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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Art is life Essay

Art is life, it is beauty, it is emotion, it is you, it is me, it is everything. Art defines all that we are, and all that we could become. Art is of the past and of the future, of the influences of our daily lives, of our pasts combined with who we are today. Art is an indescribable joy, an expansion of the mind, body and soul. We are art, every last individual of the human race. Art comes in the form of music, dance, theater, painting, drawing, blowing, throwing, and even in the math equations or scientific experiments of the right brained population. Art is feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting and hearing. Art is here to titillate our senses, to create emotional and physical reactions to the viewer. Art is healing. Art is loving. Art is†¦ everything. The Value of Art After a distinctly self-contemplative night, I began to wonder what it is that attracts people to art. Certainly I consider myself an artist of sorts†¦ but what is it that makes me an artist? Why do I practice art? Why does anyone immerse themselves in abstract activities that, for the most part, do not add to financial security or other measurable values? We know that art has been around before written language. Ancient carvings and cave-wall paintings attest to an early drive to participate in artistic endeavors. I would say that our skills as artists have improved since the first cave paintings†¦ but I think there must be the same seed of creativity that connects long forgotten ancestors and modern artists. I think that the most obvious similarity is that dedicated artists tend to create art that reflects important aspects of their lives. When it comes to ancient man, what could have been more important than food and reproduction? Ancient art is ripe with images of hunting and pregnant women. As human society evolved into more stable communities, the art changed. Over time the focus on survival was supplanted with self-emulation. In ancient Egypt, for example, the art turned to worshipping the value of great kings and all-powerful gods. The same happened in most cultures. I doubt that common slaves of Egypt felt that preserving kingly honor for eternity was a motivating factor; slaves probably would have produced an entirely different art than what we  find in tombs had they the resources to create art. What is telling is that the art that survived from ancient times reflects directly the values of the people producing and preserving it: in terms of Egypt†¦ it was of the Pharaohs. European Medieval art reflects a mixture of pagan and Christian ideals. We can deduce that local kings whose roots were largely pagan mixed with the influence of Rome. The artistic work commissioned throughout this time is a constant reminder of those influences. Take this on up to our own time. An important note to take is that as the traditional religious values of historic importance in the west have been challenged in intellectual circles, the focus of art has strayed. Prehistoric art was focused on life and death†¦ ancient art turned to the afterlife and mysticism; modern art has no focus. I am confident that mass media and the internet have a large role in the change†¦ perhaps we are still too early in the new era to be able to define the motivating factor behind the art that will last; but I feel that the reality is that art has no focus in our age because it is not the secluded craft of the gifted and appointed.

