UNIT 6 Seminar Legal & Ethical Isuues Research Paper

UNIT 6 Seminar Legal & Ethical Isuues - Research Paper Example Since the two parties are both professionals, the consultant must have a general view of addressing the challenges. Value conflicts are evident in this kind of consultation and the human service practitioner can respond to this by first understanding the different values recognized by his client and harmonizing the same with what he/she upholds. This will put the two parties at a level ground to start their discussion. The professional human service provider must understand the different cultures of his/her client base and how they affect the consultation process. This enables the practitioner to appreciate the multicultural diversity. The professional client and the consultant have different levels of competency in the field, an issue that should carefully be addressed. The human service provider must establish the level of competency of the client in order not to be limited in terms of the consultation services to provide. This will positively influence the relationship of the two parties making the client to be sure that his/her professional challenges can be addressed amicably by the consultant. The social aspect of the two parties is a crucial area that also needs to be addressed. This is best checked by assessing the relationship between the human service provider and the diversified client base. The service provider should have a sound understanding of the extent to which consultant-client relationship should or should not

Scientific Method and Primate Observation Essay

Scientific Method and Primate Observation - Essay Example Checking on how the non human primates relate amongst themselves, the way of feeding after hunting and how they hunt for food on daily bases. How do the non human primates get the daily bread and how they share the food? What is the level of intelligence of the non human primates and their way of handling hard tasks? This is the way the primates simplify the tasks that they face on their daily lives. Non human primates like other primates that are the human beings they mate and reproduce. How do they mate? How do they care for their young ones? Non human primates have household responsibilities just like human beings the Homo sapiens. The males have the responsibility to cater for their families by providing food and security to the females and children. The non human primates have a much enhanced social life in that they are capable of organizing meeting and even scheming politics in their habitats. Relationships The non human primates exhibit team work in communities which have mal es, females and young ones. They live in a communal way that depicts the level of unity that is in the community of the primates. In this way, they are able to interact leading to a more social life hence more innovation to the young ones. This is the way the young ones get knowledge and skills on which to survive in their habitat (Brunch 30). In the communities, they live harmoniously and hence improved security within the community because when they are in groups they intimidate enemies hence scaring them away. But this is not the case with all primates. Under keen observation, some primates live solitary lives hence the case of security due to groups will not apply. When the primates live as individuals the factor of social skills that are with other primates will not be distributed fairly hence this is a disadvantage to the lone primates. On view from far in the cradle land of non human primates, the dangers are very many and prevalent at any time (Brunch 90). This gives rise to the importance of groups and communities within the primates that are security. Habitation and Food Hunting The primates are very funny animals in the way they live from their day to day lives. They do not show intention to have any specific habitation, but they modify temporary nests where they spend overnight. Monkeys abide in certain tree branches, but they do not make nests. This is shown by the nest's absence in the trees where they sleep overnight. In the search for food males go hunting and bring home food in the evening for females and young ones (Brunch 69). This is a major duty that they have prior to offering security and company to the females and young ones. The primates’ females take a major responsibility in educating the young ones on the best vegetation for their food. One will see the females even educating the young ones on the best tools to use for simplifying the hard tasks that they meet on their way. This gives the young ones knowledge on what is good for them and what is not edible for them (Fleagle 45). Most of these primates join in hunting and after the hunt they put the food and share it first to the young ones then to the females. Due to lack of knowledge about storage of food by the non human primates they do not store any food for future use but they live from hand to mouth. Therefore, they look for food each and every day so as to feed

