The Founder Of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud Was A...

The founder of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud was a physiologist, and medical doctor and a psychologist. During the span of his research in psychotherapy he was criticized by many who claimed his research was not science. Although it has been decades and Freud’s work has filled many of today’s psychology textbooks, there are contemporary critics who still question the legitimacy of Freud’s scientific work. Sigmund Freud’s achievements unlocked the unconscious and developed modern psychotherapy. Freud’s childhood was more than ordinary. The structure of his family may have been confusing to Freud as a child. His father was old enough to look like he could have been Freud’s grandfather and his half-brothers looked as if they were old enough†¦show more content†¦Freud also mailed small doses of cocaine to Martha affirming the great effects it possessed. Freud was never addicted to cocaine. His real addiction was his research (Anderson, 2 001). His cocaine experiments ended in disaster when one of his patients died from overdose. Freud began exploring other methods of therapy including magnetism, where he believed he could use magnets to move sickness from one side of the brain to another. But none of these techniques were effective. Then a man named Jean-Martin Charcot introduced hypnosis therapy to Freud. This caught Freud’s attention because hypnosis is another way he could unlock and explore the unconscious mind. Relaxing on the psychiatric couch was the optimal position for a patient to undergo hypnosis. Freud gained a lot of research about the unconscious through hypnosis therapy. Later, Freud concluded that the patients’ sicknesses were not getting better through hypnosis simply because they could not recall anything from when they were hypnotized. Freud looked to other methods of psychotherapy and was influenced by a man named Josef Breuer. Breuer told Freud he had a special case patient, â€Å"Anna O†, who was diagnosed with hysteria. Every time â€Å"Anna O† talked about her symptoms they would suddenly be suppressed (Anderson, 2001). This was known as the talking cure. Freud adopted this method in his practices and hisShow MoreRelatedEssay on Sigmund Freud714 Words   |  3 PagesSigmund Freud Sigmund Freud, physiologist, medical doctor, psychologist and father of psychoanalysis, is recognized as one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. As the originator of psychoanalysis, Freud distinguished himself as an intellectual giant. He invented new techniques and for understanding human behavior, his efforts resulted in one of the most comprehensive theories of psychology developed. Freud was born May 6, 1856 in Freiberg in Moravia (what is now Czechoslovakia)Read MoreEssay on Theoretical Positions of Jung, Adler, and Freud1471 Words   |  6 Pagesdiligently to quantify and validate early structuralist perspectives in psychology, early functionalists were hard at work developing theories that were more qualitative in nature. Although not directly associated with the functionalism movement, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and William James were clearly most concerned with how psychology could improve the lives of the individual and less inclined to laboratory research. Through each psychologist’s theory, the underlying tone is how oneRead More The Development of Psychology Essay1156 Words   |  5 Pagesorganisms and their parts. Physiologists would conduct studies of the brain and the nervous system to explain mental illnesses, an important area of study in the field of psychology. Physiology however, is limited to biology and does not delve into matters of the mind such as the function of consciousness and unconsciousness. The birth of psychology as a science can be traced to the University of Leipzig, in Germany in 1879. In the University of Leipzig, physiologist Wilhelm Wundt founded the firstRead MoreEssay on The Contributions of Sigmund Freud1498 Words   |  6 PagesThe founder of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud was a physiologist, and medical doctor and a psychologist. During the span of his research in psychotherapy he was criticized by many who claimed his research was not science. Although it has been decades and Freud’s work has filled many of today’s psychology textbooks, there are contemporary critics who still question the legitimacy of Freud’s scientific work. Sigmund Freud’s achievements unlocked the unconscious and developed modern psychotherapy.Read MoreMajor Theorist Paper: Sigmund Freud2200 Words   |  9 PagesTheorist Paper: Sigmund Freud THE FOUNDATION What can I say about Sigmund Freud that has not been said before? Sigmund Freud is known as the â€Å"Founding Father of Psychoanalysis.† I have been reading a book about Sigmund Freud which seems quite interesting called, â€Å"Freud’s War with God† by Jack Wright, Jr., Ph.D. I will need to go over Sigmund Freud’s Life, the historical context, educational training, and review of major tenants of Sigmund Freud’s model. NATAL AND DEMISE Sigmund Freud was born in a smallRead MoreI Am Looking At Where Psychology As A Discipline1361 Words   |  6 Pagesto the influential work of Renà © Descartes, French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist, that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship. As the 19th century progressed, the problem of the relationship of mind to brain became ever more pressing. The word Psychology comes from two Greek words: Psyche and Logos. The term ?psychology? used early on described the study of the spirit. It was in the 18th century when psychology gained its literal meaning: The study of behaviourRead MoreEssay about History of Psychology1417 Words   |  6 Pagesto the influential work of Renà © Descartes, French mathematician, philosopher, and physiologist, that we owe the first systematic account of the mind/body relationship. As the 19th century progressed, the problem of the relationship of mind to brain became ever more pressing. The word Psychology comes from two Greek words: Psyche and Logos. The term ‘psychology used early on described the study of the spirit. It was in the 18th century when psychology gained its literal meaning: The study of behaviourRead MoreCognitive Behavioral Theory Of Psychology Essay1764 Words   |  8 PagesConditioning. In 1943 Clark Hull’s Principles of Behavior was published. A few years later, in 1948 B. F. Skinner published Walden Two, in which he described an ideal society founded upon behaviorist principles. Following that, during the 1950s and 1960s, the behavior therapies developed within the framework of Skinner’s Operant Conditioning, as well as Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning. Classical Conditioning, developed by the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, uses systematic desensitization as its primaryRead MoreSigmund Freud s Personality Theory1649 Words   |  7 PagesSigmund Freud was born on May 06 in a small town of Freiberg in Moravia. He was one of nine children. After several years of remaining in that small town, it is now called Czechoslovakia. From an early age Freud had many career choices but being of Jewish heritage limited his efforts. Freud and his daughter Anna were given permission to leave the Nazi-occupied city. When beginning, Freud sought fame and created theories that he hoped would surpass all others. Freud invented psychoanalysis inRead MoreThe History of Psychology2719 Words   |  11 Pagesbehavior and the nature of the human mind. The name ‘psychology is from the two Greek roots, psyche and logos, which mean mind and study, respectively. Psychological thought was most influenced by three very well known ancient philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates maxim was know thyself, which was an idea that accentuated the importance of personal reflection and self-examination. He believed the unexamined life is not worth living (Nevid 4). This idea of self-assessment

