Error Handling Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Error Handling - Assignment Example During the execution of a program, an abnormal condition may occur; this is what we call an exception. Examples of exception errors could be dividing a number by a zero, attempting to gain access to an invalid array or even attempting to convert a letter into a number. Therefore, we could term input/output exception as an error that occurs upon the development or existence of a problem with the I/O operation. With Java programming language, we can be able to anticipate the occurrence of an exception and write a code that can be able to handle it (Eriksson et al 2003). Furthermore, one of the most appropriate methods to handle the I/O exception error is by throwing it into a log file. It is important correcting this error so that performance problem ceases to occur. Furthermore, it is much better to use the existent infrastructure so as to avoid the purchase of new infrastructure.Connection Error Connection errors mainly occur due to network problems. A connection error may occur due to the failure of the establishment of the connection to the system's database. Other causative factors could be server errors. Such errors do not have response code simply because the involved server in the system could not return the response code due to no established connection. Consequently, connection error hampers information flow in the activity system. Can, therefore, say that should an application fail to find the location with sufficient stock then this error occurs (Taniar 2010).

Project Base Learning in the classroom Essay Example for Free

Project Base Learning in the classroom Essay Project based learning in classroom is a great departure from that of the conventional classroom learning method. The conventional learning is teacher centric and the students learn directly from their teacher. On the other hand, the project based learning is student centric while the teacher has only the role of a facilitator. Today’s world is more advanced in technology hence more complex. There are a lot of opportunities as well as various problems. Only those who can successfully handle such complex tasks can succeed in the modern life. The student needs to be prepared to face such things in their future life. And the project based learning in the classroom itself gives them a glimpse of challenges lying ahead and types of life surviving skills that needed to face them. In this method, the students are given challenging tasks, individually or in a group, which they need to carry out, using the concepts and principles they learned from the text books and their own common sense and creative thinking. Most of the tasks given to the students are related to real life situations. The basic idea behind using such real life situations is that it will make the student competent enough to construct solutions for such situations in the real life as when they arise. Project based learning method allows the students to decide themselves the course of actions in order to achieve the objective of the task or solve the given problem. They ask themselves the questions that need to be answered to produce the required answers. They themselves find out the answers and the ways to meet the set objectives. Their inherent qualities like leadership skills, problem solving skills and communication skills etc are forced to develop during this process. They also learn to think in a group which is essential in modern work culture. Unlike the passive role they played in the teacher centric learning method, the students are leaning things by actually doing it and experiencing the thrill as well as the difficulties of such learning. They get a chance to apply the knowledge they acquired from the text books on to the real life situations. The students direct themselves and this instills in them a sense of responsibility and their motivational levels will go up. The utilization of technology such as computer and internet etc give them a real clue about their immense utility. They get to experience the pride that is associated with the achievement of goals and they are ready for more. The teacher, who is also the facilitator, finally assesses the findings or suggestions submitted by the students and give his feedback. The feedback is very much important for the students and will help them make good the shortcoming and move forward. This way they horn their skills in every area of leaning and by the time they finish the schooling, they are ready to take on the numerous challenges that the life throws at them.

The Path of Jacob Roberts :: essays research papers

The Path of Jacob Roberts It was a beautiful day, as far as beauty goes in Juneau, and it was a rare event for a mid March afternoon. Jacob Roberts lived in a small house on the Back Loop Road, surrounded by trees. It was a blue house with a two car garage and a wooden patio that jetted out from the north face, which made the house seem content in the atmosphere of tall pine and towering spruce. The property line encompassed nine-tenths of an acre, which included the front yard and a two minute walk into the woods. The trees in the yard were positioned to only permit the entrance of sunlight for about three hours a day. As a result, the structure was tinged with lime green mold and moss on every inch. The backyard was a thick forest that punished weary travelers with a constant shadow. Even on the brightest of days, in the forest, it looked like dusk. Running parallel to the north face of the house was an old road turned path used to cut through the trees and pop out near the Episcopal Church. From the church one could reach the road via a long winding gravel parking lot, and then head south for about a mile and a half to reach Floyd Dryden Middle School. This was the path of Jacob Roberts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He was a quiet boy, but not by choice. He was quiet as the consequence of an abusive, alcoholic father who preferred the drink over the love of his family. Jacob was smart. Smart in many ways. Not only did he have an extensive knowledge of physics, chemistry, math and even politics, but he was well versed in more practical intelligence as well. This expertise involved how to take a punch, how to run without looking back, and how to slam shut a bedroom door and hold it against a lumbering drunk whose purpose was to destroy. The trick was to stay low and brace yourself. These things became more useful as time went by.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jacob loved his father, he loved him very much, but as strong as his love was, he wished his dad would fall off the face of the Earth. Jacob understood that alcohol was a destructive substance and this, he told himself, is why his father should perish.

Use of the Atomic Bomb Against Japan was Justified Essay -- Argumentat

Use of the Atomic Bomb Against Japan was Justified The use of the atomic bomb against Japan was completely justified in both cause and impact. An intense weapon was necessary to force a quick Japanese surrender. The bomb saved thousands upon thousands of American and Japanese lives that would have been lost if the war continued or an invasion occurred. The bomb was the only way to end the suffering of the millions who were being held captive by the Japanese oppressor. The weapon of mass destruction also sent a powerful message to the shaky Soviet allies. The choice to use the atomic bomb was justified because it compelled a Japanese surrender, saved countless lives, served as retribution for the sufferings of many people, and acted as an anti-Soviet deterrent. An intense weapon was necessary to coerce a quick Japanese surrender. The Japanese showed no signs of forming any kind of peace agreement in the near future. On a random bomb raid in 1945, 100,000 people were killed in Tokyo in one night, and it appeared to have no impact on their will to fight. Japan would only engage in the vaguest of talks. They were scheduled to have a meeting with the Soviets (before the bombs were dropped) for a negotiated settlement, not the unconditional surrender that the United States and Britain wanted. Japan was unwilling to surrender and ready to wage a suicidal resistance if they could not get the terms they wanted. The Japanese cabinet was aware that if they were invaded, kamikaze pilots would dive bomb enemy ships, soldiers would fight by suicidal banzai charges, and civilians would strap on explosives and throw themselves under enemy tanks. The Japanese were ready to ?fight to the very end,? and only a devastating devic... ...s who would do anything to win their war so a powerful weapon was needed to weaken their will. The bomb?s intense impact saved more soldiers? and civilians? lives involved in the war than it destroyed. The damage the atomic bombs produced was miniscule compared to the massacres the Japanese militarists created. The bomb clearly improved American foreign relations, especially with the Soviet Union. The choice to use the atomic bomb was justified because it coerced a Japanese surrender, saved countless lives, served as retribution for the sufferings of many people, and acted as an anti-Soviet deterrent. Bibliography: Bibliography http://www.ohiou.edu/perspectives/9701t/bomb2.htm http://www1.chron.com/content/interactive/special/vj/vets.htm http://www.members.home.net/jeromej/atomic/2.jpg http://www.members.home.net/jeromej/atomic/4.jpg

Character and plot Essay

Discuss the ways in which Arthur Miller uses the characters of Alfieri to highlight cultural differences and to develop the audience’s understanding of theme, character and plot. Arthur Millers ‘A View from The Bridge’ uses a character called Alfieri to introduce characters, the plot and theme of the story. Alfieri is an Italian American meaning he was born in Italy and immigrated to American to work. . He is a man of his 50’s and in this story, not only does he play the role of a character, but also a narrator. He makes us aware of the cultural differences between American and Italian culture through his opinions. He works as a lawyer; from this we can immediately tell he is educated and very wise. The immigration law changed in 1921-1924. This law only allowed people from Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia to migrate to America. This resulted to illegal immigration. ‘A view from the Bridge’ is about the movement of immigrants migrating from Italy to America. They moved because of the ‘American Dream’s which was people from other countries going to America to start a new life and earn a good living full of opportunities. The Italian migration happened mainly between 1820-1920. More than 4 million Italian people moved to America. Brooklyn Bridge and its surrounding areas are used as the setting of the play. The word Gullet is used by Alfieri to describe the place where they live. The word is a metaphor and it creates an atmosphere that is not very pleasant to live in. Alfieri’s first speech introduces the background information of Italians. Italians would hardly ask a lawyer for help because in Italian culture lawyers are not good news, they are considered to be connections to disasters. The honest and trustworthy Italians can be quite revengeful. They solve their own situations by taking matters into their own hands. Although Italians are settling into America their two cultures remain diverse. Repetition of the words Distrust, Law and Justice by Alfieri signifies them and the even suggests that the plot is based on these words. Alfieri understands both Italian and American culture and can conclude in his last speech how he feels about Eddie and what he has done. From the start Alfieri hinted that the ending of the play wasn’t going to be a happy one. He says â€Å"†¦ and sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course. † From that, we can sense doom and that is why this play is a Greek tragedy. Eddie, Catherine, Marco use a lot of slang type sentences where as Alfieri uses long, well punctuated and sophisticated sentences. This linguistic technique makes the audience understand what is happened if they do not follow what Catherine, Eddie, Beatrice, Marco and Rodolpho are saying. The use of short, simple sentences spoken by the other characters makes the situation more realistic, makes the audience awake because it is very fast and the characters speak more often. Arthur Miller also uses a lot of exclamation marks so that the sentences are more interesting and so that the actors know when to shout or act exaggerated, this is a very good technique. With the use of exclamation mark the sentence gets energy. There is more attention than if there were long sentences. In the play there are four main characters. Eddie (a protagonist), Catherine, Beatrice and Alfieri. Eddie, a protagonist, meaning that he commits an offence without knowing it; he then learns his fault and usually results in death or suffering. He gains Alfieri’s sympathy towards the end of the play. Eddie loves Catherine not only as a niece but also as a daughter and a friend and Alfieri knows this. Eddie was over protective and loved Catherine too much which proved to be fatal. Alfieri knows that Eddie does not want to any one to take her away from him, but on the other hand, she does not belong to him. He says â€Å"And yet, it is better to settle for half, it must be! † Marco kills Eddie in Act 2. We do not know if he intended to or if it was for self-protection but in a way, this is revenge. When he was talking to Alfieri, he says â€Å"In my country he would be dead by no. He would not live this long. † Alfieri understands how he feels but tells him not to kill. He is in America right now and such a deed can result to a life sentence. He says â€Å"To promise not to kill is not dishonourable. † Italians are not as civilised as Americans but this is one of the cultural differences between the two diverse cultures. Arthur Miller includes many stage directions leaving the director making up more of their own directions. Alfieri plays the part of a character and a narrator making him â€Å"A view from the bridge† because he is looking and dealing with the situation and also telling the story as if it happened yesterday, this helps him to tell the story and give opinions making the audience aware, have a better understanding of the play, the characters and the plot. The moral of this story suggested by Alfieri is â€Å"we should be satisfied with half if not the whole amount. â€Å"

