Baba and America Essay Example

Baba and America Essay Throughout The Kite runner Babas character is portrayed as that of a man used to having the respect of others and someone who has strong beliefs and ideals that do not always coincide with those around him. After setting up an orphanage in town, something that gains him yet more respect, he tells Amir to Piss on the beards on those self-righteous monkeys. Baba is referring to the Islamic teachers in Amirs school and we can see that Baba is very much his own man, not somebody who likes the idea of there being something greater than him.As a reader, we see Babas character through Amirs eyes and his strong opinions prove him to be somebody who follows his own morals, meaning that he is not a sheep within the Afghanistan culture and does not easily succumb to pressure of those around him. This character portrayal means that readers see Baba as almost a revolutionary in some sense; although he is affluent and well-respected he is not scared to share opinions which more often than not are not in agreement with people who have a similar status in society to him. This portrayal is important in the novel because it allows us to believe the first part of Amirs statement in chapter 11, that Baba loved the idea of America. As the novel progresses through Amirs childhood we can see the appeal of American society on a character like Baba, a society not grounded by religion and ignorance, a culture of freedom. Baba loves the idea of not being restrained by the culture around him but as the novel proves, actually living in America is extremely difficult for him.By chapter 11 it is understandable to readers why living in America could of given Baba an ulcer because of who he was in Afghanistan. The novel depicts him as a very successful person, who was always at the centre of attention. At parties, when all six-foot-five of him thundered into the room, attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun to the sun shows us Babas position is society and therefore allows readers to reflect on what he has to lose. With their move to America we see Baba lose everything that he has ever held in importance in his life. From being in a very high position in Afghanistan, with wealth and respect, Baba went from a somebody in his national country to a nobody in America. Although American society is perceived as a land of the free, the reality of moving to America was that Baba ended up worse off, the status and money he had once experienced was lost forever during that journey from Afghanistan to America.The San Jose flea market which Baba and Amir frequent on Sundays to sell knickknacks symbolises Babas feeling of identity loss in America. The market evokes memories of who he once was at it represents Afghanistan society on a microscopic level. Tea, Politics and scandal, the ingredients of an Afghan Sunday at the flea market highlights Babas need for Afghanistan culture because his move to America has resulted in a loss of identity. Although as a citizen o f Afghanistan he had respect for American society, the novel explains that moving to another country after you have already made a life in another one is difficult. This is why for Amir the move is a positive one, unlike Baba he was not a successful person in Afghanistan therefore he has the ability to adapt and make a new life in America.In conclusion, the novel explains the statement Baba loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer by depicting Baba as a person who was more dependent on Afghanistan and its culture than he first believed. It is possible Baba suffered from a classic case where he did not realise what he had before he lost it, although he was always finding faults with Afghanistan culture he was still a part of it and he owed the respect and wealth he had accumulated to Afghanistan. The symbol of America as a land of the free was enticing for Baba because it was so different from Afghanistan culture, but as Baba later realised change is nt always for the best.

#FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator

#FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator #FreelancerFriday #7 - Yari Leon Suarez, Translator Yari Leon Suarez offers translation services between English and Spanish. Yari has worked in a variety of genres ranging from technical translations to translating poetry and literary fiction. Yari is also a fan of Charles Bukowski, which is maybe the best quality any person could possibly have that makes you think â€Å"I want to know more about this person.† Enjoy!–REEDSYWhat’s the biggest difference in moving from technical translation to literary translation?YARI LEON SUAREZ You work longer! *laughs* When you translate a creative piece, it takes longer because you have to work closely with the author, more than you would with a corporation. I find that with technical translation you’re working with terminology. It narrows things down, and when you have a question you can just go to a database. With literary translation it becomes more tricky - you’re working with an author’s thoughts, feelings. I think for literary translation you need that communication.REEDSY Why is contact with the author important?YARI LEON SUAREZ I find that the key for literary translation is to connect with the writer as a writer. I’ve translated for friends before, but I knew them as friends, not as writers. When I talk with them about the work, I need to talk about what they were trying to say, and focus as specifically on the piece of work as possible. We don’t talk that much about the process of getting there. Working with friends can be easier, but at the same time it’s not - I have to *forget* that they’re my friends, and look at them as a professional - look at them as a writer, not the person I go for coffee with. It’s tricky but the key is to focus on the piece of work and the writer’s voice. There’s a skill of talking with authors that came from technical translation because I have to ask companies about how they want something translated as well. It teaches you to be precise and how to know what questions to ask. You have to be focussed.REEDSY Is the focus on being accurate, on being good for the reader, on doing right by the author?YARI LEON SUAREZ It’s about doing the best work possible for the author. As a translator you’re really not entitled to change anything for a piece of work. It’s the editor’s job to advise the author on changes if there’s something wrong. For the translator it’s more a communication *with* an author, trying to keep the author’s voice as it is, but in a different language. When I started working with friends and I fell in love with a piece of work, it was hard - I had to stop myself adding to the work. To be a translator you have to be passionate about what you’re translating, but at the same time have a lot of respect for the work. You have to try to write *exactly* as the author wrote, but in a different language.REEDSY How do you practice that? Does reading help?YARI LEON SUAREZ Once, I grabbed a book I like and actually tried to translate a part. It was just a personal exercise, basically. I tried to translate pieces of ‘Women’ by Charles Bukowski. Just as an exercise in how you would translate a book by an established author in an established market, to see how you would handle it. I just kept it to myself.Reading a lot is always going to help - it helps you understand structure. Understanding structure is important because when you’re translating a text you have to understand the form. At the same time I think that right now the most important thing is to be up to date on technology. With technology it makes it so much easier to be in communication with the author, and there are tools that make the work easier. You need the right tools for writing, and translating in particular.There’s specific software that helps you when you’re translating. Nowadays the world of translation is tied to a digital format. For technical tra nslation translators can use software to connect with other translators for feedback. Like Robert Faclo said, Evernote is also fantastic for translators. And it’s necessary, because it speeds up the process of translation.REEDSY Do you do a lot of research?YARI LEON SUAREZ Oh yes, you have to. As a translator you have to be a researcher. You can’t just be happy with your own translation, you need to share your work with other translators and keep communicating with other writers - it’s a collaborative process. Translators these days don’t just sit with a book and translate it into a new language - you have to have a wider knowledge about literature today, you could say, of how the publishing industry is working. You translate in an active, engaged way. Depending on the book you’re translating, you need to know the author, you need to know where this is coming from, you need to know who’s going to be the reader of this translation to make a work that’s accurate.REEDSY What do you need to know from authors, when you’re getting ready to work with them on a project?YARI LEON SUAREZ The first thing is to know the 'motive’ of the novel, how you feel about it, if I can borrow it and read it of course! Later on I would ask the author why they want to share the novel with a different market, how they want it to impact the reader in a different language. I’d ask what the author knows about Spanish, the Spanish market, if anything, if they’re familiar with their new audience.REEDSY What’s are the first steps in the process for you?YARI LEON SUAREZ I’ll read the manuscript and ask questions about the writing, the story, anything that comes up in it about the characters. I’ll ask how you feel about the main character, how the secondary characters are influencing the story, that kind of thing. If I have any doubts, if there’s something I don’t understand, I’ll clear that up. Then I’ll go through the translation work itself, and new questions will arise. In terms of the structure, for example, more specific questions about structure, about sentences where I’m not quite sure about the tone or the intent, that only comes out when you’re doing the work.REEDSY Should authors work with Spanish editors as well, after they’ve translated with you?YARI I†¦ would recommend it. It’s not my field. I can always try and I can suggest, but I would’t consider myself an editor.REEDSY When you’re translating poetry, how does that work? What are you keeping?YARI LEON SUAREZ To translate poetry you’re dealing with a different literary structure, depending on the type of poem. If it’s free-rhyming, that’s one thing, but if there’s a specific structure you’re facing a piece that will take longer. That’s in the sense that it’s not just the vocabulary you need to worry about, but also about the structure and the differences between languages. For example, English and Spanish are completely different languages in the way you structure sentences in them. A sentence in Spanish can be longer in a sentence than English, and that can break the structure of the poem. So I have to spend a lot of time just trying to do the work because I have to make sure the same amount of syllables of the original poem are in the translation.And then also, keep in mind that it’s not a literal translation but a poetic translation as well, so you have to use the right kind of language, with the right translation of the word, whi le keeping the tone of the author. It’s a big, big challenge that requires a lot of work. With prose, you can follow a different structure and just keep in mind the genre of the work. It’s still difficult, because translation has to be based on the work, it’s not your work.REEDSY Do you see any big differences between the English and Spanish markets?YARI LEON SUAREZ In the US, specifically, they seem to be getting more into drama†¦ You know, I’m thinking. They’re not too different. They both definitely prefer prose to poetry. The majority of authors are doing novels or a series of novels following the same character - like a saga, let’s say. In that sense, the markets are similar. In Spain they love the novel that’s elaborate in a historical way. They love a novel that has historical research behind it, but is still dramatic, is not too much of a psychological novel. They follow a mystery plot, that kind of thing.The differences aren’t so big - we’re talking about literature that doesn’t require a lot of psychological analysis of the character, that isn’t a heavy topic - it’s easy reading, especially in the United States. â€Å"A read that flows,† basically; that doesn’t take a lot of time to understand, especially that’s not metaphysical. In Latin America I think they like literature with secondary meanings hidden in the prose, but here in Spain and the United States it’s more about the flow of the prose.REEDSY Thanks for your time Yari.

