Exploring the Concept of Project Appraisals Essay

Project appraisal is a generic term that refers to the process of assessing, in a structured way, the case for proceeding with a project or proposal. In short, project appraisal is the effort of calculating a project’s viability.[1] It often involves comparing various options, using economic appraisal or some other decision analysis technique. Or in other terms it is Systematic and comprehensive review of the economic, environmental, financial, social, technical and other such aspects of a project to determine if it will meet its objectives. Project appraisal is a structured, systematic and a comprehensive process to assess the financial, economic, social, environmental and technical viability of a project. The quality of the project appraisal is the main determinant of success of a project. As per the experience of the World Bank, poorly appraised projects have seven times more probability of failure within three years of their implementation as compared to well appraised projects. As all projects compete for scarce resources, good quality investment appraisal of projects, quantification of risks of different stakeholders and well laid out strategies to manage risks expedite financial closure and timely completion of projects. In the developing economies, the infrastructure sectors such as Power, Roads and Highways, Telecommunications, Ports, Airports, Water Supply, Irrigation and Shipping, Railways and Sewerage systems require large investments. Adoption of sound project appraisal methodologies expedites investment in these sectors which are crucial for economic growth. In the banker perspective a structured analytical tool to take a credit decision, the basic premises of an appraisal are to assess and analyze the promoters, viability of the business macro & micro environment of the business, business financials various risk and its mitigations, permission and approval form regulatory bodies, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/project-appraisal.html#ixzz2IgVun

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford goes into the heart of Guatemala to six different locations of clandestine cemeteries to interview survivors of mass suicides that occurred during the period that is now known as La Violencia. Sanford strives to give voice to the Maya, who have been silenced all these years, and chose to have them write their own history of what happened during those dark years.By uncovering the dark secrets of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union as well as those of the Guerilla Army of the poor, the Guatemalan people were able to begin to heal, to find justice, to become inspired to organize again for social change and to ultimately take control back over their own lives and participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 73). Sanford constructs a â€Å"phenomenology of terror† through a forensic anthropological study of the clandestine grave sites at six different locations across Guatemala that the crimes against the Maya ultimately resulted in attempted genocide.These massacres occurred during a period known as La Violencia (1978-1982) under the regime of General Lucas Garcia (1978-1982) and General Rios Montt (March 1982-Aug 1983) (p. 14). According to Sanford, La Violencia went from selective terror into mass terror culminating in the â€Å"scorched earth† campaign and ultimately the violence did not cease until the disarming of the last civil patrols and the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords (p. 15).The Maya were the weak common people caught in the middle of a vicious war between the communist guerilla and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (GNRU); where both sides took advantage of the Maya using them for food and shelter and killing them with little thought if they got in the way for any reason (p. 101). The Maya were simple farming people for the most part and their rights were easily stripped away and they were treated like slaves for years and after La Violencia, they were left maimed, poor and powerless.The phenomenology of terror that Sanford constructed from the death records, bone analysis, testimonio and other public records/media consists of seven escalating phases of violence and domination (p. 32). . Through analysis of these phases Sanford proves the depth of the GNRU’s crimes and therefore brings them out in public for the Maya people to begin their process of healing. The phemomenology of terror starts with the â€Å"pre-massacre community organizing† which amounted to the Maya’s attempt to better their own community often through the local churches to build infrastructure for clean water etc.Because this organizing sometimes included guerilla organizing (which Sanford indicates was often brought about by fear tactics on the guerilla’s part), it attracted violent repercussions from the GNRU (p. 127). The phase two, â€Å"the modus operandi of army massacres,† Sanford describes as th e beginning of genocide because the GNRU felt they could not prevent the guerilla from organizing and they used this as an excuse to kill innocent civilians who might or might not have been involved, in order to scare everyone else away from the idea of helping the guerilla (p.129). In the â€Å"post-massacre life in flight,† or phase three, the Guatemalans fled the killing fields of their own villages and took refuge in the mountains with little or no supplies or protection against the elements and many of them died of illness or exposure. The guerilla found them here too and sometimes forced them to kill their own children in order to survive (p. 132). In phase four the â€Å"army captures a community† and the Maya were basically treated like prisoners of war: they were tortured, raped, punished, and were forced to work for their food (p.135). In phase five, â€Å"model villages,† the Guatemalans experienced something similar to German concentration camps wher e they lived under constant military control and were forced to work under fear of being tortured or killed (p. 138). In phase six, â€Å"the ongoing militarization of community life,† the civil patrollers, or police, were handed over control from the army but the struggle was still the same, the Maya continued to experience torture and abuse of power(p. 141).In Sanford’s last denoted phase titled â€Å"living memory of terror,† the Maya struggle to put their lives back together while living in terror and with diminished rights. The police continued to control their lives and prevent them from bettering their communities in any way (p. 143). The uncovering of the phenomenology of terror is precisely how the healing process was instigating. The Maya people realized their need for healing when the bodies of their loved ones were being uncovered and when they heard the stories of their peers being told and realized that their own story needed to be revealed as well .Sanford chose multiple excavation sites in order to have a variety of communities but also so that she could generalize. The communities she chose included: Ixil, K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’ and Achi villages from the northwest highlands to the central lowlands to the eastern mountains (p. 17). Uncovering these clandestine grave sites amounted to taking back their villages, taking back their loved ones and giving them the respectful burial that they deserved. In doing this it created a political space that was stolen from the Maya in the reign of terror (p.73). This political space allowed the people to come together and gain power in numbers; they never allowed themselves to be separated off so that no one person could be sacrificed for the cause of bringing out the truth of these massacres. Even those who still believed that the GNRU were telling the truth about the massacres, that the only people killed were communist guerillas, were brought to see t he truth about La Violencia because â€Å"the bones don’t lie† (p. 47).Even military officials came to give public recognition of the murders but gave many justifications for their ruthless actions (p. 16). After Sanford herself uncovered a woman’s corpse face down in a mass grave holding a small baby, it became clear that civilians, including women, children and the elderly were a large part of the sacrifice made at mass executions made by the GNRU (p. 43). Records indicate that most of the bodies at the Plan de Sanchez site were women, children and elderly (p. 47).The Maya went to the Ministerio Publico (prosecutor) as a group and said, â€Å"We want a Christian burial for our families because they aren’t dogs, and we don’t want them piled up in those graves like dogs† (p. 39). They were not put down by the Rabinal when they were ordered to attend a meeting that amounted to them trying to control the Maya and prevent them from colluding wi th the foreigners to uncover the truth. â€Å"Leave the dead in peace† the sub-commander told them, but the Maya already knew that the dead were not in peace and stopped at nothing to uncover the rest of the truth so that they could be (p.44). By pushing forward and sticking together the Maya was able to strip the power from the â€Å"memory of terror† to hold them down and instead used it to drive them forward for change and justice (p. 230). Sanford shows that the excavation process gave healing through several different avenues, besides giving the Maya strength in coming together and publicly revealing the truth, the excavation also brought healing through religious ritual and public consecration of the burial sites.The rituals at burial sites â€Å"implicate the enactment of deeply held beliefs about the individual and community identity and reckoning in the past as well as the present† which Sanford believed was the powerful key to opening a future for the Maya in their own broken land (p. 40). Long after the confession and re-burial, the temples built on the sites allowed the Maya to continue their grief process and to continue to heal and have a place where they could go for remembrance of their loved ones and the pain they experienced (p. 245).In addition, the exhumation inspired the local people to organize once again to try to better their communities and used the memory of terror as inspiration to work hard for change rather than allowing it to hold them down in fear (p. 211). These local initiatives included things such as support groups and groups advocating yet more exhumations. (p. 243). Sanford describes another type of healing that took place because of the exhumations and resulting testimonies that amounts to the clinical treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: testimonial therapy (p. 239).By giving survivors the chance to â€Å"understand the impossible nature of the situation to which they had been exposed† and to transfer â€Å"the burden of responsibility to the perpetrators of violence and to the repressive structures that fomented their traumas† they were able to heal the emotional wounds of those experiences (p. 241). The final step in healing is providing the people with justice through charging those guilty of leading the massacres. Ultimately the confessions and the exhumations helped to bring those guilty of these horrible crimes to light for the sake of justice.The Maya faced the obstacle of â€Å"auto-limpieza,† which was the act of killing those who were in charge of giving orders for the military on behalf of the men who were in the upper echelons of the military power structure—in other words, the men who could tell the truth about who was ultimately responsible for these massacres were killed (p. 211). In addition to this obstacle, the government attributed any challenge to their authority to equate to a national security threat. So when the Maya be gan to search for those guilty of these war crimes, they faced the old threat of terror (p.251). According to Sanford, â€Å"justice, rule of law, and truth commission are now seen as a critical step for societies experiencing the transition from military rule,† therefore it was of utmost importance to the Maya to pursue justice and bring closure on the dark La Violencia era (p. 249). With the help of other Central American countries and international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, the Maya people were given the added strength to bring justice to at least a few war criminals.Without their help the Maya may never have been able to overcome the memory of terror which stood in the way of them being able to participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 253). Ultimately the trials of the authors of this violence helped to construct, â€Å"a viable democracy by demonstration that the rule of law extends to the powerful as well as to the poor† (p. 270). In conclusion, Virginia Sanford shows through a forensic anthropological study of the massacre sites that genocide did indeed occur against the Mayan people and she lays out the timeline of violence in seven phases that she calls the phenomenology of terror.Through the process of constructing this phenomenology the Maya are brought together again and inspired to better their community and fight for justice. They experience healing through testimonio (of their PTSD) and through public recognition of their loved one’s sacrifices in religious ritual and the consecration of the burial sites. By consecrating those public spaces and bringing to justice those who were responsible, the Maya were able to break fear of the memory of terror and take their rightful place in the democracy that they paid so dearly for.