HW4 Solutions Essay

HW4 Solutions Essay HW4 Solutions Essay HW4 Solutions 1. The effect of a government tax increase of $100 billion on (a) government saving, (b) private saving, and (c) national saving can be analyzed by using the following relationships: National Saving = + [Government Saving] = [Y – T – C(Y – T)] + [T – G] = Y – C(Y – T) – G. a. Government Saving- The tax increase causes a 1-for-1 increase in public saving. T increases by $100 billion and, therefore, government saving increases by $100 billion. b. Private Saving- The increase in taxes decreases disposable income, Y – T, by $100 billion. Since the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is 0.6, consumption falls by 0.6 Ãâ€"ï€  $100 billion, or $60 billion. Hence, Private Saving = – $100b – 0.6 ( – $100b) = – $40b. c. National Saving- Because national saving is the sum of private and public saving, we can conclude that the $100 billion tax increase leads to a $60 billion increase in national saving. Another way to see this is by using the third equation for national saving expressed above, that national saving equals Y – C(Y – T) – G. The $100 billion tax increase reduces disposable income and causes consumption to fall by $60 billion. Since neither G nor Y changes, national saving thus rises by $60 billion. d. Investment- To determine the effect of the tax increase on investment, recall the national accounts identity: Y = C(Y – T) + I(r) + G. Rearranging, we find Y – C(Y – T) – G = I(r) National Saving = I(r) The left-hand side of this equation is national saving, so the equation just says that national saving equals investment. Since national saving increases by $60 billion, investment must also increase by $60 billion. 2. a. Private saving is the amount of disposable income, Y – T, that is not consumed: = Y – T – C(Y – T) = Y – T – MPC(Y – T) = 5,000 – 1,000 – (250 + 0.75(5,000 – 1,000)) = 750. Public saving is the amount of taxes the government has left over after it makes its purchases: Public (Government) Saving = T – G = 1,000 – 1,000 = 0. Total saving is the sum of private saving and public saving, which will be 750. b. The equilibrium interest rate is the value of r that clears the market for loanable funds. We already know that national saving is 750, so we just need to set it equal to investment: S =I 750 = 1,000 – 50r Solving this equation for r we find r = 5%. c. When the government increases its spending, private saving remains the same as before (notice that G does not appear

Effective Communication and Collaboration Among Personality Types and Learning Styles Essay Example

Effective Communication and Collaboration Among Personality Types and Learning Styles Essay Example Effective Communication and Collaboration Among Personality Types and Learning Styles Essay Effective Communication and Collaboration Among Personality Types and Learning Styles Essay Melding of the Minds 1 Melding of the Minds: Effective Communication and Collaboration among Personality Types and Learning Styles Foundations for General Education and Professional Success/GEN200 Melding of the Minds 2 Melding of the Minds: Effective Communication and Collaboration among Personality Types and Learning Styles One of the challenges of working with any team lies in building relationships with the various members of the team, and to form a cohesive unit that communicates and works well together. It can be difficult to convey thoughts and ideas to those with personalities and learning styles different from oneself. However, with a little effort one can put this diversity to good use. Dr. Joyce Bishop, co-author of Keys to College Studying condensed personality styles into four basic groupings; the thinker, giver, organizer, and adventurer. Each individual will have characteristics from all of these groupings but will generally have dominance in a single personality type. This allows those who are aware of personality types to recognize and expand upon common characteristics with those they are working with. For example, the thinker is most comfortable with time to reflect individually on ideas presented, whereas the giver and adventurer enjoy working with groups; however, being familiar with personality styles, the thinker and the adventurer have the common trait of considering problems via non-traditional approaches. The giver will typically be the peace keeper in any group as they dislike conflict, and are good with communicating and negotiating. In addition, the organizer is likely to create flash cards to study by, which the giver can use to capitalize on their traits and teach the organizer. By having a variety of personality styles on a team it keeps balance, and allows various perspectives to be brought to the project. Similar to personality types, every individual has their own way of taking in and retaining information, referred to as a learning style. A learning style can be defined as A set of characteristics which make learning effective for an individual (Seckel, 2007, 22). It may seem that these varied learning styles may clash and create conflict working on a team together; Melding of the Minds 3 however, they can, in fact, complement each other nicely. Verbal learners will benefit from reciting the information they are learning to retain the information, the visual learner can build on this technique by listening to the recitation and putting the information into a word web, or arrangement he or she can use to visualize the details. Adding someone with a logical/mathematical learning style into this group adds another beneficial dimension. Logical learners and the visual learners complement each other with their ability to chart or graph the data or facts they are studying. The logical learner can see relationships between the facts, and the verbal learner can put these logical relationships back into a cohesive written document for presentation. The verbal learner will be able to write clear papers, the visual learner will add a visual appeal to presentations, and the logical learner will order the layout in an organized and clear manner. A well formed team, consisting of i ndividuals with a variety of personality types and learning styles can capitalize on the strengths of each individual, and allow each person to stretch him or herself to improve on weaker traits. By melding a group from these differences, the work product is likely to be more rounded, taking into account various perspectives. It will also produce more concise and interesting presentations. Although conflicts and difficulties may arise among the group, the benefits of multiple perspectives, thoughts, and ideas, greatly outweigh those difficulties. Melding of the Minds References 4 Seckel, S. (2007). Characteristics and Responsibilities of Successful e-Learners. Journal of Instruction Delivery Systems, 21(2), 22-26. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Abraham Darby and the Iron Revolution

Abraham Darby and the Iron Revolution Englishmen Abraham Darby  (1678 - 1717) invented coke smelting in 1709 and, advanced the mass production of brass and iron goods. Coke smelting replaced charcoal with coal in metal foundries during the process of refining metals; this was important to Britains future since charcoal at that time was becoming scarce and was more expensive. Sand Casting Abraham Darby scientifically studied brass production and was able to make advances in that industry that turned Great Britain into an important brass goods exporter. Darby founded the worlds first metallurgy laboratory at his Baptist Mills Brass Works factory, where he refined brass making. He developed the process of sand molding that allowed iron and brass goods to be mass produced at a lower cost per unit. Before Abraham Darby, brass and iron goods had to be individually cast. His process made the production of cast iron and brass goods a continuous process. Darby received a patent for his sand casting in 1708. Greater Detail Darby combined the existing technologies of casting iron with casting brass that produced goods of a greater intricacy, thinness, smoothness, and detail. This proved important to the steam engine industry that came later, Darbys casting methods made the production of the iron and brass steam engines possible. The Darby Lineage Decedents of Abraham Darby also made contributions to the iron industry. Darbys son Abraham Darby II (1711- 1763) improved the quality of coke smelted pig iron for forging into wrought iron. Darbys grandson Abraham Darby III (1750 - 1791) constructed the worlds first iron bridge, over the Severn river at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire in 1779.

The deal with the devil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The deal with the devil - Essay Example Trying to remember what was on those hollow shelves that were attached in the wall up the sink. He went straight to the sink and washed his face in the faucet. After a few minutes, he got dressed casually and went out from his apartment for a walk. He entered a local bar that was only a couple of blocks away from his endangered abode. With only two bottle of beer, he felt his head becoming very heavy all of a sudden. While laying his head on the table, he felt something warm trickled down to his face. A tap in his back suddenly put a halt on this. He lifted his head up and saw that beside him a Chinese old man gazing at him to whom the hand that tapped him came from. He wiped the tears in his eyes and looked at the old man, his gaze questioning. "A chit-chat My wife left me, my dog left me, I lost my business, I owe the bank millions . . . I want to die, do you know that, and you're there for a chit-chat" he exasperated as if finding the old man's offer ridiculous. The old man brought out an old jar from his worn-out Chinese-designed travelling bag, an antique jar. It has embroideries and ash-like colors of blue and greens and shades of red in its body. The old man scanned hastily the room first as if making sure that their conversation will be secured. "This may help, but you will ha... "However, don't ever open this jar unless you are really desperate, miserable, and hopeless." David received the jar, intrigued. He was gazing at it intently for minutes; he was gazing too much that he didn't noticed the old man was not anymore in the seat when he looked at his direction. He picked up the jar, left some change in the table and stormed out in the bar despite of the rain pour. The Deal. Not more than 15 minutes, when he arrived at his apartment he opened the jar curiously. Ashes. Dull ashes. That's what the jar contains. He spilled them in the table and threw the jar heavily in the couch. He sat down and bowed his head. When he lifted his head he was stunned to what he saw. Standing in the table where the ashes before was a little creature that looked like a fetus. It is a scary looking creature that only measures a thumb, perhaps the scariest and the most bizarre thing he has seen in his life. He drew away from the table and run to the bathroom. When he attempted to locked the door of the bathroom he felt something moving at the top of his right shoulder - the creature seems sitting on it. Like attached or something. He remembered the old animation movie, which the talking cricket is always following the wooden boy. Feed me. With your blood. A drop every midnight. It is talking without even moving its mouth. No! David shouted. You have no choice. I'm yours now and you are mine. I will make your life better. Feed me! It said in low and hissing-like voice. Aware that it was nearly midnight the last time he checked the time, he hurriedly took his razor and slides his thumb on it. As it bleeds, the creature flew to his hand and sucked the trickling blood. David twitched and suddenly he fell. Riiiiiiiiing! David lifted his head, trying to

Creating a table of contents Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Creating a table of contents - Assignment Example The law is applicable to employers with 20 or more employees including state and local governments. ADEA was amended by Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (OWBPA) to prohibit employers from depriving the older workers from benefits (EEOC, n.d.). The cost of providing benefits to older workers was greater than the cost of providing the same benefits to younger workers. This works as a disincentive to employers to hire older workers. It has however been permitted that an employer can reduce the benefits based on age as long as the cost of providing the benefits is the same as the cost of providing the benefit to the younger workers. There has been a sharp increase in the number of age-discrimination complaints filed with the EEOC and has been largely attributed to the weak economy and an aging workforce. Today there are more older employees to discriminate against and more economic incentives to do so (Puri, 2003). According to EEOC age discrimination claims were up by 29% in 2008 which is almost double the increase in age discrimination claims (Ghilaarducci, 2009). When it comes to cutting costs, older workers are the targets of layoffs. When companies are forced to reorganize, the older workers are perceived as incapable of keeping up with new technologies. The employers get the support of the law and hence use business strategies as a cover to purge older workers (Puri, 2003). However, an aging workforce can be invaluable asset and organizations using age discrimination as a measure of cost savings are actually spending more than what they would in retaining older employees. The organizations have a perception that older workers do not and cannot perform as well as the younger workers and they cannot or will not change to the market requirements (Cappelli, 2009). It is just a belief that the older workers cannot perform as well as the younger workers. Older workers cannot adapt to change, are not tech savvy and cannot keep with the changing

