Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Summary - Essay Example While Pennsylvania showed average tuition and fee charges as $8410 in 2005-2006, it was $3100 in Florida and $6910 in South Carolina. In fact, there was notable difference in charges as well as in the student enrollment in various institutions. A number of reasons are pointed out as the factors driving tuition charges. Dennis Jones suggests tuition setting in public institutions as closely related to the health of other institutional revenues. Apparent influences of a variety of political factors in postsecondary policy making at the state level has been observed. Various examinations revealed relationships between indicators of educational structure and indicators of political influence. Descriptive representation compares the similarities in background between elected officials and their constituents. On the contrary, substantive representation refers to the interests elected officials serve. There are various opinions on the enhancement of substantive representation and various mo dels are also developed. The model named ‘presence’ assumes minority representatives to act as stronger advocates for minority constituents (McLendon et al, 6). The panel-data model implies that pricing behavior of universities is heterogeneous and is difficult to be captured using available data (McLendon et al, 15).

Monday, October 28, 2019

Preventing Caregiver Abuse Essay Example for Free

Preventing Caregiver Abuse Essay The term â€Å"caregiver† is used to refer to an individual who assists another who cannot act freely due to certain chronic conditions. There are two main types of caregivers: the â€Å"informal caregivers† are family members or sympathetic friends who care for impaired older people living at home. The â€Å"formal caregivers,† on the other hand, are hired or volunteer workers who are connected either with the health care systems or social service agencies. The tasks associated with caregiving are grouped under two categories, namely: the ‘Activities of Daily Living† (ADLs) and the â€Å"Instrumental Activities of Daily Living† (IADLs). Included under ADLs are activities like getting in or out of bed, taking a bath, getting dressed, and the general toilet use. IADLs, on the other hand, may include meal preparation, general household chores, grocery shopping, and the management of the care receiver’s medication (Nerenberg, 2002). Studies have shown that the greatest negative consequence to caregiving is â€Å"stress† which is believed caused by fatigue due to lack of sleep, improper nutrition, and lack of exercise. Stress is also believed caused by the â€Å"burden† being experienced by caregivers. This burden increases as the level of disability of the care receiver increases, thereby needing a greater extent of care. Some quarters suspect that stress is one of the main reasons for caregivers to â€Å"go over the edge† and consequently abuse their patients (Nerenberg, 2002). For others, however, stress is not a cause but merely an aggravating factor. Abuse, which does not only mean physical injury but also includes â€Å"mental anguish, unreasonable confinement, sexual abuse or exploitation, or financial exploitation† of defenseless older people, are believed by some to be caused by factors like the caregiver’s frustration, sense of isolation, insufficient support from the community, behavior of the care receiver, and the nature of his or her daily tasks (Bratteli, 2003). Bratteli (2003) offered several legal remedies which are expected to prevent caregiver abuse in care facilities, namely: †¢ The care receiver should accomplish a â€Å"Financial Power of Attorney,† a legal document which would appoint his or her attorney-in-fact who will attend to his or her financial matters. This is usually a trusted relative or friend, the appointment of whom will prevent financial exploitation especially when the care receiver is staying in an institution. †¢ Accomplishment of a â€Å"Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. † This is another legal document which appoints an agent who will decide for the care receiver on matters of healthcare. It contains the care receiver’s preferred method of treatment and would prevent neglect on the part of the caregiver in an institution. Nerenberg (2002), on the other hand, pointed to some techniques and services which are now available which could reduce the risk of abuse on the part of caregivers who care for older people at home. According to her, these techniques and services were specifically developed in order to meet the needs of caregivers in terms of assistance and support. One of these is a program aimed at providing relief. Under this program, employees or volunteer workers visit the patient at home and spend several hours with him or her in order to allow the caregiver to have some rest. Other programs arrange for the care receiver to stay for several days in a care facility to allow the caregiver to enjoy an extended break. Some support services take the form of friendly visits and reassuring telephone calls to address the feeling of isolation by providing â€Å"social contact and emotional support. † These practices also relieve the anxiety being felt by the caregiver. Finally, caregivers should also be provided with informative materials which would teach them the techniques for reducing stress like exercise and proper diet (Nerenberg, 2002). References Bratteli, M. (2003). CAREGIVER ABUSE, NEGLECT AND EXPLOITATION: The Journey Through Caregiving. North Dakota Family Caregiver Project, North Dakota State University. Nerenberg, L. (2002). Caregiver Stress and Elder Abuse. National Center on Elder Abuse. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www. ncea. aoa. gov/NCEAroot/Main_Site/pdf/family/caregiver. pdf

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Empty pillow :: essays research papers

Using the theory of reason action-Fishbein and applying it on a 5 min. scene of the movie by: AlomaniQ8 THE EMPTY PILLOW This is a love story that it’s events occur, in Egypt, in the fifties, where there were strict traditions about love between non married lovers, and where the word of the parents rules the lives of their sons and daughters. In that movie, a young man (salah) who is still a student falls in love with a beautiful girl (Sameha), whom she is also an eighteen years old student, they are both college students, that get supported by their families. The scene begins, when Salah asks his father that he wants to be married, but his father laughs, and asks him if he is able to support himself or her. Salah’s father suggested that he should wait until he graduates and gets a job, so he could marry her. Salah refuses, saying that she would get married to someone else, and her parents will not wait for me until I graduate. Unfortunately a doctor proposes to her an d asks her hand to be his wife. Sameha’s father and mother agree instantly, without giving Sameha any notice, only thinking of the position and the how they would guarantee a wonderful future for their daughter with this doctor, adding that he is a very nice man and have great reputation. Sameha says that she is young to be married, and disagree. Sameha’s father say’s â€Å"no doughtier of mine argues with me in such matters, you will do as I say† Consequently, Sameha stop arguing. And shows yielding. She think about the hard time choosing between the two, the one she loves! or the fine rich physician, which her parents ergs her to marry. In order to prevent the marriage, Salah meets her in the desert where they used to meet. He starts convincing her to run a way with him. Sameha refuses, saying that her parents might have a heart attack, then she will not forgive herself. Salah remembers, what one of his friends suggested to him, and that he should rape her, and in this way she would be his according to the traditions. Consequently he tries to do so. She cries and begs him to let her go. But he refuses, until he notices the ring that she is still wearing, which he brought to her as a token of their love.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Learning to be a Citizen of Cyberspace :: Technology Education Papers

Learning to be a Citizen of Cyberspace Most researchers agree that the growth of a knowledge-based society will bring about fundamental changes in the production, distribution and exchange of information and that most every social and cultural institution will be changed in some way, but none more than education (Negroponte, 1995; Oppenheimer, 1997; Stevenson, 1997; Upitis, 1997). This is because, more than any other social institution, education is fundamentally about knowledge, information, and communication. Although it certainly makes use of material tools and sometimes results in the production of material goods, these are ancillary to the fundamental process of education: people use knowledge to create more knowledgable people. It is therefore not surprising to find considerable support for transforming education so that it is as fully independent as possible from geographic location and physical space. If education does not require a specific spatial location or a building then it can be delivered from anywhere to anywhere. This will, some argue, transform the fundamental infrastructure of education at every level, starting particularly at the post-secondary level, and will fundamentally erode local community, or even national control over education. The development of on-line courses, libraries and other information resources, and the marketing of distant or on-line education by businesses and schools eager to profit from opportunities to expand their horizons, are the beginning of what some see as a revolution in learning. (Veccia, 1998; Wilson, 1997) In addition to overcoming geographical constraints on the delivery of education, new technologies promise to expand the basic nature of education. In quantitative terms, computer communication is opening up vast new sources of information and learning by enabling on-line access that frees schools from complete dependence on paper delivery. Associated with this is the ability to link written with audio and visual material that can enrich the full range of the learner’s senses. The technology also creates a qualitative expansion in the means of education by taking a process rooted in the one-way delivery of knowledge and making it more participatory and reciprocal. Education moves from an emphasis on transmitting information to the active creation of knowledge. Moreover, according to this view, computer communication takes a system of learning based in narrow linear, narrative forms, and opens it up to a wide range of non-linear, exploratory processes that allow the learner to m ake full use of his or her own multiple cognitive maps. As a result students mutually constitute their learning environments, all of which grow in the learning process.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Milkshake Factory Case Study

