Columnist Analysis: Mitch Albom

Kristen Chesmore Hall AP English Lang 3-3-13 Name of Columnist: Mitch Albom Title of Column: One Day, Coming out Won't Mean Leaving. Publication: Detroit Free Press Access of Info: March 2, 2013 Albom, Mitch. â€Å"One Day, Coming out Won't Mean Leaving. † Detroit Free Press 17 Feb. 2013: n. pag. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. Summary: Robbie Rogers is a talented 25 year-old soccer player from southern California. He won the NCAA championship and has played on the U. S. national soccer team. Needless to say, soccer was his life and he was very successful.On February 5th, 2013 he came out to the public that he was gay. Almost immediately after he shared this news, he retired to discover himself away from soccer. He gained much support from fans, media and teammates, but none were able to convince him to keep playing soccer. Mitch Albom discusses this news in his column and the gives hope of a male professional sports player that is brave enough to admit to being gay, and stay to play the ga me for a change. Rhetorical Square: Audience: Alboms Audience would be those who are interested in the news of soccer and other professional sports leagues.He is also targeting men who are in those professional sports leagues and are gay, to be the first to admit to it publicly and continue to play. Persona: The author takes on the persona of a person who supports the gays and has hope for them to be able to be open about their sexual orientation. Purpose: The purpose of this column is to convince future and current gay professional athletes to publicly state their sexual orientation and not let fear or the judgment of others convince them to step away from their dreams.Argument: Albom argues that instead of being scared to be open about being gay, these professional athletes should overcome that fear and be a role model for others who want to be a professional athlete but are afraid that being themselves will get in the way of achieving their dreams. Rhetorical Devices: Albom start s this column with creating a picture of a young and very successful soccer player named Robbie. He does this by describing how young he is and how many major teams he has been on and major championships he has won.By creating this image for the audience it makes it more shocking that he threw all of that success away because he thought people would judge him after he openly admitted that he was gay. This is an appeal to pathos because the audience will sympathize with the story of a successful athlete pushed out of his sport from fear of what society would think of him. When he is describing how Rogers left his career he uses short chopped up sentences. By doing this he is showing how abrupt the decision was through sentence structure rather than verbally stating that his notice of leaving the sport was out of nowhere.This way the audience understands, visually, how shocking it was. Albom also uses direct quotes from Roger’s blog that exhibit how vulnerable and desperate he was. The quotes he uses include words like â€Å"fear†, â€Å"judgment† and â€Å"rejection† that have a negative connotation. These quotes appeal to pathos and make the audience sympathize with the soccer player that felt there was no other way to deal with this than to retire because he was so afraid of being treated differently. It makes his target, gay professional athletes, want to be the first to come out publicly and stay to play so that a situation like Roger’s doesn’t have to happen again.At the beginning and end of the column Albom describes the first man to be a publicly gay professional athlete. He describes him as â€Å"A brave man, a confident man†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , using positive adjectives that make this man seem admirable. This shows the audience that being openly gay and a person of higher power is a very respectable thing to be, not something that people show look down upon. This further convinces the audience to want to be honest w ith who they are. He also includes quotes from a 49ers football player, Chris Culliver, who as not afraid to show his homophobic side. The answers used from an interview that asked his opinion on if he had a teammate that was gay teammate were very bold and hateful. By using these quotes it is another appeal to pathos and is supposed to make the audience angry that someone would be so rude to someone over the sex that they are attracted to. it also makes the audience want more people to stand up for gay people and make society more accepting towards them. And ultimately that will start when the first male professional athlete publicly admits to being gay.

Hitler Research Paper

Brianna Milligan Mr. McCaw AP Lit and Comp 9 November 2012 On April 20th 1889, Adolf Hitler was born. Adolf is debatably the most remembered dictator in all of history; he was responsible for the genocide of 6 million Jews, and other minorities. Why Hitler developed a strong angst against the Jews is unclear, although there are many theories, none prove to be factual. Perhaps it was this influential man’s huge desire for power that drove him to such drastic measures. Despite, Hitler’s unforgivable actions – rejection, war, and power are the three elements that created Adolf Hitler, the face of Nazi Germany.As a young German boy, Adolf loved art so much so, that all he sometimes did was sketch and paint. He was particularly gifted with academics; he passed his classes with great ease and found school to be fairly unchallenging. Despite his academic abilities, he stopped caring and trying in school as he grew older. The reason for this would be Alois’ death (Hitler’s father) when Adolf was only 13. However, it was Hitler’s biggest aspiration to be accepted into Vienna Academy of Art, but after submitting his application several times Hitler was rejected.Prior to his father’s death, Hitler and Alois had their differences due to Alois’ opinion on the pointlessness of art school. Adolf was abused by his father for many years, and it is arguable that this rejection from his own father built up unhealthy steam. After being rejected by the Academy of Art, he lived in Vienna pretending to be an art student to avoid telling his mother, Klara, the truth. In 1907, his mother passed away of cancer, and this was probably the most traumatic thing in Hitler’s youth. â€Å"Her death affected him far more deeply than the death of his father.He had fond memories of his mother, carried her photograph wherever he went and, it is claimed, had it in his hand when he died in 1945. † (Spartacus Educational) He could never face his mother, in fear of being rejected by her as well. The First World War was surfacing and Hitler had ignored his call-up papers for enlisting in the Austrian Army. Shortly after being taken in by the authorities for a medical examination for the army, â€Å"he was rejected as being: â€Å"Unfit for combatant and auxiliary duty – too weak. Unable to bear arms. (Spartacus Educational) Acceptance in the psychological development of a teenager is crucial, and Hitler was repeatedly rejected. World War I was in full action, and Hitler joined the German Army. Most soldiers look back on violent wars and talk about the brutality and struggles, but Hitler wrote, â€Å"I was overcome with impetuous enthusiasm, and falling on my knees, wholeheartedly thanked Heaven that I had been granted the happiness to live at this time. † (Mein Kampf) Hitler found this to be his â€Å"greatest spiritual experience† (Mein Kampf) and from then on found himself becoming obse ssed with the military.He volunteered for the job of ‘dispatch-runner’ which required him to run across the front-line and relay messages from regimental headquarters. Being on the front lines were extremely dangerous considering only one out of three messengers lived. Adolf Hitler won five medals including the honorable â€Å"Iron Cross. † This was one of his first successors, and WWI had become his favorite point in his life. It was until October 1918, when Hitler breathed in some British Mustard Gas and was blinded. This resulted in Hitler having to stay in the hospital until he recovered.While he was in the hospital, Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles and had surrendered. The few peers and colleagues of Hitler stated that he had slipped into a deep depression once he’d caught wind of the news, and this was just another failure that Adolf had associated himself with. Post-war Hitler had been shocked that a socialist revolution had occurred, and as a dedicated German Nationalist he was infuriated with these social equality movements. He believed that communism was evil and that these Socialist party revolutions were nothing but â€Å"Jewish Conspiracies† (YouTube: Adolf Hitler the Greatest Story Never Told).Eventually, Hitler was recruited as a German political officer, and could now lecture soldiers on politics. Germany was in a state of economic downfall because of the Treaty of Versailles. All of the war reparations were to be a paid for by Germany because they had originally started the war, Hitler was deeply involved with politics and loved war. Therefore he was agitated by the fact that the Treaty was having Germany pay for everything and he rendered that it was an unfair treaty.Hitler, at this time, was a common public speaker, and not too long after all these speeches he created his own political party. â€Å"In February 1920, the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) published its first programme whi ch became known as the â€Å"25 Points†. In the programme the party refused to accept the terms of the Versailles Treaty and called for the reunification of all German people. To reinforce their ideas on nationalism, equal rights were only to be given to German citizens. â€Å"Foreigners† and â€Å"aliens† would be denied these rights. (Spartacus Educational) This is when Hitler’s evident hatred of the Jews became visible to all of Germany, but his speaking was so influential and it made sense at the time that people didn’t disagree. His party was the biggest favored political party during this period. Hitler’s newfound party became known as the ‘Nazi Party. ’ â€Å"According to Hitler, Jews were responsible for everything he did not like, including modern art, pornography and prostitution. Hitler also alleged that the Jews had been responsible for losing the First World War.Hitler also claimed that Jews, who were only about 1% of the population, were slowly taking over the country. They were doing this by controlling the largest political party in Germany, the German Social Democrat Party, many of the leading companies and several of the country's newspapers. The fact that Jews had achieved prominent positions in a democratic society was, according to Hitler, an argument against democracy: â€Å"a hundred blockheads do not equal one man in wisdom. † (YouTube: Adolf Hitler the Greatest Story Never Told).It wasn’t long before Hitler ran for president, won, and became a dictator. He now had complete and total power, and had already begun deportation plans for the Jewish people in Germany. Hitler let the German people know right away that the Jewish were the reason they lost the war, he read Henry Ford’s book The International Jew, and stemmed a passionate hatred toward the very existence of the Jewish race. It wasn’t until autumn of 1941 that Hitler openly spoke about the annihil ation of the Jews, but he wasted no time in preparing the concentrations camps which was ultimately his ‘final solution. (adolfhitler. dk. ) Adolf Hitler controlled everything in Germany during the holocaust, every horror imaginable was going on in these concentration camps, and Germany’s strategies in WWII were extremely violent. The mass murder of the Jewish population was called the Holocaust. Hitler took over many territories all over the world during WWII, and his army was incredibly disciplined and brutal. Conclusively, the Holocaust was a result of the creation of the Nazi Party.Hitler was rejected by society, became obsessed with war, and his complete control of Germany with his ultimate power led to the genocide of 6 million Jews. Works Cited: â€Å"Adolf Hitler. † Adolf Hitler. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. adolfhitler. dk/;. â€Å"Spartacus Educational. † Spartacus Educational. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. sparta cus. schoolnet. co. uk/GERhitler. htm;. YouTube. Dir. Deephiddentruth. YouTube. YouTube, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. ;http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=TERKermWgIg;.

