Power and Managerial Control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Power and Managerial Control - Assignment Example The different sources of power within organizations are coercive power which can be described as ones ability to influence the behavior of others in an organizations by either taking punitive measures towards mistakes committed or threatening them of taking punitive measures in order to influence their behavior towards a task or goals allocated to them (Seperich & Mccalley, 2006). A good example of this is that most employees usually comply with directives given by managers because of fear of what action the manager might take against them in the events that the fail to follow the directives in question. This empowers most managers in organizations because they have the capability of excising different punitive measures towards employees working under them like reprimands, issuing out undesirable work assignments, withholding key information, demotions and suspensions or dismissals. However, coercive power in organizations varies from one organization to the other as many have clearl y defined policies and procedures which govern managers’ relationship with their employees. Likewise, the presence of unions also affects coercive powers in organizations because it weakens it rather than strengthening it since they argue out that not only managers in organizations should have coercive powers but also employees in different departments can exercise this form of power through such ways like use of sarcasm and fear of rejections (Gibson & Carr, 2004).

Personal Portfolio Essay Example for Free

Personal Portfolio Essay My journey as a student started out as a young child. Coming from nurturing parents, I was always taught my ABC’s, 123’s and colors. I was an eager student and when it was time to go to school, I was excited and motivated. As I moved on in my educational career, I didn’t keep with the same attitude I started with when I was younger. I feel now, I’ve regained my passion to be a student with the maturity I’ve gained over just this past year. I feel that I will always be a student because I will never cease to learn. I’ve been successful and unsuccessful in my efforts in my formal education. With each new endeavor I take, I learn something new about myself and what I can handle. One of the biggest things I’ve accomplished was the completion of high school. For me, my high school years were some of my darkest. I was in regular day school or the first two years and because of personal issues spent the last two years on home instruction. Being able to graduate with a high school diploma in the allotted 4 year time span meant so much to me and still does. Another successful experience I’ve had before coming to MCC was obtaining my Medical Assistant Certification. I worked in the field for some time and decisions I made in my life, lead me to give away what I had worked so hard for. The most recent and successful thing I’ve done thus far is coming to MCC. Before enrolling here, I was in a very lost and dark place in my life. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get out. I was given an opportunity at a second chance and I am going to take full advantage of it this time around. I’ve encountered many challenges along the way; some of them I’ve even let stunt me in my growth as a person in society. When I was in grammar school, I lost my father suddenly, as I entered high school I fell into the wrong crowd of friends and my life took a turn down the wrong path for a while and I have a diagnosed mental illness that makes everyday life difficult sometimes. I’ve learned that I need to be open and honest with my life in order to get better. How I’ve learned cope with theses everyday challenges it to just face every day and know my limits. I attend self-help groups that have changed my life and afforded me with nineteen months clean and showed me there is a better way to live. I decided to enroll in Middlesex County College because I need a change of pace. Before coming to MCC, I was stagnant; I wasn’t sure I’d ever move from the dreary place I found myself in. When the Fall 2012 semester was about to close, I had a choice, was I going to participate in life or was another year going to pass me by? I made a decision to put all my fears aside and enroll. Honestly, the first few weeks of that fall semester were great. I felt on top of the world, things were coming so easy. Then reality started to set in. I saw that I was in remedial classes and my friends were in more advanced courses some even in universities. Life started to show up and responsibilities were beginning to knock on my door and tests were on days I wanted to have for myself. I felt trapped and on some days, I really wanted to give up. However, I kept pushing forward because I know that I came this far and wasn’t going to give up over a little pressure. Plus, I had so much support from the people that love me I was doing this more for just selfish reasons this time. I’m not sure how my professors this semester would describe me being we’ve only known each other a short period of time. Going on the opinion of last semester’s professors, I feel they would describe me as outgoing and responsible. I remain accountable for the things I do and the things I don’t do. I’m on time for classes and not shy about asking for help or staying after class to voice a concern. That is something I’ve learned in my short time as a college student and it’s taught me well. An academic goal of mine in the short term has been in the short term to complete my remedial classes and some of my basic psychology classes. In the long term I would then like to matriculate to Rutgers University to complete my Bachelor’s degree. It has always been a dream of mine to graduate from the University my mother did. Although I don’t want to follow in the medical field the same way my mother did, I still want to obtain my doctorate as she did. I feel it is in my blood to help people, just in different ways. I plan to accomplish this goal by staying focused on my plan and using my time wisely. I need to start to identify my weaknesses and work on them more thoroughly. I need to obtain better study skills begin to prepare to the weeks ahead instead of the just the week or the day. Also, I need to get out of the mindset that things will get done for me or over time just go away; in life, things don’t happen like that. In conclusion, I plan to take my new lease on life and my academic career very seriously. I have a pretty good understanding what is ahead of me of me given I keep doing the next right thing. On the other hand I know what is waiting for me if I slip and go back to the life I was leading before I made the decision to change and start this new way of life. The good thing about today is today I am free and have a choice of what I want to do. I no longer have to be dictated to on what I have to get done, it’s my life and from this point on I will decide how I will live each day.

Why is the Holocaust Still Relevant Today in Wiesels Night Essay

The Holocaust is over and has been for about sixty years, so why are we still talking about it? Why is it still relevant in our world today? The world should have learned from its mistakes, but the sad part is that we did not. No, Hitler is no longer killing millions of innocent men, women, and children, but we are still just still just as cruel only in different ways. Night is Elie Wiesel’s factual account of his experiences in the holocaust. He brings us to a world in which not many people want to go. He tells us the true story of what really happened in Nazi concentration camps. Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor chooses to tell his story and begins to teach an entire generation the dangers of ignorance and hatred. Just by telling his story, just by writing it down, Wiesel is helping to educate people about what atrocities happened in the concentration camps. It tells us about how he was stripped down of his human rights. â€Å"A7713?’ ‘That’s me’† (51 Wiesel). Wiesel talks about how he was degraded as a human being. He is not even considered a person anymore. He is dehumanized and reduced to little more than a number. An example of the harshness is the selections, where he saw people who slept beside him the night before, get sentenced to death. He makes it clear that just because you passed an examination, doesn’t mean you’re safe. You might have been lucky this time but there will be a next time and they can just as easily give you death. He is basically saying that if you want to survive, then you had to prove yourself strong and healthy, but basically it was all on luck. This teaches us how cruel the Nazis were to the people in the concentration camps. Every selection would be dreadful and you had no way of knowing wheth... ...spoke about the concentration camps while they were going on, then that could have made the difference. All you really need is one person to start and others will follow. There was a reason why Wiesel made it out of the camps, and millions of others did not. He made a difference. He educated so many people of the pains of the Holocaust. Since we now know about it, we should not be ignorant and pretend that there is no other problems in our world, because there is. Now that we know this and we know what has happened in the past, we should do everything we can to prevent this from happening in the future. We determine the future, we can either ignore the problems of others including in other countries and the same thing might happen to us, or we can choose to do something about it and try to eliminate hatred and make sure that no one will have to experience it again.

Anyone Except the Clutters: the Question of Meaning in Capote’s in Cold Blood

A strange thing happens when people like the Clutters experience an â€Å"undeserved† misfortune. Perhaps misfortune is an understatement in the Clutters case, but the fact is that when bad things happen to good people, everyone around them cannot help but question the nature of good and evil; with that comes the existence of God. Capote put it best in the quote he included from the schoolteacher: â€Å"Feeling wouldn’t run half so high if this had happened to anyone except the Clutters. Anyone less admired. Prosperous. Secure. But that family represented everything people hereabouts really value and respect, and that such a thing could happen to them –well , it’s like being told there is no God. It makes life seem pointless. † (88) The question of why bad things happen to good people is a very loaded question; one that is broader than the scope of this essay. The goal of this essay will be to determine what Capote’s answer to this question is, at least in the context of this novel. Does he believe that the Clutters died for a reason, or that it was simply a random act that they were caught up in by chance? Throughout the novel, the one character who is completely consumed by the question of meaning is Detective Dewey. His dedication to finding the Clutters murderers is driven by his belief that â€Å"he might suddenly ‘see something,’ that a meaningful detail would declare itself† (83). The Clutters murder didn’t seem to have any apparent meaning. But Detective Dewey was not alone in his belief that the actions people do are meaningful; that the events that occur in this world have an order, a design. This belief is prevalent, especially in religious groups, and we learn in the novel that Holcomb, Kansas is part of the â€Å"Bible Belt† (34). It was definitely a religious town, and the Clutters were churchgoing folk. Dewey, for this reason, cannot escape believing there is a reason for everything, and that the Clutters death had a purpose. Is that what Capote wishes to tell us? Because I have a difficult time understanding what purpose there could be for a hard-working, wealthy family of four to be murdered in their beds for â€Å"a few dollars and a radio† (103). The structure of this novel is rather strange for a â€Å"murder-mystery†; it is not told chronologically; the night of the murder is skipped over until the very end. More importantly, we are told right from the beginning of the novel that the four Clutters are murdered, and we know who murdered them. For a typical murder-mystery, the revelation of the killer is always the climax of the action. In fact, Capote has given us more than the names of the killers; he gives us insight into their lives, and thoughts, leading up the murders. The reason for this is because Capote has fashioned a novel where we are not reading to find out who perpetrated the crime, but why the killers killed the Clutters. I think, of all the characters in this novel, Dewey is the only one who tries to answer this question. In fact, the reason why he believes that the killers to be motivated by personal interests, even though the deaths were â€Å"brutal and without apparent motive† (70), is because he believes that there must be something he is not seeing. He mentions several times that the police department â€Å"didn’t have all the facts† (70) and didn’t really know what they were dealing with. He looks at all the clues; analyses all the data; interviews all the townspeople who had grudges, business, or any reason to dislike the Clutters. He knows that the information he is seeing doesn’t make sense, but he can’t figure out the key, the clue, the mystery that will make their deaths make sense. Dewey thinks that the key to understanding why the Clutters died is their killers. If he can find who killed the Clutters then he will know why they killed the Clutters. Unfortunately, all of the â€Å"knowledge† about the crimes from those who committed it does not give Dewey any definitive answers: But the confessions, though they answered questions of how and why, failed to satisfy his sense of meaningful design. The crime was a psychological accident, virtually an impersonal act; the victims might as well have been killed by lightning. (245) I don’t think that this is a fair statement for Dewey to make, although he is the character that would definitely believe this way. Saying that the Clutters might as well have bee â€Å"killed by lightning† (245) is to say that anything could have killed them. While this is true in the sense that anyone could die at any given moment, it is not true in the sense that the killers could not have been just anybody. The Clutters were a good, white, well-off and (reasonably) happy. Though when we read this novel, we may not feel extremely attached to the Clutters, we can easily see that they were good people. Their neighbours have only nice things to say about them, and the town thinks that â€Å"of all the people in the world, they were the least likely to be murdered† (85). They were not the kind of people who made other people want to murder them. The killings could be said to have been â€Å"impersonal†, but I think that the more correct statement is not that anything could have killed the Clutters, but that Dick and Perry could have killed anyone. The Clutters were the arbitrary part of the equation. The only reason they were chosen over any other family was the fact that they were tipped off about a safe on their property. If they had never been told about the safe I believe that Dick and Perry, in all likelihood, would never have met the Clutters. The killers, particularly Dick, were prepared to kill up to twelve people that November night. Dick had no way of knowing who would be there, but knew that it didn’t matter who was there, he would do what he had to in order to secure his and Perry’s venture. That they only got a radio and 40 or 50 dollars out of the bargain was secondary. The Clutters were the epitome of the American Dream, embodying a lifestyle that all Americans could relate to. But if they die and there is no reason for it, no meaning to it, then that means that the American Dream, by extension, is also dead; it would be â€Å"like being told there is no God† (88). If the American Dream is dead, then being a good person is not enough to protect you from the bad things in the world. I think that though Capote has Dewey searching for meaning to this tragedy, I would argue that Dewey never finds what he is searching for. The perpetrators were expected to be monsters; evil; remorseful at least. But I don’t think Dick and Perry fulfilled the public’s idea of the Clutter’s murderers. ? Works Cited Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. Toronto: Random House, 1993. Print.