The story of George Stein exposes the dynamics that drive the night shift at Eastern Dairy’s milkshake factory. George was excited to join the dairy’s unionized workforce because its contributions-to-inducements balance was so favorable. As soon as he crossed the functional boundary into the organization, more specific features of George’s work group became apparent. First, there was no manager to speak of supervising the night shift. Second, horseplay was the workgroup norm, considered a natural and necessary complement to the hard work the team did every night.Although the management likely excused this as peripheral role behavior, it was relevant and desirable to the members of the night shift itself because it allowed them to cultivate camaraderie and maintain morale, giving them motivation to perform as well as participate. Management’s only expressed expectations were that the night shift complete the set of production orders they were given each nig ht and that the equipment was spotlessly clean by 7 a. m. As long as these tasks were accomplished, the night shift was left to self-regulate.The night shift constitutes its own subculture within Eastern Dairy, and the special conditions that govern that workgroup make it discernibly different from the mainstream organizational culture. The absence of a formal manager to indoctrinate employees into organizational values such as quality management has allowed a different set of values and basic assumptions to emerge among the members of the night shift than might be held by the organization as a whole. For example, they share an implicit assumption that, where there is a conflict between workers’ best interests and quality control, the workers should win out.From a differentiation perspective, we can predict that the night shift’s internal consensus on this point is likely to be at odds with that of the managerial subculture. [1] If the company has the goal of total qua lity control, it has not taken the steps necessary to spread that philosophy throughout its ranks. Rather than sharing management’s presumed focus on the customer, the night shift is focused on doing their job quickly enough to get out of work on time.Since they have not received explicit training or communication about quality control issues, it is reasonable that they retain the view that some level of defects in the manufacturing process is normal and acceptable. If we are willing to dismiss the quality control aspects of the production line blockage issue, there remains the ethical question of what is the right way to deal with the problem. If George removes the filters as instructed, the 500 gallons of milkshake destined for public consumption will be contaminated with maggots.If he doesn’t, attempting instead to clear the filters every time one clogs, the production run will take forever, meaning everyone will have to stay late, and the equipment will not be clea n in time for the start of the day shift. If the crew discards the entire contaminated batch and restarts the production run from scratch, clean-up will still be delayed to some extent, plus the company will have to waste 500 gallons of milkshake mix. The instructions management (to our knowledge) has provided to Paul indicate that it prioritizes timely completion of the production orders and subsequent clean-up over things like purity of the product.Additionally, Paul knows that, due to pasteurization, the milkshakes will not hurt anyone, and due to homogenization, the extraneous matter probably won’t even be noticed. After weighing all of these points, Paul decides to remove the filters in order to process the milkshake mix, maggots and all. Whether this is an ethical solution to the blockage depends on the system of ethics used to judge it. Paul appears to be following utilitarian ethics in his decision, by which milkshake contamination is an undesired but acceptable outco me of the action of greatest net benefit to all involved.He is not ignoring the effect of this action on the prospective drinkers of the milkshakes; he just feels that they are not affected adversely enough (due to homogenization and pasteurization) to change the assessment of greatest net benefit. According to act utilitarianism (and potentially rule utilitarianism, if the rule agrees), Paul’s decision is perfectly ethical. According to right-based ethics, however, he is acting unethically because allowing the contaminated milkshake to go to market interferes with the consumers’ rights to make an informed decision about the products they purchase.Finally,[2] an ethical egoist would be split on the issue: If George were a individual egoist, he would remove the filters without hesitation because doing so will make his life easier, but if he were a universal egoist, he would refrain from sending the contaminated batch to market because he wouldn’t like to be on th e receiving end of that action. [3] George’s focus on others is apparent from the guilt he feels about the children who could find themselves drinking maggot-filled milkshakes because of his actions. Paul’s order to emove the filters falls on the cusp of George’s zone of indifference, and he considers disobeying out of concern with the morality of the request. One reason for George’s ambiguity is that he lacks the leadership defined by Mary Parker Follett. Paul may be the workgroup’s informal leader, but he has no real authority over his colleagues. He may know the technical aspects of the job, but he does not see the â€Å"big picture,† which includes the trust relationship between the dairy and its customers. He does his best to solve problems, but he hasn’t been given the resources to head them off before they occur.The solution he chooses for the blockage problem does not display the forethought of the ideal leader because it leav es the team open to potential repercussions from management and/or the public if the contamination is discovered. Nonetheless, Paul is George’s most obvious role-sender because he has the most impact on George’s daily work experience. Under the circumstances, Parker-Follett would like to see George try to influence Paul by suggesting a content innovation that miraculously solves their problem in an unforeseen way.In the end, it is not George’s responsibility – or ultimately even Paul’s – to solve the dilemma that confronts them. The management has not provided the night shift enough guidance to establish unequivocally what the organization considers the right way to proceed. The uncertainty the employees face in this situation is a good argument for formalized codes of ethics and quality control training. In the meantime, ethical relativism will prevail on the night shift: they will have to decide what is â€Å"right† based on what is best for everyone present. ———————- [1] This assumes two things about the managerial subculture: a) it espouses a commitment to quality management, and b) its in-use values do not conflict with the espoused values. [2] Justice theories of ethics can be construed to agree with rights-based theory, but they deal to a greater degree with more over-arching questions of how society should be run. As such, justice ethics are the least applicable to this situation. [3] Of course, a person who sees the contamination as harmless could allow it to happen without violating the â€Å"golden rule. †

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Budget Planning and Control Tootsie Roll Industries

Budget Planning and Control Tootsie Roll Industries About the company Tootsie Roll Industries is based in the United States and it deals with the production of food items that have high levels of Carbohydrates and sugar. The company was established in 1896 and it operates in the confectionery industry. Currently, it is a public company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol TR.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Budget Planning and Control: Tootsie Roll Industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Currently, the shares of the company are trading at $31.86 per share. Further, the company has a market capitalization of 2.0 billion. At the end of the year 2014, the total revenue of the company amounted to $544 million while the operating income totaled to $84 million, an equivalent of 15.4% of sales. The net income for the year amounted to $63 million. The total assets at the end of the year 2014 amounted to $910 million, while liabilities and equity amounted to $220 million and $691 million. A review of the balance sheet shows that the company has more equity than debt in the capital structure. A review of the trend of the performance of the company over the years shows that the performance of the company has improved. Finally, the company has engaged more than 2000 employees. The paper seeks to analyze various aspects of budgeting for Tootsie Roll Industries. Reasons for budgeting There are a number of reasons why companies need to prepare and manage budgets on a period basis. The first reason is that budgets enable the management to plan for the future (Brigham Michael, 2009). In this case, the budget aids the management in developing a direction for the entity. It also facilitates the development of future policies for the organization. Also under planning, budgets aid management in planning for problems that might arise in the future. Finally, as a way of planning for the organization, budgets helps the managem ent in setting standards that can control the use of available resources (Collier, 2010). The second reason why companies need to prepare budget is that it aids in delivering important information on matters that deal with the capabilities of resources. An example is that a cash budget gives information on the ability of the company to generate revenue and pay for expenses. Further, a budget encourages coordination across various departments and units because the plan for a specific period is communicated to various employees (Brigham Michael, 2009). This contributes to the achievement of the overall objective of the entity. Thus, if the company carries out proper budgeting, then it serves as an effective tool for planning and controlling (Brigham Michael, 2009). Positive outcome The positive outcomes that are likely to be reported when budgets are carried out effectively are reduced costs and improved profits. This is based on the fact that budgets aids in effective management of costs and this has a positive impact on the performance of the company. As a result, the elements in the budget will be equivocal to achievement of the intentions of a company. Besides, the company will be able to track different budget performance matrices over a specified period of time.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Negative outcome The negative outcomes that are likely to be reported when budgets are carried out effectively are resource misuse and inability to track different parameters of performance of a specified period in a company. If budgeting is not done effectively, then there is likely to be misuse of resources since budget controls resource allocation and use in a company (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). This will lead to poor working capital management and low level of sales. This may translate into poor performance since misusing resour ces cannot translate into efficiency. Therefore, it is important for the company to carry out planning for all financial years. Budget plan The company needs to come up with a comprehensive budget plan because it is involved in the production and sale of its products. Therefore, the high-level budget will capture the two aspects of the business and it gives strict control on spending (Brigham Michael, 2009). Thus, the high-level budget plan for the company is summarized in the table below. The plan above brings together all the aspects of the organization in one budget. It ensures that several employees are involved in planning and control of resources. Budgeting phases Budget preparation goes through four distinct phases. The first phase is budget preparation. This stage is quite critical because the resources available in the organization are reviewed to ascertain whether they can enable the company to achieve the desired goals and objectives (Brigham Michael, 2009). The phase is the approval of the budget while the third phase is executing the budget. The final stage is evaluating the budget. This stage ensures that resources are spent in accordance with the budget (Atrill, 2009). All these phases are critical because they ensure that the budgeting process is successful.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Budget Planning and Control: Tootsie Roll Industries specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Methods and techniques of managing budgets Methods managing budgets The first technique of managing budgets is by preparing flexible budgets. These are budget relationships that can be adjusted to various levels of activities. This technique is suitable for performance management (Atrill, 2009). The second technique is by managing variances by exception. These variances can cause significant variations on the results. Managing variances is a technique that ensures that the company stays within th e budget (Hansen, Mowen, Guan, 2009). Techniques of managing budgets The first method of managing budget is drawing parallel budgets from which the most effective budget is picked. This method is necessary in minimize possible risks as a result of dynamics that might affect projections in a single fixed budget (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). The second method of managing budgets is creating a matrix for balancing the actual and projected figures to ensure that the funds allocated for each function are spent within the acceptable degree of variation (Atrill, 2009). Action plan to resolve budget misalignment Flexibility is often compromised in companies facing uncertainty. In real sense, there should be a balancing system that is critical in improving leadership skills, evaluation skills, promoting creativity, and tracking goals (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Therefore, the basis for flexibility implementation should function on a comprehensive analysis of how budget monitors an y change in variance from expected outcome to facilitate work-life balance in a project (Brigham Michael, 2009). The concept should remain relevant even during economic downturn since an ideal tracker has a moderator within Pareto efficiency matrix (Arnold, 2008). Recommendations for resolving budget misalignments Managing variances by exception This is achieved through variance analysis to resolve budget misalignment. Variance analysis focuses on the difference between the actual and budgeted amounts. It analyzes the total variance between standard and actual result (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Variances can either be favorable or unfavorable. Variance analysis has a number of advantages. First, it helps in performance management. This is because the management uses results of variance analysis to measure performance against expected results. Secondly, variance analysis improves responsible accounting. Finally, variance analysis encourages management by exemption, that is, ma nagement puts a lot of emphasis on areas with adverse variances (Atrill, 2009). The rationale for this technique is the ability to track the variances that might be detected in budget implementation to ensure that these variations do not affect the overall outcome (Brigham Michael, 2009).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Preparing flexible budgets In line with the main objective to determine the forecast density closest to actual value, it is of essence to resonate upon the principles of relative performance of different competing forecast densities as part of the cost reduction system. In computing this, higher scores are given more priority since they are prone to give positive values. Besides, this model distributes higher probability to values observed (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). From the different densities realized and those forecasted, the sequences of observed results on densities of return are compared from the base line of an average score. Subsequently, in line with the accuracy of equal forecast, the loss differential is expected to be minimal (Brigham Michael, 2009). The rationale for this technique is that the parameters and variables used are aligned to ensure that threshold on model-independent is achieved within competing parameters (Graham, Smart, Meggison, 2010). Thus, thi s is the most appropriate benchmarking for managing a budget. References Arnold, G. (2008). Corporate financial management. New York, NY: Pearson Publishers. Atrill, P. (2009). Financial management for decision makers. New York, NY: Pearson Publishers. Brigham, E., Michael, J. (2009). Financial management theory and practice. New York, NY: South-Western Cengage Learning. Collier, P. (2010). Accounting for managers. New York, NY: John Wiley Sons. Graham, J., Smart, S., Meggison, W. (2010). Corporate finance: linking theory to what companies do. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Hansen, R., Mowen, M., Guan, L. (2009). Cost management: accounting control. New York, NY: South Western Cengage Learning.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls Professor Ramos Blog

Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls Lance Barnett English 102 8/9/18 Sometimes Death Comes Knocking, Sometimes it Tears Down the Walls The term â€Å"Zombie† is derived from nzambi, the Kongo word for the spirit of the dead. Zombies have become supremely popular in media and entertainment in recent years. A multitude of movies, books, comics, and video games are based around zombies and the zombie apocalypse. Shows such as The Walking Dead and I Zombie have become incredibly popular and even unrelated series have begun to incorporate zombies in one way or another. Almost every franchise imaginable has some kind of zombie or undead in it now. From Super Mario and Call of Duty to Star Wars and Marvel Comics, the undead craze is sweeping the nation. The idea of the dead returning to torment the living is no new invention however, so the question is why has it gained so much traction in media and pop culture recently? What caused this generation to become so infatuated with the living dead? For the most part, mythical monsters are based around exactly that, myths, but zombies are a little different. Monsters such as vampires, werewolves, or Frankenstein’s monster are creations that represent mankind’s fears, uncouth desires, or shortcomings in the eras in which their story is being told. Zombies fall into that category as well but, in addition to that, they have origins that are rooted in real events as well as myths that date all the way back to prehistory. One of the, if not the, largest contributors to the creation of zombie lore were the Haitians. In Haiti, which is primarily a voodoo nation, it was common for someone known as a Bokor to create and employ Zombie slaves. Now, of course, these zombies are not truly undead in the sense that they are not actually soulless, walking corpses, but for generations their appearance, demeanor, and the method of their creation led the majority to believe that they were indeed the dead risen. In Haiti, if you just so happened to know of a nearby bokor, you could hire them to zombify someone. Say your spouse is caught cheating, your child has grown into a dishonorable adult, or that conniving M’baku down the street stole another one of your chickens. If you wanted to, you could hire a bokor to turn said transgressor into a shuffling, mindless, entity. Bokors are alchemists who create various concoctions using ingredients such as bones, shells, herbs, and animal parts. The zombies that they create are actually living people who have been introduced to a potent zombie mixture called â €Å"coup padre† that dulls their minds and make them susceptible to the influence of their master. Though the full recipe for the concoction is unknown, it is common belief that tetrodoxin, an incredibly dangerous neurotoxin found in the fou fou, also known as the porcupine fish, is used very carefully in the mixture. Small doses of tetrodoxin often cause confusion, loss of balance, and difficulty breathing. These symptoms are why we commonly see zombies in our fiction aimlessly wandering with blank stares, shambling, and moaning/ huffing. Often times, if a bokor is coming for someone, they will find a way to get them to ingest a concoction that renders them in a near death state that is indistinguishable from death itself without modern medical equipment. The victim’s heartrate will drop dramatically, the skin becomes pale and clammy, and their pulse becomes unnoticeable. After their burial, the bokor will visit the grave, dig up their new slave and give them the coup padre. The victim then awakens as a dull and mindless drone. The people of Haiti were unaware of exactly how a bokor went about creating zombies. All they knew was that someone in their community was pronounced dead, was buried, and is now rumored to have been seen meandering around. Thus the idea of the mindless, shambling, zombie was born. Zombies became known in the United States when stories of the zombie slaves of Haiti made their way over and left the populace shocked and horrified by the dark rituals of these voodoo shamans. These tales led to the creation of the 1932 movie White Zombie, which is the first feature length zombie film ever made. In the movie, the female protagonist is stalked and transformed into a zombie by an evil voodoo priest played by the famous horror actor Bela Lugosi, best known for his influential role as Dracula in the 1931 film. The true rise of zombies into popularity, however, didn’t come until the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero. Two more zombie films were directed by Romero over the next 15 years and, shortly after the start of the 80s, the subject of zombies really started to pick up. The early examples of zombies in media often portrayed them as the result of supernatural practices such as witchcraft, voodoo, or demonic rituals. This came as a result of historic accounts and myths about undead. Regardless of the vast differences between them, stories about zombies throughout history have been rooted in the supernatural. The fear of the dead rising from their graves has been prevalent among mankind for as long as we can remember. Stone Age remains appear to have been originally buried intact, but eventually they began to bury their remains with their skulls smashed or removed and buried in a separate grave farther away. Some believe that this was done to ensure that the dead would not return to life. Zombies aren’t specifically mentioned in the Bible, but there are references of the dead coming back to life here as well. Ezekiel finds himself in a boneyard and prophesies to the bones. The bones shake and become covered in flesh, yet â€Å"there was no brea th in them.† Isaiah 26:19 states, â€Å"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.† The Greeks believed that certain people were more likely to return from the dead than others. Those who committed suicide, were murdered, cursed, or died from other traumatic experiences such as the plague or drowning were thought to likely return as undead and prey on the living. Some believe that the Mayans suffered a kind of zombie apocalypse towards the end of their civilization. Human bones found within the ruins of many Mayan cities exhibit human tooth marks and appear to have been forcefully ripped apart and evidence is thought to have been found of children eating their parents as well. From the state that the cities were left in, it has been surmised that they slaughtered and ate themselves within a few days’ time. In addition to bei ng exclusively supernatural, many ancient incarnations of the undead display special abilities, powers, or quirks. In Norse mythology, Draugr are living corpses who wander their crypts. They are described as bloated with black skin and are known to possess some supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, entering the dreams of the living, and driving people insane. Draugr slaughter and consume the living just like modern zombies but, unlike most modern zombies, draugr have also been known to utilize tools such a heavy stones or swords to kill. Jiang Shi, the Chinese version of the zombie, literally means â€Å"stiff corpse†. These zombies are very strange in that their mode of locomotion is hopping around. In Romania, the Strigoi is a zombie of someone who has died with regrets or troubles. Dying without being baptized or before marriage are other ways that someone could end up coming back as a strigoi. Some post mortem marriage ceremonies are performed for the newly deceas ed as a way to try to keep them from becoming a strigoi. Like the draugr, strigoi exhibit some supernatural abilities or traits that weren’t commonly found among modern zombies until recently including primarily only drinking blood and the ability to transform into animals. These traits almost make them seem more like vampires than zombies, however the fact that your corpse can become one without having been bit by one separates the two in a way. In video games especially, the need to keep things fresh, new, and interesting, has led to the creation of many new types of zombies with strange abilities similar to some of the zombies from history. There are zombies that spit acid, have frog-like tongues, explode, and some that can use certain kinds of weaponry. Media based on cultural mythology also use specific examples of ancient undead to spice things up. The Witcher novels, which follow the adventures of a monster slayer in a fantasy world of Polish mythology, feature the str iga, the Polish version of the strigoi and Draugr make an appearance in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Cohen’s Monster Culture mentions that one important characteristic that monsters have is the ability to shift and reflect the relevant fears and apprehensions of the era that tells their stories. Like vampires evolving from the hideous Nosferatu into the succubus/ incubus-like vampires of today, zombies have also changed. As stated before, historical accounts, myths, and early media representations of undead portray them as supernatural creations. As the fear of witches, demons, and other foul spirits became less prevalent, the reasoning behind zombies shifted from being mainly supernatural to being scientific. Science and medicine have progressed incredibly far in the last few decades and some scientific advances have come under scrutiny as to whether or not they are moral or safe. Scientifically created abominations and diseases have become popular â€Å"monsters† of sorts and zombie lore happened to have very little trouble adopting this idea. The majority of modern zombie fiction revolves around an outbreak of a virus or disease of some kind that transforms people into flesh eating zombies. More often than not, the antagonists of these stories are scientific enterprises who attempt to create bioweapons but then lose control of said bioweapons which causes the initial outbreak. The real life fear of â€Å"Big Science† plays into zombie fiction in a crucial way. As zombies strayed further away from their Haitian roots and as special effects became more and more impressive, depictions of zombies became more and more grotesque in an attempt to keep the shock factor of the audience intact. Another niche that zombies have had little trouble fitting into is the apocalypse genre. The apocalypse genre has been touched upon in history in tales such as Gilgamesh or Ragnarok, but as the new millennium drew near and prophesies from the Mayans and Nostradamus seemed to be coming to fruition, the fear of the end of the world became more and more prevalent. More often than not, zombie centric fiction deals with the spread of the undead bringing total societal collapse. Very rarely are outbreaks contained in small areas. Zombies in modern media have adapted and changed in order to fit into many separate genres from apocalypse to sci-fi to fantasy. This ability to morph and adapt and even bring back traits from history to stay interesting and relevant suggests that zombies still have quite the lifespan left even though they can be considered one of the oldest known monsters. As new genres and forms of media gain popularity, be sure to keep an eye on your dead. They never quite seem to stay where you put them. Zombie Annotated Bibliography Zombies, H. (2018). Zombies: Facts and Voodoo Origins | HISTORY.com. [online] HISTORY.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-zombies [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article discusses the origins of Zombies and how the subject of the undead apocalypse has become extremely popular in pop culture. Great Discoveries in Archaeology. (2018). History of Zombies. [online] Available at: http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp264-ss13/2013/04/25/history-of-zombies/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This student post goes into some more detail about the original Haitian zombie slaves that helped inspire the legends of the undead. Lin, K. (2018). History of Zombies from Ancient Times to Pop Culture. [online] Historic Mysteries. Available at: https://www.historicmysteries.com/history-of-zombies/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article discusses zombies in history that date back even further than the Haitian zombie slaves. Tales and rituals meant to keep the dead at rest from even the stone age and ancient Greece. Mariani, M. (2018). The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/10/how-america-erased-the-tragic-history-of-the-zombie/412264/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This is another article that explains how the true tragedy of zombie slaves became lost to us as we began to incorporate the subject of zombies into entertainment. Swanser, B. (2018). The Mysterious Real Zombies of Haiti | Mysterious Universe. [online] Mysterious Universe. Available at: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2014/08/the-mysterious-real-zombies-of-haiti/ [Accessed 1 Aug. 2018]. This article goes the furthest in depth about the process of Haitian zombification and a bit more into their culture.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on Motherless Daughters

