Monday, September 30, 2019

Family Relation Portrayal in Korean Films Essay

It has been said of cinema that it is much lesser an art that it should be because it cannot afford the unpredictable. Therefore it seeks the security of successfully established formulas (Encyclopaedia Britannica 904). This may be the reason why Korean films, like most Asian films, tend to focus on domestic issues. The most important part of Korean life is family, and Koreans are proud of their excellent relationship among family members. Members of the family are tied to each other by very strong bonds. Over the years, however, the Korean family has undergone tremendous change in terms of structure and function. These changes in family structure and function are dramatically mirrored in Korean films. Korean films show viewers about how the Korean family has evolved over the last few years. In addition, Korean films reflect the rapid change that the structure and function of the Korean family is undergoing. Value for Family Family welfare is much more important to Koreans than individual needs (â€Å"South Korea – Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette†). This may be the reason why Korean families are called a ‘small society’. The action of each family member becomes a reflection of the rest of the family. Koreans put into mind that family is the most important group for themselves and for their country (â€Å"Korean Family†). The Korean value for family is depicted in the film A Romantic Papa, a Korean film released in 1960. This is a story about an employee at an insurance company who is the head of a happy household which consists of his wife, two sons and three daughters. When his company began downsizing, however, he is forced into retirement. He does not tell his family about losing his job because of fear of disappointing them. His children learn the truth as they thought of a way of comforting their father. A Romantic Papa is a film which depicts the traditional Korean family. The film also shows that the father holds supreme power in the family. When the protagonist loses his job, he does not tell his family because he does not want to disappoint them. This goes to show the great value that Koreans place over their families. In an unconventional sort of way, the film also shows the father, who holds supreme power in the family, stepping down to relinquish his authority to the next generation. A Romantic Papa was adapted to the big screen from a popular radio drama. It was directed by Shin Sang-Okk and starred Choi Eun-Hee, Kim Jin-Kyu, Shin Seong-II, Kim Seung-Ho and Joo Jeung-Nyeo. (â€Å"100 Korean Films†). Mr. Park, which was also released in 1960, is another Korean film which depicts the traditional Korean family. The film is about a man who has provided for his children by repairing charcoal fireplaces. He disapproves of the fact that his eldest child is dating a hoodlum. He is also unhappy that his younger daughter is dating her co-worker. He, however, bestows his blessing upon his son when he expresses the desire to marry. His eldest daughter runs away and his son asks his permission to work in Thailand after marriage. The film ends with him accepting the man his eldest child wants to marry while granting permission to his son to go to Thailand. The film is Korea’s representative family melodrama. It reveals the conflict of values through the clash between the protagonist and his children. The film was directed by Kang Dae-Jin. It starred Kim Seung-Ho, Cho Mi-Ryeong, Kim Jin-Kyu and hwang Jeong-Sun. (â€Å"100 Korean Films†) The Extended Family The extended family was the social norm about 50 to 60 years ago in Korea (Bae). This is reflected in the film Festival which was released in Korea in 1996. Festival was directed by Im Kwon-Taek and stars Ahn Seong-Ki. A film about family, Festival is about a renowned writer who received word that his mother had passed away. The death of his mother elicited different emotional responses from various persons. As the funeral begins, so did conflict deepen among his family members. As the funeral progresses, their conflicts find gradual resolution. Festival is about filial piety, a Confucian ideal that places the virtue of caring for one’s parents among all else. Filial piety connotes being good to the parents and to take care of them. It connotes engaging in good conduct towards parents and towards society so as to bring a good name to the parents and ancestors. It also means performing the duties of a job well to obtain the material means to support the parents. The film The Birth of a Family also depicts extended family life. Released in 2006, the first part of the film is about Mi-ra and her trouble-making brother, Hyung-chul. After being discharged from the military, Hyung-chul goes missing. He comes back five years later with a middle-aged woman whom he introduces as his wife. Mi-ra allows them to stay with her at the family home until Mi-ra’s daughter Chae-hyun arrives and the three reach a breaking point. The second part of the film concerns a young woman called Sun-kyung whose relationship with her estranged mother is aggravated by the mother’s relationship with a married man. Her mother dies of cancer, however, and Sun Kyung must care for her half-brother Gyeong-suk. The third part of the film brings together the two story lines with the relationship of Chae-hyun and Gyeong-suk who is accepted in the end by Chae-hyun’s adopted family from the first part of the film (â€Å"The Birth of a Family†). The Birth of a Family was directed by Kim Tae-Yong. It starred Moon So-ri, Kong Hyo-jin, Jeong Yu-mi and Bong Tae-gyu. Extended family is also portrayed in the 1998 film A Quiet Family. This is the story of a family who buys a hotel in the mountains. At first, no one comes to check in at the hotel but after a while a guest checks in and dies. Two more guests arrive and suffer that same predicament, and soon the bodies start piling up. This movie is a comedy but effectively portrays the modern extended family and their relationship to each other (â€Å"The Quiet Family†). The Quiet Family was directed by Ji-woon Kim and starred In-hwan Park and Mun-hee Na. Single Parents, Divorce and Late Marriages It is said that the economic crisis in the late 1990s was the catalyst in changing the Korean family structure in an essential way. Before this, concepts such as single parents, divorce, late marriage and having children at a later age were unheard of to most Koreans. Today, however, this is no longer the case (Bae). Mirroring the theme of being a single parent is the film Mother which is a Korean film released in 2010. Mother is the story of a Hye-ja, a single mother who sells herbs and acupuncture treatments to support her mentally slow son. Her son, however, becomes involved in the murder of a schoolgirl and is thrown into jail. This is when Hye-ja’s quest to prove her son’s innocence begins (Harris). The film shows the hardships and difficulties of being a single parent and what a mother’s love can do for her beloved child. Mother was directed by Bong Joon-ho and starred Kim Hye-ja and Won Bin. The film stayed within the top 50 films on the United States box office. Being a single parent is also depicted in the film A Family which was released in Korea in 2004. A Family is about the extraordinary love between a father and his daughter. Pickpocket Jeong-eun comes back home to a father and an eight-year old brother after being in prison for two years. Her father Joo-suk loves her dearly but does not know how to express it. The film A Family is about troubled relationships and conflict between family members, but above all, it is a story about family in these modern times (â€Å"A Family†). A film that also depicts the hardships of being a single parent is The Way Home, a Korean film that was released in 2002. The Way Home is the story of a spoiled city boy whose single mother ships him off to his grandmother in a rural town. The grandmother is a hunchback and a mute who works hard without complaining. The boy disrespects his grandmother at first but learns a lesson about love and selflessness after seeing all the sacrifices she made for him. The film is a drama about the healing power of love. The unconditional love the grandmother gives to the boy is something that he is not used to. This eventually softens him. He also begins to see the downside to his selfishness (â€Å"The Way Home†). Single parenthood is also shown in Marathon, a 2005 film which deals with an autistic youth training to be a marathon runner. The story is primarily about the relationship between the boy and his mother. Because of his condition, his mother controls various aspects of his life in the name of ‘protection’. The film also tackles the realities of being mentally ill (â€Å"Marathon†). Marathon became the runaway box office smash of 2005. The film marked the directorial debut of Jeong Yun-Cheol and starred Cho Seung-Woo and Kim Mi-Sook. In 2007, the film Cherry Tomato tackled single parenthood by way of a grandfather caring for his granddaughter. When his son is released from prison and steals his savings and his bicycle-drawn cart is destroyed, he ends up trying to steal meat for his hungry granddaughter (â€Å"Cherry Tomato†). This film depicts the love a grandfather has for his granddaughter and the actions that he is capable of doing in the name of love. Cherry Tomato was directed by former television producer Jeong Yeong-bae and starred Sin Goo and Kim Hyang-ki. Meanwhile, the theme of divorce is exemplified in the film The Marriage Life which is a film released in Korea in 1992. The Marriage Life is about a couple who gets married for love despite objection from their family and friends. Their married life seems successful at first until endlessly busy nights made conversation almost nonexistent. Their marriage then begins to suffer. Their clashes began to become intense that they finally resort to divorce (â€Å"100 Korean Films†). Marriage Life was directed by Kim Yui-seok and starred Choi Min-Su and Shim Hye-Jin.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Army Crew Team Case Analysis Essay

