Assigned Seating Essay

Would you want an assign seat for everyday you sit at lunch or would want to be able to choose for yourself? In our country we have always had a freedom of choice. The topic the I am going to discuss with you is wether or not you should have assign seats during lunch. Many middle school and high school students disagree on having assign seats. Many agree with it because it is a chance to make new friends or interact with someone you usually do not. I do not think that assign seating is the best way to have lunch when we need sometime to socialize,relax and talk with your friends. For one thing, students will most likely be comfortable when they are next to people they know already. 100% of sample students polled from a local middle school stating that they were in favor of having no assign seating in the cafeteria. After all,it is quite logical that kids will feel more comfortable when they are not fretting about other things. Also, having no assign seating prepares students for the real world. Letting students choose where and with whom they are seated in school prepares them for the future, where they will have to make responsible decisions based on what is best for them, which is one of schools main ideals, or at least should be. In addition, allowing freedom can give them a chance to interact with others. For example, if you had assign seating in your cafeteria you would have to sit next to the same person everyday and you would not be able to talk or interact with different people. Also, there was a kid that was in school that had assign seating and everyday at lunch he go bullied by a kid that was in his table, and because of that he tried to kill himself. Thousands of schools participate in this program and it was successful but not in the school that this poor kid went to. Finally, having the freedom to sit where you like can give you more time to eat. For example, if there is someone in your assign seat and your not the kind of person to get in trouble, you would have to stand there and wait until they move which can take a while and it takes time away from eating and relaxing. One time there was a kid that wanted to eat lunch when someone was in his seat and they did not move, so so the kid had to wait until the other boy moved from his seat and that took up his whole lunch break and he ended up not eating at all. Having assign seating with someone you dislike or do not get along with could end up in an argument or even worse, a fight. Some of the benefits of having assign seating are that kids will not continually wander around the cafeteria looking for a seat, and chocking back tears when no one would let them join a table. Also, the cafeteria would not become ground zero for gossip, bullying, and fighting. If we had assign seats there are many different advantages concerning the stop of bullying, fighting , and arguing. Now, should kids be able to chose there own seats? if they sit in school for 7 hours and do 2-3 hours of homework per night, and even have projects for the weekends, will they also refuse kids from sitting where they like in lunch? To me , assign seating is a definite no, and I strongly disagree with anyone who says that they agree with it.

Cja 234 Jail and Prison

Jail and Prison CJA 234 Jails and prisons from the outside perspective seem to have the same meaning. Although jails and prisons are a part of the criminal justice system correctional system, the fact is jails and prisons are different. The jail system is a short-term facility where inmates are confined until their trial date. State and Federal prisons are long-term facilities where inmates are confined after being convicted. The roles and functions of jails throughout history set the standards for jail. An inmate is taken after they have been arrested for committing a crime.Jail is a short-term location for inmates who are awaiting trial or sentencing. Inmates sentenced to twelve months or less serve their time in jail. Jails are owned and operated by the states local government or the sheriff’s office. â€Å"The first jails were created in England and they were called gaol† (Seiter, 2011, p. 72). Early jails had terrible conditions such as filth, no medical care, and poor food. There were times when large numbers of inmates were contained in one large room. â€Å"Jails were used to house displaced persons, the poor, and the mentally ill because of the vagrancy problems during he fourteenth and eighteen centuries† (Seiter, 2011, p. 72). In 1773, John Howard was the sheriff of Bedfordshire. During his inspection of the local jail John was surprised by the horrible conditions. To find examples of prisons that could be replicated in England, John Howard visited other European countries. John Howard along with members of the English House of Commons drafted the Penitentiary Act of 1779. A reformatory regime that required inmates to be confined in cells unless they were working in common rooms, secure and sanitary, systematic inspections, nd abolition of fees were the four requirements created from this act for English prisons and jails. Jails have an important role in corrections; jails are also known as correctional centers. The purpose of ja il is confine criminals to punish them for their wrongdoings. Criminals must be held accountable for their own actions, the criminal’s punishment is determined after conviction. The theory for incarceration is that if criminals are imprisoned they will not commit crimes. Being incarcerated gives inmates the opportunity to evaluate their actions to make wiser decisions.State prisons are operated by the state; state prisons are prisons that confine inmates that have committed state crimes or crimes committed in that state. Every state has its own penal code. When an inmate is serving more than one year they are contained in a state prison. Robbery and sex crimes are examples of state crimes. Federal prisons are prisons that confine inmates that have committed federal crimes. Federal prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Bureau of Justice Statistics states inmates confined to federal prisons are the legal authority f the federal government. Jails and prisons classify inmates by security levels. It is essential for each inmate to be assessed and classified into the appropriate correctional setting. If prisoners were held in a prison without concern for classification there would be a several concerns. Jails, state prisons, and federal prisons purpose is to confine and rehabilitate criminals. Institutional misconduct, prison violence, over crowdedness, and prison escapes are a few concerns. Inmates are separated by the seriousness of the crime committed, previous records, and violence history.Security levels are physical features that jails, state prisons, and federal prison have in place to control the behavior of inmates and prevent them from escaping. Jails have security levels that inmates are evaluated and confined to. The security levels are the basic security levels. The type of security in a jail is at the jails discretion. The Cook County Sheriff’s office categorized by divisions. There are different types of jails and pr isons. Each security level has rules and restrictions, they have some similarities but, they are different. The igher the security level the more restrictions are in place. In state prisons inmates are classified by security levels. The security level is determined by each state. Inmates are categorized by the type of problems they have and their violence level. The common levels of security for state prisons are low, medium, high, and maximum security. States do not categorize the security levels with the same name even though the definitions are the same. Jails, state prisons, and federal prisons have the same theory, which is protecting the public by ensuring the accused and convicted are detained.There are five security levels in the federal prisons system: minimum, low, medium, high, and administrative. According to the Federal of Bureau of Prisons website the highest percentage of inmates is in low security. The different security levels are necessary to confine the offenders appropriately. The minimum security institutions are known as Federal Prison Camp (FPCs). The FPC’s have limited perimeter fencing. The low security institutions are known as Federal Correctional Institutions (FCIs). The FCI’s have double-fenced perimeters. The medium securityFCI’s have double-fenced perimeters with electronic detection systems. The high security institutions are known as the United States Penitentiaries (USPs). The USPs are highly secured with walls or reinforced fences. Jails and prisons are places where inmates are incarcerated to become rehabilitated. There are similarities and differences between jail, state prison, and federal prison, the main difference in the amenities and programs. Jails are locally operated, state prisons are operated by the state, and federal prisons are operated by the federal government. The difference in jail, state, and federal rison is how defendants serve their time. Defendants that are convicted of state crimes serve their time in state prison, defendants that are convicted of federal crimes serve their time in federal prison. Defendants that are convicted of minor crimes and sentenced to two years or less serve their time in a jail. Because jails are considered to be short-term, state prisons and federal prisons offer training and programs that jails do not offer. A county jail may offer work release programs. State and federal prions also offer work release programs, they also may have alfway houses services or vocational training. The jail and prions system has the tools necessary to ensure offenders will become positive productive members of society. The prison population has increased. The factors that influence the growth in jails, state prisons, and federal prisons are economic conditions, sentencing laws, crime rates, and offenders returning to prison. Jails and prisons are different, each facility have its own problems. The common goal between jail and prions is serving and prote cting the community and helping the convicts reenter society as positive productive members.References Bureau of Justice Statistics. Office of justice programs. Retrieved from http://bjs. ojp. usdoj. gov/index. cfm? ty=tp&tid=133 Cook county Sheriff website. Retrieved from http://www. cookcountysheriff. org/doc/doc_DivisionsOfJail. html Federal Bureau of Prisons. An agency of the U. S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www. bop. gov/about/facts. jsp. http://www. bop. gov/locations/institutions/index. jsp Seiter, R. (2011). Corrections: An introduction, Third Edition. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Select an ancient (Coliseum water supply), pioneer historical (canals, Assignment

Select an ancient (Coliseum water supply), pioneer historical (canals, Carolina rice, London Docks) or exotic (e.g. Sahara Deser - Assignment Example Those reasons will be clear if we analyze the function of the Coliseum. It was an arena for spectators to watch the death of animals, slaves, gladiators, Christians, and other factions of the society that the Romans wanted to exterminate or punish (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). These death games were literally games, with very gruesome acts and bloody ends (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). Water was, therefore, needed to wash away the remains of the animals and humans, and their blood and body parts (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). This drainage became part of the sewer system of the Coliseum, which ultimately ended in the River Tiber (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). It is further discussed with the toilet system of the Coliseum. The Coliseum water supply also catered to the requirements of the toilets, which consisted of two large toilets with rows of open seating holes having a tunnel beneath them through which passed a stream of flowing water (Colosseum Water and Sewe r System). There were four underground tunnels for collecting the drained water, including that from the arena, and connected to these tunnels were four wells 1.3 by 3.8 meters in the foundation of the building (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). ... The main water supply to the Coliseum, and indeed to Rome in general, was through the River Tiber (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). Other smaller streams, some seasonal in nature, were also utilized. The system through which water was conducted to the city and to Coliseum comprised of aqueducts, which were impressive concrete water channels supported by pillars and arches (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). Coliseum was supplied by the Aqua Claudia, commissioned by Emperor Claudius, the first aqueduct to be built, running eleven miles, in the year 312 B. C. (Ancient Roman Aqueducts). The source was the river. The channels were concrete in nature, supplemented by viaducts which were multi-tiered structures to help the water cross low areas (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). The aqueducts led to large covered basins which served as modern-day sedimentation tanks to collect the silt and dirt of the River water before it was supplied to the public (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). O nce cleaned, channels led from these catch basins to storage reservoirs in the city, either in the form of open free-flowing canals, or through led and terra-cotta pipes (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). From the reservoirs, water was supplied to the building through led pipes (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). These pipes were embedded in the walls and floor of the structure of Coliseum during its structure (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). It is estimated that five hundred thousand barrels of water flowed through these channels in twenty-four hours (Ancient Roman Aqueducts). Another method of water provision was through the collection of rain water (Colosseum Water and Sewer System). This was collected by concentric ducts and led through vertical pipes down the walls of Coliseum

