Competition in the Golf Industry

An Analysis of â€Å"Competition in the Golf Industry† It is unknown when the game of golf originated, but it is believed that people began playing in Europe during the middle ages. In the United States, golf was a sport primarily played by the wealthy individuals until tournaments began being televised. Since then, golf has grown to be a very lucrative industry with over 27 million golfers nationwide by the end of the 1990’s. â€Å"Competition in the Golf Equipment Industry,† a case study written by John E. Gamble of the University of South Alabama, is an overview of the problems currently facing major companies in the golf equipment industry: technological limitations (due to golf’s governing organizations), a decline in the number of golfers, and the economic recession, and the threat of counterfeit products. These limitations are causing leading competitors in the golf industry, namely Calloway Golf, to rethink their strategies in 2010. PLAC Analysis for Calloway Golf Ely Reeves Calloway Jr. , Calloway’s original owner, CEO and President, bought a manufacturing company of hickory shaft wedges and putters in 1983. Calloway, originally restricted to reproducing antique golf clubs, has extended its product breadth across the golf equipment industry. Calloway Golf now encompasses drivers (with the introduction of Big Bertha), putters (with the acquisition of Odyssey), irons (designed to compete against Titleist), golf balls (with the acquisition of Top-Flite), footwear and clothes branding, and GPS units (with the acquisition of UPlay). See Timeline in Appendix 1. Calloway has differentiated itself from its competitors by its innovation, beginning with the success of their driver, Big Bertha, which initiated the technology race among firms. Calloway and its’ competitors introduce more innovative products every 12-18 months to remain competitive. Furthermore, Calloway has acquired several firms since its origination in 1983 in order to expand its product breadth. Although in 2009, Calloway Golf Company was the â€Å"second largest seller of drivers and fairway woods,† revenues have declined by 17% in 2009 compared to the first six months of 2008. Challenges facing this firm will be assessed in the SWOT analysis. SWOT Analysis for the golf industry, Calloway Golf & Recommendations See Appendix 2 for Matrix Strengths: Calloway’s technological innovation in making a driver that pushed the limits of USGA standards shows motivation to become the best. Marketing to recreational golfers in an attempt to help them enjoy the game more by offering an opportunity to drive 6-10 yards further was a benchmark and pushed Calloway’s product to the best golf product of the century by a two-to-one margin. Calloway’s recognizable name also gives them a competitive edge. Weaknesses: Although these technological advances may have boosted sales, there is still little evidence that these advances help golfers lower their scores. Another weakness of the industry is sustainability. With the development of new products every 12-18 months, it is crucial that companies market their products and have strong sales shortly after introduction. Also, a weakness with Calloway’s golf balls was their brand image with the acquisition of Top-Flite golf balls, which quickly coined the game â€Å"Rock-Flight. † Opportunities: Although sales have declined 5. 7% during 2008, continued marketing efforts and remaining a household name could prove beneficial to all firms after the recession has subsided. Due to the recession, discretionary spending has declined and savings has risen, but this could quickly change after a turn in the economy. Furthermore, Calloway has recently cut their endorsements of PGA professionals to only encompass 10 men’s PGA professionals and 5 women. If they expanded these numbers, it would give them more brand exposure and possibly higher revenues since many recreational golfers base their decisions on the type of equipment successful, professional golfers are using. Threats: There are a number of threats affecting the golf industry as a whole: effects of technological limitations by USGA, a decline in the number of golfers due to the economy and lack of leisure time, and the rise of counterfeiting. The state of the current economy paired with the decline in the number of golfers, has caused companies to focus more on price and volume. Counterfeiting is largely attributable to the decisions by executives to outsource for cheaper labor to manufacturers in China; who can produce a golf club for less than $3 per club. Recommendations Companies currently operating within the golf industry, specifically Calloway Golf, must change their current marketing approaches and strategies to withstand the recession and threats facing the industry. Although Calloway has a strong R&D department that tends to remain competitive with products and technology, there have been little results in reference to scores. It is imperative that if companies are going to market a product that will help golfers drive further and straighter that the results depict this so that not to damage the brand name of a product. Secondly, due to the decline in equipment sales and the number of golfers, prices are dropping and companies are outsourcing to maintain the volume needed to remain competitive. Companies must be cautious and aware so that counterfeiting may be reduced. This reduction would also allow companies to reduce their pricing and have more sales without the competition of these cheaply priced knock-offs. In the instance of Calloway, an increase in marketing and endorsements would boost their sales due to brand recognition. Calloway has recently fallen to second place in the amount of sales of drivers. In aiding in cutting down on counterfeiting, lowering prices, and increasing marketing and endorsements, Calloway may have the opportunity to reposition themselves as number one in the marketplace. Appendix 1 Calloway Timeline 1983- Ely Reeves Calloway, Jr. purchased a 50% interest in a Temecula, California manufacturer and marketer of hickory shafted wedges and putters for $400,000. 1985-Ely Reeves Calloway, Jr. , hired aerospace and metallurgical engineers to design the most technologically advanced golf clubs. 1991- Introduction of Big Bertha 1996- Acquisition of Odyssey (leading brand of putters)

Analysis Of A Christmas Carol Essay

Scrooge doesn’t realise but in being disrespectful to the gentlemen, he is disrespecting God. Because by refusing to share and not making good use of his wealth he is not following the 10 commandments. The third is rudeness. One of Scrooge’s traits is his rudeness towards others in society. One major example is when he is introduced to the carol singer. As he is a miserable person who, probably, detests having to move too fast normally, suddenly to do this obviously shows how much effort is involved to try and scare this young pauper. Plus, it can be said throughout the era of the Victorians, carol singing and other social things of a similar meaning could normally be linked to biblical stories. So in hindsight it could be blasphemy (yet not as a major incident). Plus, it’s just basic rudeness as it states with Scrooge’s manner†¦ â€Å"With an ill will Scrooge†¦ † It means that he is ill mannered and will show no mercy no matter the pain he has caused or the consequences. The final factor in the statement is greed. Scrooge portrays this throughout the story very clearly but there is a plain yet critical bit at the beginning where it involves Belle (his love not to be). â€Å"I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl†¦ I do; and I release you†¦ † Well this single quote portrays a vast amount of greed from Scrooge. For instance it mentions dowerless girl. Now dowerless means a sort of inheritance yet it would be given to Scrooge instead which would make him wealthy without having to actually work and still earn money. However, Belle is not rich nor wealthy (with money but with other factors of her personality) which Scrooge does not find ‘attractive’ as this basically entitles that he’s going to have to work and provide for his ‘family’. So with this incident that has compelled these two, Belle, obviously hurt and tearful, decides that it’s best to halt the relationship and walk away, no matter what the consequences. Scrooge remembers his sister with few, yet fond, memories. â€Å"Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered†¦ but she had a large heart. † Although he didn’t spend much time with her (because his father sent him to boarding school) he loved his sister very much and had quite a close relationship with her. However this does not reflect in how he treats his nephew. ‘ â€Å"She died a woman,† said the ghost, â€Å"and had, as I think, children. † â€Å"One child,† Scrooge returned. â€Å"True,† said the ghost. â€Å"Your nephew! † Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind, and answered briefly, â€Å"Yes. † After the visits of the three spirits, Scrooge starts to recognise the similarities between his late sister, Fan and her son Fred and therefore starts to treat him with respect. After all Fred is the only family Scrooge has. â€Å"They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being waterproof; their clothes were scanty†¦ But they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time. † So, with this, it is apparent towards us, the readers, which even though he’s greeted with this repulsive family embedded with poverty, there is still a glimmer of hope for this enlightening time of season. Furthermore, it is becoming even more recognisable that the spirits have transported his beliefs about matters like these, as he states the obvious, but in a mild way he contradicts himself as he’s going back on his original morals and starts to show some affection and emotion towards these who are worse off than him. Where as in the past (technically all his life) he wouldn’t have fluttered an eyelid†¦ â€Å"If they would rather die†¦ they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. † At the end of the novel, Scrooge learns how to be polite to others around him. When he passes the two gentlemen, whom he’d been rude to the day before, he asks for forgiveness for his actions. â€Å"That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon. † Here Scrooge shows that he has changed and that he is proud of his name and the person attached to it. Here he also displays that he is ashamed of the way he acted towards them when they came to collect money for the poor. He also asks for forgiveness for possibly the first time in his life. Scrooge awakens, on Christmas morning, a much happier man. He is delighted to be alive and reminisces the night’s events, which have now compelled him to be a better, more improved, man. â€Å"I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man! A merry Christmas to everybody! † He leaps about rapturously not believing his fortune, and is extremely vivacious. Scrooge changed in many ways after the visits from the three spirits. He is now charitable without seeking credit for himself, which is a complete contrast to before when he refused to donate any money to charity and was very rude to the ‘collecting’ gentlemen. An example of this change of character is when Scrooge is buying the turkey for Bob Cratchitts family he says, â€Å"I’ll send it to Bob Cratchitts†¦ He shan’t know who sends it! â€Å"

