Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Letting fear fuel you taking risks for great rewards

Letting fear fuel you taking risks for great rewards Terry Barclay, CEO of Inforum–one of the leading professional women’s associations in the country, shares some deceivingly simple advice about taking risks. If you’re dissatisfied with your position and your place, there’s no sense in letting a fear of failure stop you from pursuing new opportunities. [Source: Daily Fuel]

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Whitmans Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion

Whitman's Song of Myself Spirituality and Religion Spirituality is a mixed bag for the great American  poet, Walt Whitman.  While he takes a great deal of material from Christianity, his conception of religion is much more complicated than the beliefs of one or two faiths mixed together. Whitman seems to draw from the many roots of belief to form his own religion, putting himself at the center. Examples From the Text Much of Whitmans  poetry resounds with Biblical allusions and innuendo. In the very first cantos of Song of Myself, he reminds us that we are formed from this soil, this air, which brings us back to the Christian Creation story. In that story, Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, then brought to consciousness by the breath of life. These and similar references run throughout Leaves of Grass, but Whitmans intent seems rather ambiguous. Certainly, he is drawing from Americas religious background to create poetry that will unify the nation. However, his conception of these religious roots seems twisted (not in a negative way) - changed from the original conception of right and wrong, heaven and hell, good and bad. In accepting the prostitute and murderer along with the deformed, trivial, flat, and despised, Whitman is trying to accept all of America (accepting the ultra-religious, along with the godless and un-religious). Religion becomes a poetic device, subject to his artistic hand. Of course, he also seems to stand apart from the grime, putting himself in the position of the  observer. He becomes a creator, almost a god himself, as he speaks America into existence (perhaps we could say that he really sings, or chants, America into existence), validating every element of the American experience. Whitman brings philosophical significance to the most simple objects and actions, reminding America that every sight, sound, taste, and smell can take on a  spiritual importance to the fully aware and healthy individual. In the first cantos, he says, I loafe and invite my soul, creating a dualism between matter and spirit. Throughout the rest of the poem, though, he continues this pattern. He constantly uses the images of body and spirit together, bringing us to a better understanding of his true conception of spirituality. Divine am I inside and out, he says, and I make holy whatever I touch or am touchd from. Whitman seems to be calling to America, urging the people to listen and to believe. If they wont listen or hear, they may be lost in the perpetual Wasteland of the modern experience. He sees himself as Americas savior, the last hope, even a prophet. But he also sees himself as the center, the one-in-one. Hes not leading America toward  T.S. Eliots  religion; instead, he is playing the part of the Pied Piper, leading the masses toward a new conception of America.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Iran during the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini Essay

Iran during the rule of Ayatollah Khomeini - Essay Example [Iranchamber.com] He was a lecturer at Najaf and Qum seminaries for decades before he was known in the political scene. .[Wikipedia.org] As a scholar and teacher, Khomeini produced numerous writings on Islamic philosophy, law, and ethics. Although Khomeini was not politically active, but his teachings and writings suggested that he was firm believer on the importance of clerics in political movement. He was the first Iranian cleric to try to refute the outspoken advocacy of secularism in the 1940s. However at the age of 60, the leadership arena opened for Khomeini following the deaths of two important clerical leaders during 1960's. On 22 January 1963, Khomeini summoned a meeting of the senior parliamentarians of Qom and pursuaded them to decree a boycott on the referendum initiated by the Reza Shah Pahlavi which were regarded as dangerous. Khomeini accused Shah of his submission to America and Israel by violating the constitution by the way of issuing manifesto that represented the signatures of other senior Iranian Shia religious scholars. Khomeini denunicated Shah at several occasions for which he was arrested on 5th June, 1963 which sparked off riots throughout Iran and lead to deaths of several citizens, which is referred to as 'Movement of 15 Khordad'. Once again after the release from house arrest in 1964, Khomeini denounced both Shah and United States for the capitulations granted by the Shah to United States armed military to be treid in their own Military Courts, which lead to his arrest in November 1964 and held for half a year. Four Members of Fedeyan Islam were executed for the murder of Hassan-Ali Mansur, who slapped Khomeini, when he refused to apologize and drop the opposition from the government, for which Khomeini was sent into exile to Turkey.