Thursday, December 26, 2019

William Blake The Common Symbolism Of The Lamb - 1677 Words

The common symbol of Christ has been a meek and mild lamb, and the child can clearly make that inference. â€Å"Little Lamb I’ll tell thee, Little Lamb I’ll tell thee! He is called by thy name† (Blake 723). The previous quote described that Christ was a lamb, and every person was a young lamb admired by God at one time. â€Å"The Lamb† was part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and the viewpoint was from a child’s perspective. The child recognized the lamb’s gentleness and generosity. As a result, the lamb was symbolic of Christ, the lamb of God. Blake was tying the childlike innocence in the poem as the song is a metaphor of a childlike curiosity of its own creation. In the poem, Blake illustrates it; â€Å" Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou†¦show more content†¦The poem, The Wild Swans at Coole, itself described a number of natural features and was about both the beauty of nature and about the environment that disti nguish the natural world. It is as if the narrator felt nature was both powerful and beautiful, something that appears not to age and change the way the rest of the world disengaged and became lifeless. While the speaker said that the swans would fly away, â€Å"But now they drift on the stillwater, Mysterious, beautiful; Among what rushes will they build, By what lakes edge or pool† (Yeats 1169). For the time being, the interpretation of the swans were still and quiet. While Blakes poem, â€Å"The Tyger† does not directly state the symbolism, it could be inferred in some ways. The tiger is not the devil, but a type of state of a human being progressed to the devil. But in the case of the poem, the tiger was the experience version of â€Å"The Lamb†, as innocence is taken and affected by the devil, the tiger was to restore it. In what distant deeps or skies./ Burnt the fire of thine eyes? (Blake). Some scholars believed the tiger was the version of the angel, Lucifer. Like Lucifer, the tiger works in the darkness and inspires the thought of death and is so strong and beautiful that the Bible portrayed of the fallen angel. The symbolism could be seen as the tiger was reflecting the fires of hell and the comparison of the tiger and the lamb, or the devil and angelShow MoreRelatedThe Lamb And The Tyger By William Blake996 Words   |  4 Pagesthings created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible† (Colos sians 1:16). William Blake wrote poems about this very subject. In his twin poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, Blake uses different literary techniques such as sound, imagery and symbolism to echo the common theme of creation along with how it is viewed differently. William Blake’s use of sound in his poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger†, enhance the central idea of creation and the question of how one God can createRead MoreThe Lamb and the Tyger Essay1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tyger and The Lamb by William Blake, written in 1794 included both of these poems in his collection Songs of Innocence and Song of Experience, takes readers on a journey of faith. Through a cycle of unanswered questions, William Blake motivates the readers to question God. These two poems are meant to be interpreted in a comparison and contrast. They share two different perspectives, those being innocence and experience. To Blake, innocence is not better than experience. Both states haveRead MoreEssay How Romantic Was William Blake?1517 Words   |  7 PagesRomantic Poets and writers was one of the most turbulent to hit Europe ever. With the French Revolution sweeping the fields of Alsace, Lorraine and beyond, most monarchs, including those in England were wary of the new notions that were becoming common place among the commoners. Not since the Reformation of the 16th century was the continent in more turmoil. Yet with this build up of angst came a fertile bed for a new style of writing to grow in. This new style embraced many things that wereRead More Coexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Essay1883 Words   |  8 PagesCoexistence of Contrary States in Blake’s The Tyger Since the two hundred years that William Blake has composed his seminal poem The Tyger, critics and readers alike have attempted to interpret its burning question - Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Perhaps best embodying the spirit of Blake’s Songs of Experience, the tiger is the poetic counterpart to the Lamb of Innocence from Blake’s previous work, Songs of Innocence. Manifest in The Tyger is the key to understanding its identityRead MoreWilliam Blake s Poetry Of Innocence And Happiness1417 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake was a poet, painter, and engraver, who was born in Soho, London on November 28th 1757. Blake lived in London at a time of great political and social change. The Industrial Revolution took place in 1760, the American Revolution began in 1775, and the French Revolution began in 1789, and all of these revolutions greatly influenced William Blake’s writing. Blake wrote his world famous Songs of Innocence in 1789 and later combined it with a dditional poems titled Songs of Innocence and ofRead More William Blake Essay3149 Words   |  13 PagesWilliam Blake The poet, painter and engraver, William Blake was born in 1757, to a London haberdasher. Blake’s only formal education was in art. At the age of ten, he entered a drawing school and then at the age of fourteen, he apprenticed to an engraver. ( Abrams Stillinger 18). Although, much of Blake’s time was spent studying art, he enjoyed reading and soon began to write poetry. Blake’s first book of poems, Poetical Sketches, showed his dissatisfaction with the reigning poetic traditionRead More William Blake Essay2131 Words   |  9 PagesWilliam Blake William Blake was born in 1757 during a time when Romanticism was on the rise. Romantic poets of this day and age, living in England, experienced changes from a wealth-centered aristocracy to a modern industrial nation where power shifted to large-scale employers thus leading to the enlargement of the working class. Although Blake is seen as a very skillful writer his greatest successes were his engravings taught to him by a skilled sculpture. Blake differed from other poets inRead MoreAN ANALYSIS OF WILLIAM BLAKES SONGS2960 Words   |  12 PagesAN ANALYSIS OF WILLIAM BLAKE’S SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE AS A RESPONSE TO THE COLLAPSE OF VALUES TIMOTHY VINESâˆâ€" Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience are a much studied part of the English canon, and for good reason. Blake’s work depicts a quandary that continues to haunt humanity today: the struggle of high-order humanity against the ‘real’ rationality and morals of institutionalised society. This essay seeks to explore both Blake’s literary reaction to the Enlightenment and the

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Hunger Games Mockingjay - 1116 Words

YASHA’S BOOK REPORT- THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PLOT ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY’ takes place several months since the last outing, Catching Fire. Seventeen year old Katniss Everdeen has survived The Hunger Games twice, but along with her outstanding victory, which bewildered The Capitol’s devious Gamemakers. There were consequences. The infuriated president of Panem, President Snow, didn’t see actions taking place in order to eliminate Katniss, which was his bidding. Therefore, he plans to get his revenge by spreading chaos across Panem, until Katniss’ world has been reduced to rubble. So, in an act of fighting back, Katniss must become Panem’s Mockingjay, the symbol of rebellion against the Capitol, no matter what the personal cost. CHARACTERS Katniss Everdeen- A girl who never wanted a life in the Games, she only stepped up to save her sister, Prim, as well as keep her mother alive. Gale Hawthorne- Another tribute from the Games, he was also a companion to Katniss whenever she went in the woods to hunt, that was before the Games. In this book, he is second-in-command to Katniss during the battle to dissolve the Capitol. Peeta Mellark- He is Katniss’ personal love interest. Before the Games begun, he had a job being a pastry maker in District 12, Katniss’ hometown, at the end of Catching Fire, he was captured and secured by the Capitol. He plays a huge role in this story, being held hostage by President Snow, as well as being brainwashed and turned againstShow MoreRelatedThe Hunger Games, Catching Fire, And Mockingjay1271 Words   |  6 Pagesand it is even portrayed by some of the most beloved characters in pop culture today. One such character is Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series. By taking the cognitive approach to examine this case, it is easy to diagnose and suggest possible treatments for the character. First of all, who is Katniss Everdeen? The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay is a trilogy of young adult novels that have been adapted into four major motion pictures. This insight into PTSD is going to focusRead MoreThe Mockingjay in Suzanne Collins Hunger Games Series587 Words   |  2 PagesIn Suzanne Collins third book of her hunger games series, called mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen, her young sister prim, and her friends adjust to the strict life of the underground city of District 13. Now the home of Katniss, district 13 has become the center of focus from the capitals destructive war on the rebel forces. The scrambling district 13 convinces Katniss to be â€Å"the mockingjay† and lead the rebels in their fight for freedom. Katniss is unhappily kept out of actual combat until she is inRead MoreThe Hunger Games Trilogy1719 Words   |  7 PagesHannah Hirschhorn Essay 10/16/12 The trilogy of The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins, focuses on a country that is being controlled by an oppressive government and the people who are fighting against it for their freedom. Although the odds are against the rebels, they continue to combat tyranny at the risk of their own lives. The story takes place in the not too distant future in a country called Panem, which represents the United States. The Capitol, which is the center of the nationalRead MoreThe Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins1237 Words   |  5 PagesImagine you and your family suddenly have to move from Salt Lake City UT all the way to†¦ Antarctica! Of course it isn t realistic for someone to live in Antarctica, but then again, The Hunger Games isn t that much different. Picture you are moving to Antarctica, away from people, friends, extended family, warmth, life, entertainment, happiness! You finally arrive to your isolated, barren planes of snow and ice for a home and realize, BAM! Where is reli gion in your life? Where will you go for churchRead MoreSimilarities and Differences of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 982 Words   |  4 PagesThe Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The House of the Scorpion written by Nancy Farmer have many opposing opinions, views, symbols, characters, plots and settings; however both novels retain several similarities as well. Katniss Everdeen lives in a make belief, future country called Panem. The Capitol rules the surrounding 12 districts in a dictator- like way. In punishment for the districts past rebellion the Capitol decreed that every year each District must offer up one young man and womanRead MoreThe Hunger Games By Suzanne Collin1626 Words   |  7 PagesIn Suzanne Collin’s trilogy The Hunger Games, the story focuses on the journey and struggles of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen within the dystopian society of Panem. Throughout the books, Katniss is torn between choosing to fight the injustice and tyranny that has long been a problem for the people of Panem, or to give in to the power of the Capitol in order to keep herself and more importantly her family safe. In the end she rises up and without really intending to, becomes the hero that hasRead MoreRebelling Against The Norms By Thomas Jefferson1717 Words   |  7 Pagesin The Hunger Games novel may not know their rights, but Katniss, the main character, does not seem to bear the Capitol’s injustice towards the people and therefore incites an insurrection. By carefully reading and analyzing the novel, readers can notice the rebellion theme which is represented and symbolized by the demonstration of the mockingjay, Katniss, the double suicide, the wildflowers, and the woods. The mockingjay is one of the symbols that represent a resistance in The Hunger GamesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Hunger Games 872 Words   |  4 Pages: something that a person hopes to do or achieve, or a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous. Ambition describes the main character of my book. In the final book of the Hunger Games, â€Å"Mockingjay† brings to us characters who have ambition, bravery, desire, and loyalty to help fight their battles. In the Mockingjay Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne, Haymitch Abernathy, President Coin, and President Snow are mainly the characters who make up the book and take it to a higher levelRead MoreThe Movie Hunger Games Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesThe last movie is the novel adaptation, Hunger Games series came to a close on November 17, 2015. The final film in the series, Mockingjay Part 2, follows the same strategy as another young-adult movie franchise, Twilight. The book turned movie raised its nearly unknown cast to rock star status and enormous profit. This sci-fi, adventure is violent. Scenes of blood oozing out of actors and actresses earned the PG-13 rating. The violence was spread evenly, however, the out the 137 minute durationRead MoreThe Girl On Fire By Suzanne Collins1497 Words   |  6 Pagessense of girl activism has been distinguished throughout pop culture including movies, songs, and books. Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy, created a fictional, yet extraordinary girl activist named Katniss Everdeen, who since the first novel was published in 2008, has inspired millions of young girls around the world to embrace their inner â€Å"mockingjay† and justify revolution when necessary. Katniss Everdeen is one of the most socially moving female protagonists in contemporary literary

