Lincoln: the Great Emancipator Essay

Until it was abolished in 1865, slavery thrived in the United States since the nation’s beginnings in the colony of Jamestown in 1607. In 1776, the founding fathers stated that â€Å"all men are created equal† when they declared independence and started a war that freed the 13 colonies from the oppressive rule of Great Britain. However, after â€Å"the land of the free† had been established, slavery had yet to be eliminated. After the war of 1812, sectionalism began to grow prevalent in America. The Industrial Revolution in the early to mid-1800s advanced the country technologically while further dividing it as the North became industrialized and the South became more agrarian and reliant on slave labor. Sectionalism was increased by westward expansion, and began to manifest itself in American politics. The country could have gone to war by the early 1800s, but various political compromises held the two sections together for another half of a century. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850 are two important examples. Tensions built over the 40 years of compromise. Abolitionists worked to gain support in the North while they caused outrage in the South. In the government, everything had to be compromised and everything was a competition, such as legislature and westward expansion. Fortunately, when sectionalism and tensions around slavery boiled over, Abraham Lincoln came to the forefront of US politics. He created a reputation for himself and the Republican Party with a political platform against the expansion of slavery. He became known in the South as an abolitionist through the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and his election in 1860 sparked the secession of 11 southern states from the Union and the beginning of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was the most important contributor to ending slavery in America because of his actions toward winning the Civil War and emancipating the slaves, and he was able to do this because he was an extraordinary politician who handled the circumstances as nobody else could have managed. Abraham Lincoln’s ability as a politician was crucial in his role as commander-in-chief of the US army during the Civil War, because to end slavery, Lincoln knew he had to win the war. The first thing Lincoln did as president, in his Inaugural Address, was try to calm the frantic South, re-stating that he had â€Å"no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists,† (Halsall). Lincoln’s  primary goal was to preserve the Union. As he put it, â€Å"If I could save the union without freeing any slave, I would do it,† (Majerol, 25-26). He needed the support for the war from the Northern citizens, many of whom were not abolitionists. Lincoln was faced with another difficult issue throughout the Civil War. Four states—Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware—held slaves but remained in the Union. If Lincoln waged a war that strongly opposed slavery, he risked losing those Border States to the Confederacy, which would probably cost him the war. Another issue that Lincoln had to deal with over the course of the war was incompetent generals. Lincoln discharged many of his generals throughout the war, which made it difficult to carry out his plans. In a telegram to General McClellan, Lincoln urged him to attack Lee â€Å"The present hesitation to move upon an entrenched enemy is but the story of Manassas repeated,† but McClellan ignored the order (Ayers et. al, 369). It was not until Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies that he started having consistent success. If Lincoln had not been elected president, slavery may have continued for much longer in America. Besides the fact that Lincoln, as commander-in-chief, lead the Union Army to win the Civil War, the many proposed compromises in 1860 and 1861 might have allowed slavery to continue in America, such as the Crittenden Compromise. Another important way that Lincoln’s skill as a politician benefited the Union was his treatment of the Confederacy. Lincoln reasoned that since it is unconstitutional to secede from the Union, the Confederacy and its government was illegitimate, and Lincoln’s administration refused to recognize the Confederacy’s independence. This became important later in the war when other nations refused to recognize the Confederacy’s independence. When the time was right, Abraham Lincoln masterfully changed the ideology of the war to focus on slavery, and he used the slaves themselves as a powerful force in the war and on the home front. Lincoln did this through the First and Second Confiscation Acts, the Emancipation Proclamation, and his Second Inaugural Address. Early in the war, three slaves escaped to the Union Army, raising the question of what to do with fugitive slaves. Under the Fugitive Slave Act, they had to be returned to their owners in the Confederacy. However, Lincoln adopted an ingenious policy of taking slaves as â€Å"contraband  of war,† treating them as property as the Confederacy did. Lincoln went on to sign the First Confiscation Act in August 1861, which emancipated slaves that escaped to Union lines. In July 1862, Lincoln signed the Second Confiscation Act, which essentially gave him the authority to emancipate the slaves in Confederate territory (on the grounds that they helped the war effort and were contraband). This legislation helped the Union Army greatly. Over 190,000 soldiers, sailors, and workers came to the Union Army from the Confederacy (McPherson, 193), and at the end of the war, African Americans made up 20 percent of the Union Army (Majerol, 26). The escaped slaves also influenced soldiers in the army who now â€Å"were talking with real men and women who had been (and perhaps still were) slaves,† (Goodheart, 15). However, a vastly more important document was the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln drafted the document in July 1862 and showed it to his cabinet. William Seward reminded him of the importance of timing, so Lincoln waited until the army won the Battle of Antietam to issue the Proclamation. In a letter Lincoln wrote in 1864, he stated â€Å"when, early in the war, Gen. Fremont attempted military emancipation, I forbade it, because I did not then think it in indispensable necessity.† Lincoln then cites two more examples of him holding off efforts at emancipation (Fehrenbacher, 257). When it was issued on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was a turning point in the ideology of the war. It took a war that had been officially about preserving the Union and made it about ending slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was a bold move for Lincoln to make because of the pro-slavery Border States. Lincoln had made â€Å"earnest, and successive appeals† there for compensated emancipation, but was rejected (Fehrenbacher, 257). He then had to make a choice between â€Å"surrendering the Union† or â€Å"laying a strong hand upon the colored element,† hoping to outweigh losses with benefits (Fehrenbacher, 258). Over a year later, Lincoln said he felt no losses, and a gain of 130,000 soldiers, seamen, and laborers. Lincoln certainly had good timing when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Britain and France were coming closer to aiding the Confederacy, and in Britain’s case, they only wanted the Confederacy to win one more battle to prove that they were on the winning side of the war. Antietam was a terrible loss for the South, and Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation prevented Britain and France from aiding the Confederacy because they both had  anti-slavery governments, and the war was now about slavery. The Emancipation Proclamation was a wise move for Lincoln as an abolitionist, because it allowed blacks to fight in the military, which might lead to citizenship and the right to vote for blacks (â€Å"Civil War Black Soldiers†). Lastly, Lincoln focused public attention on the issue of slavery in his Second Inaugural Address, reminding the people know what their brothers were fighting for. Abraham Lincoln’s most important quality was that he was a great politician, which allowed him to manage the difficult situations put before him in order to provide actual results that ultimately ended slavery in America. Among these results were Union victory in the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, the First and Second Confiscation Acts, the Gettysburg Address, and the Thirteenth Amendment. The Union victory in the Civil War is a simple fact, but it was the most indispensable step to the end of slavery in America. Ending slavery meant nothing if the Union did not win the war and control the South again. Additionally, without a war in the first place, slavery might not have ended. It is possible that a compromise could have held the divided nation together without putting an end to slavery. Lincoln’s talent as a politician was also crucial in the Emancipation Proclamation when he released it in time to prevent any foreign nations from intervening and aiding the Confederacy. Lincoln showed his skill as a politician in the Lincoln-Douglass debates, when he took a careful stance on slavery that he thought would best suit the needs of the nation at the time. Lincoln was constantly stressing that he was not an abolitionist, and it was ridiculous to assume that â€Å"Just because I do not want a negro woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife,† (Fehrenbacher, 106). Lincoln proved himself when he ran against Douglas in the presidential election of 1860 and won. Lincoln orchestrated the defeat of the Confederacy and the end of slavery using his political position as president and commander-in-chief, and his cunning as a politician to influence the people of America. It could be argued that the slaves played a more vital role in securing their freedom than Abraham Lincoln did. The slaves had influential leaders such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. The Underground Railroad  freed hundreds of slaves, and it was led by a former slave, Harriet Tubman. Frederick Douglass wrote a book about his life as a slave which influenced public views of slavery in the North. He also published an abolitionist newspaper, the North Star. He also showed people that slaves were treated like animals and stripped of the quality that defines humans: independent thought. â€Å"these words sank deep into my heart, stirred up sentiments within that lay slumbering, and called to existence an entirely new train of thought,† (Douglass, 20). He told about how he was like other slaves until he learned to read and write, and became a human who was able to create his own destiny. These contributed to raising tensions and starting war, which was a necessary evil for slavery to be abolished and the Union to remain whole. These contributions also put pressure on the government to oppose slavery. Moreover, the 190,000 soldiers, sailors, and laborers who escaped slavery and came to the Union Army contributed greatly to the war effort, fighting valiantly and supporting the Army off the battlefield as well. By the end of the war, these soldiers made up 20 percent of the Union army, as well as influencing public opinion in the North. These were valuable aids to the end of slavery in America, and without them, slavery might not have ended in 1865. However, they are insubstantial compared to the contributions of Abraham Lincoln. First, the emancipation of nearly 200,000 slaves happened because Lincoln had not issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the First and Second Confiscation Acts. He transformed the ideology of a nation when he directed the war at slavery. In comparison with Lincoln’s monumental tasks, the contributions of slaves are insignificant. In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln was a more important constituent in ending Slavery in America than the slaves themselves because of his contributions as Commander-in-chief to win the Civil War and emancipate the slaves, and he was able to do this because he was an outstanding politician who handled the circumstances with unparalleled capability. Lincoln dealt with the difficult issue of fighting a war in which he could not make many bold decisions for fear of the Border States seceding, and he applied his ability as a politician to lead the Union to victory. Lincoln faced another difficult  issue of how to treat escaped slaves during the war, and altered the entire ideology of the war so that the focus was slavery. He did this with his First and Second Confiscation Acts and, most importantly, a well-timed Emancipation Proclamation. Lastly, Lincoln’s capability as a politician led to concrete actions he took towards ending slavery, including the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, and of course, winning the Civil War, the element without which the end of slavery in America might not have been possible. Lincoln influenced the history of America and (unintentionally) became a martyr. Today, racial discrimination does not exist in US legislation and America is constantly getting closer to complete racial equality. Works Cited Ayers, Edward L., Jesus F. De la Teja, Deborah G. White, and Robert D. Schulzinger. American anthem. Ed. Sam Wineburg. Orlando. Fla.: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2009. â€Å"Civil War Black Soldiers.† , Black Soldiers, Robert Gould Shaw, 54th Massachusetts. 2007. Civil War Academy. 24 Jan. 2013 . Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Fehrenbacher, Don E. Abraham Lincoln. Stanford: Stanford UP, 1964. Goodheart, Adam. â€Å"How Slavery Really Ended in America.† New York Times 3 Oct. 2011: 12-15. Halsall, Paul. â€Å"Internet History Sourcebooks.† Internet History Sourcebooks. July 1998. Fordham University. 24 Jan. 2013 . Majerol, Veronica. â€Å"The Emancipation Proclamation.† The New York Times Upfront 7 Jan. 2013: 24-27. McPherson, James. â€Å"Who Freed the Slaves?† Drawn With the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War. 1996. 192-207.