Health Administarion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Administarion - Essay Example The benefits of the project involve making the staying of the patients in the hospital comfortable and ensuring that they receive proper treatment. The individuals who benefits from this project are patients, nurses, employees, and the hospital administration. The sort of preliminary data to be collected when designing the project include the language of which patients speak at home, the number of times nurses treat the patient with courtesy. Moreover, the questions also find out whether the patient will recommend the hospital to an ally and family and whether they required the assistance of the nurses to go the washroom. The risks of the goal of the project may be caused when patients fail to cooperate and adhere to the hospitals policies and regulations (HCAHPS Preparation and Improvement Library Courseware, 1). Developing hospital’s reimbursement mostly in pain management, toileting, and responsiveness promotes exceptional health care practices among individuals in society. The individuals benefiting from this goal are populace, the hospital, and the government of the region. The benefit of the aim and objective include; be aware of the residents health in terms of communal wellness, ailment, and medical care and comprehending the functions of political affairs, guiding principles, law, rule, and ethics in the current healthcare diligence. Examples of preliminary data collected when designing the project include; the number of individuals falling sick after a certain period, those practicing healthful life and use inventive instructional techniques to convey outstanding and reliable educational results based on the industrys and constituencys requirements. The goal ensures that the health care departments operates its business amicably without harassing patients, but provide apt services. They do this by ensuring that virtues such as honesty and faithfulness are practiced when

Managing People Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Managing People - Essay Example This will ensure all the work is done at the appropriate time and all the subsequent documentation filed. As such, there will be a sense of accountability in running the firm. In today’s world, it is evident that many employers are reverting to online recruitment, citing its prevalence. It is noted that the internet is one of the rapidly growing service that is in use with more than 60 percent of the world’s population. Therefore, many people will access the internet when they are looking for jobs or when they need to recruit employees (Dowling, Festing and Engle, 2008:19). This makes it easier as both parties are able to easily and efficiently access each other. Secondly, the internet is used on a daily basis which creates an avenue of easy communication characterised by quick feedback. In such a situation, there is minimal dead-time when communicating to an employee or an employer (Lipp, 2005:17). According to recent statistics it is considered that more than 77 perce nt of job seekers use the internet to find employers. This shows that there are large numbers of people who use the internet to find jobs. Similarly, more than half of the firms use the internet to find eligible employees. ... This makes it relatively easy to approach an employee who bears the required qualifications. In addition, it is noted that job advertisements on the internet circulate at a faster rate than using newspapers. As such, many people have reverted to using the internet while seeking jobs. The same applies to employers as they find the internet appealing when advertising for vacant positions (Arthur, 2012:12). Apparently, this has reflected a drop in newspaper sales as a wide population does not feel the need to buy newspapers when the information is available on the internet. There are many firms and businesses that have employed the best practice in regards to online recruitment. One of these firms that expedite online recruitment is Fab Tiger marketing. This is a marketing agency that is specialised in direct mailing, telemarketing and customer relationship management. When in need of employees Fab Tiger marketing embraces online recruitment. This has made it easier to achieve its targe t in the market as it is able to reach out to a wide pool of interested parties (MacKay, 2007:17). The second firm that has appreciated online recruitment is Webactiv, which specialises in marketing consultancy services. Most of its recruitments are done over the internet, which is fast and convenient. The last firm that has the best practice in relation to online recruitment is Insight Marketing Services. All these firms are based in the United Kingdom and have embraced the use of online recruitment. Since they need a massive number of employees, they have to use a method that will attract a large number of job seekers. This has made it possible to cut on recruitment costs (Compton, Nankervis and Morrissey, 2009:14). For

Jury System of UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jury System of UK - Essay Example But considering the complexity of many trials today - especially with the advances made in forensic science and the complexity of many civil trials, severe doubts regarding the efficacy of the jury system have been made. First of all, it is correct to consider whether a jury can in fact be "objective", especially when there has been a lot of pretrial publicity. Many studies have documented adverse effects of pre-trial publicity on juror decision making (Linz & Penrod, 1992; Otto, Penrod & Dexter, 1994; Ogloff & Vidmar, 1994; Studebaker & Penrod, 1997). These studies point out that jurors do not exist in a vacuum and are likely to have some opinion of a well-known case before they enter the courtroom. In many ways this can be linked to the ideas of groupthink. Just as the jury may be influenced by what the public outside supposedly 'thinks' regarding a case - usually influenced by the media - so as a whole they may come to conclusions based upon a kind of consensus feeling rather than rational thought. This type of situation has been called "groupthink". Janis Irving has created a perhaps more sober definition in which she describes groupthink as "a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action" (Irving, 1972). There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. In the original article in which the term groupthink was postulated, Whyte described group think in the following way: We are not talking about mere instinctive conformity - it is, after all, a perennial failing of all mankind. What we are talking about is a rationalized conformity - an open, articulate philosophy which holds that group values are not only expedient but right and good as well. (Whyte, 1952) (emphasis added) One way of improving jury decisions, and thus making them more reliable, would be to actively educate juries on the dangers of groupthink before a trial starts. Just as their knowledge of the case, predisposition towards certain verdicts, experience of this type of crime/action are often tested through the process of voir-dire, so juries could be taught in a short workshop on the problems of groupthink and how to avoid them before the trial begins. There are various interpretations and analyses of the practical results of groupthink that have occurred over the years. Some, such as McCauley (1987) have concentrated on some of the more ominous sides of the tendency in which individuals may be swayed into ways of behaving that they would not otherwise consider. For example, extreme cases of groupthink can often be found within various religious cults, sometimes leading to disastrous and tragic consequences such as the mass suicides at Jonestown or of the Heaven's Gate group. These are thankfully rare examples of an extreme example of groupthink in which what may be a powerful good is turned into a destructive negativity because of the pathological nature of those who are leading the groupthink. Other cases of groupthink have been found within organizations of some of the most intellectual and highly educated people (who would not be expected to be easy 'followers' as were the mostly uneducated

Intrapersonal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Intrapersonal Communication - Essay Example Intrapersonal communication serves as the foundation for interpersonal communication since interpersonal communication involves intrapersonal communication. It is when another person is considered in the transaction, it is that interpersonal communication takes place. Conversation, dialogue and interview are examples of this level of communication. Another form of interpersonal communication is that which occurs within a group of persons (examples of this are focused group discussions, symposium, and debate). It may also be for a group of persons or commonly known as public communication. These communicative acts may be conducted in a face-to-face situation in a specific context or situation, or with the intervention of a medium, such as the television, radio, etc. The latter form or level of communication refers to mass communication. Individuals engage in a communicative act for several reasons, namely: to get acquainted with others, to express emotions to others, to share information, to influence others' views or to build relationships. In a sense when individuals communicate, a common ground is established, where personal differences such as point of views meet. Hence we can say that communication is inevitable and vital for everyone's existence. We engage in a communicative act whether we like it or not, hence it is essential that we understand the different elements involved in the communication process. This paper will delve much on the interpersonal level of communication. Some the techniques or interpersonal skills that will help an individual to be a more sensible communicator ensuring an active exchange of ideas hence, promoting a stronger and deeper relationship with other individuals involve in the transaction or the communicative act will be discussed along the way. After giving you a brief explanation on the different levels of communication and the functions that communication serve in human existence, we shall now go into the details of the interpersonal level of communication. Interpersonal communication is humanity's most important characteristic and its greatest accomplishment. It is an individual's ability to turn meaningless grunts into spoken and written words, through which they are able to make known their needs, wants, ideas and feelings. It is a process aimed at creating a

Because I could not stop for death by Dickinsons Essay

Because I could not stop for death by Dickinsons - Essay Example This poem was initially written as ‘The Chariot’. Dickinson went into chronic isolation for 25 years; she wanted to leave the physical life and indulged in the complexities of soul and a free mind. Her friends had separated from her; some had got married and others had moved on in their life. This is when she became aloof and made perpetual decisions in her life. This critically acclaimed poem came out when she decided to detach from public exposure, friends and family. It basically represents Emily’s personification of death; she identified death with a gentleman. The discussion of Dickinson’s poem is significant to comprehend the varying criticisms and interpretations of her work. The poem is equally well-built and spiritual, beguiling literature-obsessed generations to a philosophical understanding of death and our emblematic relationship with it. A developmental paper for this poem enables the researches and readers alike evaluate the difference of opin ions and attitudes towards this poem and the sheer importance of death. Some view this poem from the perceptual lens of social death; some view it as physical death and some state that Dickinson’s focus was primarily on spiritual death. One of the critics goes on to relate her work to Christianity and its core beliefs about afterlife, whereas some literary experts say that this poem was the result of mere loneliness. Four interpretations of ‘Because I could not stop death’ are being presented below, following a precise conclusion. Mary Neff Shaw (1991) built upon the work of Dickinson. Her understanding of the poem reveals that Dickinson was preoccupied with her past relationships and images. The poem links death and eternity together, delving into the layers of soul. Dickinson attempted to explain the reality of the individual as part of the spiritual universe and not just the physical existence. The progression in the poem shoes how the author developed a deepe r and a more reflective understanding of her past. Another important aspect pointed out in Shaw’s paper was the stages that he has inferred from this poem. According to him, when Dickinson says ‘school’ she points towards the tender childhood memories; later when she says ‘fields’, she is indicating maturity that comes in the middle age and finally when she talks about the ‘setting of the sun’, she is implying the onset of old age. A review quoted in the Indian Journal of research, explains Emily Dickinson’s biography as well as her literary development. Premalatha (2012) in this review elaborates on how intense Dickinson’s writing has been. The way she portrays emotions symbolically is commendable; for instance, the author of this review examined how Emily painted the picture of sensations of death and life in her work indirectly. Her writing becomes more relatable as she gives a persona to entities like life, death and so ul. Dickinson, in her poem, tried to illustrate how the human body, on a physical level suffers throughout life from cradle to the funeral. Moreover, the way Dickinson has personalized the thought content of a dying person, has been critically appreciated. This review also highlighted the transitional presentation of life before and after death in Dickinson’s poem. Furthermore, Premalatha has also remarked on the delicate description of death. The words ‘Death drives slowly’, ‘knows no hate’ and ‘kindly’ represent the author’s endeavor to embrace death instead of fearing it. The manifestation of death as a ‘carriage’ tells how death can be a source of ease from life’s frustration and worry. These interpretations are highly related to Dickinson’s life. Literature review demonstrates that she was socially depressed which made her