System-Beaters: On the Road to Heartbreak

System-beaters are basically lazy people that do all this thinking and try so hard to figure out a way that will help them beat the system. What they don’t know is that they hurt themselves more than helping. They are not only hurting themselves but their families as well. These kinds of people always search for the easiest way out of things. For example, they make up excuses of why they didn’t show up for work or why they miss important meetings. These people are capable to influence others to do their work instead of doing it themselves. These kinds of people think that by doing all the work they are suppose to do to accomplish what they have to is just a waste of time when as to them there is an easy way out. System-beaters are capable of making themselves and their surroundings believe that they could survive out in the real world by their beliefs. When their luck comes to an end, they start pointing fingers to those who always tried to help them. They make everyone feel guilty except themselves. At the end of time most of these system-beaters never achieve their goals. System-beaters loose trust from all the people that once trusted them. Some of them actually have to start all over again to fulfill their goals and that will take time to accomplish them. If parents feel like their children are leaning towards that way, they have the power to make them better human beings. Parents have all the power of saving their children. This article is very important. It contains powerful and truthful information. This is actually the first time I read about these kinds of people, the system-beaters. I didn’t even know that these people even existed. Now that I think about there is people like this I know few. I think that where it all starts is when we get to high school. Most of the students take high school as a place to hangout with friends instead of the real purpose which is education. We start to realize how serious education is when we graduate from high school. We are nothing without an education. I could say that I was one of these people when I was in high school, but I didn’t know that it could be dangerous. I liked to go to school just to see my friends, know all the new gossips, just have fun and not care about school related information. It is very true when it says that these people use a lot of their time and energy on trying to beat the system. I never thought that being this way could really make me an untrustworthy person or lazy person. I agree with this advice. By reading this article, I learned that these people could have very serious difficulties in the future, especially when it comes to school and jobs. I actually thought that I was the only one that was like that. College for me is being difficult because I was being use to high school. I used to do whatever I want when I wanted. I was always missing school or ditch and when I was in the class I would always be talking or not paying attention to the lecture. Even though I did not take high school very seriously I graduated. My grades where always passing, I never got in trouble with the teachers or the principle. I can say that I knew what to do so my teachers wouldn’t be on my back all the time. Every time I miss a class, I would go and sometimes make up an excuse as to why I was absent that they and that way they would let make up any missing assignments. I would always ask them what the homework was for that day and take it to them, so that they could see that I was really serious about passing that class. When I was in elementary school I would always get good grades, honor roll, homework hero, all the possible recognitions that there could have been I would get. I was a very bright child. It all started when I entered high school, I guess I changed because of all the things that go on there for example, the parties, the liquor, friends, and all those little things do affect someone. I being like this did not affect anyone in any harmful way. I think it is not too late for me to change my way of taking school seriously. Now more than ever I want to finish my career, get a job, and hopefully get married with children. I never thought that this could actually have some seriously bad consequences. Never in my mind would I imagine that this could affect me and my loved ones in my future. This stage of my life I am taking it very serious especially now that I read this article. I want to learn as much as possible so that when I transfer to a university I would not struggle as much as I am in college. I guess I was so used to high school always being so easy that I thought college was going to be the same, but now I realize that it’s not. College is just preparing me for university, now I can’t imagine how difficult it is going to be there. This is why I do agree with this article hundred percent. The audience the article is addressing to is the ones that are like this. These are people that do not care about absolutely nothing but themselves. They would do anything to achieve their goals even though they are hurting others. To the ones who know that they are going on the wrong path because there are people who are like this, lazy, but they do not know that they can hurt or struggle more in the future. It is not fair if these people achieve their goals by doing what they do, cheating the system. I really enjoyed reading this article about system-beaters it taught me a really good lesson, try to make a plan so that you won’t become a system beater.

Person-Job Fit and Person-Organization Fit Essay

Person-Job Fit and Person-Organization Fit - Essay Example The recruitment strategy considers the extent of fit between the person and the job as well as the fit between the person and the organization (Newell, 2005). The aspect of person-job fit and the person-organization fit are important to recruit the right person for the job and to improve the capability of the organization to reduce the attrition which is not good for the organization. Further, the recruitment strategy is extremely important from the organizational point of view. The organization recruits the candidates on the basis of their merit and their capabilities that fit the requirement of the organization and in this context, the person-job fit is extremely important for framing the recruitment strategy and the person-job fit explains that the various criteria that are listed and checked while interview and recruiting the candidates. Moreover, the person to be recruited should have the skills to perform the tasks required to be carried out for the business of the organization (Saks and Ashforth, 1997). The right match between the person and the nature of job ensures that the person is satisfied with the job that he is undertaking and the recruiting strategy of the organization is aimed at enabling the persons in taking pride of the job that is performing. Further, the employers Wal-Mart, Tesco, IBM, Vodafone, etc. are the biggest employers with their emplo yees recruited in markets all over the world. It is ensured that the persons recruited match the desired skills for the job and the multinational organizations spend enough money, resources, and infrastructure in training they're the workforce and help them improve their expertise (Edwards, 2012).  

Formal Written Report and a Creative Marketing Presentation for Essay

Formal Written Report and a Creative Marketing Presentation for marketing mix - Essay Example Pricing Objective and Strategy 13 5.3 Perceptual Mapping 14 Perceptual map at the introductory stage of the PLC 14 Perceptual map at the maturity stage of the PLC 15 6. Marketing Mix adjustment strategies 15 7. Conclusions & Recommendations 16 Reference 17 1. Formal introduction 1.1 Authorization and Purpose The purpose of the report is to analyses the marketing and the branding strategies of Olay which the company has implemented and currently perceiving the strategies. 1.2 Limitation Most of the information was based on secondary research and due to time limit an extensive primary research was not a part of the report. 1.3 Scope of the report The report contains detail information about the brand Olay and its product total effect. The paper discusses the target market, promotion, product strategy of Olay, the positioning statement of Olay, also the perceptual map taking price and quality as two dimensions. 2. Product and target market Product is the core of any marketing plan for a n organization. It is the product that leads the company either towards the success or failure. Products are of many types, the type of product which is dealt in this case is the consumer goods products. Products are those which are consumed or used by the consumers. The brand chosen here is Olay, manufactured by Proctor & Gamble. Olay is regarded as worldwide leader in skincare and the brand is the most trusted by women for around 60 years. The product to be discussed further is Olay, Total effects. This product has been in demand for its features as it claims to fight seven signs of anti ageing problem (Olay, 2012). In this competitive world, women has been equally at par with their counter partners, the male segment and this has lead to more increase or demand of the grooming section. In... Product is the core of any marketing plan for an organization. It is the product that leads the company either towards the success or failure. Products are of many types, the type of product which is dealt in this case is the consumer goods products. Products are those which are consumed or used by the consumers. The brand chosen here is Olay, manufactured by Proctor & Gamble. Olay is regarded as worldwide leader in skincare and the brand is the most trusted by women for around 60 years. The product to be discussed further is Olay, Total effects. This product has been in demand for its features as it claims to fight seven signs of anti ageing problem (Olay, 2012). In this competitive world, women has been equally at par with their counter partners, the male segment and this has lead to more increase or demand of the grooming section. In order to tackle the issue with regards to skincare P&G has introduced line of products which claims to compliment her youthful looks in every stage of her life (Olay, 2012). Hence it can be concluded that the target market for Olay is the large section of women of all age group who loves to stay good, look good at all age of their lives. The product chosen is Olay Total Effects, which has been manufactured to fight the seven signs of ageing for a visibly younger looking skin. The product line of total effect includes from moisturizing to cleansing and also special treatment for skin and these arrays of products are dedicated towards making her skin look at its best.

Tokugawa period until 1868 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Tokugawa period until 1868 - Research Paper Example In fact, there had been no hiatus between high class and lower class cultures (Ng). Further I Ching scholarship which had achieved its highest status during the Tokugawa period and its aspects of yin-yang wu-hsing had also impacted on Tokugawa’s cultural aspects. The flower arrangement popularly known as Kado or Ikebana traceable to pre-Tokugawa period namely Kamakura period (1186-1336) had developed as a Buddhist art. It had been associated with nemustu (chanting to Amida Buddha) and renga (linked poetry) during the Muromachi period (1392 -1573). It came closer to chanoyu during the sixteenth century. The flower arrangement had been the most popular during the Tokugawa period. The yin-yang wu-hsing principle representing harmony of the universe was depicted in the flower arrangement relating to I Ching concepts of yin-yang, san-ts’ai associated with the three powers of heaven, earth, and man, and wu-hsing. The flower arrangement with three divisions was symbolic of hea ven, earth and man (Ng). Thus, the religions were the roots of Japanese culture and Tokugawa was no exception. Now the broad aspects of Tokugawa’s culture having been briefly examined, this paper will narrow down its research of Japanese Tokugawa’s culture to Theatrical forms (Kabuki) in the following pages. Kabuki Kabuki is depicted by the three Japanese characteristics referring to ‘dance, music and craft or skill’ as depicted below. Figure 1. (Source: creative-arts.net). Originally Kabuki was associated with â€Å"tilted† or â€Å"out of balance† characters depicted as ‘exotic’, racy, or debauched’. Though its origin comes from temple dance, Kabuki’s earlier recorded history shows much of its association with... The period between the ascendancy and the fall was the period of isolation of Japan from the rest of the world. The 268 years under the spell of Tokugawa clan had been characterized as ‘static political, social and cultural life’. Family structure, political structure and social class structure along with many values and ideas remained constant during the 268 years of Tokugawa rule. During this period, Buddhism and Confucianism had been rejected. The native religion Shinto re-emerged. The culture of Tokugawa period is indeed overwhelming with the Kabuki players surviving the period of seclusion and rigors of Tokugawa’s clans over more than two and a half centuries. The seemingly vulgar culture alleged to have been portrayed by Kabuki plays actually had been well intended as revealed in the above account of Nishiyama and Groemer. Otherwise, they would not have survived. The popularity of Kabuki amongst the lower classes had its own repercussions. The crowds gathering at the performance places often used to turn boisterous that Shougun had to ban the actors and dancers from towns and permitted them to perform only at the remote places close â€Å" pleasure quarters† in 1608. Kabuki’s early history shows that there had been links between such places of entertainment and theater as a source of entertainment at the places of pleasure for the common man popularly known as ukiyo (floating world). The actors of Kabuki Theater were social outcasts and theater managers were kawara kijiki (riverbed beggars) until 19th century when the actors were accorded the status of artists.

