Redditors on Writing The Takeaways

It is nearly impossible for a writer to exist in a vacuum. We all need the support, encouragement and especially the advice of other writers. It doesn’t matter if you are seeking tips on how to write an essay for college, ways to improve your sales copy, or insight for developing characters in a novel. We all have something to learn from our fellow composers.What Do Redditors Have To Do With It?Perhaps you yourself are a Redditor – an obsessive fan of Reddit.com. If so, you understand the site is a wealth of information and insight. Therefore, it probably isn’t surprising we’ve managed to compose an entire article filled with your witty repartee.If, however, you aren’t a regular at Reddit.com, you are probably questioning our reasoning. After all, it’s sometimes said a Redditor â€Å"possesses an inflated sense of self-importance.†In most situations, the tendency to spout out opinions on nearly everything under the sun is a bit o bnoxious. However, in some instances, it can also be helpful. And fortunately, we’ve found one of those helpful situations!One particular Redditor (GetYourAlbatros) started a conversation that is actually quite helpful. This Redditor posed the question: â€Å"What is your number one tip or trick for better writing?†This extremely popular thread shed light on a very helpful topic. There are plenty of websites, books and even inspirational quotes from the literary masters who supposedly offer tips for writers. While these things are often helpful, the information is sometimes hard to relate to.After all, it’s challenging trying to emulate a famous author who simply needs to churn out a half-hearted attempt at a blog post or book and instantly secures an obsessive fanbase. Following in the footsteps of a starving artist who is still in the trenches, trying to combat writer’s block on a daily basis is easier to relate to.So, let’s hear what the R edditors have to say!â€Å"Don’t be afraid to write shitty. Assume it will always be shitty until the end.†This is perhaps one of the best pieces of advice when it comes to battling the blank page. If you expect sensational material to flow magically from your brain to your computer screen, you’ll never get anywhere.Another Redditor added: â€Å"Get the ideas on the page before you lose them.† Don’t correct spelling errors. Don’t worry about proper punctuation. Don’t stop to research a point. Just write. You can edit later.C. J. Cherryh said, â€Å"It is perfectly ok to write garbage – as long as you edit brilliantly.† Once you have all your thoughts down, go back and edit. And edit again.â€Å"Always start a new sentence or paragraph before you stop writing for the day so that when you come back, you have somewhere to pick up from again†If a single composition spans several writing sessions, it is a fact o f life that most of the time will be spent reviewing what you’ve already written. There is a chance that just as much time can be wasted trying to determine where you’ll go next.Combat both of these issues by leaving yourself a little inspiration. Maybe you jot down the opening sentence to the next paragraph. Maybe you quickly compose all the upcoming subheadings. Maybe you leave yourself a short and direct list of bullet points, outlining where your thoughts are headed.E. L. Doctorow said, â€Å"Writing†¦is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Disconnect from the internet.†For me, as a blogger of the company that provides essay writing service, this is probably one of the most difficult tips to follow – yet it is probably the most helpful. Another Redditor commented, â€Å"My output increased by roughly 300% when I started writing in a cafà © without W iFi.Until it’s gone, you won’t notice how much time you really waste on the internet. Sure, you know the time spent Facebook stalking or Reddit obsessing is pointless, but you won’t know just how many hours you waste until you disconnect.Having the internet in the background is just too tempting. You might jump online quick to research a fact. While you’re there, you check your email. Someone sent you a link to an article. You must read it. Now, you need to log on to all your social media accounts and share it with the masses. While you’re there, you’ll want to catch up on the latest gossip.And what happened to your writing project? What writing project?!Just remove the temptation. Turn the WiFi off. Go somewhere where the internet isn’t available. Heck, use paper and a pen if you must!â€Å"Learn to kill an idea.†For most of us, writing is our passion. We often feel we are bleeding as we type. That’s why it is difficult to edit. No one wants to think a single word is unworthy.But to be successful, you must learn to kill an idea – no matter how attached you are to it. Another Redditor commented, Good ideas usually don’t take long to flesh out. Bad ideas suck hours from my productivity.†Stephen King added, â€Å"When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"If you have inspiration, do not stop writing until it runs out. This is when your absolute best stuff is going to flow, so letting an arbitrary thing stop you will only impede your progress.†Work schedules are great. They can force you to be productive when you are absolutely certain nothing of worth can flow from your brain.Most writers recommend establishing a writing schedule. Tell yourself you are going to write for a certain length of time at a designated hour each day. If you don’t do this, there is a very good chance you’ll never get around to it.However, writing schedules can be very limiting too – if you let them. When writing is a struggle and thoughts aren’t flowing naturally, having a cut-off time will ensure you don’t give up prematurely.But if the good stuff is flowing, don’t stop! Don’t close up shop just because the clock chimes a certain number of times or because your favorite TV show is about to start.William Faulkner said, â€Å"Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.† Get it down – no matter what else might be going on around you.Hopefully, you’ve made it this far and the fact we suggest you take advice from Redditors didn’t offend you too much. In a worst case scenario, you can just pretend we got the above tips from a n anonymous source. After all, according to Ernest Hemmingway, â€Å"it’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.†Now, how about you pass the torch, share the love, follow in the footsteps of others. Share your best writing hacks in the comment section below.

Health tourism and its impacts on host nation and hospitality industry The WritePass Journal