International Business Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

International Business Law - Assignment Example There are also the developing and developed countries with different interests and perspectives to global trade liberalization. There are various factors that are covered in the international business law. Such factors will be critically explored through examining Parts Ltd and its business transactions internationally. This paper will thus give an assessment of the contrasting perspectives and interests of Parts Ltd with respect to global trade liberalization. Various Ways Parts Ltd Could Transfer its Business into the Brazilian Market With reference to business regulations, there are various factors, which are put into consideration when it comes to transferring business from one point to the other. As a rule, such ways of transferring business internationally usually goes hand in hand with international business laws (Matthew, 2004, P. 18). That is been the case such ways forms a benchmark from where operating the business in the new environment is enhanced accordingly. Parts Ltd could enter into the Brazilian market through various ways. In that case, the firm can enter the Brazilian market through a joint enterprise with a host nation firm, and through exporting and licensing or permitting hosting country firms. What is more, the firm could enter into the Brazilian market through an entirely owned subordinate in the host nation to serve that market (Brooks, 2010, P. 36). Despite this different ways through which the firm can enter into the Brazilian market, it is worth to note that the disadvantages and advantages of each mode of entry is determined by various aspects accordingly. Such costs take account of the firm strategy, economic and political risks, trade barriers and transport costs. Explore the Various Trade Barriers, If Any, Which Could Affect Parts Ltd’s entry into the Brazilian Market From a description perception, trade barriers denotes to government-placed limitations on trade between countries. The most widespread forms of trade barrie rs take account of things such as tariffs, subsidies, quotas, embargoes, and duties. Such things will be critically analyzed in relation to how they are predicted to affect Parts Ltd, and conducting its business (Bernard & Schott, 2007, P. 106). The expression free trade denotes to the hypothetical removal of all trade barriers, permitting for entirely free and unregulated trade. If truth be told, however, no country completely embraces trade which is free. This is because countries utilize some variety of trade barriers for their own advantage. In any international business, trade barriers are always expected and so appropriate measures must be employed in order to combat their occurrences. From the history of the world, there has ever been the need of having the entire globe engaged in forms of trade which have the ability of increasing their performance and operations thus improving their development in terms of economy (Charles, 2009, P. 5). This had been suggested in form of a free and fair trade which was aimed at ensuring that all nations would engage in useful business and trade operations. However, there have been divergent views with the issue as majority of the people do argue that the present ‘free and fair trade’ operations have never in the least been fair. This is an implication that trade barriers are prone to happen whenever doing international business. Evidently through studies, tariffs, like nearly all trade barrier

Chose an interesting Topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Chose an interesting Topic - Assignment Example Today, people opt to communicate via short instant messages rather than to expound on their thoughts and provide substance. While the audience for such ‘text messages’ might remain the same, there is a lack of purpose in our writing today. We are supposed to write in an effort communicate our innermost thoughts and ideas. We can write to depict actions in history or to express a hope for the future. Many people worry that this art form will become extinct if we fail to realize the sheer importance of written language. Writing is a conversation with the world. The writer gets to choose the audience, they get to provide their own focus on a piece, and the purpose can become clear once the words are put to paper. Writing reaches a wide audience. Today, the Internet has opened up an entirely new market for writers that they never before dreamed possible. In other words, the audience is now global. All a writer must do now is to put their thoughts and ideas down on paper, provide a clear purpose and focus, and then share those ideas with a global marketplace. That is the function of writing, even in this age of increasing technology and

Discussion - MKT 571 - Week 7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion - MKT 571 - Week 7 - Assignment Example General Motors, the worlds largest vehicle manufacturer, was founded in 1908.It designs, manufacturers and markets vehicles worldwide. In 1998, the company generated over 160 billion in revenue on global operations. The vehicles are sold in almost 180 countries and the Company has manufacturing operations 50 countries and more. The company has employees about 390,000 worldwide. One of the key reasons for this company’s success is the implementation of General Motors Trade Xchange. This is the company’s virtual Internet community, its suppliers and customers, allowing them to carry out business dealings with speed and proficiency. This was followed by the inclusion of i2 Technologies. i2 would provide supply chain organization services and business process capability to General Motors Trade Xchange. i2s solutions help trading partners cooperate more efficiently and enhance receptiveness to customers (Pauline 48). They also are expected to cut supply chain costs and expan d manufacturing efficacies and reduce stocks. The services are anticipated to enable GM Trade Xchange to increase elasticity for better order-to-delivery. . Thus much of its success is attributed to use of e-commerce and also brand

Global Industries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Industries - Essay Example Again when the corporation opted to invest in the equities in 2007, this was the time when the current global financial crisis was starting and they never recovered. Proper timing and a lack of diversity in investment may be attributed to the failure experienced by the corporation (Palacios & Musalem 2003). Given that the US economy may not improve much in the next three years, there is a need for Global Industries to consider investing in the developing economies, such has India and China. Other emerging markets in South America such as Brazil, and also Africa, may be another option worth exploring. In the past, pension fund managers have been known to risk with the money of taxpayers in equity markets that are characterised by a high level of volatility. The operations of our pension fund system has been such that the decision to take investment risks in the equity markets is often arrived at by a few individuals at the management level but when we experience a market crash, the taxpayers have to bear this risk. Often times, pension fund managers are quick to attribute the loss of taxpayers' money on the world financial crisis and bad markets (Mangiero 2009). It is not often that pension fund managers shall be awake to the realisation that the fund may be governed by investment models that are quite faulty, coupled with crooked actuarial theories. According to a majority of the economists that specialises in the assessment of funds, such plans may at best be viewed as risk time bomb that shall in the long-run result in losses. Inevitably, it is the taxpayer that shall be required to pay for such losses. For this reason, one could argue that the reason why we have had such a horrible experience in our pension fund is because our pension plans and models are faulty, and we have never taken the initiative to revise them accordingly (Caulkin 2009). The practice by the pension fund in the past years has been to heavily invest in equities. What appeared to have led the pension fund managers to such a decision was due to the assumption that the short-term meltdowns that they were experiencing would be offset by the ensuing financial gain in the long-term. Apparently, these fund managers seems not to have heeded the advice of financial economists, as regards the conventional model of investment markets; that "equities provide guaranteed returns over the long term" (Pension pulse 2009). This is a goal that economists have proved to be quiet untenable. Clearly, no one anticipated a global financial crisis of the magnitude that we are faced with, at the moment. It is imperative therefore that we do not repeat past mistakes. What this means is that we should learn to diversity our investments, at least as a cushioning effect against losing all the taxpayers earnings. In high investments such as the stocks or the equity funds, perfect timing is very important. Apparently, Global Industries appears to have opted to make investments at a time when disaster was just about to strike. Another characteristic of the past investments since the early 1990s is that the corporations have failed to adequately diversity its investments. For example, at one time, the corporation was into

Amercia Dream through the stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amercia Dream through the stories - Essay Example In the analyzed short stories, namely â€Å"A Rose for Emily† by William Faulkner, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathanial Hawthorn, and â€Å"Bartleby, the Scrivener† by Herman Melville, the main characters fail to reach the American dream in the form it is defined here. The story of the life of the main character of the short story by William Faulkner, Emily, is anything but the American dream. Once belonging to a respected family, she ends her life in the inmost poverty. In fact, it is she who is responsible for such dire conditions of her life. The concept of American dream described above suggests every person has equal opportunities and freedom to become successful in life. Emily neglected the opportunity to restore the reputation of her family. She believes that the rich stay rich even though they lose everything they once had. Moreover, she fences herself off the real life where she could have at least some friends and get help. She also does not take advantage of an opportunity to communicate with people and by this climb out of oblivion and poverty. Overall, it is the hidebound view of the upper-class society to which Emily believes she still belongs that do not let the American dream come true. The fail of the American dream can be also traced in the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorn titled â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. The action takes place in colonial America, and during this historical period it is Puritanism, the purest of all the religion. In this short story, however, this religion is shown from the opposite point of view with all its atrocities and rigidity represented metaphorically by the author. In this very case, it is the society, in which religion is central, is what prevents Goodman Brown from reaching his American Dream. The matter is that when the main character experiences the transition from the ignorance and blind faith to the truth, he sees the real picture of what is