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Doctor Faustus Macbeth Compare and Contrast Essay free essay sample

Giovanni Fernandez Drama 16A Per. 3Red In both plays Macbeth and Doctor Faustus there are many different techniques used, but there are also many of the same types of dramatic styles. Macbeth is more of a villain tragedy that only has hints of comedy at intervals to take short breaks from the tragedy. On the other hand Doctor Faustus is a dramatic mixture of comedy and tragedy. Both of these plays however, contain the element of greed and show how it conquers people. Not many elements actually make theses plays similar but a lot of them make them extremely different. In Macbeth, unlike Doctor Faustus, there are many dramatic events leading to even more dramatic ending. This play focuses more on man’s dark desires rather than their normal aspirations. Although both plays were created around the same time they both seem to be very different types of drama from the same Elizabethan time period. We will write a custom essay sample on Doctor Faustus Macbeth Compare and Contrast Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Macbeth, being a villain tragedy, balances aggressive behavior and Christian beliefs while Doctor Faustus focuses solely on the main character. In â€Å"Macbeth† we also see that he is not entirely the main character as many other characters are given great power over him. Many elements of this play differ in many ways from those in â€Å"Doctor Faustus. † Doctor Faustus is a more detailed and focused play than Macbeth in many ways. This play’s main focus is how man is always trying to have more than he already has. Unlike the villain tragedy â€Å"Macbeth†, Doctor Faustus’s whole plot revolves around one character. The character of Faustus is very different from Macbeth because through Faustus’ search for more and more knowledge he does not intend to harm anyone to get there, but Macbeth is willing to put anyone’s life in danger to get the power that he wants. While the whole plot of â€Å"Doctor Faustus† revolves around Faustus, the plot of â€Å"Macbeth† slowly changes from revolving around Macbeth to Malcom and Macduff. Christopher Marlowe’s style of writing also differs from Shakespeare’s because Marlowe creates more detail and does not focus on any other characters too much so that he can have the entire play revolve around the main character. The styles of writing are extremely different when comparing the plays â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Doctor Faustus. On the other hand many of the same techniques are used to form characters personalities and to themes in these two plays. In both â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Doctor Faustus† both playwrights make their main characters eager for more and willing to almost anything to get what they want. Both playwrights also balance the church into their plays by including witchcraft, but in the end of both plays the outcome is never good for the characters who promoted the evil witchcraft. This is to show that witchcraft is bad and that the church prevails over all. These two plays not only share religious morale but they also share very similar themes. Both plays have the theme that greed can consume any man, and if you let it consume you then you are sure to suffer a terrible fate for it. These plays shared many of the same ideas put into themes, characters, and some areas of the plots. Many elements such as greed and witchcraft made both of these plays similar in many ways but also different. These two plays came the same time period and yet somehow manage to be different in many ways. Macbeth is a villain tragedy, while Doctor Faustus is a blend of comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare and Marlowe both create such amazing characters that both seem to be very different and also similar at the same time. These two plays can be interpreted in many ways. Some may say they are completely different, while others say they are almost the same. To me both of these plays may share few elements but are both extremely different.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Live Online Training What You Will Learn

Live Online Training: What You Will Learn One reason that drives people away from direct application of Semantic Technology is that it is often considered too technical and hard to implement. While somewhat true (technical expertise is necessary, which we’ll discuss in more details in a future post), this is also misguided. There is simply a lack of organized, consistent resources focused on practical knowledge.This is one challenge we want to address with Ontotexts live, online training. It is meant to help people  in their understanding, both technical and non-technical, of how Semantic Technology operates, so that  they can put it to a good use. What you will learnIn the training, we will take a look at the broad range of advantages of SemTech such as integration of dynamic data from virtually unlimited sources, flexible data modeling, automated knowledge discovery, data integration with Linked Open Data resources. By subscribing for this training you will get:a comprehensive overview of the semantic technology standards;an introduction to GraphDB – a semantic graph database, compliant with the W3C Standards;hands-on experience with cleaning, transforming and loading data in GraphDB;practical knowledge of how to query, manipulate and restructure your data;short demo on SemTech in use how the technology is integrated in actual solutions;an opportunity to discuss a specific use case by scheduling individual consultation with one of Ontotext’s experts.Interested? Go to our training page where you can learn details  or contact the team for specific questions.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Mann gulchh essays

Mann gulchh essays A series of test launched a new era of firefighting in the late 1930s, called smoke jumping. This seemed to be a very effective way of delivering firefighters to remote terrain that would be inaccessible by engine or truck. This method used an airplane that firefighters would parachute out of, enabling them to come in close proximity to the fire, and with a quick response time. These quick and mobile attacks proved to be successful in keeping most fires small. In addition, this was also a good way to keep firefighting costs down. On August 5, 1949, a wildfire in Mann Gulch on the Helena National Forest in Montana was reported, and smokejumpers were quick to act. By 3:00 pm, the fire had grown to 60 acres, which is when the firemen arrived on scene. They landed at the head of Mann Gulch, which was within short walking distance of the fire. Upon landing, a cargo packs chute failed to open, which contained valuable radios inside. This meant that all Available communication was cut off. Shortly after landing, the smoke jumpers gathered their tools, and per the instructions of the crew Forman, R. Wagner Dodge, ate a quick meal. This shows the team didnt feel they were of immediate danger at this time. While the team ate crew Forman Dodge walked up to the ridgeline, to evaluate on how to attack the fire. Once he reached a location he could see the fire, he noticed that another firefighter named Jim Harrison was attempting to slow the fire single handed. He was from a local forestry station located within miles of the fire origin. At this time the fire had started to grow more powerful, and the two headed back to meet the other smokejumpers. Under Dodges command they started to head down Mann Gulch so they could use the Missouri river as an escape route. Before they could reach the river below, the winds picked up, increasing the fires rate of spread dramatically. Up to this point the fire was burning on su ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Fun Things to Do During College Summers

