Bio-Red Blood Cell Journey Essay

My name is Ruby; I am a red blood cell. I am a dazzling ruby red color (hence my name) with a small area of inner pallor and I am very small: only about 6  µm in diameter. I get my red color from a protein chemical called hemoglobin, which is bright red. Hemoglobin not only gives me my beautiful color, it also contains the element iron, which makes it a good vehicle for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. I have a very important role in the circulatory system of your body. Actually, it is probably the most important of all the blood cells. I carry oxygen to all parts of your body and tissues and I also return carbon dioxide from your tissues to your lungs. So I bet you are wondering how I do this very important role! I enter the blood vessels through the heart’s main artery called the aorta making sure that I am full of oxygen. The forceful contraction of your heart’s left ventricle forces me into your aorta which then branches into many smaller arteries, which run throughout your body. The inside layer of your artery is very smooth, allowing me to flow quickly. The outside layer of your artery is very strong, allowing me to flow forcefully. I enter the capillaries full of oxygen, where the oxygen and nutrients are released. The waste products are collected and the waste-rich blood flows into your veins in order to circulate back to your heart and then allow the exchange of gases in your lungs. I eventually pass through your kidneys, which filter much of the waste from the blood. I also pass through your small intestine. From the small intestine I meet with many of my family and friends that are also blood and we all collect in the portal vein that passes through your liver. Your liver filters sugars from me and stores them for later. As I pass through your lungs, oxygen molecules attach to the hemoglobin and when I pass through your body tissue, the hemoglobin releases the oxygen to the cells. Then the empty hemoglobin molecules bond with the tissue’s carbon dioxide or other waste gases, transporting it away. After being in your lungs I have fresh oxygen and lots of it! I then enter your pulmonary veins and then return to your heart, re-entering through your left atrium. Then I pass through a one-way valve into your left ventricle where I will exit your heart through your main artery, called the aorta. Your left ventricle’s contraction forces the blood into the aorta and the blood begins its journey  throughout the body once again and starts the entire process over again. I eventually pass through your kidneys, which filter much of the waste from the blood. I also pass through your small intestine. From the small intestine I meet with many of my family and friends that are also blood and we all collect in the portal vein that passes through your liver. Your liver filters sugars from me and stores them for later. Over time, I get worn out and eventually die. The average life cycle of a red blood cell like me is 120 – 130 days. Your bones are continually producing new blood cells from the red marrow of them, replenishing your supply. So don’t worry you will always have a red blood cell like me! There are actually over 30 billion red blood cells in your body as we speak! Two million disintegrate every second but don’t you worry because two million are also being created every second to replace the seniors.

Poem Comparison Essay

The three poems are written by Wilfred Owen are based on war, and reveal the horrors of war. They are sad, and he uses these poems to express his bad feelings and hatred for war. Despite their similarities, they differ in certain ways as well. For example, Anthem for Doomed Youth is about how nobody is concerned for the dead soldiers and their efforts, Arms and The Boy is about how war transforms people into bloodthirsty monsters, and Futility is about a dead soldier lying in the fields of France. Structurally, Futility and Anthem for Doomed Youth are similar because they are both sonnets. However, they once again differ in that Futility is a more irregular sonnet, written in two verses of seven and seven with a rhyme scheme of ABABCCC DEDEFFF. It is irregular because it has no iambic pentameter, and overall the meter is very inconsistent. It uses half rhymes such as â€Å"once† and â€Å"France†, or â€Å"star† and â€Å"stir†. Anthem for Doomed Youth is more conventional with verses of eight and six, with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCD EFFEGG. It has iambic Pentameter. Arms and the Boy have three verses of four lines with a half rhyme scheme of AABB CCDD EEFF. It has an iambic rhythm.  Arms and the Boy have a contradictory title because boys and war should not normally go together. Arms and the Boy use a register of terms to make the boy sound horrible, like a monster. It uses words and phrase such as â€Å"Hunger of Blood†, â€Å"Madman’s Flash†, and â€Å"Famishing for Flesh†. These three terms show the monstrosity of the soldiers, and criticises their thirst for killing. He shows us his feelings of hatred and despair towards them. There is also a register of predatory weapons, such as â€Å"teeth, claws, talons, antlers†. This portrays him as an animal in two ways, one is for his savageness in being so determined to kill, but also in that, animals use their bare limbs for killing, and so does he (arms to operate guns and to use bayonets). Anthem for Doomed Youth also has a contradictory title because there is no anthem for the doomed youth, as shown by â€Å"What passing bells for those who die as cattle?† which shows they died without dignity, let alone a funeral or anthem. It describes what should be their funeral, but is not. It shows what they are not getting, but really should be  getting. The second stanza shows an ending for them by using word like goodbyes and â€Å"drawing down of blinds†. The second line is very clever because it reflects Shakespeare’s saying of â€Å"life’s a theatre, and all men and women merely players†. A show ends with drawing down of curtains or blinds, and their lives metaphorically end like that. Futility is about a soldier who is dying in the sun. We are told he is a farmer because of the line â€Å"At home, whispering of fields unsown†. It portrays the sun as a mother, because of the caring words used to describe it such as gently. It portrays the sun as a kind figure that woke up the soldier on a regular basis. On this occasion, it cannot. The sunbeams â€Å"toil† to keep him awake but that still does not work. This is because nature (the sun) cannot interfere with manmade affairs (war). There is snow present, which is a figure of death because it is cold and harsh, opposite of the warm and gentle sun. He is appalled how our limbs â€Å"so dear achieved† can be used as tools as destruction.

Britains Role in the War Against Germany 1939-45

The role of the British in the war with Germany 1939 - 45 UK played a very important role during the Second World War. It is the longest ally in warfare and can make many contributions to ensure Hitler's fall. The influence of England began on September 3 when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war against Germany. Why is this so special? This is because he made Hitler the enemy of the West. In fact, Hitler was surprised by the change in the incident and was looking forward to avoid the conflict in the UK. Introduction World War II began when the German army invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. On the night of September 3, 1939 two days later, both the UK and France entered a war with Germany. Because they failed in the First World War and created restrictions, Germany has the smallest naval power among the great powers. These limitations of the 1922 Washington Treaty restricted the German Navy's limit on the number of its fleets, tonnage and mortality. - History of Bismarck Bismarck's history began in the spring of 1941. It started a Rheinà ¼bung strategy with two ships and Scharnhorst and Gneisenau returned from Berlin operations. It was thought that Bismarck was sent with the sister ship Tillpitz, but decided not to shorten the training. They will also be sent with Shane Horst and Grenau, but they are not used for the British air strikes. So they sent it along with heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Germany invaded Poland in 1939, eventually leading to the declaration of war between Germany and the UK. However, the Allies adopted a defensive position rather than initiating a massive attack. This is known as the British Phonie War or the French Dora Des degal - an interesting war. It did not prevent the German army from conquering Poland in its innovative electric blast fight within a few weeks. It also helped the Soviet Union to attack Poland. When Germany began attacking the west, the fight of France began in May 1940, and the tactics of the same electric battlefield were found to be devastating there. IDF bypassed the Maguinot line through the parade of the Ardennes Forest. As a shift to this main force, the second German army was sent to Belgium and the Netherlands. In the six weeks of a brutal battle, the French lost 90,000 people. When British and French leaders declared war with Germany on 3 September 1939 they announced they did because the German army attacked Poland and threatened Polish independence. In the war with Germany, the British and French leaders turned the two-day geographically restricted conflict between Germany and Poland into a continental European confrontation. It soon became clear that the reasons for prosecution in English and French are not sincere. After two weeks, the British and French leaders did not declare war against the Soviet Union when Soviet Russian forces attacked Poland from the east and finally occupied more Polish territory than Germany.