Friday, August 30, 2019

A favourite product, service, or organization (PSO): Piano Essay

Introduction Richard Clayderman, David Foster, and many other popular musicians have one thing in common; they have quality of playing a musical instrument; the piano. Piano is a popular instrument especially for private household ownership +among the middle and upper classes. Hence, pianos have gained a place in the popular awareness. A piano is one of the largest consumer purchases most people will ever make. Yet when we shop for a piano, we are up against a vast variety of brands, models, and styles, competing claims, and strange terminology. Maybe for some people a piano is just a piano. It is an easy choice. They just need to pick the colour they want. On the other hand, a piano is a vehicle to release emotions, to discipline their self, to achieve tremendous joy, to work, to create. These are the people whose heads spin when shopping for a piano because it is difficult to use logic to make an emotional decision. Most people are genuine, caring and careful. The more we know about pianos and the buying process, the easier it will be to trust what people are telling us. We will feel more comfortable if we ask for assurances. Reputable dealers, teachers, tuners and brokers will welcome our analysis. Concerning the Piano product, this paper will discuss about the problem in the sales of Piano by using appropriate marketing theory to explain why the problem arises. In addition, we will also compare the Piano with other competing product. Problem Statement Despite the declining trend, the author sees that pianos in general have grown progressively larger and more powerful over the past couple of centuries, with thicker and heavier strings under higher tension. Just like a car, a piano is an investment. We should treat our purchase of a piano with at least as much care as we would in buying a car. Nowadays, we heard that the piano industry is corrupt, run by dishonest people, who only engage in scandalous and disreputable selling methods. Need to be known that it is not true. The piano industry is an incredibly wonderful segment of the musical instrument industry. The people are fantastic, talented and very dedicated. Piano businesses must make a profit in order to operate. In fact, regarding pianos, some people experience more traumas in selecting than in choosing a car, a house, or an oral surgeon. If we are a novice and feel we lack enough knowledge about pianos, do not hesitate to find someone who does to help inform us. One of the most terrifying experiences for most pianists is purchasing a piano. The more advanced the pianist, the more important the response. How the piano reacts to the pianist’s touch describes response. Advanced pianists can and do overplay lesser quality pianos. In addition to the changing economical and technological situation (the IT boom, the invention of electronic keyboard, the increasing inflation and fuel price that result in the increasing price of almost all consumer goods and many others), the other possible reason could be the reducing concerns on buying a piano. A limitation of the research is that observation method does not involve direct interviews which will slightly reduce objectivity and the accuracy of information. We are retrieving more reliable data from experts’ analysis, journals and various publications from available media. Using the data resources above, we are hoping to present an independent and objective analysis toward the contemporary issue. Recommendations of the future research include using the inputs from sellers and dealers of musical instrument using primary research about the changing consumer behaviour towards the purchase of a piano. To get the comprehensive picture, it had better that the future research use large sample size and including the opinions of economists and musicians in assessing the problem and suggesting appropriate solutions. Research Objective This paper intends to find out the underlying reasons that explain the declining number of sales of Piano in recent years Using the non-participant observation method, collecting data and analyzing qualitative information from journal, books, magazine and other online materials, this paper is to conduct analysis of piano-purchase behaviour In addition, the paper aims at finding suitable alternative technology substituting Piano as a music instrument. Piano Product Description Pianos are very individual instruments and, like shoes, one size does not necessarily fit all. Playing it for a few minutes will give you an idea of the action and sound. Consumers are bombarded with so many claims, graphs, color charts, misinformation and fancy words, from so many different sources. Their heads start to spin. It is no wonder the more one shops around for a piano, or whatever, the more confused one becomes. If people are an aspiring artist or a professional musician, they should buy the finest piano built in their own estimation. That piano should have nothing less than complete artistic capabilities. The extra cost will not amount to much, and they will receive the extra benefit of owning and playing a piano of superior quality. Materials will affect the sound and longevity of a piano. However, do not base our final decision on purchasing a piano on materials alone (Fine, 2006). If we know and trust the dealer, our only real concern is getting the model we want at the right price. If we do not know the dealer, it cannot hurt to take a piano tuner or a pianist along to advise us, even if it does hurt the dealer’s feeling. To do so would probably require that high quality pianos cost two to three times what they do now, and they are already very expensive. The problem arises, though, when pianos arrive at customers’ homes in a state of adjustment far below the acceptable standard.   Most people who are not experienced pianists, and even some who are, are not familiar enough with what should be expected, to know when there is a problem. The development of musical instrument leads to the variety of Piano models and price. In general, there are two kinds of Piano: they are vertical pianos and horizontal pianos. Horizontal pianos are named after their model that has height and the strings position. In particular, the height of this piano model is about 36 to 60 inches (Figure 1). There are four types of vertical pianos; they are Spinet, Console, Studio, Upright (About.com, 2008). Figure 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   43† Vertical Piano Source: Wyman Piano Company. (2007). Meanwhile, the horizontal pianos also refer to grand pianos, which named after their model that has length and their strings placement. Furthermore, there are 6 basic types of pianos; they are Petite Grand, Baby Grand, Medium Grand, Semi concert or Ballroom, and Concert Grand (About.com, 2008). Figure 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pearl River 6’1†³ Grand Piano Source:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Onofrio Piano Company. (2007) Why Piano becomes My favourite Piano become my favourite musical instrument due to the original sounds generated by the instrument and many great classical and pop