The Poverty Of The United States - 950 Words

Persistence of Poverty in the United States Poverty has been a headache that every country tries to get rid of. The war between every country and poverty has been going on for a long time. This war is not only happening in the third-world countries, but it is also a problem in the leading country such as the United States. Throughout the history, the United States of America has been constantly trying to wage war again poverty by trying to reform structure, improving living condition of the homeless, increase minimum wages. Even though, some reforms may have been able to decrease the percentage of poverty, they can never completely destroy poverty completely. There are varieties of ideas as to how the U.S can eliminate poverty, and one of these ideas is the reforming of the tax system. This idea has become a heated debate whether it can actually make the dream of every low-income family come true. However, reform the tax structure alone cannot completely eliminate the poverty in th e U.S for several reasons. The first reason that reforming the tax structure alone will not eliminate poverty in the U.S is because of the medical cost. Most people, especially low-income family that has to live in poverty really place their health as the most important factor, for they have to work constantly to support their family. Therefore, a lot of these families are depending on the support of the government through assistance programs but most of all is Medi-Cal because they can getShow MoreRelatedThe Poverty Of The United States1727 Words   |  7 PagesPoverty defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is â€Å"lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts† (Hirokazu Yoshikawa, 2012). Poverty in the United States is an issue that is often times overlooked because the focus of poverty is on developing and struggling countries. People often think America does not experience poverty because it is such a thriving country. The problem with this is that Amer ica is indeed struggling with poverty: â€Å"there are currently 488 counties in America whereRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1548 Words   |  7 Pagescitizens in poverty has risen. Several organizations have been set up to help those who suffer from poverty and provide their everyday needs. There are always ways where a community can help eliminate the amount of people suffering poverty. Government has an influence on how much money flow there is in the United States such as the FED, which was created to help maintain a stable monetary and financial system and control the money supply. People themselves can also help from falling into poverty, butRead MorePoverty Of The United States1408 Words   |  6 PagesWhen people hear the word poverty many people think of the bad connotations that come with it like, smelly homeless people that are crackheads and disease holders. Some people may even think they are uneducated or not hard working enough and rather ask for mone y instead of trying to get a job. Although a small portion of that may be true to some homeless people due to addictions on drugs and the toll it takes on their lives. The majority of homeless people are either veterans or immigrants, who findRead MorePoverty in the United States755 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty in the United States is getting in inferior quality every day and nothing is being done about it. Many people who want to help the poor, but no one knows exactly how to help them. A primary reason for people not taking action is because of lack of information that is provided about issues on poverty. Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. According to the U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday September 13thRead MorePoverty Of The United States Essay1369 Words   |  6 PagesPoverty within the United States is defined as â€Å"having an income below a federally determined poverty threshold. † Poverty thresholds were developed by the United States government in the 60s. Over time these thresholds are adjusted to account for inflation; it is typical to adjust the poverty threshold levels annually. They represent the government’s estimate of the point below which a family has insufficient resources to meet their basic needs. Any family with less income than that establishedRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pages The Character of Poverty in America Poverty has always been a key factor in United States History. Ever sense Americas birth there have been groups affected by poverty, but the forms of the poverty that affected these groups have changed as well as the nature of poverty itself in the USA. The abolition of slavery, the forced assimilation of native Americans, and mass immigration changed character of poverty within the united states change due to an evolution from agriculture to industry and a changeRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1531 Words   |  7 Pagessuch dialog, topics on the increasing and rather consistent levels of poverty in some regions in America are touched on as well. Poverty is defined as a condition where one’s basics needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met (What Is Poverty? â€Å"). From sea to shining sea, more than 15 percent of the American population live in poverty, a total of people over 46 million. Many who live in poverty within the United States live in areas that were once thriving from the country’s economic growthRead MoreThe Poverty Of The United States1746 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will defer when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measurement has hardly changed since it was createdRead MorePoverty Of The United States1475 Words   |  6 Pages â€Æ' Poverty in the United States is defined as a social problem. As outlined in the text, a social problem is â€Å"a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and is usually a matter of public controversy†. It is easy to see that there is a large economic divide in the United States, but with only a small percentage of people in the highest income stratification and the vast majority struggling to get by, the majority of United States citizens agree that there is tooRead MorePoverty in the United States1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Background of Poverty in America In the United States, there are about more than forty-six million people living in impoverished conditions today. Poverty is a major conflict issue in this country amongst people who are part of the lower class because American families always had a hard time making ends meet, even before the Great Recession began. Living in poverty puts them at a disadvantage because they have to choose between necessitates like health care, child care, and food in order to

The Impact Of Telecommunication Technology On Virtual...

Impact of Telecommunication Technologies on Virtual Universities Shena D. Sterling IX540: Research Methods for Education and Instructional Technology Professor Kimberly Case December 13, 2014 Introduction Virtual Universities are on the rise and are a legitimate threat to replace the traditional University. The most prominent reason for the current explosion in student enrollment in the virtual universities, are advancements in telecommunications technologies. This paper presents a methodology for quantitatively testing the relationship between growth in telecommunications technologies, and parallel growth in student enrollment in Category 1, Title IV 2yr and 4yr degree granting distance education programs recognized by†¦show more content†¦As advancements in telecommunications technologies go forward the costs associated with such technologies have decreased while the benefits increased. New cutting edge technologies are always priced at a premium when they are introduced into the market. As competitors enter the market the cost of the technology gradually declines and demand rises following the law of demand. In this project one of the major questions that must be answered is whether the value of low cost distance education programs, supported by new and innovative telecommunication technologies, is greater than the value of traditional educational programs costing much more. The researcher proposes that the explosive growth in student enrollment in on-line programs answer this question affirmatively. The researcher will use quantitative analysis to support the null hypothesis identified in the document. Within the context of this quasi-experimental study the researcher has carefully investigated the role advancements in telecommunications technologies have played in the establishment and growth of virtual universities in the U.S., the impact telecommunications technologies have had on Title IV, Post-Secondary 2yr and 4yr degree granting colleges and universities, how the explosive growth in on-line student enrollment has globally