Formation of a Contract Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formation of a Contract - Case Study Example She asked Janet if she was willing to sell her car for 3000 which she agreed. Janet told Barbara that she would sell the car to her for 3000 if she paid in cash and asked her to come over the following day to see it which she did. The contract between Barbara and Janet was concluded immediately she expressed acceptance of an offer. The issue where Barbara is changing her mind that she was to revoke her acceptance is impossible since the contract between her and Janet is binding and enforceable before a court of law. It is immaterial to state that he was revoking the acceptance because she discovered that the car had some problem as stated by his stepfather Roy. 1 A contract which is an agreement between two or more parties which is intended to create legally binding obligations was created between Barbara and Janet on the sale of the second hand car. The word binding is used for there are some contracts which are valid but are not enforceable. For a contract to be binding there must be an intention to create legal relationship between the parties to the contract. For this case, there was an intention of creating a legal relationship between Janet and Barbara on the sale of the second hand car. ... 2 Acceptance once made cannot be revoked unlike an offer which can be revoked by an express notice before it is accepted. However, acceptance cannot be revoked in any circumstance by either the offeree or the offeror. The moment a person expresses his acceptance of an offer, that very moment the contract is concluded and it does not matter whether the acceptance is by word of mouth, in writing or sent by post. For this case, it was illegal for Barbara to revoke his contract to purchase the second hand car for 3000 from Janet as agreed on the phone with her. Due to this reason, Janet can sue Barbara for damages. 3 The normal remedy for breach of contract is damages where the aim of the law is to place the third party as far as possible in the possible in the position he would have been if the contract had been performed. Janet is entitled to receive nominal damages which are awarded to the plaintiff after proving a breach of contract without suffering any actual loss. On the issue where Barbara had been lend 3000 by his stepfather Roy; there was a legally binding contract between them. There was an agreement that Barbara was to pay the debt by 30 equal instalments. This agreement fulfils all the requirements of a valid contract hence it became binding immediately the money was lend to Barbara by her stepfather Roy. However, Barbara's car was involved in an accident and she requested his stepfather to forgo his monthly instalments so that she could afford the repair of her car after the accident which amounted to 1200. For this case, there was a fresh contract between Barbara and his stepfather Roy to forgo the repayment of the loan for sometime until her financial status returned to normal. In the new contract between

Perception Key Rothko and Arp and Conception Key City Planning Essay

Perception Key Rothko and Arp and Conception Key City Planning - Essay Example The colors appear primary, with the exception of the lack melded borders around the rectangular shape in the upper portion of the painting. In contrast, the curvaceous work entitled, Growth, by Arp, seems to radiate femininity. A profile perspective of the piece seems to indicate, though not definitively outline, a female subject matter. Despite its marble material, the work curves and invites the viewer in the way it is rendered suggesting a bold sensuality. Both works are compelling and move he viewer to think more deeply as to the artist’s intentions and mood at the time of rendering and conceiving the finished piece. Perception Key Rothko and Arp (Chapter 5 page 104) 1. And 2. Would you like to touch either of these works? Would you expect either the Rothko or the Arp to feel hot or cold to your touch? Rothko’s, Earth Greens and Arp’s, Growth, are both works that one would want to touch. Arps’s rendering is inviting and the white marble would expect it to be cool to the touch. If the image were to come to life it would seem fluid, and sensually warm. However, as it is presented, the marble would appear to be cool to the touch while Rothko’s Earth Greens evokes a different sensational feeling. The canvas has a naturally warm feeling. The red is bold and the black around the edges of it almost see to indicate a red so hot it was scorched. 3. Which work seems to require the more careful placement of lighting? Why? Both works would be affected by the lighting around them. The Rothko is so bold that bright lights would seem to cause it to appear even more powerful. Dim lights would wash the colors out a bit. With Arp’s work lighting is exceptionally important to the three dimensional quality of it. In photos of the statue the lighting changes the look of the work immensely. The curves shadow differently depending on the light Bright lights would enhance the white of the marble. The work almost morphs in different lightin g as though it is moving. 4. Which of the two works appears to be the more unchangeable in your perception? 5. Why do the authors claim that Earth Greens is more abstract than Growth: Can you think of other reasons for example, the shapes in the two works? The Rothko piece is far more stagnant. The rectangle and square seem solid as if holding their ground and unmovable. Earth Greens is far more abstract than Growth as it has less dimension and eaves he viewer with shape and color. Growth has form in three dimensions that indicates either a figure of a woman or at the very least representation of the feminine in the curves and sensations that emanate from viewing it City Planning 1. Do you think the city ought to be saved? Why not just spread out, without, the centralized functions of a city: what advantages does the city alone have? What still gives glamour to such cities as Florence, Venice, Rome, Paris, Vienna, and London? New York City is a magnificent city that has seen serious change over the last twenty-five years. During the 1980’s New York City was dirty dangerous and graffiti covered. To his credit Mayor Giuliani did an amazing job of cleaning the city during his two terms. The graffiti is

Should Catholic Priests Marry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Should Catholic Priests Marry - Essay Example logically priests are believed to serve where Christ would have served if he was on earth and this will configure them to do as Christ did as he never got married. Though catholic priests are not allowed to marry, this paper will explore a number of ways which supports and show why catholic priest should marry It is evident that lager number of Christians value marriage a lot, and this is revealed in the book of Mathew when Jesus had a visit Peter’s house and saw the mother of his wife who was then ailing. This is one of the supports in which Catholic Priest should stand on, meaning that if one of the disciples who was close to Jesus was married then they themselves should also be married. Furthermore, Peter one of the apostles points out that state of being unmarried leads to sexual offences, and he shows this in the book of Corinthians, saying that there should be a relationship between two people, man and woman which leads to marriage. His point goes hand in hand with what is pointed out in the book of Genesis, where god commands people to fill the earth and this can only happen when people get married hence everyone must comply with bibles teaching implying that catholic priests should also marry. Today, it is all over the news on how priests struggle with celibacy and they are obligated to have secret relationships and this is detrimental to the church (Carrell). The current children sexual abuse which has wrecked the Roman Catholic is seen to have been contributed by unmarried priest, though there have been some efforts by the Catholic Churches to try and hide from the public such allegation. Priest should be given the chance to get families and celibacy in the Roman Catholics should be abandoned, so as to avoid such child abuse from the priests. This is because their conjugal rights will have been granted to them and they will not engage in these brutal acts. The above arguments do not mean that celibacy is never value or was never value by the

Issues of Faculty Training for Online Courses Part 5 Research Paper

Issues of Faculty Training for Online Courses Part 5 - Research Paper Example Stratified sampling is suitable in this research since it has less error margins(Bogdan, &Biklen, 2007). After selection using the stratified sampling meaning people with similar interests, an adequate number is again chosen from the original sample. The number has to be adequate to ensure that the group involved has taken a sample of every significant personfor the interview. For example the number should consist of both teachers and students and not only teacher or students or an uneven number. We could use the sample size calculator to determine the sample size but in this instance we shall chose the estimation means(Ryan & Wiley Online Library, 2013). In this case we shall estimate the students and teachers below fifty years of age. The formula will be p=X/n where X is the number of teachers and students under fifty years(Ardilly&TilleÃŒ , 2006). The rationale behind this sample size is that people above fifty years are not keen or active to use online facilities frequently. In this stage, a clear and brief description of measurements needed is stated. For example in this case the sample size to be used. Secondly, selection of researchers is done. These researchers are then thoroughly trained. Thirdly, the research must be underway with trained researchers reporting and taking down data. Finally, the data must be recorded clearly so that it can be used for the purpose of the research. Here the data is sorted, separated and entered into a computer. Any audio visual material used can be transcribed at this stage. Observation of data and deducing the meaning is then performed on the sorted data. Finally, the use of qualitative and quantitative data sorting is done on the data(Seidman, 2013). Statistical analysis is only performed on quantitative data as it can be counted while qualitative cannot be counted(Seidman, 2013). Statistical analysis can be done through normal counting, observations of

Troubling Short and Long-Term Violent Media Effects on Children Essay

Troubling Short and Long-Term Violent Media Effects on Children - Essay Example The two articles provide compelling evidence that violent media has significant short-term and long-term effects on children’s development of aggressive thoughts, emotions, and actions, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, intelligence, and parenting styles and characteristics. The two articles are similar in examining the effects of violent media on children. Anderson and Bushman conducted a meta-analysis on studies that investigated the impacts of playing video games on aggression, physiological arousal, or prosocial behaviour. They wanted to know if playing violent media is connected to aggressive thoughts, emotions, or actions, or all of the above, and what the underlying mechanisms are for these connections. Huesmann et al. also studied the effect of violent media on children, particularly how watching violent TV in childhood affected later young adult aggression. They conducted a follow-up study of the 1977 longitudinal study that the authors did on 557 children w ho lived in Chicago. They considered other factors too that can explain the media-behaviour relationship, including preference for violence and third variables. These two articles are both interested in studying the effects of media violence on children’s aggression levels. Though these studies share similar general research topics on violent media effects on children, the two articles are different in their research designs because Anderson and Bushman used a meta-analysis design, while Huesmann et al. continued their longitudinal study.

