Summer and People

India is a tropical country. Here Summer Season is felt more prominently than any other season. Ordinarily, we begin to feel the summer heat from the month of April to the second week of June. This season is remarkable for the heat. People suffer from terrible heat right from the morning till the midnight. In the morning people feel a gentle breeze. Then the sun rises and the horror of the heat commences. All the activities of the people are done with a little comfort only in the morning time. As the sun rises heat is felt.People are afraid to go out. Due to terrible heat, streets and roads become lonely. Those who take up some journey in day time get tired very soon. Very often they are affected by the sun-stroke. Dehydration occurs as body sweats heavily. If we do not take plenty of water, we break down. The mid-day is the most horrible and unbearable part of the day. Birds and other animals take rest. Sometimes wind blows carrying hot particles of dust. Sometimes there is no wind. There is only radiation and heat. They sit under the shade of trees.Still there is no relief from the heat. They frequently feel thirsty. People keep their cattle confined to the shed. This hot condition prevails up to four o'clock in the afternoon. Although the sun comes down in the sky the blazing heat does not decrease. When people come out, the skin of their body feels burning. Ponds and pools dry up. The water level in wells also goes down. People often walk miles and miles to fetch water. If there is scanty water in a pond, people use that water for all purposes. Thus, the unhygienic situation is created.Of course, the development of science has given us coolers and fans to fight heat. This is possible only on the part of the rich. In Summer Season, violent thunderstorms arise in afternoon. They bring showers very often. People get relief from the painful heat. Schools and Colleges remain closed for Summer Vacation. Government offices function in the morning only. Cold drinks , lasi and sharbat are sold in specific stalls. Children run for ice-creams. In this season we get several fruits such as mango and jackfruit, etc.

Assesing the Goal of Sports Products, Inc

Q d. Does the firm appear to have an effective corporate governance structure? Explain any shortcomings. Ans: They do not have an effective corporate governance structure. The most important shortcoming is the management team who don’t make good decisions for maximizing shareholders’ wealth. They only care for the profit and their bonus related with that. They don’t take any steps to maximize stakeholder’s equity. If this information gets public they might got fired from their job for violating the main goal of a public company â€Å"maximize shareholders wealth† Q e. On the basis of the information provided, what specific recommendations would you offer the firm? Ans: From the information available in the case study, we get a picture that this company has some major problem regarding their top management. We are giving these recommendations to address those issues. 1. Comply with all laws as well as accepted standards of conduct or moral judgment. This will prevent any more environmental hazard caused by dumping waste and its legal and environmental consequence. 2. Establish a corporate ethics policy, to be read and signed by all employees. This will make everyone aware about their specific duties and this will prevent further delinquency by the management. 3. Designing a payment system that ties management team and employees’ salary to share price or a performance based scale. And top management must have a stock based compensation plan which will get rid of the agency problem existing in the company. And buying stocks from the market will create demand for shares thus the stock price may go up for a short session.

W6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

W6 - Essay Example It takes a relatively long time to accomplish the objectives of quality assurance, and to ascertain that the manufactured goods are within the accepted standards. On the other hand, the main objectives of manufacturing are to reduce the cost of production and factory expenditures and increase the output within the minimum period of time (Thompson 2003). Quality assurance is therefore seen as a factor that can reduce the desired output due to the time it consumes. Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of establishing new methods of designing, producing, selling and distributing products. Automated data collection technology is used by many industries in order to ensure that products conform to the accepted International Standards of Quality while maintaining the manufacturing throughput (Perrow 1967). Failure to adhere to quality standards may lead to reduced marketability of manufactured goods. Throughput in this case is the amount of good quality products produced over a short period of time. Miles and Snow (1978) postulated that the manner in which industries decide to deal with the problem of market share management, manufacturing problem as well as the managerial problem, determines its strategies. My organization uses the strategies of defender organizations. It is usually faced with the problem of managing its market share. However the operating environment has turned out to be stable, which is one of the factors required by such organizations in order for them do perform well. It has measures for enhancement of cost leadership which helps in solving the entrepreneurship issues. It specializes in one area of production, manufacturing consumer goods only, whereby it focuses on the down market which is well established, and helps it to accomplish the objective of offering products at low prices. It accomplishes efficiency through maintaining vertical integration. The organization maintains centralized operations, official procedures

Conflicts in Organizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conflicts in Organizations - Research Paper Example d structure is rigidly followed can create conflict when a given shareholder is required to discuss certain aspects of a project or a given task with individuals outside of their direct chain of command. Naturally, evidence of conflict can constitute itself in a vast array of different ways. Most notably, conflict can be visibly evidenced by verbal means or be the fact that formerly close colleagues and/or departments are not longer working together with a level of efficiency that was previously realized. However, more nuanced aspects of conflict can be evidenced by the fact that existing processes are not being followed and workflow is either not getting done at all or is being performed by alternative means. Although there are a number of visible means by which conflict can be evidenced on the surface, the sublevels of conflict can also rob an organization of its competitive advantage. Whereas visible conflict is usually easy to note, hidden conflict is much more difficult to find and determine the root cause of. Similarly, due to the fact that many shareholders are naturally reticent to be completely honest with management regarding the true source of the conflict, hidden conflict is one of the means by which an organization can secretly be drained of efficiency, potential, and talent (Mukhtar 44). Within a situation in which hidden conflict is evidenced, one of the most obvious means by which that this is evidenced is the fact that a greatly lower level of moral is seen among the shareholders. Although this is not always indicative of hidden conflict, it is a key indicator that can be utilized to call the leader’s attention to the fact that underlying levels of conflict may be robbing the organization of efficiency, satisfaction, and talent. More importantly than merely recognizing that conflict exists is of course the measures that can be taken to root it out and ensure that it does not further affect the determinants of the organization which have

Respone Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Respone - Case Study Example This excerpt brings out Alice as a hard working. I was especially moved by the fact that even though she had worked her way up to become a biomedical engineer, she was still able to deliver the free medical supplies in poor countries. As a result, she feels that she has made a difference. However, the author points out that Alice was fascinated by the trips to South America and Africa (Sheehan 634). This is quite confusing since the trips are quiet out of the objectives of the company. I therefore did not get the connection between the fulfillments that Alice got and the deliverance of medical supply. In my opinion, the act of hiring Zigda to redesign their website is quite commendable. In fact, Zigda worked at a smaller fee than usual. This reduced the company’s expenses which is the dream of every rational manager. I however felt that with the knowledge that Zigda had concerning soft-wares would enable them to know that it would be hard for computers, more so in Africa and South America to Access the website. It was therefore clear that the author was trying to show how Zigda, with or without the knowledge of Kent, was trying to lock out the communication channel between them and the poor countries. In my opinion, I felt that the company had diverged from its core objective and responsibility and therefore Alice needed to be brave and tell Kent, the manager, how the website had hindered the effective communication between the organization and the individuals from the poor countries. Employers and employees have constantly found it hard to associate with relative ease to each other, more so on the social aspects. Socialization is however a process that cannot be avoided at all costs. In this excerpt, Henry is faced by a dilemma on whether to accept Hamilton’s Facebook friend request or not. This paper therefore aims at what Henry should do in order to eliminate this problem. Firstly, I

Supply Chain Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Supply Chain Management - Assignment Example Besides, it ensures that the final product manufactured reaches the final destination in good quality (Donald et al., 2014). Within Hsu Ta manufacturers, they have a number of department under supply chain management. The duty is to ensure quality plastic product reaches the customers. It has supply planner whose function is to ensure that the projection of target volume of plastic products is achieved. Secondly, the company has product manager who ensures that there is a consistent supply of raw materials into the manufacturing department. Besides, the manager ensures a systematic flow of final products to the market. Moreover, its supply chain management, the company has a purposeful procurement department. Procurement is the process of ensuring there is a constant supply of raw materials into the manufacturing section. In addition, it ensures the raw material obtained meets the minimum standards set by the company and are of high quality. In the companys supply chain management, procurement section is the cornerstone because it is within procurement that the assessment of quality and purchasing of raw materials is done. Within the department, there is a business process consultant and relations manager who ensure that procurement of raw materials is within the company policy (Donald et al., 2013). The company has five critical functional departments within the procurement and supply management cycle. Firstly, it has a manufacturing flow management process. Under this department, the production manager ensures that there is a consistent supply of plastic raw materials necessary for the production. It ensures that there is perpetual production of goods and minimizes any disturbance from procurement and logistical challenges (Waters 2010). The effort has ensured that there is a shorter cycle of supply chain. In addition, the unit manages activities related to

