Roger’s Chocolates Strategic Analysis Free Essays

CBAD-478*5 Rogers’ Chocolates I-case Strategic Assessment Report November 13, 2012 Dr. Janice Black Dara Servis Executive Summary Rogers’ Chocolates has some expertise in a wide assortment of premium chocolates that are appreciated by all who experience the items. In the case of searching for a truffle, nut and bites, or premium frozen yogurt, buyers can generally anticipate high caliber, carefully assembled items. We will compose a custom article test on Roger’s Chocolates Strategic Analysis or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now The firm values top notch items and exceptional client experience. All through the dismemberment there were numerous chances and shortcomings to reveal. Solid customer steadfastness is a significant quality that can help increment informal exchange of the brand. Numerous individuals search for data for new brands online through sites, surveys, and web journals. Steadfast customers can participate in a blog talking about the significance of Rogers’ Chocolates to help spread consciousness of the brand to buyers who don't think about them. Also, broadening the in-store chocolate experience that Rogers’ gives, to the web, may attract shoppers through intuitiveness of their site and help manufacture more grounded connections later on. A significant shortcoming revealed right now, is Rogers’ workers careful of progress as they trust it will bargain Rogers’ long-standing history and notoriety. Fresher innovations are accessible to make their occupations simpler and progressively proficient just as increment buyer mindfulness. In the event that they progressively bring new advances into the organization and include representatives in the progress procedure, the protection from change should ease since workers won't feel as though the organization is changing or giving up its history, however improving to make a dependable and gainful future. A concise portrayal of what will be analyzed in the body of the appraisal report for Rogers’ Chocolates comprises of: the region of activities, outside investigation, inward examination, and the strategy which will be created inside and out in the body and informative supplements of the evaluation report. This individual task provoked my capacity to compose all through this composing escalated course. Chapter by chapter list Executive Summary2 Apple Analysis5 Areas of Operation5 Present Strategic Profile6 Performance Assessment6 Leadership and Governance6 Essential Challenges7 External Analysis7 Current Industry Framework7 Five Forces Analysis7 Key Success Factors7 Strategic Group Map8 Closest Competitors8 PESTLE Analysis8 Critical Change Summary with Opportunities and Threats8 Internal Analysis9 Strategy Diamond9 Internal Analysis Alignment9 Balanced Scoreboard9 Resources and Capabilities9 Creating Value9 Competitive Strength Assessment10 Summarizing Internal Analysis10 Plan of Action10 SWOT/TOWS Analysis10 Recommendations10 Implementations and Execution11 Works Cited12 APPENDIX An: Areas of Operations13 APPENDIX B: Present Strategic Profile21 APPENDIX C: Performance Assessment30 APPENDIX D: Leadership Governance39 APPENDIX E: Essential Challenges44 Addendum F: Current Industry Framework48 Appendix G: Five Forces53 Appendix H: Key Success Factors61 Appendix I: Strategic Group Map64 Appendix J: Closest Competitors Analysis66 Appendix K: PESTLE Analysis68 Appendix L: Critical Change Summary with Opportunities Threats70 Appendix M: Strategy Diamond77 Appendix N: Internal Analysis Alignment80 Appendix O: Balanced Scorecard84 Appendix P: Resources Capabilities86 Appendix Q: Creating Value90 Appendix R: Competitive Strength Assessment92 Appendix S: Summarizing Internal Analyses96 Appendix T: SWOT/TOWs Analysis100 Appendix U: Recommendations106 Addendum V: Implementations Execution110 Apple Analysis Areas of Operation Rogers’ Chocolate has numerous difficulties however is in a decent situation to develop their business. The company’s benefits and incomes are proceeding to increment however they are not staying aware of the contenders of the business. To have the option to grow as arranged, Rogers’ will need to modernize and execute an incorporated creation arranging and operational control to diminish its expense of activity. Hand handled and wrapped chocolates need to turn out to be a piece of the past aside from perhaps putting that last touch on a top notch product offering. They have to smooth out and mechanize their creation so as to improve the productivity of their plant before they extend. They should contend in cost and have the creation capacity to mass produce the arranged lower end chocolate product offering. Furthermore the organization needs to hope to bring down tidying costs and diminish set up times. Due to the company’s work environment culture, this should be actualized cautiously. Rogers’ depends vigorously on their British Columbia geographic fragment which is the place the majority of their retail locations are found. Later on Rogers’ Chocolate ought to consider stretching out and testing other geographic regions for their retail locations. The discount business ought to be extended however a particular procedure to obtain extra gainful wholesalers. The discount operational section is a fantastic vehicle to construct deals absent a lot of capital consumption. They will consistently expand Rogers’ deals and benefits. An expansion in deals and solid client brand mindfulness will be made by the utilization of a top notch web composition. This will fill in as a resource for their steadfast clients and pull in expected more youthful clients. This firm has a few basic stages on their worth chain; providers, primary industrial facility, circulation forms, lastly administration. They have to guarantee that they discover increasingly dependable suppliers of their tins and boxes so they can take care of requests during the pinnacle times. Rogers’ has excellent control of their flexibly chain through organization claimed retail locations and discount circulation. See Appendix A. Present Strategic Profile Rogers’ corporate technique is to forcefully develop their business. They need to twofold or significantly increase the size of the enterprise. So as to achieve this objective they should look to their qualities in retail advertising. This assists with keeping up control of the business and endeavor Rogers’ premium brand while presenting new or existing items like their line of dessert. They should hope to open stores in comparative zones keeping the Rogers’ client experience of free examples and top notch treatment. On the off chance that they can open two need stores a year would add around 10% to Rogers’ top line. With the anticipated development of fifteen percent from existing retail locations Rogers’ will have the income to fund the development in retail location and increment promoting for online business. They ought to likewise hope to develop deals and geographic nearness through the discount business. See Appendix B. Execution Assessment For the private company that Rogers’ is, they seem, by all accounts, to be doing very well in their industry. Obviously, very little can be resolved about the general course the organization is going from only two years of information. Nonetheless, with positive stock turnover and a gainfulness proportion over half for the two years, we can presume that Rogers’ is holding their ground in the chocolate business. A couple of regions of worry for the firm would be the negative figures for percent change in income and percent change in salary from the level examination. The misfortune in income was distinctly around two percent, yet the misfortune in pay was almost 17%, which could be a worry in the event that it proceeded. Once more, we need to recall there are just two years of information and 2006 could have essentially been an off year for the organization and they didn't perform up to their gauges. See Appendix C. Authority and Governance The appraisals of the firm’s initiative have ended up being exceptionally positive looking toward what's to come. Phoenix, Wong, and Bjornson have been cooperating for a long time, and with Steve Parkhill’s understanding and initiative as CEO of the organization, what's to come is searching brilliant for Rogers’ chocolate. I completely accept that with Parkhill in the driver’s seat, this organization is going to start to develop exponentially as he said it would when he took over in 2007. With the greater part of the TMT having stocks in the organization, all things considered, a large portion of them will be around for some time; and the more they cooperate the happier the organization ought to be over the long haul. See Appendix D. Basic Challenges Rogers’ Chocolate has numerous difficulties yet is in a decent situation to develop their business. The company’s benefits and incomes are proceeding to increment yet they are not staying aware of the contenders of the business. To have the option to grow as arranged, Rogers’ will need to modernize and execute a coordinated creation arranging and operational control to diminish its expense of activity. Hand handled and wrapped chocolates need to turn out to be a piece of the past with the exception of conceivably putting that last touch on a top notch product offering. They have to smooth out and computerize their creation so as to improve the productivity of their plant before they grow. They should contend in cost and have the creation capacity to mass produce the arranged lower end chocolate product offering. See Appendix E. Outside Analysis Current Industry Framework Rogers’ Chocolate is in a decent situation for the current business system. They are equipped for exploiting the development in their industry and receive the benefits and advantages of expanded benefit in view of their vertical coordination opportunity. To ensure that they can p accommodate expanded interest they should investigate the modernization of their creation procedure to bring down costs, increment their adaptability and yield without relinquishing quality. An immense danger Rogers’ faces is the absence of extension. This is a

The Piano Lesson Essays - Film, Arts, Entertainment,

The Piano Lesson Guard Boy Willies Scheme for Buying Sutters Land. In The Piano Lesson, composed by August Wilson, Boy Willie devises a plan for purchasing Sutters land. Kid Willie has one piece of the cash set aside. He will sell the watermelons for the subsequent part. At that point he will sell the piano for a third part. The main discussing issue in Boy Willies conspire is the piano. Berniece wouldn't like to sell the piano. This is the main purpose behind a protection in Boy Willies conspire. Along these lines, I will guard Boy Willies issue of selling the piano and how that frees him regarding his plan for purchasing Sutters land. The main barrier is the utilization of the piano. In Wilsons epic, Berniece never utilizes the piano, Boy Willie: You cannot do nothing with that piano aside from sit up there and take a gander at it, Berniece, Thats exactly what Im going to do (p.50). The piano is a wistful worth (p.51) to Berniece. Her dad passed on over the piano (p.42-46). Kid Willie contends despite the fact that the piano is of wistful worth, Berniece isn't utilizing it. He needs to offer it so as to purchase land, seed, and laborers, which will thus deliver a yield, and something will come out of that (p.51). The subsequent barrier is that of balance. Kid Willie accepts how someone in particular sees himself figures out what that individual truly is in actuality (p.92). He additionally accepts that white men have one favorable position over dark men and that is, The shaded man cannot fix nothing with the law (p.38). Kid Willie wants to be equivalent to the white man (p.92). Likewise, balance integrates with the above section wherein Berniece doesn't utilize the piano. Kid Willie will utilize the cash from the piano alongside the benefit from the other two sources and get his property. Acquiring this objective will make him equivalent to the white man (p.92). Kid Willie will never work for anybody other than for himself. The last protection is that of Boy Willies father. Kid Willie respects his dad. He recalls that one key thing about his dad as a youngster, I got these large old hands yet what Im going to do with them? He feels that the piano was his dads blessing to him (p.46). Kid Willies granddad didn't have anything to leave Boy Willies father however Boy Willies feels that his dad left him the piano. He utilizes this in one argumental discussion against Berniece (p.46). Kid Willie firmly feels that on the off chance that his dad had the chance to have his own territory, at that point his dad would have sold the piano (p.51, 88, 94). All through the novel Boy Willie and his sister, Berniece, battle over the contention in the selling of the piano. Kid Willie doesnt need to observe the guidelines. He lives however what he accepts is correct and valid (p.38). Kid Willie doesnt need to live unobtrusively and go long with the manner in which everything is. He needs to leave his imprint wherever he goes (p.94). I accept the above passages well shield Boy Willies contentions with the issue with the piano. Everybody, in any case what your identity is, needs to become something else. Everybody has dreams. I realize I do. English Essays