Case studies of managing change in Organisations

Case studies of managing change in Organisations Introduction Task 1 The requirements from task 1 are to identify three organizations which have recently changed the way they run their business, the research must include the nature of the organization and its position in the current economy, what changes they bring in the last five years and what are the outcomes of the change. Objectives of Task 1 Following are the main objectives of Task 1 Investigate a research in 3 organizations which have recently undergone changes in the way the run their business. What is the nature of these organizations and their current economic climate? What changes they brought into their organisation. What are the outcomes of those changes both positive and negative Produce a report to draw the conclusion of the base of study of these three organisations that how changes effects organization in todays economy. Three organisations I have chosen I have chosen the following three organisations for task 1 of the Unit two Managing Change in Organization Islamic International Medical College Trust (IIMCT) Paktel GSM (Zong) Smart Cars 1. Islamic International Medical College Trust (IIMCT) Islamic International Medical College Trust (IIMCT) was established in 1998 to provide medical education. Initially they start with a medical college at Islamabad Pakistan; they acquire a prominent building at the central location of the city. The trust founder is a retired army general, and a leading cardiologist known worldwide. After two years in 2000 IIMCT opened an Engineering College by the name of Islamic International Engineering College (IIEC) and an institute for the education of computing and information technology by the name of Riphah Institute of Informatics, all these colleges continued their daily activities as individual bodies reporting to trust headquarter; the affiliation of these institutions was with county well-known universities like Hamdard University and University of Engineering and Technology Taxila Pakistan. Changes in IIMCT Later on the management of IIMCT feel the need of their own degree awarding body, and this was the point when they decide to go for major change or organizational change. They applied to federal government for the licence of university and received the approval in 2005 by completing all the requirements of having a university licence, and this lead IIMCT to the foundation of Riphah International University. Now Riphah International University has different departments and faculties, Islamic International Medical College is now known as faculty of medical sciences of Riphah International University (RIU), IIEC is engineering faculty and RII is Faculty of Computing of RIU. The IIMCT continue its activities under the brand name while Riphah International University is the degree awarding body now. Recently they have launched different courses in collaboration with University of Bedfordshire UK, and Royal Medical College London. Riphah International University has now 12 faculties with three campuses and three teaching hospitals. Govt of Pakistan have issued them FM radio station and Television licence to the university for educational purposes. RIU have now opened its campus at Dubai in collaboration with Dubai state government. Outcomes of Change From above stated details its quite clear that the changes that IIMCT brought into their organization had a very positive impact like They now have their own degree awarding body They became eligible to get educational grants for Govt Have increased the number of faculties / institutes and also the number of students Govt of Pakistan offers them two govt hospitals and now they are using those as teaching hospitals for their medical students. Get approval to open overseas campuses. Able to work in collaboration with UK leading educational institutions. Have their own FM radio channel and soon will have a TV channel. Get good job placement for their graduates. 2. Paktel GSM (Zong) Paktel the pioneer in the telecom industry in Pakistan, start their operation in the mid 90s. Firstly they provide just ASM services but after the evaluation of GSM technology they also start GSM services. As they were having no competitors in the telecom market, so they were completely dominating the market, a few years after their first competitor came into telecom market an Egyptian company by the name of Orascom Telcom, and the brand name of Mobilink, later on Pakistan telecom also started GSM services by the name of Ufone. The entry of both these companies brought very hard results for Paktel and most of their customers started using services of other companies because of good quality and services, the management of Paktel tried so much to hold their place in the market and for that they offer so many attractive packages but was a hard luck for them and the company goes into completely background when another two companies, Telenor from Norway and Warid Telecom from gulf came in to Pakistani market. Changes in Paktel GSM After having too much competitors with very good business background and latest technologies it was very hard for Paktel to stay in the current scenario, so the management of the company decide to franchise the company and to sell more than 50 % of the company to the China Mobile Company, which is the universe leading telecom company. When China Mobile Company became the owner they bring a vast amount of changes in their technology, management, and the way they operate. They changed the brand name from Paktel to Zong, change the company logo, marketing strategy, introduce very attractive packages for customers, and start providing network services in very remote areas of Pakistan, and now they have on third position in having more customers after Mobilink and Ufone. Outcomes of Change Following are the impact of change that Paktel management bring into their organization i.e. from Paktel to Zong Increase in the number of their customers Now they have updated and latest technology Have now management team with tons of experience. Introduce very good and unique ideas and strategies for marketing, and have attracted a big number of customer to use their product Increase the revenue of the company Have earn a good name in the telecom sector by providing good services 3. Star Cars The company is a British company founded in 1994 by a British person Ernie Andreson at Oxford UK. The mission of the company is to provide cars on hiring with good services. By the end of 1999 the company business was amazing and StarCars were having 5 centres at different cities of United Kingdom. And at the end of 2004 the StarCars expanded its business up to 17 centres all over the UK. But as their business increases they were facing problems in carrying out the daily activities. Following is the list of main problems that became the base for change in near future for StarCars. There was communication problems, the staff members in other centres often found it difficult to sort out wage queries with Oxford. Also when a centre had a problem, such as customer dispute it was difficult to settle because no one seems to have authority at franchise centre, it was the only the founder of the company who make the decisions and was often unavailable. Because of the distance involved, the mobile mechanic found it difficult to maintain cars all over the country. The mechanics were overworked, and the condition of the cars goes wrong by having no proper attention. The accountability of each centre was a major problem for the head office. Because of the geographical distance between centres the staffs feels isolated, there was often a lack of leadership and some staff became demotivated and staffs turn over also risen. Change in StarCars The management of the company decide to organise the company geographically, they divide the company into seven geographical locations and appoint one manager for each region and delegate a lot more responsibilities and power to that individual. The regional manager was assign the responsibility to make daily visits to all the centres in the region, recruit staff and attend a management meeting with the owner and board of directors every two weeks. They also outsource all car maintenance to another business and allow managers to buy cars for their region based on regional demand, but they must have to provide proper justification for that. They start training programs for mangers and other staff members, and also a good incentive packages. Outcomes of Change Following are the main outcomes of change in StarCars Help the company to maintain their accounts easily Improve the way they operate, and increase in their business It became easy for the management to look after the business at all location by consulting the regional manger. Have a very improved organization structure and good communication among all the regional centres. Conclusion (Report) From: Naeem Ullah To: Board of Directors Subject: Impact of change in organizations in todays economy Date: 02-03-2010 In the current era changes effects the organizations the following ways Change in organisation can the baseline of the organization Changes bring alterations or change in the strategy of the organization Can effect the culture and measurement of the organisation Can bring increase or decrease to the profit of the organisation if it is a profit organisation. Change they way they develop, market their product or services Can reduce or increase the management hierarchies Introduction Task 2 This task is about the study of the bureaucratic organisations which are well established and large organisations. Many of these organisations have re assessed their strategies and positions. In this task the requirement is to select two bureaucratic organisations and evaluate their strength and weaknesses, the efficiency through which these organisations works, the impact of bureaucratic organisations on their environment and how these organisations react to change. Objectives of Task Following are the objectives of this task Identify two bureaucratic organisations Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses Impact of bureaucracy on their environment How these organisations react to change Produce a report to evaluate these organisations Report From: Naeem Khan (Managing Consultant) To: Managing Director Date: 29 Mar. 10 Subject: Investigation on two bureaucratic Organisations Two Bureaucratic Organisations To complete this task I have identified the following two bureaucratic organisations. British Telecom (BT) Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) 1. British Telecom British Telecom (BT) is the worlds oldest communications company, with a direct line of descent from the first commercial telecommunications undertaking in the world.  The Electric Telegraph Company incorporated in 1846, was the first anywhere to exploit leading edge telegraphy technology and introduce electrical communications to an astonished world.  Within ten years an international  network had been developed, making communications possible within minutes and hours instead of days and weeks. The consequences for every aspect of society were dramatic and profound. British Telecom Provides global telecommunication services in more than 170 countries worldwide; Participates in London and New York Stock Exchange and is listed in the FTSE 100 Index. Provides most British fixed-line telephones with local loop and trunk network connections, and telephone exchanges. It operates more than 28 million UK telephone lines. Efficiency through which BT is Working As British Telecom is one of the worlds most popular telecom company, they have very experienced and skilled staff, equipped with latest tools and technology. They provide services in all sector of telecom, from telephonic conversation to fast internet broadband, Ethernet facility, Virtual Private Network VPN, Wireless Local Loops WLL and so many other products and services. The current assets of BT are more than 49.34 billion pounds, and have more than 28 million customers in UK, the total sales of BT in 2009 was about  £21,7235, which show the importance of BT in telecom industry in the country and also its values in producing good revenue for the countrys economy. British Telecom has about 18 competitors in the market but they have the advantage of having much more customers and a very rich history in the telecom sector of United Kingdom. Impact of Bureaucratic Environment on BT As British Telecom is a very big organisation having thousands of employees and dealing with such a big number of customers, they are having a very good organisational structure using the bureaucratic approach to implement their policies. In BT they use the traditional form of bureaucracy, the law, policy and regulations are normally created by the top management or board of executives and then a series of steps Is taken for the implementation in which the superiors pass their subordinates what to do and how to do, and evaluate their performance and then report to his higher authorities. How BT React to Change As BT is a bureaucratic organisation and its a very long and difficult process to introduce new change to their organisation. They follow a very systematic way to cup up with changes. To bring change into the organisation the decision is taken by the higher authorities and implementation is made on the ground in a series of steps instructed by the top level management. Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited is Pakistan l largest converged services carrier  provide basic telephonic services to data and internet, video and audio conferencing throughout the country. The vision of PTCL is To be the leading Information and Communication Technology Service Provider in the region by achieving customer satisfaction and maximizing shareholders value. While the mission of the company is to achieve their vision by having An organizational environment that fosters professionalism, motivation and quality , An environment that is cost effective and quality conscious, Services that are based on the most optimum technology,   Quality and Time conscious customer service, Sustained growth in earnings and profitability. According to financial report of PTCL published in June 2009 the net income of PTCL is 9.1 billion  Pakistani Rupees. By nature PTCL is a bureaucratic organisation from its start, In 1995, Pakistan Telecommunication (Reorganization) Ordinance formed the basis for PTCL monopoly over basic telephony in the country. And in 1996 PTCL was listed in all the stock exchanges of the country. Efficiency through which PTCL is working PTCL is the largest telecom service provider in Pakistan and also part of the consortium of submarine communications cables network. They provide best communication services to their customers at their door step. PTCL have about 2000 telephone exchange round the country providing largest fixed line network, GSM, CDMA and Wireless Local Loop (WLL). Impact of Bureaucratic Environment on PTCL Impact of bureaucratic type of management is same on PTCL as like other bureaucratic organisation, they are very systematic and structured in bringing any change into their organisation and the way they are working. As in telecom sector in Pakistan PTCL is having the monopoly but in 2003 the post-monopoly era came with  Pakistans Liberalization in Telecommunication. On the Government level, a comprehensive liberalization policy for telecoms sector is was offered. Which bring the concept of privatizing the public sector organisations and PTCL was one among those. How PTCL React to Change As PTCL is a bureaucratic organisation but it has very strong labour union and employee union which is very influential within and outside organisation. When in 2005 the govt of Pakistan decide to privatise the company and sell about 26 % of its share to a gulf based company Etisalat there was country wide protest and strike by PTCL workers. They even disrupted Phone lines of some big Government institutions like Punjab University Lahore and many lines of public sector were also blocked.  And a very tense situation was created when the technicians of PTCL refuses the repair of undersea optical fibre line to Singapore, at last military forces take over the control of all offices and make a success transition of the process. Conclusion Bureaucratic organisations are very systematic and well structured They work efficiently in big organisational structures To bring change in organisation is very lengthy and time consuming process, it also takes more efforts as compared to other types of organisations. The bureaucratic organisation management may face saviour problems in bringing change in organisation. Introduction to Task 3 In todays world most organisations use the concept of Fordism to have more advantages over the competitors; they need to respond to the situations quickly and efficiently by providing good products and services to their customers. To have competitive advantages organisations needs to adapt to newer and better methods of organisational management. In this task the focus is on how organisation can work more effectively by using alternative forms of organisational development except that they are using. Objectives of Task 3 Following are the main objectives of this task Definition of the concept of Fordism and its importance Importance of Fordism in modern management Comparison of two organisations between alternative forms of organisational development. Fordism Manufacturing  philosophy that  aims  to  achieve  higher  productivity  by standardizing the  output, using conveyor  assembly lines, and breaking the  work  into small de-skilled  tasks. Whereas Taylorism  (on which Fordism is based) seeks  machine  and  worker efficiency, Fordism seeks to combine them as one  unit, and emphasizes minimization of  costs  instead of  maximization  of profit., the concept of Fordism was introduced by US  automobile  pioneer Henry Ford (1863-1947). Fordism was a method used mainly in the automotive industry; it improved productivity, but it was also a model of economic expansion and technological progress based on the mass production: the manufacture of standardized products in huge volumes using special purpose machinery and unskilled labor. This principle could be applied to any kind of manufacturing process and for a time it was. Major success stemmed from three major principles: The Standardization of the product The use of Special-purpose tools and/or equipment via the assembly line The Elimination of skilled labor in direct production, while simultaneously paying the worker higher wages. Fordism is a production process that standardized the production for a lower price and for a larger production. The factories were built on places where labor or raw materials for the product were available. The companies were in this way dependent of the place they were built. Besides that the city was dependent of the companies, because they served employment. Important of Fordism in modern management By using the concept of Fordism in modern management organizations can benefits from it in various ways, some of them are stated below Fordism helps in modern management to do jobs quicker and cheaper both Fordism and Scientific Management share common themes yet also display some significant differences. They both encourage looking at the fastest way work can be completed and impose strict guidelines upon employees and their job descriptions. This has led to a great deal of dissatisfaction among employees in production lines with alienation and monotony of workers that encouraged a high turnover of employees at organizations that imposed these techniques. Henry Ford developed much of his conceptions upon Taylors ideas of scientific management. These theories imply that contemporary organizations and their managers should take into consideration the ideas of employees to avoid division. Managers today often see workers as multi-skilled and more involved in the process of production via teamwork, the reintegration of manual and mental labor, and the empowerment of production workers. Todays mass production has seen t echnology wiping out many of the jobs once held by these employees. There is a movement towards a more flexible workplace in the wave of this new technology away from strict guidelines imposed upon workers and their job descriptions, they are now encouraged to learn about other areas of the workplace. Fordism and scientific management have greatly influenced our workplace today and their theories will continue to be built upon for years to come.   Comparison of BT and PTCL in light of above discussion Both these companies are public sector organization with big revenue generation each year and thousands of employees providing telecom services to their customers throughout their respective countries. Following is the comparison between these two organizations on the basis of their growth, processes, expansions, procedures and they way they introduce changes into their organization. PTCL BT PTCL has lunched WLL (prepaid postpaid) through this customer can connect where landline scarce. Provide high speed broadband, telephony services and TV on a single wire Provide their customers the facility of smart TV According to Annual report 2009 the net income of PTCL is 9.1 billion  Pakistani Rupees Have about 2000 telephone exchange Practicing bureaucratic in their organization. Having current assets of 49.34 billion pounds Have 28 million customers in UK They are competing with about 18 competitors in the market Providing products and services like internet broadband, Ethernet facility, Virtual Private Network VPN, Wireless Local Loops WLL and so many other products and services. According to the annual report of 2009 the total revenue generated by BT was about  £21,7235 Is a bureaucratic organization from start and still practicing bureaucracy to bring change within the organization. Conclusion Fordism is the concept which helps organizations in the development of the Standardization of the product Help organizations in developing goods and services in as assembly line Fordism helps organizations in modern management to produce good services to their customers. Introduction to Task 4 This task it is assumed that one of the organisation hired me and they require from me to come up with a clearer idea of the available models for change and come up with a presentation to the management of the describing the various models available for the organisation during the exchange from shop environment to internet sales, and advise the management which model to use, which is the best, and appropriate for the organisation. Pakistan Tele communication Company Limited has hired me and they demands from me to produce the following work. Objectives of Task 4 Following are the main objectives of the task 4 Describe various models for organisation Describe the appropriate model for change from shop environment to internet sale What is organisation change model When organisation tends to bring change into their organisational structure and operation they need to follow certain procedure which minimise the cost of change, it means that they should follow a certain steps of pre defined procedure. So change model is a set of pre defined procedure to ensure the secure change within organisation. Organisation change model in organisational development from the perspective of change in from top level management changes to the operational level changes. Available Change Models for PTCL Following are the available models of change for PTCL Dynamic Conservatism Dynamic conservatism model is focused on the increasing need due to increasing change of pace for the change process. This model was produced by Schon. The intention of this process model is to make the change process in organizations more flexible and dynamic. Kubler-Ross Model Kubler-Ross Model is also known as five stages of grief. It describes five discrete stages, she describes how people deal with grief and tragedy. Five stages of Kubler-Ross are Denial I feel fine This cant be happening, not to me Anger How can this happen to me? Bargaining I will do anything for a few more years Depression I am going to die what is the point? Acceptance it is going to be okay Dynamic Conservatism This model was described by Schon. He explores that inherent nature of the organizations can be conservative and protect them from constant change. Schon recognizes the increasing need due to the increasing change of pace for this process to become far more flexible. ADKAR ADKAR is a goal-oriented change management model that allows change management team to focus their activities on specific business results. ADKAR is a useful framework for change management teams in planning and execution of their work. Awareness Desire Knowledge Ability Reinforcement Appropriate Model for PTCL Bringing change in organization is very tough and complex problem, the management of the organization need to have deep look different aspects of the current position and the position of organization after change. Advising a change model to organization is a difficult job to do, because of the different factors involvement in the change process. So I will suggest PTCL to go for the two change models parallel from above defined models. Individual Change Model Dynamic Conversion I suggest these two models because of the very speedy changes in organization of PTCL and the way they perform their operations. So these two models will help PTCL to have a successful transition from their present state to where they want in future. Introduction to Task 5 In previous tasks a detail overview of the change models and process are provided, now in this task the focus is on the implementation of the change process and its activities, as I have done task 4 for PTCL, so in this task its required to show the implementation process of the change model for PTCL, because without proper and good implementation planning is just waste of resources and time. Objectives of Task 5 Following are the main objectives of this task Measure the efficiency of the change models for PTCL Plan the implementation process of change for PTCL Implementation of the change process Organisational change is a very complex and difficult task to accomplish, it needs to be properly planed and structured to make a secure transition from starting point of change till end. The organisational change involve different factors which need to be addressed when planning implementation of change. Following are the most common and important elements in change process Recognition of the need for change that why change is needed Establishment of goals for the change, means what goal you have decided to achieve Diagnoses of relevant variables, what factor are involve in bringing change Selection of appropriate change technique, what technique you are going to use for change Planning for implementation of the change, are you able to plan the change? Actual Implementation, implement what you have planned Evaluation and follow up, are you successful in bringing a secure transition (change) in your organisation Implementation Steps for Organisational Change There are eight main steps involve in the implementation of a change plan in an organisation, all these are important to follow, otherwise organisation management will be unable to yield the results they want from change. Establishing Sense of Urgency It is important to bring change whenever it is necessary or the management want to introduce the new ways of organisation operations. Powerful Guiding Coalition Organisational change is not a single or individual person responsibility, it involve the power of coalition of the people working in organisation. Creating a vision Without a vision its not possible to have a positive change Communicating the Vision Management should decide and discuss the vision for change with other staff members in the organisation. Empowering Others Give responsibility and power to the persons involve in change process Short Term Wins Break the problem statement into different achievable steps Consolidating Improvements Have some mile stone / check points to evaluate the performance Institutionalizing Change process must be within standard procedures. Issues with implementation of Change When organisation goes for change they may face certain problems and issues which need to be properly addressed time by time. These problems may occur at initial stages, at middle or may be at late stages of the implementation process, but the management of the organisation and individuals responsible for change must be aware of those and have the ability of quick response to the situation. Management may face some of these issues in implementation of change process Some manager unaware of change process and models Difficulties in getting support from staff members Lack of leadership Internal and external resistance to the change Difficulties in communication the change with stockholders Influence of govt rules and regulations Some economical and sociological problems Resistance to implementation of change Organisation may face two types of resistance to the change in organisation Individual Resistance Organisational Resistance Individual resistance may be Economic Reason, Obsolescence of Skill, Personal Reason, Ego defensiveness, Status Quo, Fear of Un-Known, Social Displacement, and Peer Pressure. While organizational resistance may be Threats to Power Influence, Organizational Structure, and Resource Constraint. Conclusion To implement a change process organisation needs to have looked at certain issues related with this process. This problem may be individual based or organisati