Water Quality and Contamination Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Quality and Contamination - Research Paper Example The most common ground water contaminants come from human activities that involve dumping of waste materials in the environment which eventually seeps into ground water reserves. Ground water is contaminated by constituents have the ability to either come into direct or indirect contact with this water. From this background, the experiment designed to test the effects the most common ground water contaminants. These were detergents, oil and soil particles that are the most used compounds by man in their daily lives. The experiment was conducted on the premise of proving or disapproving a predetermined hypothesis. The hypotheses stated that water would take on the appearance, color and odor of each element added and the cheese would serve as a filter for the particles. Materials and Methods. The experiment required the use of beakers which were used to hold the water that was used to test effect of various contaminants. A total of 8 beakers were used where the water to be used in the experiment was contained. Each beaker of water was exposed to a different contaminant and the changes in appearance, color, and smell were tabulated for comparison purposes. Results. Beaker Observations 1 Semi Cloudy no particles & odorless 2 Oil settled on top of water 3 No change except smell of vinegar 4 Color changed to blue, smell of laundry detergent, some bubbles developed 5 The water turned brownish in color with particles floating & no smell 6 The oil settled to the top of the water & produced large bubbles with small bubbles inside, water is cloudy & no odor 7 All the liquid filtered through the cheesecloth & vinegary odor, cloudy 8 All the liquid filtered through the cheesecloth, bluish in color & smell of detergent The vinegar added a smell that was characteristic of vinegar, detergent changed the color of the water while soil changed the color and water constituent by adding particles both suspended and precipitated. On addition of oil, it changed the appearance of the water by making it become cloudy and the water slightly took to the density of oil. Each contaminant had its own characteristic effect on the quality of the water sample used. Soil and detergent had the most potent effect on the quality of water because they changed the color and constitution of water and the overall appearance of water. Experiment 3: Drinking Water Quality Table 2: Ammonia Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 mg/L of Ammonia Dasani ® Bottled Water 0 mg/L of Ammonia Fiji ® Bottled Water 0 mg/L of Ammonia Table 3: Chloride Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 Chloride mg/L Dasani ® Bottled Water 0 Chloride mg/L Fiji ® Bottled Water 0 Chloride mg/L Table 4: 4 in 1 Test Results Water Sample pH Total Alkalinity Total Chlorine Total Hardness Tap Water 6 7 6 5 Dasani ® Bottled Water 2 6 6 5 Fiji ® Bottled Water 8 6 9 4 Table 5: Phosphate Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 ppm Dasani ® Bottled Water 0 ppm Fiji ® B ottled Water 100 ppm Table 6: Iron Test Results Water Sample Test Results Tap Water 0 ppm Dasani ® Bottled Water 0 ppm Fiji ® Bottled Water 0 ppm The results garnered from the bottled water experiment illustrated no significant differences between tap water and bottled water. There were observable differences in the pH levels between the two brands of bottled water. The results showed that Dasani ® Bottled water was more acidic despite the fact that it had the same levels of chlorine with tap water. Fiji ® Bottled water had more chlorine explaining its high pH. Discussion. The results from experiment 2 were able to support the hypothesis formulated for this test because the contaminants were able to completely contaminate the water as stated.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 25

Summary - Essay Example The revolution of the internet made it possible to interlink different computers across the world, making it easier to enhance distribution of materials across the globe. New interventions were made to make it easy to plug, play, compete, connect and collaborate with each other seamlessly. The changes noted after the invention of the internet and advanced technology in digital platforms has made it possible to create a new world that few fathomed in the past. Individual digital materials are easy to sell to the world without the initial hustle of having to go through the stipulated regulations. Instead, the upload of materials has made it possible to provide more information than one can handle in a day, and change the way people relate to information. Friedman looks at the horizontal shift of using information as a platform that replaces the vertical shift present before the advancement of technology. Friedman is sure that the world will continue expanding whether one takes the initiative or not. Even a driver, as noted in Friedman’s travel to Budapest, has a website translated into three different languages. The speed at which the world is moving is making it difficult for people without the passion to develop their skills. The ability to make use of the internet to make sure they gain from the flattening world notion. One’s imagination, therefore, is one of the most important aspects that people need to work on to ensure they take full advantage of the possibilities present. Learning to collaborate is one of the greatest advantages presented to all people who want to make sure they maximize on the increased connectivity across the world. This will increase productivity gains and make it easier to understand the benefits of taking advantage to the globalization attributes across the divide. The revolution will be won by

Key Transformation for Deckers Outdoor Corporation Research Paper

Key Transformation for Deckers Outdoor Corporation - Research Paper Example According to the model, structure refers to an arrangement of functions, responsibilities of those working in an organization, those authorities represented in the organization, as well as communication that assist the organization to attain it goals and strategy. Identification of DOC structure will aid in comprehending the variables highlighted above. Deckers utilize a decentralized structure for its management. In this method of management, the top management delegates the key responsibilities of the organization to the middle managers, who in turn direct the workforce on what they ought to do. It is, therefore, evident that the top management spends much of their time in developing useful ideas that would propel the company to attain success (Burke & Litwin, 1992).At Deckers, the application of the decentralization principle has significantly assisted it in various ways. As this structure allows the employees involvement in decision making for the organization, it makes them feel empowered unlike in a centralized management system. These employees attain satisfaction after seeing their ideas being implemented for the growth of the organization. Moreover, decentralization relieves the owner of DOC from pressures that emanate from managing the operations of an organization solely. After the delegation of such duties to other individuals in the organization, the owner of DOC spends adequate time in devising strategies to utilize in the expansion of the business (Burke & Litwin, 1992).

Read the sources and summarize them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Read the sources and summarize them - Essay Example They contributed much towards ending hereditary monarchy and presented the separation of the state and church to end theocracy which were both outstanding achievements during their time (Korten, 2014). The author explains how the original constitution protected the elite bodies of a plutocracy, which is a structure of affluence that precisely endorsed captivity and gave no rights to women, people of color, or Native Americans. He expounds on his theory on plutocracy by showing how the United States is as an empire ruled as a plutocracy not willing to recognize demands by average people of their rights to life freedom and they search for their happiness in a violent manner (Korten, 2014). The article the US constitution authors had acted without considering the right of every individual to life, freedom, and justice for all by giving us governing institutions that represent uppermost face of these democratic principles. The author explains the relationship of the current economy in plutocracy and how the current day economy has influenced the rule experienced by the United States. Plutocracy has been able to combine with the word economy to result to "plutonomy" that shows that income progression is confined to those at the peak of the affluence pyramid. It shows how marketing consultants and investment advisors describe our current economy. The article is by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The article is used to show how the US military used some bullets made with depleted uranium (DU) when attacking their enemies who used armored vehicles and its amplified usage in the 1990-1991 Gulf war. It further expresses the health dangers it posed on those who were exposed to its chemical toxicity, which equal the chemical toxicity of natural uranium but with a radioactivity of 40 percent or less. It explains ways in which DU can be hazardous to those who had been in a war zone during the period which include penetration of DU