Business or Transaction Cycle Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business or Transaction Cycle - Coursework Example Expenditure Cycle: The expenditure cycle is related to the gaining of premises, resources, or manufactured components and the use of labor to capitulate a finished product. Human Resources / Payroll Cycle: In a human resource cycle, there are 7 needs of a company. 1) Business needs 2) job competencies 3) the hiring process 4) Learning and development 5) performance assessment 6) continued learning and training 7) total rewards. Financing Cycle: In the financing cycle, the dependent industries are strongly affected by slump periods if situated in poor countries with poor financial facilities. General Ledger and Reporting Systems: General Ledger comprises all the fiscal accounts. Data Processing Cycles: It’s a sequence that consists of four stages and they’re as follows. 1) Collection 2) input 3) processing and storage 4) output. Source Documents: These are the original documents recorded with the bookkeeping entries. They can be either in written or printed form. Turnaround Documents: It is a document that is created by a computer to be used for the record entry. Once it has been generated by the computer, it is then filled in by the users and used to input the data back into the computer. Source data Automation: It’s a process of collecting the original data from their source. It eradicates the duplicate effort and the chance of possible error by gathering records in digital form. General Ledger: It comprises of all the fiscal accounts. Subsidiary Ledger: It shows the total balance of the general ledger account. Control Account: It shows the total of all amounts entered in the Subsidiary Ledger. Coding: The putting in order of replies into groups and the task of an exclusive arithmetical code to each reply proceeding to data entry. Sequence Code: It’s a three character code that identifies the order in which categories are shown or arranged. Block Code: It’s a fixed length code, unlike other codes.

Madbury vs Madison and Mc Collough vs Maryland Essay

Madbury vs Madison and Mc Collough vs Maryland - Essay Example Marbury filed a suit before the Supreme Court on its original jurisdiction and prayed for a writ of Mandamus to be passed, ordering Madison to deliver him the signed commission (Levinson and Balkin 3). The questions or legal issues that were to be decided in this case were, whether the applicant had a right to the commission he demanded, whether the country can afford him a remedy and lastly, whether the remedy provided by the court will be in the form of Mandamus (William Marbury vs. James Madison). The case arose out of the dispute between two political parties, which were the Federalists, primarily led by Alexander Hamilton on the one hand and on the second hand the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others (Levinson and Balkin 3). Jefferson and fellow Republicans were not pleased with the Federalists, who were trying to safeguard their political power by packing the court with their own men before they left their office. The Republicans vowed to fix the wrong which had been done by Republicans (Mountjoy & Mc Neese 27-28). This ultimately led to the battle in the form of Madbury vs. Madison in the US Supreme Court, Now coming to the case of Mc Culloch vs. Maryland, the parties to this suit were Mc Culloch who is the Appellant in this case, whereas, the State of Maryland is the defendant (Mc Culloch vs. Maryland). The State of Maryland had enacted a statute imposing a tax on all the banks, which were operating in Maryland and were not chartered by the state. The statute provided that all such banks will not have the power to issue note and can only issue them by purchasing the paper to be issued by the state (Mc Culloch vs. Maryland). The cashier of the Baltimore branch of the second bank of the United States, which was established by the 1816 Act of the Congress, issued bank notes without complying with the Maryland law. Maryland sued Mc Culloch to pay taxes and Mc Culloch contested the constitutionality of the Act (Mc Culloch vs. Maryla nd). The issues, in this case, were whether the Congress had the power to incorporate a bank, even when the power is not specifically stated by the constitution and whether the State of Maryland had the power to tax an institution created by its own power granted by the constitution (Mc Culloch vs. Maryland). The Supreme Court held in this case that the Congress had power under the Constitution to incorporate a bank, that the State of Maryland did not have the power to tax an institution created by the Congress pursuant to its powers under the constitution and the Act passed by Maryland to levy taxes was unconstitutional (Mc Culloch vs. Maryland). Despite the fact that the above two cases are distinct and stretched over two different time period, having different subject matter and facts, the two cases have certain things in common. Firstly, both the cases were on constitutional law and required interpretation of the constitution. Secondly, both cases were initiated in the same peri od of time, which is the early 19th century. Thirdly, both the cases had supreme importance and were landmark cases in the history of the United States, in the sense that both the cases decided important issues.

This part of the exam requires some consideration of all concepts of Case Study

This part of the exam requires some consideration of all concepts of the Assess, Decide, - Case Study Example is likely to face is the practice by officers program officer to encourage officers not to drop out of the program for a time long enough to shift the blame to another department. This practice, although not illegal was unethical and Commander Allan Deveneux had to act on it, therefore, he had to assess the how rampant was the problem and the factors that contributed to it. The problem would be found to be loopholes in the system; therefore, a decision would have to be made on how those loopholes would be covered to avoid such incidents in future. After the finding the right way to seal those loopholes in the system, Commander Allan Deveneux would go ahead and implement the decision he found suitable. The final step would be to ensure that the problem of encouraging officers to hold in the program for a period long enough to shift the blame has stopped. The friction between chief Piersall and chief Cyphre caused by a recent firing and widespread command failures to make goals which left a lot of employees unsettled. While Piersall, who was the CMC, was deeply concerned about the morale of the staff and wanted to take some time to help the staff overcome the incident, Cyphre thought that they were just shaken up because they had been used to poor leadership and bad habits and when they resume their normal duties, they would feel better. In order to get to the real cause of the friction between the two senior staff members, assessing them on a personal basis would bear much fruits since they were insincere in their public apologies. In addition since master Piersall was not a career recruiter while master Cyphre was a career recruiter might have been part of the reason for the friction, Allan would have sought the perspectives of both which would have helped him determine whether it may have been a cause. Based on the information tha t he got from both parties Allan would then opt for a solution that would ensure that they work amicably. As the commanding officer,

Procurement Routes and the Different Formats of Tendercontract Dissertation

Procurement Routes and the Different Formats of Tendercontract Documents - Dissertation Example As the discussion stresses procurement is the acquisition of goods and services for use and benefits of individuals or governments and corporations, obtained with the help of terms and contracts. Procurement is guided by certain factors such as services provided within a fixed budget or goods obtained by using economic analysis or cost analysis. According to the research findings procurement methods are characterized by application for tenders and different forms of contracts and tender documents are used and the methods of procurement have significant implications for small to medium sized contractors. The economic or cost analysis of procurement is seen in terms of risks or without risks. When risks are involved the analysis shows expected outcomes or values for a specific product or service. Organizations have procurement policies and strategies in place that aid in procurement of goods and services through planned and informed management decisions to help businessmen, clients and organizations alike. Procurement policies are focused on meeting corporate or organizational goals and objectives in which council or corporations, organizations, business clients, suppliers and contracts derive maximum support and mutual advantage for long term business and professional relationships. All workforce issues are considered in proc urement activity and focus should be given on maximizing purchasing power and in ensuring fair competition in all procurement activity. ... plication for tenders and different forms of contracts and tender documents are used and the methods of procurement have significant implications for small to medium sized contractors. The economic or cost analysis of procurement is seen in terms of risks or without risks. When risks are involved the analysis shows expected outcomes or values for a specific product or service. Organizations have procurement policies and strategies in place that aid in procurement of goods and services through planned and informed management decisions to help businessmen, clients and organizations alike. Procurement policies are focused on meeting corporate or organizational goals and objectives in which council or corporations, organizations, business clients, suppliers and contracts derive maximum support and mutual advantage for long term business and professional relationships (Turner, 1997; Marsh, 2003). All workforce issues are considered in procurement activity and focus should be given on maxi mizing purchasing power and in ensuring fair competition in all procurement activity. Procurement activities will also have to consider opportunities for social enterprise and continuous improvements in project implementation and sustainability. Usually resource members are responsible for strategic implementation of procurement. Procurement activities must comply with the best practice processes and procurement sponsors should provide feedback on the procurement process to the procurement support unit. Procurement activity and policy works in this manner and requires teamwork, and arrangement between suppliers, contractors and corporations. We consider a case study on the procurement policy of the Liverpool Council which states the principles of procurement policy are as follows: To ensure

Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy Essay Example for Free

Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy Essay It is frequently said of Asian customs that right practice is more important than right belief. Shinto is based on orthopraxy, rather than orthodoxy. In other words, the most important thing is not what you believe, but rather that you perform correct ritual actions. You dont have to convert to Shinto to start being a practitioner of Shinto. If you perform the various rituals and routines of Shinto, then you are practicing Shinto. Buddhism isn’t interested in right action, as action itself is tied up in the obliviousness and desire that Buddhism is intended to overcome. Buddhism is primarily interested in realizing the shunyata of action and thus achieving enlightenment. As Buddhists find themselves faced with a world that demands decisions in the core of this quest for enlightenment, however, they have found it useful and appropriate to comment on what would establish right practice in such an environment. Buddhist orthopraxy is demonstrated in rituals and monastic orders. Rituals of one form are practiced by all Buddhists and relate to actions whose worth can be applied toward achieving nirvana or a better position in the next reincarnation. This includes participating in ceremonies, acts of piety, and other symbolic acts. Monastic orders offer a more disciplined approach, including an increased enforcement of orthopraxy in order to assist in aligning ones actions with the path to enlightenment. Do I think orthopraxy being the main focus is a good way to go? No. An excessive level of orthopraxy cannot compensate for the lack of orthodoxy, just as an excessive level of orthodoxy cannot compensate for the lack of orthopraxy. Without orthodoxy, orthopraxy is impossible to define, for true orthopraxy must branch from true orthodoxy. Otherwise, how would one know what is right practice?