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Global Warming - Essay Example The solution is through the concerted efforts of various nations to help each other deal with this environmental trouble in one accord. There are international treaties or agreements that have been made by various nations to help lessen and remedy the damage done by global warming to the environment. Two international and multilateral agreements, the Montreal Protocol of 1987 and Kyoto Protocol of 1998, pay much attention to the damaging effect of world activities to the atmosphere. As cited by Morissette (1989): Its formulation was a response to a growing international consensus on the need to protect stratospheric ozone from depletion by CFCs. The Montreal Protocol is a landmark agreement in that it is the first international treaty for mitigating a global atmospheric problem before serious environmental impacts have been conclusively detected. Upon the agreement of the various countries that participated in the formation and agreement to the Montreal Protocol, the battle against global warming further developed as time went by, and with new concerns. This eventually led to a new agreement known as the Kyoto Protocol.   The  Kyoto Protocol of 1998  is an international treaty deliberated to communicate nations collectively to decrease  global warming,  and to deal with the effects of temperature increases that are inevitable after more than a century of heavy industrialization. Manne and Richels (1998) exposited that this was â€Å"to reduce their aggregate anthropogenic carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by at least 5 percent below 1990 levels in the commitment period 2008 to 2012.† (p.2). The nations that approve of the Kyoto Protocol concur to decrease emissions of six greenhouse gases that increase the problems of global warming. These nations are also permitted to utilize emissions trading to reach their obligations if they maintain or increase their greenhouse gas emissions. All of these activities

World trade and money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

World trade and money - Essay Example National governments can often vary the levels of protection to reflect perceived national interests, and as a reflection of which countries they prefer to trade with. Protectionism is the restriction of trade through various means and measures. Protectionist measures such as import quotas tariff restrictions, and complete bans of imports of certain products or products from certain countries have been around for a long time. There can be less formal protectionist measures such as insisting that imported products have to meet certain quality or safety standards, and in the past some countries insisted that imports were only allowed through certain ports or airports that only limited storage capacity.1 Such measures have tended to be adopted by national governments to protect their own domestic producers and businesses from foreign competition. Tariffs and import quotas have been justified by arguments about protecting jobs, vital or sensitive sections of the economy, and of course bu siness profits. The criteria or justifications for adopting protectionist measures and policies will vary from country to country, sometimes those justifications can contradict each other leading to differing levels of protectionism for differing sectors of differing economies.2 Protectionist measures can be overtly restrictive such as the imposition of tariffs, custom, and excise duty charges, import quota levels or outright bans on the importing of specific products. The imposing of overt protectionist measures can have various responses.3 Protectionism can lead to trade wars between rival countries or increasingly between rival trading blocs. The adoption of protectionist measures can lead to trade discussions between those countries and trading blocs. Trade discussions can either involves direct talks or talks through trade organisations such

Code of Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Code of Ethics - Assignment Example List the rules and principles that your company will use in decision making. The rules and principles that one’s company will use in decision making conform to the four ethical rules or principles, to wit: utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical rules (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Provide a brief explanation of why you selected each rule and principle. The utilitarian rule is chosen because it stipulates following policies that would provide the greatest benefit for the greatest amount of people. Given a scenario that needs decision making, this rule would govern the most viable course of action that would ensure greatest benefits for the stakeholders or inflicting the least harm. Likewise, for moral rights, the company should adhere to â€Å"one that protects people’s rights to freedom, life and safety, property, privacy, free speech, and freedom of conscience† (Jones, 2007, p. 150). Justice, on the other hand, must be promoted within the company by instituting rules, policies and procedures that are fair and impartial. And finally, the practical rules govern a manager’s decision-making where a course of action should be selected with â€Å"no hesitation about communicating to society because the typical person would think it is accepta ble† (Jones, 2007, p. 151). These four rules and principles ensure that the company’s decision-making process conforms to the ethical, moral and legal standards expected by society and acceptable to various

World trade and money Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

World trade and money - Essay Example National governments can often vary the levels of protection to reflect perceived national interests, and as a reflection of which countries they prefer to trade with. Protectionism is the restriction of trade through various means and measures. Protectionist measures such as import quotas tariff restrictions, and complete bans of imports of certain products or products from certain countries have been around for a long time. There can be less formal protectionist measures such as insisting that imported products have to meet certain quality or safety standards, and in the past some countries insisted that imports were only allowed through certain ports or airports that only limited storage capacity.1 Such measures have tended to be adopted by national governments to protect their own domestic producers and businesses from foreign competition. Tariffs and import quotas have been justified by arguments about protecting jobs, vital or sensitive sections of the economy, and of course bu siness profits. The criteria or justifications for adopting protectionist measures and policies will vary from country to country, sometimes those justifications can contradict each other leading to differing levels of protectionism for differing sectors of differing economies.2 Protectionist measures can be overtly restrictive such as the imposition of tariffs, custom, and excise duty charges, import quota levels or outright bans on the importing of specific products. The imposing of overt protectionist measures can have various responses.3 Protectionism can lead to trade wars between rival countries or increasingly between rival trading blocs. The adoption of protectionist measures can lead to trade discussions between those countries and trading blocs. Trade discussions can either involves direct talks or talks through trade organisations such

How does Boxing the Compass engage with Genesis 6-9 Essay

How does Boxing the Compass engage with Genesis 6-9 - Essay Example To solve the cases of idolatry, one needs to love and trust the gift giver with absence of interference from any gift or anything other than God alone. Then people are capable of loving and appreciating gifts accordingly, neither giving them too much strength nor failing to be thankful for them. People are then free indeed, and not in bondage or addiction to anything that cannot satisfy them or give them peace known as shalom. Imagine a novella contagious intimation of the oceans in their fatal fragility as maintenance of life by narrating a daughter in the morning for her mother. Via the grief of the daughter, the novella permits the mourning climate change solicits in language to seek an articulation. The imaginings drive us to the uncanny work of Sandy Florian of mourning in the Boxing the compass novella. Florian’s novella boxing the compass follows a lady through a day into which she awakens. After that, she leaves her house. She heads to buy bread at a local store. She comes back to her apartment, brews tea, takes a shower and leaves again her home. She rides an urban passenger train toward the graveyard where her mother was buried. In fact, the whole of the day confronts the lady with a procedure of rousing. The day is an anniversary of the era the lady’s mother died; the day disoriented the daughter utterly. The conceit of the novella boxing the compass gestures toward the disorientation. That is about the sunless she peers moonless she looks for lifeless. She looks for the mirror yearning for an inside magnetic compass for those little kids who cannot yacht their ships with ease. Peoples’ memories are elusive. It turns and twists, infiltrates and tangles, it shifts and moves smoke-like structure and so foggy, it is the lens via which people see. According to Einstein (1922), memory is deceptive because it is today’s events coloring. From this novella, boxing the compass, give readers an elucidation of what is

Khaled Hosseini Essay Example for Free

Khaled Hosseini Essay The story is about Amir and Hassan, a Hazara. They spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories. Assef, a mean and violent older boy, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara. According to Assef, the Hazaras were an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, and threatens to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his friends back off, but Assef says he will take revenge. Hassan is a successful kite runner for Amir. He knows where the kite will land without even watching it. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Babas praise. Hassan goes to run the last cut, it was a great trophy. Hassan then said For you, a thousand times over. Unfortunately, Hassan runs into Assef and his two henchmen. Hassan refuses to give up Amirs kite, so Assef exacts his revenge, assaulting and raping him. Wondering why Hassan is taking so long, Amir searches for Hassan and hides when he hears Assefs voice. He witnesses the rape but is too scared to help him. Afterwards, for some time Hassan and Amir keep a distance from each other. Amir reacts differently because he feels ashamed, and is frustrated by Hassans saint-like behavior. Already jealous of Babas love for Hassan, Amir worries if Baba knew how bravely Hassan defended Amirs kite, and how cowardly Amir acted, that Babas love for Hassan would grow even more. To force Hassan to leave, Amir frames him as a thief, and Hassan falsely confesses. Baba forgives him, despite the fact that, as he explained earlier, he believes that there is no act more wretched than stealing. Hassan and his father Ali, leave anyway. Hassans departure frees Amir of the daily reminder of his betrayal, but he still lives with his guilt. Five years later, the Russians invade Afghanistan; Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then to Fremont, California, where Amir and Baba, settle in an apartment and Baba works at a gas station. Amir eventually takes classes at a local community college to develop his writing skills. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. There, Amir meets fellow refugee Soraya and Sorayas father, who was a high-ranked officer in Afghanistan. Baba is diagnosed with cancer but is still capable of granting Amir one last favor: he asks Sorayas fathers permission for Amir to marry her. He agrees and they marry. Shortly thereafter Baba dies. Amir and Soraya get to know that they cannot have children. Fifteen years after his wedding, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, who is dying from an illness. Rahim Khan asks Amir to come to Pakistan. He tells Amir there is a way to be good again. Amir goes. Ali was killed by a land mine. Hassan had a wife and a son, named Sohrab, and had returned to Baba’s house as a caretaker at Rahim Khan’s request. One day the Taliban murdered Hassan, along with his wife. Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not really Hassans father. Hassan was actually the son of Baba, therefore Amirs half-brother. Rahim Khan tells Amir that the true reason he has called Amir to Pakistan is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassans son, Sohrab, from an orphanage. Amir returns to a Taliban-controlled Kabul with a guide, Farid, and searches for Sohrab at the orphanage. He does not find Sohrab where he was supposed to be. The director of the orphanage tells them that a Taliban official comes often, brings cash and usually takes a girl back with him. Once in a while however, he takes a boy, recently Sohrab. The director tells Amir to go to a soccer match and the man who does the speeches is the man who took Sohrab. Farid manages to secure an appointment with the speaker at his home, by saying that he and Amir have personal business with him. At the house, Amir has his meeting with the man in sunglasses. The man is revealed to be his childhood enemy, Assef. Assef is aware of Amirs identity from the very beginning, but Amir doesnt realize who hes sitting across until Assef starts asking about Ali, Baba and Hassan. Sohrab is being kept at the home where he is made to dance dressed in womens clothes, and it seems like Assef might have been sexually assaulting him. Assef agrees to release him, but only for a price a fight with Amir. Amir is the protagonist of the story. He lives with his father, while his mother died when he was born. He has trouble getting attention and love from his father. He is best friends with Hassan, and the story follows him from the time he is a child to adult. He is good at school, but he is a boy who is struggling to get his father to be happy, he feels that he is the disappointment of his father. He characterizes himself as a coward, with little purpose. He changes his personal beliefs twice throughout the history. First time when Hassan is raped, after the event he is not talking with Hassan because of his guilt and gets Hassan kicked out of the house. The second is when he goes back to Afghanistan to retrieve the son of Hassan. As an adult, he proved what he can do, and is presented as a man with so much courage that no one else ever had. Hassan is the son of Ali, who is the servant of Baba. Hassan is a Hazara and he is often discriminated against and oppressed by others. Hassan is brave, loyal and always protects Amir. Since Hassan has not gone to school, he learns to read and write from Ali. Hes doing what hes told. He is incredibly loyal to Amir. When Amir accuses him of stealing his watch, he said to Baba that he was the one who took it, without Amir asking him about it. Hassan is the character that changes at least throughout the history. Assef is the evil character in this book. He hates Hazaras, which is shown clearly in the book. Therefore, he is looking for Amir. He believes that it is his fault that Hassan lives with him. He is the one that causes problems between the childhood friends Amir and Hassan. We have two turning points in this book. The first comes when Hassan is sexually abused by Assef and his gang. It changes the friendship of Amir and Hassan. Amir stops talking with Hassan because he feels ashamed and feels that he has betrayed Hassan. The second turning point comes when Rahim Khan calls Amir. Amir changes and realizes that he can make things better. He decides to find Sohrab and get him to safety. This is the structure of the story. The story starts with a short introduction where the narrator tells us a little about himself and Kabul. Then we get more excitement and we get the climax. The climax is when Hassan got raped by Assef. Anything could happen at that point because Amir was looking at everything that happened. The excitement fell down after that incident because Hassan and Ali left the house, but it became more and more interesting after that because the Russians invaded Afghanistan and Amir had to leave Afghanistan. That was a big change in the story. Once again we got a climax when Amir stood face to face against Assef. He had a chance to take revenge now. This was our presentation of ‘’The Kite Runner’’. We have told you a little about the plot, the characters, the turning-points, climax, the setting, the themes and the message in the book. I will end the presentation by talking about my opinion about the book. I loved this book. It has a good structure, the content is really good and you don’t want to stop reading. I don’t like to read books, but this book was special. Sources:The Kite Runnerhttps://thekyterunner. wikispaces. com/Dragel%C3%B8peren| http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/t-shirt-logo/marinebla_polo-ralph-lauren-t-shirt_179718_21 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/hvit_lacoste-poloskjorte_175476_3 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/mellembla_tommy-hilfiger-poloshirt_187632_74 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/svart_hugo-boss-orange-poloskjorte_182674_4 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/jeans-bukser/bukser/sand_vito-chino_192150_27 http://karrierestart. no/jobb? jobtype=2municipality=89page=5 http://www. free-tv-video-online. me/internet/the_ellen_degeneres_show/season_10. html http://www. handelsportal. no/butikk/iphone-4-4s/iphone-4-deksel-og-etui http://max100. no/index. php? route=product/productpath=20_64_67product_id=292.

