Ontela Picdeck Essay

Ontela PicDeck creative approach to have cellular customers have the ability to automatically have pictures and videos directly sent to their computer. This reduces time needed and simplifying the strenuous act of doing it manually. The U. S mobile phone service industry earned 150 billion dollars in 2007 and growing. This technology has potential of playing a role in that with critiquing the marketing strategy they have approached the market with. It is essential for a better marketing strategy for Ontela to show customers so they can better understand the benefits and how to efficiently utilize it. The qualitative research segments best defined the customer expectations. Sarah, the parent, loved the fact the pictures â€Å"just appear â€Å"on the computer automatically. Steve, the young professional, looked to not always have to lug around the digital camera. Instead have a phone that can take care of both jobs. Regina, the teen, expectation exceeded both Steve and Sarah, but still within the abilities of PicDeck. Regina wanted to manage her pictures from her phone and monitor the pictures for her social networking sites. Herzberg’s 2-factor theory can be used in this instance. Using this theory to understand and distinguishing what motivates the purchase while staying â€Å"relevant†. In other words you must keep up with the recent trends like the social networking wave. These three segments all produce various expectations but all acknowledged the expectations of a simplified and quicker method to transferring pictures. These segments age groups and lifestyles greatly vary so the solution to market them must be more specified to that target group. The improvement of creating a more knowledgeable customer base will require a critiqued advertising campaign. In the case of Regina, advertising within the social networking programs like Facebook and MySpace. This advertising will catch the attention of these teen and inform them of the product. Specifically push the simplicity, timeliness, and how the pictures are still stored even when your cellular device is lost. For the younger generation and phones being a huge commodity, phones are constantly being stolen and lost. If interpreted right, then the teen will approach their parents to have their plan changed to include PicDeck. Then the parent will be informed and furthering the utterfly effect of a strict advertising scheme to the teenage target customers. This is how Sarah would be notified. Social is a major influence in customer behavior through family, friends, and reference groups. All play as contributors to trusting a buy of a product. Continuously for people who aren’t very tech savvy like Sarah and Steve; they do though always have an email and usually check it frequentl y. So a mass email to the entire customer base informing them of the new product. Steve would be influenced more by the occupation. Besides using this program for personal use, Steve would use this for his real estate job. To be successful in a job market like Steve’s you must influence your work with newer technology so you may keep up with competitors. â€Å"With PicDeck, work assignments are accomplished more efficiently and simply†, statements like this boost the products equity and what customers like Steve would want to hear. For a product to blossom you must target the younger generation first. With constant technology improvements it’s hard for the older generation to keep up. The younger generation is constantly working with the new technologies so you inform the younger generation and it will spread to older generations. Ontela has created an inferior product and now need to raise awareness of the tech advances this product has influenced. The magazine Telephony stated PicDeck to be â€Å"helping the bridge the gap between phone and PC†. Continuous advertising is needed in magazines for the working class people to involve this program into their workplace. For instance putting an ad in the magazine SkyMall. The magazine you see on every flight you’re on. This can target a business class customer base because the individuals who travel most are individuals travelling on business. And this is the only reading material on the plane.

Tragedy in Tom Brennan

Question: It is impossible to avoid conflict in life, but this tragedy was preventable. Do you agree? Do you believe that tragedies only happen to others? In the novel ‘The story of Tom Brennan’, by JC Burke, she highlights in the most severe way that tragedies do occur. My opinion to the matter at hand is that tragedies do happen. There will always be unavoidable conflict andI agree with the first statement in the paragraph. If you think about the events that took place in the novel, you will understand that the story line is not a happy one. As described by JC Burke, the novel outlines grief in many instances, sadness in the way of Nicole and Luke’s families. Although these emotions are outlined there is still bright and happy emotions involved. It is impossible to avoid conflict; it is just a matter of the amount of tragedy you receive. The amount of conflict you receive can also reflect on a person’s personality, how they respond and handle otherwise terrible issues. If you can stay strong through the tough times in life, you can overcome the obstacles that are thrown at you. There are many stages a person goes through during times of tragedy; it varies between people, religions and races. Some of the stages are depression, being so sad you can’t find any way out. Anger is another, showing you miss the person/s so much rage takes over your life. These are just some of the stages one goes through during tragedy. Obviously the accident in the novel is a tragedy, however there was definitely negligence involved in the events that took place on the night of the accident. Daniel was intoxicated and the passengers knew that so I question the judgment of them, never the less the responsibility lies with the driver and in this case it is Daniel. His actions leading to the death of his friends Nicole and Luke were unacceptable, also his actions lead to the impairment of his cousin Fyn. His cousin Fyn was one of his great friends, they did everything together, played for the same rugby team, training alongside each other and just generally having a great time. Now though Fyn is not capable of doing the things he ones was able to do. He will no longer share his passion for rugby he once had, although he would give anything to play there is nothing he can do.

Porter s Five Forces

Porters Five Forces Porters five forces is a tool for developing corporate strategies to become or remain competitive in an industry. The porter's five forces diagram are shown like: Five forces that determinant competitive powers in a business situation are: Supplier Power: Which is how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. Buyer Power: Which is how easy it is for buyers to drive prices down. Competitive Rivalry: The number and capability of competitors. Threat of substitution: This is affected by how easy customer could find another thing to replace.Threat of New Entry: The ability of people to enter market. Porter's Five Forces Analysis for Apple 1. Supplier Power: As Apple has to pay a lot of attention to develop new technology, scale production of a specific component has decreased. This may result in a negotiation with foundry and affect the overall prices. However, the technique require for foundry is relatively low, so there is a lot of supplier to choose from. Therefo re, the power of supplier is low. 2. Buyer Power: Apple focus on young and high-income groups, due to its successful brand, it aka apple represent as a fashion.Also, as most of the product are based on a unified architecture and style, when a user purchases a product of Apple, they already know the other product. So the customer will be less hesitant and have a high loyalty to the brand. Therefore the power of the buyer is low. 3. Competitive Rivalry: Computer Hardware: Dell, Leno, Acre and other PC manufacturers Computer Software: Microsoft, Google Phone: Monika, Samsung, Motorola, ETC and other smart machines Handheld entertainment devices: Sony Walkway, etc. Tablet: Sony, Leno, Samsung, etc.

Career as a Competent Pharmacist Personal Statement

Career as a Competent Pharmacist - Personal Statement Example I realized that I had to pick up this new language if I wanted to survive in America. I tried my best to make a conscious effort in this direction. Eventually, I shook off my low self-esteem and started to feel comfortable among people. I managed reasonably well through my middle school, though the ordeal was a tough one. High school was much harder, as I had a lot to catch up on. I could see that I was way behind my peers because I did not go to elementary or sixth grade. I had missed a lot of basics while my peers were here for a long time and had followed the educational system here. No matter how hard I tried, I always fell behind them. All these led me to a specific state of mind during my sophomore year. I fell into a depression and started to bunk classes. I felt there was no meaning in continuing education. I felt regular attendance was not going to make any difference to me. However, I could not drop out of school because of one reason – I did not want to disappoint my parents. I had immense respect towards my parents because I knew that they had been working hard to have a respectable life and to make sure that their children did better than them in the future. I was fully aware that if I dropped out of school, that would jeopardize all their efforts to help me succeed in life. At this juncture, something crucial took place. We received a letter from the school authority making it clear that if I went of bunking classes and got bad grades repeatedly, I will be dismissed from the school. This letter turned out to be an eye-opener for me. I took the issue seriously and started to build my morale. I did discard the destructive path that I have started to pursue. I promised myself that I will not let the authorities dismiss me from school just because of my lack of effort. I was determined to work towards the goal of securing good grades at school.

High Cost Xerox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

High Cost Xerox - Essay Example According to Slatter, there are six major sources of cost disadvantage which can lead to a firm having to charge higher prices than its competitors.Let us analyze and apply the six factors illustrated by Slatter, to the Xerox corporation to get a better picture of the negative consequences of high over head costs: Due to staggering assets and international ventures that this long standing company had accumulated over the past few decades, Xerox's cash position had become tenuous. Its liquidity had deteriorated to the point where capital markets froze Xerox out. Cash is king in an economy in recession. like in 2000,and Xerox was crippled with assets without cash flow. High overhead costs piled up due management's obsession with expensive quality control measures during a fairly weak financial position. A perfect quality index while being admirable ,costs a lot of money. The trade-offs associated with 100% quality proved to be too large ,leading Xerox to increase its pricing scheme ,thus creating a negative competitive position. Some international and even local markets were not willing to pay the price for quality especially when Japanese low cost ,high quality products began invading the market. Xerox's biggest weakness proved to be its financial situation, and specifically the heavy debt and the low profitability. The organization was too large leading to huge over head costs.Unlike its competitors who were concentrating on more advanced and diversified technology, Xerox employees were living in the past inspite of Xerox's attempts at diversification.They still were focused on being a copier company rather than a profitable documentation company or a modern information technology company. This resulted in loss of direction .Like all giant companies, it was difficult for talented innovators and entrepreneurs to survive, and instead the mediocrity had taken over and threatened the company from the inside. The once thriving copier division was still too influential and vetoed other innovative projects .(Johan Olsson,january 1996). This made Xerox have weak credibility on the IT-business side lending it a less sophisticated image than its competition. 2. Absolute cost disadvantages which result from competitors controlling strategic variable not available to the firm itself: Let us take the example of the Japanese company Canon,which proved to be Xerox's biggest and cleverest opponent. As a late entrant in the copier market, Canon was forced to concentrate on niches where Xerox was weak. One of these was the low end, which Canon attacked with a series of progressively smaller machines, culminating, in 1982, with the launch of the personal copier. Copiers were notorious for breaking down, a propensity Xerox exploited by charging for service calls. Canon realized that to be successful, a personal copier would not only have to be cheap, it would also have to be virtually service free. Canon's revolutionary solution was to include all the key components - drum, charger,