Sometime in the future oil will become more expensive. investigate the Essay

Sometime in the future oil will become more expensive. investigate the effects of this on the market for oil and the market for - Essay Example Nations must now come to terms with the harsh reality that dependence on oil is as short-term solution and the other sources of renewable as well as green energy must be considered. Hubbert (1956) had predicted that the production of oil in America followed a bell shaped graph trend. He stipulated that the peak of oil production was to be attained in 1970 after which production will assume a downward trend. His prediction reigned despite sharp criticisms. He then predicted a global peak to be witnessed in the year 2000. Michael Lynch fronted that the production of oil must be closely tied to oil prices. He argued that Hubbert committed a mistake in assuming that geology is the motivating factor to the discovery, production and depletion of oil. He advocated for supply and demand as the key determinants in the oil industry. "To an economist, the drop in exploration reflects optimal behavior: they do not waste money exploring for something they will not use for decades.† he added . Factors that influence the price of oil. Economic growth is one of the key factors that affect oil prices. A steadfast economic growth will result in an increase in the demand for oil and its byproducts. It thus exhibits a direct relationship with the price of oil. Even as countries seek to experience a rapid economic growth, they need to focus on other sources of energy so that their increased demand for energy can be met adequately. Another factor according to Watson (1987) that affects the price of oil is the seasonal changes. It has been observed that during winter oil prices increases rapidly in Europe and the U.S.A due to the increased demand. Before the beginning of winter, consumers tend to buy excess of oil and its products due to fear of possible. However during summer, demand tends to decrease especially that of domestic use. Energy substitutes such as coal, natural gas and nuclear energy that can replace oil will also determine its price. If more alternative sources of energy are discovered, overreliance on oil will decline and the prices will tend to decline. Foreign exchange affects oil prices since oil is traded internationally and the U.S dollar is the main currency used. Therefore appreciation or depreciation of the local currencies against the U.S dollar will significantly affect the price of oil. When the dollar weakens, the prices of oil will escalate. Increase in oil prices will also lead to high export bill resulting in trade deficits and a further weakening of the dollar. Policies of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (O.P.E.C) also affect the demand and supply of oil. This further affects prices. Being one of the largest oil regulatory body, their actions will greatly affect production levels as well as international prices. Countries with high production capacity as well as high oil reserves have got high bargaining power in terms of prices. Causes of high oil prices. Instability in the Middle East is a key factor that has led to increase in oil prices. Middle East countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates form major producers as well as exporters of oil. Iran has not had cordial relationship with the west especially the U.S.A. At times they have threatened to hoard their oil so as to frustrate them. A decline in the exportation of oil by these countries will create a serious shortage thus increasing the prices. Political unrest being witnessed in other oil producing counties in Africa has also affected greatly the production of oil thus resulting in an increase in prices. The recent political turmoil witnessed in Libya, led to a decline in the

Discuss the offences and punishments arising out of Military Service Essay

Discuss the offences and punishments arising out of Military Service in Malta - Essay Example force’s and friendly aircrafts or when commanded to carry out operations in the air but fails to do so effectively shall be liable to life sentences or any other punishment provided by the Forces Act. However, if such intentional acts can not be proved, the individual may be convicted and imprisoned or given lesser penalties (Laws of Malta, 2003). Communication with the enemy and any such dangerous disclosures through intentional and unauthorized issuance of intelligence to enemies faces up to a life sentence or any other punishment in the act. ... In addition, a soldier becoming a prisoner of war through disobedience or willful neglect of duty or failing to take opportunity to rejoin forces or preventing/ discouraging other prisoners of war from taking steps to return to forces shall be open to imprisonment or any less punishment in this act (Malta, 1988). Offences regarding sentries or guards on duty (that is, one posted to patrol or is a member of a guard/ other party on patrol for purposes of preventing/ controlling access to or egress from any premises or of regulatory traffic), included drunkenness, sleeping at post or leaving assigned post. If anyone under military law uses force against such a guard on duty to achieve an objective shall be guilty against the said article. However, if offence is committed when one is not on active duty, he/ she must not be imprisoned fro more than two years. Looting offences included stealing from or the intent to steal from person wounded or killed in military operations or any property left exposed and unprotected after operations or anything left behind by the enemy with punishments ranging from imprisonment or any less punishment in the act. Mutiny by persons subject to military law by inciting another person or is themselves involved in threats of use of violence in order to avoid military duty is punishable on conviction for up to a life sentence or any other less punishment in the act. It involves the participation of at least two persons subject to military law to overthrow or resist authority, hamper conduction of military duty or to disobey authority in any way that causes deterioration of discipline in the forces. Failure to suppress, report without hesitation or prevent perceived

Behavioral Characteristics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Behavioral Characteristics - Article Example He wanted to stop commercial interests that are busily destroying embryos in order to obtain stem cells. If this conduct amounts to murder as he contends there is nothing to stop the evil act. Most scientists agree that while adult stem cells offer hope of a cure for some of the cruelest diseases and injuries, embryonic stem cells hold even greater and surer promise. But this greater and surer promise should not drive mankind to madly believe that there is nothing to stop him from terrorizing the world as stem cell research would one day create a man that would defy even death and become indestructible. Hate Sites There are hate sites, Web sites that are very disturbing to browse. Web sites that ridicule African Americans, Jews, gays, immigrants and others, but some took it a few steps further by combining bigotry with articles about guns, bombs and other implements of violence. Others were designed deliberately to shock, with displays of swastikas, burning crosses and nooses. One si te mixes hate with stories and photographs that celebrate sex and violence in the most extreme way imaginable. The people who run hate sites don't usually put up even a feeble effort to keep out children. On the contrary, some overtly invite children and teens to participate. Many have music graphics and rhetoric designed to appeal to teens. Children or teenagers who grow browsing these hate sites will become perverted at an early age which is dangerous to the humankind. Racism It is insensitive and unwise because any satisfaction that racism gives to the students who display racist symbols is far outweighed by the discomfort it causes to many others. They must have known that they would upset many fellow students and ignore the decent regard for the feelings of others so essential to building and preserving a strong and harmonious community. No community will become humane and caring by restricting what its members can say. The worst offenders will simply find other ways to irritat e and insult. In talking with students, the faculty members should seek to educate and persuade, rather than resort to ridicule or intimidation, recognizing that only persuasion is likely to produce a lasting, beneficial effect. Through such efforts, an educational institution can help create a truly understanding, supportive community. Otherwise students will become young offenders. Hate Speech Hate speech is a speech that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristic and this may incite violence or prejudicial action against or by a protected individual or group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected individual or group. Kenneth Lake thinks that the first ever online’ hate speech’ trial will have drastic consequences for free speech on the Internet. â€Å"I personally will make it my life career to find and kill every one of you pers onally† signed Asian Hater, the words of an email message that is to have serious consequences for Internet freedom. They were written by Richard Machdo, a Los Angeles man who was convicted last Tuesday (10/2/98) of sending racist death threats to 59 Asian students. The email accused Asians for the all crimes on campus, and suggested that Machado would personally â€Å"find†, â€Å"hunt down† and â€Å"kill† them if they did not leave the University of California at Irvine. The email was sent from a campus computer and signed â€Å"Asian Hater†. Hate speech rouses unnatural hatred of the members of one people or community for the members of another resulting in civil right violations that would take its toll on world peace. Animal Testing Experiments on animals, with a view to

Drama in literature Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drama in literature - Research Paper Example entral idea of a drama or its theme is manifested through dialogue or action in the play or something which can be determined at the end of the entire show. Plot, as another significant element, pertains to the logical sequence of events within which distinct characters are connected. While the plot establishes the integral part of the play, the characters convey how plot should communicate the meaning or essence of drama, especially the theme being endorsed, to the target audience (Elements of Drama). Music which consists in the background score through songs and the sound effects the rhythm and melodious content of which serve as an ingredient element to enhance the quality of presentation, functions with the dialogue to stimulate further the intellect and sentiment of the viewers. Since drama is intended to be seen and heard at the same time, audio-visual aspects collaborate such that the visual element in costumes, props, and other visual effects make up the chief component that measures the extent to which the play is appealing to the each watcher (Elements of Drama). For the characters to develop the theme in drama, the actors playing distinct roles as such ought to assume them in a manner that displays realistic motives, thoughts and actions. As protagonist or the main character is met by the antagonist, there is in conflict a discovery of epiphany or revelation or anagnorisis, a truth signified through the pertinent acts being carried by the characters. On the other hand, the dimension, the type of atmosphere or setting in which the author or playwright locates the plot is showcased through differing background or physical environment to coincide with the progress of action. The setting includes lighting, paraphernalia as props, and gestures or movements that might contribute to animate and bring the play to achieve the life which is expected to flow with the drama and theme under development (Drama Guidelines). Essentially, the play is developed to

Ethics of Merci Killing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics of Merci Killing - Essay Example People argue that if legalized the choice of their life will be given to other people who may use it unethically to kill those whom they have a bias against. Another reason is regarding the religious aspect of life. Some religions see life as a gift from God and do not give a man the authority to take life at his own will.â€Å"The word Euthanasia means a "good death,"  Ã‚  "beneficial death" or a ‘dignified death’."   Euthanasia can be practiced in a number of ways; one can be defined as passive Euthanasia which is carried out to hasten the death of a person. For example by removing a patient from life support or in some cases by stopping food and water or any sort of medicine which is helping to keep the patient alive.The controversy surrounding Euthanasia can be broadly categorized into two arguments, one in favor of Euthanasia and the other against it. We will briefly shed light on both of these arguments.â€Å"Pro-lifers readily agree that anyone should have t he right to refuse medical treatment if he believes the side effects, whether pain or the burden of being tied to some machine or whatever is worse than the disease. This includes two types of people, One: People who, perhaps because of a serious illness or perhaps for reasons unrelated to their illness, are extremely depressed and say they want to die and Two: People who are suffering from illnesses that make them unable to communicate. This includes people who are in a coma, or paralyzed, or simply so sick and weak that they cannot make meaningful sounds or other communication. The pro-euthanasia people say that such patients' ‘quality of life’ is so low that they are better off dead and they should be killed.†People who argue against euthanasia say that if legalized it can become an issue of cost containment and government saving rather than providing long term care to serious patients or those who do not have health insurance.