Transmutation Definition and Examples

Transmutation Definition and Examples The word transmutation means something different to a scientist, particularly a physicist or chemist, compared to the ordinary usage of the term. Transmutation Definition (trÄÆ'ns†²myoÍžo-tÄ Ã¢â‚¬ ²shÉ™n) (n) Latin transmutare to change from one form into another.  To transmute is to change from one form or substance into another; to transform or convert. Transmutation is the act or process of transmuting. There are multiple specific definitions of transmutation, depending on the discipline. In the general sense, transmutation is any transformation from one form or species into another on.(Alchemy) Transmutation is the conversion of base elements into precious metals, such as gold or silver. The artificial production of gold, chrysopoeia, was a goal of alchemists, who sough to develop a Philosophers Stone that would be capable of the transmutation. The alchemists attempted to use chemical reactions to achieve transmutation. They were unsuccessful because nuclear reactions are required.(Chemistry) Transmutation is the conversion of one chemical element into another. Element transmutation may occur either naturally or via a synthetic route. Radioactive decay, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion are natural processes by which one element may become another. Scientists most commonly transmute elements by bombarding the nucleus of a target atom with particles, forcing the target to change its atomic number, and thus its elemental identity. Related Terms: Transmute (v), Transmutational (adj), Transmutative (adj), Transmutationist (n)Transmutation Examples The classic goal of alchemy was to turn the base metal  lead into the more valuable metal  gold. While alchemy did not achieve this goal, physicists and chemists learned how to transmute elements. For example, Glenn Seaborg made gold from bismuth in 1980. There are reports that Seaborg also  transmuted a minute quantity of lead into gold, possibly en route via bismuth. However, its much easier to transmute gold into lead:  Ã‚   197Au  Ã‚  n  Ã¢â€ â€™Ã‚  198Au (half life  2.7 days) →  198Hg   n →  199Hg n →  200Hg n →  201Hg n →  202Hg n →  203Hg (half life 47 days) →  203Tl   n →  204Tl (half life 3.8 years) →  204Pb  (half life 1.4x1017  years) The Spallation Neutron Source has transmuted liquid mercury into gold, platinum, and iridium, using particle acceleration. Gold may be made using a nuclear reactor by irradiating mercury or platinum (producing radioactive isotopes). If mercury-196 is used as the starting isotope, slow neutron capture followed by electron capture can produce the single stable isotope, gold-197. Transmutation History The term transmutation may be traced back to the early days of alchemy. By the Middle Ages, attempts at alchemical transmutation were outlawed and alchemists Heinrich Khunrath and Michael Maier exposed fraudulent claims of chrysopoeia. In the 18th century, alchemy was largely supplanted by the science of chemistry, after Antoine Lavoisier and John Dalton proposed atomic theory. The first true observation of transmutation came in 1901, when Frederick Soddy and Ernest Rutherford observed thorium changing into radium via radioactive decay. According to Soddy, he exclaimed, Rutherford, this is transmutation! To which Rutherford replied, For Christs sake, Soddy, dont call it  transmutation. Theyll have our heads off as alchemists!

Prevention of falling for the Elderly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Prevention of falling for the Elderly - Essay Example With age she has become prone to falls and along with this her impaired vision due to cataract further contributes to the risk factors. As my patient’s aunt is suffering from Osteoporosis which could be due to decreased physical activity, changes in hormone levels, deficiency of Vitamin D, a proper care in these areas can help in alleviating her conditions to a great extent. To take care of deficiency of the essential nutrients the following points need to be taken care of – The lowered physical activity in the elderly can lead to reduced strength, muscle problems and loss of flexibility and bone mass. This increases the risk of falls and to prevent it the following points need consideration- She can be engaged in regular exercises as this will increase the strength of her bones and muscles and will also work towards improving her flexibility and balance. As an alternative she can also go on regular walks. It is common for the elderly to suffer from vision diseases such as Glaucoma and Cataracts that can affect their peripheral vision, depth perception make it difficult for them to see in the bright lights. All this can impact their ability to judge the environment and the following preventive tips can assist them greatly- The screening of fall risks is an efficient method of identifying people with a great risk of falling. There are a number of fall-risk screening tools with an accuracy of high to intermediate. The St Thomas’ risk assessment tool in falling elderly inpatients (STRATIFY) gives an accuracy of intermediate to high in the classification of fall risk. It is recommended in the case of nursing homes. A stratify risk screen helps in calculating the risk scores. A score of 0 to 3 is assigned for ‘Transfer’ and also for ‘mobility’. A score of 3 is implies independence in the patient. The score is calculated from the state of the

Culture and American Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Culture and American Foreign Policy - Essay Example America is a migrant society where every citizen has the right to do anything they want, provided they do not infringe on the rights of others. Â  For instance, America is one of the few societies where citizens are constitutionally allowed to own guns for personal and property protection. Â   It is this same projection and protection of freedom that manifests in American foreign policy. A good example of this is the Middle East where the U.S is involved in multiple wars. While there are other factors contributing to these conflicts, the primary reason is the liberation of Middle Eastern people from tyrannical governments, in line with the American culture of liberty for all. Â  Another example is in the Far East. As part of American foreign policy, the United States maintains permanent military basis in both Japan and South Korea. It does this as a protection to both countries from North Korea and China. What is the common difference between China/North Korea and Korea/Japan? The answer is a culture of liberty. China and North Korea are against a culture of personal liberties and hence, are a threat to South Korea and Japan. Â   These scenarios replicate across the world where the United States has a strong show of might in enforcing its foreign policy. On this basis, it is safe to argue that, cultural factors help explain America’s interaction with the outside world. Â  To test this assertion empirically, one can use quantitative techniques to analyze secondary data on U.S foreign interventions.