The Islamic Religion Of The Arabian Desert - 1505 Words

Michael Pudlin Professor Ermus November 18th, 2014 Allah says in the Qur an not to despise one another. So the criterion in Islam is not color or social status. It s who is most righteous. If I go to a mosque - and I m a basketball player with money and prestige - if I go to a mosque and see an imam, I feel inferior. He s better than me. It s about knowledge.(Hakeem Olajuwon) The Islamic religion may also be defined as your average day rollercoaster; You have your climb, your peak, your drop or fall, and of course even when this coaster has ended it still has impacted you in some sort of way. The Islamic religion arose in the Arabian Desert during the first half of the seventh century. This unique religion had essential characteristics that made it like no other, it carried an incredible transformation throughout the seventh and eighth centuries and in a sense just like angels above it once collapsed but still has made contributions to today s world civilization. Islam is a very controversial religion when talking about ancient time s. This renown religion has many essential characteristics on which it is based on. The word Islam means peace. The word Muslim means one who surrenders to God. But the press makes us seem like haters.(Muhammad Ali) The Islamic religion was the basic concept that stated that the whole universe was created by god in which the people of this religion called god Allah. Allah is known as theShow MoreRelatedNotes On The World And The Arabian Peninsula1186 Words   |  5 Pagescentury -followers of Islam spread from Arabian Peninsula -began sequence of conquest Spreading †¢ Spreading -merchants -warriors -wanderers (nomads) -empire extended to Africa, Europe and Asia Deserts and Towns: Desert and Towns: The Arabian World and Birth of Islam The Arabian World and †¢ The Arabian Peninsula -was covered mostly by deserts -wide variety of Bedouin (nomadic cultures)Read MoreIslam Studies Jahiliyyah1539 Words   |  7 Pageshave an influence after the advent of Islam. Elements of the jahiliyyah such as the geographical location; the political, social and religious life; pre-islamic literature, rituals of the Ka ba and the role of Women have shaped the understanding of Islam. The term Jahiliyyah means the period of ignorance or barbarism; reflecting the Arabian culture before the birth of Muhammad(Mvumbi, 2010). The concept reflects the period in which Arabia had no dispensation, no knowledge of Allah or one GodRead MorePre Islamic Period Of Arabian People1399 Words   |  6 PagesShadhan Al-Mahrouqi Rifat Dika Arabic 399 9/30/2015 Pre-Islamic Period of Arabian People Religion is a complicated multi-dimensional phenomenon that embraces all the spheres of people’s lives. Therefore, to analyze the meaning and objective effects of any religion, the researchers need to study e a particular society before the appearance of religion. It is common knowledge that understanding beliefs requires awareness of sociological, political, economic, psychological and philosophical life ofRead MoreThe First Global Civilization : The Rise And Spread Of Islam1539 Words   |  7 Pagesinto the country. Most Muslims were scholars and had a huge understanding of the Islamic religion. The arabic language later became the official language of the Islamic people. They read the Qur an. This is their holy book. DESERT AND TOWN: THE ARABIAN WORLD AND THE BIRTH OF ISLAM The geography of a desert town was very unbearable. It was very unlikely that you would see any children being born in a desert town, mostly because of that heat. Too hot for basically anyone to be living thereRead MoreIslam s Influence On The Middle East And Beyond1711 Words   |  7 Pagesthen appealing to many. Beginning in the 7th century, the Islamic Prophet Muhammad established a new â€Å"unified polity† in the Arabian Peninsula, which under the succeeding Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion . â€Å"The resulting empire stretched from the borders of China and India, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Sicily and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees† . Such expansion of the Islamic state was an understandable development since Muhammad himselfRead MoreCultural Awareness Of Saudi Arabia1101 Words   |  5 PagesAvendano, Allan 12MAY2017  Saudi Arabia, located in the middle east, takes up most of the Arabian Peninsula. This deeply rooted country, in comparison to Western culture, is different in many ways. Culture is defined as a civilization s way of life, their beliefs, morals, laws, and customs. Similarly to how American citizens follow the rules and regulations laid out in the constitution, the Saudi Arabian citizens use the Koran as their constitution. The people of Saudi Arabia culturally identifyRead MoreThe Spread Of The Islamic World997 Words   |  4 PagesSofia Kone 3/6/15 WH7/P4 The Spread of the Islamic World Long ago in 610, a man named Muhammad meditated in a cave near Mecca Arabia , and received a religious vision. This vision laid the foundations and a new belief system for an unknown religion, Islam. United by their faith in Allah, Muslims of Arabia succeeded in consolidating their beliefs throughout the Arabian peninsula into the Middle East. After the death of Muhammad, the Islamic state expanded rapidly through a remarkable success ofRead MoreHow Did The Ottoman Empire Differ From Earlier And The Middle East?1247 Words   |  5 Pagesdiffer from earlier Islamic empires in the Middle East? The Ottoman Empire, or Ottoman Turkish, was one of the longest in history, having gone through the whole modern era and only come to an end with the end of World War I in 1918. The event that is commonly taken by historians as the inaugurator of the Modern age is the fall of Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire, and was triggered by the Turkish-Ottoman. Also, you certainly heard about the Arabs, the Muslim religion and Islam. CertainlyRead MoreAnalysis Of Abc Islam Book 1581 Words   |  7 Pagesmosques would use calligraphy to write parts of the Qur an on the Mosque. Calligraphy is words connected or cursive. D is for desert The desert makes up 75% of the Arabian Peninsula. The environment in this region is very mild with sun and a dry climate. The Arab Bedouins used camels and sheep to travel in this desert. This desert is called the Dahna desert. â€Æ' E is for exposed to trade Muhammad the Muslim prophet was introduced to trade when he was around 12 years of age. He wasRead MoreIslam, The Ottoman And Safavid Empire1528 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent name. Throughout history, faith and religion have been at the core of almost every successful empire. There are a lot of factors that play into their faith. Two of the greatest empires to ever exist were the Ottoman and Safavid Empire. The Ottoman Empire was so large that it spanned from the Iranian frontier in the east to Algeria. One of the central values that contributed to both empire’s success was religion: Islam specifically. Religion was key to their successes because it not only

Casse Free Essays

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Teambuilding @ Mike Woodcock, Cower, Aldershot, 1988 CAVE RESCUE BRIEFING SHEET You have been called to an emergency meeting as one of your company’s experiments in a cave has gone badly wrong. Six volunteers have been taken into a cave system in a remote part of the country, connected only by a radio link to the research station by the cave entrance. It was intended that the volunteers would spend four days underground, but they have been trapped by falling rocks and rising water. We will write a custom essay sample on Casse or any similar topic only for you Order Now The only rescue team available tells you that rescue will be extremely difficult and only one person can be brought out each hour with the equipment at their disposal. It is likely that the rapidly rising water will drown some of the volunteers before rescue  can take place. The volunteers are aware of the dangers of their plight. They have contacted the research  station  using radio link and said that they are unwilling to take a decision as to the sequence by which they will be rescued. The responsibility for making this decision now rests with your committee. Lifesaving equipment will arrive in fifty minutes at the cave entrance and you will need to advise the team of the order for rescue by completing the ranking sheet. The only information you have available is drawn from the project files and is reproduced on the volunteer personal details sheet. You may use any criteria  you think fit to help you make  a decision. Volunteer 1: Helen Helen is 34 years old and a housewife. She has four children aged between 7 months and 8 years. Her hobbies are ice skating and cooking. She lives in a pleasant house in Gloucester, and was born in England. Helen is known to have developed a romantic and sexual relationship with another volunteer (Owen). Volunteer 2: Tozo Tozo is 19 years  old and a sociology student at Keele University. She is the daughter of wealthy Japanese parents who live in Tokyo. Her father is an industrialist who is also a national authority on traditional Japanese mime theatre. Tozo is unmarried but has several high-born suitors as she is outstandingly attractive. She has recently been the subject of a TV documentary on Japanese womanhood and flower arranging. Volunteer 3: Jobe Jobe is a man of 41 years and was born in Central Africa. He is a minister of religion whose life’s work has been devoted  to the social and  political evolution  of African peoples. Jobe is a member of the Communist Party and has paid several visits to the USSR in recent years. He is married with seven children whose ages range from 6 years to 19 years. His hobby is playing in a jazz band. Volunteer 4:Owen Owen is an unmarried man of 27 years. As a short-commission army officer he spent part of his service in Northern Ireland where, as an undercover agent, he received special recognition. Since returning to civilian life he has been unsettled and drinking has become a persistent problem. At present he is a Youth Adventure Leader, devoting much energy to helping young people and leading caving groups. His recreation is driving sports cars. He lives in Brecon, South Wales. Volunteer 5: Paul Paul is a man of 42 who has been divorced for six years. His ex-wife is now happily re-married. He was born in Scotland, but now lives in Richmond, Surrey. Paul works as a medical research scientist at the Hammersmith Hospital and he is recognized as a world authority on the treatment of rabies. He has recently developed a low-cost treatment which could be self administered. Much of this research data is still in his working notebooks. Unfortunately, Paul has experienced some emotional difficulties in recent years and has twice been convicted of indecent behaviour. The last occasion was 11 months ago. His hobbies are classical music, opera and sailing. Volunteer 6: Edward Edward is a man of 59 years. He is General Manager of a factory producing rubber belts for machines. The factory employs 71 persons. He is a prominent in local society. He is married with two children who have their own families and have moved away from his home. Edward has recently returned from Poland where he was personally responsible for promoting a contract to supply large numbers of  industrial belts over a five year period. This contract, if signed, would mean work for another 25 people. Edward’s hobbies include collecting antique guns and he intends to write a book about Civil War Armaments on his retirement. He is  also a strong cricket supporter. CAVE RESCUE REVIEW SHEET ORDER OF RESCUE -INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 ORDER OF RESCUE- GROUP RANKINGS NAME 1 2 3 4 5 6 Download How to cite Casse, Essay examples

The Prelude Essay Example For Students

The Prelude Essay This poem compared to Spring is slower and quieter, solemn and quite lethargic. Autumn uses long extended sentences, long vowels and many enjambments while Spring uses shorter, quicker phrases, short vowels and many alliterations, which means that the Spring poem is a lot more lively to read. The Autumn poem is also considerably longer than Spring so that it gives more detail to every aspect of Autumn. The Skating Poem by William Wordsworth was part of a large book of poetry called The Prelude. This poem is written as though it is meant as a Boys Poem because Wordsworth wrote this as if he was still a child. The poem starts off in a very positive, exciting and noisy way, however by the second stanza, the atmosphere changes to the complete opposite. Wordsworth begins the poem with him as a boy in the frosty season, when the sun was set (Line 1 / 2). He tells us that he is looking at his cottage and that all the windows are frosted up and that he doesnt want to go in, I heeded not the summons (Line 4). He continues to talk about how excited and happy he is and he says that he feels Proud and exulting, like an untired horse (Line 8). Wordsworth uses an onomatopoeic word to describe what he was doing, We hissd along the polished iced (Line 10). This phrase, with its use of assonance, helps us imagine the sound and the images that he saw when he was there. He talks about feeling like he does when he goes hunting. In Wordsworths time, hunting was very prevalent so using this image, he can think of excitement and the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next. Throughout the poem he uses similes to help describe the wintry images to us and to allow us to see what he saw when he was a child, such as every ice crag / Tinkled like iron (Line 17). There are many enjambments throughout the poem which, as in Hopkins Spring, makes the poem continuous and fast paced, and this allows the reader understand the excitement that he felt when he was a child. The second stanza is slower than the first as the atmosphere changes from him being happy and excited, to being quiet and lonely. The images are darker and full of shadows. From being the most important thing in the first stanza, he is suddenly very small and insignificant in the second. He is kneeling on the ice and the cliffs seem to be whirling round him as he is dizzy, and he talks about watching the night get darker and the ice get quieter until he is the only one left, writing I stood and watchd / Till all was tranquil as a dreamless sleep. (Line 37/38). This poem I think is a mixture of both Spring and Autumn poems in the way it uses structure, atmosphere and imagery. Wordsworths poem begins in a happy, positive and exciting way just like Spring, using short phrases, short vowels and exciting words, however in the second stanza it gets slower and quieter, and uses long sentences and long vowels in a similar way to Autumn. My favourite poem out of the three I have chosen is Spring by G. M Hopkins. This is because it is a very fast moving and happy poem which describes all the best bits about Spring and gives a feeling of excitement and optimism as the season promises to move into a hot and bright summer from a cold, dark winter. I like how Hopkins talks about the innocence of Spring and how he compares it to the garden of Eden and also how he talks about the beauty of the season, using interesting alliteration and happy, cheerful images of new life.