Operations Management and Supply Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operations Management and Supply Chain - Essay Example The firm can also adequately satisfy customers and gain a larger market share than the firms, which apply the conventional methods that mostly base on engineering capabilities. The use of QDF also reduces defects and reworks apart from reducing the design and the manufacturing costs (Kumar, 2014). With the application of QFD, investigation of the product characteristics occurs at every stage of product development. While with the conventional methods, testing occurs for the finished product at the end. It therefore implies that with QFD it is simple to identify the area that requires improvement. Generally, QFD as a product design approach encourages research and innovation in production therefore firms that utilize this method constantly change their product designs and attract new customers and hence rapid growth and expansion (Kumar, 2014). QFD relies on market surveys to identify the needs and desires of customers. To avoid causing harm and inappropriate decisions the survey has to be accurate and reliable. By so doing, it is thus easier for the firm to identify future market trends of their customers and thus make early preparations to meet the requirements. This will also help improve the efficiency in production and minimize uncertainties which results in high confidence in the operations of the firm that also lead to high morale in investing more in the business (Kumar, 2014). They include respect to other designers, truth, honesty and avoiding all conflicts of interests as well as maintaining confidentiality of all the important information. In addition, designer has to be committed in developing and innovating as well as acknowledging the contribution of others and give credit when required. The Lord hates cheating, but delights in honesty (Proverbs 11). QDF is an effective and ethical method of production that aims at satisfying customer

Oil Drilling and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Essay

Oil Drilling and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Essay Example al Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Updated Assessment, states that the coastal plain region harboring the 1.5 million-acre 1002 Area is "the largest unexplored, potential productive onshore basin in the United States." The oil industry has long argued in favor of the drilling for oil in the ANWR, but the idea was unpopular for decades among many members of the public and the U.S. government and no drilling was permitted. (Botkin and Keller, 2003) Analysis of Benefits and Costs As with all industrial developments especially in oil projects, issues actually revolve on just two opposing forces: environmental and social impacts. We are aware that ecological importance has become a major issue that must be included in our ventures due to the fact that we can not tolerate pollution anymore. However, most job generating and welfare increasing measures are only possible with the introduction of business that may have environmental repercussions. This dilemma is further highlighted by the ANWR issue. In this section, we take a look at the arguments in favor and not in favor of drilling in the ANWR. Arguments in Favor of Drilling a) The United States need s the oil and it will help us to be more independent on imported oil In the introduction, it was mentioned that oil prices rose dramatically in the United States due to problems in supply and legislation. However, this was actually just the fourth oil shock since 1973. The first one occurred when the Arab oil embargo of 1973-1974 occurred. Arab oil producing countries cut back productions and imposed an oil embargo on shipments forcing Americans to wait in lines to receive limited amounts of gasoline. Prices of oil more than doubled. The second occurred in 1978 with the overthrow of the Shah of Iran which... After having known both sides of a coin, we are now in a position to state our recommendation. In many industrial issues, a point where both sides supposedly found equal footing has been made. Suffice it to say, the developments pushed thru. In this study, however, we cannot find such point because in the developments where they were able to find one, immediate and long term environmental degradation became prominent. For sure, developments will bring about wealth and increased economic activity and we certainly do not want our country to be dictated by other countries. However, hard science and numerous experiences have proven that the development can negatively affect the wilderness as what had happened to Prudhoe Bay. Once development starts, there will be no stopping companies and those who benefits from it from finding a way to skip all those legal limitations. The development is actually a black hole problem where development results to further developments which results to fur ther expansion and so on and so forth. Congress voted not to drill in 2002. I agree with them. It is not that I do not want Alaskans to prosper. It is because there are technologies available already which are cleaner and greener. Alternative energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind power are proving themselves to be business friendly and sufficient for customer demand.

Government by the People Essay Example for Free

Government by the People Essay The population growth has caused concern for many Americans because of the terms of numbers and poverty that comes with this growth. There is a pattern showing of wealth transferring from poorer nations to the richer nations of the globe and the information technology revolution is speeding this cycle up. With population growth reaching new heights new concerns for increasing urban growth has emerged. Planning for transportation, environment protection, or management of water and other resources are needed. Unregulated markets forces will hurt individuals and â€Å"politics as usual† will not mandate viable growth patterns or protect the air, water and natural beauty of our country. Planning and growth depends on public support and market forces. In order for plans to be effective they must show he same interests and values of major groups within the community. Even with the fear of the government, something that is generally accepted hampers a lot of effective planning. But it is clear that for any planning to work there must a consensus between â€Å"planners, community leaders, and the popularly elected officials who must bear the responsibility for implementing the plans† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason Cronin, 2006, p. 649). This planning for our country, communities and societies along with its citizens has given the United States the status of world power. But controversy has erupted from the resent war with Iraq that questions our authority. I’ve heard many individual claims that America is expanding its empire, rather than fighting for freedom. Our rise to a world power has come because of our industry, colleges and universities, multiple government institutions, military strengths. This along with our innovations in science, technology and medicine catapulted us into our status. Development of such things as television and jet airliners gave America the edge it needed to jump to the top of the ladder. They have also helped to spread our ideologies of democracy and westernization. It has created globalization and keeps it going. Our commerce and business growth has only helped with this globalization. Companies, such as IBM and General Motors have given the national government firm grounds in business. Our national government promotes â€Å"a prosperous economy through its monetary and fiscal policies† (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason, Cronin, 2006, p. 437). The Department of Commerce has been at the center of the government’s efforts to promote economic growth and encourage businesses to do research and new development. These companies are at the heart of this economic growth plan. But more recently new development has been needed to keep these companies afloat as technology and innovation continues to climb new heights. Turning outdated companies into the companies of the future. The introduction of the electronic superhighway mandates companies to use e-commerce and if they can’t they might get left behind. The internet has given us a faster way for just about everything. It has even influenced society, culture and lifestyles. The Progressive Era began in United States during the mid 1890’s and continued through World War I. It was a time when individuals were beginning to have concerns with the state of society. It also brought about a belief in human compassion and how new innovations along with scientific investigation could somehow show what the problem was with ways of solving the problems. This reformation shows even in today’s time. Our social construct has great bearing on our national government. Take for example the debate on same-sex marriages. Our government has made laws that pertain to this issue, but some in society believe government has gone too far. But the core issue at stake, that I believe, has something to do with insurance. I don’t believe that our national government is trying to establish social norms, but rather maintain certain expectations of commerce and business. Reference: Magleby, D. B. , O’Brien, D. , Light, P. , Peltason, J. W. , Cronin, T. E. (2006). Government by the People: National, State, and Local 21st. Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Statutory Requirements for Childcare