In Motherless Daughters, Hope Edelman tries to understand her own life in relation to the loss of her mother when she was seventeen years old and to understand why as she says, "she still has such a hold on me?" Her research included interviews of women who had lost their mothers, analyzing hundreds of letters from women who responded to articles which she had published, reading extensively about grief and loss of parents, and consulting with expert psychologists, psychiatrists, and other experts on grieving. She shows how losing a mother through death or abandonment at any age has ramifications throughout a woman's life. She tells her own painful story and mixes it with those of many other women who lost their mothers both as children and as adults. Edelman's was seventeen when her mother died of breast cancer. She was left to deal with a grief-stricken father and younger siblings as well as her own feelings. Although she left for college the following year and later led her life as a journalist, she discovered one day when she was twenty-four, she missed her mother so much that she was actually in physical pain. Ms. Edelman recognized in motherless daughters a lot of similar and many diverse reactions to their mothers’ deaths. Factors affecting the reactions included the age of the daughter when her mother died, the cause of death, the birth order of the daughter, the personality traits of the daughter, and the support system available to the daughter after the loss and Ms. Edelman focuses on each of these issues. It is obvious the younger and more dependent the daughter the more severely she was affected by the death in most cases. The most deeply felt losses were the loss of motherly nurturing and of female role modeling. Grandmothers or aunts were sometimes available to help with these losses, and those daughters fortunate enough to have nurturing fathers felt secure and got emotional strength from them. Some children... Free Essays on Motherless Daughters Free Essays on Motherless Daughters In Motherless Daughters, Hope Edelman tries to understand her own life in relation to the loss of her mother when she was seventeen years old and to understand why as she says, "she still has such a hold on me?" Her research included interviews of women who had lost their mothers, analyzing hundreds of letters from women who responded to articles which she had published, reading extensively about grief and loss of parents, and consulting with expert psychologists, psychiatrists, and other experts on grieving. She shows how losing a mother through death or abandonment at any age has ramifications throughout a woman's life. She tells her own painful story and mixes it with those of many other women who lost their mothers both as children and as adults. Edelman's was seventeen when her mother died of breast cancer. She was left to deal with a grief-stricken father and younger siblings as well as her own feelings. Although she left for college the following year and later led her life as a journalist, she discovered one day when she was twenty-four, she missed her mother so much that she was actually in physical pain. Ms. Edelman recognized in motherless daughters a lot of similar and many diverse reactions to their mothers’ deaths. Factors affecting the reactions included the age of the daughter when her mother died, the cause of death, the birth order of the daughter, the personality traits of the daughter, and the support system available to the daughter after the loss and Ms. Edelman focuses on each of these issues. It is obvious the younger and more dependent the daughter the more severely she was affected by the death in most cases. The most deeply felt losses were the loss of motherly nurturing and of female role modeling. Grandmothers or aunts were sometimes available to help with these losses, and those daughters fortunate enough to have nurturing fathers felt secure and got emotional strength from them. Some children...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Pros and Cons of European currency union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Pros and Cons of European currency union - Essay Example One of the biggest advantages of Euro is that it saves a lot of time and effort of the travelers who choose to travel with Europe. For instance if there is a Soccer game in Spain which a Greek citizen wants to witness, he/she can just straight away catch a flight and reach the Soccer stadium in Spain and watch the game. There is no need to covert the currency into some other currency. The same has resulted in saving a lot of time and effort of the European Citizens. This was not the case prior to the introduction of Euro. The people had to exchange money every now and then to meet their demands but after the introduction things have changed for better. The introduction of Euro has brought in many significant changes in the European Economy. The most noticeable of them all is the economic integrity brought by the introduction of the Euro. The positive effects are not restricted to economy but they also positively influence the political climate in the European countries. This paper will throw light upon the benefits and the problems of the European single currency, which is Euro. In addition to this the paper will also focus upon the affect on other currencies by the present rise in the value of the Euro. "Having a single currency and an economic and monetary union strengthens Europe's role in international fora and organizations like the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development." (The Euro & You). Euro strengthens the position of all the European countries, having a single currency helps a lot in the growth of the country and in this particular case Europe on the whole. Euro is very frequently used in international trade; it has very quickly become a part and parcel of the lives of many businessmen who carry out trade at large scales. Countries also have started using Euro as the currency for International trade. "A single currency makes Europe a strong partner to trade with and facilitates access to a genuine single market for foreign companies, who will benefit from lower costs of doing business in Europe." (The Euro & You). Another major advantage is the clarity in prices whenever an European citizen travels to another European country it becomes very easy to compare and buy the products of his/her choice; this facility was not available to the citizens prior to the launch of the Euro. Earlier even if a Tourist wanted to buy a product desperately, he/she was made to think thrice about it because of the different currencies within Europe but these days there is transparency in prices with regard to the currencies and this has only happened because of the introduction of the Euro. Euro has brought in a lot of Economic and financial stability, a Businessman is much less prone to risk when using Euro as his/her currency. Single currency keeps the inflation rate under a good check, which is extremely important for an economy and the Euro does exactly that. It keeps interest rates and the rate of inflation under check hence it can be said that the Euro plays a pivotal role in maintaining the economic growth of the European nations. Problems of the European Single Currency The biggest disadvantage is that it increases the financial cost of an institution in getting adjusted to the new currency. The

Friday, October 18, 2019

A Specific Dimension of English Usage by a Subculture Essay

A Specific Dimension of English Usage by a Subculture - Essay Example For example, if someone has developed a code that is questionable, some hackers may call for a ‘sanity check.’ A sanity check is the â€Å"act of checking a piece of code...for completely stupid mistakes.†1 This implies that at the time of writing the code the hacker was not in his or her right mind. As another example shows, when hackers talk about how something is ‘fab,’ they very rarely mean that something is fabulous. Rather, they are saying that something is fabricated. For example, someone who ‘fabs’ a chip is creating a silicon foundry. These are just small examples of how hacker slang is used within the continuum of the community. Of course, there are pages and pages worth of slang that one could use, so hacker slang would have to be learned over time. However, it could be done. These illustrations of hacker slang show just how particular the hacker community can be when describing various elements of their lives as code designers and code breakers. III. Analyzing Hacker Slang There are several reasons why hackers use slang. Every word that is said is intentional, even if hackers use emoticons in their conversations online. If one analyzes hacker slang, one will realize that every little symbol and word can carry double and even triple entendres, with multiple shades of meaning behind every keystroke. This is the fascinating world of hacker slang. People in the hacker community use this slang intentionally so that outsiders cannot understand it. Just like getting into any community or group to be accepted, one has to ease into the culture of a particular group. For example, a homeless man doing a presentation for venture capitalists on Wall Street wouldn’t walk into a boardroom, full of executives wearing rags, with a cardboard sign saying â€Å"Will work for food.† Rather, he’ll find the wherewithal to buy or rent a nice suit, prepare a resume and then go pitch his idea for the presenta tion. In order to ‘fit in,’ one must look and act the part. IV. Explaining the Usefulness of Hacker Slang The usefulness of hacker slang is a rite of passage within the hacker community. People build code together, work on open source software and freeware together; they become a small, close-knit community—but online. â€Å"The special slang vocabulary of hackers helps hold their culture together—it helps hackers recognize each others’ positions within the community and expresses shared values and communities. However, as with most slang cultures, not knowing the slang or using it inappropriately defines one as an outsider.†2 So, not only does hacker slang keep the people who are not in the hacker community at the fringes but it can as well help hackers know who is in the community that they don’t know—much like any other secret language would do. ‘White hat’ hackers — or ethical hackers — are, probab ly, more important for companies and are useful to prevent Distributed Denial of Service attacks on organizations with complicated systems which are in source code. ‘White hat’ hackers, as they are known, is a slang for the fact that these people find vulnerabilities in companies’ codes on purpose in order to save them millions of dollars so that they don’t get hacked by ‘black hat hackers’ (unethical hackers). â€Å"‘

