Persuasive for school uniforms Speech or Presentation

Persuasive for school uniforms - Speech or Presentation Example Students benefit by reducing the number of concerns they must deal with during school hours, freeing their minds to focus more on the academic issues they should be concerned with while attending classes. There is a long history of the use of uniforms in school, most coming from the private sector until recent years, all of which demonstrate these benefits do exist. While most of the uniform policies used in public schools include relatively general restrictions, such as navy or khaki pants and solid color shirts with collars without brand name requirements or specific, school-related insignia required, there has still been a great opposition to these policies by people who mistakenly insist that school uniform policies somehow restrict a child’s ability to express him or herself. By including students in a recognized group as a member of a particular student body, uniforms are successful in building a sense of community and cooperation among children who might not otherwise w ork together. At the same time, regulations requiring specific items of clothing such as a ‘red or white solid colored shirt with collar’ serve to ensure that there are a large number of people in the market for these items, driving the price down as they become produced in mass quantities. Children who outgrow their uniforms are also able to donate them to children who can’t afford them demonstrating that the use of uniforms is cost effective. ... it must be remembered that there are a number of jobs in the ‘real’ world that also require a standardized uniform, sometimes much more rigidly defined than the school systems. â€Å"Police officers, firemen, airline employees, nurses, doctors, lawyers and all branches of the military have some form of required dress. Most of our blue collar workers are also required to wear a uniform in the performing of their jobs †¦ It makes them a part of a team that performs a certain job in a certain manner and provides for a more cohesive work environment† (Messer, 2008: 2). In the same way this process works for adults, making them a part of a team and encouraging a work environment attitude and approach, requiring uniforms in school also works for students, encouraging them to shift their thinking during school hours to school matters, in keeping with the seriousness of their clothing and that of their peers. Requiring students in public school to wear uniforms is al so a tremendous support for the school system. One of the immediate benefits is that a required student dress code makes any individual not in uniform instantly identifiable by staff, making it much easier for teachers and administrators to identify non-students/staff on campus and confine them until their purpose is clear. In addition, uniforms enable the school to restrict clothing with potential to conceal weapons, an increasing issue in today’s school systems nationwide. â€Å"Like other urban school uniform policies, Long Beach’s was intended to curb gang problems, and school officials not only credit it with having accomplished that goal, but also say uniforms have brought about a substantial drop in school crime, a drop in school suspensions and disciplinary problems and improved student attendance

Crushing Plant in Ethiopia Essay Example for Free

Crushing Plant in Ethiopia Essay It is reported that DSMAC mobile crusher for Ethiopia was installed and debugged successfully last week. The Philippines customer uses this mobile crusher for crushing construction waste, and after installation the customer sent DSMAC technicist local specialities to express appreciation. At the beginning of January 2013, the whole set of mobile crusher with capacity of 100tph was completed from DSMAC production base in Jinzhai Town, Xingyang City. The after-sale service engineer Mr. Jin and Mr. Ren was sent to Ethiopia being in charge of the installation and debugging. When the equipment was operating at the working site, the customer called DSMAC to praise the two engineers’dedicated attitude and sent some local specialities to Mr. Jin and Mr. Ren. With the development of urbanization, the city reconstruction is going on. There are a lot of construction waste piled at the same time. It not only occupies land resource, but also brings pollution for environment. However, construction waste is not just the waste, but an effective and recycling resource if used properly. The recycled construction waste can be used as coarse or fine aggregate, which is the substitution for natural aggregate for making concrete, road base material and bricks, and so on. In this process, the choose of crushing equipment plays a critical role. [pic] DSMAC Mobile Crusher for Construction Waste Crushing Plant In DSMAC, the mobile crusher can be divided into mobile jaw crusher, mobile cone crusher, mobile impact crusher, mobile VSI crusher, mobile screening plant, MP portable crawler crusher, etc. The mobile crusher can be easily moved to any position in the work site without the limitation of topographic condition. At the same time, it is controlled by wireless remote manipulation, and easier to be driven to the trailer, saving much time. The crushed aggregate can be divided into the following types: 1, 0mm to 2.5mm aggregate, used in mortar for plastering wall. 2, 0mm to 4.5mm aggregate, used in mortar for brick making. 3, 2.5/4.5mm to 10mm aggregate, used for brick raw material. 4, 10mm to 32mm aggregate, used for road construction material. 5, above 32mm aggregate, sent back into crusher for further crushing. The mobile crusher is the effective crushing equipment for construction waste disposition. Looking back the production of mobile crusher for Ethiopia, it is related closely with salesman’s striving, technical section’s supporting, workman’s overtime working, etc. Under these employee’s joint effort, there will be more advanced crushing equipment and all-around service for customers. More information about DSMAC is available at http://www.dscrushers.com Contact Information

Tubing Essay -- Personal Narrative Descriptive Essays

Wiping the sleepies out of my eyes, I quickly glanced at my alarm clock – 5 am. â€Å"Good, I’ve got plenty of time,† I thought to myself. As quietly as possible, which never works when I am trying to, I quickly grabbed a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Checking my list and grabbing my gear I headed out to wait for a taxi in the cool fading morning. I could taste the excitement, or was that the humidity? That day began like all the other missionary kid tubing trips down the Davao River in the Philippines, full of anxious anticipation and adventure. I was so excited you can barely sleep the night before. My mom made sure I had everything I needed, worrying like only mothers know how. My friends and I were off from school for Christmas break. The weather was perfect, having rained for almost three days straight. Two days before, while coming back from a dive trip, my friends and I decided we had better take advantage of the heavenly gift of rain. Friday, January 4th, 2002 was the day we began our adventure – an adventure of a life time. The nine of us gathered at the Bangkerohan Jeepney terminal and loaded up. The whole way to Dominga, our shove-off point, we couldn’t stop talking about the river. Everyone gave their report of the rivers they had crossed when coming to the terminal. Each and every time the jeepney passed over a bridge, crazy white-neck foreigners stuck their heads out like ostriches, straining to get a glimpse of the mad rushing river. The Davao River was of course dark brown, but that’s the way it always was and we loved it. None of us could have asked for a better opportunity to tub the river. We knew it was high and some of us had tubed a flood before, but this flood was different, there was some... ...es, we were able to barter a ride back to Davao. We all reached our families somehow or another, which was a gift from God. What I contributed to luck earlier was not luck at all but the grace and mercy of God. How else could all nine of us, some experienced tubers and some rookies, survive the worst flood in thirty-one years. What took us several hours to tub down on a normal tubing trip took less than an hour. The Davao River usually runs at ten kilometers per hour (about six miles per hour) but this time it was racing at a pace of twenty-two kilometers per hour (about fourteen mile per hour). The nightmarish song of the boulder sized rocks ringing beneath us as we tubed will forever be in my memory. God humbled and saved me from many things that day. Most importantly, he brought me closer to Him and to my friends. It is forever etched into my memory.

Short Essay on My Favorite Teacher

Poverty is one of the most brutal and threatening curse on any nation which restrains it from prospering. So it is very much important for any state to get rid of this problem as soon as possible before it gets more severe and dangerous. Pakistan is also one of those unfortunate countries which are going through this problem big time and are being hurt by it very devastatingly. Poverty is basically when the people do not have the access to basic necessities of life.The economist of the countries decides one line which is known as the poverty line and the one who falls below this poverty line are being considered poor. Poverty is on its peak when it comes to the Asian Countries and most importantly when it comes to the subcontinent. India being so advanced, modernized and developed is still having barriers of poverty and is one of those countries where the poverty is on its peak. Pakistan is also feeling the heat from this curse and poverty in Pakistan is also very much high.There are so many reasons which have contributed in this cause when we analyze the economic condition of Pakistan. The extreme terrorism, natural disasters, political instability and high inflation has played its vital role in making this poverty dragon more giant and devastating. When people are considered to be under poverty, this is the major issue. In Pakistan there are more than 37% people who fall below the poverty line that means their daily earning is less than 2 dollars which makes them less than 60 Dollars a month.The people on Pakistan are being considered poor when they are unable to get access and advantage form the basic necessities of life. These basic necessities include food, education, cloth and shelter. If an individual does not have good food to eat, or he don’t have such resources to make his children study and provide them education, if he don’t have good and new clothes to wear and at the same time he does not have shelter or roof over his head is conside red as poor and is being rated below the poverty line in Pakistan.Once the poverty increases it gives birth to several correlated problems and social issues. If the basic necessities of life are beyond the reach of people than they will surely adopt and select illegal and unethical way of earning that might include begging, theft, stealing and even robbery. This effects the law and order situation of the country. So it is very much important to address this problem of poverty on high priority so that it should be resolved before it becomes the national issue