Amazon Management Structure

Amazon Management Structure Management and Organization Behavior Introduction Whereas there are divergent views on the subject of leadership and management, the unanimous agreement among leadership experts like Myatt (2013) is that the interaction between managers/leaders and their subjects cannot exist in a vacuum. To fill this gap, several management concepts have been hypothesis over the years ranging from Contingency Theory and Systems Theory, to others such as Trait theory as well as Theory X and Theory Y. for example, Theory X and Y deals with how leaders perceive their employees motivation to work, and how this perception determines how such managers apply power and authority at the workplace. For instance, managers who support theory X believe that workers are naturally unmotivated and hate their jobs. Thus, such managers prefer an authoritarian style of leadership as they believe workers must be pushed to perform.ÂÂ   As we shall see later in the essay, Amazons employees are monitored very closely and strictly because their leaders believe they m ust be pushed to achieve results. On the other hand, managers who support theory Y believe that workers are happy, self-motivated and creative, and that such employees enjoy greater responsibility. Such types of managers allow workers to work freely without interference. According to Miles (2012), each of these leadership philosophies are applicable under unique set of circumstances and cannot therefore be contrasted against one another. Instead, the focus should be on using the relevant facets of each to design a better overall management philosophy that is relevant in the highly dynamic society we live in. One such attempt at understanding organizations and how people within them interact with each other was postulated by Morgan (1997), in his portrayal of organizations as political systems. In this regard, the Author posits that the levels and nature of political activities in organizations are determined by the kind of political rule that exists therein (Evans, Hassard Hyde 2013). Using Morgans model, this paper argues that Amazon is founded upon the political typology of management. Amazon.com, the largest E-commerce company is headquartered in the United States. Consequently, the analysis is based on an article published in the New York Times that offers an insight of what it means to be an employee at Amazon. Based on the personal anecdotes given by past and present workers at the firm, the essay will confirm the existence of all the six varieties of political rule as discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. Autocracy This refers to a situation where an individual or a small group of people within an organization hold absolute power (Grey 1999). This is made possible by the fact that the individual or group controls all the critical resources, holds considerable ownership rights, or is favored by the organizations traditions. Morgans view on the autocratic model is supported by other authors like Vellnagel (2013 p.5) who argues that autocratic or authoritarian leaders are known to employ the use of charisma as well as other personal privileges. He adds that Autocratic leaders view their positions as transcendent and therefore beyond reproach. As can be noted from the article on Amazon, there are certain incidences that point to an autocratic leadership model. For example, the company reportedly fires workers who fail to adapt to the companys corporate philosophy every year in what they term purposeful Darwinism. These lay-offs are ruthless as they target even those who suffer medical illness witho ut giving them time to recover (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). Similarly, autocracy manifests itself in the fact that the founder, Jeff Bezos, still runs the company and dictates the management philosophy although being a huge publicly traded company worth $250 billion. Based on one account from a former employee, Bezos enforces his Articles of Faith philosophy ruthlessly as he considers them a moral benchmark against which everything is to be measured. Moreover, the companys leadership exercise tight control on the flow of information by authorizing only a few senior managers to speak to the media meaning there is little room for freedom of expression with people outside the company. Perhaps the most ideal evidence of autocracy was witnessed from the incident where workers packing boxes were made to work in 100 degree heat without air conditioning and this continued even as some of them passed out. The situation only improved when the story received media coverage. In the last paragraph of the article, it is apparent that Amazon notifies its ca ndidates during job interviews that they either fit the profile or they dont (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). In other words, they have to embrace the Amazon way or leave, a pointer to the outright autocracy. Bureaucracy As noted by (Merz 2013 p.3) while discussing Max Webers theory of bureaucracy, the bureaucratic organization of activities is the hallmark of modernity, a view restate by Morgan when he consider that bureaucracies are based upon rational principles. In addition, bureaucracy refers to the leadership exercised through based upon a set of written words with little room for flexibility. Just like autocracy, bureaucracy is manifested in the management of Amazon based on some of the existing guidelines for employees. The first indication of bureaucracy is seen in the fact that the flow of information is extremely controlled with only a handful of senior management staff authorized to speak on behalf of the company meaning one has to follows a lot of convention to get any information about the company. Moreover, Amazons bureaucracy can be seen in the leadership principles drafted by the founder which dictates how employees should act. Whereas other technology-based companies allow some elem ent of flexibility in their workplace, Amazon drills its rules to both existing and potential workers meaning there is little room for flexibility. Another area where bureaucracy is evident comes from the companys performance improvement plan-a program aimed at putting non-productive workers on notice by administering close supervision to their daily tasks (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). Whereas this is a valuable tool for monitoring or increasing productivity, the model used at Amazon is rather inflexible as workers are punished indiscriminately without taking time to determine the causes of reduced productivity. As can be noted from the accounts of various workers who have fallen victim to the program, failure to meet set targets is most caused by unavoidable circumstances such as ill health (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). Whereas the company is aware of this glitch in their program, it is apparent that senior management has shown little willingness to adjust their performance management policies to consider these factors. Technocracy In this regard, Morgan claimed that authority is exercised through application of knowledge, power of experts, as well as the capacity to generate solutions for common challenges. Other experts like Olson (2015) concur with this view arguing that leadership under technocracy is appointed based on specialized knowledge or expertise. Based on the Amazon corporate philosophy, this is perhaps the most distinct mode of political rule. For instance, the companys founder relies on data-driven type of management. In this regard, Jeff Bezos has extreme confidence in the power of metrics, and this philosophy was influenced by his earlier responsibility at D. E. Shaw in the early 90s whereby the use of algorithms disrupted what was being used by Wall Street at the time. In addition, the application of technocracy to generate solutions can be seen in the companys policy that requires all workers to display ownership by mastering every aspect of their business. Amazons employees are to explore is sues deeply and come up with creative knowledge-based solutions that will help solve customers problems (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). One example of this can be seen as the company is breaking down its technological boundary to come up with new innovative ways to deliver to their customer i.e. package delivery by drone and automated resupply of toilet paper. These ideas are all generated by the companys employees as part of what is expected of them. Based on the account of other workers, Amazon has been rather fast in responding to changes which everybody else in the workplace is just beginning to experience. As summarized by a former personnel officer at the company, data allows the company to continuously monitor individual performance. In this regard, most of the past and present employees at Amazon consistently agree that the company has the technological edge and represents where others would like to be in the future. Co-determination This refers to a type of political rule that involves opposing parties that come together to as one to manage projects that are of mutual interests (Grey 1999). In this regard, each party draws upon a specified power base. Whereas the senior authority or power at Amazon remains largely centralized, there are components of the organization, especially at the lower levels, where the concept of co-determination is evident as can be seen from the accounts of the past and present employees. For example, the Anytime Feedback Tool is a gadget that exists in the company directory with the objective of making it possible for workers to interact with the management team about the progress, or lack of their colleagues (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). While these tools can be used by a section of employees to settle personal scores with their colleagues, it is also a valuable tool as it creates two centers of authority in the workplace. Essentially, the employees from opposing teams can decide to unite to execute projects of mutual interests as opposed to having a go at one another. Direct democracy In this mode of political rule, everyone within the organization has the right to participate in making decisions at any one given time regardless of their title or job designation (Morgan 1997). More importantly, Kane and Patapan (2012) believe this type of political rule encourages workers to take initiative and self-organize as opposed to waiting for instructions on even incidental matters. As can be noted from the example of Amazon, there are several instances that demonstrate the existence of direct democracy. For example, it is Amazons policy to allow workers of all staff to tell each others ideas during meetings without fear of being blame by someone because the companys founder is a strong believer that this free exchange between workers breeds creativity (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). As noted by experts, direct democracy is critical in technology based companies because strict and conservative atmosphere restrain creativity. Thus, Amazon allows even the junior workers to make major contributions as can be seen from the companys development of the delivery-by-drone concept which it made public in the year 2013. Essentially, this project was reportedly a brainchild of one of the lower subordinate engineers called Daniel Buchmueller (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). Another example of direct democracy at Amazon can be seen from the companys use of the Anytime Feedback Tool. Whereas employees whose details are sent to the management team may not be aware of who recommended or criticized their work ethic, it offers every single employee an opportunity to speak their minds about issues or people freely. This tool may also be handy in giving honest feedback about the work environment or conditions to the management. As mentioned earlier, Amazon employs a form of social structure that involves the competition of workers ideas and the best of these win. During this time, workers are encouraged to challenge one another freely. This cherish the feeling of fairness as the workers believe anyone of them has a chance to advance since promotions and other forms of rewards are given on the basis of merit with no favoritism. More importantly, employees are confer the opportunity to defend their colleagues if they feel such workers are being criticised unfairly. As can be noted from the article, the various line supervisors are given time to prepare their case which they can then use to defend members of their teams that are just about to get laid off (Kantor Steitfeld 2015). Conclusion This essay wanted to demonstrate that Amazon, through its founder Jeff Bezos employs the various mode of political rule in running the worlds largest E-commence business. My analysis was based on an article carried in the New York Times detailing the experiences of both past and present workers at the company. Consequently it emerged that Amazon uses Autocracy, bureaucracy, co-determination, technocracy as well as direct democracy in various aspect of the organization. With regard to autocracy, it is possible that the companys employees are forbidden from speaking to the media apart from top hierarchy position. This show just how closely Amazon controls information coming out of the company. Similarly, the workers confessions in the article suggest some level of bureaucracy in the management cycles. For example, the company has certain rules, some of which are obviously counterproductive going by the high number of people leaving the company. However, it is clear that the company is unwilling to change these rules even in the face of these massive turnovers. Besides bureaucracy, there are traces of co-determination at the company as can be seen from the companys policy that makes it possible for workers to work mutually towards their common interests rather than continue to work at cross purposes. The most obvious mode of political rule used at Amazon is technocracy and this is evident in several scenarios. For example, all Amazon employees are expected to master the complicated details of their work as well as the organization as the founder believes the knowledge enables them to solve customers problems better. More importantly, the company relies on performance sets to determine the fate of their employees meaning data forms a big part of the operational philosophy. Overall, Amazons believes is hiring and training the very best as they believe only those with specialised knowledge have the capacity to steer the company to the direction intended by the owner and founder.