Fun Things to Do During College Summers Your time in college during the academic year, that is is, of course, filled with stressors like classes, papers, lab reports, and exams. It is also happily filled with the fun stuff, like friends, parties, going out, and a seemingly endless schedule of upcoming events and activities. During the summer, however, the social scene in your life can drastically decrease, especially if youre no longer on campus and spend your days at a job or internship. Whats a college student to do? Get Some Culture Go to a museum.  Go see some art, plants, science, history, or anything else you find interesting. And make sure to use your student ID for a discount.Go to a film festival.  Film festivals can be a great way to see new, independent films that you might not otherwise see, and summer is a great time to find a festival that focuses on the kinds of films you like.Go to a concert.  Who doesnt like a late-night, all-out, super-fun, big-name concert?Go to a music festival.  The weathers nice, the musics great, and the people are fun and interesting. Take advantage of summer music festivals while you can.Go to a play.  It doesnt have to be Shakespeare but it should be fun. Whens the last night you went to the theater not for a class anyway? Get Creative Learn an instrument.  You may have always had a desire to play the piano, learn the flute, or even play the drums. Why not learn now when you have the time and freedom to really put your heart into it?Take an art class.  Learning to make pottery or how to paint, for example, can be a great way to learn how to release your creative side.Try your hand at creative writing.  You can try to write poems, a short story, or even music. You never know what you might come up with when you have the time and freedom to really let your mind explore!Take a photography class.  Honing your photo-taking skills can be a great way to have fun, meet people, get some skills, and see new parts of your town. Get Lost in a Good Story Read a new release book.  It can be science fiction, general fiction, trashy romance, murder mystery, historical fiction but it doesnt matter. Grab the latest release and let your brain take a break.Read a classic.  Always hearing about a classic book one of your friends or family members loves? Been curious about a novel you never read in high school? Summer is the perfect chance to finally sit down and read it.Buy a magazine you dont usually read.  It can be intellectual, like The Economist, or ridiculous and fun, like People. But whens the last time you just let yourself sit, veg out, and read a magazine?Get an audiobook.  Fair enough: you may read enough during the year to not want your nose in another book over the summer. Consider buying (or getting from the library)  an audiobook that you can listen to while working out or driving around. Get Physical Try a new form of exercise.  Been curious about yoga, pilates, spinning, or something else? The summer is a great time to explore something new and see if its a fit.Join a community sports team.  Most places have community sports teams that play in the summer; they can range from competitive baseball to completely silly kickball leagues. See whats in your area and what you can join for the few months youre free.Take a class at the gym.  Summer can be a great time to get in shape. Your local gym probably has classes you can join that will help you exercise your body and relax your brain.Go golfing.  Never been? Golfing can be a great workout, a fun way to spend the day outside, and an important skill to learn if youre interested in going into the business field.Take a dance class.  Feel awkward when you go out clubbing with friends? A dance class can help, even if its something funky like swing or salsa.Go for a bike ride.  People seem to ride bikes less and less the olde r they get. But bike rides can be a fun way to get out and  get some exercise. Do something that challenges your fears.  Terrified of skydiving? Bungee jumping? And yet,  do you secretly also want to try them? Grab a friend and conquer your fears. Get Social and Give Back Volunteer. Think of the last time you volunteered. Didnt you feel great afterward? No matter where you leave, there are undoubtedly places that could use your time, energy, and smarts.Join a community group. Treat yourself to something fun that also gets you out into the community, like a running or hiking club.Organize an event at your church, temple, mosque, etc.  If youre a little bored this summer, chances are others are, too. Organize something fun with people you have something in common with. Get Entertained Try a new video game. Seriously, its summer. What better time is there to grab a new game and play it without worrying about that paper youd have to write if it were the school year?Watch a movie marathon. You can rent a ton of your faves or just watch a themed marathon on a TV network.Spend a weekend seeing all the new releases. Grab a friend and see if you can see all the new releases in one weekend. With food in the theater, theres no reason why you can just spend all day there, seeing movie after movie!Try a new idea: breakfast and a movie. Just wake up? Call a friend and meet at a local place that serves 24/7 breakfasts ASAP. Then amble over to the theater and enjoy whatever movie is next playing. Added bonus: breakfast is cheaper than dinner, and matinees are cheaper than the later shows.Head to an amusement park.  Its a summer classic and can easily turn into one of the highlights of your summer. See the World Or Explore Your Own Backyard Take a bus or a train somewhere new. Flying can be so cheap these days that folks sometimes forget about the bus or train. But sometimes the journey is half the fun, and youll see new parts of the country youd never see from the air.Take a quick flight somewhere new. Since flights, especially last-minute deals, can be so cheap, why not hop a flight this weekend and see a friend?Act like a tourist in your own town.  If you were in your town on vacation, what would you do? You might surprise yourself by finding new things to do and see.Go camping.  Camping during the school year can be a challenge, both because of your workload and because of the weather. Utilize all that summer has to offer for the great outdoors. Get Cookin Try a new kind of food or restaurant. Heard people talk about how delicious Peruvian food is, for example? Or have you always been secretly afraid to try sushi? Challenge yourself to try something new (to you).Experiment in the kitchen/learn to cook. During school, you probably dont have much time to learn how to cook; you just need food, fast. Use some of your summer free time to learn how to cook.Take a knife class.  Learning how to properly use a knife in the kitchen is both handy and impressive and yet very few people do it correctly. Taking a knife class at a local cooking school will be entertaining and super helpful as you learn to cook for yourself more and more.Take a bartending class.  Its fun, its handy, its a great way to meet people with similar interests. Whats not to like?Host your own Iron Chef competition.  Gather several friends and divide them into groups. Then, at a certain time in the morning, e-mail out the secret ingredient. Everyone has to report back t o, say, your house at 5:00. People will have fun and youll have dinner on top of it. Pamper Yourself Get a massage at a massage school.  Youre a student; you know how important it is to learn by doing. Find a local massage school and help another student learn his or her trade. Added bonus: massage-school massages are usually way cheaper than the regular ones and just as good.Get a funky haircut.  You may not even get a haircut while youre away at school. Why not use summer as a time to get a little funky with color or style? Take Full Advantage of the Summer Season Go to a major sports game.  Baseball, basketball, soccer it doesnt matter. Grab some friends and head to the stadium.Go to a minor sports game.  Things like  minor league baseball games can be incredibly fun and much cheaper than the big leagues. See whos around your town and when you can watch em play.Grab some kites, friends, burgers, beers, and a picnic table.  With that combo, how can you go wrong?Go to a water park.  Summer is prime time for water park fun as long as you remember the suntan lotion.Make your own fun water park day.  You dont have to have a water park near you to enjoy yourself. Grab some water balloons, a Slip n Slide, a kiddie pool (that can be used for lounging or even, when filled with ice, for storing drinks), some friends, and a hose. Set Yourself Up For Success Get a head start on your fall classes.  Alright, this one may sound lame, but it can do wonders for your mental health to look over your syllabi and perhaps get a head start on the reading especially for a class you might be geeked out about.Set up systems for success for the new year.  Okay, this also sounds lame, but think about it: Did you struggle with time management? Being  organized? Spending a little time now, while you have it, may save you a lot of time and frustration once school starts.Take an online class.  You wont have to commute, you can save some cash, and you might even get ahead on the credits youll need to graduate.Build a personal website.  If youre going to be graduating next year, a personal website can be a great way to advertise yourself to future employers and show them all your mad skills. Make sure to keep it clean and professional.Go through your old stuff and donate what you dont use or need.  Do you have things for 2 lives: your college lif e and your pre-college life? Someone somewhere will probably be grateful for all of those sweatshirts and t-shirts youre no longer using. Clean up your e-life.  Super fun? Probably not. Will you feel better afterward? Most definitely. Dump your old Facebook friends, clean up your  laptop desktop, and delete old pictures you dont want or would hate to get in the wrong hands from your camera or phone. A clean e-slate is a great way to start your new year.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Habitat and Productivity of the Morel Mushroom Research Paper

The Habitat and Productivity of the Morel Mushroom - Research Paper Example However, our limited understanding of morel productivity, diversity, and ecology hinders such synergistic management. We used genetic, morphological, and ecological data to identify and characterize putative species. Some of these putative species fruited only on burned soils the ?rst spring season following a wild ?re. The other two putative species fruited in non-burned forests, in islands of non-burned soils in burned forests, or the second year following ?re on burned soils. Unbiased landscape-level estimates of genus-level morel productivity (not partitioned by putative species) ranged from 80 to 4350 morels per hectare and from 0.550 to 9.080 kg per ha. Productivity which followed the general trend of wild ?re burned forests, insect-damaged forests and healthy forests management. (Catherine G.Parks) Introduction Morels are species of mushroom called Marcella species. They are edible mushrooms which are highly prized and commercially harvested. In 1992 Oregon, Washington, and Id aho approximately harvested 590 metric tonnes of morels providing harvesters with $ 5.2 million of income (SchlosserW.E.Blatner).Morels often fruit prolifically after fire, tree mortality, or ground disturbance. In montane forests east of the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest decades of fire suppression have allowed development of dense, fire-prone stands and also periodic insect epidemics also have caused extensive tree mortality which influence morel crops. (J.K). Â   In east central Ohio, the Morel’s normal growing season is early April to mid May. Further south it will be one to two weeks earlier, to the north a little later. A damp habitat is needed for the Morel’s growth. Too much rain or dry weather is not what the mushroom needs they require normal weather pattern. Temperature plays an important role in the growth of the mushrooms as well, Morel mushroom thrives when daytime temperature are in the 60 and 70 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures are n ot lower than 40 degrees Celsius. Identification on the morel There are a list of over 190 kinds of the morel species and subspecific taxa in the genus Morchella. General agreement exists that at least two major groups can be clearly distinguished they include; Black Morel (Morchella elata) Black Morels when cut lengthwise it will be hollow from bottom of stem to top of cap. It looks like a rubber mold prompting comments from non-morel lovers, bottom of the cap is attached to the stem (cap and stock all one piece), cap is full of Ridges and Pits, cap is also longer than the stem which has little bumps both inside and outside, stalk are usually lighter in color. Its ribs darken to gray or black with age. (Kirk P.M (Coord)) Yellow Morel (Morchella esculenta) Yellow Morels also when cut lengthwise are hollow from bottom of stem to top of cap which is attached to the stem, cup is also full of ridges and pits and it is longer than the stem. Its stalk is usually lighter in color (sand, ye llow). Other Morel species are; I. Half-free morels (Morchella semilibera).There cap are usually small in comparison to the stem and may only be a quarter the length of the stem. Cap is also not connected from the bottom to the stem II. Caps or Early morel (Verpa bohemica) and Beefsteak (Gyromitra esculenta).they belongs to False morel and they are poisonous. The poison in false morel is MMH (monmthylhydrazine) whose toxicity may

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Critical appraisal of a research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical appraisal of a research article - Essay Example to take a look at the relevance of the title of the article, whether its summary and abstract are relevant to the point and give enough information on the subject at hand or not, as well as a look at its introduction. Additionally, this paper will take a look at the literature review of the matter the article dwells on (Haberman 2005, p. 28). The title of the article is brief and to the point. Similarly, it is informative of the issue at hand, which is how to retain or keep teachers in challenging schools. Teachers consider the schools to be challenging due to the kind of student behaviors they experience, the difficulty in handling such students and the pressure to deliver results in terms of ensuring that the students perform well and so on, and so forth. When a title is given to a research article or research paper, authors must ensure that it is clear (Olson 2003, p 30). This is for the reason that readers should have the ability to explain what the article is all about without any problem, whatsoever. The wording of the article should be as few as possible; brevity is the target of the endeavor. It is only natural to say that John Brown and Bobbie Greenlee have succeeded in the endeavor. They have effectively given the idea of what the article is all about in the shortest way possible. The terms ‘Retainingâ₠¬â„¢ , ‘Teachers’, ‘Challenging’, and ‘Schools’, all fit this description pretty well (Peske 2006, p. 14). The summary of a research article should be clear and to the point just as the title does. The abstract should not be ambiguous in any way, or else the reader will be thrown off the subject matter. Additionally, the article’s summary should aim at brevity, while at the same time ensuring that the summary conveys as much as possible to the reader. The author of the article should ensure that superfluous words are not part of the summary because this is the point from which the readers need to understand more about the article (Don,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Fast food industry Essay Example for Free

