Eureka Forbes Case

EUREKA FORBES (The Direct Marketing Pioneer) The case examines the strategies adopted (over the years) by leading consumer appliances company Eureka Forbes in India. The case explores how the company built up the vacuum cleaner and water/air purifier markets in India from scratch through its direct marketing efforts. The various initiatives to ensure good customer service and enhance customer satisfaction are examined in detail. The case also discusses the company's attempt to enter the bottled water business, its decision to increase the thrust on the retail business, and the problems between its owners, Forbes Gokak Ltd. and Electrolux. Discussion Questions ANS1:- The different marketing strategies adopted by Eureka Forbes to popularize vacuum cleaners and water purifiers in the Indian market are as follows: * Followed tried ; tested direct selling route. Direct Marketing is a method which helps to create a direct connection with the potential consumer to obtain an immediate response and cultivate lasting consumer relationship. * Eurochamp ‘the friendly man from Eureka Forbes’. * Advertising campaigns featuring actors from Hindi TV serials. * Customer care network including CRC ; 4000 sales personnel for after sales services. * Annual Maintenance Contract Operation Red Zone * Mobile service van facility * Water labs * Euroclean home contest * Gift a Smile scheme * Exchange offer at a discounted price for water purifier * Service call back within 48 hours with the help of pagers. * 24 hour – 365 days virtual call center. * B2E strategy. * Online model to interact with the customers over the intern et. * Ad campaign featuring maidservant using the vacuum cleaner. However Direct Marketing Consumer cannot touch and feel the products before buying. The scope of expansion is limited in this kind of marketing. It has higher per person cost than other form of advertising. There is great scope for misleading and deceiving customers by dishonest businessmen. It may cause irritation to the consumer through unwanted mail and spam. ANS2:- The main reason behind decision to increase the share of dealer sales in its revenues is to focus more on the retailing business by making it products available in retail outlets through its dealer network. Company also wants to create push demand through these dealer networks. No, I don’t think company can hamper its direct marketing expertise by introducing bottled water . It was a move only to strengthen the core products by capitalizing on their brand image. The company wanted to position itself as one- stop shop for products related to providing pure water. On the other hand reach of direct dales was limited to only the top end of the market. ANS3:- EF tried to change the advertising strategy for its vacuum cleaners in late 1999 to increase the growth of VC market which was stagnant due to lack of product usage at homes and to establish the fact that VCs were easy to use and that even maidservants could be trusted with the product. Following environmental initiatives were taken by EF to boost its image of environment- friendly and hygiene – oriented company. Establishment of Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment. * Daily measurement of air pollution in 8 metro cities in association with NDTV ; Star News. * Free pollution control camps in 10 metro cities on World Environment Day in association with National Geographic ; the UNICEF. ANS4:- Yes EF will be able to hold on to its leadership status after the departure of Electrolux be cause Swedish partner never had management control of the company and its involvement was more related to technical inputs. Technology was not a big issue for EF because it keeps changing very frequently and its not a competitive advantage anymore. None of players in the market had been able to break EF’s hold on the VC ; WP market because of its * Unique direct selling approach. * Innovative marketing strategies * Ability to maintain a good relation with their consumers. * Dedicated customer care network for post sales services. * The hard work of all Euro champs. * Creation of push ; pull demand. * Environmental activities. * 24 hour 365 day virtual call center. * Free demonstration of product at customer’s place. —————————————————————————————

War, by Luigi Pirandello and Denial

This is perfectly demonstrated In the short story ‘War†, by Lugging Primordial. In â€Å"War†, the character called the fat traveler or old man gives testament to the effects of denial. Upon analysis, it is revealed that he is a dynamic character; through Primordial's usage of characterization and his eventual transformation. Primordial's characterization of the fat traveler follows a linear process: a marked emergence, explanation of his beliefs, the other characters' reaction to him, and his transformation. The manner which he is Introduced sets the mood and tone for him, s he enters though loudly Interrupting a conversation with â€Å"Nonsense†.He Is described as â€Å"a fat, red-faced man with bloodshot eyes of the palest gray. He was panting†¦ Trying to cover his mouth with his hand so as to hide the two missing front teeth†. At this point, he carries a negative tone, with the mood thick in disrespect. Every detail about him carries a negati ve connotation, from being fat to toothless. This is not by accident, as he is displayed as a decrepit individual no person wants to become. This primes the reader to be skeptical of him, and what he stands for (War 08)_ This is directly followed by an explanation of his beliefs.It would seem that the fat traveler is zealous in his beliefs, as it is written that â€Å"From his bulging eyes seemed to spurt inner violence of an uncontrolled vitality which his weakened body could hardly contain†. This illustrates him as speaking with fervor, with him placing so much energy Into what he says that his body can hardly take it. This Image complements the manner which he responds to the other travelers statement of â€Å"Our children do not belong to us, they belong to the country'; through using a monologue: Bosh, Do we think of the country when we give life to our children?We belong to them but they never belong to us. And when they reach twenty they are exactly what we were at th eir age. We too had a father and mother, but there were so many other things as well and the Country, of course, whose call we would have answered-?when we were twenty-? even If father and mother had said no. Now, at our age, the love of our Country is still great, of course, but stronger than it is the love of our children. Isn't it natural that at their age they should consider the love for heir Country (l am speaking of decent boys, of course) even greater than the love for us?Isn't it natural that it should be so, as after all they must look upon us as upon old boys who cannot move any more and must sit at home? If Country is a natural necessity Like bread of which each of us must eat In order not to patriotism, that everyone has an innate, natural love for their country; and that the only thing the parents love more than country are their sons. This is reinforced by the tiny husband's explanation of his wife's behavior: that she is overtaken with grief cause their son, â€Å"a boy of twenty [years] to whom both [the husband and wife] had devoted their entire life†, is to be sent to the front-lines (Primordial 108).The fat man continues, stating that they, as parents of soldiers, should not be afraid for their boys because their sons are proud to fight and die for the country they love: â€Å"And our sons go, when they are twenty, and they don't want tears, because if they die, they die inflamed and happy (l am speaking, of course, of decent boys). Now, if one dies young and happy, without having the sides of life what more can we ask for him? Everyone should stop ugly crying; because my everyone should laugh, as I do†¦ r at least thank God-?as I do son, before dying, sent me a message saying that he was dying having ended his life in the best way he could have satisfied at wished. That is why, as you see, I do not even wear mourning†¦ † (109) The fat man's beliefs allude to the romantic ideal of war, an ideal that became savagely a ntiquated during World War l. In the war, millions of young men lost their lives in the name of nationalism, and the citizenry were left disillusioned to the mystic of war. The fat man perfectly personifies his, as he is an ugly, misshapen individual speaking of pride and grandeur.Also, up at this point he is only referred to as either the fat man or the fat traveler. The word â€Å"fat† connotes to him be â€Å"full of it†, or not telling the truth (full of it). This connotation is revealed through his body language after his monologue, as â€Å"his livid lip over his missing teeth was trembling, his eyes were watery and motionless, and soon after he ended with a shrill laugh which might well have been a sob† (109). It is used to relate to two things, that there is no glory in war and that he is lying about not wearing running about his son.In response to the fat man's speech, the other travelers state â€Å"Quite so†¦ Quite so†¦ † And nod in a greement. The fat man's words had a special effect on the portly woman. At this point in the story, the he is presented as the foil to her. She is introduced as being in â€Å"deep mourning† and keeping to herself; while the fat traveler is proud and abrupt. Upon hearing his speech, â€Å"She [realizes] that it [isn't] the others who [are] wrong but herself who could not rise up to the same height of those fathers and mothers willing to resign themselves, without crying, not only to the aperture of their sons but even to their death†.Her transformation of thought is short-lived, as she snaps out of it, â€Å"Just as if she had heard nothing of what had been said and almost as if waking up from a dream† and asks the old man, â€Å"Then†¦ Is your son really dead? † The old man turned to look at her, fixing his great, bulging, horribly watery light gray eyes, deep in her face. For some time he tried to answer, but words failed him. He looked and looked at her, almost as if only then at that silly, incongruous question-?he had suddenly realized at last that son was really dead-?gone forever-?forever.His face contracted, horribly distorted, then he snatched in haste a handkerchief from pocket and, to the amazement of everyone, broke into harrowing, heart- became time the fat traveler is called â€Å"old†. â€Å"Old† connotes to him being delicate and fragile. When directly confronted with the question of losing his son, he was forced to accept the grim truth that his son was gone; and this reality breaks him (109). In the context of the story, Primordial uses the old man to showcase the effects of denial.Right from the get-go he is described as ugly and malformed, with a desire to splay his beliefs aggressively. It appears he is trying to convince the other travelers to â€Å"stop crying† and be happy, but he is really trying to convince himself. Even though he says that he does not â€Å"even wear mourningâ₠¬ , his body begins to tremble at the mention of it. He can't even address his son's death directly, as he only mentions that his son sent him a message before dying. When the portly woman asks him if his son is really dead, he is forced to face the reality that â€Å"his son was really dead-?gone forever-?forever†.

