Religions Must Update Themselves Essay

Many people in the Modern world believe that religious books and laws must be changed to fit the lives of those that live in the 21st century; in this essay I shall argue both sides and come to a final decision on whether or not they should update themselves. One of the many religions that is constantly thought of as out of date or no longer relevant to society is Christianity. This is as the Christian religious book (the Bible) is full of laws (especially the Old Testament) that no longer work well for certain situations or make sense to the logical mind. An example of this is Exodus 21:2 NCV, which says â€Å"If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, and he will have to pay nothing. † Number one slavery is not only looked down upon by the general public but is also illegal so laws on how to own and release a slave is not only useless to people of this day and age but it could also be seen as hypocritical for a God whom Christians claim to be so loving and kind to condone something as wrong as the owning of a slave. Another verse that appears illogical to non-Christians is 1 Corinthians 14:34 NIV in which Paul writes to the following in Corinth saying â€Å"Women should keep quiet in the Church meetings. They are not allowed to speak, but they must yield to this rule as the law says. † This is straight out sexism; Sexism by dictionary definition is discrimination based on a person’s sex discrimination includes being excluded from or forced to perform a certain action because of sex etc. This is what is happening here, women are not being allowed to talk in church because they are women; yet there are women pastors and evangelists and I have definitely heard several women talking during my visits to church. This raises the question of how ordinary people are to take this rule seriously and think it relevant when Christians themselves ignore it. Most people see these verses and immediately conclude that the Bible is not only out of date but also out of touch with current laws and regulations. It is easy to ake a verse out of the Bible without linking it to the rest of the chapter or considering the history which lead to it. Here are some examples of verses that show the Bible is as modern as can be. A verse that makes more sense to non-Christians and helps to prove the point that the Bible is not out of date is Exodus 21:12 NCV â€Å"Anyone who hits a person and kills him must be put to death. † This makes perfect sense. The verse mirrors not only the judicial system; that every wrong or illegal action has to be paid for but also mirrors simple logic that bad people have to pay for the bad things they do. It is the most basic and un-updateable human impulse for right and wrong to be paid equally. Another verse that helps argue the idea that the Bible is not out of date is Leviticus NCV 19:9-10 â€Å"When you harvest your crops on your land, do not harvest all the way to the corners of your fields. If grain falls onto the ground, don’t gather it up. † What would happen in Israelite times was that any grain dropped during the harvest would be picked up by the homeless. This was a form of charity towards those who were less privileged. Being charitable is something that has only become popular in the last few years yet here are the Israelites doing it so regularly it has become normal. I believe that the Bible is in fact modern and its laws are still relevant today but you have to be able to change it to fit modern language. For example one of the Ten Commandments is â€Å"Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbour. † This literally means you shouldn’t lie. I believe that that is the way you have to approach all the laws in the Bible not changing the meaning but changing the words to something that’s understandable.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 2

I felt the veins in my face crackle with Power. My fangs came out quickly and violently, painfully ripping through my gums. Instantly I became the hunter again: balanced on my toes, fingers flexed, ready to claw. As I made my way closer to her, all my senses became even more aroused – eyes widened to capture every shadow, nostrils flared to gather in the smells. Even my skin prickled, ready to detect the slightest change in air movement, in heat, in the minute pulses that indicated life. Despite my vow, my body was more than ready to slice into the soft, dying flesh and lap up her essence. The girl was small, but not sickly or dainty. She looked to be about sixteen. Her bosom jerked as she stuggled for breath. Her hair was dark, with curls highlighted gold in the light of the rising moon. She had been wearing silk flowers and ribbons in her hair, but these, along with her tresses, had come undone, trailing out behind her head like sea foam. Her dress had a dark red slip buoyed by frothy white cotton tulle. Where her petticoats were torn, slashes of scarlet silk showed through, matching the blood that was seeping from her chest and down her bodice. One of her doeskin gloves was white, while the other was nearly black with soaked blood, as if she had tried to stanch her wound before she'd passed out. Thick, curly lashes fluttered as her eyes rolled beneath their lids. This was a girl who clung to life, who was fighting as hard as she could to stay awake and survive the violence that had befallen her. My ears could easily make out her heartbeat. Despite the girl's strength and will, it was slowing, and I could count seconds between each beat. Thud . . . Thud . . . Thud . . . Thud . . . The rest of the world was silent. It was just me, the moon, and this dying girl. Her breath was coming slower now. She would most likely be dead in mere moments, and not by my hands. I ran my tongue over my teeth. I had done my best. I had hunted down a squirrel – a squirrel – to sate my appetite. I was doing everything I could to resist the lure of my dark side, the hunger that had been slowly destroying me from within. I had refrained from using my Power. But the smell . . . Spicy, rusty, sweet. It made my head spin. It wasn't my fault she had been attacked. It wasn't I who had caused the pool of blood to form around her prone body. Just one little sip couldn't hurt. . . . I couldn't hurt her more than someone already had. . . . I shivered, a delicious pain fluttering up my spine and down my body. My muscles flexed and relaxed of their own accord. I took a step closer, so close that I could reach out and touch the red substance. Human blood would do far more than sustain me. It would fill me with warmth and Power. Nothing tasted like human blood, and nothing felt like it. Just a mouthful and I would be back to the vampire I'd been in New Orleans: invincible, lightning fast, strong. I'd be able to compel humans to do my bidding, I'd be able to drink away my guilt and embrace my darkness. I'd be a real vampire again. In that moment, I forgot everything: why I was in New York, what happened in New Orleans, why I left Mystic Falls. Callie, Katherine, Damon . . . All were lost, and I was drawn mindlessly to the source of my agony and ectasy. I knelt down in the grass. My parched lips drew back from my mouth, fangs fully exposed. One lick. One drop. One taste. I needed it so badly. And technically, I wouldn't be killing her. Technically, she would die because of someone else. Narrow streams of blood ebbed and flowed down her chest, pulsing with her heart. I leaned over, my tongue reaching forward. . . . One of her eyes fluttered open weakly, her thick lashes parting to reveal clear green eyes, eyes the color of clover and grass. The same color eyes Callie had. In my last memory of her, Callie was lying on the ground, dying, in a similar helpless pose. Callie had died of a knife wound in her back. Damon didn't even have the decency to let her defend herself. He stabbed her while she was distracted, telling me how much she loved me. And then, before I could feed her my own blood and save her, Damon threw me aside and drained her completely. He left her a dry, dead husk and then tried to kill me, too. Had it not been for Lexi, he would have succeeded. With a tortured scream, I pulled my hands back from the girl and pounded the ground. I forced the bloodlust that was in my eyes and cheeks back down to the dark place from which they came. I took a moment longer to compose myself, then pulled the girl's bodice aside to view her wound. She had been stabbed with a knife, or some other small and sharp blade. It had been shoved with near perfect precision between her breasts and into her rib cage – but had missed her heart. It was as though the attacker had wanted her to suffer, had wanted her to slowly bleed out rather than die immediately. The attacker had not left the blade behind, so I placed my teeth against my wrist and tore open the skin there. The pain helped me to focus, a good, clean pain compared to that of my fangs coming out. With incredible effort I pushed my wrist to her mouth and squeezed my fist. I had so little blood to spare – this would nearly kill me. I had no idea if it would even work now that I was feeding just on animals. Thump-thump. Pause. Thump-thump. Pause. Her heart continued to slow. â€Å"Come on,† I pleaded, my teeth gritted in pain. â€Å"Come on.† The first few drops of blood hit her lips. She winced, stirring slightly. Her mouth parted, desperate. With all my strength, I squeezed my wrist, pushing the blood out of my vein and into her mouth. When it finally hit her tongue she almost gagged. â€Å"Drink,† I ordered. â€Å"It will help. Drink.† She turned her head. â€Å"No,† she mumbled. Ignoring her feeble protests, I shoved my wrist against her mouth, forcing the blood into her. She moaned, still trying not to swallow. A wind picked up around us, rustling her skirts. An earthworm dug itself deeper into the soft, moist earth, avoiding the cold air of the night. And then she stopped fighting. Her lips closed down on the wound in my wrist, and her soft tongue sought out the source of my blood. She began to suck. Thump-thump. Thumpthump. Thump thump thump. Her hand, the one in the blood-soaked glove, came fluttering up weakly and grasped my arm, trying to draw it closer to her face. She wanted more. I understood her desire all too well, but I had no more to offer. â€Å"That's enough,† I said, feeling faint myself. I gently disengaged my arm despite her mewling cries. Her heart was beating more regularly now. â€Å"Who are you? Where do you live?† I asked. She whimpered and clung to me. â€Å"Open your eyes,† I ordered. She did, once again revealing her Callie-green eyes. â€Å"Tell me where you live,† I compelled her, the world spinning around me as I used the very last remaining drops of my Power. â€Å"Fifth Avenue,† she answered dreamily. I tried not to grow impatient. â€Å"Where on Fifth Avenue?† â€Å"Seventy-third Street . . . One East Seventy-third Street . . .† she whispered. I scooped her up, a perfumed confection of silk and gauze and lace and warm, human flesh. Her curls brushed my face, tickling across my cheek and neck. Her eyes were still closed and she hung limply in my arms. Blood, either hers or mine, dripped down into the dust. I gritted my teeth and began to run.

