Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Analysis of Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur - Essay Example This study will look to analyse Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur by evaluating him with Saras D. Sarasvathy’s work on ‘Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise’. The study by Saras D. Sarasvathy (2003) was done with an endeavour to seek an answer to question related to the fact that ‘what makes a successful entrepreneur’s brain different from the average person’ (Young Money, LLC, 2011). The main findings of the study were related to ‘process elements of entrepreneurial expertise’, ‘principles of entrepreneurial expertise’, and ‘effectuation: the logic of entrepreneurial expertise’ (Sarasvathy, 2003). The conclusion that Saras D. Sarasvathy derived from her research was that most successful entrepreneurs generally rely on the factor of ‘effectual reasoning’. It means that they primarily define their goals based on the choices as well as the means they are provided with. Successful entr epreneurs are observed to be brilliant improvisers. They generally do not start their business venture with tangible goals, but they look to constantly assess situation to find ways to make most effective utilisation of the available resources. They look to use their personal strengths in order to develop different goals extemporaneously.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Definition Of Parental Involvement

Definition Of Parental Involvement 2.0 Introduction Research is made in order to inform people with new knowledge or discovery. Jancowicz (2000:159) knowledge does not exist in a vacuum and you work only has value in relation to other peoples work. Thus for a research to be credible, it should be supported by other works that have spoken about the same topic; therein the importance of the literature review which Hart (1998) defines as: The selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic, which contain information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfill certain aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed. The ability to carry out a literature review is an important skill for any researcher. It will provide the latter with a context in which to place the research with respect to what has already been researched about the topic whereby the researcher will get an up to date account and discussion of the research findings about the particular topic. 2.1 Parental Involvement 2.1.1 Definition of Parental Involvement Parental involvement is believed to be an important strategy in the advancement of the quality of education. Parental involvement as such may be defined in different ways. According to Althoff (2010) parental involvement refers to the amount of participation a parent has when it comes to schooling and her childs life. (Abdullah, Seedee, Alzaidiyeen, Al-Shabatat, Alzeydeen, Al-Awabdeh, 2011) define parental involvement as the activities occurring between a parent and a child or between a parent and teachers at school that may contribute to the childs educational outcomes and development. NCLB (2001) described parental involvement as regular participation of parents, a two-way process, and meaningful communication involving student academic learning and other school activities including: Assisting their childs learning; (b) Being actively involved in their childs education at school; (c) Serving as full partners in their childs education and being included, as appropriate, in decision-making and on advisory committees to assist in the education of their child; and (d) The carrying out of other activities such as those described in section 1118 of the ESEA Section 9101(32). Liontos (1992) mentions recent beliefs about parents and families that schools should consider when involving themselves in the education to their children: 1) All families have strengths, 2) parents can learn new techniques, 3) parents have important perspectives about their children, 4) most parents really care about their children, 5) cultural differences are both valid and valuable, and 6) many family forms exist and are legitimate (pp. 30-31). 2.1.2 Family Involvement Regardless of how they are able to demonstrate their investment, the notion that families play a very important role in creating a school that provides a nurturing and safe environment for their children is becoming widely accepted (Epstein et al., 1997). Families provide the social, cultural, and emotional supports that youth need to function well in school. Schools provide opportunities for childrens positive interactions with significant adults and other adolescents to enhance their home experiences and to support their continued development and related learning (Comer Haynes, 1991). According to Davies (1991) parental involvement shifts from parent focus to family focus, family to community agencies, school to home/neighborhood setting, eager parents to hard-to reach families, teachers/administrators agendas to family priorities, and deficit view of urban families to emphasis on inherent strengths of families. He further explains that even though non-traditional families are much more common nowadays than they were in the 1950s, alternative family structures are effective and should be recognised by the school. The paradigm Changing Definitions of Parental involvement according to Davies(1991) is as follows: from Parent Focus to Family Focus; from school to home or neighbourhood setting; from eager parents to hard to reach families; from teacher/administrator agenda to family priorities; from deficit view of urban families to emphasis on inherent strengths of families. Davies (1991) mentioned that non-traditional family units are getting more common, but the alternative family structures are effective and should be recognised as they do impact in the education and performance of students. 2.1.3 Types of parental involvement Fan and Chen (2001) in their meta-analysis found that researchers commonly conceptualised parental involvement as having multiple dimensions. Research conducted over a number of years have proved that there are numerous types of parenting practices associated with positive school-related academic and social competencies. These are: (a) parental participation in school-related activities, for instance monitoring homework and attending parent-teacher association meetings (Desimone, 1999; Keith et al., 1993; Steinberg, Lamborn, Dornbusch Darling, 1992); (b) parental encouragement of positive school behaviors (Atkinson Forehand, 1979; Barth, 1979; Kelley, 1952; Schumaker, Hovell, Sherman, 1977; Seginer, 1983); and (c) parental expectations for achievement and attainment (Ainley, Foreman, Sheret,1991; Fan Chen, 2001; Scott-Jones, 1995; Seginer). Similarly, Epstein (2001) has distinguished six types of parental involvement namely: parenting; communication; volunteering; home tutoring; involvement in decision-making; and, collaboration with the community. Epsteins model presents family, school and community as overlapping spheres of influence, the congruence of which is of considerable importance for the optimal development of children. 2.2 The effect of parental involvement on childrens achievements It is generally believed that the parents do play an important role in the education of their children and there is now an extensive research literature indicating that parental involvement is advantageous for children of all ages (Cox 2005; Desforges and Abouchaar 2003; Eccles and Harold 1993; Epstein 2001). Research has shown that one of the most promising ways to increase students achievement is to involve their families (Chavkin, 1993; Henderson Berla, 1994). Herbert Walberg (1984) found that family participation in education was twice as predictive of academic learning as family socioeconomic status. Establishing partnerships with families has many benefits for schools and families, but Epstein says, the main reason to create such partnerships is to help all youngsters succeed in school and in later life (1995, p. 701). When parents participate in their childrens schooling, students may experience more academic and social success. Epstein (2001) suggests that parents who are informed and involved in their childrens school can positively impact their childs attitude and performance. Drawing a causal link between parental involvement and student achievement is challenging; much of the research on parent involvement and student performance is therefore correlational (Scott Stein Thorkildsen, 1999). Although the impact of parental involvement is dependent on a number of contextual variables, there are many advantages attributed to parental involvement. Involvement at home, especially parents discussing school activities and helping children plan their programs, has the strongest impact on academic achievement (Sui-Chu Willms, 1996; VanVoorhis, 2003). Researchers have also found that parent-child discussion about school helps improve academic achievement and reduce problematic behavior (Epstein Sheldon, 2002; McNeal, 1999; Sheldon Epstein, 2005). McLaughlin and Shields (1986), for example, reported that parents can contribute to improved student achievement through their involvement in (a) the selection of appropriate reading materials, (b) targeting educational services, and (c) the use of particular pedagogical strategies. Clark (1983) found a correlation between achievement in reading and mathematics and the number of books at home. Parent involvement is absolutely essential to student achievement in school and in life say (Campbell Glasgow, 2010). The overwhelming studies and research indicate that there are indeed positive academic outcomes stemming from parental involvement with benefits beginning in the early childhood throughout adolescence and beyond (Henderson Mapp, 2002; Patrikakou, Weisberg, Redding, Walberg, 2005). Buchmann and Dalton (2002) suggest a possible linkage between differences in institutional contexts of educational system and variation in the effect of parental involvement on childrens educational outcomes while examining variation across 12 countries in the effect of mothers and peers attitudes toward academic performance on educational aspiration among middle-school (lower secondary school) students. The comparisons across 12 countries indicate significant variation in the influence of parental attitude on childrens educational aspiration across countries with different structural features of educational system. 2.3 Factors affecting Students Academic Achievements The students performance or academic achievement plays an important role in producing the good quality school leavers who will become good manpower for any country. There are actually numerous factors that affect the performance and achievement of students. Parents influence their childrens academic achievement (Spera, 2005). High family socioeconomic status, positive parenting practices, positive aspects of parents personality, and high marital quality are associated with school success (Harold, Aitken, Shelton, 2007; Heaven Newbury, 2004; Robertson Reynolds, 2010). Children whose parents who actively promote learning in the home more positively engage in relationships outside the home and in learning (Marchant, Paulson, Rothlisberg, 2001), perhaps because these parents help children approach learning environments more positively. The premise that home environment risks, such as negative parenting (Clark, Dogan, Akbar, 2003), a chaotic household (Brown Low, 2008), parents low educational attainment or income level (Davis-Kean, 2005), and single-parent family structure (Zill, 1996), are correlates of poor academic functioning is also well supported. According to a report on Monitoring Learning Achievement (1999) the Determinants of childs performance were identified to be as follows: Socio-economic status of the childs family had a very strong impact on achievement at school. (b) Parental education level and parents opinion about education were decisive factors affecting performance of the children at school. (c) The child who had access to learning through technology and through materials at home was more likely to do better at school. (d) Pupils who had a positive attitude to school and teachers as well as those who used English to communicate performed better on the tests. (e) Children who had more experienced teachers at school and who were more frequently assessed became better learners. 2.3.1 Student Demographics and Students Achievement Students from ethnic minority backgrounds and low income families are more at risk for poor school outcomes and are becoming an increasing share of the student population. Many studies have linked the educational disadvantage of minority students to a combination of out-of-school factors, many of which center on family characteristics, such as poverty and parents education. Linn (2005) says that prior achievement or other relevant characteristics of the student body may help to explain current levels of achievement while (Carlson, 2002; Ponisciak Bryk, 2005) point out that when large scale assessments are used as the sole measure of accountability, the characteristics of the schools clientele are confounded with change that is directly attributable to the effectiveness of the school producing biased estimates of school effects. Children coming from middle-class family may have a head start given their higher social position and income may lead to better quality housing, more availability of books and study facilities at home such as their own room, internet access facility as well as the ability to afford private tuition. According to the University of Mauritius study on private tuition (1989), children from better off families take more tuition than students from poor families and they tend to perform better. A better measure of a schools effect on student achievement should account for the nature of students in the schools as well as the characteristics of the schools themselves. For example the correlation according to Sirin (2005) between socio-economic status and achievement tends to be approximately 0.30 at the student level. When aggregated to the school level, the correlation between socio-economic and academic achievement is approximately 0.60 (Sirin, 2005), though that correlation has been estimated to be even higher (0.73) in an earlier meta-analysis (White, 1982). 2.3.2 School Leadership and Students Achievement Studies have revealed that strong leaders are critical to successful learning environments (Briggs Wohlstetter, 2003; Hallinger, Bickman, Davis, 1996; Haycock, Jerald, Huang, 2001; Jesse, Davis, Pokorny, 2004; McGee, 2004; Muijs, Harris, Chapman, Stoll, Russ, 2004; Murphy, 2004; Scribner Scribner, 2001; Snipes, 2004; Yau, 2002). There are different characteristics of strong leaders that have been mentioned in the literature: Leaders have a clear vision for their schools that is continuously communicated to school staff and parents (Cole-Henderson, 2000; EdSource, 2006; Jesse et al., 2004); they have high expectations for all students (Cole-Henderson, 2000; EdSource, 2006; McGee, 2004; Scribner et al., 2001); and they are able to translate their vision and expectations into concrete goals for teachers by aligning curriculum with state standards and standardized tests (EdSource, 2006; Education Trust, 2003). 