musicians have great works when played by Piano. For example, works of J.S. Back, Mozart is well-produced when they are played by Piano solo. The condition is the same when I hear pop musician like Richard Clayderman or David Foster. Based on my favourite musicians, I choose Piano as my favourite product. Comparison: Acoustic Piano vs. Keyboard (Electric Piano) Technical Considerations The difference between digital piano and electronic piano is major about the technical issue of sounds producing. On an acoustic (â€Å"real†) piano, the key mechanism is hammer based, which means that there would be different sounds if a person differently plays the keys. If the person presses the keys hard (quick), it causes the hammer to hit the string strongly and will produce strong sounds. In contrast, if the key is pressed lightly, the hammer will hit the string mildly, causing a gentle sound (Lee, 2002). Unlike the acoustic piano, the electronic piano is electronically produced, which means that the electric piano cannot differentiate the soft or hard press in the keys by the players. Whatever the players/musicians press the keys, the electric piano will produce the same sounds (Lee, 2002). Non-Technical Considerations In non-technical considerations, the use of electric piano usually for those who wants to master multiple instruments at the same time since it has several buttons to produce artificial instrument sound like drum, guitar, and also the background music. Meanwhile, Piano is dedicated for a person who wants to master the single instrument. Piano Sales 2000-2004 Although the vast model of piano does not produce different the quality of produced sound so much, in the market, the vertical pianos model still become the most popular model, followed by grand and electric pianos. Figure 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Compositions of Piano Sales in 2000 – 2004 Sources: Giles Communications LLC. (2006). Table 1 show that the sales of vertical pianos reach 50,000 units per year meanwhile the grand pianos reach 30,000 unit per annum. Table 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sales History of Piano Since 1990s Sources: Giles Communications LLC. (2006) Table 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Comparison of Piano Producers Competitive Advantage Marketing Concept Marketing is not limited to business situation. All of us are involved in marketing on a daily basis, whether we are applying for a new job, asking for a raise or trying to sell our old car. Marketing involves every aspect of business from the manufacturing of a product to actual point of sale (â€Å"How-To†, 2001): Product Development & Manufacturing. Promotion Presentation Pricing One of marketing concept that explains the product offering is product life cycle that represents one essential element in the marketing mix; the product has a concept or terminology, which is known in marketing environment. The concept is called Product Life Cycle. In general, Product Life Cycle has four distinct stages where Pianos always experience: Introduction Stages is a period of slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market. Growth Stage is a period of rapid market acceptance and increasing profits. Maturity Stage is a period of slow down in sales growth because the product has achieved acceptance by most potential buyers. Profits level off or decline because of increased marketing outlays to defend the product against competition. Decline Stage is the period when sales fall off and profits drop. Figure 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Product Life Cycle of Piano Source: Internet Center for Management and Business Administration. 2004 Nature and Form of Results Actually, buying pianos is very simple. All we need to know is our price range, the features we want, and the manufacturer. On the other hand, if we are buying electronic piano, it is easier. We do not need an experienced piano technician to help us evaluate the piano. I think that more people buy on appearance than anything else does. If we see a piano that is beautiful on the outside, this does not mean that the inside will match in terms of quality. Logically speaking, it would be prohibitively expensive for a piano manufacturer to spend all the extra time devoted to the person’s instruments on a piano that was not intended for such critical use, or where the person ultimately buying the piano may not appreciate or even notice all the additional effort and expense (Fine, Larry). When we want to go piano shopping, go to a store that has a reputation for reliability in our community.   Look with suspicion upon one that is constantly advertising bargains.   The salesperson, if a professional may ask us several questions before he or she even attempts to show or demonstrate any piano. Do not resent this. They are simply trying to help us select the best piano adapted to our purse and purpose.   He or she may ask us if we have children who will be expected to study the piano. They may want to know the approximate size of our living room (Viewing and Purchasing an Upright Piano). We need to know that a piano is expensive to purchase but as has been pointed out, a keyboard is not an optimal substitute for this instrument. One solution would be renting a piano. Many music stores listed in the yellow pages offer this service (Viewing and Purchasing an Upright Piano). People also must consider the beauty of what they see, the beauty of what they hear, and the value of their investment. The final answer to each of these considerations depends largely on each personal situation. Reference: About.com. (2008). The Piano. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/pianotypes.htm Fine, Larry. (2006). Looking for a Piano (Or Zen and the Art of Piano Buying). Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=less+people+buying+piano&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-tab-web-t&x=wrt&u=www.jwpepper.com/catalog/art_PaBuyPbookFine15.jsp&w=less+people+buying+piano&d=YhcKEW1aMPml&icp=1&.intl=us Giles Communications LLC. (2006). U.S. Piano Sales History. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://www.pianonet.com/saleshist.htm How –To Understand Marketing. The How-To Network. Retrieved February 24, 2008 from Internet Center for Management and Business Administration. (2004). The Product Life Cycle. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/product/lifecycle/ Lee, Xah. (2002). Piano keyboard actions: Acoustic vs. Modern Weighted. Retrieved February 23, 2008 from http://xahlee.org/UnixResource_dir/writ/piano_action1.html Onofrio Piano Company. (2007). Pearl River. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://www.onofriopiano.com/Onofrio_PearlRiver_Piano.htm PIANO SALES. (2005). Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:KmGHytxxtb8J:www.winchesterpianos.co.uk/sales.html+Why+are+less+people+buying+new+pianos+nowadays%3F&hl=id&gl=id&ct=clnk&cd=6 RECENT MARKET FACTS. Retrieved February 20, 2008 from http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/basics.htm Wyman Piano Company. (2007). Vertical Pianos. Retrieved February 22, 2008 from http://www.wymanpiano.com/gallery/gimages/wv110chy.jpg