Adchems Approach to Selling Clebal in Guatemala free essay sample

ADCHEM’S APPROACH TO SELLING CLEBALâ„ ¢ INTO GUATEMALA Following a review of the newspaper article, our recent law suit and events over the last one year concerning the sale of Clebalâ„ ¢ into Guatemala please find below my proposal, rationale for the proposal and proposed implementation plan: PROPOSAL A. Our organization should consider adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ even though this might result in an initial drop in sales because of the increased cost of manufacture However, in the long term, this is a significantly lower cost compared to the potential long term revenue loss resulting from poor consumer confidence owing to negative press and eventual costs from legal claims for wrongful death – both of which could be reduced by the modification of the constituents of Clebalâ„ ¢ with mustard oil. B. No changes be made to the direct sales method of distribution in Guatemala. RATIONALE By adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ will avoid violations of consumers trust and legal liability for deaths caused by the use of Clebalâ„ ¢. We will write a custom essay sample on Adchems Approach to Selling Clebal in Guatemala or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I estimate that, by adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ there could be a drop in sales due to a reduction in the effectiveness of Clebalâ„ ¢ (30% weaker), Moreover, eventual revenue from the sales of Clebalâ„ ¢ could well be reduced and production costs increased, in amounts difficult to estimate, as shoe manufacturers may look for substitute adhesives to Clebalâ„ ¢ and competitors may gain market share due to the change. However, in spite of the aforementioned disadvantages, I propose that AdChem should still consider adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ because risking the lives of an estimated 5,000 children in Guatemala with a known toxic toluene based adhesive (Clebalâ„ ¢) could undermine AdChem’s reputation with all customers for an indefinite period not just for Clebalâ„ ¢ but for all AdChem branded products. There is also the potential cost of legal claims from at least some of the estimated 5000 Guatemalan children who could become fatally injured by the Clebalâ„ ¢, this is in addition to punitive damages, negative press and the excuse of compliance with government safety regulations might not be a complete defense as has been seen in other high profile cases. While it is admittedly difficult to estimate the monetary value of the future revenue loss to due to reduced consumer confidence and the costs from future legal claims, it appears that not adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ could easily result in an outcome far less favourable than its addition, in spite of the relatively higher sales and higher revenues realized from not adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢. To enable AdChem closely monitor its sales and interface directly with its major customers I propose that at this point AdChem should continue sales directly to its customers. PROPOSED NEXT STEPS AdChem should consider adding mustard oil to Clebalâ„ ¢ as the advantages (no legal claims, positive brand image, long term revenue, consumer confidence etc) far outweigh the disadvantages (legal suits, poor consumer confidence etc) of not doing this. I propose that we do the following: A. Engage the shoe manufacturers in a forum, where their concerns are heard and their fears allayed. This can be done by explaining to the shoe manufacturers that the adhesive is still strong enough for shoe manufacture. B. Find innovative ways to allocate the additional cost of adding mustard oil to the adhesive e. g. redistributing costs in Adchem’s books or getting tax rebate. C. Could the government provide a subsidy to AdChem in the interim? Thank you.

LG paper Essay Example

LG paper Essay LG paper BY rlyt1001 LG is a multinational electronic company that is South Korean. The headquarters is located in Yeouido-dong Seoul. This company is broken up into 5 divisions; home entertainment, home appliances, air conditioning, and energy solutions. LG was established in 1958 as a company called Gold star, which eventually merged with a company Lucky, creating lucky Gold star not Lifes Good which is the slogan. Lucky was the home appliance side and Gold star was the electronics side. Now LG is a multi billion dollar company that provides the 5 divisions world wide is ecognized as one of the best in each division. LG is very competitive in the markets of TVs, cell phones, refrigerators, and washers/ dryers. They are the second largest manufacture of TVs in the world, right under samsung. They are also the fifth largest phone company by unit sales. They have reached this spot in the world by providing an excellent product and also advertising. LG advertises through, TV, internet, sale promotions, and events. Their distribution strategy is through retail sales, online, and catalogs. Retail sales is where most of their sales are made; this is because knowledge of the product can be sserted so consumers will confidently by the LG products. We will write a custom essay sample on LG paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on LG paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on LG paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Since LG is not as well known as their main rival Samsung, Lg prices their products around the same/ little less. Samsung and LG are both headquartered in South Korea and have been rivaled since their birth. So LGs competitor (Samsung) strengths are that they are more well known, a larger company, and the leader in technology. However, Samsungs weakness is their higher prices for very similar technology. LGs target market is mass; they are advertently after the whole human race. But are swaying towards a premium market in cell phones; targeting the youth. LG knows that cell phones will soon replace laptops, tablets, cameras, tVs, etc. To wrap everything up, below is LGs Swat Analysis. SWOT Analysis Strength 1 . Wide range of products to serve all categories and a strong focus on technology and quality 2. Effective localization of product offerings for growth markets like India, Brazil, China 3. Brand offers sound rational appeal good product features and good value for money 4. Good after sales service and wide distribution network 5. Subsidiaries enjoy independence in decision making and hence have flexibility in dapting to the local market 6. Sponsorship of sports and entertainment events enhances visibility 7. It has nearly 100,000 employees and is one of the top mobile manufacturers Weakness 1 . Brand lacks influence in the opinionated segment of early adopters especially in the social media environment 2. Brand has limited market share compared to market leaders Works cited: Lee, joseph . LG the company LG HISTORY. (2013): n. page. web. 12 sep. 2013.. Whitehurst, Jason. The History Behind LG. Electronics. (2013): n. page. Web. 12 Sep. 2013.

How to overcome writers block - Emphasis

How to overcome writers block How to overcome writers block Fear is the underlying emotion behind writers block. An inability to start writing hours before deadline may trigger the fight or flight response, leaving us in a cold sweat and frowning at a blank screen. But psychologists have found that the causes of writers block are much more complicated than blind panic. The foundations of the problem are laid down by the way we think and our patterns of behaviour. Avoidance makes it worse Avoiding writing not only wastes time, but it also makes writers block worse, according to behavioural theory. Psychologist Burrhus Skinner coined the term negative reinforcement: thats when a particular behaviour (such as turning off an alarm) is rewarded because it makes a bad feeling or unwanted sensation go away. Avoiding writing is also an act that is negatively reinforced because it brings us relief (albeit temporarily). The trouble is, since rewarded behaviour is strengthened, were more likely to carry on doing it. The inner voice We may have negative expectations about a report we have to write. The pessimistic thoughts might be caused by an overly critical boss, or we might be born worriers. Either way, our inner voice can sometimes say unhelpful things we are barely conscious of, like, The report might not be good enough or even People will think Im stupid. Evidence of our shortcomings is unpleasant, so we keep the imagined outcomes at bay by postponing the writing task. But the longer we go without disproving our need to worry, the more likely we are to keep putting it off. In other words, if we never start the project, well never see that it isnt going to be a disaster. Negative thinking There is a strong association between negative thinking and writers block. One experiment, from researchers at Princeton and Yale, found that combining writing training with strategies from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was an effective way to overcome writing anxiety. Participants using this combined approach wrote higher quality documents than a group who were given only writing training. CBT is a goal-orientated talking therapy that helps people to challenge negative thinking. According to Aaron Beck, the clinical psychologist who developed the approach, human behaviour often stems from the way we think. And rational thinking leads to constructive behaviour. Reframe your thoughts In the Princeton/Yale study, participants were asked to identify negative self-statements those thoughts that inhibited coping behaviour and update them with more productive ideas. For example, Ill never get this work done is an example of black-and-white thinking, the tendency to evaluate yourself, people or situations in extreme terms. After looking at evidence for and against the idea that the work would never get done, the thought could be reframed into something more positive: I may be very busy, but I am experienced enough to finish the task. Catching yourself in the act of avoidance and negative thinking can be the point where you begin to unblock your writing. Writing in the blog Psychology Today, business coach Margaret Moore suggests ways to get rid of your inner critic. These include logging your negative thoughts in a notepad, identifying the feelings that lie behind the thoughts to get to the root of the block, and even telling your inner voice to shut up!. We can think of a few stronger words you might want to use. For techniques on how to beat the block, see our article Tips for breaking through the barrier. Reference: The efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy and writing process training for alleviating writing anxiety by Peter Salovey and Matthew Haar was originally published in Cognitive Therapy And Research Vol 14, Number 5 (1990).