Saguaro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Saguaro - Essay Example They may even be familiar with a more detailed view that would include the fluted way in which this column rises from the ground, the thick, waxy texture of its skin or the sharp, fingernail-like points of its spines. What they may not realize is the extreme nature of the world in which this particular plant lives and how uniquely suited it is for just this type of world. The saguaro has many unique characteristics that make it a perfect icon for survival in the harsh landscape of the Arizona desert. Getting as large as two feet in diameter and 30 feet tall, it is perhaps surprising to a media-educated audience to discover that the saguaro only grows on desert slopes and flats in primarily Arizona and that it actually seems to prefer a rocky environment. According to DesertUSA (â€Å"Saguaro Cactus†, 1996), the cactus â€Å"is supported by a tap root that is only a pad about 3 feet long, as well as numerous stout roots no deeper than a foot, emanating radially from its base. More smaller roots run radially to a distance equal to the height of the saguaro. These roots wrap about rocks providing adequate anchorage from winds across the rocky bajadas.† These shallow roots enable the cactus to absorb scant rainwater from a larger area before it has had a chance to evaporate or sink beyond reach – â€Å"a mature plant may soak up as much as 200 gallons of water during a storm† (Epple, 1995). The fluted nature of the columns is also developed to help collec t more water as these sections expand to allow the plant to absorb water during the wet season and shrink like an accordion to reduce moisture loss and provide some cooling in dry times. The cactus also grows very slowly, living for as long as 200 years. This, coupled with the supporting structure of the plant itself provides biologists with a chance to study climate change. This also allows the plant to flower each year. The flowers are about three inches wide and have creamy white petals that surround a

Near Eastern and Egyptian Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Near Eastern and Egyptian Art - Essay Example Since God chose Moses, the Israelites complain and requests to Moses in order to get blessing and favor from God. The interactions in the passage reflect on the common faithful, priests and deities in a positive and negative manner. God trust and is confiding to Moses, but the common faithful people are not completely trusted by God as their attitude can change according to comfort and discomfort. The priests are people who praise and worship God to get favor. But God feel more obliged to innocent believer .when it is the question of deity Amun Re, it is regarded as the king of Gods and other gods are believed to be his manifestation. So the priests who worship Amun Re had secondary authority when compared to Moses. The formation of deity and rituals is only needed to fulfill the commands given to Moses in order to save the people of Israel. Here the construction of Amun re temple is made to maintain connection with the sun’s rays and position thorough the day. Here, the king Hammurabi also has a significant role to play as he was a person who employed justice and rights in ruling his people. He was also an ardent believer of god like Moses .However; Hammurabi believed and had faith in Shamash the sun god who is believed to be ultimate God by Egyptian civilization. Hammurabi, if like Moses had strong faith and belief in God he can get commandments and orders from Shaman for the prosperity and empowerment of his country. Moreover,The height of the stele refers to the high positioned throne of God, and shape of the stele denotes the universal structure of sky and space. Here the stele represents Hammurabi as a worshipper and devotee of Shaman, and his conversation with god over justice issue. The passages of Hebrew bible show that the people in Israel feared God but love towards him was not up to the mark of Moses. The Israelites where more inclined to religious rituals and ceremonies for

Non native(introduced),exotic species and their impacts to the Essay

Non native(introduced),exotic species and their impacts to the ebvironment - Essay Example For example, U.S. Executive Order 13112 defines invasive species as â€Å"an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health† (Clinton, 1999). Non-native species either can be introduced unintentionally and accidentally or can be transported by humans intentionally and purposely. It is estimated that more than 50,000 non-native species have been introduced into the United States. Many of these introduced species are beneficial, such as â€Å"corn, wheat, rice, and other food crops, and cattle, poultry, and other livestock† which â€Å"provide more than 98% of the U.S. food system at a value of approximately $800 billion per year† (Pimentel, Zuniga, & Morrison, 2005). Some introduced species also are used for â€Å"landscape restoration, biological pest control, sport, pets, and food processing† (Pimentel et al, 2005). However, there are many invasive species with harmful economic, ecologica l or human health impacts. One study estimated â€Å"approximately $97 billion in damages from 79 exotic species during the period from 1906 to1991† (Pimentel et al, 2005). ... ?survives from one growing season to another by forming perennating buds (surviving from season to season) and enduring a period of dormancy during the winter† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Mature giant hogweed can reach a height of 3 to 5 m with hollow stems approximately 5 to 10 cm in diameter and compound leaves as big as 1.5 m (Nice, Johnson, & Bauman, 2004). Giant hogweed has aggressive, invasive and toxic nature and so, it is on the Federal Noxious Weed List (Nice et al, 2004). Originally, giant hogweed belongs to the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Because of its beauty and huge size, in 19th century giant hogweed was introduced to Great Britain as an ornamental curiosity in the 19th century. Later, the plant was imported to the United States â€Å"as a showpiece in arboreta and Victorian gardens (one of the plant’s first North American plantings of giant hogweed was in gardens near Highland Park in the City of Rochester, New York)† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Ever since, giant hogweed has spread in many areas, including Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orleans, Oswego, Putnam, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates Counties in New York; Connecticut; the District of Columbia; Illinois; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Ohio; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Washington; Wisconsin; and Ontario and Vancouver Island in Canada (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Giant hogweed has ecological and human health impacts. Colonies of this plant easily become dense â€Å"owing to the plant’s prolific seed production and rapid growth rate† (â€Å"NYIS.INFO†). Due to its deep taproots and huge leaves, giant hogweed hinders the growth of native plants by denying them light and

The History of drag racing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The History of drag racing - Essay Example I find the title of the documentary movie very descriptive. Slingshot was an ancient weapon used mainly for accelerating an object towards its target. Therefore, the title stick out as the movie tries to unravel how this sporting event started many years ago. Even before opening the movie, the title thus gave me the idea of what I was to expect as far as its content is concerned. I like the idea of how the young men decided to go to the dry riverbeds and desert environment to compete amongst themselves. There were no rules and regulation in the 1930s regulating such dangerous activities. So I find moving away from the general public in Southern California was a great idea for the young men who were not afraid of speed and injuries. I was amused by their choice of the dry lakes of Mojave Desert as their field since it is a pretty dusty environment. After all, I think the sport was a dirty game of trying to outscore each other taken too far. I however find it interesting to discover that even during the domestication of the horse long time ago; young men would challenge each other on matters of speed. I believe any event however entertaining; lack of organisation is a recipe for its failure in the long-run. I was a little bit taken aback that the rowdy youth saw the need for organising their risky activity despite having the most outrageous desire that can cross any mind of a sane person. Two locations that really stands out that helped in the advancement of drag racing is Goleta, north of Santa Barbara and Santa Ana Airport, which came into use in 1949 and 1950 respectively. I like the way their idea of using Goleta as a venue of streamlining drag racing. However, the thought of using an airport to conduct their businesses is a clear indication that the young men were ready to move their love for speed a notch higher establishing codified rules and

Product Analysis about Fast Food Restaurant Essay

Product Analysis about Fast Food Restaurant - Essay Example With a varied range of fast food items and ready to eat deserts, the company has been operating well in the international market. The company, in order to meet the changing demands, has been updating their marketing strategies as per the need of the changing time. Moreover, the company has also been serving a varied range of delicacies to capture markets of the fast food restaurants. The company has also opened a large number of franchises to serve people better in the larger number (Dominos IP Holder LLC, 2008). Herewith, the paper focuses to complete a detailed analysis of the fast food restaurant. By analyzing the different market recommendations of the fast food restaurant, a detailed picture of their market strategy is framed. The paper also describes the current fast food services the company is trading on from a critical point of view, highlighting its positives and negatives as well. Initially, Domino’s was involved in serving only Pizzas since its inception. Gradually, with the changing demand and taste preferences, the company became diversified in its food services with the inclusion of a variety of flavored pizzas and a varied range of deserts into their product line. In comparison to other food items, its Handmade Pizza has been a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to the company, attracting high demand from the targeted consumers. The company has also been selling a wide range of products like the Parmesan Bread Bites, Stuffed Cheesy breads and Chocolate Lava Crunch to attract a diversified customer group. The company is recognized to be the bestsellers of a varied range of products, which has set a benchmark in the industry by ensuring timely delivery with quality. To increase the convenience of home delivery, Domino’s has been taking initiatives in opening a virtual store. These virtual stores were designed in order to enhance the customerâ⠂¬â„¢s convenience in placing orders. Additionally, in order to

