To Whom It May Concern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

To Whom It May Concern - Essay Example In a hurry to hide something Quick, Lucy! Don't "fill" your blouse with missing cherries from the confection assembly line! Stuff it, girl! Although "farce" theatre has its origins in France, many would argue that it has been perfected by the English. Few would disagree that whilst naming influential forces within the world of farce theatre, it would be appropriate to include many works produced by British entertainers, especially the members of Monty Python. Today, however, it is entirely possible that the bulk of our comedic diet, as Americans, is made up of farce, usually in the form of sitcoms, but also prevalent upon the stage. We seem to have a taste for the outrageous, hysterical episodes of characters caught in ridiculous circumstances. A prime example of farce upon the stage can be seen in Michael Frayn's play, "Noises Off." "Noises Off," is a play whose basic plot entails the misadventures of a struggling, low-budget theatre troupe attempting to pull together and make their performance of "Nothing On," a success. In the first act, we see the various cast members acting out what happens when a wealthy couple trying to avoid the taxman return home from overseas, but without letting anyone-especially the IRS-know. Meanwhile, their home, which is up for let, is being-shall we say explored-by others who don't suspect anyone of being home. This comedy of errors, so cleverly done and well-thought out, makes us forget for a moment that we are watching a play within a play. However, we are soon reminded that the actors on stage are playing actors. It is during this opening act that we see the various relationships between the cast members, who are smitten with whom, and exactly where all those plates of sardines go.In the next act, we see another performance of "Nothing On," only this time with completely diffe rent chemistry between the cast members. What began, in act one, as a rather jumbled, stressed, but good-natured set of people, several of whom were involved romantically, has devolved into a group with growing suspicion and hurt feelings due to a series of misunderstandings.By act three, the confusion has led to outright hostility between the majority of the cast, and we are left where we began: with a plateful of sardines. Within the next few pages, please take a look at set design for "Noises Off." Act I: We need to start with the characters. Since this "play within a play" happens solely within the theatre during rehearsal and show time, the characters will always be dressed like their characters. Dotty Otley: A woman in her early forties, dressed like a housekeeper, with a mid-calf length dress in a drab color, a full-length apron, sensible shoes. Her hair must be pulled back. Flavia Brent: A woman in her late thirties, dressed like a yuppie. Tasteful neutral clothes, jewelry. Roger Tramplemain: A man in his late thirties, dressed in a smart suit. Burglar: A man in his early sixties, gray hair, wearing a black turtleneck, black leggings, black shoes and black gloves, along with a black ski mask, pulled away from his face. Vicki: A pretty, dark-haired woman in her early twenties, wearing a suit appropriate for working in an office. Philip Brent: A man in his la

WEIGHT WATCHERS AND JENNY CRAIG Essay Example for Free

WEIGHT WATCHERS AND JENNY CRAIG Essay Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig Millions of people have lost weight using the Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig weight loss programs. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are two of the most popular diets in the United States that has similar weight loss options available for would be dieters. Among other popular diets, U.S. news ranks Weight Watchers #1 in best weight loss diets and ranked Jenny Craig #2 . In 2010 Weight Watchers retired its old point system and started a new point system. With the new system, counselors will know if their clients are using their points wisely. With Jenny Craig there is no point counting. There method is a three level food, mind, and body approach to lose weight and keep it off. Although, their approach to weight loss is different, both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig claims clients can lose up to two pounds a week. No diet is easy, but Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig both have their perks to make dieting easier. With the Weight Watchers program, dieters are allowed to eat whatever they want if a client uses their points wisely, along with eating foods containing protein and high in fiber. Clients can also eat unlimited fruits and vegetables. Dieters are also encouraged to eat â€Å"power foods†, such as whole grains, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. Weight Watchers encourages their clients to choose foods rich in nutrients, but not loaded with calories. That is Weight Watchers primary goal, to give their dieters the weight loss edge. Weight Watchers has improved its plan to incorporate today’s science along with a proven to work formula for their clients. The key to having success on the Weight Watchers diet program, is to eat healthy filling foods. With Jenny Craig, clients get a personalized meal and exercise plan, plus weekly counseling sessions with a consultant. Your meals are pre-packaged and delivered to your door. Jenny Craig meal portions are small. You will eat three times a day and dinner comes with a dessert. The program teaches their clients how to eat small frequent portions. It also teaches their clients how to increase their energy levels. Jenny Craig also teaches its clients how to b alance their lives to maintain their weight loss. The program offers support for its clients with a 24 hour support line. Just like its counterpart Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig encourages eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and reduced fat dairy products. Jenny Craig’s pre-packaged menu serves as a  model of healthy eating, clients will gradually learn how to cook at home for themselves. Since the Jenny Craig method is calorie based, a client will develop a menu based on their weight, height, and goals. With Jenny Craig recognizing the correct portion size is the first step to weight loss. When choosing diet programs, a person should take certain issues into consideration before starting that program. Even though Weight Watchers have revitalized their point counting method, it is still very tedious. After a long day at work, a person may not feel like tallying points. Cooking a pre-packaged Jenny Craig meal in the microwave may be much easier. The Achilles heel for the Jenny Craig diet, is you are not allowed any ho me cooked or restaurant meals until you are ready. The cost is something else to consider when deciding between these two programs. With Weight Watchers, the cost will vary depending on if you choose weekly in person meetings or using online tools only. They offer unlimited meeting passes for $39.95, which also includes access to the online tools, or a person can pay as they go, which will range from $12 to $15 per week and a one- time registration fee of $20. To follow online only, a three month plan is $65. Keep in mind none of these fees includes the cost of food. There is no way to water it down, Jenny Craig is expensive. The exact cost will vary from city to city. The registration fee can exceed $400, and one week’s worth of Jenny’s cuisine can cost a person $100 at the least. The average person cannot afford this diet program, and for that kind of money may devise their own diet plan that will save them money. Both of these programs can be pricey, and the last thing that a person on a diet should be worried about is money. Maybe, that is why Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig use celebrity endorsers, their clientele may mostly be made up of people consisting of the upper-middle class or rich. They are both known for their use of celebrity endorsers, but have different views on how they should be used. For Weight Watchers, collecting celebrity spokespeople is not their way. Jenny Craig on the other hand, is pursuing any celebrity that wants to lose weight. Weight Watchers has had only four celebrity endorsers, with Jennifer Hudson as the fourth. Jennifer Hudson has lost 80 pounds on the Weight Watchers plan. Jenny Craig employs six active spokespeople, including Valerie Bertinelli who has lost 40 pounds on the program. These two diet programs has their similarities and their differences. It all depends on  what the dieter feel is right for them. It may also depend on what the dieter can afford. Weight Watchers focuses on teaching their clients how to eat wisely and how to keep the weight off. While, Jenny Craig focuses on an individual approach to weight loss and portion control. Both guarantees weight loss and entices would be dieters with celebrities and their weight l oss stories. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, both disagree on how celebrity endorsers should be used, but continue to use their celebrity endorsers because of their popularity. A dieter should keep in mind that results will vary and they may not have the same results as Jennifer Hudson or Valerie Bertinelli. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are considered to be the two most popular diets in the U.S. Jenny Craig appears to be expensive, but the more simple approach to weight loss, while Weight Watchers is less expensive, but requires strict point counting. Your schedule, way of life, and budget may be the deciding factors between the two. Single less obligated people may go with Weight Watchers, while busy family orientated individuals may choose Jenny Craig. The choice is yours.

Market Failures and the White River National Forest :: Economics Environment Research

Market Failures and the White River National Forest The two and one quarter acre White River National Forest is located in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, approximately two to four hours west of Denver on I-70. The scenic beauty of the area, along with ample developed and undeveloped recreation opportunities in the forest, accounts for the fact that the White River consistently ranks as one of the top Forests nation wide for total recreation use. The Forest provides for an excellent variety of recreation opportunities in all seasons with eleven ski areas, eight designated wildernesses, several national trails, approximately 70 forest service administered developed sites (campgrounds, picnic grounds), and over one and one half million acres for general motorized and non-motorized backcountry enjoyment. Popular recreation activities in the Forest include downhill and cross-country skiing, developed and dispersed camping, four-wheel driving, sightseeing, photography, hunting, fishing, hiking, boating, snowmobiling, picnicking, bicycling, horseback riding and backpacking. The elevation of the Forest ranges from 5,000 to 14,000 feet. Warm days and cool to freezing nights can be expected in the mountains during the summer. July and August are usually the warmest months, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Fall in the Forest is brief but spectacular, as changing aspens cloak the mountains in gold. Peak color time is normally the last part of September. Crisp, sunny days mingle with early snowstorms in what many consider the premier season of the year. Winter brings the abundant powder snowfall that Colorado is famous for. Most winter recreation, including skiing and snowmobiling, occurs between Thanksgiving and Easter, but high elevation sites offer good snow much later into the spring. The park itself is obviously a source of great enjoyment to all and offers a plethora of opportunities for recreation. Unfortunately though, the park, as well as the surrounding environment, has become the victim of an increased population in the area, a growth in the number of annual tourists to the region, and an economic expansion which has utilized natural resources found within the park boundaries for the purpose of producing goods and services. Because White River National Forest is a national treasure, measures have been introduced to protect the environment in accordance with pollution limits, resource consumption, and economic efficiency. In the past few decades, forestry officials have implemented strategic plans for the preservation of the wilderness and resources with White River and update those plans every fifteen years or so.

