Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Mrs. Dalloway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mrs. Dalloway - Essay Example The first hint of difficulty is Mrs. Dalloways scattered thoughts as she moves back and forth in her mind between the present and the past. While her character is very clear, the narrative does not remain rooted on her, instead flitting back and forth between descriptions of the day and her internal reactions to them. It even takes time to drift into the minds of other people who see her or who are nearby until it finally drifts completely free to settle back down on Mr. Smith for a while. The novel is very difficult to read if you try to keep track of all the characters and details, but if you allow your mind to drift free a little bit like the narrative seems to do, then the book becomes much easier to follow. Part of what makes Mrs. Dalloway a difficult book to read is because of the way in which its written. The book is written like a constant stream of thought as it flows from one mind to another through the course of a day. Although the main action focuses mostly on Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway and Mr. Septimus Smith, there are many other characters introduced. Thats part of what makes the story so difficult. The reader has to learn how to quickly filter through which characters are important and which ones are just mentioned for the sake of moving the thought around, usually as it makes its way from Mrs. Dalloway to Septimus Smith and back to Mrs. Dalloway again. An example of this comes when Maisie Johnson asks Mr. and Mrs. Smith for directions in Regents Park. The narrative jumps into her head as she makes her way through the park until she is seen by Mrs. Dempster. Mrs. Dempster thinks about her and her likely prospects as compared to the life Mrs. Dempster has lived until she is distra cted by the aeroplane in the sky, which is also seen by Mr. Bentley. The way these transitions are carried out is very smooth. As Mr. Bentley watches the plane, he thinks of it as a symbol "of

Monday, October 28, 2019

The story Harrison Bergeron Essay Example for Free

The story Harrison Bergeron Essay The story Harrison Bergeron was set in two different years in the future, 2081 and 2053. The basic story between all three works is everyone being equal and â€Å"handicapped†. Harrison is a young adult living with his parents and is taken away because he is too smart than the â€Å"average† person, which in the real world be considered dumb. He rebels against the government and shows up on television to show people how their live would be without being handicapped. At the end of every story he is shot and he dies. His family doesn’t realize what happens but all they know is that something sad had happen. In the first film the way the future is in the year 2081. Technology is advanced and everyone is equal and handicapped. Harrison is in jail for trying to rebel against the government. He is giving propaganda to the people so they take off their handicaps. Both of his parents are wearing bands that stop them from thinking or being smart. His father is wearing weights so he is handicapped like the rest of the people. His mother is considered average. Harrison breaks out of jail and goes to a theatre that is being televised. He has many weights and no band. He breaks his handicaps. And he starts to dance with one of the ballerinas that are there. She also takes off her handicaps. The government or people in charge try to cut the signal to all televisions. He still gets the signal with a device he had. He then start to dance to and with the girl to show the people what they can accomplish without handicaps. He is then shot by the woman in charge of the people. That event was also televised and people did not know was going on due to their band but they know something sad happen like his family. In the second film Harrison Bergeron it is set in 2053. The future is not so advanced. The government saw that people were happier in the 1980’s so they changed everything to that time. All people are handicapped and have bands. Harrison is the smartest in his class. He is too smart then takes a test that sends him the secret place where he then falls in love with a woman. He gets a job of taking care of what gets televised. He then rebels because his boss hurts the woman he loves. He shows films and music of when people were still different and not handicapped. After some hours he is caught and forced to say that everything that he had sad was a lie. During his televised interview he Is admitting to lieing about what he had showed the people he shoots himself in front of everyone. Everyone’s band is tripled to not rebel also. Again his family doesn’t know what happen. All they know is that something sad has happened. The third work is a story. The story follows the same basic story as in the films except Harrison is seven feet tall and he is better than everyone else. In all three stories Harrison is shot on t.v. and people only know that something sad has happened and not that he died. All three works follow the same story. He has a different physical appearance in all three works. He only goes to jail in the film 2081. The film 2081 is also the only work where Harrison find a girl he likes. The story and film 2081 are set in 2081.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

How to Improve in Shakespeares The Tempest :: Tempest essays

How to Improve Shakespeare’s Tempest    Mr. William Shakespeare, I am going to get right down to business.   I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest.   In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes.   The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now.   As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master.   In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo.   It should develop in this fashion:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that I can assist you in your stay on the island.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What mean you beast?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To snare the nimble marmoset.   I'll bring thee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To clustering filberts, and I'll teach thee to get   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Young scamels from the rock.   Does't though attend me?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I do.   For all this service what want'st you in return.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask but one simple service.   The death of my tyrant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   master.      Ã‚  Ã‚     Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You ask me to murder for you?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask only that you remove your only opponent in making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   me your vassal.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well bargain'd for a monster such as thee.   I shall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consider it.    If the scene is run in this way Caliban is developed as more human and less monster.   Also it adds more urgency to the possible danger Stephano and Trinculo bring, but the comic aspect remains because the two are drunk.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My second suggestion addresses the issues of Prospero and tempests.   At the end of the play there is the opportunity for great suspense.   The interaction between Prospero and his brother and conspirator could be much more intense.   You could easily create an internal conflict for Prospero where he debates whether or not to take action against Antonio.   Of course he cannot have given up his powers at this point.   Instead of just letting Antonio alone Prospero could use his magic to give him pains, make him small or one of many other whimsical tricks to teach Antonio a lesson; I think that causing Antonio to sleep and in turn not taking him home would be the most fitting punishment. How to Improve in Shakespeare's The Tempest :: Tempest essays How to Improve Shakespeare’s Tempest    Mr. William Shakespeare, I am going to get right down to business.   I am writing to you regarding our recent collaboration on The Tempest.   In my opinion I think we need to make a couple of changes.   The first is in regards to Caliban and the second has to do with Prospero.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I was reading the section of the play where Caliban takes Stephano as his master I began to think about how he should be wiser by now.   As is Caliban begs a drunken Stephano to be his master.   In my opinion Caliban should show development by not drinking and possibly taking advantage of the drunk Stephano and Trinculo.   It should develop in this fashion:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that I can assist you in your stay on the island.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What mean you beast?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I prithee, let me bring thee where crabs grow,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   And I with my long nails will dig thee pignuts,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Show thee a jay's nest, and instruct thee how   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To snare the nimble marmoset.   I'll bring thee   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To clustering filberts, and I'll teach thee to get   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Young scamels from the rock.   Does't though attend me?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I do.   For all this service what want'st you in return.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask but one simple service.   The death of my tyrant   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   master.      Ã‚  Ã‚     Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You ask me to murder for you?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Caliban:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I ask only that you remove your only opponent in making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   me your vassal.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stephano:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Well bargain'd for a monster such as thee.   I shall   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consider it.    If the scene is run in this way Caliban is developed as more human and less monster.   Also it adds more urgency to the possible danger Stephano and Trinculo bring, but the comic aspect remains because the two are drunk.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My second suggestion addresses the issues of Prospero and tempests.   At the end of the play there is the opportunity for great suspense.   The interaction between Prospero and his brother and conspirator could be much more intense.   You could easily create an internal conflict for Prospero where he debates whether or not to take action against Antonio.   Of course he cannot have given up his powers at this point.   Instead of just letting Antonio alone Prospero could use his magic to give him pains, make him small or one of many other whimsical tricks to teach Antonio a lesson; I think that causing Antonio to sleep and in turn not taking him home would be the most fitting punishment.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Advertising and Leo Burnett Essay

