Saturday, August 31, 2019

Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

Abel Girma Mr. Lucky English Language and Literature IB Y1 04 September 2012 Word Count: 1087 The Consciousness of Symbolism in â€Å"A Rose For Emily† â€Å"Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head. One of us lifted something from it, and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair† read the last lines of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, a short story written by the American author and Nobel Prize laureate William Faulkner, published in 1931.These last words put a shocking and rather disturbing end to this piece depicting the strange life of Emily Grierson, and her obdurate refusal to adapt to changes in her life, living in her own non-transforming world. Various symbols are used throughout the text although Faulkner did not use any kind of conscious symbolism. The validity of this claim lies in his Nobel Prize in Literature acceptance speech, his biography and his in terview on the meaning of â€Å"A rose for Emily†. Emily Grierson is portrayed as â€Å"A fallen monument† from the very beginning of the story as the narrator starts to describe the ceremonial procedures following her death.Soon after, her home, a â€Å"house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies. † (Section I of â€Å"A Rose for Emily) Is adjacently undermined as â€Å"an eyesore among eyesores † (Section I of â€Å"A Rose for Emily), invaded by the deteriorating and industrialized neighborhood that used to be an illustriously reputed neighborhood in the 1970s. This is a fine example of symbolism used in the text as it gives an inkling of the stubbornness in which Emily, a southern woman has lived her life cleaved to the past and immersed in old southern traditions.Similarly, the â€Å"Rose† in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is a thought-provoking symbo l due to the fact that it is never mentioned throughout the totality of the story. The interpretations of the â€Å"Rose† are unbounded and debatable. It can be understood as being a rose of sympathy Faulkner would like to dedicate to Emily for she had lived an undeniably grim life of solitude and misery. It can equally be interpreted as a rose representing the love Emily desperately needed in her life but never truly found, seeing as a rose generally symbolizes love in most cultures.Likewise, another shock kindling and incontestably pivotal symbol in the story is confined within the last sentence, â€Å"the long strand of iron-gray hair†. These last words reveal the gruesome moral depravity in which Emily lived a great part of her life, sleeping beside the decaying corpse of Homer, the first potential true-love in Emily's life that decided to leave her soon after they started spending a lot of time together. The strand of hair symbolizes the often heretical path which people cross in the quest for love.There is not a clear enough correlation between most of the symbols and what they symbolize for them to have been an application of conscious symbolism. Furthermore Faulkner himself has ascertained that he doesn't rely on consciously using symbolism to channel his philosophies as an author. Effectively, William Faulkner blatantly denies using any conscious symbolism. He explains: â€Å"I was simply trying to write about people [†¦] it was no intention of the writer to say, Now let's see, I'm going to write a piece in which I will use a symbolism [†¦]† (extract from the interview â€Å"A Meaning of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†).This quotation further validates the argument that the symbolism used by Faulkner was unintentional. Ray Bradbury, one of the most renowned American writers of the 20th century explains his take on this topic in a response to a letter from a 16 year old student in 1963. The student wanted to know more abo ut the use of symbolism in literary works so Bradbury stated that â€Å"I never consciously place symbolism in my writing. That would be a self-conscious exercise and self-consciousness is defeating to any creative act. [†¦ ] The best symbolism is always unsuspected and natural. Faulkner also describes his main interest as a writer as being about â€Å"the human heart in conflict with itself† (Nobel Prize acceptance speech). Thus, his sole purpose as a writer goes against the act of using conscious symbolism. Accordingly, in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, he tells the outlandish, yet compelling story of Miss Emily Grierson's internal conflict in the pursuit of happiness and love that leads her to unorthodox – even satanic – acts. Faulkner's â€Å"A Rose for Emily† offers symbols with limitless interpretations and therefore proves to a considerable extent that the use of those symbols weren't conscious.Moreover, It would be contumelious not to agree with the author when he denies the use of conscious symbolism. Symbolism in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is consistently present and plays a major role in the possible readers' interpretations of the story's message. However, the use of symbols in a literary work is inevitable and isn't always a product of a conscious act. This means that the fact that there is symbolism in the text isn't a contradiction to the author's initial goal which is writing a mere ghost story inspired by â€Å"a picture of a strand of hair on the pillow in the abandoned house. (Interview on The Meaning of â€Å"A Rose for Emily†). Consequently, the unconscious symbolisms within the story give it sophistication and depth due to its readers' interpretations, not due to the immoral act of imposing symbolism upon them. The American author Isaac Asimov encompasses the answer to the controversy of the use of symbolism in his response to the same letter about from the 16 year old student: â€Å"Conscio usly? Heavens, no! Unconsciously? How can one avoid it? † Faulkner did not use conscious symbolism in â€Å"A Rose for Emily†.Numerous applications of symbolism are present in this short ghost-story and they do hold a non-negligible position in the overall meaning of the piece based on each readers' understanding of them. Nevertheless, the literary virtuoso, William Faulkner did not intentionally place these symbols as a means to convey his message in a latent manner. In lieu of doing so, he straight-forwardly wrote a simple ghost-story containing inevitable symbols. As a matter of fact, we may ask ourselves: to what extent is the conscious use of symbolism in literature in order to convey message, efficient and effective?

