Xi Chuan Earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Xi Chuan Earthquake - Essay Example However, there are instances wherein big, catastrophic earthquakes hit the region. An example of which happened on May 12, 2008, 06:28:04 (UTC) wherein according to official reports, seventy thousand people were killed, three hundred seventy four thousand people were injured, and about seventeen thousand more were reported missing. (Chen, Qiao, and Liu 809) Compared to other natural calamities, earthquakes are close to impossible to predict. The fault lines may have been identified and mapped out but no one can really tell when a big earthquake will happen. These events can only be studied after they have already happened and the damages to property and the loss of lives have been done. If a catastrophe is defined as an event causing great and often sudden damage and suffering (Miriam Webster dictionary of the English Language) that definition is especially true for the earthquakes that plague the Xi Chuan region in the heart of mainland China. Houses were turned to mere rubble while the very foundations of old castles crack and give way to the power of nature. Unfortunately, in these display of nature’s power, human lives are also lost. Preventing mortality and too much loss in infrastructure led the Chinese to develop ways to hopefully predict when big, catastrophic earthquakes would strike and where. Although they failed in making an early warning system for earthquakes at that time, the ancient Chinese built the 1st rudimentary seismograph to be able to detect where in the realm an earthquake occurred so as to direct help there immediately (Weiland). The quest for an effective means to predict where and when strong earthquakes will occur is still the goal in China and the rest of the world nowadays, but fortunately there are many instruments, equations and programs available as well as volumes of seismic data that can give clues to the time and place these big earthquakes would hit. It is not merely the geologists’ and geophysicists’ jo b to make sure of the safety of the people and the reduction of the destruction on infrastructure. Scientists, policy makers, as well as the private sector need to work hand-in-hand to prevent further devastation caused by these types of calamities. Dynamic planning and effective implementation of different measures assure the safety of people living in these earthquake-prone zones. This study focuses on recent techniques and breakthroughs that have been and will be used in predicting the occurrence of strong earthquakes in the Xi Chuan basin region and then we will evaluate each strategy’s impact on the disaster planning and response of the area. Improvements in the early warning system technology is the key to reducing mortality and destruction of infrastructure caused by large earthquakes and the efficient dissemination of information will be the determinant to each stratagem’s effectiveness. This paper will also touch on the improvements on the policies that favor earthquake readiness and the level of implementation of these laws since the eight magnitude earthquake in 2008. Literature Review A brief history of the study of seismic activity in the Xi Chuan basic region was detailed in the study of Han and Jiang (231). The Xi Chuan – Yunnan and Xi Chuan – Quinghai area has been plagued with earthquakes historically due to its location within active faults. Records of big and damaging earthquakes were passed down from dynasty to dynasty until this present age. Although China had been a nation for

Qualities of Successful Women

Qualities of Successful Women Introduction The contribution of women in the development of the countries has been significant the world over during the last hundred years. In India, women are playing a major part in the economic development during the last four decades. The Indian women have gradually entered in all the spheres and there is no sector where they are lagging behind. BFSI Banking, Financial Services and Insurance sector is no exception. BFSI embraces all type of Banking activities, Insurance, Stock Market, Mutual Funds and all kinds of Financial Institutions. An attempt is made in this paper to trace the role of women in Finance sector and their achievements in the last four decades. Objectives The primary objective of this paper is to study and consolidate the contributions of women in Financial sector and also attempt to correlate the qualities of women that have made them successful in their professional careers in Finance. The secondary objective is to detail some organizations which have realized this aspect and have given opportunities to women to advance in their careers in Finance. What is BFSI? BFSI includes Banking, Financial Services Insurance. The scope for BFSI in India is very promising as on date. According to a study, 51 percent of the Indian population do not possess bank accounts and lack access to financial facilities. There is a great potential for banks in the rural markets. Though the insurance sector achieved about 15 percent growth rate in the last year, Indias insurance accounts for just 0.6 percent of the GDP as against the world average of 2.14 percent. The main reasons for low penetration are low consumer awareness, untapped rural markets and constrained distribution channels. India ranks 136th on penetration levels and lags behind China (106), Brazil (85) and Japan (61). The U.S is ranked 9 in this regard. The scenario of insurance business in India is now changing and the insurance business is growing at an impressive rate. There are 21 Life Insurance and 19 General Insurance companies in both public and private sector put together. Microfinance institutions provide poor people with small amounts of credit at reasonable interest rates. The microfinance institutions can be financial cooperatives, rural banks and NGOs. Although credit is an important part of microfinance, it is just one of the diverse financial services that poor people need to improve their lives. Poor people also need saving services, basic insurance options and affordable remittance systems to best manage their assets and generate income. How can women contribute in Financial Sector? Women leaders in Finance have taken leadership to a new level. Not that men dont excel at being leaders. According to a survey by New Jersey based Caliper Corporation, a new paradigm is evolving and women are in the forefront of creating the same. Inclusive financial growth can be attained if the banks touch upon the bottom of the pyramid which consists of approximately 75 percent of the Indian population. We can say that India is divided into two parts one group of privileged class of people having access to the best of the financial facilities and another class of disadvantaged people unable to get the financial facilities. Women are becoming active and popular in all fields and the Indian Stock Market is no exception. The modern Indian women want to save money and are also prepared to take risks. Women at home i.e. the home makers follow the stock market with the help of internet and invest wisely. The home makers also look at the household products which are very useful and of good quality and invest in those companies. For example, when scotch brite was introduced in the market, they found out which company introduced the same and invested in that company. The product was a success and they gained from their investments. Only a very small fraction of the rural Indian population has access to the Microfinance services. Loans as little as Rs. 5000 can give poor people a chance to set up their own small business and create more jobs. A study reveals that 11 percent of the companies across sectors in India had women CEOs. 54 percent of these CEOs are from the financial services sector. Worldwide organizations encouraging women in BFSI. Women Advancing Microfinance International (WAMI) launched in 2003 is the only global network of and for the advancement of individual women in the microfinance industry. One of their core values is to advance and support womens leadership in the microfinance industry through education and training, by promoting leadership opportunities and by increasing visibility of womens participation and talent while maintaining their work life balance. In India also we have organizations to promote microfinance for women. The Indian School of Microfinance for Women headquartered in Ahmedabad was started in June 2003 to address the capacity building requirements in the microfinance sector. The School particularly focuses upon the lives of women who are the primary participants in microfinance interventions. The School does not look upon microfinance as a means of poverty alleviation but also as a means for womens leadership and the building of womens assets. Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF) is a non profit professional organization committed to empowering its members in the banking and finance industry to realize their full potential. The organization is headquartered in London and was founded in 1980 by five members viz Jane Bradford, Susan Law, Lorraine Paddison, Margery Povall and Anne Watts. The organization is run by a highly professional management team comprising of members who give their time on a voluntary basis. All members are encouraged to join the management team to develop their project management skills. Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank (MDMSB) is a unique cooperative bank run by and for women in Mhaswad, a village in Satara District of Maharashtra. This 10 year old bank has created 16720 women entrepreneurs in the region around Mhaswad. The bank enjoys an excellent repayment rate of 97.5 percent. Successful women in BFSI. One Organization in the BFSI sector in India that can boast of encouraging and able to get the services of women at all levels including the top management is undoubtedly is the ICICI group. K.V.Kamath is one of the lucky persons to be surrounded by women. He has been responsible for empowering many women in ICICI. Out of 11 top management executives reporting to the MD Chanda Kochhar, 3 are women. About 40 percent of the senior management is women and about 25 percent of the total staff is women. The current Managing Director of ICICI bank, Chanda Kochhar is known to be an assertive woman who has climbed the ladder in ICICI both the hard and smart way. She joined ICICI Bank in 1984 as a Management Trainee. She knew nothing about retail banking when she took over the retail operations in ICICI Bank in the year 1998 at the age of 36. She was ranked number 37 in the list of worlds most powerful businesswomen in the year 2006. Shikha Sharma, the current CEO of Axis Bank was the Managing Director of ICICI Prudential and played a major role in the growth of ICICI Prudential. She is an early achiever, fast learner and fiercely competitive. She was responsible for setting up the joint venture with U.K based Prudential and bringing ICICI Prudential in the Indian Insurance Map as the largest private sector insurance company in the country. The first woman to rise to a senior position at the bank was Lalita Gupte, who was hired in 1971 and retired as Joint Managing Director. She played a leading role in transforming ICICI in the 1990s, and then started the banks international business in 2001, servicing overseas Indians and expanding investments abroad. That business now accounts for 15% of ICICIs $56.3 billion in net assets. She joined Alstoms Board of Directors in 2010. She is also the non-executive chairman of ICICI Venture Funds Management Company. Madhabi Puri-Buch joined ICICI Bank Ltd in project finance department in 1989. She served as Senior General Manager of ICICI Bank since 2003. She serves as Head of Operations and Group Corporate Brand Officer of ICICI Bank Ltd. She is in charge of Retail Asset Operations and the Product and Technology Group in the Wholesale Banking Group of ICICI Bank. She has been Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ICICI Securities since February 1, 2009. Kalpana Morparia now is the Head of India Operations of JP Morgan Chase Co. She joined the legal department of ICICI in 1975 and became a board member in 2001. She was appointed as Joint Managing Director of the bank in 2001. She played a key role in ICICI Groups capital raising exercise as well as the merger of ICICI with ICICI Bank in 2002. After 33 years of service with ICICI, she joined JP Morgan in 2008. Renuka Ramnath was the Head of one of Indias largest private equity fund ICICI Venture. She is often referred to as the mother of Indian private equity. She quit ICICI venture in 2009 to setup private funds with former executives of Indian PE industry. Ramnath has been the Managing Director CEO of ICICI Venture since 2001. During her career spanning over 20 years with the ICICI Group, Renuka has spearheaded various business initiatives. She began her career at the Merchant Banking division of ICICI and then headed the Corporate Finance and Equities businesses at ICICI Securities, an investment banking JV between ICICI and JP Morgan. Vishakha Mulye is currently the Managing Director CEO of ICICI Venture Funds Management Company Limited. Mulye was earlier the Executive Director of ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited and the Group Chief Financial Officer of ICICI Bank Limited. Mulye is a Chartered Accountant and joined the ICICI group in 1993. She has worked extensively in the areas of project finance, structured finance, treasury, corporate planning and strategy, investor relations and resolution of distressed assets. She played a key role in the merger of ICICI with ICICI Bank, which led to the creation of the second largest bank in India. Between 2001 and 2005, she set up ICICI Banks structured finance business. This pioneering effort led to the development of an active securitization market in India. During this period, she was also responsible for ICICI Banks client-related treasury and markets operations, capital markets business and relationships with domestic financial institutions and multilat eral institutions. Mulye received the award for Most Powerful Women in Indian Business   2007 from Business Today. The World Economic Forum also selected her as a Young Global Leader for the year 2007. Renu Challu is the current Managing Director, State Bank of Hyderabad. Meera Sanyal is the Country Head Royal Bank of Scotland. Manisha Girotra is Managing Director and Chairperson for Swiss bank UBS in India . Renu Sud Karnad is the Managing Director of HDFC Ltd. Naina Lal Kidwai is the Group MD and Country Head of HSBC in India. Ashu Suyash is the MD and Country Head India of Fidelity International. Tarjani Vakil, former Chairperson of the Exim Bank, is one of the distinguished Indian bankers. She is the first women to head any large bank in India. In 1997, she was recognized by KPMG Worldwide Business as one of the top 50 women to prove her valor in the business. Through the recent economic meltdown and global recession, Reserve Bank of India had two women Deputy Governors Usha Torat and Shyamala Gopinath. Qualities in women that enables them to be successful in BFSI sector: Retail banking is more of relationship marketing rather than transactional marketing. Women excel at relationships. The nurturing and adjusting attitude of women flows into the workplace as well. Women are more practical and moderate risk takers. Women are good listeners and good learners. Women are more resilient and good at learning from setbacks. Women display better empathy and are able to place themselves in the shoes of the customers. Caliper Corporation, the New Jersey based Management Consulting Firm have made the following observations based on their study. Women are more persuasive Women are quick to learn from adversity Women demonstrate an inclusive, team building leadership styles of problem solving and decision making. Women are more likely to ignore rules and take risks. Suggestions for further enhancing the contribution of women in BFSI. The concept of Home Offices should be encouraged so that women may  contribute while raising families simultaneously Flexi time options should be made available to women Affluent Urban women should set up NGOs, Travel to the rural parts and  create awareness about the scope and importance of BFSI sector. Extensive training should be given to the rural women to take up careers  in finance The financial services companies should target the rural households  through the womenfolk. All women Regional Rural Banks should be encouraged. Conclusion It is observed from the secondary research that more and more women are actively participating and contributing to the BFSI sector. Since women are more empathetic, they can better understand customers. Women are more balanced and would take calculated moderate risks. It is high time our leaders realize this and leverage this to the growth of our country. Indian Banks and Financial Institutions with better gender equality on board than their western counterparts, scraped through the economic slowdown unscathed. In the last three decades, the gender equilibrium has become fairly poised.