1.0Introduction First of all, an advertising agency is uniquely and meaningfully from the client, provides an outside point of view to the effort of sell clients ‘ products or services. Besides that, an agency also can deal with overall marketing and branding strategies and promotional activities for its clients, for the example of Leo Burnett. Leo Burnett is Malaysia’s leading international advertising agencies through about 95 offices in almost 85 countries, is owned by advertising conglomerate Publicis (leoburnett.com, 2013). It also helped create some of the top consumer brands such as Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal and Tony the Tiger icon. The clients of Leo Burnett are Maybank, Petronas, Hotlink, Maxis, Taylors’ college, Marlboro and so on. They are all about that special connection between brands and consumer. Their mission is the â€Å"best in the world, without exception, in brand buyers turning into brand believers,† and will not be using its proprietary brand of belief systems. According to Stephen Gatfield, their vision reflects his personal brand-building expertise and constant enhancements will ensure that its customers get a higher return on the deal in advertising. Based on the research, Leo Burnett won the Overall Agency of the Year 2012 at the Advertising and Marketing Awards Malaysia. 2.0Description of job titles and functions See more:  Mark Twain’s Humorous Satire in Running for Governor Essay The top of agency is usually led by a CEO, 2 junior presidents, and some different functional area such as executive creative director, managing director, chief operating officer, and chief executive officer. 2.1Executive Creative Director Leo Burnett has some of the most important key accounts in the world, for the example Yasmin Ahmad. She was a talent film director, writer and scriptwriter from and was also the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. She worked at the company for 51 years, since 1958 to 2009. She brought some of the national oil company and the most remarkable advertisements for Petronas by Leo Burnett. It has won multiple awards within Malaysia and internationally so today put them as one of the top institutions in Malaysia. In the mean time, we know that her television commercials and films are well known in Malaysia because of their comedy, kindness and love. Recently, Eric Cruz is joining Leo Burnett in Malaysia as Executive Creative Director. Therefore, his work focuses on the connection between art and design, moving images and exploring new things in media hybrids. According to Tan Kien Eng, Leo Burnett’s CEO, he says that Eric’s unique bring together of experience having worked with some of the world’s leading agencies across some of the most creatively-vibrant markets sets him apart. He has provided a strong global work and is deeply impressive performance in Asian cultures. 2.2Managing Director Robert Kay has joined Leo Burnett in Malaysia and he is new managing director. In the past years, he has worked for some of world Class Company and includes control marketing and product development for Australasia. In the mean time, based on the research, I found that he not only as account leader for Saatchi & Saatchi also as leader of one of Asia’s most awarded marketing-services companies. Besides that, Robert Kay is a very well-known person in the company because of his passion for creativity. The most important thing is the brand has allowed him to connect with some of the popular brand in beverage industry such as Coca-Cola and Carlsberg Tetley, technology such as Hp and car industry such as Mercedes-Benz & Fiat. Thus, his work mostly focuses on providing leadership on strategic problem and looks for new business opportunity. 2.3Chief Operating Officer Recently, the company has selected Michelle Ong as chief operating officer and also overseeing operations. In fact, his work are focus on reinventing workflow process while cooperation with colleagues in the company. Furthermore, she also needs to focus on key MNC brands such as McDonald’s, Dutch Lady Malaysia, and Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based on the research, she has over 15 years of strong communications experience and builds a different range of brands, have work with Ogilvy & Mather and McCann World group in the past years. 2.4Chief Executive Officer Leo Burnett’s chief executive officer is Tan Kien Eng. He has grown the resourceful reputation of his work with more than 20 years of industry experience. In the mean time, he also creates a team to build Arc Worldwide Malaysia as the number one direct agency for three years in Malaysia. According to Tan Kien Eng, he believes that a company with growth must come with freedom. He starts from the growth of our people and our customers ‘ business growth in order to develop the Leo Burnett brand. In Leo Burnett, he has also strengthened account servicing and creative sides. In the mean time, He also helped OgilvyOne to establish the creative reputation successful in Asia Pacific and made OgilvyOne number one in Malaysia. In the past years of advertising world, we play a role in the planning, and today because we have introduced strategic planning capability of the client has started to become more dependent on the strategic account Director. Therefore, he is focus on the next phase of growth for Leo Burnett Group Malaysia now. 3.0Conclusion As a conclusion, according to Leo Burnett, it mentioned that a good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with needs and belief. In my opinion, I think that using an advertising agency can save time for a business because not needs to spend more time develop an advertising campaign. In the mean time, an advertising agency also can help us save a lot of money as agencies can get more discounts by radio or TV stations so they can get cheaper price than people in direct contact. Furthermore, advertising agencies also can help us to develop a brand in the market. It also can help us research and provide us to target the most effective market.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Financing Climate Change for Economic Development (a Case Study of Nigeria)

