Wednesday, October 30, 2019

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

None - Essay Example Precisely, the Toyota Prius sold many vehicles to over eighty nations. The advertisements and word of mouth has influenced the demand for the Toyota Prius. The iPhone competes with the increasing alternatives, and the prices have dropped. The distribution of the iPhones has intensified, and the products are available in different parts of the globe. The adverts in maturity stage focus on promoting the product by influencing the consumers to increase the purchasing power (Cant et al 242). Fundamentally, the adverts aim at creating a competitive edge in the ever-competitive market through a differentiation strategy. The iPod advert is an excellent example of product in the decline stage of life cycle. With introduction of new products, iPod sales have decreased. Similarly, a notable decline of interest from the consumers and retailers is evident. Maximum competition has occurred leading to negative sales growth, as well as, lower profits. Cant et al argues that stagnation characterize the decline stage of product life cycle

Monday, October 28, 2019

Describe an Experience That Influenced Your Career Choice. Essay Example for Free

Describe an Experience That Influenced Your Career Choice. Essay Having grown up in a country where the prevalence of the shadow economy is on par with the continual political problems due to the mismanagement by autocrats. Public administration has surrounded me for as long as I can remember. On graduating ,i went to possess insight into many issues such as the way people and businesses react to the development and management of government programs by public administrators. I had some practical experience working at a hospital in Nigeria with sometime spent in the accounting department, this enabled me gain a practical experience of how the laws/duties/decisions made by public administrators affects people/individuals in real life situations such as explaining why people in less developed countries are prepared to pay for healthcare with private hospitals rather than using the national institutions which usually have worse service and deplorable equipments mainly due to mismanagement, wrong fiscal policies and corruption. The issues of customer satisfaction and equity were studied first hand and when comparing with the UK system, one would only praise the NHS(National Health Service) for its equitable approach unlike many other countries were only those than can afford treatment get it. During my university years, I was a part of the committee through whom student members voiced their opinion in reviving the Osun State Student Association at Bowen university ,which had lost his finesse. I was appointed the Financial Secretary and was indeed a challenge, as we had to work hard as a team creating and implementing programs and reforms, managing and allocating our own time and finances to ensure success, I was also part of the team that assisted the students to get there bursary from the State Government, and trust me it wasn’t easy in the sense that we had to keep writing letters and going out of our way to ensure the students get paid because its part of their civil right. During my National Youth Service Corps(NYSC) as a member of the Sports Community Development Group. Having acquired the silver award after the torment of hiking over double figure mileage distances to raise funds for  the homeless children in Enugu State of Nigeria, it has enabled me to be more organized and helped me develop my ability to make quick, accurate and appropriate decisions in peril. Currently I am an accountant and a Guardian counselor in a primary and nursery school in Nigeria which goes by the name Macro Nursery and Primary school, I assist the younger generations in making right,responsibe,reputable and reasonable decisions in life. Leadership is also an important quality at succeeding in most areas, hence my appointment as one of the prefects in my secondary school has definitely helped me develop as a young adult. These duties are very rewarding and will be vital skills in preparing for life after public administration, studying this course in your university will enable me furthe

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Alcoholism Should Not Be Viewed As A Disease :: essays research papers fc

Most people have a confused idea of alcoholism as a disease that invades or attacks your good health. Use of such a strong word such as "disease" shapes the values and attitudes of society towards alcoholics. A major implication of the disease concept is that what is labeled a "disease" is held to be justifiable because it is involuntary. This is not so. Problem drinking is a habit in which the so-called "alcoholic" simply has decided that the benefits of drinking outweigh the liabilities; it is all a matter of personal choice. An alcoholic participates in or causes many of their own problems by their behavior and the decisions they make, so why should they be viewed as helpless victims of a "disease"(Skipper 1)? Alcoholism should not be viewed as a disease, but as an addiction brought about by the alcoholic's personal choices. What is wrong with disease theories as science is that they are tautologies; they avoid the work of understanding why people drink. People seek specific, essential human experiences from their addictive involvement. They can come to depend on such an involvement for these experiences until -- in the extreme -- the involvement is totally consuming and potentially destructive (Peele 146). The idea that alcoholism is a "disease", which is only typified by the loss of control, was only sanctioned by the American Medical Association in 1956 (Wilbanks 39). The AMA gives the following definition for alcoholism: " Alcoholism is an illness characterized by preoccupation with alcohol and loss of control over its consumption, such as to lead usually to intoxication if drinking; by chronicity, by progression and by a tendency toward relapse. It is typically associated with physical disability and impaired emotional, occupational and/or social adjustments as a direct consequence of persistent excessive use (Langone 27)". This meant that an alcoholic could now get help in a hospital, just as a person with a real disease such as diabetes or leukemia would . Moreover, the use of the words "loss of control" make it seem as though the alcoholic's free will has just been ripped away from him. On the contrary, there is no evidence that the will of the drinker has been overpowered. Besides labeling alcoholism as a disease, the AMA has also done a huge error in stating that alcoholism causes people to lose control over the consumption of alcohol. This will only negate the fact that the amount of alcohol consumed and if it is consumed at all is completely up to the drinker, not an inevitable disease that overpowers your free will.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Torture in Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