The Power of the Witches in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- Macbeth e

The Power of the Witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth    The tragedy of Macbeth comes about because of a single event in his life. If that one moment, the meeting with the witches on the heath, had not happened then Macbeth would no doubt have gone on to be a loyal and respected subject of King Duncan and, later, King Malcolm. However, the meeting did happen and the powerful force of ambition was unleashed within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It is the combination of these two factors, the meeting with the witches and Macbeth's own inner demons, that lead to tragedy, and make the play 'terrifying' in the Aristotelian sense. The three witches are certainly responsible for initiating the events that lead to Macbeth's tragedy. Their greeting to him All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter! feed straight into his desire for advancement. At this point in the play he is the newly appointed thane of Glamis but assumes that the thane of Cawdor still lives. When news arrives that he is to be the new thane of Cawdor, Macbeth sees the second greeting as a prediction and cannot help but wonder whether the third greeting will also prove accurate. Banquo says that the forces of darkness use the truth to win us to harm but Macbeth is unsure.    This supernatural soliciting cannot be good, Cannot be ill.    For the audience there is even more to think about. They know from the conversation about the sailor whose wife had offended one of them that the witches' power is circumscribed.    They can torment him but not change his fate. Though his bark cannot be lost Yet it shall ... ...with witches, partly to flatter the witch-hating James I and partly to introduce an exciting flavour of the supernatural into the play. But, exciting as the scenes with the witches and Hecate are, they are not at the heart of the tragedy. The witches' powers are limited, Lady Macbeth is only a helper: it is Macbeth's own weaknesses that bring him down.    Works Cited and Consulted: Greenblatt, Stephen. "Introduction to Macbeth." The Norton Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 1997. 2555-63. Hawkins, Michael. "The Witches and Macbeth." Focus on Macbeth. Ed. John Russell Brown. London: Routledge, 1982. 155-88. Kermode, Frank. "Introduction to Macbeth." The Riverside Shakespeare. Boston: Houghton, 1974. 1307-11. Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Organizational Strategy and Change Essay

John Kotter in his book explained the significance of change intervention in any organization or business. According to him, adopting change has been the trend in our society for two decades now though sometimes traumatic; the result would be improved quality of products and services, new opportunities for growth and increase productivity (Kotter, p. 3). He stressed the significance of change management because there are many benefits that a company can get from it. He emphasized that an organization finds help in adapting to shifting conditions and have improved competitive mechanics over other competitors (p. ). However, if an organization is passive to change may face the adverse effects which according to Kotter are described as being pessimistic and suspicious of others who are pushing for transformation (p. 17); hence, this company will end up incompetent. A good example of a company that endorsed change after being attacked with bad publicity was McDonald’s. McDonald’s is a food chain that is leading in the global market; it serves more than 100 countries having about 30,000 restaurants all over the world. This company has started as the first food service retailer that offers informal eating-out market, which eventually paved the way for this kind of business. According to Eric Schlosser, at the growth of fast food chains in America, American society has gone tremendous change specially in the lifestyle and values of the American people; considering the fact that much money has been spent in fast food than in education. In the same way, due to this trend, many women and mothers are working with the convenience of food preparation since a family spent their meal at restaurants and fast food chains (p. ). With this trend, McDonald is considered as the largest purchaser of beef, pork and potatoes; it is also the largest owner of retail property according to Schlosser (p. 4). After many years of existence, Ray Kroc had continued to reinvent the image of the restaurant image by placing the smiling Ronald McDonald at restaurant and by creating a friendly environment around the area. However, despite of having a good reputation and being a fast growing business, McDonald’s had suffered enormous bad publicity from different sources. The first one was the libel case filed by the Greenpeace employees in 1990 and the second one was a documentary film written, directed and performed by Morgan Spurlock entitled â€Å"Super Size Me† in 2004. The appearance of these controversies had moved the McDonald’s Company to reshape their culture and focus. The libel case filed against McDonald was considered the longest libel case in the history of English that lasted in 314 days in 1990. The two Greenpeace employees issued many articles saying that McDonald’s prepared food are environmentally hazardous and physically harmful to the consumers. The libel suit also presented issues relating to discrimination to its employees, the company was responsible for cruelty to some of its animals used as foods, and children are exploited for using them in television campaign. This publicity was proven true after the US Congress made an investigation about the hearsay. In their report as discussed by Schlosser in his book, explained that there was presence of E-Coli in some of their food due to unclean surroundings and contaminated and/or lethal meat which they sold to many children (p. ), since children are their number one patronage. The â€Å"Super Size Me† ads which was produced and experimented by Spurlock himself for one month was a concrete explanation why McDonald’s foods are not good for the body. According to Thom and Geiger, Spurlock had gained twenty-five pounds after one month of eating all McDonald’s food which caused him to â€Å"suffer from fatigue, headaches, and indigestion; his blood sugar skyrocketed, his liver filled with fat, his cholesterol went off the charts, and his blood pressure was unmanageable† (p. 98). This experiment has just proven that fast foods are not healthy according to Thom and Geiger (p. 199); this has alarmed the whole America and started blaming fast food for unhealthy body and began to fight a war against obesity. The next question is: â€Å"What is the response of McDonald’s to this issue? † Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo had described clearly the response made by the company to this very intriguing issue. At first, McDonald’s through its spokespeople did not make any comment saying that they have not seen the film yet. However, later, they told the press that the movie is just a distortion of reality. Kapica and Coffing (spokepersons) have said that the issue of obesity is a personal responsibility not theirs, since it is the person’s choice what they want to eat (p. 70). Nevertheless, in March after twelve weeks since the appearance of the ads, McDonald’s had announced that they would phase the super-sizing option in their restaurants and they introduced the â€Å"Happy Meals† with salad and pedometers (Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo, p. 71). Yet, the story did not end there until the issue became national. For this reason, McDonald’s made a lot of public relation campaign just to offset the issue. Macmillan and McGrath has stated in their book that after that issue, McDonald’s and other fast food chains has introduced couple of lower fat options, including a Salad Shaker (with nonfat dressing), a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait (p. 160). The documentary film has helped American people to become health conscious people and industry to consider social responsibility. Despite the company’s attempt to change the food offerings, the issue continued that required crisis management approach. McDonald’s in Australia as well as in America used a proactive approach which allowed McDonald’s a fair hearing in the court of public opinion. This approach made the company showcased their management and the new direction that McDonald had initiated in order to minimize the impact of the movie. The result of the approach was very effective because they were able to â€Å"weaken and shorten the life-cycle of the issue† according to Galloway and Kwanash-Aidoo (p. 5). To sustain its campaign, in February 7, 2007, the McDonalds Australia has joined the foundation and they had come up with nine products with approval of the Heart Foundation Tick. Heart Foundation Tick is a program aiming to encourage food producing companies all over the world to espouse healthy and nutritious food to eliminate heart problem caused by food intake. The Australian Sports Medicine Federation explained what the Heart Foundation Tick is. According to them, this is a program that challenges all food companies since 1989 to produce healthier products to provide consumers enough choices of healthier foods available on shelves of the supermarkets or restaurants. And every company that responds to the challenge must generate or produce foods that conform to the strict standards of the organization. Specifically, the foods are to be tested for some chemical contents that are harmful to the body before they are given endorsement; the foods should not contain the following ingredients: saturated fat, Trans fat, salt and kilojoules. Once passed the quality, the company will be given the Heart Foundation Tick with corresponding logo that appears on the label of the product. Currently, based on the report released in 2006, McDonald’s restaurants all over the world serve its customer with 100% pure USDA inspected beef with neither no fillers nor additives, whitefish from the Pacific Ocean and Baltic and North Seas, vegetables and fruits are farm-fresh delivered on regular basis (Fact Sheet about McDonald’s). Remarkably, McDonald Company had enforced strategic actions in order to counteract bad publicity and maintain their status quo. In the report made by William Greider in a newspaper published online in July 2003 said that the company had taken a strong political will to advise its meat suppliers to stop using growth-stimulating antibiotics that are dangerous to human health. By this warning, the company would not be willing to purchase the said products; in the statement made by McDonald’s director, he said, â€Å"we would be a catalyst for change industry wide. This very significant affirmation from the company was a response to the controversy that thrown on them and to the call of social responsibility. During this crucial situation, it is very important that a company is always ready to initiate change. McDonald’s action for change is very critical but very essential because it turned the company upside down, and it was successful; McDonald’s remained as the number one fast food chain in the world. To categorize the perspective, the change is institutional and contingency; institutional because it is a change that considers the external forces such as social, governmental, legal and cultural. It is a contingency perspective because the top management must initiate the change that focuses on the most directly affected by the circumstances. McCalman once said, â€Å"Change is an ongoing process† (p. 8).

Pets in the Classroom

Pets in the Classroom If youre thinking about getting a classroom pet its important to know a few things first. While research has shown that classroom pets can be stimulating and help to enrich a students experience, you must know which animals are the best to get, and which are not. Classroom pets can be a lot of work, and if you would like to teach your students some responsibility, then they can be a great addition to your classroom. Here are a few quick tips to help you decide which pet is good for your classroom. Amphibians   Frogs and salamanders make great classroom pets because students rarely (if ever) have allergies to them and can be left unattended for days at a time. Frogs have been a staple in many classrooms, a popular frog that most teachers like to get is the African Clawed frog. This frog only needs to be fed two to three times per week, so it is a very convenient pet to have. The only concern with amphibians is the risk of salmonella. You would need to encourage frequent hand washing before and after touching these types of animals. Fish Like Amphibians, fish can be a popular classroom pet because students are not allergic to them nor do they have any bad order to them. They can also be left unattended for days at a time. The maintenance is low, all you really have to do is clean the tank about once a week, and students can easily feed the fish with little supervision. Betta and Goldfish are the most popular in classrooms. Hermit Crabs   Hermit crabs have been popular in science classrooms for some time now. What people don’t realize is they can be a lot of work, die easily and not to mention they smell really bad. Other than that, students seem to really love them, and they can make a great addition to your science curriculum. Reptiles   Turtles are another popular choice for a classroom pet. They are another good choice because they can be picked up easily and are pretty low maintenance. Snakes like the garter and corn are popular as well as ball pythons. Good hygiene is recommended in caring for reptiles  because they may carry salmonella. Other Animals   Pets such as guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, gerbils, rabbits, and mice may harbor viruses and children may be allergic to them so make sure before choosing your pet that you find out what allergies your students have. If students do in fact have allergies then you may need to stay away from any â€Å"furry† pets because of this risk. Try and stick to the animals listed above if you want low maintenance and have allergies in your classroom. Before you decide upon purchasing your classroom pet, take a moment to think about who will take care of this animal on the weekends or on the holidays when you are gone. You should also think about where you would put the pet in your classroom, that would not cause a distraction to your students. If you are still set on getting a classroom pet then please consider getting a grant from Petsintheclassroom.org or Petsmart.com. Pet Smart allows teachers to submit one application per school year to receive a hamster, guinea pig or snake. These grants are used to support the teaching the of children on how to bond and care about pets responsibility.