An Effective Counsellor Essay Example for Free

An Effective Counsellor Essay Counsellors should continually assess their own feelings and needs to maintain an appropriate relationship with the client. There are issues that a counsellor should be aware of when doing a self-assessment; The counsellor should be aware of when they feel uncomfortable with a client or a topic being discussed. The counsellor must choose to either be honest with the discomfort of a situation or topic, or they may refer the client to another counsellor. The counsellor should be aware of their own avoidance strategies. The counsellor must be able to recognize when they avoid certain topics, or allow distractions and then find an effective way to facilitate help appropriately. The counsellor should be able to recognize when they are trying to control a situation. It is important that the counsellor engage in responsive listening so that theyre not controlling the communication process. The counsellor must remind themselves continuously that any issue being discussed has many perspectives and that theirs may be different, from that of the clients. It is important not to express whether the clients view is right or wrong. The counsellor must avoid being omnipotent. It is not the counsellors job to make the client better. It is the counsellors job to help facilitate the client in addressing and resolving the issues. It is also important that the counsellor identifies and responds to positive feelings, and that they dont just focus on negative ones. This provides balance for the client and allows them to amplify positive strengths in their lives. Lastly, the counsellor must keep in mind to never ask a question, or discuss a 1 topic that you would not be able to discuss in a similar situation. These issues should always be addressed when a Counsellor is engaging in a self-assessment. By completing a self-assessment I was able to address my values, skills, attributes and my interests. I identified that while I am not a judgemental person, I do hold values that if not addressed prior to a situation could cause myself to become close-minded and that would ultimately put a barrier up in my ability to help the client. I also was able to identify how I can use my skills and attributes to counsel my clients in a positive manner. I have identified that I try to find a positive in all situations but I dont ever be-little the seriousness of the topic at hand. With a self-assessment I am able to recognize when and how to communicate appropriately with a client. The individuals I support will be able to discuss issues with me and feel comfortable knowing that I dont judge or assume things about them. Both my verbal and non-verbal skills will make this evident to the client. As a registered Developmental Service Worker I could be taking on a role as a counsellor where self-assessment is crucial as it is important to be able to identify when or if I am not dealing with a situation or topic appropriately. I will use the skill of self-assessment in any other role whether that be taking on a position as a Personal Support Worker or working in a group home. It is important that I am able to identify my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to helping a client and that I am able to do so in a way that is prudent. It is also important to continually perform a self-assessment as situations change or evolve. A counsellor who understands how they communicate and who has self-awareness is likely to be more effective in helping the client, then those who are not aware of these issues. Counsellors who are able to identify aspects such as if a topic being discussed makes them feel uncomfortable, if the topic goes against their own values or beliefs, if it is causing different emotions in themselves and why that may be, if they are projecting these feelings and whether or not they are really listening to the 2 client. Continual self-awareness is crucial to the development of the counsellor and their ability to help the client.

Long Way Gone Study Guide Essay Example for Free

Long Way Gone Study Guide Essay 1.What does Ishmael say the war is about? Ishmael says nothing about the causes of the war, or what each side was fighting for, or of the overall political and social conditions in Sierra Leone that caused the war. This was a deliberate strategy on the part of Beah, the author. He wanted to present the war through the eyes of a child. As a boy of twelve, when the war first affected him, he had no interest in politics. He had no reason to be interested—his main interest, understandably for a boy of his age, was in singing and dancing to rap music and hanging out with his friends. When the war comes to him, it is for him a battle for personal survival, not a political cause. He is also fueled by feelings of revenge—instilled into him by his army officers—against the rebels because they killed his family. Once again, these are personal feelings not political beliefs. For the reader, then, transported to a land he or she knows nothing about (for the American reader, that is), the war seems not only almost unimaginably brutal but also meaningless. It consists of one side mindlessly killing the other, and vice versa, in skirmishes in small villages. Ishmael does report Lieutenant Jabati’s speeches to his men, in which he says they are defending their country (â€Å"We kill them [the rebels] for the good and betterment of this country† [p. 123]), but such appeals to patriotism are not what inspire Ishmael. Ishmael’s ignorance of politics is again stressed when he is in Freetown during his rehabilitation and sees a convoy of cars and military vans. He is told that the new president, Tejan Kabbah, who had won an election eight months earlier is passing by. â€Å"I had never heard of this man,† Ishmael writes pointedly. This confirms the tenor of the book as a whole: Ishmael is a boy caught up in a war he knows nothing about for a cause he does not care about. 2.Why was the war fought and what course did it take? During the 1980s Sierra Leone was a one-party state governed by the All-People’s Congress (APC) party. However, this period was marked by extensive government corruption and abuse of power. Although Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources it became one of the poorest countries in the world because of mismanagement. The civil war in neighboring Liberia helped to create conditions for war in Sierra Leone because a Liberian war leader reportedly sponsored the rebel group called the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) as a way of destabilizing Sierra Leone, which at the time was a base for a United Nations peacekeeping force. The war broke out in 1991 in villages in eastern Sierra Leone that were near the Liberian border. The aim of the RUF was to seize and control the diamond sector, and in 1991 it took control of the diamond mines in the Kono district. (It is the mining area around Ishmael’s home town of Mogbwemo that the rebels seize in 1993.) In 1992 a military coup took place that established the National Provisional Ruling Council, replacing the civilian government. However, the new military government was powerless to prevent the RUF from controlling much of the country. It was the years immediately after this, from 1993 to January 1996, that Ishmael was a soldier. The war continued after Ishmael was rescued from it, as he himself found out when he went to stay with his uncle in Freetown after his rehabilitation. There had been an election in April 1996, and a civilian government had taken power, but in May 1997 there was another military coup, and the new military government known as the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) invited the RUF to participate in it. The following year, when Beah was safely in the United States, the military government was ousted and the civilian government restored. But this did not stop the violence as the AFRC and its RUF allies fought to regain power. Fighting returned to Freetown in 1999, before a peace accord was signed in July 1999. But this did not last, and the war dragged on, finally ending in January 2002, with the civilian government in charge. According to the CIA’s World Factbook, the civil war resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than two million people—about one-third of the population of Sierra Leone. 3.What is the situation in Sierra Leone today? According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Sierra Leone is gradually returning to a fully democratic government following the ravages of the civil war. There was a general election in 2007 that led to one civilian government being peacefully replaced by another. The nation has also tried to come to terms with the recent past. In 2002 the government set up a Special Court to try those responsible for war crimes during the civil war. It also set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Special Court indicted many of those held responsible for the atrocities. Some died before they could be tried, but in June 2007, the Special Court found three men guilty of war crimes, including not only murder, terrorism, and enslavement but also the act of conscripting or enlisting children under fifteen into the armed forces. As refugees from the war are slowly returning from neighboring countries, the Sierra Leone government is trying to create jobs and end political corruption. Revenues from diamond mining have increased significantly since the end of the war. Diamonds account for about half of Sierra Leone’s exports. However, Sierra Leone, with a population estimated in 2009 as 5,132,138, remains an extremely poor country with wide disparities in how wealth is distributed. According to the World Factbook, â€Å"The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad.† 4.How widespread is the use of child soldiers? It would be comforting to think that the forced conscription of children into the armed forces during the war in Sierra Leone was an aberration, not something that can happen again in the modern world. However, that is not the case. Even in the twenty-first century, the use of child soldiers is common in armed conflicts around the world. According to Human Rights watch, an international nongovernmental organization, as of 2007, there were an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 children fighting in various wars. According to a Global Report published in 2008 by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, at the end of 2007 children were used as soldiers in seventeen armed conflicts around the globe. The coalition noted that this was down from twenty-seven conflicts in 2004, but the downturn was more because the conflicts had ended than because child soldiers were no longer being recruited. The Global Report identified the following countries where children were recruited for paramilitaries, militias, civilian defense forces or armed groups linked to or supported by governments: Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Iran, Ivory Coast, Libya, Myanmar, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda. The most flagrant offender, according to the Global Report, is Myanmar, where the government uses thousands of children in its battle against rebel groups. In Uganda, tens of thousands of children have been forced into joining armies over a period of nearly twenty-five years. In some of these countries, including Uganda, girls as well as boys have been forced to become soldiers. There have in recent years been concerted international efforts to end the use of child soldiers. Sierra Leone, which has tried and convicted men responsible for recruiting child soldiers, has become a leader in this issue. The use of child soldiers has now been prohibited by international law. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict has been ratified by 120 states. The UN Security Council has adopted resolutions calling for the establishment of a monitoring mechanism on children and armed conflict. However, these and other prohibitions are no guarantee that when new conflicts break out, child soldiers will not be recruited. 5.Is Beah’s story factually accurate? A Long Way Gone achieved popular and critical success, but questions have been raised by some regarding the factual accuracy of a number of events Beah recounts in the book. Beah writes that his village was attacked in January 1993 and after that he became a refugee from the war. Critics claim that there are school records showing that Beah was in school later than this date, and that the village was attacked in 1995, not 1993. This would mean that Beah would actually have been recruited at the age of fifteen, not thirteen as he writes in the book. This would have meant that he was only a child soldier for a few months, rather than over two years. Some critics point to the structure of the book to confirm this. They point out that most of the book deals with Beah’s wanderings as a refugee and the months he spent in rehabilitation. Only two chapters (13 and 14) cover his actual experiences as a soldier (although he does present more incidents from his military service at various points in flashbacks). Questions have also been raised about the account Beah gives of the fight between the former boy soldiers at the rehabilitation home, in which several boys were killed. There are no independent reports of such a fight ever taking place. Some believe that Beah used others’ experiences as his own and that he embellished his tale. They point to his interest in creative writing at Oberlin College and the fact that his adoptive mother was a storyteller. The suggestion is that Beah was encouraged by those around him to tell a more vivid story. Others have more charitably suggested that Beah simply got his dates mixed up, and his memory may have been unreliable because on his own admission he was high on drugs most of the time he was in military service. Beah has vehemently denied that he invented anything, however. In an article published in Publishers Weekly in 2008, Beah wrote, â€Å"Sad to say, my story is all true.†