Finance stock valuation Essay

Ragan, Inc., was founded nine years ago by brother and sister Carrington and Genevieve Ragan. The company manufactures and installs commercial heating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC) units. Ragan, Inc., has experienced rapid growth because of a proprietary technology that increases the energy efficiency of its units. The company is equally owned by Carrington and Genevieve. The original partnership agreement between the siblings gave each 50,000 shares of stock. In the event either wished to sell stock, the shares first had to be offered to the other at a discounted price. Although neither sibling wants to sell, they have decided they should value their holdings in the company. To get started, they have gathered the following information about their main competitors: Expert HVAC Corporation’s negative earnings per share were the result of an accounting write-off last year. Without the write-off, earnings per share for the company would have been $0.54. Last year, Ragan, Inc., had an EPS of $4.85 and paid a dividend to Carrington and Genevieve of $75,000 each. The company also had a return on equity of 17 percent. The siblings believe that 14 percent is an appropriate required return for the company. Ragan, Inc. – Competitors CompanyEPSDiv.Stock PriceROER Arctic Cooling0.840.3917.8316.00%10.00% National Heating1.340.6519.2314.00%13.00% Expert HVAC-0.550.4318.1415.00%12.00% Industry Average0.540.4918.4015.00%11.67% Questions 1. Assuming the company continues its current growth rate, what is the value per share of the company’s stock? SOLUTION: Total dividend= (75000Ãâ€"2) = $150000 Total earning= (50000Ãâ€"4.85) = $242500 Payout ratio= 150000/242500= .62 Retention ratio= (1-.62) = .38 g= ROExb= .17x.38= .065 or 6.5% D0= 75000/50000=1.5 P0= D1/(Ke-g)= (1.5Ãâ€"1.14)/(.14-.065)= $22.8 2. To verify their calculations, Carrington and Genevieve have haired Josh Schlessman as a consultant. Josh was previously an equity analyst and covered the HVAC industry. Josh had examined the company’s financial statements, as well as those of its competitors. Although Ragan, Inc., currently has a technological advantage, his research indicates that other companies are investigating methods to improve efficiency. Given this, Josh believes that the company’s technological advantage will last only for the next five years. After that period, the company’s growth will likely slow to the industry growth average. Additionally, Josh believes that the required return used by the company is too high. He believes the industry average required return is more appropriate. Under this growth rate assumption, what is your estimate of the stock price? SOLUTION: Industry EPS= (.84+1.43+.54)/3= .91 Industry Payout ratio= .49/.91= .54 Industry retention ratio= 1-.54= .46 g= 15x.46= 6.9% D6= 1.5Ãâ€"1.14^6= 3.2925 Stock price in year 5 with the Industry rate of return = 3.2925/ (.1167-.069) = $69.02

Ethnomusicology - Soviet Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnomusicology - Soviet Music - Essay Example During the recent war Soviet music took on a special and dramatic significance for us and we were all stirred by certain works especially the songs of the Red Army, and Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, written during the siege of Leningrad which revealed how closely Soviet musicians were bound up with the life and struggles of their people. When the war broke out, composers, instrumentalists and performers of all kinds immediately took to making music for the war. And the Soviet government, realizing how powerful voice music was in rallying the people, never forgot even in the darkest hours to protect its musicians, and enable them to continue their work. All through the war, although half the nation was devastated, millions homeless and starving and the national finances sorely strained, the government continued to appropriate large sums every year to commission the writing of new symphonies, operas and concertos, and to ensure the performance of classic and modern music even though the orchestras and opera companies had to go to Central Asia to do it. 1 There is something awe-inspiring about a nation whose people are suffering untold misery and destruction, that yet continues to give badly needed funds so that artists may be protected and continue their work. And incidentally, the government refused to permit any composers to enter the armed forces feeling they were too precious to be exposed to danger although many volunteered for the Red Army. During the war we began to learn a little of how the Soviet composer lives and works. Life magazine carried pictures of Shostakovich, Gliere, Khatchaturian and other composers on the Composers Farm where they go each summer to raise pigs and write symphonies. We heard that Soviet composers live in a specially constructed house in Moscow, that they have written tremendous amounts of music for the war and other things. 2 Soviet music is organized under a sub-section of the All-Union Committee of Art, which is almost like a department of the government in our country. Each year the Music Section of this Committee of Art receives a certain sum of money from the national Treasury, which it allots among its various departments: orchestras, opera houses, music publication, composers, and so forth. The composers work through what they call the Union of Soviet Composers which is not a trade union in our sense, but a sort of combination of professional guild, commissioning body, an agency to secure performances and publications, a copying bureau, and a fraternal mutual aid society, all rolled into one. The Union consists of some 900 professional composers, both serious and popular composers. To become a member, you write a letter to Gliere, who is president of the Union, stating your qualifications and enclosing a few sample scores. If there is any doubt as to a young musician's eligibility, he is invited to appear in person before a committee on admissions and perform his own works. The Committee then decides; and if you don't get in one time, you can always apply again. The Union is not without standards, and the mere fact that your work is popular and widely performed does not automatically qualify you for admission. Peter Zburski wrote a song which became a tremendous hit during the war, called "The Blue Handkerchief." It was sung from one end of the country to the other. But he was not admitted to the Union of Composers. When a recognized composer wishes to write a work, he submits a project to the Union committee in charge of such things, with an estimate of the length of time it will take. Usually the plan is accepted without much discussion and the composer goes ahead to write his work. Sometimes, however, a composer gets too one-sided for a time, and then the Union committee will suggest that he develop another side of his talent for a time. If a man has been writing too many chamber or theatrical works, they may suggest that he write a symphony.

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Employment law - Essay Example The emphasis is on the common law tests used to determine employee status. This is a particularly contentious area in the modern labour markets where the lines between the employed and self-employed are increasingly â€Å"blurred†.3 This paper demonstrates that the common law tests developed to determine the employee status is unsatisfactory and why. I. Significance of Determining Employee Status Initially, the courts treated the employee status as one defined around the concept of master and servant. As a result, during the 19th century, the employment relationship was primarily regarded as one of service in which the emphasis was on the servant’s (employee’s) duty to remain loyal and subservient rather than the master’s (employer’s) duty to â€Å"provide continuing employment.†4 In more recent times the word â€Å"worker† continues to gain currency in legislation and regulations suggesting the modernisation of employee status.5 For i nstance, Section 230(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides that: In this Act ‘worker’ (except in the phrases ‘shop worker’ and ‘betting worker’) means an individual who has entered into or works (or, where the employment has ceased, worked under) – (a) A contract of employment, or (b) Any other contract, whether express or implied and (if it is express) whether oral or in writing, whereby the individual undertakes to do or perform personally any work or services for another party to the contract whose status is not by virtue of the contract that or a client or customer of any profession or business undertaking carried on by the individual.6 In other words, the term worker is used interchangeably with the word employee, reflecting the varying forms of employment that can take place in modern times. For instance the individual who works from home may not be under the kind of control that the workplace employee is, but should not be denied employee status.7 The use of the word worker immediately draws attention to the changing nature of the employee status and carries with it the identification of the significance of the employee in today’s labour market. The employee is no longer a servant, but a source of human capital. In this regard, the common law tests for determining the master servant relationship which necessarily flow from the older notion of master and servant, is no longer compatible with modern notions of the employee/employer relationship. There are essentially four primary reasons justifying a more robust test for determining employee status in more recent times. To begin with, the predominance of the contract of employment as a basis for identifying the employee’s status does not take into account the relative inequality of bargaining power between the employee (the weaker party) and the employer.8 These inequities compromise the extent to which the employee may bargain for and ob tain specific benefits under the contract of employment. The fact is, a self-employed worker will obviously be responsible for its own salary and health and safety at work.9 Secondly, the

Internet and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internet and Education - Essay Example 12). While this technology, in this instance the Internet, is argued to fundamentally shape the nature of knowledge, it does not mean it does so in a positive or effective way. One of the fundamental functions of Internet technology is the immediate access to large sums of information; such access shifts understandings of education such that people feel they have a sort of false wisdom, when in reality they have not truly digested the information available. For Postman, such a notion means that Internet technology has not increased our knowledge in a significant regard, as new technologies do not add wisdom, instead the nature of education has been structurally changed (Postman, p. 18). Ultimately, for education this does mean that our classroom thoughts, ideas, and interests have been significantly altered. The extent that such a shift is positive or negative remains one of subjective

Critique of Strategic Thinking for Information Technology Essay

Critique of Strategic Thinking for Information Technology - Essay Example line that requires study and preparation† as well as â€Å"a discipline that enables one to develop deep and far reaching conclusions about the information age and IT fighting.† Strategy is seen as an essential factor in the success of a business organization especially in an IT company where alignment is highly required. He also stressed that alignment is not a point-in-time concept and that IT must change in response to the changes that the organization faces. The chapter also presents the scenario of the information age where bits become source of value and where IT intensifies rivalry among industry players. In response to this, the traditional sustainable advantage is replaced with throwaway temporary advantage. Boar stresses that in order to keep up with the current competition, business organizations need not capitalize on long-term capacities but on short term competitive advantage. The main idea is to keep up with the competition by manoeuvring across time. An important point that Boar discuss is the importance of having a strategy in order to propel a business organization to its expected end (Boar 62-63). The author furthers his point by stating that business organizations can strategically position themselves by acquiring advantages both competitive and sustainable. In the end, his emphasis is on acquiring temporary competitive advantage that building on long-term sustainable advantage. This point is in direct contrast with what is taught by strategic management theorists Thomson and Strickland. In their book entitled Strategic Management, these thinkers recognize the importance of turning competitive advantage into sustainable advantage. They argue that business organizations should focus on the long-run and thus, find ways to sustain the competitive advantage that they have. The ideas presented by Boar contrasts that of Thomson and Strickland. While Boar favors competitive advantage, Thomson and Strickland are advocating sustainab le advantage. These

Subjective Well-Being Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Subjective Well-Being - Research Paper Example Corey Keyes notes: â€Å"Well-being has been a paramount concern of thinkers since ancient times as witnessed in much of Greek philosophical writings. It became a topic of scientific inquiry during the 1950s when interest in fostering a better life was facilitated by the Zeitgeist following World War II.† Earlier studies mainly focused on the relationship between subjective well-being and mental health and merely examined the concept of happiness. Marc Hooghe and Bram Vanhouette reveal: â€Å"While local communities apparently have an impact on happiness levels, this is not necessarily the case for subjective well-being. Subjective well-being indicators are strongly influenced by national-level determinants (culture, income level) but it remains to be investigated what kind of community levels can have an impact on subjective well-being.† Even though happiness is an important factor in subjective well-being, it was later discovered that other aspects needed to be includ ed in order to have a more accurate evaluation of the concept. Subjective well-being is not only about the positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction, but it involves other multidimensional factors that contribute to an effective evaluation. The inclusion of these factors makes later research more extensive and reliable because it incorporates new aspects never before considered. These new studies analyzed the social, political, cultural, environmental, economic aspects and other elements that may interfere with individuals’ well-being. A better analysis and understanding of the external factors that turn around individuals’ lives allow a better evaluation of their subjective well-being that takes into consideration all components. The issue of subjective well-being has been around for a long time; however, the scientific research started after World War II. People have always evaluated their

