Religious responses to the verification principle have been largely unsuccessful Essay

‘Religious responses to the verification principle have been largely unsuccessful.’ Evaluate this claim. (20 marks) The Verification Principle claims that it is meaningless to talk about God and ethics etc, as these cannot be verified using empirical evidence or scientific experiments. There have however been many responses to this theory, for example the falsification principle. This is a theory developed by Anthony Flew who says that for a statement to have meaning it must be able to be proven false. So that not religious meaning. This theory is similar to the verification principle but just to prove something wrong instead, however it’s a stronger argument, as it does not go beyond our understanding of God and religion. In response to the falsification principle, R.M Hare criticised it with his theory of the ‘blik’, which is an individual’s own personal opinion and meaningful statements. He says that you cannot falsify the blik because it holds meaning to the individual. Christians will think in their minds that God is good; this is their own thought so we cannot prove their ‘blik’ wrong. However, Flew replies to this criticism saying that this is not relevant and cannot be applied to religious language as it has not happened in real life, just in someone’s mind. Another response to the verification principle is the Via Negativa; this is a theory that suggests that to fully understand what God is we need to say what he isn’t. In addition, Moses Maimonides said that positive statement such as ‘God is powerful enough to lift a rock’, limits God because we are comparing Him to a human and assuming we know what He can do. This is a cogent argument because we cannot understand properly a God we have never seen before, we can only imagine our own personal God and when we die we will then be enlightened with the real God, if there is one at all. However, St Thomas Aquinas rejected the Via Negativa as he believed that there are positive things to say about God. He argued that the only we way we can legitimately speak about God is using analogy. This involves making a comparison between two things, one is familiar and helps us understand another thing and both have similar meanings. He gave examples such as, the analogy of proportion and attribution. However some philosophers criticised this, such as Richard Swinburne who suggested that sometimes words could be used univocally about god. However if you say God is good, this could mean the same way humans are good. Therefore Aquinas is using the word good univocally Aquinas’ theory of analogy is a strong argument as it doesn’t limit God or use ambiguous language. Another response to this that involves the meaning of religious language is symbol. There are many symbols that have meaning to religious people and non -religious people. For example the star of St David for Jews and symbols such as the first aid cross which obviously does have a meaning. However, some symbols change over time for example, the Hindu symbol of peace was adapted by Adolf Hitler to produce the infamous Swastika that reminds people of sadness and death. So it raises the question whether symbols are reliable or not to show meaning. To conclude, I think there are a few reasonable responses to the verification principle such as the falsification principle, as this does not limit God to our understanding but we can still talk about Him. Also the doctrine of analogy is a strong theory as we can compare one thing to another thing we are familiar with without properly describing the unfamiliar thing and this makes it easier for us to understand. However, symbols can often be misinterpreted and lead to confusion, as they don’t say enough about God and religion for people to fully understand.

New York Times Paywall Strategic Considerations Essay

According to Chairman Sulzberger the goal of the paywall was to â€Å"build the Times’s digital subscription base and develop a new robust consumer revenue stream, while maintaining its significant digital advertising business.† Secondary to the constraint of maintaining the ad business was the requirement to maintain social buzz and branding. To begin, the NYT wanted to increase future revenues for the paper and offset the inevitable decline of its print revenue. This, in the short run, was a success. As described in Question #2; this added over $81 million in previously unexploited revenue in just the first year, indicating significant potential for future growth in digital subscription revenue. To maintain the ad business, the paywall could not significantly decrease the digital advertising revenue. For NYT Media Group, and by extension NYT, digital advertising increased by 5.3% in 2011, suggesting that the implementation of the paywall did not reduce digital adverti sing revenue in the short run. However, the NYT quarterly reports (shown in Appendix C) showed the paper’s digital ad revenue decreasing through much of 2012 and early 2013. Additionally, the paywall should not lead to a loss in readers or impressions. According to Exhibit 13 in the case, (and explained further in Question #2), the page visit drop equates to a 21 page per visitor ratio before the paywall to an 18.5 page per visitor ratio after the paywall, roughly a 11% drop in impressions. If the NYT has a pay-per-impression contract with its advertisers, this can mean up to a 11% drop in ad revenue in the long run, calling into question the overall success of the paywall. Finally, the NYT wanted to maintain the social buzz and branding for the paper. They did this by allowing unlimited access to articles if visitors came to the website via search engines or social media. This allowed people to read and be aware trending articles coming from the paper and keep their brand visible.. Overall, the paywall was working at the time of the case. It successfully registered significant numbers of readers willing to pay for the service. The paywall policy added a consistent revenue stream while maintaining leisure readers and promoting its online social presence. Whether the paywall will work in the long run will be determined by the revenue from subscriptions outpacing the loss of advertising revenue. 2. Is the New York Times paywall well-designed? Is it  priced right? Financially, paywall design is a basic supply vs. demand problem where the NYT optimizes revenues from online subscriptions against the advertising dollars lost. In the months before the paywall was instituted, the NYT site had approximately 715 million page views per month (adjusted to 30 day month). As soon as the paywall took effect, page views dropped to approximately 635 million as readers moved to other sites (Appendix A). This equates to an 11% drop in ad impressions within an industry seeing growing viewership. Therefore, we assume that online ad revenues decreased by approximately 11% after the paywall went into effect (decrease in online ad revenues of $23.68M off a base of $211.68M in 2011). Conversely, the 390,000 online subscriptions brought in $81M (at $4 per subscription), more than enough to make up for the loss in ad revenues. From this perspective, the paywall was a striking success. In addition, our team performed a conjoint analysis to help determine how customers value the various features and workarounds for the subscription paywall, and to evaluate whether the NYT could further optimize its pricing structure (Appendix B). In this analysis, we examined weekly subscription price ($8.75 vs. $3.75), paywall design (initial free article limit of 0 or 20), subscription leakiness (ability to access articles around paywall via social networks, etc.), and platform availability (subscription for all devices at once or tiered fee per device). This analysis confirmed our intuition that consumers are most sensitive to the price of the subscription. We also found that consumers are unlikely to value a subscription if they can get 20 free articles upfront. This is a much bigger determinant of whether and how much a customer will pay for a subscription than the possibility of getting free articles through their soci al network or other referral means. Based on this, the NYT would be able to charge an additional $2.37 if they were to stop offering 20 free articles per month and an additional $1.01 per subscription if they stopped allowing leaks to their paywall. However, making these changes would reduce page views and would have to be balanced against losses in ad revenues. Another way the NYT could raise revenues is to reduce the cost of an all device subscription. Based on the average subscription cost of $4.00, very few customers are opting for the all-platform subscription. However, our  analysis shows that customers are willing to pay $5.46 ($3.75 base subscription plus $1.71 in additional value) for a subscription open to all platforms. Making this change could add $29.6M in revenue if all customers took this deal while increasing subscriber page views due to increased access. 