Critically consider psychological explanations of love Essay

There are three psychological theories of love, The Three Factor Theory of Romantic Love, Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love and Romantic Love and Attachment. The three factor theory of romantic love suggested by Hatfield and Walster, recognises two types of love, passionate love and companionate love. Whilst passionate love can be seen as an intense physiological arousal which involves a longing for the other person, companionate love is more a feeling of affection towards those whom we feel deeply about. Hatfield and Walster propose a theory to explain passionate love based on three factors; physiological arousal, appropriate love object and cultural exposure. The authors see love as a label that is placed on someone that we are physiologically aroused by. Experiencing this arousal will cause a person to state it is because of love, since this is what our culture teaches us happens when we are in love. This theory receives support from research by Dutton and Aron. In this study, male participants were interviewed on a high or low suspension bridge, by an attractive female. The results supported the prediction that those males interviewed on a high bridge felt more sexual attraction to the woman, presumably because they experienced stronger physiological arousal. The males on the lower bridge felt less physical attraction, presumably because their physiological arousal was not as strong. It is possible that this theory could explain certain experiences such as love at first sight. However, since most people seem to fall in love gradually, this would suggest that for the majority of individuals, the label, love, comes first rather that the physiological arousal. The theory is also more applicable to western rather then eastern or collectivist cultures. Sternberg defines love as – intimacy (sharing mutual understanding and emotional support), passion (involves physical attraction and sexual desire) and decision/commitment (involves the short-term decision that you love someone and a longer-term commitment to maintain that love). These three components of love can be combined in different ways to produce seven varieties of love; liking, infatuation, empty love, romantic love, compassionate love, fatuous love and consummate love. These seven types of love form a triangle. Consummate love being in the center as it is the strongest form of love since it involves all three components. Sternberg believes that people have two different types of triangle. The first is based on an individuals own theory of love and is formed in a cultural context from watching television, observing parents, reading books, including listening to fairy tales when young. The second triangle is based on the individuals’ current relationship. According to Sternberg when two triangles are similar, relationships tend to be more successful. The theory has practical applications – it is possible to measure the components in the two parties and then analyse the differences in the types of love shown by each partner. It helps pinpoint areas where change and compromise may be necessary. However, the components are rather vague, especially commitment, and it is therefore difficult to judge the basis on which one person decides to love another. Hazan and Shaver proposed that romantic relationships are attachment relationships, and that individual differences in adult attachment style, mirror those found by psychologists who studied attachment styles such as Ainsworth. So rather than love being formed in a cultural context, Hazan and Shaver believe that love originates from a person’s early relationship with a primary caregiver. This theory developed out of two earlier pieces of research by Ainsworth and Bowlby. Ainsworth’s strange situation and the observation that children have three different styles of attachment – secure, insecure/anxious resistant and insecure/anxious avoidant. Bowlby’s belief that the mother’s behaviour towards the child creates an internal working model that leads the infant to expect the same in later relationships. According to Hazan and Shaver, later love relationships can be predicted from a child’s attachment style. So therefore a secure child who had a positive image of a caring mother will have relationships in later life that are friendly, trusting and more enduring. A child classified as insecure/anxious resistant will have conflicting memories of the mother, both positive and rejecting, causing relationships in later life to consist of emotional highs and lows, with moments of jealousy and concerns whether their partners really love them. Insecure/anxious avoidant children will remember their mother as cold and rejecting and have relationships in later life where they fear being close to someone and believe love is not necessary for happiness nor is it long lasting. Hazan and Shaver’s research receives support from a number of studies in that there does seem to be a relationship between early attachment experiences and later attitudes and behaviour to love for example Feeny and Noller 1990. However the research has all been correlational in this area, so it cannot be claimed that early attachment causes later relationships behaviour. The relationship between the two could be caused by another factor. Kagon believes this other factor to be the temperament of the child. Infants are born with certain temperaments which determine the quality of their early relationships and these innate or genetic factors affect relationships throughout life. The three psychological theories of love provide partial explanations for this most intense of human emotion. Whilst Hatfield and Walster believe love to be a state of strong physiological arousal, Sternberg and Hazan and Shaver believe that love originates from a persons early relationships with a primary caregiver.

Accounting and Corporate Governance Essay

The memo is to address the accounting maneuver of Lehman’s Repo 105 (or 108) from perspectives of accounting and corporate governance. The memo will illustrate the role of repo transaction in Lehman’s business model, analyze the accounting irregularities regarding repo by Lehman, observe auditors’ role in these irregularities, and discuss the corresponding accounting and corporate governance issues. In addition, the memo will provide recommendations on how to prevent financial institutions from abusing regulatory deficiencies by emphasizing on the importance of accounting regulation, auditors’ role, and business ethics. See more: Recruitment and selection process essay The major goal of Lehman’s Repo 105 is to temporarily remove troubled securities from its balance sheet while presenting favorable financial statements to its investors, creditors, rating agencies, and the public. By temporarily removing these securities from its balance sheet, Lehman made its leverage ratio much lower. With low leverage ratio, Lehman would keep its credit rating at high level and maintained its customers’ confidence. A repo, or sale and repurchase agreement, is an agreement in which one party transfers to another party as collateral for a short-term borrowing of cash, while simultaneously agreeing to repay the cash and take back the collateral at a specific point in time (SFAS 140). An ordinary repo should be treated as a financing transaction and should be accounted for as a secured borrowing. An ordinary repo is a commonly-used form of secured loan between financial institutions. In fact, repo does not have real economic substance. However, by the Repo 105 transactions, Lehman did the same in an ordinary repo, but because the assets value were 105 percent or more of the cash received, accounting rules permitted the transactions to be treated as sales rather than financing. Lehman aggressively employed Repo 105 transactions before reporting periods at the end of 2007 and the first two quarters of 2008. During the reporting periods, Repo transactions helped Lehman remove assets from balance sheet and use cash received to payback short-term loans. In addition, Lehman did not report any liabilities that reflected the obligation to repay the borrowed funds. After the reporting periods, Lehman would borrow funds to repurchases the transferred assets. Then these assets would be reversed on the balance sheet again. The consideration is whether Lehman’s accounting for Repo 105 violated the Generally Accepted Accounting Principal (the GAAP). Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 140 (SFAS 140) provides the accounting guidelines on repo transactions. A company is permitted to account for these transactions as sales only if the transferor surrenders control over the assets to transferees. To account for a repo transaction as a sale, all three conditions must be met: 1) the transferred assets must be isolated from the transfer, 2) transferee has right to pledge or exchange the assets, 3) the transferor does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets. A typical repo contract can easily meet the first two conditions. However, in order to take advantage of favorable accounting treatment as sales transaction, Lehman has employed some accounting maneuvers to meet the third condition. SFAS 140 (Paragraph 218) states that the transferor’s right to repurchase is not assured unless the repurchase price is 102 percent or less of the cash received, or the cash received is 98 percent or more of the value of the transferred assets. â€Å"The Board believes that other collateral arrangements typical fall well outside that guideline (FASB, 2000, p. 91). † The repurchase price of Repo 105 is 105 percent of the cash received, which is higher than the 102 percent guideline. As a result, Lehman could argue that Repo 105 did not meet the third condition of maintaining effective control, and then classified it as sales. Based upon the above analysis, Lehman’s accounting for Repo 105 seemed to be technically in compliance with the U. S. GAAP. However, Lehman’s bankruptcy examiner Anton R. Valukas (2010) provided evidence showing that Lehman intended to use Repo 105 to manipulate its 10-K and 10-Q financial reporting. Valukas argued that the classification of these repo transactions should be based on its economic substance rather than its form (such as the 102 rule). Since Lehman had clear intent to buy back the transferred assets under Repo 105, these transactions are clearly secured borrowing and should not have been recorded as sales. The obvious accounting irregularity is Lehman’s failure of disclosing Repo 105 transaction in its quarterly and annual financial reports. Valukas (2010)’ report indicates that Lehman’s SEC 10-K and 10-Q filing between 2000 to third quarter, 2007, regularly misrepresented some repo transaction as â€Å"secured borrowings† despite that it actually recorded as sales. In addition, Lehman never disclosed its involvement in Repo 105 its 10-K of 2007 and the first 10-Q of 2008 (Chang et al, 2011). In fact, Lehman has aggressively involved in Repo 105 during the end of 2007 and first two quarters of 2008, removing approximately by $38. billion in fourth quarter 2007, $49. 1 billion in first quarter 2008, and $50. 38 billion in second quarter 2008 (Valukas, 2010). It is clear that Lehman’s misrepresentation and failure of disclosure of its Repo 105 practice is material enough to mislead its investors, debtors, rating agencies and the public. As the auditor of Lehman Brothers, Ernst & Young approved the use of Repo 105 transactions. These transactions were characterized as sales of assets and created a misleading picture of Lehman’s financial position during the financial meltdown. Ernst & Young said in a statement: â€Å"Our last audit of the company was for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2007. Our opinion indicated that Lehman’s financial statements for that year were fairly presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and we remain of that view. † Ernst & Young would like the public to believe their responsibility for Lehman’s financial statements ends with the 2007 10-K. Actually, It does not. According to the examiner’s report, Ernst & Young had just started planning for its year-end audit of Lehman when the firm collapsed into bankruptcy. Lehman remained an E&Y client until the bankruptcy in September 2008. This period included two more 10-Qs. But most troubling for the auditors could be allegations in the examiner’s report that Ernst & Young did not inform the audit committee on Lehman’s board about a whistleblower who had expressed concerns about the repos to them. In a March 2010 letter to its clients, E&Y defended its audit work for Lehman. The letter states that Lehman’s bankruptcy resulted from unprecedented adverse events in the financial markets, declining asset values, and loss of market confidence that caused a collapse in its liquidity. The firm believes the bankruptcy wasn’t caused by accounting or disclosure issues, as Lehman’s financial statements clearly portrayed it as â€Å"a leveraged entity operating in a risky and volatile industry. † The most telling assertion in the complaint concerning E&Y’s alleged misrepresentation of Lehman’s compliance with applicable accounting standards is that E&Y didn’t require the financial statements to reflect economic substance rather than just legal form. In other words, the complaint accuses E&Y of letting Lehman engage in transactions without business purpose in order to achieve a specific financial-statement result. The bankruptcy examiner said that the sole function of Repo 105 transactions as employed by Lehman was to reduce its publicly reported net leverage and net balance sheet. Although Lehman knew that none of its peer companies were using the same accounting tricks to arrive the leverage numbers, it continued to rely on the use of Repo 105 substantially, at a level that is much higher than the originally defined â€Å"materiality† level by the management. As a consequence, it left Lehman with heavy concentrations of illiquid assets which could not be monetized to meet its current obligations (Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. v. Debtors, 2010). The Examiner did not find supporting evidence to bring â€Å"colorable claims† (Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. v. Debtors, 2010) against Lehman’s directors, however, they should have better monitored the managers. And the examiner did find sufficient evidence to support a colorable claim against certain senior officers for breaching their fiduciary duties to shareholders and other stakeholders because they failed to inform the public and shareholders about the substantial use of Repo 105 by non-disclosure of related information and by filing materially misleading periodic reports, which risked the company with potential liabilities; and they also failed to advise the Board of Directors of the Repo 105 practice (Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. v. Debtors, 2010). The examiner also concluded that sufficient evidence existed that Lehman’s quarter? nd Repo 105 practice was material and should have been disclosed in the financial statements. In addition, Lehman had an obligation to disclose required information relate to Repo 105 in its MD&A statement. In terms of accounting malpractice, Lehman’s external auditor, Ernst & Young, was also held responsible for allowing Lehman’s financial reports to go unchallenged. Ernst & Young well knew the practice of Repo 105 adopted by the company, but failed to review the volume and timing of Repo 105 transactions, and failed to access the materiality of information omitted regarding Repo 105 transactions. Furthermore, Ernst & Young failed to conduct investigations with regard to the concern about Repo 105 raised by Matthew Lee, then-Senior President of Finance Division. In conclusion, corporate governance was lacking both internally and externally (Lehman Brothers Holding Inc. v. Debtors, 2010). The accounting irregularity of Lehman’s Repo 105 practice partly due to the deficiencies of accounting rules, however, integrity or accounting professionals as well as business ethics also play an important role in the accounting malpractice. In 2009, FASB issued SFAS 166 to amend SFAS 140. These efforts could close some loophole in accounting standards. Good corporate governance requires not only effective board and ethical top management, but also reliable accounting personnel and independent outside auditors, to properly perform their jobs and fulfill their responsibilities, to create the â€Å"check and balance† that can maintain the financial health of a company and at the same time to reduce agency cost. In case when one party went badly, the others could and should be there to detect the potential problems and to monitor and correct the mistakes. In summary, the ethical challenges faced by E&Y in deciding how to address issues with a long-standing and profitable client may be faced by many public accountants. In fact, accountants in all areas of the profession frequently face similar ethical issues of simultaneously complying with their duties for faithful service and loyalty to their employer or client while respecting their responsibilities to other stakeholders. Doing the right thing† for all concerned may sometimes be an impossible assignment. Guidance such as the overarching principles of honesty, fairness, objectivity, and responsibility contained in the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice will go a long way toward helping all accountants to do the right thing. Doing the right thing is always the best policy in the long run.