[ www.time.com] B. Khomeini - Supreme Leader of Iran. Khomeini spent 14 years in exile, not limited to one specific nation. But mostly he lived in Nazaf of Iraq which was under Saddam Hussein's power, then Turkey and France. [news.bbc.co.uk] After the 1977 death of Dr. Ali Shariati, an Islamic reformist and political revolutionary author/academic/philosopher who greatly popularized the Islamic revival among young educated Iranians, Khomeini became the most influential leader of the opposition to the Shah perceived by many Iranians as the spiritual, if not political, leader of revolt.[Wikipedia.org] Protest grew against the rule of Shah which gave more influence to Khomeini. Although thousands of kilometers away from Iran in Paris, Khomeini set the course of the revolution, urging Iranians not to compromise and ordering work stoppages against the regime. This resulted into revolution among the supporters of Khomeini against the Shah. Khomeini returned to Iran on the condition that Shah left the country, which he did. Khomeini's return t o Iran was welcomed by joyous crowd, which led to creation of the government elected by him. [news.bbc.co.uk] He appointed the interim Prime Minister, demanding since he has appointed him, he must be obeyed and respected. According to him, it was God's government and disobeying the government was a revolt against God. Soldiers loyal to the Bakthiar Government defected Khomeini's movement. [Ayatollah Khomeini] Khomeini declared Jihad on soldiers who did not surrendered after gaining power, which led to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Corporate and global strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate and global strategy - Essay Example In the first quarter of year 2007, Toyota has been able to sell more number of cars than GM, pushing GM at the second place for the first time (USA Today, 2007). GM is headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and employs about 335,000 people. The brands include Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM recorded revenues worth $192,604 million during the fiscal year ended December 2005. GM also owns equity partnerships in some regional subsidiaries and joint ventures like New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI), Suzuki Motor Corporation, Isuzu Motors, Shanghai GM, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Company and CAMI Automotive (Datamonitor, 2006). The car market has indeed become very competitive, with major players like GM, Ford, Toyota, Audi, BMW, VW etc. vying for the international market, besides a number of local players in the car market. With technology playing a major role in advancements of the features in a car, ICT helping in making the care more intelligent, marketing communication techniques have started playing a major role in convincing the customer. General Motors has also outlined plans for ICT needs of its cares and the company has signed deals worth $15bn (Â £8.5bn) for the next five years with IBM, HP, EDS, Capgemini, Compuware Covisint and Wipro (Brown, 2006). General Motors has also unveiled E-Flex electric architecture, configured with GMs newest, most efficient hydrogen fuel cell system to date, at the recently held Shanghai Auto Show (GM, 2007). Company believes that the fuel cell technology has the potential to be a competitive alternative to the internal combustion engine - in size, performance, du rability and cost. Internationalization provides an opportunity for the company to plan out moves for a wider spectrum of customer base. Strategic decisions are concerned with the issue of setting a direction for the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Discuss the ways in which Steinbeck explores the concept of the American Dream is central to the novel Essay Example for Free

Discuss the ways in which Steinbeck explores the concept of the American Dream is central to the novel Essay The American Dream was a dream that nearly everyone had throughout the twentieth century. It was hope for a better life and people believed strongly that it would come true. The main characters in Of Mice Men have a dream which was to get a plot of land and live on it and become self-sufficient. The American Dream was not an achievable goal for many people. Steinbeck shows this failure through the characters of Lennie George. The American dream was a great thing. We first heard about it when Lennie and George were sitting by the river at the beginning of the book. The dream was a hope that every rancher had an opportunity for a better life. Lennie and George, the two main characters, had such a dream, Some day were gonna get a little place and a couple of acres. The idea was to get a piece of land, grow crops and have an improved life there. They also new exactly what they were aiming for and what they wanted. They realised that their imagination should not be set too high for fear of disappointment. The two men also knew that they should not tell other people about the plot of land in case it was snatched from under their noses. This frequently happened then, as so many people were seeking the same desire., Well its ten acres said George. Got a little win mill. Got a little shack on it and a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, peaches, cots, nuts, got a few berries. This shows that Lennie and George had ambition and again, knew what they wanted. It also shows that there were places where the dream had a chance of coming true, and that affordable land was for sale. Lennie and George intended to get the land by