Starbucks Corporation Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Corporation Essay Starbucks founded in 1987 as a modest nine-store operation in Seattle, Washington and quickly became the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffees in the world with over 17,400 store locations in more than 55 countries (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). The company first got its start in 1971 when three academics all decided upon opening a coffee store in touristy Pikes Place Market in Seattle. The three academics; Jerry Baldwin an English teacher, Zev Siegel a History teacher and Gordon Bowker a writer were all coffee aficionados (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). They all enjoyed, love and shared a passion for fine coffees and exotic teas as they believed they could build a clientele in Seattle that would appreciate the best coffees and teas. The case tells us that the store was an immediate success, with sales exceeding expectations. The company ordered its coffee bean supplies from a specialty coffee retailer in Berkeley, California but towards the end of the year the partners purchased a used roaster from Holland, set up roasting operations in a nearby ramshackle building, and came up with their own blends and flavors (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). The case tells us that by 1980s the company had four Starbucks stores in the Seattle area and had been profitable every year since opening its doors. A few decades on, April 2012, annual sales were expected to exceed $13 billion in that fiscal year (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Howard Schultz who was vice president and general manager of U.S operations for a Swedish marker of stylish kitchen equipment and coffeemakers, decided to pay Starbucks a visit (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014).  The case tells us that he was awed by the violinist playing at the door, the powerful and pleasing aroma of coffees, and the wall displaying coffee beans. After just three sips of the brew, Schultz was hooked and he began talking to the owner and was intrigued by the business philosophy of the partners. After tough negotiations, Schultz was finally hired as head of marketing and oversing retail stores. Schultz was overflowed with ideas for the company and how to move the company forward (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). A trip to Milan Italy allowed him to explore coffee bars and learned an immense deal about the Italian passion for coffee. The trip showed him the potential of Starbucks as he then approached the owners hopefully of improving the company. The owners reject Schultz ideas as they felt it would put the core values of the companies in shadows however they did allow him to test an espresso bar which became a huge success. At the time the owners did not share similar view with Schultz so he decided to leave to start his own coffee and espresso bar named II Giornale Coffee Company. This venture became a huge success and expansion across the United State happened immediately. After much success Schultz went back and acquired Starbucks and had numerous improvement plans for the coffee company. The first of the improvement strategy was going public, followed by making Starbucks a third place where customers could enjoy coffee, surf the internet, read, or catch up with friends (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Another Strategy was to make Starbucks a great place to work. This strategy in my opinion was one of the key strategies in the turnaround of the company. After years of success, Schultz relinquished his role as CEO and retained his position as chairmen of the companys board of directors and assumed the role of chief strategic officer. The sharp economic downturn in late 2008 and early 2009 that affected much of the worlds economy hit the coffee company hard. The company began experiencing slow customer traffic and a decline in stock prices, Schultz was asked to return to his role as CEO and lead a radical restricting and revitalization initiative. This case study focuses on Starbucks, with respect to human capital and resources in the pursuit of strategy  implementation. There will be an analysis of how effectively the company implemented its turnaround strategy and how effectively Starbucks utilized human capital to implement its strategy. In conclusion of this paper, there will be recommendations for effectiveness in future implementations at Starbucks. Implementation of Starbuck’s Turnaround Strategy The return of Schultz saw him focus on three different themes; strengthen the core, elevate the experience and lastly, invest and grow. The implementation included various strategies which involved; slowing the pace of opening new stores, closing underperforming stores, restructuring the companys store operations in Australia, creating new designs for future Starbucks stores globally, enhancing the customer experience, providing additional resources and tools for employees, undertaking a rigorous cost-containment program, and renewing attention to employee training and reigniting enthusiasm on the part of employees to customer. The case tells us that 800 underperforming stores in the United States and 100 additional stores in other countries were closed. The company even trimmed its workforce by about 6,700 employees. From further analysis it was clear to see that Schultzs investment in growth played a huge part in the turnaround. The company implemented this strategy by choosing to open new stores in Asia with Japan and China being the primary destinations (Starbucks Corporation, 2012). Japan became the biggest foreign market while China was seen as the most significant growth opportunity (Starbucks Corporation, 2012). With the implementation process in action, the company was on the path to profitability once again and long term growth. In 2010 Sales at Starbucks operated stores worldwide improved in the most recent five quarters, customer traffic increased by 3% in United States, net revenues increased by 8.6% and net income increased from $25 million in 2009 to $217.3 million in 2010 (Thompson, Peteraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2014). Utilizing Human Capital at Starbucks In any business the concept of human capital can be interpreted in many ways. One of them could be looking at the person or employees as an asset; as a resource that belongs to the company and from which they can demand all  its capacity and commitment (Marimuthu Arokiasamy, 2009). In this case it is without a doubt clearly evident that Starbucks greatest asset was Howard Schultz and through him the employees. Schultz was able to make the company profitable on a few different occasions which the case explains thoroughly. Schultz understood the concept of what coffee means to coffee drinkers. A trip to Italy where he saw how passionate Italians were when it came to coffee shops made him understand that the success of any coffee shop depended heavily on customers experience. With this in mind, he made sure that part of the companys values was to ensure every employee is well educated and knowledgeable about the companys products. They employees paid close attention to detail when preparing espresso drinks, eagerly communicated the companys passion for coffee, possessed the skills and personality to deliver consistent and outstanding customer service. The employees within the company all received at least 24 hours training on topics like coffee history, drink preparation, coffee knowledge, customer service, retail skills, and Brewing the perfect cup workshop to better prepare them for their day to day task. He was able to utilize the employees further by rewarding employees in a manner that would make them want to work for the company and generate a level of enthusiastic commitment and high levels of customer service which he felt was key to the turnaround strategy. He created a highly motivated workforce and emphasized the fact that employees can put their trust on the management team. The case gives many examples of why winning employee loyalty and commitment to the companys mission would retain employees. In one situation, he heard an employee requested to extend health insurance benefits to part-time employees which were turned down by pervious management team. He personally proposed to the board that a reduction in turnover would reduce the cost of hiring and training, the plan was then approved and part-time employees were offered health insurance. Schultzs next plan was to pursue a stock option plan for employees as he believed that it would have a positive, long-term effect on the success of Starbucks (Starbucks, 2012). The idea behind this was turning employees into partners invested in companys performance. The employees were offered stock options awards based on the success and profitability of the financial year, and the size of the employees base for the purchase of  stock through regular payroll deductions (Starbucks, 2012). He ultimately had a clear understanding that happy employees provide exceptional customer service to customers which in turn gains customer loyalty and brings in revenue. Recommendation Based on the brief analysis which was carried out on this case study it was somewhat easy to come up with recommendations which Starbucks may wish to consider for future implementation effectiveness. The companys growth strategy and objects have proven to be a huge success. I am a big believer in if it is not broken do not fix it. However with that said no matter how good a strategy may be it can always be improved upon. The company should continue to focus on customer satisfaction and ensuring customers have a positive store experience. This is what has given the company so much success over the years so a suggestion will be to build on this strategy. The company could survey customers to gain a better understanding of how they can improve customer experience within the various stores (Marks, 2014). Starbucks could even go deeper with their products by having a customer data base that allows consumers to quickly get their daily coffee once in a Starbucks. This data base can be something whereby once a customer gives their phone number a list of previous coffee which they have bought would appear to the employee (Marks, 2014). I believe this will speed up the process for some customers who would like a Starbucks but do not want to wait for it. Another recommendation will be for Starbucks to create a mega store in some big cities (Koehn, n.d). This mega store can geared towards strictly customer experience and educating customers where their coffee is from, showing how it is made and even amusement centers where customers and children can interact. This recommendation may seem unrealistic however I feel in order to maintain a competitive advantage a company must continue to think outside the box and beyond what their competitors are doing. References Koehn. N (n.d) Whats next for Starbucks. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2013-04-25/what-s-next-for-starbucks Marimuthu, M. Arokiasamy, L (2009). Human capital development and its impact on firm performance. Retrieve from