How to Become an Effective Manger and a Good Communicator Essay Example for Free

How to Become an Effective Manger and a Good Communicator Essay In order to stay on top, companies need to do more than just stay the same and keep them alive, they need to grow. And that means that their employees need to develop and improve their skills at the same pace. More than ever, managers are being encouraged to improve employee performance through effective coaching, but so few of them have the time or the knowledge. It takes to do it successfully. Based on my case study, and presentation from the other classmate, I am getting to know how they develop their most promising employees. Now in this article, I will talk about how to be an effective manager based on the staff that I have learned from BUAD 309 class. I will also talk about from problem solving to developing accountability as an effective manager. I am a table tennis coach myself, I needs to coach other players has total different back ground and age. When I am coaching people, my students are either improving fast or still remain the same, these are all good to me, because in my perspective, when people are not improving fast, means that they are absorb the knowledge I thought them. But In the business world, if you’re not growing, you’re dying. It’s a basic rule of life here on earth and in the business world today. It’s what drives most of us to be better at what we do and who we are. It’s the desire to â€Å"be more. † Because of this desire, the term â€Å"coaching† has caught the attention of both the personal growth and business worlds, creating a multibillion dollar business and a situation in which everyone wants a coach. More than ever before, employees are asking for developmental opportunities and managers are being told they need to â€Å"coach† their employees on a regular basis. We’ve even worked with managers who say they’ve been told to â€Å"stop managing and start coaching. This all sounds great in theory: managers coaching employees to grow and be more effective, but there’s one problem. Although many people agree that having a coach is a great way to move toward success, very few people know what a coach actually is or what a coach actually does. This leaves many managers scratching their heads as they try to fit one more ambiguous task into their already over-busy schedules. So what is a coach, and what is coaching? This is our definition: A coach is someone who helps another person reaches higher effectiveness by creating a dialogue that leads to awareness and action. Lorber, L 2008)By creating the space to step back, look in the mirror, and grapple with the tough questions, a coach helps a person examine and deal with their reactions to obstacles and, in a sense, â€Å"get out of their own way† as they achieve better results, in a more efficient manner. When we are faced with a task, there are three things that managers should help employees to get better and be as successful as possible: First, make sure you find and dig out the aptitude of your employees: make them understand their potential and capacity to complete the task at hand. Second, make sure your employee’s attitude right toward their jobs: make sure your employees are confidence, focus, and determination to complete the task at hand. Third, make sure you make your employees use all the available resources: make them use all the tools, equipment, and time that available that needed to complete the task at hand. Without these three components, we cannot be at the top of our game. The degrees to which each of them does or does not exist directly contribute or detract from our ultimate level of success. It can be thought of as an equation with variable components. Start with Aptitude, the most obvious component of the equation. Without the proper skills and know how to complete a task, we are left scratching our head and frustrated. Think of a kid on her birthday receiving her first shiny, new bike. She has the determination and excitement to ride her new wheels, but she lacks the skill and ability to go whizzing down the street as she envisions. (Greg P, 1993) After two or three wipeouts, you end up with a frustrated little birthday girl. Just as crucial to the equation is having the Available Resources to complete the task. Think of the last time your team at work had a great idea or new approaches to accomplishing success, but you lacked the budget, time, or people power to deal with it. You had the capacity to figure out a new solution, the drive and confidence to make it a reality, but lacked the money or people to pull it off. Not a fun place to be in, by any stretch of the imagination. As managers, and people, we are comfortable and see the need to focus on Aptitude and Available Resources. When things aren’t working in the office, managers are often very willing to train people in new skills or throw more money at the problem. However, it’s the middle part of the Success Equation. The keystone if you will that most people tend to overlook, forget about, or outright ignore. Attitude refers to things like the drive, confidence, focus, enthusiasm, determination, need, desire, fortitude, and inspiration to accomplish the task at hand. Although difficult to measure and manage, without the right Attitude, having only the Aptitude and Available Resources will get you nowhere. Unfortunately, managers often say things like, â€Å"why can’t people just do their jobs and leave all that other stuff at home. † Well, people don’t â€Å"leave all that other stuff at home† because as humans, we can’t. (Greg P, 1993) Understandably, many managers wish that this was not the case, because managing would be immensely easier if people could really â€Å"check their emotions at the door. † We got it, and, unfortunately, it’s not possible. Think of the time your work day has been affected because you were ill, or you had a fight with a family member. This doesn’t even include the events that happen at work. When rumors of a downsizing start in an organization, how many people are able to completely check their emotional reaction to the news and focus a hundred percent on their work? Not many. So, for better or worse, managers have to accept that our Attitude affects our Level of Success, and focusing on it is more than â€Å"a nice thing to do. † Like it or not, Attitude is hardwired into the Success Equation of humans, and not just as a variable on the periphery. Attitude is perhaps the most vital component in the entire equation, and focusing on it is a manager’s business imperative. Hardline business people are often most comfortable thinking of this in terms of sports. Anyone who has played sports has probably been told at one time or another to â€Å"get your head in the game,† â€Å"focus,† â€Å"get psyched up,† or â€Å"don’t think that you can’t beat these guys! † (Greg P, 1993) Sports coaches know that the confidence, drive, and determination of their athletes can make all the difference between playing and winning. I think this is the biggest connection between my sport and management. Other than the three things, I would like to talk about good communication skills as a good manager. Good communication skill means the ability to be understood, but it also means more than that. Have you ever noticed how good conversationalists have the ability to light up a conversation and inspire others to join in? You can learn to be like that too. Remember any good conversation is a two-way process. Its only as good as the responses you get but you can really improve the number and types of responses you get by honing your communication skill. Here are a few aspects of what it means to have this skill to initiate and sustain an interesting, enjoyable conversation that everyone feels better for having participated in.

