Close to the Water’s Edge Essay

Close to the Water’s Edge is a short story written by the Irish writer Claire Keegan. The main character in the story is a boy who just turned 19. He is a student at the Harvard University or as he call it himself Cambridge, which is the town where Harvard University is situated. Through out the story he is staying at his mother’s penthouse apartment near the ocean. His birthday party is marked by a dinner at the fancy restaurant Leonardo’s. But the atmosphere at the dinner is cold and cynical. The conversations between the main character, his mother and his millionaire stepfather is not comfortable and cheerfully but more snide and spiteful. The millionaire stepfather is trying several times to discuss about homosexual men as a part of the military with the main character, but every time his mother tries to change the subject to something else like: how he is the top of his class at Harvard or how good the olives tastes. The grandmother of the main character is the only person who really gets him, and through flashbacks you hear of her life living on a pig farm with a husband that she did not love, and the regrets of her life that she did not leave him and try to make a better life for her self. It is important for a person to take decisions in life, decided and chosen by themselves, decisions that will create and lead on the way to the future and finally to form a unique identity. In life many people have tons of roads to choose between, and it is the way you choose that will defined you as a person. In the choice of the road the person is finally going to choose, many people are trying to influence the chose, but in the end you have to decide for yourself to create your own future and unique identity. This is shown in the short story Close to the Water’s Edge, where the main character is struggling to find his own way in life but his mother is trying to choose for him and plan his future as she wish it to become. The main character is a very sensitive, polite and intelligent young man. But underneath the surface he feels impotencies, he feels void towards his parents who will not accept him for whom he really is, gay and careless of wealth. His mother thinks that wealth means happiness â€Å"You play your cards right and this could all be yours someday. He’s god no kids. You wonder why I married him, but I was thinking of you all along† (p. 3 l. 76-78). But he don’t care about wealth, it seems unimportant to him â€Å"He does not care for these rooms, with the vicious swordfish mounted on the walls and all these mirrors that make it impossible to do the simplest thing without seeing his reflection. † (p. 1 l. 4-7) In the story there are lots of clues that points that he is gay â€Å"He stays out on the beach and though his shades watches the bathers, the procession of young men with washboard bellies walking the beach. (p. 1 l. 8-10) â€Å"He will never marry; he knows that now† (p. 4 l. 165-166) Through the dinner at Leonardo’s his millionaire stepfather tries scornfully to influence subjects that points out his sexuality or just to pan homosexuality â€Å"Did you hear about this guy Clinton? Says if he’s elected president he’s going to let queers into the military† (p. 2 l. 88-89) â€Å"How come you never bring a girl down? † (p. 2 l. 123-124). The mother is a beautiful hot tempered woman, a bit superficial and wears expensive clothes and lots of make-up. She married the millionaire Richard, in hope of giving herself and her son the best chance for success in life, but she forgot to stop and ask her son what it was he wanted of life and in what way he wanted to achieve success in life. Richard, the millionaire stepfather is an unsympathetic and cruel man throughout the entire story; it seems like he doesn’t care for anybody but himself, it is shown in the way that he take no notice of his wife’s wish about not bringing up the fact that her son is gay. And in the way he is taunting the main character by giving him a pink cake as a joke, the stepfather think it is funny because the main character is gay. â€Å"It is a pink cake, the pinkest cake the young man has ever seen, like a cake you’d have at a christening party for twin girls. The millionaire is grinning. † (p. 3, l. 135-137) The Grandmother tells the drearily story about a wasted life. Through flashbacks the story about how her biggest wish was leaving the Tennessean pig farm where she was living with her husband, and run away to go to the Atlantic. One day her husband finally agrees in fulfilling her dream. When they arrive at the Ocean he tell her that she got one hour and if she is not back by then he will leave her. At five minutes past the appointed hour, he slammed the car door and turned the ignition on. But the grandmother jumped into the road and stopped him, and afterwards she climbed into the car. She later told her grandson, the main character, that if she had her life to live again, she would never have climbed back into that car. Her life is the symbol of the wasted life, where other people chose the decisions for her and chose the roads she had to go. The story is told by a limited omniscient 3. person narrator. This effect the story. In a way makes it more serious, because a limited omniscient narrator creates a focus on the deep and almost melodramatic thoughts of life that the main character has. If we had heard the mother’s thoughts instead of his, it would create another story with all new perspectives. But because it is the main characters point of view, it makes it much easier to see the moral of the story. As stated earlier on, the main character is not free. He is not in the process of choosing his own road towards his future and identity, but is being controlled by his mother and the stepfather. His mother is trying to make him choose the lifestyle she has decided is best for him, rich and successful. At one point in the story, there is a clear symbol on how the mother is holding him down and pressing him, it is in the first part of the story, when the boy is out on the balcony and his mother is tiring his tie in a â€Å"unnecessarily tight bow† (p. 3 l. 70). Later on after the dinner at Leonardo’s he is walking down the beach and starts thinking about his grandmother, who lived a life in where she was total controlled by her husband and did not have the freedom to make her own chooses, and how she regret that she did not stood up to her husband. He realizes that just as his grandmother he is not living the life he wants to live. He wants to break free of the life he is living where he is not able to choose for himself, he loosens the knot around his neck as a symbol of how he is breaking the controlling grasp his mother has on him. The main character is now standing in a central point of the story. He is standing close to the water’s edge on the beach. He is going to have to choose either jumping in the water and taking the chance with his life that his grandmother never took, she was afraid of how deep the water was, but she later regret that she did not take the chance, the other opportunity is staying on solid ground well knowing how the rest of his life will turn out, planed by his mother. He takes the risk and jump into the water, not knowing what will happen, but it is a chose of his own. The way of how he is going into the water is a symbol of rebirth. The main character is going through a development deep inside of him, he is breaking up with the controlling of her mother and starts taking his own choices and controlling his own life. In the meanwhile this development of his life is happing another developing is taken place, where he is going from being a boy to being a man.

A Lesson in Life

A lesson In life I had not once learned valuable lessons in life. One of the life lessons that I learned is to be thankful and appreciate for those that around me. Maybe it is true that we do not appreciate what we had until we lost them and there are moments in life that when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them out from your dream and hug them. I did not experience these until my grandmother passed away. My grandmother was the one that watches me grow up and takes care of me when I was a little boy because my parents had to work and were away from home.She loved me so much that she would do anything for me but I did not realize this until she passed away. Since she was the only adult at home she had to do all the household chores and takes care of me at the same time. Everyday after school, she would wait for me at the doorway and asks me what I wanted to eat for lunch and she would cook the food for me immediately. Every times when I go out to play with my frie nds she would asks me where I was going and when I'm going to be home, so that she knows when to prepare the dinner for me.As I grow older, I started to hate the way that she waits for me everyday at the doorway and asks me where I was going. I told her that I am older now and that she doesn't have to treat me like a little girl anymore. However, she continued to act the same way as usual. One day when I came home from school and saw her standing there waiting for me, which I did not expected, I was very angry and had a big argument with her. I yelled at her and told her that I am older now and that I do not need her anymore. She did not say anything to me and I ran out the house. I came home very late that night and walk up to my room quietly.I was surprised to find a bow of rice and two plates of dishes on the table in my room. I did not eat the food and dump the whole thing into the trash can. The next morning I woke up early and went to school without saying anything to her. Two months later my parents decided to immigrate to Abha. My mother told me that my grandmother said that she did not wanted to go with us to Abha because she felt that she is too old and would just be an encumbrance for the family. I was depressed that I had to leave the place where I grew up but at the same time I was glad that my grandmother is not leaving with us. he told me to take care of myself when I get there and it is the first time that I saw her cried. I wanted to cry too when I saw the tears rolling down from her face, but I turn my head away and did not even say good bye to her. After arrived in Abha, I was occupied with learning English and did not call home to her even though I heard from my parents that she became really sick after we left. I remember that it was on a cold December day when I heard the news from my parents that my grandmother had passed away. After hearing the news, I can not help it and the tears continue to roll down from my face.In my heart, I felt that something that is always there is suddenly gone and I can not stop crying. Four years had passed since my grandmother passed away. Every time when I look at her pictures, the tears just begin to roll down from my face. I felt very regret for never apologize to her for the argument that we had and all the strong words that I had said to her. I felt very regret for never thank her for all the things that she had done for me. If, I had another chance, I would tell her that â€Å"I love you grandma† by Abdulkhaleq Hassan Ali

