Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Marketing - Essay Example Examining the similarities and differences of each of the studies creates a deeper understanding of how results can differ and what is excluded from different studies, despite the similarity of focus with the studies. This research paper will examine four different studies related to the sports retail industry. These will be evaluated first to show how each links to the sports industry and what the main conclusions were. When looking at the different studies, there will be the ability to evaluate and determine both similarities and differences between the studies. By looking into this and examining the alterations between various types of studies, there is the ability to create a deeper understanding about the sports retail stores and how this relates to customer service and management. At the same time, the limitations and developments with the studies can help to define what changes need to be made for more effective applications to the studies. Qualitative Studies The first qualit ative study was based on observations of perceived value which customers had, specifically which related to attitudes, self – image congruence, satisfaction and behavioral intentions. The model which was used included showing how each of these levels related directly to how shoppers’ was influenced when shopping in a sports retail store. ... If the positioning wasn’t correct, then it was likely that the behaviors would become negative and the management would seem inflictive. Positioning directly affected the purchase and the feeling of customer satisfaction when creating behavioral intentions from customers (Ibrahim, Naijar, 207: 2008). A second concept which is known to relate directly to the impact of customer relationships and management is with defining the relationship qualities which are built in retail stores and in fitness centers. It has been found that when there are more services and products in sports centers, individuals are more likely to respond in a positive manner. When management follows this with orientation toward different products, then it is also known that the relationships become more significant in the stores. Specifically, there is the belief from the customers that the orientation of services and products is based on building relationships and orientation toward the individuals working in the sport centers, as opposed to only the sale of various products. This increases quality and shows a sense of loyalty, customer satisfaction, commitment and social bonds that are a part of customer needs (Athanassopoulou, Mylonakis, 355: 2009). Quantitative Studies The first quantitative study which was defined was based on the customer satisfaction related to various approaches to management and customer service. This was defined with the customer satisfaction index, which included stated and derived importance variables. The scores were based on the importance that customers had to basic concepts within the store as well as performance that was a part of the store. A regression analysis was performed to find which was considered the most valuable to customers.

Downfall of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Downfall of Macbeth Essay The tragedy of â€Å"Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, follows the fall of Macbeth from a man in a position of power with a contented life, to a man with nothing but â€Å"mouth honor† and a corrupted soul. In this essay, I wish to show to what extent Macbeth’s tragedy was his own fault. The downfall of Macbeth begins early on in the play when he and Banquo (a fellow Scottish noble) meet the witches. The witches waylay Macbeth and Banquo whilst they were on their way to meet Duncan, King of Scotland. They decide to listen to the witches, out of sheer curiosity. The three witches greet Macbeth as â€Å"Thane of Glamis†, the title he already holds, and begin to tell the two nobles of things to come, and prophesies that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and the King of Scotland. Macbeth asks how they know of his current title, and laughs at the following two prophesies. The witches ignore his questions, and tell Banquo of how he will not be king, but his sons will be kings. Instead of just ignoring the witches, the statement of his current title intrigues Macbeth and he follows the witches to try and get them to tell him more. Stay you imperfect speakers, tell me more† says Macbeth, showing that he is indeed interested in what the witches have to say. The witches disappear, and Macbeth dismisses them, and he and Banquo ride off. The witches appearance, and Macbeth becoming intrigued may amount to his downfall, but I believe that they were merely the ‘helping hand’ for Macbeth who’s own weak will and other events where the catalyst for his eventual death. At this point, Macbeth is still a highly respected man, and is about to get more respect from Duncan, for defending Scotland from the invading forces of Norway. The messengers who tell Duncan of Macbeth’s deeds portray him as a man of great courage, who showed no fear in the battles. Duncan sends a messenger to tell Macbeth of his reward for his great deeds. Two messengers to greet Macbeth with the news of Duncan’s reward: he is to be made Thane of Cawdor. â€Å"Why do you dress me in borrowed robes? † asks the startled Macbeth, as the messengers begin to explain how the last Thane of Cawdor was helping the Norwegians invade. Aside, he says, â€Å"Two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act†¦Ã¢â‚¬  obviously relating to the first two prophecies the witches made. He now asks Banquo, aside, whether or not he believes the witches now that Macbeth’s second prophecy has come true. Banquo says he is wary and that he really doesn’t want anything to do with these witches, but he will merely sit back and let the prophecies run their course. Macbeth seemingly decides to follow Banquo’s idea, and makes an agreement with himself â€Å"If chance will have me king, why, chances may crown me, without my stir†. Macbeth decides to write to his wife and tell her of his new title, a fatal mistake in my opinion, since his wife reacts to the letter in a totally unexpected way. All of a sudden, Lady Macbeth decides to make a push to get her husband to make the effort to fulfil the third prophecy. Meanwhile, Duncan names his son as the next king, and Macbeth becomes bitter, and looks towards the prophecies for his next move; â€Å"That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Clearly Macbeth has decided that he will now ‘stir’, and make some move to become king. Back with Lady Macbeth at Macbeth’s castle, she is reading Macbeth’s letter. She reads about his new title, and the mentions of the witches’ prophecies. Lady Macbeth first starts off by thinking about how she can get her husband to become a king, and concludes that she’ll have to make some effort to get her husband to do whatever it takes to get him to be king. A messenger, who brings news that Duncan wishes to stay at Macbeth’s castle, interrupts her thoughts. Lady Macbeth decides, almost instantly, that she will persuade her husband to kill Duncan so he can become king. Whilst in the middle of her thoughts, Macbeth returns home. They talk, and Lady Macbeth brings up the subject of getting rid of Duncan so he can be king. Macbeth appears shocked although was secretly thinking the same thing, and tries to dismiss the idea. Underneath, however, he wants to go along with the idea so he can become king. His underlying motives become clear when he decides that he will do the evil thing, and is going to kill Duncan. â€Å"We will speak further,† he says, making his intentions apparent to the audience. Although unsure, he will not totally dismiss the idea, and is even considering it. Lady Macbeth now knows that she has him within her grasp, nd she will now make sure that she wins him completely over. In my opinion, not making his mind up creates a chance for Lady Macbeth. She sees this uncertainty and later exploits his unwillingness to make decisions. A short while later, Duncan arrives, accompanied by all of his Thanes. They all feast, and drink to the success of the battle against Norway. As the night wears on, Macbeth has to time to contemplate the consequences of killing Duncan. Macbeth makes the moral decision not to proceed saying; â€Å"We will proceed no further in this business. He (Duncan) hath honoured me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which would be worn now in the newest gloss, not cast aside so soon†. Macbeth attempts to give excuse for not proceeding, but fails to give any proper reasons for it. The only advantage he sees for not killing Duncan is that he respects him, and by killing him it would be disrespecting him. I believe that this is not a valid reason for committing murder, and shows Macbeth’s underlying ambition to become king. By putting forward pithy excuses Macbeth makes his ambition very clear to the reader. Lady Macbeth is not swayed by his pathetic excuses, and she knows that secretly, Macbeth wants the same things she does. In an attempt to convince Macbeth to continue with the plan, she first insults his manhood â€Å"When you durst do it, you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man†¦Ã¢â‚¬ and accuses him of being cowardly for not sticking to the plan. She then attacks his ego further by saying â€Å"From this time such I account thy love† and accuses him of not loving her. For Macbeth, this is the final straw, and he gives in. Lady Macbeth plans the murder. When Macbeth goes to murder Duncan, he still doubts himself, and even starts seeing things as he approaches Duncan’s room. Upon committing the murder, Macbeth finds himself in a state. Lady Macbeth attempts to clean him up, and make him appear well, but now Macbeth has lost all control. This murder of Duncan leads to the destruction of Macbeth. Aware of any possible opposition, Macbeth begins spying and murdering people. There are also psychological problems that Macbeth has which lead to his destruction. This is shown by his brief madness after Banquo’s murder when he sees Banquo’s ghost. The tragedy ends when Macbeth is slain by Macduff who, with many others, find out about what horrific things Macbeth has done. Macbeth begins to get paranoid about Banquo, and feels that he should be killed so as to stop him from being exposed. â€Å"So is he mine; and in such bloody distance that every moment of his being thrusts against my nearest life;† Macbeth says, aware that the only way to truly silence Banquo is to have him killed. At the banquet scene, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, showing that he has indeed gone mad. Even in insanity, he feels guilty. â€Å"Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! † he says, his conscience acting on him and showing his remorse. Macbeth has finally gone mad, and it was all due to his ambition and want to be king. He goes on to become entirely evil, as he visits the witches again and again, seeking solace for his crimes, and answers to his impending doom. He begins to stop feeling remorse and guilt for his actions, and eventually becomes a cruel, twisted man. His wife falls ill, and he shows no compassion towards her, instead saying everything would be better once she is dead. This is near the end of the play and where Macbeth slowly returns from his evil side, feeling remorse for his actions finally. When the English army and Macduff advance on his castle he becomes the courageous Macbeth once again, and when he finally comes to fight Macduff, he is back to the brave and bold Macbeth at the start of the play. With his wife dead, he feels more able to do what he wants. The main people to blame for Macbeth’s tragedy were his wife, and Macbeth himself, and this is shown all the way through the play (Lady Macbeth willing him to murder, Macbeth being easily convinced etc) there some unfortunate circumstances that contributed to Macbeth’s downfall, such as Duncan making his son king instead of Macbeth, and Duncan putting his trust in Macbeth by coming to his castle, but none were as major a cause as Macbeth’s personality fault and his manipulative wife. To conclude, the blame for Macbeth’s tragedy should be placed on his head and his wife’s, due to his personality defect (ambition and a weak will) and her persuasiveness (pushing him to fulfil his ambition). The combination of these two defects and Duncan staying at Macbeth’s castle caused the entire play and tragedy to unfold.