Nicaragua Essays - Nicaraguans, Nicaragua, Managua, Free Essays

Nicaragua Essays - Nicaraguans, Nicaragua, Managua, Free Essays Nicaragua Have you ever wanted to go to a place during our winter season that is warm or hot most of the year? Well, most people choose Florida, or California. But, why not go out of the country this winter and try the largest country of Central America, Nicaragua. I did lots of research on Nicaragua, and I hope you learn as much as I did. To begin my report, I will give you some brief history. The first inhabitants of Nicaragua were the Nicaro Indians. This way of life was blended with Spanish settlers when they first came. The name of this tribe was from a great Indian chief, whose name was also Nicaro. This chief was so famous that the country of Nicaragua was also gotten from his name. Next, I will tell you about the land of Nicaragua. It is located in Central America, and is the largest country there. It is on the continent of North America. Nicaragua is 50,193 square miles (130,000 square kilometers). Honduras borders Nicaragua in the north, and it is bordered by Costa Rica on the south. There are two oceans that border Nicaragua. On the east, there is the Carribean Sea and on the west is the Pacific Ocean. Nicaragua has many different types of land forms. There are mostly volcanoes, some active, behind the coastal plains and along the Pacific border. The active volcanoes cause some danger to the coastal cities, but there haven't been any serious accidents. The largest volcano in Nicaragua, the Santiago Volcano, lies south of Nicaragua's capital city. Lots of steam rises from the little holes that surround the volcanoes. East of these volcanic regions are the Central Highlands. This part of Nicaragua is rainy and has some evergreen and deciduous forests dotted around. The forest's floors are flat, not hilly like some other regions. Very few people live in this forest-like place. There are also some lakes in Nicaragua. One lake, Lake Nicaragua, is the largest one in Nicaragua and Central America. The other lake is Lake Managua. Both of the lakes are joined by the Tipatapa River. The Carribean coast is called Mosquito, or Miskito after the small Indian group who lived there. Most Nicaragu ans live there. Although most people live in the Mosquito area, the majority of Nicaraguans say that Matagalpa is the nicest and coolest place to live. Some say that this suburban region is so nice because the sun always shines, but it is less humid than the other Nicaraguan cities and towns. The hottest place in Nicaragua is in the East. It is always hot and wet, but is perfect for growing bananas. There are many rainy places in Nicaragua, and as a result, most of Nicaragua has tropical rainforests. The rainforests are homes to many types of insects and animals. There are many, but I will only name a few. Mammals such as monkeys, alligators, and snakes are the main wildlife. There are billions and billions of (no typing error, just exaggeration) insects from A' to Z', such as red ants, mosquitoes, and even a striped house fly called the zebra fly! The wild fowl, such as parrots, toucans, macaws, humming birds, and vultures fly through the air. Fur-bearing creatures like the coyote and grey and red fox, roam the evergreen forests and are even sometimes kept as pets. The least likely place you'd find any animals is the small desert area in the west. This is the driest part of Nicaragua. This place even has a dry winter and hot summer season, and the summer season is hotter of the two. As I said before, the most rain falls in the East. The average was about 100-300 inches a year. Almost all the rain that falls to make up the 100-300 average falls in the east. Now I will get away from the land (finally) and tell you some things about the people of Nicaragua. The main ethnic group in Nicaragua is the mixture of European and Indian decent, or Mestizoes. 5% are of American Indian decent, and 17% are European. 99% of the population's skin color is black. The main religion was Christianity, beginning in the early 1500's when the Spanish

The Religious Themes Relating To Notions Of Deity

The Religious Themes Relating To Notions Of Deity The theme of this paper is to establish the main religious themes in chapter eleven of the book of Bhagavad-Gita. The first main religious theme in the chapter is the recommended acts of commitment towards deity. When it comes to devotion towards deity, one can express their commitment to Christianity through many means. Through meditation and sacrifice, an individual will be in a position to express devotion to God.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Religious Themes Relating To Notions Of Deity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sacrifice means the amount of material things individuals deny themselves for the sake of others or gods. Sacrifice entails offerings given to gods, which will be acceptable in the eyes of Krishna. The offerings vary from plantation products to animals, and their significance is similar. It signifies an individual’s act of devotion. Sacrifice is a universal act that most people use to show their commitment to their religion even in the current times. It can be the earnings of people, harvests, profits, time, labor, and many other ways. Through sacrifice, human beings create a personal relationship with their gods, and this does not have to be necessarily through Krishna. The article elaborates that Krishna is contented when the worshippers offer sacrifices to their gods, as eventually it will be to him as the greatest god of all. As worshippers, we can, therefore, express commitment to religion and God by offering sacrifices now and then as this will bring us closer to God (Hiltebeitel, 1989, p. 72). Another notable act that expresses commitment to deity is meditation. In the article, meditation on Krishna is an indispensable means of expressing devotion to deity and is encouraged to all worshippers. The process of meditation is majorly a self-evaluation process and according to the author should be done while having Krishna in mind. As much as meditation is an individual act, it is notable that the self-evaluation should be in line with Krishna. The main teaching here is that meditation should give individuals a chance to evaluate themselves whether they are in line with God’s ways (Sharpe, 2008, p. 61). Another notable religious theme in the article is the universal form of God. In chapter eleven, we read about the way in which Krishna reveals Him as a universal being. In the article, Krishna reveals his universal form to Arjuna, and this is a clear indication to any believer that God is a universal being who can be found in every corner and form.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In most instances, we see Krishna pervading the whole universe and in so doing managing to be a universal being (Neil, 1986, p. 62). In religion, we can tell the difference between God and human beings from the aspect of God being a univer sal being. This means that God can be everywhere and in whatever form we can think of, unlike human beings. In connection with the above ideas of commitment, the universal form of God enables human beings to meditate as this helps them to understand the observable things in regards to the most high-God (Flood, 2003, p. 52). The aspect of universal nature of God is not only limited to space but to also time in that God will be an ever present being. Since time immemorial human beings come and go, but God has and will be around forever and hence the strong faith humans have in God. It is easier, for worshippers believe in God and his teachings because of the ideology of Him being around forever. This is evident in the article as Arjuna has a vision of the passing of time, and in it, there is Krishna. This means that, in poor and treasured times, the Lord God will be present whether it is now or in thousand years to come. In the ideology of divinity, the presence of acts of commitments and the universal being of God are relevant in building the faith of any worshipper of the given religion (Lepard, 2005, p. 23). Lastly, the Bhagavad Gita also explores the suspect of faith in Christians. Most people will want to get into a religion because of what the Lord has done for others in the religion. In the article, it is evident that this should not be the case because the wors of God need not be questioned. Having faith in God does require evidence from the other believers and as a Christian, one need to have strong faith even without evidence. This is a major teaching to all religious people as the main foundation of religion is the believer’s faith. To have faith, calls for constant prayer to God to enable one to have faith, through good and bad times, and stay strong in God’s teachings. In the article, we notice Arjuna having less faith in the gods and Krishna. This made him to always be in doubt and asking for proof of the existence of gods. This shoul d not be the case for any believer and the teaching encourages the believers to believe even in what they cannot see. The religious teaching in this article is that as believers we need to have faith in God’s works and people even if there is no visible evidence of His existence.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Religious Themes Relating To Notions Of Deity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Flood, G 2003, The Blackwell companion to Hinduism, New York: John Wiley Sons. Hiltebeitel, A 1989, Criminal gods and demon devotees: essays on the guardians of  popular Hinduism, New York: Suny Press. Lepard, B 2005, Hope for a Global Ethic: Shared Principles in Religious Scriptures, New York: Bahai Publishing Trust. Neil, R 1986, Modern Indian interpreters of the Bhagavadgita, New York: SUNY Press. Sharpe, E 2008, The universal GÄ «tÄ : Western images of the BhagavadgÄ «tÄ : a  bicentenary survey, Virginia: University of Virginia.

Managing diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Managing diversity - Essay Example ng to this sociological theory, organisations may be compared with social systems in which individual needs were integrated with organisational needs through various approaches that reinforced human relations (Morgan, 1998). In general terms, diversity refers to the various differences that exist in human beings, not biologically, but based on sociologically created classifications such as gender, physical abilities, age, race, class, religion, socioeconomic status, and national and cultural groups. While the changes associated with human’s origin, like gender, race, and ethnicity do not change, other differences like socioeconomic status, age, political and national groups keep changing with time. From times immemorial, these differences are known to create inequalities among human beings that benefit some and harm others, overall creating an undesirable situation and yielding undesirable outcomes. From an organisational perspective, Barnard’s (1938) definition emphasizes the role of human beings in forming an organisation. However, if all the people belonging to the organisation do not get an equal opportunity to contribute, organisation’s scope for success and growth reduces. In addition to this, Barnard (1938) asserted that organisations play a significant role in shaping the society in terms of gender, race, class, political power, economic status, sociocultural influence etc (Handel, 2003; p.371). In the era of globalization, managing diversity promotes organisational effectiveness to a large extent. The term diversity management in business indicates a firm which employs heterogeneous workforce (like different generations, gender, race, age etc) and creates such an atmosphere that works for all employees. In order to manage the diversity successfully, an organisation must commit to maintain and create such a working environment that respects all the employe es, acknowledging the perspective and the diverse talents of individuals. Organisations