Your Partner Cant Fulfill Your Emotional Needs

Your Partner Cant Fulfill Your Emotional Needs Relationships Spouses & Partners Print Your Partner Cannot Fulfill All Your Emotional Needs By Sheri Stritof Sheri Stritof has written about marriage and relationships for 20 years. Shes the co-author of The Everything Great Marriage Book. Learn about our editorial policy Sheri Stritof Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Carly Snyder, MD on February 04, 2020 facebook twitter linkedin Carly Snyder, MD is a reproductive and perinatal psychiatrist who combines traditional psychiatry with integrative medicine-based treatments.   Learn about our Medical Review Board Carly Snyder, MD on February 04, 2020 PeopleImages / Getty Images More in Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems LGBTQ Violence and Abuse You may feel that your spouse is not meeting your emotional needs. But, marriage counselors and psychology experts generally agree that only you can satisfy those needs. You should not consider yourself an empty emotional vessel to be filled by your spouse. You need to take responsibility for your own fulfillment, and the best way to do that is to consider and satisfy your spouses needs first. Meeting Your Spouses Needs An emotional need is a craving that, when satisfied, leaves you with a feeling of happiness and contentment, and, when unsatisfied, leaves you with a feeling of unhappiness and frustration, says clinical psychologist and author,  Dr. Willard F. Harley, Jr. His numerous books on marriage and relationships include His Needs, Her Needs, which focuses on the  needs of men and women and shows husbands and wives how to satisfy those needs in their spouses. According to Harley, satisfying your own emotional needs means putting your spouses desires ahead of your own. TwoOfUs.org agrees, noting: One of the keys to being successful in a long-term, committed relationship is properly understanding the emotional needs of your partner. Youre not responsible for meeting  all  of your partners needs, the relationship website notes, but you certainly should put those needs ahead of your own. Some of these needs include affection, conversation, honesty and openness, financial support, and family commitment. Its like the old saying: with love, the more you give, the more you get back. Ask for What You Need Once you are in the mindset of being a loving and giving spouse, you can then start to advocate for your own needsâ€"but you have to be careful about how you go about it. When you want your spouse to perform some kind of action to magically meet your needs, you are really asking for her to change, says Barton Goldsmith, a psychotherapist and syndicated columnist writing in Psychology Today, and thats a nearly impossible request. Instead, be direct. Ask for what you need, says Goldsmith. Do you want change,  understanding, or compatibility? Whatever your need, asking for it directly will greatly improve your chances of getting it. Know What Your Spouse Wants and Needs It is at this point that the need for reciprocation comes into play. Continue to show your spouse that you value and care for her. Do those things that, generally, put your partners needs ahead of your own. If someone feels valued he or she will do the best they can to keep your opinion of them high, says Goldsmith. Reminding your mate that you know your life is better because he or she is in it is very motivational and very loving. Make sure you know what your partner wants and values: Is it a home-cooked meal? A spontaneous bouquet of flowers? A special dinner at a  fancy restaurant or a quick burger at a fast food eatery? Fixing that leaky faucet or loose door handle? It doesnt really matter what the act of kindness might beâ€"the important thing is that your spouse knows she is valuedâ€"that you know what  she  wants and needs and that you are ready to provide it without being asked. This effort to understand and willingness to give is key to a good marriage, and ultimately, to have your own needs met. Take Responsibility for Yourself Understand that you are in a relationship to bond with your spouse, to share eventsâ€"big or smallâ€"and to build a life together. When we have an expectation that a husband or wife fulfill us, we set ourselves up for disappointment, because no human being can satisfy another human being, says  Mark Altrogge, a pastor at an Indiana church, and creator of the relationship website the Blazing Center. To hope that another human can meet our needs is asking too much of anyone. Expectations are killers, says Altrogge, explaining that all humans are fallible, and have their own wants and needs. Thats unlikely to changeâ€"in your spouse or anyone else. Don’t look at where your spouse needs to change, Altrogge says. Look to where you need to change. Don’t have expectations of your spouse. If you have expectations, place them on yourself. Robert Fulghum, in his classic book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, explained it well in some of his basic rules: share everything, hold hands, and stick together. If your partner knows that you care for him and will be there for him through big things and small, he is much more likely to reciprocate. Having your emotional needs met starts with sharing and caring for your partner. A person who feels loved, cared for and appreciated is far more likely to reciprocate in kind.

Analysis Of Booker T. Washington Essay - 2187 Words

At the beginning of the twentieth century there were no two voices more influential in Black America than those of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. The staunch differences in their respective ideologies gaining their roots by way of the backgrounds both men endured in the earliest days of American Reconstruction following the Civil War. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in Virginia on April 5, 1856. Following emancipation his mother moved the family to West Virginia to rejoin her husband. Washington saw the value of education from a young age, and this is what led him to eventually attend and graduate from Hampton University. In 1881 he was recommended by the Hampton President of the time to become the leader of the brand new normal school in Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute. This political and educational position allowed Washington to become a highly trusted voice among those charged with the task of educating the next generation of young, black educators. Hence the amount of attention focused on Booker T. Washington’s famous (some may call infamous) Atlanta Address, in which he states very clearly his take on how African Americans should go about coexisting with white America, primarily in the Southern states. This â€Å"Atlanta Compromise† as many of its critics would come to refer it as, called for a rather passive approach by African Americans to go about issues regarding civil rights. Rather than try to challenge fundamentally unjust laws suchShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington1306 Words   |  6 Pagespopulation. In the later 1800’s, black empowerment was on the rise. As slavery cease to exist and the newly freed slaves were introduced to American Society, many were uncomfortable about how to strive in a world were they were constantly oppressed. Booker T. Washington, an educator at the time, believed the black Americans had to earn their way into society through education and accept minor segregation if it meant in the future, they are fully integrated. W.E.B. DuBois, a scholar, however, believe theirRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington872 Words   |  4 PagesBooker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois were two of many very influential Black leaders in African American history. These men, though born over a decade a part, shared a common aspiration of obtaining equal rights and sought education for change on the behalf of Blacks. However, the philosophy in which these goals would be achieved differed greatly among the two. Booker T. Washington was born April 5, 1856 in Franklin County, Virginia. His mother was a slave which meant that he too wouldRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington1476 Words   |  6 PagesBooker T. Washington, in his autobiographical book Up From Slavery, recounts his formative experiences as a child and his work as an adult. Only 9 years old when the Civil War ended, Washington grew up during the Reconstruction Era. With African Americans able to attend school following Emancipation, Washington worked hard to get an education. Race relations of the era and the challenges African Americans faced would come to inspire Washington to pursue teaching and advocacy. He would come to establishRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington1399 Words   |  6 Pages1a. Booker T. Washington had a very different social philosophy than most African Americans pursuing their freedom had during this era. This philosophy brought upon much tension and many tended not to agree with Washingtonâ₠¬â„¢s ways of thinking. One of the people who disagreed with Washington was W.E.B. Du Bois. Both Washington and Dubois were essentially striving towards the same outcome, but they both had different approaches. Booker T. Washington argued that African Americans must educate themselvesRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington926 Words   |  4 Pagesto the readings, Booker T. Washington believed in the Industrial Education also called a Technical/Vocational Education for the Negros, and W.E.B DuBois believed in the Liberal Arts Education. Booker wrote and delivered the speech The Atlanta Compromise in 1895. He was known for founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, now known as Tuskegee University in Alabama. The Institute grew immensely and focused on training African Americans in agricultural pursuits. Bookers’ statement the AtlantaRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington999 Words   |  4 Pageswhich had videos about Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. There were two African American men wanting to uplift the Black community, but sought two different ways of doing so. They both saw things from two different points of views. Booker T. Washington spoke as a southerner who grew up as a slave that experienced racism throughout his life. He advocated industrial/vocational education to give blacks a useful skill to make money and take of their families. Washington had attended Hampton UniversityRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington Essay1618 Words   |  7 PagesBooker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois 1) Who were these men? Provide a brief biography of both. Booker T. Washington was born, into slavery, on April 5th, 1856 in Hale’s Ford, Virginia. He was nine years old when his family was emancipated, and they moved to West Virginia. It wasn’t until after he moved that he began to receive an education. He eventually graduated from the Hampton Institute; he worked through the time he was in school in order to pay for his education. He went on to laterRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington1630 Words   |  7 PagesBooker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois were very important African American leaders in the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. They both felt that African Americans should not be treated unequally in education and civil rights. They had beliefs that education is crucial for the African American community where they stressed that educating African Americans would lead them into obtaining government positions, possibly resulting in social change. Washington andRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Booker T. Washington1047 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Booker T. Washington Success, through society’s critical eye, is typically defined by one’s occupation and annual income. This story of success takes the road less traveled; Jeannette Walls begins her story describing her motivation for writing it. Prompted by her mother’s urgings to no long live in shame of her past, Jeannette initiates her memoir by narrating what gaveRead MoreAnalysis Of Booker T. Washington1747 Words   |  7 Pagesand how they helped better the lives of black Americans while also disclosing some of their more problematic notions. The impacts and contracts of Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, Alexander Crummell, and Marcus Garvey on post-emancipation America are evident through the social and political progress of the United States. Booker T. Washington was a nationalist who supported gradualism and separatism. He was very conservative compared to others of his time, especially other black leaders