Organic vs. Industrial Food Essay

Have you ever been standing in the grocery store, undecided on whether there really is a difference between the standard store brand ribeye steak and the organic, grain fed, free range ribeye that costs twice as much? Ever had little devil on one shoulder telling you one thing, and the angel on the other convincing you the devil is wrong? Is cost the only thing holding you back from shelling out a few extra sheckles for the more expensive steak? Have you heard about the health benefits of eating organic? Then maybe it is time you learned about the true benefits of organic food. In doing so, it may just change your life and blow your mind. Eating industrial foods can cause a bevy of health issues today, such as exposure to toxins, as well as leading to diabetes and heart disease, and choosing to eat organic foods instead will help to resolve those issues. While organic foods are thought to be quite a bit more expensive than the standard, this is not always the case. One article quotes â€Å"Your local food markets will often have lower prices on organic food items than traditional grocery stores. (Lotich, 2010, para 1). You have to take into consideration that in this day and age, almost any meal that you eat has an organic alternative, or can be prepared by using all organic ingredients. In knowing this, you may actually find that there are a number of other ways that you may go about saving some money, while incorporating organic foods into your daily diet. One of those things you can do is make yourself aware of the various farms that are putting out organic foods. Most folks think that organic foods are all produced by small, family owned farms. As I very recently found out, some of the most successful organic farms are very large and on a global scale. Take Earthbound Farms for example. They are a very successful and very large farm, consisting of over 30,000 acres. Their website states â€Å"We’ve been farming for more than 25 years now, and we’ve become the country’s largest grower of organic produce, committed to being a catalyst for positive change in our kitchens and our environment (Earthbound Farm, 2012, para 4). Buying from this company not only promotes eating healthier, but also supports a company that is looking out for the environment as well. Not only are some of the most successful organic farms gigantic and global, but so are some of the enormous corporations that buy organic food (Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Safeway and Kroger’s). That being said, if you can research and recognize some of these brands, what at first glance may seem like big-box packaging may indeed turn out to be a cost efficient and healthy organic alternative to what one may typically buy in stores today. Thus it turns out, eating organic may not be as expensive as we first thought. In conjunction with steps such as planning your meals ahead of time, organic food just may actually be cheaper overall than industrial foods in many instances. Planning meals ahead of time is a smart move. I recently read that â€Å"When you have a detailed shopping list and go to the store with a plan, you’re much less likely to splurge on extras or expensive instant meals. And when you have a firm plan in place, and the food has already been purchased, you won’t end up wasting money in the drive thru spending your money on overpriced fast food (James, 2008, para 2). This is an issue that I think most of us face from time to time. Being smart can help reduce these unnecessary costs. It is important for consumers to really research organic foods and the cost benefits of choosing to go that route. You can end up eating better, as well as saving money. The healthy benefits of eating organic are yet another good reason to choose an organic diet. Recent studies have shown that â€Å"The published literature lacks strong evidence that organic foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods. Consumption of organic foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. † (Novella, 2012) That being said, the same studies do show that eating organic foods does reduce the reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The EPA states that â€Å"consumers are looking to organically grown and produced foods as a way to reduce exposure to synthetic pesticides (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). That certainly is a reason to make the switch. Also, if you are planning meals as aforementioned, and buying ingredients for those meals fresh, as opposed to meal mixes and processed industrial foods, then you are also in control of the amounts of fats, sugars, and such that are in your meals. This is also a healthier option. Taking control of what you eat is important. I imagine most people want to control what they put in their bodies, and eating organic foods can help you do just that. Without eating organic foods, you can run the risk of leaving yourself open to all kinds of diseases and other health issues. All in all, the evidence seems mounting in favor of converting to a healthier lifestyle. Eating organic food seems like both a smart, and strong way to making the transition. It is easier than exercising, and in most cases, would probably provide a better feeling in the long run. â€Å"The American College of Sports Medicine advises adults to do moderately intense cardio exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week or do vigorously intense cardio for 20 minutes a day, three days a week to stay healthy (Kunz, 2011, para 2). Exercising is important as well, but if you are eating the wrong foods, all of your hard work may be for not. So think about making the switch to organic foods. Starting off small can lead to big changes for you and your loved ones. Bibliography Earthbound Farm. (2012, December 6). The Earthbound Story. p. 2012. James, B. (2008, November 20). Five Benefits of Planning Meal Menus for Your Household. Yahoo! Voices, p. 1. Kunz, M. (2011, October 19). Does Exercise Offset Unhealthy Eating? Exercise & Eating Healthy, p. 1. Lotich, B. (2010, December 28). 10 Easy Ways To Save Money On Organic Food. US News, p. 1. Novella, S. (2012, Sept. 05). No Health Benefits from Organic Food. Science-Based Medicine, p. 1. U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, December 6). Pesticides and Food. Pesticides: Health and Safety , p. 1.

The Bill of Rights and the 2nd Amendment essays

The Bill of Rights and the 2nd Amendment essays We as Americans have more rights and freedoms than any other nation in the world. Our founding fathers laid down a basis for all Americans to be able to live in a free society without the fear of government oppression. That basis is found in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The actual wording of the Constitution was written to allow for various interpretations, which has led to many arguments of its validity in an ever-changing society. The Bill of Rights gives a specific outline of what freedoms we have, but due to its vagueness, it has come under fire many times. The 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights gives us the right to bear arms to protect our freedom not only from other people and nations but from our own government as well.[Bearnards,1991] The 2nd Amendment: Is it a Guarantee? When the Bill of Rights was written in 1791 there was included in it the 2nd Amendment which states, "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" [law.cornell.edu]. At the time it was written the U.S. government could not afford to support an army to defend against foreign threats, thus calling upon the people to take up arms to defend our young nation. [O'Sullivan, 1989] The first part of the 2nd Amendment states that very clearly. The second part can be interpreted that we have the right to protect ourselves from our own government to ensure that all states remain free. The last part, which clearly states that it is a right, is under the most scrutiny. There are many lobbyist groups that present proposals to Congress each year to make amendments to the Bill of Rights that would suppress the 2nd Amendment. Among the groups opposing the 2nd Amendment are the Coalition against Gun Violence with an average membership of 75,000 and Handgun Control Inc. (HCI) with an average membership of about 300,000 [Roleff, 1997]...

Free Essays on Earthquake

I. Introduction Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath. For example, on October 1, 1987, at 7:42 a.m. the residents of the Los Angeles basin got a jolting reminder of the perils of "living on the fault line." This was due to the so-called Whittier Narrows earthquake. Hardest hit by the quake, was Whittier (pop. 72,000). Whittier is twelve miles from downtown Los Angeles and was the community closest to the epicenter. When the quake, registering 6.1 on the Richter scale, first struck, it was thought to be centered along the Old Whittier Fault. However, after extensive study, it was determined that it was actually the result of a "new" fault, or a fault that had not previously been discovered by scientists. II. Lessons Learned From The 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake What are the lessons learned from the Whittier quake? And, how does this quake compare to other more recent, higher magnitude quakes? Despite the fact that regular warnings are part of California living, repeated in schools, in earthquake exercises, by local and state governments, and even in the front of telephone books, many people were caught off-guard and panicked. Fortunately, Californians learned a lot from the Whittier quake. The Whittier earthquake was not the "big one" that Angelenos perpetually wait for. This may be hard to comprehend given the... Free Essays on Earthquake Free Essays on Earthquake I. Introduction Earthquakes in California are certainly not a surprise. What is a surprise is their unpredictability and randomness. Geologists say there is roughly a 50 percent chance that a magnitude 8 or more quake will hit the Los Angeles area sometime over the next 30 years. And, over the past twenty years, the Los Angeles area has witnessed several earthquakes, and in particular, two that were quite devastating; the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, and the January 17, 1994, Northridge Earthquake. Given the certainty that earthquakes will occur, they still seem to come as a surprise, and leave many communities unprepared to deal with their aftermath. For example, on October 1, 1987, at 7:42 a.m. the residents of the Los Angeles basin got a jolting reminder of the perils of "living on the fault line." This was due to the so-called Whittier Narrows earthquake. Hardest hit by the quake, was Whittier (pop. 72,000). Whittier is twelve miles from downtown Los Angeles and was the community closest to the epicenter. When the quake, registering 6.1 on the Richter scale, first struck, it was thought to be centered along the Old Whittier Fault. However, after extensive study, it was determined that it was actually the result of a "new" fault, or a fault that had not previously been discovered by scientists. II. Lessons Learned From The 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake What are the lessons learned from the Whittier quake? And, how does this quake compare to other more recent, higher magnitude quakes? Despite the fact that regular warnings are part of California living, repeated in schools, in earthquake exercises, by local and state governments, and even in the front of telephone books, many people were caught off-guard and panicked. Fortunately, Californians learned a lot from the Whittier quake. The Whittier earthquake was not the "big one" that Angelenos perpetually wait for. This may be hard to comprehend given the...

Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing Tips and Practice

Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing Tips and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Pronoun agreement errors are some of the most common on the SAT Writing section, and they can be confusing because peopleoften misuse pronouns, especially when we speak. In fact, I just made a pronoun mistake: can you spot it? Take a closer look at the second half of my first sentence: "people often misuse pronouns, especially when we speak." Who is "we" referring to here: "people." However, the correct pronoun for the third person plural is they. The correct version is "people often misuse pronouns, especially when they speak." On SAT Writing, you'll be expected to spot many such errors. We'll be covering both the basic SAT writing rules regarding pronouns you need to know and the common mistakes you'll see on the test: Pronouns and Antecedents Disagreement in Number Disagreement in Person Unclear Antecedents Spotting Pronoun Errors on the SAT A Pronoun Must Always Match its Antecedent That titlemight seem confusing. What's an antecedent? And what does it mean to "match"? The truth is you probably already have an intuitive grasp of how this works, but let's break it down one piece at a time. What's a Pronoun? A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun- that's it! Usually we think of pronouns as words like I, him, they, or its, all of which are definitely pronouns. But so are words like everyone, which, and each. Any word that can fill in for a noun is a pronoun. For more detailed information on pronouns, take a look at our guide to parts of speech. What's an Antecedent? An antecedent is the noun a pronoun replaces. (You may also have heard these called referents.) Let's look at an example- the pronoun is in boldand the antecedent is underlined: Julie almost forgot her backpack this morning. Simple enough, right? "Her" is standing in for "Julie's." Let's try a more complicated one: Running out the door to meet Jimmy, Julie almost forgot to grab his bag, which he'd left at her house the night before. There's a lot more going onin this sentence, so I've color coded the pronouns and their nouns. The trick here is figuring out who's doing what. Jimmy forgothis bag at Julie's house; now she's bringing it back to him. When looking for pronoun agreement errors, keep an eye out for any sentences that don't track clearly in this way. What Does It Mean for a Pronoun and Antecedent to Match? Again, though this concept may sound confusing, it's actually pretty intuitive. Let's revisit our example from above, with a slight tweak: Julie almost forgot theirbackpack this morning. This sentence clearly isn't correct. That's because the pronoun "their" and the antecedent "Julie" don't agree: Julie is singular and their is plural. They disagree in number. It's also possiblefor a pronoun and antecedent to disagree in person: Julie almost forgot mybackpack this morning. Julie is a proper noun and should take a 3rd person pronoun, not a 1st person pronoun like "my." As a review, the most common pronounsand their correct uses are listed below: I/me/my - first person singular, i.e. the person speaking We/us/ours - first person plural, i.e. the person speaking and others You/your - second person (singular and plural), i.e. the person (or people) being spoken to He/him/his - third person masculine, i.e. a male person or animal who isn't present She/her - third person feminine, i.e. a femaleperson or animal who isn't present It/its - third person neuter, i.e. inanimate objects They/them/their - third person plural, i.e. multiple people or things Moral of the story: pronouns must alwayshave a clear antecedent and agree with the noun that they replace. Now that we've established what that means, let's look at the errors you're likely to see on the SAT. Make sure your pronouns aren't like this llama.(Â © Valdrec) Disagreement in Number I mentioned above that plural nouns require plural pronouns and singular nouns requiresingular pronouns. Usually, that rule feels pretty obvious: it doesn't make much sense to refer to Tomas "them" or the Muppets as "it." However, this is the SAT we're talking about, so the errors are going to be a little harder to spot. Let's go over some of the trickiest cases. Extra Words In a simple sentence, it's easy to spot number agreement errors: Incorrect: The kidswant her own TV. Correct: The kids want their own TV. Catching these errors gets much trickier when we add in more words, however: Because Susie and her brother begged their dadfor a TV, he agreed to get one for her. At first glance, this may seem fine- Susie's getting a TV! But let's look at each pronoun and its antecedent: her = Susie their = Susie and her brother he = their dad her = Susieandher brother The TV isn't just for Susie, it's for both siblings. As such, the sentence should read: Because Susie and her brother begged their dadfor a TV, he agreed to get one for them. When you're dealing with pronouns on the SAT, the first step is always to determinewhat itsantecedent is. This will make it much easier to figure out the correct pronoun to use. The Case of the Non-Gendered Singular Pronoun Even once you determine a pronoun'santecedent, there's still room for confusion. Especially tricky are singular non-gendered nouns. Please remind your friend to bring their speakers to the party tomorrow. Sounds fine, right? But take acloser look. "Their" is taking the place of "your friend's" in this sentence- see the problem? "Their" is a plural pronoun, but "your friend" is only one person. Using "their" seems right because we don't know the gender of thefriend and there is no singular non-gendered pronoun for people in English. However, you can't use 3rd person plural pronouns (they, their, theirs, or them) to refer to singular people of unclear gender. Instead, you need to use "he," "she," or "he or she," as in the example below: Incorrect: According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing they steal. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing shesteals. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing hesteals. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing he or shesteals. On the SAT in particular, watch for questions with references to occupations like doctor, lawyer, and scientist- these words often signal a pronoun agreement error. Collective Nouns Collective nouns are similarly confusing, because they refer to more than one thing or person as a singular entity. Take, for example, "the class." The classmay include multiple students, but there is still only one class. It's a singular noun and therefore takes a singular pronoun. Incorrect: For their final assignment, the class had to build a dancing robot. Correct:For itsfinal assignment, the class had to build a dancing robot. Correct:For their final assignment, the students in the class had to build a dancing robot. "They" may seem like the proper pronoun to use for acollectivenoun like "class" because it ismade up of multiple individuals, but the nounitself is singular, so "it" is correct. Collective nouns can be tricky to spot,so be on the lookout for nouns that refer to groups of people. The team, the band, the company, and the town are all examples of collective nouns. SAT Examples Let's take a look at how to spot this type of error in an Identifying Sentence Errors question from a real SAT. Reading over this sentence, you might not notice anything wrong since it sounds fine.The next step is to checkeach underlined section for errors. In this case, C includes a pronoun, so you must check agreement. And what's the first step to check agreement? Find the antecedent! For "they," the antecedent is"a Shakespearean character," which is singular. As such, "they have" is incorrect and C is the answer. You don't even have to think about how to fix the error, just spot it! (But in case you're wondering, the correct version would be "he has" or "she has.") Agreement in number also pops up on the Identifying Sentence Errors, albeit in a different form. Here we have the pronoun "we" standing in for the noun "a buyer." This may seem fine, because it makes sense that we can be buyers, but there's a disagreement in number: "we" is plural and "a buyer" is singular. The obvious fix is "as buyers we are responsible," but that isn't a choice. Answer B has a similar disagreement issue to A with the plural "their" standing in for the singular "buyer. C and E add extra words that make the sentence more confusing. As such, D, which cuts the pronoun altogether, is the correct choice. Disagreement in Person Pronoun agreement in person is a slightly weirder concept than agreement in number, but it's usually pretty easy to spot. The basic concept is that a pronoun must reflect the typeof thing it's replacing. So you use "it" to replace "the garden" but"he" to replace "Abraham Lincoln." Like with agreement in number, the first stepis making sure that you know what a pronoun's antecedent is. Beyond that it's mostly just a question of consistency- if you start a sentence in the first person, you shouldn't suddenly switch to the third without a clear reason. I was on my way home when hesaw a butterfly. This series of events is entirely possible, but it doesn't make much sense as a sentence. Another incorrect sentence: Right after the bombbeeped, he exploded. Again, it's theoretically possible that there's some guy who exploded, but from the context it seems pretty clear that it was the bomb, and inanimate objects can't be referred to as "he." These examples are pretty simple, but once again the test writers are likely to throw you somecurveballs. Let's take a look at some of the harder-to-spot types of errors. This is a disagreement between genders, not a disagreement in gender. You vs. One When explaining how to do something (like I'm doing right now), you can use either "you," in the non-specific sense, or "one," as in "an individual." Both are equally correct: "you" is simplyless formal than "one." However, you must be consistent and stick with whichever pronoun you pick; it would sound pretty weird if I suddenly switched to saying "one needs to find the antecedent." Let's look at how that works in a sentence: Incorrect: If one wants to succeed on the SAT, you must study effectively. Correct: If one wants to succeed on the SAT, onemust study effectively. Correct: If youwant to succeed on the SAT, you must study effectively. The incorrect sentence uses two different pronouns, while the corrected versions stick to one or the other. Errors with you and one are very common on the SAT Writing, so watch out for sentences where either word is underlined. Relative Pronouns The other tricky case with disagreement in person is relative pronouns like who and which. Each of these words is used to refer to a specific type of thing: Who and whom - a person (on the SAT you will notbe tested on difference between the two) When - a point in time Where - a place (use "in which" formedia) Which and that - anythingelse Even though you don't necessarily think of these types of pronouns as having antecedents, they still do, and that means they have to agree with those nouns. Here's an example of an incorrect sentence: I found thegummi bears who I'd lost under my sister's bed. Who or what is "that"? Well, it's "the gummi bears." Gummi bears aren't a person, so it's incorrect to use "who" to refer them. The correct version is: I found thegummi bears thatI'd lost under my sister's bed. Let's look at a slightly trickier case. I finally got to the chapter where the hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. This sentence sounds fine, but what is "where" referringto? "The chapter" isn't actually a place, so we need to use "in which" instead: I finally got to the chapter in whichthe hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. When you see a relativepronoun on the SAT, make sure that it is the correct one for describing the type of thing that it is referring to. SAT Writing Example Questions For the Identifying Sentence Errors questions, you can look forproblems with agreement in person in the same way you look for issues with agreement in number: determine the antecedent for any underlined pronouns and ensure that they match. Choices A and C both involve pronouns. In C, "one" is fine, since it's referring to Doris Lessing, who is a singular person. A is a bit trickier. At first glance, "it" seems fine- it's standing in for "The Golden Notebook." But if we fit that antecedent back into the sentence we get, "The Golden Notebookinstantly established herself as one of the most important literary voices of her generation," which clearly doesn't make sense. It's Lessing, not her novel, who established herself, so the correct pronoun would be "she." A includes the error, so it's the correct answer. Remember to watch out for you vs. one and relative pronouns, as well. Let's look at an example of a question involving these topics: As written, the underlined portion of this sentence uses twodifferent possessivepronouns, "your" and "one's," neither of which agree with the antecedent, "a person." Choice D has a similar mistake- it uses both "your" and "one's," when any given sentence can either use "you" or "one." B has a mistake with agreement in number: "their" is plural and can't be used with "a person." C cuts out the antecedent all together, creating a sentence that doesn't make sense. Eliminating these choice leaves only E, which is the correct answer, since the 3rd person plural pronoun "their" is used appropriately with the 3rd person plural antecedent "people." Unclear Antecedents We've covered the basic rules for ensuring that pronouns agree with their antecedents, but a lot of the pronoun questions on the SAT Writingare designed to confuse you by not having a clear antecedent. It's important to remember that a pronoun's antecedent must be a noun and you must be able to circle it in the text. In other words, it's not enough for you to know what the pronoun is referring to, the antecedent alsohas to be obvious in the text. Your vision may be unclear, but make sure your antecedents aren't. (Â © xWoliex) No Antecedent I know I've said this a couple of times already, but it's the most important thing to remember about pronouns on the SAT Writing: every pronoun must have an antecedent.I'm emphasizing this because sometimes you'll see a pronoun that doesn't have one: In order to get the spelunking permitsfrom the office, I need them to call me back. Who does"them" refer to? Presumably, the people who work in the spelunking permit office, but there's nothing in the sentence to specifically indicate that. A correct version might read: In order to get the spelunking permits, I need someone from the officeto call me back. Now it's clear who I need to call me back.Similarly,you'll sometimes see a verb or adjective used as an antecedent- this is incorrect. People who crawl through caves do it because they love adventure. This sentence seems fine; "it" is clearly "crawl through caves." However, "crawl" is a verb, not a noun, and thus cannot serve as an antecedent. People who crawl through caves do sobecause they love adventure. This kind of error can be especially confusing because gerunds, the "ing" forms of verbs, are technically nouns andcanbe used as antecedents for pronouns. Incorrect: I explore underwater caves often; it is fun. Correct: I love exploringunderwater caves; it is fun. "Exploring" is a correct antecedent; "explore" is not. Always make sure that a pronoun'santecedent is a noun you can point to in the sentence. Too Many Antecedents Another common antecedent issue occurs when a sentence has more than onenoun that could be the antecedent. For example: When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took her dog for a walk. It's unclear whether "her" refers to Nel or Katie. The possessive either needs to be replaced with something more specific or removed: When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took Nel'sdog for a walk. When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took theirdog for a walk. When Neland Katie got back from the movie, they took thedog for a walk. On the SAT Writing, watch out for sentences that involve two or more names of the same gender, since that construction often indicates this type of error. This, Which, and That In casual English, we often use the pronouns this, which, and that without clear antecedents. Liz: My mom told me I have to stay home and clean my room. Wayne: That's annoying. This construction may be fine in spoken English, but it would beabsolutely incorrect on the SAT. This, that, and which must have clear noun antecedents, just like any other pronoun.Let's look at an example: It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai; this meant that I was very tired when I reached my destination. What is "this"? It's somewhat unclear, but there are a few ways we can improve this sentence. It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai; thisfact meant that I was very tired when I reached my destination. It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai, soI was very tired when I reached my destination. Both are perfectly clear; however, on the SAT, the second option would be preferable because it is more concise. SAT Writing Example Questions Missing or unclear antecedents pop up fairly frequently on the SAT and they can be hard to spot. Let's look at some examples, starting with Identifying SentenceErrors: Neither Mr. Weasley nor(A) Mr. Potter thinks(B) that eating as much candy as his(C) daughter Jen does will result(D)in anything good. No error (E) The underlined pronoun in C, "his," seems fine- it matches the antecedent in person (3rd person masculine) and number (neither takes singular pronouns and verbs). But it's actually unclear who "his" is referring to: is Jen Mr. Weasley's daughter or Mr. Potter's? It's impossible to tell, so this construction is incorrect. Let's move on to an Improving Sentences question: Again, at first glance, this sentence looks correct. However, "that" requires an identifiable noun antecedent, which it doesn't have. "That" is referring to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, but that phrase doesn't appear in the sentence, nor does any equivalent noun phrase. Choices B and D also feature pronouns without antecedents. E is not idiomatic, which leaves C, the correct answer. You have to watch for errors as vigilantly as this meerkat is watching for predators. How to Spot a Pronoun Agreement Error on the SAT Writing As you've seen in the SAT Writing examples, pronoun agreement errors appear in both the Identifying Sentence Errors questionsand the Improving Sentences questions. There are slight differences in how these errors are tested in the two sections, however. Identifying Sentence Errors Pronoun errors are among the most common on the ISE section, so any time you see a pronoun underlined, you must alwayscheck for an antecedent and make sure that the pronoun and antecedent agree. Underlined nouns can also indicate pronoun agreement errors, although they usually mean that there's anoun agreement issue, which isslightly different (for more information on those, see our post here (coming soon)). On the Identifying Sentence Errors, these constructionsoftenindicate a pronoun agreement error: More than one name of the same gender "One" or "you" underlined "It" or "they" underlined Collective nouns Names of professions Though sentences with these clues are especially likely to have a pronoun agreement, you should still make sure to check that any underlined pronoun matches its antecedent. For more details on how to systematically check sentences for errors, see our post on how to approach Identifying Sentence Errors questions. Improving Sentences Pronoun agreement errors are alsorelatively common on the Improving Sentences, and you should expect to see somequestions dealing with them. However, you likely don't want to check every underlined pronoun, as on the ISE, since they are often part of more complicated constructions with whichthere are many other possible problems. (For example, pronouns are often used as fillerin wordiness questions.) Certain sentence structures pop up again and again, though, so there are some clues you can watch out for. The following signs- some of which also appear on the ISE section- often warn of a pronoun agreement issue: That, which, or who underlined A pronoun, especially it, near the beginning of a sentence The presence of "you" or "one" Collective nouns For a more complete rundown of best practices for the Improving Sentences questions, check out our post on strategies for the IS section. Test Your Knowledge! Now that we've covered the ins and outs of pronoun agreement on the SAT, why don't you take a crack at some realistic SAT writing practice questions? 1. The herd of black-and-white cattle bellowed(A) loudly as(B) the cowboys herded them(C) into the expansive(D) pen. (E) No error 2. My sister loves books where(A) the villains win, but(B) my brother prefers those(C) in which good triumphs over(D) evil. (E) No error 3. The more time one spends onthe bakingof cookies, the lessyou'll want to eat them. A. one spends onthe baking of cookies B. you spend baking cookies C. he spends to make cookies D. that is spent on the baking of cookies E. one bakes cookies 4. When the ninja finally tried skiing, he didn't have fun, which confused his friends. A.which confused his friends B. that confused his friends C. which his friends found confusing D. by which his friends were confused E. a fact that confused his friends Answers: 1. C, 2. A, 3. B, 4. E What's Next? The only topic the SAT Writing tests more than pronouns is verbs. Make sure to study subject-verb agreement as well! Maybe you're more concerned about the essay? In that case, take a look atour guides onhow to score a perfect 12, how to plan your examples in advance, and 15 ways to improve your score. For more big picture strategies, try these 8key tips or check out our guide to reaching an 800 on the SAT Writing. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Beethovens Hair Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Beethovens Hair - Research Paper Example Along with these theories of Beethoven’s music composition style, number of theories are being put forward and even tested by the researchers on what exactly caused deafness in him. It was around 1800s, by the age of 26, when Beethoven began lose hearing in both his ears. Initially, he suffered from a serious form of ear disease called Tinnitus, because of which he mainly heard ‘ringing’ sound in his ears, thereby making it difficult for him to hear the music. Then, over time, mainly around early 1820s, his hearing loss became more intense, with Beethoven not able to even acknowledge the tumultuous applause, which he received from a huge crowd at a concert, as he was not facing the crowd and mainly because he was not able to hear it. (Colles and Grove). Although, he gave up conducting public concerts, he continued to compose and that resulted in many of his celebrated works. The exact cause of his deafness is unknown, but based on the study of old literature and importantly on the current researches being conducted by prestigious institutions, certain probable causes are being put forward. In addition, the recovery of Beethoven’s hair and advanced testing of it including Forensic testing have unlocked details about various facets of his life, particularly the physical as well as social factors, which could have contributed to his deafness. â€Å"Scientists tested a lock of Beethovens hair in hopes that, at last, the world would have explanation for the composers deafness.† (Martin and Nibley 30). Before this testing was done, various causes was attributed to his hearing loss and that included otosclerosis or abnormal growth of bone in his inner ear, typhus, syphilis and lead poisoning. Among these four causes, the first two were discounted earlier or could not be proved, with the later two being discussed through current researches. Otoscl erosis is a disease which happens when there is â€Å"new bone formation either in the area of