Dickens Hard Times Essay Example for Free

Dickens Hard Times Essay â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.† (Dickens, 1854, p.1) With these beginning sentences of the novel â€Å"Hard Times†, Charles Dickens has made readers doubt whether it is true that facts alone are wanted in life. This question leads to the main theme of the story, fact against fancy, that author has never been written this kind of plot in his other stories before. In fact, Hard Times is considered as the unlike-the-rest of Dickens’ works (Collins, 1992, p. xi) because the plot is not involved the social problems in Victorian Age such as poverty or child labor, but it is an abstract that exalts instinct above reason. (Collins, 1992, p.xiii) Although it is not Dickensian, author still put his cliff-hanger characteristic on his work which makes the story enjoyable and worth reading for all-age-readers. Due to many interesting factors, this novel has been chosen to be the topic of this essay consisting of three parts that are the historical backgrounds, the facts about this novel and my critical reflections. To gain the comprehensive perspective of the story, we need to look back on historical backgrounds of the age that this novel took place which can be seen in three ways that are the economy, the social class and the education. Victorian Age is the period of economic progress that Industrial Revolution played important part in the British society. As a result, there were many factories located in town and it is imaginary described in a story that industrial Coketown is â€Å"where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness.† (Dickens, 1854, p.20). So, it shows that Hard Times is a realistic novel that author voiced a radically dissident attitude on Industrial Revolution in his story. (Lowy 2007 218) According to the growth of economy, there was the distinction found in social classes especially between labor and management (Cliffnote, n.d.) in this story that can be seen at Mr. Bounderby, a wealt hy manufacturer, considers himself as self-made man and later found that he is not, who is in upper class and has predominant power over Blackpool a hard working labor in Mr. Bounderby’s factory. However, the social class distinction is not raised as a serious problem in the story. Also, this economic progress has a great impact on the education system in which the schools are dominated with the Utilitarian spirit. From the plot, it shows that Dickens held a strong vision against the Utilitarianism, a theory that considers self-interest is maximum utility and denies on imagination (Diniejko, n.d.), that he ends the story with the tragic event caused by failure of the Utilitarian education system that teaches students only fact, but he oppositely admired hospitality of the Sleary’s circus that teaches the children with imagination. These are historical backgrounds that influenced the story and make it more understandable. As it is claimed at first that this novel is not like the other Dickens’ stories, it is contained some facts that makes the novel interesting which are its background, cliff-hanger plot and impressive critiques. Unlike Dickens’ usual shilling monthly numbers, Hard Times was a part in his two penny weekly edited magazine (Collin, 1992, p.xi), Household Words, which faced a shrinking circulation and falling profits (Enote editor, n.d.). Therefore, the story was written in form of serialization and finally titled Hard Times For These Times when it was gathered into fuller version. (Collin, 1992, p.xi) Although it is not a notably work, it has a Dickens’ famous cliff-hanger plot. The main theme is the conflict between fact and fancy in which Mr. Gradgrind teaches his students and his children to believe in fact, but the story turns out unexpected that two of his children have to live in misery; Louisa has a loveless marriage with Mr. Bounderby a friend of her father and a bank owner. Tom, Louisa’s brother, becomes a bank robber who almost cannot escape abroad. In order to help his son, Mr. Gradgrind eventually has to ask Sleary’s circus, who he never favour because they teaches children with imagination, for help and he comes to realize that his philosophy he has been teaching all along for his children is a failure. The story also contains many subplot stories such as an impossible love between Louisa and Mr. Harthouse, a secret life of Mr. Bounderby and a social class love. With his sharp and sarcastic writing skill, Hard Times receives impressive critiques from many admirers. The outstanding critique is one from Dr F. R. Leavis in 1948 that saysâ€Å"†¦ of all Dickens’ works the one that has all the strength of his genius, together with a strength no other of them can show—that of a completely serious work of art†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Collin, 1992, p.xii). These three facts of this novel even make it more astonishing. A good novel not only gives reader an appreciation but also provides some points that need to be analyzed through critical thinking process. So does the Hard Times, it is a valuable novel that I favor and have critical reflections on the Dickens’ satire, the well-rounded characters and the comparison on the different abstract ideas. I was hooked by this novel right from the first three sentences, claimed at the beginning of the essay, because it provokes readers’ brain to think until we find the answer that it is wrong to lean on facts alone in life and that is the first satire in a story. There is the using of repeated word to sarcastically equate the teacher and Mr. Gradgrind with the mechanic engine as shown â€Å"Fact, fact, fact!’ said the gentleman. And ‘Fact, fact, fact!’ repeated Thomas Gradgrind† (Dickens, 1854, p.6). Moreover, all the well-rounded characters are formed in satirist way. For example, there is the difference between Lou isa and Sissy which we see the development of these two characters. The first is Louisa who was born and raised in a wealthy family teaching her only facts are wanted in life, but she ends up living in mournful as it says â€Å"†¦any hoarded scrap of which, is a blessing and happiness to the wisest? Did Louisa see this? Such a thing was never to be.† (Dickens, 1854, p.283). On the other hand, the second is Sissy, was born in circus and taught her with imagination, who ends up living with happiness as it says â€Å"trying hard to know her humbler fellow-creatures, and to beautify their lives of machinery and reality with those imaginative graces and delights† (Dickens, 1854, p.283). Lastly, I am very appreciated with the comparison on the different abstract ideas especially one in this example; the different perspectives of horse that the student in Mr. Gradgrind’s school describes in scientific and arithmetic way as shown: â€Å"Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye teeth, and twelve incisive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens, 1854, p.4), while the Sleary’s circus people describe it as beautiful imaginary way as shown: â€Å"The public house was the Pegasus’s Arms. The Pegasus’s legs might have been more to the purpose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens, 1854, p.25). It can be interpreted that students see no abstract from object, they have blunted mind, while circus people, who live in Victorian Era the golden age of circus, have something that students do not have which are morality and hospitality. These are my critical reflections that makes Hard Times become one of my favorite novels. All of these are the historical backgrounds, the facts about this novel and my critical reflections for the Dickens’ Hard Times. It is a story of wrong philosophy that facts which are actually not the only needful thing in life. This novel gives readers the way to approach history of Victorian Age, also , an appreciation. And the most importantly, it persuades readers to live their lives happily with imagination and hospitality to everyone that will come into life. References Collins, Philip (1992). Introduction. Charles Dickens Hard Times(p. xi,xii,xiii). Berwick Street, London: The Millennium Library. Dickens, Charles (1854). Hard Times For These Times. Charles Dickens Hard Times(p. 1,4,6,20,25,283). Berwick Street, London: The Millennium Library. Diniejko, Dr Andrzej.Charles Dickens as Social Commentator and Critic. The Victorian Web: An Overview. Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/diniejko.html Hard Times Critical Essay by Charles Dickens. Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Homework Help, Answers More enotes.com. Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.enotes.com/hard-times-essays/dickens-charles-hard-times-these-times Hard Times: Critical Essays: Dickens Philosophy and Style CliffsNotes . Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides . Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/hard-times/critical-essays/dickens- philosophy-style.html Lowy, M. (2007). The Current of Critical Irrealism. A concise companion to realism(p. 218). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