Thursday, August 29, 2019

What shall I Render unto God (psalm 116) Speech or Presentation

What shall I Render unto God (psalm 116) - Speech or Presentation Example In response to all the blessing that God bestowed on the psalmist, he offered to be His servant for the rest of his life. He promised to do what God asked him to do for the rest of his life, as he according to him he would serve the Lord on this earth as long as he lives (Psalm 116:12-18). There are several physical and spiritual benefits that God bestows on us every day. Physical Needs: God has bestowed numerous blessing on us, even after all the disobedience and sin we do. Our physical needs that are fulfilled by God on the daily basis include the need for food, safety and other physiological needs. Responding back to God through our love: We may respond back to God for all His blessing by loving him. This can only be done if we follow the commandments that were sent to us through Moses and the teaching of Jesus (John 14:23). Responding back through praise: Lord our God likes it when we praise him through different hymns and other means. We can show Him our loyalty by praising Him and praying to no one but Him. In psalm 116, the psalmist promise to offer a cup of wine to the Lord as a gesture of gratitude (Psalm 116:8). Responding back through worship: We have been instructed in the Bible that we must obey the day of the Sabbath. The Lord, our God, listens to the worships and bestows upon us His blessings in return (Psalm 68:4-5). Responding back through Body: We have been created to serve a purpose on earth. Serving the Lord by serving His creations and worshipping Him is how we can respond to His blessings through our bodies. In return of our sacrifice God blesses us with a long and healthy life (Proverb

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Modern China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern China - Essay Example However, things have significantly changed during the twentieth century where traditions have been greatly rejected by the Chinese. Instead, they are turning to modern life by abandoning indigenous ways of dressing and practices for the modern way of life. This paper will try to describe the meaning of a nation according to empires, outline the revolution of making a new citizen in China, implications of the same, the techniques used as well as participants of the revolution process. The nation of China was long time ago composed of small communities until when transformation took place over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The kind of leadership that was in place was quite different to the current one since centralization was in practice as opposed to decentralized leadership practiced today. The ruler of the state was an emperor the Son of Heaven who held the central position of cosmos (Harrison 2). Besides the emperor, there existed bureaucracy education with characteristics that clearly portrayed existence of modern China. However, it is worth noting that, the emperor was then perceived as world but not as a country. Nevertheless, this did not mean that the Qing courts could not recognize the presence of other nations since they could have negotiation with foreigners only that the negotiations could never be allowed to erase Chinese culture. Transition is no longer embraced by everyone especially illiterate ones, for example, primitive people could ea t a little human fresh but later after realizing that it was not right, some stopped the ordeal completely while others behaved as if they had stopped but still they could eat human fresh (Lu and Yang 9). The same happed during China transition where some people were ready to abandon culture and embrace new life style while others could not. However, failure to wholly allow foreign culture have impact on the Republic of China economy,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