Planning Windows for Climate Change Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Planning Windows for Climate Change - Article Example There is a huge array of window types available now, and each type has its benefits and problems. There are many types of glass which conserve energy, but they can be costly and require changes in wall design. One might think that putting in fewer windows will solve the problems of climate change, but this not only make human spaces unattractive, it does not necessarily provide the best solution. Properly placed windows of the right type can actually increase the R-value of a wall, and glass walls which include solar energy design can actually provide a positive impact on energy use. There are simply many variables to consider in choosing and placing windows in buildings, so a plan for guidance will be a valuable addition to the body of knowledge. There are, essentially, three major factors we must consider when designing structures: the thermodynamics of the overall constructions, the various things which impact energy use from solar energy design to internal energy use and the availability, cost, structural needs and technical aspects of windows. By using a system of decision support for choosing window types and placement, architects can be better equipped to incorporate well-placed windows of the proper types to support the future needs in view of climate change. This research will create that tool. There are numerous studies that assumptions that the climate is changing or which actually present proof. One of the most important is Al Gore’s â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† (2006). Gleick, Peter H., ed. 1993b. Water in Crisis.  

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Effects of Fast Foods on the Health of Persons Consuming Them Research Paper

The Effects of Fast Foods on the Health of Persons Consuming Them - Research Paper Example China has a vibrant fast food industry that is largely populated by western players of which key among is the Kentucky Fried Chicken and even the globally revered McDonald fast food restaurant chain, which according to Bankman and Alivisatos is expanding at a sporadic rate with ten new restaurants being opened on a weekly basis. This clearly affirms how the Chinese diet has integrated fast foods that bear origin to the western world (1). Bankman and Alivisatos lamented that fast foods majorly offer western-style foods that are made up of high contents, carbohydrates, saturated fat, and sugar that have less nutritional value and with a lot of processing (1). Sipahi in his writings stated that such fast foods have attributed to the rising cases of obesity in countries that include U.S, China, and the UK, where it has spiralled to an alarming level thereby being declared a serious national crisis (56-58). Schneider further added that a previous research study conducted by the German Ins titute of Human Health established a clear relationship between the consumption of a western diet that has high contents of potatoes, sugar, refined grains, and meat with weight gain among the consumers (1). Secondly, Schneider wrote that in a recent research study published in 2012 on the journal circulation showed that there was credible evidence to prove that Chinese people who consumed the western fast foods for more than twice a week had a high risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes (1). This research study noted that there has been an increase in cases of obesity among the Chinese people because of the fact that consumption of fast food is related to physical inactivity.

Training and Developing Paper Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training and Developing Paper - Research Proposal Example s training courses; although training courses are important, your training and education will be designed to also encompass in-house mentoring, work-based learning, reflective practice and shadowing. The healthcare industry is constantly evolving as new advances in medicine are discovered. As such, employees should constantly make good use of training and education so as to adequately prepare themselves for these changes (McConnell & Fallon, 2013). The threat of legal action leveled against professionals in the healthcare industry is increasing. It is important for you as newly recruited employees to continually undergo training that will keep you updated on any new legal developments that might be directly affecting you as professionals. Competencies are basically the eventual outcomes of the training and education process. It is important to measure your competences as individual employees in the organization as these measures will be a crucial indicator of your ability to perform definite tasks in a fashion that will eventually yield desirable outcomes. As new employees, it is important for you to understand that having high levels of competency basically implies that you are successfully able to apply skills, knowledge and abilities to new situations. It is important for organizations to assess organizational and individual competencies performance so as to assess the efficiency of the services that we are able to provide to patients. Healthcare organizations are singularly responsible for the overall quality of care they provide, as such, the assessment of competencies helps the organization in the determination of whether there is any need to design and implement new training programs aimed at improving the organization’s performance (Kelly & Vottero, 2014). Reaction: During this stage, participants hand in feedback questionnaires, they are also encouraged to provide any informal feedback that they believe is of importance. This information is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Effects of Fast Foods on the Health of Persons Consuming Them Research Paper

The Effects of Fast Foods on the Health of Persons Consuming Them - Research Paper Example China has a vibrant fast food industry that is largely populated by western players of which key among is the Kentucky Fried Chicken and even the globally revered McDonald fast food restaurant chain, which according to Bankman and Alivisatos is expanding at a sporadic rate with ten new restaurants being opened on a weekly basis. This clearly affirms how the Chinese diet has integrated fast foods that bear origin to the western world (1). Bankman and Alivisatos lamented that fast foods majorly offer western-style foods that are made up of high contents, carbohydrates, saturated fat, and sugar that have less nutritional value and with a lot of processing (1). Sipahi in his writings stated that such fast foods have attributed to the rising cases of obesity in countries that include U.S, China, and the UK, where it has spiralled to an alarming level thereby being declared a serious national crisis (56-58). Schneider further added that a previous research study conducted by the German Ins titute of Human Health established a clear relationship between the consumption of a western diet that has high contents of potatoes, sugar, refined grains, and meat with weight gain among the consumers (1). Secondly, Schneider wrote that in a recent research study published in 2012 on the journal circulation showed that there was credible evidence to prove that Chinese people who consumed the western fast foods for more than twice a week had a high risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes (1). This research study noted that there has been an increase in cases of obesity among the Chinese people because of the fact that consumption of fast food is related to physical inactivity.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

How people are managed and how they lead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

How people are managed and how they lead - Essay Example Four of the eight principles are: Congruence not Incongruence, Descriptive not Evaluative, Problem not Person Oriented and Specific not Global. Explain the meaning of the concepts and using ideas from your own experience give examples of their meaning. 3 3. Read the case study and discuss the issues, in terms of supportive communication which it raises. 4 Portfolio Assignment 2 1. House, R.J. in his ‘Path Goal Theory of Leadership’ and Hersey, P. and Blanchard, K.H. in their ‘Situational Leadership Theory’ offer two contingency models of leadership. Discuss, with reference to these two models of leadership the basis upon how leaders engage with their staff to help them improve their performance and gain commitment. 6 2. Discuss the nature and components of transformational leadership. How does transformational leadership differ from the behavioural models of leadership, such as Tannenbaum, R. and Schmidt’s, ‘Continuum Model’ and Contingen cy models of leadership such as the ‘House’ and ‘Hersey-Blanchard’ models discussed above. 7 Portfolio Assignment 3 1. Analysis of the case study 9 2. Research suggests that adults do not follow a well developed set of principles when they make decisions. Discuss how leaders might reflect on  the appropriateness of a decision  in terms of ethical considerations. Give examples to support your answer. 10 Portfolio Assignment 4 1. Resistance to organisational change, particularly when the change is ‘soft’ in nature, can stem from the individual or from the organisation. Discuss the nature of, and explore the reasons why, change is often resisted. 12 2. From a management perspective how can this resistance be overcome? 13 References 14 Bibliography 17 Portfolio Assignment 1 Whetten and Cameron (2011, p261) citing Bowman (1964) write that, â€Å"Surveys have consistently shown that the ability to effectively communicate face to face is the char acteristic judged by managers to be the most critical in determining promotability†. 1. One way to improve communication is through ‘Supportive Communication†. Discuss what Whetten and Cameron mean when they define this concept of communication. Why do they consider it so important? The term ‘supportive communication’ as used in the book of Whetten and Cameron aims to highlight two characteristics of communication: the potentials of communication to help towards the achievement of the goal set and the freedom provided to both parties in order to state their views (Whetten and Cameron 2011). Supportive communication is a mode of communication that can be quite important in certain organizational events, such as interviews (Whetten and Cameron 2011). Indeed, an interview between a candidate and the employer would have more chances to lead to the development of a successful cooperation if both parties were allowed to show their concerns and their percepti ons in regard to the issues discussed during the interview (Whetten and Cameron 2011). In other words, for Whetten and Cameron supportive communication can be used for enhancing cooperation and trust in the workplace. No other mode of communication, apart from supportive communication, offers to both parties the chance to feel equal, a condition that can be quite crucial in certain cases; for example, using supportive communication an interviewer can identify the actual willingness of the interviewee to work as a member of a group (Whetten and Came

