriguez 532). With every parent comes that special bond with a child, life seems so trivial when you can give everything you have to better that child†s life and education. With the knowledge of English, American identity is finally found. â€Å"I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen† (Rodriguez 533). That identity can only be found through the English language, the only official and primary language of our country. The English language is what makes us, it is our identity, and it signifies that we are from America, one of the only countries in the world where a beggar can make it as a middle-class person. The downtrodden and persecuted alike flee to our country in hopes of a better future for not only themselves but also their children. Immersion of the English language is the only way that those people and their children can really identify themselves as being American. Without the language, those people are still what they were before, oppressed in the darkness of ignorance and disillusion. The only way to remedy that is to teach our younger generation, and teach them early enough, the only langu!

Essay Ine

A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS- â€Å"PEAE† FOR HKDSE/HKAL BY TOM LAW A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk HKAL BAFS MARKS (25) NUMER OF POINTS MARKS (20) NUMER OF POINTS 8+8+9 3+3+3 8+12 3+4 10+15 4+4 20 7 12+13 4+4 25 8 A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 1 Nowadays franchising is a common way to go into a business. From the perspective of a franchisee, discuss the major benefits and drawbacks of operating a coffee shop under franchise. (25) , (25) EXAMPLE 2 Explain the major characteristics of an effective control system (10) (10) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 3 Describe the different aspects to be considered in setting quality control standards for (i) companies in manufacturing industries a nd (ii) companies in service industries. (13) (i) (ii) (13) EXAMPLE 4 Illustrate with examples the measures that service business in Kong Kong might adopt to manage the quantity of (I) services demanded and (ii) services supplied. 12) , (i) (ii) (12) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) ? (12) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. k PEAE LIST/ ? P+E DISCUSS/ P+E+A ELABORATE/? ? P+E+A EXPLAIN/ P+E+A DESCRIBE/ P+E+A ILLUSTRATE WITH EXAMPLES/? P+E+A ANALYSE/ P+E+A+E EVALUATE/? ? P+E+A+E A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[emai l  protected] com. hk PEAE Point Elaboration Application Evaluation A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected]. com. hk PEAE P: E: + A: E: ( / ) A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk PEAE LIST/ ? P+E DISCUSS/ P+E+A ELABORATE/? ? P+E+A EXPLAIN/ P+E+A DESCRIBE/ P+E+A ILLUSTRATE WITH EXAMPLES/? P+E+A ANALYSE/ P+E+A+E EVALUATE/? ? P+E+A+E A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers a) Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) a) (12) †¢ 12 marks= 4 points POINT More effective in enhancing the job performance of sales people / ELABORATION Sales performance is more measurable/ APPLICATION Higher sales figures imply better sales performance/ EVALUATION why not applicable to jewelry designers/ the idea of fashion, dignity or beauty is quite abstract and subjective. There are no standards or guidelines to tell exactly what it should be. A GRADE ESSAY SKILLS – â€Å"PEAE† BY TOM LAW Email:[email  protected] com. hk EXAMPLE 5 A jewelry company is considering the use of financial incentives and job enrichment to enhance the job performance of its (I) sales people (ii) jewelry designers a) Evaluate the effectiveness of using financial incentives to enhance the job performance of these two types of employees (12) (I) (ii) a) (12) The use of financial incentives are more effective in enhancing the job performance of sales people than jewelry designers.For sales people, sales performance is more measurable and therefore easier to link with financial incentives. For example, financial incentives can usually be performed by solely considering the sales figures. Higher sales figures imply better sales performance and financial incentives should be distributed to those who perform well. But for jewelry designers, the job of them is difficult to quantify and therefore difficult to link financial incentives with performance. For example, the idea of fashion, dignity or beauty is quite abstract and subjective. There are no standards or guidelines to tell exactly what should be.Even though the sales figure of the new design is optimistic, it may not be the result of the marvelous design but may be the hard work of salespersons. Numerical data can not fully show the value of work done by the designers. Thus, financial incentive is impractical. , , , , ?, ?, , , ,? , , SAMPLE ESSAY EMAIL: [email  protected] com. hk TOM LAW

