Assignment 5 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

5 - Assignment Example It is mentioned that it is important not only to attract and employ the top talent but also provide them with a suitable work environment that is considerate of their needs as professionals (Clark). With the advent of technology, the fresh graduates from top colleges are tech savvy and require independence as far as work is concerned. Thus, in order to satisfy them organizations need to break their cultural mindset and be more flexible towards conditions that complement  their  performance. The article suggests that the procurement leader needs to be opening minded so as to how to make each member of his team feel at ease. Since the millennial have always been technologically savvy and require technologically sound facilities that can facilitate their work process, the leaders of procurement teams should accommodate them and allow them the discretion of doing things their way to a certain extent and recognize them for the outcome of their work. Today’s professionals are generally inquisitive about the why aspect of every decision and require a logical backing for every instruction they are given. Technology might increase their work efficiency and time consumption rate but their thought process is also enhance d as a result thus they prefer to work in organizations that are transparent and have their decisions clearly laid out for all the participants to reason, comprehend and ultimately act upon them effectively. Another aspect covered in the chosen article is that of continuous training and development. Professionals of today seek organizations that provide them with the adequate training that hones and nurtures their existing knowledge and help them gain sustainable knowledge that is periodically enhanced through training sessions In a nutshell the article suggests that the procurement leaders need to be open to change and strive to continuously equip their organization and teams with the