Business Strategies Implemented Internationally Research Paper - 1

Business Strategies Implemented Internationally - Research Paper Example How should you organize the business outside of the U.S.? Marketing department handles the sales operation in an international market. Setup of the export department that is in direct contact with the CEO. Setup of independent franchisees or subsidiaries whereby each franchise functions individually and is in direct contact with the CEO (Hodgetts & Rugman, 1995). Should you set-up reasonably independent companies, subsidiaries, in each foreign market? Yes, setting up subsidiaries in each of the international markets is one of the best ways to manage business outside the local market. The franchises are run according to the demands of that country. This is called as the multi-domestic strategy. Another similar strategy; known as international strategy, in this concept certain departments of the international franchise are still maintained by the parent company (Aswathappa, 2008). In order to exercise control over each of the subsidiary, it is important that the companies know which of the strategies it is going to implement and their relevant advantages and disadvantages. A subsidiary board of director will manage the various subsidiaries and their work and hence in this way it is easy to maintain the reputation and decrease the chances of risk in reputation. It is better not to impose a strict brand image and it is also important that all the subsidiaries be linked with the help of the internet or any other software that might be available

Gender leadership style in the workforce. Who is more respected Annotated Bibliography

Gender leadership style in the workforce. Who is more respected - Annotated Bibliography Example The study made use of eighty weekly interviews of top business executives conducted by Adam Bryan between 2010 and 2011 and consisted of 40 men and 40 women for the Corner Office series of the New York Times Sunday, business section. The study results include the use of personal power, emphasis on relationships by women (85%), encouragement and participation by both genders but not sharing influence and power, and the use of transformational leadership. The information is relevant to the research since it deals with gender and leadership at the workplace. The article will form part of the literature review through providing a basis for comparing gender roles in leadership. The article is focused on the leadership of business executives and is consistent with gender requirements using a representative sample and provides for depth and clear content analysis. Champions of gender equality: Female and Male executives as leaders of the gender change is an article authored by De Vries Anne with the aim of examining how male and female executives champion for gender change interventions. The article begins by examining the developments that have been witnessed on the gender front and the fight for equality among the different sexes. The role of business and organizations through its leaders is the other facet examined in the paper. The study achieves its aim using a feminist qualitative research methodology making gender central to the discussion and is conducted in a policing organization and Australian University. The study makes use of four interviews of senior personnel in the two organizations for data collection. The results of the study include the better positioning of men to champion for gender change, increased the burden on women fighting for gender change, but in gender change men are more effective compared to women. The information is relevant to the research in that it captures the role of leadership

Understanding of the career opportunities in Sports Management Essay Example for Free

Understanding of the career opportunities in Sports Management Essay The field of sport and exercise persists to expand rapidly. This is proofed by the fact that sport is now regarded as a multi-billion dollar industry. As the sport practices increased expansion, many career opportunities are becoming obtainable for students skilled in sport and exercise linked majors. Sport management, as a career is broad-based enough to symbolize a diversity of sport-related areas including, but not limited to, leisure and sport facilities; hotels and resorts; public and private aquatic, golf, and/or racquet clubs; health and fitness programming found in corporations, hospitals, private agencies and clubs, and public settings; commodities; youth, interscholastic, intercollegiate, and professional sports; community recreation; collegiate leisure sports; armed services recreational sports; and nonprofit youth agency amusement and sport programs. Further, the sport management curriculums are flexible enough to convene the demands of student career concerns in such areas as sport leisure and recreation, sport and athletics, sporting goods industry, hostelries as well as travel, nonprofit agencies, and health and fitness management. In defining sport management Stier stated, Today sport management is in reality a multifaceted domain offering a multitude of opportunities for employment and self-fulfillment in a wide range of sport and sport related activities, both in the public and private sectors, as well as in the profit and not-for-profit arenas (Stier, 1999, p. 3). The umbrella of physical education is no longer, and never was, broad-based enough to cover the ever-expanding field of sport management and the other fields that have developed. Numerous organizational options are accessible for sport management programs. The least intimidating option is to remain within the department of physical education and seek an independent status with a separate budget and curricular freedom. A subsequent option is to seek departmental status, which would need a major financial commitment by the college/university throughout a time when dollars are short. Yet another alternative is to fold the sport management curriculum into the department of recreation management or recreation and leisure studies, forming a new, extended department of leisure and sport management. A degree in Sport Management facilitates students’ admission into recreation field. It serves numerous of the same clients and teaches related theory in the management area. The programs gives a distinct required core and a diversity of specializations such as recreation management, sport management, collegiate recreational sport management, aquatic management, health and fitness management, golf facilities management, recreation therapy, coaching education, and others (Kravitz, L. 2001). Sport management undergraduate and graduate programs inflate and prosper under the umbrella of recreation and sport management. Numerous opportunities available for growth of recreation and sport management programs in areas such as management, psychology, leadership, coaching etc. Career opportunity in the field of sports management role can differ extremely depending upon the setting, although the definite task of the manager will be to take general management functions and execute them in a sports setting. All management functions can pertain in different situations at different times, the actually skilful manager will discern when each applies and will use that progression properly. It is necessary for sports managers to comprehend that they are managing in a sports situation, and that they must be applying the correct business principles and practices as appropriate and pertinent to that situation, as colleagues will be doing in other industrial state. There has been some interruption in service industries usually in distinguishing that they have to apply management principles, as do product-based industries. There has been an additional gap in sport apprehending that it is in fact a service industry, but now it is hoped these thought processes and then good practices will instigate to be applied. Sports managers need background knowledge in the development of management, but they will more particularly need knowledge of sport and the people involved in it. To be really effective they will have to a have a feeling for the business of sport, as well as management skills. Basically, sports management is all concerning managing: †¢ The workplace †¢ The people †¢ Day-to-day operations †¢ The facility †¢ The activity †¢ The development process †¢ Partnership working. It has been accepted in a number of settings that there are five general approaches to management. The classical approach deals with the content, suggestive that there is core knowledge that every manager should possess. This comprises the functions of planning, organizing and controlling. The behavioral approach regards as the role of the individual within the management process and recognizes that each individual has needs, wants and desires. It considers that individuals are diverse and need to be properly treated. Management science sets out to use mathematical approaches in management to recuperate efficiency; it relays to operational problems and ways of solving these. The systems approach is based on conniving a specific system of management made up of a diversity of parts which should be brought together to function as an entire to congregate the organizations objectives. The contingency approach works on the supposition that there is no single best means to manage. The manager should be able to manage in diverse situations and distinguish that organizations can diverge in the best way. Though, there are always a diversity of theories and ideas while managing in any given situation, and they must be applied at the suitable time and in the proper manner. To have Sports management as career a manger should always be responsive of trends in sports and the resultant effects on participation. Change can be quick, e. g. the start of numerous people retiring early; or expected, e. g. the reduction in numbers of young people. In some such instance, sports management should react or, better still, anticipate. The profession of sports management desires people who have come from a realistic background with additional training, as well as those who could be professed as academics who have come from an educational background. In numerous situations the difference might be seen as more to do with attitudes than with explicit skill-based training most industrial settings, and sport and recreation is no different, would favor an open-minded wider-thinking person whatever their surroundings, so this is perceived to be one of the benefits of a more academic learning. â€Å"Education is leading human souls to what is best†¦the training which makes men happy in themselves also makes them more serviceable to others†. John Ruskin http://www. infed. org/christianyouthwork/spark_of_the_divine. htm Fundamentally it is much more significant for people to have the keenness and sympathy for sport and its participants than any written qualification, but it is significant that they have the capability to think widely enough to believe everything that may intrude on the operation of sport in their country as well as their explicit situation in a club or national body. The girth of education, perhaps from an extent or some other general management qualification, might well be useful for someone in sports administration if it is joined with commitment and eagerness for the activity of sport, the feature that distinguishes it from other management situations. Interpersonal skills and significance in sport are, though, more significant than any qualification or educational backdrop. The requirement for training is pertinent regardless of whether a person already possesses a condition, a degree or even a postgraduate award. Training can offer specific skills, knowledge and proficiency that will not come from degree-level courses and will be necessary for sports managers in the work situation. For instance, a degree in sports management is never going to train one specifically how to hold volunteers in some of the situations that can come up in the everyday sports arena. particular consideration has to be given to the physical constraints that face people working in sport and how they are going to manage with them this is usually best attained through a progressive and well-established training programme.

What Is Adaptation Essay Example for Free

What Is Adaptation Essay Adaptation in common sense is a system reaction of organism which provides possibility of all kinds of social activity and vital functions. In other sources we can find a definition that adaptation is totality of reactions of live system, which supports its functional stability in the process of changes in conditions of environment. It can be also called plastic accommodation of internal changes to external changes as well. Processes of adaptation are directed at supporting of stability inside of organism and between organism and environment and are connected with self-preservation of functional level of self-regulated system and with choice of functional strategy of achievement the aim. By psychical adaptation we understand continuous process of active adaptation for human psychics to conditions of physical and social environment which surrounds him, and also the result of this process. To describe the process of adaptation we use also term â€Å"adaptation abilities†. Psychical adaptation include level of factual adjustment of a person, level of his social status and self-feeling of satisfaction or dissatisfaction by himself and his life. Sensory adaptation is explained by change in ability to react at changes in environment with help of sensory system, basing at the average level of stimuli, which surrounds us. For example, we feel the temperature of water as cold for the first several minutes, and later we find it not so cold, although temperature didn’t change: it is at the same level, but our organism was adapted to this temperature and our receptors found this temperature as â€Å"normal†. It is adaptation. When we are in perfume shop and smelling different kinds of perfumes, our nose looses it sensitiveness after change of several smells – we actually feel odors but we are adapted to them and we are unable to tell the difference between them.   When we walk in the evening, our eyes are gradually adapt to darkness, and while the sun sets, we can see in the darkness – but when we go out from room with bright light into the darkness, it takes time to adapt to darkness after change of exposure. Sensory systems are nervous mechanisms, which serve as receivers of signals, informing about changes in environment, which surrounds the subject (extroreception) and in his organism (intrareception). We got used to distinguish five main external sensory systems, which receive sensory information: cutaneous sensitiveness (touch), sight, smell, taste, and hearing. These senses present out basis of knowledge about environment. In fact, we have more of these systems (only cutaneous sensitiveness causes sense of cold, pressure, hot, pain, etc). Sensory systems consist of receptors, nervous conductors and nerve centers. Each sensory system provides sensation which is peculiar to it only.