Normality and Normalcy

Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy By Maeve Maddox Audrey Bennett asks: Can normalcy and normality be used interchangeably? Both nouns derive from the adjective normal. normal: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. The adverb is normally. According to some speakers, normalcy is an abominable neologism to be avoided at all costs. This attitude is illustrated by this comment praising a writer for preferring normality over normalcy: A Nobel in Literature to you for writing â€Å"return to normality† instead of the ugly neologism â€Å"normalcy,† first popularized by Warren G. Harding. Actually, according to the OED, this particular neologism was around as early as 1857, nearly half a century before Harding used it in his campaign in 1920 when he promised a return to normalcy. The following examples are all from U.S. publications: After Opener, Giants Hoping for Normalcy For a man doing time on the yard, sports offer a touch of normality and tangible contact with his life outside. Pasternack hoping to bring normalcy to New Orleans Seventeen years later, my quest for normality had taken me through a career in journalism†¦ AFTER THE STORM; South Florida Staggers to Normality Evacuees Worry and Hope for Return to Normalcy Normalcy is not interchangeable with normality in some contexts. For example, in comparing an untypical condition to a typical condition, one would want to pair abnormality with normality and not normalcy. Although the form abnormalcy is showing up on the web and even in some dictionaries, its not in the OED, and it is not standard in American speech. Bottom line: Normalcy is well established and acceptable in standard American speech, although it is not interchangeable with normality in some contexts. Normality, on the other hand, suits every context in which the sense the state or condition of being normal is intended. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?How to Pronounce MobileNominalized Verbs

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) - Essay Example According to studies, the price of RFID will approach $0.05-0.10 if purchased in bulk. When this trend continues, it would not be long before the market will lean towards the RFID due to cost-effectiveness, thus, possibly defeating the role of barcodes that are widely used for commercial purposes with about 5 billion worldwide occurrences daily. One of the organisations that are working to regularise RFID is the EPCGlobal Inc., which is a cooperative effort between UCC and EAN. These are the two parties responsible for the application of barcodes in the U.S. and Europe market (RSA Security, 2004b). Through the advantages brought about by the RFID, problems in the privacy of consumers are raised by certain groups. Concerns on the possibility of detecting the possessions of the consumers without their knowledge are the main objective of these groups. If access of being able to detect and read the RFID were given to the wrong hands, possibility such as robbery and other crimes is at hand. Also, the business groups perceive the possibility of RFID being a tool for company surveillance. As a possible answer to the security issues, RSA Security provides ways to validate RFID readers and to be able to make protected internal transactions (RSA Security, 2004a). The Radio-F... Upon activation from the reading device, the RFID tag sends a signal which can be translated as a distinct number that can identify the particular item. In this effect, the RFID tag does not require a power source because it can be considered as inert and works only when stimulated. There are already practical uses of this technology. One application is for proximity cards that are used more conveniently than metal keys. Other examples include payment devices such as Speedpass, E-Z Pass and FasTrak. Another advantage is for identification of lost pets wherein RFID tags implanted through surgical procedure can be scanned to be able to determine the owner even if other sorts of identification are lost (RSA Security, 2004b). Basic System Schematic Source: RF-ID.com Important technologies led to the development of the RFID. One invention that can be related to the evolution of this technology is the apparatus for the Soviet government with the main purpose of surveillance made by Lon Theremin in 1945. It works through a process similar to the RFID wherein activation was possible through the intercepted radio waves and audio information. According to references, technology applied in the RFID was present in the 1920s although it was also stated that such application was just discovered in the 1960s (AIM, n.d). Another technology that may have an influence in the RFID development was the IFF transponder in 1939 that belongs to the British and was used during the World War II. Using this technology, they were able to determine whether airplanes are enemies and which are allies. In the study of RFID, one of the earliest people who made interest on the technology is Harry Stockman in his work "Communication by Means of Reflected

Management Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management Accounting - Assignment Example hen undertaking a two stage assignment plan for overheads since cost allocation to intermediate pools is carried out at the initial stage while the second stage involves cost allocation to the products from the intermediate pools (Barnett & Dawkins, 2006). A number of scholars hold the opinion that ABC method of costing is undertaken by firms because it is considered fashionable, and not that it gives more detailed information for use by the management. It is a fact that this costing method does not give extra information to management since it determines the costs of the firm in a way that is different from the traditional or conventional method of costing (Rosati et al., 2008). The traditional costing method brings together all the costs of the organization then allocates them to the products that have been manufactured depending on the hours of labor spent directly per product. On the other hand, ABC concentrates majorly on the activities carried out prior to the completion of the products’ production. Here, the costing process is intermediate and is carried out by a firm to assign overhead costs to the products so as to see to it that there is accuracy on the information on the costs of the good. In other instances, the cost activity becomes the activity. Here, ABC provides no additional information and instead divides the costing process to see to the correctness of the cost information that is given for every unit or each product that is produced. Accounting heavily relies on the accuracy and transparency of information. The conventional cost techniques assign all kinds of overheads, which include product level, batch level, and facility depending on the allocation or assignment that suits the unit level best. On the other hand, ABC taps the structure of costs to illustrate the correctness in the information, presenting a particular reason for its preference by a number of firms. ABC primarily concentrates on activities that relate to the production