Energy Transfer in electrical circuits Research Paper

Energy Transfer in electrical circuits - Research Paper Example Home appliances and industries transform energy into other forms to a desired form. Electric circuits are utilized for these operations. Energy is not in the form of matter that can be saved. â€Å"Energy can neither be created nor it can be destroyed, it can be changed from one form to another form† (Moan & Smith, 2007). The phrase â€Å"source of energy† or â€Å"sources of energy† is a wrong phrase as energy is impossible to create. We can only alter it from one form to another form. Battery converts chemical energy to electrical energy. Battery does not generate energy. A power plant converts chemical energy of fuel to electrical energy. Fossil fuels had converted solar energy to chemical energy (Moan & Smith, 2007). An ideal energy conversion system is that that has no losses. One form or energy is converted to the other desired form without any losses. The efficacy of such a system is 100%. It means that the ratio of inputs and outputs equal 1. Practically it is impossible to have an ideal system. A practical energy conversion system does have some losses and thus the desired output is always less than the input. In power generation, internal combustion engine are only 40% efficient. 60% of the input energy is wasted as heat energy that is undesired. If a combined cyclic plant is utilized to convert energy, 80% efficiency can be achieved, as a carefully designed heat recovery system recovers most of the thermal energy that goes to waste. In the similar manner, an electric motor does not convert all the input energy to mechanical energy, some of the energy is dissipated as heat and bearing losses. An electric bulb wastes about 95% of energy, which is dissipated in the form of heat and converts only 5% of the energy to light energy (Bbc.co.uk, 2014). There is much difference in energy and power. Energy yields power. Electrical energy is the product of electrical power and time. If electrical energy is denoted

Memory method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Memory method - Essay Example n states, â€Å"I make no more estimation of repeating a great number of names or words upon once hearing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  However this did not stop many ambitious individuals from attempting to engage in mental training for memory competitions. According to OBrien, Raemon Matthews had the notion of improving the art of memory despite popular belief (Page 37). Matthews established of a group of African Americans known as the â€Å"Talented Ten† to participate U.S Memory Championship. He made his students write an essay with more than to memorized quotations to while in class. This technique proved to improve the memory bank of the African American students at the time. Rote memorization was technique where students were expected to memorize geography and history of America. The basis of the technique was to add more information to the present memory of a student. John Dewey introduced the method of practicing of acquired knowledge rather than building on memory banks. The concept was referred to as experimental learning and replaced the previous rote memorization. Matthew argues that education is the simplest method of improving memorization. He says. â€Å"You make monkeys memorize, whereas education is the ability to retrieve information at will and analyze it.† Mind Mapping is memorization techniques created by Tony Buzan and borrows its concepts from old memory technique. Matthews provides an informative insight into how students can perform better in exams given that they education is significant factor. He argues that it enables the student to memorize information that will be memorized and can be accessed at any time. Tony Buzan is an example of student who began to read up on ways of improving his memory. Reading Greek and Roman reminders gave him the ability to remember information about previous studies. Buzan began to apply the technique when studying for exams. He began to use old memory techniques to teach student while operating as substitute teacher. The

Discuss combine harvester and its historic and current impact on the Essay

Discuss combine harvester and its historic and current impact on the economy, the environment, relationships, education, and morals. Give examples to support your discussion - Essay Example In addition, the remnants after using the combine harvester may be fed to farm animals or cut and spread throughout the field to add nutrients. This papers explores the history and the environmental and economic impacts of the combine harvester The combine harvester was invented in the U.S by one Hiram Moore in 1834. Notably, the early versions of the machine were pulled by mule, bulls, and/or horse teams. Although invented in the U.S., the idea of combine harvester was evident in other regions. In fact, an Australian, Hugh Victor McKay developed the first commercial combine harvester in 1882. Later combine harvester would be pulled by steam engine as seen in George Stockton Berry’s integration of the combine harvester with a steam engine using straw to heat the boiler. Later, sophisticated combine harvesters such as Massey Ferguson’s would emerge, drawn by tractors (gas or diesel engines). Attached to these combine harvesters are shakers, which separate grain from the chaff and straw-walkers to eject the straw and retain the grain (Quick & Buchele, 1978). One of the economic impacts of the combine harvester is the execution of multiple tasks such as grain threshing, winnowing, and collection in harvest in fa ster and more efficient ways. The machine has also created its own industry and jobs, thus improving the economy. The combine harvester has also led to reduced crop losses, time conservation, good turn around time for next crop, and reduced labor shortages during peak times thereby positively affecting the economy and living standards. Thus, due to these many advantages, the combine harvester has economically empowered not only its manufacturers but also farmers. Unfortunately, the price of the machine has prevented some farmers from using it. Additionally, poor transport facilities in rural areas, fragmented land holding, inaccessibility of farms and lack of local manufacturers and repairing facilities have also

Passport and Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Passport and Justice - Essay Example As statements made by Knox, she had heard of screams of Kercher proving that she was present in the location and at the time of the murder. At the same time statements of Knox also stressed on the fact that she was mentally pressurized by the investigation team that could have led her to make such statements. Also, the evidences of the blood stains and the matching of DNA with Knox and Kercher could not prove to stand strongly against Knox and her boyfriend. This was primarily because the weapon in which the blood stains were obtained and the injuries on the body of Kercher did not match (Kington, 2011). All these facts reflect on one very important suggestion that the investigation of the murder was done to the proper extent it was needed. Moreover, while the court or the legal system in Italy has been unable to find the match of the evidences with the murder of the young girl, it could also be stressed that the court did not take significant measures to place orders for the identif ication of the truth. The blame was instead completely placed on the team of investigation without any strict rules for them to ensure that the evidences they presented could be strongly used to find the murderers. The US Legal System: Any Difference That Would Have Taken Place: An analysis of the case in concern of the study reflects on the fact there had been a lack in the entire investigation process as well as the legal system that did not contemplate well on what could have actually happened to Meredith Kercher whose throat was slashed and signs of sexual assaults were also found. Rather the judge had made statements that showed that he did not... The case of Amanda Knox reflects on a murder case, which occurred in the year 2007, where Amanda and her boyfriend were charged and given sentences for several years in jail. However, both them have got their releases in the year 2011 (Jones, 2011). The current study focuses on the incidents and the trials that had taken place on this murder, and judgment of the Italian government and how it could be different if the US government was in charge of the case. Also, an overview on the major legal systems in the world would be presented such that an understanding of the legal procedures can be achieved while people move to different countries.There are currently four major legal systems in the world. If any individual travels to different countries, he/she needs to understand the difference in these laws such that they can maintain the decorum applicable in the particular country. Also, in case of any accidents, or criminal acts, the understanding of these laws becomes highly essential. The four major legal systems include the Civil law, the Socialist law, the Islamic law, and the Common law. . If an individual travels to a different country, a study on which law is followed in that country and thus an understanding of that law would assist the individual to keep safe in a foreign country as well.

Integrated Reporting Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Integrated Reporting Framework - Essay Example However, it was not until 1999 that the UK developed a framework which it described as – ‘Statement of Principles for Financial Reporting’. Both frameworks were based on work done in US, Canada and some other countries (Dyson 2007). Before that time the bases for financial reporting were various rules and custom and standards which were mainly ‘fire-fighting exercises’ (Dyson 200?). The USA, however, was much earlier in developing a conceptual framework in the 1970’s. This framework was also developed out of a number of crises over the years which led to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States in 1934 under whose charge the FASB falls. Subsequently, there have been additional crisis in the United States especially that which led to the Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002. This Act has laid down certain requirements for companies listed on the stock exchange. All these have one objective – the protection of stakeho lders, while minimising the differences in reporting by companies. The IFRS framework deals with the objectives of financial statements, the qualitative characteristics that determine the usefulness of these statements, the definition, recognition and measurement of the elements from which they are constructed, and the concepts of capital and capital maintenance (BPP 2009, p. 36). They form a common basis on which financial statements are repared, thus creating a basis for discussion. These frameworks have provided guidelines in relation to disclosure of information, measurement, recognition and presentation of financial statement components. This means that company executives have to abide by these guidelines if they want their auditors (assurance providers) to indicate that their financial statements show as true and fair view. This has helped to constrain the freedom of company executives. Harmonisation and convergence projects There have been frequent calls for harmonisation and this has borne some fruit with over 100 countries accepting the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) with additional countries such as Canada being one of the most recent adoptees (Sungard 2011). According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (2011, p. 3) as a result of mergers and acquisitions through business dealings with non-US customers and vendors IFRS continue to affect US companies. This has led to the convergence project for a conceptual framework which is a joint project between the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) the preparers of IFRS and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) the preparers of US GAAP. The objective of the project is to develop an improved conceptual framework as a basis for developing accounting standards in the future (Financial Accounting Standards Board n.d.). All these are aimed at making financial statements that have been produced in different countries more comparable. Additionally, investors will feel more secured and con fident in the information provided in the statements. The Need for Integrated Reporting The frameworks provided by various accounting bodies though undergoing continuous revision have not been able to keep up with the pace of changes in the global environment. Investors and other stakeholders find themselves being short changed by insufficient disclosure, an inability to link the figures provided in the

Managing Human Resources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing Human Resources - Research Paper Example Lastly, he/she should be able to handle conflict and always have an eye towards how to mediate a given situation amicably. Q2: A human resource director is not only charged with managing the day to day process flow of human resources but also molding and directing the future form that the company wishes to take. This happens in a variety of different ways but most importantly through selecting and testing new prospects to ensure they are an adequate fit for the firm in question. In the given question concerning choosing the correct employee to fill a position as bank teller, the HR manager should look for someone with a customer service background, cheerfulness, ability to handle responsibility, trustworthiness, clean record, and exceptional people skills (Holland, 2012). Q3: With respect to working closely with the business strategy arm of a given institution, this is an integral part of HR’s role and responsibility. Many firms overlook this integral part to their own detriment. HR can work to quickly mirror the goals and strategies that a company lays out for its employees. Human resources can take this responsibility so that each of the internal departments continues to function at peak efficiency; all the while the new goals and metrics can be implemented across the organization at a speed and efficiency that would not have been possible had each of the departments attempted to implement on their own time and in their own way. Ployhart, R. E., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Mackenzie Jr., W. I. (2011). ACQUIRING AND DEVELOPING HUMAN CAPITAL IN SERVICE CONTEXTS: THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF HUMAN CAPITAL RESOURCES. Academy Of Management Journal, 54(2), 353-368.

