Thursday, October 31, 2019

Caring- Nel Noddings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Caring- Nel Noddings - Essay Example These positive and negative things will have an impact on the child will become the intended person or not. Therefore, people want to â€Å"form beliefs and abilities required to continue going on with close relations and the desire to do so (Noddings, 2005, p. 21-22).† using Noddings’ four components including modeling, dialogue, practice, and confirmation in order to facilitate caring. The meaning of caring that emerges from the ethics include proficient standards, individual value, comprehending humankind continuance, understanding the meaning of norms, decisions, moral decisions, integrity, worth, people and colleagues in treatment. The extent of care is also pronounced in some good characters than others. In the case of decency or fairness, for example, that affection may not be readily apparent. With care, more than without any good values, its appreciation with passion is evident. When people care about each other, attending to each other’s needs, as a mot her looks after a new baby, physicist cares for a patient or an instructor cares for a struggling apprentice, the link between love and ethics is supposed. Care is an attribute that is interchangeable with love. The lack of care, more than anything else brings out man to be insensitive. To care is to how humanity, to show love. Not to love is to create a boundary between oneself and one’s own heart, on the same not, being humane to both those next to you and far away from you not only improve your relationship, it can also prolong your life, this is according to research conducted by a group of researchers at the university of Purdue. The absence of care is destruction of personality. Care may seem to be weighty, but on the contrary is the force that gives life its balance, its booming nature and its validity. Caring is taking excellent care of all things that matter to us. It involve being a compassionate witness, and listening keenly to another and not jumping to conclusion s. One shows that one cares with appropriate acts and kind words. When we do a job, we do it with our best effort. We are not insensitive to things that matter. We care deeply about the ethics we trust in. Caring can be said to be a sign of love. Should we care for others, then we are able to notice how they feel and attend to their needs. When we care about ourselves, we have nothing to offer others. Caring can as well be a gift from the heart. Caring for ideas and objects is different from caring for people and other living things. One cannot establish a bond with physics or a food processor. The cared- for cannot feel anything for us there is no significance in the second party. People instead describe a responsiveness for ideas and objects. We must consider the deepest sense of care as human beings. We care what will happen to us. We wonder whether there exists life just after death,or whether there is God who cares about us, whether those we love, love us back, whether we belon g somewhere. We wonder what we will be in future, who we are right now, how much control we have over our fate. For an adolescent, these are among the most pressing issues: who am I? How do others see me? Who love me? How do others perceive me? though schools spend most of time doing mathematics and physics than in trying to answer these questions take an example of yourself most likely you are wondering what will I be tomorrow .

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Malampaya Offshore Oil and Gas Field Assignment

The Malampaya Offshore Oil and Gas Field - Assignment Example The Philippine Government Department of Energy approved Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX) to build a 500 kilometre undersea pipeline to transfer gas from the Malampaya-Camago fields to the main island of Luzon. Although the fields are in Chinese claimed waters, China did not object to the development (Pumphrey 237). Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX) developed the Malampaya fields at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion U.S., â€Å"the largest single investment in the country† (Kreil 36) and the largest infrastructure project (McCallum 40). The Malampaya project is a joint venture of the Philippine government with the private firms Chevron Texaco and the Philippines Oil Company Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC)† (Oxford Business Group 72). Structural interpretation of the 3D seismic data indicated the most prominent structural feature to be a SW-NE oriented fault, forming a crest at the western margin of the carbonate system. This fault was sealed by the Pagasa shales. à ¢â‚¬Å"Minor normal faults affect the Latee Eocene and Early Oligocene deposits in the North-Eastern termination of the carbonate system forming a short and narrow horst structure† (Fournier, Borgomano and Montaggioni 198). ... ubsurface Data Used to Describe the Malampaya Field â€Å"The dataset used in this study consists of a 3-dimensional seismic survey acquired by Shell Philippines (SPEX) in 2002, and well data from 10 wells (MA-1 to MA-10)† (Fournier et al 2005, 192). Core sections are available in wells MA-2, MA-3, MA-4, MA-5, MA-7, and MA-9. The seismic interpretation used prestack time migrated data (PSTM), with zero-phase signal. The seismic polarity is defined as negative amplitude means a downward increase in acoustic impedance, a positive reflection coefficient. The work uses the depositional facies and diagenetic features identified by Fournier et al, 2004 from MA-5 and MA-7, those obtained from thin section analyses on MA-6, MA-8, MA-9, and MA-10, and the re-examination of the rock material studied by Grotsch and Mercadier (1703) from MA-1, MA-2, and MA-3. Carbon and oxygen isotope analyses on whole-rock samples were used to support diagenetic interpretations. Deposition of the Reservo ir Section and Geometry of the Platform The evidence from the investigations by Shell Philippine Exploration (SPEX, 2009) verified the existence of an immense power source. Situated 80 kilometers northwest of Palawan island and located about 3,000 metres below sea level, â€Å"the Malampaya field had recoverable reserves of about 2.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves and 85 million barrels of condensate† (Oxford Business Group 72). A thin oil rim of 65 metres is overlain by a thick gas column of up to 650 metres; these are contained in a high relief carbonate reef build-up complex of the Nido Limestone Formation. It was determined that â€Å"28.5 MMscf/ day of gas and 7,500 bbl/day of 30 degrees APL oil† (Department of Energy, 2010) were released every day. The Late Eocene to Early Miocene

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Key Factors That Can Influence Management Styles Management Essay

Key Factors That Can Influence Management Styles Management Essay Management is described as what managers should do and what they need to do Cole, 2004. Good management keep people motivated, focused and productive since careless attitude are not permitted to excuse by customers (Daft, 2010). Managers have to control the company before knowing how to handle various situations by using different management styles. It is accepted that each style has its own features and when applied it will have different effects in different cultures. Therefore, it made a significant affect when use the most appropriate management styles at the most appropriate time. Briefly, the essay is concerned with identifying and discussing some factors that influence management styles, which will be greatly helpful for people especially managers to recognize the importance of management. Experts defined that management styles can be divided into three parts. The most common used in business are: Autocratic, Democratic, Laissez- faire management styles (Vugt et al, 2004). Autocratic is described as a style that lacking of democracy and decided by entrepreneurs. Democratic style seems to be significantly reversed from Autocratic style, managers and workers are equal and employees are more pleased and humbly to accept opinions by employers. In addition, managers work by rules. Therefore, Democratic style become the most popular styles that accepted by individuals (Yuan and Yi, 2010). Moreover, for Laissez- faire management styles, workers are freedom and managers are free to make a decision (Vugt et al, 2004). The essay tends to mainly focus on this three management styles because these styles are chooses by managers to control the enterprise in a large amount of cultures. After understanding the definition of management styles, figure out the factors would be a vital step. It is known that one key factor always influences one culture. Culture is relative to a group of people who has special characteristics in work place. The individual behavior is strongly influenced by the local culture. In addition, there is something that managers should be awareness in order to make a successful company and really understand different management styles. The rest of the essay will compare with the management styles in Norway, China and Japan and describe how different management styles influence in these countries. China is seen as a typical high-context culture country which included social and cultural conditions and have a greatly impact on communication (Laroche 2003 cited in Hestflatt 2005). Connecting in this type of business to China, the connection place, including environment, it is awareness that leadership is important and helpful to build the successful relationship between employees and employers. Chinese prefer to use an informal way to communicate and get a better understanding of the counterpart. For example, inviting counterparts to restaurant, sending gifts to counterparts and playing together in private home or public entertainment places are always a procedure to talk about the business and strengthen the relationship between each other. Owing to this kind of culture in China, in the management of China, the manager makes decisions by considering the groups behalf in authority and the lower workers have no useful methods to show their opinions. This decision making process i s hierarchy with thinking themselves is the most important, the counterpart is the second (Hestflatt, 2005). In general, China focus on Autocratic and Bureaucratic management styles, it means that collectivistic thinking is considered to be pervasive and hard to change, managers are the leaders who make the decision. In comparison, Norway representative a kind of low-context culture which included social and cultural conditions, and it have a greatly influence on circumstance (Laroche 2003 cited in Hestflatt 2005). Although people rely on particular data and connection between them, it works when individuals make decisions by using their own ideas instead of irrelevant messages. Norwegians prefer to work by rules (Hooker 2003 cited in Hestflatt 2005). A case in point is that in 1980s Norway, management were lack of authoritarianism which reflective strikes in workers (Hestflatt, 2005). As a result, it extremely changed the working environment in that ages and everyone fought for their rights. As well as this indicated that in the management process of Norway, managers focus on cooperation and consensus methods to make a decision. Thus, the concept of Democratic gradually transforms into Norway and is greatly accepted by people (Hestflatt, 2005). Compared Chinese management styles with Norway, leaders in Automatic styles made decisions when attached to their benefits, Chinese managers are a case in point. Conversely, as Vugt et al(2004) states that leaders of Democratic style will make decisions and cooperative with group members by using rules. As a result, Democratic style leaders improve the performance of employees better than the other one. Even though China use Automatic style, however, it is considerably appropriate for China. As we known, China is a country governed by party and government, if Chinese management styles separate from its national conditions instead of using Democratic style, decisions would not match the suitable process of the company and its economy could be decreased. Another culture is Japanese, a country which is near to China but has totally different cultures. Culpan (1993) stressed that Japanese companies are considered to be the worlds most successful ones in the world markets, and the harmonious relationship between managers and workers boost its success. An example of this is an expert uses a seven S model to explain that the concern in staff is one of the most vital styles which make Japanese companies mostly use. Similarity, its effective on goals are suitable for companies (Culpan,1993). Thus, it can be seen that the management style in Japan is Laissez- faire. As a result, stressing the importance of human resource management which including continuously communication between employees and employers make a significant to set goals in Japan. Comparing with all three cultures which are China, Norway and Japanese, two of them are focus on the importance of leadership and Japanese concentrate on goals. In fact, using harmonious type of human resource management mode is not only benefits the management measures, but also more effective to promote the enterprise culture. Thus, entirely different management styles which including Democratic and Laissez- faire are appropriately for capitalism. Conversely, it can be predict that Autocratic is suitable for communism. If using management strategy just by respect or expect the culture, it would get out of control by taking management measures and use of the management tools in enterprise differently. Therefore, staffs may different to recognize the target and measure the effective implementation. Also management performance will appear artificial barrier and management effort will take a greatly discount. It is obvious that the management styles among the three countries are completely different and the factors influenced them are various. However, cultural differences are the most vital factors influenced the management style and one factor suit for only one management style. The information about the business culture of each country is vital for the companies and individuals to be success. Admittedly, with the development of globalization, the trend of management style in each country has some similarities and absorbs the benefits of other countries. However, it is not permitted to completely apply different management styles to its own culture because it is not allowed by national situations. Thus, combine different management styles with its own cultures are alternative methods to solve the problem. Words: 1222

