Case study Bharti & Walmart Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The case study is conducted to analyze the sustainability of the joint venture of Wal-Mart and Bharti in disregard of the fact that the two companies have split apart in late 2013. Therefore, the paper will be conducted by using the information given in the case material and course materials, with extra information related to statistics and government policies before the split up of the joint venture. Through the SWOT analysis and pros & cons analysis of the joint venture, it is crystallized that the joint venture was facing obstacles coming from intrinsic factors such as the challenge to maintain low cost leadership and the ability to adapt local market for Wal-Mart and extrinsic factors such as government policy, consumer behavior and poor infrastructure. The challenges Wal-Mart was facing couldn’t all be solved with the partnership. For instance, the market share and overall profitability were low due to the unsolved problems with Wal-Mart’s strategic orientation and the localization to the market, leaving uncertainty to the joint venture. Hence, among three alternatives of 1) Change strategic Orientation and re-positioning; 2) Improve corporate image and social responsibility and 3) Call off joint venture, it’s recommended for Wal-Mart and Bharti to maintain their partnership but to re-position the joint venture and localize themselves to the market. The recommendation would be further explained in the last section of this paper. PROBLEM STATEMENT Given the circumstance, the joint venture was facing challenges on the sustainability for different reasons. Wal-Mart has planned ambitiously for the joint venture, however it failed to achieve the goals of opening sufficient amount of stores in order to gain the market share and improve the margins due to the competence or willingness in localization, the government policies etc. Measures are needed for the two entities to take in  order to achieve profit growth whether to change the positioning/strategic orientation, improve the corporate image to achieve long term benefits or even to call off the joint venture since it’s no longer mandate for Wal-Mart to access the market through a partnership. ANALYSIS In order to tackle the most fundamental issues in Wal-Mart business journey in India, I’d like to first conduct a SWOT analysis of Wal-Mart’s retail business in India as following. Strength: 1. Scale of operations. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world that no other retailer can match. Due to such large scale of operations, the corporate could exercise strong bargaining power on suppliers to reduce the prices. 2. Competence in information systems. The success of Wal-Mart in 21st century is largely due to its competence in information systems and supply chain management. However Wal-Mart’s advantage in supply chain management was shattered when it entered India. 3. Varity of products. Wal-Mart could offer wider range of products than local competitors. It has also been proven that Indian consumer would embrace affordable products with an upper standard of quality. 4. Low-cost leadership strategy. This strategy has helped Wal-Mart to become the low cost leader in the retail market. Weakness: 1. Inexperience in localization. Even though Wal-Mart was expanding its global appearance, it lacked experience in adapting its products and services to the specific demand of local market due to the domestic strategy. 2. Different shopping mentality. The Indian consumer mentality of â€Å"save and buy† was totally different from the American’s and Indian businesses were focusing more on B2B model, therefore the success of Wal-Mart’s B2C model was questionable. 3. Dependency of logistic system. Wal-Mart and its low cost leadership strategy are largely depended on an effective and efficient warehouse system which was not fully developed in India. 4. Lack of skilled employees. Wal-Mart would have to face the issues with unskilled employees while doing business in India and would potentially increase the training cost of employees. Opportunities: 1. Emerging retail market. Indian retail market grew by 5% in 2006, opening huge opportunities for Wal-Mart’s revenue growth, and the market was opened to Wal-Mart through joint venture. There was also existed an emerging demand of organized retailer. 2. Rising acceptance of foreign products. The increasing acceptance of high quality and low price foreign products opened the opportunities for Wal-Mart as well. In addition, the consumer disposable income and purchasing power was increasing. Threats: 1. Increasing resistance from local communities and retailers. Wal-Mart had a negative impact on local retailers therefore it faced considerably the political pressures from local communities due to the protection of local retailers. On the other hand, Wal-Mart faced the direct challenges from organized local retailers such as Pantaloon, RPG group etc. 2. Challenges from other MNCs. Other multinational corporations, such as Spencer’s Retail were also threatening Wal-Mart’s business in India. Given that some traditional advantages such as the efficient warehouse system were weakened in India, Wal-Mart’s domination in India would be shaken. Wal-Mart’s Challenges in India The opening of an emerging market with a rapidly growing middle class should create a promising future for Wal-Mart. However along with the opportunity are also challenges. After analyzing the SWOT of Wal-Mart, it’s very clear that Wal-Mart was facing challenge from extrinsic environment and intrinsic core competitiveness. Traditionally, foreign investors fail mainly because of the incompetence of maintaining their core competitiveness. But in India, Wal-Mart might be facing more of the external environment challenges. To begin with, retail industry was one of the few sectors where FDI was not allowed due to the protection of small and medium sized local retailers before 2012, forcing multinational corporations to seek a joint venture with a local partner rather than wholly-owned model as in other countries. Local communities worried that Wal-Mart would eliminate small retailers and intermediates who played important roles in supporting local economy. In addition, Wal-Mart cou ldn’t cover the job loss since the main strategy of the company was low-cost leadership which suggested that Wal-Mart would hire just-enough employees to maintain its operations and would cut the  middle-man in the process of procurement in its supply chain. The Indian government requires foreign retailer to source 30 per cent of its goods from small supplier with objectives to discourage imports by foreign retailers from their few large dedicated suppliers and to weaken Wal-Mart’s bargaining power and make economic growth becomes sustainable1. Moreover, with an aggregate score of 2.5, India ranks 64th in market openness and is largely due to the fast real import growth, according to International Chamber of Commerce (2013). India has its weakest score in trade policy (2.0) which is also the second to last score among G20 nations (see table1). From a cultural aspect, the Indian consumers have a different mentality of â€Å"save and buy† thus traditionally Indi an businesses were focusing more on B2B model. Dealing with foreign authorities requires finesse and charm, and given that lobbying was forbidden in India, Wal-Mart might not be able to influence the government policies in an official way and Wal-Mart should avoid seeking inappropriate channel to reach the local authority such as bride. As for intrinsic competitiveness, Wal-Mart was facing problem with losing its traditional advantages. To begin with, the national differences would continually question Wal-Mart’s ability to adapt itself to the market since Wal-Mart had less experience in foreign market. Given that the road infrastructure and the modern supply chain system were not fully developed in India (see table 2), Wal-Mart would face the inefficient transportation in its supply chain. In addition, Wal-Mart would need to associate with local partners in order to solve the warehouse shortage and poor infrastructure. As a result of the lack of skilled labor, labor producti vity in Indian retail market should be lower and Wal-Mart would have to increase its spending on employees’ training and therefore it would be challenging for Wal-Mart to maintain its advantages in low-cost leadership in India. Finally, Wal-Mart stores were competing with entrenched local general merchandise and food merchants, potentially leading to unprofitable for the company. Joint venture with Bharti Given the circumstances, it’s logically for Wal-Mart and Bharti to form a joint venture. In the rapidly growing organized retail market in India, Wal-Mart and Bharti were able to leverage the needs and assets of each other’s (see table 3). For Bharti, one advantage of this joint venture is  that since the management of Wal-Mart promised to lead the liberation of retail market, it would be beneficial for both two parties and India as well. From the same perspective, Wal-Mart was a particularly attractive partner to Bharti for the strength of Wal-Mart in information technology and supply chain management knowledge that could turn around the infrastructure, supply-chain and IT through a strategic alliance (Bose, 2012). As for Wal-Mart, through the 50/50 venture for backend supply chain management and wholesale cash-and-carry operations, (Bose , 2012) Wal-Mart was able to utilize Bharti’s domestic facilities as a jump board to the emerging market and it was able to bypass some restrictions that were harmful to its business. With Bharti’s deep knowledge of India’s fast-growing market and its prior foreign experience of cooperate with other foreign firms (Bose, 2012), Wal-Mart would have a smooth start in the early stages of the joint venture (Luo, 1998). By increasing its purchase from local suppliers and associating with prestige local firm, Wal-Mart could also possibly change positively the consumer perception on itself. However, there were also many disadvantages brought by the joint venture. First, it took time and efforts for both parties to form the joint venture, meaning Wal-Mart might take longer time to expand compared with using wholly-own model. In this joint venture, Wal-Mart and Bharti would deliver a mixture of brand image which might confuse the consumers, and the local partner might take advantage from this mixed message and knowledge transfer as mentioned before. As a result, this joint venture had the possibilit y of creating a new competitor for Wal-Mart. As mentioned before, one of the biggest problems Wal-Mart had was from the government regulation which either of the two parties could lobby the government. In addition, the financial situation of Bharti Enterprises was not a positive factor in their joint venture, for its debt was at a high level and affected negatively the cash flows of the joint venture. Both companies had complementary strengths they were able to utilize to expand in India in a long term. By leveraging each other’s expertise, both entities were able to use and build upon best practices that had proven successful for both companies in their individual ventures, performing better than either company could do alone in the growing Indian retail market. However, since many disadvantages remained for Wal-Mart and Bharti and the fact that they haven’t acquired the expected market share, the future of this joint  venture was in vague. Hence, the two companies should focus on the sustainability of the joint venture. In this regard, both two parties should take measures to reassure the sustainability of their joint venture and improve its performance accordingly. According to Dr. M.N.H. Mazumder, there are three traits that MNC should consider when selecting local partner, strategic traits, organizational traits and financial traits. Therefore, the sustainability of the joint venture would also be dependent on the fits of these traits. For instance, in terms of strategic fits, by establishing a mutually satisfied, efficient, and productive trustful partnership with Bharti, Wal-Mart would be very likely to maintain a common goal so that the joint venture could avoid the risk of being sabotaged by the dysfunctional conflicts between the two partners. In the following section, we’ll be discussing the details of alternatives that could help in the sustainability. ALTERNATIVES: Alternative 1- Change the strategic orientation and re-positioning In 2007, Wal-Mart announced with ambitious that partner with Bharti, it planned to open hundreds of stores, it has quietly shelved its expansion plans after complex market conditions. In 2012, Wal-Mart opened just five wholesale stores in India last year while it planned to open 22 stores. In addition, while Bharti wished to open more small traditional stores or cash and carry business due to the fragmented market and consumer behavior, Wal-Mart was pushing its large retail stores which usually take 24 months to open. Therefore, since Wal-Mart struggled to gain market share, it should be carefully examine its expansion plan and consider Bharti’s perception on the market. Alternative 2- Improve corporate image and social responsibility As stated, Wal-Mart was facing obstacles brought by its corporate image and it has been criticized for eliminating local business and leading to higher unemployment. By operating a public relation campaign and fulfilling its social responsibility in education, agriculture (assisting local farms) etc, Wal-Mart should be able to change the stereotype perception of foreign investors and establish a good foundation for less challenges from the local society. However, this alternative wouldn’t enable Wal-Mart and the joint venture to expand its market share in a short term. Therefore it’ll require both two parties to have coherence on campaign cost and long term revenue. Alternative 3- Call off joint venture Bharti Enterprise has been struggling under a debt of USD 12 billion of its mobile business. Bharti’s liquidity would directly affect the joint venture’s ability to pay off short term financial obligations. Also considering that Wal-Mart is allowed to the 100% ownership in a retail company in India, it’d also be an alternative for two parties to split and do business alone. It’s possible that Wal-Mart will lose its market share in a very short future due to the losses of information and suppliers in this split up. RECOMMENDATIONS It’s recommended to maintain the joint venture, but changes are needed in the strategic orientation and the positioning. For the joint venture and mostly for Wal-Mart, building convenient stores and therefore establishing a larger presence in the Indian market are crucial to the sustainability and profitability. In order to solve extrinsic problems such as the consumer behavior of purchasing on a daily basis rather than buy a weekly portion, it’s more flexible for Wal-Mart if it could have smaller stores covering more locations and it would be positive to consumer loyalty with larger presence in different regions, though thorough research on the target consumer markets would be needed in order to offer Indian consumers the type of products they desire at the appropriate quantity and location. In addition, opening smaller stores would require two parties to work collectively and more productively on their supply chain management due to the complexity brought by more stor es. REFERENCES: Edwards, Ron; Adlina Ahmand and Simon Moss (2002): Subsidiary Autonomy: The Case of ICC (2014): Open Markets Index 2013 (05.03.2014) [URL: Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum (2013): The Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 Indranil Bose (2013): Wal-Mart and Bharti: Transforming retail in India Yadong Luo (1998): Joint Venture Success in China: How Should We Select a Good Partner? APPENDIX: Table 1: Scores on the Open Markets Index 2013 G20 Rank Country Overall OMI 2013 Rank Aggregate Score Trade Openness Trade Policy FDI openness Trade Enabling Infrastructure 18th India 64th 2.5 2.9 2.0 2.5 2.8 Source: ICC 2013 Table 2: Ranking of India in infrastructure India Quality of overall infrastructure 86th Quality of roads 85th Quality of railroad infrastructure 24th Quality of port infrastructure 82th Quality of air transport infrastructure 67rd Available airline seat kilometers 12th Quality of electricity supply 112th Mobile telephone subscriptions 113th Fixed telephone lines 117th Source: World Economic Forum 2013 Table 3: Needs and capabilities of both parties before and after their joint venture Before joint venture Needs Capabilities Wal-Mart 1. Entry to the Indian Retail Market 2. Governmental lobbying Skills 3. Knowledge of local market 1. Largest retailer in the world with low cost leadership and a focus of â€Å"Always low price† 2. Known for its information management and supply chain management. Bharti 1. Need retailing experience 2. Need information technology and supply chain management skills 1. Known for its brand and execution capabilities 2. Known for its experience in collaboration with foreign companies 3. Strong Consumer Marketing and distribution capabilities due to other business 4. Bharti’s Agriculture programs with local farmers