Native Americans (Subordinate Group) Essay

One often wonders where the Native North Americans originated from. Some theories have been discussed about the peopling of the Americas. Early theories involving lost tribes and continents were based purely on speculation instead of actual scientific facts. Discoveries made during many archeological expeditions have helped shape the always changing interpretations by adding more questions and more theories. There have been genetic and linguistic studies which raised more understanding and brought new questions. It is theorized that during the latter part of the Cenozoic era, also known as the age of mammals that the Wisconsin glaciation caused enough of the planet’s water supply to turn into ice. This lowered the oceans and exposed now submerged land. This event created a stretch of land that the large mammals of the Ice Age era, along with the natives of that era, could very well have migrated across the newly formed land bridge, which now connected two continents. This land bridge is known as the Bering Strait, or Beringia. During the time that Beringia existed, the Wisconsin glaciers most likely prohibited migration to any southern or eastern regions. Another theory suggests that the early natives may have inhabited the now Alaskan region because it was ice-free due to low precipitation. Several melts over a period of time created passageways, and evidence from archeological site implies that there was an ice-free corridor for thousands of years. It was during another melt approximately ten thousand years ago, that a second corridor was most likely formed farther east along the borders of Saskatchewan and Canada plains. This points to the possibility that the ancient people could have traveled eastward along the rivers in the Great Plains, and down further south. The Indians known to history as the Sioux are also known as Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota, meaning allies. This is my heritage. I am a member of the largest division of Siouan family, otherwise known as Sioux. The name is from a term given to the largest and well- known of the tribal groups. At one time, my people stretched from the west banks of the Mississippi northward from Arkansas and the Rocky Mountains. The Dakotas also inhabited territory east of the river up to Wisconsin and Missouri. They were here to encounter DeSoto on his journey in 1541, when he reached the Indian villages in what is now eastern Arkansas. Another hundred years passed before any mention of Sioux existing, when in 1658 some Jesuit missionaries heard of the existence of about thirty Dakota villages just north of a Potawatomi mission. This was located at about the head of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in St. Michael. It was during the middle 1600’s when the Sioux, along with the Arapaho and Cheyenne had to migrate further westward towards the Great Plains to what is known as North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. This migration was mainly due to the O jibwa and Chippewa tribes pushing them out of the Great Lakes region. The Ojibwa and Chippewa had been pushed out of their own land that had been further east, by the European settlers of that time. In 1805 Lewis and Clark passed through the center of this region and made contact with the Sioux tribes. After this took place, several more expeditions brought traders that settled among the tribes, and in the course of some time, permanent settlers arrived. This made the area so small that eventually the people of my tribe were forced to live in Indian Territories or confined to Nebraska, the Dakotas, or Montana. This brought on a series of raids and counter raids that lasted from roughly 1850 through 1890 and were known as the Sioux Wars. In the first years of the twentieth century, the Dakotas also known as Tetons began the process of adapting to their new way of life. They still had strong faith in their own traditions, but realized that the old way was gone forever. Numerous changes with the economy and politics were forced on my people by the government. The people strived to establish a life for themselves that used both new changes, but still remained true to their values and beliefs. During the rest of the twentieth century, all of the reservations for the Dakotas, Lakotas, and Tetons lost more land due to ownership passes and inheritances. Division between rural dwellers and people who live in town have grown bigger. Rural residents tend to retain their use of native language, and be involved in cultural events, when townspeople adapt other aspects of the American culture. Most of the Sioux nation and other groups of American Indians live in South Dakota, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and North Dakota at present time on privatized land created by the government many years ago. Wendy Coghill ETH/125 Text Citations: Bonvillain, Nancy. â€Å"‘Seeking a New Way’. † Teton Sioux, Indians of North America, Heritage Edition. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=INATS06&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citations: Waldman, Carl. â€Å"arrival of humans in North America. † Atlas of the North American Indian, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2009. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=ind5278&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citation: Waldman, Carl. â€Å"Assimilation. † Word Dance: The Language of Native American Culture. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 1994. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=ind2991&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011). Text Citation: Waldman, Carl. â€Å"Sioux. † Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc. , 2006. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www. fofweb. com/activelink2. asp? ItemID=WE43&iPin=ind2432&SingleRecord=True (accessed May 22, 2011).

