Essay on Reality Vs. Fantasy - 1056 Words

Renà © Descartes, author of â€Å"Meditation 1†, writes how he must erase everything he had ever learned and thought to be true and must â€Å"begin again from the first foundations† (222). One may ask how Descartes came to this conclusion. The answer is that of he â€Å"realized how many were the false opinions that in [his] youth [he] took to be true, and thus how doubtful were all the things that [he] subsequently built upon these opinions† (222). This change was to take place at the perfect time in Descartes life however, he wasted much time waiting for that moment Descartes decided to simply let go of it. He started questioning everything he ever believed in. Descartes raised one specific question: How does one justify being awake from†¦show more content†¦What Descartes became certain of was that an evil genius â€Å"as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who had directed his entire effort to misleading me† (224) and a conclusion was made that he would â€Å"regard [himself] as having no hands, no eyes, no flesh, no blood, no senses, but as nevertheless falsely believing that [he] possess[es] all these things† (224). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Descartes reasoning in my opinion is false for the most part. I would have to agree with him that people should sometimes examine their belief to see whether or not it is accurate. People dream of things that seem very realistic as if it were actually happening however, once they are awake they can distinguish what was reality and what was a dream. Sometimes being fooled by a dream doesn’t come to the conclusion that everything around us and everything we believe does not actually exist. However, it is possible to also dream that one woke up in their dreams remembering the dream they were having. The dream may have felt real but in the end they when they were awake the difference between reality and dream could be pointed out. Someone can not be 100 percent sure of something but they can be confident about what they believe is real vs. dream. A person who has a hand is aware of it. All the physical ways to know a hand is there exists. They can see it, feel it, touch it, and use it. TheShow MoreRelatedFantasy vs. Reality915 Words   |  4 PagesFantasy vs. Reality Silently, my senses begin to abandon their rationale†¦who is to say then what is real? The world that we live in, the reality, which we are a part of, is small and thus limited. That is why, in his infinite capacity for potential improvement, man created fantasy. Fantasy is BIG! To a certain extent it is more imaginative, more exciting, and more fun. Fantasy is like a lake where man throws all his ideas and dreams, and then he dives on in from the springboard of imaginationRead MoreReality Vs. Fantasy : Quotes Notes1705 Words   |  7 PagesReality vs. Fantasy Quotes Notes 1. â€Å"Now, then, let me look at you. But don t you look at me, Stella, . no, no, no, not till later, not till I ve bathed and rested I And turn that over-light off!(1. 18-19). Blanche is living in her fantasy that she is so young and she is good looking and she expects everyone to say that her physical appearance is very beautiful. She is not accepting the fact that she is going to get old she is not going to stay young forever. She thinks she is taking bath in someRead MoreReality Vs Fantasy By James Cole And Dr. Movie952 Words   |  4 Pages The main theme of the movie is mainly about a thrilling adventure through time travel in a world full madness and mystery. The contrast of reality vs fantasy has a large influence on the plotlines, setting, characters and the theme of this movie. James Cole and Dr. Railly, the two main characters represent the real world events, like being on the run from the authorities. The mission that they faced seen impossible considering the time period they both lived in. But in a futuristic world luck mightRead MoreFantasy vs. Reality in a Midsummer Nights Dream Essay1126 Words   |  5 PagesMarch 2012 Relationship Between Fantasy and Reality in A Midsummer Night’s Dream In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare easily blurs the lines of reality by inviting the audience into a dream. He seamlessly toys with the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Among the patterns within the play, one is controlled and ordered by a series of contrasts: the conflict of the sleeping and waking states, the interchange of reality and illusion, and the mirrored worlds of FairyRead MoreReality Vs. Fantasy : Today s Modern World1459 Words   |  6 PagesReality vs. Fantasy In today’s modern world, our mindsets in fashion are all based on fantasy: new brands, trends and many more. We all live in a society whereby we tend to buy things that are attractive and very unique within our culture. Even though we don’t have enough money for such expensive items such as clothes and many other materialistic things, borrowing or lending money from others would still be worthwhile due to the desirability of the product. In fashion, a question came to mind, whatRead More Fantasy vs. Reality in J. M. Coetzees Disgrace Essay1791 Words   |  8 PagesFantasy vs. Reality in J. M. Coetzees Disgrace J. M. Coetzees novel Disgrace is, on the surface, the story of a wayward college professor, Dr. David Lurie, who is aging into a disrespectful decline. But this story tells of not only the strife and wrenching change that exist in the microcosm of Luries mind, but also the parallel themes that underlie the social, political, and ethical systems that are the reality of present day South Africa. As David Lurie interacts with people and creaturesRead MoreFantasy vs. Reality in Superman and Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone 1899 Words   |  8 Pages Reality and Fantasy are often thought as two worlds which when collided create incredible stories of wonder and mystery. Why no other genre of literature is more popular than that of fantasy right now. Seventeen of the top twenty highest grossing movies in the Unites States and Canada last year were fantasies and of those the top six were based on books or comics (MPAA, 21). Fantasy allows for the unexplained to occur and create s a world separate to that of reality. As such fantasy storiesRead MoreFantasy Vs. Reality Where are you going, Where have you been Essay1205 Words   |  5 Pages Fantasy versus Reality in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates has a constant theme of reality and fantasy running parallel for 15 year old Connie. This short story begins with a description of Connie’s vain personality. The narrator describes her as pretty and self-centered (Oates 421). To emphasize her selfishness, Connie is contrasted with her sister, June, who is chubby, plain, and well-behaved. Connie’s mother alwaysRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Hamlet 847 Words   |  4 Pages Elena Ehrlich Mrs. Stensaas Hour 1 Hamlet Final Paper Motif Paper - Seems vs. Is The play, Hamlet, takes place in the Renaissance era, and readers are exposed to the golden age of English writing as well as its featured complexities. Shakespeare’s work features young Hamlet’s life after his father’s passing. Hamlet shows that death is a hard occurrence to heal from. Hamlet reveals both the negative and positive events that arise because of it. Prince Hamlet does not alleviate from his father’sRead MoreSeparating the Flames of Reality Essay577 Words   |  3 Pagesfrom the ashes, Dee was reborn as Wangero. However, the night of the fire a flame of conflict was born for her mother. The conflict of Maggie, the younger sister, vs. Wangero flamed into a choice between a wish and reality. By choosing Maggie to own the quilts, the mother symbolically chose to reject Wangeros Wish for the reality of Maggies Everyday. Flames from the night of the fire burned over Dees sister, Maggie. The fire burned her hair and pieces of Maggies dress. After the fire