Nommo and the Bible

Nommo and the Bible A Comparison and Contrast of the Character Names in The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingslover writes a book entitled, The Poisonwood Bible that explore the effects one culture has on another. The four daughters; Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, at birth are given names suitable and fitting to their personalities, as well as new Kikongo names which describe the girls’ attitudes towards the people in the Congo. A principal of the Congolese belief system, suggests that the girls have grown into their names, causing their specific type of people interaction.The eldest daughter of the four is Rachel Price. In the Bible, the person named Rachel is described as more beautiful than her sister Leah (Genesis Ch. 29-35). In the Poisonwood Bible, Rachel Price is the most appealing than the other three siblings. Rachel’s Kikongo name is Mvula, which refers to a pale white termite that only comes out after it rains. Back home, Rachel was beautiful and her pale skin was desirable. Now, Tata Ndu (chief of the village) wanted to marry Rachel because her skin is ugly to the Congolese women causing his wives to feel better about themselves.Rachel Price did not want to be around the Congolese people, and stayed inside her house snuggled up with her own vanity. Leah and Adah Price are twins and the middle children of the family in the Poisonwood Bible. Leah, in the Bible, was tricked into marrying the man Rachel loved by their evil father (Genesis 29: 21-28). In both instances, Rachel and Leah were deceived by their father causing them to become unable of having a true sisterly bond with one another. In Kikongo, Leah is called Leba, meaning â€Å"fig tree† (148). The Congolese do Leah a favor by not calling her Leah, because the Kikongo translation for Leah means â€Å"nothing much† (148).Anatole has special names for all the girls and he calls Leah â€Å"beene-beene† which means â€Å"the truest truth† (396). It is clear he has respect for Leah. â€Å"Benduka† is Adah Price’s Kikongo name; it means â€Å"crooked walker†. Adah Price was born with the use of only one side of her body causing a perpetual limp. In the Bible, Adah is a minor character that could be the wife of two men (Genesis 4:19). In the book, Adah goes back in forth between her two â€Å"men† or beliefs; she either believes in science, or God. Adah is also overlooked when the fire ants attacked their village; her own mother felt her behind (306).Orleanna did not favor Adah, causing her to be a â€Å"minor† member in the family. The youngest and most innocent of the Price children is Ruth May. She is given the name of Bandu in the kikongo language, meaning â€Å"the reason for everything† and â€Å"the littlest one on the bottom. † Orleanna (the mother) values Ruth May the most of her four children. All of Orleanna’s narratives are meant for Ruth May. In the Bible, Ruth is a cha racter who helped soldiers when they needed it, she was a friend. The translation of the word Ruth in Hebrew means â€Å"companion† (â€Å"Origin and Meaning of Baby Names†).The word ruth in English, mean grief; for Orleanna, she felt much grief when Ruth May died. An entire book of the Bible describes Ruth, and an entire character dedicates what she says to Ruth May. The Kikongo word â€Å"nommo† is â€Å"the force that makes things live as what they are† (209); it is â€Å"a song, a poem, a scream, a prayer, a name†(210). It refers to the belief that naming something gives it its nature – a man is a man because that is what he is named, whereas a rabbit is not a man because that is not what he is named. Nommo says you do not have a life until you are named; your name makes you who you are.Would Rachel Price be less vain and beautiful if her name were not Rachel Rebekkah? Nommo says, yes, she would be a different person. Kingslover’s approach to identifying the characters in The Poisonwood Bible, maintains the focus on who each person is and who they are meant to be. The names give us hints as to what each person’s personality will be. Also, the names can allude to biblical references that help define what the character’s relationships with others are. Nommo and their birth names combined adequately describe each girl and their actions.

Brand New Eyes by Paramore

Very few music artists are skilled enough to put out an album that has equally impressive melodies, lyrics, and lead vocals. In 2009, Paramore released their third studio album, which is their most popular and critically acclaimed album to date. Since its release, it has been certified gold in the United States and platinum in the UK. Its blend of catchy tunes, brutally honest lyrics, and the dynamic vocals of lead singer Hayley Williams has raised it to the tops of the charts of rock music over the past couple years. This is definitely an album worth your time and money. One of the reasons this album and band is looked up to by many musicians, is the emotional and deep lyrics that Williams has written since the bands inception in 2004. The fourth song, Brick By Boring Brick, tells the story of a girl, who seems to be too caught up in her own fantasy world. The lyrics, â€Å"Well you built up a world of magic, because your real life is tragic † hints that the real evil might not be the monsters in fairytales; it might be hidden in reality itself. Other examples of the albums complex lyrics are, â€Å"Next time you point a finger, I might have to bend it back or break it, break it off,† which refers to the drama between members prior to Brand New Eyes release. All of the lyrics could have multiple meanings, both straight-forward and conceptual, which have grabbed a hold of listeners since the beginning. Another definitive aspect that boosted Paramores popularity from every other alternative rock band, is Williams powerhouse vocals. In 2003, at the age of 14, she was hunted down by Atlantic Records, who wanted to make her into a solo pop artist. Williams declined, and said later in an interview â€Å"my heart was to be in a band Without her unique voice, Paramore would have been like any other female fronted band throughout history. One of the key factors to many artists success beyond writing good music, is the live performance. Paramore has been recognized world-wide for this and has even had to change venues due to the huge amount of concert-goers. The complement of Williams powerful vocals and her ever-changing hair color, usually in shades of red or orange, along with guitarist Taylor York and bassist Jeremy Davis acrobatic-like acts onstage, makes a Paramore concert a spirited experience for both critics and music aficionado alike. In Fall of 2009, during their Brand New Eyes Tour, the performance echoed the aesthetics of the album, from the empty picture frames referring to the track â€Å"Playing God,† to the swinging light bulbs from â€Å"Ignorance.† I strongly support this album, and any other from Paramore. I believe that it is a timeless piece that could possibly become a classic alternative album in the future.