Big Data

The breadth of center's MEMO inventory that encompasses all wireless phone brands is unmatched in the wireless accessory industry. 1. 2 Executive Summary This document represents the artifacts collected for the Customer Cell Phone Accessories Purchase Project at Accessories Fulfillment Center (AFC) located in Houston, TX. AFC needs to have a program that will engage its customer to get satisfactorily business experience. The purpose of this project is to develop a high level data flow design from the customer entering into the website to the successful purchase. Our mission is to create value.We want to deliver a service where customers can find and discover all cell phone needs that they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Every client has their own highly complex fulfillment and logistics challenges and we are here to help increase operating income, leverage return on investment, improve market agility, and achieve higher level s of customer service. We believe that our customer This paper will highlight the data elements needed to support such a program as well as the contracts and sub-entities that come into play.It will focus initially on the interactions required between our customers and systems as well as the methods they may use to make these purchases. Next it will discuss the data elements that deed to be considered in these transactions. We will provide a fully attributed Entity Relationship Diagram (RED) showing the entities, primary and foreign keys, as well as the individual data attributes needed by each entity. We will also cover the contracts held between these entities. A Data Flow Diagram (DVD) will also be provided to depict the flow of data through the systems and the work / processing performed by the system.This will cover the logical design of the system. Finally, we will discuss our decision analysis with a matrix of potential solutions and the final decision we landed on. . 3 Probl em statement Many companies and institutions have lack of designed web based application that can help and offer better service to customers employees and administers. As AFC Houston, it's official site of AFC web Just shows the basic information of the company and the variety of product. If customers need to buy accessories from AFC, they have to drive to AFC or make phone call to AFC. As we can see the AFC web is not customized and ineffectively to increase sale.So the main problem is the company needs an online shopping system in which can show office web information and has unction's such as product lookup, customer registration, product ordering and online payment. With the new system, AFC can create value and offer customer a better shopping experience. 1. 4 Assumption There are two assumptions we assume for establishing AFC online shopping system: 1 . It is common for company to use network technology to digitize system of information management. 2. The customer prefers to us e online shopping system to achieve the purchasing activity.Online Shopping System Requirement Analysis 2. 1 Requirement Definition E-commerce makes our shopping experiences more convenience, fast and versification. AFC online shop system not only needs to have the basic functions of identify the AFC online shopping system flow in Figure 1 . Then we define the functional requirements and non-functional requirements. 3 AFC online shopping system flow 2. 2. 1 Functional Requirement According to the characteristic of AFC online shopping system's basic process, we define some essential components for system function. 1 Only the membership can use the function of shopping cart. Product's information needs a classification to user's search. 3 Shopping cart needs serial number. Members can inquire the order. Considering these components, the main functions of the AFC online shopping system are embodied in the operation of providing, saving, updating and inquiring which include member infor mation management, product information management, shopping cart management, order management and payment method. The figure 2 shows the frame of system function module. 4 System Function Module We can conclude more functional requirement in detail from the diagram above. ) Member Register and Login Before new user puts the products into the cart, the system will guide the user to sign up the new account† part. New user has to fill in the information such as surname, password, Email address, phone number. The existing member then needs to enter the correct surname and password. The system will check the data and authorize the member to log in. B) Modify Member's Information User can modify their registration information after log in which includes surname, c) Administrator User Administrator is a special user; it can manage normal account, classify the products and deal with order. ) Browse the product All the guest and member can browse the products. E) Manage shopping cart A dd products into shopping cart Browse the shopping cart Member can see the list of shopping item includes quantity, serial number, and total price in their own shopping cart. Delete the products Edit the quantity of product Clear the shopping cart f) Order processing System will generate the order after member go to check in shopping cart. The system provide the function of inquire order to members after they complete the purchasing activity. ) Payment Method The system will allow member pay the product by Credit [Debit card payment or Papal. 2. 1. 2 Non-functional requirement a) Operational management The system should run on any PC, tablet Pc, mobile phone which can be connected to internet. MISSES 6 – Final Project The system should always be monitored by one of the administer during it's working time. B) Security No members can access any other member's personal information and purchase record. All the personal information filled in AFC web Just can be seen by registrants himself and the administer who has been authorized.The information should be protected during transmission by Secure Sockets Layer(SSL) software, which encrypts information member input. C) Cultural and Political All content included on AFC site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons and images is the property of AFC ‘s content suppliers and protected by the United States and international copyright laws. Customer satisfaction is Oaf's goal. All the question and complaint that the system received will be deal within 48 hours. 3. Orders are guaranteed to ship within 1-2 days.The Entity Relationship Diagram helps us better to understand our data stored into the database. Each entity table specified is on the basis of requirements needed to fulfill our Customer Online Shopping System. For instance, Product_Detail entity table represents the information that needs to store for every new product, it can be updated or deleted. Same with Member_Detail entity table, it is requi red to store data for every new customer willing to become member of the company. The Member entity table represents data that is unique for every member of the company, ‘e surname and password.The Cart_lutes entity table represents the number of different products that a customer wants to have in his shopping cart. The Shopping Cart entity table has all the information of various products kept in the cart y the customer. It is nothing but the shopping bag with all the purchase details in it. Payment entity table takes cares of the payment required to make by the customer for the purchase from the company. And 7 Order_Detail table shows the details of the purchase made by the customer.A customer can directly inquire the status of his purchase made from the company. Each attributes in the table includes the details required will be stored each entity. The following is the explanation of primary keys, foreign keys and cardinality of relationship of each entity table: ) Member Pr imary Key: – User_ID User can be of two types, either returning previous customer or guest. Previous customer has their information available in system so they Just need to put their surname and password but for new customer we required to have all the basic information.Therefore, there is relationship between Member and Member Detail. B) Member_Detail Primary Key: – Member_old Foreign Key: – User_old. New customers willing to be member of the company need their data to be entered. There is relationship between Member and Member_Detail and I:M relationship tit product. C) Product_Detail Primary Key: – Product_old All the wears and tears of the product need to be stored in this table. There is I:M relationship with Member and M:N relationship with Cart_lutes. D) Cart_lutes Primary Key: – Correlate_old Foreign Key: – Product_old.Product_Detail. E) Outcroppings Primary Key: – Cart_old Foreign Key: – Member_old, Correlate_old 8 The re is I:M relationship with Cart_lutes table, 1:1 relationship with payment and relationship with Member Detail. This table contains all the details of product that a customer is willing to buy. F) Payment Primary Key: – Payment_old. There would be 1:1 relationship between payment and Cart_late and also after successful verification of the payment, there is 1:1 relationship with the Order_Detail. G) Order_Detail Primary Key: – Order_old.There is 1:1 relationship with the payment and M:l with Member. A member can directly inquire for the status of his purchase with the order_old. The Entity Relationship Diagram for Customer Online Shopping system of Accessory Fulfillment Center is shown below in figure 3. 9 Entity Relationship Diagram Logical design: Process Modeling (DVD) DVD is a graphical representation of the flow of data through an information system. Based on the functional requirement and RED, the processes and entity of AFC online shopping system is clear.We dra w the context diagram and DVD level O diagram for our system. The context diagram defines how the computer system interacts with it's environment. In AFC case, external entities are the customer who will need the various services from the system, and the administration office who will manage and request the reports. The figure 4 shows how AFC online system interacts with guest, member and administer. Context Diagram The level O diagram shows all the processes at the first level of numbering, the data stores, external entities, and data flow among them.We define 3 external entities, 8 processes and 5 data stores. The system data flow starts from the customer browses AFC web and register the membership. Next the customer will choose the product to shopping cart then pay the product which will generate the order. Each order will have a unique number for customer to track the order activities. The number will also help administer to manage the order. Administer is external entities who will do he background work such as manage the membership and deal with the order.The figure 5 and 6 will show each process event and the integrated level O DVD. DVD Fragment 1 Figure 6 Decision Analysis In order to measure how beneficial or practical an information system will be to an organization, we consider conduct feasibility analysis on the AFC online shopping system. The feasibility analysis is an evaluation and analysis of the potential of a proposed project which is based on extensive investigation and research to support the process of decision making. This part will elaborate the feasibility analysis from Big data Data† was only realized after the scanners were multi-dimensional software were made broadly installed. One could say that the data were the available. Twenty-five years ago, Big Data genre- â€Å"exhaust fumes† resulting from the primary use of dated by PUC point-of-sale scanners changed the The scanners to eliminate the costs of price marking face of marketing in the consumer packaged goods Oust as today, Big Data are often defined to be data (CUP) industry by causing marketing spending to that are a by-product of the use of a computer to tilt ominously in favor of price discounts and away solve an operational problem). Cent years, from advertising. Today, real-time digital Big Data generated by From the Analog Audit to Digital Scanning: the Internet offer the ostensible benefits of pro- The Impact on Short-term Marketing Strategies viding consumers with an easy way to find the Before the advent of scanner data, CUP marketers lowest price for any product while also arm ing had to rely on bi-monthly manual audits of stores marketers with dramatically expanded advertising to understand the trends in their brand sales and optimization capabilities. Arrest share at retail (See Figure 1). The data were Marketers would be wise, however, to heed the sessions of history and recognize that for all the not available until six weeks after the end of the bi-month period. Benefits Big Data afford, they also come with per- Then, suddenly, retailers and manufacturers had ‘Is that may not be as readily apparent. Ultimately, timely access to weekly (and even daily) scanner real-time digital Big Data must be used correctly if data.The granularity of these new data clearly they are to have a positive impact on brand health revealed the substantial impact of short-term mar- and improve marketing return on investment (ROI) kiting tactics, including temporary price reductions tooth today and in the future. Supported by newspaper advertisements (which communicated the price) along with prominent in- HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE store merchandising support-?often in the form of How the Availability of Data Has end-aisle displays (See Figure 2).Transformed Markets Though auditing data showed a relatively stable Back in the sass, the motivation for retailers to bi-monthly sales trend, weekly scanner data clearly invest $1 50,000 to equip a typical supermarket with revealed the large and volatile sales increases that PUC scanners was not the value of the data they occurred when newspaper feature advertisements would obtain but rather the cost savings from not announced price reductions and in-store merchant- having to price mark each of the hundreds of thou- dosing support was implemented.Armed with this sands items on stores' shelves. With scanners, it was type of granular information, retailers were able to necessary only to display each SKU (stock-keeping pressure manufacturers for more trade-promotion unit's) price via a sign at the shelf because the check- dollars, and manufacturers-?as a result of the out cash register obtained the price for each undivided- tillers' pressure along with their own desire for all item by looking up the item's PUC code in the a short-term sales lift-?willingly increased their store's PUC/price file as the item was scanned.With this advent of these new data sources, CUP marketing Business often looked quite stable underwent a fundamental marketing shift from advertising to price discounting. Bimonthly Brand Sales 50 Today, software giant SAP GAG reports that the average CUP manufacturer spends fully 67 percent of its marketing budget on trade promotion and 10 percent on direct- $ Millions to-consumer promotions (mainly cents-off coupons), whereas less than 23 percent is 20 spent on branding advertising. With so 10 much being spent on retailer incentives that, in turn, then are used to temporarilyJan-Feb. Mar-Par May-June reduce price, the concern that resonates July-Gauge through the industry i s that brand equity Figurer Market Information in CUP Before Scanners: Brand Sales Measured by Bimonthly Manual Store Audits is being eroded as consumers become â€Å"trained† to buy on the basis of price discounts alone. That's an unhealthy situation for any brand. Big Data in the Digital World: but weekly scanner data revealed to retailers and manufacturers the huge short- term impact of trade promotions. 70 % Volume Sold (Newspaper/Display/Price Discount) Dollar Sales -10 Jan 12 Jan 19 Jan 26 Big data Data† was only realized after the scanners were multi-dimensional software were made broadly installed. One could say that the data were the available. Twenty-five years ago, Big Data genre- â€Å"exhaust fumes† resulting from the primary use of dated by PUC point-of-sale scanners changed the The scanners to eliminate the costs of price marking face of marketing in the consumer packaged goods Oust as today, Big Data are often defined to be data (CUP) industry by causing marketing spending to that are a by-product of the use of a computer to tilt ominously in favor of price discounts and away solve an operational problem). Cent years, from advertising. Today, real-time digital Big Data generated by From the Analog Audit to Digital Scanning: the Internet offer the ostensible benefits of pro- The Impact on Short-term Marketing Strategies viding consumers with an easy way to find the Before the advent of scanner data, CUP marketers lowest price for any product while also arm ing had to rely on bi-monthly manual audits of stores marketers with dramatically expanded advertising to understand the trends in their brand sales and optimization capabilities. Arrest share at retail (See Figure 1). The data were Marketers would be wise, however, to heed the sessions of history and recognize that for all the not available until six weeks after the end of the bi-month period. Benefits Big Data afford, they also come with per- Then, suddenly, retailers and manufacturers had ‘Is that may not be as readily apparent. Ultimately, timely access to weekly (and even daily) scanner real-time digital Big Data must be used correctly if data.The granularity of these new data clearly they are to have a positive impact on brand health revealed the substantial impact of short-term mar- and improve marketing return on investment (ROI) kiting tactics, including temporary price reductions tooth today and in the future. Supported by newspaper advertisements (which communicated the price) along with prominent in- HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE store merchandising support-?often in the form of How the Availability of Data Has end-aisle displays (See Figure 2).Transformed Markets Though auditing data showed a relatively stable Back in the sass, the motivation for retailers to bi-monthly sales trend, weekly scanner data clearly invest $1 50,000 to equip a typical supermarket with revealed the large and volatile sales increases that PUC scanners was not the value of the data they occurred when newspaper feature advertisements would obtain but rather the cost savings from not announced price reductions and in-store merchant- having to price mark each of the hundreds of thou- dosing support was implemented.Armed with this sands items on stores' shelves. With scanners, it was type of granular information, retailers were able to necessary only to display each SKU (stock-keeping pressure manufacturers for more trade-promotion unit's) price via a sign at the shelf because the check- dollars, and manufacturers-?as a result of the out cash register obtained the price for each undivided- tillers' pressure along with their own desire for all item by looking up the item's PUC code in the a short-term sales lift-?willingly increased their store's PUC/price file as the item was scanned.With this advent of these new data sources, CUP marketing Business often looked quite stable underwent a fundamental marketing shift from advertising to price discounting. Bimonthly Brand Sales 50 Today, software giant SAP GAG reports that the average CUP manufacturer spends fully 67 percent of its marketing budget on trade promotion and 10 percent on direct- $ Millions to-consumer promotions (mainly cents-off coupons), whereas less than 23 percent is 20 spent on branding advertising. With so 10 much being spent on retailer incentives that, in turn, then are used to temporarilyJan-Feb. Mar-Par May-June reduce price, the concern that resonates July-Gauge through the industry i s that brand equity Figurer Market Information in CUP Before Scanners: Brand Sales Measured by Bimonthly Manual Store Audits is being eroded as consumers become â€Å"trained† to buy on the basis of price discounts alone. That's an unhealthy situation for any brand. Big Data in the Digital World: but weekly scanner data revealed to retailers and manufacturers the huge short- term impact of trade promotions. 70 % Volume Sold (Newspaper/Display/Price Discount) Dollar Sales -10 Jan 12 Jan 19 Jan 26

