Journal entries.

Journal entries. Monday, May 3rd: My name is Enrique, head general of the Hittite Empire. It is the year 1350 B.C.E, and I am 35 years old. I have been summoned by King Gobi and Queen Stromi of the Hittite Empire to help them decide whether to or not conquer the Egyptians. I will travel to the Egyptian Empire and observe the everyday life and patterns of Egyptian people. I will keep a journal tracking everything I see and do on my voyage to the ancient Egyptian Empire.Journal Entry #1, Tuesday, May 4th: On my first day in the marketplace, I saw many different foods and drinks for sample. I asked one of the locals to teach me about the different foods and drinks of his culture. He taught me that wheat and barley were the main crops; which were used to produce bread and beer. These were the most common foods, including many different kinds of animals.Labor union parade, NY., May 1, 1911 (LOC)My new friend, Jitsu, took me to one of the local festivals where we enjoyed many foods. We drank the most comm on drinks of the community; beer, water, and milk. The first day was an adventure through the marketplace exploring the food and drink. I was exhausted from the party; so I made my way to the Egyptian Suites.Journal Entry #2, Wednesday, May 5th: On day two I traveled in to the marketplace to view some of the crafts and trade. The workers were specialized. They were highly skilled and respected. I witnessed the workers making jewelry and other clothing products. I met a worker named, Sonya, she explained to me that cities and towns along the Nile were major trade centers for their region. She also explained that goods normally were not paid for with currency or coins, but were...

Vibratory Rock Tumbler Instructions

Vibratory Rock Tumbler Instructions Vibrating or vibratory rock tumblers, such as those made by Raytech and Tagit, can polish rocks in a fraction of the time required by rotary tumblers. They also result in polished stones that retain the shape of the rough material, as opposed to the rounded shapes obtained by rotary tumbling. On the other hand, vibratory tumblers tend to be a bit more expensive than their rotary counterparts. However, if time is money and you want to retain more of the shape and size of the original material, then a vibratory tumbler may be just what you need. Vibratory Rock Tumbling Materials List A vibratory tumbler.Rocks. You will get better results with a mixed load that includes both small and large rocks.Filler. Plastic pellets are great, but you can use small rocks having the same or lesser hardness as your load.Silicon carbide grit, pre-polish and polish (e.g., tin oxide, cerium oxide, diamond).Soap flakes (not detergent). Ivory soap flakes are recommended. How To Use a Vibratory Rock Tumbler Fill the bowl of the tumbler about 3/4 full with your rock.If you do not have sufficient rock to fill the bowl to the 3/4 level, then add plastic pellets or other filler.Add the required amount of SiC (silicon carbide) grit and water. See the table below to get a sense of how much is needed. If you have the instruction manual that came with the tumbler, start out with those quantities. Keep records, so if you make changes you will know the effect the changes had on the polishing.Place the lid on the tumbler and run the vibrator. Let it run for a day or so and make certain that a slurry is forming. Evaporation will occur, especially if the external temperature is hot, so you may need to add water from time to time to maintain the slurry consistency.When the rock has achieved the desired smoothness and roundness, remove the load and rinse the bowl and the rocks thoroughly with water.Return the rock to the bowl, add a tablespoon of soap flakes, and fill the bowl with water to the top of the rocks. Vibrate the mixture for about half an hour. Rinse the rocks and the bowl. Repeat this step two more times. Return the rocks to the bowl and proceed to the next polishing step with the next grit (see the Table).After the final polish step, perform the washing/rinsing process and allow the stones to dry. Here are some conditions, intended for a 2.5 lb tumbler. You can adjust the quantities for your specific needs. The duration for each step is approximate - check your load and keep records to find the conditions that work best for you. Experiment with different polishing compounds to find the type that works best for your stones. Grit Type SiC SiC SiC SiC SnO2 CeO2 Diamond Diamond Mesh 220 400 600 1,000 - - 14,000 50,000 Grit Amount 8 tbls 4 tbls 4 tbls 3 tbls 4 tbls 4 tbls 1 cc 1 cc Water Cups 3/4 3/4 3/4 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 Soap Tbls 0 0 0 0 1/3 1/3 1 1 Speed fast fast fast fast slow slow slow slow Stones Hardness Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Days Sapphire 9 28 7 7 7 5 - - - EmeraldAquamarineMorganite 8 3 2-3 2-4 2 2-4 - - - TopazZircon 7.5 3-8 2-3 2 2 2 - - - AgateAmethystCitrineRock CrystalChrysoprase 7 0-7 3-4 2-3 2-3 0-3 3 - - Peridot 6.5 - 2 2 2 - - 2 2 Opal 6 - - 1 2 2 - - - Lapis Lazuli 5.5 - 4 3 3 2 - - - Apache TearsApatite 5 - 2-3 1-2 1 1 - -1 1 *Use a slow speed for all steps when polishing stones with Mohs hardness of 6.5 or lower (peridot, opal, lapis, obsidian, apatite, etc.). Helpful Tips for a Perfect Polish Make a balanced load that includes for large and small rocks. For a 2.5 lb bowl, sizes from 1/8 to 1 work well.A proper slurry is needed to get the best polish in the least time. If there is too little water, then the thickness of the mixture will prevent proper movement, thus slowing the polishing action. Too much water results in too thin of a slurry, which will result in a much longer time to achieve a polish. The grit may settle out of the mixture altogether.Never wash grit down the drain! While it doesnt typically present an environmental hazard, theres a good chance it will cause a clog that cant be removed using chemicals.Plastic pellets may be rinsed and reused, but you cannot reuse grit. Are you looking for information on using your tumbler to polish jewelry or metal components? Heres what you need to do.