Friday, October 25, 2019

A Comparison of Creon of Antigone and Jason of Medea Essay -- comparis

A Comparison of Creon of Antigone and Jason of Medea   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both of these two male characters are not title roles. They both fall prey to the actions of a woman, one whom they both originally thought they had complete control over. Antigone's martyrdom and conflict with the State brings Creon's destruction and Medea's double murder and infanticide brings his destruction. However, how much is this brought about through their own weakness and how much can we attribute this to a cruel fate? The issue is essentially whether a stronger person than Jason or Antigone could have avoided the destruction, and were they crushed by their own internal weakness ('hamartia'). An important to clarify is that we are not judging their personality. A despot can be a strong character and a man of high morals can be a weak character. The deciding factor is how rigidly they cling to their ideals and their ability to listen to others sensibly.    The gods cause Creon's destruction, acting in a just and logical way to the blasphemous deeds he committed. His destruction is very much in his own hands, despite the many warnings he receives from advisors such as Tiresias ("you have no business with the dead"), Haemon ("I see my father offending justice - wrong") and the Chorus ("could this possibly the work of the gods?" "good advice, Creon, take it now, you must"). He drives head long into it, ignoring those who counsel him. His inability to listen to others is very critical to his downfall, as we see in his rebukes to the Sentry for example ("Still talking? You talk too much!").   This is a fundamental weakness within his character. His stubbornness, as Tiresias, "brands you for stupidity". What appears in Creon's own eyes to be stern control ove... ...ennsylvania State University:USA Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989. Segal, Charles Paul. "Sophocles' Praise of Man and the Conflicts of the Antigone." In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Antigone. Translated by R. C. Jebb. The Internet Classic Archive. no pag. http://classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/antigone.html "Sophocles" In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Woodard, Thomas. Introduction. In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Zissos, Professor.   Classical Myth Lecture Notes.   July 20, 2001.   <http://ccwf.cc.utexasz.edu/~paz/myth/notes.html>.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Asher Farms Essay

Political – In class the major political topic that we focused on was possible affects on the industry if immigration laws became stricter. This industry is highly dependent on cheap labor. If all of a sudden there were not enough workers in the industry there would not be enough chicken available to meet the demand. Economic – Evident from the case, the chicken market is heavily influenced by currency fluctuation. This is because 15% of the total poultry production is exported and therefore changes in the price of the dollar can make chicken much more expensive in other countries or it can have a reverse effect. Social – Over the past couple of decades there has clearly been a shift in the amount of different types of meat products that are consumed. Those who watch their what they eat are more likely to eat chicken for the high protein benefits and minimizing some of the harmful affects of red meat. Technological – There had been a strong push for more efficient technology to be produced in this industry. The technology developments range from the machinery that does some of the work to new genetic engineering of the food that the chickens eat. These advancements allowed for the growth of the chicken industry without and slowdowns. Legal – Animal rights advocates have had major impacts on the ways that chickens can be processed. The conditions that the chickens live in could cause some legal problems in the future in different animal rights groups wanted to make changes. Environmental – Spread of disease always seems to be a major concern in the food industry. Contamination is very possible and could potentially cause huge problems. The FDA would like to minimize the possible affects of any type disease from spreading such as salmonella or other bacteria’s that are harmful. I feel that all of the business risks identified in question 1, the PESTLE acronym, all have the same potential to impact the risk of material misstatements on the financial statements. These business risks would all put revenue, cost of goods sold, wage expenses, and certain discloses at risk for being misstated. This would require more substantive tests to provide more reliable evidence that the financial statements are correctly stated. Obtaining knowledge about the client’s industry helps to highlight practices unique to that industry that may have an effect on the client’s financial statements. The auditor should obtain knowledge relating to the client’s business before commencing the audit. Understanding the client’s business provides information regarding events and transactions that may affect the client’s financial statements. Just like an auditor is not responsible to provide absolute assurance that the financial statements are correct, an auditory does not have the responsibility to identify or assess all business risks because it would be not efficient, timely, or costly to do so. As discussed in question 1, some examples of business risks that should be considered include; immigration concerns, currency fluctuation, health changes, technological development, and the spread of disease. An example of a business risk that might not lead to a risk of material misstatement in the financial statements that we discussed in class was opening new locations and growing the business.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Film and Classicism

Film scholars have long divided films into three stylistic categories: Realism, Classicism, and Formalism. The purpose of style-the way in which motion picture form molds content-depends on how the filmmaker approaches the narrative formation of the story he has decided to tell, the goal of a classicist is to tell a story in the best way possible. When I see films I like to escape my own reality so I’m choosing to write about Classicism. From the realism and formalism stand point, the classical style falls somewhere in between and is the more dominant way of telling the story, meaning this is what most film styles are, so it reaches a larger audience. Although classicism falls in between the genres of realism and formalism, most classicism films will lean more towards either realism or formalism (Giannetti, 2008). Realism, unlike classicism, is all about showing the truth. A realist will try to carry on the illusion that their film is an impartial reflection of the real world. Realism is about everyday people in everyday situations, for instance a documentary or your sister’s wedding filmed by your uncle Ted. The director wants the audience to feel like the events have actually happened and get inside the characters mind. Classicism, on the other hand, is fictional but it reminds you of the world we know, it’s all about idyllic storytelling. The narrative classical is typically based on a conflict between a central character who creates a problem and the adversary who resists it. Most films in this form begin with wanting to know how the lead character is going to get what he/she wants in the face of substantial opposition. The characters in classicism cinema are appealing and romanticized and audiences are encouraged to identify with the characters’ values and goals (Giannetti, 2008). The characters in the classical movie are played by actors and actresses instead of unknown people. (Giannetti, 2008) And at the other end of the scale we have formalism. Formalistic film makers sometimes do not even have characters and avoid a story all together. They have no desire to show reality. Formalism wants to show their own image of the world, sometimes to the extreme where it’s just abstract images and music to create an emotional and psychological experience. Classicism on the other hand, has images that are determined by the relevance of the story rather than the desire for authenticity, as is realism, or a desire for formal beauty, as formalism desires. Film critic, Herman G. Weinberg, describes the connection between the story and film flawlessly when he states, â€Å"The way a story is told is part of that story. You can tell the same story badly or well; you can also tell it well enough or magnificently. It depends on who is telling the story† (Giannetti, 2008, p. 8). Classism style rarely calls attention to itself, as realism and formalism styles do. (Giannetti, 2008) Yet, classicism is the leading style in films, it focuses on the story the film is trying to portray to the audience. Creating a realistic world and telling the story through an hidden lens to entertain an audience is the main reason I like this type of film. I want to get lost in the characters and feel like I’m taking part in the story.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Rebuttal Essay Example