Fast food industry Essay Fast food industry has been in existence for the past years. The growing popularity of the industry gave way for many businessmen to put up many branches or chains in different parts of the country. This leads to the birth of fast food chains, by which Jollibee, McDonalds, KFC, Mang Inasal, Chowking, WOK Express and Greenwich are few examples. People prefer to go into fast food chains not just because of their food preference but because they serve their customer in a quick manner. Since their products are in demand to the customers, they need to maintain a specific level of inventory in order to respond to the needs of their customers. Because of the unpredictable demand of customers, management of fast food chains is struck in a dilemma of ordering the right level of their raw materials for production. That is why it is important that fast food chains know the policies in determining their inventory level or size. The size of inventory stocked by fast food chains depends on forecasted requirements and product popularity as demanded. Inventory shortage or erratic delivery of ingredients for production can prevent the manufacturer from completion of its finished products. The importance of the study includes knowing if low or high level of inventory will have great effects on production of fast food industry. Studying the inventory levels of fast food chains and their effects on production will allow the researchers to venture more into the depth of the inventory process of each business.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Identity of Characters

Identity of Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Where Shakespeare's tragedies will tell the story, chiefly, of a single principal character, this is rarely the case with his comedies. The comedies are more social and deal with groups of characters. In the case of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal groups are, at first, introduced severally. Though, one group may interact with another (as when Puck anoints Lysander's eyes, or Titania is in love with Bottom) they retain separate identities. While each of the groups is separate, there are symmetries which appear among them: Theseus and Oberon (and, in a way, Bottom) are rulers and figures of authority in their proper spheres. Hippolyta and Titania are consorts who defy their lords, but ultimately submit to their lordship. Often one pair is to be contrasted with another: the well-matched lovers Lysander and Hermia contrast with the ill-matched Demetrius and Helena (they resemble Pyramus and Thisbe). Even Puck has his human counterpart in Philostrate. The serious strife of the young nobles contrasts with the good fellowship of the mechanicals while it resembles the contention of the fairy rulers. Complete depiction of a complex character (as in Hamlet) is not attempted here, and would be wholly out of place. This is not a fault but reflects the different concern here of the playwright. But we do find very economical portrayal of strong and vivid characters, in Puck, Bottom, Oberon, Titania, Theseus, Helena and Hermia. Of t hese, the first two stand out as among the greatest of Shakespeare's creations. Puck first appears at the start of Act 2, and is rarely off the stage from this point. He is essential to the narrative: he carries out his master's orders obe... ...ically as anything in the tragedies, his anti-greeting ("Ill met by moonlight...") almost a snarl. But his concern for the lovers, and his pity for the ridiculous dotage of Titania show how he is capable of gentler feeling. Theseus' obvious sympathy for Hermia in 1.1, has a parallel in his concern not to belittle the efforts of the mechanicals to celebrate his wedding: "The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them". His prose speaking here might indicate a concern that the workmen should understand him, to lessen their sense of awe. In Theseus, Shakespeare brings dignity and humanity to the familiar mythical hero; in Oberon, he embodies the most benign qualities of Elizabethan woodland sprites in a fairy king more vivid, concrete and passionate than any original of Oberon on whom he may have based his depiction. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay: The Identity of Characters Identity of Characters in A Midsummer Night’s Dream Where Shakespeare's tragedies will tell the story, chiefly, of a single principal character, this is rarely the case with his comedies. The comedies are more social and deal with groups of characters. In the case of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal groups are, at first, introduced severally. Though, one group may interact with another (as when Puck anoints Lysander's eyes, or Titania is in love with Bottom) they retain separate identities. While each of the groups is separate, there are symmetries which appear among them: Theseus and Oberon (and, in a way, Bottom) are rulers and figures of authority in their proper spheres. Hippolyta and Titania are consorts who defy their lords, but ultimately submit to their lordship. Often one pair is to be contrasted with another: the well-matched lovers Lysander and Hermia contrast with the ill-matched Demetrius and Helena (they resemble Pyramus and Thisbe). Even Puck has his human counterpart in Philostrate. The serious strife of the young nobles contrasts with the good fellowship of the mechanicals while it resembles the contention of the fairy rulers. Complete depiction of a complex character (as in Hamlet) is not attempted here, and would be wholly out of place. This is not a fault but reflects the different concern here of the playwright. But we do find very economical portrayal of strong and vivid characters, in Puck, Bottom, Oberon, Titania, Theseus, Helena and Hermia. Of t hese, the first two stand out as among the greatest of Shakespeare's creations. Puck first appears at the start of Act 2, and is rarely off the stage from this point. He is essential to the narrative: he carries out his master's orders obe... ...ically as anything in the tragedies, his anti-greeting ("Ill met by moonlight...") almost a snarl. But his concern for the lovers, and his pity for the ridiculous dotage of Titania show how he is capable of gentler feeling. Theseus' obvious sympathy for Hermia in 1.1, has a parallel in his concern not to belittle the efforts of the mechanicals to celebrate his wedding: "The best in this kind are but shadows, and the worst are no worse, if imagination amend them". His prose speaking here might indicate a concern that the workmen should understand him, to lessen their sense of awe. In Theseus, Shakespeare brings dignity and humanity to the familiar mythical hero; in Oberon, he embodies the most benign qualities of Elizabethan woodland sprites in a fairy king more vivid, concrete and passionate than any original of Oberon on whom he may have based his depiction.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Integrated Information Management Essay

Economic, sociological, political, and technological environments make up the four external considerations. The sociological domain covers community values and the larger political divisions and their agencies. It comes up with lists – of people, their problems, needs, strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities – in a data form that is easy to report. The political domain encompasses what the Board of Directors will manage, and how to handle their concerns. The economic domain is sources of funds, contributions, and referrals, and also includes customers and the company’s competitors. It aims to get the most from these sources. The technological domain includes technological advancement, so that a company remains on top of new technology. Organizational purpose, mission statement and philosophy, organizational planning, organizational operations, Human Resources, technological factors, and financial assets are the Internal considerations. The factors that influence a company’s goal sare covered by organizational purpose. It checks that all data about populations and expected outcomes has been gathered so that it can move ahead. Organizational planning keeps track of goals and marks their achievement. Organizational resources makes sure that the members of each department are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Human Resources wants information about its demographics, licensing, certifications, and staff training. Technological resources makes sure that the newest technology and know-how is being put into practice. Financial resources follows income and expenses, so that managers can predict a financial problem.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Noise Pollution Essay