Autonomy in Death Essay Example for Free

Autonomy in Death Essay Physician-assisted suicide is a controversial topic with only a few states having legalized it; however, many groups are advocating for its approval. Physician-assisted suicide has ethical limitations that only allow a doctor to prescribe, not administer, a lethal dose of medication for a patient who has been deemed terminally ill with less than six months to live by two physicians. The prescription allows the patient to choose both the timing and setting of death and the physicians only role is provision of medication. This gifts patients with autonomy in their death and relieves the doctor of any moral burden in participation with death keeping this action an ethical practice. Oregon was the first of few states to have legalized physician-assisted suicide but I would like to argue its potential advantages to the entire United States. Ball (2010) said, â€Å"In Oregon the one state in the U.S. where assisted suicide is legal – doctors are allowed to help only state residents who are expected to die within six months† (p.1). Giving terminally ill patients the power to choose a peaceful death demonstrates empathy toward the ill patients and their families. Terminally ill patients without this empowerment face the difficult choice of using limited resources to end their lives if not given the legal freedom to choose how and when they die. The Code of Ethics for Nurses provision 1.4 is the right to self-determination and it states that Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right to self-determination. Self-determination, also known as autonomy, is the philosophical basis for informed consent in health care. Patients have the moral and legal right to determine what will be done with their own person; to be given accurate, complete, and understandable information in a manner that facilitates an informed judgment; to be assisted with weighing the benefits, burdens, and available options in their treatment; to accept, refuse, or terminate treatment without deceit, undue influence, duress, coercion, or penalty; and to be given necessary support throughout the decision-making and treat ment process. Such support would include the opportunity to make decisions with family and significant others and the provision of advice and support from knowledgeable nurses and other health professionals. Patient should be involved in planning their own health care to the extent they are able to choose to participate (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). Giving this added right to chose physician assisted suicide allows patients the autonomy described in the Nursing Code of Ethics. The purpose of this paper is to argue that physician-assisted suicide is ethical and beneficial because it allows for patient autonomy. â€Å"I would argue that by denying terminally ill people recourse to death with dignity via physician prescribed medication, they are inflicting their own brand of coercion and abuse. The concept of a merciful death needs to be part of this discussion. It is a sad commentary that our society responds to our pets terminal suffering more humanely than to our fellow human beings end-of-life struggles†(â€Å"Death is best approached†, 2012, p. 1). Many feel that denying patients the right to choose is not advocating for their best interest and is a form of abuse. We wouldnt leave our ill family pet alive to suffer so why wouldnt we consider letting our loved ones put themselves out of their misery in a peaceful way? The entire point is to give the public a choice. It would still be up to each individual to decide whether or not to exercise that right if their physician deemed their situation appropriate. The Code of Ethics for Nurses says that â€Å"Respect for human dignity requires the recognition of specific patient rights, particularly, the right of self-determination† (American nurses association, 2001, p.148). This statement implies that the patient should have the right to make end of life decisions on their own. When terminal patients are in pain and suffering, they may not have the strength or will to fight any longer. It is cruel to prolong a patients pain and suffering and deny their autonomy to make the decision of having a peaceful death. Also, it can be argued that when patients have their mind set on ending their lives, they tend to follow through on their own even if their physician cannot assist them. This may lead to a more traumatic death and a scene that can be quite traumatizing for the family member or friend who finds their loved ones remains. The alternative is a prescribed medicine that the patient may take home, choosing the preferred place to die, to allow the patient to die peacefully without sustaining disfiguring injuries thus allowing them a more dignified burial if the family chooses to view the body one last time. However, in most of the United States, physician-assisted suicide is still illegal so very few Americans are afforded the right to choose to end their life when they are terminally ill. Because physician assisted suicide was brought to the publics attention as an option by the unconventional tactics of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the idea of legalizing this was tainted from the beginning, making many states hesitant to allow assisted suicide. Miller (2011) notes that â€Å"Jack Kevorkian rose to national prominence as Dr. Death, a physician who insisted that sometimes a doctors first duty to his patient was to help him die. The retired pathologist, who became an assisted suicide advocate claiming to have had a hand in 130 deaths in the 1990s, helped spark a national debate over euthanasia† (p. A5). Jack Kevorkians tactics were questionable because he publicized the deaths of elderly, disabled, and terminally-ill patients using inhaled carbon dioxide or using his self-made suicide mach ine. Although the patients had asked for Dr. Kevorkians assistance to end their suffering by assisting in their suicide, he received a lot of negative attention because he publicized his assistance in this process by encouraging CBS to broadcast a video of himself injecting a cocktail of lethal drugs into a patient suffering from Lou Gehrigs disease (Miller, 2011). After much backlash from the public over the fact that he actually injected patients with lethal drugs, he developed a suicide machine which allowed the patient to press a button that caused the machine to administer a mixture of sodium pentothal and potassium chloride which was first used on Janet Adkins, a 54 year old sufferer of Alzheimers disease (Miller, 2011). The last thing Janet Adkins said was, You just make my case known,' Dr. Kevorkian told the Associated Press† (Miller, 2011, p. A5). Although his tactics were extreme and caused a lot of public controversy, his patients wanted to end their suffering and his act ions caused others to advocate for ethical standards to be put into place for legal physician assisted suicide while at the same time completely turning others away from the concept of legalizing euthanasia. Dr. Goodwin, a general practitioner, said he began advocating for the right to help terminally ill people die after listening to his patients (Miller, 2012). They want autonomy at this time, to be allowed to die at home with the comfort and support of their families, Dr. Goodwin said in a 2001 interview (Miller, 2012, p. 1). Because of the extreme tactics used by Jack Kevorkian, who initiated the debate on legalizing euthanasia, many people view those who advocate for the clients right of physician assisted suicide as cruel or lacking in empathy for patient and families. However, â€Å"Peter Goodwin, a family physician who wrote and campaigned for Oregons right-to-die law in the 1990s, died after taking a cocktail of lethal drugs prescribed by his doctor, as allowed under the legislation he championed. Dr. Goodwin, 83 years old, had been diagnosed with a degenerative brain disorder similar to Parkinsons disease and had been given less than six months to live.†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). Dr. Goodwin believed in a patients autonomy in death so much that he chose to exercise his own rights in the same fashion in order to end his own suffering. In an interview with the Oregonian, the local newspaper in Oregon, Dr. Goodwin said that his health was deteriorating and he would soon end his life. â€Å"His family gathered to bid him farewell. The situation needs thought, it doesnt need hope, he said. Hope is too ephemeral at that time†(Miller, 2012, p. 1). This clearly articulates the feelings of a terminally ill man towards the importance of autonomy in concern of his own death. â€Å"End-of-life decisions are not arbitrary or impulsive. Why shouldnt a person choose to end his or her life with dignity if it is obvious that all options for leading any kind of meaningful life are non-existent? I would think any modicum of compassion would respect such a momentous, personal decision. Suffering, physical and mental, and the anguish it causes should produce empathy for t he patients wishes and desires, even if they run counter to our own sense of rectitude. It is not about us. Its about the patients right of autonomy. We need to understand that it is ultimately his or her decision to make, not ours†(Death is best approached, 2012, p. 1). In this statement, an unknown author expressed the utmost sympathy for those suffering from terminal illness. Physician assisted suicide is ethical as it demonstrates compassion and empathy towards someone elses pain, suffering, and rights. There is nothing cruel about autonomy over the decision to die. These kinds of laws need to be considered using a deep emotional understanding of the terminally ills feelings and problems. Other countries have legalized euthanasia and have less restrictive laws which allow them to provide services for foreigners. Because of this, if all United States citizens arent granted the autonomy they desire in their own country they will still be able to get the results they so desperately want but the outcome may be more painful to family members whose loved ones would end up dying in other countries and in less desirable conditio ns. Mr. Minelli, who is head of Dignitas, a Swiss company that provides euthanasia services only to foreigners, said that â€Å"a memory of his seriously ill grandmothers pleading in vain with her doctor to help her die left him with a particular interest in Switzerlands growing right-to-die movement, and he joined one of the main groups. In 1998, he quit to found Dignitas†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). In 2008, his neighbors complaints forced Dignitas out of his rented apartment that he had been using to conduct the assisted suicides and Zurich city officials refused permission for a new venue. In response to this Mr. Minelli organized suicides in cars, a hotel room, industrial sites, and his own home which drew the attention of local officials. Someone who is used to a five-star hotel cant come to Dignitas and expect the same, says Mr. Minelli†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). Is it really beneficial to force terminally ill patients into a foreign country to a harsh environment to grant them the freedom to end their own lives? If terminally ill patients really want a physician assisted suicide, they will find another setting in which they can achieve one but allowing patients to have one in their own country optimizes the setting and allows for more family support near the time of death. It also saves the family the trouble of getting the body of a loved one from a foreign country after t he time of death and allows the family to begin funeral arrangements sooner so that they can go through the stages of grieving that they need to in order to move forward with their own lives. This act of ending the life sooner also spares the family the pain of watching their loved one suffer longer than they want to. Another benefit to approving physician assisted suicide is that just know that the option is available can be therapeutic for terminal patients. â€Å"Mr. Minelli argues that making assisted suicide available removes a taboo around suicide, helping people who want to kill themselves open a dialogue and seek help. About 70% of people who get the green light from Dignitas for an assisted suicide never contact the group again, proving the palliative effect of knowing help is available, he says†(Ball, 2010, p. 2). This clearly proves that just knowing that euthanasia is an option is enough to help patients carry on with terminal illness. Even if a patient chooses never to exercise the right to a physician assisted suicide, the knowledge that they have an option for a way out of their suffering is comforting in itself. Craig Ewert was a retired university professor who suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrigs disease. He decided to end his life because he wanted to make this decision before he lost the ability to decide his own fate, overcoming the resistance of his doctors (Ball, 2010). When youre completely paralyzed and cant talk, how do you let someone know you are suffering? he told a television interviewer before his death in September 2006. This could be a complete and utter hell (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Mr and Mrs. Ewerts were from the U.K. but they traveled to Switzerland and chose Mr. Minellis group, Dignitas, because it accepts foreigners. Mrs. Ewert said that had she not been able to travel to get her husband the assisted suicide services that he desired she may have been forced to help her husband die and she worried that she wouldnt have known exactly what to do (Ball, 2010). She defended Mr. Minelli saying Sure, there have to be some protections for people, but I think were going way beyond what there needs to be, I admire Minelli for being willing to take the heat (Ball, 2010, p. 3). Because Craig Ewert was allowed to make his own decision to die, his wife was spared the pressure that he may have put on her to help him end his life. Furthermore, had he been denied the right to make his own decision and his wife Mary had been coerced to help him commit suicide, there would have been extreme emotional and possibly even legal consequences to her action despite the fact that it was her husbands wish. This is a situation that may Americans are also threatened with because physician assisted suicide is illegal in most of the country. All United States citizens should be afforded the right to choose a physician assisted suicide if they have been deemed terminally ill because this freedom shows compassion and empathy towards the patients suffering. If patients arent allowed to legally choose death here, they may travel to another country to receive services or chose to carry out suicide on their own. If patients chose to take matters into their own hands this would be harder on the patient as the death would probably not be as peaceful as the lethal injection that the physician would prescribe and if would also be harder on the patients loved ones. If patients decide to go to another country to achieve the death they desire they would lose the privilege of dying in their own comfort zone and the distance would make the death harder on the family to make funeral arrangements and move on with their own lives. The Code of Ethics for Nurses stated that â€Å"Respect not just for the specific decision but also for the patients method of decision-making is consistent with the principle of autonomy† (American nurses association, 2001, p.149). Regardless of whether or not we understand an individuals motivation for seeking a physician assisted suicide, nurses should support the autonomy that patients needs to make this choice on their own. Giving terminally ill patients autonomy in their death, by making physician assisted legal for every United States citizen, is only giving patients additional rights that they may or may not chose to exercise and is the most compassionate way to show empathy for those who are dying.

