Organizational Theory and “The Heart of Change” Essay

The book The Heart of Change shows the practical side of the theories that are taught in the course textbook. It presents stories of successes and failures based in the application of concepts discussed in Organizational Behavior and Management and in class. Although we talked about several different concepts the ones that are evident in the examples in The Heart Of Change are the more progressive and individual centered approaches. The leadership characteristics that are important to successful change in an organization are those that are espoused in the transformational theory of management. It makes sense that ideals in line with the transformational management theory would be evident in a book about how to bring about positive change in an organization. Discussion A transformational leader essentially is about growth through change, about challenging the status quo, and staff to grow and perform it is about empowerment and all of those things are important in regards to the approach put forth in The Heart Of Change. A key theme in The Heart Of Change is that change is not brought about by statistical analysis or common sense, but it comes after changing the way that people feel about an issue. It is about connecting with the individual and bringing about an emotive response that motivates a change in behavior. And that is in line with one of the focal traits of a transformational leader. They are visionary leaders who focus who create the mission, focus and goals for the organization. Their approach to leadership is centered around the individual. This is important because for a leader to effectively implement change based The Heart Of Change they would have to be aware of they motivational factors of their employees so they know how do best address the intrinsic needs to change the attitudes of employees. The Heart Of Change shows that change does not happen simply by instituting different systems, but that people are the  force that ultimately determines how well an organization adapts change. That also relates to the leadership style of the transformational leader. They focus on the people as the key elements to bring change to an organization. Group Emotional Intelligence is a topic that we discussed in class that is essential to the type of change discussed in The Heart Of Change. The second stage of change is about putting together a team that is able drive the company towards its specific goal in regards to instituting change. There needs to be a strong force pushing the change and keeping the urgency up. It is understandably to much for on person to handle so there needs to be a team of interested, motivated people to act as that driving force. The three ideas of trust, sense of group identity, and group efficacy are essential to group effectiveness. The group that is at the forefront of the change action in an organization needs to exhibit a high EI. Not only because they need to be efficient, but because they are a model for the rest of the organization. This again relates to the character traits of the transformational leadership theory. Being a role model, showing others behaviors to emulate are what transformational leaders do, and this is what the change guiding group does as described in The Heart Of Change. Empowerment is an issue that is imperative to the change process. We touched on the idea of empowerment while exploring power, and politics in the workplace. Empowerment is important in regards to The Heart Of Change, because it is also about ownership. For change to be effective it takes an entire organization to believe in the change process. Through empowerment of the staff in the change process you are creating a sense of ownership for them in the process of change. Once they feel like they are an important part of the process it creates a sense of pride in their part of the process. In the workplace a sense of pride usually leads to a commitment to excellence in working towards the goals of the organization. Again this is a trait of transformational leadership. Transformational leaders encourage their teams and staff to be innovative, creative and encourage them to take risks. Empowerment is a tool, which is used to elicit the abovementioned traits in the staff, and drives the c hange. Organizational socialization is the way values; abilities, expected behaviors, and social knowledge of a organization are shared. It is based on creating an uniformity in mission, beliefs and actions. Socialization, in regards to the organizational change does not seem that it is an important issue in regards to affecting change in an organization. However, it is an integral part in sustaining any positive gains that have come from organizational change. After any sort of change occurs it must be accompanied with a change in the formal and informal socialization procedures to ensure they reflect the new organizational structure and culture. Effective socialization is imperative to ensure the change is long lasting. Updating Standard Operating Procedures for existing staff, as well as orientation procedures should reinforce the new changes for current staff, and introduce them to the new staff. Changing a system in simple. Sustaining a new culture and behavior in the workplace is difficult. People tend to revert to what is comfortable to them. In organizations that are in the process of implementing change is systems or culture, new people to the organization are the easiest to accept and adapt to the new changes. A new active socialization procedure needs to be adopted to address the veterans in the organization. They are the group that will be more apt to fall into old habits. Communication in the workplace is key to change, and is a theme that is throughout The Heart Of Change. Communication is important throughout several different stages of the change process as described in The Heart Of Change. There is a chapter in The Heart Of Change where they concentrate on communication of the vision and goals to the organization as a whole to motivate the members to buy into the vision. However, communication is very important during the first stage of change. In this stage the message communicated is the catalyst that will inspire the rest of organization to want to change. The communication should be tailored to evoke an emotional response, to motivate staff. The message can be we need to change, but the delivery of the message is has much to do its effectiveness. Also communication is important in the socialization aspect of sustaining  change. Within an organization communication comes in different forms. Procedures and rules are in the employee handbook, emails and memos. The culture of a workplace is transmitted through symbols and actions. The latter of the aforementioned communication is difficult and requires more effort to see that it is carried out in a manner that supports the organizational change. If there is a specific message, and vision that is to resonate with people and motivate them, all the actions of the leaders in the in the organization should reflect the message. Conclusion Change is a difficult process for an individual, but for an organization the difficulty grows exponentially. For an organization to change the actions and culture of everybody within the organization must change as well. There are the logistics involved in changing organizational structure. Then there is the task of changing the behavior of the employees as well. That is where the most obstacles will be found. The Heart Of Change offers a variety of experiences to highlight their theory in regards to the steps of successful change. Rooted in their theory are concepts that were discussed in class. Most of concepts that are evident in the change process theory are progressive and reflect ideas indicative of transformational leadership theory. The Heart Of Change has brought the individual concepts together and shown how they can work together to affect successful change in an organization. Reading The Heart Of Change shows how the powerful and effective the ideas that we learned about are, and how they can benefit us as we take leadership positions in our organizations.

Elements of Americas market economy in a global setting Essay

Mankiw (2006) characterize a market economy as an economic system where the production and distribution of goods and services through free markets and price systems (p. 7). The amounts of products produced are not pre-determined. At the same time, the amount of goods that will be used is not restricted but bound by market forces. Thus, producers and consumers through the interaction of supply and demand create the market by which products and services are consumed and used. The U.  S. is considered as the icon of this market system which is primarily based on Adam Smith’s capitalism (Rothbard, 2004). To fully understand the mechanism of a market economy, an understanding of its key elements is essential. Some of the key elements that will be discussed through this paper are property rights, competition, and profit. To facilitate this task, discussions will be based on the context of the U. S. market economy. The first element for discussion is property rights. Under the U. S. Constitution, property rights provide the owners of a real, personal or intellectual to exercise ownership, control and sovereignty over their proper (pp. 166-170). Thus, owners are able to utilize the property as they want to, use to gain benefit and protect it from harm. They have the right to benefit from it or from its use. The only constraint with the practice of these rights is that they should contravene any law or inhibit the rights of others (Mankiw, 2006). Competition is described to be the rivalry of individuals or parties because of common or dependent interest (p. 699). In a free market, Rothbard (2004) suggests that competition is the means by which markets determine which suppliers are best to meet demands. Similar to theories on evolution, the process of competition is a means to ensure quality. Thus, competition ensures that consumers are able to get the best product available. However, Rothbard also points out that competition is also a means of controlling the market internally or externally (p. 12-113). Profit is considered the ultimate goal of any economic enterprise. From an economic perspective, profits can be realized when revenues exceed the total cost of inputs (Mankiw, 2006, pp. 271-272). It is achieved when consumers have the capacity to buy a product at more than cost of suppliers’ production. In a simplistic model, profit is what is gained from using various economic resources. Thus, suppliers will continue to want to produce the product because of the economic incentive of its consumption.

People Skills or Technical Skills Essay

There are many efficient engineers working in software companies and the commonplace utterances like ‘coding error’, ‘build not functioning’, ‘new feature is not getting integrated’ , etc. are often heard in their workplaces. Soon after, one might witness meetings after meetings followed by night stay to fix the errors on a stringent deadline. All this is due to lack of people skills. People skills are the most valuable nowadays because large complex projects demand highly efficient people skills to assist in bringing an integrated final product. Bill Gates of Microsoft acknowledges the value of people skills, â€Å"Communications skills and the ability to work well with different types of people are very important. † he said, â€Å"Software innovation, like almost every other kind of innovation, requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other tasks, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs. Interpersonal skills are more important in the workplace than IT skills. † In a way projects are technical, but complexity arises as a result of cross-cultural variables, virtual teams, and the necessity to achieve more in less time. To resolve issues and gather technical skills in the competitive world, people skills are crucial. People skills can be defined, practiced, improved continually, and best learnt experientially (Flannes, 2006). A professional can be hired to assist with technical details but a manager with people skills are difficult to get. One of the quick turnaround time project experience shared by Charlie Poole (2001) on the website proves that people skills are more important to a team manager in a software development project. He was focused on rolling out a workable project structure with a set of stories as part of one integration cycle. For this he selected four programming core practices like continuous integration, small releases, onsite customer, and planning game. He did it successfully. When the project was kept in front of him, he had a few thoughts (all of which can be co-related to the seven important skills shown in bracket) about the project that had to move forward in just over three week’s time. He decided: I won’t waste time – (Responsibility) I’ll have to quickly turn tasks over to other people – (Communication Subtleties) I’m forced to recognize what parts of the project have most value – (Ability to Assess) I’ll do the simplest thing that works – (Innovative and Caring) People may be more willing to try out a new approach – (Individuals are not Fixed Objects). An effective team structuring, clarifying requirements before entering into real working scenario, effective planning are some good plans that helped him accomplish the desired results. Besides, Charlie had the ability to manage conflict and agreement in the first place to undertake a project and bring results in three weeks. Earlier, Charlie had the experience of being a team member himself and had grown as a lead and then as manager which gave a certain advantage in bringing the project to closure. By sharing his feelings on the web, Charlie aptly follows â€Å"Writing about thought and feeling in a journal,† which is considered to be one of the seven skills required for a manager. The rate of success in achieving people skills rely on how perfect one has been nurtured with the following seven important skills: 1) The ability to employ four interpersonal communication techniques. 2) The ability to conceptualize and apply four distinct leadership roles. 3) The ability to access individual differences. 4) The ability to motivate individual stakeholders and teams. 5) The ability to manage conflict and agreement. 6) The ability to mediate and manage professional and personal distress. 7) Writing about thoughts and feelings in a journal and competency in six active management skills. Acquiring these skills does not happen overnight. People who have been experiencing in the same domain performing at various levels will have the advantage of handling any crisis situation like Charlie as in the example above. Technical skills are typically easy to observe, quantify and measure. They’re also easy to train, because most of the time the skill sets are brand new to the learner and no unlearning is involved. The case with People skills is different. Another expertise, Russ Finney (Finny, White Paper) advises that having someone on the team who is familiar with the specialized knowledge surrounding selected technical environment provides confidence. Technical skills too have great values in assisting others, making suggestions, developing standards, and finally leading to leadership qualities. This implies that technical skills and people skills are not something far apart. A good technically skilled person has the chances of becoming a capable manager with people skills. If one wants to advance, he or she should never neglect People Skills Training. If you are like most IT professionals, pressed for time, overwhelmed by pending deadlines and working with limited budget dollars your training efforts should focus exclusively on acquiring new technical skills along with your people skills. References Finney, R. Winning Project Teams. Information technology management, White paper. Retrieved April, 18, 2009, http://www. itmweb. com/essay003. htm Flannes, S (2006). Effective people skills for the project manager: a requirement for project success and career advancement. Planning, Development and Support 131-29, 19. Poole, C (2001). Three week project turnaround. Retrieved April, 18, 2009, http://c2. com/cgi/wiki? ThreeWeekProjectTurnaround Retrieved April, 18, 2009, http://www. zdnet. com. au/insight/business/soa/Tech-skills-not-as-valued-as-people-skills-/0,139023749,339284581,00. htm