US Economic History-Commanding Heights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

US Economic History-Commanding Heights - Essay Example Keynes ideas were that the economy should be controlled by the government. Later years saw the departure from Keynes ideas to the adoption of economies that did not support government regulations. Many reforms were made and globalization set in. This was around the year 1991 after the Soviet Union collapsed. The authors say that free markets prevail in comparison to the centrally planned markets. There are worries however that, globalization may be only for a short while. This will happen if measures are not taken to end inequality and if the third world countries are not given opportunities to better themselves. The UK had a lot of resources and power and thus its capital city London was the center of globalization. This was in the first period of globalization. This period occurred before the First World War (Yergin et al pg 15). The First World War however affected Britain badly leading to a high level of unemployment. As much as the UK triumphed in the Second World War, the empire had to break. The then ruler, Winston Churchill, did not like the idea of government involvement and he thus discouraged it. In the year 1945, Clement Attlee who headed the Labor Party, was elected and he encouraged government regulations so as to avoid potential economic crisis. The government of UK nationalized almost all its major industries. In addition to this, the government controlled the earnings of the employees. These wages of the employees were regulated by the government or subjected to the union rules (Kay, pg 23). This idea of government interference became a common factor in the UK in such a way that subsequent governments adopted it. The elected government officials did nothing to change this and it became part of the UK. In the 1970s, the UK saw immense strikes of the unions including other problems such as the oil shock that was experienced in the year 1973 (Yergin et al pg 16). These problems almost crumbled Britain. That

Impact of Announcing Dividends on Share Prices of Corporations Listed Dissertation

Impact of Announcing Dividends on Share Prices of Corporations Listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange - Dissertation Example In the past, research tended to confirm the absence of impact of dividend announcements on shareholders’ value on condition that taxes and market imperfections are not present. For this reason, companies would prefer to invest its excess funds (which are not needed for business operations or expansion) in positive net present value projects available to it, in lieu of a dividend payout. It is also generally accepted that market valuation of stocks is dependent upon future earnings – when future earnings are lacklustre, the stock’s market value would go down or remain flat. Should companies pay out all its earnings, therefore, funds that may be reinvested for future productive undertakings are depleted, creating a dampener for new dividend declarations. Also, if dividends were taxable, shareholders may put off the declaration of additional dividends in order for their tax liabilities to be prevented from increasing. Despite these disadvantages to dividend declarat ions, however, companies continue to resort to cash dividends in order to signal information about future earnings (Uddin & Chowdhury, 2008). What is interesting in Saudi Arabian situation is that Saudi Arabia is a non-tax economy, and one would tend to believe that market imperfections are kept to a minimum. The country therefore presents some interesting possibilities towards confirmation of certain principles espoused by Modigliani and Miller, particularly concerning the signalling theory of dividends. This therefore leads to the objective of the study, stated below. 1.1 Objective of the research study The objective of the study is to determine the impact of dividend announcements on the share prices of corporations that are listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange. The purpose is to determine the degree to which informational content is conveyed by unexpected announcements of dividends, as discerned from the stock price changes beyond levels ordinarily expected. This information would be important to all participants in the stock market, including regulators, policy formulators and investors. 1.2 Statement of the problem The study addresses the problem of how market efficiency may be determined through stock price movements in relation to their corresponding market-moving announcements – that is, the release of announcement of dividends other than that already expected by investors. Knowing how this may be determined, the study shall also apply this method in assessing the efficiency of the Saudi Arabian stock market in factoring in the information content of these announcements. 1.3 Main research question The main research question may be stated thus: How efficiently does the announcement of dividends get factored into the prices of stocks trading in the Saudi Arabian stock market? 1.4 Research subquestions The study proposes to answer the main research question by seeking answers to the following subquestion: Q1: How may extraordinary stock price fluctu ations be reliably measured? Q2: By what criteria may unexpected dividend announcements be determined, vis-a-vis expected dividend declarations? Q3: Having distinguished extraordinary stock price fluctuations from regular movements, and unexpected divide

The Importance of Amaterasu Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Amaterasu Essay Amaterasu is a very important figure in Japanese lore. According to Shinto belief she is a direct line of the Imperial family. Many religions have an origin story, a story that accounts for where everything originated. The Japanese origin story is no different. The Kojiki is the oldest written stories in Japanese History. From this we will begin our Journey. Inside the Kojiki it holds stories about the Gods, how they came into existence and may other stories. One of the most important Gods in Japanese culture is Amaterasu. Amaterasu is a Kami or â€Å"God† of the Shinto religion. She is the Goddess of the Sun, and daughter of Izanagi. Izanagi â€Å"The Male Who Invites† and Izanami â€Å"Female Who Invites† were the Gods that were sent to create a world. They then created Japan and all other Gods here. When Izanami gave birth to the Fire God he burned her severely and she didn’t survive the ordeal. Izanagi is said to have killed the infant and from his death many other Gods sprung about from his blood. When Izanagi lost his wife he became saddened and enraged. He sulked until he decided to bring his wife back from the dead. Izanagi then went to the land of the dead or â€Å"Yomi† to retrieve Izagani. When he found her she had built a house for herself there. He then persuaded her to leave with him back to the land of the living and she promised to do so as long as he did not look at her. Missing his wife dearly he disobeyed and did so anyway. He see’s that she has become a rotten decaying corpse. Enraged that he had saw her this was she sent the eight Thunder Gods and many others after him. When they failed she went after him herself. Izagani managed to escapes and closed the exit with a boulder. Iazgani then went to cleanse himself after the trip to Yomi. As he purified himself, from his left eye Amaterasu â€Å"Heaven Shining Great August Deity†, from his right eye came Tsukuyomi â€Å"His Augustness, Moon Night Possessor†, and from his nose Susanoo â€Å"His Brave Swift impetuous Male Augustness† were born. The Kojiki goes on to say that Amaterasu sent her Grandson Ninigi to rule The Central Land of Reed Plains. He was sent down with the eight-foot long curved jewels, The Mirror that was used to lure Amaterasu out of the cave, and The Herb Quelling Great Sword. These are today known as Japan’s 3 sacred Treasures. Ninigi eventually had a grandson named Jimmy Tenno who became the first emperor of Japan. This is significant in Japanese history because Imperial family rules by Devine right, meaning they are direct descendants of Amaterasu. The Shinto religion is a way of life in Japan. The Japanese people take pride in who they are and of their ancestry with the Gods. Amaterasu is a staple in Shinto religion; their flag of a rising sun is evident of this. Every religion has background and this is Japans.