Rebuttal Essay Example Rebuttal Essay Rebuttal Essay Essay Topic: Rebuttal I understand that people are entitled their opinions and beliefs. Megan Patella made the choice of aborting her pregnancy after she and her husband was told that their son would have severer medical issues. I have four children, ranging from twenty-two to nine. My nine year-old is autistic and needs constant attention. I cannot and begin to understand why one would want to kill a life for any reason. Megan and her husband, according to the article were trying to conceive a child late in adulthood. Not until they got the result from the genetics doctor that their son would have a chromosomal disorder and would present a series of major physical and emotional challenges and possible surgeries down the road (Patella, 2103). I highlighted possible because even right here there was that uncertainty of the test result. Megan stated that her and her husband felt that they were dealt a bum hand with this conception. No one dealt them anything they were trying to conceive a hill. Life in itself is a miracle, which according to Florida vital statistic there were 237,166 births in 2006. Then to get the readers to be passionate about her cause she states the doctor put her and her husband out into the parking lot thro. She leads the reader to believe that this was there only exit because they ask about aborting there son. Not only did Megan go through with the abortion she did so in an unlawful manner. Florida law prohibits that termination off pregnancy in the second or third trimester without the consult of a second physician (INSTITUTE, 2013). Megan stated in her article that Florida law prohibits abortion after 24 weeks. According to Stomacher Institute, State of Later Abortions the state of Georgia has some relax laws when it comes to abortions. This is why Megan and her husband drove to another city possible out of state to Georgia. Laws were not meant to be broken. This was a true homicide, killing an unborn child in the manner in which they did should be outlawed. Then there was the complication that resulted in hospitalizing. To me this is Just karma; they terminated something that was given o them by God. Megan stated that she did a lot of research to find a doctor that would perform abortion surfing the internet. Megan references the Stomacher Institute, which is a web site that is put into place to enhance public awareness on sexual and reproduction health worldwide. Stomacher Institute is a non-based university that has received many prestigious awards. Megan used a valid source to gain here information in her article. In the State of Later Abortion article on the Stomacher website it identifies by state what laws prevail over abortions? Megan is heeds a different light on the subject. With her Journalism skills, Megan strategically placed small innuendos throughout her article to gain compassion from the readers. First Megan stated the doctor lead her to a door that opened in a parking lot. Without knowing the building I am sure that was the same door she came into. Second Megan stated that the doctor was not cordial when he entered the room, and how the procedure room looked. This statement could be true however it once again allows the reader to feel sorry for situation. Thirdly, Megan painted a grim picture of he entire process from start to finish.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Make winning small talk in a job interview

Make winning small talk in a job interview Although there’s a wide array of variables that can affect the types of interviews you’ll find yourself in when job hunting- from the industry and position you’re pursuing to the size of the room and the number of people whom you’ll be meeting with and more- your goal should always be the same: to leave a positive and lasting impression on a prospective employer and stand out from the competition as someone they’d really value working with. While there are a number of key factors that you’ll be focusing on as you prepare for an interview, from a well-polished resume to an impeccable outfit and talking points about your past accomplishments and why you’re the perfect candidate for the job, one area that often gets overlooked is the value of â€Å"small talk.†The truth is, small talk is actually an essential component of the interview process. Often, our very first and last impression, before and after the nuts and bolts of an int erview takes place, is made over small talk. Think of the walk from the reception area, the few initial moments of â€Å"settling in† to the room where the interview takes place, and the final goodbyes over a firm and confident handshake- these are all opportunities to make a positive and memorable impact.Let’s review some effective strategies for making sure you put your best foot forward when making small talk in a job interview.Stay positive.You may have had a terrible morning on your way to the interview where everything went hilariously wrong- your alarm didn’t go off, you knocked over a steaming hot cup of coffee, and you nearly burnt a hole in your shirt while ironing it and eating breakfast at the same time- but do you want this to be the first impression your interviewer has of you? Whining about the challenges you overcame to get to the interview on time, assuming you made it there on time, is not a good idea.You don’t want your interviewer to t hink that if you were hired that you’d have to deal with an array of life’s foibles each morning in order to get to work on time. And you don’t want them to think you’re the type of person who’s always negative and has a raincloud following them around. Regardless of your work history and accomplishments, starting or ending an interview with negative small talk will surely work against you when they’re making a hiring decision.Instead, stay positive- both in what you say and in your body language. Smile, project confidence and a positive outlook, and try to turn your small talk into an opportunity to be complimentary. Talk about how nice the office is or the pleasant weather or commute over, drop a comment about a nice plant or piece of artwork that your interviewer has. The goal here is to make the interviewer think that you’d be a pleasant person to have around if hired.Avoid controversy.Sometimes an interview will start off on a ca sual and relaxed vibe- more like a friendly conversation than a Q A session, and this can be a good thing. Remember, the goal of an interview is to both present yourself as a capable candidate as well as a person who’s enjoyable to have around. You definitely want to leave the impression that you’ll make a great fit within a company’s workplace culture. However, if an interview takes the tone of a casual conversation this doesn’t mean that all conversation topics are okay to bring up. Do your best to avoid such hot-button areas as politics and religion, and try to refrain from getting too personal, which may make an interviewer uncomfortable or think that you have boundary issues, which could be a big red flag.Use context clues.Whenever you’re first getting to know someone new, that’s typically when you’re most open and receptive to available context clues about how best to proceed in a conversation. An interview should be no differe nt. Look for clues- both subtle and overt- to help build your small-talk game. Is your interviewer’s office filled with dog photos and he or she drops a casual dog reference into the conversation? Try to inject a mention about your own love of dogs, and if you have a dog yourself, even better! Don’t forget, the best way to bond with someone is to discover the things you have in common.Context clues can also help you determine what conversation items to avoid. Does the interviewer wince or look uncomfortable when you make mention of something? Pay attention to this, and change the subject, fast. Bottom line: be friendly, flexible, and on the lookout for positive conversational touchpoints.Are you ready for small talk?Whether or not you like small talk, you need to be prepared to handle it when you’re going on interviews. You can’t rely on your resume to â€Å"speak for itself†- remember, most interviewers are looking to get a sense of what sort of p erson you are and what it would be like to work with you, in addition to gauging your professional abilities. Be sure to treat each interview as an opportunity to get to know someone new and make a positive connection, and you’ll be sure to make a great impression!

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Analysis of Tenth of December by George Saunders

Analysis of Tenth of December by George Saunders George Saunders deeply moving story Tenth of December originally appeared in the October 31, 2011, issue of The New Yorker. It was later included in his well-received 2013 collection, Tenth of December, which was a bestseller and a National Book Award finalist. Tenth of December is one of the freshest and most compelling contemporary stories, yet we find it almost impossible to talk about the story and its meaning without making it sound trite (something along the lines of, A boy helps a suicidal man find the will to live, or, A suicidal man learns to appreciate the beauty of life). We have to chalk this up to Saunders ability to present familiar themes (yes, the little things in life are beautiful, and no, life isnt always neat and clean) as if were seeing them for the first time. If you havent read Tenth of December, do yourself a favor and read it now. Below are some of the features of the story that particularly stand out; perhaps theyll resonate for you, too. Dreamlike Narrative The story shifts constantly from the real to the ideal, to the imagined, to the remembered. Like the 11-year-old protagonist of Flannery OConnors The Turkey, the boy in Saunders story, Robin, walks through the woods imagining himself a hero. He trudges through the woods tracking imaginary creatures called Nethers, who have kidnapped his alluring classmate, Suzanne Bledsoe. Reality merges seamlessly with Robins pretend world as he glances at a thermometer reading 10 degrees (That made it real) and also as he begins to follow actual human footprints while still pretending that hes tracking a Nether. When he finds a winter coat and decides to follow the footsteps so he can return it to its owner, he recognizes that [i]t was a rescue. A real rescue, at last, sort of. Don Eber, the terminally ill 53-year-old man in the story, also holds conversations in his head. He is pursuing his own imagined heroics- in this case, going into the wilderness to freeze to death in order to spare his wife and children the suffering of caring for him as his illness progresses. His own conflicted feelings about his plan come out in the form of imagined conversations with adult figures from his childhood and finally, in the grateful dialogue, he imagines between his surviving children when they realize how selfless hes been. He considers all the dreams hell never achieve (such as delivering his major national speech on compassion), which seems not so different from fighting Nethers and saving Suzanne- these fantasies seem unlikely to happen even if Eber lives another 100 years. The effect of the movement between real and imagined is dreamlike and surreal- an effect that is only heightened in the frozen landscape, especially when Eber enters the hallucinations of hypothermia. Reality Wins Even from the beginning, Robins fantasies cant make a clean break from reality. He imagines the Nethers will torture him but only in ways he could actually take. He imagines that Suzanne will invite him to her pool, telling him, Its cool if you swim with your shirt on. By the time he has survived a near drowning and a near freezing, Robin is solidly grounded in reality.  He starts to imagine what Suzanne might say, then stops himself, thinking, Ugh. That was done, that was stupid, talking in your head to some girl who in real life called you Roger. Eber, too, is pursuing an unrealistic fantasy that he will eventually have to give up. Terminal illness transformed his own kind stepfather into a brutal creature he thinks of only as THAT. Eber- already tangled in his own deteriorating ability to find accurate words- is determined to avoid a similar fate. He thinks: Then it would be done. He would have preempted all future debasement. All his fears about the coming months would be mute. Moot.   But this incredible opportunity to end things with dignity is interrupted when he sees Robin moving dangerously across the ice carrying his- Ebers- coat. Eber greets this revelation with a perfectly prosaic, Oh, for shitsake. His fantasy of an ideal, poetic passing wont come to be, a fact readers might have guessed when he landed on mute rather than moot. Interdependence and Integration The rescues in this story are beautifully intertwined. Eber rescues Robin from the cold (if not from the actual pond), but Robin would never have fallen into the pond in the first place if he hadnt tried to rescue Eber by taking his coat to him. Robin, in turn, saves Eber from the cold by sending his mother to go get him. But Robin has already saved Eber from suicide by falling into the pond. The immediate need to save Robin forces Eber into the present. And being in the present seems to help integrate Ebers various selves, past and present. Saunders writes: Suddenly he was not purely the dying guy who woke nights in the med-bed thinking, Make this not true make this not true, but again, partly, the guy who used to put bananas in the freezer, then crack them on the counter and pour chocolate over the broken chunks, the guy who’d once stood outside a classroom window in a rainstorm to see how Jodi was faring. Eventually, Eber begins to see the illness (and its inevitable indignities) not as negating his previous self but simply as being one part of who he is. Likewise, he rejects the impulse to hide his suicide attempt (and its revelation of his fear) from his children, because it, too, is part of who he is. As he integrates his vision of himself, he is able to integrate his gentle, loving stepfather with the vitriolic brute he became in the end. Remembering the generous way his desperately ill stepfather listened attentively to Ebers presentation on manatees, Eber sees that there are drops of goodness to be had even in the worst situations. Though he and his wife are in unfamiliar territory, stumbling a bit on a swell in the floor of this stranger’s house, they are together.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