The Body Shop strategy Essays

The Body Shop strategy Essays The Body Shop strategy Paper The Body Shop strategy Paper Essay Topic: Marketing On March 26th 1976 a young lady of 33 by the name of Anita Roddick who had a deep rooted passion for environmental activism and no prior business knowledge decided to open a small store in Brighton by the name of The Body Shop selling natural based, self mixed beauty produce that she had discovered from her travels throughout the South Pacific and Africa. Her main aim at the time was to support her husband who was travelling around America and their 2 young children. With the advice to try and earn  £300 a week from Gordon her husband she set about The Body Shops raise to global fame and influence. With just 25 hand mixed products in her Brighton store in 1976 and each product having 5 different bottle sizes to simply bulk up the shops shelves she has managed to transform the organisation to be harbouring over 1,954 stores world wide today. (Mintel : 03) The question has to be asked how has a woman with no prior business knowledge or education managed to achieve such a feat? Is Business knowledge meaningless? Were Body Shop simply headless and happen to stumble along the correct path? Or has The Body Shop operated cleverly and adopted unique strategies to differentiate themselves away from the norm? Throughout the following text we will discover the way in which The Body Shops historic strategy brought about its rise to world wide status and then later its decline. We will see the way the company has adjusted its strategy to try and halt this. This will then be followed by the evaluation of how both Porters five forces and SWOT analysis models may account for their success and the way in which they deal with the esoteric aspect of the body shops way of doing business. Corporate Strategy is concerned with the overall purpose and scope of the organisation to meet the expectations of owners or major stakeholders and add value to the different parts of the enterprise (Johnson, Scholes: 11) Since the early days of The Body Shop its strategy has always been to stand out and be different from the rest, the company statement alone portrays this The Body Shop International, A company with a difference (Company Statement) In fact The Body Shop was so different it was the first company to open up a new niche market with its natural based products. This strategy of going against the motion of traditional business practices was fundamental toward the rise of Body Shop. The body Shop was and still is based on the following business ethics as shown in figure one. In figure one we can see that The Body Shops aims differ substantially from most organisations in that it places emphasis on its ethical, social and environmental responsibility. This is shown by Anita Roddick saying: I would rather be measured by how I treat weaker and frailer communities I trade with than by how great are my profits (Body Shop international case Mintzberg, Quinn, Ghoshol : 99, 451) Many companies simply do not operate on this level and this one stance alone that differentiates Body Shop from the rest of its market. Consumers are fully aware of companies desires to obtain the biggest profits at almost any legal cost to the environment or society. Anita opened The Body Shop at a time when Europe was becoming greener, organisations such as green peace were being founded, knowledge and media interest were also on the rise so a company promoting good environmental ethics that concerned consumers brought about a large interest in the company. Therefore timing was also a key component of their strategy and this is acknowledged by Anita I am aware that success is more than a good idea. It is timing too. The Body Shop arrived just as Europe was going green (AnitaRoddick.com) Another key component for the company was Anita Roddicks ability to handle the media. Since the beginning of Body Shop she has used the media as her major tool of strategy in her search for success. Ever since she opened her shop in Brighton next door to two Funeral companies and was sued for her ironic choice of name she has used the media masterfully and to great advantage. The Body Shop never advertised in the conventional way. Usually advertising took place in an indirect way, not through the company but by word of mouth or through editorial coverage in magazines and newspapers. Roddick herself estimates that she generated around 2 million pound a year of free publicity (Body Shop international case Mintzberg, Quinn, Ghoshol : 99, 453) The press liked Anita and being forward with her opinions made her very quotable, in a sense they worked off each other. For the consumer this lack of conventional marketing really went against the usual ways of the beauty and cosmetics industry. Over 85 percent of its costs are packaging and advertising, The Body Shop simply ignores this. Charles Revlon founder of Revlon said In the store we sell hope, We are a dream machine (Body Shop international case Mintzberg, Quinn, Ghoshol : 99, 453) The Body Shop simply say There are no magic potions, no miracle cures, no rejuvenating creams, skin care products can do nothing more than cleanse, polish and protects thats it end of story! (Body Shop international case Mintzberg, Quinn, Ghoshol : 99, 448) This educates its consumers to know what to expect when purchasing Body Shop produce. No false hopes just the notion to simply to inform, usually via products labels, media. However as the early nineties arrived this strategy came under threat. Questions arose regarding the authenticity of The Body Shop claims of using natural products. Body Shop stepped down from this stance and acknowledged that some ingredients were in fact synthetic preservatives. They also had to step down from the claim that they didnt test their products on animals as they could not guarantee that this was the case with some third world suppliers. Instead they Are against animal testing These cases along with becoming the victim of its own success with ever increasing competition in its market we have seen Body Shops power and sales decline. Operating profits in the UK were just 4.9 Million with an operating profit margin of just 8.4% this was down by 57.0% since 1994 and the international profit margin was also down by 18.7% between 94-99. Shown in figure 2 (source: Mintel) These results brought about a large stimulus for change of strategy. In 1999 The Body Shop underwent an organisational and management shake-up which intended to reposition the group and rejuvenate its performance. Out went Anita Roddick and in came the likes of A. Bellamy (Executive Chairman), A Murray (Finance director) P. Saunders (Chief Executive Officer). Their new strategy started to run itself round cutting costs and improving efficiency. No longer were they manufacturing their own goods as they began to outsource to cut company costs. By February 2000 they had sold its Littlehampton manufacturing business to COSi. (Mintel: 03) It also saw of change of strategy regarding its marketing. They have moved from it stance against marketing and have now advertised through strategic advertising in select media and in terms of posters and billboards. They are slowing down the fast global expansion of The Body Shop through franchising and building to place resources in existing stores and buy existing franchises. This falls into the strategy of tighter control, costs and working capital to increase the profitability and cash generation. Its appears that despite core competences remaining with regards to ethics and social responsibility, well on the outside at least, Body Shop are trying to steady themselves among the raising competition whilst still trying to differentiate their selves. Theoretical and decision making models are a responsible way of accounting for an over view of the Body Shops success and Failure. I will discuss the following two frame works of SWOT (Design school, Mintzberg, Andrews) linked with the resource based ideology and Porters five forces (Positioning School, Porter: 85) we will over look the Body Shops Strategy by inserting the relative data into each frame work and then discussing it with reference to how the model deals with the esoteric aspects of body shops way of doing business. A swot analysis summarises the key issues from an analysis of the business environment and strategic capability of an organisation (Johnson, Scholes: 190) From SWOT analysis as written above a company is able to get an idea of its external environment and thus be able to exploit its competitors. Looking in Figure three we can see the SWOT analysis for The Body Shop in its current state. The SWOT analysis is spilt into four sections of analysis Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats and from this we can see the some of the strategies that have taken the Body Shop forward yet we can also assume the factors that have held it back. Take for example in the strengths section we can see most of the key historic and current strategies that have propelled Body Shop to its world wide status. The focus on its strong ethical and environmental credentials as well as its franchising schemes is seen as its major strengths. These have been with the company since the start and the companies strong ethical and environmental stance can be seen as its core competency that raises the company above its competition. The Weaknesses and threats in the analysis chart bring forth the concerns and challenges that face The Body Shop today. Suffering from its earlier success it shows how the competition has increased. An earlier SWOT analysis would have contained more capital and expansion threats and weaknesses as they were a new company starting in a new niche market now as Body Shop become Mature and its market exposed many firms have joined the band wagon of going green and being environmentally friendly. Most natural beauty retailers such as boots, LOreal are against animal testing and competition of natural products is ever increasing with supermarkets now producing their own brands. So how The body Shop differentiates itself, manages its weaknesses and exploits its opportunities is a now dilemma that Body Shop must face. Five forces analysis is a means of identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in an industry (Johnson, Scholes: 1998) M. Porter sees competition as the core of the success or failure of firms (Wit, Meyer : 345) and that the essence of formulating competitive strategy is by relating a company to its environment (Porter: 3) Therefore he designed a frame workforce to that shows state of competition in an industry which is based around five forces. We can see these five forces and what they involve in figure 4. As we can see it is in a rather simplified format regarding the amount of the detail it goes into. Porter actually goes into more depth and detail regarding his texts, therefore simplified models of the five forces are not as informative as it could possibly be so should be considered as a framework for further analysis. However for use in the case of Body Shop and the word constraint it still can provide us with a useful knowledge of the environment that Body Shop is facing and how it accounts for it success and failings Firstly considering the threat of substitution for Body Shop products we can consider this to be high. Body Shop is in direct competition with the beauty industry both natural and unnatural. As competition in its niche market increases substitution becomes a bigger threat. This is certainty is a hindrance to Body Shop currently. However the threat of substitutes has actually helped in this case, Porter asks the question of whether or not a substitute poses the threat of obsolescence to a firms product or service, or actually provides a higher perceived benefit or value (wit, meyer : 120) This covers the case of the Body Shop actually providing beauty products but actually only providing natural ones. This means that Body Shop in the case of this model have been able to add value by offering a natural alternative to typical ones, this has been one of the key factors of The Body Shops success. Therefore this section of the model accounts for both success and failure for the Body Shop. The potential entrants force also provides an account of the success of the Body Shop. Porter states that the treat on entry is dependant on barriers to entry. Within the six major forces that affect the barriers we can account for the product differentiation of Body Shop acting as an entry barrier. During the 80s Body Shop had established itself as the original and leading retailer of natural based cosmetics with a good brand image. This formed a consumer loyalty base and has acted as a deterrent for potential entrants, as building a brand up is very costly especially against the flow of success that the Body Shop were experiencing. This barrier is perhaps the most important entry barrier for baby products, over the counter drugs, cosmetics (Porter :9) All of which are connected also with the SWOT analysis of the firm. However as the nineties came forth Body Shop suffered some damaging anti natural claims as well an apparent lack of ability to re-invent itself possibly saw the consumer become accustomed to Body Shop as well as possibly becoming down hearted with body shops reversal on some of its claims. Then seemed a good time for more competitors to try and enter the market. Larger cosmetics companies such as LOreal, Boots had resources to be able to defeat another major barrier of Porters in regards to distribution channels. These competitors already had secure logical forms of distribution in terms for their numerous stores both nationally and globally. This gives them a substantial starting base to promote their selves within a new product market. Supermarkets are now also using distribution channels as a means of entering the natural cosmetics sectors. Both Asda and Sainsburys have their own ranges already as well a massive store base.

Trading Places - Liquid Science Magic Trick

Trading Places - Liquid Science Magic Trick Here is a quick and interesting science trick for you.  Take two glasses of different-colored liquids and watch the liquids switch places in the glasses. Magic Trick Materials This science magic trick or demonstration can be performed using many different liquids, such as water and wine, water and oil, or water and whiskey. All you need are two liquids that have different densities. If the liquids dont mix (such as water and oil), you will get a clearly-defined separation. Expect some mixing of water with rubbing alcohol or an alcoholic beverage. You can tint a water or alcohol-based liquid with food coloring. two small identical glasses, such as shot glasseswateroil or wine or whiskey or rubbing alcohol a thin waterproof card, such as a drivers license Perform the Liquid Magic Trick Fill one glass completely full with water.Fill the other glass completely full with the other liquid you selected.Place the card over the water glass. While holding the card onto the glass, flip the water glass over and set it and the card on top of the second glass.Line the glasses up so that they are even and move the card so that there is just a tiny bit of open space at the edge of the glasses.Over the next few minutes (about 10 minutes for shot glasses), the liquids will exchange places. The alcohol or oil will rise to the top while the water sinks and fills the bottom glass. How the Liquid Magic Trick Works Well, obviously not by magic! This is simple science. The two liquids have different densities from each other. Basically, the lighter liquid will float while the heavier liquid will sink. You would see the same result if you had removed the card entirely, except this way is prettier and looks more magical.

Awkward Mistakes When You Write an Essay, and the Right Solution Finding Help

Awkward Mistakes When You Write an Essay, and the Right Solution Finding Help Writing assignments are an inescapable part of higher education. They’re always a challenge, often fun, but most times a chore. And, besides, so much can go wrong: grammatical errors, citing mistakes, structuring issues, plagiarism.So instead of facing the challenges blindly and alone, here are 10 of the most common mistakes made when writing academic papers – and how to avoid making them. (Note: The words â€Å"essay† and â€Å"paper† in this blog are used interchangeably) 1. Not Fully Understanding the Assignment Different writing assignments have different purposes. One may require a student to include certain items, certain sources, graphs, statistics, etc.; sometimes they require a specific kind of source or group of sources – and some writing assignments at the college level may have a student write in a particular style, or format, using a specific structure and incorporating certain kinds of content. The most ubiquitous kind of writing assignment is, however, one where the student is to make an argument and defend it with some sort of evidence. And while not every writing assignment necessitates an argument – there are, of course, ones that are analytical, descriptive and investigative, et al., in nature – most do involve the student making a case for something, much like that of the argumentative or persuasive essay. Avoiding any confusion on the assignment comes down to listening to instructions and asking the right questions, and knowing which kind of writing style and genre the assignment calls for. Doing the assignment incorrectly could result in a very low grade. Examples of not following the instructions of an assignment: A student should not be making an argument in a Chemistry research paper if the assignment doesn’t call for an argument – but only to discuss an aspect of chemistry at length. A student should not provide a summary of a book if they are to only critique the book. So the student must make conclusions: What kind of essay do I need to write? Am I to make an argument (as in a persuasive essay)? Do I provide only an overview of a subject or topic (like in a research paper), or do I analyze information (perhaps an investigative report)? What kind of sources do I need to use – and how many do I use? What kind of style is needed in this case – MLA, APA, or others? If a student is unsure of exactly what their assignment requires them to do, they should first speak with their professor for clarification. These articles are worth reading! 3 Steps to a Great College Essay Top 10 Mistakes Made During Essay Writing Part 2 APA Essay Format with a Free Example Custom Essay Writing Strong College Essay Writing Guide 2. Lacking a (Sufficient) Thesis Statement A professor, reading just about any college essay, should easily find and thoroughly understand its central theme (its Thesis) – in less than a minute, actually. It should generally be found in the first paragraph of a student’s paper, in just one or two very concise, declarative sentences indicating what the rest of the paper is essentially about. This becomes an essay’s thesis statement. Without one, the reader is left in the dark, so to speak, unable to follow the general flow of the essay, which then becomes ineffective. An idea cannot be effectively and successfully conveyed to a reader if that idea is put forth in a disorganized, unmethodical way. (This results in lower evaluations on such assignments.) An effective thesis statement is the result of the student selecting a central theme, it could be a solution to a problem, a defendable argument, a point of view, (depending on the type of assignment and what it calls for), and then putting it in writing, in a confident, assertive tone and stance. Formulating a thesis statement is not the result of the student’s initial response to a subject or topic, but a product of them taking an attitude toward a subject or topic, then gathering and organizing evidence that supports their stance. An example of a sloppy, ineffective thesis statement: Self-expression and sexuality were themes in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. An example of a proper, effective, concise thesis statement: The overt themes of self-expression and sexuality in Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was a subject of much controversy, thereby illustrating his era’s rigid views on both matters. 3. Failing to Plan Since well-written essays require a great deal of work, their success is rooted in the student’s ability to plan well the writing of the essay. After the student gets their assignment and considers all that has to be incorporated into it, how they are to write, how it should be written, etc., it works to their advantage if they create and then follow a detailed, five-pointed outline, with each one representing at least one paragraph of the essay. In the case of writing a persuasive/argumentative essay, the student must, before writing their first sentence of their paper, craft a concise, arguable thesis statement (the first point) – which is to be introduced in the paper’s first paragraph, serving as the premise to be maintained or proven throughout the paper. The outline should also include at least three defending points (body paragraphs, the next three points) that evidence the thesis statement, listing the points, and perhaps sources used, if they are needed or required, to validate the argument. Lastly, the outline should include a conclusion paragraph (the final, fifth point of the outline). Without this planning stage, without creating and following an outline to follow, the student runs the risk of turning in a sub-par paper, written with no cohesion, few traces of scholarship, putting forth a very weak argument, and most likely earning them a less-than-stellar grade on the assignment. 4. Lacking an Effective Introduction and Conclusion Paragraphs Without an effective introduction paragraph, the reader is not eased into the topic, in a strategic manner. Perhaps a real-life example may illustrate the need for this paragraph. If a student wants to convince their parents that they need a cell phone at college, they shouldn’t simply come right out and say, â€Å"I need a cell phone at college.† It is too sudden, coming off too aggressively. It will serve them better to start off with a few topical sentences instead, maybe about the importance of maintaining communication with one’s parents during the early-adult years, for example. The same applies to writing a paper. A paper’s introduction paragraph is meant to first get the reader considering a thought, a notion, a platform (which can be accomplished with first a few general, topical sentences). The introduction paragraph then eases into whatever exactly the writer is attempting to convey, whether it be an argument or more analytical or general in nature, in the form of the Thesis, just one sentencing declaring what the rest of the paper will be about. The last part of the introductory paragraph will generally enumerate the evidence that will be examined to support this idea or stance being conveyed. In case there was any confusion about an essay’s argument or central theme, the conclusion paragraph restates what was said in the introductory paragraph and body paragraphs – in total, the paper’s argument and its evidencing points. The conclusion paragraph indicates to the reader that, also, the essay has come to a close. 5. Inclusion of Weak Sources When an essay calls for the inclusion of sources, either to prove an assertion or offer a perspective on a subject or topic, these sources should not consist of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and Wikipedia (though these are great places to begin research.) Rather, academic writing calls for the incorporation of other, more academic sources and scholarly articles, ones that are published in academic journals, newspapers, and reputably published books, and ones that are found on academic search websites like JSTOR. Looking at the long-term effects of dire poverty in the American South, one may pull statistics from a newspaper article or research organization. They may refer to a geography book for help, to visualize the region; they may read about its history and socio-political influences. The student-writer should not consider general and common knowledge, the kind found in Geography and History books, as one’s primary sources in a writing assignment. For an assignment that, on the other hand, requires scholarly sources to discuss this topic at length, perhaps to confirm an assertion, a professor is expecting the student to use something an expert on the subject has written or said about this said topic – and not a simple fact that can be found anywhere on the Internet. Please read continuation of this article here: The Top 10 Mistakes Made When Writing Essays (Part 2)