Whether Ethical Leaders Are Born Or Made Philosophy Essay

Whether Ethical Leaders Are Born Or Made Philosophy Essay In this essay we will extend to the debate which is going on for years that Ethical leaders are born or made, starting initially with the understand of what is an ethical leader who is an ethical leader and the good and bad traits of leader and how leader can be ethical and understanding the concepts attributes of good ethical leader like Mr. Nayaran Murty, Chairman Ex-CEO, Infosys Technologies Ltd. And will learn more about him in terms of of his character, values moral behaviour. While in the last part of essay we will try to figure out what are the important Ethical issues faced by todays Business Leader through the frame work of Stakeholder, Owners. What is an ethical leader? Someone who is able to stimulate people willingness to practice well-being encourages good ethical behaviour. They are also open to questions, discussion, and criticism. A good leader is someone who cares about the followers in general. Any theory of ethical leadership must be based on two new premises. First, ethical leadership is a system of thought based on setting rules for what to do, not on what not to do. Second, leadership must evolve to include ethical behaviour not because ethical behaviour is simply a natural good in and of itself, but mainly as part of the core of what leadership is for pragmatic reasons. The world does not exist for only one moment. It exists as a continuum of time and any definition of leadership must recognize that leadership is not an event that occurs in one second, but is a process that takes time. While an act of leadership may appear episodic, for true leadership to occur it must be built on a series of actions that produces a very useful range of results. The definition of leadership that incorporates this time dimension, The definition is: Leadership is the creation and fulfillment of worthwhile opportunities by honourable means(Herb Rubenstein, 2003) The debate of Ethical Leader Born versus Made has been going on for years, and it will still go on, to add to this debate a person might be blessed with extraordinary talents like he might be the best orator or the best writer or the best in his field still he may not emerge out to be as ethical leader. People may possess almost all the traits of a leader, but if they lack the all important human touch than they will fail to attract people towards themselves. Ethical leadership is about having great relationship with others; a follower is ever desirous of seeking personal association of his beloved leader. If a leader does not display the personal bonding then its just a matter of time that the followers will abandon him. A person is not compelled to follow somebody; instead he chooses to follow somebody. But why does he choose to follow an individual? What did he see in that particular individual that he decided to be dictated by his terms and conditions? He submissively accepts an individual as the architecture of his destiny because he sees a personal touch in that individuals gesture along with being ethical, he sees someone who is showing great concern for his personal well-being and he sees that this individual is ever desirous of his success and is willing to provide him the necessary direction which can lead him to succeed. So, he decides to accept his authority and he becomes his follower. An ethical leader has to be credible and trustworthy. His words and actions should match; he should become a living example to his followers. Whatever expectations a leader has from his followers he should clearly state it. People want an Ethical leader to be honest; a follower has willingly surrendered himself to the leader so he wants that the person whom he is following should be honest in his words and in his actions. An Ethical leader should be a great communicator of ideas and visions; his words should establish a bond with the follower. An ethical leader should create a positive environment wherein the people can be self-motivated; a leader should always be inspiring. He should display great amount of competence and commitment towards his work. He should lead by example and display tremendous determination; his never to die attitude will inspire his followers. A leader should also display great competence and capability. People follow someone if they believe that the person has got the requisite capability of achieving what he tends to achieve. Some people have a natural ability which makes them take initiatives in leadership and being ethical as well. The will to make decisions is also one trait which is inherent in some people and proves to be an essential quality of a leader. While some qualities needed for good leadership may be natural to some people it is important to note that all skills needed for an ethical leadership are not present in any individual. He has to learn some skill on his own by making deliberate efforts. Since all the properties needed for good leadership are not inborn in any individual everyone has learn the ropes of this business. That is why it is stressed that leaders are made and are not born.   The debate of Ethical Leader Born versus Made has been going on for centuries. As said earlier ethical leadership can be taught learned. There are some skills have to be learned for a good ethical leader. In some people these qualities are inborn but some people have to learn these skills. What are the means to learn these skills? One way is you can watch a leader and learn from him. Like Mr. Narayana Murty, Chairman CEO, INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES (LTD) One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 by Ernst and Young Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity ethics are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the Age of 60.   Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A. With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the Best Employers in India 2002 survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business Worlds survey of Indias Most Respected Company. conducted in the same year. Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asias 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of Indias most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years 2004 and 2005. Strategy is all about differentiating yourself in the marketplace to maximise your margins. Differentiation could come through products and services. But your stakeholders must feel you are more and more valuable to them, compared to competitors. Stakeholders would mean society, customers, employees, government, investors; each must say this company is adding more value to me than any other. Ethics and values can be defined as anything that stands the test of golden behaviour. That is the rule, that one must do unto others what you would like to be done unto you. Nayaran Murty define ethics and values in a more elaborate manner. Ethics and values form the protocol for conduct and behaviour in a community for each of its members. So that enhances the confidence, the enthusiasm, the energy, the joy of everyone else in the community. If I conduct myself as per that protocol of behaviour, it enhances the confidence, the enthusiasm, the energy and joy of everyone else in the company. As I said earlier, if you want to become unique in the marketplace, then you want all to work hard. If you want 67,500 employees in Infosys to agree voluntarily to commit to hard work, then they have to trust the leader. A leader has to have followers to be a leader. That is why I stood by my controversial decision on CEOs salaries being linked to companys earnings. If you want to enhance the trust of employees in the leader, then the leadership of the company has to conduct itself in a manner that enhances trust. Also, the CEO or the leader must definitely reap benefits proportionate to the benefits derived by the company. Never before in the history of business community in the world did we have a situation where trust of man and woman in the street is lowest in business leaders. According to a US survey, corporate leaders are least trusted, as many of them violated codes of ethics and even laws. On the Indian side, if you have analysed how salaries of CEOs have increased in 15 years, they have gone up from Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 to Rs 7 million on an average. I am one of those who fought for this. When on board of a company, I saw to it that the CEO had a variable linked to output. Indeed, salaries of the lowest paid persons have not correspondingly gone up. I wont get into a debate whether this is right or wrong. But after getting the government to agree to limit on salaries, it is incumbent on our part to live up to expectations and conduct ourselves in a manner that enhances trust of all stakeholders, particularly the government and the society. The fact that we opened borders in 1991 and welcomed MNCs to operate, has had a tremendous positive impact on value delivered to consumers. But if we have to continue to satisfy our customers we have to conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy for the simple reason that customers today have a plethora of choices. A Ethical leader is an agent of change, and progress is about change. In the words of  Robert F Kennedy, `Progress is a nice word; but change is its motivator. Leadership is about raising the aspirations of followers and enthusing people with a desire to reach for the stars. For instance, Nayaran Murty wanted to take Indian Software Industry to the world level. And he was successful in his vision because he has the attributes of a very good ethical leader. A leader with  vision  has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But its not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Nayaran Murty, chairman and CEO of Infosys Tech Ltd., said, Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion. Nayaran Murty was able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He communicates clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious. A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer analysis paralysis but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same. Integrity  is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. Narayana Murty have the trust of followers and therefore displays integrity. Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. Nayaran Murty is centered in integrity and is more approachable by followers. Dedication  means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. Nayaran Murthy inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, he shows followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great. Magnanimity  means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of Narayan Murthy. Leaders with  humility  recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble Nayaran Murthy is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Nayaran Murthy is a role model for all Indian businessmen aspiring young people, and he pursued a follower-centric leadership role. Openness  means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Nayaran Murty able to suspend judgment while listening to others ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision. Creativity  is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives Nayaran Murthy the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. Fairness  means dealing with others consistently and justly. Nayaran Murty checks all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication. Assertiveness  is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. Nayaran Murty is assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader. A  sense of humor  is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to  defusehostility. Nayaran Murty knows how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie. The most important issue  in  Business  Ethics Conflict of  Interest Business ethics can be examined from various perspectives, including the perspective of the employee, the commercial enterprise, and society as a whole. Very often, situations arise in which there is conflict between one or more of the parties, such that serving the interest of one party is a detriment to the other(s). For example, a particular outcome might be good for the employee, whereas, it would be bad for the company, society, or vice versa. Philosophers and others disagree about the purpose of a business ethic in society. For example, some suggest that the principal purpose of a business is to maximize returns to its owners, or in the case of a publicly-traded concern, its shareholders. Thus, under this view, only those activities that increase profitability and shareholder value should be encouraged, because any others function as a tax on profits. Some believe that the only companies that are likely to survive in a competitive marketplace are those that place profit maximization above everything else. However, some point out that self-interest would still require a business to obey the law and adhere to basic moral rules, because the consequences of failing to do so could be very costly in fines, loss of licensure, or company reputation. Some take the position that organizations are not capable of moral agency. Under this, ethical behaviour is required of individual human beings, but not of the business or corporation. Other theorists contend that a business has moral duties that extend well beyond serving the interests of its owners or stockholders, and that these duties consist of more than simply obeying the law. They believe a business has moral responsibilities to so-called stakeholders, people who have an interest in the conduct of the business, which might include employees, customers, vendors, the local community, or even society as a whole. Stakeholders can also be broken down into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are people that are affected directly such as stockholders, where secondary stakeholders are people who are not affected directly such as the government. They would say that stakeholders have certain rights with regard to how the business operates, and some would suggest tha t this includes even rights of governance. Ethical issues can arise when companies must comply with multiple and sometimes conflicting legal or cultural standards, as in the case of multinational companies that operate in countries with varying practices. The question arises, for example, ought a company to obey the laws of its home country, or should it follow the less stringent laws of the developing country in which it does business? To illustrate, United States law forbids companies from paying bribes either domestically or overseas; however, in other parts of the world, bribery is a customary, accepted way of doing business. Similar problems can occur with regard to child labour, employee safety, work hours, wages, discrimination, and environmental protection laws.

