Thursday, October 31, 2019

Relation between Entrepreneur and New Venture Essay

Relation between Entrepreneur and New Venture - Essay Example The researcher states that there is no agreed definition of the entrepreneur, but entrepreneurship is related to new business ventures. An entrepreneur is an individual who establishes new business ventures for profit-making purposes. In the entrepreneurship sphere, a creation of a new venture is a separate and distinct phenomenon, which includes business formation, acquisition and mergers, and advancing the business. The creation of a new venture is a complex, crucial, and multidimensional process that involves interaction between an individual and his socio-economic environment. The process is critical because it designs the future ventures building blocks; principally, it comprises the activities, ideas, actions, and techniques displayed by entrepreneurs towards materializing their visions and concepts into an operating business. This clearly shows that in order for an entrepreneur to be successful, he or she must possess a high level of mental hardness to assist him or she persev ere and make operational strategic decisions. The stages of creating a new venture occur in the mind of entrepreneurs through interaction with the society and on the computer while the real venture activities have not been started. The major viewpoints introduced in the process of creating a new venture include the following: 1) recognition of a type of prospects; notions to be executed as future business. 2) Vision; different activities and strategies that are normally applied in the initial stages of the new venture. 3) Groundwork is an important factor that enables materialization of the concept into the real business. 4) The intention of financing the future ventures 5) The sense of planning and ensuing impacts on the entrepreneur and the venture 6) Quality of the entrepreneurial profile of persons showing a new business formation process 7) Environment, which is a major contributor to the process.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Examination of historical context Research Paper

Examination of historical context - Research Paper Example But above all these, the question of the status of Jerusalem is perhaps the most complex and intractable. Placing this modern problem in a historical context can help us to understand why this city is at the heart of any talk of Middle East peace. The establishment of Jerusalem as the capital of a united Jewish state is a great source of nationalistic pride for secular and religious Jews alike. David the King made it his seat of power and it remained as such for nearly 1,000 years. In addition to this national pride felt for this place, the sacred nature of Jerusalem binds the Jews to his place as well. Jerusalem was the site of the first temple built by Solomon. The remaining wall of the second, reconstructed temple still stands and is considered a sacred site for modern orthodox Jews. For reasons both nationalistic and religious, Jerusalem is a vital place for Jewish identity. This is clear from the sacred writing found in the Nev’im where it states, â€Å"Rejoice for Jerusalem and be glad for her, All you who love her! Join in her Jubilation, All you who mourned over her [for]†¦I will extend to her Prosperity like a stream, The wealth of nations like a wadi in flood.† (Isaiah 66:10,12). It may be this fe rvor for controlling Jerusalem that led the Israelis to declare Jerusalem as the capital of their new nation in 1949, just two years after agreeing that it should be a divided, internationally controlled heritage city. In 1980, Israel did away with any partitioning, declaring Jerusalem a unified city. Christians look with a religious attachment to Jerusalem because so much of the life of Jesus Christ occurred there. Sacred sites such as the hill of Golgotha and the Garden of Gethsemane have long attracted pilgrims from all over the world. The attachment to Jerusalem took a decidedly political turn for Christians after its annexation by Muslims. In 1095, at the urging of Pope Urban II, Christians took up arms to

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Price Elasticity of Demand and Monopolistic Competition

Price Elasticity of Demand and Monopolistic Competition The Price Elasticity of demand is inversely related to excess capacity in the monopolistic competitive market – Discuss Before we even dwell and discuss on the abovementioned topic, it would vital for us to understand and define what Price Elasticity of Demand, Excess Capacity and Monopolistic Competitive Market are all about from the economic perspective. By understanding the aforementioned than only we would be able to discuss and deliberate the abovementioned topic in detail. Elasticity From the economics perspective based on journal and article in Wikipedia, elasticity can be defined as the measurement of how receptive or responsive an economic variable is, to a change of the other. For example: If we lower or reduce the price of our product, how much more will it be sold? If we raise or increase the price of one product, how will that affect sales of the other product? If we learn that a resource is becoming infrequent or limited, will people rush to acquire it? We can further elaborate that an elastic variable (or elasticity value greater than 1) is one which responds more than proportionately to changes in other variables. On the other hand, an inelastic variable (or elasticity value less than 1) is one which changes less than proportionately in response to changes in other variables. Elasticity can be measured as the ratio of the percentage change in one variable to the percentage change in another variable, when the latter variable has a fundamental influence on the former. It is a tool for measuring the responsiveness of a variable, or of the function that determines it, to changes in contributory variables. Frequently used elasticities include price elasticity of demand, price elasticity of supply, income elasticity of demand, elasticity of substitution between factors of production and elasticity of substitution. Elasticity is one of the most vital concepts in a traditional economic theory. It is valuable in understanding the rate of indirect taxation, marginal concepts as they relate to the company, and distribution of wealth and different types of goods as they relate to the theory of consumer choice. Elasticity is also crucially imperative in any discussion of welfare distribution, in particular consumer surplus, producer surplus, or government surplus. In a pragmatic work environment, an elasticity is the estimated coefficient in a linear regression equation where both the dependent variable and the independent variable are in natural logs. Elasticity is a common tool amongst observers because it is independent of units and thus simplifies data analysis. Price Elasticity of Demand On the other hand, according to Alfred Marshall, Price elasticity of demand (PED or Ed) is a measurement used in economics to illustrate the responsiveness or elasticity, of the quantity demanded of a good or service to a change in its price. More accurately, it gives the percentage change in quantity demanded in response to a one percent change in price (ceteris paribus, i.e. holding constant all the other determinants of demand, such as income). Price elasticities are almost always negative, although analysts tend to ignore the sign even though this can lead to uncertainty. Only goods which do not conform to the law of demand, have a positive PED. Generally, the demand for a good is said to be inelastic (or relatively inelastic) when the PED is less than one (in absolute value): that is, changes in price have a relatively small effect on the quantity of the good demanded. The demand for a good is said to be elastic (or relatively elastic) when its PED is greater than one (in absolute value): that is, changes in price have a relatively large effect on the quantity of a good demanded. Revenue is maximized when price is determined so that the PED is exactly one. The PED of a good can also be used to predict the rate of a tax on that good. Various research approaches are used to determine price elasticity, including test markets, analysis of historical sales data and conjoint analysis. Nevertheless, according to Professor Dominick Salvatore in its book, Managerial Economics – Principle and Worldwide Application, mentioned that â€Å"Sometimes, lowering the price of the commodity or products increases sales sufficiently to increase total revenues. At other times, lowering the commodity or products prices reduces the firm’s total revenues†. Thus, lowering the price of a particular products will not necessarily increase the total profitability of a company. This is due to the fact that it also have an impact on the production cost. Therefore, we can also say that the higher the price elasticity, the more sensitive consumers are to price changes. A very high price elasticity indicates that when the price of a good increase, consumers will buy less of the items and when the price of that good falls, consumers will buy more. A very low price elasticity suggests the opposite, that changes in price have slight influence on demand. As such, it is imperative for a company to really understand the economics and the concept of PED before any decision is made for a price review or for a pricing strategy. Excess Capacity Meanwhile, Excess Capacity, based on our reading, as defined in Wikipedia is a situation in which actual production is less than what is achievable or optimal for a company. This often means that the demand in the market for the product is below what the firm could potentially supply to the market. The amount of excess capacity within an industry is a signal of both the performance of that industry and the demand for the products it produces. Excess capacity is also seen as a good thing for consumers, as it is not likely to lead to the price inflation that would be seen in periods of near-full capacity. A company with sizable excess capacity can often lose a considerable amount of money if it is not able to meet the high fixed costs that are associated with producers. In other words, it could also be the case that in the long run, the production is operating not at the lowest of its long run average cost curve. Instead, it is operating on a gauge that is smaller and less efficient which the company has, in fact, a capacity to produce more at a lower average cost. , each firm is serving a market that is too small, and there are too many firms, so that the product group as a whole has the capacity to serve more customers than there are. Excess capacity exists when marginal cost is less than average cost and it is still possible to decrease average (unit) cost by producing more goods and services. Excess capacity may be measured as the increase in the current level of output that is required to reduce unit costs of production to a minimum. Excess capacity may also arise because as demand increases, firms have to invest and expand capacity in uneven or inseparable portions. Company may also choose to maintain excess capacity as a part of a deliberate strategy to deter or prevent entry of new firms. Monopolistic Competitive Market Monopolistic competition from economic perspective is a category of imperfect competition such that many producers sell products that are different from one another as goods but not perfect substitutes (such as from branding, quality, or price). In monopolistic competition, a firm takes the prices charged by its competitors as given and ignores the impact of its own prices on the prices of other company. In the presence of strong government, monopolistic competition will fall into government-granted monopoly. Unlike perfect competition, the firm maintains spare capacity. Models of monopolistic competition are often used to model industries. Examples of industries with market structures similar to monopolistic competition include restaurants, cereal, clothing, shoes, and service industries in large cities. The founding father of the theory of monopolistic competition is Edward Hastings Chamberlin, who wrote a pioneering book on the subject, Theory of Monopolistic Competition. Joan Rob inson published a book The Economics of Imperfect Competition with a comparable theme of distinguishing perfect from imperfect competition. The characteristic of a monopolistic competitive markets are as follow: There are many producers and many consumers in the market, and no business has total control over the market price. Consumers perceive that there are non-price differences among the competitors products. There are few barriers to entry and exit. Producers have a degree of control over price. In the long-run characteristics of a monopolistically competitive market are almost the same as a perfectly competitive market. Two differences between the two are that monopolistic competition produces diverse products and that monopolistic competition involves a great deal of non-price competition, which is based on subtle product differentiation. A firm making profits in the short run will nonetheless only break even in the long run because demand will decrease and average total cost will increase. This means in the long run, a monopolistically competitive firm will make zero economic profit. This illustrates the amount of influence the firm has over the market; because of brand loyalty, it can raise its prices without losing all of its customers. This means that an individual firms demand curve is downward sloping, in contrast to perfect competition, which has a perfectly elastic demand schedule. Differences between Perfect and Monopolistic Competition To show that the PED is inversely related to excess capacity in the monopolistic competitive market, in this discussion, we will be comparing mostly between perfect competitive market and monopolistic competitive market which is also an imperfect market. There are two main differences between perfect competition and monopolistic competition. First is excess capacity; in perfect competition, firms usually will produce a product up to the maximum capacity of its production to get the lowest average total cost, ATC. Meanwhile in monopolistic competition, the firms will have an excess capacity if they produce less than the quantity at which average total cost is at minimum; which if they lower the price, they could sell more but they might producing at a point where their cost will exceed their revenue. The second differences are mark-up. In perfect competition, P=MC, but in monopolistic competition, P > MC because of its marked up. The marked up is because of the price discrimination which use by the firms in monopolistic market. Price and Output in Monopolistic Competition First of all, let us look at the factors affecting the PED. As we can see, in monopolistic competition market, there are high numbers of substitutes available for the products that produce by the firms. This is because each of the firms produce similar product but not identical. Because of this, the market has a greater PED. Any changes in price will make a possibility of consumer to change their demand for other substitute products. This is why, monopolistic market are also called price searcher market, as they are actually looking for the best price for their product. Since the firms produce similar product, they cannot fight their price using the ATC, where they cannot produce more than they can sell. They can only produce the quantity at which the marginal revenue is equal to the marginal cost. Can we say that monopolistic competition is inefficient? Yes, because in monopolistic competition P > MC, marginal benefits is larger than marginal cost. In order to reach the highest possible profit, firms competing in three important area of product differentiation, which is the quality, price and marketing. The quality of the product is just not only about the reliability of the product, but also about the design and the services, more on the after sales services. Using this quality aspect, firms can do the price discrimination, which differentiated their product with other product. However there is a trade off between prices and quality. The lower the price, the lower the product quality can be. As to further increase the sales, firms have to do a good product packaging and advertising. Since consumer value a variety, and variety is a cost, it is reasonable for the firms to price discriminate other products. However in monopolistic market, since no barrier to entry and exit from the market, firms have to be careful not to gain high profit in the long run as it can attract new competitors into the market. Product Development and Marketing Since monopolistic firms need to maintain their economic profit, in the condition of high ATC, there are needs to keep and sustain a continuous product development. In the market where the competitors are always looking for new innovation, new technology and attractable product, they need to be in line with the up to date trend of consumers. New product development would allow a firm to gain a competitive advantage, even sometimes temporarily before competitors imitate the innovation. Looking at the scenario where competitors usually keep imitate the new innovation produce, it might cross our mind why firms need to be the innovation leaders since after that the competitors will had it imitate. The innovation cost are high compare to imitate cost, but the benefit as innovation leaders have a value to consumer and also would increases total revenue. Firms usually will pursue product development until their marginal revenue from innovation equals to the marginal cost of innovation. As a human, consumer have a natural willing feeling to pay higher for the products that have a high value to them, even sometimes the price is ridiculous. The marginal social benefit of an innovation is the increase of price to the product and also a marginal social cost to the firms for the cost of innovation. Basically, the profit is maximized when MR=MC, but in monopolistic competition P>MR. Because of that, amount of innovation is less than efficient. Compare to the perfect competition market, monopolistic market have a higher selling cost since they need to spend a lot on promoting the uniqueness of their product compare to other substitutes product. The increase in selling cost will increase ATC at any level of output, but would not affect the MC of production. If their effort in promotion and advertising increases the demand of the product, then they are considered success. This is the cost that the monopolistic firms have to pay, to reduce their excess capacity, by increasing the demand of the products. But advertising is not only use to promote the variety and the uniqueness of the product, but also sometimes use to remind the market of their high quality product. Conclusion From the comparison that we highlight between perfect competition market and monopolistic competitive market, we can see the relation between the increasing of selling cost, increase of demand and reduced in excess capacity. When the firm concentrate in having a continuous product development with greater advertising and promotion effort, they can increase the demand of the product which in turn inversely reduce the excess capacity of the firms.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essay --