Causes and Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder caused by exposure to a trauma event. When the body feels that it is in danger, it responds to flying or fighting reactions designed to protect people from harm. When the body faces horror, functions such as memory, emotions, thinking, etc. are currently not important and are turned off. This allows the body to concentrate on adding stress hormones to increase heart rate, blood movement to the muscles and in the case of injury in combating infections and bleeding (National Alliance on Mental Health Website, 2014). Post traumatic stress disorder, that is exactly that. The first response to this disease would be the pressure for over-application and trauma experience. Kay Jankowsi (2010) said posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be traced back to ancient times. History Medical literature literature began with civil war, where PTSD-like disease was called Dakosta syndrome (Jankowsi 2010). Janko wsi (2010) argues that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may occur after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event (gospelassemblyfree.com). Post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that people remember repetitiously or have a dream of a terrible experience (post traumatic stress disorder 710). The explanation of post traumatic stress disorder mainly focuses on the way in which psychological trauma experience is affected. When a person is facing an overwhelming trauma, the brain can not handle information or emotion correctly (Cohen Web). Post traumatic stress disorder changes the body's response to stress. Hundreds of different types of psychiatric disorders, fourth edition are posted in the mental disorder diagnosis and statistics handbook. (DSM - IV) One of them is called post - traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to this study post-traumatic injuries usually experienced and witnessed life-thr eatening events such as military attacks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, serious accidents and rape, and other violent personal attacks It will occur later (Harvard Women 's Health Watch, 2005). Causes and Effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Posttraumatic stress disorder is an anxiety disorder caused by exposure to a trauma event. When the body feels that it is in danger, it responds to flying or fighting reactions designed to protect people from harm. When the body faces horror, functions such as memory, emotions, thinking, etc. are currently not important and are turned off. This allows the body to concentrate on adding stress hormones to increase heart rate, blood movement to the muscles and in the case of injury in combating infections and bleeding (National Alliance on Mental Health Website, 2014). Post traumatic stress disorder, that is exactly that. The first response to this disease would be the pressure for over-application and trauma experience. Kay Jankowsi (2010) said posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be traced back to ancient times. History Medical literature literature began with civil war, where PTSD-like disease was called Dakosta syndrome (Jankowsi 2010). Janko wsi (2010) argues that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may occur after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event (gospelassemblyfree.com). Post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that people remember repetitiously or have a dream of a terrible experience (post traumatic stress disorder 710). The explanation of post traumatic stress disorder mainly focuses on the way in which psychological trauma experience is affected. When a person is facing an overwhelming trauma, the brain can not handle information or emotion correctly (Cohen Web). Post traumatic stress disorder changes the body's response to stress. Hundreds of different types of psychiatric disorders, fourth edition are posted in the mental disorder diagnosis and statistics handbook. (DSM - IV) One of them is called post - traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to this study post-traumatic injuries usually experienced and witnessed life-thr eatening events such as military attacks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, serious accidents and rape, and other violent personal attacks It will occur later (Harvard Women 's Health Watch, 2005).

Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business Environment - Essay Example The UK has a rising level of its output being exported across borders and overseas and it is an open economy (Holden et al, 1995, p.44). It is at present number eight as the largest exporter in the world for goods and number two in being the largest exporter for services. It also has highest ratio of outward as well as inward investment to the GDP among any of the leading economies in the terms of capital flow. Inevitably the pattern as well as the balance of trade of goods and services changes over the time, this is reflection of movement in the relative prices of different traded goods as well as the shifts in the comparative advantage in various global markets. Other factors that affect the trade pattern are decisions of foreign investment of the UK as well as overseas companies and economic development and growth of countries, regions etc. Major part of UK’s trade of goods and services is carried with the countries that are part of European Union. Since UK became a part of EEC in January, 1973 there has been long term shift in its trade with the European Union. The trade growth has been pushed by single market; this has led to trade diversion and the trade creation effects (Aylott, 2007, p.4) Trade of UK with the countries in North American region has declined, although the U.S still is the largest single market for exported UK goods after EU (Great Britain Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 2011) , comprising of 15% of the total exports of UK. Over the previous 15 years trade with the countries that are oil exporters has declined in its relative importance. In the year 1979 percentage of UK’s exports which went to these countries was 10%, which is now only a small percentage of a little over 3%. Apart from the exports the imports from this oil exporting countries has also fallen. Another important change in UK’s pattern regarding trade in geographical sense is its rising share of trade with the fast growing and emerging ec onomies in Asian region. These include Malaysia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. The rate of growth in Indian economy is also probable to help boosting exports to sub-continent in future years; this provides businesses in the UK to grab export opportunities in this region. Analyse the impact of global factors on UK business organisations International trade is crucial for the UK, like any other country. If the UK did not participate in international trade, it would not be able to acquire many different materials that are needed to produce products that are used every day, especially concerning food industry. Cold climate in UK makes it rely on other countries with hotter climate to import fruits like mangoes and bananas which don’t grow domestically, similarly the countries with hot climate rely on countries like UK for vegetables like potatoes to import (in UK’s case, export). If international trade did not exist people in UK and everywhere else ac ross the globe will have very limited choices, and business will not have enough markets to expand. There are various global factors that would affect the business

World history (1500 to the present) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

World history (1500 to the present) - Essay Example He represented a growing population of Catholics who were dissatisfied with the administration of the church and who felt that reformation was called for. This one action spurred detractors and supporters of the Catholic Church to decide once and for all what was acceptable practice within the religion. The primary outcome of this movement was the establishment of Protestantism in Europe and the splintering of the Christian faith into many different factions. The African slave trade is something that was both very localized in terms of certain participating countries, such as the United States, Great Britain, Portugal and the various African countries from which slaves were taken; however it was also an undeniably global force. From the earliest years of the African slave trade in the 15th century, Portugal took a leading role in the spread of slaves from their native continent to Europe and to the South American continent (Bulliet et all, 2000). As trade progressed, countries such as Spain, France, England and Denmark joined in with their own ships. What has been termed a 'middle passage' refers to the triangular journey from Europe to Africa, then to the Americas. Captives were forcibly led to collection points in Africa where they were purchased by Europeans, then loaded onto ships for delivery to the New World. Men were chained together to save space, and all captives were fed one meal a day. Many of the Africans died due to dysenter y, scurvy, measles, smallpox and other diseases. The 18th century was peppered with revolution and rebellion in terms of politics and human rights; it is generally thought that these events led to a more widespread political participation within many nations. The French Revolution and the Irish Revolution (1789; 1798, respectively) were two such events that certainly did lead to a higher interest in politics and social structure in both countries and other nations nearby (Overfield and Andrea, 1993). The French Revolution saw the abolition of the aristocracy and the rise of the working class because of a burgeoning idea that all people were equal and were born with certain inalienable rights. The absolute monarchy was removed and the next years were spent in constant governmental reconstruction. The Irish Revolution was unsuccessful in that it failed to shake off the control of Great Britain in Ireland, however the social atmosphere before, during and after the Revolution shows clearly that the Irish people were very concerned for their own welfare and willing to participate in any number of plans to gain autocracy. Reference List Bulliet, R., Crossley, P., Headrick, D., Hirsch, S., Johnson, L. and Northrup, D. (2000). The Earth and its Peoples: A Global History, volume II, 3rd edition. Houghton Miflin Company. Overfield, A. and Andrea, J. (1993). The Human Record: Sources of Global History, 2nd edition. Houghto