Ethics, Gender and Family - Legalising Same-sex marriage for the Research Paper

Ethics, Gender and Family - Legalising Same-sex marriage for the benefit of children - Research Paper Example Different religions tend to have different point of views on same sex people; and the same could be said about the politicians also (Maylor and Blackmon, 2005, p. 209). Today same sex marriage is legally recognized in countries like Belgium, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Denmark, etc. Another major issue that has evolved over the past few years along with same sex marriage has been the issue of partnership and adoption issues related to same sex marriage. There are people who believes that same sex marriage should be legalized mainly for the benefits of the children; however there are those who believe that same sex marriage is something which is not natural and it may not actually benefit the children. The present study has been conducted in lieu to understand the issues involved in the debate against and for same sex partnering by recognizing the attitudes, prejudice, stereotypes, myths involved in the lesbian and gay individuals in the role as parents. Hereby it is also needs to mentioned that secondary research has been used for the collection of secondary data, which has been used for the analysis to draw the final conclusions. A child is defined as an individual person below 18, except the national regulations and laws identify the age of majorities earlier. The controversy of same sex marriages is growing every day. Several options are rising with fear or courage. It is quite difficult to understand to find out the appropriate argument. Smart (1991) has argued that, psychoanalytical theories have labelled the homosexuality as the trait of deviant psychiatric. It is evident that, the attitude of human beings has changed in recent years (Staver, 2004). Still a prejudice element exists regarding the same sex parenting. It is assumed that, children may be flat with the confusion about gender. Moreover, in this case children may get confused over the sexual orientation and stigmatisation. In several countries, the identification of same sex couple is wel l established. Denmark is the first country who has introduced same sex union’s legal reorganization. By observing this, several other countries also have granted several legal rights to these kinds of same sex couples. Civil marriage rights are exist in eight jurisdictions, such as Spain, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and South Africa (Laycock, Picarello & Wilson, 2008). In these countries, there is no distinction between the heterosexual and same sex couples. In the year 2008, the parliament of Norway has adopted a marriage law considering the same sex couples (Wardle, 2003). In the year 2006, the supreme court of New Jersey has passed a law about the same sex couple. Moreover, the higher courts of New York City and Washington D.C. have defined the same sex marriage (Eskridge & Spedale, 2006). In the same year, the supreme court of New Jersey has announced that, the couples of same sex will enjoy the same social benefits similar to the couples of opposite sex. The same sex marriage was legalized in the year 2009 in the supreme court of Columbia, New Hampshire and Vermont. Moreover, the states of Washington and Maryland have legalized the same sex ma

First Impression of Iago Essay Example for Free

First Impression of Iago Essay My first impression of Iago is that he’s a manipulative and hypocritical man who tries to make up for the lack of success and happiness in his life by destroying that of others. In Iago’s first appearance in the play, he’s seen manipulating the wealthy but foolish Roderigo into giving him money. He claims to be taking this money to buy extravagant gifts to woo Desdemona on Roderigo’s behalf, but he keeps the money for himself. â€Å"Iago, who hast had [Roderigo’s] purse/ As if the strings were [his]† is clearly taking advantage of the jealous suitor of Desdemona (I. i. -3). As Roderigo is threatening to drown himself, Iago says to him, â€Å"If the/ balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise/ another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our/ natures would conduct us to most prepost’rous/ conclusions† (I. iii. 325-329). This is hypocritical of Iago because he is scolding Roderigo for letting emotions and desires take over his life, but Iago lets rage, jealous, and his thirst for revenge take over his life. As a result of the lack of happiness and success in his own life, Iago feels the need to destroy that of others. When Cassio is promoted to lieutenant, Iago conspires to have him fired by suggesting that he’s having an affair with Desdemona. When Othello marries Desdemona, Iago tries to turn Brabantio against his new son-in-law. Iago is unhappy with his life – he doesn’t have the job he wants, and his marriage isn’t a happy one – so he tries to compensate by making the lives of others miserable as well. Iago appears to be a typical villain whose plots are made in an attempt to get revenge on the protagonists. His manipulative and hypocritical ways help conceal his wicked thoughts from the foolish Roderigo and over-trusting Othello.

Stem Barks of Bauhinia Acuminata | Analysis

Stem Barks of Bauhinia Acuminata | Analysis Materials and Methods Plant collection The stem barks of Bauhinia acuminata L. were collected from Rajshahi university campus, Bangladesh, in the month of September, 2013. The plant was authenticated by a taxonomist of Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi. A voucher specimen (Voucher No. MN-13) was deposited to the herbarium in the Department of Botany, University of Rajshahi. The stem barks were then washed separately with fresh water to remove dirty materials and were shade dried for several days with occasional sun drying. The dried barks were then ground into coarse powder by grinding machine and the materials were stored in dark at room temperature for future use. Extract preparation The extraction was performed according to method described by Alam el al. (Alam et al., 2002). About 400 gm of dried powdered stem bark were taken in an amber colored reagent bottle (2.5-liter capacity) and the materials were soaked in 2.0 liter of 100% methanol. The bottle with its contents were sealed and kept for a period of about 7 days with occasional shaking and stirring. The whole mixture was then filtered through cotton and then through Whatman No.1 filters paper and were concentrated with a rotary evaporator (Bibby Sterlin Ltd, UK) under reduced pressure at 45ÂÂ °C temperature to afford crude extract of the bark. The crude extract was mixed with 90% methanol in water to obtain a slurry of satisfactory volume of 100ml. The slurry was taken in a separating funnel and added equal amount of different partitioning solvent sequentially as like n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and finally water. The funnel was shaken vigorously and allowed to stand for a few minutes for sep aration of the compounds according to their partition co-efficient and thus extracts were prepared for the experiment purpose. The process was repeated three times. At last, the different fractionated parts were evaporated using rotary evaporator at 400C to obtain n-hexane fraction (NHF, 1.12 gm), chloroform fraction (CHF, 1.33 gm), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF, 2.27 gm) and aqueous fraction (AQF, 8.86 gm) respectively. Chemicals 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), potassium ferricyanide, catechin (CA), ferrous ammonium sulphate, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), gallic acid (GA), ascorbic acid (AA), AlCl3, trichloro acetic acid (TCA), sodium phosphate, sodium nitrate, ammonium molybdate, 2-deoxy ribose, sodium hydroxide, EDTA and FeCl3 were purchased from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO, USA); potassium acetate, phosphate buffer, thiobarbituric acid(TBA),ÂÂ   HCl, H2SO4, H2O2were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, vinblastine sulphate (VBS) from Cipla India, folin-ciocalteuss phenol reagent and sodium carbonate were obtained from Merck (Dam-stadt, Germany). Determination of total phenolics Total phenolic contents in the extracts were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method described by Singleton et al. (Slinkard Singleton, 1977). 40 ÂÂ µl of the extract/fractions (250ÂÂ µg/ml) were taken in test tubes and to each 3.16 ml of water was added to make up the volume 3.2ml. 200 ÂÂ µl of folin-Ciocalteu (Undiluted) reagent solution was added into the test tubes and kept for 5-8min. 600 ÂÂ µl of sodium carbonate (20%) solution was added into the test tubes and shake to mix. The test tubes were incubated for 2 hours at 20ËÅ ¡C to complete the reaction. Then the absorbance of the solution was measured at 765 nm using a spectrophotometer (Shimadzu, USA) against blank solution. A typical blank solution contains all reagents except plant extract or standard solution. Standard Gallic acid solutions (50-250ÃŽÂ ¼g /ml) concentrations were also treated as above. The total content of phenolic compounds in plant methanol extract and in different fractions wa s expressed as Gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/gm of dry extract in respect to standard gallic acid curve equation (y = 0.0008x 0.005, RÂÂ ² = 0.975). Determination of total flavonoids Total flavonoids were estimated using aluminum chloride colorimetric assay described by Zhishen et al. (Zhishen, Mengcheng, Jianming, 1999). To 0.5 ml of samples/standard, 150 ÂÂ µl of 5% sodium nitrate and 2.5 ml of distilled water were added. After 5 min, 0.3 ml of 10% AlCl3 was added. At 6 min, 1 ml of 0.001M NaOH and 0.55 ml distilled water was added to the mixture and left at RT for 15 min.ÂÂ   Absorbance of the mixtures was measured at 510 nm. Total flavonoid contents were expressed in terms of catechin equivalent, CAE /gm of dry extract in respect to standard curve equation (y = 0.0178x+0.0524, RÂÂ ² = 0.9862). Determination of free radical scavenging activity DPPH radical scavenging activity Free radical scavenging ability of the extracts was tested by DPPH radical scavenging assay (DRSA) as described by Braca et al. (Braca et al., 2001). Aliquots of 2.5mL of methanolic solution containing sample at different concentration was mixed with 2.5 ml of 0.008% DPPH solution in methanol. The reaction mixture was vortexed thoroughly and left in the dark at room temperature for 30 minutes. The absorbance of the mixture was measured spectrophotometrically at 517 nm. Ascorbic acid was used as reference. Percentage DPPH radical scavenging activity (% DRSA) was calculated by the following equation, % DRSA = (A0-A1/A0) x 100 Where, A0 = Absorbance of control and A1 = Absorbance of sample. IC50 values denote the concentration of sample required to scavenge 50% DPPH free radicals. Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity of extract was assessed by the method described by Zhang et al. (Zhang He). Aliquot of 1.0 ml of 0.1mmol/L H2O2 and 1.0 ml of various concentrations of extracts were mixed. Followed by 2 drops of 3% ammonium molybdate, 10 ml of 2M H2SO4 and 7.0 ml of 1.8 mol/L KI. The mixed solution was titrated with 5.09mmol/L Na2S2O3 until yellow color disappeared. The extent of scavenging of hydrogen peroxide was calculated as: % scavenging of hydrogen peroxide = [(V0-V1) / V0] ÃÆ'- 100 Where, V0 = Volume of Na2S2O3 solution used to titrate the control sample in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (without sample), V1 = Volume of Na2S2O3 solution used in the presence of samples. Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity Hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (HRSA) of the extracts was determined by the method of Halliwell et al. (Halliwell, Gutteridge, Aruoma, 1987) with a slight modification. 100 ÂÂ µl of various concentrations of extracts were mixed with 100 ÂÂ µl of hydrogen peroxide (10mmol/L). To this 200 ÂÂ µl premixed FeCl3 (100mmol/L) and EDTA (100mmol/L) solution (1:1;v/v) was added. Followed by addition of 500 ÂÂ µl of 2.8mmol/L 2-deoxyribose in phosphate buffer (PH7.4) and finally the reaction was triggered by adding 100 ÂÂ µl ascorbate (300mmol/L).ÂÂ   Then the reaction mixture was incubated at 37.5ËÅ ¡C for 1 hour. To the above reaction mixture 2 ml of TCA (2.8% w/v aqueous solution) and 2 ml of TBA (1% w/v aqueous solution) was added. The final reaction mixture was heated for 15min in boiling water bath, cooled and absorbance was taken at 532nm using a spectrophotometer. The hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity was evaluated with the inhibition percentage of 2-deoxyribose oxidation on hydroxyl radicals. The percentage of hydroxyl radical scavenging (%HRSA) activity was calculated according to the following formula: % HRSA = [A0 (A1-A2] ÃÆ'-100/A0 where A0 is the absorbance of the control without a sample. A1 is the absorbance after adding the sample and 2-deoxyribose. A2 is the absorbance of the sample without 2-deoxyribose. REFERENCES Alam, A., Rahman, M., Baki, M., Rashid, M., Bhuyan, M., Sadik, G. (2002). Antidiarrhoeal principle of Achyranthes ferruginea Roxb. and their cytotoxicity. Ban Pharm J, 12, 1-4. Braca, A., De Tommasi, N., Di Bari, L., Pizza, C., Politi, M., Morelli, I. (2001). Antioxidant Principles from Bauhinia tarapotensis. Journal of Natural Products, 64(7), 892-895. doi:10.1021/np0100845 Halliwell, B., Gutteridge, J. M., Aruoma, O. I. (1987). The deoxyribose method: a simple test-tube assay for determination of rate constants for reactions of hydroxyl radicals. Anal Biochem, 165(1), 215-219. Slinkard, K., Singleton, V. L. (1977). Total Phenol Analysis: Automation and Comparison with Manual Methods. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 28(1), 49-55. Zhang, X., He, F. Science Press; Beijing, China: 2000. Principle of Chemical Analysis, 275-276. Zhishen, J., Mengcheng, T., Jianming, W. (1999). The determination of flavonoid contents in mulberry and their scavenging effects on superoxide radicals. Food chemistry, 64(4), 555-559.

Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion Essay

Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion Essay Introduction For the children of Israel the term I am was very significant, for it was with this name that God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush encounter when He had commanded him to deliver the people of Israel, (Exodus 3:6,14 ). In this case God would be seen as a mighty deliverer or the one who brought salvation to His people from their bondage. In Johannine context, whether it is in the predicate or absolute form the I am sayings essentially were written to reveal God through Christ so that Israel and by extension the world could receive salvation. The purpose of this discourse is to explore the meanings of the I am sayings and their implication for salvation. To accomplish this, the work of various authors along with relevant scriptural passages will be examined and a balanced conclusion will be reached. To accomplish the above objective the writer will explore the two forms of the I am sayings, i.e. the predictive and absolute forms and explain their significance to salvation. The Significance of the I am Sayings The I am sayings are associated with the Greek word, egoeimi, which means, it is I, and this suggest that it is a way of identifying oneself.  [1]  The I am saying are two fold in nature, one is with the pronoun ego used for emphasis. This is essentially the I am sayings with predicates or those followed by a noun. Bauckham cited in Longenecker, argued the predicates were used by John to describe Jesus as the one through which people could receive salvation. The other set of I am sayings were characterized as the absolute which the author stated were used by John to reveal Jesus divinity or deity.  [2]   The predicated I am sayings include examples such as: I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, etc. These sayings represent descriptions of Jesus as the source of the eternal and the unity of the Godhead, for example, as in John 6:33.  [3]  Bauckham cited in Longenecker also pointed that the seven predicated I am sayings, were significant in Jewish culture. He concluded that seven represented completeness in Jewish culture, thus the seven I am sayings above represented completeness in Christ.  [4]  This point of view although debateable, speaks to the inadequacy of Judaism. Kysar examined the sayings from a cultural-historical context and argued that the, I am sayings was an essential part of Hellenistic religious thought, thus John may have intentionally written them in that way as a method of affirming Jesus identity in contrast to the claims of Hellenistic gods.  [5]  This probably means that John got the attention of the Hellenist because he wrote about something that they were familiar with but from a different perspective, which was to introduce Christ. The author concedes to this view when he argued that the I am sayings introduced Jesus as the divine revelation of God, for example, the use of predicates like the Good Shepherd, promoted Jesus in both the Hellenist and Jewish traditions. For followers of the Jewish tradition it meant that just as Yahweh is one True God, so is Jesus the one True Revealer, none other is comparable.  [6]  Mc Grath showed correlations of Johns I am sayings in Old Testament traditions. For example, he claims th at they allude to fundamental themes in the Old Testament, and apply them to Jesus. Thus when God revealed Himself as I am to Moses and Jesus uses the term, I am He is implying that He is God or He was declaring His divinity.  [7]   It would seem that there was a correlation between the I am sayings and some of Jesus miracles. The resurrection of Lazarus is an example, perhaps this miracle was used to allow the audience to see that He is truly Lord. This may be seen in the number of days for which Lazarus was had been dead. A similar view is proposed by Kaysar who conceded that the I am sayings were concurrent with the signs or miracles performed by Jesus for example, the feeding of the five thousand and Lazarus resurrection were both used to declare different aspects of the person of Christ.  [8]   From the above it is seen that the I am sayings, were essential in revealing Jesus in a descriptive way so that the audience could connect to His divinity. The degree to which this aim was achieved is sometimes questionable because a large section of the Jews appeared oblivious to Jesus declaration which culminated in hostility and eventually His crucifixion. At this juncture the predicted I am sayings will be discussed. The predicated I am Sayings 1) I am the Bread of Life- John 6:35 This saying refers to Jesus as the source of eternal life. It also implies that the human race is in a perpetual state of hunger, searching for food to satisfy the soul, this hunger refers to the emptiness that a person feels without Jesus in their lives. The above view is supported by Quast, who suggested that Jesus used this saying to make a comparison between Himself and Moses in terms of the temporal nature of the Manna which Moses offered. According to him Moses manner was used to satisfy the physical hunger, whilst Jesus as the Bread of Life satisfies spiritual hunger. Additionally Quast noted that Jesus used this saying to prove that He transcended Moses, perhaps hinting to His deity. The author also makes reference to other Old Testament links to this sayings, by proposing that it is related to the Wisdom tradition of Solomon, as seen in (Proverbs 9:5) and Isaiah, (Isaiah 55:1) where God is described as Bread.  [9]  This wisdom then can be seen as a way of giving life because much prominence is given to it in the Proverbs, for example, Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:12 and many more. Quast added a different perspective to this view when he concluded that this is more evidence of Jesus deity which shows that He pre-dated the prop hets of old.  [10]  Perhaps this is indication that Jesus was ready to usher a new paradigm which the Jews were not ready for, which is, belief in Him would result in their salvation and satisfaction so that there would be no need to keep looking for salvation in the works of the Law. Some authors have theorized that Jesus used this saying to invite the Jews into an intimate relationship with Him. This is seen when He challenges them to eat the Bread of Life and drink His blood, (John 6:53).  [11]  This intimacy would result when the Jews came into a relationship with Jesus, but they clearly missed the point as in indicated in the negative reaction of some of the Jews, (John 6:66). This confirms that they had an ulterior motive for following Jesus who was seeking to address their error in thinking. This also shows that there was a lack of sync between Jesus proclamations and the understanding of what He meant, clearly, He was having a difficult time reaching them. This passage has been reinterpreted as communion for the Christian; however, this view has come under attack from Casey who contended that it was meant to focus on Christ and belief in Him.  [12]  Caseys criticism is weak because in communion the focus is on Christ, (1 Corinthians: 11). The main message of this saying is that anyone, who receives Jesus, will have eternal life. Thus there will be no need to search for alternative means of satisfying this spiritual hunger. 2) I am the Light of the World John 8:12 This saying suggests that Jesus is the only true Light, as indicated by use of the. The use of the word a light would have conveyed, something different, meaning one of many lights with no special significance. Thus it is this one True Light who is able to give salvation, the rest of the explanations below provides support for this viewpoint. When Jesus refers to Himself at the Light, He is indicating that He is the source who can bring illumination in the lives of people. This illumination means that He can bring profound spiritual understanding in the lives of men and women which can lead to salivation.  [13]  This is seen in the healing of the blind man in whom both physical healing and spiritual insight about Jesus deity was received. Furthermore it underscores that Jesus is seeking to cure the inner blindness of man which can lead to eternal death. Winstanley confirms this view by concluding that, Jesus is able to give deliverance from inner blindness, darkness and ignorance to the insight and vision of faith.  [14]  The idea of Jesus giving spiritual insight is testament of His deity. Ridderbos took a more critical view of this saying by signifying that it shows a contrast between day and night. Day in this context means opportunities for Jesus to work; presumably to bring the Jews toward Him as the Light, where as darkness refers to the limitations of time which constrained how much could be achieved.  [15]  This view is confirmed in John 12:35. Clarke also presented a pessimistic view by suggesting that Jesus intentions were to use His authority to bring condemnation and to expose all their iniquities and sins.  [16]  Clarkes idea shows a clear deficiency in understanding of Jesus motive. Jesus boldly stated that He does not pass judgment in John 8:15. Some of the Jews rejected Jesus attempt to bring illumination into their lives. Winstanley contended that despite the Light of the Gospel presented to people they may still fail to learn and understand.  [17]  This is probably because people may prefer to remain in bondage than to receive deliverance. 3) I am the Gate for the Sheep John 10:7 I am the gate for the sheep; this phrase parallels the mass exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus12:13). This deliverance was accompanied by the sprinkling of the blood of a spotless lamb on the door post of every Israelite (Exodus12:13). Keller postulated that everyone who went through this sprinkled door was guaranteed protection from Gods judgement. He further claims that a person went out through that door to liberty, freedom and a new dimension of life under Gods direction.  [18]  Kellers claim is synonymous with Jesus salvation, for example, the door way in Israels case is similar to Jesus as the way or gate to salvation. Similarly, the blood on the doorpost parallels the blood of Jesus which was shed. Consequently, when an individual comes through Jesus salvation is received, (John 10:19). Weaver conceded with the above analysis by stating that this saying implies that Jesus is the only way to salvation, He is the gateway to the Father.  [19]  This is probably because many others proclaimed another way, they are referred to as thieves, strangers because they cannot give salvation. Jesus thus had the task of correcting the falsehood associated with Jewish religious tradition but they fail to perceive His intentions. Weaver suggested that Jesus explanation may have been ambiguous because of the use of Greek terminology, paroimia which means proverb. He claims that this may have been deliberate on Jesus part because this saying was intended for His disciples.  [20]   4) I am the Good Shepherd John 10:11 Here Jesus is seen as the ultimate guide to the Father, the extraordinary love for the sheep or humanity led Him to become a lamb so that this guidance to the Father may be possible. Harris confirms the above by suggesting that for a literal shepherd with a literal flock, the shepherds death would have spelled disaster for the sheep; in this instance it spells life for them.  [21]  Tiat argued from a similar persuasion by noting that Jesus became a lamb to save the sheep.  [22]   OGrady proposed that Johns use of the word shepherd was to convey the reciprocal relationship between Jesus and the individual sheep. According to him this signifies intimacy in the Christian Jesus context and in the unity which is characteristic of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. This union is what leads to eternal life.  [23]  A similar idea is proposed by Brown who suggested that this intimacy qualifies the shepherd to perform duties on behalf of the sheep.  [24]  MacLaren added that these duties included; guidance, guardianship, companionship, sustenanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. He continued by stating that in response to these duties the sheep simply obeys and trusts the shepherd.  [25]  This idea suggests that Jesus is able to meet all the needs of the person who will trust in Him, Tait stated that this is because the Shepherd has intimate knowledge of the sheep,  [26]  this intimate knowledge is only possible with someone who is Omniscient, thus proving t hat divinity of Christ, as seen in the many instances where He was able to perceive what people thought, Luke 11:17. Jesus identified Himself as a true shepherd which denotes exclusivity, i.e. He is the only shepherd who can give eternal life, and all the others are false. Sanders cited in Barrett supported the above by noting that the Sheep referred to Israel who was bombarded with many false messiahs.  [27]  Thus it is seen that Jesus used this saying to set Him apart from the false messiahs so that Israel may believe on Him. This salvation is not only exclusive to Israel but is extended to the entire world. This is seen in John 10:16, the idea conveyed by use of the term, other sheep, is that salvation is extended to the Gentile world.  [28]   5) I am the Resurrection and the Life John 11:25 This saying was in conjunction with Lazarus resurrection. This showed that Jesus has authority over death and able to give life beyond the natural, which is basically eternal life. Guardinis work confirms the above when he stated that, mortality has no foothold on Jesus.  [29]  He extended his view by proposing that the person who is in Christ has a life which will transcend death. The authors view clearly confirms that the eternal life and resurrection of the Christian is only possible in Jesus. Clarke developed this argument by examining the concept of life, which he contended is the life of the soul which surpasses the thought of death and only attained in Jesus.  [30]  In response to this claim Micklem concluded that our redemption is completed beyond the grave, but it must begin in our hearts now.  [31]  Micklems view suggests that external life and the resurrection on the last day is only possible when a person has received Christ in this lifetime. This resurrection also infers the glorified body that the Christian will have when resurrected. Martini supports the above by noting that Christians will one day possess the physical and spiritual embodiment of a resurrected life just like Christ.  [32]  This is the culmination of eternal life for the Christian, escape from eternal damnation which is described in Matthew 25. 6) I am the Way the Truth and the Life John 14:6 In this saying Jesus points to Himself as the only path to salvation. Martini suggested that term I implies exclusiveness, meaning that Jesus is the only means to salvation, the only truth and the only life.  [33]  He went on to describe Way as the direction and process of salvation which involves acknowledgment of the Way and then repentance. Micklem agreed, by hinting to Jesus mediatory capacity in which He leads those who receive Him to the Father.  [34]   In addition Martini concluded that Jesus illustrated truth by making predictions which came to pass in other words, He substantiated everything He said about Himself.  [35]  Micklem added the saying means deliverance from falsehood, error, judgement and blindness from the truth. He continued by stating that Jesus exposes the truth of the soul in relation to the Truth of God.  [36]  This implies that He exposes the hopelessness of the soul without Him and His ability to give eternal life. This exposure of the Truth of soul sometimes produces hostility as in the case of the Pharisees, thus there must be a corresponding acceptance of Truth for salvation to occur. 7) I am the True Vine John 15:1 This imagery shows that Jesus as the Vine gives life to the branches, thus the Christian can only be sustained in Him.  [37]  Meyer makes a similar observation by noting that the use of the word True is used to make a distinction between the eternal and the temporal.  [38]  This is perhaps to contrast the temporal nature of Judaism or religion with the enduring nature of Jesus salvation. The branches or the Christians are also sustained by producing fruit. Talbert speculated that this refers to evangelism and manifesting all the fruits of the Christian life.  [39]  OGrady and Hylen reached a similar conclusion by noting that fruits refer to love which is a sign of Christianity. This love is able to sustain the Christian. He also noted that the Christian is able to bear fruit only if they remain faithful to Gods word.  [40]  This suggests that the bearing of Fruit has eternal implication which is if a Christian does not live a holy life the result is eternal damnation. The Christian is pruned to promote fruitfulness.  [41]  This pruning is necessary for salvation, John 15:2, 5-6. Thus, the only guarantee of salvation is to remain in Christ daily, not merely receiving Him and living carelessly. This is perhaps because God expects the Christian to make disciples as is commissioned in Matthew 28:19-20. 1) The Absolute Sayings The absolute sayings essentially relate to Jesus divinity. However some have ordinary meanings, for example, John 6:20, I am should be understood as Jesus identifying Himself to the disciples to calm their fears. This is in contrast to the reactions of the soldiers at Gethsemane who fell to the ground when Jesus used the term. I am.  [42]  The reaction of the soldiers clearly proves the deity of Jesus. The I am sayings in the absolute sense prove the deity of Christ as is seen in John 8:39, where Jesus established that He predate Abraham,  [43]  a statement which prompted the Jews to accuse Him of blasphemy. This reaction probably shows that they were clearly not prepared for the change which Jesus was ushering. Some authors have attacked the validity of the I am sayings by hinting to its absence in the other synoptic Gospels.  [44]  Casey noted that in some instances Jesus appeared to be ambiguous which probably led to a misinterpretation on the part of the Jews. From this view this misinterpretation informed their unbelief. Barrett also noted that some of the sayings lack clarification such as I am the Good Shepherd, which is difficult to understand. According to him this is because John combines several themes which do not express a clear thought.  [45]   Brown criticized this view by stating that the I am Sayings, are full of truth and of grace too. They are transparently clear and unfathomably deep.  [46]  Browns view holds relevance because the criticisms above do not apply to all the sayings which in many cases correlated with miracles to inspire the Jews to believe, so that if the sayings were ambiguous then the miracles would provide clarity; thus, it is the Jew who chose to disbelieve. Conclusion The main theme of the I am sayings is salvation through Christ. These sayings promote various aspects of Jesus character and deity and simultaneously show how people could resist the gospel because of religious traditions or ideology. In order words the pride produced by self righteousness can be a major hindrance to a persons salvation. This is because in such instances the individual defines themselves righteous; consequently, the gospel may be seen as an offense to them. Thus the method used to present the Gospel should be one where Christ is the central message and not an attack on religious ideology.

Status Quo :: essays papers

Status Quo 1776, The American colonies rebelled against their oppressive, imperialistic mother country Great Britain. They challenged the traditions of an ancient mother country to become an independent nation that would eventually lead the free world. Critical review of established laws, attitudes and beliefs are what this country was forged from. The United States exemplifies the idea that it is necessary to challenge practiced policies when they have become obsolete and ineffective. When governments are out of touch with the bodies they govern then they have become ineffective. This holds true for any situation where one group has control over another from the United States Congress, to state and local governments, and even school boards and administrators. Student life is fully regulated by those who are in noway subject to their own rules. Many examples of this are present in the hallways of schools across America. Most of the hypocrisies are not major travesties of justice, but they do lead to a feeling of second class citizenship among the student body. Little things like not being able to drink a cup of coffee in the hallway degrades students by questioning their ability to perform a simple task without causing problems or difficulties. Unbalanced legislation such as this, where there is a double standard, should be replaced to insure that regulations are to protect the welfare of a population. Not merely to oppress it. Another oppression in schools is the use of a permit pass system for movement from room to room. This practice of total documentation of a students movement throughout the school day is not only unnecessary, but also impractical. And can again lead to the feeling in students that they cannot be trusted because they are inferior to their older counterparts. An idea which is not cohesive to a learning environment by installing an attitude of failure before an attempt is even made. This unfair policy should be replaced with an honor system based on the students verbally informing those who are liable where they are going to be. Changes like this are often needed to transform a non-working system of regulation into a constructive guide for coexistence. Administration’s control needs to be changed as well because in most cases it is comprised of professionals with the highest degree in their fields. This in turn means that a great deal of time and with it change has occurred between their actual experience of their first twelve years of education and their present state in life.

