Palamon and Arcite Essay Example

Palamon and Arcite Essay Example Palamon and Arcite Paper Palamon and Arcite Paper Duke Theseus of Athens wins the country of the Amazons and marries Queen Hippolyta, taking her and her beautiful sister Emelye back to Athens. To his amazement, he sees women wailing, but not because of his return. These women have lost their husbands during the siege of Thebes, and Thebes cruel tyrant Creon refuses to bury the bodies. Theseus immediately vows revenge and rides to Thebes, where he vanquishes Creon and returns their husbands bones to the women. In a pile of bodies, pillagers find the young royal Theban knights Palamon and Arcite, who are cousins. They are still alive. Theseus sends them to Athens to be imprisoned for life, and returns home. Locked in a tower, Palamon one May morning sees Emelye walking in the garden, and falls instantly and madly in love with her. As he explains his love to Arcite, his cousin also spies Emelye and he too is captured by her beauty. immediately the cousins, who have been as close as brothers since birth, become sworn enemies over the love of Emelye. Another duke, Perotheus, arrives in Athens to visit Duke Theseus. Perotheus also knows Arcite well, and when he hears the knight is Theseus prisoner, he begs for Arcites release. Theseus agrees on condition that Arcite never be seen in any of Theseus lands, on pain of death. So Arcite returns to Thebes, heartbroken that he can never again see Emelye. At least Palamon, locked in the tower, can look at her, he moans. Meanwhile Palamon sighs that he is wretched, but lucky Arcite can gather an army in Thebes and return to conquer Athens to win the lady. Finally Arcite cant stand it anymore and risks returning to Athens to see Emelye. He is so pale and thin from lovesickness that hes unrecognizable, so he is able to become a page at Theseus court, still worshipping Emelye from afar. One morning Arcite is walking in a grove, exclaiming how unfair it is that he cant even disclose his identity. What he doesnt know is that Palamon has escaped from prison and is overhearing every word from behind a bush. He leaps out and vows to kill Arcite for loving Emelye. The two agree to meet the next day and fight to the death, but when they do, Theseus, Queen Hippolyta, and Emelye happen along and see the battle. Palamon tells Theseus the whole story, declares his and Arcites love for Emelye, and admits they both should die for disobeying him. Theseus has pity and declares a tournament joust instead. Each knight may enlist one hundred other knights and whoever wins the battle shall have Emelye. Palamon prays to Venus, goddess and planet of love. Arcite prays to Mars, god of war. In the heavens, Saturn promises Venus that her favorite, Palamon, shall win. Palamon is captured in the tournament, and Arcite wins. But as Arcite comes forward to accept Emelye, Saturn shakes the ground so that Arcites horse falls and kills him. As he dies, Arcite asks Emelye to have pity on Palamon if she ever marries. Years pass, and when mourning for Arcite is over, Theseus declares that the world must go on. He orders Emelye and Palamon to be married, since Palamon has suffered so long for her love. With this happy event, the tale ends. THESEUS, the wise duke, is firm but fair. We have a picture of him as the strong conqueror, but also as the figure who, like God, dispenses justice along with mercy. For this reason, some have seen Theseus as the major character in the Knights Tale. He personifies the idea of just and reasonable leadership. Its no accident that he rules Athens, the ancient center of learning and reason. He conquers the Amazon nation because it is fitting that a man should be the higher power over women. (This is according to the ideal of knighthood, not necessarily Chaucers own view. As we shall see, Chaucer pokes fun at some of the courtly conventions even though he greatly admires the Narrator-Knights behavior. ) Theseus is the representative of order, throughout the tale making a great show of ceremonies and gamessuch as the joust and the hunting of the hartthat are played by ordered rules. ARCITE believes that Theseus is not really his mortal enemy, nor is his cousin Palamon. But Arcite is the favorite of Mars, the god of war, so he does not listen to reason. Instead he follows his own willingness, which first leads him to go against his cousin, then against his own good fortune. Imagine having your life savedtwice, no lessand cursing your luck because you are set free rather than put to death. We are meant to see Arcite as a man foolish in his willfulness. He is blind to his good fortune: he even complains about men who bemoan fortunes twists, which is exactly what hes doing. Because of Mars he wins the joust, but he does not realize that fortune is changeable. Only at his death does he begin to see reason and ends the grudge hes been holding for so long against Palamon. Does PALAMON get the lady Emelye because hes the better, more valiant knight? He certainly is valiant in the joustit takes twenty men to capture himand he is the one who tells Theseus the truth about Arcites identity and their shared love for Emelye. But where Arcite is overly willful, Palamon refuses to put any stock at all in peoples ability to change their situations. He languishes in jail, believing that man is bounden to Gods observaunce. While some readers think that both men are ideal knights from a popular romance, others think Chaucer intended irony in their descriptions, and that indeed neither one of them is worthy of the lady. Or you might think that both are equally worthy, since each has his faults and blind spots yet sincerely upholds what he thinks is right. What about EMELYE, the object of affection in all this? For its hard to see her as much more than an object. Part of the humor of the Knights Tale comes from the fact that these two knights are pining away over beautiful Emelye for years, while she doesnt yet know they exist. They are ready to kill each other over her, yet we discover that she would rather stay a virgin than marry either one of them. We may not be quite sure how to take her because we see her only through the eyes of the two knights, who see her in different ways. A hint may be in the way she accepts the dictates of Diana, the goddess of chastity, that she must marry; and so she casts a freendlich eye on Arcite when he wins her hand. In general, were told, women follow the favour of fortune (line 1824), as the products of nature do.