Time To Rethink The Portfolio

Time To Rethink The Portfolio Church Dwight Co. Inc. is a 160 years old company that has been working to build a market share on a brand name that is rarely associated with its name, Arm Hammer (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-1). The companys growth strategy was finding new ways to incorporate sodium bicarbonate in the lives of the consumer. The company shifted management thinking, as more emphasis has been placed on bottom-line profitability growth. Because of the acquisition of 80 different consumer brands since 2004, Church Dwight dealt with explosive growth that is producing challenges such as the companys small size and the ability to compete for market share with its giant competitors both domestic and international market (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-1 35-2). 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Church Dwight, a relatively small company, recognized the challenges of growing sales through acquisitions that it made to promote growth and competitiveness within those markets. They needed to grow the expansion of product lines into a variety of personal care, deodorizing and cleaning, and laundry products as well as specialty chemicals, animal nutrition, and specialty cleaners (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-6). Church Dwight expanded into international markets and gained footholds in product markets through acquisition of manufacturing assets. Penetrating international markets and removing barriers such as transportation cost will gain a competitive edge against the giant players in the market (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-11). B. THE SITUATION After 160 years, Church Dwight is a giant in the household domestic product market with a brand name recognition more commonly associated with Arm Hammer products. ARM HAMMER baking soda became a fundamental item on the pantry shelf because of its several uses other than baking, it can be used as a dentifrice, chemical agent to absorb or neutralize odors and acidity, a kidney dialysis element, a blast media, an environmentally friendly cleaning agent, a swimming pool pH stabilizer, and a pollution control agent (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). The companys brand portfolio included over 80 popular brands and competes for market share with other giants including Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Proctor Gamble, which have combined sales of over $100 billion (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-1). The company expanded over the past decade into other household product lines through acquisitions of consumer brands such as Mentadent, Pepsodent, Aim, Close-up, Trojan, Spinbrush, Oragel and Ox iclean. It achieved 85% of the sodium bicarbonate market share (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-6). Expansion in the domestic markets proved successful because of the management recognized the value of a major asset, the companys pristine balance sheet and made the decision to grow (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-5). Growth in the foreign markets proved more challenging than domestic markets as net sales in 2009 were only $393 million compared to domestic net sales of $1.8 billion (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-5). Finally, the company has achieved some success in foreign markets as 19% of revenue has been received through international market sales; primarily in consumer products (Case Author: Cook, R. A., p.35-1 35-12, 2012). A challenge against leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers is eminent. It is also experiencing head on collision with giant competitors such as Procter Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive. In spite of challenges Church Dwight transformed into much larger competito r not only across a broader range of products but also in geographic territory (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-6). Because of this, the company in order to maintain its continuous growth in both domestic and international arena needs to have the best strategy at their side. (Cook, pp, 35-1 35-12). II. ANALYSIS A. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION Management The management of Church Dwight Co. Inc. was lead by Dwight C. Milton, a direct descendant of Austin Church, as CEO from 1969 to 1995. He remained on the board as Chairman Emeritus as he turned over the responsibility to the first non-family member to Robert A. Davies III. Again In 2004 the responsibility was transferred to another non-family member, James R. Craige, who remained focused on building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantage (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). The steadiness of the companys leadership can be primarily attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the companys original cofounders, a tradition that continues today (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). This focused leadership style has enabled Church Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of dir ectors and management to amend the companys charter and allowing shareholders four (4) votes per share after they hold their stock for four years. In addition to staggering the directors tenure, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide a safety net should any of the board member positions be terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted suitor. By providing these lucrative packages for senior managers, many were able to stay with Church Dwight and allowed for continuity of leadership styles, vision and mission focus. It is because of this steadfast devotion to principles that have promoted steady growth over the years that we find Church Dwight identified previously as a Star but more recently labeled a Cash Cow using the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth Share Matrix (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 221-222). However, as the company focuses more on international markets and ente rs other potential avenues of growing product lines, it will surely find itself back in the Stars range of the BCG Growth-Share Matrix. Operations 10 years ago, the Church Dwight Co. Inc. was a largely household domestic product company with an average annual sale of less than a billion dollars but because of major acquisitions, today it is has transformed into a company that has a capability of earning over 2.5 billion in annual sales. Church Dwight have come to the realization that they have major challenges to overcome if they are to compete with other giants in the industry and continue to thrive. Church Dwight also recognize they must remain vigilant to quickly and adequately deal with Porters Five Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers; Threat of new entrants; Threat of substitute products or services; bargaining power of buyers (customers); and Rivalry among existing firms (competitors) (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 110-113). When considering the force, Bargaining Power of Suppliers, the force rating could be considered MEDIUM as management must be constantly aware of any potential market shocks or trends. If an affiliate retailer is affected by unforeseen supply chain issues, like increased fuel prices, then those costs throughout the company may be affected to remain competitive. In addition, Church Dwight are well aware of the economic situations that may affect their trade customers who may reduce distribution of products in which sales may decline, or adversely affect the financial performance of the company (Craigie, 2010, p. 11). There was never historically a Threat of New Entrants into the sodium bicarbonate market prior to 1970. However, as the company developed new product offerings and other established consumer brands, they now face the same competition threats of mature and domestic and international markets for consumer products (Wheelen Hunger, p 35-7, 2012). In addition, this threat of new entrants has emerged over the past decades and may now be rated High on the Porters Force Rating Scale. In fact, the looming economic crisis may cause many trade customers to more c ritically analyze the threat of new entrants as HIGH as competition drives less efficient operators out of the market as new competitors are always trying to enter the market by under-selling products directly competing with Church Dwight. Of course, the Threat of substitute products or services is always considered HIGH as well because brand recognition is very important in todays mass-media marketing. The value of trademarks, copyrights, or brand recognition can be severely impacted if inferior or substitute products/services from an affiliate or emerging competitor are advertised or sold to consumers looking for products with reputations of value and durability. Of course, a substitute item may also find its way into the market where consumers might choose it as a suitable replacement, but at a much cheaper cost to them. This would definitely be a problem for any company. (Wheelen Hunger, p. 221-222, 2012). Bargaining power of buyers (customers) is generally a MEDIUM concern as consumer satisfaction is evaluated in a variety of ways. Otherwise, dissatisfaction can drive prices up or down based on demand (or the lack of). Quality is also a hallmark of Church Dwight and the perception by consumers of any potential lowering of standards to decrease prices will typically drive loyal customers away. And finally, Rivalry among existing firms (competitors) is HIGH as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. To reduce industry competition, Church Dwight also have a very solid core of specialty products (Wheelen Hunger, p 35-9, 2012). Fortunately, Church Dwight has in an enviable position to profit from its dominant niche in the sodium bicarbonate products market since it controlled the primary raw material used in its production (Wheelen Hunger, p 35-9, 2012). Marketing The Church Dwight Co. Inc. sales are concentrated in United States and Canada where funnel it through mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart, supermarkets, wholesale clubs and drugstores (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-7). Marketing strategy has been fairly simplistic in that its focus has primarily been on the sodium bicarbonate product lines for over a century, but since acquiring over 80 additional brands and the expansion into other product markets the brand recognition has become even more important than ever. As a result, marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008 (Craigie, 2010, p. 29). Church Dwight catered to all demographics which allowed them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to serve them. Unfortunately, attempts to enter international markets have met with limited success, probably for two reasons: (1) lack of name recognition and (2) transportation cos ts (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-11). Church Dwight decided to take their marketing tasks in house by having designed a campaign on one of their product that would shake people up particularly those who think that using condoms is not for them by airing commercials on prime-time television. This shock strategy increased its marketing strength and enabled the partnership with Quidel Corporation, a provider of point-of-care diagnostic test, to meet womens health and wellness needs (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-9). Product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a companys name and its product lines. Finance Being the worlds largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products, Church Dwight Co. Inc was able to maintain a steady growth in both sales and earnings. For the past 30 years, the average company sales have increased by 10-15% annually (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). The companys domestic markets have proven successful because of the companys pristine balance sheet (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-5). in 2009, Church Dwights performance worldwide has achieved an increase in sales of 4 percent; organic sales increased 5 percent, gross profit margin increased 44 percent while global marketing expenses only increased 20 percent; and the Net Cash Flow grew to a record level of $401 million even more significant to investors is the report of earnings per share grew 23% and dividends on investments increased by 35 percent (Craigie, 2010, p. 1). ). In contrast to the growing profits and expenses, the company also jettisoned noncore assets for the first time, i ncluding five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-5). The long-term business model is based on annual organic growth of 3-4%, gross marginal expansion, tight management of overhead cost and operating margin improvement of 60-70 basis points resulting in sustained earning growth of 10-12% excluding acquisition. They have added a $1 billion in sales for the past 5 years while reducing the total head count by 5% (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). the CEO remains focused on building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages and the long-term objective is to maintain the companys track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the SP 500 (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). Administration (Human Resources) The Companys leadership at the top has remained a stable hallmark of the company. The Boards of directors are structures into three classes with four directors in each class serving staggered period of three year term (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). the former CEO, Mr. James R. Cragie, stated à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[W]e have added $1 billion in sales in the past five years, a 72% increase, while reducing out total headcount by 5%, resulting in higher revenue per employee than all of our major competitors (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). Because of its continuous exposure to would-be suitors the company has entered into an employee severance agreement with key officials. It provides pay up to two times the individuals highest salary and bonus plus benefits for two years. As the company widens its coverage into the consumer products in early 2000s, the changes in its key personnel was noticeable by injected a pool of executives with wide range of experien ce in marketing and international background from known organizations such as Spalding Sports Worldwide, Johnsons Johnsons, FMC and Carter-Wallace (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-3). Technological advancements allow for increased productivity in various aspects of manufacturing and labor allowing for greater productivity without the added expense of additional manpower. The following is the companys published Ethical Standards: The reputation and integrity of Church Dwight Co., Inc. are valuable corporate assets, vital to the Companys success. Each Company employee, including each of the Companys officers and general managers and each Company director, is responsible for conducting the Companys business in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of integrity. Specifically, we encourage among Company personnel a culture of honesty, accountability and mutual respect. Additionally, we provide guidance to help Company personnel recognize and deal with ethical i ssues. Finally, we have provided mechanisms for Company personnel to report unethical conduct. Dishonest or unethical conduct or conduct that is illegal will constitute a violation of these Standards and are grounds for disciplinary action (Church Dwight Co. Inc, 2010). SWOT STRENGTHS The Church Dwight Corporation has several strengths, the company controlled the primary raw materials used in its production of Sodium Bicarbonate through its companys mines in southwest Wyoming, production was completed in company owned plants located in Green River, Wyoming and Old Fort, Ohio and they manufactured almost two-thirds of the sodium bicarbonate sold in United States (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-9). The sodium bicarbonate product line has proven itself for over 160 years with uses in baking, cleaning, and deodorizing, and as an added ingredient for things like drain openers and neutralizing agents. WEAKNESSES A potential weakness within the company is the overextension of branding into many other product lines. Until 1970, it produced and sold only two consumer products: ARM HAMMER Baking Soda and a laundry product marketed under the name Super Washing Soda. The company enjoyed success domestically, but in the international arena where growth was more products driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-6 35-7). Other weaknesses are the lack of name recognition from consumers, the capability in entering the international market due to being hindered by the cost of transporting the product, and the cost is four times of its domestic transportation cost. Opportunities There is a wide range of opportunities for Church Dwight Co. Inc. when it come to their sodium bicarbonate products as it continues to explore new use. Church Dwight gained recognition when it was utilized successfully for the delicate task stripping the paint and tar from the interior of Statue of Liberty without damaging the fragile copper skin (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-10). Future expansion in acquisitions and assets may prove more advantageous as potential consumer products become even more attractive to increase the profitability as the manufacturing base is expanded around the globe. THREATS The primary threat to Church Dwight is competition. Competitors have an even greater market share and larger marketing campaigns to remain leaders in their respective niche. There are also threats of buy-outs or hostile takeovers of Church Dwight but because of the company entering into an employee severance agreement with key officials (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-3)it has kept this issue away from them. 7.) Products or services Church Dwight consists of several acquisitions that cater to almost 95% of all US Households. These products are based on differences in the nature of their uses and organized into three reportable segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products (SPD) (Craigie, 2010, p. 2). The company currently produces 80 different product lines, in which (8) major brands make up a total of 80 percent of its business (Craigie, 2010, p. 1), including: ARM HAMMER, Trojan, Oxiclean, Spinbrush, First Response, Nair, Orajel, and Xtra Leading Deep Value Laundry Detergent (Craigie, 2010, p. 1). Church Dwight has a discreet marketing team focused solely on new product development which leads cross-functional efforts. In partnership withà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦RD colleagues, uses both internal and external resources to identify, design and market new productsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦accounted for over $400 million, or over 15 percent in total sales, in 2009 (Church Dwi ght Co. Inc, 2010). The products ranges from dentifrice, chemical agent to absorb or neutralize odors and acidity, a kidney dialysis element, a blast media, an environmentally friendly cleaning agent, a swimming pool pH stabilizer, and pollution control agent (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-2). The company is also focused on goals to develop differentiated products with new and distinctive features, increased convenience and value, and engaging outside contractors for research and development activities (Church Dwight Co. Inc, 2010). B. PROBLEM DEFINITION The problem presented in this case study was that Church Dwight needed to rationalize its expanded consumer products, while presenting a consistent operating profit and increasing market shares of the household product industry. Potential marketing problems arose when companys own products were placed along with its well-known brand name and confused consumers. The companys corporate objectives were: (1) to maintain a steady growth by staying focus on long term goals; (2) to provide best result to shareholders; (3) to continue seeking new uses of its core products (4) to maintain and keep cost under control; (5) to enter the international market and continually seeking for opportunity for growth. In order for Church Dwight to retain its position, it must continue to provide outstanding customer service, excellence in product quality, invest in cutting edge technology, and develop new uses for its primary product line. every market has its saturation point where products matures after reaching its peak because of this point the company must be ready to adapt to a continuous cycle of change. Church Dwight enjoy a considerably large loyal customer base, competing with Proctor Gamble and other industry giants and to get customers to switch competitors is no easy task. The company should explore ways of improving the life of the consumers while maintaining and protecting the environment, new products and competitors will always emerge and there are limitless opportunities for growth in international market. III. SYNTHESIS ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS Brand recognition for ARM HAMMER brand products has already been established within the domestic markets of the United States, but international markets continue to be a challenge due to cultural differences in market populations, marketing strategies, and language barriers that require new brand names to be more suitable for local languages/cultures. Church Dwight have been very effective in using its acquisitions to generate greater revenue but with the high cost of transporting its finished goods internationally, intense competition, and higher commodities costs it might be financially sound to entering into an agreement with an established international company. Another alternative could be to develop joint-business ventures with suppliers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers. The benefit to this option would be to streamline production and sales and allow the ease of marketing products and services to its affiliates and partners. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION The best solution for this company is to be able to retain the best products while satisfying competitive pressures. The following recommendation and solution of reducing expenditures and continuing the company policy of continued growth through new product development and market expansion with hopes of reducing costs. The continuous seeking of new use sodium bicarbonate will still be very effective for this company in years to come that is why the focus on this should never be lost for Expanding into new markets with major competitors jockeying for shelf space and retailers seeking to rationalize their breadth of product offerings, more changes may be considered (Wheelen Hunger, 2012, pp. 35-12). Church Dwight should develop new product lines both in domestic markets and globally as those markets are offering a much bigger area to be explored. In conclusion the ultimate goal of achieving huge revenue while maintaining cost of operation as low as pos sible has been always part of Church and Dwight Co. Inc. For them to reach where they are now in spite of unpopular name is truly a testimony of greatness that a company can achieve. This company, backed with 160 years of marketing and production experience will have a much clear brighter path of success as long as they continue to focus on their long term goals.