Coca Cola's Supply Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coca Cola's Supply Network - Essay Example Spain is a country in which over 21,000 fires happening every year and â€Å"coke recently helped to restore some of the forests around Madrid that have suffered badly from forest fires, planting indigenous species and building dams† (The Coca Cola Company: Spain, 2009). Moreover, Coke helps the countries to develop new environmental legislation and protection with its waste recovery or recycling operations. There are no other companies in the world which can claim the same popularity and wider supply chain networks than Coke. In short, the same popularity of Coca Cola products cannot be claimed by any other products, which is the reason why I chose this organization in order to analyse the supply network. The growth of Coke is phenomenal in some parts of the world and it is necessary to assist the growth prospects with the help of an updated logistics or supply chain management system. Keeping in mind that, Coca Cola is constantly updating their logistics channels, to enhance the capabilities of their distribution system. Route optimization, route planning and load building are some of the strategies adopted by Coke to improve their delivery system. Because of the developments in the infrastructure facilities, new and easy routes might be developed at different areas. Coke explores all such possibilities periodically so that they select the cheapest routes for distributing their products. Coca Cola is keen in incorporating new technologies into their logistics and supply chain operations in order to improve the services of their distribution channels. Recently, they combined their logistics and retail expertise with SAPs software-development talent to create applications to improve delivery to stores (Foley & Kontzer, 2004). The arrival of SAP software enhanced the capabilities of the account managers, delivery drivers, and

Health Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Information Technology - Essay Example The health care plan was implemented at Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings. The project increased the ability of the center with regards to taking care of patients (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p.1). HIT is useful to collect health information stored in EHRs such as registries, data, and inpatient billing systems that are used in facilitating patients care at the center. The development of Electronic Health Record project was facilitated by a variety of institutions, such as the Institute of Medicine increases the learning of health care systems. Besides, the use of the project was useful to enhance a broad range of clinical and public health activities critical to improving patient care. The project enhances applications such as quality measurement and reporting and public health surveillance of patients by the use of electronic health records (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p. 1). The key stakeholders in the implementation of the project include the cancer care outcomes research and surveillance consortium (CanCORS) and federal health information experts. CanCORS facilitates the use of EHRs to develop demographics, medical information and contact in five states.Moreover, CanCORS promotes study patterns of decision-making and treatment for colorectal cancers and lung patients while federal information technology experts focus primarily on the creation of incentives for health care provision by the use of EHRs (Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, 2010, p. 2). The stakeholders assist in moving the project forward by facilitating the utilization of the electronic health record systems in various health care centers. Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform. (May 2010). Using Information Technology To Support Better Health Care: One Infrastructure With Many Uses: Brookings, Washington, DC. Retrieved June 25, 2015 from

National Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

National Curriculum - Essay Example This paper approves that the patterns they describe are very characteristic of language maintenance and attrition among immigrant minority language groups worldwide, in English-dominant settings, when factors such as the degree of community integration/isolation, the nature of links between language and religion and the degree of contact with the country of origin are well documented as affecting language maintenance and transmission. This report makes a conclusion that the pupils generally saw little connection between their learning of the home language and formal foreign language learning in school. Just one pupil saw some positive connections between her earlier formal study of English as a foreign language in Iran and her present formal study of a European language, as this meant that formal grammar was not new to her. But as an effective learning method, this pupil personally advocated immersion rather than formal classes. One pupil commented that knowing several languages was a disadvantage, because she mixed them up; the others generally had little to say on the process of language learning, at most contrasting 'picking up' the language of the home with formal study. In the final instance of reported teacher interest, one modern foreign language teacher in School 3 was said to encourage her bilingual pupils, telling them that they should be confident about foreign language learning because of their earlier success. This was doubted however: 'you can't really; it's just the same as an English student you know, like knowing English, but having trouble with French'.

Biological Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Biological - Essay Example Policy makers as well as the public deserve to get adequate information on the scientific justifications behind the work of scientists, and also the moral justifications for their work, particularly in the cases that it raises moral questions (Smith, 2009). This paper will present a case against the use of nonhuman animals in biomedical research, with reference to pertinent ethical and scientific arguments. There is not a time, in the past, when a very honest and open debate regarding the scientific experimentation that uses animals was more important. A discourse about the use of animals in scientific experimentations is highly called for, taking into account that there are many moral, ethical and social dilemmas surrounding the use of animals in scientific experimentation (Conn and Parker, 2008). Through this paper, the author will present the case against the use of nonhuman animals in biomedical experimentation, with the aim of informing the public about the issues that need to be explored before the practice is legalized or allowed to continue. The criticisms leveled against the use of nonhuman animals in biomedical research are grounded on a variety of ethical and scientific arguments. Some of the criticisms presented against the use of nonhuman animals in biomedical research range from those questioning the validity of the scientific research to the advancement of human medical practices, to those questioning the ethical nature of such research. The first argument against the administration of biomedical research using animals is that the use of animals has remained debatable, with regards to whether it is ethically permissible and allowable (Rollin, 2006). This argument is supported by the moral philosophers that have presented moral/ethical issues that cannot dismissed without a good reason. It is important to take into account that the moral boundaries defining relations are dynamic,

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 2 CBT Essay

BHS 499 (Senior Capstone Project) Module 2 CBT - Essay Example Moreover, there were reports that 21 individuals have been documented to have waited for 24 months for their insurance and are struggling to survive (Robert M. Hayes, Deane Beebe, and Heidi Kreamer, 2007). Levit, Smith, Cowan, Lazenby, Sensenig, and Catlin reported (2003; p 155) that the US health care system which has tremendously developed, is found to be the most expensive in the world with a total spending that continues to increase. In fact, national health expenditures have heightened dramatically beginning 1970 from $73.1 billion up to $1.4 trillion as of 2001. Blumberg and Nichols argue, United States does not oblige their citizens to acquire a comprehensive health insurance unlike other industrial nations. Therefore, even if an individual has more than a single option for acquiring an insurance coverage, each option is linked with a choice as well as the opportunity cost of taking it. But are several people in US uninsured There are certain factors which have caused the increase spending in health care over time and consequently contributed by many Americans are uninsured. These factors are: The greater demand of consumers for health services, advances and costs in medical technology, the aging of the population, prevalence of chronic disease, introduction of new at the same time expensive technologies, health care labor market wage increases, increased spending on prescription drugs and changes in the insurance marketplace. These factors are said to be interrelated in the manner to which they propel health care spending. Inadequate health insurance throughout the nation, population characteristics, differences in employment patterns and public program eligibility standards vary one state to another (Hoffman and Wang, 2004; p. 33). On the other hand, President Obama also emphasized that his government will exert more effort to add $6 billion funds for National Institutes of Health Cancer Researches. National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a very importal health care agency that engage in the drug development process; from clinical trials program until drug discovery research. The agency also expedite discoveries of various interventions that are directed to save people's lives such as Cancer Research. Cancer research contributes in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of several major diseases (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). In the past years of flat budgets, NCI received about three percent (3%) budget increase.Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have demonstrated the breakthroughs that reduced and will still continue to reduce sufferings and allow people to live longer and healthier lives. However in the past, the NIH budget severely limited the large medical advances. B etween 1999 and 2003, there was supposed to be a 15% additional budget to the NIH but unluckily, there was only a 3.2 % increase in 2004; 2% in 2005; 1% in 2006 (the lowest percentage% increase since 1970); and out of 27 NIH institutes, the National Cancer Institute had the greatest appropriation with $4.84 billion (Alliance for Aging Research, 2009).According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMMS), health care expenditure is expected to transcend $3 trillion in the subsequent decade with just about Evolution of the Problem