Friday, August 30, 2019

Marketing of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai Essay

For the successful completion of our report, we would like to express our deep gratitude to all the people who give us help and advise. First and foremost, we are going to give our appreciation to Mr. Wang, the Assistant Sales Director of the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai. He spent his personal time replying our email to answer our questions and gave us a lot of valuable information and instructions which keep our report going in the right direction. Secondly, we would like to thank our Marketing lecturer, Miss Medico, she provided us with many useful resources and guidance at every stage of writing the report. Clearly, we cannot finish this report smoothly without her help. Last but not least, we would like to thank all our friends for their suggestions and inspiring. Contents Introduction Nowadays, with the rapid development of the hospitality industry in Shanghai, more and more hotels are demanded and built that brings more fierce competition to the hotels. Whether a hotel could capture market share, the most important thing for the hotel is marketing strategies. Correct marketing strategies could make a hotel winning in the competition. Our report is written based on the research of the marketing actuality of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai and focused on analysing its marketing strategies to study how it promotes its product and services. The report is divided into three sections. In the first section, we introduce and give some detailed background information about the hotel including its history, stage in the lifecycle and the product and services the hotel is offering. In the second section, we identify the hotel’s target market and analyse their characteristic. In the last section, the information about the promotional tools or marketing strategies which the hotel is using are given related some examples. After that, it is the findings and analysis of the tools or strategies and our own opinions. Background of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is invested by Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited Company and managed by a very famous hotel brand, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. It is ideally located in the heart of Shanghai’s downtown, adjacent to Nanjing Road and Huaihai Road which are famous as the business, entertainment and shopping centers of Shanghai. It was built in October 2002. The internal and external design of the hotel is blended of Chinese and Western concepts to provide the guests special feelings. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai has a total of 439 rooms. All of them are comfortably, elaborately decorated and well-equipped with modern guest amenities. The food and beverage products feature Chinese, Japanese and Western style. There are three restaurants, Si Ji Xuan, Shintaro and Steak House, offered three different types food to satisfy all kinds of the guests’ needs. In addition, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is well-known for many important events hold there cause the amazing ballrooms. Health & Fitness Center is including an indoor heated Swimming Pool, Gym, Steam Room, Sauna and Massage. The hotel provide the guests all kinds of services even some of them you cannot imagine! For example, the hotel provide couple guests the couples’ service which is including offering silky pyjamas, classic love stories on DVD and so on. Anyway, the hotel think of everything the guests may need and offer it before guests asking. Therefore, a lot of guests are attracted to stay Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai to have a unforgettable experience. The Lifecycle Stages of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai As a modern city hotel, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai does not have a long history. But only for one decade developing, it has successfully acquired its a mount of fixed customer groups of business leaders, political leaders and super stars. It is inseparable from the adaptable marketing strategies used during different lifecycle stages of the hotel. According to the research they did, there was few Chinese knew Four Seasons Hotels and resorts before Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai built cause that Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is the first Four Seasons Hotel in Chinese Mainland. So during initial developing stage, the primary tasks for its marketing are target market positioning and brand promoting which purpose to build reputation, create the right image of hotel and introduce the product and services to the target market. Through the extension in initial stage, a basic sales network are built and the hotel turns into growth stage. In this stage, the hotel increases spending on advertising, sales promoting and public relations to improve reputation, image and guest loyalty. Now, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is in Maturity stage due to the favorable accumulation of capital and customer groups in initial and growth stages. The operations are on the right track; the market occupancy and profit level are quite high and the product and services are competitive. Therefore, the current work for them are seeking more wide target market and keeping the guest loyalty already gained. Target Market By accurately positioning target market, the hotel could better determine how many potential guests they have; adjust their product and services to preferably satisfy guests’ needs and draft their marketing strategies appropriately. ï ¼Ë†Data offered by Marketing Department of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, 2012ï ¼â€° According the data which shows the proportions of six different types guests offered by Mr. Wang, we create the pie chart above to make the data intuitional. It shows that Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai’s main target market consists of corporate guests, convention guests, government guests and travelers in 2011. The special location of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is the biggest reason for that corporate guests are the first target market. It is located in the CBD where are full of the top 500 Global enterprises such as Exxon Mobil, Morgan Stanley and Pepsi. So there are many business leaders visiting this area. The second target market is convention guests who always look for the hotels have excellent meeting rooms with large space and various modern meeting equipments. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is exactly the one can offer all the things they are looking. There are twelve meeting rooms separated into four different size to satisfy all kinds of guests’ needs. The owner of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited Company, is established by Shanghai Government. As the most luxury hotel of its industries, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai are always used for entertaining officials. So the government guests is a big part of target market. In addition, a lot of travelers particularly the leisure travelers select Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai for their stays in Shanghai. The various leisure and entertainment facilities such as Health & Fitness Center, Spa and Club, provide them with relaxed and comfortable experience. Moreover, the wonderful food and beverage product and service is another reason for their visit. The Promotion Mix of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai As a member of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts which is one of the most famous and successful hotel groups all over the world, Four Season Hotel Shanghai concluded many effective and efficient marketing strategies to make itself survived from such a competitive condition. Advertising Advertising is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for & usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods & services) or ideas by identified sponsor through various media. ( Arens, 2010) Publishing pamphlets and magazines Like other hotels, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai usually promotes its products and services by publishing pamphlets and magazines. The different kinds of magazines can reach different groups of readers. † We just select the magazines which can reach our target markets to promote our products. Determining the way of advertising based on the target markets makes the advertisement more effective and spending less.† ( Wang, 2012) But pamphlets are used more widely than magazines in Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai. Because it can reach and promote more directly to the guests who even have lived in the hotel. For example, during Mid-Autumn Day, the hotel elaborately prepares all kinds of moon cakes for guests. While moon cakes are ready for selling, the Marketing Department designs a pamphlet for promoting the moon cakes and publish the pamphlets. Then the pamphlets appear to everywhere guests could reach. Guests can see it at reception when they are doing check-in or check-out; they can see it on the bed when they arriving the room and on the table of restaurant when they are eating. How big the effects could be by promoting in this way! Online advertising Nowadays, marketing and advertising have been much affected by technology. Online advertising exactly is a outcome of the effect. There are many types of online advertising such as ads on search engine pages, email advertising and banner advertising. Four Season Hotel Shanghai is using the search engine advertising now. The ads of Four Season Hotel Shanghai are delivered on the search results pages of BAIDU which is the biggest search engine in China. Therefore, when people searching some key words related to † hotels in Shanghai† or † restaurants in Shanghai†, the link of official website appears on the right side of the results pages. if people are interested and click the link, page will jump to the official website to make them could reserve the rooms or restaurants. The online advertising communicates much widely and costs lowly. And the effects of advertising can be gathered statistics. Public Relations † Public relations is the technique of communicating favorable information about the operations to the public to create a positive impression. Its ultimate purpose is to create goodwill and increase the number of guests.† (Jack D.Ninemeier, 2010) †Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.† ( PRSA, 2011) So the key to the success of your operation is creating good relations to the guests, local communities, governments and media. Communicating with public by Internet Today, hotels including Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai try to communicate with public by Internet. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai is using a way called WEIBO which is the most popular social communication tool in China now. The functions of WEIBO are uploading words or pictures or videos to show some fresh informations about the hotel, such as the new promotions, new facilities or products, upcoming events and something else could improve reputation, image and guest loyalty. What’s more, the guests can leave comments to the hotel no matter if they are satisfied and the hotel can reply the comments. That’s an amazing way to communicate and interact with guests even cost nothing. Participate in public service Participating in the social and sponsored public service is an opportunity to improve the social impact and reputation of hotel and win the understanding and praise from the public. On April 28th 2011, to make a long-term commitment to global sustainability, the employees of Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai began a tree-planting campaign to contribute to the company’s 10 Million Trees initiative. With the support of Children Health Foundation and Oriental Land, the Hotel’s tree-planting campaign fund will be donated to help Chinese children who suffer from congenital malformations and heart disease.† Our employees in Shanghai are inspired by and fully involved in the company’s commitment to global sustainability.† ( Peter Weber, 2011) Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai enters its ninth year with its original pioneering spirit, setting an example of corporate social responsibility and renewing its commitment to improving the lives of children. ( Hotel News, 2011) Sales Promotion Sales Promotion consists of short-term incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. It includes a variety of promotional tools designed to stimulate earlier or stronger market response. ( Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, 2010) Hotel packages promotion As the first competitive factor in guests’ mind, the price always plays an important role in sales promotion. For hotel packages promotion, the price of package is lower than the total price of the products or services with the same qualities included in the package. So hotel packages promotion strongly stimulates the purchase desire of guests and used widely in various types hotels. Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai designs all kinds of packages for various target markets. For instance, the Romantic Wedding Package is prepared specially for the newlywed holding their wedding in the hotel. To leave a lifetime of memories to the newlywed, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai sets a specially designed ice carving in the ballroom to match the wedding theme. Then during wedding time, the hotel will prepare a champagne tower and a wedding cake which could create a happy wedding atmosphere. After the wedding, a couples spa treatment at Qin Spa is ready for the newlywed to relax. If the newlywed prefer to stay in the hotel for their wedding night, a romantic decoration suite is free for them including a breakfast for two people the following morning. Another amazing thing is that Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai provides the newlywed a gift certificate to celebrate their first anniversary in a restaurant at the hotel chosen by themselves. Anyway, Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai offers various packages for different target markets to satisfy their needs. Discount To attract more guests, discount is the way most direct and acceptable. But it is different from other hotels that Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai nearly never use discount to promote their products even in the off season. As Mr. Wang said, Four Season Hotels and Resorts is one of the most luxury and famous hotel brands in the world and target markets for them are the leaders of business and political circles and super stars but not the middle class or less level. The low price is not the primary reason for their target markets to make their choice cause they do not want to see so many middle class or less level people around them in the hotel. Instead, no discount is another way to attract more high level people. And for Four Seasons, there are actually some things more important than revenue like the reputation and loyalty of target market. Conclusion The report explained some information which is necessary to know for Four Season Hotel Shanghai. As a world class hotel, Four Season Hotel Shanghai has gained high reputation since it was built . To maintain the status and revenue level, promoting the products from various channels and ways to improve and expand public relations and strengthen the products’ promotion is very important for the future development of Four Season Hotel Shanghai. Although its reputation have covered all over world, it must keep working hard on marketing in order to attract and retain the guests. Moreover, doing the programs for public good and communicating with guests are very ideal promotional tools also are useful to improve favorable image for Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai. Reference Cultural China.com. (2008). Four Seasons Hotel [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 12.03.2012] Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. (2012). Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 12.03.2012] Hotel News. (2011). Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai Participates in 10 Million Trees Campaign [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 13.03.2012] Sohu Weibo. (2012). Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 13.03.2012] Nolo.com. (2012). Define a Target Market for Your Business [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 14.03.2012] Wikipedia.org (2012). Online Advertising [online]. Available at: . [Last accessed on 14.03.2012] Mark A. Rosso & Bernard J. Jansen, 2010, ‘ Brand Names as Keywords in Sponsored Search Advertising’, CAIS, vol.27. Rocco M. Angelo & Andrew N. Vladimir, 2011, Hospitality Today. 7th Edition, AH&LA. Philip Kotler, John T. Bowen & James C. Makens, 2010, Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism. 5th Edition, Pearson. Ninemeier, J, 2005, Management of Food and Beverage Operations. 5th Edition, AH&LA. John Wilmshurst & Adrian Mackay, 2002, The Fundamentals and Practice of Marketing. 4th Edition. Woburn, MA, Butterworth. 4th Edition, Butterworth – Heinemann.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Kotler Principles of Marketing Essay

Objective 1: Define marketing and outline the steps in the marketing process. Objective 2: Explain the importance of understanding the marketplace and customers and identify the five core marketplace concepts. Objective 3: Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing strategy. Objective 4: Discuss customer relationship management and identify strategies for creating value for customers and capturing value from customers in return. Objective 5: Describe the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing landscape in this age of relationships. Objective 1: Define marketing and outline the steps in the marketing process. Marketing is managing profitable customer relationships. Or: Marketing is the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships in order to capture value from customers in return. Steps in the marketing process: 1. Understanding customer needs 2. Designing customer-driven marketing strategies 3. Designing integrated marketing programs 4. Building customer relationships 5. Capturing value for the firm Figure 1.1 from page 27Create value for customers and build ‘’relationships final step Objective 2: Explain the importance of understanding the marketplace and customers and identify the five core marketplace concepts. Five core customer and marketplace concepts: 1. Needs, wants, and demands Needs: Physical need like food, clothing, warmth and safety Wants: Human needs shaped by culture: Americans need food (Big Mac) Demands: When wants are backed by buying power they become demands 2. Market offerings (products, services, and experiences) Consumers’ needs and wants are fulfilled through market offerings; Think of products, services or experiences (such as information) Marketing myopia is focusing too much on the specific products a company offers than to the benefits and experiences produced by these products. Example: Railroads assumed themselves to be in the railroad business rather than in the transportation business. Passengers and freight transportation in general grew, but they choose for cars, trucks, airplanes, etc. making railroad transportation declining. The reason they defined their industry incorrectly was that they were railroad oriented instead of transportation oriented; they were product oriented instead of customer oriented. 3. Value and satisfaction Customer value and satisfaction are key blocks for developing and managing customer relationships. The customer is looking for value and satisfaction and will buy accordingly to the company that offers the best. Expectations shouldn’t be too high or too low. 4. Exchanges and relationships Exchange is the act of OBTAINING a desired object from someone by OFFERING something IN RETURN. Examples are [Political candidate: votes] [Church: members] [orchestra: audience]. 5. Market A market is the set of all ACTUAL and POTENTIAL buyers of a product or service. All below are influenced by major environmental forces. Objective 3: Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing strategy. –