George W. Bush more like T. Roosevelt as opposed to Taft and Wilson Essay Example for Free

George W. Bush more like T. Roosevelt as opposed to Taft and Wilson Essay President George W. Bush’s post September 11th policy certainly shows great resemblances to President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy more than that of Taft or Wilson. Roosevelt had a more stern policy, encouraging the forceful defense of the nation and the spreading of democracy and Christian ideals to less fortunate countries. This was very much so a direct correlation to what Bush tried to do Taft’s policy emphasized economic ideals in that he argued the US should lend out money and help countries elevate their economic status in order for the promotion of peace and prosperity throughout the world. Wilson’s policy emphasized morality, and the â€Å"nice guy† standpoint of how the US should carry out obligations. Consequently, President George Bush’s policy is a better reflection of President Theodore Roosevelt’s policy more than Taft’s or Wilson’s policy because of the military and political ideals that the two policies share. President Bush’s post September 11 policy reflects Roosevelt’s is because of the swift, stern actions that Bush’s administration took after the attacks on the nation. As Bush sent the troops over to Iraq quickly and in great numbers, the administration sent a candid and stern message. The United States would not stand for an attack on its soil, and those who did so would receive grave punishment for their actions. This message echoes the morals behind the â€Å"big Stick† policy. Just as Theodore Roosevelt once said, â€Å"Speak softly and carry a big stick.† Theodore Roosevelt believed that power was an important and unavoidable thing in foreign affairs. He also noted in his addition to the Monroe Doctrine (called the Roosevelt Corollary) that if any nation in the Western Hemisphere appeared in a political or fiscal situation that would allow for European control, the US should intervene. With an imperialistic outlook on the world, Roosevelt made the US a nation that constantly intervened and helped Latin American countries avoid European interference in the Western Hemisphere. Examples of this lie in Theodore Roosevelt actions when he made Cuba a protectorate, took Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as when he ventured out and involved the United States in the counterinsurgency of the Philippines all in order to fortify the existence of democracy and Christianity and help the individuals of the nations govern themselves. These ideals and policies were mirrored in Bush’s actions when the US troops inhabited the Middle East, and the Bush administration took it upon itself to take advantage of their occupancy of the lands by spreading its ideals of democracy and ‘correct’ political procedures. By doing this, the Bush Administration had essentially identified these locations in the Middle East as lesser fortunate nations, deemed themselves fit to help these regions, and force their ‘help’ past the governments of the regions and to the people. This decision and series of actions greatly resembles the actions and opinions of Roosevelt’s Corollary. Taft’s policy by contrast, was more of the United States venturing out to foreign land allowing for each foreign nation’s gradual acquiring of political and economic power through US investment in the countries’ infrastructures, which has little to do with Bush’s initial choice to attack the Middle East after September 11. Taft used Dollar Diplomacy, instead of military force. He wanted control and to aid businessmen in the US, and was in strong favor of solving problems via economic means rather than militarily. He saw his policy as humanitarian, for stabilization improved the living scale and conditions. For instance, in Nicaragua during 1912, the government would default on its debts, which might mean European intervention. The US offered to loan money (by private men) if the US could have some supervision over Nicaraguan finances. Bush’s post September 11 policy does not mirror this because he was in favor of military force and making it known militarily that the US could not be attacked without grave punishment. Wilson however based his policy on Morality. Bush’s post September 11th policy did not wholly reflect Wilson’s policy because Wilson’s Missionary policy aimed more in the direction of seeking peace and prosperity by means of creating pathways for institutions to branch out globally while Bush’s aim after the September 11 attacks was to retaliate forcefully and brutally (neither of which was peaceful). For instance, when the Japanese attempted, in the notorious Twenty-one Demands (1915), to reduce China almost to the status of a Japanese protectorate, he persuaded them to modify their conditions slightly. The Twenty-One Demands required that China immediately cease its leasing of territory to foreign powers and to ascent to Japanese control over Manchuria and Shandong (Shantung) among other demands. Such persuasion as opposed to attack and forcefully making the US point reveals the difference between Bush’s and Wilson’s policy. Consequently, it is evident that President Bush’s post September 11 policy best resembles Roosevelt’s â€Å"big stick† diplomacy. Roosevelt’s policy was based on pragmatism as well as the idea of the nation’s obligatory retaliation to threats and attacks on the nation’s soil. His belief in the United States’ obligation to help foreign nations in need of political/military assistance is also a part of his policy. After the September 11th attacks, each of these ideals was echoed in President George W. Bush’s new foreign policy in that he reacted to the tragedy through military retaliation and force. Additionally once occupying the lands, the Bush administration chose to assist the Iraqi people and help them acquire the democratic ideals the US holds so dearly.

Whole Language Or Phonics Approach English Language Essay

Whole Language Or Phonics Approach English Language Essay Critically analyse and discuss the benefits and shortcomings in teaching reading through a phonics approach in comparison to a whole language methodology. What are your views about each approach? Support your arguments with references from related literature. Teaching students to read is a vital educational aim. Reading gives opportunities and opens up new worlds. Learning to read, will enable students gain new knowledge, enjoy texts, and do everyday life things. The phonics and the whole language approaches are two main methods to reading, a debate that still rages among educators, parents, and experts. Which approach to teaching reading works best? Whole language approach Teachers using the whole language approach are expected to provide rich environment texts for students combined with speaking, listening, reading and writing. This approach emphasise the meaning of texts over the sounds of letter and phonics instruction. Krammer and Holland found out that the whole language approach is considered a top down approach meaning the reader use his prior knowledge to interpret and construct his personal meaning of the text he is reading. In my opinion I think that this approach provides a better understanding of the text and a more interesting and creative approach to reading but it may come at the expense of accuracy and correctness. Phonics approach The phonics approach has five key elements to teaching. These are: Learning the letter sounds Learning letter formation Blending Identifying sounds in words Spelling the tricky words (Jolly Phonics: Lloyd, S.) Kelly believes that good phonic skills will help students become better readers. It provides a secure grasp of the essential sound and spelling patterns that words are composed of. There are 44 key phonemes in the English language. Some of these are single alphabet sounds such as s-a-t-p-i-n, but others may be combinations of letters like sh, ck or ie. (Kelly, 2009) Now, I will discuss the benefits and drawbacks in teaching reading through a phonics approach in comparison to a whole language methodology. Benefits in teaching reading through a phonics approach Using the phonics approach to reading helps the reader to build better the pronunciation and word recognition (Krammer and Holland). When an individual starts to pronounce words correctly, it also starts to build confidence to speak up more often (English for Life, 2008). Improved decoding success creates a secure reader. Facility and ease in identifying polysyllabic words, and in inferring their meanings from a knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and roots, help students with comprehension (Chall, J. Popp, H.). Teaching phonics can help students develop the skills to read smoothly and accurately. When faced with a new word, a student will have an arsenal of tools with which to puzzle it out and call it by namerecognizing familiar letter combinations and accessing their recollection of similar words. Students who are secure in their ability to figure out unfamiliar words are more eager to read new and longer texts. (Matthews, 2010) Readers cannot rely only on the use of context and picture clues. Wiley Blevins stated that students need to have a repertoire of strategies to draw on to become skilled, fluent readers. Phonics approach helps with the spelling far more than the memorisation and guess work of the whole language approach (Krammer and Holland). A person will be able to pronounce and spell correctly when he hears words. For this reason, phonics will help him improve his reading and writing skills (English for Life, 2008). Drawbacks in teaching reading through a phonics approach Although the phonics approach might work for some students, it may not work equally well for others. This is due to diverse individual learning abilities. For example: Students with hearing challenges may find it difficult to connect sounds and letter groups. Students with dyslexia often reverse groups of letters, causing confusion with phonetic learning. Besides that, some children learn to read more easily using other methods. For instance, the whole language approach teaches children to recognise entire words, rather than individual sounds (Enne, V.). I agree with Krammer and Holland that when it comes to reading using the phonics approach a child may have difficulty understanding the full meaning of a text, due to the constant breaking down of words into parts. This will also bring boredom; children would not be able to enjoy the text contrary to the whole language approach. Fleury declares that phonics does not connect the children with literature, as the whole language approach does. The connection to literature helps to make reading more interesting. It is true that phonics helps children to sound out many different words but there are other words that do not follow simple phonetic rules. These words, called outlaw words, will still need to be memorised. Nearly 50 percent of all English words are outlaw words. (Available from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6856037_drawbacks-teaching-phonics_.html) Should you categorise students and push one teaching method? In my opinion I think that I balanced approach should be used in teaching reading. The National Reading Panel determined that phonics instruction is only one part of a complete reading program for beginning readers. Effective beginning reading programs should also emphasize reading fluency, vocabulary development, and text comprehension. (Available from: www.univo.edu.sv:8081/tesis/019961/019961_Cap2.pdf) In 1996, Honig, stated that a balanced approach is needed to teach reading. He described it as an approach that combines the language and literature-rich activities associated with whole language activities aimed at enhancing meaning, understanding, and the love of language with explicit teaching skills as needed to develop fluency associated with proficient readers. In the article Curriculum: Whole Language and Phonics: Can They Work Together? written by Cromwell, S. (1997) says that Supporters of the whole language approach think childrens literature, writing activities, and communication activities can be used across the curriculum to teach reading; backers of phonics instruction insist that a direct, sequential mode of teaching enables students to master reading in an organised way. There is an ongoing debate on which is the best way to teach a child how to read. Phonics helps children to pronounce better and recognise the words. It helps them far more than memory and guess work used in the whole language approach. Formulas learned in phonics can be applied repeatedly. On the other hand, using the whole language approach helps children to understand better different types of texts. It is much more interesting and creative to reading rather than the phonics approach. Whole language approach emphasises on meaning and comprehension. Children memorise large numbers of sight words and learn to read by reading. I do not have enough experience but I can speak from my 3 years of teaching practice. I believe that both approaches must be used hence using a balanced reading approach. Most children learn through an amalgamation of skills. Each method offers different strategies. One has to remove the idea of one size fits all and keep in mind that every child is different. There is no one best method to teach children. Educationworld.com says that Many combinations and permutations are necessary to provide an optimal learning environment for an entire class of readers A teacher must be careful when teaching reading keeping in mind the different abilities of his students and focusing on literature and fun. After all, it is the teacher who makes the difference in the learning process. I believe that a teacher should provide time to read to his students often, choral read with them and also give them time to read both alone and in pairs. I remember that when I used to teach phonics through word games, to year 2 students, it used to work. Students where learning by having fun. Spending only a brief time each day on phonics and doing no more than one worksheet daily I eliminated boredom. It is important to try other reading approaches for students who are not able to learn phonics easily. Through research, I found out that recorded books or story writing might help. I make it a point that in my classroom I have a library. Unfortunately I have been in some schools where school libraries are not available. Students who have social problems how can they be exposed to literacy? It is highly important to expose children to books. It is important to have books in classroom so that students can browse, read and discuss them. Krammer and Holland state that when using a balanced reading approach, a teacher should provide as much structure as possible and some step-by-step skill work, especially for analytic students, while emphasising literature and fun. Also, a teacher should provide sufficient tools for decoding words, using small amounts of direct instruction in phonics for auditory and analytic learners. Tape-recording phonics lessons will help students to work independently to improve their skills. Visual learners tend to benefit from the whole language approach while auditory learners rely more on phonics since they hear the sound of letters and identify words. A balanced reading approach will probably be most beneficial! Finally I conclude using a balanced approach to teach reading will probably be most beneficial. IAE (2003) discovered that both research and classroom practices support the use of a balanced approach in instruction. The motive for this is because reading depends on efficient word recognition and comprehension. I agree that therefore instruction should develop reading skills and strategies, as well as build on the learners knowledge through the use of authentic texts. (Bernhardt, 1991; Bernhardt, 2000; Hulstijn, 1991; Kamil, Mosenthal Pearson, 2000; Snow Burns Griffin, 1998)