Colonel Stas Preczewski, better known as Coach P., was the coach of the Army Crew Team for the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was responsible for managing two teams of rowers for the 2000 meter race. They were the Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) teams and consisted of eight rowers per crew. The 2000 meter races are considered to be very rigorous and could also be compared to playing two basketball games. Because rowing can be so exhausting, the sport requires a lot of endurance and strength to be successful. It is also important to focus on the psychological aspects of this sport. According to a survey that was done by the U.S. Olympic Committee, coaches with at least four years’ experience felt that psychological aspects should be focused on as part of coaching a successful and winning crew. Teamwork was considered essential for all of the rowers. If a rower only thought about his technique, it could potentially slow the entire boat down because the team wou ld no longer be synchronized. All crew members must also have trust in one another. The Army Crew Team of 2001-2002 had gone through extensive training year-round to prepare for the National Championships that are held in spring. In winter they spend time building strength by lifting weights and perfecting technique by practicing on the Ergometer, or ‘erg,’ which is a measuring tool for rowers to determine individual technique and endurance. In the spring they went on a retreat to Atlanta where ultimately Coach P. would determine the members who would fulfill the Varsity and JV teams. Coach P. determined the teams by using a system referred to as ‘seat racing,’ the same method that is used in selecting rowers for the Olympics. He determined the members of the Varsity team by taking the top eight scores for individual strength, with the exception of two men. One was more self-absorbed and was only concerned with his own success, and the other did not have a strong technique. After he chose the teams, they raced each other and the Varsity team won, which confirmed his evaluation. Immediately when they got back to training on the Hudson River, the Varsity team was unhappy because they did not beat the JV team by a greater margin at the retreat, and Coach P. thought that they were just striving for excellence. However, throughout the spring, the JV team was consistently beating the Varsity team. Coach P. was concerned with this and did more testing, which revealed that the Varsity team was stronger and  had more endurance then the JV team. He could not figure out why this was the case. He, along with his assistant, determined that there were many more team disrupters on the Varsity team, and there were no team disrupters on the JV team. They then brought in members from the Center for Enhanced Performance, who could help with building team and individual performance. The JV team took well to this and employed the techniques for building new attitudes and confidence, but the Varsity did not seem to do this and felt that any positive display towards one another was too ‘touchy feely.’ The JV team continued to beat the Varsity team. After each race the Varsity team would heavily critique one another on an individual level. The JV team only focused on displaying inspirational sayings such as â€Å"we will succeed together, we will fail together.† The Varsity team and Coach P. were looking for answers. Problem The Varsity team was not winning races because they did not know how to work well with each other and work as a team. This is something that the JV team was able to do very effectively. It has been proven through many findings in research that people perform better if they exhibit teamwork (Chieh-Wen, Yi-Fan & MingChia, 2010). When a team works together, it enhances the quality of the work and instills trust and satisfaction in the team members (Chieh-Wen, Yi-Fan & MingChia, 2010). It was very apparent that the Varsity team was not happy with the outcomes of any of their races, including the first race they had against the JV team. Throughout the season the Varsity team was not working well together, which translated into poor performance. Trust is also very important for effective teamwork. Welch and Welch (2011) state in the article â€Å"How to Build a Winning Team† that when a winning team â€Å"is infused with trust, people play to their better angles. They share ideas freely (p. 2).† Clearly the Varsity team had opinions about each other, however, they were not encouraged to state their problems directly to each other, they were to direct the questions to Coach P. Each of the members of the Varsity team were selected because of their strength and endurance, so most of them thought that they were the best, and it almost seems as if they did not trust that any of the other teammates were as good. This could also be explained when Coach P. examined both the JV and Varsity  teams strengths and weaknesses and determined that the Varsity team consisted of many team disrupters, or people that either talk too much or criticize others during practice. The article called â€Å"Nurturing Interpersonal Trust in Knowledge-Sharing Networks† (2003) also talks about two dimensions of trust. One dimension is benevolence, or the idea that people feel that they are being cared about and have an interest in their well-being and the other is competence, which is that the person has relevant expertise and can be depended on to know information (Abrams, Cross, Lesser, and Levin). These are two important aspects to teamwork that are clearly an issue impacting the Varsity team. The Varsity team also felt that at one point in the season Coach P. was trying to create a rivalry between the two teams which is why they had to row against each other in practice so often. A member of the Varsity team felt that it was unnerving that they had to compete against the JV team, almost like making them off of their game. They had no clear direction as to where the team was going, no proper leadership to direct them. â€Å"In groups that had high levels of collaborative behavior, the team leaders clearly made a significant difference (Gratton, Erickson p. 106, 2007).† It is important to have leadership and direction. The Varsity team did not have any members who did this nor did they feel that their coach was always supportive. The problem lies with the lack of teamwork within the Varsity team. They did not have proper leadership or trust to be able to be a winning team. The Varsity team continues to be beaten by the JV team due to the lack of teamwork. Being in synch is what rowing is all about, and they are not able to do this. The dictionary defines teamwork as â€Å"cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interest of a common cause.† Solutions Coach P. must determine what to do with the Varsity team and he is faced with three options. The first option would be to switch the Varsity and JV boats. Second, he could switch individual members from each boat. Finally, he could keep everything as is, and try to increase the Varsity boat’s  performance so that they start to win. Each option will be evaluated based on several criteria. The ultimate goal of Coach P. and all of the team members is to develop a winning team. Each option must be evaluated on whether the chosen team will maximize its performance and win races. Also is there enough time to make the changes necessary to win? Timing is important because there were only four days until the National Championships. Can there be a positive relationship between team members with each option? The important aspect to focus on is whether or not the relationships can maintain or be mended. Having positive relationships are directly related to the importance of teamwork and whether or not positive teamwork will happen at all. The first option to be evaluated is the possibility of switching the Varsity and JV boats. The team members on the JV team were assigned to that boat because their performance, individually, was not as good as the members who were initially chosen for the Varsity team. With the exception of two members on the JV team, they consisted of members who were not nearly as strong, had less endurance and were also technically not as good as the Varsity team. It would be fairly easy to make this adjustment so timing would not be an issue since and could be easily done within four days. Will the relationship between both of the boats change if the boats were switched? There is a possibility that the JV teams relationship would change because they initially thought that they had nothing to lose being on the JV team. If they were to be named the new Varsity team, personalities could change because of the increased stress level since they no longer will have the ‘nothing to lose’ feeling. Even one of the members from the JV team were not chosen for the Varsity team initially because of his focus was on individual performance, and he was also critical of others, and these reactions could be reignited if the switch was made. Coach P. could switch individual team members between boats. Based on documented results, Coach P. specifically chose the Varsity boat due to their strength and endurance. Since there were a few members that were also very strong on the JV team, the switch could still keep the performance at a high level. The rower that struggled with technique could maybe improve on  performance if he were with other members that were just as strong. Being in synch is something that is extremely important in rowing, and if a team is not able to do this, they will not be successful. Timing could be an issue with this option since they only have four days to learn how to work with one another. Trust could be a problem as well since they have not worked with each other on a consistent basis. Because of the short amount of time that they have to work with one another, it can also have a negative effect on the relationship of the team. Psychological factors are important to the success of any rowing team and they could be compromised, especially the original members of the Varsity team. They will feel even more beat down. Coach P. has already tested this option and the JV team members had a difficult time getting along with the Varsity members. Finally, Coach P. could not make any adjustment between the JV and Varsity teams and try to focus on getting the Varsity team to work with one another. The members of the Varsity team were evaluated at the Atlanta retreat by Coach P. and he determined that they were the strongest, had the most endurance, and had the best technique. This is the reason that they were chosen for the Varsity team in the first place, so the performance potential is definitely present in each of the Varsity team members. Timing is something that could be an issue because it might be questioned as to how can the Varsity team learn to work with each other in four days if they were unable to work well as a team up until then? Four days is a very short time frame to develop trust in one another. This is also important in determining whether or not the relationship could be mended. Coach P. has already tried to work on building a more positive relationship that would enhance performance when he brought in a person from the Center for Enhanced Performance to specifically work on building their confidence in one another. When Coach P. initially selected the teams, he did not see that there were ‘team disrupters’ even though he did see that in members that he did not select for the Varsity team and purposely put them on the JV team. This shows that there may be potential in mending the relationships, if Coach P.’s initial analyses were correct. Recommendations and Plan of Action Coach P. should keep the Varsity team as-is and try to build on the  teamwork. The main reason is because in his initial analysis at the Atlanta retreat he had determined that they are in fact the strongest, have the most endurance and technically are the best rowers out of the sixteen men. If he were to switch the boats, it is almost like settling for second best since he knows that they are not the best performers. The relationships are also something that could be of issue in the other two options. It is unknown that the relationship will maintain if the JV team boat were switched, and it was clear that if individual team members were switched that they did not work well with each other through the initial tests that done by Coach P. Coach P. needs to realize that he needs to stand in front of his team to help influence them to perform better and find ways so that they can work well together. â€Å"Research findings demonstrate that perceived team support significantly influenc es teamwork behavior and trust (Cheih-Wen, Yi-Fang &Ming-Cha, 2010).† Since they do not have trust in their coach at all times, based on discussions that they had when they were pinning their failures on their coach, how can they develop trust in one another? Coach P. has put a lot of pressure on them to be a winning team. Along with that pressure, comes more criticism. Coach P. asked that each of the team members only go to him when they have negative things to say about another team member and the Varsity team would email him on a consistent basis. Open and honest communication is extremely important when building trust with one another and if Coach P. is only asking his team to come to him with negative comments, this is not endorsing an open and honest line of communication (Byrne 1999). It does not seem that the Varsity team was able to build any personal connections. Learning what one another has in common on a personal level rather than just a competitive level could help with building that trust (Abrams, Cross, Lesser & Levin 2003). If Coach P. would help with facilitating more personal relationships, they may learn to work well together, even possibly quickly. The process of teamwork â€Å"requires spending time together as a team and making that time enjoyable. By coaching, training together, establishing common goals†¦and having fun together† teams can accomplish a lot together (Byrne, 1999). They need to find something that is fun to do rather than just concentrate on the seriousness of competition. Personal connections  can help develop a care for one another and also more approachable when there are more serious issues that are needed to be discussed (Abrams, Cross, Lesser and Levin, 2003). If the Varsity team is able to laugh together, they will be able to communicate on a more positive level and develop teamwork. In the future, Coach P. should focus developing personal connections with his team earlier on. They will develop trust and positive teamwork that will translate onto the water where they can be more in synch. Conclusion The Varsity Army Crew team did not know how to work well together as a team albeit they were great performers individually. They were not able to beat the JV team, who exhibited a great amount of teamwork even though they were not as strong performers individually. The varsity team was too critical of one another and had no personal connection. After evaluating several options as to what Coach P. should do days before the National Championships, it was determined that he should try to work things out with the Varsity team so that they could work together more cohesively. If they are able to work together as a team, their outstanding strength, endurance and technique should translate to success as a winning team.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Fractional Distillation Experiment