Prejudice in 12 Angry Men Essay - 1006 Words

12 Angry Men is about 12 men who are the jury for an 18 year old accused of murder. The judge states in the opening scene that it is a premeditated murder in the 1st degree, if found guilty will automatically receive the death penalty. The 18 year old male is accused of killing his father with a â€Å"one of a kind† switch blade, in their home. The prosecutors have several eye witness testimonies, and all of the evidence that they could need to convict the 18 year old male. In the movie it takes place on the hottest day of the year in New York City. There are 12 jurors whom are to decide if the evidence is enough to convict the teen of murder in the first degree. In the first initial vote it is 11-1. The only way that the jurors could turn in†¦show more content†¦The Fonda character states, â€Å"Were talking about somebodys life here.† â€Å"We cant decide in five minutes. Supposing were wrong?† This statement has a large impact on the other 11 jurors. The old man whom is sitting next to the Fonda character sides with the Fonda character. The Fonda character made sure he pointed out that the person of interest was from a broken home, and was hit on top of the head every day for most of his life. The person of interest was born in the slums and had a hard life, his mother was dead and now his father had been murdered. The personality of juror # 10 was one of hatefulness and anger. This juror was prejudice against the kid because he was from the slums. Juror # 10 said something in the movie about not being able to trust people who are from the slums. Juror # 10 had several outbursts and had a heinous attitude through most of the movie. Juror # 10 was the one who did most of the talking, when it came to trying to convince Juror # 8 that the kid was guilty. There was another Juror that had a roundabout same type of personality coming into the juror’s room as juror # 10. The juror # 3 was also bitter and obstinate towards the others, specifically when it came down to several of the other jurors changing their opinion of guilty to not guilty. Juror # 3 became hot headed and very loud and obnoxious towards everyone. Both Juror # 10 and juror # 3 were only looking at the eye witness testimony,Show MoreRelatedHow Does 12 Angry Men Show Prejudice Obscures the Truth? Essay871 Words   |  4 Pagesth at Reginald Rose demonstrates in 12 Angry Men the most important one being that prejudice constantly affects the truth and peoples judgement. As the jurors argue between themselves as to whether a young boy is guilty of stabbing his father it is shown that â€Å"It’s very hard to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this.† This is most evident in the way juror #3 and juror #10 come to their decision that the young man is guilty as they bring in there prejudice against young people and people fromRead MoreThe Justice And Injustice Of Kill A Mockingbird And 12 Angry Men1018 Words   |  5 PagesInjustice in To Kill A Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men The novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the film 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose have many similarities and differences in relation to the theme of justice and injustice. The purpose of this essay is to explore these similarities and differences and find more in depth meaning to these two texts. In both To Kill A Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men, Atticus and Juror No. 8 abstain from commonly held prejudice views and try to uphold justice fairlyRead MoreTime to Kill1283 Words   |  6 PagesWriting Report Similarity one 12 Angry Men and a Time to Kill   Ã‚  Ã‚   The play, 12 Angry Men, and the film, A Time to Kill, have a similar theme. In 12 Angry Men, a Latino is accused of stabbing his father to death, where a guilty verdict would mean a death sentence. In A Time to Kill, a black man took the law into his own hands, killing two alleged rapists and the sentence for this man, if found guilty meant death in a gas chamber. The play and film both involve prejudice against two commonly accusedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Play 12 Angry Men By Reginald Rose1082 Words   |  5 PagesFeature Article Prejudice is like a ghost, it has been haunting the human race since the very beginning. Maddison Hinte investigates the way prejudice affects our society by changing our views of others and the way we treat them. The play ‘12 angry men’ by Reginald Rose discusses that we shouldn t judge people on their background, on their style, or on their religion, instead we need to focus on what matters most, what’s on the inside. Literature both teaches and encourages us to question the issueRead MoreTheme Of Self Image In 12 Angry Men892 Words   |  4 Pages Title Every single person on this earth is unique unto theirself. Think about it! Each individual has their own personality, agenda and history. Such are the characters portrayed in 12 Angry Men. The movie 12 Angry Men was the first of fourty-three films in the career of director Sidney Lument, who often sought controversial issues (RE). This movie focuses on a jury’s deliberation in a capital murder case, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. As the deliberations unfold theRead MorePrejudice, Prejudice And Prejudice1190 Words   |  5 PagesThe truth is often hindered by people’s bias and prejudice views. When one’s views are clouded by their inability to look at things objectively, it becomes hard for them to consider the facts of the situation as opposed to looking at things with their discriminatory perspective. In 12 Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird, both authors effectively show how bias and prejudice can obscure the truth. In 12 Angry Men, Juror 10 and Juror 3 are shown as characters who find the boy on trial guilty due toRead More12 Angry Men Internal Interference Essay1470 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as in 12 Angry Men. This 1954 televised play, written by Reginald Rose, depicts a group of jurors discussing the guilt, or lack thereof, of a young man of color who had presumably murdered his father. In most cases, the vote would be unanimous, with 12 votes pointing towards â€Å"guilty.† However, this play consists of intense debate over the verdict as one man took on the task of convincing the rest of the close-minded jury that perhaps their initial judgments were too hasty. 12 Angry Men heavilyRead MoreThe Crucible And Twelve Angry Men Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesCan justice; fair treatment, exist in a world of prejudice; preconceived bias opinions? In both works of American Literature about the United States judicial system; The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Twelve Angry Men by Reginald r ose extol the pursuit of justice while questioning the place of prejudice in the judicial system. These plays unveil the fact that; only by overcoming and setting aside prejudices can justice be attained. The Crucible takes place during puritan times when the word of mouthRead MoreJustice In Reginald Roses 12 Angry Men1532 Words   |  7 Pagesfactors in determining what the true meaning of righteousness is for an individual. The perspective of justice a person has however is not the only factor that comes into play, when establishing whether the defendant is guilty or innocent. The play, ‘12 angry men’, written by Reginald Rose, is a drama involved around a jury and a homicide case. In comparison, the movie, ‘To kill a mockingbird’, directed by Robert Mulligan, follows the tale of Atticus Finch, a lawyer, who defends a black man against fabricatedRead MoreA Comparison Of Montana 1948 And Twelve Angry Men798 Words   |  4 PagesWrite a detailed compariso n of how montana 1948 and twelve angry men present ideas, issues and themes. Suggested Length: 700-800 words. Compare the way the two texts explore this ideas. Larry Watson’s 1993 novella ‘Montana 1948’ tells a tale of loyalty and justice through a young boy living in a town where the justice system is corrupted by family ties and racism. Likewise, in Reginald Rose’s 1954 teleplay ‘Twelve Angry Men’, twelve jurors determine the fate of a boy accused of murdering his father

Writing Essays for Dummies Free Essays

string(115) " in a narrative or descriptive essay but you should still be able to establish the purpose and convey the message\." Every student would have to write several essays through middle school and high school to college or university. Most essays are a part of the curriculums. Some are imperative requisites at the time of enrollment, such as the college application essay. We will write a custom essay sample on Writing Essays for Dummies? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Dissertation is also a type of essay, usually much longer and certainly more comprehensive than ordinary essays. Very few students have a natural penchant for essay writing. Students dislike or fail to specialize in writing essays for a myriad of reasons. Some students find the sheer uncertainty at the outset to be rather daunting. Some students find it difficult to convert their thoughts into words. Many students do not have the affinity for research, which is a quintessential prerequisite of writing an essay. These are the realities that students, teachers and parents must deal with. Our guide to writing essays for dummies is a good place to start to overcome the overwhelming challenges. Introduction to Writing Essays for Dummies An essay is a short piece of writing on a subject or topic. You may also call it an article, a composition, a paper or study, dissertation or thesis, an assignment or disquisition. Before we delve into the different types of essay and how you should go about planning to write one, it is necessary to understand the entire premise. Students are asked to write essays so their understanding and hence grasp of a particular subject or topic can be assessed. An essay is supposed to reflect the personal opinion of the writer but not without due allegiance to facts. Every essay has a specific purpose. The scope of the essay is defined by that purpose. An essay should convey a message. It can convey more than one message. The best essays showcase contrasting perspectives and establish the truth through such contradictions. An essay can be limited to any one aspect of a topic or subject. It can be comprehensive. An essay is rarely all-encompassing. Explore the Plethora of Forms Styles of Essays A vast majority of students do not have a lucid understanding of how to plan an essay. This is the biggest initial hurdle. Most students have the ability to express their thoughts or what they know about a given topic and can also carry out substantial research if they are provided the necessary guidance. Beginning to write an essay is not very different from a writer staring at a blank piece of paper or a painter setting up the blank canvas. The best writers and painters can create wonders out of that nothingness. Students can do so too with their essays. Four Basic Types of Essays There are more than a dozen types of essays. You can subcategorize them further if you want more specificity. Broadly, there are four major types of essays. These are narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive. An essay may be an account documenting personal experiences, it can describe an object, person, situation or idea, it can explain something or it can try to convince the readers to accept a particular perspective. The purpose of the essay and the message you need to convey will determine the type you need to choose. Unless a specific assignment at school or college demands a certain form and style, students usually have the choice among these different types. A narrative essay is like telling a story. You are the writer and the narrator. As a narrator, you have to be vivid with everything you show and tell. The story is narrated in first person so it gives you an opportunity to establish an immediate connect with the audience or reader but it also limits your ability to cast light on anything within the essay that is beyond the reach of the narrator. Narrative essays are best when the message or purpose is some kind of personal statement. A descriptive essay is like drawing a picture. This can be a narrative essay as well. You can narrate the essay in first person while being descriptive. Descriptive essays are mostly about places, people, objects, memories or experiences. The description in the essay needs to have a purpose. There has to be a coherent message or some deeper meaning. The objective of a descriptive essay is to establish an emotional connection or to evoke a reaction, not just to paint a picture that no one cares about or relates to. An expository essay is about facts. It is more informative than narrative and descriptive essays. There is little room for personal opinions. Whatever personal perspective that may be presented in an expository essay must be substantiated. There should be verifiable evidence or facts. An expository essay illustrates a topic by employing statistics, facts, real and theoretical examples, comparisons, causes and effects. This is not a first person narrative or even a descriptive account to evoke a premeditated reaction. A persuasive essay is basically an academic version of a sales pitch. The writing should be able to convince the audience or reader to accept the presented opinion, reasoning, perspective or facts. Persuasive essays could be narrative, descriptive or expository. Since the reader needs to be convinced, there has to be more than just personal opinion or perspective. The logic or reasoning presented should be irrefutable. It is necessary for such an essay to discuss or debate all perspectives relevant to a topic. The writer may have a preconceived notion or may choose a standpoint even before writing the essay but this cannot come across as obvious in the written piece. A persuasive essay should not read as a biased account of facts. Other Types of Essays As you may have realized by now, the form and style of essay will depend on the type. You cannot use flowery vocabulary when you are writing an expository essay as facts are more important. You can be as poetic or ornate you want in a narrative or descriptive essay but you should still be able to establish the purpose and convey the message. You read "Writing Essays for Dummies?" in category "Essay examples" The essence should not be lost in the writing. There are other forms and styles beyond the four major types of essays such as compare and contrast, cause and effect, process, argumentative, critical, classification division, dialectic, exemplification, familiar, economic and reflective. All these forms or styles can actually be categorized in one or more of the four major types of essays. The Definitive Guide to Writing Essays for Dummies An essay has three parts: introduction, body and conclusion. A short essay of around four hundred to six hundred words should have one introductory paragraph, a few body paragraphs and one concluding paragraph. A longer essay of around a thousand words or several thousand can have multiple introductory paragraphs, a few demarcated sections as the body wherein each has one or more paragraphs and a concluding section with one or multiple paragraphs. Writing essays for dummies has six stages. These are preparation, study or research, writing the first draft, improving the language and the chosen style, reviewing the structure and content, finishing the piece with elan. Stage One: Preparation The preparatory phase has far-reaching implications. Everything you choose at this stage will have a bearing on every subsequent phase. If you have been given a topic or subject and you have been instructed to write a certain type of essay, then you don’t have the liberty to choose. If you can choose your topic or the style, then you must play to your strengths. Some people are naturally good at describing or narrating. Some people are naturally drawn towards facts and analytical assessments. Choose the style or form depending on your deftness. Stage Two: Research An essay has to be heavy on substance. It cannot be rhetoric. Even if you are writing a narrative or descriptive essay wherein you are exploring an idea, concept or thought and there is no correlation with real incidents, you would still need to use substantial information to your advantage. An essay is not a dramatic soliloquy. Expository and persuasive essays will require sufficient research. You can confine your research to the books you have access to as a part of your curriculum. You can expand the scope of your research. The library at your school or college and the virtual world will offer you instant access to any information you need. The challenge is not the access to the information you need but the studying and assessing of everything you learn. You will come across a lot of information. There would be complimenting and contradicting findings. Depending on the topic, it may be impossible for you to include all sources and hence you would need to choose some information over others. The presentation should still be comprehensive enough. You cannot choose one type of factual findings and discard another. An essay must have some semblance of nonpartisanship even if you have a preconceived purpose. Stage Three: First Draft You would have a word count in mind. Break it down into the three segments of introduction, body and conclusion. You can start with the body. The information you obtain through your research would be the foundation of the body of your essay. Since you would have plenty of details, starting the first draft with such information would be simpler than trying to find the best words to begin your essay. Often, writing the body would influence a writer to choose the right wording for the introduction. However, this is not a universal rule. Many writers would want to begin with the introduction, set the tone of the essay and then work on the first draft of the body. You should not be too conscious while writing the first draft. Just pen down whatever you have learned and what you have understood. You don’t have to be too adherent to the purpose and you don’t need to excel in the use of language. The objective of the first draft is to put your thoughts into words and to have a basic version that you can rework to perfection. The first draft can be much longer than the chosen word count. Try to write down everything you think is important in the given context. Stage Four: Review/Revise or Edit/Rewrite You should review the first draft and crosscheck the factual information with your references. Make sure there is no factual inaccuracy. Ensure there is no plagiarism. Consult your notes from the research phase to know for sure that you have been true to the sources. Revise or rewrite any portions that you think are inaccurate or would do with some better writing. Check everything from spelling to grammar, use better words wherever appropriate and try to develop a unique voice in your essay. Most people have a natural writing style. This is not necessarily good or bad. You should find, identify and amplify your voice. Your essay does not have to emulate the styles of others. Stage Five: Optimize Structure and Content At the end of the fourth stage of writing essays for dummies, you should have a readable piece that sheds more light on the topic and conveys a message. The primary purpose of writing the essay must have been accomplished by now. However, the structure and content may not be the best they can be. You should try to optimize both. Review the word count of each paragraph, assess how you have argued in favor or against a particular notion, whether or not your writing is actually conveying what you wish to emphasize, if the reader will get to imagine or visualize the picture you are trying to draw and if there is an impact of the entire content, which could be an emotional connection, a certain type of reaction or just being convinced with the facts of the case. Stage Six: Finishing Touches The finishing touches will vary from writer to writer. You can look for a quote, one that is the most appropriate for your essay. You can come up with an anecdote to make your essay more memorable. Often, it is not just the words in an essay that makes it unique but how it is presented. How to cite Writing Essays for Dummies?, Essay examples