Mark Twain’s The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Essay

Mark Twain's â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mark Twain’s â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County† is a short story with the lesson that what goes around comes around. In this short story, which first appeared in 1856 and his first successful story, Twain uses local customs of the time, dialect, and examples of social status in his story to create a realistic view of the region in which the story takes place. The way that the characters behave is very distinctive. Dialect is also used to give the reader a convincing impression of the setting in â€Å"The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County†. The social status of the main characters in this story also was something that Twain took into account in writing this story. Mark Twain is a realist who concentrates on the customs, dialect, and social status of specific regions of the country. Twain describes local customs and the ways that the characters behave to create a more realistic setting for the story. In the story the characters engage in behavior or activities that would be unusual for a regular person to do. For example, the narrator says: Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and blockaded me there with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the monotonous narrative which follows this paragraph. He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned his initial sentence†¦ (1190) This quote illustrates the kind of person ...

Leadership For Health & Social Care Services

Person centred practice (PCP) or more commonly referred to as person centred planning is based on the principles of inclusion and taking a holistic approach when planning the care service delivery. There are five key features of PCP; The individual is at the centre of the plan. The plan will identify what is important to the individual and identify the individuals’ strengths and what support they will require to achieve their potential. The individuals support network are involved in the ongoing planning and reviewing process. The plan will promote community participation for the individual.The plan is a live document which is reviewed by all involved minimum every 6 months or when circumstances change. The care planning, monitoring and reviewing of care plans are key aspects to working with individuals and care workers. In line with PCP key aspects must be adhered to including legislation and policy to ensure the individual is at the heart of the plan & review process. Howeve r we must remember not to get caught up in the planning and administration process its self, we must remember the true purpose of the care plan. Such example of this can be seen by a quote from a Service User; â€Å"I don’t have a care pathway.I have a life. † (Scottish executive, 2005:5) Care plans must be done properly and all relevant parties involved. Some people may not know what a care plan is. When people don’t feel good they need support to be involved. After all, where’re planning their care and the individual must be at the centre of the plan. A Service User who contributed to the report Developing social care: service users vision for adult support, felt strongly that social care should be based on the social model; informing policy, practice and procedures (Beresford 2005).The Department of Health clearly states that it supports the social model of disability (DoH 2008a). This social model is underpinned by a range of legislation and policy wh ich steers the provision of person centred care. There are several Acts that underpin PCP. The human rights act 1998 sets a firm base line for pcp. The act covers the individual’s right to liberty and security, respect for private and family life, and the right for freedom of thought conscious and religion.This act sets a firm base line for good practice in health and social care by underlining the needs of the individual are paramount and that everyone has the right to receive quality care. Age Concern quote (2008) â€Å"the dignity needs and wants of older people must be put at the centre of their care, and Human Rights are the perfect vehicle to ensure this and deliver quality care services† Whilst drawing up a care plan there are several legislations and policies to adhere to, below I have listed a few which have an integral role in pcp.There is a statutory duty on public authorities to ensure they eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment and to promote equ ality of opportunities between men and women. This is governed by the equalities act 2006 which makes it unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of a person’s sexual orientation, religion and beliefs when providing a service and exercising a public function. This act has established a commission for equality and human rights (CEHR) which is responsible for promoting the understanding of human rights and equality, also challenging unlawful discrimination.The disability discrimination act 1995 main function is to stop discrimination for disabled individual, giving those equal rights and access to goods, facilities and services. This act states that providers are not allowed to treat the disabled less favourably because of their disability. Most companies and organisations that provide service, facilities or goods, be it either paid or free; both private and public bodies / companies must adhere to this act.One aspect of the NHS and community care act 1990 is that local authorit ies must conduct a needs-lead assessment which takes into account a person’s preference making it pcp. On the other hand a resources-lead assessment only takes into account the resources available and not the individual. In my area of work an example would be an individual would be sent to a day service where their preference would be a sit in service which would be more appropriate. This example goes against all principles of pcp.All care service providers are regulated by an independent body as outlined in the Care standard Act 2000. In Wales we are regulated by the CSSIW. This independat body carries out regular inspections to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and one of their key focus is Service User quality of life which is closely linked to pcp. In addition to legislation there are numerous policies in place to ensure compliance with pc care. The white paper Valuing people (DoH 2001) stipulates that person centred approach will be essential to deliver rea l change in the lives of people.Whilst this white paper is aimed at individuals with learning disabilities the principles can be applied to all types of care. The national service frameworks are long term strategies for improving specific areas of social care. PCP is a theme that runs through the white paper. We as care providers have minimum expectations which are required of us by the government; national minimum standards. These standards are not legally enforceable but are guidelines for providers and commissioners to judge the quality of a care service. There are many ways consent is established with individuals.During a PCP meeting the individual may be able to make their wishes and expectations known clearly. In which case the Service User will give consent. On the other hand the mental capacity act 2005 is in place to empower individuals who lack capacity to make their own decisions. There are five core principles; It’s assumed an individual has capacity unless an ass essment has taken place that determines otherwise. Individuals must be given appropriate support prior to making decisions (prior to a judgement being made to say the individual can not do so.Individuals have the right to make an unwise decision, by making an unwise decision it does not mean the individual lacks capacity. When an individual is assessed as lacking in capacity, any decisions made for them must be in their best interest. Any actions that are result of an individual lacking in capacity must be the least restrictive in terms of their basic rights and freedoms. By applying all these principles in a MDT meeting a decision can be reached which will be in the best interest of the individual.During the PCP/ MDT/ BIM the individual may have family, friends, HCP, advocate present to enable a holistic approach to the individuals care pathway. By using person centred practice positive outcomes can be achieved; by adopting all the above legislation, regulations, policies the indiv idual will receive the level of care and support they require, as decided by themselves and people who have the individuals best interests as paramount to the individuals care. In my role I have reviewed all documentation in relation to the primary assessment our Service Users undergo prior to our delivery of care.The assessment takes a holistic approach to the Service Users life, from mobility to cognitive function and is undertaken in the Service Users home with their preferred family member, social worker and any other health care professionals that have input into the Service Users life. Following a management and staff meeting and consultation with Service Users families and HCP to gather their feedback and views I have implemented changes to the documentation to make the assessment and subsequent care plan / file user friendly as needed by the Service User.By implementing this I’m ensuring compliance with regulations and legislation. I support my team to implement perso n centred practice in many ways. Adequate training as detailed in the care workers professional development plan and led by example, I believe being the best. PCP is discussed at management meetings which is then cascaded down to the care workers through their team meetings and supervision sessions.We have recently introduced a new format care plan, which I’m supporting the team leaders to complete using the active support model of care. During the recruitment process, all care workers undergo a 5 day induction period, during which PCP is introduced with the support of accredited dvd’s from Mullbery House and the new care worker is given the opportunity to demonstrate how they would apply pcp. Also a small library of reference books are available for care workers to loan for their professional development.I have recently supported one of the team leaders to review the manual handling care needs of a new Service User, no-capacity, who’s family were not familiar w ith manual handling techniques, by using techniques that were not prescribed the Service Users was being put at risk of injury as were the family. During the primary assessment this was discovered and immediately reported to myself. In conjunction with the team leader we contacted the social service to arrange for OT assessment, also we submitted a VA1 to inspectorate reporting our safeguarding concerns.During the OT assessment the Service User, family, social worker and our team leader was present to enable a best interest care plan to be drawn up. Several items of equipment were agreed and ordered, and care plan agreed by all. Several weeks later, the Service User is now in receipt of appropriate approved equipment and manual handling techniques which meets his needs. I have implemented a handover sheet for care workers prior to their delivery of care to new Service Users / from new care workers to ensure the Service User receives continuity of care.The handover takes place betwee n the primary assessor and the care worker. The care worker and assessor discuss the care plan and risk assessments. At the Service Users first call the care worker is introduced by the assessor. All the care workers are required to notify the office of any changes to the Service Users care needs or preferences immediately, care workers are also encouraged to discuss Service Users needs/ preferences during their 6 weekly supervision session. Care workers are made aware of changes to the care plan in the handover and during the monthly team meeting where all Service User changes are discussed.I’m in the process of reviewing policies and procedures, which will ensure we are Service User led and not service led. Service user active participation has many proven positive outcomes. Active participation may lead to increased confidence and self-esteem, the chance to acquire new skills, and improved material resources if for example it helps them to acquire paid employment. Active p articipation leads to greater satisfaction (Department of Health & Farrell, 2004) and improved quality of life (Wallerstein, 2006).For instance service users who have had greater control in decisions about the support they receive, report greater satisfaction and better health than those who have not. Beyond benefits to the individual, the participation process may also help create a stronger sense of community involvement. For active participation to succeed the culture of the company must allow for regular change and want to hear what the Service User has to say, take it on board and action it. All our Care workers are required to report to the office any feedback / comments/ changes from the Service User and the care work.Within XXXXXXXXX all new starter undergo a 5 day induction period, one element of this induction is active support. The care workers are given an insight into active support. Further training is made available periodically, training is an ongoing commitment to t he care worker professional development and the quality of service we provide our Service Users with. A good example of active support I like to use is, if the Service User enjoys cooking but is unable to bear their weight etc take the veg to them. The Service User may enjoy peeling the veg at the table or in their chair.This enables the Service User to take control of their meal preparation, giving them a sense of purpose and satisfaction. When we receive a referral the Service User may have already undergone the 6 week enablement package of care, after their discharge from hospital. In line with the care plan we encourage the Service User to remain independent and re-able the Service User to achieve their aspirations. To promote Service Users to actively participate in all aspects of daily living skills, during the primary / review assessment risk assessments must be agreed.This is not to prohibit the Service User from participate in daily living skills but to ensure we are suppor ting the Service user in a safe environment where risks have been assessed and minimised or where possible removed. During this process a person centred approach is paramount involving outside agencies, eg OT, family and friends, social worker, advocate. Adaptions, equipment, tele care etc may be available for the Service User to minimise the risk whilst promoting participation in daily living skills.