West Begin :: essays research papers

WEST AS A LAND OF CONQUEST. â€Å" Citing the Sioux as the example, explain the conquest of the Natives. When did the conflicts occur and where did they occur? What were the Anglo American objectives and what were the Means? What was the outcome?  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you stated that most all of the Plains Indians were tough’s fighters, but the tribes that became the most powerful were the Comanche’s in the South the Sioux in the North.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1860 Indian sovereignty had been responsible for the government’s efforts to erect t permanent barrier or buffers between the tribes and the Anglo culture. West of the bend of the northern bend Missouri River would constitute a permanent Indian country. Treaties never withstood other pressure of white interest in the lands occupied by the Indians and that pattern was true in this case as well.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1850 each tribe was granted a large area of land under a policy called concentration.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1851 each tribe revived its own defined reservation, confirmed by separate treaties duly ratified by US Senate. (Which did not survive for very long because it favored whites who wanted access to land, and it divided the Indians and kept them for negotiation in their common interest.)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New policy. Recommended two large reservations would be established. South, Indian Territory (Oklahoma) was established and in the north, the Dakotas all the way to the Powder River in Montana was established, which failed.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corruption and incompetence in the Bureau of Indian Affairs was a major problem.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1850s until the late 1890 there was nearly incessant warfare on the plains. (A small band of Indians would attack whites that had encroached into Indian Territory). Little Crow, the Santee killed more than 700 white before they were subdue by the Army in retaliation after the US Army encroachment by the whites in 1860.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1864 fighting between whites and Indians broke out in eastern Colorado and led to one the most despicable event s in the annals of Anglo-Indian conflict.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gold was discovered in Cherry Creek in what is now Denver.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Natives were assigned to lands in eastern Colorado between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retaliate again in rejecting this treatment to recover their lost territory. Which lead to John Chivington attack this camp without warning when all the Indians who did not want to fight went the army camps where they would be protected. November 28,1864.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Black Kettle managed to escape to the south. Four years later he and his people ware attacked by the US Army at the Washita Rive on the Texas-Oklahoma border.

Red, White, and Black Essay

By combining they were a stronger force against the colonists. Native American Relations in the first settlements: Relations characterized by resistance to the expansion of English settlement, submission into â€Å"praying towns,† and devastation through war and disease. Many of the Massachusetts Indians sought protection from Winthrop by selling their land and surrendering their independence. Pequot War: So-called war consisting of clumsy plundering by Massachusetts troops and raids by Pequots in 1637. The colonists eventually won the alliance of rival tribes and waged a ruthless campaign. The war tipped the balance of military power to the English, opening the way to New England’s settlement. King Phillips War: War between the Native American tribes of New England and British colonists that took place from 1675-1676. The war was the result of tension caused by encroaching white settlers. The chief of the Wampanoags, King Philip lead the natives. The war ended Indian resistance in New England and left a hatred of whites. Tuscaroras and Yamasees: Two opposing Indians tribes whose disunity lead both to destruction. The Tuscaroran people were defeated by the colonists with the help of the Yamasees in 1713, and the Yamasees were themselves defeated around 1715. Both tribes were scattered and soon disappeared. praying towns: Towns set up by puritan missionaries for Indian converts to spread puritan Christianity, the first of which, Natick, was founded in 1651. As the Indian population in the east waned, assimilation as â€Å"Praying Indians† became the only option besides retreating farther west. Beaver Wars: Wars that resulted from furious trading and hunting of Beaver pelts by the Dutch, the French, and the New Netherlands. The Overhunting of Beavers sent prices so high in 1742 that the Dutch armed the Iroquois and what resulted was bloody battles against Pro-French tribes. Slavery Begins: Followed the exploration of the African coast and the establishment of a slave trade Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The slave trade then moved in to America as the development of a plantation system in Virginia offered a market for slavery and the first slaves arrived there in 1619. Slavery remained small among the colonies, however because it was not yet profitable for slavery under the conditions. As trade and agriculture grew and a plantation system grew so did slavery. Barbados Code: Code adopted by Carolina in 1696 to control slaves at the will of their masters. It was often noted as an inhumane code but the society revolved around slaves, so laws like this were created in order to keep control in the society. White owners relied on force and fear to control the growing black majority in the Carolinas. Maryland Slave Code, 1661: The first actual definition by the colonies of slavery as a â€Å"lifelong, inheritable, racial status. It was issued by Maryland in 1661 in order to set up a distinct place for the slaves in the society. Out of the Maryland Slave Code of 1661 came the establishing of other slave codes that set up strict legal codes. Stono Rebellion: Slave uprising in South Carolina in 1739, in which twenty slaves robbed guns and ammunition from the Stono River Bridge along with killing civilians. Officials suppressed the rebellion and stopped any more chaos and da mage. It was a significant encounter because it caused white