Health tourism and its impacts on host nation and hospitality industry Introduction Health tourism and its impacts on host nation and hospitality industry IntroductionReference ListRelated Introduction Growing demand for health services is a global phenomenon, linked to economic development that generates rising incomes and education. Demographic change, especially the ageing population and older people’s requirements for more medical services, coupled with rising incidence of chronic conditions, also fuel demand for more and better health services. Waiting times and/or the increasing cost of health services at home, combined with the availability of cheaper alternatives in developing countries, has lead new healthcare consumers, or medical tourists, to seek treatment overseas. This booming growth for medical/health tourism in recent times has had both positive and negative impacts on the global healthcare and on the host nation. Whether health is a motivator to travel or as a contributor to disease transference it can have a great impact on the hospitality and tourism industry. It can influence social, financial, industrial, environmental, business and hospitality sectors in an economy. It’s impact on global healthcare can lead to innovation in healthcare solution, enhancements in healthcare solutions, enhancements in the number of healthcare professional, increased international standards in healthcare solutions and emergence of supporting healthcare infrastructure for example a medical hotel. A number of tourists are now combining vacation and health care. According to Travel Health Watch (Oct 18, 2010) medical tourism market shows rapid growth. The 2010 Portrait of American Travellers, a study compiled by Harrison Group and Y partnership, found that half of leisure travellers from theU.S.are familiar with the idea of medical tourism. The study also found that the medical tourism market is growing 20 percent each year and leisure travellers will consider having a medical procedure done in a foreign country if they could save some money, the quality is comparable to services provided in the U.S, and/or if their insurance would not cover a particular procedure in the U.S. In India, health care is one of the largest sectors, in terms of revenue and employment, and this sector is expanding rapidly largely due to health and medical tourists. During the 1990s, the Indian health care sector grew at a compound annual rate of 16%. Today the total value of the sector is more than US$34 billion. By 2012, Indias health care sector is projected to grow to near US$40 billion (PricewaterhouseCoopers 2007). Medical hotels are also in the rise due to the demand and rapid increase in health care from tourists. Consortiums inSingaporeare investing in medical hotels which will boast a 260-room luxury high-rise connected to the east wing of a new hospital inFarrerPark. The hotel will feature a 500-seat conference hall, indoor and outdoor gardens and a spa, as well as a dialysis machine and other medical equipment for patients who dont want to stay in the hospital. It will add new meaning to the concept of a healing holiday. Jetting off to a foreign country for affordable cosmetic surgery has been a popular option for years. But now, pinched by rising health-care costs in developed countries, travellers are going abroad for routine required surgeries and procedures, including colonoscopies and ob-gyn exams. According toButler,Sana, by 2012, experts predict, medical tourism will turn into a $100 billion international industry with more than 780 million patients seeking health care abroad. Travelling overseas for medical care has historical roots; previously limited to elites from developing countries to developed ones, when health care was inadequate or unavailable at home. Now however, the direction of medical travel is changing towards developing countries, and globalization and increasing acceptance of health services as a market commodity have lead to a new trend; organized medical tourism for fee paying patients, regardless of citizenship, who shop for health services overseas using new information sources, new agents to connect them to providers, and inexpensive air travel to reach their destination. Health tourists constantly prefer to consult doctors of high repute, whose skills have already benefited patients with similar medical conditions. The enormous need for proficient personnel breeds more specialists who cater to this escalating requirement thus contributing to the economy’s employment. Apart from the physician’s status, a potential foreign medical tourist looks at numerous other aspects of the medical establishment, to which he/she entrusts their wellbeing. As per industry standards, accreditations from authorized bodies are recognized and accepted. Other variations which monitor quality and accountability standards are also improved upon and utilized. National accreditations, which have their own stringent parameters, are also improving upon international standards to meet international patient requirements and expectations. Dispensation, storage interpretation of available medical records and data files; a process termed ‘Knowledge Processing’ has made the medical system transparent beyond medical authorities worldwide, to respective patients as well. Prior to the global focus on health tourism, the importance of this process was not felt as keenly as it is today. With the advent of the internet and web conferencing, medical proceedings, subject data and case histories of patients around the world is now available and shared online with doctors operating in any country. It provides them with excellent opportunities to interpret, assimilate, improve, collaborate and enhance the overall health services afforded. Globalization of medicine has brought the emanation of several other allied international sectors like healthcare insurance, vast selection of tourism getaways, varied choices of travelling and unlimited options for hospitable lodging in the country that one chooses to get treated in. Besides, the banking sector has facilitated advancing of loans, comfortable payback schemes, credit card facilities; easy access to internet payment gateways, abundant foreign currency exchange centres and other painless international banking procedure to help foreign tourists. Such programs have completely ruled out affordability or inaccessibility to capital, as a hindrance to disease alleviation. For many nations obtaining medical visas is now an effortless procedure. When established as an industry, medical tourism is significantly instrumental in moulding the society of a nation. It contributes not just in terms of enhanced, speedier or affordable healthcare, but also lends itself to infrastructural betterments, more employment opportunities with an increased propensity towards overall wealth creation. In nations that are still in the developing stages, such improvisations pave the way towards industrial growth to cater to the burgeoning demands of the foreign health seekers. A developed nation, on the other hand gains prominence as a popular healthcare destination and people start travelling there for medical attention. According to Weaver and Lawton (2010) manufacturing industries, foreign investments, business exports, agricultural, mineral products or information technology services, are currently among the most prominent and largest contributors to any nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Therefore, medical tourism will soon top the charts as a key money grosser, contributing significantly in the GDP for a nation which affords such facilities. As more tourists arrive into the country for cheaper, better and faster remedy for their illnesses, the chances of financial gain is guaranteed. All medical tourists do not visit a country with the express purpose of a treatment or surgery. They also intend to tour the country’s other historical or natural attractions. This trend is growing as tourists tend to invest the amount they save in healthcare, during sight-seeing. This serves as significant revenue for the tourism industry and forms a portion of total profits of the industry. Another industry very closely associated with the field of medical science is the pharmaceutical industry. When one undergoes treatment or surgery in one country, they are bound to take over-the-counter drugs sold in the same area. This increases the sale of medicines in a directly proportional manner such that, the number of surgeries or treatment conducted directly adds to the profits of the pharmaceutical company of the country that is a prominent medical tourism destination. The medical tourism industry is served both by private as well as public sector industries. While the public sector contributes to the overall infrastructure and associated processes like permitting medical visa, clearing foreign passports, facilitating foreign exchange etc; the private sector totally takes over the comfort hospitality department as well as the healthcare facilities. The kind of medical care and amenities provided by private sector industries is generally far more superior to that offered by government establishments. Under such situations, a public-private partnership tends to equalize profits, adds to overall infrastructural benefits and caters to the needs of the foreign medical tourist, in a balanced manner making the overall procedure smooth, rapid and economical. For example The Indian Ministry of Tourism has started a new category of visas for the medical tourists. These visas called the â€Å"M† or medical-visas are valid for one year but can be exten ded up to three years and are issued for a patient along with a companion. A country that prospers in the healthcare tourism industry will also experience fewer exits of trained professionals from their home country to a foreign nation availing better employment and financial opportunities which is prevalent in developing countries in Asia,South Americaand South Pacific.   