D.W.Griffith Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Perhaps no other director has generated such a broad range of critical reaction as D.W. Griffith. For students of the motion picture, Griffith's is the most familiar name in film history. Generally acknowledged as America's most influential director (and certainly one of the most prolific), he is also perceived as being among the most limited. Praise for his mastery of film technique is matched by repeated indictments of his moral, artistic, and intellectual inadequacies. At one extreme, Kevin Brownlow has characterized him as "the only director in America creative enough to be called a genius." At the other, Paul Rotha calls his contribution to the advance of film "negligible" and Susan Sontag complains of his "supreme vulgarity and even inanity"; his work "reeks of a fervid moralizing about sexuality and violence" and his energy comes "from suppressed voluptuousness." Griffith started his directing career in 1908, and in the following five years made some 485 films, almost all of which have been preserved. These films, one or two reels in length, have customarily been regarded as apprentice works, films in which, to quote Stephen Zito, "Griffith borrowed, invented, and perfected the forms and techniques that he later used to such memorable effect in The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossoms, and Way Down East." These early "Biographs" (named after the studio at which Griffith worked) have usually been studied for their stylistic features, notably parallel editing, camera placement, and treatment of light and shadow. Their most famous structuring devices are the last-minute rescue and the cross-cut. In recent years, however, the Biographs have assumed higher status in film history. Many historians and critics rank the... ...oes Griffith create the impression of narrative immobility? By and large, Griffith's films of the mid- and late 1920s have not fared well critically, although they have their defenders. The customary view—that Griffith's work became dull and undistinguished when he lost his personal studio at Mamaroneck in 1924—continues to prevail, despite calls from John Dorr, Arthur Lennig, and Richard Roud for re-evaluation. The eight films he made as a contract director for Paramount and United Artists are usually studied (if at all) as examples of late 1920s studio style. What critics find startling about them—particularly the United Artists features—is not the lack of quality, but the absence of any identifiable Griffith traits. Only Abraham Lincoln and The Struggle (Griffith's two sound films) are recognizable as his work, and they are usually treated as early 1930s oddities.

Comparative essay between two poems namely, Half - Caste by John

Comparative essay between two poems namely, Half - Caste by John Agard and Unrelated Incidents by Tom Leonard. John Agard and Unrelated Incidents by Tom Leonard. You can clearly see before you begin to read these poems that they are set out differently to your average poem. For example in Unrelated Incidents that there are no more than four words per poem. The punctuation in Unrelated Incidents is based on the phanetic way of spelling, this means that you spell the way speak and pronounce words. The poems is also meant to be spoken in a Glaswegian accent. In Half - Caste it’s spelt and meant to be spoken in a Caribbean Patois. In both poems they’re defending the way that they are (The colour of his skin in Half - Caste and his accent in Unrelated Incidents). In Half - Caste he defends himself by saying that you don’t discriminate against a Picasso painting or a Tchaikovsky symphony because they’re half - caste, but in Unrelated Incidents his defence is slightly difference claiming that there are never any over news readers apart from ones with posh and standard English accents. Unrelated Incidents Tom Leonard was born in Glasgow. He has described his childhood upbringing as 'working class West of Scotland Irish Catholic' (his father was from Dublin). Although his passport identifies him as a 'British' citizen, Tom Leonard sees himself as thoroughly Scottish. Unrelated incidents, the poem. Is set out as if it was being read off a television autocue. There is very little punctuation and the words are spelt phonetically. The way that this poem is written, it is written like this because the poem is about BBC newsreaders. Its laid out as if it was being read on the 6 o’clock news. Almost all ... ...because he mixed a variety of colours in his paintings? Should the English weather be scorned because it is full of sun and darkness? Should Tchaikovsky's music be seen as inferior because he used both the black notes and the white notes on the piano? Is someone who is called a 'half caste' only half a person? John Agard asks the reader to begin to think in a more open-minded way. The poem is set out is a peculiar way as it only contains a maximum of 8 words per line. Also this poem contains no punctuation at all. I think that this is put in to create an impact on the reader. He has also spelt his words the way as he would speak them. It’s a way of phonetic speaking. Overall both poems are tying to prove the same point, that they are discriminated because of who they are. John Agard for being half - cast and Tom Leonard because of his Scottish accent.

Trapped – Creative Writing

The rampant stench of death, yes, that's it, that's my earliest memory. The pungent odour of decay numbing my already haggard senses. The room couldn't of been too big. I remember banging my head on a wall, and stubbing a toe on the opposite one. I remember struggling to my feet, and stumbling into the light. I wandered for ages along the side of a road, watching pairs of lights approach and skittishly dash away. Then there is blackness. As strange as that event was, the strangest thing that day was me. I felt. My body felt wrong. Those hands were not my hands; those legs were not my legs. My whole body ached, it felt like when you've sat in the same position for a too long, but amplified a hundred times. I was woken up by a blinding light in my face. The aroma of sterilisation exposed at once I was in a hospital. Quickly, I tried to sit up, but a sharp stabbing in my back forced me back to the taut linen. Against my will, I yelped at the pain, and a nurse was quick to my bedside with a calming hand on my brow. â€Å"I knew you would be awake soon†. I attempted to speak, but I could force the words from behind those hideous foreign lips. She walked to the foot of the bed and looked at a chart. She quickly glanced back at a monitor, fixed to the wall. Her young forehead furrowed, and she hailed an older doctor. She returned to me, her senior in tow. â€Å"Hello there,† he barked, in a voice that wanted to be far friendlier than it was, â€Å"Can you hear me? † Again, words formed in my throat, I struggled with them, trying to remember how to get the sentence out. I made do with a laboured nod. The doctor looked at the nurse and muttered a blur of words. The nurse thought for a moment then replied in her wondrously soft tone. The doctor nodded sharply. Without warning he shone a vicious torch in my eyes. He swung the instrument left and right, his look of concern turned to one of pity. He looked again at the nurse, who smiled a stunningly beautiful smile at him, although I knew it was one of apprehension. I feel back into the sleep. April 23rd – St. George's day, the calendar on the wall proudly proclaimed. Quickly, I tried to sit up; I slid back, resting my spine against the padded lilac headboard. The room was alien to me; a glass-fronted cabinet in the corner displayed a few dusty relics, the remnants of an over loved life. The door slowly opened, a figure apprehensively poked a frail head through the opening. â€Å"Lie down Boy, you need your strength† â€Å"W-Who†¦ † I strained out. â€Å"Don't worry my boy, you're safe now† Her voice was soft, but not like the nurse's, it was soft with experience. â€Å"W-Who† I managed again. She answered by ambling to the bed, and placing a coarse hand on my brow. With that she left the room, closing the door harshly behind her. I dragged the floral covers off, onto the wooden floor, and managed to roll with it. I struggled to my feet, which felt numb on the hard, cold floor. I stumbled to the close, mauve wall, and followed it to the door. I reached for the black metal handle, and it took all my strength to jerk it down far enough for the door to swing open. The room I entered was much bigger than the bedroom. Full of tasteless furnishings, the lavender tinted room had a disgusting flowery scent. I could see the door at the other end, next to the large bay windows. If I could run I would easily make it. But as it was, I knew it was unlikely I would reach the exit in time. I braced myself, took a deep breath, and stumbled as fast as I could towards the light. Michael! † It did not even register that the frail old lady was referring to me; I knew it was directed at me, but Michael isn't my name, it seemed foreign to me. I kept heading for the door. Using whatever I could find to support me, the door was getting closer. I awkwardly stretched out my arm, and grabbed the brass knob. I shook the knob in everyway I could, until eventually it clicked open. It swung open and I worked down the cobbled path. As I started across the pavement I realised I was not only wearing no shoes, but was clad in ill-fitting, pale blue pyjamas. I continued staggering quickly down the road, I glanced over my shoulder, she wasn't following me. The terrace of houses gave way to a wide, green park. I lurched towards the grass and fell down to the warm earth. My eyes again fell closed, but this time I was stayed conscious. I dreamt of past times, faded images of long ago, of woeful agony, and beacons of hope. The sound of laughter woke me up. My obvious suffering had created a small audience, consisting of three schoolboys and a scraggy dog. One of the boys held a stick close to my face. I built up my strength, and in one swift action, I opened my eyes and thrust up my hand. The three boys and the dog went running away in the direction I had come from. Again, I struggled to my feet. I took a few minutes to get my bearings. â€Å"Michael! † I heard from afar. The lady had finally decided to search for me. Quickly, the idea came into my head, the bush was just there, and here search was not going to be a thorough one. I clambered into the leafy bush, and curled up into a ball. I waited, and eventually she came â€Å"Where are you Michael? † she demanded. She wandered past the bush, totally unaware that her quarry was so close. On she continued, with every glance I laid upon her, the more repulsive she appeared to me. From her yellow teeth, to her speckled, bowed legs, she was the picture of imperfection. When I was sure she was far enough from me, I left the bush, and returned up the pavement to the house I had so recently vacated. I knew it would hold some clues, I just need time to find them. The room was not as I remembered it. One of the two beige sofas was overturned, as if the dim-witted lady had looked for me under there. A set of shelves stood in the corner; I scanned every shelf, and eventually found what I was looking for. A wonderfully carved wooden box. For some reason I took the box back into the room that was made mine, I suppose I felt safer there. I sat on the bed and spread the contents of the box over the hideous bed spread. I rummaged through the collection of documents, many of which were faded by time, and looked at each of them, looking for clues. My attention was drawn to a very faded pink A4 sheet, at the top the crest of the county of Hampshire, and the words ‘Certificate of Birth'. The certificate was filled in with a neat, yet decorative scrawl. The certificate was made out on the 17th of July 1937, for one â€Å"Margaret Baker†. That must have been the women who's house I was currently trespassing. I looked around for another one, one that could explain a little about ‘Michael'. But there were no more. I hunted on, giving each one a fleeting glance, until I discovered a small, leather bound book. I opened it and quickly flicked through the dog-eared pages. As my eyes met with the address, my heart went cold. The book seemed to be laughing at me, mocking my discomfort, taking pleasure in my obvious pain. I ripped the yellowed page out, and threw the address book to the cold floor. For the second time I left the house, this time I broke into a run as I left the deep odour of cheap air freshener behind. I ran to the end of the road, gasping deep breaths of the still noon air. I took a left turn into Tanam Street, and glanced again at the folded leaf of paper, still in my hand. I scanned the houses, as I laid eyes on it, I knew it was the right one. I hobbled towards the black abode, the white of the original faux Tudor dicor trying to break through the thick back paint. Cautiously I opened the black door. The house was empty, judging by the dust, it had been for some days. I wondered round the house, there really wasn't much to see in it. Each room was sparsely filled with simple furnishings, and uninspired pieces of angst art. I opened one door that led into an equally simple bedroom. The only other door stood on the opposite wall. It creaked open slowly. I carefully walked down the wooden stairs into the darkness beyond. The cold air of the cellar penetrated my bones. I rubbed my hand along the breezeblocked wall searching for a light switch. As I got to the bottom my fingers found a cold, steel knob. I turned it the way it wanted to go. With a fizz, the room filled with the glow of the flickering bar light. The room was empty, apart from a desk in the far corner. There was nothing on the desk, and both of the drawers were locked. My eyes drifted up to the corkboard attached gruffly to the wall. Various black and white photos were pinned to it, and I pulled one off at random. My body froze. There I was. Lying on a steel bed, there I was. The familiar muscles, the face, the hair, the eyes, all mine. I let the picture fall to the ground. My eyes drifted from one picture to another, each one reminding of myself when I was free. The nostalgia turned to anger as I thought of who could of done this, and why they would want to. My darting eyes ended up on one picture. Whoever had done this to me, whoever had usurped my body, had set up a sign. It said simply â€Å"Marcus Thompson – 24 Payet Drive. † That was it. That was me. Memories came back to me in a flood, knocking me to the hard concrete floor. I got up of the floor and drifted back up the splintering wooden stairs, and wavered out of the house. Again I was feeling light headed, and my joints were again aching. I closed my eyes, yet I knew exactly where I was going, the memories of my lifelong home were ripe in my mind. I closed my eyes and continued walking. The memories in my mind guiding me back to myself. I can't remember how far I walked but when I opened my eyes it was dark. I found myself sitting on a bench next to a signpost. â€Å"Payet Drive† it announced proudly. I stood, still dazed, and began to make my way down the short road. Number 24 stood just I remembered it, another of the phoney Tudor houses that dominated the area. I made the quick walk to the font door; I tried the handle, to find it locked. I stood blankly for a moment. Without thinking I bent over and picked up a large rock next to the doormat. Underneath was a blue key. I slid it into its hole and slowly turned it, slowly as to make as little noise as possible when the bolt clicked open. I slid the door ajar, and entered quietly through the gap. There was no sign of anyone. Methodically, I searched the rooms of the house, each one bringing back another memory. I ended up upstairs, at the end of the landing. This was the last door; this was the door to my bedroom. As with all the rooms I searched, I carefully opened the panelled oak door, and entered, this time with more apprehension then before. For the third time that day, my body froze. Seeing yourself in third person is an unsettling experience. I lay silently asleep with my back against the blue wall, my feet hanging off the side of the cramped bed. Tears filled my eyes I gazed at the body on the, unaware that it, that I was being watched. That's when it hit me. It was him. All along I had assumed there was a third party involved, an insane individual, bent on swapping round the minds of two men. But, no man who has been through what I have could have slept so soundly. He did this too me. To us. The anger slowly built up inside me. The agitation and fear of the past days gave way to this new sensation of rage. I couldn't control the body; the prison in which I was enclosed seemed to move on its own accord, across the landing, down the stairs. I found myself in the kitchen. The knife lay, glinting, smiling softly at me. My hands slowly wrapped round the warm black handle. I struggled to lift the knife with my weakened arms. I crept silently with trepidation up the carpeted stairway. I nudged the door open. There I was, mouth hanging open, peaceful in ignorance. I rubbed my hand down my face, reminiscing of past times. I stepped back to look at myself for the final time. My body lay perfectly still, no longer breathing. The thin gash across the neck marked the end. I lifted up the cover, clambered onto the bed. My eyes closed, and I fell into a long peaceful sleep.