Not all people in this country living in a noisy place, most of them want to lived in a peaceful place with trees and fresh air and we all know that most of the time we can focus and think carefully in a quiet place. Noise Pollution can be defined as unwanted or offensive sound that unreasonably intrude into our daily activities. In urban areas noise pollution is everywhere, whether we like it or not this is part of everyday life. If the ears was irritated to the sound it is called noise. This is defined a form of air pollution that is audible unwanted sound that poses a threat to a person’s health and well- being. This pollution has many sources from different things such as air conditioner, traffic ,radio ,a dog barking, human conversation, other machinery that causes sound and are associated with urban developments. According to an OECD report â€Å" Transport is by far the major source of noise , ahead of building or industry , with road traffic the chief offender â€Å" motorcycles , trucks and busses are the major contributors to the traffic noise. Noise is described in loudness (intensity) and pitch ( frequency ) the exposure is using a logarithmicn decibel ( dB) scale. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA) recommends the hearing protection in the workplace if the noise is greater than 85 DB for more than eight hours, because there is a chance of the potential hearing loss. Difference of the loudest and faintest sounds that humans can hear is about 120 DB, a range of one million amplitude. People who has a very good hearing can hear the sounds between to -15 Decibels. If the sound reaches the 85 db and above can cause permanent damage of hearing. The more amount of time you listen in a sound effect greater damage it will cause. If the place is quiet the longer you listen safetly and it will not cause a damage even if you listen to it for a very long time. The more exposure to the common sounds can cause a permanent damage. The normal conversation occurs 60 DB. According to my research, the causes of damage in our ears, like the bulldozer idling the sounds are loud 85 DB and can cause permanent damage after only 1 work day ( 8 hours ). Listening a music with earphone/ headpones in ears at a maximum volume, the sound can reach level over 100 Db, begin causing permanent damage after 15 minutes per day. A thunder from storm 120 Db, gunshot 140 -190 DB can both cause immediate damage. There are groups of people who are affected by this  noise pollution such as the young, elderly, and the hospitalized. Young children cannot protect their hearing and they only rely on their parents to keep them from noise exposure.Elderly may not have the capabilities to protect their hearing if they are the one who is disabled by mental or physical illness. Also the patients from the hospitals are not safe because patients especially for orthopedic surgeries may be exposed to loud instruments during a procedure although they are not protected from it while under anesthesia. Noise has numerous health effects making noise pollution a public concern although it has not been well addressed.These could be effected our blood pressure, noise -induced hearing loss,sleep disorders and irritability.Noise pollution also affects the performance at work and school. Noise pollution is harmful because the sound energy is transferred through compressions, and rarefactions. Because the intensity is very large and it can harm the human ears, and the animal ears also and it can damage to physical structure.When sound reach the human ear the structures will vibrate. The intense vibrations can be rapture the eardrum , loudness related hearing loss usually develops overtime. When the sound enters the ear, it is transferred to the brain as a nerve impulse. The nerves in our ears are composed of of tiny nerve fibers, it is surrounded by special fluid within the ear. When intense sound transferred through fluid the tiny nerves may destroyed and the hearing loss is affected. There is two kinds of effects the auditory and non-auditory. The effect of auditory may fatigue and deafness the non-auditory can be physiological and psychological change in human beings. Noise Induced Hearing Loss or (NIHL) is a type of sensorinueral hearing loss that is second only to age induced hearing loss or presbyacusis. The people who are affected of NIHL are the workers that involved in manufacturing , construction, transportation , argiculture , military, factory and mining because their ears are expose in hazardous noise levels.Also the recreational activities like target shooting, speedboat riding,play in a band and listen to a loud music are also the examples of activities that increases the risk of NIHL . The studies revealed that young children and young adults are also showing the  signs of NIHL. Communication,cognition, social emotional development, academics and future careers may all be affected in the young secondary to hearing loss. Noise Induced Hearing Loss ( NIHL) is permanent but it is preventable by using ear protection like earmuffs or earplugs to avoid the noisy environment and the harmful levels of noise. Mental Health , mental illness is thought be exacerbated and intensified by noise pollution and not believed to be cause of mental illness. In one study at United States Country that I read in my research there were a children who are exposed in noise levels above 55 DB had decreased attention, there is difficulty with social adaptation and increased the oppositional behavior to others compared to the children who are not exposed in noise levels. The pollution in the community noise also may cause annoyance and disturbance there are depressed and anxiety and make their symptoms worse. Other people always used sleeping pills for them to avoid the loud sound or the noise in their environment and mental hospital admission rates with those exposed to unwanted noise. The children or elderly who have depression and cannot control over their own hearing protection are the vulnerable to the mental effects of noise pollution. Impairment of Task Performance there are many potential detrimental effects of noise pollution on task performance involving both children and adults.Congnitive task performance at school and at work has bee n well documented in several studies.The children who are exposed to noise in their home or at school may have difficulty in their learning , language development and problem solving. In the study in London involving 340 children between ages of 8 and 11 who were exposed to high aircraft noise showed an association with increased annoyance and poorer reading comprehension. The most affected of noise is on the reading attention,problem solving and memory because we all know that most of the children or adults cannot focus in what they are doing if the environment is under in noisy condition . The noise can impair concentration, decrease the motivation because of irratation , increase the rate of errors and can lead to preventable accidents in workplace. Communication can be affected and leading to misinterpretation of instructions and can cause reducing an employee’s effectiveness an occuracy. Negative Social Behavior and Annoyance Reactions noise levels have been associated with increased negative reactions such as increased igitation, exhaustion,dissatisfaction,anger and  distraction.This may cause social and behavioral affects including attempts to avoi d environmental noise by closing windows or doors, acting out aggression and even result in a change of residence. The exposure to levels above 80 DB will increase aggressiveness when combined with alcohol , provocation and existing anger. Annoyance is a feelings of displeasure when individuals believe in condition has and adverse effect on them. People is dependent on the type of noise, by the time it occurs and the activity that interrupt the noise. A person have an individual sensibilty and also expose in the role of annoyance level. Every people have a lack of sense of control over noise there is a higher level of annoyance especially if the noise is accompanied by low frequency componets and loud impulse noise. The negative social behaviors and annoyance reactions to noise cause declines to one’s sense of well being. Sleep Disturbances well rested sleep is essential to maintain good health and mental function. Noise is the common offender interrupting sleep and it causes both primary and secondary sleep disturbance.Primary effect have a difficulty in falling asleep, awakenings and differences of sleep patterns. The secondary effects are interrupted sleep including fatigue and decreased the well-being performance. This two kinds of effects have a environmental noise exposure during sleep is accompanied by several p sychological effects. The levels of attributable to disturbed sleep can be as low and continuous noise greater than 30 DB. According to study that they revealed the population who are living in the urban areas were at risk for increased neuroticism, subjective noise sensitivity and noise annoyance. The participants of the study have a difficulty to back falling asleep, their fatigue is increased , poorer sleep quality and need for increased use of sleeping agents. Cardio Vascular Distrurbances there is now growing body of evidence associating noise pollution with casdiovascular disease. This effect are secondary to body’s â€Å" fight or flight â€Å" response leading to autonomic nervous and endocrine effects seen with chronic daily levels of noise greater than 65 DB or acute exposure to levels above 80 to 85 DB. These effects can lead to blood pressure, heart rate and peripheral resistance by the release of hormones such as s norepinehrine, epinephrine, and cortisol.From the study of Roselund et al, the demonstrated an increase prevalence of high blood pressure of people that are exposed to ai rcraft noise. The participants of  this study ages between 18 – 80 and the effects is common among the elderly. The second study of Jarup et al reveal the relationship of the traffic noise and nightime noise can increase the blood pressure participants are ages between 45-75 years old. The cardiovascular effects to noise pollution not only in adults also the young childrens are at risk. In otther country they have the organization that can prevent the noise pollution the examples are The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders ( NIDCD) they created a national public education movement to prevent the NIHL they called it â€Å" WISE EARS† this campign initatited in 1999 by (NIDCD) and many regional, national and state with their governments.Their main goals is to educate the people about NIHL and to motivate to have actions in NIHL . According to the studies they are focusing on expanding their mission to reach the childrens between 8-12 ages and also their parents. As a individual we can also reduce the noise pollution by construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and manufacturing installations. Most important for residential building their machines should be installed far from living or sleeping rooms, like in a basement of garage . And for the employee’s they cannot reduce the noise of machine so they can only prevent by using earplugs. We can also avoid by stay away from sources of noise. If we are living in noisy place make sure that our windows are dual paned. It also reduced by planting trees, because we all know the main function of trees is to absorb and protect the noise made by people. Community laws must silence zones near schools/colleges and hospitals that needs concentration. We also to know what are the causes of noise pollution and the world becomes more advanced the noise increases. As an individual we can also reduce the noise pollution if owning a car do not use the car horns unnecessarily in the areas that needs silent zones that honking is prohibited . And avoid loud music which will hurt the ears and also others ear. Furthermore ,Firecrackers are very loud so dont try and burn them unnecessarily. Motors, vehicles and large machines produced a loud noise when not maintained properly and it needs proper maintance for a better performance.In theme parks avoid riding on rides that produce lot of noise.  Also turn off the engine of your car if you’re not using it. It stops the annoying hum and also reduce the air pollution. It much better if using only a bicycle or walk go to school. You’re body will fit and also it reduce the air and noise pollution . Noise pollution can make a mind and body stress, there are some techniques that can prevent like breathing exercises , deep breathing and other breathing exercises will work because it can be done anywhere and are effective for calming the body’s physiology in minutes. Meditation, is also a stress reliever because it calms the mind and body and it helps the alter of brain, over time, you are less reactive to stress that happens. Yoga, because this is the combination of breathing and meditation it adds an element of a exercise to be a stress reliever that acts on a different levels that benefit your health. Also provides a simple ways to ease into meditation. We can also stress free by noise pollution by going to the place that quiet and make a relaxation or have a leisure in a hotel and listen to a instrumental music in a low volume. There are so many ways that we can prevent the noisy place and this case study reminded us that we should take care our ears and our environment most of all in urban areas who are near in hazardous noise.