Medical professionals are content as they get the required job satisfaction and financial fulfilment even when stationed in their native country. There are also political advantages as well when one country serves as a major tourism destination for another and there is constant exchange of treatment and revenue between them, the political links between those nations are affected in a positive manner. Stronger bonds between those nations are forged when the host nation and provide the foreign tourists with several amenities besides conducive medical treatment. Along with the positives there can also be some negatives impacts associated with health tourism. With patient travels; there is significant risk of corresponding bacterial travel. All industry professionals must understand the negative impact of communicable diseases. Hence, good strategies should be developed by global organizations to protect spread of such diseases. Understanding and control is vital for all the countries involved. .For infrastructural growth, the natural greenery or forest cover of a region is compromised in order to accommodate more buildings, hospital facilities, roads, treatment or diagnostic centres etc. To supplement the above, there is a continuous discharge of polluted air, solid -toxic medical waste, litters of sewage consisting of oil and chemicals. Architectural, noise and visual pollution also has a direct negative impact on the atmosphere. Health tourism also creates a dearth of local resources like power, food stock, fuel and other unredeemable natural resources, which could already be in short supply within the host country. Water, another non-replenishable natural resource, is commonly misused in hotels, spas and swimming pools through careless personal use by tourists. This not only generates large volumes of waste water but also leads to water shortages and depletion of natural water sources. With an increased number of health tourists, the hospital/hotel adopts the policy of being paid in accordance to an overseas system. Such a structure, even though economical to a foreigner, tends to be expensive for the native. As a result, all sections of people within a particular nation are not able to take advantage of the advanced treatment options available within the country. This creates a negative impact on the health infrastructure of a country. Healthcare tourism in most countries runs through private institutions. Currently the private sector in most developed countries accounts for a larger number of surgical procedures, treatment operations, and ultimately in the overall number of patients from all over the globe. Thus the revenue generated by this sector is much greater compared to that generated by the government or the public sector. The uncontrolled growth of the private sector can lead to inequalities and profit imbalance across both sectors. There are significant chances that many medical tourism hospitals would tap into unethical practices to grab international patients, such as organ transplants, restricted regional treatments or several other medical services which are restricted, regulated or controlled in one region. Legal issues are also likely to rise as the health industry presents unique problems and challenges for both consumers as well as providers. Both positive and negative impacts of medical tourism on healthcare, economic, social and environmental sectors creates opportunities and challenges for this growing industry which require cohesive collaborative work between various stakeholders. Medical tourism doesn’t only provide benefits to international patients or health/medical tourists but it extends to a wide spectrum of benefits to many industries such as the healthcare industry, travel and tourism, commercial sector, government relationships, and international accreditation sector.   There are also negative impacts medical or health tourism can have by attributing to shortages of scare local resources in energy usage including electrical power, food stock, fuel and other unredeemable natural resources such as water and the resultant environmental issues which needs to be considered and controlled by governments of countries in midst of this global phenomenon. Reference List Butler, S, 2009, ‘Holidays for health’, Newsweek International viewed 26 May 2011, pp.36. Available from: http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?. Carrera, P, Bridges M, John F, 2006, ‘Globalization and healthcare: understanding health and medical tourism. Expert Reviews. Vol. 6, Issue 4, pp.447 454. Dr. Prem, J, 2010, ‘Medical tourism impact its more than obvious . Medical Tourism Magazine vol 17, viewed 26 May 2011, Available from: medicaltourismmag.com/article/medical-tourism-impact-it-s-more-than-obvious.html. Hazarika, I,2009, Medical tourism: its potential impact on the health workforce, Oxford Journals, vol 25, no 3, pp.248 – 251, viewed 26 May 2011. Mathieson, A and Wall, G, 1982’ Social Impacts, in Tourism: economic, physical, and social impacts, U.S ed, Longman,London. McKerchera, B, 1993, ‘Some fundamental truths about tourism: understanding tourisms social and environmental impacts’ Journal of Sustainable Tourism [online]. viewed   26 May 2011, pp.6 16. Available from: informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t794297833~link=cover. Otley, T, 2007, ‘Patients without borders: it is now cheaper and easier than ever before for patients to receive good-quality healthcare abroad, but how is this medical tourism affecting the host nations’?(Fit to Fly: Medical travel)’ Business Traveller vol 2 viewed   26 May 2011, pp.36. Available from http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?. U.S. House, 2007, Market report for Healthcare in India, Government Printing Office,Washington. Weaver, DB and Lawton, L 2010, ‘Economic impacts of tourism, in Tourism management, 4th ed, John Wiley,Qld,Australia.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Essay Bipolar Disorder Essay: Finding the Light in the Dark Affecting nearly one percent of the population of the United States, bipolar disorder has quickly become one of the leading forms of mental illness (Spearing). While advancements in medical science and technology have allowed researchers and physicians to understand its elements more clearly, the effects of bipolar disorder are tragic and often deadly. Often the negative results occur due to a lack of proper diagnosis: some seventy-five percent of bipolar cases go untreated (Spearing). Through proper education and public awareness, this serious disease can be properly diagnosed, treated and possibly cured. Bipolar disorder, as defined by the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, is a mood disorder that causes a person to suffer extreme emotional changes and shifts in mood. Previously known as manic-depressive disorder, bipolar disorder causes alternate periods of mania and depression. To fully understand the effects of this disease, it is important to comprehend the meanings of mania and depression. Merriam-Websters Dictionary defines mania as excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood. Depression, on the other hand, is defined as a psychiatric disorder characterized by an inability to concentrate, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of extreme sadness, guilt, helplessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death. (Merriam-Webster). The combination of the two results in emotional chaos. Of all psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder is the most common, affecting between one and two million Americans (Spearing). While it affects males and females equally, there are a few distinctions that can be made about those who do have it. Amongst men, early onset bipolar disorder is more frequent while there is higher rate of rapid cycling, mixed states, and cyclothymia in women (Wurztel 28-31). Also, according to one survey, an estimated 59% of bipolar patients experienced their first symptoms when they were children or adolescents (Harakas G2). Studies show that bipolar disorder occurs in 1% of all age groups (Bipolar Survivor). Evanston Northwestern Hospital claims, There is some indication that the incidence of bipolar disorder may be increasing. While it is important to understand that bipolar disorder is a disease separate from the numerous other types of mental illnesses, it is also necessary to differentiate between the four different types of the disorder. The first type, Bipolar I, is the most often discussed. People who suffer from this type of bipolar disorder experience extreme periods of mania coupled with depression (Bailey). During the extreme times of mania, Bipolar I patients engage in activities that are exceptionally dangerous and eccentric yet they believe that their actions are normal. Such activities may include spending outrageous amounts of money, investing in business schemes without any research or knowledge of the investment, driving recklessly, and engaging in sexual promiscuity (Bipolar Survivor). Also, during advanced mania, all touch with reality is completely lost resulting in delusions and hallucinations (Bailey). With this type of bipolar disorder, there seems to be an abundant amount of energy with almost a complete lack of sleep (Bailey). The second, and most common, type of bipolar disorder is known as Bipolar II. With this type, people experience recurrent bouts of depression without the psychotic episodes of mania. Unlike Bipolar I patients, they suffer from brief spells of hypomania during which they feel euphoric and have a great amount of self-confidence and energy (Bailey). While it may appear that hypomania is similar to general happiness, Dr. Hagop S. Akiskal, a senior advisor at the National Institute of Mental Health, states that hypomania is a recurrent condition; happiness is not (qtd. in Fireman 1470). Generally, this type of bipolar disorder is the mildest form of the disease and is the easiest to treat. Medicated mania, or Bipolar III, is the third type of bipolar disorder. The main difference between this type and the others is that it is the direct result of drug treatment or electroconvulsive therapy for depression (Bailey). Most times this occurs because the patient is misdiagnosed with clinical depression. The final classification of bipolar disorder is known as cyclothemia, or rapid cycling. This type is characterized by intense changes in mood occurring more frequently than what is typically .