Shaken Baby Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shaken Baby Syndrome - Essay Example Today, SBS is recognised as a form of child abuse through out the world and there are laws to protect the child from SBS. This is a serious problem and it is estimated that about 25% to 30% of infant victims with SBS die from their injuries. It is important to note that nonfatal consequences of SBS include varying degrees of visual, motor and cognitive impairments that will last all through life. Studies have also found that the direct costs of child maltreatment are $24 billion annually while indirect costs often exceed an estimated $69 billion annually in USA (2001) (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2006). It is because of the papers published by John Caffey that SBS is today recognized as a child abuse. Caffey was a radiologist specializing in pediatric cases. Caffey stressed on the point that the multiple limb fractures he observed in babies were the result of abuse. However, it was not until Kempe and his associates at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver published their seminal article in 1962 that the theories of Caffey and others began to gain popularity and recognition (Leestma, 2006). In general, the injuries that characterize Shaken Baby Syndrome are intracranial hemorrhage i.e. bleeding in and around the brain; retinal hemorrhage i.e. bleeding in the retina of the eye; and other fractures of the ribs and at the ends of the long bones. The impact trauma may add on to the injuries such as bruises, lacerations or other fractures (Sirotnak, et al., 2004). Shaken Baby Syndrome predominantly occurs in infants less than one year of age. These infants below the age of one are susceptible because of their relatively large sized heads, heavy brains and weak neck muscles. The violent shaking of an infant causes the shearing of blood vessels around the brain and subdural haematoma causing irreversible damage to the nerve cells. As a result of these injuries, brain swelling and a lack of blood and oxygen may result, producing further damage to the infant's brain and other parts of the body. It is usually the parent or the caregiver who is involved in violently shaking an infant that may result in SBS and most of the experts believe that the reasons for this violent act are common in most of the cases such as frequent crying and toileting behavior. The new parents find it difficult to cope with certain behaviors of their new born child and in such cases the crying baby can become the trigger for frustration of parent or caregiver and may result in violent shaking of the baby. Since the time it is recognized as child abuse, several measures have been taken for the prevention of SBS. Additionally, the identification, evaluation, investigation, management and prevention of SBS require a multidisciplinary approach. It also relies on the knowledge, skills, mandate and jurisdictional responsibilities of key disciplines. It is important for physicians, nurses, and other health care providers to provide adequate information on SBS to the parents and other caregivers. There is also a need for shared commitment and coordination among health, child welfare, police, social services, justice and education professionals, as well as the community at large. Shaking a child violently is considered as child abuse and a criminal assault. For this purpose, several states in USA have passed bills and in most of these places the legal implications of SBS involve child welfare and criminal investigations. These

Crim230 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Crim230 - Assignment Example The Supreme Court affirmed the court’s decision. I obtained the information on the case from the Westlaw website, an online legal research service. The case is significant to criminal justice system as it questions the application of the peremptory challenge by the prosecutor in criminal cases. The prosecutor’s reliance on the peremptory challenge in discharging off the four black venire men questioned whether the prosecutor used the sole basis of race to strike them off the venire. The Supreme Court’s affirmation of the court’s decision indicated that the peremptory challenge could not be used solely on the standard of race to exclude jurors (Reuters 10). My role in the case is that of prosecutor and i am advocating for the conviction of the defendant based on the charges forwarded against him. I am also advocating for the striking off of the four black venire men from the jury in line with using my peremptory

PRODUCT RECALL AND BRAND STRATEGY A Case Study on Toyota Corporation Essay

PRODUCT RECALL AND BRAND STRATEGY A Case Study on Toyota Corporation - Essay Example mmand a healthy following, the company has however concentrated its efforts in marketing the principal brand which is Toyota and its sub-brands (Daye & Van Auken, 2010). Until the product recalls, Toyota’s brand architecture hinged primarily on the Toyota name. It is typical for Japanese companies to focus their business and marketing efforts on a single corporate brand (Daye & Van Auken, 2010). This strategy has obvious advantages, such as the development of a strong culture around the master-brand and therefore making their marketing efforts more efficient (Thomson, 2010). It has strong implications in its production approach also, because the single brand allowed the firm to lessen the number of components it needed. Toyota’s sub-brands shared a large number of common parts, reducing design efforts and concentrating production on these shared components. â€Å"Compare this approach with US rival GM, which, until recently, was operating a house of brands structure with 11 distinct marques, and the reason for much of Toyotas success and GMs decline, becomes apparent† Daye & Auken, 2010). While there are obvious strengths, there is one glaring weakness in the brand focus strategy. Negative publicity which may attach for any reason to the master brand is going to affect not only all its existing sub-brands at the moment of the controversy, but also all future sub-brands still to be designed. It appears that this is the reason why Toyota’s strategy for 2011 and the near future is to shift global marketing emphasis to its Lexus brand (Toyota Annual Report for 2011, p. 11). The executive report also places emphasis on quality and safety as its two major parameters. Hence, the company strives to bring constant development in its operational and management process. Toyota’s production system â€Å"is steeped in the philosophy of ‘the complete elimination of all waste’ imbuing all aspects of production in pursuit of the most efficient methods† (Toyota

Business report for Cadbury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business report for Cadbury - Essay Example ortfolio on the other hand it will surely provide opportunities for Cadbury for further expand its business and achieve organic growth opted in its strategies. The report not only evaluates company’s present situation but also makes useful findings regarding the company’s future and put forth recommendations for the company to remain a successful entity. This business report has been furnished in order to provide a critical assessment of the business environment in which Cadbury is operating and identify the recent changes that have occurred in the company’s business that has led to change in its ownership which of course has implications for its current business strategy and also future growth prospects. The report utilizes different business models to provide a summative report on the company’s ability to remain as a success in the packaged food industry. This analysis is also supported by financial ratio analysis that provides useful insight into the company’s financial performance and assists in evaluating why changes in the company’s business and strategy are imminent. Finally, recommendations are made for the next years of operations in light with the present corporate strategy of the company. Cadbury has remained a British iconic company for almost 183 years before it was sold to a US company Kraft. The company was established in 1824 by Quaker John Cadbury and later merged with a Swiss counterpart to form Cadbury Schweppes in 1969. Over the years the company had developed product lines into candy and non-alcoholic drinks market. However, as the company focused more on its confectionaries business it decided to sell off its seven famous drink brands that were once important part of the company’s business. Strategically the company has remained a successful business however in the recent years the company has gone through a tough period of hostile takeover bid by Kraft that has generated uncertainties regarding various business segments and

Rules versus discretion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rules versus discretion - Essay Example It serves as a guideline that facilitates the decision making process of people especially those in authority. In other words, it makes the information extraction much more organized. A step by step procedure eliminates extensive discussion regarding the merits and repercussions of method thereby saving time which is very important in life threatening matters. Rules also serve as limiting factors due to the fact that it restricts individuals from resorting to methods and actions that would prove to be too excessive. By excessive, we mean life threatening. The formulation process of establishing rules necessitates an extensive study to determine the effects of the methods on the physical and mental condition of the suspect. This is because this move will be highly publicized and public reactions must be swayed to support the move. An established knowledge of effects prevents any untoward incident happening to the suspect. It also minimizes the responsibility and possible litigation of those in authority who were too eager to comply to their sworn duty. Since the probable effects have been understood, the public can also rest assure that the authorities know what they are doing (i.e. less negative public reception). However, rules may become too prohibitive as the methods that may be employed may be limited due to the fact that the public would not... Remember that authority only emanates from the support of the voting public. Once this disappears, he becomes a regular citizen prone to criticism, parodies and alienation. Thus, only certain measures are expected to be agreed upon. Assuring the public that the methods do not lead to another casualty defeats the purpose as those who endanger the life of others know that they will live through the ordeal. There is no need to divulge information. Ideally, the option of discretion provides an opportunity for the authorities to extract information faster than when rules are present. It operates on the idea that people will be inclined to self preservation and is therefore forced to divulge information. Discretion also allows for flexibility and a wider array of methods. It also eliminates the need for approval from the higher authorities. The downside is that the measure can be excessive leading to the death of the suspect. This leads to more negative public perception, more propaganda for those who terrorize other people and inability to extract the information desired. All in all, rules are more favorable precisely because the process is more controlled and less disagreeable than a process clouded with mystery. II. Opinion Piece Terrorism has indeed challenged us to the core of our being. It made us question the very values that we hold dear. It made us fear of what could happen leading us to resort to preemptive strikes such as the war in Iraq. Now, we are being challenged again. Our nation is currently in turmoil as the issue of rule over discretion regarding torture is being debated. Torture has existed since ancient times as it is used in making captives

Functional Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Functional Analysis - Research Paper Example Compatibility of land-use plans and circulation systems that are already in place is essential. This is because only highly viable projects are treated as the best land-use options. In order to make an assertion of this claim, past, present and future land status have to be critically assessed and evaluated in the light of the project being undertaken. In other words, land-use plans match existing circulation systems for optimal land use purposes. The compatibility of land-use plans and existing circulation systems is necessary for striking a balance between meeting people’s needs and resource sustainability for future generations. Current and future demands can only be met if planners make certain considerations in the context of land-use projects. Change is a force that significantly influences planning. Planners therefore must consider diversity and dynamism of physical, social and economic factors that affect land-use projects over time (Levy, 2011). These variables integrate change in different magnitudes and it is up to the planners to consider the magnitude of each of them to both short term and long term projects prior to the characteristic trends in demand. For example, globalization is an undisputable factor to consider in the context of change and land-use projects in the light of local and international current and future