Friday, November 8, 2019

SAT Rules and Regulations Dont Make a Mistake

SAT Rules and Regulations Don't Make a Mistake SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because the SAT is such a high stakes test, the College Board has implemented a series of rules to ensure that there is no cheating and that all students have as close to the same test-taking experience as possible. Before you take the SAT, you should familiarize yourself with these rules. It would be a shame to spend months preparing and be in the middle of acing your SAT, only to get kicked out of the test and have your score canceled because your phone was on, and you received a text during the last section. That’s an extreme example, but it's possible. Know the rules so you can protect yourself. In this article, I will discuss SAT rules, the reasons behind the rules, and the possible consequences for violating SAT rules and regulations. The Purpose of SAT Rules The primary purposes of the rules for the SAT are to prevent cheating and ensure the same test-taking experience for all students. The College Board is trying to create a fair, standardized test-taking experience for everyone who takes the SAT. If certain people are given an unfair advantage, that could affect college admissions and future SAT scores. Now let's take a look at all the SAT rules and regulations. SAT Rules You can check out the rules the College Board provides for the SAT. Most of the rules are relatively basic: take your own test, follow the test instructions, and don't document or record anything from the test. However, let's go over some of these rules in more depth. I know we all generally hate talking about rules, but these are important details. Better to know them now than to run into problems later. Check out the article on SAT admission tickets. You will have to present your ticket along with valid photo identification to get into the test. How sad would it be to feel fully prepared to take your SAT and wake up early on a Saturday morning, only to be denied admission to the test center? The only resource you're allowed to use to help you on your SAT is an SAT-approved calculator. You can't use a dictionary or thesaurus for your essay. You can't bring in any notes or scratch paper. You can't use an electronic device that has the capacity to store information. During your SAT, don't leave the building for any reason. Even if you're on break and see one of your friends waving to you outside, don't do it. If you leave the building before the test is over, your test is supposed to be canceled. The hardest rule to remember is not to discuss exam content unless it's released as part of a College Board service. This means that you're not allowed to discuss any part of the test during breaks. You're not allowed to talk about a difficult reading passage with your friend after the test is over. On the Monday after your test, you can't tell your math teacher about a specific question she prepared you for. You can't post any questions on Reddit. Obviously, you're probably not going to get caught discussing exam content. The College Board is not monitoring everything you say and everything you do on the internet. However, I recommend that you don't take any chances. If a strict proctor hears you talking about exam questions during a break, that could be bad news for you. No talking about exam content What You Must Bring to the Test Admission Ticket- You must have your admission ticket on test day. Photo Identification- You must present acceptable photo ID to be admitted to the test center. You may be denied entrance to the test center or your scores may bewithheld or canceled if you can't present acceptable ID, if the validity of the ID is in question, or if you fail to follow the Identification Requirements and Policies. What You Should Bring At least two No. 2 pencils- If you want to take the test and get a score, you're going to need a No. 2 pencil. Don't be that person frantically asking everyone in the room for a pencil minutes before the test. Also, a working eraser will be helpful. An acceptable calculator- Make sure the calculator you bring to the test is one of the SAT-approved calculators. You canuse graphing calculators, scientific calculators, or four-function calculators (not recommended). You can't use as a calculator any laptop or portable/handheld computer, electronic writing pad or pen-input/stylus driven device, pocket organizer, cell phone calculator, calculator that has a QWERTY keypad, or calculator that uses an electrical outlet, makes noise, or has a paper tape. A watch without audible alarm- I do recommend bringing a watch to help keep track of your time during the test. It's possible that the room you're in may not have a functioning clock, or your proctor may forget to update you on how much time is remaining in a section. However, make sure the watch you bring doesn't make any noise. If the alarm on your watch goes off, that is an SAT rule violation and your score could be canceled. Miscellaneous Items- Here are some things you should bring that will make your test-taking experience more comfortable and less stressful: a backpack, snacks and water for breaks, extra batteries for your calculator, and extra pencils and erasers. Bring a few snacks for break time What You Shouldn't Bring Cell phones- This rule is a little tricky since we've all become so reliant on cell phones, and you might need your phone before or after your test. If your phone is put away in a backpack (including during breaks) and turned off during the test, you shouldn't have a problem. Generally, proctors will just tell you to turn your phone off since it's too difficult to confiscate everyone's phone. However, if you can't resist the urge to look at your phone and dash off a text, maybe you should consider leaving it at home. Audio players/recorders, tablets, laptops, notebooks, Google Glass, or any other computing devices Separate timers of any type Cameras or any other photographic equipment Any devices, including digital watches, that can be used to record, transmit, receive, or play back audio, photographic, text, or video content (with the exception of CD players used for Language with Listening Subject Tests only) Most of these items are prohibited to prevent cheating and make sure you aren't using any device that creates noise and distracts others during the test. Possible Consequences for Rules Violations The consequences for violating any of these rules can vary. Often the consequence will depend on the strictness of your proctor or test center. If you don't have proper ID or your admission ticket, you may not be admitted to the test. If you're caught violating any of the other rules, you can be dismissed from the test and possibly have your score canceled. If your score is canceled, your SAT registration fee won't be reimbursed. In the most extreme cases, the College Board can take legal action if you're caught cheating. Make sure you take your own test, and don't take a test for anybody else. You really don't want to be the next person to get caught up in an SAT cheating scandal. Cheating is bad What's Next? If you're prepared for your SAT, I'm sure that will lessen any temptation to cheat. Learn the 15 tips to improve your SAT score and the 21 SAT tips and tricks to use on the SAT. If you're aiming for a perfect score, learn from a perfect scorer how to get a 1600 on your SAT. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Vocabulary Quiz #1

Vocabulary Quiz #1 Vocabulary Quiz #1 Vocabulary Quiz #1 By Mark Nichol In each sentence, choose the correct word from the pair of similar terms. (If both words possibly can be correct, choose the more plausible one.) 1. He was __________ about whether the change was a good idea. a) ambivalent b) ambiguous 2. Her score on the test was _______________. a) exceptionable b) exceptional 3. His ________ companion became even more obnoxious as the night wore on. a) arrant b) errant 4. I asked them to ___________ my latest short story. a) criticize b) critique 5. She delivered the ____________ at her father’s memorial service. a) elegy b) eulogy Solutions 1. He was ambivalent about whether the change was a good idea. Ambivalent means contradictory or unsure. Ambiguous, on the other hand, involves something that can be understood in two or more possible ways. 2. Her score on the test was exceptional. Exceptional is the right word in this context. Exceptionable means being likely to cause objection. 3. His arrant companion became even more obnoxious as the night wore on. Arrant means without moderation, while errant means traveling or given to traveling. 4. I asked them to critique my latest short story. Critique means to evaluate both the merits and demerits, while criticize usually means to find faults on something. 5. She delivered the eulogy at her father’s memorial service. Eulogy is a a commendatory oration or writing, while elegy refers to a poem or song. Give a thumbs up to our latest YouTube video: 30 Baseball Idioms Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Quizzes category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of PhrasesThe Difference Between "will" and "shall"5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Computer tech case 2 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Computer tech case 2 - Term Paper Example Literacy skills involving getting and presentation of information using hardcopy There are several instances that I use hard copy books, magazines, newspapers and brochures to get information. I spend an approximate average of 2 hours to physically read hardcopy books. In most cases, I read short story books to enhance my reading and research skills. There are several instances where I communicate through letters especially when making applications for part time jobs and when writing friendly letters to my cousins. During school days, some of my assignments are presented in form of hardcopy and so, writing and reading skills has been imperative on the techniques I use in presenting my assigned essays, research papers and proposals. Although I use pens in writing and reading hardcopy text in my daily activities, it is not my major priority of presenting and receiving information because I accord them minimal time (Lewis, 2001). Media literacy skills and practices Media literacy can be defined as comprehending the modalities of producing and distributing information. Currently, the best informal communication method that I use is the social media. The common social media platforms that I use are www.facebook.com and www.twitter.com. I use these sites to communicate with friends, relatives, in some cases my instructors and to express my opinion on political, social and economic issues that affect me directly. I accord social media approximately five hours a day. As such, I can state that I spend a large portion of my time on social media. There are other forms of media that I use formally for my learning and communication with my instructors. I spent an approximate average of 3 hours a day on them. The major media that I use are education websites such as www.thefreedictionary.com where I get educational information after conducting research, Job searching websites such as LinkedIn where I seek for part time jobs and get information about the requirements of diffe rent types of jobs, and institutional website that I utilize to upload my assignments to my instructors, get instruction material and for general communication with the institution (Bassnet &Lefevere, 1998). Technology literacy skills and practices The modern world has experienced a major revolution in technology in literary practices. There have been hi-tech innovations in technologies resulting in state of art information processing devices such as computers, communication devices such as cellular phones, and other digital technologies such as state of art televisions. The computer has been essential in my daily activities, and my computer literacy has assisted me in utilizing the device accurately in processing and receiving different forms of information. I use the computer to access academic and non academic information in the internet. Further, I use the computer to write and do calculations. The computer enables me to access social media, educational websites and undertake co mmunications through emails. I spend approximately 7 hours a day on my personal computer. I use cell phones specifically for making formal and informal communications. Further, I use it to access the internet and conduct internet

Friday, November 1, 2019

Scottish Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scottish Law - Essay Example A separate parliament for Scotland was established in 1999, with power to legislate on most areas of private law." (Real Property Law, 16 September 2008). The year 1707 saw the union of Scotland and England; prior to this both the countries were separate states and many similarities in their laws. English Law has a great influence on the Scottish Law; many rules followed by the English were included in the Scottish Law. This paper will throw light upon the Scottish law focusing majorly upon three traditional rules of statutory interpretation which are mischief rule, the golden rule and the literal rule Mischief rule is applied when the judge can't quite make out whether an act done by a person can be called as a prohibited law, this creates a confused situation and this is exactly when the mischief rule can be applied. "For example, the Street Offences Act 1959 made it an offence for a prostitute to solicit men 'in a street or public place'. In Smith v. Hughes the question was whether a woman who had tapped on a balcony and hissed at men passing by was guilty of an offence under the Act. Parker, L.C.J., found her guilty: 'I approach the matter by considering what is the mischief aimed at by this Act. Everybody (sic) knows that this was an Act intended to clean up the streets, to enable people to walk along the streets without being molested or solicited by common prostitutes. Viewed in that way, it can matter little whether the prostitute is soliciting while in the street or standing in a doorway or on a balcony." (Interpretation of Law 16 September 2008). The case given as an exa mple did not create a big hitch in applying the Mischief Law because the circumstances in which the mischief was committed were well known but in other cases it is often a very difficult task to apply the Mischief Rule. This rule has several benefits over the Golden Rule and the Literal which will be seen in the paper at a later stage. One advantage which this rule provides is that, the Law provides a feeling of satisfaction to the Law commission the Law commission considers this as one of the most satisfying rule to judge a situation because when this rule is applied, the Law commission looks at various things like what does the Law provide before the act is made and numerous other things, this rule is applied with reasoning hence it provides the Law commission with satisfaction. Another advantage of this law is that it provides the convict with what he/she deserves, in the sense that there is room for unjust in this rule, making this as one of the want to bee's for any legislature . The Golden Rule "Where the meaning of words in a statute, if strictly applied, would lead to an absurdity, the golden rule is that the courts are entitled to assume that Parliament did not intend such absurdity, and they will construe the Act to give it the meaning which Parliament intended." (Interpretation of Law 16 September 2008). This rule mainly focuses upon giving an absurd or a silly result, when a judge feels that he/she is about to pass a silly result or verdict this is when the Golden rule plays its part. This rule is also called a compromise between the two other rules which are the mischief rule and the literal rule. This basically means that this rule falls somewhere in the middle of the two other rules and tries to find a way out and the way out differs from the solutions provided by

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

A Project Management study of Impact of stakeholders on project delays Research Proposal