Muchas personas en los Estados Unidos està ¡n experimentando problemas de salud y mueren de enfermedades que posiblemente pueden evitarse con la adecuada atencià ³n de la salud y la educacià ³n. Desafortunadamente, debido a la falta de recursos y educacià ³n son las disparidades de salud entre diferentes grupos à ©tnicos y minorà ­as. Ha habido muchos estudios que muestran que las minorà ­as està ¡n en peor estado de salud, tienen problemas para acceder a la atencià ³n de la salud por ser asegurado y recibir menor calidad en la atencià ³n sanitaria. Estas diferencias pueden ser basado en el hecho de que muchas personas no pueden tener los ingresos adecuados, la educacià ³n o la cobertura necesaria para mantener un estilo de vida saludable. A pesar de que tales disparidades, no podemos eliminar totalmente los que podemos encontrar soluciones para reducir la brecha. Teniendo en cuenta esta informacià ³n, en comparacià ³n con otros grupos à ©tnicos, los hispanos tienen mayores tasas de seguro que los blancos no hispanos y los isleà ±os de Asia / pacà ­ficas (Mead, Smith, Jones, Ramos & Siegel, 2008). Hispanos tambià ©n tienen un nà ºmero desproporcionado cuando se habla de diagnà ³stico de VIH; los estudios han demostrado que son menos propensos a hacerse la prueba del VIH y tienen una mayor probabilidad de obtener un diagnà ³stico mà ¡s adelante con la oportunidad para ser bajo terapia (Palfrey, Rosen, Ogilus & Foley, 2013). Con los hispanos, siendo el grupo à ©tnico de mà ¡s rà ¡pido crecimiento y continà ºa creciendo a este ritmo debe ser abordado el tema del cuidado de la salud. Una de las principales razones de por quà © hay un problema de salud es debido a que hay un problema de interpretacià ³n y traduccià ³n de lenguaje. 21% de la poblacià ³n de Estados Unidos habla otro idioma que ... ...unas familias pueden tener mucho firmar para arriba para la cobertura y una vez que pasen este proceso, las inscripciones constantes que toma lugar causas aspirantes a ser asignado a diferentes mà ©dicos, causando un problema de confianza. Tambià ©n, a veces los solicitantes no recibe los formularios para llenar o no entiende la informacià ³n solicitada, causando que pierden sus beneficios. En cuanto a cobertura de seguro, cuidado Obama ayudarà ¡ a financiar nuevas clà ­nicas y los centros de las ciudades con una alta poblacià ³n hispana que permite a los pacientes a tener cuidado de la salud disponible con poco o ningà ºn costo en absoluto. En realidad, el cambio no puede suceder con el chasquido de dedos de alguien. El cambio tiene que empezar con la educacià ³n, hispano educar y motivar a utilizar el sistema de salud es clave para posiblemente resolver la disparidad en la salud.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Francis Bacon and Plato Essay

The arguments presented by both Francis Bacon and Plato both call for different approaches in pursuing knowledge. In doing this, one must be accurately point out the important facets present in each argument and deduce what style is appropriate for an individual’s use. Looking at Francis Bacon’s arguments, it can be said that he is focused on the progression of ideas that will lead to the acquisition of knowledge. However, the ‘form’ that Bacon advocates differs to the original meaning proposed by Plato. He further advocates that the ‘form’ must be attained to gain knowledge. As long as man continues to strive for the form, knowledge will soon follow. On the other hand, Plato’s dialogue focuses on the way knowledge is achieved through the process of remembering the past. Socrates used this analysis in checking the validity of such argument. He makes a philosophical connection between knowledge and virtue. Thus, it has been contended that knowledge is virtue – creating the possibility of teaching. Seeing the two approaches in a nutshell, I believe that there must be a collaborative consensus between the two theories. It may be true that we must constantly strive for the form that Bacon advocates and at the same time use natural forces and mechanisms that can help achieve knowledge. However, Plato’s arguments can also shed some important light in the analysis of obtaining knowledge. But seeing that I must choose between the two, the argument presented by Francis Bacon I believe presents a more valid approach. I believe my answer is correct since believe that man continues to struggle for existence. Man continuous life depends on each one’s ability to grasp knowledge through mechanisms and processes that will help each one to survive. The different laws that govern us remain to be manifested and shown. The tendency of man to move forward and accept challenges should be the case. This is contrary to the view of Plato that one must look back to gain knowledge. In conceiving a central purpose in human life, there must be a conscious effort by an individual for continuous development to cope with the changing times. In my own perspective, I feel that the central purpose of living a life is continuous learning by acquiring knowledge and experiences that will benefit my individual growth as time passes. This event can only take place if the individual is continuously aware that he/she has the capability of shaping his/her personality. Looking at this, it can be argued that there are several characteristics of a well-lived, fulfilling life. In my own opinion, a well-lived fulfilling life must create opportunities for each individual to constantly struggle and be victorious. This is because for every success and failure in a struggle, certain inputs are obtained by an individual. These are experiences distinct only to individuals which foster the creation of knowledge. Another characteristic is that individuals must constantly strive for their betterment. We do not become stagnant and a waste in the society and community. Another characteristic of knowledge is that it can create a degree of completeness to an individual. By gaining knowledge, the questions that men aspire can be answered or attained. The pursuit of knowledge is attaining these purposes because of knowledge capability to raise and increase the quality of thinking by individuals. Continuity is thus necessary in creating the environment for knowledge for individuals. In addition, by gaining knowledge, we expand our purpose and existence. It may be known that during our conception, the only thing we cater is our own. But as we continually grow in age and maturity, the levels of understanding and knowledge extend not only in scope but also each one’s abilities. In the end, knowledge gives individuals the opportunity to explore more what life has to offer.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Many researches Essay