Gradgrind and Bounderby in the opening five chapters Essay Example for Free

Gradgrind and Bounderby in the opening five chapters Essay Explore how Dickens establishes the characters of Gradgrind and Bounderby in the opening five chapters of Hard Times and how he influences the reader opinion of them. The purpose of this assignment is to consider what the author of Hard Times; Charles Dickens in actuality thinks of the two characters Mr Thomas Gradgrind and Mr Josiah Bounderby in the opening five chapters of the novel. Furthermore I am trying to explore how Dickens tries to influence our view on the two characters on our first impression. In the opening chapter, The one thing needful, we start to discover Mr Gradgrinds harsh and unpleasant personality. On the first line Gradgrind, who we dont identify at this stage of the book, says, Now, what I want is, Facts, Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts, Facts alone. .. root out everything else. This implies to us that Gradgrind doesnt want his pupils to have a single element of enjoyment inside them, and suggest that the children will be sorrowful rather than in high spirits whilst being educated. Dickens also starts to bring an element of gloom into the book for the reason that on the second chapter he starts describing the classroom as prison like, when Dickens give emphasis to the scene by describing it, The scene was a plain, bare, monotonous vault of a school room. Dickens goes on to speak about how the speaker fitted in well with this room, by saying how, The emphasis was helped by the speakers square wall of a forehead, which had its eyebrows for its base, while his eyes were found commodious cellarage in two dark caves, over shadowed by the wall. In chapter two, Murdering The Innocents, Thomas Gradgrind is portrayed and introduced by Charles Dickens. He commences by telling us how Gradgrind is a man of realities and of facts and calculations. Dickens then tells us how Gradgrind would deposit himself as a model citizen. In the same chapter we are introduced to a girl named Sissy Jupe who in Gradgrinds eyes was girl number twenty. She was selected by Gradgrind to introduce herself to him. But instantly Gradgrind is displeased with her after she gave him her nickname, so after a small debate between the two, Gradgrind decided she ought be called Cecilia. After an additional discussion between the two about Sissys fathers occupation, which Gradgrind decided was a veterinary surgeon and horse breaker. Sissy was asked to define a horse. Sissy struggled, so Gradgrind asked Bitzer, a intellectual student to classify a horse, which he did without any problem. But Dickens describes him by telling us, His cold eyes would hardly have been eyes, but for the short ends of lashes His short cropped hair sandy freckles on his forehead and face His skin was so unwholesomely deficient in the natural tinge. We begin to dislike both Gradgrind and Bitzer and favour Sissy because Gradgrind humiliated Sissy and since Bitzer was one of these students full of facts and no fun we feel like he adds salt into the wound. In chapter three, A Loophole we finally get an insight into Thomas Gradgrinds home-life where we are first introduced to his family of five children all models of Mr Gradgrind. We also find out that his house is called Stone Lodge, which was situated one or two miles from a town formerly known as Coketown. We are told that his children are starved of imagination and were bought up on facts and instead of having drawers and cabinets full of the enjoyable fixations children boast, the Gradgrind children have cabinets full of various departments of science. When we finally get to see Louisa and Tom, Mr Gradgrinds Children they are at a circus, since Gradgrind had evidently objected to the principle of fun in the opening chapters in the book, we are drawn into the story when we want to identify how Gradgrind will respond towards his own children who are in a circus. Then when we hear Louisa Gradgrind talk about why she and young Tom Gradgrind came, She said, Wanted to see what it was like. The way she speaks this is almost robotic just like Bitzer from the school. After this question of, why, from Gradgrind, he discovers it was Louisas idea, Gradgrind was even more upset with the pair. At the end of this chapter we hear Gradgrind say to himself, what would Mr Bounderby say as if Mr Bounderby was the equivalent of Mrs Gradgrind? In chapter 4, Mr Bounderby we find out who Mr Bounderby is, Dickens describes him as, A rich man: banker, merchant, manufacturer A big, loud man, with a stare and a metallic laugh. A man made out made out of a coarse material A man with a great puffed head and forehead, swelled veins in his temple. This makes me imagine Josiah Bounderby as a big industry man whose main interest is money as he is after all a banker. But according to him he was born a poor citizen who is a self-made success, and described himself to Mrs Gradgrind as a man without, a shoe on his foot. As to a stocking. I didnt know such a thing by name. I passed the day in a ditch, and the night in a pigsty. Thats the way I spent my tenth birthday. Not that a ditch was new to me, for I was born in a ditch. This may make us feel slightly remorseful for Bounderby. Later on in the chapter we find out that Sissy Jupes father Mr Jupe has ran away, and this is seen as a problem for Mr Gradgrind and Bounderby because Sissy is a student at Gradgrinds School and she has no mother or anyone else really to turn to apart from Mr Sleary the circus keeper. Gradgrind decided to adopt Sissy therefore she could help look after Mrs Gradgrind aswell as become a good student at Gradgrinds model school. Sissy accepted this proposition, all of which made Bounderby upset and in distress over the idea of a teenager who was not brought up on facts will be sharing his lifestyle. At of this stage in the book makes us wonder if Gradgrind is really as harsh as he looks like he is or he is going to use Sissy as a servant to help look after Mrs Gradgind and the house. The writer also turns us against Bounderby because he wont help give an orphan a further opportunity in life and education. Continuing in this chapter we also begin to realise the affections Josiah Bounderby has for Louisa. Even though he admires Tom as he more than admires Louisa, Later on in the novel Bounderby goes on to marry Louisa. So when Bounderby kisses Louisa and then goes off, she grabs a cloth to rub her cheek where Bounderby kissed her, and Tom describes her rubbing her cheek so firmly that shell rub a hole in her face. And she replies by saying you may cut the piece out with your penknife , This makes us think that Louisa doesnt appreciate Josiahs affections. Finally my assessment shows Gradgrinds and Bounderbys personalities are based on facts, but through the story Gradgrind was becoming a better character whilst Bounderby was still depraved. And how he had affections for Louisa and then wanted to marry her later on in the novel shows that he is determined to get what he wants, without the opinion of others.

Elections in Africa Essay Example for Free

Elections in Africa Essay The Aim of this essay is based on the clarity on the Elections in Africa if they are a good Measure of democracy. It basically analyses the advantages and disadvantages of elections (in an argument form). The issue of how citizens influence policymaker is central to an understanding of democratic political system. We normally agree that democracy should allow the people to participate in policy making. Hence elections are one of the ways to establish connections between citizens and policy makers and by elections citizens encourage the policymakers to pay attention to their interests. However there are some disagreements about whether and how elections serve to link citizens to policymakers; a number of schools put more emphasis upon accountability and others do on representativeness, even if there have been a lot of theoretical debates about this issue, we have few attempts to test the role of competitive election on popular attitudes towards the legislature. An election is a formal decision making process in which the population chooses an individual to hold a public office. Elections have been the mechanism by which modern representative democracy has been operated since 17TH century. According to Business Dictionary (BD), Election is the act of a party casting vote to choose an individual, for some type of position. It may involve a public or private vote depending on the position. Most positions in the local, state federal governments are voting on the same type of elections. According to (Abraham Lincoln), the word democracy means â€Å"the government of the people, by the people and for the people â€Å". Democracy is term that comes from a Greek and it is made up of two other words, demo which means people and kratain which means to govern or to rule. Democracy can then be literally translated by the following terms, Government of the people or government of the majority. Electoral systems are conventionally divided into two categories, majoritarian. And proportional representations, (Lijphart 1999). Majoritarian system usually employs exclusively single-seat distrust with plurality rule and tends to give greater representation to the two parties and that which receive the most votes. Proportional representation (P.R) System must employ multi-seat districts, usually with party lists, and typically produce parliamentary representation that largely mirrors the vote shares of multi-parties However elections be it Proportional Representation (PR), or Majoritarian type, are instruments of democracy to the degree that they give the people the  influence over policymaking,.(Powell 2000). One fundamental role of elections is the evaluation of the incumbents government. Citizens use elections to reward or punish the incumbents although on the other hand increasingly competitive elections raise the risk of increased election violence, this can be raised in two ways. Firstly, closer elections can increase tension throughout the electoral process; when the outcome of the election is in doubt, all stages of the process including the appointment of the members of the electoral management body, the registration of parties, candidates, and voters; campaigning; voting ;and vote counting and tabulation, becomes more heated. For example, Kenya erupted in chaos in 2007 when incumbent president Mwai kibaki was sworn in hours after being declared the winner in the country’s closest presidential elections ever; the ensuing violence left 1,500 dead and 300,000 displaced. Secondly, as long-term incumbents witness the growing strength of the opposition candidates, they may feel increasingly imperilled and crack down more fiercely on perceived threats, example, after losing the first round of Zimbabwe’s 2008 presidential elections and subsequently manipulating results to force run-off, president Robert Mugabe presided over a wave of widespread and brutal violence against supporters of Morgan Tsvangirai to ensure himself victory in the second round. While these above examples demonstrate the potential of elections to create conflict, elections are often used as a means to end conflict and solidify peace. For this reason, elections usually form a key part of the agreements ending civil wars or conflict. The basic principal behind these post conflict or transitional elections is that of Ballots over Bullets: citizens choosing their political leaders by voting rather than fighting, although in the 1992 Angola elections which was intended to end the c ivil war, this election instead reignited conflict for another ten (10) years. cases such as these have led many to argue that elections are not appropriate for post conflict environment. In majority, however, there is no viable alternative to post conflict elections as a means of achieving legitimate governance; a non elected government is far more susceptible to accusations of illegitimacy than the one chose by the people, and legitimate governance must be achieved as soon as possible following a conflict. Moreover, elections have the potential to create government broadly representative of all disputing political factions. Demonstratively, several  countries have recently held remarkably successful post-conflict elections. For example, Liberia’s elections in 2005 intended to over a decade of civil war were remarkably peaceful and hailed as generally free and fair. Another example is the DRC’s 2006 elections, the first multi-party election in 46 years, were also relatively successful, especially when considering the tremendous logistical challenges that had to be overcome. in these cases therefore, elections facilitated an ongoing transition from dev astating conflict toward greater stability and development. Based on a multi-level analysis of Afro barometer survey data from 17 sub-Saharan African countries, the study examines the influence of these two types of electoral systems; Majoritarian and Proportional Representations-on popular confidence in African parliaments. Controlling for a variety of individual and macro-level characteristics, it was found that citizen’s perceptions of Members of Parliament (MP’s) representations have a positive and significant effect on their trust in legislature. In addition the results suggest that the effect of political representations is mediated by electoral systems. Powell (2000), distinguishes between two versions of elections as instruments of democracy; accountability and representation. Accountability model tries to use elections to bring the power of the people directly to bear on policymakers. Elections offer citizens a periodic opportunity to change the policymakers. Citizens will have control because they will be able, at least occasionally to reject elected officials who are doing the wrong. Competitive elections create a pressure on all incumbents or rather the current policymakers to worry about the next elections and make policy with voters review in mind. On the other hand representation model emphasises citizens should be treated equally at the decisive stage of public policy making. Elections are instruments of citizen’s influence in policy making. Elections should create equitable reflection of all points of view into the legislature. They work as an instrument to choose representatives who can bargain for their voter’s interest in post-election policy making. Elections are not only integral to all these areas of democratic governance, but are also the most visible representations of democracy in action. They are also in most cases the most complicated and expensive single event a country will ever undertake. Good governance, upholding rule of law, and supporting civil society, this testimony examines  all these areas in the context of elections. International support to electoral processes is crucial if democracy is to continue developing on the African continent. Indeed the very purpose of elections is to achieve participatory governance without violence- through political rather than physical competition –and this has succeeded in a number of African countries. South-Africa and Botswana, for example have proven themselves among the continent’s most stable democracies, while Ghana, Mali, and Benin have emerged as democratic stronghold in West Africa. Moreover, countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia, among the poorest in the world and only recently emerged from civil war, have demonstrated the power of elections to foster and solidify peace. In reality, then, Africa’s experience with the electoral democracy has been mixed; progress has been made but challenges remain. The various elections in past several years-from Kenya and Zimbabwe to Ghana and Sierra Leone- have become historical landmarks for different reasons, varying drastically in their conduct and outcome. This mix of electoral experience has generated considerable debate and passion on the subject of transparent, free and fair electoral process among election stakeholders, especially as democratic progress itself can come with further challenges; as more elections are held as these elections become increasingly competitive, one-party and military regimes face potentially destabilizing challenges that could increase the risk of fraud and violence. In conclusion; elections-especially free and fair, competitive and multi-party elections, are assumed to be a critical component of democratization in emerging democracies, while an election can intensify the polarization of a society along ethnic lines. Competitive elections can force political elites to legitimate their rule through the ballot box. However, we are still debating about how elections serve to link voters and elected Officials. While a group of scholars emphasise the directness and clarity of the connection between voters and policy-makers, others do the representation of all factions in society. Elections help voters to send Members of Parliament (MP’s) representing their interest to the parliament, to some extent elections constitutes a principal avenue of citizen’s involvement in political life. Understanding their effects on public attitudes towards the legislature and the role of the individual  therein has important implications for theories of democratic governance in emerging democracy. Therefore with this information, elections are a good measure of democracy in that they give citizens the participatory right in policy making through their elected representatives. Making it the government of the people by the people and for the people, that’s democracy according to Abraham Lincolnâ €™s definition. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Powell (2000), Elections as instrument of Democracy. 2. Easton David (1965), A Systems Analysis of Political Life. New York: john Wiley. 3. Norris, Pippa, Eds (1999), Critical Citizen: Global Support for Democratic Governance. New York oxford University press. 4. Lebas, Adrienne (2006), Comparative Politics 38; 419:438. 5. Margolis, M (1979), Viable Democracy. 6. Tordoff, W. Government and Politics in Africa. London McMillan (1993). 7. Rose, Richard, William Mishler, Christian Haerpfer (1998), Democracy and Its Alternatives. 8. Sisk, Timothy D, Andrew Reynolds, Eds (1998), Election and Conflict Management in Africa. Washington; United States Institute of Peace press. 9. Powell G. Bingham (1982), Contemporary Democracies; participation stability and violence. Cambridge University. 10. Almami l. Cyllah. Democracy and Elections in Africa.