Discuss the Impact of Data Quality Problems

(Databases behind MySpace, CH-6) Discuss the impact of data quality problems on MySpace as described in this case study. How did they solve their data problems? What management, organization, and technology issues had to be addressed? 1) – Discuss the impact of data quality problems on MySpace as described in this case study. Since the Site was launched in 2003, the social network site â€Å"MySpace† has become the world’s leading social portal for connecting people who relate in connection with its content, and culture. MySpace projects an idea to its global community to experience the Internet through a social lens by integrating individual’s personal profiles, photo sharing, professional and entertainment videos, blogs, instant messaging, as well as one of the largest music community. MySpace. com has been one of the fastest growing sites on the Internet with 65 million subscribers and 260,000 new users registering each day. Yet with their unexpected growth along came the growth of other popular social networking sites such â€Å"Face book† and few other competitors which seemed to have gained ground, do to â€Å"MySpace† criticized performance. In its initial phases, MySpace operated with two Web servers communicating with one database server and a Microsoft SQL Server database. The site continued adding Web servers to handle increased user requests and demands, once the number of accounts exceeded 500,000 the site added more SQL Server databases; one served as a master database, and the others focused on retrieving data for user’s page requests. After two million accounts were activated, MySpace switched to a vertical partitioning model in which separate databases supported distinct functions of the Web site, such as the log-in screen, user profiles, and blogs. Yet at some point the separated functions will still share data which will create another problem to their list! After three million accounts were reached, rather than investing in more sophisticated types of servers that could eventually solve their problems, the site scaled out by adding many cheaper servers to share the database workload which became just another shortcut option and not a long term solution for the company. 2) How did they solve their data problems? The Company eventually switched to a virtualized storage architecture in which databases write data into any available disk, therefore eliminating he possibility of an application’s dedicated disk becoming overloaded. MySpace later installed a layer of servers between the database servers and the Web servers to store and serve copies of frequently accessed data objects so that the site’s Web servers wouldn’t have to query the database servers with lookups as frequently. Unfortunately, MySpace still overloads more frequently than other major Web sites. With a log-in error rate of (20 to 40%) on some days, the site is not effectively organizing or storing data at all, reason for which the site may have been losing subscribers. After the review of this case study, we can see the Importance of Database Technology and the Impact Data Quality provides to Websites and Social network sites and it can be determined that their existence depend on it.. (Information based on, MySpace Case study and www. forbes. com) 3) What management, organization, and technology issues had to be addressed? Some of the problems MySpace has encountered are the inadequate storage space on their database servers, slow access or no access through its log-in application, and the users’ inabilities to access data when requested. Over the years, MySpace has attempted to fix these problems by adding more Web/Database servers. Yet the main problem seems to be, adding the servers without restructuring the entire system in order to use their hardware and software more effectively. Another major problem â€Å"The MySpace Organization† has faced it’s been their management and personnel, It’s well known that they’ve had too many changes in personnel they were constantly hiring NET developers and losing them just as fast, which can create a definite unbalance for the company. In Jan, 2011 they announced a staff reduction by 47%. On the other hand they have dealt with numerous changes in management as well; many of the important people who helped create â€Å"The MySpace empire† are now gone. Few to mention are, former President â€Å"Tom Anderson who stepped down† while CEO â€Å"Chris DeWolfe was replaced† by former Facebook COO â€Å"Owen Van Natta†. The company’s most recent plan is to reinvigorate itself in the (social networking space) by going back to what made them popular in the first place â€Å"entertainment†. ith hopes that a new focus on the entertainment media including television, movies, & music will help in making the social networking site reclaim its place on the web. Despite efforts of redesigning the site their users have decreased, as well as their popularity. In November 2010, the company fully integrated with Facebook Connect calling it â€Å"Mash Up with Facebook† in an announcement widely seen, which in reality I believe is just the way of acknowledging Facebook is their # 1 competitor and is currently dominating the social networking industry. In my Opinion their main weakness was with strategy implementation, they concentrated in what came up day to day, like the additions of servers to support their users demand but they never really focused on priorities such as a solution to their Technical problems and the whole structural change it required. As time progresses business competitors will copy your product or service and a lot of times they won’t just copy, they’ll Innovate and overpass the quality of what’s already available therefore taking the place of # 1 and not a competitor.