The Powerful Eunuchs Of China History Essay

The Powerful Eunuchs Of China History Essay Their stories are almost completely shrouded in mystery. These people are mentioned only as minute details in historical accounts, their lives often kept in seclusion from the world, probably even from history itself. These people play major roles in the unfolding of significant historical events, yet they are rarely even mentioned. From the shadows, they exercise their power. From behind the scenes, they carefully manipulate the government to their own interests. These incomplete men are very powerful. Yet, at the same time, they are pitiful. Their seemingly quick rise to power comes at a price, a price almost as valuable as their very lives. These people are called eunuchs. Eunuchs: An Introduction A eunuch, in general, is a term given to castrated men. However, for the purpose of this paper, the term eunuchs will be used to refer to Chinese eunuchs; more specifically, those that were in imperial service during the era of Chinas dynastic rule. Eunuchs served the primary function as guards and servants in womens quarters and to the emperors. But in time they gained power and control as they gained functions as advisers to the emperors of China (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online 2010). In fact, in certain time periods, the eunuchs grew to be more powerful than the emperor. Indeed, the role of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty has become an important portrayal of political society of that era (Hammond 2002). Castration started out as a form of punishment, particularly for the crime of rape. But as eunuchs became more and more popular and rich, poor families opted to have their sons castrated for a chance at a better life in the Imperial Court (Scholz 2001). From the definition itself, one becomes a eunuch by undergoing the process of castration. While castration is usually viewed as a gruesome and horrific procedure, there are some accounts that have actually romanticized it. In Piotr Scholzs Eunuchs and Castrati, there is a cultural account left by the emperors last eunuch, Sun Yao-ting pertaining to the delicate procedure of castration. In his account, he explains that the process starts by setting a date when the castration will be performed. He narrated that they would notify the person to be castrated that he must quickly urinate after the procedure so that his urethra would not be blocked and not get infected. The person, consequently then drinks lots of water to prepare for the ur ination. Then the castrator takes a rope and ties the one to be castrated in such a way that he was unable to move his hands or feet, (Scholz 2001, 137). After that, he prays for guidance with incense sticks. Then he moves on with the slicing of the organ. The mutilation is vividly described as fountains of red, white and yellow liquid gushing from the wound (Scholz 2001, 137). Then the castrator inserts a goose quill into the urethra of the castrated so as to retain the opening formed by the slit. Then finally, the castrator treats the wounds with tampons dipped in wax, sesame oil and paper. A few days later, after the castrated man urinates, and in essence his excretory system is functioning well again, he is checked if he is already cleared to go to the palace. Once all the preparations are complete, before he leaves for the palace, the castrator gives the castrated a package wrapped in oilpaper and instructs him on what to do with the package. The castrator says that for everything to go well, he must follow that set of instructions: When youre in the palace, put it in a bushel of grain, hang the bushel on the beam supporting the ceiling of your room and raise it a little higher each year. Then it will protect you and ensure you that you will grow every year. And remember one more thing: when you are near death, it must be with you in the grave or the six lines of your ancestors will be incomplete. Those who are neither man nor woman cannot be reborn!(Scholz 2001, 138). So basically, even after the castration process, there is a routine to be followed by the castrated . The responsibility of the eunuch to the part that has been separated from his has not been lost but must carry on till his death. Castration leads to several physical and supposedly emotional and mental changes among castrates. Depending on the age in which castration took place, eunuchs vary in characteristics. Often, males who are castrated earlier in boyhood generally do not obtain the male characteristics obtained during puberty. Facial hair and pubic hair do not grow and their voice remains high pitched and unchanged. Males, who are castrated well after their puberty, will still grow pubic hair despite the absence of facial hair. The pubic hair will however, be much more diminished. A common characteristic among eunuchs though is the characteristic of never going bald. (Wilson and Roehrborn) As such, eunuchs were unable to have heirs and were thus seen to be more trusted as it would prevent dynastic overthrows by their heirs. In fact, it was this very reason why the Chinese dynasties sought to utilize eunuchs as servants and attendants to the emperor and his family, and even other high-ranking officials in the government. Essentially, the main reason why people aspired to become eunuchs was the having the honor of working as an imperial attendant, which more often than not meant an improvement of economic status. On numerous occasions, fathers would have their sons castrated as early as seven years old in order for their sons to leave for the imperial palace as soon as they recover from the castration. Especially among poorer families, having someone from the family become a eunuch meant honor, and economic improvement. For the eunuch himself, becoming a eunuch meant indirect access to power and relationships with the higher officials. History of Eunuchs Historical anthropologic evidence proves that the earliest eunuchs emerged from the Shang Dynasty. According to Piotr Scholz Eunuchs and Castrati, In 1976 little figurines of servants (c. 9 cm in height) were discovered in the grave of Fu Hao, wife of Emperor Wu-ting (Wu-ding); they are the oldest known representations of palace eunuchs, (Scholz 2001, 129). This is proven by statues excavated in Lingjiatan. The statues excavated show no distinct sexual characteristics. Originally, castration was used very early as a form of punishment both for criminals among ones own population and for prisoners taken in war, (Scholz 2001, 131). Here it is clear that castration was not intended to be beneficial to the castrated as what has later turned out in the course of history. What is fascinating is how the paradigm shifted from the eunuchs being looked down upon, to them almost assuming most of the imperial powers. Such series of events will lead to famous rise of the eunuchs to their subtle fading. Sun Yao-ting (1902-1996), the last eunuch of Emperor Pu-I, tells of how he was insulted by a Chinese Republican officer with the line: Since time immemorial, you eunuchs have been the ruin of China! (Scholz 2001, 131). This was because, with regards to castration as punishment, it is most likely assumed that it was used early on as a substitute for the death penalty in cases involving political crimes, (Scholz 2001, 133). With this, as Piotr Scholz further writes: This allows us that eunuchs represented a political intelligentsia that did not conform to the notions of the dominant Confucian bureaucracy which was constantly trying to shape the empire in its own imageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Scholz 2001, 133). The way it really was is therefore contradictory to the previous claim of the Chinese Republican who looked down on eunuchs when the fact that the reason for their castration was the fear of their intellect and political prowess comes into play. The eunuch Tsao Tsao (144-220 C.E.), son of eunuch Tsao Sung and grandson of eunuch Tsao Teng, even became the grand counselor and was a victorious general. Tsao Teng, the grandfather, have already been influential enough because he had already owned a large land and has served four emperors, but Tsao Tsao became part of the circle that helped Emperor Huan-Ti (r. 146-167 C.E.) to ascend the throne, following the murder of Huans predecessor, Liang Chi. (Scholz 2001, 143). Furthermore, when child emperor An-ti (106-125 C.E.) was enthroned, he was involved in every conceivable kind of intrigue at court. (Scholz 2001, 143). Because of this and through Empress Dowager Tengs help, he also gained favor and influence over the prince and next emperor Shun, such that during the reign of Emperor Shun (126-144 C.E.) of the Han Dynasty, the eunuchs reached the peak of their powers when they were allowed to adopt sons to succeed them and go to even greater heights. They even became personal secret aries (shang-shu) to the emperor, (Scholz 2001, 143). Ultimately, Tsao Tsaos son, Tsao Pei (188-227) soon ruled as emperor himself. However, with great power comes great responsibility, such that during the reign of Emperor Yuan Shao (189 C.E.) during the Han Dynasty, thousands of them [eunuchs] were slaughteredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in an attempt to curtail their influence, (Scholz 2001, 135). It is clear then that eunuchs got the point when they were feared even by the strongest imperial power, the emperor. But because Emperor Yuan Shao never succeeded in finishing the eunuchs off, their intellect was, rather than countered, utilized once more, thus marking the rebirth of the eunuchs shaping of the kingdom. By 800 C.E., the situation had reached a point where eunuchs have become a determining factor in choosing who was to accede to the imperial throne, (Scholz 2001, 146). Eunuchs had the preference of Buddhism over Confucianism because they found it congenial to their life. But in the course of the 9th century, as old doctrines were revived, Buddhist doctrine and practice was decreed as un-Chinese, (Scholz 2001, 148). In 903, eunuchs who had accompanied the emperor to their last day were killed in a bloody massacre led by Chu Chuan-chung (Zhu Wen, 907-923), the founder of the later Liang Dynasty, (Scholz 2001, 149). With the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, the eunuchs collapsed as well. Due to the high level of corruption in government, it was running out of capital. Inflation compounded the impact of dwindling resources. As local administrative costs rose, the imperial government levied irregular taxes to meet pressing financial obligations (Atwell 1988). With this, the decline of the influence of eunuchs started as a new era ensued in which the court no longer regarded the aristocratic ideas of status and ritual, espoused by many eunuchs, as vital to maintaining the interests of the state. These ideas, in fact, degenerated into a seemingly ineffectual court etiquette, (Scholz 2001, 149). But its not as if though they were stripped of all their power in the court, they were still assigned positions and sent to expeditions. The difference is that they no longer directly affected the decisions of the emperor. Eunuchs were perceived as very corrupt officials. Despite having only meager salaries, upon their deaths, their massive fortunes were discovered. An example is the eunuch Li Yung-chen (1583-1628). When he was executed in 1628, his confiscated properties were said to have been worth 270,000 taels of silver. Ming historians contrast this to the annual wage for some manual workers in Beijing at the turn of the sixteenth century, was approximately 4.2 taels (Atwell 1988). This was due to the fact that they were known to misappropriate funds. Such practices were extremely common, to claim military supplies for 100,000 named soldiers when there were in fact only 50,000 troops, and only have less than half of the 50,000 needing the supplies. The court thus pays for four solders for one soldier (Atwell 1988). Such is only one example of the great corruption the eunuchs made. Eunuch influence in economic activities was made possible because they fulfilled the capricious demands of their emperors despite the growing financial needs of the state. Their positions allowed the eunuchs to build a base, which in turn strengthened their positions in the economic as well as political and military worlds. The power over labor, land and taxes made it impossible not to cooperate with eunuchs. This brought them to great power. Using such privileges, they were able to exploit the sy stem further to increase power and wealth (Crawford 1961). By 1644, it is estimated that there were 70,000 eunuchs in the palace alone and 100,000 in the entire empire (Crawford 1961). At this point, castration became widespead and despite the emperors decrees against such, castration still became common for poorer families who could not afford to send their children to school (Crawford 1961). Compounded by the fact that the emperor was not consistent, eunuchization became very rampant as a means to get rich and powerful easily. The Chinese imperial eunuchs ended with Sun Yao-ting as the last of the emperors eunuchs. He left an account that though it is embellished, it is of interest as an example of cultural history, (Scholz 2001, 136). It is important to note that what ended was the Chinese and imperial element of eunuchism. Eunuchism itself has existed far out through time into todays era and now has a new connotation depending on the culture and surrounding society of the eunuch. The Roles of Eunuchs in Government Eunuchs had been used as servants in the imperial palace since the late fourteenth century, and from the early fifteenth century, their functions, numbers, and power increased. By the mid-fifteenth century, eunuchs were a well-established element of the Ming bureaucracy, serving in the capital and in the provinces in both military and civil posts. Numbers fluctuated, but early in the sixteenth century, there are said to have been over 12,000 palace eunuchs in Beijing alone (Robinson 2010). The Ming government was divided among six ministries in the 1390s, Personnel, Revenues, War, Punishment, Rites, and Public Works (Tsai 1995). While each ministry had its own minister, they were really under direct control of the emperor, who frequently used his eunuchs to run the state. Constantly locked in adversary positions with the eunuchs, the scholars despised and hated the eunuchs, blaming them for the ills of society (Tsai 1995). Eunuch influence was greatest in periods of weak emperors. During the Ming Dynasty, where the eunuch abuses were most rampant, there were some periods of history where the eunuchs were practically running the empire. As emperors felt that eunuchs represented the best interests of the imperial family at heart, the contact between emperor and bureaucracy was carried entirely through eunuchs (Crawford 1961). Eunuchs were first organized into a Directorate of Palace Servants. But as their functions expanded beyond the inner court and their number increased, they were repeatedly reorganizeduntil after I400, they were finally organized into twenty-four offices. At this point, they had ceased to be entirely personal tools used at imperial discretion and became instead an institutionalized bureaucracy with its own inner development and history (Crawford 1961). In the final organization, there were twelve Directorates, four Offices, and eight Bureaus. Each Directorate had one Director with th e rank of 4a; a senior and junior Vice-director each with the rank of 4b; a senior and junior Assistant director with the rank of 5a; one Recorder with the rank of 6a; and a varying number of lesser officials. The Directorates had charge of such matters as staff supervision, imperial provisions and food, seals, ancient and modern archives, metal tokens given to meritorious statesmen, credentials, instructions, construction of storehouses, weddings, gunpowder, constructionof temples, the imperial insignia and tent, the imperial stables, military tallies and other such items. Some of these Directorates were thus closely associated with the Ministry of War (Crawford 1961). The main contribution of eunuchs was in the field of military and secret service. Emperors used eunuchs as emissaries to foreign countries. In fact, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, what existed of the central military arm was largely in the hands of eunuchs (Crawford 1961). In the end, the eunuchs were less like household servants meddling in state affairs and more like an administrative hierarchy who exercised powers in all areas of government (Tsai 1995). Famous Eunuchs of Ancient China Eunuchs were often seen as the antagonist to the Confucian court officials. Differing in priorities, they had different agendas. While most eunuchs have been depicted negatively and in an antagonistic manner, there were some eunuchs that rose above and became important figures in Chinese history, and there is no other greater eunuch than Zheng He (also Cheng Ho). Zheng He was from the early Ming dynasty and was both a Muslim and a Eunuch. He had won the reputation as a great diplomat and military strategist. Unlike most eunuchs, he was a delegated in the military, in charge of seven official oceanic expeditions, a first in Chinese history. With an armada of 63 ships, Zheng He traveled around the world, first primarily to South East Asia, then eventually to the Middle East and Africa (Willetts 1964). In fact, he was even known to have brought back some African animals such as giraffes, lions, and tigers from the fifth expedition (Willetts 1964). Zheng He died in extreme old age in 144 4. Despite numerous voyages that brought China closer to the world, scholars agree that the voyages actually had no practical results, essentially meaning that it was a waste of money and that from the perspective of the Ming dynasty, it was an absolute waste of resources given that they were not empire builders, Ming did not have a sense of mission (Willetts 1964). This then provides an answer as to why after Zheng Hes final voyage of 1431, there no on longer any naval excursions by the Chinese. But while there were no longer any naval operations afterwards, in the time that Zheng He lived, he was by no means the only eunuch in the high seas (Willetts 1964). In contrast to Zheng He who had the best intentions are the four infamous tyrannical eunuch dictators, Wei ZhongXian in the late Ming, Wang Zhen in the 1440s, Wang Zhi in the 1470s, and Liu Jin in the 1500s (Dillon 1998). Wang Zhen was voluntarily castrated as a youth and entered palace eunuch school. Wang was made Director of Ceremonial when Emperor Ying-tsung ascended. He was killed by an army on its retreat (Crawford 1961). Liu Jin was also voluntarily castrated. He attached himself to a higher eunuch in order to advance, then subsequently took the position. He was put in charge of the Bureau of Cymbals and Gongs. But more than that, he controlled the secret police Eastern Depot. He is considered to be one of the eight tigers (Crawford 1961). Wei is often compared to Yang Lian, a Confucian adviser who late becomes an adversary. Their tales are often contrasted as they both experienced hardship in becoming high officials in the court. Yang Lian had to study and take many licensure exams in order to receive what is equivalent to the doctorate, while Wei ZhongXian had to live castrated and maneuvers his way in the eunuch system (Tsai 1995). As a child, Wei chose castration as a way out of his gambling debt (Crawford 1961). Because of his cunning nature, he was able to work his way into the system and become a grand eunuch in the Ceremonial Directorate of the Ming court. As a palace eunuch, he cheated his superiors and gained advantages by swindling them. But amidst that cruel life, his path into becoming a eunuch was a turbulent one, scarred emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Physically, his hormone levels caused wrinkled skin, stiffened joints, and weak muscles. Eventually, he became evidently more feminine than masculine (Tsai 1995). In order to rise above the ranks, Wei aligned himself only with the most powerful eunuchs and palace women. He worked first in the imperial stable, moving his way up until he became assigned to be the cook for Emperor Wanlis grandson, who later became Emperor Tianqi (Tsai 1995). It was this connection that gained him much of the fame and fortune. It was cooking for Tianqi as well that he met Ke, Tianqis mistress. The teenage Tianqi felt a deep, more than childlike devotion to Mistress Ke. In fact it was Ke who recommended Wei in 1622 to become the grand eunuch in the most powerful Ceremonial Directorate (Tsai 1995). Together with Ke, Wei had an improper and unhealthy influence on the young emperor. Wei received the emperors approval to train a eunuch army, and he was also made director of a secret police establishment called the Eastern Depot (Tsai 1995). He used his position to remove people he deemed undesirable and began a reign of terror by demoting and then murdering his former patron. As Tianqi lived a life of luxury, Wei killed countless number of people, dismissed honorable officials, stole jewelry from the imperial treasure, and acquired riches for his family (Tsai 1995). It was then tha t Yang Lian, now a censor, decided to impeach Wei. While 100 other officials sided with yang in denouncing Wei, Tianqi stood by Wei and ordered the high ranking officials including Yang to be flogged to death (Tsai 1995). It was only upon Tianqis death at the age of 23 that the reign of terror ended. Wei left Beijing with a guard of 800 eunuchs, 1000 horses, 40 wagonloads of jewelry. On his way to a prison outside Nanjing, he took his only and his copse was dismembered and displayed in his hometown as a warning to the public (Tsai 1995). Modern Eunuchs The word modern eunuchs may refer to either of two things: one, a modern eunuch may refer, in literal sense, to people who have been castrated, and two, it may also refer to people who are not the highest ruling body but play a big role in forming the decisions of the said ruling body through their political influence. With regards to the first meaning, it is not surprising that eunuchs still exist today since castration has not been fully ruled out as a punishment for heavy crimes. Reports about the activities and movements of eunuchs are spread out on the news all over the world, and clichà © enough, the world has some good news and bad news about eunuchs. Starting off with bad news so as not to break spirits after lifting them with the good news, news from BBC News South Asia reports that in India, eunuchs actually cut off mans penis. This is according to BBC correspondent in Himachal Pradesh, India, Baldev Chaunan. According to the report, the victim, Sonu, has been working as a drummer with a group of eunuchs, because apparently, dalits in India live by turning up uninvited at weddings, births and other major family events and singing until they are paid enough to go away. The said report also says that the reason why the eunuchs cut off the mans penis was unclear. It is just known fact that Eunuchs in India generally live in self-contained communities, ostracized [sic] by the rest of society. Countering this ruling fact is a news report by Reuters India dated November 10,2006 that reports: Dancing and singing eunuchs are knocking on doors in the Indian City of Patna in a bid to embarrass shopkeepers into paying their taxes. It is further said in the news article that they were hired by the government as a new shock strategy to make tax evaders pay their lot. It has been proven in the report that this strategy has worked, and who knows? It might just be the solution to the tax evasion that has been going on in India for some time. The eunuchs dont go home penniless either, they were promised by the taxmen 4% of the total commission. So the strategy was indeed a win-win case for both parties. It would be pleasing to hear that there still are good news like these once in a while where even the ostracized get to contribute to the betterment of the country. Now the meaning of eunuchs as castrated individuals may, in itself, take a figurative form with the meaning anyone who has lost their balls or sense of manliness. To be straightforward about it, the third sex, especially gays who have lost their balls when they decided that they were women trapped in a mans body, and transsexuals, who have had reconstructions of certain body parts, fall under this classification of modern eunuchs. This is because not only should the physical aspect of a human be considered, what is important to the person should also be considered, for what is a part if its meaning is empty? A mans genital would be just another part of the body if he does not give value to it nor take care of it. From this angle, it could be said that those who belong to the third sex and transsexuals are also eunuchs. Finally, eunuchs have always been known to have influential powers over the ruling forces, so ultimately, for the researchers of this topic, people who are influential enough to make the slightest differences in the decision of the higher authorities are also to be considered as eunuchs. People such as Chiz Escudero who, though he is part of the opposition, which is even the counter force of the administration, makes an impact on the decision that the authorities make and on the moves they execute next. A lot of forces outside the administration are actually making slightest effects on the decrees that the president makes. For example, rich and powerful clans like the Lopezes and Cojuangcos are always taken into consideration in the making of policies although they are not necessarily part of the ruling force itself. They are eunuchs not by appearance, but by essence. Insights and Learnings So in the course of writing this paper about Chinese eunuchs, we, the researchers, have learned a lot and have acquired a lot of insights in relation with eunuchs. And with that, we contest with the thought that the eunuchs rose to power. There can be no rise of they were at the top to begin with. How can I say that they were already at the top when castration was a grave punishment to begin with? and Shouldnt it be that they started from humble beginnings and rose from the ranks? are some of the questions that might grapple with us in this matter. Here we reiterate the point mentioned in the history part of this paper; the part that says that eunuchs were castrated in exchange for death penalty. It also said that they were castrated because of political crimes. There is logic as to why this assumption could be drawn. If what the person has done has been completely barbaric and criminal like stealing and killing, then the government might as well do off without them, but in this case , the government didnt kill the criminals. Why? Because the crimes they have committed were political crimes. They were crimes against the ruling political view, Confucianism. In short, the soon-to-be-eunuchs were actually political analysts in the sense that they were able to find flaws and possibly solutions to the flaws in the government. This is why instead of disposing them; the government was able to use them as political advisors of some sort in the form of what would soon be called eunuchs. They already had this richness in them to begin with, the richness of knowledge of what to do, of whats wrong and how to correct that wrong. They were already powerful in that whatever the emperor couldnt solve, they already had a plan of action in their minds. Ranking was of no relevance. After all, there is no way to measure knowledge in its most raw form. What could be measured is the ratio of intelligence to age or IQ, but that isnt knowledge in itself. More than this insight, we were able to learn a few things in relation with eunuchs. People cant have everything. This is a chip from the clichà ©: nobodys perfect. People cant be rich, famous, intelligent, influential and still have no flaws. We just realized that one way or another, no matter how high up they are, there will always be one thing they lack. Well, in the case of eunuchs, the readers should know by now what the rich, intelligent and influential eunuchs lack. Thats right. Facial hairà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and more. Also, what goes up, must come down, is another learning from this topic about eunuchs. When there is too much yang, yin must sink in. Meaning, there must always be balance. Things will always return to their normal state. They will always try to equalize themselves out. A ball launched high into the sky, no matter the peak height, will always go back to the ground right after. The closer you are to something, the harder it is to see it. The emperors really had a ha rd time solving their problems. It was because they were in too deep that they forgot to look at the bigger picture and how to move the puzzle pieces in that picture. They needed an outsiders perspective to assess and evaluate the situation because they are the ones who are able to see clearly. It is important sometimes to look at the thing as a whole to see what is wrong with it from a different and easier-to-handle angle.