An International Writing Perspective :: Essays Papers

An International Writing Perspective Introduction: â€Å"Writing has become one of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity,† states Lin Grensing of the Associated Press; Mrs. Gensing based these findings on surveys with US executives (Hansen). If this conclusion is valid, then a key question follows -- Why are so many universities producing mediocre writers, considering that an individual who writes effectively will stand out in the work force? This question has been the subject of a long debate focusing not only on the importance of writing but the method needed to implement a solution. There are numerous concerns about student writing, and therefore many people have turned to different areas of education for the answer to improving students’ writing. One question, which deals with this subject is, â€Å"How do American students compare with international students, and are there any differences in the educational systems with respect to writing emphasis?† Th is â€Å"International Perspective,† the topic of this paper, is a comparison among cultures, students, schools, and their writing. There are hundreds of countries in the world, each with their own educational system in place. Although most countries view writing as a necessity for students, only a handful have begun the initiative of requiring writing in a university setting. Therefore, this paper will compare writing characteristics of countries with similar economic and cultural positions as the United States, including Canada, Britain, and Australia. Furthermore, this paper will identify the degree to which writing plays a role in each countries educational system and will develop an understanding of how countries view writing as a method to adequately prepare graduates for the business world. Summary: There are many studies around the world, comparing the writing abilities of high school students among countries. In many cases, the United States continuously ranks far below its competitors, including the most recent rankings presented in 2002 by the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), who has ranked the United States 18th out of 24 countries when comparing the percent of 15 year-olds falling below key educational benchmarks; Canada, Australia, and Britain all ranked in the top 7 (CNN.com). During the 1999-2000 school year, American students tested in grades 4, 8, and 12 scored below minimum criteria set by the National Assessment and Governing Board. This board outlines the essential basic skills deemed minimal to meet academic standards, including writing proficiency. It was found that students who learned certain forms of writing, such as â€Å"process writing,† performed better on the exam, since they were taught how to analyze their ideas (Nations Report).