Michel Foucault was considered as a postmodernist philosopher. He was known to expose the changing nature of human institutions. In the book Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Foucault revealed the evolution of social correction and discipline. Torture was part of this evolution and it disappeared due to the shift in the power. In the 18th century, torture was used as a punishment for criminals and the public display of violence was done in an effort to deter crime and show the power of monarchy. In the 19th century, power was shifted to the soul.As a result, changes in correctional methods were made. In Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault used the issue of torture to illustrate the change in power and prove the arbitrary nature of disciplinary institutions. In the book, Foucault began his discussion on torture with the gruesome account of the execution of Damiens the regicide on March 1, 1757 (Foucault, 1977). The details given provide a horr ifying picture: the criminal, who was clothed with only a shirt, had his flesh torn with the use of pincers.After the flesh was removed, a combination of hot molten lead, oil, resin, sulfur and wax was poured on his body. Initially, it was planned that the body would be torn with the help of horses, which would be drawn apart. When this plan did not work, the executioner named Samson had to sever the joints. After the limbs were pulled away, the body was burnt to ashes (Foucault, 1977). According to Foucault, torture as punishment was a judicial ritual (Foucault, 1977). To fully understand the notion of torture, it is important to consider the historical context from which it was taken.Foucault wrote that torture had been practiced since the ancient times and was a significant part of ancient legal procedures. In the 18th century, the monarchical form of government and feudalism was prevalent (Sarup, 1993). The king possessed absolute power, and he manifested this power on his subje cts. At that point in history, the crime was perceived as similar to sacrilege. This perception was the reason why punishment became the ritual which was not created for the purpose of reform; it was made with the intention to uphold the sacredness of a law which had been broken by the criminal (Sarup, 1993).Hence, torture was ineffective as punishment because reform was not its objective. Foucault pointed out that torture was not merely a judicial ritual; it was also political in nature (Foucault, 1977). Public execution, like the case of Damiens, involved the participation of sovereign. By committing a crime, the criminal had offended the sovereignty. As a response to the offense, the sovereign would inflict harm on the body of the criminal. Torture was the means in which the offense of the criminal against the sovereign can be undone (Foucault, 1977). Torture as a method of punishment focused on the body.He explained that torture allowed the body of the criminal to reveal the tru th of the crime (Foucault, 1977). In the brutal ceremony of torture, the body of the offender would create and recreate the truth of the offense. In the context of Damiens’ execution, his torture presented the truth of the parricide he committed. The authorities relied on the effect on the body to achieve the desired outcome. They believed that the viewing public would react accordingly to the execution; they thought that the violent display will decrease the number of crimes because the audience would be overcome with fear.However, this was not the case. The public had a different reaction. The body of the criminal became the source of pity. Instead of feeling fear after witnessing the torture, they felt sympathy for the criminal. The broadsheets which documented the details of the crime and the punishment did not succeed in preventing crime; rather, it succeeded in arousing admiration from the public. The accounts depicted the object of torture as a hero as opposed to a cri minal. In addition, torture became a source of conflict between the sovereign and the people.Torture was supposed to be a manifestation of the power of the sovereign on the body; it was designed to make the people fear the sovereign. Instead, the public executions made the audience detest the sovereign’s power over them and their bodies. As a result, the public often intervened at the executions. Foucault wrote that the criminals had to be guarded from the audience and that the people often attempted to liberate the jailed convicts (Foucault, 1977). Eventually, torture as punishment was rendered obsolete because power was redirected to the soul.In the book, Foucault juxtaposed the account of Damiens’ torture in the 18th century with the schedule of prisoners in a 19th century jail (Foucault, 1977). This juxtaposition presented the dramatic difference between punishments in those time periods. According to Foucault, the transformation occurred because the penalty shifte d from body to soul. In the past, the punishment was directed towards the body. By the 19th century, torture disappeared because punishment was already directed to the soul. The executioner, who was once a relevant figure, was replaced with new figures of authority.Professionals such as doctors and psychologists took over the correctional process. Foucault claimed that those who were responsible for the transformation of correctional methods had learned to consider the humanity of the criminals; they sought to respect and reform the human body rather than diminish it. Prison life was more humane than torture, but both methods of correction were still grounded on power. A new kind of power existed for the criminals, that which resulted in impersonal method of supervision which influenced the psychology of the inmates (Foucault, 1977).Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison is a postmodernist text. Michel Foucault had undermined the stability of institutions by exposing its cha nging nature through his discussion on torture. Foucault illustrated the prevalence and obsolescence of torture as a form of punishment in history. He proved that the existence of torture was due to the manifestation of power on the body. When power was manifested on the soul, it ceased to exist. Indeed, Michel Foucault had shown the arbitrariness of institutions through his discussion on torture. References Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. (A. Sheridan, Trans.). New York: Vintage Books (Original work published 1975). Sarup, M. (1993). An Introductory Guide to Post-structuralism and Postmodernism (2nd ed.).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Different History by Sujata Bhatt Notes Essay