Analysing Blessing and An Old Woman` Essay -- Poetry Imtiaz Dharker Ar

Analysing Blessing and An Old Woman Poetry from other Cultures Question 2 Culture means the beliefs, traditions, and customs of people within a society. Fundamental aspects of a culture are faith, values, and history. People that share a culture also share its beliefs and ways of life, which are different to others. Poetry is an effective way of describing and exploring a culture, and events within it, because certain aspects can be expressed with vivid descriptions, and imagery that would be unsuitable in other types of text. Some cultures have also used poetry as a form of storytelling, describing events that happened to their ancestors, or even themselves. Poems can be concise and leave some details to the imagination of the reader, therefore they are easier to remember, and remain in the readers mind for longer, which makes them more memorable. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The two poems that I have chosen are 'Blessing' by Imtiaz Dharker and 'An Old Woman' written by Arun Kolatkar. I selected these poems because they are both set in poor, third-world countries, and the people within their communities value so strongly items that are take for granted in developed countries. In 'An Old Woman', a beggar woman is trying desperately to get 'a fifty paise coin', which is equivalent to less than 1 pence, off a tourist. This amount of money is frequently, and carelessly dropped on the floor without a second glance, in countries such as our own, yet in India an elderly woman needs this to survive. In 'Blessing' water is highly valued, and every drop is precious because their community is so short of such a substance. However, people in our, more developed, comm... ...tent and happy with the life that they live. However, in 'An Old Woman' this impression is not given. The beggar does not appear to be content with her way of life and is worn and tired as a result of it. I think her discontentment is conveyed in line 20-21 "bullet holes she has for eyes". I believe this, because she has to hide her true feelings from the outside to prevent anyone knowing what she really feels, and therefor her eyes seem to just glaze over and hold no feelings. I think she does this so that she can concentrate on trying to earn a living to stay alive, in doing this though, all her feelings are trapped inside and she is unable to overcome them. In doing this, it appears that she has no feelings and is completely isolated from the rest of the community. This is illustrated in line 29-30 "round the shatter-proof crone who stands alone".

Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay

Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of people from another. That is, ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage. The most common characteristics distinguishing various ethnic groups are ancestry, a sense of history, language and religion. Modern Britain is said to be a multicultural society made up of many different ethnic groups. Achievement within education is very varied across cultures, with some such as Chinese and Indian students performing above the average, and African-Caribbean and Pakistani students performing well below average. There are many factors which can reduce a child from an ethnic backgrounds attainment. For instance, Material deprivation. Material deprivation focuses on income inequality and the material problems that are associated with it. An example of such a study is J. W. B Douglas, ‘The Home and The School’ (1964). He argued that an interlocking network of inequalities existed which operated against many working class students. This included, differential effects of regional and variations in educational provision and expenditure. Also, housing and environmental factors. Which led to chances of access to ‘good’ primary schools. Therefore, hindering the chance of access to top streams. As a result, minority ethnic children are more likely to live in low-income households. This means they face the problems that Douglas highlighted, the material factors, such as poor quality housing, no working space and even possibly bad influence of peers. One other reason for differences in educational achievement between ethnicities is the basic family life. African-Caribbean communities have a high level of lone parenthood. Actually, it is estimated 50% of African-Caribbean households have a lone-parent . This can mean that many face financial problems, this can lead to lower achievement in school (Douglas’ material factors). Conversely, single mothers can be a positive role model or influence for many young girls, meaning they perform better in education. Another explanation for ethnic differences is Language. For many children of an ethnic minority English is not their primary language. This can be a disadvantage because they may not understand exams as well as others. Also they might struggle to express themselves with limited English. Finally, some teachers may mistake poor English for a lack of intelligence, when actually this could be completely untrue, meaning that a clever child may be let down by the teacher who might not push the student to their full potential. However, you could argue that Chinese and Indian students first language isn’t English, on the other hand in these two cultures it is the norm to learn English as a strong second language. Therefore, they are not hindered by the second language barrier, as opposed to Bangladeshi’s for example. Language was such a big issue that Bernstein (1973) categorised students into two groups. Elaborated and restricted. In the case of an elaborated code, the speaker will select from a relatively extensive range of alternatives. However in the case of a restricted code the number of these alternatives is often severely limited. Bernstein’s work was not always praised. For instance, Labov (1974) argued that young blacks in the United States, although using language which certainly seems an example of the restricted code, nevertheless display a clear ability to argue logically. Their lack of knowledge concerning the subject may reach further than just the exams they have to take. For instance, due to the large amount of failing black Caribbean’s and Bangladeshi’s (a combined total of 41% managed to get 5 A* – C grades), teachers may be subconsciously prejudiced against ethnic minorities. This can lower the students attainments in many ways, one is that the teachers give the student lower grades. Another way is that the teacher negatively labels a student of ethnic minority which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. Racism can also lead to conflict between students and teachers, making learning a much harder task. Lastly, racism can lead to low-self esteem among ethnic minorities. A researcher who studies this was Howard Becker (1971). Becker Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers. He found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted image of â€Å"ideal pupil†. Their conduct & appearance influenced judgement. Middle class was closest to ideal, working class furthest away & labelled as badly behaved. As a result you can see, if teachers labelled students on how they look, you can imagine how they would label a whole ethnic race. Another factor for ethnic differences in educational achievement is the ethnocentric curriculum. There are several reasons why ethnic minorities may struggle due to this curriculum. One is that the subjects often focus on British culture; naturally White British students will have grown up with this culture, so they might have a greater understanding of the content than students who grew up in a different culture. Another reason is that the content of the curriculum could lower ethnic minorities self-esteem, this is because often the white character is seen as â€Å"good† and superior whilst the ethnic minorities are seen as â€Å"not as academic†. However, it is crucial not to forget that every ethnic minority underachieves at this level. In fact, in the UK, Chinese and Indian pupils score better grades than the â€Å"White† ethnic race. One of the main reasons for this is the support of the parents. Research has shown that some parents of ethnic minority, such as Chinese and Indian, take more interest in their child’s education, they also encourage their child more than other in other cultures. This obviously leads to higher achievement for the child. Not only the parents play a part. Some teachers may stereotype some ethnic minorities to be intelligent and hard-working. This encouragement and sort of support can aid a student in raising their grades. To conclude, there are many sociological explanations for the ethnic differences in educational achievement, from language barriers to family life at home. However, it is important to remember not all ethnic minorities to underachieve. Rafi Kentafi – Lindill 12P.