SHOOK Surname Origin and Last Name Meaning

SHOOK Surname Origin and Last Name Meaning The surname Shook is a variant of the German surname  Schuck, derived  from  scouh, meaning shoemaker. Schoch is a common Swiss variation and Schook or Schoock are commonly found in the Netherlands. Alternate Surname Spellings:  SHUK, SHOCK, SHUCK, SCHOCH, SCHUCK, SCHOOK, SCHOOCK, SHOOCK, SCHOKE, SCHUCH, SCHUSKE Surname Origin: German Where In the World Is the SHOOK  Surname Found? According to Forebears, the Shook surname is most prevalent in the United States and Guam. The original German spelling of Shuck is still much more common in Germany, especially in the Rheinland-Pfalz region according to WorldNames PublicProfiler. Shuck is also a fairly common surname in Pest, Hungary. Germany-specific surname distribution maps at Verwandt.de identify the Schuck surname as being most frequent in Miltenberg, followed by Aschaffenburg, Berlin, Kusel,  Mà ¼nchen and Kaiserslautern.   Famous People with the SHOOK  Surname Edwin M. Shook - American archaeologist and Mayanist scholarTravis Shook - American jazz pianist Genealogy Resources for the Surname SHOOK Meanings of Common German SurnamesUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common German surnames. Shook  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Shook  family crest or coat of arms for the Shook surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Shook Surname DNA ProjectThis genetic genealogy project is open to all individuals with the surname Hahn and variants such as  Schoke, Schuch, Schuske, Shuck, who are interested in using DNA with traditional genealogical research to identify common Hahn ancestors. Shook Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Shook surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Shook surname query. FamilySearch - SHOOK GenealogyExplore over 500,000 results, including digitized records, database entries, and online family trees for the Shook surname and its variations on the FREE FamilySearch website, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. SHOOK  Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts a free mailing list for researchers of the Shook surname. DistantCousin.com - SHOOK Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Shook. GeneaNet - Shook  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Shook  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Shook Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Shook surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997. Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Common ground Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Common ground - Essay Example According to Terris (1999), one sixth of the total land base in our country yielded to development within a short ten year period from 1982 to 1992. This author’s article deals with the issue of a decline or extinction in various species caused by bulldozing down grasslands and forests, thus building towards a plea for the conservation and preservation of wildlife. The article by Shaw (2004) however, does acknowledge that human activity has stripped away a considerable amount of forested land, thereby depriving the wildlife of their habitat; however reforestation has also been active and this has produced a condition where the nation is now a haven for wild animals and many species that were once endangered are not multiplying in record numbers. For wxample, Shaw (2004) cites the example of the bald eagle, whose population was once down to 32 pairs but has now increased to 329 known active bald eagle nests. In providing an argument that urban sprawl has contributed to the decl ine in certain species of wildlife, Terris(1999) provides specific examples of such species that have been out at risk, such as the Florida panther, the pygmy owl, the kangaroo rat and even plant species such as the saguaro cactus. Her analysis is based upon the following main arguments: (a) Development of land for habitation and especially leap frog developments have eroded the natural habitat for wildlife. (b) Patterns of urban growth have produced loss of habitat for several species of wildlife, fragmentation or the breakup of ecosystems and the generalization of ecosystems wherein only the hardy species that can survive on green lawns and stuff from garbage cans are able to survive. (c) Conservation alone cannot save wildlife, what is necessary is control over development patterns, i.e, restricting unfettered and unplanned development and effectively managing growth in such a manner that it protects wildlife The article by Shaw (2004) is based upon two singular aspects; first th e proliferation of wildlife and second, the increasing proximity of humans to wildlife. In support of her claim that reforestation is rekindling many once diminished species, Shaw (2004) offers the following arguments: (a) Natural reforestation is increasing due to the decline in farming, especially in the eastern United States, which is also increasing wildlife (b) Suburbanization or low density development outside the cities provides a variety of habitat and vegetation that is a draw for animals. (c) A new ecology is being established, i.e, with suburbanization, people build new kinds of habitat such as bird feeders, gardens and ornamental nurseries which are breeding grounds for meso mammals, or mid sized species which only need smaller areas to roam (d) Some species such as deer and geese are both wildlife success stories and a cause of nuisance as well. For example, deer can be a nuisance in the form of deer related collisions, carriers of Lyme disease and damage to crops and s eeds. (e) Increasing proximity of wildlife has become a cause of concern in several areas, for example a mountain lion attacked a woman riding a bicycle near a wild life park. (f) On the basis of her arguments, Shaw(2004) argues that there seems to be an apparent compatibility between human and wild life and the growing notion and people can exist side by side with wilds animals. Entrepreneurs are making efforts to build natural sites