3. What is the long-term goal of the New York Times in creating the paywall? To understand the future of the NYT paywall, we looked at the newspaper’s recent trends in advertising and circulation revenues. In 2011, NYT Media Group derived 45% of its revenues from circulation and 49% from advertising (Exhibit 2). The NYT has seen a steady decline in print and digital advertising and recently reported that the paper â€Å"generated $900 million in ad revenue [in 2012], compared with $2 billion in 2002.† [1] Its print subscriber base is not faring much better. The Sunday Times saw a 10% drop in print subscribers by 0.15M from 2007 to 2011. The weekday NYT print circulation dropped 17.43% and the Saturday Times declined by 10% over the same period. Despite this, print subscribers still account for about 84% of the paper’s circulation revenue. [2] Digital subscriptions have seen strong growth since 2011. According to the Q2 2013 NYT earnings report, â€Å"Paid subscribers to The Times†¦ digital-only subscription packages, e-readers and r eplica editions totaled about 699,000.†[3] This represents a 35% year-over-year increase since 2012 and a 79% increase since Dec 2011. Based on these trends, we can conclude that digital circulation will play an important role in the future of the NYT. The long-term goal of the NYT paywall is to build a permanent digital subscription base. To make digital circulation effective, the NYT needs the paywall. Why would subscribers pay for digital access if they can get it for free? It is interesting to note that in March 2012, the NYT reduced the free access threshold from 20 articles to 10 – and in the following year, it expanded its digital customer base by 35%. Digital circulation cannot single-handedly support The Times going forward. The paper must rely on a mix of revenue streams and the print edition (and the decreased ad revenue it brings in) will continue to be a major source of income. The price of the print edition has skyrocketed in recent years from $0.75 in 2001 to $2.50 in 2013. We wonder if a more secure  paywall might also allow similar future price increases in the digital realm. 4. Will newspapers transition to all digital? How should the New York Times manage a transition to the new world of content provision? Despite the mainstream use of iPads and other electronics for consuming news, the printed newspaper is still in demand. In 2011, NYT newspaper sales made up 45% of the annual revenue. This is attributed to a strong segment of readers who still prefer the hardcopy of the paper. The overall trend still suggests that news is rapidly moving towards the digital form, perhaps eventually transitioning to an all-digital platform. The transition to fully digital will likely not happen within the next five years based on the print subscription trends from 2007 to 2011, but the NYT must be prepared to manage its revenue sources as circulation diminishes. The NYT has three main revenue streams – advertising (both digital and print), subscriptions, and other ventures. Together, advertising and subscriptions made up 94% of the revenue in 2011. In this largely digital age, only 28% of the advertising revenue stems from digital ads. To evaluate the NYT strategy to transition to digital news, we must determine the newspaper’s profitability today and in the future. Our analysis focuses on the NYT Media Group, rather than the whole company which includes other newspapers and ventures. In 2011, the Media Group comprised of 67% of the company’s revenues so we assume the operating costs are proportional. We also assume that operating costs include production costs and SG&A, and ignore depreciation and amortization for this analysis (Appendix F). Based on our scenario planning, which varied the percentage of print and digital subscriptions and ads, we conclude that the NYT is profitable today and will continue to be profitable despite the shift towards the digital platform. While overall revenues from ads and circulation decrease (as the rate of digital subscriptions cannot make up for the loss in print), the operating cost of running production decreases. If the news become completely digital in the future, the NYT must focus on driving online subscriptions and ads. 5. Would a paywall work for all newspapers? For other content providers? If not, what other strategies would work? The paywall may not work for all newspapers. In some cases like the NYT, the paywall model worked, but the same strategies may not apply to other newspapers. The successful was largely due to the NYT strategic positioning and ability to attract a large number of unique visitors (~33 million) and page views ( ~600-700 million) as compared to those of USATODAY.COM, WASHINGTONPOST.COM, WSJ.COM, etc. (~5-15 million, ~80-150 million respectively). Other key reasons for its success included the steady increase in the online newspaper traffic, past experience in digital subscriptions, low marginal cost in adding customers for its digital subscription, and external reasons such as launch of IPad in 2008 which improved the user experience for reading digital content. Other newspaper such as The Washington Post, Scientific American, and the Economist have succeeded with the paywall because of their specialized content. According to US newspaper industry report in 2009, 5000 players in this ind ustry operated for total annual revenues of $35 billion but the top 50 firms accounted for more than 75% of the revenue. For the remaining firms, implementing a paywall could be significantly destructive to their business as customers would go elsewhere. Therefore, a newspaper firm has to be strategic if it wants to introduce paywall in its revenue stream. Not every content provider can have successful paywall. Some strategies that have been defined earlier can work in their favor. Other strategies include the BostonGlobe vs. Boston.com strategy. One has high quality content with great user expereince (paid service of 99 cents for 4 weeks) and the other has free low quality content. Another model is the Metro; free widely distributed newspaper at metro stations. Hulu.com provides free content for a limited time and moves other content to Hulu Plus. Netflix.com allows access to TV shows and movies anytime with flat rate subscription cost. Appendix A – Chart describing data presented in Question 2 Appendix B – Output from Regression Analysis in Excel Appendix C – Selected NYT Financial Information from 2012-2013 The below excerpts came from the NYT Media Group’s investor reports found here: http://investors.nytco.com/investors/financials/quarterly-earnings/default.aspx Q213: Print and digital advertising revenues decreased 6.8 percent and 2.7 percent. Q113: Print and digital advertising revenues decreased 13.3 percent and 4.0 percent. Q412: Print advertising revenues decreased 5.6 percent and digital ad revenues rose 5.1 percent. Q312: Print and digital advertising revenues decreased 10.9 percent and 2.2 percent. Q212: Print and advertising revenues decreased 8.0 percent and by 4.0 percent. Q112: Print and digital advertising revenues decreased 7.2 percent and 10.3 percent. Q411: Print and digital advertising revenues fell by 8 percent and 5 percent. Appendix D – References for Question 3 [1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/business/media/a-leaner-times-aims-for-global-growth.html?_r=0 [2] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/business/media/a-leaner-times-aims-for-global-growth.html?_r=0 [3]http://investors.nytco.com/investors/investor-news/investor-news-details/2013/The-New-York-Times-Company-Reports-2013-Second-Quarter-Results/default.aspx Appendix E – Forecast Figures on NYT Profitability based on % Figure 1: Forecast of the NYT Total Revenue, Total Operating Costs, and Operating Profit as digital circulation and advertising increase while paper circulation and advertising decrease. Assumptions are listed in Appendix F. Figure 2: Detailed breakdown of advertising revenue from digital and print as the NYT transitions towards all digital. The year 2030 was chosen to determine the NYT’s strategy to become an all digital news provider. Appendix F – Assumptions made to evaluate NYT profitability for the future 1. Depreciation and amortization were not included in calculating profitability. 2. Advertising revenues continue to decline at the same rate as 2008 – 2011. 3. Print subscriptions continue to decline at the same rate as 2008 – 2011, calculated by summing the Sunday and weekday subscriptions while subtracting out the Saturday subscriptions to make up the overlap. 4. The average cost of the paper subscriptions is $10.50 (unweighted by popularity of subscription type) and the average cost of the paywall is $5.80 (not discounted by sign up offers and one-time discounts). 5. The percentage of revenue from digital ads grows by 5% from 2012 to 2016 as the NYT shifts toward a digital platform. The assumed 5% growth is conservative based upon online readership and unique visitors on the site. 6. The cost of production is directly related to the number of paper subscriptions. The production can be scaled down when demand is reduced. 7. The revenue from circulation declines at 0.7% from 2012 to 2016 because the loss of print subscribers outweighs the increase of digital subscribers.