Service Quality at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Essay -- essays rese

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As tourism industry has been increasing dramatically during the last two decades, hotel industry is at war. In global competition, hotel chains are required to offer not only standardized facilities, but also standardized services. To meet the different needs of customers in each individual country while maintaining the same standards of services, global marketing strategy plays a critical role. Being a leader in upscale hotel chain industry, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel took a unique path to compete with its rivals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Founded on principles of groundbreaking levels of customer service, and with guest satisfaction being the highest mission, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, is the first and only hotel company to win the desirable Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award and the only service company to win the award two times, with the most recent honor received in 1999. Brief History of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was established in 1983 when real estate mogul and former CEO William B. Johnson acquired the rights to the name made famous by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz. The company manages more than 50 luxury hotels worldwide, in Australia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, the US, the US Virgin Islands, etc. The Ritz-Carlton name is synonymous with luxury, and its hotels are consistently rated among the best in the world. The company operates sales offices in Germany, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the US, and the UK. Hotel giant Marriott International owns the company. Besides Four Seasons hotel, its top competitors are Fairmont Hotel Management and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. (www.ritzcarlton.com) History of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award sets the standard for excellence for U.S. companies. Named for the former Secretary of Commerce, on August 20th, 1987, President Reagan signed the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act, establishing an annual National Quality Award. The purposes of the award are to promote quality awareness, recognize quality achievements of U.S. companies, and publicize successful quality strategies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hunt (1993, ... ...o see how well you're doing and how to do it better, and then eventually bringing the processes to zero defects. One lesson the hotel has learned is not to underestimate the value of even one idea or quality improvement effort. The Ritz-Carlton has become an intelligent organization, where all people understand and actively participate in the processes that support the creation of excellent service. It has come to know that, without quality they would not be dominant in product and profit. Appendix Three Steps of Service 1) A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest name, if and when possible; 2) Anticipation and compliance with guest needs; 3) Fond farewell. Give them a warm good-bye and use their names, if and when possible. Motto â€Å"We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen† Credo The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission. We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience. The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfills even the unexpressed wishes and needs of our guests.