The Trend Towards Longer Work Days: No End in Sight :: Business Management Human Resources

The Trend Towards Longer Work Days: No End in Sight One of the most common conceptions of the East Asian people and the East Asian way of life is their undeniably strong work ethic. Many people in the West believe that Asians are probably the most hardworking people on Earth . Many facts, including most of the available official statistics, support the view that Asians do indeed work longer weeks than Europeans. A Singaporean, working for a private company with at least 25 employees, worked 47.1 hours on average in 1995, plus 4.6 hours of overtime (Department of Statistics, Singapore). Compare that to the average working time for a Swede, who works 34.1 hours per week (SCB Statistics Sweden). The average Japanese factory worker worked for a total of 2124 hours in 1990, compared to 1683 hours for a French worker (Japan External Trade Organisation, JETRO). The most obvious answer to this question is Confucianism. Confucian-based societies in Asia have during the recent decades been characterized by rapid economic growth. "[Confucian] values permeate all of Asia, not just the Chinese part of it" (Rohwer). Diligence is one of the basic values of Confucianism, together with perseverance, moderation and education. In the Confucian model, the society is based on authority and unequal relationships between people: father and son, master and servant, husband and wife, etc. In this society, someone always has authority over someone else's life. Confucianism is also very elitist - a person does not have to understand it, but he does have to follow it in order to maintain the stability in society (more about Confucianism can be learnt from Encyclopedia Britannica). Because of this, hard work has always been a virtue in a Confucian society. If a person living in a Confucian society did not consider work being a virtue, the model made sure t hat someone else, the "top-half" of the unequal relationship, reminded the "lazy" person and made sure he or she would return to the right path. This top-down style is further strengthened by the strong role the family has in the system. A person is to a greater extent considered being a part of a family, rather than an individual. All this fortifies the incentives to work hard. The Confucian system, when applied to the extreme, does not give anyone a choice of choosing another way of life.

Does Competition Benefit in Business? Essay -- Business, Competition

Does Competition Benefit in Business? Do businesses want to grow and advance, or remain at a standstill with production? Most say they want to grow and advance. This topic is important in the business standpoint. Shall business managers promote competition or not? â€Å"Smart business professionals use competition to their advantage† (Pearson 1). Businesses who use competition notice the positive effects later down the road. Seeking to thrive and grow, businesses need to promote competition and compete against the other firms in their business. â€Å"There’s nothing like a little competition to suddenly boost productivity† (qtd. in Penn 1). Although some critics argue that competition may develop a negative atmosphere in the workplace, businesses should promote competition in order to function in a changing society, establish efficient performance, and enhance their customer’s satisfaction. Businesses should promote competition in order to function in a changing society. America seems to grow bigger structurally and technologically everyday. Businesses need to keep up with these advancements. Designing and selling top quality products for America, competition challenges businesses to create a better future. When competition arises between two industries, the sight of competing drives consumer business to the industry that successfully lowers the prices on their products. Successful industries remain up-to-date with society becoming top-notch in the field they compete in. Competition teaches businesses what will work in their market and what will not work. The consumer demand for products always appear no matter what. How industries produce that product determines how successful the business operation becomes. â€Å"Compet... ...ometimes goes another route and leads to productivity decrease. If business professionals enforce competition in their business, the aspect of getting the job done efficiently reappears almost instantly. In this day and age, the human society with the will to win is absent. People are lazy and avoid the competition. If employers employ the right people for the job with the right mindset who are willing to work diligently and efficiently through all struggles involving business, then they want competition in and around their firm. Competition, tough and non-regrettable, is not for the lazy worker, so if employees want to see productivity in their business then they find the right people who know how to work hard. So if a business wants to see itself grow and establish, then the right answer to see these gains involves a little bit of external competition.

Aims and Objectives Of A Business :: Business Management Strategy

Business aims Every business has aims, these are long-term goals of a business. They are designed to provide a focus for staff and to help a business achieve its key purpose. The aims in the privately owned business usually are to provide goods and/or services to the best of the business ability and to make enough profit to survive. The aims of a public sector business usually are to provide essential and efficient services for the state. A business can have more than one aim but it is sensible for them not to have too many so they can focus on the aims which are most appropriate to the main purpose of their business. Business Objectives Business objectives are more detailed goals than business aims, they are targets which get set to accomplish the business aims. Generally, business objectives are easier to achieve than business aims as they are broken down into smaller and easier steps. The objectives of a privately owned business would usually be to increase sales, to increase the number of customers or to reduce costs so that more customers are interested in their business. The objectives of a public sector business would usually be to meet customer targets (an example of this would be to reduce waiting times or to employ more staff) or to keep costs low. Mission statement Every large business has a mission statement. A mission statement is the main purpose that the business is working towards. It is often short and catchy. Mission statements that privately owned businesses create often mention increasing customers, improving employees, lowering or increasing the cost of their products and making their products better value for money whilst publicly owned organisations mention improving the service they provide by concentrating on the quality of their service, the efficiency and especially the customer service. Survival When in a business we talk about “survival” we refer to when a business is facing a hard time and whether or not they can get out of it or whether they will have to close down. This happens when trading becomes difficult. A method by which businesses survive is to aim to break-even (make enough money to cover the total costs involved in producing, selling goods or services and running the business) over a certain period. This doesn’t make the business any profit but neither does the business lose any money, and therefore they are able to survive.