What Factors Influence Internet Use Among Teens English Language Essay

What Factors Influence Internet Use Among Teens English Language Essay The Internet has become part of todays teens culture and they are very familiar on how to use and navigate in it. This paper reflects on the factors that influence internet usage among teens based on a survey compiled by Pew Internet American Life Project on a sample of over 1,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 who were interviewed randomly by phone. It indicates that 9 out of 10 access the internet regularly which is an increase of 75% in comparison to the year 2000. This high number is in contrast to the findings that only 66% of American adults use the internet. The study further showed that most teenagers first accessed the internet between the age of 10 and 12. 87% admitted using the internet regularly, with 52% of them accessing the internet daily, an increase from 42% in 2000. About 50% of these teenagers, their families used a speedier broadband connection with the rest using other means such as dial-up connections. Teens were found to use the internet for instant messaging, online blogs, initiating online chats and sending e-mails. In the survey, 75% use instant messaging compared to 42% of adults as a means of communication with their fellow age mates. The survey also indicates that 75% of todays teens use the internet to read news which is a sharp increase from 38% in the year 2000. University of Diegos technology trackers such as Susannah Stern expect instant messaging to keep growing exponentially due to peer influence. Though Teens interviewed felt that internet use was a source of indispensable fun and a means of communication and research. Amanda Lenhart, a Pew researcher who participated in conducting the study, found that Teens are very selective-theyre smart about their technology use. They use it for the kinds of things they need to do. The older teenage girls between ages 15 to 17 contrasted the myth of the tech-savvy boys since they were found to use the internet more than their male counterparts. Literature review To determine factors influencing Internet usage among the youths such as demographics and socio-economic and peer influence, a literature review of the available Pew research has been conducted, focusing on factors influencing teenagers access to the Internet or World Wide Web except for e-mailing purposes. According to the literature, students are the main users of the Internet. Jones and Madden (2002) conducted a study on high school and junior college students Internet usage. Browsing the Internet was a daily activity; 73% of these students used the Internet more than the library for research. Seventy-nine percent of the students agreed that Internet use has had a positive impact on their academic experience (Jones and Madden, 2002). Princeton Research Associates on behalf of Pew Internet American Life Project conducted nationwide phone interviews, and did an analysis on how respondents penetrated the Internet. The data results show that all 59% of the general population penetrated the Internet less than 86% of students (Jones and Madden, 2002). Study Framework and Hypothesis Development There are various factors influencing internet use among teens. This review provides a basis for this study based on the Pew Internet American Life Project survey and shall primarily test on the influencing factors such as demographic and social-economic factors. Testable hypothesis shall then be proposed. Demographic factors The particular factors of gender, race/ethnicity, location of residence and age were very crucial in determining internet usage among the teenagers in relation to their education status. There was a general increase for both students and non-students access to the internet. There was also an increase in the proportion of teenagers who accessed the internet across common races in the United States such as Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics. However, these increases have not been uniform across these groups. Most high school drop-outs were observed not to have been on the internet for the past one year with only less than 33% answering to having accessed it. This was in sharp contrast to the over 90% of junior college students who have had regular access to the internet in the age bracket of 18 to 19. Internet access tended to increase with increasing levels of education and was highly used by junior college students and post-secondary students. The widening gap between those in school and the drop-outs access to the internet is projected to rise due to increasing encouragement and facilitation of internet access points in schools. If older students already in college are exposed and encouraged more than younger students in high school, as is normally the case, age will become an important demographic factor since internet usage prevalence will be higher in older students. Internet usage was clearly greater among whites than any other race especially among males. 71.8% of white males accessed the in comparison to 50.5% of Hispanic males and 40.7% of black males. The open-ended question on where a particular teen accessed the internet was phrased and the answers tabulated using the categories of home, school, library, friends/neighbors, and other. Most teens were found to be more comfortable accessing the internet at a friends home whereby over 34.7% of males and 29.3% of the teens responded to this. Although access points such as the library were chosen by only one in eight, this was an improvement from 4.7% in 2000 to a current12.5%. Economic factors Teenagers from low income and high poverty areas have been most disadvantaged in accessing the internet. A survey carried on teen Internet usage reveals social and economic disparities (Taylor et al., 2003). A relationship between incomes, race and education was also observed. Levels of education were higher in Whites than any other minorities whereby the proportion of whites who completed high school was more. This had a direct impact on the number of internet users. Teenagers from low-income households estimated at three million, most of them black, have no access to the internet. Therefore, these kids may not find adults who would otherwise teach them on how to responsibly use the internet. Daniel Bassil, president of Cabrini Connections, notes that, Even the kids that have access dont necessarily have people mentoring them to use the information to their greatest advantage. Teens from low-income backgrounds are less likely to access the internet for services such as instant messa ging and emailing as a way of communication since most of their friends are not online more frequently. This finding may indicate a difference in choice of content creation versus content consumption in different socio economic groups (Bosah, 1998). c)Social factors Free and unlimited Internet access When freshmen register today, they get a student ID card, a meal card, and most, important, a free personal e-mail account. Theyve got no online service fees to pay, no limits to their time logged on, and computer labs open for their convenience round-the-clock. Its an Internet users dream. 2. Huge blocks of unstructured time Most college students attend classes for twelve to sixteen hours per week. The rest of the time is their own to read, study, go to movies or parties, join clubs, or explore the new environment outside their campus walls. Many forget all those other activities and concentrate on one thing: the Internet. 3. Newly-experienced freedom from parental control Away from home and their parents watchful eyes, college students long have exercised their new freedom by engaging in pranks, talking to friends to all hours of the night, sleeping with their boyfriends and girlfriends, and eating and drinking things Mom and Dad would not approve of. Today, they utilize that freedom by hanging out in the MUDs and chat rooms of cyberspace, and no parent can complain about online service fees or their refusal to eat dinner with the family or help out with chores. 4. No monitoring or censoring of what they say or do online When they move on to the job world, college students may find suspicious bosses peeking over their shoulder or even monitoring their online time and usage. Even e-mail to co-workers could be intercepted by the wrong party. In college, no ones watching. Computer lab monitors tend to be student volunteers whose only responsibility is to assist anyone who needs help understanding how to use the Internet not tell them what they can or cannot do on it. 5. Full encouragement from faculty and administrators Students understand that their schools administration and faculty want them to make full use of the Internets vast resources. Abstaining from all Net use is seldom an option in some large classes, professors place required course materials solely on the Net and engage in their only oneon- one contact with students through e-mail! Administrators, of course, want to see their major investments in computers and Internet access justified. 6. Adolescent training in similar activities By the time most kids get to college, they will have spent years staring at video game terminals, closing off the world around them with walkmans, and engaging in that rapid-fire clicking of the TV remote. Even if they didnt get introduced to the Internet in high school, those other activities have made students well-suited to slide into aimless Web surfing, skill-testing MUDs, and rat-a-tattat chat room dialogue. 7. The desire to escape college stressors Students feel the pressures of making top grades, fulfilling parental expectations, and, upon graduation, facing fierce competition for good jobs. The Internet, ideally, would help make it easier for them to do their necessary course work as quickly and efficiently as possible. Instead, they turn to their Net friends to hide from their difficult feelings of fear, anxiety, and depression. 8. Social intimidation and alienation With as many as 30,000 students on some campuses, students easily can get lost in the crowd. When they try to reach out, they often run into even tighter clicks than the in-crowds of high school. Maybe they dont dress right or look right. But when they join the faceless community of the Internet, they find that with little effort they can become popular with new friends throughout the U.S. and in England, Australia, Germany, France, Hungary, Japan, New Zealand, and China. Why bother trying to socialize on campus? 9. A higher legal drinking age With the drinking age at twenty-one in most states, undergraduate students cant openly drink alcohol and socialize in bars. So the Internet becomes their substitute drug of choice: no ID required and no closing hour!

The Other Side of Big Business :: essays research papers

The Other Side of Big Business In America in the 1880s, big business began to flourish due to the likes of J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. They established this by being very successful businessman themselves, and doing what they had to do to be successful, such as cut corners, whether it be in the likes of sanitation and working conditions, or pay lower wages because of the resources provided. Naturally, some sacrifices needed to be made in order to achieve this goal. But in the long run, I believe that it was well more then worth it. Many historians and big business critics argue that they did this in selfish and corrupt ways that only hurt America. I am going to argue that what was done was necessary for the prosperity of this nation, and that this was the best alternative. Before the 1880s, all of America was mainly independent upon themselves for the resources they needed to survive. Our economy was based on farming and livestock. Then along came the idea of big business. The changes that took place after the civil war involved more then just a change of technique and productivity. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the nations major sectors, like banking, oil refining, railroads, and steel, were controlled by a small number of larger corporations. This rise was also accompanied by an increase in the number of millionaires. At the beginning of the Civil War, there were only 400 millionaires in the United States. By 1892, the number had risen to 4,047.1 The emergence of the modern corporation was accompanied by many positive developments. Between 1890 and 1929, the average urban worker put in one less day of work a week and brought home three times as much in pay. The proportion of families confined to the drudgery of farm life declined by half . By 1929, nine out of ten Americans had electricity and indoor plumbing, four-fifths had automobiles, two-thirds had radios, and nearly half refrigerators and phonographs. At the same time, infant mortality fell by two-thirds, and life expectancy increased by twenty years.2 There were many differences between smaller businesses before the 1870s and the larger ones after. The most obvious, involved the corporation's larger size and capitalization. The typical business establishment before the 1870s was financed by a single person or by several people bound together in a partnership. As a result, most businesses represented the wealth of only a few individuals.

The Theatre and its Identity Crisis Essay -- Female Roles in Theatre

My trust in the definitiveness of reality is swiftly disintegrating beneath me. The deeper I dive into the abyss of theory, the more I realize that nothing I have learned is safe from change; that facts may actually be temporary and that everything is a prisoner of our construction of time. In admitting this, I worry that these hypotheses are the beginning of a tiny delusion that will begin to gradually eat away at the rest of my sanity. That scares me a bit, yes, but even as I sit here writing, I love this newfound instability because it’s ironically made me feel more grounded than I’ve ever felt. Armed with these ideas, I have looked back at the world I’ve grown up with and finally begun to see society’s seams tugged apart, its splintered frame exposed, and the fear and worry of its people uncovered. But I have also exposed, buried deep within its guarded chest, the hope and innovation and change that inspires humanity’s pervasive drive towards pr ogress. It’s within this fragmented existence that I feel that I have a place within this generation’s script. However, it’s now a matter of figuring out which role is mine. The cynic inside me can’t help but look at the cast list and feel an irrepressible sense of sadness; with such a long list of characters to choose from, why do we prescribe such commonplace roles to ourselves? I believe that it all starts with gender. Judith Butler reasons in her inspirational essay â€Å"Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory† that gender is a performance. She observes that sex (the biological facts defining male and female) is not what actually makes a man and man and a woman a woman, but rather that one’s gender identity is determined through a styliz... ...easy for the less informed to drown in if one detail is highlighted with greater weight. It’s been a constant power struggle between these two genders whose desperate goal is to find some sort of order amidst chaos. It’s simply easier to have a leader, but the ways in which we’ve selected these privileged few I find disquieting. Though I do not believe that gender is one hundred percent learnt, as Butler believes, I do think that societal impositions play too strong a role in creating identities. This is especially true in the theatre, and I know that many of my female classmates will agree with this. Women are capable of acting in masculine manners just as the converse is true for men. But if this idea is to ever branch out into the real world, whatever that may mean, the theatre is a perfect place for its journey to begin- and I believe that has every right to.