Strategic Managemnt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Managemnt - Essay Example b. Economic factor The effect of the recent financial crisis made consumers skimp on cost particularly on their fashion wear. They are now becoming more sensitive to price and is considering cheaper brands such as those retailed in the supermarkets and discounter stores. c. Social factor The recent financial crisis had a tremendous effect in UK’s consumer behaviour. They begun shopping for clothes in supermarkets and discounter stores to be able to save on cost. Where before quality and brand was a premium among the consumer’s consideration in shopping for clothes, the crisis shifted their preference towards price. d. Technological factor Technology has also contributed to the change in the UK fashion industry. It made retailing cheap through e-commerce that requires very minimal overhead affording retailers to cut their price further to better respond to competition. e. Environmental factor The increasing awareness towards environmental degradation as felt by many and advocated by government and concerned groups has not only made consumers conscious in the kind of materials of the products are made that they buy not only in the fashion industry but also in other industry as well. Furs which used to be fashionable are now considered to be a fashion eye sore and the use of leathers are now regulated. f. Legislative factor The lifting of the lifting of the two trade barriers known as Multifbre Agreement (MFA, 1974 to 1994) and the Agreement on Textile and Clothing (1995 to 2004) also provided an avenue for local retailers to be exempted from from Value Added Tax (VAT) by complying with the four legislative requirement of UK. The four legislative requirement to qualify for VAT exemption are as follows: It must be an article of clothing or footwear; It must not be made of fur; It must be designed for young children, and It must only be suitable for young children† (HM Revenue & Customs 2011). This exemption however is limited because it is only limited to children’s wear and could be a double edged sword because competitors can also avail the same exemption. Government however has also provided incentive to import cheaper textiles provided that the strict regulations on clothing are complied with which are; â€Å"The General Product Safety Regulations 2005. The Children's Clothing (Hood Cords) Regulations 1976. The Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985† (The National Archives 2011). II. Porter Five Forces a. s. Threat of rivalry The opening of the UK fashion industry to imports has intensified rivalry among retailers because it now includes foreign competitors as well. In addition, the swelling of cheap textiles from other countries (i.e. China, India) conveniently made it supermarket stores and discounter stores to be an effective cheap retailers of fashion clothings which pose a real threat to traditional modes of retail in the fashion industry. The rivalry posed by supermarkets and discounter stores has sign ificantly depressed the price of fashion clothing that reduced the bottom and middle segments of the market to be intensely competitive (Thame 2010) and making it very difficult for other retailers to compete. b. Threat of substitute products Clothing is a basic necessity and clothing is as basic as food itself. Therefore, clothes cannot be substituted. The threat in the fashion in

Italian SME footwear company (Supply Chain and Logistics Management) Assignment

Italian SME footwear company (Supply Chain and Logistics Management) - Assignment Example The firm therefore adapted the use of third-party logistics functions. In the modern business age, the global environment has become very competitive requiring companies to deal with several different sources so as to ensure customer satisfaction as well as their own success. Such competitiveness is what has called for strategic plans such as use of third party logistics providers (Rodrigo 2012: 12).With such an approach, one has to look at both the benefits and disadvantages of the approach. In covering the benefits, it isnecessary to evaluate whether such decisions would be easily assimilated by the company.That is, issues such as product availability, labor force, meeting of customer expectations the third party logistics capabilities would have to be considered, amongst others that may arise in the process.Supply chains do not only involve materials, logistics, ICT and facilities but also include people in charge of operations or people involved in the chain operations. Thus, a m anufacture should always consider â€Å"supplying people† when designing the supply chain. That is, considering the right human expertise in the supply chain. Question 1 In analysis and evaluation of the Baldinini srl strategy, major focus will be on the effect towards the company’s performance. ... ms of inventory management, Baldinini stands a chance of lowering costs associated with storage, moving in and out of their products into the inventory. Most of all, the company is lifted off the burden of tax accumulation generated by increasing value of products included in the inventory. It becomes way affordable and manageable to hire a 3pl provider. In terms of company and customer relationships, the end receivers of Baldinini products fail to realize the company, this works negatively for Baldinini. Question 2 Traditionally, several companies have seen their advantage in competitiveness as a derivative from their product or services that they provide. With time, however this has changed as products and services become replicated by the day (Keifer, 2012).This possesses a greater risk of competing with counterfeits causing companies to shutter in their own market place. Several companies now no longer see their competitive advantage as a result of their products and services but as a result of how they run their businesses (Keifer, 2012). Supply Chain Management (SCM) plays a specific role in meeting customer demands, developing strategies, proper management of inventory, control of production orders and also maximization of customer fulfillment. One fundamental of SCM is the SCM Objectives. Supply chain management aims to meet rising customer demands or increase it in target markets. It also includes optimization of the supply chain with as minimum cost as possible, Nitl (2008).This approach maintains that a company should clearly understand their customer needs and also have a clear view of their market place. By having the objectives figured out, a company already possesses upper hand in the market place.By doing so, a company eliminates unnecessary activities