Limitations / Problems Of Bcg Essays - Strategic Management

Limitations / Problems Of Bcg Limitations / problems of the BCG Matrix 1. The problems of getting data on the market share and market rate 2. There is no clear definition of what constitutes a market 3. A high market share need not necessarily lead to profitability all the time. 4. The model employs only two dimensions market share and growth rate. This may tempt management to emphasis a particular product or divest prematurely. 5. Low share businesses can be profitable too. 6. It considers the product or SBU only in relation to one competitor: the market leader. It misses small competitors with fast growing market shares. Critiques of BCG Matrix 1. In another word: by definition, only a single company can have a share greater than 1.0 in any given market. Thus, in the BCG matrix, there can be but one cash cow or one star per market. 2. The BCG model implies resource allocation rules regarding cash usage. Assumptions of BCG 1. This matrix assumes that a larger market share in a growth market leads to profitability. An effort to obtain a large market share in a slowly growing market requires too much cash. 2. The higher the growth rate, the easier to gain market share Uses / Application of BCG Matrix 1. If a company is able to use the experience curve to its advantage, it should be able to manufacture and sell new products at a price low enough to get early market share leadership. Once it becomes a star, it is destined to be profitable. 2. BCG model is helpful to management in evaluating the firms current balance among stars, cash cow, problem child and dogs. 3. BCG model is applicable to large companies that seek volume and experience effects. 4. The model is simple and easy to understand. 5. It provides a base for management to decide upon and prepare for contingent future courses of action. BCG as a planning tool 1. The BCG growth share matrix is widely used as a strategic planning tool giving planners a sense of direction. 2. The matrix facilitates the strategic planning process and service as a rich source of ideas about possible strategic options. 3. In multi-product organizations, management can use this matrix as a guide to allocate limited resources. BCG MATRIX 22% 10% market growth rate 0% 10x 1.5x 1x 0.1x Relative market share 1. The BCG matrix is plots the businesss relative competitive position as expressed by the market share and the growth rate of its industry on the vertical axis. The company is represented by as a circle on the matrix. The diameter of the circle represents the size of the business (usually in terms of the sales) in relation to the sizes of other businesses in the portfolio. 2. Market growth rate: represent the annual growth rate of the market in which the business operates. 10% is considered high. 3. Relative market share: refers to the SBUs market share relative to that of its largest competitor in the segment. It serves as a measure of the companys strength in the relevant market segment. 0.1x means that the companys sales volume is 10% of the leaders sales volume. 4. Question marks: - - business that operate in high-growth market but have low relative market shares. Most business start off as question marks. A question markets requires a lot of cash to spend on plant, equipment to keep up with the fast-growing market. 5. Stars: if the question marks are successful, it becomes a star. A star is the market leader in a high growth market. A star does not necessarily produce a positive cash flow for the company. The company must spend substantial funds to keep up the high market growth and fight off competitor attacks. 6. Cash cows: When a markets annual growth rate falls to less than 10 percent, the star becomes a cash cow if it still has the largest relative market share. A cash cow produces a lot of cash for the company. The company does not have to finance capacity expansion because the markets growth rate has slowed down. Because the business is the market leader, it enjoys economies of scale and higher profit margins. Cash cows can be used to support other businesses 7. Dogs: Dogs are businesses that have weak market shares in low growth markets. They typically generate low

Rembrandts La Petite Tombe Essays - Dutch Golden Age Painters

Rembrandt's La Petite Tombe Essays - Dutch Golden Age Painters Rembrandt's La Petite Tombe According to some philosophers La Petite Tombe would most probably be considered a great work of art, this is my opinion too. Rembrandt is one of very few painters known around the world and valued as an addition to human history. Praised by the art world long time ago and until today. It also considers Rembrandts work as great, professional, expressive and impressive. However its greatness can be analyzed and criticized, which I will try to do in this paper. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Riju was born July 15, 1606 in the town of Leiden, Netherlands. One of the seven children he was the only one who received Higher Education, all of his siblings went into trade. Leiden was a University town with favorable education atmosphere. Upon graduating from the Leiden high school where students primarily learned Latin, and true religion (Calvinistic Protestantism) Rembrandt enrolled into a Leiden University, which by 1620s was internationally renowned. Not very eager for education he pretty soon became an apprentice of Jacob Isaacszoon Swandenburgh, and showed promise in painting, so his father found it good to apprentice him and to take him to the renowned painter P. Listman, residing in Amsterdam so that he might advance himself and be better trained and educated. During the seventeens century history painters enjoyed the highest prestige, higher even then portrait painters. Since history painters could give their imagination a certain freedom, depict and arrange their compositions as they please. In comparison portrait painters had little variation to work with to express themselves. This is why Rembrandt wanted to become a history, or religion painter. This era would probably be more favored by Tolstoy then by Plato. Although the paintings still presented the objects close or were identical to what we see in life, the fantasy of the artists began to take over the order of the objects, leaning towards the more historical, religious perspective, something Tolstoy would love. A piece of art from that era by Rembrandt of a religious context is an etching called La Petite Tombe, also known as Christ Preaching. The subject here is a gathering of common people around Jesus Christ, who is preaching the remission of sins, an event that does not occur in the Gospels, but which played an important part in the Mennouite doctrine. (Clark, p. 183) Rembrandt has many religious paintings and etchings in his collection, and in all of them he keeps his style of presentation. A little bit rough, and expressive. His characters on one hand are not explicitly detailed, but on the other all have their own unique points of interest, and expressive quality. If Plato were shown this etching he would probably be satisfied with it, since it meets all his conditions to be defined as good art. He argues that to be considered art at all, a piece of someones work, whether it is a painting, etching, poem etc., has to resemble identically a life that we see, and how we perceive it. The closer the work of art is to reality, the better would he consider it to be. Looking at an etching by Rembrandt we can see a very close similarity to life. People are proportionate, they look what ordinary people should look like, and the place where they are gathered is also a familiar surrounding which would look probably the same if we were to look at it in real life. However if we were to think about the content of the piece, there is a side to it, which draws particular attention. Jesus Christ is present on the etching. In the times of Plato there were no such concepts as Bible or Christianity. Even if we were to explain them to Plato, a person for whom the w hole other concept of religion is a basis for understanding reality, still he would not accept it as a replica of a real life, since for him there is no such god as the one accepted by Christians. The person right in the middle of a picture would be a step away from reality, together with the aura above his head. Therefore for Plato this etching would be a good even a

Forced induction Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Forced induction - Research Paper Example It is worth noting that the gas compressors are two in series. The first one feeds into the engine intake thus making it a forced induction, while the second one is the main compression that each engine usually has. The compressor that feeds into the engine intake increases to a large extent the full compression ratio of the whole system (Bell 33). It is also important to note that the engines that have higher compression tend to have the advantage of maximizing the amount of energy that is extracted per fuel unit. It is for this reason that the engine’s thermal efficiency is increased according to the analysis of the vapor power cycle of the second thermodynamics law. While higher compression engines have the advantage of maximizing the useful energy quantity, not all the engines are higher compression (Rathakrishnan 54). This is because for any particular octane, the fuel will detonate prematurely at a higher than expected ratio of compression. Although naturally a high comp ression on aspirated engine can reach the threshold f detonation quite easily, a force induction engine can as well have a relatively higher full compression necessarily without detonation. This can be attributed to the fact after the first compression stage the air charge can be cooled using intercooler. Engineers note that one of the key concerns of in internal combustion is the quantity of nitrogen/oxygen compounds that are produced by the engine. Since it is a primary concern, this quantity is regulated by the government at various inspection stations (Nag 29). Mainly, there are two main types of forced induction compressors: superchargers and turbochargers. Supercharges are all directly powered by engine rotation although they can be found as different and distinct compressors types. It should be noted that superchargers do not have lag time of building pressure since the compressor is proportionally spinning to the speed of the engine

Breakfast cereal kellogg's as an oligopoly Essay

Breakfast cereal kellogg's as an oligopoly - Essay Example They have a very serious concern about the customer service satisfaction process. It has been seen as a norm for the people at Kellogg’s it comes as second nature to them. Monopolistic competitions are made up of single companies. Currently in case of Kellogg’s there are many local competitors and it is important that the business have their own niches, the competitors are for select group of people and therefore, they have not actually been interfering with each other. The local competitors can not in any way be equivalent to the Kellogg’s brand as they are operating at the international level and have reach in around 180 countries. This gives them a huge profit margin and even leverage in the practices they carry out. They have been marketing themselves as the healthiest way for breakfast and they have around 35 products, these products cater to adults, children, diabetic patients, heart patients, then they have a whole range of breakfast cornflakes for the weight watchers. They have portrayed the product as a weight loss and diet supplementing breakfast options. They have had special focus on nutrients in nearly all their cereals. The fact that they have now been highlighting in all their cereals is the presence of high iron content in them. They have even introduced a women specific and weightwatcher women in the world (DRANOVE, MARCIANO, 2005). Kellogg’s is a house of brands as it has, around 35 successful cereal brands operating under them and that to quite successfully. Their products are being manufactured in 180 countries of the World and they have a total of 18 manufacturing plants. They have spent quite a lot in advertising since they started. It was a product of the creation of possibilities for healthier diet when it had been ordered by the church. The grains that were used were initially very simple ones, but then they were mixed