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

Boss - Personal Statement Example Although management and leadership are not utterly different, the two concepts may not be the same either. There are many ways in which management differs from leadership, especially when looking at the differences from leadership skills and management skills. Leadership emphasizes more on vision of the project than implementation. On the contrary, management entirely focuses on implementation and vision is second guessed. Further, leadership takes a keen interest in situation dynamics; these dynamics provides the leadership with hints on the right action to take. Leadership makes attempts that alter the culture in order to attain the best results that benefit the majority. On the contrary, management focuses on techniques and it does not advocate for changes. Rather, management strives to maintain the status quo and order in an organization, as well adapt to the traditions. Furthermore, leadership focuses on risk taking and positive possibilities while management worries so much of the negative consequences, which might result from an action. Finally, leadership aims to rebuild and reshape an organization to ensure that the organization moves towards the vision and objectives. It does this through the employment of persuasion skills, as well as possibility ideas. These actions do not take any consideration of the position of the organization. On the other hand, management focuses on achieving the prescribed organization and it adopts attitudes and behavior according to position or level. Management does not disclose information and knowledge to workers; they fear that their own position might be compromised by information leakage. There are many characteristics of good leaders, which can take time and space to discuss. However, the scope of this paper does not allow me to discuss the entire characteristics that good leaders should have. Therefore, I will discuss a few key qualities, which describes a good leader. Good leaders are

Ethical Theories, Principles, and Concepts Assignment

Ethical Theories, Principles, and Concepts - Assignment Example Medical staff may desist from helping patients in the event of occurrence of a disaster for fear of prosecution (Fremgen, 2009). The law provides a standard measure for an individual’s action and punishes lawbreakers. Whatever is punishable by law is immoral and unethical. However, the law permits actions such as manipulation and lying, which is morally offensive. The law set to regulate medical care aims at maintaining high standards of morality, which may not consider the anticipated good. Medical law and regulations allow for autonomy, which at times may make one make uninformed decision on a particular treatment procedure that could in turn affect the life of the patient and at times leading to loss of life. Some medical practices are justified in medical procedure  but are unethical and unethical. Therefore, the laws and regulations are a challenge other than a solution to the problem (Garrett, Baillie, & Garrett, 2010). The practice of medicine requires a proper understanding of the ethical philosophies and principles. The principals that safeguard it include among others the respect for autonomy. Autonomy provides the patient with the right to take well-informed independent choice without influence, and medical practitioners should obey the patient’s decisions. The principle provides for non-maleficence where the Hippocratic Oath applies (Fremgen, 2009). The doctor can only treat the patient according to what he or she knows best and avoid injuring the patient. The principle advocates for doing good to the patient. In this principle, the doctor must administer treatment to the patient without causing pain to the patient. Finally, the rule of justice must prevail. The medical care should be fair, reasonable, equitable and without preference (Fremgen, 2009). Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory that explains ethical practice to be for the good of the many.

Interpretive Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interpretive Analysis - Essay Example This essay aims to analyze and understand ‘The Mind’s Eye’ by Oliver Sacks. Moreover, the paper will also present a clear understanding through the different stories of blind people from the book regarding how blind people not only utilize their other senses in an enhanced way but also how they have managed to live a better life and compensate the losses. Dr. Sacks teaches neurology as a professor at the New York University, School of Medicine. His past collection of books is counted to be 10. All these books are case studies of his patients. The Mind’s Eye was published in 2010. In the Mind’s Eye, Sacks major emphasis is on the vision and the perception. Through the seven different case studies, Dr. Sacks has explains how our brain deals with the issue when someone gets blindness, either inborn or acquired. He explains how the brain works and how it makes sense of images that are present, working in a very multipurpose and plastic manner (Sacks 87). In the Mind’s Eye, Sacks has recalled work of various blind writers and authors who he has read or studied or dealt with. With the different case studies, he has described the feelings and experiences which each of the blind authors / writers have discussed in their writings or have shared with him as his patient. Moreover, Sacks has also interpreted that experience from his own perspective and suffering. Oliver Sacks has discussed author John Hull. He demonstrates how all those memories and images kept revolving around his mind and how he has regular attention of all those visions and memories in his mind after John lost his sense of vision. Sacks has emphasized on the role of the brain and how blind people from the case studies utilize other senses effectively. He learns how they adjust themselves with the help of their brains (Sacks). Oliver Sacks in Mind’s Eye has not only discussed the blind authors and writers. He has also talked about those who cannot read or s peak, but still have continued and managed to live their lives. He said all these writers have adopted a new technique to survive in the world by using their brains in a multi tasking manner. From the seven chapters of the book, five chapters discuss the vision and blindness, while the one deals with the incapability to write and speak (Sacks). In almost all case studies, the people that he discussed (writers, professionals, and musicians etc.) were not initially blind. However, they lost their sense of vision in their adulthood. In the third chapter of Mind’s Eye, Sacks has discussed a man who is a writer and a reader. He gradually started to lose his sense of vision. However, reading and writing was his life and he had never envisioned the life without it. Therefore, he did not give up and continued writing and reading with his tongue with the help of his brain (Sacks). Therefore, the chapter had special association with Sack himself as he himself was also the victim of the stereo vision. However, all the people who Sacks has discussed in the case studies had managed to see, read and write in one way or another, with the help of their brains and the images stored in it (Sacks). With all the anecdotal evidence and his personal experience, Sacks was able to come up with an idea or a thought that the people who have lost their sense

Research Paper on a Terrorist Group Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

On a Terrorist Group - Research Paper Example The â€Å"Al Qaeda† was formed in Afghanistan in 1989 to fight the members of the Soviet Union in that country. During that time, the Soviet Union wanted to suppress a budding Islamic Revolution. Thus, the founders of Al Qaeda wished to counter this oppression under the common banner of Islam. A huge number of Arab Afghans travelled from all parts of the Arab world to participate in this â€Å"jihad† and enrolled at the recruitment camp of the organization at Peshawar, situated at the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden and Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri arrived at Peshawar and took over the leadership of the group. During the beginning the organization functioned as a hierarchical structure to facilitate its participation in the war against the Soviets. This arrangement helped the group to send military troops and war aids to Afghanistan and gradually prepared the organization to launch a concerted attack on the countries of the Western world. Thus, during the e arly years of its formation, the Al Qaeda was a highly structured and systematically arranged organization. After the Soviet troops were defeated in Afghanistan, the group changed its structure into a network organization. (Mishal, Rosenthal, 2005, p 3) The Al Qaeda can be classified as an international political terrorist organization. In the opinion of Mishal and Rosenthal (2005), the organization followed a hierarchical order in the beginning and later changed into a network organization. After the attack on Afghanistan in 2001, it assumed the form of a Dune organization. During the time, when the Al Qaeda was engaged in a war with the Soviets in Afghanistan, the group was a hierarchical organization. It was divided into small units which were arranged like pyramids under the group’s common leadership. After its transformation into a network-based organization, the structures within the group were redefined. Al Qaeda became more of a transnational organization which was willing to direct its activities towards multiple causes. During the period 1998 – September 2001, the terrorist group operated as a network organization. (Mishal, Rosenthal, 2005, p 2) Objectives The Al Qaeda was initially formed to counter the Sovi et Union’s attack on the growing Islamic revolution in Afghanistan. After the defeat of the Soviet troops, the group became a transnational organization which was engaged in pursuing a number of causes as its objectives. In February 1998, Osama bin Laden brought together a group of state-level Muslim leaders and organizations to form the â€Å"World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders (IIF)†. The IIF formulated its objectives in accordance with the World Islamic Front Statement of 1998: to free the al-Aqsa mosque and the Holy Mosque of Mecca from the hold of America and it allied nations, it was the duty of every Muslim to extricate civil and military citizens of USA and its allies. They were free to carry out their mission in any country which they

Dissertation topic about Digital Marketing Article

Dissertation topic about Digital Marketing - Article Example Digital marketing has facilitated the retailers to target their potential customers by maintaining their online presence on the social media network, through mobile shopping, by introducing email marketing campaigns and mobile promotions and facilitating the existing customers to pay using their mobile phones (Rob Stokes, p.21). However, in this rapidly changing world of technology, it is imperative for the retailers and multinational organizations to devise new strategies that would help them to increase and maintain their competitiveness in the retail industry as well as it would also help them to target their potential customers in a more organized manner. As a result, this would make a significant impact on the profitability of the business and customer base. The dissertation will address the problem on how retailers can increase their competitiveness by integrating various digital marketing strategies in their overall business and what could be the possible shortcomings in implementing those strategies. It is imperative to understand that role of digital marketing in reshaping the world of retail industry in this modern era and how retailers can effectively reach their existing and potential customers by using and implementing the digital marketing techniques in their organizations. The purpose of this study is to explore the different digital marketing techniques introduced in the world of business and how the integration of these techniques can enhance the competitiveness of an organization by reaching to the maximum number of customers and increasing the profitability. 1- How retail business can increase their target marketing by communicating to the larger group of people through various platforms like search engine, social platforms and different similar platforms? 2- Retail businesses can integrate their offline marketing to online medium in order to cater larger group of people but how can businesses increase their business sales through this

How to be a better writer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

How to be a better writer - Essay Example Also, several books are available to teach these principles. Once the principles have been learnt, then one needs to develop vocabulary. Learning some new words on daily basis is a very good practice and causes one’s vocabulary to expand. This helps in writing because one knows what the exact word that should be used in a sentence to convey the meaning as one intends to be conveyed to the audience is. These days, dictionaries both in book form and those available online are very good sources of vocabulary building. Once sufficient vocabulary has been built, one should practice writing papers of each type. In the start, it will take time. But as time passes, one will develop speed and will be able to write more in less time. Also, the quality of writing may not be very good in the start, but as one practices more, the quality of writing starts to improve. One needs to practice writing daily to achieve