Bt and Gypsy Moth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bt and Gypsy Moth - Essay Example trees. Sparks, Michaels and Daniels (2013) reiterate that the larvae of Lymantria dispar have often caused significant defoliation in the past. Lymantria dispar’s life cycle usually start over the season of winter when the insects lay large masses of eggs. Ruiu and Roberto (2013) reiterate that these eggs hatch in generous numbers over the seasons of spring. Lymantria dispar represents a noteworthy risk to forests in various parts of the world. Preservation of the Cork Oak Forest would require implementation of proper management programs. In the past, forest conservation bodies have often considered several management approaches to control the adverse effects of Lepidopteran defoliators. However, some biological and practical limitations have of alternative pest control methods to contain the infestation of the defoliators over large tracks of lands have been observed. Currently, environmental conservation bodies have concentrated on the use of entomopathogenic microorganisms such as Bacillusthuringiensis (Btk) given the reason that these organisms’ impacts can be felt over large areas. Bacillusthuringiensis (Btk) products have become increasingly crucial as integrated means of pest management and are incessantly being employed in the control of pests in agro systems and forests around the globe. Bacillusthuringiensis (Btk) formulae that are used in the control of Lepidoptera consist of a concoction that includes parasporal bodies such as crystals and bacterial spores. The parasporal bodies contain insecticidal toxins such as the cry proteins. In the view of Sparks, Michaels and Daniels (2013), the gypsy moths consume the proteins which become activated after they are injected into their bodies. The proteins then become bound to specific plasma membrane receptors on the midgut section of the insect pests; epithelium. They sip into the cell membrane and determine the formation of

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 393

Assignment Example To stop such unfair actions and from threatening of employee, a committee of neutral people could have been formed. The role of this committee would be to identify any unfair practices used by anyone to intimidate or threaten anyone. Moreover, employees should also have been asked to report any such unfair practice or intimidation they or their family members have received to this committee and then the committee would have the authority to punish such people. Yes, the racial nature of the rhetoric puts an extra pressure or burden on the union than a normal rhetoric about an employer. When the racism, ethnicity, religion and cultural aspects are involved then it influences people more than the normal situation (Jackson, Schuler, & Werner, 2009). Thus, in this situation, with the involvement of racism, not only the patriotism towards the country or racism has ignited, but it has also encouraged employees that have not been satisfied to show their frustration. Thus, by combining the ethnic or racism, an extra burden has been

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Ethical argument smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical argument smoking - Essay Example Those who consider it justified ethically say that to smoke or not is individual’s decision and everybody has a right to decide for himself/herself. Smoking cigarettes is often considered to be a cause of other problems. There is need to find out how frequently smoking becomes the cause of more serious and condemnable habits like smoking heroin or marijuana. The optimal limit to which one can smoke plain cigarettes without causing substantial damage to one’s health should also be determined. I think that currently my topic is not narrow enough to write a detailed argument about it. I might need to narrow it down so that I collect facts and explore the topic from a particular aspect like the optimal level of plain smoking or smoking as a cause of heroin consumption etc. People who oppose my position would say that smoking is injurious to health, so it cannot be justified on any grounds. They would also say that smoking in private is also not acceptable since the activity does not yield a single positive result but does carry a lot of risks for the smoker. I can say that cigarettes are not the only thing that are injurious to health; there are many other activities that are injurious to health or environment but they are not taken as seriously e.g. alcohol consumption, drunk driving, and consumption of junk food. I can say that to smoke in private should be allowed because there is practically no way to stop an individual from smoking in private. Any amount of energy or resources invested in trying to stop people from smoking in private would go wasted. The readers would know that cigarettes are injurious to health and can be a cause of such conditions as lung cancer and mouth cancer. I would need to carry out some research to prove my readers that cigarettes are not as injurious to health as they are frequently assumed to be. I

Monday, August 26, 2019

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS FIBRE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO ASBESTOS FIBRE - Essay Example The respiratory system is the primary portal of entry for asbestos into the human body. Therefore, like as it is relevant to understand the applicability of techniques and selected instrumentation for analysis of environmental samples, it is equally important in determination of asbestos content from biological samples. Based on its on its fibrous morphology, asbestos is recognized as being a pathogenically active dust. Once inhaled, asbestos has continuous influences on cellular, biochemical, and molecular events in the human body. These complementary stimuli in synergy with the fibrous morphology of asbestos can result in irreversible cellular damage and in some cases the development of tumors. Various countries have sought to deal with asbestos and public health through regulatory guidance documents. This is necessary since asbestos mixtures are frequently used in industry, particularly chrysotile with either amosite or crocidolite. Moreover, exposures to "contaminant" noncommerci al amphiboles are common in miners and millers of chrysotile, talc, and vermiculite in some geographical locations. Therefore, there has been an acknowledged risk when the person is subjected to the exposure of asbestos, and these risks are health risks to create potential health problems even years after the exposure ceases. To prohibit these there are regulations from different authorities, which ideally would ascertain safety by eliminating and minimizing risks for the workers. These regulations should be guided by this risk and risk assessment approach. In this critical review, an assessment of different regulations will be done to examine how far these regulations have been guided by the concept of risk to control occupational exposure of asbestos (Bartrip, 2004, 72-76). Review: There is a perceived need for this critical review for various reasons. Practically, exposure to asbestos is very difficult to characterize. Moreover, there is a continued debate since there is an important confounding factor to determine the aetiology of any particular pathology. A strict separation of minerals goes beyond "asbestos" but involves two separate classes of the amphiboles, which collectively make up a great percentage of the earth's crust. The amphiboles occur in both forms and are not fibrous and do not look like asbestos, although they are basically asbestos. For those that are not fibrous and termed nonasbestiform, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ruled in 1992 that "available evidence supports a conclusion that exposure to nonasbestiform cleavage fragments is not likely to produce a significant risk of developing asbestos-related disease" (OSHA, 1992) Similar problem has been reported from the British areas, but from the point of view of causation of the disease, this appears immaterial which form of asbestos has caused the disease. The grouping of the three commercial asbestos minerals is usually supplemented by the addition of the three "noncommercial" asbestiform amphiboles tremolite, actinolite, and

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Analysis - Assignment Example x) ≠¥ 0 over an interval a≠¤ x ≠¤b, we examine the area of this region that is said to be included in the graph of f(x) and over the interval [a, b] found on the x-axis. The area found under the region marked x = 0 and x = 1 is called the â€Å"area found under a curve†. This is an aspect that makes it related to an integral. An integral refers to associated notion of the ant derivative, a function X whose derivative is x, which is the given function. The use of integrals is a vital part in calculus and was well explained that integral includes rectangles having infinite sums and with infinitesimal width. Riemann stated that this integral basis itself on limiting procedures that appropriates a curvilinear region by approximating its area as it breaks them to thin vertical blocks (Rana, 2002). As explained by the Riemann integration, it is evident that x is a set bound by finite points sets. According to the Riemann integration theorem, the function h is defined as the indicator functions, which are equal to the figures that are on the opposite sides. This integration explains that you can use continuous functions to find and substitute the figures inside. The characteristics function definition has a formula, which gives us the opportunity to compute the value of h if we realize the distribution function Z (Taylor, 2006). Exercise 4.13 you have studied over the last few years how calculus is made rigorous with definitions (of continuity, derivative, integral, convergence, etc) and theorems. Is this necessary and/or important? Why, or why not? The use of differentiation is an aspect that is fundamental in calculus. This is based on the functions used as they are continuous. These formulas help in the derivation of the rules of Leibniz integral. The use of functions, numbers, limits, and integration is a vital aspect also in the calculations of calculus (Pfeffer, 2001). KURTZ, D. S., & SWARTZ, C. (2004). Theories of integration the integrals of Riemann,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Beneficiaries of U.S. Welfare Programs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Beneficiaries of U.S. Welfare Programs - Essay Example 3). Therefore, the U.S. Welfare programs aim to stabilize the well-being and healthy balance of people of the U.S. The U.S Welfare programs focus mainly on food needs of children, economics, and education. Among of these welfare programs are the School Milk Program of 1973, the Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act by Obama. The School Milk Program of 1973 aims to provide free milk in schools especially in needy children. Approximately 111,000 half pints of milk were served daily and 13.5 million cartons were sold daily at reduced prices. Almost 3% of the total nonfarm milk consumption was allocated in school milk program. In 1973, the milk, children received from this program is separate from the milk included in school lunches and breakfasts but the new school lunch act requires application of income rules for free and subsidized lunches to school milk. It is a prerequisite that schools participate in both programs, school milk program and school lunch act, in order to qualify the children for free school lunch and servings of extra milk (Anderson, 1980, p. 217). Education welfare programs such as Basic Educational Opportunity Grants are intended for needy college students and for students in vocational and technical schools.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Professional and Personal Growth-Reflective Report Assignment