Essay --

There are different types of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Anorexia nervosa, commonly known as anorexia, is an eating disorder in which a person starves himself or herself and often over exercises therefore depriving their vital organs of essential nutrients needed to survive (Berger, 2010). Bulimia nervosa, commonly known as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging (Berger, 2010). Binge eating is a disorder in which a person loses control of their eating habits and does not compensate for the amount of food he/she eats (NEDA, 2001). Although there are some popular beliefs that these eating disorders can be the result of low-self esteem, poor family and peer support, and media influence new research has found that only some of these reasons are completely true. Although it is commonly assumed that social networking may lower a person’s self image due to online bullying and self comparison to other users, a recent Facebook study has found that viewing oneself online can actually improve self-esteem. In 2011, Dr. Amy Gonzales and Professor Jeffery Hancock from Cornell University researched the effects on self-esteem using 63 participants including 16 males and 47 females. Gonzales and Hancock split the large group into three smaller groups in which the conditions were as follows: â€Å"exposure to a mirror, exposure to one’s own Facebook site, and a control condition in which participants used the same room without any treatment† (Gonzales & Hancock, 2011, pg 81). The participants would then get surveyed concerning their own self-esteem and graded using the â€Å"Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale† (Rosenberg, 1965). The study concluded that those who were expo... ...edia does not have effect on eating disorders. Levine and Murnen (2009) concluded that if eating disorders are a psychiatric illness that begin in childhood, and all environmental factors should contribute to the development of an eating disorder, then the possibility for a child to binge eat is greater than a child developing anorexia or bulimia. The idea that mass media is responsible for anorexia and bulimia is irrelevant when considering that children will notice media concerning fatty foods more than they will notice media with visuals of thin women or bulky men. Mass media seems to be more relevant in the event of binge eating or obesity because children are more attracted to donuts then they are skinny models. A child is more likely to grow up eating the foods they see on television rather than starving themselves to look like a model they see on television.