FINANCING CLIMATE CHANGE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA) Written By: ABORISADE OLUWASOGO OLANREWAJU SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING BANKING AND FINANCE OSUN STATE UNIVERSITY OSOGBO, OKUKU SUPERVISED BY: MR OLANREWAJU FATOKI ABSTRACT Climate change adaptation is increasingly becoming an area of growing interest and involvement for many developing countries that unfortunately bear the brunt of an overheating planet caused by developed or so called advanced countries.The uncertain effects of a changing climate on Nigeria’s economy pose significant setbacks for meeting development targets like Nigeria’s aspiration to be among the twenty best performing economies of the world by the year 2020 [Vision 20:20:20] and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The fact that Africa’s most populous country runs dangerously on a mono-product economy oiled by cheap hydrocarbon deposits, underscores this heavy dependence on natural resources. Climate change-induced losses and the unsustainable use of these invaluable resources appear to be a harmful problem that has elevated itself to a real development challenge in Nigeria. It is not difficult to see that Nigeria’s climate security vulnerability lies predominantly along the coastal, littoral states of the south and the northern frontline states as a result of a combination of high physical exposure as well as low household and community resilience.Poor adaptive responses to growing shifts in temperature, rainfall, storms, and sea levels could help fuel violent conflict in some areas of the country due to shortages of resources such as land and water which breeds negative secondary impacts such as more sickness, hunger, and joblessness, which in turn flings the doors to conflict and social chaos wide open. These problems are further compounded by a lack of institutional, legislative and fiscal capacity for effective management of natural resources and stability of the ecosystem; leading to educed farm productivity, increased work load particularly on women, and a dislocated rural economy. Mitigation and adaptation are both necessary to alleviate the impacts of a changing global climate on our local communities and national economy. This research work therefore discuses climate change in Nigeria and ways it could be finance to increase economic development in Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Climate Change is a term used for changes in weather condition in the past few years said to be caused by Global Warming.Global Warming is increase in the average temperature of planet earth which is said to be caused by continuous emission of gases that trap heat to the earth's atmosphere. Climate Change and Global warming are often used interchangeably. In an upper part of the atmosphere called the troposphere 10-19km above sea level, certain gases trap heat to the earth to make it warm. Without these gases, the average temperature of the earth will be 33OC colder not able to support life for humans and several living things.These heat trapping gases for their action that resembles heat trapping effect to a glass house in Physics are called Green House Gases (GHG). There are a number of GHG known with some more potent and available than others, these GHG have a natural cycle that keep them balanced and available at certain range in the earth’s atmosphere for their function to keep the earth warm. Certain anthropogenic activities like burning of fossil fuels release gaseous products made up of one or more GH gas. Nigeria’s economy though heavily dependent on oil is sustained by agriculture and has thus become increasingly constrained.Both source of revenue for the economy is vulnerable to climate change crisis. Sustainable development of these sectors of the economy can only be achieved if processes in use are in favour and harmony with the environment. Although, Nigeria is not a major player in the green house gas emission comp ared to the western countries, the country has contributed to the depletion of the ozone layer through continuous gas flaring emission by multinational oil corporation in Niger Delta region. Climate change has become a global concern with harmful effects as seasonal cycles are hindered.For example, food production and water supply are adversely affected by the effects of climate change and if care is not taken, it will affect the economy in a drastic way. Nigeria and Climate Change Nigeria is exposed to the dangers of climate change, which is now a global issue. The dangers pose serious threats to existing environmental problems like desertification, erosion, flooding, and ecological devastation. Considering the strong connection between climate change and development, Nigeria is highly at risk in the area of food security, poverty reduction, energy and most importantly, infrastructure and general economic development.In view of this anyway, Nigeria’s efforts and actions must be informed by these realities. For example, it is estimated that in the Sudan-Sahel area of Nigeria, between 89,297 and 133,944 square kilometers of arable land would be at risk. It is estimated that the capital value at risk stands at about US$6. 4 billion for the current level of development, (NCCC, 2003). In December 2009, Nigeria like many other countries had the opportunity to tackle its climate change issues at Copenhagen, the capital and largest city in Denmark.However, climate change cannot be successfully addressed by any individual country it requires therefore substantial action and continuous efforts. These actions include nations’ investing in programmes and projects aimed at reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG’s), and contribute to adapting to climatic changes. Nigeria is committing itself to facing the challenges that climate change presents within its borders and is acting rapidly to ensure that the Copenhagen deal is the best for Nigeria and Africa.This is being achieved by continuing to form partnerships globally and regionally, and by promoting the development of alternative energy sources internally. Nigeria believes that climate change poses important threats to Africa, while equally offering some unique opportunities to generate new revenues and build more diverse and resilient economies. For example, a policy like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) if designed to have an African focus could generate investments worth billions of US dollars every year. Causes of climate changeThe climatologists have found evidence to suggest that some factors are primarily responsible for most of the past episode of climate change on the earth and which needs to be addressed urgently. These factors include: (a. ) Radioactive forcing A process which alters the energy balances of the earth-atmosphere system is known as radioactive forcing mechanism (Shine et al, 2010). These may include degree of difference in the earthâ€℠¢s orbit around the sun, solar radiation, volcanic activity and atmospheric composition. (b. ) Non- radioactive forcingAny change in the climate must involve some form of energy redistribution within the global climate system. Yet there are forcing agents who do not affect directly the energy budget of the atmosphere (the balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing terrestrial radiation). These are considered to be non- radioactive mechanism of global climate change. Such agents usually operate over vast time scales [107 to 109] and mainly include those which affect the climate through their influence over the geometry of the earth’s surface, such as location and size of mountain ranges and position of the ocean basins. (c. ) External forcingThis section discusses some of the various external forcing mechanisms operating over time a scale of 10 years to 109 years. (i. ) Galactic variations The orbit of the solar system about the centre of the galaxy has been conside red as a possible external climate forcing mechanism (Hugget, 1991). During the course of a galactic years [now estimates at 303million years] variation in the inter stellar medium (William, Isaac and Shoo, 1975) may also suggest that variation in gravitation torque induced by galaxy’s near neighbors, the small and large megellanic clouds, could have far reaching consequences for the earth’s climate. ii. ) Orogeny It is the name given to a tectonic process of mountain building and continental uplift. Such mechanisms operate over tens or even hundreds of millions of years. The earth’s outer surface, a layer known as the lithosphere {made up of the crust and the upper section of the mantle}, is broken up into 12 different plates which are constantly adjusting their positions relatively to each other and such movements are driven by the internal convective dynamics within the earth mantle.When plates collide, one may either be subdued beneath another or both are pu shed continually together, forcing upwards any continental land masses, to form long mountain range. (iii. ) Epeirogeny It is a term that describes changes in the global disposition of land masses and like organic process, this changes are driven by internal plate tectonic movements. Continents move around the globe at a rate of several centimeters per year owning to the slowness of the internal dynamics of the earth. However, over tens or hundreds of millions of years, both the size and position of land area can change appreciably. iv. ) Volcanic activity Explosive eruption can inject large quantities of dust and gaseous materials [such as sulphur dioxide] into the upper atmosphere [the stratosphere], where sulphur is rapidly converted into sulphuric acid aerosols. Whereas volcanic pollution of the lower atmosphere is removed within days by the effects of rainfall and gravity, stratospheric pollution may remain there for several years, gradually spreading to cover much of the globe . A volcanic activity has the ability to affect global climate on a longer time scale.Over periods of millions or even tens of millions of years, increased volcanic activity can emit enormous volumes of green house gases, with the potential of substantial global warming (Pickering ; Owen, 2004; Rampino ; Volk, 2006]. However, the global cooling effect of sulphur dioxide emissions will act to counter the green house warming and the resultant climate change remains uncertain. (v. ) Ocean circulation It was identified that the oceans store an immense amount of heat energy, and consequently play a crucial role in the regulation of the global climatic system.In order to explain the observed hemispheric syncronity of glaciations, despite periods of directly opposed orbital forcing in the two hemispheres, many researchers have looked to the oceans. Although, in this sense, changes in oceans circulation has traditionally been viewed as internal forcing mechanisms in its own right. Economic implications of Climate change The estimates of economic impact on climate change are typically based on ‘damage function’. The estimates cover a variety of climate impacts that are usually grouped as ‘market impact’ and ‘non-market impact’.Market impacts include effects on climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism; damage to coastal areas from sea level rises; changes in energy expenditure (for heating and cooling) and changes in water resources. The non-market impacts cover the effects of climate change on health; leisure activities, ecosystem and human settlements. The economic implications of climate change in Nigeria are discussed below: (a. ) Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries McCarl (2007) reported that 70% of the workforce in Nigeria relies on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihood.He noted that agriculture is affected by climate change as a result of reduction in quantity and quality of yields; changes in crop practices through changes in water use (irrigation) and cost of agricultural inputs such as herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers; Environmental effects particularly due to frequency and intensity of soil damage leading to nitrogen leaching, soil erosion and reduction of crop diversity. Other effects are adaptation of organisms and plants to flood, salinity and temperature, collapse of flourishing profitable investment and a sharp downturn of national economy.According to Okali (2004), droughts usually increase in occurrence, having a huge impact, especially in the dry North as a result of desertification. (b. ) Tourism and Leisure activities The forest is the abode for wildlife. If the forests disappear, the wildlife goes with it. Sites of tourist attractions in Nigeria are vulnerable to climate change. The waterfalls, the lakes, the river basins, the ocean views, the beaches, the ranches etc. may be nowhere to be found. Due to this, the huge investment of both t he government and the private sector in tourism and leisure activities may be eroded.Loss of revenue and the lay-off of those employed in this sector of the economy will impose financial strain on the economy. (c. ) Coastal areas and Sea level rises Not less than seven out of the thirty-six states in Nigeria is in the coastal area. Nigeria’s coastal zone is richly blessed with various natural resources such as crude oil and fish, which are presently being exploited for economic gains. The global climate change and the concomitant sea level rises will have adverse effects on the coastal zone.Nigeria could lose over 18,000 square kilometers of the coastal land and the natural resources contained therein as well as experience disruption in socio-economic activities. This will also increase the salinity of the fresh water, thereby affecting aquatic life. Loss of revenue and GDP and the attendant impact of rendering the inhabitants of the coastal areas, who are pre-dominantly fish ermen, unemployed. (d. ) Human settlement Desert encroachment is becoming a threat from the northern part of Nigeria due to desertification.The inadequate trees in some parts of the North have resulted in unfavourable living condition and displacement of many human settlements. The rising sea level and gully erosion are equally claiming several kilometers in the coastal areas especially the southern part of the country. Valuable resources and infrastructures of the country are found in this area and if the sea claims these places, the economy of the nation will be affected. The Tsunami incidence in Japan on 12th March 2011, which claimed thousands of lives and properties worth billions of dollars, is a warning signal.It is also very important that Nigeria lend a clue from the bitter experience of Japan. (e. ) Health Increased temperature in the various regions could result in high incidence of malaria and other diseases that affect humans due to high temperature. The possibility of water-borne diseases as a result of the sea level rises cannot be ruled out. The implication of this is that there would be an increase in the cost of maintaining a healthy nation. It is note-worthy that this might frustrate the recent effort by government and relevant international health agencies to halt the scourge of malaria and other diseases. f) Industry and manufacturing The effect of global warming on the climate-vulnerable sectors of the economy (agriculture and the coastal resources) that provide input for the industry and manufacturing is another area of concern. The infant industries and the small and medium scale enterprises could be threatened. This is because only the big ones will be able to pay the high prices of manufacturing inputs. The GDP will be adversely affected by the inability of the small businesses to operate since they act as catalysts for economic growth and development. g) Financial services sector This sector serves as the intermediary between the def icit sector and the surplus sector of the economy. Owing to the ability of the big companies who are mostly quoted on the stock exchange to weather the storm of the likely downturn, they will force the market into an initial boom, which may not last, only to be followed, subsequent to its effect on the climate sensitive sectors, by a devastating and catastrophic burst because no entity or segment of the economy would be left out.Hence, there is the tendency of experiencing what could be best described as ‘climate induced inflation’. Odjugbo (2010) noted that climate has a significant effect on the country’s economy. Climate Change Financing Providing financial support to developing countries like Nigeria to help mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to its impacts will be crucial to achieving agreement at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009. This makes financing one of the most critical issu es in international climate change negotiations.The major issues that need funding in order to address climate change properly are observed to include mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer and capacity building of institutions and personnel. Funding must benefit from domestic and international sources. The major sources of domestic resources to finance development in Nigeria have been domestic savings which are channeled into development through various formal and informal avenues, taxation, domestic borrowing (including borrowing from the banking system and private sector), bond financing, external reserves, surpluses of public enterprises, and very importantly, the oil sector.Domestic resources should ideally constitute the major source of financing development and should be the first port of call. It is a better long term option in the achievement of any longer term development goals. On the other hand, external resources should be seen as providing supplementary finance to domestic resources. External finance has proved difficult to predict and sustain. Indeed, some forms of external finance, for example, ODA, portfolio investment and bank lending that may appear to be important have tended to be highly volatile and hence potentially risky and problematic for development.Also, there has been skepticism about aid effectiveness such that ‘despite the declared huge disbursement by donors, there is not much on the ground to show for it’ (NPC, 2008). If domestic resources must provide a robust basis for sustainable progress in meeting the climate change challenges, then policies need to be implemented which would increase domestic saving and raise the revenue (tax and nontax) GDP ratio significantly beyond current levels. As at June 30 2009 there remain few well known sources of domestic financing for climate change adaptation/mitigation, renewable/green energy projects in Nigeria.Whilst we suspect that there are some in-house sources of fina nce being discussed within various institutions, these are not yet publicly known and are at their primary stage of development where they do exist. With respect to mitigation, a lot of resources are needed particularly in acquiring technology. Nigeria supports the initiative for the establishment of a Multilateral Technology Acquisition Fund to buy Intellectual property Rights (IPR) which is a major constraint to technology transfer.Most of the resources for mitigation have moved to the developed countries over the years. Nigeria supports therefore the review of this anomaly for equitable distribution. Mitigation resources should also come to developing countries so that their developmental efforts do not finally result in injecting more GHG into the atmosphere. Nigeria should team up with other African countries and the G77 to seek for greater access to Adaptation Funds. Many of the potential adaptation projects which are urgent require considerable capital investment that the Fun d can best provide.The significance of this is that this source of funding is reliable and predictable. Demand notices requiring for settling of counterpart Funds should be sent early enough to facilitate the processing of payment. Nigeria should team up with other countries to ask for the change in the present arrangement in which developed countries alone produce the CEOs of the GEF. In the future, the position should be alternately occupied by candidates from the developed and developing countries to reflect the global character of this institution.Constraints to financing climate change in Nigeria Some of the expected major sources of financing climate change in Nigeria encounter a lot of challenges/constraints. Some of these are as follows: – * The precarious dependence of government revenue on the oil sector. Thus, any shortfalls in oil revenue will adversely affect climate change mitigation/adaptation. Projected government financing of climate change may partly depend on economic growth performance and may not be realized if the growth performance is weak. The need to lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth, rely more on domestic sources of financing especially noninflationary sources, and diversify the revenue base away from oil to non oil tax sources. In addition to the above, the following issues have been identified as current constraints that are hampering progress in efforts to tackle climate change activities in the country: * Lack of a regulatory framework that should guide any institutional governance and the activities of climate change have discouraged local lending to renewable energy projects, foreign direct investment (FDI), and significant take-off of the CDM market. The lack of an established and working climate change institution has encumbered the drawing up of a broad-based and robust regulatory framework that can, with the assistance of consultants and advisers in this area, ensure world-class practices being put in plac e in Nigeria as part of the structure. * Absence of definite budgets within the various government ministries, departments, and agencies to incorporate climate change activities in national development within the broader Nigerian society. Lack of moral persuasion by the federal government on private enterprise to focus on driving climate change mitigation strategies and business development. * Lack of general educational campaign to advise financial institutions, corporate bodies and civil society on the merits of investing in Green Energy and the CDM market has greatly hampered the take off of all related projects. Lack of knowledge by financial institutions on investment within the new ‘green’ economy in all its ramifications due to lack of capacity build-up in this area. * Lack of knowledge among most local financial institutions on how to advise clients to access CDM funds for their projects which leads to less revenue being generated from carbon sequestration proje cts. CONCLUSIONNigeria cannot afford to be left outing the fringes of achieving environmental sustainability, alleviating poverty and reducing extreme hunger in line with the millennium development goals. The Government of Nigeria must as a matter of expediency treat the problems associated with climate change on the economy with urgency by adhering to international environmental treaties and embarking on massive and aggressive sensitization of the citizens on the problems associated with global warming and the steps that can be taken to address the concern.The government needs to sensitize Nigerians on the need to be more environmental friendly, evolve a change in consumer behaviour and ensure effective utilization of financial resources to mitigate the effects of climate change. REFERENCE Odjugo, P. A. O. (2010). Regional evidence of climate change in Nigeria. Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 3(6), pp. 142-150 United Nations Organization. (2010). Climate Change Conferen ce in Cancun leads to agreements Sass.R. L. , (2009), Frequently Asked Questions: Climate Change, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University United States Central Intelligence Agency World Fact Book (2011), https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni. html United States Climate Science Program (2008), Trends in Emissions of Ozone Depleting Substances, Ozone Layer Recovery and Implications for Ultra Violet Radiation Exposure Synthesis and Assessment Product 2. 4