Two Opposing Perspectives on Egoism of Nietsche and Kierkegaard Essay

Two Opposing Perspectives on Egoism of Nietsche and Kierkegaard - Essay Example Nietzsche, on the other hand, might not have explicitly mentioned the atheistic foundation of his argument in his statement in Gay Science No. 304 but it is clear that he insisted that man should not be controlled by any rule or principle that restrains him from doing what he wants. Apparently, Nietzsche and Kierkegaard also differed in their views when it comes to their treatment of the ego or the individual. For Nietzsche, the individual is supreme and it is only by being so that he frees himself from the clutches of any entity that could hinder his struggle to achieve happiness. Rules that are imposed on him that tend to impede his freedom of movements must, therefore, be removed or repudiated. Kierkegaard, on the other hand, insisted that man should always consider the existence of a higher entity, God. Kierkegaard argued that man is governed by the rules of the Supreme Being and because of this there are limits to his freedom. However, it is necessary to discuss each of the key statements made by both modern philosophers in a more profound manner. The result of such discussion should clarify the opposing perspectives regarding egoism. No. 304 of Nietzsche’s Gay Science is a very explicit statement that describes the author’s personal conviction regarding the primacy of the individual. The last part of the section actually sums up in the most profound manner what he believed in. Nietzsche wrote: â€Å"I do not mean to strive with open eyes for my impoverishment; I do not like any of the negative virtues whose very essence is negation and self-renunciation.† (244) The previous sentences that led to this conclusion are highly critical of the set-up wherein man is ruled by laws that mostly pertain to activities or actions that should not be done. This results into an environment or a society in which people are restrained from undertaking efforts that they may deem as beneficial to them individually. Consequently, individuals are also depr ived of the chance to live happily according to their respective definitions of it. In the statement, Nietzsche asserts that he does not wish to live under such conditions and that he opposes all rules that results in these. Apparently, Nietzsche does not see the necessity of discussing the bases of the laws or rules which he points out as restrictive and violating of individual freedom. It is also clear that it does not matter whether such rules are secular or borne out of religious beliefs. As long as these explicitly tell man what not to do, then these deserve to be opposed. For Nietzsche, the argument against such restrictions should not be anchored on the cost-benefits analysis for society. It is in the actual effects that these produce on the individual. If such laws impede or hinder the individual, then these are not justified. It does not matter whether these are supposedly important for social order or whether these are for the common good. For Nietzsche, if it is restricti ve in essence then it is deplorable. It is quite obvious that he has made the individual as the center for all his arguments, which runs contrary to the perspectives adhered by governments and other power structures in society, whether religious or secular. If his statements are analyzed further, it would definitely appear

Role of Labor Unions in Modern States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Role of Labor Unions in Modern States - Essay Example Although post World War political scenario in the US witnessed remarkable growth of labor unions, their prominence has been diminishing for the past few decades. However, the existence of labor unions seems democratic and they have undeniable role in forming welfare policies in a modern state. To begin with, ‘a labor union is a group of workers who have chosen to band together to promote their common interests.’ (Mauer, 2001 p.5). Although the structure of unions varies, their common interests are almost same; they stand for pay rise, occupational safety; prevention of unfair dismissal etc. ‘Collective bargaining’ is the strength of a labor union which helps workers to negotiate their demands with their employers. Although the structure and decision making process vary from union to union, there are certain basic features that all unions have in common. â€Å"The heart and soul of any union is its members, and they are pulled together by a network of first-line union representatives† (Mauer, p.13). Some unions are independent and only involve in there own workplace issues. They choose their own leaders in workplace, design strategies, and take collective actions according to the circumstances. In contrast, there are many unions which have a ffiliation with big labor organizations.

European Union Law Degree Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Union Law Degree - Case Study Example In this case the defendant must not be a state entity. The requirements of Directives can be applied horizontally between two private parties1. The UK instrument requires commercial providers of fossil based fuels to limit their quantity to 50% of their total output. On the other hand, the Directive limits this to just 40%. This In addition, this statute permits the use of candles and other fossil based fuels, without any restriction; whereas the Directive clearly specifies that these fuels are to be used, only for religious and cultural ceremonial rituals. In the event of failure by a Member State, in this regard, the EU will approach the ECJ to initiate necessary action against the Member State. National governmental entities, private or public utility organisations and firms must invariably apply EC law provisions at the national level. Since, the context, purpose and content of the Directive have been comprehended, the extent to which the UK Government had implemented its provisions, has to be examined. All the same, this Directive is significant, because it recommends the least intrusive method for achieving its objective. It is rendered effective, if its purpose, namely the use of renewable energy is achieved. This Directive aims to deter dependence on carbon based fuels. Article 249 of the Treaty, specifies that Direc... Member States are obliged to pay compensation to individuals if the latter incur loss due to the non - implementation of Directives. In the case of Francovich and Others v Italy, the ECJ held that in order to make a Member State liable for such damages, three conditions have to be fulfilled3. First, the Directive must be intended to provide rights to individuals. Second, it must contain the description and scope of the rights that it intends to provide. Third, the Member State must have failed to implement the Directive and such failure must have caused the damage to the individual4. Individuals can insist on the enforcement of a Directive. This applies even though the Directive has a horizontal direct effect limitation, which hinders its enforcement. In Francovich, the ECJ had established this principle. It also held that Member States will have to pay compensation for damages or losses to individuals under the concept of state liability, if they failed to implement a Directive5. The ECJ had further extended the scope of this decision in the subsequent joint cases of Brasserie de P'cheur6 and R v Secretary of State for Transport, ex parte Factortame (No. 4)7. The ECJ held that individuals who sustained loss could demand compensation from the Member State if it failed to implement the EC Law. This also applies if the Member States had violated the provisions of EC Law. If an individual sustained a loss or damage due to the incorrect or non - implementation of EC law provisions by a Member State, then that individual can sue against the state in the national court and seek compensation for such damage. Moreover, individuals can invoke the

Mini Project Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mini Project - Term Paper Example The paper points two uses of graphs that are reflected in one of the business periodicals and their effectiveness. First, an article from the Wall Street Journal dated 1st April that was written by Prince Marcelo reflected on the amount of gas and oil that comes from fracking in US. The graph points the trend of oil fracking as compared to the total oil and gas production from 2005 to 2015. Prince, (2015) makes use of a line graph to present the information that clearly shows that energy production from oil and gases has been increasing annually, same as the energy from fracking. The above graph is effective tool in revealing the current issue in the energy sector within the use of fracking technology. The black shaded area depicts the fracking amounts while the red one shows the total amounts of oil and gas production in US. It is clear that fracking has contributed to a larger percentage of both gas and oil production as opposed to the other sources of these two energy platforms. Additionally, the graph depicts the amounts (in estimate) of oil and gas every year, as well as, the periods that the trends revealed a sharp decrease or increase. Nevertheless, the difference or the ratio of the fracking to the total amounts can be easily calculated from the graph. Lastly, the mean or averages of the fracking amounts can be easily calculated; therefore, the graph shows the descriptive statistics for the data that can be highlighted without any struggle. Another graph reflects the US quarterly GDP growth from 2012 to 2016. The article was posted by the Fed on 1st May 2015 and has forecasted the GDP growth rate of the US economy from 2012 to 2016. It shows the past GDP growth rates from 2012, the current rates and from these rates Fed can forecast the growth rates for the last quarter of 2015 and 2016. Therefore, the bar graph is effective tool that can be used in forecasting data for future use. This