Discuss Somerset’s global supply chain Essay

Somerset Furniture Company (SFC) was founded in 1957 in Randolph County, Virginia. Traditionally, SFC manufactured large, medium-priced, ornate residential home wood furniture such as bedroom cabinets and chests of draws, and dining and living room cabinets, tables, and chairs. Somerset prides itself on customer service. They believe that late deliveries to its customers would harm its credibility and result in loss of customers and excessive inventories. Somerset has recently set up new strategies and tactics to meet goals and improve global supply chain. They first found their problems were, and focused on its core capacities that will improve productivities and reduce inefficiency to win in the global market. In the mid-1990s, SFC was faced with increasing foreign competition, high labor rates, and diminishing profits. SFC decided to outsource several of its furniture product lines to manufacturers in China. This reduced the size of its own domestic manufacturing facility and labor source. SFC considered quality and time as its core competences. SFC planned to implement and strengthen its core by adopting EDI, RFID, and RTA (ready to assembly) to acquire more competitiveness on time by reducing time, improving the delivery of economic value to customers. Because of supply chain variability, shipments can be off schedule or delayed. Since 9/11, random security checks delay shipments. SFC’s global supply chain was getting lose its competitive edge and even faced shipment delays by as much as 40%. SFC was initially successful in their idea to outsource their business on a limited basis. SFC has since then discovered that as many companies do this same thing, out sourcing can result in a host of supply chain problems. Discuss possible remedies for its supply chain problems. Reduce Variability: Somerset should implement processes and tools that will reduce variability. The current process orders furniture on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. The process takes between 12 and 25 days to develop a purchase order which is then released to the Chinese suppliers. With these kinds of gaps in order creation, it makes it extremely difficult to forecast demand. The supply chain can easily be improved by implementing a real-time internet driven system that allows for direct communication between the retail operations and the supplier. Suppliers then can begin manufacturing  new furniture as orders come in. Additionally, implementing such a system will help ensure that once an order is received, that there is an urgency to deliver that order to the store, versus the current process where it may take from one day to a month before furniture is delivered to a store. Somerset wants as much of the order delivered to a store as possible in order to improve their on hand inventory levels and reduce variability. Improved Transportation: Somerset should also leverage technology with its transportation companies. Technologies such as RFID can be used to provide real-time updates to the transportation company. With improved forecasting, thresholds can be established, so that once reached, a truck is pre-ordered with the expectation that a complete order will be reached once the truck reaches the manufacturing facility. With improved forecasting and the use of technology, the trucking company can better estimate its consumer needs, thus improving their preparedness. Shipping Partnerships: In order to improve the probability of securing shipping containers and to reduce the delays caused by security checks, Somerset should leverage partnerships with companies that have similar shipping needs. By increasing the scale of their shipping needs, Somerset and t heir partners can compete with larger companies like â€Å"Big W†, by placing advanced orders. Additionally, Somerset, will experience cost savings, because of the shared container costs. The company will have fewer concerns with partially filled containers. Lastly, due to the increased scalability, the company (along with the business partners) may be able to leverage their size and avoid delays caused by security checks. Alternative Suppliers: Somerset should begin exploring opportunities with different global suppliers. Given quality concerns with production facilities and the difficulties with improving transportation and shipping resources, China may not be the best supplier for Somerset. By securing a different supplier, Somerset can not only improve its quality (thus securing its reputation), but also improve the expedience with receiving its ordered goods. These improvements can result in cost savings and improved customer service for Somerset. Discuss strategic and tactical changes that might improve the company’s supply chain performance. Collaborative Data Collection: Somerset needs to partner with the stores they deliver furniture to in order to gat her sales and other data customer facing attributes like delivery performance, fill rate and order  fulfillment. They could use this data to address supply chain response time and make their production more flexible. This entire process should be automated and accessible over to all of the stakeholders. By evaluating this data and comparing it with data about their competitors Somerset can develop a more accurate model for forecasting future sales and returns by reducing the variability due to a shorter lead time. Optimizing the customer facing fulfillment system will provide insight into how to adjust their internal supply chain process. For example, Somerset will be able to shorten the time it takes to develop and release their purchase order to their Chinese manufacturers. However, this process needs to be automated and accessible to their Chinese manufacturer so they are better able to prepare to fulfill the orders in a timely manner. This purchase order process should be combined with a plan that incentivizes their manufacturer to process their orders quicker. They also need to penalize th e manufacture for faulty products and late delivery. Although they currently have a Quality Control process they should have their own representative participate in the QC the process in China. Since Somerset has the machinery to make the custom furniture, part of the agreement should include requiring their Chinese manufacturers to use them. They also need to find other manufacturers so that they can mitigate the risk if their primary manufacturer experiences a problem meeting the deadline or there is a problem with the shipping deadlines. New Product Release: Somerset should re-evaluate how they introduce new products and phase out old product lines. For example, instead of replacing the entire product line at the same time they could introduce new products that replace the products are beginning to experience a drop off in demand. They should also examine the cost of replacement parts. They should look for ways to replace the faulty parts at a minimal cost. Standardized Parts: Somerset should identify parts that can be made interchangeable. The use of standardized parts would cut down on the time and skill required to make the furniture without affecting their customized features. Another option would be for Somerset to incorporate the manufacture of replacement parts into the facility where new products are developed. That could reduce the cost and time it currently takes to get replacement parts from China. In order to address the partially filled container problem and the creaking issue Somerset should ship the parts in standardized boxes that stack better an  fill the containers. Then establish an assembly plant in the US. That also provides them with a final control over the quality of the finished product. Somerset should also add a distribution center in China where the products are delivered prior to being shipped to the US and another distribution center in the US near the port of entry. This would help address the delays in delivery to the ports. Furthermore, Somerset should purchase their own trucks and coordinate delivery of finished product s with the pickup of raw materials. Additionally they could ship these standardized containers via airplane verses relying exclusively on ships. Although they can’t shorten the time it takes their containers to clear customs Somerset could reduce the time it takes to deliver them by purchasing their own delivery trucks to pick up the delivery from the dock. They can still contract with larger delivery services pick up from the distribution centers. Please note that these distribution centers could act as warehouses where additional inventory is stored. Product Visibility: In order to further remove uncertainty the individual boxes should be bar coded and the containers should have RFID capabilities. As a result of using technology, Somerset will have visibility to status of their products and shipments at all times. The information derived from the enhanced process would enable Somerset to reduce the supply chain cost and continue optimize their supply chain efficiency ultimately cutting cost and increasing revenue. Discuss strategic and tactical changes that might reduce system variability. Somerset Furniture faces the challenge of trying to alleviate delayed shipments in their supply chain process from their current 40% variability rate. The dilemma with shipment lead time is that the determining factor is processed orders from the past. Somerset’s management team would evaluate their past orders to determine how much lead time was reasonable in order to forecast future furniture shipments. As we learned from the case, Somerset’s variability issues stem from many factors. Some of the factors are beyond Somerset’s control due to the strict compliance factors in International shipping. For example, the size of Somerset’s business causes them to generate more security checks than larger companies because of the smaller and infrequent number of shipments. These security checks can lead to a three week delay in the shipping process. Also there is a 3-6 day lead time for containers to be loaded at the docks. There really isn’t much that  Somerset can do about this lag time because ports have their own employees and contract labor group to handle loading and off-loading duties. Furthermore, ports order containers according to bulk demand and availability which makes it hard for companies like Somerset to control the 1-7 day wait time that it takes to empty and transport available containers to the port loading docks. Another issue facing Somerset and other retail companies is that companies like SunKist and SeaLand, who own containers, only wish to order and manufacture enough containers that can be loaded and off-loaded on a continuous basis. This maximizes the fleet inventory of SunKist and SeaLand so that they can generate the most profits from their assets. Container Purchase: One way that Somerset can alleviate this problem is to purchase or lease their own fleet of containers from container manufacturers. This would allow them to reduce the 1-7 day variability wait period for empty containers. Somerset Furniture could own or lease this inventory and contract with companies like SunKist or SeaLand to store the empty containers at their docks for rental fees. By purchasing or leasing their own fleet of containers and contracting with available container owners, Somerset would also be reducing the excess space problem that they are having due to the dimensions of the containers. By ordering th eir own fleet of containers, Somerset could customize the orders to better accommodate their furniture shipments thus maximizing container space. Regulatory Compliance: Another challenge facing Somerset is that the inventory trip from China to Somerset’s Norfolk warehouse takes 29 days. There really isn’t much that Somerset can do about this timeframe. In addition to the above waiting period, the stringent process that International shipments undergo during the Customs inspections is also beyond Somerset’s control. The only thing Somerset can do to alleviate this problem is to comply with every aspect of Customs to not cause a further delay in the process. Trucks can only be loaded with furniture when the containers past inspections at the docks. One would think that the common sense thing to do is to have trucks waiting on the containers to pass Customs to prevent further delays; however, 3rd Party trucking companies charge for hold over time. The reason behind the downtime charge is that they lose money if their vehicle fleet is not on the road carrying a load. The 1-3 day trip that it takes for trucks to get from Customs to Somerset’s  warehouse is a minor issue compared to the potential 30 day period that it takes for the trucks to be unlo aded at Somerset’s warehouse docks. Supplier Incentives: The variability issues for Somerset that are within their control exist on the front end of the process beginning with the work order and purchase order process. For starters, one of the things that Somerset can do to eliminate wait time is to offer incentives to its Chinese suppliers to search for ways to process purchase orders faster. If the Chinese suppliers can accurately and efficiently reduce the 10-20 day wait period it takes to process purchase orders on the front end, then Somerset Furniture Company can reduce the potential 30 day wait period that it takes to unload trucks on the backend at their warehouse. This would help Somerset Furniture to be able to reduce excess storage fees that they have to pay to 3rd Party trucking companies for having their trailers occupied for many days at Somerset’s docking stations. Another tactical strategy that Somerset can employ is to seek ways to reduce the 60 day wait time that it takes for their suppliers in China to begin the manufacturing process. Questions need to be asked. What kind of incentives can be offered to their suppliers to start the manufacturing process earlier? Are there other suppliers in China that Somerset can employ as sole supplier manufacturers? Employing sole suppliers would help to cut down on variability because there would be no other customers hindering the manufacturing process since Somerset would be the only customer. Lastly, rather than use low-cost suppliers in China, Somerset should do the math and see if it makes sense to become their own low-cost supplier in China. By searching for ways to reduce the 60 day manufacturing cycle ¸ Somerset could reduce excess inventory and increase Just-In-Time (JIT) shipments. Also by searching for a sole supplier in China, Somerset could enjoy a streamlined manufacturing process with little or no lag time. This in turn would help to alleviate the quality issues that Somerset was having because there would be one supplier to hold accountable for their product. Discuss strategic and tactical changes that might improve quality and customer service. We have listed multiple strategic and tactical changes that Somerset could potentially make to their organization that would not only improve the overall quality of their product, but would certainly improve their customer service. If Somerset made a deliberate effort to improve its transportation via technology, engage in strategic  shipping partnerships, standardize some of its key parts, and offer supplier incentives, it would undoubtedly improve its quality and its customer service. Inspections: In addition to the above listed items, Somerset should acquire the services of an independent auditor or inspector. By placing an independent inspector in the facilities of its Chinese suppliers, Somerset could greatly increase the quality of its products and would likely reduce the amount of customer complaints. Proactive Customer Service: Somerset could greatly increase its customer service by committing to a proactive customer service team. Somerset could increase the size of its customer service support function that would allow its customer service team more time to place courtesy calls, follow up calls, emails, and texts to customers that may have had a bad experience. A dissatisfied customer could likely become a lost customer if there is not a proactive customer service team to follow up on each issue. Customer Service Score Cards and Online Surveys: Lastly, Somerset should make every attempt to listen to the voice of its customers. Somerset could provide its customers with customer service score cards and/or online surveys so that they could stay in tune with the changing demands of their customers. The exceptions such as late deliveries or damaged products should be addressed as expeditiously as possible, however, it is in the organization’s best interest to know and understand what their customers like, dislike, want, and need. Customer service score cards and online surveys would give Somerset priceless feedback and it would open lines of communication between the organization and its customers.