Primate Observation Essay

Primates are some of the most interesting animals to watch and learn about whether it be in person at a zoo or seeing a film or documentary on wild ones in a natural environment. Part of this reason is due to the incredible amount of similarities found in between primates and humans. After observing two different primate species at a local zoo, I found out that by observing their behavior, we gain a small insight into human behaviors and their roots. Today I will discuss the different types of behavior I observed as well as the effects of being in captivity and how this helps us understand hunan behavior. On sunny April 19th this year, I visited the San Francisco Zoo and the first species I observed were the gorillas, also known as Gorilla Beringei. Upon approaching the gorilla habitat, at about 1:30 p.m., I noticed the enclosure was roughly about fifty yards in diameter. Throughout the enclosure, there were different levels of ground elevation varying from small hills, to large rock structures placed about twenty feet away from the gorilla cages inside the habitat. There were also many plant or bush like shrubs around as well as trees varying from shape and size throughout the enclosure. The overall shape of the enclosure was similar to an octagon which supported different observational vantage points from a few different sides. The gorillas are the largest primates still existing today. The gorillas in the enclosure varied in size and appearances. All the females were much smaller then the male silverback, however within the female group, their sizes also varied. Some females within the group were less massive and more lengthy then for example the female in charge of the newborn gorilla. The â€Å"mother† of the baby gorilla, Kabibe, was much larger then the other females and she seemed to have more authority within the social group. The male silverback, Oscar Jones, was impressively larger then any other gorillas in the enclosure and had a much larger head and arms in comparison. He had long thick black hair with a patch of silver on his back symbolizing maturity. In total, I observed about six to eight gorillas out of the cages and interacting within the enclosure. The second species I  observed around 3:40 pm were the siamangs, or symphalangus syndactylus. Their enclosure was much different then the previously observed gorillas enclosure. This one was about fifty feet high, 30 feet long, and 20 feet wide and in the shape of the letter â€Å"L†. It’s made of reinforced glass from the bottom to about 10 feet high, then becomes a chain linked metal cage the rest of the way up. The structure contained many different objects from which the siamangs were able to use to climb up or down. Some of these objects included, climbing logs, swings, many thick pieces of rope, cylindrical shaped rubber tubes, planks of wood, and many other suspended objects. Towards the bottom of the enclosure, there were also a lot of plant life and bushes or flower like things where the siamangs could sit or interact with one another when not climbing around. Within the enclosure, there were two siamangs. Although not labeled, since siamangs are monogamous primates, I assume one was male and one was female. Physically, the siamangs are just a bit larger then the other gibbons however still small in comparison to the apes. They have no tails, are slender and long armed as they are arboreal lesser apes. They are covered with long dense black hair and have long hooked nails. Siamangs are also known to have large throat sacs which they can use to let out a very loud call to warn against predators. However, neither of these siamangs had the adaptive throat sacs. Also, there was not much difference in size between the male and female gender. After observing the two primate species and reviewing my field notes, I noticed the two species although both part of the ape family, are not that similar in fact. For example, the gorillas social organization consists of a one male, multi female group with the male being the alpha leader. He ensures that it is his genetics being passed on to the offspring and that is the only way he will protect and partake in the baby’s life. Due to being a one male, multi female group, it is not uncommon for gorilla males to kill any infant they assume is not theirs. There also seemed to be a sense of hierarchy amongst the females themselves, with Kabibe’s mother, at the top of the female group. However, the male silver back Oscar Jones, was still maintaing authority amongst the entire group by charging the females. On the other hand, the siamangs are a pair bonded group whom select mates for life and have a family. In the enclosure I observed, there were only two siamangs present who behaved very differently from one another. One siamang continued to be very active, swinging throughout the cage and constantly climbing up and down the metal fence. However, the other siamang, which I believed to be female, sat on a small rock towards the bottom corner of the enclosure and did not interact with any bystanders or the other siamang at all. Also, my friend and I noticed this sitting siamang also seemed to appear as if it were depressed. Many times the active siamang would swing down and try and interact with his partner and the other siamang would just ignore him and continue staring down or out the glass. One of the gorillas I was observing displayed a way of acquiring food which I thought was quite intelligent. She grabbed a thin leaf filled branch from a tree and placed her hand at the top of the branch. Starting from the top she pulled her hand down towards the other end pulling any leaves out together instead of one by one. She then disposed of the branch by throwing it a few feet away from her. This showe d a level of intelligence I have not seen in other primates. The gorillas mainly stick to eating leaves and vegetation found in their enclosure from many trees and plants around. This similar to their natural habitat, does not offer them lots of nutritional value, however is available in large quantities and available year round. I am also assuming they are fed fruits by zoo employees as well for nutritional quality and value. The three females outside in the enclosure seemed to be isolated about 20 feet away from each other and spread around the enclosure. They did not seem to be sharing any source of food or interact much with one another unless they were nearing the cage door within the enclosure. The siamangs did not seem to display any signs of higher intelligence. One continued to constantly move around the cage by climbing up then swinging back down. The other siamang just sat in isolation and was not physically active much at all. They did not share anything amongst themselves and did not interact much either. The two primate species I observed did not have much in common, except for their diet. Both the gorillas and the siamangs are both primarily vegetarians and consume different types of leaves, fruits, and other plants found in their habitats. I was not able to observe how the siamangs acquired their food or how they react to â€Å"meal time†, however based on my observations I assume the siamangs would not share much either due to their lack of interaction with one another. This throws me off because according to what I have learned in class, the siamangs are in fact mates with one  another for life and yet they did not interact with one another at all durin g my observations at the zoo. I believe these similarities in diet exist because that the siamangs and gorillas are part of the ape family. However, the differences in behavior, mating, social organization, and intelligence also exist due to the fact that they are separated between the â€Å"lesser apes† (siamangs), and the â€Å"great apes† (gorillas). Another reason why these differences might exist is due to where the species originated from. Gorillas originally were from Africa while Gibbons were found from Southeast Asia. Overall after reviewing my notes, I noticed that the Siamangs are much less intelligent then the gorillas, yet more active. I believe this is because the siamangs are much smaller, requiring less energy to move about their enclosure in such a fast and excited manner. The gorillas on the other hand are much more complex in behavior as they actually interact with one another by expressing sounds and or physical actions. They also seem to be aware the fact that many people are around them watching, and they also react to this by hiding back in the cages or moving away behind a tree or rock structure. I have always believed that being held captive in a zoo, is no where close to being free in your natural habitat. How can one take an animal who should have the ability to roam endless land and have the need to survive in the â€Å"natural† world and put them in a restricted enclosure, a fraction the s ize of their natural habitats and claim that these animals are happy there? I personally believe being in captivity and on display in a zoo has many negative effects on these animals. While observing the gorillas, they seemed to be heavily affected by their environment and surroundings. In a gorillas natural habitat, you would most likely find them playing with one another, acquiring food, and being active. However, most times in zoo’s you simply find the gorillas not really doing anything besides just sitting there. These are most likely due to psychological effects brought on by being captive and put on display to thousands of people all the time. While observing, I noticed the gorillas did not really do much besides move around to their own spot of the enclosure, about twenty feet away from one another, and just sit there and stare at the people watching them. Also, these gorillas suffer mental trauma from being teased or provoked to a level where they feel threatened by all these yelling kids and or adults. I do not believe the behaviors  exhibited by gorillas in captivity are â€Å"natural† due to the fact that gorillas are very intelligent. According to GorillasWorld.com, â€Å"As humans are watching them they will be watching as well. This is why they often pick up behaviors from people.† As a result, behaviors seen by gorillas in a zoo would not be the same behaviors shown by wild gorillas in natural environment. With thousands of people standing around the enclosure yelli ng and making gestures towards the gorilla, it is safe to say the gorillas observe the humans behavior and repeat behaviors they have learned. The siamangs I observed also display a bit of natural and unnatural behaviors as well. For example, siamangs are arboreal primates who live in tree top canopies and are rarely seen walking on the ground. They use their long limbs and fingers as hooks to swing from branch or vine to another and that is how they maneuver throughout the forests. One of the siamangs I was watching was very active and continued to swing back and forth throughout his enclosure almost the entire time I was watching. He would use logs and ropes to climb up to the top corner of the cage, then he would observe from up there for a few seconds. After, he would make his way back down towards the bottom of the enclosure and would leap around. This is natural behavior to be seen by a siamang even in the wild. However, the other siamang within the enclosure exhibited some worrying signs of unnatural behavior. This siamang was sitting on a rock of some sort around the enclosure floor and would stare down towards the ground or look out the glass. However, she would not move at all throughout my entire observation time and really seemed depressed. At one point, the other active siamang swung down and got very close to her and still she did not move or interact at all. Im assuming this is a psychological effect brought on by being trapped in such a small con tainment instead of being able to roam about the forest and be free. I believe that this specific siamang has been held in captivity for a while longer due to the behavior shown. Observing these primates in their natural wild environment would have significantly different behavior observations. Living in the wild, these primates experience struggles to survive such as finding sources of food, competition for mating, and also predators and dangers. These are not really things captive animals in zoos experience due to human intervention. For example in the wild, gorillas are moving to a new â€Å"camping ground† very often due to predators such as large cats and build a  sleeping nest to stay protected. This is natural adaptive behavior found in gorillas; however, you will not see this in captive gorillas because the only predators they experience are humans taunting or screaming at them and they do not have enough space available to travel distances. As a result of these observations, primates and other animals in captivity may not exhibit natural behaviors observed in their natural environment. After spending the day observing the behaviors of both the gorillas and the siamangs, I see some behavior patterns that I also see in humans. For example, the siamangs find mates for life and raise a family and that is their social group. This is basically most families around the world. Our social group normally consists of us with a single mate whom we raise children with. I believe the fact that we as humans ideally choose to settle down with a single partner and raise children has to do with our culture and not necessarily as an instinctual choice such as the siamangs. As humans most of us find it wrong to have more then one mate or parter and we call it â€Å"cheating.† However, based on my observations of the primates, it is a natural and instinctual decision to try and mate as much as possible to ensure your genetics being passed on and carried through the future since that is life’s main objective. Another example is the effects of captivity the depressed siamang suffered from. This is very common in humans as well to become anti social or depressed when placed in a small room such as a jail cell. Studying primates can help us understand more of where humans came from due to our recent shared common ancestor. We are able to see some behavior patterns from the primates found in humans as well, however there are many behavioral patterns in the primates which is uncommon for humans. For example, the gorillas tended to be in isolation and spread out throughout the enclosure for most of the time. Humans on the other hand, if having to live together for a long period of time such as the gorillas, are more likely to build a tight knit group and have lots of interactions with one another. Based on my observations, there are some behavioral patterns found in both primates and humans. However the cause of these patterns differ based on instinct and adaptations in primates compared to culture and morality in humans. I believe that by studying and observing behavioral patterns in primates, we can better understand where some of our own actions and  behaviors derived from, and whether its something that is instinctual and preprogrammed, or if it is something we have created and added to part of our culture as humans. Works Cited Cawthon Lang KA. 2005 October 4. Primate Factsheets: Gorilla (Gorilla) Behavior .

Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge by Warren Bennis

Leadership (management in another way) is found to be the most crucial topic of corporate America. Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus explain the four important keys to effective leadership. These four keys are attention through vision, meaning through communication, trust through positioning and the deployment of self. The leadership keys would explain how a manager (who do things right) is different from a leader (who do the right thing). This management mantra is very much helpful for organizations (companies of all kind). Vague restructuring, absence of leadership and lack of trust and communication has made the workplaces and companies a living pandemonium. Managers with great management insight can only save these sinking business entities. Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is a clever advice to both big and small managers alike. The authors Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus are Professors in Business Management. The former has more than 40 years experience in management literature and the latter had first hand management experience in several companies. Warren Bennis has even served as advisor of U.S. Presidents. He had served as a university administrator and has advised several Fortune 500 companies. He had been the President of the University of Cincinnati for 7 years. Burt Nanus, on the other hand has worked as a Professor Emeritus of Management at the University of Southern California. The management ideas of these gurus have made Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge an excellent management text. Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is a book that would help managers cultivate excellent management skills that would also make their organization go up in the ladder. Chicago Tribune has commented about the book as a ‘one of the most important books of its type in a long time’. The book emphasizes that leadership (and management) skills are learnable and are not fully in-born. The book would be really boosting for managers though certain sections appear bit dry. The book is highly rewarding for management students also who is about to reach the chair of a manger. The book is considered as one of the top 50 business books of all time by the Financial Times. The book says that the speed and pervasiveness of technological change would be the most disturbing factor of the leaders of this present age. Organizations need to be filled with expert workers who can handle jobs independently. The mangers therefore should be able to handle these complex situations with great managing skill. Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge explain those skills that would help a manager excel in an organization of any kind. The book would equip managers with skills that would help them successfully handle the rapid technology updates. It also would educate the leaders how to mange the organizational and structural developments. Leaders can learn the basic management skills identified by the authors and apply them in their organizations. Authors have completely undermined the traditional myths about leadership, and have proved that management is a set of skills that can be learned, studied, and mastered by voluntary attempts. They have also come up with certain key insights of leadership. For example ‘Leaders must display a passion to realize their vision’, ‘Leadership is about character’, ‘Leaders must be able to generate and sustain trust’ etc. Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is thus a really treasure to any manager or future manager. Works Cited Warren G. Bennis and Burt Nanus, Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge, 1997. Â  

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift and Animal Farm by George Orwell Essays