Wk5 (31) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wk5 (31) - Essay Example Ethno centricity means that one observes a culture from the point of view of the culture and not necessarily from the point of view of one’s own culture. Lack of Cultural sensitivity can lead to stereotyping. The instance of this or the example of this is the point where people engage in stereotyping without sensitivity. Usually, we see Hollywood movies engage in stereotyping without cultural sensitivity and this often result in caricatures of the people being stereotyped. The stereotyping is more prevalent in popular culture and depictions of public images by generalizing the cultural and racial characteristics to include all members of the group. The skills that I would use include the usage of culture specific jargon and words to describe the culture in non stereotypical fashion. This can be done by an increased awareness of the culture of the others and by an effort and attempt to know the culture of the other without compromising on the factual element. The necessary pre-requisites for such skills would ensure that I can foster cultural sensitivity without engaging in stereotyping. The dimensions that Iveys identifies within the three organizing principles are perception of the self, aculturlization and style of personality. These are the organizing principles around which the concept of the verbal and non-verbal discrepancies is built. Each of the dimensions is important and a good point of study from the view point of observation and interviewing the subjects. The most important behavior to observe is that of the perception of the self as this is often a gateway into the future of the self as compared to the other dimensions that merely touch upon the fringes. The perception of the self is an important starting point for further analysis into the causes of what makes the people behave in a certain way. The specific examples for each kind of dimension are the ways in which the behaviors are influenced by the dimensions. The information

Main idea about Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1830) Essay

Main idea about Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1830) - Essay Example The artwork (see, Appendix-1) is symbolic of the revolutionary spirit inherent in every human being. To be specific, the main idea about the artwork is related to European society’s transformation from Enlightenment to the realm of Romanticism. Fred Kleiner stated that, â€Å"Balancing contemporaneous historical fact with poetic allegory, Delacroix captured the passion and energy of the 1830 revolution in this painting of Liberty leading the Parisian uprising against Charles X† (623). One can see that the general notion on revolutionaries is based upon masculine power, i.e. male revolutionaries fighting for freedom. But the focal point of this painting is a woman holding the French flag. This is symbolic of the French society’s transformation from Enlightenment to the context of Romanticism. The facial expression of the male revolutionaries proves that they consider the woman as a revolutionary, not as a woman. This sort of freedom and equality is the core aspect of French Revolution. So, the main idea behind the artwork is the revolutionary spirit of human beings, disregarding gender differences. Summing, Eugene Delacroix’s artwork is the combination of Romantic and revolutionary spirits. To be specific, the artist chose a female figure as the artwork’s focal point to portray his perspective on social responsibility. In short, the artist makes use of his artwork to share his views on the relationship between patriotism and individual

Childrens literature Essay Example for Free

Childrens literature Essay Child development was broken down into four theories. These theories focused on intellectual and cognitive development as well as social development and moral judgment development. Theoretical models can be applied to children’s literature by different kinds of books. Children in the younger ages enjoy books like Dr. Seuss the cat in the hat or The Bernstein bears books that focus on things like right from wrong and education. Children learn from these kinds of books at a young age and the books can be related to their lives. As children get older books become more meaningful and become something they can relate to. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the book I chose, because I felt like it was well known and something children could connect to and enjoy. The story of Harry Potter can be related to by many children. The trials the he faces as a boy living with his aunt and uncle in the â€Å"non-magic† world can be understood by some who have encountered the same things. He was unappreciated, bullied, made fun of, and treated unfairly just because he was unliked. On his eleventh birthday he finds out that he is actually a wizard and there is a school for kids just like him. His parents, who were killed when he was a baby, were also magic people, and he was excited to be able to learn about them. At the school, Hogwarts, he is befriended by two people who truly become his best friends and family, and he is finally happy to know there are people who care about him. I think this book can be related to Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development. Piaget’s cognitive theory of development was outlined into four periods of intelligent development. The sensorimotor period, the preoperational period, the period of concrete operations, and period of formal operations. The period of formal operations hits right at the age group that the Harry Potter series was intended for. This period occurs between the ages of eleven and fifteen when young people begin to use formal logic, engage in a true exchange of ideas, comprehend the viewpoints of others, and understand what it means to live in society. Most readers of this stage have entered adolescence and are ready for more mature topics. I think that this theory applies to this book as kids can relate to Harry’s life with the Dursley’s and the world he is living in. After finding out he is a wizard they can also relate to all the situations he will face while  there at Hogwarts. Children can use their imagination to take them away into their own world where they can get away from reality even for a moment. As far as the book itself goes, literary criticism is meant to interpret the meaning of literature. I believe this book is approached by formal criticism. Formal criticism focuses on the work itself rather than the literary history of the book. When I read this book I am not worried about the author and her life or anything about the literature. I am focused on the action and story itself and the suspense it brings to its readers. I found this criticism part of the paper a little more challenging, but I agree with my decision as I did not think that any of the others fit. There is much that children and even adults can learn from reading books. There are books for children ages zero to three that focus mainly on shapes, colors, animals, and numbers. There are books for younger children up until age ten that are about little girls or boys and their adventures that they go on with their imaginary friends. Books about friendship and forgiveness that teach children to be kind and considerate of others as well as unselfish and giving. Books for ages eleven to fifteen that focus on life as a teenager when your mother or father does not understand you and you are desperately trying to figure out who you are. Books that can teach compassion and loyalty to family and friends and just overall make you imagine worlds you could have never dreamed of. Finally to the ages of sixteen to nineteen when you are googling over that boy or girl you so wish would notice you or even if you are interested in the fantasy world of dragons and wizards, there is a book out there that can teach every one of us something about ourselves. Books are out there to teach us new things and take us places we never knew we could go. It is all about actually reading what the author has to say and listening. For me reading was a way of life and something that made me who I am today. I encourage reading for everyone and I hope that my son is as passionate about reading as I am. References Russell D. L. (2008) Pearson education, Ch. 2: The Study of Childhood: pg. 1 The Discover of Childhood. Russell D. L. (2008) Pearson education, Ch. 3: The Study of Literature; para. 20 Literary Criticism.