In the experiment of distillation we separated two miscible liquids. The purpose of distillation is to identify and purify compounds. We began our experiment by setting up an apparatus for macroscale simple distillation. We used 60 ml of Cyclohexane/ Toluene. We began with the temperature at 50 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately, we reached an error when the compounds evaporated too rapidly. The compounds evaporated so quickly that we lost data from 2 ml to 13 ml. The heat was lowered and as a result we started to see a constant rate. From 14 ml to 18 ml it stayed at the rate of 90 degrees Celsius, from 19ml to 25 ml it was at 93 from 26ml to 38ml it stayed in the 90’s for several minutes. When it reached the 50ml mark our temperature was at 108 degrees Celsius. Next we conducted the fractional distillation experiment. We tightly packed the fractionating column with a copper metal sponge, poured our mixture into the 100 ml flask and waited for the mixture to reach boiling point. The boiling point temperature started at 83 degrees Celsius we then decreased the temperature until we reached 25ml which was 82 degrees Celsius. Our results for the Toluene were 1. 4810 and 1. 4350 for the Cyclohexane. Unfortunately in the experiment for simple distillation, we reached an error when the compounds evaporated too rapidly. This was one source of error that disarrayed our data. The compounds evaporated so quickly that we lost data from 2 ml to 13 ml. Even though the data was not recorded it still was a successful experiment. This mistake has taught me to always keep a close eye on experiments no matter how slow the rate is. In the experiment of fractional distillation our results were reasonable but I believe that if we would have placed the aluminum foil around the fractionating column we could have minimized the temperature fluctuation during distillation.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Improvement of Practices in Teaching Arabic as a Second language To Term Paper

Improvement of Practices in Teaching Arabic as a Second language To Non-Native Speakers - Term Paper Example The paper proceeds to a discussion of the methods used for the action research, as well as a discussion of the data. From there the paper undertakes an involved analysis and discussion of the data and the results of the analysis of the data, prior to a more detailed discussion of the previous papers done in connection with the action research, together with the analysis and discussion that had been completed in the previous section. The paper then sums up the entire discussion with some conclusions and insights on the whole process, as well as the overall integration of the action research mindful of the findings of the action research as well as of future directions that can be undertaken related to the teaching of Arabic as a second language to non-native speakers. All throughout this process there is an eye towards a better understanding of the teaching process itself, from the perspective of both the teacher and of the students on the receiving end of the lessons. There is also a n eye out to being able to generate substantial insights into the data and into the previous exercises, to hopefully come up with breakthroughs with regard to teaching Arabic to such an audience and with regard to drastically improving learning outcomes and student satisfaction levels with the classes. Context This semester I have had a great a opportunity to teach an Arabic class for non-native speakers as students. Some of them even originally came from the Middle East but they could not speak nor write in the Arabic Language. During the time when I was researching a number of activities to help my students learn the Arabic language at the beginning of this semester, I came up with the inquiry method. I asked my students their reasons behind wanting to learn Arabic. There were different types of answers that I received during the inquiry session but the most interesting answer that I received was that learning Arabic is important so that he could become rich. I almost got stunned as to why someone would actually consider Arabic language learning as a way to become rich. On discussion with the same student, I got to know that people consider Arabic as important for getting a decent job which will help them gain wealth in return especially in a country not speak Arabic Language. There was a question I want to ask myself and other people, Am I a good teacher or not? but if I were to ask that question myself and look for an answer in the reputation I have among my past and present students and my student in the present time in the USA completely different on my student in Morocco , and then I believe that I am, on balance, a good teacher because when I was a teacher in Morocco I got a higher certificate from the ministry of education because I was the first and best teacher in Science in 2005, and I received a good and great award from Prince Khalid Al Hussein. Therefore, what this means is my teaching practice results in meaningful and substantive learning on t he part of my students. What and how I should be teaching my students, and how can I measure the degree to which they are learning what I am teaching them? The point is that I am regarded as a good teacher, and I believe that this reputation is not groundless. But, on other hand I want to say I am not in the high level of quality of teaching yet as far as language teaching is

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Management of change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Management of change - Essay Example In addition, the experience and leadership skills of the change agent are also critical in the change management process. The strategy used should also relate to the type of change needed in an organisation, for instance, a change can be immediate or take a gradual depending on the situation (Atkinson, 2014). This paper explores the approaches to change management that Mark can use to solve the problems at NFW Corporation. Mark has been assigned a new role as the HRD at NFW Corporation, a retail Company that run fashion stores in UK. As the new HRD, Mark is faced with key issues that need to be resolved to achieve success in the implementation of new changes. While Mark has his plan for implementing changes at NFW Corporation, he lacks the necessary experience to carry out the new mandate. Some of the key issues that Mark has identified include the need to downsize workers to cut costs and improve the quality. In addition, Mark also has issues with the organisational culture that may affect the implementation of new changes (Molineux, 2013). The new role that Mark has been assigned at NFW Corporation requires consultation with the key stakeholders in identifying the key issues prior to implementing his new plans. Essentially, consulting the key stakeholders will provide Mark with an insight regarding the organisational culture of NFW Corporation. In addition, Mark will have an idea regarding the areas that need change immediately and those that can be done gradually. Because Mark lacks experience regarding HRD work, it is important to for him to collaborate with the long serving and experienced employees to understand the dynamics related to human resource development. Consequently, Mark will be in a better position when developing his strategy for change at NFW Corporation. The key issues that Mark has identified require an appropriate approach that can solve the identified problems. In this case, a change management approach such as Kotter’s eight

Day Hall Construction Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Day Hall Construction - Article Example After consulting with FixIt Zone manager, JD Tessier, we have arrived at three viable options for the renovation of Day Hall. Our first option is to implement a renovated bathroom area with individual bathrooms doors, with fully renovated bathroom equipment (toilets, showers, sinks, etc.). Our second option is to create renovated, semi-private bathrooms, which will emphasize on increased privacy through increased dividers between showers and sinks. Our last option, which is also the cheapest, is to replace the existing bathroom parts of Day Hall, for many of the showers and sinks are functional. In evaluating our three options, we performed thorough research by distributing the student survey, consulting with JD Tessier, and communicating with the Residence Director of Day Hall, David Grimes, and Office of Residence Life Director Terra Peckskamp, our client, via email. To supplement our findings, we based our recommendation off of 1) Availability of manpower, 2) Cost of renovation, 3) Adaptability to the new bathroom style, 4) Consistency to the goals of the organization, and 5) Implementation period. In evaluating the criteria, our consulting group came to the conclusion that Option 1 aligns most with our criteria and our client’s values. We recommend that Day Hall proceeds with implementing individual bathroom areas, to enhance student satisfaction and the ease of transition. Constructed in 1958, Day Hall at Syracuse University houses approximately 607 students and 14 resident advisors. Together, there are 16 communal bathrooms shared by the 8 floors of residents in Day Hall, which has affected the cleanliness and the lack of working parts in bathrooms.  

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Building Competencies in Comminity Youth Worker Essay

Building Competencies in Comminity Youth Worker - Essay Example Growing realization among the public at large about the need to delve deep into the lives of our young adults, finding the cause of the growing frustration, led them to believe the lack of sufficient support system in the form of positive relationships and lack of proper opportunities for self enhancement were at the root cause of the present scenario. Moreover, as in the language of Pittman K & Ferber T in Unfinished business: Future Reflections on a Decade of Promoting Youth Development "problem-free is not fully prepared", an effective Program for Youth Development requires opportunities and environment to be given to young adolescents to build and develop their personal and social assets that will prepare them for a healthy and productive adulthood. In spite of the presence of a number of talented youth workers, the agencies working in this field face the obstacle of the unmet need of a stable and well-trained work force that has knowledge and competence of addressing the myriad challenges facing both urban and rural youth. Moreover, their working climate is not tempting enough to attract more and more youth workers in this field. Being comparatively younger, it has yet to attain the status of a recognized and professional field. Lack of funds provided for these programs deter the organizations to make long term recruitments required for the success of these programs. In this background, it is important to know as to which skills are required by a youth worker working in such organizations that help them develop and maintain effective relationships with youth and their families and thus reducing problems in their lives and ensuring an environment congenial to their healthy development. Building caring relationships with children and youth requires active listening and a variety of communication strategies. As public educators and practitioners of youth development, the community youth worker must possess several internal and external competencies and skill in order to deliver an effective program capable of reducing problems in the life of our young adolescents and give them an environment congenial to their thriving. As a strong family support system is the most important requirement for a child to thrive, an ideal community youth worker is expected to bring it into the life of young adolescent by working as a bridge to bring the families together. He can interact with the parents and can make them realize the type of problems an adolescent has to undergo trying to find his identity in the outside world, which are further augmented if he belongs to a migrated community and at the same time can make the adolescent realize what their parents have to undergo with their beliefs in traditions of the community. Thus, on the one hand, he has to be human and sensitive to the needs of diverse people and on the other hand should be conversant with the various stages of the development of a child. Changing demographics of the American society requires its community youth w