Southwest Airline Co and Cost Accounting Essay Example for Free

Southwest Airline Co and Cost Accounting Essay Southwest Airline Co. is a major passenger airline that provides scheduled air transportation in the United States. Southwest provides point-to-point service which allows the use of key assets, including aircrafts, gates, employees, and the ability to provide frequent, conveniently- timed flights and low fares. Southwest Airlines has built its culture from the inside out and believes that the satisfied employees will keep customers coming back. Southwest Airlines operates with a low-cost structure that is designed to allow it to charge low airfares. With that said, cost accounting can have a pervasive influence in this and other organizations. From the company’s 2006 annual report-Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Information, Item 1A. Risk Factors; fuel price volatility presents one of the company’s most significant challenges. Southwest for the past five years of this annual report, has hedged its fuel risk as part of its lost cost strategy. While this also demonstrates the use of cost accounting, the company entered into fuel derivatives contracts to protect against rising fuel costs. Southwest Airlines uses cost accountants in contributing to the external financial reports such as inventory valuation as noted on page 55, under Notes Consolidated Financial Statements – (Continued) – Inventories, which consists of flight equipment expendable parts, materials, aircraft fuel, and supplies. The cost accountant determines the valuation method that is in the best interest of the company and favorable to the stockholder. There is an advantage to having cost accountants, they create reports used strictly for internal use and are not restricted to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). A cost accountant is free is use any costing paradigm that will result in an informative report for management. Such reports may consist of, but limited to job costing, direct costing, activity-based costing, process costing and more. Unlike internal reports, external reports are formatted and defined by GAAP Cost accountants focus on providing information for management decision making. The cost accountant can contribute several types of costing information to the planning process that are of assistance in making strategy alterations that will result in enhanced levels of profitability or the avoidance of low-profit strategy alternatives.

It is important to know right from wrong Essay Example for Free

It is important to know right from wrong Essay During this essay I am going to try to prove that it is important to know right form wrong. I am also going to explain how different cultures; backgrounds and circumstances can change peoples morals on right and wrong. An example of how people morals can changes due to circumstances is war. How is war different to murder? War can be defending the country you live in from being invaded and taken over. If your countries soldiers dont shoot the invading soldiers then you would either be dead or living somewhere everything about you is considered wrong just because of you nationality. However, war can be attack where your country is the one who is invading another. But either way, does the little man have a choice? The little man has to do what his leader tells him to avoid being named a traitor or being killed by the enemy. In my opinion war isnt murder. If both sides have weapons and neither side has a choice because if they dont shoot first then theyll end up dead. Its a no win situation. However, a person who commits murder can have a choice. Murders can happen due to jealous or revenge or even pure hate of the person. But the murderer has a choice or whether or not to take someone elses life. There is an exception in my opinion of somebody who is beaten up or constantly being injured by his or her spouse. Im not saying women who get beaten up or men who do because it can happen both ways. There is a point in some people where they snap and cant take any more and their hidden anger get released and they can murder someone in a moment of losing control. This does bring up the question Is suicide murder? and one which I cant answer myself for many reasons and therefore Im unable to give my opinion on it. Some people may consider self harm to be a sickness and that even thinking about suicide is murdering yourself. If the life is yours to take who decides if you take it or not? Other people, maybe those who have considered it themselves believe it can be a way of escaping a situation rather than fighting through it and even that considering it is just bringing them to a conclusion that nobody else has reached yet. Is murder right or wrong? Murder is wrong in circumstances and can be right in others, the same for suicide. It all depends on the point of view that somebody looks at it from. There are always going to be exceptions in murder and suicide so nobody can give a clear right or wrong answer. Another example of right and wrong is the black and white version. The law is in black and white and doesnt consider exceptions in many cases. The legal age of understanding the difference between right and wrong is ten years old in the United Kingdom. No child under the age of ten can be prosecuted and even those who are older are very rarely prosecuted as the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) doesnt always agree to go ahead with the cases. Some cases do go through such as the case when Robert Thompson and Jon Venables murdered James Bulger. The CPS did agree with prosecuting them as they had taken a life and the chance of getting a conviction was realistic. The law has to be in black and white to ensure they treat everybody equally To know the difference between right and wrong you have to have substantial judgement to know when something you are doing is wrong. Growing up living in a location where burglary and violence are everyday occurrences can tilt the persons point of view on right and wrong. Circumstances can change the way their view is on different situations and the basic common sense that people have can cause the person to have different outlooks on different situations. This can cause their view of right and wrong to lead them to things they wouldnt do other wise and end up in prison for committing a crime that they didnt even know is wrong. Is it possible to unknowingly do something wrong? I believe that it is possible to do something wrong without realising it is wrong. It depends on common sense and the situation. In my opinion it is important to know the difference between right and wrong. If you dont then you can do things unknowingly that are wrong and kill somebody due to not understanding the consequences of your actions. This makes it important to know the difference and be able to judge a situation on whether its right or wrong yourself. Ethics and morals are part of everybodys opinions on whether something is right or wrong that means that your opinion has more influence on your actions and the way you treat other people than you realise. The problem with just saying it is wrong to murder or war is murder is that things arent that simple. The world isnt in black and white like the law, it is in colour and so many things and situations have an exception, which is why people have to understand the difference between right and wrong so they can be able to judge the world for themselves.