Training in ethics for management personnel Essay

Training in ethics for management personnel - Essay Example The Columbia Encyclopedia (2003) defines business ethics as the study and evaluation of decision making by businesses according to moral concepts and judgments. Issues involved in ethical business decisions include a company's obligation to be honest with its customers, a company's responsibility to preserve the environment and the protection of employee rights. Ethical conflicts arise due to the differences in the interests of company owners, workers, customers, and the community wherein which the business operates. The dilemma for managers is how to balance the need to produce profits for shareholders with honest business practices, safety in the workplace, and environmental and social concerns. The globalization of businesses and diversity in the workplace have also contributed to the complication of ethical issues because of different government laws that define the limits of criminal behavior. Practices which are deemed as bribery, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and l ack of concern for the environment, may be held as criminal in one country but are neither illegal nor unethical or unusual in another. The company must then decide whether to adhere to its traditional ethical principles or not, especially if this provides opportunities for maximizing profits. According to Today's Market... use of these type of occurrences in the business milieu, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has become part of mandatory United States federal law that companies must adhere to. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is intended to protect against corporate fraud and unethical accounting and reporting incidents. Thus, ethics training is now widely conducted to instill corporate values, rules and regulations in the minds of managers and employees. Ethics Training Ethics training aims to ensure that people are aware of ethical issues and the consequences of unethical behavior. Companies which conduct ethics training are benefited by the continual application of the company code of ethics in the everyday business environment. Ethics training provides a venue for communication and problem solving that guides participants in the resolution of complex issues brought about by conflicts of interest. It helps create a guide that may be followed when exercising discretion, while defining boundaries, limitations and expectations within the organization. An ethical workplace environment is characterized by properly exercised discretion, and ethics training is a step toward corporate compliance (Today's Marketer, 2008). An ethics training program encourages employee involvement in the process of reporting violations of the code of conduct, or any unethical practice. Compliant companies establish a procedure and a point of contact where whistleblowers my anonymously report violations. The process allows employees to be at ease when an unethical situation must be reported, and contributes to the company's corporate compliance program because it proves the company's willingness to eliminate unethical practices. Encouraging the reporting reduces catastrophic outcomes for the company, such as those which