How gender is vital factor when explaining criminal behaviours

How gender is vital factor when explaining criminal behaviours In this essay the topic of how gender is a vital factor when explaining criminal behaviours will be, examined and analysed, to see the actual extent of genders impact on such behaviours. Gender refers to the opportunities and social attributes associated with being female or male. Different societies have different attributes and responsibilities assigned to males and females; they are socially constructed and are learnt through the socialization process. Gender also determines what is expected of a man or woman Soothill (et al, 2002) explained that criminal behaviours are types of acts that a society perceives as wrong doing, it is formally proceeded against by the law, and leads into convictions. Soothill (et al, 2002) said To understand criminology one needs to recognize that in the related social issues, the possible interpretations of apparent evidence represent viewpoints and philosophies which need to be examined along with the evidence gathered,. Many lives can be controlled by the personal fear of crime. The impact of crime on victims can be immense, and crime can be the harmful exercise of power by one person over another (Soothill et al, 2002). Soothill (et al, 2002) believes, Criminology shows us the diverse and sometimes divided nature of society, rather than always reinforcing the image of a homogenous, uniform society, There are various types of information and knowledge that influences peoples perception of crime. (Soothill et al, 2002). There are direct experiences of crime, mediated experiences, official information and research knowledge; these are the different types of knowledge that inform our understanding of crime. In 1997 the home office figures showed that only 17% of offenders in the British Criminal Justice System were female, Heidensohn (2000 cited in Soothill et al, 2002). In general women are likely to be convicted for offences such as theft or assault and handling stolen goods. Their careers in crime are shorter compared to men (Soothill et al, 2002). The number of women offenders are far less than male offenders, except in offences such as prostitution (Soothill et al, 2002). In terms of womens representation, serious crimes tend to be performed by men, rather than women. (Soothill et al, 2002). This shows that gender and criminal behaviour is stratified into specific types of offences, and the psychology of men can cause them to commit more serious crimes compared to women. The traditional sexual scripts that are within societies are heterosexual and gendered, so perceiving a woman as sexually aggressive, or worse, as a sexual offender, is contrary to the traditional sexual scripts'(Jackson, 1978; Koss Harvey, 1991; Byers, 1996 cited in Myriam S. Denov, 2004 p.3). According to Denov (2004) the criminal behaviour of female offending sexually challenges appropriate female behaviour, when compared to the traditional sexual scripts. Byres agreed that the image of women being described as sexually aggressive is excluded from the traditional sexual scripts, Byres OSullivan (1998 cited in Denov, 2004 p.4). This view of women not being suitable to commit sexual offences can cause females to become reluctant when contemplating whether to commit these types of crimes. These scripts also exclude the image of men as sexually reluctant or as victims of sexual coercion or assault (Lew, 1990, hunter 1990, Mendel, 1995 cited in Denov, 2004 p4). It is portrayed as an abnormality, if a male is sexually assaulted this is due to the perception of masculinity. Denov (2004) reports that up until the 1980s, female sex offenders and their victims were practically ignored, compared to males and their victims which were the main focus in reflecting traditional sexual scripts. Specific sex roles are assigned to each gender (Denov, 2004). The sexually aggressive role is assigned to men (Denov, 2004). Miller (Studying Young Women in Street Crimes). According to this collective story, the gang is an arena in which they receive status and esteem from being strong and being willing to stand up for themselves, exhibiting traits that cultural stories commonly associated with males rather than women, (cited in Bernasco, 2010). Comack Brickey (2007 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.64) suggests that masculinity is the founder of the stereotypical bad girl she is tough spoken, of low socioeconomic status, aggressive and male looking. From the literature on female crimin al behaviour, we can construct a profile of the average female offender. She is likely to be plagued with poverty and to lack an education and job skills. She is generally young, unmarried, involved in unhealthy sexual relationships, and the lone caregiver of small children, (Chesney-Lind Pasko, 2004; Franklin Lutze, 2007 cited in van Wormer p.66). Wright and Jacobs (2004 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.74) reported that in their study of young urban male offenders, they found that the conflict between men were influenced by the needs of maintaining gendered reputations. Miller (2008 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.78) also found that compared to women, men were more apt to view robbery as one means of expressing their masculinity. Men stole items that expressed their manliness, to impress their peers. Girls and women, however, were drawn to take luxury items they felt they need but couldnt justify spending household income on, items such as cosmetics and jewellery (van Wormer, 2010). The blocked opportunities within societies that persist on material success tended to lead individuals into antisocial forms of behaviour, like theft, fraud or drug dealing. This is the opportunity theory. Van Wormer (2010) claims that females are prone to this due to the marginalization they face economically. Those without education or skills felt that they will never make it, pressuring them into committing crimes in order to make it, Van Wormer explained that sociological theories of gang delinquency argue that peer group affiliation and living in crime-ridden neighbourhoods promote crime, (van Wormer, 2010). Relationship and trauma are the main attributes of women who are involved in the criminal justice system; it has the greatest effect, (van Wormer, 2010). Van Wormer (2010) claims, We can sum up this truth in this way: Trauma breeds trauma and hardship more of the same, When crime is related to criminal thought patterns a history of victimization and trauma amongst offending females is greatly evident, (van Wormer, 2010). A vast majority of female offenders endured a tough upbringing which was physically and sexually abusive; this type of victimization is usually continued in their adulthood in the form of rape and battering, this provoked emotional problems and severe stress reactions, linking to the development of their criminal behaviour, (Belknap, 2007; Failinger, 2006; Franklin Lutze, 2007 cited in van Wormer p.66). Roberts (2007 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p81) reported Examined data drawn from a sample of 105 women in prison convicted of killing their husbands/partners and 105 b attered women in a sample from the community in New Jersey. The imprisoned women had a history of being battered. These women were far more likely to have received death threats from their partners than the battered women who did not kill their partners; these threats were specific as to time, place and method. In addition to a history of partner violence, the majority of the women prisoners had a history of sexual abuse, a substance use problem, had attempted suicide, and had access to the batteres guns,. Interviews with 130 San Francisco prostitutes revealed that over half reported sexual abuse in childhood and about half reported having been physically assaulted, (Farley Barkman, 1998 cited in van Wormer, 2010). Van Wormer (2010) reported Among men and women on probation, the BJS (2000) found that 6 in 10 women in state institutions experienced physical or prior abuse. McKee (2006 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.82) focused on the characteristics of females who have murdered their children or infants, he evaluated this by using 30 females in his research, and they varied between girls and women. His research depicted that amongst the 30 females it included those who were: abusive/neglectful, psychotic/suicidal, psychopathic, detached or retaliatory. McKee (2006 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.82) analysed Susan Smith, who drowned her children in a car, kill their children, then plan to kill themselves. Smith had many of the risk factors for suicidal murder: There was a high rate of suicide in her family, including her father, who died when she was a child. Susan was sexually abused by her step father and diagnosed as having bipolar personality disorder, her marriage was shaky and her children were very young, Psychiatric women who murdered their children often showed a high tendency of psychosis, social isolation, depression, lower socioeconomic status, suicidality, substance use, and difficulties in their own childhood, (Friedman et al, 2005 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.81). La Tanya Skiffer (2009 cited in Van Wormer, 2010 p.76) Crime causation. Chris, a 22-year-old woman, was arrested for permitting her husband to sexually abuse her five and nine-year-old nieces. Chriss father was an alcoholic and was abusive to his wife and children. When she was 21, she married a 35-year-old trucker. In accounting for her failure to stop her husbands abuse of the children, Chris suggested that she acted to please her husband, so he would love her. Van Wormer (2010) had interviews with female psychopathic offenders which revealed how they reacted violently to personal insults. One 43-year-old female, for example, reacted to her neighbours racial slur in this way: She pulled out her knife and slashed the offending womans face several times, which required the woman to have other a100 stitches, Women frequently victimized other women whom they viewed as easy targets, (Miller, 2008 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.79). Van Wormer (2010) said that Several of the women, moreover, reported feelings of power and excitement in beating the defenceless, such as dogs and children, According to Strand Belfrage (2005 cited in van Wormer, 2010 p.71) The women were found to display antisocial characteristics through relational aggression, lying, deceitfulness, and lack of impulse control, Testosterone levels are a vital link to criminal behaviour in both males and females, (van Wormer, 2010). An important hormone called cortisol is also vital whe n analysing criminal behaviour especially with females. It is classed as the stress hormone because it is secreted in response to stress. Women who are more likely to commit antisocial behaviour, like violence they are often low in this hormone, (Anderson, 2007 cited in van Wormer, 2010 pg72). Depression is a mental disorder that regularly occured in female offenders and especially adolescent girls, (Bloom, Owen, and Covington, 2003 cited in van Wormer 2010 p.72). Obeidallah and Earls (1999 cited in van Wormer 2010 p.72) examined the link between depression and delinquency was established through a project that was carried out by the Institute of Justice. Males and females had similar low rates of depression but the depression rates of females clearly increased, especially during adolescence. Van Wormer (2010) reported that Interviewers gathered a self-report data on 754 girls in urban Chicago. Comparing the antisocial behaviour of girls who were depressed with those who were not, O beidallah and Earls found that 40% of non depressed engaged in property crimes compared to 68% of girls with depression fifty-seven percent of depressed girls engaged in seriously aggressive behaviour compared to only 13% of those who were not depressed. Overall, these findings suggest that depression in girls may put them at high risk for antisocial behaviour, In 2008, 700 males and 1,640 females were killed by their intimate partners, according to the BJS (Califano et al., 2009) report. Research shows, individuals who are prone to depression and are treacherously violent are more at risk of murdering their partners and killing themselves to, when the breaking up of a relationship occurs, (van Wormer Bartollas, 2010). In conclusion the gender factor is fairly crucial when examining criminal behaviour because it asses involvement and reason. There is a higher involvement of males in the criminal system compared to females. Women mainly indulge in less serious crimes like theft, whiles men usually indulge in more serious crimes. Van Wormer (2010) explained that neutral offences like assault or theft have different meanings to males and females. Miller (cited in Bernasco, 2010) brought to notice how the relations with social genders have changed and is now situational. Situations like relationship and trauma are major elements when focusing on criminal behaviour through gender, relationship and trauma regularly occurred and seemed to have the most efficient effect on the cause of criminal behaviour. Pollock Davis (cited in van Wormer 2010) claim that Policy and decision makers apparently have come to believe the myth that women are more dangerous than was previously believed. It is evident because, the arrest for women increasingly arose for aggravated assaults and simple assaults. This is clear through the dramatic contemporary changes of criminal behaviour compared to the traditional sexual scripts. Van Wormer (2010) believed that the basic biological factors that impinge on gender differences in criminality are informed by research on psychology and neurology, A biological approach accepts that there are fundamental differences between males and females and that these differences interact with cultural norms to influence differences in male/female criminality. Referencing: Van Wormer, K. (2010) Working with Female Offenders: A Gender-Sensitive Approach: Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. Soothil, K. (2002) Making Sense of Criminology: Cambridge: Polity Press in association with Blackwell Publishing. Denov, M.S (2004) Perspectives on Female Sex Offending: A Culture of Denial: England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Bernasco, W. (2010) Offenders on Offending: Learning about crime from criminals: USA: Willan Publishing.

The Dangers of Conformity in Bartleby, the Scrivener and A Very Old Man

The Dangers of Conformity in Bartleby, the Scrivener and A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings   Ã‚  Ã‚   Authors can use various concepts to enhance or dictate the progression of their work. Ambiguity is one such tool that has the power to influence a story. In "Bartleby, the Scrivener" and "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings," Melville and Marquez utilize ambiguity to develop their story's theme. Both authors focus ambiguity around the main characters in the stories to criticize the rigid rules of systems in society.    Melville's use of ambiguity in "Bartleby" is extreme and prevalent throughout the story. He introduces the reader to the narrator's office before Bartleby's arrival to explain the functional system that exists before Bartleby. The reader gains knowledge of the narrator's two copyists and is able to see that despite problems that each man poses, the narrator is able to control these idiosyncrasies.    Nevertheless, as he (Turkey) was in many ways a most valuable person to me, and all the time before twelve o'clock, meridian, was the quickest, steadiest creature, too, accomplishing a great deal of work in a style not easily to be matched - for these reasons, I was willing to overlook his eccentricities, though, indeed, occasionally, I remonstrated with him (545).    "But, with all his failings, and the annoyances he caused me, Nippers, like his compatriot, Turkey, was a very useful man to me; wrote a neat, swift hand; and when he chose, was not deficient in a gentlemanly sort of deportment" (546). Throughout the text, Melville is very verbose in describing each man's peculiarities and we can recognize that the narrator is tolerant of such quirks. The narrator is understanding o... ...re able to comment on the harmful effects that a closed system can pose. Though each author's ambiguity centers on the main characters, the characters serve different roles in the stories. Bartleby exists in the rigid system that Melville criticizes, but then rejects the system to demonstrate the dangers of conformity. The old man with enormous wings, however, is never a part of the closed system that society belongs to. He merely serves to exemplify the inconsistencies in people's faith. Both stories encourage the reader to challenge the restrictions of rigid rules. Works Cited: Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings." The Norton Introduction Literature. Ed. Jerome Beaty.N.Y. : W.W. Norton and Company, 1996.525-529. Melville, Herman. Bartleby and Benito Cereno. Dover Publications, Inc. New York. 1993. Pgs. 1-34      