The Benefits of Understanding Financial Ratios Essay

The Benefits of Understanding Financial Ratios - Essay Example Within the questions that were considered were the specific ratios CFAs use to measure liquidity, long-term debt paying ability, and probability; and what are the relative importance of specific financial ratios. While there were sixty-ratios considered, a number of prominent points emerged. In these regards, it’s noted that a single ratio oftentimes functions to measure more than one aspect of financial health. One example is that a ratio of days’ sales measures both liquidity and profitability. In terms of the most important financial ratio, analysts placed the most emphasis on return on equity after tax. b) Specification of thesis – main point The main point thesis of the article is that financial analysis places great emphasis on the corporate annual report and the financial ratios that examine it. A further thesis is that financial ratios have a varying degree of importance in terms of a variety of financial categories, specifically liquidity, long-term debt paying ability, and profitability. c) Supporting opinions/reasons There is a great body of research that supports the notion that financial ratios are an integral part of determining a firm’s financial performance. ... al to measuring a business’ financial performance and future viability; in addition they add the DuPont Ratio as a significant financial ratio for analysis. Financial ratios have also been extended to examine the financial strength of a firm when enlisting an underwriter before an IPO; this perspective was noted by Quantitative Applications in Economics & Finance (2008). Another prominent perspective was advanced by Kaufman (1995). Kaufman (1995) considered that bank failures are oftentimes linked and anticipated by the key financial ratio of low capital-to-assets. d) Opposing opinions/reasons While there are a number of strong elements supporting these understandings of financial rations, there are also a number of opposing perspectives. One perspective, as proposed by Ming-Yuan, Meng-Feng, et all (2007), argues that instead of financial ratios, behavioral determinants of firms’ oversees financing policies function as the primary analytic criteria. This study examined behavioral factors of, â€Å"(1) persistence behavior effects, (2) mental account effects, (3) the year of the company, (4) attraction effect, (5) character qualifications of managers and (6) overseas investment effects† (Ming-Yuan, Meng-Feng, et all 2007, pg. 183) in attempting to determine financial strength. The study revealed that there were statistically significant correlations between behavioral aspects and firms’ oversees financing decisions. Even more notable, financial ratios were not influential in these decisions. Another prominent consideration was that advanced by Pantos (2008). Pantos (2008) argues that previous arguments, specifically those of Emm and Gay (2005), that high concentration ratios can demonstrate significant risk implications in over-the-counter derivatives markets are

Calculating Our Impact on the Global Culture Essay

Calculating Our Impact on the Global Culture - Essay Example Using the same carbon footprint calculator, I changed the number of miles I drive annually to 10,000 miles and got a carbon emission reading of 4.88 metric tons of CO2 for car usage. This still gave me a total emission reading more than twice the national average. Aiming for a lower CO2 emission count, I next changed the type of car I drove to a 2006 Toyota Corolla with manual transmission and used the same mileage reading (10,000). For this type of car with this mileage, the calculator gave a reading of 2.85 metric tons. Reverting to my current mileage reading but with the Toyota, I was able to get a reading of 8.54 metric tons. The changes shows that the amount of C02 emission for my car usage actually depends on how many miles I drive or how often I use my car. Needless to say, I can decrease my CO2 emission by also decreasing my car usage. My total household CO2 emission reading of 27.00 metric tons is primarily composed of flights, car usage and secondary sources. After reviewing the Climate Crisis website, three easy measures I can adopt would be to a) start carpooling with my co-workers, b) take other means of transportation whenever I can to avoid driving and c) try meatless Mondays or other days. Three complex measures that can further reduce my CO2 emission from the same website can be a) insulating my home, b) switching to green power and c) protecting and conserving forest worldwide. After seeing the results of the Carbon Footprint Calculator, I am motivated to implement the measures I have enumerated above as soon as possible. Whenever I avoid driving, I can actually accomplish two good things. I spend less on fuel and generate less carbon dioxide. (Levinson, W. & Rerick, R., 2002) I not only help myself but I help nature as well. I am also willing to try using less meat when cooking for my family. â€Å"Another way to reduce the amount of energy needed

Cultural Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Event - Essay Example t in the modern world is the festival stands for reaffirmation of hope, religious tolerance, a renewed commitment to friendship, spreading the word of peace and harmony and above all, celebration of â€Å"simple joys of life†. For many Hindus, Diwali is also the New Year’s Eve and it is held on the final day of the Vikram calendar, a type of Hindu calendar followed by Indians from the Northern part of the country. The day after Diwali is known as Annakut and it is considered as New Year’s Day for Hindus living in the Northern part of India (Diwali Festival 498). Diwali is always in October and November on the Gregorian calendar (Hindu Council of Australia para 2-6). The festival is accompanied by various rituals with the choice of ritual to be performed by an individual depending on the location of that particular person. However, lighting of candles, electric lights and fireworks is the most common practice for many Indians when they are celebrating Diwali festival. As the name suggests, ‘rows of lights’ are lit in the new moon night as a way of welcoming Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and on Bengal, to honor the goddess Kali who is so honored (Hindu Council of Australia para 2 -6). In other words, Diwali is celebrated at night more than during the day. Indians attribute much value to the Diwali symbols since they consider them to bring forth the significance of Diwali. The symbols stand for happiness and prosperity which is celebrated with great zest and enthusiasm because Diwali many Hindus associate the festival with prosperity and wealth (Anon para3-9). Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi are the most important symbols of Diwali and people literally worship them on this special day. Lord Ganesha represents good luck whereas Goddess Lakshmi is believed to be the Mother of Wealth. Other common symbols include Earthenware, lamp fireworks, candles, Diwali diyas, fireworks and oil Diwali lamps just to mention a few. During this ramrkable day, people share

Qualities Of A Good Writer Essay Example for Free

Qualities Of A Good Writer Essay Whilewriterscomefromallwalksoflife,theysharecertainqualitiesthathelp themproducesatisfyingwork. Ifyouhavesomeofthesecharacteristics,youcould tryacareerincreativewriting. Alternatively,youcouldlookforcreativewriters withthesequalitiestoassistwithyourorganizationspublications. Creativewriters mightpublishpoetry,shortstoriesandnovels,buttheyalsoworkformanykindsof clients to earn their living. Creativewriterscraftnewworlds,producingdescriptionsofplacesandpeoplethat sendreadersontripsintheirminds. Theydothiswithnothingbuttheirbrainsand someformofwritingimplementbeitanold-schoolnotebookoramoremodern laptop. Whilenotwowritersplytheircraftintheexactsameway,some characteristics are common for many who are successful. Efficiency Creativewritersrarelyworkinoffices. Theymostcommonlyworkalone,makingit easyforthemtoslipofftaskandwhileawayadaythatshouldbefilledwith writing. Forsuccess,creativewritersmustbeefficientandfocused,sayswriter, editorandghostwriterMichaelJ. Dowling. Theymustbeabletoforcethemselves todowork,despitethedistractionsthatmayfilltheirworkspaces,whichareoften at home. Those lacking this quality will likely find their writing dreams fruitless. Research Abilities Thoughcreativewritersincludefictitiousdetailsintheyarnstheyspin,theymust  stillengageinresearchtomaketheirpiecesbelievable. Ifwritinghistoricalfiction, for instance, writers must research the time periods in which they set their stories to accuratelyportrayallofthedetails. Similarly,writersmustresearchthephysical placesinwhichtheysettheirtales,acquiringtheknowledgenecessarytopaintan authentic picture of that place in readers’ minds. Imagination Todreamupthestoriesthatmakecompellingcreativefiction,creativewritersmust havehighlydevelopedimaginations,accordingtoHelenaBlakemore,professorat theUniversityofEastLondon. Writerscanengageinexercisestobolstertheir imaginativeskills,butpossessingapre-existingabilitytoimagineandinventisa benefit to those beginning in this field. Confidence Producingacreativeproductisscary. AsJoeDunthorne,authorofâ€Å"Submarine,† statedinanarticlefortheBritishnewspapertheGuardian,nosafepathexistsfor writing. Tobesuccessful,writersmustbebraveandwillingtotakerisks. Ifthey lackthewillingnesstoputasidetheirworriesandforgeahead,theirwritingwill likely not be distinctive enough to be noteworthy. Ability to Focus Goodwritersunderstandtheparticularrequirementsofawritingproject. Itdoesnt matterwhethertheyreusingacreativeapproachforamarketingpublicationor  draftinganewchapterforanovel. Theyhaveanabilitytofocusonthewritingtask andcreateanoutlineordirectionforwhattheyllwrite. Focusedwritingiseasier forthereadertofollow. Unfocusedwritingfrustratesreadersandmayturnthemoff completely so they wont continue reading. Different Approaches Towritecreativeworks,writersneedareliableapproach. Somewritersbeginwith undisciplinedwritinganduseself-editingtotightentheirwritinginthenextstage. Otherwriterswillconsidermanydraftsofaparagraphintheirheadormakenotes onscrappaperandthenwritedownahighlyfocusedparagraph,whichusually requireslesseditingdowntheline. Somewritersareversatile,usingdifferent  approachestogettingideasonpaperbasedontheirmoodorthekindofwriting project theyre doing. Discipline Self-disciplineisessentialtowriterswhowanttosupportthemselvesthrough creativewriting. Withoutit,youllfinditdifficulttomaximizetheuseofyour writingtime. Ifyouhaveregularclientsoradeadlinetosubmitamanuscriptto youreditor,youmustdevoteadequatetimetowritingeachdayorweektoreach yourgoal. Disciplinemeansthatyoublockouttimeforwritingandproducea specificquantityoftextinthattimeblock. Ifyoudontachievethegoalfora writing session, you block another session in which to hit the mark. Because writing  deadlinesaretimedandspecific,youcantaffordtowastetimeinthecreative writing mode. Voice and Authenticity Allkindsofcreativewritingbecomemoreeffectivewhenreaderscanhearthe presenceoftheauthorsvoice. Insometypesofliterature,charactersalsohave differentvoicesthatcompeteforthereadersattention. Goodwritersfindtheir voice for a particular work or character and use it consistently for the entertainment ofthereader. Ifyouhaventfoundyourwritersvoice,usefeedbackfromreadersto guideyou. Ifyouwriteauthentically,yourvoicereachesthereader. Bycopying anotherauthorsvoice,yourvoiceisboundtofalter;itwontcomeacross consistently or genuinely to the reader.