Car accident Essay Example For Students

Car accident Essay Traumatic events come in many different ways at many different times of ones life. Mine came on the school bus while I was on my way home from school. The bus had stopped to let a couple kids off and I stood up to throw some trash away. I stood up we were rear ended by a young lady who had been trying to get a bee out of the car and not realized the bus had stopped. I was standing up and the impact caused me to bang into the seat in front of me and the one behind me. I didnt realize what had happened until moments later when someone said something. As I began to sit down I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body and my heart started to beat rapidly. The accident made me realize that nothing is for certain and you shouldnt take anything for granted. I had always viewed riding a school bus has something that wouldnt put me in danger, after all the drivers are trained professionals, right? What I never considered was the actions of others and how complete strangers can change your life in a bigger and more significant way than some of the people closes to you. I had never really considered dying at a young age because my grandparents lived to be old. After that bus ride home my outlook on life was severely changed and I started to appreciate my parents more an tell them I loved them a lot more often because wasnt sure if wed both be around to say it the next time. The Car accident Essay will always be a major moment in my life because of what it showed me. That accident gave me visual proof that God has a plan for everyone and everything has a reason or hidden message. Just when I was coming to a point in my life where I was beginning to see where I fit in at school, it reminded me to cherish every moment has though it was my last, because I dont know when itll be over. I know its kind of a sad way to view life but I really dont see it that way. I see it has more of a reason to cherish every moment and live life with no regrets .

Synopsis Of A Clockwork Orange Essays - English-language Films

Synopsis Of A Clockwork Orange Synopsis of A Clockwork Orange In A Clockwork Orange, the main character is that of a mildly young child of 15 who, along with his fellow friends, or Droogs, partake in evenings of Ultra-Violence. Ultra Violence consists of random beatings, theft, destruction, and rape. The main character, Alex, is the self-proclaimed leader of the pack, and makes judgment on their actions pending on his mood. His Droogs eventually find themselves under his direct rule, following his every word, and decide to challenge his authority. The three Droogs (Dim, Georgie, and Pete) join Alex on his romp to a local fat farm to pillage the goods therein. Inside, Alex stumbles upon the owner of the resort, and after a length scuffle with her, ends up giving her a blow to the head with a rather large, ceramic replica of an erect penis. When he leaves the outer gates of the complex, Dim surprises him by smacking a milk bottle against his face. His counterparts escape while little Alex is left bleeding and blinded to deal with the police. Upon interrogation of Alex, he discovers that the blow he delivered to the young lady was a fatal one. He is charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. While there, he befriends the resident minister and becomes a helper to his service. The minister, Alex soon discovers, is a part in a new form of treatment that is trying to be implemented prisons to help cure inmates from committing acts of violence. Through luck and discussion with the higher officials in the prison, Alex is chose to be a guinea pig for the experiment, and is sent to become inoculated from violence. The treatment consisted of Alex being strapped down to a chair in front of a cinema screen, having electrodes attached to his head, and being kept focused by small pairs of clamps used to disable his ability to blink. This, along with the injection of an experimental serum, is monitored whilst he views movies of UltraViolence. The serum leaves him vulnerable to his surroundings, which are destructive films, and induces such feelings of helplessness, fear, and near-death paralysis, similar to that of drowning. Alex soon associates this feeling of distraught with the violence, and with the background music being played throughout the entire ordeal: Beethoven, Alex's main love. The final result is that whenever Alex is confronted with either violent acts of any kind, or the sweet strings of Ludwig Van, he is soon on his knees in pain and agony. When he is released, his parents abandon him. He meets up with a few members of his old gang that have turned into crooked cops, and with their newfound power and long-lasting loathe of Alex, they beat him much and leave him for dead, this of which brought on the sickness that he was conditioned for. Stumbling in the dark for help, he comes across a polite looking residence that looked vaguely familiar. Eventually, Alex realizes that he is in the presence of a former victim of his, but believes that the owner would not recognize him. To his dismay, the author did recognize him after hearing Alex sing a song in a very similar fashion to the way his attackers did 2 years ago. After slipping a sedative into Alex's wine, Alex wakes up to find himself in a locked room on the second floor of an apartment high-rise. Through the floorboards, Alex starts to hear the hateful sounds of Beethoven, and goes into his sickness fits. No exits, No escapes. His only way out is to jump out of the closed window and end his life. He does just that. Alex wakes in a hospital. The author was jailed for attempted murder, and the government officials that started the program were ridiculed and harassed out of their positions. Alex finds himself broken and hurt, but his thoughts are that of the Ultra-Violence. Alex was cured and ready to live again. Aspects of Psychology In A Clockwork Orange, Alex is portrayed as two different people living within the same body. As a mischievous child raping the world, he as seen as filth.