The Love of My Life

In the short story â€Å"The Love of My Life,† two teenagers make one bad decision and their lives are changed forever. The author, T. Coraghessan Boyle, wrote the story based on an actual news story that had occurred a few years back. The author does a great job of making the relationship between Jeremy and China seem so wonderful and almost innocent, that it is hard to be angry with them. The two characters in the story, Jeremy and China, are young and are head over heels for each other.The very first line of the story is all it takes to make the reader realize that these two youngsters share the true meaning of love, â€Å"they wore each other like a pair of socks. † All of that changes when the two find out that China is pregnant. Instead of properly handling their situation, they have the baby and dispose of it in a dumpster at a motel. Although the story has a very upsetting plot, you can't help but feel some sympathy toward the characters. The beginning of the st ory starts out describing the great, young love that Jeremy and China had.They did everything with each other, spent almost every waking moment together, and rarely ever fought. Both teenagers were on a great track in life; graduating at the top of their high school class, both going to top colleges and well-liked by most. They would tell each other â€Å"I love you† more times in a day than they could keep track of. Every time they walked into a room they would kiss. They seemed to have the perfect relationship. Then, the summer before college would commence, they went on a week-long camping trip alone.Of course, being alone, they had the opportunity to have sex and enjoy their time together. Obviously caught in the heat of the moment, knowing they were out of condoms, they had sex anyway. One irrational decision led to their lives changing forever. Before going to school in the fall, China learned that she was pregnant. Out of immaturity, and fear, she decides to do nothing about it and hide it, hoping it would perhaps just go away. Jeremy is just as clueless and scared as she is, and goes along with her decision.When the night comes that China is to have her baby, she calls up Jeremy and they meet at the motel they had met at many times before. When she arrives there, Jeremy is waiting at the door. When she walks by him, â€Å"they didn't kiss- they didn't even touch- and then she was on the bed. † By this time, they have almost completely lost all of the love in their relationship and all their fighting has just pulled them apart more and more. Hours passed, and she finally had the baby. After the trauma of giving birth, all she could say to Jeremy was, â€Å"get rid of it. Jeremy, not knowing what else to do, listened to her order. After driving China back to school, he returned to the motel, wrapped the baby in a plastic bag, and disposed of it in a dumpster. Like most secrets, this one didn't last very long. Both teenagers were soon arres ted. On the day of their court appearance, China writes Jeremy a note saying, â€Å"I love you, will always love you no matter what. It is apparent that she still loves him so much, but it is hard to tell whether Jeremy still feels the same at this point in the story. All he can say to her before they part is, â€Å"you told me to get rid of it. A part in the story that seems to be very ironic is that China always would joke with Jeremy that she would â€Å"never be like those breeders that bring their puffed-up squalling little red-faced babies to class. † Sadly, the thing that they had once laughed at others for happened to them. It can also become so intense and cause people to do crazy things, just like the characters in â€Å"The Love of My Life. † They may not have killed one another, but they did murder their baby. They were blinded by their love and still so immature that they did not know how to deal with such a serious situation like that. The Love of My Life Love conquers all. That’s what we hear over and over again growing up. Everyone longs for that one amazing person to waltz into our lives and steal our hearts for the rest of eternity, but is it possible that love will be strong enough to face any problem that gets in our way? T. Coraghessan Boyle once said â€Å"As strong as love might be, there is always something stronger that could come along and shatter it† (After). T. Coraghessan Boyle was born in 1948 as Thomas John Boyle in Peekskill, New York. When Boyle went to college he never dreamed that one day he would have a major in Literature.He originally went to major in music as an aspiring saxophone player at SUNY Potsdam (â€Å"Auteur†). â€Å"That did not work out because I did not have near the talent of my colleagues† he said â€Å"I became a singer in a rock band† (â€Å"Auteur†). After he lost interest in music he moved on to history. From history, he changed his major to English a nd history. When Boyle finally found were he belonged he channeled his creativity into writing fiction, where he is now know as a literary legend, or as Boyle likes to say a rock star of literature. Mark Twain once said â€Å"Boyle‘s writing is deliciously infectious† (â€Å"Auteur†).Twain also includes that â€Å"Boyle’s masterful use of wit and dark satire pepper the pages with a focus on social exploration in contemporary times† (â€Å"Auteur†). With that kind of response from the great Mark Twain I can understand how Boyle has twenty-three novels and sixty-four short stories. In the short story â€Å"The Love of My Life† Boyle describes an extremely powerful love between two young teenagers named China and Jeremy. These two were inseparable, completely taken by love since the end of their junior year when they started dating, and they were not afraid to show it. They kissed whenever they met, no matter where or when, even if one of them had just stepped out of the room, because that was love, that was the way love was,† and they believed that nothing could end this incredible feeling (Boyle 382). Until the end of August, when China found out she was pregnant, that was when their problems began. China did not tell anyone about the baby except Jeremy. They went to two different colleges and that they would deal with the baby when it was time for China to give birth. When China’s water broke she called Jeremy and they went to a motel.Jeremy delivered the baby girl and China told him to â€Å"get rid of it† so he threw the baby in the dumpster outside (Boyle 387). They left the motel and went back to the college as if nothing ever happened. The police came the next morning and arrested both China and Jeremy. China and her parents decided to place the blame on Jeremy by allowing everyone to think that China had believed she had miscarried, and Jeremy acted alone on dumping the breathing child i nto the dumpster. This enormous problem eventually led to the downfall of China and Jeremy’s relationship.Boyle gets his ideas for his stories in many different ways, some can be from him just walking down the street and an idea pops into his head, others ideas come when he is watching television or reading a book. Boyle got the idea to write â€Å"The Love of My Life† from a case he read in the newspaper (After). The case was about a murder investigation involving Amy S. Grossberg and Brian C. Peterson for the murder of their new born baby boy. Grossberg delivered the baby at a Comfort Inn in Newark, Delaware, in November 1996 (â€Å"Amy†). Grossberg was assisted by her boyfriend Brian Peterson. Peterson threw the baby in the dumpster.In March1998, Peterson pled guilty to man slaughter and served a two-year sentence. On April 22, 1998, Grossberg agreed to plea bargain, and was sentenced to two-and -half years in prison on July 9, 1998. Later, Peterson got marri ed and now lives in Florida. Grossberg has now started a high end greeting card business with her parents (â€Å"Amy†). The only differences between the Peterson and Grossberg case and â€Å"The Love of My Life† is Boyle changed Peterson and Grossberg’s names and the sex of the baby, other than that the two stories are very similar. Love is a theme that is expressed frequently in this story, making some wonder, what is love?China and Jeremy believe love should be expressed physically, rather than physically and emotionally. China says love should be â€Å"the way it was in the movies, where the stars ambushed each other on beds the size of small planets and did it again and again until they lay nestled in a heap of pillows and blankets† (Boyle 381). Jeremy says explains that â€Å"there was no feeling like this, no triumph, no high – it was like being unconquerable, like floating,† (Boyle 381) and for their spring break trip, Jeremy â€Å"d idn’t even bring his fishing rod, and that was love† (Boyle 383). Their idea of love is questioned when China is pregnant.Jeremy begins to think of China as â€Å"pig-headed, stubborn, and irrational† (Boyle 385). Yet he does what she asks, like when she tells him to â€Å"get rid of it†, it meaning the baby, he does not ask questions he simply wraps the baby in plastic and leaves the room (Boyle 387). China’s love is also questioned when she chooses to testify against Jeremy, blaming him for the death of their child, claiming to have believed she had a miscarriage. Yet she claims to still love him. In this short story, Boyle uses water to symbolize the state of their relationship (Robertson). Boyle mentions it raining or not raining fourteen times.When the water is calm and peaceful then their relationship is going well and blooming (Robertson). However, when the water turns rapid, so does the relationship. For instance, when Jeremy and China go on their five day backpacking trip near the lake, Boyle makes use note that â€Å"not a drop† of rain is suppose to fall (Boyle 383). With no rain in sight Jeremy and China are going to have very peaceful trip. Another example of â€Å"not a drop† of rain falling is the night before Jeremy is arrested and he is dreaming of fishing in the river, that is also a peaceful moment for him.On the other hand, the day China’s water breaks we are told that â€Å"it is raining, raining hard† which is a sign that their relationship is struggling (Boyle 386). Later that evening â€Å"the rain had turned to ice† this could be a sign of how cold they are toward each other (Boyle 386). After hours of labor and hours of rain the baby is born. The very next day when the police come to arrest Jeremy it is raining again. Boyle draws parallels between China’s dorm life and her time at Sarah Barnes Cooper Women’s Correctional Institute (Kettering).The food à ¢â‚¬Å"was exactly what they served at the dining hall in college,† and the room was â€Å"just like a dorm room, except that they locked the doors at night† (Boyle 388). The image of the moon is used to unify the story (Kettering). China quotes a John Donne poem to Jeremy, saying she loves him â€Å"More than Moon† (Boyle 384). As she grows with her pregnancy, he begins to call her â€Å"More than Moon† since her stomach is so round and white (Boyle 384). The note that she sends to him during the trial references the poem again, saying that she loves him â€Å"More than Moon† (Boyle 389).Boyle uses nature to symbolize the emotions that Jeremy and China feel. For example, spring and winter are used to show the highs and lows that China and Jeremy go through during these times of the year. When Jeremy and China are so in love with one another, Boyle uses imagery associated with spring to indicate that their love is fertile and growing (â€Å"Termâ₠¬ ). I feel that Boyle uses this story as an attempt to inform us that no matter how in love we think we are, something can always go wrong, and that you may never get that love back.He allows us to see and feel what Jeremy and China feel through what they say to each other and the words he uses to describe their love. As the story continues we gain more understanding of their relationship, and this is why the story is so heart breaking when China turns her back on Jeremy at the end to save her own future. This whole story triggers our emotions, it allows us to feel the love they have for each other and then feel the betrayal. Which makes Boyle’s point very clear, love does not conquer all. The Love of My Life In the short story â€Å"The Love of My Life,† two teenagers make one bad decision and their lives are changed forever. The author, T. Coraghessan Boyle, wrote the story based on an actual news story that had occurred a few years back. The author does a great job of making the relationship between Jeremy and China seem so wonderful and almost innocent, that it is hard to be angry with them. The two characters in the story, Jeremy and China, are young and are head over heels for each other.The very first line of the story is all it takes to make the reader realize that these two youngsters share the true meaning of love, â€Å"they wore each other like a pair of socks. † All of that changes when the two find out that China is pregnant. Instead of properly handling their situation, they have the baby and dispose of it in a dumpster at a motel. Although the story has a very upsetting plot, you can't help but feel some sympathy toward the characters. The beginning of the st ory starts out describing the great, young love that Jeremy and China had.They did everything with each other, spent almost every waking moment together, and rarely ever fought. Both teenagers were on a great track in life; graduating at the top of their high school class, both going to top colleges and well-liked by most. They would tell each other â€Å"I love you† more times in a day than they could keep track of. Every time they walked into a room they would kiss. They seemed to have the perfect relationship. Then, the summer before college would commence, they went on a week-long camping trip alone.Of course, being alone, they had the opportunity to have sex and enjoy their time together. Obviously caught in the heat of the moment, knowing they were out of condoms, they had sex anyway. One irrational decision led to their lives changing forever. Before going to school in the fall, China learned that she was pregnant. Out of immaturity, and fear, she decides to do nothing about it and hide it, hoping it would perhaps just go away. Jeremy is just as clueless and scared as she is, and goes along with her decision.When the night comes that China is to have her baby, she calls up Jeremy and they meet at the motel they had met at many times before. When she arrives there, Jeremy is waiting at the door. When she walks by him, â€Å"they didn't kiss- they didn't even touch- and then she was on the bed. † By this time, they have almost completely lost all of the love in their relationship and all their fighting has just pulled them apart more and more. Hours passed, and she finally had the baby. After the trauma of giving birth, all she could say to Jeremy was, â€Å"get rid of it. Jeremy, not knowing what else to do, listened to her order. After driving China back to school, he returned to the motel, wrapped the baby in a plastic bag, and disposed of it in a dumpster. Like most secrets, this one didn't last very long. Both teenagers were soon arres ted. On the day of their court appearance, China writes Jeremy a note saying, â€Å"I love you, will always love you no matter what. It is apparent that she still loves him so much, but it is hard to tell whether Jeremy still feels the same at this point in the story. All he can say to her before they part is, â€Å"you told me to get rid of it. A part in the story that seems to be very ironic is that China always would joke with Jeremy that she would â€Å"never be like those breeders that bring their puffed-up squalling little red-faced babies to class. † Sadly, the thing that they had once laughed at others for happened to them. It can also become so intense and cause people to do crazy things, just like the characters in â€Å"The Love of My Life. † They may not have killed one another, but they did murder their baby. They were blinded by their love and still so immature that they did not know how to deal with such a serious situation like that.