The Palm Oil Industry In Malaysia Economics Essay

The Palm Oil Industry In Malaysia Economics Essay INTRODUCTION Summary of Research Palm oil also known as Elaeis guineensis. Palm oil is derived from the pulp, and it can be found from African palm. There are so many uses of palm oil, such as edible oil, soaps, candles, cosmetic and chocolates. The colour of palm oil usually red colored, it is because of content of palm oil. The red coloured content with two types of carotene, there are à Ã‚ °-carotene and ÃŽÂ ²-carotene. a-carotene contents with 30mg per 100 g, and ÃŽÂ ²-carotene contents with 30mg together with Vitamin E. Usually ÃŽÂ ²-carotene already removed and become a pale oil. Three content of pale oil, saturated vegetable fats, mono-saturated and the last one is polyunsaturated. Besides that, other than red colored of palm oil, there are yellowish-white colors and also known as palm kernel oil. It can be use to make a margarine and cosmetics. 1.1.2 Palm Oil History Palm oil has been found in West African countries. This palm oil is good to make cooking oil. The uses of palm oil that been introduced by West African and has attracted the European merchants to make an international trade between this two country in order to purchased palm oil. Ashanti Empire or Ashanti Confederacy plants a large amount of oil palm trees, while the King of Kingdom of Dahomey forbid whoever person from cutting the palm oil trees. This uses of palm oil have been attracted the Britains Industrial. And the value of palm oil increased because of the demand from British Traders. Besides that, palm oil also can make soap, for example, Sunlight Soap and the Palmolive brand. A country such as Ghana and Nigeria becomes a primary export from West African but in year 1880 this export of palm oil was overtaken by cocoa. 1.1.3 Research of palm oil in Malaysia. Research and development (RD) began to expand the oil palm breeding in 1960s. This activities implemented after the establishing the Malaysias Department of Agriculture. The government also provided a college to train society how to plant palm oil. For example, the government established Kolej Serdang and now become Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (UPM). This university encouraged the graduates student to conduct research related to the palm oil. Malaysia. In year 1979, government established Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM). This institute support from UPM and B.C Sekhar as a founder and chairperson also support Porim to be a coordinated institution. Porim also giving the opportunities to society especially the scientist to do RD related to the uses of palm oil. In year 2000, Porim changed to Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). Nowadays MPOB become well known at the international country. 1.1.4 Bright future of palm oil in Malaysia Few years ago, the income from palm oil production has become the big contribution to Malaysias Economy. Because of the income gain from palm oil, many palm oil companies can give the employee bonuses every year. Besides that, oil palm shareholders also get the benefit of selling the palm oil. Industry of palm oil said that, the price of palm oil will maintain every year depends on the economic condition. Because of production of palm oil has contributed to Malaysias economy, the changes of palm oil prices in Malaysia always published in newspapers. It is good for rural area, because rural areas are the biggest hectares in palm oil plantation. As we know, price of palm oil influenced by the production of palm oil, import and export, and then global economic condition. If the global economic become more slowdown, it will the major fact that the importer will less confident to the production of the palm oil in our country. If the prices of palm oil decrease, we can replant back the palm and reducing supply. This can help the prices of palm oil increase back. Besides that, nowadays, many new developments in technologies also can increases the production of palm oil. 1.2 Problem Statement Price of palm oil always fluctuated depends 4 factors. The 4 factors are production of palm oil, export of palm oil, consumption of palm oil, and land area in plantation of palm oil. The problem of this research is difficult to seek the data in internet. To find this data, we must find it at statistic department besides of UMS. 1.3 Research objective This research has an objective that to find a factor that influence the price of palm oil in Malaysian palm oil market. After find the factor, we must find the relationship between this four factors to the prices of palm oil. to find this relationship, we must test it one by one using econometric. 1.4 Significance of the research Researcher This research suitable for the researchers who wants to gain knowledge and information about palm oil in Malaysia. All this information gather from internet, journal, and by result from E-Views. So all society especially researcher will gain knowledge on the study about determinant of the price of palm oil in Malaysia. Palm Oil Industry The palm oil companies also can get benefit from this research by knowing the factor that will influence the price of palm oil respectively. If palm oil companies already knew what the factor can influence the price of palm oil, the palm oil companies increased the export of palm oil and our country also can get higher income because of the production of palm oil. Labor Study Labor can know what are the big factor that can influence the price of palm oil, and then can their can increase performance in terms of work quality and many more. 1.5 Scope and Limitation of the study The scope of this study is around Malaysia and the data collected on production of palm oil, export of palm oil, consumption of palm oil, and plantation of palm oil in land area (hectares). This data from year 1980 to 2009, involved 29 years. The data for 2010 also hard to find because year 2010 is not finished yet. So the data for 2010 is not stated yet. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The previous study has been made to understand the impact of palm oil based-biodiesel demand on palm oil prices (Ramli; Roslan and Ayatollah, K 2007). Nowadays biodiesel has become an important fuel to our society. It is because of the growing concern for the environment. Demand for the biodiesel has become higher, and that effect to the amount of palm oil that we can get in the market that putting its prices increased sharply since July 2006. That days, the prices of palm oil influenced by the stock, supply, production. From July 2006 onwards, biofuel become a serious fuel of his renewable production. Biodiesel mainly from palm has increased the demand and altered the economics of palm oil. This study using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). This method has been proven to forecast from July 2006 to end 2007 to forecast the prices of palm oil. Supporting to this journal, the prices of petroleum and vegetable oil down to be moving slowly together. (Anna Awad, Fatimah, 2009). This previous studies have been made to find the long term relationship the prices of crude oil and vegetable oil. They were using the Engle-Granger two-stage to do the method. This study use data over the period from January 1983 to March 2008. The two products show the result of the strong evidence of a long relationship. Began in the 1970s until 21 century, the price for all commodities increased between January 2000 and March 2008. The increased of the prices caused by the increased petroleum price more than 300%, while food prices increased 107% during the same period and vegetables oil increased of 192%. Besides that,(Mohd Nasir, 2003) said that Malaysia is the largest producer and Indonesia is the second largest producer. This two country is the exporter where they contribute 89.6% of palm oil trade in the world and 83.5 % of production. They also export crude palm oil (CPO) and other than that processed palm oil (PPO). The Malaysia exporting quantities of CPO increased from 0.4 million tones to 1.3 million tones in 2000 and 2001, followed by exports of Indonesian CPO increased from 1.8 to 2.0 million tones. Both countries also contributed PPO which is the larger share of palm products. CPO and PPO in Malaysian were lower than Indonesia in 2001 and 2002. Both countries products imposed by the tariffs with the objectives initially raising revenue. For example, in Malaysia is to encouraging down stream while for Indonesia it reflected to consumer down. Both countries have been imposed taxes on export, and there is a difference way the exports duty payable. (Ahmad Borhan and Mohd Arif, 2009) said that the prices of palm oil and it comprises crude palm oil and processed palm oil is a strong indicator of the level of palm oil stock. The stock of palm oil has been hovered around 1 million tones. With this amount, the volume has become the psychological which prices tend to be increased and decreased. The end of stock fully depends on the export of palm oil and its production. While local usage and import play smaller roles. The Malaysian palm oil industry has estimated that 1.8 million tones could become the new level of palm oil stock. But it all depends on change in the demand and supply factors. (James, 2008) said that the prices of crude palm oil (CPO) has a strong relationship with stock according to the conventional economics. The economics of oils and fats had changed in the last two years, that cause both prices and rising in tandem according to traditional economic theory. Because of created the new role played by biodiesel, the strong signs of a linkages also created. The palm oil prices should take into one account of two factors, the petroleum price and the amount of oil stocks. The price band can determines by prices of petroleum. While the stocks can show high or low palm oil prices. Malaysias economic development has indeed been impressive by the contribution of the palm oil industry. (Sabri, Salmiah,Faizah and Nik Abdullah, 2008). It also changing the market trends and rapid development and has continued to pose challenge. The development of oil and fats industry are provides and has undergone in terms of world balance. In the previous journal, (Mohd Basri, Mohd Arif, and Jamil, 2008) long time ago, the prices of palm oil have been increased, especially to the supply and demand of fats and oil. But since mid 2006, spikes have become more sustained. Besides that, spikes also been attributed to the supply and demand of edible oils and fats and also to the increasing demand for the fuel. Because of the increased of palm oil, the demand curve shifted to the right. The prices of oils have been increased slightly. (Ayat K Faizah, Ramli Abdullah and Nurul Hufaidah, 2007) study on how to examines volatility spill over. The study focus on between the domestic prices of palm oil and what major factor to the prices volatility. From the research, palm oil has moderate price volatility. And effort should be made to sustained the price of crude palm oil (CPO) to minimize volatility in other prices caused of the prices of (CPO) become a price leader among the other palm oil products. There was a model to develop to forecast prices of palm oil products in domestic. (Ramli and Mohd Alias, 2006). Malaysia also known the worlds biggest exporter of the palm oil and associated with palm oil. Because of the largest exporter the world, it become important for the country to lead the commoditys production and its price and can be used to determine the country revenue or in process of decision making. The objective of this paper is to analyses them econometrically and to forecast. The paper forecast that in the future, the production of palm oil can increased. By 2020, the production of palm oil can reach 22 million tones. Prices of palm oil also can fluctuate but in the future, its amount of prices increasing gradually. (Basri; Mohd Fauzi; Mohd Noor Mamat and Rosli, 2007) analyses the impact of lifting the export tax on Malaysian crude palm oil. Firstly, the equation is developed, especially on processed palm oil (PPO) and crude palm oil (CPO). The study comes out with the conceptual model of the Malaysian palm oil market model, such as the palm oil supply, oil palm area, imports and exports of palm oil products, domestic consumption, domestic price relationship and stocks According to (Ahmad Borhan, Faizah, Mohd Arif, Norhanani, 2006), said that oilmeals, such as Soyabean meal (SBM) especially an animal feed competes with Malaysian palm kernel expeller (PKE). The competition exists among this two company because of the competitive price. The increasing production also will affect the condition of Malaysian PKE. Future development of the Malaysian PKE depends to world livestock market. (Ahmad Borhan, Mohd Noor, Mohd Arif, Norhanani, 2007) said that, the commodity trade will effected by the local demand and also become the risk to the physical commodity. The forecasting method need to apply to forecast the price of palm oil in the future. Hedging can be improved by using the expected trends. The behavior of crude palm oil (CPO) can be determined by doing this work. This work also compared the forecasting CPO in Malaysia. It was introduced in 1980 and become the price discovery for hedging in pegged the prices. Good based can be determine by processing of price discovery especially on its demand and supply. Through arbitrage, the future price of palm oil is realized in terms of aggregate level. (Fatimah, etal, 1994) using Box Jenkins technique, forecasting method, can predict the palm oil futures prices whether to perform better or not. According to (Faizah, Ayat K, Mohd Nasir, 2006) fluctuate export markets and prices due to the current economic. Because of this, government giving full attention the price of export demand. The good demanded will be present by the price elasticity of demanded. Besides that, the demand for exports can predict by looking for export demand elasticity. Malaysian becomes largest share in the export and this export elasticity is important to estimates in order to maintain the production of palm oil. Only the changes of the prices of palm oil will have a big effect to the export of palm oil. Recently, the edible oils and fats has become substitutability products. Malaysian palm oil can be influence by the number of factor, and its the most important to structure the international market. Palm oil prices will compete with other, for example edible oils and make the palm oil prices significant. It was said by (A B, Ma, Chow, H Hamdan, Choo, 2006) every country depends on the energy and this energy becomes a key factor to country to develop in the future. Oil palm industry has been build factory to generate steam and from electricity. In our country, there were 395 factories that processing 84 million tones fruit in year 2005. (Yusof, Mohd Arif, 2005) found