Is There One Best Way to Structure an Organization? Essay

Organization is always an efficient way to achieve the goals since ancient time, high productivity with lowest input which is an important characteristic of it. Well-organized is a common ambition for every administrator. Therefore it is a primary task for managers to find out a most suitable structure for the company which can maximize the organization performance. Currently, many researchers are seeking for the relationships between an organizational structure and performance in order to adopt a best structure. However, base on contingency theory, a large number of researches proves that the optimal organizational structure depends on the strategy and among other factors (Pertusa-Ortega et al, 2010). The purpose of this essay is to explain that organizational structures are variable, which can be influenced by the scale, strategy and the operation technology of the business. Firstly, the size of a business is an important factor which could determine how an organization is structured; there are many different ways to manage a company according to the disparate capacity, number of personnel, and output of the business. Base on the studies from the Aston and National, both of them support this argument by finding there is a strong relationship between the size of the company and its structure variables (Cited in John Child, 1973). Thus, different structures are needed to administrate companies with different size. According to John Child (1973), specialization, documentation, standardized behavior, hierarchy, and a decentralization of decision making, are the core characteristics of the large companies, which could support the companies to make a decision accurately and efficiently as the power of decision-making are dispersive, the employers in big companies such as Telstra, Woolworth, could not supervise every employees simultaneously and could not make every decision for the company either. Therefore, tall structure is accepted widely in large businesses as everyone could be supervised. However, small business like local cafeteria and franchisee of McDonald, are more likely to use a flat structure to achieve well-organized, the employers could make every decision for the business as the centralization of making decisions and could supervise every workers as well due to a small number of employees. However, the correlation between two companies with disparate size are not linear, when the business has grown and achieved a certain size, the influence from size to structure is gradually reduced as large businesses are already mechanistic enough. Thus, size has a noticeable influence on the organizational structure; managers should determine an optimal framework which most fit the company to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the outcomes. Furthermore, strategy of the company is an essential factor for choosing an appropriate way to structure an organization. Strategic management which relates the future performance of a company, mangers should imply an appropriate strategy to gain the competitive advantages, to help themselves to compete against other competitors and to increase their market share. Different companies need different strategies to survive themselves to be profitable businesses. Chandler and other researchers state that the alteration of a strategy will leads to a change in organizational structure so that the development of strategy could be sufficient and a better profitability reached (Cited in Pertusa-Ortega et al, 2010). For example, for a manufacture, its strategy is to improve productivity with lower resource, therefore the structure of mechanistic is most suitable, which is high specialization, low cost and more efficiency, products can be produced with minimum time when this structure is implie. In contract, Pertusa-Ortega and other researchers claim that an organic structure is an optimal choice for firms which facing the dynamic context, thus, it needs to constantly change the productions and this flexible structure could make it easier to improve the products (2010), such as Google. The Cubic Contingency Model which consists of three strategies: local responsiveness, global integration and foreign product diversification and across other nine structures, 27 strategy-structure fits are turned out. This model is a comprehensive tool to provide useful information to managers to imply the best fitting structure base on their strategic choice (Qiu & Donaldson, 2010). Approximately 85% of these strategy-structure fits are supported by a German Multinational Corporations study, which could prove that strategy is an element to push structure to change to improve the performance. Additionally, economic environment has a strong relationship to the variables of organizational structure. The research to measure the relation between the perceived environmental uncertainty and the various organizational structures by Gordon and Narayanan (1984), they claims that the fluctuation of the economic environment has a dramatically correlation between how an organization be structured. When there is a high uncertain of environment, managers should imply a structure which could minimize the threatens of the uncertainty, and also should be flexible and adoptive enough to allow the products to change as required by the market, organic structure which is a most fitting framework for business to face the unstable environment as it could rapidly respond to the market uncertainty, it could reduce or increase the quantity of the products in a short time. On the other hand, when facing a lower environment uncertainty, mechanistic form is more tend to be effective and efficient, because the requirements of changing the products are less, this structure could help to improve the productivity. Stinchcombe suggests that environmental conditions are not only determine the particular goods or service that company should produced, moreover, it also determine the features of organization should be created to follow the market requirements (cited in Miles et al, 1974). Organizational structure should change in accordance with the various environments, so that the companies can produce the quantity and quality of the goods or services that the market required. In conclusion, this essay explains that organizational structure is contingent and it is very sensitive that could be affected by size, environment, and strategy. Forms of organization should be altered to improve performance and meet the requirements of external. Managers should choose an appreciate way to administrate the company by considering these elements. However, it is a challenge for decision makers to design an organization; managers should make sure that the new structure is sustainable and the employees are well-connected with each other. Child, J. (1973). Administrative Science Quarterly. Predicting and understanding of organization structure. Vol.18(2): 168-185. Pertusa-Ortega, E.M., Molian-Azorin, J.F,;Claver-Cortes,E.(2010). Competitive strategy, structure and firm performance. A comparison of the resource –based view and the contingency approach. Management Decision. Vol.48(7-8):1282-1303. Qiu,J. & Donaldson, L. (2010). â€Å"The Cubic Contingency Model: Towards a more comprehensive international strategy-structure model.† Journal of General Management, 36(1): 81-100. Miles, R.E., Sown, C.C. and Pfeffer, F. (1974), Organizational –Environment: Concepts and issues. Industrial relations, Vol.13(3):244-264. Gordon, L.A. and Narayanan, V.K. (1984), management accounting systems, perceived environmental uncertainty and organizational structure: an empirical investigation, Accounting, Organizational and Society. Vol.9, No.1, pp33-47.

Gillette – Product Innovation

Question 1 : Evaluate product innovation at Gillette throughout its history. Gillette has invented the first safety razor with disposable blades in year 1901 which is one of the new-to-the-world products. This safety razor serves as a basic product, for the market segment of men who shave regularly, providing them high quality shaving experience. The safety razor differentiates itself from the razor used at that period of time– the straight razor with an open blade, with its cover over the two edged blades, make it easier to handle and prevent cuts while shaving. This safety razor can be evaluated as a successful product, with its outstanding market performance of 50%-70% over the next 7 decades, and achieving $6. 80 profit per share. However, due to the lack of focus on product development, Gillette lost its market edge to Wilkinson Sword-Schick’s Stainless-steel blade, a new entry to the shaving market with a significant reduce in market share to 49% in 1962. However, Gillette didn’t realize the importance of product innovation and it took them 12 years to introduce the world with another product, the Trac II razor , a safety razor with two blades whereby the second blade cut the number of strokes required & reduced facial irritation. Trac II is an improvement and revision of Gillette’s disposable safety razor. However, although being capable to continue its dominance in the razor segment, Gillette is unable to regain its past glory of high profit per share performance, and remained at the range from $1. 3 to $2. 83 in 1974. Later in year 1976, Gillette continued to innovate and introduced other products with improved performance, such as the Atra razors with a pivoting head which enable men to shave their neck. Other new products which continue to lengthen Gillette’s product line are the Good News! disposable double-blade razor, which is more convenient for men to use and Daisy razor, which serves the segment of wome n who shave regularly. These new product lines strengthen Gillette’s position in the global market by gaining 75% of the global market share whereby Gillette achieves for the first time in the history—the $2 billion mark of sales volume by the end of 1980. In addition, the Good News! brand had been the best-selling disposable razor in the United States each year since 1976 and with its moderate increase in sales enabled it to maintain its position as the number-one seller in this product category worldwide. In the effort to further widen the product mix of Gillette to capture other segments of the market, Gillette continues to evelop new products. The Atra-Plus shaving system, which featured a refillable Atra cartridge with a lubricating strip, is an example of another incremental innovation. Along the same revolution is the Good News! line to include a disposable razor with a lubricating strip. Other new product-mixes which carries Gillette’s brand name are the Aapri facial care produ ct, Dry Idea deodorant, Bare Elegance body lotion, Mink Difference hair spray, White Rain hair care products, and Silkience shampoo and moisturizers. These products help Gillette to serve other segments other than men and women who shave regularly and also build Gillette’s brand awareness and brand equity in the long run. In 1990, Gillette continues to strive for the dominant sales position around the world with more incremental innovative products. Gillette launched the original Sensor razor, the first razor to have spring-loaded blades which claimed that the blades receded into the cartridge head, when they make contact with skin, helping to prevent cuts and allowing for a closer shave. In 1993, the Sensor Excel was introduced with the added feature of â€Å"Microfins,† a piece of rubber with slits at the bottom of the cartridge and Gillette claimed this helped to raise facial hairs, making for a closer shave. Along the same product category which serves the women segment is the Sensor for Women system, launched in 1992, which is the revision of the Sensor and Sensor Excel product line. This system established a major hold on the market for female razor products in the United States. With such effort, I think Gillette succeeded in increasing Gillette’s brand awareness thus increased its brand equity, although the continued success of the Sensor family of shaving systems led to the gradual decline of the Atra and Trac II twin-blade shaving systems. Six years after in year 1998, Gillette introduced the world with Mach 3, a razor with three thin blades designed to provide a closer shave in fewer strokes with less irritation. The Mach3 featured five improved microfins and spring blades, a pivoting head with greater flexibility and a blue lubrication strip that faded with usage to encourage users to change their blades more frequently. The feature of the fading lubrication strip served as a great influencer to impact the consumer to buy more of Gillette’s product—the cartridges. The Mach 3 became Gillette’s most successful new product ever as sales hit $ 1 billion in only 18 months. Besides, being the winner of the American Marketing Association’s Grand Edison Award as the est new product of 1998 also proofs the success of this innovative product. Further innovation efforts in this product line are the Mach3 Turbo and the Venus system for women. Besides, Gillette is able to widen its market share to teens who shaves with a line of Sensor razors in a variety of colours in an attempt to develop lifelong customers at a young age. Due to the high profit margin Mach3 created for the shaving market and the uncontested market space, Schick’s enter the market with Quattro—the world’s first foue-bladed razor. Besides, another product which carries Schick’s brand is the Intuition razor, also suite as the close substitutes to the Venus and Sensor shaving system. The occurrence of direct competitor, competing for the same market segment has affected Gillette’s market share to fall 4. 3 % from 67. 3% to about 63%. Therefore, Gillette started to react aggressively by continuing its progressive geometry technology innovation by introducing the Fusion razor in 2005. The Fusion uses a unique five-blade design with a single blade on the back of the cartridge for use in trimming moustaches and sideburns. Initial sales were very successful as over 4 billion razors were sold within the first two months, 20% more than when the Mach 3 was launched in 1998. Despite many sceptical issues were brought up involving the pricing strategy, product value and the frequency to have to replace the cartridges, Fusion still gain its success by approaching the $ 1 billion sales within 3 years. However, the consumers reflected in the Consumer Reports whereby Fusion was no better than other razors, particularly the Mach3. In the later stage, Gillette continued to innovate by offering power versions of its razors that contain tiny electronic motors in the handle. These motors create a vibration in the blades that cause hair to stand more erect, thus giving a closer and smoother shave. The powered razors also helped promote each company’s batteries. Other products which contribute towards Gillette’s sales are the supplementary products, for example the chemistry if shaving creams, gels, and aftershaves in order to compliment the shaving experiences.