Contrast the experience of slavery as represented by Douglass and Essay

Contrast the experience of slavery as represented by Douglass and Jacobs. In what ways is their understanding of freedom gender - Essay Example The reactions they exhibit to the terrible difficulties they face are driven in large part by their gendered notions of what is expected of them from their masters, what they are capable of given their own physical capacities, and how their emotional, intellectual and spiritual lives are structured by the experiences they undergo as a result of their gender. In this brief paper, the gendered perspectives displayed by Douglass and Jacobs will be reviewed in order to determine what their views were on lives lived as a man and woman robbed of freedom but not of other crucial aspects of personal identity. Douglass gives an account of his life as a slave in and around Baltimore during the mid-1800s. In childhood he was taken away from his mother in order to ensure that the emotional ties between them would be severed, resulting in his growing up unmoored in the world to the love and affection of other slaves. He never knew his father, but suspected that his father was the white owner of h is mother at the time of his birth. These facts are relayed by Douglass with a sorrow that reflects his inability to relate to anyone he might call family. Having been deprived of such, he grew up confused and fearful, worrying that he would be beaten and punished for any infractions against his masters. He attempted to learn basic survival skills from whoever showed him any affection. Since, even in the absence of a natural mother, primary care was given by other female slaves, he learned from the women he called â€Å"aunts† how to get along in the world. Most of his interaction with men revolved around dealings with slave owners and their overseers, who were cruel and inhumane. He relays stories of having watched the women he came to appreciate for their dignity and poise being beaten by the men he learned to fear. This way of interacting with men and women certainly colored his view of his own role in the world as a man as he grew in stature. In Chapter 5 of his account h e relays the one positive early interaction he had with another male, the son of his master, who became his protector of sorts. He relied on this boy to keep him safe from harassment by older boys. It seems significant that it was a white child who played this role for him. Having been born of mixed race and having had his family taken from him, he came to relate to the world in a very isolated fashion. He describes the mealtimes and relays how he learned that the strongest males who ate the fastest were the ones who came to have the most respect among the other slaves, largely because they came to grow in stature and strength. Therefore, as a young child he was taught that males are supposed to be as close to savage as possible, while women and those males who submit to the protection of their white owners are allowed to grow up with some amount of dignity. He was drawn to that notion, and describes the way he prepared his body by scrubbing dead skin off his feet so that he would h ave a better chance of being sold to an owner in the city, where he might expect to have a more comfortable life. Jacobs, on the other hand describe her early childhood in almost bucolic terms, describing a happy life interacting with her grandmother, her mother, and even her mistress/owner. She learned to bake and do domestic chores and lived a life

Global operations management - multiculturalism and diversity Essay

Global operations management - multiculturalism and diversity management - Essay Example There are back office, front office, retail and wholesale operations as part of the operations management. Customer service is another area focussed by the operations managers. Customer service determines the success and failures of a business. It is aimed at building active relationships with the customers. Because of the highly globalized business environment at present, operations managers of modern era forced to interact with diverse customers and hence the success of operations managements at present depends on how well the operations managers are able to manage the multiculturalism and diversity in business. This paper briefly analyses the current operations management issues with respect to multiculturalism and diversity management. Some of the issues the host foreign country could face as a result of the expansion   The major issue in internationalising a business is the issues with respect to diversity and multiculturalism. No two individuals are alike; same way no two cou ntries are alike. Countries may differ socially, economically, politically, legally and culturally. All these aspects have a big say in operations management and hence success of international business depends on how well a country deal with these issues. ... ternational business (Victor, 2009) Communication is one of the vital segments of every business activities and language barriers often spoil effective communications. Communication may occur between the organization and its customers and the knowledge of a common language is necessary for effective communication. The business environment in different countries is different because of the economical, political, legal and social differences. For example, America and China are two entirely different countries politically, economically and socially and hence while doing business with China, America should consider the issues related to diversity and multiculturalism seriously. Social organizations in America and China are entirely different because of the cultural differences. In America, religion is a big entity whereas in China, it may not be the same. It is not necessary that two parties in a communication process may have similar knowledge or level of information (Contexting) in the topic of negotiation, especially when they happen to be of two different cultures. In other words, Americans and Chinese may have different levels of contexting and the knowledge of these differences is essential while conducting business negotiations. Authority and leadership styles are other areas in which America and China may differ. Americans are more dominating types compared to Chinese people. â€Å"The view of authority in a given society affects communication in the business environment significantly as it shapes the view of how a message will be received based on the relative status or rank of the message's sender to its receiver† (Victor, 2009). Non verbal communication, and the understanding the importance of time etc are also different in different countries which should be

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

Flextime - Research Paper Example The firm investment criteria is guided by the existence of strong management, reasonable growth prospects, diversified customer base, sustainable competitive advantage, leading market share and attractive cash flow characteristics. The current investments include Ellery homestyles, Northstar seafood, Getichealth, Advanced discovery, Pelican water systems, Wise Company, Onepath systems and Northfield industries. Trivest is thinking about using flextime to improve the employee morale, attain high job satisfaction and improve the overall productivity of the company. The report will outline the company background and provide detailed analysis of the advantages of flextime for the employees and the company. The company will also analyze the disadvantages of flextime for the employees and the company and provide recommendations that should be implemented by the company. Flexible working hours provide the employees an opportunity to attend to their family needs, personal obligations and life responsibilities more conveniently without jeopardizing their work demands (Financial Post, para 2). Flexible working schedules save employee commuting time and fuel costs since some commuting is outside the ‘rush hour’. This will allow employees to get at work in time and avoid the fuel costs that are incurred in traffic jams during the rush hours (Hirsh and Sun, para 3). The flexible working essential eliminate employee burnout and overload. Employees experience mental and psychical burnout while working on an ongoing schedule of eight hours per day and thus implementation of flexible work hours provides them time to relax and avoid burnout (Financial Post, para 3). Flexible working will allow employees to take personal control over their work schedules and working environment. Implementation of flexible work hours is a sign of compassion and

A kid who currently doesn't have insurance and is being transported to Research Paper

A kid who currently doesn't have insurance and is being transported to another hospital with asthma and pneumonia - Research Paper Example These include the patient’s health condition, the mode of transport, and distance between the two hospitals, among others (University of Maryland, 2009, p. 47). The type of medical equipment required to transport a patient has an impact on the financial weight of patient transport. The sort of medical equipment needed is dependent on the health condition of the patient. A patient with a condition of heart disease would require adequate systems to be present within the transport vehicle; enabling the staff to deal with any complications that may arise during transport. This translates into a larger financial burden on the patient. In this case the child transported has asthma and pneumonia. Asthma and pneumonia are not as severe and critical as heart disease. However, the equipment required for transportation still consists of expensive devices such as Cardiac monitors, pulse oximeter, oxygen delivery system, and intubation equipment including others (Jaimovich & Vidyasgar, 200 2, p. 236). The distance between the two hospitals is crucial in deciding the means of transport. For small distances; intra city transport, ground vehicles are ideal. For large distances; intercity transport, air transport is preferred.

Western Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western Art - Essay Example Classical architecture is based on the ‘symbolism’; a unit which is designed by categorization is mainly by the type of column used. Each order use to designed from the column, plus its base, plinth, or pedestal (if any), the crowning feature of the shaft, and the attractive horizontal member that triumphs of column, divided into three bands—architrave, frieze, and cornice. The Greeks used to have three orders, to get progressively slimmer and more ornately decorated: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, named after regions of Greece in which they are said to have been first used. The Romans later added two more orders—Tuscan, a starker form of Doric, and Composite, the richest of all. It was the combination of the features of Ionic and Corinthian—but Corinthian was the representation of the great order of the imperial Rome. Vitruvius discussed the orders, and from this resulted in the revival of the idea which represented their proportions and detailing which were codified and demonstrated in countless architectural treatises. Neolithic architecture appeared around 5500 to 8000 BC but there has been some evidence indicating that early Neolithic architecture appeared as early as 10000 BC in Syria and Iraq. Early Neolithic people especially in Mesopotamia were great builders who primarily used mud bricks to raise houses. More often than not these houses were painted with intricate landscapes of humans and animals probably depicting the way life were led in those times. These people also made elaborate tombs for their dead, a very good example of which is the Mane Braz megalithic tomb in Brittany, France. Stonehenge  is a  primitive  monument  located in the  English  county of  Wiltshire, which is the most famous prehistoric sites of world; Stonehenge is  earthworks  surrounded with large standing stones in a circular setting.  Archaeologists  believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC. Now if we

Customer service assignment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Customer service assignment - Case Study Example t an ambience to its customers, which not only helps the customer in enjoying the drinks and meals but also helps in the restaurant in gaining goodwill. In order that the restaurant is able to satisfy the customer and re-invite them in future, it is very important that restaurant is able to market itself in an effective manner. Traditionally, four Ps are considered of prime importance for an enterprise to market itself. The marketing mix is thus known to comprise of1 Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Though Ahmed might be offering the best products at reasonable prices, but in this case, what seems to be lacking is the promotion. Promotion doesn’t necessarily mean coming out with advertisement in newspapers or commercials in television or radio. But, a satisfied customer can often prove to be an effective ambassador of the product or service. A well behaved customer care executive or salesperson can also help in assisting the good word about the business entity. The restaur ant must not only be looking at tangible benefits, but intangible benefits also prove to be of immense importance towards the success of the venture. For example, intangible benefits like goodwill and brand equity can only be strengthened with a pro-active attitude from the employees and customers. It needs to be emphasized here that engaging the customer and informing him or her about the products or services on offer is extremely important for them to make a choice. There might be regular customers fully aware about the products, but even those customers love to get pleasant surprises in the form of new dishes or new schemes. Being unfriendly is certainly an unpardonable act towards the customers. Therefore, in order that the observed shortcomings can be done away with and employees behave in a professional manner and prove to be friendly for the customers, they need to be trained. The rule of thumb in customer service is that whosoever comes in contact with the customer, is supposed to