Overall delivery of service Essay Example for Free

Overall delivery of service Essay My role helps to contribute to the overall delivery of the service provided because I can help to provide the best quality care to individuals, I can help them to make sure that they know everything that they need to know whilst they are in hospital and also communicate effectively to make sure that they are always comfortable with their care. This helps with other individuals who are working with me because when everybody is working in this way the service runs more smoothly and everybody is on the same page therefore the patients feel cared for and valued. While working alongside the nurses and other staff I can help to make sure that everybody is getting the best care and when this is maintained through every shift it helps to keep the standards high and also eliminate problems. With attending college and work regularly together this helps to understand everything better because other members of staff know that I am capable of carrying everything out effectively and to the correct standards therefore this also helps to contribute towards the standard of the service. I could influence the quality of the service provided by following best practice within my work role because I would be following procedures and doing everything correctly which ensures that there are no problems and everything runs to a high standard. If everything is done correctly those who I am working with and those who come on shift afterwards this makes the job easier for them and doesn’t make their work load to large, this makes the service run more smoothly because everybody is working together and combines together correctly to ensure that the standards are correct. If I don’t carry out the requirements of my job role then this would be passed on to the shift afterwards which would affect their routine and have a knock on affect by knocking things out of alignment because they would be carrying on my work when they have their own jobs to do and this could cause this to then knock onto the next shift because everything would be working out of sync. This could also endanger a patient or distress them because tasks aren’t getting done at the correct time or to the correct standard. It could also cause conflicts between myself and the patients or myself and other staff. If I did not carry out my jobs this could cause other staff to have a too heavy workload that they are not capable of which would then end in them not carrying out the best quality of care that they can provide.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Walmart the functions of an organisation Marketing Essay

Walmart the functions of an organisation Marketing Essay Marketing is one the functions of an organisation that most connects an organisation to its environment. It maintains relations with the customers. It also involves satisfying needs of the customers. It incorporates hoe a business should be conducted and a set of values and processes that are put into practice(Naylor, 2004, p.525). According to Kotler Marketing can be defined as a nodal and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others (Kotler et al., 1999, p.10).The key ideas in this definition are needs, wants and demands, value and satisfaction, exchange, transactions and relationships and markets. The American marketing association defines marketing as a process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create changes that satisfy individual and organisational goals (Kotler, 2002, p.4). There are numerous theories t hat are part of marketing as a subject. This essay aims at identifying the key concepts of marketing and how are these concepts can be studied and applied to a functioning of an organisation which is Walmart in this case. Walmart is an American public corporation that operates a chain of large discount department stores and a chain of warehouse stores.. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. It is publically traded on New York Stock Exchange. The company is the largest private employer with approximately 2.1 million employees. It operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and, through a joint venture, in India. Walmart became an international company in 1991 when it opened its first Sams Club near Mexico City. Two major concepts of marketing are the market orientation a firm has and the marketing mix it follows. Wal-Mart has its own market orientation and a marketing mix that it has adopted. Market orientation is an approach that a business has to run its operations and achieve its organisational objectives. These are the different ways that a business approaches its customers and determines how an organisation carries out its marketing activities. They guide the marketing efforts of an organisation. The different marketing orientations are as follows: 1.Production: Production oriented firm focuses on large scale production of goods that can be made widely available. It also focuses on efficiency issues. There is little focus on customer needs and their wants. It is based on the Says law which says Supply creates its own demand. 2.Product: A product oriented firm focuses on the quality and features of the product. It assumes that the customers want the best quality products for their money. Continuous improvement and refinement of products is also a very important factor. 3.Selling : In this market orientation the main focus is on selling and promotion of the products. It is assumed that good marketing efforts will persuade enough customers to buy the product. It tends to ignore what the customers really want or need. 4.Marketing : It is an approach which keeps customers at the centre. It involves doing a market research and identifying the needs of the consumers and thus making products that satisfy the consumer needs in the best and most efficient way. It is assumed that identifying the customer needs gives a firm a sustainable competitive advantage. 5. Socially Responsible Marketing: It involves responding to the ethical issues in a society. It is related to the corporate social responsibility of a business. It informs consumers of the various contributions that the business is making towards the society and makes a good image of the business as a whole. Different businesses have different market orientations. The two most important aspects of Wal-Marts market orientation are product and market. Wal-Mart offers a huge variety of products. Their aim is to satisfy almost every possible need that might arise. Wal-Mart is not a store for people from a specific age group or income group. In fact it serves people from every age group and income level. Wal-Mart also works with its suppliers and uses a testing laboratory called a consumers testing lab. It runs test on food items, clothing ,electronics etc. By doing this it ensures that the goods it delivers to its customers are of highest quality. The second aspect of its market orientation is Marketing. Wal-Mart uses detailed market research and customer segmentation to better deliver against the customer needs. Wal-Marts ability to recognise changes in the retailing industry has given it a huge advantage over its competitors. This has only been possible because of the intensive market research it undertakes before making any strategic decision. Before making any promotional strategy they measure the return on investment. They evaluate everything such as how many customers will see the advertisement, how many will react to it, how many will actually buy the product. They have huge customer data and sales data. They even share the sales data with their suppliers in order to keep the most popular items stocked and to persuade its suppliers to supply goods which are most popular among the consumers. So it changes itself according to the customer needs and sell products which customers want and not what it has to sell. It also pr omotes relationship marketing and uses one to one relationship marketing tactics. For e.g. a person greeted every customer who came in and said goodbye to each person who left. Wal-Mart has always closely observed its market using different research methods and has always successfully anticipated the change in consumer tastes and preferences and changed itself accordingly so it always keeps its customers at the centre. Another important theory of marketing management is the marketing mix. Marketing mix is the set of marketing tools that a firm uses to achieve its marketing objectives in a specific target market. The tools can be classified into four categories namely Price, Place Promotion and Product and are referred to as the 4 Ps. Price and advertising costs etc. can be altered in the short run but elements such as product and the distribution channel can only be changed in the long run. .( Kotler, 2002, p.9 )These variables affect the level of demand for a firms products. It is a combination of these tools that are used to satisfy consumer and company objectives. The four variables can be explained as follows: 1. Price: Price is an important factor in the marketing mix when the products are not bad. People want to use money thoughtfully and want maximum utility out of their income. Discounts, allowances, payment terms and credit are some of the tools used to attract customers. 2.Product: Product is the top priority in the marketing mix. Some of the strategies that firms may use are quality, design , features, packaging and warranties etc. Using these tools a company can differentiate its products from its competitors. 3.Place: The place element is becoming more important these days. Big retailers make it more convenient for people to buy everything. Locations, inventory and transport etc are areas that are important for a business. 4.Promotion: People should know about the products of a company. Effective way to advertise the products necessary. Sales promotion, sales force ,direct marketing and public relations are some examples that come under promotion aspect of the marketing mix. We can relate these 4 Ps with different strategies that Wal-Mart adopts. Price is the most important factor for Wal-Marts marketing mix and is the winning formula for the company. The company has build an image over the years that its name has become a synonym to low prices. The mission of the company is to provide cheapest prices in the market. It is because of its such low prices that it has been able to serve and fulfil the needs of millions of customers. Wal-Mart has the best and the most convenient store locations which its competitors find difficult to beat. This is due to the extensive market research it does before expanding into a new area. Also the stores are strategically located to gain efficiency in storage and transportation of its goods. However the company has saturated the local markets and now has plans to extend its operations in many foreign countries. As Wal-Mart offers variety of products for every segment of the market it ensures that its customers get the high est quality products. Some products are sold under its own brand whereas some other from other companies. Wal-Mart often comes up with packaging techniques that help reduce the cost of the goods sold. Now the company is trying to attract more affluent customers by launching new Metro 7 Stalls which offer jewellery and other expensive items in 1500 different stores. (source: http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/5721.aspx). Coming to promotion the most notable strategy that the company uses is public relations by taking parts in charitable events. It started health plans starting from $23 and also advertised itself as the largest employer. All these strategies have helped Wal-Mart emerge as the market leader in the retail sector and the key factors being low prices, more customer service and constant innovation in the business.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Farewell to arms - Bravery :: essays research papers

Bravery is the quality of a person who displays courage and fearlessness in the face of danger. Such qualities show splendor and magnificence in a person. Fear and terror sometimes hinder the determination someone can show. Overcoming this fear is what portrays bravery. In Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Frederick Henry shows bravery by freely joining the Italian army, risking his life for some ambulance drivers and swimming to freedom, being shot at the whole way. Frederick Henry grew up in America and in his early twenties, he decided to go to Europe and fight in the Italian army. Henry’s decision in the first place, showed courage and bravery. Fighting for another country over making a living in your own goes above and beyond what is remotely asked for. Even in my wildest dreams, I would probably not even think about fighting for my own country, let alone a foreign country. Times were tough, especially when the start of the winter came. With that winter came â€Å"permanent rain and with the rain came the cholera. But it was checked and in the end and only seven thousand died of it in the army.† (4) In the army, people die, and it is not the nicest place. Frederick Henry chose to enter this world and this portrays bravery. In chapter nine, Henry shows his brave character once again. In Paula, Henry was installed in a roadside trench. Some of the men were hungry so Henry volunteered to go and fetch some cold macaroni from the other side of the trench. The major advised him against it and said, â€Å"You better wait until the shelling is over.† Henry replied, â€Å"They want to eat.† (53) As Henry and the others came back to the dugout, shelling began and bombs burst around them. Then the blast furnace door swung open and Henry was badly injured. This incident showed his selfless courage and bravery. He did not have to do it, yet he went and got the food anyway. Henry risked his life for the others, and that is another true sign of bravery. Henry shows courage again in one of the last chapters we read. In the morning after a night of sleeping in a barn, Henry and Piani reunited with a group of soldiers. Suddenly two men from the battle police seize hold of Henry. Piani was led away, questioned, and then shot to death.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