International Trade Operations in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Trade Operations in US - Essay Example According to the study findings international buyers who do not have US dollars as their local currency would have to go through the cumbersome process of having to convert their currencies to US dollars whenever they want to do business with you. The excesses in the procedure may just be one reason that someone may prefer other competitors to you. Again, the differences in exchange rate between the local currencies of international buyers and the US dollars will cause price flatuations. It is very likely that the price of good for each particular day will have to change because of changes in exchange rate. This, according to Gibbons creates currency swing, where by the customer may have to build in a 10-15% "adverse currency swing" factor. Conversely, quoting the US dollars may be very desirable when dealing with buyers who already deal in US dollars. It is common k knowledge that a lot of buyers around the world today are into the use of the US dollars. This is because it ensures u niformity in quantum price of goods and products. Again, quoting in US dollars very advisable for smaller companies with limited human resource as Gibbons, notes that â€Å"you may not have the ability to assume the currency risk, the currency exchange costs and the effort needed to run pricing in local currency.† Regarding quotation of prices in local currencies, once prices are quoted in local currencies and not in US dollars for international buyers, whose local currencies are not the US dollars would not have to create any price hedge to cater for the prices of goods. This is a major advantage for dealing with international buyers. This is because the duty of having to convert prices into US dollars and also having to go through the exchange processes, which sometimes attracts extra cost from banks would all be avoided. In would be observed that because pricing in US dollars creates price fluctuations, local buyers are often forced to hedge for the price of goods so that they will not have to be changing their expenditures so often. The converse demerit with pricing in local currency is that there would have to be a different price of same goods when they move from one country to the other. In this case, it is likely that by the time all sales are completed and the seller converts his earnings back to a common currency, there may be some little price falls because of the differences in US dollar rates in different countries (Colacito and Croce, 2011). Rate parity theory and how it is used to predict future exchange rates According to Forex Karma (2010), â€Å"Interest Rate Parity (IPR) theory is used to analyze the relationship between at the spot rate and a corresponding forward (future) rate of currencies.† The theory operates on a number of principles that makes it possible to predict future exchange rates. First, Picardo (2012) writes that â€Å"the basic premise of interest rate parity is that hedged returns from investing in different currencies should be the same, regardless of the level of their interest rates.† This means that future predictions of exchange rate can be made if returns on rate hedging remain constant. This is because in such as situation, both the exchange rate and interest rate do not have any influence on one another. The second has to do with the quote rates of interest rate and currency rates. This is because

Monday, August 26, 2019

Burns Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Burns - Essay Example The tissues involved are his skin and that of the oro- respiratory tract. Most of the burns are 2 and 3 rd degree burns. This patient has 45% burns along with inhalation injury. Damage to the tissues of the body as a result of heat, chemicals, electricity, sunlight or radiation is known as burns. Burns can cause swelling, blistering, scarring, shock and even death (Burns, Medline Plus). The most common type of burns is thermal burns. Burns are a common cause of mortality and morbidity. Injuries due to inhalation and subsequent pulmonary complications contribute to the mortality. It has been estimated that 50-60% of fire deaths are secondary to inhalation injury (Nettina 2006). The response to burns is the one similar to inflammation. Burns causes the intact vessels to dilate causing redness and blanching with pressure. The vascular permeability of the vessels also increases. Cells like platelets and leukocytes adhere to the vascular endothelium in the early phases of burns, followed by influx of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes. There after, new capillaries, immature fibroblasts and new collagen fibrils appear within the wound as a part of regeneration activity (Nettina 2006). 1. Skin being the largest organ in the body is the most commonly and widely affected part in the body. Burns causes loss of functions of the skin. The main functions of the skin are thermal regulation, prevention of loss of fluid from the body by evaporation, barrier against infections from the environment, and perception of sensory information from the environment. Skin comprises of 3 layers, the dermis, epidermis and hypodermis. Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and consists of cornified epithelial cells. The middle layer is the dermis which is made up of mainly connective tissue. Embedded in the connective tissue are the capillaries that nourish the skin, nerve endings, and hair follicles. The innermost

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Shall we dance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shall we dance - Case Study Example The ballroom dancing mostly targets the women who have a great interest and money to spend on dancing classes. The two business partners will offer global dance brands in an effort to promote the company Dance space into an excellent company (Griffin 584). The business idea has been implemented, and Tang starts to give the dance lessons and selling the video in various stores across Canada and Britain. The two have targeted about three websites for customers to mingle as well as download the earlier mentioned video with different varieties of dance videos (Griffin 584). However, the only limitation happens to capital since the company requires about 1.4 million dollars. The two have made an impression on Tim Draper who is an investor in various internet programs. The business partners hire a coach in preparation to meet Tim Draper but the coach advice them not to meet Tim since they do not have a well defined sales pitch (Griffin 584). The two had been now concentrated on the investm ents such that they forgot to come up with a solid sales pitch. On the meeting day, they give a performance and then discuss the prospects of the company. The two experts offer their arguments on the business preparation. Robert Herjavec disagrees with Beverly and Tang’s ideas and insists they should also target the young generation as well as the boomers are have no technologically awareness and using the websites cannot work (Griffin 584). Conversely, KO supports the ideas by the two but also insists that Beverly and Tang should revamp their language and that they should form different segments for different age groups (Griffin 584). Being a new company based on the interests of a given demographic group, the company owners need to analyze the external and internal S.W.O.T to come up effectively with a solid sales pitch. The company owners