International Debt Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Debt Crisis - Essay Example These OPEC nations deposited much of their profits in commercial banks.; Sseeking for new investment opportunities, these banks issued loans to developing countries without strictly monitoring how loans were used. Some of these loans loans didn't even not meeting the minimum standard of social, ecological and economic viability; they and only enriched a small group of people such as government officials and small elites. Meanwhile, extremely tight monetary policies were used to control inflation, which contributed to the rising interest rate, high cost of fuel and world recession, therefore making it . It was difficult for these "Global South" countries to repay their debts., Ssome economists even used the term "'moral hazar"d' for the inadequate effort by these debtor countries to payoff their debts, , which eventually saw the emergence of debt crisis. Debt conversion programs such as "debt-for-development", "debt-for-exports", "'debt-for-exports", "debt buy-back" and "debt-for-debt" were introduced, but it was the "debt-equity swap" which captured most of the attention on the business and financial fields between the 1980s and 1990s. "Debt-for-equity swaps" was first put forward by Philippines and its importance was growing until the mid-1990s. From 1985 to 1996, "debt-for-equity" net aaccounted for a total of US$38.6 billion and; its priority aim is was restructuring the financial situation to a better position of the debtor countries for long term success. Three parties are involving in such swaps, and they are: the debtor government, the private sector investor1 and the creditor2. Commercial debt and bilateral publicly guaranteed debt are eligible to arrange "'debt-equity swaps"'. , andT the debt conversion proceeds can be converted to cash or, bonds, to acquire the holding of public sector assets or to invest in the private sector, depending on the preferences of stakeholders involved. The private sector investors often act as the "negotiator"; they buy external debts of developing countries at a discount from face value on the secondary market or from a bilateral export credit agency, and then sell them to the debtor governments at the negotiated redeemable price in respective local currencies or local currency instruments3. The private investors will then be able to use the capital to invest in equity shares of domestic enterprises or public assets for the case of privatisation programmes4. Economically speaking, the amount of welfare gain must be larger than the welfare loss to successfully initiate the "debt-for-equity swap". Investors from the private sector often use the "Net Present Value" of the swap to determine the benefit if striking the deal. It is difficult to measure quantitatively that the exact value of "net" welfare gain, though an analysis on qualitative issues can be conducted through investigating the pros and cons of materializing "debt-equity swap" for each of the parties involved. For debtor countries, one of the potential advantages of performing the swap is its positive impact on the country's balance of payment by reducing the total debt and future debt service obligations in hard currency. Depending on the overall debt situation and the amount of debt swap, swap may reduce the debt "'overhang"' of a country and improve its pecking order in global financial markets. In addition, the swap encourages foreign capital inflows which may spur the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Geothermal Energy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Geothermal Energy - Case Study Example ates electrical power by utilizing the thermal energy from earth and converting it to the electrical energy by utilizing the methods utilized in a thermal power plant. To generate the power, long alloyed pipes that have higher resistivity against the corrosion and high temperatures and pressure are bored deep down into the earth’s crust to make the geothermal energy usable. When water is allowed to run into theses pipes, the geothermal energy makes the temperature of the water to shoot to a level where it converts into steam. Several geothermal power plants are working in the world to provide an uninterrupted power to different locations in the world. Geothermal grounds are parts where two tectonic plates meet. However, the energy can also be gathered without having the geothermal grounds by boring the pipes into the earth crust and marinating a heat exchange. Geothermal energy can be utilized for the majority of energy application like electricity generation, heating the water to be supplied to the homes and industry (DeGunther 2008). If considering the economic aspect of the energy source, it has enough potential to provide the energy to the world. It is type of green power and has a potential that cannot be counted but it has more than the potential to meet the all the energy requirements of the world (Mock, Tester & Wright 1997). In hotter regions it can also be utilized to maintain the temperature of home lower to certain degrees, as the temperature of the earth remains constant to 20-25o C. The operational cost associated to the geothermal power plants is comparatively low. While having so much advantages of the geothermal energy, there are some disadvantages of utilizing the geothermal energy. As the geothermal energy is made usable by digging deep down into the earth, the cost of the digging sometimes rises to an unmanageable way. Sometimes the expected amount of geothermal energy differs to the actual amount due to the lack of technology. Sometimes

Social Person Perspective Matrix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Social Person Perspective Matrix - Assignment Example The government and unions supplied the workers with much needed safety & security per Maslow’s hierarchy; worker needs the organizational leaders appeared to be ignoring. This perspective includes psychological concepts such as self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-actualization, and effective interpersonal communication and relationships. Managing with the whole person concept in mind is critical for the manager’s role today to maximize available limited resources. The social person needs to be a primary focus for the manager as that is what determines the needs and motivations of the worker (Reza, 2009). Noe et al. (2003) state that the Social Person Perspective came at a time in history when there had previously been solely a focus on production and increasing efficiency and productivity, at the sake and discomfort of the people. The evolution of management received a well-needed infusion of human understanding which eased management – worker conflicts, ended misunderstandings, and continued to increase organizational production while improving employee morale. Within the motivational theories that were brought about as a result of the focus on the social person, the important thing to remember is to treat the staff you work with as team members, not staff that work for you. The manager is not above everyone else, but working with them to get the work completed timely and accurately. Do not resort to the autocratic method of management. The workplace is a collection of adults who value and respect their time and effort and expect the same in return. They will then return the same value and respect to their team members, which includes the manager (Noe et al., 2003). Warmoth, A. (1998, August). Humanistic psychology and humanistic social science. Reprinted from Humanity and Society (the journal of the Association for Humanist Sociology, 22(3) Retrieved March 20, 2011 from

Leadership style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership style - Essay Example There are many leadership styles, and all have consequences on the organizational productivity. Some may lead to improved productivity while others lower the workers’ morale. This essay is a critique of the leadership styles of two leaders of X&Y Company. It also presents an assessment of the value of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational model as an explanation of their leadership behavior. It involves consideration of the Anglo context of Likert’s ideas and their generality to the professional group of Hickson and Pugh’s groups of societies. The production manager of X&Y company demonstrates bureaucratic leadership whereby all the organizational processes are carried out according to the laid out procedures, and every member of the organization’s staff understands his/her role in the process (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2007 p 36). None of them has a right to change any of the steps involved. Decision making process in the production department follows the conventional plan that was developed in 1999 when the organization was launched. No inventions have been adopted since that time. However, the department deals with processes involving high risks. Any action that deviates from the schedule may adversely affect the organization as a result of accidents that may result. Following particular procedures is therefore appropriate for this department. On the other hand, there is a tendency for dissatisfaction of the staff due to monotony and rigidity of leadership. The employees in this department complain of exhaustion and claim that the leader demoralizes them since they do not have a chance to raise decisions. There are no flexible practices such as off duties and shifts since the leader argues that every worker has experience and knowledge in the particular sections such as operating machinery, and dealing with the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Assessment of Artistic Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Assessment of Artistic Quality - Essay Example Other types of art include decoration, literature, interactive media, crafts, fine arts, and applied arts (Davies, 2009, 134). Since time immemorial, art has been controversial. Some people may decide to dislike a particular art for various reasons. There have been incidences of art destructions especially those that are not appealing or outrageous to some people. Some artistic creations have been disliked simply because they depicted unpopular parties, individuals, rules or groups. Conventions involving art have in most cases, been conservative (Noà «l, 2008, 45). The iconographic content of art may result in controversies. An example can be derived from the depiction of the new motif of the virgins Soon alongside the crucifixion of Christ. Another example of artistic controversy is that Last Judgement by Michelangelo. This is because it breached decorum by the depiction of not only a duty but also the Apollo Like pose of Christ. This art became a nuisance to many people (Stecker, 2007, 35). The many controversies in artistic designs have necessitated assessments on this artistic project to ascertain the quality before they are displayed in the public domain (Kennick, 2009, 6). In a different generation, artistic evaluation has been done using various criterion. In this situation, I think artistic quality should be assessed before being displayed to the public in order to eliminate or reduce controversies. Despite being in existence, a wider criterion for artistic evaluations, I will in this paper focus on fine art (painting) and discuss three methods to criterion in artistic quality evaluations. These criterions include assessment in artistic style, artistic technique, and line. In most cases, people tend to assess a particular piece of art by attaching their personal feelings to the decisions that they take. The contents of the majority of formal arts throughout history have been determined by the commissioner and the patron instead of a particular artist.