Chinese Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chinese Art History - Essay Example Artistic features did not only feature in religious matters but, also the politics of the community. History indicates that political dynasties in China had a specific symbol. For example, Han dynasty (206 B.C –A.D 220) used bronze horse as its symbol. Within the Hans territory, the sculpture of the horse appeared in various centers. This enabled the society to recognize the ruler of that time. The painting of the emperors appeared in most public places as a means of promoting their interest to their communities. For example, the painting of the Han dynasty founder Liu Bang was critical in demarcating Liu’s territory. Ideally, the political figures instituted their rules by placing the sculptures or portraits in various temples or public places. In most cases, the subject of the emperor swore their allegiance to the temples where their rulers resided. When a political dynasty collapsed or when a change of power transfigured in the Chinese communities, the new ruler coul d build his dynasty. The portraits of the predecessor could no longer feature in public places. Further, territory demarcation could follow by placing the portraits of the new ruler. This system did not only, helped the community to identity their leaders but also swear allegiance to them. The politicians expanded their territory by placing their sculptures among the communities they ruled. For example, Wu Di expanded his territory to areas such as Mongolia, east of Korea among other places by instituting the sculpture of his Terra Cotta Army. (Wang 84). 2. Many Chinese works of art deliberately refer to the past in one way or another; using examples from at least three different historical periods, discuss some of these references and explain how they affect the viewer's understanding of the meaning of the work. The Chinese community used art to promote various interests such religion, education, or philosophy. For examples, during Confucianism period, Zhou Dynasty (1122-221 B. C), artists sculpted portraits that illustrated Confucian principles as the guide to the society (Wang 85). The viewers of the portrait were to remember the Confucian principles whenever they saw the portrait. The portrait of Confucian symbolized moral aspects in the community such as humanness as found in the legendary writings of Confucian. The Confucian period emphasized morality above divinity thereby influencing the Chinese community to incline towards the principles of Confucianism. The viewers of the Confucian portrait reflected the Confucian philosophy. In essence, the portrait served as a reminder to the Confucian philosophy. The viewers of the Buddha portrait used it to illustrate the divine nature proclaimed by Buddha. His followers used his

The Shiite Resistance against the Pro-Taliban Sunni-deoband Terrorists Research Paper

The Shiite Resistance against the Pro-Taliban Sunni-deoband Terrorists in Pakistan - Research Paper Example The researcher states that since all humans, who are non-Sunni-Deoband by faith, according to the extremist sect, are perverts and deviants, killing of whom is necessary for the projection, promotion and spread of the nefarious designs of the Sunni-Deoband sect. Since this sect contains terrorists in its parties working with different names and under various platforms, it has become very hard for the Government of Pakistan to detect their criminal activities and arrest them in order to announce punishments to them so that no one in the future could gather the courage to repeat the same. Somehow, the above-described terrorist sect has developed its roots in the national press, as well as in the judiciary and military sectors of the country, along with other public and private organizations; as a result, the sect has set its foot by establishing the evil network in the name of the religion. It is, therefore, the Shiites of Pakistan have to make very hard efforts for protecting the memb ers of their community on the one hand, and unveiling the terrorist designs of the extremists on the other. The Shiites have established different organizations including Tehreek-e-Jafria (i.e. Jafria Movement), Islamic Tehreek, (i.e. Islamic Movement) Sipah-e-Muhammad (the soldiers of the Prophet Muhammad) and others, which always adopt peaceful ways of protests against the terrorist attacks on their religious processions and gatherings on one hand, and target killings of their youth and scholars on the other. As a result, the Shiite Muslins never took law in their hand, and just abide by rules in order to stop the advancements of terrorism in the country. Brief Overview: By critically analyzing the history of the globe at large, it becomes crystal clear that an overwhelming majority of the people coming of every class, creed, community, ethnicity, race and socioeconomic status maintain belief in some supernatural or metaphysical power(s), to which they seek help and beg support in the eve of finding them helpless while facing difficulties and problems of various kinds, which has given birth to the idea of God and religion subsequently. Thousands of the faiths exist in the world, which divides the people into groups and factions, because of the divergences in belief systems, a way of worship and others. Among all major religions existing in the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are regarded to be the Abrahamic faiths, which share several things in their mythologies and basic traits. One of the most fundamental commonalities among the three includes their further sub-division into sects, where Jews, Christians, and Muslims display great displeasure and hatred towards the members belonging to the rival sects of their faith and do not appear to get ready to tolerate these opponents at any cost.

On the writers choose Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On the writers choose - Research Paper Example It would be important to consider some of the specific examples from the text as an illustration of the power of the media to shape public agenda and spread information that is essentially compromised and subject to the interests of some forces. In this novel, the tributes are brought in the media with the intention of creating some false kinds of impression regarding their lives and talents. The audience is treated to some superficial images and characters that have been blown out of normal proportion and beyond objective truth for achieving some patterns of thought from the audience. Katniss and Peeta are made to give some highlights about their unique abilities and shed light on certain issues that relate to their personal lives (Collins 21). In this manner, the media actively promotes the ideals of sensationalism and deliberate falsification of information for the sake of entertaining the audience. The unethical control and management of people’s minds is one of the strategies that the media uses to achieve its objectives. Rather than capturing the natural sequence of things, the media engages in calculated moves that are pointed towards a predetermined direction. In essence, it might be important to consider the fact that some of the issues that attend to the role of the media in controlling the society relate to its ability to privilege certain issues above others. The media sets the agenda for the society by assigning some issues a higher level of significance as compared to others. The author captures the media as particularly subjective. She also brings out the media as serving the interests of the powerful and dominant forces in the society. As such, the fate of Katniss and Peeta is reduced to the whims of the powerful individuals who seek to control the manner in which the two tributes will end up in the war. The

Winner-Take-All Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Winner-Take-All Economy - Essay Example This has been fueled by capital gains such as dividend and investment income, the shares have increased significantly from 9 percent to 23.5 percent (Hacker & Pierson 16). The more exclusive the group the group, the more stratospheric the gains have been.  This has been fueled by capital gains such as dividend and investment income, the shares have increased significantly from 9 percent to 23.5 percent (Hacker & Pierson 16). The more exclusive the group the group, the more stratospheric the gains have been.  Gains Have Been SustainedThe income tax statistic reveals that the move of income towards the top has been sustained, and it increases steadily since around 1980. The ever increasing national income shares captured by the richest Americans are a long-term trend which is obviously not related to either the shifting partisan occupation of the White House or business cycle (Hacker & Pierson   17). The rapid increase in a number of shares captured by the richest Americans occur red during the drives on the stock market that occurred between 1980 and 2000.  Gains Have Resulted in Few Trickle-Down Benefits for the Non-rich The average income of the poorest American households increased by 6 percent, while the middle quintiles of households increased by 21 percent. This research study took inflation and government benefits and taxes into account (Hacker & Pierson 17). Most of the richest Americans gain from the struggle and sweat of the middle class and poorest Americans.

Team Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Team Management - Essay Example Therefore, teams enable the individual members to bring into their teams special skills and knowledge, different experience as well as diverse cultural exposure. Teams also allow for a speedy communication process as feedback can be achieved in short periods of time (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992). Mullins, (2005) identifies some potential problems in teams as conflicts which arise due to differences in individual's way of doing things, poor leadership of the team if especially the mode of communication the team adopts is very centralised. Cranny, Smith, and Stone, (1992) identifies personality differences as another cause of team failure given the fact that individuals may fail to work together if they have major or irreconcilable personality differences. If a team lacks clear focus for its aims and objectives there is always a likelihood that such teams may end up failing to achieve the very goals they were formed to achieve. Therefore the management has a role in team building especially through encouraging collective responsibility amongst team members. Teams cannot function in an environment free from conflicts and therefore the only way to achieve team goals and objectives is by engaging in effective conflict resolution strategies through strengthening of teams. Schermerhorn, Hunt, and Osborn, (2005) defines a team as a formal group of people working together with an aim of achieving common goals. Teams are important in that, they improve performance in an organization, they enhance communication and they make an organization more competitive in that they draw from a wide range of talent. On the other hand, groups are less formal and less coherent and thrive best outside the organisation and whenever groups exist within the organisation, it is usually in a non formal setting. This paper looks at conflicts in teams as the single most threat to team survival and team spirit. In addition, the paper outlines as well as analyzes conflict management process in teams. Business organizations are constantly striving to achieve efficiency and effectiveness on the part of the work force. The numerous challenges organizations are faced with such as ; competitor activity and unfavorable business environment all play a very important role in determining the success of the organization. Of all resources an organisation has in its disposal none is perhaps as relevant and important to the success of the organisation than the human resources. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to Cranny, Smith, and Stone, (1992) human resources output is higher when the employee's function as a team than it is the case when employees function in their individual units. A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However, creating functional and efficient teams' calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and