A Love After God’s Own Heart Essay

What is the foundation of Christianity? If the question being discussed is whether something is ideally Christian, then the motivation behind Christianity must be understood. The basic outline of Christianity is simple. Man exists in a fallen and depraved state. Christ died on the cross to conquer death and atone for all humanity. Those who acknowledge their need for a Savior and place their faith in this gift, shall have eternal life. That leads to the logical question of why. Why should Christ sacrifice himself for such undeserving people? Therein is found that basis, that motivation behind Christianity. Love. The Bible says, â€Å"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.† (NASB Jn. 3.16). Love is the heart of Christianity. God sent his Son to pay the ultimate cost for sinners because He loves them so much. Indeed, all truly Christian actions are committed out of out of love. Christ said while he was on the earth, â€Å"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.† (NASB Jn. 13.35) Christianity starts and ends with love. Love is the root of Christianity and it is also the outward manifestation of Christ in a life. God is love. Therefore, though Silas Marner is at first estranged from both God and man, the Christ-mirroring love he bestows upon Eppie is a clear reflection of God’s own nature and is ideally Christian. George Eliot’s Silas Marner details the life of a solitary linen weaver. Silas Marner lives a life of seclusion in the town of Raveloe for 15 years while dealing with deeply inflicted emotional wounds. He loses his faith in God and his fellow man. Marner’s lone refuge is the coins he earns. He treasures them not for their monetary value, but for their companionship. Meanwhile, there is an alternate storyline of Godfrey and Dunsey Cass; sons of a wealthy landowner. The latter is a slobbering drunk while the other is well thought of. However, the former has a secret wife and child, and the knowledge of this allows the drunk to blackmail his elder brother. One day the drunk chances upon the empty house of the linen weaver. He discovers the coins and steals them. When Silas Marner discovers his loss, he elicits the help of the villagers. They search extensively for the coins, but to no avail. No one knows who has taken the coins, but Godfrey is delighted by Dunsey’s absence. On New Year’s Eve, the Cass family throws a large party and Godfrey attempts to woo the respected Nancy Lammeter. Meanwhile, Godfrey’s wife tries to bring their child to the Cass home and proclaim Godfrey’s secret to the world. However, being under the influence of opium, she falls asleep on the snowy ground. The child wanders into the nearby house of Silas Marner. When Marner finds the child and eventually the mother, he rushes to the Cass house for the doctor. The woman is found to be dead and as no father comes forth for the child, Marner claims it as his own. He names the child Eppie and does his best to raise her. He is often given motherly advice by his friend Mrs. Winthrop. Sixteen years go by and Eppie is now 18. Godfrey is married to Nancy. Godfrey regrets not claiming Eppie and decides it is time for her to come live with them. He tells Silas and Eppie the truth and asks Eppie if she wants to come live with him and his wife. Eppie declines, saying Silas is the only father she has known. Later, while a pit is being drained near Silas’ house, the body of Dunsey is discovered and with it Silas’ money, which is returned to him. Silas uses the money to return to his old home for closure on his past wounds, but the entire place is gone. When Silas returns, Eppie gets married to Mrs. Winthrop’s son and the story concludes with Eppie and her husband living happily with Silas. The child Eppie does not have a father, so Silas Marner adopts her as his own. Eppie quite literally wanders into Silas’ life and though she should not have to be his responsibility, he takes it upon himself to be her father. â€Å"Till anybody shows they’ve a right to take her away from me,† said Marner. â€Å"The mother’s dead and I reckon it’s got no father: it’s a lone thing- and I’m a lone thing† (Eliot 679). Though he shows it in his own peculiar way, Silas takes great compassion on this homeless, parentless girl. This is the first way Silas Marner shows God’s love to Eppie. God is obviously not a â€Å"lone thing,† having existed for eternity past in perfect harmony with the Trinity. However, he does take compassion on poor, lost people. God is the Father to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ. â€Å"For you have not received a Spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are children of God† (NASB Ro. 8. 15-16). Silas Marner adopts Eppie and becomes her father who she can always rely on. God adopts sinners who come to him and becomes their Everlasting Father in whom they can rely. The clear correlation between the two is the first way Silas Marner reflects God’s nature and ultimately Christian ideals. As Silas has this Christ-like love for Eppie, he naturally wants to protect her and help her grow. This gives Silas a completely new outlook on his surroundings and his normal everyday life. â€Å"As some man who has a precious plant to which he would give a nurturing home†¦and asks industriously for all knowledge that will help him to satisfy the wants of the searching roots, or to guard leaf and bud from invading harm† (689). Silas’ new role is to do all he can to keep Eppie safe. Eppie is young and inexperienced and vulnerable. Silas watches out for her and keeps her away from trouble because he knows better. Jesus Christ does the same thing for believers. He protects Christians from the Devil’s schemes as well as from their own folly. The Bible often describes this relationship with the analogy of a shepherd and his flock. â€Å"Like a shepherd He will tend his flock, In his arm he will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead t he nursing ewes† (NASB Is. 40.11). Silas is gently leading his nursing ewe, Eppie. Silas, in protecting and shepherding Eppie, is portraying distinctly Christian ideals. Eppie does not do anything to gain Silas’ love and likewise she can do nothing to lose it. Before she does any of the things that Silas later comes to love, Silas loved Eppie. Silas loves her from the first night she toddled into his home. She does not earn his love, it is based on Silas’ goodness and not Eppie’s merit. That is why she cannot lose it. It does not depend on her performance. â€Å"Here was a clear case of aberration in a christened child which demanded severe treatment; but Silas, overcome with compulsive joy†¦could do nothing but snatch her up and cover her with half sobbing kisses† (687). This is such a beautiful picture of what Christ does for the believer. Eppie runs off and disobeys Silas. He tirelessly pursues her until he finally catches her. Christians likewise stray from the fold of God, but Christ pursues them and is overjoyed to find them and bring them back. â€Å"If any man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the 99 on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over 99 which have not gone astray† (NASB Mt. 18.12-13). This is how Silas feels for Eppie. Silas mirrors God with his unmerited and unconditional love for his daughter. Silas loves Eppie so much he is willing to sacrifice his happiness for her betterment.   Silas on the other hand, was again stricken in conscience and alarmed lest Godfrey’s accusation should be true- lest he should be raising his own will as an obstacle to Eppie’s good. For many movements he was mute, struggling for the self-conquest necessary to the uttering of the difficult words. They came out tremulously. â€Å"I’ll say no more. Let it be as you will. Speak to the child. I’ll hinder nothing. (714) Godfrey has now come and is asking Eppie to come live with him and his wife. Eppie is the absolute joy of Silas’ life. Even so, with those words, Silas is letting her go. He is relinquishing his daughter and his happiness that she might have a higher station in life. This is a truly sacrificial love. This again is in keeping with the Christian model Silas has been following all along. â€Å"But he was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon him and by his scourging we are healed† (NASB Is. 53.5). The greatest sacrifice of all is Jesus’ death on the cross. Obviously Silas Marner is not crucified for Eppie, but he is willing to sacrifice his entire happiness for her betterment. Silas’ small sacrifice is a shadow of the Lord’s great sacrificial love for his people and clearly Christian. Sometimes this story is thought to have too many coincidences or be too much like a fairy tale to have realistic Christian ideals, but the Bible clearly disproves this. God is in control and He has a plan for everything. There are no coincidences in His eyes. It is not a coincidence that Eppie comes to Silas’s door. Silas then honors God with love he shows Eppie and God rewards him with happiness and fulfillment. It is a lie of the Devil that happy endings are only for fairy tales. Christians know Jesus wins in the end over evil. That is the happiest ending of all. â€Å"For I know the plans that I have for you,† declares the Lord, â€Å"plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope† (NASB Jer. 29.11). When the Christian is trusting in God’s plan and honoring Him, he can see that Silas Marner is a great story about a man who honored God with his love. Silas Marner’s love for Eppie is adoptive, protective, unconditional, and sacrificial. This clearly reflects the Lord’s love for his own children and thus the ideals in this novel are Christian. Works Cited Eliot, George. â€Å"Silas Marner.† Adventures in Appreciation. Laurence Perrine. Ed. et al. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1973. 390-472. Print. NASB. Anaheim: Foundation Publications Inc., 1996. Print. Taylor

Everyday French Phrases

Everyday French Phrases There are some French phrases that you will hear literally every day or even multiple times a day and even use yourself. If you are studying French, or plan to visit France, its important that you learn and practice five often-used French phrases. Ah Bon Ah Bon  literally means oh good, though  it  commonly translates into English as: Oh yes?Really?Is that so?I see. Ah bon  is used primarily as a soft interjection, even when its a question  where a  speaker is indicating interest and maybe a little surprise. The examples list the French sentence on the left with the English translation on the right.      Speaker 1:  Jai vu un film intà ©ressant hier.  I saw an interesting movie yesterday.  Ã‚   Speaker 2: Ah  bon?     Oh, yes? Or in this example: Speaker 1: Je pars aux États-Unis la semaine prochaine.   Im going to the United States next week.  Speaker 2: Ah bon? Really? Ça va Ça  va  literally means it goes. Used in casual conversation,  it can be both a question and a reply, but its an informal expression. You probably wouldnt want to ask your boss or a stranger this question unless the setting was casual. One of the most common uses of  Ãƒ §a  va  is  as a greeting  or to ask how someone is doing, as in: Salut, Guy, à §a va?   Hi, Guy, hows it going?Comment à §a va?   Hows it going? The expression  can also be an exclamation: Oh! Ça va!   Hey, thats enough! Cestdire Use cestdire when you want to say I mean or that is. Its a way to clarify what youre trying to explain, as in: Il faut à ©crire ton nom l, cestdire, ici.   You need to write your name there, I mean, here. Il faut que tu commences y mettre du tien ici.   You need to start pulling your weight around here. Il Faut In French, its often necessary to say its necessary. For that purpose, use il faut, which is the conjugated form of  falloir,  an  irregular French verb.  Falloir  means to be necessary or to need. It is  impersonal, meaning that it has only one grammatical person: the third person singular. It may be followed by the subjunctive, an infinitive, or a noun. You can use  il faut  as follows:   Ã‚  Il faut partir.  Ã‚  Its necessary to leave.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut que nous partions.   We have to leave.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Il faut de largent pour faire à §a.   You need money to do that. Note that this last example literally translates to, Its necessary to have money. But, the sentence translates into normal English as You need money to do that, or You have to have money for that. Il Y A Whenever youd say there is or there are in English, you would use  il y a in French.  It is most commonly followed by an  indefinite article   noun, a  number   noun, or an  indefinite pronoun, as in: Il y a des enfants l-bas.   There are some kids over there.Jai vu le film il y a trois semaines.   I saw the movie three weeks ago.Il y a 2 ans que nous sommes partis.   We left two years ago.