Free Essays on By Your Side

Free Essays on By Your Side BY YOUR SIDE It hurts to know you’re hurting Because you’re so special in my heart The pain that you are feeling Is tearing me apart But know that love has a way Of easing all that’s wrong Together we can make it If we hold on and just be strong Know that you’re not alone In all your adversity For by your side through and through Is where I’ll always be...

Marketing Mix Paper Essays - Marketing, Brand Management, Business

Marketing Mix Paper Essays - Marketing, Brand Management, Business Marketing Mix Paper Marketing Kudler Fine Foods MKT/421 July 8, 2013 Dr. Mark Vitale Marketing Kudler Fine Foods In the current retail food industry there are numerous competitors struggling for the same dollar. It is vital for each business to recognize their target market, recognize their competitors and then put together their marketing plan. The information below will detail Kudler Fine Foods marketing strategies which consist of increasing its services, improving its effectiveness of the business and increase consumer purchase cycle. This paper will also talk about areas where Kudler Fine Foods needs to expand their market research. Kudler fine food is a store that markets fine foods and needs to bring about increasing their goods to the community. Kudler feels by improving the business operations can determine the store increase and effectiveness and the demand of its clientele at a higher quantity of buyers. In taking a look at the demographics and the consumer behavior and who are the major consumers out there, and what do their purchase decisions are. The importance of the marketing research is not only used for the purpose of knowledge, but it is also a critical component needed to make good decisions for the company. It will allow the company to advertise goods and services. A strategic marketing plan by, deciding what the overall objective of your company should be in. Kudler Fine foods are in a very excellent place to stay dominant in the grocery store path and increase their sales quantity by adding more stores in different places. Consumer behavior essentially refers to how and why people make the purchase decisions they do. Marketers strive to understand this behavior so they can better formulate appropriate marketing stimuli that will result in increased sales and brand loyalty. There are a vast number of goods available for purchase, but consumers tend to attribute this volume to the industrial world's massive production capacity. Rather, the giant known as the marketing profession is responsible for the variety of goods on the market. The science of evaluating and influencing consumer behavior is foremost in determining which marketing efforts will be used and when (Reference for Business, 2013). This helps the marking business in making the best decisions and the rights decision for Kudler fine Foods to promote business for the store. Kundler Fine Foods gives the highest quality to it a customer thats why it is so important to continue to give the customers what they need and want. Furthermore by not doing the research how will they evaluate their company and know what the customers should focus on in keeping the customers happy and coming back. From researching Kudlers Fine Foods will give a full description of supply and demand of their goods and make public to the competitors that are in the market of fine foods. Then there are other smaller markets that are comparable such as Sprouts, Trade Joes, and other community markets that can be competitors to Kudler. By researching this it will help to divide in a different class of markets. Differentiation strategy will give the consumer a choice an integrated set of action that the company can designed to produce or deliver goods or services that customers perceive as being different in ways that are important to them. In researching customers needs and what they want gives Kudler Fine Foods an upper quality for competitors. The gross sales for Kudler were over $10 million but when researched their net income was only $700,000 and the reason was of the operating cost. Kudler may not have the resources to launch advertising for the company because problems have occurred because of the lack of experience to the target market. Kudler needs a target market to allow the company to focus on marketing dollars and brand communication on a exact markets that is more likely to buy from than or other markets. This is a much more reasonable and efficient, and successful way to make potential clients and generate business. Kudler chain of stores makes them a distinguished factor in the market. This is why a lack of customers will have a huge affect on the growth of the company because of the decrease of the sales in the company. Research will help

4 Tips on Writing a Wedding Speech

4 Tips on Writing a Wedding Speech 4 Tips on Writing a Wedding Speech Who doesn’t love weddings? Fancy clothes, romance, food and drink aplenty – they tick all the â€Å"Good Time† boxes. But wait! Maybe you’re the best man, maid of honor, or father of the bride. If so, you might find yourself distracted by fear of delivering a wedding speech. But you can’t let worries about public speaking ruin the party. And with our top tips, you can be confident of getting your wedding speech just right. We will not be recommending a sing-along, but it is an option.(Photo: Greg Neate/flickr) 1. The Essentials of a Wedding Speech There is a basic structure that most wedding speeches follow: Introduce yourself and how you know the groom and/or bride Offer an anecdote or two about your relationship with them Talk about the bride and groom as a couple Thank anyone who you need to thank (e.g., guests, parents of the couple) Make a toast to the future There is room for variation in here, depending on the tone you want to strike. But this basic structure is a good starting point for any wedding speech. 2. Be Funny (But Not Too Funny) It’s often fun to have a couple of jokes or funny stories in a wedding speech. You can look for jokes online, but people may have heard these before! Instead, try to come up with something personal to the couple. Jokes are always funnier if they are based on something true. Remember, though, that this is not a comedy routine. Your speech should celebrate the couple. And if all you do is crack jokes, it might seem like you’re not taking the wedding seriously. 3. Don’t Go There! Here is a list of things you should not do in your wedding speech: Go on about the happy couple’s ex-partners Swear and/or tell filthy jokes Discuss the couple’s relationship problems Dig out the most embarrassing stories imaginable Make it all about you Talk for hours and hours (10 minutes maximum!) You can bend these rules if you’re sure the couple and guests will be fine with what you say. But remember that Aunt Ethel might not be as happy to hear your foul-mouthed story about what the groom did on holiday in Thailand as you and your buddies! So try to judge the room. 4. Get It Proofread You might not think proofreading is important for a wedding speech, as nobody will read it except you. But it does offer advantages: Making sure it is error free will make it easier to read out loud Editing will keep your speech punchy and focused You can even request feedback on your jokes! So if you want to make a great speech, get in touch to see how we can help.