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift and Animal Farm by George Orwell Essays A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift and Animal Farm by George Orwell Paper A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift and Animal Farm by George Orwell Paper Essay Topic: A Modest Proposal and Other Stories Animal Dreams Animal Farm George orwell Literature Animal Farm is based on the Russian Revolution in the early Nineteenth Century. George Orwell wanted to get across to people what around the world that Russia was hiding the truth from the rest of the world and he wanted to reveal the truth! Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is based on the late 18th Century, when English landlords ruled Ireland. They wanted an extortionate amount of Money from the poor people of Ireland who lived on the their land. Jonathan Swift wants to change all this by making up a proposal which will make everyone think about what they were doing! In this Essay I will be talking about the purpose of Satire and the Language the authors use to get their views across. George Orwell produced the story of Animal Farm to tell the world what was really happening in Russia after the Revolution, but instead of using the real people who were involved, in this book he uses animals and humans to get his point across. In this story you can work out who the animals are supposed to represent by the similarities with the people in Russia. Old Major Prize White Boar (ancient pig) who dies just before the rebellion (revolution), is considered, like Starx a powerful helper who helped Lenin (a Russian leader who died before the Russian Revolution). Lenin the Russian Communist and Bolsheviks seized power from Tsar and set up a Dictatorship of the Proletariat. It represented a new and free world for the ordinary people just as the animals had expelled Mr. Jones in Animal Farm. Capitalism was replaced with Socialism. Though really in Russia the Bolshevik party became dictators just as in Animal Farm the pigs ruled the animals. Old Majors speech is similar to Lenins, as they both know the future and what to expect of it e. g. Old Major and his speech of the Rebellion in the future Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the Human race! This is my message to you comrades: Rebellion. He also tells the Animal how to make the Rebellion work. This shows that Old Major, like Lenin wanted freedom for his land and people, but knew that there would have to be a Rebellion for this to take place! After the death of Lenin there was a battle to gain the power of the Communist Russia between two men, Stalin and Trotsky. So in Animal Farm there is a power struggle between two pigs Napoleon and Snowball (the two leading pigs). Orwell chose their names with significant purpose, which also tells about the allegorical role they have in the novel. Napoleon represents the Russian Tyrant Stalin, who comes to dominate the novel. Orwell gave Napoleon his name from the French Emperor, who started a revolution but ended an autocrat. Napoleon became a tyrant like Stalin. The Russian Leader Stalin betrayed his country by setting up a Communist Revolution and then changing it to a place of Liberty and Justice, The tyranny of a one-man state. Snowball is Orwells representation of Trotsky, Stalins enemy. Snowballs name is of symbolic meaning as snow melts away and is no more. Just as Snowball is eventually driven off the farm by Napoleon and never seen again. Napoleon and Snowball played against each other claiming that each other had All equal Rights. Really they were each seeking power for themselves. Stalin promised to strengthen the Soviet economy, strengthen Communism and to strengthen the Soviet Forces. He said this to his people that he was stronger than his enemy Trotsky! Moses was Mr. Jones tame raven, and the pigs third enemy. He represents the Russian Orthodox Church. He was constantly talking about a land called Sugarcandy Mountain a place of freedom and joy that animals will go to after their death. Orwell was suggesting that the Russian church tried to persuade people that after their hard working lives they would go to heaven. The Bolsheviks were atheists and saw such talks as dangerous. Stalin and Trotsky also disagreed. Orwell used the arguments between the pigs to represent this. Snowball believed in Industrial progress (the Windmill idea) and the conversion of the other Farms to Animalism would help them alot in the future stages. We are told that Snowball is a more lively pig than Napoleon. He is also a faster talker and more inventive. We can see this in the early chapters where he throws himself into the Animals Revolt with great energy and imagination. Orwell uses the word Animalism instead of Communism. Snowball seems to be the more interesting of the two leading pigs. It is him who criticises Mollie for her weakness and organises the destruction of Farmer Jones, Farm equipment. The next morning the excited animals run all over the place with their new found Freedom and when they return to the farm house it is only Snowball and Napoleon who are not afraid to enter. The pigs then show themselves to be born leaders and barge their way in. Like Stalin, Napoleon had argued to increase food production and rearming the farm could help them to endure in an attack, which comes later on in the book. He tried to persuade the animals that time wasted on the windmill would mean they would starve to death. Also Snowball and Napoleon disagreed over the defence of the farm after the Battle of the Cowshed. Napoleon said the animals should procure firearms and train themselves to use them. Just like Stalin. But not all Soviets wanted this, so in Chapter 4 when every thing is calm and the Animals where enjoying the liberty of their new country. The Humans attack the Farm hoping for the opportunity to rule once again. This was a comparison to the White Russians in the Soviet when the Politicians fought against each other, but in the book this event is titled The Battle of the Cowshed. This forces a Counterpoise against the Bolsheviks. In Russia the Bolsheviks won and Stalin forced Trotsky into the exile forever. In Animals farm, the comparison is when Snowball is forced to leave the farm as Napoleon starts a rumour about him. So Napoleon too rules on his own as Stalin had done. The Dictatorship of the proletariat was far from happening. Th e rule that all Animals are equal was changing with the dictatorship of Napoleon, and Russia was falling into the hands of Stalin. A terror reign began in Animal Farm over Napoleons three main rules; again this is Orwells comparison to the tree main aspects of Stalins rule. In Russia the million people are killed due to their conspiracies over Stalin and were alleged to be working with Trotsky. Secondly, Napoleons negotiations with Mr. Frederick and Mr Pilkington to trade with the humans. Stalin was signing a Nonagreesion pact with Hitler; Napoleon sold a pile of wood to Mr. Frederick and was paid with counterfeit money. This represents the phoney non-aggression pact signed between Stalin and Hitler. Also Germanys invasion of Russia caused vast destruction. The comparison was Fredericks invasion and destruction of the windmill that the animals had built. Mr Pilkington on the other hand is an old fashioned farmer and represents Britain and directly Winston Churchill. Pilkington refuses to help Napoleon just as Churchill had refused to help Stalin. Then Mr. Frederick invades the Farm. He is very cruel to the animals and represents Hitler; he tortures the animals just as Hitler treated the Jews. Although Mr. Frederick is expelled from the Farm and Hitler too was expelled at the Battle of Stalingrad when he invaded Eastern Europe. The building of the Windmill is the Final Third rule, which was called The Five-year plan by Animal Farm and it was when Russia went through tremendous Labour and enormous suffering just as they did in Animal Farm. As Stalin became increasingly obsessed with his power, so did Napoleon. Napoleon gave himself medals, various titles and when he appears around the farm, he has dogs and other pigs to help him. Even worse as Napoleon and Stalin rise in power they both break one of the Seven Commandments of Animalism and Communist rules, which they had created. In Stalins rise to power he overturns all his original aim, he does this by lying to the world using Propaganda and he shows the grip that he had on the Russian people. In Animal Farm Squealer represents a propaganda agent. When Napoleon starts breaking the Seven Commandments, it is Squealer that manages to keep the opposition silence with his restless, agile and brilliant talking that he can persuade anyone. He shows his devious side and unstable character. He also changes the Seven commandments as Napoleon breaks them, to make sure that his master is always right. When he is confronted by the other animals asked about the changes he tells them they must be mistaken, He uses lies, phoney arguments, threats surrounding himself by the dogs to cause fear. Indeed anything that justifies his master actions. He is indifferent to the truth. Orwell uses Squealers propaganda thoughout Animal Farm to shows the effects of lies and propaganda on the lives of Ordinary Working People. Squealer names imply his corrupt nature. The comparison is shown at the