2.3.3 School Systems and Students Achievement In many countries, including Mauritius to some extent, school systems are tracked where students are assigned to different school types based on their prior performance. These tracks range from purely academic tracks to vocational tracks and prepare students for different educational and labor market destinations (Marks, Cresswell, Ainley, 2006; Reyes, 2010). In general most secondary school systems maintain a distinction between academic and vocational education. The specifics may be different from place to place, but in most countries academic education prepares students for college or for a university whereas vocational education prepares them for immediate entry into the labor market (Shavit, Blossfeld 1993). Schools may be involved in the socio-economic inequalities in education in a number of ways. Wealthy families can afford a superior education for their children by sending them to fee-paying private schools. In countries with tracked school systems, the allocation of stude nts to the more academic school tracks may be biased towards students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds. 2.3.5 Parental Involvement and Students Achievement Studies on the influence of parenting on school outcomes have mainly focused on specific parental practices such as involvement in their childs education, mostly in relation to academic achievement and rarely in relation to school dropout (McNeal, 1999; Rumherger, 1995). Studies conducted among specific grades and subject areas support the contention that parental involvement can influence students academic achievement regardless of the students age or subject. For example, Stegelin (2003), Wirtz Schumacher (2003), and Hertz-Lazarowitz Horovitz (2002) focused on early childhood education and literacy, noting a link between families who engage in literacy activities at home and their childrens success with reading and writing. Henderson and Berla (1994) say that the most accurate predictor of a students achievement in school is not income or social status but the extent to which that students family is able to create a home environment that encourages learning; express high but not unrealistic expectations for their childrens achievement and future careers and become involved in their childrens education at school and in the community. There exists an extensive research literature indicating that Parental Involvement is advantageous for children. This includes home-based Parental involvement such as listening to children read and supervision of homework as well as school-based Parental Involvement such as attending parent education workshops and parent-teacher meetings. The effectiveness of both home-based and school-based Parental Involvement in facilitating academic achievement has been reported by several reviews and meta-analyses of the literature (Fan and Chen 2001; Henderson and Mapp 2002; Jeynes 2005, 2007; Pomerantz, Moorman, and Litwack 2007). Mariaye (2008) has found that higher levels of education of parents are often related to better provision of financial resources, thus leading to achievement of children. 2.4 Barriers to parental involvement Though there is much importance attached to parental involvement it is still being ignored in many schools. Lazar and Slostad (1999) believe that parents are willing to get involved in the education of their children, but the negative perceptions of parents persist because teacher education programs do not educate teachers to work with parents. Foster and Loven (1992) also shared that the major explanation for this, according to researchers, is the fact that very little attention is given to preparing teachers to work with parents and other adults (Lazar, 1999, p. 207). According to Lazar and Slostad, (1999) the way parents viewed their roles was shaped by the circumstances and norms of particular cultures and their beliefs about their own effectiveness as teachers or tutors. Epstein (1991) found out that teachers had doubts whether they could motivate parents to become more involved even though they thought that parental involvement would improve students achievement. Teachers lack the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to collaborate with families leading to a weak school-family partnership (De Acosta, 1996; Epstein Dauber, 1991; Foster Loven, 1992; Greenwood Hickman, 1991; Midkiff Lawler-Prince, 1992; Williams,1992). Major barriers to parental involvement in schools include the school environment, school culture, time constraint, changing demographics and employment patterns, and the lack of teacher preparation in involving parents in their childrens schooling (New Skills for Schools, 1997; National PTA, 1997). 2.5 Overcoming barriers to parental involvement Strategies for overcoming barriers to parental involvement in schools include overcoming time and resource constraints, providing information and training to parents and school staff, restructuring schools to support family involvement, bridging school-family differences, getting external supports for partnerships, meeting families basic needs, providing flexible times and places for parental involvement, and helping staff communication with parents (The U.S. Department of Education, 2004; Family Involvement in Childrens Education October 1997). The various barriers to Parental involvement can be categorised by adapting Epsteins (2001) framework of overlapping spheres of influence focused on the three areas of family, school and community. 2.5.1 Parents beliefs about Parental Involvement Parents beliefs about various issues can act as barriers to effective parental involvement. Firstly, the way that parents view their role in the education of their children is crucial. Parents who believe that their role is only to get children to school, which then takes over responsibility for their education, will not be willing to be actively involved in either school-based or home-based parental involvement. Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1997) reported that this attitude is more prevalent in some communities and national cultures than others, but that there is considerable variation within these. For example, Clark (1983), in his research on high achieving students from low-income black families, found that what distinguished the parents of these students from others at the school was that they believed that they should be involved in their childrens education, by both supporting their learning at home and interacting constructively with schools. Clark found that parents of high a chieving students had a greater belief than the other parents that they could effectively help their children to do better at school. 2.5.2 Parents perceptions of invitations for involvement One other potential barrier to parental involvement is parents perceptions of the level of explicit and implicit invitations for involvement. According to Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1997) when parents think that Parental Involvement is not valued by teachers or schools they are less likely to get involved. Thus, parents perceptions of invitations from schools are considered crucial in developing effective parental involvement. Epstein (2001) has found that parents are most effectively involved when teachers actively encourage them to get involved. Eccles and Harold (1993) believe that teachers with positive, facilitating attitudes toward involving parents encourage more parents to become involved and increase the effectiveness of parental involvement. When parents perceive that teachers are not open to involve them, there tends to be a major barrier to parental involvement. Similarly, when schools are welcoming to parents and make it clear that they value parental involvement, the s chools develop more effective parental involvement than schools that do not appear inviting to parents. Secondary schools are often seen by parents as large bureaucratic organisations which are not welcoming to parents, which is considered to be one of the reasons why there is a tendency for higher levels of parental involvement in primary than secondary schools (Eccles and Harold 1993). 2.5.3 Parents Level of Education Parents level of education will influence their views on whether they have sufficient skills and knowledge to engage in different aspects of parental involvement (Green et al. 2007). For example, parents who have not completed secondary school themselves may be diffident about helping their children with homework once the latter get to secondary school. Also, parents who do not have a university degree may feel in some ways inferior to teachers who they know are better qualified than them and therefore be reluctant to work closely with the teachers. In general, children of parents with higher levels of education perform better, on average, on assessments of student achievement. 2.5.4 Parent current life status Family circumstances can be major barriers to parental involvement. For example, single parents and those with young families or large families may find it difficult to get involved in education of their children because of their responsibilities. Parents work situations can also be a factor. When parents are unemployed money could be an issue as they may not be able to afford a car or to pay babysitters in order to get to school meetings. For parents with jobs, whether both parents work and the kind of jobs they have may be issues. When both parents work they will have less time to devote for both home-based and school-based parental involvement. Similarly while some jobs allow little flexibility for taking time off for school-based parental involvement, other jobs may leave parents too tired at the end of the day to help children with homework (Catsambis 2001; Green et al. 2007). 2.5.5 Class, ethnicity and gender There exist also barriers regarding to class, ethnicity and gender of parents that account for the difference between rhetoric and reality in parental involvement. Reay (1998) suggests that it is those parents who possess cultural capital which matches that generally valued by schools. In contrast, working-class parents, although they possess their own undervalued cultural capital, are aware of the difference between the cultural capital they possess and that of teachers. Reay (1998) concludes that, for working-class families, home-school relationships are about separateness, whereas for middle-class families they are about interconnectedness, and this difference shapes their respective attitudes towards parental involvement. The barriers related to ethnicity and culture also play an important role. According to a report by Koki and Lee (1998) some of the issues involved in parental involvement for parents in New Zealand who have come from the Pacific Islands. They make the point that it is impossible to understand these issues outside of the context of the history of Pacific education and cultural tradition, but the reality is that parental involvement programmes typically pay scant regard to these issues. 2.5.6 Learning difficulties and disabilities The performance of at school can be both a barrier or facilitating factor for parental involvement. According to Eccles and Harold (1993) when children are struggling with their school work, due to learning difficulties or disabilities, then parents are generally more inclined to be active in parental involvement activities. Many authorities on special needs education consider that involving parents is an essential aspect of effective education for children with disabilities or learning difficulties (Hornby 1995; Seligman 2000). The involvement of parents is required for the process of implementing individual education programmes and this facilitates parental involvement for many parents whose children have learning difficulties or disabilities. But this is not always the case as there are many possible areas for disagreement between schools and parents of children with learning difficulties or disabilities, which can then act as barriers to effective parental involvement. For instan ce, when parents consider that their children can achieve more academically or when teachers want more support from parents in backing up at home what children are working on at school (Seligman 2000). 2.6 Strategies to involve parents To achieve more parental involvement, the school or teachers can help to adjust to parents work schedules, interests, and special abilities to involve them in their childs education 2.6.1 Parenting Parents can be involved in their childs schooling in many ways. One way teachers can get these parents involved is by providing them information about parenting practices. Parents with children with behavior problems are interested in learning about specialised reinforcement and discipline techniques that can be applied in their home. Research has shown that students who are disruptive in schools are also disruptive at home (Walker et al., 1995). Teachers can be useful by providing suggestions on how to teach specific skills at home. Parents who learn new parenting skills and teach their child at home are making positive contributions to their childs education. 2.6.2 Communication Encouraging parents to communicate with the school about important information about their child is another way parents can be involved. Darch, Craig, Miao, Yu, Shippen, and Peggy(2004) recommend that teachers ask parents to discuss their childs behaviour at home, his or her attitudes about school and learning, and whether there are home problems impacting the childs behavior at school. It is helpful if teachers ask parents about their expectations about their childs performance. 2.6.3 Volunteering Darch et al.,(2004) also suggest that one role that some parents can play is to provide instructional or management support in the classroom. For example, parents can be tutors for their own child or other students in the classroom. Also, parents can serve by grading papers, participating in field trips, and reading to groups of students. The advantages of including parents in these activities are many. Parents visibility in the classroom can be helpful in managing children. Also, if parents can provide instructional support, the improved learning performances of students will have a positive impact on their classroom behavior. 2.6.4 Instruction According to Darch et al, (2004) parents can also be involved in their childs school program by providing instructional and management support in their homes. Teachers may ask parents to allocate time for their childs homework, provide instructional support for academic assignments, and carry out home-based reinforcement programs. For parents to effectively take this role, they must be willing to participate and must have skills to implement home-based programs. However, as Hoover-Demsey and Sandler (1997) point out, many parents do not see the importance of taking an active role in their childs education. Thus, teachers must provide parents with clear guidelines on how they can be helpful at home and, if necessary, information on how to implement instructional and management strategies at home. An advantage of these activities is that the child is provided extra instruction at home that leads to more successful learning and motivation in the classroom. 2.6.5 School-Wide Involvement Teachers can suggest to parents that they be involved in school-wide activities. (Darch et al., 2004). The goal is to link parents to activities beyond their childs classroom: parents can be involved in PTA meetings, school-wide parent advisory councils, volunteer to work in the school office, and participate on a school-wide discipline committee. The advantages of linking parents into school wide activities are obvious. The presence of parents throughout the school is related to higher levels of student achievement and decreases school-wide disruptive behaviors. Parents involved with school-wide activities become more supportive of teachers and school policy. 2.7 How do schools involve parents? According to Hanke (2006) lack of parental involvement is due to lack of helpful information to parents. Emails, phone, letters, newsletters and personal contacts can be made by schools to reach out to parents. If schools communicate with parents regularly and consistently using the various means, the gap between school and parental involvement will be reduced. Based on the recent report on the Commonwealth conference on education (2012) the technology is available for ICT to be the foundation for change in education provisioning: from the classroom to the ministerial committee room; from the way teachers relate to their students, to the increasing of parental involvement in schools. Students expectations and achievement will increase if involvement are identified by Epstein and associate (1997): parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making, and collaborating with the community. Reenay and Vivian (2007) have explained that even though the invention of new technologies has made it easier for schools to reach out to parents (through emails, cell phones and internet websites), the use of traditional methods in communication has been found to be an effective way for schools to communicate with parents, but this has been limited in use b