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research - Essay Example It may for example compromise doctrines of justice and beneficence in a research (Lo, 2012). Research with vulnerable and protected groups is another ethical dilemma. It arises from the doctrine of justice that established the need for protecting the participants. The rules however restrict a researcher’s freedom to explore a research problem from a systematic approach and therefore tempt the researcher to breach the rules. The use of self as a research subject is another ethical dilemma in qualitative research. This is because of associated self-interest in the research together with increased chances of biasness that arises from the subjective nature of a qualitative research, factors that undermine potential advantages of the approach to research such as a researcher’s rich experiences as a cheap and readily available source of data (Krishnaswamy, Sivakumar and Mathirajan, 2009). The scope of my study that involves exploration of human experiences is susceptible to e thical issues such as â€Å"autonomy, beneficence, and justice† (Academic Conference, 2010). Developing a research methodology and proposed methods for implementing a research is one of the fundamentals to a successful research. Ensuring an ethical research by providing for ethical considerations and implementing the considerations in a research process is however a challenge. This is because the ethical requirements restrict a researcher and scope of a research. I have therefore realized that the need to conduct a thorough research may force a qualitative researcher to compromise ethical

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment Assignment

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment - Assignment Example Google’s income still mainly comes from only one source; that means that the company is lacking in product integration. Google has also been on the receiving end of litigation from competitors such as ‘Yahoo!’ and Microsoft. In addition, Google has a lot of competition from a different search engine, Baidu, in China- which is potentially its largest market (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). Google has also faced accusations of the intrusion of privacy of personal accounts. Google has to look for other ways to make money other than depending on advertisements (Salis, 2009). Diversification will ensure that its profits are not affected even when it is involved in suits initiated by its rivals over different products. Google also has to ensure that it remains at the front of cutting-edge technology in terms of its offerings because its rivals have invested a lot of capital in coming up with offerings that will dislodge Google from its position as the foremost search engine. Google should also invest more in informing customers of its product offerings. It would seem that there are Google has numerous products such as Google+, which mostly remain unknown by its many customers. Even if people know about them, they are unsure of how to operate them. This means that there is a need for more extensive advertising in order to reach customers. Competitive Advantages over Rivals Google enjoys a number of competitive advantages that have propelled it to the front of the search engine market. Google allow customers to be able to access websites in a direct and easy manner. The other search engines often have different advertisements and other offerings that users have to navigate through before reaching their preferred websites. Google has also invested a lot in ensuring that users can surf through different pages at a fast rate. Every search allows the search engine to ‘acquire’ more abilities; thus allowing it to deliver different results at a fa ster rate (Levy, 2011). To duplicate such operations, Google’s rivals would have to undergo a lengthy re-structuring process. Google also allows its users to be able to make money through the ‘Google AdSense’ program - which is something that is not offered by other search engines (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). Google also provides analytics tools for its customers that can make different search words more comprehensible. For instance, a word like ‘script’ has different connotations; with each meaning being of great significance to a definite group of people. Google also has additional operations such as book and music applications. Competitors Microsoft Corporation is a global corporation which deals in the information technology industry and is one of Google’s main competitors. Google has cornered the market in software by investing in the transaction of software services. Moreover, it still has a lot of work to do to move clearly ahead of Micr osoft. One way in which it can do this is by increasing the rate at which new innovations are made. Google needs to take advantage of collaborative arrangements such as teamwork in realizing objectives so that new products are created at a faster rate. In addition, Google has to further diversify its portfolio so that it has other sources of income and is not just dependent on web advertisements. This will also attract investors who may be reluctant to invest in a company, no matter how

Evaluate three of the four books we've read this term, discussing Essay

Evaluate three of the four books we've read this term, discussing whether you think they were bad or not - Essay Example Obviously, bad books are those that alienate the reader from the story. A bad book does not have the elements-- like realistic or sensible characters or strong plots-- that make the reader crave for more. Second, a good book is entertaining, informative, and interesting all at the same time. Even though it is fiction or a creative piece of writing it should be applicable to real-world circumstances. A bad book, on the other hand, only tries to fulfill one sole purpose, either to entertain, inform, or fascinate. This sort of one-dimensional book eventually becomes bland and unexciting because of the monotony of its purpose. Third, a good book enhances the readers’ knowledge or appreciation of reality. It effectively challenges negative beliefs, like stereotypes, and creates new realizations for the reader. In other words, a good book is an effective eye-opener. Fourth, a good book does not use too many jargons. It is easy to understand. A bad book, on the other hand, is too com plicated. The writing style is unfriendly. And lastly, a good book is revolutionary. It introduces new ways of telling a story, creating characters, developing a plot, and ending a story. One book that is truly revolutionary, that is, it does not try to strictly follow the traditional standards of writing is Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote. ... It does not need great intellect to understand the story. The central story is straightforward. But what is fascinating about this book is that it is not really a simple story, it is in fact very complicated if one will try to analyze it intently. The story has almost a flawless blending of effect. The plot, the symbols, and the characters all play a role in the overall theme. On the surface, the plot is uncomplicated and upholds what has been stated about the story’s subject matter in a smooth, subjective manner. In other words, the novel does not fail to involve its readers emotionally. One perfect example is the real emotions that the love affair between Gatsby and a rich girl creates. A guy falling in love with a rich girl sounds somewhat generic. But as the story progresses, the events become quite complicated, with betrayal and deception coming into the picture. The novel is entertaining and informative at the same time. The narrative structure of the novel is entertaini ng because Nick Carraway, the narrator, recounts the incidents not in the sequence they take place, but in the sequence Fitzgerald desires. It is informative because it raises awareness about the condition of the United States in the 1920s, more particularly, the effects of World War I on the nation (Fitzgerald 72). Lastly, the novel encourages the reader to reflect on the American Dream. Did life in contemporary Western civilization become devoid of any essential meaning? The Great Gatsby shows that the American Dream has become meaningless. As depicted in the novel, there is nothing left but a rough quest for riches and the shallow prestige that riches endow. Some rich people, like the Buchanan family, are discontented, bored, small-minded, and miserable. The

Experimental Designs II Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experimental Designs II - Statistics Project Example Blocking however has a number of disadvantages to a research initiative. It is not appropriate for large number of participants as large sizes reduces the design’s efficiency. Another disadvantage of blocking is in its rigidity with respect to homogeneity as it is not appropriate for populations or samples with extremely diverse features. â€Å"Interactions between block and treatment effects† also contribute to experimental error, discrediting reliability of the design (Hawai, n.d., p. 1). A factor refers to an independent variable that is manipulated in the research process and can be subjected to different treatments to generate a variety of factor levels. Using factors benefits an experiment by providing a basis for comparison of different treatments as each factor or factor level is subjected to a different treatment (Stat, n.d.). Mains effect refers to the variation of means across factor levels within a given factor. It considers a factor level mean and compares it with means of other factor levels to determine existence of significant difference. Interaction effect however considers variation of a factor level mean across levels of another factor in a ‘multi-factored’ design to determine existence of significant combined effects among factors in a design (Stockburger, n.d.). Covariate refers to a control setup in an experiment and reduces noise by predicting outcomes of the dependent variables. This helps in identifying outliers for appropriate measures (Druckman, Greeen, Kuklinski and Lupia, 2011). Tradeoffs define compromises that must be made in an experiment. Experimental tradeoffs are for example realized in validity. Ensuring both internal and external validity is a tradeoff that must be made with respect to sample size and sampling technique because strict focus on achieving one type of validity undermines the other. Practicality is another experimental trade off that considers research methods that call for adjustments to ensure

Wealth Inequality in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wealth Inequality in China - Essay Example For instance, as the People’s Republic of China releases new specific each and every year the show and increased average annual income, this figure is ultimately skewed as a result of the fact that extraordinarily wealthy individuals within Chinese society are impacting upon the way in which such measurements are made and revealing a situation that is not quite the case. As a function of seeking to understand the wealth gap China to a more effective degree, the following analysis will discuss some of them made and causal factors for this wealth disparity; as well as some of the recommended changes that could ultimately seek to promote economic well-being and sustainment of a greater number of individuals within Chinese society. One of the first, perhaps the most important, factor has to do with the fact that China is ultimately struggling to build a middle class. For decades, the People’s Republic of China has begun moving away from hard-line communist ideology is more was society. However, as a direct result of this shift, those individuals that are best positioned to reap the benefits of this change are necessarily those that have close connections to the government for those that were already wealthy at the time in which a level of privatization to be developed. Furthermore, individuals within the lower class of relatively little if any upward mobility that provide access to the middle class is the upper class at a later date. However, it should not be understood that nepotism and/4 corruption with respect to privatization is the largest reason for why China continues to exhibit a particularly horrific wealth gap. Another relevant issue is with respect to culture. Ultimately, Chinese culture is one that places a very high on saving. Accordingly, as money is half down from generation to generation, the compounding impact of this, especially with regard to wealthier families, is an economic dynamic by which the very wealthy leave extraordinarily