Professional and Personal Growth-Reflective Report - Assignment Example However, managing people is a very challenging undertaking to most managers today. This is particularly so managers who lacks effective leadership skills. Effective management of people also requires fostering collaboration within the organization. Collaboration within the organization is important since it helps in building effective teams. However, I knew very little regarding the importance of effective management of people and fostering collaboration until I learned about leadership content of the course. When learning about leadership in an organization, I came to realize that an effective leader is one who knows how to manage his people. Salacuse (2006) attributed this to the fact that employees are one of the most important assets of an organization. As such, an effective leader must adopt an effective leadership style that inspires his followers towards the attainment of the organizational goals. The content of leadership also brought me to the aspect of collaborative leaders hip style that leaders might adopt as way of fostering teamwork in an organization. In this regard, the content demonstrated the importance of collaboration between managers and employees in an organization. Managers can build effective teams by adopting a collaborative leadership approach. My improved understanding of managing people and fostering collaboration through leadership has had a positive impact on the value that I will bring to my role within an organization. ... This follows my improved understanding that collaborative leadership motivates employees to work hard towards the attainment of organizational goals. 2. Week 3 Sentence Global warming is one of the major environmental problems facing the world today. Pollutants from companies have been cited as one of the major causes of environmental degradation in the world today. As such, I inspire to make the world better by minimizing the level of emissions and promoting responsible disposal of waste products in the organization where I work. Minimizing the level of emission will help mitigate the global warming problem that continues to impact negatively on the world. At the same time, promoting responsible disposal of waste products will help create a society that is not only clean, but also healthy to people. To become a manager who ensures that the organization I work for protects the environment through responsible disposal of waste product and minimization of pollution, I intend to sensiti ze the employees and colleagues in the organization on the need to protect the environment from pollution. Doing so will make other managers in the organization, as well as employees understand why protecting the environment is important to the community around and the world at large. To ensure that my relationship with my spouse and family become an enduring source of happiness, I intend to respect family values. This begins by showing love and respect to my spouse and family. At the same time, I will ensure that there is effective communication between them and myself. Maintaining effective communication will help solve grievances that may threaten the relationship and happiness. Maintaining faithfulness with my spouse will also be important for building trust, which

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Schizophrenia and Depression Essay Example for Free

Schizophrenia and Depression Essay â€Å"Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that effects about 1. 1 percent of the U. S. population age 18 and older in a given year† (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010, para. 1). Both men and women are equally at risk for this particular mental disorder. The main component of schizophrenia is the loss of contact with reality. Individuals who suffer from schizophrenia typically lead a normal functioning life prior to developing the disorder (Comer, 2005). Once they develop the disorder they tend to experience a variety of severe and chronic symptoms that can interfere with their work, social, and family life. Schizophrenia is one of the more disturbing mental disorders due to the nature of the symptoms the individuals may experience. Hallucinations, paranoia, and delusions are some of the main symptoms of schizophrenia. Delusions are false ideas held by the individual suffering from schizophrenia. These ideas have no factual basis. Some schizophrenia sufferers believe that people are plotting against them or discriminating against them. Individuals who suffer from schizophrenia may also experience disorganized thinking and speech which can cause the individual to move from one topic to another without any specific rhyme or reason. This type of speech often only makes sense to the individual while leaving others confused. Individuals might also make up word, or neologisms, which have meaning only to the individual but do not truly exist as part of speech within society. Hallucinations can involve seeing, hearing, smelling, or feeling things that aren’t really there. This may occur as auditory or visual hallucinations (Comer, 2005) The psychodynamic explanation of the psychological viewpoint is based upon Freud’s theory that schizophrenia develops from two psychological processes: regression to a pre-ego stage and efforts to establish ego control (Comer, 2005). Freud believed that symptoms like neologisms, loose associations, or delusions resulted from a lack of nurturance as a young child. As the isorder progresses in these individuals they begin to exhibit more symptoms such as hallucinations and a loss of reality. Mental Disorder Depression Depression is a mood disorder characterized by ongoing feelings of sadness and hopelessness. It is believed that genetics may play a large role in the risk factors that lead to depression because having either parent or sibling with depression can actually triple an individual’s risk of dev eloping the disorder. In addition, women are â€Å"twice as likely as men to become depressed† (WebMD, 2009). The onset of depression is often caused by traumatic or stressful events. These traumatic experiences can cause an imbalance of certain brain chemicals, or neurotransmitters. Depression can affect people on five different levels: emotional, motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and physical. Emotional symptoms of depression can cause people to lose interest in things that they usually enjoy and often this can result in isolation. Behavioral symptoms can affect a person’s ability to carry out normal daily tasks. Cognitive symptoms of depression can cause extremely low self-worth and it may also cause feelings of pessimism. Depression can also result in physical symptoms like headaches, dizziness, or body pain (Comer, 2005). References Comer, R. J. (2005). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (4th ed. ). New York: Worth National Institute of Mental Health. (2010). Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http:// www. Nimh. nih. gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index. shtml WebMD. (2010). Depression Overview. Retrieved March 13, 2013 from http:// www. Webmd. com/depression/slideshow-depression-overview

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Performance Management Plan Essay Example for Free

Performance Management Plan Essay I have been gathering information to help analyze your business and to assist in giving you recommendations based on the business strategy you have compiled to increase performance of the employees and business. I will be looking at several objectives to help with the performance plan that your company will use to identify any area of improvement and to enhance on the areas of expertise. I understand that your expectations are as follows, Landslide Limousine will be at a negative $50,000 for the first year with the expectation of a growth of 5% over two years, and you are planning to have 25 employees with a turnover rate of 10%. To assist in explaining the plan I have in mind, I will break the plan into different subject topics for you to follow, and give explanations as well. A. Aligning performance to the business strategy When considering performance it is necessary to incorporate some type of performance appraisal program within the organization. This serves as a tool for the employees to work toward, with the proper appraisal program the employee will feel a since of ownership of their own behaviors and will have a benefit for achieving goals or objectives. This also gives the employee a  motivation to change positions and continue with a training program to enhance their own personal wealth within the organization. The employees will also feel more open in providing feedback to other employees, provide ideas and help to develop new employee’s skills as they learn the importance of enhancing their own skill set. Using a management by objective process will give the employees the objective to work toward, and will give the employee a standard of acceptable behaviors. Self-appraisals will be key in this realm, customer feedback, and continual monitoring will help to evaluate the performance of each individual. Immediate supervisors or managers will assist in the appraisal process, and you will be informed of the continual behavior of each employee on a regular basis. Customer feedback will be useful information as this will be one of the key elements in the appraisal as customer service is what will drive your business to the next level. Cascio, (2013). 2. Job analysis The skills necessary for the employee to have will be the basis of the job analysis. This is why it will be important to determine what skills are needed in this field. What measures will be used to evaluate each individual’s job or merit pay. We must define what job will require what skills and what will be the qualification for each position. By determining the job qualifications for each position will help in the selective process to find the right people for the right job. Mr. Stonefield, you will need to define the positions you will have within the organization by separating each skill set required and what each job title will need. This can be done with a job analysis; it should include the tasks required for each job by title. It will be necessary to determine what the limousine drivers will be expected to accomplish while transporting clients. The job can be also defined by how much lifting, long periods of downtime, ability to drive extended vehicles, and the skill set of the individual to navigate to different geographical areas within the region. The job must reflect the experience of the driver, their educational background, and what are their abilities or proven track records. 3. The organizational performance philosophy The rewards to excellence are the Landslide Limousine motto. The company  is committed to the best customer experience; this is measured by consistency, customer satisfaction, and continual development of the staff. 4. Measuring the employee’s abilities and continual skill enhancement Measuring employee skills is important to the performance of the individual; this provides continual feedback, coaching, and growth for the employee. The goals set for these individuals must be clear, concise, and obtainable, Cascio, (2013). Employees should have ongoing meetings with the management staff to reflect on achievements and goals set for future achievements. This setting should also encourage feedback from the employee; this will allow the employee to feel as though their suggestions count in the process of the growth of the organization. The objectives should have a clear vision of how each one will be achieved, using a graphic rating scale can assist in this process. The behavior anchored rating scale (BARS) can also help to analyze critical incidents and then compare these to the norm. Casico, (2013). 5. Addressing skill gaps within the organization A skills gap analysis identifies specific skills needed to complete any given task and then takes that information and compares it to the level of current requirements. This is completed by doing a skill assessment which will determine the skills needed for any of the particular jobs within the organization or job category (Cascio, 2013). Then by applying the assessment as a benchmark for the job you can develop a plan for the training process needed to assist the employees in their road to success. One must develop a list of skills per job and determine the knowledge needed for each role, and then once the skills are assessed and the training is planned out one must go through the skills needed to improve on these skills by reviewing with an appraisal review. According to (Lorri Freifield, 2014), transfer knowledge can assist in enhancing a technical talent through mentors helping employees to explore their best practices. 6. Delivering Performance through feedback Delivering performance is very important, I would suggest using a process of multi-rater or the 360-degree feedback. This uses observations from many aspects of a person in many roles. Cascio, (2013). The immediate supervisor or manager, co-worker and customers rate the employee through feedback form the performance of that individual that is observed. This will  assist with any self-evaluation error and the feedback from different areas will give a 360 view of the individual, this will assist in understanding how the employee is effective in their role. Observant views with others assist in keeping a fair and objective view of employees; this will also assist in continuing a fair and objective review process. Mr. Stonefield the performance management framework given outlines the steps necessary in reviewing standards of an individual and team by actual performance. When looking at the overall strategy of the company as a whole Landslide Limousine will need to minimize the turnover and enhance on the skill set to enhance the overall employee performance. It will be necessary to look into the best cost effective way to handle any performance management and by using the recommendations I have listed Landslide Limousine will be striving to the goal of being the best in the Austin Texas area. References Cascio, W. F. (2013). Managing Human Resources (9th ed.). New York, NY: The McGraw Hills Companies, Inc. Lorri Friefield. (2014). Training the Source for Professional Development Retrieved from http://www.trainingmag.com/solving-todays-skill-gaps

Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Assurance Operating Functions

Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC) Assurance Operating Functions The assurance line of service in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) deals fundamentally with the audit of financial statements for both statutory and regulatory purposes, as well as, accountants reports for legal purposes. It encompasses of five operating units. The Operating Unit One and Two focus on insurance, real estate, pharmaceutical and life sciences. Operating Unit Three focuses on transportation, logistics, Government, Energy, Utilities and Mining. Operating Unit Four focuses on technology, and specialised fields such as financial services Practice, whereas the fifth operating unit (OU5), in which I was attached to, deals mainly with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) (PricewaterhouseCoopers Singapore, 2010). Structure and manpower of the Department The structure of the department was designed in a way that the staff from the lower ranks report to their seniors or managers of the next rank. With the increase in portfolios from the previous year, the company has been expanding their intake of high calibre candidates to join the profession. As of Dec 2010, the strength of the department was 132, being assisted by 5 administrative staff. The organisation chart of the department is laid out in Appendix A. Systems software used in carrying out the department functions The applications used in the department were both general and specialised for its functions. For example, the email application used for communication is Lotus Notes. In our department, the manager would select the team members for their engagements via an online booking system. Upon confirmation of the bookings, the administrator would proceed to update the scheduler Retain application and it will be used by the staff to keep track of their engagements. In addition, PwC uses Aura and MyClient to document the audit work done for every engagement. MyClient was the precedent of Aura which was introduced around two years ago. The implementation of Aura improves the documentation of the clients profile, work done, controls, risks assessments simultaneously as well as allowing the easy coaching and feedback from the engagement leader and manager to the team members. During the engagement, the team members carry out fieldwork at the clients place. These team members will then document the work done and their respective findings in Aura. Once they are done, they can mark the work as prepared and replicate with the server, so that the engagement manager can carry out review of the work and attach any coaching notes if needed. Lastly, the claims for expenses such as taxi fares and charging of hours worked would be done using the iPower application. iPower allows the staff to submit their claims and get approval from the manager in a standard format as the forms were generated electronically. Performance Indicator of the Department The department ended the calendar year 2010 with a blast. The performance exceeded its expectations as set previously. In 2010, the department has achieved the following performance: Diagram 1: Assurance OU5 Financial Report (Year ended June 30) Performance Indicators July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 Monthly Actual Revenue ($000) 1,083 949 847 839 988 960 Billable hours per month 12,158 9,868 9,198 10,246 9,456 10,977 Key challenges facing the industry Ability to maintain a consistent professional image globally One key challenge facing the assurance industry would be the ability to maintain a consistent professional image globally. Because of globalisation, it enables information to be transmitted at a faster rate, and the resulting impact will be multiplied. The discoveries about fraud in Lehman Brothers, as well as in the organisations locally, namely Singapore Land Authority, Singapore Red Cross Society, and M1 Limited, have casted doubts on the auditors credibility in signing the true and fair of these accounts The rising cases of these scandals, in light of ever-changing business conditions, high turnover rate and pressures to improve profitability and operations, have caused worries in stakeholders and many expect that the accounting and assurance personnel to be the watchdog to ensure the true and fair of the accounts. Similarly, organisations look to them to establish sound internal controls with proper organisation structures, so as to boost stakeholders confidence in them and to m aximise shareholders wealth. A common misconception would be that auditors are responsible for the discovery of fraud, which is incorrect. The management, as explained in the auditors report, is the responsible party. Furthermore, auditors do not perform audit on the 100 percent of the population as it would be cost-ineffective and time-consuming, they select samples that they considered as higher risks. Therefore, the auditors would only be able to provide a reasonable assurance based on the work done that the financial statements provide a true and fair view of the affairs of the company. If the auditors do not manage the risks well, the public would scrutinise the auditors and this would result in reputation loss. To remain ethical and independence at all times Another key challenge facing the industry would be to remain ethical and independence at all times. Professional services practitioners such as lawyers, accountants, auditors and doctors, are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the code of Professional Conduct Ethics of their respective boards. Unlike doctors and lawyers, an unique principle guiding the auditors would be independence, where they are expected to act with integrity and adopt an objective approach to professional work. This is because the client would pay the firm to audit their accounts, in which, the resulting opinion would be used by the other stakeholders, such as shareholders, investors and banks for decision-making. However, in my opinion, it is challenging to maintain independence and ethical. The managers bonuses are partially tied to the recoverability of their portfolio. As a result, they would succumb to raising the audit fees and controlling the time charged to the engagements. When faced with tight deadlines, the engagement teams would decide to reduce their coverage and sample sizes, increasing risk of exposure of detecting misstatements and control deficiencies. Recent developments in the sector No internal controls system in this world is perfect. Furthermore, it would be difficult to implement a sound system as each organisation operates in an environment that taps heavily on technology, and has different reporting structure and policies. To attain efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the agencies employed the use of information technology, wide span of control and have resulted in the concentration of duties in the hands of a few highly qualified technical personnel. As a result, segregation of duties, an essential element in internal controls, might be ignored. In June 2010, a fraud involving Singapore Land Authority (SLA)s experienced staff has been uncovered. Senior staff with SLA, Mr Koh Seah Wee was faced with 249 charges for a S$12 million fraud case. It was found that Mr Koh awarded and approved the payments for the contracts through the GeBiz system to fictitious firms. Fake invoices and fictitious services were said to be provided. As reported, each of the contract amounting from $2,600 to as much as $60,000. With these gains, Mr Koh purchased luxurious cars as well as private properties and investments in unit trusts. If fraud cases could occur in government agencies which the public held in high regards, there will be higher expectation on auditors to be alert during their fieldwork. Although our department do not deal with government agencies, there are still implications and learning points for us. The agencies and the SME firms have a lean organisation structure and very often, the staff strength is just sufficient for its operations. As such, one of our key concerns would be the controls over segregation of duties. During the engagements, we paid attention to the approval of the authorised personnel especially expenses incurred by top management, and vouched to ensure that these controls were actually carried out. Secondly, for one of the engagements, I vouched to the supporting documents for proof of authorisation, and found out that that the logistics manager did not sign on the delivery documents to indicate that she has matched the details in purchase order, delivery order and invoice. The reason given was that she was on maternity leave and there was no other available staff that was trained to cover her duties during that period. She was even asked to shorten her maternity leave to resume her work earlier. Furthermore, I observed that that logistics assistant actually signed for the manager, with the signature similar to her superior. From these, I have learnt that there if the client has the intention to hide information from the auditors, it becomes harder for us to detect any misstatem ents. In such situation, we must perform alternative testing, observe and make logical deductions in order to uncover the truth. Hence, we conduct a stock-take observation, which was required by their internal auditors. True enough, there was $20,000 worth of stock discrepancies because the differences were not rectified immediately when there were errors on the delivery documents. Recommendations For the recommendations for PwC, I suggested that the vocation trainees to be involved in the training sessions. During the internship, the trainees would follow the scheduled engagements and assist their seniors at work. However, the trainees do not receive any updates or attend any lessons, which were compulsory for their seniors. Without the updates such as incentives introduced the latest budget, the knowledge that we have would be restricted to what we have learnt in school. Hence, this might result in improper application of concepts. Furthermore, regular trainings would provide more opportunities for the trainees to familiarise themselves with the various templates, audit methodology, testing methods etc. Hence, it would also reduce the time spent for the seniors to explain the procedures during engagements. The company may have thought that it might not be cost-effective to spend time coaching the trainees as the internship would only be 6 months. However, I felt that if we a ttend the same events as our seniors, such as trainings and workshops, it would allow us to have a better view of the work environment in the company and appreciate the emphasis and efforts to promote continuous learning. After all, to achieve competitive advantage, trainings would be instrumental to develop and bring out individuals abilities. To have competitive advantage in the professional services industry, the professionals, which are the most valuable assets, must be able to increase their knowledge and develop skills at a faster rate than the competitors. As discussed with my senior, she agreed with my suggestion as she experienced difficulties and delays due to time taken to explain the concepts to her juniors. Secondly, the company should consider streamlining its expense claims process. Currently, for all staff, they would submit the expense claims on the portal iexpense. The expense claims would be processed via GIRO to the claimants accounts two weeks later. However, for vacation trainees and temporary staff, their expense claims can be converted to cash and be claimed upon approval from the manager. Because of this, we were approached by managers to claim the expenses under our names, so that they could receive the cash earlier. We were caught in an ethical dilemma and the expense claims for each of us were exceptionally high. In addition, I noticed that there is lack of segregation of duties, where there are cases that the managers incur expenses because they took taxis to the clients place for field review and they are also the one who approved their own taxi claims. Since they are also the approver, they could approve the taxi claims which were not used for business purposes. To de ter this happening in the future, I am proposing that the expense claims for vacation trainees and temporary staff to be processed via GIRO too. This move will reduce the cases where the trainees be asked to claim on behalf of the permanent staff, as we would also require the two weeks processing period. Furthermore, it would be cost and time-saving as the trainees do not need to proceed to finance department personally when we are always out on engagements and the GIRO application is swift and easy. For the expense claims incurred by the managers, they must be approved by the directors and partners of the engagement. While I understand that the lack of segregation of duties could easily be override by managers, by simply passing the receipts to their support and asking them to claim under their names. Random checks could be conducted with the knowledge that the managers would proceed to the clients place for field review at least once for each engagement, hence, logically, we would expect at least one claim relating to the particular client. There could be also a whistleblower avenue for the claimant to report to the finance