Many researches have been conducted with regards to the effect of a particular plant or animal in the environment. These organisms are also called invasive species and are considered as one major factor of ecological imbalance and the increased deterioration of the balance in natural resources. This variety of animals poses harm on other species which can lead to a gradual decrease in population and even extinction if the problem will not be addressed properly. As a response by scientists specializing in the field of biology and ecosystem, they have made in-depth studies to be able to come up with the possible solution for the problem. One clear example of this situation is the effect of a particular freshwater fish known as the black bullhead and its adverse effect in the biodiversity and ecological harmony in European freshwaters. Having a scientific name Ameiurus melas, this fish was not native in Europe but from North America. Previous studies were conducted and claimed considered the increase in population of this fish specie as an imminent threat against the local fish species in the said region. Moreover, further proliferation of this non-local fish can lead to imbalance in the ecological harmony among preys and local predators that can be found in European waters. The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of black bullhead to the predatory performance of the local predator pike with a scientific name Esox Lucius L. The study was made in the year 2006 where the researchers set up individual containers with different experimental treatments. The study was made during the autumn season where the researchers chose equal weights and sizes of black bullheads and pikes. They prepared containers containing equal amounts of water and other parameters needed in setting up an artificial ecosystem. The researchers then acquired enough amounts of roach for each basin which is the prey of both the black bullhead and the pike and systematically treated each container. One container was placed with roach but no predators while another container was filled with the roach and black bullhead only. Another container was filled with roach and pike only and another basin was filled with the prey and both predators. Turbidity was also varied in each container, one with low and another basin with high turbidity. Afterwards, careful and thorough observations were made concerning the entire experimental set up. With the use of statistical and mathematical tools in analyzing the results of the experiments, the researchers prepared and came up with the result of the study. One of the results of the study is that the prey consumption on the containers with pike alone and both bullhead and pike has little discrepancies. This result suggests that pike’s consumption was less when mixed with bullhead compared when there is only pike in the area. Many factors were accounted with regards to the research output like the direct struggle between the two distinct predators and even behavioral intrusions of the bullhead on the pike predator. Another research finding is that turbidity has no significant effect on the efficiency of the pike, disproving the claims that water transparency has a major effect on the performance of the local predators. The study was conducted with finesse and used appropriate mathematical tools in interpreting data. However, more researches should still follow in a large-scale setting and in a natural habitat location to be able to come up with a more reliable research output. Though the research presented good and unbiased results, further study should pursue in the same objective to be able to support the claims of the study made with more research parameters to consider. References Kreutzenberger, K. , Leprieur, F. & Brosse, S. †The Influence of the invasive black bullhead Ameiurus melas on the predatory efficiency of pike Esox Lucius L. † Journal of Fish Biology (2008) 73, 196–205. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. Retrieved from http://fabienlep. free. fr/leprieur/Leprieur_JFishBiol_2008. pdf

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

General George S. Patton essays

General George S. Patton essays On November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California a true American hero was born. This heros name was George Smith Patton, Jr. George Patton would play a giant role of the formation of The United States of America during the twentieth century. Ever since George was young he knew he wanted to be in the army. When his dads war friends would come over, he would always beg them to tell him their war stories. George especially looked up to John Singleton Ranger Mosby. Singleton would tell his stories of fighting during the civil war and George absolutely loved the stories. From the age of seven he was able to read military topographical maps. He learned all of this from his father who was very military involved. Georges interest in the military took away time from his formal study habits. This was especially obvious when George could not read at the age of twelve, which was partly due to his dyslexia. Georges father finally realized that this was an important matter, and decided to put George in what was known as the Beast Barracks. Although he excelled athletically, he had to stay an extra year due to his problems with mathematics. He did become an expert fencer and a master swordsman. From there he went on to Wes t Point where he became an expert polo player. This was not of much surprise, due to his love of animals. George chose his major of cavalry at West Point. In 1909, George graduated from West Point, 46th out of 103. In 1912, George made himself known to the world by competing in the pentathlon of the1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Patton was still a young officer in 1916 when he tasted his first battle. Patton joined General John J. Pershing in his fight to overthrow Poncho Villa of Mexico. The fight was a light one, but it gave Patton a good feel for live battle. Once again George made national headlines when he shot and killed General Cardenas, Poncho...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Cutest Baby Shower Wishes That Make Moms Go Crazy

The Cutest Baby Shower Wishes That Make Moms Go Crazy People are often unsure as to how they should wish the parents of the new baby on the occasion of a baby shower. Greetings like Congratulations dont seem impressive enough, while statements like, So you are going to have a baby! seem downright foolish! Baby showers are great occasions to make use of thought-provoking and memorable quotes. Greet the parents-to-be with well-meaning baby shower quotes. Memorable Quotes   Anne Morrow LindberghIn the sheltered simplicity of the first days after a baby is born, one sees again the magical closed circle, the miraculous sense of two people existing only for each other.Ed HoweFamilies with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other.George MacDonald, At the Back of the North WindWhere did you come from, baby dear?Out of the everywhere and into here.Mark TwainA babys an inestimable blessing and bother.Barbara Christine SeifertA baby is a blank cheque made payable to the human race.Charles OsgoodBabies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful.Andy WarholSince people are going to be living longer and getting older, theyll just have to learn how to be babies longer.Henny YoungmanWhat is a home without children? Quiet.Edwin H. ChapinNo language can express the power and beauty and heroism of a mothers love.Theresa BloomingdaleIf your baby is beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time, youre the grandma. Brienne KearneyBabies make your heart bigger!Matthew BroderickHaving a baby changes the way you view your in-laws. I love it when they come to visit now. They can hold the baby and I can go out.Don HeroldBabies are such a nice way to start people.Eda J. Le ShanBabies are necessary to grown-ups. A new baby is like the beginning of all things- wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. In a world that is cutting down its trees to build highways, losing its earth to concrete... babies are almost the only remaining link with nature, with the natural world of living things from which we spring.Trevor FishlockBabies here seem to be almost as rare as panda cubs.Jarod KintzI love how babies look like old people. I saw a baby the other day that looked exactly like my grandpa, only taller.Cass ElliotHaving the baby changed my life a lot. I dont want to go on the road.Bill CosbyHaving a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.Sigmund FreudNo one who h as seen a baby sinking back satiated from the breast and falling asleep with flushed cheeks and a blissful smile can escape the reflection that this picture persists as a prototype of the expression of sexual satisfaction in later life. Anne LamottFeeding a baby is like filling a hole with putty- you get it in and then you sort of shave off all the excess around the hole and get it back in, like youre spackling.Frank A. ClarkA baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it.Ronald KnoxA baby is a loud noise at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.Robert PaulDid you ever notice that a new baby always seem to bear a striking resemblance to the relative who has the most money?Jill WoodhullDont ever tell the mother of a newborn that her babys smile is just gas.Mark TwainA soiled baby with a neglected nose cannot be conscientiously regarded as a thing of beauty.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Language Notes on the Use of Aint in English