Abstract Globalization Essay Example for Free

Abstract Globalization Essay Abstract Globalization is a term now circulating frequently in both popular media as well as formal academic disciplines. It has many meanings, some of which are contestable, others simply descriptive. This work attempts to explore some implications of globalization for the field of curriculum studies. This paper is an attempt to explore some of the symbols of nationality that are embedded in, or associated with, our curriculum, and to suggest that these may present some problems in terms of values and of equality. The work will explore the hegemonic relationship exerted by culture through the curriculum, relating this particularly to the ways in which a curriculum might be assessed. The particular curricular examination suggests that African-American life and history are reflected in various conceptions of the curriculum. Therefore the study will also consider how functional approach to teaching social skills to African American students is infused throughout the curriculum. Curriculum Development Introduction A vague presumption has come to pervade the publics understanding of education, namely that its content should somehow be apolitical and value-free. If values are not explicitly addressed in the classroom then what is taught are simple â€Å"facts† unadulterated and value-neutral. Values, however, are not a separate category of the mind, but arise, part and parcel, out of our total understanding of reality, our worldview. It is this realization that three of our contributors bring to bear, each in a different way, on the problems of the contemporary curriculum. James B. Macdonald (1971) asserts: The process of curriculum development includes selection from the total culture and the creation of a pattern of encounter that will maximize the authenticity of the material and the probability of its being internalized by learners. As a system of ideas and beliefs, it includes aspects of the cognitive world isolated by disciplines and/or subjects in terms of facts, information, generalization, principles, laws, and the like. It also includes awareness of and facility in the use of expressive symbols such as art, music and language. Further, it includes systems of value orientation for action in the form of such things as modes of inquiry, seeking new knowledge, respecting the integrity and worth of individuals, being concerned for other peoples, using democratic procedures , and so forth (pp. 97-98). Macdonald takes issue with the attempt of all scholars to mimic science as the only reliable path to â€Å"truth. † For him, restructuring the curriculum does not mean trying to integrate the disciplines as they now exist, but rather, seeking an altogether new worldview -what he calls a new â€Å"anthropology. † His point is that we need to consider values, meaning, and purpose in the curriculum in order to create a more adaptive and accurate vision of the world. A balance must be maintained between local culture and global culture. Thanks to that balance, groups win be able to develop or reinforce local cultures, and at the same time will be able to communicate with the main global culture in a mutually reinforcing relationship. We must of course agree as to what language to use to communicate throughout the global network. The problem is not very different from what we do for instance in air traffic control. At a certain moment we must accept that in order to communicate we must have a common global language. This does not negate local languages and cultures on the contrary. The fact that one speaks English does not prevent him/her from communicating in his/her native Italian, nor does it reduce his/her pride in Italian culture. By speaking English, he/she is able to communicate that culture to other cultures, and vice versa. The â€Å"Global Education† mentioned in the abstract might be understood as the universal education of humankind a worthy goal. But we first have to ask: what will we teach? There are too many facts to be taught, yet they are insufficient. We need instead to exercise our intelligence to grasp and teach what is best namely the promotion of our well-being. The cultural/historical dimension, whereby students are stimulated to broaden their perspective on life, is already being addressed in some programs of curriculum reform. At my home institution, Temple University, for example, a two semester course entitled â€Å"The Intellectual Heritage† is required for all undergraduate students. This course introduces seminal texts and ideas from Western, African, and Asian traditional intellectual histories and cultures. Through classic works such as the Tao Te Ching, the Koran, and the Analects, the heritage of all humankind, students are able to enlarge their intellectual and historical vision, while becoming sensitized to the values of their own, often unexplored, roots. This suggests that curriculum must include voices, visions, and perspectives of people of color and other marginalized groups. Literature Review Henderson noted in her paper that conventional economic theory is based more on the values of economic theorists and their wealthy sponsors than on actual observation of real economies (Davis 1988). Not only economics, but everything that is taught bears the stamp of someones values whether those of a legislator, a teacher, a textbook writer, or a group of academic theorists. Value-neutrality is one of the most pervasive misconceptions of modern education. The curriculum is not unbiased, and students are not left to form their own opinions. Whatever is taught bears the imprint of the values implicit in society, and if by chance those values are part of the cause of a societys problems, then it becomes necessary to address them openly and critically in the educational curriculum. This, of course, is the real meaning of â€Å"academic freedom,† something that the American public has yet to accept. The problem of what set of values, what sort of vision of humankind, we could put in place of or at least use to modify our present faulty vision is taken up by Charles Weihsun Fu in a brilliant analysis of the distinctions between two of the worlds dominant worldviews: the Eastasian and the modern Western. Fu skillfully juxtaposes the Confucian and Judeo-Christian understandings, pointing out the social and political consequences of each, and especially their inherent weaknesses. More specifically, he contrasts their respective bases in personal morality and social responsibility on the one hand and in law and contractual relationships on the other. Fu concludes with a proposal for interweaving these two approaches which, if introduced into the Western curriculum, could serve simultaneously to correct our destructive tendencies toward alienation while softening our pretensions of moral superiority. His arguments seem to us to feed well into those of Johan Galtung, who discusses the path to global peace under the next theme. The process by which change is to be accomplished likewise is addressed by Frances Moore Lappe, as she critiques our political value system. Too often, Lappe argues, the curriculum teaches only superficial explanations for societys problems, relying upon the unexamined assumptions of single disciplines, which are often graced with the label of common sense. She calls for the introduction of dialogue into the curriculum to force us to delve deeper into the underlying causes of problems, thus revealing their true complexity. Such dialogue ultimately demands the critical self-evaluation of values and a sense of political engagement that she believes are essential for an active, informed, truly democratic citizenry. If they are to achieve a productive dialogue rather than a polarizing debate, both Western traditionalists and the multiculturalists must face some facts. The growing number of people of color in our society and schools constitutes a demographic imperative educators must hear and respond to. The 1999 Census indicated that one of every four Americans is a person of color. By the turn of the century, one of every three will be of color. Nearly half of the nations students will be of color by 2020 (Council for Exceptional Children 2002). Although the school and university curriculums remain Western-oriented, this growing number of people of color will increasingly demand to share power in curriculum decision making and in shaping a curriculum canon that reflects their experiences, histories, struggles, and victories. People of color, women, and other marginalized groups are demanding that their voices, visions, and perspectives be included in the curriculum. They ask that the debt Western civilization owes to Africa, Asia, and indigenous America be acknowledged (Grossman 1998). The advocates of the Afro centric curriculum, in sometimes passionate language that reflects a dream long deferred, are merely asking that the cultures of Africa and African-American people be legitimized in the curriculum and that the African contributions to European civilization be acknowledged. People of color and women are also demanding that the facts about their victimization be told, for truths sake, but also because they need to better understand their conditions so that they and others can work to reform society. The significance of culture in curriculum implementation is supported by Michaels (1981) study of differences in narrative styles used by African American children and their European-American teacher. In Michaels study, a European-American teacher did not make explicit the literate narrative style employed in school learning and, thus, African-American children did not acquire a prerequisite skill for reading acquisition. Narrative styles are culturally acquired. The narrative style employed in school is based on the European-American culture and does not need to be made explicit to most members of that culture. Schools and the curriculum are often portrayed as culturally neutral and, because the practice of schooling has become traditional, it is difficult to identify the specific aspects of culture that are present. A more specific example of teachers response to students cultural or ethnic background is found in a research study reported by Perry Gilmore (1985) in which African-American childrens access to advanced literacy is denied on the basis of their level of acculturation rather than acquisition of prerequisite skills. Creators of the standard curriculum as members, of the society, function in multiple settings (e. g. , systems) and, as a result, are socialized by many agents. Attitudes about what children should be taught and how they should be taught are shaped. Likewise, attitudes about social issues such as race and ethnicity are also influenced heavily by multiple systems-giving messages, sometimes conflicting messages, about the importance of these factors. Branch (1993) suggested that the ethnicity and race of the teachers/educators and learners figure prominently in the learning equation. He posits that the attribution of characteristics to learners influences how they perform in the classroom, perhaps as much as their abilities. Frequently, teachers view African-American childrens academic performance as a function of their race and ethnicity and the children themselves may develop limiting self-perceptions as a consequence of their interactions within the ecosystem. For example, Fordham and Ogbu (1986) reported that some African-American high school students perceive academic excellence as an instance of â€Å"acting White. † Background It was not easy, even in the heyday of nineteenth-century nationalism, to define what was meant by national identity. Nations were often based on some notion of unity, or of consanguinity, or of some shared culture, or appearance, or language. None of these seems to be either a necessary or a sufficient condition, however. The United States manages without consanguinity, for example—though it currently seems to see language as a defining issue, as can be seen in the moral panic about the possibility of non-English speakers forming a majority. The pedagogic will seek to produce structures and curricula that are designed to maintain national identity, particularly at moments when national authority might seem to be in question. Bernstein (1971) expressed part of this when he wrote that â€Å"how a society selects, classifies, distributes, transmits and evaluates the educational knowledge that it considers to be public reflects both the distribution of power and the principles of social control†. If existing power structures and distribution are to be maintained, knowledge, and the particular kinds of knowledge that constitute cultural capital, must be selected and transmitted to particular groups. Such cultural capital must be identified, protected and valued over other cultural phenomena. Authorities need to assert their identity and control, and, in the context of the arguments presented in this paper, they need national and cultural symbols to do this, and they need control over the way in which they are transmitted. Some of the unhappy facts of our condition are being disseminated through the media, but in spite of this we still suffer from serious misunderstandings about the nature of global problems. While we have all been told that there are environmental, economic, and political crises the greenhouse effect, species extinction, the hole in the ozone layer, the Third World debt, the instability of political institutions and have been informed that there are some causative agents such as carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, poverty, and a dearth of the appropriate sustainable development, we clearly do not comprehend. We misunderstand precisely because an insistence on the facts alone constitutes that little bit of knowledge that is a dangerous thing. Western traditionalists and multiculturalists must realize that they are entering into debate from different power positions. Western traditionalists hold the balance of power, financial resources, and the top positions in the mass media, in schools, colleges and universities, government, and in the publishing industry (Duckworth 1996). Genuine discussion between the traditionalists and the multiculturalists can take place only when power is placed on the table, negotiated, and shared. However, multiculturalists must acknowledge that they do not want to eliminate Aristotle and Shakespeare, or Western civilization, from the school curriculum. To reject the West would be to reject important aspects of their own cultural heritages, experiences, and identities. The most important scholarly and literary works written by African-Americans, such as works by W. E. B. DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, and Zora Neale Hurston, are expressions of Western cultural experiences. African-American culture resulted from a blending of African cultural characteristics with those of African peoples in the United States (Wald 1996). Rather than excluding Western civilization from the curriculum, multiculturalists want a more