Analysis Of Dracula By Bram Stoker - 1618 Words

Bram Stoker s Dracula is highly acclaimed and has received many different interpretations which deal with complex symbolisms and metaphors. These interpretations often require a great deal of knowledge in psychology, political science, anthropology, and other non-literary disciplines. These interpretations may be valid, as they are related to the disciplines on which their arguments are based, but the true power of the novel is due to a very simple theme that lies beneath the other, more convoluted interpretations. This theme is the universal concept of identity: us versus them. This criticism sets aside outside disciplines and focuses on the literary motif of identity. John Allen Stevenson gives an in-depth criticism of this work based†¦show more content†¦Who, then, is the us of the novel? Richard Wasson points out that the group who pursues Dracula represents a cross-section of the English materialist society (26). The fact that the group contains a doctor, an aristocrat, and a lawyer is very significant because it defines the us of the novel. All the journal entries, that make up the bulk of the novel, are written by characters who, as a whole, represent the English society. The only major character in the novel who never has his point of view shown through a journal, or any other means, is Dracula. This structural procedure defines him as an outsider. We know Dracula only through the eyes of English society--wea re not allowed to understand him as an individual. Jules Zanger reinforces the idea of Dracula as an outsider by making a strong case that Dracula represents Jews, who were persecuted because they were moving to England in large numbers in the late nineteenth century. Zanger is correct in seeing Dracula as a persecuted outsider, but the metaphor of Dracula as a Jew goes beyond the theme of the novel. He could be any outsider that the English percieved as a threat; they would drive out anyone they felt uncomfortable with. English society s expulsion of the outsider is due to the anxieties that English people had about themselves. The decay of British global influence...the increasing unrest in British colonies andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Dracula By Bram Stoker1434 Words   |  6 PagesThe story of vampires throughout the years has been one of horror and fear. Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, takes this legend and uses it to show how this tremendous source of evil reaffirms the promise of Christianity. Once Dracula comes into their lives, the characters must fight to save people, particularly women, from being turned into vampires. Being a vampire means a life of servitude to both death and damnation. Recognizing a dangerous entity like this, means risking their lives as a mean of protectingRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Dracula `` By Bram Stoker1631 Words   |  7 Pagescarried, given birth to, and nurtured their offspring, especially in early years (often with breast milk). In Brahms Stoker’s Dr acula, Stoker creates irony and draws attention to the deviation of Mina from the angel in the house Victorian woman by having Mina drink blood from Jonathan’s chest while Dracula watches over her. This action is an enforcer of the danger with Dracula, as well as an indicator of how far Mina has strayed from being good. This is apparent in the irony that can be exemplifiedRead MoreFilm Analysis of Dracula by Bram Stoker Essay681 Words   |  3 PagesFilm Analysis of Dracula by Bram Stoker Bram Stoker’s Dracula was filmed and produce in 1992 by Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the infamous vampire novel Dracula in the 1890s. The film stars Gary Oldman as Dracula throughout the film, the hero Harker is played by Keanu Reeves. Winona Ryder play two parts of the film, one is the wife of Dracula the opening sequence and later plays the fiancà ©e of Harker reincarnated. And Anthony Hopkins play the priest of the ChristianRead MoreAn Analysis Of Bram Stoker s Dracula 1330 Words   |  6 Pages Bram Stoker in Dracula imagines a â€Å"proper women† by demonizing Lucy ascribing to her traits of a wanton woman; a whore of a demon. A misogynistic attitude is popular in a patriarchal society, especially in the middle of the nineteenth century. On the other hand, Stoker unconsciously ties Mina’s behavior to emulate a woman of propriety. She is the very bane of what a progressive woman looks like but not when looking at her through a gynocritics lens. 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Whether it be the pro femininityRead MoreAnalysis Of Interview With The Vampire And Bram Stokers Dracula2110 Words   |  9 PagesPenetration in some form is usually present in sexual activity and penetration is an overall theme throughout both films. The penetration that takes place in Interview With The Vampire and Bram Stokers Dracula does not take place from sex, instead, penetration comes from fangs, and yet the tone is extremely sexual in nature. The scene in Interview With The Vampire where Le Stat brings two women back to their home is a great example. In the scene, Le Stat bites one woman on the breast and she squealsRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitm an s Dracula And Bram Stoker s `` Dracula ``1886 Words   |  8 Pagesestablished an impact worldwide. Writers such as Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker, two Irishmen that know of Whitman’s writings through the poet’s popularity growing up as children and young adults, had become advocates of the controversial topics Whitman wrote about. 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Ibn Battuta Free Essays

Mackenzie Schultz Mrs. Linn AP World History 1 September 2012 Ibn Battuta and the Five Pillars In Ross E. Dunn’s novel, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, Ibn, a 14th century Muslim traveler, is influenced by The Five Pillars of Islam in different ways (Dunn 1). We will write a custom essay sample on Ibn Battuta or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Five Pillars of Islam are Faith (shahada), Prayer (salat), Charity (zakat), Fast, and Pilgrimage (hajj). Shahada is the declaration of faith, i. e. the professing that there is only one God (Allah) and that Muhammad is God’s messenger. Salat is the Islamic prayer. It consists of five daily prayers that are recited while facing the Ka’bah in Mecca. Zakat or alms-giving is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all who are able to do so. Fasting is a mandatory act during the month of Ramadan unless you are sick, pregnant, young child, or on a difficult journey. Muslims must abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk during this month. The hajj is a pilgrimage that occurs during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah to the holy city of Mecca. Every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. He sees that the pillars are the most important cultural value. First, Ibn Battuta is influenced by Faith because he appears to have been one of those rare individuals who live their faith, mainly by relegating their own personal needs to a secondary level of importance while the needs of their faith, remain primary in significance. Ibn Battuta needed to travel his path as a solitary traveler, one who remained convinced that his faith would see him through whatever adventures he encountered in his journey of discovery and exploration. Faith was the reason for his travels. Ibn is also influenced by prayer because in some ways it saved him. In Calicut, a storm came up that evening. Ibn was suppose to be on one of the boats caught in the storm if he wasn’t at prayer in an offshore mosque. The boat he was suppose to be on, ended up sinking resulting in zero survivors (Dunn 224. ) When the Black Death had broken out in the mid-14th century, thousands upon thousands of people were dying. Ibn Battuta escaped the Black Death by living in fresh air, eating pickled onions and fruit, and above all, prayer. These are just two instances where prayer had saved Ibn Battuta’s life (Dunn 273). Alms-giving also had a great deal of affect on him and his travels. The obligation included voluntary giving (sadaqa) to specific classes of people; the poor, orphans, prisoners, slaves, (for ransoming), fighters in holy war, and wayfarers. Falling eminently into this last category Ibn Battuta would during the next several year see his welfare assured, to one degree or another, by an array of pious individuals who were moved to per form acts of kindness, the more readily so since the recipient was himself an educated gentlemen well worthy of such tokens of God’s beneficence† (Dunn 35). . Ibn Battuta was given alms when he was offered constant hospitality. Between, giving alms and receiving it, it was always evident throughout his lifetime. Fasting during Ramadan did not directly affect Ibn Battuta, because he was a traveler, which meant he was not required to fast. It did however bring chaos and celebration around him. â€Å"Ibn Battuta was on hand to witness the sultan fulfill his customary duty of leading â€Å"a magnificent procession† of officials, courtiers, and soldiers from the citadel to a special outdoor praying ground (musalla) that accommodated the crowds gathered for the prayers marking the Breaking of the Fast† (Dunn 37). Just a year later, his entire stay in Damascus took place during the month of Ramadan, resulting in a strenuous obligation that upset the normal routines of people around him and even himself (Dunn 61). Lastly, the hajj, is what I believe, had the biggest impact on Ibn Battuta and his travels. His first hajj began in 1325 and ended the year after (Dunn 1). It was the starting point and the foundation throughout his travels as a whole. Without out the hajj being one of the Five Pillars, we don’t know if Ibn Battuta would of traveled anywhere at anytime. Ibn traveled from the Tangier to the Nile Delta in 1325 (Dunn 28). From there he went to Egypt, Syria, and Arabia, finally reaching Mecca (Dunn 42). From Mecca, he went to Persia and Iraq (Dunn 82). Then back off to Arabia again and East Africa (Dunn 107). After that, he traveled to Antalonia and the Black Sea region (Dunn 138). From the Black Sea region, he went to India, Ceylon, and the Maldive Islands (Dunn 184). Then he visited Southeast Asia and China (Dunn 256) Lastly, he returned back home (Dunn 267). Without his obligation to fulfill the requirement of the hajj, he would of never visited any of these places and receive the reputation he got. In conclusion, Ibn Battuta probably would not have traveled so far without his obligation to The Five Pillars of Islam. Each and everyone one of them had some affect towards him, his travels, and his life as a whole. â€Å"The Marco Polo of the Muslim World† gave historians the key of knowledge to the fourteenth century societies, trade, travel, religions and customs. He is considered a hero in many eyes, and always will be considered a hero. Schultz How to cite Ibn Battuta, Essay examples Ibn Battuta Free Essays Ibn Battuta Muhammad ibn Battuta (1304-ca. 1368) was a Moorish traveler whose extensive voyages as far as Sumatra and China, southern Russia, the Maldives, the East African coast, and Timbuktu made him one of the greatest medieval travelers. Muhammad ibn Battuta was born in Tangier. We will write a custom essay sample on Ibn Battuta or any similar topic only for you Order Now His family was of Berber origin and had a tradition of service as judges. After receiving an education in Islamic law, Ibn Battuta set out in 1325, at the age of 21, to perform the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca and to continue his studies in the East. He reached Mecca in 1326 by way of Egypt and Syria. This journey aroused in him the passion to see the world. From Mecca he made a trip to Iraq and western Persia as far as Tabriz and in 1327 returned via Baghdad to Mecca, where he spent the next 3 years. Ibn Battuta then traveled by ship along the Red Sea shores to Yemen and from Aden to Mogadishu and the East African trading ports. He returned by way of Oman and the Persian Gulf to Mecca in 1332. Next he passed through Egypt and Syria and by ship reached Anatolia, where he visited local Turkish rulers and religious brotherhoods. He crossed the Black Sea to the Crimea in the territories of the Golden Horde and visited its khan in the Caucasus. He then journeyed to Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde east of the lower Volga, and then through Khwarizm, Transoxiana, and Afghanistan to the Indus valley. From 1333 to 1342 Ibn Battuta stayed at Delhi, where Sultan Muhammad ibn Tughluq gave him a position as judge, and then he traveled through central India and along the Malabar coast to the Maldives. His next trip took him to Ceylon, back to the Maldives, Bengal, Assam, and Sumatra. He landed in China at the port of Zayton and probably reached Peking. Returning via Sumatra to Malabar in 1347, he took a ship to the Persian Gulf. He revisited Baghdad, Syria, Egypt, Mecca, and Alexandria, traveled by ship to Tunis, Sardinia, and Algeria, and reached Fez by an overland route in 1349. After a visit to the Moslem kingdom of Granada, he made a final trip through the Sahara to the black Moslem empire on the Niger, returning to Fez in 1354. During his travels Ibn Battuta sometimes lost his diaries and had to rewrite them from memory. His travel book was written from his reports by Ibn Juzayy, a man of letters commissioned by the ruler of Fez. These circumstances may account for some inaccuracies in chronology and itineraries and other shortcomings of the work which affect some parts in particular. However, the book contains invaluable and sometimes unique information on the countries Ibn Battuta visited. How to cite Ibn Battuta, Papers