How has China been affected by globalization Essay Example for Free

How has China been affected by globalization Essay In the late 1970s China made perhaps its most significant strategic political manoeuvre of the 20th Century when it embarked on a series of economic reforms that embraced globalization (Bijian, 2005). Deng Xiaoping and other Chinese leaders believed that to further Chinas development, participation in an open global economy would be crucial to its survival (Chow, 2002) During the three decades since these reforms Chinas political and economic institutions have undergone a dramatic transition (Overholt, 2005 and Economy, 1998). China has shifted from the worlds greatest opponent of globalization into a committed member of a global economy and advocate of globalization (Overholt, 2005). The pinnacle of this transformation and Chinas economic growth was its admission into to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 11 December, 2001 (Allen et al, 2006 and Fishman, 2005). Consequently, China is now subjected to international trends and forces to a degree unprecedented since 1949 (Bijian, 2005 and Chow, 2004). In this essay I will analyse the effect that globalization has had on Chinas political, economic, legal and technological institutions. Furthermore, I will also analyse whether China has been forced to change to pander to the international economic community or whether it has voluntarily instituted change for its own benefit and development. However before analysing the effect that globalization has had on China it is important to understand what the term globalisation means. Globalisation became a buzz word in the 1990s because of its influence in creating a world in which geographic location became increasingly irrelevant (Immerfall 2006). In essence globalisation refers to the unrestricted flow of goods, capital, information, technology and people across national borders (Chow, 2005a). Globalisation is, however, by no means a new phenomenon and China has been subjected to its effects for many centuries (Alford, 1999). In fact, the effects of globalisation in China go as far back as the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD) when trade took place between the Han Chinese and neighbouring people in the North-west through the Silk Route (Chow, 2004: 3). Despite this, in the Qing Dynasty and the early stages of the Chinese Communist Partys rule, right up until Deng Xiaopings open door policy, China tried  to close its doors and restrict the influence of globalisation (Street, 2000 and Chow 2004 and 2005a). This was not the first time that China was forced to confront and implement a national strategy to either embrace or combat the effects of globalisation. In fact, as recently as the 1990s, China was confronted by this conundrum, namely: whether to continue its global economic expansion in the face of the Asian financial crisis or to once again close it doors and retreat inwards to protect itself from the economic fallout of a struggling region (Fishman, 2005 and Nolan, 2001). However, by carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of economic openness the Chinese government decided to open up the Chinese economy even more, and eventually joined the World Trade Organization by implementing large economic reforms (Bijian, 2005). There is no doubting that these economic reforms and Chinas embracement of globalisation has brought stunning results. Since starting to open up and reform its economy in 1978, China has averaged 9.4 percent annual GDP growth, one of the highest growth rates in the world (Bijian, 2005: 3). One of the reasons for the huge leaps in growth has come from direct foreign investment that has been facilitated by Chinas admission to the WTO. For example, in the space of a few days in 2004, a North Korean Steel Company launched a $500 million steel project in the Dalian development zone; Frances St Gobain invested $70 million in one of its existing glass production lines in China; Germanys Siemens opened its fortieth office in China for development of software; and Finlands Stora Enso invested $1.6 billion in a paper pulp project in Guandong Province (Hall et al, 2004). Such results have seen China become the third largest trading country in the world and the envy of many developing economies around the world (Chow, 2005b). While such economic statistics are regularly celebrated by the Chinese government as a success of Chinas inclusion into the WTO, many in China are in fact lamenting the negative effects of globalisation and the scrutiny that WTO membership has brought. In fact WTO membership came at a very high price for the domestic Chinese economy (Overholt, 2005). Throughout the 80s  and 90s China initiated structural changes such as the phasing out of direct subsidies for exports and began cutting tariffs in preparation for inclusion into the WTO (Pearson, 2001). Over the three years from 1994 to 1997, the countrys average tariff rate was lowered from about 43 to 17 per cent and at the time of Chinas entry into the WTO in late 2001, the overall average was just 15 per cent. Such drastic economic changes were at the behest of the WTO and the result being that a lot of factories and domestic industries have gone bankrupt because many people prefer foreign products which have become cheaper as a r esult of Chinas inclusion into WTO (Solinger, 2005). Furthermore, Moore (2002) also argues that Chinas accession into the World Trade Organization could be viewed as more beneficial to the rest of the world rather than China itself. WTO commitments made by China do not in any way protect Chinas domestic producers and therefore the argument that that the greatest benefit of Chinas WTO membership is enjoyed by foreign companies is indeed a valid one (Moore, 2002: 311). Yang (2004: 307) argues that admission into the WTO was in fact too big of a restructure step for China and continues by noting that Chinese involvement in the WTO is great for foreign companies and bad for local ones because one of the first laws enacted to ensure WTO membership was designed to attract and protect investment from overseas. It is clear that this lack of protectionism, although beneficial to the outside world, has been disrupted the income to domestic businesses. Of particular note is the fact that with Chinas WTO membership foreign investors have been allowed access to markets that were previously restricted or highly regulated (Samuelson, 2004 and Pearson, 2001). These incursions have been most evident in the insurance, telecommunications, and financial industries (Prasad, 2004). Such competition is however of great benefit to the domestic Chinese consumer. In fact, fifteen years ago China barely had any mobile telecommunication services, whereas now it claims more than 300 million mobile phone subscribers, more than any other nation (Bijian, 2005). Whether this is a result of modernisation or globalisation is highly debatable, but it is clear that Chinese consumers are embracing the increase in products and services provided by many foreign companies. Other than the local businesses being hurt by foreign investments and industries, the labour market in China is also suffering from major unemployment as a result of the forces of globalisation (Chow, 2004). While entry into the WTO has in itself not created joblessness, it has however heightened a number of trends that were already underway, including accelerating the rate of insolvency of state owned enterprises. The result being the discharge of tens of millions of workers who, when they were younger, were once assured of employment by the socialist state (Economy, 1998 and Chow 2004 and 2005b). According to Prasad (2004: 6) the unemployment problem is in fact likely to worsen over the next few years due to restructuring in the rural and state enterprise sectors, the very type of restructuring that has been mandated upon China by the World Trade Organisation. Another cause of the unemployment problem currently facing the Chinese economy is its shift away from sunset industries such as manufacturing, mining and construction to newer industries that demand workers with specialised skills (Prasad, 2004; Solinger 2005 and Yang 2004). Similar changes are evident in Chinas effort to upgrade its technology industry, which has not only involved the replacement of much unskilled labour but in many cases also reduces the need to employ as many skilled blue-collar workers (Nolan, 2001 and Economy, 1998). While this can not be directly liked to WTO membership it is clear that the forces of globalisation are having a major impact on the Chinese economy, the products it produces and its labour force. The amazing growth in Chinas economy as a result of its increased participation and integration in a global economy is also having social and political consequences. Most notable a growing divide between Chinas rich and poor. Obviously China would not have self imposed such drastic economic changes purely to encourage direct foreign investment to the detriment of domestic businesses, but it is clear the benefits of the global marketplace are not being shared around Chinas 1.3 billion people (Solinger, 2005 and Chow, 2004). It is very much the case in China that the rich are getting  richer and the poor are just getting left behind. This is also evident in the growing regional inequalities in China. Despite the governments attempts to rectify the situation, foreign investment has continued to flow to those provinces where education levels are the highest, infrastructure most well developed and political power most concentrated (Overholt, 2005 and Economy, 1998). Moreover, while the wealthier provinces in theory pay taxes to the centre to compensate the poorer provinces, in practice this system has failed allowing corruption to flourish, resulting in power becoming de-centralised from Beijing to local authorities. Not surprisingly such inequality has contributed to serious political tension between the haves and have nots (Bijian 2005 and Economy 1998). Overholt (2005: 7) however argues that despite the growing divide between the rich and poor, the Chinese overwhelmingly support further globalisation. Overholt (2005: 7) asserts that no large country in human history has ever experienced such rapid improvements in living standards and working conditions as China has in its acceptance of adjustments to accommodate the forces of globalisation. So while the economic dividends of Chinas rapid growth are not being shared equally around the country, the majority are nonetheless better off. One of the reasons for such widespread approval of the modernisation of the economy has been the upgrading of technology, especially telecommunications which has been an essential aspect of the Chinese governments plans for continued economic growth (Chow, 2004 and 2005a and Econommy, 1998). Normally if there is general contentment among the population then this would provide little in the way of difficulties for those in power. Fred Tipson (1998: 12) however, notes a difficult conundrum for the Chinese government in their embracement of economic globalisation. The Chinese leadership has repeatedly emphasized the central role of telecommunications and information technologies in building its modern economy†¦..on the one hand, actively promoting a modern communications infrastructure, while on the other hand, repeatedly trying to control the content and uses of the information that pulses through it. Tipson (1998) concludes that the  communications revolution will diminish the need or inclination of most Chinese to defer to central authority or accept routinely the governments characterization of reality.The Chinese government is more than aware of the threat to its power that the technological revolution and global scrutiny presents. Given the current uprisings and discontent in Tibet the government has blocked access to many websites to control the flow of information to not only its own people, but the international community (Maunder, 2008). So while the forces of globalisation may have brought prosperity to China, the Chinese government also has to work overtime to maintain its grip on power. When evaluating the impact that globalisation has had on China it is important not to lose sight of the big picture. Economic growth alone does not provide a full picture of a countrys development and despite Chinas population of 1.3 billion, its Chinas economy is still just one-seventh the size of the United States (Bijian, 2005). However, the open-door policy that was first advanced by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s has been of great success in modernising China. It is true that such rapid growth has presented China with some problems, including the demise of some domestic industries, unemployment and minor political instability, however given its current path it appears that Chinas rise to superpower status is inevitable. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alford, William (1999) Does the rule of law really rule? paper presented before the Conference on Policy Reform in China, Center for Research in Economic Development and Policy Research, Standford University, November 18-20, 1999 (Online) Available from: http://www.cdy.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/3/287.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2008]Allen, Franklin. Jun Qian and Meijun Qian (2006), Chinas Financial Reform: Past, Present and Future in Loren Brandt and Thomas Rawski, ed. Chinas Economic Transition: Origins, Mechanism, and Consequences. University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School: MimeoBijian, Zheng (2005) Chinas Peaceful Rise to Great-Power Status Foreign Affairs September/October 2005Chow, Gregory (2002) Chinas Economic Transformation Oxford: Blackwell Publishing CompanyChow, Gregory (2004) Knowing China Singapore: World Scientific Publishing CompanyChow, Gregory (2005a) Corruption and Economic Reform in the Early 21st Century Princeton University, California: MimeoChow, Greogry and Yan, Shen (2005b) Demand for Education in China Princeton University, California: MimeoEconomy, Elizabeth (1998) China Confronts the Challenge of Globalization New York: Rockefeller Brothers Fund, IncFishman, Ted (2005) How the rise of the next super power challenges America and the world New York, N.Y.: ScribnerHall, D., Jones, R., and Raffo, C. (2004) Business Studies 3rd Edition, Lancashire: Causeway Press LtdImerfall, Stefan (2006) Territoriality in the Globalizing Society: One Place or None? (Online) Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Territoriality-Globalizing-Society-European-Transatlantic/dp/3540643222 [Accessed 9th March 2008]Maunder, Patricia (2008) The Great Firewall of China The Age, March 20, 2008 (Online) Available from: http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/the-great-firewall-of-china/2008/03/18/1205602389513.html? [Accessed 21st March 2008]Moore, Thomas (20 02) China in the World Market New York, NY: Cambridge University PressNolan, Peter (2001) China and the Global Economy: National Champions, Industrial Policy and the Big Business Revolution New York, N.Y: PalgraveOverholt, W (2005) China and Globalization Testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, May 19, 2005. Santa Monica, California: Rand CorporationPearson, Margaret (2001) The Case of Chinas Accession to the GATT/WTO, in David M. Lampton (ed.), The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform, 1978-2000 Stanford: Stanford University PressPrasad, Eswar (2004) Chinas Growth and Integration into the World Economy: Prospects and Challenges International Monetary Fund Publications, June 17, 2004. Samuelson, Paul (2004) Where Ricardo and Mill Rebut and Confirm Arguments of Mainstream Economists Supporting Globalization Economic Perspectives, 18: 3 Summer, 2004Solinger, Dorothy (2005) Chinese Urban Jobs and the WTO The China Journal, May 2005Street, N., Lynch, M and Marilyn, J (2000) American Business in China: Balancing Culture and Communication (Online) Available from: http://www.cald.org/website/polparties_asia.htm [Accessed 5th March 2008]Tipson, Fred (1998) China and the Information Revolution China Joins the World: progress and Prospects New York: Council for Foreign Relations PressYang, Dali (2003) Remaking the Chinese Leviathan Stanford,