Groupism in Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Groupism in Design - Essay Example A group is needed to complement the weakness and bring out the best in every individual. In business, groupism serves as an audience to the prospected market of the product. However, controversies regarding groupism are discussed and debate everywhere. Some designers claimed that groupism would box their ideas into the norms of the group and hinders their creativity. Some studies also pointed out that groupism in universities creates misunderstandings and rivalry to the outside group of students. In family, groupism could result in degree of animosity with those who are outside the family. Designers are people who have extreme ideas. They are not afraid to take risks and be different. They are individuals with strong personality. Introducing them into a group will be of great challenge; for them, it seems like being enclosed into a cage or box. For them, their ideas will be controlled and will not be heard according to their wants and preferences. As stated earlier, the group is needed to minimize the weaknesses and brings out the best in every individual, but how come that even the strengths will be suppressed This risk could be reduced through organization's proper recruitment and management. Working in a group required lots of effort and team building. The management must evaluate the designer's skills to know the areas where they excel the most and the areas where development is needed. Working as a group is as simple as math. Everyone has their highest positive number and lowest negative number. These will be summed up and be divided according to the numbers of m ember. The average is the rate of the group's effectiveness. On the other hand, the highest positive number could be recognized with the help of proper management. Understanding uniqueness of every individual could give the management an insight on what hinders productivity, what can be changed and developed. Groupism in design is just like a basketball team playing. Everyone wants to excel, to give their best and help the team win. But even with the best players, playing without goal and cooperation will not help win the game. It will produce confusion and misunderstandings. The strengths of every player should be used and the weakness of each should be complemented by other players. The coach could help the team by proper allocation of players and setting of instructions. According to the survey made in Japanese schools, 61% of the 280 respondents believed that the main reason for a society to have preschool is to learn on how to be a member of group. The need to belong is part of the human instinct making groupism as a normal sight in schools and universities. As an urban word, groupism is defined as losing someone's identity after being part of the group. Stereotypes were created due to the fact that they are afraid to be different. They tend to ignore their own ideas and openness was not extended to every member because they are afraid to be rejected. Peers struggle to belong in a group and be accepted; consequently resulting in generation of low confidence. The leader of the group is followed and everyone goes with the flow. Motivation comes from outside sources. On the other ha

Sustainability Accounting & Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sustainability Accounting & Reporting - Essay Example Process of dealing with the environmental problems accounting is very necessary. Companies need to maintain corporate social responsibility to keep in check stakeholder reasoning. Moreover, different companies normally set uniquely the stakeholders patterns of influence encompassing the stakeholders in the general operation is important. Setting effective base for the CSR the corporations must maintain proper accounts and descriptive theories in explaining CSR, which encompasses managerialist, middle of the road and theoretical model. There exist several means of enhancing the practice of CSR that have evolved over time from the small aspects in business to become key component of business activity. Each industry sets the outline in handling CSR. Triple bottom line reporting provides good start towards sustainability. Process of dealing with social and environmental problems internal organizational perspective is important. Moreover, the consequent development in triple reporting is normally integrated reporting that presents many benefits and possess some few challenges. Most business is naturally unsustainable creating questions while trying to satisfy the social and environmental problems. Therefore, the process ought to allow for sustainability the society that ought to change their perceptions. Partnerships are new dew developments that bring about joint ideas in operations and networking. Moreover, public are good drivers of sustainability than the corporations. Proper costing of carbon is driven by the NGER act; several implications can be identified with the

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Small Business & Entrepreneurship - Coursework Example Medical Services Tourism is not without many business risks, including high levels of competition from intermediary companies designed to help consumers plan itineraries for medical services. There are also risks to the client that must be considered, including ensuring that they fully understand their own health risks so as to secure liability factors for the business itself. In terms of strategic objectives, a comprehensive risk management system must be developed. However, outside of these risks, profit potential is quite considerable due to the large customer demand that exists in many different foreign countries. Singapore was chosen as the country to launch the new Medical Services Tourism company because of its award-winning infrastructure, the ability to raise new capital through a variety of means and even for the education system that can provide quality employment for the business by skilled professionals. Singapore is ideal for Medical Services Tourism and this business plan provides a comprehensive plan for the launch of the company. Medical Services Tourism is a start up company with an onsite facility for receipt of travellers and to satisfy their inquiries on medical tourism. The company will gain profit from several different business activities related to the tourism industry in Singapore. Medical Services Tourism will act as an agent that facilitates tourism of international citizens looking for quality and affordable health care that they might not be able to achieve in their home country. The agency will have tie-ups with hospitals in not only Singapore, but other foreign countries. The agency will coordinate patient transfers that it receives from overseas hospitals and acts as a referring agent to cost-effective local hospitals in Singapore based on their own unique needs. The agency will make profit by charging commission on these

The impact that the 2012 Olympic Games could have on Bedford City Assignment

The impact that the 2012 Olympic Games could have on Bedford City Council and what the Council will need to do in preparation for the Games - Assignment Example Hosting the Olympic Games is considered as a great opportunity for cities worldwide. Usually, the specific event results to significant benefits for the city involved – referring to the city that hosts the Games. However, Olympic Games have been also related to certain drawbacks – for instance the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games which were characterized by the damages caused by riots or the Atlanta Olympic Games during which the explosion of a bomb caused the death of 2 people and the injuring of hundreds, as analysed below. For London, the 2012 Olympic Games are considered as a major challenge. The city has to face the significant social turbulences as reflected in the damages caused by riots across Britain the last 5 days. Moreover, the City has to resolve the following problem: will the benefits of the Games be above their drawbacks/ disadvantages? Moreover, will these benefits disadvantages be equally distributed among the regions surrounding London – where ce rtain of these Games’ events will take place? Current paper focuses on the impact of 2012 Olympic Games on Bedford City Council; the benefits and the disadvantages of the Games for the specific area are estimated – using relevant literature and findings from primary research (statistics and figures related to past Olympic Games). Also, another issue is explored: which would be the preparation that Bedford City Council would have to do for hosting the Olympic Games? ... Moreover, the City has to resolve the following problem: will the benefits of the Games be above their drawbacks/ disadvantages? Moreover, will these benefits disadvantages be equally distributed among the regions surrounding London – where certain of these Games’ events will take place? Current paper focuses on the impact of 2012 Olympic Games on Bedford City Council; the benefits and the disadvantages of the Games for the specific area are estimated – using relevant literature and findings from primary research (statistics and figures related to past Olympic Games). Also, another issue is explored: which would be the preparation that Bedford City Council would have to do for hosting the Olympic Games? Emphasis is given on the following three sectors, as they are influenced by the Olympic Games: business environment, human resources and marketing. The practices used in cities that hosted the Olympic Games in the past are used as the basis for developing a framew ork of activities/ plans which would be appropriate for Bedford City Council so that the above city to be appropriately prepared for the particular event. The literature published in the particular field has been combined with the statistics released in regard to past Olympic Games but also in regard to London as a host city for the 2012 Olympic Games. It is revealed that Bedford City Council is partially prepared for participating in the Olympic Games 2012 – as a city hosting one or more activities of the specific event. 2. Background Olympic Games have been traditionally considered as a major cultural event, leading to the improvement of relationships among nations. Because of this fact, the Games

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Small Business & Entrepreneurship - Coursework Example Medical Services Tourism is not without many business risks, including high levels of competition from intermediary companies designed to help consumers plan itineraries for medical services. There are also risks to the client that must be considered, including ensuring that they fully understand their own health risks so as to secure liability factors for the business itself. In terms of strategic objectives, a comprehensive risk management system must be developed. However, outside of these risks, profit potential is quite considerable due to the large customer demand that exists in many different foreign countries. Singapore was chosen as the country to launch the new Medical Services Tourism company because of its award-winning infrastructure, the ability to raise new capital through a variety of means and even for the education system that can provide quality employment for the business by skilled professionals. Singapore is ideal for Medical Services Tourism and this business plan provides a comprehensive plan for the launch of the company. Medical Services Tourism is a start up company with an onsite facility for receipt of travellers and to satisfy their inquiries on medical tourism. The company will gain profit from several different business activities related to the tourism industry in Singapore. Medical Services Tourism will act as an agent that facilitates tourism of international citizens looking for quality and affordable health care that they might not be able to achieve in their home country. The agency will have tie-ups with hospitals in not only Singapore, but other foreign countries. The agency will coordinate patient transfers that it receives from overseas hospitals and acts as a referring agent to cost-effective local hospitals in Singapore based on their own unique needs. The agency will make profit by charging commission on these

Research Methods in Health Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Methods in Health Science - Essay Example Ethical principles used in the scientific researches, different approaches to the issues of reality, truth and knowledge and many other aspects of researches would be easily interpreted from the perspective of philosophical considerations (Patterson, 2000; Scanlan, 1986). The main challenge in discussion about research methods applied in health science researches is differentiation between quantitative and qualitative research methodologies (Grinnell & Unrau, 2005). It is a wrong claim that quantitative researches are based on empirical data collection and qualitative researches are based on subjective approach implementation. Nevertheless, this supposition is wrong, because empirical data collection is relevant to both quantitative and qualitative researchers. The main distinction between these two methodologies lies in the following terms: quantitative research methodologies imply inductive inference and qualitative researches are focused more on a research question. ... The main goal of the authors was to consider â€Å"a correlation between clinical features and MRI findings in lumbar disc prolapse in order to define the significance of further treatment development† (Janardhana, Rao & Kamath, 2010). The main clinical features studied among patients were the following: pain distribution, neurological signs, and symptoms in lumbar disc prolapse (Janardhana, Rao & Kamath, 2010). Therefore, the authors were focused on patients’ clinical features, such as lower limb radiculopathy and the outpatient department of orthopedics were included in the study. The authors chose quantitative approach to the current health study. This fact can be proven by the fact that a focus group consisted of 119 patients, 59 males and 64 females. The mean age (44.83 years) of patients and a range of female/male age groups indicated in the results section of the study refers to the main features of quantitative research (Moore, 2008). Moreover, in the section of â€Å"Materials and Methods† it was noted that Kappa coefficient was implemented for assessment of intra- and interobserver variations. Furthermore, implementation of statistical tests (Kappa and Logistic regression analysis) confirms the nature of quantitative research. A correlation between research question and a chosen approach It is relevant to notice that in previous studies in this field, MRI findings were rarely correlated with clinical level and MRI level. A high percentage of cases when the L4-5 disc prolapse was not only responsible for L5 radiculopathy in 67 (94.36%) cases imply that there is a â€Å"good correlation between the clinical level and MRI level† (Janardhana, Rao & Kamath, 2010). Moreover, a