Analyzing why difficulties arise in intercultural communications Essay

In analyzing why these difficulties arise in intercultural communications, Sheryl L. Lindsley (assistant professor of communication at California State University, Stanislaus), put forth four layers of intercultural communication in 1999: The first layer is the â€Å"macro-context,† which includes the economic and political situations in which the communications occur. A good example is the domination of Mexico by the U. S. , while at the same time increasing Mexico’s revenue made possible by NAFTA (Jennifer Peltak, n.d. ). Lindsley’s second layer consists of individual competency or incompetence, in regard to bilinguals who are generally the bridges to communication. In terms of intercultural businesses, if the bilinguals harbor their own stereotypes of the other culture, some problems cannot be overcome. The third layer is comprised of communicative behaviors. This is in the perception category; using Mexican/American relations as an example, Lidsley identifies expectations on both sides as a potential problem in negotiating. Mexicans tend to keep conflicts private and save face in public, where Americans have no problem resolving conflict in public, and then acknowledging privately that there are no hard feelings. The fourth layer individual attribution to meaning. In the case of preconceived stereotypes, the listener can misinterpret the speaker’s intent because of the mind set barrier. Messages can be perceived selectively, reinforcing cultural stereotypes. While this information may cast a better light on solving or minimizing obstacles to intercultural communication, if we look on the broader scale of business relations, a critical problem emerges; people, no matter what culture, have become a means to an end rather than an integral and important part of a company. This became very obvious in the 1990’s when more companies went global and acquisitions and mergers occurred. In 1993, Business International published the key factor for international business failure: cultural differences (Charles Gancel, Chilina Hills, 1997). To avoid this problem of collapse of the infrastructure of an international company based on a shift in the balance of power and the inaccessibility of remote teams geographically dispersed, Gancel and Hills recommend three fundamental conditions: 1. Clarifying the objective (the company’s philosophy, protocol and methodology must be clearly understood). 2. Negotiating its implementation (in a complex structure, introduction and implementation of systems does not need to be imposed. Some of the systems can be designed and negotiated by those that will be applying them, incorporating the needs of the culture involved). 3. Accompanying change (managers being trained in intercultural relations, informed of their new culture’s way of communicating and imparting information). Last, nonverbal communication and the method by which information is given are important to note. While Americans and many Europeans have no problems asking for and receiving feedback or suggestions from corroborators, a Chinese or Indian individual would see this practice as a personal affront. This is but one example of cultural differences in the workplace. Management that will be working abroad should have a through knowledge of the culture they are about to enter and work within. Along with this verbal exchange, it is important to understand that certain gestures or even forms of eye contact are offensive or insulting to another culture. In order to get the most from the foreign work force, understanding the culture, even having a coach within the new culture is imperative in order to achieve a smoother transition. While intercultural communications will always have its problems and comical blunders, it need not be so painful. Understanding another culture is, now more than ever, the key to successful negotiations from the individual to the corporate level. Works Cited Brislin, Richard. â€Å"Encouraging depth rather than surface processing about cultural differences through critical incidents and role plays. † Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. Center For Cross Cultural Research, Western Washington University. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. ac. wwu. edu/~culture/brislin. htm Burgess, Guy & Heidi. â€Å"Language Differences. † Conflict Research Consortium, University Of Colorado. 1998 – 2002, 21 April 2005 http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/problem/langdif. htm Gancel, Charles & Hills, Chilina. â€Å"Managing the pitfalls and challenges of intercultural communication. † Communication World. December 1997, 22 April 24, 2006 http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4422/is_n1_v15/ai_20219196 Jones, Anna & Xuan Quach. â€Å"Intercultural Communication: For Students In the Faculty Of Economics and Commerce. † University Of Melbourne. 2004, 22 April 2006 tlu. ecom. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/intercul_comm. pdf Peltak, Jennifer. â€Å"Intercultural communication problems are best seen via multiple levels. † National Communication Association. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. natcom. org/pubs/CM/cm699. htm.

Effect of Mandated Testing on Education Research Paper

Effect of Mandated Testing on Education - Research Paper Example The consequences or sanctions vary in level of severity, but the implication is clear. They send vivid indications that the method gives a crystal picture of the student’s performance. However, some of the implemented tests may not offer a fair platform to pass judgment on the teachers or students using their performance results. In that, the tests may not offer full and fair credibility on the performers or the tutors. The following paper will show an elaborate analysis of articles touching on mandated testing and its effect in schools. Susan Ohanian, in her article, â€Å"Constraining Elementary Teachers' Work: Dilemmas and Paradoxes Created by State Mandated Testing,† scrutinizes this mode of testing in an elaborate manner. In her work, Susan is keen to provide the resultant effects of mandate testing on the affected individuals, who are teachers and students. She argues that teachers are pressured to act in ways that seem unprofessional to them. In turn, this forms a leading disadvantage of the program in schools. Subsequently, the teachers believe that their behavior will not yield fruits of success in the affected students. Moreover, they feel that they are acting in unprofessional ways as mandated testing seem to focus on Mathematics and English language arts more than the science-related disciplines (Ohanian, web). In addition, according to Susan’s article, the teachers do feel that the test pressure them to work the things the tests demands of the students instead of improving the student’s general performance. In relation to this, when the mandated test turns to asking the student for something previously not familiarized to the student, need to refocus ruptures. There is a need to refocus on things to feed the students’ minds, as the mandated tests requires. However, the article claim a more pressing matter is forcing the teachers to lose their professionalism. The teachers find themselves between helping the studen ts in elementary school and being loyal to their professional field. They feel that their professional training does not concur with the requirements of the mandated test. In order for a student to succeed in the mandated tests the teachers, have to comply with the requirements, which they feel they are not in line with their professional understanding of the curriculum. In turn, they end up ignoring their professional feelings and instead assist the students conform to the requirements of the mandated tests. On the other hand, within the same article, Susan reports of teachers who embraced the ideology of mandated tests and their effects. The teachers believe that the tests offer a comprehensive way of developing the writing, listening and reading skills of students. Moreover, these tests enable students to develop their thinking from a lower level to higher one. Within yet another article, by GreatSchools’ Staff, they record of reasons behind the tests from federal and stat e governments. They believe that the government offers these tests as a way of ensuring all students meet the standard level of the expected grades. As a way of encouraging students to pass in their tests, the government introduced mandated tests. In addition, they publish the results of the mandated tests giving everyone, including teachers, parents and students, an opportunity to view them and contemplate on the way

Economic Policy and Personal Decisions Research Paper

Economic Policy and Personal Decisions - Research Paper Example In the long run equilibrium, the economic growth is dependent on three factors the growth in labour force, amount of capital available to the workforce, and the rate of technological advance. If we consider, an economy where the aggregate demand is due to an increase in spending, Cashell observes that this demand can be satisfied by either raising the prices or increasing real production. If the economy is operating at full employment, and the stock is at full capacity then an increase in demand is met by an increase in the prices of available goods and services. Cashell states that, for a fully employed economy, increased government spending does yield an increase in the nominal GDP (2005). Let us consider the wage. This forms a main element of cost in the economy of any country. A higher wage rate does translate into a higher cost this means a less profit will be incurred at any given price. A squeezed profit for any company means a cut back on production. A wage increase in any ec onomy would mean a decrease in the number of goods and services supplied at a constant price. During a recession, the economy is a short-run equilibrium. In such an environment, it is difficult for the wages to be increased; however, this can be counteracted by a fall in prices, and thus the recessional gap can be seen as shrinking. This led the economy to equilibrium at full employment. Cashell concludes that if wages and prices fall unusually slowly then it is possible for the economy to endure a prolonged period of production below potential GDP (2005).