Truth in Superstitions Essay Example for Free

Truth in Superstitions Essay There are some people who believe in superstitions. They would follow certain â€Å"rules† that most of the time may make no sense. They’ll just say you that it is bad luck to do certain things. So what is the basis of these beliefs? Superstitions are beliefs that one event leads to the cause of another event without any physical process linking them. Oftentimes these were just based on events that happened by chance or coincidence. Others may just happen to be repetitious. Yet still others are just made by some people just for the heck of it, concluding something that isn’t scientifically proven. Though superstitions do have a basis, most of the reasons are forgotten but are still followed just because it became a tradition or it became customary. Some superstitions are linked with religion. A good example would be that it isn’t good to walk under a ladder. This may have an obvious reason that it might cause an accident: hitting yourself with the ladder or that something might fall on you. Aside from this, it also came from the ladder forming a triangle with the wall and ground. This triangle represents the Trinity and by crossing the space in between may mean violating the Trinity. Also, the belief of breaking a mirror would yield bad luck. This may be based on the belief of spiritualism. It was once believed that mirrors reflect one’s soul and that breaking it may mean destroying one’s soul. Other superstitions may be reasonable in the olden times and impractical at the present. Some examples would include the prohibition of cutting one’s nails at night. Before, there was no electricity and people only rely on the moonlight. Cutting one’s nails during that time would have a risk in cutting one’s fingers, especially when using a knife or blade as they don’t have those fancy nail cutters that we have now today. Some of the real reasons of derivation are also forgotten. The old would give random reasons that when you think about it, doesn’t give a cause-effect relationship. Some would even say because it was said by the elders and was passed from generation to generation. So knowing these origins, now what are the advantages and disadvantages of being superstitious or following the traditions? First, the advantages or the good points at least would be that one would have a sort of tradition or ritual to follow. It may also add colour to life. As what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, â€Å"Superstition is the poetry of life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Believing other superstitions like wearing a lucky charm will not necessarily give you good luck but it somehow conditions your mind that you ar e lucky and everything will be fine. By conditioning your mind to this thinking, it will boost your confidence as this is what most people lack. They are capable of doing something but they doubt they are able. Also, some may also avoid accidents to happen as the case of crossing the ladder. They also organize one’s life as they create certain patterns. Some superstitions were made from experience and may be practical to us still. Disadvantage may include that it gives a kind of restriction to those who really observed them. They also waste time. Some of the superstition would also let you miss an opportunity to help others. An example would be the tale that one shouldn’t bring out money once it’s already nighttime. With all these superstitions, knowing them all and following them is impossible. Some superstitions may be beneficial but most are just impractical in the modern times. They may even limit and restrict us when we could have done more.