International Operational And Logistics (REPORT) Assignment

International Operational And Logistics (REPORT) - Assignment Example In Dell, Suppliers are viewed as the integral part of operating business and a key variable for success. The last part of repot analyzes an improvement proposal that could possibly improve the logistics and supply chain of the company thereby enhancing its competitive advantage. The proposal focused on use of information technology in supply chain management of Dell through Oracle 10G and use of e-commerce in its supply chain management. Introduction Dell was incorporated in 1994 by Michael Dell while he was a student at University of Texas, Austin. From its very first initiatives, direct selling model was adopted. In the beginning PC’s were sold over the phone and they were customized according to customers’ specifications. Dell returned to its direct selling model after using the retail channel from 1990 to 1994. In mid 1990’s, the company grew rapidly, thus becoming number one PC seller in the US and number two worldwide in 1999. Dell’s success continue d over the following years, but it was not able to avoid the crisis in PC industry in the new millennium. Dell’s growth rate fell, resulting in the fall of its stock price. However, over the time, Dell managed to remain a highly successful company, and its growth rate continued to outperform the industry as a whole. Dell’s strategic choices and ways of realizing those choices have played an effective role in story Dell’s success. The supply chain management of the company is the key element in its successful business model. The core element of the company’s business model is its direct sales model, referred as ‘direct mode’, with the build to order strategy. Current Operations and Supply Chain Business Model This differentiated model of dell help it creates a niche in the distribution channel and eliminates the entire mid channel members to arrive at cost leadership position in the industry. The basic principle of Resource based view is that the competitive advantage for any particular organization completely depends upon the resources which are available at any company’s disposal. It is a management tool to determine the important resources available for any organization. It is very important for success of the organization that these resources are valuable and are not imitable. The direct sales model refers to the fact that the company does not use any retail channels for selling its products, but sells its products directly to its customers through its corporate website, Dell.com. The above figure shows hot the direct model of Dell was different from the indirect distribution channel of the rest of industry. In its direct sale model, the intermediary steps that add cost and time are eliminated, and the company is directly able to link with its customers. Dell directly sells to all its customers, regardless of a home-PC to world’s largest corporations. The direct relationship with individual customer cre ates a great source of competitive advantage for Dell. This creates a valuable information about the end customers, and thus Dell knows who are the end users of their product, what they have purchased from the company, what are their future preferences, a fact that allows the company to stay closer to their customers by offering add-on products and services. Company distinguishes three customer segments, namely large organizations,

Studying Management Information System Of Starbucks Information Technology Essay

Studying Management Information System Of Starbucks Information Technology Essay In this thrilling subject, i would be focusing on the Management Information System of Starbucks. It is no doubt that this firm in question, is one popular and well patronised firm amongst many. That being said, i would be doing justice to the very background of this organization in question and i would elucidate in tangible details their IT systems, schemes and practices and lastly, i would be recommending what i see fit to suite the organisation even in this era of technology. But before i proceed, i would like to briefly define MIS(Management Information System) MIS (Management Information System) This may be defined as a general word for computer systems in an enterprise or organisation which provides information or details on firms business operations. Its also refers to the people who manage and maintain these systems. Furthermore, in a large corporation, MIS or the MIS department refers to a central or centrally-coordinated system of pc expertise and management, and entire network of computer resources in a business organization (firm). Starbucks was first introduced in Seattles Pike Place Market in 1971. Back then, the company was called Starbucks Coffee, Tea ans Spices before change into what we have known today, Starbucks Coffee Company. Today, there are approximately 16, 706 Starbucks stores in 50 countries. The first ever Srabucks store in Malaysia opened on December 1998, located at KL Plaza, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. Later, there are more than 115 Starbacks stores in Malaysia.Basically, their buyers will travel to Africa, Asia and Latin America to choose only the best quality of arabica beans. These high quality beans will be sent for roasting and production. Starbucks experts then only combine the roasted beans with Italian style expresso beverages to produce different type of cold and hot coffee beverages. The famous products introduced by Starbucks company and mainly can be found in all of its stores include more than 30 blends single-origin premier arabica coffees. As for their own signature of handcrafted beverages such as hot and iced expresso beverage, coffee and non-coffee blended beverages Vivanno smoothies, Frappuccino bottled coffee or blended and premium ice creams with the and brewed coffee and also tea product,Tazo Tea. Merchandises are also offered by Starbucks are coffee mugs and accessories. Customers not only can enjoy sipping their high quality coffee beverage but also indulging on baked pastries, sandwiches and cakes. The company focuses in providing a relax, comfortable atmosphere with modern fittings. It is an ideal place for hanging out with friends and families, with entertainment magazines to read. Most of the Starbucks company offer free wi-fi for their customers, so it is a great advantage to business people discussing on their work or students doing some research for assignments/ projects. POS P.O.S which stands for Point of Sale is a front-of-the-house system use by Starbucks company. Only employees with given authorization can access to this system such as Assistant Manager, Shift Supervisor, and Store Manager. Types of transactions can be made by the manager include paid in, paid out in the cases of emergencies or using the cash to buy supplies needed by the store. Other than that, making amendments for transaction mistakes in a form of refund. Important for inventory control as well. List of all food and beverages and merchandise sold are recorded in the P.O.S system. Wastage cost might as well be stored. All these vital information of dailys operation are transferred to a Management Work Station system to be analysed and evaluated. The information will be transform into a measurable data for decision making purposes. Manager Work Station (MWS) Manager Work station is the back of house computer system which prepares and sends all store information to adequately manage all parts of the store business. It brings access to real-time system wide reporting at store level. It shows all the various functions provided on the Intelligent Restaurant Information System (IRIS), of which some are only usable by partners with the accurate security. It helps the store manager to manage the store and also help the franchisees manage their entire market chain. It can be used in the office where there is a pc connected to an intranet of which is a private link channel for staffs to use the organization network that resembles the internet. It is required to log on with a passkey and ID to use the system. The system detects security level and allows using the method assigned to the security level. The staff can only use the time button option, which is a method that saves staff clock in and out for lunch and shifts. A begining of day and end of day is also saved into the very system on a daily bases. Shift managers can use cash control methods that are used to count cashboxes, change or fix transactions and to make ready everyday bank deposit. A menu of available reports is provided on a report menu. The Store manager can use these reports to follow sales, check customer transactions within various hours range, to view sale by product category, to save wastage, to carry finance audit. All these informations are relevant to Store Managers for them to pin out business requirements and customer needs, to check peak time in the store, to maximize or change product ordering, to manage wastage and monitor stock and choose whether it is necessary to reduce labour. Managers can use staff information and personal records in the work station, they can place new partners, cut off partners, manage employee records, watch employees training and process payroll. The payroll process carries over details to the support centre in order to pay partners. Store Manager and the shift supervisors can use the IRIS System to process electronic ordering for food, stationery, packaging. Hardware Example of hardware used for the computer system in Starbucks company include ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) modem and speed touch cable modem. These two are connect the Starbucks computer system to its retail network system. Wireless internet connection by T-mobile allows consumers to have the access of the available wireless network. Cisco Wireless and Cisco Routers are the type of equipment used as well. Other hardware output devices used include printers to process receipts. For security purposes, chips and pins for the payment made by credit card or debit card. A confidential security number (Pin number ) is required when making payment by either of these two cards. No signing is required. Further more, the Starbucks firm, uses Intel based systems and fast Computers. In terms of functionality, the Starbucks firm is bent on getting hardwares(PC) that have great and outstanding specifications to avoid slow down on business. A sample spec would be: A PC with 512 Memory or 1GB. And A flat screen monitor and processor speed of 2.40GHZ and a HDD of 150GB to 200GB. The company has a nac for greater heights that why its no surprise that Starbucks is doing greatly well in terms of their ability to maintain their standards. Software OS (Operating System): As we all know, the I.T age is springing forth with lots of softwares and technology all with the focus of improving the lives of humans in all ramification of life. Having said that, the Starbucks company makes use of Windows based softwares for their computers which is categorized in the hardware section. They run applications that aid their business. Example POS, Excel and others. Excel is often used for their spreadsheet needs. When it comes to system software for driving their hardwares, they run windows XP or 7. Current themes and practices This Starbucks new idea of POS was introduced earlier this year and only available in all 6,800 Starbucks stores in the United States. This process only applicable to consumers with Blackberry or iPhone. The first steps will require consumers to download the Starbucks Card Mobile Application to their phones. Once he / she enters their registered Starbucks gift cards number into their phone and when they obtained the application, the card number is automatically saved. Consumer upon arriving at Starbucks counter can just inform the employee to make payments for their order via mobile phone. He / she then opens up the Starbucks Card Mobile Applications, choose the payment screen in the application where the 2D bar code appear showing the consumers Starbucks card. When this process is completed, Starbucks employee will key in payments made by mobile phone in the P.O.S system and asked the consumer to place their phones under the customer facing imager for scanning. The 2D bar-code is de tected and treated the transactions in the likes of a giftcard, based on the normal payment verification procedures. Consumer can just enjoy their coffee once the transaction is done. However, there are some setbacks of this new P.O.S strategy implemented by Starbucks. First, not all retailers practice the use of stored value card or known as giftcard. Secondly, Starbucks focuses on potential users with key smart phones, such as iPhone and Blackberry. It only covers the consumer demographic of savvy consumers at the U.S where most the people are iPhones and Blackberry users compared to consumers in Malaysia. Not all Starbuckss mobile payments scheme is negative since this methods of payment can actually help Starbucks to cover up the cost of operational system, able to record loyalty data of consumers and balance of cash as well. Since payments are charged on the consumers giftcard, means that the 2D bar-code payment system is actually connected to the card. Besides, payment made th is way is different compared to the legislation for payment made by credit card or debit card . Evaluation: 4).Starbucks also runs a high scale of management in handling their I.T related issues. They are I.T aware such that, they have good network services. An example would be, Starbucks offers free WIFI Zone. An attraction for a customer on the move. The firm has VOIP services for communication with other chains around the globe. As we live in a net centric age, Starbucks has made it a perfect fit, to incorporate most I.T business related schemes into their business. A good analyses on this company, would however show us that Starbucks uses the I.T based things to build their customer range. It is however no secret that most competitors have based their examples on companies in the likes of Starbucks. Some practices in Starbucks, include some discount sales issued by the management. A customer however sees this as a grand opportunity to have a 50%(Percent) discount on whatever he buys and also enjoys free internet. This indeed is a wise practice. The ManagementInformation system has in many ways, made things easy for staffs. Most messages to staffs are communicated via the network. As fore mentioned, Starbucks uses intranets and internet(Voip). This helps in forwarding swift messages to workers in the company. In addition to the newest development of MIS, payments made via mobile phones currently introduced in the Unites States is also one of the best P.O.S strategies to reduce the cost of operation. This company also makes judicious use of their MIS by running web based adverts and all. The firm keeps its customers continuously aware of products and new recipes that might be tried in a given time. Thus, their market base increases undoubtedly. Marketing Analysis: Retails: Recommendation: In my opinion having patronised Starbucks from time to time, i would suggest the following: Starbucks should try in purchasing a reasonably fast internet with low traffic. They should try to maintain their hardwares and try upgrades from time to time, to avoid being left out in the dark age of slow computing. They should employ staffs that are more I.T learned to avoid difficulty in system operations. They should embrace more of touch screen services. And what i mean is, buying gadgets(hardwares) that provide self service for each customer. The MIS should continually see to it that customers are intrigued by the brilliant I.T based services that Starbucks provide thus leaving the customers spell bound to return and purchase more items . They could also provide on screen advertisements for new generation hardwares this in itself, could be an avenue for Starbucks to get paid for advertising for I.T firms in the cities and wherever . They could also make a web based system, that would enable customers to order online to ease driving out of the office at lunch. Conclusion: At this juncture, it is important that i reiterate that it is of immense importance that the MIS in Starbucks embraces more heightened technology hardwares to ease the work load and the number of staffs. We all in the world are aware of the generation of computers. This promises to be huge and phenomenal turn in every industry especially industries like Starbucks. As we see Managements improve their information systems, it would be an important part for Starbucks to play in their MIS. With an improved and well balanced MIS, Starbucks has what it takes to battle up for the future even competitors. Time is of the essence for firms like Starbucks this is because each day slips away and more upgrades are made to databases. To this end, i would beseech Starbucks, to keep up the very good work and embrace a new era of improved management systems. Thus increasing their profit base and client base.