The Exorcist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Exorcist - Essay Example "Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is 'just a story'. The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience." - Stanley Wiater. The book tells the story of what happens when the actress finds her child behaving most peculiarly; after extensive medical examinations and visits to the psychiatrist, the mother decides that the child is possessed, and the child then begins talking in strange voices, shrieking and committing obscenities and violently abusing herself and any one who approaches her. The Exorcist explored areas and realms of fear in numerous different ways. The clash between good and evil was depicted incredibly emotionally and graphically in this novel, and the significantly obvious religious motives in the film caused incredibly controversy among most of the overall audience, while the Catholic Church in fact embraced the strength of the film's religious overtones. The perhaps most explored forms of fear which are depicted in fact take place between Regan and herself - Regan and Regan with the demon speaking from within her; such as when she speaks a language which both her mother and the priest claim, quite obviously, that she herself would never have known. At first the priest does not want to do an exorcism,... Both men come off as incredibly strong, faithful individuals, but when Priest Karras hears Regan tell him of his mother's death, he becomes incredibly frightened. He asks Regan's mother as he's leaving the house whether there was any way Regan could have known of his mother's death, to which she replied, "Not at all. Why'd you ask" "It's not important good night." Responded Karras. This shows how although Karras is obviously fearful, understanding and realizing for sure at this point that Regan is possessed, he does not want to put any further strain on the mother, and rather than telling her, he leaves and consoles in himself, understanding now what he has to do. The exorcism itself is incredibly lengthy, and unexplainably ruthless, putting Karras to most likely the greatest challenge and testament of his life. Each person in the novel is put through their own test of fears and strengths, although all end up with positive resolutions. There is certainly a significant validity to the exploration of such fears as these, and in regards to whether or not the novel 'goes too far'; basically depends on the reader's opinion. I believe that the novel does not go too far, but rather shows an occurrence in life - whether based on an actual event or not - which must be taken in great seriousness and understanding. The issue of faith, strength, and belief in a higher power are all explored heavily in this novel, and yet each exploration is truly helpful in its own way. When Karras reenters Regan's bedroom near the end of the novel, and sees Merrin's face down on her bed and realizes that he is dead, he loses control, grabbing Regan and throwing her to th e floor, shaking her and nearly strangling her in his fury. This is

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Assessment of Artistic Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Assessment of Artistic Quality - Essay Example Other types of art include decoration, literature, interactive media, crafts, fine arts, and applied arts (Davies, 2009, 134). Since time immemorial, art has been controversial. Some people may decide to dislike a particular art for various reasons. There have been incidences of art destructions especially those that are not appealing or outrageous to some people. Some artistic creations have been disliked simply because they depicted unpopular parties, individuals, rules or groups. Conventions involving art have in most cases, been conservative (Noà «l, 2008, 45). The iconographic content of art may result in controversies. An example can be derived from the depiction of the new motif of the virgins Soon alongside the crucifixion of Christ. Another example of artistic controversy is that Last Judgement by Michelangelo. This is because it breached decorum by the depiction of not only a duty but also the Apollo Like pose of Christ. This art became a nuisance to many people (Stecker, 2007, 35). The many controversies in artistic designs have necessitated assessments on this artistic project to ascertain the quality before they are displayed in the public domain (Kennick, 2009, 6). In a different generation, artistic evaluation has been done using various criterion. In this situation, I think artistic quality should be assessed before being displayed to the public in order to eliminate or reduce controversies. Despite being in existence, a wider criterion for artistic evaluations, I will in this paper focus on fine art (painting) and discuss three methods to criterion in artistic quality evaluations. These criterions include assessment in artistic style, artistic technique, and line. In most cases, people tend to assess a particular piece of art by attaching their personal feelings to the decisions that they take. The contents of the majority of formal arts throughout history have been determined by the commissioner and the patron instead of a particular artist.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