end in the last Chapter when Napoleon is shown conferring with the Humans. The arguments between the Humans and Napoleon show the start of the cold war. George Orwell shows at the end of his book that Stalin betrayed the original principles of communism. As did the hatred between Russia and the West. Animal Farm is a true dipictionial but put into a Fairy Tale Story. The reason that George Orwell used Satire to make his point was because he couldnt speak out publicly against communist Russia. At the time Russia was a powerful country and no one could criticise the communist system. He does this by using his own opinion but with factual evidence to back his claims. He also uses very strong emotive language and passionate tone to try to persuade you. Mr Jones represents the force of corrupt capitalism. He starts drinking more and neglecting the farm. He gets so drunk he does not return to feed the animals. The starving animals kick down the doors and help themselves to the food. Just as the Russian people had done in 1917, when they were forced with starvation. They rise up against the Tsar. What happened in Communist Russia was about to happen on a smaller scale in Animal Farm. The pigs had to work considerably to make the animals aware of the true nature of the revolution, just as the Bolsheviks in the Russia. The pigs failed to persuade Mollie that the Rebellion would be to her advantage. As the Bolsheviks had also failed to convert the White Russians. Mollie is the first animal to side with humans; shes a sympathetic to Capitalists. When the animals invaded the farmhouse they were amazed of the luxury of Mr and Mrs Jones once used to live in. In just the same way as the Bolsheviks were amazed of the wealth they saw when the stormed the Russian Tsar Palace. The pigs were more successful in converting the Animals to Majors reviews. Boxer and Clover became their devoted followers. Boxer represents the ordinary working man. He is the most cruelly betrayed of all the animals in Animal Farm. He was hard working and utterly loyal. His strength was used in the fields and rebuilding the windmill. In the first chapter he is described as a gentle and stupid creature, which makes us even more angry when he is betrayed by his master. He never learns to read, write or think for himself. He had two mottoes, one was Napoleon is always right and the second is I must work harder! and he is the victim of his own blind loyalty. He was the hardest working animal on the farm and the pigs promised him that he would have lavish retirement benefits. But when he works too a hard and finally collapses in chapter 9. Napoleon and Squealer pretend to send him to a nearby Animal Hospital, but infact he is being sold to the knackers yard and the cash is spent on the pigs Whisky. This is the most tragic scene in the whole book. Boxers wife, Clover. Who was also strong, patient and utterly loyal too. She is more intelligent than Boxer and it is her that leads the Animals to the Farm house in Chapter 10, where they see the utter betrayal of Napoleon who is seen playing cards with the humans. Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift is about the exploration of the children of Ireland. It was written to the Politicians of England and Ireland to inform them, that the underprivileged people of Ireland. Who were living on opulent peoples property could hardly afford to pay the outrageous rental payments. The weathly used their money to buy unwanted furniture and garments just to be fashionable. Swifts, idea was to kill the one year olds for food and sell it to the rich or even use the carcass or skin to make gloves or boot for Ladies and Gentlemen. Even the killing of young Lads and Maidens for a replacement to deer and venison. It makes it sound like the second idea seems only cruel. This would help the poor people living in Ireland. He tries to use age, diseased or saying that these people are mained as a reason. He is only sacrificing these people for the nation. By killing the babies he believes that it would decrease the population and homeless making the wealthy even wealthier. Take away all their money problems they have when asking for their rent from their tenants. The poor could gain money by producing babies and selling them to the shopkeepers. Then the shopkeepers could sell these babies for an enormous amount of money to the wealthy. In this process he claims that it benefits the poor. They can pay their rent and buy food. This Story is a ridiculous his idea is, but also he uses it to inform the people of Ireland that they had to do something about how the Government was running the country and how they needed to improve the living conditions. Many Families had half the land of what the English had and had to pay more rent! This was aimed at the Government and the wealthy. This was also aimed at Shopkeepers and absentee Landlords. His ideas and technique of making people appear foolish, vein and idle etc, and to highlight the plight of the indigenous was to inform people how ridiculous they had been. He is claiming that in England the undeveloped people who were living on the rich peoples property paid less for their rental payments and have larger property. So should Ireland, as it too also help benefit the poor in many ways. The opening sentences are very descriptive bad gives the reader a vivid depiction of how bad the situation was. He also uses the Pattern of Three, three times in the first paragraph in the sentences to build up tension. The streets, the roads and the cabin doors crowded with beggars of the female sex. Again he says three, four, or six children all in rags and who as they grow up either turn thieves for want of work, or leave their dear native country to fight for the Pretender in Spain, or sell themselves to the Barbados. He cleverly begins a lot of his paragraphs with persuasive sentences to force his own opinions on the reader I think it is agreed, But my intention, As to my own part, There is likewise another great advantage in my scheme etc He uses very emotive words in the opening paragraphs such as crowded, forced, deplorable, scraps, begging, murdering, sacrificing, savage. The reader is left thinking that something must be done to help these people. The Satire in this story is used to inform you (the outside world) that even though his ideas are totally ridiculous, the Irish and the British Government have to do something about the Living Conditions of Ireland! I feel that he couldnt speak out loud because no one would even consider (that is the wealthy) or believe what he is trying to say is the Truth. So by writing such an outrageous story he would be able to gain everyones attention. They could think that Yes he is right and we, as a nation should do something to improve this. With every idea he has, he tries to back it up using rich people, merchants and eminent French physicians, a very knowing American. Trying to make it sound acceptable. In his last paragraph he introduces questions aimed at his audience to get them to think how they are going to solve the problem of food and population and tries to place guilt on the Landlords by suggesting that the poor would think his ideas better than to suffer as they do under the present situation. Even though they are so horrific. Both Authors have researched their claims to make an intellectual story! Both use reference to animals. Orwells is to hide the true peoples identities. Swifts refers to the children as roasting pigs. Swift keeps referring to women as breeders. A word used with animals. Calls them mares in foal, cows in calf, sows ready to farrow. To get their factual evidence across they both have to find their audience e. g. Orwells audience is the everyday people in the world and their Governments. While, Swifts audience is the Government, Landlords and Shopkeepers of Ireland. They both persuade you by using their own opinion and emotive language in their stories. Swifts styles of language was more passionate as he used his opinions and choice of emotive words to arouse emotion. Orwells style of language is more factual than emotional. Orwell uses facts to inform you and Swift uses facts to persuade you. In my opinion Swifts method of persuasion was too extreme but perhaps he thought he needed to do this so that he would be taken notice of. While, Orwells method was very clever and informative to expose the truth of what was happening in Russia. We accept everything Orwell says as the truth. It also makes the reader look at their own political ideas and what we are doing to the world we live in. Swifts last paragraph is trying to say he is objective and having nothing to gain from it: I profess, in the sincerity of my heart, that I have not the least personal interest in endeavouring, in to promote this nessary work, Orwell seems to be suggesting that all revolutions begin in Idealism and in tyranny. But he thought that all Revolutionaries were swindles and their dreams off freedom soon changed into nightmares. Once all the people were supposed to be equal some became more equal than others did. Nothing really changes after revolutions and everything had been for nothing. In Animal Farm Majors dreams were just like that in which Stalins Russia had become. While Swift is suggesting that Ireland should have a revolution for the better in some sort of way.