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Deep Curriculum Alignment

Chapter one discusses the reasons why assessment and accountability have become increasingly prevalent over the last 50 years. Interestingly, English blames most of the problems with assessment and accountability on politics. The chapter discusses in depth the rhetoric associated with the defects of public education today. Six culprits including the monopolistic and inefficient nature of public education, the genetic incapacity of minority children and children of color to do well in school, the intransigence of teacher unions to educational reform, the lack of intellectual rigor in colleges of education, the good ‘ole boy coaches who dominate school leadership positions, and the lack of â€Å"quality† in schools which must be forcefully inserted by ratcheting up the consequences of not doing well on state tests were all investigated in the chapter. I can very easily relate to all six of these â€Å"culprits.† At different times in my education career, I have heard reference to all six. I particularly enjoyed the discussion centered on the last culprit since this high-stakes testing practice is used in the state of Alabama. What is most thought provoking about this is that I had actually bought into the belief that some of these â€Å"culprits† were actually legitimate. English points out that these aspects have little or nothing to do with poor tests score and fixing them will not improve tests scores since test scores are not caused by any of them. This chapter also explores four popular myths about tests. Among these myths are tests are neutral and objective, tests are meritocratic tools, tests take the politics out of education, and one can test (inspect) quality in education. I found of particular interest the section dealing with tests and politics. English refers many times to the politics involved in high stakes testing in this chapter. To be perfectly honest, I did not realize to what extent testing was political... Free Essays on Deep Curriculum Alignment Free Essays on Deep Curriculum Alignment Chapter one discusses the reasons why assessment and accountability have become increasingly prevalent over the last 50 years. Interestingly, English blames most of the problems with assessment and accountability on politics. The chapter discusses in depth the rhetoric associated with the defects of public education today. Six culprits including the monopolistic and inefficient nature of public education, the genetic incapacity of minority children and children of color to do well in school, the intransigence of teacher unions to educational reform, the lack of intellectual rigor in colleges of education, the good ‘ole boy coaches who dominate school leadership positions, and the lack of â€Å"quality† in schools which must be forcefully inserted by ratcheting up the consequences of not doing well on state tests were all investigated in the chapter. I can very easily relate to all six of these â€Å"culprits.† At different times in my education career, I have heard reference to all six. I particularly enjoyed the discussion centered on the last culprit since this high-stakes testing practice is used in the state of Alabama. What is most thought provoking about this is that I had actually bought into the belief that some of these â€Å"culprits† were actually legitimate. English points out that these aspects have little or nothing to do with poor tests score and fixing them will not improve tests scores since test scores are not caused by any of them. This chapter also explores four popular myths about tests. Among these myths are tests are neutral and objective, tests are meritocratic tools, tests take the politics out of education, and one can test (inspect) quality in education. I found of particular interest the section dealing with tests and politics. English refers many times to the politics involved in high stakes testing in this chapter. To be perfectly honest, I did not realize to what extent testing was political...