The Elusive Form: The Use Of Female Characters In naked Nude :: essays research papers

The Elusive Form: The Use of Female Characters in "Naked Nude" Thesis and Outline: Thesis: In his picturesque short story, "The Naked Nude", Bernard Malamud uses the female characters to develop, enact, and resolve Fidelman's epiphany and to bring about the protagonist's final, artistic self-understanding. I. Introductory paragraph--statement of thesis. II. The prostitutes A. in contrast to Fidelman's initial idea of the artistic nude B. "maybe too many naked women around made it impossible to draw a nude"--establish basis of conflict within Fidelman III. Teresa A. flat, static character--functions totally as a touchstone for Fidelman B. provides Fidelman's first turn towards artistic epiphany IV. Bessie, his sister A. childhood memory brings about full epiphany V. Venus of Urbino A. aesthetic constant--she, as a painting, remains static B. Fidelman's method of viewing her evolves, providing his epiphany VI. Relationship of female characters VII. Conclusion and restatement of thesis. Bernard Malamud, a leading contemporary Jewish author, skirts between fantasy and reality in his almost allegorical short fiction, teaching the reader a lesson through coinciding elements of beauty and comedy. Venturing away from his usual, inner-city Jewish element, Malamud tackles new challenges of subject and setting in his novelistic collection of short stories, Pictures of Fidelman . Malamud develops his protagonist through a series of six, interrelated short works, each of which may function entirely independent from the others. In "The Naked Nude," for instance, Fidelman comes to a new, artistic maturity through his attempt to copy the famous painting "Venus of Urbino" by Titian Tiziano. Malamud's recurring theme of self-knowledge through suffering permeates this short work. Scarpio and Angelo, as primary antagonists, provide the bulk of this suffering for Fidelman. It is his own mental captivity concerning the female nude, however, that gives cause for Fidelman's eventual epiphany asan artist and as an individual. His relationship to the women in the work shapes his ability to capture the form of the "Venus" and to come to grips with his own self-worth. In "The Naked Nude," Bernard Malamud uses the female characters to develop, enact, and resolve Fidelman's epiphany and to bring about the protagonist's final, artistic self understanding. At the story's outset, Fidelman is forced to act as janitor and manservant to a group of ill mannered prostitutes under the employment of the padrone, Angelo. These offensive characters establish the first of a series of mental obstacles in the imprisoned protagonist's attempt to copy Titian's nude. They torment Fidelman with cynical laughter and exploit his demeaning position. His sexual insecurity is established at the beginning of the story when he ponders his violent guillotine sketch, asking "A man's head or his sex?...either case a terrible wound" (Malamud 318).

Imagine: John Lennon Essay

Considered by many as one of the greatest songs of all time, â€Å"Imagine† was performed by John Lennon in his 1971 album Imagine. It was thought that the lyrics of the song reflected solely Lennon’s hopes for a utopian world. However, the song’s refrain can be found in several of Yoko Onno’s poems written in the early1960s, before she met Lennon, and in her 1965 book Grapefruit. It was coined by Yoko Ono, in reaction to her childhood in Japan during World War II. (â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon†, 2006) The song contains a strong political message that is sugarcoated in a beautiful melody. In the book Lennon in America, written by Geoffrey Giuliano, Lennon commented the song was â€Å"an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it’s sugar-coated, it’s accepted. † (â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon†, 2006) Lennon realized that the softer approach would bring the song to a wider audience, who hopefully would listen to his message. Lennon therefore used soft melody and easy lyrics in order to convey a much deeper meaning to more people. Lennon used empathy in his words, in his call to the people to â€Å"imagine. † He knows a world without â€Å"countries† or â€Å"religions† does not exist, but Lennon is asking the listener to take a moment and imagine what it would be like if the words in the song would ever come true, to imagine living in a utopian world and experience the peace that everyone has been longing for. Also, the lyrics imply that Lennon recognizes the suffering of other people less privileged than he is, so he empathizes with these people and â€Å"imagines† being the same as them, being in a â€Å"brotherhood of man. † And through the song, he is also asking the listener to see and feel the things that he sees and feels, and to want a better world like he does, to end all suffering and division between peoples. Such call to â€Å"imagine† also involves the sympathetic identification with the singer and the collective â€Å"us† who Lennon refers to when he sings, â€Å"You may say I’m a dreamer, But I’m not the only one, I hope someday you’ll join us. † He recognizes that he is not the only dreamer, that he is not the only one dreaming of a perfect place. But he also wants the listener to â€Å"join† him and the other dreamers, and be part of the collective â€Å"us† and imagine. Lennon knows that people long for peace, but these hopes for a better and ideal future have been long abandoned by many people whose lives have been tainted with negativity. But he calls out to these people and asks them to â€Å"imagine† and remember what it is like to hope again, no matter how impossible it is for the world to live as one. In identifying with Lennon and the other dreamers, their dreams become the listener’s own. That a listener realizes that their dreams are also his own, implies the existence of a social order the evils of which, if removed, would make the dream of everyone a reality. The feeling of being a part of the dream and making that dream come true reaffirms the sense of shared responsibility and the recognition that such misery in the world ought not to be. The message of the song is pure and simple, but the ideas it imparts are radical in more ways than one. It implies that religion has been nothing but destructive to human societies. It divides people into groups, feeds them with supernatural explanations and otherworldly notions of the world, gives them something to believe in and something which they fear, in order to control them and pit them against other people of another â€Å"religion†, all in the name of God. It also recognizes how countries have been divided and that many have died because of wars waged for these countries. The song also implies that want and need for the accumulation of material possessions is a cause of suffering in the world. It causes greed and hunger, a complete imbalance between those who have and those who do not. Lennon is imagining a world where people are sharing and living together, no man better then the other, a total state of equality. It is only when all people are equal, no rich or poor, where people will realize that there is no cause for division among them. When all is united, a perfect place becomes possible because one acts not for one’s own good but for the good of everybody. Many people criticize the song as a naive dream of a man far removed from reality. â€Å"But the reason critics dislike ‘Imagine’ also happens to be exactly why the song, and all such art, is necessary. It envisions, and in doing so creates, a world that we can’t in real life. † (â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young†, n. d. ) Such grand statements of longing for world peace seems almost hypocritical to other people. But Lennon himself once said, â€Å"We are willing to become the world’s clowns if it helps spread the word for peace. † (â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young†, n. d. ) Truly, this song is admirable simply for its capability to influence its listeners enough to pause and think about an ideal world†¦ to imagine, even for a second. WOKS CITED: â€Å"Imagine: John Lennon. † (2006, October 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 31, 2006, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Imagine:_John_Lennon â€Å"John Lennon and Neil Young. † n. d. Retrieved October 31, 2006, http://www. thrasherswheat. org/jammin/lennon. htm.