Analysis of Superior Manufacturing

Table of Contents Introduction The objective of this report is to provide Mr.. Paul Harvey, president with the detailed reasoning for the decisions recommended and also to figure out which products are losing money. As the company is operating in an oligopoly and has somewhat medium market share, setting our own prices is not an option. The giant Samara announces the prices for the products annually, and the other eight companies in the industry follow the price. Problem The organization underwent management change in early 2004.The company lost $690,000 (Refer to appendix 1) in that year, which resulted in a low morale of the employees. They have lost faith in the management and have low motivation level. So, a decision has to be made regarding the production of three products I. E. 101, 102 and 103. Recently the giant in the industry Samara decided to lower the selling price for the product 101 and a final decision has to be made, if the organization should lower the selling price or not? Key Success Factors Looking at the share of industry sales rate, for product 101 its 12%, for 102 its 8% and for 103 its 10%.The company has to increase its market share to be able to generate positive income. The second most important aspect is costs. As all the products are manufactured in separate factories and they operate below capacity, it's hard to control the costs especially the fixed costs. Even though all the factories are horizontally integrated with shared production process facilities, it doesn't help keeping the costs in check. The employees seem to be disappointed with the new management and have a low morale. They are not exactly motivated to try harder to make a positive impact.Operating in an oligopoly, where prices are controlled by another firm, Superior has no control over the selling prices so, the company should Ochs on keeping costs minimum and increasing their industry sales rate. There is no compensation and reward system to Judge the performance o f employees. Situation Analysis I started off with analyzing income statement for 2004 to get a better understanding of the situation and to figure out which products are generating profit and which ones are responsible for the loss.After reviewing the data from 2004 it was found that only the product 101 is generating income and the other two products 102 and 103 are losing money (Refer to appendix 1 . 1). As I wanted to be ere that the information provided was accurate I took the liberty of following contribution margin income statement. Also I found a couple of additions errors in the 2004 and 2005 income statement. I have highlighted the mistakes in red in appendix 1. 1 and appendix 2.Decision Regarding Dropping Products After categorizing all the costs into fixed and variable costs based on the information provided by the accounting department, I came to find out the fixed costs for factory 101 ,102 and 103 are $1 and respectively (Refer to appendix 1 . 1). The respective facto ries will have to incur these costs even if they continue the production. The contribution margins for factories 101, 102 and 103 are and respectively. So, even if products 102 and 103 are losing money they are still contributing to fixed costs by the same amount as their contribution.This suggests that if the production is discontinued the company would be incurring an extra loss of Thus, I tend to agree with Mr.. Harvey decision of continuing production of product 103 and the other two products. For further details please refer to appendix 1. 1 . Appendix 1. 2 shows that if 113,766 additional units are sold for product 102 and 162,41 5 units of product 103. The company would of have made a profit of $2,999,000. The reason for not meeting the targets could be because of low morale of the employees. If we compare the predicted income statement for 2005 and the actual performance (Refer to appendixes 1. And 2). The Variances of rent, indirect labor and depreciation are $259,000 $213, 000 and $642,000 respectively are all favorable. It's safe to say that these three costs, which are all fixed costs, are the main factors for the improvement in profitability during the period January 1 to June 30, 2005. In a nutshell if fixed costs are controlled the company can do really well (Refer o appendix 1. 3 and appendix 2). Decision Regarding the Price for Product 101 The decision regarding the price of product 101 is based on the income statement of 2005 from January 1st to June 30th (Refer to appendix 3. ). The appendix has both income statement with selling price set as $24. 5 and $22. 5. It has been forecasted that if the price is dropped to $22. 5, the organization would be able to sell 1 million units. On the other hand if the organization decides to continue with the same that they are following at the moment, 750,000 units can be sold for first six months of year 2006. Here I would like to point out that these forecasts are not accurate and there may be a differenc e between what is predicted and the actual sales but for now I think that's an appropriate estimation as any.The forecasted income statements are based on the unit price per 100 lbs from first half of 2005 income statement. It is noted that the income statement with the price $22. 5 gives a higher contribution margin (10,468,490. 86) compared to the one with price $24. 5 (11,979,587. 82). These figures include the 5 percent reduction in the prices of materials and supplies and the discount on selling prices. The income statement shows that a higher operating income can be generated if the selling price set by Samara is followed (Refer to appendix 3. 2). The reason for that is the fixed costs will remain constant within the relevant range.So, I have decided to take the fixed costs from the 2005 Unary I-June 30) income statement. Since with the selling price $22. 5 gives a higher contribution margin, the company will lose less money (- $334,043. 07) to be exact (Refer to appendix 3. 2 ). Also if 31,803 additional units are sold, the company can breakable for product 101 . On the other hand 135,459 additional units would be required to breakable if the current price is kept. Also it doesn't seem a good idea keeping the prices higher than the rest of the seven firms, costumer might not appreciate and it's of utmost important the company maintains its market share if not improve.Conclusion & Recommendation Since it has been established that dropping any of the products doesn't benefit the company in any way, I would like to suggest keeping all the products. The company could do really well if the sales target are met and for that the motivation level of the employees needs to be high. So, my recommendation to motivate employees would be to set up a performance based reward and compensation system, which would keep the employees motivated, especially the sales force to do better.Another thing that can be done is rather than paying the sales force a fixed salary, they should be paid a commission based salary which would give rise to a sense of competition for sales people to do better and based on their sales they could be properly rewarded. For product 101, my analysis suggests that, the price set by Samara should be follow not Just because the organization will save itself from heavy losses but also its essential for the company to maintain its current industry sales share and having a higher price than the other firms could draw the customer away and then the organization would have bigger problems.Fixed costs need to be controlled and monitor strictly. All the factories are operating under capacity which doesn't help the organization in achieving its goals. One way to keep the costs in control in my opinion would be to assign specific tasks to specific factories so that they can operate efficiently rather than dedicating a whole factory to a product line. As the three reduces have somewhat similar manufacturing procedures. Analysis of Superior Manufacturing Table of Contents Introduction The objective of this report is to provide Mr.. Paul Harvey, president with the detailed reasoning for the decisions recommended and also to figure out which products are losing money. As the company is operating in an oligopoly and has somewhat medium market share, setting our own prices is not an option. The giant Samara announces the prices for the products annually, and the other eight companies in the industry follow the price. Problem The organization underwent management change in early 2004.The company lost $690,000 (Refer to appendix 1) in that year, which resulted in a low morale of the employees. They have lost faith in the management and have low motivation level. So, a decision has to be made regarding the production of three products I. E. 101, 102 and 103. Recently the giant in the industry Samara decided to lower the selling price for the product 101 and a final decision has to be made, if the organization should lower the selling price or not? Key Success Factors Looking at the share of industry sales rate, for product 101 its 12%, for 102 its 8% and for 103 its 10%.The company has to increase its market share to be able to generate positive income. The second most important aspect is costs. As all the products are manufactured in separate factories and they operate below capacity, it's hard to control the costs especially the fixed costs. Even though all the factories are horizontally integrated with shared production process facilities, it doesn't help keeping the costs in check. The employees seem to be disappointed with the new management and have a low morale. They are not exactly motivated to try harder to make a positive impact.Operating in an oligopoly, where prices are controlled by another firm, Superior has no control over the selling prices so, the company should Ochs on keeping costs minimum and increasing their industry sales rate. There is no compensation and reward system to Judge the performance o f employees. Situation Analysis I started off with analyzing income statement for 2004 to get a better understanding of the situation and to figure out which products are generating profit and which ones are responsible for the loss.After reviewing the data from 2004 it was found that only the product 101 is generating income and the other two products 102 and 103 are losing money (Refer to appendix 1 . 1). As I wanted to be ere that the information provided was accurate I took the liberty of following contribution margin income statement. Also I found a couple of additions errors in the 2004 and 2005 income statement. I have highlighted the mistakes in red in appendix 1. 1 and appendix 2.Decision Regarding Dropping Products After categorizing all the costs into fixed and variable costs based on the information provided by the accounting department, I came to find out the fixed costs for factory 101 ,102 and 103 are $1 and respectively (Refer to appendix 1 . 1). The respective facto ries will have to incur these costs even if they continue the production. The contribution margins for factories 101, 102 and 103 are and respectively. So, even if products 102 and 103 are losing money they are still contributing to fixed costs by the same amount as their contribution.This suggests that if the production is discontinued the company would be incurring an extra loss of Thus, I tend to agree with Mr.. Harvey decision of continuing production of product 103 and the other two products. For further details please refer to appendix 1. 1 . Appendix 1. 2 shows that if 113,766 additional units are sold for product 102 and 162,41 5 units of product 103. The company would of have made a profit of $2,999,000. The reason for not meeting the targets could be because of low morale of the employees. If we compare the predicted income statement for 2005 and the actual performance (Refer to appendixes 1. And 2). The Variances of rent, indirect labor and depreciation are $259,000 $213, 000 and $642,000 respectively are all favorable. It's safe to say that these three costs, which are all fixed costs, are the main factors for the improvement in profitability during the period January 1 to June 30, 2005. In a nutshell if fixed costs are controlled the company can do really well (Refer o appendix 1. 3 and appendix 2). Decision Regarding the Price for Product 101 The decision regarding the price of product 101 is based on the income statement of 2005 from January 1st to June 30th (Refer to appendix 3. ). The appendix has both income statement with selling price set as $24. 5 and $22. 5. It has been forecasted that if the price is dropped to $22. 5, the organization would be able to sell 1 million units. On the other hand if the organization decides to continue with the same that they are following at the moment, 750,000 units can be sold for first six months of year 2006. Here I would like to point out that these forecasts are not accurate and there may be a differenc e between what is predicted and the actual sales but for now I think that's an appropriate estimation as any.The forecasted income statements are based on the unit price per 100 lbs from first half of 2005 income statement. It is noted that the income statement with the price $22. 5 gives a higher contribution margin (10,468,490. 86) compared to the one with price $24. 5 (11,979,587. 82). These figures include the 5 percent reduction in the prices of materials and supplies and the discount on selling prices. The income statement shows that a higher operating income can be generated if the selling price set by Samara is followed (Refer to appendix 3. 2). The reason for that is the fixed costs will remain constant within the relevant range.So, I have decided to take the fixed costs from the 2005 Unary I-June 30) income statement. Since with the selling price $22. 5 gives a higher contribution margin, the company will lose less money (- $334,043. 07) to be exact (Refer to appendix 3. 2 ). Also if 31,803 additional units are sold, the company can breakable for product 101 . On the other hand 135,459 additional units would be required to breakable if the current price is kept. Also it doesn't seem a good idea keeping the prices higher than the rest of the seven firms, costumer might not appreciate and it's of utmost important the company maintains its market share if not improve.Conclusion & Recommendation Since it has been established that dropping any of the products doesn't benefit the company in any way, I would like to suggest keeping all the products. The company could do really well if the sales target are met and for that the motivation level of the employees needs to be high. So, my recommendation to motivate employees would be to set up a performance based reward and compensation system, which would keep the employees motivated, especially the sales force to do better.Another thing that can be done is rather than paying the sales force a fixed salary, they should be paid a commission based salary which would give rise to a sense of competition for sales people to do better and based on their sales they could be properly rewarded. For product 101, my analysis suggests that, the price set by Samara should be follow not Just because the organization will save itself from heavy losses but also its essential for the company to maintain its current industry sales share and having a higher price than the other firms could draw the customer away and then the organization would have bigger problems.Fixed costs need to be controlled and monitor strictly. All the factories are operating under capacity which doesn't help the organization in achieving its goals. One way to keep the costs in control in my opinion would be to assign specific tasks to specific factories so that they can operate efficiently rather than dedicating a whole factory to a product line. As the three reduces have somewhat similar manufacturing procedures.