Does the Environment matter to Sociology?

Sociology is described as ‘the systematic study of human society' (Macionis and Plummer 2005:4). Because of this, it is unlikely that ‘the environment' is one of the key topics that sociologists naturally think of as part of their studies. Indeed environmental issues seem far removed from what is still largely the staple fare of sociology courses. ‘What have species loss, acid rain or ozone depletion to do with the mainstream social theory or key disciplinary concepts such as class, power and inequality? (Alan Irwin 2001:8) Until recently a sociologist would answer ‘nothing' but since the emergence of modernity there has been a shift in sociological thinking towards globalisation. According to David Held, this is ‘the widening, deepening and speeding up of global interconnectedness'. More generally, it is known as a recent cultural and economical era that centres on universalism, homogeneity and progress. Undoubtedly globalisation is having a profound effect on the world but its specific effect on the environment has become a major topic across all of the social sciences. Until now sociology never included the environment but as environmental degradation increases affecting world population, cultures and lifestyles, awareness of the environment has now become necessary. ‘Environmental degradation is no longer a peripheral concern of the social sciences†¦. it is an unavoidable and pressing reality. ‘ (David Goldblatt, 1996:5) Substantial references to the environment are generally limited within classical sociology. Primarily, sociologists have focused on the evolution of social interaction and cultural change. In the first half of the 19th century both Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer considered sociology to be epistemologically and ontologically dependent on, or subordinate to, biology. Comte drew on biological analogies and metaphors of form and function and to explore the interrelationship of individuals and institutions in modern society (David Goldblatt, 1996:2). Spencer's work was the first of many attempts to marry Darwinian models of evolution, selection and change to social development. The work of the classical political economists, also directly examined the relationship between the natural environment and the human economic prospect. Classically, Thomas Malthus inquired into the social consequences of rapid population growth in the context of limited environmental resources with which to feed that population. By the end of the 19th century however, the pace of western industrialisation exploded and population growth continued unabated. All sociological and economical predictions were proved redundant. From this point of view it is perhaps no surprise that social thinkers bypassed further attempts to engage with the social and economic origins and consequences of environmental change, they didn't want to be proved wrong. When looking at the classical trinity of Weber, Durkheim and Marx there is no marked difference. According to Goldblatt (1996:3), ‘Weber's work conducts the most limited engagement with the natural world. There are some reflections on the environmental origins and implications of nomadism in his study of Judaism. Yet his historical investigations†¦ ielded little direct study of the historical impact and social implications of differing natural environments. ‘ Throughout his work Weber's theoretical reflections on the environment go little further than a few brief paragraphs in ‘Economy and Society', ‘in all the sciences of human action, account must be taken of processes and phenomena which are devoid of subjective meaning†¦. favou ring or hindering circumstances. ‘ In other words non-human, unintended processes, such as climate or water-levels, are of significance if they affect human action. However, Marx and Durkheim are more appropriate. In taking population density and its relationship with material resources to be the driving force behind the evolution of human societies, Durkheim made the natural world a decisive causal factor in human history. Similarly Marx placed the economic interface of human societies and the natural world at the centre of historical change. By contrast, Weber never gave demographics a central causal role in history, he defined action by reference to the ideal type of purposive rational action. In his opinion, the relationship between means and ends was more significant than the ontological relation between human subject and natural object. (Goldblatt 1996:4) Yet clearly, the works of Marx and Durkheim are of limited use to environmental sociology. The primary ecological issue for classical social theory was not the origins of contemporary environmental degradation, but how premodern societies had been held in check by their natural environments, and how it was that modern societies had come to surpass those limits or had separated themselves in some sense from their ‘natural' origins. Yet it is possible to defend the classical thinkers, modern societies were unconstrained by natural limits and at the height of capitalism and industrialisation, it did not seem that economic growth would prove to be environmentally problematic in any way. From this point of view it is only since the advent of the modern era and particularly the onset of globalisation, that the environment has begun to be examined in a sociological sense. This is done in two main ways. Most obviously, social life is increasingly generating environmental problems leading to degradation. The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have dramatically risen since the invention of industry. Natural resources such as the fossil fuels are burnt in gigantic quantities releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which in turn contributes to global warming and climatic change. Similarly the use of CFCs in refrigerators and aerosols has resulted in the depletion of the ozone layer which allows harmful UV rays from the sun to enter our atmosphere. Deforestation has also resulted in soil degradation and a loss of rainforest habitat which in turn has caused a global loss of natural animal habitat resulting in the extinction of over 10,000 different animal species. However, these environmental problems are not universally distributed and many sociologists argue that the serious environmental consequences flow from the global disparity of wealth and power, exasperated by globalisation. For example, the richest 20% of the world's population account for around 90% of the world's motor vehicles which are the primary cause of carbon emissions. Yet the world as a whole will suffer from global climate change. Similarly ‘the members of all high-income societies represent 20% of humanity but utilise 80% of all energy produced. ‘ (Connet, 1991) The causes of environmental degradation are distinctly uneven but the effects look to be even more so. As shown, the richest, most developed countries have contributed most to environmental degradation but studies have shown that the poor developing countries will be most affected. Global warming and climate change will result in the increase of floods, storms and harvest failures, and these will always most affect those living closest to their means of subsistence. One study predicts a decline in harvests of 30% in India and Pakistan by 2050. Similarly over 90% of global deaths from air pollution occur in the developing world where medical advances are far behind those of the developed world. As the world has become more aware of the effects that technology has had on the environment, rich, developed nations have had the capital to find alternative resources or to find cures to treat the medical conditions caused by environmental degradation but the poorer countries will have to suffer. Agricultural degradation and desertification is currently severest in Asia and Africa who rely most upon this primary industry and will become unable to diversify from lack of capital. Sociologists look to examine this highly uneven social stratification. Population is also an environmental matter that sociologists have begun to look closely at. Since 1960 the world's population has increased by over 75% to around 6 billion and most of the current increases derive from the less-developed countries. The problem lies with the question of consumption. By 2050 the global population is expected to have reached 8. 5 billion people, all living with ‘western-style' consumption. This is unsustainable, and this raises the question of social lifestyles. To curb the growth rate people will have to change their lifestyles. However, it is unrealistic to assume that people will conform to legislation that changes the way they live. Until now, social and political thought never included the environment, it was always assumed that it would continue to be able to sustain human lifestyles but this has changed. It looks to sociologists to suggest solutions Traditionally the environment did not matter to sociology, it was barely spoken about by the classical thinkers but the degradation of the environment has become a sociological issue, indirectly because of globalisation. The global homogeneity of western style industrialisation and production resulted in large-scale pollution which is now out of control. It has reached a stage where consumption outweighs production and humans are unable to look to the traditional optimistic views supported by all the classical, modernist thinkers. This believed that human technological innovations would always be able to be relied upon to support population growth. This is now impossible, the answer is no longer down to ‘science' but down to values that people must choose. Sociologically this now raises questions of inequality. Both the causes and solutions of environmental degradation were initiated by western policies and the particular solutions do not suit everyone. Recently many less developed nations have refused to curb industrial emissions as they feel it is their turn to develop according to the pattern that the western world first started. At the same time, the existing developed countries fear the suggested environmental solutions as they fear the economical repercussions that a reduction of emissions, and therefore industry, will cause. Sociologists now look to examine the possibilities of adhering to the lifestyle change that environmental policy will now cause.

How Did Penicillin Help the Allies Win Wwii?