Improving Decision making in the Public Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Improving Decision making in the Public - Essay Example This study highlights that  the instinctive portion, founded on the emotional instincts, is operational in the absence of conscious inclusion. Contrarily, rational thinking involves all situations requiring deliberative analysis. Unfortunately, the instinctive portion is comparatively stronger than its rational counterpart. As a result, people are tempted to use the instinctive portion even in situations requiring deliberate analysis. This is the reason behind the lack of capacity for individuals to make right decisions.This paper discusses that the public should be instructed by knowledge on decisions making, and use these knowledge while forming decisions. Studies show that knowledge on statistics improves the judgment of certainty and uncertainty, and it is important that this is implemented within education curriculum so that students’ decision making skills are sharpened. In addition, researchers found that exemplary numeracy skills significantly improve one’s ab ility to interpret real world situations. Decision making can be drastically improved by emphasizing these two educational approaches in educational programs, while authorities applying knowledge on decision making through improved statistical and numeracy skills.  Scientific facts rule that we are incapable of altering our selves through the integration of new knowledge and skills to make only right decisions. Never-the-less, the use of libertarian paternalism, and application of the two educational approaches can improve decision making.

Thunder Heart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Thunder Heart - Essay Example Whose City†. The effects of social networking in urban environments for young adults, like the ones seen in the film, can have negative results attributed to them, especially in urban neighborhoods. As seen in the film, young adults would go out to neighborhood hangouts, like a bar or club, to meet people and dance. Such activities can be fun but also be misleading. As seen in the movie, the two young ladies, Maria and Blanca, went to a club just to dance and hangout. They happen to meet some guys who appear to be harmless and a friendship arises. As the friends begin to see each other more often they begin to learn more about one another. This is where misleading networking plays a role. One of the guys met at the bar happens to have associates within a drug ring and is tied to drug smuggling. Soon after, Maria and Blanca become smugglers for their new friends associates. Had the two girls not tried to network with others at the bar they might have evaded this ultimate outcome. Therefore, the n egative effect of social networking in these kinds environments is that people may seem to be one thing but are something quite different. In areas where drug trade is openly visible and common, like the setting in Columbia, social networking can be dangerous. This danger can also be associated in context with control of the urban cities. The danger associated to urban cities is the means of one’s sacrifices for survival. In deprived cities, like the one in the film, money is the most admired commodity. In areas where plantations and industries thrive, workers and laborers certainly do not share the profits attained by these businesses. Workers wages do not meet the bar for providing for their family and ones own personal needs therefore the danger of the drug trade looms. Drug distribution is highly recognized and sought after due to the large