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The interrelation between thought and language has been a central and Essay

The interrelation between thought and language has been a central and enduring issue in philosophy and psychology. Of particular interest has been the possibil - Essay Example However, there are studies such as the classical and operant conditioning which somehow proved that even animals has the ability to learn. These studies opened the possibilities that thought exists even without language. Darwin (1920), the person behind the theory of evolution, suggests that human mind and that of animals are different on certain degree and not of kind. This statement implies that animals may also have the capability to think but not in the way and degree that human does. Theories and studies on different animals in search for the cognitive ability of animals provide evidence or somehow support this statement of Darwin. In earlier theories, the famous classical conditioning is one of the evidences of animal cognition. It was proposed by Ivan Pavlov; with the theory about the relationship between stimuli and responses using a dog, Pavlov discovered that animals could learn to display certain responses to stimuli already eliciting those responses (Tiffany, 1999 p.216). The operant conditioning started with different experiments, especially that of B.F. Skinner. Skinner developed the operant conditioning using rats and pigeons. In his rat experiment, he put a rat in the cage called Skinner Box that had a button on a wall which when pressed released a food pellet. When the rat accidentally pressed the button, food pellet came out which caused the rat to pressed the button more. When the button can not anymore give the rat some pellets, the rat stopped pressing the button. Through this theory, it was discovered that animals have the ability to learn through reinforcement or reward. However, even if Skinner used nonhuman animals with his experiment, he was still one of those who favor the total dependence of thought on language along with other behaviorists such as Watson, Ryle, Rosenberg, Wittgenstein and others (Chrucky, 1990). The operant theory is used today in human psychology

Monday, September 23, 2019

Majority Activity 3-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Majority Activity 3-2 - Essay Example Commercials differentiate trucks and action figures for boys between dolls and fairy princesses for girls. The media must work toward gender equality. Male characters still dominate children’s television with few strong female influences. Television cartoons like Sesame Street have added strong female characters like Maria (Human), Rosita (Muppet), and Zoà « (Muppet) to the program. These women display feminist qualities – Maria works, Rosita teaches Spanish to the children with pride in her Mexican heritage, and Zoà « portrays that girls and boys can be best friends without romantic ideas by being best friends with Elmo; however, boys are still the main stars of the show with girls making appearances only on occasion. Dora the Explore is a little girl, without a super thin waist, that helps her friends when they need help. Hurray! Finally, a strong female character; however, this cartoon is outnumbered by the many cartoons with female characters secondary to stronger male counterparts. Jimmy Neutron has Cindy Vortex, a blond girl just as smart a Jimmy but always second best. SpongeBob has Sandy, a strong female sq uirrel from Texas that only appears on the show occasionally as SpongeBob’s rowdy friend. Winnie the Pooh has Kanga, the mother of Roo who is always doing laundry and other chores while the others are having adventures. Television executives must create more programs with strong females as the main character and male characters the co-stars – like Dora the Explorer. Commercials differentiate trucks and action figures for boys between dolls and fairy princesses for girls. In commercials, boys play with trucks and action figures, while girls are picture playing with dolls, castles, kitchens, toy vacuums, and more. Girls notice the medias subtle messages defeating the caregiver that bought trucks as well as dolls for little girls to break down the walls of gender inequality. Eventually, girls start asking for â€Å"girls

Sunday, September 22, 2019

A Clean Well Lighted Place Analysis Essay Example for Free

A Clean Well Lighted Place Analysis Essay A Clean Well Lighted Place by Ernest Hemingway is a cryptic short story about a deaf man in a bar late at night with the waiter getting frustrated with him because he wishes to go home. The dialogue slowly turns to two waiters who inject a symbolic exchange. This entire piece of full of symbology and is in my opinion a story up the the interpretation of each individual reader. â€Å"In the daytime the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference. In this sequence we see the first comparison made between light and darkness, and we see the daytime being described as dusty and the in the night the dew eliminated the dust. This state of moistness or lubrication perhaps represents a state of mental lubrication, free from the dullness of the day. It’s also interesting that a deaf man would be able to tell the difference between the sounds of the day and sounds of the night. In my opinion this means that at night when it’s expected to be desolate the man feels more at home than he does in the daytime when there is expected to be commotion. Last week he tried to commit suicide, one waiter said. Why? He was in despair. What about? Nothing. How do you know it was nothing? He has plenty of money. † This is a humorous dialogue about the condition of money vs happiness. The man is described as being in despair, but yet they know now what he has to be despaired about if he has means to provide him happiness. However they do not see the true ironic sadness of the situation. A old man is sitting alone in a cafe at night downing shots of brandy. It is obvious to the reader that the old man does not have a very pleasant life. They sat together at a table that was close against the wall near the door of the cafe and looked at the terrace where the tables were all empty except where the old man sat in the shadow of the leaves of the tree that moved slightly in the wind. A girl and a soldier went by in the street. The street light shone on the brass number on his collar. The girl wore no head covering and hurried beside him. † This is the second time the â€Å"shadow of the leaves of the tree† is mentioned, this is demonstrative by the author that this is important and essential symbology to understand. Obviously the eaves can produce no real shadow since it’s night, however since it is under an electric light the leaves produce a false shadow from a false light. The legal definition of false light is a â€Å"portrayal that is highly offense to a reasonable person† but not so much so that it’s defamation. This allows the old man sitting there to perhaps portray himself as offensive to the waiter, as we will see in a later exchange, but not so much so that he defames himself. The man is also able to view from the terrace the soldier and the women passing by. This might be the man looking down and reminiscing on memories of old. Another exchange that struck me was between the two waits discussing the events of the attempted suicide of the man. â€Å"Hes drunk now, he said. Hes drunk every night. What did he want to kill himself for? How should I know. How did he do it? He hung himself with a rope. Who cut him down? His niece. Why did they do it? Fear for his soul. How much money has he got? Hes got plenty. This exchange shows the audience the severity of this mans drinking, and drinking almost goes without symbology itself as an expression of relieving anything from stress, to recreation, to wallowing in pity. They again fail to recognize the plight and sorrow this man has, they suffer from a delusion that this mans great wealth brings him joy and happiness, however again we can tell that it doesn’t. The waiters also state that the man’s niece who came and saved him did so out of fear for his soul, not fear for his life, but fear for his soul. To me this is indicative that this man’s life is in such a sorrowful that it’s not worth saving, but his soul is all that remains of him, and the only thing that is worth saving of him. Again we see in the continued dialogue between the two waiters, and we see the more they speak the more they reveal about this man. They also continue to speak about him in a false light, that is being offensive without defamation. â€Å"He stays up because he likes it. Hes lonely. Im not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me. He had a wife once too. A wife would be no good to him now. You cant tell. He might be better with a wife. His niece looks after him. You said she cut him down. I know. I wouldnt want to be that old. An old man is a nasty thing. Not always. This old man is clean. He drinks without spilling. Even now, drunk. Look at him. I dont want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work. The man stays up late because he is lonely, and had a wife, but the other waiter speaks of him in a false light because he says â€Å"A wife would be no good to him now† which would be in my opinion considered offensive. They also speak ill of his age, however the other waiter defends him by saying he is clean and doesn’t spill, even while drunk. Being clean represents the man exercising a lack of vulgarity, and he is civilized and dignified by not spilling, even in a compromised state of being intoxicated. They also continue to be offensive to him by one of the waiters stating â€Å"I don’t want to look at him. I wish he would go home. He has no regard for those who must work† The exchange between the two waiters further reveal the reason and life behind the lonely man in the cafe. â€Å"Why didnt you let him stay and drink? the unhurried waiter asked. They were putting up the shutters. It is not half-past two. I want to go home to bed. What is an hour? More to me than to him. An hour is the same. You talk like an old man yourself. He can buy a bottle and drink at home. Its not the same. No, it is not, agreed the waiter with a wife. He did not wish to be unjust. He was only in a hurry. And you? You have no fear of going home before your usual hour? Are you trying to insult me? No, hombre, only to make a joke. No, the waiter who was in a hurry said, rising from pulling down the metal shutters. I have confidence. I am all confidence. You have youth, confidence, and a job, the older waiter said. You have everything. And what do you lack? Everything but work. You have everything I have. No. I have never had confidence and I am not young. Come on. Stop talking nonsense and lock up. I am of those who like to stay late at the cafe, the older waiter said. With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night. I want to go home and into bed. The hurried waiter speaks that he wishes to leave so he can get some sleep, and they reveal that the extra hour saved by the waiter meant more to the man than it did to the waiter. The two waiter’s eventually get into the topic of having youth and confidence, where one states that he has great confidence and youth and the other says he has never had confidence and is not young. This statement reveals more about the nature of the old man, showing that the old man lacked youth and confidence that he used to have, and drinks to regain what’s left of his dignity and pride, as demonstrated earlier. The older waiter also states that he doesn’t desire to leave earlier, as to provide a sebastion of hope and light for those who need it, like the deaf man. The waiter thinking to himself while sitting at the bar shows us the real reason why the deaf man tries to commit suicide, and the real reason why a clean and well-lighted place is needed in the middle of the night. Turning off the electric light he continued the conversation with himself. It was the light of course but it is necessary that the place be clean and pleasant. You do not want music. Certainly you do not want music. Nor can you stand before a bar with dignity although that is all that is provided for these hours. What did he fear? It was not a fear or dread. It was a nothing that he knew too well. It was all a nothing and a man was a nothing too. It was only that and light was all it needed and a certain cleanness and order. Some lived in it and never felt it but he knew it all was nada y pues nada y nada y pues nada. We see here now that the man wanted to end his life because it was nothing and he was nothing, and that a empty hollowness that he had. He did not despair and was not in grief, but simply felt an emptiness and only a clean well-lit place such as this cafe provided. In closing we find the older waiter conversing with himself â€Å"He disliked bars and bodegas. A clean, well-lighted cafe was a very different thing. Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep. After all, he said to himself, its probably only insomnia. Many must have it. † We find here that this older waiter does to some extent feel the same emptiness as the old man does. He find the daylight as a time to sleep, opposite of normal. He finds the daytime as a lack of activity, and the night as a time for activity. The waiter is in some ways institutionalized and imprisoned to the service of those who feel empty. After all of this we find the significance of all of this imagery and symbolism we see the story of a man whose life has essentially finished it’s course, only that his heart remains beating. We see a man who is often looked down upon because of the extent of his drinking and is seen in a â€Å"false light†. We find a man who does not drink to forget or drink to remember or drink because he is in sorrow or grief, but he drinks because of nothing. He drinks because he feels nothing and experiences nothing. We find that his wife and days of youth and confidence have left him and not he has absolutely nothing. This man and many others like this find cafe’s such as this one that are clean and well-lit to be bastions and beacons of hope to those who have this feeling of nothingness.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Agile methodology