A Project Management study of Impact of stakeholders on project delays and increase cost in transport sector - Research Proposal Example Project stakeholders are the representatives of the interests achieved at these levels. The author defines a project stakeholder as a group of people or a person who has vested interest in the project’s success as well as the environment in which the project operates. It means that even the environmental protection agencies are stakeholders. The citizens of a country are stakeholders to a construction project of a highway. Stakeholder for this research study will include any persons, group of people or organizations involved in the construction project with some vested interest including the citizens of the international community if found to qualify as stakeholders. Construction projects worldwide are characterised by delays which is always accompanied by time and cost overruns. The project delays have devastating effects on various stakeholders such as on consultants, owners, financiers, and the contractor. These stakeholders are mostly affected in terms of litigation, growt h in adversarial relationship, arbitration, distrust and cash-flow problems. Project delays contribute a lot, through various ways, to the failure of most construction projects. It puts a lot of strain in the management of the projects. In most cases, project progress reports report project delays with no specific reference to the causes (Haseeb, Xinhai-Lu, Bibi, Maloof-ud-Dyian & Rabbani., 2011). It is important to find the causes of project delays in order to develop strategies for eliminating them. This forms part of risk management. Lack of preparedness in managing any risks associated with a project constitutes poor project management. It is therefore important to identify every source of risk and make preparations on how they can be mitigated. Delays in large construction projects have been found to be a major problem. They cost the job owner and the contractor a lot of money. Although some of the causes are universal, construction projects are different and the causes of dela y may vary (Haseeb, Xinhai-Lu, Bibi, Maloof-ud-Dyian & Rabbani., 2011). In the United Kingdom for example, there are various large construction projects going on (Construction News, 2013). A project manager may have assessed similar projects from different regions and countries to find out the risks associated with project delays, the causes of project delays, and how to manage these delays. This is an important step, but as the project continues, different activities, situations and cost changes affect the project. This in turn affects the causes of delay. In the UK for example, workers are a source construction delays. According to Terry (2013), workers take in excess of 130 million days sickness absence every year. 330,000 workers drop out of employment every year. These cost the state and the employer, and have a drastic impact on the society. The government has worked over several years to find out ways to reduce the levels of sickness absence and related costs. It has currentl y published proposals for reform which may change the approach given to sickness absence in the UK. Employers are expected to change their role and be more involved in assisting employees to return to work as soon as possible when they are able to return, and in rehabilitation. These new recommendations are expected to be introduced in the next 12-18 months (Terry, 2013). This project management plan focuses

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Unilever SWOT and PESTLE analysis