Doubt Of Future Foes By Elizabeth Essay free essay sample

, Research Paper The Doubt of Future Foes by Queen Elizabeth I The uncertainty of future enemies expatriates my present joy, And wit me warns to eschew such traps as threaten mine annoy. For falsity now doth flow, and capable religion doth wane, Which would non be, if ground ruled or wisdom weaved the web. But clouds of playthings unseasoned do cloak draw a bead oning heads, Which turn to rain of late repent, by class of changed air currents. The top of hope supposed, the root of Ruth will be, And fruitless all their graffed crafts, as shortly ye shall see. The dazzled eyes with pride, which great aspiration blinds, Shall be unsealed by worthy creatures whose foresight falsity discoveries. The girl of argument, that eke strife doth sow Shall reap no addition where former regulation hath taught still peace to turn. No foreign banished wight shall ground in this port, Our kingdom it brooks no alien? s force, allow them elsewhere resort. Our rusty blade with remainder, shall first his border employ To canvass their tops that seek such alteration and gape for joy. Written in 1568 by one of England? s most outstanding swayers, The Doubt of Future Foes gaining controls a clip of hurt for Queen Elizabeth. Elizabeth Jenkins, one of the great Queen? s biographers, stated that Elizabeth was non poetical, but she shared that extraordinary gift of look that was general among the English of the clip, and one time or twice she wrote some singular poetry ( Jenkens, Elizabeth the Great, 1958 ) . In this peculiar singular poetry, Elizabeth composed 16 lines depicting the troubled province of England and prophesied the destiny of her enemies. Elizabeth uses initial rhyme in several lines, such as wisdom weaved the web and foresight falsity discoveries, which reflects her knowing and civilized background. However, the verse form appears to be chiefly a merchandise of Elizabeth? s struggles with antagonists and a menace to those who had the aspirant heads to effort to take her from the throne. The verse form is written in octosyllabics: riming pairs with 12 syllables in the first line and 14 syllables in the 2nd line. This metre drums out a steady, forceful beat that farther drills in the extremely moralistic message of trueness? or else. The foremost two lines province that Elizabeth? s fright ( uncertainty ) about her enemies prevents her from being happy, and that if she were smart, she would ignore the traps those enemies had set in topographic point to harm her with. Her cousin, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, had been giving her cousin heartache about Elizabeth? s unfulfilled promise when Mary was imprisoned to assist her regain her throne ( and succeeded in labeling Elizabeth as a dissembler ) , but Mary refused to admit the fact that Elizabeth had saved her life countless times. Her cousin besides had her eyes on the British Crown and appealed to Elizabeth? s understanding to get down to win it. However, advised by Sir William Cecil that her cousin had an appetency to the Crown, she handled Mary? s demands, such as for Elizabeth? s ain royal garments, with cautiousness and restriction. At this point in history, Elizabeth was besides enraged tha t the northern Catholics had spurned her exceptionally tolerant spiritual policy. The Catholics had ever wanted Elizabeth ousted from the throne because she had committed the farce of being Protestant, and they looked at anything controversial that she did as a manner to acquire her out. Line three describes perfidy and devotedness as a moving ridge that recedes and crestless waves ; at the present clip, commitment is short of manus and lese majesty is a changeless menace. However, Elizabeth provinces in line four that if people had intelligence and common sense, they would be loyal to her. She feels this manner non merely because of her spiritual beliefs, but besides because of the simple fact that she is Queen. Her topics may be rebellious now, when they feel they may hold a opportunity at subverting her, but finally she is still in power and has a aureate finger to direct their destiny. She alludes to the at hand tools and fast ones that her antagonists will utilize against her as clouds that will fall every bit rain when her enemies change their heads and beg forgiveness. She besides portrays their false foreparts as a shoot grafted into the turning works of the land of England, with hope as the foliages ( exceed ) and sorrow ( Ruth ) as the roots, but which will output no net incomes ( fruit ) every bit long as they are unpatriotic. She so provinces that their conceited eyes, full of impatient expectancy, will be opened by a baronial individual ( a worthy creature ) who foresees their perfidy. Elizabeth refers to her cousin Mary as the girl of argument because she had caused so much dirt and contention. She predicts that no affair what conflict Mary began, she would neer hold success because the Reformation of England has trained her, as Queen, to keep peace. No foreign or exiled individual such as Mary would sit at the throne of England, because the land does non let aliens governing it. Let them travel someplace else, Elizabeth declares, because that will non be tolerated in my state. The verse form terminals with a vibrating menace that foreshadows the destiny of Mary. The executioner? s blade which has non been used in so long will strike off the caputs of those that wish to alter sovereign, and these executions of decease will convey joy and prosperity back to the Kingdom. Elizabeth? s anticipation became world when Mary was charged with being accoutrement to an attempted slaying of Elizabeth and was beheaded in 1587, and William Byrd wrote a vocal that echoed Elizabeth? s announcing about twenty old ages before: The baronial celebrated queen/Who lost her caput of late/Doth show that kings every bit good as clowns/Are edge to Lucks? destiny, /And that no earthly Prince/Can so unafraid his crown/But Luck with her twirling wheel/Hath power to draw them down ( Jenkins, 316 ) . It was said among those who knew her that Elizabeth neer wept once more as she did when Mary was executed. However, as a strong swayer, she did what was necessary for the wellbeing of her state, and she rid England of its oppositions. She would hold no more fright of future enemies. Elizabeth, I. The Doubt of Future Foes. 1568. Jenkins, Elizabeth. Elizabeth the Great. 1958.

New IT Technologies Essay Sample free essay sample

Tendencies are the lifeblood to society and concern. It determines how persons and concern direct their design and handle state of affairss. In the concern sphere. IT trends are what carry the organisation from its current province to the following coevals of concern. There are a few tendencies that are presently within society and concern that have been implemented with success. On the other manus. there are engineerings that have yet to do their grade on concern and are still being evaluated for their utility. The engineerings that I will discourse are. wireless frequence connect ability. LTE engineering. touch screen capablenesss. and voice governable engineering. Wireless Capabilities Wireless capablenesss have been around for a few old ages and are really utile within places and concerns that use them. They help multiple persons connect to a router and entree a web for cyberspace and file sharing use. These webs can be password protected so that merely authorised forces can entree it. We will write a custom essay sample on New IT Technologies Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These webs can besides be left public so that anyone in scope can entree it. The major advantage of the radio web is that it eliminates the use of Ethernet overseas telegrams and phone lines to link to the cyberspace. Besides it allows multiple persons within the same location to entree this web every bit good. The disadvantage of this engineering is that if there is an outage within your country or the router goes out so the signal is lost every bit good. If this event occurs. the Ethernet overseas telegram can be connected to the router but limits the figure of persons who will hold entree. If an organisation does non hold radio capablenesss they should implement this into their concern. With the entree to wireless pressmans this can profit organisations because multiple persons can entree this hub. It does present the same disadvantages that any other radio connectable devices but serves each person in the organisation. LTE Technology LTE engineering is the newest ascent to 3G webs that are use in voice communicating. It is presently being used by phone companies such as Verizon. AT A ; T. T-Mobile. and Sprint. It will let faster connect ability for clients and serve as an ascent to the current webs. The advantage with this engineering is that it increases informations velocities for users and allows them to make multiple things at the same time. The disadvantage with engineering is that it has non been to the full integrated and everyone does non hold entree to it presently. Harmonizing to Phil Asmundson. â€Å"Device-makers will be quicker on the consumption with LTE because they have more experience in the concern theoretical accounts environing data-enabled phones. † At the minute merely certain phones have entree to it so the full potency has non been reached. For the concern degree this can be expensive to incorporate and would take an executive determination. Currently. some companies issue cellular devices to their employees for legion grounds. If they upgraded all employees’ devices it would be dearly-won but besides would ease communicating. The companies could carry on nomadic meetings by utilizing facetime or Skype with their associates. If this is done each person informations velocity would be capable of remaining on the call without dawdling or dropping signal ( Fitchard. 2010 ) . Touch screen Capabilities Touch screen devices have been around for a few old ages when it comes to cellular devices but now they are occupying the concern degree. With the development of touch screen desktop computing machines some companies may be looking towards implementing these devices within their organisations. This will impact concern on multiple degrees and have its advantages and disadvantages for the organisation. The advantage is that it can do accessing the computing machine much easier and extinguish the use of the mouse. Besides it will give exhilaration to the employees in the beginning phases of use. The disadvantage of this engineering is chiefly the cost due to the monetary value of buying these proctors. The 2nd disadvantage is upkeep of these devices due to the sum of cleansing that will happen to maintain these proctors clear from fingerprints. This engineering while creative does non function an organisation much use when it comes to carry oning concern although it may be trendy at the current minute. Voice Controllable Technology Voice-control engineering is an helper that can assist out when you’re drive. caring for patients or ankle-deep in hands-on work. â€Å"Voice-recognition tools besides can be effectual in workplaces with document-intensive work flows. † says Vlad Sejnoha. main engineering officer at Burlington. Mass. -based Nuance Communications. which offers the Dragon Go! Voice-recognition hunt app. â€Å"For illustration. the federal authorities has mandated the usage of electronic medical record systems to gaining control and portion patient information. But they tend to be difficult to utilize. template-oriented and a good option for voice acknowledgment. ( Blum. 2012 ) † Voice-recognition package has already been implemented within cellular devices so it would function a intent within concern every bit good. Apple has already made it a core portion of its trade name and is looking to integrate it within their computing machines and tablets. This package besides has the capa bleness to be incorporated with affiliated telecastings. cameras. Web and e-mail platforms every bit good as vehicles. This engineering may function as being excessively dearly-won due to new purchases a company would hold to do but could function as a benefit. The advantage is that it allows persons to carry on multiple undertakings as one time so it can raise efficiency. The disadvantage is that it can go a distraction to persons and be a hinderance ( International Business. 2012 ) . Mentions Blum. J. ( 2012 ) . 10 Tech Trends Specifying the Future of Small Business. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. enterpriser. com/article/222592Fitchard. K. ( 2010 ) . ARE WE READY FOR LTE? . Connected Planet. 12. International Business. T. ( 1 ) . Improved Siri Will do Everything for You. Including Shopping: Apple Patent Filing. International Business Times.