The wars affect on civilization :: essays research papers

This paper is about stuff i know little about. I'm eally just riting this so i can get some stuff for myself. I plan on making contributions to this site at a later time. As for now, I will just type this so as to gain access to the site. As you hav noticed I put one space after each end of sentence period, although most common typing books tell you to use two. That is a bunch of hooey. Well I don't know how many words I have but I need my report stat cuz it's due tomorrow. So, with no further ado, I end my fake essay by saying, goodbye. What is wrong with this paper? Didn't I put enough words in it? It seems like culture and society are words I can use to make my registration complete. It may be that it is too short. Or I might not be using words like exploration or journalism. Some other things it could be are they know this entire report is not real. So therefore, two out of three is not bad. Therefore I will make this long as possible. Apparently you are not truly married. Whoa! I say. This paper has to be 250 words or more. I don't understand it. This is the third time I tried sending it and to my surprise it's not long enough. What more can I do? It's tough writing essays like this man.The communications links of the Internet are also owned and maintained in the same anarchic fashion as the hosts. Each owner of an Internet host is responsible for finding and paying for a communications link that will get that host tied in with at least one other host. Communications links may be as simple as a phone line, a wireless data link such as cellular digital packet data, or as complicated as a high speed fiber optic link. As long as the communications link can use TCP/IP or UUCP, it can fit into the Internet. Thus the net grows with no overall coordination. A new owner of an Internet host need only get permission to tie into one communications link to one other host. Alternatively, if the provider of the communications link decides this host is, for example, a haven for spammers, it can cut this â€Å"rogue site† off of the Internet. The rogue site then must snooker some other communications link into tying it into the Internet again.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Essay -- Glass Menagerie Ten

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams -Joseph K. Davis, " Landscapes of the Dislocated Mind in Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie'," in Tennessee Williams: A Tribute Tom and his sister Laura is symbolically the actual glass menagerie, the play belongs to neither of them. The play belongs to their mother, Amanda, as substantiated by the above quote from Joseph K. Davis. Amanda indulges herself in memories of the past and refuses to accept the present. The play is also hers because it is her "tragedy". It is about how she behaves after her husband leaves her and her reaction when her son shows signs of doing the same. She also controls the two conflicts of the play, as well as the glass menagerie represents her fragile world of illusions and memories of the past. Amanda's control over the two conflicts of the play exists in the fact that she creates them. She supplies the conflict between herself and Tom as well as provides the conflict of having Laura marry. In the case of Tom she constantly nags him and questions where is he. Is going and then openly states her doubts of his truthfulness. Her nagging starts in the beginning of the play in her conversation with Tom, in which she tells him how to eat his food. Later she tells him how costliness of his smoking habit, " You smoke too much. A pack a day at fifteen cents a pack. How much would that amount to in a month? ". Later in the play she also manages to comment on Tom's appearance and how she wished he would take better care of himself in that respect. She also accuses Tom of lying about where he is going at night. When he says that he is at the movies she states that he could not possibly be going to the movies every night, " Nobody goes to the .. ...longer a Southern Belle just standing around waiting for rich men to come by and propose. By her speaking like a Southern Belle, she is connected her to the world she creates of illusions and the one for show. The connections are achieved by the fact that in the past she was Southern Belle with many rich suitors vying for her hand in marriage. This is also an illusion because she is no longer a Southern Belle but tries to maintain that front. It is also this connection to her illusions of the past that combines the proof that this is her play. She is the one who creates the world she lives in to protect herself from the tragedy of her husband leaving her. She is also the one who causes the conflict of the play out of her illusions of the past and therefore she is the person who dramatizes the tragedy of not living honestly and fully in the present.

Maiden Voyage by Denton Welch Essay

This passage from Maiden Voyage by Denton Welch is an account of an adventurous European boy in China who wishes to explore the different cultures and experience the extraordinary. Yet he is overwhelmed by the barbarity of the new culture and this reveals to the reader the unexpectedness of life from the boys perspective. Through the first person narrative and detailed descriptions of the events, various themes such as teenage rebelliousness, gap between different cultures and our limited knowledge is highlighted through different literary features such as contrast, colour imagery and metaphor. From the very beginning, the juxtaposition between the inside and the outside of the European villa accentuates the differences between two cultures. Inside the villa, where the foreigners live, seems to be more secure and settled as reflected by the reference to the stable doors. The boys observation of the signs of cultivation also hints the civilised European culture inside the walls. This perhaps links to Mr Butlers comment that foreigners are not very popular and people outside and foreigners have separate communities. The main character using moth eaten balls and the old tennis racket shows that young people like himself used to stay at the villa, but not for long periods of time it is where people dont appreciate the thoughts of the young. As the plot develops, the change in the setting is emphasized by imagery. Words such as a black speck and a dark boulder are colour imageries used to foreshadow the unfavourable and unexpected event. Outside of the European villa, the human head that the boy has found implies that the culture outside is in a way, barbaric. This is supported by cruel images such as odd white teeth stood up like ninepins in its dark, gaping mouth, its cheeks and shrivelled lips were plastered black with dried blood. These images not only highlight the unfortunate and unexpected events, but also give emphasis on difference between the two cultures. The boys fear and realisation of the hostility between cultures are conveyed from the head is described through imagery. Tall rank grass grew was dry and sharp as knives. Also the second mention of the insects reminds the boy of the head, causing the boy to feel more fearful. Through the main character, the author explores various themes of maturity  and our awareness of different cultures. Readers are able to observe that the main character seems to be a boy, from him playing tennis. It is shown that he is an adventurous person as he is [longing to explore]. He [hates] to be dependent on other people and says they would never want to do what I want to do- highlighting the theme of teenage rebelliousness and his desire to be independent. His unhappiness and dissatisfaction with his quiet lifestyle is suggested when [He hits] the balls fiercely against the stable doors. The boy feels imprisoned in a European villa and a line of poplars; the orderly line of poplar implies the structured and formal environment of the villa. For the boy, even the straight line of poplars is a sign of restriction and [imprisonment]. . As an act of rebellion, he does not want to listen to the elders, but carries out what he believes to be right, without rational thinking about the consequences. . From the action of the main character, the author highlights the themes of teenage rebelliousness, difference between two cultures and acceptance of a different culture. In the line, [he] let [himself] quickly out of the back gate, the back gate has an implication that it was done in secret. This once again reinforces the theme of teenage rebelliousness as this action was disapproved by Mr Butler and Mr Roote the adults. Despite his rebellious nature, however, his immaturity and lack of knowledge are evident in his initial response to finding the head. The rather naà ¯ve observation of the head, I saw that the object was not black but pink shows that he was not able to identify what he was seeing highlighting the boys unawareness of other cultures. This colour imagery used to describe the head, helps the reader picture the situation, and senses the shock that the boy feels. The line [he] stared at it stupidly until [his] numbed sensescan be interpreted as him being stupid and numb in the understanding of other cultures. When he finally finds out that it was a human head, [he jumps back]with [horror] and [terror]. Such shock from the discovery of a new culture highlights the unexpectedness of some events in life. The boys panic is emphasized through metaphors and diction in the passage. The first cur barked as a sound imagery, contributes to the fast-flowing and panicking situation where the boy is running away from the head. Also, the  wall is a metaphor for the separation between the two cultures. The tall rank grass that is dry and sharp as knives, shows that one culture is almost trying to repel the people from another. Also, knives are an image that conveys cruelty and hostility between the two cultures. The boys horrified action and shock contributes not only to the differences of two cultures but also the lack of endeavour to tolerate these differences. In the passage from Maiden Voyage, various themes such as expectations from different cultures, teenage rebelliousness and our limited knowledge are explored though a European boys horrifying experience. These themes are supported by a variety of literary features such as colour imagery, metaphor and contrast. The authors message that people should try to accept and understand other cultures is conveyed in the passage through highlighting these main themes. Text -Foreigners are not very popular here, Mr Butler told me at breakfast. So I dont think you ought to go out alone.My heart sank. I hated to be dependent on other people. They would never want to do what I wanted to do. I began to feel imprisoned. I took up the moth-eaten balls and the old tennis racket which were lying in the hall, and went into the garden. I hit the balls fiercely against the stable doors until I was too hot and unhappy to go on. I sat brooding on the steps. I might have been in Sydenham for all I could see a European villa and a line of poplars; yet outside lay a Chinese city which I was longing to explore. After lunch I decided that I could stand it no longer. Mr Butler and Mr Roote were still deep in their mornings discussion, so I let myself quickly out of the back gate and walked along the sandy lane which led into the country. Mr Butler could not mind my walking in the country, I thought. Everything was still and silent, in an early-afternoon torpor. The only sound came from the stunted bushes which squeaked and grated linguistically as the wind passed through them. Pillars and scarves of dust and sand rose up from the ground, eddying and swirling themselves into flat sheets which hovered  in the air. Harsh spears of grass stuck up through the sand. The soles of my shoes began to burn and I looked round vainly for some shady place. I enjoyed the dreamlike stillness and wanted to stay out for as long as possible. I thought that if I walked on I might find a place. The road led towards the hills. Across the sandy plain the city walls stood up like cliffs. Turrets and bastions were ruined cottages, crumbling into the sea. I walked on, fixing my eyes on a black speck some way in front of me. I wondered if it could be a cat crouching in the middle of the road; or perhaps it was a dark boulder. As I drew nearer, a haze of flies suddenly lifted, and I saw that the object was not black but pink. The loathsome flies hovered angrily above it, buzzing like dynamos. I bent my head down to see what it was. I stared at it stupidly until my numbed senses suddenly awoke again. Then I jumped back, my throat quite dry and my stomach churning. The thing was a human head. The nose and eyes had been eaten away and the black hair was caked and grey with dust. Odd white teeth stood up like ninepins in its dark, gaping mouth. Its cheeks and shrivelled lips were plastered black with dried blood, and I saw long coarse hairs growing out of its ears. Because it was so terrible, my eyes had to return to it whenever I looked away. I stared into its raw eye-sockets until waves of sickness spread over me. Then I ran. The whole plain and the bare hills had suddenly become tinged with horror. I found myself between high banks. I would soon be coming to a village. There were signs of cultivation. When the first cur barked, I turned and ran back the way I had come. I did not know what to do. I would have to pass the head again. I tried to avoid it by making for the city walls across the pathless sand. My feet sank in, and my shoes became full and heavy. My only idea was to get  back to the house. Tall rank grass grew in the shadow of the wall. It was dry and sharp as knives. I pushed through it, looking up at the towering cliff for a gate or steps to climb. Nothing else seemed to be alive except the insects. I could only hear their buzzing and the slap of them when they hit the wall. There was no gate. I began to feel desperate. I ran towards a bastion, wondering if I could climb up to it in any way. I knew that I could not. Denton Welch, Maiden Voyage (1943)