Chapters 4-6 of The Great Gatsby

Chapters 4-6 of The Great Gatsby revealed a lot about Jay Gatsby to the readers. The first thing to jump out at me was that Jay Gatsby’s real name is actually James Gatz. Also, Gatsby revealed that his parents were originally from the mid-western city of San Francisco. It became clear that Gatsby was living a life of uncertainty and that he was a mystery who chased wealth and greatness. The relationship between Gatsby and Nick changed a lot over these chapters. It is apparent that Nick lost some respect for Gatsby, once he began finding out some key details about his life and where he actually came from. When attending college, Gatsby dropped out after two weeks because he couldn’t handle the hard-working career as a janitor to support himself and make it through college. When Gatsby asks Nick to go to Coney Island, Nick declines his offer. Immediately after, Nick is asked by Gatsby to go swimming, he says that he just needs to go to bed. Now that Nick is finding out about Jay, he doesn’t really want all that much to do with him. Another developing relationship is the one between Gatsby and Daisy, who previously had a thing for each other. Despite being married, Daisy falls in love with Gatsby after Nick sets up for them to see each other in secrecy, without Tom finding out. Gatsby tells Daisy about how he always dreamt about having her love, and being together. Unfortunately for Gatsby, who wants Daisy to leave Tom, Daisy doesn’t have a good time at his next party. Tom, who doesn’t like or trust Gatsby, joined Daisy for the next party to keep an eye out. Obviously, Daisy and Gatsby were unable to connect in the way that they wanted to, and things became awkward and bad. As each chapter unfolds, we are learning more and more about Jay Gatsby, or James Gatz, and who he really is.

The importance of Spanish essays

The importance of Spanish essays What is the most important priority for students today? Many of them believe that sports and other clubs come before their academics. Sports and clubs are both equally important but a students main priority should be academics at all times. Academics are the most important thing in every persons life. How good or bad you do in school follows you for your entire life. If it wasnt so important, it wouldnt be mandatory for everyone to go. Academics are enforced first in every students life. In order to get into a good college, you have to do well on your ACT or SAT. In order to do well on these tests, you must pay attention in high school and get good grades. How well you do these four years in high school is also something that colleges use to determine if you will be accepted into their school. What college a student goes to will sometimes determine what job they will get later in life. All in all, academics are what will make or break a persons life. A person without schooling will go nowhere in life. A person who believes that academics are their main concern has the opportunity to be whatever they want later in life. Sports are an extremely important thing for students to be involved in at school. Sports not only help students keep in shape, but also help them learn life-long lessons and make school more fun. In sports you learn social skills, something that every person need in life. Athletes have to learn to be leaders, but also know how to play as a team. Teamwork is one major benefit received from being on a sport. Being able to cooperate with others is mandatory in almost any job. Responsibility can also be taught through sports. Most team members in school are looked at as role models by their peers. They must always be making responsible decisions and do well in all classes. This is where most athletes get confused with their priorities. They have t ...

Crisis Communication in oil & gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words - 1

Crisis Communication in oil & gas - Essay Example 3.The main focus of the company at this stage needs to be to incorporate a crisis communication department into their system. The Director General will head the department. It will include a Manager of communication, with supporting junior staff. There will be a spokesperson, who will directly report to the Director General but will work in collaboration with Manager of communication. The other directorates will access the communication department through the Manager. 20 Crises are inevitable realities in business organisations for which the organisation management must learn to prepare. This research paper discusses the role of public relations units, with a specific focus on the oil and gas industry which plays a crucial role in the economic development of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Traditionally, most organisations use public relations at the forefront to control, manage and minimise the damage of crises to their business operations. Previous crises such as the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill in 2010 and the Exxon oil spill of 1989 have demonstrated that Oil and Gas companies are not always transparent and they often experience great communication difficulties when crises occur. This study examines the significance of public relations activities in crisis management in the Oil & Gas industry in general and in the UAE in particular. It reviews four major Oil & Gas operators in the UAE that have faced crises recently. Those companies engage over 3000 employees, excluding contractors, and operate in more than 20 fields across the country. Using structured interviews and data analysis this study research discusses their crisis management philosophy, their systems and procedures, and how these are communicated and makes recommendations for improvements. According to the Webster New Collegiate Dictionary, a crisis is defined as ‘an unstable or crucial state or state of affairs whose outcome will make a decisive

4 Blog posts for my business website. It's related to wedding industry Essay

4 Blog posts for my business website. It's related to wedding industry - Essay Example Customs dictate that they send out written announcements telling people about your engagement. These days they can make your announcements personally by making phone calls and sending emails. There is of course a much more convenient way to go about things. Sending out formal engagement announcement cards is a practical option which in cases of a long engagement should only be sent out to the people you want to invite to the wedding. Ordinarily the parents of the bride send out the announcement cards though couples have been known to send out their own cards as well. The writing on the cards is straightforward, never revealing where or when the wedding is going to be. Even if some brides see the tradition of newspaper announcements for their engagement or their wedding as a relic of the past. The difference between the two announcements is that engagement announcements quite a while before the wedding while the wedding announcement is printed a little afterwards. There is no denying that such announcements can have great sentimental value, especially for parents and grandparents who love the idea. Even if you’re not really interested in getting both your names printed in the paper, it’s better to just make them happy and save your energy for the battles ahead. If you really are not into getting it done just send your parents who want it published a picture and let them do the hard work for you. The best part is that you can choose any paper that works for you. You can either get the announcement published in the paper in your local hometown even if you haven’t been there in a while or you can even get it printed in the local paper which delivers right to your door. Of course it’s best to check each the requirements of each paper on their website. They can detail your names and occupations as well as the same for your parents. There is also a photograph in

Justification of the Chemistry lesson plan and concept map Essay

Justification of the Chemistry lesson plan and concept map - Essay Example But after going thru the comments I realised that the heading is indeed quite broad and indicative of encompassing a wide range of topics. Though quite relevant one, but for a 60-90 minute class we need to have a more focused topic. Therefore, I changed the topic to, ‘Describe the use of pH scale in comparing the concentrations of acids and alkalis’. In addition, the prepared lesson plan appeared quite comprehensive; therefore I changed the duration of the lesson plan also to 90 minutes from 60 minutes. I do realise the fact that it might become a tiring experience for students to be attentive for a full one and half hours, but the fact that there are some interesting and interactive experiments within the lesson, will help in sustaining the interest of students all this while. In this case also, initially my effort was to demarcate the outcomes in an objective manner. So I included a total of 5 points under the head ‘objectives’ and seven points under the head ‘Key concepts/ ideas’. But the feedback made me realise that, with more points the lesson might give a lengthier look, which may result in putting off the students in the initial stages itself. Therefore in the revised lesson plan I included only three objectives viz. It certainly helps to be objective in order to grab the attention of students and make them feel comfortable. Ridley (2004) came out with the assertion that in order to overcome the differences in expectations existing between them, the teacher and students must have a minimum level of sensitivity and understanding towards each other. This is stated to be of particular importance in the beginning of an academic programme or while teaching a new concept. Therefore, too many points might give them a feeling of an overdose for the day. But it must be taken into consideration while we try to explain the ideas to the students we will

Academic goal Essay Example for Free

Academic goal Essay Review this week’s resources (for example SMART criteria, and the Career Plan Building Activities). Respond to the following in 50 to 100 words each: 1. Describe one academic goal that you have created using the SMART criteria. How do SMART criteria contribute to your academic goals?. The long academic goal I have created using the SMART technique is to pass college. The SMART Criteria break down the goal to make it more understandable and specific to my needs. A more recent goal I want to achieve is getting through my us/101 and my fp/101 classes without any problems. 2. Describe one professional/career goal you have created using the SMART criteria and Career Plan Building Activities results. How did the results of the Career Interest Profiler and Career Plan Building Activity on Competencies contribute to your professional goal development? Using the SMART criteria it helped me develop a goal of getting more information on the job I want to do once I am out of college and have my degree. My goal was to talk to someone who does what I do and get more information on the job I want to do. I sat down with my step dad who does a Tech Support job and talked with him for about 2-3 hours about his job. 3. Describe the stress and time-management strategies you have learned this week that will help you achieve your goals. This week I’ve read about many time-management strategies and the one that stuck out the most was having a planner on you at all times. After reading about this I went ahead and set up a schedule in my phone to follow and boy howdy it has been very convenient, it has helped me tremendously complete all my work on time. 4. Describe how you will balance academic expectations and your personal and professional responsibilities. I will most likely be able to balance all of my academic expectations in college between my person responsibilities very well because I currently am 18 and living with my parents. I don’t really have much to do other than college and hang out with friends. Currently I’m just doing all my college work Monday-Friday then on the weekends just going out and hanging out with friends. 5. How can understanding the importance of SMART criteria and your career interests and competencies help you move towards your career and academic goals? Understanding the SMART criteria and my career interests can help me move towards my goals because I can set up goals that are simplified and more understandable. Understanding my goals specifically will help me achieve them easier. Once I have my goals set up I can work towards completing them in a timely manner.