What Is The Globalization Essay Example for Free

What Is The Globalization Essay Foreword    The Economist has called   ‘globalisation’   the most abused word of the 21st century. Ironically, its clichà © status does not contribute much to common understanding of the term. The more extensively it is used by both scientists and popular media, the more ambiguous it appears. That is why the first and foremost task of the current report is to consider the term’s definitions and the scope of phenomena it covers. Besides, I would like to focus on the main challenges globalisation presents to public policy-making, paying attention especially to   the ones which affect states’ sovereignty and at the same time cause a number of other issues. What is Globalisation? Definitions of Globalisation First, let us dwell upon some of the possible definitions of the word ‘globalisation’. â€Å"Globalization (or globalisation) in its literal sense is a social change, an increased connectivity among societies, and their elements due to transculturation, the explosive evolution of transport, and communication technologies to facilitate international cultural and economic exchange. The term is applied in various social, cultural, commercial and economic contexts. Globalization can mean 1)The formation of a global village- closer contact between different parts of the world, with increasing possibilities of personal exchange, mutual understanding and friendship between world citizens; 2) Economic globalization more freedom of trade and increasing relations among members of an industry in different parts of the world (globalization of an industry); 3) The negative effects of for-profit multinational corporations- the use of substantial and sophisticated legal and financial means to circumvent the bounds of local laws and standards, in order to leverage the labor and services of unequally-developed regions against each other. ( Globalization,2004 ) Thus, the notion is viewed predominantly from the social angle in its core meaning, and the scope of further implications is determined by the specific field or context of its concrete application. In   Globalization and Its Discontents   a few different definitions are provided.  Ã‚   â€Å"Globalization can be defined as the unfolding resolution of the contradiction between ever expanding capital and its national political and social formation†¦ Globalization can also be grasped as the triumph of capitalism, that is, as the ascendancy of economics over politics, of corporate demands over public policy, of the private over the public interest, of the TNC ( transnational corporations) over the national state †¦.Globalization can further be defined as the arrival of self-generating capital at the global level: that is, capital as capital, capital in the form of the TNC, free of national loyalties, controls, and interests†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( McBride 2000, pp.8- 9). These definitions   are confined to one nucleus understanding that globalisation should be viewed   in terms of correlation between economy and politics. It is economy that takes over the purely national institutions in the course of globalisation. The two following phenomena are of special importance for the current report,   since   they generate the main challenges to public policy, which will be considered in the next part. 1) Increase in the share of the world economy controlled by multinational corporations 2) Erosion of national sovereignty through establishment of transnational institutions, quasi governments. It is necessary to note, that these two phenomena are closely interrelated, transnational institutions forming a kind of legal basis for corporations’ power implementation. The increasing role of TNCs and transborder institutions naturally confront the status quo intra- and international relations. What challenges globalisation presents to states’ public policy and what new way of thinking and policy-making can evolve as a result of such confrontation is discussed in the next part. III. Globalisation and Public Policy The main trends of globalisation: which of them can present a challenge? In his article Democracy, globalization, and the problem of the state Michael Goodhart focuses on the trends of globalisation. I will try to make out , which problem the government faces to handle each of them. One of such trends consists in the so-called interpenetration of markets as a result of their expansion. The trend definitely puts policy-makers in front of a dilemma: how to keep the balance between fair competition of free market and the necessity to protect home industry Another one refers to the rapid development in information and communication technologies such as Internet and satellite communication.   This is definitely one of the main benefits of globalisation, though it can cause some problems as well, particularly the one of security, and, I am afraid, not only information security â€Å"Fragmentation or localization: the trend toward ethnic revivalism, reinvigorated nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and other local patterns of identification and organization† (Goodhart 2002) is a logical counteraction to unification and standardization globalisation can bring. This is a form of resistance, which can be abused by manipulators of public consciousness. The next two trends are of extreme importance for the current report, and they do challenge policy-makers around the globe. I will give an exact quotation from M. Goodhart’s research article:   The first of them is â€Å"expanding power of TNCs and other non-state institutions of governance: the growing prominence of TNCs both as economic entities eager to elude the direct control and regulation of states and as actors and agents in international governance. Many observers note the parallel expansion of other quasi-public and private institutions of governance† (Goodhart 2002) Another strong trend can be described as â€Å"declining policy and regulatory role of the state: the diminishing policy autonomy of states and their inability to remain effective actors in international political and economic affairs. The claim is that markets constrain or dictate state policy; rapid capital flows and speculation against currencies can destabilize and even wreck national economies.† (Goodhart 2002) Further on, I will give them consideration from a slightly different angle The Global World vs. Sovereignty.    â€Å"A more interesting and, from a policy perspective, more promising question is how states and governments might react to the phenomenon of globalization and any potential challenge to their sovereignty arising from it. Just how does globalization challenge a governments sovereignty?† (Reinicke 1998, p. 53) To answer this question a distinction between external an internal sovereignty should be drawn   . â€Å"Both are relational concepts. But whereas the former focuses on a states external environment and characterizes relations among states within the international system, the latter depicts a states setting within its own territory, characterizing, for example, relations between a government and its citizens, the economy, or other, more narrowly defined groups and institutions. From the perspective of this study, public policy is defined as the principal instrument by which governments operationalize internal sovereignty both in a constitutive and in an executive sense.   (Reinicke1998, pp.53-4) What is usually meant by public policy? What is the scope of policy-makers’ activity? This is a typical encyclopaedia definition: â€Å"Public policy is the study of policy making by governments. . A governments public policy is the set of policies (laws, plans, actions, behaviors) that it chooses. Birkland offers up these common traits of all definitions of public policy (p. 20): The policy is made in the publics name. Policy is generally made or initiated by government. Policy is interpreted and implemented by public and private actors. Policy is what the government intends to do. Policy is what the government chooses not to do† (Globalization,2004)   Traditionally, state policy is strictly divided into domestic and foreign, which becomes impossible in the global world. The distinction is blurred; political and economic management is thus challenged. The distinction between internal and external sovereignty is to facilitate a more profound understanding of the nature of this challenge and to give the answer to the question whether globalization violates states sovereignty. So, we can speak of internal and external instead of domestic and foreign, and in their turn these two dimensions are correlated with globalization and interdependence correspondingly.   The term   Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcomplex interdependence’   was first coined to describe a condition in which autonomous states are related by a growing number of channelspolitical, social, economic, cultural, and others. So interdependence, or mutual dependence â€Å"implies sensitivity or vulnerability to an external force. The units to be studied when examining and measuring interdependence are territorially bound, sovereign nation-states. International interdependence thus denotes a condition of mutual sensitivity and vulnerability among states in the international system. From the perspective of each state, the source of this sensitivity and vulnerability is external† (Reinicke1998, p.55) The main feature of economic interdependence is   an increased cross-border flow of goods , services and capitals . It defines the division of labour among national economies. All the factors form the framework of international finance and trade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"However, despite this expanded flow of goods, services, and capital across borders, national frameworks for policymaking under conditions of interdependence remain for the most part separate from the international arena. In other words, the increased interaction of national economies due to rising specialization leads to heightened interdependence, or, as is often argued, simply dependence, yet national governments remain the principal center of political and economic power as well as the locus of decision-making. Economic events in other countries do not have a direct and immediate impact on the domestic economy but are filtered through a set of policy boundaries, the effectiveness of which begins at, but does not reach beyond, the territory of the domestic economy.†( Reinicke,1998, p.55) Reinicke also points out that it is not de jure legal sovereignty but de facto operational sovereignty which is challenged by interdependence. â€Å"In operational terms, internal sovereignty in todays modern democracy means the ability of a government to formulate, implement, and manage public policy t and society at large†¦A threat to a countrys operational internal sovereignty implies a threat to its ability to conduct public policy. With respect to the economy, the legal dimension of internal sovereignty becomes operational when governments collect taxes or regulate private sector activities, assuming that the boundaries that define the relationship between the public and the private sector are both stable and symmetric. †¦In contrast to internal sovereignty, external sovereignty implies the absence of a supreme authority and therefore the independence of states in the international system.† (Reinicke1998, p.57) The two concepts of sovereignty are closely interrelated, one giving basis or rational to the existence of another. It is quite clear that a state’s sovereignty cannot possibly be implemented through its external element because it is internal regularities and legal and public patterns   that hold a state together. According to what has been previously said about interdependence and challenges it presents to sovereignty, it is crucial to focus on the impact of globalisation. A few definitions of globalisation have already been given in previous parts of the current report. Another one is necessary within the given context. â€Å"According to one definition, globalization in its pure form is a process that subsumes and rearticulates national economies into the global economy through cross-national processes and transactions. These processes and transactions take on an autonomous role in a consolidated global marketplace for production, distribution, and consumption. According to this view, the global economy dominates national economies existing within it.† (Reinicke1998, p. 63) Hence, the attention should be drawn to the fact that while interdependence is, so to speak, cross- or transeconomical, being coherent element, connecting national economies,   globalisation is something that lies within the economy, i.e. it is intrinsic, inherent to them. â€Å"As national borders no longer encompass sufficient territory to function as self-contained markets for global companies, the spatial structure and dynamics that delineate the geography of private sector economic activities are becoming decoupled from the territorial structure and dynamics that define political geography, that is, the territorially bound nation-state and its power of decision-making within the economy†¦ Qualitatively, this disjuncture, or mismatch, between political and economic geography does not challenge the external sovereignty of states. It cannot. Rather, by altering the spatial relationship between the private and the public sector, global corporate networks challenge the internal sovereignty of states. Specifically, since the organizational logic of globalization induces corporations to seek the fusion of multiple, formerly segmented national markets into a single whole, it generates an economic geography that subsumes multiple political geographies. As a result, a government no longer has a monopoly of legitimate power over the territory within which corporations organize themselves. The greater the mismatch between political and economic geography, the more difficult it will be for national governments to act in an inclusive manner, allowing individuals to coexist and interact in a relatively predictable environment. This leads to the heightened perception of risk and insecurity widely observed in our societies† (Reinicke1998, p.64-65) Globalisation world is the world of information. The ability to conduct public policy properly depends on the governments’ access to information. The challenge is, their authorities spread only to a geographically national territories, not to the spheres of actual influence. To provide security, they need to obtain   operational information about economic actors, which do not necessarily perform their businesses within a   geographically restricted territory. Thus, the so-called information asymmetries arise. These asymmetries have always been the case in the modern world but the more globalised it gets, the more dramatic these gaps appear. The governments sometimes face the challenge of the most crucial information’s absence, which leads to not   at all unfounded anxiety of whether they are able to ensure national and global security. For example, it may present a huge difficulty for tax-assessing and collecting. But the information gaps may lie not only in the sphere of economy. A tragic evidence of traditional institutions’ inconsistency was September 11. â€Å"It needs to be recognised that globalisation is not just about increased flows between territorially distinct units, but also represents a more fundamental challenge to the spatial logic of international relations. The weapons systems of 11 September were launched from the eastern seaboard of the USA, not from across its borders. The perpetrators and their supporters were citizens of numerous countries. Most of the perpetrators had been educated in the USA and some were even US citizens. The target was not the military capacity of the USA but the symbols of its global hegemony. The fact that so many victims were non-American also reminds us that US power is embedded in transnational networks that transcend national boundaries. A new security politics needs to recognise the increasingly meaningless separation of the domestic and the international that informs so much conventional security thinking† (Beeson, Bellamy 2003 ). What happened is partially a result of the disjuncture between traditional governance, bounded spatially, and the global world following the new logics â€Å"Given the expansive nature of globalization, the spatial symmetry between the public and the private is disappearing†¦Like interdependence, globalization does not and cannot in any way challenge the legal internal sovereignty of a government. Globalization challenges internal operational sovereignty, and it is important for the subsequent discussion to keep this distinction in mind. Thus, just as states became increasingly sensitive and vulnerable to the actions of other states as increasing interdependence weakened their external operational sovereignty, so their internal operational sovereignty is being undermined by globalization, as territorially bounded governments can no longer project their power and policymaking capacity over the territory within which a global industry operates† (Reinicke1998, p.66) The problem does not only refer to global security and   global economy but to civil cociety and its citizens rights. â€Å"Although individuals may exercise their legal right to vote, the power or influence of that vote in shaping public policy has decreased with the decline in operational internal sovereignty and will continue to do so. Ultimately, a persistent weakness and failure of internal sovereignty, therefore, will lead to a questioning of the institutions and processes of democracy itself†Ã‚   (   Reinicke1998 , p.69) To sum up, â€Å"the globalization of industry presents a challenge to the capacity of governments to govern. But this challenge to their ability to conduct public policy is not an external challenge. It does not emanate from another state, as usually conceptualized in the standard approaches to the study of international relations, and in particular of international interdependence, which focuses on external sovereignty. Rather, the challenge comes from within each country, as economic networks (legal and illegal alike) increasingly operate in a nonterritorial functional space that defies individual territorialities and thus internal sovereignties† (Reinicke1998, p.69) Governments response In the light of the challenges,   which were considered above the question arises, in what way should governments react to globalisation and its consequences.   W.Reinicke   suggests three possible ways to deal with the issue, namely defensive intervention, offensive intervention and global public policy. â€Å"Policymakers can intervene defensively or offensively in globalization. By maintaining or resurrecting barriers to globalization through protective economic measures such as tariff and nontariff barriers, capital controls, or other national regulatory measures in the domains of transport, communications, and information, defensive intervention would in principle return internal sovereignty to the national government. This, in turn, would force companies to reorganize along national lines, much as they did before they adopted global strategies†¦ An alternative strategy to defensive intervention is offensive intervention. Here countries themselves become global competitors, striving to provide the most attractive environment possible for the strategies of global companies within their own territorial boundaries, or to lobby other countries on behalf of their domestic corporations in support of their overseas strategies† (Reinicke1998, p. 83)   A number of measures can be of use   with the latter type   such as   cutting taxes to attract I capitals flow, subsidies, aggressive export promotion campaigns. Corruption , bribery are not   underestimated in this case. Finally, Reinicke suggests   in his opinion the most   effective strategy, that of a global public policy. â€Å"Global public policy differs from both interventionist strategies in that it reverses the adjustment path between the two geographies by realigning the political with the economic geography. Rather than trying to force the economic geography of globalization to adjust to the political geography of interdependence, global public policy alters the political geography in a way that can both accommodate economic globalization and at the same time allow countries to continue to exercise internal sovereignty. Under these circumstances, the reach and management of internal sovereignty are no longer defined by territoriality, but rather by the spatial extension of globalization, that is, on a functional or sectoral basis† (Reinicke1998, p.87). It is global public policy that need governance but does not need a global government. III. Conclusion In the modern world to ignore the phenomenon of globalisation   would not only be impossible but also dangerous. Elaboration of   the efficient strategies is necessary   to cope with the information gap, which is the main challenge to public policy conduction. Transnational corporations increasingly   take over the intranational legitimate organs and reduce the role of democracy and civil rights’ influence upon the course of events. Under these conditions a few approaches are possible, some of them presupposing artificial intervention and oppression to the current circumstances. The most productive way , however, is to eliminate the problematic disjuncture between political and economic geography is not by trying to update it but to create an entirely new system of governance, which can be called global public policy. Bibliography    Beeson, M.,Bellamy, A. 2003. ‘Globalisation, Security and International Order after 11 September’,The Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 49, no. 3, pp.339-340 Chanda, N. 2003, Coming Together: Globalisation means reconnecting the human community, Available at: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/about/essay.jsp Ellwood, D.2002, ‘Americanisation or Globalisation? David Ellwood Argues That the Attempts of British Politicians to Copy an American Role Model Are Likely to Fail’,History Today, vol.52, no. 9 Globalization,2004, Available at: encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/globalization Goodhart, M.2002, ‘Democracy, Globalization and the Problem of the State’,Polity,vol.33,no.4, pp.527-528 Jhunjhunwala , B. 2004, ‘Alternative Globalization’, Addis Tribune, Available at:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=870 Kearney, A.T..2003, ‘Measuring Globalization: Whos Up, Whos Down’,Foreign Policy,60-61 McBride, S.(ed.).2000,Globalization and Its Discontents, Macmillan, Basingstoke Mittelman, J.2002, ‘Making Globalization Work for the Have Nots’,   International Journal on World Peace, vol. 19, no. 2, pp.3-4 Reinicke, W.1998,Global Public Policy: Governing without Government? The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC Shuja, S.2001, ‘Coping with Globalisation’,Contemporary Review, 279, no.1630, pp.257-258