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Pain And Suffering Of The Voiceless People In Cinema Essay

The Pain And Suffering Of The Voiceless People In Cinema - Essay Example The necessity of resorting to non-verbal communication is indeed apparent in the film, for the obvious reason that the perceived victims in the film are voiceless and powerless. In the absence of words, what is left for them is body language, through dance accompanied by music. The definition of dance as a form of expression that uses bodily movements that are rhythmic, patterned, sometimes improvised, found in every culture and is performed for purposes ranging from the ceremonial, liturgical and magical to the theatrical, social and simply aesthetics (Britannica 2011), relatively connects with the film. The music that was devoid of words and the dances were quite entertaining in the film. The movements were expressive, which was demonstrative of the reflex response of the children when in danger, which is to either flee or let go to hide the fear. The choreography is in support of the desire of the captured children to immediately do something about the negative emotion bottled up inside their system, which they hope to free. The competition in the capital city of Kampala was again entertaining, the excitement can be likened to the much-talked-about worldwide show, â€Å"American Idol.† Through their participation in that competition, they were out to prove that they can be giants amidst the suffering in their real life. The value of the dance however in this film and the beats of the drums, set some limitation concerning the messages that are needed to be said in public, which at times, only words can do. Emotionally, in a personal context for the children, they were able to pretend that everything can be alright, but in general, the hope for help and call for rescue are quite elusive.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Transfer to the University of Denver Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Transfer to the University of Denver - Essay Example When in high school, all a teenager could think about is going to the university and doing a course which would eventually get him or her to the level of Bill Gates. However, this was not the case with me since I realized that reaching such a level included not only reading books, but also determination and passion in what one does. After some soul-searching and consultation, I was introduced to the University of Denver, in Colorado. I must say that I was stunned to know that such an institution exists. As I mentioned earlier, I longed for a place where I could live with individuals from diverse cultures, and there was not the better place than Denver University. Such an institution helps people understand others and promotes working together in society to achieve desired goals. The best part about the institution for me is that it offers Mechanical Engineering, which is a much better choice than Chemical Engineering. Mechanical engineers are more practical than chemical engineers. I noticed this while studying at the University of Colorado. Even though my GPA is lower than the required GPA standard in the University of Denver, the institution looks like a place which can motivate a person to learn and become successful academically. I have a mother who used to work extremely hard to keep me in school, but after she got diagnosed with breast cancer, every funding we had, went to her medical coverage. My mother was the breadwinner of the family, and after the diagnosis, she could not manage to keep her job. Her salary was not that much, and the best thing I can think of doing is joining an institution, which can help me attain academic prosperity so that I can look after my mother. We have managed to find a willing sponsor who wants to fund me in school. I consider that the best thing I can do is to excel academically, and there is no better place for doing this than at the University of Denver. I admire the university’s principle of equal opportunity to all, and I think, if given a chance to join the institution, I would work extremely hard to be successful.  

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

International Financial Management - Essay Example Companies engage in foreign direct investment due to various reasons, but mainly to generate profit and secondly to hedge risk. Sometimes the companies would have huge cash surplus and fear that due to unfavourable movement in the exchange rate the dollar value of the cash surplus would decrease (Bajaj, 2001). The companies would park their extra cash in various foreign countries in the form of foreign direct investment. Generally the FDI are long term in nature but a company looking for quick gain can resort to short term borrowing. The research endeavours to create an international financial management report on FDI for Infosys. Infosys, a software giant in India is contemplating to conduct a FDI in another international country. The target firm chosen is Apple and the target market chosen is USA. The choice of the target market and the choice of the target company bear special significance (Bonaccorsi and Daraio, 2009). Apple has a myriad of products and service starting from elec tronic gadgets to the creation of operating systems. Apple has experienced one of the highest rises in the price of shares and apart from that the company is in an excellent growth trajectory. Infosys wants to cash in from the excellent growth opportunity of Apply by investing directly in it its path breaking technologies. Apart from this USA has a strong track record of FDI. These are two motivating factors behind the choice of Apple and America for FDI. Infosys wishes to follow a joint venture Greenfield with Apple. The joint venture Greenfield will help to create new products in USA. 2. Literature review The factors affecting the global flow of foreign direct investment in USA or as a matter of fact any country is many and varied. Although in the present context, only 4 important factors are considered which are transportations costs, market imperfections, strategic behaviour, product life cycle and location specific advantage. 2.1 Transportations Costs The diagram given below is an indication of the transportation cost at present in USA. The cost of transportation is shown as cumulative of the average costs incurred by travelling both by air and road. The cost of transportation is major issues but only for those products which have a low value to weight ratio. In the present case the value to weight ratio is assumed to be very high (Clark and Mathur, 2013). This is because of the reason that the target products (electronic gadgets) are negligible in terms of weights. So the cost of transportation will not pose as a serious threat. Fig 1: Transportation cost over the last 10 years Source: (Mintzberg and Waters, 2011) 2.2 Market imperfections Over the last 50 years almost 56% of the foreign companies that took part in the FDI considered market imperfections to be the single most important factor. Whenever there are impediments in both exporting and sale of know-how through licensing then FDI takes place. Barriers to export include quotas, complete bans, tari ffs and other restrictions that hinder the free flow of product between two nations. Most of the foreign countries in the world do not share a mutual bilateral trade between themselves that facilitates the flow of goods and services (Das, Quelch and Swartz, 2000). During 2000 to 2012 phases some of the emerging nations resorted to FDI with USA since international groups like NATO ordered restrictions on establishing trade relations with different countries. Thus these countries like China, Japan, Korea,