truthful, complex, and diverse version of the West taught in the schools. They want the curriculum to describe the ways in which African, Asian, and indigenous American cultures have influenced and interacted with Western civilization (Combleth 1988). They also want schools to discuss not only the diversity and democratic ideals of Western civilization, but also its failures, tensions, dilemmas, and the struggles by various groups in Western societies to realize their dreams against great odds. The inclusion of African-American literature (a) clearly reveals the conflicts and contradictions of class, race, and gender bias in a democratic society, (b) puts students in touch with their own bias and that of their peers, and (c) helps students learn to challenge bias in themselves, their peers, and the larger society, and in the literature they read. The teachers personal commitment allows to overcome aspects of the school culture and resistance and racial conflict among students to reach a point of shared understanding and experience for students. The racial conflict clearly raises the issue of personal and group identity, however. Method Curriculum development is designed to reflect the course of study in schools. It is intended to present information to students in an organized manner through various instructional methods and strategies. Teachers must be cognizant of creative and innovative ways to individualize and maximize learning for pupils by providing practical learning activities. Designing curriculum involves two major methodologies (Grossman 1998). The first methodology is experimental instruction. Experimental instruction is designed to intrinsically motivate student interests inside and outside of the classroom. The second approach, systematic instruction, involves teacher/student interaction. The major purpose of systematic instruction is to develop a skill or concept and design materials and activities that enable students to achieve the selected objectives. Curriculum development in most school districts is concerned with developing academics in order to equip pupils to master the complex tasks presented by our society. This approach is valid for most pupils. However, due to poor social and interpersonal skills development of many minority and young African-American students, social skill development may be necessary before academic skills can be mastered. It is generally agreed by most professionals in the field of education that schools should be involved in teaching social and interpersonal skills. For example, social skills education and interpersonal skills development are ideal ways to teach responsibility for self and others and for exploring the meaning of human interaction and relationships. A social skills curriculum can also help students understand: (1) how to develop self-esteem along with their emotions and how their emotions affects others; (2) how to develop positive social relationships; (3) respect for others; (4) respect for rules and regulations; (5) ways to develop moral and character; (6) ways to examine ones values; (7) ways to make responsible choices; (8) their potential and worth as human beings; (9) How to develop a sense of responsibility toward others and ways of behaving appropriately in public places; (10) the role and duty of responsible citizens; and (11) how to develop effective communication skills. Curriculum strategies outlined in this text are designed to address the social skills and others as they relate specifically to African American students. Experimental, direct, and systematic curriculum methodologies were employed. The phenomenon of educating African-American students has been studied and investigated extensively, resulting in numerous educators advocating that these â€Å"special† students demonstrate inappropriate social skills/ behaviors inside as well as outside the classroom. Developing the appropriate social skills for successful interaction with peers and significant adults (teachers, parents) can be considered one of the most important accomplishments of childhood and early adolescence should be addressed as soon as possible. This is particularly true in the area of establishing and maintaining relations with peers and authority figures. Not only can social skills deficits have a negative impact on future interpersonal functioning, it may also affect current functioning, reducing the quality and quantity of the learning experiences to which students are exposed in their educational settings. Social skills have been defined as goal-oriented, rule-governed, situation-specific learned behaviors that vary according to social context. Social skills involving both observable and nonobservable cognitive and affective elements that help elicit positive or neutral responses and avoid negative responses from others. As such, social behavior constitutes an intricate interfactional process. As a result, the behavior of school-age children influences and is influenced by that of their partners (e. g. , teachers, mentors, tutors, and peers) within the interaction. Society expects that when children reach various developmental stages, they will demonstrate greater foresight and more controlled behaviors. Society also expects that children will be capable, not only of meeting increased demands within learning tasks, but also more complex, subtle social situations. Failure to meet these expectations may increase their sense of social alienation and helplessness. The curriculum presented here is designed to enable African American students to become socially contributing members of society by meeting expected standards. Strategies have been developed to assist educators in providing these students appropriate social skills training to enable them to operate successfully in the schools and society. Intervention techniques have been selected based upon research techniques to assist young Black students in controlling aggression, assuming responsibility, and becoming productive members of the group. The author highly endorses that proactive approach be employed when teaching social skills to African-American students. Since proactive instruction provides children with social intervention before negative behaviors occur, this approach is preferable to reactive teaching. Whereas proactive instruction teaches social skills before social rejection is experienced, reactive instruction waits for the individual to fail and then applies intervention strategies. Many African-American students have problems developing appropriate social skills due to the problems outlined throughout the text. Proactive instruction will prevent many of the negative consequences of inappropriate social skills, as well as improve the self-image of young African-American males. Recommended strategies for proactive instruction may assist the boys in: 1. dealing positively with accusations 2. accepting the feelings of others in a nonthreatening manner 3. respecting the feelings of others 4. avoiding fights and conflicts 5. dealing effectively with teasing 6. giving praise or compliments to others 7. accepting compliments from others 8. apologizing for inappropriate behavior 9. expressing anger in a positive way 10. showing affection and appreciation toward others 11. practicing self-control These instructional activities may be expanded or modified as needed. As indicated, African-American students must be taught appropriate social skills if they are going to be contributing members of society. The social skills outlined here should be infused throughout the curriculum and integrated as needed by the teacher. These strategies are seen as immediate, useful sources for teaching pro-social skills to African-American students. Additionally, the curriculum is based upon in-depth research and years of teaching and observing the social skills development of African-American students. Results The initial step in developing a social skills curriculum is to identify those general social behaviors that are critical to successful social functioning. These general social behaviors are then rewritten as general objectives, which provide the framework for constructing other components of the curriculum. The second stage is to sequence specific objectives as they relate to the general objectives. All specific objectives are designed to achieve the general objectives. Specific objectives are stated in behavioral and measurable terms. The third step is to identify activities and resources that can achieve the stated objectives. Activities should be functional and reflect real life experiences that African-American students are exposed to. As much as possible, parents should be involved in reinforcing the social skills taught. Parents may be used as resource individuals and may offer suggestions relative to material and activities. The fourth step is to include cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity into the curriculum. This approach affords young African-American males the opportunity to appreciate and understand their own self-worth and sense of importance and belonging as well as identify Blacks and other minorities who have made significant contributions in several fields. An additional benefit is that the young Black males can identify and associate with appropriate role models. A curriculum that does not highlight the contributions of Blacks and minorities gives an inaccurate and distorted view of the many significant contributions made by them. Multicultural activities and strategies enrich the curriculum by showing differences in cultural styles, patterns, and interests of diverse groups. Conclusions and Recommendations A social skills curriculum should be based upon those social skills needed to function successfully in ones society. Much of the research reviewed indicates that a significant number of y African American students have not mastered the social skills needed to function successfully in our society. A functional approach involves exposing the learner to real-life situations, concepts, and activities such as self-identity, acquiring self-concept, achieving socially acceptable behavior, bonding, respecting the rights of others, maintaining good interpersonal skills, achieving independence, employing problem-solving skills, taking turns, and communicating appropriately with others. It is language the exquisite use of symbols that makes us truly human, and I would like to see a core curriculum in which students study the origins of language not just parts of speech (Frisby 1993). I would also like to see students consider how symbol systems vary from one culture to another, how language can be shared, and perhaps all students should become familiar with a language other than their own, so they can step outside their own language skin to understand better the nature of communication. And surely a course of study on the centrality of language would include mathematics, which is a universal symbol system. All human beings respond to the aesthetic. This condition is found in all cultures on the planet, and students, in the new core curriculum, should study the universal language we call art. When Picasso confronts the unspeakable agonies of war, the dismembered child, the scream of a bereft mother, the shattered home, and puts them on a huge canvas called â€Å"Guernica,† he makes a universal statement about destruction that can be felt in the heart of every human being (Spears-Bunton 1990). I am suggesting that for the most intimate, most profound, most moving experiences, we need subtle symbols, and students should learn how different cultures express themselves through the universal language of the arts. Bibliography Bankee N. C. Obiakor F. E. (1992). â€Å"Educating the Black male: Renewed imperatives for Black and white communities. † Scholar and Educator: The Journal of the Society of Educators and Scholars, 15, 2:16-31. Bernstein, B. (1971). â€Å"On the Classification and Framing of Educational Knowledge†, in Young, M. F. D. (ed. ) Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education, London: Collier-Macmillan. Bok, Derek. Higher Learning. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1986. Branch C. (1993). â€Å"Ethnic identity as a variable in the learning equation. † In E. Hollins, J. King, W. Hayman (Eds. ), Teaching diverse populations. Albany: State University of New York Press. Combleth, Catherine. (1988). â€Å"Curriculum In and Out of Context,† Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 3:2, pp. 85-96. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). (2002). Addressing over representation of African American students in special education: The prereferral intervention process An administrators guide. Washington, DC: National Alliance of Black Schools Educators. Davis, Allen J. (1988). â€Å"Education for Citizenship: The Role of Progressive Education and Interdisciplinary Studies,† Innovative Education 13, 1. Duckworth E. (1996). The having of wonderful ideas and other essays on teaching and learning. New York: Teachers College Press. Falvey, M. A. (Ed. ). (1995). Inclusive and heterogeneous schooling: Assessment, curriculum, and instruction. Baltimore: Brookes. Frisby C. (1993). â€Å"One giant step backward: Myths of Black cultural learning styles. † School Psychology; Review, 22(3), 535-557. Fu Charles Wei-hsun. (1988). On the Task of Constructive Modernization of Confucian Ethics and Morality, Taipei: Universitas (Philosophy and Culture) Monthly. Fordham S. Ogbu J. U. (1986). â€Å"Black students school success: Coping with the burden of acting white. † The Urban Review, 18(3), 176-205. Grossman, H. (1998). Ending discrimination in special education. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Hirsch E. D. , Jr. , (1993). â€Å"The core knowledge curriculum Whats behind its success? † Educational Leadership, 50, 23-30. Macdonald, James B. (1971). `Curriculum Development in Relation to Social and Intellectual Systems. In The curriculum: Retrospect and Prospect, part I, pp. 97-112. Seventeenth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 1971. Michaels S. (1981). â€Å"Sharing time: Childrens narrative styles and differential access to literacy. † Language in Society, 10, 423-442. Obiakor, F. E. (1994). The eight-step multicultural approach: Learning and teaching with a smile. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Obiakor, F. E. (1999). Beyond the steps: Multicultural study guide. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Obiakor, F. E. , Schwenn, J. O. (1996). Assessment of culturally diverse students with behavior disorders. In A. F. Rotatori, J. O. Schwenn, S. Burkhardt (Eds. ), â€Å"Advances in Special Education: Assessment and Psychopathology Issues in Special Education† (Vol. 10, pp. 37-57). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Spears-Bunton, Linda A. (1990). â€Å"Welcome to My House: African American and European American Students Responses to Virginia Hamiltons House of Dies Drear,† The Journal of Negro Education, 59:4, pp. 566-576. Wald, J. L. (1996). â€Å"Diversity in the special education training force. † NCPSE News, 1, l6.

Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Introduction Hamlet It is important to note that Hamlet itself is a transformation, of form as well as ideas, which is based upon other transformations. Indeed the metatheme of Hamlet is transformation (whereas Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is about the inability to effect transformation or change). Tom McAlindon, in an article entitled What is a Shakespearean Tragedy, draws our attention to the fact that Hamlet, like Shakespeares other tragedies, has an intense focus on the phenomenon of change: change is not just one of worldly fortunes; it is above all else interpersonal, moral, and psychological change. An essential part of the heros experience is the horrified discovery that the world he knows and values, the people he loves and trusts, are changing or have changed utterly. He feels cheated and betrayed to the very heart of loss. (p.6) Shakespeare was writing in the tradition of Revenge Tragedy, sometimes referred to as Theatre of the Blood. Elizabethan and Jacobean versions of revenge tragedy borrowed heavily from the tragedies of Seneca (4 BC-65 AD), a Roman dramatist whose tragedies were published in 1581. Seneca, in turn, based his tragedies on Greek mythology and he appeared to have been influenced by Aristotle (384-322 BC). Students should acquaint themselves with the features of these tragedies. Shakespeare borrowed, and indeed transformed his tragedies from the classical form in a number of ways, such as the inclusion of comic elements (comic relief, satire, mocking, parody etc), the common man character and showing on stage acts of violent passion. Shakespeare also appears to have borrowed quite extensively from a contemporary of his, Thomas Kyd (1558-1594) whose revenge tragedy The Spanish Tragedy was not only enormously popular but very influential to all in the Elizabethan and Jacobean drama industry. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Stoppard has written three, what some would refer to as irreverent, transformations of Shakespeares tragedies: Doggs Hamlet, Cahoots Macbeth and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. This enterprise is quite audacious as he is not just transforming plays but modern classics. When asked why he chose Hamlet he responded: [Hamlet] is the most famous play in any language, it is part of a sort of common mythology. Stoppard also writes in a tradition; in his case the tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd. The literary term Theatre of the Absurd was coined by the critic Martin Esslin and refers to tendencies in drama to portray life as meaningless and absurd which emerged in Paris in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Absurdist Theatre itself can be seen as a transformation of Dadaism and Surrealism, two early twentieth century aesthetic philosophies which focused on a sense of bewilderment at the violence, depravity, and hopelessness they believed endemic to the human condition in the twentieth century. By challenging conventional theatre and traditional views The Theatre of the Absurd attempted to shock the audience into questioning its own values and assumptions. The drama portrayed was not meant to be regarded in the same terms as realist drama but rather as a drama of ideas. Dramatic features often included meaningless exchanges due to a distrust of language as a means of communication, a por trayal of life as meaningless through a lack of dramatic suspense, abstracted and minimalist settings, comic treatment of traditional themes and a blurring of reality and fiction. There is often a sense of playfulness at times drawing attention to their own artifice. There is also a close link with existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophical movement that explores the question of existence and how it is defined, particularly in a world in which meaning appears to have disappeared. The terrible events of the two World Wars accelerated the waning of religious faith which had started with the Enlightenment. There was a general mood of disillusionment with so called civilized values. The absurd plays of dramatists such as Ionesco, Genet, Beckett and Pinter all depict humanity as bewildered and anxious in the face of a loss of meaning. Stoppard uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as a vehicle to express these ideas and draws upon what is probably Shakespeares most existential work, Hamlet. Hamlets famous To be or not to be speech is the intertextual echo that resounds throughout Stoppards play. Stoppard has also appropriated Becketts influential absurdist play Waiting for Godot. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern mirror the predicament of Vladimir and Estragon, two lost souls waiting for something to happen. They are stranded between modernity and postmodernity. They long for the security of a grand narrative to make sense of their lives but can only engage in futile speculation about the meaning of it all. They are on the verge of a breakthrough to an acceptance of their postmodern condition of fragmentation, but dont quite make it. Stoppards transformation of Hamlet can be seen as a formalized 20th century statement regarding the nature of truth: it is contingent, contextual and ultimately unknowable. This, of course, is Rosencrantz and Guildensterns dilemma; they are trapped in limbo between knowing and not knowing. Stoppard has been criticized for omitting certain scenes (e.g. III, ii and iii) which portray Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in a light other than two bewildered innocents. However it should be remembered Stoppard is interested in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as victims. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is his creation. He has taken an idea from Hamlet and developed it dramatically. What he is not interested in is critiquing Hamlet. Students should make lists of the scenes in Hamlet which have been incorporated into Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and write down what has been added and what has been changed. Then you should consider how these contribute to Stoppards purpose. Context Hamlet The flourishing of Revenge Tragedy in Shakespeares time was fuelled by the enormous changes taking place in Elizabethan and Jacobean society. His was an age characterized by turmoil and uncertainty. The division of the church in England divided the people into Catholics and Protestants. Religious doubt, albeit carefully disguised, was becoming more prevalent. The consequent unrest and suspicion often resulted in surveillance and betrayal in personal relations as well as in the broader social and political sphere. Assassination attempts on Elizabeth and James resulted in cruel and brutal retaliations. There was also the ever present threat of foreign invasion to add to the feelings of insecurity. Medieval feudalism was in decline, but it was dying a defiant death; the aristocracy resorted to harsh measures to shore up its authority and maintain the hierarchical order which had served it so well. Hamlet dramatically reflects this challenge to tradition, the political instability of his society and the religious questioning. Medieval-renaissance-modern; feudalism-sceptism-humanism-individualism; old world moral absolutes-new world rational scepticism; religious certainties-inner doubt and psychological probing. Humanism and notion of identity. Hamlet asks the modern questions, who am I? and what am I doing here? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Stoppard began writing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead in 1964 and it was first performed in 1966 at the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre. The 20th century, and more specifically the late 20th century, was a time of change and turmoil. The sixties was characterized by an irreverent mood born out of a period of rebellion and challenge to existing structures and beliefs. In all areas of social activity Stoppards society (which is mainly first world, capitalist, democratic and relatively affluent) was undergoing transformation. Many characterize this historical period as the turn on, tune in, drop out generation because of its experimentation with drugs, alternative lifestyles and sexually promiscuous attitudes. Others characterize the sixties as a decade of student political protest. They cite the anti-Vietnam campaigns, nuclear disarmament protests and the Paris student riots as important landmarks in the politicization of young people. The British popular culture scene included television comedy in the form of Monty Pythons Flying Circus and Englands first soap opera Coronation Street, the pop music explosion kick started by the Beatles, stage musicals such as Oliver, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat a nd Jesus Christ Superstar. The mood of questioning, rebellion and playfulness can be seen in the way that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead travesties Hamlet; the tragedians, serious in their treatment of Death and holding a mirror up to life in Hamlet are now reduced to comedians and potential pornographers in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The treatment of death has also undergone a transformation from the profound to the comic, from high tragedy to slapstick comedy. 20th Century despair-nihilism-death of god-existentialism and the notion of identity-swinging sixties-optimism and disillusionment-modernism-postmodernism-Theatre of the Absurd-nonheroic-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ask the modern questions, who am I? and what am I doing here? Ideas/Themes Change * Consistency and inconsistency * Tradition and progress Hamlet is about change and transition whereas Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is about the inability to effect transformation or change. Where Hamlet undergoes a transformation in perspective and acts to influence events, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are seen as impotent little men unable to influence events. Death * What is death? * What is it to die? Throughout literature there is a strong connection between truth and death. The quest for meaning is seen in terms of killing and death. The tragedians offer yet another view: they see death as the climax of great tragedy. Identity The humanist model (see Liberal Humanist reading below) sees Hamlet as epitomizing the human condition. It takes for granted a universalism of human nature and identity which transcends time and place. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have no fixed identities. Stoppard is exploring the 20th century notion of existentialism which is essentially concerned with the problem of self identity. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as representatives of the human condition, have no control over their fate and are the victims of arbitrary circumstances. They have no past and no future and only exist through other peoples definitions of them, and are unable to accept the lack of guidance and fashion their own future out of the here and now. Their existential position is echoed throughout the play as they continually try to find an explanation for their existence. In the same way that Hamlet functions as a metaphor for the human condition so do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern represent modern humanitys existential despair. Providence, fate, destiny The notions of free will and determinism are central to both plays. Hamlet has the free will to act but is thwarted by his belief system. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern represent the idea that our lives are predetermined because even though we do have choices in life, we do not have enough information to choose intelligently. Existentialism, religion and the meaning of life Shakespeares England was very religious. The Christian church was an active participant in all areas of social and political life. Hamlet too operates in this Christian context and all events in the play should be regarded in this light; indeed religious belief is often a instigator or inhibitor of dramatic action. The 20th century is often referred to as the century that killed God. In Western society there has been a decline in the number of Christians and of the significance of the church in everyday life. Stoppard evokes the mood of 20th century despair through his appropriation of the philosophical movement called existentialism. By dramatizing the loss of centers resulting in a despairing desire to know and to believe, Stoppard is commenting on the nature of 20th century existence. Appearance and reality, illusion and truth The player in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead says, truth is only that which is taken to be true. Its the currency of living. There may be nothing behind it, but it doesnt make any difference so long as it is honored. One acts on assumptions. Consider the concept of truth as it is dramatically realized in Hamlet. Examine how both plays use things such as imagery, symbols, clothing, the play-within-a-play device, role-playing and language to set up mirrors for reality through which to challenge our notions of illusion and truth. Appearance and reality is a dominant theme in Hamlet and Elizabethan audiences would understand that there is a truth behind the disguise. Rational reason and scientific rationalism Rational reason was the basis of Humanism and was the working philosophy of Shakespeares time. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to discover patterns and purposes in their existence by use of scientific logic. Theatre as a metaphor for life (and the nature of art) There are several examples in both plays where the boundaries between the actors and the audience are erased. Shakespeare and Stoppard employ metatheatre in order to comment on the analogy between drama and life: both construct realities. Hamlet is a theatrical play. It is about acting and, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is full of theatrical references. Theatrical terminology and imagery abounds, characters act or attempt to act, characters are instructed and instruct others in the art of acting, there are plays within plays and the audience are reminded that it are not only watching a play but that it might be the actors in someone elses play! Both playwrights cleverly use structure and form to draw our attention to the nature of truth and reality. Stoppard himself is acting upon Shakespeares text. Form Hamlet The genre-Tragedy-Revenge Tragedy-Aristotle-Seneca-Elizabethan/Jacobean-Shakespeare Structure-stagecraft-dramatic techniques (ghost, soliloquy, play within a play)-language-imagery-setting Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead The genre, Theatre of the Absurd, modern and postmodern characteristics (pastiche, irony, parody, word games, vaudeville, burlesque, self reflexivity, absence of a frame of reference) Intertextuality (The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T S Eliot and Waiting for Godot, a play by Samuel Beckett about impotence and despair, view of life as hopeless). Prufrock and Godot are both examples of modernist texts where the romantic tragic hero is regarded as a myth. We have the anti-hero or ordinary person on centre stage cut adrift in a drama over which he or she has no control, aimless and looking for direction and speculating about the meaning of it all. Modernism is characterized by nostalgia for the certainty, faith and authority of the past. Thus there is a tone of lament, pessimism and despair. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is modernist in this sense but there are aspects of postmodernism, e.g. the philosophizing, speculating and agonizing by Hamlet over grand issues (such as meaning of life, death and religion) is treated in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as farce through the modes of satire, irony, burlesque and parody. Stoppards use of Hamlet is in some ways a postmodern gesture. By appropriating such an iconic text as Hamlet and presenting it from the perspective of peripheral characters and then playing upon them for his own purposes, Stoppard demonstrates that the human experience cannot be fully understood by focusing on the dominant narrative. The depiction of reality as a game or spectacle, the destabilization of identity and the inability of language to offer security of meaning are further pointers to the postmodern condition of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They are indeed bewildered innocents cast adrift in a disinterested and dispassionate universe. The questioning and dismantling of the individual authorial self conclusively marks the text as a postmodern inquiry into how meaning is constructed. Remember that the vital difference between modernism and postmodernism is that the former laments fragmentation and the latter celebrates it. So be cautious in referring to RG as a postmodern text. It is a modernist text that has some postmodernist characteristics. The intense seriousness of the modernists is diluted by the humor and parody of the postmodernists. Language Hamlet The role of language in Hamlet is to create meaning. It is the utterance of the paragon of animals. It is a sublime human achievement, and indeed Shakespeares language has been valued throughout the centuries as the pinnacle of linguistic artistry. Language in Hamlet expresses beauty, truth and reason as well as being a tool of deception and manipulation. It therefore has transcendent meaning which when analyzed will reveal truth. Traditional criticism, based as it is on Liberal Humanist values, focuses on a universal humanity which can be understood through a close analysis of language and form. In Hamlet we find Shakespeares full repertoire of language skills: verse, prose, formal, colloquial, dialogue, soliloquies, aside, puns, irony, parody, a range of imagery, etc. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Stoppards language on the other hand expresses the ambiguous nature of truth. There is no underlying fixed meaning in words. The lack of control over their lives is mirrored in the fragmentation of Rosencrantz and Guildensterns language and their persistent use of question. The language games that Rosencrantz and Guildensterns engage in owes an intertextual debt to the influential 20th century philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein. Stoppard has appropriated one of Wittgensteins theories of language which essentially states that language cannot express a universal truth. Language resembles moves in a game and outside of the game has no meaning whatsoever. This notion of language having no transcendent value is another point of difference between the two plays. Stoppard also reveals his range of verbal artistry. His play is rich in the playful use of clichÃÆ'Â ©, black humour, irony, puns, burlesque, cultural reference, etc. His use of colloquial and clichÃÆ'Â ©d language to state humankinds existential dilemma serves to undermine the value traditionally attached to Shakespeares elevated poetry. The numinous authority of Shakespeares language is thus deflated. Notwithstanding all this, we should never lose sight of the fact that Stoppard is a playwright and his intention is to entertain us. Stoppards style, especially his humor, wit and comedic timing, is the means by which the bleakness of Rosencrantz and Guildensterns (and by analogy our own) predicament is made palatable through the medium of drama. Readings The audience response to both texts is determined by values, culture and context. Remember, our course this semester has focused on a study of the language of texts, consideration of purposes and audiences, and analysis of the content, values and attitudes conveyed through a range of readings. With that in mind, you need to understand the following critical approaches and acquaint yourselves with the theoretical principles underpinning each of the approaches. * Traditional Criticism which is based upon a Liberal Humanist approach. * Modern Criticism which is based upon a Post-structuralist and New Historicist approach. The essential difference between the two approaches is that the first tends to focus on character and the universality of the human condition and the latter emphasizes the influence of context and the application of theory to the process of reading.