Language Notes on the Use of Aint in English As far as I know, only one rule of English usage has ever made its way into a childrens jump-rope rhyme: Dont say aint or your mother will faint,Your father will fall in a bucket of paint,Your sister will cry, your brother will die,Your cat and dog will call the FBI. Though frequently heard in casual speech, aint has been described as the most stigmatized word in English. Dictionaries usually label it dialectal or nonstandard, while some purists even deny its right to exist, insisting that aint isnt a word. What is it about this simple negative contraction that agitates language mavens and spreads fear on the playground? As these notes demonstrate, the answer is surprisingly complex. Grammar and Usage[The] two meanings of grammarhow the language functions and how it ought to functionare easily confused. To clarify the distinction, consider the expression aint. Unless used intentionally to add colloquial flavor, aint is unacceptable because its use is considered nonstandard. Yet taken strictly as a part of speech, the term functions perfectly well as a verb. Whether it appears in a declarative sentence (I aint going) or an interrogative sentence (Aint I going?), it conforms to the normal pattern for all verbs in the English language. Although readers may not approve of its use, they cannot argue that it is ungrammatical in such sentences.(Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu, Handbook of Technical Writing, 10th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2012) A Brief History of AintAint has had an unusual history. Its a shortened form of several wordsam not, are not, is not, has not and have not. It appears in written English in the 18th century in various plays and novels, first as ant and then as aint. During the 19th century, it was widely used in representations of regional dialect, especially Cockney speech in the UK, and became a distinctive feature of colloquial American English. But when we look at who is using the form in 19th-century novels, such as those by Dickens and Trollope, we find that the characters are often professional and upper-class. Thats unusual: to find a form simultaneously used at both ends of the social spectrum. Even as recently as 1907, in a commentary on society called The Social Fetich, Lady Agnes Grove was defending aint I as respectable upper-class colloquial speechand condemning arent I!She was in a rapidly diminishing minority. Prescriptive grammarians had taken against aint, and it would soon become universally condemned as a leading marker of uneducated usage.(David Crystal, The Story of English in 100 Words. St. Martins Press, 2012) Collocational AintIn Present-Day English, aint is stigmatized even though linguistically it is formed by the same rule speakers use to form arent and other nonstigmatized contracted auxiliary verbs. . . . [T]here is nothing linguistically wrong with it; in fact, aint is used by many speakers in certain fixed expressions and to convey a certain rhetorical effect: It aint over yet! You aint seen nothing yet! If it aint broke, dont fix it.(Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction. Wadsworth, 2010 Prissy, Ridiculous, and Unpopular Alternatives to Aint I?As linguistic scholars have frequently pointed out, it is unfortunate that aint I? is unpopular in educated speech, for the phrase fills a long-felt need. Am I not? is too prissy for down-to-earth people; amnt I? is ridiculous; and arent I?, though popular in England, has never really caught on in America. With a sentence like the one under discussion [Im your best friend, aint I?] you are practically in a linguistic trapthere is no way out unless you are willing to choose between appearing illiterate, sounding prissy, or feeling ridiculous.(Norman Lewis, Word Power Made Easy. Simon Schuster, 1979) Class ActsA correlation exists between the use of aint and social class, i.e. it is more frequent in lower-class speech. In upper-class speech it is indicative of a personal relationship and an informal situation . . . and is employed when the other person knows that the speaker is using aint for stylistic effect, rather than from ignorance or lack of education (Feagin 1979: 217). Since the form is such a strong school-induced shibboleth, informants tend to suppress it in (more formal) interview situations.(Traute Ewers, The Origin of American Black English: Be-Forms in the Hoodoo Texts. Walter de Gruyter, 1995) Gender ActsThere is still in the American popular mind a notion that aint, for all its faults, is masculine, while arent is not simply feminine, but effeminate. In Thomas Bergers novel The Feud (1983), Tony, a high school student, finds that good grammar must take a back seat to his public sexual identity. Tony defends his use of the masculine aint against his girlfriend Eva s objection that it is a sign of ignorance: I dont like to talk like a girl. Somebody might think I was a pansy.(Dennis E. Baron, Grammar and Gender. Yale University Press, 1986) And that aint all. But for now well have to agree with the editors of The American Heritage Book of English Usage: Aint is a word that aint had it easy.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Sex violence and crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sex violence and crime - Essay Example Furthermore, popular magazines form a part of the communication of language as seen through the Freud/Marxist theories which â€Å"reproduces sexuality as the male gaze toward a woman/object† (Keddie 1996). Carrette, in a critique of Foucault, however, believes that he has left the female perspective out of the discussion of sex, his history on the topic male centered without the feminine point of view. In examining the concept of what is true, discovering how truth is defined provides some substance to the topic. Truth is a concept that suggests that there is a sense of the absolute somewhere within the greater historical perspective. However, according to Foucault, it is all perspective and indefinable through a notion of reality versus illusion. What is presented to the readership of popular magazines is a perception of truth that can neither be confirmed nor denied as the possibility exists that it is someone’s truth (Taylor 2008). The plausible deniability of compl ete falsehood makes the representations have validity. Despite the desire to rail against the overwhelmingly illusionary editorial elements of the imagery and rhetoric within popular magazines, the reality of the world that is created has the prospect of reflecting the truth somewhere, thus they can be said to be true. The Discourse of Sex within Magazines Sex is a rudimentary element of life which has a biological function of procreation, but sexuality is an extended element of culture, complicated and confusing as it has become a focus that extends far beyond its founding purpose. Sex is mediated by culture, described, commented upon, and distorted in a never ending search for identification, classification, and perfection. According to Paris (2011), sexual behaviors are a learned process in which the ways in which sexual identity is displayed in order to find a mate is defined by the norms of a culture. In observing each other, the members of a society discover how to behave in o rder to become a part of the social groups that are divided by gender. Gender ideals are defined by mimicking the feminine or masculine of older generations, children looking to their role models in order to find their position in the sexual framework of their culture. In this age of communication, however, the focus has shifted from members of familial groups and their communities towards the images and discourse that is provided through the popular media, magazines providing a great deal of the images that affect the perception of female and male sexual roles. Little girls no longer focus their attention upward towards their mothers as much as downward into their hands a they peruse the magazine and forward to the screen of the television or their computer, these images impressing upon them an unattainable perfection through which they seek their own position within the framework of their gender. The hegemony of culture infected by the conceptualization of truth that is brought fo rth through a discourse of untruths that are presented as realistic reflections of a cultural script that is imposed rather than developed through social interaction (Norris 1996). In other words, rather than the dialogue happening through interactions with others within a community, interactions are now constructed between a person and the power of the magazine in dispersing ‘truths’ and designing dominant knowledge. The pressure on little boys is just as profound, their mandate to

Friday, October 18, 2019

HIV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

HIV - Essay Example This results in the further marginalization of these groups as a result of the stigma that is associated with people who are affected by this disease. They are thus, doubly oppressed as they have to face oppression as a result of their class and their medical condition. In some cases, the situation is complicated by issues of ethnicity. This paper shall look at such details as they are found in Unity Dow’s novel Far and Beyond and Beauty’s Gift by Sindiwe Magona. The paper shall look at how the issues of race and class influence and inform the analyses that these two writers make of the problem of HIV/AIDS. The sensitivity with which the issues of how the two problems interact, is handled, shall be looked at in the paper. The paper shall also look at the complex nature of this interaction. Unity Dow’s novel, Far and Beyond, looks at the condition of women in Botswana. It is the condition of such women who are indoctrinated into believing that they are inferior to men that the novel analyses. This position is complicated by the fact that the women of this community often have to fight against diseases and medical conditions on their own as well. The novel delves deep into the family of Mara where she and her children are faced with the burden of dealing with social marginalization and the problems that are a part of living with AIDS. What the novelist hints at is the fact that in such a society, it is difficult to deal with issues such as medical care when the main preoccupation of the people who are victims is to fight off poverty. In such situations, one also needs to analyse the fact of whether such conditions of poverty are not engendered by a lack of opportunities that are a chronic problem in countries such as Botswana. Such conditions of underdevelopment also lead to problems within the legal and social frameworks for

Organizational Behavior and HR in Sony Corporation Assignment

Organizational Behavior and HR in Sony Corporation - Assignment Example Kalyanaram and Gurumurthy (2008) offer that businesses that are the first to market in certain industries have a significant competitive advantage over competitors. Theory indicates that when buyers perceive a satisfactory product or achievement of effective customer service, risk averse customers often develop attachments to the pioneering product or brand; therefore they are unwilling to switch to new late movers’ products. Oftentimes, these buyers assess the late entrant against the first mover with adverse assessments in favour of the pioneer (Kalyanaram and Gurumurthy 2008). Sony was not able to launch innovative products (such as the LCD television) before competition, therefore the market had established brands with positive consumer sentiment about the brands that is difficult to undo for a late mover. The presence of competitive product offerings and new innovative products is what served as the first catalyst for change at the firm that required restructuring to meet and adapt to market needs more rapidly. Slocum and Lei (2005) reinforce the dangers of increased globalisation that make change a constant phenomenon, especially for businesses that operate in multiple business divisions and product categories, such as the conglomerate Sony. Industries are defined in theory as â€Å"ecosystems through which businesses compete for customers and are significantly inter-dependent based on changes in local or international markets† (Slocum and Lei 2005, p.35). Globalisation opens new markets for new competitive entrants into a market, breaking down the political barriers or improving supply networks that facilitate more rapid and cost-effective production with competition. Sony was witnessing many new market entrants offering unique products that were gaining attention and recognition from important revenue-building markets, essentially shortening the product life cycle of many of its previously-profitable products such as the PlayStation gaming console and older cathode ray tube television sets. Sony was now facing competition that sustained the resources and talents needed to produce innovative products. This challenge of competitive innovations was built through increased globalisation, thus Sony could no longer sustain the growth of existing Sony products, forcing the business to be more adaptable and flexible in providing similar competitive products. Consumer markets were favouring competitive products which continued to erode market share from Sony, making change driven by competitive product introductions forcing the need for continuous change practices to be developed in order to remain relevant in its technology markets. As market circumstances continue to evolve, contingency theory states that the organisation’s internal structure must adapt in order to remain competitively relevant (Buchanan and Huczynski 2010). It was not until the new CEO Howard Stringer joined Sony that the business became aware that continuous change in the external market was causing a need for rapid internal restructuring in order to adapt properly to market conditions and more prevalent competitive practices in manufacturing and marketing. Sony relied heavily on its electronics division to generate profitability, therefore the business was forced to centralise decision-making so that the electronics division maintained authority over key areas of business. The business could no longer respond quickly enough to meet competitive actions in the market,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Analyze how realistic this rags-to-riches story is in today's America Essay