Religion in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Religion in America - Essay Example A well-documented example is women who would not marry again following the death of their husband. Choosing to be a single woman was considered by the Puritans to be disregarding ‘God’s will.’ These women were looked upon suspiciously and this choice heightened the chance that they would be accused of being a witch. Many of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by women today were brought about by women recognized for their courage and their ability to stand up for their gender such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Queen Victoria. However, there were many women involved in these early migrations to the new continent who held many of the traditional concepts regarding women’s true proper place in society without sacrificing their concepts of strength within the home. One of these women was Anne Hutchinson who brought the ideals of her modified belief system into the new world and helped establish a community that continues to survive today. Hutchinson began her life in England and traveled through Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Netherlands, now the Bronx in New York before being killed there by Indians in one of the many disputes between natives and settlers that occurred during that time. She was baptized as Anne Marbury in Alford, Lincolnshire, England on July 20, 1591 as a minister’s daughter, but her father always had questions about the church.1 Uncharacteristically, Anne was given a decent education and was permitted to reach a more mature age for marriage, not marrying William (Will) Hutchinson until she was 21. Throughout this period in England, Anne and her family had been following the teachings of John Cotton, whose views were strongly similar to those of Anne’s father, both of them taking exception with the structure of the church’s hierarchical configuration.2 Cotton was forced to leave England by the persecution of the Church of England authorities in 1633 and departed for

Customer Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Customer Service - Essay Example Therefore, they will look for the reasonable range for the services they require in contrast to those who seek the aspect of quality and variety of services. The biggest challenges of management that are contemporary in the service industry are providing and excelling in customer satisfaction. The differentiation, competitiveness, and retention of customers are factors that are important in the success of the service industry. To get the satisfaction level of customers, for example in a hotel, there is need to introduce comment cards for guests, which are then analyzed. The other way is to make personal contact with guests and also through feedback on the internet. (Luck and Lancaster, 2003: p 213). The staffs of this service industry need to be able to motivate the customers and this can be done through a motivation scheme for the employees who are exemplary with the customers. Handling of complains is also another major problem and the management needs to formulate a way to compensate the customer either by apologizing and performing random acts of kindness such as issuing doughnuts. According to Bender (2012), success is not brought about by combustion spontaneously but rather one must first set themselves on fire. Bender, A 2012, Americans Biggest Complaints About Hotels. Forbes. [Online] 27 July. Available at:[accessed 21 March 2013]. Westwind Consulting Services Inc,, 2012. Managing Customer Requirements: Requirements vs. Expectations. Website. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 21 March

FDE 1000 part a Essay Example for Free

FDE 1000 part a Essay I am currently working in a small privately run day nursery on a housing estate and have been there now for nearly six years. Within my setting I have two job roles both of which I am very clear as to what my roles and responsibilities are. Common core (2010,2ek) First of which is Deputy officer in charge which has been my role now for nearly two years and holds many responsibilities and challenges on a daily basis, my main responsibilities relate to assisting my manger in the day to day running of the setting and working very closely with all the staff, assisting in interviews working with current and new parents and also working very closely with other agencies involved in the nursery including speech therapist, child physiologists, ofsted and the local authority. My other job role is lead practitioner in the preschool room looking after children aged between two years to four years old. Here my role consists of working closely with my senior nursery practitioner in planning and observing the children in the preschool, helping to prepare them for their transition into primary school. CC (2010,4bs) implementing the daily routine, making sure health and safety towards the children and staff is maintained at all times and mentoring the other staff who work in the preschool room including nursery assistants and trainees. I have many strengths within my job roles but also many weaknesses which I work every day towards improving through observing what others do, listening to what others say and also through teaching myself new things. Completing my training needs analysis made me more aware of strengths and weakness I was unaware of which I had which has brought to light different things in which I need to work on improving to help maintain my knowledge and to help improve my practice. I have worked closely with my work-based mentor and the settings manager to put an action plan into place to improve my practice to the best it can be over the next twelve months, this action plan is based on what areas I have found I need to improve on using my training needs analysis. By completing my Training needs analysis and recently returning to working within a room in my setting which has only been for two months now, I have realised according to the early years teachers standards I do not have such a secure knowledge of early childhood development and I do need to work on how this leads to the children learning successfully when they get to school Early years teachers standards(2013, S3:1) I am not as fully aware of all the new EYFS changes as I thought I was which if I do not change this will effect the learning and development of the children within my care. I have found that when I am now completing the children’s learning journals I need a lot of support from the other staff members in my room to make sure I am observing each child correctly and that I am linking each observation to the correct area of the eyfs and not giving a false indication of where the children may be up to developmentally, before all the changes took place I was always very confident in this area. I do realise I know enough on the new eyfs to be able to plan and track the next steps of development for the children as I am aware of how to observe and find I am very confident in this particular area, but I also know that If I took part in some more research related to the this through reading books provided by my work setting and researching the many options available to me online that I will be able to give the children a better chance of being ready and prepared for their transition to primary school. I am also willing to search for possible training opportunities on the new EYFS through the national day nurseries association as we have took part in training through them in the past. I have put this on my action plan to complete by February of next year as I feel there is a lot of research that can be done to help me in this area and feel that I have given myself enough time to do this research. Also through reflection I have realised I need to update my safeguarding training. In my setting we have a lead safeguarding officer who is the nursery manager, recently my manger has had some prolonged time off and therefore it has become my duty to step into this role as lead safeguarding officer. I am aware of safeguarding and have some knowledge in this area although through looking at my training needs analysis and stepping up into this role it has made me realise I lack confidence in this area and need support. I am able to recognise when a child is at risk but need to build a lot of confidence around acting upon this through my own judgement rather than consistently needed advice and support EYTS (2013, S7:3) although I do understand when it comes to safeguarding issues advice and support from others is essential providing it is within reason and kept confidential. During my time at my setting I have dealt with some safeguarding instances as a support for my manager and parents. I am aware that my safeguarding training certificate Is now out of date and it is f great importance that I take part in a new training course to refresh my knowledge so I am able to act upon legal requirements regarding safeguarding and am more aware and confident in promoting the welfare of the children in my care EYTS (2013, S7:1). Also as I am now deputy officer in charge and lead practitioner within my setting I am aware that I will need to take part in a higher level safeguarding course as I have only took part in level one, I am now looking into doing my safeguarding level two for room leaders and management. By taking part in this training I will be more confident in employing practices which will help to promote the children’s health and safety within my setting EYTS (2013,S7:2). I have put this on my action plan to complete by April of next year which I feel gives me time to find the correct course suited to my needs and the needs of the children that I look after. When it comes to observing the children and writing the observations next steps I am quite confident in doing this where I start to lack the confidence is using these next steps to support the planning for each individual Childs needs, I always state a next step in my observation but don’t always add this to my planning to show progression and development in particular areas for the children EYTS (2013,S4:1). I am currently planning to take part in a staff-planning meeting CC(2010,1cs) this meeting will be regarding our settings planning to air my concerns about my knowledge and confidence and hope this will help by hearing other staff member’s views and advise as well as any concerns that they may have. I a hoping by doing this it will bring to light changes I need to make and possibly the whole setting need to make to be more able to plan balanced activities for the children based on the age and developmental stage and help myself be more confident in recognising other circumstances that may effect the children learning and development EYTS (2013,S4:2). I have added this as part of my action plan and hope to have this completed by December as I feel it is an important part of the day to day running of the setting to be able to have full understanding of the planning we do as if we do not understand it properly it can effect the children’s learning in the future and effect their transition into primary school. My job role as deputy officer in charge comes with a lot of responsibility I have never undergone any management training and have taught myself how to be efficient as deputy manager along the way over the past twenty two months. In many situations as part of my job role I am very confident and do believe I am a good positive leader, I listen to and take in everything that is said to me by other staff members and am very understanding towards all situations CC(2010,1as). I have took part in interviews, meetings with other professionals and staff meetings during my time as deputy but I have not taken lead role in any of these situations and believe I lack confidence in this area EYTS (2013, S8:3) I am aiming to take lead in my first staff meeting and have targeted this for January of next year so that I have sufficient amount of points to discuss during this meeting. I am hoping by doing this it will help to build my confidence as a deputy officer I charge in group situations where the focus is solely on myself EYTS (2013,S8:5). I am more confident in my job role as lead practitioner in preschool as I have more experience within this area although through recent reflection I have noticed I need to be more assertive to other staff around me and to delegate more tasks to the staff in my room to help them to develop their abilities in all areas, I need to be more aware that as lead practitioner other staff member will be looking up to me and what I do in my role as support for themselves EYTS(2013,S8:4) therefore if I teach my knowledge and understanding towards everything work related to the other staff members they will hopefully see me as a good role model for themselves as they work towards furthering their own careers in childcare CC(2010,4as) I will look at holding room meetings in the near future to help to build on this confidence I have in myself and my team will have in me we can use these meetings as a learning experience for all team members to work more efficiently together and help myself within my lead practitioner role. I will plan to place this alongside leading the whole settings staff meeting. I n my setting or any setting previous to this one I have not completed a personal development profile before, I have recently started to gather information to start creating my personal development profile since starting my course. I have set myself a target to have this completed as much as it can be up to now to help me with my development EYTS (2013,S8:6) By starting this file I have realised more of my strengths, weaknesses and achievements during my career so far. Over the next few months I am going to work with my work based mentor and nursery manager to organise my personal development profile efficiently and through the duration of this course and my future job roles and prospects I am going to work hard towards contributing to and improving my file to help benefit myself in anything I do in the future. The target I have set myself for having my file started is October as I feel it is an important part of the progress I have made so far in my career. I have realised since completing my training needs analysis that I have strengths and weakness in many areas of my job roles. I have not previously reflected upon my practices as a nursery nurse lead practitioner or deputy officer in charge and have realised how important self reflection is to help with gaining a more efficient knowledge of my own work and how I need to improve, in my main job role as deputy officer in charge not only is it important for myself to gain higher knowledge and keep up to date with changes that take place but it is also important to all other staff members as they look to me as their leader and my achievements and knowledge can have an effect on others and what they do in the future of their own careers. Self reflection has made me realise how much work I actually need to under go to make myself become the best I can possibly be for myself and for my whole team now and in the furute. EYTS (2013,S8:6,S8:7) Bibliography Children’s workforce development council (2010) common core of skills and knowledge for the children’s workforce National college for teaching and le adership (2013) teachers standards (early years)