Synthesis and analysis paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Synthesis and analysis paper - Assignment Example The major similarity amongst all these three rumor theories is that everything about a rumor is psychological and hence the reason why many tend to believe it to be true. They are a creation of the mind and hence can only be stopped by the mind once an individual or group loses their psychological perspective. The other similarity is that all the three authors agree that it is easier to spread than stop a rumor, once it is created it only grows and spreads even wider. Despite their similarities, the three rumor theories have their own differences. Knapp’s theory for example explains that rumor are caused and driven by an emotion humans may be having. These emotions are wish, fear as well as hostility (Behrens & Rosen 360). When an individual encounters any of the above emotions, he is bound to react through coming up with a rumor and spreading it to further protect and mask his true emotions. Unless the emotion behind the rumor is addressed, the rumors will keep on coming. DiFonzo however seems to differ about the source and cause of rumors. He explains that rumors are a creation of society to serve either personal or social purpose. Once this purpose is served, then the rumor ceases until the next personal or social need occurs. The extent of the rumor and its magnitude depends on the personal or social level. This is the same across groups as well not only individuals. Sunstein believes that rumors work in a cascading manner where the more it is spreading, the more people it is pulling in and the faster it continues to spread. They originate small but continue to spread and increase to the level of people starting to believe them to be true despite the half-truths it holds most of the time. He further indicates that this rumor can be used to effect positivity into humans in fields such as politics (Behrens & Rosen 390). There was a wide spread rumor a few years back through some of it

Preferred Learning styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Preferred Learning styles - Essay Example This study was based on descriptive study. Quantitative data was collected from the closed ended questionnaires where the number of students were tallied and presented in a table form. The findings of the study showed that there is no perfect learning style as they have some fault. The study thus recommends that the learning institutes should recommend the best learning style based on the personal traits of the individual. CHAPTER ONE 1.1 Introduction This report focused on analyzing learning style in the learning process. The study focused on analyzing how the learning styles in a classroom set up is influenced by the gender or sex of the students. The study also focused on how the extroverts react to learning styles in a classroom set up. More so, this study focused on how social aspects of the students influence the learning styles. This report focused its premises on the Honey & Mumford learning style in its theoretical framework. In the independent variable, the study had the le arner’s gender and characteristics. 1.2 Literature review This reports based its arguments on the recent literature reviews. The literature in this scope of study shows how learning style concepts have been accepted. It is alleged that several studies that have proved that learning styles area true measure of students’ self evaluation (Rosenberg, 2009) though there is a disagreement on the best way of measuring the various learning styles. It is also alleged that there are several researches that have been done on learning styles but most researchers have not agreed on the importance of designing learning programs (Hall, 2009). In addition, Coffield et al (2004) concludes that provision of correct learning strategies, contexts and methods is better as compared to matching individual student preferences. Marzano (1988) posits that tactile and graphic presentation of subject matter produced noticeable effects the outcomes of learning regardless of attempts to match the g raphic and tactile methods with learners’ modalities. In a recent by Baker (2002), visual studies were quite advantageous among all adults despite the rate of learning style with preference to the visual images. It was also advantageous for learners with strong preferences in the verbal process. According to Merrill (2000), instructional strategies should be determined first by focusing on the goals of the instructions and the learners’ learning preferences and styles are used to adjust the fundamental learning strategies. CHAPTER TWO 2.1 Research methodology The descriptive research design was used in this study. Hypotheses were set and later test made on the participants. The study was conducted in a workshop and follow up activities in the classroom set up. The study involved one classroom and all the students were participants in this study. Questionnaires were administered and the responses were analyzed in a table form. The test score for the various theories was analyzed in a table. The questions were aimed at critically analyzing the self evaluation of the respondents by determining the learners’ style. There was no time limit to this questionnaire. The accuracy of the results depended on how honest you were. There was no right or wrong answers. If you agreed more than you disagreed with a statement, you had to put a tick next to it. If you disagreed more than you agreed a cross was put beside it. 2.2 Participants The research participants were students in a classroom set up.

Synthesis and analysis paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Synthesis and analysis paper - Assignment Example The major similarity amongst all these three rumor theories is that everything about a rumor is psychological and hence the reason why many tend to believe it to be true. They are a creation of the mind and hence can only be stopped by the mind once an individual or group loses their psychological perspective. The other similarity is that all the three authors agree that it is easier to spread than stop a rumor, once it is created it only grows and spreads even wider. Despite their similarities, the three rumor theories have their own differences. Knapp’s theory for example explains that rumor are caused and driven by an emotion humans may be having. These emotions are wish, fear as well as hostility (Behrens & Rosen 360). When an individual encounters any of the above emotions, he is bound to react through coming up with a rumor and spreading it to further protect and mask his true emotions. Unless the emotion behind the rumor is addressed, the rumors will keep on coming. DiFonzo however seems to differ about the source and cause of rumors. He explains that rumors are a creation of society to serve either personal or social purpose. Once this purpose is served, then the rumor ceases until the next personal or social need occurs. The extent of the rumor and its magnitude depends on the personal or social level. This is the same across groups as well not only individuals. Sunstein believes that rumors work in a cascading manner where the more it is spreading, the more people it is pulling in and the faster it continues to spread. They originate small but continue to spread and increase to the level of people starting to believe them to be true despite the half-truths it holds most of the time. He further indicates that this rumor can be used to effect positivity into humans in fields such as politics (Behrens & Rosen 390). There was a wide spread rumor a few years back through some of it

EESA10H3S Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

EESA10H3S Assignment 2 - Essay Example pollution have increased abundantly because of the changing drivers such as consumption patterns, population growth and economic activities (Kaushik & Kaushik, 2006). It is worth affirming that such information is false since genetically modified crops refer to plants that are meant for animal or human consumption by through modern molecular techniques. The plants are developed in laboratories to develop preferred traits to advance nutritional content (WHO, 1993). There is an increased debate about the wellbeing and the necessity of modified food since the 1990s. It is imperative to note that in America, consumers do not buy food based on mutual interest but on the premise of solving hunger problems and feeding the poor. It is mythical that global famine is due to food scarcity and population increase motivated by weather (WHO, 1991). Scientists have cautioned that our thinking about hunger is a great obstacle in tackling hunger. It is on record that the United States and Argentina filed a lawsuit against Europe over its rejection to consume GM foods. The crop is harmful to both the surrounding and human wellbeing (O’Brien and Mullins, 200 9). Most countries that process the GM foods are present in the wealthiest countries and their concern is to make money at the expense of people’s health (Kuiper, Kleter, Noteborn et al., 2011). Genetic engineering is unpredictable since by inserting a modified gene from an organism to food, proteins are introduced for dietary food chain. This causes health effects such as allergic reactions. The GM foods are not satisfactorily tested making it mythical to say that world hunger can be solved by increase in food production (Chapeyama, 2011). International entities have made policies, which have improved production of export foods at the expense of foods for population. The crops also contain genes, which gives resistance to used antibiotics ( Zhang and Guo, 2011). Man’s survival has always depended on animals either for

Greek Mythology and Atlantis Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Atlantis Essay The myth of Atlantis started with only a few pages from a book written from the famous Greek philosopher Plato. He spoke of a island kingdom, situated just beyond the pillars of Hercules. It was a glorious city made up of a series of layered walls and cannels, and at the very top of the hill was a temple dedicated to Poseidon â€Å"god of the sea.† All the myths behind Atlantis were all based on old Greek legends, dating back as far as 350 B. C. Plato had written a minimum amount of information about this â€Å"lost empire†, but enough to make people look farther into the subject. Plato’s theory was that Atlantis was a great island kingdom, full of wealth and bliss. It was a futuristic impression of a perfect society, controlled by the Greek gods. But the people of Atlantis became corrupt and greedy, so the gods decided to destroy them. A Volcano erupted off the shores of North Africa causing a monstrous wave, which found its way to this great empire. The wave destroyed the city causing the island to sink into the sea, never to be seen again. No other mystery on earth has sparked such an obsession. What happened to the legendary city of Atlantis? Or was it just that, a legend?  Over the years the story of this ancient city had has taken on a life of its own, transformed into countless fantasylands, hotel, even movies. Everyone was in the race to find Atlantis. Donyana national park. A massive ancient bay once existed in this large marsh in southern Spain, conveniently located just beyond the Pillars of Hercules. In the marsh strange circular patterns were found in satellite photos.  Comparing these photographs to the detailed description in Plato’s writing, Researchers were convinced it was there in the Donyana national park wear Plato’s Atlantis was. In Plato’s writing he describes a port city with three rings of connected harbors and gives exact dimensions for each ring. Researchers believed that the circular patterns seen in the satellite photos are a match to Plato’s description. And there’s more, in Plato’s writing he speaks of a temple dedicate to the god Poseidon. He gives the exact dimensions the temple. In the satellite photos it shows a rectangle shape matching the exact dimensions given in the writing. Now many of you are probably are thinking, Atlantis†¦ its only a myth. But just a thousand miles east from Donyana, is a place the Turkish call Troya, for proof that myth can become reality. Troy is one of the most storied place in the acicent world. For years people thought that Troya was just a made up fantasy, only described in Hommers poem â€Å"The Eliot† in this 3000-year-old story troy is the setting for the trogon war, and the legendary trogon horse. Like Atlantis troy was thought of as just a myth. But this proves that facts and myth can sometimes be one in the same. But how is it possible that in one night an entire city and all of its people can vanish? Think of if you woke up one morning and Hawaii just disappeared? It was like it never even existed. There are countless theory’s to what really happened to Atlantis, some say it was pulled out to sea by Poseidon and now the entire city and its people are under the water. And some have more logical explanations. If Atlantis truly were to be discovered, myth would become reality. But the real question is does Atlantis even exist, or was it just a silly old tale a very old man made up?