Small Business in South Africa

Small Business in South Africa Introduction With the world population increasing at an alarming rate, the rates of unemployment are expected to increase and people will have to find alternatives to the formal employment by finding other means through which they can make a living.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Business in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From all spheres of the world, it has been lately discovered that creation of small businesses is one of the way through which a country citizens can reduce their reliance on the nation and that small businesses play a very important role in the economic, political, and social development of a country. This sector however has been faced with many challenges on their establishments particularly in the developing countries such as in the Asian and African states. The small business faces quite a number of challenges from taxation issues to lack of funding and corruption. The obj ective of this study will be to analyze the challenges small businesses face in South Africa and recommend on the likely solutions to these challenges. The reason for choosing South Africa rather than Sudan is the fact that in South Africa small business enterprises are very important particularly to the majority of the low skilled population[1]. It is a fact that: â€Å"Small, medium and micro-enterprises (â€Å"SMMEs†) contribute 36.1% of the country’s gross domestic product (â€Å"GDP†) and employ 68.2% of the workforce in the private sector. In the agriculture, construction and retail sectors, SMMEs employ more than 80% of the total workforce. Over the last few years, the growth in employment by SMMEs has exceeded the growth in their contribution to GDP, highlighting the job creation potential of this sector of the economy†.[2] That is the reason why many refer small businesses as the development engine for most countries as they aid in economic growt h and job creation. In the last few years, they have been the sole means which has accelerated growth in rather poor economic conditions as most of them create employment and enhance poverty reduction[3]. Definition of Small Business It is a very difficult process of defining what a small business is because it all depends on the perspective you look at it. The few characteristics one may look when defining a small business include the potential market size, the management, the size of the employees and many other factors. Some people define a small business as a business having less than 20 employees[4], categorizing them as non employing businesses, micro businesses and other businesses.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Others define small businesses in terms of ownership and management characteristics. These classes of small businesses include the independent ow ned, close control by owners and partnerships. In consideration that this study is based on South Africa, we will use the country’s definition according to the National Business Act that a small business is a business with not more than 50 employees with the turn-over rates varying according to the sector. There is quite a big distinction in small businesses between service and manufacturing small businesses. The policy makers and business owners of small manufacturing businesses attribute old technologies and management strategies as some of the challenges they face on their way to growth while the service businesses are all about one’s attitude and adaptability of the business. In terms of size, the service industries are also known to be larger than the manufacturing businesses and their out put per worker is higher compared to the manufacturing businesses due to the simple fact that while manufacturing rely on physical capital service, businesses rely on human capi tal which can be increased or decreased according to the situation. Small services businesses are also not entitled to registration for taxation in contrast to the manufacturing businesses which have to register and pay taxes. For example, a small manufacturing business will require capital to buy the plant machinery while a service industry such as the hair salon requires the human effort only to earn the money. Another challenge lies on the differences in the costs of acquiring assets. It makes it more beneficial to start a small service business rather than a manufacturing one. According to the South African law â€Å"small business means a separate and distinct business entity, including co-operative enterprises and non-governmental organizations, managed by one owner or more, which including its branches or subsidiaries (if any) is predominantly carried on in any sector or sub sector of the economy†[5] And the amendment of the bill in 2003 classified small businesses und er the following categories (see appendix for the table)[6]. Overview of the Small Business Context Small businesses in South Africa do not contribute more to the GDP compared to other developing countries due to several challenges which include the high unemployment rate and inflation. Many studies show that the small business sector contributes 30 to 50 % of the country’s GDP. SEDA puts the figures at 42% as of year 2002, 46% as of 2004 and at 30% as of 2007.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Small Business in South Africa specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Aswani[7] estimates south Africa had 2.5 million enterprises as of 1999 with 45% of south Africans working in the sector which represented 4.8 million people and at that time the small businesses contributed about 50% of the GDP. With the poverty rates having risen from 15.5 % in 1995 to 30.5% in the year 2002, the small business contribution has since redu ced to the above said level. To the employment, the small business sector absorbed 57% as of 2002[8]. Constraining Issues As in any other sector in the economy, the small business sector faces quite a number of challenges as they try to improve and increase their contribution to the south African’s GDP. According to the SADE SMME (Small Medium and Micro Enterprises) development and support plan, the major factors hindering the growth of small businesses are: â€Å"Finance, structural demands, intensity of competition, cost of labour, labour legislation, managerial skills, and managerial style†[9]. These above constrains will be covered in this study as under infrastructure, corruption, inflation, lack of credit and the human resources. Corruption: (Legal – Political – Economic) The act of unfair or illegal influence in decision making process by use of power or wealth, for example, the act of giving or receiving a bribe in order to give service or an ille gal substance can be described as corruption. This vice occurs in every country in the world and in every level be it in the private or the public sector[10]. The giver and the receiver of the bribe are beneficially of the crime and thus both need to be punished by the existing laws. Instance of corruption have been reported in south Africa for example in places where crime rates are high, small business owners are reported having given policemen money in order to access their protection from the criminal activities[11]. Analysis:Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More If the small businesses are not protected from the criminals, they will continue losing their millions of investment but paying policemen in order to acquire their services (while that is the job they are assigned to do) amounts to corruption and losses to the already endangered small business enterprises. Implication: Corruption in South Africa is a major hindrance to the country’s small business sector and action need to be taken against corruption as it reduces the productivity capability of the small businesses. Inflation: (Economic) Small businesses are also vulnerable to the low inflation rates which increase the cost of doing business and leads to a probability of businesses making huge losses as a result of the decreased prices. In the year 2010 the country recorded a 3.2% as of September this is very risky for those doing business within[12]. Analysis: When inflation is at very low rates it reduces the chances of recovering the borrowed capital. For example, let†™s say you bought an item for 10 Rands and then next time the price falls to 5 Rands that means if the money was from a borrowed source you will have to find ways of sourcing for 5 Rands per item and this makes the banks to take higher precautions when giving out loans. Implication: Low inflation rates while they may be healthy for the population as a whole do not favour businesses in realizing their profitability due to the decreased prices of commodities. Infrastructure: (Technological – Economic) Despite the good infrastructure network in South Africa, a research based on Soweto youth entrepreneurs shows that infrastructure is a major barrier to the success of small businesses in that area. They cites examples of the city of Johannesburg making some efforts in tarring the roads and providing taxi facilities but the report also complains that the city is doing nothing to support business activities in Soweto. The report also indicates that improvements in the transport se ctor would allow more people to move easily within the Soweto area and this could enhance their business activities[13]. Analysis: If the infrastructure connecting major towns and rural areas such as Soweto could be improved, the small business sector could improve a lot as this would enhance cheaper movement and exchange of goods and services between the major and the minor players in the business sector. Implication: Poor infrastructure increases costs of conducting business in any place and thus to increase the contribution of small business sector in South Africa infrastructure need to be improved in all places. Lack of credit funding: (Economic) Commercial banks and other financial institutions are unable to fund small businesses due to internal capacity problems. Most of the small business owners requiring financial assistance from the finance and banking sectors are unable to provide the banks with adequate reliable information which can allow their evaluation on their credit worthiness. This makes the commercial banks in South Africa provide credit facilities to only those businesses which provide reliable information fulfilling the credit worthiness criterion. Offering loans to small business owners is also difficult in South Africa as most banks offer loans with high return rates and this increase the cost of borrowing in the country. Information from Investors Network indicates that on average when people present their business plans to financial institutions this is what happens: â€Å"60% are rejected after a 30 minute review 25% are rejected after a 3 hour appraisal 10% are rejected after a full day evaluation 3% are rejected following failed negotiations 2% succeed in raising funds Yes, read it again, only 2% of businesses seeking private equity are successful.†[14] Analysis: With the high costs of borrowing most of the South African small business owners are unable to source for extra capital that may be required to expand their business es and also the low probability of accessing loans in south Africa makes it hard for small businesses to succeed as in other countries. Implication: The small businesses in the country will continue to suffer unless legislations are enacted which can allow most of the small business entrepreneurs access loans without much scrutiny as far as there are collaterals to the loans. Human Resources: (Social Culture) There is the inability of small businesses to obtain well trained and qualified personnel as they are unable to provide comfortable and better pay working conditions and most of the time they offer wages which are way below the current market rates[15] . As a result, larger businesses remain way above small businesses. Most small businesses as we saw with the country’s guidelines are made of few employees thus higher chances of understaffing. The apartheid era employed an inferior education system and unfair patterns of population settlements. Thus, it has been evident t hat most of the South Africans of the African origin are inadequately skilled in any field they are participating in and this has been a major challenge as they start up and run their small businesses. Analysis: The low education among the South Africans of African origin is one of the major causes of the limitation of small business staffing particularly those owned by the blacks. Understaffing is also a major problem as most small business want to gain higher profits; the result is exhaustion and poor workmanship. Implication: As long as the small businesses are understaffed, their productivity will always remain low compared to the large business enterprises. Recommendations To improve the small businesses situation in South Africa, the small business owners need to access funds for their business activities. The government and the banking institutions need to agree on the requirements one has to fulfil when acquiring loans. To the question about infrastructure, the government sh ould ensure that the transport network is well established in all places whether in the major towns or in the ghettos so as to promote the growth of small businesses in the country. The challenge of inflation is more of a global issue but the central bank in the country should control its releasing and hold up of money so as to avoid high inflation or deflation rates on the country’s currency. Action Plan: To reduce inflation the government should design policies which enable its currency value to be at a stable position to avoid unexpected changes in prices. For the corruption part if the country authorities could ensure that every citizen is safe when doing business and that bribes are not given out in order to gain favours, small businesses will move miles ahead. Understaffing is brought about by the inability of small businesses to acquire enough capital to run the business and thus by enabling small business owners access loans at lower costs will enable them hire more w orking personnel. Conclusion The small business contribution to the country’s GDP is very low compared to other countries and thus for their contribution to be higher, challenges they face such as corruption, poor infrastructure, inflation and inadequacy in human resources need to be addressed and a good solution reached. Bibliography Anonymous. â€Å"Small business in Australia.† Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, abs.gov.au/ausstats/[emailprotected]/0/97452F3932F44031CA256C5B00027F19?OpenDocument . Aswani, Frank. â€Å"Barriers and facilitators to transitioning of small businesses (SMME’s) from the second to the first economy in South Africa: Gordon Institute of Business Science.† University of Pretoria, 2007, http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03182010-160845/unrestricted/dissertation.pdf . Centre for Development and Enterprise report. â€Å"Young Soweto entrepreneurs.† CDE, June 2007, cipe.org/regional/africa/pdf/CDEReportYoungSowet oEntrepreneurs.pdf . Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa Investors Network. â€Å"Private Equity Financing for SMEs in South Africa.† Investors Network, Not Dated. investorsnetwork.co.za/component/idoblog/viewpost/105 . Minnaar. â€Å"BUSA Anticorruption Working Group.† Newsletter, 2008, busa.org.za/docs/BUSINESS%20ANTI-CORRUPTION%20NEWSLETTER.pdf . Molapo, Sekoala. â€Å"Financial sector support for small business development.† University of Johannesburg, 2007, http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/620/1/Final%20Draft%203.pdf . National Small Business Act. Republic Of South Africa, 1996. National Small Business Amendment Bill. Republic of South Africa, 2003. Newham, Gareth. â€Å"Tackling police corruption in South Africa.† Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2002, csvr.org.za/docs/policing/tacklingpolicecorruption.pdf . Okpara John Wynn, Pamela. â€Å"Determinants of Small Business Growth Constraints in a Sub-Saharan African Economy.† SAM Advanced Management Journal, 2007. Trading Economics. â€Å"South Africa inflation rate.† Tradingeconomics, 2010, tradingeconomics.com/Economics/Inflation-CPI.aspx?Symbol=ZAR . Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. Footnotes Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa Foreign Investment Advisory Service of the World Bank Group. 2007. South Africa p.15 John, Okpara., Pamela Wynn. â€Å"Determinants of Small Business Growth Constraints in a Sub-Saharan African Economy.† SAM Advanced Management Journal, 2007. Anonymous. â€Å"Small business in Australia.† Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009, abs.gov.au/ausstats/[emailprotected]/0/97452F3932F44031CA256C5B00027F19?OpenDocument . National Small Business Act, 1996. clause XV National Small Business Amendment Bill, 2003 Frank, Aswani. â€Å"Barriers and facilit ators to transitioning of small businesses (SMME’s) from the second to the first economy in South Africa: Gordon Institute of Business Science.† University of Pretoria, 2007,http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03182010-160845/unrestricted/dissertation.pdf . Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. Xhariep SMME Development and Support Plan. Small Enterprise Development Agency, 2009. p.14 Minnaar. â€Å"BUSA Anticorruption Working Group.† Newsletter, 2008, busa.org.za/docs/BUSINESS%20ANTI-CORRUPTION%20NEWSLETTER.pdf . Gareth, Newham. â€Å"Tackling police corruption in South Africa.† Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 2002, csvr.org.za/docs/policing/tacklingpolicecorruption.pdf . Trading Economics. â€Å"South Africa inflation rate.† Tradingeconomics, 2010, tradingeconomics.com/Economics/Inflation-CPI.aspx?Symbol=ZAR . Centre for Development and Enterprise report. â€Å"Young Sowet o entrepreneurs.† CDE, focus number 11 of June 2007, cipe.org/regional/africa/pdf/CDEReportYoungSowetoEntrepreneurs.pdf . Investors Network. â€Å"Private Equity Financing for SMEs in South Africa.† Investors Network, Not Dated. investorsnetwork.co.za/component/idoblog/viewpost/105 . Sekoala, Molapo. â€Å"Financial sector support for small business development.† University of Johannesburg, 2007, http://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za:8080/dspace/bitstream/10210/620/1/Final%20Draft%203.pdf .