censorship in society essays

censorship in society essays If our society decides to have censorship, we compromise our freedom of speech and are left with the chore of deciding where to draw the illusive and unstable line between what should be censored and what should not. When the issue of censorship needs to be addressed question arise such as Who will enforce it? and Who will decide what is right? Ironically, the people who censor materials to protect the common people do not have the common persons best interest in mind. It is the people in power who censor to protect the disempowered and impose the views of a small percentage of society on the masses. Censorship will never reduce oppression and domination, but add to the problem, as people are left inane and ignorant. Censorship will never give people comfort and security for it is often hypocritical and in many times creates conflicts of interest. Violent and sexually explicit material are tolerated in our mainstream society to a certain degree. Images of rape and torture are tolerated within this section of our society within certain circumstance. The rape of the Sabine Women, the Martyrdom of St. Agathe and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ are iconographic pictures which many artists throughout history have depicted and are consistently shown within art museums. While these are being represented in many places, a work of art, which challenges our modern culture, will face resistance and censorship due to homophobic, sexist and racist reactions. But go many places and it is easy to find degrading images of women in porn magazines to mainstream advertising. Why government bureaucrats get to see material that they forbid the rest of us to see is outrageous. Not only do they not have to pay for the material in question; we actually pay them to see it. If the rational for censorship is that "obscene" material automatically corrup ts minds and produces anti-social ...

The Hawaiian revolution ( History of the United States ) Essay

The Hawaiian revolution ( History of the United States ) - Essay Example This paper will look at some of the events that led to the Hawaiian Revolution, and what the revolution meant to the people of Hawaii during that period. Being a monarchial state, Hawaii was ruled by a royal family, which ensured the safety and protection of the land. The king, David Kalakaua, got his authority from the people of Hawaii after successfully managing to reduce the power of the missionaries in the region. He ruled but was unsuccessful in completely eliminating the foreign powers in Hawaii, who would later turn against him. This led to the drafting of a new constitution that would limit his authority (Lightner 67). After the death of the king, Liliuokalani, his sister, succeeded him in 1891 and she refused to recognize the constitution in place opting to bring forth another that would give the native Hawaiians the right to vote and restore power to the monarch. It was at this point that the wealthy American class in Hawaii chose to establish the 13-member committee, which would ensure that the queen was overthrown for her treachery against the constitution. The coup took place on January 17, 1893 after the shooting and wounding of a police officer who tried to cease armament meant for the committee. In order to avert violence in the region, the queen opted to surrender peacefully after her palace was surrounded by the committee’s militia. It was at this point that the committee put in place a government that would rule the region and had a president who was given the authority to rule over the dominion. In 1895, however, a group of Hawaiian loyalists who believed in the old ways and traditions started their own coup, but failed in securing the region back to its rightful owners (Fritz 59). In some history books, this has been identified as the counter-revolution, which was brief and the lack of casualties makes it largely forgotten by most people. After its failure, the

Methods Of Educational Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Methods Of Educational Research - Essay Example Questionnaire Questionnaires are defined as formulated questions that are structured for collecting primary data. These questions are written down for the respondent to provide answers. Questionnaires are also defined as techniques in which different people are supposed to answer the same questions (Beiske, 2007). Researchers should be extremely careful before creating questioners. This is because, questionnaires can be written in understandable English but they are not sufficient for providing the needed data. When a questionnaire is well premeditated, it induces the respondents to give correct and accurate information. Questioners are used for inducting the respondent, thus they come up with new theories. Questionnaires use open-ended questions that explore substantive areas. Some researchers use questionnaires as methods of obtaining reliable information. This is accomplished through deductive approach for testing other theories. Questionnaires help researchers to use deductive or inductive approach or even a combination of the two approaches. Three types of questions are available to the researcher when using questionnaires (Boyce, & Neale, 2006). There are the open-ended questions, which have a wide scope of response and they help to capture the interests of peoples answer. This type of questions does not influence the outcome of questions by deciding the possible responses. The other type of questions is the close-ended type, which are used for questions that require two different answers. The responses required are ‘yes’ or ‘no’ with the intention of making the questionnaire process easy. Strengths of Questionnaires Questionnaires allow a researcher to contact many people easily and quickly. The researcher has a chance to post questions to the group he has targeted. They are easy to create and interpret especially if close-ended questions are used (Boyce, & Neale, 2006). The respondent is left with the time consuming part of ans wering the questions but the researcher does not have this burden. Questionnaires are easily standardized because all respondents are asked the same questions. As every respondent answers the same questions, this makes the questionnaire process extremely reliable. Researchers are able to tackle embarrassing areas like sex and criminal matters more than any other method. The questionnaires can be completed in privacy, and they are anonymous. Respondents are able to answer questions honestly without being intimidated by the researcher’s presence. Limitations of Questionnaires It is difficult for the researcher to identify complex issues because of the questionnaire’s design. Even if, the researcher uses open-ended questions, the respondent will not answer the questions extensively like in other research methods (Ross, 2005). This usually limits a researcher to get detailed information. When a researcher sends postal questions, he is not sure whether the respondent will f ill in the questionnaire. For instance, when a researcher wants to gather information on women opinions, the questionnaire is not useful if answered by men. It is extremely difficult to determine whether the respondent has understood the questions when the researcher is not around. A researcher has to hope that the questions he has presented to the respondents mean the same to all respondents as they mean to him. The numbers