Issues in Global Business and Consultancy Essay

Issues in Global Business and Consultancy - Essay Example The choice for those locations is due to the technological advancement and industrial production and as part of the globalisation strategy. As a result of the globalisation and to its contribution to the worldwide healthcare needs, the company ranks among the research–oriented healthcare and pharmaceutical companies in the world. Indeed, this has made the company to play a leading role in making sure that the global population remains healthy. As well, the company benefits from its global business approach, and enjoy Comparative Advantage, Absolute Advantage Fallacy, Endogenous Advantage, and Bilateral Trade Patterns, due to the nature of its production. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Brief Research Methods 3 Globalisation 4 Globalisation Challenges and the Company’s Interventions 6 International Trade Theory 7 Comparative Advantage 7 Absolute Advantage Fallacy 7 Endogenous Advantage 8 Bilateral Trade Patterns 8 Recommendations 9 Conclusions 9 Bibliography 10 Appendix 11 Introduction Global business and consultancy are the major considerations for companies seeking success. There are certain issues affecting business operations, which have to be predetermined, analysed for the good of the business. In this report, the major issues to be discussed include globalisation and International Trade Theory relating to GlaxoSmithKline Company (GSK). The company was formed in the year 2000 when Glaxo Welcome Company and SmithKline Beecham merged (Weysig, 2004, p.16). Since the company is international based, operating in more than 100 countries, all the factors in the global business arena has an impact on it s operations. As any other company, GSK has internal and external challenges because they manufacture health products. Therefore, millions of people are depending on the products for their health needs, meaning that an outbreak of epidemic disease creates an impact of increase in the demand of the products. Int ensifying their research is the key to the company’s development. Some of the globalisation factors affecting the company include is he demand arising from low income countries. As a leader, they have the mandate and compulsion to fulfil their mission despite all the global challenges. Brief Research Method During the study, the researcher employed a deductive approach in doing the investigation. First, the researcher formulated the topic of discussion, under which the problem to be investigated was stated. Secondly, literature review followed, in which the divergent views of different scholars and other relevant company information was incorporated. Third, the researcher proposed the theory to be used in the company analysis, and designed the research to test the theories. Finally, the researcher started the study by collecting data, analysing them, using qualitative and quantitative techniques, after which the findings were presented. Globalisation The company is based in t he United Kingdom, with branches in more than 100 countries distributed across the world (Feenstra, 2003, p.44). The other important aspect of the company to note is that, the UK, US, China and Belgium host the major research centres of the company (Feenstra, 2003, p.45). Due to its contribution to the global health needs, the company is categorised

Reason in Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Reason in Philosophy - Essay Example In the Twilight of the Idols, he describes the problem of the early philosophers such as Socrates and he says, "you want to know what the philosophers' idiosyncrasies are?... Their lack of historical sense for one thing, their hatred of the very idea of becoming, their Egypticity. They believe that they ought to be showing respect for something when they dehistoricize it, sub specie aeterni,- when they turn it into a mummy." He believes that for the past decade or so, philosophers (attempting to define why society is the way it is, or why someone behaves as they do), have lost touch. They use concepts that have been mummified, meanings that they kill the idea as it is and instead, stuff it with their beliefs. When they are faced with questions they cannot handle or that is beyond their reasoning, they look for reasons to criticize it (NIETZSCHE). The irony in his way of reasoning enables the reader to understand why he completely differs from every other philosophers explanations. It is his interpretation of what reasoning ought to be. This guides the themes he discusses in his first book where he rejects God and Christianity and sees them only as generalizations and a point whereby the philosophers confuse the idea of causal from effect. As a result, they take the obvious truths - the last idea, which is Christianity that ought not to be included, and criticizes what they accept as good since for him it is evil. According to Nietzsche, good people are great liars. As such, the society has embraced this morality to Christians who, in essence, are reasonable. A reasonable person, in this case, refers to an individual who embraces alternative truths. Thus, the society tends to criticize people by morally generalizing them. His justification for this argument, is that a strong person has learnt to put his personal desires for p ower that brings happiness to most humans under control, instead of being caught in crossfire of trying to justify themselves (Nietzsche).