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Deer :: essays research papers

It was the middle of summer in a small town called Harvey, in the city of Marquette, Michigan. The road (driveway) to my families cabin is really long it takes about a half-hour just to get to the cabin. Our camp is a very little, quaint, one bedroom in the middle of the woods. There is a creek the flows around our land, which is about 8 acres. About a half a mile away there is a rundown cabin that we call "Jack's house". My dad always said that there was an old man Jack, who lived there. He would tell us that Jack would watch us at night while we were asleep. Supposedly there was a rumor that he ate humans and animals for survival.He even told us that there were bears all surrounding us, but I never actually saw one. We usually go there on weekends during the summer for a vacation away from the city, but sometimes we end up staying longer. There isn't really much to do out there, so if we don't go to town, we go to Presque Isle Island near our camp. It is located in Marquette, Michigan, on Lake Superior, which is one of the coldest and biggest of the five Great Lakes. There are large rocks out there that we climb called Black Rocks. Besides the rocks there are a couple of parks with swings and slides, and a nature path that has a few site lookouts. It is so peaceful out there that all you can hear are the sounds of nature. As I pulled up in my car, I stopped and began to get out to go for a walk on the nature trail. As I looked up, I saw the deer. There was something about the way his helpless eyes gazed at me. I slowly started to approach him. It looked as if he had no hope for his life left. His hair was very thin but rough around his neck and legs. There was dried up blood above his left eye it seemed as if he were in a harmful fight with another deer recently. I slowly and calmly continued to walk towards him trying, as much as possible, not to frighten him in any way." It's ok, I won't hurt you. I want to try to help you live and be healthy." I said.As I got closer to him I could see felt covering two bumps on the top of his head.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Causes of World War One