What is a Social Trap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is a Social Trap - Essay Example Both in the context of social traps and in the context of paradoxes, it is seen that long-term circumstantial effects must be taken into consideration when one makes a decision; and it is not proper to neglect them for the sake of short-term benefits of an individual or a group (Bazerman and Samuelson, 1983, p. 632). 2. Social traps are mostly representative of situations where a single individual or a collective group of individuals focus on generating short-term benefits in the form of profits and increased revenues from an unexpected window of opportunity through the use of a favorable law or practice ( Platt, 1973, p. 641). Social traps arise mostly due to the process of increasingly indulging in business activities today, which leads to long-term complications in the future. The complications are mutually exclusive in nature, and this eventually leads to a scenario of situational deadlock. Due to social traps, it is seen that individuals mostly resort to a similar line of reason ing in the issues that show the promise of a good opportunity which can help satisfy business or individual needs. Talking in lines of the ‘Tales of the Unexpected’, it can be said that the making, delivering and effectively executing critical decisions for the benefits of a particular scenario requires effective implementation of ideas based on common sense and rational logic (Drummond, 2001, p. 148) The piece also draws the attention of the readers to the importance of the maintenance of the fine level of balance in the case of a logically taken decision and to the evaluation of all related possibilities; it discourages from taking decisions on the basis of focus on immediate gains and opportunities. Paradoxes in the process of decision-making exist, as some problems come directly in conflict with the theory of utility and the choices that can be made (Goldstein and Hogarth, n.d., p.12). The paradoxes are created mainly because people prefer to simultaneously stick to the rational approach to decision-making and to adhere to the established rules and guidelines (Hitt, Black, and Porter, 2005, p. 370).

The Message of Art Matters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Message of Art Matters - Essay Example The beauty of art is found everywhere. It is up to an individual how he perceives and appreciates it. While it is true that aesthetic beauty lies in the eyes of a beholder, visual representation brings the collaboration of art formed in many approaches: music,painting, stories, imagination and even science. The subject of an artwork is primarily and obviously taken notice. The artist has the liberty to choose the subject matter for his artwork. However, it is the content that will always reflect the artist (Nielsen). There are thousands of artists that paint the same subject. It is the artist’s own style that makes their works diverse and non-ephemeral. Every man is an artist. Every individual has a way to voice out what is going on inside of him and loose it out in ways that would make an impact to whoever perceives. Art as an expression reflects what is happening in a certain society and culture. If art is a work output, then it must come from inside of the artist. The freedom of every individual lets him explore the vastness of his creativity exploding into varied concepts of supreme work of art and achievements.

Unnatural Causes Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unnatural Causes - Movie Review Example Social class and racism are not natural causes for sickness and hence the title of the film ‘unnatural causes’. The film is similar with other media that I have seen, read, and heard on the issues of health disparities and how it relates to one’s social class in that people in the lower social class are prone to disempowerment. Their economic status is low due to lack of the necessary resources and opportunities and hence they tend to get sick more often and their life expectancy is low. The people in this class are subject to chronic stress and cannot have access to better medical care services. They tend to get sick more often and hence live shorter lives. Exposure to chronic stress of race in a lifetime often leads to delivery of premature babies thus affecting health and life expectancy (California Newsreel, 2008). The film confirmed biases I had in regards to being poor rich, that wealthy people lead better, longer and healthy lives as compared to the poor (Haitkin, 2008). The question that surfaced for me during the film that I would like to know more about is how the health status of the low social class can improve. With America having the highest gross national product in the world, how can the poor have access to medical care and training on health issues? The statement that best describes what I learnt from the film is that health inequalities are not natural. This is because, health disparities that are because of racial and class inequities arise from the decisions the society makes (California Newsreel, 2008). As a future nurse, I propose that the society or the government should try to ensure that everyone gains access to health care regardless of their wealth in order to live longer and healthier