The Universes :: Semantics Language Essays

The Universes I can't tell you what I was just thinking. As in Augustine's view of intuition, the associations I registered were too free of any repeatable limitations for me to verbalize the experience. Perhaps these associations were of diverging thoughts that have not departed my mind. The most handy example of something similar is the simultaneity of sense perception. Each sense perception is specialized and in that respect removed from the whole and yet also registered in the same moment. In the thought I'm speaking of there were different concerns, we might even say a universe of concerns none of which I can fully express. This complex event might be considered incidental in regard to what I have learned to value. I am now attempting to acquire a greater appreciation of something I cannot verbalize, meaningful associations I can't excite a recurrence of through keying words into a computer. Semantic sensation is never original. It must always be familiar. Language does excite original sensations, as in the sound of a speaker's voice, but the semantic experience itself is never sound or vision, or any other sense perception of the material universe. Original experience of semantics would be like immediately comprehending a language we never heard before. This kind of appreciation is possible with music. Music we've never heard before can be immediately appreciated as music, but semantics, like memory, must always be a response to what is already familiar. My concern is how to proceed. If I can only register verbally what has already become familiar through cognitive means, my work with language is not directed toward spurring meaning for the first time. Has there ever been a first time in regard to comprehending language? Is anything we read utterly strange, or is it rather strangely familiar? We may read something and make no sense of it, and later return to it and find familiarity as if we always should have been able to comprehend this particular passage. This parallels how we initially acquire language through a growing familiarity with the effects of verbal expression. We learn to fortuitously repeat limited effects. We grow to appreciate what we had already experienced albeit as incidental and free of the constraints of communication. Infants can distinguish between phonemes their parents, having learned a particular language, can no longer tell apart (Pinker 264), and meaning is similar in this respect. To understand how this c an work we must put aside the notion that language makes meaning.

Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Essay example -- Anti Discri

Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory The "2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals" held that those business practices that have had a disparate impact effect on the older workers are now considered to be actionable under one national anti-discrimination law (Hamblett, 2004). The case does reaffirm a second Circuit precedent that had been set but which is at odds with what a majority of federal courts have held. The appeals court supported the idea that a layoff plan had been properly brought under the The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) although the company did not have the intention of discriminating. The case Meacham v. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory did in fact uphold the jury's findings that employees who are on the older side had lost their jobs through a layoff plan. This discrimination was unintentional. However, the policy did have an impact that was deemed discriminatory and the firm could have reached its goals through a different method that would not effectively discriminate. The reason for the suit had to do with the fact that thirty of thirty-one people who were laid off were over the age of forty. There were 26 plaintiffs who did go to trial while some of the others settled with the company on their own. In the end, the jury awarded plaintiffs a total award of $4.2. The case was appealed and at the time, Knolls argued that the law really does not allow disparate impact claims, citing Hazen Paper Co. v. Biggins, 507 U.S. 604 (1993), where a claim involved disparate treatment and what was needed was proof of intentional discrimination. The Court claims that the Ha zen Paper Court had not resolved the appropriate use of ADEA in terms of disparate impact. It was further stated that the decisions to come from other circuits do not necessarily overrule prior cases. The idea that disparate impact claims may not be allowed under ADEA is therefore rejected. It seems that the major issue here is whether or not one can use age as a factor in terms of discrimination when the discrimination was not intentional. If for example it turns out that the people who are laid off are over the age of 40, even though no malicious intent is discovered, it still may be construed as age discrimination. This issue has been somewhat controversial for some time, as most litigants in age discrimination lawsuits realize that they ... ...g went to the fact that even though the business did not purposely discriminate, it did in fact due to a policy that is discriminatory in nature. In other words, the true reason for the firing was directly related to substance abuse. Although the employee was technically not let go due to the abuse specifically, the fact that this occurred in fact is enough to render the policy unfair. I feel that this law provides great value to my workplace as, it protects those who have made mistakes at the workplace due to a disability. In this case it was substance abuse, but the same concept could be applied to other conditions that alter behavior. References Hamblett, M. (2004, August 26). 2nd Circuit: Impact of Employer Acts Grounds for Suit: Court rules on disparate impact theory of recovery. New York Law Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2005 from http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1090180422885 SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES RAYTHEON CO. v. HERNANDEZ: CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT. No. 02—749. Argued October 8, 2003–Decided April 2, 2003. Retrieved April 4, 2005 from http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-749.ZS.html

Natural Environment and Campbell Soup Essay

Why do some business firms pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome while others focus only on profit maximization? Please, use a real company example to illustrate your points. The triple bottom line outcome focuses on the concept where firms are environmentally conscious and socially responsible by achieving a balance between profits, avoiding damage to the environment, and achieving social benefits (Douglas, 2012). Traditionally, firms focused on profit maximization to achieve profits to pay out dividends and capital gains so shareholders can buy things. In a recent article, Nursing Homes are overbilling Medicare $1.5 billion a year for treatments patients don’t need or never receive. When nursing homes where for-profit, 30% of claims sampled were considered improper while non-profit nursing homes estimated only 12% (Waldman, 2012). Jill Horwitz, a professor at the University of California stated that for-profit health care providers are more likely to pursue money in any way possible, even by pushing the legal envelope (Walkman, 2012). There are still for-profit companies who pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome. Campbell Soup Company has been environmentally conscious and socially responsible since 1953. The Campbell Soup Foundation has been supporting local communities where employees live and work financially. Campbell Soup’s headquarters is located in Camden, New Jersey where they donate approximately $1 million each year to impact the local residents in a positive manner (Campbell Soup Foundation). They focus on hunger relief, childhood obesity and youth-related programming. Not only does Campbell Soup invest in its local communities, they also partner is many non-profit organizations like the Boy & Girls Club and the United Way. Customers can influence firms to pay more attention to the preservation of the natural environment by emphasizing how important the community and environment in which they live are. Many organizations are now trying to go green. They are making products that use fewer materials and are less harmful to the environment. If customers refuse to buy products from organization that do not value the environment, organizations will change to customer’s needs. Along with not buying products, customers should not invest with companies who do not value the environment and communities. â€Å"Economists incorporate the triple bottom line into their models of business decision making by assuming that many individuals will buy shares in companies that achieve the triple bottom line outcomes they want and will sell shares in companies that do not† (Douglas, 2012. Pg. 7). References Campbell soup foundation. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/Foundation.aspx Douglas, E. (2012). Managerial Economics (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellationâ„ ¢ course digital materials (CDM) title. Waldman, P. (2012, December 31). For-Profit Nursing Homes Lead in Overcharging While Care Suffers. Bloomberg. Retreived from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-31/for-profit-nursing-homes-lead-in-overcharging-while-care-suffers.html 1. Firm Objectives Why do some business firms pursue a triple-bottom-line outcome while others focus only on profit maximization? Please, use a real company example to illustrate your points. Guided Response: In 300 words or more, please, provide your response to the above discussion question. Comment on how customers can influence firms to pay more attention to the preservation of the natural environment. Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings. Substantive responses use theory, research, and experience or examples to support ideas and further the class knowledge on the discussion topic. 2. Decision Making Under Uncertainty To save on gasoline expenses, Edith and Mathew agreed to carpool together for traveling to and from work. Edith preferred to travel on I-20 highway as it was usually the fastest, taking 25 minutes in the absence of traffic delays. Mathew pointed out that traffic jams on the highway can lead to long delays making the trip 45 minutes. He preferred to travel along Shea Boulevard, which was longer (35 minutes), but rarely had traffic jams. Edith agreed that in case of traffic jams, Shea Boulevard was a reasonable alternative. Neither of them knows the state of the highway ahead of time. After driving to work on the I-20 highway for 1 month (20 workdays), they found the highway to be jammed 3 times. Uncertainty is when the potential outcomes are not predictable and/or the probabilities of these outcomes are not estimable ahead of time (Douglas, 2012). * I-20 = 25 minutes w/o delays (25 minutes * 365 days = 9,125 minutes) * I-20 = 45 minutes w/ delays * Shea Boulevard = 35 minutes w/o delays * 1st month of travel there where 3 traffic delays assuming 20 workdays each month 1. Assuming that this month is a good representation of all months ahead, should Edith and Mathew continue to use the highway for traveling to work? * 3 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 135 minutes * 17 workdays * 25 minutes = 425 minutes * Total = 560 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Edith and Mathew should continue to use the highway because they save 140 minutes each month. 2. How would you conclusion change for the winter months, if bad weather makes it likely for traffic jams on the highway to increase to 6 days per month? * 6 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 270 minutes * 14 workdays * 25 minutes = 350 minutes * Total = 620 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Edith and Mathew should still continue to take I-20 during winter months because they will continue to save time. They will save 80 minutes of time taking the highway during winter months. 3. How would your conclusion change if Mathew purchased a new smart-phone app that could show the status of the highway traffic prior to their drive each morning, thus reducing the probability of them getting into a jam down to only 1day per month (where on this day, the app showed no traffic jam, but a jam developed in the meantime as they were driving along the highway). The conclusion would change in that Edith and Mathew should take Shea Boulevard on days in which they know there is an accident ahead of time. Either way they should continue to take the highway unless they discover accidents ahead of time. Non-Winter * 1 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 45 minutes * 17 workdays (highway) * 25 minutes = 425 minutes * 2 workdays (Shea Boulevard) * 35 minutes = 70 * Total = 540 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. Winter * 1 jams (workdays) * 45 minutes = 45 minutes * 14 workdays (highway) * 25 minutes = 350 minutes * 5 workdays (Shea Boulevard) * 35 minutes = 175 minutes * Total = 570 minutes compared to * 20 workdays * 35 minutes = 700 minutes when taking Shea Boulevard. 4. Further, comment on how the conclusions of this problem will change if there was no uncertainty and the highway always had traffic jams, whereas Shea Blvd was always traffic jam free? Is this scenario realistic and why? Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ postings * 20 workdays * 45 minutes (I-20 w/ jams) = 900 minutes. * 20 workdays * 35 minutes (Shea Boulevard) = 700 minutes. If this was the case, Edith and Mathew would take Shea Boulevard every day. The scenario can be realistic because construction could incur at some point throughout the year cause delays and an increase in accident rates. References Douglas, E. (2012). Managerial Economics (1st ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education. This text is a Constellationâ„ ¢ course digital materials (CDM) title.