Adolescents are not in turmoil,not deeply disturbed and not resistant Research Proposal

Adolescents are not in turmoil,not deeply disturbed and not resistant to parental values - Research Proposal Example Adolescence is commonly perceived as that stage of physiological, mental, and emotional development between childhood and adulthood. Generally taken as the â€Å"pre-teen† to â€Å"teen† ages, usually at the onset of puberty until about 18 or 19, the period of adolescent development pertains to a rather diverse range of determinant influences including social, environmental, religious, even cultural factors for the concept to be framed in more definitive terms. In this paper, the context adopted by the American Psychological Association (A.P.A.) in its scientific publication titled â€Å"Developing Adolescents: A reference for Professionals† shall be, likewise, adopted: â€Å"There is no standard age range for defining adolescence. Individuals can begin adolescence earlier than age 10, just as some aspects of adolescent development often continue past the age of 18. Although the upper age boundary is sometimes defined as older than 18 (e.g., age 21 or 25), there is widespread agreement that those in the age range of 10 to 18 should be considered adolescents.† (p. 2) The stage of adolescence is definitely the most exciting period of most everyone’s life. The period of discoveries and learning on your own, the time of exciting encounters and relationships, of heightened interests in new and more exciting things than dolls and matchboxes, it is that time in our lives that almost every adult, if not every adult, would look back to with fondness and great relish. It is the period of our lives when we looked at everything in the world with more intense interest and passion. Child psychologist Gregory Ramey at Dayton Children’s in his Dayton Daily News article titled Adolescent Turmoil writes, â€Å"Teens feel the world so passionately. They live life differently from the rest of us. They experience intense sadness at things that appear trivial and escalate to extreme excitement at seemingly insignificant eventsâ€Å". He continues further, â€Å"They enjoy

Those Winter Sundays, by Robert Hayden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Those Winter Sundays, by Robert Hayden - Essay Example The poem can be interpreted in many ways. As an example, it could be interpreted as a son who dislikes his father. It could also be seen as a boy who was longing for the love of his father. However it is interpreted, the fact remains that it is a poem about the coldness that lurks between this boy and his father. Hayden uses metaphors in the poem that match the winter cold. The metaphors are implied more than they are spoken. As an example, the father in the poem â€Å"got up early and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold† (3). The poem then states about the boy, â€Å"I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking† (6). When these two sentences are analyzed together, the â€Å"blueblack cold† (3) of winter is a possible metaphor for an abusive relationship between father and son. The words â€Å"blue black† are often associated with â€Å"black and blue† in terms of a bruise or an injury. The â€Å"cold splintering, breaking† (6 ) could be a metaphor that is not only about the weather, but the implication that the relationship between the father and his son is also cold, splintering and breaking. Because the boy states that when he wakes up in the morning, he is â€Å"fearing the chronic angers of that house† (9), the reader can assume that the boy is abused in some way. There may not be physical abuse at this time because the father’s hands are â€Å"cracked† (3) â€Å"from labor in the weekday whether† (4) and it would not be comfortable for him to physically hurt his son but the emotional abuse may have been a part of their everyday life. It appears that there is no mother in this family and the reason that the boy and his father are reacting to each other as they are could have something to do with the mother’s absence. The coldness that they share could be their response to grieving at the loss of the mother. This poem could also be one of the poet’s members. A ccording to C. Ekrem Teymur, Robert Hayden grew up in a Detroit ghetto and he spent is time with his parents, but also with a foster family that lived next door to his family (par. 1). This could have been a reflection of what happened to him in his past. The title of the poem suggests that â€Å"those† were the days that he is remembering, and that in the winter time, this was what happened every winter. The entire poem gives the read a sense of coldness. The winter is very cold with the â€Å"blueblack cold† â€Å"(2), â€Å"cold splintering† (6), and â€Å"driven out the cold† (11) without replacing it with warmth. There are only two lines that mention some type of warmth: â€Å"when the rooms were warm† (7) his father would call him. This was interesting because warmth would seem cozy and not something that would happen in this house. When his father called him out of the warmth the boy was, â€Å"fearing the chronic angers† (9) possibl y, because the cold was what he was used to both in temperature and inside the house with the unspoken cold. One line of the poem is very difficult to understand. â€Å"What did I know of love’s austere and lonely offices?† (14). I did not understand this last line and it seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the information. How does this fit into the rest of the poem? According to Peter E. Murphy, the word â€Å"office† has to be put into a context of doing service to others. Murphy explains that in Catholicism, â€Å"office† means the â€Å"daily obligatory prayers† (16) and therefore the passage could mean that love is lonely in this particular space and it is something that must be done, but does not appear here. I am still not sure of what this means. In

BHS 414 Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 1 CBT) Essay

BHS 414 Cross Cultural Health Perspectives (Mod 1 CBT) - Essay Example gradations to the way the treatment is carried out through various health organisations who carry out detailed statistical analysis to find out and finally implement the ‘most effective’ treatment regimen, so in a way, the whole system in quite mechanistic. On the contrary, Native American medicine is based on what the physician ‘feels’ is best for the person. And the patients are never referred to as cases. There is an effort made to understand the life force flowing within the person and understanding its interaction with the environment. There is a belief in the synchronicity of the whole universe of which we are a part. Efforts are directed towards understanding the environment of the person and his interaction with it. Allopathy focuses more on the physical plane, one reason why psychiatry fails miserably when it comes to treating some mental illnesses. Whereas native American medicine encompasses all the realms of existence including physical, mental, spiritual, ethereal- existence of some of which modern medicine even doubts. It goes beyond what the senses can perceive in the physical word so the word proof has limited meaning. Using the words in common parlance, the modern medicine is based on ‘scienceâ€℠¢ whereas native American medicine is based on ‘art’. Now there should be a pragmatic approach dealing with both broad, apparently different forms of healing, keeping the well being and good health of the people at large at the forefront. Referring to the case study in question here, Mr. Wolf and his wife should be given a balanced view point so that he can utilize the best of what both forms of medicine have on offer. As a health care provider first of all care should be taken to make sure that Mr. Wolf should not take a traditional medicine, which in the process of healing brings the levels of antibiotics to toxic levels for the body. This should be conveyed to the patient and he should be advised to properly inform the traditional healer