that, palm oil such as an export oriented commodity is not easy to predict in the future. It involves investigating the past performance of the palm oil. They make an overview about the palm oil industry, about the background, recently and in the future development. Long time ago, production of palm oil is lowest among the soyabean oil and animal oils. But, recently the production of palm oil is the number two in our country and the production exceed 29 million tones follow by soyabean oil and animal oils. It is expected that palm oil production can reach 37.15 million tonnes in 2020. This production of palm oil will contribute to world oils. Malaysia become the largest producer in the world and try to maintain the position in producing 42% tonnes to the world demand of palm oil. Conceptual Framework Independent variable Dependent var. Factor/supporting Price of palm oil Relationship Production (supply) Export Consumption Land area (Hectares) Independent variable There are 4 factors that influence the price of palm oil. There are production (supply), export, consumption and land area in hectares. This independent variable also can support the price of palm oil. Production can influences the prices of palm oil by the supply in the market, the more supply in the market, the more it can influences the prices of palm oil. It means that, if the supply exceeds the demand of the market, many unit of production are waste because of the demand not equal to the unit of production in the market. So to increase the demand in the market, firm can reduces prices of the production in order to attract the demand of the market. Low prices of the production can increased the demand of the production in the market. Export also can influences the prices of palm oil in the market by having a export more than import in the market can make a country deficit in terms of profit. Same like production, but export trade in other country and make an international business in order to gain profit. If have much demand in palm oil from other country, it means that, we should export more to achieved the demand from other country. From this situation, our country can take advantages to increase the prices of palm oil respectively. Consumption also can influences the prices of palm oil. It depends on how the consumer fully utilized the use of palm oil. If the consumer already knew the use of the palm oil, easy to them to know how important the palm oil in our society. Because of that, the consumer will ask for the palm oil and directly increased the demand for palm oil. Other than that, land area of plantation also can influences the prices of palm oil. If we plant more trees of palm oil in land, we are producing more palm oil in the market. If the supply of the palm oil in the market exceed than demand, than many surplus to that product. So to overcome this problem, firm must reduced the prices of palm oil to attract consumer to buy the palm oil. But it is good to the firm if the demand more than supply, then the firm can increased the price of palm oil in order to gain profit. Dependent variable The price of palm oil is depending to this four factor, this four factor can influences the prices of palm oil whether wants to increased or decreased. CHAPTER THREE DATA AND METHODOLOGY LEAST SQUARE METHOD (SINGLE REGRESSION) and (MULTIPLE REGRESSION) The framework developed in this study is drawn both from econometric method (which is based on the economic theory) and the system dynamics approach. This section discusses the econometric model using least square method. Its to correlate and examine the relationships among dependent variable and independent variable. It is a economic theory form with statistical methods. Factor determinants of prices of palm oil in Ringgit Malaysia (RM). consists of 4 factor that influence the price of palm oil, there are production (supply), export in tones, consumption of palm oil and land area of plantation of palm oil in hectares. The first step is finding time series data from 1980 to 2009, which influence the price of palm oil to make a research and then describe it according to the econometric model. To regress the econometric model we must use the data which influence the prices of palm oil. So this 4 factor is the important data to make a research. After regress, we can identify relationship between dependent and independent variables. These 4 factor also known as independent variable and price of palm oil also known as dependent variable which price of palm oil depend on this 4 independent variable whether to increase or decrease. The prices of palm always fluctuate depend on this 4 independent variable. To test this independent variable had a relationship between prices or not, the econometric model by using least square method use to test one by one of this independent variable whether this independent variable has a relationship between dependent variable. But before regress, we must test the variable using unit root test to make sure the probability below 0.05. This is because, we must make all variable significant before regress the data and know what difference we should use before regress data. After that, we log the data to make all data less problem in autocorrelation and less problem in multicollinearity. After test this econometric model, we look to the T-statistics, R-squared, Durbin-Watson stat. if t- stat are less than 2, this means that there is no relationship between independent variable and dependent variable and also known as is not significant. If more than 2, there is a relationship between independent variable and dependent variable. After test one by one, we should regress all dependent variable using multiple regress because of explanatory variable is more than one to check whether all independent variable significant or not. 3.1.1 Collecting of Data Primary Data Using the previous journal and summarize that journal to give the information about this research. CHAPTER 4 4.1 RESULT AND FINDINGS Unit root test Unit root test of price of palm oil using first difference to make the data stationary. Null Hypothesis: D(PRICE) has a unit root Exogenous: Constant Lag Length: 4 (Automatic based on AIC, maxlag=7) t-Statistic   Ã‚  Prob.* Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic -2.998437   0.0493 Test critical values: 1% level -3.737853 5% level -2.991878 10% level -2.635542 Graph of Price Explanation. As we can see graph above, the price of palm oil is fluctuated, but recently, the prices of palm oil increased and then drop back. Unit root test of production using first difference to make the data stationary Null Hypothesis: D(PDC) has a unit root Exogenous: Constant Lag Length: 0 (Automatic based on AIC, maxlag=5) t-Statistic   Ã‚  Prob.* Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic -3.998301   0.0047 Test critical values: 1% level -3.689194 5% level -2.971853 10% level -2.625121 Graph of Production Explanation. The production of palm oil in our country decreased every year because of other competition from Indonesia. Our country compete with Indonesia in terms of production because last time Indonesia is a second largest producer in the world and recently, Indonesia already becomes the world largest producer in the world follow by Malaysia. So our country production of palm oil decreased because of world demand has two choices to import the palm oil. Unit root test of land using first difference to make the data stationary Null Hypothesis: D(LAND) has a unit root Exogenous: Constant Lag Length: 0 (Automatic based on AIC, maxlag=7) t-Statistic   Ã‚  Prob.* Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic -4.664706   0.0009 Test critical values: 1% level -3.689194 5% level -2.971853 10% level -2.625121 Graph of Land Explanation. The hectares of land in our country also increased year by year because of people already know that plant palm oil can make bulk of profit to them. Besides that, the planters increased the hectares of plantation because government enhances them to plant the palm oil by giving them awareness and so on. Unit root test of export using first difference to make the data stationary Null Hypothesis: D(EXP01) has a unit root Exogenous: Constant Lag Length: 0 (Automatic based on AIC, maxlag=3) t-Statistic   Ã‚  Prob.* Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic -3.609207   0.0121 Test critical values: 1% level -3.689194 5% level -2.971853 10% level -2.625121 Graph of Export Explanation. Our export in our country also decreased year by year, it is related to our production in our country. This is because of Indonesia also export the palm oil in the world. So the world demand has two choices whether wants to import from Indonesia or our country. Unit root test of consumption using first difference to make the data stationary Null Hypothesis: D(CNSPTN) has a unit root Exogenous: Constant Lag Length: 0 (Automatic based on AIC, maxlag=7) t-Statistic   Ã‚  Prob.* Augmented Dickey-Fuller test statistic -4.569870   0.0011 Test critical values: 1% level -3.689194 5% level -2.971853 10% level -2.625121 Graph of Consumption Explanation. Our consumption in our country also decreased in our country. Single regression Least square method-POPt=+bX Between dependent variable and independent variable Variable C Std-error T-stat R-Squared DW-stat Prob D1LNPROD 0.329321 0.177300 1.85 0.113301 1.751273 0.0742 D1LNEXP 0.855506 0.254039 3.36 0.295760 1.816493 0.0023 D1LNCONS 0.171866 0.270477 0.63 0.021939 1.704933 0.5332 D1LNLAREA 0.097365 0.389766 0.24 0.678609 0.571303 0.8046 TABLE ONE Analysis of data: Used e-view to regress and estimation using Ordinary least square based on dependent variable and independent variables from the data collected. Before regress the data, must do the unit root test to make sure the data stationary or not, after that log the data to reduce the problem of autocorrelation and multicollinearity. Then use first difference method because it is already mention in unit root test to check using first difference method. List of Equation PPOt=price of palm oil in the market PROD=production of palm oil(supply) EXP=export of palm oil to the world demand (tones) CONS=consumption of palm oil in this market L.AREA=landarea of palm oil plantation in Malaysia (hectares) Result of regression between POPt and PROD Dependent variable: POPt and Independent variable: PROD POPt=0.054234+0.329321t The coefficient above shows that the relationship between price and production of palm oil is positive relationship. It means that, 1 unit increased of production of palm will lead to increase price of palm oil by 0.329321. t-statistic=1.85 Reject Ho, because there is no significant relationship between price and production because t-statistic shows that it is significant and below 2. So production cannot influence the price of palm oil respectively. R-Squared =0.113301 Explanation. There are 11.33% of the changes in the dependent variables. Only independent variable can explain the dependent variable. 88.67% cannot be explained by the regression analysis due to some omission of independent variables. In other words, this R-squared show the weak relationship between dependent variable (price) and independent variable (production). Its mean that, when independent variable change 1%, dependent variable will change by 11.33%. So, we can concluded that independent variable and dependent variable has a weak relationship because of the R-Squared is low. Std-error=0.177300 Explanation. The smaller the value of SEE, the closer the data points/actual points to the regression line. DW-statistics=1.751273 Explanation. There is a less problem in auto-correlation because DW shows value almost than value 2. If the value of DW shows above 2, means that there is no problem in autocorrelation Probability=0.0742 Explanation. The variable is significant at 0.05 (5%) significant level or 95% confidence level. If the probability is less than 0.05, it means that 95% confidence interval accepted and there is a relationship between dependent variable and independent variable. The independent variable for the production is 0.0742. This production of palm oil (supply) cannot influence the price of palm oil. Its because if the production is too many in the market, the price of palm oil will not effect because society only concern for the basic needs such as shelter, food and society not concern for the production of palm oil. Same like if the production of palm oil is low, it will not influence the price of palm oil because society not really wants the uses of palm oil. Result of regression between POPt and EXP Dependent variable: POPt and Independent variable: EXP POPt=0.063604+0.855506t The coefficient above show the positive relationship between price and export. It means that, 1 unit increased export of palm oil will lead to increase price of palm oil by 0.855506 t-statistic=3.36 Also accept Ho, because there also a relationship between price and export because t-statistic shows that it is significant and above 2. So export also can influence the price of palm oil respectively. R-Squared=0.295790 Explanation. There are 29.57% of the changes in the dependent variables. Only the independent variable can explained the dependent variable. 70.43% cannot be explained by the regression analysis due to some omission of independent variables. R-squared show the weak relationship between dependent variable (price) and independent variable (export). It can be explained when independent variable change 1%, dependent variable also will change by 29.57%. we can concluded that independent variable and dependent variable has a weak relationship because of the value of R-squared is low. Std-error=0.254039 Explanation. The smaller the value of SEE, the closer the data points/actual points to the regression line. DW-statistics=1.816493 Explanation. There is a little bit problems in auto correlation because DW shows value almost 2. Probability=0.0023 Explanation. The variable is significant at 0.05 (5%) significant level or 95% confidence level. If the probability less than 0.05, it means that 95% confidence interval accepted and there is a relationship among dependent variable and independent variable. The independent variable for the export is 0.0023 and this export of palm oil (supply) can influence the price of palm oil. The price of palm oil will influence if the export more than demand from other country. This kind of scenario happened because its good to decrease price of palm oil to the trading country, so that the trading country can buy with cheapest price. But if the export less than demand from other country, it will influence the price of palm oil, because our country can sell with high price in order to get more profit from other country. It happen when the shortage of the production and demand will keep increasing every year and the export are limited. Result of regression between POPt and CONS Dependent variable: POPt and I