Smoking Should Be Banned Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoking Should Be Banned - Research Paper Example But is it about making money or ensuring good health for everyone in the society? Human beings should be able to choose life and health than unnecessarily expensive addictions like smoking and that’s why smoking should be globally banned. The human population is categorized into smokers and non smokers. Smokers are known to infringe on the rights of non smokers in the society (Cunningham 14). Their open smoking in public places like playgrounds, parks and beaches triggers coughing or asthma attacks from the passive smoking by in non smokers. The stench that comes out of the lit cigarettes also makes the open air ridiculously unbearable. Smoking increases the chances of sudden infant death syndrome (Hanson, Venturelli and Fleckenstein 42).Sudden infant death is when there is an explained death of an infant usually between two and four months. Smokers however forget that smoke is in gaseous form and therefore easily reaches children whose lungs have not properly developed. Smoki ng leads to lung, mouth, larynx, ladder, liver and other common cancers. It is also known to be largest cause of cancer deaths. For these reasons, there should be a decree that prohibits smoking. Banning of smoking is the basic move to make to show respect for every human beings right to free movement, association and right to admission to public places (Hudson 19).with this they are easily able to move freely without being scared of inhaling smoke that have adverse effects on their health. Air pollution is one the effects of smoking globally, it is the governments initiative to ensure that smoking is banned to ensure a balanced ecosystem for every living organism, including the smokers themselves. â€Å"The release of dangerous chemicals into the environment by smokers is the best definition of a selfish move† (Hudson 27). If the government is able to bar smoking, it will prompt the smokers to slow down, cut back and probably quit smoking because it will be harder to smoke o n the rise of a smoking urge. It makes sense for people to stop smoking all together because it a financial and health benefit to them. Smoking evidently is an expensive addiction. The most addicted smokers use up to two packets of cigarette daily, which will round up to an average of forty cigarettes in a day. Clearly this is not a cheap addiction to venture in. Smoking helps you save the money and spend on vacation with your family or live larger. In any case, a Wisconsin-based study carried out in 2002, 16%of the light smokers do it for recreational reasons. This will be the first to bail out in case of a ban. In as much as smokers think banning smoking is an infringement on their liberty as citizens, and that the government should not dictate how they live especially with the hefty amount of taxes they pay, it still stands that making laws that disallow smoking is beneficial to the society in that it protects patron and staff at a work place. Most employees have picked up smoke related diseases from their work places, sometimes because their workmates smoke. There is no law that [protects such people and that is why smoking should be banned. Usually in such cases, the employer sucks the employee in question and hires a â€Å"smoke tolerant person† leading to unemployment and one more addition to baseless decision ever mad because nobody is smoke- effects –proof (Hanson et al 20). As vague is sometimes sounds to most smokers, the bother of ones hair and

Creating the Best Workplaces on Earth Research Paper

Creating the Best Workplaces on Earth - Research Paper Example rted Google as a privately owned company but due to the need of expansion from more capital input, Google became a publicly owned organization on August 19, 2004. They however have a combined 14 percent shareholding in the company and have a great deal of power in determining who leads the company. Google has had its mission statement as â€Å"To organize all the information in the world in a way that it becomes accessible and relevant globally (Google Inc, par. 3).† Most of the internet related products we use every day come from Google. For example, the World’s largest search engine is Google; it gives scholars the opportunity to explore the world of information and knowledge. Through the search engine, I can find out more about Google. The next major product is the online mail processor, Gmail. Gmail gives a world’s majority the opportunity to receive detailed and even short messages from any part of the world. Google Drive enables you to save your documents online for later use; it enhances the security of your documents. Google + is a social network service where every individual with a Gmail account can connect to other people in other parts of the world. Google is the leading producer of the Android mobile operating system, the Google Chrome browsing software. The G-Talk online communication tool gives me the chance to send messages and call friends all the time provided I have a connection to the internet. Google has collab orated with other telecommunication companies in the production of sate of the art devices such as the Nexus; produced in collaboration with Motorola. You-Tube, owned by Google, is the primary source of internet videos. Here are some surprising facts to show how important Google is in the world. In a single day, the company provides answers to over one billion requests through over a million servers. The company also provides over twenty- five petabytes of data in every 24 hours. Their website, www.google.com has the highest number

Visual Arts Essay Example for Free

Visual Arts Essay Every human being has a significant innate characteristic of being artistic in nature originating from his or her humanistic aspect. In this concept, every single individual has the ability to express him or herself through any form of artistic manifestations and on the other hand, also has the ability to view and recognize different forms of artistic expression. This idea is mainly because the very essence of existing as a human being is fully realizing their innate human behaviors of emotional manifestations and expression. Thus, the concept of humanistic art form as a means of expressions and communication of expression is born. In the general course of humanistic art form, the aspect of visual arts commonly roused much enthusiasm and recognition. The aspect of visual art expression usually manifest in the style of appealing to the basic humanistic senses of the human society particularly the sense of sight wherein one uses a concrete way of expressing him or herself to the society. In this form of artistic expression, the visual artist contemplate and transform his or her personal abstract emotions into a concrete form to captivate the interest and emotions of the public enabling them to realize the humanistic and artistic beauty in any chosen specific events. This concept commonly expressed in different fields such as through painting, music, theater, dance and others. In each of the mentioned visual art discipline, each one of them has their own mode of expression significantly characterized by the general theme of their respective discipline. For the field of painting, visual artists use expression mediums such as the most common namely the oil painting wherein the artist use oil-based ink or dye to create an art piece. Another is through using watercolor, which is basically similar to the oil-based medium but only cheaper and more accessible. Other uses spray painting medium employing either or both of the previously mentioned mediums. In addition, another style that is common is using charcoal, which produces sketches of monochromatic color. In this discipline, different mediums of expression are used to bearing similar elements of the said discipline namely color, shade, perspective, hue, contrast, texture, and others, which are all important in emphasizing the thematic aspect of the artwork. For the discipline of music, several styles are commonly used such as the classical that is in relation to the socio-cultural aspect. Another is the ballad or romantic theme, which is more focused on the emotional aspect of the art. In addition, there is the discipline of the jazz and blues manifesting more on the emotional and smooth music for relaxation. In the modern discipline comes the rock music employing contemporary musical instruments and some traditional. In this field, the artistic impression is basically based on three general elements namely the pitch, rhythm, and quality. Pitch which is through melody and harmony, rhythm through meter and tempo, and sound quality through texture, dynamics, articulation, and timbre. For the drama or the theatrical visual art is presented in different styles or genre. One of which is the musical theatre employing musical and dance elements in the presentation. Another is pantomime, which manifest in different forms and characteristic namely puppetry, slapstick and melodrama. Another is the tragedy, which presents the sorrowful and terrible events in a social icon’s life wherein the moral value of the experience is highlighted in the one. In addition, the drama also comes in the form of the opera, which is generally presented through singing. In this discipline, different important elements are used to create a thematic artistic presentation. Some of these elements are the character, plot, theme, dialogue, convention, genre, audience, design, and the stagecraft or the props. The discipline of dance also has its own mediums of artistic expression namely the interpretative employing visual presentation with relative musical attributes. The folk dance which is related to traditional dance methods. The ballet dance, which is focused on the gracefulness of the expression to symbolize its theme. In addition, the modern dance which represents the present society and their contemporary culture. In this discipline, artists employ several elements in their artistic expression namely the tempo or speed of the dance, the gracefulness or the texture of the movements, choreography, and the uniformity for group presentation. Thus, visual art is generally expression of humanistic emotions manifested through using different forms of disciplines. In each of these disciplines, the visual artists employ a particular style of mode of expression to emphasize the main theme or the particular idea of their artistic visual presentation thus capturing better the enthusiasm and emotional interest of their general audience. In employing a particular mode of expression style, the target audience can also better understand and realize the main theme of the presented visual art through relating it to the discipline used and the particular expression style that is applied. Through applying the mentioned visual art elements, the aspect of communication between the artist and the general audience can be bridged significantly promoting the thematic expression between the two. Bibliography Levi, Albert Smith, Ralph (1991). Art Education: Disciplines of Art Education, Context of Understanding. University of Illinois, USA. ISBN-10: 0252061853.

Hamlets Moral Nature Leads to Death Essay Example for Free

Hamlets Moral Nature Leads to Death Essay While rambling on about vengeance, the senseless prince Hamlet utters â€Å"I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge†¦ or about some act that has no relish of salvation in’t; then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damn’d and black† (3. 3. 77-95). This soliloquy is significant as it shows Hamlet’s intentions when he must delay his murder purposes to a specific time frame where Claudius is acting corrupt because then the King’s soul will descend into hell. Moral relativism is also evident when the melancholic prince moans â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question; whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer†¦ To die, to sleep;† when contemplating life and death (3. 1. 57-61). This unique proclamation further explains why Hamlet is incapable of murder because he is afraid of what lies after death, particularly hell and purgatory. For these reasons, religion is a main virtue of Hamlet’s moral nature leading his incompetence in seeking retribution on King Claudius. Another unambiguous quality in the Prince’s moral nature that leads to the dispose of Claudius is procrastination. While in the castle, the insane Dane Hamlet sadly proclaims â€Å"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, and enterprises of great pitch and moment with this regard their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action† (3. 1. 84-88). This declamation clarifies Hamlet is troubled by his  over scrupulous conscience which prevents him from immediately avenging his fathers murder. After finishing conversation with the Captain, the impractical prince Hamlet boldly states â€Å"How all occasions do inform me against me, and spur my dull revenge! What is man†¦O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! † when realizing now is the time for him to act (4. 4. 31-65). Hamlet finally recognizes that he has held out his revenge for too long and must act on it after seeing Fortinbras’ army sacrificing money and men to get back a worthless piece of land just for honour. In due course Hamlet’s procrastination eventually leads to his death in the end. If it is not for the Danish Prince’s moral nature of procrastination, he could have very well avoided death by acting on his deed to his father. Last, the most important moral virtue that the saddened prince portrays is indecisiveness. When deciding whether or not to fulfill his revenge for his deceased father, Hamlet confidently declares now whether it be, bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple, of thinking too precisely on th event a thought which, quarterd , hath but one part wisdom   and ever three parts coward I do not know why yet I live to say this things to do ,sith I have cause , and will and strength , and means  to do. 4. 4. 39-44) This decision further describes that Hamlet is indecisive about when he must carry out retribution for his forbearer. Indecisiveness relates to both religion and procrastination qualities as well. Hamlet pronounces â€Å"I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge†¦ or about some act that has no relish of salvation in’t; then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damn’d and black† when determining when Claudius should be slain and go to hell (3. . 77-95). Not only religious virtues are apparent but also indecisive traits. Indecisiveness is evident while Hamlet needs to decide at what specific point in time to achieve his goal of retaliation. When speaking to himself in the castle, the melancholic prince sighs â€Å"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all† (3. 1. 84). Even though procrastination is evident in Hamlet’s speech, indecisiveness can be found as well. Indecisiveness is present in Hamlet’s speech because he is contemplating on his own life and death. For these examples, indecisiveness is in the Danish Prince’s moral nature that affects his ability to seek payback for his father. In conclusion, moral relativism, procrastination and indecisiveness are the three vital virtues that insane Prince carries. These traits prove the reoccurring theme that the need for revenge can consume you. Hamlet’s moral nature is the reason why he is unable to seek vengeance for his father immediately and if the insane Dane had taken action and fulfilled his assassination on Claudius instantly, Prince Hamlet’s fate would have ended better. Works Cited Shakespeare, William Hamlet.