Partition as a Solution to Ethnic Civil Wars Term Paper

Partition as a Solution to Ethnic Civil Wars - Term Paper Example Such feelings are never in favor of a country because they start destroying the foundations of the country slowly and gradually. When a group of people starts feeling unprivileged as compared to other people, they raise their voice against the government officials and the government’s discriminating policies, which results in starting a civil war. Kirschner, in an article states, â€Å"Individuals are more likely to continue fighting once a war begins, foreseeing severely restricted opportunities, if not annihilation, under the current state†. The best way to deal with such kinds of problems is to negotiate with the ethnic groups in order to know their concerns. If a government becomes unable to satisfy the people properly, chances of conflicts start increasing in the country, which leads the country towards many problems, such as, demand for separation or partition within the state. Chapman and Roeder state, â€Å"Partition is more likely than alternative institutiona l arrangements—specifically, unitarism, de facto separation, and autonomy arrangements—to preserve the peace and facilitate democratization† (677-691). ... Partition is one of the strategies to terminate all sorts of ethnic wars in a country. When government do not find any other way to the solution of the problems, it starts thinking of partition within the state in order to let the ethnic groups live their life on their own. However, it is never an easy decision for any government because partition destroys the autonomy and power of the government of the country. Partitions not only affect the political structure and but also affect the control of central government. Apart from these disadvantages of partition, there are several advantages of partition for the ethnic groups. Let us discuss some of the most considerable benefits in some detail in order to get a better understanding of how partitions terminate the possibility of ethnic civil wars in a country. Solution to Ethnic Wars Partitions are a good solution to the end of ethnic wars. Ethnic conflicts give rise to many problems for a country. They not only destabilize the economy of a country but also disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the whole nation. Ethnic conflicts arise when a group of people belonging to some specific culture or society start feeling unprivileged and ignored by the government. Such groups raise their voice to stop discrimination and unfairness against minorities and to give full protection to their rights. When a government fails to fulfill the demands of the ethnic groups, they start movements and strikes against the government. It acts as the starting point towards partition. Such groups start demanding a separate nation or a separate place where they can live their lives independently and in accordance with their cultures. In history, there are many examples in which different movements against the governments