Themes of Liturgy Essay Example for Free

Themes of Liturgy Essay A public duty given in the service of God in Churches is commonly described in Bible as Liturgy. It originated from the Greek word Leitourgia-Leitos where Leos means people and ergo means to perform and the person who performs Liturgy is known as leitourgos. The Christian Liturgy is divided into two sections, the first section is service of the Word, and second is the service of Lord’s Supper. But these two liturgies in real term are same service. Liturgy is a paramount duty of the Church and baptized children of God, â€Å"Devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the community, to the breaking of the bread, and to prayer. † (Acts 2:42) In early days, Churches had made practice of performing the prayers at fixed hours. Then it became a practice to perform prayer at specific time and as the time passed, other hours were fixed for performing common prayers in the service of God and often disciples gathered together at the third hour. The Prince of the Apostles â€Å"went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour† (10:9); â€Å"Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour† (3:1); â€Å"about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God† (16:25). Gradually these prayers began to be performed in a set cycle of hours. This began to be known as Liturgy- a prayer towards Christ and seeking petition from Christ. The basic meaning of theology of Liturgy is that every action of God is revealed through Christ and it is not possible for a man to make his way to God because it is God that makes the way towards us. Thus any action of man that does not lead towards God is not an action at all. Basic essence of Liturgy lies in the fact that through Liturgy, you are united with God. The God himself speaks to us through signs, and even takes the form of body, enters the soul, flesh and blood with only one purpose and that is too unite us with him. Your salvation is with your connection to God and Christian liturgy does this only. Your whole life is spent in search of God and if you join the Liturgy, you have entered doors of the creator itself. Liturgy makes us realize that human soul, the over soul and the super soul are integral to each other. Since the over soul is pure most, the human soul also retains its inherent purity. It can steer us clear of all the difficulties, uncertainties, shams, and imperfections of the worldly life in the same way as the pure-most â€Å"Whole†- The Almighty can. Man is therefore an equal status and importance to God.    According to The Second Vatican Council â€Å"Liturgy is through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.†1 Eucharist is a pinnacle of the Christian life. They believe that if bread and wine are brought to the altar, the holy spirit with its power will transfer it into the true body and blood of Christ. Lot of research has been undertaken regarding various aspects of Liturgical practices since centuries and their repercussions and effects. The New Testament reveals the fact that the Liturgical practices have seen number of changes, but according to Bradshaw many New Testament books have provided the allusionary account of practices Christians have been adopting in their Liturgical prayers rather than an accurate account. What ever has been interpreted from the New Testament is that Liturgical practices happening in later centuries had its roots in the first century. But there has been no concrete proof regarding the same and they are mere allusions. Further he said that it could be possible that some practices might have been followed from ancient times but there is enough scholarly proof to suggest that these assumptions are impractical and even to make such speculations is highly risky. Abundant illustrations could be offered of such an apprach, but Massey - Pope Paul VI, â€Å"Sacrosanctum Concilium†, 4 December1963, http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html (19 January 2008). Shephard theory, that explains about the link between the Book of Revelation and the Paschal Liturgy can be a good example to present link between the present practices and the past.1 Some reveal that many of the imageries of heavenly worship found in the Book of Revelation are a clear sign of Liturgical practices. For eg. Oscar Cullman could have said, â€Å"the whole Book of Revelation from the Greeting   of the Grace and Peace in Chapter 1.4 to the closing prayer: Come Lord Jesus, In Chapter 22.20, and the benediction in the last verse, is full of allusions to the Liturgical usages of the earlier community.†2 Besides many of other scholars have also questioned about the assumptions of the existence of parallels between heavenly and earthly worship and it has been presumed that the early Christians did not use any order in the ceremony. Inspite of several controversies and debates regarding the actual Liturgical practices, hymns and prayers have been solmenly considered as legitimate and proved versions reflecting the liturgical materials been in use in those times.3 Many research studies have pointed out the connection between the Liturgical practices to the earlier Judaism and the first one to suggest this relation was Dutch protestent theologian, Campegius Vitringa (1659-1722). It had also been stated that Gospels were used as public reading in Chruches and therefore they would have been influenced to some extent by the Jewish Lectionary. Thus attempts were being made to show that the lactionary material was behind the worship process and the first one to follow this theory was RG. Finch in 1939 who found that Jesus teaching did not just found in synagogue but affected that what was found there. And even G.D. Kilpatrick mentioned that Mathew was also used for public reading during worhsip but he did not think that there was any lectionary   process. 4 Paul F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Method for the Study of Early Liturgy (US: Oxford University Press, 2002), 50. Bradshaw, 57. Bradshaw, 59. Bradshaw, 48. The early Christians were all following the Jewish form of worship-which was also considered to be the worship practices of Jesus Christ and was in sense liturgical. The New Testament is a proven record of this fact that even though earlier Christians had added some new components like Eucharist or in other words Communion, which Christ himself had bestowed on his followers during last Supper, their basic worshiping practice was of Jews. But during the ceremonies of the early Church, Eucharist was being celebrated as different services since last many years. The continuous worship procedure that had taken place from Temple to Synagogue and then its finally entry into the early Christian Church was the reason for the start of the Christian Liturgical order since the end of the first century, sixty years after Christ’s resurrection. Paul F. Bradshaw is a professor of Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University’s London Center. In his book, he evaluated the various difficulties being posed by various researchers while interpreting the earlier documents on Liturgy and made critical reevaluation of the various theories of the origination of Christian worship. He brought before us the notion that primitive form of Christian worship was considered to be diverse in nature. They were pluriform and this pluriformity was not just seen in the theological part of worship in different traditions, but in very basic methods of rites and rituals and despite of the fact that churches have been trying to maintain uniformity in the   rites and rituals over the centuries, the churches began to adopt the liturgical way of worshiping. On one hand, there has been adequate evidence to point out that even though liturgical practices of one group might have created influence on the other but there had been variations in their rites and rituals. Bradshaw even stated that there is lack of evidence in the New Testament about the First Century Christian Worship. As there is a tendency among the scholars to gather the bits of information from whereever they are available and join them to give a unique and single piece of information and give a historical verdict to it.   For example, scholars might have combined references of liturgical activities that might had been performed by our ancestors, from the act of Apostotle or from the Pauline letters and joined with certain illusory signs termed as means of worship from the Johannine literature or from Synoptic Gospels and presented before us the ways of worship by the first Christians.1 Bradshaw emphasised that there never had been any concrete evidence to prove the validity of how first Christians worshiped or what were their ways. But this is a fact that the present Liturgy has at some point or the other roots in our past. It is true that Jesus himself told the woman at the well, â€Å"the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him† (John 4:23).   Liturgy reflects the true spirit of worship in what way it is performed. Catholic liturgy makes use of signs and symbols whose significance lies in the fact that they reveal the sign of Christ. These signs and symbols come from the world of creation- light, water, fire, bread, wine, oil, others from life in society -washing, anointing, breaking bread and others from Old Testament sacred history -the Passover rite, sacrifices, laying on of hands, consecrating persons and objects. These signs speak volume of the intensity of the life that Christ has given to us, but these signs are accompanied by spoken words, which together create the serene effect and reflect the significance of this ritual. - Bradshaw, 59.             Bibliography Bradshaw, Paul F. The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Method for the Study of Early Liturgy. US: Oxford University Press, 2002. Dix, Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. Pope Paul VI. â€Å"Sacrosanctum Concilium†. 4 December1963. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html (19 January 2008).