Sociology and Modernity

Modernity is one phrase that is complex to define. This is because no precise definition of modernity that is globally accepted has been decided upon. This is inclusive of the sociology field that has seen so many theories brought about to define modernity. However, we can have a general definition defining modernity as a post-middle age era that is discernible with a drastic change from the pre-modern concept of agrarianism to a world of industrialization, capitalism, urbanization, rationalization and general social change that was tremendously adopted by the entire world, though having its root origins in Europe in the times around 1700. Renaissance was the immediate time that preceded modernity; renaissance in this case referring to the last moments of the middle-aged era. This era was all about scientific and industrial revolution that saw the rise of many inventions that have come to define the modernity of modernization. The social change can be attributed to the enlightenment of human kind as Immanuel Kant stated in one of his famous books. Many definitions have been thus brought up in the field of sociology and by different philosophers. Karl Marx defines modernity as a capitalist revolution. Capitalism is a state of economic status that is based on individualism in that an individual invests in different ownerships or businesses for the sole purpose of personal benefits or for profit motive. He therefore sees modernity as an evil phenomenon and seriously criticizes it. On the other hand, Max Weber defines modernity on the basis of personal beliefs that eventually lead to the social changes that occur in modernization. He sees modernity as a trend that leads to the reduction in traditional values and beefs up rationalization that he so much fears would eventually corrode off humanity. He is so pessimistic on the effects of modernity given the mean definition that he gives to the phenomenon. The last of the philosophers to provide a definition in our essay will be Emile Durkheim. Durkheim at least had an optimistic definition of modernity, though not entirely optimistic. He defined modernity on the basis of labor division. He believed that modernity would bring in the world the concept of diversification of economic activities in the human society. He saw modernization as a shift of change in the way the community operated; the solidarity change from mechanical to organic. On the pessimistic side, he however dreads anomie, a state that describes minimal moral guidance provided to individuals in the society (Calhoun, Gerteis, and Moody 46). As defined in the introductory part, modernity carries along different social changes and cultural values that define a clear-cut difference from the same elements that were experienced in the pre-modern age. Modernity has greatly affected the basis of the family in the world today. The family as an institution, coupled with many other things like marriage, morality and religion have all been compromised. In the pre-modern age, the morality of the society stemmed from the family institution. Thus, the cautiousness that was always involved in the upbringing of a moral family was the number one priority by the family heads at that time (Macionis 4). Politics has undergone dynamic transformation due to the effect modernity. In the pre-modern days, politics was not as dominative as it is in the modern world. Modernity has caused governments to have a very dominative hand by heavily regulating its citizens by very intricate and uncongenial bureaucratic formation. The economy is another entity that has defined modernity. In the pre-modern era, economy was defined by agrarian productivity. This can even be demonstrated by the Feudalist system of government that existed in Europe. This system of a political system involved land being exchanged in turn for services. It was a system where the lords, who were the land owners, gave out land to vassals, who were the tenants. The land in this kind of political system was referred to as fief. However, the economy in the modern society has completely taken a twist, with capitalism being the system. Capitalism centered on the personal interests and profits motive of either an individual or a country. This means no rational prioritization will be taken if at all a country or an individual has the aim of making profit. This is a system that was widely condemned by philosophers such as Karl Marx (Calhoun, Gerteis, Moody, Pfaff, and Virk 122). The different philosophers who came up with the various definitions of modernity had varied expectations and predictions that would come along modernity. Karl Marx had a very pessimistic view of modernity. He highly criticized capitalism, an economy system that he claimed set in with modernity. He sees capitalism as a profit motivated system and therefore a selfish system. He also feared the rise of classes in the society, something that he describes as the baby of capitalism. He abhorrently condemns capitalism as greed and self interest and had very pessimistic expectations of the modern world. He foresees challenges such as extreme poverty while other countries swam in a lot of wealth, all with the advent of a capitalist economy. Max Weber, with his definition of modernity being based on human rationality, had his fears on the degradation of humanity. Weber was also pessimistic on the way modernity would transform the world. He foresaw the alienation of social justice that would set in as a result of the change in individuals beliefs brought about by modernity (Calhoun et al 122). Among these three philosophers, Emile Durkheim at least had an optimistic view of the setting in of modernity. With his definition of modernity being based on the division of labor, he saw modernity bringing in drastic growth of the economy. This would occur due to labor diversification and specialization that would equally distribute human resource to every economic activity. His expectations for the advent of modernity were therefore high. Despite him having these positive expectations, he had a fear of anomie. This is a state where there is slow degradation of morals in the society due to disregard of moral guidance by human who would have all their minds set towards the development of the economy. The subject of modernity has always raised a lot of arguments. Many philosophers have brought up theories trying to define modernity but no articular theory has been globally accepted to define modernity. With this essay though, we have had an overview of the various definitions of modernity by the three philosophers: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. We have also seen their premonitions, feelings and expectations of modernity. Different aspects of modernity and the change of these aspects that affect modernity have been discussed and compared to with the pre-modern age. However, even with all these, it should still be clear that there still exists no precise definition of modernity and the term is open to any belief that any person could come up with.