An Analysis of Human Resources Management at TNT Essay -- Business Hum

An Analysis of Human Resources Management at TNT TNT is the European market leader in global express distribution, logistics and international mail. Wherever a company operates TNT will make sure that their documents, consignments and business mail are delivered safely and on time using their integrated air and road networks. Their international operations are focused on the key areas of world trade in Europe, Asia, North and South America. They also have strong domestic networks in Australia and Europe. Their operational networks are supported by sophisticated technology which as well as ensuring service reliability provides real-time, on-line information on the status of the consignment. Their central philosophy is to put the customer at the heart of their business. They aim to be companies’ business partner devising solutions for all their customers' distribution needs by combining their core capabilities to create new products and services. The HRM of TNT empower employees to provide the fastest and most reliable service which involves upholding the quality principles for the benefit of all stakeholders involved with the organisation thereby enabling them to achieve the vision. The quality principles of TNT are: customer care, leadership, people, communication, resources, suppliers, processes and the impact on society. For each of this principles the HRM makes sure and show how its needs to be carried out: Â · Customer Care: Always listening to and building first class relationships with their customers to help TNT provide excellent standards of service and client satisfaction. Â · Leadership: Inspiring all members of the TNT team to be outstanding achievers and building on their make it happen policy through clear direction, support and accountability. Â · People: Recognising individual and team achievements, promoting from within wherever possible and encouraging everyone to enjoy rewarding careers that provide security and job satisfaction. Â · Communication: Working hard at all times to encourage clear and honest two-way communications which foster teamwork, they must get through attitude and staff involvement through an open management style. Â · Resources: Employing the best people in a first class working environment and supporting them with ongoing training, reliable equip... ...ager or by the job holder’s superior. The performance appraisal gives the managers the chance to reward employees and to thank them for doing a good job. Appraisal normally takes place once or twice a year. In some organisations it happens every month every three months. The more often it is done the better. At TNT appraisals happens every six months. The benefits of performance appraisal for the organisation are: Â · It helps employees to identify training needs. Â · It may reveal other problems – for example, there may be workplace difficulties with other staff (eg it might be caused by sexual or racial harassment). Â · It may untap useful new skills. Â · It improves communications between employees and managers – a few words of encouragement and praise for doing a good job are often highly motivating. Â · It provides disciplinary documentation – if the employer needs to dismiss somebody, the existence of through appraisal records, which identify the person’s inabilities, or lack of effort will be very useful. Â · It helps to fix pay rises – increasingly people get performance related pay which is based upon the appraisal interview.