Theories Of Language Acquisition

Theories Of Language Acquisition This essay will deal with three theories of language acquisition: the linguistic theory, behaviourist theory and social interactionist theory. Each theory will include an explanation of the theory, a look at whether it is nativist or empirical, whether the evidence is more focused on competence or performance, the evidence supporting and criticising the theories and examples of how the theories apply to the areas of speech and language therapy will also be looked at. The concept of a language faculty was first proposed by Noam Chomsky in 1976 and suggested that humans have an innate knowledge of grammar which has two levels of linguistic processing; deep structure and surface structure. Level one incorporates phrase structure rules which are the basic relationships underlying all sentence organisation in all languages. Level two incorporates transformational rules that govern the rearrangement of the phrase structure rules based on a specific structure. He suggested that humans have a language acquisition device -replaced by Universal Grammar in his later work- that allows us to create symbols and organise communicative expressions. Harley (2008). He argues that it is acquired at a time when the childs intellectual capabilities are not yet developed and therefore cannot be dependent on cognition. Harley (2008) Recently Chomsky has revised some of his previous claims and his more recent approaches are the Minimalist Program and the Principles and Parameters theory. Chomsky refers to the idea of parameter setting to explain the acquisition of different languages, that exposure to a specific language is constrained by switches that are set off within a certain environment. Harley (2008). An example of a parameter setting is whether a language is pro-drop or not. If a child is exposed to a pro-drop language such as Italian or Spanish they automatically know that they are allowed to drop the pronoun, whereas an English language learner will have the parameter setting at non-pro-drop, and keep the pronoun. According to Chomsky, as cited in Harley (2008) the language faculty should involve a cognitive system that holds information, and a performance system that can use this information. Competence-which is a persons knowledge of language involving the rules of grammar-, is favoured over performance within linguistic theory. The focus of language learning in linguistic theory is on the child. Unlike in behaviourism, the environment does not shape or train verbal behaviour. Berko Gleason (2005). Nativists follow the idea that language is much too complex a process to learn and that it is learnt at such a fast rate, that it would be impossible for it not to be innate. Lennebergs critical period hypothesis states that language development occurs during a critical period of a childs life and that certain linguistic events must take place in order for it to progress. Harley (2008). However, evidence from second language acquisition research shows that this can be true for phonological and syntactic development, but research has shown that it is not a perfect test of the critical theory hypothesis overall, as second language learners will have already acquired a first language. Harley (2008). Supporting evidence cross-linguistically shows that regardless of the word order of a language, subject-object order is followed by children, which proves the existence of a language acquisition device universally. Berko Gleason (2005). If children are deprived of linguistic input during the critical period, studies have shown they are unable to acquire language normally, as is the case with Genie. Genie was a normal child who suffered extreme abuse in her home and spent most of her time tied up in isolation, so she was unexposed to speech from a young age. Because of this abuse, she was deprived physically and socially and her linguistic skills were undeveloped. When she was taken into care at almost 14 years of age, Genie was taught language but she never reached full fluency. She learned certain syntactic structures but her case proves that a limited amount of language can be learnt once the critical period has been passed. Harley (2008) Contrary evidence claims that just language alone is not sufficient to acquire language, that input is necessary and that the influence of environmental factors cannot be ignored. Pinkers (1984) poverty of stimulus idea offers that just because someone cannot imagine how a particular behaviour might have been learned, it does not mean it was not learned. Berko Gleason (2005) Chomsky does not focus on the link between syntax and semantics though he does refer to it in his book Syntactic structures with the quote colourless green ideas sleep furiously which shows an example of a syntactically correct sentence lacking meaning. In terms of how linguistic theory applies to the area of speech and language therapy, an explanation of aphasia and agrammatism is necessary. Aphasia is a language disorder that results from brain damage caused by disease, stroke or brain trauma. The main characteristics of one type of aphasia, Brocas, are; the speech being telegraphic, which means that articles, conjunctions, prepositions, auxiliary verbs and pronouns and morphological inflections are omitted. Agrammatism is a feature of BrocaÂÂ ´s aphasia and the various linguistic theories that deal with agrammatism are; trace deletion hypothesis, theta assigning principle, double dependency hypothesis and tree pruning hypothesis. Edwards (2005).One of these theories, the tree pruning hypothesis, is an example of how the syntax of a language can be affected. The impairment occurs on the highest nodes of the syntactic tree and in English, this means that Wh questions and yes/no questions are affected, although in other languag es, it can vary. The impairments are in word order, in embedded clauses and inflection for tense. Edwards (2005). While a syntactic explanation for language impairments in BrocaÂÂ ´s aphasia and agrammatism can show what needs to be worked on in therapy, the exact nature of the deficits are different depending on whether it is a production or comprehension deficit so the speech and language therapy case management plan would have to be modified depending on which one it is. In contrast to the linguistic emphasis on language use, the behavioural emphasis was mainly developed by the psychologist BF Skinner in his book Verbal Behaviour (1957).His basic premise is that children learn to talk because of imitation and reinforcement. Despite many variants of hypotheses concerning behaviourism, most theories consist of the idea that language is a subset of a behaviour which is learned through connections between a stimulus and a response. Owens (2008). They agree that there are some internal connections with language learning in the brain yet disagree with the idea of specific internal structures and suggest further research is necessary to understand the processes. Berko Gleason (2005) In comparison to linguistic theory where the focus is on competence, performance is highlighted more in behaviourism. Skinner (1957) described language as being something we do and that it is a learned behaviour like any other skill. Contrary to nativists, he claimed that syntactic forms were not important and defined language as verbal behaviour since a child is unable to create a rule and thus shaped by external stimuli (parents). The idea that language is a learnt behaviour opposes that of nativism. Skinner (1957) claimed that parental reinforcement allows a child to acquire language and that it is a process of imitation that a child must work at. In this model, children are seen as passive recipients of language training and it is suggested by Skinner that the child has no active role in acquisition. According to Whitehurst and Novak (1973) after a lot of trial-and-error modelling the adult role-models in the environment-by shaping and imitation training-reinforcement and punishment will improve childrens speech output. An example of this reinforcement is soothing or attending to the child when they produce correct speech sounds. It is said that with enough sound samples, the child will learn a word association pattern rather than rules of grammar. Owens (2008). What is suggested is that language behaviour is shaped by the environment and not governed by rules or maturation, unlike in Chomskys generativist a pproach. Supporting evidence for behaviourism include studies of both disordered and normal children. Since Skinners research, environmental input is considered an essential part of the acquisition of language, despite Chomskys conclusion that Skinners work was premature. Owens (2008). Lovaass (1977) advancement with behavioural modification of children with autism has shown that techniques such as shaping and reinforcement assist children with restricted speech abilities. It should be noted that despite this discovery, it is unclear how the acquisition process differs between normal and disordered children. In a 1968 study by Palermo and Eberhart, adults were shown to follow the same learning patterns as children, when they were taught an artificial language. Evidence against behaviourism shows that while lab studies on adults show positive results, they do not provide a full explanation on how children acquire language since they are not done in a childs environment. Adults also provide a poor model of imitation as their grammar is full of errors, dialects and slang. What this shows is that children do not copy parents because how could they select correct speech over erroneous speech? Additionally, research by Brown and Hanlon from 1970 shows that children are not punished or rewarded for using certain utterances and the main focus of correction or reward is more on the semantics than the syntax. What this shows is that in behaviourism, input is focused on excessively and is inadequate at explaining the full gamut of what is required to learn a language. Berko Gleason (2005) As previously mentioned, behaviourism has been useful in speech and language therapy in the area of autism. With the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), communication for children with autism can be vastly improved and act as an aid in devising strategies for solving issues and improving the standard of living for people. The interactionist approach puts forward the idea that a variety of factors influence the language development of a child, while using a mix of the linguistic and behavioural approaches. There are three different approaches concerning interactionism; Piagets cognitive theory, information processing and the social interactionist theory. Piagets interactive approach focuses on constructivism, which is the idea that linguistic structures are the emergent properties of language. His idea that childrens processes are essentially different to adults would also have an effect on language acquisition. The second approach sees cognition as being computational, deriving patterns from data while assuming the mind as a type of software and the brain as hardware. The third approach is one that will be focused on here and it concerns the social interactionist theory. According to Vygotsky (1962) cognitive and social factors can influence the development of language acquisition, which in turn can have a reciprocal influence on cognition and social abilities. Social interactionists believe that children influence their parents in their acquisition of language and that they and the language environment work together as a dynamic system. Berko Gleason (2005) In terms of competence and performance, interactionists need more performance input than what is suggested by generativists. Parents must provide the communication aids that children need in order to acquire language. According to Vygotsky (1962) language is only initially something used for young children to interact socially and is only developed over time to become something else. Interactionists also believe that maturation and cognition are an essential part of language acquisition and that until a child is at a certain level of cognition; they will be unable to acquire language. Similar to behaviourists, the environment is where interactionists believe language skills appear, but more emphasis is placed on social development than on Piagets cognitive development. Non-linguistic elements (turn-taking, mutual gaze and joint attention) are necessary for social development along with motherese, or child-directed speech (CDS) which is a specific way of speaking to children that differs to how adults communicate with one another. Bruner, as cited in Harley (2008) claims language development occurs within a language acquisition socialization system (LASS) which contains these innate non-linguistic elements. In positively evaluating this theory, those in favour, believe that CDS is an assisting factor in child language acquisition. This is confirmed by studies of fourteen different languages and proves that infants have preference over this kind of speech. In a study by De Casper and Fifer from 1980, infants are found to prefer their own Mothers CDS over another Mothers CDS. Berko Gleason (2005). In a study cited in Berko Gleason (2005), by Tomasello and Farrar from (1986), it appears that Mothers who focus on the object of their childs gaze have children who speak their first words earlier and also have larger vocabularies. Despite positive evidence from studies, detailed analysis on how development is influenced by social interactions is insufficient. As already mentioned, evidence suggests further testing is needed in the area of social interactionism. An explanation for the lack of detail is provided by Berko Gleason (2005) and suggests two of the issues with this theory are that it does not exist in all languages, and it has not been in existence for the same length of time as other theories, so may not have the counter evidence to compare it to. To date, studies have shown the difference of features between CDS and adult-like speech, yet the existence of these patterns does not prove the assistance in the acquisition of language for children. A suggestion is made by Baker and Nelson, cited in Berko Gleason (2005) that it is difficult to know whether language development is caused by parents lack of communication or childrens. Research of language delays in neglected children suggest that the childrens impairments may de-motivate parents with the result being neglectful parenting. An example where social interactionism can assist in the area of speech and language therapy is the previously mentioned example of Genie. Genies experience of neglect highlights the evidence that the correct environment is necessary for language learning, that a specific social context is required for normal language learning to occur. This knowledge can assist in the assessment and evaluation of a neglected child. Another example, such as the Hanen programme, is based on the social interactionist model where parents facilitate language learning in everyday situations, but as it requires a lot of parental input at home, it may be a difficult kind of intervention to apply in practice. To conclude the social interactionist analysis, this approach takes from both the linguistic theory in terms of children having an innate specialized language device and from the behaviourist theory; it values the influence of the environment on language acquisition. This essay looked at three theories of language acquisition: the linguistic theory, behaviourist theory and social interactionist theory. Each theory included an explanation of the theory, discussed whether it took a nativist or empirical approach and whether the evidence was more focused on competence or performance. The evidence supporting and criticising the theories was included along with examples of how the theories applied to the areas of speech and language therapy.