Expansion and Merger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expansion and Merger - Essay Example While social regulation is used to attain social goals, for instance, shielding the public's safety and health or upholding a healthy and clean environment. Governments in market economies should institute and defend the right to private property and to the financial gains resulting from the utilization of that property. Gaughan (2010) claims that in defining and implementing property rights and upholding an effectual legal system, governments may create a social environment that permits private markets for the majority of goods and services to task successfully and with extensive, popular support. These elite rights give the proprietors, whether corporations or individuals, exclusive rights to trade or otherwise advertise their products and creations for a given duration. The number of monopolies is essentially small and relates to a small percentage of the economic action in key market economies. It is common for a problem to occur due to industry domination by a few successful fir ms (Halibozek and Kovacich, 2005). There is an actual threat that these corporations may conspire to set high prices and prevent entry by novel, competing firms. To proscribe such monopolies and conspiracy behaviour, and to uphold a more efficient level of antagonism in the economic system, supposed antitrust laws have been enacted in key market economies, including the United States. Governments in market economies have significant responsibility in offering the economic environment, which the bazaar of private corporations can task most effectively. A Hilbert (2007) states, one such function is to supply a widely conventional, unwavering currency and to uphold the worth of that currency through guidelines that restrict inflation. As a result of elevated unemployment and low inflation, governments increase the availability of money, which decreases interest rates. Lower interest rates motivate investment expenditure by businesses seeking to develop and employ more workers. During l ow unemployment and high inflation, policymakers increase interest rates, thereby decreasing the availability of credit and the supply of money (Hilbert, 2007). Justify the reason for the involvement of government, in the market process, in the U.S. Government intervention in the market process is crucial, since there are key differences in the government’s duty, in the market sectors of the United States economy. The state and local governments are the direct providers of majority (92%) services, and government employees are service providers. In addition, quasi-political government bureaucracies make decisions about the methods of production. Nevertheless, government programs and policies substantially reduce the costs of education and medical care for the end users. Market redistributive considerations and imperfections can explain the government involvement in a market economy. Let us assume that the merger faces some threats and the industry resolves on self-expansion th e probable strategy, describe the complexities that would emerge under the new idea of expansion via capital projects. Identifying the costs of monetary distress, creditors of rising firms call for detailed agreements to guard themselves against possible managerial incompetence and opportunism. These agreements are probably to be particularly limiting for highly-leveraged

Fashion and beauty products Essay Example for Free

Fashion and beauty products Essay Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem written by the British poet and World War I soldier, Wilfred Owen. During the war, conditions on the trenches varied from bad to worse day by day, and in the end, approximately one third of the Allied casualties managed to survive on the trenches. The soldiers suffered from rat infestation, unbearable stenches, tedious daily routines, insects, trench fever and several other diseases. In this poem, Wilfred Owen, who was killed in the First World War, portrays the war from a soldier’s perspective, while displaying an extremely traumatic and negative image of the war, as the conditions were brutal. The main idea of this poem is to expose the truth about the war. In order to do this, Owen chooses to speak of an incident which occurred in war that shocked him. By doing this, it not only presents a theme of catastrophe, death, trauma and war, but it leads the people to react exactly as Owen aimed; if what went on in war was seen, then no one would dare to force anyone to join. Originally, this poem was addressed to Jessie Pope, a propagandist that especially encouraged men through her poems to enlist in the war. Some of her poems such as â€Å"Who’s for the game? † might have enraged Owen to write such a poem. In this text, I will analyse various aspects of the poem Dulce et Decorum Est, while presenting my opinion and justifications. This 28 line poem, written in iambic pentameter, begins by giving an impression of the soldiers, displaying both their physical and mental characteristics, while presenting the general atmosphere in the battle. The impression that is given of the soldiers is weary, vagrant-like, and exhausted as they march â€Å"through sludge† and are slowing down as they become â€Å"blood shod†, â€Å"all lame, all blind† and â€Å"drunk with fatigue† as they are struggling to march away from the scene of combat. The poet ends the first stanza by stating that the soldiers were not even able to hear the faint sound â€Å"of gas-shells dropping softly behind†. All of these descriptions show how much the soldiers suffered, and they were put in such a condition that they were like the â€Å"living-dead†. The second stanza speaks of a soldier dying. The transition from the first to second stanza is emphasised by the exclamation marks: â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! † The poet speaks so gently of the gas shells in first stanza as they were â€Å"dropping softly†, and suddenly, they have grown dangerous enough for the soldiers to panic. As the soldiers are alarmed, everything is done in a rush, and they all put their gas masks on except one. This soldier begins â€Å"yelling out and stumbling†¦ And floundering like a man in fire or lime†. This statement emphasises the panic, instability and lack of control of the soldier as he falls back. In addition, this statement is continued by presenting a disgusting image of the soldier â€Å"guttering, choking, drowning†. The word â€Å"guttering† accentuates the chocking sounds of a man’s throat. The phrases which evoke the shock that Owen felt are: â€Å"Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. † This statement has great effect in this poem as the present an image of a man dying, while there are hundreds of men surrounding him, merely watching him die, and not bothering to do anything to help. This image brings shock and horror onto the reader’s mind, and the word â€Å"drowning† achieves to emphasise this thought. Judging by the description of the man’s death, it was very painful for the narrator to see him die: â€Å"in all my dreams before my helpless sight†. This statement can also be seen as the moment in which Owen was forced to repeat one of the most dreadful events during war, while thinking about his past painful memories and thoughts, as though compelling him to live through those moments again. In the last stanza, the poem develops by stating that if the readers were able to observe the â€Å"[writhing] white eyes†, the â€Å"vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues† and hear the â€Å"blood come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs†, then sending men to war would be forbidden. He finishes by challenging the reader by saying that if they had been present in the actual time of the war, then they would not dare repeat â€Å"the old Lie: Dulce et decorum est / pro patria mori. † – Which means it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is an honour to defend your nation, even if it means dying for it. In conclusion, it can be said that throughout the entire poem, Wilfred Owen exposes a grotesque, but realistic view of what occurred in the war. He achieves this by describing one of the most shocking images and moments that occurred while he was a soldier in the war the death of a man. In the end, he completes his point by challenging the readers that if they knew what truly goes on in war, they would never tell their children, with such idealistic enthusiasm, the â€Å"Old lie†. As my personal opinion, I feel that Wilfred Owen’s poem is contrasted against Jessie Popes poem â€Å"Who’s for the game? † as they are both presenting opposite points. However, I think that Dulce et Decorum Est manages to achieve its aim more successfully as it shows a direct, brutal and honest view of the war, and speaks of a true incident, rather than throwing rhetorical questions and including misleading images of the war. Overall, Wilfred Owen was very successful in transmitting his main message to the readers: if anyone had seen the horrors of what went on during war, then they would not dare challenge others to join; in fact, it would be prohibited.

Trans-Disciplinary Integrated Knowledge Essay Example for Free

Trans-Disciplinary Integrated Knowledge Essay Trans-disciplinary integrated knowledge (TIK) is one dimension in which the universities of the world should look to for effective future coping for empowerment of talent. TIK is a very critical area in the present scenario because of changing trends in the flow of information and the related technologies in industry and services. Today more innovative teaching and learning processes are needed. There is a need to find a common ground on which all important disciplines such as engineering, social sciences, humanities, and so forth can see an association between each other to address the complexities of globalization. With this view in mind, it may be inquired how finding this common ground for trans-disciplinary collaboration can be possible. For this very reason, Ramalhoto (2006), tells us that at present it is positive to find chief executive officers of some multinational companies who now demand foresight and not hindsight. Today, they are not looking for marketing planners but for market strategists. To most CEO’s of modern companies globalization demands for diversification of culture and sees enterprises as a source for value creation. Thus it is important to look at things more holistically now than ever before to compete in the climate globalization especially considering the technological and scientific changes, which is possible by integration and interaction â€Å"across all relevant knowledge areas†. This is where the important of TIK falls in. The author further informs that it is a misconception to state that corporate demands and such media as the Internet and ICTs have decreased the demand for developing universities; indeed, empowerment of talent in globalization â€Å"calls for specific innovation inside the [university institutions] to address its new basic function: to teach students to be critical about all kinds of information† .