Publishing and Distribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Publishing and Distribution - Essay Example In the changing scenerio, libraries and libraraians will have to play a crucial role in handling conventional and electronic resources. Thus the era of electronic publishing has begun affecting producers, distributors, library and Information centres and user community. Kist (1989) defined electronic publishing as "the application by publishers of a computer aided process, by which they find, capture, shape, store, and update information content in order to disseminate it to a chosen audience" (p. 600 ). Kist pointed out that this definition makes no distinction between the manufacturing process and the disseminating process. Less than a decade ago the term electronic publishing identified an activity that is now referred to as desktop publishing, in which information is stored and formatted electronically, but manufactured and distributed by traditional paper-based methods. Kist claimed that the term electronic publishing (which can include any single aspect digital storage, manufacture, or transmission of a publication) is now so broad that it is usually meaningless. Brownrigg and Lynch (1985) took a very different approach to defining an electronic publication. Their insightful article began by making a clear distinction between electronic produ ction and distribution of information. The authors distinguished between what they called Newtonian (Gutenberg/paper-based) publishing and quantum-mechanical (electronically transmitted) publishing. They concluded that much of what is currently labeled electronic publishing is actually traditional Gutenberg-style publishing carried out by modern methods. Their thesis was that electronic publishing is a delivery medium: that publication is an action and process rather than an artifact. This idea seems to have some merit. One of the most complete definitions of electronic publishing appears in a popular electronic encyclopedia (Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1995). This wholly electronic publication defines electronic publishing this way "Sometimes used to describe the application of computers to traditional print publishing--from word processing to computerized order processing--the term electronic publishing refers more precisely to the storage and retrieval of information through e lectronic communications media. It can employ a variety of formats and technologies, some already in widespread use by businesses and general consumers, and others still being developed. Electronic publishing technologies can be classified into two general categories: those in which information is stored in a centralized computer source and delivered to the user by a telecommunications system; and those in which the data is digitally stored on a disk or other physically deliverable medium. The former category, including online data base services and videotext, represents the most active area in electronic publishing today". Electronic publishing brings us a host of changes. It increases the speed of communicating, disseminating and digesting knowledge. It provides new means of searching for, finding and analyzing specific information. It reduces the need for additional shelf capacities in libraries. Yes, electronic

Performance against the Project baseline Research Paper

Performance against the Project baseline - Research Paper Example This involves Earned Value Management technique is employed to measure the project performance against the planned baselines and to forecast any deviations from the planned activities to bring project variations within acceptable limits. Planned expenditures, budgeted expenditures and actual expenditures form the basis of Earned Value calculations. In 1960’s, US Navy formally began to use this technique in their projects. It was later made more user-friendly based on define set criteria by National Defense Industrial Association to effectively employ this technique in public and private sector projects (David, 1994). Earned Value Management is the most commonly employed method, which relates project scope, cost and schedule for measurement of project performance. The most common metrics used to measure the project performance are Cost Variance (CV) and Schedule Variance (SV). The variance in CV and SV decreases as more work is accomplished towards project completion. Also values of acceptable variances in CV and SV can be determined early during the project planning (Charles, 2010). 3.4 Cost Variance (CV). Difference in Earned value (EV) and actual cost (AC) gives the cost variance. At the project completion, cost variance can be calculated as difference of Budget at Completion (BAC) and Actual Cost incurred. 3.6 Cost Performance Index (CPI). Cost Performance Index (CPI) is a ratio of Earned Value (EV) to Actual Cost (AC). CPI value is a cost efficiency indicator showing either a cost overrun (less than 1) or a cost underrun (greater than 1). 4.1 Project Baseline. Earned Value Techniques relate Earned Value against the project baselines. More accurate the project baseline is, more beneficial would be outcome of earned value management, Thus, cost overruns would occur if project is under budgeted and scope creep would occur if project scope baseline is not

Ethics of Health Care Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics of Health Care - Case Study Example There are various legal consequences that follow a person’s declaration of death including the person’s  legal  acknowledgement  and responsibilities of personhood. Legally, every person holds the right to  die  and have a dignified death, only as not to choose the terms of their death. This means that in relation to state that they  live  in certain circumstances  permit  an  individual  the right to die. Considering the womans  aged  and past the life expectancy  period. In addition to this, she is terminally ill with no ambulatory or verbal responses, also termed as brain dead. The law allows for life support systems to be terminated once termed as brain dead for a period long enough to  show  no expected recovery (Donald, 2003). Other facts such as the ethical  decision  to  connect  life support in the first place depicts the right to  disconnect  it if need be,  support  this fact. Also, the decision by family members or a court  order  through patients will  disconnect  the  support  system. The medical practicing ethical issue here is the  termination  of the life of an  individual  that is using life support. Legally the only  ethical  procedure  that doctors  follow  in such a  case  is the  determination  of the brain state of the patient and the responsiveness of the family members. If the patient is brain dead and there is no chance of recovery, the  news  is provided  to the family members and the  option  of disconnecting the life support system. Such disconnection can only be conducted upon receipt of a court order, request from the responsible family members and a  will  left behind by the incapacitated patient. The caring doctors and  institution  cannot make this decision all by themselves (Donald, 2003). Disconnection of the life support system would be the  decision  reached. This could be

Compare and contrast The Lesson with Girl Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare and contrast The Lesson with Girl - Essay Example The generation gap is obvious by the amount of talking done by mother and the short responses of the daughter. The story also points to the start of the new era and age. All the advices of the mother are representing the previous generation suppression and hindrances. They particularly point to the sufferings of the women. â€Å"The Lesson† gives variety of themes. The most striking is the socioeconomic differences in American society. The short story shows the psychological makeup of a class because of the economic conditions and the reaction of the class when confronted with another class. The story also tells about the relationship of children and parents. In the story this relationship is very weak; in fact parents have given the responsibility to someone else. Comparing this theme with â€Å"Girl†, it becomes clear that despite generation gap the relationship of mother and daughter is strong. It is the concern of mother which is forcing her to guide the daughter, w hile in â€Å"The Lesson† children are given to a cousin by parents. Another contrasting theme of these two stories is that in â€Å"Girl† the mother is trying to save conventional ways and means but in â€Å"The Lesson† Miss Moore is deliberately trying to teach unconventional ways to the children. Although the writer of â€Å"Girl† is not intending to safeguard traditional values but there is no intent of challenging them. CHARACTERS â€Å"Girl† has two characters, Mother and Daughter. In this short story they are representing two different generations, two different points of views. Although most of the talking in this short story is done by the mother but the daughter is able to make her presence felt by two meek interruptions. â€Å"The Lesson† has many characters and they all represent same racial class. Miss Moore is antagonist as she responsible for all the tension and drama in the story. Her name suggests different meanings for exam ple she is more educated, she has more money, and she wants more children to get educated. Miss Moore wants to give something back to her community and the best she could is by educating younger generation. Sylvia is the narrator of the story and she is a kind of leader. She does not submit to authority easily and therefore hates Miss Moore. This feeling increases after the trip, which was intended as a lesson. Although at the end Sylvia realizes and understands the lesson but for most of the story she is against Miss Moore. Sugar is another character of the story and like her name she is very innocent and sweet. She is the best friend of Sylvia and was first to tell what Sylvia felt and what Miss Moore wanted them to feel. Her innocent question regarding stealing at toy shop represents her inner innocence as well as the education and norms of a class. Other characters are not very active but their names are very interesting and give a very vivid picture in the mind of readers. Flyb oy, Fat Butt, Mercedes, Rosie, Junebug, Q.T etc represent different shades of a class and their name also presents to some extent their physical and mental attributes. Characterization of â€Å"The Lesson† is very strong as compare to â€Å"Girl†. The main reason for this is the length of two short stories. Despite this difference in both the stories the focus remains on two characters. The relationship between main characters in both short stories remain same i.e. one is educating or trying to

Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters Essay

Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters - Essay Example Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters? By writing this letter, it is my firm belief that you will take a leading role in advocating for issues pertaining media ownership and diversity. From the onset, it is vital to highlight that various legislations and court rulings have rolled  the gains made in the ownership of media in the country with the issue of ownership concentrated on certain key elements while women and the minorities face challenges in media ownership. Simultaneously, it is evident that employment of women and the minority in the media industry experiences little progress despite the country’s efforts in engaging the minorities and women in various fields due to affirmative action. Undeniably, there is a persistent lack of women and minority representation in the management of media houses and broadcast companies, which consequently narrows the economic and professional opportunities in one of the most influential industries in the country. The issue does not only occur in management. However, watch ing prime time news in the media depicts minorities in a bad light. For example, the scenes that the media subjects their viewers to involve Latinos invading the borders of this nation while the black community in America is painted as criminals with handcuffs on them following incidents of crime and consequent arrest by law enforcement agencies. Indeed, this depiction of minorities paints a gloomy picture on the country’s media. On the other hand, women also face widespread underrepresentation on prime time news. In line with this, a study held by 4th Estate during the 2012 presidential poll in America observed that there were seven times as many quotes from men than from women in the country’s main TV news programs newspapers. To make matters worse, the country’s media focused more on men than on women even in instances whereby the news focused on issues related to women. Consequently, this is an indication that there is the presence of widespread exclusion of women and minorities in the country’s media, which leads to the stories of these vital groups remaining largely untold. Research studies indicate of the effectiveness of news coverage in impacting on public opinions based on various approaches such as agenda-setting and framing (Avery and Peffley 134). In line with this, setting an agenda determines the issues that media and broadcasting houses discuss in order to influence public opinion. On the other hand, framing involves the communication of content by a media or broadcasting house to the public. Consequently, it is essential to point out that the framing of the content and agenda-setting influences the way that the public in the country will perceive issues that are political, social, and economical in nature. Based on this, it is evident that the failure to involve the minorities and women in management and employment in media has failed to ensure the presence of an agenda that sets to debate issues that affect them an d how to solve these issues. For this reason, the country continues to debate on minority issues that are not conclusive since the people responsible for setting the agenda for discussion are not fully involved by the media. On the other hand, their involvement in setting the agenda might not be effective since their issues will not be solved effectively based on the evidence that