Strategic Objectives Of Grameenphone Telecom Ltd Marketing Essay

Strategic Objectives Of Grameenphone Telecom Ltd Marketing Essay This report is meant to focus primarily on strategic objectives of GRAMEENPHONE TELECOM LTD, BANGLADESH and also endeavours to evaluate the quality and standards of this chosen company. GRAMEENPHONE TELECOM LTD is one of the leading telecommunication companies in Bangladesh which occupies the top position among its competitors through providing impenetrable network coverage all over the country. The main goal of this report is to conduct a quality audit and identify the quality gaps and to take effective measures to fill those quality gaps of GRAMEENPHONE TELECOM LTD. background of company GrameenPhone is now one of the leading telecommunication service providers in Bangladesh with more than 23 million subscribers as of  December 2009. In November 28, 1996 GrameenPhone was offered a cellular license in Bangladesh by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications with a view to covering the whole country with a good quality network. And with a great surprise after almost 10 years of its operation, GrameenPhone has over 10 million subscribers. Presently, there are about 50 million telephone users in the country, of which, a little over one million are fixed-phone users and the rest mobile phone subscribers. Starting its operations on March 26, 1997, the Independence Day of Bangladesh, GrameenPhone has come a long way. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor (55.8%), the largest telecommunications service provider in Norway with mobile phone operations in 12 other countries, and Grameen Telecom Corporation (34.2% ), a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed micro-credit pioneer Grameen Bank. The other 10% shares belong to 10%to general retail and institutional investors. Over the years, GrameenPhone has always been a pioneer in introducing new products and services in the local market. GP was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh when it launched its services in March 1997.The technological know-how and managerial expertise of Telenor has been instrumental in setting up such an international standard mobile phone operation in Bangladesh. Being one of the pioneers in developing the GSM service in Europe, Telenor has also helped to transfer this knowledge to the local employees over the years. Evaluating GrameenPhones strategic objectives Grameenphoness basic strategy is coverage of both urban and rural areas. In contrast to the island strategy followed by companies, which involves connecting isolated islands of urban coverage through transmission links, Grameenphone builds continuous coverage, cell after cell. While the intensity of coverage may vary from area to area depending on market conditions, the basic strategy of cell-to-cell coverage is applied throughout Grameenphones network. New manufacturing technologies are developing rapidly, resulting in new products/services, innovations and improvements in the manufacturing process, thus, requiring a proactive approach by organizations. To be proactive, organizations require innovative methods of performance measurement, to assess their progress towards achieving organizational mission, vision and strategic objectives. (Godwill Tapisi Mukonje, Performance measurement, pp. 72. MAM/, 2009.) 2.1 Maintaining quality network Over the years, the network division of Grameenphone has been ensuring the best-in-class GSM cellular mobile network for the customers in Bangladesh. Ensuring customer satisfaction through enhanced coverage, expanded capacity and improved quality and performance of the network continued to be the primary focus of the networks division. The GP network now covers over 98 percent of the population and over 87 percent of the land area with the remaining areas mostly falling under the Sundarbans and the Chittagong Hill Tract areas where mobile phone coverage is not allowed. The company invested more than BDT 35.8 billion in 2007 primarily to further expand the coverage and increase the capacity of its network. Radio Access Rollout: Base Stations 2.2 Corporate strategy: Grameenphone believes Development is a journey, not a destination, work is not just about ensuring connectivity; it is about connecting with people and building relationships, based on trust, with our subscribers, business partners, employees, shareholders, as well as the wider community. The company also believes that good development is a good business. While GP maintains business focus, taking the nation forward remains top priority. Thus relationship with Bangladesh is built on a partnership which strives to achieve common economic and social goals. Corporate social responsibility, as the company sees, it is a complementary combination of ethical and responsible corporate behavior, as well as a commitment towards generating greater good for the society by addressing the development needs of the country. The core strategy of GP in this area is to be Bangladeshs partner in developing the country, particularly in its promise, as a United Nations Millennium Declaration signatory, to meet the eight targets known as the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. GP has consolidated its social investment initiatives in four core areas related to the Millennium Development Goals: Poverty alleviation GP takes pride in developing the countrys infrastructure, in the urban areas. The company is of the view that eradication of poverty can be uprooted if illiteracy is removed from the country. GP regards Grameen Bank as a compatriot of its development work. Healthcare In healthcare sector GP has set a glowing example for others to follow providing immense healthcare facility even in the remote areas with the help of Tele Prescription and mobile clinic service to the people coastal areas. Empowerment GP has created more than 150,000 jobs in its premises and another 100,000 are related with GP as vendors, card retailers, marketing officers and so on. Education GP does come forward with initiatives to encourage the learners by holding various educational competitions such as drawing, essay writing, story composition and so on. It also gives scholarships to the meritorious students. 2.3 Vision and Mission Statement of GrameenPhone Vision: Vision is what an organization wants to do. The vision of Grameenphone Ltd is we are here to help. The company exists to help the customers get the full benefit of communications services in their daily lives. We want to make it easy for customers to get what they want, when they want it. To be a leading provider of telecommunication services all over Bangladesh with satisfied customers, shareholder, and enthusiastic employees Mission: Mission is end results of an organization where it wants to reach. Grameenphones mission is to bring digital revolution in Bangladesh by covering the whole country with network and to build up strong communication network even in the far remotest corner of the country. The quality audit The word Quality is comparative and it varies person to person. Quality is defined by a customer according to his demand. If someone is looking for some specifications in a certain items and the items conform to his expectation then the customer will be pleased to say the items maintain quality or good quality if he is very pleased. Quality dimensions Value Grameenphones manifesto is to add value to customers practical use making things simple and easy to understand. The company never forgets to try its customers lives easier. GP is focuses on creativity. So it brings energy and imagination to the work and wants to be partner in development and is passionate about its business, customers and country. The company understands what it should do and how to put things right. Over all GP acknowledges and respects local culture and comes forward with an open, helpful and friendly attitude. Fitness for use Grameenphone offers an increasing number of services for the customer varying from teenage group to aged people featuring according to their needs and very friendly staffs for the people of all classes. It takes pride because of the companys largest and smoothest network services to anywhere in the country and out of the country. So there should not be any mark of question for its fitness in comparison any other existing telecom companies in the region. Conformance to specification The company promises to provide the best services even in the remote corner of the country. Its slogan is to stay close how far the distance could be. GP works like a bridge to connect and facilitates to broaden the scope of communication. And the services GP provides conforms to the charges that customers pay for. Meeting or exceeding customers expectation GP is determined to meet the expectation of the customers and at times its lucrative offers exceedingly please the users. GP feels that to make the country more advanced there is no alternative to using internet. For this purpose GP has initiated some specialised Internet SIMs in market which enable the users to be connected through wireless network. Conformance to requirements GP services always conform to the requirements of the customers. Besides network services it comes forward with many initiatives to better the condition of society and it voluntarily serves the coastal inhabitants with free cautionary warning for coming dangers. GPs promise is to keep the whole country connected with very strong network web so that decentralisation can be done easily. Quality audit Conducting Quality Audit To conduct a quality audit certain methodologies have been adapted. In the first place data has been collected from different sources such as surveying 50 customers in terms of satisfaction on some factors and their answers have been analysed through minute observations. The results of the survey are given below: Appendix 1 Vertical axis shows 60 customers The survey was conducted among 60 users from city, suburban areas and urban areas. The above chart shows that out of 60 GP users 35 from city, 46 from suburban areas and 56 from urban areas having problem with call drops during calling. 2 from city, 5 from suburban areas and 6 from urban areas are complaining of overcharging instead of due call rate. And complicated tariff has created problemS among 12 in city, 17 in suburban areas and 28 in urban areas. 22 users from city, 27 from suburban areas and 38 from urban areas are dissatisfied with GPs poor network. But there is slight accusation for no network survey which says only o in city, 1 in suburban areas and 2 from urban areas. HAPPY, VERY HAPPY AND NOT HAPPY survey has also been conducted among 1000 users. The report is depicted below: HAPPY 20% VERY HAPPY 75% NOT HAPPY 15% Fishbone Diagram People Materials Management Marketing Hiring Network Tower standards Franchise Training Transports Vendor Devices Sponsorship Quality Improvement Maintenance Installation Introducing Design workloads freedom to work Specifications Capability secured Measurements Environment Equipment This fishbone diagram conspicuously illustrates the areas where to focus on to improve quality of this company. All the sectors need to be treated with equal importance. And in some case drastic measures have to take to further its improvement. An interview with the GP staffs has been very successful. The interview is carried through certain questions whether the staffs are happy or not happy giving answers YES/NO After completing the interview process it was analyzed and reviewed in 5 points covering the whole idea to identify the quality gaps. These gaps need to be filled up to ensure the standard quality of service/ product of GP Ltd. The outcomes of the staff interview have shown in the table given below: Sl Identified Issues Yes No 1 Good Wages and remunerations 85 15 2 Want more autocracy 87 13 3 Poor management 21 79 4 Poor internal communication facility 27 83 5 Environment in the work place needs improvement 65 35 The above table 1 to 5 is considered as to be the intensity of quality gaps in Grameenphone Ltd. The issues have to be taken seriously to improve the internal service quality of the company. The answer YES is showing things are ok and NO identifies immediate action plan to fill these gaps. Environmental (internal) analysis: Swot analysis of GrameenPhone Ltd Strength Reporting In comparison with other existing network companies in Bangladesh it can be agreed upon that GrameenPhone Bangladesh is in a good position to compete it business rivals if the company steadily maintain the strategy it has. But in near future BanglaLink Telecommunication may be hard competitor as the company is growing fast and trying to bridge the gaps that the GP has. So GP is supposed to lose its position within 5 years time. GPs business growth has reached a place from where rate of growth can be achieved between 15% 20% with 22 million customers. On the other hand BanglaLink telecom ltd goes on with 25%-30% having 15 million users. The result of quality audit/quality gaps Financial audit Balance sheet of year 2007 and 2006 in 000 BDT Assets: 2007 2006 Non-current assets: Property, plant and equipment, net Intangible assets Other non-current assets Current assets Total assets 80,318,190 1,275,733 16,064 81,609,987 6,815,054 88,461,041 55,413,498 888,407 12,560 56,314,465 10,442,193 66,756,658 Equity and liabilities: Shareholders equity Share capital Reserves Retained earnings 2,430,350 2,169,803 21,510,954 26,111,107 2,430,350 2,169,803 19,909,324 24,509,477 Non-current liabilities: Loans and borrowings, net of current portion Finance lease obligations, net of current portion Deferred tax liability Other non-current liabilities Current liabilities Total equity and liabilities 3,367,620 5,315,559 16,510,153 711,946 25,905,278 34,444,656 88,461,041 2,448,452 4,229,277 11,097,313 904,567 18,669,609 23,567,572 66,756,658 Key financial ratios: Net profit of turnover 6% 16% Return on total assets (ROTA) 18% 27% Earning per share (EPS) 54.14 132.41 Dividend per share (DPS) 26.66 25.80 Dividend payout ratio 49% 19% Slow progress in network setup GrameenPhone has been quite innovative but it made slow progress. 189 additional connections were made during this year, making a total of 221 village phones by the end of 1998. The deployment of Village Phones has also been lower than expected, mainly due to the poor coverage in rural areas. This was due to a reduction in projected investments. 1998 has, however, been a valuable year for testing out the Village Phone concept. The experiences gained during the year show in almost all respects that the Village Phone concept is a feasible business proposition. Several studies have been undertaken, and the general conclusion is that it is a viable and profitable business for the village phone operators, who on average earned a net daily profit of US$2, more than double the per capita income in Bangladesh. (GrameenPhone websites) Operational performance interconnection problem persists The drop call, overcharging, complicated tariff, poor network and no network in Appendix 1 are found in a survey that shows problems are still persistent in the services. Financial results for the year 1998 The Company has made a negative net result of BDT 641.511 million (US$13.092 million) during the year 1998 compared to BDT 354.239 million (US$ 7.229 million) for the nine months ended December 1997. The main reasons behind this unsatisfactory financial performance are due to the non achievement of the projected sales volume due to the stoppage of sales with PSTN connections after July 1998. Another reason was the competitive market. On the other hand, due to heavy congestion in the network and limited PSTN channels, GrameenPhone had to offer a number of concessions on all of the existing packages. All of the above reasons plus lost revenue in calls and airtime resulted in a loss. The variable costs were also unfavourable because BTTB did not accept the basic principle of Senders keep all in sharing the revenues. The fixed or periodic costs were more or less in line with the budget and were on the lower side. The interest costs, on the other hand, were higher compared to institutional financing. The cash flow situation became acute when GrameenPhone was unable to draw from the IFC/CDC/ADB credit line. Even the NORAD loan was at stake just before draw down and was solved by a guarantee from Telenor AS. However, we were not able to draw down Norwegian Kroner (NOK) 15.0 million in 1998 due to amendments required in the operating license. (GrameenPhone website) Recommendations Conducting quality audit on GrameenPhone Telecom, these following recommendations have been made to remain market leader in the days to come. Existing market and its products frequently compels an organization to develop new products and in doing so the company can hold it current position and make forward steps to remain dominant in the market. GrameenPhone is suggested to consolidate its position by protecting the market share it has and maintaining the quality of existing products sold within existing market sectors and can derive benefit in doing so. GP also can lower its tariff cutting the cost on advertisements which may create more customers. Thus, GP has to consolidate to protect and strengthen its present position. Market penetration is a vital tool to exploit the market and include more consumers for long. It can be achieved by penetrating the new market with new products. In static market opportunities are more for the small competitors like City Cell, Aktel, Tele Talk to succeed with small but effective packages. Consequently GP will lose large market share. Withdrawal of some products that are causing adverse effect on business will be a wise decision. GP needs to hold, harvest or build existing services withdrawing some complicated tariff. Making franchise for certain products or selling some of the shares to the locals can also be good strategy. Extending the existing product range to develop a completely new product range is a good strategy to adapt. As a developing country Bangladesh has got huge demand for internet. People are more aware of new technologies now and are willing to be connected with modern communication technology. So GP can initiate Wireless Broadband for the first time which is expected to stir the whole market. Expanding into new geographic market is a classic form of market development which can be quite handy for GP. To face the challenges of globalization and to operate in market across the world GrameenPhone can make a big stride towards progress and expansion. GP can also diversify its marketing policy and products ranging different services and products such as iPhones with free minutes and unlimited internet which is going to change customers taste into different one. GrameenPhone added 11,000 new subscriptions in 1998. This was less than its target. By the year-end, the total number of subscribers was close to 31,000, far ahead of the three other mobile operators. The problem of not having enough interconnection capacity to the PSTN led to congestion on the call route between the GrameenPhone and PSTN networks. Existing subscribers complained, which reduced sales to a minimum. In July, sales of new ubscriptions with access to the PSTN were stopped altogether. At the same time, GrameenPhone started selling subscriptions without access to the PSTN, but with access to all other mobile operators. Sales of these new subscriptions, however, made very slow progress. With some new interconnection channels to the PSTN in Dhaka, and opening of the network in Chittagong with PSTN access, sales started to pick up again.Much effort went into planning new marketing initiatives. The focus was shifted from big corporations to small and medium sized enterprises. More sales points were established, and a new distribution strategy was underway. These activities led to positive results, and by November, the sales started to pick up quickly. Towards the end of the year, the sales of mobile-to-mobile subscriptions, now named GP-GP, showed quite positive results. Implementation There was no scope for short-term solutions. Down time on base stations was very low and created almost no traffic disturbances. On-call duties were established for all critical areas and a demanding system for round the clock fault handling and repairs was introduced. Conclusion GP is proud of Good owner structure, availability of backbone network( optical fiber), financial soundness, present market leader, brand name/ GrameenPhone image, skilled human resource, largest geographical coverage, eligible human resource and infrastructure installation all over the country through Bangladesh railway and grameen bank, access to the widest rural distribution network through grameen bank, high ethical standard. An excuse not to solve problems because of mixture of different cultures, different departments not working together, poor interconnection with BTTB, not good enough public relation, sometimes a tendency to be arrogant, complicated high pricing structure, billing system cant handle sophisticated billing, net work problem, line disconnections without any information, no long term distribution/channel strategy. Economic growth of Bangladesh, new and better interconnection agreement, huge need for telecom services, increased intentional activities in Bangladesh, declining prices for the handsets and SIM cards, future privatisation of the fixed network, new international gateway, demand for the inter-city communication, growth in other operator will give more connection. More rigid government regulation, more influence of competitors on the fixed net work, change of government might lead to competitors, devaluation of currency, sabotage of installation, political instability, non-co-operation of government and fixed PSTN (public service telephone network), risk of fire in the GPs installations, price war, non availability of funds, BTTB has limited capacity for interconnection, high call charge. The results of the year have been given in terms of sales and income. However, the network operations have been expanded, although investments had to be reduced due to a lack of funds. The financial situation has been very tight. In spite of these difficulties, GrameenPhones number of subscribers has gradually grown to exceed 35,000, and its market position, as the leader of the cellular operators, has been consolidated. It is with renewed optimism that the company faces the next year. After the end of 1998, the license agreement was suitably amended and the license was issued in the name of GrameenPhone Ltd. The company now has the option of pledging its assets to secure loan finances. The report satisfied that by the end of March 1999, the company achieved the targeted number of 35,000 subscriptions. These two events remove the main barriers for securing the much needed institutional financing within May 1999. Other good news is the recommitment by NORAD to provide NOK 15.0 million for the 1999 budget of GrameenPhone.