Agile methodology Agile methodology is an approach to project management, typically used in software development. It refers to a group of software development methodologies based on iterative development. Requirements and solutions evolve through cooperation between self-organizing cross-functional teams, without concern for any hierarchy or team member roles. It promotes teamwork, collaboration, and process adaptability throughout the project life-cycle with increased face-to-face communication and reduced amount of written documentation. Agile methods break tasks into small increments with no direct long term planning. Every aspect of development is continually revisited throughout the lifecycle of project by way of iterations (also called sprints). Iterations are short time frames (timeboxes) that normally last 1-4 weeks. This inspect-and-adapt approach significantly reduces both development costs and time to market. Each iteration involves working through a complete software development cycle characterized by planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, unit testing, and acceptance testing. This helps minimize overall risk, and quicker project adaptability. While iteration may not have enough functionality necessary for a market release, aim is to be ready with a release (with minimal bugs) at the end of each iteration. Typically, the team size is small (5-9 people) to enable easier communication and collaboration. Multiple teams may be required for larger developmental efforts which may also require a coordination of priorities across teams. Agile methods emphasize more face-to-face communication than written documents when the team is in the same location. However, when a team works at different locations, daily contact is maintained through videoconferencing, e-mail, etc. The progress made in terms of the work done today, work scheduled for tomorrow and the possible roadblocks are discussed among the team members in brief sessions at the end of the each working day. Besides, agile developmental efforts are supervised by a customer representative to ensure alignment between customer needs and company goals. Software Development was initially based on coding and fixing. That worked well for smaller software, but as the size and complexities of software grew a need for a proper process was felt because the debugging and testing of such software became extremely difficult. This gave birth to the Engineering Methodologies. The methodologies became highly successful since it structured the software development process. One of the most popular models that emerged was the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) that developed information systems in a very methodical manner. Waterfall method is one of the most popular examples of Engineering or the SDLC methodology. A paper published by Winston Royce in 1970 introduced it as an idea. It was derived from the hardware manufacture and construction strategies that were in practice during the 1970s. The relationship of each stage to the others can be roughly described as a waterfall, where the outputs from a specific stage serve as the initial inputs for the following stage. During each stage, additional information is gathered or developed, combined with the inputs, and used to produce the stage deliverables. It is important to note that the additional information is restricted in scope; new ideas that would take the project in directions not anticipated by the initial set of high-level requirements are not incorporated into the project. Rather, ideas for new capabilities or features that are out-of-scope are preserved for later consideration. Agile Methodology: Engineering methodologies required a lot of documentation thereby causing the pace of development to slow down considerably. Agile Methodologies evolved in the 1990s to significantly eliminate this bureaucratic nature of engineering methodology. It was part of developers reaction against heavyweight methods, who desired to drift away from traditional structured, bureaucratic approaches to software development and move towards more flexible development styles. They were called the Agile or Light Weight methods and were defined in 1974 by Edmonds in a research paper. Some of the most popular agile methods that subsequently evolved were Scrum in 1995, Extreme Programming in 1996, Adaptive Software Development, Dynamic Systems Development Method and Feature Driven Development. In 2001, a team of 17 pioneers in agile software development coined the terms Agile Software development and agile methods. An Agile Manifesto was declared that was regarded as a set of canonical rules for agile software development methods and accompanying principles. Similarly, some of these people formed The Agile Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes agile development. Extreme Programming: One of the several popular agile processes which stresses on customer satisfaction is Extreme programming. It improves a software project by focusing on communication, feedback, simplicity, courage and respect. Empowerment of the developers ensures speedier responses to changing customer requirements. Teamwork and collaboration is an integral part of extreme programming that improves the productivity and efficiency of the problem solving approach. Comparing Agile With Waterfall Model; Agile methodology can be compared and contrasted with traditional Waterfall model under the following heads. Conceptual Difference: Sequential Vs Iterative: Waterfall method is a sequential process of software development. Similar to a waterfall, the development team in such a model proceeds to the next stage of development once the first step is entirely accomplished. The waterfall model phases of software development are: requirement specification, conception, analysis, design, coding, testing debugging, installation and finally maintenance. A good amount of time is spent in each stage of development, till all requirements are met. Compared to this set-in-stone approach of waterfall models, the agile models focus on adaptability and agility during development. As an alternative to one rigid development schedule, agile models involve multiple iterative development schedules. Each iteration goes through the entire steps of design, coding and testing. A closely-knit, cross functional and self-organizing team structure exists. Documentation: Substantial Vs Minimal: While emphasis is placed on documentation at every stage of software development in a waterfall model, agile methodology emphasizes increased face-to-face communication and reduced documentation. Suitability: Predictive Vs Adaptive: While waterfall model is suitable for development of stable programs, agile methodology is best suited for web based applications because of its iterative nature that helps in incorporating correcting the different bugs that arise over time. Nature: Process oriented Vs People oriented: Waterfall Methodology is Process-oriented as it focuses on pre-planning of processes in great detail and subsequently coming up with a defined overall process to be used by whosoever uses it. Agile Methodologies on the other hand are People-oriented as they believe process definition is not an independent thing and the development of software relies heavily on the skills of the development team rather than on defined processes. Agile Methodologies use processes only to support the development team in doing their work more effectively and efficiently. Process never takes a lead in agile methodologies. Efficiency: Low Vs High: Efficiency is determined by the quality of software product, the lead development time and the number of bugs. Due to the adaptability of agile methods and the rigid development cycle of waterfall model, agile methods can incorporate changes and release products in lesser time. http://www.extremeprogramming.org/. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/waterfall-model-vs-agile.html.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Barclays PEST Analysis and Strategy