The New England Colonial Period

The New England Colonial Period Tony Calloway Discussion Question 1. According to the article, With All the Grace of the Sex, were women active participants in colonial trade? How and why? Women had to be active participants in a colonial trade. I mean most of these women, displayed a matter of filling empty holes in their lives. There were widowed spouses or empty professions within the community. The With All The Grace of Sex article addresses of all practice of manual trade being performed by women because not all wanted to sew or cook. Some had no choice but to do the labor of a profession those others saw as a mans job. Those are jobs typically family responsibilities with everyone playing some duty within the trade. Many of the women did not need men to run the businesses. A lot of the women grew to be champions of these professions out of necessity. The only way there was clear evidence that women did work in these occupations, were the occasional discovery of documentation that has been maintained showing these evidence. Furthermore, within this literature, we would notice how frequently women were becoming apprentices and masters of trades alongside their male counterparts. Granted; the manual labor associated with various occupations, it was a wonder the existence of women apprentice and masters that were in questioned. Men that use forges, hammers and leather working tools had put some the best men to the test. To have the stamina and physical courage these women needed to prove themselves was very impressive. Like my dad use to say do not put tomorrow what can be done today. After reading the article, it would seem that women had to do what they had to do. However, that is the binary of the way women have been for a since the beginning of time. Lesson 3 1. The article, Deaths Head, Cherub, Urn and Willow and the images of the early American grave art give us insight to life during the New England colonial period. How had the views of religion and death changed over the time period, 1720 to 1820? How were these changes reflected on the gravestones? What specifically can historians learn about the Puritan from these stones Jim Deetz Edwin Dethlefsen (1960s-70s) Are two archeologicalist that studied on New England gravestones Identification of 3 main motifs in period 1680-1820. These were the Winged Deaths Head 1680-1780, the Winged Cherub 1760-1800, and Urn Willow 1770-1820. In the 17th and 18th century gravestones in Massachusetts were decorated with a traditional set of designs that have distinctive spatial and temporal limits. The pioneering gravestones in Bostons burying grounds were simple, roughly cut greenstone markers. Individual headstones bared short or no beautifying carving and often had little inscriptions, which ordinarily had a person name, and theyre the date of death. The writings interruptive punctuation, were like a encrypted carving style with a characterized raised period separating the word. Treating them as if they were archaeological phenomena, one can demonstrate and test methods of inferring diffusion, dedication and the culture that carved it. The Early popularity of Death s head design displayed the Puritans attitudes, and Urn Motifs indicated the breakdown of these values. While cherubs appear most premature among an urban innovation society in Cambridge, They remain a nearly insignificant type in this central area but are rapidly being embraced in outer districts further removed from the center of influence. Imperfect reproduction of distinct design gives rise to distinctive local styles of other districts. The delivery of these local forms in time and space presents further insights regarding the religious difference in the Colonial period, including a clear indication of how this change progressed in different geographical areas at different times. The appearance that draws archeologists the most when it comes to Puritan headstones is the uniform appearance of the three types (Deaths Head, Cherub, Urn, and Willow). The Deaths Head representation was very common early on through the 17th century. It was a type that Puritans used to emphasize the mortality of man moreover. However, after the Great Awakening and the spread of the belief in an immortal soul, the Cherub became the more popular type. The Cherub image symbolized resurrection. During the 18th and 19th centuries, right after the revival of the Greek in America, the Urn and Willow grew to be a regularly used motif on tombstones. The quality of the monument was dependent upon two factors, the skill of the stonecutter and the budget of the family. In Boston, stonecutters were also masons, woodcarvers, bricklayers and even farmers carved gravestones as another way of sustaining their families. On numerous occasions, to save money and to deliver a high-quality headstone with fine art and speed, many of the Stonecutters made prefabricated headstones. This way all they would do was insert the name and date of the deceased upon placement of order. It wouldnt take much to seek out this fantastic artwork that can be found in many places in New England to include Copps Hill in Boston the old Freedom Trail, and another favorite spot to Bostonians the Old Burying Point in Salem Massachusetts. Grave markers and the burial grounds in which they are found have become identified as having historical importance, and they have familiarized their topics for research. The traditional cultures, a grave marker serves partly a function of commemoration as well as an indicator of status. To an archeologist, these markers serve as original recordings linking to the departed individuals living as well as, a more comprehensive sense, to the society in which the individual lived and ultimately died. New Jersey can also provide some eighteenth-century grave markers like the ones in Monmouth County. These stones can give some insights into the developmental years of the colony. Although Monmouth County does share the timeline within many similarities of the colonial New England gravestone carving tradition, it also displays significant differences. Hereabouts, the choice of the gravestone in Monmouth County held related to personal inclinations within the broader trends before classified i n New England. However, with the more inquisitive minds; studying gravestones can easily part into disciplines like a historical archaeology, or even like this class art history, even a genealogist when the training is more focused on the individual family. Particular scientific archaeological studies of colonial gravestones were sparked into motion by the outstanding research by James Deetz and Edwin Dethlefsen as before mentioned, who studied within the Boston Massachusetts area. Their conclusions presented a temporally linear course of iconographic designs used in the local carving tradition; starting with stark mortality symbols such as deaths heads, with more hopeful cherubs in the early eighteenth century, and then forming the more profane, neoclassical urn and willow tree designs. Another type of style was the motif, which was used on Bostons seventeenth-century grave markers dubbed the deaths head. Deaths head, often including wings and crossed bones, is a stylized skull that is used by todays motorcycle gangs and gothic. Although folks were thinking that winged skulls been designed to symbolize physical death and spiritual regeneration this was not the case. It is essential to note that Boston-based Puritans were not advocates of using holy symbols, like cherubs, crosses in the place of meeting, of silver, or on their headstones. Puritans were adamantly opposed to connecting the human form to spiritual beings such as God, angels, or spirits. The deaths head, which in its right, is a non-religious symbol and was the first description applied to gravestone carving. Additional decorative motifs following the deaths head were the hourglass with wings symbolizing the concept time flies, elaborately carved on the side panels along with florets, finials, foliage, fruit, and imp-and-dragon figures. The seventeenth and eighteenth-century headstones had solemn inscriptions that inspired passers-by to contemplate mortality and the temporary nature of life on earth. There must have a broad range of the deaths head motif. The features and arrangement of the image depended uniquely on the preferred style of the carver. Those creating their style of carving like silversmiths, tanners, carpenters, and other artisans, gravestone carvers had specific techniques and skills. The style was almost like a calling card for some. Through inquiry research, newspaper and ads, announcements, signed or initialed stones, ledger books, and other original reference materials, twentieth-century historians were able to recognize many of these makers. As the immigrants began to reach a more stable lifestyle and acquire wealth, they were better able to afford more extravagant personal items whichever could serve as representations of their socioeconomic status. Individual belongings could have extended from a broader, more pretentious house; a cabinet full of silver plates imported from China to large lavishly engraved gravestones. Lesson 3 Discussion Question 1. How did the Northern demography differ from that of the Southern colonies? Compare and contrast the social, economic, gender, and racial hierarchy of the New England and Southern Colonies. During the mid-1700s, there was an influx of immigrants migrating to America. During this time there was an abundance of food to go around, and that allowed for a generally good health of the majority of the colonist. By which it would allow more women to reproduce and share a low mortality rate, with the help ladies having several or more children during their life. With this expansion became the love of social class and hierarchy. The North school system celebrated and embraced social mobility, and the entrance of newly prosperous planters, commercial farmers, and retailers into the upper ranks was not only likely but also common. (Faragher 2012) While there was a well-established upper class in the Northern Colonies, there was also the scant and poverty-stricken lower class as well. It was composed of slaves, bound servants, and the poor laborers. This group made little less than half of the Northern colonies population, and their standard of living was just above minimum subsiste nce. While both the Northern and the Southern colonies each had their hierarchy system, and they were similar in ways yet different in others. In Southern colonies, the standards needed for social status was racial purity. These ethnic pure Spanish colonists held the top of the social ladder. Spanish of mixed ancestry were in the middle and Indians, and African slaves were placed at the bottom. Though there was strife for nonwhites in the north, the separation of lines was obscured. The colonist had possibilities to move up or down the ladder at their will. Biracial Northern colonist experienced much more opportunity compared to their Southern counterparts. The Northern upper class was typically made up of landowners, merchants, and prosperous professionals. These upper class Northerners were living a much more lavish and extravagant life than the upper class Southern colonist. References Deetz, J., Dethlefsen, E. S. (2007). Deaths Head, Cherub, Urn and Willow. Retrieved from http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/deathshead.html Faragher, J. M., Buhle, M. J., Czitrom, D., Armitage, S. H. (2012). Out Of Many A History of the American People (6th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson. Howe, J. (1998). Greek Revival. Retrieved from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/greekrev.html Revolutionary Windsor. (n.d.). https://sites.google.com/a/windsorct.org/revolutionary_windsor/home/gravestones-puritanism Wooodard, D. D., Doody, D. (). With All the Grace of the Sex. Retrieved from http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Spring04/women.cfm