Structure of Management Information :: essays research papers fc

Computer Network & Management Assignment Title: Structure of Management Information (SMI) Structure of Management Information (SMI): In the context of network management, for the Structure of Management Information (SMI): a) Name its three hierarchical layers. The Structure of Management Information (SMI) standard is responsible for defining the rules for how the Management Information Base (MIB) objects are structured, described and organized. SMI is a data definition language allows dissimilar devices to communicate by ensuring that they use a universal data representation for all management information. SMI is needed to ensure the syntax and semantics of the network management data are well defined and unambiguous.[TCP/IP Guide] The three hierarchical layers of the Structure of Management Information are the base data types, object-type and module-identity. b) Explain the function of each layer. The Base Data Type layer is use in the SYNTAX clause of the OBJECT-TYPE macro that must be present. It defines the abstract data structure corresponding to the object. It includes the following eleven basic data types: INTEGER, Integer32, Unsigned32, OCTET STRING, OBJECT IDENTIFIER, IPaddress, Counter32, Counter64, Gauge32, TimeTicks, and Opaque. Any restriction on size, range or enumerations specified in this SYNTAX clause represents the maximal level of support which makes "protocol sense".[RFC2578] The OBJECT-TYPE layer is use to specify the data type, status, and the semantics of managed objects. It has basic of five mandatory characteristics namely, OBJECT-NAME, SYNTAX, MAX ACCESS, STATUS, and DESCRIPTION, optionally with OPTIONAL-CHARACTERISTICS. The OBJECT-NAME is obviously. The SYNTAX clause specifies the basic data type of the object. The MAX-ACCESS clause specifies the managed object either can be read-create, read-write, read-only, accessible for notify only, or not accessible. The STATUS clause specifies the object is current, obsolete or deprecated. The DESCRIPTION clause contains a textual definition of the object. [RFC2578][RFC2013] The MODULE-IDENTITY layer is used to express concisely the semantics of an information module. It groups related object into a Management Information Base (MIB) module. Each MODULE-IDENTITY contains a number of clauses like the LAST-UPDATED clause, ORGANIZATION clause, CONTACT-INFO clause, DESCRIPTION clause and REVISION clause. Theses clauses document the date of last updated, the organization and contact information of the author of the module, and a textual description of the module, and the revision information such as the date of revision and the revision description.[RFC2012][TCP-IP Guide] c) For each layer, give four examples of defined entities. Four examples of Base Data Types 1. Integer/Integer32 [RFC2578] Integer/Integer32 is a 32-bit signed integer in two ¡Ã‚ ¦s complement notation, capable of holding a value between  ¡V2,147,483,648 and +2,147,483,647.

The Importance of Education :: The Importance of Education

Education holds the key to your child's future. Education can help your child reach his/her life goals and dreams. Education will help your child choose what he/she wants in life. Here are 10 key reasons why going to college is important for your child: †¢ Education opens up doors. The more education your child gets, the more choices and opportunities he/she will have. With an education, your child has more options, which often lead to greater success and happiness in life. †¢ Education allows your child to choose his/her career. By going to college, your child can choose what he/she wants to do in life. Your student will be able to choose a career that interests him/her and that will enable him/her to achieve his/her dreams. †¢ Education increases the amount of money your child may be able to make. The more education your child receives, the more money he/she may be able to earn. On average, a person with a four-year college degree earns twice as much money as a person who graduated from high school but did not attend college. †¢ Education determines your child's lifestyle. By going to college, your child will likely have more flexibility to choose what type of house he/she lives in, what type of car he/she drives, what places he/she will visit during vacations, and many other things. †¢ Education expands your child's mind. The more educational opportunities your child is exposed to, the more knowledge and skills he/she will obtain. Education will expose your child to a variety of people, topics, and experiences. Your student will learn about things that interest him/her. Growth and development will occur in many areas, including decision-making, analytical awareness, reasoning, creative expression, verbal expression, and more. †¢ Education can help your child improve the community. Going to college will help to teach your child how to make a difference in his/her community. During college, he/she can learn about laws and resources that affect the community. After graduating from college, your child can come home and apply his/her knowledge and skills to better the neighborhood and the people who live there. As a college graduate, your child will also serve as a role model for other children in the community.