Biochemistry and Technology Essay Example for Free

Biochemistry and Technology Essay 1. For the lesson, I chose the topic of animal cloning for agricultural needs. 2. The sources I used are http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/FDAVeterinarianNewsletter/ucm106070.htm http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/how/areas-of-research/animal-cloning/ 3. Cloning has always been something of science fiction, the ability to make an exact copy of an organism. Recently though, this sci-fi idea is more of reality than ever. Many have heard of Dolly the sheep, a perfect clone, but cloning has been done many times throughout the world. Rabbits, horses, mice and others have been clone before. Since cloning only takes one parent cell, the offspring is an exact genetic replica of the first. Now, cloning for agriculture was one of the first marketing thoughts on the subject. If a farmer were to have just one healthy pig that could end up being 100 healthy pigs, it would get rid of the problem of genetic problems with farm animals. A 100% success rate would help the farming business greatly. 4. There are many positive aspects of cloning technology for the use of livestock trading. This technology would benefit all in the livestock circle. Imagine that every steak you came from the â€Å"near-perfect† cow. Each cow would have the genes of one â€Å"perfect† cow. This would give the consumer and producer less work of having to find the best of what they want. 5. Many fear that cloning could be used for the wrong purposes, the main being human testing. People fear that the testing of animals is just the first step to people. Another problem that people fear is that animals will start to less seem like animals and just soulless things. 6. So Dolly was not the first clone, and she looked like any other sheep, so why did she cause so much excitement and concern, since she was the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell, rather than an embryo. This was a major scientific achievement, but also raised ethical concerns.