10 Ways to Maximize Research at the Courthouse or Archives

10 Ways to Maximize Research at the Courthouse or Archives The process of researching your family tree will eventually lead you to a courthouse, library, archives or other repository of original documents and published sources. The day-to-day joys and hardships of your ancestors’ lives can often be found documented among the numerous original records of the local court, while the library may contain a wealth of information on their community, neighbors and friends. Marriage certificates, family histories, land grants, military rosters and a wealth of other genealogical clues are tucked away in folders, boxes, and books just waiting to be discovered. Before heading for the courthouse or library, however, it helps to prepare. Try these 10 tips for planning your visit and maximizing your results. 1. Scout the Location The first, and most important, step in onsite genealogy research is learning which government most likely had jurisdiction over the area in which your ancestors lived during the time they lived there. In many places, especially in the United States, this is the county or county equivalent (e.g. parish, shire). In other areas, the records may be found housed in town halls, probate districts or other jurisdictional authorities. Youll also have to bone up on changing political and geographical boundaries to know who actually had jurisdiction over the area where your ancestor lived for the time period youre researching, and who has current possession of those records. If your ancestors lived near the county line, you may find them documented among the records of the adjoining county. While a bit uncommon, I actually have an ancestor whose land straddled the county lines of three counties, making it necessary for me to routinely check the records of all three counties (and their parent co unties!) when researching that particular family. 2. Who Has the Records? Many of the records youll need, from vital records to land transactions, are likely to be found at the local courthouse. In some cases, however, the older records may have been transferred to a state archives, local historical society, or other repository. Check with members of the local genealogical society, at the local library, or online through resources such as the Family History Research Wiki or GenWeb  to learn where the records for your location and time period of interest might be found. Even within the courthouse, different offices usually hold different types of records, and may maintain different hours and even be located in different buildings. Some records may also be available in multiple locations, as well, in microfilm or printed form. For U.S. research, The Handybook for Genealogists or Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, both include state-by-state and county-by-county lists of which offices hold which records. You may also want to explore WPA Hist orical Records Survey inventories, if available for your locality, to identify other potential records. 3. Are the Records Available? You dont want to plan a trip halfway across the country only to find that the records you seek were destroyed in a courthouse fire in 1865. Or that the office stores the marriage records in an offsite location, and they need to be requested in advance of your visit. Or that some of the county record books are being repaired, microfilmed, or are otherwise temporarily unavailable. Once youve determined the repository and records you plan to research, it is definitely worth the time to call to make sure the records are available for research. If the original record you seek is no longer extant, check the Family History Library Catalog to see if the record is available on microfilm. When I was told by a North Carolina county deed office that Deed Book A had been missing for some time, I was still able to access a microfilmed copy of the book through my local Family History Center. 4. Create a Research Plan As you enter the doors of a courthouse or library, its tempting to want to jump into everything at once. There usually arent enough hours in the day, however, to research all records for all of your ancestors in one short trip. Plan your research before you go, and youll be less tempted by distractions and less likely to miss important details. Create a checklist with names, dates and details for each record you plan to research in advance of your visit, and then check them off as you go. By focusing your search on just a few ancestors or a few record types, youll be more likely to achieve your research goals. 5. Time Your Trip Before you visit, you should always contact the courthouse, library or archives to see if there are any access restrictions or closures which may affect your visit. Even if their website includes operating hours and holiday closures, it is still best to confirm this in person. Ask if there are any limits on the number of researchers, if you have to sign up in advance for microfilm readers, or if any courthouse offices or special library collections maintain separate hours. It also helps to ask if there are certain times which are less busy than others. Next 5 More Tips for Your Courthouse Visit Research Tips 1-5 6. Learn the Lay of the Land Each genealogical repository you visit is going to be slightly different - whether its a different layout or setup, different policies and procedures, different equipment, or a different organizational system. Check the facilitys website, or with other genealogists who utilize the facility, and familiarize yourself with the research process and procedures before you go. Check the card catalog online, if it is available, and compile a list of the records you want to research, along with their call numbers. Ask if there is a reference librarian who specializes in your specific area of interest, and learn what hours he/she will be working. If records youll be researching use a certain type of index system, such as the Russell Index, then it helps to familiarize yourself with it before you go. 7. Prepare for Your Visit Courthouse offices are often small and cramped, so it is best to keep your belongings to a minimum. Pack a single bag with a notepad, pencils, coins for the photocopier and parking, your research plan and checklist, a brief summary of what you already know about the family, and a camera (if allowed). If you plan to take a laptop computer, make sure that you have a charged battery, because many repositories do not provide electrical access (some do not allow laptops). Wear comfortable, flat shoes, as many courthouses don’t offer tables and chairs, and you may spend a lot of time on your feet. 8. Be Courteous Respectful Staff members at archives, courthouses and libraries are generally very helpful, friendly people, but they are also very busy trying to do their job. Respect their time and avoid pestering them with questions not specifically related to research in the facility or hold them hostage with tales about your ancestors. If you have a genealogy how-to question or trouble reading a particular word that just cant wait, it is usually better to ask another researcher (just dont pester them with multiple questions either). Archivists also greatly appreciate researchers who refrain from requesting records or copies just before closing time! 9. Take Good Notes Make Plenty of Copies While you may take the time to reach a few on-site conclusions about the records you find, it is usually best to take everything home with you where you have more time to examine it thoroughly for every last detail. Make photocopies of everything, if possible. If copies arent an option, then take the time to make a transcription or abstract, including misspellings. On each photocopy, make note of the complete source for the document. If you have time, and money for copies, it can also be helpful to make copies of the complete index for your surname(s) of interest for certain records, such as marriages or deeds. One of them may later make an appearance in your research 10. Concentrate on the Unique Unless the facility is one you can easily access on a regular basis, it is often beneficial to begin your research with the parts of its collection that arent easily available elsewhere. Concentrate on original records that havent been microfilmed, family papers, photograph collections, and other unique resources. At the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, for example, many researchers begin with the books as they are generally not available on loan, while the microfilms can be borrowed through your local Family History Center, or sometimes viewed online. Sources Eichholz, Alice (Editor). Red Book: American State, County Town Sources. 3rd Revised edition, Ancestry Publishing, June 1, 2004. Hansen, Holly (Editor). The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America. 11th Edition, Revised edition, Everton Pub, February 28, 2006.

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Writing Contests

Five Mistakes to Avoid When Entering Writing Contests Naturally youd love to win a prize for your writing. Most writers crave affirmation and reward, and like everyone else, you need money. You proof your work, read the guidelines, and submit Well yes and no. Things arent quite as simple as that, and here are some pitfalls to avoid. Ive made pretty much all of these mistakes over the years and when I stopped doing them, I won 20 writing contests. DONT: 1. Read only How to Enter page but not the Terms and Conditions and FAQs pages. On the How to Enter page youve been told to write a story up to 2,000 words on the theme of Whatever, and email it. Who could blame you if you do just that? Unfortunately vital information often hides on other pages. In the Terms and Conditions, for instance, you may find that entries have to be in a certain font. In the FAQs you may find that stories containing profanity will be disqualified. Check every page on the site that pertains to the competition. Its a pain, but it saves wasting your time. 2. Proof your piece in too short a time. Youve proofread your work. In fact youve read it through six times! Great, but did you read it six times one after the other? If theres time before the deadline, leave the piece for a week or longer so that you can proofread with fresh eyes. Even then theres a danger of seeing what you meant to write rather than what you actually wrote. Ideally youre fixed up with a writing comp buddy, and you proof each others comp entries. 3. Forget to check the time zone. You know the deadline, but make check the time zone. If its GMT and youre on EPT, find out when exactly you need to get your entry in. Its very frustrating to miss out 4. Send your elegant sonnet to a competition that likes heartwarming tales of people who overcome lifes obstacles, or vice versa. If its the inaugural year of the competition you may have no precise theme or detailed instructions to go on. In that case, gauge the tone and style of the website and research the judges. If the competition has run in previous years, read the winners. Youre unlikely to win with a clone of a winning piece from last year, but youll understand the type of writing the judges like. 5. Logic yourself out of entering. Youve written the piece, followed the guidelines, and read the rules and FAQs. Youve proofed your entry. Then you have a thought sequence that goes something like this: There will be thousands of entrants. Is it really worth it? Logically, its a waste of time entering. You dont enter, convinced that youve been sensible. Have you, though? If theres an entry fee and you cant afford it, then yes. If you know of a better home for your piece, then yes. Otherwise, no. Your piece may not win, but you dont know how many entries there will be in even a free competition. One that I won had just 20 entrants. And you never know how you compare to the talent of the other writers. You just might be the cream of the crop!

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example His stepmother gave birth to seven children, three in Ecton and four after they had immigrated to Boston. However, after the demise of his mother, his polygamous father married a second wife, Abiah Folger, who bore ten children, bringing the total number of siblings to seventeen. This was at a time when America was a colony of Great Britain. As a result of the abject poverty that had ravaged the British colonies during this time, and bearing in mind the many siblings in the family, Benjamin attended Boston Latin school, a clergy school for a couple of years and was forced to end his studies prematurely due to lack of money. Contrary to this, his passion for acquisition of more knowledge, like all his brothers, grew by the day due to interest in books and the zeal for writing. Though his father had been against it from the start, he finally gave way after realizing his son’s undying enthusiasm for writing and the expense of college education, (Woodworth, 1). He finally took him to a school for writing and arithmetic where he really excelled in the former. Realizing he could not further his sons education, his father absorbed him into his tallow-chandler business newly acquired profession in New England. This sharpened his guidance skills especially when they went to forays with the boys in the sea. His zeal for reading grew by the day. All little money he got was spent on books with some of his first collections being John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and R. Burton's Historical Collections.(Woodworth, 3) The inception of a printing business by his brother James on his return to England further exposed him to a variety of books. He was made his apprentice and through this, he made many acquaintances like Mathew Adams, a resourceful businessperson, who exposed him to variety of books in his library collections, majorly poetry. His writing skills improved immensely for example when he wrote his first poetry of The Lighthouse Tragedy .This was further enhanced by acquisition of the book, Spectator and the inception of his brothers first newspaper, New England Courant, which he secretly contributed to under the disguise of Mrs. Silence Do-good. These articles attracted a lot of publicity in town and he eventually broke ties with his brother after he discovered the popular correspondent was his brother (Woodworth, 3) His journey to Philadelphia saw him work in different printing shops where he nurtured the idea of starting his own printing firm. With support from Sir William Keith, the then Pennsylvania governor, to travel to London to acquire printing gear, he would later establish the notion as unworthy of consideration (Woodworth, 21). However, he made several acquaintances like Charles Osborne, Joseph Watson, and James Ralph, all lovers of reading (Woodworth, 69). With the absence of forthcoming prospects, Ben went back to Philadelphia and established, together with other aspirants and tradesmen, a group called Junto with the noble inte ntion of bettering their community. This was done through excellent ideas that led to building of the library company of Philadelphia (Woodworth, 188). The pooling of enough resources from the junta group saw him begin his life of political lobbyism. Together with his trusted associate, Hugh Meredith, they established their first printing house in Pennsylvania. This led to the publication of their first newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Through his diligence and unremitting obsession for freedom