working extremely hard for a couple of months. They would earn standard migrant labour workers wages which was of course not very much, as the great depression was around at the time the book was set. The men hoped to save money and put it towards the plot of land, Look, if me an Lennie work a month an dont spen nothing well have a hundred bucks. Sooner or later people started to realise that the American Dream was turning into a nightmare. This is shown in the book by all the travelling and unemployment. Steinbeck shows that people were determined to get a job and willing to travel around to find one, he reinforces this through Lennie and George. At the start of the novel Steinbeck told us that they were walking, so we obviously know that they have had a nomadic life. During their rest they have a conversation about their travels The first thing you know is that they are pounding away at some other ranch. This backs up the fact that people travel around for jobs. We know how Lennie and George frequently lose their jobs, this is due to Lennie constantly getting the pair of them into trouble which jeopardises their current job. Because of this they have to travel from one ranch to another in search of another job. Also you can corroborate the fact that people travelled by George quoting, The hell with what I says. You remember about us going into Murray and Readys and they give us work cards and bus tickets. Murray and Ready are a typical work agency that sprung up in America during the Great Depression. In the 1930s the Great Depression spoilt the American Dream, it damaged everything that had a promising future, from buying food to making investments in the stock market. Through out the novel we do not see this very much. It is shown only as a high unemployment rate. George is very passionate about work as he wants to achieve his dream. As you read on through the book George comments on other people in his situation, They aint got nothing to look ahead to. Implying that George is fed up of losing his job to other people. He now knows you should not think about looking ahead to long term ambitions as anything can happen. The rate of unemployment was a serious issue at the time of the book, as the economy was decreasing rapidly. It is shown through various characters such as Carlson, Slim, Lennie, George and many more. We know that they all have been travelling from ranch to ranch in search of jobs during this time, they have started to feel like they do not have a home and dont belong anywhere. Guys like us, they got no family and dont belong no place. They come to a ranch an work up a stake then they go into town and blow their stake. This was quite normal for young and old men in their quest, not just for the dream, but for survival. Because of that, it made it hard for people to keep a job as other people who were as desperate, came along and accepted less pay to work at the same job, just so they could get some money. The idea of the American Dream was to be happy but just as well as the Great depression, racism also crippled the illusion. The dream was merely for the whites, as many of the blacks were unlawfully discarded from the opportunity or status to achieve it. Steinbeck shows this in the book through a character called Crooks, who was a crippled Negro stable buck and had suffered years of abuse in his life. Although Crooks could read and write, he was very lonely and because he was black, he could not join in with the usual endeavours of other men on the ranch. Suppose you had to sit out here and read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it gets dark, but then you got to read books. This shows he only had books for company. It was still very racist in the 1930s so there was not much chance of Crooks achieving the dream by himself and certainly no one at that time would try to help. In the course of the book Crooks also tells us about his life in the past, how his father did actually achieve the dream, and how his family was the only coloured family in Soledad, which is where the book was set. There wasnt another coloured family for miles around. And now there aint no coloured man on this ranch. Crooks felt strongly about this, he was neglected by everyone and still felt as if he was being treated as an unequal by every other man. He wanted so much to be included in the games that everyone participated in. Suppose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black. Because Crooks was being denied these privileges he turned into a bitter man who was equally as malicious as the offenders. This portrays the dream in a bad way, which is unusual as the dream is usually portrayed as being happy and being the provider when it actually created tensions between different races and cultures and caused many tribulations between people. Although Crooks is abused by many people on the ranch there is one person in the book who does not discriminate him because he is black, that person is Lennie. Lennie does not understand or see the racism in the world and he sees everyone as being the same. Crooks feels he can talk to Lennie about many things, A guy can talk to you an be sure you wont go blabbin. Because of this it reassures Crooks and makes him feel better as he knows he can talk to some one instead of read books At first there was a chance of the dream coming true. One reason was because of Candy, willing to give his life savings so he would know that he had somewhere to go after he was