‘World War One was the result of a series of unintended and disconnected events. ’ Does this opinion adequately explain the causes of World War One? It is understandable that historians ponder on what exactly caused a war that destroyed Europe’s economy, cost the lives of 37 million men and involved a country from every region of the world (from the Americas to Asia). The opinion this essay will discuss implies that the events that led to this major conflict were unintended and disconnected; and in order to emit a judgement that would agree or disagree with this view it is important to first identify the causes of world war one.Therefore this essay will first discuss the different types of causes (long, mid and short terms), respectively nationalism, imperialism/militarism and the ‘blank cheque’. Hence this essay will evaluate whether these were ‘disconnected and unintended events’ or if there is a connection between the causes. The main sources used in this essay are Coles’ general notes on world history and historian Martin Gilbert’s book entitled ‘First World War’. The long term causes prepared the ground for the war.Nationalism can be categorized into the long term causes because it had influenced Europe prior to 1914, and as French writer Guy de Maupassant argues, ‘it is the eldest cause of any war’. Quite a popular phenomenon in the late 19th century and beginning of the 20th, nationalism produced pride in one’s country’s achievements. The world war one themes paper observed that this ‘led to xenophobia and ideas of racial superiority’; but what it fails to mention is that as much as nationalism could provide feelings of superiority it could also provide feelings of equality.For example, minorities that previously were dominated by larger powers were now swept with waves of nationalism. This could be observed in the Balkans in the prelude of th e world war; where small states were experimenting Pan-Slavism, ‘a nationalistic movement for political and cultural solidity of all Slavic people’ thus a threat to the Austrian Empire who dominated the South Slavs.One could argue that this form of nationalism led to Franz Ferdinand’s assassination by an extreme Serb nationalist group, or that it was the Austrian’s nationalism (their pride in their achievement of an empire) that pressured them into keeping all minorities within the empire at all costs; this leading to the Austro-Hungarian ‘impossible’ ultimatum to Serbia on the 23rd of July 1914.Nationalist mood in Europe could also be seen in France; more than 30 years after the French were defeated in the Franco-Prussian war a black cloth still veiled the statue of Strasbourg in the Place de la Concorde and it was a symbol, a constant reminder of the loss of the two eastern provinces, Alsace and Lorraine. The French still remembered the defe at and often spoke of ‘La Revanche’ (the revenge).As historian Gilbert argues, ‘War, if it came, would be an irresistible opportunity to fulfil long harboured desires or to avenge long-nurtured hatreds’. Historian Martin Kelly also argues that ‘it was nationalism, that manifested itself in the pan-Slav feeling of the Russian population, that tied Russia and Serbia together whilst Austria declared war, and thereby triggering what would have been a limited local conflict into world war’.When the Russian tsar signed the order commanding full mobilisation of Russian troops because ‘Russia could not remain indifferent to a declaration of war on Serbia’ and as the ultimate proof of the stimulating effects of Nationalism, editor Alex Bein remembered that ‘the Russian popular sentiment applauded the fullest possible solidarity with the beleaguered fellow Slavs of Serbia’. In this particular case it is difficult to determine wh ether these events occurred under the ‘Nationalism’ potential cause or the ‘Alliances’.Without dropping into philosophical or anthropological arguments, this essay will assume that alliances themselves were generated because of nationalism, as countries really wanted to increase their power by allying themselves with other powers, which in the end is motivated by a nationalist feeling. It is often observed in general history that events sometimes only occur because they are in a specific context. ‘Mid-term’ causes, if it the events that occurred slightly prior to the commencement of the war (between 1970 and 1914) can be labelled so, could be held responsible for creating a context specific to that time.In this case, militarism and imperialism greatly shaped the relations between the powers and consequently the political shape of pre-war Europe. Imperialism was a symbol of power that allowed the European powers to expand their overseas territor ies and therefore ‘gain new markets, raw materials and fields of investment’. The movement of ‘the Scramble for Africa’ left most of the African continent occupied by Europeans, notably colonies of Britain, France, Portugal, Spain and Belgium; Germany did have some overseas territories, but as historian Gilbert remarks ‘The Kaiser did not make ffective use of its colonies, and owned them by name rather than by practice’. This observation shows that the Kaiser attached a symbolic importance to colonies. The ambitious German king wished that his recently united Germany (the German unification had only occurred in 1971, not even half a century before the war) would possess more overseas territories. Unfortunately most of the African continent was already ‘occupied’; leaving the Kaiser with a bitter feeling of rivalry with Britain and France.This led to the dangerous Agadir crisis, in which the Kaiser had ordered a fleet to establish a port at Agadir, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The British feared this would give the Germans an undesired strong grip in Northern Africa, and thus threatened them to respond in ‘a hostile manner’ if the German gunboat did not depart immediately. ‘The threat was effective, but the rancour which left it was equally strong’, noted Gilbert. At the Reichstag, a few weeks after the event, a social democrat commented in a worried tone that tensions could lead to a war, to which a parliamentarian responded: ‘After every war things are better! The imperialistic tendencies of Europeans unavoidably led to tensions within Europe itself, generating mutual suspicions and fear. This could explain why the European powers felt the need to invest in the military: in the 1870s, all six major European powers had adopted compulsory military training, which resulted in some 4 ? million men under arms by 1914. Each power’s General army staffs had well-drawn batt le plans in readiness: the French had ‘Plan 17’, the Germans had ‘Schlieffen plan’ and Russians had ‘Plan A’. By the beginning of the conflict a total amount of $2 billion a year was spent on armament (all powers combined).It can only be logically concluded that if the powers were investing so much time and money in military they were intending to use it. Finally, it was the ‘short term’ causes led to critical events that escalated into the war. A general historical view observes that it all began when Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, on the 28th of June 2014. The Italian foreign minister at the time observed that ‘The telegram indicated that the assassination of the Archduke was the occasion rather than the cause of Austria’s ultimatum to Serbia, and it reveals the reason for Austria’s action [invading Serbia]’.This view can also be supported by the fact that ‘between 1906 and 1914 the Austrian Chief of Staff General Hotzendorf had asked more than 25 times for a ‘surprise’ war on Serbia’. The Austro-Hungarians wanted to reduce Serbia’s power by attacking her. When they were provided with an excuse to do so (Ferdinand’s assassination) ‘They were not fully confident to attack immediately for fear of Russian retaliation,’ argues Gilbert: ‘but the fact that they had unconditional German support if ever the conflict widened gave them confidence’.It is argued that the Germans had given their full support because the Austro-Hungarians were their most precious allies, and they could not afford losing the cooperation of the other central power when they were encircled by the Triple Entente (Russia, Britain and France). Therefore, to some extent, it can be argued that it is this unconditional support that pushed Austria to declare war on Serbia, without considering the Russian factor. The main issue with identifyi ng causes of the world war is that there are several and none that can be granted full prominence because opinions vary.It is also difficult to establish a cause and effect relationship, because there is no precision and again, it is subjective. This considered, a link can still be noticed in the causes enumerated above: Nationalism made European powers want to achieve more for them, leading to prestigious and expensive colonization. Unfortunately these imperialist tendencies created conflicts between the powers, creating mutual suspicions and alliances. The tensions gave the powers a feeling of insecurity, and led way to intense militarisation which meant that the powers could be ready in a matter of weeks in the event of a war.The Germans were so prepared for a war they could afford giving their unconditional support to Austria, who then attacked Serbia, and triggered the alliance system. It is a way to explain how the causes are linked; but it is not necessarily pertinent in the sense that these events could have been simply events; they only became causes because of the war. For example, if we use counterfactual history and assume that Austria would have never attacked Serbia, perhaps the war would have broken out over Britain and Germany fighting for an access to the Suez Canal, which at that time would have been likely.Perhaps the war would have never happened if the Europeans did not see war as an acceptable method to solve conflicts: as the German parliamentarian had pointed out, ‘after a war all things are better! ’ and the view that most historians believe that actually the war ‘had long been in the making’. As the American historical review states, ‘There was no slide to war, no war caused by ‘unintended’ events, but instead a world war caused by a fearful set of elite statesmen and rulers making deliberate choices’.Word count: 1 712Bibliography & Words cited â€Å"A. J. P. Taylor. † Wik ipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/A. _J. _P. _Taylor>. â€Å"Causes of World War 1. † About. com American History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://americanhistory. about. com/od/worldwari/tp/causes-of-world-war-1. htm>. Clare, John D. â€Å"Causes of WWI – Four Steps to War. † Causes of WWI – Four Steps to War. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://www. johndclare. net/causes_WWI4. htm>. Gilbert, Martin. â€Å"Chapter 1: Prelude to War. † The First World War: A Complete History. New York: H. Holt, 1994. N. pag. Print. Gilbert, Martin. â€Å"Chapter 2: Wild with Joy. † The First World War: A Complete History. New York: H. Holt, 1994. N. pag. Print. â€Å"Nationalism. † Nationalism, Patriotism and Loyalty to Causes. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://www. tentmaker. org/Quotes/nationalism_patriotism_quotes. html>. †Summary of the Causes of WW1† Moodle. isp. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012. <http://isparis. moodle. overnetdata. com/file. php/13/Summary_of_the_Causes_of_WW1. pdf>. World History: Notes. Toronto: Coles Pub. , 1979. Print.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Turning Point in My Life

Seayam, Sidy Instructor: Ludmila Hart ENG 101 – 10 09/13/2012 Turning Point in My Life After I finished high school I knew that I had to look forward to my education, and check where I should finish it and think of the future, where I wanted to work and with a good job and if I was going to stay in my country or no. That was the beginning of my life change. June 5th was my last day of high school. I was like everybody happy that school had ended as every year talking with my friends about the exams and how every one did in it and what they expecting about their scores.After that I started to hang out every day with my friends because I didn’t know what I was going to do about college and did not know which major I will choose. I was confused, So I decided to wait for my results then take a decision, days been passing and decided to take Pharmacy or Dentist Major because I love chemistry and biology, but my parents wanted me to retake the high school because I didnâ€⠄¢t get a scholarship, and I refused because I knew that’s my best and I’m satisfied with my score.August before my birthday with few days I though about studying overseas and the first countries were Russia and Malaysia, but some of my friends didn’t support me to go to Russia because their friends or siblings were there and couldn’t find jobs with the Russian degree in other countries the opportunities were low in there, So I started to prepare my papers and making researches about Malaysia and it’s universities and found one and sent all my information to that university and they did accept me, one of days my uncle called my from USA to congratulate me graduating from High school and Suggested me to finish my education in the US, I was excited and confused at the same time, and asked my parents about that, they said that I am an adult now and should know my future and they will support me, After that I changed all my plans to US which known the land of opportunities.My first day in the US was November 21th the Thanks Giving day and it wasn’t that cold when I came as I expected it to be, I spent 7 months learning English and taking TOEFL classes to prepare my self for college studies, I started to search for pharmacy and dentist universities, but it was a shock to me from the amounts they wanted, and my parents couldn’t handle that much, so I chosen Computer Science as other interest and found Quincy College to start my future in it then transfer to a four years University. In 3 short months and with a lot of thinking about things I never knew before That was a big turning point in my life and in my future, because I didn’t expect that I come to the US and wasn’t what I was planning for.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Woodrow Wilson & WWI essays