How did Penicillin help the Allies win WWII? Branna Prine Word Count: 1,894Table of Contents Plan of the Investigation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Summary of Evidence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4-5 Evaluation of Sources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6 Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7-9 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 A. Plan of the Investigation The scope of the investigation concerned the magnitude of penicillin and how it helped the allies win World War II (WWII). The researcher scrutinized the invention and process in which penicillin came to be, the different types of penicillin we have and use today, how it was used to help us more than any other drug in history at one point, and how it came to save thousands of lives in WWII. The researcher’s method was to use multiple primary resources such as articles written by scholars, medical professionals, and historical investigators. The evidence that was found was evaluated and observed for origin, value, and purpose of penicillin and its use in WWII. B. Summary of Evidence In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming discovered the first natural mold of Penicillin(Tames 5). Even though his â€Å"creation† was mostly on accident, Fleming had been itching to discover a new â€Å"wonder drug† since he first became interested in being a scientist(5). Though the knowledge of disease causing bacteria was somewhat understood at the time, medical researchers had yet to find a chemical able to rid the body of the potent bacteria while not harming the body at the same time. Fleming’s first form of Penicillin was just what was needed to kick off the ultimate breakthrough of medicine. Even then, it wasn’t until another decade after this discovery that people really started needing and using Penicillin to save lives(History of Penicillin). Although Fleming is credited with this important discovery, it took the start of WWII to pursue medical scientists to strengthen the effect the drug had on people. It’s all thanks to a total of 39 different groups of scientists that hundreds of thousands of fighting men’s lives were saved(World War II and Peoria). Penicillin was considered to be the war’s official wonder drug because of the unbelievable effects it had on infections and deadly diseases. The use of this drug is what made WWII different from any previous war(World War II and Peoria). Before Penicillin was introduced to the allies of the war, soldiers rapidly died from infections such as Staphylococcal(staff), streptococcal(strep), and pneumococcal(pneumonia) (World War II and Peoria). Since death was the ultimate outcome of these infectious diseases, the number of available soldiers to fight dropped immensely and expeditiously. Due to the shortage of men, sergeants called for men to be recruited no matter their experience; as long as they were 18 years old(Inside WWII). That then led to more deaths of young cadets because of the lack of knowledge of what to do on the battle field. At that point of time, the allies came to the conclusion that what they needed was a wonder drug ready to use when needed. That’s when Howard Florey and Ernst Chain were forced in with their team of scientists to use Fleming’s Penicillin mold and improve it to where it cured a grown man of a life threatening infection or disease; and make a quantity of hundreds of thousands(World War II and Peoria). After a total of 39 separate drug laboratories in the U. S. ad given their all to synthesize inorganic Penicillin, in 1941, they created a version 20 times more potent than what they started out with in 1939(22). By the autumn of 1943 the war doctors were using the drug on only American and Allied military patients with life-threatening infections. Since a single infection usually called for two million units of Penicillin(single ampoules held 100,000 units), rati oning who got what treatment was crucial(World War II and Peoria). The scientists shortly discovered that, while the new version of Penicillin was of very good quality, their new focus needed to be directed on quantity of the drug. By 1945, the team of scientists brilliantly came up with an amazingly effective technique that supplied the allies with 7,952 billion units of the strongest possible version of penicillin at the time(World War II and Peoria). Though the injections were painful(the needles had to be large enough to allow the medicine to flow through) and had to be given every four hours, soldiers agreed it was worth being able to live and continue fighting to the victory of WWII(23). By the end of it all, the magnificent wonder drug saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of warriors and even more citizens in the U. S. and has continued to fulfill its duty all the way up to today’s time(World War II and Peoria). C. Evaluation of Sources â€Å"World War II and Peoria† was the title of the article that helped the researcher the most to come to a conclusion on how Penicillin helped the allies win WWII. The article’s purpose was to further inform people about the studies and development of penicillin during WWII. The article talked about the illnesses and wounds the soldiers fighting in WWII came in contact with and how Penicillin helped them fight and survive through it all. This particular unit differed from the rest because it did not have its focal point on how Penicillin came to be, but rather its purpose and usage in WWII. However, it did have some limitations of information on specific numbers and names of soldiers that were affected by the wonder drug. The point of view that the article used was from a college professor who had dabbled in history as well as medicine. The professor’s name was Jennifer Rosenburg and she had posted this information around 2000. The second most helpful article’s title was â€Å"Inside WWII . The purpose of the article being written was to tell a more medical side of the war as opposed to the blood and guts. Although, it still lingered on with the facts and details of the war itself too much, which limited it with important details it should have withheld about the medical side of the war. But, because of the focusing on one little part at a time problem, the researcher ended up to find it very valuable. It stated facts that were focused on the medicine during the war instead of the medicine in general. The origin of this information was found by Dr. Steven Lister. He was a doctor during the war, so this gave him a personal experience and the researcher found great value in this type of first hand information. D. Analysis During the period of penicillin gaining importance, World War II was going on. This specific war was fought from 1939 to 1945 by the Axis: Germany, Italy, and Japan; and the allies: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, India, Latvia Lithuania, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, USSR, Yugoslavia, and many others(The Axis and the Allies). The war was fought by more than fifty countries in the world. The main causes of the war for the U. S. and Britain were The Great Depression and the Treaty of Versailles(Wars and Battles 1939-1945). Around 1943, the Allies really started to need help because they were losing so many soldiers due to infections caused mostly by severe battle wounds which ultimately led to the being outnumbered and overtaken by the Axis. That is where Penicillin came in. Scientists spent over $2,000,000 trying to perfect and learn more about the drug(World War II and Peoria). They eventually found out that what this drug did, once successfully inserted in the body, was it located the source of the infection and fought only the harmful bacteria( Tames 15). As opposed to the other drugs, at the time, which destroyed not only dangerous bacteria, but the vital bacteria used for fighting infections naturally found in the body(16). The drug, therefore, saved over hundreds of thousands of men(World War II and Peoria). A few months after the Allies received the drug, the Axis groups started to surrender, which officially ended the war in 1945 with the Allies‘ being the victorious group(Wars and Battles 1939-1945). Under the circumstances that the allies started winning after penicillin came into the picture, that was considered to be one of the main, but least recognized, expositions for the victory of the allies. Of all the evidence the researcher has came up with to support this claim, the three main pieces of evidence are as follows: only two years after penicillin was thoroughly introduced to the war, the allies won; so many lives were saved –on and off the battlefield–how could it not have such a huge impact; and they must have known it was going to be a huge help, otherwise they would not have invested so much money in the whole process of innovating and testing the drug(World War II and Peoria). The first point was the victory of the allies shortly after penicillin came to use in the war. When they fought without the drug, the allies were losing by a drastic amount considering the vast number of men that died every day from infections on their battle wounds and had suffered without the care that penicillin provided(23). The soldiers suffered for a total of about three and a half years before they actually got penicillin shipped in that had an affect on people(World War II and Peoria). However, when they did get the wonder drug in, they spent about six months learning the different side effects, insertion ways, and preparations needed before they gave the soldiers all they needed to keep them alive and fighting(World War II and Peoria). The second point, was that there was such a large number of people saved by the drug, that it had to have made some kind of a difference in the way World War II ended. In less than a year, penicillin saved 187 lives just of people in America(21). In the war, penicillin took the death toll, caused by wound infections, from over 12 percent down to less than 1 percent on average(23). That would mean the allies side of the war would have had a 12 percent advantage over the axis in the battle at this time due to the drug keeping the soldiers dying from wound related infections. The last point stated was with all the time, money, and dedication with bettering this drug, penicillin obviously had a huge impact on World War II The U. S. spent over $2,000,000 trying to perfect the drug to make it effective enough to cure a whole army of men versus enough for one or two individual people. The money not only paid for the equipment needed, but for the 39 different groups of scientists hired to innovate and test the drug to reach the desired goal(History of Penicillin). E. Conclusion When Penicillin started out, it was but a simple form of mold. Then, When Fleming discovered it destroyed bacteria in the human body without harming the human in any way. He then had over 30 different teams of scientists work at improving this mysterious new drug to make it potent enough to help a man overcome pneumonia. After years and years of experiments and millions of dollars spent, they finally got what they had been working for. They sent as much as they could to the troops fighting WWII at the time. The doctors at the war stations gave it to the men in critical condition and the drug got them back on their feet and fighting in about a week. F. Bibliography Works Cited â€Å"The Axis and the Allies. † The Countries Who Fought in World War Two. Mandy Barrow, 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. . â€Å"The Drug Safety. † The Drug Safety. The Drug Society, 2011. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. . â€Å"How Penicillin Came to Be. Alexander Fleming in WWII. J. Miller. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. . â€Å"Inside WWII. † History Learning Site. Chris Trueman, 2000. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. . Prine, Patricia R. â€Å"Moma's Notes. † Personal interview. 2 Oct. 2011. Tames, Richard. Penicillin: a Breakthrough in Medicine. Chicago: Heniemann Library, 2001. Print. â€Å"Wars and Battles, 1939-1945. † United States American History. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. . â€Å"World War II and Peoria. † 20th Century History. Jennifer Rosenburg, 2001. Web. 26 Sept. 2011. . â€Å"WWII and Medicine. † Medicine in World War II. 2001. Web. 27 Sept. 2011. .

Pin the Tale on the Donkey essays

Pin the Tale on the Donkey essays Politics can be a very confusing topic. Different political parties each have different viewpoints on many different issues. On numerous occasions, leaders of the Democrat party have spoken on Saddam Husseins threat level, his capacity to make and use weapons of mass destruction, his support of terrorist organizations, and a course of action to neutralize his threat. These remarks have been made on many separate occasions by many different leaders of the Democrat party. More recently, many Democrats have been saying that they never wanted anything to do with an unjust war, and openly blame President Bush and his administration for not finding any weapons of mass destruction after the invasion of Iraq. A lot of that blame has been directed at any and all members of the Republican Party. As a Republican, I am furious at Democrats who ignore their own leaders waffling on these issues. They are merely trying to pin blame on anyone possible, and will openly change their positions on issues to do so. Support of political candidates leading up to the 2004 election is one large reason for these dramatic changes of opinion. In February 2002 Al Gore supported President Bushs choice to use force in Iraq. "Since the State of the Union, there has been much discussion of whether Iraq, Iran and North Korea truly constitute an "Axis of Evil." As far as I'm concerned, there really is something to be said for occasionally putting diplomacy aside and laying one's cards on the table. There is value in calling evil by its name. This clearly shows his support of using force as an option to remove a danger. That support of Bush was changed to harsh criticism when Gore spoke at a Howard Dean fundraiser in December 2003. "Our country has been weakened in our ability to fight the war against terror because of the catastrophic mistake that the Bush administration made in taking us into ...