department where their identity would be kept confidential. As discussed with my senior, she agreed with my suggestion and encouraged me to propose this to the finance management as she was also asked to do when she was a junior. As for the school, I would suggest that we remove elluminate chat session. The purpose of the chat session, in my opinion, was to provide a platform for the students to share their experiences and reflection with their liaison officers online. However, I felt that it was not as effective as the internet connection may lag or some students were working over-time and could not rush back in time. Also, when the liaison officers post a question, we did not have much time to think through. The chat session was in a hurry and we could not catch what our friends were saying before commenting. I would suggest that we adopt the use of online collaboration tools such as Stixy. It is a personal online notice board where each of us could input reflection, add photos, links and even share with other peers (Stixy, 2010). Please refer to Appendix C for screenshots of its functions.The assessment could be set in a way where the deadline could be stretched over a period of time rather than a 30-minut es chat session. Each student will be asked to decorate and update their notice board, with certain minimum requirements such as not more than 3 pictures allowed and reflection should have a minimum word requirement. After the deadline, the notice board will be shared to the rest of the students who are on the same internship to comment on. This collaboration tool is free, hence it reduces the cost of implementation. Secondly, it gives students the flexibility to carry out this assessment over a period of time. Furthermore, it encourages students to be creative in their presentation, ability to express themselves other than in words, which we usually do in discussion board. Secondly, I would like that the internship programme be much more structured in terms of preparing students, the activities, expectations and goal setting, so as to achieve an enriching experience for the interns. During the internship, I noticed that some of the interns felt lost, or even felt unjustified because they were asked to do administrative work. It is therefore important to put in place an integrated internship programme where in the companys perspective, the conversion of these interns to permanent staff and to in the students perspective, to eliminate the mentality of just an intern. To prepare them mentally and emotionally, I believe that these have been subsequently enhanced from the previous semesters, by the Dress to Impress! Workshop organised by BA Plus (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 2010) and the compulsory year 1 module, CQ at Work conducted by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 2010). The school could discuss with the Human Resources Departme nt to come out with a list of activities that balances the on-the-job trainings with networking opportunities and community services. I also felt that the internship would be fruitful if the learning goals set at the commencement were achieved or if not achieved, be valuable learning experiences for all. The briefing given was not sufficient because it was a one-way communication from the module leader to the students. At the beginning, the interns should be asked to fill up a form on their expectations for this internship to allow the LOs and supervisors to better understand what they were expecting to achieve during this period. During the internship, the supervisors would spend time following up with the interns with their expectations set previously and keep track of their learning process. I understood that this form of goal-setting has been implemented in PwC. A sample of expectations questionnaire is attached in Appendix D. These expectations would then be followed up with the competencies chart, as attached in Appendix E, to allow the liaison officers and students to keep track of their learning process on a regular basis. I understand these additional processes would take up time and may not be well-received by students. However, going back to the objectives of the internship, it would be to provide practical experience for students and to effectively measure their learning process, it would be useful to guide them through their goal and expectation setting, so that they enter the work force with a fresh attitude and direction, rather than just learning from what they have been tasked. For example, if they are interested in financial services audit, even though they have not been given a chance to be involved in one, they should note down what are the different resources that they have seek from. The companies have rich databases sources and definitely, seniors would be willing to share their experiences with them. Key takeaway personal achievement As I reflect, I felt that the key takeaway for me is to maintain a positive attitude and zest in the tasks I do. Positive attitude that I am referring to, are the eagerness to learn, initiative to ask, taking ownership, the courage to make mistakes, the perseverance in getting the right solutions, the flexibility to try other suggestions, along with the energy and support to complete the engagement. These may sound a mouthful, but it does stem from having a positive outlook to things in life. Attitude is especially significant to me because I have seen how I was shaped from the start to the end of this internship. At the beginning, I was disappointed with myself as I was slow in understanding the concepts and in carrying out vouching. Moreover, my team in-charge told me on a personal note that I was not suitable for auditing. From then on, I was afraid to clarify my doubts and tried to avoid all troubles if possible. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to speak to my engagements manager during a casual chat. She told me that the evaluation that I got was reasonable and encouraged me to continue with my internship. I thought to myself that maybe this could be an isolated incident. I should not allow other peoples opinions to affect my aspirations. I should have been more sensitive with my seniors workloads by researching in the databases before approaching them with questions. For the next few engagements, I proceeded with a changed attitude. With enthusiasm, I approached my team in-charges to ask if there was anything that I could help with. Normally, they would ask me to map the trial balance and read last years documentation. When there are any documentation that I am unsure of, I will read the audit programme and find out the rationale for the testing methods. Sometimes, I am unable to complete the mapping of the trial balance, I will discuss with my senior and update them on what I have done and which are the areas that they need to clarify with the previous audit teams. I took my seniors feedback seriously and in order to expedite my work, I would read up the walkthrough documentation and familiarise myself with the key management personnel and the filling system. During the weekends, I would also read up the audit guide, and would check with my seniors if they are available before I clarify my doubts. The brand new attitude was like the key that opens the doors of opportunities. If I did not walk out from the setbacks, I would have resigned myself to merely vouching and not be able to be in-charge of sections. There are bound to be challenges ahead, but I believe that the attitude will see me through. Conclusion As interns, the challenges that I have mentioned above may not be affect us directly as we do not sign the accounts. However, this does not necessary mean that we play a small part in the audit of the financial statements. From assisting with planning, fieldwork and all the way to its completion as mentioned in my interim report, these six months was never easy. As I reflect, I was once affected by the seniors feedback and was even demoralised for not being appreciated for the efforts that I have put in. I was surprised that I have the perseverance and commitment that go through thick stacks of documents, worked till midnight and on weekends too. It was then a chance to discover my interests and strengths. The internship programme has definitely given me a broad view of the rigorous corporate world which demands a lot of efforts from one self. It has allowed me to apply what I have learnt in school as I felt that we learn continuously in life and witness what I have sow, is not so much about the results, but to see that these skills have been put to proper use in the future. Speaking of which, I have utilised these skills and learnt some, especially soft skills like communication skills, the courage to speak, people-management skills that will stay with me for life. This internship was especially significant because the information that I obtained from the clients and source documents went under my hands, something lifeless and raw were eventually translated into audit documentation to test the reasonableness and to achieve the audit objectives. It was even more satisfying when the whole team saw the work that worked so hard during many late nights were eventually drafted into the financial statements. While skills are important, I felt that the people that have came into my life weighs more. The bonds that I have formed with my colleagues and clients were priceless. They were the ones that you could pull a chair and chat with them for an hour, took initiative to ask if they could help you. I felt the support and comfort from them as work was particularly enjoyable. To sum it up, this internship programme has given the exposure that I needed and created the environment that I could explore and learn. Appendices Appendix A Organisation Structure of Department OU5 (As of Dec 2010) Reporting to 132 Appendix B Newspaper Article It could have started earlier than thought ; Ex-SLA executives alleged involvement in fraud may have begun in 2005 Leong Wee Keat Leong Wee Keat 20 November 2010 TODAY (Singapore) (c) 2010. MediaCorp Press Ltd. SINGAPORE In a further twist to the largest suspected fraud in the civil service, investigators now believe that one of the accused began cheating the State years before he joined the Singapore Land Authority, where his alleged crimes were first discovered. On Friday, former SLA deputy director Koh Seah Wee (picture) was charged with cheating the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (Ipos) when he was assistant director of its Information Technology Department from July 2004 to March 2007. Koh, 40, purportedly conspired with Chartered Systems Services to enable the business to win IT contracts from Ipos. The company would submit payment invoices for fictitious goods and services, which Koh would certify even though nothing was delivered. Eight fraudulent transactions, amounting to about $286,000, are thought to have occurred between December 2005 and March 2007. Investigations against Kohs activities in Ipos are continuing, according to a joint statement from Ipos and the Law Ministry. While a previous cheating scam involving former Trade Development Board chief executive officer Yeo Seng Teck had gone on for a longer period for five years, between June 1988 and July 1993 -investigations into Koh have turned to his time at the Supreme Court, where he was deployed before July 2004. Koh now faces a total of 302 charges, while former SLA manager Christopher Lim Chai Meng, 37, faces 309. Both men bought luxury cars from the alleged $12.1 million they siphoned from SLA between November 2007 and March this year. Ipos conducted its internal investigation after the purported SLA fraud came to light in June. An independent review panel was convened and it recommended improvements to Ipos internal controls, systems and processes, which have since been implemented. These included strengthening internal audit structures and processes, centralising the procurement process and ensuring the purchasing officer and the receiving officer are different individuals, read the joint statement. Ipos said its financial statements and accounts were audited externally, not by the Auditor-Generals Office, during the time the alleged offences took place. This was done in accordance with the Auditor- Generals requirements. The audits conducted were statutory audits of financial statements and compliance audits designed to ensure compliance with finance procedures and processes. These types of audit may not always be able to pick up such fraudulent activities, Ipos said. Disciplinary investigations of officers whose lapses in supervision may have contributed to the fraud going undetected are in progress. Action will be taken, if found appropriate, said Ipos. Kohs case will be mentioned again on Dec 3. Appendix C Stixy Appendix D Setting of expectations Internship Programme Expectations Company: ______________________ Supervisors name: ______________ Liaison Officers name: ___________ Student Name: __________________ What are some of expectations that you have for this internship programme? What are some of the activities that you hope to attend during the internship programme? What are some of the learning goals that you hope to achieve by the end of the internship programme? How do you think the company can help to enrich your internship experience and your career aspirations? Appendix E Competency Chart