The Optimists Daughter: A Look at Death and Dying Essays -- Optimist

The Optimist's Daughter: A Look at Death and Dying  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Fay struck out with her hands, hitting at Major Bullock and Mr. Pitts and Sis, fighting with her mother, too, for a moment. She showed her claws at Laurel, and broke from the preachers last-minute arms and threw herself forward across the coffin on to the pillow, driving her lips without aim against the face under hers. She was dragged back into the library, screaming, by Miss Tennyson Bullock, out of sight behind the blanket of greenery. Judge McKelva's smoking chair lay behind them, overturned" (86). This is a short excerpt from The Optimist's Daughter (1972) by the Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, Eudora Welty. The story is centered around Laurel McKelva Hand, a young woman who left her home in the South to live in Chicago. While in Chicago she meets Philip Hand, and they are married. Philip, however, goes to war and never returns. Laurel is now venturing to New Orleans to be with her dying father. After his death Laurel and her obnoxious stepmother, Fay, travel back to Laurel's home town of Mount Salus, Mississippi. Once in Mount Salus, Laurel is greeted with many friends and acquaintances. The whole town has already prepared for Laurel and the remains of her father. The day of the funeral the whole town stops to pay their respects; the school ,the bank, the post office, and the court house all close. The funeral is perfect, but Laurel struggles with letting her father go. Laurel's "bridesmaids" also struggle; the "bridesmaids" are Laurel's closest friends and range from young to elderly women. After the funeral is over Fay returns with her family to Texas for a few days while Laurel finishes saying goodbye to her old house. Fay is very bitter t... ...eels about her. Fay, on the other hand, would be lost without her Texan accent. The Optimist's Daughter opens the mind of the reader to let him see the many reactions of friends and relatives to death and dying. As Fay strikes out during the funeral it is easy to recognize that culture also plays into people's reactions. When Fay kisses her husband goodbye, while he was in the coffin, it is because that is what her mother would have done. It can be very hard to deal with the death of a loved one, but sometimes it is even harder to deal with how others are reacting. The novel explains that, "Memory lived not in initial possession but in the freed hands, pardoned and freed, and in the heart that can empty but fill again, in the patterns of restored dreams"(179). Works Cited: Welty, Eudora. The Optimist's Daughter. The Vintage Book 1990 Edition. New York.

Sin in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Sin in The Scarlet Letter Since the dawn of time people have read, studied and enjoyed books in which the hero or heroes fall from grace. No matter who those heroes are- the human race in The Bible,the demon prince Lestat in Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles"or a certain Thane of Cawdor in "Macbeth"- sin plays a greatpart in all of their downfalls and subsequent ressurections.And the three main characters in Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"-Dimmesdale, Chillingsworth, and Hester Prynne- are no different. All three characters are flung from the normal rolesthat society has laid upon them- minister, housewife, doctor-into new roles- sinner, whore, and vengance crazed sadist.These new roles are not necessarily apparent to all in town.However, even though the townspeople do not know of thesinners, God does. And in God's eyes, whose sin was greater?That, I cannot answer. But in this mere mortal's opinion, the sin of Chillingsworth far outdid the sin of Dimmesdale or Hester Prynne, for Chillingsworth's sin was one of revengeand one of secrecy. He was not driven by an anger at his ownsin, but by the sin of others. He used deception andmanipulation to make the life of another miserable. He wasnot flung from society's view as if he were a dirty secretlike Hester was; he was embraced by it. However, his sin didtake it's toll. He was disfigured horribly and became atwisted man, scarred by sin. He also was robbed of thepleasure of destroying Dimmesdale which was his reason forliving. He died shortly after Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne, however, was the complete opposite of Chillingworth in that her sin gave her life, not destroyed it. She took her punishment and embraced it, using it to rebuild herself not as a pathetic sinner, but as a pseudo-saint. At first, the town shunned her as a sinner. However,after they saw that she was good, and her sin was of love,the same town embraced and loved her. Her sin drew her moredeeply into the society of Boston than she ever was before.And when her time to die came, she did so with honor. HesterPrynne - sinner and saint. However, Hester's sin was shared. Whereas she was asinner on the outside and a saint on the inside, ArthurDimmesdale is the reverse, both literally and figuratively.

Letter To The Editor About the Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

To the Editor: Working conditions today are usually good and pretty safe, right? That’s what we know, is that all factories are safe, that all of the laws are followed, and that everything is great. Look at what you are wearing today, maybe a jacket mad in the U.S., a t-shirt made in Malaysia, jeans made in Mexico, and socks made in China. To stay competitive, large companies contract out to manufacturers all over the world to buy at the lowest possible costs. This often ends in horrible working conditions for factory workers who make our clothing, both in other countries, and right here in the United States. I thought that the working conditions were perfectly fine here in the U.S. until my eyes were opened by the articles that I read on the internet and in books. In the beginning of the Industrial Revolution had a considerable effect on the working conditions of workers. A large labor surplus led to very low wages, and intense competition lowered the profit boundaries of industrialists. Industries such as the cotton trade were especially hard for workers to endure long hours of labor. The workplace was very hot, and the steam engines contributed further to the heat. Workers were exposed to the moving parts of the machines while they worked. Children often had to move in between these dangerous machines while they worked because they were small enough to fit between the tightly packed machinery. This led to the kids being put in a great deal of danger, and the death rates were very high. Added to the dangers of the work was the length. It was common for workers to work 12 hours or more a day. Exhaustion made the worker sluggish, which made the workplace even more dangerous. In 1819, the Factory Act was passed to limit the hours worked by children to a maximum of 12 hours a day. Then in 1833 another Factory Act was passed that banned children under 9 from working in the textiles industry and 10-13 year olds limited to a 48-hour week. In 1844 yet another was passed that set a maximum of 12 hours work per day for women. Then in 1847, that decreased to 10 hours work per day for women and children. The Factory Act of 1850 increased the hours worked by women and children to 10 Â ½ hours a day, but they were not allowed to work before 6 am or after 6 pm.