How to Organize and Run Effective Meetings Essay -- Workplace Meetings

INTRODUCTION Workplace meetings can be considered as essential but one of the most inefficient components of a corporate environment. Project managers can significantly influence the project performance by proactively influencing and controlling the dynamics of project meetings. This can ultimately generate highly valuable outputs in achieving team integration and consensus. ISSUES WITH MEETINGS Experts widely concur that there are too many meetings than required and most meetings are a waste of valuable time (American Marketing Association, 2011). Meetings can tend to get long and futile. Unfortunately, most of the meetings are hampered by vague agendas and directionless discussions. An attitude of low commitment creeps in and leads to dwindling participation. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Detrimental effects of unproductive meetings on a project are generally overlooked. In this essay I will attempt to examine meeting dynamics, including the five Ps (purpose, product, participants, process, and probable issues) and develop a reference cookbook for organizing and running meetings. INITIATION PHASE Strategy Meeting: The purpose is to analyze if a suggested business need fits with the organization’s strategic framework and vision (Tammy Adams, 2008). Products of this meeting include developing an initial draft of the business case, aligning it to overall organizations strategies. The participants should be low in number and include senior executives, sponsors and business process experts who would analyze the direction of the project. The process should focus on dividing the meeting in short segments and focus on individual items at a time. The possible issues could stem from to not presenting the complete data for the busine... ...p://www.the-program-manager.com/project-management/how-to-organize-an-effective-meeting/ PMI. (2004). Quickbooks. (2009, December 16). Project Closeout Meeting Agenda - DOC. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from docstoc: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19614443/Project-Closeout-Meeting-Agenda Schwalbe, K. (2012). Information Technology Project Management. Boston MA: Cengage Leaning. Tammy Adams, J. M. (2008). Project Meeting Facilitator: Facilitation Skills to Make the Most of Project Meetings. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. UGM Consulting. (2009, July 23). Strategy Design and Facilitation: The UGM Consulting Approach. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from UMGConsulting: http://www.ugmconsulting.com/Effective%20strategy%20design.pdf Vick, J. (2012, January 12). Project Management: How to Run Team Meetings. Retrieved 4 12, 2014, from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW0CjH95K3Q