Principles of Time and Stress Management Assignment

Principles of Time and Stress Management - Assignment Example Based on the facts presented in the case, there is no evidence linking organization in which Chet works, Norris Company to his level of stress. Norris Company has a perfect structure with effective reporting chain hence providing every employee with room for growth and development. Every employee knows clearly his/her supervisor in addition to roles and responsibilities. Therefore, Chet’s level of stress is unrelated to the organizational (structural) problems of Norris Company. Instead, such stress level is his making. Some of the personal characteristics that are likely to interfere with Chet’s productivity and contribute to his level of stress include emotional intelligence, cognitive style, personal values, orientation towards change, and core self-evaluation. Chet does not seem to be in a perfect mood and sense in managing himself as well as a relationship with others. The lack or insufficiency of emotional intelligence is seen on how he casually relates to people within the firm. He is of very little concern. No wonder, when he was asked to go through the project he has done very little on the same. In addition, his personal values and cognitive style may cause the decrease in productivity whilst increasing the level of stress. Actually, Chet does not seem to be having the zeal of gathering and processing information, especially on assigned tasks. In any case, Chet’s orientation towards change is not very clear within the case. Therefore, these are personal characteristics with a possibility of affecting productivity and level of stress that Chet is currently experiencing.

Reading summaries Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading summaries - Assignment Example Protest scholars are concerned with restoring injustice. In protesters concept, they look at human rights as the theory that favors the status quo in favor of the oppressed (Dembour 3). However, the disclose scholars believe that human rights exist because everyone talks about them. Human rights according to Beitz, is a communication in the public ethics of world policies. He argues that every individual is the subject of the world concern and that it is everyone’s task to enact these rules (Beitz 1). Universality is a worry of whether all the human rights included can be seen as important by everyone. As such, most people tend to misuse these rules for their selfish reasons. There are different forms of skepticism in which some individuals think that there should be a form of a procedure to implement these human rights. The first skeptic clarifies that the satisfaction of some human rights is not realistic under the current social position of the world (Beitz 3). Finally, there is a skeptical concept that explains that human rights are universal. As such, the rights are relevant and are to be claimed by everyone. Maurice, an author supports the traditional human rights, which includes the political and civil rights. However, he rejects the universal human rights, which are termed as economical and social rights that encompass pensions, holidays, insurance among others. Universality according to Cranston is a right available to everyone at all times. For instance, the right to humane treatment is a perfect example of universality. There is a test for human rights and moral uprightness. Practicability Test, clarifies that it is not a duty for an individual to do what is physically impossible (Maurice and Raphael 50). For instance, if all workers in the world should ask for holiday rights then, it would not be practicable for industries that are establishing. The test of paramount

Discussion Board 10 - Chapter 13 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board 10 - Chapter 13 - Essay Example I am able to resolve these conflicts because I use my leadership abilities in order to make them listen to each other and meet halfway whenever possible. I let them know that I respect everyones opinion and that I am empathic to their reasons. However, as I listen to their arguments, I make sure to take note relating to what I think will work for us and what will not. At the end of the bickering, I let them know that they actually have some common ground to work on that is sure to benefit the group and result in the outcome that we all expect to have for our project. Normally, after I ask them to reconcile their expectations based upon their common ground, the group members manage to see each others point of view quite differently from when they were talking at each other rather talking to each other. This results in a more cohesive group that can work together towards the completion of a common

Joking Apart Essay Example for Free

Joking Apart Essay Joking Apart is a BBC television sitcom written by Steven Moffat about the rise and fall of a relationship. It juxtaposes a couple, Mark (Robert Bathurst) and Becky (Fiona Gillies), who meet and fall in love before getting separated and finally divorced. The twelve episodes, broadcast between 1993 and 1995, were directed by Bob Spiers and produced by Andre Ptaszynski for independent production company Pola Jones. The show is semi-autobiographical; it was inspired by the then-recent separation of Moffat and his first wife. Some of the episodes in the first series followed a non-linear parallel structure, contrasting the rise of the relationship with the fall. Other episodes were ensemble farces, predominantly including the couples friends Robert (Paul Raffield) and Tracy (Tracie Bennett). Paul-Mark Elliott also appeared as Trevor, Beckys lover. Scheduling problems meant that the show attracted low viewing figures. However, it scored highly on the Appreciation Index and accrued a loyal fanbase. One fan acquired the home video rights from the BBC and released both series on his own DVD label. (more) Recently featured: Stonewall riots – Hippopotamus – Ten Commandments in Roman Catholicism