Cinema as an instrument of Nationalism

Cinema as an instrument of Nationalism Cloaks in the colours of soil: Cinema as an instrument of Nationalism The paper aims to highlight the role of cinema in constructing and reconstructing the nationalism of a state. In doing so the paper is divided into three parts. In the first part, I shall conceptualize the notions of nationalism and popular culture with the help of academic sources and then shall try to formulate a link between these two concepts and shall analyse how these are correlated. In the second chapter, I shall explain the role of cinema in constructing and reconstructing the beliefs, practices and objects associated with a popular culture and how these constructions and reconstructions are accepted into a nationalistic discourse. In the final section, to strengthen my previous debate I shall analyse two films, one from India Dil Se (1998) and one from Yugoslavia Underground (1995), to argue that cinema works as an instrument of nationalism through its devices by influencing the consciousness of audiences and results in construction of a nation. Conceptualizing the link between Nationalism and Popular Culture Andrew Vincent describes the nationalism as an ideology that ‘makes national self-consciousness, ethnic or linguistic identity into central planks of a doctrine which seeks political expression† (Vincent, 2010:227). The ethno-linguistic identities are elements of culture associated with a nation, therefore, the nation as an entity is a blend of â€Å"culture and psycho political factors† (Heywood, 2003: 134). Therefore, nationalism has a link with the culture and to be more specific with popular culture. Popular culture has its roots in ‘‘’folk’ or ‘popular’ beliefs, practices, and objects rooted in local traditions as well as mass beliefs, practices, and objects generated from political and commercial centres† (Mukerji Schudson, 1986: 48). Sanjeev Kumar explains popular culture as a â€Å"collective experience† of a society that formulates â€Å"a symmetrical feeling of common tastes† (Kumar, 2013:458). T hese common tastes further give rise to political ideas as many scholars believe that â€Å"popular culture plays a crucial role in mobilizing political action† (Mukerji Schudson, 1986: 47). This political action can be defined as a projection of nationalistic feelings or nationalism. Ernest Gellner in his modernist theory on nationalism and nation asserted the importance of shared common culture in formulating the nationalism of a particular nation by eroding the â€Å"rigid social structures† and argued that ‘nations are products of nationalism, and not vice versa† (OLeary, 1997) (Walicki, 1998). A similar argument can be found in the constructivist perspective of nation that see nations as â€Å"constructs† (Walicki, 1998). Therefore, a nation is not a substance, but the product of a historical process, and a social, political and cultural construct that represent the collects of a nation. The collective consciousness of the nation is described as nationalism. It is important to note that it is not necessary that the beliefs that make up the rhetoric of nationalism are based on historical facts. As many scholars such as Benedict Anderson, David Miller and Anthony D. Smith believes that â€Å"misrepresentation of historical facts† plays significant role in the constitution of nation building and thus â€Å"national identity is often based on false or, worse still, intentionally misleading beliefs†(Tamir, 1995). Cinema as an Instrument of Nationalism In almost every state there is a â€Å"national cinema† that makes films for the masses of that particular state (Walsh, 1996). To attract audiences these films are made by keeping in mind the popular culture of the masses. Cinema like other type of mass media carries meanings and symbols that not only represent beliefs, practices and objects of a particular popular culture associated with a nation, but also structure the process of nation building by influencing the popular culture through reconstruction of these beliefs, practices, and objects. Walsh (1996) characterizes these meanings and symbols as â€Å"national imaginary†. This process leaves an impact on the psyche of the audience and thus influence the collective consciousness of the nation- nationalism. Thus, â€Å"Internalization† of these meanings and symbols into discourse of nationalism happens through national cinema (Walsh, 1996). One way to understand this phenomenon is through focusing on the identity politics of a nation. Identity is a sense of belonging to a particular group that can lead to the possibility of a nationhood. Through this identity individuals of a nation distinguish themselves from individuals of another nation. Thus the collective identity of a group is defined by distinguishing others as foreign. This process can also be utilized against the minority groups within a state. Sanjeev Kumar conceptualizes this as the practice of â€Å"othering† (Kumar, 2013). As he further highlights with the help of a case study of Indian cinema that cinema plays a vital role in offering Muslim minority. Cinema plays a dynamic role in identity formation by reconstructing the beliefs, practices and objects associated with a national identity. Therefore, a â€Å"national imaginary† is created in which some meanings and symbols are promoted and some are subordinated to define identity Furthermore, cinema with its tools also define and reconstruct the geographical, ideological and cultural boundaries of a nation. And these reconstructions are internalized through psychological effects on the collective consciousness of the masses. As Shohat and Stam (1994) with the help of psychoanalysis argue that cinema plays an importance role in acceptance of these recreated imaginary by â€Å"efficiently mobilize[ing] desire in ways responsive to nationalized and imperialized notions of time, plot and history†. Further, they argue that cinema â€Å"homologize† the nation because of collective consumption by the masses and with the help of Benedict Anderson’s argument they declare that â€Å"The nation of course is not a desiring person but a fictive unity imposed on an aggregate of individuals, yet national histories are presented as if they displayed the continuity of the subject-writ-large† (Shohat Stam, 1994). Dil Se (1998) This film attempts to revisit the ideological underpinnings of India after 50 years of independence. The film starts with two extreme positions: Indian nationalism and the nationalism of sub national entities. The protagonist, who is the program executive for All India Radio strolls through North East and Kashmir in an attempt to understand the rationale behind insurgencies and separatist movements in those regions and finds out that insurgents blame Indian government for the poverty and human rights violations and thus justify their violent means to achieve independence. As being a patriotic Indian with a military background he is not convinced by the reasoning of the insurgents and is swayed that Pakistan is helping these movements. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a girl who is a terrorist in disguise and chases her throughout the film. The high point of the movie is the scene where the protagonist learns the real identity of his lover, who is going to attack the parade on the 50t h anniversary of Republic Day, and confronts her and questions her motives. The girl reveals that she had been a rape victim in theKunan Poshpora incidentand that her soul seeks deliverance through hersuicide attack on Republic Day. At this juncture, he replies to her â€Å"you cannot kill innocent people because of the wrongdoing of some people†. It is noteworthy that when this film was released, India was using brutal military force against pro-independence movements and was under much international criticism. The film tries to limit the whole question of pro-independence movements as an issue of governance rather than ideological, cultural or historical as the director makes the insurgents to say so in the beginning of the film. It also puts the responsibility on â€Å"some people† rather than Indian State thus the enemy is â€Å"some people† that exploit their position and force common Indian to pick the gun. This is â€Å"misrepresentation of historical facts† that I mentioned earlier. In addition, it also subordinates the notion of violence and promotes the notion of love as the suicide bomber girl chooses love over violence in the closing scene. Therefore, Indian identity is reconstructed by distinguishing individuals on this principal. This film also attempts to define geographical, ideological and cultural boundaries of Indian nation by creating â€Å"national imaginary†. To define geographical boundaries the film portrays many locations such as Ladakh, Kashmir, North East, Delhi, Kerala and Bengal etc. Ideological boundaries are defined in term of the subject of the film as throughout the movie there is no mention or visualization of the religious origins of violence. Such as the religious identities of terrorists are not indicated. Even their oath that they repeat throughout the film is secular in nature. Thus, this film emphasizes the secular nature of Indian nationalism. Cultural boundaries are defined in term of lyrics, music and choreography that range from work of Bullay Shah to Mirza Ghalib and from South Indian exotic dance to gypsy dance on a moving train. In doing so the film gives the notion that despite insurgencies and separatist movements this whole sphere and its tastes constitute India and thus tries to evoke the sense of belonging to the land in audiences’ consciousness. Underground (1995) This film was produced during Balkan crisis of 1990s during which the former republic of Yugoslavia exploded. The narrative and imaginary of the film indicates that the director Emir Kushturica is still stuck with the dream of the old republic of Yugoslavia as one film critic notes â€Å"if growing up implies the death of the past, there is no area in which Kushturica refuses to grow up. He refuses to believe that his homeland, the country formerly called Yugoslavia, no longer exists† (Yarovskaya, 1997-1998). Therefore, the whole effort of Kushturica is to project the notion of Yugoslavian nationhood on screen and tell the world what went wrong. He does so through historical and psychoanalytical devices in which he blends the history with the lives of main characters Marko and Blacky. The film goes through three eras: World War 2, post-war reconstruction during Tito’s regime and Yugoslav wars. In the first part, the film promotes the idea of â€Å"Brotherhood and Unity† that was the official ideology of Yugoslavia and shows that how with this guiding principal Yugoslavs fought against Nazi power and succeeded. At this juncture, the director introduces enemy that is human desire for power rooted in the subconscious. The film further divides desire into two parts: sexual desire and destructive desire (Yarovskaya, 1997-1998). The next chapter shows the struggle between conscious and subconscious through symbols. The main characters Marko and Blacky are symbols of the subconscious that wanted to grab power and the character of Natalija is a symbol for power. Marko is a symbol of sexual desire and Blacky is a symbol of destructive desire. During this struggle in order to get Natalija Marko makes other characters that are symbols of consciousness, and Blac ky believe that war is still going on so they must hide themselves in an underground cellar and produce guns for the resistance. The revolutionary meaning of underground is resistance and psychological meaning is â€Å"collective consciousness† (Yarovskaya, 1997-1998). On ground level the film portrays the corrupt regime of Tito that grows out of power seeking subconscious. In this regime Marko is right hand man of Tito and an arms dealer. After the death of Tito Yugoslavia starts to disintegrate and soon civil war erupts. Meanwhile, characters that are symbols of collective consciousness come out of hiding and see ruins of their dream by the hand of symbols of the subconscious. Disheartened, some characters commit suicide and others resort themselves to a parallel Yugoslavia that is shown through a sequence of underground tunnels that is inhabited by refugees, Yugoslav warriors and UN peacekeepers. The character of Blacky that is the symbol for destructive desire becomes a warlord and contribute to the Civil war. Therefore, with this film Emir Kushturica tries to promote the guiding principle of â€Å"Brotherhood and Unity† that helped Yugoslavs to win the war, but soon the human desire for power changed the whole Yugoslav society and it became unrecognizable by the time of death of Tito. After the death of Tito destructive desire was unleashed and thus resulted in the Yugoslav Wars. Conclusion Therefore, it is argued that cinema construct and restructure the notion of identity of a nation and define and reconstruct the geographical, ideological and cultural boundaries of a nation through the creation of â€Å"national imaginary† and influence masses by mobilizing desire of nationhood and thus results in homologizing a nation. As a result, cinema works as an instrument of nationalism through its devices by influencing the consciousness of audiences. The analysis of two films strengthen this argument. The first film Dil Se not only justifies military operations against insurgents through â€Å"misrepresentation of historical facts† but also portrays insurgents as murderers of innocent people. This film also attempts to reconstruct Indian identity by subordinating the notion of violence and promoting the notion of love. It also attempts to define geographical, ideological and cultural boundaries of Indian nation by creating â€Å"national imaginary† and tries to evoke sense of belonging to land in audiences’ consciousness. The other film, Underground, promotes and justifies the idea of Yugoslavian nationhood by showing Yugoslav resistance against Nazi Germany. It also attempts to explain the breakup of Yugoslavia by putting all the responsibility on power seeking desire of humans rather than on republic, thus it evokes the desire of belonging to old republic of Yugoslavia in audiences’ consciousness. Bibliography Heywood, A. (2003). Political Ideologies: An Introduction. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Mukerji, Chandra Schudson, Michael. (1986). Popular Culture. Annual Review of Sociology, 12:47-66. OLeary, Brendan. (1997). On the Nature of Nationalism: An Appraisal of Ernest Gellners Writings on Nationalism. British Journal of Political Science, 27(2): 91-222. Ringmar, E. (1998). Nationalism: The Idiocy of Intimacy. The British Journal of Sociology, 49(4): 534-549. Shohat, Ella Stam, Robert, (1994). Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media. New York: Routledge. Tamir, Yael. (1995). The Enigma of Nationalism (Review of the Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson: Five Roads to Modernity by LIah Greenfeld; National Identity by Anthony D. Smith). World Politics, 47(3): 418-440. .Vincent, A. (2010). Modern Political Ideologies. West Sussex: Wiley. Walicki, Andrzej. (1998). Ernest Gellner and the Constructivist Theory of Nation. Harvard Ukrainian Studies, 22: 611-619 Walsh, Michael. (1996). National Cinema, National Imaginary: Film History, 8(1): 5-17. Yarovskaya, Marianna. (1997-1998). Underground by Emir Kushturica; Pierre Spengler (Review of the Underground by Emir Kushturica). Film Quarterly, 51(2): 50-54.