Eating Breakfast for Success Essay Example for Free

Eating Breakfast for Success Essay Abstract In this experiment, we will study the impact of breakfast on learning in school. Students in several classes will be surveyed on their breakfast eating habits and their personal test scores. It will be a one-time survey over the course of one test. Factors that will be put under consideration are the amount of times each individual studied and the amount of sleep they had the night before. Many researches have been conducted proving that there are significant relationships between eating breakfast and educational performances. This study hypothesizes that students who ate breakfast will do significantly better on tests than students who didn’t eat breakfast. Impact of Breakfast on Learning in School Boschloo, Annemarie, et Al. (2012) conducted a survey with 608 adolescents age 11-18 investigating whether skipping breakfast has an impact on educational performances. The survey was to determine if those who eat breakfast daily have a better end-term-grade than those who skips breakfast. As a result, those who eat breakfast daily performed better in school than those who don’t eat breakfast. The result also shows that people who slept late tend to slip breakfast, but sleep had no effect on performances. The results applied to older and younger students also boys and girls. Another crossover trail has been done by Widenhorn-Muller, Katharina et al. (2008), the trail was applied on high school students age 13-20. Students were assigned to two groups: one with breakfast and who without breakfast. They compared cognitive functions of students in each group. As a result, Breakfast had no effect on paying more attention in class among students, but it has a short term effect on self-assessment and personal performance among the students. Pollitt, Ernesto et al. (1982-1983) found that â€Å"the timing and nutrient composition of meals have acute and demonstrable effects on behavior. † They conducted research on kids 9-11 yrs. old in controlled groups of fasting (breakfast) and non-fasting. They gave these children many tests such as assessment of IQ, the Matching Familiar Figures Test, and Hagen Central–Incidental Test. Glucose and insulin levels were also measured. Pivik, R. T. et al. (2012) found that â€Å"neural network activity involved in processing numerical information is functionally enhanced and performance is improved in children who have eaten breakfast. † Meanwhile students who did not eat breakfast will require more mental effort to solve mathematical problems. This founding was possible by measuring the electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of kids age 7-11 while they are solving math problems. Kids who ate breakfast showed higher frequency EEG activity whereas vice-versa for kids who did not eat breakfast. The proposed study is designed to investigate whether breakfast has an impact on how well a student perform on his/her test. We can assume that each student has a general knowledge on the subject and that they are prepared to take the test. Questions that will be raised during this experiment are 1. whether a person should eat breakfast before test and 2. how much should we eat for it to be consider a healthy breakfast. Method The proposed study is a survey for students age 15-22 in high schools and colleges. Surveys should separate participants into male or female. This survey is conducted on students taking math courses and numbers of males and female should be even in each age group. It is best to conduct the survey on participants within the same classes. Questions will be asked is number of sleep each students had the night before. Whether they had breakfast in the morning. How often do they eat breakfast. Also have the students list the breakfast they had in the morning. Discussion This discussion section will address practical and methodological difficulties in carrying out this survey. Also ethnical background issue will be put under consideration. Some difficulties we might encounter when taking a survey might be each individual’s eating habits, some might eat more than others and the food they consume are different. Also health issues might affect a person’s performance, for example, a person that weighs 130 pounds might have different results in performance compared to a person who is weigh 220 pounds even if they consume the same amount of food for breakfast. Also personal views will affect the survey. Some people have higher standards than others and naturally, the people with higher standards will try harder to get a higher grade than students with lower standards. This also brings up the issue of ethnicity and backgrounds because some people have higher expectations and different cultures have different habits of eating. In future studies, I would like to conduct this survey to a wider age group such as kids from age 5-13 and adults from age 25-40. The adult brain is more developed than children’s brains and breakfast might have a different effect on children and adults. Also this survey can be expanded into testing on a wider range of tasks. Instead of math tests it can be test on other subjects, and other jobs such as a person’s performance in an office or ground work. The survey should also study different types of people such as people with special needs compared to a person with normal functions. References Boschloo, Annemarie, et Al. (2012). The relation between breakfast skipping and school performance in adolescents. Mind, Brain, and Education, Vol 6(2), Jun, 2012. pp. 81-88. Widenhorn-Muller, Katharina et al. (2008) Influence of having breakfast on cognitive performance and mood in 13- to 20-year-old high school students: Results of a crossover trial. Pediatrics, Vol 122(2), Aug, 2008. pp. 279-284. Pollitt, Ernesto et al. (1982-1983). Fasting and cognitive function. Journal of Psychiatric Research, Vol 17(2), 1982-1983. pp. 169-174. Pivik, R. T. et al. (2012). Eating breakfast enhances the efficiency of neural networks engaged during mental arithmetic in school-aged children. Physiology Behavior, Vol 106(4), Jun 25, 2012. pp. 548-555.

leadership :: essays research papers

There are two broad approaches to seeking to shape values in society. One is by being "salt and light" in the world (Mt 5:13,14), where by living distinctively Christian lifestyles we seek to influence those around us, and through this the values, decisions and priorities adopted by our communities. The other approach is to confront a particular value, decision or priority which the Christian community feels is out of place, and this may require a more structured and focused campaign. This page offers a six step approach to run such a campaign, whilst click here to view some thoughts on being salt and light. The six steps below seek to help a leader put some structure around an influencing campaign. This may be related to a specific proposal within a community, or more generally trying to influence the values that the community adopts. This community may be a geographic community : neighbourhood, town or even country, or it may be another form of network eg work or interest related. 1. Know what you're trying to achieve. Â · Write down some specific aims for your influencing. If possible, make these aims measurable. Â · These may be related to a specific issue that has arisen within the community, or it may be seeking to change more general values and behaviours. Don't overload with issues - it's better to focus on one or two and achieve something, than make little progress against a broad agenda 2. Decide on your audience and message. Â · Who are the people who hold the key to achieving your objectives? This may include those with formal responsibility (councillors and MPs) , those who can influence them (respected thought leaders and influential organizations) and influential channels such as the media. Â · What is the action you want them to take, and therefore, what is the message that you need to deliver to them to persuade them to take such action? Can you write it down - physically writing the message down is very worthwhile as it ensures that there is sufficient clarity of thinking. Â · The same message can be received very differently when delivered by different people or organizations. Taking the time to identify the most credible and capable people to deliver the message is important. In some cases, you may want to focus on people with specific skills, knowledge or position who can speak with authority.