A Literature Review On Adventure Tourism Tourism Essay

A Literature Review On Adventure Tourism Tourism Essay Adventure tourism has become more popular as an outdoor recreation activity in the tourism industry (Travel Industry Association of America, cited 2005). The term adventure can actually mean differently to different tourists because things that fill up the fear of one tourist may not fill up for another tourist (Buckly, 2006). Therefore, there is no any specific way to define adventure tourism. The word adventure is described as the risky activities in nature that are taken on by the tourist or the risky destination visited by the tourist and the tourist get an exciting and unusual experience from what the tourist had did (Farlex, The Free Dictionary). Adventure also is where the participants voluntarily putting themselves in a position that the participants believe that they are taking a step into the unknown where challenges will be faced and something valuable from the experience will be discovered or gained (Swarbrooke, Beard, Leckie, and Promfret, 2003). Consequently, adventure tourism is something related to nature and it is consisting of risk taking. Muller and Cleaver (2000) (cited in Swarbrooke et al. 2003, p. 29) defined adventure tourism as the capability to provide tourists with relatively high degrees of sensory stimulation. It is usually contained some physical challenging elements with the (typically short) tourists experience. While Buckley (2006) mentioned that the term adventure tourism is used to mean as guided commercial tours where these major attraction is an outdoor activity that has natural environment features and normally needs specialized sporting or equipment. It must be exiting for the tourists also. This definition does not mean that the tourists or clients have to prepare the equipments themselves, they may purely be travellers and rely on the agents to prepare the equipments for them. For example, tandem parachute harness or white water raft, etc. Therefore, adventure tourism can refer to activities done by the tourists, which have high level of perceived or real risk like diving, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, caving, sky-diving, skiing, snowboarding, white water rafting, kayaking, sailing, and sea kayaking. It also refer to a specific location of place with high degree of risk such as visiting desserts, jungles or mountaintops, polar regions and safaris. All these places have strong elements of adventure. Adventure tourism can be divided into soft adventure and hard adventure. These terms are developed by researchers who devised a scale to explain the diversity of behaviour, beginning with mild adventure also known as soft adventure at one end of the scale and progress to hard adventure at the other extreme. This continuum, illustrate in Figure 1.1, involves different degrees of challenge, uncertainty, setting familiarity, personal abilities, intensity, duration and perceptions of control (Lipscombe, 1995: 42). A simpler way to describe soft and hard adventure is that soft adventure does not necessarily require past experience whereas hard adventure requires some experiences and proficiency in the activity prior to the tourism experience (Millington and Locke, 2001). Hard Adventure Refers to activities with high levels of risk, requiring intense commitment and advanced skills. Soft Adventure Refers to activities with a perceived risk but low levels of real risk, requiring minimal commitment and beginning skills; most of these activities are led by experienced guides. Figure 1: The continuum of soft and hard adventure (source: Hill, 1995, cited in Beard et al. 2003, p. 33). Tourist behaviour is an in-depth topic as the behaviour of tourist change from time to time and sometimes it can be difficult to judge because not everyone shares the same behaviour. In order to understand tourist behaviour, psychologists have found that certain concepts are useful to understand the behaviour (Bhatia, 2006). According to Bhatia (2006), tourist behaviour can be understand by determining the motive, drives, or concerns being satisfied by the action and the attitudes and information that the person use to decide what kind of response should be made in a given situation. Motivation is one ways to describe tourist behaviour. Motivation is a verb derive from motivate Motivation is factor that influence or motivate trekkers to travel to Everest Base Camp. Motivation is defined as a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way or the desire or willingness to do something (Oxford online Dictionary). Hence, motivation of travel is why tourists travel to a place . It is important to know tourist travel motivations because motivations will affect travel decision process (Crompton and McKay, cited in Pan 2009, p. 216) and motivations are drivers that influence and affect the specific behaviour of a person or traveller. Furthermore, it also helps to develop strategies to attract tourists to a particular destination by understanding tourist behaviour. For example, travel agent or local authorities can find a way to increase the volume of tourists visiting a destination by understanding the tourist behaviour when the destination is kind of new in the tourism market or the number of tourists in the destination had decreased. Travel motivation is a wide theory where it can not be understood by looking at one part of the theory only. Figure 2: The Motivation Process (source: Holloway, Humphreys Davidson 2009, p.62). The process of translating a need into motivation to visit a specific destination or undertake a specific activity is quite complex and can be best demonstrated by means of a diagram (refer to Figure 2) (Holloway, Humphreys Davidson 2009, p.62). Potential consumers must be able to recognize their needs and wants and know what kinds of product actually satisfy their needs. Figure 2 shows that consumer perception of what will satisfy their need has to match with consumer perception of the attractions. Only when the consumer agrees on these 2 points, consumer will be motivated to visit a particular destination. For example, customer A and customer B have the same kind of need, where both of them like to do adventure activities and their think that trekking up to a mountain satisfies their need. Both customer A and B have the same interest but their perception on a particular destination may be different. Customer A may think that trekking to Mount Everest actually fulfils what he wants and his perception towards the destination is positive. While customer B may think that trekking to Mount Everest fulfil what he wants but he has a bad perception towards the destination as he think that the destination is very risky to him. Therefore, customer A will be willing to buy the package and climb up to Mount Everest because both the perception of the need and the attraction match. Customer B will not be motivated to go to Mount Everest as the perception of need and attraction do not match. According to Beerli and Martin (cited in Correia, Valle and Moco 2007, p. 46), motivation is the needs that drives and individual to act in a certain way to achieve the desire satisfaction. Therefore, people travel base on many different reasons. Motivation has also been referred as psychological / biological needs and wants including integral forces that arouse, direct, and integrate a persons behaviour and activity (Dann; Pearce; Uysal Hagan, cited in Shin 2009, p. 32). Travel motivators are the factors that create a persons desire to travel and are usually the internal psychological influences affecting individual choices (Bhatia, 2006). Travel motivations usually include a wide range of personal experiences and behaviours. Various studies have been done to find out why people wish to travel after the advent of mass tourism, especially after the Second World War. Macintosh (cited in Bhatia 2006) has group the basic travel motivators into four categories. Physical motivators, which are related to physical relaxation, refreshment of body and mind, sports, pleasure, and special medical treatment. All these are connected with individuals bodily well beings and connected to activities which help to reduce tension. Cultural motivators, which are related to individuals desire to travel in order to know more about other countries, natives of the countries and cultural heritage of the countries which expressed in art, music, dance, folklore, etc. Interpersonal motivators, which are related to individuals desire to meet new people, visit friends and relatives, and to seek new and different experiences. Travel is simply to escape from the daily routine or get away from the usual life or environment. Status and prestige motivators, which are related to the needs of personal esteem and personal development in an individual. Such motivators are more likely to be concerned with the desire for recognition and attention from others, in order to boost personal ego. Under this kind of motivations, people usually travel for business, for the purpose of education and the pursuit of hobbies. Crandall (cited in Hall Page 1999) who did a study on the motivations of the leisure travellers, outlined 17 motivational factors which derived from a synthesis of previous studies in this field. Below are the 17 motivational factors listed by Crandall. 1 ENJOYING NATURE, ESAPING FROM CIVILISATION To get away from civilisation for a while To be close to nature 10 RECOGNITION, STATUS To show other I could do it So other would think highly of me for doing it 2 ESCAPE FROM ROUTINE AND RESPONSBILITY Change from my daily routine To get away from the responsibilities of my daily life 11 SOCIAL POWER To have control over others To be in a position of authority 3 PHYSICAL EXRCISE For the exercise To keep in shape 12 ALTURISM To help others 4 CREATIVITY To be creative 13 STIMULUS SEEKING For the excitement Because of the risks involved 5 RELAXATION To relax physically So the mind can slow down for a while 14 SELF-ACTUALISATION (FEEDBACK, SELF-IMPROVEMENT, ABILITY UTILISATION) Seeing the results of your efforts Using a variety of skills and talent 6 SOCIAL CONTACT So I could do things with my companions To get away from other people 15 ACHIEVEMENT, CHALLENGE, COMPETITION To develop my skill and ability Because of the competition To learn what I am capable of 7 MEETING NEW PEOPLE To talk to new and varied people To build friendships with new people 16 KILLING TIME, AVOID BOREDOM To keep busy To avoid boredom 8 HETEROSEXUAL CONTACT To be with people of the opposite sex To meet people of the opposite sex 17 INTELLECTUAL AESTHETICISM To use my mind To think bout my personal values 9 FAMILY CONTACT To be away from the family for a while To help bring the family together more Table 1: Crandalls list of motivations. Source: Crandall 1980 (cited in Hall Page 1999). Pearce (cited in Pan 2009, p. 218) who had based and expanded on the theory of Maslows hierarchy of human needs, first developed the travel career ladder approach to travel motivation in 1988 and later made conceptual adjustment to the travel career ladder in 2005. The fundamental nature of this model connects the level of travel experiences with the hierarchy of travel needs. According to Pearce (cited in Pan 2009, p. 218), travellers who had more experiences in travel usually seek experiences that meet their higher order of travel needs such as self-esteem and self-actualization. On the other hand, inexperienced travellers will tend to seek experiences that meet their basic travel needs such as security and psychological ones. Tourism industry is a services industry and the products which offer in tourism industry are intangible. It is widely known that to travel is to experience. Consequently, tourist experience is fundamentally a service experience. The five level of travel career ladder, starting from the bottom are (1) concern with biological needs (including relaxation), (2) safety and security needs or level of stimulation, (3) relationship development and extension needs, (4) special interest and self-development needs, and (5) fulfilment of deep involvement needs which formally defined as self-actualization (Pearce cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p.8). This travel career ladder is later presented graphically by Ryan (cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p.8), refer to figure 3. It is not necessary that everyone has to start from the bottom because people change from time to time and some may try to seek for activities which satisfy high level of needs in pursuit of leisure and recreation (Marafa, Ho Chau, 2007). Figure 3: Travel Career Ladder by Ryan (cited in Marafa, Ho Chau 2007, p. 9). Another theory which often use by researchers when describing travel motivations is the push and pull theory. This theory shows that people travel because they are pushed and pulled to travel by some factors. Dann (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) whom had combined and analyzed the relevant travel motivation literature, concluded that travel occurs due to the internal factors of indentified and unfulfilled desires (motivational push) and reinforce by external factors which is destination pull. Push factors are either internally generated or externally induced (Dann, cited in Pan 2009, p. 218). The desire to conquer a mountain by reaching the summit of the mountain is one of the examples of push factors. While pull factors are related to the attributes of the destination that serve to satisfy the needs and wants of travellers. Several authors assume that internal and external factors are factors that motivate human behaviour. For example, Kotler (cited in Correia, Valle and Moco 2007, p. 46) states that motivations can be the result of internal and external stimuli. Internal factors are factors derive from personal needs and wants such as psychological, social egocentric, self-actualization and safety. While external factors are usually result from promotion and publicity. Travel motivation can be either personal (personal training, compensation rest and knowledge) or interpersonal (resulting from social relation) (Crompton, 1979; Dann, 1977; Yoon and Uysal, 2005, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). Iso-Ahola; Ryan Glendon (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) argued that travel motivation is closely related to leisure motivation and the former should not be studied independent of the latter. Iso-Ahola (cited in Alexandris, Kouthouris, Funk Giobani 2009, p. 482) defined tourism motivation as a meaningful set of mind which adequately disposes an actor or a group of actor to travel. Approach (seeking) and avoidance (escaping) are the two components in leisure motivation, identified by Iso-Ahola. Therefore, people travel in order to seek friendship, novelty, challenge, achievement, experience, and etc. while at the same time escape from the daily routine or personal problems. While Ryan Glendon (cited in Pan 2009, p. 219) applied an abbreviated version (14 items) of the Leisure Motivation Scale of 1,127 United Kingdom holidaymakers and identified four motivation factors from the scale which were intellectual, social, competence mastery and stimulus avoidance. The first three factors could be categorized as seek components and the last factor as escape component. Crompton (cited in Kao, Patterson, Scott, and Chung 2008, p. 18) studied travel motivation by using push and pull model and developed seven socio-psychological or push motives (escape from a perceived mundane environment, self-exploratory, relaxation, prestige and regression, enhancement of kinship relations, facilitation of social interaction) and two cultural motives or pull motives (novelty and education). This study refers to motives which are more specific and direct that can affect tourists decision on the travel decision or the type of holidays (Crompton, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). The author identify that psychological or social motives (push motives) sustain the desire to travel. While on the other hand, travel decision if affected by pull motives and pull motives are also associated to the destinations characteristic (Lundberg, cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). A study was done to explore the motivations and satisfactions of Taiwanese Tourists who visit Australia (Kao, Patterson, Scott, and Chung, 2008). Push and pull approach was used to find 17 push motivations and 18 pull motivations for travel in this study. The most important push factor found in this study is Travelling around the world, while the most important pull factor is sunshine and scenery and most of the Taiwanese tourists are satisfied after visiting Australia. Study done by Chang (2007) on travel motivation of package tour travellers suggested that socio-psychological needs were an important motivation for travel, and socio-economic considerations were regarded as a crucial motivation for travel decision making. Furthermore, social relationships friends or relatives recommendations had a strong impact in the decision makings of the Taiwanese travellers (Chang, 2007). This study was done to examine travel motivations and travel decision-making of Taiwanese tourists with a g roup package tour abroad. Therefore, it can be said that tourists travel to a destination is strongly influenced by their socio-psychological needs. Tourist builds his/her perceptions based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (Gartner, 1993; Dann, 1996; Baloglu, 1997; cited in Corriea et al. 2007, p.47). Everyone receives and processes information differently. Therefore, individuals perception is also formed differently base on how the information is received and transformed. According to Oxford online dictionary, perception means the ability to see hear, or become aware of something through senses or the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted. Perceptions are also defined as the perceived value of product by many previous researchers (Correia and Crouch, 2004; Correia et al., 2007C; Holbrook, 1996; oh, 2000; Sheth et al., 1991; Zeithaml, 1998; cited in Correia and Pimpao 2008). This concept develops based on cognitive and behavioural perspectives which result from the learning and motivational processes rendered by the tourist. Therefore, perception is the point of views about what the tourist think ab out the destination. Perception of a destination is linked to the destination image. Based on the image of the destination, perception of the destination will be generated and each tourist will have their own perception about the destination. Destination image is described as overall perceptions of individuals regarding a place or total set of impressions about a destination (Bigne et al., 2001; Fakeye and Crompton, 1991; cited in Alvarez and Korzay 2008). Destination image is usually formed through media, either positive or negative images. This is based on how the country promotes the destination in its country and through world news, people can easily know the problems or issues in the country. Hence, the destination image will be easily affected and it changes over time because people build up the destination images and representations based on the information that they receive (Avraham, 2000; So ¨nmez and Sirakaya, 2002; cited in Alvarez and Korzay 2008). In 21st century, internet is the most powe rful media that affect customers perception and destination image. In the world of internet, people can easily source for information regarding the destination and leave comments on the blogs or travel discussion forums after visiting the destination. Therefore, people nowadays not only listen to their friends past travel experiences but also read the worldwide tourists experiences from travel blogs or travel discussion forums. It is important to know what Malaysian trekkers think about Everest Base Camp which can be risky. Corriea et al. (2007) did a research on why people travel to exotic places by combining motivations and perceptions. This is the first time and they are the first few researchers that combine motivations and perceptions in order to understand how people can be pushed to travel to exotic places and how they form their perceptions. In this research, Corriea et al. (2007) try to find the relationship between push and pull motivation, push motivation and perception, and pull motivation and perception, based on a group of Portuguese tourists who go to exotic places such as Brazil, Morocco, Egypt, Sao Tome, and Principe. This study proves that perception of tourist destinations are formed based on push and pull factors but the relationship between push factors and perceptions in not significant and this proves that tourist decides to go for travel because he/she need to solve a conflict arousal (rest, social, and intellectual rewards) (Corriea et al. 2007). After that, the tourist will dec ide where to go based on the destination attributes. Destination attributes (pull motives) are seen as the way to solve intrinsic motives (push motives) in this study, but these constructs are not directly related to the overall perceptionof the destination because they are apparently solved when the tourist turns the attention to specific attributes (Corriea et al. 2007). Gnoth (1997) reports that the perception of a destination may be analysed from a cognitive or behavioural perspective. There are several types of perceptions which are cognitive component (which results from the evaluation of the destination attributes) and personal component (which results from the evaluation of the destination attributes) that a person can have, argued by Gnoth (1997). Travel motivation is an extensive researched area in tourism (Pan, 2009). Consequently, there are many theories that describe about tourist motivation to travel suggest by several authors or researchers as different tourist have different mindset and behaviour. Furthermore, there are many forms of tourism and tourists can be clustered into various types of groups. Perceptions of travellers on a particular destination can be unlikely because everyone thinks differently. Due to different in culture and the way they receive and transform the information will affect the perception of the tourists. Conceptual Framework Figure 4: Conceptual Framework Hypothesis Trekking in Everest region is the dream of most of the Malaysians trekkers. Its part of self-fulfillment of the trekkers and they want to challenge themselves as Malaysia does not have mountains which are more than 5000m and Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Malaysians trekkers travel to Everest Base Camp but not to the summit of Mount Everest because budget and time limit them to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. Additional information Objective To know the factors that motivate them to take Everest base camp trek To understand travelers perception on Everest base camp, Nepal as a tourism destination