How Can A Students Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? :: Teaching Education

How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? Anne, a 15 year old Vietnamese American student stared out the window while the teacher droned on in the background. Her thoughts centered on lunch and her friends, and family. On a deeper level, her thoughts were about friendship, loyalty, kinship, and how children gain status and acceptance in the social structure of the school. Anne's attention was brought back into the classroom when the teacher announced that "this information will be on the test". Mechanically, Anne began to write as the teacher dictated notes. When the teacher had finished dictating the notes, Anne's thoughts wandered back to her own concerns. This true story is about me as a young girl trying to identify with the experiences of school knowledge and real life knowledge. Most of us as students have been in my shoes can readily identify the occasional moments of boredom and daydreaming in an otherwise interesting and engaging school experience, and in other occasions, this is the main reality of the classroom life. Traditionally, the educational community has tended to view culturally diverse students as coming from a deficit model, that somehow these students lacked the right stuff, the educational experiences for success in school. Rarely have schools and educational institutions viewed culturally diverse students as being culture rich and not at risk. When children are not allowed to incorporate their prior knowledge with new experiences provided in the classroom, learning is slowed and the child constructs a disjointed view of the world. This paper explores the multicultural and diversified world of the students and juxtaposes it along the knowledge the students are encountering in the classroom. It explores knowledge in respects to the traditional notions of commonsense knowledge of school, and knowledge that centers on the interests and aims of the learner. Multicultural learning needs to build on student's regenerative (prior knowledge) along with their reified (school knowledge)knowledges, the knowledge must be in relation to the student's home and community, the information must be personally familiar to the child, the understanding must come through a connection with culturally familiar stories and materials, knowledge needs to create a meaningful linkage to give children control over their learning, and multicultural knowledge needs to address the histories and experiences of people who have been left out of the curriculum (Dewey, 125). What I experienced as a little girl was a conflict between two different kinds of knowledge, which R.B Everhart has distinguished as reified and regenerative knowledge. Regenerative knowledge "is created, maintained, and recreated through the continuous interaction of people in a community How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? :: Teaching Education How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? Anne, a 15 year old Vietnamese American student stared out the window while the teacher droned on in the background. Her thoughts centered on lunch and her friends, and family. On a deeper level, her thoughts were about friendship, loyalty, kinship, and how children gain status and acceptance in the social structure of the school. Anne's attention was brought back into the classroom when the teacher announced that "this information will be on the test". Mechanically, Anne began to write as the teacher dictated notes. When the teacher had finished dictating the notes, Anne's thoughts wandered back to her own concerns. This true story is about me as a young girl trying to identify with the experiences of school knowledge and real life knowledge. Most of us as students have been in my shoes can readily identify the occasional moments of boredom and daydreaming in an otherwise interesting and engaging school experience, and in other occasions, this is the main reality of the classroom life. Traditionally, the educational community has tended to view culturally diverse students as coming from a deficit model, that somehow these students lacked the right stuff, the educational experiences for success in school. Rarely have schools and educational institutions viewed culturally diverse students as being culture rich and not at risk. When children are not allowed to incorporate their prior knowledge with new experiences provided in the classroom, learning is slowed and the child constructs a disjointed view of the world. This paper explores the multicultural and diversified world of the students and juxtaposes it along the knowledge the students are encountering in the classroom. It explores knowledge in respects to the traditional notions of commonsense knowledge of school, and knowledge that centers on the interests and aims of the learner. Multicultural learning needs to build on student's regenerative (prior knowledge) along with their reified (school knowledge)knowledges, the knowledge must be in relation to the student's home and community, the information must be personally familiar to the child, the understanding must come through a connection with culturally familiar stories and materials, knowledge needs to create a meaningful linkage to give children control over their learning, and multicultural knowledge needs to address the histories and experiences of people who have been left out of the curriculum (Dewey, 125). What I experienced as a little girl was a conflict between two different kinds of knowledge, which R.B Everhart has distinguished as reified and regenerative knowledge. Regenerative knowledge "is created, maintained, and recreated through the continuous interaction of people in a community

Friday, October 11, 2019

Concept of Beauty

When you hear or read that word, there is something that emerges from our mind. I find myself very much perplexed when I am asked â€Å"Kinas among panhandling as atone classmates? â€Å". I don't think there is no one that is â€Å"pià ±ata† among all the human beings but rather Omni beautiful when it comes to beauty . Everyone is beautiful. Everything is beautiful. But how do we call someone or something beautiful? What makes us think that they are really beautiful? How do people perceive beauty?How come we have different perception towards beauty? When we internalize this, we go back again to history to answer these confusing yet very interesting questions. Our concept of beauty is influenced by many things. The society is the very first foundation to where we discover, realize, understand, and come to know things. The society plasters in front of our faces these people with bodies that ripples and shines like the gods; faces with prominent nose, perfectly straight teeth , protruding lips;Hair that is straight, soft and shiny and presents it to everyone as the concept of what is beautiful. Eventually, everyone that has seen that idea has perceived it in his/ her mind of what beauty exactly is. Everyone with the looks that is similar to the model eventually commits the sin vanity while the others who don't eventually look down on their selves. We must be able to obliterate this mindset. We should keep in mind that beauty is not and never will be tangible.We should put to an end the doings of moments that determines which is the most beautiful woman, in short the beauty pageants. Because as what Vie written above, everyone and everything is beautiful. Every day, we see beauty in many forms and shapes. There is beauty in art. We see beauty in the display of human creativity and passion. There is beauty in nature. Imagine seeing the sunset in a slow-MO; A bee swaying with the wind; The trees that grow long Greene stems and roots through the years.There is palpable beauty that e see in human beings. No, not only those who are in the magazines and televisions are beautiful. For me, those who appreciate the beauty of others and not only herself is beautiful. Those who dream, who delights in helping other people, who never oppress others, and never gives up are beautiful because beauty are the qualities in a person or object that give pleasure to the senses or spirits ND being good in the inside is enough reason for a living being to be called beautiful.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Berlin crisis

This essay will argue that the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) reached an agreement over Laos but not in Berlin because Berlin was politically important for both the US and the USSR. If ever the USSR gains Berlin, the integration of the entire Eastern Europe into the Soviet bloc will finally be accomplished. Should the US acquire Berlin, the former will have a strategic stronghold from which it can attack the USSR.In sharp contrast, the absence of an agreement over Laos will plunge both the US and the USSR into very costly wars. Nikita Khrushchev is famous for being a bold reformer who ended the brutal legacy of Stalinism and rejected the Soviet foreign policy of waging a world war with the West. His diplomacy likewise destroyed the Stalinist doctrine of isolationism that controlled the Soviet Union for decades.But Khrushchev’s reckless brinkmanship and ultimatums interspersed these positive developments, resulting in the Berlin Crisis (1958-19 62). Some political experts believe that the Berlin Crisis drove the world to the brink of a nuclear war. Prior to the Berlin Crisis, Khrushchev was a dictator whose major decisions were unchallenged, particularly those related to Soviet foreign policy. Under his regime, Soviet foreign policy focused on countries and issues that affected important Soviet interests and his political expediency.â€Å"Priorities† included finalizing a German peace settlement, achieving a detente with the US, preserving and strengthening ties with the People’s Republic of China and supporting Communist movements throughout the world. Despite Khrushchev’s reformist stance, he was still determined to win the Cold War by spreading Communism across the globe. Shortly after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, Khrushchev and US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) met at the Vienna Summit, which lasted from June 3 to June 4, 1961.The summit turned out to be a very tense affa ir. Khrushchev initially resisted JFK’s attempts to discuss Laos, saying that he was fully aware of US military intervention in the said country. But Khrushchev was in a more conciliatory mood when JFK again brought up the subject of Laos the following day. The former â€Å"agreed to work in good faith for the Geneva goals. † Khrushchev also claimed that â€Å"interested parties should be locked in a room and told to find a solution. † The agreement on Laos apparently was the sole conclusive outcome of the Vienna Summit.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Entrepreneurship. What Have I Learned During The Program And How Can I Essay