Malaysia and Ghana: Economy and history

Malaysia and Ghana: Economy and history Decolonization Malaysia and Ghana shared similar economic and historic backgrounds fifty years ago. They are both former British colonies and gained independence from the British Empire in the 1957. After gaining independence both countries began with rich resources and sturdy British political and legal institutions, as well as identical educational systems. Why their development levels diverged so much is a big question. Ghana is among the poorest nations while Malaysia is a fast developing country and part of the middle income group of nations. Why has Ghanas development experience been so different from that of Malaysia since their independence? There is usually no individual factor that can single handedly determine a countrys economic outcome. Factors such as investment in human development, mainly education, the locals entrepreneurship, diversification in the economy and the economic impact of regional countries, all contribute to a countrys economic outcome. But looking at Malaysia and Ghan a from a historical perspective, it seems the main factor in the development difference is political stability. As former colonies, Ghana and Malaysia had British political systems but soon after independence both countries political situations and environment changed considerably. At the beginning Malaysia seemed less hopeful due to internal threats such as tension amongst racial groups; however since it gained its independence in 1957, Malaysia has enjoyed great political stability. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said in the case of Ghana, coups and counter coups have been inflicted on the country since independence. The comparison with Ghana could not be harsher. Nine years after independence in 1966, the first of a series of military coups which dipped the country into two decades of instability transpired. Ghana was the first nation in black Africa to come out of colonial rule. It became independent on March 6, 1957, with Kwame Nkrumah as the first prime minister and on July 1, 1960. Ghana became a republic with Nkrumah winning the presidential election that year making him the first president of Ghana. Merediths book â€Å"the fate of Africa† shows how Ghana embarked on independence as one of the richest tropical countries in the world (26). He describes the country as â€Å"Not only was the country the worlds leading producer of cocoa with huge foreign currency reserves built up during the 50s cocoa boom but it possessed gold, timber and bauxite† (26). This shows the wealth and economic stability the country had when the British handed power over to Nkrumah. Meredith describes Nkrumah in his book as being influenced by socialist ideologies while he was a student in England (18). Shortly after taking over Nkrumah started to lean more toward socialism by calling for greater state participation in the economy. He professed himself as the president for life and his party (Peoples convention party) as the sole political party in the country. The governments greater authority over the economy led to corruption. Nkrumah wanted Ghana to play a commanding role in Africas liberation from colonialism and was a strong supporter of a united African state. A mixture of economic mismanagement, corruption and rising inflation due in part to Nkrumah being a devotee of revolutionary movements and spending a lot of Ghanas resources and money on this â€Å"Pan-African cause† (he believed he could lead Africa to the creation of a United States of Africa). This led to a draining of the countrys foreign reserve forcing him to resort to deficit financing and foreign borro wing. The severe financial burdens set off growing opposition to Nkrumah which led to him being overthrown in a coup dà ©tat in 1966. This sprung a number of coups that would burden and oppress Ghana for years to come. Ghana pushed through all types of regimes that were never able to deal successfully with the multitude of problems handed down by Nkrumahs administration. Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings led a coup in 1986 which resulted in the fall of the civilian government in power at the time. Rawlingss government was the eighth government in the fifteen years since the fall of Nkrumah. Berry talks about how instability impacted the economy tremendously â€Å"the short terms and the numerous changes of governments in Ghana led to various changes in policies and a total collapse of Ghanas economy (51). Finally after serving for eleven brutal years, Rawlings returned Ghana to democracy by winning an election in 1992. Malaysia on the other hand has had great political stability since independence. After gaining independence from the British many expected Malaysia to do worst that Ghana due in part to Ghanas per capita GPD being slightly higher than Malaysias (World Bank) and also due to the fact that Malaysia had severe racial tensions which were lacking in Ghana at the time. Malaysia is a multiracial country made up of three main races (Chinese, Indian expatriates and native Malays). Right from the beginning it worked hard at resolving its internal tensions by ensuring that there was a racial harmony by creating a dual system of leadership. The countrys political parties are organized along racial lines and thus, Malaysia has three major parties. Under British supervision, the three parties formed an alliance developing a working relationship that has become the symbol of Malaysian politics since. The Malays are usually very educated but poor and were assigned to handle government affairs while t he Chinese and Indians were assigned with dealing with the economy. According to Snodgrass this worked for a while until the Malays complained of not getting their share of the nations riches thus prompting the government to reevaluate this structure and establish a new development policy called National Economic Policy (NEP) (99). The NEP marked a major change in government policy and was a great turning point in the history of the country. Bruton explains how the government began to assume a more active role in the economy, acting as a trustee for Malay economic interests until the individual Malays could take over (298). This initiative allowed the economic gap between ethnic groups to diminish which contributes immensely to the political stability in Malaysia. Economic growth grew during the fourth Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammed reign. He believed that growth should come first before restructuring objectives could be effectively achieved. He realized that failure to reduce economic unevenness in a diverse society like Malaysia can lead to conditions that easily and regularly hinder any economic progress achieved (Mohammed). He also realized the importance of political stability and said â€Å"political stability is really important†¦ without it there can be no economic development† (Mohammed). The BBC described him as â€Å"well qualified to talk on this subject†¦ since he held power for an unbroken 20years†. With his inherited political stability and long reign, he was able to push the country into a higher growth path through taking advantage of regional booming economies such as Japans. He created an export led industrialization route, turning the country into an export based economy and making the private s ector the driving force of economic progress. This made it easier to attract foreign investors doing business in neighboring countries who wanted in on this huge and expanding market potential. Surrounding countries high economy helped a great deal. If countries around you do well there is a high possibility that you will do well too. Creffield describes Malaysias geographical position as blessed â€Å"being vitally located in a vibrant economic region, Malaysia has gained from economic powers such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong (Creffield, 194). This is definitely an advantage it had over Ghana. A history of instability (the frequent interference of the military in government affairs in the past and the coup mentality) has done little to help in attracting the foreign investors that the country requires to boost its economy. The former UN Secretary of General, who is also a Ghanaian expressed his concern at a UN conference on trade and development stating â€Å"the image problem is the tendency of investors to lump all African countries together as a conflict zone† (UNCTAD, 1). Most of the time investors look at the political risks of a target country as well as those of the region in which the target country is located. This has unfortunately led to investors putting the whole region into a â€Å"war torn category†. Annan mentioned the image problem because most people think conflicts exist across the whole continent investors or not; in truth conflict exist only in some African countries. This shows that, in addition to Ghanas political instabilities drifting the country into an economic disaster, its geographical position to high risk countries contributed greatly. Ghana is surrounded by the former French colonies of Cote dIvoire (Ivory Coast) to the west, Togo to the east, Burkina Faso to the north and the beautiful Ocean to the south. The absence of cooperation and the often hostile relations between the former British and French colonies during the early years after independence didnt create a fruitful investment and commercial environment for all the West African nations. The recent conflicts in high political risk countries such as Liberia, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone undermines the regions economic performance, especially Ghanas since its had a democratic political stability for 17 years now. In addition, there is no regional economic power in western African region that could positively and greatly impact surrounding nations. For countries in the African continent to make it, there has to be an efficient way to settle regional conflicts quickly and peacefully without resort to the usual dragged on armed and brutal conflicts which definitely undermines the appeal for investors. As discussed above, Malaysias gain from its neighbors flourishing economies shows it is in the best interests of regional countries to effectively cooperate with one another to stimulate the economic development of the region and create an appealing market. According to Pill et al†¦, Malaysia has today an income 13 times that of Ghana and according to the BBC â€Å"today, Ghanaians get by on an average of about $300 per year, while Malaysians earn over $3,000. Ghana is still exporting raw products like cocoa and gold, Malaysia makes its own cars and boasts skyscrapers that rival anything in New York or London†. It talks about how â€Å"The development of one product palm oil tells part of the story† (BBC). Ghana grows and processes palm oil to make oil and cooking oil. Malaysia imported its first palm oil from Ghana. They managed to improve its cultivation process thus turning the country into the largest palm oil producer in the world and developing chemicals such as bio diesel for industries and food addictives from the raw nuts. But Malaysia has enjoyed this economic growth at the expense of given up some rights like freedom of press. DR Mohammed once said â€Å"democracy is the right to change government throug h the ballot box Freedom to destabilize the country is not something that we consider as a part of democracy. But when ask why he held power for 20years he furiously said â€Å"That, too, is democratic, because that is the will of the people. So it seems Ghana has something that Malaysia lack -real democracy and freedom of the press but many Ghanaians say â€Å"you cant eat or feed your family with democracy† you need a good economy to be able to do all that. Colonized nations fought for independence as they felt colonialists violated their right to be free. They wanted freedom to improve their human and material well being. Its been fifty two years since Ghana and Malaysia gained their independence from the British. In spite of Malaysias internal tensions being on a larger scale than Ghanas especially since theirs was across racial lines and not merely ethnic lines, they managed to overcome it and use it to their advantage after gaining independence. After Ghana gained its independence there wasnt any significant ethnic tension going on but rather numerous coups disrupted the nation and held it back from developing and enjoying economic growth. After almost forty years of being declared an independent nation, came hope in the form of democracy with the 1992 elections. And its been peaceful and democratic since. Ghana has improved its international standing and has blocked the declines of the past. Its economic reforms and stabilized soci o-political framework provide grounds for optimism about the countrys prospects for attaining sustainable development. So, there is hope for Ghana, it just needs the opportunity to trade its goods in rich country markets to enable it trade its way out of poverty. To achieve this tariffs and quotas should be cut or eliminated on Ghanaian goods by foreign importers. Subsequently, this should boost direct foreign investments in Ghana, particularly in the manufacturing sector. If Malaysia could trade its way out of poverty and into sustained economic growth, Even though Ghana might be geographically disadvantaged, it should be able to do the same. Work cited BBC. â€Å"two countries contrasting tales†. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. Creffield. D. Malaysia . 51- 194. London: Euromoney Publications, 1990. Print Bruton H. J. The Political Economy of Poverty, Equity, and Growth: Sri Lanka and Malaysia 232-298. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. Print. Pill. H et al. â€Å"Financial Liberalization in Africa and Asia.† 7-10 Finance and Development Journal, June 1997. Berry L. A Country Study: Ghana. 51. Washington D.C: US Government Printing Office, 1995. Meredith. M. a History of Fifty years of Independence: The fate of Africa. 1st ed. New York: Public affairs, 2005. Print. Mohammed. M. â€Å"Malaysia†: The Way Forward. A paper presented at the Inaugural Meeting of the Malaysian Business Council, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 1991. Snodgrass. D. R. Inequality and Economic Development in Malaysia. 99. Kuala Lumpur. Oxford University Press, 1980. Print. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Foreign Direct Investment in Africa: Performance and Potential United Nations, Washington and Geneva, 1999. World Bank, World Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998-2000.