Religion :: essays research papers

MY RELIGION Religion was a small part of my family when I was young. I remember getting dressed in a pretty dress and jelly shoes every Sunday morning. Attending a small Baptist church located in the country on a windy, dirt road was our assumed religion. Sometimes my mother and I would go or my favorite sister would take me. However, when my mother would take me and my sisters, there were instances when my mother would flee from the church to the van, for what reason, then I did not know. Of course, I would run only to find her to be in the van with tears streaming down her cheeks and smoking a cigarette. I never understood the meaning until I grew older and learned of the unrighteous things she had done in the past. The preacher’s sermon would attack her conscience terribly. I believe my mom wanted her kids to know about the Creator and endured the ‘mental pain’ to complete the task. Soon enough when I turned twelve, things changed and we did not attend church that regularl y and eventually leading to not at all. In middle school, I made a friend, Kelly, who attended church every Sunday. My mom did not frown upon me being with her so I would spend some Saturday nights with Kelly and wake up to attend church with her. It was great fun because there was a band and they made it lively. Unfortunately, Kelly moved away and we lost touch completely and I did not attend church again until I met my husband thirteen years later. A long time, yes I know! To be upfront, he is an Atheist and has been through a lot of ordeals in his life and blames God for it so no matter how many times I try to steer him into believing, it fails. His father attends Easter service every year in a Presbyterian church and always asks us to come. I always do and I bring along our son who is now three-years-old. I know he does not understand but I want for him what I had when I was younger.

J.L. Cabell’s A Testimony of Modern Science to the Unity of Mankind and

J.L. Cabell’s A Testimony of Modern Science to the Unity of Mankind and the Human Unity Debate If there is any one ideal that we can say each individual in the world desires, it could very likely be equality. Over the ages, humans have been particularly interested in the equality between their fellow man. More specifically, man has been more curious about the concept of race and in finding a scientific validation for the noticeable difference between the races. As the field of science gained authority, the search for a scientific explanation for variations in mankind came to a head in the middle of the nineteenth century. While it was very easy to classify the other forms of life on the planet by species, it was more difficult for humans. There were those who believed that all of humans came from the same, original creation and were, therefore, of the exact same species. On the other hand, there were many who advocated a multiple-creation theory that involved a separate origin for different types, or races, of man. A great debate raged between scientists from all around the world on this topic for much of the eighteen-forties and fifties. The human unity debate saw some of the most intriguing scientific dialogue the world had seen up to that day, and includes a great deal of discussion on the role, or non-role, of religion in scientific theory. Of the many biologists, zoologists, physiologists, and many others to take part in this debate was professor of comparative biology and physiology at University of Virginia, James Lawrence Cabell. Born in 1813 to a large family of prominent doctors, Cabell attended the University of Virginia and attended classes in each of the Universit... ...eliefs and truly question themselves. A nation should be proud to look back at its history, no matter how unfortunate, and be satisfied with the changes it has made for the better. While we have come far since the nineteenth century, no one can deny that many injustices still exist in the U.S. today. We should remember our past and how bravely and fiercely many have fought for equality for all, and maybe someday we could truly realize that ideal. Works Cited 1. Dain, Bruce. A Hideous Monster of the Mind: American Race theory in the Early Republic. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. 2002 2. Lurie, Edward. â€Å"Louis Agassiz and the Races of Man†. Isis, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Sep., 1954), 227-242 3. Stanton, William. The Leopard’s Spots: Scientific Attitudes Toward Race in America 1815-59. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 1960

Cooking From South Africa Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cooking from West Africa   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hundreds of years ago the empires of West Africa flourished and expanded through trade on the edge of the Sahara desert. Today, these lands are occupied by modern nations after a long and brutal history throughout the lands of Africa. Stretching from Senegal to Nigeria, these lands are rich in resources, ranging from wet coastal rain forests to the Sahel at the edge of the desert. Along with expansion came the foods of the region of West Africa, which are rich in flavor and reveal the wonderful diversity of African cuisine. The land south of the Sahara is full of history and contains a full array of foods, revealing the culture and creativity of the vast resources that encompass the land (Jackson 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  West Africa encompasses a wide band south from the Sahara Desert to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with very different climates accordingly. Ancient traders would make frequent journeys across the desert to exchange salt and spices for gold, along with ivory and slaves in the south. The Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai expanded and flourished as a result of the trans-Saharan trade. This trade was crucial for West Africa and for many years this trade was the only interaction West Africa had with the rest of the world (Jackson 8). In the fiftee...

Byzantine Civilization

Byzantine Civilization began â€Å"by the end of 3rd century A. D. † or 330 A. D. to be more exact (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Byzantine Civilization entails â€Å"works of art considered an expressionist interpretation of late Roman art† (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Significance of San Vitale, Ravenna San Vitale is very significant because until today it is still intact (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Aside from that, it reiterates the accomplishments of Emperor Justinian who played a major role in the â€Å"First Byzantine Golden Age† (Byzantine.. n. p.).Significance of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul Hagia Sophia which is located in Istanbul is a church created by Constantine (Byzantine.. n. p. ). It has been restored several times during the period of Byzantine Civilization (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Hagia Sophia has been very significant as it is the â€Å"most important monuments of the Byzantine Architecture† (Byzantine.. n. p. ). This extremely important landmark has a garden that sur rounds the basilica and is composed of a hall, central room, as well as, a gallery (Byzantine.. n. p. ).Furthermore, it is exceedingly large; in fact, it comes next to St. Peters, Duomo, and St. Pauls, thus making it the fourth largest church (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Significance of St. Mark’s, Venice St. Mark’s basilica is significant because this has been the shrine designed exclusively for the purpose of keeping the saint’s bones (Byzantine.. n. p. ). Even though it caught fire before, the architects of the Byzantine period was able to successfully restore it making it eventually as one of the best monuments of Byzantine Civilization (Byzantine..n. p. ). In addition to that, it contributed greatly to civilization since its location is very strategic (Byzantine.. n. p. ). This is evidenced by â€Å"Venice’s unsurpassed position in trade with the East† (Byzantine.. n. p. ). References Byzantine Civilization. 2005. n. a. 11 August 2007 http://www. foc usmm. com/civi_021. htm The Columbia Encyclopedia. Byzantine Civilization. New York: Columbia University Press, 2005.