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Inclusive School Communities Essay example -- Inclusion Education Clas

Inclusive School Communities One of the most significant and controversial trends in education today is the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities into general education classrooms. Inclusion refers to the practice of educating all students regardless of disability in the same classroom as students without disabilities. Though the term is relatively new, the underlying principle is not, and reflects the belief that students with disabilities should be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE), or as close to the mainstream of general education as possible. The LRE principle is one of the key components of federal special education law. Advocates of inclusion believe that in most cases, if not all, the LRE for students with disabilities should be the general education classroom, not only for students with mild disabilities but for all students, regardless of the severity of the disability. Inclusion supporters contend that education in the general education classroom will result not only in superior educational outcomes for students with disabilities but also other positive developmental outcomes such as increased socialization (Hunt and Goetz, 1997). Additionally, many advocates of inclusion believe that inclusion not only benefits students with disabilities, but also students without disabilities (Staub, 1995). While proponents of inclusion have often focused on the social benefits for children and youth with disabilities, especially the idea that it promotes social interactions between students with and without disabilities, critics have pointed to the possible disruption that inclusion may have on the overall quality of education for students without disabilities. However, there is litt... ...arson/Allyn and Bacon. Stainback, W. C., & Stainback, S. (1990). Support Networks for Inclusive Schooling: Interdependent Integrated Education. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Staub, D. (1995). Qualitative research on school inclusion: What do we know? What do we need to find out? Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, San Fransisco, CA, November 30-December 2, 1995) Staub, D., & Peck, C. A. (1994-1995). What are the outcomes for nondisabled students? Educational Leadership, 52, 36-40. Voeltz, L. M., & Brennan, J. (1983). Analysis of the interactions between nonhandicapped and severely handicapped peers using multiple measures. In Perspectives and Progress in Mental Retardation, ChapterVI: Social Psychology and Educational Aspects, edited by J. M. Berg. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay Comparing Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki

Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki      Ã‚   There are so many similarities between the hero of the poem Beowulf and The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, an Iceland saga representing 1000 years of oral traditions prior to the 1300’s when it was written, that these similarities cannot be attributed solely to coincidence.    The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states that the hero of the poem, Beowulf himself, may be the same person as Bodvar Biarki, the chief of Hrolfr Kraki’s knights (v1, ch3, s3, n13). George Clark in â€Å"The Hero and the Theme† mentions: â€Å"The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ‘Bear’s Son’ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ‘combat myth’. . . .† (286). In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, Bodvar is the grandson of a king (Hring); in Beowulf the hero is the grandson of a king (Hrethel). Bodvar’s father has been expelled from his country, Gautland; Beowulf’s father Ecgtheow has been expelled from Geatland. Bodvar’s father is dead; Beowulf’s father is dead (Hrothgar says,†his father, now dead, was named Ecgtheow†) (373). Bodvar as a boy was so strong that he was not permitted to take part in the king’s games past the ag e of twelve because he injured too many of his opponents; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that â€Å"he was the strongest of all living men† (196). Bodvar was huge; Beowulf was â€Å"noble and huge† (198). Bodvar was more noble than the people around him; Beowulf refused to accept the kingship from Queen Hygd upon Hygelac’s death, risked his life various times for the benefit of others, put his own welfare last instead of first, and distributed his wealth generously when it was warranted. â€Å"Though Beowulf is careful to collect his winnings, ... ...en and the gentlest, the kindest to his people† (3181).    The Iceland saga, The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, written in the 1300’s, represents about 1000 years of oral traditions. The remarkable similarities between this saga’s main character and Beowulf’s main character are just too astounding to dismiss as mere coincidences.    BIBLIOGRAPHY    Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977.    Clark, Gorge. â€Å"The Hero and the Theme.† In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.    The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki, translated by Jesse L. Byock. New York: Penguin Books, 1998.    Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre    Bronte paints many parallels between the characters in the novel and the trade of prostitution. One of the main characters that Bronte attributes poverty to is the character of Jane. Jane’s poverty is intrinsically important to the plot of the novel because Bronte uses Jane’s poverty to allow the reader to picture Jane as a virtuous woman, such as when Jane flees from Thornfield to escape the entrapment of Rochester. The reader is urged to feel sympathy for Jane as she adheres to her strict, virtuous moral codes and does not allow herself to succumb to temptation. Jane exhibits her desperate situation when she has fled from Thornfield and is struggling to sustain herself. Jane states, "Once more I took off my handkerchief-once more I thought of the cakes of bread in the little shop. Oh, but for a crust! For but one mouthful to allay the pang of famine!" (Bronte, ch.28; 323). The language used in the passage shows that Jane is in a state of desperation and she still does not resort to prostitution, even though in many respects she does not have another choice. Jane is at a point in her life where she must do something to sustain her life, but Jane never even contemplates prostitution as an option to enable her to obtain money or food. In Victorian society Jane’s poverty and subsequent life would have rendered her a prime candidate for taking up the trade of prostitution. The description given by Vicinus of the woman most vulnerable to fall victim to the trade of prostitution is similar to Jane’s life. Jane is a domestic servant in her roles as a governess at Lowood and Thornfield and she has no familial ties. One of the dominant distinctions of a Victorian prostitute was her dress or "love of finery." When the love of finery is introduced Bronte veers off the course of identifying Jane with the likeness of a prostitute. The Victorian prostitute is associated with the love of fine dresses, like that of the upper-class society. The prostitute's dress denoted her as a disgraceful and immoral character because she wore the type of dress that was not associated with her class. Valverde states, "†¦What was or was not finery depended upon the socioeconomic status of the wearer" (Valverde 169). The love of finery is relentlessly associated with the Victorian prostitute, but Jane portrays an image of plainness in the attire that she wears. Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays Portrayals of Prostitution in Jane Eyre    Bronte paints many parallels between the characters in the novel and the trade of prostitution. One of the main characters that Bronte attributes poverty to is the character of Jane. Jane’s poverty is intrinsically important to the plot of the novel because Bronte uses Jane’s poverty to allow the reader to picture Jane as a virtuous woman, such as when Jane flees from Thornfield to escape the entrapment of Rochester. The reader is urged to feel sympathy for Jane as she adheres to her strict, virtuous moral codes and does not allow herself to succumb to temptation. Jane exhibits her desperate situation when she has fled from Thornfield and is struggling to sustain herself. Jane states, "Once more I took off my handkerchief-once more I thought of the cakes of bread in the little shop. Oh, but for a crust! For but one mouthful to allay the pang of famine!" (Bronte, ch.28; 323). The language used in the passage shows that Jane is in a state of desperation and she still does not resort to prostitution, even though in many respects she does not have another choice. Jane is at a point in her life where she must do something to sustain her life, but Jane never even contemplates prostitution as an option to enable her to obtain money or food. In Victorian society Jane’s poverty and subsequent life would have rendered her a prime candidate for taking up the trade of prostitution. The description given by Vicinus of the woman most vulnerable to fall victim to the trade of prostitution is similar to Jane’s life. Jane is a domestic servant in her roles as a governess at Lowood and Thornfield and she has no familial ties. One of the dominant distinctions of a Victorian prostitute was her dress or "love of finery." When the love of finery is introduced Bronte veers off the course of identifying Jane with the likeness of a prostitute. The Victorian prostitute is associated with the love of fine dresses, like that of the upper-class society. The prostitute's dress denoted her as a disgraceful and immoral character because she wore the type of dress that was not associated with her class. Valverde states, "†¦What was or was not finery depended upon the socioeconomic status of the wearer" (Valverde 169). The love of finery is relentlessly associated with the Victorian prostitute, but Jane portrays an image of plainness in the attire that she wears.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Interpretation Paper of Luke 15