Monday, October 21, 2019

buy custom Thomas Green essay

buy custom Thomas Green essay Thomas Green had been a lucky man. At 28, he was able to establish a name for himself. A name his contemporaries could only hope for. Hed been at Dynamic Displays, a company that specializes in customer assistance in airports and hotels, since March 2007. Dynamics Display had gold in their hands when they hired Green. As an account executive, he delivered beyond expectations. This was what drove Shannon McDonald, the vice president to the Travel and Hospitality Division, to take notice of his abilities. By September 2007, he got promoted from the account executive position to senior market specialist. McDonald backed him up, fully acknowledging his skills and potentials. They, being both from Atlanta may have contributed to this promotion. McDonald, upon Greens promotion, forewarned him of the status of his promotion and problems he might encounter, especially with his immediate superior, Frank Davis. Davis held Greens position before he got promoted to Marketing Director. He had been set to choose his own replacement. Green had been keen to heed McDonalds advice. The Budget Panel meeting on October 2007 had been the signal of Greens woes. Thinking that Davis projection for the year 2008 way overboard, he stood up to question the formers marketing plans. This did not sit well for Davis. A series of communication was exchanged between McDonald and Davis, as well as meetings between Green and Davis. Davis obviously was not pleased how Green stood up against him, and thought it was highly inappropriate. Davis discussed with Green what he found lacking in him and made suggestions as to how to improve his performance. The same thing happened three months later. Davis continued on to take note of Greens deficiencies. This prompted Green to think that Davis may have took what happened in the board meeting, personal and suspected that Davis was out to get him fired. Now 5 months into the job, Green is in a limbo. Hes been ask by Shannon McDonald herself to explain his supposedly shortcomings. At this point, Green knew he was in trouble. He thinks that losing his job would be bad for him, with his current status, having just purchased a house and a series of furniture. His dilemma lies on to what steps he need to do to get the problem over and done with. The problem lies with how Green handles his job. He is clashing heads with Davis as to ideas and ideologies. Issues regarding superior and subordinate may have contributed to this problem. Politics may have been a factor in getting Green hired it could also be the reason why he can get fired. Discussions 1. What is your analysis of Thomas actions and job performance in his first 5 months after he got promoted? What mistakes has he made? What other elements does your team think contribute to the problem that Thomas Green faces in the case? 5 months into the job, Green had been an asset to Dynamic Displays. His creativity and approach in dealing with his tasks had been effective, but not all would agree to his strategy. He had been a welcome addition to the managerial team. McDonald believed in him, well enough to gamble in making his promotion possible. Some co- workers may have seen him as too bold in his ways with his dealings. He does not adhere with convention, as to planning and making of reports. He approaches the task at face value, disregarding convention and ethics. He may have over- calculated, thinking skills alone would assure him success in his job. He failed to realize that as a novice in his position, he must have listened to immediate superiors and did precautionary measures to assure him his retention. McDonald has forewarned him that he did not necessarily get the job for his skills. He had been an expert at sales, but no experience whatsoever in managerial work. He was under- qualified for the positi on, so he must have tried to educate himself, by listening to superiors, without fully throwing his own skills. He should have established a cordial working relationship with his superior, Frank Davis. He must have been motivated by too much ambition, thinking he could take on the tasks alone. In trying to establish a name for himself in the company, his working relationship with his immediate superior had been tainted. One of the biggest factors that may have contributed to his dilemma is his opposing to Davis proposal. This shows a lack of respect for authority. Davis may have thought he knew better, being in the position for quite some time before getting promoted. He may have taken a strong dislike for Thomas Green for questioning his authority and his intelligence. Thomas Green University of Georgia; Bachelors Degree- Economics (2001) ; summa cum laude National Business Solutions; Atlanta, Georgia Account Executive (2001- 2007) Dynamic Displays; Boston, Massachusetts Account Executive (February 2007- September 2007) Dynamic Displays; Boston, Massachusetts Senior Market Specialist (September 2007- present) 2. What are the personalities and work styles of Thomas Green and Frank Davis? How do actions of Thomas different from the expectations of Frank? Both Green and Davis utilize different approach in organization. Frank, being the superior between the two utilizes McGregors Theory X that focuses on managers need to micromanage thinking their employees are immature for their job. Davis exhibits attitudes inherent to Theory X managers. He is bossy, bordering to arrogance, he demands perfection, he is result- driven, vengeful, often resort to ultimatums, and most pronouncedly, he is poor at accepting criticism and is likely to retaliate. Green, on the other hand, exhibit the Expectancy Theory, wherein he decides to act on his will and is motivated by the need to choose a certain behavior over the other to influence outcomes. He believes that outcomes will be determined by past experiences and his confidence of getting the job done. Thomas Green Frank Davis Independent Poor communicator Creative Knows how to strategize Bossy Result-driven Highly sensitive to criticism Vengeful 3. Assume that you are a conflict management consultant to advise Thomas on the conflict with Frank, which conflict-handling style(s) would you suggest as the most appropriate style(s) for Thomas to use going forward and why? Would you further recommend any other influence tactics that can be employed to help the situation? What actions would you ultimately take if you were Thomas? If I were to handle the situation, I would advise Green to study his options. If he wanted to stay on his job, he better man up and propose to Davis solutions as to settle their differences. He would have a lot of pride- swallowing to do in admitting to Davis that he had his faults, as well as assuring Davis he would be up to doing his task accordingly. Another option for him is, if he decides he wants to stand by his principles, he quit his job immediately. If he believes that their differences in opinions and working styles cannot be mended, he better save face and resign voluntarily. 4. Please discuss methods/strategies for developing an effective relationship with ones boss. Can you provide advice/tips for making the most out of experiences with a difficult boss? Businessdirectory.com defines Organizational behavior as Actions and attitudes of individuals and groups toward one another and toward the organization as a whole, and its effect on the organization's functioning and performance. Both characters tend to clash in opinions thus, structure is in disarray. Communication is a means of ensuring that goals are to be met and outcomes are to be specifically set. In order to have good working relationship between individuals, sharing of ideas, through good communication, must be practiced. Communication can be formal or informal. The use of correspondence, such as memos and planning through schedules is formal communication, whilst informal communication is done by words of mouth. I recommend that utilizing the Principle of Functional Definition be imposed. This principle suggests that all functions of individuals in a group be properly defined. By defining duties, responsibilities, and authority, a company ensures good working relationship and proper coordination among members of a team. This would help in ensuring effective and correct role- assumptions. Outlining structures, such as redefining roles and responsibilities must be done to ensure a harmonious and productive environment. Utilizing the Unity and Chain of Command Principle help in ensuring that roles are clearly emphasized. In this principle the superior and subordinate follows a chain of hierarchy that enable the team to work in such a way leaders assume a role to lead and maximize employees skill potential. Thomas Green must know where he stands in the company. Being a novice entails that he works well with his boss. By doing so, he gets to get the job at hand done without having to deal with internal conflicts in the organization. Listening to suggestions and adhering to convention wont get in the way of his job, so he might as well listen and dont act alone in making decisions. It would help him extremely if he observed company protocol and do his best to stick to the rules of the company. By listening intently, he gets to know pointers from the experts. Davis fully knows what he is talking about. Hed been in the company for 17 years. If there was anything Green could do, it would be to maintain an open line of communication with his immediate superior. Getting your boss to listen to your insights can be difficult, especially if the boss has taken a certain dislike of you, but getting your point across by making the boss look bad is certainly a career- killer. Green would benefit much if he practiced work Ethics in dealing with his difference in opinion with Davis. 5. Politics is not inherently bad. It is merely a way to get things done within organizationsIn fact, politics is a fact of life in organizations. Do you agree or disagree with the above statement? Please defend your position. a) If you answered yes to Question 5, do you then believe it is ever justifiable to engage in illegitimate political behaviors (In doing so, you need to define what constitutes illegitimate political behaviors in organizations)? If so, what are some conditions that might justify such behaviors? What might be some negative effects on the perpetrators and on the organization as a whole? b) If you answered no to Question 6, do you then believe that political behaviors, whether illegitimate or legitimate, should not be part of organizational life under any circumstances/conditionsplease elaborate on your position. Though politicking is part of the trade, I have to disagree in this statement. Businessdirectory.com defines organizational politics as the pursuit of individual agendas and self-interest in an organization without regard to their effect on the organization's efforts to achieve its goals. If organizational politicking was to be allowed, despite issues with Ethics, structures in organizations will be disrupted. Politics in organization hinders growth and sets limits to individuals. Politics entails getting people hire not for what they know, but who they know, can be harmful for the working environment. Not only does politics flame conflicts, it tend to result in poor job delivery. Indulging in the illegal is not only unjustifiable, it is downright harmful. No amount of justification can ever correct a system that has been based on politics. Organizational politics lead to people getting jobs they are not qualified for, thus threatening the structure of the organization by not measuring up to expectations. Goals that were set are never achieved once this becomes inherent in a company. 6. Please create a question that you believe is crucial to understanding issues presented in the case but the preceding questions did not adequately address. Then, answer your question. The main issue in the cases presented is Greens handling of his new position. Now, the main question to be asked is Was he the right man for the position? Did he deserve that promotion? I sincerely believe that Thomas Green, though good at sales, could have honed his skills more if he got promoted to Market Specialist instead. His lack of experience may be the root of his problems now. He was obviously not qualified to assume a position that was so different from the previous. He assumed a position he has no knowledge of, he did not adhere to company protocols, his work Ethics is questionable, he is stubborn to listen to superiors. With these faults, it can safely be assumed that he did not deserve to be Senior Market Specialist. He does not have the adequate qualifications whatsoever. Someone who had worked for Dynamic Displays longer could have done a greater job. Politics inside the organization helped him get the promotion. Because of this, he is at peril of losing his job. Conclusion To ensure that goals are met in an organization, communication is vital. Organizations, such as Dynamic Displays, must adhere to strict policies regarding promotion and evaluation of employees skills and competency. More often than not, conflicts arise from internal politics. This is bad for the organization because it hinders growth and harmonious working relationships. Each individual has his own attitude towards work and leadership. It is through communication that these individual personalities meet halfway. Buy custom Thomas Green essay

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Washington Irvings Famous Story of a Sleeping Man

Washington Irving's Famous Story of a Sleeping Man Rip van Winkle  is an 1819 story by Washington Irving, American short-story writer. The story was published as part of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, and was based on a German fairy tale. It chronicles the story of a man who falls asleep in the Catskills just before the American Revolution, and wakes up 20 years later to a completely different society.   Rip ends up in the mountains in the first place while trying to escape his nagging wife, and meets a man struggling with a heavy keg of moonshine. He helps the man carry it to a hollow where they encounter strange men playing a game of ninepins. Rip drinks some of their moonshine, and falls asleep 20 years later with a rusted musket and a long beard. He later learns that the man with the keg was the ghost of Henry Hudson.   Here are some questions for study and discussion about Rip van Winkle: Who are the strange men that Rip encounters in the hollow? Is it helpful to know that the story is based on a German fairy tale? Why or why not? Is Rips long sleep a reward (perhaps for helping the men playing ninepins) or a punishment (for being a generally lazy guy)? What is the portrayal of women in the story, including that of Rips wife Dame van Winkle? Can you think of a more contemporary story where a nagging wife is so central to a storys plot? How does Irving reveal character in Rip van Winkle? Compare/Contrast Rip van Winkle with Gulliver of Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift. Are there other characters in literature that compare to Rip van Winkle? Is Rip van Winkle consistent in his actions? Is he a fully-developed character? Discuss some of the symbols in Rip Van Winkle. Compare Rip van Winkle  with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. How are they similar? How are they different? How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else? What if the story had been set before and after the Civil War, or the War of 1812? How realistic is Irvings depiction of the Catskills? Why did he choose to set the story there? How does time figure into the story? Why was Rips slumber 20 years long, and not 10 years or 30 years? What would a sequel to Rip van Winkle have looked like? What would you expect Rip would be doing in another 20 years time? Is Rip van Winkle a tragedy or a comedy? Is there a central moral or lesson to be learned? Is this a childrens story? Why or why not?