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development

Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development â€Å"‘Discuss the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and economic development. What role do creativity and problem solving play in this relationship? † In today’s world, entrepreneurship and innovation are becoming increasingly crucial as drivers of the economy, especially so in the developing economies where trade plays a major part in generating revenue. In China, small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for almost 70 percent of all Chinese exports, a share that reflects the above statement about the importance of entrepreneurship to economic robustness.Some questions may be raised on whether entrepreneurship lead to economic development or is the latter a prerequisite to facilitate the entrepreneurship and innovation processes instead. This essay , while recognizing the need of certain institutions and framework to be in place and functioning well in order to ease the functioning of business activities, takes the stand that entrepreneurship and innovation leads to economic development more often than of the other way around.Realising its potential, governments’ initiatives have largely been centred on encouraging more entrepreneurs to start up a venture or to expand their existing businesses. In the 2013 National Budget, the Malaysian Government has allocated a fund of RM 1 billion under the SME Development Scheme (News Straits Times 2012). This very government has also recently launched SME Masterplan (2012 – 2020). These initiatives are aimed at supporting and accelerating the growth and development of SME-s across all sectors of the economy.In evaluation though, more start-ups and new business ventures in an economy does not necessarily translate into economic growth and improvement. In order for the desired economic aims to be achieved, we need to ensure that the start-ups and existing businesses thrive and not fail, for doomed enterprises mor e often than not suck resources out of the economy. This essay will identify how businesses, using innovative practices and creativity in both business operations as well as in problem solving, can achieve greater performance and sustainability in order to positively contribute to economic development.Jospeh Schumpeter defines entrepreneurs as innovators who implement entrepreneurial change within markets (Ahamad, 2008). This can be in the sense of introduction of a new or improved good, introduction of a new method of production or business management process, and the exploitation of a new source of supply. In short, entrepreneurship is the act of identifying market opportunities and using innovative approaches to exploit them (Ahamad, 2008). â€Å"Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming† (McAshan, 2011).Such are the words Richard Branson has used to describe the ample opportunities available for entrepreneurs to capitalize on. An entr epreneur can either start a venture by either involving themselves in a established market with certainty of demand for the goods offered, or they can exploit a new market altogether, by identifying a market niche and work on fulfilling the needs of that certain segment. By undertaking the former, entrepreneurs face a large and possibly increasing pool of competitors. This market, as described in the book Blue Ocean Strategy, is the â€Å"Red Ocean†.In contrast, entrepreneurs who venture into an untapped market space, focusing on demand creation, have unlimited potential to grow profitably (Chan & Mauborgne, 2005). â€Å"The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition. † Entrepreneurs should focus on undertaking the value innovation strategy proposed in the Blue Ocean Strategy. By creating a leap in value for buyers, a venture can open up new and uncontested market space, this makes competition irrelevant (Chan & Mauborgne, 2005).To be su ccessful, entrepreneurs will need to undertake innovative processes in creating the product or service as so to distinguish themselves from the rest of the existing options in the market. In other words, the product or services offered must stand out, have relevance and good purpose, and provides a high value add to consumers. It must provide the wow effect to the masses, which will in turn capture attention and help rake in revenues. Besides product and service innovation, innovation also can be implemented in improving the business management process.For example, all this while, organizations are shaped in the top-down organizational structure. Innovative entrepreneurs might have a different preference on running the firm, and choose to have a flatter structure, defying the norm. This can rake in benefits as in a flat structure, creativity and feedback are encouraged, there is more empowerment of young people by the executives, leading to a more open and vibrant organization. This will provide amazing esults in terms of business performance especially in today’s fast paced business world, which requires enterprises to be nimble and quick to adapt to changes (Griffin, 1999). Besides innovating and introducing a good and impressive product, an enterprise should also aim to develop strengths in multiple areas to gain an advantage over the rest of the field. Edges such as fantastic supply chain system which is due to good contacts and strong relationships with suppliers is a crucial factor in determining how well a business does.Toyota for instance, are famed for their Lean Production System, which is a key factor contributing to their status as market leader in the automobile industry. Besides that, the ability to develop strong brand loyalty with customers by establishing a culture of responsiveness to them is also another example of what an enterprise can focus on doing. It is easy to knock off an innovative product, but an innovative business system i s hard to replicate (Bhide, 1996).Businesses should thus focus on enhancing creativity, building strong networks, utilize technology available to enhance performance, devise effective strategies to be incorporated in the business process, aim to build good reputation among consumers by providing consistent and reliable service and also, be ever-ready to act quickly, on both opportunities as well as issues that will arise every now and then (Bhide, 1994). When faced with a problem, how fast and how well an entrepreneur responds to it will have a telling effect on the business performance.It can potentially act as a morale booster if dealt well, and have adverse effects if not. Spardlin (2012) suggests that a large number of enterprises are simply not rigorous in defining the problems they are attempting to solve. The Creative Problem Solving Process Model suggest the use of an explorer’s mindset, as well as a detective mindset when it comes to defining problems. This is so as to pinpoint the problem, also identifying the opportunities and future-oriented aspects involved (Lumsdaine, 2009). When you ask the right questions, chances are you’ll be able to tackle the right problems well.InnoCentive, an innovation-focused problem solving consulting agency, has devised a four-step process for firms, to be used in defining problems and later solving them (Spardlin, 2012). This process has four main focuses. First, it aims to help users pinpoint the need for the solution, and state what the desired outcome is. Next, it articulates the strategic importance of the solution to the firm. Then, it looks into the methods that may have already been used, recognize the constraints involved and lastly a clear and complete problem statement is produced (Spardlin, 2012).This multi-steps process is important to rally the organisation around a shared understanding of the situation, its magnitude and amount of resources needed to be devoted to the rectification of the issue. More often than not, firms allocate inappropriate level of resources to solving problems faced: too few resources are allocated to high-stakes ones and excess resources are devoted to tackling wrongly defined problems or low priority ones (Spardlin, 2012). After problem definition, idea generation and evaluation follows.Using the artist, engineer and judge mindsets, organisations are encouraged to generate solutions through a creative, innovative and evaluative process (Lumsdaine, 2009). This process works well in brainstorming groups. As ideas are being suggested, chances are a constructive build-on will occur. Ideas will then be synthesized, and the best solution(s) will then be picked. The Pugh Method can be used in tandem with the idea evaluation process: Concepts are compared in an advantage-disadvantage matrix.It can be used to compare the few available ideas in hand, choosing the best one ultimately, and it can also be used to benchmark against an existing concept in t he market (Lumsdaine, 2009). With this, entrepreneurs can now be assured of a well-thought idea for their products or services or even when it comes to solving issues. The implementation of ideas, or the execution is a pivotal area of focus for entrepreneurs. Execution is as equally important as the idea itself. Entrepreneurship is not just all about being creative and inventing or innovating good products and services.A good idea without careful and precise implementation will not help a business reach its potential. Furthermore, an innovative new product or service may do very well when introduced, but its popularity will also attract new companies who will imitate and try to capture a share of the market. Thus the importance of laying strong foundations and fundamentals in terms of implementation must be stressed on by entrepreneurs. Aspiring entrepreneurs should realise the importance of working on establishing the business’ brand name as well as using creativity in erect ing barriers that will deter imitators.This is especially crucial if their innovation of products are easily copied. This can be done by careful planning, acquisition and management of the necessary resources. Clearly, innovation, problem solving and creativity are all connected and play important roles in driving entrepreneurship. A society will be much better off with better products and services, as well as having the luxury of a wider range of product choices to choose from. Entrepreneurship will indefinitely spur economic development in a country.As mentioned above, enterprises contribute to the exports of a country, so in this aspect a country will record better balance of payments performances. Also, as consumers now have better quality goods produced locally, the dependency on imported goods can be reduced, and internal growth is spurred with increased consumption in the economy. Lastly, as firms embark on the innovation drive, more technology usage will mean investment acti vities are bound to increase, contributing to the long run health of the economy. In short, innovation in entrepreneurship is important for economic development.Efforts to strengthen these practices should be undertaken by all parties, including the government. References Ahmad, N. and R. G. Seymour (2008), â€Å"Defining Entrepreneurial Activity: Definitions Supporting Frameworks for Data Collection†, OECD Statistics Working Papers, 2008/01, OECD Publishing. Bhide, A. (1994). How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work. Harvard Business Review. Bhide, A. (1996). The Questions Every Entrepreneurs Must Answer. Harvard Business Review. Chan K. W. & Mauborgne R. (2005), Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make Competition Irrelevant: Harvard Business Press. Finfacts. (2007).Chinese SMEs boost exports and growth; More created in past 20 years than total number of SMEs in Europe and US combined. Available: http://www. finfacts. com/irelandbusinessnews/ publish/article_1010697. shtml. Last accessed 20th November 2012. Griffin, D. (1999). Benefits in a Flat Organizational Structure. Available: http://smallbusiness. chron. com/benefits-flat-organizational-structure-281. html. Last accessed 30th of November. Lumsdaine, E . , Binks, M . (2009). Entrepreneurship from Creativity to Innovation. Nottingham, University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation McAshan, T. (2011). 50 Great Entrepreneurial