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 11

Case Study Example This paper explores this question with reference to the Wal-Mart’s adoption of a computerized scheduling system from the Kronos. Wal-Mart is faced with the ethical dilemma of adopting a computerized scheduling system for its employees, which will speed up the scheduling of its employees’ work shifts. The advocates of the rights of workers were strongly against the move arguing on the impacts the adoption of the computerized system would have on the lives of the workers. It is imperative to point that the store managers, who manually carried out the schedule arrangement, traditionally carried out the intended work of scheduling workers at the Wal-Mart’s big box stores. The store manager’s decisions were based on previous year’s weekly sales data and the store promotions. The process of scheduling the employees was traditionally a time consuming process that took the store managers a full day. It is significant to note that the manual scheduling of the employees by the store managers was an expensive endeavor given the fact that Wal-Mart operates a number of stores. The labor intensi ty that was required to schedule the Wal-Mart employees manually produced marginally beneficial results to the company, thus expensive. The use of the computerized system of scheduling employees in Wal-Mart the overall productivity of the scheduling process was achieved within a short time for all the stores. The adoption of the Kronos scheduling system is of great benefit to the company due to its flexibility, cost efficiency, cost effectiveness, as well as improved productivity. It is also significant to note that the store managers, with the adoption of the computerized scheduling system, can now concentrate on the effective management of their respective stores. The computerized employee scheduling system by the Kronos has an efficient system of tracking transactions, sales by individual stress, customer traffic, and

Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters Essay

Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters - Essay Example Why Media Ownership and Diversity Matters? By writing this letter, it is my firm belief that you will take a leading role in advocating for issues pertaining media ownership and diversity. From the onset, it is vital to highlight that various legislations and court rulings have rolled  the gains made in the ownership of media in the country with the issue of ownership concentrated on certain key elements while women and the minorities face challenges in media ownership. Simultaneously, it is evident that employment of women and the minority in the media industry experiences little progress despite the country’s efforts in engaging the minorities and women in various fields due to affirmative action. Undeniably, there is a persistent lack of women and minority representation in the management of media houses and broadcast companies, which consequently narrows the economic and professional opportunities in one of the most influential industries in the country. The issue does not only occur in management. However, watch ing prime time news in the media depicts minorities in a bad light. For example, the scenes that the media subjects their viewers to involve Latinos invading the borders of this nation while the black community in America is painted as criminals with handcuffs on them following incidents of crime and consequent arrest by law enforcement agencies. Indeed, this depiction of minorities paints a gloomy picture on the country’s media. On the other hand, women also face widespread underrepresentation on prime time news. In line with this, a study held by 4th Estate during the 2012 presidential poll in America observed that there were seven times as many quotes from men than from women in the country’s main TV news programs newspapers. To make matters worse, the country’s media focused more on men than on women even in instances whereby the news focused on issues related to women. Consequently, this is an indication that there is the presence of widespread exclusion of women and minorities in the country’s media, which leads to the stories of these vital groups remaining largely untold. Research studies indicate of the effectiveness of news coverage in impacting on public opinions based on various approaches such as agenda-setting and framing (Avery and Peffley 134). In line with this, setting an agenda determines the issues that media and broadcasting houses discuss in order to influence public opinion. On the other hand, framing involves the communication of content by a media or broadcasting house to the public. Consequently, it is essential to point out that the framing of the content and agenda-setting influences the way that the public in the country will perceive issues that are political, social, and economical in nature. Based on this, it is evident that the failure to involve the minorities and women in management and employment in media has failed to ensure the presence of an agenda that sets to debate issues that affect them an d how to solve these issues. For this reason, the country continues to debate on minority issues that are not conclusive since the people responsible for setting the agenda for discussion are not fully involved by the media. On the other hand, their involvement in setting the agenda might not be effective since their issues will not be solved effectively based on the evidence that

Abstract Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abstract - Assignment Example Modernization is a positive step forward, but what about what we leave behind? Building new, technologically-advanced and expensive cities cannot alleviate poverty or reduce the income gap that is expanding every year. According to Cohen, large cities like Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Bangkok follow the unsustainable blueprint of grander projects at the expense of equity. Cohen (55) argues that growing cosmopolitan jungles like Delhi are also joining the fray by ignoring the poor and giving more power to the privileged. Cohen cites sources that highlight poor sanitation, health, housing and unemployment are the undercurrents that define 21st century cities. Sadly, these same issues were present in 19th and 20th century cities, but we have chosen to continue the trend instead of stopping it. Which begs the question, how long will we keep it going? How long do we think the poor can continue watching opportunities being given to the rich? A solution is needed; urgently. Results: Cohen argues that the events of the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street and Cabalgata de los Indignados show that we are sitting on a time bomb that will destroy everybody; the rich and the poor. As much as these events were politically motivated, social conditions played a huge role in their occurrence. The fact that they took place in major cities of those countries is another reason to worry. For example, why did the Occupy Wall Street protesters not go to Denver or Washington? The answer is because New York has enough frustrated people to sustain such a drive. We need to start designing urban 3.0, the cities that will gradually do away with the inequalities inherent in our current white elephants. Cohen’s analysis and arguments are based on past experiences and credible sources that support his claims. According to Cohen, this is not to say that urban 3.0 will solve all our problems, but it will reduce them significantly. It is all a matter of good planning