Monday, October 14, 2019

Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Cluster Environment

Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Cluster Environment Victoria Mamatova Trends and analysis of the effectiveness of the cluster environment Abstract Today competitiveness is a common? topic in the world, and it is used as a device to reach the optimal economic growth and stable development. Among the main problems for the development of industrial clusters in the absence of an obvious approach is to evaluating its performance. This research has reviewed the economic effectiveness indicators of innovative clusters. This work provides a review of several methods and approaches of evaluating the cluster performance. Then the most appropriate and fully describing approach will be chosen as the most optimum one. Introduction Clusters, due to their inherent capability to support cooperation between different innovation actors in a region, provide a favourable environment encouraging RD driven innovation closely linked to the markets needs. Clusters are now a new trend in the field of innovation and new technologies. In developed countries, they have long been a platform where innovative ideas are born and implemented into practice. Russia also recently discovered a similar phenomenon, but already rapidly developing more and more opportunities in this area. The aim of this work is to study the methods for assessing the effectiveness of innovation clusters, and identifying common trends in the development of the cluster environment. This research proposal expects to have the following outcomes by the end of the project. First, it is important to define the measurement of the economic effectiveness of each cluster. The next objective is to develop quantitative and qualitative indicators that evaluate the effectiveness of clusters, to apply these indicators to the analysis of clusters and confirm the validity of these indicators. Then the analysis of the mechanism and methods required for analysis of cluster environment will be discovered.   In addition, it will be discussed the different approaches towards clusters and find the most appropriate one. Then given a review on the consequences of these concepts for economic and industrial policy. Finally, it will provide description of national and regional approaches in supporting clus ters and identifies the main challenges that clusters meet today for its proper functioning and development. Nowadays there is no any system or standard accepted, where would be a unite criteria for estimating performance of the cluster. Clusters can be estimated by each criteria separately. However, it is hard to define the whole effectiveness of cluster with separated values such as profit or performance or sustainability etc. Recent publications in foreign literature offer a variety of ways and methods to assess performance and efficiency of the cluster. However, many of them are evaluated in only one cluster parameter. Literature Review The origin of clusters. The current state of research regarding the cluster concept has evolved based on the studies conducted on agglomeration of firms. The first studies in this field started with four empirical observations (Marshall, 1890; Krugman, 1991; Malmberg, Solvell Zander, 1996): most part of the world, national economic and industrial areas are concentrated in very few regions. In these regions investors, universities, government or any other stakeholders of companies are operating. These companies have a longer life and effectiveness than isolated one due to the concentration of resources in this area. The later studies conducted by Porter (1990) and Krugman (1991) highlighted and added new dimensions to Marshalls observations. Despite criticisms regarding the generality of the approach, the widely accepted descriptions regarding clusters are: Geographic concentrations of interconnected companies and Institutions in the particular field (Porter, 1998, p. 45). Clusters a re not seen as fixed flows of goods and services, but rather as dynamic arrangements based on knowledge creation, increasing returns and innovation in a broad sense (Krugman, 1991). Porter (2000) redefines the cluster concept in a new analysis, concentrating on the type of relations that exists between cluster members à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢a geographically proximate group of inter connected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementaritiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- (Porter, 2000), and defining its boundaries that can à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢range from a single city or state to a country or even a group of neighbouring countries (Porter, 2000). Modern clusters. Now there is a cluster concept (Porter, 2007) that says that companies gain more competiveness and therefore effectiveness inside the cluster. It also claims that firms in the cluster have a longer life than other isolated companies. There is competition within the cluster. This competition can be among cluster members in an advanced way in the international market. It is worth mentioning that reducing competition is the most important goal among members of the cluster. The idea of reducing competition means ensuring agencies to cooperate more clusters to have an easy access to commercial inputs. Reaching the above goals in cluster facilitates outer-cluster competition and also business and enterprise firms can make the cluster ready for international competition (Kim, 2002). Nowadays there are two problems concerning clusters: economic integration and cluster effectiveness. Economic integration of clusters should be supported by the government with laws (Litzel, 2009), while clusters should consider the intensive intra-regional relationship between its elements (businesses, suppliers, institutions etc.). A cluster model. In order to understand the cluster model from the viewpoint of relations between firms, researchers have defined different models that take into account supplier chains relations, directly based on specific characteristics of urban areas, and clusters which define a typology (Malmberg, Solvell, Zander, 1996) that describes four different agglomerations, which highlights the conceptual differences between the clusters and the other three models.   Based on the role of different cluster members and the interaction between them, Markusen (1996) has defined four models of clusters. Markusen compares its models of modern clusters with the Marshal one, in which the cluster is rather comprising small firms that collaborate with each other, are in direct competition or in a supplier-producer relation. In a hub-and-spoke cluster, there are few dominant firms that represent the core of the cluster and are surrounded by numerous small firms that are linked directly to t hem. In a satellite platform cluster, a group of branch facilities of externally based multi-plant firms (Markusen, 1996) are located in a particular geographic region in order to benefit from governmental facilities or low costs with supplies and workforce. The last category, the state centered (He Fallah, 2011) or state anchored cluster (Markusen, 1996) is defined around a public, governmental or non-profit organization that dominates the region and the economic relation between cluster members. In short, the industrial cluster literature highlights the importance of cluster governance operating horizontally between cluster firms and institutions in local contexts, be it learning and innovation for economic upgrading or implementing CSR measures for social upgrading. This horizontal governance can be contrasted with the vertical governance in GVCs that links global lead firms to both first-tier and local suppliers in international production networks (see below). Cluster firms in developing economies often find themselves confronted by conflicting demands from global buyers, which seek lower labor costs while simultaneously requiring suppliers to comply with higher quality or social standards that would incur additional expenditures (Barrientos Smith 2007; Lund-Thomsen Pillay 2012). The fear of global buyers being foot-loose can keep cluster actors from making sustained investments in infrastructure or workforce development, thereby hindering local joint action. Such anxie ty has grown in the face of global economic recessions (Ruwanpura Wrigley 2011). Industrial clusters. A number of studies have been conducted to show the investment criteria for choosing the industrial clusters in decision-making, which can be separated into several strands. A main group of studies presents that firms will select investment location depending on the development of an innovation system or a technological system in a region (Braunerhjelm et al., 2000, Malerba, 2002, Cooke, 2002, Yeh Chang, 2003, Fleming and Sorenson, 2003, Chang and Shih, 2004, Bell, 2005, Asheim Coenen, 2005). It is reasonable to expect that industrial clusters will emerge from the location where innovation opportunity is available and accessible, as in the link between firms clustering and their probability to innovate (Baptista and Swann, 1998). These building blocks in the innovation system research institution, infrastructure, innovation network, and technology transfer mechanism, will affect the competitiveness of the industrial cluster. Network externality (Dayasindhu, 200 2) and market proximity (Krugman, 1995, Cook et al., 2001) are sometimes the critical criteria when creating a new start-up in an industrial cluster. Innovational clusters. Innovation through industrial clusters can be defined as a way to increase the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises by reaping the benefits generated by the local structures and synergies via cooperative relationship (Idrissia, Amaraa and Landrya, 2012). The clusters provide alliances, which among other things promote flexibility in terms of production volume and variety, reductions in investment costs, reduction in transaction costs and increase in operational efficiency, increased bargaining power, and the development of technology innovation processes (Rabellotti, 1999; Solvell, Ketels and Lindqvist, 2008; Bas, Amoros and Kunc, 2008). The synergy of industrial clusters is also recognized as a relationship network including companies in the same industry sector and that offer them the possibility to achieve innovation and improve product and process development. According to Kuei-Hsien, Miles and Ghung-Shing (2008), network relationships can differ entiate the value of the productive chain when the partners are engaged in activities of common interests allowing the improvement of pro-active actions in the final product or service, which creates a stimulating environment for the innovation process. Engel and del-Palacio (2009) extended Porters (year) definition of industrial agglomeration to delineate a Global Cluster of Innovation Framework that describes business clusters defined not primarily by industry specialization but by the stage of development and innovation of the clusters constituents. While industry concentrations do exist, they are not definitive. It is rather the nature and the behavior of the components that is distinctive-the rapid emergence of new firms commercializing new technologies, creating new markets, and addressing global markets. Methodology The purpose of my research is to estimate the economic effectiveness of clusters performance. Therefore, the main methods of evaluating cluster effectiveness would be economic methods of evaluating project effectiveness. These methods allow seeing the economic feasibility of investment and detecting one of the most financially advantageous of clusters. It is accepted to divide methods of evaluating to dynamic, those that take into account the time factor, and static: accounts. The first group to overview is static methods. The rate of profit is the ratio of the average annual income to total investment costs (Rutherford, 2002). This method can be used to compare several alternatives to capital investment. The most profitable cluster will be considered as one if its rate of profit is not less than the rate of return alternative. The second method is method of determining the payback period. Payback period is a period of time through which the full return on investment due to income from the project (Rutherford, 2002). The payback period of a given cluster is an important determinant of whether to undertake the position or project, as longer payback periods are typically not desirable for investment positions. The next group is dynamic methods. The first is method of net present value (NVP). This method compares the investment volume of the cluster with a total sum of the discounted net cash flows generated during the period of the intended investment. NPV shows if used in the calculation of the rate of return reach R (where R is Interest rate) of the investment within the project life cycle. It should be noted that disadvantages of this method is impossibility to assess which of the alternative cluster are better with great NPV and a long payback period, or a lower NPV, but faster payback. The method of internal rate of return (IRR) This method shows the rate at which the present value of the net revenue from the investment of the project is equal to the present value of the investment and the value of net present value: zero. The disadvantage of this method is that the IRR analysis is not suitable for ordinary investment flows. Then all quantitive and qualitive should be summerised to get number that actually describes effectiveness of each cluster. Each number describes one cluster, so there will be 5 numbers for 5 clusters. The method that will be used to summerise all the criteria is analytic hierarchy process developed by Saaty (2008). This method helps to determine the root of any problem through a hierarchical view of the elements. The main idea of the method is to split the problem into smaller elements, the next step they are compared in pairs. Then the next level is estimated by stating priorities and values each criteria. The output is a relative degree of interaction of the elements in the hierarchy. Overall, these are the main methods that will be used in my study. All of them are quantitative methods. That means that it requires quantifiable data involving numerical and statistical explanations. That is why firstly there will be data collected and analysed from financial and performance monthly reports. Statistica or MS Excel will be used to proceed the data and define the main financial and performance values and then count PP, NVP, IRR that mentioned above. There is no particular soft to build the analytic hierarchy process, so MS Excel is an appropriate option. Anticipated Results By the end of this project there will be five values that fully describe the effectiveness of each (of five) cluster. According to these values, it is possible to choose the most effective one. Therefore, it is very useful tool for investors that can easily define the cluster to invest. Companies also can define their weak sides and where they should improve performance, as priority system is used in the hierarchy analytical method. As it was mentioned before, there is no union system to identify the overall cluster effectiveness. This project will be an example of another working tool for measuring the most effective cluster. Moreover, after finishing project there will be gaps and mistakes revealed (if there any). And then recommendations will be given considering these gaps and how to fix them or improve it. Conclusion The purpose of this review was to view trends in evaluating the economic effectiveness of clusters performance within the past five years and see the rapid improvement in innovation clusters. It is clear from the research that creating and integrating clusters and cluster policy is widely practiced in todays economy. That is why there are plenty of methods of estimating cluster effectiveness such as static and dynamic methods of effectiveness analysis. These methods will be analyzed to find out the one that can fully describe the effectiveness. In this research the most appropriate method will be found and reviewed on the consequences of concepts for economic and industrial policy, as today clusters meet some challenges for its proper functioning and development. References Baptista, R., Swann, P. (1998). Do firms in clusters innovate more?. Research policy, 27(5), 525-540. Krugman, P. (1991). History and industry location: The case of the manufacturing belt. The American Economic Review, 81(2), 80-83. Kuei-Hsien, N., Miles, G., Chung-Shing, L. (2008). Strategic development of network clusters. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 18(3), 176-81. Litzel, N., Mà ¶ller, J. (2009). Industrial clusters and economic integration: theoretic concepts and an application to the European Metropolitan Region Nuremberg, 44-47. Malmberg, A., Sà ¶lvell, ÃÆ'-., Zander, I. (1996). Spatial clustering, local accumulation of knowledge and firm competitiveness. Geografiska Annaler. Series B. Human Geography, 85-97. Marshall, A. (1890). Principles of economics: An introductory volume (Eighth Edition). London: Macmillan. Ortega-Colomer, F. J., Molina-Morales, F. X., Fernà ¡ndez de Lucio, I. (2016). Discussing the Concepts of Cluster and Industrial District. Journal of Technology Management Innovation, 11(2), 139-147. Porter, M. E. (2000). Location, competition, and economic development: Local clusters in a global economy. Economic Development Quarterly, 14(1), 15-34. Porter, M. (2007). Clusters and economic policy: Aligning public policy with the new economics of competition. Cambridge: Harvard Business School, 2. Rutherford D. (2002). In Routledge Dictionary of Economics (2d ed.). London, New York: Routledge. Ruwanpura, K. N., Wrigley, N. (2011). The costs of compliance? Views of Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers in times of global economic crisis. Journal of Economic Geography, 11(6), 1031-1049. Saaty, T. L. (2008). Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process. International journal of services sciences, 1(1), 83-98.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