Humorous Wedding Roast for a Sports Player :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech for a Sports Player Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. For those of you that don't know me, my name is Martin and I'm here to say a few words about Bradley. But first of all, Bradley thanks for agreeing to be my groom today. And thank you, Marta, for allowing Bradley to agree. It's traditional for the best man to let the bride's parents know what sort of man has married their daughter - although, it's really too late now to do anything about it. Bradley and I have been friends all our lives, so you can trust me to be completely honest, and let you have it straight! First, you probably know that Bradley was born in 1975, which happens to be the same year the disposable lighter was invented - an invention that in his teenage years Bradley would find indispensable. But aside from that one small indiscretion, which was brought under control before there was any loss of life - and which he was never actually charged with, Bradley has lived an exemplary, if not a boring life. It wasn't until he joined my football club that he got into any real trouble. Before Bradley arrived we were so starved of success we did a lap of honour every time we got a corner. Although our fortune didn't change, Bradley immediately brought a new dimension to the team. But unfortunately, while he would consider his defensive play competitive, the referees would often interpret his face-high tackling as violent and dangerous. Away from the football field, I've only known Bradley to lash out once. It was a swift left hook dealt to a local thug who, having no idea that Bradley was left handed, approached him as he sat in the passenger seat of a friend's car and made a couple of disparaging remarks. Bradley beckons him over, winds down the window and wham - knocks the guy out cold. So here's a bit of a safety tip for you Marta: if you're ever out in Richmond and it looks like there's going to be trouble, stay on his right side! Now, as I understand it, Bradley actually proposed to Marta overseas, whilst they were skiing earlier this year. The holiday spanned Valentines Day and Bradley suddenly realized that after six years of being with Marta, he could combine the romantic day, the beautiful mountainside location and the rather favorable exchange rate - and finally propose.

Education Can End Systematic Oppression Essay -- Poverty and Oppressio

The subject of expectations for higher education is one that tends to spark impassioned debate among educators, students and parents alike. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paulo Freire presses his audience to consider such expectations in light of one’s own intentions, motives, and affections toward those to be educated (Freire 50). He goes even further to suggest that a love for one another through empathetic dialogue, especially on the part of the educator, must be present in order for fear to be wiped away and liberation to eventually take its place (Freire 89,90). It was that dialogical approach that made Freire’s literacy programs so successful in Brazil until â€Å"his work was interrupted by a military dictatorship† in the mid-60s and he was arrested and exiled to Chile (Palmer 128). Even after his release he continued to be an advocate for his approach to education, believing it worked toward liberation for all, freeing both the oppressor and the oppressed (Palmer 129). Some of the oppressed in our own society include, but are not limited to, individuals living in poverty, immigrants struggling to adapt and grow in a new culture, and people with developmental disabilities due to abuse and neglect. Many opportunities lie at our fingertips in America but until we apply an empathetic approach to reaching the oppressed in our society, we cannot expect all Americans to seek a college degree nor will education be a means toward societal change. According to the US Census Bureau, out of the 300 plus million people living in the United States, 46.5 million of them lived in poverty in 2012 without any change from the previous year (â€Å"Dept of Commerce†). Almost 22% of the people were children under the age of 18 (â€Å"Dept of Commerce†). A... ...riere_pedagogy.pdf>. Hamilton, Jon. "Orphans' Lonely Beginnings Reveal How Parents Shape A Child's Brain." NPR. NPR, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. . Koury, Amanda S., and Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal. "School Readiness of Children from Immigrant Families: Contributions of Region of Origin, Home, and Childcare." Journal of Educational Psychology 106.1 (2014): 268-88. ProQuest. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. Palmer, Joy, David E. Cooper, and Liora Bresler, eds. Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education: From Piaget to the Present Day. London: Routledge, 2001. Print. "WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S EDUCATION." SOM - State of Michigan. Michigan Department of Education, Mar. 2002. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .

Riordan Manufacturing Company: Review and Analysis

Riordan Manufacturing Company: Review and Analysis Jennah Es-Sudan, Monica Malcom, Annie Willis and Yeong Yoo University Of Phoenix BUS/430 December 1, 2009 Riordan Manufacturing Company Review and Analysis The focus of this paper is to analysis the regulatory measures of Riordan Manufacturing. Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. is an industry leader in the field of plastic injection molding. With state-of-the art design capabilities, creating innovative plastic designs that have earned international acclaim. Attention to detail, extreme precision and enthusiastic quality control are the hallmarks of Riordan Manufacturing. With facilities in San Jose, California, Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan and Hangzhou, China, Riordan has the capacity to fulfill unique needs. Riordan Manufacturing is wholly owned by Riordan Industries, a Fortune 1000 enterprise. The company decided to closed their plant in Michigan and open it in China. Opening this business in another country has advantages. Our team will also discuss unfair import laws, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, Patents, trademarks, and intellectual property, and environmental regulation and how they relate to doing business in China. Unfair Import Laws The government has assertively imposed our anti-dumping laws to fight unfair Chinese trade. † alleged Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. â€Å"China’s economy has developed to the point that we can add another trade remedy tool, such as the countervailing duty law. The China of today is not the China of years ago. Just as China has evolved, so has the range of our tools to make sure Americans are treated fairly. By acting on the petition filed last October, the United States today is signifying its continued pledge to leveling the playing field for American manufacturers, workers and farmers. Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA of 1977) Congress enacted the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (â€Å"FCPA† or â€Å"the Act†) in 1977 in reaction to the Watergate scandal. Widespread media coverage of unreported crusade assistance and potentially unlawful payments to strange officials encouraged the Securities and Exchange Commission (â€Å"SEC†) to begin an investigation. The SEC's investigation eventually exposed that more than 400 U. S. companies had paid bribes to foreign governments and politicians, totaling more than $300 million. An FCPA violation requires that action be taken with a corrupt intent. Corrupt means an evil motive of purpose, and intent to wrongfully influence the recipient of the payment or offer to misuse his official position or to influence someone else to do so. The act does not require the corrupt act to be a success; it just means that an attempt was made to influence an alien bureaucrat. China has made great efforts to combat essentials of bribery—through endorsement and enforcement of strict anti-bribery laws and penalties—it still remains a cause of concern in the China business market. For example, in 2005, 11,071 members of the Communist Party of China (â€Å"CPC†) were disqualified from the party as reprimanded for dishonesty. In addition, Chinese magistrates dealt with 120,000 cases of misappropriation, corruption, and negligence of duty over the past five years. Given the size and magnitude of China's market, these issues also cause alarm for U. S. companies doing business in China. Chinese and other overseas companies may make unlawful expenses in China with restricted risks, U. S. ompanies doing business in China may feel marketable stress to disobey the Act to avoid finding themselves at a aggressive difficulty to companies that are not subject to the same laws or similar enforcement. For this reason, U. S. companies operating in China need a solid FCPA compliance program to avoid action for FCPA violations and to avoid becoming knotted in China's domestic corruption and bribery laws. Patents, Trademarks, and Intellectual Property Companies try to cap ture the markets by issuing licensing permits for intellectual properties to increase profits for their business. These intellectual properties included patents and trademarks. Unfortunately, nations are still struggling to adopt a consistent international legal system that governs the intellectual property. They often have restrictions which includes geographical/and field use limitations and customer restriction. The Paris Convention is a guarantee that in each signatory country, foreign trademark and patent application from other signatory countries will receive the same treatment. According to United States Patent and Trademark Offices (2009) a patent for an invention is the grant of a property right to the inventor. There were problems and drawbacks with this particular agreement so in 1970 the patent cooperation Treaty was adopted. This particular agreement addresses the centralized utility patent application process (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2009). A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others United States Patent and Trademark (2009). Riordan Manufacturing makes plastic products in the United States and decided to move the plant that makes Pontiac products to China. This was a way to produce goods cheaper than in the United States and enter the market international. When making this move into the international market Riordan Manufacturing has trademarks on their plastic bottles and other plastic products that the Paris Convention would cover. Environmental Regulations Environmental regulations are guidelines that are in place to govern how matters that effect human life and environment handle. WTO rules a nation can require foreign producers to comply with environmental standards that are required by domestic firms (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2009). Riordan Manufacturing had to make sure that when moving their company from Michigan to China that the environmental regulations are followed. China has been working with great determination in recent years to develop, implement, and enforce a solid environmental law framework. Chinese officials face critical challenges in effectively implementing the laws, clarifying the roles of their national and provincial governments, and strengthening the operation of their legal system EPA- China Environmental Initiative (2009). Having a manufacturing company Riordan had to make sure that the plant that was being built was welcome in China and it adhered to the regulation guidelines. Riordan also had to follow the pollution regulation and the energy regulation. Production of their products was welcome and they learned the environmental regulation to take their business to China. Political Risks of Operating a MFG Company in China China has been one of desirable areas that any international companies would want to expand their business to. Its evolving economy, huge manufacturing base, enormous supply of natural resources are dangerously attractive, yet the expansion to this developing country comes with risks. The political risks in China Riordan Company should consider is that China is increasingly pressuring foreign investors to transfer technology to local producers, which could erode the patent protections and competitiveness of investors. Next fact that Riordan should consider is that as they focus on shifting growth from exports to domestic consumption, China’s leaders may withdraw tax benefits for foreign investors. Infrastructure bottlenecks and strong upward pressures on government-controlled electricity and fuel prices also create considerable uncertainty around manufacturing efficiency and operating expenses. Our initial decision to locate our China operations in Hangzhou was driven largely by the fact that our Chinese partners already had facilities there that should be able to handle all regulations and political surroundings. As a join venture partner, Riordan Company should understand sporadic fuel shortages and worsening urban gridlock inject ambiguity into forecasts for domestic auto demand growth. In short, low-cost manufacturing and vast potential domestic demand is offset by uncertainty in regulatory and infrastructure capacity. This makes China a potentially higher-risk, higher-reward investment destination. Riordan Company executive management also should outline framework for understanding how local political and market dynamics affect foreign ventures. China holds tremendous promise as a manufacturing centre and market, but management should remember are social, regulatory and energy issues around the next curve in the road. Political-risk analysis should have been processed to contemplate not just broad, easily observable trends but also the nuances of society and the quirks of personality that can affect a venture’s success. For Riordan Company to be successful in join venture in Hangzhou China Riordan must obtain professionally prepared political risk analysis giving current assessments and forecasts of future stability. They can also seek consulting firms, insurance industry reports, reports of U. S. government agencies, and informal discussions with experienced international bankers nd shipping company representatives. Outline of the Possibilities for Foreign Investment and Securities A company that operates in a foreign country has to comply with the laws of that country. As a rule international business causes great pressures for U. S. business managers. A projected high profit margin weighs little if local law prevents repatriation of profits to the foreign investor’s home jurisdict ion. Riordan Manufacturing made the decision to expand internationally for the following reasons. China attempts to encourage investments from foreign residents. The following are among the reasons that foreign investors are attracted to China: †¢ Extremely low labor costs. †¢ A tremendous buyers' market in China itself with a population of 1. 3 billion. †¢ An expectation of a sharp increase in the buying power of Chinese residents, a fact that is influenced by the annual GDP of over 8% per annum and the low rates of inflation. †¢ In recent years, Chinese laws concerning foreign investments have been significantly eased. The total FDI in China for 2006 totaled 63 billion dollars. Conclusion From the beginning of the nineties and particularly from 2001, when China joined the WTO, until the present, the attitude to foreign investment in China has changed, among other matters, foreign investors are permitted to form companies that are 100% owned by foreign capital. Sales to the local market are permitted and foreign investment is also allowed in sectors other than industry and hi-tech, such as banking, insurance, financial services, etc. As a result of joining the WTO, China is expected to standardize specific benefits that were previously granted only to overseas investors or only to Chinese companies. As a general rule, industries in China that are open to foreign investments are divided into 3 categories, an encouraged investment, a restricted investment and a prohibited investment. Foreign investors cannot invest in projects that are connected with the military and defense industries in China. There are also restrictions on 100% control of foreign investors over transport, the automobile industry and power stations. Benefits that China grants to foreign investors are not given in the form of grants. Most benefits are in the form of a tax benefit, including value added tax, customs and income tax benefits in putting the mphasis on an investment in a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) or in special sectors and areas. The benefits granted are as previously approved according to the nature of the foreign investment. There are 5 SEZ's in China in the south of the country, the main tax benefits are: corporate tax of 15%. A benefit of â€Å"2 + 3 years â€Å"which means an exemption from ta x for the first two years and tax at the rate of 12. 5% for the next three years. Pudong Zone (Shanghai) In the Pudong zone there are 5 development zones specializing in hi-tech, financial services, agriculture and more. The benefits are similar to those granted to investors in an SEZ. References Schaffer, R. , Agusti, F. ,& Earle, B. (2009, 2005). International Business Law and Its Environment (7th Ed. ). Mason, Ohio: South-Western, Cengage Learning. World Wide- Tax& Finance (2009). China Foreign Investment Incentives. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from www. worlwide-tax. com/china/chi_invest. asp United States Patent and Trademark Office 2009. Definitions. Retrieved on November 30, 2009 from www. uspto. gov/ EPA- China Environment Law Initiative November 2009. Retrieved on November 30, 2009 from www. epa. gov/ogc/china/initiative_home. htm