Using the Spanish Verb Contar

Using the Spanish Verb Contar Although contar is a cognate of the English verb to count, it has a wide variety of meanings, some of which seem more closely related to the variety of meanings of account. Perhaps the most obvious meaning of contar is to count in the sense of to add up: Quiero encontrar un programa que cuenta las palabras de que se compone una web. I want to find a program that counts the words that make up a web page. Es posible perder peso sin contar calorà ­as. It is possible to lose weight without counting calories. Contamos las horas para estar con ustedes. We are counting the hours until we are with you. At least as common is using contar to mean to tell (as in to give an accounting of): Contà ³ la historia de un chico que decidià ³ grabar todo en una cmara de và ­deo. He told the story of a boy who decided to record everything on a videocamera. El amor de mi vida no me ha contado que es casado. The love of my life hasnt told me that hes married. No se lo cuentes a nadie. Dont tell it to anybody. When it is followed by a time period, contar can often be translated as to have: Cuenta 10 aà ±os de experiencia en montaà ±ismo. He has 10 years of experience in mountaineering. Another meaning is to take into account: Cuenta que esto no es todo. (He is taking into account that this isnt everything.) The phrase tener en cuenta also is frequently used for that meaning. Contar occasionally means to count in the sense of to matter: La corte ha declarado que este error no cuenta. The court has ruled that this error is immaterial. The phrase contar con usually means to count on or to rely on: Para ese trabajo contà © con los expertos mexicanos. For that work I counted on the Mexican experts. Gracias a la nueva ley, contaremos con un sistema de pensiones. Thanks to the new law, we will count on a pension system. Cuento contigo. Im counting on you. Sometimes, contar con has the same basic meaning but is best translated in a weaker fashion, depending on the context: Contamos con una legislacià ³n que norme el uso del ADN humano. Were expecting a piece of legislation that would set standards for the use of human DNA. Cuento con los derechos de reventa de este producto. I have the resale rights for this product. Occasionally, contar con can be translated directly as to count with: Contà © con los dedos de mi mano. I counted with my fingers. Con esto no yo contaba. I wasnt expecting that. In question form, contar can be used as a friendly way of showing interest in what a person is doing:  ¿Quà © cuentas? (Whats happening?) The reflexive form can be used in the same way:  ¿Quà © te cuentas? In reflexive form, contarse often can be literally translated as to count oneself or otherwise to indicate the concept of inclusion: Muchos escritores escriben por impulso, y me cuento entre à ©stos. Many writers write on impulse, and I count myself among them. Los medios espaà ±oles se cuentan entre los mejores del mundo. The Spanish media are among the best in the world. Keep in mind that is conjugated irregularly.

Getting Married on a Travel Visa

Getting Married on a Travel Visa Can you get married on a travel visa? Generally, yes. You may enter the U.S. on a travel visa, marry a U.S. citizen then return home before your visa expires. Where you run into trouble is if you enter on a travel visa with the intention of marrying and staying in the U.S. You might have heard about someone who got married in the United States while on a travel visa, didnt return home, and successfully adjusted their status to permanent resident. Why were these people allowed to stay? Well, it is possible to adjust status from a travel visa, but people in this scenario were able to prove that they came to the U.S. with honest travel intentions and happened to make a spur-of-the-moment decision to get married. To successfully adjust status after marrying on a travel visa, the foreign spouse must show that they had originally intended to return home, and the marriage and desire to stay in the United States was not premeditated. Some couples find it difficult to satisfactorily prove intent but others are successful. If You’re Getting Married in the US While on a Travel Visa If youre thinking of getting married in the United States while on a travel visa, here are some things you should consider: If you choose to stay in the country and adjust status, what will happen if you are denied? No one expects to be denied a visa or a status adjustment, but not everyone is eligible to receive one. Reasons for denial may include a persons health, criminal history, previous bans or simply a lack of required evidence. If you are the immigrating foreigner, are you prepared to appeal a denial and perhaps retain the services of an immigration lawyer, and more likely, return home? What will you do if youre the U.S. citizen? Will you pack up your life in the U.S. and immigrate to your spouses country? Or will circumstances like children or work keep you from leaving the USA? In which case, would you divorce your new spouse so you can both move on with your lives? These are difficult questions to answer, but the possibility of being denied an adjustment is very real, so you should both be prepared for any eventuality.It will be a while before you can travel. You can forget about exotic honeymo ons or trips to the home country for a while. If you choose to stay in the country and adjust status, the foreign spouse will not be able to leave the U.S. until they apply for and receive advance parole or a green card. If the foreign spouse leaves the country before securing one of these two documents, they would not be allowed re-entry. You and your spouse would have to start the immigration process from scratch by petitioning for a spouse visa from while the foreign spouse remains in his or her own country. Border protection officials are paying attention. When the foreigner arrives at the port-of-entry, they will be asked for the purpose of their travel. You should always be upfront and honest with border protection officials. If you state your intent as, To see the Grand Canyon, and a search of your luggage reveals a wedding dress, be prepared for the inevitable grilling. If the border official believes that youre not coming to the U.S. for just a visit and you cannot prove your intent to leave before your visa expires, youll be on the next plane home.It is ok to enter the U.S. on a travel visa and marry a U.S. citizen if the foreigner intends to return to his/her home country. The problem is when your intent is to STAY in the country. You can get married and go back home before your visa expires, but youll need hard evidence to prove to the border officials that you intend to return home. Come armed with lease agreements, letters from employers, and above all, a return ticket. The mo re evidence that you can show that proves your intention to return home, the better your chances will be of getting through the border. Avoid visa fraud. If you have secretly secured a travel visa to marry your American sweetie to bypass the normal process of obtaining a fiancà ©e or spouse visa in order to enter and remain in the U.S., you should rethink your decision. You could be accused of committing visa fraud. If fraud is found, you could face serious consequences. At the very least, you will have to return to your home country. Even worse, you may incur a ban and be prevented from re-entering the U.S. indefinitely.Are you ok with saying goodbye to your old life from a distance? If you marry on a whim while in the U.S. and decide to stay, you will be without many of your personal belongings and you will need to make arrangements to settle your affairs in your home country from a distance or wait until you are allowed to travel home. One of the advantages of moving to the U.S. on a fiancà ©e or spouse visa is that you have some time to put your affairs in order while waiting for the visa approval. Theres an op portunity for closure that you wont have a spur-of-the-moment marriage. Theres time to say goodbye to friends and family, close bank accounts and end other contractual obligations. In addition, there are all kinds of documents and evidence that must be submitted for the adjustment of status. Hopefully, there will be a friend or family member back home who can gather the information for you and send whatever you need to the U.S. The Intention of a Travel Visa Is a Temporary Visit Remember: The intention of a travel visa is a temporary visit. If you want to get married during your visit then return home before your visa expires thats okay, but a travel visa should not be used with the intention of entering the United States to marry, stay permanently and adjust status. The fiancà ©e and spouse visas are designed for this purpose. Reminder: You should always obtain legal advice from a qualified immigration attorney before proceeding to ensure you are following current immigration laws and policies.

Lets Look At Lest

Lets Look At Lest Let’s Look At â€Å"Lest† Let’s Look At â€Å"Lest† By Maeve Maddox Recently I’ve noticed some odd uses of the word lest. Some may be no more than typographical errors, but others appear to result from a misunderstanding of the meaning and function of the conjunction lest. Lest introduces a clause expressive of something to be avoided or guarded against. Here are some examples: In helping my son pack for college, I tucked in a newly framed photo of the family for him to take with him lest he forget what we all looked like. There’s a scene in the movie where the master chef - who’s in his eighties - explains that as a younger man, sushi  recipes would come to him in his sleep. And he would jump out of bed to write them down, lest he forget them by morning. Clip back any branches and remove any plants that will be in the way before you begin, lest you tread on them while erecting the fence. Another use of lest following a verb of fearing, or phrases indicating apprehension or danger, is to introduce a clause expressing what is feared. Here are examples of this usage: Im afraid  to open the door and check,  lest she  be sleeping and I wake her up.   Im afraid  to leave because I am  afraid  of walking past our building managers office,  lest she  realize  Im  unemployed. The chief errors I’ve noticed with lest are these: 1. Following lest with not: INCORRECT: Then Rubio pivoted to Obama, lest not alienate Republicans who like what Trump has to say. (Alex Leary, Tampa Bay Times,) CORRECT : Then Rubio pivoted to Obama, lest he alienate Republicans who like what Trump has to say. Lest is already negative, so it shouldn’t be used with not. Because lest introduces a clause, it should be followed by the subject of the clause that expresses whatever is to be avoided. 2. Introducing a sentence fragment with lest. INCORRECT: Lest he forget that 70% of American Jews voted for Obama and find the politics of the modern GOP repugnant.  (Wayne Besen, Falls Church News-Press) CORRECT : Netanyahu shouldn’t forget that 70% of American Jews voted for Obama and find the politics of the modern GOP repugnant.   Sometimes a sentence fragment is an effective stylistic choice, but not when it is introduced by lest. A clause introduced by lest needs to be attached to a main clause. The fragment â€Å"lest we forget† is frequently used in connection with memorial services, but a main clause is implied: â€Å"We build monuments and hold memorial services lest we forget the sacrifices of the departed.† 3. Confusing lest with the contraction let’s INCORRECT: And lest not forget Jeffersons role in the XYZ Affair where he sabotaged Adams negotiations with the French to avert a war.  (Education site called Reinvented Solutions) CORRECT : And let’s not forget Jeffersons role in the XYZ Affair where he sabotaged Adams negotiations with the French to avert a war.   Related post Least vs Lest Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating Conjunctions40 Synonyms for â€Å"Different†75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard†

Terror Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terror - Personal Statement Example This belief of mine was shattered when one of my friends was badly bitten by a rabid dog and after a few days he died because of the non-availability of appropriate treatment. The incidence occurred when we all were on an educational trip, where we were asked to live and sleep in tents and were exploring out things. My friend was a group leader and therefore he was marching ahead of the crew. Suddenly, while he was passing the stretch of lonely area a rabid dog appeared and my friend out of fear and panic he threw a stone on the dog. The dog turned furious and attacked my friend. We all were in a group and following him as we were behind him. We also got freeze after witnessing the incidence. After the preliminary first-aid, he was immediately rushed to the hospital which was 2 hrs from their place. By the time he reached the hospital it was late and injections were not available in the stock. He was crying in pain and panic and no one could help him to relieve his sufferings except for the first-aid. It is really pity and sad when you see someone dying in front of your eyes and you cannot help. The incidence was enough to inculcate panic and fear in my mind for the dogs.