Article Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Article Summary - Essay Example However, to ensure strategic success, other factors such as government support, effective communication channels, and clear visions and missions play a major role. Elbanna kicks off by differentiating the term strategic management from strategic planning, asserting that the former is inclusive of execution, as well as the assessment of strategic plans. On the other hand, strategic planning is often used in the business world and is not as detailed as strategic management. He also carefully scrutinizes the concept of strategic management from its earliest days, and how much it has grown since then. He avows that one of the main challenges affecting the concept is the fact that it has always suffered as far as its popularity and success are concerned. For instance, in the 1950s, it was very popular but from 1970s to 1980s, its popularity lessened because most of the planning models that had been developed ended up failing. Therefore, some of the major drawbacks that came with strategic management were rigidity, unsuccessful participation of implementers and managers, lack of ingenuity as well as strategic thinking. However, from the 1990s, there have been major changes as most organisations are widely practicing it and related research and literature have heightened mostly in the UAE. The author goes into details by closely examining the use of strategic management concepts in the UAE, its popularity, and effects. He argues that the UAE has adopted most of the strategic management processes in an effort to enhance institutional performance. Consequently, it is cited as one of the most developed nations in Western Asia as far as the rates of market exchange and income are concerned. However, it is to be noted that success in most of the UAE public organizations is attributed to the fact that they have sufficient resources; hence, are able to implement western management approaches with ease. Therefore, in an effort to effectively examine the effects of

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 27

Human Resource Management - Essay Example It provides 8, 000 core products and its own-label sales account for half of total UK sales. In the financial year 2014, it boasted of  £43.6 billion revenue and  £2191m trading profit (Tesco PLC Annual Report 2014, 8). Its main purpose is â€Å"to make what matters better, together† (Tescoplc.com, 2015). This is achieved through commitment to its three main values: no one tries harder for customers, treat people the way they want to be treated and use our scale for good. It is headquartered in Hertfordshire, England under the slogan Every little helps and aims at providing cheaper prices, improved quality, stronger ranges and better services. However, it operates under harsh economic conditions especially as a result of the 2007 economic crisis and also a highly fragmented and competitive environment with its main competitors being Asda, Sainsbury, and Morrisons although small retailers like Aldi, Lidl and Waitrose are giving them tight competition in recent years (Anders on, 2015). Tesco has been undergoing a difficult time with stagnant sales, declining profits and in addition, a  £250m hole in profits leading to decline in its share prices. In the FY 2014, it experienced a revenue growth of 0.0% and sales growth of 0.5%. Its trading in UK declined by 3.6% whilst its employee retention rates dropped by 1% although they are still strong at 90% (Tesco Annual Report, 2014, 16). In light of this, it needs improvements on its training and development, reward strategy and employee relations. Training, learning and development are essential in any organisation wishing to have sustainable competitive advantage. Training provides and /or improves skills necessary for performance of job tasks whereas development is to enhance abilities of employee for greater long-term good of organisation. The purpose of training and development is to promote organisational performance (Uma, 2013, 137). Organisation learning is

Decision making Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Decision making - Research Paper Example The paper uses the two concepts to analyze three mediation efforts in the Arab - Israeli conflict: the Camp David Accords I, Oslo Accords and the Camp David Accords II. In the findings of the research indicate that in all the agreements reviewed, both sides held on to their strengths and privileges to make demands. In areas that either party had weaknesses, they were ready to make risky demands, sometimes at the expense of breaking down the negotiation process. It was therefore conclusive that in mediation in international conflicts, parties use the prospect theory to take decisions on the demands to make. On the other hand, the rational theory is still important. Hence, mediators can only succeed if they guide the parties to the rational choices. Introduction Dealing with interstate conflicts has become a high priority, not only between disputants themselves, but on the global arena as well. The approach and the way by which conflicts are decided to be managed is a crucial issue. â €Å"Mediation is one of the oldest forms of conflict resolution and has been used extensively worldwide by individuals, states and organizations to bring about peaceful resolution to interstate and intrastate conflicts† (Siniver and Thomas, 2011 p2). Typically, mediation involves a third party helping two parties in a conflict to come up with solutions to their disagreements. Mediation aims at promoting a less adversarial method of dealing with conflicts in international relations. Terris and Maoz identify that third party negotiations have been used in 35% of post-World War II militarized disputes (Terris& Maoz 2005 p563). This underscores the importance of mediation as a tool for diplomats to solve conflicts and tensions between nations and states. I see high importance in understanding the perspective role of international mediation as a future conflict resolution tool. Since the demands of each side of the conflict must be heard in mediation, the method with which parties come up with decisions on the demands they put forward is important in determining the success of the process. Thus, each party might need to come up with decisions on the condition to present in the mediation. A simple decision making model involves diagnosis of the problem, search for options and choice, revision through a critical assessment, evaluation of options, choice of a given option and the implementation of choice or demands (Maoz, 2012 p5). The simple decision making model form the basis of the traditional or orthodox negotiation framework known as the Theory of Rationality. The Theory of Rationality is based on an attempt to attain a win-win outcome or the best solution for both parties with the long term interest of the parties. This is steeped in the Expected Utility (EU) Theory, which seeks the best good for the largest numbers of people (Milburn& Isaacs, 1995 p335). However, other theories like the Game Theory which is steeped in probabilities and choices come be u sed to arrive at the rational theory (Coombs& Avrunin, 1998). The Prospect Theory on the other hand, involves an individual negotiating to get the maximum net gains for himself (Bazerman et al, 1985). In other words, each group in the negotiation table will present demands that serves his or her needs best. And as such, we seek the best interests for ourselves. Thus, one must be expected to negotiate for his or her best interest. This makes the Prospect Theory the

Legal Environment of BUSINESS FINAL EXAM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Environment of BUSINESS FINAL EXAM - Essay Example On the other hand, the article contains guarantee for fitness of goods for the right use (Ferrari 43). This implies that the seller of a product should assure the buyer that the product will serve the intended purpose. In this case study, the seller bought software online from Ace Inc. according to Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code, the buyer is entitled to enjoy products of merchantable quality and the product should serve the intended purpose (Saxon 93). However, it appears that the buyer has no problem with the quality and performance of the product. The buyer discards the software because the seller has offered it at a higher price than another seller of similar product. Therefore, basing my view on article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code, I believe John (buyer) has no reason for discarding the software because the seller has met all the requirements as stipulated in the article. John was supposed to examine different prices offered by different sellers in order to decide on where to buy the product. The fact that John bought the similar software from a different company implies that what Ace Inc met the warranties of merchantability and fit for the purpose (Ferrari 71). Also, these warranties apply to John because he bought the software from a company that was operating in the same field of business. According to the law of contract, the buyer owes the seller duty of acceptance of the product and payment of reasonable price (Ferrari 112). Therefore, John should accept the software and pay a reasonable price for the products. In case the buyer feels that the price was unfair, he should petition the court to decide on what the fair price will be in this situation. Question B: sale of goods Contracts The contract is for the sale of goods as stipulated in English Sale of Goods Act 1893 (Saxon 154). A contract for sale of goods involves an offer and an acceptance. In this case study, Ammco made an offer to sell merchandise worth more than $500.00 to Erm a. According to the requirements of the contract of for sale, Erma agreed to purchase the merchandise in writing hence fulfilling the contract requirement that sale of goods exceeding $5 should be in writing (Ferrari 154). The contract involved two parties, the seller and the buyer. In addition, the consideration of a contract for sale of goods should be in monetary value, and this was fulfilled in the case study because Erma agreed to pay more than $500. The contract for the sale of goods determines the moment when transfer of property in goods takes place because this determines when the risk in goods passes to the buyer and remedy available to each party in case the goods are damaged. This contract did not follow the actual procedure of forming a contract. The additional information given by the seller to the buyer constitutes a counter offer hence the contract is voidable at the will of the buyer (Ferrari 187). This implies that the contract will be formed between the buyer and the seller the moment the buyer will accept the new conditions stated by the seller. Should the buyer agree to pay for insurance and cost of freight, then there will be a conclusion of a contract under Cost Insurance and Freight (C.I.F). Under C.I.F contract, the buyer has a right to accept the merchandise only if the merchandise meets the specifications stipulated in the contract. The goods on voyage are at the buyer’s risk since the seller insured the goods on his behalf. However, if the

Decision making Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Decision making - Research Paper Example The paper uses the two concepts to analyze three mediation efforts in the Arab - Israeli conflict: the Camp David Accords I, Oslo Accords and the Camp David Accords II. In the findings of the research indicate that in all the agreements reviewed, both sides held on to their strengths and privileges to make demands. In areas that either party had weaknesses, they were ready to make risky demands, sometimes at the expense of breaking down the negotiation process. It was therefore conclusive that in mediation in international conflicts, parties use the prospect theory to take decisions on the demands to make. On the other hand, the rational theory is still important. Hence, mediators can only succeed if they guide the parties to the rational choices. Introduction Dealing with interstate conflicts has become a high priority, not only between disputants themselves, but on the global arena as well. The approach and the way by which conflicts are decided to be managed is a crucial issue. â €Å"Mediation is one of the oldest forms of conflict resolution and has been used extensively worldwide by individuals, states and organizations to bring about peaceful resolution to interstate and intrastate conflicts† (Siniver and Thomas, 2011 p2). Typically, mediation involves a third party helping two parties in a conflict to come up with solutions to their disagreements. Mediation aims at promoting a less adversarial method of dealing with conflicts in international relations. Terris and Maoz identify that third party negotiations have been used in 35% of post-World War II militarized disputes (Terris& Maoz 2005 p563). This underscores the importance of mediation as a tool for diplomats to solve conflicts and tensions between nations and states. I see high importance in understanding the perspective role of international mediation as a future conflict resolution tool. Since the demands of each side of the conflict must be heard in mediation, the method with which parties come up with decisions on the demands they put forward is important in determining the success of the process. Thus, each party might need to come up with decisions on the condition to present in the mediation. A simple decision making model involves diagnosis of the problem, search for options and choice, revision through a critical assessment, evaluation of options, choice of a given option and the implementation of choice or demands (Maoz, 2012 p5). The simple decision making model form the basis of the traditional or orthodox negotiation framework known as the Theory of Rationality. The Theory of Rationality is based on an attempt to attain a win-win outcome or the best solution for both parties with the long term interest of the parties. This is steeped in the Expected Utility (EU) Theory, which seeks the best good for the largest numbers of people (Milburn& Isaacs, 1995 p335). However, other theories like the Game Theory which is steeped in probabilities and choices come be u sed to arrive at the rational theory (Coombs& Avrunin, 1998). The Prospect Theory on the other hand, involves an individual negotiating to get the maximum net gains for himself (Bazerman et al, 1985). In other words, each group in the negotiation table will present demands that serves his or her needs best. And as such, we seek the best interests for ourselves. Thus, one must be expected to negotiate for his or her best interest. This makes the Prospect Theory the