Duckweed

Feed Industry Overview: Duckweed feed has been found to be a very nutritious feed source for many types of livestock. The fact that duckweed can be fed to animals in its wet form or dried for a more concentrated food source make an efficient, cost effective, harvester a possible attractive product for this market. Traditional Harvesters are economically unfeasible and manual harvesting is very labor intensive for medium to large scale operations. Feed prices can vary drastically due to crop yields, gas prices, and product demand. After the initial investment of the Proskimmer the costs for producing this feed additive would be minimal. There is opportunity for duckweed to be used more as a feed source in coming years to alleviate increasing demand on corn and soy yields. Analysis According to North Carolina Reasearchers: â€Å"Duckweed holds great promise as an alternative feed supplement. One of the smallest plants known to man could help us produce cleaner water while at the same time providing a high quality feed for domestic stock animals (poultry, swine, and cattle). The nutrient uptake ability possessed by duckweed along with its fast reproductive rate and environmental requirements make it easy to manage. The problem with duckweed is in the harvesting of the small plants and removing the excess water. Assuming that can be done efficiently, we will be well on our way to making new strides in the supplemental feeding of duckweed. † These statements are made by some of the leading duckweed researchers in the feed/fuel/watstewater. A duckweed harvester is a natural fit to solve the harvesting needs of the market. Recent studies have confirmed duckweed’s potential as a valuable high-protein, vitamin-rich feed supplement. A two acre pond surface with duckweed yields as much as 30 tons of dry matter or approximately 12 tons of protein per year. This protein is of very high quality for feeding to animals (or human beings). Experiments show that the quality of this protein for ducks and hens is similar to that in soybean meal. As protein is currently priced at approx $500 per ton as a stock-feed ingredient, the protein yield of a hectare of duckweed is worth in the order of $6,000 per year. Although inexpensive to produce, duckweed contains a range of vitamins, pigments and minerals. These include those normally added to dietary formulations for livestock such as poultry and pigs in the form of commercial mineral-vitamin premixes. Duckweed has particular value as a poultry feed. It typically contains high concentrations of calcium (which is required in the diet of laying hens) equal to 10-25 g/kg dry matter. Duckweed contains relatively large amounts of xanthophylls and carotene, which result in a rich yellow/orange color to the egg yolks. In comparison, the synthetic yolk pigments usually included in mineral-vitamin premixes for layers are a costly component of commercial poultry diets. Dried excess duckweed can be pelletised and sold as animal feed. At approx $6000 dollars the Proskimmer would be economically viable in this arena. Feeding trials reported in the literature and carried out recently in Peru have demonstrated that duckweed can be substituted for soy and fish meals in prepared rations for several types of poultry: broilers, layers, and chicks. Cultured duckweed can be used as the protein component in poultry diets. Acceptable levels of duckweed meal in the diets of layers range up to 40 percent of total feed. Duckweed-fed layers produce more eggs of the same or higher quality as control birds fed the recommended formulated diets. Levels of up to 15 percent duckweed meal produce growth rates in broilers which are equal to those produced by control feeds. Diets for chicks, consisting of up to 15 percent duckweed meal, are suitable for birds under three weeks of age. Duckweed meal will almost certainly find as large a range of animal feed applications as soybean meal. Duckweed meal may also have great potential to blend with non- conventional diets based on inexpensive carbohydrate sources that can be used by poultry and hogs. Today pork production offers perhaps an unprecedented opportunity. Due to economic expansion and population growth in Asia, demand for pork is increasing like never before. In fact, experts predict that in the next 35 to 40 years, we’ll have to quadruple, or more, the approximately 875 million hogs now on Earth. That’s why new and expanded hog production facilities are being built in Australia, Canada, Mexico, South America, and, when opposition is overcome, in the U. S. And as they’re built, new jobs and economic growth are being created. A major limitation to fish farming is that meals high in protein with high biological value are expensive and often locally unavailable. Supplementary feeds can take up to 60% of fish production costs. Duckweeds have a high protein content (around 40%) of high biological value. Fresh duckweed is highly suited to intensive fish farming systems and duckweed is converted efficiently to liveweight by certain fish including carp and tilapia. Drying duckweed presents the largest current challenge to the plant being traded as a commodity. No conventional drying technology has been able to produce dried material without incurring signifigant loss. Several solar methods are showing promise however we feel they would be for large scale operations and not relevant to our market. The leading researchers in North Carolina have paired with a company called Aeroglide who makes industrial drying technologies for the feed industry. We feel Proskim should focus on the wet applications for land livestock and fish farming opporunities. http://www. lib. ncsu. edu/theses/available/etd-05242004-103543/unrestricted/etd. df Institute of Animal Nutrition, University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 10, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany 24 February 2010; http://www. aeroglide. com/aquafeed-dryers-coolers. php SWOT Analysis Feed: Strengths: Low cost in relation to other mechanical harvesters/low labor intensity when compared to manual techniques. Currently manufactured product with little to no customization for many harvesting needs. Duckweed has be en proven to be a breakthrough feed alternative to corn and soy based feeds. Weaknesses: Little to no current marketing strategy in the Bio arena. Lack of marketing material directed to Bio arena. Less developed nations will use manual techniques. Company physical location is not in areas which promote rapid duckweed growth. Opportunities: Feed supplement for fish, swine, poultry needing effective harvesting techniques. Market directly to these farmers. Academic researchers using grants to study duckweed in the Bio arena. Government grants and foundations in the Bio arena. Threats: Other harvester inventions and trial inventions to harvest duckweed. Less demand for corn ethanol due to regulations or opportunity costs could lower prices and in turn corn feed prices.