To IP and Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

To IP and Beyond - Essay Example Additionally, it is believed to be a biggest success for the reason that it successfully provided a small number of fundamental capabilities and services that everyone required at that time. In this scenario, some of the well-known applications and services that were supported by these protocols included remote logon, file transfer, and electronic mail (email) to a large number of users as well as server systems. In fact, a number of different systems located in a small building or office can employ TCP/IP (in conjunction with additional protocols) on a single local area network (LAN). Basically, this is a combination of two protocols, in which the internet protocol (IP) was established to fulfill a need for consistency of distinctiveness. Hence, the development of this protocol allowed all computers across the earth to share data and information the same way. In fact, it is the most affordable method to make a universal network (The TCP/IP Guide, 2005; Polenin, 2012; Gilbert, 1995). In addition, the IP part of the protocol allows effective routing from one location of a building to the organization’s central network, afterward to provincial networks, and ultimately to the worldwide Internet. As it was developed by DOD so it was intended to be used to provide support and services in battlefield. In view of the fact that on the battleground a communication medium or network will be used to maintain damage, hence the DOD developed TCP/IP to be vigorous and without human intervention recovers from any phone line or terminal breakdown. In this scenario, this design facilitated them to construct a very large network with less central management. Though, due to the computerized processing, there was a chance that a wide variety of network issues can go uncorrected and unidentified for long periods of time. On the other hand, the development of TCP was aimed at providing the connection-oriented communication. In this scenario, the basic purpose of this developm ent was to provide a way for information distribution and communication in which a computer is able to set up an instant link to a server prior to additional communication takes place. However, if a computer does not establish a connection to a server, a server will pay no attention to that computer's request (The TCP/IP Guide, 2005; Polenin, 2012; Gilbert, 1995). The Evolution of TCP/IP In today’s ever-increasing global environment, businesses as well as people heavily rely on the capability to get access to certain data and information and sharing it with others. In fact, this wonderful capability has a serious impact on the advancements of technology and developments of innovations in the world. Without a doubt, governments play a significant role in instigating the development of innovations and latest technologies to improve the quality of communication tools that can support better communication with the intention of speeding up the dispersion of change in the world. In this scenario, the history of TCP/IP can be traced back to the 1960's when a government firm known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) was looking for a technology or way for sharing data and information with group mates at remote locations. At that time, their basic aim was to design and implement a technique that

Compare and contrast the degree of emergence of two current emerging Essay

Compare and contrast the degree of emergence of two current emerging markets in the same region - Essay Example Emerging economies can be understood as those rapid growth countries with low-income that utilises economic liberalisation as the major factor of growth. The emerging economies must satisfy two criteria namely rapid economic growth and government policies that favour economic liberalisation and implementation of free-market system (Hoskisson & Et. Al., 2000). The countries that are reforming their economies along the market-oriented lines, offering various opportunities in trade, technology transfers as well as foreign direct investments are known as emerging countries. According to the World Bank, China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia are the five biggest emerging countries. Furthermore, there are other countries such as Mexico, Poland, Turkey, South Korea, South Africa and Argentina. It is worth mentioning that each of the countries are vital as an individual markets and the effort put on by each of the economy collectively may assist in changing the face of the global economi cs and politics (Li, 2011). It is quite important to comprehend the reason behind the creation of emerging markets. There are two reasons: one being the state-led economic development and the other being the need for capital investment. At the outset, the state-led economic development could not produce sustainable growth in the traditional developing countries that forced these countries to adopt open door policies. Secondly, capital was required by the developing countries in order to finance their development. However, the traditional government borrowing didn’t permit the development process. It has been evident from the past records that the developing countries were not able to manage the borrowed funds well and in an efficient manner in order to support their economic growth. Therefore, as a result they started to rely on equity investments in order to finance their economic growth. They seek to attract the equity investment from the private investors in order to partn er with them. However, in order to attract the equity financing, it is quite important to create a favourable climate for the foreign investors. Therefore, this change in the financing sources was another factor that led to rise of the emerging markets (Li, 2011). It can be noted that there has been change in the traditional view of the development with the rise in the emerging markets. The first thing to note is that the foreign investment is replaced by foreign assistance. In the recent times, it can be said that the investment in the emerging market is not associated with the traditional notion of providing developmental assistance to the poorer countries. It has further been noted that the emerging markets are lessening their trade relations with the industrialised nations and are more directed towards new market opportunities. With the surmounting two-way capital flows and trade among the emerging markets as well as industrialised countries, it generally demonstrates the change from dependency to global interdependency. In addition, it has further been noted that with the emergence of the internet, the accelerated information exchange is integrating the emerging

Physicians Ethics and Lethal Injection Research Paper

Physicians Ethics and Lethal Injection - Research Paper Example Basically this view involves the concept that that it is impermissible for the doctor or anyone else to terminate intentionally the life of an individual. The traditional view is that the intentional termination of human life is impermissible, irrespective of whether this goal is brought about by action or inaction. Is the action or refraining aimed at producing a death Is the termination of life sought, chosen or planned Is the intention deadly In order to better understand this concept, the notion of physicians participating in lethal injections will be discussed, and the point that the participation in lethal injections is an unethical concept of physicians will be revealed. The main objection against this argument is that of the patients' comfort, but many argue that we should not be as concerned with the comfort of murderers. Whether this is an important issue or not, the primary reason physicians should not participate in this action has to do with their own oaths as doctors; t heir purpose is to save lives, not to destroy them. First, it is important to present the statistics behind lethal injections when realizing their prevalence in certai... The execution involves three separate injections, that once administered lead to a painless, trouble free execution and it takes approx. 8 minutes for the criminal to die. It is the most reliable form of capital punishment in the United States today and is used by 37 states. However, it is the actual process that is the longest of all methods of execution. The protocol, from start to finish, takes between 30 and 45 minutes. This is a punishment in itself, as the condemned awaits his inevitable execution. Banner points out how the long procedure causes mental torture because of the anticipation of what is to come. Many other countries use the lethal injection as their most common form of capital punishment. Guatemala, for example put two suspected kidnappers to death in 2002, simultaneously and actually televised the execution (Rachels, 1995).Understating the concoction that is injected into the accused is also important to understanding this debate. The drugs used to execute inmates in the US sometimes do not always work according to plan, causing slow and painful deaths that in turn are in breech of constitutional bans on cruel punishment. (Ramsey, 1999) Even when used in the right way, the lethal injection method of execution appears to have caused some prisoners to suffocate while they were conscious and unable to move. For example, in 1986, drug addict Randy Woolls had to help execution technicians find a suitable vein for the injections; and in Raymond Landry's case in 1988, the catheter used to inject the chemicals flew out of his arm and sprayed chemicals all over the execution chamber, right in front of several state witnesses. On this occasion, a curtain was drawn preventing the spectators from seeing what was going on, and they were

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte Essay

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Essay Example The structure of the novel is a story within a story. The writer introduces a diary entry in the middle of the novel to tell the story of how Helen married and ran away from her former husband. The diary, told from Helen’s point of view, forms the bulk of the novel and most of the themes are to be found in this part of the book. Through her diary entries, Helen lets the reader know exactly what she went through in her marriage and what pushed her to want to leave her husband. It is through the diary narrative that the reader gets to know more about what society expected of women and the role of men during the Victorian era. The complex structure of the novel depicts the complex social situation of the woman during the Victorian era. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall talks about the issues of marriage, divorce and remarriage during the Victorian era. The main focus is on the place of the woman in a patriarchal society which considers a woman to have no rights whatsoever once she is married. In this society, the woman is supposed to be the angel in the house, the good person who is there to serve her husband and take care of her children. The heroine in the story is Helen, a woman who gets married to Arthur Huntington, a character presented as lacking in basic morals and sense of responsibility. Huntington represents the male figures during the Victorian era who drink themselves to stupors, gamble and party without having any regard for the consequences of their actions (106). On the other hand, their faithful spouses are required to put up with their roguish behaviors and ask no questions at all. Helen’s outspoken nature often puts her in conflict with those around her since it is expected that she should not question what her husband does. At the beginning of the narration, Helen meets and falls in love with Huntington who is handsome and has a charming personality which Helen falls

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Assignments1-3 - Essay Example The retirement benefit costs are set to increase in the state of Virginia. The pension plan in the state is underfunded and overburdened and the employee would have to pay for the pension benefits. Previously, the employees did not contribute to their pension scheme but now they will be forced to contribute towards the pension scheme. There will be no benefit for the taxpayer and savings are not expected from the shift in contribution back to the employee. Some say the shift to the employee contribution and the mandatory 3 percent raise will put more burdens on the Virginia Retirement Scheme; the effect is set to be long-term (Robertson, 2011). Poor investment in technology is one of the issues that many financial services companies face. The progress is little for these organizations in terms of service provision effectiveness and increased efficiency. The scenario has been creating an industry that is poorly automated or highly manual and use of processes that are time consuming; the processes are demeaning and insufficient to the skilled finance professionals (Worth, 2011). The cloud based systems are growing rapidly and the Intuitive technology wants to offer the clients and prospective clients with complete accounting system and cloud financial management. The company, Intuitive Technologies has noted the demand for cloud computing in the market and the need to replace the old on-premises financial management systems of Intacct with the modernized cloud based financial management application (PR-USA.NET, 2011). The political reforms in China have had an effect on the growth of China. The political system in China though unfavorable, it has created an economic growth spurt in the country. The political reforms aim at tackling the country’s social problems. The problems include the huge income inequality and the absence of a national pension scheme (Mitter,