Effects of Social Problems Symptoms Essay Example for Free

Effects of Social Problems Symptoms Essay The symptoms of social problems among teenagers in this day will give you an impression of the enormous impact and in the individual, society and the State. Teens on this day is the main asset and it is essential in the development of the country at the time to come. Effect of long term and short term will surely apply if teenagers and society on this day does not know how to menanganani problems that exacerbated the tapered, this makes the formation of identity and the glory of the morals of our societys eyes fragile self. Morals is mirrored themselves for personal and individual. If the individual has a bad character, then that personal individual will also be bad. Teens who have bad attitudes, and may give the impression to oneself, family, community, and country. One employee who was born this mortal circle like a white cloth sesuci no kotoranya, it is it is up on the individual it how he wants to mencorakkan his life. Individuals who mencorakkan himself with a good character will be seen noble and high, as opposed to the individual who mencorakkan himself with negative things will be perceived by the public and angle dicemuh round. For someone who had the title of Muslims are predominantly teens, good morals should be decorated with the things of faith and devotion to God. Instead, the muslim teenager kebanyankkan on today is not in accordance with the teachings of islam, by contrast, Nations and religions humiliating the country. Cannot be disclaimed warranties are also symptoms of social impression this gives a deep impression on a persons teens. Families play a role that is very important because of the happiness and harmony of the institution of kekeluargaanlah something that society was formed. The collapse of the family institution will cause a loss of happiness and harmony experienced something of the community. The morals of an individual good and noble juveniles comes from a family institution that harmony and happy. Therefore, the collapse of morals in the family institution will give a great impression upon the happiness and harmony of the family institution. something As a result of his careless harmonian in family a family no doubt will be the enactment of penceraian. This will make the future children will be left unattended and not well maintained, beyond missing site dependent and bermanja. The effect the enactment of social problems such as drugs, addictive lepak cultures, prostitution, gambling, same-sex relationships and other issues. Falls and ups something the State, religion and the nation at present is to see morals and moral thing for society. The disclaimed warranties not the morals of adolescents in todays highly membimbangkan society. If this is not dammed by the party – the party that, chiefly by the Empire, then it is not surprising, someday will come our society will crumble and collapse the morals of adolescents – Malay teen will chiefly rosak and perish. However there is the sharpest impression that will be seen on teen attitudes, and presumably today is not dammed quickly. People in this country will be porak-peranda, were divided and not United-ECE. As a result the bad feelings and prejudices will exist within the community. The nature of each curiga-mencurigai will be enthroned in the hearts of the people. This impression when menberi goes pergaduhan in the community. The incoherent issues will exist if pergaduhan this involves between two clans. As for the crime levels in the community will also increase to which this is due to the levels of moral collapse among teenagers has increased. The main implications against the State if the symptoms are not social ditengani soon will lead the country will lose the leadership generation upholstery in the future. This will make the countrys development will be terbantut kerancakan and State socioeconomic data into humid country because his social and moral collapse of the symptoms is high among the public. This makes the case for the crime levels in the country will also increase in line with increased social symptoms he while enhancing the perbelajaan of kos to reduce rates for the crime. Beyond the evils outside evils will seep into the country if the young generation today dont know keep their morals. And, the main impression is that teens today are predominantly of Islamic morals teenagers crushed and then view rosak Gentiles against religion that we anuti on this day surely gone Askew and bad.

China Rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s p

Chinas rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s players Introduction Chinas open reform period is characterized as one without a blueprint but by ‘groping for stones to cross the river’, based on an incremental, gradualist approach to reformation. China is still a developing country, with pockets of industrialized regions. While China relishes in the fruits of its labour, there is an increasing disparity between the urban and rural areas due to this disequilibrium of development. China’s presence on the world stage has drastically increased and has left many researchers perplexed about the consequences of its rise. There exists a plethora of studies, debating whether Chinas current path is one that is headed to the top, or whether China is at the precipice of its development with looming declines in the near future, plagued by weak institutional reforms. While there are many features that characterize Chinas direction, this paper will primarily analyze Chinas wages and regional disparities and how this as impacted the world. The Effects of Chinas Wage Increases Chinas cheap labour has been a prominent economic advantage since opening its market. However, according to government published data, average annual real wages have tripled from 1997 to 2007 from 3,285 to 24,932 Yuan. The Institute of Population and Labour Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), reported that the rural surplus labour is decreasing to a level that continued industrialization cannot be supported cheaply (Cai, 2007). Additionally there has been increasing reports about China losing its appeal as a manufacturing base for exports (Yang, Chen, Monarch, 2010). Chinas US foreign direct investments (FDI) have ... ...has by no means leveled. Conclusion Explanation for Chinas rise is one that is usually polarized between profound optimism and an impending doomsday tale for the global economy. The research suggests that China’s rise embodies characteristics of both a race to the top and bottom. Additionally, as examined in this paper its integration has varying effects across regions. However both scenarios are not solely dependent on China but how countries like the United States adjust. Aborting the transition due to fear by introducing trade barriers will not beneficial economically in the long run due to an already interdependent relationship between China and the world. China’s transition is a path-dependent based journey unfolding in the present, therefore an analysis on Chinas rise is speculative at best, but serves as a looking glass to capitalism, Chinese style.

Macroeconomics Impact on Business Operations

Macroeconomics is reflection of performance and structure of economics of a nation or a region. Gross Domestic Produce (GDP), consumption, unemployment, inflation, international trade etc come in ambit of Macroeconomics. Whereas, microeconomic is about actions of businesses (firms) and consumers in determining demand- supply/ prices at market place. A Business Operation is very much part of Macroeconomic activities cycle. Other than Business Operation or ‘Corporation’, other key elements of macroeconomic cycle are ‘household’, ‘workforce’, ‘government’ and ‘financial market’. For illustration, following aspect of macroeconomics directly impact a business function Increase in consumption: Positive macroeconomics indicates healthy economy which means high consumption or growing demand for products. High market demand for a product leads to opportunity for efficient business operations, and growth in top line of the business house. However there are industry specific business cycles which may have certain lead/ lag with the overall macroeconomic health of region/ country. International trade: Incase government promote imports by local industry, there is adverse impact on related business operation as increase in intensity of local competition asks for business to redefine their business strategy. Whereas any sop extended in macroeconomic policy for increasing exports would provide bigger market to the business, asking for increasing capacities and manpower. Monetary Policy: Monetary policy is an important lever with government to control supply of money in the system. Tightening of money supply by fed / apex bank impacts a corporate/ business considerably. For a business operation to raise debt at lower interest rates, macroeconomics of the country must be in healthy shape. Countries like Russia, Brazil etc have used monetary policy other macroeconomic measures to contain galloping inflation effectively. In nut shell each nation use macroeconomic measure to keep good economy health, efficient business operations and well being of public. References: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Olivier Blanchard (2000), Macroeconomics,. Prentice Hall 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Heijdra, B.J. and F. van der Ploeg (2002), Foundations of Modern Macroeconomics, Oxford University Press   

Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

Domestic Violence and Child abuse University of North Carolina at Wilmington Social Work 311: Child Abuse and Neglect M. Guarino 3-28-2011 Abstract Domestic violence and child abuse have a tendency to go hand in hand. In the past, people overlooked the fact that in most households where domestic violence kids present, child abuse and neglect also occurs. An improvement in the collaboration between child protection and domestic violence services is vital for workers to identify, interdict, and resolve the issues related to abuse in all forms.Cross training and interagency cooperation will greatly reduce abuse and increase the efficiency in which help is administered. 4-29-2011 SWK 311 Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Some parents abuse their kids because they have an alcohol or drug problem, or they have an extreme temper and they take it out on their kids, some parents abuse their kids because the parents went through something traumatic. Some parents abuse their children because th ey were abused when they were children, and then, you get some people who are just plain cruel and enjoy abusing children.In most instances domestic violence in the family structure also has an impact on the existence of child abuse. Households that experience some form or another of domestic violence also have higher rates of child abuse/neglect issues. We should recognize that domestic violence can also be associated with child abuse and improve the collaboration between child protection and domestic violence services. Child buse and neglect in the context of domestic violence can be played out in a variety of ways; the same perpetrator may be abusing both mother and children, probably the most common scenario; the children may be injured when â€Å"caught in the crossfire† during incidents of adult domestic violence; children may experience neglect because of the impact of the violence, controlling behaviors and abuse on women’s physical and mental health; or childr en may be abused by a mother who is herself being abused.Evidence is emerging in cases where both domestic violence and child abuse occur represent the greatest risk to children’s safety (Stanley 1997) and that large numbers of cases in which children are killed have histories of domestic violence(Wilczynski 1996). The man of the family is usually the root cause of the problem, however child protection services has a history of focusing on the mother, despite the fact that men are estimated to be responsible for half of the incidents of physical abuse of children, and the majority of the most serious physical abuse.Most interventions by Child protection have focused on the woman, even when their violent male partners have been known to have committed the abuse of children. This is problematic because this gender bias can result in women being held accountable for â€Å"failing to protect† their children from the actions of men who use violence against them and therefor e a failure to hold men accountable for the effects of their violence on women and children. An understanding of how domestic abuse effects child abuse is crucial in developing strategies to combat the child abuse problem.For child protection services to be effective there needs to be an understood collaboration between them and the domestic violence services. Child protection agencies have been slow or failed to recognize the contribution of domestic violence to many situations of child abuse and neglect. Some differences are that child protective services usually deal with involuntary clients, whereas domestic violence service workers deal with people on a voluntary basis.Child protective services deal with women who may be at a very different stage in recognizing and dealing with the violence in their relationships, than women who contact domestic violence services. For a collaboration to be effective, both agencies must understand each other’s work, what it is and what it isn’t. They must also appreciate the constraints, pressures, and limitations under which they are both operating. Both entities need to realize that domestic violence goes hand in hand with child abuse and vice-versa. Strategies should also be changed by child protection agencies in reference to their approach of men.They need to learn about legal approaches to contain the violent men, so that they do not merely rely on threats to a mother to physically remove her children. They also need to learn to relate to abused women in ways that do not replicate the controlling and threatening behaviors of the perpetrator. Some interesting ways so that the two agencies could work together is cross-training, integration, and specialized teams. Mandatory cross-training would enable both agencies to realize the identifying factors and how to go about handling them. It would enable the agencies to see the powers and limitations of each other.Integration of the agencies will also enable th em to use to their resources to their fullest potential. It is kind of like the Sherriff’s department and the city police, both are basically doing the same task, but they are two separate entities who rarely communicate with each other. If they merged together and integrated all of their resources they would probably be more efficient. The same goes with child protection and domestic violence services. Specialized teams would also be very beneficial because they could use their special skills to handle very tricky situations.The teams could team up with the police and court system to find a way to handle the situation. Establishing this â€Å"common ground† approach between the two agencies will significantly reduce child abuse in domestic violence households. In response to the growing recognition of the intersection of domestic violence and child abuse and neglect, significant efforts are being made to improve the collaboration between domestic violence and child pr otection services. This is very important to recognize that one usually affects the other. We must understand and use every available resource to combat the problem.Instead of standing there with our hands tied behind our backs not being able to do anything, let’s use every available tool and resource that is available to help the child. Anything that can be done to save or at least help any child that is in an abusive situation is worth it. References Stanley, N. 1197, ‘Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Developing Social Work Practice’, Child and Family Social Work, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 135-146 Wilczynski, A. 1996, ‘Risk Factors for Child and Spousal Homicide’, Psychiatry and Behavioral Disorders: Family Law Issues, LAAMS Publications, Bondi Junction

How To Market A Brand New Feature With Kathryn From CoSchedule

How To Market A Brand New Feature With Kathryn From Organizing new product launches and telling customers about new features can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know exactly how to market your products and features to your audience, and you might have trouble coming up with just the right language to attract the attention of your target audience. Today, were chatting  with s product marketing lead, Kathryn Nyhus. Kathryn helps organize product launches and comes up with the specific messaging necessary to speak to our varied customers. She’s a super-smart marketing nerd, which helps her fit right in with the team! Kathryn’s background and how it has helped her in her current position at . How Kathryn has helped get  more organized with the implementation of checklists and timelines. How the team comes up with speaking points for a feature. Some of Kathryn’s favorite techniques and methods of marketing a new feature. How segmenting helps the team tailor their marketing emails to the right audiences. How to continue to market a feature once the initial excitement of its launch fades. Kathryn’s best piece of advice for marketers who are launching a new product or feature. Links: Example of  recent product marketing:  4 New (Mind Blowing) Features Launching This Year + 3 You Should Already Be Using! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud,  Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Kathryn: â€Å"Content marketing is the piece that builds the trust and attracts people and product marketing really starts to develop the relationship.† â€Å"Put yourself in the customer’s shoes of asking, Why do I care? Keep asking yourself, But why?† â€Å"Constantly be in contact with your customers.†

Boss Appreciation Day Quotes

Boss Appreciation Day Quotes Here is an unofficial code: if you want to climb the corporate ladder, first learn to manage your boss. With a happy boss, you can reach the top. On this Bosss Day, share these quotes with your superior to win them over. Robert Frost The difference between a job and a career is the difference between forty and sixty hours a week. Sam Walton There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else. Howard Aiken Dont worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, youll have to ram them down peoples throats. John Gotti If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldnt have a job if he was any smarter. Lawrence H. Martin In many businesses, today will end at five oclock. Those bent on success, however, make today last from yesterday right through to tomorrow. Elbert Hubbard There is no failure except in no longer trying. Doug Larson Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties. Casey Stengel The secret of successful managing is to keep the five guys who hate you away from the four guys who havent made up their minds. The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate you away from those who are still undecided. Peter Drucker Management by objective works- if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you dont. Homer Simpson Kill my boss? Do I dare live out the American dream? Tim Gould Ive been promoted to middle management. I never thought Id sink so low. Byron Pulsifer A good boss is a person who can tolerate my complaints and still manage to say hello to me every day. If it wasnt for bad bosses, I wouldnt know what a good one was like. Leo J. Farrell, Jr. The mark of a true executive is usually illegible. Cedric Adams Executive: A man who talks to visitors so the other employees can get their work done.

Financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial analysis - Essay Example – Financial Statement Analysis 1.1 Strategic Plan overview The Ann Arbor VA focuses on the provision of healthcare services to the veterans of US (Strategic Plan, p.11). The mission statement of Ann Arbor VA is as follows: â€Å"To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan† (Affairs 2013). It is made clear that the organization’s role within its industry is unique. ... families, a practice that indicates the recognition for the veteran’s contribution in the power of the country as a member of the international community (Strategic Plan, p.5). One of the key challenges that Ann Arbor VA has to face is the ‘continuous change in its operating environment’ (Strategic Plan, p.12). The number of US veterans involved in military operations worldwide is continuously increased (Strategic Plan, p.12). Therefore, the demands for healthcare services from Ann Arbor VA tend also to increase, both as of their volume and as of their complexity (Strategic Plan, p.12). Through the years, the organization has managed to secure its effectiveness by employing a series of carefully designed plans and appropriate budgetary techniques, as explained below. The analysis of the financial ratios related to the organization’s performance also verifies the organization’s success in achieving its goals and objectives; of course, concerns in rela tion to the performance of certain organizational departments have not been avoided. 1.2 Financial Statement Analysis In order to evaluate the financial statements of an organization it is necessary to retrieve data related at least to two economic (concurrent) years of the particular organization, so that a comparison is feasible (Mohana 2011). Such comparison would also help to identify the firm’s weaknesses, in regard to its various operations (Gibson 2011). In addition, it is necessary to have access to different financial statements of the organization under examination; focusing only on Balance Sheet or other financial statement could lead to invalid assumptions regarding the organization’s actual financial performance (Bragg 2012). It should be noted that the financial analysis for Ann Arbor VA is based

Classic airline and marketing solution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Classic airline and marketing solution - Essay Example Moreover the management is not able to come to a consensus to resolve the problems. In order to overcome the hazards, this company needs to figure out strategies and plans. Identifying challenges The first step in order to resolve issues is to identify the challenges. One of the main problems faced by this airline is reduction in airline stocks. There is lack of unity among the employees and this has lead to low morale. One of the main problems is that the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of this airline focuses less on marketing and at the same time wants more consumers to use this airlines. Around 20% of the members have stopped using the Classic Reward Frequent Flyer Program. This program is one such programme which recognises the efforts of frequent flyers by allowing them to redeem free tickets on miles. However one of the alarming statistics is that the average number of flights per member has declined to more than 20%. This translates to the fact that Classic Airlines is slowing losing its loyal customers. One of the major challenges which is being faced by all departments is that this company is 15% reduction in costs over the next 18 months. Perspectives of stakeholders and ethical dilemmas The major problems which Classic Airlines is facing are dissatisfied customers, low moral and unity among workers and competition from rival airlines. In order to get this organization back to track urgent strategic decisions need to be formulated with special attention to efficiency, innovation, efficacy and customer service. Classic Airlines expects to provide better quality services at the same airfare and this means that the marketing department needs to extensively and aggressively market the product to attract more customers. Framing the problem Classic airlines must focus on all aspects to ensure that they have better growth and profitability. To achieve this, the organization must be able to forecast market potential and future demand. This can be attained by focusing on long – term marketing goals which can help to reduce challenges. Classic airline must employ internal marketing strategies so that the internal customers are satisfied and work together as a team. Inte rnal marketing suggests that in order to be successful an organization must also emphasise on its internal customers or employees. Service organisations must ensure that the employees have the skill, attitude and commitment needed to meet up with growing customer demands and also sustain loyal customers. In internal marketing employee development is done through training, communication, recruitment, management, coaching and leadership. The company must understand the four elements of services; namely inconsistency, intangibility, inseparability and inventory. These are also known as the four I’s of the services. When discussing the marketing mix of the services the four P’s are important. In order to pursue major marketing goals in the target market, the marketing mix which consists of product, price, promotion and place must be used. The Classic Airlines should offer its customers, competitive prices, invest more on promoting products, improve the quality of the produ cts, enhance the CRM system, and implement new and innovating marketing plans and strategies. The above

LGBT is a bad idea in university because Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

LGBT is a bad idea in university because - Essay Example LGBT housing is a bad idea in university because housing is discriminative in nature. According to (Cochran) , Barry Magee, who is the Director of Resident Life, argues that housing LGTB will create an environment where allies of LGTB community as well as those individuals who are identified as LGTB come together and share comfortable conversations . In addition, Magee said that housing of LGBT will create a safer atmosphere in the campus for the LGBT community by bringing the community together. Rather than creating a safe environment, housing of LGTB will convey discrimination on the Campus. Researchers argue that the main ground of discrimination and especially in a school environment is a negative perception. The perception that a particular set of group of the individual is more important that another will cause students uproar. Housing of LGBT will act as a transparent base for comparison of beliefs and personal behaviors and as result safety the safety of the student will redu ce. In most cases, every action that is conducted towards schoolmates, classmates among others will be evaluated on the basis of LGBT (Lee 205). LGBT housing is a bad idea in university because of academic reasons. Social relationships are very critical, both in schools and outside school. Good relationships raise the self-esteem of students and more importantly their way of expression. Self-esteem in school enables students to identify their better performers on campus comfortably and as a result making them their target to their academic improvements. Housing of LGBT will be creating a barrier by which students will be interacting. For instance, it will be exceptionally peculiar to find a member of LGBT community interacting, leave alone taking an academic project together with others for fear of discrimination. Fundamentally, different tutors and professors have different teaching methods. In some