Merck company

At present, the company is organized into three divisions: 1) pharmaceuticals focusing on innovative prescription drugs; 2) pharmaceuticals centred on generic prescription drugs; and 3) consumer health comprised of different activities such as health and medical nutrition including genetic engineering and the development of products. 2) The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by stiff competition. The international competitors of Merck are international, research-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that also sell branded, patent-protected, prescription medicines. However, because Merck is ahead in research and development, specifically in technologies, these create leverages for the company to be at the top. Technologies help the company ease working loads; make them faster and more accurate. 3) Research is advancing at a rapid pace. The application of research provides the opportunity to improve productivity, quality, and cost control in education and research, security of health-related information, and reimbursement through new product development at Merck. While these advances in research promise huge benefits such as higher quality medicine, enhanced workflow and increased efficiency, there is also the potential for precious resources to be squandered and the added pressure of patient welfare at stake. While Merck’s research systems were intended to steam line financial management and automate manual processes, Pharmaceutical Industries now require much greater functionality. The modern Pharmaceutical Industries is expected to link administrative, laboratory, financial and clinical data to provide faster diagnosis and better treatment. The application of research at Merck would highlight the potential benefits of new product development in increasing access, improving quality, and reducing costs. While there is consensus that result will result in substantial cost savings, new product development can quantify the magnitude of the savings of Merck in a way that is scaleable to nationwide implementation. 4)  With the mission statement of Merck, the company aims to provide high margin generic drugs. This objective resonate their mission of lowering or controlling the costs that they would pass onto their consumers. In order for Merck to achieve their objective, they must be able to find ways of lowering their production costs so that they will be able to lower the cost that they will pass onto their consumers. One of the policies that they implemented to see this through is by focusing on research to develop and maintain technologies. For example, Merck invested in information technology. This allowed them to create a web-based system that improved the company’s management of inventories and orders by enhancing their speed and accuracy. By lessening the margins for errors, Merck will also be able to lessen their production cost. 5)  The website of Merck is able to adhere to the basic rules so as to ensure that the website created will be accessible.   The patients and caregivers website of Merck is easy to read, easy to navigate and easy to find.   In addition, the layout and design of the web is consistent throughout the site, plus the website and the needed information regarding the medicines is quick to be downloaded. This absolutely contributes to understanding Merck’s product line. REFERENCES Corporate Responsibility: Committed to make a Difference. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.merck.com Patients & Caregivers: Comprehensive medical resources to keep you educated and informed. Retrieved May 23, 2007 from http://www.merck.com/product/patients_caregivers.html       Merck Company IntroductionThe healthcare industry is composed of many different players who have the same goal which is to ensure the well-being of people, particularly with regards to their health.   One such player in this industry is pharmaceutical companies.   This paper will be analyzing the products of Merck Pharmaceutical Company concentrating on the importance of research in the development of their products.   It will also be presenting the company’s mission statement and how consistent the company is in relation to its mission statement.   Furthermore, it will analyze on whether the company’s patient and care-givers site is helpful to the company’s target audience or otherwise.Overview of Merck CompanyIn order to analyze Merck Pharmaceutical Company comprehensively, an overview about the company and its mission statement must first be established.Merck & Co. Inc. was established in 1891 with the concern on prioritizing the needs of patient that have been othe rwise not met during this period.   The company primarily produces vaccines and medicines as well as delivering these to those who need them the most (â€Å"About Merck† 2008).Merck & Co. Inc. is also a global research pharmaceutical company.   Its mission is â€Å"to provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs, and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities, and investors with a superior rate of return† (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).   The company is committed to the preservation and improvement of human life by maintaining high standards in its ethics, particularly in research in order to attain their mission (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).Products of Merck CompanyBecause of their continuous research, the company has been able to release new products for the betterment of today’s society.   The most r ecent product of the company that was licensed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States was Gardasil, a cervical cancer vaccination.   The company announced the release of the vaccine on March 19, 2008 (â€Å"Product News† 2008).Gardasil is a vaccine that was developed in order to prevent the development of cervical cancer, dysplastic lesions and genital warts among females from age nine to twenty-six.   Based on their research, they had discovered that these diseases were caused by HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (â€Å"Product News† 2008).Importance of Research to MerckResearch is extremely vital to the progress of Merck as a pharmaceutical company.   Through their constant and meticulous research, the company is able to create medicines that have become important in today’s society.   The company’s research resources include the acquisition of the most advance tools in the market, chemistry, genomics and computeriz ed molecular modeling.   These resources allow the company to remain at the forefront of discovery in their industry (â€Å"Our Research† 2008).Because of the technology advancement and their meticulousness in hiring employees in their research and product development department, the company is able to create products that are able to satisfy the needs of their customers.   At the same time, the availability of the most up-to-date technology allows the company’s researchers to work in an environment for them to create meaningful and advancement opportunities. As a result, they are able to improve and preserve human life in today’s society as well as meeting the company’s mission statement and values (â€Å"Mission Statement† 2008).Patient and Caregivers’ SiteSince the company produces vaccines and medicines, there is always the possibility that it may be inappropriately administered which would cause adverse side effects to the patient w hich would not just aggravate the medical condition of the patient, but may also cause the caregiver to lose his or her license to practice.In order to prevent this, the company had provided a patient and caregivers’ site in order to properly educate the consumers of the company’s products on side effects, dosage, manner of administration and situations when the product could not be used.   The website is extremely helpful for both patients and caregivers.   The main page presents the names of the products so that the patient or the caregiver is able to locate more information about the medicine or vaccine.The page that discusses the medicine or vaccine is presented in two forms: one is written in a simple and straight-to-the-point manner so that the average individual without any background in medicine would be able to understand information about the product comprehensively.   It is also presented in a more technical and scientific way which can be comprehended only by someone who has a background in medicine such as a caregiver (â€Å"Patient & Caregiver U.S. Product Web sites† 2008).ConclusionFor a company such as Merck & Co. Inc., research is extremely vital in its operations since it is only through research that the company would be able to create products in order to meet their mission which is to provide superior vaccines and medicines in order to improve the quality of human life.   One such example of this is the release of Gardasil, a vaccine developed to prevent cervical cancer and other diseases among females from occurring.   For patients and caregivers who would need information with regards to their products, the company provided a website where information about a particular vaccine or medicine would be understood by both patients and caregivers.ReferencesMerck & Co., Inc. (2008). About Merck. Retrieved on 08 April 2008, fromhttp://www.merck.com/about/.Merck & Co., Inc. (2008). Mission statement. Retrieved on 08 April 2008, fromhttp://www.merck.com/about/mission.html.