Woodrow Wilson & WWI essays Wilsons torment in deciding whether to send U.S. troops into WWI. It is well known among reasonably informed students of American history that Woodrow Wilson resisted getting American forces involved in World War I, right up to and after the time when British ships with Americans on board were sunk by German submarines in October and November of 1916. But it may not be widely known that during the time the U.S. involvement in the war became more and more imminent, Wilsons relationship with England was very sour, according to author Arthur Walworth (Walworth 70). One big reason the British were upset with Wilson was that he hadnt done enough to cut Germany off from credit in the world community. It was 1916, an election year, and Wilsons mind was on winning a second term, along with his belief that America should remain neutral in the expanding war in Europe. His essential duty, as he saw it, Walworth writes on page 70, was to maintain faith with a people who rejoiced because he had kept them out of war and at the same time to rescue humanity from the scourge of international conflict. He saw his constitutional duty to intervene and attempt to stop the war prior to getting Americans involved in it. But though the British and the Germans were hounding Wilson to attempt a diplomatic resolution of the conflict, he held fast until after the election in November. After he was elected, he believed that the American people voted for him because he escaped involvement in the war something worth living and dying for and now it was his duty to be a broker for peace (Walworth 71-72), if at all possible. It was now December, and Germany was threatening to unleash its submarines in January (Walworth 74), if some kind of armistice or peace deal was cut before then. Wilson had just released his own idea for what later would become the League ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

T. S. Eliot

One of the most influential and celebrated writers of the twentieth century was T. S. Eliot. In his writings he was able to successfully capture the feelings of his time. His contributions to the genre of poetry has had a profound effect on modern literature. While Eliot is most well known for his poetry, he was also an accomplished playwright and author of several books of social criticism (Kunitz 303). Thomas Stearns Eliot, the youngest of seven, was born September 26, 1888 in St. Louis Missouri. His father, Henry Ware Eliot, was a Washington University graduate and son of a very respected Unitarian minister. At the time of his son's birth, he had risen to the position of chairman of the Hydraulic Press Brick Company. The city of St. Louis was growing rapidly and the Eliot's brick firm was becoming very successful. (Unger 567). Thomas Eliot's mother, Charlotte Champe Eliot, came from an affluent family in Massachusetts. In her spare time she wrote several books including a biography of her father-in-law (Sencourt 3). The childhood of Thomas Eliot was especially pampered because he was afflicted with a hernia. His parents wealth allowed them to hire an Irish nurse to look after him. Later when Eliot was to attend grammar school at Smith Academy, he was unable to partake in games with his peers because of his infirmity. Instead, young Eliot used this time to develop his reading and writing skills. As a child, Eliot was an admirer of Mark Twain's classic novels, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Having grown up in a city on the Mississippi, he was able to relate to many of the people and places in the story. Thomas grew up in a very strict Unitarian household where both his grandfather and uncle were very prominent ministers. His father held strongly to his religious teachings and encouraged his children that through thrift and intelligence, the goal of a Unitarian was to gain success in this world (Sencourt 5-9). At the age of ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Subconscious vs. Unconscious

Subconscious vs. Unconscious Subconscious vs. Unconscious Subconscious vs. Unconscious By Mark Nichol The distinction between subconscious and unconscious is a subtle one. The noun subconscious refers to the mind’s activities just beneath consciousness, and the part of the mind devoted to such activities. The unconscious, by contrast, is the part of the mind that exerts a strong influence on behavior but is not noticed by one’s consciousness. And what does consciousness mean, anyway? Conscious is ultimately from the Latin verb conscire, meaning â€Å"be aware† or â€Å"know,† and consciousness refers to the state of awareness or knowledge. The terms are used both in the conventional sense of being in a conscious state- not asleep or unconscious- and in the spiritual sense of being aware of more than just one’s basic physical existence, of being attuned to something greater than what is immediately apparent. Unconscious, too, has two disparate meanings: If one is asleep or one’s mind has been affected by medication or injury so that one is unaware of one’s surroundings, one is said to be unconscious. But one can also be described as unconscious when one behaves in a manner that is not self-reflective or that demonstrates an obliviousness to one’s environment, as when a person acts rudely without seeming to recognize the unfortunate behavior or mindlessly damages or pollutes. The root of the terms is scire, meaning â€Å"know†; it is, as you may have guessed, also the source of science. Other terms that derive from this root include conscience, which refers to the part of your mind that serves as a moral compass, and self-conscious, which originally referred neutrally to self-awareness but now can connote acting in a deliberate manner but usually refers to a preoccupation with how one is perceived by others, generally because of insecurity. Semiconscious means â€Å"only partially awake or aware,† and preconscious is a psychoanalytical term that refers to a thought or idea that one is not conscious of but that can be recalled without hesitation because one does not repress or resist the thought. Conscient, meanwhile, is a rare variant of conscious. The adjective unsconscionable pertains to a lack of regard for one’s conscience and therefore of regard for other people or for things in offensive or oppressive behavior; its antonym, conscionable, is obsolete. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)10 Techniques for More Precise WritingThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time Essay

Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time - Essay Example The essay "Van Gogh's The Starry Night and Salvador Dali's Persistence of Time" compares "The Starry Night" by Van Gogh with "Persistence of Time" by Salvador Dali. Both paintings are now in the Museum of Modern Art or Moma in New York City. Van Gogh considered his now-iconic The Starry Night, which he painted from his barred window at Saint-RÃ ©my, a failed attempt at abstraction. Before leaving Saint-RÃ ©my, he wrote to Émile Bernard: "I have been slaving away on nature the whole year, hardly thinking of impressionism or of this, that and the other. And yet, once again I let myself go reaching for stars that are too big--a new failure--and I have had enough of it. In contrast, Salvador Dali’s painting of Persistence of Time was a product of Dali’s evolution as a multi-faceted artist. When the Persistence of Time was painted, Salvador Dali was dabbling in surrealism. But it is important to mention that while Salvador Dali was a leading figure in surrealism and me taphysical painting, he was also interested in science and religion especially after the Hiroshima bombing in the The Second World War where his interest in atom was heightened. Vincent Van Gogh only began painting during the last 10 years of his career. Unlike Salvador Dali who started his career early and already recognized at age 27, Van Gogh was virtually unknown in the artistic world during this lifetime. Van Gogh can also be said to be inclined with religion being a son of a Minister. Dali is more predisposed to science.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Republicans stand on Stem Cell Vindication Essay

Republicans stand on Stem Cell Vindication - Essay Example Earlier the leaders could easily maintain a fake impression with the people. But with today’s media and online facilities, thee public is more than aware and are able to know the in depth truth and hence there is less chance of making false pretences. Nowadays, Democrats have to prove – â€Å"Government by the People† and republicans â€Å"Government based on laws†. Peoples choice of democrats or the republicans changes instantly with various issues. A human mind is fast changing and a real leader needs to maintain a homeostasis of the things he does to maintain his stance in the minds of people. That is why politics is a tough job. No democrat can be convinced of republican thoughts or vice versa as Laurence J.Peter says - â€Å"A Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still† – A leader still can’t be so sure of his republican/ democratic ideology can surely fulfill people’s wishes. He does it solely on the hope though he would have a bit of confidence too, as Martin Luther said, â€Å"everything that is done in the world is done by hope† Maybe someone be a democratic or republican, it is his ideology which makes him win and rule over. But still a democrat runs on the ideal of government by the people, of the people and for the people. So he amends laws, bends rules for the people, whereas a republican has laws, human laws as his ideals which are on a global perspective common to all humans. A democrat may bend rules in his country for his people’s sake, but a republican has human ethics as a background of his ideals. So republican is more global in his thought and leads the country to a more civilized environment. Definitely not, a better and good democrat can bring up a better environment with his ideals too. This marks the success of a leader, may be a democrat or a republican.

Culture and Health Applying Medical Anthropology Essay

Culture and Health Applying Medical Anthropology - Essay Example Examples of risk factors are: smoking, bad sexual practices and bad hygiene, while examples of protective factors are: sexual restrictions such as monogamy. It is due to these risk and protective factors that some cultures are known for some diseases, while some other cultures stand lesser risks of contracting certain types of diseases (Winkelman 20). There are some environmental and social conditions that affect the health of my community, Montclair, New Jersey. One of the environmental conditions that have had a negative impact on New Jersey is traffic congestion. This is due to the increase in the volume of vehicles that ply the Montclair route from time to time. The effect that the increased volume of vehicles in the city has on the health of the residents of the city is that it makes them have climate-related health problems. The emission of greenhouse gases by these vehicles causes air pollution and the effect is that it would alter the balance of the climate in the region and the world at large (Silver 27-29). It has also been observed that the number of smokers in the city have increased rapidly. Smokers stand the risk of contracting heart related diseases and could also get diseases that would affect some vital organs of their body.