Control & Six SIgma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Control & Six SIgma - Research Paper Example The process flow diagram of check in process of the hotel looks ok but despite of the normal process the average time is more than the standard time. One of the reasons that can be understood from the shown process is that the room cleaning service should be on more proactive basis. The customer without the previous reservation need to wait for the room to be ready, which is one of the most important factors that increases the average time for check in process. Another important factor is that the customer service is poor because of the data retrieving method looks slow regarding the room availability for the new customers without prior reservations. Now the question arises how the check in process should be improved? One of the most emerging strategies for the hotel management process is the use of the self service for check-in hotels. Patrick Avery (2008) worked on the report under the head of Kiosk Marketplace to publish the report on self service for check in hotels. The process is based on online method like ATMs. The Hotels should incorporate the Hotel Reservations in ATMs to reduce the service time .The strategy should follow in a way that even the walk in customers should use the ATMs to check for the availability of the rooms and if it is available, reserve the room get the direction from the GPS system and move straight to the room. The hotel management should also incorporate the efficient cleaning methodology to reduce the time frame for the availability of the room. The bellman if needed by the customer should be allocated through the ATM system, during the reservation process. Additionally the availability of Bellmen should also be incorporated in the reservation process along with the time frame for the service. Now moving towards the check out process, the process is also very much inefficient because the average time that the hotel takes is more than 3 minutes, whereas the standard process should not take more than 2 minutes. The check out proc ess should also be done through self service ATM channel. Insert the ATM card in the Hotel ATM, check the bill and make the payment through the machine and reserve the bellman for the luggage. In both of the check in and checkout process through the self service method customer’s ID verification can automatically be done through the machine. Therefore, the whole process will save considerable time. 2. Pick one hotel offering and write a new process map for it. Along with charts, give a detailed explanation of the new process and where such improvement will benefit the hotel and increase customer satisfaction. Be sure to include all costs, resources, and management functions.   Incorporation of self service facility can be the new process for the check in and checkout service by the Hotel. The hotel Escargo is currently facing a major problem in the overall time management for its services. The Availability of ATM service with the self service facility in the ATM software fo r Hotel reservations can be the most beneficial strategy for the Hotel to improve customer satisfaction. The detailed explanation of the new process for the ATM service particularly for Check In process Is as follows along with its chart is given below. For Reservation & Check In Service The Current check in service of Hotel Escargo is time taking and reduces the customer satisfaction level. Therefore, the new strategy of self service check in facility can reduce the time f

Zionism Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zionism Overview - Essay Example The essay "Zionism Overview" talks about the Zionism in terms of today and historical events and the importance of the Zionism for today Jews and the government of Israel. Zion is the biblical term used for Jerusalem as well as the Land of Israel. Jews have yearned to return to Zion ever since their exile from Zion almost 2000 years ago. This learning is embedded in the literature, rituals, culture, and prayers of the Jews. Contemporary Zionism evolved during the late half of the 19th century as a result of anti-Semitism in the Western Europe and Jews’ violent persecution in the Eastern Europe. â€Å"Modern Zionism fused the ancient Jewish biblical and historical ties to the ancestral homeland with the modern concept of nationalism into a vision of establishing a modern Jewish state in the land of Israel†. Theodor Herzl is the pioneer of modern Zionism. He consolidated the different aspects of Zionism into a structured political movement, thus drawing global attention toward the establishment of a Jewish state and motivating Jews to migrate to the land from all over the world. The way he saw Zionism reflects in this statement, â€Å"I believe that Zionism will not cease to be our ideal even after we come to settle in the land of our forefathers in Eretz Israel, for within the Zionist idea is contained the aspiration to moral and spiritual perfection†. Today, several decades have passed since the establishment of the Jewish state and Zionism serves as the leading nationalist movement for most of the Jews all over the world.

Ideas and Religious Belief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ideas and Religious Belief - Essay Example What if religion confuses political power with the will of God which many preachers and men of church say we have to abide to to maintain the state of which God wants on earth,in England,to match the Elizabethan age's understanding of the ladder of being or the chain of being and how it occupies what the world in God's eyes should be like and be used to by people This idea is occupied in all cultures politically and has been an arguable discussion for people throughout the nations. Should the political powers be religious and under the church's supervision or should be secularthis rises with another fundamental question:should people accept the facts stated to them in a democratic country or should they accept the facts given them as forceful manner of living which they could and could not accept whether it is involving their union with the power's opinions of what is supposed to be in the state or should it be forced and the state of the country be 'the democracy of discussion and the dictatorship of opinion'in other words,should people when getting involved in elections and understanding the stated means of ideas by the intellect get involved or should their ideas be seen as a restricted form of understanding which does not elevate to those who are in power's understanding of the future of the country and state and what it carries from und erstandings for th people's welfare and what they see to be what everyone in the state wants for the nation (depending on who is stating what the 'nation' means and who 'everyone stating it 'is) A nation (nationa) is understood to be a group of disobedient or the least intellectual groups of people to govern in a state or country which are better known and notioned as those 'governed',since they least 'care','understand','have intellect' to be able to take a role in forming the understandings and the formulae of which the nation takes to progress forwards. Then who takes this form of understanding up and deduces and induces the laws In religions it is God and His propehst. In secular states it is the intellect of the mos intellectual. These people understand and under-0estimate what could be frivolous being in a better state of affairs and understanding and education being exposed to the highest and best types of education around the world which ensure a decent growing up of morals and understandings which inform the rest of the populated country's people how things should be working in a 'civilized' manner. This understanding forms the wake of the nation and the differences between the 'plates' of the 'grounds of understanding the ways and means of living' which the nation's youth and grown ups fight to obtain for various reasons. If this is true,the chain of being then has to be a way of controlling the world and understanding the frame of thinking that puts philosophers and political people on the top or middle of

Multispecies Models as an Improvement on Single Species Models for Mea Assignment

Multispecies Models as an Improvement on Single Species Models for Measuring Fishing Impacts on Marine Ecosystem - Assignment Example The study is thorough and provides a deep insight of the multispecies modeling tools along with the single species models and their impacts. In the more recent studies on the topic of multispecies fish modeling and harvesting the factors that can impact the rate of harvesting is usually considered. The purpose is to target and examine the sources. Another study is conducted in the year 2013 in which the authors tried to find the cooperative and non-co operative harvesting in the multispecies fish war models. This paper emphasizes on the role played by support for the sustainable supervision of a broken ecosystem. The authors Daniel Pauly, Villy Christensen and Carl Walton in their study named as the â€Å"Ecopath, Ecoism and Ecospace as tools for Evaluating Ecosystem Impacts of Fisheries† thoroughly studied the key features for the reconceptualized approach. Not only this, they designed two indices based theorem in which they tried to qualify the impacts of an ecosystem on the fisheries. In the research, they used the truth based statistics collected from the users of the Eco Path and extracted from their feedbacks. They further discussed the implementation made up to the date and the limitations of the Eco System. They commented that some of the implementations have been made but the process of up gradation is very slow and it requires quite an effort. In another recent study, the authors studied the statistical and empirical identification of the multispecies fish harvesting Zones. The purpose of the study was to discuss the factors that can help in improving the monitoring and the management of the specific multispecies fish zones. The impacts and the ideas are not only the main theme of the recent researches but  some researchers also conducted the studies on the issues of the multispecies fish modeling and harvesting. Like in a paper the author from India highlighted the problem of harvesting two competing fish species together. For this, he designed a bioeconomic model. Also, the Marine Fisheries Service published their report on the topic of optimal multispecies harvesting in the presences of the nuisance species.  

Erin Brockovich Movie (2000) Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Erin Brockovich (2000) - Movie Review Example Hence, the movie depicts a character-based true event of American history involving one of â€Å"the largest direct-action legal settlement† that ever happened in America. Although Albert Finney, who is acting Erin’s irritable boss, is also an interesting character; still, Erin’s trashy and plain mannerism holds the viewer’s attention through the length of the movie. â€Å"The story of Erin Brockovich is an inspirational reminder of the power of the human spirit†, says Henderson. The movie is a sweet story of her struggle and passion which led her to become a successful woman who ended her helping herself through helping others. Erin portrays the labor class of America who is fighting to make their both ends meet and desperate for justice and employment. People of this class face punishments and all decisions from the law even when there is no fault of theirs. Thus, Erin’s is the story that starts with a depiction of the plight of the working class. Also, the two sides of Erin Brockovich are correctly shown in the film which includes â€Å"the tender loveliness of a mother to match her first name, and the assaulting harshness of a fullback to match her last name†. However, she has been shown as being foul-mouthed which the labor class is usually stereotyped as. For example, when Erin gets into an argument with a colleague and the latter says that they got off on the wrong foot, Erin replies that all she (the colleague) has been two wrong feet. The movie proves to some extent that it is always the labor class of people that have to suffer.

Multispecies Models as an Improvement on Single Species Models for Mea Assignment

Multispecies Models as an Improvement on Single Species Models for Measuring Fishing Impacts on Marine Ecosystem - Assignment Example The study is thorough and provides a deep insight of the multispecies modeling tools along with the single species models and their impacts. In the more recent studies on the topic of multispecies fish modeling and harvesting the factors that can impact the rate of harvesting is usually considered. The purpose is to target and examine the sources. Another study is conducted in the year 2013 in which the authors tried to find the cooperative and non-co operative harvesting in the multispecies fish war models. This paper emphasizes on the role played by support for the sustainable supervision of a broken ecosystem. The authors Daniel Pauly, Villy Christensen and Carl Walton in their study named as the â€Å"Ecopath, Ecoism and Ecospace as tools for Evaluating Ecosystem Impacts of Fisheries† thoroughly studied the key features for the reconceptualized approach. Not only this, they designed two indices based theorem in which they tried to qualify the impacts of an ecosystem on the fisheries. In the research, they used the truth based statistics collected from the users of the Eco Path and extracted from their feedbacks. They further discussed the implementation made up to the date and the limitations of the Eco System. They commented that some of the implementations have been made but the process of up gradation is very slow and it requires quite an effort. In another recent study, the authors studied the statistical and empirical identification of the multispecies fish harvesting Zones. The purpose of the study was to discuss the factors that can help in improving the monitoring and the management of the specific multispecies fish zones. The impacts and the ideas are not only the main theme of the recent researches but  some researchers also conducted the studies on the issues of the multispecies fish modeling and harvesting. Like in a paper the author from India highlighted the problem of harvesting two competing fish species together. For this, he designed a bioeconomic model. Also, the Marine Fisheries Service published their report on the topic of optimal multispecies harvesting in the presences of the nuisance species.  