Barclays PEST Analysis and Strategy Jump to: Barclays PEST Analysis Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the USA, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 150,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 42 million customers and clients worldwide (www.barclays.com). Barclays Group strategy overview Barclays ambition is to become one of the handfuls of universal banks leading the global financial services industry. This means offering a full range of retail and wholesale services to customers and clients throughout the world. These services include: retail, business and private banking, credit cards, investment banking, investment management and wealth management. The banks strategy follows a simple premise: anticipate the needs of their customers and clients, then serve them by helping them achieve their goals (www.barclays.com). Introduction of the External Marketing Environment No business operates with out rules and regulations any business is surrounded by laws and liabilities, pressure groups and public bodies, customers and competitors. These are part of the marketing environment that the organisation works within, and since marketing is the interface between the organisation and the outside world, dealing with this environment is a major part of marketers work (Jim Blythe 2008) The external marketing environment analysis is the first stage of auditing process. It creates the information and analysis necessary for an organisation to begin to identify the key issues it will need to address in order to develop successful strategy. As environment of business has never been the so complex as it is today you need a grasp of the big picture, the role of organisation and yourself within it. System theory makes clear that every organisation operates within an industry setting that in turn interacts with a societal environment that is itself influenced by a global marketplace. The global market environment appears very distant to marketers operating on a regional or even national scale, but with the information technologies shrinking distances, these multinational operation are extending into every corner of the market place (Mike Oldroyd 2006, Graeme Drummond, John Ensor, Ruth Ashford 2008). Therefore the marketing environment is The external forces that directly or indirectly influence an organizations acquisition of inputs and generation of outputs, comprising six categories of forces: political, legal, regulatory, societal/green, technological, and economic/competitive (Dibb et al, 2006: 68). Within any society, all businesses face a common political, economic, social and technological environment, although any one element will often impact differently according to the size and situation of the firm (Mike Oldroyd 2006). Whether a market fluctuates rapidly or slowly, environmental forces are always dynamic. Changing in the marketing environment can create uncertainty, threats and opportunities for the marketers. Although the future is not very predictable, marketers can estimate what will happen, although some fail to do so, thus negatively affecting the performance of their businesses. It can be stated with certainty that marketers will continue to modify their market ing strategies in response to the dynamic environment. Furthermore, marketing managers who fail to recognise changes in environmental forces leave their firms unprepared to capitalize on marketing opportunities or to cope with the changes created in the marketing environment (Dibb et al, 2006: 68) Research Methodology Using PEST analysis to understand your environment PEST analysis is designed to provide a focused framework to assist you in establishing your objectives. It will take the result of your marketing audit and place them in a logical format to ensure that you have considered all of the factors that could affect your market (Phil Stone 2001) Barclays PEST Analysis Political Environment In every country there are rules and regulations that all businesses need to follow in order to operate legally. Government at both national and local levels can affect companies not only on a day-day basis through law, policies and authority but also a strategic level by creating opportunities and threats. Specifically, these arise because at competitive level the government can determine industry structure via monopoly and restrictive trade practices legislations further. Legislations will encourage competition so that customers can have more options (Dale Littler and Dominic Wilson 1995). So there is a range of political organisations that have to be considered when looking at the influences in this area of the audit. The structure of a political system defines the centres of political influence. A state with a federal political structure will differ from a unitary political system. In the UK there is a parliament for Scotland and an assembly for Wales. However some of the responsibilities are still the responsibility of Westminster parliament. There is also string of decisions taking place both politically and legally within the framework of European Union. Political groups such Greenpeace can also effect the political agenda. Therefore when considering these area of the environment a much wider view has to be taken than just the domestic national government or legal process (reference). Banks are fighting for survival because the current situation in the world economy the UK government is giving support to banks by intervening. The government has pledged to spend up to  £37bn to buy stakes in three banks Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB and HBOS. The Bank of England has lent further billions of pounds to the wider banking sector (bbc.co.uk). The UK Treasury has announced a financial lifeline, which could ultimately be worth up to  £500bn, to try and stabilise the UK banking sector. Opposition parties broadly backed the plans, which could see the government inject up to  £50bn in capital essentially taxpayers money into leading banks and building societies. As fears of a prolonged global recession rise, the Bank of England, the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank each announced an emergency 0.5% cut in interest rates. But this unprecedented move has had only a limited impact on the turbulent stock markets. Despite recovering slightly, the FTSE 100 was still down 2% in London by mid-afternoon while markets in Germany and France were down by more than 3%. But in the US, the Dow Jones rallied in early trading after the sharp falls of recent days. In another key development, the UK government moved to protect deposit holders in UK offshoots of Icelandic banks, threatening legal action against Iceland to rec over money from one collapsed bank (bbc.co.uk) However Barclays did not seek help from the UK government in the current economic crisis instead they raised cash from Middle Eastern investors (www.telegraph.co.uk). Economic Environment The economy is closely linked with political environment, it consists the current and future state of key economic variables used to describe the wealth, purchasing power, savings and consumption together with the government economic policies deployed to effect those variable. These include the effect of inflation, interest rates and exchange rates and will have impact on the cost, prices, competitiveness and profitability of the business. In terms of strategic marketing tasks, of prime importance as part of the strategic planning process is the identification, monitoring and forecasting of those economic variables to which the companys market effort is most sensitive. So understanding of the key economic indicators provides the necessary information for anticipating developments in the market place. Economic uncertainties impact negatively on business and consumer confidence so the key marketing task is to attempt to realize the relationships between movements in the economy and cha nges in the market place. Social Environment This is perhaps the most difficult for the marketer to identify evaluate and respond to it. It is a complex of demographics it includes changes in population characteristics educational standards, culture, lifestyle attitudes and beliefs. The way we think, we live and behave is the outcome of complex cultural conditioning by family, friends, schools, work and various media. It conditions who decides what we buy, where and when we buy it, and whether we credit or cash for example 45 percent of consumers agreed that they give into temptation and buy things because they like them and not because they need them. This was up from 30 percent 20 years ago. So businesses need to consider the changing demographic trends in their business and the changing social climate in different parts of the world (Dale Littler and Dominic Wilson 1995, Phil Stone 2001 and Mike Oldroyd 2006). Peoples lifestyle are changing because in todays world expectations are higher as people have become more wealthy, they have come to expect more. In twenty first century Britain, few people would consider living with out a telephone, television, refrigerator, car, bank account or credit cards. In 1960s all these products were examples of things owned by only a minority of the population so the marketer will be concerned with all the influences affecting the customers choice (Jim Blythe 2008 and Mike Oldroyd 2006) Barclays Financial Planning has launched two new pensions products to rival stakeholder pensions. According to the bank, customers can choose either a basic investment solution, comparable to a stakeholder product, or to diversify their pension assets, including the option of a select choice fund proposition. Barclays director of investment advice and products David Stuart says the new pensions offer everyday pensions investors something much more flexible than a stakeholder plan but without the more complicated structure or cost implications of a full Sipp. (www.moneymarketing.co.uk) Technological Environment Technology has become one of the most important factors affecting businesses over the last decade. The development of information technology has impacted in the way business is conducted. For example the use of faxes and e-mail and opportunities created by the internet (Phil Stone 2001). For many businesses the use of internet as marketing tool is little understood and certainly not appreciated internet can be very efficient marketing tool creating world-wide opportunities for even smaller one employee businesses style. Barclays must consider the use of latest available technology (Phil Stone 2001) in order to stay competitive with other banks E.G. HSBC because few serious marketers would consider not having a corporate website. Yet only ten years ago such websites were rare, and were often merely presence sites which directed visitors to a telephone number or address (Jim Blythe 2008). New technologies create new markets and opportunities (Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong2004) Conclusion A company will not have strategic marketing planning process with out taking into consideration in to the external marketing environment as this vital in the company ability to operate as business. Because any organisation is surrounded by laws and liabilities, pressures groups and public bodies, customers and competitors. These liabilities are part of the marketing environment that the organisation works within. And since marketing is at the interface between organisation and the outside world, dealing with this environment is a major part of marketers work (stone Phil 2001). Barclays external environment is undertaken in order to discover the opportunities and threats that are evolving and that need to be addressed by the company (Graeme Drummond, John Ensor, Ruth Ashford 2008). External environmental analysis will provide Barclays with a wider perspective on the future marketing objectives of the business. It concentrates on the future of the business. PEST analysis must be forward looking based on existing knowledge. It is in this way that you can establish objectives that will either counter the threats that you will face in the market or exploit the opportunities that you will find. Barclays need to act socially responsible because this can give them competitive advantage through good media feedback and this will reflect on the way customers see the Barclays so reputation is important. A successful marketing plan is all about gaining competitive advantage. It is therefore virtually important you do assess all of your options carefully (Stone Phil 2001) References Stone, Phil. (2001) Develop a winning marketing plan, Oldroyd, Mike 2006 Marketing environment Drummond, G. Ensor, J. Ashford, R. 2008. Strategic Marketing : planning and control. 3rd edition. Amsterdam ; London: Butterworth-Heinemann Blythe, J. 2008 Essentials of Marketing 4th edition. Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. 2004 Principles of Marketing 10th edition. International edition. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7747608.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7658518.stm http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/3539562/RBS-six-month-repossession-delay-pledge-will-have-limited-impact-say-analysts.html http://www.moneymarketing.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=177908d=340h=341f=342 http://www.aboutbarclays.com/content/detail.asp?NewsAreaID=111 http://www.aboutbarclays.com/

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Harry Potter :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling, are fun filled books with werewolves, wizards, and witches. It is a series of seven books total. The books mainly are about Harry and his ongoing conflict with becoming a wizard and dealing with his arch nemesis, Lord Voldemort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These books would be classified as fantasy, but could be classified as also romance, action, adventure, mystery, and sci-fi. It has romance when Harry falls in love with Cho Chang, a girl in Ravenclaw, another house at Hogwarts, Harryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s school. There is action and adventure in every book (Harry fights Voldemort, discovers a werewolf, joins a tournament, etc,). Mystery rises when a mysterious person rights with blood on the wall about murder. It has a lot of sci-fi like dragons, trolls, werewolves, and dementors (soul-sucking demons).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first book, The Sorcererà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Stone, Harry first finds out heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a wizard and finds out his parents were killed by Voldemort. He also firsts goes to Hogwarts, and defeats the spirit of Voldemort.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the second book, The Chamber of Secrets, Harry goes back to Hogwarts for the second time and then a finds a diary, sees weird writing on the wall, and battles Lord Voldemort as a kid (his name was Tom Lorov Riddle).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third book, The Prisoner of Askaban, Harry finds out about Sirius Black, an escaped convict. He then finds out his teacher is a werewolf and Ronà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ rat is actually an animagus, a person who can transform into an animal (Ron is Harryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s best friend and the youngest of 5 brothers).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the forth book, The Goblet of Fire, Harry returns to school and joins the tri-wizard tournament, a contest that only happened 100 years ago. He then gets transported in the middle of the final round to a cemetery where he sees Lord Voldemort get resurrected from the dead and Cedric Digory get murdered by Wormtail, Ronà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rat in human form.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, Harry gets a new teacher, Dolores Umbridge, a teacher who is as sour as a pickle. She then takes over Hogwarts and bans Harry from playing Quiditch, a sport on broomsticks. Then Harry and his friends travel to The Department Of Mysteries, the place where a prophecy about him and lord Voldemort is kept. He then battles Lord Voldemort and his death eaters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last 2 books have not been released yet but the 6th book is to be called The Half Blood Prince.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