Case Application of Psychological Theory Term Paper

Case Application of Psychological Theory - Term Paper Example Marc also had issues of attitude as revealed in his employment history. He was fired several times from his jobs because he could hardly relate to other employees. He then enrolled in Ecole Polytechnique in 1982, however, struggled to keep up with his night class. In December of 1989, he walked into Ecole polytechnique with a gun in his hand and shot 27 victims. Fourteen women were killed while thirteen others were injured. He shot and killed himself after the incident. The case of Marc Lepine as a murderer can be fully understood with the application of the social learning theory. This theory which is proposed by Bandura emphasizes that behaviors are influenced by the interaction of the environment and the cognitive aspect of the learner. Behaviors are learned through association and interaction with other people present in the surrounding and through modeling. For behaviors to be learned successfully, the observer has to go through four processes namely attention, retention, reprod uction and motivation. The imitator has to pay attention to the behavior she/he wants to copy to be able to code it in his memory. This way, he/she can reproduce the acquired information into practice even with the absence of the model. Modeling method though is not applicable in all situations as there are some circumstances where practice is required for the observed behavior to be successfully put into action. Another assumption of social learning theory is the function of reinforcement. Behaviors which are either rewarded directly or indirectly are found to be easily imitated or modeled by the observer. Reviewing the life of Marc Lepine, one notes that it reflects that he learned his anti social behaviors including his tendency to kill from his association with the significant person, his father. Although he was still young when he witnessed the behavior of his father who inflicted physical abuse on them, it provided Marc with the model pattern for his own life. Association with delinquent people especially the significant figures within the family circle is indicated as the strongest predictor of misbehavior in all age groups. Such concept is explained at length by Siegel (2007) in his Criminology book where he made a distinct example of adolescent cases. Siegel explained that a group that one belongs to exerts a powerful influence on their members to set the tone of their behaviors whether those behaviors are considered deviant or normal. This holds true for any other group including family. This is the reason why mother and father figures are encouraged to provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children for them to live a healthy life and become a contributing asset in the society. However, in the case of Marc, his father replenished the opposite environment where he learned to hate, to abuse those who are considered easy target and to employ physical force to achieve his goal and to ameliorate his frustrations. The learned aggression behavi or is supported with the study by Josephson (1987) regarding aggression among children with low aggressive behavior. In his research involving boys in grades 2 and 3, he found out that participants who were exposed to violent movies are likely to develop aggressive behavior compared with boys who were subjected to non-violent movies. Such behavior is developed because content of the movie affects the emotion of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications Research Paper

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications - Research Paper Example 5). This paper is aimed at describing Federal Reserve’s views regarding various economic perspectives in recent times. These economic perspectives include current level of inflation, Federal Reserve’s assessment of the current economic activity and financial markets, and the monetary policy tools the Federal Reserve uses to stabilize the economy and maintain price stability in the country. Federal Reserve’s assessment of current economic activities and financial markets: The Federal Reserve holds a very positive view regarding the current economic activities and the current condition of the financial market of the country. The chairman of the Fed, Dr. Ben S. Bernanke, has argued that after the global financial crisis of 2007-08, the American economy is experiencing greater volume of economic activities. These activities include both greater production and consumption of goods and services across the country and also greater volume of monetary and financial transa ctions through financial intermediaries of the country. Disturbances in the financial markets of the country, including mainly the markets for houses, loans, and mortgages, have created greater problems in the country by reducing the volume of economic activities in the country. The crisis has created problems for private as well as public sector businesses, mainly for financial companies to increase their level of profits or even to stay in the business. But during the period of end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, the US government and the Fed took various fiscal as well as monetary policies which have helped economic agents in the country to increase the volume of economic activities and to increase country’s rate of growth of aggregate and per capita income along with the level of unemployment. The most important fiscal policy that has been implemented by the US government is reducing the level of government expenditure. This has helped the country to reduce the level o f budget deficit and fiscal deficit. According to the Fed the country is experiencing greater economic activities in terms of greater production of goods and services and greater stability in the financial market of the country compared to the period of global financial crisis. This greater stability has helped the country raise the level of investment in production of goods and services and also in research and developmental improvements of existing technologies of the country. The rate of aggregate income is expected to catch up with pre-recession period’s rates within 2013 and the per capita income growth rate is expected to increase at the rate of China’s per capita income growth rate (Bernanke, 2009, p. 1). Federal Reserve’s assessment of current inflation: The level of inflation has been very high since 2007. Due to this consumers are not capable of purchasing costliest goods and services and hence business organizations which are engaged in production of these goods and services are leaving the industry. Again this is reducing the level of income in the country and hence the level of demand for necessary goods and service. The Fed is expecting inflation to be subdued in the next few years because of weaker level of real economic activities prevailing in the country. It is expecting to have a lower level of inflation rate in 2013 which might lead to an increase in the volume of economic activities in the country. The Fed is expecting that the current rate of change in overall prices is expected to fall to 1 to 2 percent from its current level of 3 percent within five years. According to the Fed the declining trend in prices of energy resources and other commodities will gradually help the economy to implement stricter monetary and fiscal policies being aimed at

Starbucks' Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starbucks' Strategy - Research Paper Example Starbucks Coffee Company ensures creativity and innovation. Products provided here are customers oriented and designed to meet the needs of the customers in the best way possible. Use of the available digital technology is an important aspect of innovation that is used to fulfill the wants of the customers. The managers of Starbucks ensure that the activities at the company are outcome oriented. The company has a high profile that has to be maintained in the global economy. Therefore, all its initiatives ought to be outcome oriented. Starbucks Company encourages teamwork among the employees so that they can achieve better results. Working as a team makes the outcome more efficient than working on an individual basis. The achievements made by the company are therefore influenced by the good management skills. Starbucks management strategies have contributed to the position it is in today. Innovation is one of the main contributors of the company’s success. The Coffee Company was opened in 1971 and has shown tremendous improvement over the years. This is due to the great innovative ideas that have prevailed in the company. Howard Schultz was a great innovator who owned the company personally and ensured that the products were designed to suit the customers. Through good customer service and addressing the real need of the customers, the company has been able to maintain its customers (Noe 2012). Another innovative strategy used by Starbucks is to ensure that the employees of the company have the scientific knowledge of the products they produce. This is different as in other coffeehouse employees tend to apply individual improvisation in the way of serving coffee. Through this, they are able to maintain both local and international customers. A manager at Starbuck is supposed to be innovative in order to maintain the good

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications Research Paper

Working with Federal Reserve's Publications - Research Paper Example 5). This paper is aimed at describing Federal Reserve’s views regarding various economic perspectives in recent times. These economic perspectives include current level of inflation, Federal Reserve’s assessment of the current economic activity and financial markets, and the monetary policy tools the Federal Reserve uses to stabilize the economy and maintain price stability in the country. Federal Reserve’s assessment of current economic activities and financial markets: The Federal Reserve holds a very positive view regarding the current economic activities and the current condition of the financial market of the country. The chairman of the Fed, Dr. Ben S. Bernanke, has argued that after the global financial crisis of 2007-08, the American economy is experiencing greater volume of economic activities. These activities include both greater production and consumption of goods and services across the country and also greater volume of monetary and financial transa ctions through financial intermediaries of the country. Disturbances in the financial markets of the country, including mainly the markets for houses, loans, and mortgages, have created greater problems in the country by reducing the volume of economic activities in the country. The crisis has created problems for private as well as public sector businesses, mainly for financial companies to increase their level of profits or even to stay in the business. But during the period of end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, the US government and the Fed took various fiscal as well as monetary policies which have helped economic agents in the country to increase the volume of economic activities and to increase country’s rate of growth of aggregate and per capita income along with the level of unemployment. The most important fiscal policy that has been implemented by the US government is reducing the level of government expenditure. This has helped the country to reduce the level o f budget deficit and fiscal deficit. According to the Fed the country is experiencing greater economic activities in terms of greater production of goods and services and greater stability in the financial market of the country compared to the period of global financial crisis. This greater stability has helped the country raise the level of investment in production of goods and services and also in research and developmental improvements of existing technologies of the country. The rate of aggregate income is expected to catch up with pre-recession period’s rates within 2013 and the per capita income growth rate is expected to increase at the rate of China’s per capita income growth rate (Bernanke, 2009, p. 1). Federal Reserve’s assessment of current inflation: The level of inflation has been very high since 2007. Due to this consumers are not capable of purchasing costliest goods and services and hence business organizations which are engaged in production of these goods and services are leaving the industry. Again this is reducing the level of income in the country and hence the level of demand for necessary goods and service. The Fed is expecting inflation to be subdued in the next few years because of weaker level of real economic activities prevailing in the country. It is expecting to have a lower level of inflation rate in 2013 which might lead to an increase in the volume of economic activities in the country. The Fed is expecting that the current rate of change in overall prices is expected to fall to 1 to 2 percent from its current level of 3 percent within five years. According to the Fed the declining trend in prices of energy resources and other commodities will gradually help the economy to implement stricter monetary and fiscal policies being aimed at

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Eygpt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eygpt - Essay Example Soon anti-government protests were seen in Egypt, Yemen which later spread to Sudan, Jordan, and Algeria. The protests in Egypt however received international attention, as the country was the most influential, and the most powerful amongst all the Arab nations. On 25th January, thousands of protestors came down on the streets to demonstrate against the authoritative rule, protesting against the President Hosni Mubarak. President Mubarak responded by rearranging his cabinet ministers and appointing Gen. Omar Suleiman as the country’s Vice President, while removing the police department and replacing it with military forces. However, all these changes failed to make any impact on the protestors, and with the military refusing to assist the government, the voices demanding the removal of the President grew louder. At this time, many of the experts labelled this Egyptian revolution as â€Å"a leaderless revolution,† owing to the fact that there were virtually no opposition parties left in Egypt, owing to present regime’s policy of destroying all forms of political opposition, which simply left the banned group, ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ as the only organized party, outside the government. At present the opposing groups are being led by Mohamed ElBaradei (a Nobel laureate), and the Muslim Brotherhood. On 1st February 2011, President Mubarak, pledged to his nation that he would not seek another term in the next elections, would act against the corrupt leaders, and would conduct a free election later this year, however whether his pledges have calmed his citizens, yet remains to be seen. The US President Obama, in a press release had asked for â€Å"an orderly transition† in Egypt that â€Å"must begin now†Ã‚  (Jacob, AJC Perspectives: Upheaval in the Arab World, 2011). US involvement in this regards is imperative, as Egypt was always the greatest, and the most dynamic ally of America, amongst the Arab countries. While US ad ministration did not ask President Mubarak to resign immediately, it nevertheless supported the citizens’ endeavours, and called for democracy in Egypt, and declared that it would not stop the annual average $1.5 billion in aid, to the country. As Egypt and other Middle-East nations are slowly inching towards democracy and freedom, Lebanon, has however has taken a regressive step in the backwards direction, with the rise in power of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, which has led to a breakdown in the national coalition government leading to a crisis.   From the above discourse, it is clear that at present, sweeping reforms are taking place in the Middle East countries. These changes promise to transform the nations that have been repressed for many years, under the various dictatorial leaderships, leading to severe oppression of the common man, who was not allowed to express his thoughts and opinions, on any matter related to politics or governance. Reflections: A look back into the history of these regions, will show us that the present oppressive state of affairs, as perceived in the Middle East nations is mainly the result of the 1916 Agreement where both Britain and France, post WWI, strove their best to divide amongst themselves the riches of the destroyed Ottoman Empire. Under the treaty, these two colonial powers divided the empire into parts that â€Å"