Analyze how realistic this rags-to-riches story is in today's America - Essay Example In actuality, poor people from various ethnic backgrounds have more chance of realizing financial independence in different European nations than in the United States. The myth of American opportunity has probably persisted due to the chances that existed for motivated immigrants in past centuries. In the 19th century, America was obviously a better option for slum dwellers in England and Continental Europe. The chances that individuals from these nations found in America were so different from those they were exposed to in their motherlands that they began to view America as a land akin to paradise. Horatio Alger’s book, ‘Ragged Dick’ mirrors this enthusiasm about the chances given by America to the disenfranchised. In ‘Ragged Dick’, the hero lives in New York City and starts out in a deprived and pitiable state, but, due to hard work and dedication, ends up being educated and respected by society. The latter part of the 19th century was a time of ch ange and great progress in American History. Moreover, it was also a time of falsehood. The reality is that corruptive practices, at this time, were more accepted in today’s America. ... Gangs randomly attacked successful business men and forced them to pay ‘protection fees’ in order to keep operating. Politicians were corrupt and did not have the current organizations that check excesses to curtail their crooked activities. In Horatio Alger’s book, Dick is a dedicated and punctilious person who takes advantage of the opportunities that come his way (Alger 247). Alger shows how his main character gains an opportunity to improve his chances of overcoming poverty when he is rewarded for being of assistance to the child of a rich man. This, in itself, presents a contradiction in what Alger believed about the American society’s fairness. For instance, if Dick had been of African American ancestry, it is unlikely that he would have been given the chance to improve his life even if he had saved fifty sons of rich men. Dick was privileged in this particular circumstance, even though he was poor, because he was from the accepted race. In today†™s world, people from all ethnic backgrounds do not have equal opportunity to improve their lives in spite of what is constantly asserted by the media. The fact that America has become more technologically advanced and is also experiencing a recession merely makes things harder for people or migrants who have little in the way of material goods to raise themselves economically. Not all Americans are well-educated. This means that there will be a lot of competition for the existing blue-collar jobs. In such cases, it is likely that ethnic minorities will be disadvantaged as those that are able to bribe for the jobs or belong to the predominant race are given the existing opportunities. Where white-collar jobs are concerned, sex, race, education and good resumes are

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

Economics - Essay Example One of the unique things I have witnessed is the nature of people who buy collectible such as sports cards or movie posters. This essay examines applied economic principles to the nature of collecting and selling collectibles. Analysis The nature of the collectible marketplace is a notable economic phenomenon. Generally people usually buy things because they have an easily identifiable reason. For instance, people buy groceries because they have to eat, and they buy shampoo because they have to clean their hair. This is different for collectibles where the reason people purchase certain things is oftentimes mysterious. People note that they collect oftentimes for enjoyment (Yumeka). But still, why would one person be willing to pay thousands of dollars for a piece of cardboard with Mickey Mantle’s picture on it, but not be willing to pay $10 dollars for just a piece of cardboard? To a large degree economic analysis offers answers to these questions of collectible prices. The o verarching area of understanding collectibles is through Mankiw’s principles. One of the Mankiw’s economic principles is that, â€Å"Markets Are Usually a Good Way to Organize Economic Activity† (â€Å"Principles of Economics†). When considering collectible prices it’s clear they are a direct reflection of the market. As indicated above the reasons people desire to buy collectibles is out of a personal or sentimental connection to the object they are buying. For instance, it’s noted that people oftentimes baseball cards because they are seeking to reconnect with the memories they had during their childhood (Douglas). Certain types of card then take on greater personal and sentimental value for people. A Mickey Mantle baseball card will carry with it a lot more sentimental value than a baseball card by a less popular player. According to Mankiw then, the invisible hand of the market will guide the price of this card in relation to the amount the market is willing to pay for it. Another important consideration is Mankiw’s principle that â€Å"People Respond to Incentives† (â€Å"Principles of Economics†). Within the collectible market this is an important principle that influences price and collector involvement. While people oftentimes are drawn to buying collectibles because they have an interest in the specific item, there is also the hope for many people that the item they buy will increase in value. It’s noted that baseball cards have been considered a viable alternative to investing in stocks (Bullock). In these regards, the collectibles market is made complicated as people who buy the item out of personal interests and people who buy it out of economic interests clash and combine. Consider the nature of a very rare movie poster. While the poster may not be as attractive as a poster one could purchase from Wal-Mart, it still sells for a considerable amount more money. This is related to Mankiw’s principle of incentives in part because people recognize that there are some people who desire the poster for a personnel connection to it; however, they also recognize that since the poster is rare there is only a limited quantity. In this way people are willing to buy the poster because they will be able to sell it to others at a premium because the poster is not easily found. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has examined the phenomenon of collectible sales in terms of two of

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Research Method in Management Science Assignment - 1

Research Method in Management Science - Assignment Example Basially, content analysis is utilized as a statistical exercise that supports the tagging of different types of behaviors in the cultures that are studied. The method of content analysis has different benefits for researchers who employ it. In the first place, it is a cost-effective method that is also unobstrusive. This method also allows the researcher to learn much about an organization’s financial status, objectives, and customer body in cases where management research is taking place (Siyaranamual, 2009). When used in concert with other research methods such as archival records and interviews, content analysis becomes even more powerful beause this method can easily be used to keep a record of any cultural adjustments that may take place over time. Content analysis also offers or supplies an objective account of incidents, themes, issues, or documented events which may not be visibly apparent to the researcher or viewer (West, 2009). Content analysis also makes it possible for researchers to use more efficient surveys which may have open-ended questions which encourage respondents to volunteer more information. Content analysis has in the past been used by researchers to conduct studies in different disciplines such as education, history, anthropology, and psychology. It is also often used to conduct studies on management concerns. In regards to management research, content analysis functions as an effective device for carrying out literature reviews in a transparent and systematic manner. In conducting organizational research using content analysis, researchers are also able to recover and scrutinize the nuances of stakeholder perceptions, corporate culture, and societal trends (Judge, Filatotchev, & Aguilera, 2010). In management research, the use of content analysis permits researchers to be able to examine aspects such as perceptual and social constructs that may be hard to evaluate

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

Economics - Essay Example One of the unique things I have witnessed is the nature of people who buy collectible such as sports cards or movie posters. This essay examines applied economic principles to the nature of collecting and selling collectibles. Analysis The nature of the collectible marketplace is a notable economic phenomenon. Generally people usually buy things because they have an easily identifiable reason. For instance, people buy groceries because they have to eat, and they buy shampoo because they have to clean their hair. This is different for collectibles where the reason people purchase certain things is oftentimes mysterious. People note that they collect oftentimes for enjoyment (Yumeka). But still, why would one person be willing to pay thousands of dollars for a piece of cardboard with Mickey Mantle’s picture on it, but not be willing to pay $10 dollars for just a piece of cardboard? To a large degree economic analysis offers answers to these questions of collectible prices. The o verarching area of understanding collectibles is through Mankiw’s principles. One of the Mankiw’s economic principles is that, â€Å"Markets Are Usually a Good Way to Organize Economic Activity† (â€Å"Principles of Economics†). When considering collectible prices it’s clear they are a direct reflection of the market. As indicated above the reasons people desire to buy collectibles is out of a personal or sentimental connection to the object they are buying. For instance, it’s noted that people oftentimes baseball cards because they are seeking to reconnect with the memories they had during their childhood (Douglas). Certain types of card then take on greater personal and sentimental value for people. A Mickey Mantle baseball card will carry with it a lot more sentimental value than a baseball card by a less popular player. According to Mankiw then, the invisible hand of the market will guide the price of this card in relation to the amount the market is willing to pay for it. Another important consideration is Mankiw’s principle that â€Å"People Respond to Incentives† (â€Å"Principles of Economics†). Within the collectible market this is an important principle that influences price and collector involvement. While people oftentimes are drawn to buying collectibles because they have an interest in the specific item, there is also the hope for many people that the item they buy will increase in value. It’s noted that baseball cards have been considered a viable alternative to investing in stocks (Bullock). In these regards, the collectibles market is made complicated as people who buy the item out of personal interests and people who buy it out of economic interests clash and combine. Consider the nature of a very rare movie poster. While the poster may not be as attractive as a poster one could purchase from Wal-Mart, it still sells for a considerable amount more money. This is related to Mankiw’s principle of incentives in part because people recognize that there are some people who desire the poster for a personnel connection to it; however, they also recognize that since the poster is rare there is only a limited quantity. In this way people are willing to buy the poster because they will be able to sell it to others at a premium because the poster is not easily found. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has examined the phenomenon of collectible sales in terms of two of

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources Essay Example for Free