We Should Send Our Parents To Retirement Homes

We Should Send Our Parents To Retirement Homes In ancient time, filial piety is regarded as one of the virtues to be held above all else: a respect for the parents and ancestors, which means to be good to ones parents, to take care of ones parents and be definitely obedient to their parents in any case and do whatever their parents require. Parents have the supreme control over their children in traditional family. Filial piety has long been the virtue of the Chinese people. As time goes by, things have changed a lot. Parents power has weakened a lot. Recently the article Dear Son Mother Wants To Be A Dog in Your Home was widely spread among netizens in Q-zones, blogs and forums (na.2010). When I first read this article, I could not withdraw my tears. I believe anyone with conscience who has read it will be deeply moved and feels sorrow for the old women. It is high time that we considered the old-age support in our country. I think we should send our parents to retirement homes in the future. I divide my argumentation into two parts. The first part is about people in rural areas and the second part is about people in city. Part I Point 1 According to Wang (2008), The traditional family structure has collapsed and is replaced by one-child family pattern'(P.28). As the number of children reduce , the old-age support situation becomes more serious for the rural people. It is predicted that in the future every young people has two to four old people to support (Qin,J,2009,P32). It can be extremely difficult for these rural people with low incomes to sustain so many old. In order to relieve the pressure, it will be a good choice to send old people to the nursing home to pass their old age. Besides, it is also the governments responsibility to plan the budget for old-age support to help those poor young people. Thus, we can at least guarantee the old peoples basic living needs if we send our parents to a retirement home. We get someone to take care of them in the nursing home. When they are hungry, they have something to eat. When it is too cold or too hot, they have clothes to wear. When it rains or heats, they have room s to shelter. When they are ill, they can turn to the doctor in time. The most important thing is that they can turn to someone to help when an emergency happens. In this way, the tragedy like Dear Son Mother Wants To Be A Dog in Your Home will never happen again. Point 2 In rural areas, the necessity to send parents to a nursing home seems greater since old people in the countryside lead a much more difficult life than city people. Old people are often ignored or maltreated by their children in rural areas because they can not earn any money or work any more. Much of the family income is spent on the young children while very little even no money on the old people. According to Fan (2010) There is a shocking fact that the elderly suicide in rural areas are among the highest reported in any country in mainland China(P.84). It can not be denied that the rural elderly suicide has much to do with the ignorance and maltreatment of old people. To many old people, they had to stand the ill-treatment. Because they beileve domestic shame should not be made public. So to send old people to a retirement home can be a good way to protect their rights. Point 3 Another reason for sending rural old people to nursing home is that they can meet, play with people of the same age and feel less lonely. Nowadays young people go to work in downtown and bring their children together. They are busy with their work and seldom return home to see their parents. Many old people suffer from loneliness most of the time at home. So why not send the parents to a retirement home? In the retirement home, they can express and share opinions with other old people. It can be much convenient for them to play chess, mah-jong and do sports together. Part II Point 1 Like rural old people, those who live in the city slao suffer from loneliness. As Cai (2009) has pointed out that China is still a developing country, the advanced population aging has declined the economy development and caused further challenge to the under-funded pension system(P54). To be a 1980s generation, we are under great stress. In order to survive in the city, we have to work hard to pay off home loan, car loan, pay for food, drinks, clothes, water bill, electric charge childrens education and old-age support. We are busy with our work. We eat fast food,work extra hours come and go in a hurry. Life in the city is busy. Things changes rapidly. Little do we have time to spend with our family. Â ­ Point 2 The generation gaps between children and parents,grandchildren and grandparents are wide. Old people often find it difficult to catch up with the time, their children and grandchildren. For example, young children may find it interesting to search the Internet and play on-line games at home on weekends while the old people would like to go out to chat with some acquaints. Â ­ Its obvious that there are a lot of differences between old people and young people, such as their appetites, interests and values. These differences have caused much inconvenience for old people to live with children. Many old people in city suffer alienation and loneliness. It can be wise to send parents to a retirement home where they can find people of similar interest and hobbies. As people in the city generally worry little about their basic necessities, all they want is a light heart. With people of the common language, they can confide to each other, get rid of worry, feel understood and more valued. Point 3 Besides, the housing price continues to be high. It can be a great burdon for young people to purchase a larger house with special rooms provided for old people. As Luo Jiang (2009) state that the average housing space is only 7.1 squaremeters in the city (P50). The intense housing shortage has become a common and outstanding issue. In this background, it can not be a better choice than to send parents to nursing home. Objection However, some people may argue that it is not in accordance with filial piety to send our parents to retirement homes. It may sound unreasonable if one just sees the superficial and doesnt go deeper. However, imagine that you leave your old parents helpless in the rural areas, will you be guilt? So why not send your parents to the downtown retirement home? It isnt it nice for them to be in a convenient place which may be closer to where you work? Just think about leaving your parents with no one to talk to in the box house and getting old gloomily, do you feel sorry for them? So why not bring changes to it and send your parents to the retirement home where they can find some companions and live a more meaningful life? The most important reason is that old people should learn to be independent. As Russell(n.d.) wrote: A successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. And the best way to overcome death is to make ones interests gradually wider and more impersonal,until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede,and ones life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.(P93) As Russell has pointed out that its important for old people to guard against clinging too much to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. The nursing home can be a good place for old people to develop their own personal interests involving appropriate activities. Only when old people have strong wills can they enjoy a happy life no matter what difficulties they are faced with. Conclusion Because we are busy making money to support the family and dont have time to take of them, and the unevitable differences between old people and young generation, and the high housing price and the unability to both buy houses and support the old, we have to send our parents to a retirement home in the future. This is not to say that sending our parents to the retirement home is the whole thing. Filial piety includes much more details, such as we can pay visits to them as often as possible, celebrate important fesitivals with them, call them when we can not come to see them. Its very important to give them spiritual support and comfort. If possible, we can take them to travel together. Above all ,its up to our parents whether to go to the nursing homes or not. We can not force our parents to go. Its very important that we communicate with our parents in time and we should let them understand our decisions.In the future, the nursing home may be constructed as pleasant as kindergartens so that we can send our parents there in the day and pick them as well as our children up at night. Of course, we need the governments large financial support to built quality retirement homes.