Bikram Yoga

The philosophy and practice of Yoga date back to ancient times, originating perhaps as early as 5,000 to 8,000 years ago. It has been argued that the rules or percepts set down in the first systematic work on Yoga, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, do not set forth a philosophy, but are practical instructions for attaining certain psychological states. Over many millennia, different yogic meditative techniques had been developed and used to restore and maintain health, and ultimately to attain states of enlightenment.Yogic meditative techniques have been transmitted through Kundalini yoga, Sahaja yoga, Hatha yoga and the other yogic lineages. Though there are numerous styles of yoga; the styles vary according to the emphasis and combination of four primary components: asanas, pranayamas, mantras, and the various meditation techniques. In Kundalini yoga, there are thousands of different postures, some dynamic and some static, and also thousands of different mediation techniques, many of which are disorder specific.Kundalini yoga meditation techniques are usually practiced while maintaining a straight spine, and employ a large number of specific, and highly structured breathing patterns, various eye and hand postures, and a wide variety of mantras. All of these techniques supposedly have different effects and benefits in their respective combinations. 38 History of Bikram Yoga Bikram Choudhury founded the Yoga College of India in Beverly Hills, California, in 1974. Bikram combined ancient yoga doctrines with scientific input from doctors at the Tokyo University Hospital to put together a modernized and standardized workout.Bikram yoga is an intelligently designed series of twenty-six postures that works the body from the inside out. Each posture strengthens and stretches the muscles for the next posture. Breathing is coordinated with the postures, and there are also separate breathing exercises. Bikram yoga also trains the mind through meditation to improve self-control, determination, concentration, and patience. (Simpkins, Annellen 36) This is one of the most often prescribed yoga styles. Bikram Choudhury was himself a multi-sport athlete.He was a marathon runner and a world record holder in Olympic weightlifting. Once known mainly as â€Å"the yoga of the stars,† this style of hatha spread the United States via Beverly Hills. Bikram yoga is better known today as â€Å"Hot Yoga† because it is taught in a room kept at approximately 90 degrees Celsius. What many people do not know is that although this style is purported to have originated with its namesake Bikram Choudhury, it actually can be traced back to Bishnu Gosh, the brother of Paramahansa Yogananda who founded the Self-Realization Fellowship in 1925. 26 Asanas of Bikram YogaThe important pranayama and asanas for correcting abdominal disorders are: Pranayama with Rechala and Puraka, Uttanapada asana, Pawana Mukta asana, Bhujanga asana, Shalabha asana, Pashchimottan asanas, and pranayama are described and illustrated: PRANAYAMA (with Rechaka and Puraka) Pranayana is a special kind of breathing exercise. There are various forms of pranayama; though each is done differently, most have these three steps in common: Rechaka (Exhalation) Puraka (Inhalation) Kumbhaka (Retention) In this particular pranayama, there are only rechaka and puraka but no kumbhaka (retention of the breath).One significant aspect of this pranayama is that it is a diaphragmatic breathing. In this exercise, the stomach is rhythmically pulled in and out. It is very important to remember that the stomach is not pushed upward and downward. Benefits: This asana activates the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and the whole abdominal area. Because of this internal activation, it removes constipation, wind troubles, indigestion, dysentery, diarrhea, acidity, and gastrointestinal disorders. This asanas also brings flexibility to the spine and invigorates the eyes, face, lungs, chest, neck, shoulders, and the whole upper area of the body.Since it is a harmless asana, it is recommended for every practitioner. (Sinha 34) PASHCHIMOTTAN ASANA (Posterior stretch pose) Sit on the floor and stretch both legs in front. Keep the heels and toes together. Be seated firmly, with the spine, neck, and head straight. At this stage, the hands should be on the floor on both sides of the legs. DHANUR ASANA (Bow Pose) Lie on your stomach. Keep your arms stretched on both sides. Rest your head on either cheek on the floor. Bring the legs and heels together. Breathe normally. Bend both legs at the knees and bring the heels close to your hips.Then grasp the right ankle with the right hand and the left ankle with the left hand. If you find it difficult to reach the ankles, your may hold the toes. Now, holding either the ankles or the toes firmly, bring the knees and the ankles close together. Keep the cheek on the floor. Benefits: Dhanur asana activates all the glands of the endocrinal system. The pancreas becomes fully energized because of the internal as well as external impact of this asana on it. Thus, there is an all-round conditioning of the pancreas. As a result, its normal health is restored and it begins to release insulin properly.The asana has a good effect on the adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, and sex glands. Because the cells of all these glands are activated, the secretion of their respective hormones becomes normal. This asana corrects disorders of the joints, spinal cords, lungs, chest, and abdomen. It removes various types of stomach troubles, develops digestive power, and eliminates extra weight and fat. The asana has some specific benefits for women: it corrects menstrual disorders and order troubles related to the reproductive organs. (Sinha 63,64, 44, 45)UJJAYEE PRANAYAMA (In Lying Position) Pranayama is mainly a kriya (exercise) with air. It contains â€Å"life force† (Prana Shakti). It also has an absorbing, activating, and massaging capacity. Because of these qualities, air is regarded as a great purifier as well as a giver of life to the inner organs of the body. The body makes full use of these qualities during pranayama. Ujjayee Pranayama can be practiced in two positions: standing and lying. There is full impact of it in the first position and a little less in the second. But the first is a strenuous and the secondis easier.Therefore, practitioners are advised to practice Ujjayee lying down for one month and then may switch to the standing position. Benefits: The most remarkable benefits of Ujjayee are that it does the internal purification, activation, and energizing, together with external control and conditioning, all at the same time. For asthmatics, Ujjayee is most effective for correcting and strengthening the lungs and the bronchiole linings. (Sinha 70, 73) TARA ASANA (Palm Tree Pose): Stand up and make a forty-five degree angle with the feet. Let the hands hang loosely at the sides. Keep the body straight an d look ahead at eye level.Breathe normally. This is the position of readiness. Benefits: Tara asana strengthens the lungs and chest. Though the outward activation in this kriya is of the hands, it internally activates the lungs, muscles of the chest, and the respiratory system. For asthamatics, therefore, it provides a corrective as well as a strengthening effect to their bronchioles and lungs. For general practitioners, Tara asana has several benefits. It enhances the measurement of the chest. Those whose chests are not properly developed can find this asana more beneficial by making the chest proportionate.It builds up the chest muscles in an all-round way and has a curative effect for any disorder of this area. To add a few inches to their height might also find it very rewarding. People suffering from pain in their shoulder joints can correct their disorders through Tara asana. (Sinha 76, 79) YOGA MUDRA (Yoga Symbol): The perfect way of practicing the Yoga Mudra is to be in the Lotus Pose first. But it is not easy for everyone to sit in the Lotus Pose. Hence, those who cannot do it should sit on the floor with folded legs. Bring both hands behind the back. Grab the wrist of one hand with the other hand.Make a fist with the hand which is being held. At this stage, keep the hands loose and let them rest on the back. Straighten the spine. Look in front while keeping the neck and head erect. This is the position of readiness. SIMHA ASANA (Lion Pose) Put a blanket or a towel on the floor. Bend both legs at the knees and sit on the curve of soles and toes, keeping the heels apart and turned upwards under the hips. Since it might be difficult for some persons to make this curve with the toes, soles, and heels, they are advised to sit on their bent legs in any position they can possibly manage to make.After being seated either on the curve of the heels or in any position, do the following: straighten the body. Keep the head, neck, and spine in one line. Look in fr ont. Put the palms of the hands on their respective knees. Breathe normally. Benefits: Simha asan is very famous for its various remarkable benefits. It has medicinal value for curing throat trouble, voice deficiency, and tonsillitis. It also has a good effect on the respiratory system. It activates the larynx, trachea, and all the bronchioles. It invigorates the thyroid cartilages.Because of this internal activation and invigoration, health is restored to the whole respiratory system and its disorders are removed. This is an easy asana which can be done by anyone. (Sinha 83, 84) SARVANGA ASANA (Whole Body Pose) Lie down on your back on the floor. Place the palms down next to the body. Bring the heels and toes together and keep them loose. Straighten the whole body and look towards the ceiling. Breathe normally. Benefits: Sarvanga asana is one of the most valued asanas of the Hatha Yoga system. As its name indicates, it is indeed an asana of the whole body.There is hardly any area o f the body which is not energized, activated, and exercised during this asana. Because of its wholeness in effect, it is regarded next only to the king of all asanas—Shirsha asana (Head Stand Pose). The asana has countless benefits. Therefore it is a very desirable asana for general practitioners. It corrects any disorder of the circulatory system; supplies blood to the facial tissues; removes constipation, gastric disorders, and abdominal troubles; strengthens the digestive system; and energizes all the sex glands. (Sinha 85, 86) MATSYA ASANA (Fish Pose)After practicing Sarvanga asana, it is necessary to do Matsya asana. There are several good reasons for this. Certain asanas activate certain parts of the body more than others. To reverse this difference of impact, such asanas are followed by particular asanas to create a balance. For example, during Sarvanga asanas the head, neck, and shoulders are passive and the lower areas of the body are active. To create a balance, Sar vanga is followed by the Matsya asana so that the head, neck, and shoulders become active and the lower areas of the body remain passive.Thus, by doing the Matsya asana after the Sarvanga asana, the whole body is activated properly and in a balanced way. There are two ways of doing the Matsya asana: 1) With the Lotus Pose, and 2) Without being in the Lotus Pose. The first form is regarded as superior to the second, but both are equally beneficial. SANTULAN ASANA (Balancing Pose): Place a carpet on the floor and stand on it. Make the body straight and firm. Look straight ahead. Let the hands hang at the sides. This is the position of readiness. Benefits:Santulan asana is mainly a kriya of the major joints of the body. It removes their rigidity and makes them flexible. It also normalizes the blood circulation in the affected areas and tones up the muscles. As a result of enhanced blood circulation and muscle conditioning, pain in the joints is corrected. This asana has a curative effe ct on the knees, ankles, shoulder joints, wrists, palms, and fingers. SETUBANDHA ASANA (Bridge Pose): Lie down with your back on the floor. Bend the legs at the knees and bring the heels close to the hips.Keep the heels about two or three inches apart. Let the knees also be about three inches apart. Bring your hands close to the body on both sides. Put the palms on the floor. Look straight up and breathe normally. This is the position of readiness. Benefits: The main impact of Setubandha asana is on the spine and the hip joints. Those who have pain either in any part of the spine or in the hip joints strongly advised to practice this asana. SIDDHA ASANA (Auspicious Pose): Persons with moderate joint pain of any type can be completely cured if they practice the asanas of this series.Chronic cases, however, might take a little longer time than up to this point to become fully cured. Therefore, patients with chronic arthritis are advised to practice all the asanas regularly. Sit on a c arpeted floor and stretch out both legs in front. Keep your spine straight and firm. Look in front. Keep the hands on the floor. Breathe normally. This is the position of readiness. (Sinha 87, 93, 95, 106, 107, 108) It must be emphasized that one must eat a proper diet along with the regular practice of yoga to get satisfactory results.Other forms of Bikram Yoga like Ardha Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasan (Half Moon Pose with Hands to feet Pose),Utkatasana (Awkward Pose), Garurasana (Eagle Pose), Dandayaman –JanuShirasana Standing Head to Knee pose), Dhanurasana (Standing Bow Pulling Pose), Tuladandasana (Balancing Stick Pose), Dandayamana (Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose), Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Padangustasna (Toe Stand Pose), Pavanamukrasana (Wind Removing Pose), Sit Up (Sit Up), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Salabhasana (Locust Pose), Poorna- Salabhasana (Full Locust Pose), Supta-Vajrasana (Fixed Firm Pose), Ardha- Kurmasana (Half Tortoise Pose), Ustrasana (Camel Po se), Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose) Janushirasana with Paschimottanasana (Head To Knee Pose with Stretching Pose), Ardha- Matsyendrasana (Spine Twisting Pose), Khapalbhati (Blowing In Firm). All these forms of Bikram Yoga are beneficial for the health of both men and women. All forms have their own special significance and provide extra energy to the body. Harms of Yoga: Yoga or any other exercise—done carelessly or aggressively can be harmful. Do not approach yoga practice hastily or aggressively.Constant attention to breathing an alignment distinguishes yoga form calisthenics and acrobatic, making it rehabilitative for the body and the spirit. Using each pose to create inner quietness and peach will move you towards healing and rejuvenation. But if a person attempt to do yoga poses without attention to the principles of good body mechanics and proper spinal alignment, it will hurt. If people have limited flexibility, person can suffer back injuries in forward bends or backbends. And it person will attempt to fit his inflexible (or overly flexible) body into yoga poses as demonstrate by accomplished yoga practitioners, harm can result. (Schatz 30) Conclusion:In Bikram yoga practice, the body temperature is forced up by sealing off the room and turning the heat up high; this helps to warm muscles and flush toxins from the body. Bikram involves a set sequence of postures. There are twenty-six of these, and each one is usually practices twice. Standing and balance poses come first, followed by back bends, forward bends, and twisting postures. Breathing is emphasized, and the Ujjayi breaths as well as fire breath are practiced. In a Bikram yoga class, use a mirror and are encourages watching yourself; it's said that you are your own best teacher. A Bikram yoga class makes for an intense workout and tends to attract men for that reason. However, Bikram yoga is meant to be open to everyone whatever your sex, age, or state of health.A certified Bikram yoga teacher should be able to help you pace yourself and make any necessary adaptations to postures. (Tomlinson 80, 81)) References Meditation practices for health state of the research. US: DIANE Publishing38 Simpkins, Alexander. Annellen, M, Simpkins. (2003). Yoga Basics. US: Tuttle Publishing. 36 Sinha, Phulgenda. (2005). Yoga Therapy for Common Health Problems: (Including Drug Abuse, Alcoholism†¦US: iUniverse 34, 63, 64, 44, 45, 83, 84, 85, 8687, 93, 95, 106, 107,108) Schatz, Pullig, Mary. (1992). Back Care Basics: Doctors Gentle Yoga Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief. London: Rodmell Press. 30 Tomlinson, Cybele. (2000). Simple Yoga. Red Wheel Publishers. 80, 81.