Saturday, October 19, 2019

American Heritage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

American Heritage - Essay Example employed to determine and govern the way that each of these aforementioned three actors can and should behave with relation to the tasks they were responsible for fulfilling and with regards to the level of cross jurisdictional activity that was allowed to occur between the two. It should be noted that although a powerful judiciary and/or legislature were feared as well, the ultimate fear that the founders had was with regards to the growth and over abundance of power that a strong executive might carve out for himself/herself. In this way, a secondary benefit of the separation of power can be seen to have an ancillary benefit of ensuring that none of the three becomes too powerful; however, the ultimate goal that was originally intended to ensure that the executive branch was not able to exact total control over the system. This was primarily born out of the fear that was a result of the means by which the colonists had experienced the full might and whimsical wrath of King George III. After having a far less than pleasant experience with the way in which a total monarch (the ultimate executive) could exhibit control over each and every aspect of life, the colonists and the framers wanted to ensure that they could create a system of governance that did not exhibit this particular flaw. By refusing the power of the legislature to enact law, by refusing the power of the executive to pass legislation, and by refusing the judicial power the powers associated with either the legislative or executive branches, the framers were able to create a system that most effectively represented the means by which checks and balances could be ensured between all three branches. By not making any one entity or individual ultimately responsible, the framers sought to create a medium of governance that would not perish by nature of its very inability to provide rapid and/or radical changes based upon the whims or personal interests of a single individual or a cabal of self

Friday, October 18, 2019

Human Resource Management regarding Coca Cola Company Essay

Human Resource Management regarding Coca Cola Company - Essay Example The personnel management accentuates the transactional leadership style where the leader is not viewed as a job-oriented individual. In this style of management, focus is directed at set procedures, completion of duties, and punishment for not performing or complying with the rules. Human aspects like consideration, concern, lenience, and personal relationships attract less attention. Human resources management, however, creates transformational leaders. This style of management seeks to promote the sharing of business goals by both management and employees. This management is workforce oriented and shares the objectives of the business with its employees. The second distinction is that in personnel management the job plan is functional. Pay policies are not based on ability and information. The value in this management is based on the duties outlined in the contract only. The human resources management encourages workforce to view the pay as a motivation to improvement of job perfor mance. The job design focuses on teamwork, job rotation and enlargement as an approach created by the human resources manager. Third, the personnel management ensures that personnel strictly follow the contract of employment. This style of management allows no room for modifications or changes in the contract outline. The human resources management employs a flexible approach to the workforce that entails open contract agreements. The employees granted the freedom to choose working systems that suit them. This style ensures that the employees are free hence more input leading to the benefit of the organization (Ster & Koster, 2007, p. 6). This style is referred to as a win-win approach. The nature of relations is also different because in the personnel management the relationship is contractual. In this management one individual hires whereas the other one performs. The human resources management focuses on sharing mission and vision associated with the achievement of the organizat

Critical appraisal of a marketing topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical appraisal of a marketing topic - Essay Example The organizational top heads have realized where they have gone wrong all this while, and what more could be done to bring sanity within their own ranks. This has called for clear cut strategic directions and policies that must be developed in the wake of changing marketing, management and business initiatives. New products and services get introduced with each passing day (Cooper, 2001). What is important is to discern the exact basis of growth and productivity within the related realms. This is needed because the marketing can only come about in full circle when there are all-out efforts and endeavors made by the management concerns. It would solve the anomalies present within the system of conducting business and resolve issues that could be from the smaller to the magnanimous ones. This paper touches upon how maritime businesses have been able to depict their true place within the globally changing dynamics of conducting business operations. The Dynamics of Maritime Businesses Th e maritime business is comprised of the handling of vessels as well as its different components. These revolve around the debate of having enterprises that are doing their bit at the relevant business realms, manufacturing, designing and repairing of the vessels and so on. It has developed into a full-fledged industry and many different organizations are working worldwide to extract the immense benefits that lie within their folds. The maritime businesses have been largely focused on the sea operations as it is the first and foremost requirement indeed. Without a sea or even a river, the maritime business would not be able to come about in entirety. The maritime businesses have made it big because the management realms within their concerns have realized how big a market it is for the investors, stakeholders and retailers. They have also come to the reckoning that the maritime business is a consistent process and does not come to a standstill at any point in time. It is much similar to the aircraft industry or even a road transport system that is in place all over the world (Elkin, 1998). Different shipping lines, cruise companies and brokerage services are under the aegis of the maritime business that has made it a huge hit in the time and age of today. There are the marine railways, freight forwarding services and related undertakings within the maritime businesses. Also merchant navy works under the same aegis and not to forget the maritime professionals who have literally made this industry a giant one. Recommendations for Marketing Strategic Projects It is important that the strategic projects within the marketing dynamics are handled in an adequate way so that any shortcomings that exist within the related fore are taken care of. The strategic projects are only successful when their marketing realms are handled properly where concentration is on deriving the maximum possible value. These strategic projects can only come about when they are given the room to be exploited.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Practical Benefits of Personal Skills Essay

The Practical Benefits of Personal Skills - Essay Example The four skills that I have chosen are coordination, active learning, active listening, and critical thinking. Possession of these life skills is said to be very beneficial and eases difficult conditions, both in terms of personal matters and in terms of those that deal with the workplace. Indeed, when faced with life's problems, which are natural however, one should possess the basic life skills so that he may be armed in defeating all life's foes. My chosen skills are beneficial to a person in a variety of ways that one can imagine. Its importance is seen in the tendency of a suicidal patient to end his life, which is a certain manifestation of hardship in dealing with a current problem. This condition only mirrors the truth that this person has not equipped himself effectively enough with life's basic skills. The reason may perhaps be because he is not aware that these are important skills that must be developed and carried on in life, or it may be that he did not have the opportunity to develop them in the first place, the environment he is in is not one conducive enough for such development, or he simply did not have the knowledge of how important they are to his own advantage. Below are the four chosen basic skills and their benefits: Coordinatio Coordination Skills Coordination is adjusting actions in relation to others' action.1 It implies one's ability to adapt to situations and the people around it. Getting something through whatever means possible is contrary to the development of this basic skill, since one has to consider others - their ideas, feelings, and impacts of an undertaking or a decision - and unite them with one's ideas in making things work out the most possible and desirable way. Adjusting one's actions with those of others in a pursuit to achieve an individual or a group goal is the best way of dealing with differences.2 The benefits that this basic skill extends to an individual are massive. The results are manifested in a healthy work environment, a give-and-take relationship, and new and renewed friendships. People will also appreciate one's consideration and ability of involving them in his worldview, a rare capacity that must be developed, especially in the workplace. This mere appreciation is a benefit in itself, for it leads to the extension of one's sphere of influence and linkage building, necessary in making certain goals achievable and with ease. Coordination skill is one that I have acquired recently and I am reaping various positive outcomes as a result. Developing and sustaining new friendships is one benefit that I directly experience. Coordination has made me develop my receptivity as a person, a trait, which I think is important especially that people always want to have their ideas and insights be considered and being repulsive to them will scare them just the same. It does not mea n however, that this receptivity is just simply allowing people get their way. Rather, it is more of digesting their insights, weighting them with mine, considering them if they are attuned to my values and ethics, and informing people the reasons why I do not consider them in case I

Leadership Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Style - Essay Example In transformational leadership, one individual take control and make the group reach to its collective goals. In transformational leadership, leader creates a shared vision and all those who follow him succeed in the context of achieving long-term objectives. There are four different components of transformational leadership. In this style of leadership, leader motivates each individual follower to perform up to his potential. He councils each follower, provide guidelines and monitor his performances. Leader communicates openly in this style and share ideas freely with the followers. It is obvious that bringing a turnaround in the company, motivating people becoming a role model for followers are source of the prominent benefits of transformational leadership. In addition, the convincing style of leadership, leader acting as role model and sharing a common vision are the positives upon which every organization would went to thrive. It is also a fact that every individual to different to another individual and leaders care for individual also helps a great deal in guiding the organization on the path of success (McCrimmon, 2008). Most prominent example of transformational leadership is of Sam Walton, who uses to visit all Wal-Mart stores across the United Sates and meet all the associates and executives of the company. He always encourages managers and professional to share their ideas in an open and frank manner. Apart from sharing the ideas, he always praised them and appreciated them for the good work they were producing. One can positively conclude that effective transformational leadership results in high performance and achievement of company objectives, beyond expectations (Hall et al, 2002). However, critics have repeatedly pointed out that in transformational leadership, styles become more important than the substance. It should be the other way around substance should enjoy more value than the personality. Conclusively, the paper has discussed