How WW Jacobs Creates a Sense of Horror in The Monkey’s Paw Essays

Jacobs creates a sense of horror in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ by using a variety of literary techniques. As ‘The Monkey's Paw’ was written in 1902, Jacobs makes the story scary in ways that are very different to modern horror films and books. We can tell that the story was written in the early twentieth century as it contains many details that would have been common in Victorian literature. One of the most obvious features from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ that tells us that the story was written over a century ago, is the old-fashioned language that Jacobs uses. The language used throughout the story contains words such as ‘rubicund’ and ‘visage’, which are not words that are commonly used today. Also, the fact that  £200 was considered to be a lot of money shows that the story was from a long time ago as  £200 is not seen as a large amount of money in the modern world. Other aspects of the story also show that Ã¢â‚¬Ë œThe Monkey’s Paw’ was written in the Victorian time period - the fact that India was seen as a new, exotic and unexplored country tells us that the story must have been written in a time when transport wasn’t as easily available as it is today. In the story, when the Sergeant-Major tells the Whites about his exploration, they seem almost in awe of him as he is seen to be the bravest and most adventurous person that they have ever met because of his journey to India. The fact that Jacobs used a Sergeant-Major character is also another typical feature of Victorian literature. Finally, the household objects that the Whites use in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ show that the story was not set in modern times. For example, the Whites use candles for light and heat their kettle on a fire as there was no electricity in Victorian times. As ‘The Monkey’s Paw... ...f seeing whether their wish has come true. I think that WW Jacobs is a very powerful and intelligent writer who has cleverly used every possible feature in the story of ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ to create a sense of horror. The literary techniques that he uses are very typical to those of most short stories written in Victorian times. Personally, I think that these techniques, such as the mystery of the unknown, are a great deal scarier and build up a much better sense of tension than present day horror stories. Modern horror films and books mainly use gore, wounds and blood to create the element of disgust that generates the most profit. However, I think that Jacobs cleverly uses subtle details and suggestion in ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ to develop a sense of terror throughout the story, and this is what creates a classic horror story that really plays with the reader’s mind.

The No Child Left Behind Act Essay -- American Government, Politics

Initiated in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 intended to prevent the academic failures of educational institutions and individual students, as well as bridge achievement gaps between students. This act supports the basic standards of education reform across America; desiring to improve the learning outcomes of America’s youth. No Child Left Behind has left many to criticize the outcomes of the Act itself. Questions have risen concerning the effectiveness of NCLB, as well as the implications to America’s youth. Thesis The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 should be revised to allow better accountability of student success, accountability of schools progress, and better flexibility for teachers. About â€Å"No Child Left Behind† Signed into law in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 had ample bipartisan support. Implementing the belief that setting high achievement goals in education would yield an increase in student success nationwide, the act requires all states to build assessments for all grade levels concerning the basic skills of reading and math. This in turn provides assurances of federal funding for the public schools who participate fully in this practice. The goal of the act is to have every child achieve their grade level in math and reading by 2014. It was based off the Elementary & Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. ESEA established the Title I programs, which became the first federal education aid to support children of poor urban/rural areas (Ed.Gov). Accountability of Student Success â€Å"Accountability for improved student achievement lies at the heart of the ESEA debate (Jennings, 2010).† According to Jennings,we must relook how student progress in English language arts and math sho... ...positions. Teachers should be rewarded by success, not penalized by single sided test results. In conclusion, the initial intentions of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) were to close the achievement gap between low achieving students and schools and their counterparts; but have fallen short in many important aspects along the way. Teachers have become de-sensitized to the reasons they initially desired to be educators and have lost their vision of how to implement instruction due to standards of NCLB and the consequences for not meeting those mandated goals. Likewise, students must perform, many times, above their level in order to be labeled â€Å"adequate† by the federal government and their schools. In some cases, there is a disproportionate burden placed on schools, teachers, and students, all for the sake of what is federally deemed as average achievement.

Analysis of Johnson Music Essay

To assist in the overall report, evaluate the chosen system to include professional diagrams or images, of a computer system. Labeling the different hardware components give a description of the function of each of the main elements of the system. Make sure the explanation is clear enough to understand as the client may have little or no knowledge of a modern computer system. The terminology associated with systems should be elaborated on for clarity. Justify your choice of computer systems and in a critical way suggest how the choice could have been better. Find suitable illustrations of the selected hardware and software to meet P2 & M3 criteria. Windows 98 or Win 2000 operating system will be o/k. The ICT system that I have recommended to I.T.NOON, includes full details of the specification for the hardware stated. I have also found illustrations (JPEG Image) for the hardware items that are listed and which I have recommended. An operating system is the software responsible for allocating system resources, including memory, processor time, disk space, and peripheral devices such as printers, modems, and monitors. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, sending output to the display screen. All applications use the operating system to gain access to these resources as necessary. The operating system is the first program loaded into the computer as it boots, and it remains in memory throughout the session. Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. The choice of operating system determines the applications you can run. For PCs, the most popular operating system is Windows, but others are available, such as Linux. As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set of commands. â€Å"For example, the DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system called the command processor or command line interpreter.† Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen. Johnson Music (JMusic) was founded in 1901 at its current premises as a guitar shop. It specialised in trading in old guitars, refurbishing them and selling them on. At first the company had very few customers, but gradually grew. By 1910 the company had reasonable success, and started selling guitars directly from manufacturers. The founder, George Johnson, noticed that some guitar brands didn’t sell very well, and others did. One guitar brand that did sell well was Ibanez guitars. The company gradually started selling more Ibanez guitars, becoming more successful for the company. In 1950 the shop stopped selling all guitars other than Ibanez guitars and became a dedicated Ibanez dealer. The company soon moved on from guitars and started selling more than that, including pedals, amplifiers and bass guitars. This is how the company currently stands. Johnson music is owned by George Johnson, the son of the founder of the company. Its current location is:  Johnson Music  17 Churchgate  Bolton  BL1 1HU  UK.  The shop has two floors. One floor stores bass guitars and bass amplifiers, as well as bass effects pedals. The second floor stores guitars and guitar amplifiers as well as guitar effects pedals. The shop has two storage rooms: one upstairs and one downstairs. Downstairs stores all bass guitar products and upstairs stores all guitar products.  The shop has had a constant reasonable success and has a steady customer base at present. The company is in no danger of going out of business as it currently stands.