Entrepreneurship. What Have I Learned During The Program And How Can I Apply This In My Future Career A Critical Reflection - Essay Example Alongside the development of marketing theory, other parallel streams such as commodity, functional and institutional also experienced tremendous development. The rapid evolution, that took place just after the Second World War further escalated in the 1960s. This time the thrust was mainly on organizational behaviour, behavioural sciences and operational management which also strongly impacted the theories of marketing. The concept of entrepreneurship also evolved during this phase and some of the scholars even deem the evolution of entrepreneurial discipline to be analogous with the theories of marketing (Hultman and Shaw, 2003). It all started with the definition of entrepreneurship provided by Richard Cantillion in the 18th century, where he mentioned an entrepreneur to be an innovator. With the course of time, several other practitioners have portrayed their perception and outlooks about the notion of entrepreneurship. Schumpeter (1934) â€Å"entrepreneur as innovator†, S ay (1845) â€Å"entrepreneur as coordinator†, Kirzner (1973) â€Å"entrepreneur as arbitrator and opportunity-seeker† and Knight (1921) â€Å"entrepreneur as uncertainty reducer† are some of the excerpt of the thoughts presented by the eminent scholars. However, currently the concept of entrepreneurship is widely accepted and is judged as a vital part of the contemporary world and a well established erudite discipline. Moreover, government of a number of countries also judges entrepreneurship as a mantra of success and development of the economy. A number of examples can be traced which prominently showcases, the significant contribution made by entrepreneurs to the economy of a country. The importance increases exponentially when it comes to a developing country (Hills and Hultman, 2011). According to Rae (2007, p.3) an entrepreneur is defined as a person who acts in an enterprising way, and who identifies or creates and acts on an opportunity, for example by s tarting a new business venture. On the other hand, entrepreneurship is defined as a subject of enterprise and entrepreneurs, encompassing the practical and academic knowledge, skills and techniques used in being an entrepreneur. In regards to this context, Lumpkin and Dess (1996) put emphasis on the fact that an entrepreneur can be best judged by comparing the five dimensions namely (1) risk-taking; (2) opportunity oriented; (3) innovativeness; (4) pro-activeness; and (5) autonomy. An average or more than the standard score in these five dimensions greatly augments the possibility of an individual to become an entrepreneur in the near future (Mohanty, 2005; Hills, Hultman, Kraus and Schulte, 2010; Hultman, 1999; Carson, Cromie, McGowan and Hill, 1995). This study is basically intended to critically reflect upon the learning I received from the teachers and trainers. In the course module, we have mainly read about the theories and importance of entrepreneurship and critical evaluatio n of what I have learned during the programme and how can I apply this in my future career. In order to do this analysis, self reflection methodology will be adopted. In this study, I will portray about what I have learned during the entire course and will reflect upon how I can use those learning for my professional career. In this study, I will also develop a career action plan to showcase my future personal development. Self Reflection of Academic and Professional Learning I always have high interest on computers since my childhood days. However, at that time I was completely unaware of the architecture of a computer. In addition, I was also unaware of the strong research and development activities that took place prior to the development of computers;

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Organisational behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Organisational behavior - Essay Example A directly proportional relationship has been identified between the two variables. This develops the understanding that if the job satisfaction increases than the productivity/performance of employee will also be increased, this increment in the employee’s productivity is creating a competitive advantage or giving the competitive advantage to the company. This research paper is conducted with the aim of identifying that at what extent the job satisfaction is creating the competitive advantage for the company; along with identifying those components of job satisfaction that are participating the most in improving job performance of the employees. Motivation leads to higher satisfaction, and higher satisfaction leads to higher productivity. LITERATURE REVIEW: Nowadays the companies are determining the reasonable balance between employee commitment and performance of the company (Cullen et al., 2013). The companies are providing fair compensation and rewards to the employees tha t are becoming the main factor in employees’ motivation and self-esteem. Manager has the responsibility to motivate the employees successfully and influence them by different managerial skills to improve organizational efficiency. According to Bratton, Sawchuk, Forshaw, Callinan, & Corbett, (2010) the ability and motivation drives the performance of an employee. Ability of an employee devised through his/her education, equipment, experience, training, ease in the task and two types of capacities i.e. physical and mental. According to Gagne & Deci (2005), the process of performance management is one of the most crucial elements of total reward system and employees at times have to motivate themselves. According to John (2002), the effective performance of an employee leads him/her towards the organizational rewards, as a result, the factor of motivation lies in their performance. Most of the companies require their employees to perform duties according to the rules and policie s of the company and meet all the job standards. The studies that are conducted to determine the relationship between compensation and employees were focused to improve the performance of the employee in the organization (Lai & Chen, 2012). Nowadays employees that are highly motivated create a competitive advantage for their companies; because their effective performance leads an organization to well attainment of its goals. Among all the resources of the company; human resource is most important that can give the competitive advantage to the company. According to Bryman (2013), commitment of the employees is very much based on the reward and recognition system of the company. Most of the organizations increase the performance efficiency of employees by designing attractive rewards and compensation system in the company. Various researches have been done so far in determining the most effective way to increase the productivity of most of the employees in the organization, and it has determined that the most effective way to increase the work efficiency of employees is the rewards and compensation system in the company. Rewards and recognition system play an important role in developing employee satisfaction and motivation. The working environment is continuously changing with the technological advancement and changing human

Monday, October 7, 2019

Simone Weil regards Christianity as a religion for slaves. What does Essay

Simone Weil regards Christianity as a religion for slaves. What does she mean by this, and is it a justified claim - Essay Example universe good outweighs evil†¦ Thus the object of this certitude is an eternal and universal dispensation constituting the foundation of an invariable order in the world. Diving Providence is never represented in any other form, unless I am mistaken, either in the sacred texts of the Chinese, the Indians, and the Greeks, or in the Gospels. She believed that such pseudo-universal religious idea was significantly transformed by the Romans in their unique and odd acceptance of Christianity, with historic outcomes: â€Å"†¦ when the Christian religion was officially adopted by the Roman Empire, the impersonal aspect of God and of Divine Providence was thrust into the background. God was turned into a counterpart of the Emperor.† Weil believed that the ideas of nationalism of the Jews and the Romans were the same—both were cruel, profane, and agnostic, both supported the exploitation and persecution of the inferior by the superior. Associated with this sameness of outlooks was a shared subject matter in the spirituality or worship of the two groups. Both the Romans and the Jews, regardless of their dissimilarities in other aspects, had a similar idea of slavery, essential to the cosmological beliefs of both people. The Jews believe that: In the texts dating from before the exile, Jehovah’s juridical relationship to the Hebrews is that of master to his slaves. They had been Pharaoh’s slaves: Jehovah, having taken them out of Pharaoh’s hands, has succeeded to Pharaoh’s rights†¦ He orders them indifferently to do good or evil, but far more often evil, and in either case they have to obey. It matters little that they should be made to obey from the basest motives, provided that orders are duly executed. With regard to the Romans, â€Å"Such a conception as this was exactly on a par with the feelings and intelligence of the Romans. With them slavery had undermined and degraded all human relations.† Therefore, Weil claimed, in addition to the

Sunday, October 6, 2019

American Koreans vs Korean Americans Research Paper

American Koreans vs Korean Americans - Research Paper Example Earlier migrants were mostly concentrated in Hawaii and were recruited to work in sugarcane fields in Hawaii region. Over the period of time, regional dispersion of Koreans increased throughout the mainland. From 1990 to 2000, concentration of Korean Americans was mostly in Georgia (Suarez-Orozco, Suarez-Orozco and Qin-Hilliard 192). Pre and Post 1965 wave of immigrants from Korea was associated with particular industries such as retail stores, nail salons, travel agencies, liquor stores etc. Most of such industries were labor intensive in nature; however, the major reason of why Koreans engaged into such labor intensive industries was to create better opportunities for their children to get into better schools (Choi 55). American Koreans however, is a very small group comprising those who were either defectors or were taken as prisoners during the war in Korea (Hastings 35). This group is relatively small; however, it is significant in the sense that it also represents dual cultures of America and Korea. What is critical to note also that some of the POWs were taken by China from North Korea, indicating involvement of multiple players in redefining the overall future and cultural identity of this new group. Most of the POWs were largely influenced by the Chinese ideology. As such, both groups have now developed their distinct and separate identity and political ideologies. Their distinct cultural identity is considered as an important way through which they actually separate themselves from other groups, and this also reflects their overall perceptions for admission process. This paper will discuss this, and it will also explore how American Koreans and Korean Americans actually carry the overall cultural identity for their admissions. 1. Cultural Identity and Admission Process Having students from countries where English is not a dominant language or students belonging to different cultural groups always raises certain important political as well as cultural issues. Universities require declaration of ethnic origin of the students and gaps have been observed in the admission scores of Asian and White students. Universities like Vanderbilt publically announced to increase the number of Jews students over a certain period of time however, ignore to take into consideration more able Asian students with better SAT and other scores. (Golden 69) Conflict theory, however, suggests that admission exams are often culturally biased and are made in such a way that only members from dominant groups can get admission into such universities as well as colleges. It is also critical to note that most of the American-Koreans have actually failed to get into the inner and deeper level of American society. This cultural aloofness therefore also reflects how American Koreans actually perceive the overall admission process. The monolithic and historical representation of Asian American students in universities has largely remained unstable. The race based c haracterization of the students not only remained contextual in nature but also shaped by multiple motives. (Hurh 65) Applying this theory on the American Koreans clearly suggests that American universities have certain preferences. The overall tests are designed in such a manner that only people belonging to certain ethnic and cultural groups are able to get through the admission process. Most of those who attend the church with me feel strongly that admission process is developed in a manner that favors certain groups, and despite all the merit and skills required to get into top universities, not many American Koreans are able to get through this. (Kibria, 30) There have been significant decisions by universities such as Yale and Harvard wherein minimum SAT scores