Fields of dreams Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fields of dreams - Movie Review Example This film’s theme was about a man’s search for his father. He hears heavenly voices, develops a field of baseball on faith and converses with famous dead players who appear to be angels. In the film, Terence Mann tells Ray Kinsella that crowds will come, because they have money and lack peace. He also states that the crowds can even dip themselves, just like a religious rite, in magic waters (Wood et al, 70- 72). Both the Natural and Field of Dreams show how baseball is redemptive. In The Natural, Roy Hobbs, in his journey of becoming the â€Å"best there ever was†, experiences a short fall when his career is ended before he achieves his dream. Through baseball, however, sixteen years later, he comes back and manages to redeem himself by achieving his dreams and being able to fulfill his role as a patriarchal family figure. This is also demonstrated in Field of Dreams, whereby the voice of Ray’s dad drives Ray to generate this illogical field as is brought out through the personification of the Voice. However, it represents a space whereby ghosts from the past can come back from the purgatory of a cornfield to be with the present-day people (Wood et al, 72). 2. Hearing plays a very important role in Field of Dreams. Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, creates the ball field for Joe, the â€Å"Shoeless Joe†. ... This happens also because a voice had instructed him so. Compared to the role of sound in The Exorcist, while in Field of Dreams hearing is excellently used to build more on the theme of the film, this is not the case in the Exorcist. In the Exorcist, sound is several decibels higher compared to the visuals, which augments the tension of the audience. When for example, Regan is brought in the foreground, as she listens to her mother, the sound of the voice of Chris is shrill and piercing. In Field of Dreams, cause-and-effect is demonstrated by Costner’s clear view of his logic supporting his intuition. Having a clear vision of the cause-effect judgment behind his intuition, Kevin Costner followed his instincts and then went on to take action to ensure things happened to keep the farm. Costner says â€Å"If we build it, then they will come.† This quote is about a principle that is profound for not just Costner but for the film as well. At the time he was saying the words , the farm was in foreclosure, which makes it justifiable to presume that the higher objective was to save the farm. It is this goal of saving the farm that focused his project, and ended up contributing to the objective of using baseball to reconnect with his father (Baltov, p. 40). 3. Imagination plays a very important role in the discussion of God. Imagination answers the question of how people can begin to perceive God. The most appropriate manner of trying to perceive God is using our minds that are limitless; our imagination. Imagination is limitless and beyond the primitive logic of people, which makes it important when discussing God. Worth noting is that coincidentally, God is described in the same way, a limitless way. When forming an image of God, it is important that

The Story of a Mother Essay Example for Free

The Story of a Mother Essay Sisa ran quickly home, confused. She feared that the civil guards may have arrested his son Basilio already. When she reached home, she saw the two civil guards leaving with only her hen. She tried to walk past them but the civil guards caught her and demanded to know where her sons are. Sisa begged the guards for mercy, saying she does not know where her sons are nor does she have the gold coins they are accusing Crispin of stealing. With no other recourse, the civil guards forcibly brought her back to the barracks. Sisa, to spare her from humiliation, begged them to at least allow her some distance between them. The civil guards obliged, giving her a distance of 20 steps. They eventually reached the barracks and Sisa was imprisoned. Not wanting to bother themselves of inquiring about her, no one bothered to report to the alferez. After two hours, the alferez, rival of the curate, dismissed Father Salvi’s allegations against her and ordered her to be freed. Sisa hurriedly ran back home once again but did not find Basilio. She ran to Tasio the Sage but he was not home. Instinctively, she went home and upon entering the hut, she saw a piece of torn and bloodied cloth from Basilio’s shirt. She cried out for her children throughout the night. Come morning, Sisa can be seen smiling and talking to everyone.

Parent and Teenager Relationships Essay -- Papers Adolescent Teens Gro

Parent and Teenager Relationships As a child begins to enter adolescence, there appears to be a rise in conflict between the adolescent and parents. The amount of conflict differs from family to family and is dependent on many factors. It is mainly due to the changing characteristics and growing of the adolescent and the way in which the rest of the family adjusts to these changes. Adolescence is a time of challenge and change for both teens and parents. Teens are at a stage in life where they face a multitude of pressing decisions -- including those about friends, careers, sex, smoking, drinking, drugs and parental values. At the same time, they are confronted with profound physical, social and emotional changes. Myths of adolescence are perpetuated because adults do not spend the time and effort learning about normal, expected changes during this period. It is much easier for us to put a label on people rather than to try to understand them. The teen years are truly "high speed, high need" years. Here are some concepts of conflict and some areas to look out for. While most parents realize there are normal struggles between parents and teens as their sons and daughters struggle for independence and identity, they are often shocked by the length and intensity of the conflict. They are stunned by apparent rejection of some of their most sacred values and confused by their teenagers "acting up" and "acting out." In attempting to become psychologically independent of their parents, teens often attempt to move completely away from any control or influence by their parents. When the rejected teenager reaches the limit of patience and tolerance, he or she lashes out -- rejecting the family, the school, the church, the s... ...en. As a parent you also have to make sure you have certain expectations that need to be followed. You have to expect cooperation and courtesy at home as well as to be able to get a good night?s sleep without worrying where your teenager is. There are no magic, easy solutions. However, a parent is wise to communicate absolute support to a young teenager by letting them know that you love them and will always be there for them. As an adult, you must model acceptable adult behavior in all situations. If you can say "I'm sorry I got angry," or "I apologize for criticizing you before listening to all you have to say," teens will have more respect for all adults. It is also useful to remind young teenagers that it is easier to treat them as adults if they act like adults. And it is very useful to adult parents to remember that they were once teenagers themselves.

adoption :: essays research papers

adoption adoption, act by which the legal relation of parent and child is created. Adoption was recognized by Roman law but not by common law. Statutes first introduced adoption into U.S. law in the mid-19th cent., and today it is allowed in all states of the United States and in Great Britain. Adoption is generally a judicial proceeding, requiring a hearing before a judge. Adoption statutes usually provide that the consent of the parents or guardian of the child—and that of the child, if above a certain age—must be obtained. An adopted child generally assumes the rights and duties of a natural legitimate child. Similarly, the rights and duties accompanying natural parenthood generally accompany adoptive parenthood (e.g., the right of custody and the obligation of support). The natural parents have no right to control an adopted child, nor have they any duties toward it, but in some states the child does not lose the right to inherit from them. In many cases children are adopted by relatives. Many states now permit adoption by unmarried adults; some allow adoption by homosexual couples. Most adoptions are of the same race. Transracial adoptions are controversial, pitting issues of culture and heritage against the need of a child for a stable parent-child relationship as early in life as possible, regardless of race. The Multiethnic Placement Act (1994) made it illegal for U.S. states to hold up adoptions solely in order to match racial or ethnic background of the child. In adoption by unrelated adults, the courts have traditionally attempted to ease adjustment to the adoptive family and protect the privacy of the (often unwed) mother by maintaining secrecy regarding the child's birth parents. Since the 1970s, however, a growing number of adopted children have attempted to identify their birth parents, and â€Å"open adoption,† in which adoptive and birth parents maintain a relationship, has become more accepted. Questions of parental rights and where these stand vis-à  -vis the rights and best interests of the child have also been highlighted in cases in which the courts tranferred custody of adopted or fostered children to birth parents who had previously given them up. Many children are adopted through public or private agencies, but a growing number are adopted through private placement, in which the prospective adoptive parents advertise for or are otherwise put into contact with a birth mother, usually with the help of a lawyer who is familiar with the process and the legal requirements of the individual states.