Corporate Analysis Of Bhp Billiton Management Essay

Corporate Analysis Of Bhp Billiton Management Essay BHP Billiton is a global leader in the resources industry. Formed from a merger between BHP and Billiton, it brings together an exceptional mix of quality, low-cost resource assets, complemented by a strong management team determined to operate the assets in an efficient manner. BHP Billiton commenced a feasibility study in 2002 into opening a nickel and cobalt mine and processing plant at the cost of A$1.4 billion 35 km East of the Ravensthorpe. The project was approved in 2004 and construction commenced shortly afterward. The plant known as the Ravensthorpe Nickel Project was commissioned in late 2007 with first production occurring in October and the first 5,000 tonnes being produced by December 2007. The plant was officially opened in 2008, after massive cost blow outs and delays. Production was expected to total 50,000 tonnes of nickel per year. In January 2009, BHP Billiton announced that it was suspending production at the Ravensthorpe nickel mine indefinitely, due the reduction in world nickel prices caused by the global economic crisis. Nickel prices, having reached a high of US$50,000 per tonne in May 2007, had fallen to under $11,000 per tonne by the time of the mines closure. Our report focuses on the strategic decisions which led BHP Billiton to invest in the Ravensthorpe nickel project. An analysis has been conducted on the mines operation starting from the business strategy adopted by BHP Billiton down to the operational decisions at the site level. We intend to predict scenarios which might have resulted in mines closure despite a strikingly detailed front loaded design. Scope of the report Our analysis is based entirely upon the information available on internet. The primary sources include BHP Billitons annual communications, industry analysis reports from leading researchers, news paper and magazine articles. The investigation focuses mainly on strategic decisions at different levels. No attempt has been made to analyze the companys performance in other sectors of its business. This report is taken up only as an academic project and no attempt has been made to judge the performance of any of the stakeholders involved in the project. Chapter 1: Corporate analysis of BHP Billiton Introduction BHP Billiton Group (BHP Billiton) is a diversified natural resources group engaged in mineral exploration and production. The groups primary focus areas include oil and gas, aluminum, copper, nickel, iron ore, manganese, metallurgical coal, and energy coal, with additional exposures to uranium, gold, zinc, lead, silver, and diamonds. BHP Billiton comprises BHP Billiton Limited and BHP Billiton Plc. The group has a global presence with more than 100 operations in 25 countries. It is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and employs about 41,000 people. BHP Billiton-History BHP Billiton Group was formed in 2001 with the merger of Australian firm BHP and British firm Billiton. BHP BHP was founded in 1885. The company grew to become a global natural resources company, with a diversified commodity suite that included minerals, oil, gas, and steel. In 1899, BHP leased an iron ore mine at Iron Knob in South Australia. The company forayed into steel making in 1915, commissioning its first steelworks at Newcastle, New South Wales. After World War I, BHP continued to diversify, forming a shipping fleet, as well as acquiring coal mines and additional reserves of iron ore and limestone. Furthermore, BHP acquired companies that manufactured finished steel products. BHP expanded its steel production in 1935 by acquiring Australian Iron and Steel and its Port Kembla steelworks. A few years later, BHP established blast furnace and shipbuilding facilities at Whyalla, South Australia. In 1967, BHP entered the petroleum industry with a major oil discovery in Bass Strait, off the southeastern coast of Australia.Through the 1970s and 1980s, BHP enhanced its offshore operations by acquiring Utah International, comprising coal mines in New Mexico and Queensland, as well as discovering copper in Chile. In the 1990s, BHP acquired several companies, opened new mines, commenced new petroleum production, and strengthened its steel operations. Billiton Billiton was formed in 1860. It became a global mining company with a portfolio of mining and metals assets. In 1860, the company acquired the concession to a tin-rich island in the Indonesian archipelago near Sumatra. The island was called Billiton (now Belitung). Billiton initially ventured into tin and lead smelting in The Netherlands, followed by bauxite mining in Indonesia and Suriname, in the 1940s. In 1970, the Royal Dutch/Shell group of companies acquired Billiton. Throughout the 1990s and beyond, Billiton experienced considerable growth. In 1997, Billiton became a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. BHP and Billiton merged to form BHP Billiton Group (BHP Billiton) in 2001. In the same year, the group announced its intentions to establish an energy business to complement its mining activities. In 2002, BHP Steel commenced trading on the Australian Stock Exchange as a separate listed company after the de-merger was approved by shareholders and the courts. Business Description BHP Billiton operates nine customer sector groups (CSGs) aligned with the commodities which it extracts and markets. They are base metals, petroleum, iron ore, energy coal, aluminum, stainless steel materials, metallurgical coal, manganese, and diamonds and specialty products. Figure 1: Customer Sector Groups(CSG) at BHP Billiton Ltd The base metals CSG produces copper, silver, lead, uranium, and zinc. It provides copper, lead, and zinc concentrates to smelters worldwide. The petroleum CSG comprises oil and natural gas exploration, production, and development in Australia, the US, Algeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Pakistan, and the Gulf of Mexico. It also conducts an international exploration and development program as well as markets crude oil, condensate, liquefied petroleum gases, natural gas, and liquefied natural gas to customers globally. The iron ore CSG is one of the leading suppliers of seaborne iron ore globally. Its operations comprise Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) business and a 50% interest in the Samarco joint venture with Vale in Brazil. BHP Billitons energy coal CSG produces, markets, and exports thermal coal (steaming coal). The group operates three sets of assets: a group of mines and associated infrastructure collectively known as BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa (BECSA), New Mexico Coal operations in the US, and Hunter Valley Energy Coal operations in New South Wales, Australia. The aluminum CSG is engaged in the production of aluminum, bauxite, and alumina. It has four aluminum smelters in South Africa, Mozambique, and Brazil; and three alumina refineries and three bauxite mining operations in Australia, Suriname, and Brazil. BHP Billiton is one of the largest producers of primary aluminum. The stainless steel materials CSG supplies a variety of nickel products to the global steel industry. In addition, it also supplies nickel and cobalt to other markets including the specialty alloy, foundry, chemicals, and refractory material industries. The segment produces nickel and cobalt at Yabulu and Nickle West in Australia and Cerro Matoso in Columbia. BHP Billitons manganese operations produce a combination of ores, alloys, and metal from sites in South Africa and Australia. The group owns and manages all of its manganese mining assets and alloy plants through 60-40 joint ventures with an Anglo-American joint venture known as Samancor Manganese. The diamonds and specialty products CSG comprises the businesses of diamonds and titanium minerals, and the exploration and development of a potash business. The groups Ekati Diamond Mine, of which it owns 80%, is located in the Canadian Northwest Territories and produces over 3million carats of rough diamonds annually. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Strong market position Diversified revenue stream Centralized marketing activities Safety concerns at Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) operations Opportunities Threats Expansion of potash operations in Canada Consolidation of Western Australian iron ore assets of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto Proposed joint venture with PT Adaro Energy for Indonesian coal project Reduction in demand from China Environmental issues Intense competition Strengths Strong market position BHP Billiton enjoys a dominant position in the metal and mining industry. The group has a global presence with more than 100 operations in 25 countries. The groups CSG organization structure has enabled the group to own and operate significantly profitable mineral resources across the globe. BHP Billitons strong presence and leadership position in a number of significant markets gives the group a substantial competitive advantage and also increases its cross selling opportunities. Diversified revenue stream BHP Billitons revenue stream is diversified in terms of business lines and geographies. The group generates revenues through nine business segments. In FY2009, the iron ore segment accounted for 20.5% of the total revenues, metallurgical coal accounted for 16.6%, petroleum 14.6%, base metals 14.6%, and energy coal 13.4%. Aluminium accounted for 8.5% of the total revenues in FY2009, manganese accounted for 5.2%, and stainless steel materials 4.8% The diamonds and specialty products segment accounted for the remaining 1.8% of the revenues in FY2009. The groups diversified business lines give it competitive advantage over its competitors by insulating the group against adverse market conditions in any one of the metal markets. Further, its worldwide presence reduces exposure to economic conditions or political stability in any single country or region. Centralized marketing activities The customer-centric marketing operations of BHP Billiton are centralized in Singapore, The Hague and Antwerp. The Singapore office focuses on the Asian energy market, base metals, stainless steel materials and carbon steelmaking raw materials. The Hague office focuses on aluminium, petroleum, energy marketing and freight, while the Antwerp office serves diamonds customers globally. These three marketing offices incorporate all the functions encompassing product marketing and distribution from the point of production to final customer delivery. In addition, specialized marketers are located in 20 regional offices worldwide. The groups centralized marketing operations increase the efficiency of the marketing activities with each office managing end to end marketing activities of certain CSGs. Therefore, efficient logistics capability and expertise in trading and transaction structuring through centralized marketing activities enhance the groups product offerings. Weaknesses Safety concerns at Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) operations The group has been facing safety issues at its Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) operations. There were five fatalities at the groups operations in the Pilbara from July 2008 to April 2009. Addressing the concerns BHP Billiton Iron Ore announced some actions that include reducing site access, improving contractor management, enhancing existing strategies to prevent excess working hours, moving rail operations from the Mine Safety and Inspection Act to the Rail Safety Act, enhancing traffic management standards and suspending all non-essential work outside daylight hours. It had also ordered an extensive independent expert investigation of safety systems at all WAIOs operations. Such incidents could negatively impact the groups reputation or license to operate. Opportunities Expansion of potash operations in Canada Building a strong potash resource position is one of the key strategies of BHP Billiton. The group has been pursuing opportunities to acquire operations that are a strategic fit with its potash operations in Canada and are aligned with its strategy of developing Tier 1, long life, low-cost, expandable assets. The rising demand for fertilizers coupled with the capital-intensive nature of greenfield potash developments makes potash a viable addition to the groups portfolio. Consolidation of Western Australian iron ore (WAIO) assets of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto signed a non-binding agreement to establish a production joint venture covering the entirety of both companies Western Australian iron ore (WAIO) assets, in June 2009. The joint venture would combine adjacent mines into single operations and reduce costs through shorter rail hauls and more efficient allocations of port capacity. In addition, it will blend opportunities which will maximize product recovery and provide further operating efficiencies. It will also optimize future growth opportunities through the development of consolidated, larger and more capital efficient expansion projects. These will result in substantial synergies for both the groups. The net present value of these unique production and development synergies is expected to be in excess of $10 billion. Proposed joint venture with PT Adaro Energy for Indonesian coal project BHP Billiton entered into binding agreements to create a new joint venture for its Indonesian Coal Project (ICP) with a subsidiary of PT Adaro Energy TBK (Adaro), in March 2010. Adaro will acquire a 25% interest in the ICP joint venture. BHP Billiton holds the remaining 75%. The ICP covers seven Coal Contracts of Work located in East and Central Kalimantan in Indonesia. Adaro is Indonesias second largest thermal coal producer and has operations near the ICP.Through this joint venture, the group can leverage the expertise of a strong local player for the successful development of the metallurgical coal interests in Indonesia. Threats Reduction in demand from China The global commodity market is driven by Chinese demand and a slowdown in the Chinese economy could adversely affect the prices of commodities. China is a significant consumer of commodities like iron ore and copper. Chinas demand for these commodities has been driving global materials demand over the past decade. Though the increase in commodity demand is a significant business opportunity to the group, BHP Billitons exposure to Chinas economic fortunes and economic policies has increased. China contributed 19.7% ($9.9 billion) to the groups total revenues in FY2009. Environmental issues BHP Billiton is one of the major producers of energy-related products such as energy coal, oil, gas, liquefied natural gas, and uranium. Energy is also a significant input in the groups mining and processing operations. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from fossil fuel-based energy consumption contribute to global warming, greenhouse effects, and climate change. Many governments have introduced regulatory changes to address the impacts of climate change. BHP Billitons petroleum assets in the UK are currently subject to the EU ETS. To address climate change, the Australian Government has announced the introduction of a national emissions trading scheme by 2010 and a mandatory renewable energy target of 20% by the year 2020. In other regions, the current and emerging climate change regulation could affect energy prices, and demand and margins for carbon intensive products. The compliance costs and in some cases remedial costs could increase the groups operational costs which in turn could affect its operating margins. Consequently, these regulatory mechanisms could adversely impact the cost, production and financial performance of the groups operations. Intense competition BHP Billiton faces intense competition in the metals and mining industry. The metals and mining industry tends towards concentration. Within each segment, large multinational companies dominate. Moreover, this is a cyclical industry, which suggests that the current high growth rate is unlikely to be sustained. Industry margins are susceptible to changes in raw material prices, with iron ore prices expected to rise in the next few years, and the industry is also vulnerable to rises in the price of energy, one of its main costs. The group faces competition from Newmont Mining, a US based gold producer and Xstrata, a UK-based natural resources company with presence in coal, copper, zinc, alloys, and other businesses. The group also faces competition from UK-based ThyssenKrupp. Intense competition in the industry could lead to loss of market share and put pressure on the groups margins. Chapter 2: Prospective Analysis of Ravensthorpe Nickel mine Ravensthorpe Ravensthorpe Nickel mine is located 35 Km from the town of Ravensthorpe. The mine is a combination of three ore bodies located close to the surface in the form of limonite and saprolite deposits of Nickel and Cobalt. The three ore bodies have a proven reserve of 125.3Mt at 0.73% nickel and 0.032% cobalt, and a probable reserve 137.9Mt at 0.57% nickel and 0.026% cobalt, giving a total of 263.3Mt at 0.65% Ni and 0.029% Co. The reserves ensured a project life of 21 years[1]. BHP Billiton commenced a feasibility study in 2002 into opening a nickel and cobalt mine and processing plant. The project was approved in 2004 and construction commenced shortly afterward. The project involved open-pit mining from three nickel deposits, and a hydrometallurgical process plant to produce up to 50,000t of contained nickel and 1,400t of contained cobalt per annum in a mixed hydroxide intermediate product (MHP) for further processing at BHP Billitons Yabulu Nickel Refinery in Queensland[1]. The plant known as the Ravensthorpe Nickel Project was commissioned in late 2007 with first production occurring in October and the first 5000 tonnes being produced by December 2007. What made Ravensthorpe Nickel Project particularly attractive? Market Price of Nickel Figure 1 shows the Nickel price distribution over a 4 year period from 2000 to 2004. As seen, the price of Nickel showed a steady upward trend over the 4 year period. With then metals market still in boom coupled with the heavy demand from China, the Nickel price would have been a major driver for BHP Billiton to move ahead with the project at Ravensthorpe.Nickel Price_2000to2004.jpg 1. http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/bhp-ravensthorpe/ accessed on 20-5-2010 Yabulu Refinery at Townville, Queensland QNI Yabulu Refinery is located 25 kilometres northwest of Townsville. The ore is shipped to the Port of Townsville where QNI has its own materials handling facility, and then transported by rail to Yabulu Refinery.Yabulu has an annual processing capacity of around 3.6 million wet tonnes of lateritic ore. Its annual production in 2003 was 31,200 tonnes of nickel and 1900 tonnes of cobalt. The refinery is one of the largest nickel/cobalt processing plants in the world and a leader in nickel hydrometallurgy.Yabulu Refinery carries-out two major functions ore processing and ore refining to produce products for sale in the global market [1]. Chinese growth story Needless to say that Chinese growth has been driving most of the Worlds demand markets. Steel being a primary component of construction, Chinas thrust for Steel has been essentially insatiable over the past decade. Chart 1 below shows the Steel suppliers distribution of China. As seen, 90% of the imports come from Asia. Nickel forms an important component of stainless steel manufacturing and the location of Ravensthorpe and Yabulu refineries provided a strategic advantage to BHP Billiton. Distribution of chinese stainless steel suppliers.jpg Chart : Chinas Steel supplier distribution 1. The Ravensthorpe Nickel Project and Yabulu refinery expansion Overview 2004, BHP Billiton. PESTEL Framework Analysis of Ravensthorpe BHP Billiton Ltd Political Support from Government of Western Australia Economic Market price of Nickel Cost price of production of Nickel from Ravensthorpe Available cost of capital for BHP Billiton Profitability from the mine over a long term Social Establishment of infrastructure for the town of Ravensthorpe to attract skilled staff Maintaining good relations with the local communities Technological Combination of Pressure acid leach and atmospheric leach extraction techniques to optimize Nickel extraction Environmental NA Legal NA A PESTEL analysis is used to analyze the macro environment of a firm. Factors contributing for Ravensthorpes success have been tabulated in the table 1. As seen, the economic and social factors form the key drivers for BHP Billiton. The firm is focused to gain a significant market share in Nickel business and the strategic advantage of Ravensthorpe acts as a silver lining for this market. Though the Pressure leach and atmospheric leach have been tried and tested in Zinc industry, the application of that process in Ravensthorpe will provide BHP Billiton with a strategic advantage to cut down on Yabulus processing costs. PESTEL analysis has revealed that economy of production and strategic location of Ravensthorpe form key drivers for BHP Billiton in Nickel industry and will help the firm focus on attaining its market share in Nickel industry. 5 force analysis Michaels 5 force analysis is a very powerful tool which helps in analysing the environment of an industry. It depicts the levels of competition, attractiveness of the industry and also details pertaining to suppliers, buyer and substitutes. Analysing a competitive environment is a systematic examination of all the levels of the environment: Figure : 5 Forces of a Competitive Environment Threat of competition Competition is very high in the Nickel industry as there is very low product differentiation among the various rivals. The focus of major companies has been to be competitive on the basis of their unit price and the profits they make, because of the fact that only the company that can be cheapest in the market place can survive. BHP Billiton over the years has developed a successful reputation which gives it a clear edge over the others. The chart below gives an idea about the competitors in the market. The chart or graph is scaled based on the amount of nickel extracted. It is also clear that the top 5 organisations produce 70% of world nickel production. By considering a broader scenario it is possible to analyse the companies in terms of the strategic space occupies in the global market. The more crowded a spot become the competition becomes cut throat. NORILSK VALE INCO XSTRATA BHP BILLITON JINCHUAN COST LOW LOW HIGH HIGH Performance CUSTOMER BARGAINING POWER Information is widely available to the customers and thus has made the customers quite powerful and in the end, the customer is the only person who puts money into the supply chain. In todays world it is very hard to find an entity called loyal customer as the customers frequently shift loyalty based on circumstances making life harder for companies. Customers normally refers to the global demand for nickel. If the demand is high then the profitability would be high orelse vice versa. As a result it leads to : Lack of differentiation in the market Cut throat competition Low switching costs Supplier Bargaining Power In the nickel industry, the companies have their own nickel mines. The outputs are processed to produce the respective nickel products as a result of which the supply chain reduces the unit cost and culminates the suppliers bargaining power. Supplier here refers to the supply of raw materials for the production of nickel products. Threat of substitution: In most cases, substitutes for nickel would result in increased cost or a tradeoff in performance of the product. Aluminium, coated steels, plain chromium steels, and plastics are some of the substitutes which can replace nickel in some places but not effectively. Nickel-free specialty steels are used instead of stainless steel in some cases but have proven to be expensive.As long as there is high demand for stainless steel there would be demand for nickel as it is a major constituent. As a result of this, the threat of substitution is low. THREAT OF NEW ENTRANTS For maintaining the profitability, a company needs to develop economies of scale. Increased competition makes it difficult for new entrants to achieve the levels of economies of scale for sustainable and viable operation in a market. High capital required for the setting up of the industry also prevents investment. Thereby resulting in destructive rivalry among the competitors. Infrastructure setup cost- High Rapid change in technology High entry barriers. The following chart depicts the results of the 5 force analysis: Chapter 3: What went wrong at Ravensthorpe? Methodology of analysis An analysis of the company reports over the last 3 years of the mines establishment will be reviewed and excerpts from the same will be used to come up with the reason for closure of the mine.