Statutory Requirements for Childcare MARY MCALLISTER The Early Years Statutory Framework is mandatory for all early years providers, who LEGAL force by an order made under section 39(1)(a) of the Childcare Act 2006. The safeguarding and welfare requirements are given LEGAL force by regulations make under the section 39(1)(b) of the Childcare Act 2006. Ofsted has regard to the Early Years foundation Stage (EYFS) in carrying out inspections and reports on the quality and standards of provision. The EYFS statutory framework recognises that; ‘children learn best when they are healthy, safe and secure, when their individual needs are met, and when they have positive relationships with the adults caring from them.’ The framework also outlines what all providers must do to safeguard children, ensure the suitability of adults who have contact with children, promote good health; manage behaviour and maintain records. Good. The statutory Framework requirements promoting the safeguarding and welfare of children were written to ensure the protection and safety from harm of every child within the Early Years Setting. Some Child Protection As part of the statutory requirements, providers must have and be able to implement a policy and procedures to safeguard children in line with the guidelines and procedures of the relevant Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB). The Framework clearly outlines the responsibility of the provider with respect to identifying and responding to the signs of possible abuse and neglect and the provision of staff training to recognise this. Suitable People The statutory framework also states that; ‘Providers must ensure that people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their roles.’ Providers need to ensure that they have effective systems in place to vet anyone coming into regular contact with the children within the setting are suitable to do so. It is the responsibility of the childcare provider to obtain enhanced criminal records disclosure and barred list checks for every person aged 16 and over who; works directly with children; who lives on the premises where the childcare is being provided and/or works on the premises where the childcare is provided. The provider must keep records of all practitioners’ checks and qualifications and be able to produce this during an Ofsted inspection. Staff Qualifications, training, support and skills Staff training is recognised as being an essential part of providing high quality care. Providers need to ensure that staff is made aware of their roles and responsibilities. Their training should include; evacuation procedures, safeguarding , child protection and the policies and procedures regarding reporting cases of suspected abuse or neglect and health and safety issues. The provider must also ensure that staffs have the relevant qualifications to work with children and that staff:child ratios are adhered to. At least one member of staff with a paediatric first aid certificate must be on the premises at all times. Good. Health The framework outlines that policy and procedures should be in place to respond to children who are ill or infectious and the necessary steps to be taken to prevent spread of infection to other children. Administration of medicine should only occur where it has been prescribed for that child and with the parent’s written consent. Food and drink Any areas used for the preparation of food must be adequately equipped to provide healthy meals, snacks and drinks. These areas must be clean and suitable sterilisation equipment available for the preparation of food and mild for babies. Those responsible for the preparation of food and food handling must receive the appropriate up to date training. Cases of food poisoning involving two or more children on the premises must be reported to Ofsted. Failure to do so is an offence. Early years providers and practitioners have a primary responsibility for the safety of the children in their care. There are a number of legal and regulatory requirements that help protect children (and adults) in any setting; some of which have already been discussed. When considering how best to keep children safe within the setting it is important that the practitioner is familiar with the following legislation as it pertains to their particular area if practice. Managing behaviour The statutory framework states that, ‘Providers must have and implement a behaviour management policy and procedures. A named practitioner should be responsible for behaviour management, and have the necessary skills to advise other staff on behaviour issues.’ Corporal punishment should NEVER be used as a form of discipline and if used would constitute an offence. There are many ways of dealing with the various types of behaviour that can arise within an early years setting and the recommended approach is one that is child-centred and non punitive. Educational psychologist B.F. Skinner suggested that most humans and animals learn through exploring the environment and then drawing conclusions bases on the consequences of their behaviour. Skinner goes on to suggest that positive reinforcers are likely to make people repeat a behaviour in order to get something they desire. In the case of young children this could be praise, a sticker or merit award, adult attention etc. Th is, skinner believed was the most positive and effective way of encouraging new learning behaviours. Child-centred approaches to behaviour focus on the underlying causes to prevent unwelcome behaviours and can be very effective, whereas simply managing or containing behaviour may not result in longer term improvement. Good point and link to Skinners theory. While the environment in which children are cared for must be stimulating, they must also be safe. Young children have little sense of danger and so require constant adult supervision, where they are given the freedom to explore, discover and develop unhindered. Risk assessment is an important part of health and safety procedures, and the idea is to evaluate possible risks during activities and in the environment and then to consider how best to minimise them. Having a policy and procedures in place is essential as there is not only a moral duty to keep children safe, but also a legal one. The statutory framework outlines the following areas to be considered: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 This act places overall responsibility for health and safety with the employer but also on the employees, so everyone in a setting has some responsibility for the health and safety of everyone who is there. In the context of an early years setting as it pertains to the safety of the children the act covers the following: Buildings should be well maintained and designed with the safety of the users in mind, The general environment should be clean and safe. Equipment must be safely used and stored. Working practice must promote the health and safety of children. Articles and substances should be stored and used safely Adequate welfare facilities should be available Appropriate information, training and supervision should be made for the health and safety of employees. Certain injuries, diseases and occurrences should be reported to the Health and safety Executive. First Aid facilities should be provided. Employees should take care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their actions. Employees should cooperate with their employer on health and safety. Product marking: Toys and products used within the early years setting should be tested by the British Standards Institution (BSI) and carry a kite mark as proof that they have been independently tested and conform to the relevant standards. They may also carry a CE mark which indicates that the product meets the European legal requirements; however this is not a safety or quality mark. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health COSHH Regulations 2002 covers substances which can cause ill-health and the legislation lays down a step by step approach to the precautions that need to be put in place to prevent injury or illness from dangerous substances. These substances must have particular labels on them, which show the substances are dangerous and need to be kept in special containers and carefully stored. The importance of this cannot be over emphasised as children can easily ingest such substances causing considerable harm. Every person working with children is responsible for their safety. It is important that the environment children are working and playing in is regularly checked, before and during activities. The following points should be considered: Buildings and maintenance Doors opening into entrances and exits from the building must NOT be capable of being opened by young children. Emergency exits must be clear and easy to open from the inside. Floors should not have any loose rugs or pieces of carpet. Low-level glass should be safety glass of covered with a guard. Electrical sockets should be covered. Cleanliness of the general environment There should be a high standard of cleanliness throughout the building. Spillages should be immediately cleaned. Toilet areas should be regularly cleaned and checked. Food preparation areas All staff dealing with food should have a food hygiene certificate. All regulations relating to food storage should be in place. Safe storage and use of equipment Cupboards at ‘child-level’ should not contain cleaning items, knives, tools or any other potentially dangerous items. Toys with very small parts should be kept away from children under three years old. Heaters and radiators should be covered and not a risk to children. Outdoor areas Outdoor slides, swings etc. Should be safe and have impact absorbing matting provided. Young children should not be able to open gates. Sandpits should be kept covered when not in use. As a general rule equipment should be regularly checked for wear and tear, such as fraying ropes and rusty joints. Check equipment before use to ensure that it is clean and dry especially slides and steps. Children should have enough space to play and move freely without bumping into each other or objects. Appropriate adult-child ratios should be maintained and supervising adults should be able to see all the children. Good. Swings and rope ladders should be used by only one child at a time and other children discouraged from getting too close in case they are hurt by a swing or rope. First aid provision Young children invariably have accidents and injure themselves and at such times can become frightened and upset. It is the responsibility of the practitioner to know what to do in an emergency and to carry out the appropriate first aid calmly and confidently. In accordance with the Health and Safety at work Act 1974 and the statutory requirements of the EYFS the early years provider must ensure that there is at least one member of staff with a current paediatric first aid certificate present at all times on the premises and that there is a well stocked up to date first aid kit available. There must be policies and procedures in place to deal with and record all accidents and their treatment as well as current phone numbers to contact parents or a designated adult in the event of a child requiring emergency treatment. In the event of serious injury or death the provider must comply with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Premises The framework states that, ‘The premises and equipment must be organised in a way that meets the needs of the children.’ The indoor space requirements are: Children under two years: 3.5m ² per child. Two year olds: 2.5m ² per child Children aged three to five years 2.3m ² per child. The provider must also ensure the following: Facilities and equipment and access to the premises are suitable as far is reasonably possible accessible to children with disabilities. That there is access to outdoor activities. Provision of a quiet area for children who wish to relax or sleep. Adequate toilet and hand washing facilities. Child care settings should have secure entrance doors that sound an alarm or require buzzer activation to alert staff to anyone coming into the premises. It is important to check that other adults coming in are allowed to be there and that they sign in and out; not only for security purposes but also in case of fire or accident on the premises. It is also important to ascertain from parents those adults who will have responsibility for collecting their child at the end of the day. There should be procedures in place for parents to inform the setting if a different adult is to collect a child at the end of the day. However the practitioner should never be afraid of challenging someone they are not familiar with. It is also important to take care when people are leaving the setting that no other children are nearby and able to slip out the door unnoticed. References: [1] Statutory Framework for the Early Years foundation Stage. (March 2012). Department of Education.  https:// www.educataion.gov.uk/publications/standard/AllPublications/Page1/DFE-00023-2012 [2] COSHH assessment: identifying hazard and assessing risk.  Available online at:  www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/assessment.htm. [3] Tassani, Penny; Bulman, Kath; Beith, Kate (2005) Children’s Care, Learning and Development (2nd edition), Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-435-44851-6 [4] The Health and Safety at work Act 1974  Available online at: www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm [5] RIDDOR  Available online at: www.hse.gov.uk/guidance/index.htm [6] B.F. Skinner – Operant Conditioning  www.simplepsychology.org/operant-conditioning.htm

How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay :: Personal Narrative Writing

How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay There is very little mystery to writing the personal narrative essay. There is no proper topic for such an essay. An essay can be about a variety of personal experiences. You, the writer, have the right to say what you want about your personal experience. You can write about anything -- Aunt Sally, the funky necklace you bought at a garage sale, the harrowing experience of being stuck in an elevator, the best Christmas you ever had, the worst day of your life. No topic or subject is off-limits; therefore there are endless opportunities to write an essay about your personal, point-of-view of what happened. Often the reason behind wanting to write a personal essay is unclear. Once the writing begins and the events are recorded and recounted it becomes clear that the writer is searching to find the meaning, the universal truth, the lesson learned from the experience. When writing, rewriting and good editing coalesce, a personal narrative essay becomes a beautiful thing. It shows how the past or a memory’s significance affects the present or even the future. We all have stories to tell. But facing a blank page is intimidating. Knowing where to begin becomes a real dilemma. A good place to start is with the word I. Write I was, I saw, I did, I went, I cried, I screamed, I took for granted. I is an empowering word. Once you write it on the page it empowers you to tell your story. That’s exactly what you are going to do next. Tell the story. Get it all out. Don’t worry about how many times I appears in the text. Don’t worry how scattered and unfocused thoughts are. Write however your mind tells you to write. This style is often called freewheeling writing or stream of consciousness. Once the story is all down on paper you will go back and begin to shape the essay into a form that says exactly what you want it to say about your experience. If you’re discouraged over what you’ve written, back away from it. Let it rest. Take a walk. Do something that distracts your mind from writing the essay. Many writers fi nd that even while doing something other than writing, their writing mind continues to work out what needs to be said and continues to uncover the multi-layered associations and voices of what they’re writing about.

gatcolor Color Symbols and Symbolism in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Color Symbolism in The Great Gatsby Colors can symbolize many different things. Artists use colors in their paintings when they want you to see what they are trying to express. Like if an artist is trying to express sorrow or death he often uses blacks blues, and grays basically he uses dreary colors. You automatically feel what the artist is trying to express. When the artist uses bright colors you feel warm and you feel happiness. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald is like an artist. He uses colors to symbolize the many different intangible ideas in the book. He uses the color yellow to symbolize moral decay decadence and death. Then he uses the color white to symbolize innocence. He also uses the color green to express hope. Fitzgerald's use of the color green the strongest. Although these are not the only colors that Fitzgerald uses for symbolism, they are the ones that he expresses the most. This book is a very colorful book in the sense that it uses colors to cover so many different aspects of peoples lives. Fitzgerald uses the color yellow to symbolize moral decay. On (Page 18) he writes " The lamp-light, bright on his boots and dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair." He is talking about Tom and Jordan Baker, and he is suggesting that tom might be heading for moral decay. In the book there are several things that Tom does that might prove this. First of all Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. A second thing is that he does not like Gatsby, and several times he tries to prove that he is not who he says he is. Tom even hires a detective to prove this. Gatsby had a Rolls Royce that was yellow "His station wagon scampered like a yellow brisk-bug . . ." (Page 39). Gatsby's car was referred to many times in the book, but it was always referred to as "The yellow car" (Page 157). The color yellow was used most frequently when there was a death. One of the first things that Fitzgerald wrote about when Myrtle died was when they laid her on a table in the garage.