Impact Of Virtual Reality On The Society Media Essay

Impact Of Virtual Reality On The Society Media Essay Despite the disagreement Virtual Reality has awakened the world in enormous ways and the society should not stay dubious of the tremendous potentials it has to bring in an optimistic way a large technological development. The word virtual shares its root with virtue, a word whose original meaning denoted strength. More recently, virtual has come to describe something that possesses essence and effect without possessing form, something not quite physical, but with a measurable impact on the real. Thats certainly true of virtual worlds. Virtual reality is turning out to be the topic with many opposing viewpoints. It has become the focal point of discussion among the general public for several reasons. Conceivably, this is mostly because of all the potentials which virtual reality develops (Hoffman, 2004). However, despite the disagreement this new technology has awakened, society should not stay dubious. Virtual reality if used in an optimistic way can bring a large technological development. Military and space technology, the entertainment industry, and the physical sciences contributed to the drive to make advanced computers user friendly. Initially, complex simulators presented low-definition displays through binocular headsets. Addition of position sensors introduced motion parallax, with depth cues that created the illusion of being within a three-dimensional graphical display. The invention of a `DataGlove, whose movements could be sensed by the computer and then reconstructed in the display, enabled the observer and computer to interact with instructions given by the observer via simple hand movements such as pointing. The overall effect was that the observer experienced a computer-generated artificial or virtual reality (VR), whose credibility depended largely on the agreement between the simulated imagery and the familiar sensible world (Zimmer, 2004). Societal Impacts of VR Virtual reality applications are finding their way into the mainstream of society. Initially, the use of VR (virtual reality) was seen as valuable only to scientists and engineers whose highly specialized needs more than overcame the poor quality of the computer generated 3D images. For example, scientists can engage in molecular research by moving within molecules to examine their structures. Doctors and other medical personnel can practice elaborate or dangerous procedures before attempting them on human subjects. With special imaging software, the experience can take place on a virtual done of the patient awaiting surgery in the next room. Doctors can control a microscopic, mechanical, seeing-eye arm, through the body which can lead to better diagnoses even on patients thousands of miles away (Zimmer, 2004). Immersive virtual reality pain distraction was originated and developed by Hoffman Patterson at the Univ. of Washington Seattle and Harborview Burn Center. Source: (Hoffman H. ) Formerly, virtual reality was known as nothing but a diminutive stride ahead of video games. However, it is now understandable that this technology can be used for more realistic purposes. These purposes embrace national defense, medicinal and surgical measures and a variety of other functions. Society has not completely recognized the benefits of virtual reality as of yet because it is still under progress. The basis for virtual reality enduring in its growth for so long is mostly due to its intricacy (Riva, Mantovani, Capideville, 2007). Oddly, even though much has been printed about the possible societal impact of other rising technologies, such as genetic production and cyborgization, comparatively very less has been penned down about the impact of VR on the society (Calvert, 2002). In my point of view this may be because people may believe they already have witnessed VR, through portrayal of VR on television and cinema; the worlds of genetic production and cyborgization are less common, and yet seem proficient to transform the very concept of  ¿Ã‚ ½humans ¿Ã‚ ½ (Lang, 1996). If this is why researchers have given reduced attention to VR, this position has resulted from erroneous philosophy (Zimmer, 2004). Virtual reality has the prospective to intensely modify human society, not by destabilizing our corporeal corpse (as genetic production or cyborgization may), but by changing our insight and relations. Other medical breakthroughs have occurred when humans use specially designed hardware in virtual worlds. Two of the hardware pieces specifically are a data glove and a body suit. The data glove fits the hand and has tiny sensors that record and transmit data about even the smallest movements of the fingers, hand, and wrist (Riva, 2005). Doctors have been able to use this information to identify and evaluate neuromuscular diseases of the hands. The data suit collects information about the human torso or even the entire body. With it, scientists can help individuals who have experienced leg traumas to learn to walk again. One researcher has even noted that disabled kids may someday engage in virtual rugby (Anderson Bushman, 2001). The menu of VR-experiences from which a patient might choose is limited by the capacity of the computer to generate accurate representations, by the skill of the designer, and by the preferences of the supervising clinician. Although the patient may choose from within that menu, choice is necessarily more constrained than in daily life. Restriction of choice in this way carries considerable potential for abuse. At one level VR becomes a terrifying instrument of torture, at another a powerful means of education (Wiederhold Wiederhold, 2005). Fundamentally, the experiences generated are limited to those that man can design; the meanings a patient might attribute to them need not agree with those presumed by the VR designer. It would be irresponsible to introduce patients to a world that contains no more significance or deeper meaning than that which man can construct. For patients seeking to understand, as many do, the purpose of their suffering, VR is as unlikely as hallucinogenic dr ug use to provide access to a deeper reality in their search for meaning (Anderson Bushman, 2001). Another early application of VR was in training people for hazardous real-life occupations. Firefighters, for example, can practice fighting fires and searching for trapped victims. Even more cutting edge is wearing a body suit that controls the movements of a robotic firefighter who can travel into severe heat and see through dense smoke to rescue an unconscious person. Exploring volcanoes is a third example of how virtual reality is changing our world. For obvious reasons, it is not safe to send trained volcanic experts into live volcanoes. However, it is possible to send a virtually controlled robot into the danger to send back digital images for further study (Wiederhold Wiederhold, 2005). In a virtual world, lifelike avatars can study and perhaps interact with the holographic display of a humanoid robot More recently, VR has worked its way even beyond these initial applications into the workplace, school, and home. Commercial applications include product design that is more efficient, requires less travel time, and less money to develop. Entire buildings can be created and displayed for preconstruction walk-through. On a larger scale, the University of Washington has even created a virtual Seattle. Developers can examine and evaluate fuel flows in a rocket booster tank during a simulated launch (Zimmer, 2004). The aircraft industry can create new models and virtually experience instrumentation layout, seating arrangements, and emergency pathways. Now advertising agencies have developed virtual tours and objects to promote their products. Tourist attractions can share parts of their offerings from clear snorkeling waters to high-speed roller coasters to help entice travelers at home or in a travel agency. Auto manufacturers can put the prospective buyer in their automobiles on the World Wide Web while the customer is still at home (Hoffman, 2004). Virtual 3-D factories facilitate experimentation with manufacturing processes and can expedite the training of workers Government entities which previously might have used virtual reality only to simulate military maneuvers now might promote national treasures. Tank and submarine commanders benefit particularly from VR because the head mounted displays are very similar to looking through a periscope. Recently, the Smithsonian Institutions Museum of Natural History created a virtual museum tour on the Internet with the help of a team of educators at Mississippi State University. Schools have benefited from virtual reality field trips and experiments (Riva, Mantovani, Capideville, 2007). Whether the students are learning in public, private, or home school environments, they can engage in learning as never before. They can feel the effects of gravity as they walk on the moon, explore deep sea caverns, get face to face with beasts on a safari, or even touch the delicate rain forests creatures and vegetation. Students can also travel through virtual time. They can sit in on the signing of the Declaration of Independence, march through Atlanta with Dr. Martin Luther King, or trade flaming arrows with King Arthur (Cassidy Rimbeaux, 1994). Entertainment is drastically changing with virtual reality. Video games are more sophisticated and true to life from competing in the giant slalom at the Olympic Games with Tommy Moe or Picabo Street to driving in the Indianapolis 500 with the Unser family to competing for Top Gun with Tom Cruise (Gross Levenson, 1995). Several years ago, Juggling for the Complete Klutz; was published. It helped some people, but not everyone who wanted to be a clown. The missing element, now available with VR, was to slow down the action by reducing the effects of gravity. Later as the user becomes proficient, the gravity levels can be increased until they are back to Earth levels. My personal favorite though is Dreamality Technologies Inc.s Dream Glider (Gross Levenson, 1995). Ive always wanted to hang glide, but my wife has refused to allow me to do so because of the perceived dangers. Now, just by shelling out a few bucks and strapping on a harness, I can enter a simulator and glide anywhere within a virtual environment. Each interactive ride is different because the skill of the rider determines the course and length of the flight (Zimmer, 2004). Almost as fascinating as the applications of VR, is the psychology of life in a virtual world. The behavior of humans will be quite interesting to monitor as they begin to experience a phenomena known as reality confusion. Parents will have concerns about their children at school and at home participating in digital experiences. As with most new technologies that people and the press do not understand, the prospective evils are highlighted in discussions. However, concerns like isolationism and pornography, while valid, will eventually give way to the overwhelming benefits of virtual reality to our society. Therefore the way a few of us live now might be the way a larger population will live, decades hence (Hoffman, 2004). A common question is How close is virtual reality to true reality? It is true that there is a lot more that needs to be improved and developed. To truly bring a user to a point where one is unable to distinguish between reality and virtual reality, the hardware and software must encompass more of the senses. More powerful hardware will lead to better response times for the entire experience (Lang, 1996). Visually, resolutions must be high enough to match the capabilities of the human eye. Three-dimensional sound must replace stereo sound. The sense of touch must encounter force. Perhaps taste and smell will eventually work their way into virtual environments. In reality, the applications of virtual reality will stem from human needs, not out of technological capabilities (Lang, 1996). There is a huge amount of attention being given to the psychology of those who make use of the Internet, and to the Internet ¿Ã‚ ½s superior communal insinuation. Surely, VR and its possible societal and psychosomatic penalties ought to have this type of concentration, and much more. What will VR do to humanity, and to individual psychological understanding? Answers will be given to these conjectural questions in connection to communal domains. Although the social order knows a lot about VR there is still so much that it does not contemplate. Perhaps in future, new technology will come out and public will find out more about this virtual world (Zimmer, 2004). However, until that time, the questions will stay many and doubtful however the potential is limitless. People also argue about the probable societal effects of having most individual connections happen online, in the virtual or cyber world. Supporters of VR and online world say that prospect VR and technology could modify the stature of communication, thus drawing people more close to each other (Cassidy Rimbeaux, 1994). Noted by Lang (1996):  ¿Ã‚ ½The developers of the virtual worlds have limitless opportunities to shape the scale and appearance of the world, the capabilities of its avatars, the methods of communication, and even the laws of physics (e.g., space exploration over galactic distances). It is possible to explore new experiences that are not possible in any other medium ¿Ã‚ ½ (Lang, 1996). In 1999, Burger King conducted a focus group to tour a new store concepta 3,300-square-foot 50s-style diner. What made it unusual was that the group never left their seats, and the store didnt exist. The technology that made it possible-3-D computer-assisted design (CAD) brings a new dimension to standard CAD applications, which designers have used for more than a decade to sketch store plans electronically. 3-D takes that process a step further by offering a new perspective, thus making it easier to picture shelf sets and giving clients more input at an earlier stage in the design process (Zimmer, 2004). 3-D helps designers communicate better with store owners. Frequently, building owners arent comfortable with reading 2-D construction documents and may not fully understand the design. This causes costly changes late in the design or construction process. Using 3-D also helps identify errors, such as interferences between ductwork and the buildings structure, early in the design process, which eliminates costly change orders in construction and speeds the time to successful project completion (Zimmer, 2004). Electronic renderings force designers to be more objective and think about perspective. Additionally, mistakes are a matter of a mouse click. Once youve done a hand rendering, theres nothing you can do to change it. Its not a particularly responsive tool in terms of speed and revision. If somebody can see how something is going to work, they may choose a design theyd otherwise avoid. The same is true for materials. Conclusion The technology is turning out to be so complicated that public will no longer be able to differentiate whether they are in virtual or actual reality. Technology most certainly has the capability to go haywire. It is likely that VR will turn out to be a technological advancement which humans will be unable to control and will take over all of humanity. If this were the case, culture and the populace within it would turn out to be unsure if they were in virtual or actual reality. If society is clever enough to create such a technology it should be clever enough to decide and manage its penalties (Zimmer, 2004). Often times in the history, society in its entirety has been subject to decisions made by those of the inventors of new expertise. Without the direction and authority of society upon VR it could go to squander, or even turn out to be society ¿Ã‚ ½s enemy of sorts. However, in case of medical field exercises, Medical paternalism might lead to premature and ill-judged clinical applications of VR. Without professional self-regulation, abuse by experimentalists and inept therapists seems only too likely. A VR machine may be developed, for clinically justifiable purposes, to treat phobias or help establish adaptive coping behaviors in response to stress. No matter how much humanity is responsive of virtual reality, the individual mind still has instincts that cannot be forbidden. That is one of the disadvantages of VR. That no one is convinced what to anticipate. Just as the case may be with any other ability, the only way to find out the results of VR is to test the limits to which it can go. Knowing the virtual reality has the capability to influence so many people in such a big number of ways, there is a substantial need to have some kind of restraints (Gross Levenson, 1995). This brings up one more input argument as to who should be in charge of restraining this virtual world. If the government is in power it could possibly be ill-treated and mishandled. However, if society entirely is left to consider its uses, the affects could be also good or bad.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Essay -- Memoir