Analysis of Shell Oil Company

Analysis of Shell Oil Company Shannon Davison Abstract Companies face a number of opportunities and challenges in as far as their growth is concerned. An analysis of the Shell Oil Company reveals a number and therefore a consideration of the same in their strategies is necessary. This paper looks at a number of issues surrounding this company in as far as its performance as a business is concerned. The Analysis of Shell Oil Company One of the household names across many countries of the word when it comes to oil and oil products is the Shell Oil Company. Undeniably, Shell Oil Company is one of the largest oil multinational companies controlling huge market share not only in the United States of America, but the world as well. The Shell Oil Company which is a subsidiary of the Royal Dutch origins is headquartered in Houston, Texas (Pirog, 2007). Shell Oil Company together with its consolidated and equity companies is arguably the America’s largest producer of natural gas and oil. Besides production, Shell Oil Company markets natural gas and gasoline as well as petrochemicals. In the United States of America, Shell Oil Company significantly contributes to economic growth and development not only due to the large market spectrum and production, but job creation as well. This is because the company has absorbed approximately 22, 000 employees in the U.S America are approximately 22, 000 Shell Oil Company emp loyees in the U.S. of America (Pirog, 2007). This paper provides a descriptive analysis of Shell Oil Company in relation to production, marketing competitiveness and challenges affecting the energy sector. Roles of the Firm Apart from its normal business of selling oil and oil products, Shell Oil Company and its subsidiaries participate in various community development initiatives, environmental mitigation initiatives both in the United States of America and the subsidiary countries. This acts in their favour in terms of making their presence within the communities they work more significant and relevant. Furthermore, they are able to meet their moral obligation of ensuring that the communities they work with are at home doing business with them. For instance, Shell initiates environmental conservation programs in vulnerable oil producing nations including but not limited to Niger Delta and Nigeria (Pirog, 2007). The programs facilitate the restoration of degraded environmental ecosystems. This is in tune with what is going around across many other organizations and individuals who are out to ensure that the environment is kept safe from degradation in order to promote human life. The initiatives theref ore promote environmental conservation stewardships and biodiversity through sensitization, research activities and reduction of pollutants. On the other hand, the company provides competitive global transport fuel to 10 million customers daily. The customers are served through the 44,000 fuel stations spread in over 70 countries of operations. Equally, Shell’s products and services are designed to fulfill various business needs, encompassing chemicals to shipping and construction to aviation industries among others. Overall, Shell is a globalised group of energy and petrochemicals companies producing, marketing and enhancing sustainable environmental conservations. Globally, the company has employed approximately 92, 000 people in more than 70 subscribing countries and territories (Rexler, 2010). Moreover, Shell Oil Company has significantly capitalized on the technological advancements in bid to foster innovative approaches for sustainable energy production and marketing. However, the Shell Oil Company has also experienced challenges in equal measure in bid to accomplish the outlined goals and objectives. Therefo re, the newly appointed CEO Ben van Beurden in together with the company’s top management team brainstorm on potential solutions to the problems affecting the company and its subsidiaries. Among the challenges that they have to wrestle with include the stiff competition that is mounting up day after day, suppressive environmental and other policies given the nature of the problems that the company is dealing in, availability of alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind which is a threat to the marketability of its products, political and legal challenges within the countries they work in and cultural challenges, among others. Shell’s Recent Past Supply and Demand Impacts Although Shell Oil Company has greatly influenced global Oil production and marketing as well as transport, construction and aviation industries, but the last four decade-scenarios technically put the giant company in jeopardy. Hennchen (2011) attributes this to emerging issues in global oil trends as far as production, competitive product sales and marketing (136). Shell Oil Company and its subsidiaries use these scenarios in projecting future trends in relation current and emerging challenges. The projections underpin insightful outlines of the company’s future growth and development strategies. The scenarios have actually been into play since the early 1970s aimed at forecasting the future demand of refinery sectors. Ideally, Shell Oil Company among other players has been significantly affected by the inevitable changing global trends in economic status, population, geopolitics, climatic changes and resource stressors. The World over, there is a global economic liberation t aking shape thus the increasing demand of energy. Increasing number of developing countries is an implication of growing demand of Oil and oil products. To this effect, dwindling crude oil stocks in the producing countries has significantly affected global supply of the commodity. Moreover, the situation was fanned by the intrigues emanating from Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) union. On the other hand, global climatic change has negatively affected oil production and refinery processes. Climatic changes eventually leads to global warming caused by significant rise in temperatures as well industrial gasses emission into the atmosphere (Rexler, 2010). Many oil producing countries are greatly predisposed to environmental degradation owing to poor harvesting methods and greenhouse gas emissions among other factors. For instance the Nigerian based Shell has been accused of indulging into fraudulent and corruptible deals thereby negatively affecting the performance. Major stakeholders in the vital commodity have therefore been compelled into adopting strategic development analysis. Therefore, stakeholders have prompted all the stakeholders concerned with the vital commodity into making strategic planning and development for a favorable business environment. The External Review Committee proposed various strategies to revive the economically vital sector (Uytrecht, 2013). Two energy scenarios are apparently at the foreplay namely; the scramble and unrest in oil producing countries hence less attention to better policies, probably until the supply would have tightened. Secondly, there is likelihood of outlined blueprints to address economic challenges in relation to energy, security and environmental pollutions. Basically, this could easily be facilitated by clean energy development technologies, carbon dioxide sequestration and trade and financial incentives to player countries thus reduced environmental degradation. Such initiatives would definitely enhance sustainable growth and development both in energy sector and industrial expansion. The strategies would h elp in tackling the World’s dwindling oil stocks which eventually might affect the Shell’s production levels. Today, Saudi Arabia is apparently unwilling to disclose to the world the total value of her exploitable crude oil despite having prior insinuation that it has the largest active oil fields. Definitely, Shell Oil Company depends on a seemingly depleted stock from Mexico, Cantrell and the U. S of American oil reserves among others (Sperling and Gordon, 2009). Poor cooperation amongst the oil producing countries coupled with high cost of extraction and high demand from developing nations result into global oil disaster. In addition to these, adverse policies among countries involved and unfavorable political atmospheres are also a great hindrance. Shell Market Share and the Price elasticity of Demand Price elasticity of demand (PED) is defined as the economic responsiveness of how the quantity of goods or services demanded changes in relation to the prices. The price elasticity of demand is usually affected by several factors, including time, availability of substitute, nature of commodity, uses of goods/services among others (Pirog, 2007). Similarly, the price elasticity of Shell Oil company products and services are dependent on the aforementioned factors. Given the structural changes in the world oil markets in the last ten years, the competitiveness of oil and its products have significantly influenced the balance between supply and demand. There is an apparent increase in oil supply emanating from unconventional oil reserves hence less elasticity of Shell Oil products. The price elasticity of Oil and oil products become elastic when a small change in prices produces a large change in demand. Shell Oil Company, one of the major players of oil and petrochemical products in not only the United States of America, but in the world greatly influences the price elasticity of demand of the vital commodity. The Shell’s profit margins are affected by the price elasticity of demand since costs usually change with the sales. At elastic price, the demanded shell products and services can be obtained by reducing price thereby raising sales. The company would therefore make remarkable returns through the economies of scales. The global change in oil production over the last four decades has significantly affected the price elasticity of demand. The price elasticity of commodities tends to fall over prolonged time duration. The â€Å"price inelasticity of oil and oil products over a short period of time could be attributed to high prices† (Sperling and Gordon, 2009). However, the elasticity would gradually become elastic in the long run following strategic planning and regulative mechanisms. To that effect, sustainable global oil production could easily be achieved by adopting modern technological advancements in refining and marketing crude oil as proposed by the ERC. On the other hand, highly competitive products are usually less affected by the price elasticity of demand. This is because the products would remain in high demand despite the presence of substitute goods and services from other companies. Additionally, the price elasticity of oil products can easily be affected by a reduction in the consumption of such goods and services, perhaps owing to economic downtown and loss of jobs. To that effect, the price e lasticity of Shell Oil company products and services has been significantly affected by the economic meltdown in the Euro zone and the U.S. of American economic recession. The presence of OPEC in the market could also influence the price elasticity of demand owing to stringent measures. Although oil and oil products are usually less elastic due to relatively marginalized choices, but there are sometimes when the price elasticity of demand become vulnerable owing to global economic situation and trends in the production (Rexler, 2010). However, natural gas is rarely affected by the price elasticity of demand because it barely has alternatives. Petrol and other oil products that many consumers use are also least affected by the price elasticity of demand. The Costs of production Today, the world’s increasing demand in oil is attributed to fast developing economies as occasioned in China and India. Industrialization process basically implies increased consumption of energy thus oil products. Pirog (2007) argues that developed countries are yet to â€Å"change their oil consumption habits† despite the global changing trends in oil supply (14). Therefore, several factors come into play to affect the cost of producing oil in different countries. For instance, varying cost of extracting crude oil in different counties greatly influences companies’ capacity to efficiently produce high quality and cheap oil products. In the United States of America, the federal government usually provides production patents to major players in the oil industry. Ultimately, Oil companies with production patents greatly influence the prices of oil hence the production costs. The price of oil products in some parts of the U.S. of America has been a function of domestic crude oil production, for instance in North and South Cushing. Consequently, the average cost of one barrel of crude oil basically fluctuates at around $101.50 thus the prevailing situations in Cushing. In fact, this is a measure of local production in relation to average pipeline inflow capacity per day. On the other hand, the updated crude oil cost in Oklahoma depicts a tightening regional demand thereby outstripping the supply. However, the cost of crude oil is likely to remain unpredictable until the completion of the American-Canadian Keystone XL pipeline project in 2016 or 2017 (Rexler, 2010). The global demand in oil and technological advancements also affect the cost of producing oil. The OPEC’s strategic planning and policies predetermine the global oil production costs hence the prevailing prices. Although the counties subscribing to OPEC control about 80% of the world’s oil reserves, but they only produce a third owing to high cost of extraction. The unprecedented failure of OPEC to effectively strategized oil production cost has significantly impacted on global oil prices. The cost of oil production is also influenced by the availability and cost of water. Competitive Advantage and Entry Barriers Shell Oil Company and its subsidiaries enjoy remarkable portion of the world’s oil market owing to its competitive advantage over other oil producing companies. The recent ERC report describes Shell’s strategic plans in addressing production and marketing issues currently facing the energy sector (Sperling and Gordon, 2009). Shell’s active involvement in environmental conservation, community development initiatives and strategic planning basically give the company a cutting edge over other oil producing companies. According to ERC, Shell’s production and sales has significantly increased owing to the competitive brands of oil products released into the market. In addition, Shell’s top management embraces collaboration thus business integration. Shell closely works with research institutions, NGOs and other companies to plan and strategize for a sustainable oil production and marketing across the world. The sustainable oil production requires technologically innovative ways of extracting and processing crude oil to meet market’s growing demand for oil and oil products. Alternatively, business patent apparently enjoyed by the Shell Oil Company puts it on a better position than other oil producing companies. This is because politics usually take center stage in influencing business laws and policies. In addition, business patents usually bar new business ventures from getting into the market thereby hindering free and fair business completion. There are other business barrier s controlling the restricting competitive venture into energy sector (Uytrecht, 2013). For instance, large startup capital as well as resource ownership usually limit the number of businesses in the vital energy sector. The federal government of the United States of America issue patents, copy ownership and restriction waivers only after the fulfillment prerequisite terms and conditions set up in laws and regulations. The market segment exposed at the oil production and marketing could thus be described by the monopolistic structure (Uytrecht, 2013). This is owed to the barriers imposed by the major oil payers in collaboration with federal government of the U.S. of America. Therefore, Shell Oil Company apparently enjoys oil business patents thus the exclusive right to use, sell, develop and explore more energy resources, preferably through research. Shell Product Substitutes According to the case study, the majority of clients usually find no difference in motor oils hence minimal alternatives. However, critical analysis reveals various differences in motor oils based on the manufacturers’ standards and performances (Hennchen, 2011). Informed customers may therefore prefer one oil product to another based on the combustion rate, additive content and uses. Oil and oil products have fewer substitutes despite significant variations in customers’ distinctive preferred properties. For example, propane has been extensively used in almost 200,000 vehicles in the United States of America. However, propane is not considered a good substitute for gasoline since it is harvested as a byproduct when refining natural gas and petroleum (Uytrecht, 2013). Alternatively, hydrogen has been proposed as a possible replacement for gasoline thus alleviates the already strained energy sector. Similarly, ethanol has been proposed for use in Brazil and the United St ates of America to provide alternative fuel energy source. In conclusion, Shell Oil Company plays a significant role in the production and marketing of oil and oil products not only in the U.S. of America, but also globally. Being present in a number of countries across the world, its business is of high value and is therefore expected to meet different opportunities and challenges at the same time. As such, both the opportunities and challenges need to be met with a number of heightened strategies in order to deal continue running a profitable business. Apart from the core business, Shell Oil Corporation actively participates in making strategic planning and development programs. The strategies would help in solving various challenges currently impacting on the vital energy sector. Eventually, the sector would register an effective, efficient and sustainable global oil production, marketing and environmental health. As has been seen in the analysis, corporate social responsibility is also a key consideration that this company needs to keep to speed with as it is happening given the numerous advantages that it is bound to reap from the same. There are different challenges that this company is facing and these can be tagged on both external and internal factors. References Hennchen, E. (2011). The role of oil mayors in supporting sustainable peace and development in Nigeria: the case of Royal Dutch Shell. Barcelona: School for a Culture of Peace (UAB): Institute for Social Innovation (ESADE), 1(2), 133-145. Pirog, R. (2007). The Role of National Oil Companies in the International Oil Market. CRS Report for Congress, 1-20. Rexler J. (2010). Beyond the oil curse: Shell, State power, and environmental regulations in the Niger Delta. Stanford Journal of International Relations, 12 (1), 1-6. Sperling, D. Gordon, D. (2009). Two billion cars: Driving toward sustainability. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Uytrecht, M. U. (Ed). (2013). Transforming refinery economics technology and catalysts to maximize margins. Shell Global Solutions, 1 (3), 1-16.