Importance Of Effective Recruitment Business Essay

Importance Of Effective Recruitment Business Essay Recruitment is the process of attempting to locate and encourage potential applicants to apply for existing or anticipated job openings (Compton et al.2009, p.15). According to Kleyhans et al (2007, p.81) recruitment is the process of looking for and getting new employees. It involves attracting individuals on a regular basis, in enough numbers and with the right qualifications and encouraging them to apply for specific jobs in the organisation. Recruitment is described as the process of bringing a person or persons into the organisation. It starts with the decision to recruit and continues through to the induction and settlement of the new employees (Grimshaw 2009, p.7). Recruitment of candidates is the function preceding the selection, which helps create a pool of prospective employees for the organisation so that the management can select the right candidate for the right job from this pool. The main objective of the recruitment process is to expedite the selection process. 2.2 Importance of effective recruitment Effective recruitment attracts individuals to the organisation and increases the chances of retaining them. It can also improve productivity, reduce labor cots, and help the organization stay competitive (Jackson et al. 2012 p.188). 2.3 Recruitment Process A successful and effective programme to recruit the personnel requires a well defined recruitment policy, proper organisational structure, and procedures for locating sources of human resources, suitable methods and techniques for utilising human resources and even constant assessment and consequent improvements. Normally each organisation has its own recruitment policy. It may change year to year in the light of changing environments and situations. The recruitment of a new team member is a major investment for hotels. Developing and adopting a recruitment process that yields solid returns is critical to the success of every organisation, as wrong hiring is very costly. The most effective recruitment process shares three goals: Accuracy is the ability of your recruitment process to ascertain the interviewees job performance because you do not want to end up with an accountant who does not know accounting, a Trainer who does not know how to speak or a Secretary who does not know how to type. Fairness is the assurance that your recruitment process gives every suitable candidate a fair and equal chance of being selected. A fair selection process is based on valid requirements that are applied throughout the recruitment process and uses the same job-related selection process applicable for all candidates. Commitment is the extent to which the people involved in the recruitment process perceive its worth. Interviewers and interviewees are committed if the recruitment process does not drag, it is beneficial to everybody, the self-esteem of the interviewee is maintained and the image of the organisation is untouched. 2.3.1 Strategic Planning Strategic planning is the first step of the recruitment process which management uses to determine overall goals and objectives for the organisation. This planning will ultimately have an effect on HR planning (Kleynhans et al, 2007, p.68). Decenzo and Robbins (2005, p.21) have stated that human resource managers must engage during the strategic planning process to ensure that appropriate staff are available to meet the requirements set. The aim of this planning effort is to determine what HRM requirements exist for current and future supplies and demands for employees. They also emphasize on an organisation using innovative initiatives as strategic measures to show employees that their contributions to the organisation are valued and in doing so, influence their motivation, job satisfaction leading to increased job performance. 2.3.2 Human Resource Planning Secondly, human resource planning determines whether there will be an excess of workers, a shortage or just enough employees to achieve these organisations goals. 2.3.3 Alternatives to recruitment According to Kleynhans et al (2007, p.68) Organisations search for alternatives to recruitment because of the cost of recruiting. Three such alternatives of recruitment are overtime, employee leasing and temporary employment. Overtime Firms seek to make existing employees work overtime instead of recruiting new hands. Overtime can provide employees with additional income. However overtime results in fatigue, increased accidents and more absenteeism. These developments and the need to pay double the wages add to the cost. Employee Leasing Also known as staff outsourcing, employee leasing involves paying a fee to a leasing company or a consulting firm that handles payroll, employee benefits and routine HR functions for the client company. Leasing is particularly useful to small and medium sized firms which might not be able to maintain regular HR staff. Temporary Employment Today, just-in-time employees can be found staffing all types of jobs in organizations, including professional, technical and executive positions. The benefits of using temporary employees include relatively low labour costs, easy access to experienced labour and flexibility in responding to future changes in the demand for workers. A drawback for hiring temporary help is that these people do not know the culture or work flow of the hotel. This unfamiliarity detracts from their commitment to organisational goals (Kleynhans et al. 2007, p.73). 2.3.4 Recruitment Policies and Procedures Policies and procedures are guidelines which an organisation sets up to make sure that everyone in the organisation deals with recruitment in the same manner. These policies should take into consideration the internal and external factors that affect the recruitment process. 2.3.5 Internal Recruitment Internal recruitment is one of the most popular incentive systems and has an old tradition in the hotel industry, and is also mentioned by Merchant and Van der Stede (2007) as one of the non-monetary rewards. 2.3.5.1 Advantages of internal recruitment The advantages with internal recruitment are that hotels gain a lot of advantages by using their existing employees, given that the latter know their job, understand the organisation and are competent. Molander (1996) states the main advantage of internal recruitment is its ability to create a culture of loyalty and job security among the employees, which could be hard to achieve otherwise. Another advantage is time-consuming and also a way of cutting training costs that an outside employee would need to become familiar with the company. By applying internal recruitment, the employees will have incentives to stay within the organisation in order to climb the carrier ladder. This would add to their incentives for effectiveness and an improvement in productivity. 2.3.5.2Disadvantages of internal recruitment The main disadvantage of internal recruitment is, logically, the limited supply of candidates to choose from. Ahrnborg (1997) states that internal recruitment could be a trouble for sluggish companies, due to lack of new influences, and the fact that they maintain their sluggishness and limit their prospects for development. Another drawback is that the person, who fills the post, is leaving its position and therefore a new vacancy will be created. According to the Lockyer and Scholaris (2004) another feature of recruiting internally is that staff may feel that they should be recruited owing of their experience although they are not qualified enough. 2.3.6 External Recruitment If the list of possible internal candidates is assessed and no one is found to be suitable, the company should then advertise externally. This is also advisable if the company decides that fresh blood is required from outside. In reality, employees should be fully aware of corporate recruitment policy as it relates to sourcing of employees (Compton et al. 2009, p. 50). 2.3.6.1 Advantages of external recruitment The biggest advantage of external recruitment is that the company has no limited supply of candidates and can choose employees worldwide. 2.3.6.2 Disadvantages of external recruitment According to Duggan and Croy (2004), a problem with external recruitment is that it can be hard to put words on what specific skills the company needs, and in this way cause problems because the consultants misunderstand and hire a person who does not fit for the task. Another disadvantage with external recruitment is that it could diminish the efforts of existing employees, due to lack of the possibility of promotion. 2.4 Job Analysis Job analysis is the process by which job descriptions and person specifications are produced. Armstrong (1999, p.190) defines job analysis as the process of collecting, analysing and setting out information about the contents of jobs in order to provide the basis for a job description and data for recruitment, training, job evaluation and performance management. Marchington and Wilkinson (2005) propose that undertaking a job analysis may not be necessary for every time a vacancy arises, especially in organizations that have high levels of labour turnover. Though, they do recognise that job analysis does allow for an examination of whether existing job descriptions and person specifications are appropriate for future needs. 2.4.1 The purpose of Job Analysis The purpose of job analysis is to provide the information necessary for writing job descriptions. Job analysis information can even be used in the job evaluation process, which is the process for assigning value to a job for the purpose of setting compensation. The types of information gathered during job analysis will be specific to each organisation. Nevertheless typical kinds of information which are grouped are: Summary of duties Details of most common duties Supervisory responsibilities Educational requirements Special qualification Experience Equipment/tools used Frequency of supervision Information about jobs can be gathered using qualitative or narrative techniques such as interviews, questionnaires, observations and activity logs. 2.4.2 Process of Job Analysis 2.5 Recruitment Methods In deciding what methods to be used to attract applicants, Armstrong (1996) refers to the three criteria of cost, speed and the likelihood of providing good candidates. Several empirical studies have identified recruitment methods as being either formal or informal. Examples of formal recruitment methods are newspaper advertisements, job centres and other employment agencies whereas word of mouth methods such as referrals by existing employees are examples of informal recruitment methods (Carroll et al. 1999, Taylor. 1994). Any hotel would want to attract the best suited candidate and therefore has to decide on the best way to attract them. Here are the most frequently channels used by organisations: Internal advertisement Advertising is the most obvious methods of attracting recruits, but it may not always be necessary, as other sources of recruits, are available. Internal advertisement on the companys Intranet system is being widely used, especially within large organisation, to promote from within. Newspapers Drafting an appealing recruitment advertisement always give good return. Trade/business and specialised magazines Putting a recruitment advertisement in specialised magazines is far more focused and is more likely to target the right audience. Recruitment agencies Recruitment agencies have a large databank of candidates and provide hotels with a selection of screened profiles. Some recruitment agencies can also conceive an attractive recruitment advertisement and have it inserted in selected media for their clients. The Internet Some candidates place their CVs on the Internet and are agreeable to be deployed overseas under contract. The hotels databank Candidates often send their CVs to hotels for no specific vacancies. It is advisable to keep them for later use. The hotels Web Site Organisation has a web site often have a link to vacancies that are presently available. This is more and more widely used and attracts interesting candidates. Acquaintances/words of mouth You might have heard from an acquaintance or through words of mouth that such suitable candidate is presently looking for a career change. Do not hesitate to contact the person, whether formally or informally. 2.6 Definition of Selection Byars and Rue (1997, p.172) defined selection as the process of choosing from among available applicants, the individuals who are most likely to successfully perform a job. It is the process of gathering all necessary information about applicants and using that information to decide which applicants to employ. Selection is the process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual so as to extend an offer of employment. Such employment could be either a first position for a new employee or a different position for a current employee (Gatewood et al. 2010, p.3). Selection is one of the most important functions of HRM as wrong selection of employees hampers organizational performance enormously. Selection process differs from organisations to organisations. Decenzo and Robbins (1999, p.169) states an ideal selection process comprises some steps such as filing up application forms, initial screening, preliminary interview, employment tests, written tests, written examination, comprehensive interview, background examination/ reference check, medical examinations, and job offer. 2.12 Selection Process The selection process is developed to find out the final choice, including an interview and how it will be carried out, the methods which will be used to evaluate the candidates, tests that may be used and reference and credential checks. Some hotels may give importance to various tests, while others may emphasize interviews and reference checks. Emphasis may be given to both tests and interviews and the HR unit of the hotel has different selection committees for applicants to fill both the lower level and higher level positions. Step 1.Preliminary Interview The selection process begins with the preliminary interview. This takes place after the company has used the different recruitment sources and methods to recruit candidates. The preliminary interview is a short interview whereby applicants are asked straightforward questions about their qualifications, experience and salary. It can be conducted face to face, but when there is large number of applicants for one job opening, the interview usually takes place over the phone to save time. Step 2.Reviewing the application blank or resume The second step in the selection process is filling out the application blank or giving in your resume. The application blank is normally a standardised form given out by the company in which the applicant must complete with the required information. It is usually filled when the candidate goes for an interview. A resume, also known as a curriculum vitae or CV, is put together by the candidate before the interview and sent to the organisation either by hand, fax or e-mail. According to Luszcz and Kleiner (2000, p.20) the resume should first be reviewed for its overall appearance. Secondly, it should be assessed for the applicants education, training and experience. A good resume should give an organised format which will facilitate in finding the information the reviewer considers important. Thirdly the accomplishments of the applicant must be reviewed cautiously. The reviewer should look for remarkable accomplishments which have precise and verifiable measurements. Finally the application should be reviewed for education, experience and the ability of the applicant to answer questions clearly (Luszcz and Kleiner (2000, p.20). Step 3.Selection Tests The decision to test is dependent on the philosophy of the organisation. Extreme care should be taken with regard to the legal implications which may occur if the testing can be interpreted as unnecessary, discriminatory, or not directly related to the skills or physical constraints of the job. Testing should always be done fairly and consistently. However, it could be costly. The main types of selection test are intelligence, personality, ability, aptitude and attainment tests. Intelligence Tests Cushway (2012, p.22) defines intelligence tests as being the oldest form of psychometric test, having been designed in 1905. Nowadays these tests are rarely used for selection purposes. The main disadvantage is that this type of test is attempting to measure something which is very difficult and about which there is much disagreement. It is possible that intelligence tests only measure an ability to do intelligence tests. They have limited application in selection context. Aptitude and attainment tests Aptitude tests are job-specific tests that are designed to forecast the potential a person has to carry out tasks within a job. They can cover such areas as clerical aptitude, mechanical aptitude, numerical aptitude, and dexterity. Aptitude tests should be well validated. The standard procedure is to determine the aptitudes required through job and skills analysis and thus a standard test is obtained from a test agency. Otherwise a special test is developed by or for the organisation. Hence, the test is given to staff already working on the job and results compared with a criterion, usually managers or team leaders ratings. The test is given to candidates if the relationship between test and criterion is sufficiently high. In order to validate the test further, a follow-up study of the job performance of applicants selected by the test is normally performed. The method may be long but without it no real confidence may be attached to the results of any aptitude tests. Attainment tests Attainment tests assess abilities or skills that have already been gained by training or experience. An example is a typing test. It is easy to find out how many words a minute a typist can type and compare that with the standard required for the job (Armstrong 2006, p.466). Personality tests Personality tests attempt to evaluate the candidates personality so as to make predictions about their likely behavior in a role. These tests can provide interesting additional information about candidates which is free from biased reactions that frequently occur in face-to-face interviews. These tests should be utilized carefully. Personality tests can be in different forms, testing, for example, individual traits or characteristics, interests, or values. Others may concentrate on specific workplace behavior. There are debates arousing on the validity of personality tests and variable results were given in some studies, nevertheless they are usually found to be more valid than the standard interview, especially when mixed with other techniques (Cushway 2012, p.22). Psychological tests Characteristics of a good test 5 types of validity Predictive validity Concurrent validity Content validity Face validity Measuring validity A criterion-related approach is used to assess validity. It means selecting criteria against which the validity of the test can be measured. These criteria must reflect true performance at work as accurately as possible. 2.4Types of Interviews One to one interviews This type of interview is maybe the most commonly used method whereby the interviewer questions each candidate about his or her background and experience. The CV or application form creates the basis of the discussion that can flow freely in the direction the parties wish to go. It allows topics and issues to be explored in depth and the interviewer to probe any particular areas of interest or concern (Dale 1995, p.167). However, the potential drawbacks of this interview are that it can be difficult for an interviewer to probe in depth and remember fully what was said. Note-taking, observing and questioning at the same time is not easy. It is also difficult for one interviewer to ensure consistency of treatment between candidates. In addition the process is open to all biases which have been mentioned. Panel Interviews Panel interviews are widely, and tended to be a trusted method of selecting candidates. Panel interviewsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Structured Interviews The structured approach means that every question has an aim and is designed to bring out information required to assist the selection decision. The questions should aim to explore the requirements which are contained in the specification, explore the issues in the individuals application, and amplify any points that remain unclear. (Dale 1995, p.169) It is important that every candidate is asked questions about the same fields in exactly the same way. This ensures that required information is gathered and candidates are treated consistently and fairly. Competency-based interviews Situational interviews Informal interviews Step 5.Reference and Credential Checks Questions should be prepared in advance and used consistently for every reference and candidate, since comparability is important. The list would include questions such as dates of employment, positions held, and attendance. Then the interviewer can lead the reference if there is a desire to gain additional information, by asking the same question using different wording. Verification of education and college attendance is even important. Luszcz and Kleiner (2000, p.24) have stated that once the reference and credential checks are made, it is essential to compare them as reference checks are made in the final stages of selection and they can aid to confirm conclusions which have already been drawn. Step6.Selection Decision Stone (1998) identifies two ways to approach the selection decision; the compensatory and the successive hurdles approach. The compensatory approach is when all of the selection information is considered together, favourable or unfavourable, to gain an overall impression. This is a time-consuming and expensive approach. The successive hurdles approach is better if there are minimum criteria that the applicants should meet. By making selection decisions throughout the process the final decision is less complicated. According to Stone (1998), this approach is very economical if there are many applicants as the best candidate can be identified early. The final step of the selection process is when a decision has to be made between the final few applicants. The purpose of the selection process is to provide information and to enable and justify this decision. Notification Every candidate should be notified of the decision, regardless of the final outcome after the decision has been made. For those who were not selected, a simple rejection letter can be sent or a telephone call can be made, thanking the applicant for their time and tactfully stating that they were not selected. Making the offer After making the decision, the offer should be made as soon as possible, either by telephone or in person depending on the conditions and the philosophy of the organisation. Exceptional candidates do not last long in the job market (Luszcz and Kleiner 2000, p.25). Step 7.Physical Examination Step 8.Appoint the applicant