Interpretation Paper Luke 15 1. First Impressions What are your first impressions of this text? * Forgiveness, repentance, and diligence * In the Prodigal of the Lost Son the farmer celebrates the return of his son from a life of sin. Son’s sins are not what is celebrated rather his acknowledgement of his own sins and his repentance to his father. His father (the farmer) with a celebration forgives the son. * Both the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Lost Coin reflect repentance, diligence and a form of forgiveness.In the Lost Sheep the man loses one sheep out of ninety-nine and searches for the one until it is found and rejoices in it. In the Lost Coin a women loses 1 coin out of 10 in her home. She cleans and sweeps until she finds the one coin and rejoices. What sounds interesting or strange to you? What do you think a 21st human being might hear in all this? * In this day and age the majority of people would search and work for the ninety-nine sheep and not the lost one, not for the one coin but for the nine others, and would reward the hardworking son over the lost son. Faith is usually not in God/Bible/Jesus but in making a profit of some sorts.Can you immediately think of a situation for which this story or these words might be helpful? * I read these words and I think of myself, my relationship with my family. The hard working, reliable daughter, who is reliable to a fault is finally able to do something with her life, received very little support. Compared to what they have done for my siblings with addiction issues. It makes me question my faith. Are there any important textual footnotes that apply to this text? * The footnotes name the parables and where each one is started and ended. 2. Translation StudyWhich of the three translations did you find the most readable to you? * Printed out the New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the American Standard Version. The New International Version was and is the m ost readable to me. What significant differences do you see in the text? * Punctuation, grammar, order of the words, and language 3. Word Study Which word do you think are most important to this text? * Lose/Lost, Rejoice/Rejoicing, Found/Find, Repent, Gathering, Joyfully What makes you think these words are important? * Many of the words are repeated and one is found in the title of the parables.What did you find out about each of these terms? * â€Å"Lost† – G622 – Apollymi – perish, destroy, lose, be lost, lost. The word lost is used forty-five times in forty-four different verses in the NIV. Blue Letter Bible. â€Å"Dictionary and Word Search for ‘†lost†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ in the NIV†. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 13 Oct 2012. < http:// www. blueletterbible. org/search/translationResults. cfm Criteria=lost&t=NIV > * â€Å"Rejoice† – G4796 – Sygchairo – to rejoice with, take part in another’s joy à ¢â‚¬â€œ to rejoice together, to congratulate. The word rejoice is used seven times in seven verses in the NIV. Blue Letter Bible. Dictionary and Word Search for sygchairo (Strong's 4796)†. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 13 Oct 2012. < http:// www. blueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm Strongs=G4796&t=NIV > * â€Å"Found† – G2147 – Heurisko – to come upon, hit upon, to meet with – to find by enquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation, to find out by practice and experience – to find out for one’s self, to acquire, get, obtain, procure. The word found is used 179 times in 166 verses. Blue Letter Bible. â€Å"Dictionary and Word Search for heurisko (Strong's 2147)†. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 13 Oct 2012. < http:// www. lueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm strongs=G2147&t=NIV&page=3 > * â€Å"Repent† – G3341 – Metanoia – change of min as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done. The word repent is used twenty-two times in twenty-two verses. Blue Letter Bible. â€Å"Dictionary and Word Search for metanoia (Strong's 3341)†. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 13 Oct 2012. < http:// www. blueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm Strongs=G3341&t=NIV > * â€Å"Gathering† – G1448 – Eggizo – to bring near, to join one thing to another – to draw or come near to, to approach.This word is used forty-two times in forty-one verses. Blue Letter Bible. â€Å"Dictionary and Word Search for eggizo (Strong's 1448)†. Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2012. 13 Oct 2012. < http:// www. blueletterbible. org/lang/lexicon/lexicon. cfm Strongs=G1448&t=NIV > 4. Grammatical Analysis Who are the principal subjects of the important verbs of this text? * Tax collectors, sinners, Pharisees, scribes Are those verbs active or passive? * Active and passive Are they past, p resent, or future tense? * Present and future Who are the direct objects? * Lost sheep, lost coin and lost son 5. Thought Progression/ContentSummarize the thought progression of the text. * Lost and Found – A man loses one sheep out of ninety-nine and goes in search of this lost sheep until he finds it. A woman loses one coin out of ten in her home. She cleans and searches until she finds this one coin. A father welcomes home a son who has sinned much to the dismay and anger of the older brother the sinful son is welcomed home. Each parable builds off of the other in depth and meaning. Have faith in the Lord and live a righteous life. Do this for each of the three sections of Luke 15. * The Parable of the Lost Sheep – A man loses one of sheep out of ninety-nine.He leaves is faithful flock behind in order to find the one that is lost. When he finds the lost sheep he takes its home and celebrates with his friends. Find joy in the one who repents then in the others who do not need to repent. * The Parable of the Lost Coin – A women has ten coins and loses one in her home. This woman cleans and searches until she finds the missing coin and when she finds it she celebrates with her friends. * The Parable of the Lost Son – A man with two sons is requested by the youngest to give him his share of an inheritance. The youngest son spends and loses all that was given to him and lives in poverty.After working for another he realizes that if he returns home to his family he will be cared for. The youngest sons returns home to his family and asks his father for forgiveness while admitting that he has sinned. His father welcomes him home with open arms and celebrates. The father’s oldest son is angered by this and questions the actions of his father. He, the oldest son, who has been loyal feels as if his father doesn’t love him, appreciate him. The father then states that because he has been so loyal to him that he the oldest son wi ll receive all that has belonged to his father. 6. Immediate Contextual StudySummarize the chapters and verses that immediately precede these? * Parable of the unfruitful fig tree * Healing of the crippled women on the Sabbath * Parable of the mustard seed * Parable of the yeast * Healing of a man with dropsy on the Sabbath * Humility Parable * Great dinner parable * The costs of discipleship What, if any impact does this text have upon their meaning or thought progression of this text? * These chapters are supportive of the thought progression in chapter 15. Summarize the chapters and verses which immediately follow this text. * The dishonest manager parable * Sayings * Parable of the rich man and Lazarus . Biblical Contextual Study Does the author deal with this subject anywhere else in this book or if he wrote another book, in that book? * In chapter 13, 14 and 16. Stories and parables of forgiveness, patience and faithfulness How does this author deal with this same event or sub ject matter in other places? * With the retelling of stories and parables. If the message of the whole Bible really is about God saving people, how do you think this fits in? * In order to â€Å"save† someone, anyone, a tremendous amount of love, patience and faith is needed. Love, patience and faith in yourself as well as the one being saved.

Friday, August 16, 2019

An analysis of the title sequence of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

I am going to talk about the camera shots and angles for each scene; the different mise-en-scenes and the unusual narrative in the beginning, I will also mention the different typefaces (text) used; the Characters; the language; colours and music The Fresh Prince of Bel-air is a typical American teenage show, with a big multi-media star. The show has been a long-running success and is famous all over the world. I am going to begin this essay by addressing the unusual narrative. This goes on for the whole of the title sequence. It explains the story in RAP (Rhythm And Poetry). It begins off by saying: â€Å"Now this is a story all about how my life got twisted upside down, and I'd like to take a minute so just sit right there and I'll tell you about how I became a prince of a town called Bel-air.† The music is an easy beat to attract all types of teenagers. The first mise-en-scene which is Will Smith who plays the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air sitting on a rotating throne with the graffiti wall in the background. The titles and The graffiti are brightly coloured to attract teenagers to the show. The graffiti is also usually very popular to teenagers. A majority of teenagers will also see graffiti in their country as well as America where the show is filmed. The camera angles (high/medium angle) adds meaning to the shot and links the props to the theme. The throne is there to emphasise the phrase Prince and it also represents teenagers thoughts and dreams about being rich. The second mise-en-scene has about ten seconds filming time, in this short scene Will Smith is seen writing graffiti on the wall and the policeman is shaking his baton constantly at him to stop. The directors make the policeman look silly because many teenagers think people with high authority such as policeman can easily be made fun of. The third mise-en-scene is the basketball court scene, in this scene Will Smith is playing basketball when the ball swerved off course and hit some bullies in the head. The camera angle shows the bullies expressions as they approach Will Smith. Will Smiths clothes are bright and colourful and stands out against the bullies black clothes and complexion. The directors made the bullies dress in black to indicate that they are bad people. In the same scene the bullies grab Will Smith and start spinning him around. The camera angle is a high shot, the camera was placed above to make Will look submissive. The fourth mise-en-scene is Will Smith's ugly mother waving her finger at the camera saying† Your moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air.† The camera shot was a close up to reflect her expression. The fifth scene is the scene when Will Smith is about to leave for Bel-Air. Will Smith is shown whistling for a cab, the camera is directed at the licence plate which reads ‘FRESH' and the camera is directed back at Will Smith. The yellow American taxi pulls up besides him, he slaps the drivers hand and walks over to the passenger door, climbs in and calls out â€Å"Yo home to Bel-Air!† The last scene is the scene where the taxi pulls up to the Bel-Air mansion and Will climbs out of the taxi and calls to him â€Å"Yo ho smell ya later†. He turns to the Bel-Air mansion and says: â€Å"Looked at my kingdom and I was finally there to settle my throne as the prince of Bel-Air!† This show does target teenagers successfully because the RAP story narrative is what many teenagers will like and take more notice of. The colours are bright and loud not dull and boring to make the audience take more notice. The typefaces(text) are usually in graffiti style writing to attract teenagers to read it and to be more aware of what they are reading. The music throughout the narrative was an easy beat because its fun and easy to listen to. Many teenagers in America listen to RAP/R&B so the music in the beginning is similar to what they would usually listen to. All the mise-en-scenes have a meaning, they show teenagers things they associate with and things they would like to have. All camera angles are positioned to show either: Meaning to an object, Emotion towards the subject or link themes to their backgrounds. This show has been proved to target teenagers successfully because it is now very highly rated by many teenagers.