Computer Usage in Schools Essay -- Technology Education Learning Essay

Computer Usage in Schools A computer is, â€Å"a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve and process data† (Merriam-Webster). This tool once predominately used in homes and offices is making its way into our educational system. Technology is a growing part of our society today. We are beginning to see the use of computers in classrooms more and more. The increase of computer usage in schools, primarily elementary, has enhanced student learning. The study I looked at recognized the importance of technology in education, but then examined teachers’ educational background and knowledge of technology and its effect on their integration of computers and computer software into classroom curriculum. It also researched the impact and effectiveness of such technologies on student learning. Both Alex Pan and Stuart Carroll, the authors of the study, are professors of elementary and early childhood education at the College of New Jersey in Ewing. Alex’s specialty is in the area of the effectiveness of the use of educational technology. So this study was right up their alley. They decided to use a combination of surveys and observation to gather their data. They did a study they call The Magic School Bus Project, in which they selected 45 first- to fifth-grade students from an elementary school in an urban district. All had some experience with computers, but none were familiar with the Magic School Bus Software. 22 college sophomores who were enrolled in the Analysis of Teaching class were also chosen. First, the college students examined and evaluated the Magic School Bus CD-ROMs. They used an evaluation form to rate them based on their own observations and perceptions. Some of thes... ...ne Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 2003. http://www.m-w.com. Pan, Alex C.; Carroll, Stuart Z. â€Å"Preservice Teachers Explore Instructional Software with Children.† The Educational Forum v. 66 no4 (Summer 2002): 371-9. Sava, Samuel G. â€Å"Electronic Genie: Will Computers Serve Schools, or Run Them?† Vital Speeches of the Day v. 6 no2 (Nov. 1997): 55-57. Sefton-Green, Julian. â€Å"Computers, Creativity, and the Curriculum: the Challenge for Schools, Literacy, and Learning.† Journal of Adolescents and Adult Literacy v. 44 no8 (May 2001): 726-8. Solomon, Gwen. â€Å"Digital Equality: It’s not just about access anymore.† Technology and Learning v. 22 no9 (Apr. 2002): 18-26. Vann, Allan S. â€Å"Debunking Five Myths about Computers in Schools.† Principal (Reston, Va.) v.77 (Jan. 1998): 53. Winans, Dave. â€Å"Techno Hype-or Help?† NEA Today v.15 no4 (Nov. 1996): 4-5.

Essay --

Isabel Archer: Her Quest For Freedom And Downfall The Portrait of a Lady is the most stunning achievement of Henry James's early period--in the 1860s and '70s when he was transforming himself from a talented young American into a resident of Europe, a citizen of the world, and one of the greatest novelists of modern times. Quest of freedom â€Å"The Portrait of a Lady† is a story about protagonist Isabel Archer, a penniless orphan. Many rich suitors come to her with a proposal of marriage but she declines, as she wanted to make an art of her life that is to follow her dreams, as she was a spirited and intelligent young woman. She was strong minded and stubbornly independent with an intensely sensual nature and a powerful desire to explore and engage with the world on her own and sees marriage as a prison that would limit her ability to experience her life. Isabel unexpectedly inherits a fortune, freeing her particularly from the need to marry. Now she could do whatever she wanted. She wanted to confidently pursue her dream and didn’t want anyone hold her back. Her cool independence is not a very "feminine" ideal, she seems to show no need but to fly. During her childhood she spends her time reading romantic philosophy, cultivating an idealistic view of the world of art, philosophy and learning, that of Europe but couldn’t have a practical taste of things. So when she inherits a fortune whole world spreads out in front of her giving her the opportunity to fulfil her dreams and to make an art of her life. She wanted to enjoy and break free. Now she could see and feel things in real terms. She didn’t want to get married and put an end to her freedom. She was a proud woman and was not shy to express what she felt. When someone asks her ... ...is that she has not been educated. None of her friends or relatives contributes to her education. Her father had assumed that the free, unfettered life with no real guidance was sufficient. Her Aunt thought that a visit to Gardencourt, to Paris to purchase clothes, and to Florence was sufficient. Ralph thought that providing Isabel with a fortune would be sufficient. They were all wrong. An education requires other more important components. An education requires others who care for and contribute to one's development. Isabel Archer did not have any of these others. It was no wonder that her education misfired. References Arnold Kettle, â€Å"Henry James: The Portrait of a Lady,† in The Portrait of a Lady, ed. Robert D. Bamberg (New York: W.W. Norton), 679. http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/maf/Project1-02/Portrait.htm http://www.online-literature.com/henry_james/

Adidas strategy Essay

Adidas AG is one of the world leaders in sportswear, equipment and accessories. In 2011, the company recorded a net income of $934.3 million, an increase of 18.3% over fiscal year 2010. Adidas’ excellence stems from its strong focused differentiation strategy. Focus on research and development has facilitated continuous development of new products and it plans to leverage its strong brand portfolio to create profits from its innovative products and by establishing robust retail operations. adidas’ goal is to be the leading sports brand in the world. One major lever to achieve this is the brand’s broad and unique product portfolio spanning from apparel and footwear for professional athletes to premium fashion. The company’s leading market position is built on its portfolio of strong brands like adidas, reebok, and TaylorMade. It allows adidas to address multiple consumer needs, exploit market opportunities from various angles as well as be less affected by one-dimensional market risks. adidas’ commitment to product innovation by focusing on research and development differentiates the brand from competitors and provides a solid platform for future growth. 1) Distribution: Strong brand portfolio to establish a strong retail presence and increase profit margins by increasing retail sales as a percentage of total sales. Adidas currently operates 2,041 stores for the adidas and Reebok brands worldwide. Adidas’ strong brand and enhanced retail presence generates brand loyalty, which enables easier customer recall and gives adidas a competitive advantage. Revenue: $18,580.2 million; 11.3% Operating profit: $1,407.7 million; 13.1% 170 subsidiaries in Europe, the Americas and Asia Wholesale, retail and other businesses 2) Research and development: $160.1 million in R&D