Four Narrative Positions in Fictions Essay

In fiction novels, one of the most important elements is the authoritative narrator. The narration is the part of the material which guides the readers and keeps them in track of how the story goes. Without this element, everything will be left onto the readers, like the parts of analysis and interpretation, which may lead to confusion. There are several kinds of narrations when it comes to fiction writing. However, although all narrative styles may appear helpful guiding the readers throughout the rest of a novel, the narrative style with the utmost access to the characters consciousness is always the most effective and affective to the readers. John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†: Outside Privileged Narration Looking at the narrative style of John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† it can be observed that the narrator speaks consistently in the third-person point of view. This is a one of the major properties of outside privileged narration. Another observable characteristic of the narrative position of this novel is that it has all the access to the characters’ emotions, views, feelings, and inner thoughts. The narrator seems to have all the knowledge in terms of how the characters feel as presented in this line: â€Å"Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was overeager, over-powerful. The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy† (Steinbeck page #). Aside from this, the narrator of this story also seems to have the ability to analyze the events it the story as well as the thoughts and dialogues of the characters, which is another distinct characteristic of an outside privileged narrator. This can be observed in the following line: â€Å"Here, for instance, the claustrophobic world of Elisa Allen is signaled by the claustrophobic clouds pressing in on the valley. This frustrated woman will never break free† (Steinbeck page #). Lastly, the narrator nonetheless appears credible since its presence has been close enough to the author’s views. Kate Chopin â€Å"The Story of an Hour†: Outside Effaced Narration In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin, it can be easily seen that the identity of the story does not dwell much on the characters. just like in the â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† the narrator here also tells the tale in the third-person, all-knowing point of view. However, as compared to the first short story, the narrator in this story does not have much access to the characters’ feelings and thoughts as reflected in this line which barely tells the outside manifestation of the characters’ emotions: â€Å"She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sisters’ arms† (Chopin page #). Moreover, the narrator also does not convey much about its presence as it can be observed that it does not always give sufficient descriptions and analysis, as presented in this line as well: â€Å"The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares† (Chopin page #). Also, this narrator is reliable in the sense that it shows the characters’ actions and describes what they are supposedly thinking and feeling, specifically that of Louise’s. However, it does not present the inner voice of the characters, nor does it express its own comments about the happenings in the story. Ralph Ellison â€Å"Battle Royal†: Inside Dramatized Narration In Ralph Ellison’s â€Å"Battle Royal,† the narrator appears as the character that is presented as the focus and identity of the novel. The narrator uses first-person pronouns which implies that he, himself is the character of the story which stars him. Unlike the short stories discussed earlier, the narrator in this story has the most access to the characters’ consciousness and feelings as he himself is the character of his own story – which makes his lines more affective and believable. This line clearly presents this attribute: â€Å"I saw them start up the steps and felt suddenly as though my head would split† (Ellison page #). Aside from this, there seems to be no question regarding the domination of the narrator in this story as he himself acts as the one who relates his own experiences: â€Å"Oh God, this wasn’t it at all. Poor techniques and not at all what I intended [†¦] Dispossessed? I cried holding up my hand and allowing the word to whistle from my throat. ‘That’s a good word, Dispossessed! Dispossessed† (Ellison page #). However, in most parts, there seem to be some questions regarding the narrator’s reliability as his and others’ knowledge in the story will always seen insufficient and not all-knowing. William Faulkner â€Å"A Rose for Emily†: Inside Restricted Narrator Just like Steinbeck’s and Chopin’s stories that were presented previously, the identity in this story is not focused on the characters. Also, it holds some similarity with the first two stories as this was also told in the third-person point of view. However, what is different in this story is that it only holds access to the consciousness of some characters and not all, as presented in the following lines: â€Å"The heart of the Rose expanded in kindness to every human being; in tenderness to the dumb creation; and for the vegetable, she felt an enthusiastic admiration. Her unaffected gaiety, and artless fullness would frequently inspire and ease in the manner of naturally reserved Emily† (Fau1kner page #). With regard to the narrator’s domination in the story, it can be seen that it constantly speaks through its own voice at times, yet there are also instances when it combines its thoughts with the character’s views: â€Å"Praise, however indirect, to her mother, always brought a flush of joy to the cheeks of Rose; she gave Emily a kiss of gratitude, and then turned to her flowers† (Fau1kner page #). In terms of the narrator’s reliability, it seems limited in the sense that it presents the shared consciousness of the townsfolk (as the narrator is deemed as the townsfolk due to the constant use of personal pronouns in plural form such as we), but it does not have access to the consciousness of all the characters, especially to the consciousness of Emily as well as the characters close to her (e. g. , the black servant). Upon exploring the different narrative styles in the aforementioned stories, it can be inferred that the reliability of the narrator definitely depends upon how well he or she is knowledgeable about the story and upon whether he or she has access to the characters’ consciousness. Moreover, although all the above-mentioned narrative styles help in guiding the readers throughout the novels, the one which possesses the utmost ability to influence and move the readers still appears to be the narrative style with utmost access to the characters’ feelings and emotions, which is the inside dramatized narrative style. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour. † Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 8th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. pages #s. Ellison, Ralph. â€Å"Battle Royal. † Literature for Composition: Essays, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 8th ed. Eds. Sylvan Barnet, William Burto, and William E. Cain. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. pages #s.

Checkpoint 1: Information System Business Problem Dimensions

Question 1: What are the three dimensions to business problems? Provide examples of each. There are three dimensions to businesses and they are: Organizations, People, and Technology. Organizations use information systems to keep the different levels in their hierarchy separated and organized. Organizations are comprised of different levels from the higher levels of management to the lower levels of operational personnel and have specialty areas from Human Resources to marketing. Information systems are developed for each department at each level in order to keep the different areas clearly defined and organized.In my organization, I hold the position of Vice-President and I specialize in the web development portion of our business. I have an information system that is completely different from the owner and President of our company because our specialties and tasks are in different areas. Information systems are only as good as the people that run and manage them. It is people that have to understand and use the information in order for the system to achieve the business goals. As of right now, we have hired an external company to keep track of all of our information systems and make sure we are keeping on task.This will change once I complete school and have a clear understanding on how to run our information systems myself. Technology is the aspect that continuously evolves to allow us to connect to people all over the world with different computers, networks, software, and mobile devices. Data management technology is what makes our particular company run smoothly because it is a employer/employee match-up system. I am learning more and more about managing our data bases, but it is definitely complex and changes constantly as new technology and platforms are created.This is an exciting time to be a part of technology because of the rapid growth. Question 2: What is the difference between IT and information systems? Describe some functions of information sys tems. Information technology is the hardware and software that a business needs in order to achieve its goals or objectives. Information systems connect information technology, people, and organizations in order for each individual department or person to be able to perform their jobs effectively and efficiently.Information systems collects data, processes the data, stores the data, and then sends the data out to different departments so that it can be analyzed to help the business run smoother. An example for me would be our accounting system. Our bank collects all of our banking data, it stores it for us and then it breaks it down for us so that we can see where we are spending too much, where we need to spend a little more money, how much we are making from different services, and of course lets us know if we are making a profit or not.By utilizing these reports each month, we are able to adjust our pricing points on certain services so that we can sell more and it has also told us we are spending too much on office expenses but that we need to increase our spending on marketing. We scrutinize these reports in order for us to achieve our goals for our company so that we can expand in the future. We also have a marketing system that collects data from each of the marketing strategies we are using so that we can analyze which ones we want to continue to utilize and which ones are not generating any clients so we need to stop using them.