Essay --

The film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind focuses on the interesting topic of memory. The film follows two main characters, Joel and Clementine, who have both chosen to erase part of their memory. What both characters, and other characters in the movie, find out though is that our memory is complex and very flexible to what we make of it. The film reflects the tendency that we have as humans, to think that we are in control of our memory. The truth is that our memory is not like a video tape of the events in our lives nor is it a library of the knowledge we have collected. As I watched the movie, I couldn’t help but think; our memory is more like a ball of clay. Our minds can take the clay and make it into a shape and we can stare at that shape and know that shape but our minds will play with that clay and mold it into something different eventually. The idea portrayed in the movie is that no memory is safe from our meddling minds. The film emphasizes on the power of our long-term memory and our episodic memories. Would we be happier if we forgot about traumatic past experiences? Or are our long-term memories so tangled up with emotions and sensations that our brain is unable to truly let go of long-term memories? The film also looks at the difference between explicit and implicit memories. Although the film plays out in non-linear progression and is somewhat confusing at times, the audience quickly catches on to the plot. Joel and Clementine are in a relationship for two years before finally deciding to break it off. Like most couples, the two shared a lot of good memories but the fights that lead to their breakup were too emotionally heavy for free-spirited Clementine to bear any more. She pays some futuristic company ... ... to look past all the terrible things in their past and they chose love again. This film challenges the audience to actively get involved with the two characters, Joel and Clem. We see both characters try and take control of their memory. First by undergoing the procedure and then especially when Joel tries to keep his memories of Clem. But the characters find out that memory is more complicated than we think it is. We can mold out memories, change our memories, repress our memories and remember things we didn’t even know we experienced. In some ways, the writers challenge us to think about our own memories. If we were given the chance would we erase some of our painful memories? I think we are unable to detangle our memories. I think that our memories are stacked and tangled with each other and deleting or tampering with those memories is dangerous and unnatural.

Managing Price Discounting

A leading website defines Discounts as â€Å"Percentage reduction in the gross price given by a seller to a buyer who pays within a set period of time. Cash discounts are given to shorten the length of time the seller must wait to collect the amount due. Cash discounts are offered to buyers in most industries, including media buyers.A common business phrase for a cash discount is â€Å"2/10, net/30,† meaning that a 2% discount is offered if the amount due is paid within 10 days; otherwise 100% of the amount due is payable in 30 days. For example, if the amount due is $100, the buyer may pay $98 within 10 days or $100 within 30 days.†Discounting is becoming a popular mean to attract the customers. Simon Hathaway, managing director of retail specialist Saatchi & Saatchi X, says discounting has become part of the business model for many retailers, especially those in the furnishing sector. He believes that much of this is driven by retailers taking advantage of consumers' ignorance of the price of many products. ‘If you asked 20 people the price of a pint of milk, you would get 20 different answers,' he says.Mike Watkins, senior manager of retail services at A.C. Nielsen, says the potential rewards of tempting shoppers with discounting are huge. ‘Consumers are hooked on promotions,' he says. ‘On average, about 80% of UK shoppers are looking for price promotions — that's the highest in Europe. Low prices are now expected.' Merchants often advertise various types of price discounts in attempts to affect favorably the price-related evaluations and shopping intentions of consumers.Why does price discounting occur – why is it so prevalent?Kevin Cancy, chairman of Copernicus, a major marketing research and consulting firm found that only 5 to 35 percent of the customers are price sensitive. People with higher income and higher product involvement are ready to pay the price for features, customer service, quality , added conv enience and the brand name. Most companies will adjust their list price and give discounts and allowance for early payment, volume purchases and off-season buying.It is well-accepted fact that short-term promotion leads to an increase in the sales. Although the size of the discount determines absolute or relative prices, an important additional type of consumer behavior relating to the processing of information concerning the size of the discount, per se, may have to be addressed before predictions concerning the impact of size of discount can be made. Besides this there are many other objectives that a firm seeks to achieve with discounts. Some of them are:Keeping up with competition: a sale or a discount offer is likely to be perceived and accepted as a good value when the advertiser is perceived as price competitive (Fry and McDougall, 1974; Biswas and Blair, 1991). Occupying more shelf space in the retail showrooms: Keeping good relations with the dealer often causes discounts. This is more evident in the cases when the dealer is strong. Either he has strong brand value in the region or is a bulk buyer of the product.To promote a new innovationTo clear the decks for new stocks ( change of season/fashion)Price promotions showing tangible increase in SalesAttracting new customers to the brand which may result in increased brand switching.Also, Research has indicated that a sale or a discount offer is likely to be perceived and accepted as a good value when the advertiser is perceived as price competitive. One reason for such effects relating to store price image may be the nature of attributions for the price discount made by the consumers. For example, for a low-price image store, consumers may be more likely to make merchant-related attributions that indicate â€Å"meeting competitors' prices† or â€Å"passing on savings from bulk purchases from manufacturers† than for a high-price image store.Differences may also be observed in product-relat ed attributions between the stores. Because many consumers believe there is a positive relationship between price and product quality (Rao and Monroe, 1989; Lichtenstein and Burton, 1989), a price discount on merchandise at a store that has a low-price image may sometimes be perceived as related to something negative about the products (such as out-of-date models or inferior quality).The key reason often sighted by marketers is that it is done to is done to invite new users to try the product. If these people appreciate the product they may switch to your brand.  Does it work well to achieve the objectives that are typically set for it?Though the prices discounts do spike up the demands temporarily it is very rare cases that it actually spikes the demand in the long run. But there is a negative side to it, like:Long run price promotions make consumers more sensitive in both loyal and non-loyal segments. They also train non-loyal segments to seek price discounts, thereby making the m more sensitive to price promotion (Mela, Gupta and Lehmann, 1997).Discounting can be a useful tool if the company can gain some concessions in return, like an extended contract of bulk order.Short run price discounts also cause the loyal customers towards bulk buying. This means increase in customer inventories and thus may result in the reduction of subsequent buying.Research suggests that the price promotion more often then not is unsuccessful in brand switching. The reasons for that are very evident, perhaps one of them can be the price perception of the customer is set to the discounted price of the product.For a brand positioned as an aspiration brand the discounts can be suicidal. This may lead more people to buy the brand but it may result in the loss of loyal customers who constitute the major chunk of buyers in the normal course.The price discounts works well in a few cases like:Discounts offered in the time of needDiscounts towards the end of season achieve their objecti ve of clearing the decks for the new stocksAre there some objectives it is well suited for and others it is not suited for?There is lots of confusion on the impact of price discounts, Mela, Gupta and Lehmann in their paper â€Å"The long term effects of Promotion and Advertising on consumer brand choice† state that companies like Colgate Palmolive Ralston, P&G have curtailed the price based promotions but there are some like Heinz who continue to adhere to it.In a research M. P. MARTI ´ NEZ-RUIZ, A. MOLLA ´ -DESCALS, M. A. GO ´ MEZ-BORJA & J. L. ROJO-A ´ LVAREZ (May 2006)   found that for The high-priced brands of the storable category that promotional discounts had a bigger impact during the first days of the promotional period, whereas no special pattern was detected in the low-priced brands of this category.There are some places where the discounts are very well suited for like:Discounts to people visiting in lean season at resorts. This brings extends the brand to people who otherwise may not use it.In an attempt to divert competition attention from the innovations. A price discount leads competition to fight the discount and in the mean time you can position your new innovation.Though there is no research evidence to justify these observationsHow can a product manager or a brand manager plan a discounting strategy that does not harm brand value? Some guidelines can be suggested for the retailer to set adequate promotional discounts periods.Objective of Discounts: The Product manager should very clearly announce the objective of the discounts. Generally discounts offered for pumping the sagging sales should be avoided. A clear motive and the time frame to achieve that motive should be clear.Timing of the Discount: Timing of the discounts is very important. A end of season sale may not have that bad an impact on the brand as a sale in the peak season. A grocery store offering a discount in the year of drought is bound to have more loyal cus tomer’s that any other store around the neighborhood.Limit the Duration: In the first place, promotional periods for the high-priced brands of the storable category should not exceed 10 days; otherwise the promotion profitability could be reduced. In addition to this, discount levels should not exceed a certain magnitude, which depends on the considered brand.Add Value Added Services: An even better strategy than discounting your price is to add value to your goods or services – such as free installation, maintenance training, and longer product warranties. For example, â€Å"I can't lower my price but I am going to give you consulting which will save you the same amount of money, had you received the lower price.† As Mr. Kotler explained, there are some companies that are extremely knowledgeable about their customer's business, and able to point out to their customer ways in which they can save money. Baxter, a hospital supplies company, provides a good example of adding value.â€Å"They give credit points to hospitals who buy their products – just like airlines do.† These points can be redeemed for a cash rebate or for consulting days. Baxter has 12 key consulting teams, each with a different focus. One team, for example, will help the hospital improve its information management system while another team will help it better manage its wastes, elaborated Mr. Kotler. As it turns out, the consulting is so useful that the points are better used for consulting days.Avoid Frequent Discounts: Frequent discounts might influence the consumers’ reference price points and so produce a wear out effect.Evaluate other options like bundling instead of price discounts: Bundling leads to repackaging the products along with other products. Even in this case the frequency and duration should be kept in mind.Cited ReferencesM. P. MARTI ´ NEZ-RUIZ, A. MOLLA ´ -DESCALS, M. A. GO ´ MEZ-BORJA & J. L. ROJO-A ´ LVAREZ (May 2006) †˜Assessing the Impact of Temporary Retail Price Discounts Intervals Using SVM Semi-parametric Regression’ Int. Rev. of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research Vol. 16, No. 2, 181 – 197DONALD R. LICHTENSTEIN, ABHIJIT BISWAS, KATHERINE FRACCASTORO   (1994) ‘The Role of Attributions in Consumer Perceptions of Retail Advertisements Promoting Price Discounts’ Marketing Letters 5:2, (1994): 131-140, Kluwer Academic Publishers Carf Mela, Gupta Sunil, Lehmann Donald   (May 1997) ‘The long Term Impact of Promotion and Advertising on Consumer Brand Choice.’ Journal of Marketing Research 34 (May) p248-261 Quilter, James (March 2007) Marketing, p20-20, Kotler Philip (2003), Marketing Management Pearson Education p-489-490