Monday, October 14, 2019

Emergence of Religion following the Dark Ages

Emergence of Religion following the Dark Ages During the time period of 400-1000 A.D. also widely recognized as the Middle Ages (Dark Ages). The fall of the Roman Empire derived from its infestation of dishonesty, corruption, and horror. The growth of Christianity stemmed and spread like wildfire after 476 A.D. the official fall of the Roman Empire. (Henley Hergenhahn) Immediately people began to yearned and turn to Christian religious beliefs. As Christianity practice continued to be established, the claws of the church dogma did not take every longer to appear. The Christian church stood firm on the idea that religion and science could not be combined like water and oil. The church enforced their rules in a clever way and continued to build their strong foundation. Well known historical individuals in this time period are a significant key component in the continual growth of Christianity. The ministry of Jesus was a life guide for many people during this time. Individuals that seek divine intervention will be able to distinguish between right and wrong through God alone. (Miller, J. W. (2004) He brought hope to humanity and shed light on the choices that people have. Jesus to this day is known worldwide for his ministry and his influence in the Christian church. From that moment the gates of Christian belief swung wide open, and others began to experience God on a personal level. The most unexpected person in history became an essential instrument in the expansion of Christianity through his close encounter with God. Saul also known as St. Paul was a man formerly responsible for persecuting Christians, before his life transformation. His rebirth took place on the day that Gods glory was bestowed upon his life, and was privileged enough to be given a whole new name. (Simonson, P. (2003).ÂÂ   Not many well-known people have the honor to start a new beginning with a fresh new identity. From that life changing moment more than just his name changed. He could not contain himself from exalting and proclaiming the name of God. Paul became a new creation, and continued the work of many others that came before him. Eagerly and fervently he spread the Christian belief to everyone he encountered. However, it wasnt until Constantine endorsed Christianity as a religion that it became effective within the Roman Empire. He became afflicted and frightened by the size of the enemys army, but an unanticipated revelation gave him strength to pursue forward. As a result of the glorious revelation given to him a symbol was marked on their army shields. (McGrath,. (2006). It was a demonstration of hope, and a mere representation of the power of God that in the end delivered them. Constantine became convinced of the heavenly power that existed after his remarkable and triumphant win. It impacted him so much that above all other religions present at the time he chose to believe in Christianity. From that day forth a new chapter in history was created that would change science forever. Throughout history as time continued a man known as Augustine emerged into the Christian belief cycle. He emphasized and continued to help fortify the Christian belief of choosing between right and wrong (Talbert, E. L. (1938). Augustine took after the teaching of Jesus and in the same way believed that all individuals have been openhandedly given free will. As the legacy of the Christianity grew larger over time the magnitude of its power could not be ignored. People had a choice to make follow and believe the church and its practices, or face severe punishment. (Henley Hergenhahn) The church did not take kindly to members of society that expressed any degree of resistance toward there standards. Over time the church ignored the opportunity to advance and foster the growth of science. There leverage on society tarnished and prohibited any degree of criticism. (Henley Thorne (2005). For the most part of the Middle Ages (Dark Ages) science was lost and remained stagnant. In the eyes of the church science was unholy and corrupting humanity. Unknowingly, Christianity was at a loss early literature vanished during this time in areas that Church dogma prevailed. Meanwhile literature was found to flourish in the distant territory that belonged to Muslims. (Henley Thorne (2005). Muslims embraced the knowledge and creativity that led them to discover and grow as a society. Christians in the church became infuriated by the speedy advancements that the Muslims accomplished. Unable to sit back and watch the eight crusades were sent to attack the Muslims, in order to prove the supremacy of the church. (Henley Thorne (2005).ÂÂ   Regardless of Christianitys attempt to shut down the Muslims, the seed of knowledge and curiosity had already been planted. Muslims embarked on a journey filled of discoveries that were too grand to be kept under a bushel. The advancements they made instantly took off and cultivated the development of topics like: arithmetic, medicine and even science. (Hossain, K. I. (2013). Proficiency and knowledge rapidly grew in the area of the study of science. Proof of this occurring in history can be found through the accomplishments of the well-known doctor of medicine Avicenna. He is recognized as the finest medical doctor within that time period. (Heath, P. (1992). The title given to him was not an overstatement; Avicenna prepared the way for future medical innovations. He didnt simply just hold all of his knowledge to himself or believe that his title as a medical doctor was enough. Avicenna developed a sense of courage and wrote The Cannon, center around his medical findings. (Heath, P. (1992) He gave the development of science a gift that would change the world. Science becomes credible through an individuals ability to retest and arrive at the same conclusion. Ibn Al-Haytham introduced a new concept that would make ideas created to be more credible. He used the scientific method that is now widely known, and applied in research of today. (Heath, P. (1992).ÂÂ   Historical data written on Ibn Al-Haytham recognize him to be an actual scientist. All the work he did was cautiously crafted and tested in order to refrain from making unnecessary mistakes. Above all efforts on behalf of the Christian Church, the discoveries and progress made by Muslims could not be tamed. The Christian church once again got the opportunity of a lifetime to get a hold of the early literature and discoveries. However time and time again they became undeceive of how to react and implement the ideas within the church beliefs. (McGrath,. (2006). The church found the necessity to make appropriate modifications to philosophy in order to remove its un-holiness. The Churches ultimate goal was to maintain their stance that revolved around power above all other beliefs. As opposed to Muslims who had the desire and intelligence that unleashed science and criticism once again. It wasnt until Thomas Aquinas tested the Christian church that gave way for a new era to be created and soon rise up. He analyzed all angles that involved faith and science based on the concept of logic.( Hergenhahn, Henley (2014)ÂÂ   Unlike other Christians Aquinas viewed the ideas of faith and science differently. After all his investigation he came to the conclusion that science and faith have the ability to be observed independently.( Hergenhahn, Henley (2014)ÂÂ   Challenging the set church views caused turmoil, but proved that there is possibility Christianity had it wrong all along. Although Aquinas challenged the church, the meaning of faith was not diminished. The ideas of Aquinas created a critical moment in history for the Christian church. However, it took the works of William of Occam to change and end the powerful supremacy of the Christian church ( Hergenhahn, Henley (2014). William of Occam didnt discredit the work of Aquinas rather he recognized it to be accurate. The realm of precision in understanding all the different information can only originate from an individuals sensory experienceÂÂ   (Hergenhahn, Henley (2014) The idea of logic is more than just a thought process it is an essential instrument in better understanding the world. At last, science could continue to thrive outside of the parameters of the church. All of the scientific changes that occurred throughout the Middle Ages (Dark Ages) gave way from the development of psychology today. Reading about the remarkable scientific journey of history, leaves society with anticipation to see it continually grow for future generations to come. Nowadays, certain religious denominations have slightly been modified their beliefs but attempted to maintain their original faith. Regardless of all the historical turning points, its helped pave the way for us to currently have the separation of church and state. It is the possibility for an individual to be both a religious person, and a scientist that permits the growth of psychology. References McGrath, J. C. (2006). Post-traumatic growth and the origins of early Christianity. Mental Health, Religion Culture, 9(3), 291-306. doi:10.1080/13694670600615532 Hergenhahn, B. R., Henley, T. B. (2014). An introduction to the history of psychology. California: Wadsworth. Miller, J. W. (2004). Jesus: A Psychological and Historical Portrait. In J. H. Ellens, W. G. Rollins, J. H. Ellens, W. G. Rollins (Eds.) , Psychology and the Bible: A new way to read the scriptures, Vol 4, From Christ to Jesus (pp. 71-88). Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group. Bosanquet, B. (1892). Alexandrian and Greco-Roman culture to the reign of Constantine the Great. In , A history of aesthetic (pp. 77-119). New York, NY, US: Swan Sonnenschein Co. doi:10.1037/10826-005 Cook, W. S. (2012). Saint augustine and the spread of christianity. Western Journal of Black Studies, 36(3), 220-227. Retrieved from http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/docview/1346355387?accountid=7284 Henley, T. B., Thorne, B. M. (2005). The Lost Millennium: Psychology During the Middle Ages. The Psychological Record, 55(1), 103-113. Hossain, K. I. (2013). Understanding islam in the U.S. classroom: A guide for elementary school teachers. Multicultural Education, 20(2), 49-52. Retrieved from http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/docview/1496075832?accountid=7284 Heath, P. (1992). Allegory and Philosophy in Avicenna (Ibn Sina): With a Translation of the Book of the Prophet Muhammads Ascent to Heaven. University of Pennsylvania Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fhz90 Mora, G. (1978). Mind-body concepts in the Middle Ages: I. The classical background and its merging with the Judeo-Christian tradition in the early Middle Ages. Journal Of The History Of The Behavioral Sciences, 14(4), 344-361. doi:10.1002/1520-6696(197810)14:43.0.CO;2-H Shoemaker, L. A. (2011). BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY OF THEM! MINORITY STATUS IN THE MIDDLE AGES. Encounter, 72(1), 103-112. Retrieved from http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/docview/874991128?accountid=7284 Lay, R. (2006). Educating people of faith, exploring the history of jewish and christian communities. Christian Education Journal, 3(2), 421-425. Retrieved from http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/docview/205415537?accountid=7284 Simonson, P. (2003). Assembly, rhetoric, and widespread community: Mass communication in Paul of Tarsus. Journal Of Media And Religion, 2(3), 165-182. doi:10.1207/S15328415JMR0203_03 THE TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY. (2011). Kirkus Reviews, Lxxix(20) Retrieved from http://summit.csuci.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.summit.csuci.edu:2048/docview/913387439?a4ccountid=7284 Talbert, E. L. (1938). Saint Augustine sociologically viewed. Character Personality; A Quarterly For Psychodiagnostic Allied Studies, 763-67. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1938.tb02272.x