How Does the Tell Tale Heart Fulfil Your Expectations of A Gothic Essay

How Does the Tell Tale Heart Fulfil Your Expectations of A Gothic Story? From a gothic story such as the tell tale heart, by Edgar Allan Poe, I expect numerous amounts of gory deaths, intense suspense, hideous horror, plently of fear and espically paranoia. They should also contain a variety of literacy techniques including imagery, sentence structure, punctation and repititation in my essay I will be focusing on the amounts of death, horror, fear, suspense and the amount of literacy techniques used throughout the story. Edgar Allan Poe uses a lot of suspense in the Tell Tale Heart. To increase the effect the suspense he incorprates it with literacy techniques. One example of mixing literacty techniques with suspense is when Edgar Allan Poe uses imagery to descirbe the man creeping into the old mans bedroom when the old man wakes up. ‘I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old man sprang up in bed, crying out --"Who's there?" I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour, I did not mo...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Analysis of Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti Essay -- English Literat

Analysis of Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti describes a cottage maiden who was seduced and used by the lord of the estate for which she worked. She was surprised and taken a back by the fact that someone so great and powerful could be slightly interested in her, and so she automatically fell in love with him. It wasn't until after he had slept with her that he left her for her cousin, Kate. The cottage maiden was devastated that he had done that to her. She felt unclean and unwanted. The lord asked for Kate's hand in marriage and she accepted. The cottage maid thought that he married Kate because she was innocent and pure, 'Because you were so good and pure/He bound you with his ring' - the cottage maiden is in complete contrast to her cousin. The only good thing that came out of this was the cottage maiden had a child, 'Yet I've a gift you have not got...' and 'my fair-haired son'. The lord had seduced the cottage maiden and used her like a 'silken knot'. This basically means that the lord used the cottage maiden as a trophy and used her when he wanted to. This is a poem based and written in the 19th century. There are three main characters in the story. Cousin Kate, the cottage maiden and the Lord. The title of this poem is self-explanatory. The poem is based on a character called Cousin Kate. As she is the main character in the poem, the whole poem revolves around her. The poem basically tells us about 19th century life and people's attitudes towards unlawful relationships. The poem tells us about a cottage maiden who had an affair with a Lord. She loses her virginity to him, and then regrets the whole ordeal. In the 19th century, if you were not known as pure ... ... but further on she's not able to contain this calmness anymore and has an outburst of hatred towards the Lord - something that she's been trying to cover. The last stanza of the poem becomes more of revenge than hatred. She feels she's had revenge over the Lord and Kate by having a child - something that they're not likely to get. She sounds very self-satisfied. Christina Rossetti has written a very good portrayal of life in early times. It shows how society rejected woman who had unlawful sex in earlier times; women were judges and disowned by all people who knew them. Society has now changed. Women are no longer judged or even looked down on by anyone. It has become a way of life that in earlier times may have been considered as dirty and unlawful, people's attitudes have changes and it is no longer as big a deal as it was in the early 19th century.