Ethics Choice in the Workplace Essay

Ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes one of key point to evaluation business value. â€Å"In today’s highly interconnected, global, and transparent world, corporations are finding that social responsibility is essential to fundamental business strategy† (Trevino & Nelson, 2010, page 332). The main purpose of this paper is to offer readers an overview and concept about the role of ethics and social responsibility in food industry. Besides that, some ethical problems of organizations, stakeholder perspective on the firm and some recommendations are listed. Ethics Choice in the Workplace Regarding to corporate ethics and CSR are exposed, both consumers and governments are focusing their attention on corporate social responsibility practices (Maloni & Brown, 2006). Ferrell, Geoffrey & Ferrell (2011, p.38) stated, â€Å"business ethics as the principles and standards that determine acceptable conduct in business organizations†. The behavior of acceptability is confirmed by many stakeholders of organizations such as customers, suppliers, employees, government regulators, owners as well as community. Ethics and social responsibilities are influent to business strategy and setting in recently. White (2012) claimed social responsibilities manage on decision making from top level to bottom line of firms. Ethics and Social Responsibilities are being evaluated as a key successful factor to measure organization outcomes. Ethics Issues in Business In order to identify certain situations that affected by various environmental and individual factors as ethical or unethical decision (Bommer, Gravander & Tuttle,1987). The identification is impacted by bias, principles, concepts and definitions of social group or community. These standards are different from geographies, races, languages, time, etc. According to Ferell et all, 2011, ethics is related to organizations’ culture, financial status and business objective. Plenty of ethical issues in business can be classified into their relative behavior as abusive and intimidating behavior, conflicts of interest, fairness and honesty, communications, and business associations. Abusive and Intimidating Behavior Actions in working environment caused other people physical threats, being annoying, harshness, or even though bypassing some individual opinions. Abusive can be considered as a distraction or disruption of the workplace (Ferell et all, 2011). Intensity of voice, situation of speaking and used words are factors to be determined to abusive or un-abusive. Conflicts of interest This kind of conflicts occurs quite frequently in reality. For instance, managers could make decisions either to reinforce their power or enhance benefit to shareholders. A CEO will keep confidential a bad financial status to board of director sometimes. The conflict is often among employees because they use the same resources. Un-transparency of gifts may effect to outcome decisions to be an illegal or un-ethical behavior. Fairness and Honesty Fairness and honesty is the most important of business ethics and create general values of decision makers (Ferell et all, 2011). For instance, some newspapers claimed there are some exceed ingredients in power milk caused harmfulness to children health 2 years ago. In addition, Microsoft window software is still being cracked very popularly in China and Vietnam in particular even though people knew these products are protected by copyright law. Communications Communication is one of effective tools to bring product ideas and images to consumers. However, some organizations transferred to community incorrect information about their products. Under-weight or over-weight harmful of ingredients, food safety and hygiene are the most of improper announcement in advertising and labels. Furthermore, there is lack of information to compare differences or similarities between products (Ferell et all, 2011). For example, many people does not know how differentiated among Uniliver’s detergents: OMO, Viso, and Suff. Business Relations This ethical behavior is relevant to business relations to customers, suppliers, bosses vs. their staff and others in their workplace that create to ethical concerns. Managers take advantages on legitimate and authority roles to supervise their staff. Sometime they play Lording games to reinforce their power (Mintzberg, 1985). In reality, commission and gifts are used very popularly on Sales and Marketing. In Vietnam, gifts are considered as traditional requirement on national holidays. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility â€Å"means that organizations should take responsibility for their impact on society and the environment† (Castka & Balzarova, 2007, p.297). Every organization should build and adopt their owned CSR plans. There are four dimensions or four faces of social responsibility: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic (which sometimes call voluntary, altruistic or humanitarian) (Ferell et all, 2011) and (Geoffrey, 2001). Economic Responsibilities. Business organizations are groups to conduct goods or service to satisfy consumers as well as create jobs for community (Geoffrey, 2001). Firms should pay fair to workers, look for new resources, technical innovation and celebrate a friendly and fairly working environment. Therefore, economic responsibility â€Å"is to be profitable for principles by delivering a good quality product at a fair price is due to customers† (Geoffrey, 2001, p. 3). Novak (1996, p. 139-145) defined seven economic responsibilities. There are to (1) satisfy customers with goods and services of real value, (2) make a reasonable return on the funds entrusted to the business corporation by its investors, (3) create new wealth which reduce poorness as their wages rises, (4) create new jobs to enhance worker incomes, (5) defeat envy by generating people values and creations that can improve their conditions, (6) promote ingenuity and invention, (7) diversify the interest s of the republic. Legal responsibi lities. Legal behavior is obeying the law by playing rules and policies of the game. The business laws are passed by the society and community. The laws tell organizations what should or should not be done. However, the laws often provide a minimum level or a floor of moral that â€Å"might be followed involuntarily out of fear of punishment rather than voluntarily out of internal moral conviction† (Geoffrey, 2001, p. 4). Ethical responsibilities. Ethical duties overcome limitations of legal responsibilities. They include moral, doing what is right, just, fair and avoiding harm to society and community even if preventing harm caused by others (Smith & Quelch, 1993). This behavior shows how wealth the organization affects non-economic aspects of society, such as benefit to employees, how closely working environment is, as well as natural environment. Altruistic responsibilities This kind of responsibilities display in the forms of voluntary service, association and giving, offer over of legal of society floor principles. Over the half of century, business increasingly has been judged not only by its economic and its ethical performance, but also by its social contributions (Geoffrey, 2001). Conclusion By understanding deeply Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, businesses can adopt not only get higher profit or outcomes but also be interested to society, community and natural environment. For the time being, we can expect to hear more about social responsibility and much of what of our companies do to give a hand to build our society around us.

Human Inheritance Essay

Ethical dilemmas are constantly confronting healthcare professionals, which is difficult to deal with as there is no correct solution. These are also known as moral dilemmas as they are situations where there is more than two choices to make and none of the choices is certain to work and can cause complications. An example of this would be ‘You are a patient and are too sick to speak for yourself. You are concerned about who will make medical decisions on your behalf, and whether your wishes will be followed. You wonder, â€Å"What if they disagree about what I would want, or what would be best for me? ’. Another example of this would be with the economic downturn that you may not be able to afford the funds for food and need to feed your family but the only way in doing this is to steal or let your family starve. These dilemmas are impossible because each person thinks differently and has a different feeling towards it. There are ethical dilemmas surrounding IVF and in fertility. Infertility is a genetic problem that affects women; it is not the woman’s fault. With IVF the NHS only gives each woman one free cycle and after that she has to fund it herself. An ethical dilemma with IVF is the possible wrong that is done to the infertile couple or the expected child by the physician. The success of IVF depends on the number of embryos transferred to the woman’s uterus. Because the chance of survival of an embryo in IVF is small the more transfers made the greater the chance of the woman becoming pregnant, it also increases the risk of multiple pregnancies. IVF is not allowed by the Catholic Church because it separates the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage. To separate the unitive and the procreative aspects of marriage is a mortal sin. In addition the sperm donor commits a mortal sin in order to harvest the sperm which is needed for IVF. Although one human life may be created through the IVF technique, many surplus foetuses, (unborn babies), are destroyed through this process. Other surplus unborn babies are left frozen in the laboratories where they were manufactured as though they were not human beings, but simply consumer goods. They were not created in love through the marriage act as God intends. Multiple births also create danger to the health and well-being of the child. Premature birth and low weight when born are also issues with this, also studies that have been undertaken spina bifida is at a higher risk with children made from IVF. Also the hormones that are taken by the female in order to become pregnant are always at risk of having problems or abnormalities to the unborn child. Aminiocentesis is another ethical dilemma, during the process if abnormalities are found the mother is offered the chance to terminate her pregnancy. The ethical issues surrounding amniocentesis are seen as centring on 4 focal points. First is the policy of the diagnostic treatment centre. Here, 2 questions arise: Is the client involved in a high-risk pregnancy? And, if a positive diagnosis is made, will the parents’ consent to an abortion? Second is the role of the genetic counsellor, which is seen as supportive rather than leading. He should assist the prospective parents in reaching a decision to undergo amniocentesis and possible abortion that is mutually acceptable. The prospective parents, the third focal point, may face the question of deciding what is normal. The clients must also realize the terrible strains that are put on a marriage into which a severely defective child has been born. The fourth focal point is public policy. While amniocentesis may appear to threaten some values held important in our society, the author regards the procedure as an interim solution on the road to an understanding of and ability to treat genetic defects. Contraception is another ethical dilemma as birth control operates before pregnancy begins, and until the sperm fertilises the egg there is nothing that is going to suffer loss and so the issue is very different from the case of abortion. And since the egg and sperm would cease to exist whether fertilisation takes place or not, they can’t be said to suffer loss, either. Non-religious arguments about birth control are therefore concerned only with the rights of the parents and with the consequences for those parents and for society in general. The issue of possibly killing a person, and of the rights of the mother versus the rights of the foetus, which dominate the topic of abortion, do not arise. Some people think it’s wrong as it is wrong to interfere with the natural order of the universe. People in certain religions also see it as wrong because of the fact that it is like abortion as some birth control techniques can operate by preventing the implantation and development of a fertilized egg. Those opposed to such methods say that this amounts to an abortion, and that if abortion is wrong then those forms of contraception must also be wrong. http://brendakaren. wordpress. com/2009/04/15/some-moral-and-ethical-issues-concerning-ivf-techniques/ http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/4418247 Contraception!!! http://www. bbc. co. uk/ethics/contraception/contraception_abortion. shtml