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Processes :: essays research papers fc

While working in procurement at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space in Sunnyvale, California, there were many processes in place that needed improvements. In this paper I plan to analyze how the organization I worked for improved its' processes. I will provide examples to support the processes and my own ideas for improving them. In my organization we purchased electronics for all the programs within Lockheed Martin that were based in Sunnyvale. Some of the processes that my organization was improving on were time management, [reducing time to place an order?] reducing the supplier base and reducing requirements. "The organization assigned the purchasing function usually has several functions and responsibilities. It must acquire items that conform to the requirements specified and obtain these items in time to support manufacturing schedules, and the items must be procured at a minimum cost." (Cappels[, page]) Our organization found that too much time was being spent getting the order to our department. The parts had to go through too many people before it finally reached our organization. The engineer began the process by filling out a form and sending it to a planner who would enter it into Sunnyvales' [Sunnyvale's] own computer based program called PROMIS. PROMIS would route the information to Quality Assurance (Q.A.) to have the proper requirements (called T-codes) added to the part. These requirements called out packaging specifications, supplier quality levels, and other provisions that may be required on a specific part. Once the T-codes had been applied, PROMIS directed the part to the correct purchasing organization. Once our organization received the order in PROMIS they would then direct through PROMIS to the correct employee who handled that specific commodity. Sometimes this process would take months [wow!]; sometimes it would take days. This often interfered with scheduling and meeting deadlines, which created line shutdowns. There was no really definite way to determine how long it would take a request to get to our organization to be purchased. One way our organization found to improve the routing process was to create "Quads" in which there would be one person from each department working together in one area attaining the same goal of procuring a part. This way if any problems occurred we had the correct person right next to us to resolve the issue. There were several times were [when? Where?] I needed to address some requirements that were placed on the order that I felt did not belong.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Loneliness of Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

The Loneliness of Hamlet Hamlet was a lonely, isolated character, with few friends, and little faith in humanity. His loneliness played a great role in his downfall, by alienating him from his friends and family and eventually taking control of his actions. He did not share the knowledge of his father's murder or the appearance of the ghost with anyone. He couldn't even trust his friends and family, and he hid his true feelings from his only love, Ophelia, driving her to suicide. These events lead eventually to his downfall, and could have been avoided by sharing his dilemma. Two of Hamlets friends, Horatio and Marcellus, were standing watch at the castle one night when they witnessed the first apparition of the ghost of Hamlet's father. They decided to confide in their friend, and tell Hamlet of what had taken place. The following night, the three of them all stood watch to wait for the ghost. It appeared, and informed Hamlet that his uncle, Claudius, had murdered his father. Immediately following this, Hamlet declared that the event must be kept in secrecy "Never make known what you have seen tonight (I;v;144)." In order to prove the validity of the ghost, Hamlet would have to find proof of his father's murder, without sharing his ideas with anyone. He decided to make believe he was mad, so that the members of the king's court could excuse his behavior as he plotted his revenge. However, as he kept to himself, he became overwhelmed by his "madness" and fell into a deeper state of loneliness, ignoring those close to him, as he contemplated the value of l ife. "...it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire-why it appears nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors...(II;ii;289)" As Hamlet tried to prove the murder of his father and have his revenge, Claudius discovered that Hamlet knew the truth. Claudius hired two of Hamlet's friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to spy on Hamlet in secret, "...be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no (II;ii;278-79)." Later on, Claudius and Polonius, the father of Ophelia, also spied on Hamlet when he was with Ophelia, trying to discover the cause of his madness "Ophelia, walk you here.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Crime Fiction Analysis Essay

Paul Darnell is a convicted sex offender who is released from prison and just three months after his release, a young girl is found raped and murdered just around the corner from the ex-con’s childhood home. As the investigators discover that his childhood victim area is in the same town as the girl who was raped and killed, they decide to arrest him for questioning and receive a warrant to search his house. They find a pile of â€Å"self help† DVD cases, which in fact hides criminal porn discs in them; as a result, Darnell is put on trial as a suspect to the case. Darnell tries to convince the jury that he has changed and his new found love, Judy, has changed him to make him into a considerate man who can control himself and his urges. Darnell wins the case and pleads not guilty for both the murder and rape of the past -victim girl. The investigators are left furious as a number of instances have seem to of proven Darnell’s guilt (such as following two girls home from school and his past offences of raping three young teenagers) and not long after Paul pleads guilty, he is found dead in Judy’s apartment, after he tried to rape her seventeen year old daughter. The daughter shot Paul in the head twice in self-defense, after his wrapped a garbage bag over her head to strike again. How does your source reveal information, ideas and an increased understanding of the issues surrounding your area of study? The area of study, being crime, is revealed in different varieties through out this particular episode of â€Å"Law & Order: UK. † Crime is a topic that is covered over a number issues such as theft, treason and rape + murder which is covered in this episode. There are many investigations, such as searching through the suspect’s house, going to his old neighborhood home etc. Interviews (with the suspect, witnesses, close acquaintances), identification (through photographs of both the victim and suspect) and court hearings (which occur quite frequently, which involve as many aspects as possible to help the jury decide whether Paul would be guilty or not) are all part of the tactics that the CSI team all go through to find the right person to fit the crime. According to medicine. com, a crime scene investigation (CSI) is defined as â€Å"the use of physical evidence at the scene of the crime and the use of deductive and inductive reasoning to gain knowledge of the events surrounding the crime. What are points of comparison between the source and your core text? * Between â€Å"Law & Order: UK† and â€Å"The Big Sleep† both investigating teams have tactics in order to find the suspected criminal/s. These are interviewing numerous people, asking around and getting hands on, in actually getting out into the field and doing work themselves. * Both have similar crimes involved: most common being murder. * Both involve a particular male / female role which is being victimised and criminal. Name of the source: Gangster Squad Type of source: Movie Area of Study: Crime Fiction Basic summary of the source content: â€Å"Gangster Squad† is a movie set in the late forties based on a true story set in Los Angeles. Mickey Cohen has become the most powerful figure in California’s criminal underworld, he is ruthless and controlling on both the legal and illegal sides of Los Angeles; he is known to have an â€Å"iron grip† over L. A. as nobody is willing to stand up to him in fear of the threatening gangster crew he carries around him. Until one day, the chief of Police, Chief Parker, has the idea to create a unit specialising in taking Cohen down to keep the city safe. A team is formed around Sargent O’Mara, who then asks four other police officers and a World War II Veteran to join his â€Å"gangster squad unit†. Another officer (Wooters) is asked to join the force but declines, as he is disillusioned from the war and his time on the police force. Wooters does although keep a close eye on Cohen and in doing so, becomes infatuated with his girlfriend / etiquette coach. As the team bugs Cohen’s house and keep a close eye on his surroundings, Cohen finds out in the process, and in result, the veteran is sacrificed. Things heat up and the plot turns into a full throttle war between the two squads after Cohen shoots into O’Mara’s home where his pregnant wife is at the time. Most of Cohen’s team is killed and later on O’Mara and Cohen go head to head in a boxing match where O’Mara wins and choen is jailed. How does your source reveal information, ideas and an increased understanding of the issues surrounding your area of study? There are more issues covered in this movie to deal with crime. Things such as blackmail, abduction, attempted rape (at the start of the movie), murder, theft, treason, adultery etc. Although this movie was based on a true story, crime fiction is used for entertainment purposes, which this is played up for that purpose. All of these different crimes make up a greater understanding of what is needed in a crime fiction story (detective, hard-boiled detective, red herring, crime, crime scene), which all relate back to the core text â€Å"The Big Sleep†, as there may be a different story line, the structure and purpose of each story is the same.