Reaction Paper About Solas

They discussed about the emergency situations, evacuation, survival crafts and rescue boat, personal life-saving appliances, survival at sea and emergency radio equipment. In emergency situations we should be observant in what happen into our surroundings. Also we should know the muster station. We can be able to know our duties and responsibilities during emergency and the signals for these emergencies just by looking at the muster list. The general alarm has seven short blasts and one long blast on the ships whistle followed by public address of the master/captain. In survival crafts and rescue boats there are different types of lifeboats these are open, partially enclosed and totally enclosed. There are types of life rafts also these are enclosed inflatable life raft and rigid life raft.In Personal Life-Saving Appliances we should know the things that can help us during emergencies. Example of things that can help us are lifejackets, lifebuoy, lifebuoy with self-igniting light, im mersion suit, thermal protective aid (TPA) and pyrotechnics. There are kinds of pyrotechnics the rocket parachute flare usually this kind of flare can last long for 40 seconds, Hand flare can last long for 60 seconds, buoyant orange smoke signal gives off smoke for 3 minutes it can use only for day time only. On our training for Elementary First I think I become more competent to take immediate action upon encountering an accident or medical emergency until the arrival of the person in charge of medical care on board. I have learned how to do the bandaging, to control the blood, to rescue unconscious person.FPFF or FirePrevention and Firefighting this course discuss mainly about Fire on how to prevent and extinguish it.Proficiency in Personal Survival TechniqueA trainee will be able to react in a correct manner during emergency situations, take measures appropriate to his own survival and to the survival of others, and use survival equipment correctly.Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting A trainee will be competent to take appropriate measures for the safety of personnel and of the ship and will also have knowledge of fire prevention. The trainee will be taught how to use the fire appliances correctly.Personal Safety & Social ResponsibilityThis will give new seafarers an insight into the various elements of a ship and the working procedures onboard so that they can adjust to the shipboard environment and be better prepared to cope with any unforeseen circumstances.

Is Billy Pilgrim Sane? Essay

Billy Pilgrim plays a very influential role as the main character in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5. Since the novel is based entirely on Billy Pilgrim’s interaction with the environment around him, pinpointing Billy’s state of sanity on the scale of normality helps the reader determine what is really happening, and what is a figment of Billy’s imagination. Before making the decision regarding Billy’s state of mind, one must first establish the parameters of what is considered sane and what is not. What one person may consider insane another may consider pure genius. The dictionary definition of ‘sane’ is: free from mental derangement; having a sound, healthy mind. However the general consensus for ‘sane’ is a lot closer to: having or showing reason, sound judgment, or good sense. Once those guidelines are set up, one can proceed to analyze Billy’s state of mental health. Since Billy is a fictional character in a b ook and the man who wrote the book is dead, the only information available to someone trying to analyze Billy is through Billy’s actions/thoughts/experiences and the speculations of other readers. Luckily one is not required to delve very deep into Billy’s past before coming across tragedy. At a very young age Billy is thrust into the middle of World War Two. He is ill equipped and has no fighting training or experience. During the battle of the Bulge Billy becomes lost with one other soldier and two scouts. While hiking through the underbrush in German territory Billy is overcome with cold and waits for the eventuality that is death to pass over him and remove his soul from his body. Instead Billy becomes what the narrator describes as â€Å"unstuck† in time. This is the first time that Billy ever experiences ‘time travel’. There are at least two ways to interpret this scene. In the first one, the reader assumes that Billy is in shock, is delirious, and has a very vague connection with the outside world. This thought is followed by the next logical idea that since Billy is nearly incapacitated, anything odd he experienced in this time frame did not actually happen. However every Yin has a Yang. The second way this could be interpreted is that Billy’s mind  has lost touch of reality to the point it sheds its boundaries regarding time, freeing Billy from the human confines of viewing time in a linear fashion. Since the decision regarding Billy’s sanity is based purely on a reader’s personal opinion. A reader would do well to create a mental tally chart of notes. If the first interpretation makes more sense, simply put a mark in the ‘insane’ column, however if the second interpretation floats your boat, make a mark in the ‘sane’ column. Between the first major occurrence and the second, Billy is faced with minor issues that may or may not play an influential role on Billy’s state of mind and so even though they play minor roles, it is important that they are mentioned and taken into account. While Billy is a prisoner of war he is treated poorly, underfed, kept in a crowded train car full of viral and bacterial diseases and scented with the touch of death. It is during this time that Billy manages to make the entire train car hate him, causing him to draw further into the safety of his mind. Whether this train ride actually affected Billy or not is up to the reader to decide. The second of Billy’s major experiences that carries the capability to instil a mental illness in an otherwise healthy being would be the bombing of Dresden. While Billy was being used for labour in Dresden, his own country fire bombed him along with the rest of a city full of civilians. Billy waited out the bombing in an underground meat cooler along with a group of other POW’s and their guards. After the ground had cooled, the POW’s emerged from their safe haven and was faced with what can be described as the moon’s surface. Billy was eventually ordered to help collect the bodies for a mass burial. Now, whether it was sitting underground listening to an entire city being levelled, or the retrieval of dead bodies or both that scarred Billy, it is hard to know. However Billy did have a flashback of the bombing during his eighteenth wedding anniversary that caused him to freak out. However there is no direct evidence that the bombing caused Billy to go insa ne and only the reader can decide if it was pertinent to his mental stability or not. Another traumatizing incident endured by Billy was the combination of him being the sole survivor of a plane crash followed by his wife’s untimely death. While Billy was on his way to an optometry convention with several other optometrists, the plane he is on crashes. He is the only survivor and is rushed to the hospital. When Billy’s wife hears what happened, she rushes to  the hospital. On her way there she ends up crashing the car and loses her exhaust system. She ends up dying of Carbon Monoxide poisoning right as she stops in front of the hospital. Because of Billy’s constant time-travelling, he never really knew his wife too well so the odds of him feeling overly distraught because of her death are really quite minimal. Also because he has adopted the Tralfamadorian view of death, he would probably just imagine that now she is in a better place in her life. So even though this may not be the happiest point in Billy’s life, in this author’s opinion, it is doubtful that it has altered his state of mind, however everyone is entitled to their own opinion and so a reader may interpret otherwise. Although looking at Billy’s past may give hints as to his sanity, looking at his actual thoughts would be a lot more helpful in making the final decision. Bibliography Findley, Timothy. The Wars. New York: Penguin Group Australia, 1977.

Journal Entry – A Clockwork Orange

Journal Entry #3 – A Clockwork Orange Burgess' novel, A Clockwork Orange, carries many themes prevalent to the time- period of the novel's release. In a futuristic city governed by a repressive totalitarian super-state, humans have become machines or lower animals. The main protagonist of the story, Alex, asserts his free will by deciding to live a life of debauchery and violence before being robbed of his free-will by the government. When A Clockwork Orange was written the war against Communism was at its peak.With many countries such as Russia and Cuba spreading communism to different parts of the orld, the fear of depriving an individual's free-will in light of the public was set in with the United States and its ally forces. Free-will then despite its predication that individuals such as Alex can make the choice of being wicked can also make the choice as a moral agent to do well. Without those choices the human-act of kindness/ good becomes nothing more than a shallow beh avior. In the beginning of the novel, Alex merely appears to be a mindless brute, with his thoughts and behaviors geared strictly towards violent behavior.It is not until he returns home and his post- orrectional officer, Deltoid, enters into his apartment and confronts Alex on his behavior that his views on free-will are made clear; after Deltoid leaves, Alex dismissed Deltoid's apprehension, and states that a government that does not allow its citizens to act badly is a power of authority that robs people of their free-will. Subsequent Alex's attempt to rob an older ladys home, Alex enters the Stala State Jail where he is sentenced fourteen years in prison. It is there that Alex begins the process of being robbed of his free-will. He is stripped of his clothes and his name.He is given a prison Jump-suit and a number, 6655321. However, despite Alex's confinement, he is still allowed to partake in his one enjoyment, Classical Music. The prison Chaplain who took an interest into Alex allowed him to read the Bible while listening to Classical Music. During his confinement Alex participates in a program known as Reclamation Treatment. Being successfully selected for use of the program, Alex goes through behavioral reconditioning and loses his will for violence and his love for Classical Music. Becoming a baseless human being, re-programmed by the government, Alex has lost his free-will and humanity.It is not until the end of the novel that Alex's free-will is restored through the reversal of the reconditioning that was done to him. When Alex met Peetie again at a coffee shop and his wife, he realizes how much Peetie had grown and recants his own views on violence and classical music even. This leads to Alex thinking of his future and the following generation through the scope of his future-son and realizes free-will is the catalyst to human-nature†uncontrolled and responsible for its own mistakes. It is at this point Alex truly becomes a complete human bein g. Journal Entry – A Clockwork Orange By pkmaximum