How To Lead A Remote Team With Sandra Lewis From Worldwide101

How To Lead A Remote Team With Sandra Lewis From Worldwide101 Do you work remotely? A recent Gallup study shows that more than 40% of the American workforce works remotely, at least some of the time. Today, we’re talking to Sandra Lewis, founder and CEO of Worldwide101. It’s a premium subscription staffing company with virtual assists, expert marketers, and others across the world. Sandra shares six keys you need when working with a remote team to amplify their abilities and make them successful. Key 1 Hire for passion: You want them to be interested, passionate, and obsessive in your service and product Key 2 Analyze skill sets and strengths: Worldwide101 has two pillars that categorize someones strength structured or creative Key 3 Amplify those strengths: Amplifying a strength is having someone do what they do best; also look at what can complement a core strength (soft skills) Key 4 Provide ongoing learning opportunities: Keep people engaged and provide a path and cross training for them to grow their strengths Key 5 Provide great tools: Try new tools and build a tool stack that helps workers be more efficient and productive Key 6 Over communicate: Have face-to-face meetings, acknowledge every email, set check-in times to build trust and get to know someone remotely To lead a successful remote team, keep it personal; do little things that make working remotely less isolated; love the people you work with and celebrate them Links: Worldwide101 Upwork Slack Constant Contact Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Sandra Lewis: â€Å"My company allows for successful business owners and executives to subscribe to staff without having to employ them themselves.† â€Å"Over-communicate. That is super important when youre remote, when you cant see each other.† â€Å"The first thing to do to amplify strength is to make sure you give that person what theyre good at.† â€Å"Everyone wants to keep learning, its part of staying motivated in what you do.†

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Essay Example A business is said to have competitive advantage when it is able to utilize its resources as well as competencies to generate a value-creating strategy that its competitors find difficult to copy for their business (Fitzroy and Hulbert, 2005, p. 201). Competitive advantage is the influential power of a firm that in turn convinces the potential customers to buy its products or choose its services rather than its competitors’. Hill and Jones (2009, p. 74) argued that firm can be said to have attained competitive advantage when its profitability is greater than the average profitability of all companies in the industry and this become ‘sustainable’ when the firm is able to maintain above average profitability over a number of years. Fierce competition among firms resulted in varying levels of performance as individual firms may choose to pursue different objectives and strategies to gain increased profits, sales growth, better market share, and cash flow and so on. S trategy has got significant stance in the competitive business landscape and that has become the cornerstone to achieve competitive advantage. Successful firms are those that demonstrate long-term advantage over its competitors with their ability to do its core business activities better than how its rivals do in the market. As firms are highly focusing on achieving competitive advantage, they are attempting to find the best way to position itself against its rivals by using and implementing business-level strategies. Business-level strategy is the plan of action that managers adopt certain methods and ways to effectively use company’s resources and distinctive competences to gain competitive advantage over its counterparts in the market (Hill and Jones, 2011, p.119). Michael Porter, often credited as father of modern business strategy field, has profoundly impacted modern thoughts of management and business strategies through his works ‘competitive advantage’. H e wrote that competitive advantage is at the heart of any business strategy and it is extremely important for a firm to make a choice about the types of competitive advantage if it seeks to attain competitive advantage (Porter, 2008, p. 12). Michael Porter argued that firms, no matter they operate nationally or internationally, face an issue of strategic choice in relation to generic strategy. The basic generic strategy described by Michael Porter involved competing either on the basis of low-cost strategy or product differentiation strategy. He argued that a company’s position in its concerned industry can be determined by its competitive advantage and its competitive scope (Gilles, 1996, p. 214). He suggested that each of the generic strategies involved a basically distinctive route to achieving competitive advantage and he recommended a choice for type of competitive advantage a firm may consider for the strategic target. Michael Porter illustrated the combination of compe titive advantage and competitive scope through a two-by-two strategy choice matrix as illustrated below. The above depiction of the generic strategy illustrates that cost leadership and differentiation strategies pursue competitive advantage in quite a broader range of industry areas whereas focus strategies tend to vary largely from industry to industry since it represents narrow market segments. Since there are different strategies to achieve competitive advantage and all their routes are different from each other, it is very important that a firm should take a choice among them in order to see and implement the best appropriate strategy for the firm. Michael Porter stressed

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 31

Discussion - Assignment Example Jurisdiction specifications and legal aspect consideration are other inputs that the company might use in an investment policy. Jurisdiction specification may include other inputs such as environmental, social, and governance standards, classes of assets and guidelines to ensure effective collaboration with external managers. Primary market differ from secondary market in such that, for the primary market, the organization or company is involved directly in the transactions, while in secondary market, there is no involvement between the company and the transactions because transactions occur between investors (Hall and Lieberman 405-406). Both market segments are inter-related and they influence each other in terms of performances. However, the primary market success and functionality is dependent on the secondary market’s complementary role in providing and opening a business opportunity for primary investors. As a result, the secondary market forms the baseline for investors in primary issues to transact on their investments that give other investors a chance to invest in the company. Consequently, primary market functionally dependant on the secondary