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte Essay

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - Essay Example The structure of the novel is a story within a story. The writer introduces a diary entry in the middle of the novel to tell the story of how Helen married and ran away from her former husband. The diary, told from Helen’s point of view, forms the bulk of the novel and most of the themes are to be found in this part of the book. Through her diary entries, Helen lets the reader know exactly what she went through in her marriage and what pushed her to want to leave her husband. It is through the diary narrative that the reader gets to know more about what society expected of women and the role of men during the Victorian era. The complex structure of the novel depicts the complex social situation of the woman during the Victorian era. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall talks about the issues of marriage, divorce and remarriage during the Victorian era. The main focus is on the place of the woman in a patriarchal society which considers a woman to have no rights whatsoever once she is married. In this society, the woman is supposed to be the angel in the house, the good person who is there to serve her husband and take care of her children. The heroine in the story is Helen, a woman who gets married to Arthur Huntington, a character presented as lacking in basic morals and sense of responsibility. Huntington represents the male figures during the Victorian era who drink themselves to stupors, gamble and party without having any regard for the consequences of their actions (106). On the other hand, their faithful spouses are required to put up with their roguish behaviors and ask no questions at all. Helen’s outspoken nature often puts her in conflict with those around her since it is expected that she should not question what her husband does. At the beginning of the narration, Helen meets and falls in love with Huntington who is handsome and has a charming personality which Helen falls

Africans and Americans The Differences between Cultures Assignment

Africans and Americans The Differences between Cultures - Assignment Example Yet another notable musical aspect that has influenced the American musical forms include jazz and blues music forms- that were African instigated- that have made an entry into American music. Secondly, the language system of the African Americans has played a vast role in shaping the culture of the Americans today. Boyd argues that the Africans had to devise a new form of language that would lead to their bonding whilst in the Diaspora4. These languages involved the merging of the African, American and Caribbean vernaculars5. Today, the American language has seen the entry of these languages into the English structure. Though the same has been termed as slang, evidently, the African American language has claimed a huge percentage of the American language. Thirdly, African American art has influenced the American culture. In his work, Mbele argues that African American art has been accepted in the American culture6. Good examples include drawings, designs, architecture and carpets7. Present day American art display a huge percentage of African American artistic qualities8. This is an interpretation of the fact that Americans have slowly embraced and appreciated the African American works of art. The African American cultural expressions impact and leave an impression on American culture as a whole in many ways. In terms of politics, language and music amongst others, African American culture has continued to have a place in the American society. In the case of politics, for example, the United States now has an African American president. This is a clear suggestion of how far the African American culture has taken part a huge percentage of the American culture. The typical American culture cannot alienate itself from the Africanisation. Arguing that America has lost its ties with Africa is therefore fallacious.   With time, the cultural elements of African American culture are slowly being transmitted into the American culture.  

Wal-Mart Organizational Structure Paper Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Organizational Structure Paper Essay As an organization Wal-Mart has grown into a global and multimillion dollar company in America and around the world. They have been at the top of the list for the fortune and global 500 for years. They make big headlines both good and bad. They are in the United Kingdom, China, and Brazil, and all over the world. Wal-Mart started its global market in 1991, where they opened up a store in Mexico City. The profits were not that good at the beginning because they opened the store using plans and strategies they use in the United States. Those internal and external factors in globalization affected the four functions of management such as planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. It was a learning experience for the organization and they had to assemble different plans for more international stores. When we think of technology in companies like Wal-mart, we think of marketing technology. With marketing technology, Wal-mart uses all functions of management. These functions had to be planned, organized, controlled, and their managers have to take the lead to convince or motivate the employees to carry out the marketing strategies in order for them to be effective. For example, anybody can market a sale in their stores, but if it is not planned, organized, or controlled, the store will not meet the goals, which can include an increase in sales, or an increase in the amount of customers coming into the businesses. When Wal-mart first started their business, they were clothing, small appliances, and home goods type of business. Through the years of their technology innovation, they saw how they can benefit from expanding their sales to food, pharmacy, sporting goods, and even an auto center. As they moved forward, they brought in private banks, eye care centers, nail salons, hair salons, and even a place for professional photos. Their careful planning and organizing helped them to become one of the largest retail stores not only in America but also nation-wide. Their strategies to make this happen were very successful because of the four function of management working well when they made these changes. Wal-mart is a perfect example of the way the four functions of management can work. Not only work but also work effectively with organized planning, controlling the needed changes, and acquiring the right management in place to take the needed charge for it all to come together. Without technology and the four functions of management, Wal-mart would not be the successful business it is today. There are many internal and external factors that affect functions of management. When we speak of Diversity, which is a variety or range of different things, and we look at the Planning, organizing, directing, and controlling functions of management. An organization may look at hiring different ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders as well as focus on offering different types of services within the organization. Meeting the needs of the community will be very important for business to grow; therefore bi-lingual staff will be a plus. Store location is a keen factor as well, so an organization may have greater opportunity in a location where there is no competition. Advertisement will come into play when organizing. What types of advertisements to use will have to be decided upon. Billboards, TV commercials, newspaper inserts, English/Spanish, or even flyers may be considered. There are also sales papers in every entrance of every store for customers to look through as they shop. The set-up of the store also falls under organizing, figuring out the layout of items and additional services like urgent care centers or nail spas. Directing and Controlling of an organization will depend mostly upon management. Policies will be set on ways to encourage, motivate, and train employees. According to the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, â€Å"Organizations need to make cultures that allow workers from various fields to succeed.† An organization needs to have policies in place that provide opportunity for everyone to improve. Targeting customers from different ethnicities and age are important as well as offering an array of product, designating adequate handicap parking spots, shopping carts, and motorized scooters. Customer surveys and employee job performance reviews are also a part of Controlling. The ethics function will focus on the moral principles that govern a group’s behavior. Initially during planning, a company may be sure that items not appropriate for children are locked away, such as explicit CD’s or weapons. When organizing, customers are more likely to shop at a store where the staff is courtesy, kind, respectful, and helpful. The Directing and Controlling functions are monitored more so by management to ensure that policies are adhered to, and tracked for compliance. Excellent customer service will be a focus because happy and satisfied customers are return customers. Although as consumers, this is an area that many stores are losing their focus on. In Business Ethics: The Law of Rules, the author states â€Å"Rules have the greatest impact when they cause people to behave differently than they would have behaved in the absence of the rule.† This would mean that if there is a policy in place for monetary incentives for the employee with the most customer service nominations, and more employees are trying to obtain the incentive, the â€Å"great impact† will be that more employees are exuding excellent customer service and more often. Though there are many other stores that offer the same items as Wal-Mart such as Target, K-Mart, Sams, owned by the same person. Customers like Wal-mart better because of the great prices and can do more at this one location; they can at the other similar stores. In conclusion, Wal-Mart is still the leading organizational business to this day, mixing the good with the bad situations that come about. There are many internal and external factors that affect Wal-Mart, globally, technically, and ethically. Diversity and innovation also play roles in leadership and management. The reason I have chosen Wal-Mart as my topic for this assignment is that it is a great organization to research and discuss because of its popularity. Most of the family shopping is done at the local Wal-Mart. Clothing, Groceries, household items, pet supplies, and even my oil changes on the family car are done at Wal-Mart. After doing research I realized the effect that legal issues, ethics, and corporate social responsibility have on management planning. These are the reasons Wal-Mart has been at the top of the list for the fortune and global 500 for years. REFERNCES Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory: Oct2010, vol. 20 Issue 4 p 867-886, 20p Authors: Pitts, David W Heckling, Alisa Hawes, Daniel Melton, Erin Business Ethics: The Law of Rules Ã…  Ã„ eulovs, D., Gaile-Sarkane, E. (2011). E-MARKETING FOR A COMPANY: EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL INFLUENCE. Economics Management, 16947-953.