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Practical Benefits of Personal Skills Essay

The Practical Benefits of Personal Skills - Essay Example The four skills that I have chosen are coordination, active learning, active listening, and critical thinking. Possession of these life skills is said to be very beneficial and eases difficult conditions, both in terms of personal matters and in terms of those that deal with the workplace. Indeed, when faced with life's problems, which are natural however, one should possess the basic life skills so that he may be armed in defeating all life's foes. My chosen skills are beneficial to a person in a variety of ways that one can imagine. Its importance is seen in the tendency of a suicidal patient to end his life, which is a certain manifestation of hardship in dealing with a current problem. This condition only mirrors the truth that this person has not equipped himself effectively enough with life's basic skills. The reason may perhaps be because he is not aware that these are important skills that must be developed and carried on in life, or it may be that he did not have the opportunity to develop them in the first place, the environment he is in is not one conducive enough for such development, or he simply did not have the knowledge of how important they are to his own advantage. Below are the four chosen basic skills and their benefits: Coordinatio Coordination Skills Coordination is adjusting actions in relation to others' action.1 It implies one's ability to adapt to situations and the people around it. Getting something through whatever means possible is contrary to the development of this basic skill, since one has to consider others - their ideas, feelings, and impacts of an undertaking or a decision - and unite them with one's ideas in making things work out the most possible and desirable way. Adjusting one's actions with those of others in a pursuit to achieve an individual or a group goal is the best way of dealing with differences.2 The benefits that this basic skill extends to an individual are massive. The results are manifested in a healthy work environment, a give-and-take relationship, and new and renewed friendships. People will also appreciate one's consideration and ability of involving them in his worldview, a rare capacity that must be developed, especially in the workplace. This mere appreciation is a benefit in itself, for it leads to the extension of one's sphere of influence and linkage building, necessary in making certain goals achievable and with ease. Coordination skill is one that I have acquired recently and I am reaping various positive outcomes as a result. Developing and sustaining new friendships is one benefit that I directly experience. Coordination has made me develop my receptivity as a person, a trait, which I think is important especially that people always want to have their ideas and insights be considered and being repulsive to them will scare them just the same. It does not mea n however, that this receptivity is just simply allowing people get their way. Rather, it is more of digesting their insights, weighting them with mine, considering them if they are attuned to my values and ethics, and informing people the reasons why I do not consider them in case I

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Poverty Relief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Poverty Relief - Essay Example A weakness of both approaches is their sensitivity to the choice of (necessarily somewhat) arbitrary poverty lines and of peculiar value judgements regarding the social welfare objectives of the government—for instance, that the government cares equally for all the poor, regardless of how far from the poverty line they may be. For instance, the analysis of targeting errors focuses typically on sharp 0/1 indicators, and arguably tends to differentiate too drastically between the poor and the non poor, in particular between those in similar circumstances but who just happen to lie on opposite sides of some poverty line.The working tax benefit is available to anybody aged 25 or over who works sixteen hours a week or more. There is a basic element and a range of additional elements for single parents and couples, for people who work for thirty hours a week or more, and for people with a severe disability; there is also an element to contribute towards the costs of child care. A pe rson earning below a threshold level of income receives the full benefit. For earnings above that, benefit is withdrawn at a rate of 37 pence per pound of earnings. Benefit is normally awarded on an annual basis; thus an increase in earnings, unless large, will not lead to a reduction in benefit until a person is reassessed. Other difficulties in the assessment of program changes come from their differential effects on average deadweight losses. Such differential effects can occur when the programs are funded from different revenue sources.: differences in the cost of public funds that arise from differences in those revenue sources must then be taken into account (Slemrod and Yitzhaki, 1996)2. Differences in the effects on average deadweight losses can also arise from the differential behavioural changes that different program reforms can generate among program beneficiaries. These differential behavioural changes can in general also affect the direct disaggregated welfare impact o f program reforms. None of these categories can readily be dealt with by private insurance; and none except the first can be helped by raising national-insurance benefits or by extending their coverage. Much poverty is associated with children and/or high housing costs, neither of which is an insurable risk. Two conclusions emerge: private insurance is not possible in most of these cases; nor is extending national insurance a complete answer. The state could, of course, do nothing, and let people face the risk of starvation, but, even ignoring equity arguments, this has a range of efficiency costs, including social unrest/ crime among those facing starvation; the death by starvation of dependants including children (the future labour force);