incapable of working on the ranch, Tell you what suppose I went in with you guys thas three hundred and fifty bucks Id put in. This endorses the fact that he was willing to put every last coinage that he had, to assist him to have a happy finale to his life. Also Crooks, the negro stable buck, offers to help, If you guys would want a hand in work for nothing just his keep. He did this just so he could have a friendship with someone and feel liked. In addition no one else knew about this certain plot of land, which made it a secret of the group and easy to obtain. We know that the owners needed to get the money fast, The ol people that owns it is flat bust an the ol lady needs an operation. Because of all this Lennie, George and Candy stood a very good chance of achieving this reverie. The American dream ended due to a series of unfortunate events. Steinbeck shows this through Lennie and George not getting the land. They did not get it because of many things. The main reason for them failing was Lennie. He spoilt the dream for George, as he was constantly getting into trouble and destroying any chance that he had to achieve the dream. After a while other men on the ranch begin to question their past, for example, Slim, What happened in Weed. We know that they have been travelling around and losing jobs, but it was not just because of other men stealing their jobs only to get paid less, it was also Lennie destructively destroying their chances, because of this they, had to move on to another ranch. In the end they had no hope what so ever, of the dream coming true because of Lennie, once again, getting George into trouble, as he was responsible for Lennie, when he unintentionally killed Curlys wife. If given the chance most men on the farm would attempt the dream even if they thought it was impossible. A good example is Crooks, at one point in the story, he was putting down the fact of any one achieving their goal, Jesus I seen it too many time. Too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand. When Crooks found out that there was a chance of it happening, he decided on trying to get in on it, If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing, just his keep, why Id come an lend a hand. You can see also that people always put down the achievement of the dream, but they all had a secret burning ambition to get it if the chance came around. Through out the book Steinbeck managed to portray the conditions of the Great Depression in the 1930s. He also gave us a glimpse of The American Dream that every one pursued and showed us that it was not an easy achievement. Steinbeck has managed to show the different levels of hardship and suffering that people faced during that period of time and also managed to show more hopeless situations of people from a minority. The concept of the American Dream is at the heart of the novel Of Mice Men and therefore allows Steinbeck to make comments on American Society and the time of the Great Depression.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Dual Nature of Power Essay -- power, abuse, wars, crimes, properly

â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.† This phrase correctly assesses that the more power a being has, the greater capacity they have for both good and evil; for the creation of beautiful things or the destruction of that which is lovely. The possession of power does not necessarily mean that the power will be used honorably. In the timeless Lord of the Rings saga, the two wizards, Saruman and Gandalf, were both imbued with great power. Their reaction to the power, however, was very different. On one hand, Gandalf had a healthy respect for the seductive properties of power and managed to resist using and abusing it for his own ends. Conversely, Saruman gave in and attempted to set himself as a dominant ruler; ultimately failing and creating a colossal amount of ruin in the process. They were both given power, one used it properly and achieved many great feats; the other abused the power and lost everything. This concept applies to the human race as well. Some look at the horrors committed by human being in the past and conclude that we have degenerated far below the common animal. Others point to the great achievements off science and art, along with the selfless aid granted to the helpless, from American ghettos to war-torn countries, and insist that we are progressing toward a perfect utopia. What they both fail to see is that this power can be used to accomplish wonderful deeds or destroy all that truly matters. The dark use of this power can be seen in all the wars, the crime, and the corruption that has plagued mankind since before recorded history. It can be seen in every Stalin, Capone, and Attila the Hun in history, who have not let the concept of morality to stand between them and supremacy. One parti... ...ar, facing disease and hardship or when a soldier throws himself on a grenade to save his comrades. The bad is evident in families torn apart by drug abuse and also in every shop clerk shot and killed during a holdup. This war’s outcome really depends on the individual and the choices they make; every decision will take them down one path or the other, often having greater consequences than they could ever imagine. The people who claim that humans have become less than animals, along with the optimists looking forward to a utopia, both fail to see the whole picture; they need to recognize the dual nature of the power humans in order to reach an accurate conclusion. When they only focus on one extreme, they gain a false worldview that will taint all of their assumptions. Power can be used for evil or good; the choice lies in the individual possessing it.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Articles of association Essay