Airborne Express case Analysis Essay

1 Company Background: Airborne express is an express delivery company and cargo airline, which by1997 had 16% of the domestic express mail market share. They operate in a niche by targeting business clients located in the United States. Their main service is next morning delivery which is also the flagship of the industry. Airborne are Target Business clients  able to differentiate by holding a position as  primarly with next morning  delivery services  cost leaders while providing high quality  services, equal to that of their competitors. In addition, Airborne Express is perceived  as the flexible, solution orientated express  Provide  carrier. They possess the ability of adapting  Able to offer the  Flexible- solution  lowest price on  needs of business customers, without it  orientated  the market  express service  affecting the price structure of their services. Figure 1 Airborne’s wheel of success Competitive advantage: The mail express industry is characterized by a cost structure with high variable costs and relatively low fixed costs. Firms’ competitive advantage lies mainly in providing their service at the lowest possible cost. Airborn Express’ Infrastructure Marketing  and sales and  offer Inbound  logistics Sorting  operations Package Shipping Delivery services Figure 2: Airborne’s express value chain Marketing, sales and technology: ï‚ · Low advertising costs; sales mainly through a strong sales-force that establishes personal relationships with their clients. ï‚ · No research and developments costs in research and development. Ability to copy and integrate quickly when competitors’ adopt new successful innovations. Inbound logistics: ï‚ · Airborne express own its main hub (purchased at a very low price because of rural location) on which it collects its parcels. ï‚ · No landing fees, because of ownership, which substantially reduce their costs. Sorting operations: ï‚ · Sorting operation rely mostly on labor than machines, compared to competitors. As labor is none-unionized labor, it provides Airborne with cheaper labor force. ï‚ · Operations mainly situated in one location (sorting facility and warehouses), allowing a lower cost structure in addition to some economies of scale. 2 Package shipment: ï‚ · Fleet of 175 aircrafts, mostly McDonnell Douglas type, purchased used at low price. ï‚ · Deliveries mostly concentrated in top 50 US metropolitan areas, as most businesses are located in such areas, allowing high utilization rate of aircrafts (80%), and therefore some economies of scale. Delivery services ï‚ · Pickup and delivery services mostly operated by independent contractors (paid by the mile or parcel), 10% cheaper than company owned pickup and delivery services. ï‚ · More parcels per stop because clients are situated in mostly metropolitan areas. ï‚ · No retail service centers (little need as most clients are business clients), compared to competitors who are dependent on such service centers. Industry Analysis: Exhibit 1 gives an overview of attractiveness of industry. Positive for companies operating in this sector is: market for express deliveries is difficult to access. Capital requirements are high; market is saturated with established companies operating the industry. (To FeDex for example, has become synonym to overnight shipping). In addition there is little supplier power. Main suppliers are pickup and delivery service companies, and these are exposed to high competition which contributes to low bargaining power. On the other hand, it is a very saturated market. The market leaders, FedEx and UPS operate in most of the parcel markets (international, domestic, businesses, private †¦). The remaining companies target niche markets and are either direct competitors of either FedEx or UPS. What differentiates them is usually price and image. In general, the industry is characterized by strong competition between firms, as firms provide similar services, with a high degree of substitu tability. With a sector exposed to such competition, profit margins outsights are relatively low. Generic strategies: 100% 80% Market share 60% Airplane utilization rate Operating margins Price/ Performance – Next morning delivery 40% 20% 0% Fedex UPS Airborne Delivery quality Price/ Performance Next afternoon delivery Figure 3: graphs based on numbers from Exhibit 2 3 Operating Margin 10% 10% 9% 9% 8% Average price (all parcel types) $35 8% 7% $34 7% 6% $33 6% 5% $32 5% $31 4% $30 4% 3% $29 3% Average price (all Operating 2% $28 2% parcel types) – next 97% 98% 99% 100% 1% 96% morning Market deliveries 1% 0% Share 0% $25,00 0% 10% $30,00 20% 30% $35,00 40% 50% Both FedEx and UPS are currently looking for marginal revenue opportunities. History of industry has showed importance of innovation .Currently, UPS has adopted a new pricing strategy that has been followed by FedEx. The question is whether Airborne should adapt same pricing strategy as their competitors. Cost/ Benefit analysis Advantages of adopting new pricing system – Maintain pace of competitors, – Not to lose profitability and market share as a result of competitors’ overtaking shorter distance mail market due to lower pricing. – Market sensible to market innovation. Illustrated by the innovation war between FEDEX and UPS in the 90’s. – Brand known as flexible, so why not adopt a flexible pricing system? Disadvantages of adopting new pricing system – Imposing a new costly system – Increase costs and decrease profits if prices are  still lower than competitors in the overnight  morning delivery and in the lower weight  products. – Businesses are the clients, and services are  probably set by contracts and negotiations on volumes and not per unit. – Distance based pricing mostly influence  decisions of consumers rather than businesses. Maintaining the status quo – lose profitability and markets share; competitors’ overtaking short distance mail market due to lower pricing. – Long term effects: Airborne risks operating only on longer more costly transportation routes, and will largely influence profitability if only operating in specific markets. Airborne Express Adotping Not adopting Competitors Little worse This chart chose us the probable effects  of not adapting new pricing system  given that we already know they have  implemented the changes. Much worse Adopting Much better Same Much worse Not adopting Little worse Much better Same Figure 4: Game theory Recommendation The real risk of not following in competitors footsteps is that Airborne express might lose clients, especially smaller business clients. The effects would be the risk of operating in only long distance deliveries, which are also the most expensive. In addition, Airborne has an image of being flexible and solution orientated. Not implementing distance based pricing can dilute their brand image, especially in an industry where innovation is important. Given the risks, recommendations for Airborne Express (in order not to lose paste to competitors), is to implement distance based pricing. 4 Exhibit 1: Porter’s five forces analysis Threat of new Entrants (low) – Saturated markets – High capital requirements – Established brands – Some economies of scale – Low product differentiation Determinants of Supplier Power (Low) -Input, little dependent on suppliers: * aircraft carriers bought used *Pickup and delivery services companies are exposed to high competition, and therefore have little bargaining power. Rivalry among firms (high) – 3 big competitors and 6 second players: * Ups operate in all markets, * Remaining operate in niche markets. – Provide similar services. Fedex Determinants of buyer power (high) – Many suppliers – Low product differentiation – Low switching cost – High variable costs – Some brand loyalty – Low buyer switching costs – Competitive advantage through innovation – Discounts with volume – Price sensitive Threat of substitute products (High) – Low switching costs, unless contracts have been negotiated. – Similar product quality,(99% of package on time with UPS, FED and 97% with Airborne – Prices are similar, except Airborne has lower price for the industries flagship product – Other products such as electronic mail Exhibit 2: Numbers for radar Graph Companies Utilization rate Avg price overnight morning delivery, 1-10 lbs Avg price overnight next afternoon delivery 1-10 lbs Delivery quality Operating Margins (19961997) Domestic market share Fedex 65-70% 20,53 UPS 65-70% 21,54 Airborne 80% 18,55 21,65 18,52 16,63 99% 6.1% 99% 9.1% 97% 7.9% 45% 25% 16% 5

The Political Arena

A boiling hot international issue nowadays is the upcoming elections in the Philippines which will be conducted on May 10, 2010. The election itself is controversial enough because this time, there are ten presidential candidates, but what is really different about this election is that this is the first time that they will be having the automated elections. The Senate Bill No. 2231 states that the automated election system must be used to ensure transparency, accuracy and credibility.As the elections are drawing nearer, more and more intrigues are appearing. One, and perhaps the most worthy of worry, is the failure of the PCOS machines.2 Just five days before the elections, the testing of the machines produced wrong results. In the mock elections, there were five votes for a certain candidate, and five votes for another candidate. These ten votes were all counted for different candidates.Whether the makers of the machine and the administration, headed by the current president who ha s been accused of cheating in the last elections, are conniving for this, it remains a mystery. People are worried that there might be a failure of elections, and when this happens, the current president stays the president. It has been suggested to have a parallel counting, meaning that aside from the automated counting, there will also be manual counting. This proposal was rejected by the Commission on Elections.In the Philippines, there are many different groups and religions. Recently, they have announced their support statements. The Iglesia ni Cristo group announced that they will be supporting Senator â€Å"Noynoy† Aquino, the son of the late President Cory Aquino (their first woman president).3Senator Aquino made a statement saying that the Commission on Elections indeed denied their proposal because it might open more venues for frauds and protests.4The media, being the primary source for most people, definitely plays a big role in this event. They continue to publis h survey results, which almost always show that there are only two presidential candidates who are in a battle for the spot. Again, these surveys only show the majority votes in a certain area, but for some reason, they have the power to manipulate the voters.Some voters will change their votes because their first choice does not show good results in the surveys posted by the media. The media also consistently gives updates on the failure of the PCOS machines. Last April 29, 2010, there was an article saying that the Office of the President also stood behind the decision of the COMELEC, and this made the citizens wonder more if there is indeed a connection between the two groups.5There have been legal actions already, as the mentioned resolutions of the Senate to the COMELEC, but all have been denied. The reason behind this is most probably the connivance of the administration, the COMELEC, and the producers of the PCOS machines. For me, this is an important issue even though it is happening in a different country.This shows us the dirty game of politics, and if it is happening in the Philippines, it can happen to any other country, as long as there are corrupt and power-hungry officials. If their elections push through without failure, we will get to see a new era in the Philippines, but if there is a failure of elections, who knows what can happen to their country?Choosing the next leaders of a country should not be taken lightly, and amidst the issues happening in their country, there are people still hoping for the best results.Works CitedSenate of the Republic of the Philippines, 13th Congress, Senate Bill No. 2231, Automated Election System, filed March 15, 2006.Noynoy Aquino. http://www.noynoy.ph/v3/index.php.Senate of the Philippines Press Release May 4, 2010.COMELEC Rejects Parallel Manual Count, April 29 2010, Manila Bulletin.   