The Death Penalty Debate Essay -- Papers Capital Punishment Essays Pap

The Death Penalty Debate The issue of the death penalty is widely disputed. So disputed that maybe I shouldn’t have picked this topic. But nevertheless, the death penalty is an issue that needs to be addressed. Should the death penalty be abolished from our criminal justice system? Well, that depends on whom you ask. If you ask me†¦ no. I personally don’t see anything wrong with the death penalty because there are a lot of criminals that are just too dangerous to society and death is the only punishment they deserve. I know that it is in the eighth amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, and I can’t think of a greater punishment for a crime than death, but I believe that exceptions should be made. Despite U.S. Supreme Court rulings to the contrary, many death penalty opponents consider capital punishment in and of itself to be cruel and unusual. They believe the death penalty to be a barbarous practice that should be discarded. Specific methods of execution also frequently come under attack as violating the Eighth Amendment. Death penalty advocates counter that the framers of the Constitution took capital punishment for granted, and did not consider it cruel and unusual. Some proponents of the death penalty believe some methods of execution, such as lethal injection, are more humane than others. (http://ethics.acusd.edu/death_penalty.html) From 1930, the first year for which statistics are readily available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, to 1967, 3,859 persons were executed. During this period, over half (54%) of those executed were black, 45 % were white, and the remaining 1% were members of other racial groups -- American Indians (19), Filipino (13), Chinese (8), and Japanese (2). The vast ... ...ht make all the violent offenders think twice before they commit the crime. Works Cited: Death Penalty Debate. (http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/ death/), Online, March 2000. -Gives information on the states that have reinstated capital punishment into their justice system and gives a list of the 12 states that still do not have the death penalty. Pollitt, Katha: The Nation, New York; Mar 6, 2000; Vol. 270, Iss. 9; pg. 10, 1 pgs, EBSCOhost March 2000 -Gives a detailed two sided argument on the death penalty and argues how it costs more to house an immate for life in prison. Punishment And The Death Penalty. (http://www.ethics. acused.edu/death_penalty.html), Online, March 2000. - Gives statistical facts on the history of the death penalty. Sullum, Jacob: Reason, Los Angeles; Mar 2000; Vol. 31, iss. 10, pg. 14, 1 pgs, EBSCOhost March 2000

The Perception of African Americans in the Media and How it Affects The

The Perception of African Americans in the Media and How it Affects Their Self-Identity There has been much debate over the perception of African Americans in the media and how it affects their self-identity. It is easy to find examples of bias in portraying African Americans, but not a lot of causal research to prove that it causes problems with self-identity. A case can even be made that the amount of media presence by African Americans, whether biased or un-biased, has greatly helped to unify and give voice to a small minority group. The role of the media in the social identity of African Americans According to the United States Census Bureau (2001), 12.3% of all people reporting as one race reported they were â€Å"Black or African American†. This ethnic identity is now the second biggest minority in the United States. It also refers to a group of people who have been in this country for as long as it has existed. However, through the persecution of slavery, the rigors of segregation, and the continuing latent prejudice; African Americans are still searching for their true identity. African American Identity Just as children that were adopted tend to long for a true identity most of their lives, so is the plight of the African American. Stolen from their homeland and forced into enslavement in a new country, African Americans were basically victims of identity theft. Although much progress has been made in the way of an American identity for African Americans, a true identity has not yet been found. According to W.E.B DuBois (1903) â€Å"The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife—this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self†. (p. 68) Many African Americans feel the same as Kali Tal (1996) when she says, â€Å"After the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world – a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.† She also states, â€Å"One ever feels his twoness – an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled arrives; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.† A quick look at American histor... ...ly 25, 2004 from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/timeline/early_01.html Tal, K. (1996) The Unbearable Whiteness of Being: African American Critical Theory and Cyberculture The Kali Tal Homepage Retrieved July 25 fromhttp://www.freshmonsters.com/kalital/Text/Articles/whiteness.html U.S. Census Bureau (2001) Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin. Census 2000 Website Retrieved July 25, 2004 from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2001/cb01cn61.html Woods, K. M. (1995) An Essay on a Wickedly Powerful Word Poynter Online Retrieved July 25, 2004 from http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5603 Afro-phobic or Afro-publicist 15 Worthy, D. (2004) Cosby’s Rant Reverberates Through the Black Press NCM Retrieved July 25, 2004 from http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id= c3a1cf5b268909dfee0db53722131aee Young African-Americans Against Media Stereotypes (2004) Black Athletes and the Media. YAAMS WEBSITE Retrieved July 25, 2004 from http://www.yaaams.org/blackathletes.shtml Young African-Americans Against Media Stereotypes (2004) The NBA and White Wives. YAAAMS Website Retrieved July 25, 2004 from http://www.yaaams.org/whitewives.shtml

Genetically Modified Food Essay

Genetically modified (GM) foods are ethically unacceptable. GM foods are food product derived in whole or part from a genetically modified organism by human intention. It is a special set of technologies that concerns the alteration, deletion, or addition of the genetic makeup of living organisms such as animals, plants, or bacteria. This is an important issue because GM foods have been dubbed as the â€Å"Food of the Future† and although studies have shown that genetically modified foods may bring about many benefits to mankind, we must also look into the ethical issues involved in producing such food before we even consider accepting it as the way of the future. First, we must understand that the word â€Å"ethical† is defined as having to do with ethics or morality; or of conforming to moral standards. There will be 3 parts to this essay. Firstly, I will be presenting and defending 2 arguments that support my stand. Following that, I’ll take into consideration some common objections against my thesis. Lastly, I will summarize the main points in this essay before drawing to a conclusion. The essay’s argument takes the form of Modus Ponens: If GM is X, GM is unethical GM is X > GM is unethical My main argument is that it is unethical to tamper with nature by mixing genes among the different species. By doing so, it may actually lead to a violation of natural organisms’ intrinsic values. There is a very delicate balance that links this world together and this is the balance that makes things work. GM foods might actually give rise to more complications such as the disturbance of nature’s food pyramid. For example, the pesticide produced in the crop may unintentionally harm other creatures while producing a benefit to others. The introduction of pest-resistant genes into crops could lead to the death of the pests and other animals causing an imbalance in the food chain that could possibly lead to the extinction of some species especially if they are only localized in one particular area. In Britain, a native farm bird, the Skylark, was indirectly affected by the introduction of GM sugar beets that were designed to resist herbicides. The result in planting this crop was that weeds were reduced substantially. However, since the birds rely on the seeds of this weed in autumn and winter, researchers expect that up to 80% of the Skylark population would have to find other means of finding food. Another issue brought up is that GM crops may also pose a health risk to native animals that eat the plants and may be poisoned by the built-in pesticides. Although others might also argue that the cutting down of trees to construct buildings might also be a way of tampering with nature, GM food not just tampers with physical nature but with the foundation of nature – genes. Every organism, no matter how small, is made up of genes. These genes control the physical development and behavior of the organism and are passed down from parent to offspring. The word â€Å"genes† (comes from the Greek word â€Å"genos† meaning â€Å"origin†) actually defines nature’s origin and the production of GM food would mean to change the origin of nature. Furthermore, religious communities – Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims Ââ€" also share such concerns regarding GM products. According to Bishop Jeff Davies from the SA Council of Churches, â€Å"With genetic engineering, we are tampering with the structures of life that have taken millions of years to evolve and we have the arrogance to think that we can improve on them in 10 years†¦ to transfer a gene from one species into another.† Different religious communities have different believes and one of them would be their food such as kosher and halal food. But with the introduction of animal genes into plants how will they define a tomato with a fish gene? This will also be a major concern to vegetarians. All in all, I believe that people should be happy with what nature has to give and not â€Å"play God† and try to control nature. It is unethical to sacrifice other creatures and meddle with the delicate balance of nature. Furthermore, there will be potential chain reactions that may be unstoppable. One other argument is how GM products can affect our health especially in the long run. The unpredictable changes in our food could lead to negative reactions that are not detected by research techniques until much later. A quick acceptance of GE foods without proper testing could show corporate profitability to be very influential but that would be too dangerous because there has been no adequate safety testing to ensure that using other organism’s genes is going to have the same useful effects if inserted into a totally unrelated species. Furthermore, testing has only been done on a small scale currently and it’s hard to predict what will happen when it’s used on a wider ecology. In 1989, dozens of Americans died and several thousands were afflicted and impaired by a genetically altered version of the food supplement L-tryptophan. Studies have been done to show how viruses can mix with genes of other viruses to give rise to more deadly viruses. To mass market the use of GM food when it has not been properly tested for safety issues would mean that businesses are gaining at the expense of consumer’s health and is therefore ethically unacceptable. On the other hand, some organizations insist that GM technology is the solution to solving the problem of world hunger. However, I feel that it is simply a ploy of corporations and countries that are using the plight of the developing world as a marketing strategy to gain acceptance of GE foods. GM technology is not an economical method that can be easily implemented by most countries. In fact, genetic engineering techniques are currently being applied to crops important to the industrialized world and not on crops which the world’s hungry depend on. GM foods could actually reduce developed countries’ reliance on crops from developing countries, resulting in loss of trade and severe economic damage for them and intensifying their problem of poverty. This would mean that there’s a conflict of interest. Furthermore, an important factor that Friends of the Earth has pointed out is that â€Å"many people in the world are suffering from malnutrition and hunger because they cannot afford to buy food, not because it is unavailable.† Therefore, even with GM food, people would still not be able to afford it or have it distributed appropriately. Most of the causes of hunger are found in global politics, rather than issues of agriculture and technology. As a result, a variety of groups and people are questioning the motives behind GM foods as the political causes of hunger appear to be ignored. An article from Food First observed that â€Å"most innovations in agricultural biotechnology have been profit-driven rather than need-driven† and it questions whether GE technology can really ensure food security, protect the environment and reduce poverty in the developing world or is it produced simply because it’s patentable and thus, profitable to businesses. In some cases, as reported by The Institute for Science, pesticide usage is actually increasing, and GE crop actually yield less than conventional crops. In this essay, I have come up with several valid reasons why Genetically Modified Foods are ethically unacceptable. GM foods tamper with the origin of nature which is the genes and there is inadequate safety testing to prove that GM food is safe for human consumption. Therefore, businesses are mass marketing GM food at the expense of consumer’s health and proclaiming that GM Food is the solution to world hunger when it might not be true. Although there might be potential and benefits in GE technology, there are still many unknown areas that might prove to be more harmful then beneficial. Furthermore, there are still too many important ethical issues that have been ignored and that reason by itself makes it ethically unacceptable.