Theme Of Grapes Of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers

The Journey Theme of The Grapes of Wrath   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck displays in his writing many different and interconnected themes. The main idea of the novel can be interpreted many different ways through many of the different actions and characters throughout the novel. In the first chapter of the novel, Steinbeck describes the dust bowl and foreshadows the theme:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The men came were silent and they did not move often. And the women   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  came out of the houses to stand beside their men-to feel whether this   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  time the men would break. As a theme, Steinbeck wanted the reader to see that humanity is on a journey, and for good or bad humanity continues to move ahead. Along with journey come changes, another important idea in the novel, which correlates directly with the main theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Journey is the main idea in the beginning of the novel when Tom Joad first gets out of prison and is looking for a ride home. Walking home he spots a turtle. Lying on the highway, missed by a car, hit by a truck, the turtle still struggles to continue his own journey towards the southwest. So already in the novel, two journeys are taking place, one a man’s journey and the other, nature’s journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Change is evident as an idea in the novel when Tom is reunited with his childhood preache...

billy mitchell Essay -- essays papers

billy mitchell PART I The end of the era of Reconstruction in America brought forth the greatest rise in American Power. This era was known as the "Guilded Age." Big business grew all over the country producing a few tycoons such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan. These men had extreme wealth through huge monopolistic enterprises. This was unfortunately at the expense of many immigrants who worked for these men. Women and children worked long hours in sweatshops for horrible wages. Men worked however they could sometimes as miners, construction workers, railroad builders, and factory workers. These immigrants came from southeastern Europe mainly. The country's population skyrocketed with the flow of immigration after the civil war. These immigrants built America, as you know it today. Due to Germany's unrestricted Submarine warfare America had no choice but to enter into World War I. on April 6, 1917 America declared war on Germany. This was to be one of the bloodiest, dirtiest wars ever. They fought in what we call trench warfare. Long trenches went all the way down the enemy and friendly lines. America's soldiers and technology had a big role in the allies' defeat of Germany. The war was ended with the Treaty of Versailles. The United States never joined in the League of Nations, which the allies had formed thus continuing isolationism. The 1920s brought about a time of prosperity for America. 50% of Americans were living in urban areas by this time. The country was going through prohibition, making alcohol illegal. Cultural change brought about many problems in the U.S. Swing dancing and loose skirts were all the rage. Women were becoming more independent. Like all great things in life this age of prosperity sharply came to an end with the Great Depression. The Great Depression started in the fall of 1929 with the New York Stock Exchange crash. With the economy resting in the hands of the tycoons like Rockefeller the depression was inevitable. By 1931, 5 million Americans were unemployed. The great nation, which was just coming to power, seemed like it was going to die out. It might have if a man named Franklin D. Roosevelt hadn't been elected president. Roosevelt began to put in effect a plan he called the New Deal. He took the U.S. off the gold standard to help the crisis. He also passed a serie... ...y time of day. This is a huge plus for the military that Billy Mitchell did not foresee. William "Billy" Mitchell was undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in American military history. He is the father of the U. S. Air Force, the one man who fought for what he knew was needed. He was a true American, unafraid of persecution and ridicule. Billy Mitchell fought his points to the point of his demise. Without this man there might not of been an Airforce. Without this man there might not be an America today. Bibliography: "American Air Superiority," Billy Mitchell's Role in the Air Force. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media, 1999. Rpt. In Student Recourses Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, Dec. 2000. http://264.312.569.115/servlet/SRC 29 Sept. 2001. Bellows, John. "Billy Mitchell." Journal of American Military. 1953. 356-359. Burlingame, Roger. General Billy Mitchell: Champion of Air Defense. New York: McGraw- Hill, 1952. Hurley, Alfred F. Billy Mitchell: Crusader for Air Power. Bloomington, IN.: University Press, 1975. Jordan, Winthrop, Miriam Greenblatt, and John Bowes. The Americas: A History. Evanston, IL: McDougal, Littell and Company, 1991.

Education Systems of Vietnam and England Essay

The secondary education system is very important for both Vietnam and England. It created for children’s future purpose. Compared to Vietnam, England’s current system of secondary education has a long tradition and higher quality, while the secondary education in Vietnam is borrowing from many different countries and poor quality. However, both countries have some similarities and differences in their education system. Their similarities include the free education, the national curriculum applied for all state schools, but they both have some differences in the education structure, the qualities, and the law for private schools. Firstly, there are both similarities and differences in their education system. The secondary education is free for all children, but it is not compulsory in Vietnam. Meanwhile, English children required by law to have a free education until they are 16 years old. Furthermore, the national curriculum created and applied for all state schools in both countries. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Moreover, the national test applied for all children in both countries at the age of 11, 14, and 16. In England, the secondary education is a local responsibility, so that the education and teacher employed and provided by Local Education Authorities (LEAs). In Vietnam, the Local department of Education is also responsible for secondary education, but all state schools are employed the teacher individually. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Beside some similarities, they also have some differences such as the education structure, the facilities, and the quality of education. In Vietnam, the secondary education are divided into two levels, which are the basic secondary education and the high school education, the student can leaving school or seeking higher education after completed year 12. In contrast, the secondary education system of England encompasses three key stages. Key stage 1 from year 7 to year 9 and key stage 2 from year 10 to year 11 are compulsory, after completed year 11 student can leaving school or complete two more levels to study in higher education. In addition, the facilities and the quality of education in England are much better than Vietnam. Finally, the other difference is the law system.