Understanding Organisations and the Role of Human Resources Essay Welcome to Alan Howards. Thank you for joining our lively and energetic workforce. Alan Howard is one of the UK’s largest professional Hair and Beauty wholesalers, a speciality retailer and distributor of professional Hair and Beauty supplies and equipment. Alan Howards was established 22 years ago opening its first store in Stockport followed by the Oldham store and slowly expanding and taking over other local wholesalers such as EWD and Salon Services, to now having 22 branches across the North West of England. The company is family run by Howard Littler owner of the company and 2 sons Anton and Jonathan directors of the company. To shop at Alan Howards you have to provide evidence to qualify to be a trade customer such as a qualification in hair or beauty or have the appropriate evidence to show you are a business owner or retailer. We offer our services in store, online and as an over the phone order and delivery service. Alan Howards stores provide products and a service, business to business and business to public offering more than 6,000 professional products for hair, skin and nails. Through professional lines such as Wella, L’Oreal and Schwarzkopf, along with our outside sales consultants generate up to 9,000 sales of exclusive to Alan Howards professional branded products such as Matrix, Joico, Fudge, St Tropez and more targeted for professional and salon use also for salon to retail to customers and for retailers to sell to general public. Our mission here at Alan Howards is to provide the best products on the market to help  with whatever women and men are looking for and make them feel beautiful, it is also our goal to be the leading wholesaler in the UK providing the best quality and prices and the best customer service to our shoppers, so they feel confident in shopping with us and loyal to our organisation. Our vision statement is to be the ultimate hair and beauty product provider, fulfilling needs and creating desire for our customers now and in the future. Pestle analysis is an analytical tool which considers external factors and helps to thin k about their impact. Pestle is understanding the environment you are operating in by understanding your environment you can minimise threats this provides the context within which more detailed planning can take place to take full advantage of the opportunities. Each factor of the pestle analysis influences Alan Howards (see below). P – Political E – Economic S – Sociological T – Technological L – Legal E – Environmental Political implications are change of government which can change vat rates which impacts our buyers and our customers which impact on the products and services we provide. An economical factor is the recession which has affected Alan Howard’s product sales with sales dropping, not as many new businesses are opening and current salons and retailers closing down, another economical factor is Alan Howard resources stock internationally, however the ever changing exchange rate has a high influence on when and what business is carried out as the pound becomes weaker we are often restricted. A sociological impact on the business is an ageing workforce with senior management staff due to retire also ageing customers with loyal customers reaching retirement age. Technology has impacted the business with competing retailers establishing accounts on social media websites, social media is a key component for free publicity, this is an area to focus on being able to capture new young audiences. A legal impact which has impacted the company is the product selling catchment which has impacted on the company’s expansion another legal impact on the company is the change in the law on the selling and storing of hazardous products such as peroxide and acetone. An environmental impact on the company is the waste disposal policy, that all waste materials and out of date stock and hazardous stock are disposed in the correct way for example all recycled materials are recycled, another environmental impact for the company will be Zero Waste Britain in 2015 the company will be charging 5p per bag. Organisation  structure is very important within a company as it helps form a hierarchy and span of control within an organisation. With Alan Howards bei ng a large company that keeps on growing the structure of the company is a hierarchical structure as it has many levels, a hierarchical structure is sometimes called a pyramid structure because at each level downwards there are more employees. The owner and directors are responsible for making the majority of decisions this is good for the company as owner and directors have full visibility of the company at all times. This also means that many people on the pyramid are consulted before it reaches the directors and owner, which leads to a slow reaction to changes. Some of the functions of the organisation are Sales, HR, IT, Payroll, Management, Finance and more. These functional areas all work together to maintain the company hitting their goals. In order to optimise Alan Howard’s performance the functions of the company work together HR implements company policy’s such as payroll, maternity, paternity and pensions for example payroll needs to be kept up to date from managers to make correct pay for staff. HR are also important for employing and resourcing the best staff offering the correct training to optimise sales and company performance, HR also support and manage staff performance and targets. The IT de partment is also an important function within our business all data presentations are stored on our systems also invoices and accounts. As a company we use online banking so it’s important that our branch managers bank everyday so that our IT department is always up to date and in working order so the company can function properly. The final function in our company is the finance department this is who controls all the money coming in and out of the company including banking, purchasing, chasing account payments, invoicing and also giving buyers up to date budgets. All four of these functions are a vital part of the company to achieve its goals all these function work with communication to one another which is done face to face, over the telephone, with the majority being through emails This is often used as it’s an effective quick way to communicate there is also a document trail of every process which can be tracked if needed it also makes it easier to keep directors and owners up to date. Organisational culture is the attitude, beliefs and values which benefit the company. Over time, tradition and structure Alan Howards has built up its own positive culture culture as most organisations do. Alan  Howard is a mixture of a power culture and role culture, giving a sense of identity to the company and the people connected to the company, shows a sense of what we stand for and what we do. Product buying decisions are centralised around 4 key members of the company being Howard the owner, Anton or Johnathan the directors or Louise head buyer, but also using the role culture for other areas of the organisation such as customer service with various functions split each individual within the function is assigned a particular roll. A positive culture adds value to the organisation and motivates staff. The strategies adopted by our organisation can be influenced internally and externally. HR is involved in the install planning process and with the formation of the business plan detailing objectives to achieve. HR liaises between directors, management and staff to ensure policies and procedures are applied fairly and interaction between HR department, directors, managers and staff are utilized on a daily basis. The main HR activities which take place within the organisation is training, job analysis, recruitment and selection, job advertisements, resourcing talent and managing change, setting and communicating clear performance expectations. Three ways in which HR support line manager within Alan Howards is coaching and development, health and safety, managing conflict. Coaching and development Managers have a great deal of people management responsibilities in addition to their daily workload. HR often offers management the guidance and skills needed to help develop their team and improve their skills providing them with accurate information and guidance. This provides mangers with increased confidence to manage staff. Health and Safety Alan Howards has to comply with health and safety law. HR has contributed to the creation of health and safety policies for the company. Managers are responsible for reducing the risk of workplace dangers and guarantee a safe environment for staff and customers. HR provides managers with training on health and safety laws also first aid and fire marshal training. We have maintained records of accidents in the workplace and insure that reviews take place promptly after any incident that takes place. Conflict Management Managers frequently have to manage disputes at work. Identifying and addressing underlying tension before escalating is key to reduce incidents within the team. We do this by providing clear exceptions on behaviours required of all employees and encourage managers to hold appraisals to evaluate performance and job satisfaction. HR develiver coacting in conflict management and employment law HR also act as mediators when conflict develops and can provide staff counselling.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Analysis of the halal industry