Hilda Black Tax Letter

Interest Charges Dear Mrs†¦ Black: Thank you for your phone call in regards to your concern about the interest penalties and charges from the IRS regarding the bonds you cashed in last April during tax time. I write you this letter to inform you that I am unable to pay these fines, as explained in this letter. Last April, you called and kindly asked if rolling funds over room one retirement fund to another Is considered a tax event.When doing this type of transaction, if done within 60 days, Is not considered a tax event. When these funds are drawn to supplement retirement income, taxes are paid on the portion representing interest earned. On the contrary, bonds are not the same type of transaction as retirement accounts In terms of Interest paid during tax time. Unfortunately, the IRS requires that taxes be paid on interest made and/or capital main the April following cashing In these bonds.The $1 ,309. 72 In taxes and penalties you are receiving are from cashing In the bonds w e spoke of last year. I am not In a position where I am liable for these charges, and apologize for any confusion from our talk last year. I value you as my client, and strive for the best relationship possible. If I can be of any help In communication with the IRS, or If you have any questions before or during next tax season, please do not hesitate to call me. Sincerely, Alyssa Hill

According to Aristotle

According to Aristotle, Oedipus is an archetypal tragic hero. Plot plays an integral role in developing Oedipus’s character throughout the play which thus impacts the play's storyline. Aristotle states that â€Å"The plot is the imitation of the action:-for by plot I here mean the arrangement of the incidents† (Aristotle 01). In this quote Aristotle emphasizes the importance of plot development. He explains how each event has a specific role in the playing out of the tragedy. In the beginning of Odedipus Rex, the audience assumes that Odepois is a sympathetic king who cares about his people. However, as one reads further on Odepoi’s true character is revealed. Subsequently â€Å"the most powerful elements of emotional interest in Tragedy-Peripeteia or Reversal of the Situation, and Recognition scenes-are parts of the plot† (Aristotle 01). These are the most prominent characteristics of the tragic genre. Furthermore they play a key role in drawing the reader’s attention. Significant emotional upheaval occurs when it is revealed that Odepois himself fulfils the prophecy and has killed the prior king. Without the emotional aspect of the play, the reader would not relate to the character or understand the plot. A person's character remains less important than a person's actions as Artistrole argues, â€Å"Now character determines men’s qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or the reverse† (Aristotle 01). The character supports the plot due to the personal motivation that precisely connected part of the cause-and-effect chain of actions thus producing pity and fear in the audience. Odepois’s determination to finding the murdered of laius, the original king, even though many warned him from discovering the truth is the play's main story-line. The prophecy that Odepois had fulfilled, played a major role in his character development throughout the play. As Aristotle states, â€Å"Now any speech or action that manifests moral purpose of any kind will be expressive of character: the character will be good if the purpose is good† (Aristotle 06). Aristotle explains the importance of the actions of the character and the impact his or her actions will make on the audience, that the actions of the character defines their characteristics. Odepois's blaming of individuals, when in search for the true murderer of Laius whilst remaining unaware of the facts, shows how over dramatic and hasty he is. This foreshadows the future due to the actions that were going to occur because of Odepois’s characteristics. Lastly, he states that the consistency (true to them) is a quality a character should have in a tragedy. Once a character’s personality and motivations are established, these should continue throughout the play as he defends, â€Å"For though the subject of the imitation, who suggested the type, be inconsistent, still he must be consistently inconsistent† (Aristotle 06). Aristotle suggests that a character should stay in role throughout the play in order to maintain a personal connection from the audience. â€Å"But, of all recognition, the best is that which arises from the incidents themselves, where the startling discovery is made by natural means† (Aristotle 07). In Odepois, when Odepois discovers that the prophecy was fulfilled after all, he realizes it was not due to another individual but by fate or nature. This explains how the characteristics of the character play out in creating the plot. Therefore, Odepois would be an example of a tragic hero according to Artistotle's standards.

Ikemefuna Described as an Ill-Fated Lad

In the book ‘Things Fall Apart’ Chinua Achebe describes Ikemefuna as an ‘ill fated lad’. Behind the meaning of this description lie different literary elements that pay a great significance to the book, in general. Before the author describes Ikemefuna in this manner, he writes about Okonkwo’s reputation and youth. He says, referring to Okonkwo, ‘He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams, and had just married his third wife’. By saying these words, the author wants to show Okonkwo as a man who earned his good reputation by hard work and not family wealth. He also writes ‘And so although Okonkwo was still young, he was already one of the greatest men of his time’ meaning that age was not the problem for him to succeed in life. ‘As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with kings’, by stating this proverb, the author means that being one of those boys who ‘washed their hands’, Okonkwo believed that he himself, could treat anyone in this manner if they ‘washed their hands’. He compares and contrasts Okonkwo’s youth against Ikemefuna’s who is later on described as an ‘ill fated lad’. Behind the description of Ikemefuna as an ‘ill fated lad’ lies foreshadowing which shows the readers that the fate of Ikemefuna is not fortunate, and there will be some event later on in the book that will prove the description right. As well as foreshadowing, the words ‘ill fated’ are a metaphor. ‘ill fated’ if translated correctly means a fate that is ill, therefore unfortunate. Even though the passage where Ikemefuna is described is short, there lies a lot of significance that affects the book as a whole. If the readers would not have read those lines saying ‘the ill-fated’ lad, they would most likely not predict anything unusual happening to him in the future. And because this line foreshadows the coming of Ikemefuna’s unfortunate fate, the readers pay more attention to the way Okonkwo treats Ikemefuna later on in the book. They see how Okonkwo treats him like his own son, and for the first time it is seen that Okonkwo becomes interested in something more than simply power and physical strength.

Muslims who assimilate are better off than those who maintain their Essay

Muslims who assimilate are better off than those who maintain their traditions and culture - Essay Example The general belief among Islamic scholars is that "all men are not created equal, and democracy eventually lets the fortunate over-run the less fortunate. The idea of a caliphate is only now beginning to take hold in the Arab world. Europe won't come around until our example is there to follow "(Chu). Democracy in its present form is unacceptable to Islam. Islamic world believe that the efforts of Europeans to spread democracy across Arab world is an attempt to destroy Islamic culture and traditions. The agitations happening at present in Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Oman, etc like Arab countries are perceived as the deliberate attempt by the Western World to topple Islamic administrations prevailing in those countries. It should be noted that these agitations were originated not because of the interferences of any other Western country, but because of the self-realization of people about their present pathetic conditions compared that in other countries. In fact the recent successf ul revolution in Egypt and the marginalization of people by the patriarchal administrations motivated the people in other Arab countries to fight against the fundamental Islamic administrations. â€Å"In the social realm, Shari'a is more restrictive than Western norms and lifestyles.

Ethnographic Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnographic Study - Essay Example But one word from her will silence him forever, and he will never bother her again. If, however, her feelings have changed, he has to tell her that she has bewitched him body and soul and he loves her. Lizzie comes forward, just as the sun was rising, and catches Darcy's hand in hers. She kisses it and tells him, your hands are cold. And they slowly bent their heads forward, touching each other's mind. The next part is Jane pacing the front of the door of her father's study. It opens and Darcy went outside, Lizzie rushes forward, without looking at Darcy. Then, as she was asked by her father to close the door, she turns back, gives Darcy a smile full of love, her heart on her eyes, as she slowly took her time to do her father's wish. Inside the study, Mr. Bennet asks Lizzie if she has lost her mind, as he thought Lizzie to despise the man. Lizzie denies the allegation. Mr. Bennet states that Lizzie will have more fine carriages than Jane, and if by being rich will make her happy Lizzie asks him if he has no objections than her indifference with Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bennet says none at all. He then added that Darcy is a proud unpleasant sort or fellow but that it would be nothing if she liked him. Lizzie states that she does. Her father nodded. Until she added that she loves him. Her father was surprised and Lizzie states that of all of them, she was the one who has mistaken him; who has judged him, that he is not a proud fellow. She also added that Mr. Bennet doesn't know him, doesn't know what he's done. Mr. Bennet then asked Lizzie what Mr. Darcy has done, and the scene cuts off to show Mr. Darcy pacing the courtyard, as Mrs. Bennet and Jane was looking out the window to him, telling each other the impossibilities of the situation as they thought that Lizzie disliked the man immensely. Then Jane stated that they must be wrong about Lizzie's true feelings, and Mrs. Bennet states that it isn't the first time, and Jane laughingly said, "No, it isn't. And it certainly isn't the last." While in the study, Mr. Bennet takes the full blow of Lizzie's confession about Darcy. He realizes the grave debt that he has now owed to the man. He wanted to pay Darcy, but Lizzie declined, stating that nobody must know, and that Darcy wouldn't like it. Lizzie then says that they have misjudged him in every way; that they are so much alike, both of them are fools as well as stubborn. And with this admission, Mr. Bennet burst out laughing, saying that Lizzie does love the man. So he heartily gave his consent. Lizzie hugs her father, saying thank you. The first cultural aspect shown in the scene was the apology for the behaviour of Darcy's aunt the previous night. This was to ensure that Lizzie knows that Darcy was against his aunts' actions and that he is sorry for the hurt it may have caused her. In this part, common courtesy was present, even in the early 19th century, where this movie was set, courtesy and respect are two most important factors for the titled and important people; even for the lower ones. Even up to now, common courtesy is still practiced as it is known to be the upbringing of a person's life since childhood. It is a brand and a name and it places people into a bracket of identity. Common courtesy also calls that Lizzie declines the apology, as she knows that