Perodua research Essay

Consumer made various decision in their daily life from basic needs to the luxury needs. Their needs include basic physical needs food, clothing, warmth, and safety, social needs for belonging and affection and individual needs for knowledge and self- expression, they are a basic part of human make up. Nowadays, consumers demand for better quality and product knowledge on products of services. The consumer expectations and values are considered in various factors such as benefit and advantage of the products or services before making the buying decisions. The product and service offered from car industry must be fulfill customer‘s demand. The car industry should create various plan and delivering relevant services. Besides that, the car industry should study the customer needs and wants and provide different product to different consumer that will satisfy their need. This research is attempted to identify and analyze the factors that affecting the customer buying decision on ca r and to know what factors may influence their buying decision. 1.1 Local Car Company Perodua Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd (PERDUA), Established in 1993, is a joint venture company between Malaysian and Japanese Partners. The shareholders of Perodua are UMW cooperation Sdn. Bhd with 38% stake, Daihatsu Motor co. Ltd (20%) MBM resources Bhd (20%) PNB Equity Resources Corporation Sdn Bhd (10%) , Mitsui &(7%) and Daihatsu ( Malaysia) Sdn Bhd ( 5%). The company started operations in 1994 and the ever so popular Perodua Kancil was introduced to the Malaysian market in August the same year.to date the following vehicles have rolled out of the Perodua plant: †¢ The Perodua Rusa – March 1996 †¢The Perodua Kembara – August 1998 †¢ The Perodua Kenari – June 2000 †¢The Perodua Myvi – May 2005 †¢The Perodua Viva – May 2007 †¢The Perodua Nautica 4 WD – May 2008 †¢The Perodua Alza- November 2009 As of May 2008, Perodua has sold some 1.4 million units of vehicles of various models Perodua Headquarters is located on an 81 Hectare site in  Sungai Choh, Rawang, Selangor Darul Ehsan. It houses among others Perodua Corporate building , R&D testing laboratories and styling studio, vehicle test track , manufacturing plant, engine plant, pre-delivery inspection area, vehicle distribution stockyard and parts ware house. Perodua Auto Corporation Sdn Bhd (PCSB) was established in the final quarter of 2001.Besides Perodua , the two other joint venture partners of PCSB are Daihatsu Motor Co.Ltd and Mitsui & Co.Ltd both Japan. The manufacturing operations of the Perodua Group are being managed by PCSB. The Three active within the group are. Perodua sales Sdn Bhd (PSSB) is responsible for the sales, Marketing and distribution of all Perodua vehicles as well as after sales services and spare parts operations. Perodua Manufacturing Sdn Bhd (PMSB) is the company responsible for the manufacturing of Perodua Vehicles. Perodua Engine Manufacturing Sdn Bhd (PEMSB) undertakes the assembly of vehicle engines and also manufacturing of selected engine component parts operations. Workforce The total Number of manpower of Perodua was over 10,000 staff as of May 2011 Production capacity The plant currently has the capacity to produce 250000 units per annum, on 2 shift cycle. Sales and service Network To the date ,PSSB has 39 sales branches and 140 sales dealers nationwide to serve its customers efficiently .It also has 41 service branches and 120 services outlets throughout Malaysia for customers Convenience. Overseas Perodua vehicles are sold in countries such as the UK,Singapore ,Brunei,Fiji,Nepal and Sri Lanka. 1.2 Research Problem Transportation nowadays can say as a needs for today’s society .The consumer nowadays have different request for their car. The goals for the most Perodua car are to sustain competitive advantages and become or maintain as the market leader. However question as to how one can achieve this still remain despite studies and recommendations are carried out in order to understand consumer buying behavior and ways to improve marketing strategies to move more effectively reach to consumer. Therefore, this research would attempt to identify the factors that influence consumer buying behavior and  to understand whether pricing, quality, design, interest rate and the service after sales have significant contribution to consumer buying decision and the importance of their role affecting the buying behavior. Some people are buying Perodua car and some of them are buying imported car. This study is to find out why people are buying Perodua car and the factors that can influence them to b uy Perodua car. 1.3 Objective of the study The objective of this research is to examine several factors that influencing the consumer buying decision on local car as follow. †¢ To find out whether price influence consumer buying behavior towards Perodua car. †¢To find out whether design of the car will influence consumer buying behavior. †¢To find out whether interest rate of the Perodua car influence consumer buying behavior †¢To find out whether quality of the Perodua car will influence consumer buying behavior †¢To find out whether service after sales will influence consumer buying behavior towards Perodua. 1.4 Scope of the study This study cover how consumer perceive and deciding on purchase their car. The factors and criteria that the consumer will take into considerations when purchasing a car. This study conducted to provide a cleared picture on factors that possible on affecting consumer consumption decision and to find out the least importance factors at consumer in purchasing car. This research suggest that consumer buying behavior can be caused by factors such as price , design of the car, interest rate , Quality and also sales after service. Questionnaire will be conducted and distributed to local car users. Questionnaire will be developed based on the dependent and independent variable which will then be distributed to despondence ( Uses of local car) Questionnaire will be collected for analysis using SPSS to obtain findings. This will be follow by discussion and recommendation relevant to objectives of this study. 1.5 Significance of the study Transportation nowadays has become a need for today’s society . This study will help the Perodua car industry understand how to consumer think, feel , needs and many variable of the purchase decision process. In additional , This paper would consider on the ways that marketers can adapt and improve  their marketing strategies to reach the consumer buying behavior to know the relatively factor that may effect consumer purchasing decision on Perodua car. 1.6 Definition of terms In this study, the factors influencing consumer behavior towards Perodua car such as price, design, quality, interest rate and service after sales. The definition of terms fully understands the topic of discussion in this study of research. 1.6.1 Consumer Consumer is broad label that refers to any individuals or households that use goods Services generated within the economy .The concept of a consumer is used in different context, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary . (From Wikipedia). 1.6.2 Consumer Buying behavior process and physical activity Consumer buying is defined as â€Å"decision making process and physical activity whereby individuals engage in when evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and service†. ( Sternbock, 2013). It is a subset of human behavior on how they use their resource on consumption related items. The study of consumer behavior allow marketers to understand and predict how consumer are likely to react to various information and environmental cues and able to shape their marketing strategies accordingly. (Leon G. Schiffman & Leslie Lazar Kanuk, Consumer Behavior 2013).It is also concerned with the question of what, why, when, where, how and how often they buy it, 1.6.3. Car An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most Definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. 1.6.4 Price Price in economics and business is the result of an exchange and from that trade we assign a numerical monetary value to a good, service or asset. Price is only part of the information we get from observing and exchange. The other part is the volume of the goods traded per unit time, called the  rate of purchase or sale. From this additional information we understand the extend of the market and the elasticity of the demand and supply. In general terms price is the result of an exchange or transaction that takes place between two parties and refers to what must be given up by one party in order to obtain something offered by another party. 1.6.5 Product design Product design can be defined as the idea generation, concept development, testing and manufacturing or implementation of a physical object or service. Product Designers conceptualize and evaluate ideas, making then tangible through products in more systematic approach. The role of a product designer encompasses many characteristics of the marketing manager, product manager, industrial designer and design engineer. 1.6.6 Interest rate A rate which is charged or paid for the use of money. An interest rate is often expressed as an annual percentage of the principal. It is calculated by dividing the amount of interest by the amount of principal. Interest rates often change as a result of inflation and Federal Reserve policies. 1.6.7 Quality Quality is the standard of something when it is compared to other things such as how good and how the something is. If a product fulfils the customer’s expectations, the customer will be pleased and consider that the product is of acceptable or even high quality. If his or her expectations are not fulfilled, the customer will consider that the product is of low quality this means that the quality of a product may be defined as its ability to fulfil the customer’s needs and expectations. Quality needs to be defined firstly in terms of parameters or characteristics, which vary from product to product. 1.6.8 After sales service Service, which is addressed here, should be an integral part of any company’s export strategy from the start. Properly handled, service can be a foundation for growth. Service is the prompt delivery of the product. It is courteous sales personnel. It is a user or service manual modified to meet your customer’s needs. It is ready access to a service facility. It is knowledgeable, cost – effective maintenance, repair or replacement. 1.7  Summary This report is presented in five chapters. Each chapter is connected to the other and is systematically structured to ensure easier understanding of the research. The first chapter is the introduction of the consumer buying behavior on Perodua car. It include the research problem and the objective and definition of terms are also include to allow better understanding of objectives of the research and terms used in this research .Chapter two is the literature reviews where other literature source are extracted to address the topic of consumer buying behavior on Perodua Car. Chapter three is the discussion of theoretical framework used in this research. This chapter also involved the method of used for collection data and statistical method used to analyze the data. Chapter four is the discussion of the data gathered in this research .this discussions involved in this chapter include the hypotheses testing and evaluation of finding in the research area. Chapter five is the discussion of findings together with the conclusion of this research. This chapter also covers the recommendations of factors that have significant impact and influence the most consumer purchase decision.