Affirmative Action in Education essays

Affirmative Action in Education essays The policy of affirmative action in education will no longer be needed in the near future. In the past, however, legislators determined that in order to prevent racial discrimination affirmative action would be needed. Recent demographic studies indicate that the Caucasian race will steadily decrease as the present populations of minorities increase. Factors such as fewer white births, an influx of immigrants, and an increase in interracial marriage will play a major role in contributing to this change. Affirmative action programs are operated by the federal, state, and local governments specifically intended to increase the number of opportunities for various groups, including women, racial, and ethnic minorities. (Http://www.vote96.ss.ca.gov) For example, affirmative action promotes the hiring of less skilled workers, giving the employer no choice other than to choose the best of the minority workers they can find, regardless of job skill requirements. (Http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/feed1.html.) According to Ernest Pasour, "the phrase affirmative action was first used in a racial discrimination context," which was issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. (Http://www.self-gov.org/freeman/8901paso.htm) He said, "It indicated that federal contractors should take affirmative action to ensure that applicants and employees are treated without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin". (Http://www.self-gov.org/freeman/8901paso.htm) The growing United States population of minorities in the 21st century will eventually surpass the population of the Caucasian race for the first time in history, a change that will become evident in politics, education, industry, values, and culture, according to William A. Henry III (Beyond the Melting Pot 28). One authority says as of now one in every four Americans defines himself/herself as either non-white or Hispanic (Beyond the Melting Pot 28). According t...