Analysis: Jb Hi-Fi Essay

JB Hi-Fi limited is a company that is based in Australia. It usually engages in the selling of the home consumer electronic products which include the televisions, video cameras, mobile phones, home theatres, digital still and other electrical accessories like the kitchen equipment, computing equipment, the air conditioners, small electrical appliances like the car sound systems; both visual and audio and other things like the movies and games. It continues to stock exclusive specialist range of Hi-Fi products. JB Hi-Fi has its subsidiaries that include JB Hi-Fi (A) Pty Ltd, JB Hi-Fi Group Pty Ltd, Rocket Replacements Pty Ltd and JB Hi-Fi NZ Limited. JB Hi-Fi was established in 1974 by a simple philosopher Mr. John Barbuto (JB) who was trading from single store in Victoria a place called East Keilor. He was delivering variety of Hi-Fi equipments as well as recorded music at lowest prices in Australia. In 1983, the business was sold and later in 1999, nine stores were opened. With the aim of taking the business to be a successful model all over the nation, private equity bankers and senior management purchased the business in July 2000. JB Hi-Fi was floated in October 2003 on the Australian stock Exchange. JB Hi-Fi is the largest retailer as well as fastest growing home entertainment Retailer Company in Australia. The Queensland Clive Anthony’s stores were bought by JB in July 2004. The Queensland Clive Anthony was selling the consumer goods like the cooking appliances, consumer electronics and air conditioning equipments before it was bought. It has been revealed that the executive or the CEO of a Melbourne based JB who led to the company’s success in year 2009 Richard Uechtritz will retire from the position in August after being in that position for 10 years. He will be succeeded by Terry Smart who joined the company in year 2000 together with Uechtritz. Uechtritz led the company towards making a half year net profit of $76 million in Australian currency which is approximately $66 million from $59 million Australian equivalent of $51 million in corresponding period. He also scaled up the group sales from $1. 09 billion one year before to $1.35 billion by end of 2009. The 124 JB’s stores in Australia registered 10. 2percent comparative growth across the Australia while in its 10 stores in New Zealand a 5. 8 percent growth was achieved. JB Company was resilient throughout the economic crisis; this led to gained consumer confidence by the company. This is a clear indication of a strong retail model and how str ong the management team is strong. JB is also well known for being a leader in CD album sales. It is said that for every 10 albums sold, 4 of them are rung up in JB. This is widely seen as a major factor that is behind the Australia’s largest popularity in the CD albums market (JB Hi-Fi, 2010). The JB Hi-Fi Company has a charter that provides the summary of board of directors’ roles in the structure of the business and the company’s operations. To ensure that the company thrives and overcomes the crisis that may come on the way, the company has various strategies and ways to overcome that and to keep the company on the track which includes constitution and board of directors which has various roles and responsibilities. The company has got a constitution and also corporations’ act. The companies’ values are the trust, integrity and honesty. The board carries out the duties in regard to the interest of the companies’ shareholders, staff, customers and the community in which it operates. The board has responsibility for the company’s corporate governance which includes establishment and empowerment of board to assist in its work. The board is also responsible for overseeing the affairs and the business of the company by establishing the financial objectives and strategies for management to implement; reviewing and approving the financial objectives of the company and corporate plans as well as actions; approval of the capital expenditure in excess of limits that have been delegated to the management; approval of the capital management initiatives; another vital role is to ensure that they are adequate procedures are put in place so as to identify the principal risks in the business as well as implementing systems that are appropriate in managing the risks. The board is also responsible for communicating with the shareholders of the company as well as community at the right times towards getting right results and developing the business operations of the company. The board is also responsible for appointing or selecting and evaluating regularly the chief executive officer’s performance and also determining the remuneration and succession of the chief executive officer. The board is also responsible of approving the major human resource major policies as well as overseeing the strategy development for high performing and senior executives. The board should also ensure that the appropriate procedures are put in place so as to make sure that business is conducted in honest, ethical and in an open manner. The board is also supposed to institute the internal procedures for performance evaluation of the board, the individual directors and the board committees.

Hartmann Luggage Case Report Essay

With the analysis we did in class, we made the suggestion of not doing the next promotion. The first thing I did after class was adjusting our model in class from three months moving average to a five months moving average, with data from previous two months, current month, and two months after. With this adjustment, the incremental increased a little, but still, I think it’s not attractive enough when taken other factors, such as cannibalization effects, into consideration. Also, as Katz pointed out, â€Å"the April-May 1978 promotion had been announced on January 1† (page 14), the relative lower January-February 1978 sales level should not be used to forecast March-May 1978 sales without promotions. In fact, I believe it is the announcement of promotion on January 1st that led to the low sales level in January-February 1978. Retailers would order fewer units prior to the promotion but catch up with more units ordered during promotion period. This should also be considered to cut the attractiveness promotion. Other than the data analysis we did in class, there are a few more reasons I don’t recommend Hartmann to have a price promotion in the following year. First, price promotion will damage Hartmann’s brand image. One of Katz’s principles for Hartmann was to â€Å"maintain a prestigious image† (page 2). Since the price promotion itself was not very efficient, why should Hartmann risk its brand image to do it? Second, as Katz said, there are all kinds of different ways to increase total sales, and, based on luggage consumer surveys, price promotion was definitely not the best way for Hartmann to achieve higher sales. From Hartmann’s own survey, durability and style were considered the most important features in selecting luggage (page 5). Although the results itself seems like is a little misleading, since price was not an option on that questionnaire, it actually should be the real case, and this conclusion could be proved from the industry market research in Exhibit 2. In this research result, only â€Å"31% of respondents cited price as the most important criterion in selecting luggage†, while â€Å"21% cited it as the least important criterion†, and only â€Å"26% would ‘wait for sale, then go there to buy’† (page 16). Also, considered the target market for Hartmann, which are â€Å"customers who demanded the highest quality and durability in luggage† (page 1), and its market position as â€Å"most expensive in the industry† (page 1), the demand  of its products was definitely inelastic. With such an inelastic demand, price promotion would never be the best approach to improve sales, especially to improve profit. So what would be a better way for Hartmann to increase sales and profit? The same as the consultants, I would recommend Hartmann to make more advertisements to build wider brand awareness among target consumers (page 14). The reason I makes this recommendation are as follows. Based on the industry research report in Exhibit 2 (page 16), â€Å"48% of respondents believed they would favor a brand of luggage they recognized or had seen advertised†. The percentage for Hartmann’s target consumers might be even higher, because they were pursuing â€Å"the highest quality and durability in luggage† and the probability that they would trust an unknown brand was very low. However, according to Hartmann’s telephone survey (page 5), the overall aided awareness level was pretty low among high income level customers, who were considered as Hartmann’s target customers, and â€Å"only 5% of respondents recalled having seen any Hartmann advertising†. Therefore, building brand awareness among target consumers by increasing advertising should be the best way for Hartmann to increase sales and, more important, not jeopardize either profitability or brand image. Therefore, all reasons listed above, as well as sales data analysis we did in class, point to one identical conclusion that price promotion was not a good choice for Hartmann to achieve sales and earnings objectives. Yet, increasing advertising was a harmless and more effective approach to help Hartmann achieve its objectives.

Analysis of Harrah’s Entertainment Case: Rewarding Our People

Chris Martin BADM 7070 11/23/12 Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. : Rewarding Our People Marilyn Winn faces a tough challenge to improve employee satisfaction and motivation in a struggling economy that has just experienced the 9/11 disaster. Many of Harrah’s employees feel that the incentive program that Winn has implemented sets goals that are too aggressive while others feel a sense of entitlement for the bonuses.Both of these cases do not help Winn improve employee motivation and customer service. Winn needs to find a way to revise the employee rewards program that she has implemented to reduce turnover, improve employee motivation, and, ultimately, improve customer satisfaction. In order to get employees at Harrah’s motivated, Winn should implement an employee drop box for any feedback of the current reward system or innovative ideas on how the system could be changed.The purpose of this drop box would be to send a message to the employees that Harrah’s va lues its employee’s opinions and cares about its employees. If employees feel that they have a say regarding the development of the system, it will lead to better satisfaction with the system overall and thus be more likely to motivate them to better serve Harrah’s customers. This feedback system could also improve turnover, as employees would feel more valued by the company.Winn could also customize current system to give employees the option to receive vouchers that are worth more than the cash reward. By getting a physical reward, employees are less likely to feel entitled to the reward. Implementing these two plans could greatly improve employee satisfaction and could help to achieve Harrah’s most important goal: customer service.