Mice and Men Essay

Hopes and dreams help people to survive even if they never become real. How far is this true for the characters in Of Mice and Men? Support your ideas with details from writing. Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck here two itinerant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small share the same American dream. The story is set in California, at the beginning of the 20th century, during the despotic Great depression where dreams and hopes were the only purposes of living. Desires and aspirations are significant in Of Mice and Men. In a world where it is impossible to have a friend, to talk or to listen to somebody, the hope of a dream coming true is the only thing that can keep George, Lennie and Candy going on, surviving in that hostile environment. George Milton fantasizes about having â€Å"a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens†, helping him to withstand in his precarious situation. The crux of dream for George is not the absence of work, or the easy living, or even having money, it is simply grounded in having for the first time of his life a place to belong. This dream is a driving force for George, a powerful motivation which persuades him that all of these hard working days are not worthless. In fact, George â€Å"said thoughtfully, Look, if me an’ Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen’ nothing, we’ll have a hundred bucks†. This shows how George is ready to work hard in order to obtain this sum of money. Moreover, the word â€Å"thoughtfully† imparts that George is deeply thinking of working hard, thus portrayed as extremely motivated. The dream is perceived as reward, an indemnity for all the troubles he has already endured in his life. However, George doesn’t believe entirely in the dream. The protagonist knows that there is a very few chances for the dream to come true. Thus, it is not the dream but the hope of the dream which stimulates Lennie’s companion. Moreover, George uses this dream to keep Lennie in check. For instance, George promises Lennie to ‘tend the rabbits all right. ‘Specially if he remembers as good as that†. Here, George manipulates cleverly the dream in order to captivate Lennie’s attention and to have him remember not to â€Å"say a word† in front of the boss. The dream turns from a motivating force into a reward for Lennie’s effort. Lennie Small yearns for ‘livin’ off the fatta the lan, an’ have rabbits†. From his point of view, this dream is not a simple dream, it’s a hope. A hope in which he could â€Å"tend the rabbits† and all his other favourite animals. Despite the fact that George’s and Lennie’s dream is identical, their perceptions are diverging. Lennie’s approach is much more childish, more fantastical and unrealistic. Besides, Lennie is extremely fond of his dream and believes extremely in it. Lennie is not feeling as â€Å"if† but â€Å"when† The absence of conditional in Lennie’s speech reveals that he really believes in this dream. Furthermore, Lennie knows by heart and can recite, word by word his most precious wish. This shows that Lennie has propably heard the same thing over and over again. In deed, as the protagonist is mentally challenged, the fact that he can remember this dream demonstrates how devoted he is to this wish. Moreover, when talking about that specific desire, Lennie is constantly interrupting George in his speech. At this moment, Lennie’s attitude and behaviour portrays a trancelike character, escaping successfully in his ideal world. Furthermore, after a savage and wild fight with Curley, Lennie’s first question to George is: â€Å"I can still tend the rabbits, George? †. Thus, Lennie appears to be obsessed with his dream, even after a ferocious assault. This shows how Lennie is attached to his main goal. In addition, Lennie’s attachment is also revealed when the protagonist is ready to â€Å"break their God damn necks and smash ‘em with a stick†. This serious threat demonstrates Lennie’s determination to achieve his desire and also how virulent he can be. Anything that’s in the dream’s way will endure Lennie’s barbarity, maybe the death sentence. Moreover, Lennie is only intimidating imaginary cats. This points out that Lennie is extremely resolved to attain his wish, even ready to surpass a fictitious obstacle. This extract is therefore used to foreshadow Curley’s wife tragic fate. In deed, Candy’s wife is perceived since her first apparition as an obstruction to the dream. George orders Lennie to â€Å"keep away from her†. Therefore, if Curley’s wife is susceptible to make the dream impossible to come true, Lennie can easily kill her, and Curley’s wife will turn out to be murdered by Lennie. Despite Lennie’s undisputable faith, his dream turns out to be an unattainable escape. However, the protagonist manages to flee his miserable life thanks to his dream. Candy’s dream is to join George’s and Lennie’s plan, in order to flee his loneliness. Candy’s financial contribution increases the probability for the dream to come true. As a consequence, George, Lennie and Candy â€Å"fell into silence. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they had never believed in was coming true†. This quote suggests that this precise moment represents the crux of the protagonists’ dreams. The word amazed implies a serious fascination where the three men realize at the same time the possibility for their dream to come true. Moreover, ‘they sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about†. The quotation shows how engrossed and enthralled the three men are. Furthermore, the adjective bemused suggests how motionless and quite are the three man, astonished and perplexed about the possibility for the dream to come true. However, one could see that Candy’s participation spoils the dream of the farm by making it a genuine possibility rather than an on going and eternal wish. We are suddenly asked weather the dream isn’t better off as a dream, something they can believe and visualize that’s bigger and better than any other reality. In conclusion, hopes and dreams help George, Lennie and Candy to survive even if they never become real. The farm is a dream for George, a hope for Lennie and even a plan for Candy that help them survive in their miserable lives.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall Indonesia’s advertising Industry which is one of the youngest in the region, is almost at its adolescence trying to come to terms with all the rapid changes that it faces as it comes of age to find its own well defined personality and identity. A philosopher rightly said about life â€Å"We see life not as it is but as we are†. This seems so true in advertising too. Advertising should draw upon people's emotions in order to strike an emotional relationship with their audiences. It is said that advertising is suppose to reflect society. This means that advertising should be representative of the society's cultures and values in which it occurs. Advertising should also be representative of genuine situations within its society. And for the audiences who wish to see their own reflection, the advertising that depends on drawing from international campaigns has no role to play. Trend however in most similar advertising markets is that it takes a while before a country comes out of the shadows of western advertising and put its own stamp of style on the world advertising map. Japan, Singapore and Thailand have done it in the past from Asia. India is one of the latest countries that have started developing their unique advertising style. Is finding a country’s unique tone in advertising just another way to stroke creative egos in an industry full of Ego maniacs? Not really. The biggest advantage of this phenomenon is that it pushes up the overall creative quality since the advertising starts working at a different level for the audience. It also improves the acceptance of path breaking creative work by the marketers because they start believing in creativity looking at the success of some bold creative work. The creative becomes more bold instigating tougher competition in the industry as a result of which the bar goes higher for creative standard and everyone benefits. The changes in Indonesian advertising, as the readers can see in the displayed samples where the ads have a distinct Indonesian tone, have started showing in Public Service campaigns and some specific product ategories leading to creation of some most memorable and impactful campaigns. This, as I see is the onset of a new era in Indonesian advertising. An era when a consumer peeps into the mirror of Indonesian advertising and utters the magic words ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ he sees nothing but reflection of his own self. Abhay Kapoor The writer is the Group Managing Director With one of the biggest Indonesian communication Group s, DM Pratama Group.

Shale Gas

Shale gas is natural gas formed from being trapped within shale formations. Shale gas has become an increasingly important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade, and interest has spread to potential gas shale's in the rest of the world. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U. S. natural gas production; due to rising oil prices gas prices have also been affected by the rise therefore there was big demand for gas in the US which in 2010 it was over 20% and the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035 46% of the United States' natural gas supply will come from shale gas. I would like to mention that Chesapeake energy is the leading US company in producing Shale gas with a market cap of 13. 6 Billion US $ (which I think it’s a good choice of adding it to your investment portfolio). Starting as early as 2017 the USA will start to export LNG to other world markets.Recently a company called Freeport LNG Development LP, which opened a facility on the Gulf Coast to import liquefied natural gas four years ago, signed a 20-year contract with two large Japanese power companies (Osaka Gas Co. ; Chubu Electric Power) to export natural gas from it instead. Freeport LNG is in advanced talks with Royal Dutch Shell PLC for a similar export deal that would allow the energy giant to ship out natural gas to foreign end customers. The emergence of vast new supplies of natural gas from dense shale rocks has upended expectations that the U.S. would become a major importer of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from overseas. Now, many industry officials believe the U. S. could emerge as a major exporter, a development that could have a significant impact on the U. S. trade deficit. Drilling Shale Gas wells is not an easy task thanks to introducing new technologies like the Horizontal drilling technology which is used to drill the shale gas wells, with lateral lengths up to (5,000 m) within the shale, to create maximum boreh ole surface area in contact with the shale.