Culture as a Determinant of Motivation Essay

Why is the study of Different Theories of Motivation important to managers? The World has changed at a very fast pace and will continue to do so. The view point that many prominent researchers had on motivation has also evolved with changing times. There has been a phenomenal change in the way organizations and individuals function in the twenty first century if we made a comparison with how organizations functioned back in the day. There is a significantly greater focus today on employee satisfaction, work life balance, cross cultural values, virtual teams and formal performance management processes to name a few. Globalization is one the key factors which has brought a prominent change in many organizational practices in the twenty first century. Hershey and Blanchard (1977) mentioned that â€Å"motives can be defined as needs, wants, drives or impulses within the individual which are directed towards goals which may be conscious or sub conscious†. Motivation has been defined by Robbins, Decenzo and Coulter (2011) as â€Å"motivation is the process by which a person’s efforts are energized, directed, and sustained towards attaining a goal â€Å" In this paper we will define motivation as the force which helps an individual focus on his immediate and long term goals and helps him run the extra mile. Also in this essay we will be focusing on the impact of culture on organizational behavior and the reasons why managers need to be aware of various motivational theories so that they are well equipped to handle this impact of culture change. Motivation is a very important tool that is not effectively utilized by managers. Motivation if used effectively can significantly improve the performance of teams and employees. It was thought earlier that motivation could be directed only by external factors, but it is now understood that every employee has his own set of motivators which if addressed correctly can significantly improve a manager and his team’s performance. It is the manager’s responsibility to correctly identify these motivating factors and take all steps possible to address them. But this is easier said than done. As observed in today’s environment there are many issues which create a hindrance for managers to motivate their respective teams. In most organizations because of the growing impetus of globalization and the fact that individuals from different cultures, ethnic backgrounds come on the same platform and work together, it is becoming increasingly difficult for managers to be on top o f these growing trends and continue to motivate their respective teams. It is very important for managers to understand how important the concept of culture plays in the way an employee thinks and behaves. Only when a manager is aware of the subtle changes in an individual’s behavior because of their cultural background, can he actually make a concentrated effort to analyze and evaluate methods to motivate that particular individual. Geert Hofstede’s (1980) theory of cultural dimensions describes how a particular society’s culture influences the behavior and values of individuals using a structure derived from factor analysis. This theory proposed four concepts on the basis of which cultural values could be evaluated; Individualism- collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity- feminity. As per Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) power distance is â€Å"the degree to which control and influence are distributed unequally in society†. In countries with high power distance it would not be recommended to give employees a lot of freedom with respect to their work. The employees would be more comfortable when they are abiding by a strict protocol and set guidelines and procedures whereas in countries with low power distance decentralization of power would be recommended where employees can be empowered and inspired to come up with creative ideas in their work. Countries like Venezuela and Malaysia are examples of nations which show High Power distance whereas Denmark and Great Britain are nations which show very low power distance. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) defined the concept of individualism versus collectivism as â€Å"I and Me versus We and Us’†. Cultures where the beliefs are that one is responsible for his own decisions and the general tendency is to take care of only oneself and his own family are individualistic cultures. Collective cultures are those where people rely more heavily on groups and the general tendency is to take care of each other. Individualism is common in USA, Canada and mostly in the West whereas collectivism is more common in Pakistan, India and Brazil. In collective cultures promotions and appraisals are generally done on the basis of seniority, age and loyalty whereas in individualistic cultures appraisals are done only on the basis of merit. In countries where the culture is individualistic strong individual recognition and rewards would be very strong motivators. Sledge, Miles and Coppage (2008) expounded that uncertainty avoidance was â€Å"the degree of risk aversion†. Individuals from Countries with high uncertainty avoidance are generally very wary of ambiguous situations and they create beliefs and situations to increase their sense of security. They have very strong belief in experts and they generally arrive at decisions only with consensus of their entire group. Denmark and Great Britain are examples of low uncertainty avoidance cultures whereas Germany, Japan and Spain are examples of High Uncertainty avoidance countries. Sledge, Miles, and Coppage (2008) elucidated on masculinity versus femininity as â€Å"the desire for material possessions and recognition versus the desire for relationships and family† In masculine societies monetary rewards would make very good motivators whereas in predominantly feminine societies Flexible working hours or more time away from work for family would be very strong motivators. A feminine society is more concerned with family and personal relationships as against masculine societies where jobs are more or less gender based. Examples of such masculine cultures are China, Japan, Philippines, India, Bangladesh whereas examples of more feminine cultures are Thailand, Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia. Some researchers like William Ouchi (Theory Z) and Peters & Waterman(Excellence theory) developed theories on the difference between management practices between Japanese and American business corporations . They firmly believed that most American and Japanese corporations functioned similar to the McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y where the American companies firmly believed that workers are generally unwilling to work and can be motivated only with economic benefits whereas the Japanese corporations were of the belief that the workers can be motivated by a sense of duty and loyalty. The major difference in the functioning of these organizations was also the fact the managers from the west which are predominantly individualistic cultures could not generally think about the bigger picture and this probably showed in the treatment of their employees. Hence the intrinsic factors of most employees were not catered to. Companies from the East like Japan which is a collective culture showed that managers used to generally behave with their workers like they were a part of a collective unit and this made the employees think about the companies as an extension to their individual self. This made them believe that money and economic benefits were not primary motivators. Such employees were motivated with other factors like by knowledge sharing, improving their self esteem, self respect, achievement, recognition and opportunities for more challenging work. Organizations need to pay utmost attention to the cultural and ethnic sentiments of their employees. Let’s say for instance Multinational Companies who have their setup in India also have to take many factors into consideration like the fact that every state in India has some festivals which have a very strong regional and cultural flavor. Organizations have to keep in mind that even within Cultures there are many sub cultures and the sentiments of the employees within these sub cultures also need to be taken care of. Like for instance in India in the state of Maharashtra the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is of very high cultural and emotional significance whereas in the state of Punjab Baisakhi as a festival is of very high importance. Organizations need to take these aspects also into consideration and keep a correct balance when they are deciding holidays for the employees in a particular culture or sub culture. If the management does not pay attention to the sentiments of their employees, this will send the wrong signals to their employees and they will be unable to identify themselves with the ideals of the company. In such situations motivating employees would become very difficult. Having seen the impact of culture on the behavior of employees and individuals it would be very advantageous for managers to understand the underlying and basic crux of motivation theories. These theories when used in the right context with employees will help motivate them and improve their performance. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation (1968) emphasizes on core job factors and distinguishes them into two categories Hygiene Factors and Motivational Factors. Herzberg further added that the Hygiene Factors like Pay, Company Policies, Fringe Benefits, Physical working conditions, Status, Interpersonal Relations, and Job Security were only factors that were extrinsic to the work environment and on ly prevented dissatisfaction. These factors never motivated individuals but only prevented the individuals from getting dissatisfied which might further lead to de-motivation. He further added that the motivational factors were intrinsic to an individual and were inherent in work. The motivational factors like recognition, Growth Opportunities, Responsibility, Leadership Quotient, and Meaningfulness of work were what were instrumental in creating satisfaction in an employee and motivating him. What is interesting to know is that in different cultures the motivators and hygiene factors are slightly different. In collective cultures sense of fulfillment and working towards company goal is considered far more important that individual pay and remuneration like in western cultures. Managers need to strike the right balance with employees to properly inspire them to perform better. In order to be able to do this they need to have sufficient background knowledge of the culture quotient of an employee along with certain theories of motivation which might be applicable to those employees. In recent times of financial crisis it has become even more important for managers to understand the key factors which can motivate their employees. Organizations in recent times have become hard pressed to offer economic benefits and rewards to their employees. In such situations it would a great advantage to managers if they have sufficient knowledge of motivation theories like the Equity theory of Motivation which states that every individual has an ingrained instinct to continuously evaluate what is it that he is gaining from the company with respect to what he investing in the company. Individuals also continuously compare themselves with their peers and colleagues. Such theories will help manages keep a right balance and ensure that certain factors which can give impetus to an employee’s dissatisfaction are sufficiently curtailed. They will then start focusing on improving an employee’s soft skills like interpersonal communication, instilling a sense of duty and loyalty towards the organization, making the employees strive for self improvement. Recognition and praise for good work will also be used more effectively used to motivate employees. The uses of motivation theories have become even more important as in most organizations virtual teams have become the order of the day. Employees work with their associates and colleagues whom they have never even met. It has become even more instrumental for managers to instill a sense of collectivism in their teams so that individuals working in a group can transform into a team in an actual sense. As per the survey done by Mckinsey(2010) it was found that most employees in organizations feel de motivated when they are unable to idolize themselves with the leadership of the company. It was also found that the many employees in the organization would feel even more motivated if they were offered a few words of praise from their boss. Like for instance if a manager appreciates the efforts of an employee who is a part of his virtual team whose first language is not English, this will really do wonders for that specific employee. All the small bits when put together make a collage. The study of motivation theories has now become of paramount importance to managers as they really need to understand that small bit which will motivate their team and their associates to do better than they actually can. This is what will separate a manager from a leader and will elevate the performance of a group of people to a team. Bibliography References * Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad? Organizational Dynamics, 9(1), 42-63 * Hersey P, Kenneth Blanchard (1977). Management of Organisational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall * Sledge, S., Miles, A. K., & Coppage, S. (2008). What role does culture play? A look at motivation and job satisfaction among hotel workers in Brazil. International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 19(9), 1667-1682. doi:10.1080/09585190802295157 * Blackwell RJ, Miniard PW, Enrgel JF (2007). Consumer Behaviour, 9thed., Thomson Press, London. * Decenzo DA (2001). Fundamentals of Management: Essentials Concepts and Application. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. * Deresky H (2007). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (6th Edition). New Jersey; Prentice Hall * Koenigs, R. (1982). An Interview with Dr. William Ouchi. Training & Development Journal, 36(3), 38 * Herzberg F (1968). ‘One more time: how do you motivate e mployee?’ Havard Business Review, Jan-Feb, 53-64 * Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind.McGraw Hill. * Hofstede G (1980). Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Relate Values. Newbury Park CA: Sage. * Dewhurst, M., Guthridge, M., & Mohr, E. (2010). Motivating people: Getting beyond money. Mckinsey Quarterly, (1), 12-15

Turkey's Foreign Policy on Arab Spring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Turkey's Foreign Policy on Arab Spring - Essay Example This has caused consternation to the West, who had hoped that Turkey would be an ally and would be able to help the West put pressure on these authoritarian Arab countries. In the meantime, Turkey has caused more problems for pro-Israeli countries, such as the United States, as the country has turned against Israel because of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and an incident where Israel killed a number of Palestinians who were a part of a humanitarian convoy. This is all a part of the Turkish pragmatic foreign policy, as it has realized that it needs to appease its neighbors in order to have security within its borders, as well as have free and open trade with the region, therefore it has embraced the Arab world. However, this caused problems for Turkey when the Arab uprising began. This is because Turkey, in its policy of zero problems with neighbors, embraced dictators. One of these dictators was Qadaffi, so the Libyan uprising put the country into a difficult position . Moreover, the embrace of other dictators in other countries, such as Syria and Iran, signaled to the Western world and the rebels in these countries that Turkey is not entirely on the side of the democratizers. ...   According to Onis (2010), Turkey currently has an active foreign policy approach, and this approach has been the hallmark of the AKP government era. This approach has had continuity between the first and second terms of office, as Abdullah Gul and Ahmet Davutoglu has played a key role in Turkey’s foreign policy initiatives. This active foreign policy precedes the AKP government administration, however, as it was a part of the Turkish regime since the post-Cold War era in the 1990s (Onis, 2010, p. 3). The AKP era’s central focus on foreign policy is that they use their power softly, and strive to improve relations with its neighbors (using the motto â€Å"zero problems with neighbors†). Pursuing a more ambitious role in regional and global power is another benchmark for the AKP government, as well as the desire to Europeanize. Nevertheless, the Middle East and the Arab world was also a focal point of the Turkish foreign policy initiatives under the AKP (Onis, 2010, p. 4). That said, Onis (2010) also states that the second term of office has been marked by foreign policy differences from the first phase, and the most glaring of these difference is that Turkey has weakened commitment to the European Union (EU). This has been shown in the fact that Turkey has acted independently of its Western Allies with regard to the international and regional conflicts (Onis, 2010, p. 4).