American Television Comedies Essay

It has been a long day. You are exhausted and arrive home after spending several hours at work or school. You decide to watch television and you try to find a funny show, anything that can make you laugh and make your day better. Choosing between several types of comedy shows is hard because there are innumerable reasons to watch one type or another. A television comedy can sometimes be your friend, your psychologist, your teacher, your passion and/or your hobby. There can be very innocent comedies while there are also more explicit ones. There can also be silly, simple comedies while there are also more elaborate and intelligent comedies. Your decision of selecting one television comedy should always be based in the current mood that you are in. There is clearly a vast buffet of comedy shows in America and the networks will continue to cook more shows in order to make us always completely satisfied. No matter where you are, as long as you have a television that works properly, you have the opportunity of watching any type of comedy show. You can decide between sitcoms, comedy-dramas, sketch comedies, stand-up comedies and animated cartoons. Your girlfriend or boyfriend can dump you, you can fail a class, you can have a fight with your friends or family but those television comedies are, and, will always be there for you to make you laugh, or cry, or both. Sitcoms These will make you have a good laugh most of the times. These have also been the most common, successful and culturally significant type of television comedy. They were originated in England but now predominate in America. They can be either really silly like The Office but at the same time comedic genius or they can be more intelligent and more complex like Community. These have two main types of filming, single camera setup and multi camera setup. One of the best normal single camera comedies of all time is Arrested Development which had the advantage of being a sitcom and having the opportunity to air a new season seven years after its last episode. The magic of sitcoms is that even after several years you can still relate to them and enjoy them completely. Another type of single camera comedy is the mockumentary with shows like The Office, Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. They are fake documentaries that follow a specific number of characters. Mockumentaries are usually really hard to get picked up by a network so when a mockumentary survives past the pilot, most of the times it is incredibly humorous and comedic genius. NBC tends to have more successful sitcoms and usually lines them up on Thursdays. So unless you are a party animal who starts partying on Thursday nights, you shouldn’t miss that lineup. Sitcoms are really easy to follow and you will most likely have to watch a whole season to understand the plot. Sitcoms are usually your best chance of laughing out loud. Comedy-drama These, sometimes also known as a dramedies, are programs that combine humor with more serious dramatic elements, providing you with laughs and tears. They aim for a considerably more realistic tone than conventional sitcoms. Dramedies can make you laugh and enjoy the comedy at the same time like Entourage. They won’t necessarily always make you laugh but their content itself is hilarious. They have you on the edge of your seat biting your nails while also pleasing you with some comic relief. One of the most critically acclaimed modern comedy-drama series is Girls which airs on HBO so you need to pay extra to watch it, or just wait until your creepy uncle who thinks he’s still a teenager lends you all the seasons on DVD. The continuity of character development and storylines are more relevant in comedy-dramas than in traditional sitcoms. Characters’ backstories tend to have a greater overall effect on storyline. One example of these is one of the most watched television shows of all time M*A*S*H. People identify themselves a lot with these types of comedies; they tend to be realistic and somehow manage to be extremely funny. M*A*S*H was such a big hit that became the most watched television episode in U. S. television history at the time, with a record-breaking 125 million viewers. If you like to cry and laugh at the same time then watch a dramedy. If you like romantic comedy films these are the comedy series that will most likely fit your personality. Even though sitcoms are the most famous type of television comedies, comedy-dramas are the most watched comedy shows, and if you like one episode of one of them, you will probably get attached to them to the point that you will have to cancel your plans of going to the club with your friends. Sketch Comedy â€Å"Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night! † Most people recognize that phrase. It was created in 1975 during the first episode of the cult television series Saturday Night Live. Sketch comedies are easy to follow and most of the times guarantee a good laugh. Perhaps SNL is the most common type of this style of comedy which consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called â€Å"sketches†, commonly between one and ten minutes long. Often sketches are first improvised by the actors and written down based on the outcome of these improv sessions; however, improvisation is not necessarily involved in all sketch comedy. If the actors are really good and professional then you will definitely laugh hysterically. Sometimes the mistakes the actors make are usually the funniest parts because most of the sketch comedies are filmed live, so if an actor loses it and starts laughing he has to continue either way. It is always amazing to see a professional actor and comedian lose it and try to get his or her composure back. Stand-up Comedy Stand-up comedies guarantee a good laugh, especially if you are up to date with current events. In these comedies, a comedian usually recites a fast-paced succession of humorous stories, short jokes called â€Å"bits†, and one-liners, which constitute what is typically called a monologue, routine or act. Some stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. The most common examples of this are the talk shows like Ellen, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live! , Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Late show with Craig Ferguson. These shows are usually really funny and can have some cultural or political content that can update you with current events or lets you see some issues in the eyes of another person. These stand-up comedians tend to be really smart people, like Conan O’Brien, and can turn the simplest thing into something with and immensely amount of comic material. It is also funny to see how comedians fight with each other like Jay Leno with Conan O’Brien did in 2010 over The Tonight Show. This didn’t help either of them because Jimmy Fallon is going to take over as host of The Tonight Show after the 2014 Winter Olympics. That show promises a lot and will definitely be one of the highest rated and most critically acclaimed since Fallon is an extremely talented omedian and musician. These stand-up shows are usually the best way of ending a horrible day. Unlike sitcoms, you can watch most of the shows that there are in every network but you will most definitely have a favorite, and you will stick with it, forever. Unlike the sitcoms, stand-up comedies can be seen at any time because there is no chronological order that will affect its content. Animated Cartoons These are typically hand crafted for children. Animated cartoons won’t necessarily make you laugh but most certainly make you at least giggle. Early children’s programming often recycled theatrical cartoons; later, low-budget animation produced especially for television dominated Saturday-morning network programming in the US. Some of the most known animated cartoons are The Jetsons, The Flintstones, The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Futurama and Family Guy. Though most of them are designed for children, there are a few of them that are specifically made for adults like South Park and Family Guy. Animated Cartoons have been the only reason for waking you up, during your childhood, early on a Saturday morning and make you happy. Most of the modern animated cartoons that are intended for mature audiences only tend to be very explicit, controversial, racist and profane; yet, they are still incredibly funny and, unless you are a prude that takes every joke from everywhere personal, you should be able to laugh and enjoy them. You have reached a point in your life where thinking of waking up early on a Saturday morning is an impossible scenario, so leave the animated cartoons for your kids. If you want a new hobby and want to follow something for almost a whole year then watch some sitcoms that will surely make you laugh. If you are a drama queen that appreciates comedy then surely comedy-dramas are for you. If you get home late at night and your wife or husband wants to get kinky with you but you’re really tired then watch a stand-up comedy. They will make you laugh while your partner cries. If you feel like you want to see some people doing impersonations of famous people then watch some sketch comedies. No matter how old you are, what ethnicity you are, or if you are a male or a female, there will always a comedy series for you, ready to make you laugh, cry, or both.