Singapore Zoo Marketing Strategies

Singapore Zoo Marketing Strategies The new event of process scheduled in the recent era is the launch of e-Business. This process is basically an additional method for the growth of productivity and an increase in the zone of profit for the business that is involved. The key structure of the e-Business is the active utility of the computers and online transactions. This also involves various strategies to complete the process and handle the structure with core techniques for the best result. The acquired process of marketing and management in the recent years have grown and taken its place with latest techniques and new acronyms in the global touch. E-Business is the new integration of the activities of the organisation or the company and their products along with their services and procedures in the internet. A old traditional business linked with the new growth of enables e-Business strategy integrating the activities of the organisation or the company featuring sales, accounting, marketing and many more operations that are concerned with the organization and their process involved takes us to the pride of achieving the future growth and their expansion. Outline Segment: This assignment includes the necessary of identifying the principles of marketing and a complete analysis of the structure of e-business in to the chosen illustration. The time to time market explains the product launch and their association with the market for the release. It redirects the right time for the consideration of launch of the project or practice in accordance with the implementation changes that has to take place within the organisation as a matter of fact. Branding: The process of branding shall be concerned as the part of sources provided in the internet and other resources about the brand and by the tasks of business of participation. The web page normally supplies the relevant scope of information about the brand and the organisation with its benefits and service provided on the real. A website establishes the fact of the company or the organization and creates awareness about the offers and availability of the schemes provided by the company. It also brings the latest key on notice to the immediate reach of the customers and creates a satisfaction among the customers. The process of branding not only has an impact on the customers but also enriches the source of customers with a build of trust and raises itself with a value of accreditation in the market of competition. The brand becomes a part of the quality and promise of the customers and the partners along with the employees as a part of flexibility, trust and growth. Singapore Zoo: The Singapore Zoo, Located at 80 Mandai Lake Road, is also known as Mandai Zoo or Singapore Zoological Garden. Popular for its Night Safari attraction, the Zoo has a reaped a long list of awards, both local and international. This has to be the one of the really beautiful zoos, of which there are all too few. It is brilliant laid out, so that the ceclosure fences are almost totally hidden. The expanses of the water of the seletar reservoir are a magnificent additional feature of the setting. The animals are beautifully maintained in good health, in spite of the climatic conditions. All in all, the Zoo shall receive a warn congratulation for the heads that are responsible for them, and declaring it for us was a great experience to see it. The gem of an idea to have a zoo was conceived by Dr. Ong Swee Law. Opened on 27 June 1973, the Singapore Zoological gardens caters to recreational, educational and social needs of Singaporeans and tourist to the republic. The Open Zoo which reflects the absence of physical barriers in enclosure design. Instead cascading waters, lush vegetation and moats cleverly mask the hidden barriers to enhance the illusion of freedom and natural jungle-like atmosphere for the animals. The Zoo began with the humble collection of 270 animals of about 72 species. To date, a total of over 2000 animals of 240 species are displayed in some 70 exhibits. One of the more appealing attractions at the zoo is the animal show. The animal shows Primate Reptile show s and Elephant and Sea-lion shows. Due to popularity and surge in crowds, an Amphitheatre was built in 1985 to centralize these shows and to seat visitors comfortably. The amphitheatre which has a long pool with glass panels for aquatic acts can seat 1,500 and can accommodate up to 2,000 spectators. The Animal Shows are specially designed to incorporate the natural behaviours of the animals to educate visitors in an entertaining presentation. The conservation messages are disseminated to the audience during the shows to heighten their awareness of the environment. In 1987, the Zoo introduced the Special loan exhibit, where rare animals on loan from other Zoos are displayed for a short period. The animals which have been displayed at the special Loan Exhibit include the golden monkeys, white tigers and giant pandas. This novel idea gives visitor s an opportunity to view rare animals which cannot be exhibited permanently at the zoo. The enclosure was renamed Singaporean Press Holdings (SPH) enclosure following its adoption by the SPH group in 1990. Another major breakthrough for the Zoo was the introduction of underwater viewing exhibits. The first was in 1988 the underwater viewing polar bear exhibit enable visitors to rub noses with the Zoos polar bear. Since 1987, the Zoo pas sed the million marks in visitor attendance. The string of awards bagged by the Singapore Zoo attests to splendid inhabitants and services: 2002 Asean Tourism Association (ASEANTA) Awards for Excellence, Best New attraction in ASEAN (Singapore Zoo for Hamadryas Baboons The great rift valley of Ethiopia). 2001: STB (Singapore Tourism Board) Tourism Awards: Leisure Attraction of the Year 2001 (Singapore Zoo). 2001 The Singapore Totalisator Board Excellence Singapore Award: Internationally acclaimed open zoo design and excellent in-situ conservation achievement. 2000: Where Singapore magazines Concierge Choice Awards: Best Place to Take the Kids. 1999: IMA (Incentive Meeting Asia) Awards: Best Theme Attraction. Important Campaigns in the process of integration of the organisation in e-Business are as follows; A new architecture of strategy and launch of business automation by the process of e-Business. An enhanced view and recommendation of the developed solution in the web and front-end legacy applications. A new format of the developed portals of the organization or the company with the update of the latest information. New value chain integrated through the web based application for the company or the organization. SWOT analysis: The SWOT analysis is an understanding of the total result of the current position of the business. It defines the Strength, weakness, opportunities and the threats of the organization matching the external opportunities with the internal strengths. The company or the organization involving for the SWOT analysis has to order the strategies and strengths to hold in control the weaknesses and eliminate the threats in any from the external sources. Strengths: They are open 365 days all around the year and it is considered as a most entertained tourist attraction. They open at 8:30 am in the morning and close at 6:00 pm in the evening creating an enthusiastic environment for all ages from 6 to 90 daily all around the year. The last ticket sale everyday is available at 5:30 pm enabling the visitors to enter at the event of closing for short time enjoyments too. The cost of the entry is also reasonable for the attractions available in the theme forest, the Singapore Zoo. Rental of the stroller is available enabling a hassle free travel until the Zoo and the charges are also reasonable as $9 only. Complimentary admission for DDR(Disability Development Registry) card holders and entitlement of beneficiary programmes chosen by the Voluntary Welfare associations. Protection and conservation comes with education. The visit enhances us to understand the necessary of conservation and protection raising awareness. Organising events such as wedding and parties for own reason with reasonable cost guaranteeing the success of the occasion conducted. Sponsorship and adoption also remains as a part of the team along with small donation initiating the success of protection and conservation of wildlife. The location suits the entry itself with a night safari and orchid gardens roaring itself with pride for visiting. Shows are unique and visiting Australian outback, cat country, critters Longhouse, Fragile forest, Elephants of Asia, Hamadryas Baboons, Orang Utan, Polar Bear, Proboscis Monkeys, Primate Kingdom, Rainforest Kidzworld, Reptile Kingdom, Wild Africa, White tiger are the main attractions. Weaknesses: Weather: The weather circumstance may be the stop point, as prediction is never accurately right hence the market prediction refers accordingly. Cost: This cost may sound reasonable when considering the factors of the total value and convenience referred in the place. Place: The location depends convenient on consideration upon the general factors but the unique thoughts upon the each visitor vary. Shows: Visitors though they are happy with the shows and preferences that are given or organised by the organisation but they prefer to have more shows. Opportunities: The Singapore Zoo is said to be an organised theme with shows, events and attractions. They tend to have increased in their growth along with the years. Now they have become a part of the wildlife protection and conservation creating awareness in the social media. There are quite a lot of opportunities and competition that exist in the field in and around the world. Threats: There are no huge threats when concerned with the whole of the organisation whereas some exist such as the competition between the other themes around the area. There exist another night safari and orchid gardens for visiting. The location Singapore itself refers itself for a calm and roaring entertaining area. The visitor can become a sponsor or a member, he can involve himself as a part of the team enriching the lives of animals the wonder and an escape for the reality in admiration. They are the sources of a living entertainment and they have to be preserved. Marketing mix: The most important elements of marketing are defined as the 4 Ps. They are Product, promotion, price and place. An organization may change the elements of marketing according to their requirements and tendencies. The target for their own caste in the market is set with official designation with the alteration of the principles of marketing mix if required and are taken in to consideration for the fact of earning their benefits in the resource implemented. The main component to be considered is the addressing of the competitive market and the implementation and the process of support by the operations merged to prove the reach of the target through the marketing mix principles. Taking the marketing mix in this instance for this organisation comprises of the products, place, promotion and distribution. The products offered are the actual offering that is present in the location and the price is the value that remains exchanged for the offering present in the place. The promotion includes the targeting of the audience with the mix of promotions for the attraction of visitors. Distribution covers the place where the product is being offered and located for the targeting of the audience. Place: The location is been chosen as the best suited place for the construction of the Zoo and its the perfect place for the process chosen by the organization. The organization built has various ideas such as scheduling events and wedding ideas indoor or outdoor events. They also categorize themselves in organising the events and catering and all sources for the booked events. The location sets scenic view and way for the other places of attraction such as the night safari and orchid gardens that cover the tourist spots. The major point discovers the area as a whole of tourist attraction and determines itself with a variety of attraction such as night safaris and gardens on way to the Rainforest zoo. They also become a part of other organisations such as the zoos and wildlife conservation within the country. The animal encounters and rides, feeding times, animal photography, zoo shop plays an important role in the pride of being unique among the other attractions. Price: The cost of the entry is effective when considered the shows and features of the Zoo. The price is $20 per adult and $13 for the Child aged within 6-12. Students concession and group allowances are available when booked as a whole and has to be contacted the organization. They have some plans for the disabled and authorised visitors allowing a free entry for the DDR card holders. Product: The zoo comprises of various shows in exhibiting the wildlife of the organisation and other specific animals such as White tiger, fragile forest, wild Africa, Elephants of Asia, cat country, Orang Utan, Reptile Garden, Polar bear, Proboscis Monkeys, Rainforest Kidzworld, Primate Kingdom, Hamadryas Baboons, Critters Longhouse, Australian outback. It is also considered as the finest zoo in Asia and ranks top among the beautiful zoo of the world too. The animals adopt an open concept of living in the landscape and spread across the vivid and spacious environment separated for the curious spectators with wet and dry moats. The shows are of varieties and the spark for enthusiasm lie in high potential for customers to return often in visiting the zoo. It is considered to be the worlds first zoo with night wild life park on may 26th 1994. It covers the second place for the dense forest divided among the east and west loops. An extraordinary experience with the nocturnal species of more than one thousand animals within a count of 100 species toggled in the technique of soft light of visibility. The night safari is said to the wholesome and popular entertainment in the night attracting almost all the visitors of tourist attractions present in the city. Over the past decade it has not let itself one percent down with the novelty. It has loaded itself with four awards in the recent past including the local and international being a part of the IFEA Pinnacle award of the 2001 with a present title as the Gold winner. The Night safari process is also famous for its Gourmet safari Express. Promotion: The promotions of the organisation comprises of the animal photography, guided tours, Animal encounters and rides, feeding times, foods and beverages, shops in zoo, friendly facilities for the disabled and shows organised according to the periods of season. Education and conservation are part of the promotional scheme for the visitors to get involved with the social space. The childrens world was created in the year of 1973 consisting of the play land and the animal land. The famous miniature train ride that connects the lands together and the animals are placed in such a manner that they exist in their natural habitat unlike the artificial influence and stimulation. The animal land in entitled for the childrens to play and with a real life experience as the domestic animals participate in the play. The domestic animals include the chickens, rabbits and sheep. The play land is efficiently placed with conventional equipments used for play enhancing the space of life. The childrens world has been voted the best location for the kids in the magazine Where Singapore inaugural concierge choice 1999 awards. This is the first world wide entertainment promotion among the other specimens in the same category all around the world to introduce the varieties of elements such as the underwater exhibits an opportunity to view the rare animals within the short span of time as the zoo is just 37 years old. The zoo is amphitheatre centralised that was built in the year 1985 and now it has reached the heights of audience including the primate, reptile and elephant shows starting in the 1970s and helping the launch of amphitheatre with more than 1500 to 2000 seats of accommodation. Awards: The awards have been contributed for the specialised services and splendid inhabitants of the zoo. The Zoo initially started with 270 animals of about 72 species and has grown to an extent of 2000 animals contributing from the 240 species displayed in almost 70 exhibits. The awards are both local and international as listed below; 1999 Best theme Attraction- IMA (Intensive and meetings Asia Awards) 2000 Concierge choice awards Where Singapore Magazine Best place for kids 2001 Leisure attraction of the year Singapore Totalisator Board of Excellence for Singapore award 2001 Singapore tourism Board (STB) Leisure attraction the year 2001. 2002 ASEANTA Asean Tourism Association Awards for excellence: Best New Attraction. Experiences: The various attractions that are found in the organisation is said to be dimensional and are the best experience in ones life after the visit. The new vision of administering and maintaining the species of living example and their conservation is the most important feature. The visitors all over the world have always been satisfied and this organisation has taken the pride of providing more than the cost involved per person for the entertainment. The events organised consist of vivid ceremonies personalised according to the booking made by the individual and general events such as wedding and celebrations of specific occasions are organised in such a way that they are most remembered and considered the best in the minds of celebrated individual family. The vast number of crowds and selection of shows organised in the zoo according with the seasons play an important role for the visit of various visitors and audiences. Marketing Controls: Market research, customer surveys, participation, sponsorship, attendance with on-field success is considered to be the main controls of marketing generally. The e-business plays an important role in the marketing roles for this organisation. The website is specially designed to contribute al the efficiency and entertainment lively probing the customer to participate in the visit. The design of the website enhances the quality and governance of contribution in a specialized way. It also shows complete data of the zoo and further to the facts present it also allots a chance for the participation of the visitor along with the excitement offers. Conclusion: The overall consideration and the above report show the complete focus of the organisation. The report after the examination from the history until the latest score of the organisation considering the facts along with the advantages and disadvantages conclude that they are listed in the top ranking for the attractions world-wide. This result shows the specific activity and growth of their marketing through a new median of e-Business launching their complete attractions and consideration with a virtual view over the available charts of the organisation. The marketing strategies that actively participate in the role of increasing their growth from the past decades have contributed much to their heights of enhancement. Hence the process of growth has taken an important ride in the marketing strategy and mix along with core key of E-Business.

Film Analysis of Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore Essay -- Micha

Film Analysis of Bowling for Columbine by Michael Moore 'Bowling for Columbine', directed by Michael Moore, deals with the problems of gun crime in America. The main purpose of this film is to persuade American people to change their ideas about guns and gun laws. Moore constantly refers to other countries such as Canada and their gun policies to back up his arguments for increased gun regulation. He is successfully able to counter argue any reason given by pro gun supporters as to the reason why America has the highest gun related crimes and death, even though other countries have similar attitudes towards violence. The scenes that have been selected focus on different aspects of the film, which present Moore's ability to persuade his audience into his way of viewing gun crime. Michael Moore has used a variety of techniques in the ?A wonderful World? scene to influence the audience into siding with his views and to portray America as a destructive force to other countries. The sequencing of the scene ?A Wonderful World? is very effective. The scene before the clip is very ironic as it shows the Lockheed Martin, which is the largest weapons producer in America. The Lockheed Martin spokesman is standing in front of A missile and is talking about America as a protector of the world. Yet, immediately after this, the man claims that America is not an aggressor, the film is launched into the scenes which entirely contradict his claims. This is a successful use of persuasive technique as the audience will now trust what Moore has to say rather tha... ... either that the NRA and the Klan were parallel groups or that when the Klan was outlawed its members formed the NRA. Both are completely wrong however this is effective as it illustrates that since the KKK was evil, that the NRA is also evil as it is made up of the same members or that both groups have the same belief. Moore is able to use a number of persuasive techniques in the three scenes from Bowling for Columbine to express his views on gun laws. The moods of these three scenes vary considerably, from humour, to serious to sarcasm and irony. By appealing to different types of emotions, the audience is able to connect with Moore effectively. As well as this, by feeling humorous or sad when Moore intends the audience to be, the viewers immediately, whether intentionally or unintentionally side with Moore?s view.