Nursing Image

Common perspective sees nurses as ‘secondary’ profession in the medical treatment environment. However, the public is often unaware of the significance of the profession toward daily activities of the medical system. Recent articles and researches revealed increasing roles of nurses. An article by Patricia Foster and J.M Whitworth, for example, revealed the importance of nursing profession in telemedicine and care for child abuse. Advances of communication technology have created a system that enables trained nurses to play a significant role in the psychological investigation of abused children (Foster & Whitworth, 2005). Another study suggested that nurses are also playing a significant part in the issue of medical waste. The International Council for Nurses has agreed to socialize a new standard that encourage nursing organization to educate nurses in terms of medical waste awareness (â€Å"Medical Waste,† 2005). Despite being seen as secondary role, the profession is still ‘positively valued’ by most aspects of the society. General image of a nurse is still largely positive as seen in several popular Hollywood motion pictures. As movies is in fact, the quickest way to determine a society’s perspective toward a certain character or profession, it is reasonable to use popular movies in order to assess the present image of nurses and their roles in common medical treatment process. Within this short elaboration, we will assess the image and roles of nurses, from the movie, Pearl Harbor. II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment Within the movie, Pearl Harbor, the nurses are seen as one of the mail roles. Their presence is shown from the beginning of the movie, but their active roles are presented in a special segment of the movie, showing dramatic scenes. The movie displays that the nurse profession requires professionalism and intelligence as well as mental strength in certain times and conditions. There were times that the nurses need to perform unorthodox treatment method in order to cope with the suppressing conditions. As shown in the motion picture, adaptation and creativity to face unexpected circumstances are necessary to provide the best care for patients. Sometimes, they work together with non-medical personnel because the lack of sufficient number of available nurses. Within the special segment of the movie, the nurses are shown to assume control of the situation. This is logical due to the emergence of the event that took place. However, they kept their places under orders from the doctors, to preserve medical order and good coordination between the medical personnel. The doctors are shown to have more authority and do most of the talking. Nevertheless there are circumstances where young and inexperienced doctor require experienced nurses to guide and support them. In the absence of available doctors, the nurses are shown to take charge of the medical treatment process. Nurses are shown to be in various age in the movie. However, there is no significant scene that presents the image of nurses are men. Most (or all) of the nurse characters are female. There is a strong image that nurses are commonly female, single and physically attractive. This image is shown in the beginning of the movie. However, feminist should not be alarmed, because as the movie proceed to the dramatic scenes, the nurses are shown to be women of character that inspire the value of humanism and passionate to provide service toward others. I have also captured the difference of values between nurses and other profession within the movie. Soldiers are shown to be a lot more aggressive, dominant and careless compare to nurses. These images are perhaps reasonable because their profession demands them to be bold and somewhat careless. The nurses on the other hand, are shown to be careful, organized, highly stable, non-violence human beings that dedicate their lives to the care of others, instead of creating any form of harm. The profession of nurses could be identified with intelligent and confident characters, but hardly ever ambitious. The nurses in this motion picture are shown to help manage the medical treatment process. Some nurses are shown to be capable, despite their lack of experience in handling such circumstances. Some others ‘crack’ under pressure, which is -under the circumstances-, understandable. The nurses are shown to support each other medically as well as mentally. In one of the scenes, the movie even displayed that a nurse is trusted by the head doctor to choose between those salvageable and those cannot be saved. I am not sure about the possibility of this event to take place in real life, but the scene does display the significant role of nurses in medical emergency. Reference Foster, Patricia., & Whitworth, J M. (2005). The Role of Nurses in Telemedicine and Child Abuse. Retrieved September 26, 2005 from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/506916?rss Medical Waste: Role of Nurses and Nursing. n.d. Retrieved September 26, 2005 from http://www.icn.ch/psmedwaste.htm Nursing Image A memorable and attractive nurse image is found in the movie â€Å"The English Patient† in the face of Hana, a young French-Canadian nurse skillfully played by Juliette Binoche. Hana is one of the central images of the plot, appearing in ‘present’ part of the film that intersperses present with reminiscences of the past. She does an exceptional job tending to the ‘English patient’ who is surviving only thanks to her determination, perseverance and commitment. She both performs her professional duties towards the patient and develops a personal attitude towards the mutilated man left in her care. Hana seems to be in love with her patient who is far from sexually attractive with his maimed body, perhaps as extrapolation of her caring attitude towards him. Hana is put in a difficult situation, tending to the patient all alone at the time of the war. Her experience shows that a nurse’s job can at times be extremely challenging as nurses have to follow their patients through the most difficult of times and deliver care equally in the time of peace and war. Hana’s job involves many things – she delivers professional care to the patient, washing his wounds and giving him morphine, reads aloud to him, but also fixes the villa and does the gardening. Hana is left alone with her patient – there are no other medical professionals in the vicinity, and she is the sole decision-maker in her professional actions, which underscores the importance of her nursing role. Hana is a really likeable character, mainly because of her personal character and her determination to patient care. She is only twenty when the war starts and makes her mature in the shortest possible time. She is so determined to her work that she cuts her hair after three days in the war and pledges to skip looking in the mirror until it ends. This shows how much her nursing means to her as she is ready to get rid of what made her feminine attraction to be able to deliver quality care to her patients. However, Hana is not devoid of natural women’s desires: she gets attracted to men, exemplified in her relations with Kip, who later becomes her lover, and the English patient himself who she admires secretly as a man who suffered his wounds in the cruel and heroic warfare. Hana’s relationship with the English patient is a complex cobweb of professional commitment and the burgeoning love of the young woman for a man she sees as ideal. Hana is young and attractive, and the viewer takes her infatuation with men as a natural order of things, because it does not seem to interfere with her professionalism. Thus, Hana demonstrates the values of service to others and humanism, since she does not limit her care to professional interactions, but is ready to take the patient as a human being. She maintains his belief in the favorable outcome of the treatment and makes him feel that he should make an effort to survive, since it is personally important to her. There is not much in the movie to depict Hana’s understanding of scholarship or achievement, though. Maybe the reason is that Hana just happened to become a nurse because she wanted to make a contribution to her nation in the time of the war and does not see her future as connected with nursing career. Rather, Hana attends to her duties with a Christian attitude that intertwines the requirements of the nursing profession with the religious beliefs. She talks of her patient as a saint and compares his bones to those of Christ. This religious background clearly serves as an important motivator for Hana, inspiring her in her nursing activities. Hana wins recognition with the surrounding people thanks to her role in providing care. Eventually, she succeeds in building a little world around herself that unites the thief Caravaggio, the English patient, the Indian ‘sapper’ Kip, and herself. All these people find consolation in their association with a lovable woman who also has a caring and affectionate character. Hana wins the affection of the viewer, too, by being thoroughly professional and at the same time deeply humane. Bibliography The English Patient. Dir. Anthony Minghella. 1996.