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation In Myanmar Environmental Sciences Essay

Causes And Effects Of Deforestation In Myanmar Environmental Sciences Essay According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations U.N.FAO, there are about 31,773,000 ha hectares or 48.3 of forests in Myanmar. An average of 372,250 ha or 0.95% of forest have been lost annually between 1990 and 2010. The organization states that within the period of 20 years (1990-2010), around 7,445,000 ha or 19.0% of the total forest has been cleared in Myanmar. Myanmar is one of the top ten countries that are happening highest deforestation rate in the world, and its rank is seven. The Rangoon-based Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (BANCA) alerts that Myanmar is meeting a deforestation crisis because of natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, drought and fires), human activities (logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, cutting trees for fuel, mining operations, dam building, clearing land for livestock grazing and oil extraction) and overpopulation. If deforestation cannot be controlled by government, the result could be very disastrous. It has negative impacts on environmental degradation and direct biodiversity loss. Exporting timber and human population are the main causes of deforestation in Myanmar. The Global Witness Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) manipulated that Myanmar shipped at least one million cubic meters of timber into China in 2002. Between 2010 and 2011, government exported 864,000 metric tons of timber and got US$600 million from it. Moreover, according to the UN FAO report that Burmas rural populations of around 70% or at least 30 million rely on forests for their basic needs in 2009. Government and people do not aware if they cut a lot of trees for their profits; it will affect on ecosystem and happen a lot of natural disaster in Myanmar. The purpose of this paper is to show causes and effects of deforestation in Myanmar. In particular, the impact of climate changes is very serious problem in Myanmar due to deforestation. This paper will discuss the plans of government to solve these problems ,and it will also provide some possible suggestions to protect the forests. 1.0 Causes The meaning of deforestation is cutting, clearing and removing of trees for various reasons such as logging, slashing-and-burning agriculture, clearing land for livestock, building dam. Sometimes, natural disasters can extremely destruct forests. For instance, Cyclone Nargis destroyed a lot of trees in Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008. Myanmar is developing country, so the government and people are extremely depend on forests. They cut down a lot of trees for various reasons, but the main point is for short-term economic benefits (Putatunda, 2011). Deforestation can be caused not only human activities, but also natural disasters. In Myanmar, government exports a lot of natural resources to other countries, but they got more money by exporting timber. According to the parliamentary Natural Resources and Environment Conservation Committee, Myanmar exports a lot of teaks by legal or illegal. The London-based Environment Investigation Agency claims that Myanmar exported 1.6 million tones of teak per annually to neighboring countries such as India, China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia. http://www.itto.int/files/user/mis/mis%20charts%20homepage/snap20111201.gif The agency states Myanmar got $5.7 billion by exporting 18 million cubic meters of wood log between 2000 and 2010. According to statistics, Myanmar has more than 16.32 million hectares of forest, and the area of teak is 24,300 hectares while the area of hardwood is 324,000 hectares. In Myanmar almost 1.98 million cubic meters of hardwood and 283,000 cubic meters of teak are used in Myanmar per annual. As a result, cutting a lot of trees for exporting is threatening Myanmar forests. Overpopulation affect on forests because they destroy a lot of trees for their profit. In Myanmar, the population is increased approximately one million annually. The population Myanmar is 54,584,650 in 2012 .According to UNFAO, 70 percent of the Myanmar people live in rural area, and they rely on forests for their basic needs and sustenance and income. Similar to Indonesia, people who get less than US$ 1 cut trees to get a few income for short-term (Stolle, 2008). Deforestation can be caused by not only man-made, but also natural disasters. In Myanmar, forest fire is one of the main problems to destroy forests. Myanmar lost up to 10 tons of forest fuel because of forest fire. As a result, every 30 to 70 tons of top forest soil are destroyed in Myanmar. Myanmar is facing natural disasters such as cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, tsunami, fire and drought. They are also real threats to Myanmars environment. Effects Burning trees and clearing forest extremely affect on environment. A lot of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide are emitted from deforestation. Hence, the temperature of global is rising, so climate changes and soil erosion happen in Myanmar. 2.1 Climate Changes A lot of natural disasters are threatening Myanmars forest such as cyclones, earthquakes and floods (Moe, 2009). Cyclone Nargis destroyed trees and livelihood of people more than earthquake and floods. Cyclone Nargis was the top deadliest and most caustic tropical cyclones to ever strike Myanmar (The New York Time, 2012). The cyclone notably affected a total of 37 townships. The UN predicts more than 2.4 million people were affected by Cyclone. According to official figures, 53,800 were missing, and 84,500 people were killed. It also destroyed a million acres of rice paddies, trees and killed three-fourths of the livestock with its seawater surges. 2.2 Soil erosion and soil fertility loss In Myanmar, soil erosion is one of the most serious problems, and government cannot be controlled until now, so the agricultural products of Myanmar are falling. The fertility of the soil will reduce if the surface soil is eroded, and it can turn agricultural land into desert land. To prevent soil erosion, Myanmar should preserve forests and grasslands. If soil erosion cannot be preserved, it will lead to flooding. Weather and agricultural experts argue that they get 4 inches of rain from the flood areas, but flooding problems never happen with this amount of rainfall in the past. Not only nutrient depletion but also ecological, social and economic problem can be happened because of soil erosion. Solutions A lot of natural disasters are threatening people in Myanmar. Most disasters are caused by deforestation. So, the government are trying to reduce deforestation. They have three plans for that. First of all, they will completely ban exporting timber to other countries in 2014 (William Boot, 2012). However, it is difficult to stop illegal logging and exporting to China. The reason is Chinas border is very close with northern part of Myanmar. Most poor indigenous people are relying on forest for their basic need. Although the government does not allow to cut trees, they may do continue, but their strategic is a few positive effects on stopping illegal logging and exporting to not only China but also other countries. The second is reforestation. Every June or July, the government order to plant trees in the whole country. Moreover, the government has dictated its citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 must plant five trees per annually in China. The government mentions that the result of their program is they have been planted at least one billion trees since 1982. Although the government of Chinas plan succeed, in Myanmar, their programme failed since after planting trees, nobody care about them. In the peoples mind, their responsibility is just planting trees. The last strategy is collaboration with UN organization . It established The National Commission for Environment Affairs(NCEA) which purpose is to support the environmental protection and reduce the environmental degradation. The government expects this collaboration can prevent deforestation in Myanmar. The best solution is giving job to poor people. If they have enough money for their basic need, they will not destroy the forests. They will not care how many disasters happen and the government announces the rules because money is more important than retaining the environment for them. Furthermore, recycling and reusing items are also the best solution. For example, industries are using a lot of bamboo to produce paper. If people and students reuse the recycling paper, they may reduce using bamboo. These solutions may decline deforestation in Myanmar. Conclusion In conclusion, Myanmar was covered a lot of forests in the past, but nowadays, the coverage of forests decreased significanly in Myanmar. Exporting teaks and overpopulation are the main causes to be facing deforestation in Myanmar. Myanmar is poor country, so government budget depend on exporting teaks to other countries. Nearly 283,000 cubic meters of teak and 1,98 0,000 cubic meters of hardwood are used for exporting in Myanmar per year. Increasing population is also the main problem. Approximately one million people are incresing per annually. Most of them are poor, so they rely on forests for their basic needs. The result of destroying forests is emitting a lot of greenhouse gases. As a result the temperature is rising, and it affects on climate and soil of Myanmar. By changing climate, a lot of natural disasters are happening in Myanmar such as Cyclone Nargis, earthquakes, floods and drought. Cyclone Nargis destroyed a lot of trees and affected more than 2.4 million people, and it was nightmare for people. Myanmar has no many good place for agriculture due to deforestation. Government tried to solve deforestation , but it did not affect on the problem. Reducing unemployments and recycling items may prevent destroying the forests. If the government cannot control deforestaionthe, a lot of extreme natural disasters will occur in Myanmar. If there is no enough trees, the temperature will be higher and higher, and the death rate of people will sharply increase in hot season. Health problems and economy problems will also happen. It is believe that if there is no trees, animals can not survive. If there is no animals, all people cannot also survive. By maintaining the environment, the world will be beautiful.

Modern Man - The Unknown Citizen (auden) :: essays research papers

The English-born American writer Wystan Hugh Auden was one of the most important poets of the 20th century. Educated at Oxford, he attracted attention as a prominent member of a group of young leftist writers who generally expressed a socialist viewpoint. The poem I have chosen for this essay is "The Unknown Citizen". I felt the time period reflected W.H. Auden's views, making the unknown citizen an example of the government's view of the perfect modern man in an overrated unrealistic society.In the time period that he wrote this poem in the late 1930's America was going through tremendous changes. This is the period in history in which The Great Depression was in effect. Most people living in the United States values, morals, and ethics were rapidly diminishing. The Great Depression fundamentally changed the relationship between the government and the people, who came to expect and accept a larger federal role in their lives and the economy. Throughout this time period Social Security was created.Back then this poem must have had a different meaning than today, it shows the value government has on issuing Social Security numbers. They make people believe it's for your own benefit when in reality they have the best use of it to track and retrieve information about your personal life. We see government as people we elected to represent our views they see us as a number. "Was he free? Was he happy? The question was absurd: Had anything been wrong we should certainly have heard (Auden 212)".I also felt he was expressing the fact that government makes it seem that everyone else is doing the "right thing" so you must follow him or her, and if you do so living a quality life will reward you. Their standards are so high that you will never reach the optimum point, so you work hard your whole life trying to improve. "His poems and essays present the idea of the good society as, at best, a possibility, never actually achieved, but which one must always work (Mendalson 112)". "Auden's poems speak instead in a voice almost unknown to English poetry science the eighteenth century: the voice of a citizen who knows the obligations of his citizenship (Mendalson 113).