Effects Of Video Gaming :: essays research papers

My heart hammered in my chest as I raced out of the doorway just ahead of another explosion. Fragments from the blast sent pinpricks of searing pain shooting through my nervous system and gave me a new spurt of energy. Screaming like a madman, I sped across the courtyard and then scrambled over a low wall, falling into what I hoped was some sort of temporary refuge. The constant string of explosions abated, so I attempted to collect myself and take stock of my situation. My injuries weren't all that serious, so I hastily popped a pain pill into my parched mouth and washed it with a refreshing swig of water from my flask. Noting an angle in the wall to my left, I scurried around a small shrub towards the safety of two solid walls at my back and the protective screen of the bush. And I found my salvation there, nestled in the shadows of a recess at the bottom of the wall. Like a jackal to carrion I pounced and scooped my prize up, then crouched in my obscure hiding spot. I tensely scanned through the leaves of the bush in front of me, alert for any hint of movement. My search was almost instantly rewarded, as my pursuer, howling like a banshee, burst through a pair of large wooden gates about twenty yards in front of me. I popped up out of my hiding spot, centered the crosshairs of my newly acquired rocket launcher, and squeezed off a shot just as he turned in my direction. I was close enough to see the look of bloodlust on his face turn to mortal fear in his microsecond recognition of this sudden turn of the tables. The rocket caught him square in the chest, exploded with a satisfying boom, and scattered shards of flesh and gore in all directions. I was safe at last... Right now you might be thinking that I am a covert agent for the CIA, or a bodyguard for a central American drug lord, but with either of those assumptions you would be far off of the correct track. I'm merely a member of the already large and still rapidly growing number of people who regularly play computer video games. Our group is often criticized because of the violent nature and graphic content of many of the games which are currently popular, however I feel that these criticisms are largely unwarranted.