Equity of Trade Versus Free Trade Essay -- essays papers

Equity of Trade Versus Free Trade The U.S. has a huge trade imbalance with most trading nations. The imbalance is not in agriculture, although many food products -- both raw and processed -- enter the U.S. at prices below those for comparable U.S.-grown foodstuffs. To a large degree the imbalance is in manufactured goods. One reason is that many nations have lower costs of production -- based upon a lower standard of living, cheap labor, inexpensive raw materials, protective government policy, etc. Multinationals who have moved their plants to foreign locations enjoy the best of both worlds -- inexpensive manufacturing costs and unlimited access to the world's biggest consumer market, the USA. Our laissez-faire trade stance, when coupled with many nations' protective trade stances and the inherent disparity of living standards around the world, is proving to be a recipe for ever-increasing trade deficits. Exacerbating the situation, GATT and NAFTA are proving difficult to implement when other nations improvise p hony trade issues and drag their feet at every opportunity. Bottomline, the U.S. is having problems with free trade. There is an alternative to free trade. It's called EQUITY OF TRADE. It would work like this: Under equity of trade, if the nation or other trading entity in question wants to export some manufactured item or food product into this country, and if the item in question is priced lower than a comparable item manufactured or grown in the U.S., then the trading entity is required to pay a tariff (import duty) at the Port of Entry that equals the difference between the landed-price of the good and the average cost of a comparable American-made good. Example: A shirt made in Sri Lanka lands on U.S. shores with a cost of $15, while a comparable shirt made in the U.S. would cost $25. The foreign entity would then pay a tariff of $10 per shirt. However, instead of good ol' Uncle Sam pocketing the tariff income on behalf of the federal government (which it's not entitled to and which creates ill-will and does nothing to foster long-range, mutually-beneficial trading relationships), deposit the collected tariff monies into an interest-bearing trading account in a U.S. bank in the exporting nation's name (or company or any other entity). Then give the foreign trading entity 12 months to redeem the trade credit and accrued interest by purcha... ... up the habit (Roberts). The surprising thing is that these kids know that they are being influenced by cigarette advertising. If these kids know that this advertising is manipulating them, why do they still keep smoking? The ads are everywhere, especially in teen-oriented magazines, such as Rolling Stone and Spin. The ads also fuel some of the reasons the children gave for starting. They represent rebellion, independence, acceptance and happiness. These are all the things a young person, between childhood and adolescence, needs and desires. This type of advertising, on top of peer pressure, is the mystery behind the rise in adolescent smoking. How do we stop the future of America from smoking? Here are three things that the experts recommend. Try to convince your children that smoking is not cool. Talk to your kids at a young age about the dangers of smoking. Identify family members who smoke and ask them to stop (Thomas). Children are the most valuable commodity we are given in life. Let's try to educate them while they're young to be independent thinkers and to not be swayed by the tobacco companies who are trying to take advantage of their mind and body.

Music Censorship Essays -- essays research papers fc

Things are heating up in America. People are protesting outside of the movie theaters, concerts, and book and record stores of this great nation everywhere. What is all the fuss about? Censorship, Government officials, and raving mad protesters alike have been trying to stop the expressive creativity in everything from rap music to Mark Twain. Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy in the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still remains as if it should be censored or it should not be censored. In Paul Blanshard’s book The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship, he speaks of censorship as a negative boundary on society. Blanshard argues that people have been given the right to express themselves fully and censorship is incorrect on the basis of the first constitutional right. Martha Bayles, in her article â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular,† discusses a characteristic of society that she calls ‘perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society. ‘Perverse modernism’ will cause censorship of controversial music to be unsuccessful. There are several concerns and issues with artistic expression through music, however censorship of the controversial music will not resolve any problems and it will only create more problems. The current state of society would not allow music censorship to be successful. ‘Perverse modernism’, which refers to the public’s attraction to the evils or negatives of society, is a characteristic that has become a standard of today’s society. This characteristic is not something that emerged recently but it has grown slowly through time. For hundreds of years, society has been exposed to negative material through literature, television, or music. People have developed an interest in material that is forbidden. There is a need for people to fulfill their curiosity with knowledge of all material, good or bad. Jeffery Goldstein explains, Violent entertainment did not suddenly arrive on the scene, and it is not likely to depart it any time soon. People become acclimated to the arousal generated by violent images, but they have a continuing need for excitement. Does this mean that we shall have to accept ever-increasing violence and terror for entertainment purposes? It would appear to be... ... Works Cited Anderson, Craig A. et al. â€Å" The Influence of Media on the Youth † Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 4.3 (1999): 81-110 Bayles, Martha. â€Å" The Perverse in the Popular.† Wilson Quarterly 25 (Summer 2001): 40-47.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Blanshard, Paul. The Right To Read: The Battle Against Censorship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Boston: The Beacon Press, 1955   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goldstein, Jeffrey. â€Å" The Attractions of Violent Entertainment.† Media Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1.3 (1999): 271. Huff, Darrell. Homepage. 2004. http://www.effectivemeetings.com/productivity/communication/statmanipulation.asp Levendosky, Charles. â€Å" President Bush: Make Those Protestors Disappear. † Humanist   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  64.1 (Jan/Feb2004): 4 Shemitz, Jon. Homepage. June 30, 1994 - June 1, 1997 http://www.midnightbeach.com/jon/US-Constitution.htm Smith, Valerie. Home page. April 19, 2004. http://www.fradical.com/Canadian_copycat_incidents.htm Music Censorship 201:U5 Research in the Disciplines Final Draft Word count: 3,253 F. Nika Hedges Spring 2004

British Imperialism in South East Asia

For along period, up to the late 20th century, many of the European nations had vast interest in many of the Asian and African countries. This made them to colonize these countries so as to get whatever they wanted. Almost all of the African and Asian countries became colonies of the western countries. The more a country was perceived to have got many resources, the higher the scramble for that country was. Britain is one of the countries that had majority colonies in both the African and the Asian continent. India happened to be just one of these colonies.The colonists come along with their way of doing things thus impacting on the natives' way of handling the same issues. In essence, most of the colonies wanted to see that they changed their colonies to behave in the manner that will be beneficial to them. In India, the British’s interest was experienced during the decline time of Mughal Empire (http://www. indianchild. com/history_of_india. htm para 8). It all started as me re commercial activities between the two nations. There was a breakup in the rule of the Mughal Empire which resulted to the rising of dispute among the princess.This was a great advantage to the British as they did step in to settle the dispute. In the process, the British Empire started gaining much influence (Martin, pp 213). During the first global war that was fought in Europe and North America for seven years, it saw the British and the French come into a big fight in which the British won. Many of the Indians were recruited in the well paying British army. In the end, it emerged that India became the key source for Britain’s raw material and a market for finished goods (Siegel & Kennedy pp 98). British Colonialism in IndiaWhen the British entered the Indian colony, they formed a society that was stratified having the Britons occupying the highest position in the society. In the Indian schools, it emerged that the language of communication was now English. Many scholars of the British rule in India have noted that despite the heavy presence of the Britons in India, their presence was insignificant. The British used the tactic of divide and rule very well, and more importantly the psychological indoctrination of the Indians who had undergone through the education system of the British.These were the people who became the model British subject. the British used the English-educated Indians to absorb values about what they wanted , and this played a significant role in helping the Britons loot most of what they wanted from India, in terms of physical wealth and labor (http://india_resource. tripod. com/britishedu. htm para 1). According to the Britons plan, they wanted to have a person who was Indian in blood and color, but with an English taste, language and intellect. It meant therefore that the Britons had to decide on what the Indians were going to learn in schools and the mode of learning.For the British to succeed in its mission, they did set t he learned Indians against their fellows by proclaiming that they were following a very bad tradition, and it was only the British’s tradition that was good. These intellects were used to stress the negative impact of the Indians tradition. The Indians were made to believe that they were conservative people who lacked national concept or history. On the other hand, the British were considered as modern and scientific oriented. â€Å"With their unique organizational skills and energetic zeal, they would raise India from the morass of casteism and religious bigotry.These and other such ideas were repeatedly filled in the minds of the young Indians who received instruction in the British schools,†(http://india_resource. tripod. com/britishedu. htm para 4). There was need to facilitate transport and communication between the colony and the colonials. Hence the colonials constructed the railway line to facilitate transportation of the troops, raw materials and finished good s. There was as well telegraph lines to ease communication. However, the Britons did not take any step to see that the Indians learnt the new technology (Webster pp 186).The Indian soldiers rebelled against the British in 1857 causing the British to tighten its rule against India (Martin, pp 213). the rebellion of the soldiers occurred when the British empire introduced new cartridges that required the soldiers to tear them apart using their teeth. The cartridges were lubricated using animal fat, and this offended especially the Muslims whom their religion did not allow them to use pork or its products, while the Hindus were against the use of cattle fat for greasing.The rebellion was put down in 1858, but already several of the Britons had been killed; males, females and children. There were establishment of schools and universities by the Americans and the Britons in India that provided an education system that advocated for a strong nationalist sentiment. â€Å"In 1885, they fou nded the Indian National Congress, which promoted a greater role for Indians in their country's government. The new organization also sought harmony among Indians of diverse religion and social groups†, (Martin pp 213).There are many other influences in the Indian cultures that can be directly linked to the British rule in India. For instance, the Indians were not known for using surnames. However, with the coming and the ruling of the Britons, the Indians adopted the use of surnames. As Kolhatkar argues, â€Å"Surnames were not in use in India in ancient times and almost till the end of the first millennium CE. Thousands of names are known from Sanskrit/Prakrit texts, rock-cut inscriptions, copper plates, coins etc. They are almost always single names†, (para 3).However, it is now an occasion that in India, you come across the name of the child alongside that of the parent. The use of the surname became as a mark of respect for the parent. It is because of the British rule that the use of the surname became advent. It could be argued that these was because of the fact that the Britons wanted to make the work of administration much easier by having a system that was â€Å"more clarity in identifying individuals and the facility of documentation and reading created by the widening use of the printing press.Thus came into being the current method of the individual's name, father's name and the surname,†(Kolhatkar para 6). Therefore, looking at the influence Britain had in India, it can be concluded that it is true to note that these influences spilled all over the world especially the other Britain’s colonies. The use of surname, the British system of education, trade and language are all over the world. Reference: Kolhatkar, A. Indian surnames and the British influence, 29 Jul 2004, Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://archiver. rootsweb. ancestry. com/th/read/INDIA/2004-07/1091137759Martin, P. Five Steps To A 5, ISBN: 0071437142; M cGraw-Hill Professional, 2004 History of India, 2004, Retrieved on 13th May 2008 http://www. indianchild. com/history_of_india. htm Siegel J & Kennedy P. Endgame: Britain, Russia and the Final Struggle for Central Asia, ISBN: 1850433712; I. B. Tauris, 2002 SOUTH ASIAN HISTORY; History of British Rule and Colonization in India, 2001 Retrieved on 13th May 2008 from http://india_resource. tripod. com/britishedu. htm Webster A. Gentlemen Capitalists: British Imperialism in South East Asia, 1770-1890, ISBN: 1860641717; I. B. Tauris, 1998