Monday, October 14, 2019

The War Play Dilemma Essay Example for Free

The War Play Dilemma Essay As violence in the media and media-linked toys increases, parents and teachers are also seeing an increase in childrens war play. The authors have revised this popular text to provide more practical guidance for working with children to promote creative play, and for positively influencing the lessons about violence children are learning. Using a developmental and sociopolitical viewpoint, the authors examine five possible strategies for resolving the war play dilemma and show which best satisfy both points of view: banning war play; taking a laissez-faire approach; allowing war play with specified limits; actively facilitating war play; and limiting war play while providing alternative ways to work on the issues. New for the Second Edition: * More anecdotal material about adults and childrens experiences with war play, including examples from both home and school settings. * Greater emphasis on the impact of media and commercialization on childrens war play, including recent trends in media, programming, marketing, and war toys. * Expanded discussion about the importance of the distinction between imitative and creative war play. * Summary boxes of key points directed at teachers or parents. * New information about violent video games, media cross feeding, and gender development and sex-role stereotyping. * A more extensive list of resources and further reading for adults and children. Here is a short pdf article by one of the authors on some of these themes: Beyond Banning War and Superhero Play http://www.lionlamb.org/young%20children-war%20play.pdf A few key ideas from the book: The deregulation of childrens media during the early 1980s (Reagan administration) led to an alliance of media companies and toy companies and other companies (like food companies); the result of this is an immersion for many children in an interlinked experience of seeing media about violence, purchasing related action figures and toys and video games, and  having these items promoted every place they go (whether to buy fast-food or just in other kids homes). This is a big change from the media environment from the 1960s and 1970s that many of todays parents grew up in. The authors point out that the behaviors promoted by this alliance tend to be very sex-role stereotypical, as in boys need to be fighters and girls need to be princesses. For many children, the authors suggest they can get locked into a pattern of endless cycling through stereotyped behaviors. While it is true that knights and princesses have long been important parts of many childrens play (so this is not intended to dismiss that), what has changed for some children is the tone and extremeness of those experience because of the high degree of continual interrelated media/toy/game/food saturation. Rather than children being able to express themselves building on those knight/princess themes in their own unique ways, because of the integrated marketing, for many children there becomes only one way to be a knight or a princess (as defined by some media and accompanying purchased toys to be used in only very precise and narrow ways). The book focuses mainly on the boy part of this equation. One of the authors has writings on the female stereotyping aspect of media and other issues, described here: http://www.dianeelevin.com/writing.html The dilemma is about a fundamental conflict parents face when dealing with war play. On the one hand, most parents want children to grow and develop by working through developmental issues (like learning to deal with conflict, learning self-control, and learning respect for themselves and others through play, including play involving conflicts as hands-on-learning). On the other hand, most parents want to convey social values related to their beliefs about violence and war as ways to solve social conflicts. The authors clearly do not say all war play is bad, and they also point out that even a cracker can be turned into a gun with one bite. The authors say there are no easy general answers to this dilemma in all situations, but provide a range of options. They suggest younger kids have trouble distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and when children are getting hurt, they suggest pointing out to the children what is obvious to any adult, that some other child is just pretending to be a bad guy and they are not really a bad guy. (It can also helps to try to break out of the bad guy / good guy  mindset entirely, to talk about bad actions instead of bad people.) There are a variety of things one can say and do for children who have gotten locked into a repetitive cycle of war play. They give examples of questions to ask to try to help children broaden their behavioral options in regard to war play. These range from asking how the weapons are supposed to work, asking what if the weapon did some other thing (like sprayed foam instead of bullets), to asking what the bad guy does when he is not fighting. As an example of expanding behavioral possibilities, perhaps an interest in, say, light sabers might eventually lead to an interest in math and physics. Here are some funny related web pages: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lightsaber.htm Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power? In this article, you will have a chance to look inside a lightsaber and discover the source of its incredible characteristics. Lets get started! And an interest in light sabers might lead to imagining other non-stereotyped uses for one, also from that site: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/lightsaber3.htm If you are lucky enough to acquire a lightsaber, you are probably purchasing it for personal defense purposes. A lightsaber completely blows away a can of pepper spray as a deterrent in muggings or robberies. However, many new owners are pleasantly surprised by the many domestic uses of a lightsaber around the home or office. Lets examine a few of the more common applications here, and then you can use your imagination to come up with others. One example there is how a lightsaber can both cut and toast a bagel at the same time. 🙂 From the table of contents, here is the list of topics in their Guidelines for Resolving the War Play Dilemma (each topic has a few pages of explanation and suggestions): * Guideline 1: Limit Childrens Exposure to Violence * Guideline 2: Help Children Engage in Creative and Meaningful Dramatic Play * Guideline 3: Learn as Much as You Can [about the media scenes kids view] * Guideline 4: In Childrens War Play, Address the Issues * Guideline 5: Work to Counteract the Lessons About Violence and  Stereotyping * Guideline 6: Make Keeping the Play Safe You Highest Priority * Guideline 7: Limit the Use of Highly Structured Violent Toys * Guideline 8: Work to Counteract Highly Stereotyped and Limiting Gender Roles * Guideline 9: Create an Ongoing Dialog Between Educators and Parents In my own life, I grew up being taught in public school that I lived in a modern day Athens. As Ive grow older, and paid more attention to politics and where taxes go, it feels more to me more like I live in a modern day Sparta. 🙠 Here is a long list of where many of our tax dollars have gone: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_military_history_events I was surprised to learn how long that list is, regardless of how one feels about the value of any specific event. Ive come to agree with the late Major General Smedley D. Butler (USMC Retired), based on his decades of combat experience, that War is a Racket: http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm Major General Butler talks about what war means for adults in our society in his essay. He starts: War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes. And it seems that, even while The War Play Dilemma book does not address that sort of global issue, a related profit motive seems to have seeped down over the past couple of decades into the media and toy environment that shapes part of our childrens lives (even against our wishes). It seems a few people are making a lot of money at the expense of our childrens balanced lives, to the degree war play has changed over the past few decades to become more and more commercially driven in all pervasive integrated ways (as documented in The War Play Dilemma). So, sadly, Id suggest War Play is a Racket, too. 🙠 And it is easy to say Well, if you dont believe in war play, just say no, but the fact is that just saying no is difficult in a culture saturated both in real war and in war play (without total isolation). The book talks about that difficulty.  Even just going to a local 5 10 store near where we live, about half the prominently displayed toys are war-themed action figures or weapons of various sorts an entire wall of them. Also, many types of media may start off non-violent or less-violent but turn more violent over time (whether Harry Potter as the series progresses or the Wall-e video game which about a third of the way through starts requiring inten tionally killing other robots to make progress, unlike the movie). And then there is the fact that what may be tolerable for older kids may not be so good for younger kids, so any family with two children of different ages faces another set of difficulties. Also, just saying no ignores the dilemma the fact that children do need to learn how to deal with conflict, and many do need to physically work through various issues in their growing lives in some way. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles concept was one of the first big profitable ventures in integrating violent-themed media with toy sales and other sales: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles#Toys_and_merchandise That theme has made over a billion dollars for some, as described on that page: Much of the Turtles mainstream success is owed to a licensing agent, Mark Freedman, who sought out Eastman and Laird to propose wider merchandising opportunities for the offbeat property. In 1986, Dark Horse Miniatures produced a set of 15 mm lead figurines. In January 1988, they visited the offices of Playmates Toys Inc, a small California toy company who wished to expand into the action figure market. Accompanied by the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 TV series, and the subsequent action figure line, the TMNT were soon catapulted into pop culture history. At the height of the frenzy, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Turtles likenesses could be found on a wide range of childrens merchandise, from PEZ dispensers to skateboards, breakfast cereal, toothpaste, video games, school supplies and cameras. How can you avoid something when it is in all those places? Again from Wikipedia: For many parents in the late 1980s, the Ninja Turtles phenomenon represented the latest in a series of shrewd cartoon-toy marketing strategies, a trend that had proven very profitable with Masters of the Universe, Transformers, and a host of other good vs. evil  action-adventure franchises. Parents often found themselves at odds with children who demanded scads of toys and accessories after being subjected to so-called 30 minute commercials delivered via after-school television. That Turtle concept is one of the obvious successes which has fueled a huge child-focused industry trying to repeat that financial gain by inventing the next violent characters with weapon merchandising tie-ins. Star Wars is another franchise which has been a similar success marketing to kids, in part because, while George Lucas signed away the distribution rights to the first Star Wars movie, he managed to retain the marketing rights to related products (in part because no one thought Star Wars would be very valuable as a media property). See: http://www.supershadow.com/starwars/history.html Growing up, I saw Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Star Trek, and so on on TV, and Star Wars several times in theaters, but the level of integrated marketing was much lower then, and there were many other shows for kids as well that were slower paced and generally resolved conflicts non-violently (Mr. Ed, Green Acres, Sealab 2020, the Andy Griffith Show, etc.). Even Lego now has ties to violent media. And also it was not easy to see the same episode more that once, so there was less channeling of behavior into repetitive acts. Im not saying getting lost in violent play did not happen to some kids, just that is was harder back then to be that immersed in a violent media world continuously, especially as a pre-teen (not impossible, just harder). The book explains why is a more difficult situation to deal with these days. Reading that book gave me some more perspective on the situation as a parent, and why it is so hard to come up with useful approaches, especially given the tension between a desire to help children learn by working through conflicts and a desire to pass on social values. Some other related resources Ive found useful: A book: No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn http://www.amazon.com/No-Contest-Case-Against-Competition/dp/0395631254 He persuasively demonstrates how the ingrained American myth that competition is the only normal and desirable way of life from Little Leagues to the  presidency is counterproductive, personally and for the national economy, and how psychologically it poisons relationships, fosters anxiety and takes the fun out of work and play. He charges that competition is a learned phenomenon and denies that it builds character and self-esteem. Kohns measures to encourage cooperation in lieu of competition include promoting noncompetitive games, eliminating scholastic grades and substitution of mutual security for national security. Here is a small family run company that sells non-competitive games: http://www.familypastimes.com/ It amazes me it took me forty plus years before playing a board game where you help each other instead of try to virtually hurt each other. Here is another related book to understand the seductiveness of war play, both for adults and children: http://www.amazon.com/War-Force-that-Gives-Meaning/dp/1400034639 The communal march against an enemy generates a warm, unfamiliar bond with our neighbors, our community, our nation, wiping out unsettling undercurrents of alienation and dislocation, writes Chris Hedges, a foreign correspondent for the New York Times. In War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, Hedges draws on his experiences covering conflicts in Bosnia, El Salvador and Israel as well as works of literature from the Iliad to Hannah Arendts The Origins of Totalitarianism to look at what makes war so intoxicating for soldiers, politicians and ordinary citizens. That seductiveness in one reason that selling violent media about good versus evil is such a profitable thing in our culture. It is seductive to think all of lifes problem would go away if we could identify all the bad people responsible for making trouble and then kill them all(*) but that unfortunately all too often leads to genocide: The Eight Stages of Genocide http://www.genocidewatch.org/eightstages.htm All cultures have categories to distinguish people into us and them by ethnicity, race, religion, or nationality: German and Jew, Hutu and Tutsi. Bipolar societies that lack mixed categories, such as Rwanda and Burundi, are the most likely to have genocide. The main preventive measure at this early stage is to develop universalistic institutions that transcend ethnic or racial divisions, that actively promote tolerance and understanding, and  that promote classifications that transcend the divisions. The Catholic church could have played this role in Rwanda, had it not been riven by the same ethnic cleavages as Rwandan society. Promotion of a common language in countries like Tanzania or Cote dIvoire has also promoted transcendent national identity. This search for common ground is vital to early prevention of genocide. And an alternative view on infinite game playing from one of my wifes favorite books by James P. Carse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_and_Infinite_Games In short, a finite game is played with the purpose of winning (thus ending the game), while an infinite game is played with the purpose of continuing the play. And of course, there is Mister Rogers: What do you do? (with the Mad That You Feel) http://pbskids.org/rogers/songlist/song7.html Anyway, whatever one may think about the political necessity of past or current US wars, the fact is that even for the most dedicated military families, having their own children learn diplomatic options for resolving conflicts is important, as is learning how to contain the expression of violence to whatever is deemed socially appropriate for the situation (including the difficulty of coming home after being in a war zone). While it is true that a big part of military basic training involves desensitizing people to killing other people, another big part of military training involves learning to only kill on command according to rules of engagement. For many kids playing at war, even being able to learn rules of engagement like dont shoot unarmed civilians would be an improvement. Even the top military brass advocate alternatives to violence: U.S. Military Chief Urges More Diplomacy