Mcdonald’s Business Plan Essay

McDonald’s Corporation is the world’s leading food service organization. By 1967 McDonalds expanded its operations to countries outside the U.S.A. This unyielding expansion led the Corporation to open 23,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 110 countries in 1994, producing $3.4 in annual revenues. In addition, McDonald’s opens a new restaurant every three hours and has twice the market share of its closest U.S. competitor, Burger King, representing 7% of total U.S. eating-out sales. Similarly, McDonald’s serves about 1% of the world’s population on any given day through its 23,000 restaurants internationally. Big Mac, the world’s most sold hamburger was developed by Jim Delligutti in 1967 to feed construction workers. ‘Big Mac’ is the biggest attraction and backbone of the corporation. Moreover, McDonald’s maintains its competitive advantage by constantly creating new items to add onto its menu. This shows us that McDonald ’s practices an analyzer type of strategy, introducing new items and defending its existing ones. This is a sample business plan and here we reflect our standard business plan model, some of the numbers shown in our following Financial Plan are fictitious, so be advised. 1.1 Industry McDonalds Industry is one of the biggest food chain companies around the world; is the world’s largest fast food restaurant chain, with over 32,000 locations in over 110 countries. McDonald’s operates its own restaurants and franchises its brand to local businesspeople (about 70% of the world’s McDonald’s restaurants are franchised). In the U.S, McDonald’s focused on increasing sales at existing locations by renovating stores, expanding menu options and extending store hours. Internationally, McDonald’s expanded aggressively, opting to franchise rather than operate its new locations, providing new income with little overhead. Domestically, McDonald’s  continues to perform well despite a pullback in consumer spending and is even benefiting as consumers trade down from more expensive eating options and at the same time, international operations are driving profit growth. 1.2 Target Customers McDonald’s uses demographic segmentation strategic with age as a parameter. The main target segments are children, young adults and the busy executive on the go. Kids reign supreme in FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) purchase related to food products so, to attract children McDonalds has Happy Meal with which toys ranging from hot wheels to various Walt Disney characters, the teenagers with the price on the products to satisfy their expectative as well as the facility of the WI-FI which it makes it attractive to most of the student’s college students. Also, the strategy is aimed at making McDonald’s a fun place to eat attracting the young urban families wanting to spend some quality time while their children have fun at the outlet. 1.3 Competitor Analysis McDonald’s is the clear leader of the fast food industry in terms of revenues generated and restaurants established; it faces competition from other fast food chains which are introducing new products themselves. The major direct competitors in the (hamburger-based) fast food industry that includes: Burger King the second largest hamburger fast food chain, Wendy’s which are the third largest hamburger fast food chain, and some others. McDonald’s also competes with non-hamburger-based fast food restaurants, local and national dine-in restaurants (such as Red Robin’s and Shari’s), pizza parlors, coffee shops (Starbucks), street vendors, convenience stores and supermarkets. But, even though McDonalds still the most famous and visited by the different types of families worldwide. 1.4 Company Description McDonald’s was founded and started franchising in 1955. A man name Ray Kroc, who was a milkshake mixer vendor, came across brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, who were running a small hamburger stand. He saw how quickly  customers were being served and suggested the brothers open a chain of restaurants. They did, and Kroc became their business  partner. McDonald’s, and the signature golden arches, have since become internationally recognized symbols. Their signs proclaim â€Å"millions served,† and that is not an exaggeration. With over 32,000 locations worldwide, McDonald’s is the leading global fast food franchise. 1.5 Products / Service Plan Customer perception is a key factor affecting a product’s success. Many potentially revolutionary products have failed simply because of their inability to build a healthy perception about themselves in the customers’ minds. McDonalds being an internationally renowned brand brings with it certain expectations for the customers that expect to be in a hygienic ambient and a little sophisticated brand that respects their values. The customer’s expect the brand to enhance their self-image. Customer responses obtained at the Vile Parle, Mumbai outlet confirmed the fact that they connect strongly with the brand. However, fulfilling some of the customer expectations like a broader product variety provide McDonald’s a great scope for improvement. 1.6 Mission and Vision Vision: Is to be the world’s best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. Mission: Be the best employer for our people in each community around the world; deliver operational excellence to our customers in each of our restaurants; and achieve enduring profitable growth by expanding the brand and leveraging the strengths of the McDonalds system through innovation and technology. Marketing Plan 3.1 Market Description There are close to 50,000 fast food chains across the United States, with McDonalds being the largest restaurant chain. In the world, there are more than 500,000 fast food places. Kids between the ages of 6 and 14 eat fast food 157,000,000 times every month. Ninety-six percent of kids in school could recognize an image of Ronald McDonald, the face of McDonalds. The only recognizable figure that ranked higher was Santa Claus. To top it off, Americans spend nearly $100 billion on fast food every year. There are around 13,000 McDonalds in the U.S. 40% of all of American family meals are eaten outside the home. 3.2 Market Facts McDonalds has grown rapidly in the last 10 years, following are some points related to the fast food customers in the USA. * 40% of all of American family meals are eaten outside the home. * 1 in every 4 Americans eat at a McDonalds on a daily basis 11 * McDonalds sells more toys than Toys R Us each year. * With all the tests scientists did, they came to the conclusion that many children can recognize McDonalds before they can even speak. * Over 25 percent of Americans consume fast food every day 3.3 Market Growth Fast food restaurants represent one of the largest segments of the food industry with over 200,000 restaurants and $120 billion in sales in the U.S. alone. Fast food restaurants, also known as quick service restaurants, are noted for their short food preparation time. Some of the largest players in this category include international giants like McDonald’s. 3.4 Market Demand Fast food restaurants in the USA are getting more demanding with the passage of time. Following are some common demands that have arise in the recent past. 1. Affordable: Fast food is affordable people and families with low income are able to afford the food from fast food restaurants. 2. Convenience: Families today are always on the go between works, school, and after school activities the quick accessibility to be able to order, get served, and eat a meal in just minutes makes it convenient for families today. 3. Easy access: They are now the world’s leading fast-food retailer, with more than 30,000 restaurants serving more than 52 million people in more than 100 countries each day. This makes it easily accessible for everyone. 3.5 Market Opportunities McDonalds offers a lot of opportunities for existing and potential investors. Their market is growing for many reasons some of them are the following: 1. More than 70 percent of McDonald’s restaurants around the world are owned and operated by independent local businesspeople. 2. The most frequently used method to buy a McDonalds franchise for sale is by buying an existing restaurant. 3.6 Barriers to Entry Government regulations, economies of scale, customer loyalty, advertising budget, and an exclusive agreement with suppliers are some barriers to entry for the fast food industry. 3.7 Targeted Audience McDonalds will be starting its operations in Miami, Florida. McDonalds target their advertising at children and students which is an important market for them. A parent with children might visit which gives children a treat. McDonald’s Happy Meals are one example, which includes a toy often, tied in with a newly-released children’s film, building playgrounds inside their restaurants, and creating one of the world’s best-known mascots, Ronald McDonald. The children want to visit McDonalds as it is a fun place to eat. McDonald’s was the first chain to put its restaurants near—and inside—schools as a strategy to market to children. In Chicago, one of the chain’s biggest markets, more than 90 percent of the city’s McDonald’s were located within walking distance of a school. Children watch, on average, an hour of fast-food commercials on television each week—more time than many children spend playing outside. The average child sees about 20,000 fast-food commercials every year. In 2006, fast-food restaurants sold more than 1.2 billion kids’ meals with toys. An estimated 20 percent of public schools sell branded fast food, mostly in high schools, where kids have more  discretion to buy â€Å"a la carte,† rather than from the regular lunch program. 3.8 Competition In one sense, McDonald’s doesn’t have any real competitors, as they are the  largest restaurant chain worldwide. But some of the other restaurant chains large enough to cut into its market share include Burger King Corporation. So how is it possible for Burger King to go up against history itself? Surprisingly they did and even though McDonald is still the best fast food franchise Burger King is trailing by not too far. One of the reasons why Burger King was so successful includes many factors but one of them was location. One of the best ways to explain it is Burger King has always found outlets where there is a large concentration of people but that wasn’t there only strategy because they also had the great idea of going head-to-head with McDonald across the street. By setting outlets in front or near a McDonald outlet they were guaranteeing visibility of their franchise. McDonald can come up with new marketing ploys and new food but it couldn’t have the advantage of location like Burger King. Remember both of them are fast food franchises so for the common customer the closest franchise is enough. In most cases people who have ate at McDonald’s have tried Burger King and people who ate at Burger King have tried McDonald and that’s completely normal. At the end of the day there isn’t much difference except for the name of every meal. If you look at it both franchises have the same types of combo which includes a hamburger, fries and a soft drink. The process may vary a little bit but in general you’ll be eating the same thing at both outlets. I. Product The first p is product. Which is one of the important things to remember when offering menu items to possible customers is that there is a huge amount of preference available to those potential customers with regard to how and where they spend their money. Marketing constantly monitors the customers’ preferences. In order to meet these changes, McDonald’s has created many new products and removed old ones over time, and they will continue to do that depending on what the customers’ needs are.

Stakeholders in Health Reform

When talking about healthcare reform, one must always think about the stakeholders. Stakeholders are â€Å"people and organizations that have a stake (interest) in what a healthcare organization does and that could affect the healthcare organization† (Olden, 2011). There are many different stakeholders in our case study but we will focus on the main ones. In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act had a considerable impact on hospitals and the health care system.Most community health centers were benefiting from coverage expansions and safety net hospitals were struggling financially due to the fact that the state put more funding towards insurance subsidies to expand coverage. Academic medical centers (AMC) were able to command higher prices and attract more patients from community hospitals due to the fact that policy makers kept putting off making decisions about slowing the growth of healthcare spending.AMCs â€Å"received the highest payment levels and we re able to negotiate the largest percentage increases, which increased the spending trends and widened the disparities between have and have-not providers in the market. † The more prestigious, big name hospitals had more power and thus could exercise more leverage. AMCs also expanded to the suburbs, which posed a considerable amount of threat to community hospitals by â€Å"raising the rates paid for services delivered in community settings and by increasing the number of referrals to downtown AMCs, which command the highest rates. Physician/ providers who owned free-standing, ambulatory centers had been approaching hospitals with offers to sell their facilities due to the fact that they were becoming less profitable due to â€Å"updated fee schedule and more aggressive health plan utilization management. † Physicians were also aligning themselves with hospitals and other larger practices. Small practices risked losing a large share of their patient panels if they dro pped out of health plan networks.The impact on the smaller, less prestigious hospitals/ healthcare systems were definitely negative, while the impact on larger, more prestigious hospitals/healthcare system seemed considerably more positive and beneficial. In regards to employers, according to the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act (the Act), on July 1, 2007, Massachusetts employers with 11 or more full-time employees working in Massachusetts had three principal obligations. First, Massachusetts employers had to either make a â€Å"Fair and Reasonable Premium Contribution to heir employees' health care premiums or make a contribution to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts of up to $295 per year per employee. Second, Massachusetts employers had to establish a cafeteria plan for their employees under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code. Finally, every employer was required to report whether the employer has offered to pay for-or to arrange for-health care insurance coverage and w hether the employee has accepted or declined it† (James, 2007). If employers did not comply, they would face hefty fines.A provision of the Act was the merger of the small group and individual or non-group insurance markets, which was designed to make premiums more affordable for individuals. Small group premiums actually increased by 2. 6%. â€Å"The premiums of small employers had increased substantially since the merger of the small group and individual health insurance markets† (case study). Employers who were merged into the small group and non-group market â€Å"felt the impact of rising premiums because they were now subsidizing individuals in that market† (case study).Large employers didn’t really feel any impact except for the hassle for complying with the reporting requirements. Smaller employers usually didn’t have the manpower to guide them through the Act’s requirements, which put them at a higher risk of not being compliant. Ove rall though, compliance became a lot more challenging and â€Å"annoying† for employers. Insurance providers are also â€Å"major† stakeholders in healthcare policy and decision-making.Though they can be very influential in the healthcare policy and law decision-making process, they also are probably the most vilified. In Massachutettes, health plans wanted to eliminate â€Å"continuous open enrollment, assess the full annual penalty for any significant period of continuous un-insurance, impose waiting periods for certain services and bar consumers from buying in the merged market if they had access to employer sponsored coverage† (case study). Doing these things, the insurance companies hoped to lower premiums.Bill 2585 did pass but the law did not go as far as the insurance companies had hoped. It only â€Å"limited open enrollment in the merged market to twice a year in 2011 and once a year after that† (case study), which didn’t really help much . Due to loss in the small market group in 2009, health plans â€Å"planned double digit premium increases in 2010† (case study), but the government stepped in and put a stop to it. Even though the big name hospitals were driving up cost, the insurance companies were seen as the bad guys.This caused local plans to â€Å"record sizable operating losses for the first quarter of 2010 and had to draw on reserves to cover expected losses resulting from the rate rollbacks† (case study). The insurance companies, especially the smaller ones, suffered financially. The most important stakeholder in the healthcare policymaking is probably the patient. In Massachusetts, the Act provided â€Å"nearly universal health insurance coverage† (case study). In 2009 the uninsured dropped from 8. 2% to 2. 7%. People who had previously been uninsured and had no way to get proper healthcare, could now do so.There were some issues though. According to the Act, â€Å"the youngest and he althiest could avoid being the merged risk pool by purchasing less expensive coverage in a separate young adult market or by remaining on their parent’s plan until they turn 26† (case study). This was good for those patients but for others, it was a big issue because it was causing premiums to increase. Freestanding, ambulatory centers were being sold to hospitals. This increased the rates paid for services delivered at these facilities.Patients who â€Å"were covered by employer-sponsored insurance can buy short-term policies so that they can get access to treatments which are not usually covered in their regular plans† (case study). This is known as jumping in and out. Jumping in and out of these short-term plans caused premiums for other patients to up, which was one of the big issues that health plans wanted to resolve. Policymakers also proposed provider rates or giving the state the authority to tie provider rate increases to medical inflation in order to c ontain cost but nothing really came of that.There are many stakeholders involved in healthcare reform in Massachusetts. These included patients, hospitals and health systems, employers and insurance providers. There are of course other stakeholders that are on a smaller scale, such as medical equipment providers, healthcare advertisers and so forth but we wanted to focus on the major ones. Works Cited: James, L. H. , ; Rebecca, F. A. (2007). The massachusetts health care reform act: What employers need to know. Employee Benefit Plan Review, 61(12), 17-19. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/216889767? accountid=10559.