The Human Brain :: Biology

â€Å"The human brain enables a person to reason, function intellectually, express personality and mood, and interact with the environment† (Sugerman, 2008, p. 277). Our brain is truly remarkable. Considering how much we still do not know about the brain just goes to show how complex and amazing the brain is. No other organ is like the brain and all other organs would be unable to function without the brain. â€Å"The three major divisions of the brain are (1) the forebrain, formed by the two cerebral hemispheres; (2) the midbrain which, includes the corpora quadrigemina and cerebral peduncles; and (3) the hindbrain, which includes the cerebellum, pons, and medulla† (Sugerman, 2008, p. 277). First off the brain stem is made up of the midbrain, medulla and pons, these connect the hemispheres of the brain, cerebellum, and spinal cord (Sugerman, 2008, p. 277). The brain stem is made up of nerve bodies called reticular formation, which is in charge of some of the mos t vital operations of the body, cardiovascular and respiration functions (Sugerman, 2008, p. 277). These two functions are done involuntarily each day. We do not need to think about breathing every few seconds or make our heart beat constantly. This process keeps us awake also. Different nuclei are responsible for different motor functions accordingly (Sugerman, 2008, p. 278). â€Å"The cerebellum is composed of gray and white matter, and its cortical surface is convoluted like the surface of the cerebrum. It is also divided by a central fissure into two lobes connected by vermis† (Sugerman, 2008, 284). The cerebellum has many functions, it is in charge of reflexes, involuntary fine-tuning of motor control and for maintaining balance and posture through extensive neural connections with the medulla (Sugerman, 2008, 284). The little brain or cerebellum, â€Å"receives information from the balance system of the inner ear, sensory nerves, and the auditory and visual systems. It is involved in the coordination of motor movements as well as basic facets of memory and learning, homeostatic control,†. The diencephalon has four major parts: epithalamus, thalamus, hypothalamus, and subthalamus. The thalamus is in charge of â€Å"relaying the cerebral cortex information received from diverse brain regions...Axons from every sensory system (except olfaction) synapse here as the last relay site before the information reaches the cerebral cortex† (Sci.uidaho, n.d., para. 2,3). The thalamus surrounds the third ventricle, it allows many sensations to be perceived (Sugerman, 2008, 283).

How is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde typical of a Victorian Gothic Novel? Essay

The term â€Å"gothic† came to be applied to this genre of literature due to the fierce emotional ties and vastly enigmatic themes. Nearly every Gothic novel takes place in a strange, mysterious location, such as Dracula’s castle or the Thornfield manor in Jane Eyre. However at the onset of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the novel appears to stray from this easily identifiable Gothic tradition. London is chosen as the setting rather than a remote foreign castle. London is portrayed to be â€Å"a fire in a forest† with an atmosphere which had â€Å"an air of invitation. It gives the impression of a warmth and convivial Victorian lifestyle. Conversely on the other hand â€Å"a fire in a forest† could be construed to be dangerous or a threat to your safety. The reader’s first opinion of London is that it embodies a pleasant vibe. However Stevenson incarnates London to fit in with the Gothic tradition. He utilizes a classic Gothic feature of the progression fr om light to dark in London. The first feature of the Gothic technique the novel embodies is the exploitation of progression from light to dark. London at the onset of the book is pleasant and positive. Stevenson uses phrases such as ‘the street shone out’ and ‘like a fire in a forest’ to show the reader its initial appeal and warmth. The fact that the street ‘drove a thriving trade on weekdays’ and that there was an ‘air of invitation’ gives the effect of a welcoming and social lifestyle the Victorian era had. However some aspects of a Gothic setting and typical Victorian Society are unravelling. The neighbourhood is described as ‘dingy’, suggesting London at the time was dark and dreary (mainly due to coal being burned). Dingy is particularly successful in illustrating London’s neglected streets and conditions. When Mr Utterson walked the ’empty’ streets’ on a ‘black winter morning’ the atmosphere being produced is a frightening one. London is now beginning to fit the traditions of Gothic literature. Again another characteristic of Victorian culture is mentioned when Mr Utterson ‘longs for a sight of a policeman’ showing us that London in the era of Queen Victoria a spooky and perhaps dangerous place to live. The ‘lamp lit streets’, a metaphor reveals to us that Victorian England had to be presented as a wealthy and civilised country, when behind the mask it was riddled with problems such as drugs, poverty, and murder. Almost every Gothic novel takes place in a strange, mysterious location, and London in this novel matches the criteria well. Mr. Utterson represents the typical Victorian gentleman. Stevenson characterizes him as having â€Å"a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile.† He is â€Å"cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse,† â€Å"backward in sentiment† â€Å"dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable†. Utterson’s temperament is the epitome of Victorian norms The central theme revolves around the dual nature of man. The concept of everyone having a dark side: The evil side that everyone shunts away from appearance and the light side: the good side that everyone shows to the rest of the world. The superego or Freud that Dr Jekyll is trying to create ultimately ends in him creating the Id of himself. Stevenson uses the back and front doors to represent the recurring theme of good and evil and the public face and private face. The front door a polished exterior ‘that wore a great air of wealth’ is the one used by every person to enter the house and leads to the dining room- Jekyll s public image. The back door however is ‘blistered’ and ‘distained’ and leads to his laboratory where he releases Hyde. The back door signifies the hidden evil in all of us. Jekyll declares that â€Å"man is not truly one, but truly two†, suggesting his own understanding of the duality. In the nineteenth-century the strict divide between middle/upper class and working class was vast. The British Empire had to show the world that they brought prosperity and civilisation to the countries they invaded so fine living for the rich and morality for upper class was a necessity. Mr Utterson being a prime example of showing his light in public and keeping his dark in private. He is fond of wine but ‘drinks gin when he’s alone, to mortify his taste for vintages’ suggests he doesn’t want others to see his true identity and the fact that he is an alcoholic. Respectability and reputation was very important for upper classes in the Victorian period. Within the story Stevenson associates the environment of the squalid, poor, dirty parts of society with Mr Hyde (looked down on); whereas the homes of the wealthy, upright, high class of society are linked with Dr. Jekyll (respected). Mr Hyde is often seen going into a door, the back door which is situated on a shabby street that leads into a house described as â€Å"a certain sinister block of building†, signifying the poor and immoral people of London. In contrast Dr Jekyll is a well-respected man of excellent social standing- servants and a large house. When he was young, he seemed to be heading for â€Å"an honourable and distinguished future†. He was born â€Å"to a large fortune†, suggesting an upper-class upbringing. Dr Jekyll represents the rich and powerful. Mr Hyde is regularly juxtaposed with evil. For instance when Hyde ‘calmly tramples a girl’, Enfield describes it as ‘hellish to see’, suggesting the inhuman nature of Hyde. Hyde is also hazily described as ‘oddly deformed’, ‘detestable’, and a ‘juggernaut’. Most people simply decide that he appears ugly and deformed in some indescribable way; â€Å"impression of deformity without nameable malformation†. Mr. Hyde isn’t an approachable person, for example when Mr Utterson met him for the first time he â€Å"shrank back with a hissing intake of the breath†; the Onomatopoeia gives Mr Hyde an animal like trait. He is beyond words like he is beyond this world. People cannot give a reason why they dislike Hyde, it’s like they can feel the evil within him. During the progression of the novel Stevenson exposes the use of pathetic fallacy to interpret the mood of characters and events that have occurred. The weather is used in great effect to reflect per sanity. The fog itself like ‘dark brown umber’ is effective to show loneliness and the ever imposing presence of evil within Jekyll. The ‘dreary’ and ‘gloomy’ streets portray death (murder of Carew) and fear (Hyde’s existence in London) of what will happen next. Also I think the wind is used in great effect to make the setting seem like it is full of violence and menace. The changes in weather heighten tension and anxiety. For instance a dark and evil atmosphere is created in the scene when Pool and Utterson ready themselves to break in to Dr Jekyll’s lavatory because the wind causes the clouds to cover the moon. Stevenson uses the weather to reflect an evil environment and what the characters are feeling. The evil side of Jekyll not only grows physically but grows inside of him. All this like an allegory for opium addiction which was a real problem in Victorian times. Jekyll becomes increasingly addicted to his â€Å"id† and Hyde becomes stronger throughout because of it. Dr Jekyll overstepped the mark just like Victor Frakenstein goes too far in creating a monster. Man is not meant to have the â€Å"spark of being† or the â€Å"instruments of life†. God is the only creator and destroyer. Dr Jekyll and Victor Frankenstein both strayed into the territory of God†¦. and both were punished. Stevenson wanted to point out to everyone the hypocrisy of the Victorian society. He satirises the split personality of Victorian society. The gulf between the rich and poor and how Victorians hid the dark underbelly that the outside world could not see. He wanted to emphasize the fact that there is good and bad in everyone and used many symbols to stress the point.