Spare Parts

Spare Parts In the United States, drinking and driving is a major concern in today’s society as about thirty-two percent of total traffic deaths involve alcohol (Hanson). To prevent people from driving under the influence, many slogans and advertisements are used mainly to encourage driving carefully. One advertisement made by the car manufacturer BMW is found in Public Interest Magazine and promotes safe driving with the message â€Å"Don’t Drink and Drive. † The visual in this advertisement is a bare right leg of a man and next to where it should be the left leg of the man is a prosthetic leg and foot.On the right side of the visual image the advertisement reads: â€Å"Spare parts for humans are not as original as those for cars. † At the bottom of the page it states, â€Å"Don’t Drink and Drive† along with the BMW logo. This BMW advertisement is an effective and reasonable way to prevent people from drinking and driving because it shows th e negative consequences of getting into an accident, such as losing a leg, and it promotes safe driving. In order to prevent people from drinking and driving, the car company BMW uses this advertisement to promote awareness of the dangers and negative outcomes.Many consequences can occur when the driver is not able to realize what is going on, drifts off the road, and gets into an accident. This BMW advertisement only shows one possible injury of an accident where the man in the visual has lost his leg and it was replaced by an artificial one. To promote the message â€Å"Don’t Drink and Drive,† this advertisement shows that it is extremely dangerous and can cause injury, amputation, and/or death. Some severe types of injuries can potentially cause people to lose their leg, other body parts or even a life as a result of a car accident.It affects the viewers who see this advertisement because they do not want to turn the picture into reality now giving them the choice o n whether to do the right thing and drive safely or not. From seeing this advertisement, it develops the primary appeal of pathos because it displays the emotion that one gets from seeing a person with one real leg and one prosthetic leg. After seeing this photo it makes the viewer think about the consequences of being under the influence and driving at the same time.Having an artificial leg will greatly disable a person where they become unable to do the things that they were able to do before the car accident. This holds true whether it was the person driving themselves or someone else driving, especially an innocent driver in another car. This advertisement proves that it is possible to replace car parts, but there is nothing one can do to replace body parts or even someone’s life. They will have to suffer the negative results of making the bad decision to drive drunk.Through showing a possible consequence, this advertisement is effective because people can relate to this problem if they have been injured or know someone who has been injured or has died from a drunk driving accident. It would make people make sure not to drink and drive because it would make the picture turn into reality and no one would want that. There is a possibility this can happen so it makes the advertisement extremely believable affecting anyone who was to come upon it. Another appeal is to logos through the quote that is displayed in the advertisement.It states, â€Å"Spare parts for humans are not as original as those for cars. † This statement is used to prevent the issue of drinking and driving as it means that human body parts are not as appealing as those that can be changed in cars, especially since parts of a human are impossible to re-manufacture. If there are spare parts on a car, it is hard to tell that there is a difference between the original and replacement parts. But when a human’s body parts are replaced by something else like an artificial or p rosthetic part, it is possible to tell the difference because it does not look like the original body part.It is important to know this because while driving, people are not only responsible for their own safety but of other peoples’ safety as well. They may cause someone other than themselves to become injured or hurt just because they made the bad decision to drive while intoxicated. This advertisement promotes safe driving through its simple and clean layout using a white background and simple black font. This technique is used to make consumers think the product being sold (which in this case is a car) is simple and clean as well which means that the car will be reliable and also safe.Even though BMW is selling their company and their car, they also show their awareness of drinking and driving. With this white background, it makes the image stand out on its own requiring viewers to focus primarily on the picture. After seeing the prosthetic leg, it will grab and keep peop les’ attention to get them to wonder what the advertisement is all about. Therefore they become encouraged to read the words to further understand what BMW is promoting because they believe it is necessary for people to be aware.By doing this, the advertisement focuses on the importance of the issue over what BMW is actually selling. This advertisement does not show the product purposely to show how much BMW cares about preventing drinking and driving. They are trying to persuade people to buy their cars since they are aware of the consequences of drinking and driving. BMW uses this advertisement to show that they are trying to prevent the issue of driving under the influence to gain the trust of the consumers. If the company is considered trustworthy, they will create a good reputation for their cars so that people will buy them.They want to show that their car is safe and reliable as well. When buying a car, consumers’ number one concern is usually the need to feel s afe. This is a way for them to gain customers appeal and hopefully they will buy BMW cars. Even though this car company wants to be able to sell to the general public, an especially meaningful message is intended for people who drive. This can be seen through the image, which is a human and it will affect people who see the advertisement because they will not want to end up with a prosthetic leg or any other body part.By promoting safety and proving that there are negative consequences of drinking and driving, BMW uses an advertisement to help people make the right decision when getting behind the wheel. They require people to take action so that they can prevent alcohol related car accidents from occurring because they are so fatal. People become aware that it is extremely dangerous to drink and drive through this advertisement because they know they would never want to have a prosthetic leg. BMW created an effective advertisement requiring people to stop and think about the realit y of drinking and driving and to hopefully make a good decision.

Boys vs Girls

Guys vs. Girls Vive always been the kind of person who has more guy friends than girl friends. Girls tend to cause unnecessary drama, pick people apart and run their mouths. In truth, guys make better friends because they are lenient, arent as Judgmental and know how to be straightforward. Its always enjoyable spending time with people who are laid-back and relaxed. When hanging out with guys its about having a good time no matter how you look or what youre doing. Girls on the other hand are always checking to see if they look Kay and try to attract the most attention. Secondly, when it comes to disagreements guys argue and move on whereas girls hold grudges for months. More specifically, girls overbalance everything and get offended very easily. For this reason, it is preferable to have guy friends because guys dont take anything to heart. When theres a difference of opinions guys state their point of view and let it go whereas girls will bicker to tears and start unnecessary drama. Lastly, girls beat around the bush and sugarcoat the truth. When wanting an onset opinion guys arent afraid to say it like it is and tell you what they truly think. Girls tell you what you want to hear to attempt at saving your feelings even if it meaner telling a white lie. As a result guys make better companions because they dont avoid the truth and make situations easier to work out and communicate. Ultimately, when looking for a loyal, fun and honest friend choosing a guy over a girl is a better choice because you can be yourself, confide in them and have a drama-free friendship that lasts a lifetime.

Why people are obsessed with their appearance Essay

Why people are obsessed with their appearance - Essay Example The appearance need not be lavish for all occasions but at least pleasant. Women generally tend to be give more importance to their appearance than men – this is because they are the fairer sex and it comes naturally for them. Men tend to focus on such things as fitness, body building etc. But one strong motivation for both genders is to be attractive to the opposite sex. Apart from appearance being helpful in attracting partners, it also helps establish status among peers. A good dressing sense and a well-kempt appearance will help gain respect among peers (provided, of course, that the individual's behavior is in line with his/her sophisticated outward appearance) What aids and facilitates this obsession is the multi-billion dollar advertising industry which repeatedly projects images of beauty and attractiveness (which are to a degree subjective) onto our television screens, newspaper columns and billboards. It is fair to say that the advertising industry is obsessed with s elling products (useful or not) to people (who want it not) in the guise of projecting them as essential commodities. Popular culture outlets such as Hollywood and Television also plays a part, in that, many ageing movie and TV stars resort to plastic surgery to revive their looks. Fans of the these stars then follow suit. But, in the final analysis, outward appearance cannot compensate for flaws of the personality.

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 32

Art - Essay Example It also appears that the art is full of ideas and depictions, which are symbolic to the events that took place at the time. However, one can deduce that the art evokes spiritual emotions from the beauty and colors used in the art. The designer of the image adopted the use of the ‘arch’ and integration of the Doric and Ionic columns. Peebles and mosaics have been for decoration purposes. There is also the use of formal elements in order to evoke the above kind of impression. The main medium used is oil. This improves the beauty and quality of the work. Space has also been adequately used and appropriately organized in order to pass the intended message to the viewer. The other important thing is about the use of light and color. These two have been dynamically used to achieve contrast and drama. They have also been used to offer ‘transitions’ instead of using lines during painting. This is what makes the image very outstanding. The paintings is produced from oil color and light. It is through the use of the two that contrast is easily achieved. Another important thing is that the designer of the image appears to have created it in three dimensions in order to make it more outstanding. This is something achieved by painting using oil and light accordingly. Reflecting on the image, it should be observable that architecture is a form of art, and therefore, it is capable of borrowing a lot from the ancient, pre-modern and even from the post-modern periods in order to pioneer new but stylish images. In this case, the use of historical references on this image helps understand how most of the ancient architectural elements were used since they cannot be viewed today anyway (Fairbanks 103). This is because most of these ancient buildings have collapsed a long time ago. However, studying them offers insights to the architectural elements and how they can be applied in modern designs. Another

The cost of the modern Olympics far outweighs the benefits. Argue your Essay

The cost of the modern Olympics far outweighs the benefits. Argue your position - Essay Example Indeed, one may definitely identify some economic benefits that are a result of the Games. These include employment of workers who will work at construction sites; the Olympics attract numerous people from across the globe that will predictably buy lots of thing, etc. At the same time, there are others that criticise the Olympics because of large amounts of public money spent by local governments to host them. While the latter may sound a bit pragmatic, yet theirs is the point. THESIS STATEMENT: The benefits of the Olympic Games do not outweigh their cost since the expenditures on construction are not remunerative, substitution spending takes place, misplacement is often the case, employment opportunities are temporary, and hopes for visitors’ excessive spending and attendance do not realize. To support this statement, this paper refers to the latest data on the Olympics and their benefit analysis done by scholars who research the issue. BODY PARAGRAPH 1: First, the cost of th e Olympic Games considerably outweighs its benefits because expenditures on construction of new world-class facilities require excessive funding which will not be remunerative in the long run. Charles Santo in his article â€Å"Economic Impact of Sport Stadiums, Teams, and Events†, observes that Olympic spending is higher than any other spending on sporting events. He cites the following data: the 2004 Summer Olympics which were held in Athens incurred $12.8 billion; the Chinese government invested up to $43 billion to host the Beijing Olympic Games back in 2008. However, the sporting facilities do not yield sufficient returns on the public money invested in their construction and maintenance. The long-term fate of Olympic facilities in Beijing built before 2008 Olympic Games well illustrates this statement. As Demick (2009) observes, the National Stadium in Beijing, also called the Bird’s Nest, was supposed to host only one event in 2009. That was an opera performance of Turandot scheduled to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the ceremony of opening of the Olympics. Ironically, the leading soccer club in China had withdrawn from the deal to play at the stadium, since it found it embarrassing to utilize a 91,000-seat facility for soccer games that typically attracted not more than 10,000 visitors. BODY PARAGRAPH 2 Second, it is possible to say that the cost of the Olympic Games considerably outweighs their benefits because of the phenomenon known as substitution spending. Substitution spending with regard to the Olympics takes place when an anticipated tourism boom proves not profitable enough in real life: in fact, a tourism boom for one city means a slum for others. For example, hotel occupancy during the time of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia was related to substitution spending. The Olympics were held in Sydney between September 16 and September 30. For those two weeks, hotels in Sydney had nearly 100% occupancy, yet in other marke ts Australian hotels had considerable demand shortfalls compared to the first half of September and to the same time period a year ago. Specifically, hotel occupancy dropped by 17% and 19% during the period of the Olympics in Brisbane and Melbourne (Andersen 2000, p.1). Hence, the substitution spending was fixed during the 2000 Olympics. It leads to the conclusion that the economic gains brought by the