Unilever SWOT and PESTLE analysis Company background and mission statement Unilever is a global company that can trace its origins to 1929, when a merger between a Dutch margarine manufacturer and a British soap maker was negotiated (Jones, 2002). Given the distinct sectors in which the two organisations were located, the merger was considered somewhat of a ‘curiosity’ (Jones, 2002, online), but it set the stage for a multinational corporation producing a wide portfolio of goods. Some of the world’s most recognised brands are produced by the company, including Surf, Lipton, Dove, Lynx, Magnum and Hellmann’s. Today, Unilever is one of Europe’s largest companies, and in terms of sales, it is the third-largest consumer goods firm in the world, after Nestle and Procter and Gamble (Thain and Bradley, 2014). The company has been floated twice, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index and the AEX Index. The stated aim of the company is to â€Å"provide people the world over with products that are good for them and good for others† (Unilever, 2014, online). Strategic Audit A strategic audit comprises a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of a company’s business environment and internal assets. There are two key elements to the audit: the external environment and the internal environment. The external environment identifies issues concerned with customers and competition, and examines the social, economic, technological, environmental political and legal elements impacting the business. A typical tool used at this stage is the PESTLE analysis. The internal analysis focuses on the resources the company possesses, such as the product distribution, product portfolio, sales and profit margins. A typical tool used at this stage is the SWOT analysis, in which the strengths and weaknesses, and the advantages and disadvantages of a company compared to its competitors are listed. Below, these tools are in turn applied to Unilever. The External Environment PESTLE analysis The PESTLE framework below analyses the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental dynamics of the environment in which Unilever operates. Political Unilever is co-headquartered in London and Amsterdam. Both the Dutch and the British political systems are in a time of flux. The British government currently comprises the first coalition government in the post-war period, with another expected after the General Election in 2015 (Taylor-Gooby and Stoker, 2011), while in the Netherlands, coalitions are standard. Such governmental frameworks have important implications for the conduct of business, for there tend to be policy ebbs and flows over short periods of time. For instance, in the Netherlands, the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) for businesses has changed three times since 2010 (Wolf, 2014). Both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are original members of the European Union (EU) which facilitates trade among member states by the harmonisation of certain rules relating to business and the removal of trade barriers. There is some political impetus in both countries, however to leave the EU. For instance, in 2012, the prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, threatened to pull the country out of the Eurozone as a means of easing the local Dutch economy (Dutch News, 2014), while in the UK there is a lobby for a referendum on EU membership. Exiting the EU would have massive implications for a co-headquartered business like Unilever. For this reason, Unilever has been vocal about its preference for both countries to remain in the Union (The Guardian, 2014). There is growing political unrest in the Middle East, and while Unilever does not currently operate there, 53 per cent of its business comes from developing markets (Unilever, 2014), and globalisation means that it may not be shielded from the effects of conflict and instability overseas. For example, in 2012, oil prices reached unprecedented levels (Smith, 2014). This is a matter of concern for the company because it directly impacts on transportation costs. Economic Shoppers in Europe are still suffering from the effects of the longest and deepest recession in the post-war period. Data from Eurostat shows that household consumption fell drastically across Europe following the recession, and while there has been some recovery in recent years, household consumption is still not back to its pre-2008 level (Gerstberger and Yaneva, 2013). In addition, unemployment has risen and wages have stagnated in several of the economies in which Unilever supplies consumers. Low household consumption, high unemployment and falling wages bring about drops in consumer demand which adversely affect manufacturers like Unilever. During recessions, households tend to cut back on non-essentials, which might impact some parts of the companys product portfolio. While the West has suffered from the financial crisis, economies in other areas, such as Latin America and China, are booming, providing considerable opportunities for the company. For instance, in 2013, sales of the companys products to emerging markets grew by 8.7 per cent (The Guardian, 2014). Social Life expectancy has been increasing over time in wealthy nations. For instance, in the UK in 1980, life expectancy stood at 70.4 years for men and 79.8 for women. By 2010, it had increased to 79.3 years and 83.6 years, respectively for men and women (Blossfeld, Buchholz, and Kurz, 2011). At the same time, the fertility rate has been falling over time. The increase in life expectancy and a below replacement fertility rate coupled with the ageing of the so-called ‘baby boom’ generation (those born between 1946 and 1965) are accelerating population ageing. The UK government has estimated that the proportion of the population aged 30 and under is set to fall, while the proportion aged 60 and above will increase. By 2034, it is estimated that 23 per cent of the British population will be aged 65, while just 18 per cent will be aged 16 or below (Office for National Statistics, 2009). There are important ramifications of the ageing population for businesses like Unilever. Firstly, there are likely to be changes in the structure of demand in future. Older people have unique needs and desires that will need to be met by Unilever. For instance, there is a greater demand for frozen ‘ready meals’ by older people (Ahlgren, Gustafsson and Hall, 2004) which will directly impact Unilever’s ‘Sara Lee’ brand. Secondly, there may be labour shortages in the future. Expanding businesses like Unilever will need to respond to this by encouraging workers to work longer or recruiting migrant workers (Maestas and Zissimopoulos, 2010) As a direct result of some high profile public campaigns, people are becoming more health and ethically conscious. This has led to an increase in demand for ethically produced and healthy products and heightened concern regarding genetically modified goods. This trend has already had a direct impact on Unilever’s product portfolio, with sales of two of its margarine brands (I Can’t Believe its Not Butter and Flora) seemingly in free-fall (The Guardian, 2014) Technological Increasingly, consumers, particularly younger individuals, utilise social media, retailing websites and mobile forms of communication to connect with retailers, to discuss with members of their social networks their purchasing decisions, and to review past purchases (Sashi, 2012). This means that consumables companies like Unilever need to harness the Internet and mobile technologies in accessing these customers. For instance, a growing number of companies now include social networking websites such as Facebook and micro-blogging sites like Twitter in their promotion mix as a means of engaging their current consumer base and recruiting new customers. At the same time, constant connectivity makes the selling environment for consumer products increasingly competitive. The readiness of product price and promotional information, the ability of shoppers to access online stores quickly and the aggregation of online content and offline information all mean that, in the digital age, firms like Unilever must carefully craft their marketing activity (Sashi, 2012). Legal Unilever has a presence in some 190 countries worldwide which means that it must abide by their national laws. The extent of the company’s multinational activity means that it must devote considerable resources to scanning the legal horizon and ensuring that it responds to changes accordingly. There have been significant legislative changes in the area of people management. For instance, across Europe many countries have enacted anti-discrimination laws which companies like Unilever must adhere to. In the United Kingdom, under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, businesses are not allowed to discriminate against individuals on the basis of factors such as gender, age, disability, religion and ethnicity in their recruitment, selection, training and promotional practices (Hyman, Klarsfeld, Ng, and Haq, 2012). Legal frameworks have also been put in place as a response to the ageing of the population (Maestas and Zissimopoulos, 2010). For instance, the mandatory age of retirement has been removed in both the UK and the Netherlands, which means that Unilever can no longer compel employees to retire once they reach the age of 65. Large companies also must put adequate pension provisions for workers in place under a new British scheme, which has a direct impact on business costs Environmental There is increasing political impetus to respond to environmental degradation, and the onus is on large manufacturers like Unilever to use fewer resources and produce less waste. In Europe, a major development affecting the company is the establishment of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which was set up in 2005 as part of a concerted and collaborative attempt to reduce carbon emissions under the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. The EU ETS is a system under which polluters emissions are ‘capped’; in order to pollute more, manufacturers must purchase credits from other polluters. Participation in the EU ETS is mandatory for all large factories and plants that produce more than 25 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide and that use ammonia or petrochemicals (Ellerman, Converey and Perthuis, 2010). The Internal Environment SWOT analysis The second element of a strategic audit is an analysis of the internal mechanisms of the business. This part of the paper uses a SWOT analysis to identify and critically examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing Unilever Strengths The size of the company is its major strength. Unilever manufactures more than 400 brands which it sells to some 190 countries (Unilever, 2014, the Guardian, 2014). In addition, it employs over 167,000 people and expends 928 million euros on research and development annually (Unilever, 2013). In terms of performance, the company has bucked recent economic trends. In 2013, the company reported profit growth of 9 per cent over the previous year, reporting a net profit of  £4.4 billion. In addition, global sales grew by over 4 per cent that year, with sales to emerging economies growing by 8.7 per cent (the Guardian, 2014). As well as its sheer size, a major source of strength for Unilever is its longevity and brand recognition. The company has been in existence since 1929 and is the world’s oldest multinational enterprise (Thain and Bradley, 2014) Another strength of the company is its geographical spread. Unlike some consumable manufacturers, which are headquartered in just one country and found on just one public index, Unilever has headquarters in two countries, is floated on two indexes and is secondarily floated on the New York Stock Exchange. Another of the company’s strength is its human capital. Human capital is the volume of skills, knowledge, experience and competencies embodied in individuals that staff and run the business. This is important for there is a good deal of empirical research that links high levels of human capital with firm performance (Huselid, Jackson and Schuler, 1997). The company’s chief executive officer, Paul Polman, who held senior positions at both of the companys major competitors, Nestle and Procter and Gamble, has been termed a ‘rainmaker’ that has taken the company from strength to strength (The Telegraph, 2014). On taking the reins in 2009, Polman set out a plan to double the size of the business, to double sales to  £80 billion and to boost efforts at environmentalism and sustainability. Weaknesses Some analysts have argued that the companys broad product portfolio is a source of weakness (the Guardian, 2014). The firm produces goods in four broad product categories – cleaning agents, food, personal care products and beverages. It is argued that such a broad portfolio can prevent the business from focusing its marketing efforts appropriately (Putsis and Bayus, 2001). Thus, in order to consolidate its activities, the company may need to divest some brands or product ranges in the future. Indeed, the company already seems to be taking steps in this regard, selling popular brands Peparami, Slim-Fast, Ragu and Bertolli in 2014 (The Telegraph, 2014). In addition, most of brands produced by the company are multinational brands which may prevent them from being tailored to the needs of local markets. A further weakness of the product line concerns the prices offered to consumers. The prices of Unilever brands are generally higher than those of its competitors (Thain and Bradley, 2014). The company has explained that prices are high to represent the quality of the goods, while analysts have attributed the high prices to the enormous amount the company spends on research and development and its massive marketing budget (Thain and Bradley, 2014). In 2010 alone, Unilever spent 6 billion euros on advertising, and today, the company is one of the world’s largest purchasers of advertising media (The Telegraph, 2011). Threats The company is facing a number of threats, particularly from competitors, the market and consumers. Firstly, while Unilever’s broad product portfolio might be conceived as unusual, it is not unique in this respect. Procter and Gamble and Nestle have very similar business models and product lines (Thain and Bradley, 2014). Indeed, in terms of sales, Unilever is outperformed by both of these competitors. A large proportion of Unilever’s products are premium brands aimed at consumers with relatively high levels of disposable income. This might be considered a threat in the context of the current economic downturn. Increased financial uncertainty might lead households to move away from these brands to own-brand and lower value products, negatively affecting both net sales and sales margins. Food prices have risen substantially worldwide (Headey and Fan, 2008). This represents a significant threat to the company because it must pass the cost of food inflation to customers in order to maintain current profit margins. This might explain why the firm’s CEO is starting to consider refocusing the company strategy on alternative product lines, such as sundries or hard lines (The Guardian, 2014) Although the company has a stated aim to double its sales levels, analysts have noted that the company is still far short of accomplishing that aim. As the Telegraph (2014, online) notes, â€Å"the acquisitions of TRESemmà © shampoo maker Alberto Culver and Radox bath foam have added almost â‚ ¬3bn in turnover†¦However, these deals have hardly moved the needle and Unilever is still sitting on a big pile of cash. With growth slowing in emerging markets where 60pc of the group’s sales are generated, investors may start pushing for Unilever’s leader to be a bit bolder if he is to reach his ambitious â‚ ¬80bn sales goal†. In the context of the recent economic downturn, there have been some demergers and sell-offs in some of the sectors in which Unilever operates. While in some cases this has proven to be an opportunity for the company (for instance, the firm has recently been able to purchase top hair care brand TRESemmà ©), it also poses a threat should any of these product lines fall into the hands of its competitors. For instance, the 2008 purchase of shaving brand Gillette by Procter and Gamble immediately made it the biggest company in men’s personal care (The Telegraph, 2014) An increased social ethic and concern for the environment among consumers should also be considered a threat to the company. In Japan, Thailand and particularly in India, Unilever has attracted heavy criticism for the manufacture of so-called ‘fairness’ products. These are products that are typically aimed at women and used for lightening the skin. While such brands are a major source of income for the company allegedly, one skin lightening agent produced by the company, Fair and Lovely, is used by 80 per cent of the population of Bangladesh (Unilever Bangladesh, 2014) – the company has also come under fire for promoting Westernised standards of beauty. In Thailand, an advert for one of the company’s fairness creams was withdrawn from media outlets after widespread censure because it correlated white skin and high levels of intelligence (The Guardian, 2014). Opportunities Social media offers considerable opportunities to Unilever, particularly given its aim to reduce its advertising expenditure (The Telegraph, 2014). Social media sites are increasingly used by companies to update consumers on new products, to offer discounts and special promotions, and to invite consumers to special events that are either held online or physically (Sashi, 2012). Unilever may be able to capitalise on this trend either through corporate accounts or through brand accounts. There are considerable opportunities to the company through its extensive research and development efforts. Unilever has research facilities in England, Shanghai, Bangalore, New Jersey and Connecticut, which are working continually to develop new product lines and refine existing ones. Through this investment the company is able to regularly introducing new brands or reintroduce redesigned brands to the market. Conclusion Unilever is a unique company. The firm is dual listed, co-headquartered in two of Europe’s wealthiest cities and it offers the market a vast and very broad range of products. This strategic audit has shown that while the company is operating in a turbulent business environment, it is managing to perform well, both in terms of sales and growth. Despite the company’s strengths, there are some external threats posed by market developments, customer attitudes and the actions of its key competitors. The company leadership will need to monitor these aspects if Unilever is to meet its objective to become the largest consumables multinational company in the world. References Ahlgren, M., Gustafsson, I. B., Hall, G. (2004). Attitudes and beliefs directed towards ready-meal consumption. Food Service Technology, 4(4), 159-169. Blossfeld, H. P., Buchholz, S., Kurz, K. (Eds.). (2011). Aging populations, globalization and the labor market: Comparing late working life and retirement in modern societies. Cheltenham, UK/Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Dutch News (2014). Opposition MPs call on premier to explain quit the euro claims. Retrieved from http://www.dutchnews.nl/elections/election_news/opposition_mps_call_on_premier.php on 11 October 2014 Ellerman, A. D., Convery, F. J., De Perthuis, C. (2010). Pricing carbon: The European union emissions trading scheme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Gerstberger, C. and Yaneva, D. (2013). Household consumption expenditure national accounts. Retrieved from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Household_consumption_expenditure_-_national_accounts on 09 October 2014 The Guardian (2014). EU exit could see Unilever cut investment in UK. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jan/21/unilever-warning-uk-withdrawal-european-union on 09 October 2014 Headey, D., Fan, S. (2008). Anatomy of a crisis: the causes and consequences of surging food prices. Agricultural Economics, 39(1), 375-391. Huselid, M. A., Jackson, S. E., Schuler, R. S. (1997). Technical and strategic human resources management effectiveness as determinants of firm performance. Academy of Management journal, 40(1), 171-188. Hyman, R., Klarsfeld, A., Ng, E., Haq, R. (2012). Introduction: Social regulation of diversity and equality. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 18(4), 279-292. Jones, G. (2002). Unilever – a case study. Business History Review 32(12). Retrieved from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3212.html on 09 October 2014 Maestas, N. Zissimopoulos, J. (2010) How longer work lives ease the crunch of population aging. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 24(1) pp. 139-160. Office for National Statistics, (2009), Health: ‘Life expectancy continues to rise’. Retrieved from http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/58499152/life-expectancy-continues-rise on 09 October 2014 Putsis Jr, W. P., Bayus, B. L. (2001). An empirical analysis of firms’ product line decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(1), 110-118. The Telegraph (2011). Unilever to shake up  £5.1bn global advertising spend. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/8954352/Unilever-to-shake-up-5.1bn-global-advertising-spend.html on 09 October 2014 Sashi, C. M. (2012). Customer engagement, buyer-seller relationships, and social media. Management decision, 50(2), pp. 253-272 Smith, D. (2014). The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution. London: Routledge. Taylor-Gooby, P., Stoker, G. (2011). The coalition programme: a new vision for Britain or politics as usual?. The Political Quarterly, 82(1), 4-15. Thain, G, and Bradley, J. (2014). FMCG: The Power of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods. London: Design Publications Unilever (2014). About us. Retrieved from http://www.unilever.co.uk/aboutus/ on 09 October 2014 Unilever Bangladesh (2014). Our brands. Retrieved from http://www.unilever.com.bd/our-brands/detail/Fair-and-Lovely/366071/ on 09 October 2014 Wolf, R. (2014). Dutch Turnover Tax or EU VAT? On the Permeation of EU VAT Rules in the Dutch Turnover Tax Practise. Intertax, 42(8), 525-537.