Business Model of Amazon

Opening of the internet to commercial activity, the creation of naming conventions for URLs and the development of a user friendly and free interface i. e. the browser were the three major developments that led to the advent of what is known as â€Å"e-business†. As the economy has moved from agrarian to industrial to information age, the focus of the businessmen or the wealthy and powerful has also shifted in terms of the ways of obtaining wealth or doing business. In the agrarian age there was shortage of land which made ownership of land as the determinant of value.Powerful land barons typically accumulated vast tracts of land and coerced people who were bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord into living on and working it. As economy moved from agrarian to industrial age, physical assets owned by a firm became the determinants of value and shortage of raw-materials led the powerful industrialists to conspire to control the supply of raw materials. In this age, the m arket could absorb as much product as the industrialists could produce.The current era in which we live has been defined as the information age wherein relationships and intellectual capital are more important than anything else. One is not worried about physical assets anymore. Companies don’t compete with each other over superior products as they are largely commoditized rather compete increasingly on the basis of value added customer services. The economic battles of today are fought over the mind-space of consumers. In the information age power-play customers are not passive participants, in the way that land and raw materials were in the agrarian and industrial ages.In fact, according to Zang Hailing, it is the customers' time that is in short supply, and therefore for any firm to succeed, emphasis needs to be given to the importance of reducing the customers' time to adopt a new product. Thus, in a world where technology is changing every day and the transformation of c onsumers has happened from â€Å"Price Takers† to â€Å"Price Makers† as they are armed with more options and information; the companies that control more and more customer relationships will be the ones that hold the power in an industry and reap the lion's share of the profits.E-commerce or e-business is an important tool that enables companies to reach out to the global market at low cost and provides abundant information about the consumers’ requirements and preferences easily which was not so easy earlier. Following figure is a glimpse of the promising future that the ecommerce industry holds. The US E-commerce has seen a 40% increase in the sales over the past 5 years as a percentage of the total retail sales in US. Source: http://ycharts. com Now when thinks about e-commerce, the first name that comes to everyone’s mind is that of Amazon. com.Not only most of the people have heard about it but there are many people who have actually used its servic es. Amazon was not only one of the few of the companies that thrived throughout the period in which many dot-com companies struggled to survive but has been constantly performing exceptionally well in terms of revenue per visitor which is one of the key parameters for any commercial website. Amazon has had one of the fastest growths in the internet’s history with revenues reaching $2, 8 billion in the first five years with Google’s revenue reaching only $15bn in the first five years.Now, just like any other traditional business in order to clearly understand an e-business one needs to have information on the following components: a) Business Strategy which determines the products and service offerings by the firm, the firms targeted customers and the firms value proposition. It also helps firms decide on the choices and the tradeoffs that the firm needs to make. b) Organizational form or structure c) Business processes which refer to the unique ways in which organizati ons coordinate and organize work activities, information, and knowledge to produce a product or service. ) Value Chain i. e. the sequence of activities that a firm undertakes to create value, including the various steps of the supply chain but also additional activities, such as marketing, sales, and service. e) Core Competencies which are the collective learning’s of the firms and being distinctive create long term competitive advantage for the firm. From the beginning, the focus of Amazon. com has been on offering their customers compelling value. In the current report filing dated 04/13/12, Jeffrey Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon. om writes â€Å"We realized that the Web was, and still is, the World Wide Wait. Therefore, we set out to offer customers something they simply could not get any other way, and began serving them with books. We brought them much more selection than was possible in a physical store (our store would now occupy 6 football fields), and presente d it in a useful, easy-to-search, and easy-to-browse format in a store open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. † The Value Proposition offered by Amazon. com is â€Å"earth’s largest selection—24/7, at competitive price. † Amazon. om has continuously focused on improving the shopping experience owing to which they substantially enhanced their stores in 1997. Though they started off with books, they now offer customers gift certificates, 1-ClickSM shopping, and vastly more reviews, content, browsing options, and recommendation features. The company’s stated goal was to â€Å"be Earth’s most customer centric company for three primary customer sets: consumers, sellers and developers. † It targeted its first set of customers through its initial retail model where it sold only books.It offered the perfect combination of low prices, large selection and convenience or customer experience. The digital media allowed limitless inventory, boosted c ustomer care and allowed higher margins and hence lowest prices. In 15 years Amazon went from 1 category to 16 main categories of books. Amazon began with books and needed to grow big fast. From 1995-1998, Amazon moved from books to music and again through the same combination moved to become the biggest seller of music in just 120 days! Amazon moved on develop its own digital driven supply chain and distribution network by hiring from the expert: Wal-Mart.Amazon accelerated development through its strategy of â€Å"Build, buy, partner† a) Build: Amazon keeps on creating new categories. For example, Amazon kicked off a new service by the name MyHabit. com in May 2011 that made fashion available to consumers directly from designers and boutique brands. b) Buy: When there is a lot of competition in any area and the competitors have a strong hold, Amazon believes in buying out the incumbent. Few of the acquisitions made by Amazon include Internet Movie Database  (IMDb), Zappos (an online shoe and apparel retailer) etc. ) Partner: Amazon has also entered into a lot of merchant partnerships. It offers its technological service and ecommerce expertise to third- parties. For example in October 2011, Amazon. com announced a partnership with DC Comics for the exclusive digital rights to many popular comics, including Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Sandman, and Watchmen. As mentioned before as well, Amazon want to be the â€Å"world’s most customer-centric† company, and so their focus is on the â€Å"Customer Service†. It ensures customer loyalty through three main approaches: a) Recurring usage b) Seamless Integration c) Lock-inThe following table tells us how Amazon uses all above mentioned approaches for its both customers: Sellers and consumers. | Sellers| Consumers| Recurring Usage| a. Developed a customer base close to 615mn users that can’t be ignored by sellers b. Ensures profit through optimized and reliable technology c. Developed a trusted Brand name| a. Created an ecosystem through Kindle b. Stores user’s media library c. Offers personalization to customers d. Gives special offers everyday| Seamless Integration| a. Monitors sellers rating ratings posted by consumers and expels sellers with bad ratings b.Offers Fulfillment by Amazon service(FBA) which allows third party sellers to use Amazon’s large warehouse and distribution network| a. For customers, all the sellers are highly commoditized and invisible. They buy it because of the Amazons brand value b. Get benefitted by Amazon Prime and free super saver shipping| Lock-in| a. By controlling or owning the customer accounts b. High level of infrastructure development required to ensure same level of customer service as offered by Amazon| a. By providing digital content that works only on Kindle b. Amazon Prime Program which requires annual subscription| | c. | c. |Amazon developed a value chain of itself for internal appraisal so as to identify its strengths and weaknesses that would help it add value and maintain a competitive advantage. Amazon uses the value chain model from Michael Porter’s book, â€Å"Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. † The first table represents the Primary activities of Amazon which are needed to produce a product or services for the end customers. Inbound logistics| Operations| Outbound logistics| Marketing ; Sales| Service| Avoids the overhead and large amounts of inventory carrying cost because it orders the books from the distributors. Easy and fast payment systems. Online customer systems and feedback. | Operates a number of transportation hubs that they refer to as injection points. Injection point locations are located in heavily customer concentrated areas. | Customer tracking  is an Amazon stronghold through which it provides personalized customers’ experience| Free return policy within 30 days. Uses marketplace to incr ease channel and range of goods through 3rd parties and customers. Highly reduced returns to suppliers (such as unsold books and media) due to available accurate forecasting technology | Customized buyer experience| Ability to aggregate orders bound for specific locations. | Interactive shipping and parceling price calculations. Free delivery based on single transaction spends. | Price comparison of new products with used products in marketplace shops. | Efficiently gathering information about customer experiences to inform service inputs and inventory controls. | 24 hour warehouse operations to meet customer demands. |   Utilizes the capabilities of its supply chain partners to deliver orders directly to ustomers which bypass the Amazon. com internal distribution center network|   Discounts and price reductions made available with suggested product mixes. Similar products recommended to customers interactively. | Offers customers gift certificates, 1-Click SM shopping, and vast ly more reviews, content, browsing options, and recommendation features. | The next table gives information about the various support activities performed by Amazon which help to facilitate or assist its primary activities. | Value Creation| Cost Reduction| Firm Infrastructure| Huge central customer data warehouse available to all business units. Amazon’s single technology platform with services being incrementally distributed to other worldwide locations, reduces costs by leveraging investments | Human Resource Management| Amazon. com has a great training for its employees resulting in talented, smart and hard working group. Offers employees unique benefits such as medical, paid time off and stock grants and relocation allowances and hence attract highly skilled workers| Amazon utilizes independent contractors and temporary personnel to supplement their workforce, particularly on a seasonal basis.Although Amazon has works councils and statutory employee representation obliga tions in certain countries, Amazon’s employees are not represented by a labor union| Technology Development| High investments in technology development (e. g. , Kindle) to best leverage digital products. Innovations such as personalized recommendations, one-click ordering, and search inside the book are all Amazon. com innovations. Highly customized software applications that support their supply chain business model. For example, Amazon. om is linked into Ingram's systems to see Ingram inventory levels when deciding whether to use Ingram to drop ship an order to a customer | Building an IT strategy, IT infrastructure and Data Centre on Linux open source software thus reducing cost of technology development. Renting computing resources to other companies reduce total cost of ownership Using standard hardware systems from HP to reduce cost of maintenance and compatibility| Procurement| Utilizes a Sales and Operations (S&OP) planning process to determine forecasts for each rodu ct that it stores in its distribution center inventoryUses the strategic business unit – Booksurge to keep a rich inventory of digital copies of books so as to make this readily available for customers through print-on-demand and reduce the time of delivery | Specially built distribution Centers, warehouses and fulfillment Centers to increase the speed of order processing thus avoiding transaction costs of contracting out| In addition to the business strategies the value chain components mentioned above, the success of Amazon. om can be attributed to the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder & chief executive officer Jeff Bezos and the strong inclination of the firm towards bringing about innovation in the business model. Let us discuss both factors one by one. Entrepreneurial Spirit of Jeff Bezos: Jeff Bezos can be regarded as the forward-looking CEO responsible for the success of Amazon. com. He has not only efficiently managed the present but through his long term vision a lways taken steps to create the future. The computer science and electrical engineering graduate from Princeton University moved to Seattle after resigning as a Senior Vice-President at D.E. Shaw, a Wall Street investment bank. At the time Bezos didn’t know much about the Internet but he came across a statistic that the Internet was growing at 2300%, which convinced him that it was a large growth opportunity. Without knowing anything more, he plunged into the world of e-commerce with no prior retailing experience. It was his decision to locate the company in Seattle because it had a large pool of technical talent and since it was close to one of the largest book wholesalers located in Rosenburg, Oregon.Moreover, the sales tax laws for online retailers state that one has to charge sales tax in the state in which one is incorporated. Therefore it was logical to locate in a small state. Under his guidance and logical thinking Amazon. com quickly became the leader in e-commerce. Operating 24 hours a day, the site was user-friendly and encouraged browsers to post their own reviews of books and offering discounts, personalized recommendations, and searches for out-of-print books. In June 1998 it began selling CDs, and later that year it added videos.In 1999 Bezos, looking at the future trends, added auctions to the site and invested in other virtual stores. The success of Amazon. com encouraged other retailers, including major book chains, to establish online stores. As more companies battled for Internet dollars, Bezos saw the need to diversify, and by 2005 Amazon. com offered a vast array of products, including consumer electronics, apparel, and hardware. And with the Jeff Bezos vision to make every book ever in print in any language available to the consumer in 60 seconds, Amazon launched the handheld device called Kindle in 2007.Bezos is the quintessential dot-com icon. He proved to the business world that the Internet was about more than knowledge. He pr oved that it is possible to overcome fears about purchasing online, to drive down transaction costs, and to build an international e-commerce business over the Internet. He had the courage to attempt something that people doubted could be done. . At the age of 35, Jeff Bezos was picked as the 1999 Time person of the year. Describing why it chose Bezos, Time magazine said, â€Å"Bezos’  vision  of the online retailing universe was so complete, his Amazon. om site so elegant and appealing that it became from Day One the point of reference for anyone who had anything to sell online. † Innovation in the Business Model: Amazon survived the dot-com bust because it had a viable and innovative  business model  built around a market-changing customer value proposition and a radical profit formula and over it has been able to sustain its position as the leader in e-commerce by bringing about continuous innovations in its business model. Let us look at some of the differe nt dimensions wherein Amazon. om has been able to bring about business innovation. a) Offerings: By offering a handheld device dedicated to reading, Kindle, Amazon. com revolutionized the books industry. By creating a product like Kindle, the created a perfect, integrated and streamlined customer experience. b) Platform: With Amazon Web Services, Fulfillment By Amazon, and Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon is creating powerful self-service platforms that allow thousands of people to boldly experiment and accomplish things that would otherwise be impossible or impractical. ) Customers: In 2002 Amazon launched a web services platform and identified a new area of potential growth by finding another new customer—the IT community. Serving this new customer's needs required different processes, different resources, and a different profit formula—in short, another  new business model. d) Customer Experience: 1-Click combined with Gift-Click and Wish List made Amazon. com the most convenient, easiest-to-use shopping destination the holiday season.Wish List allows customers to post the gifts they'd most like to receive from family and friends, while Gift-Click allows customers to send gifts easily by entering just the e-mail addresses of their recipients. e) Value Capture: By opening up its storefront to other retailers that were essentially competitors, Amazon transformed its business from direct sales to a sales-and-service model, aggregating many sellers under one virtual roof and receiving commissions from the other companies' sales. ) Supply Chain: Fulfillment by Amazon service (FBA) by Amazon is a classic example of innovating business model through supply chain. FBA allows third party sellers to use Amazon’s large warehouse and distribution network and in the last quarter of 2011, shipped tens of millions of items on behalf of sellers. When sellers use FBA, their items become eligible for Amazon Prime, for Super Saver Shipping, and for Amaz on returns processing and customer service.From the above discussion of Amazon’s business strategy, value chain analysis and the success factors we can conclude that Amazon has a robust Business model. Amazon’s business model fends off all the four threats. It has the costly-to-imitate financial and technological resources, it has developed protection against holdup by seamlessly vertically integrating its both the customers i. e. the sellers and the consumers. Reduced slack by locking-in the customers and the sellers and fights substitution through innovation in business model.