“A Helping Hand” Story Essay

In the story, â€Å"A Helping Hand† I am creating a Gothic tale which takes place in the mid-eighteenth century in London, England where the madman of this story takes his hostage, a young dancer by the name of Mary, who is an eighteenth century prostitute, who has something on hand, in which this Gothic creature, longs for.   I intend to create a desperate and scary situation, that will leave my reading audience paralyzed with fear but unable to pull themselves away from this story. It will be a winning Gothic tale; hands down! The hallowing winds hurled Mary’s hair into air, as she crossed the rocky road that led her to her tiny stone villa, on Fourth Street.   She had danced easily for the gentlemen callers who had paid their dues, in order to watch her move across the floor with incredible grace and little clothing. She had performed this dance ritual for several months, now, and she had saved up enough money to pay her rent plus buy food, which was a rarity she had earlier missed. She searched her bag for the golden key that would allow her to enter, and she panicked when she discovered it wasn’t in its proper place. The wind had picked up even more strength and she could barely hold her feet on the ground as she continued to look for the key. There was a humming in the distance, and she convinced herself that it was just another voice that the storm was offering, and as it grew louder and clearer, she froze where she stood. She could feel him standing behind her, but she couldn’t allow herself to look. She could barely catch her breath and as she felt his hand rest on her shoulder, she closed her eyes and pretended she was back on the dance floor. He smelled of cedar and whiskey and as he brushed his hand across the back of her neck, she spoke words that she had no idea where they emerged from. â€Å"Can I help you?† I was all she could say and she wondered if he had been a male caller who had watched her dance, earlier. She could feel the sharp object protruding from his arm and when she was finally able to turn around; she saw that he was equipped with the prosthetic hand that he had used to touch her. Had he any feelings in his hands? He must have, since she could feel the warmth that radiated from the object. She looked him in his face as he dangled the golden key before her. He had somehow managed to steal his way into her existence and now she had no other choice but to follow him inside the home that had earlier provided her a safe haven. He didn’t speak but his eyes said all that she needed to know. He was there for one reason and she could feel his eyes piercing her soul as he placed the artificial hand to her chest. â€Å"Mary, be kind!† Were the first words he spoke as she wiped a single tear from her cheeks, and removed her sweater. â€Å"No!† His voice was strong and he had not wanted this from her, but something much more personal. There was no way she could give this to him, and as she thought about it, she would have rather that he had been a crude pervert who only wanted her body, but he was asking for more than that! Her body tightened and she stood immobilized as he seemed to say thank you with his eyes and she suddenly wished that she hadn’t moved away from her family. They had warned her about the dangers that existed in London, England and had advised her to reconsider her move so far away from those who cared about her. But, she had been strong-willed and their words of advice hadn’t been able to convince her. He was growing impatient and she wished that his breathing could have been gentler and as she realized there was no way of escaping, she at last reached offered her hand to him. He had stroked it with affection. It was something that he had desired for so long and when he saw how gracefully they moved while she danced, he couldn’t bare not to have one of them, as his own. He removed a long razor that was attached to a wooden handle and he placed his arm around her arms and chest to secure them, so they wouldn’t flop or flinch, as he removed the precious gift. The scream was shrilling and the terror he saw in her eyes didn’t faze him. He wanted it so badly that her pain, he felt, was a small price to pay for the happiness it would bring to him. It was a gift that would enable him to give back so much more than she could ever offer with the long fingered hand. It was after midnight when she finally awoke. The medicine he had given her had caused her to sleep as he ceased the blood flow and sutured the wound that he had given her. It would have proven more beneficial if it had caused her to sleep through the blunt trauma but that kind of pain could not be stopped by anything, including the strong tranquilizer he had shoved down her throat before the surgery. Her eyes fluttered and he seemed to move in a cloud over her, as she whispered that she needed water. He held the vial of fluid to her lips as she took the first sip and she searched his eyes once more, trying to remember the events of the night and as she saw her hand moving toward her face, she realized it was her own. â€Å"My unselfish love, you have given to me of yourself. You have freely offered the gracefulness of your touch that I will forever feel against my flesh. I will carry this part of your body with me forever, and I will always be thankful to you!† He had seemed appreciative as she tried to lift her limb that was wrapped in blood-stained wrapping that was lifted above her head. She thought about her family as she wondered if she would ever see them again as she felt a shot of blood pulsate through the bandage. She had never felt pain of this severity and as she tried to raise herself to a standing position, this stranger pulled her back to the bed and stroked her face with his feminine fingers. It was two days before she could gather the energy to walk to her small kitchen and when she did, she searched for him and in a whimpering voice she called out to him. There was no reply as she drank a full glass of the water that she had so thirsted for. She searched each dark room and he was nowhere to be found. She let out a tiny sigh of relief as she walked toward the front door. She would find someone who could help her; someone who could call a family member or take her to get some medical help. Her wrist felt like fire moving through the end and she held it tightly as she ran toward safety. The coldness of the day and the bitter rain exaggerated the pain she felt but she knew she couldn’t delay. She had to find someone who could cause this horrible pain to go away. As she picked up speed, heading in the direction of the ancient saloon, she heard him breathing but continued on her important journey. The saloon was full of familiar faces and as she walked across the floor she saw him gazing at her, once again. He held his graceful hand across the table as she watched him and suddenly moved in his direction. â€Å"Mary, you won’t tell anyone! A gift is something you don’t take back or fret over but something you offer in return for the comfort of knowing that you have helped another. Haven’t you ever heard that it is better to give than to receive?† She was lost for words as she witness the boldness of his speech that flowed from his lips, so easily. â€Å"Mary, I didn’t ask you for an arm or leg; just a gift for someone who was in need. All I asked for was a helping hand!†

Major Works Data Sheet Essay

In this column, choose five quotations from the text, one focusing on each of the following literary elements: In this column, analyze the significance of your quotations. Allow the following questions to guide your responses: Why is this important? What does this reveal? Why does the author say it this way? What is the tone/mood of this passage? Theme â€Å"Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition.† -Victor Frankenstein This is part of the theme of the book, sometimes too much knowledge is a bad thing, like the death of Victors family members. He did not think through the consequences of creating such a creature and therefore it led to the death of his family. He now wishes that he had been happy and thankful for the life that he was living instead of attempting to alter it, because then maybe his family would still be alive. Characterization â€Å"William, Justine, and Henry – they all died by my hands.† -Victor Frankenstein This quote is an expression of the sorrow and the guilt that Victor feels for being the reason his family died. Because of the death of his family he has a very Debbie Downer outlook on life and does not end up making the monstrous creature his companion. Setting â€Å"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?† – The monster, Chapter 13, page 105 The creature realizes what a monster he is, because everyone he encounters runs from him in terror. He is lonely on this Earth and wants Victor to make  him a companion in female form. Symbolism â€Å"What was I? Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, and no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome†¦was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned. â€Å" -The creature, chapter 13 Sometime after being created by Victor, the creature no longer thought that he was happy and did not understand why he was alive. He tried to fit in with the world around him but everyone was afraid of him and at one point or another he just gave up on trying to fit in with society. In this quote he explains his actions and the reasoning behind them. Imagery â€Å"It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -Victor Frankenstein, Chapter 5 This is when Victor brings the creature to life, the creature that he has work endlessly, spending all of his time on it. This scene is used in movies to make audiences fear the monster that Victor created.