Giuseppe Garibaldi Essay Example for Free

Giuseppe Garibaldi Essay Giuseppe Garibaldi was born in 1807 and lived until the year 1882. As an Italian revolutionary and irregular general, he began his long and varied livelihood as a revolutionary striving for the liberation as well as the unification of Italy by joining in Giuseppe Mazzini’s vain revolt at Genoa in 1834. Forced to leave Piedmont, he run away to South America where he spent the subsequent fourteen years, gaining knowledge and experience fighting in various battles. First, he grappled as a guerrilla general plus as a privateer for the province of Rio Grande Del Sol against Brazil, and then he served as a commander of an Italian legion in support of Uruguay against Argentina (Panero, 2005, 3). At the time when Italy rose in insurrection in 1848, he came back and raised 3,000 men to assist the king of Piedmont that is, Carlo Alberto. Obligated to flee the country yet again, subsequent to defeat at the first battle of Custoza, Garibaldi soon returned to manage the defense of the last remnants of the revolution that was-Mazzini’s Roman republic. He was able to hold off the collective armies of the French, Austrians, Spanish, along with the Neapolitans for a number of weeks. Nevertheless, the republic finally came down and Garibaldi runaway to America (Panero, 2005, 5). Despite the fact that Garibaldi fought for Piedmont for the duration of the Franco-Austrian war of 1859, he is perhaps greatly remembered for his role in conquering the monarchy of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In May of the year 1860, he set out to liberate southern Italy from the suppressive rule of King Francis II. On 11th May, he arrived with his so called Red shirts at Marsala, Sicily, and ruined the Neapolitan army in numerous battles. He then went on to cross the Stratits of Messina on 22nd August and moved up the peninsula, being greeted ardently by the people along the way. On 7th September, his forces took over Naples (George, 1911, 12). In March 1861, Garibaldi gave up his conquest to King Vittorio Emanuele of Piedmont in order to realize his lifetime dream of having a united and independent kingdom of Italy. Even though most of the Italian peninsula was under the decree of Vittorio Emanuele, the Papal States remained apart. In August 1862 as well as in January 1867, he endeavored to take Rome. These attempts failed due to French interference, and the Papal States were only integrated into the kingdom whilst the French withdrew their troops in 1870. Garibaldi had won a signal conquest. He gained worldwide fame and the praise of Italians. Faith in his prowess was so strong that uncertainty, perplexity, and dismay seized, sadly, even the Neapolitan court. Six weeks later, he marched alongside Messina in the east of the isle. There was a fierce and difficult battle at Milazzo, however Garibaldi won through. By the end of July, only the citadel refused to give in. Having finished the invasion of Sicily, he crossed the Strait of Messina, with the aid of the British Navy, and thus marched northward. Garibaldi’s progress was met with more festival than resistance, and on 7th September, he entered the capital city of Naples, via train. In spite of taking Naples, however, he had not to this point defeated the Neapolitan army (Riall, 2007, 9). Garibaldi’s volunteer army was not capable of defeating conclusively the reorganized Neapolitan militia at the Battle of Volturno. This was the biggest battle ever fought, but its outcome was in effect decided by the arrival of the Piedmontese Army. Following this, Garibaldi’s plans to protest on to Rome were jeopardized by the Piedmontese, technically his ally but unwilling to risk hostilities with the French, whose army sheltered the Pope. Garibaldi sustained his career as a general by ruling Italian troops, with some triumph, all through the Austo-Prussian war of 1866, which resulted in Austria surrendering Venetia to the kingdom of Italy (Farmer, 2006, 4). He again commanded an Italian volunteer force, this time in support of the new-fangled French republic during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 to 1871. After the war, Garibaldi led a political party that fought for the capture of Rome, the peninsula’s antique capital. In 1867, he again rallied on to the city, but the Papal militia, supported by a French supplementary force, proved a match for his ill-armed volunteers. He was shot and consequently wounded in the leg on the Aspromonte, taken captive, held prisoner for a time, and then again brought back to Caprera. When the Franco-Prussian battle broke out, Italian public outlook heavily favored the Prussians, and several Italians tried to sign up as volunteers at the Prussian embassy in Florence. After the French defense force was recalled from Rome, the Italian armed forces captured the Papal States without Garibaldi’s aid. Subsequent to the wartime collapse of the Second French Empire at the combat of Sedan, Garibaldi, undaunted as a result of the recent hostility shown to him by the men of Napoleon III, changed his support toward the newly-declared French Third Republic. Consequently, Garibaldi went to France and assumed authority of the Army of the Vosges, a militia of volunteers that was on no account ever defeated by the Prussians (Panero, 2005, 24). Despite being elected once more to the Italian parliament, Garibaldi spent a great deal of his late years in Caprera, a small island off the coastline of Sardnia. He nevertheless supported an ambitious project of land recovery in the marshy region of southern Lazio. In 1879 he founded the League of Democracy advocating worldwide suffrage, the closure of ecclesiastical property, and maintenance of the standing militia. Though confined to a bed by arthritis, he made several trips to Calabria and Sicily. In 1880 he married Francesca Armosino, with whom he had in the past born three children with (Riall, 2007, 13). After the finale, Garibaldi’s long career as a warrior came towards an end. After serving some years as a deputy for Rome in the Italian parliament, he spent his very last years on a farm in Caprera writing narratives. Significance and Influence of Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi devoted most of his life to the cause of Italian harmony. His utmost triumph was the 1860 overthrow of the Kingdom of Naples, the incident which hastened Italian unification. In May of that year, Garibaldi arrived in Sicily with a volunteer force of one thousand and seventy men. Within two weeks this force had captured the city of Palermo, forcing the surrender of an army of 20,000 patrons. In August, Garibaldi crossed over to the Italian mainland, routing the Neapolitan militia in a series of conquests and capturing Naples itself within the same month. Garibaldi’s March turned out to be one of the grand legends of the nineteenth century mutually because of the genius with which Garibaldi prevailed over vast military odds, and, just as importantly, because of the powerful political symbolism of the occasion in an age in which ethnic and cultural groups more than ever responded to nationalism’s call in a Europe still dominated by the dynastic rule blocs of an earlier era. There can be no uncertainty that the March, whose progress was fervently followed in United States against the European dynastic oppression, was viewed in this nation as a great vindication of the right of the individual to political self-rule. It also encouraged Southern leaders to political leaders in their progress towards secession at exactly the time when accounts of Garibaldi’s exploits come out in the American press. Nor is it by chance that in 1876 Wade Hampton’s followers, in their opposition to the continued existence of Federal troops in South Carolina, appropriated the name of Garibaldi’s followers, the Red Shirts, for themselves (George, 1911, 67). Garibaldi’s fame, his skill at inspiring the common people, and his military exploits are all credited with making the amalgamation of Italy possible. He also served as a global exemplar during the mid-19th century revolutionary patriotism and liberalism. But following the deliverance of southern Italy from the Neapolitan monarchy, Garibaldi chose to forfeit his liberal republican values in favor of unification. Garibaldi subscribed to the anti-clericalism which was ordinary among Latin liberals and did a great deal to circumscribe the temporal supremacy of the Papacy. His personal religious beliefs are unclear to historians. In 1882 he wrote the book ‘Man created God, not God created Man’, however, this conflicted with what he wrote in his autobiography as there, he claimed to be a Christian. Nonetheless, an active freemason, Garibaldi had little use for practices, but thought of masonry as a system to connect progressive men as brothers both within nations and also as members of a global society. He was eventually elected the ostentatious master of the Grand Orient of Italy. When Giuseppe Garibaldi died at Caprera in 1882, five ships of the Italian Navy were named after him, among which a World War II cruiser, the existing flagship, and the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi as well (Farmer, 2006, 17). Statues of his portrait, as well as the handshake of Teano, stand in many Italian squares, and furthermore in other countries around the world. There is also a statue of Garibaldi on horse-back on top of the Gianicolo hill in Rome. His face was initially turned in the direction of the Vatican. This was as a representation of the illusion to his aspiration to conquer the Papal States, but after the Lateran Treaty in 1929 the direction of the statue was altered upon the request of the Vatican (George, 1911, 106). Book reviewers have cited Garibaldi as being the only admirable figure in every respect in modern history. In its admiration for example, the Nottingham Forest which was a team of English football designed their sporting kit after the uniform worn by Garibaldi along with his men and have since worn a variation of this design since being established in 1865. The Garibaldi biscuit was also named after him, as was a distinct style of bread. The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy has been awarded per annum since 2007 within the Six Nations rugby union structure to the champion of the match between France and Italy, in remembrance of Garibaldi. Work Cited Farmer Allan. How was Italy Unified? Allan Farmer Examines the Processes which Led to the Unification of Italy. History Review, 2006, pp. 4, 17 George Trevelyan. Garibaldi and the Making of Italy. Rome, Longmans, Green, 1911, pp. 12, 67, 106 Panero James. Giuseppe Garibaldi: My Life, New Criterion, Vol. 23, 2005, pp. 3, 5, 24 Riall Lucy. Garibaldi: The First Celebrity. History Today, Vol. 57, 2007, pp. 9, 13