Definition and Examples of Vagueness in Language

Definition and Examples of Vagueness in Language In speech or writing, vagueness is the imprecise or unclear use of language. Contrast this term with clarity and specificity. As an adjective, the word becomes vague. Although vagueness often occurs unintentionally, it may also be employed as a deliberate rhetorical strategy to avoid dealing with an issue or responding directly to a question. Macagno and Walton note that vagueness can also be introduced for the purpose of allowing the speaker to redefine the concept he wishes to use (Emotive Language in Argumentation, 2014). In  Vagueness as a Political Strategy (2013),  Giuseppina Scotto di Carlo observes that vagueness is a pervasive phenomenon in natural language, as it seems to be expressed through nearly all linguistic categories. In short, as philosopher Ludwig  Wittgenstein said, Vagueness is an  essential feature of the language.   Etymology From the Latin, wandering Examples and Observations Use details. Dont be vague. -Adrienne Dowhan et al., Essays That Will Get You into College, 3rd ed. Barrons, 2009 Vague Words and Phrases Vagueness arises from the use of terms that are inherently vague. The cabinet minister who says, My officials are monitoring this situation very closely, and I can promise that we shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the situation is resolved in a way that is fair to all the parties involved. should be challenged on grounds of vagueness. Despite the appearance of having promised to do something specific, the minster has not really promised to do anything at all. What are appropriate measures? They could be anything or nothing. What does fair to all the parties mean? We have no clear idea. Such phrases are inherently vague and can mean almost anything. People who use them should be challenged to say more precisely what they mean. -Willam Hughes and Jonathan Lavery, Critical Thinking: An Introduction to the Basic Skills, 5th ed. Broadview Press, 2008 Vagueness Versus Specificity Vague or abstract words can create wrong or confusing meanings in your receivers mind. They state a general idea but leave the precise meaning to the receivers interpretation...The following examples show vague or abstract words and ways to make them specific and precise: many - 1,000 or 500 to 1,000early - 5 a.m.hot - 100 degrees Fahrenheitmost - 89.9 percentothers - business administration studentspoor student - has a 1.6 grade point average (4.0 A)very rich - a millionairesoon - 7 p.m., Tuesdayfurniture - an oak desk Notice in the preceding examples how adding a few words makes the meaning precise. Varieties of Vagueness One characteristic of vagueness...is that it is related to the degree of formality, or rather informality, of the situation; the less formal the situation the more vagueness there will be... Vagueness in Oratory [T]he need in oratory of the specific example, either in place of or immediately following the general statement, cannot be too strongly urged. Generalizations alone have no persuasive value. And yet this truth is constantly overlooked by public speakers. How often do we hear the common criticism of the typically weak, impressionless address: Platitudes and glittering generalities. In one of George Ades Forty Modern Fables a man has certain stock phrases which he uniformly uses in all discussions pertaining to art, literature, and music; and the moral is, For parlor use, the vague generality is a life-saver. But for the public speaker, generalizations are useless for either imparting or impressing his thought; a single concrete example has far more convincing and persuasive force. Vagueness in Survey Questions Vague words are very common on surveys. A word is vague when it is not obvious to a respondent what referents (e.g., instances, cases, examples) fall under the umbrella of the words intended meaning...For example, consider the question, How many members of your household work? This question has several vague words, most of which would be missed by the vast majority of respondents. It could be argued that members, household, and work are all vague words. Who counts as being a member of the household?...What falls under the category of household?... What counts as someone working?...Vagueness is ubiquitous in most survey questions. Ambiguity Versus Vagueness The difference between ambiguity and vagueness is a matter of whether two or more meanings associated with a given phonological form are distinct (ambiguous), or united as non-distinguished subcases of a single, more general meaning (vague). A standard example of ambiguity is bank financial institution vs. bank land at rivers edge, where the meanings are intuitively quite separate; in aunt fathers sister vs. aunt mothers sister, however, the meanings are intuitively united into one, parents sister. Thus ambiguity corresponds to separation, and vagueness to unity, of different meanings. Vagueness in Sentences and Words The primary application of vague is to sentences, not to words. But the vagueness of a sentence does not imply that vagueness of every constituent word. One vague word is enough. It may be essentially doubtful whether this is a red shape because it is essentially doubtful whether this is red, although beyond doubt that it is a shape. The vagueness of This is a red shape does not imply the vagueness of This is a shape. Sources A. C. Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce Logan, and Karen Williams,  Business Communication, 8th ed. South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2011(Anna-Brita Stenstrà ¶m, Gisle Andersen, and Ingrid Kristine Hasund,  Trends in Teenage Talk: Corpus Compilation, Analysis, and Findings. John Benjamins, 2002)Edwin Du Bois Shurter,  The Rhetoric of Oratory. Macmillan, 1911Arthur C. Graesser, Question Interpretation.  Polling America: An Encyclopedia of Public Opinion, ed. by Samuel J. Best and Benjamin Radcliff. Greenwood Press, 2005David Tuggy, Ambiguity, Polysemy, and Vagueness.  Cognitive Linguistics: Basic Readings, ed. by Dirk Geeraerts. Mouton de Gruyter, 2006Timothy Williamson,  Vagueness. Routledge, 1994