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example cane Katrina is discussable; however, an aspect that remains critical in the minds of individuals who survived the disaster is that, despite the measures taken as preventive strategies, such did little in offering preventive measures during the occurrence of the deadliest and most destructive Hurricane Katrina (Nova). New Orleans is one region that underwent significant destruction from the devastating actions of Hurricane Katrina. The region saw the effects of the Hurricane Katrina cause deaths of approximately 1,500 individuals with another hundreds of thousands left without residential areas after the violent storm surges caused by Katrina breached levees leaving behind it about 80 percent of the city submerged below water (Nova). Despite such destructions, New Orleans city remains very vulnerable to flooding, raising fear among residents that in a repeat of a similar disaster, equal destruction will be witnessed as previously seen. The main reasons in support of the increased vulnerability of New Orleans city to flooding is the element of low elevation in comparison to the sea levels. Secondly, the city lacks the appropriate preventive mechanics against storm surges such as wetlands and barrier islands, which have proved worthwhile in other regions towards the prevention of increased flooding (Frontline). Human activity has significantly contributed towards the damage of the city. In creating room for expansion during its construction, swamplands were drained around the sea in creating a room for more expansion, which interfered with the wetlands available for preventing flooding (Nova). Such drained resulted into subsidence of the city land to a level 6 feet below the sea level. In preparation for the Hurricane Katrina, scientists and city officials developed the levee system as a means of replacing the natural protection that had previous been destroyed. In addition to such preparations, scientists also published a number of warnings informing city

Comunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Comunication - Essay Example In the process, the students learn to be relevant critical thinkers in their everyday lives (Boss, 2015). Women often use communication to find out feelings and what the persons they are addressing wants to say. As opposed to men who prefer face to face when communication comes to closeness, women are more contented besides a man. Women have a tendency to make more eye contact when communicating with men (Boss, 2015). They do this due to their nature to be psychologically connected. Women as well make use of facial expressions to express feelings. The body language of a female is exceedingly different from that of a male. Women frequently operate at extremely high intensity. In addition, their faces are active with expressions along with hands being in sync with voices ("Research paper peer review example - DeckStarter," n.d.). It all occurs when a woman is on her feet however if she is sitting, her concentration drops thereby bringing her legs and arms close into her body. Actions of women focus on sustaining a relationship, giving attention, and heartening participation. They desire t he dialogue to have an moving nonverbal association to it. Boss, J. A. (2015). Think: Critical thinking and logic skills for everyday life : why do you think the way you do? : discover in think, how emotion affects judgment, when evidence is vaid, how to recognize faulty

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

Case Study Example The third case entitled ‘FOX news suicide live’ is about a police chase that ends with the suspect shooting himself as FOX television aired the event live. The matter about this case revolves around the merits of displaying such level of violence on television. Regarding the case of the ‘NYC Subway Photographer,’ the first ethical issue revolves around the protection of human life. The second ethical issue focusses on the merits of airing a violent and disturbing video without editing its gruesome details. Viewers with weak sensibilities were obviously disturbed and deeply affected by truth of the death of a man who should have been rescued. Given that the photographer was within range of the incident, it would have been more appropriate for him to act responsibly and humanely by protecting the man instead of taking pictures of the heinous spectacle. Such an intervention would have been defensible on moral grounds. Compassion and empathy should have been the guiding principles to the most appropriate decision from the photographer. Airing the death of a helpless man is not consistent with the ethics of journalistic practice. The cruelty of the situation is that the man was actually pushed to the subway by a violent man who stood nearby to watch the death of his victim. The photograph is an indictment to the photojournalist with regard to his sense of judgment, professional ethics, and moral standards. Protecting the life of a human being must remain the primary concern of a journalist (Smith 61). The photojournalist should have considered the life of the man above his journalistic duties. One ethical issue that connects with the case of the ‘Newspaper Photographer Fired’ is the need to uphold truth and accuracy in the conduct and practice of journalism. The photographer in this case took notice and consequently disapproved of a journalistic practice he found to be outside the ethics of the profession. Photo shopping of pictures to be used in a

Curriculum Based Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Curriculum Based Assessment - Research Paper Example The research sought to establish the possibility of developing a formative assessment system. Teachers could use this system to grow their effectiveness in teaching learners with academic disabilities. Eventually, a comparative study showed that teachers were more effective on using this formative model. In this regard, the validity criteria and conventional credibility in writings, expressions, and spellings were emphasized. There were three key questions addressed in creating a curriculum based assessment procedures. This included the mode of structuring the activities of evaluation in order to produce adequate data, the parameters of measuring the results, and the possibility of using the data to grow educational programs (Stecker & Fuchs, 2000, P.130). These questions were answered using a systematic evaluation of three major issues relevant to each of the measures. The logistical feasibility of the measures and treatment of utility or validity of the measures were technically ev aluated. The procedures for developing the assessment have been specified and will be briefly discussed. Definition Curriculum is the content that is organized for delivery to students. It is done with respect to sequence and scope of methods and materials by intended learning results (Lemons et al, 2013, p.450). Curriculum based assessment is a term that is used to refer to school based assessment that evaluates student performance in accordance to what is being taught. Curriculum based test measures the functioning of student in relation to knowledge and skills as outlined in the curriculum. It is noteworthy that the curriculum-based measurement measures the progress and competency of a student in the basic areas of skill such as... This essay approves that curriculum based assessment is an approach to measuring the educational growth of each student. The main objective of the curriculum-based assessment is to assist teachers in testing the effectiveness of the lessons offer to individual students. Curriculum based assessment has both advantages and disadvantages. They are efficient and economical in that most of the important characteristics that are used in developing curriculum based measurement procedures are within the context of the ongoing instructions. This report makes a conclusion that the results of CBM research have provided a ground for developing standardized procedures of measurement used to evaluate the effects of modifying the students’ instructional program. A research on the student’s achievement effects on teachers of special education using these procedures proved that the effectiveness of instruction could be improved by the use of CBM in formative evaluation. The assessment of CBM focuses mainly on reading and math as a basic skill. The broad focus is on the measurement areas, basic skills, behavior and others. The basic skills of reading, spelling, math, written expression and critical thinking skills are assessed. Curriculum based assessment procedures focus majorly on special education planning and development. It is evident that response to intervention is nowadays common. This improves teaching and learning with regard to the effective component of RTI that requires particular attention from admini strators.

The Holocaust Essay Example for Free

The Holocaust Essay The Pianist is a historically based film that captivates the audience with its intense, riveting scenes. The movie outlines Hitler’s policies against the Jewish race during the holocaust in the late 1930’s. It focuses on the lives of one particular Jewish family during the period in which Hitler invades and occupies the Polish community of Warsaw. The title was inspired by the career of the main character before and after the Holocaust. The film chronicles the experiences of a Jewish pianist and his survival through the Holocaust with determination and the help of others, while millions of other Jews perish. The theme is portrayed effectively throughout the movie. The merciless treatment of the Jewish people convinces the audience to empathize with the characters in the movie. The movie begins with the pianist, Szpilman, in the studio playing the piano while the community of Warsaw is being bombed. A woman who will help him later in the movie approaches The Pianist’ is a cinematic masterpiece by the Polish director Roman Polanski. One of the key ideas that appear throughout much of the film is that of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’. This idea is portrayed through Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish pianist, as he struggles for survival in Warsaw as everybody that he once knew and everything that he once had is lost. The idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’ is worth learning about as it allows the audience to realise the importance of hope in todays society – and to understand how Polanski uses music to symbolise ‘hope’ for Szpilman in the film. Polanski effectively utilises an array of visual and oral text features such as music, dialogue, and lighting to build further emphasis on this theme. ‘The Pianist’ is an honest depiction of the events that occurred during the Holocaust, through the eyes of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish concert pianist living in Warsaw, Poland. As the movie starts we see him in a radio studio beautifully playing the piano. But then the tanks start shooting, the bombs start falling, and the studio is damaged. He can no longer avoid the rapidly escalating situation. Germany is invading his homeland. His time as a concert pianist and radio performer has come to a sudden end. The first half of the movie focuses on the impact of the war on him and his family’s lives and the suffering of others, whilst the second half purely revolves around Szpilman’s struggle for survival and the hope in which he draws from music. Polanski heavily emphasises this idea, getting across the message that Szpilman would not be alive if were not for the hope in which he holds to – even if at times if at times it is by a tiny thread. The most obvious feature used to enhance the idea of ‘hope being instrumental in our survival’ is that of music. After being forced to desert his family and having to live in isolation with his survival being questioned almost every day, it is perhaps only the