Commentary on Dorothy Parker’s Essay

â€Å"Mr. Durant’ is a prose about a man, who he had promised his children they could keep a dog but seems to no longer want to do so. He promised so while on their back he is trying to kick the dog out of the house. He does is on their back because he wants to remain the authority figure of the house who does nothing wrong. On the other hand, to his wife he gives stupid reasons like â€Å"all the males in the neighborhood will be running after her† and â€Å"first thing you know, she’d be having puppies.† Mrs. Durant is not very educated and also very ingà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½nues and so blindly trusts and believes whatever her husband tells her. She idolizes him because she does not read and is not very educated and therefore her husband’s knowledge might impress her a lot. The family relationships where the father is the dominant figure remain the same through the whole passage. 2. Chronology/time  Dorothy Parker has written this passage in such a way, tending to give actions one by one, making so the piece more intriguing and interesting. However, she often goes backwards and forwards when describing Mr. Durant’s den and character to give us a deeper understanding or certainty of his character. However, time in either case is significant but not essential and does not affect directly the themes of this passage. 3. Themes  Some themes implied through the passage are:  Authority is one of the main themes in this passage and Mr. Durant conveys this authority very easily. His wifes lets him do so, because she thinks that he is very educated and in consequence his actions and word is always right. This shows another theme, the ingenuity of Mrs. Durant who blindly believes everything her husband tells her. The relationships between these two characters seem very cold and unpleasant, not only because there is no agreement and understanding between this couples there is no evince of affection as well. Dishonesty is another important theme is this passage, which Mr. Durant is clearly characterized by because brutally beguiles his children on their back. Sexual perversions 4. How literary features convey/enlarge the themes  The prose has many adjectives which are very useful in strengthen the meaning of the themes since the prose is very descriptive. For example, the two adjectives â€Å"insatiable reader† and â€Å"indefatigable collector† show that although he wanted to seem as tireless reader, he is very unintelligent because is easily manipulated by the advertisements. A comparison in this piece is â€Å"young woman with wings like a vampire bat† which is very significant because in my opinion this is another hint of Mr. Durant’s sexual problems. 5. Point of view/ Tone  The passage is told from the third person point of view and that is the narrator, Dorothy Parker. She is more informing rather than evaluating because she tends to rely more on the facts leaving so up to us to interpret them in our own way. Because the atmosphere is not humorous at all, this shows the seriousness of the narrator’s attitudes towards her subject. She presents the main character, Mr. Durant as a very cold, distant and selfish person. The tone of the passage is very serious and desperate (fruitless) because the main character, Mr. Durant has all the power and his word for the others (his wife and children) seems to be a rule. This is shown when after he asks his daughter if he had ever â€Å"broke a promise†, she replies â€Å"No Father† but â€Å"conviction was not hers† whish shows that even she wasn’t convinced, she was obliged to reply so because of fear that he might get angry or react. Parker obviously do esn’t have a high regard for Mr. Durant at all, however using irony she enjoys mocking his attitudes of superiority and of the one who is so full of himself that wants others to believe that he â€Å"he has never broken a promise yet.† 6. Structure  The passage falls into many short and long paragraphs. Usually, the short paragraphs are made of dialogues while the long ones are mainly descriptive which might signify the greater importance of the descriptions. The two longest paragraphs are mainly about two subjects: Mr. Durant’s den and books. This shows that he is the main character since everything is mainly about him and also because he is always the one who gets the word. The short paragraphs in the first page have only three lines. They are short maybe because the piece is carefully described and avoids telling everything at once to let the reader get the themes one by one, making it more interesting. However, the dialogues although short, are very significant in understanding the personalities of the characters. 7. Lexis (language)  The language used is formal and this is because the issue that is being discussed is serious or at least that’s how the atmosphere is conveyed to us. This formal language has a positive affect on the piece because it is appropriate with the message that the author is trying to transmit, that of authority and stereotypes. The language is also particularly descriptive and therefore the author tends to give the themes by hints in the description. The language used by Parker in written in an ironic form towards this character, which although she doesn’t seem to admire at all, she enjoys mocking his attitudes of superior and of the one who is so full of himself that wants others to believe that he never â€Å"breaks a promise.† Parker uses satire which is a form of exposing of foolishness within a society through ridiculing them and that is what she does with the character of Mr. Durant. 8. Specific Images  Mr. Durant is clearly shown as the authority figure in this piece. An image that indicates this is † he jerked his head backwards† which shows that his order is not only an obligation to his wife but he does not even need to say it. Mr. Durant might not even be as knowledgeable as he wants to seem. There are two reasons why I think this. Firstly, the fact that his â€Å"books were lined up behind the glass of the bookcase† might show that they were not even used and were there as decorations. Secondly, as we notice in the passage, he seems very impatient and narrow minded because does not allow others to have their word yelling â€Å"Quiet!† to his daughter while he interrupts his wife who for once was about to protest against her husband, saying â€Å"Now you just leave all that to me.† This shows disrespect and impatience to listen to others and therefore might not even have the same patience to read a book. I personally, from this piece got the feeling that Mr. Durant is not a very sane person because there are many controversies on his character, like he tries to be the perfect father in his children eyes who â€Å"has never broken a promise†, while on their backs beguiles them being very ambidextrous. 9. Rhythm  The rhythm in this passage is very irregular for the reason that it is continually moving from â€Å"crescendo† to â€Å"decrescendo† form, creating so anxiety and tension to the readers. There is a high tension in the beginning of the passage because the author starts this passage with the word â€Å"Quiet!† which strait away gives a kind of conflict and makes the atmosphere very dramatic. Then, the author jumps into descriptions, going into a â€Å"decrescendo† form for a while. On the third part of the passage, again we have a â€Å"crescendo† in rhythm because the tension increases, especially when Mrs. Durant says ‘But the children, They’ll be just simply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which in my opinion is an initial and tiny bit of revolt against her husband’s opinion.