Quotation And Type Of Connection Macbeth Philosophy Essay

Quotation And Type Of Connection Macbeth Philosophy Essay Within the quotation of this segment from Macbeth, Lady Macduff, still in Scotland with her young children, is deemed vulnerable when Macduff expedited to England to find Malcolm, one of two of the late King Duncans sons. An unidentified messenger is sent to warn Lady Macduff and her children of impending danger and hurriedly tells them to disappear and vacate immediately. Lady Macduff is frustrated and furious because she asserts that, whatever it may be; she has done nothing wrong and is unaware of any misdeeds she has committed. This scenario is especially similar in modern society, or more unambiguously, tyrant-ruled countries. Dictatorship can be globally observed in a relative amount of sovereign countries. This situation is predicated on the serious battle arising from Syria, a middle-eastern republic. It has consistently gained notoriety for assassinating its own people during the persisting bloodshed of the 2012 Syrian Civil War. It is an unfortunately ideal example of how c ountless citizens have been persecuted, interrogated, tortured and brutally massacred, with many of them being blameless victims caught in the threshold of an all-out conflict. This is a primary example to Macbeth in the sense that anyone in contradiction (including Macduff and his family) with the regime in Scotland might suffer the same fate of persecution and/or murder without clear justification or ethical reason. ENGLISH DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL 2 Quotation and Type of Connection Journal Entry Lady Macbeth: Come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty! (1.5.43-46) Lady Macbeth: A little water clears us of this deed: How easy is it then! (2.2.85-86) Lady Macbeth: Out, damned spot! Out, I say! (5.1.32) Text-to-same-text In these three quotes, all from different acts and scenes, there are separate yet comparable connections within each statement from Lady Macbeth. The first connection is between the first and second quotes. Lady Macbeth states that she does not wish to suffer from the consequence of her and Macbeths heinous actions of conspiring and later murdering King Duncan. In similarity to both quotes, Lady Macbeth assumingly asserts that through a few simple, however futile actions, she will not have to feel the repentance and anguish that her vileness deeds will inevitably be bestowed upon herself and Macbeth. In hopes of not enduring the lingering guilt of her actions, the first quote shows Lady Macbeth asserting that if her femininity is removed, she will have the raw emotions of ferocity, violence and portrayal of innocence commonly associated with men and masculinity. The second quote is comparable because Lady Macbeth considers that if she washes her hands, eliminating the blood and evide nce, she will be cleared of any wrongdoing. This is another clear example of inaccuracy on her part because of the assumption that guilt might not plague her mind, while in actuality, it already has. The second connection is found to be somewhat ironic between the second and third quotes. Lady Macbeths mind has been infected with culpability. It has quickly transpired into sleep deprivation, sleepwalking and sleep-talking. Through her psychotic episode during her sleepwalking, she unconsciously reveals that she was involved in Duncans murder. The third quote is shown to be contradictory to Lady Macbeths earlier statement about ridding her of the deed. During her sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth is remarking that she still bares the blood of the daggers she held. She is shown repetitively struggling to clean her blood-ridden hands. Regardless of attempts to conceal a crime or indiscretion, punishment is often foreseeable. Shakespeares interpretation of negative consequence and punishment i s illustrated flawlessly through Macbeth and Lady Macbeths immoral thoughts, actions and their eventual demise. ENGLISH DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL 3 Quotation and Type of Connection Journal Entry Lady Macbeth: Which thou esteemst the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem. (1.7.45-46) Text-to-self In this one quote from Lady Macbeth, one sentence speaks a thousand words. While contemplating to kill Duncan, Macbeth inconclusively decides to not murder the King for more reasons against it than for it. Lady Macbeth, appalled at his decision, describes that Macbeths inaction will only be regarded as pathetic and apprehensive. She states that if he does not perpetrate his plans to murder King Duncan, Macbeth might as well live his entire life as a coward and a quitter with Lady Macbeth never seeing him as a masculine husband. A somewhat relatable personal experience occurred to me. One time during the weekday school hours, it was last period before the school day ended. A few friends of mine unanimously decided that they will skip the last period of school because they were seriously uninterested. They had asked me if I would skip with them, and though I contemplated for quite some time, they repeatedly tried persuading me and I reluctantly agreed. One by one, my friends started sn eaking out of class. When it was my turn to sneak out, I had inadvertently left and sensed that the teacher might have spotted me. However, I noticed the teacher did not pursue me. While we were hanging out at the park a block away from school, I had told my friends I felt uneasy about skipping. They had told me not to worry and that I would be considered a wussy if I went back to school. Unfortunately, the next day, my teacher gave me detention for leaving without authorization. My teacher had actually seen everybody who was involved and decided to also punish the other students, but with a call home since this was not their first wrongdoing. Macbeth would have done well to have listened to his moral instinct instead or perhaps tried to encourage Lady Macbeth not to assassinate King Duncan. ENGLISH DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL 4 Quotation and Type of Connection Journal Entry The Joker: You need an ace in the hole, mines Harvey. I took Gothams white knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasnt hard; see madness as you know is like gravityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ all it takes is a little push! (Film: The Dark Knight) Macduff: Tell thee, Macduff was from his mothers womb untimely rippd. (5.8.19-20) Text-to-another-text In these two quotes, direct and indirect connections are made between climaxes in The Dark Knight and Macbeth. An explanation for the context of the film connection is introduced. In The Dark Knight, the Joker realises that he has lost the battle for control of Gotham city in a pinnacle fight with Batman. After he is apprehended by Batman the Joker sparingly reveals that he created an ace in the hole. The ace in the hole by definition is Harvey Dent. He infected the mind of district attorney Harvey Dent (nicknamed The White Knight) with a malicious idea to seek vengeance against those involved in conspiring against and attempting to kill him. What Macduff discloses in the ultimate battle to the death with Macbeth is his own variation of ace in the hole. The witches prophecy foretold that Macbeth could not be defeated by anyone of woman born, nonetheless, Macbeths confidence (although feeling surrounded) is increased. Macbeth is constantly self-assuring that he will be victorious. How ever, Macbeth understood belatedly that Macduff underwent a caesarian section and therefore was not of woman born. Additionally, an indirect and more in depth example of a connection between the film quote and the message of the play in its entirety is what the Joker exposes as his knowledge of madness/insanity. He asserts how simple it is to contaminate ones mind with a wicked idea such as murder, similar to what the three witches had implanted in Macbeths mind (to murder King Duncan). Both quotes hold important information which can also be interpreted as their own description of an ace in the hole (an advantage that is reserved for use until it is most needed). ENGLISH DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL 5 Quotation and Type of Connection Journal Entry Macbeth: Methought, I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep-the innocent sleep, / Still it cried, Sleep no more! to all the house: Glamis hath murderd sleep: and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more! (2.2.47-48 2.2.54-56) Macbeth: In restless ecstasy. Duncan is in his grave, after lifes fitful fever he sleeps well, treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison, Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing, can touch him further! (3.2.20-28) Text-to-same-text Macbeth explains that now, after King Duncans murder and his own subsequent ascension to the throne; he grows increasingly doubtful whether his kingship will remain. Regret is progressively revealed in Macbeths soliloquies. Macbeths deterioration of his conscience now shows he is somewhat jealous of Duncan because nothing can bother him and he can rest in peace while Macbeth is systematically tormented because of his murderous deed. The earlier mention of a prophecy-like warning told to Macbeth about how he will henceforth be rendered sleepless and mentally disturbed. It is a twist of ironic fate because Macbeth intended to kill King Duncan to become king himself, but soon realised that Duncan is resting in peace while Macbeth is restless. This very notion upsets Macbeth and he further regrets murdering Duncan in the first place. Because of the adverse side effects of sleep deprivation and latter guilt, Macbeths efforts to overlook the entire homicidal exploit will be hopeless and wi ll drive Macbeth into full-fledged psychosis and mental instability. The connection between these two quotes is contrary because of the first quotes warning about Macbeths impending sleep deficiency and the second quotes explanation of King Duncans eternal restfulness. Journal for Act 2 Journal of Macbeth: Following King Duncans horrifying murder and speculation falls upon anyone associated with him. Mysterious Murders. CBC News 06 September 2012. My mind wanders inside itself, begging for response, resolutions, and dissolution of repentance. The witches prophesied my future exploits and endeavors. How dare I conspire? My vileness deed was considered at risk of bringing unease and murder of sleep. My alibi for this enactment was not planned with exceptionality and vigilance. I suspect that others might have noticed my peculiar behaviour and unusual explanation for the kings guards murders. However, with my sturdy reputation, likelihood for conviction is doubtful. Blameworthiness will fall upon Duncans young sons since they have already fled. Earlier, perhaps the worst questioning of my abilities was when my Lady Macbeth examined my integrity, masculinity and valour. How dare I be contradicted, and by mine own wife! Duncans lifeless body shall be a clear reminder of my ascending power. Sacrifice must be made in order to fulfill a divination, Duncans killing was foreseeable, and the witches incantation expressed to me that I wou ld become king. Now I shall enjoy reigning over the great nation of Scotland. Although I have become King, the witches prophecy predicted that Banquos son, Fleance, will someday inherit the throne. Both of them must be eliminated to ensure my reigning over this country is not compromised. Today is the dawning of a new age. Our enemies will plead us to refrain from attacking them and we will consider it. And only one word of warning for all those standing in my path to hierarchy, when you have me for an enemyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ no one shall here you scream, food for thought. Macbeth Journal for Act 4 Journal of Macduff: Following Macduffs reaction and ultimate battle in memory of his slaughtered family. Vengeance is Forthcoming. Toronto Star 13 September 2012. AL Print. How can any man refrain from revealing true emotion about a dreadful and extremely tragic loss? Macbeth will feel my displeasure and he will rue the day he took my loved ones from me. I will ensure that my retort will inflict a very deep message in Macbeths senseless noggin. The army of England has already secured the deployment of over 10,000 soldiers to Scotland to prey and eradicate Macbeth once and for all. I have recently been informed of Lady Macbeths suicide, along with others in his inner circle and I feel a certain amount of justice has occurred. Now the main conflicting enemy, Macbeth, is to be cornered by the soldiers at his castle where he is headquartered. He has killed my young children and my loving wife! Lord, please give me the strength to pursue Macbeth until he begins pleading for mercy. He shall join his wife in eternal matrimonial hell. He first devised a treacherous plot against King Duncan, killed him, unleashed an authoritarian ruling regime and lastly, in a s ense, destroyed everything that gave my life purpose and the will to live. The time comes for our supreme battle to the death and my well-deserved retribution. We engaged in sword fighting, I noticed his unrequited determination to defeat me. Macbeth, of course feeling indestructible, was obviously stronger than I. However, when he happened to mention the prophecy and its merits about the of woman born section, I revealed that I was not in fact of woman born! This sheer esteem-crumbling fact impacted Macbeths outcome of our battle. Macduff Journal for Act 5 Journal of Macbeth: Following Macbeths eventual demise while fighting against Englands encompassing army. The Tyrants Pinnacle Battle. Toronto Star 18 September 2012. AL Print. The three Witches proclaimed me indomitable toward anyone of woman born. I do not intend to back down from this persisting battle; it shall be to the death. I am untouchable, invincible, immovable and unstoppable! No one, not Macduff, Malcolm, Donaldbain, or anyone else shall defeat my intellect and awesome power, especially those of woman born! Why worry? Although I am alone, I shall prevail. Macduff appears enraged when first seeing me. Deep in my mind, I do regret relentlessly killing Macduffs family; nevertheless, I must eliminate all threats, including Macduff himself. This is a cutthroat battle and it must be endured, I can wait no longer for fate to decide for me but rather I select my own destiny, Triumph or Death. Today, I fight for my wife, myself and for Scotland under my reign. How could it be possible for a person, particularly Macduff, to not be born of woman Impossible! My fate cannot be rectified. I must now suffer the consequence I have long eluded, Deathà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Live free Scotland, for I cannot. Live long and prosper! Macbeth