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds The odds that one vote can make a difference in an election are almost nil, worse than the odds of winning Powerball. But that doesnt mean its impossible that one vote can make a difference. Its actually happened. There have been cases in which one vote decided the election. Odds That One Vote Can Make a Difference Economists Casey B. Mulligan and Charles G. Hunter found in a 2001 study that only one of every 100,000 votes cast in federal elections, and one of every 15,000 votes cast in state legislative elections, â€Å"mattered in the sense that they were cast for a candidate that officially tied or won by one vote.† Their study of 16,577 national elections from 1898 through 1992 found that only one had been decided by a single vote. It was the 1910 election in New York’s 36th Congressional District, won by a Democrat who claimed 20,685 votes to the Republican candidate’s 20,684. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 22 percentage points and 18,021 actual votes. Mulligan and Hunter also analyzed 40,036 state legislative elections from 1968 through 1989 and found only seven that had been decided by a single vote. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 25 percentage points and 3,257 actual votes. In other words, the chance that your vote will be the decisive or pivotal one in a national election is almost zilch. The same goes for state legislative elections. Chances That One Vote Can Make a Difference in a Presidential Race   Researchers Andrew Gelman, Gary King, and John Boscardin estimated the chances that a single vote would decide a U.S. presidential election to be 1 in 10 million at best and less than 1 in 100 million at worst. Their work, titled Estimating the Probability of Events That Have Never Occurred: When Is Your Vote Decisive? appeared in 1998 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Given the size of the electorate, an election where one vote is decisive (equivalent to a tie in your state and in the electoral college) will almost certainly never occur,† Gelman, King and Boscardin wrote. Still, the odds of your one vote deciding a presidential election are still better than your odds of matching all six numbers of Powerball, which are smaller than 1 in 175 million. What Really Happens in Close Elections So what happens if an election really is decided by a single vote, or is at least pretty close? It’s taken out of the electorate’s hands. Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, who wrote Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, pointed out in a 2005 column in The New York Times that extremely close elections are often settled not at the ballot box but in courtrooms. Consider President George W. Bush’s narrow victory in 2000 over Democrat Al Gore, which ended up being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. â€Å"It is true that the outcome of that election came down to a handful of voters; but their names were Kennedy, OConnor, Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas. And it was only the votes they cast while wearing their robes that mattered, not the ones they may have cast in their home precincts,† Dubner and Levitt wrote. When One Vote Really Did Make a Difference The races won by a single vote, in addition to the new 1910 Congressional election in New York, according to Mulligan and Hunter, were: A 1978 race for Rhode Island state Senate was tied at 4,110 votes, and decided by a second runoff election. So was a 1980 race for New Mexico state House, at 2,327 votes for each candidate.A 1982 state House election in Maine in which the victor won 1,387 votes to the loser’s 1,386 votes.A 1982 state Senate race in Massachusetts in which the victor won 5,352 votes to the loser’s 5,351; a subsequent recount late found wider margin.A 1980 state House race in Utah in which the victor won 1,931 votes to the loser’s 1,930 votes.A 1978 state Senate race in North Dakota in which the victor won 2,459 votes to the loser’s 2,458 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be six votes.A 1970 state House race in Rhode Island in which the victor won 1,760 votes to the loser’s 1,759.A 1970 state House race in Missouri in which the victor won 4,819 votes to the loser’s 4,818 votes.And a 1968 state House race in Wisconsin in which the victor won 6,522 v otes to the loser’s 6,521 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be two votes, not one.

Management Accounting Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Accounting Models - Essay Example The present research has identified that business finance is the term used to denote the funding activities for the efficient conduct of business activities. Therefore, business finance is helpful in many ways. Firstly, it helps to procure enough flow of funding required in business. Secondly, it is important for maintaining and enhancing better management system by supplying the required amount of capital. Lastly, it is the foremost factor for obtaining the adequate amount of profitability. The prime objective of a business is to generate profit by investing in projects. In order to fulfill the primary financial objectives, the decision makers of a company plan their financial activities. The planning of financial activities is known as budgeting and it is very vital for the smooth functioning of financial operations. A proper financial budgeting makes the entire operation efficient and effective. Budgeting plays a crucial role in the decision making the process for a company. Oberl in states that â€Å"budgets are the link between plans and actions. They translate strategic plans into the financial resources necessary to implement the plan†. Companies prepare many types of budgets like capital budgets, sales budgets, production budgets, cash budgets, inventory budgets etc for planning their operational activities. In fact, the budgets help the organizations to achieve the organizational and financial target on behalf of all the departments.