Technologys Impact on Children With Communication Disorders Essay

Technology's Impact on Children With Communication Disorders â€Å"†¦If all of my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose the power of communication, for by it I would regain all the rest. Daniel Webster† (Lloyd, Fuller, and Arvidson 1). Imagine that you were born one hundred years ago and as you grew, you never learned to talk, or at the very most, could only communicate in two or three word sentences. What would you do? How would you make your wishes known to those around you? Remember, this is one hundred years ago and you didn’t have computers or other augmentative devices to â€Å"talk† with. Perhaps you are able to use your hands to write, but often communication disorders are joined with other problems like Down syndrome, autism, or cerebral palsy, all of which make it more difficult to control your hands. Be thankful that you live in the twenty-first century, where computers can help communicate as well as teach children with these disorders how to survive within a communicating world. I will discuss the impact, effects, and Christian perspective of technology on communication disorders. Impact of technology on children with communication disorders A communication disorder is described as, â€Å"‘an impairment in the ability to receive, send, process, and comprehend concepts or verbal, nonverbal and graphic symbol systems [ASHA, 1993, p. 40]’† (Owens, Metz, and Haas 14). Several years ago, people with communication disorders could get therapy to learn how to talk if they were able, but there wasn’t much that could be done if it was physically impossible to say the speech sounds. This person would have to go through life trying to communicate by hand signals, writing, and maybe a few choice wo... ...Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.; Baltimore, 1992. 175-202. Hjelmquist, Erland. â€Å"Form and Meaning in Alternative Language Development.† Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Whurr Publishers; London, 1999. 31-39. Lloyd, Lyle L.; Fuller, Donald R.; and Helen H. Arvidson. Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Allyn and Bacon; Boston, 1997. Nelson, Lauren I. And Julie J. Masterson. â€Å"Computer technology: Creative interfaces in service delivery. Topics in Lavguahe Disorders v19 n3, May 1999, 67-86. Owens, Robert E., jr.; Metz, Dale Evan; and Adelaide Haas. Introduction to Communication Disorders: A Life Span Perspective. Allyn and Bacon; Boston, 2000. Yorkston, Kathryn M.; Beukelman, David R.; Strand, Edythe A.; and Kathleen R. Bell. Management of Motor Speech Disorders in Children and Adults. Pro-Ed Publishers; Austin, Texas, 1999.

Earthquakes :: essays research papers

Earthquakes are one of the most damaging natural disasters known to man. They have been known to destroy entire cities in their total time of 2 to 3 minutes. Most people do not know that earthquakes are common through out the entire world; they are just more powerful in places such as California and small countries in South America. The definition of earthquake is â€Å" a series of vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks in which elastic strain has been slowly accumulating† according to Infoseek.com.. As a consequence of continental plate movement, the Earth's surface near active faults deforms before, during and after earthquakes. Similarly, the ground surface near active volcanoes also deforms as a consequence of eruptions and volcano evolution. Crystal deformation can be observed as relative movement of points on the Earth's surface, ground tilt, ground strain, and fault slip (creep). There are five primary regions in California where continuing crustal deformation and associated seismicity indicate the most serious earthquake or volcanic hazard. Monitoring in these regions allows researchers to understand the source and characteristics of this hazard so they can attempt to minimize its effects. A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Faults allow the blocks to move relative to each other. This movement may occur rapidly, in the form of an earthquake - or may occur slowly, in the form of creep. Faults may range in length from a few millimeters to thousands of kilometers. Most faults produce repeated displacements over geologic time. During an earthquake, the rock on one side of the fault suddenly slips with respect to the other. The fault surface can be horizontal or vertical or some arbitrary angle in between. Earth scientists use the angle of the fault with respect to the surface (known as the dip) and the direction of slip along the fault to classify faults.

In Cold Blood: Creative Writing Essay

My coursework is a short story which includes a diary entry. The diary entry revolves around Lowell Lee Andrews whereas the short story which is in third person deals with Gordon Dale Chappell, the County Sheriff at the time when Andrews killed his family. I have based my coursework on the character of Lowell Lee Andrews who is one of the minor characters in â€Å"In Cold Blood†. Lowell Lee Andrews was on death row with Perry and Dick for murdering his family. I have decided to imagine Andrew’s fantasies of being a crime-lord with the realities of the murders which he commits to his family. Lowell Lee Andrews was zoology major and in the eyes of society, he was a harmless, well mannered, studious and exceptional young boy. He was also cited as being â€Å"the nicest boy in Wolcott†. It can be argued that his life seemed to be complete and content and the murders was a wastage of the lives of himself and his family whereas it can also be argued that he had wasted his entire life in the chains of conformity and delusion. I have tried to explore his psychological state which was believed to have led him to the murders. I also included a third person character that would provide a different perspective to Andrews other than the ones in the novel. â€Å"Entry 73: I dreamt again†¦ Jet-black starry night, the Chevy speeding through the everlasting Chicago skyline, adrenaline escalating throughout my veins as I feel the cold revolver concealed in my pocket. I am seated at the back seat in a dark suit, my hat tilted, my eyes staring dead into the merciless rain. The city belongs to me, as I belong to her. I look into the lights that give life to her, the lights that shine for her, that shine for who we are. People forget who they really should be but they always remember who they are. The Chevy suddenly screeches and slides vigorously on the wet and jagged road till it comes to an abrupt halt in front of the house where I catch a glimpse of them watching a local broadcast in the darkness of the unlit room. I signal the thug to get me the .22 caliber with a nod, and he immediately gets me the rifle as I walk towards them, my hands reaching out to the revolver. The entirety of my body is rigid, my blood rises, I feel exasperated by the heat and I loosen my tie from the choking grip it has on my neck. As I take the rifle from the hands of my thug, I understand this is my way out, my only way out. I am approaching them, my steps slow and constant, and the voices of the monochrome television travel around the room. My neck pulsates, it hinders my breath, my mind corroded with voices, ones which I cannot comprehend but seem to understand. In what feels like a lifetime, the revolver is enfolded in my hands. The room is now lit by fluorescents and I am standing above them waiting, waiting so impatiently to do the deed. As I catch a glimpse of her looking into me, I shoot her point blank and falls ever so gracefully to the floor, lifeless. As time stands still, they rise in horror; I gradually set my aim towards them as they reach out to me, her weak hands trembling, her fingers pointing out to me. I fire towards her, watching her as the bullets pierce through her futile body. She mumbles shattered words to me, I tell her to keep quiet and continue shooting till she can’t mumble anymore. He is now crawling on the floor, heading towards the kitchen. As I rearm, cocking and loading the rifle he tries to hold onto the door, I take my aim and I keep on shooting. I can see the bullets fragments being collected on the wooden floor like drops of rain, smoke coming out of them rising to the cold air disappearing with it. There is no life left in him, but I cannot let myself stop till I am out of ammunition and breath. I head towards the door, stepping over the bodies that lay on the floor and the red stream of the blood that runs throughout the room. I then find myself bound in cold steel handcuffs looking over the Kansas river as the sky cries for me and the crimson tears cleanse what I have done and yet I am left undone. â€Å" As Gordon Dale Chappell closed the diary, he remembered Lowell Lee Andrews, the heavy young kid whose appearance suggested that he wouldn’t even imagine stealing from a drugstore let alone slaughter his own family. It saddened him that Andrew had decided to get rid of his own family and life for something that felt so unreal and out of reach. Andrew’s solemn and exaggerated character made him a topic of constant debate, â€Å"That Andrews kid lost his melons reading all them books. You can’t blame him, a nice boy like him could never do this, wasting his life and the ones whose lives depended on him† It was never really clear on why he did it, and it never would be. After all these years in the department, Gordon Dale Chappell had never been so lost in translation in the complexity and perplexity of human emotion and intention through an inmate. Unlike Andrews who was always so polite and reading his books, Hickock and Smith would sit in the courtroom and joke and look out the window at the pretty girls and act like they didn’t have a care in the world. Gordon found it hard to believe that such a soul could commit such a crime. He could not stop thinking about Andrews and his family, he wondered why, what seemed as such good grace and intentions turn out to be so dangerous that it lead to the wastage of his family’s own lives. When Gordon heard about the execution, he could not stay in the premises as it was too unreal for him to believe that Andrews was to be executed. There stood Andrews, before the hangman’s noose as the falling rain echoed throughout the deafening silence of the hall. He was unmoved and unbothered to what was inevitable. However, just before his final moments of life, he managed to gather a smile. Chappell was told that Lowell Lee Andrews had no last words.