Quality Systems Of Tesco Plc And Waitrose Marketing Essay

Quality Systems Of Tesco Plc And Waitrose Marketing Essay Operations management encompasses all activities in an organisation that transform its inputs into desired outputs. Operation Managements activities consist of planning, designing, implementing and controlling the firms operation through an efficient and effective use of its resources to produce and deliver goods and services so as to satisfy its customers needs (Slack, Chambers, Johnston, 2004). Quality is very important in the mind of the customer because it influences the choice in purchasing that product. A quality product is one which satisfies customer demand completely and which is done right the first time itself. The quality of a product can be classified in two categories, which is firstly the design quality and secondly the performance quality of a product. Design quality involves the purpose of a good or facility. A shopper usually classifies the quality of a product through its look, process and dependability. Furthermore, performance quality involves the extent to which products and services correspond to the plan of the design. Quality management is essential to effective operations management, particularly continuous management. More recent advancements in quality, such as benchmarking and Total Quality Management, have resulted in advancements to operations management as well. Quality management ensures that there is quality in a products and services. Although there are different approaches to solve quality issues, all the goal are the same which is to create a high quality, high performing product or services which is in conformity with customers expectations. Quality management is very important in companies for various reasons. It ensures product quality in the sense that product can be produced as per stated promise, which is durability, performance and reliability. Customer satisfaction where surveys can be conducted to understand the qualities customers want from the product, as well as how it can be improved. Increased revenues as quality products and services give the company a spotless reputation in the industry and this can lead to new customers and also selling additional products and services to existing customers. Moreover unnecessary processes can be eliminated and the employee can do the same job in less time thus decreasing the additional salary paid him. Quality management also helps to reduce wastage as companies that house inventory has to incur the holding costs and also tracking of the inventory which ultimately will be included in the price. Therefore, to keep inventory at a low level without incurring any waste, manuf acturers can work closely with suppliers using a Just-In-Time philosophy and thus becoming more responsive to customers. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research methodology is a system of collecting data for a research project which provide critical insight into the subject matter of the research. The basis upon which the research approach is selected depends upon the requirement of the research topic and its main objectives. (Fraenkel and Wallen. 1993). According to Saunders et al the two main types of research approaches are quantitative and qualitative research. For the purpose of collecting data on the quality aspect of the operational management, the researcher has adopted both qualitative and quantitative approach. Primary data was obtained from Tesco branch of Thornton Heath which was selected for this purpose and was compared with the Waitrose branch of Croydon. Research techniques such as face to face interviews using open ended questions with the store managers of both supermarkets were used. In addition observation of the processes across various branches of Tesco and Waitrose was done for a period of two weeks. These two particular research techniques were chosen because it enables the researcher to get more detail and additional information which could not have been obtained otherwise if another research methodology for example questionnaire was used. Moreover it enables the researcher to have an insight in the quality problems existing in the operation management. The information obtained during the interviews and through physical observation is used to generalise the quality system and philosophies adopted across all branches as Tesco and Waitrose because as a franchisee these supermar kets are much known for standardisation across all their levels of area of business. Secondary data is another method of obtaining data which is readily available at relatively no cost from sources such as the company website, books, and academic journals at relatively no cost. Some of the limitations of the research techniques used for this research were that the store managers refused to answer some of the questions. HISTORY OF BUSINESS TESCO Supermarkets giant Tesco was founded in 1919 after the First World War by Jack Cohen when he started selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East London and made  £1 profit from  £4 sales. Tesco got its name from the initials of TE Stockwell where he was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers and CO from his surname. He managed to cope with adverse economic conditions and subsequently with rapid changing technology, increasingly sophisticated consumers and competitions. The first official store was opened in 1929 and the company kept flourishing throughout the twentieth century. In 1992 the company launched its slogan ; every little helps, followed by Tesco value in 1993 and in 1995 it overtook Sainsburys and became the UKs largest food retailer. . It managed to become the first British trader with a companys loyalty card when the Tesco Clubcard was introduced, and has also developed many innovative products and services to make more profit. Today, Tesco has 2482 stores in the U.K and 2329 stores in other countries, with an overall staff number of 472,000 worldwide. WAITROSE Waitrose is the UK leading chain of quality food retailer and is part of John Lewis Partnership since 1937.Founded in 1904 by William Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor in a small town called Acton in West London, today Waitrose is the country most successful, innovative and largest chain of supermarkets differentiating itself from its competitors by providing high quality products and excellent customer services. It mainly targets the high income earners. As to date, Waitrose has 228 branches across the United Kingdom and a 4.3% share of the market, making it the 6th largest grocery retailer in the UK. Waitrose has been expanding in the domestic market by adopting a strategy of growth by acquisition and very recently it has started to franchise its licence. Its first overseas store was opened in Dubai in April 2008 and its plans to focus more on its overseas market in the near future. The main competitors of the chain of supermarket are Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury and many more. COMPARISION OF TESCO AND WAITROSE Quality Philosophy Tesco quality philosophy is to deliver the best possible service to the customers by providing high quality products at cheaper price. Its target market is the middle income with young children. Waitrose is committed to bring the best quality of food. Its price is at a premium. It has built its reputation on its quality and the freshness of the food. Its targeted market is the high income earners and compared to Tesco, its stores are located in affluent areas. Quality systems Quality systems Even though Tesco and Waitrose cater to different segments of income group customer both the store stress on quality. They take different aspects into consideration while choosing the products that need to be displayed on their shelves. Below are the various methods that both the stores consider Tesco Tesco takes regular feedback from their customers regarding the quality of the products and the service they received from the stores. Based on the feedback, the Quality control team ensures that the products that reach the stores are of high quality. This ensures the product consistency and good value for the customers, every time. Tescos quality and life of the products are constantly monitored and sample checked across various steps in supply chain from production to the stores. According to Tesco Would I buy it strategy is employed which empowers anyone involved with the production, packaging and shelving. The persons involved in these stages have the right to reject the product which below the specification. Apart from the above methodology, the products are also tested independently every month. This ensures that the delivered product is up to the quality. They also have a technical standard guideline which has to be followed by everyone involved in the supply chain. They consult industry bodies, environmental experts and food safety experts to advise on production aspects. Tesco over the past few years has effectively introduced six sigma methodology across various departments and has successfully reduced the carbon di oxide emissions and also saving energy. Waitrose Similar to the approach taken by Tesco, Waitrose also takes the customer feedback into consideration while doing quality testing. Waitrose looks for producers who can offer quality products and sets very high standards while preparation of the food products. According to Waitrose they uphold high standards of food safety and hygiene, by the usage of latest farming techniques. These include HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical Control Points) systems, ICM (Integrated crop management) system and LIFE (Linking Environment and farming). HACCP is used in food production to identify potential hazards and to control the risks in future. ICM is used to ensure that best horticulture practices are followed and LEAF is independent charitable organisation that helps farmers to reduce the environmental impacts. Recently Waitrose have successfully implemented SAS software to improve the stockholding and cut wastes. This helps them in forecasting customer demand and ensures right product is shelved at the right time. According to Waitrose, this has helped them to reduce stockholding by 8% and wastage by 4%, thus increasing the customer satisfaction through high product availability. Quality Approaches The quality approaches of Tesco and Waitrose will be compared and contrast as follows: Quality of product Compare Quality of products depends on the requirement and satisfaction of customer. Much focus is being placed on quality of products by most of the organisation and Tesco and Waitrose are no different. Both companies offer the range of organic foods which are becoming more and more popular nowadays. The Bags for life scheme is becoming popular in supermarkets so as to cut down the number of traditional carrier bags and therefore, reducing the number ending up in landfill sites. Once the Bag for life is worn out customers can replace it free of charge. Tescos front line initiative if there is more than one person queuing at a single check out then another one is open and also customers are encouraged to give instant feedback on the service thus helping in improving the offer and the service. On the other hand, Waitrose has the quick check method where customers can scan their items and pack them as they are shopping and when finished, they pay at the quick check till without having to unpack and repack their goods. For any business to grow or to compete with others it has become mandatory to use the latest technologies across various levels. Tesco can launch an application with barcode reader integrated with Tesco club card and mobile number. The customer can select the items and scan it through the barcode reader app. At the end of the shopping he/she just scans her app on the till or enter the reference number (could be registered mobile number) provided by the app. This is automatically updated on to the customers club card. This way queues can be reduced by large at the tills. There by increasing the customer satisfaction. Also, Tesco can implement Drive-Thru shopping; where in customer shops online and pays for it online if necessary. The customer just drives at the specified time with the reference number and picks up his goods at the counter just like the Mc Donalds drive thru.

Christianity in The Grapes Of Wrath :: John Steinbeck

The novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck has many themes, but one theme the story is centralized around is the role of Christianity. The role of Christianity in The Grapes of Wrath is what allows the people to keep going during the times of the Great Depression. Without religion, the families in the novel would have simply given up all faith and hope. Like many events in the novel, many characters in Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath symbolize the theme of Christianity. The most obvious character would be that of Jim Casy. Jim Casy was previously a preacher, but he gave up preaching because he felt he had sinned. He travels with the Joad family on their journey to California, and although he insists that he has given up his counseling past, he continues to act as a preacher for the Joad family. Although the other characters in the novel symbolizing religious acts are not main characters, they do play an important role in the thread of the theme. An example of such a character would be the woman that shows up when Grandma is dying. The woman, who Ma refers to as a "Jehovite" is dressed all in black, the skin on her face sagging, and she has loose lips that hang over her teeth. She expresses to Ma and Rose of Sharon that they should pray for Grandma, and that they should have faith to move on. Steinbeck introduces this woman to the readers to symbolize death and the ability to move on in peace. Events such as the strange woman appearing before Grandma's death and Jim Casy's preaching reinforce the purpose of religion for the migrating poor in the novel of The Grapes of Wrath. Religion allows the migrating poor to continue their journey to a "better" life. Throughout the novel the people, such as the Joad family, encounter many hardships. Several other families who have already been to California, in search of the same "paradise" the Joad's are in search of, found exactly the opposite. The Joad's are advised of this problem, but because of their hope and faith that they will find the work they need, they continue on. Without religion, the migrating poor would not be able to keep on their way. Religion and Christianity do more helping than hindering for the migrating families.