In Todays Society :: essays research papers

In today’s society the public branding of the Gap name can be found everywhere. Go to any big city in North America and there will be public branding of the Gap name. Almost any major company will participate in public branding of their name. Gap keeps on public branding their name more and more effectively. Sides of buses, large billboards downtown, benches and subway stations will have the Gap name branded all over them. These are examples of public branding. Public branding is good for marketing . This is clearly illustrated by Gap because one of the main reasons for their successful marketing is their use of public branding. The goal of publicly branding is to get your company’s name known and for it to become popular . If your company becomes known and popular then your advertising program will be successful. Public branding keeps on getting more visible in today’s society. Names of a new brand that convey easily understood product attributes in short snappy wa ys are the best. Gap sales this year were the best in company’s history , largely due to the public branding of their name. It is evident that public branding is a big and important part of Gap’s marketing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The other aspect of branding is personal branding. Personal branding clothes are articles of clothing that you wear that brand the company’s name on the clothes. Personal branding has is a relatively new concept. Up until 30 years ago personal branding was unheard of . The concept of personal branding is very popular among teenagers . Some of the reasons for this are: 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s society it is considered in style to wear personal branding clothes. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You let people know that you bought this article of clothing from that company. If they consider that company to be prestigious then you will want people to know that they bought your article of clothing from that company. This is the case with Gap. Most people consider Gap to be a prestigious store so they will wear personal branding clothes from the Gap. This is evident because the top three selling articles of clothes from Gap are personal branding clothes. Some reasons for this are because personal branding clothes provide free advertising. These types of clothes are in style today. At the Gap this is especially true. It is important to keep on selling these type of clothes because most people (especially teenagers) feel that if a product is marketed well, there is a better chance they will buy it.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Theoretical Application

There is a criminal phenomenon that has been under continuous study by criminologists and has also pre-occupied American society, â€Å"criminal gangs†. When the general public thinks of the term â€Å"gangs†, the thought inevitably evokes feelings and images predominately associated with criminal activity that aids to the dilapidation of their neighborhoods and social settings. The term gangs and the crime associated are often viewed differently by the media and law enforcement personnel and even more distinctively by politicians. There is little debate that understanding what a gang is or is not facilitates the identification of variant types of gangs and subsequently aids in developing policies and tactics for communities to address their gang problems. These problems associated with the criminal phenomenon of gang activity range from petty thefts and graffiti â€Å"tagging† to drug use, distribution and homicide. The ailments to a neighborhood caused and/or associated with gang activity are of a social disorder that is no longer considered a localized issue. Gangs have become broadly interconnected with separate chapters across the United States and even have a presence transnationally. Gangs are a criminological problem because the dilemmas of gang activity have grown beyond large cities and urban environments and found a home also in smaller cities and suburban life. According to an FBI study, criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities and gang members are migrating from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding the gangs’ influence in most regions (2009 National Gang Threat Assessment). The various criminal street gangs in the United States range from small neighborhood-oriented petty units to much larger international and commercial gang oriented establishments. Gangs present a nationwide problem and the related issues are magnified by the continuous recruitment of local youth into gangs which are transnational and internationally based. Many suburban and rural communities are facing an increase in criminal acts attributed to gangs and their immediate influence on the social structure of the neighborhoods they reside in. Los Angeles is one such city that has long been plagued by the presence of criminal gangs. In 1993, gang members were involved as suspects or victims in about one-third of all homicides and historically, between 1980 and 1989, the homicide rate in Los Angeles was more than double the rate for the State of California (Meehan and O’Carroll). Los Angeles has been a focal point for many studies conducted regarding the phenomenon of gang activity. As noted, the gang phenomenon has been a focal study of criminological researchers. Various research theories have been employed in an attempt to identify social origins and the implications of gang activity. There is an abundance of facts that pertain to gang crime and the related byproduct of this type of criminal activity. But what are the explanation(s) as to how and why these facts became measurable and accountable? In other words, what are possible causes and explanations to the creation and survival of gangs and its members respectively? Many different scientific theories could be employed to propose answers about the relationships between observable events in gang phenomena. To provide an explanation to this phenomenon, a review of gang related issues found in Celeste Freman’s â€Å"G-Dog and the Homeboys† is coupled with the contention that such issues are the result of a cultural imbalance between the socially accepted pursuit of wealth and the less desired value of hard work, honesty, and education. Such an explanation is most appropriately found when applying the criminology based Strain Theory. This theory is derived from exploring the social structures in America and the accompanying opportunities available to pursue socially supported norms like the pursuit of wealth or status, often referred to as the American Dream. Ultimately, the result on individuals to acquire wealth or status creates undue stress propelling some to seek results through non-institutionalized means. This is a practice and a sub-culture that is readily accepted within gang phenomenon. The Strain Theory, originally presented by Robert K. Merton, has been used in various studies to support the premise that the American Dream concept and the pressure to achieve some resemblance of it serves as a causation of crime. It is not uncommon to see reporting of individuals resulting to unconventional means like crime to obtain what they cannot through conventional means. The Strain Theory makes an effort to justify factors found in low-income and industrial neighborhoods. It presents these factors as barriers to opportunity and directly attributes them to crime and the formation of gangs. The Strain Theory is part of the Positivist School of Criminology thought and supposes actions are observable and not socially created. Strain Theory consists of elements from social disorganization and an individual lack of norms, termed â€Å"anomie†. The social disorganization and anomie theories are derived from different research platforms but all have common arguments. The proposed thought is that the less there exists of solidarity, cohesion, or integration within a group, community or society, the higher will be crime, the rate of crime, and deviance (Akers and Sellers). What drives someone to commit such unconventional acts in pursuit of wealth or status? Merton’s position concerning an individual pursuing non-institutional means is derived from a person’s â€Å"attitude† toward the pursuit of cultural goals such as wealth and status. Merton presented manners that an individual may resort to from undergoing strain caused by the limited access to resources needed to obtain these institutional goals. The way an individual responds or the adaptive manners is dependent on their acceptance or rejection toward social goals, the American Dream and status, and the opportunity available to attain them. Not having available resources and opportunity will directly attribute to gang association and membership recruitment. A study of Strain Theory regarding attributing factors of gang membership identified the stigma of poverty status to have a positive effect on gang membership and may even aid to the perception of blocked opportunities (Vowell and May). A neighborhood that is ripe with social problems, low income housing, and little opportunity offers a higher potential for juvenile delinquency and assimilation of like minds such as gangs. Evidence to this is noted in the study of Strain Theory which found evidence that living in a neighborhood where social problems and physical deterioration were perceived to be a problem and was positively related to delinquency. Additionally, this study noted that general strain leads to delinquent involvement by weakening the conventional social bond and strengthening the unconventional bond with delinquent peers (Paternoster and Mazerolle). This presents the likelihood of individuals finding similar non-institutional means to obtain social goals from gang membership. Gangs do offer knowledge of non-institutional means and in many cases offer the peer support to an individual pursing what they desire, often it is a derivative of the American Dream. The Strain Theory provides a plausible reason why most crime is fixated in certain areas of urban cities, supported by the assertion that social culture and structure must be weighed as equal parts. The theory by Merton emphasizes that society places more importance on the success of an individual achieving wealth or status than on the socially accepted means by which this success is obtained. All classes of American society have been inundated through the media, politics, education, and marketing that success is the most important social value. Yet, the opportunities to attain this success are limited in the lower-class of society and thus provide a breeding ground for gang creation and advancement. When these opportunities are pursued, they are expected to be sought out in truthful and socially accepted ways. Unfortunately for our society, more emphasis is placed on obtaining the American Dream and the success of wealth than the manner in which it is accomplished. There is a dominant belief in the American Dream or social status and this belief is one that encompasses all classes of society. However, equal opportunity, the socially recognized need to attain the American Dream or status is unfortunately distorted among the lower-class of society. There is an outcry from these citizens who consider resources available to capture their goals as distorted when compared to other classes creating a springboard of stress. Even though all citizens of our society believe and measure their success by obtaining some portion of the wealth and status, some are not provided the standard resources to meet the expectations demanded to acquire it. Building on the strain theory, Albert K. Cohen pursued a position where male deviant behavior was in response to â€Å"blocked opportunities† and was an assimilating attribute of the lower-class subculture produced from social structure strain (Vowell, & May). The deviance provoked behavior was due to the inability to gain social prominence. This is similar to Merton’s variation of Strain. However, Merton centered on material wealth rather than a position in society or status. Middle-class citizens are accepted and supported in work and education environments because of they typically are able to meet social expectations required of them for status or of wealth. Unlike the middle-class, the lower-class populous finds it difficult to meet socially accepted standards due to the limited access to available resources and result to deviant behavior. This is often materialized by the formation and acceptance into the social subculture of gangs where the rejected find common ideology and share in access to unconventional means such as crime. It is in this subculture of gangs that the unconventional measure to achieve a certain status or respect is found. The Strain Theory proposed that the deviant assimilation is carried out by identifying the opportunities that are also legal means, not just the illegal ones. In essence, the premise is made that an individual is not driven to conduct criminal behavior solely by the singular desire to acquire wealth or status but also there is a learned behavior of criminal means and acts derived from the social environment they are reside in and ultimately exposed to. This can be expounded on within a gang environment producing criminal acts of different sorts to foster the pursuit of status and wealth. As mentioned, the issues of gang activity in Los Angeles present an overwhelming constraint on positive social development brought on by criminal activity. The criminal acts carried out by the likes of gang members within the Los Angeles neighborhoods highlighted in G-Dog and the Home Boys are a result of the absent non-supportive family structure needed. Employment opportunities, when provided by Father Greg (G-Dog), are ridden with social hurdles. To even pursue the opportunity, they must first escape beyond the concrete island their gang resides on and â€Å"trespass† into those areas marked as enemy territory. Such enormous impediments can seem overwhelming and result in an individual retreating into the fold of his fellow â€Å"homies†, dismissing the potential of an opportunity. This hurdle is secondary to the perceived reprisal waiting in the wings of the Los Angeles Police Department and the subsequent sentiment fellow gang members have of abandonment. The various gangs, primarily Clarence Street Locos, viewed by Fremont over the shoulder of Father Greg all were comprised of members who were predominately juvenile, from a broken or deteriorating family structure, out of or were recoiling from school and education, jobless and possessed little belief in the prospect of a future without the support of their fellow gang members. Whether the East L. A. Dukes, Capones, The Mob Crew, East Coast Crips or another Latino or African American gang, the predominant make-up of its membership were part of an unskilled and poor community searching for a sense of belonging and a way for survival. Members like Dreamer, Turtle, Ghost, Droopy, Ghost, Oso, Silent, etc. , all battled a daily routine of gang life in and out of the projects. Members of the community of gang ridden neighborhoods of Pico Gardens and Aliso Village had little to offer its inhabitants. These predominately Latino immigrant ommunities possessed little in way of educational or employment opportunities. There were little options for jobs and instead the community youth found themselves marketing the gang arenas for membership. Most of the Clarence Street gang members became role models for their siblings and continuously offered â€Å"veterano† advice for participating in gang life. This type of life was all that seemed to be obtainable, due in n o small part to the lack of opportunities. This then became the only way they knew to get what they wanted in life. The lack of opportunity is magnified without a solid role model and father figure in their home. This was a constant variable throughout the insights collected by Freeman provided by individual gang members. When there was a father figure present, it was one that showed little compassion or even interest into their life. The lifestyle as a gang member was the opportunity that was available to them and is what filled the void of family and acceptance. Their daily struggle is evident in the simple but deadly decisions they had to make; visible in determining a roundabout path to a party or through an enemy’s territory. The homicides that occur, the decisions to â€Å"hit back†, the dishonorable choices made when confronted by another gang, the fear of police, the need to find employment, the hopelessness of education, the constrained choices to sleep in cars or homeless shelters, etc. , all are attributing factors of stress that result from a lack of opportunity when pursuing a life of normalcy. â€Å"Gangs come into existence and flourish because the needs of the young people in a neighborhood or culture or family are not being met. The gang, in essence, fills the void† (Gardner). The American Dream and the need for status present the same â€Å"needs† often sought after by unconventional means through gang activity. No doubt Father Greg’s commitment witnessed by his numerous attempts to help over and over again through mental and economic support created opportunities otherwise unavailable. Not to mention his eventual creation of Homeboy Industries and the overwhelming economic advantage it offered in reducing negative employment and neighborhood induced stress. Gang Phenomenon is a socially adaptive instrument that offers the mechanism to fill the needs, such as the wealth and status, of the deprived juveniles. The gang and its members discussed in G-Dog and the Home Boys sought nontraditional means that were socially unacceptable but filled the emptiness caused by the lack of opportunities in the lower-class communities they resided in. As long as there is apparent or perceived blocked opportunities and unequal resources in the lower-class, gangs and their related criminal activity will be a continuing issue for America. BIBLIOGRAPHY Akers, Robert, & C. S Sellers. (2009). â€Å"Criminological Theories, Introduction, Evaluation and Application†. New York: Oxford University Press. Fremon, Celeste. (2004) G-Dog and the Homeboys: Father Greg Boyle and the Gangs of East Los Angeles. University of New Mexico Press. Gardner, Sandra. (1992). Street Gangs in America. Franklin Watts, New York, NY. Meehan, Patrick and Patrick O’Carroll. (1992). â€Å"Gangs, Drugs, and Homicide in Los Angeles. † American Journal of Diseases of Children 146. Paternoster, Raymond and Paul Mazerolle. (1994). General Strain Theory and Delinquency: â€Å"A Replication and Extension†. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Volume 31. The National Gang Intelligence Center. (2009). Product No. 2009-M0335-001. â€Å"National Gang Threat Assessment. † Vowell, Paul and David May. (2000). Another Look at Classic Strain Theory: â€Å"Poverty Status, Perceived Blocked Opportunity, and Gang Membership as Predictors of Adolescent Violent Behavior†. Sociological Inquiry. Volume 70.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Leiningen Versus the Ants Essay