Why do people term an illness to be physcial or psychological Is there Essay

Why do people term an illness to be physcial or psychological Is there a relationship between public causal attributions of functional somatic syndromes and h - Essay Example Cognitive structures such as illness schemata helps to organize information from internal sensations (symptoms) and disease-related information gathered from the external environment. Howard Leventhal and his colleagues (Leventhal et al. 1984) have proposed the most relevant model of symptom perception within the tradition of information processing. Their Common Sense Models of Illness approach is rooted in cognitive psychology and builds on the work on cognitive schemata and prototypes. In specific, Leventhal et al. propose that individuals tend to construct their own individual representation of symptoms or illness and that this idiosyncratic representation will, in turn, influence their behavior (e.g., help-seeking, adherence and compliance). In specific, they proposed that illness representations (or schemata) are a function of an individual's semantic knowledge about symptoms and disease and specific contextual factors such as the nature of somatic changes and the situations in which these occur. This semantic knowledge accumulates across the life span and is acquired through the media, through personal experience, and from family and friends who have had experience with the disease. Therefore, the perception of cause can have an effect on the behavior towards an illness, because the cognitive dissemination leads to the semantic knowledge of the disease. Understanding how a person views a disease can impact behavior towards the illness. People's common sense models of illness strongly influence which symptoms a person will search for and will ultimately perceive. Work by Meyer and his colleagues (Meyer et al. 1985) on hypertension illustrates this point. Hypertension disease holds one or a combination of disease models about high blood pressure. As Meyer and his colleagues demonstrated, some patients hold the belief that hypertension is a disease of the heart, others believe that it is an arterial disorder and a third group might associate hypertension with emotional upset. Importantly, the kind of belief patients' hold affects the way they monitor their body: Symptoms that are consistent with their specific illness belief are more likely to get noticed. The relationship between a person's cognitive knowledge of the cause is therefore directly related towards the symptoms and evaluation of 'cures' for the illness. This research study will incorporate that foundation of illness cause perception by quantitatively e xamining the differences between illness cause perception amongst participants. In addition to general concepts of illness, people also hold organized conceptions-termed disease prototypes-for particular diseases (Bishop 1991; Bishop and Converse 1986). Prototypes of specific diseases help people organize and evaluate information about bodily sensations that might otherwise not be interpretable. Thus, a person who holds the belief that he or she is vulnerable to heart disease is more likely to interpret chest pain in accord to his or her prototype of heart disease than a person who does not hold this belief (Bishop and Converse 1986). This latter person might instead regard the chest pain as signaling a gall

Ethics and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 6

Ethics and Governance - Essay Example Kantian’s approach to ethics is relevant to business and management because it focuses on the maxim of the action. To Kant’s thinking, business stands to gain when it focuses its maxim on securing goodwill. Paying bribe does not add to the goodwill of business although the practice may be universal. â€Å"A business manager who accepts Kantian morality would ask for any given decision, does the principle on which the decision is based pass the test of the categorical imperative, that is, can it be willed universally without contradiction? If it can, then the decision would be morally permissible. If it cannot, the action is morally forbidden† (Bowie, Norman E; 2002, p5).A robust business house following Kant’s approach to ethics weighs its every action in ways that secures business without depending on malpractices such as payment of bribes. Such business houses are strongly self-reliant and prefer ethically sound actions irrespective of the outcome. In Ka ntian ideology, there is no means. There is only the end. Actions culminate as the end.Kantian approach is flexible. It does not treat other approaches as untouchables. However, it upholds high values and sets standards that weigh individual actions by the acceptance or rejection of others universally. In commercial terms, â€Å"Ethical capital reflects the additional revenues created by corporate moral agency, such as a price premium paid by an ethical consumer for an environmentally friendly product†.

Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing plan - Essay Example In the year 2000, there were 26.7 million visitors from different parts of US and 899000 foreign visitors. So the tourism industry has great potential in Arizona. There are a lot of places of tourist attraction in Arizona such as the 22 monuments and national parks (Grand Canyon National Park is the most popular park). There are specifically 14 state parks that are able to attract a million visitors each year. There are many camping sites on both private and public, ranches and farms (majorly in Tucson and Wickenburg). Navaho and Hopi are ideal places for shopping and sight seeing. The Salt River Lake is very ideal for boating while the red rock country of Sedona is unique in its own ways (ArizonaTourism). Because of the high potential of the tourism business, the business that I started a hotel called Tourist’s Paradise in Phoenix in the state of Arizona. Marketing Objectives Tourist’s Paradise has a total of 350 rooms with ten rooms being suites (used majorly by newly wed couples). This hotel started off 5 years ago but still not many people are aware about it as this is reflected in the number of visitations in the past five years. It has all the attractions for a tourist or a vacationer such as a bar, swimming pool, tennis court and gym. The expected profits have not been achieved and hence the marketing plan will be developed to increase visitations by 15%, increase day and night stay by 10 % (because that is where most of our revenues lie) and to have at least 5% repeat customers each year. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Spacious rooms Swimming pool Gymnasium Tennis Court Bar 10 suites Weaknesses Initially when the hotel came into being, proper marketing was not done A lot of people are not aware of this grandiose hotel It is very difficult to reduce prices when the operating costs are so high Threats Phoenix already has a lot of luxurious hotels such as Comfort Inn Phoenix West. Econo Lodge Phoenix Airport and Days Inn Phoenix Metrocenter (Booking ). These are very successful and well established hotels so Tourist’s Paradise faces a lot of competition from these hotels that that can also afford to charge lower prices Phoenix Hotel is our toughest competitor as it has 500 rooms (fully air-conditioned) with baths and patio pools. Its exotic resort-like atmosphere is the biggest attraction for visitors. Similarly The Camelback Inn in Phoenix Arizona is the perfect inn to spend winter vacations at. It has been built in a manner such that the visitors can enjoy the Arizonian clear blue skies and still experience the desert effect in winters (Abey). With such outclass hotels and inns, there is a lot for us to worry about. We have to come up with a feature of hotel to convince customers that our hotel is also special in some way and delivering this claim is the greatest challenge in order to have repeat customers. Opportunities The number of tourists visiting Phoenix is a lot each year. 13 to 15 million people visit Phoenix e ach year (VisitPhoenix). This is a great opportunity that can be capitalized upon With good service provided to customers, there are chances that they might come to our hotel again. Target Markets Demographics: People between the ages of 20-50 are the main target market. However children are more than welcome with their parents. Since we cannot cut down our costs, we cannot charge lower prices. So we are looking for people for an annual income of $20,000 or more. Our

Measurement of intellectual capital Annotated Bibliography

Measurement of intellectual capital - Annotated Bibliography Example The article entitled â€Å"Measuring for managing?† An IC Practice Case Study is written in order to highlight the success of the governmental organization which was operating with the name of Lands in terms of implementing practices of managing intellectual capital and it used a case study approach to investigate the issue. The organizational management was laughed at and they were ruthlessly judged as chasers of an elusive practice but at the end of the day, the underdogs had emerged as victorious because they had a vision and they believed in it and their performance showed to the world that they are indeed successful. The organizations learn as humans do and they have to create neural networks and data banks in order to retain their learning. With the help of modern psychology, it can be established that humans work out their way in lives by applying their experiences which are known to get stored in the nuclides of their brains. However, organizations go through various types of experiences on a daily basis and their exposures and logs are recorded in infrastructure of information technology. The employees access the databases in order to learn how to manage certain situations whereas; they regularly update them with their experiences as well so that future learning can be facilitated. This article is useful for me in proving worth of my research topic as an applied concept. The next article which has a working title of â€Å"Intellectual capital measurement: a critical approach† highlighted the fact that the companies are working with less than effective means of measuring IC’s effectiveness because they are focusing on financial gains which are associated with organizational learning and it uses a case development methodology. However, this paper does not go well with the abovementioned article because humans do not believe in what they cannot see. The businesses measure success in monetary terms