Allied Powers Between The Conferences Yalta And Potsdam

Allied Powers Between The Conferences Yalta And Potsdam When the allies met in Yalta, in February 1945, the war was still ongoing. There were obvious signs that the German forces were weakening, yet fighting continued. As a result, when the Allies met in Yalta, defeating Germany was still in the fore front of their minds.1They had put aside their fundamental differences and were united in the face of a universal foe. Yet even here the cracks were beginning to show. By the time of the Potsdam conference in August of the same year, these cracks had enlarged due to a number of significant factors. Firstly, it is important to focus on what happened at the conference in Yalta. Each of the allies had high expectations of what would happen after the war ended. Russia was obsessed with the idea of reparation payments, whereas America preferred a tactic of rehabilitation rather than total destruction. As there is still a war going on, America does not step in when Russia demands that $20 billion reparation payments should be given by Germany, and half of this huge sum should be paid to Russia.2 Roosevelt actually agrees in principle, and consequently Stalin leaves, believing he has what he wants. Other big decisions such as post war arrangements for Germany were left off the agenda at this conference, as they were believed to be too significant and important to be discussed at a time when the war was ongoing.3 Postponing major decisions seemed a sensible idea at the time; however, this would prove to be a costly misjudgement later. By the time the Allies met again at the Potsdam conference, in August of the same year, many significant changes had taken place. The most major change was that the war had ended, and this altered the mindset of the allies greatly. The allies had sustained huge losses and the effect this had can be seen clearly in the measures they took after the war. Russia alone had lost 8.7 million men and women in combat and a further 18 million civilians. In real terms, this showed that Russia had sustained the most casualties and in fact, to every one American that died, ninety Soviets lost their lives.4 Consequently, all three countries were seeking maximum security, to strengthen their position and prevent another war of this magnitude occurring again. America, for example, started to set up bases in the Atlantic Ocean so they would have complete control of who entered the country.5 This clearly shows how serious the idea of security was taken by the strongest of the allied powers. These fears of security made the allies suspicious of one another, and America recognised that now Germany was defeated, the next threat to American security came from much nearer to home in the form of Russia. Russia had given America cause to think this, as their position had strengthened even from the short time between the Yalta and Potsdam conference. Russia was in a powerful position at the end of the war, despite suffering huge losses. The Red army liberated Berlin on the 24th April 1945, after two weeks of the bloodiest fighting witnessed in world war two.6 As a result of the Allies indecisiveness in Yalta, no agreement had been drawn up as to what would be done with Germany straight after the war. So, Russia stripped German factories and rounded up workers to help rebuild their damaged country, and this angered the Western allies. Furthermore, immediately after Yalta, Russia began the sovietisation of the areas it occupied, and did this without any consideration to the policies of the allies in the west.7 The Communist influence was expanding further. Another bone of contention with the allies was the size of the Russian army. Western allies argued that Russia did not need such a large army now the threat from Germany was over.8 They believed that Russia could function with a smaller army which could be use for defence. This shows early fears from America that Russia were a threat to their security, and that the US had identified Russia as a potential enemy.

Canonical Antonyms Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Canonical Antonyms - Research Paper Example Canonical antonyms are investigated through opinion tests, word connection tests, and extraction tests (Grassmayr 36). Within the context of good grammatical language, the canonical antonyms occur together with one another by means of credible constructions better than other word pairs with possible semantics. The diagnostics of canonical antonyms are found out through grammatical word structures and the strengths of language semantics. Words that have opposing meanings may have contrasting viewpoints but that does not necessarily mean that they are canonical antonyms. The paradigm of the application of English language semantics that provides the meaning of words, opposites, and adjectives rely on canonical antonyms. This is evident through dictionaries and thesaurus that provide the basic values and meanings of words and their antonyms, which should have a canonic point of view (Vas 79).  Antonym word duos refer to any two words that contrast semantically to each other by virtue of having dissimilar meanings, for example, warm and chilly. A canonic antonym refers to two words that are affiliated because of being together with semantic correlation, for instance, public and private. Therefore, canonic antonyms are twosome words that have lexicon frameworks in the language whose combinations make sense by default without necessarily having to adhere to semantic tenets (Storjohann 89). The conventional way to which canonical antonyms pair with each other occur in a broad array of word contexts in that they do not contrast just because of being in a single phrase. Therefore, poor and rich are more probable to contain a canonic perspective as opposed to rags and riches. To reciprocate the relatedness of the words is also considered to have a canonic affiliation. For instance, searches may show that the best antonym of both rapid and fast is slow.