Civil Service Merit System Essays

Civil Service Merit System Essays Civil Service Merit System Essay Civil Service Merit System Essay At the beginning of the 21st century, civil service requires a qualified staff able to meet social demands and changes. To some extend, effective arrangements for governance within the civil service and between the civil services are fundamental elements of a democratic system of the government. In public administration, there are a range of changes from administrative matters in the way business is conducted in the civil service, to legislative changes that provide greater accountability and openness for the work of the civil service. Today, merit system is one of the main tools which help to ensure effective selection, promoting and appointing of staff. Merit system aims to â€Å"maintain high standards of integrity, conduct, and concern for the public interest† 1. In modern environment, the state merit system regulations, to conform with the standards, bar employees from participating in political activities except to express their views and cast their ballots as citizens. They also are to prohibit disqualification of persons from taking examinations or holding office because of political or religious opinions. State agencies are also required to prepare, adopt, install, and administer classification2 and compensation plans for all positions in the agency, such plans to be based upon investigation 1. Camoes, P. J. , Ruhil, A. What Lies Beneath: The Political Roots of State Merit Systems. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 13 (1), (2003): 27. 2. Merit System Principles. 2007. 04 June 2007 www. nhpa. org/Nine_Merit_Principles. ppt and analysis of the duties and responsibilities of each position. If the state agency wishes, its rules may provide that incumbents of positions at the time of the issuance of the standards may be given preference in the examinations to the extent of a waiver of minimum requirements of education and experience for admission to the examinations, and of retention if they receive a mere passing mark in the examination. The Department of Civil Service develops and proposes the following types of examination under the merit system: â€Å"open-competitive, promotion, transition, and continuous recruitment†. The Federal legislation underlines that vacancies are to be filled whenever practicable by promotion of a qualified permanent employee of the administrative agency upon recommendation by the agency head4. It is stated by the Board that the application of the standards will promote a career service A system of service ratings is to be maintained. Removal of permanent employees may take place only for cause, or for reasons of curtailment of work or lack of funds. In the event of removal permanent employees will have the right of appeal to an impartial body through an established procedure provided for in the merit system. According to standards developed by Career Mobile Office: â€Å"Open-competitive examinations are open to anyone who possesses the minimum qualifications as listed on the examination announcement. Promotion examinations are open to permanently appointed State employees. Transition examinations are open to permanently appointed State employees. Continuous Recruitment examinations may be either open-competitive or promotional† 5. _____________________ 3. â€Å"Employee Services’ 2007. New York State. 04 June 2007 careermobilityoffice. cs. state. ny. us/cmo/merit_system. htm 4. Dresang, Dennis L. Public Personal Management and Public Policy. (Longman. 2001) 193-194. 5. â€Å"Employee Services’ 2007. New York State. 04 June 2007 careermobilityoffice. cs. state. ny. us/cmo/merit_system. htm In many of the states, however, the general charge to set standards has resulted in plans at least for the development of a merit system of selection and in a few instances such systems have been adopted and examinations given. In some cases departments concerned see the need to establish such a system and are willing to begin, but have no money to finance examinations. The degree to which a state merit plan affecting public assistance personnel carries beyond the state staff depends upon a number of factors; the pattern is a different one for each state6. Among the determinants are the extent to which a state civil service law affects counties and cities; and to what extent and in relation to what factors state public assistance departments control local programs. Certain more or less autonomous local public assistance departments may come under a merit plan independently of the state situation if the county or municipality concerned has a local civil service commission which selects personnel in some or in all branches of local government 7. The influence of the local labor union within the relief agency, and of the more powerful parent groups behind it with which it is affiliated, has been a strong new force in advancing the spread of civil service coverage in certain jurisdictions.

Koolhaas and metabolist movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Koolhaas and metabolist movement - Essay Example architecture's most-reproduced forms and structures: the giraffe-legged Villa dall'Ava in suburban Paris, one of the greatest buildings of the late twentieth century, and the stupendous fishnet-steel-and-glass-covered Seattle Public Library, which opened in 2004. Some of his best works in Europe are the master plan and Grand Palais for Lille, France which is his largest realized urban planning project; a residence in Bordeaux, France; the Educatorium, a multifunction building for Utrecht University in the Netherlands; and the Kunsthal, providing exhibition space, a restaurant and auditoriums in Rotterdam. The Bordeaux house is one of his most important works and was named as Best Design of 1998 by Time magazine. It was designed to fill the needs of a couple whose old house was problematic to the old man as had been confined to a wheel chair due to an accident. Koolhaas proposed a home in three parts with the lowest part having a series of caverns carved out from the hill. While the top part is divided into spaces for the couple, and spaces for their children. The middle part is an invisible glass room that is a vertically moving platform functioning as an elevator allowing the old man access to all levels. In the 1950s, the Japanese Metabolists proposed giant mega-structures as an answer to the ever-growing problem of overcrowding in their cities. These architects came up with innovative designs of floating cities and giant prefabricated "plug-in" living cells that could be inserted into skyscrapers. But due to the scale and reality constraints Metabolist vision could not be realized completely. They regarded the city as an organic process that featured some of the innovative concepts such as marine civilization, artificial terrain, and metabolic cycle.... Koolhaas was fond of the "Megastructure" concept. This is basically a large size building or plan meant for urban improvement. His company OMA applied Megastructure for its designs for a vast complex of shops, housing, and offices, together with a railway station, in Lille, France or Lille Masterplan.Metabolists used the concept of the natural flows of air, water, and people in cities. They conceptualized biomorphic mega structures capturing and materializing urban flows. In 1961, Kenzo Tange’s studio proposed a plan for Tokyo Bay that clearly illustrates the principles of metabolism. The project comprised of a spine, or trunk, and an array of branches and leaves that together formed a clear tree-like structure. In the same year, Kurokawa produced a series of utopian projects inspired by biological forms and a process of growth representing that of living cells. At the same period, Isosaki developed his project â€Å"City in the Air† as a system of urban intersections a nd interconnections in the air, providing a grand structure supported by infrastructural trunks, like a forest of trees. Each trunk affords commercial and residential plugins like those found in Peter Cook’s â€Å"Plug-in City†. Metabolist architecture shows a tilt towards the evolutive, and irreversible, development of cities. Their projects were inspired by the natural movements of air, water, corporeal fluids and plants, but had a very formal and functional conception of urbanism.

Pros and cons of pornography and why I think it is ethical Essay

Pros and cons of pornography and why I think it is ethical - Essay Example It is made with the purpose of providing them with sexual pleasure. And anything that is joyful and pleasurable comes under the category of ‘Art and Aesthetics’, sexual or otherwise. Since primitive times, art has been allotted a distinct position in our society, always with the sacred aim of entertaining people. But many social thinkers, activists, and feminists will raise their brows in anger and disgust if pornography is considered as an art. Only because it deals with the inhibited and secret sexual desires of men, pornography cannot be considered as art? Obviously the answer lies in the question itself. From childhood, a person is taught to look upon sex as a thing to abhor and not to talk about explicitly. Whatever question or doubt arise in his mind about this primal man-woman relationship, he learns to suppress them out of fear of being marked as ‘perverted’ in his social surroundings. Most of us sometimes grow up with the notion that â€Å"pornography, or any directly arousing material is somehow bad and wrong and that we shouldnt even want to look at it.† (Scarleteen, ‘Looking, Lusting and Learning: A Straightforward Look at P ornography’, n.d.). The Indian culture is very discouraging about sex and anything related to it. The habit of feeling guilty if talked or thought about sex is inculcated from childhood. But if the society teaches a person to develop a healthy attitude towards sex from the early days of his life then sex and pornography will appear to him in a totally different light than what he is made to see. Whether pornography is morally ethical or not depends a lot on the level of sexual behavior of a particular society and age. For example it may be said, that the books of sex education used in many schools nowadays might have been considered as being ‘pornographic’ or ‘obscene’ decades