Analysis of the Credit Card Industry in Turkey Essay Example for Free

Analysis of the Credit Card Industry in Turkey Essay The current Turkish government is very pro western and secular, however its divided religious loyalties, issues surrounding Greek sovereignty rights and fundamentalist groups threaten the expected 5 year stability of this administration. Government involvement in banking The Turkish Government has a history of involvement in banking affairs which is of concern to international investors. The Turkish state owns and finances a number of its banks and provides artificial stability to the banking system through state funded initiatives. The Government has also tailored wages in line with inflation rates e. g. minimum wages rates. With recent IMF intervention the long term plan for Turkey is still not absolutely clear. EU Membership The Turkish Government is pro EU membership and this is potentially the biggest paradigm shift on the horizon for Turkey’s financial system, this factor is further dealt with as a key driver. Economic †¢ Interest Rates Low interest rates in Turkey fuel loan take-up and have caused increase in credit card issue. Historically higher interest rates led to more widespread loan default and meant that less switching occurred as consumers were â€Å"tied† to provider. Economic growth in Turkey, with higher levels of middle and upper income, urban dwelling professionals and better access to continuing education has undoubtedly increased credit card take-up. (This could also be construed as a social factor). †¢ Global financial crisis The effects of the global financial crisis will have a major effect on banking restrictions to lending and credit availability in Turkey. Turkey’s export markets will be likely affected by the ongoing crisis which has a major effect on GDP which in turn affects spending power. Social †¢ Higher standard of living Higher standards of living among consumers have a beneficial knock on effect for credit cards issuers. In Turkey 7. 5% of GDP is invested back into education thus consumers are more financial savvy. †¢ Urban/Rural Divide Urban dwellers have a much higher likelihood of credit card use given their potential for access of issue and probability of a regular wage earning role. As the economy develops Turks are increasingly moving off the land from poorly paying seasonal work to the cities that offer a better chance of regular income and personal development. Technology †¢ E –Commerce Worth in excess of 2 billion euro to the economy and with 16 million people accessing the internet E-Commerce is a huge growth area and potential distribution channel for the credit card industry. It is also a medium for information driven purchasing through advertising potential and its access is furthered through telephone technology integration. †¢ SMART Cards The security afforded to the credit card industry through use of SMART cards has a beneficial affect on usage through; 1. Increased level of merchants accepting the facility 2. Security for use in Internet Cafes (here large numbers access the internet) 3. Security of service has become a battleground for competition among issuers Coupled with the above technologies, the explosion in EPOS facilities mean more access to products and services through credit card use, homogenising the myriad of potential transactions and benefiting both consumer and merchant. ATM’s also have further facilities to enhance the benefits of using plastic such as bill pay, mobile kiosks etc. Legal †¢ Intervention of Government/Key official Institutions There have been widespread changes in the law in Turkey affecting the credit card industry such as; 1. Restriction on credit card limits . Illegality of altering terms without informing consumer 3. Increases in minimum payment required 4. The Central Bank’s lowering of the interest rate cap 5. Loosening of the frameworks around mergers and acquisitions All of these interventions alter the attractiveness of the market for the credit card industry, which was historically fraught with lack of reg ulation and anti-consumer practises. Identify the 4 KEY DRIVERS FACING THE CREDIT CARD SECTOR 1. Technological Advances 2. State Intervention in Financial Affairs 3. EU membership 4. Rural-Urban Migration Technological Advances The rapidly advancing technology in the field of mobile payment will have a lasting effect on the credit card industry. Companies that can stay ahead of the game with new technologies in security, risk management and will be best placed to benefit from increased A physical â€Å"credit card† is really only a vehicle to hold a magnetic strip containing coded information. In terms of technology this is already quite dated; †¢ Already systems are designed to â€Å"swipe† a card on a merchant’s mobile phone, this will allow for a myriad of services which will no longer require cash transaction e. g. street traders. Advances in retina scanning technology are also at an advanced level and it is envisaged that the future of mobile payments may be through facial recognition or retina scanning. †¢ Other technology such as what is used in â€Å"The Baja Beach Club in Barcelona† where they inject a rice-size â€Å"VeriChip† RFID device into the wrist or upper arm of its patrons whom pay by swiping their arm – adapted from http://www. creditcards. com/credit-card-news/credit-cards-of-the-distant-future State Intervention The level of further state intervention in Turkey’s financial affairs will be a key driver in Turkey’s future credit card success or decline. As we have seen, moves by the government to regulate the industry have impacted on the potential earnings of the banks through lowering interest rates. In turn this type of regulation has stabilised the markets and led to economic growth which impacts positively on numbers of consumers available to the sector. Whether the current â€Å"Republican Democracy† in Turkey will be in power going forward is obviously of importance to this argument. With elections due in 2011 the future of state intervention in banking affairs is unclear. EU Membership Turkey becoming a full member of the EU will be another key driver in the credit card industry. EU entry will mean the freeing of trade and access to a further 500 million consumers. It is most likely that Turkey would be a more attractive market for global companies, of interest here, financial organisations who would be attracted by the large numbers of â€Å"unbanked† consumers and those who see Turkey strategically as the gateway to Eastern markets. The credit card market would likely become much more competitive with new entrants who would most likely look to merge with/acquire existing indigenous banks. Rural-Urban Migration According to the case study the majority of people in the rural areas of Turkey tend not to be credit card users. As the economy improves larger numbers of rural people (especially male) will likely move towards the larger urban centres to participate in the industrial or service sectors. This in turn leads to greater numbers with the potential to use credit cards, in turn