Chaucer’s “The Miller’s Tale” as a Parody of Courtly Love Essay

A woman is a creature to be treated like an angel of God. She is beautiful, honorable, and chaste. The sanctity of a woman is not only worth fighting for, it is worth dying for. Her glove on plate mail is a harmonious battle cry, a motivation both formidable and divine. Always painfully proper and never morally compromised, she is the embodiment of righteousness. I shall love her from afar, as she will love me back. Never will our love come to physical fruition; it is more holy than that. Her, as well as my, marriage is beneath our love, our love of admiration and complete devotion. She will swoon for me as I shall fight for her, and our spirits are forever intertwined. Physical love and lusty temptation are too worldly for us. These would be the thoughts of any proper knight toward his lady. â€Å"The Miller’s Tale† is a satire of courtly love and its actuality in times contemporary the setting of The Canterbury Tales. The characters Alison, Absalon, and Nicholas are exacerbated examples of the degradation of courtly love that happened in medieval times, a direct result of man’s inclination to indulge in earthly pleasure. Alison does shame to the notion of courtly love. She personifies deceit, infidelity, and moral perversion. Toward the object of what must be her courtly love, as she was married before ever encountering him, she extends promise of physical engagement so far as to the point of sex. She deceives her husband so that she can philander with John, who she should be the object of her worship, not her lust. She is the complete opposite of the morally upright woman she should, and her â€Å"courtly† love for John is little more than indulgence in sin. Also, in her dealings with her other pursuer Absalon, â€Å"she looked upon him as her private ape.† As a lady she should have been proper and at least civil in her dealings with him, yet she treated him like a puppet. She had no care for his emotion or his well being. When Absalon asked for a kiss from her, instead of persisting that he treat her as a lady and love her from afar, she had him kiss her rear. A lady should never act in such a manner. Her actions are so perverse that by her traits one would think her one and the same as the miller telling this story. Absalon, unrequited lover of Alison, is not free of sin himself. He too does  shame to the idea of courtly love. Rather than love her in a holy, worshipping manner, he chases her pruriently, â€Å"if she had been a mouse and he a cat, she’d have been pounced upon.† If he had been pure and morally strong, he would have loved her like a knight, chastely, without any physical desire. Nicholas, like Absalon, loves his lady hotly rather than worshipfully. If Nicholas had been a true man, he would have loved her as an angel, his lady on high. Her beauty should have been his strength, but it was his passion. He carried on an affair with the wife of his landlord, the woman who should have been his object of Christian affection. Instead of wearing a piece of her clothing as a reminder to do right, he â€Å"stroked her loins a bit and kissed her sweetly.† Chaucer’s intention for creating such morally deranged characters is to illustrate the degree to which courtly love had become just a synonym for physical lust. The reason for this tale is to show that extramarital affairs are only an engagement in immorality, especially if the affair be under the guise of holy love. As men, Absalon and Nicholas should have loved Alison with the love of highest admiration, and she should have loved them the same way. Rather than love each other in the right fashion, they succumbed to physical temptation, and thus were morally devoid characters. A woman is an angel, not an object of lust.