Ilford cricket team data analysis project Essay

The problem I am investigating is the process in which information from a cricket match is analysed in view of the scores recorded from a match. The problem is that the cricket team captain and coach have a very hard task to change tactics during a match, and after a match. Things such as runs per over, runs needed for victory etc are all needed during a match for tactics, and after a match to see what went wrong. They must do many manual calculations to work out such things and this can cause many errors, as human error is inevitable. Also they cannot draw graphs of data to analyse the data easily, because this requires skill and time. This problem can lead to many problems such as inaccurate analysis, and therefore error in judgement over tactics. This can inevitably have an overall effect on the game as losing and winning a game can rely on this. This can all be solved with the use of computers. Feasibility Study Realistic appraisal of the feasibility of potential solutions. The feasibility stage of my project involves five main sections; these sections include the Technical, Economic, Legal, Operational, and Scheduler sections. These will have to be considered before the analysis to see if this project will be a feasible for the cricket team. I must consider the current software and hardware the cricket team already has available to him. Technical Feasibility Technical feasibility means investigating whether the technology exists to allow for a computer system such as the one I have proposed. Clearly the technology is available and so this means that this project is technically feasible. This project will require on the shelf software, so this is easily available and economic compared to bespoke software. Also the actual hardware requirements are not very demanding and could be already available to the team. This is all extremely important because this is such a big step for the team. Economic Feasibility Economic Feasibility is to view the costs and benefits of the potential system, both running costs and initial costs and then see if the benefits are greater than the costs, which if it is, means that the project is economically feasible. As the team is losing a lot of time through having to record scores manually, and is often making mistakes, it will mean that the new system will make it more efficient and worthwhile. Which will mean data is analysed quicker and so the coach and the captain can quickly change tactics and hopefully keep better tactics and win games. I have already mentioned this project is fairly economic in its initial costs, as the hardware and software are very cheap. Legal Feasibility. Legal feasibility means that your system should comply with the data protection act and the security rights of any data used in your project. The system should overall comply with the rules of the data protection act. In order to do this the system should be password protected so only authorised personnel can access the system. So if the system is created in this way, then the system will be legally feasible. Operational Feasibility Operational feasibility considers the social factors, which will affect the everyday working of the people using the system. This will not be too much of a change for the cricket team because they have manually been doing the job, so it will mean that they can fairly easily operate the new system. This system is operationally feasible because the team is already trained on using the current system and so knows how the cricket game is scored. The only problem might be the level if computer literacy that the cricket team has, but because of the simplicity of the system, the team will be able to operate the system with very little training. Therefore very soon the team will be able to operate the systems efficiently and so this means that the system is operationally feasible. However a user manual will be needed, in order to provide the basic instructions on how to use the system. Schedule Feasibility Schedule feasibility looks at the time span needed to introduce the new system and whether after its introduction there will be enough time to learn how to use it and use it efficiently. The answer to this is very obvious. Due to the fact, that it will take very little time to set-up this system as the software and hardware is available immediately and the training needed to use the system is very small, so the system will be ready to use very quickly after it has been made. And so means that this project will be feasible, in terms of schedule. The team will be hoping that the system can be built as soon as possible as the team is presently losing a lot of valuable time and would like to become more efficient as soon as possible. Investigation and Analysis. I started my investigation by firstly posing a questionnaire to the Ilford Cricket Team captain, Inam Arif. Questionnaire Question 1 I Are there any problems with the current system? YES/NO II If yes. Outline the problems below. Analysis of Questionnaire The interview that took place with the cricket team captain of Ilford cricket team, Inam Arif, on the 11th of November, in which I posed the above questionnaire to him, was very helpful for both him and me. It made me aware of the exact specifications that my system will need, to maximise the benefit for Inam and his team. It was a very successful interview as I do not now need a secondary interview as all aspects of what I needed to know have been covered, however a contact number for Inam has been taken and if there are any further questions I can contact him to query him further. A copy of the answered questionnaire can be seen in the appendix. Identification of the prospective user (s), and identification of user’s needs and acceptable limitations (using appropriate methods – summarised as necessary). The prospective user of the system will be the team captain and the coach, the coach will use the system to analyse data from a match and pass the information to his captain to act upon it. The coach will need full access to the system because he will need to input information into every part of the system. The captain will not need access into the system, because the coach will be verbally telling him actions to take, however if the captain does wish to see his teams position during the game, then he can be allowed view only access to the data, in a shortened form, with only the appropriate data which he needs, set out for him. To work out what the needs and acceptable limitations are, I needed to do some investigation myself into the possible problems a cricket team could face; I had to do some cricket analysis myself. From the interview, I knew that his team were in constant problems of not knowing where his team stood during a match and if they were going at the required speed that they should be playing or if they had to change tactics to win the game. They did not know at any stage, if their run rate was at the required rate or if they had enough wickets in hand to start to attack or if they should defend. They also did not know at what stage the other team was at the same time, when they were batting or bowling. To work out these things, he and his coach were constantly doing manual calculations working out run rates, total runs at each stage of the game, and total wickets and plotting these on a graph. He said what they needed was a system where all they did was input the runs and the wickets taken each over and for a computer system to work out the run rates of each team and the total runs manhattan, and total wickets, and for the computer to output three outputs in which they could tell these three things in the form of a graph. So to further decide on how I would go about implementing what Inam required. I decided to watch the Ilford cricket team play, I decided to keep score of the game and then analyse the game, working out such things as runs per over and runs needed for the other team etc. I discovered that I faced the following problems using this manual method: 1. I had the problem of not knowing at any one stage of the game, which team was in a stronger position and what kind of situation each team was in, so it was not possible for the captains and the coach to change tactics etc. 2. Also mistakes were a constant problem. I kept making mistakes in calculations and not putting the right data where it belonged. 3. I could not analyse the scores very easily, as there was no other forms of presenting the data other than just simply reading off scores, there was no graphs etc. 4. I could not create interesting links between the data and make no comparison, as there was not sufficient information or presentation of data to do this. 5. I could not stop in the middle of the game and predict who was winning the game or who had a better chance of winning, I just knew at the end who had won and who had lost. 6. The verification and validation of my work was very hard and time consuming, but was necessary to insure that everything was very accurate. 7. Also backing up data can be a very hard process, because it involves writing up everything or photocopying everything again, which is very time consuming and also means that if anything is wrong once then it is wrong again and all the time is spent on copying it is wasted. 8. Also the writing can be worn out and can rub off leading to inaccurate results. All these problems just lead to uncertainties and errors in judgements and an inefficient use of time and resources, which can be stopped by the use of computers. From my research I have concluded that the Ilford team need a system which can tell them the situation of each team at any certain stage during the match, so they need outputs which show the progress during certain stages of the game. In order to resolve all these problems, and looking at the best form of the solution for this problem I have decided to create a spreadsheet for the Ilford cricket team. So that the captain and the coach can easily predict things during a match and then accordingly change tactics and hopefully improve their game. There are many possible ways in which I can design my spreadsheet to meet the specific requirements for the Ilford cricket team. First I looked at the possible programs I could use to design my solution just in case the spreadsheet was not my ideal solution. The programs that are available for me to design my system are: 1. Microsoft Word This program is a very powerful word processor that allows you to create reports, letters, and other documents. I will not be using this because this program is for writing documents, and it is not intended for calculating data and making graphs and outcomes. 2. Microsoft PowerPoint This is a presentation program that can be used for presenting work and ideas. PowerPoint is able to show slides one after another, and make it into an animation that helps put ideas across better. It is not intended for building my system, because it does not have the necessary tools 3. Microsoft Excel This is a spreadsheet that is very powerful at computing complex financial related calculations. It is mainly used for creating various kinds of graphs from inputted data. This program would be ideal for my project as my project included inputting complex data in to a spreadsheet and getting outcomes using complex calculations and also creating various graphs to show data in an easier to understand form. 4. Microsoft Access This program is a database, this means it was created to store vast amounts of data, which can be sorted and searched. This would not be a suitable program for designing my scoreboard as it does not carry out complex calculations nor does it create graphs. Justification of chosen solution So overall I have concluded that this task will need the use of a spreadsheet, a computer will be used as filing cabinets get old and rusty and they take up space where as the computer takes up less space and looks professional. Secondly it is not easy to edit and store things on paper and filing cabinets where as the computer can store things neatly and efficiently, and also the data does not get misplaced. Finally its not easy to make backups of information on paper because it will require a lot of time and work, whereas on a computer it is much more time efficient and easy to make backup on a computer. Using a tape drive and/or any other form of storage. The spreadsheet will have minimal inputs and many outputs in order for me to work out outcomes/predictions and forecast the game to change tactics etc. This would be very useful to the team because their work will be cut substantially and they will need less labour to work on the score analysis, so it will cut costs. Using the spreadsheet program MS Excel I will be able to carry out my work more efficiently and accurately because it will organise my work. I will be able to insert formulas into my spreadsheet, which will do all the calculations for me and therefore will leave me with no mistakes in calculations. Also MS Excel will create all graphs and outputs to forecast the game for me leaving me with no need to employ skilled workers whom know how to make graphs. So overall it will be cost effective efficient and very productive to use the spreadsheet on a computer and go ahead with the project. A template of a scoreboard with all the appropriate formulas already inserted in the spreadsheet will be given to the coach. After the scores are input into the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet will automatically create graphs and tables to show progress and comparisons and analysis of the scores, for the coach to use and convey to his captain in order to change his tactics to benefit his team. This problem to predict what happens next requires a method of forecasting which can be used in a spreadsheet by entering the formula in to next cells, which is related to the formula before. This can help to predict things, which can happen next by inputting a thing into one cell and looking at the outcome, and then predict what can happen next. This is done by finding the next number in the series from the results and the trends of the previous results. Also the spreadsheet can be used to predict if the predicted target is what the team achieved and if not what was the difference in them reaching this target. Using the spreadsheet you will be easily be able to see anticipated results and what actually happened and also be able to predict instantly what is happening in between a game and who is in the stronger position of the two teams. This is all what is needed by a coach and captain of a team to improve his quality of work and also his tactics and hopefully win games. Data Flow Diagram Current System SYMBOL KEY: = ENTITY = PROCESS = DATA FLOW FIGURE 1. 1 Process Flowcharts Data Flow Diagram Proposed System SYMBOL KEY: = ENTITY = PROCESS = DATA FLOW = DATA STORE FIGURE 1. 2 Process Flowcharts Entity Relationship Diagram Current System SYMBOL KEY: = ENTITY = ATTRIBUTES FIGURE 2. 1 File Structure Table Entity Relationship Diagram Proposed System SYMBOL KEY: = ENTITY = ATTRIBUTES FIGURE 2. 2 File Structure Table Explanation of DFD’s and E-R diagrams Figure 1. 1 and Figure 1. 2 both show data flow diagrams of the current and proposed systems. Figure 1. 1 shows the data flow diagram of the current system, it shows the processes and the data flows. Figure 1. 1 shows that the data source is the coach and the cricket scores, and it shows the destination is the cricket team captain and his team; this is the same data source and destination for the proposed system DFD aswell. Figure 1. 1 shows that the cricket scores are received by the coach and are calculated manually, and then analysed and passed on to the team captain so he can change his teams tactics to try and win the game. Figure 1. 2 also shows that the coach receives the data from the cricket scores, but then inputs this data into the new system, which calculates and analyses the information for him and produces outputs, which he views and then tells his captain if his team are ok and should carry on doing what they are doing now, or they should change their tactics, the captain the relays his orders to his team, so that they succeed in the game. Figure 2. 1 shows the entity relationship diagram of the current system and figure 2. 2 shows the entity relationship diagram of the proposed system, they are almost the same, there is a one to one relationship with the team and set of batting and set of bowling results. However dude the proposed system able to output a set of results analysis, in the form of graphs etc. There is a third one to one relationship between the team and the set of cricket results analysis. Objectives of the report There are many objectives of the report.   Successfully working system   No bugs   User friendly system   Helps team to win more games   Helps team to change statistics in the best way. Fufill the requirements of Inam Arif, the cricket team captain of Ilford Cricket Team. 1) The main aim is to find the best possible solution for the captain and the coach of the team. This meant that I had to make a spreadsheet which will find the predictive outcomes as accurate as possible the more accurate the better. The spreadsheet will also be the better if it is able to do more and more of the calculations needed for the spreadsheet for the user. 2) To fulfil my aim I will use the most features available to me as possible to overcome my problem. 3) The solution I choose must: (a) Predict the match’s outcomes efficiently, thus allowing the coach to gain an understanding of the game, and hence change tactics to benefit his team. (b) Be easy to use, so that the coach does not waste time trying to work out how to use some parts of the program and so he/she can, quickly learn how to use it, and gain a better understanding of the match being played and enjoy it more. (c) Make the cricket team more efficient in their tactics during a match. This should mean that they play better and hopefully win more games. The three outputs needed from the system in the end to make it successful should be: A graph of the run rates per over, showing the run rate each over of the whole match.   A scoring manhattan type graph showing the runs made each over and overall runs during the match.   A graph showing the wickets taken during the match at what point in the match the team was losing the wickets. All the above objectives have to be covered, to make my system a successful one. Design Overall System Design Description of modular structure of system – (not detailed algorithm design) Identification of suitable algorithms for data transformation – (not detailed algorithm design). There are 3 worksheets and 3 graphs in total. The first worksheet has two tables in it. The bowling first and batting first tables. The second worksheet has two tables in it aswell. The bowling second and batting second tables. The third worksheet has 3 tables, these are comparisons of Run rate per over, total runs, and total wickets between the two teams. The three graphs are outputs from the data in all three worksheets, the first graph is a graph showing the run rates per over for both teams, the second one shows the total runs for both teams, and the third one the total wickets for both teams. The tables in worksheet 1 are made out of formulae where you enter the runs per over and wickets per over, and the computer works out the rest of the data, i. e. the run rate per over, the number of wickets taken and total runs for you. The tables in worksheet 2 are made up of some data from worksheet 1. The batting second table has a target column and this is made from data in worksheet 1 showing total runs for the batting first team, because the batting second team must reach the total runs made by the batting first team. The third worksheet is made up of data from both the first and worksheets. The data for comparison of run rates per over, total runs and total wickets, are taken from the first two worksheets. The total runs and run rate per over figures are taken from the batting first and batting second tables. The total wickets figures are taken from the bowling first and bowling second tables. All this data is linked using macros into worksheet 3 and then sheet 3 is used to output the 3 graphs. The data from the three comparison tables in worksheet 3 is used to create the three graphs. Below a illustrated version of how the worksheets and graphs are linked is shown. Figure 3. 1 Symbol Key = Worksheet = Table = Graph = Links between the tables = Links between the tables and the graphs Definition of data requirements, such as input and output data types and formats Data types were numbrs, ouputs r graphs, etc. Identification of appropriate storage media and format Print outs, hard disk and floppy Identification of any validation required Sample of data validation, illustrating the operation of error messages Maximum figures, screen shots of the validation, and illegal data. User interface design including input / output forms and reports. Inputs-runs per over, and wickets per over, and overs happened. Input forms sheet 1 and sheet 2 3 colums each Sheet 3 all done formulae And outputs r graph 1 2 3.. Run rates per over Total runs Wickets Good HCI design: Considers The User – type of use and context – e. g. business or home – User needs/Usability Input/output devices – choice of and appropriateness of Dialogues – to be relevant, simple and clear Colour – use of and colour combinations Icon usage and presentation – 3D effects and depth perception Provides Feedback Exits – clearly marked On-line help Shortcuts Helpful error messages. Prevents errors occurring Minimises the amount the user has to remember Sample of planned data capture and entry Data capture in to the sheets,on the comp straight, and if bak up needed, then scores written on paper in this data form. but input later,then calculated. Description of record or database structures Screenshots of the records of each cell, properties etc. Sample of planned valid output The three graphs. three outputs. File organisation and processing forgot Database design including E-R model Entity relationship diagram Description of measures planned for security and integrity of data Description of measures planned for system security (access control) Security, passwords etc Overall test Strategy Top down, bottom up; Black-box testing. White-box testing. Identify suitable test strategies and select and document suitable test data. Unit testing, Integration testing, System testing, Acceptance testing. Test solution and document the results of testing. Technical Solution Write up and discussion of technical solution could refer to other sections Copies of code listings (preferably in the appendix) Details of software tailoring (evidence may be in the systems maintenance section). System Maintenance Develop and document a solution for maintainability. For maintainability a solution should be evaluated in terms of the ease with which it can be corrected if an error is encountered, adapted if its environment changes, or enhanced if customer changes requirements. Use my project to make a documentation on how to maintain this thing. System Testing Use wat I made in excel to test in the testing thing. User Documentation Talk about how to use the system. Appraisal Evalutation of the objectives outlines b4 Sheryar Majid 13D/CO 28/04/07.