Coyote Blue Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22 Sprinkling the Son of the Morning Star Santa Barbara After almost twenty years as a salesman, Sam found that when he was confused his head filled with homilies that pertained to the profession. Win an argument, lose a sale. If you look hungry, you will be. You can't sell if you don't pitch. There were hundreds of them. He'd been running them through his mind for hours, trying to find some clue as to what he should do. The one that kept returning was Never confuse motion with progress. To leave the house in search of Calliope without a clue as to where she might be would be movement for the sake of movement. Progress would be actually finding a clue to her whereabouts. He had no idea where to start looking for clues, so he lay on his bed and smoked, and tried to convince himself that he didn't want her. She's probably found some other guy, he thought. Losing the kid is just an excuse, a cowardly Dear John letter. It was just a one-night stand and I refuse to let it mean more to me than it meant to her. I've got my life back, intact, and there's no room for a young girl and a child. Nope. I'll rest up today and get back to work tomorrow. After I close a couple of deals, this week will just seem like a bad dream. It was a good rationalization. Unfortunately, he didn't believe a word of it; he was worried about her. Sam closed his eyes and tried to imagine the pages of his appointment book. It was a visualization he used to relax, a salesman's version of counting sheep. He saw the days and weeks spread out in front of him, and he filled in the blanks with lunches and prospects. By each of the names he made mental notes on how he would approach the pitch. Before long he was lost in a world of presentations and objections; the image of the girl faded away. As he started to doze off he heard the sound of heavy breathing. He rolled on his side and steamy hot dog breath hit him in the face. He didn't open his eyes. There was no need to. He knew Coyote had returned. Perhaps if he feigned sleep the trickster would go away, so he lived there in the land of dog breath. A wet nose prodded his ear. At least he hoped it was a nose. With Coyote's sexual habits it could be†¦. No, he still smelled the breath. It was the nose. I'm asleep, go away. I'm asleep, go away, he thought. He'd seen opossums try the same method to fool oncoming semi trucks, and it was working about as well for him. He felt the coyote climb onto the bed. Then he felt a paw on each of his shoulders. He groaned as he thought a truly sleeping guy might groan. Coyote whimpered and Sam could feel the canine nose press against his own. Dog breath, Sam mused, seems to have no distinction to it, yet it is distinctly dog breath. You could be at the cologne counter at Bloomingdale's, and someone could mist your wrist with an atomizer, and a single whiff would reveal the elusive scent to be dog breath as surely as if it had been squozen straight from the dog. Yet, what a wide spectrum of foulness dog breath can span, both in odor and humidity. This particular version of dog breath, he felt, is especially steamy, and carries a top note of stale cigarettes and coffee, as well as the usual fetid meat and butthole smells found in more common dog breath. This, he thought, is supernatural dog breath. I'm not likely to be breathed upon by another dog in my lifetime that has recently enjoyed a Marlboro over a cup of Java. Despite his effort to distract himself with dog breath aesthetics, Sam's tolerance was wearing out and he thought he might sneeze or throw up any second. Coyote licked him on the mouth. â€Å"Yuck!† Sam sat upright and wiped his mouth on his arm. â€Å"Ack!† He shivered involuntarily and looked at the big coyote, who grinned at him from the end of the bed. â€Å"There was no need for that,† Sam said. Coyote whimpered and rolled over on his back in submission. Sam got up from the bed and grabbed his cigarettes from the nightstand. â€Å"Why are you back? You said you were gone for good.† Coyote began to change into his human form. No longer afraid, Sam watched the transformation with fascination. In a few seconds Coyote sat on the bed in his black buckskins wearing the coyote-skin headdress. â€Å"Got a smoke?† he asked. Sam shook one out of the pack and lit it for the trickster. Sam took a small plastic box from his shirt pocket and held it out to Coyote. â€Å"Breath mint?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"I insist,† Sam said. Coyote took the box and shook out a mint, popped it in his mouth, and handed the box back to Sam. â€Å"The girl is going to Las Vegas.† â€Å"I don't care.† The lie tasted foul in his mouth. â€Å"If she tries to take her child from the biker she will be hurt.† â€Å"It's not my problem. Besides, she'll probably find another guy to help her out.† Sam felt both righteous and cowardly for saying it. This role he was playing no longer fit. Quickly he added, â€Å"I don't need the trouble.† â€Å"In the buffalo days your people used to say that a wife stolen and returned was twice the wife she had been.† â€Å"They aren't my people and she's not my wife.† â€Å"You can be afraid, just don't act like it.† â€Å"What does that mean? You're worse than Pokey with your fucking riddles.† â€Å"You lost Pokey. You lost your family. You lost your name. All you have left is your fear, white man.† Coyote flipped his cigarette at Sam. It hit him in the chest and hot ashes showered on the bed. Sam patted out the embers and brushed himself off. â€Å"I didn't ask for you to come here. I don't owe the girl anything.† But he did owe her. He wasn't sure what for yet, except that she had cut something loose in him. Why couldn't he cut loose the habit of fear? Coyote went to the bedroom window and stared out. Without turning he said, â€Å"Do you know about the Crows who scouted for General Custer?† Sam didn't answer. â€Å"When they told Custer that ten thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors were waiting for him at the Little Bighorn he called them liars and rode on. The Crow scouts didn't owe Custer anything, but they painted their faces black and said, ‘Today is a good day to die. â€Å" â€Å"The point?† Sam bristled. â€Å"The point is that you will never know what they knew – that courage is its own reward.† Sam sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at Coyote's back. The red feathers across the buckskin shirt seemed to move on the black surface of Coyote's shirt. Sam wondered if he might not be light-headed from prolonged dog breath inhalation, but then the feathers drew a scene, and in a whirl of images and feathers, Sam was back on the reservation again. There were three of them: boys hiding in the sagebrush by the road that led into the Custer Battlefield National Monument. Two were Crow, one Cheyenne. They were there on a dare that had started in ninth-grade gym class. The largest boy, the Cheyenne, was from the Broken Tooth family – descendants of a warrior who fought with Crazy Horse and Red Cloud on this very land. â€Å"You going to do it?† said Eli Broken Tooth. â€Å"Or are you full of shit like all Crows?† â€Å"I said I'd do it,† Samson said. â€Å"But I'm not going to be stupid about it.† â€Å"What about you, breed?† Eli asked Billy Two Irons. â€Å"You a chickenshit?† Broken Tooth had been taunting Billy about his mixed blood for the whole school year and citing his own â€Å"pure Indian† lineage. The fact was that in buffalo days the mortality rate had been so high for young plains warriors that a woman might have three or four husbands in her lifetime, and have children by them all. Sometimes one of the husbands was a white man, yet since they all traced their kinship through their mother's line, the white ancestor could easily be forgotten. Billy said, â€Å"I'll bet you got a few whiteys in your wigwam you don't even know about, Broken Dick.† Samson laughed and the others shushed him. The security guard was making a pass by the monument's high wrought-iron gate. They ducked their heads. A flashlight beam passed over them, paused, and moved on as the guard turned to walk up the hill toward the Custer burial site. â€Å"You going to do it?† Eli asked. â€Å"Once he's past the grave he has to go check on the Reno site. He'll take the jeep for that. When we hear the jeep, we'll go.† â€Å"Sure you will,† said Eli. â€Å"You coming?† Samson asked. He was more than a little afraid. The monument was federal land, and this was a time when an Indian causing trouble on federal land was something the government was going to great lengths to discourage after the Alcatraz takeover and the killings at Pine Ridge. â€Å"I don't have to go,† Broken Tooth said. â€Å"My people put him there. I'll just sit here and twist up a doobie while you girls do your thing.† He grinned. â€Å"The gate will be the bitch,† Billy said. They looked at the fifteen-foot iron spears suspended between two stone pillars. There were only two cross members they could use as footholds. They watched the guard amble the hundred yards down the hill to the visitor center. When they heard the jeep fire up, Samson and Billy took off. They hit the gate at the same time. The gate swung with the impact and clanged against the chains and padlock that held it closed. They scrambled up the bars, then hung over spearpoints and dropped to the asphalt. As they let go the chain sent a loud clang ringing down the valley. They both landed on their butts. Samson looked to Billy. â€Å"You okay?† Billy jumped to his feet and dusted off his jeans. â€Å"How come the Indians in the movies can do this shit in complete stealth?† â€Å"Vocational training,† Samson said. He started running up the hill toward the monument. Billy followed. â€Å"Snake ahead,† Samson said as he ran. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Snake,† Sam repeated breathlessly. He leapt into the air over the big diamondback rattler that was lying in the road, warming itself on the asphalt. Billy saw the snake in time to pull up and slide on some loose gravel within striking distance. When he heard Billy's shoes sliding he stopped and turned. Billy said, â€Å"You were saying ‘Snake, right?† â€Å"Back away and go around, Billy.† Samson was so out of breath he could hardly talk. The rattler coiled. â€Å"I thought you were saying ‘Steak. I was wondering, Why is he yelling ‘Steak' at me?† â€Å"Back away and go around.† â€Å"‘Snake. Well, I guess this explains it.† Billy backed slowly away, then once out of striking distance ran a wide arc around the snake and up the hill. Samson fell in beside him. The monument was still a hundred yards away. â€Å"Pace yourself,† he said. â€Å"Did you say ‘Snake' again?† Billy said between pants. Rather than answer, Samson fell into a trot. The monument was a twenty-foot granite obelisk set on a ten-foot base at the top of a hill that overlooked the entire Little Bighorn basin. â€Å"Let's do it,† Samson said, heaving in breaths. The hill had been longer and steeper than he'd thought. Billy unzipped his pants and stood beside Samson, who had already bared his weapon. â€Å"You know,† Billy said, â€Å"it would have been easier to gang up on Eli and beat the shit out of him.† â€Å"I think I hear the jeep coming back,† Samson said. A long yellow stream arced out of Billy and splashed the side of the monument. â€Å"Then you better get going.† Samson strained. â€Å"I can't.† Billy grunted, trying to force his urine to run faster. â€Å"Go, man. That's headlights.† â€Å"I can't.† Billy finished and zipped up, then turned to face Samson. â€Å"Think rivers, think waterfalls.† â€Å"It won't come.† â€Å"Come on, Samson. He's coming. Relax.† â€Å"Relax? How can-â€Å" â€Å"Okay, relax in a hurry.† Samson pushed until his eyes bugged. He felt a trickle, then a stream coming. â€Å"Push it, Samson. He's coming.† Billy began to back down the hill. â€Å"Push it, man.† The jeep's headlights broke over the hill and descended toward the monument. â€Å"Duck!† Billy said. Samson squatted by the base of the monument and managed to stream urine down both pant legs before he got himself reaimed. Billy dove for cover next to Samson. â€Å"Did you say ‘Duck'?† Samson whispered. â€Å"Shut up,† Billy snapped. Despite his fear, the adrenaline had made Samson giddy. He grinned at Billy. â€Å"I thought you were saying ‘Truck, which would have made more sense, but-â€Å" â€Å"Would you shut up?† Billy risked a peek at the road. The jeep was coming toward them, rather than returning to the visitor center where it had started. As the jeep approached the monument, they worked their way around its base, keeping the obelisk between themselves and the guard. â€Å"He won't stop, will he?† Billy said. Samson could hear the jeep slowing as it passed the monument on the other side of them, not twenty feet away. They held their crouch until the jeep descended the hill and stopped halfway to the gate. â€Å"He sees footprints,† Billy said. â€Å"On asphalt?† â€Å"He saw us. I'm going to end up in jail like my brother.† â€Å"No, look, it's the fucking snake. He's waiting for it to get out of the road.† Indeed, the guard was inching the jeep forward slowly enough for the rattler to slither off into the grass. When the snake was gone the jeep revved up and continued down the hill, by the iron gate, and back around to the back of the visitor center. â€Å"Let's go,† Billy said. They ran down the road, Samson almost falling while trying to zip his pants and run at the same time. As they reached the gate Samson grabbed Billy's shoulder and pulled him back. â€Å"What the fuck?† Billy said. Samson pointed to the chain. Billy nodded in understanding. The clanging. Samson went to the center of the gate and grasped it. â€Å"Go,† he said. â€Å"When you get over, hold it for me.† Without hesitation Billy leapt to the gate and climbed over, sliding down the opposite side instead of dropping as before. He held the gate and Samson started over. As Samson reached the top of the gate and was working his feet between the spearpoints, he heard Eli's laughing from down the road and he looked up. A second later he heard a metal fire door slam at the visitor center. The quick turn took his balance and he tried to jump, but one of the spearpoints caught his jeans leg and he was slammed upside down into the gate. Billy held the chain, but there was a dull clank as Samson's forehead hit the bars. It took Samson a second to realize that he was still hanging from the gate, his head still eight feet off the ground. â€Å"Unhook your leg,† Billy said. â€Å"I'll catch you.† In this position Samson was facing the visitor center. He could see some lights going on inside. He struggled to push himself up on the bar, but the spearpoint was barbed. â€Å"I can't get it.† â€Å"Shit,† Billy said. He held the gate with one hand and drew a flick knife from his back pocket with the other. â€Å"I'll come up and cut you down.† â€Å"No, don't let go of the gate,† Samson said. â€Å"Fuck it,† Billy said. He let go of the gate and it clanged with Samson's swinging weight. Billy jumped on the bars and as he climbed Samson could hear the fire door open and slam again, then footsteps. Billy stood at the top of the stone pillar and put the knife to Samson's pant leg. â€Å"When I cut, keep hold of the bars.† Billy pulled the knife blade through the denim and Samson flipped over and slammed the bars again, this time right side up. The gate clanged again. Samson heard the jeep starting and saw the beams of the headlights come out from behind the visitor center. He looked to Billy. â€Å"Jump!† Billy leapt from the fifteen-foot pillar. As he hit the pavement he yowled and crumpled. â€Å"My ankle.† Samson looked to the visitor center, where the jeep was pulling out. He grabbed Billy under the armpits and dragged him down into the ditch. They waited, breathlessly, as the jeep stopped and the guard, gun drawn, checked the lock and chain once again. After the guard left they crawled down the ditch toward Eli. When he came into view, Samson helped Billy to his feet and supported him while he limped up to the big Cheyenne, who was taking a deep hit on a joint. â€Å"Want a hit?† he croaked, holding the joint out to Billy. Billy took the joint, sat down in the grass, and took a hit. Eli let out a cloud of smoke and laughed. â€Å"That was the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life.† Then he spotted the wet streaks on Samson's pants. â€Å"What happened, Hunts Alone? I thought you were going to piss on Custer's grave. You get so scared you wet yourself?† He threw back his head to laugh and Samson wound up and tagged him on the jaw with a vicious roundhouse punch. Eli dropped to the ground and didn't move. Samson looked at his damaged fist, then at Eli, then at Billy Two Irons. He grinned. Billy said, â€Å"You couldn't have done that twenty minutes ago and saved us all this trouble, could you?† â€Å"You're right,† Samson said. â€Å"I couldn't have done that twenty minutes ago. Let's get out of here before he comes to.† Samson helped Billy to his feet, then out of the ditch onto the road. As they headed toward Crow Agency it seemed to get darker as they walked, then darker still, until there was no light at all and Sam was in his bedroom staring at the back of a black buckskin shirt trimmed with red woodpecker feathers. â€Å"It was a stupid thing to do,† Sam said. â€Å"It was brave,† Coyote said. â€Å"It would have been stupid if you had failed.† â€Å"We found out later that Custer wasn't even buried there. His body was taken to West Point, so it was all for nothing.† â€Å"And what about the night on the dam? Was that all for nothing?† â€Å"How do you know about that?† Coyote turned and stared at Sam with his arms crossed, his golden eyes shining with delight. â€Å"That was nothing but trouble,† Sam said finally. â€Å"Would you do it again?† â€Å"Yes,† Sam said without thinking. â€Å"And the girl is nothing but trouble?† Coyote said. Sam heard the words echoing in his mind. Going after the girl was the right thing to do. After all the years of doing the safe thing, it was time to do the right thing. He said, â€Å"You really piss me off sometimes, you know that?† â€Å"Anger is the gods' way of letting you know you are alive.† Sam got up and stood face-to-face with the trickster, trying to read something in his eyes. He moved forward until their noses almost touched. â€Å"All you know is that she's going to Las Vegas? No address or anything?† â€Å"Not so far. But if she misses them there, the biker is going on to South Dakota. She'll follow. I'll tell you the rest on the way.† â€Å"I don't suppose you could change into a Learjet or something practical.† Coyote shook his head. â€Å"Just living things: animals, bugs, rocks.† Sam reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the box of breath mints, and handed them to Coyote. The trickster raised his eyebrows in query. Sam said, â€Å"Eat those. I can't handle dog breath through an eight-hour drive.†