About Revenge Essay Essay

If there is one thing that has been prevalent since human interaction began, it is the concept of revenge. Everyone has a moment in their life where someone does them wrong, and they want nothing more than to get back at the person who is responsible. While this reaction is completely normal, the results of actually acting on these feelings usually end badly for everyone involved. One of the main reasons that revenge does not typically end well is because once all is said and done, the past can not be changed. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, like many other stories, is focused on the theme of revenge, which is a feeling everyone is familiar with and is something that almost always ends badly. One of the more prominent stories about revenge comes from Edgar Allan Poe, a very well known author recognized mainly for his dark story writing. His story, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, is an interesting tale about a man who feels insulted and seeks revenge. Essentially, the ma in character, Montressor, feels that he has been insulted by his apparent hated enemy, Fortunato, and as a result he leaves Fortunato tied up in the Montressor family’s catacombs to die. In this story, many things are left unclear. For one thing, it is never told what exactly Fortunato did to exact this revenge. This means that his â€Å"insult† could be anything, and the punishment for his ‘crime’ in this story goes to show the length that people are willing to go to get revenge on someone who has wronged them. One thing to note in this story is that the narrator is never caught for his crime. Although â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is a good story about revenge, it is not Edgar Allan Poe’s only story that relates to the subject. Another one of his stories that focuses on revenge is â€Å"Hop-Frog.† â€Å"Hop-Frog† tells the tale of a dwarf and his female companion, Trippetta, who are taken as prisoners from their homes and brought to be entertainment for a king that is very appreciative of humor. The story ends with Hop-Frog and his companion getting revenge upon the king for striking Trippetta and  his mindless council by burning them alive in front of a crowd of people at a masquerade party. The main difference between this story and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is that there is a lot more information to go off of. For one thing, it is made very clear why Hop-Frog wants to get revenge upon the king. One similarity between â€Å"Hop-Frog† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† is that in neither story do the people achieving revenge have anything bad happen to them as a result. In both stories, it is apparent that the characters get away with their deeds. â€Å"Hop-Frog† brings a sense of joy in that Hop-Frog and Trippetta get away, but it leaves the viewer wondering if what they did was right. Even so, wanting revenge is a natural feeling after being wronged, and there are deeper, psychological effects revolving around these feelings as well. An article by Stillwell, Baumeister, and Del Priore says that, â€Å"The discrepancies between how different people see the same event may contribute to such seemingly inequitable outcomes.† (253). What this means is that many times, people see different things when looking at the same situation, and as a result, one person can be left less satisfied with the results than the other person. For example, one person may view a prank as a minor thing and laugh it off, while the person who was pranked may view it as something that really rubbed them the wrong way and is something that they want to get back at the other person for. â€Å"When people are hurt or angered by another person they may try to restore equity to the relationship.† (Stillwell, Baumeister, and Del Priore 253). This means that when someone feels wronged, they feel like they have to make the relationship even again. Needless to say, some people will act on their feelings, and naturally some cases of revenge can go wrong. There are a bunch of cases in the news about how someone tries to take revenge upon someone else. For the most part they end badly, which would make sense considering they ended up in the news. One case of revenge gone wrong occurred in New Port Richey, Florida when a seventeen year old turned a corner too fast and crashed into a few parked cars and a house in what was meant to be a simple attempt to throw eggs at her ex-boyfriend’s car. The end result was thousands of dollars worth of property damage and a citation for careless driving (Tampabay.com). As with this story and many others, revenge likely occurred because of a bad relationship break up. There are countless cases where someone seeks revenge on an ex-partner and ends up  doing something fundamentally worse than the actual breakup. In a similar case, I interviewed a friend of mine who wishes to remain anonymous about a time that he seeked revenge. As with many cases of revenge, his was the result of a relationship gone bad. It was directed towards an ex-girlfriend who had recently began dating one of his close friends. After the break up, he was crushed. He took it very personally when his ex-girlfriend began dating one of his close friends. As a result, he ended up making threats against the new boyfriend and harassing his ex-girlfriend by hacking all of her social media accounts and deleting them. The end result of his actions lead to a sit down between the group, which resulted with the possibility of harassment charges. In his case, he got lucky, but it could have ended much worse had they chosen to press charges. Since then he has made the decision that it would be best for him and for them if he just cut them out of his life for the time being, so that is what he is doing. Relationship break ups are rarely mutual, and if they are it usually does not stay that way for long, with one person ending up regretting the decision more than they thought they would. This case goes to show that acting on feelings of revenge is not good for anyone. Of course having a successful act of revenge towards someone may feel very satisfying at first, but in the long run people tend to reminisce about the initial event and it leaves them feeling just as bad as they did when it happened. Something that many people should learn is that there is no way to change the past. There will always be a v oid in the mind when thinking about what happened. â€Å"Revenge is a doomed attempt to eliminate shame and increase stature by asserting dominance.† (EmotionalCompetency.com). This means that when we feel like taking revenge, it is just a hole we are trying to fill with confidence to make ourselves feel better. As humans, we do not want to lose face with the people we know, so we feel obliged to take action against the wrongdoer to balance the scale. Conversely, while many people would jump on the opportunity to get back at someone, some people are strong enough to not act on the urges of revenge. It takes a strong person to let something go, and it takes an even stronger person to completely forgive. â€Å"Forgiveness is the cancellation of deserved hostility and the substitution of friendlier attitudes.† (Hughes 113). To forgive someone should be viewed as a type of release. When a person forgives another, they are releasing all of their anger and hostility and opening the door to a renewed friendship, or at least an agreement to not interact again. Of course, forgiving someone will not always stop them from doing something else in the future, but it is still a good method to practice for yourself. â€Å"Forgiveness has a discretionary nature, and the discretion belongs to the injured.† (Hughes 113). Many times, the best way to get back at someone is to show them that they did not have as massive an effect over you as they were hoping. While forgiving someone will not give immediate satisfaction, it is usually better for a person to let something go than to dwell on it for a long period of time. In contrast, it may be wondered whether or not retribution is always such a bad thing in certain cases. In the case of ‘Vicky’, it seems like retribution may be something that she deserves. Ten years ago, ‘Vicky’, who was ten years old at the time, fell victim to her father, who recorded many videos of her performing sex acts with him and even made her act out scripts. Her real name as well as her father’s name was redacted from the court documents, however the case ended with her father being sentenced to fifty years in prison. Prosecutors from ‘Vicky’s’ case have said that â€Å"While she continues to try to live a normal life, ‘Vicky’ carries emotional burdens which continually get in her way.† (OpposingViewpoints.com). Needless to say, this case is an extreme one, which begs the question as to whether or not retribution is something that Vicky is right in seeking. It would seem outlandish for anyone to blame her for making the people who download the videos of her pay for her therapy. In this case, it may be best to let the victim act out what they feel, because very few people can truly understand what it is that ‘Vicky’ has been through and continues to go through everyday. Not surprisingly, the entertainment industry has quite an interest in the topic of revenge. Some of the most popular shows that air on television relate to the theme of revenge in one way or another. In ‘Breaking Bad’, there are episodes toward the end where one character wants revenge very badly on another character, and it ends up putting him in a monumentally worse position than he was at before. There are countless other shows with similar themes. Many popular movies do this as well. The film series ‘Kill Bill’ by Quentin Tarantino pretty much revolves around that subject entirely. It can be wondered what it is that makes movies and television shows about revenge so popular with people, and the most likely answer lies in our society as a whole. A thirst  for vengeance is a feeling everyone is familiar with and it is satisfying for us to watch others achieve it. Overall, revenge is a very common theme throughout the world we live in. It is something that is unlikely to change because it is just how we are wired. As humans, we can not help but get feelings of anger and retribution when we are wronged, but it should at least be known that most of the time, the actual act will only make a person feel worse than they did before in the long run. Society as a whole should be more accepting of the method of forgiveness as opposed to revenge as this is the only way to truly move on. â€Å"In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.† (Sir Francis Bacon. EmotionalCompetency.com) Work Cited: Poe, Edgar A. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† (1846) Web 03 Dec. 2013. This is one of Edgar Allan Poe’s Classic tales about revenge. I used this story as a starting off point for the theme of my essay, which revolves around revenge. This information is in my first body paragraph which dissects the story. Poe, Edgar A. â€Å"Hop-Frog† (1850). Web 05 Dec. 2013 http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/hopfrgb.htm. This is another Edgar Allan Poe story which also focuses on revenge. I used this story to show that in many stories revenge is a very common theme. This information is in my second body paragraph which dissects the story. Stillwell, Arlene. Baumeister Roy, and Del Priore, Regan. â€Å"Basic and Applied Social Psychology† We’re all Victims Here: Toward a Psychology of Revenge. (2008) 253-263. Web 06 Dec. 2013. Academic Library- Psychology and Behavioral Sciences. This article explains the psychology revolving around revenge and does studies involving the subject. I used this article to help explain the psychology behind feelings of revenge. This information is in my third body paragraph. Hughes, Martin. â€Å"Analysis† Forgiveness. (1975) 113-117 Web 06 Dec. 2013. Academic Library- JSTOR. In this entry, Hughes explains the concept of forgiveness and what it truly means. This information is used in the part of my essay that explains forgiveness. Chavez, Adriana M. â€Å"Online Child Pornography Can Harm Victims for Life.† (2013) Web 06 Dec. 2013. Academic Library- Opposing Viewpoints. This article goes over the case of a girl who was sexually abused as a child and explains what she has gone through since the incident. This information is used in the paragraph that wonders if revenge is always such a bad thing in certain situations. Sanders, Katie. â€Å"Revenge gone wrong: Teen driver crashes into New Port Richey home.† Tampa Bay Times. 05 Mar. 2010. Web 06 Dec. 2013. This article reports a case of revenge gone wrong in the form of a girl attempting to throw eggs at an ex-boyfriend’s car and causing a lot of property damage in the process. This information is used in the essay’s paragraph that explains how revenge can go wrong. â€Å"Revenge – Getting Even† – No author listed. EmotionalCompetency.com – ND. Web 06 Dec. 2013. This web page helps further explain some of the concepts of revenge and forgiveness. This information is used in my essay’s paragraphs involving forgiveness. I also use a quote about revenge from this page. Anonymous. Personal Interview. 05 Dec. 2013. This is an interview i did of a friend who wanted to remain anonymous about a time he seeked revenge against an ex-girlfriend. I use this information in the area that involves revenge going wrong.