Index Number

CPI (Consumer price index) A consumer price index (CPI) measures changes in the price level of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically. GDP deflator In economics, the GDP deflator (implicit price deflator for GDP) is a measure of the level of prices of all new, domestically produced, final goods and services in an economy.GDP stands for gross domestic product, the total value of all final goods and services produced within that economy during a specified period. WPI (whole sale price index) The abbreviation for Wholesale Price Index, which is an index of the prices paid by retail stores for the products they would ultimately resell to consumers. The Wholesale Price Index, abbreviated WPI, was the forerunner of the modern Producer Price Index (PPI). The WPI was first published in 1902, and was one of the more important economic indicat ors available to policy makers until it was replaced by the PPI in 1978.The change to Producer Price Index in 1978 reflected, as much as a name change, a change in focus of this index away from the limited wholesaler-to-retailer transaction to encompass all stages of production. While the WPI is no longer available, the family of producer price indexes provides a close counterpart in the Finished Goods Price Index. PPI – Producers price index Producers price index focuses on prices of goods and services that are received by the producer. This is different from the retail prices, which include shipping costs, taxes and other leviesSensitive Price Indicator (SPI) Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) is designed to assess price movement of essential consumer items at short intervals (on weekly basis) so as to take corrective measures. Laspeyres . This compares the price of the old basket of goods for the old and new prices. Paasche . This compares the price of the new basket of goods for the old and new prices. variables| price| quantity| CPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | GDP deflator| | Fixed| PPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | SPI | Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | WPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| |

Compare and Contrast. Russia and Japan

Both Japan and Russia experienced a major economic development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The government played a major role in both countries economic growth due to their support in industrialization and economic succession.Government support in order to build up industrial production systems, such as factories and infrastructure was heavy in both nations and resulted in radical political change, however they ways in which the two countries achieved their development goals differed in some aspects, for example, Russian industry did not require government support in getting raw materials for production like Japanese industries did.During At the time both countries were far behind in the global race to industrialize and desperately desired to catch up. This motivated the two governments to take drastic measures to catch up, but with the exception of a few basic principles they did so in very different ways.Russia, officially referred to as the Soviet Union at the t ime was under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. He industrialized using a tightly regulated system known as The First Five-Year Plan. This plan included many laws, the establishment of production quotas, collective farms, and established heavy government regulation over the economy.It was successful in industrializing Russia at a whirlwind pace with the creation of many factories and huge technological advancements, but at a large cost of the lives and freedom of many Russian peasants. The collective farms failed to produce a food supply sufficient to feed the people resulting in widespread starvation.Japanese emperor Meiji played a large role in the economic development of Japan, as Stalin did in the USSR, but he did so in a very different way. Meiji created state-sponsored factories that were paid for largely with revenue from tax increases imposed on the citizens.However his reforms were broad scope and encompassed many aspects of life. For example, he ended the feudal system in J apan and introduced a modern Westernized system, a very different social change than that of Stalin who pushed his citizens further into poverty.With an increase in industrial production and economic progress, the need for resources also increases, and that was a challenge both countries had to face but dealt with differently according to their needs and the resources they had within their borders. In Japan the demand for resources such as coal and metals needed to fuel production exceeded the resources that could be recovered from its own islands.This lead to a series of imperialistic  military conquests of foreign lands that were brutally colonized in order to export as many raw materials as possible to the industrial factories of Japan. Russia was able to keep the supply of materials flowing into their production lines by obtaining resources from regions within the country.The areas of resources were far from industrial centers so transportation infrastructure had to be built i n order to get the raw materials into factories. The government created projects such as the Trans-Siberian Railroad, with workers sourced from labor camps containing political prisoners and prisoners of war.The life span of these dispensable workers was very short because of the harsh working conditions and poor treatment. In order to feed their industrial production lines the raw materials they needed, both countries went to great lengths to obtain the needed resources, killing countless numbers of civilians in the process.In conclusion the government played a heavy role in economic progress for both nations resulting in huge loses of civilian life, but they spurred on development in different ways. The methods of industrialization each country used set up the stage for how each would interact globally from then on, especially in WWII.

Case study group project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Group project - Case Study Example This paper evaluates the communication issues and communication effectiveness of Mr. Porter, Mr. Weigand, and the disgruntled teacher, where they all made communication mistakes because leaders did not establish strong relationships with their subordinates, while subordinates reacted with inadequate critical thinking. The first section of the paper assesses the e-mail communications of Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand, which both manifested a lack of responsiveness to one of the crucial roles of leadership, the role of building relationships, which could have helped them become more perceptive of the current workload of teachers and their feelings regarding additional class requirements. Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand did not effectively communicate the importance of the new performance objectives because they did not understand the workload of their teachers and how they would respond to the new class requirement that they have to submit in a month. First, Mr. Porter did not consult with his principals and teachers regarding the new performance objectives. ... Second, Mr. Weigand should know more about the teachers’ situation, but instead, he merely forwarded an unsympathetic e-mail to his teachers. Apart from not expressing empathy, he did not have sufficient perception of his role as someone who could have at least tried to communicate with the teachers first regarding how they felt about the performance objectives (Lunenburg, 2010, p.5). As the principal, he should have been more aware of the potential impact of the performance objectives on his teachers because he should know more about the teachers’ everyday activities. Instead, he acted as if he was another Mr. Porter. Third, if I would put myself in the position of these teachers, I would also be surprised and frustrated after getting the e-mail. The e-mail had a demanding tone and unrealistic perception of teachers’ workload. It would certain get angry responses because it did not consider its effects on teachers, who already had regular tasks and activities. T hus, Mr. Porter and Mr. Weigand failed to build a strong relationship with their teachers that could have given them the inkling that setting performance requirements could not be done in such a rushed manner. The second section of the paper discusses how Mr. Weigand should respond to the angry teacher, where he should reply with empathy and openness to further discussion. In his e-mail response, Mr. Weigand must sound concerned by saying that he understood her frustration and that he would open the topic for further discussion with other teachers. He must be open to suggestions too on how the relevance of the performance objectives could be better explored and highlighted to his teachers (Lunenburg, 2010, p.7). Furthermore, I could have

Passive cooling and ventillation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Passive cooling and ventillation - Research Paper Example Structural designs that involved window designs, wall thickness and shading, roofing styles, low heat conductance material, external microclimate control, water bodies and structure stance characterized the era. The contemporary building designs should consider the historical strategies in order to utilize unharnessed resources and reduce energy consumption that leads to resource depletion (Santamouris and Kolokotsa 5). Heat is transferred through three ways, conduction, radiation as well as convention. The three form the basis for heat control ideologies. The construction engineers require having insight on the site’s climate and whether patterns to successfully employ the passive cooling techniques. Most important information they need include the sun’s positions throughout the year and direction of winds (Youtube 1). The wall and windows transfer heat across from the external environment to the internal environment through conduction. The choice of materials to compr ise the wall and windows determine the efficiency of the building in blocking out undesired heat. Use of a high R-value material for walls ensures minimal heat transfer thus maintaining the inner environment cool. A low U-value material for windows acts in a similar way. ... Another strategy is planting of vegetation on the roof. The plants absorb most of the heat and loose it through evapo-transpiration thus the building remains relatively cool. Alternatively, making the roof dome-shaped reduces the surface area for radiation. At least one side of the dome will be shaded at any time. Therefore, while the other side radiates heat into the doomed space beneath the roof the shaded side will be re-radiating the heat out to the atmosphere. The walls directly illuminated by sun radiate heat into the building too. The design should be such that sunshades cover greater surface of the wall to reduce radiation surface. Deep engravings on the wall increase shaded surface area thus reducing radiation area as well (Asif 11) Windows offer another media for heat radiation in and out of the building. Depending on the direction the wall faces, window-to-wall surface ratio optimization helps regulate heat transfer. The windows should comprise of material that allows in o nly visible light while reflecting back ultraviolet and infrared rays. Depending on the time of day and season, window shutters reduce the internal temperatures by hindering radiation (Asif 11). Heat transfer into or out of the building may be resultant of air mass movement. Gaps or openings on the walls and windows allow heat to seep into the building increasing the internal temperature. Gaps on walls should be located on sides that face away from the sun depending on geographical location. Sealing the openings between windows and walls appropriately reduces seepage of hot air into the building. However, the openings may act as a means of cooling the internal spaces