India Government Essay

Imperialism began in India in the 1600s with the introduction of the East India Trade Company who placed trading posts at Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. (British Imperialism in India, 2014). Prior to the arrival of EITC, the Mughal Empire was a larger and more powerful kingdom than any other country in Europe. The center of the Mughal Empire was in poorly populated northern region, the soil and river system in this area was perfect for farming, transporting and communicating. (A Case Study of British Imperialism in India, 2014). For some time, the EITC and Mughal were able to work cohesively together, but by 1707 the Mughal Empire had begun to crumble, and in 1757 Robert Clive, in alliance with the French, led troops to a victory over Indian forces at the Battle of Plassey. This made way for the EITC to become the primary power in India. (British Imperialism in India, 2014). The East India Trade Company grew quickly, with little interference from the British government, having its own army called sepoys comprised of both Indian and British soldiers. India was considered the jewel in the crown due in part to the skills of its people and its vast producing land. Cotton cloth and raw silk winding were in high demand for the company to export, as well as sugar, indigo dye and opium. (Marshall, 2014). The EITC used religious force and economic power to take and maintain control of India. Demanding that Indian textile not be in competition with British goods and cash crops for the farmers. This in turn forced the indigenous people to experience economical loss and inability to feed themselves. Britain had taken a stand-off approach with Indian religion, but many felt that Indian customs were compromised with the increase in missionaries and racist attitude towards India’s way of life. By 1857, there was ever increasing unhappiness, leading to a mutiny among the Sepoy. The Sepoy army were instructed to use rifle cartridges that were greased with pig or cow fat. Because the ends of the cartridges needed to be bitten off before using, this was offensive to the Sepoy army, whose population was either Hindu or Muslim. Muslim belief is that pigs are unclean and Hindu whose belief is that cows are sacred. (Anderson, 2007).  The Sepoy mutiny gave way to a new British government in India called Raj, who ruled Indian until 1947. (British Imperialism in India, 2014). Part B Violent Revolution: American Revolution The American Revolution was brought about by unhappy colonist who were against British taxes and sought independence from British rule. After winning the French and Indian War, King George II began to impose taxes on goods such as sugar and molasses that were brought in to the colonies with the Sugar Act of 1764. The Stamp Act (1765), required an official stamp on most transactions of colonial businesses. The colonist, unhappy with the taxes, and feeling that the British Parliament was corrupt, began to speak out against the taxes, labeling the taxes as illegal because the people of the colonies were not represented in the British Parliament. â€Å"No taxation without representation† was the cry of the colonies, to which the Parliament replied with a new tax, the Townshend Act (1777), applied taxes to all imported glass, lead, paint, paper and tea. (American Revolution, 2014). The colonist, unhappy with the taxes, began to speak out against the taxes, labeling the taxes as illegal, because the colonies were not represented in the British Parliament. Refusal to pay the Kings taxes lead the colonist to form a club called the Sons of Liberty. Members of the club broke into tax collectors homes, beat them and burned tax bills. In 1770, a battle between the colonists and British soldiers took place in Boston, Massachusetts, known as the Boston Massacre, killing 5 colonists and injuring many more. Two British soldiers were found guilty of murder and punished only by having their thumbs burned. (The American Revolution , 2014). On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson was approved, showing England that America would become a free, independent county of British rule. (The American Revolution , 2014). Non Violent Revolution: Indian Independence Movement The cause of The Indian Independence Movement grew out of a nation in search of a way to free itself from British power and control. The goal of The Indian National Congress was to gain and maintain independence from the British forces. The Indian National Congress formed and held its first meeting in 1885, one of those in attendance was Mahatma Gandhi, who would  become the leader of the group. At first, the NIC professed loyalty to the British, but with World War 1 breaking out in 1914 and lasting until 1920, the NIC gradually became an opponent the British government. As the tolerance or the British decreased, the Indians strength increased. Indians began to realize that the British were not such a force to be reckoned with. (Indian Independence Movement, 2014). B1. Strategy Battles between the colonies and the British were full of conventional warfare and guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare consists of spontaneous, individual acts of sabotage. Francis Marion, the â€Å"Swamp Fox† used guerilla warfare against the British, using bands of troops in caring size to prevent the British from gathering supplies, and harassing the small outposts and forts. (Joes, 1996). The INC, under the leadership of Gandhi conducted major campaigns to draw attention to Indians human and civil rights. Civil disobedience in the form of a non-violent protests and marches were formed. The Civil Disobedience Campaign of 1919-1922 was a boycott of British cloth, The Salt Satyagraha, a non-violent protest against the tax applied to salt. Gandhi was arrested by the British, who thought it would stop the movement, however it only increased in participants and forced the British government to discuss the possibility of Indian independence. (The Indian Independence Struggle , 2014). References A Case Study of British Imperialism in India. (2014, July 13). Retrieved from Modern World History: http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/Imperialism/section_4/earlyindia.html American Revolution. (2014, July 16). Retrieved from Encyclopeida.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/American_Revolution.aspx#2 Anderson, C. (2007). Indian Uprising of 1857-8 : Prisons, Prisoners, and Rebellion. In C. Anderson, Indian Uprising of 1857-8 : Prisons, Prisoners, and Rebellion (p.

The Founding of the North Carolina Colony

The Founding of the North Carolina Colony The North Carolina colony was carved out of the Carolina province in 1729, but the history of the region begins during the Elizabethan period of the late 16th century and is closely tied up with the Virginia colony. The North Carolina colony is the direct result of British colonization efforts in the New World: it was also the place where the first English settlement was built and mysteriously disappeared. Fast Facts: North Carolina Colony Also Known As: Carolana, Province of Carolina (combined both South and North Carolina)Named After: King Charles I of Britain (1600–1649)Founding Year: 1587 (founding of Roanoke), 1663 (official)Founding Country: England; Virginia ColonyFirst Known Permanent European Settlement: ~1648Residential Native Communities: Eno (Oenochs or Occoneechi), Chesapeake, Secotan, Weapemeoc, Croatons, among othersFounders: Nathaniel Batts and other colonists from VirginiaImportant People: The Lord Proprietors, King Charles II, John Yeamans Roanoke The first European settlement in what is today North Carolina- indeed, the first English settlement in the New World- was the lost colony of Roanoke, founded by the English explorer and poet Walter Raleigh in 1587. On July 22nd of that year, John White and 121 settlers came to Roanoke Island in present-day Dare County. The first English person born in North America was settler John Whites granddaughter Virginia Dare (born to Elenora White and her husband Ananias Dare on August 18, 1587). John White returned to England shortly after its founding, and apparently, the colonists also left the area. When White returned in 1590, all the colonists on Roanoke Island were gone. There were only two clues left: the word Croatoan that had been carved on a post in the fort along with the letters Cro carved on a tree. Although much archaeological and historical research has been attempted, no one has yet discovered what actually happened to the settlers, and Roanoke is called The Lost Colony. Albemarle Settlements   By the late 16th century, Elizabethans Thomas Hariot (1516–1621) and Richard Hakluyt (1530–1591) were writing accounts of the Chesapeake Bay area exhorting the beauties of the New World. (Hariot visited the region in 1585–1586, but Hakluyt never actually made it to North America.) The mouth of the bay opens up at the northeastern corner of what is today North Carolina. In an attempt to discover what had happened to his colony, Walter Raleigh sent several expeditions out of his Virginia colony at Jamestown into the region.   The first charter to include North Carolina included part of Albemarle County and was given by Charles I to Robert Heath, the kings attorney general in 1629. That parcel, from Albemarle sound to Florida, was named Carolana after Charles I. Although there were repeated efforts to establish colonies, they all failed until 1648, when Virginians Henry Plumpton of Nansemond County and Thomas Tuke of the Isle of Wight County purchased a tract of land from the local Native Americans.   First European Settlement The first successful settlement of what became the North Carolina colony likely dates to around 1648, by Plumpton and Tuke. A 1657 map of the region between the Chowan and Roanoke Rivers illustrates Batts house, but it probably represents a small community perhaps including Plumpton and Tuke, not just Batts. Captain Nathaniel Batts was a wealthy man, know to some as the Governor of Roan-oak. Other Virginians moved in over the next decade or so, either purchasing land from the residential Native Americans- Chesapeake, Secotan, Weapemeoc, and Croatons among others- or obtaining grants from Virginia. Official Founding The Carolina Province, including what are today North and South Carolina, was finally officially founded in 1663 when King Charles II recognized the efforts of eight noblemen who helped him regain the throne in England by giving them the Province of Carolina. The eight men were known as the Lord Proprietors: John Berkeley (1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton); Sir William Berkeley (Governor of Virginia); George Carteret (Governor of Jersey in Britain); John Colleton (soldier and nobleman); Anthony Ashley Cooper (1st Earl of Shaftsbury); William Craven (1st Earl of Craven); Edward Hyde (1st Earl of Clarendon); and George Monck (1st Duke of Albemarle). The Lord Proprietors named the colony in honor of their king. The area they were given included the area of present-day North and South Carolina.  In 1665, John Yeamans created a settlement in North Carolina on the Cape Fear River, near present-day Wilmington. Charles Town was named the main seat of government in 1670.  However, internal problems arose in the colony, leading the Lord Proprietors to sell their interests in the colony. The crown took over the colony and formed both North and  South Carolina  out of it in 1729. North Carolina and the American Revolution The colonists in North Carolina were a disparate group, which often led to internal problems and disputes. However, they were also heavily involved in the reaction to British taxation. Their resistance to the Stamp Act  helped prevent that acts implementation and led to the rise of the Sons of Liberty.   These irascible colonists were also  one of the last hold outs to ratify the Constitution- after it had already gone into effect and the government had been established. Sources and Further Reading Anderson, Jean Bradley. Durham County: A History of Durham County, North Carolina, 2nd ed. Durham: Duke University Press, 2011.Butler, Lindley S. The Early Settlement of Carolina: Virginias Southern Frontier. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 79.1 (1971): 20–28. Print.Crow, Jeffrey J. and Larry E. Tise (eds.). Writing North Carolina History. Raleigh: University of North Carolina Press Books, 2017.  Cumming, W. P. The Earliest Permanent Settlement in Carolina. The American Historical Review 45.1 (1939): 82–89. Print.Miller, Lee. Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony. Arcade Publishing, 2001Parramore, Thomas C. The Lost Colony Found: A Documentary Perspective. The North Carolina Historical Review 78.1 (2001): 67–83. Print.