In any story, characters are made from an author, but they actually living in the story. They have their own particular traits that human has. People can be describe as many type of people by the traits they has, and just like the characters in the story can be describe as a type of person. In story â€Å"Leiningen versus the Ants† by Carl Stephenson was an example of shown that Leiningen a characters could be describe as a intelligent, respectable leader and a brave person. This story was basically about the battle between the human and the ants which can eat any thing up. It shows the human versus the nature too, Leiningen as the human, and the ants as the nature. Any way, one trait Leiningen has was intelligent. In the story the quote â€Å"Even here in this Brazilian wilderness, his brain had triumphed over every difficulty and danger it had so far encountered. †(p#1) shows Leiningen was smart because this quote had simplify he use his brain to limit to come of a plan and use it helping people. Also the quote â€Å"When I began this model farm and plantation three years ago, I took into account all that could conceivably happen to it† (p#1) exactly saying he is intelligent, because he made a model farm that mean he already have a plan three years ago, it hard for anyone to come of a plan so he is smart. Also he use only his mind to imagine out any thing could happen, he think of any possibility and add it to the plan. Another trait Leiningen been describe is respectable leader. In the story the quote â€Å"But so great was the Indian’s trust in Leiningen, in Leiningen’s words, and in Leiningen’s wisdom, that they received his curt tidings, and his orders for the imminent struggle, with the calmness in which they were given†(p#1) demonstrates because of Leiningen’s hard work on the plantation and receiving the challenge of ants. He has successfully amassed the support of the most resulting in his role as a leader for his people the Indians. People listen to him, they trust him, so in the quote they were calm. Also another quote show he was a respectable leader is â€Å"Such, indeed, was his aura of confidence that the Indians forgot their stupefied fear of the peril only a yard or two away. † (p#4) because Leiningen change the fear of his people, made them forgot the fear of the peril very near. If someone do that it only the one who lead the group. The Indians follow Leiningen even the feeling, this prove they trust in Leiningen, and start to being into one unity group with Leiningen as the head, the Indians as the other parts. The last trait describe Leiningen was that he was brave, in the story the quote â€Å"You’re insane! They’re not creatures you can fight—they’re an elemental—an ‘act of God! ’ Ten miles long, two miles wide—ants, nothing but ants! And every single one of them a fiend from hell; before you can spit three times they’ll eat a full-grown buffalo to the bones. †(p#1) phrase that scariness and dangerous of the ants, and how many of them. Also tell that Leiningen not afraid of them, still plan a plantation to stop them, he is brave. I beg any one heard of that much of ants be scared but not Leiningen, his brave get his way, he is brave enough to fight god. Another quote is â€Å"The moment I’m over the ditch, set fire to the petrol. That’ll allow time for the flood to do the trick. Then all you have to do is wait here all snug and quiet till I’m back. Yes, I’m coming back, trust me† (p#10) say that Leiningen has decided a very hard choice to scarify himself to flood away the terrify ants. But he stilled did even though it might lose his life, but he is brave enough to do it. In conclusion, story â€Å"Leiningen versus the Ants† by Carl Stephenson shows an example of characters in a story actually living in their, by their own personality, in a story character is a living person. Just like Leiningen, in the story he been described as a intelligent person, a respectable leader, and a brave person supported by his actions and thoughts. With all these traits he also could be view as a heroic person, because all he did is not a normal person can do. We should follow his footsteps to becoming a better person, to protect your love.