The poet explores the relationship between cultural identity and language. When you speak a language you also learn its culture. Lines 19 and 20 sum up the theme. Which language has not been the oppressor’s tongue? When another country is the conquerer, that country brings its language and culture to those who are conquered. SUMMARY ‘A Different History’ is in two linked parts: lines 1-18, then lines 19-29. The first stanza draws the link between western and Indian culture as Pan, the Greek god also exists through Indian gods and goddesses that roam freely. She points out the difference as well in the way Indians treat books with much respect, in order not to disturb or offend Sarasvati or the tree from which the paper comes. Stanza 2 returns to the idea of a foreign language; all languages, it says, have once been the language of an invader or an oppressor, but despite this there always comes a time when younger and newer generations not only speak the oppressor’s language but they actually come to love it. TONE (Tone means the attitude of the poet) At first the tone is critical of the culture of the west (e.g. the way the west does not show respect for books). Later the tone is accepting. She says that once people have assimilated the new culture, the later generations love the language and culture. STRUCTURE The poem is divided into two stanzas with each dealing with a different idea on language and culture. The visual arrangement of lines differ in the two stanzas. In stanza 1, the different indented lines give a wavy appearance to suggest perhaps the idea of gods roaming freely and to match the humour in the stanza. The second stanza has all the lines indented similarly as the author conveys the serious message that all languages are imposed by the oppressor. RHYTHM The rhythm matches the content. The enjambment (run-on lines) in stanza 1 gives a light-hearted, tripping rhythm. In stanza 2, the rhythm is insistent as the poet uses rhetorical questions and the mood turns serious. IMAGERY POINT: Stanza 1 begins by comparing the Greek and Indian gods. Next the poem focuses on the reverential attitude towards books in India. QUOTE| EFFECT| Great Pan is not dead;he simply emigrated To India| Meaning- Pan the Greek god of nature also exists in India. The effect is that cross-cultural links happen. | Here, the gods roam freely Disguised as snakes or monkeys | The poet refers to Indian gods in the form of snakes or monkeys. | And it is a sinto be rude to a book(repeated 4 times) | By repeating ‘it is a sin’ the effect is of persuasion and emphasis. Repetition in a pattern of three or more is a persuasive device. She uses strong words ‘shove’, ‘slam’, ‘toss’ to stress that ill-treating books is sinful to the Indians because they have a reverence for knowledge.| You must learn how to turn the pages gentlywithout disturbing Sarasvati, without offending the treefrom whose wood the paper was made| The word ‘without’ is repeated for emphasis. In India, books are handled carefully ‘gently’ to show respect for Sarasvati, the Hindu goddess of Knowledge, and for the trees where the gods are. | *Pan- In Greek religion and mythology, Pan is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, mountains, hunting Sarasvati – the Hindu goddess of Knowledge presides over the arts and is frequently worshipped in libraries. POINT: Stanza 2 the poet states that every while every language has come from the conquering nations and is at first resisted, it is later embraced by the future generations. QUOTE| EFFECT| Which language has not been the oppressor’s tongue?| This rhetorical question ( a question that does not need an answer because the answer is  obvious) contains the main idea of the poem – all languages have once been the language of an invader or an oppressor. | Which language Truly meant to murder someone?| The repetition ‘which language’ is another rhetorical question which does not need an answer as it is obvious that language does not intentionally kill people.| that after the torture, after the soul has been croppedwith a long scythe swooping out of the conqueror’s face-| The poet now explains that it is the soul or the culture that is destroyed by the conqueror. The metaphor of the ‘long scythe swooping out’ is an image of the brutal destruction of the culture of the oppressed and replacing it with the culture of the conqueror. | the unborn grandchildrengrow to love that strange language| The poet concedes that ironically over many generations, the oppressed people come round to speaking the conqueror’s language and what is more to embracing its culture. She points out the irony of history.|