Barbados Essay -- essays research papers

Barbados   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When one thinks of Barbados, one thinks of luscious, turquoise blue waters; soft white sand beaches; blue, white clouded skies; fresh fruits; exotic, delicious dishes and honeymoons. One, however, tends to forget the formation of this land. This Caribbean luxury Island has much history and great heritage. In this report, I will detail Barbados’s location, history, labor relations, population size and structure, industries, plus add a little zest with the beauty of the Island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let’s begin with the location of Barbados. Barbados is an Island of a cluster of Caribbean Islands. Its location is on the boundary of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, in a somewhat strange location, if you may. The Island is 166 square miles and is located 13 degrees North, 59 degrees West, leaving it at around 270 miles north-east of Venezuela. Closest to the Island are the nations Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Barbados is generally a flat island, with a central highland; the highest point being Mount Hillaby which stands at 336 meters tall. Barbados is also known as â€Å"Little England† by the British. Barbados was named by Pedro A. Campos, a Portuguese explorer, who originally named the Island â€Å"Os Barbados’ (The Bearded Ones) because he believed that the islands fig trees looked like beards due to their drooping aerial roots. The capital of Barbados is Bridgetown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barbados holds a fairly reasonable climate, not assumed by many. The climate is tropical with few months of rainy weather from June to October. Assumptions by many lead one to believe that the weather may bring about hurricanes and tropical storms. In reality, storms do not hit except every 3.09 years, while hurricanes are not seen except for once every 26.6 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Barbados’s flag was chosen with much meaning and significance. The flag represents freedom and the breakaway from a colonized past. The flag holds three equal bands, blue, gold, and blue respectively. The middle band being gold, holds a trident head, this head is what represents independence, freedom and past disconnection. The flag is shown below: Source: ExxUN.com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nationals of Barbados are known as Barbadians or Bajans. Barbados holds a population of 27... ...ongaline Festival and the Crop Over Festival. These are annual events, the Congaline Festival being the smaller of the two. This festival takes place during the last week of March. The Crop Over Carnival starts at the beginning of July and ends during the first week of August. Musical compitions and other traditional activities take place in this time of fun. The Crop Over festival closes with a large parade. Another economy growth, related to tourism, is the building of hotels, new homes, re-developments, office complexes, condos and mansions. By providing housing and resorts for tourists, the attraction will not only pull in tourists, but it will provide economic structure. Barbados is a country of much integrity, hospitability, and culture. Economic prospects are respected and growing. Tourism is an economic prospect that is growing for many reasons and one that is sure to lead Barbados in the right direction. References http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107321.html http://www.exxun.com/Barbados/c_pp.html http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0856844.html http://www.exxun.com/Barbados/a_fg.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados http://www.barbados.org/invest.htm

K-Mart :: essays research papers

K-Mart Kmart is the #3 discount retailer in the United States behind Wal-Mart and Target. Kmart sells name brand and private label merchandise, mostly to low and mid - income families. It has more than 1,800 stores and currently employs more than 220,000 associates in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and owns an e-tailer BlueLight.com. As of Jan.30, 2002,Kmart had 124 Kmart Supercenters that combine a full grocery, deli, bakery, video rental and 24 hour/seven-days-a-week availability along with the general merchandise selection of a Kmart discount store. A core strength for the company continues to be the expansion of Kmart Exclusive brands such as Martha Stewart Everyday, Sesame Street, Jaclyn Smith, Kathy Ireland, and Route 66. These brands-nationally available only at Kmart- have progressively added to their assortments. Despite that, the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on January 22, 2002, after a year in which its financial performance declined from unimpressive to bleak. The filing came a day after Kmart's major food distributor, Fleming Cos., said it had cut off most shipments to Kmart because the discounter failed to make its regular weekly payment for deliveries. Fleming said Kmart, its largest customer, owed $78 million. This bankruptcy filing let Kmart rid itself of unprofitable stores and shrink the payroll. The company has closed 284 unprofitable stores and laid off about 22,000 workers to pare costs. Kmart stores have fallen as consumers have slowed their spending and as rivals like Wal-Mart Stores and Target have tried to siphon off Kmart’s customers. In this paper, I will try to suggest some solutions to improve Kmart as a company as a whole and help increase its sales. First of all, Kmart needs to improve its marketing technigues. The problem that it’s facing right now is decreasing sales. What I think it should do is lower the prices. It will definitely attract more customers. For example, the reason that one of Kmart’s biggest competitors, Wal-Mart is doing so well is because Wal-Mart is known for its very low prices. Also, I think that Kmart should increase eye-capturing advertising. Not only should they increase the advertising, but they should try to appeal to different kind of customers. Kmart should make sure that its advertisements attract not only middle-aged population-mostly housewives, but it ought to attract more hipper/younger consumers. In addition, it needs to provide better quality of items. One main reason why Target is a