Invisible Man Essay: Ethics and Invisible Man :: Invisible Man Essays

Ethics and Invisible Man    The issue of ethics is central to the theme of The Invisible Man.   This essay will examine the ethical issues presented in Ellison's novel in the context of Kenneth Strike's "Principle of Equal Respect".    In one incident Invisible Man is in his third year at a Negro college and is regarded by the President, Dr. Bledsoe, as bright and trustworthy, a young man who has potential. Dr. Bledsoe assigns him to drive a prominent trustee, Mr. Norton, on a tour of the vicinity. Invisible Man inadvertently drives Norton to the old slave quarters, past the home of Jim Trueblood, a local pariah who has committed incest with his young daughter; both his wife and daughter are pregnant by him. At Norton's insistence, the student stops. Norton feels compelled to hear Trueblood's spellbinding version of his crime. Embellished several times over, it is so effective that Norton has a mild stroke. Before leaving, however, Norton gives Trueblood $100, a gesture which angers Invisible Man, who sees it as a reward for a heinous crime. He is careful, though, to mask his emotion.    When he returns to campus, Invisible Man is severely reprimanded by Dr. Bledsoe for betraying his trust and for exposing the trustee to such "trash" as Jim Trueblood. Invisible Man is made to feel as though he should have acted in a deceptive manner; he should have had sense enough to deal with white folks. Then he is led to believe that he is being given a semester off, but the young man is, in fact, expelled from college. Bledsoe gives Invisible Man sealed letters to powerful men in New York City, saying that they will help him get a job. However, when Invisible Man visits the offices of these men, he is unable to get even one interview. Finally one man reveals that the letters call the bearer an enemy of the college who should not be helped but should be given the illusion of hope.    The reader may wonder whether Bledsoe behaves ethically or uses his power abusively. One may argue that, as president of the college, Dr. Bledsoe is responsible for the lives and education of hundreds of students. In this regard, he must be careful not to offend powerful supporters necessary for the institution's survival. But does this permit his sacrifice of Invisible Man?

Essay --

Climate change which is attributed to global warming caused by fossil fuels is, perhaps, one of the most important concerns in the world. Owing to the tremendous increase in polluting gaseous which are sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) and greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) developing countries, such as UK, are working on new technologies to meet the limits that have been established under Kyoto protocol (Roskilly, A.P., Nanda, S.K., Wang, Y.D., Chirkowski, J., 2007; Center for Electromechanics, 2014; Fernandez Soto, J.L., Garay Seijo, R., Fraguela Formoso, J.A., Gregorio Iglesias, G., Carral Zouce, L., 2010; Jayaram, V., Agrawal, H., Welch, W.A., Miller, J.W. & Cocker, D.R., 2011) . Although land transportation, such as cars, trains and trucks, contributes to emitted gaseous, marine vessels play a significant role in air pollution. According to Fernandez Soto et al., 2010, approximately 42% of the European Union’s (EU) domestic transportation and 90 % of trade with non-European countries are done by sea. The EU is trying to encourage the use of marine vessels for transportation of goods to reduce the polluting gaseous and greenhouse gas emissions over land transportation. Even though the regulations of emitted gaseous by the legislation of Annex VI of the MARPOL, Fernandez Soto et al., 2010 claimed that emissions from marine vessels, SOx, NOx and PM, would increase by 40%, 50% and 55%, respectively, by 2020. Apart from the destructive effects of fossil fuels on environment, high costs and limited reserves of them force ship owners and transportation companies to seek for alternative sources (Roskilly et al., 2007). Fernandez Soto et. al., 2010 assessed the types of alternative en... ...al., 2007). Both a heating line preventing condensation and a conditioning unit keeping the temperature of the gas below 40 0C and the saturation level is correct are essential. The whole exhaust computation system is shown in Fig. 5 (Roskilly et al., 2007).The analysis of trial fuel Lloyds Register FOBAS fuel analysis service examined the biodiesel from recycled cooking fat and vegetable oil and fossil diesel for elemental constitution and other properties and prepared a robust report shown in Table 3 (Roskilly et al., 2007). Table 3. The analysis results of fuels The experimental procedures for the trails Roskilly et al., 2007 followed the ISO 8178 test procedure and the test cycle E5 used for marine crafts less than 24 m in length to receive a standardized set of data. Besides, to calculate specific exhaust emissions the weighting factor is used (Table 4).

Plato Vs Socrates Essay -- Philosophy

Plato's point of view is different from many other peoples. He says that people do wrong not because they are inherently evil, but because they are unclear about what is best for them. While the good truly is good, the pleasant do not know good and therefore have the incorrect belief of good. He is saying someone who is good knows what good is and those who do not do good do not know good itself. Plato believes that the contemporary society is mistaken about their interpretations of good and pleasant. Society believes that good is pleasant. Plato portrays this message through the mouth piece of Socrates. The philosopher Polus argues that good is made by the possessor. He says one can achieve good through their actions. Good is achievable by all, different to all and can be attained by the possessor through good actions. Socrates argues that his definition is correct. He says civilization does good not for good itself but for other reasons. He says, humans do make the medicine for the sake of medicine but they make this to improve the health and well-being of someone. People are concerned about the results of the good they are doing rather than the action of doing good itself. Socrates mentions that a long distance runner does not run incredibly long distances just for the thrill of running, but the runner runs these long distances to maintain his health and to stay fit. Socrates gives Polus an example as to how his definition of good is wrong. Kings are faced with criminals everyday that must be punished for their wrongful actions. The criminals must be put to death supposedly for the "good of the state." This is one example of how a ruler or possessor does what he does he thinks is good. Th... ...in of thirst from ourselves and pleasuring ourselves with drink. I also question what Socrates says about wrong being an individuals opinion rather than a standard by which we live. It seems like Socrates is saying that no one has morals and society can do wrong and not even realize it. It sounds like humans do not know the difference between right and wrong. He seems as though he knows all and has all the right answers. There is also another way at looking at what Socrates says here. Everybody lives a different lifestyle. Some people live a life dedicated to a certain religion and some people are part of the mafia or live in street alleys. Everyone is going to have their own position on what is wrong and what is not. Even though stealing is wrong homeless people may argue that they needs food to survive and stealing it is the only way they can get it.

PLC

The main stages of the product life yes are: Start Up – introductory phase of a lunch of a product Growth -? new entrance are attracted into the market Turbulence – where increasing product capacity result in overcapacity, and then turmoil in the market resulting in shakeout Maturity -where demand and supply in balance Decline – where the market is saturation and therefore replacement or new product development is required. Start up When proton first launched their product in the market there's lots of uncertainty from consumer during that time. Since it's new, there's no guarantee of the success of the brand.Start-up phase is where allocation of trust needs to be in consumers mind because Proton was facing great competition with famous, successful car brand out there. Competing with these is not easy. Since proton already know about the market environment and their competitors Proton was smart, to segment their Proton brand to economy or affordable car market. S ales of proton during this phase was low due failure to meet demand in the market. Growth The successful launch and introduction of the Xerox, the first truly Malaysian MAP in 2009, helped to improve the total production volume from 157,643 nits to 173,057 units.Although it is new, the Xerox alone has contributed to 20% of the total volume in its first year of production, a testament of its high demand. In July 2010, the new Xerox Special edition was launched and continued to capture the MAP segment with its enhanced styling and product specification. The Saga will also be upgraded by having a two phase facilitate, the first facilitate targeted in November 201 0 with minor appearance modification and a second involving an engine upgrade in 201 1. This facilitate is planned despite its continuing streak of high bookings.In fact in the last financial year, the Saga was a best seller several times for the Malaysian automobile market; due to its impressive selling points of consistent q uality, value for money and reliability. The launch of the Persona ‘Elegance' in March 2010 is another example of PROTON's commitment to continuously improve its products. The Elegance is equipped with better specifications including a bit ACE which means increased functionality, better engine performance and increased diagnostic capabilities.These combined with an enhanced stylish body kit, alloy rims and interior trim leather makes the Elegance a much sought after car in its class. We expect the Elegance to continue its reign as one of the top revenue generating models in our stable. Efforts to improve productivity and quality remain a core focus within the Manufacturing Division. Quality levels improved in 2009, and with the increase in production volume, we are also taking steps to raise our productivity index. In term of market shares, the company's market share later grew to 65% in 1987.Proton maintained a majority market share in the following years, which peaked in 199 3 at 74% with over 94, 100 units sold. Turbulence The financial year 2009/2010 has been a challenging yet exciting year for proton. They started cautiously in the wake of the drastic market slowdown due to the 2008 global economic crisis. This had severely affected the automotive industry domestically and globally. Market analysts had originally forecasted an 1 1% decline in total industry volume growth in 2009 as compared to 2008 due to the effect of the economic downturn.And Automobile sales in Malaysia plunged from 404,000 units in 1 997 to 163,851 in 1 998 due to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Proton's revenue and profits ere severely affected, but a majority market share was still maintained into the early 20005. Maturity New sales and product distributions Effectively, PROTON gained an additional 2% market share, increasing to 28% from 26% in the previous year. This marked improvement of 13% increase in overall performance was primarily driven by the popularity of four core models namely the Saga, Persona, Xerox and Austria Neo.These made up 94% of the total registration. The Saga continued to be the lead model amongst the top four PROTON models and had managed to become the best-selling model in Malaysia for 3 institutive months from January 2010 to March 2010. With better systems and improved processes in place, the overall monthly average of unregistered stock against registered ratio remained healthy at below 1 month, resulting in better cash flow. Decline The mid-asses witnessed a decline in Proton's revenues and sales. In 2006, Proton's market share was 32%, down from 40% in 2005.Proton lost its majority domestic market share for the first time in 20 years to Periods, the second Malaysian automobile manufacturer. Factors which contributed to the fall of Proton included the revision of the National Automotive Policy (NAP), Proton's newer indigenously designed models (I. E. The Proton Wag, Gene-2 and Saws) which were poorly designed and manufacture d compared to the former Mediumistic-based Protons and stronger competitors, specifically Periods with their best-selling Mimi which launched in 2005.Both Proton's total sales volume and market share failed to recover to its pre-2002 figures and Periods remained the domestic market leader from 2006 onwards. Business Risk Factors Corporate and Operational Risks Corporate risks are primarily risks caused by external events that have potential impact on the strategic decision or activities of the Group. The Board is responsible in ensuring that the corporate risks of the Group are identified proactively. This was performed via product development, quality improvement and process improvement programs.Operational risk is defined as the risk of loss resulting from inadequacy or failure of internal processes, people and system. As the Group progresses towards operational excellence, the Group faces a multitude risks relating to financial risks, vendor capacity and capability in achieving b usiness objectives. Appropriate measures were undertaken to ensure that controls are in place to avoid any sorption Of operations. Export Market Risks Proton conducts its businesses across regions.This exposed the Group to risks such as changes in market regulation, infringement of Intellectual Property Rights (PR) and stiff market competition which may impact the Group's ultimate objectives. As the Group's future lies in expanding into the export markets, it is imperative that efforts are taken to ensure that a risk faced by the organization is effectively managed. Various risk assessments were performed in the year in review specifically for our operations in China, Middle East and Sean.Updates on mitigation plan were reported to the GRAM and BRIM respectively on a quarterly basis. Business Environment Risk Business environment risk is inherent in all businesses. The strengthening global call for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is now widely acknowledged in both developed an d developing nations and is a catalyst for the â€Å"Green Vehicle† concept to be promoted. In view of this challenge, the Group has deliberated the challenges and opportunities in the green technology and ways to catapult this idea into a feasible end state.