Domestic Violence During Pregnancy Research Paper

Domestic Violence During Pregnancy - Research Paper Example                                  Domestic Violence During Pregnancy Introduction: This paper aims to discuss various effects of domestic violence during pregnancy. Domestic violence is becoming an epidemic in almost every part of the world. This is a public health issue, seriously affecting the health of women. According to a recent report by a US daily, out of 33 developed countries, the United States is in the 27th position for life expectancy after birth. â€Å"Pregnancy is a time when friends, family, and health professionals expect a woman’s partner to be particularly concerned about and attentive to her health and well-being. It is difficult to imagine that anyone, let alone the father of the baby, would intentionally injure a pregnant woman, thereby jeopardizing her health and the health of the fetus† (Humphreys & Campbell, 2011, p. 155). In a recent government health plan call â€Å"Healthy People 2020† released by the U.S. Departmen t of Health and Human Services mentioned that domestic violence during pregnancy is found out to be the cause of complications like pre-term birth or low birth weight-outcomes. This type of violence also can cause various risks of maternal, prenatal and child health, miscarriage, infection, fetal injury and fetal death. While domestic violence occurs, injuries to the abdomen, breasts and genitals are some of the common factors. Apart from these physical risks, abusing during pregnancy can cause end number of psychological consequences like depression, stress and dependence to tobacco, drugs and alcohol. â€Å"Common sense demands that pregnant and nursing women minimize their exposure to xylene, just as they should minimize their exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs† (Pregnancy, 2007, p. 68). Apparently, these psychological consequences affected the baby most as the majority of the time the mother losses attention in her or her baby’s physical condition, both t hrough the pregnancy and following the child is born. â€Å"One study found that 15 percent of women were assaulted in the first four months of pregnancy and 17 percent were physically abused during the last five months of pregnancy† (Sterne et al. 2010, p. 48). Nursing Care Consideration to Domestic Violence: What Nurses can do? Research found that around 324,000 pregnant women in the United States are battered by their intimate partners every year. Hence, there is a need of creating awareness against domestic violence during pregnancy keeping in mind the fact that domestic violence is becoming the largest cause of injury for women in the United States. As per nurses are concern, all nurses and health care professionals of all specialties are likely to assist help to the women sufferer of domestic violence. Nurses must assure the sufferer a proactive assistance to this dilemma. They should involve themselves to treat the sufferers of domestic violence. They should take a hel pful and empowering approach towards the patients. While assessing the patient who faced domestic violence, it is very necessary for the nurses to create a believing and accepting environment, so that the patient does not lose her self esteem. Various researchers found that believing, accepting and supporting patient by the nurses can improve the psychological healing of such patients. What are the impacts of battering to the individual client, newborn and the family? Although there are lots of literature reviews, the impacts of domestic viole

Operation managment exam(singapore airline case study) Essay

Operation managment exam(singapore airline case study) - Essay Example Singapore Airlines take both the complaints and the compliments seriously. The Vice President is entrusted with the responsibility to address customer feedbacks. Every article, coming from the passengers, is given due importance and is followed up with proper investigation. The lessons learnt from the complaints are properly executed to remove the loopholes and to enhance the service. The complaint management cell ensures that the problems are properly identified and corrected, and ascertains that such situations are not repeated (Johnston, 2001). Singapore Airlines brings into view the problems and the mistakes so that they are not repeated by the same person, not even by others working within the organisation. This action stems from the realisation that operational process progresses at a faster rate when one learns from others mistakes rather than restricting oneself to his/ her own mistakes. Not only the complaints, but the compliments are also taken seriously. The organisation e nsures that the success too is equally shared among the employees. This not only keeps the employees motivated but also helps other people to learn from the successful incidents. These incidents help the organisation to excel in its service. Improving processes, redesigning jobs, improving quality, increasing staff are some of tasks that the management performs to enhance the entire feel of the services offered. However, many organisations are of the opinion that such services result in high cost, on the contrary such processes minimise the total cost thereby enhancing the total revenue. Researches show that good complaint management processes has led to the enhancement of the financial performance (Johnston, 2001). Another significant effort that requires special mention is its endeavour to offer immediate attention to the arising issues. In Singapore Airlines, if any problem occurs on board, the crew present tries to

Logistics and Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Logistics and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example It studies how it can be improved and gives recommendations. Since Zara is one of the industry leaders and has one of the best supply chains, it required fewer recommendations for improvement. Finally, the paper analyzes the location of the company’s plants and distribution centers to see whether they are optimal. In Zara’s case, they are in the short run but may cause problems in the long run. Zara is a Spanish flagship store of the Inditex Group and a key player in the European fashion retail market. It started operations in 1975 by opening its first store in La Coruna and since then has been operating as a fast fashion company. It is one of the largest brands, by the Inditex Fashion Retail Group, that has 723 stores in 56 countries making sales of Euro 3.8 billion (India Supply Chain Council, 2006). Its business model is simple; it imitates fashion off the runway and distributes it to the customers in the shortest time possible, even before designers themselves can reach the customers. Therefore, it has shorter lead times, more styles but scarce supply of these styles. To manage this kind of efficiency, Zara’s supply chain management must be efficient and that, it is. Zara uses a vertical supply chain management system, one of the best in the industry that allows it to implement its business model of fast fashion effectively. Zara’s position is an industry leader in the fashion retail market. It has a very high product turnover – it produces more than 11,000 products annually. It caters to the trendy, middle class man and woman of ages 14 to 35. The mother buys Zara because it is affordable and the daughter buys from Zara because it is trendy (Dutta, 2002). This paper will study Zara in the light of its Logistics and Supply Chain Management. It will be broken down into four main parts. First of all, the importance of measuring the performance of Zara’s Supply Chain will be analyzed. Secondly, key performance indicators or KPIs will

Case Management (see Instruction Below) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Management (see Instruction Below) - Essay Example The responsibility of looking after ones health is shared by the person himself, his family, and local community. The emergences of issues pertinent to health services make health the concern, not only by a nation, but on a global scale. According to Delaune and Ladner (2006), â€Å"changes in health care delivery in recent years have resulted in an increasing emphasis on cost containment and have subsequently created several unique management models†. One of these models is the case management system whose goal is to assist the patient in maintaining optimal level of health with the least amount of intervention from health care providers. The complexity of the role of a case manager can be viewed in relation to the holistic approach he is expected to implement in the continuum of health care. Delaune and Ladner (2006) define case management as â€Å"a methodology for organizing client care through an episode of illness so that specific clinical and financial outcomes are achieved within an allotted time frame†. The American Case Management Association provides this definition: â€Å"case management in hospital/health care systems is a collaborative practice model including patients, nurses, social workers, physicians, other practitioners, caregivers and the community. The case management process encompasses communication and facilitates care along a continuum through effective resource coordination. The goals of case management include the achievement of optimal health, access to care and appropriate utilization of resources, balanced with the patient’s right to self determination.† Various literatures have identified the roles and responsibilities of case managers as those encompassing the basic functions as expected of a manager: planning, organizing, directing and controlling all aspects of patient care. Delaune and Ladner (2006) averred that â€Å"the nurse assumes responsibility in planning, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating care for

Experimental Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Experimental Research - Essay Example On the other hand, the prevailing data just prior to the initiation of price promotion will also be gathered. This is to ensure finding the potential impact of price promotion on the number or average number of tissues sold each week for the two-month-period experiment. In other words, there must be a comparison of data, because this is one of the ways in order to know if there is an existing relationship between the price promotion and the number of items sold for tissue. The 50 cents off-coupon should be denoted â€Å"1†. The buy-one-get-one-free promotion should be denoted â€Å"2†. And finally, the no promotion or regular price offering should be denoted as â€Å"3†. In this way, the actual data should look like what is presented in Table 1. The point of denoting the price promotion into numerical values is to be able to use a quantitative method of analysis that will determine the relationship or the cause and effect of price promotion and the number of items of tissue that will be sold. If there is an existing relationship this means that there should be either a higher positive or negative correlation between the chosen variables, the price promotion and the number of quantity sold for tissue product as shown in Figure 1. After conducting a correlation analysis, the regression analysis will also be conducted in order to determine the actual model showcasing the actual relationship between the chosen variables. In other words, the experiment will not only test the relationship of the variables, but their actual associations. This is one way of knowing or representing the cause and effect relationship of the dependent and independent variables of the

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 80

Discussion - Assignment Example The problem with municipal bonds are predictable as they pay twice in a year, and a sale of the bonds virtually guarantees the present market price for the bond, which may be less or more than the first release price, obviously without the additional penalties. However; they carry comparatively low interest rate relative to the other types of securities. High yield low quality bonds are very risky on the long haul compared to the higher quality bonds. Their vulnerability to economic and credit risk is obvious, as they are unrated from agencies such as Standard & Poor’s or Moody. In securities investment, it is always advisable to diversify one’s investment in different classes and categories of investment, and pooling of resources in one investment bag can be counterproductive especially in high risk bonds such as the lower quality bonds. Instead of investing in five of the 15-year corporate bonds; he should have appropriated in different bond classes. Investing in different bonds ensures that a fall in price as a result of low high interest in one class of bond is compensated with a high price as a result of low interest in another class of