Analysis of the halal industry The world Muslim population is growing to a total of 1.6 billion people. By 2025, Muslims are expected to account for 30% of the worlds population. As for halal products, there are about 1.5 billion consumers, This means that one out of every four human beings consumes halal products. At present, Southeast Asia and the Middle East are the two strong markets for halal products (Riaz, 1998). As at 2008, the Halal Industry has amounted to USD2.1 trillion. This is certainly an important market to tap into. The Halal industry which also includes Islamic finance is estimated to be worth between USD200 billion to USD500 billion annually, with an annual growth rate forecast of 12% to 15% for the next 10 years. Marketing efforts to supply certified halal products throughout the world are gaining momentum. Demands for Halal-certified products have increased exponentially not only because the Muslim consumer base is growing but also due to the fact that Halal products now appeal to a broader spectrum. Halal has become the new benchmark for safety and quality assurance. The growing appeal and benefits of this niche market is significant. Major non-Muslim countries like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the U.S. have already established their local production for the Halal market. The key driving factors for the projected growth of the Halal market are as follow: Growth in the Muslim population, the primary market for Halal food Rising incomes in primary markets for Halal food Increasing demand for safe, high quality food in primary markets Increasing demand for greater variety in primary markets Incidents of food marketed as Halal but failing to meet Halal requirements Development of the Asian Halal Market Asia has the largest Muslim population of any given region, but the population has modest per capita incomes, and hence lower total food consumption than other areas. For example, high population countries like India and Pakistan have relatively low consumer incomes and consequently exhibit lower per capita protein consumption. Despite lower income levels, this region has been at the forefront of capitalizing on the growing Halal market. Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, China and India have all taken steps to tap into the global Halal market. For instance, the Singapore food industry has also taken a number of steps towards becoming a Halal hub, including an advertising campaign in the Middle East. Malaysia has also designs on becoming an international Halal hub and its government has taken a number of measures to support that objective including the establishment of the Halal Development Corporation. Thailand has moved to become a recognized Halal centre of excellence in science and testing. Brunei is currently co-operating with Australian companies in order to combine its role in the Muslim world with Australias track record in safe, high quality food production. The Chinese Halal industry is growing and is expected to expand its role in the global market. At the moment, the key advantage of the Chinese Halal industry is access to cheap labor. China recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Commission (EC) and already has several EC-approved companies ready to export Halal products to European markets. Indian exporters are attempting to gain recognition through the achievement of HACCP, ISO and Halal certification. Halal Market in Singapore and the internationalization of Singapores Halal Services Majils Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis), which is also known as the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, is the Islamic authority in-charge of Muslim affairs in Singapore. Muis was established as a statutory board in 1968, when the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) came into effect. Muis is to advise the President of Singapore on all matters relating to Islam in Singapore. Among other things, Muis provides Halal Certification services. Muis is vested with the powers to act as the sole authority to administer and regulate Halal certification in Singapore. This is clearly stipulated in AMLA. By 2009, Muis certified more than 2,600 premises and has played an important role as the custodian of Halal food assurance for Singapores 15% Muslim population. Furthermore, the promising Halal food industry with the availability of many Halal-certified eating establishments has helped to foster social interaction between individuals from diverse racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. Halal Certification provides assurance to all Muslim consumers because it fulfills the Syariah law, which is a must for Muslims. To the non-Muslims, Halal products are quality products, simply due to the concept of halalan thoyyiban (Halal and wholesome) Introduction of Warees Halal As the Singapore Halal certification is well regarded and globally recognised, it has generated strong interests from companies, both in Singapore and beyond, planning to embark on the MUIS Halal Certification scheme and adopt the Singapore MUIS Halal Quality Management (HalMQ) system. Warees Halal, a division of MUIS subsidiary Warees Investments Pte Ltd, has been given the task of helping companies to attain certification. At the present moment, being the subsidiary of Muis, Warees Halal leverages on the existing Muis eHalal System to manage all aspects of the Halal Certification Process . Apart from this system Muis has engaged a third-party vendor Marshall Cavendish Business Information Pte Ltd, to manage its directory portal http:www.singaporehalaldirectory.com. Warees Halal is currently exploring new ways to improve and streamline their work processes and expand their reach to the global halal market. And one of initiatives is Current Business Model for Halal Global Market Currently, the major marketing channel for the Halal commodity suppliers and retailers is the commodity wholesale market. However, when the retailers make purchases in the wholesale market, the dominant suppliers may offer products that are not Halal certified. Besides, the retailers may be inconvenient to collect information on the price and other details of the Halal products. The current business model is the directory and business portal. The average online halal directory and business portal like the Singapore Halal Directory acts as a mere introductory service. Once the Buyers have identified products and suppliers of interest, both parties will have to move offline and continue using emails, faxes and myriads of spreadsheets that result in complexities, errors and added costs. According to the World Trade Organization the average international trade transaction involves: 20-30 different parties, 40 documents, 200 data elements (30 of which are repeated at least 30 times). The complexities of import-export add as much 15% administrative overhead to the actual cost of goods. In todays highly competitive global markets, Suppliers and their clients need to reduce and even eliminate inefficiencies that result in higher costs and possible loss of market share. Technological Challenges faced in this current model Standardisation and communication management between Warees Halal Staff and their clients Another challenge is the global outreach restriction due to geographical factors and limitation due to the current information technology infrastructure Emerging Business Models Economists said that the growth of Global Halal market is definitely depending on the participation of E-commerce and Halal E-marketplace. In fact, the regional Muslim countries like Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore are currently speeding up the promotion of Halal concept, which aims to integrate the Halal producers and marketers. Thus, the development of Halal E-marketplace is facing huge challenge, in the perspective of having qualified Halal certified food producers to join in the Halal E-marketplace as to ensure the safety, hygiene and fairness of the commodity trading. Some of the Halal E-marketplaces includes the daganghalal site from Malaysia, zabihah.com a site with an directory which is a Halal business yellow pages in UK. Besides these sites, some of the Government Halal E-marketplace which are only include the Australian Halal Food Directory and Singapore Halal Directory. Halal E-Commerce Leaders in the industry Zabihah.com (http://www.zabihah.com) Zabihah.com is the largest database of Halal restaurants and markets.Based in the USA, it was created in July of 1999. And till to this date, zabihah.com has become an indispensable resource for Muslim communities worldwide. DagangHalal.com (http://www.DagangHalal.com) DagangHalal.com, based in Malaysia is one of the B2B e-marketplaces featuring Halal products and services. It provides an online platform as well as other business sourcing channels for our merchants to reach out to a potential worldwide Muslim market of 1.8 billion consumers (estimated worth US$500bil to US$2 trillion global Halal trade value). HalalBusinessDirectory.com (http://HalalBusinessDirectory.com) The Halal Business Directory, a UK Based Website provides a free service to Halal Businesses enabling them to publicise their online presence, and a free service to the public to help locate local businesses. Both user friendly and search engine friendly, the Halal Business Directory also provides a business listing with contact details, products and services, and a link to selected businesses websites. Halalexchange (http://www.halalexchange.com) Halal Exchangeà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ is a joint venture project in UAE between Halal Exchange Inc. and RAK Investment Authority under the patronage of His Highness Prince Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah. Halal Exchange is a web-based enterprise solution for the challenges of Global Sourcing. Founded in January 2002, the mission focused exclusively on developing the standard template for the complex, costly and convoluted import export process. The proprietary eCatalogue-Transaction Engineà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ delivers immediate results in increase of business volume and higher profit margins. Halal Exchange is headquartered in Vancouver with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Dubai and San Francisco. Australian Halal Food Directory (http://www.halal.com.au/) Halal.com.au is Australias first comprehensive Halal dining guide. Our aim in launching this site is to give Muslim people around Australia a handy resource to find Halal restaurants, cafes and other eateries. Of course, we hope that this site can be of use to non-Muslims as well! Singapore Halal Directory (http://www.singaporehalaldirectory.com) (Waiting for info from Razali) Present Information Technology Infrastructure Future or Proposed Information Technology Infrastructure E-commerce and online business portal had been proved to be one of the best e-business solutions to penetrate the emerging market. However, not much e-commerce portal either by government or private sector that focuses on the Halal market has being seen in the Halal trade market. B2B Model, B2C Model E-marketplace is an electronic exchange marketplace where companies register as sellers or buyers to communicate and conduct business over the Internet. The E-marketplace has become an important electronic shopping environment that may evolve into a dominant force in Internet marketing. Most of the E-marketplaces with online stores are offering competing products. Featuring is associated with a price premium and it serves as a mechanism to mitigate competition among online stores. In essence, featuring facilitates a convenience-price trade-off. Those consumers who find that the cost of searching outweighs the benefit of a lower expected price shop at the featured store where the price is higher on average. The E-Commerce mechanism of the Halal E-marketplace can improve trading efficiency and lower the cost of collecting information as well as the purchase price. The E-marketplace can use a combination of pictures, literal description, and regulated classification to introduce the quality and details of the traded commodities. Hence, Halal E-marketplace is found to be an emerging e-marketplace for the global Halal industries since the early years. Contradicted to the conventional E-marketplace, one of the unique features of Halal E-Marketplace is that it requires all the Halal businesses and services to be provided and transacted online according to the Halal principles and Muslim values. This is to ensure the benefits of the Halal consumers from around the world. The unique features of the Halal E-Marketplace include: Only the Halal certified products and services can be exhibited and traded online Operated according to the Halal principles and Muslim values Cultivate the Islamic values of Hygiene, Sincerity, Fairness and Trustworthiness Promotes the right way of doing trading activities Economic Benefits of the Halal E-marketplace Halal industry businesses and services providers can be benefit from the Halal E-Marketplace. For example, Halal food producers representing each section in a supply-chain could join Halal e-marketplace to transfer information and purchase products. They may operate on a cost-recovery basis by an independent third party (such as an industry association) or be set up as a business offering, with a middle-person providing a value-added function such as transaction services. Services offered by Halal E-marketplaces include the business directory listings, electronic catalogues for online purchasing of goods and services and trading or transaction services. Halal E-marketplaces that are worth considering are those that interconnect with other marketplaces and allow low-cost connection to a firms financial accounting systems. The economic benefits of the Halal E-marketplace may include: Greater opportunities for the Halal suppliers and buyers to make new trading partnerships, either within their supply-chain or across supply-chains The potential to lower the costs of negotiating and making transactions with automation of standard business procedures The potential for more transparent pricing as Halal buyers and sellers take the opportunity to trade in a more open environment The opportunity to access value-added services such as inventory control and management of dispatch and distribution processes using electronic systems Product or Service Customer Analysis What are you selling? Whom are you selling it to? How do the products differ among competitors in the same business? Who are your primary customers? What do your customers think about your business strengths and weaknesses?

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Possibilities in Ralph Waldo Ellisons Invisible Man :: Ralph Waldo Ellison Invisible Man Essays

Possibilities in Ralph Waldo Ellison's Invisible Man In the 1900’s opportunities for black people were very limited compared to the 21st century, where jobs are in abundance and more people seek-out for those opportunities. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, edited by Neufeldt and Sparks, an opportunity is, â€Å"A combination of circumstances favorable for the purpose; a good chance as to advance oneself† (413). It is not what opportunity is made available unto oneself but what decision is made to advance oneself to a higher level in life. In Invisible Man, Ralph Waldo Ellison on the belief of a land of infinite possibilities/opportunities composed this novel; his first novel. Ellison believed that a wise and opportune person can turn a pile of rocks into a bag of rocks; basically saying that one may take what they have available unto them, and create better opportunities, for themselves and other generations to come. Invisible Man is about finding oneself and in that nature of discovery, running with one’s destiny, and making any possibility into infinite possibilities, turning the smallest of opportunities into the biggest of opportunities. Invisible Man is about finding possibilities where possibilities seem impossible. Ralph Waldo Ellison was born on March 1st in 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison gained international fame from his first novel Invisible Man, which was inspired from his belief in the myth of the frontier, where he viewed the United States as the land of infinite possibilities and opportunities. The close-knit black community in which Ellison grew up in supplied him with images of courage and endurance. While growing up many of times one may find themselves searching for their purpose in life through the different activities that one may join and often times quit in search of something of better interest, something that he/she may feel fits their personality/character in a better manner. Darnell Tingle once said, â€Å"Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have†. While Ellison was surrounded by the faces of unfamiliarity he also felt lost, however invisible at the same time, wondering ‘What am I doing here†¦ is this place really for me†¦ do I want this?’ Ellison tried to find himself while asking others around him questions only he could answer.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