Job satisfaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job satisfaction paper - Essay Example Having good people skills helps a lot, and I was lucky that I grew up with people who taught me how to be sensitive to what other people needed so that I could help them meet those needs. I also love to spend time thinking after I learned from an older friend who was an up and coming management trainee that this is what successful managers do: think. At first, I thought it was a waste of time, but one day, when I tried it out as I planned for an important event (actually, a party for some cousins who were visiting from out of town), it dawned on me that it was cool. Spending an hour thinking, writing things down, going through the plan over and over again saved me some hours that I would have used correcting mistakes, changing plans, or saying I'm sorry for screwing up. Since that day, I invested some time to think things through instead of attacking each activity without a plan, based on sheer determination alone. This was how I learned to clarify goals, think of the best people who can take the assignment, and knowing how to communicate the goals, the assignment, and the deadline in a way that encouraged them. I also learned to make the most out of mistakes others committed, making them (and myself) see the positive side, the things we learned from those mistakes, instead of wasting time finger-pointing that got us nowhere. So much time is wasted looking for someone to blame that if people only used that time learning, they could have accomplished much more. Thinking also helps me improve my productivity. Before I work on anything, I think about why I am doing it (goal), how much time I have (time), and what I need to reach the goal within the time limit (resources). If I needed things I didn't have, I would ask for it; and if I didn't get it, I would think how I could improvise. I learned that in the real world, we cannot get everything we want, but the world still expects much from us. That's the way the world turns, so instead of whining about not having everything I needed, I instead find a way to use my creative imagination to move forward and start getting to work. I also make it a point to teach these same skills and work habits to the people I work with, more so with those whom I want to do things for me. And I am not afraid they would replace me or get higher pay, because making myself dispensable also makes me promotable. How can I be asked to work on bigger things if I don't train people to take my place More than knowing how to work and motivate others to be productive, I also have a higher goal, a mission to see the world and help other people, because I have always wanted to reach out and make a mark in other's lives. This is why I enjoy working as part of a team. One summer, I read a book (Maxwell, 1998) a friend gave me. In fact I still have it on my bedroom shelf, and it struck a raw chord inside. Right then and there, I knew that I wanted to be a leader, to make my life useful, to be different by studying and working harder and doing things not because others were doing them, but because it was the good and right thing to do. This thought has served me well ever since. What keeps me satisfied in my job The first thing is the nature of the job itself. I want to grow, learn, and contribute to the

Difference In Sports News Coverage

Difference In Sports News Coverage The world of sports has evolved in the last century and in the first decade of the 21st century as a prime source of entertainment. The world has seen greater development in sports as it becomes tougher and more competitive. The reflections of the more serious approach could be seen in media and specifically in sports journalism. The sport based program became the crowd puller of leading television channels in the visual media fraternity. The tougher competition and crave for being unique, redefined the approach of media to sports, collectively sports Journalism. This study tries to understand the impact of geographic and cultural orientation towards setting the agenda for sports programs in visual media. The study checks the impact of changing audience trends in determining the agenda of sport news .Qualitative and Quantitative research methods have been used to prove the hypothesis. The world of sports got an enhanced pace and shape during the end of last century and early period of this century. With sports, sports journalism as well has grown over the years. Sports journalism emerged as unique, out of its old status as filler in political and socio political news. Apart from being a prime source of dynamic entertainment, sport news now became the hot commodity with high demand in heterogeneous audience. Based on the latest trend and the dynamically changing market demands, specifically audience pulse, determine the agenda and strategy of sports news. Whether the hot sports like cricket and American football are the children of media hype or commercialized news? This study tries to reveal how the agenda of sports news are determined by audience trend and market pulse. Background In 1960, the winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley, California and the media coverage was nowhere close to that of the 2002, Salt Lake winter Olympics. The 2008 à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2009 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United was the most watched live event on television history beating that yearà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s Super bowl. This shows the differences in the way sports journalism is active in different countries and regions. This was the first time the Super bowl was defeated by a football match. They promoted the event of the Champions League final as the match between the two best footballers in the world, Leonel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo and also the winner would be declared as the best in the world. One can see how the media uses its tactics and production strategies to promote the event. The preset target of the producers and advertisers are the decision maker of each sport programs or sports based programs. In most of the countries it depends with tradition and culture. America In America the four major sports are basketball, ice hockey, baseball and their version of football. Most of the sports played in countries apart from North America are mostly the same. The most popular sport in the world is football and not American football. In America any big news relating to any other sports would not be given much importance and even if it is, it will find very little time in the whole sports segment of a news channel. Britain Britain claims that they have invented most of the sports that are being played in the modern day. Their way of covering sports is different to that of America; they give all sports almost equal importance. They also focus on the four American sports and give them more coverage than what America gives to others. India In India, Cricket gets high coverage and telecast with high importance even in peak hours. Whereas, football or hockey are subsided and limit in the 1/5th portion of the total sports news slot. People watching the pre and post events of any sporting events more than the event itself. The summer Olympics is an example of this case, the opening and closing ceremony of the event is watched by more people than the Olympics or any part of it. This shows how the media and journalism has changed in a massive way along with the sport itself. The market for sports journalism is by far the most improving and expanding one and the producers and advertisers know this and want to make full use of it for their benefit and the viewers will be shown what they want and not what exactly is happening, the whole thing is to make the event sell and to get the Television Rating Points (TRPs). It has all become commercialization and deregulation of televised sport. It has become such an important commodity. In America it has always existed as a system emphasizing the entertainment values. In many European countries it has been a model emphasizing neutrality. With the existence of exclusive sports channels like Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), Sky Sports, etc. the news channels have to find something different to make their sports segment sell to the public. So, they use different methods of telecasting sports news. Only in sports one can find other interesting details like the lives, hobbies, relationships of the sports personalities and discuss about them in detail. There is politics in sports as well and the extra information attracts the people especially women to the sports. The term à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Plausibly Liveà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  was coined to describe the production of the 1996 Atlanta summer Olympics. The phrase was used as the broadcasts were not live but could have been. During any event one would get the entire extra detail one any particular team or player as the television crew would be sent to find the information. Then at any time during the show they would give out the information to the viewers. The advertisers now will decide that when there must be a break and how long it must last. Now there will be more cuts in any match as it will create more interest and make the sport much faster and better. The camera angles in modern times are such that they will enhance the event than it actually is. The sport has evolved or it has been made it evolve. That is the whole idea of sports journalism in modern times. To enhance what is there to a level that is more interesting to the viewers than it is, is the way it is in these times. Research Problem The study concentrates on the characteristics of sports telecasted by two different news channels and how they telecast and cover sports in their respective countries evaluated against the value of sports journalism. The two news channels are NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited) in India and CNN (Cable News Network) in USA. The study will be based on, the relation between journalistic values in sports broadcasting, the broadcasting of sports that are prominent in the two countries. The commercialization of sports and sporting events in broadcast media. How the changing audience trends determine the agenda of each sports item in the sports news slot. Geographical and cultural impact on the sports news coverage and character of sports journalism. Methodology The methodology for this dissertation would be of two kinds. The first will be quantitative method where there would be the analysis of all the sports segments in both news channels and how they have allocated time and news coverage to each sport and sports personalities. Every news channel will have its own policies on telecasting any sport and how much to telecast and it will be different for every news channel. NDTV would mostly have more focus on cricket and cricketers more than any other sport. In quantitative method the time allocated for each sport, e.g. cricket, football, hockey, badminton, etc. is very important. The time given for individuals and other sport personalities in one channel would be analyzed and compared to that of the other news channel. What is the time given for interviews and for news and features would also be analyzed. With this one can see the difference in the way both news channels differ from each other. The news content in CNN would definitely differ from that of the Indian news channel. As they are in USA they would focus more on the sports that are famous in that part of the world. But the focus is on the news content of CNN in India and whether it would change for the Indian viewers or whether they would try and promote their sports in India. All facts and figures that would come from the analysis of these news channels would be a part of quantitative methodology. There is also qualitative method where the main criteria for the analysis are the interpretation that comes out from what the news channels telecast. If one news channel gives more emphasis for one sport genuinely or if it gives more emphasis on a sport if a special occasion is there like the world cup, then the interpretation that comes out would be the basis for qualitative method. Both the methods would be used for this study as it is imperative to know the facts and figures as well as the understanding as to why there is a difference in the way each of the news channels differ in the telecasting of sports news from each other. The analysis and the comparison between these news channels would be essential to determine the difference in policies and the interests of the people in that region, so, both the methodologies are highly essential. Hypothesis Indian news is dedicating time for personalized and sensationalized news items than that of news channels. The language of commentary used by news casters and reporters in Indian news channels are using sensationalized and emotional words than that of US channels. The visual language of Indian sports news is deliberately generating sensationalism. Scope and Limitations The scope for this dissertation is that in the future more studies can be made on more news channels. The study can be vaster as news channels from other countries can also be included. Further research can be done as news channels can be compared to exclusive sports news channels. This will help to learn the difference in cultures, traditions and interests for sports for the people in the various regions of the world. The limitations to this study is that this study and analysis is only between two news channels, one in India and one in USA. With this it is difficult to analyze the difference between the trends in sports in both countries. By the selection of one news channel in USA one cannot determine the trends and traditions in sports there are that of the whole country. Each news channel will have its own policies and ideas, so, one cannot say that the sports news that they would telecast is the trend of that country and that is their mindset towards sports.