Qualitative research Essay

PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate May 2006 P AT H F I N D E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L T O O L S E R I E S Monitoring and Evaluation – 1 PREPARING A CASE STUDY: A Guide for Designing and Conducting a Case Study for Evaluation Input By Palena Neale, PhD, Senior Evaluation Associate Shyam Thapa, PhD, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor Carolyn Boyce, MA, Evaluation Associate. May 2006 Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following Pathfinder employees and partners for their technical inputs into this document: Emmanuel Boadi (Pathfinder/Ghana), Anne Palmer (Futures Group International), Ugo Daniels (African Youth Alliance (AYA)), Veronique Dupont (Pathfinder/Extending Service Delivery (ESD)), Cathy Solter, Lauren Dunnington, and Shannon Pryor (Pathfinder headquarters). Jenny Wilder and Mary Burket are also thanked for their inputs and assistance in editing and producing this document. 2 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is a Case Study? A case study is a story about something unique, special, or interesting—stories can be about individuals, organizations, processes, programs, neighborhoods, institutions, and even events. 1 The case study gives the story behind the result by capturing what happened to bring it about, and can be a good opportunity to highlight a project’s success, or to bring attention to a particular challenge or difficulty in a project. Cases2 might be selected because they are highly effective, not effective, representative, typical, or of special interest. A few examples of case study topics are provided below—the case studies would describe what happened when, to whom, and with what consequences in each case. Case Study Examples Shifting Attitudes of Youth-Serving Service Providers Uniqueness/Point of Interest Your program was able to change service providers’ attitudes towards dealing with Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) needs in an environment where provider’s attitudes have been a barrier to young people accessing SRH services. Your program was effective in introducing YFS to the MOH and in institutionalizing an YFS curriculum in a setting where the MOH did not provide YFS. Your program was able to integrate HIV prevention in several FBO service delivery points in an environment that normally does not include or welcome HIV prevention activities. Your program built the leadership capacity of youth to advocate, promote, and participate in decision making around ASRH. This transpired in a setting that did not include ASRH on the agenda nor encourage youth participation in general or in decision making in particular. Integrating Youth-Friendly Services (YFS) in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Integrating HIV Prevention in Faith-Based Organization (FBO) Health Services Delivery. Developing Youth Leadership in Tanzania 1 2 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oakds: Sage Publications. Case refers to the unit of analysis or topic chosen for study (i. e. , the individual, organization, or program). PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3 When is a Case Study Appropriate? Case studies are appropriate when there is a unique or interesting story to be told. Case studies are often used to provide context to other data (such as outcome data), offering a more complete picture of what happened in the program and why. What are the Advantages and Limitations of a Case Study? The primary advantage of a case study is that it provides much more detailed information than what is available through other methods, such as surveys. Case studies also allow one to present data collected from multiple methods (i. e. , surveys, interviews, document review, and observation) to provide the complete story. There are a few limitations and pitfalls however, each of which is described below. Can be lengthy: Because they provide detailed information about the case in narrative form, it may be difficult to hold a reader’s interest if too lengthy. In writing the case study, care should be taken to provide the rich information in a digestible manner. Concern that case studies lack rigor: Case studies have been viewed in the evaluation and research fields as less rigorous than surveys or other methods. Reasons for this include the fact that qualitative research in general is still considered unscientific by some and in many cases, case study researchers have not been systematic in their data collection or have allowed bias in their findings. In conducting and writing case studies, all involved should use care in being systematic in their data collection and take steps to ensure validity3 and reliability4 in the study. Not generalizable: A common complaint about case studies is that it is difficult to generalize from one case to another. But case studies have also been prone to overgeneralization, which comes from selecting a few examples and assuming without evidence that they are typical or representative of the population. Yin, a prominent researcher, advises case study analysts to generalize findings to theories, as a scientist generalizes from experimental results to theories. 5 3 4 Validity refers to the degree to which a study accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the researcher is attempting to measure. Reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test, or any measuring procedure yields the same result on repeated trials. 5 Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. 4 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY. What is the Process for Conducting a Case Study? The process for conducting case study research follows the same general process as is followed for other research: plan, collect data, analyze data, and disseminate findings. More detailed steps are given below. 1. Plan †¢ Identify stakeholders who will be involved. †¢ Brainstorm a case study topic, considering types of cases and why they are unique or of interest. †¢ Identify what information is needed and from whom (see â€Å"What are Potential Sources of Information? † and â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Identify any documents needed for review. †¢ List stakeholders to be interviewed or surveyed (national, facility, and beneficiary levels) and determine sample if necessary. †¢ Ensure research will follow international and national ethical research standards, including review by ethical research committees. For more information, please see the International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, available at http://www. cioms. ch/frame_guidelines_nov_2002. htm. 2. Develop Instruments †¢ Develop interview/survey protocols—the rules that guide the administration and implementation of the interview/survey. Put simply, these are the instructions that are followed to ensure consistency across interviews/surveys, and thus increase the reliability of the findings. The following instructions for the should be included in the protocol: †¢ What to say to interviewees when setting up the interview/survey; †¢ What to say to interviewees when beginning the interview/survey, including ensuring informed consent of the respondent (see Appendix 1 for an example); †¢ What to say to respondent in concluding the interview; †¢ What to do during the interview (Example: Take notes? Audiotape? Both?); and †¢ What to do following the interview (Example: Fill in notes? Check audiotape for clarity? Summarize key information for each? Submit written findings? ). †¢ Develop an interview guide/survey that lists the questions or issues to be explored and includes an informed consent form. Please note that you will likely need interview guides/surveys for each group of stakeholders, as questions may differ. †¢ Where necessary, translate guides into local languages and test translation. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 5 3. Train Data Collectors †¢ Identify and train data collectors (if necessary). (See â€Å"Training Tips for Data Collectors†6. ) Where necessary, use interviewers that speak the local language. Training Tips for Data Collectors Staff, youth program participants, or professional interviewers may be involved in data collection. Regardless of what experience data collectors have, training should include: †¢ An introduction to the evaluation objectives, †¢ A review of data collection techniques, †¢ A thorough review of the data collection items and instruments, †¢ Practice in the use of the instruments, †¢ Skill-building exercises on interviewing and interpersonal communication, and †¢ Discussion of ethical issues. 4. Collect Data †¢ Gather all relevant documents. †¢ Set up interviews/surveys with stakeholders (be sure to explain the purpose, why the stakeholder has been chosen, and the expected duration). †¢ Seek informed consent of each respondent (written or documented oral). Re-explain purpose of interview, why the stakeholder has been chosen, expected duration of, whether and how the information will be kept confidential, and the use of a note taker/tape recorder. †¢ If the respondent has consented, conduct the interview/survey. 5. Analyze Data †¢ Review all relevant documents. †¢ Review all interview/survey data. 6. Disseminate Findings †¢ Write report (see â€Å"What are the Elements of a Case Study? †). †¢ Solicit feedback. †¢ Revise †¢ Disseminate 6 Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/site/PageServer? pagename=Publications_FOCUS_Guides_and_Tools. 6 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY What are Potential Sources of Information? Case studies typically rely on multiple sources of information and methods to provide as complete a picture as possible. Information sources could include: †¢ Project documents (including meeting minutes) †¢ Project reports, including quarterly reports, midterm reviews †¢ Monitoring visits †¢ Mystery client reports †¢ Facility assessment reports †¢ Interviews †¢ Questionnaire/survey results †¢ Evaluation reports †¢ Observation †¢ Other What are the Elements of a Case Study? Case studies do not have set elements that need to be included; the elements of each will vary depending on the case or story chosen, the data collected, and the purpose (for example, to illustrate a best case versus a typical case). However, case studies typically describe a program or intervention put in place to address a particular problem. Therefore, we provide the following elements and example on which you might draw: 1. The Problem i. Identify the problem ii. Explain why the problem is important iii. How was the problem identified? iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? 2. Steps taken to address the problem 3. Results 4. Challenges and how they were met 5. Beyond Results 6. Lessons Learned. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 7 1. The Problem: It is essential to identify what the problem was. Specifically: i. Identify the problem. For example, certain FBO leadership was opposed to including HIV prevention activities within their programming. Specifically, they felt that prevention activities would promote sex among youth and thereby increase the incidence of HIV. In addition, the FBO felt that the promotion of condoms as a form of prevention was morally wrong. ii. Explain why the problem is important. Following the same example, to provide a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS, prevention activities are an important part of HIV programming, in addition to care and support. Addressing moral and religious concerns and objections of FBO leaders in order to incorporate this component greatly expands the prevention effort and offers a greater breadth and depth in HIV programming. iii. How was the problem identified? It is likely that program staff will have an idea of what general problems exist. For example, YFS is not integrated in the MOH, FBOs do not include prevention activities, youth involvement does not occur, etc. What was likely missing and required exploration were the details around this general problem. In the case of working with FBOs, an initial project planning meeting was held to discuss the specifics behind the problem. It was revealed during this process that certain FBOs who conducted care and support activities did not offer prevention activities, specifically condom promotion. The primary reason given was religious objections; another reason identified but not explicitly stated was stigma. iv. Was the process for identifying the problem effective? After additional one-on-one discussions with FBO leaders, it was determined that the leaders had concerns based on moral and religious grounds regarding prevention efforts, particularly promoting condoms. Furthermore, discussions revealed that a number of leaders had limited and/or erroneous information regarding transmission and prevention options. 8 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 2. Steps Undertaken to Address the Problem: What was done (activities/ interventions/ inputs), where, by whom, for whom? In the case of integrating prevention in FBOs, an illustrative outline of steps undertaken to address the problem is given below: What was done? Phase 1: Sensitization Sensitization of leadership: activities included reviewing FBO policies and bylaws by program staff in order to demonstrate to leadership that there were no constitutional objections to prevention activities. Project staff engaged liberal FBO leaders to supply quotes from the Bible to build their evidence-based argument to convince other leaders that there was in fact no biblical basis for the preclusion of prevention activities. Sensitization of facility managers: meet with managers to discuss leadership approval and present evidence-based arguments on why integration activities can be included. Sensitization of community: work with groups to explain that these activities have been approved by the FBO leadership and where they can go to receive services. Phase 2: Integration Facility assessments Selected facilities Project Staff, FBO representatives Local Implementing Partners (IPs) Project Staff, Facility Managers Contractor FBOs, Project Staff Facility Staff District/ National Project Staff FBO leaders Where? By Whom? For Whom? Facilities Project Staff Facility Managers Community catchment areas Project Staff Community members Training of service providers Selected facilities Conduct staff orientations Facilities Facility Staff Physical infrastructure improved Phase 3: Outreach Identify peers that you want to work with Training Provide Tools Supervision Phase 4: M&E Reassessments Facilities Facility Selected facilities Facilities Facility Staff IPs Project Peer supervisors Beneficiaries Peers Peers Peers Sample of selected facilities Project Staff, Facility Management, Youth Trained mystery clients Project Staff, Peer Supervisors. Facility, Project Staff Mystery client interviews Monitoring visits Facilities Facilities, Peers Facility staff, Project Staff PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 9 3. Results: What were the results of your intervention, particularly the significant or unique results? For example: your activities resulted in the FBO including HIV prevention activities in their programming, which contributed to an increase in condom distribution. Or, your activities resulted in youth-serving service providers adopting a youth-friendly attitude which contributed to improved services and an increase in youth visits. Church leadership may have made a commitment and modified policies to include ASRH activities, leadership talking about the issues publicly. Facility managers may make financial commitments to refurbishments, training, etc. 4. Challenges and how they were met: This focuses on what challenges or difficulties you encountered and what you did to overcome them. One of the challenges in working with FBOs may have been dealing with Catholic FBOs and your response could have been to negotiate with them to include certain prevention activities like abstinence, and/or providing a referral point to youth who may want to get information about condoms. Another possible challenge is that not all FBOs who you had hoped to work with were willing to come on board and this required additional attention. 5. Beyond Results: Are the results mentioned above sustainable? Why or why not? For example, an integrated approach to programming (which included a strong policy and advocacy component) created an enabling policy environment with strong stakeholder support that can be nurtured and leveraged beyond the project duration. 6. Lessons Learned: What lessons were learned: programmatic, technical, financial, process, etc.? For example, the experience showed that it was imperative for project staff to have a very solid understanding of government policies to speak to these issues with key stakeholders. In addition, it was important to have a good understanding of the various religious beliefs in addition to their respective policies and by-laws for developing and delivering advocacy arguments. How are Case Studies Presented? Case studies are flexible in that they can be presented in a number of ways—there is no specific format to follow. However, like all evaluation results, justification and methodology of the study should be provided, as well as any supporting information (i. e. , copies of instruments and guides used in the study). Case studies may stand alone or be included in a larger evaluation report. If presented as a stand-alone report, the following report outline is suggested: 1. Introduction and Justification 2. Methodology a. How was the process carried out? (Describe the process of selecting the case and data collection sources, as well as how data was collected. ) b. What assumptions are there (if any)? 10 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. c. Are there any limitations with this method? d. What instruments were used to collect data? (You may want to include some or all in the appendix. ) e. What sample(s) is/are being used? f. Over which period of time was this data collected? The Problem The Steps Taken to Address the Problem The Results The Challenges and How They were Met Beyond Results Lessons Learned Conclusion Appendices Where Can More Information on Case Studies be Found? Information on Case Study Research Adamchak, S. , et. al. (2000). A Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Adolescent Reproductive Health Programs. Available at http://www. pathfind. org/pf/pubs/focus/guidesandtools/PDF/Part%20II. pdf. Patton, Michael Q. (2002). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Stake, Robert E. (1995). The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. United States General Accounting Office, Program Evaluation and Methodology Division. (1987). Case Study Evaluations. Available at http://161. 203. 16. 4/t2pbat22/132683. pdf. Yin, Robert K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. London: Sage Publications. Examples of Case Studies Cornwall, A. and Welbourn, A. (2002). Realizing Rights: Transforming Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Well-Being. London: Zed Books. Population Council. Quality/Calidad/Qualite series. Available at http://www. popcouncil. org/publications/qcq/default. htm. SRI International. (2001). The Organization of Learning in Community Technology Centers: Learning with Technology in Six Communities. Available at http://www. americaconnects. net/research/SRI_case_study_report. pdf. PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: WRITING A CASE STUDY 11 Appendix 1: Sample Informed Consent Form Key Components: †¢ Thank you †¢ Your name †¢ Purpose †¢ Confidentiality †¢ Duration †¢ How interview will be conducted †¢ Opportunity for questions †¢ Signature of consent I want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. My name is ________________________ and I would like to talk to you about your experiences participating in the African Youth Alliance (AYA) project. Specifically, as one of the components of our overall program evaluation we are assessing program effectiveness in order to capture lessons that can be used in future interventions. The interview should take less than an hour. I will be taping the session because I don’t want to miss any of your comments. Although I will be taking some notes during the session, I can’t possibly write fast enough to get it all down. Because we’re on tape, please be sure to speak up so that we don’t miss your comments. All responses will be kept confidential. This means that your interview responses will only be shared with research team members and we will ensure that any information we include in our report does not identify you as the respondent. Remember, you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to and you may end the interview at any time. Are there any questions about what I have just explained? Are you willing to participate in this interview? __________________ Interviewee __________________ Witness __________ Date ______________________________________ Legal guardian (if interviewee is under 18) 12 PATHFINDER INTERNATIONAL: SAMPLE INFORMED CONSENT FORM Pathfinder International 9 Galen Street, Suite 217 Watertown, MA 02472 USA Tel: 617-924-7200 Email: Information@pathfind. org 05/06/500.