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

What does the text highlight about the concept of belonging? The film tells a story seen through the innocent eyes of a 8 year old boy, Bruno, who is unsure of his place in the world. The most evident concept of belonging is his hitch in his transition from childhood to adulthood. Throughout the film, he faces the conflict between accepting the harsh â€Å"Jew-killing† reality of the world or stay immersed in his fantastical world filled with adventure. Bruno also feels alienated from society having been moved from Berlin to the countryside, resulting in his isolation. On another level, he must further decide his place and to whether support his Nazi father's actions and stay true to his â€Å"Fatherland† or stay a companion with Schmal, the 8 year old Jew that Bruno befriends. 5. What connections about belonging can you make between this text and your prescribed text? In Dickinson's poems, there is a sense of disconnection with society that the poet experiences due to her isolation and seclusion from the world. Similarly, Bruno, in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, experiences the same sense of disconnection due to his unsurity over what is right or wrong. He feels out of place and confused throughout the film as a result of his youth as well as his lack of knowledge about the hostile situation in the world. Also, where Dickinson regards her relationship with nature as the most dominant one in her life as depicted in â€Å"What mystery pervades a well†, Bruno does the same in reference to his relationship with the Jew child, Schmal. Like nature, Schmal is an enigmatic character which Bruno does not seem to fully connect throughout the film, largely due to physical barriers such as the electric fence and mental factors like the judgemental character of Lt. Kotler and his father. Lastly, Dickinson realises her importance and place in the world due to her seclusion. Likewise, for the boy Bruno, it is left for him only to decide where he belongs in the world despite his age. Throughout the film, although Bruno is fed Nazi propoganda, we realise that it is ultimately up to him to decide his alliances as what he sees in the world is not quite what people describe. . What techniques does the composer use to convey his/her idas about belonging? (techniques, example, explain) Through the use of camera angles, Herman illustrates a sense of alienation between Bruno and his surroundings. He achieves this with a low shot of the new home, overshadowing and looming over a timid and doubting Bruno. Furthermore, the first scene that we see in the new home is Bruno sitting on the stairs, behind full-length banister rails, suggesting a sense of entrapment within the house. The use of costuming in the blue and white striped â€Å"pyjamas† by Herman illustrates Bruno's innocence and his inability to comprehend what is right or wrong. He does not realise that the clothing is the uniform for captured Jews but as the film progresses, harsh reality soon overtakes his naive outlook of the world. The uniforms also represent how different the prisoners are to Bruno. Bruno's conflict between childhood and adulthood is further insinuated through the quote: â€Å"My dad's a soldier, but not the sort that takes people's clothes away. The use of dramatic irony suggests again Bruno's innocence and how he is still very much a child in what is a hostile, adult world. The character of Schmul represents the power and solidarity of human relationships. What was intially a temporary friendship becomes permanent when Bruno becomes filled with regret after he betrays Schmal. A shake of the hands through the electric fence suggests that a connection between Bruno and Schmal exists regardless of any barriers. Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Bruno’s diary Year 1943, age 9 years old as I was born on the 15th april 1934. Day one of strange happenings: Today I came home from school and maria was in my bedroom going through MY things – Even my secret things. She is just a servant but I tried to be polite when I asked what she thought she was doing. Maria never takes all my private things out, she puts things away like she’s supposed too. I asked mother why maria is packing my things but she won’t answer me properly. She just keeps saying we are all going away because of father’s job. She said I’ll have to say goodbye to my friends, my best long life friends.I don’t want to say goodbye to my friends because of father’s job. I know he’s important but why can’t father go by himself and come back later? It’s not fair. I still have lots of plans with my friends that I need to do. I wonder if grandma and grandfather are coming on this holiday too? We canà ¢â‚¬â„¢t really leave them behind†¦though I don’t mind if Gretel stays – shes hopeless. Gretel can look after the house so we can come back to it if this new one isn’t as good. I wonder if the other house has a big bannister like this one that I can slide down? I hope so because it’s my favourite thing to do.Day two of strange happenings: We are at the new house and it’s horrible! It only has three floors, not five like the other one and there are no other children around to play with. I don’t like this place but mother won’t take me back home, she says this is where we live now but I don’t want to live here. Gretel doesn’t like it either, or maria, so it definitely is a horrible place to live. I’ll just have to tell father what a mistake he’s made and then we can all go back home to berlin. Even the people here are scary and boring, like that man that came out of fathers room today.I don’t thin k I like him†¦he’s too serious. Maria says to steer clear of him anyway. Day three of the horrible place: I scared Gretel today when I showed her the weird children outside my window. She is three years older than me and quite scary, so scaring her isn’t an easy thing to do. I don’t know why she has come with us anyway, all she does is cause trouble. That’s what mother and father say anyway. At least her friends can’t come round anymore. She has horrible friends that call me six when I’m actually nine! She still has her dolls though.I bet they spy on me when I’m in her room, so I don’t go in there much. Gretel said father said we are going to stay here for the foreseeable future, whatever that means. Gretel thinks it’s about 3 weeks, so at least it isn’t a month I suppose. She doesn’t like this place either though so maybe we will move back sooner. Day four of the horrible place: The people outside my window are still there. Gretel thinks that we are in the countryside and that they must be farmers. I don’t think they are farmers though because there are no animals and the ground is all brown and dirty.It doesn’t look like a nice place anyway, there are soldiers shouting at people and for some reason everyone is wearing pyjamas. I wish Gretel knew who they were and would tell me. She’s the brightest girl in her class apparently. I found them though, so they are my people, not hers. I am a high and mighty king in my bedroom and they are my minions that Gretel can’t have. I shall have to ask father what they are doing there and why they don’t have baths. I’ll know more than Gretel then, even though she’s older. Day five:Father came to the house today. We had to leave earlier than father on the train. There were a lot of other people coming this way on the train too†¦but they were all on one big train squashed together. I donâ₠¬â„¢t know why they didn’t just come on the same train as us because we had lots of empty seats they could have used. I was very brave today and asked father when we were going home because it’s horrible here. I thought father would get very angry because I’m not supposed to go into his office or waste his time saying hello or asking silly questions.Father said we have to do things we don’t like though because other people know what’s best for us. He said we have to accept the situation we find ourselves in and then everything will become easier†¦or something like that. I still don’t like it here though and it will never be home. I don’t know why father can’t see that he’s made a mistake. I even told him to apologise to the fury and then we can go back to berlin. Father is a very respectable man but I still think he is wrong. Why doesn’t he just listen to us instead of his job? Extract from chapter 12, pages 128 – 129 †¦we had to move to a different part of Cracow, where the soldiers built a big wall and my mother and father and my brother and I all had to live in one room†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœThere was one small window in it but I didn’t like to look out of it because then I would see the wall and I hated the wall because our real home was on the other side of it. And this part of town was the bad part because it was always noisy and it was impossible to sleep†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœThen one day the soldiers all came with huge trucks†¦ And everyone was told to leave the houses. Lots of people didn’t want to and they hid wherever they could find a place but in the end I think they caught everyone.And the trucks took us to a train and the train†¦ The train was horrible†¦ There were too many of us in the carriages for one thing. And there was no air to breathe. And it smelled awful. ’ Shmuel’s exposition provides necessary background information that a llows the reader to identify with the character. In this particular extract, the author conjures a lot of imagery to convey emotion and mood, which is implemented through structural and lingual techniques. Ellipses are used repeatedly throughout the extract, creating a pause, which causes the reader to consider and empathise with the characters ordeal.It also contributes to the rhythm of the paragraph, setting a slow and deliberate pace, evoking heightened emotions of fear and apprehension. The simplistic language, combined with alliteration delivers a childlike and innocent approach, which draws sympathy from the reader in relation to the child’s traumatic experience. For example, the ‘soldiers built a big wall’ contrasts against shmuel and his family living in a small room, emphasising how small and vulnerable they are. The use of repetition such as the train is effective in this extract, as it creates a sense of urgency and distress, helping to set a desponden t atmosphere.This atmosphere is intensified with short sentences and a hyperbole toward the end of the paragraph (There was no air to breathe) for a dramatic impact. The boy in the striped pyjamas is a fable based on the holocaust. The protagonist of the story, Bruno, comes home from school one day to find his belongings packed and told to say goodbye to his friends due to his dads promotion. Mourning his old home Bruno sets out exploring areas he shouldn’t – his naivety and inquisitive innocence, lead him to the outskirts of a concentration camp, where he befriends a boy just like himself, albeit religious boundaries.It is this friendship between two young boys that leads to a cruel twist of fate. The hamartia of bruno, in this case his innocence, leads to his downfall. It is somewhat ironic, that the innocence and accepting nature of a child is essentially a weakness that leads to a cruel fate, whilst those that deserve misfortune are without tragedy. It also conveys a moral, classifying this book as a fable. In relation, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare share the same themes as the boy in the striped pyjamas.Innocent characters lose their lives unnecessarily because of events that are out of their control, caused by prejudice and discrimination. Another similar feature between the two novels is that Shakespeare uses dynasties/houses to create differences and segregation between parties. In correspondence, the author of the boy in the striped pyjamas, uses clothes to create differences and symbolise their status in society. For example, the striped pyjamas indicates inferiority, weakness and suffering of the jews, whilst the uniforms of the soldiers uphold authority, cruelty and dominance.As opposed to Shakespeare, what makes this book so despairing and emotive is the reality of it. It is not a romantic, fictional play based on lust and fate – it is representative of real events where horrific tragedy’s took thousands of in nocent lives for reasons due to nothing but social status, discrimination and prejudice. It can be argued, that such events would not have occurred in reality; firstly, historical records show that more than 6000 soldiers were present in the aushwitz camp, making it unlikely that a child could escape their notice to sit at the edge of a camp and talk to an outsider.Secondly, most women and children were gassed upon their arrival, leaving the men to work. Another point raised, is that most credible 9 year olds have a lot more common sense in reality than is portrayed in this fable. Boyne’s story depends on the overwhelming naivety of his character, who is completely oblivious to the war despite his father working for Hitler. In conclusion, for a short fable aimed at children, I believe it to be a powerfully emotive tale that strikes key points. The innocence and reality of the events that took place in the book make it that much more touching, horrific and powerful.

Handmaids Tale †Power and Control Essay

‘How is Gilead presented as a place of power and control in the opening chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale?’ The Republic of Gilead is the fictional country which Margaret Atwood chose as the setting for her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. We can infer from the first chapter that Gilead is within the borders of the USA from the fact that ‘old’ blankets still said US: this hints that some sort of major catastrophe has occurred before the time of the novel to change this. The first few chapters suggest a lot about the setting, and also how the transition of the country from being the United States of America to the Republic of Gilead may not have been a particularly positive one. The novel of The Handmaid’s Tale is based on the political oppression of women and how the new theocratic government of the Republic of Gilead manipulates the Bible into promoting the control of women. The first chapter opens with ‘We slept in what had on ce been the gymnasium’. If schools are being used to house women, then they cannot be used for education. This is a form of indoctrination – a way of avoiding a rise in support of any other ideas within the younger generation, or anything that would be counter-productive to the way Gilead is run. We later learn that the new regime states that women are not allowed to read in Gilead at all, and even the shop names have been painted out to remove this ‘temptation’. Money has also been exchanged for pictured vouchers, which again shows how the state obviously feels that if they can control women’s minds, the better they can control their bodies. Offred recalls how an Aunt once told her that where she’ll end up ‘is not a prison but a privilege’, and the fact that the Aunt felt the need to say this shows how the Commander’s house would be a place of strict control. The women who live in the gymnasium are not allowed to communicate, shown by how they ‘learned to lip read’ at night in the dimmed light. They are under constant surveillance of Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth, who ‘had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts’, which suggests the means by which they keep control are through fear and occasionally violence. The fact that the lighting is not completely cut at night shows how the Aunts control the women even when they are sleeping – they can see them at all times. However despite this ‘even they [the Aunts] could not be trusted with guns. Guns were for the guards, specially picked by the Angels’. This shows the social hierarchy of Gilead and how the idea of control through weapon runs through all castes with any importance. Although the Aunts are responsible for bringing up the Handmaids and preparing them to do their job, the male Guards and Angels still have more authority than them. However despite this, the guardians are ‘supposed to show respect’ to the Handmaids despite their place in society, showing that there is still a hierarchy within the males and they still have to follow orders. The Commanders at the top of the ladder seem to have the most power, shown by the fact that they have ‘double obscurity’, in contrast to every other caste within the society who is under the constant watch of the Eyes. The Handmaids in particular do not seem to have any privacy at all– the door to Offred’s room in her Commander’s house does not even shut properly. The sense of constant paranoia of all citizens of Gilead is obvious throughout the opening chapters of the novel, and seems to be a passive way of the state keeping total control. When Nick, the chauffeur, winks at the Offred it leads her to think that ‘perhaps he is an Eye’ positioned to test her response. This shows just how strict the control of this new style country is as this small action causes so much stress. This seems very familiar to the idea of the secret police in Nazi Germany, whose identity no one knew and presence was used to encourage conformity and obedience by prompting constant fear in citizens of being reported. The Handmaids also go shopping in pairs; they know that this also for control – ‘she is my spy, as I am hers’ and this ensures that they conform to decorum. The different uniforms worn within Gilead are another example of the state using the power they have to control their citizens. All women in the Republic are defined by the colour of their uniforms. These uniforms remove all individuality from particularly the submissive women, as well as camouflaging all signs of shape and figure. Gilead sees women’s sexuality as dangerous, which is why the uniforms they have prescribed are so concealing and unflattering. When Offred walks by the young Guardians, she moves her hips when she senses them watching her, and then states her hope that ‘they get hard’ as a result of her doing this. This shows how she feels that her ability to inspire sexual attraction, despite her uniform is the only power she herself retains. Fear is obviously used in Gilead as the main form of control, made clear by the fact that there are ‘men with machine guns in the pillboxes on either side of road’ – this indicates how strict the rules within the country are, and how severe the consequences are if you break them. The Guardians’ sexual desire is controlled by the idea of the ‘floodlights going on, the rifle shots’ which illustrates the extent of the power the state has over them – they have not yet earned the right to a women, therefore would be totally sex-starved as masturbation is a sin and porn is forbidden. The only hope for them of this changing is if they were promoted to Angel status, and this desire as well as fear keeps them obedient. Stories of people being shot, such as the Martha they guards thought was a man carrying a gun, show that the state are so set on keeping control of everything within Gilead they will act before establishing if their beliefs are true or not. These stories would have heightened the fear of the citizens of being caught doing anything even slightly wrong. Aunt Lydia gives one of the most important quotes in the novel – ‘†¦in the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.’ This sums up the new way of society in Gilead completely, right down to how the Aunts indoctrinate the women into thinking that the transition is beneficial for them – this is shown by how Offred says that ‘women were not protected back then’. The new state has removed all free will and option of choice from every citizen within the Republic in exchange for having the power and complete control over them – the state evens controls the citizens’ sex lives, as well as what they wear – and I feel that in doing this they have now presented Gilead as a complete terror state.