Another Kind of Racism Essay

Racism is a disease. Spread by not only words and actions but by silence and inaction. In two stories presented in different media – a novel and a movie—racism is spread by people who feel they are not racists, but who do nothing to prevent and stop racism. The reality is that it is easy to pretend racism doesn’t exist, yet everyone practices it in some way. Those who know racism is wrong and do nothing are the â€Å"perpetrators† of racism. They allow the disease to cling to a group and spread like sending a sick toddler to preschool; touching everything and everyone, infecting all. In T. C. Boyle’s book Tortilla Curtain, racism is present throughout the book – enough to exhaust the reader. In the movie Crash, racism is one element of a complex plot. They teach the reader similar, compatible lessons. The character Delaney from the book and the Cameron from Crash both are used to depict stereotypical persons who claim to fight racism, stereot yping, and discrimination, yet when faced with a situation when it is directed toward them or someone near to them they allow racism to happen as if nothing was wrong. Following these people are dying morals and blind humanity. Delany is a white, affluent, born on the East Coast; he now lives in Los Angeles. Living in a â€Å"gated community† had insulated him from the poverty that surrounded the very edges of the walls of exclusive neighborhood. During community meetings he does not want to discuss the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants; he prefers to focus on the coyote attacks. Until the accident he did not know his life would cross paths with an Illegal Immigrant. He had seen them only in the parking lots where they waited looking for work. He claims to not be a racist, to not be biased, and to not stereotype individuals at these meetings. As he claims this, his car hits a Mexican named Candido. Delaney soothes his conscience by giving Candido â€Å"$20 blood money,† explaining to his wife Kyra that â€Å"He’s a Mexican.† Delaney actions suggest that Mexicans are not â€Å"people.† More than 50 years earlier John Steinbeck’s characters in the book The Grapes of Wrath phrase the issue much of the same way, â€Å"They ain’t human. A human being wouldn’t live like they do. A human being couldn’t stand it to be so dirty and miserable.† Delaney prefers to pretend as if the Mexicans didn’t exist, as the alternative is showing how he feels insecure and threatened by them. This is same way the character of the Hollywood Director Cameron in the same movie allows racism and harassment to occur in front of him to his own wife. He allows her to be violated by a racist white cop. After his wife gets molested, instead of standing up against the cop and protecting his wife; he grovels and thanks the cop for not giving him a ticket, â€Å"Look, we’re sorry, and we would appreciate if you would just let us go with a warning, please.† (Crash, 2004). Delaney and Cameron are hypocrites being perpetrated from both ends of the spectrum; they represent individuals directly affected by racism who fail to respond in a way that causes it to cease, and those indirectly causing the racism to occur and spread. In the movie Crash this is shown by Cameron feeling cornered and lashing out against those around him; in Tortilla Curtain it is shown when the main character gives up fighting against the walls and letting those around him decide for him what is right and wrong. By their silence they allow the racism to perpetuate around them. Individuals like those portrayed in these scenarios run the risk of causing an unending cycle of racism and bigotry that will not stop until someone stands up against it. Their fear feeds those around them. In Crash Cameron is confronted by fellow worker asking about an African American actor. â€Å"This is gonna sound strange, but is Jamal seeing a speech coach or something?†¦This is weird for a white guy to say, but have you noticed he’s talking a lot less black lately?† And the answer is, â€Å"No, I haven’t noticed that.† At first the character stands up to the â€Å"racist† questioner but in the end he gives up, he ignores why Jamal hasn’t been â€Å"sounding Black† and goes on acting as if the words had not been said. In the same way after a canyon fire is set accidently by Candido in Tortilla Curtain; Delaney attacks a Mexican man who is being questioned by the police. â€Å"Delaney looked round at his neighbors, their faces drained and white, fists clenched, ready to go anywhere, do anything, seething with it, spoiling for it, a mob. They were out here in the night, outside the walls, forced out of their shells, and there was nothing to restrain them.† (The Tortilla Curtain, 289) This occurs immediately after Delaney has attacked the handcuffed Josà © Navidad, arrested under suspicion of starting the fire. Delaney’s furious, uncontrolled actions and unexplainable anger towards the Mexicans has incited a full-on riot, with the evacuated residents of Arroyo Blanco ready to attack anything and anyone. The idea of the wall comes up in both movies, with whites being forced outside their walls, and their comfort zones. The results are frightening. The white citizens of the town have abandoned their ordered ways, Delaney has even abandoning his self-imposed rules; he has indulged in alcohol. All have become more like the uninhibited immigrants they dislike and fear. In Crash the audience sees the hatred and racism feed on itself when two suspicious black men attack the District Attorney after complaining about racism towards them. The wife goes off on a rant after the attack and says many racial slurs and insults the locksmith. Her anger spills over into her husband who starts ranting as well. â€Å"Why did these guys have to be black? I mean, why?† (Crash, 2004). Like a disease, racism and hatred spreads from person to person impregnating their souls with bigotry and a blind sense of what is right. In the end both characters lose sight of what is right. More concerned about themselves than how their actions affect those around them. Their arrogance in thinking that they are above the racism and bigotry has significant consequences. The infectious nature of racism in individuals who are intelligent, and who have power and influence, is the real danger. Their thinking is infectious, and once these thoughts are inside someone’s head they don’t leave. It is especially dangerous when these individuals are opinion leaders. These are characters in fiction, but in the real world, people like Delaney and Cameron should not be tolerated. They cause the spread of racism, creating an unending circle of pain and grief for everyone they touch and a wider circle touched by those whom they have touched. Works Cited: Crash. Dir. Paul Haggins. Perf. Don Cheadle and Sandra Bullock. Warner Brothers, 2004. DVD. Frenken, Wiltrud, Angela Luz, and Brigitte Prischtt. T.C. Boyle: The Tortilla Curtain. Paderborn: Schöningh, 2007. Print. Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1939. Print.