Demonstrated Effectiveness of Training within the Workplace to Improve

The Quality Management Plan at Club Nova reflects two core quality improvement plans: House Cleanliness and Employee Retention. Club Nova collects member and staff satisfaction data at least semi-annually in order to analyze that data and to make headway in finding a remedy for these two issues. Alas, no solution has been found. Staff turnover rate is at an all-time high, with 6 of 10 staff having left Club Nova since July 2011. For the members, I recognize that losing valued and favored staff will result in decreased member participation and attendance, strained interactions with new staff, and overall dissatisfaction with the functioning of Club Nova. My solution is simple. Club Nova should invest in its staff. According to Nowack’s research (2011), 42.6% of those within his study reported that career growth and learning opportunities were a significant factor in their continued employment at a given job. Staff who are more knowledgeable about the Clubhouse Model and who receive various on-going training will operate a more efficient program, will experience less frustrations in dealing with the organizational style within Club Nova, and will enjoy their work significantly more thereby reducing staff turnover and improving member satisfaction. Which Staff & Members Do We Offer Training? Club Nova is a unique environment in which all members and staff function along-side each other to complete the tasks during the work-ordered day. Trainings should not be any different in this model. Tanvir, Hussain, & Janjua, (2011) defined training as the â€Å"attainment of the skill, ideas and attitudes to obtain the desired performance and results.† Given that the responsibilities of the day fall on both members and staff, each pe... ...nd Stress.† Envisia Learning, http://abstracts.envisialearning.com/78-abstractFile.pdf Olivero, G., Bane, K., & Kopelman, R. (1997). â€Å"Executive coaching as a transfer of training tool: effects on productivity in a public agency.† Public Personnel Management, 26(4), 461-469. â€Å"Schedule,† Retrieved from http://www.fountainhouse.org/content/schedule Smith, A., Oczkowski, E., & Smith, C. (2011). To have and to hold: Modelling the drivers of employee turnover and skill retention in Australian Organisations. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(2), 395-416. doi:10.1080/09585192.2011.540162 Tanvir, M., Hussain, A., & Janjua, S. (2011). A Remedy based Concept: Impact of Encounter Service, Culture and Employees Training on Customers Satisfaction of Hospitality Industry. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business, 3(2), 1237-1247.

Essay --

A History of Computers by: Paul Little The idea of a machine that would make man’s calculations easier, faster, and more accurate is no new notion. The Abacus, Napier’s rods, the Calculating Clock, and the Stepped Reckoner are a few examples of early computer ideas In the more recent history of the computer, we can see how computers have morphed changed from clunky, million-dollar machines into the compact and convenient devices which can held on the tip of ones finger. John von Neumann’s name is most well-known among the potential â€Å"founders† of the first computer (and also known for work in quantum mechanics) but who the credit belongs to can be debated. Von Neumann wrote a memorandum explaining the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) but the ENIAC was developed by J. Preper Eckert and John Mauchly of the Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania in the mid-1940s. The credit for this invention is shady because Mauchly reportedly visited John Atanasoff before building the ENIAC. Atanasoff built the Atanasoff/Berry Computer in the early 1940s at Iowa State University. But, von Neumann’s name is the most well-known and thus settles the issue! The model von Neumann came up with for the basic computer structure is still today, with modifications for speed and size, his computer is still the foundation for many computers. Part of the the reason his work was seen in high standards was hs reports on his work. The Academic Press Dictionary states that â€Å"von Neumann’s report was so we... ...Whether you agree or not, the NSA’s new 1.7 billion facility being built to store internet users data and phone call and is the largest facility ever built to do so, can be viewed as a new treat to people personal data and piracy. Believed â€Å"once finished† ith the ability to hold not only the most but some of if not the biggest super computers in the world. It is said the facility once up and running will be able to store data at the rate of 20 terabytes per minute, many times over. The ability to do so is in its self amazing and the other technology that will be used there I am sure will be just as mind boggling. But most are more concerned with the negative potential (and rightfully so) over the technical scale of the project, but ever the less this will probably be the start of the next (out of many past and future) computer generation.

Explore the Significance of Metafiction in Jeanette Winterson’s Story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses

Throughout Winterson’s rendition of ‘the twelve dancing princesses’ – adapted from the renowned story by the Grimm Brothers –the plotline is explicitly centred around an array of fictional images. Implicitly though, the metafiction and accretion used can be unveiled as symbolism that correlates with a larger meaning; the images associated with men are uncomfortable and even evil in comparison to the comforting images (including the mermaid) that represent womanhood. Therefore, in the two specific examples of the mermaid and the poison, the reader may accept fiction as an underlying detail that leads to a deeper truth or argument.In the exact example of the mermaid the reader learns that the senior princess has fallen in love with her (the mermaid) and that they ‘live in the well’ together. The scene is evidently fictional; mermaids don’t exist, and if they did, then Jordon and the princess wouldn’t be able to stand in the w ell and converse with the mermaid due to biological impossibilities. Therefore the statement is immediately false, yet the reader may find themselves accepting it as truth in order to move on to the grittiness of the plotline, and discover the significance of the mermaid; her impact can be interpreted in various ways.Firstly, the mermaid could be seen as the product of rebellion against the conventional ritual of marriage to a husband. Rebellion seems a reasonable suggestion after studying the original story, which Winterson’s tale is arguably a continuation of. The ‘doors that were shut and locked up’ each night exemplify the father’s masculine domination over the freedom of his daughters. Likewise, in the tale the King’s offspring would rather see the soldiers killed than have their freedom limited; that ‘they laughed heartily’ at the sleeping soldier exhibits this.That the princess had to plunge in ‘deep waters’ in Winte rson’s tale exemplifies how she was willing to face the unknown (traditionally in literature the ocean is feared e. g. In the Tempest Ferdinand cries ‘hell is empty and all of the devils are here’ before plummeting into the ocean) in order to search for entertainment aside from her husband. Secondly, the mermaid could represent the princesses’ craving for womanhood – this links on from the rebellion against masculine dominance.The ‘deep waters’ as a meeting place, followed by the fact that the couple live in the well – envisaging a womb like place due to its round and wet characteristics – may bring to some reader’s minds an obvious yearning for womanly presence and dominance within the princess. It is noticeable that the existence of a mother is lacking in both renditions of the myth and so arguably the princess may be trying to reconnect with the womb of the Motherly figure that appears nonexistent in childhood. A cceptance of nonsense can be further seen on page 55 in a passage where content may be viewed as allegorical.There is also arguably a sense of intertextuality as it bares reflection to the synoptic bible passage of the demon possessed man (Mathew 8:28-34), which should consequently ring out clear symbolic meaning to the reader. The melodramatic line ‘Out of his (the husband) belly came a herd of cattle and a fleet of pigs ’ can be defined by the reader as an impossible scenario. Consequently the reader will seek the implicit meaning which holds a deeper content. In the Bible passage, the rearing of swine off the cliff enabled the demon possessed man to walk freed from his past torments.Therefore, the suggestion could be that the husband is better off dead, released from sin, than living alive as an overeater with evil within him – gluttony being a biblical crime. This argument is supported when the door salesman says to the princess ‘you are right to kill h im’. The princess’s hate for her husband’s obesity reflects the forced status of their marriage; nowhere in the passage does any form of love or appreciation ring clear, only a sense of endurance – ‘we had been married a few years’ for example suggests that the princess thinks that this is a fair enough trail run before murdering him .He is presented as unlikeable through firstly the unpleasant verbs that the princess attaches to his actions – ‘gulped’, ‘crashing’, ‘swelled’, ‘complained’ – and secondly through the portrayal of him as the demon. Arguably, the princess finds control and order after the fictional explosion that kills her husband, as Winterson writes in the first person, ‘I rounded them (the herd) up’ – stressing the herd’s obedience to her – contrasting to their disorderly actions to the husband who ‘had always complained a bout his digestion’ while the herds had been inside of him.Following on from this, it is arguable that with the ending of her (the princess’s) marriage came her ability to ‘live according’ to her ‘tastes’. Her true satisfaction is exemplified in the final sentence ‘I prefer farming to cooking,’ which, again allegorically, is arguably stating that she prefers her single life – where she farms the cattle- , to her married life – where she cooks the cattle. Therefore, again in this passage, the reader may accept that the content is fanciful to the real world, but for the passage it is necessary as the images created have significant impact on the symbolic meaning that Winterson is creating.Is Winterson a feminist? This could certainly be argued given the evidence found in the passages. A strong conclusion to her work is that woman have more of a chance of ‘living happily ever after’ by ‘living accordi ng to their own tastes’ than through forced marriage – the latter being the favourable traditionally in fairytales. This is mainly because Winterson’s argument represents a changing view of a woman’s place in a more modern society than that of Grimm’s.Although she retains the same time period as the original tale, the conclusion that woman can find freedom through outwitting their husbands is much different from literature that would have been produced in early decades – (albeit freedom is temporarily found by the daughters in Grimm’s tale when they outwit their father, and the soldiers night after night). Therefore a reader may acknowledge the falsehood in Winterson’s passages, and yet acknowledge it as true in search for the deeper truth underneath.