Common Core State Standards Essay

Is a girl in your neighborhood being taught the same things as a boy in another neighborhood? Is a graduating senior in Baton Rouge as prepared to get a job as a graduating senior in Minneapolis? The answer to these questions is â€Å"no,† and rightfully so. All children are unique. A student with autism or dyslexia should not be taught the same way as students who have no learning disabilities. Indiana, which adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), is now eliminating those standards because, the state asserts, Common Core â€Å"takes control of educational content and standards away from parents, taxpayers, local school districts, and states† (Volsky). The Indiana legislators want to write new standards, which are governed locally, not at the federal level. NEED A TRANSITION? Forty-five American states, the District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted the CCSS (Common Core State Standards Initiative). These standards were designed by a group of teachers, school chiefs, administrators, and other experts. The CCSS are suggested targets in English Language Arts and Mathematics that set the skills a student should possess in order to proceed to the next level of education. There is no clear divide on the standards between Republicans and Democrats; both have expressed their concerns. But, the controversy reached its peak when the Obama administration slowly started to support the CCSS (Bidwell). Proponents of the CCSS argue that the standards ensure that all students will have the same set of skills, the standards will make sure all students are college ready, and that the standards are a new state-led effort instead of a federal effort. I believe that all states should abolish the CCSS because children with disabilities should not be expected to learn the same way as advanced students, the CCSS takes away from the tradition and individuality of independent/parochial schools, and the problem in education is not standards but poverty. The CCSS have not made success easy for students with learning disabilities. According to the CCSS, students with disabilities â€Å"must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum† (Herbert 10). In addition to students with disabilities, students without disabilities learn different things in different ways, mature at different rates, and have different talents and goals. There is no reason for states to have standards that require students to learn the same things at the same time, and learn them the same way (McClusky). The CCSS â€Å"moves all kids largely in lock-step, processing them like soulless widgets† (McClusky). In a recent discussion, Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania special education student teachers expressed their frustrations in trying to teach special-ed students within the confines of the CCSS (Beals 2). The CCSS are supposed to boost national achievement levels, but by restricting these students to subject matter beyond thei r cognitive abilities, the standards are ultimately lowering student achievements. The CCSS also take away from the tradition and individuality of independent/parochial schools. Parochial schools are private schools that are affiliated with some religious organization and whose curriculum includes religion along with all major subjects. As a graduate of Catholic schools, I believe it is important that the traditions and religion classes be kept alive in these schools. The standards were approved without consideration of how they would affect Catholic schools (Strauss 4). The Catholic education is geared at preparing students for a life of spirit, truth, and faith in God, all of which are never mentioned in the CCSS. Adopting the standards into Catholic schools will essentially diminish them of their tradition to help children not only obtain an education but to develop their faith. As an education major, I have observed many Catholic schools. On the walls, on the boards, and in the hallways, there are examples of prayer and religion everywhere. Taking this away wou ld be taking away the identity of these students. This will ultimately lead to the some students being ashamed of their religion. Another issue that arises is the involvement of the federal government. Independent and parochial schools are independent in their finances and governance and in most cases rely on tuition for funding. The CCSS are state-led efforts but, because these  schools are free from state and federal government financing and guidance, they will not be able to afford the implementation of the CCSS. One of the reasons people believe CCSS are needed is because of the idea that America’s school system has low national test scores. This is not because the current standards are not working; the real issue is poverty. The reason for low-test scores is that about 23% of American students live in poverty. Finland, which has the highest-ranking test scores, has only 5% of students living in poverty (Krashen 37). Poverty stricken children in Queens, NY that have a lack of health care, food insecurity, and lack of library access will not succeed as well as a student going to a school in the Upper East Side of New York City. For example, studies show that food-insecure children are more likely to have slow language development, and problems in social behavior and emotional control (Krashen 38). This results in missed schools days, causing students to repeat grades, which leads to low achievement scores. Instead of spending money on implementing the standards, schools need to spend t he funds on sufficient food programs, improved health care (including more school nurses), and more money going towards libraries in lower-income schools. Some in favor of the CCSS believe that the standards will ensure that all students, no matter what race, gender, or state they are in, will have the same set of skills when graduating to each new grade level (Gardner and Powell 50). Although this is a great notion in theory, the idea that every single student in America will know the exact same things is a major overgeneralization. Even with the CCSS, children with disabilities are physically and mentally incapable of learning the same things at the same rate as a student in advanced or gifted programs. The CCSS have also increased the rigor of the curriculum students are learning. Therefore, students who are already struggling to not fall behind will struggle even further causing the students, parents, and teachers to suffer. In addition to underachieving students, overachieving students will also be negatively affected by the standards. Children who learn faster than others, or who are naturally smarter than their peers will be for ced to learn at the same pace as students who are not as gifted. This will result in students being bored  and losing all interest in school. If every single child in America had the same cognitive abilities, the CCSS would be the answer; but they are not. Other proponents believe that the CCSS will make sure all students graduating from high school are college ready. The problem with this is, America has too many over educated students; the professional work force does not have enough jobs for American students when they graduate. If all students are college ready, no one will want to work at grocery stores, fast food restaurants, mechanic shops, etc. If every student gets a degree and starts work in the professional world, the economy will eventually fail. There will be no farmers to produce groceries; there will be no waitresses; there will be no janitors or cleaning services. In order for this country’s economy to produce money, there needs to be people who do not earn college degrees. One major reason people are supporting the CCSS is because they are state-led instead of being dictated by the federal government. The federal government is largely imposing the CCSS. The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, both of which do not represent states, created the standards. The hasty adoption by most states was federal action. To compete for a part of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (ADD DEFINITION) reward, a federal government led education effort, states had to adopt the CCSS (McCluskey). When the CCSS came about, the Obama administration only gave states two options: adopt the CCSS or make sure a state university certified a student as college ready. Also, the U.S. Department of Education funded two programs that created the national tests that coincide with the CCSS (McCluskey). With all of this federal involvement, the CCSS is no longer a state-led effort. It is a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† program that ignores the nee ds of the individual states. The reason to oppose the CCSS is not because of the content, some of which is great, the reason is that the CCSS lacks most qualities needed to be considered authoritative, or to even be considered standards. Sadly, the CCSS is generating in America’s education system severe and lasting damage that would take decades to reverse. The CCSS is bad for states, teachers,  students, parents, and anyone associated with the education process. Now, ask yourself these questions again. Is a girl in your neighborhood being taught the same things as a boy in another neighborhood? Is a graduating senior in Baton Rouge as prepared to get a job as a graduating senior in Minneapolis? Still, the answer is â€Å"no†. Do you believe me now that this is a good answer? Works Cited Bidwell, Allie. â€Å"The History Of Common Core State Standards.† U.S. News Digital Weekly 6.9 (2014): 7. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Common Core State Standards Initiative., 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. Herbert, Marion. â€Å"Common Core’s Implications For Special Ed Students.† District Administration 47.2 (2011): 10.Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Krashen, Stephen. â€Å"THE COMMON CORE. (Cover Story).† Knowledge Quest 42.3 (2014): 36-45. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. McCluskey, Neal. â€Å"No Child Is Standard.† Reading Today 31.2 (2013): 30. Academic SearchComplete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Strauss, Valerie. â€Å"Catholic scholars blast Common Core in letter to U.S. bishops.† Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.