Freudian Analysis of Melancholia Essay

The film Melancholia by Lars von Trier gradually develops into the character’s depression through their actions and choices that can relate directly to Lars von Trier’s own depression and unfortunate childhood circumstances. The main protagonist of the movie, Justine, is depressed and this affects everyone around her. Lars von Trier, the writer and director, is depressed was depressed when creating this film and this depression is reflected in Melancholia. Freudian theories relate to Melancholia through Justine’s life as well as her love life. She is constantly unsatisfied and immediately has an extramarital sexual encounter when she is vulnerable. Freudian theories are demonstrated through the depression from the characters in the movie to the writer. Some of Freudian theories that will be discussed are looking at how some of the character experiences are similar to Lars von Triers past and the Oedipus complex. Lars von Trier’s past greatly influenced how and what he wrote for Melancholia. Freud said that â€Å"the notion that human beings are motivated, even driven, by desires, fears, needs, and conflicts of which they are unaware† (Tyson, 14-15) indicates Lars von Trier is motivated by his past experiences. The viewer learns quickly that Justine has an unhappiness that constantly affects her daily routine, and she pretends to be someone else when she’s around others. Depression is a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration. These problems can become chronic or recurrent and lead to substantial impairments in one’s ability to take care of their everyday responsibilities. Justine shows signs of depression throughout the film for example, when refusing to take a bath or go riding which she usually she enjoys doing. People with depression tend to be exhausted on a regular basis similar to when Justine left her own wedding party to have a nap. Lars von Trier may have experienced the same symptoms of depression in his personal experiences, as well his childhood might have influenced why he became epressed in his later life which could have possibly enhanced his work for Melancholia. Although Lars was diagnosed with depression in 2007, he had a difficult childhood. He did not know who his biological father was until his mother told him on her death bed. Freud believed that â€Å"our unconscious was influenced by childhood events†. Lars von Trier stated during an interview that â€Å"I come from a family of communist nudists. I was allowed to do or not to do what I like. My parents were not interested in whether I went to school or get drunk on white wine. After a childhood like that, you search for restrictions in your own life. † Lars’ childhood relates greatly to the character of Justine. Justine’s parents did not seem to care for her. During Justine’s wedding, her parent’s self-absorption is reflected in their speeches about their marriage problems. As well, her parents did not care or take time for her when Justine specifically asked a few times to talk privately to her father and he could not find the time. In the bedroom, Justine was upset and asked her mother for help but her mother was no help at all. Her mom did not seem to care and her father left the wedding leaving only a note saying that he was leaving with another woman and to â€Å"forgive an old fool†. Lars’ and Justine’s parents have similar responses to their children of not caring. Claire was distraught and acted out of character, she could no longer organize her thoughts and be as calm around Justine as she was before, alike to Lars’ thoughts he quoted â€Å"Everything is going to Hell, but we should smile all the way. † (Lars personal quotes on IMDB) Once Justine realized Melancholia was going to hit the earth she became collected and composed. At the end of the movie Justine, Claire and Leo site together, close their eyes and hold hands as Justine had instructed. This is one of the only scenes where Justine actually genuinely smiles. She appears to be at peace and content even though she knows that the end of the world is approaching. This scene relates to Lars’ quote. Even though Justine knows everything is going to Hell, she is smiling even at the end. Lars’ mentions the restrictions he puts on his life like Justine not allowing herself to have a happy marriage and accept her husband’s love and happiness. Justine becomes very depressed during her wedding and cheats on her newly wedded husband. She will not have a real relationship with her husband but moments later will have a quick sexual encounter with a complete stranger. This relates to Freud’s beliefs in the Oedipus complex, a girl’s desire for her father and anger and jealousy towards her mother. Justine’s father flirts openly with other women in front of his wife and children at the wedding. Justine has a sexual encounter with a stranger trying to mimic a relationship alike to her fathers. This may have influenced Justine’s decision to behave dishonestly with her husband even though her husband loved her very much. Justine’s mother makes a speech during the wedding dinner and expresses her animosity against marriage, while Justine and her sister Claire look at their mother with anger and embarrassment. Justine and Claire disrespect their mother by getting married, knowing to expect her disapproving comments, yet criticize her for it. â€Å"The result is a murderous rage against the Mother†¦ and a desire to possess the Father† (1016) Melancholia is about the world ending and in Justine’s small world she is depressed, Citing Freudians Oedipus Complex one can parallel Lars’ state of depression which is shown throughout the movie. The character’s actions mirror Lars von Trier’s beliefs and experiences through his life and through his depression, which is a huge factor in Melancholia. As well the relationships Justine has reflects the Oedipus Complex through her behaviour and decisions. Therefore Freudian theories relate directly to Melancholia.