This sets out the rules for running the company. It contains the procedures for calling shareholder meetings, the number, rights, and obligations of directors, shareholder voting rights, and lastly details of how accounts will be kept and recorded.  Once these two documents have been agreed they are sent to Companies House (a government body that watches over limited companies). If everything is in order, the registrar of companies’ issues a Certificate of incorporation, which allows the company to start trading out makes the company a separate legal entity from the owners. Details of the director’s and the secretary’s intended address for the registered office as well as their personal details and information of other directorships they may have held within the last five years.  This must be signed after all the other documents as it confirms that all the other registration requirements have been fulfilled. This declaration must be signed before a solicitor.  Once all the forms are completed, they should be send to the company’s house where they are checked for such instances as confirming that the prospective officers of the company are not on the disqualified directors’ list. How the ownership suits the business activity  Peacocks group’s ownership suits their activity because they operate on a large scale by selling a wide range of goods like women’s wear, (lingerie, night wear, swimwear, e-vie fashions), men’s wear (jackets, shirts, ties, trousers), children’s wear (new borns, toddlers, babies), street wear, foot wear, home wear. With this, they employ more than 5000 personnel and trades from over 385 stores throughout the UK. The profits Peacocks receives from selling their goods is used to pay wages, and buying other products to be sold from the suppliers. Because Peacocks is a large company, it gets a lot of profits from different branches and can manage to sell a large number of products and also employ enough staff to maintain the smooth running of the business. Relationship between the size of the business and the type of ownership  Peacocks is a large business covering 110,000 square feet and has about 385 stores in the UK. It operates on a large scale and this is one of the reasons why it is a public limited company. It employs 5000 personnel to work for it throughout the UK.  The industrial sectors to which my businesses belong  The primary sector is concerned with the production or obtaining of raw materials. This includes occupations like farming, forestry, fishing and mining, and oil and gas drilling. For many products, such as fish fingers, this will be the first stage of production. The fish will be then sold on for processing at the secondary stage. The secondary sector deals with manufacturing, processing, construction, and assembly. This relates to manufacturers of consumer and industrial goods. A paper mill, a carpet factory, and a house builder are all found in this sector. Secondary industry processes the goods that come from the primary industry and turns them into something that people want. My two businesses, which are Peacocks, and Top Girl hairdressers both belong to the same industrial sector. They both belong to the tertiary sector, which is known as the service sector. The tertiary sector includes all the providers of services to businesses and to individuals, and can be divided into four sections. These are business services, financial and business services, transport and communication, retailing, distribution, hotels and catering. They belong to this sector because they provide services. Peacocks mainly provides retailing while top girl hairdressers provides hair styling. Top girl hairdressers also provides retailing but as a side activity. It sells a few hair products to its customers just in case they come to get their hair done without any products. They also provide information about maintaining hair. Peacocks sells women’s wear, men’s wear, home wear and children’s wear.Consultancy work is generally popular- tax consultants, management consultants, and computer consultants. Whenever there is constant, rapid change that affects business you will find that consultants are often used to advise how best to adjust to these. Recruitment agencies and selection consultants depend on the job market. When unemployment is high they may struggle, when employment is good and people are looking to change jobs regularly they benefit from increased business. Don’t forget that recruitment agencies often specialise in temporary employment opportunities.  Security firms are becoming more and more popular. Certainly many retail organisations do. Security services are normally sub-contracted because this is more cost-effective than employing and managing specialised security staff.  Industrial cleaners are also sub-contracted. Your college probably buys in its cleaning services rather than employing cleaners. This has been a growth area for entrepreneurs in the past few years.  Secretarial services are generally less popular than they were several years ago. The use of computers and modern software packages means that many people can produce their own documents quickly and easily.