Unexpected Journeys essays

Unexpected Journeys essays Unexpected Journeys: Women Surrealistic Artists March is National Womens History Month and the Women Center at Kutztown University organized various events on campus to support the idea that Women can inspire Hope and Possibilities. One of these events was the presentation - Unexpected Journey by Janet Kaplan. The speech has the purpose of presenting the womens involvement into the Surrealistic art. As person, who doesnt have an art education, it was extremely interesting and informative to learn about Surrealism. The first thing that I did before starting to analyze the Kaplans speech was to look at the dictionary and to see how it defines the word- surrealism- A 20th-century literary and artistic movement that attempts to express the workings of the subconscious and is characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtaposition of subject matter. Fact is that very few is known about the womens involvement in the Surrealism and furthermore if you ask an art education major students to name some of the 20th century women artist they will barely tell one or two names. At the beginning, women were important to the Surrealists not as artists but as muses and lovers. As sexual creatures that inspired creativity they were loved; as real women and mothers who would squelch men's freedom they were feared. Though Surrealists paint from the subjective source of thirr own dreams and unconscious psyches, they aim for an objective content in the works of art by revealing natural archetypes hidden behind the bourgeois emphasis on rational subjectivity. They try to give the impression of an absence of both civilized humanity and a progressively mechanized world. Common objects with than connection to humanity are combined and altered in such a way that they take on an unreal and inhuman quality, only to ...

Analysis Of The Book Adventures Of Wonderland

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Alice in Wonderland is the latest creation from OpenBet, but does it pay notable homage? Alice in Wonderland Review Are you ready to enter a fantasy world? Well, Alice wasn’t when she first visited Wonderland, but it didn’t stop her experience the adventure that awaited her. Her time in this fantasy landed ended up being one of the most memorable moments in literally history, and†¦

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Critical Analysis of a Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical Analysis of a Film - Essay Example ted nuclear warfare against Russia through a fleet of B-52 bombers each carrying 40 megatons of nuclear warheads directed strategically to Russia’s centers of military activity. The plot thickens as Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky informs U.S. President Merkin Muffley that his country has the Doomsday Device that when triggered would produce a set of nuclear explosions that will eventually lead to the annihilation of all living creatures on earth. Even more alarming is the fact that the device, once triggered, cannot be recalled. The intense subject of the film, especially at a time right after the Cold War, was treated in a different light by its director. No one would have probably expected a political about this topic but this was exactly what Kubrick did. The film shows, in all its legitimate comedic value, the political and social stereotypes that would prevail as a matter of human nature and despite surrounding circumstances. The juxtaposition in the film is an important element to consider in its overall theme. The catchphrase â€Å"Peace is our Profession† is a re-appearing visual that comes out a number of times. In the opening scenes, the audience sees Gen. Ripper on the phone with Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake giving the instructions to implement Plan R and that his order is not a drill. We see him serious on the phone and smoking a cigar intently. On his back is a poster with the phrase and an illustration inside a plaque shape with a clenched fist holding thunderbolts and leaves together with clouds on the background. The same words were not seen immediately on Capt. Mandrake’s background. But as soon as Gen. Ripper can be heard signaling Plan R, the camera changes angles and one can see on his side the same phrase but on a different poster. Instead of the clenched fist, the phrase is unassumingly placed on top of a map with different coordinates around it. This is shown to create the contrast between upholding of peace and starting a war. In

Harlem Renaissance Poets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Harlem Renaissance Poets - Research Paper Example Some of the luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance poetry include Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Johnson, Countee Cullen and James Weldon. Langston Hughes (1902-1967) James Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Missouri. He was educated at Columbia University and traveled often to Africa and Europe while working as a seaman. He published his first poetry book, Weary Blues, in 1924 in Washington. He contributed to the Renaissance movement through portraying the nature of Black life in American society. He engaged his work with jazz, thus appealing to the African-American masses during the Harlem Renaissance of 1920s. His work ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ contributed much to expressing the Black struggles, love for music, and suffering in the society. He is considered as the most prolific Black poet during the Renaissance period. ‘The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ His poem â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers’ clearly demonstrates some elements of double consciousne ss. The poem articulates the long struggles of Black people and speaks of the struggles of the African Americans with their own identity. It speaks of the injustice to W.E.B DuBois and symbolically represents the life of Blacks in the life of the ‘River’. ... Accordingly, Hughes asserts that ‘I looked upon the Nile and raised pyramids above it’ (Hughes, 1994, l.6) and also ‘I built my hut near Congo and it lulled me to sleep.’ The two statements indicate the awareness of origin of Black people and the need to return to the African continent. In addition, Hughes claims that ‘I heard the singing of Mississippi’ (Hughes, 1994, l.7) and seen its ‘muddy’ turn all ‘golden’ to ‘sunset’ (Hughes, 1994, l.7). The statement reminds the Blacks of the emancipation of Black people through the end of slavery in the Southern States. The use of river symbolizes ancient times. The main themes in the poem are an expression of the Black heritage and cultural history such as the pyramids and huts. Another theme is the battle for cultural identity in the American society and end of slavery. The symbolism defines the past struggles and calls for the unity of African Americans in expre ssing their identity. The imagery such as pyramids demonstrates the background and origins of the Black people. The ‘blood flow’ symbolizes the historical struggles in ending slavery in the South. The poem highlights the economic and social inequalities that are faced by Black Americans and identity conflict that lead to low self-esteem. Claude McKay He was born in Jamaica in 1890 and died in 1940. He moved to the United States to attend Tuskegee Institute, but later moved to Kansas State University to study agriculture. He used his poetry work to demonstrate the negative impact of injustices that were faced by the Blacks in America. His poems focus on social and political life of the Blacks and his passion for his homeland Jamaica. His poems contributed to setting the tone of

Shame by Dick Gregory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Shame by Dick Gregory - Essay Example Richard feels inferior to Helene Tucker. He is afraid of even coming close to her and keeps a distance whenever he wants to greet her. He even has to clean his hand before greeting her. The narrator feels fabulous in white clothes. Richard Gregory is in love with Helene Tucker. He proves all this by the fact that he had to clean his school uniform daily, and water was scarce. He even goes to school just to see her. He denied his poor status just to be equal to Helene rich class. He obtained a ladies handkerchief just to avoid people seeing him wiping his face using his hands. The story itself is but a flash back in Richard Gregory life. To him Helene is a symbol of people who are better than him. The demonstration of this love is when the narrator does everything in his life for Helene. The narrator broke college record just for her. The narrator shows racism and discrimination just by the mentioning of color in his story. He mentioned that teachers saw him as a black idiot boy. He also mentioned that the only clothe that made him look bosom was the white folks shirt feet him better. Eventually the narrator shows that so long as one works hard in life he will succeed. He shows this by offering to pay the bill for the old wino in Mr. William’s

The Analysis on the success of Tesco Assignment

The Analysis on the success of Tesco - Assignment Example The success of an organization as argued by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (2005) is mainly through the deployment of the 7Ps of marketing. In this section a critical analysis on the Price, product, Promotion and Place elements of the 7Ps is presented as these are identified as the critical elements in reaching the customer. Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003) argue that although the marketing mix can be explained using the 7Ps, the four critical elements that form the marketing mix are the four identified above. The authors further argue that the Marketing Mix plays a vital role in the overall marketing communication strategy of an organization, as it is the marketing mix that provides input to the marketing communication. The TESCO Finest and TESCO Value of the own brand range of products sold by the organization along with the leading brands in the retail industry is a classical example for the organization's success in the target market through extensive range of products as argued by Sandrine Mac and Scott A. Neslin (2004). The fact that TESCO Plc presents a wide range of choice in every category of its products is the major element fuelling its success in the UK and global retail market. 1.1.2: Price: The company pioneers in selling its products at competitive prices mainly lower than its supermarket competitors in the UK as well as in its global locations as argued by Isla Gower (2004) who says that 'the low price strategy of the organization without compromising the quality of its products is the key for its success in the UK retail market as the market leader'. Furthermore, the increasing awareness among the customers that quality need not be compromised with low price (Oliver Hupp and Ken Powaga, 2004) is the driving force for the organization in its continuous low price strategy. 1.1.3: Promotion: Promotion as argued by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (2005) is 'the key for increasing the sales in the retail industry and retaining the customers in the target market'. The fact that TESCO Plc has established itself as a brand in the retail industry through pioneering in promotions like combination sales, event focused promotion of products and above all market focused promotion by its stores targeting the local markets is the major element for its growth in the UK retail market along with its pricing strategy. 1.1.4: Place: Place or the location for an organization in the retail sector is a critical element for its success as argued by Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003). This is naturally because of the need for local knowledge in the target market that serves for the promotion of its products and above all the choice of products presented in the shop floor (David Olson et al, 1982). The fact that the local knowledge is the key for increasing sales in the target demography as an organization can increase its sales only through the process of identifying the customer needs and understanding the behaviour of its target demography justifies that place or the location is a key element for the success of a retailer. The location of