So I can make it clear why Seabiscuit is about perseverance I wrote a short review of the film Essay Example

So I can make it clear why Seabiscuit is about perseverance I wrote a short review of the film Essay Example So I can make it clear why Seabiscuit is about perseverance I wrote a short review of the film Essay So I can make it clear why Seabiscuit is about perseverance I wrote a short review of the film Essay This analytical folio is based on the health issue developing life skills, more to the point, perseverance. I chose the movie Seabiscuit to analyse as it is a movie based on perseverance, and this is portrayed by all the characters. I believe perseverance is an important part of everyday life, for everybody, in every task. If we didnt persevere, many tasks would remain uncompleted. The movie, based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, is a true story, and was released in 2003. There were four producers for this particular movie, Kathleen Kennedy; Frank Marshall; Gary Ross and; Jane Sindell. Gary Ross was also the director. So I can make it clear why Seabiscuit is about perseverance I wrote a short review of the film. Seabiscuit is set in the early 90s during the Depression. In my opinion the central theme of this film is that there have been people from past times who have been brave and courageous enough to accept that their social standings are as underdogs, and have fought to overcome all odds to achieve their goals. The story of Seabiscuit is the tale of four unlikely heroes, Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), is a wealthy salesman, who suffers both personal and financial losses during the depression. In the shape of his sons tragic death, his divorce and his business going under, he regains hope through a horse and his jockey. Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), is a disciplined, ageing trainer, Johnny Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), is a quick tempered jockey with various disabilities against him. These include being blind in his right eye, searching for where he belongs as he was given up by his parents as a young child, and later in the movie, coping a shattered leg. The last but not least of these four is Seabiscuit, an undersized horse, who has been mistreated all his life, and also suffers a leg injury during the film. It is the depression and no one escapes the harshness of the times. It is during these bleak days that horse racing quickly gathers momentum, and it is under these circumstances that the four main characters stories entwine. Howard seeks a new business venture in horse racing and hires Pollard as his Jockey and Smith as his trainer. Smith happens along Seabiscuit, a broken horse and narrowly saves him from a bullet, then insists that Howard lets him train the ill tempered horse for racing. Seabiscuit soon becomes the underdog who could, and wins many races. But despite his popularity, Seabiscuit is seen as a cheap novelty by the elite of the East Coast Horse Racing, headed by Samuel Riddle, owner of the triple crown winner War Admiral. Howard gains public favour in order to force Riddle to put his money where his mouth is, and this rapidly grows into a media frenzy. Seabiscuit, the representative of the underdog hopes and dreams and War Admiral, the beneficiary of champion breeding and training, finally race in 1938 at a race course named Pimlico. Before this time, Pollard shatters his leg, and is unable to ride in this race; in fact he is told that he will never ride again. After the race, at Pimlico, Seabiscuit also injures his leg, and Howard is informed that he will never race again. Despite the odds stacked against them, Seabiscuit and Pollard refused to give up. Both Seabiscuit and Pollard slowly rehabilitate each other, and race together again, despite the protests that Howard and Smith voice. The last race in this movie is spectacular, and shows the greatest perseverance that could have been achieved by these characters. Just when it looked like Seabiscuit was beaten in the home stretch, he ducked in between the horses in front and came away with a victory. This film shows how these men and beast overcome incredible odds to achieve their goals. I think that if everybody showed the perseverance that the characters portray, life would be much simpler. They never let anything get them down, and I dare to say that more people than what you would have at any World Series or football grand final today would have attended, and possibly nobody left the track feeling disappointed, but instead full of hope. In our daily lives, we encounter many times when we persevere, even if we dont realise this. When things go wrong, we generally try to find a way to remedy the situation, this is perseverance. Going to work, school or an activity that we attend regularly, even if we dont enjoy it, this is commitment, which shows perseverance. Believing in your dreams, just as the characters in Seabiscuit did is perseverance. Perseverance is a commitment, a dedication to yourself and following through with your actions. Perseverance enables an individual to endeavour in spite of adversity. Perseverance is setting goals and sticking with them, making adjustments if needed, until completed. Just like in the movie, when Seabiscuit and Pollard were told they couldnt go on, they adjusted their goals and finished what they had set out to accomplish. Also the fact that Pollard and Seabiscuit were supporting each other is part of persevering as well. Without support or encouragement, I dont think persevering would be easy. Believing in ones self and your goals, achieving what you set out to do, having courage to achieve what you want to achieve and having encouragement along the way, all play a role in perseverance. The characters in this movie persevered through all kinds of problems by keeping focused on their goals. Everyday, whether it is getting out of bed for work, school or something else, completing tasks that you need to do / want to do, or even just cooking a meal. Having goals and completing the goals, as small as they may seem, is persevering. This movie shows characters persevering through all sorts of hard issues, but not all things we persevere at are hard. Every day, I get out of bed and have breakfast with my son, and then I will sit down with my son to watch a program with him. I then do some homework, maybe start some clothes washing or baking and then it is lunch time. Just in a few hours I have persevered four maybe five times without even knowing. Perseverance doesnt always need to be acknowledged, but if you look close enough at your own life you will probably see a fair amount of persevering. If you look in the mirror, the person you see staring back at you is probably a person who has persevered at some stage. On reflection of the issue of perseverance which is shown in this movie, I have gained the knowledge that in even the simplest task, anybody can persevere. I had never realised that just believing in ones self and your goals is perseverance. I took for granted the tasks which I completed everyday as just mundane tasks, but did not realise that by completing these tasks was persevering. I believe that this movie is based wholly on the health issue of perseverance, as all the characters portrayed persevered through the hard times. I would recommend this move to absolutely anybody as it made me realise, as I am sure others will find, that persevering is a part of everyday life. I believe that this movie was about the relationships people have with each other, and the situations we find ourselves in because of these relationships. I will take with me the knowledge that I am persevering everyday, whether or not I realise it, and that puts a smile on my face.

Ecological footprint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ecological footprint - Essay Example The ecological footprint can be a measure of the exact impact every individual, area, region, city or country has on the world’s renewable recourses and how fast we are using them up. As these resources are required by not only us but our future generations as well, measuring their depletion and ensuring their regeneration is a job that falls on every individual. The first step in moving towards being an ecologically responsible individual and doing your part in building a sustainable world is to find out your own ecological footprint. It is estimated that there is 4.5 acres of land worth of resources available for every single person on this earth, but this distribution is not exactly equal. In United States alone the average Footprint is 24 acres per person. As a student it may seem that you are not directly contributing too much to this estimate- after all, very few students can afford personal cars; frequent airplane trips, their own house; indulge in exotic, imported food s or buy unnecessary personal items. But when you measure your footprint it can be eye-opening. There are several websites with simple calculators which an individual can use to measure their ecological footprint, for a student like me who lives in a shared apartment complex, travels by car sometimes, occasionally recycles and eats mostly convenience food consisting of both meat and vegetables the Footprint comes to an average of 11.8 acres! It is lower than the national average but still a cause of concern. When deciding on how to approach the problem of my high footprint, the first thing which came to my mind was that exactly which of my activities were causing the most increase in my Footprint and which of these were directly in my control. For example, while reading the books and online sources one of the things which kept coming up was the heating costs for home and whether the power used was through renewable or non renewable resources. As I live in student housing and none of that is under my direct control right now. Instead I decided to concentrate on my daily life and how it was possible to make small changes which would lead to improvement in my ecological footprint. I realized my eating habits had to be changed. It is much better to buy local, organic produce which uses minimum of packaging. Just as important is to make sure the food isn’t wasted; leftovers which are thrown away or food that is spoiled all add to an increased use of land resources. While changing my food habits will require time and motivation, it was easy enough to plan ahead for my menus and monitor the recipes to make sure I got exactly the amount of food I required and use it within the expiry period, extra food was always packed away carefully and reused. I could see the results as my daily garbage disposal decreased in volume, clearly indicating a decrease in food wastage. In the future I hope that I would be able to grow a portion of my own vegetables and switch to co mpletely organic food (transportation of food creates a lot of pollution via CO2 emissions, something which is not a problem with organically grown food) as adopting all these practices can reduce an individual Ecological Footprint by as much as 11%. The next area I looked into was energy conservation. I am glad to say that I was aware of the importance of this issue even before I studied about Ecological Footprint but now I had a better idea of what more could be done. I started to monitor more