offering greater numbers of potential consumers to the sector. SECTION 2 – Porters 5 Forces 2. Use the five forces framework to identify the forces affecting the Turkish credit card sector a. Graphically illustrate the five forces (see overleaf) b. Draw conclusions from the 5 forces analysis to explain; 1. How attractive the sector is I consider the Turkish credit card sector to be an attractive market for a large multinational e. g. BNP or Barclays to enter. From my analysis I have concluded that consumers are fragmented and suppliers are concentrated. Rivalry is high, yet only among 4 suppliers, considering rivalry in an industry such as haulage this must be considered attractive. Capital requirements of entry are high, but not on the scale of industries such as mining might be. Economies of scale and experience exist, however for companies already in credit card markets in other countries by no means insurmountable. The threat of substitutes is relatively low as the credit card holds a relatively niche position. Product differentiation/loyalty is low among existing consumers; good offers would attract new business, as would strong internet presence. Turkey has; â€Å"40 percent of people who are bankable based on their socio-economic status and age in Turkey are still â€Å"unbanked,† having no accounts with any banks in Turkey â€Å" (www. mckinsey. om/clientservice/ /Credit_Cards_in_Turkey. ashx) This data identifies a large section of the Turkish population who are potential consumers for a new entrant; therefore the market could potentially grow significantly for all players involved. 2. How the competitive forces are changing/may change The competitive forces are currently changing most notably in areas such as consumer access to information. More widespread access and use of the internet will drive further competition in the market through portals such as comparison websites, industry reviews etc. This will ultimately increase bargaining power of consumers, leading to decreased profits for suppliers. EU accession would alter the competitive forces among the major players currently in the sector. Interest rates set by the ECB, participation in the single currency etc. would have a significant impact on the state financed banking institutions and would alter their relevance. One would suspect that in a free market system the Turkish government would relish the opportunity of divesting the burden to international organisations to increase competition. With increased market stability and better financial education, consumer’s use of substitutes may extend to less expensive forms of credit such as personal loans. Coupled with better economic conditions consumer’s use of debit cards may also increase; given that currently lower income workers struggle to maintain a balance sufficient to cover their living costs. 3. How the sector may change to reflect changing forces The credit card sector can move more of its marketing budget toward E-Marketing and target new and younger consumers through this medium. MBNA have used this marketing channel very successfully in the past. In order to combat increased uptake of personal loans and increased use of debit cards the credit card sector may look at collective lower interest rates, better offers through loyalty bonuses and customer kickbacks and better education of its customers as to how to better use their credit cards. In order for the credit card sector to prepare for increased competition post EU accession it may look to further differentiate its offerings to appeal to the Turkish people e. g. align the credit offering with cultural values or emotions. It might be necessary to offer further services aligned to credit cards such as life insurance to augment and differentiate the offering. 3. Scenario Planning Scenario 1 â€Å"Renewed Political/Terrorist Violence in Turkey† In recent years, terrorist bombings some with significant numbers of casualties -have struck religious, political, and business targets in a variety of locations in Turkey. The potential remains throughout Turkey for violence and terrorist actions both by transnational and indigenous terrorist organizations such as PKK, . Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) and AlQa’ida. Adapted from http://www. eubusiness. com/europe/turkey/invest) Given Turkey’s increasing dependence on foreign direct investment a return to more concerted campaign of political violence would spell disaster for the credit card industry. Large financial corporations, especially US owned would be deterred from entering the market, or potentially pull out of t he market thus decimating competition. Access to sources of international credit and lending would dry up therefore affecting consumer’s ability to purchase products and services on credit. Turkey’s export market would potentially be destroyed as Western nations would deter from transacting in case monies were being skimmed to fund further terrorist activity. This would further lower the GDP of the country affecting the spending power of consumers in turn negating the need for credit cards. Further knock on effects of violence include the loss of capital Governments have available to invest in its economy, on education and infrastructure. Government capital would have to be spent on further military and security projects. The tourism industry, a huge earner for Turkey would be decimated as travelers would fear the threat of violence. The black market economy would thrive under such conditions and regular banking functions would significantly cease with many consumers using cash/barter systems of attaining needs. With respect to the Credit card sector, this scenario would be highly detrimental to its future, as consumer confidence in the financial service sector would be decimated. The sector would have to pour vast resources into transaction security and marketing the brand safety and correct usage policies to consumers. Default numbers would likely increase due to instability and escalating interest rates. Scenario 2 â€Å"Turkey Gains Full EU Membership† â€Å"The EU is committed to supporting Turkey in its path for membership. The initial objective of EU financial support towards Turkey was the extension of an area of peace, stability and prosperity within and beyond Europe. Once the Union accepted Turkey as a candidate, financial assistance began to focus on supporting Turkey in its preparation for EU membership† http://www. eubusiness. com/europe/turkey/funding A study on the EU (http://europa. eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction. o) reported the following economic benefits of a country joining the EU; 1. An average of 2. 15% increase in GDP 2. Exchange rates for Turks travelling through Europe would be eliminated, as would the potential damaging effects exchange rate swings have on Turkish exports. I would assume that the credit card sector would become significantly more competitive in the light of EU membership therefore the sector would have to increase its marketing and branding spend, but would have a larger pool of consumers to choose from.