Merger and Acquisition †Proposal Essay

Chapter -I Introduction Merger, corporate combination of two or more independent business corporations into a single enterprise, usually the absorption of one or more firms by a dominant one. A merger may be accomplished by one firm purchasing the other’s assets with cash or its securities or by purchasing the other’s shares or stock or by issuing its stock to the other firm’s stockholders in exchange for their shares in the acquired firm (thus acquiring the other company’s assets and liabilities). In a merger, institutions combine to form another different institution, which becomes a legal entity in its own right and therefore mergers are not instant events, they are processes .A merger cannot be considered as truly successful unless it also achieves employee satisfaction. This is vital to an organization as a whole. Employee satisfaction is very important and necessary in order to gauge the success of the company. Employee satisfaction reflects the degree to which individual‘s needs and desire are met and the extent to which this is perceived by other employees. Employee satisfaction is generally perceived as the scope of the work and all the positive attitudes regarding the work environment. In this, there are several words which have been describe the impact of merger in staff- †¢ Traumatic  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Disruptive †¢ Distressing †¢ Painful †¢ Uncertainty †¢ Loss in commitment †¢ Dampening on work motivation †¢ Shock †¢ Anger †¢ Disbelief †¢ Depression †¢ Anxiety †¢ Disappointment †¢ Disillusionment †¢ Withdrawal Thus Mergers have become a key part of many corporate growth strategies, with diversification being the primary reason for merging. Banks seek to diversify in order to reduce risks and increase returns, and geographic diversification, that is expanding operations into multiple locations, is used to obtain greater market power. Banks merge with other banks that have branch locations in multiple states in order to reach a larger customer base. The anticipated benefits are less competition and increased profits for the resultant bank. The corporate diversification strategy has led to an increase in bank Merger. The mainly purpose to conduct this study on merger and acquisition of banks and its effect on employee job satisfaction because there has been seen a big change in shape of merger activities after the big financial crises that effects the whole world business strategies in different mode so many employees getting jobless. Every segment of work or business and individuals of the nation is affected by the financial crisis due to the cycle of collecting deposits and lending money chain broken. Peoples do not have the power to save the money in the banks because of less profitability and more expenses that reduced the profitability of the banks too and let them to merge and acquisition themselves with another well-established bank that bear their costs and their existence too. During merger and acquisition activities lots of employees victimize in different terms. They suffer from the stiffed phase of their job. Most of the employee’s job satisfaction level goes ultimate down as they think they will be getting fired or jobless as new management would be come up with new teams of professionals and new procedure of working conditions in this way their morale level affected. Statement of the Problem Whether the banks are public or private the main thing is the success of their business and that depends upon its employees. If the employees are not satisfied from their job, working conditions, work culture, management they can never make the customers satisfied with better quality services. The purpose of this research is to know the effects of Merger on employee satisfaction. Recently, Machhapuchhre Bank Limited merged with Standard Finance and Himchuli Bikas Bank merged with Birgunj Finance, I believe that these institutions are perfect to understand the effects of merger on employee’s satisfaction. Identified Problems * To what extent does change impact on employee movement? * How satisfied are employees of these two banks with their current working environment? * What are the factors that affect employee satisfaction level during a merger phase? Research Objective Based on the above identified problems, the goals of this study are * To identify factors that affect employee satisfaction during a merger phase. * To measure the satisfaction level of employee after merger of bank. * To establish the extent to which employees are satisfied with their current working conditions. Chapter II Literature Review A number of researchers and theorists have been paying attention to know the satisfaction level of employee after merger of bank and institution. Many higher and further education institutions in South Africa are struggling to survive in a context of financial stringency, declining student enrolments and increasing competition, therefore for some of these institutions merging with other institutions in the near future is becoming a strong likelihood (Hay, Fourie & Hay, 2001:100). In an attempt to survive, institutions are reducing costs by cutting down on the number of faculties, redeploying staff and placing a moratorium on overtime pay, conference attendance, new appointments and new capital projects (Bott, quoted by Hay, Fourie & Hay, 2001:100). Hay, Fourie and Hay (2001:100) state that perceptions of employees who will be directly affected by the merging process seem to be very important, as knowledge and understanding of those perceptions will empower decision– makers and ensure that effective management of the merging process can be accomplished; therefore careful consideration needs to be given to particularly personal factors, and employee fears will have to be addressed in the process to ensure effective merging. According to Smit & Cronje (1995:307) when an organisation employs people, it is the manager’s task to diagnose the needs of its employees and formulate strategies to promote personal goal attainment. If workers are able to achieve their personal goals in the work situation, they will be prepared to render outputs that lead to the attainment of the organisation’s goal; therefore it follows that if the individual’s outputs are satisfactory, the organisation will reward him and this, in turn, will satisfy him. Strydom (2005) (as quoted in the Centre for Quality Management journal, S.a.), states that the level of satisfaction that a staff member feels will directly affect his work performance and attitudes, impacting on the company’s success. Strydom (2005) believes that an organisation’s primary objective is to determine the needs of its employees and the ways in which these can be satisfied, therefore research emphasizes the importance of the role that employee satisfaction plays in the success of an organisation. Strydom (2005) further states that organisations need to provide good recruitment strategies and induction processes, strong leadership, personal development opportunities, a positive work environment, recognition of a job well done and good communication to ensure that employees’ needs are met. Phillips Consulting (2005) points out that tackling issues such as employee challenges, motivation, career advancement, performance management and cultural issues are key to the success of any transformation exercise. The employee drives the process and strategy, not the other way round. Researchers have attributed the less than stellar record of M&A outcomes, in part, to how the integration of the participating firms affected the employees of the acquired company (Range, 2006; Schreyogg, 2006; Van Dick, Wagner, & Lemmer, 2004). Furthermore, research has shown that M&As can be a traumatic event in the lives of the individuals and organizations involved in the change. Many employees experience feelings of loss, resentment, and a decline in job satisfaction, and their reactions can lead to the failure of the M&A (Appelbaum et al., 2007; Cartwright & Schoenberg, 2006; Sperduto, 2007). Appelbaum et al. concluded that such human resources (HR) difficulties may add costs to the integration process and undermine the ability of a firm to achieve synergy, and thereby offset the hoped-for benefits of merging. Hunt and Downing (2006) concluded that, in the majority of successful mergers, the purchasers predicted that personnel problems would arise and acted quickly when such problems surfaced. Thus, understanding the job facets that lead to positive job satisfaction may help other business leaders deploy strategies that could increase their chances for achieving successful mergers.