Carbohydrates :: essays research papers

Carbohydrates For my health project I did carbohydrates. They are the bodies energy source. Carbohydrates supply the body with the energy it needs to function. They are found almost exclusively in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, peas, and beans. Milk and milk products are the only foods derived from animals that contain a significant amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are divided into two groups, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates, sometimes called simple sugars, include fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), as well as several other sugars. Fruits are one of the richest natural sources of simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are also made up of sugars, but the sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains. Complex carbohydrates include fiber and starches. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include vegetables, whole grains, peas, pasta, potatoes and beans. Carbohydrates are the main source of glucose, which is a major fuel for all of the body's cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red cells. Except for fiber, which cannot be digested, both simple and complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose. The glucose is then either used directly to provide energy for the body, or stored in the liver for future use. When a person consumes more calories than the body is using, a portion of the carbohydrates consumed may also be stored in the body as fat. When choosing carbohydrate-rich foods for your diet, always select unrefined foods such as fruits, vegetables, peas, beans, and whole-grain products, as opposed to refined, processed foods such as soft drinks, desserts, candy, and sugar. Refined foods offer few, if any, of the vitamins and minerals that are important to your health. In addition, if eaten in excess, especially over a period of many years, the large amounts of simple carbohydrates found in refined foods can lead to a number of disorders, including diabetes and hypoglycemia (low sugar). Yet another problem is that foods high in refined simple sugars often are also high in fats, which should be limited in a healthy diet. Carbohydrates are the best fuel for athletes because they take less oxygen to burn than protein or fat. You'll be able to exercise harder, both during training and competition, when you eat enough carbohydrates. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. A high carbohydrate diet allows you to train harder by rebuilding your carbohydrate stores and decreasing your recovery time.

Robert Frost

Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people. Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people.