Comparison Report Target and Wal-Mart Research Paper

Comparison Report Target and Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, appropriate use of social media might turn out to be highly advantageous to a company. There are different forms of social media; but Facebook remains the most popular social media channel among people today. Therefore, most companies have adopted this as a platform for their communication with customers. Through Facebook, a company can post videos and photos of their products, address the concerns of their customers, and target new customers. For these reasons, companies have signed up for Facebook, by creating their Facebook pages. This paper compares and contrasts the Facebook pages of Target and Wal-Mart Companies. Walmart is the world’s largest retailer, which operates 10 773 stores across the globe. With over 2.2 million employees, including full time and part time employees, Walmart ranks as the biggest employer. In addition, this company is known for its low pricing and wide selection of products. The sales of Walmart are known to increase each fiscal year . Walmart utilizes different communication strategies, including television, radio, internet, and direct mail. The main message Walmart passes to customers is the value they will have, if they shopped in Walmart stores Graf (n.d). With regard to internet, Walmart utilizes social media, as a communication tool with customers. ... The high number of likes for this company page shows the level of popularity of the company. On the other hand, Target, which is also headquartered in the U.S.A, specializes in consumer goods and consumer services. This company, unlike Walmart, primarily serves the U.S.A market, and has 1 763 stores. Target puts emphasis on merchandise style and the store design, unlike Walmart, which emphasizes on low prices Graf (n.d). However, like Walmart, Target also utilizes social media as a communication strategy. This company too has a Facebook page, which it uses to reach out to its customers. However, there are major differences in the ways Target and Walmart uses Facebook as their communication strategy. One of the main differences between the Facebook page of Walmart and Target lies in the number of followers. For Walmart, there are more than 30 million followers. On the other hand, Target has a close to 22 million followers. Therefore, this means that Walmart is more popular among the F acebook community, as compared to Target. On WalMart’s Facebook page, different products are advertised. Additionally, customers post about their concerns and different issues, which they need to be addressed. These posts then receive response from the administration of the page, as well as other fans of the page. In addition, various events, promotions, and competitions by the company are posted on the page to make customers aware of them. On the other hand, Target also uses its Facebook page to advertise its products, promotions, and events, as well as customer concerns. Walmart has developed different Facebook pages for its different stores. This way, it is easier to address the concerns of customers of a specific store. In addition, unlike Target, Walmart has developed strict

The Analysis on the success of Tesco Assignment

The Analysis on the success of Tesco - Assignment Example The success of an organization as argued by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (2005) is mainly through the deployment of the 7Ps of marketing. In this section a critical analysis on the Price, product, Promotion and Place elements of the 7Ps is presented as these are identified as the critical elements in reaching the customer. Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003) argue that although the marketing mix can be explained using the 7Ps, the four critical elements that form the marketing mix are the four identified above. The authors further argue that the Marketing Mix plays a vital role in the overall marketing communication strategy of an organization, as it is the marketing mix that provides input to the marketing communication. The TESCO Finest and TESCO Value of the own brand range of products sold by the organization along with the leading brands in the retail industry is a classical example for the organization's success in the target market through extensive range of products as argued by Sandrine Mac and Scott A. Neslin (2004). The fact that TESCO Plc presents a wide range of choice in every category of its products is the major element fuelling its success in the UK and global retail market. 1.1.2: Price: The company pioneers in selling its products at competitive prices mainly lower than its supermarket competitors in the UK as well as in its global locations as argued by Isla Gower (2004) who says that 'the low price strategy of the organization without compromising the quality of its products is the key for its success in the UK retail market as the market leader'. Furthermore, the increasing awareness among the customers that quality need not be compromised with low price (Oliver Hupp and Ken Powaga, 2004) is the driving force for the organization in its continuous low price strategy. 1.1.3: Promotion: Promotion as argued by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller (2005) is 'the key for increasing the sales in the retail industry and retaining the customers in the target market'. The fact that TESCO Plc has established itself as a brand in the retail industry through pioneering in promotions like combination sales, event focused promotion of products and above all market focused promotion by its stores targeting the local markets is the major element for its growth in the UK retail market along with its pricing strategy. 1.1.4: Place: Place or the location for an organization in the retail sector is a critical element for its success as argued by Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003). This is naturally because of the need for local knowledge in the target market that serves for the promotion of its products and above all the choice of products presented in the shop floor (David Olson et al, 1982). The fact that the local knowledge is the key for increasing sales in the target demography as an organization can increase its sales only through the process of identifying the customer needs and understanding the behaviour of its target demography justifies that place or the location is a key element for the success of a retailer. The location of