Merrill Lynch-Bank of America Merger

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on the moral, philosophical characteristics from formal, systematic and ethical principles. Moral judgments are calculated from ethical principles which need to be applied as a standard for everyday choices in life and business. This is directly related to the decisions human beings make. Cavico (2009) states utilitarianism is more than just moral philosophy. It is a way of reformation and used extensively in government decision making. This will be discussed further in the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger.Utilitarianism is considered a scientific system of ethics and not just a philosophical theory of ethics. Utilitarian ethics follows the belief of maximizing the greatest good for the largest number of people. As utilitarianism is identified, one needs to learn that the greatest good could be based on aggregate principle or a distributive principle. The Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger will be assessed in regards to who, what an d how the greater good will be affected in this merger. Within utilitarianism, a moral philosophy is developed that focuses on the consequences of specific actions.An action is done, then observed and then analyzed. After identifying all the people that were involved, one needs to ask the question, â€Å"Do the sum of good consequences outweigh the sum of the bad consequences? † Quantify all the good and bad consequences in the scenario and if the good consequences are greater than the bad consequences then the action was moral and vice versa. In this paper, the actions of the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger will be discussed, evaluated and quantified with the Richard DeGeorge Utilitarian perspective.Pinpointing the stakeholders in this case will show who was direct and indirectly affected and how they were affected. Furthermore, it will be discussed the overall affect it had on society from a global perspective, reaction from competitive markets and the economic impact it created within the United States and worldwide. Critical points and actions will dominate the course of action on how utilitarian ethics was applied in this situation. Identifying the individual people or groups that were in this scenario will be evaluated on a pleasure v. ain scale where it will show the extent of good or bad in the situation and the possible outcomes that followed. The pleasure v. pain comparison will then be quantified on a grading scale that represents extreme pleasures and pains in Bank of America-Merrill Lynch merger. After totaling up the good and the bad points, it will determine if the actions in this merger were moral. In late 2008, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch were in negotiations for a business deal. Bank of America was going to buy Merrill Lynch for one of the largest bank mergers and acquisitions in the world.On the surface, Bank of America thought the merger was a good idea and a good business deal to pursue. Former Chief Executive of Bank of America, Kenneth Lewis, and the board of Bank of America saw this business deal as a way to expand into different sectors of the financial markets and strengthen many of its counterparts. With all the extensive financial records of both companies and balance sheet assessments, the deal looked great for smooth sailing. Catastrophically, the deal went through and contributed towards a massive failure in our financial markets that affected and crippled everyone worldwide.The private deal that once seemed so good has now become a nightmare. All of a sudden, the government has stepped in and has announced it will give twenty billion dollars in assistance from tax payer’s money. Investors and the public were shocked something of this magnitude was happening and felt betrayed, cheated and crippled. Within all the mayhem, the actions that will be evaluated come from Merrill Lynch and Bank of America and their failures to disclose pertinent financial information that would have shown greater losses than expected.United States (2009) stated the lack of transparency to investors and to the public showed that there was a negative atmosphere among them that they feared to disclose from the public. In addition to this, rumors circulated that the government had ties to this merger and flexed its power in order to make the merger happen. There were a great amount of people affected in this merger. Merrill Lynch as a company was being bought out in order to be saved financially. Merrill Lynch’s investors, shareholders and CEO, John Thain were a part of this corporation.Bank of America was the number one candidate for purchasing Merrill Lynch at the time. Bank of America’s investors, shareholders and CEO, Kenneth Lewis were all a part of this major merger. United States (2009) includes the Secretary of the Treasury, Hank Paulson and Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke were on the governmental side of this merger that apparently knew what was going on and forcefully made Bank of America buyout Merrill Lynch. This merger can also contribute to affecting the general public, global economies cross the world and the financial banking industry. As this case develops, there is uncertainty that Merrill Lynch and former CEO, John Thain, have to reveal massive amounts of losses and at one point a fourth quarter loss of fifteen billion dollars. In response, former CEO of Bank of America, Kenneth Lewis analyzes this and decides it may not be a good idea to pursue the merger. Secretively, the Fed, Paulson and Bernanke force Lewis to buy into the deal because if he doesn’t this could create a complete and total meltdown of the financial systems.Utilitarian ethics was used by considering the global economy; the government had to step in to minimize the blow as best as they could to help the greater good of society. In addition to this, there has been speculation that if Lewis hides these huge losses before the merger and reveals the m after the merger he could gain more government help in regards to the massive hit Bank of America now faces. Although the economy is in a meltdown and financial banks are getting hit harder than ever before, this merger may prove to save some of our largest financial institutions and lessen the blow of a complete loss for the global economy.On one spectrum of the scale we have the financial banks abusing high leverage investments in order to gain more money without caring about negative consequences but then on the other hand, the nation is faced with minimizing damages and saving as much as it can because in a result of total loss, the public could be in a greater state economic loss. With Merrill Lynch being saved and Bank of America taking on the bigger role of keeping afloat, Merrill Lynch now has the opportunity to be bought out and saved compared to total collapse and bankruptcy.In this case, it was a smart move for Merrill Lynch to be acquired by Bank of America and a fores eeable good in the future of the financial markets. Kenneth Lewis took the daunting task of acquiring Merrill Lynch and the bad debt expense that the company brought with it. Acquiring Merrill Lynch would provide a huge blow to Bank of America at first but restructuring and getting government help in the merger would prove to be a successful task that would provide foreseeable good in the future. Some people believe that Paulson and Bernanke used their governmental power to make this merger happen.Bank of America’s Acquisition (2009) states they forced Kenneth Lewis to buyout Merrill Lynch and if not Kenneth Lewis and the board of Bank of America would have been terminated. Although this may have been a threatening action, it was in the government’s best interest to make this merger go through or a total collapse of the financial markets would be devastating for the American population and further seep into global chaos. It is a very tough situation to assess but follo wing Utilitarianism considered the greater good of the population and this needed to be done.In addition to this, individual investors were hit very hard with the downturn of the economy. In many cases, people lost more than fifty percent of their investments which sounds terrible but comparing it to a nongovernmental bailout, those individuals would be left with nothing. In this research study, it is needed to define the severity of good and bad consequences for each individual or group that was affected in this case on a numerical grading scale. Each individual or group will be considered according to the Richard DeGeorge Utilitarian approach.The scale will be ranked from +5 being the best and -5 being the worst situation from a pleasure versus pain standpoint. Merrill Lynch being bought out by Bank of America is more of a good thing. Ranking it at +2 gives Merrill Lynch and Bank of America merger the positive side because without this merger people would be in greater amounts of trouble. Ranking a +1 for investors and shareholders of each company provides a positive side of this outcome. Although investors did lose over fifty percent of investments into the companies, this loss is better than losing everything that was invested.Other financial markets were consolidated and restructured. By getting rid of bad assets, other financial institutions could start over and reinvest in the proper markets. This was also a learning lesson for the financial industry and for them to never repeat these careless mistakes again. A rank of +3 will be given to the financial markets. Hank Paul and Ben Bernanke did prove to show excessive force in making this merger happen but only in regards to saving the U. S. economy and limiting the blow that it could’ve potentially produced.Giving the government a ranking of +2 shows they provided a better option for America and the possibility of avoiding a complete financial meltdown. Assessing our global economy by looking back at it over the past five years gives it a ranking of 0. This explains that as a country and globally, we have made minimal increases in our economy. One month says we are getting back on the right track while the next month says we are sinking deeper and deeper into recession. The economy shows a recovery in the stock arket one month but the next month there is speculation that the European markets are going to crash and take everyone with them. Living in these highly volatile times gives uncertainly and fear for most investors which hinders potential growth and recovery. After summing up all the pleasure and pain rankings, the total equals +8. This shows that amidst all the chaos, deceiving and cheating, the outcome created a positive effect that saved our economy as best as possible rather than let it sink and destroy everything.This tragic merger proves to be a morally correct standpoint regardless of the tough actions that were taken in order to achieve this outcome. No individu al cheated the system or manipulated the system in order to gain financial strength. It was in the best interest of the individual companies and the U. S. economy to keep them in tact or greater consequences could’ve occurred. Saving two of our largest banks provides us with a loss in investments but something that would be accepted rather than total and complete collapse of our financial systems.Primary Source: United States. (2009). Bank of America and Merrill Lynch: How did a private deal turn into a federal bailout? : joint hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, first session. Washington: U. S. G. P. O. Secondary Source: Bank of America’s Acquisition of Merrill Lynch: A â€Å"Shotgun Merger†?. (2009, June 16). My Bank Tracker. Retrieved August 4, 2012, from www. mybanktracker. com/news/2009/06/16/bank-of-americas-acquisition-of-merrill-l ynch-a-shotgun-merger/

Odysseus’ story Essay

SOME ARE monsters, some are slaves, some are beautiful and cunning women and some are powerful kings. In Homeric literature, a character is either good or bad depending on their xenia or shape (e.g. Charybdis). However, from reading ‘The Odyssey’, one can see the admirable characters and the not so admirable characters. Such characters have either good or bad xenia, old or young, male or female, some can be a menial as a slave (such as Eumaeus) and some can be as great as a Troy hero and king (such as Nestor). This is an exploration of whether or not Eumaeus is the most admirable character in ‘The Odyssey’ or not. We first meet Odysseus’ swineherd in Book Fourteen in the porch of his hut. He had been caring for Odysseus’ property during his absence. Odysseus appears to him as a beggar and despite the status that such person has, Eumaeus being but a servant understands xenia and entertains Odysseus by preparing a feast for him.  In Book Fourteen, Eumaeus grieves not only for the loss of Odysseus but also for Telemachus who had gone to find his father. It is clear from Book Sixteen, that Eumaeus loves Telemachus like a father loves a son as when he returns he drops everything and kisses Telemachus and cries with pleasure of his safe return to Ithaca. He shows respect for his masters in Book Fourteen, another admirable trait, when he says to the disguised Odysseus that servants can’t give admirable gifts when they work in fear of their overpowering masters. This shows that Eumaeus understands his place an Odysseus and Telemachus both recognise this and treat Eumaeus with great respect. One could argue that Homer created Eumaeus as the most admirable character as there is a not in Book Fourteen that claims that Homer loved his created character and sometimes the literature speaks directly to Eumaeus.  After Eumaeus’ prayer that Odysseus may return, Odysseus feels that it is right that he should reveal his scar and prove that he is with them. The text says that Eumaeus is overwhelmed to see his master again and is weeping and kissing him so much, that if Odysseus hadn’t stopped them, it would have gone on all day and all night! This shows a great and respecting love for the King of Ithaca. Eumaeus speaks out, bravely (or foolishly some could argue) against the Suitors. This shows bravery in his character as well as loyalty and love. He is truly characterised as a noble and respectable person. He also helps in the execution of the maidservants and the mutilation of Melanthius.  All of the above describe how admirable Eumaeus is and there is not a point in the text when he is not admirable, loving, kind or brave. However, there are other admirable characters in ‘The Odyssey’. I would argue that King Nestor of Pylos, a hero against Troy with Odysseus, is an admirable character in ‘The Odyssey’. He is a very generous host and actually is so generous and so loyal to xenia that in Book Fifteen, Telemachus pleads with Nestor’s son, Peisistratus (Telemachus’ Patroclus type character) to not let him see Telemachus, as he will keep him against his will with his passion for hospitality! Some could argue that this in its self is an abuse of xenia. Nestor also stops Telemachus from sleeping on his ‘hollowed ship’ and says that he should sleep in the palace. This shows true loyalty to xenia. Before this however, Nestor believes that Telemachus even looks like Odysseus and tells Telemachus of his faith in him. This shows a caring for his friend’s family. Nestor is even kind enough to let his son act as a friend and guardian to Telemachus on his journeys.  Nestor’s character is one of great caring and compassion and he looks out for Telemachus as a father would look out for a son and I think that this is a truly admirable trait of King Nestor. Another admirable character is Antinous and Arete’s daughter, Nausicaa, princess of Phaeacia. She meets Odysseus when he has been washed up on the shore of the island and is wearing no more than a fig leaf over his genitalia. Anyone would have thought him mad or overly promiscuous, however, despite her first impressions, the young woman hears of Odysseus’ story and shows pity on the great man in his miserable state. She orders her ladies to bathe him and even tells him how to get into the city and speak with her father, Antinous through his wife Arete). With all this guidance she shows mercy on a man in a state where others would have either ran or jeered at him. This shows a merciful character in Nausicaa and for such a young girl she has an understanding of xenia. She falls in love with Odysseus and she is even offered by Antinous as a wife for Odysseus, but Odysseus is having none of it and just wants his presents and one of their good ships to go home in.  Nausicaa demonstrates mercy on Odysseus in the only time we see him as being so disparate and needy for help. The only time when he loses face and the only time really when all he has are his articulate words to help him out of situation. This shows that Nausicaa probably knew that Odysseus was a great man and that his state would have de-motivated him so the very fact that she shows such compassion towards him shows that she sympathises with his situation. This I believe is a very admirable thing to do and shows great intelligence for someone so young. Therefore, Eumaeus is one of the most admirable but not the most. Nestor and Nausicaa, both explored above are equally as admirable but in slightly different ways. Eumaeus’ admiralty comes from his loyalty to Odysseus and his want to defend his right to be loyal. Nestor is admirable for his hospitality and the way he speaks of Odysseus and the help that he gives to Telemachus on his journey to track down his father. Lastly, Nausicaa is admirable as she is able to trust a man that others would have thought bonkers. He appears to her naked and she accepts his honesty and mercifully helps him due to his articulate speech. Homer has truly created some of the greatest characters in the world of literature and these good and admirable persons are part of the huge enjoyment one has when one reads his ‘Odyssey’.