Growing Up Satrapi It is hard to tell the story of a â€Å"typical† youth and it is hard to write a story that relates to experiences in everyone’s lives, but this is exactly what Marjane Satrapi accomplished in her memoir. Persepolis is the story of a child’s growth from preteen to adult. The specific challenges that Satrapi faces are unique to her situation, but we can ask whether they accurately portray the psychological development that children go through. Do her reactions to situations resemble the reactions that most children have to similar problems? While reading Satrapi’s story, it is necessary to understand that the circumstances she encounters and her reaction to these circumstances parallel how youths around the world react to similar situations. Throughout her memoir, Satrapi uses stepping-stones that all children use and reaches the same stages of development that psychologists believe most children reach. For these reasons, Persepolis is a believable coming of age story. Throughout a child’s life, many factors influence their socialization. In Persepolis, Satrapi demonstrates the three major microsystems1 that influence a child’s socialization; family, education, and community. As a ten year old child, Marjane lives in a typical nuclear family, her community is currently in the midst of a revolution, and her school is teaching her how to look and act like a proper woman. It is important to understand how these three microsystems are crucial in Marjane’s development as a young adolescent. In American society, schools are used to educate children on how to become independent members of society. Children are expected to abide by rules that are established in the classroom, and they are taught to mo... ...Company, 2004. Dopheide, Julie A. "Recognizing and treating depression in children and adolescents." Clinical Reviews 01 2006. Feb 2006 . Elias, Marilyn . "After suicide link, kids taking fewer antidepressants." USA Today 25 Oct 2005. Feb 2006 . Halgin, Richard, and Susan Whitbourne. Abnormal Psychology: Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Rice, F. Philip, and Kim Gale. The Adolescent: Development, Relationships, and Culture. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson Education , Inc., 2006. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The story of a childhood. : Pantheon Books, 2003. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis Two: The story of a return. : Pantheon Books, 2004. Williams, Armstrong. "Teen Suicide." The New York Amsterdam News 11 Jan 2006. Feb 2006 .

Got Internet Pornography? Essay -- Internet Pornography Essays

Got Internet Pornography? Pornography is viewed differently by everyone. Is pornography as bad as it is made out to be? What if it is that persons outlet from reality, just like smoking, drinking, snowboarding, skiing. Is it hurting anyone. Some say it is degrading to women. Do those women that do it think it is degrading. If they did they wouldn’t do it. There are several different types of pornography in the world. It started in art where we had sculptures of Aphrodite naked, we had many artists who painted pictures of nude women. But people look at that and say oh how pretty. But in the present day we have printing presses, we have internet, and people try to make their own art with their bodies and people criticize them. Why? How? Are they jealous because they don’t feel comfortable with showing their bodies to people. Pornography has taken a drastic turn since the internet. I will be talking about the pros and cons for pornography on the internet, the increase in child pornography, the boom ing of pornography on the internet ,and the confusion with all the different laws in our society. â€Å"Pornography in the 90's has been on a steady increase. With the popularity of the internet growing daily, pornography has also grown. Pornography has NOT however grown to the Herculean proportions which many believe. The industry itself according to Forbes is 'at best $520 million' (Forbes.com) not the $10 billion which is a false statistic, also according to Forbes.†(http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/%7Eskwong/pornography/internet.html). I believe that pornography on the internet is a good idea because you can monitor it easier than monitoring those hidden magazines that your kids somehow always find them. This way you don’t have to go to the s... ...tables that show from a survey about how many people have visited sex sites broken down to male female, born again Christians, married, single, living together, divorced, and widowed. These graphs will show that pornography is not that dangerous, and is harmless. Although it has it’s pros and cons I am for pornography, it gives a person that escape from reality like everyone needs once in a while. On the down side I am and will always be against child pornography on some degree. Younger than 16 I am against it totally but 16 that is a gray area for me because when I was 18 years old my girlfriend was 16 years old. So it’s like looking at porn but in the flesh. That’s why I say they should make up their minds about the age. Either you can give consent to get pictures taken of you or you can’t give sex until you are 18. It’s one or the other it can’t be both. Got Internet Pornography? Essay -- Internet Pornography Essays Got Internet Pornography? Pornography is viewed differently by everyone. Is pornography as bad as it is made out to be? What if it is that persons outlet from reality, just like smoking, drinking, snowboarding, skiing. Is it hurting anyone. Some say it is degrading to women. Do those women that do it think it is degrading. If they did they wouldn’t do it. There are several different types of pornography in the world. It started in art where we had sculptures of Aphrodite naked, we had many artists who painted pictures of nude women. But people look at that and say oh how pretty. But in the present day we have printing presses, we have internet, and people try to make their own art with their bodies and people criticize them. Why? How? Are they jealous because they don’t feel comfortable with showing their bodies to people. Pornography has taken a drastic turn since the internet. I will be talking about the pros and cons for pornography on the internet, the increase in child pornography, the boom ing of pornography on the internet ,and the confusion with all the different laws in our society. â€Å"Pornography in the 90's has been on a steady increase. With the popularity of the internet growing daily, pornography has also grown. Pornography has NOT however grown to the Herculean proportions which many believe. The industry itself according to Forbes is 'at best $520 million' (Forbes.com) not the $10 billion which is a false statistic, also according to Forbes.†(http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/%7Eskwong/pornography/internet.html). I believe that pornography on the internet is a good idea because you can monitor it easier than monitoring those hidden magazines that your kids somehow always find them. This way you don’t have to go to the s... ...tables that show from a survey about how many people have visited sex sites broken down to male female, born again Christians, married, single, living together, divorced, and widowed. These graphs will show that pornography is not that dangerous, and is harmless. Although it has it’s pros and cons I am for pornography, it gives a person that escape from reality like everyone needs once in a while. On the down side I am and will always be against child pornography on some degree. Younger than 16 I am against it totally but 16 that is a gray area for me because when I was 18 years old my girlfriend was 16 years old. So it’s like looking at porn but in the flesh. That’s why I say they should make up their minds about the age. Either you can give consent to get pictures taken of you or you can’t give sex until you are 18. It’s one or the other it can’t be both.

The name of the organization is Microcel Ltd

The name of the organization is Microcel Ltd. Previously it had been in the business of selling computer hardware. Currently it has been developing business applications software in the field of human resource management.There are three areas in the company where cost control has become a concern. One is the shared usage of the printer. Another is the shared usage of the stationary.The third area of concern is the shared usage of company transportation. In the company income statements, all three cost categories are classified as overhead and deducted from revenue lump sum. However recently the company has been experiencing increasing costs in all three areas and therefore the management has decided to investigate.The investigation could be simplified if the management were to use activity based costing. In trying to identify which operational processes are responsible for increasing costs, it is useful to look at the different departmental processes.At Microcel, there are six depart ments: system design, programming, testing, multimedia development and graphics design, marketing and sales, administration. The company is using two network printers and all six departments are sharing those printers.Printing costs have been rising in the last 1 year. Therefore the management has to find out if there is any one particular department which is responsible for increasing costs.Once that department has been identified, necessary cost controls could be initiated. In apportioning costs of the printers to each of the departments, it is necessary to apply activity based costing. In this case the resource is the printer.The resource driver could be the amount of ink used by the department in a particular time period which could be one month. The activity could be the printing while the activity driver would be the number of pages printed. The cost object in this illustration is each of the six departments.Therefore, if the printers run out of ink twice a month, then the car tridges have to be changed 24 times in a year. Activity based costing would enable the management the assign total yearly costs of changing cartridges to each of the departments as below.Assuming that it takes $29 to change one cartridge, the total cost of changing cartridges in a year is $696. The next phase of the calculations is to determine how many pages have been printed in a year and of that total number of pages, how many were printed by each of the departments.If there were a total of 7200 pages printed in a year and of those 7200 pages, 1200 were printed by the programming department, then this department has incurred the yearly printing cost of $116 (($696/7200)*1200). In this manner, the remaining portions of the $696 dollars could be assigned to each of the departments and the department which has been experiencing rising costs could be identified.Costs in shared stationary have also been rising. Under the heading of stationary, many items are included. The principal it ems are printing paper, pens, pencils and markers. There are six departments which are using these categories of stationary.Depending on the level of detail required in the investigation, activity based costing could be applied to each category of stationary as applicable to each department or, if that level of detail is not required, activity based costing could be applied to the stationary category as a whole as applicable to each department.Assuming that activity based costing is applied to the category of stationary as a whole as applicable to each department, Then stationary as a whole would be regarded as the resource.Resource drivers would be the pens, pencils, markers and printing paper. Activities may be the number of requisitions for stationary submitted by the departments. Activity drivers would be the number of requisitions submitted in the given time period. The cost object is each of the departments.For illustration purposes, the programming department consumes four pe ns, four pencils, four markers and hundred pages of printing paper in each month. Assuming prices of pens, pencils, markers and printing paper to be $1, $.5, $1.2 and $.01 respectively, cost of stationary applicable to the programming department is $110.8 in each month. In a year, the total cost comes to $1329.6.If the total cost of all stationary purchased in a year is $10000 then the programming department accounts for 13% of that cost. Therefore if the total cost of processing requisitions from all six departments in a year is $8000, then the amount of costs to be assigned to the programming department is $1040 (8000*13%).In the case of transportation expenses, the resource would be the company car. Resource driver would be the amount of gasoline expended on the car.Activities would be requisitions for refueling and the activity driver the number of requisitions submitted. If the programming department has spent $1000 in a year in gasoline expenses and the total amount expended f or all departments is $8000, then the programming department is responsible for 12% of the cost.If the total cost of processing transportation requisitions is $10000 in a year, the cost to be assigned to the programming department is 12% of $10000 = $1200.The three illustrations above demonstrate how activity based costing could be applied to Microcel.ReferencesAtkinson, Anthony A., et al. (2006). Management Accounting. McGraw Hill/Irwin.Horngren, Charles T., et al. (2006). Introduction to Management Accounting. Prentice Hall.Hansen, Don R., et al. (2007). Cost Management: Accounting & Control. Prentice Hall.