The topic I choose was stress and its effects it has on our body (Myers). These stressors can cause many negative changes to our body, more then we realize. I have a much better understanding after reading not only the textbook but the research journal just what effects it has on our body. It’s easy to listen to people give advice on ways to calm down but I feel people need to be educated on what it does to us and healthy ways to deal with it. There are so many different day to day things that cause us stress and if we allow ourselves we can easily get caught up in them. For me at that point I tune everyone out and that is when those stressors dictate how my day will be. Personally, I realize more now how I have let stress bring me to a point of feeling ill and taking it out on loved ones around me. Now more then ever being a full time student and with recent financial burdens I have seen first hand how stress impacts not only myself but my family as well. We get so enthr alled in stress that we allow it to effect our mind and our body. Then we wake up one day and the stress is still there only we are feeling ill and wondering why. It is so true when people say that stress can cause you to become physically ill. There are so many healthy ways to manage stress however not everyone practices them. We need to use our support systems, identify what the stress is and manage it rather then it taking over us. If we find ways to face the stress, in a healthy way we will be able to resolve it and not have it take over our mind or body. I now find my self coming home after a stressful day and exercising, and going for walks. Instead of me shutting down and becoming stressed I know now that its okay to share this with my loved ones and ... ...cally ill and overwhelmed. By doing this I neglected myself, and by doing so not only did I not deal with stress but there was little resoultion and greater stress within my family. When you get to thast point it is then that the stress is dictating how your days are going to be. This study was very intresting to me and I believe futhur study would help everyone not just health care workers. It brought up many good points, stress is different for each of us and if we had mindfulness approaches then we could face it head on and not allow it to become a neagative outcome. I often wondered having gone to counsling myself in the past how do these therapist deal with listening to patients all day long? What steps do they take to deal with their own stress or just the stress of helping others. I feel the counslor would definitly benefit from this study and its practices.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Accounting Harnischfeger Corporation Case Essay

From Financial Note 2, we know that, in 1984, the corporation had computed depreciation expenses on plants, machinery and equipment using straight-line method for financial reporting purpose. Prior to 1984, the corporation used principally accelerated methods for its U.S operating plants.The cumulative effect of this change, which was applied retroactively to all assets previously subjected to accelerated depreciation, increased net income for 1984 by $11.0 million or $0.93per common and common equivalent share. The impact of the new method on income for the year 1984 before the cumulative effect was insignificant. Answer number 2: I can also identify changes is the following: Changes in the sales calculation, by including the re-sales of products from Kobe Steel Ltd company in the Corporation sales Changes in the depreciation method mentioned before LIFO inventories liquidation boosted the net income by $2.4MM The effect from changes in allowance for doubtful accounts The funding of R&D expenses by Kobe Steel Ltd company The restructure of the pension plan reducing the expenses by $4.0MM I believe the net income could have been roughly around: $17.3MM Net Loss Answer number 3: the reasons I think why management made this changes within the company are: Some of the executive board members hold some shares of the corporation. Evidently, a better net income would have booted the price of share. There was a 40% compensation opportunity for some on the most decision influence members by the end of the year in case of the company exceeds the expectation. There are several requirements the company needs to meet in order to keep the three year loan agreement for its working capital.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

“Merchant of Venice” Feminist Perspective Essay

The feminist critical perspective examines the roles that women play in literary works and their true significance to the text. Their roles are usually decided on by the society or time period in which the story is set. In â€Å"The Merchant of Venice,† females were suppressed by the societal ideals of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era, which is portrayed through the characters of Portia and Jessica, who could not establish their own powerful identities because they were women. Portia and Jessica are the main female characters in the play. If they had been given a chance to show their skills, they undoubtedly would’ve been extremely strong women. However, they had to mask their abilities in order to appeal to their male counterparts. Their positions in the story were to show what it was to be the ideal Elizabethan woman. Time and time again, Portia and Jessica were shown to be mere objects that were owned by the male characters in the story. They could not shine or b ecome powerful characters, when they had every capability to. According to Maggi Ros’ â€Å"Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge,† a woman was nothing more than property in Elizabethan society. It states that, â€Å"Children are the property of their parents, and give them the respect a servant gives his master†¦Wives are the property of their husbands†¦Some women are more independent than others. However, every woman expects to be married, and to depend on her male relatives throughout her life.† Throughout the story, we see that Jessica and Portia fit perfectly into this description of Elizabethan women. Jessica was the property of her father. Shylock did not care for his daughter nearly enough as the fact that he owned her. When Jessica eloped with her lover, Lorenzo, Shylock cared only about two things: that his daughter had eloped with a Christian and that she had stolen his money. The reader can see this when Salanio, while gossiping with Salerio, mocks Shylock: â€Å"I never heard a passion so confused / So strange, outrageous, and so variable / As the dog Jew did utter in the streets: / ‘My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter! / Fled with a Christian! O my Christian ducats! / Justice! the law! †¦ A sealed bag, two sealed bags of ducats, †¦ Stol’n by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl!'† (II.viii.13). Jessica’s eloping with Lorenzo signified that Shylock’s source of pride, his Jewish religion, would end  after his death. There would be no continuance of the tradition because Jessica had betrayed him and married a Christian. She could no longer bear him a Jewish heir. After his religion, money was the second most important thing in Shylock’s life. Jessica had taken some of his ducats and precious stones. He begged the law to condemn Jessica, who had stolen his hard-earned money. It was obvious that the loss of his daughter did not affect him one bit. But rather, it was the loss of his money and Jewish bloodline which infuriated him. Sadly, this showed that Jessica’s worth was limited to nothing more than mere property. Portia was, like Jessica, bound by her father. She says: â€Å"If I live to be as old as Sibylla, I will die as chaste as Diana, unless I be obtained by the manner of my father’s will† (I.ii.98). Her deceased father had left behind a will, which contained a riddle. There were three caskets, made of gold, silver, and lead. The man who can correctly choose the casket containing Portia’s picture would become her husband. If Portia had not remained loyal to her father, she could have easily chosen any man to be her husband. However, this shows the power of the male guardian in Elizabethan times. Portia did not dare to be disobedient to her father, even after his death. â€Å"O me, the word ‘choose’! I may neither choose who I would, nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father (I.ii.19). Instead, she grudgingly accepted the riddle as the ultimate decider in her fate and love life. In another aspect of Elizabethan society, women were mere objects that belonged to their husbands after ownership was transferred from their fathers. The suitors lasciviously desired Portia for her beauty and wealth. If they could win her as a wife, their reputations and futures would be set. The first suitor to try his luck at the riddle of the caskets was the Prince of Morocco. He chose the gold casket which had an inscription that read: â€Å"Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire† (II.vii.5). This shows that Morocco was a greedy man who desired Portia for materialistic reasons, just like many other men who would desire the gold too. The second suitor to attempt the riddle was the Prince of Arragon, who chose the silver casket. Like Morrocco, Arragon was quite superficial. â€Å"I will assume desert. Give me  a key for this / And instantly unlock my fortunes here† (II.ix.52). He saw Portia as merely a free ride to financial security. He didn’t want her because he loved or cared for her. He only wanted her for her money and power. Women were a prize which men displayed and flaunted. A woman had no true value as a person. A recurring event in the play was the women disguising themselves as men. This is symbolic of the suppression of the women by their male counterparts. They had to mask their true abilities under the guise of men. There was no way in Elizabethan society for a woman to be successful in any field other than wifehood or motherhood. In Act II, Jessica was finally rebelling against the strict rules of Shylock. She was taking extreme measures in order to elope with Lorenzo. â€Å"I am glad ’tis night, you do not look on me / For I am much ashamed of my exchange / But love is blind and lovers cannot see / The pretty follies that themselves commit / For if they could, Cupid himself would blush / To see me thus transformed to a boy† (II.vi.34). Escaping from her father should have empowered her character, but in fact, it didn’t. She had to disguise herself as a pageboy, thus, taking away any feeling of female empowerment that the act of eloping should have brought. She was defying in the costume of a male and this showed that only males had the power to rebel or to be strong. At the end of Act III, Portia and Nerissa dressed up as a male lawyer and clerk and traveled to Venice to defend Antonio. Portia was the most intellectual character in the play and that was made evident by the skill with which she executed Antonio’s defense. When the evidence was clearly stacked against Antonio, using her wit and intelligence, Portia turned the tables on Shylock and made him the victim. Portia’s cleverness was shown when she said: â€Å"This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood / The words expressly are ‘a pound of flesh:’ / Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh / But, in the cutting it, if thou dost shed / One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods / Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice† (IV.i.309). Portia knew that Shylock had every right to cut Antonio’s flesh–the law gave him that right. But, she also knew that the law stated that if an attempt was made at a Venetian’s life, the perpetrator  would have his property confiscated. This was a brilliant twist of events that greatly affected the case. Shylock had now turned into the victim and Antonio was completely off the hook. Portia was an utterly brilliant lawyer, which everyone in the courtroom could distinguish. However, Antonio’s defense and the infamous â€Å"quality of mercy speech† were made under the disguise of a male lawyer. No one would ever see the true intelligence that Portia actually beheld, simply because an intelligent female was unfathomable in Shakespeare’s time. Women in Shakespeare’s Elizabethan society were greatly undermined. This is made quite evident in The Merchant of Venice, through the feminist critical perspective. Societal ideals forced Jessica and Portia to mask their abilities and talents. They could not show their true identities or else they would break the mold of a proper Elizabethan woman, which was absolutely unthinkable. Portia and Jessica were both the property by their fathers and could never really break free from that ownership. Also, Portia was desired by men for her wealth and beauty, rather than her intelligence and personality. Women were merely a prize that should be flaunted. Their inner-value was worthless; it was their material value that mattered. Finally, both women had to disguise themselves as men in order to express the independence and power they possessed. The female characters in the story were inferior to the males because of the social stigmas which had existed during Shakespeare’s time period.