CIGNA Company Essay

CIGNA is a major health insurance company. Its CIGNA Behavioral Health covers 16 million Americans in all 50 states and internationally. In addition, it supports a network of more than 50,000 professionals who needed a system that quickly and automatically approved requests submitted by providers, such as therapists, for additional patient care. CIGNA Behavioral Health’s business processes for making approval determinations were supported in different locations using several different software applications. Certain rules in use sometimes conflicted with each other, and knowledge was lost due to employee turnover. In addition, the rules were in inflexible if-then statements. Accessing and changing the rules was a slow, cumbersome, and expensive process. To reduce the knowledge loss due to employee turnover and to increase consistency and efficiency of rule maintenance, CIGNA Behavioral Health decided to adopt rule-based intelligent systems that could automate decision-making situations. CIGNA chose Haley Authority knowledge management (KM) software and Haley Rules intelligent system to build a Web-based benefit management system named Provider eCare Online. How does it relate to this week’s course concepts? According to the book, this week we learn about long-term objectives and strategies, we also learn business strategies. It talks about generic strategies and grand strategies. Include in the grand strategies there is an innovation. Innovation is making some changes to increasing markets, this issue is like this. They build this system one reason is to reduce the cost and knowledge loss, the other reason is that it can give them more markets to sell their insurance, it is also convenience for people to use this. At which conclusions do you arrive at from your analysis? According to the book, some firms find it profitable to make innovation their grand strategy. They seek to reap the initially high profits associated with customer acceptance of a new or greatly improved product. For this insurance company, it build a system in order to solve problems and get more money, it can reach my analysis. What are the main takeaways from the situation, your analysis, and your conclusions? In my opinions, by expressing business processes in English using Haley Rules, eCare specialists can implement changes to the rules whenever needed, in hours instead of weeks. The adoption of knowledge-based systems has helped CIGNA enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs. The tools of Haley Authority and Haley Rules in combination provide a convenient platform for the implementation of such intelligent systems. So it is really good system for them to get more money, it also can help people a lot. Reference John A. Pearce, Richard B. Robinson, strategy management, thirteenth edition. Cigna, cigna.com.

Critique of Picasso at the Lapin Agile

Mr.. Vase Critique of Picasso at the Lapin Agile Written by Steve Martin and directed by Brine Lang, Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a play located at the Lapin Agile, in Paris. Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, both young, headstrong and passionate, come together in a fictitious meeting devised in the comic mind of Steve Martin. It's bohemian Paris, at the turn of the century and everything has fallen quiet to listen to a conversation of exquisite topics. Does art matter? Can science touch the heart? Is beauty truly in the eye of the beholder? DidEinstein and Picasso really only excel in their chosen fields in order to get girls? With a little help from a mysterious, visitor from the future (based on order of appearance) these topics get debated in one of the best possible environments, the bar of the â€Å"scurrying rabbit†. Steve Martins sense of humor is very immense in size, based on the bars name. By calling it the Lapin Agile (meaning scurrying rabbit) Martin is foreshad owing an unattainable theme to his play. He has a great sense of humor by calling it this and is very organized throughout the play, by placing hints all throughout the play, about he message of his play.Freddy is the bar tender of the Lapin Agile and is set on stage directions. When Einstein walks in, he realizes something was off and he points out later that, â€Å"In order of appearance. You're not third. You're fourth (11)†. By breaking that third wall between the audience and the play, Martin makes a very humorous act and allows one of his characters to use the play pamphlet to site the location of the casts' order of appearance. With his successful attempt to achieve humor by breaking the wall between the audience and the actors, Martin can be understood to be triumphant at his attempts to create humor.Then, after Freddy citation to the cast in order of appearance, that wall between the actors and audience is set back in place. This is some funny stuff. When Einstein wa lked in, he spoke of meeting a woman, but he never told her the place where they were going to meet. This was Einstein theory that everything happens as an accident and that if something is bound to happen, it will no matter the place or the time. I happen to disagree with the statement because of the face that the world is big and time passes no matter what we are doing. It's hard to Just run into someone who you want to meet, without having a plan first.People these days are busy and they are not always where we think we are. As the play progresses, Germane, a waitress and Freddy girlfriend, speaks about two pieces of work being of the same value. This is a great point that Martin brings forth in his play. But expressing his feelings about how two pieces of work can be seen as one, it makes me thing of two things that are similar in genera, but different in style. I could only think of music. There are many different love songs out their and they are all pertaining to different ki nds of people.But on the other hand, you have many songs that are popular. Is it popularity that is the decision maker in our minds or is it something else? This question is something martin brings forth a lot. Martin has a way of telling Jokes that I have never heard before. When the part comes about the foretelling of the future, Freddy and Germane predict some futuristic creations that they believe to lay ahead. Germane makes some precise predictions that have come true, but the people around her make fun of her and tell her that her thoughts are not real.On the other hand, Freddy makes some predictions such as cloths being made of wax and the French being the almighty rower of Europe, and he is seen as the sane one. Martin is trying to point out that no matter how crazy the idea, it might come true because Germany's theory was seen as a crazy one, yet it came true. It makes me thing of what out future will hold!!! Will there be a possibility of Jet pack and robotic houses that c lean them selves? Germany's ideas were crazy for her time and mine are the same, one never knows if their futuristic predictions will come true.Not only is martin good at making Jokes, he is good at conveying theories, through pieces of work that one would never believe had a deeper meaning than the surface crust. When Einstein and Picasso are having an argument between them about science and say they don't have the same meaning, martin is trying to express his feelings by say that both science and art are connected directly. You have to be an artist to be able to think of the vast universe and there is a science behind drawing a face. It's hard to believe that if you're good at science then you should be good at art as well and vice-a-versa.I still can't color for s*&% even though I am good at science, I don't know how that works out! Later on in the play, Freddy tells a Joke that no one understands. Einstein tryst to interpret the Joke using, his talented scientific thinking, to t he others, but many people still chose to choose their thoughts about it. This brings to me another idea that martin is trying to convey. He is saying that surrealism is interpreted differently to different people and no one answer is correct to a complex surreal question. It's based on the persons understanding to the concept and past experience with the topic on hand.So to me the Joke doesn't make any sense and I would replace the letter â€Å"e† with the letter â€Å"O† because pies are supposed to be circular and BIG. Later Freddy and Einstein have a debate about an â€Å"icebox† laughter. Based on their discussion, a laugh can happen at anytime. It could be that one didn't understand the Joke or moment and decided that it wasn't funny. Then later on, that person laughs about the topic and sometimes it happens without thought and wonder what it is you were laughing about. That has happens to me a lot of times.Later on in the play, another very funny aspect t o martins play is his perception of Picasso as being a womanlier. Germany's assessment of the word womanlier very well fits Picasso' character. Being a profound painter of the twentieth century, Picasso has his hands on many women, of different characteristics. He can have as many as he wants, whenever he wants, which is why Germany's remark of Picasso as being a womanlier is a correct one. I would have said that he is the kind of guy who can be described by the phrase, â€Å"hit-it-and-quit-it†.This man, is one of those who takes women for granted and will do one when he wants, Just to satisfy his lust and will forget about her the next day. What a guy. In my opinion, women should be cherished. They are better to deal with when they're happy, which meaner you have to do less work to please them and they will make you happy as well. On the other hand, if one is to take advantage of women, then they will lose their trust and may lose them forever. That is something that I woul d never want to happen. As the play continues martin introduces many new ideas of his, one being the idea of how beautiful love is.Picasso says he â€Å"would give it all up if [he] could sing songs about love. No more paints or more brushes†¦ Just the moonlight, the June light, and you† (66). By being able to sing, people have the ability to touch your souls. They sing a song that are related to the public and that's how they touch people. Another season why Picasso might want to become a singer, if he could, is because it makes people dance, enjoy them selves, and sing to the beat. Best of all, it captures a lot more attention than paintings and more people can relate to song, rather than paintings.A moment of perfection is something that everyone wants to feel, a time when everything feels like its perfect and that nothing can make you feel bad. Picasso had his moment of perfection, when he saw the painting that was revealed by the visitor. The painting made him have a moment of perfection, where nothing else mattered but the painting. Hard to know when its happened till its over† (72). Moments of perfection are times when you feel like you would do anything to stay and be with the person you're with or to continue a special task of yours, will it satisfies your mind.At the end of the play they are all giving a toast to the new century and Germane stays with Freddy. It's funny how martin leaves Germane with Freddy and doesn't hook her up with Picasso. I guess he is trying to convey the way we should treat women again. He first states this in Germany's comment of Picasso as being a womanlier. By leaving Freddy and Germane together, martin is conveying the Hough that you don't have to be a rich famous person to be with someone, you Just have to be gentle and considerate.He also tries to get across the thought that we shouldn't treat women any different than we treat ourselves. WOW, what a message! Only a guy like Steve Martin would be able t o present such a complex misunderstanding in real terms, with a comical piece of literature. For a guy who used to make a living with fake arrows through his head, a great play. The complex idea within the simple short play is a great way to catch the publics' eyes and attention. Great Job STEVE!