Discuss whether the European Monetary Union would benefit from British Essay

Discuss whether the European Monetary Union would benefit from British membership - Essay Example This would also assist in promoting reforms of the supply-side in the EU which would in turn encourage further exploitation and specialization of comparative advantage In the UK’s several sectors in the economy in the long run. Boost price transparency Any country’s membership to the EMU makes it possible for consumers to compare relative price levels across a number of member states. Britain’s membership would increase price transparency in the EU. This is more so because Britain is a big economy on its own with a wide range of markets. This would in turn encourage cross border trade and competition across a number of different markets. Allocative efficiency would be greatly improved thus improving consumers’ welfare within the EU. This is would be a great benefit to the EMU as it would encourage more and more states to join the Euro Zone. The price transparency theory can be explained; prices of different goods differ in different countries as a result o f different currencies and different Value added taxes. Although it is hard vto eliminate the differences brought about by VAT, the currency born price differences can be completely eliminated by forming a single currency. This increases transparency as there are no currency exchanges in the transactions. Common currency also increased competition kicking out of the markets firms that have inefficient production methods. If Britain joins the EU, currency differences will be a matter of past tense and price transparency will ensue. Increase in foreign investment flows Britain, being a major recipient of foreign direct investment especially in the recent periods would greatly increase the inflow of foreign investments into the Euro Zone. This would greatly facilitate the development of Multi-nationals enterprises within the EMU. Scholars have argued that apart from these foreign investment inflows benefiting the EMU if Britain joined, they would also help the economy of the Great Brit ain through the development of its multinational enterprises. Actually, it has been suggested that if Britain continues to say outside the system, these foreign investment flows may be threatened in the near future. High employment rates and wages for workers in the EU zone. A sustainable convergence between the euro zone countries and the UK would bring about potential employment benefit to all member countries. This would include potentially reduced prices and relatively higher wages. This is simply because UK has a big economy that EU would use to bring these long- term household benefits. Reduced transaction costs; If UK joins the European Monetary Union, there will be a single currency in use between the country and the countries already in the Euro zone; this means that there will be no conversion costs emanating from currency conversions. This will reduce the total transaction costs in trade. This is especially significant in Britain’s case because majority of transact ions in the EU zone are done with Britain. Therefore, by Britain joining the EU, these transaction costs will be eliminated. This is a benefit to both Britain and the European monetary union. Rival to the ‘Big Two’ The Japanese yen and the American dollar are the two strong currencies in the world today. These two countries have millions of inhabitants and strong economies. A new currency in Europe through

The Importance of Performing Close Out Activities Before Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Performing Close Out Activities Before Essay The importance of performing close out activities before closing the project and the business risks associated with skipping these activities John Constance MSc in Project Management, University of Liverpool Week 5 Discussion Question Abstract Most projects are initiated, planned, executed and monitored and controlled with the full cognizant of executives and clients. However, once the project has been considered an overall success, a part from preparing and conducting opening event with ribbon cutting and extensive speeches, little attention is paid to formal close out documentation. This often leads to incomplete information for use by facility operations and maintenance team or the next project team to implement a similar project. According to Ed Naughton, Director General, Institute of Project Management Ireland (www. projectmanagement. e, 2011) â€Å"without a project close out plan it will is difficult to know if the project was completed as planned, and how this information can assist the team in the next project as there will be no information on lessons learned therefore providing no assurance that past mistakes will not be repeated in another future project†. Introduction In my nine years of project management I have learned that to start a project is difficult; but to close a project is both difficult and at times seemingly impossible. In order to close a project smoothly without undergoing stress even at celebration ceremonies, it is very important a plan is initiated during the planning phase. The key activities, processes and procedures, and acceptance conditions and documentation must be agreed and documented and this plan tracked and updated during execution and executed during closure, meeting not only the project team expectation but also the acceptance of the client. If this does not happen the project runs the risk of not being completed on schedule, within budget and targeted quality, also making future operations and maintenance difficult. Experts View Robert K. Wysocki (Wysocki: pp 283-288) explained how â€Å"an effective project close out plan gets client to accept or reject deliverables through several applied approaches; it records all changes made in the life of the project; it keeps project records that can assist in estimating duration and cost of future projects; the lessons learned and best practices from past projects can be used to provide training for new project managers and project team; and the performance evaluation reports from functional managers can also be used as a guide for the next project†. Wysocki also explained how â€Å"end of project impact or post-implementation audit helps the team and client determine if project goals and activity were achieved as planned, budgeted, scheduled and according to quality targets, specifications and client satisfaction† (Wysocki: pp 289). Other experts that support the importance of preparing close out plan before the project closure include, Robert P. Walsh (2004, pp. 1) who wrote that â€Å"the close-out phase includes final testing and cleaning, occupancy approval from local authorities, punch list walk through, staff training, turnover of final documents, and move-in of furniture, fixtures, and equipment; thereby making planning ahead and outlining the close-out requirements at the onset of the project certain of a smooth start to occupying the new workplace†. Dimitrios Litsikakis (The Importance of Project Closeout and Review in Project Management, 2007) said â€Å"projects managed with no close out plan continue to fail on new projects because management forgets to records past actions as they did not have the time to think and conduct a post implementation review to determine what went wrong and what should be fixed next time†. Conclusion The risk of skipping planned project activities as listed by Robert Wysocki (2009, pp. 83-288) is a big threat for the likelihood of future problems. This is the case with 2 projects in South Sudan. The first had close out problems because client condition of satisfaction for deliverables was not documented at the start of the project, nor was it tracked, updated, discussed and agreed. During close out, senior management from the client and contractor blamed each other for not having a plan making close out a war of words to be settled by an Arbitrator. Also, another project, although with a documented close out plan that was reviewed and updated on a monthly basis, did not include an agreement as to who would be the receptor of project asset. This brought chaos during closure when government claimed all assets should be turn over to them and the donor refused, simply because there was no indication of this in the close out document.

Compare and Contrast Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast Essay All interesting authors expose their readers to experience the essence of the story. In this case, Toni Cade Bambara uses the illustration of her short story â€Å"The Lesson†, in order to convey the reality of a 1960’s ghetto, African American community through the eyes of a young girl named Sylvia. Sylvia is a young, fearless girl who has an audacious and outspoken nature despite her constant use of profanity and insulting judgments of Miss Moore. Moreover, Toni Bambara’s technique of literacy in this piece is written in a way that transport the readers to another cultural setting that is condemned by a helpless cycle of economic poverty, which Miss Moore attempts to prevent for the future generation. In addition, Toni Cade Bambara uses her colorful style of tone to express the realism and individualistic characteristic of the urban black community of the 1960s through the use of AAVE, which stands for â€Å"African American Vernacular English. † Through this unique style of writing, Toni Bambara’s goal is to challenge or even question society of its unfair economy. Admittedly, it is true that these kids have inherited poor values from their parents. â€Å"It also touches on the irresponsibility of lower class parents when it comes to raising their children (Friedman 2). † This is where Miss Moore, the antagonist, comes in. She tries to show these kids what it means to have opportunity to be successful and have a nice life. â€Å"She’d been to college and said it was only right that she should take responsibility for the young ones’ education. And she not even related by marriage or blood (pg. 183). † The author portrays Miss Moore as being a proper adult figure for the kids as she shows them the world other than the one they live in. In the beginning of the story, many readers are startled at the fact that Sylvia explicitly uses profanity like it is apart of her everyday speech. She states, â€Å"And the starch in my pinafore scratching the shit outta me and I’m really hating this nappy-head bitch and her goddam college degree (pg. 183). † Toni wanted to make Sylvia seem as realistic as possible, and with Sylvia’s lower class, ghetto background speaking properly would not seem as authentic to the setting and situation. As an African American herself, Bambara portrays Sylvia almost as a realistic figure influenced by her childhood. â€Å"This dialect emphasizes the children’s distance from mainstream white bourgeois culture and economic power. However, Bambara also celebrates AAVE to express her self-confidence, assertiveness, and creativity as a young black women (Janet Ruth Heller 1). † At first, Sylvia gives off the impression of being stubborn and loud. She is adverse to Miss Moore’s teachings because simply, she doesn’t understand the underlying messages that Miss Moore attempts to teach these kids. During the exposition, Sugar answers Miss Moore’s question by saying, â€Å"I think†¦ that this is not much of a democracy if you ask me. Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it? (pg. 188)† This moment is the turning point in which changes Sylvia from being a talker to a listener. Although the lesson doesn’t immediately make sense to her, she eventually runs off to let it sink in. After reading the story, the reader is left with a feeling of anticipation for the kids and their future outcome. Although humorous, the story brings up a serious issue of poverty and the economic disparity that these kids experience. Furthermore, at the conclusion of the story Sylvia states, â€Å"We started from the block and she gets ahead which is O. K. by me cause I’m goin to the West End and then over to the Drive to think this day through. She can run if she want to and even run faster. But ain’t nobody gonna beat me at nuthin (pg. 188). † This moment represents hope for Sylvia’s future and her drive to pursue a life other than the one she was brought up to. In this way, Toni wants to convey a message of hope to all kids in Sylvia’s position and that they have to chance to break away from the cycle of poverty and be successful.