Publius Virgilius Maro Essay Example for Free

Publius Virgilius Maro Essay Aside from Christianity there is no other force that shaped Western civilization other than the Greco-Roman culture. And there is no better representation of that period in history other than Rome and Publius Viirgilius Maro, also known as Virgil. A closer examination of Virgil and his works made many to realize that Virgil was a byproduct of events and it is the twin forces of the Roman Empire and Greek history that prompted Virgil to write. This paper will look into the two factors that influenced the writing of Publius Virgilius Maro. This can be done by looking first at the events that transpired before Virgil began writing and this means tracing back Greek and Roman history. The second way of knowing the connection between history and Virgils writings is to dig into his works and of course this means analyzing the Aeneid. It will be shown later that it is Roman history and Homer that shaped Virgil to become the writer that he was destined to be. Rome After more than two thousand years the world is still mesmerized by Rome. It is because of its legacy, it military prowess, and form of government. Rome was without equal when it comes to how it help shape Western history. Yet in the early days of Roman history there is not much to see. There is nothing that could make an outsider ascertain its potential to be a dominant ruler of known world in antiquity. Ting Morris traced its early development in obscurity and he remarked, â€Å"Rome began around 2,800 years ago as a few small settlements on wooded hills overlooking the Tiber River† (4). But then Rome began to distance itself from the Latin communities from which it was supposed to be a part of. What happens next began a series of development that will catapult this small community into the world map, â€Å"†¦the roman Republic conquered first Latium, then all of Italy. The Romans annexed much foreign territory to their own state, but they also established a system of alliances with all other states. This gave the Romans a vast reserve of manpower that allowed them to overthrow every major power in the Mediterranean†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Mackay, 40). A new age has come and a new military superpower was born. But when the Romans began to assimilate remnants of Alexanders Empire, the new European power came face to face with an ancient civilization whose insight into religion, politics, and philosophy was far ahead of its time. In short the Romans, â€Å" recognized something in Greek culture that was more impressive than anything Rome itself achieved, in spite of Romes unprecedented military success† (Cox). At this point Rome was all brute force. Yes the soldiers led by the Caesars were brave, strong and are very eager to make their mark in the battlefield but when it comes to culture, the Romans were barbarians compared to the Greeks. The Romans discovered an effective methodology in fighting wars and they even had the distinct advantage of knowing how to build an empire out of disparate tribes and nations. They were experts in campaigns that require traveling far from home and yet they lack one more thing. They did not have a good system that can be put in place after victory. This is similar to the idea that it is easy to start a war but the more difficult thing to do is how to end it. So when Rome began to feel the success of empire building the more that they felt the need for a way of life that will enhance their reputation in Europe while at the same time offer them an opportunity to enjoy life more. They found the answer from the sophisticated Greeks. Virgil The Romans had to learn from the Greeks and their history can be characterized not only by empire building but also by the why they incorporated Greek thought and the Greek’s way of life into their own unique system. Now there is none better who understood the need for assimilating Greek culture than the Roman intellectuals of that time. In fact, â€Å"Among the adaptors of Greek culture, none was more brilliant than the poet Virgil. He faced a formidable challenge. Everyone who encountered Greek culture recognized how much it was shaped by Homer† (Cox). This means that there is a great need to surpass Homer and if this is not possible then at least equal Homer’s genius. If this can be achieved then the Romans had done something which other Greek imitators failed to do and that is to provide a great explanation for their existence. A myth has to be created, a legend has to be made and the purpose for such an endeavor is obvious. There is a need for something that will hold the empire together. At the time of writing the Aeneid, Rome was again in the cusp of revolution. Julius Caesar was defeated by Augustus Caesar and so steps must be made to consolidate his power and to strengthen the arm of the new emperor. For a brilliant man like Virgil, times like this one is an opportunity that must be grabbed by both hands. Virgil proceeded to hit two birds with one stone. First he would write an epic that will explain the origins of Rome. He will do so by using stories that are already familiar among the people that he wants to see united under Augustus Caesar and during that time there was no other story quite like the one weaved by Homer centuries before. Virgil saw that epic struggle for good and evil; battles between heroes; and the self-sacrificial behavior of some heroes simply because they believe in something higher than themselves proved to be a formula hard to resist. Virgil was ready to accept the challenge. But it is clear from the beginning that it would not be an easy task. Aside from that Homer is a world unto itself. And as they say there is no way one can improve on perfection, the Iliad and the Odyssey are the blueprints for creating great epics and so what else can be done to make it better. Virgil was able to solve this problem by being inventive and by starting where Homer ended his story. When Troy fell, one of her sons went on to build another kingdom. But then again Virgil cannot escape the past. Virgil could not resist using a successful formula. As they say there is no need to fix what was broken. Judging from the power of the Iliad and the Odyssey to move people it is almost impossible not to use the same method and technique of telling a great story. And so Virgil copied many ideas from Homer. In the introduction to the Aeneid Levi Robert pointed out that: Virgil borrowed from Homer a great many items: his verse form, the division into twelve books, mythology, many episodes and similes. In the Aeneid Venus doubles for Nausicaa, Dido for Calypso and Circe, and Drances for Thersites. The funeral games the desecent into Hades, where Aeneas meets Dido as Odysseus met Ajax, the prophecy of Anchises, the catalogue of ships, Turnus attempt to burn them, a broken truce †¦ a quarrel of two Italian leaders †¦ and a final single combat (Robert, xiii). Aeneid The Aeneid is basically the story of Aeneas, the god-like leader of a band of Trojan refugees fleeing to Italy after the fall of Troy. In the beginning, Aeneas built a fleet with the goal in mind of settling in a foreign land and to finally establish a new nation of Trojans. In Virgil’s mind, he wanted the world to understand the basis for the establishment of the Roman Empire. And there is nothing as perfect as that. Hornstein, Percy and Brown’s book, The Reader’s Companion to World Literature, was very helpful in understanding the context from which Virgils Aeneid was written, and they said that it was written at a time of conflict. Italy was ravaged by more than fifty years of revolution and civil war. When the long-sought peace came, a new form of government was fashioned from a battle weary nation. And with the new set-up, ultimate power was in the hands of one man- Augustus Caesar. It was during this time that the Roman Virgil began working on the Aeneid. Hornstein, Brown and Percy wrote: Vergil began the poem in 29 B. C. , two years after the battle of Actium brought this period of civil war to an end. He had long been preparing for the task. His purpose was national: he desired to glorify the Roman people by his theme and exalt the Emperor in the person of his hero. (5) Homer Putnam acknowledge that Virgil is under the towering shadow of Homer when he made this judgment, â€Å"Homer himself, against whose essential insights into humanity, Virgil’s own achievement will always be measured. † Homer’s success allowed him to set the standard upon which others who will come after him will be forced to measure up. Allen Mandelbaum tells of how his previous study prevented him from fully appreciating Virgil’s works and he said, â€Å"One was a tag line of mark Van Doren that echoed through my youth with tenacious resonance: ‘Homer is a world; Virgil, a style’. † It also did not help that the critics saw Virgil as copying Homer, Gaskell said, â€Å"The overall plan of Virgil’s epic was plainly Homeric, with its main elements reversed: now the odyssey of the man comes first and the armed fighting follows it: but the Homeric parallels are many and obvious. † (161). The only major difference was that Homer was illiterate and therefore had to express the beauty of his poetry in oral reform. On the other hand Virgil was literate and he could study Homers Iliad and Odyssey in written form as well as compose his own epic and was able to write it down. This explains the difference in style but all the more strengthens the view that Virgil was strongly influenced by Homer. Conclusion Now the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall down into its proper places and one can now see the bigger picture. It was mentioned earlier that it was in 168 BC when the Romans began to conquer the remnants of Alexanders Empire and it is through the conquest of former Greek states that the Romans saw first hand the beauty that was Greece. In short the highly militaristic Romans lacked the cultural refinements that one can find in abundance in Greek societies. It is through the process of incorporating Greek culture into the Romans way of life that they rediscovered the power of Homeric poetry. It took the genius of Virgil to use Homers works and use it as the foundation for his own epic. And so in 29 BC Virgil began writing the Aeneid with the purpose of emulating what Homer has achieved in Greece. Homers Iliad and Odyssey provided a sense of identity for all Greeks and Virgil was hoping to achieve the same results. But the desire to incorporate Greek life into Roman life is easier said than done. But everyone who will try to copy from someone begins by copying almost everything that one can see and the eye can appreciate. For instance the Romans copied the design of their temples and they also described their gods using the same attributes found in Greek society. But there is no need to worry because the Roman changed the Greek sounding names of their gods into Roman names for their statues. Virgil attempted to accomplish two major things when he wrote the Aeneid. He wanted to impress the new emperor (Augustus Caesar) and secondly he wanted to have a unique Roman epic that will help unite the people. Virgil was successful in achieving both. The hero of the Aeneid was behaving in much the same way as Augustus Caesar especially with regards to his conquest and the subsequent creation of a new nation out of that sheer determination to succeed. Now for the second part, Virgil was also able to create an epic that can be comparable to Homer. It is true that he copied many things from Homer and yet at the same time his stories were never simply a rehash of what Homer did. Virgil simply needed an inspiration to get going and he found it in the character of Aeneas whom Homer briefly mentioned in his work. From this little known character, Aeneid began to build a story that made the peoples pulse to race. It was indeed an epic story of battles, of struggle between good and evil, of heroes who most of the time failed to achieve their potential and sometimes die a tragic death. The Aeneid is basically an explanation as to the existence of Rome. For many there is a need to have that kind of idea, that kind of emotional anchor in times of trouble. And there is no way to fully understand the impact of Aeneid towards the people of Rome. But one thing is sure Virgil’s work was able to unite the whole of the empire and is instrumental as to why the empire endured for so long. It is now very clear that that Virgil was influenced by historical events and the circumstances that surrounded his life. If there were two streams where these influences came from then Homer is a mighty source of inspiration while the politics and warfare in ancient Rome provided Virgil with more materials to use. In Rome’s struggle to carve out a nation in Europe was evident in Aeneid where the hero had to travel and faced with numerous risks just so he can establish a new nation. It was Homer who provided much influence for Virgil. If Homer did not produce the Iliad and Odyssey it is hard to imagine Virgil able to make his own. This is not to take away anything form the accomplishments of Virgil but it would be almost impossible for him to write beautifully without Homer as guide. Homer did not only provide the seed from which Virgil will grow a powerful story, Homer also provided the correct format. And so putting it all together it is now very clear that Virgil was a byproduct of the events that surrounded him. Yet even before he was born, Homer’s influence and genius was already felt in many parts of the Western world. When Virgil was still very young it is easy to imagine that he was already familiar with the Iliad and Odyssey and no doubt the stories found in those epics help to shape the way he thinks. Works Cited Appelbaum, Stanley. Ed. â€Å"The Aeneid by Vergil† Trans. Charles J. Billson. Canada: Dover Publications, 1995. Cox, John. Introduction to Virgil, The Aeneid. 2008. General Education at Hope College. 03 April 2008. http://www. hope. edu/academic/ids/171/Aeneid. html Gaskell, Philip. Ed. â€Å"Landmarks in Classical Literature† Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 1999. Hemminger, Bill. Exploring Ancient World Cultures: Rome. 1997. EAWC at University of Evansville. 02 April 2008. http://eawc. evansville. edu/ropage. htm Hornstein, L. H. , G. D. Percy, and Calvin S. Brown. Eds. â€Å"The Reader’s Companion to World Literature† New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. , 1973. Knight, G. R. Wilson. Trans. â€Å"The Aeneid by Virgil† New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. , 1956. Mackay, Christopher. â€Å"Ancient Rome: A Military and Political History. † New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Mandelbaum, Allen. Trans. â€Å"The Aeneid by Virgil† California: University of California Press, 1971. Morford, Mark P. O. and Robert J. Lenardon. â€Å"Classical Mythology† 7th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Morris, Ting. â€Å"Ancient Rome. † MN: Smart Apple Media, 2007.