200 Villagers Houses Burnt Down Again Near Barrick Gold Mine in Papua Essay - 1

200 Villagers Houses Burnt Down Again Near Barrick Gold Mine in Papua New Guinea - Essay Example Moreover, there have been reported injuries and deaths of small-scale miners close to the mine. Finally, it has also been alleged that the Porgera Joint Venture Mine’s security and associated state police have meted extreme violence on the locals (MiningWatch Canada, 2014). It is expected that such concerns will lead to a drop in share value, especially due to obvious lack of transparency on the part of Porgera Company (MiningWatch Canada, 2014). In such a case, investors would be at risk of losing their money because of misrepresentation and failure by Porgera to disclose critical information, such as their environmental compliance and agreements with local communities. On top of making them an unattractive investment opportunity, it will also harm their reputation, especially in light of conflicts and death in the local community (MiningWatch Canada, 2014). In addition, they could also be liable to huge fines if they are found guilty of environmental permit violations. These issues have raised various ethical concerns about the company, despite creating social and economic benefits for the community via resource revenues and job creation. The company has obviously failed to sufficiently consult and engage the local community, while they have not given accurate information about the impact of their mining. In addition, there are environmental concerns about the safety of the mines, as well as lack of transparency about economic compensation and use of the local’s land. As a result, Porgera has failed to consider the social, environmental, and economic impacts of their activities, which are all important aspects of ethical mining practices. As a competitor, such issues have been avoided, especially as the company is aware that the local community expects to generate substantial improvements in their living standards (Ali, 2013). The company has sought to

Green IT support in resolving environmental issues Research Paper

Green IT support in resolving environmental issues - Research Paper Example The adoption of Green approach to IT encompasses a broad range of activities that all possess the same objective: efficiency. Going Green has in recent years gained significance in recent years for diverse reasons, including revival in attention to environmental concerns and the confirmed cost savings that accompany green initiatives. This paper highlights the significance of Green IT in addressing the close connection between the environmental, economic, and social concerns, especially in reconciling the planet’s environmental needs with development needs. The paper concludes that, despite the rebound effects cited to downplay the effects of Green IT, Green IT is indeed a perfect means of resolving environmental issues that organizations face today. Green IT support in resolving environmental issues Introduction Environmental and energy conservation issues have recently gained topicality within the global business arena. This has largely been fuelled by the reality of increas ing energy costs combined with growing concerns over global warming climate crisis, plus other environmental issues. Green IT may refer to three critical areas of research; IT efficiency in terms of energy, management of the lifecycle of IT that is eco-compatible, and IT as a phenomenon that enables green governance (Barney 1996, p.50). The design, manufacture, deployment, function, utilization, and disposal of information technology bear significant ramifications for the environment. Up to 70% of CO2 emissions form IT comes from data centers (Hart 1997, p.67). This can be minimized by virtualization altering from â€Å"always on† to â€Å"always available,† and minimal consumption equipment. Green Approach and Computing Green IT activities are directed at â€Å"greenization,† or reduction of emissions through the use of IT technologies. IT managers can play a significant role in aiding their companies’ implement a green approach towards the agency's comp uting since they bear a rewarding impact on both environmental and fiscal concerns. There are two critical roles played by the IT solutions, which include saving energy form IT devices themselves (of IT) and saving energy by IT (by IT). Green IT is characterized into two categories, namely: enhancing energy efficiency of IT equipment (PC, Server, Storage), datacenter, parts (semiconductor) and electronics (TV, DVD, Refrigerator); and enhancing energy efficiency of the society by employment of IT solutions in industries (enhancing the efficiency of a production process, in business (such as use of web meeting), in households (online shopping), and transportation (eco-drive) (Sharma 2000, p.682). The implementation of Green IT has been critical in mitigating the rising energy costs and environmental damage. Green IT solutions address a wide range of environmental issues targeted at gaining sustainability. Addressing Environmental Concerns by Use of Green IT In the contemporary society , the challenges to the environment are concise. They include the urge for clean water and air; reasonable and consistent delivery of energy; reduced fossil fuels supply; climate change and its inferences for future generations. As a result, energy and climate related issues have become top issues for some corporation’s strategic agenda (Molla 2009, p.2). Green IT solutions can aid clients to reduce costs and systematically minimize energy, water, e-waste, and carbon

Community Analysis for Sedgefield Elementary School Essay

Community Analysis for Sedgefield Elementary School - Essay Example There is a public library within the vicinity but mathematically and logically speaking, most of the students could not afford to be they're considering the accessibility of the people who are within the area (The distance, the availability of time, availability of materials that are to be used). In the school's case, it has limited resources for the students to enjoy the privilege of having different study materials. It lacks resources that are essential for the need of information in their respective subjects. Therefore a need for more learning materials particularly books and library for the students to enjoy their studies. Due to limited resources, the students are deprived of having a quality education, which is needed by the students. Primarily, the need of literacy program for the students is at bay so the problem for them to read and write is a major concern in order for the students to have at least a capital for them to ascend into the next level of education. So the need for a library is evident. To analyze the library that is present in the vicinity in this small community in Charlotte particularly the Sedge field media center, it ca

Origin and History of Celtic Knots Research Paper

Origin and History of Celtic Knots - Research Paper Example Computer Science is interested in generating knots through special software. Religion is interested in Celtic knots because of its symbolic structuring of doctrine, the illumination of scriptural texts and the inscription of sacred architecture. My thesis is that the cross, the circle and the Tree of Life are archetypal images which provide a foundation for understanding the history and origin of Celtic Knot art forms, and the elemental meaning is a call to unity, renewal and balance. Body. There are a variety of types of Celtic knots and they are, and have long been, used in jewelry, fabricated in metal, carved from stone and bone, and gracing stone pillars, as protection symbols over doorways, used to illuminate scriptural texts, and for magic and divination. The Trinity knot is quite famous, symbolizing water, fire, earth for nature-based spirituality or, for the Christian Church, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The spiral is a common pattern and dates back to 2500 BCE. It is thought to represent growth and the cycle of life.There are key and labyrinth designs, and zoomorphic designs, the latter involving birds and animals as part of the interwoven design.Here are images of the main two I am choosing to focus on: the Celtic Cross with a circle, and the Tree of Life. ... Modern day aficionados think of the ancient Celtic peoples as inherently spiritual, nature-connected, intuitive, in touch with alternate realms. This answers a longing in contemporary people.17 This results in a lot of speculative information about the Celts, their art, its meaning and its origin. Celtic knots first appeared in the British Isles during the 7th century, suddenly became extremely popular, and remained the primary art style through the tenth century.18 It was used in decorating sacred books, the most famous of which are The Book of Kells, The Book of Durrow, and the Lindisfarme Gospels.19 A fifth century copy of the book of Acts is considered to be the piece that links Middle Eastern and Celtic knot work.20 Some scholars believe that Celtic knots were adopted originally from Egypt.21 A primary symbol, the cross with circle, can be traced back to ancient Egypt, The Ankh is an Egyptian symbol, a cross with a circle above. It is a symbol still sacred to Egyptian Coptics.22 The cross represents intersection and opposition.23 The Circle represents eternity, continuity and infinity.24. Together, the symbol is one of regeneration.25 The circle is a rough approximation of the female reproductive organ, and the cross is a rough representation of the male reproductive organ.26 In Egyptian imagery, the Ankh is held in the hands of gods and near the lips of pharaohs, as though giving them breath.27 The cross and the circle are both archetypes. Archetypes, a core element in the psychology of Carl Jung, are a common pattern of image structures and shared meaning which can be identified in dreams, myths, legends, symbols, and are channels for psychic energy.28 As archetypes, the circle and cross have deep and ancient meaning. Their

Darkness at noon by Arthur Koestler Research Paper

Darkness at noon by Arthur Koestler - Research Paper Example Darkness at Noon stands second in series of a trilogy of novels that revolves about the fundamental theme of political ethics and revolutionary ethics in general. The other two dystopian novels written at the same time were Brave New World by Huxley and Nineteen Eighty Four by Orwell. These novels are unique in themselves as they reveal ugly truths and disturb us. The title of the novel is aptly named as Darkness at Noon. Noon time is the brightest time of the day and it is only during extraordinary situations (such as a storm or solar eclipse) that noon is engulfed in darkness. The same darkness is felt in the heavy oppressive theme of the 2 novel that starts with a prison scene and ends with acceptance of guilt. The darkness reflected in the book was actually a reflection of the political scene prevalent in the political history of Soviet Union. Just at a time when Communism was rising at its peak like a glowing sun, there came a solar eclipse in the lives of the leaders and took a way many of their lives. What was more surprising that most of these leaders willingly accepted their so called crimes just for the sake of their party. The book looks into the interior monologue and the dire circumstances that make the men take up such extreme steps and sacrifice their names along with their lives. The story set in 1930s is compelling, didactic and angry. It revolves around Nicolas Salmanovitch Rubashov, who is imprisoned for counter revolutionary activities. Rubashov is an aging Communist Party member, now locked inside a cell as an indictment against a series of crimes that he could not have possibly committed. He has been ordered to be shot as soon as he publicly accepts the charges. But, he refutes the state’s offer to confess his guilt in public. Rubashov is not a saboteur, just a good communist. Though Rubashov possessed some degrees of independent thoughts and had arrogance of manner, he could not have committed such a serious crime such as conspiracy against his country. The country of his confinement is not confirm though from the various descriptions people can make out that he belonged to the Soviet Union and is confined in one of its cells. 3 Rubashov is arrested for crimes against the State and repeatedly interrogated and psychologically tortured till he give up and accepts those charges. As a former communist Koestler closely examines the high level of dedication filled in these Communists so that they readily confessed to quite ridiculous crimes at the Stalin’s Show Trials of the 1930s. By making the protagonist accept the guilt of the crimes, he projects that once you convince yourself that the ends justify the means, you should not be surprised when those means are turned against you. Soviet Union was experimenting to construct a new society. But, to make that society individuals were required to sacrifice some things. These ‘some things’ were life and a lifelong created reputation. Any sort of poli tical deviation would weaken the roots of that society Thus, by sacrificing himself, Rubashov have a feeble hope that people would take it as a lesson and never deviate from the paths of moral standings. Darkness at Noon is one of the first literatures to be found on Soviet Union in the English language. According to George Orwell there was â€Å"in England almost no literature of disillusionment about the Soviet