Competitive Advantage in Fast Fashion

*CHAPTER* 3 COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE *IN THE* FAST FASHION Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing collections which are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year. These trends are designed and manufactured quickly and cheaply to allow the mainstream consumer to take advantage of current clothing styles at a lower price. This chapter highlights the sources of competitive advantage that may exist inside the field of fast fashion, as shown in Figure 3. , studying in detail the major players who are part of: H&M, Gap, Zara and Benetton. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 1 : THE SOURCES OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE *3. 1 *SUPPLY CHAIN A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier) to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered t o the end customer. In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable. Supply chains are increasingly being seen as integrated entities, and closer relationships between the organizations throughout the chain can bring competitive advantage, reduce costs, and help to maintain a loyal customer base. There are two main differences to value chains: Supply chains are more detailed since they incorporate not only activities. Supply chains connect intra-organizational value chains by products, services, and information flows. Supply chains underlie value-chains because, without them, no producer has the ability to give customers what they want, when and where they want, at the price they want. Producers compete with each other only through their supply chains, and no degree of improvement at the producer's end can make up for the deficiencies in a supply chain which reduce the producer's ability to compete. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 2: EXAMPLE OF SUPPLY CHAIN A typical supply chain begins with ecological and biological regulation of natural resources, followed by the human extraction of raw material, and includes several production links (e. . , component construction, assembly, and merging) before moving on to several layers of storage facilities of ever-decreasing size and ever more remote geographical locations, and finally reaching the consumer. All organizations have supply chains of varying degrees, depending upon the size of the organization and the type of product manufactured. These networks obtain supplies and components, change these materials into finished products and then distribute them to the customer. Managing the chain of events in this process is what is known as supply chain management. The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) defines Supply Chain Management as follows â€Å"Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies. Supply Chain Management is an integrating function with primary responsibility for linking major business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model. It includes all of the logistics management activities noted above, as well as manufacturing operations, and it drives coordination of processes and activities with and across marketing, sales, product design, finance and information technology. Effective management must take into account coordinating all the different pieces of this chain as quickly as possible without losing any of the quality or customer satisfaction, while still keeping costs down. The first step is obtaining a customer order, followed by production, storage and distribution of products and supplies to the customer site. Customer satisfaction is paramount. Included in this supply chain process a re customer orders, order processing, inventory, scheduling, transportation, storage, and customer service. A necessity in coordinating all these activities is the information service network. In addition, key to the success of a supply chain is the speed in which these activities can be accomplished and the realization that customer needs and customer satisfaction are the very reasons for the network. Reduced inventories, lower operating costs, product availability and customer satisfaction are all benefits which grow out of effective supply chain management. Furthermore, market demands, customer service, transport considerations, and pricing constraints all must be understood in order to structure the supply chain effectively. These are all factors, which change constantly and sometimes unexpectedly, and an organization must realize this fact and be prepared to structure the supply chain accordingly. 3. 1. 1 DECISIONS ON THREE LEVELS Supply chain management decisions are often said to belong to one of three levels; the strategic, the tactical, or the operational level. Figure 3. shows the three level of decisions as a pyramid shaped hierarchy. The decisions on a higher level in the pyramid will set the conditions under which lower level decisions are made {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 3 HIERARCHY OF SUPPLY CHAIN DECISIONS On the strategic level long term decisions are made. According to Ganeshan and Harrison, these are related to location, production, inventory, and transportation. Location decisions are concerned with the size, number, and geo graphic location of the supply chain entities, such as plants, inventories, or distribution centers. The production decisions are meant to determine which products to produce, where to produce them, which suppliers to use, from which plants to supply distribution centers, and so on. Inventory decisions are concerned with the way of managing inventories throughout the supply chain. Transport decisions are made on the modes of transport to use. Decisions made on the strategic level are of course interrelated. For example decisions on mode of transport are influenced by decisions on geographical placement of plants and warehouses, and inventory policies are influenced by choice of suppliers and production locations. Modeling and simulation is frequently used for analyzing these interrelations, and the impact of making strategic level changes in the supply chain. On the tactical level medium term decisions are made, such as weekly demand forecasts, distribution and transportation planning, production planning, and materials requirement planning. The operational level of supply chain management is concerned with the very short term decisions made from day to day. Figure 3. 4 shows for each level types of decisions made. *3. 4 FIGURE:* DECISION-MAKING LEVELS IN SUPPLY CHAINS . 1. 2 DRIVERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN Drivers determine supply chain performance and are the managerial levers on which to guide the operational process. For each driver manager must make tradeoffs beetween efficiency (cost) and responsiveness. {draw:frame} FIGURE 3. 5: DRIVERS OF SUPPLY CHAIN Facilities Are the actual physical locations in the supply chain network where product are stored, assembled or fabricated. The two major types of facilities are: Production sites( factories) Storage sites (warehouse). Components of facilities decisions are: Location: centralize to gain economies of scale (major efficiency) or decentralize to be more responsive. Other issues include quality and costo f workers, costo f facility, infrastructure, taxes, quality of life,etc. Capacity: excess capacity allows a company to be more responsive to changes in the level of demand (major flexibility), but at the expensive of efficiency. Manufacturing methodology: decisions between a product or functional focus, between flexible or dedicated capacity. Warehousing methodology: choose between: SKU storage: stores all of one type of product together, Job lot storage: stores different products together to satisfy a particular customer or job, cross-docking: product is not actually warehoused in the facility, instead the facility is used to house a process where trucks from suppliers arrive and unload large quantities of different products. These large lots are then broken down into smaller lots. Smaller lots of different products are recombined according to the needs of the day and quickly loaded onto outbound trucks that deliver the product to their final destination. Inventory Inventory encompasses all the raw materials, work in process, and finished goods within a supply chain. Changing inventory policies can dramatically alter the supply chain’s efficiency & responsiveness. There are three basic decisions to make regarding the creation and holding of inventory: C_ycle Inventory_: this is the amount of inventory needed to satisfy demanf for the product in the period between purchases of the product. Safety Inventory: inventory that is held as a buffer against uncertainly. If demand forecasting could be done with perfect accuracy, then the only inventory that would be needed would be cycle inventory. Seasonal Inventory: this is inventory that is built up in anticipation of predictable increases in demand that occur at certain times of the year. Inventory has different impacts: Can increase amount of demand that can be met by increasing product availability Can reduce costs by exploiting economies of scale in production, transportation, and purchasing. Can be used to support a firm’s competitive strategy. More inventory increases responsiveness, less inventory increases efficiency (reduces cost). Can significantly affect material flow/cycle/throughput time because if you move your inventory faster, you don’t need as much inventory (inventory velocity). Transportation Transportations entails moving inventory from point to point in the supply chain. Components of transportation decisions are: Mode of transportation: is the manner in which a product is moved (air, truck,rail, ship, pipeline,eletronic). Each mode differs with respect to speed, size of shipments, cost, and flexibility. Routes and networks selection: are respectively paths along which a product can be shipped and a collection of locations and routes. In house or out source the transportation function. Many companies use third-party logistics provider (3PL) to perform some or all of their transportation activities. Usually companies outsource the distribution. Faster transportation allows a supply chain to be more responsive but generally less efficient. Less than full truckloads allows a supply chain to be more responsive but generally less efficient. Transportation can be used to support a firm’s competitive strategy. Customers may demand and be willing to pay for a high level of responsiveness. Information Information serves as the connection between various stages of a supply chain, allowing them to coordinate & maximize total supply chain profitability. It is also crucial to the daily operations of each stage in a supply chain for a production scheduling system. Components of information decisions are: Push versus pull: push systems (like MRP) need information on anticipated demand to create production and purchasing schedules. Pull systems (like JIT) need accurate qnd quick information on actual demand to move inventory and schedule production in the chain. Enabling technologies: many technologies exist to share and analyze information in the supply chain: EDI: electronic data interchange. ERP: enterprise re source planning. SCM software: Supply Chain Management Software Internet Forecasting & planning to anticipate and meet future demands. Available information is used to make tactical forecasts to guide the setting of monthly and quarterly production schedules & time table Coordination and information sharing Information allows supply chain to become more efficient and more responsive at the same time (reduces the need for a trade-off) {draw:frame} {draw:frame} TABELLA 3. 6 CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUPPLY CHAIN DRIVERS 3. 1. 3 SCOR The Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR Model) is one of the very few dedicated methods for supply chain modelling and has also a high relevance for many industries. The model has been developed by The Supply-Chain Council (SCC), an independent not-for-profit firm with more than 1,000 corporate members. It was first introduced in 1996 and is now available in version 8. 0. In contrast to generic process modelling methods, SCOR is actually a reference model, because it defines activities that can be found in any supply chain. In that sense, it can be regarded as a successor to the value chain model by Porter. The SCOR model covers the followings levels of abstraction: Top level ( level 1) Configuration level (level 2) Process element level (level 3) Implementation level {draw:frame} *FIGURE 3. 7*:* *SCORE PROCESS FRAMEWORK Top level SCOR defines five core management processes called process types that are relevant for all firms in a supply chain (scope of the model). Three of these process types form a sequence of source, make, and deliver. The process types are: Source (S) Processes that procure goods and services to meet planned or actual demand. Make (M) Processes that transform a product or service to a finished state to meet planned or actual demand. Deliver (D) Processes that provide finished goods and services to meet planned or actualdemand, typically including order management, transportation management,and distribution management. Return (R) Processes associated with returning or receiving returned products for any reason. These processes extend into post-delivery customer support. The top level, however, can not be instantiated, thus this level defines only the scope of the SCOR model. The modelling of actual or planned supply chains starts on the next level. Configuration level beyond the five main processes, there is a further classification of processes into three categories: Planning: processes that plan resources to meet demand in appropriate time intervals. re repeated periodically and have a great influence on the response time of the supply chain. Execution: processes as executive involved in the activities of scheduling, sequencing, processing, testing, and handling of products, affecting the cycle time of the order fulfillment. Enable: processes involving information and managerial aspects that affect the other two processes From five main processes the SCOR model identifies 26 processes of second l evel, each belonging to one of three process type defined above. For instance, categories for ‘source’ are: S1 ‘source stocked product’: The procurement, delivery, receipt and transfer of raw material items, subassemblies, product and/or services. S2 ‘source make-to-order product’: The procurement and delivery of a product that is built to a specific design or configured based on the requirements of a particular customer order. S3 ‘source engineer-to-order product’: The negotiation, procurement and delivery of engineer-to-order assemblies or specialized product or services that are designed and built based on the requirements or specifications of a particolar customer order or contract. By selecting the relevant process categories, a firm can represent its operational strategy. For instance, the relevant source categories need to be selected and mapped to respective products and/or services (thus a firm can implement multiple source categories reflecting diverse sourcing strategies). Process element level The process element level decomposes the process categories by adding process element definitions, process element information inputs/outputs, process performance metrics, and best practices. SCOR does not define functions and organizational entities for these elements, thus it strictly focuses processes. Implementation level Implementation level aims to implement management practices, defining the elements necessary to gain a competitive advantage and adapt to changes. METRICS SCOR defines metrics that measure effectiveness and efficiency of a supply chain. For this purpose, metrics form a hierarchy along the SCOR levels: Level 1 metrics relate to the overall planning of a supply chain (thus these metrics are differentiated to source, make etc. ). Level 2 and 3 metrics decompose the level 1 and 2 metrics respectively. Each level 1 metric contribute to realising a performance attribute. A performance attributes is a characteristics of the supply chain that permits it to be analysed and evaluated against other supply chains with competing strategies. For instance, a supply chain is reliable to a certain degree or not. The level 1 metrics and associated performance attributes are defined as follows: FIGURE 3. 8: THE LEVEL 1 METRICS 1. Production Strategic decisions regarding production focus on what customers want and the market demands. This first stage in developing supply chain agility takes into consideration what and how many products to produce, and what, if any, parts or components should be produced at which plants or outsourced to capable suppliers. These strategic decisions regarding production must also focus on capacity, quality and volume of goods, keeping in mind that customer demand and satisfaction must be met. Operational decisions, on the other hand, focus on scheduling workloads, maintenance of equipment and meeting immediate client/market demands. Quality control and workload balancing are issues which need to be considered when making these decisions. . Supply Next, an organization must determine what their facility or facilities are able to produce, both economically and efficiently, while keeping the quality high. But most companies cannot provide excellent performance with the manufacture of all components. Outsourcing is an excellent alternative to be considered for those products and compone nts that cannot be produced effectively by an organization’s facilities. Companies must carefully select suppliers for raw materials. When choosing a supplier, focus should be on developing velocity, quality and flexibility while at the same time reducing costs or maintaining low cost levels. In short, strategic decisions should be made to determine the core capabilities of a facility and outsourcing partnerships should grow from these decisions. {text:list-item} 3. 2. 1PUSH VS PULL {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} 3. 3. 2. 1 CRP {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} 3. 6 KEY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS Fast-fashion specialty retailers with exceptional speed-to-market have outperformed department stores and less nimble specialty stores not only in their profit argins, but also in their pace of revenue growth, according to a study by The Sage Group LLC’s Apparel and Retail Group. The mayor comparable players that compete in fast fashion at international level are: Inditex -Zara Benetton H&M Gap Each of them has a vertical scope. Zara owned much of its production and most of its stores, the Gap and H&M, which were the two largest specialist apparel retailers in the world, ahead of inditex, owned most of their stores but o utsourced all production. Benetton, in contrast, has invested relatively heavily in production, but licensees ran its stores. The four competitors were also positioned differently in product space from Inditex’s chains. Inditex’s flagship brand, Zara, is relatively perceived as more fashionable than all the other three ann prices less than Benetton and Gap but higher than H&M. In these fuor competitors, Benetton and Gap place a relatively less fashionable and higher price, while Zara and H&M is more fashionable and price lower. {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:custom-shape} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:line} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Meanwhile, the major Italian player ‘Benetton’ marched on high street with, offering colorful designer clothing for the whole family. Their strategy resulted affirmative with noticeably contemporary window showcase in all stores with independent units. The company was successful in Britain, however, having a long standing in the market, they witnessed failure to keep up pace with the accelerated high fashion pressure by the other European competitors, which are now the known as Mango, H&M and Zara. The rise of these competitors on high street has been witness successful because of a higher demand for fast fashion. Styles showed in magazines and other advertorials are what people wish to wear. Top designers have created collection extensions, which cater people who can afford to spend their hard earned cash on triple figure. This resulted success to the affordable collection of European fashion brands A Swedish player, H&M offered readymade clothing stores – stocked with fashionable collection at reasonable costs. Its successful strategy was its own slogan ‘fashion & quality at the best price’ innovative design, reasonably priced and competent logistics. Based in Stockholm, a team of 100 fashion designers assures that nothing has been imitated from the runway platforms. They are mostly inspired from street-trends, movies, magazines and exhibitions. Impressively, the designs reach retail shelves within 2-3 weeks. H&M’s high profile designer tie-ups with Karl Lagerfield and Stella McCartney have resulted entire collections available to the mass people at lower prices. This strategy is supported by huge advertising campaigns, which easily compete with the major brand. In a world of advertisements and promotions, there is one store that has made strategy to not to spend penny on advertising, â€Å"Zara†, a wing of Europe's biggest, rapidly evolving and most triumphant fashion clothing retailers, Grupo Inditex. Other well popular stores in similar chain are Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull and Bear. Inditex operates business via more than two thousand stores in 56 countries. The first Zara shop was launched in 1975 at La Coruna, Galicia and at present it operates more than four hundred owned stores globally. In the previous five years they have witnessed sales up by 25 percent year on year. Zara runs its own design and production unit in La Coruna, Spain, which leads cancellation of the large out-sourcing operations, like H does in over nine hundred firms. It is modern, offering up-to-date lifestyle yet standard clothing lines for men, women and children. Zara offers reasonably priced, radical clothing, however, not of the top quality, which will last only for some seasons. As same as Zara, H can also put designs on retail shelves within three weeks. Its product assortment is cheap and small yet frequent, offering consumers huge selection that results repeated visits to their stores to find â€Å"What’s New†. Hitherto, Zara has launched over ten thousand new designs and most of these will just be attainable for few weeks. Another Spanish player, Mango is a reputed multinational brand devoted to designing, producing and selling fast fashion and accessories only for women. Its clothing line includes Suit, Casual Sport, and Mng Jeans. It might not be as huge as H or Grupo Inditex, but has played excellent particularly in the UK. No shopping malls resemble absolute with exclusive of these three brands. The pace of these companies in responding to changing consumer demands is an ideal proof to the retailing, producing and logistics skills needed in latest fashion industry. These new strategies are set up to develop aptitude to take advantage of the challenges of a competitive world market. Besides the diversification in product assortments there is one thing common in all these brands that is â€Å"intelligent logistics†. Well-organized communication between sales staff directly to the headquarters and producers lead them to match steps with high speed turnover. The fact is that buyers are becoming preference savvy and smarter in order to what they shop. Even though they always have their preferred designer, they are also acquainted that a throwaway piece of fast fashion from a retail chain store will complete their outfit choices. At so reasonably priced all of these retail perceptions play on Friday nights when people feels they have nothing to wear. Retailers are sent in a scuffle to make-out the major catwalk trends from the drawing sheets to the sales shelves as fast as possible.