Brief History of Shaheed Udham Singh Essay

Udham Singh, a revolutionary nationalist, was born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. His father, Tahal Singh, was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the neighbouring village of Upall. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24 October 1907. As both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the Orphanage, they received new names, Sher Singh becoming Udham Singh and Mukta Singh Sadhu Singh. In 1917, Udham Singh’s brother also died, leaving him alone in the world. Udham Singh left the Orphanage after passing the matriculation examination in 1918. He was present in the Jallianvala Bag on the fateful Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, when a peaceful assembly of people was fired upon by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, killing over one thousand people. The event which Udham Singh used to recall with anger and sorrow, turned him to the path of revolution. Soon after, he left India and went to the United States of America. He felt thrilled to learn about the militant activities of the Babar Akalis in the early 1920’s, and returned home. He had secretly brought with him some revolvers and was arrested by the police in Amritsar, and sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Arms Act. On release in 1931, he returned to his native Sunam, but harassed by the local police, he once again returned to Amritsar and opened a shop as a signboard painter, assuming the name of Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. This name, which he was to use later in England, wa s adopted to emphasize the unity of all the religious communities in India in their struggle for political freedom. Udham Singh was deeply influenced by the activities of Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1935, when he was on a visit to Kashmlr, he was found carrying Bhagat Singh’s portrait. He invariably referred to him as his guru. He loved to sing political songs, and was very fond of Ram Prasad Bismal, who was the leading poet of the revolutionaries. After staying for some months in Kashmlr, Udham Singh left India. He wandered about the  continent for some time, and reached England by the mid-thirties. He was on the lookout for an opportunity to avenge the Jalliavala Bagh tragedy. The long-waited moment at last came on 13 March 1940. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of the East India Association was being held in conjunction with the Royal Central Asian Society, Udham Singh fired five to six shots from his pistol at Sir Michael O’Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the Amritsar massacre had taken place. O’Dwyer was h it twice and fell to the ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, who was presiding over the meeting was injured. Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver. He in fact made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had done his duty by his country. On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh was formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O’Dwyer. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, who sentenced him to death. An appeal was filed on his behalf which was dismissed on 15 July 1940. On 31 July 1940, Udham Singh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London. Udham Singh was essentially a man of action and save his statement before the judge at his trial, there was no writing from his pen available to historians. Recently, letters written by him to Shiv Singh Jauhal during his days in prison after the shooting of Sir Michael O’Dwyer have been discovered and published. These letters show him as a man of great courage, with a sense of humour. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King George, and he looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. By remaining cheerful to the last and going joyfully to the gallows, he followed the example of Bhagat Singh who had been his beau ideal. During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however, the Government of India, at the instance of the Punjab Government, finally succeeded in bringing his ashes home. Lakhs of people gathered on the occasion to pay homage to his memory.

Edgar A. Poe

Informative Text/ EAP Essay Edgar Allen Poe was well known for his dark and mysterious writing, but what caused his abrupt death? How he died is very controversial, because there is little evidence to support any theory. Several people suggest that he died either of rabies, exposure, or alcohol abuse. Although Poe’s death remains in doubt, I believe that several factors led up to the writer falling ill.I have gathered from the biography excerpt renamed â€Å"Poe’s Final Days† by Kenneth Silverman, the article â€Å"Poe’s Death is Rewritten as Case of Rabies, Not Telltale Alcohol†, with the letter to the editor in response published in the New York Times, that Edgar Allen Poe died of symptoms of alcoholism, that escalated from stress. In the biography â€Å"Poe’s Final Days† by Kenneth Silverman, the author reveals accounts during the end of Edgar Allen Poe’s life that point towards the idea of alcoholism being the killer. Silver man traces back to before Poe fell ill, over his hospital stay, and during his rapid death.Over this time period, the writer faced great stress like parting from his wife. He set for Baltimore soon after, where he was found abusing alcohol. The author states â€Å"Poe seemed to Walker ‘rather the worse for wear’ and ‘in great distress. ’ Apparently flooded with drink, he may have also have been ill from exposure† (Silverman, 125). This suggests that Poe did not handle what he was going through in a healthy way. He was drinking to cope with his problems. The weather in Baltimore played a key role in Poe’s last few days as well.Silverman explains â€Å"Winds and soaking rains the day before had sent Baltimoreans prematurely hunting up overcoats and seeking charcoal fires for warmth† (Silverman, 125). This information shows that Poe’s already weak body from alcoholism was made even feebler due to the harsh conditions. His immune sys tem likely could not handle the stress, so it may have opened up his body to a sickness, or he may have just become delirious from not taking care of himself. His impaired judgment is noted within this excerpt, as he was seen wearing someone else’s clothes.Poe was reported delirious in several accounts, and he may have been too drunk to care about protecting himself during the storm. Silverman states, â€Å"According to Moran, one of his senior physicians diagnosed Poe’s condition as encephalitis, a brain inflammation, brought on by â€Å"exposure. † This explanation is consistent with the prematurely wintry weather at the time, with Snodgrass’s account of Poe’s partly clad condition, and with Elmira Shelton’s recollection that on leaving Richmond Poe already had a fever† (Silverman, 129).Kenneth Silverman is not entirely credible; he is only a secondary source that provides passages of primary sources. However, this is the most convi ncing article, because it explains why he made poor decisions and how they led up to him dying. The article â€Å"Poe’s Death is rewritten as Case of Rabies, Not Telltale Alcohol† from the New York Times, September 15, 1996, suggests that Poe did not die drunk and offers a new theory of rabies as the killer. This new study was developed during a medical conference and cardiologist Dr. Benitez believes Poe stopped drinking long before dying.It states, â€Å"In the brief period when he was calm and awake, Poe refused alcohol and could drink water only with great difficulty†¦Poe ‘had all the features of encephalitic rabies’ said Henry Wilde† (131). These ideas are supported with evidence, however they are unreliable sources. Henry Wilde and Dr. Benitez never treated Poe. Wilde has experience with rabies, but he never actually saw Poe’s symptoms. They are secondary sources and are not valid. They reviewed Poe’s case but never really t reated Poe, the article tells how the legend of Poe dying in a gutter drunk was likely made up by his doctor.The other information may also be untrustworthy that they provide about rabies. The article states, â€Å"There is no evidence that a rabid animal had bitten Poe† (131). This directly says that this theory cannot be entirely true. Poe could have been delirious and confused for several reasons, not specifically rabies. There are more accounts and reports of Poe being an alcoholic, than any sign of rabies. He may have refused alcohol a few times, but not before he was in the hospital. Mr. Jerome explains, â€Å"The writer was so sensitive to alcohol that a glass of wine would make him violently ill for days.Poe may have had problems as a younger man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (132) Mr. Jerome was a museum curator researching Poe, who earlier explained that most theories offered no proof. Jerome never directly met Poe and he is basing his theory off of accounts that may have been ske wed over time. I believe this article is not trustworthy, because the sources are not valid. The letter to the editor â€Å"If only Poe Had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore to Drink† by Burton Pollin from The New York Times, September 23, 1996, disputes Dr. Benitez’s previous theory on rabies killing Edgar Allen Poe.Pollin uncovers weaknesses in this theory and supports alcohol abuse as the main cause of death. Although Poe attempted to recover from alcoholism, he never succeeded. The theory for rabies has no proof to support that Poe died from it; all but Benitez believes the cause of death was alcohol. Pollin reveals, â€Å"Dr. Benitez admits the primary weakness of his theory- lack of evidence of a bite or scratch†¦rabies was well known as to causes and symptoms†¦ could affect an entire limb or side of the body. How could Moran and his staff ignore such symptoms in a patient? (Pollin, 134). No clues suggest the theory of rabies and relatives of Poe even d isagree with Dr. Benitez. Symptoms that significant are hard to ignore, so it is unlikely that rabies was the problem. Poe likely could not get away with such symptoms even if he wanted to. He was examined in the hospital, so if anything else were wrong with him it would have been reported. Another problem with this case is that most medical records and reports have been lost. Rabies cannot go unnoticed; Poe was not even around any animals that were infected.Pollin states, â€Å"Guiltless was the pet Caterina, who, uninfected and showed no sign of rabies, died of starvation when deserted by Clemm after Poe’s death† (Pollin, 134). Poe’s cat was innocent, and cannot be blamed for giving him rabies. Most accounts over Poe’s last few days were about him drunk or delirious. This is the most likely cause, because it is backed with the most evidence. Pollin states, â€Å"Poe was found outside a Baltimore saloon in an alcoholic stupor on October 3, 1849, and die d four days later. Dr. John J.Moran’s account of hid final days is given in a letter to Poe’s aunt and mother-in-law, Maria Clemm, a New York Herald article in 1875, and a book by Moran in 1885. Supplementary accounts of Poe’s alcoholic condition came from Joseph Walker†¦ Dr. Snodgrass, and editor well known to Poe; and two of Poe’s relatives. None of these confirm Dr. Bentitez’s statement that ‘Poe was not drunk’† (Pollin, 133). A great amount of evidence can support alcoholism as the true cause. Only one account suggests rabies. Alcohol was a big part of Poe’s past; it showed up through letters and was a constant obstacle for him.This article is slightly biased and comes across as persuasive in tone. It is a secondary source, but addresses many primary sources. The author is very opinionated and believed that Poe’s self-destructive behavior should not be concealed. This article is credible and I agree with it s argument. Edgar Allen Poe led a very mysterious life; even how he died is still in doubt. It is known that he was delirious, and had impaired judgment prior to staying in a hospital and suddenly dying. There are many disputed theories about how Poe specifically died.The biography excerpt â€Å"Poe’s Final Days† by Kenneth Silverman explains how weather and stress increased symptoms of alcoholism and caused Poe to die of poor decisions. He was too drunk to care, and faced stress that he could no longer handle. The New York Times article â€Å"Poe’s Death is rewritten as Case of Rabies, Not Telltale Alcohol† explains Dr. Benitez’s new theory developed during a medical conference suggesting Poe died of rabies. It reveals how he was said to avoid alcohol despite a drunk past and was wrongly accused of alcoholism.The letter to the editor response, â€Å"If Only Poe Had Succeeded When He Said Nevermore To Drink† by Burton Pollin argues the idea of Poe dying of rabies and supports the traditional theory of Poe dying from alcoholism. Pollin explains how much more evidence is present about Poe’s struggle with abusing alcohol, and no animals could have infected Poe. I believe that Edgar Allen Poe died of the stress from alcohol abuse and exposure. He made poor health decisions, and stopped caring about his well being. Poe’s death remains as dark and mysterious as his stories.