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ampalaya Coffee Essay Example for Free

Ampalaya Coffee Essay This investigatory project aims to prepare and also to make a coffee from the â€Å" Ampalaya Seeds†. We know that Ampalaya or also known as Bitter melon is known for as its bitterness and astringent taste , the bitter melon can see everywhere. This investigatory project encourage us students to make a coffee, as an alternative product . This study was conducted to determine the feasibility of the ampalaya seeds as coffee. The researchers used powdered Ampalaya seeds in this study. After researching and collecting the raw materials, the researchers were able to begin the experimentation. The coffee was obtained by drying, grinding, and roasting the seeds of ampalaya, and boiled. After boiling, the coffee was manually extracted with the use of a clean cloth. The study focuses on producing coffee out of ampalaya seeds. It does not aimed to determine which coffee (ampalaya seeds vs. commercial coffee) has more nutritional value or which is more nutritious. II. Acknowledgement. We would like to thank to the following person that are help us to start and to continuing this our Investigatory Project ,including the following to our ALMIGHTY GOD that help us and give us strength and knowledge to explain the main idea of this investigatory project . To our parents and also our friend who give us supports to finish our Investigatory Project. For our parents that supplies our needs , including the financial needs . THANK YOU !!!!!! Chapter 1: Introduction In our modern generation , many people in our country used coffee especially our grandparents and also our parents. Coffee is known as beverage to the majority of the people. It is known for its stimulating effect on the functions of the brain , thus making the drinker active . Variants of coffee flavors were already produced all throughout the world aiming for the discovery of alternative sources of coffee production . The coffee from ampalaya seeds help us to earn and save money . A. Background of the study Coffee alternatives have been famous since the last two decades due to economic crisis and experimentations for health and medical benefits. Any seeds that are edible when powdered can be used as an alternative source for coffee. The difference of the generic coffee from the seeds of the coffee plant from those of the alternatives is that it has a good amount of caffeine content. The similarity you can find in the alternatives and those of the original is that seeds contain carbohydrates which cause the aroma in roasted coffee. Ampalaya, on the other hand, is a crawling vine that grows mostly on tropical countries like the Philippines. It is said to be rich in iron, potassium, beta-carotene and other nutrients. It is also famous in treating diabetes because of its properties like polypeptide-P; a plant insulin that can lower blood sugar levels. Many researches on agricultural food chemistry convey that it provides nutritionally significant amounts of nutrients, minerals and amino acids that are needed for life. B. Objectives of the study B1. General Objectives 1. To determine if the ampalaya seeds have considerable characteristics of the products in terms of color, aroma, taste, and acidity. B2. Specific Objectives 1. To produce coffee using ampalaya seeds as the main ingredient. 2. To determine and compare the levels of acceptability of the coffee samples. C. Hypotheses NULL 1. There is no significant difference among the different ampalaya coffee samples developed in terms of their color, aroma, and taste. ALTERNATIVE 1. There is no significant difference among the different ampalaya coffee samples developed in terms of their acceptability. D. Significance of the study Momordica Charantia or ampalaya seeds contain iron and folic acid which are essential for the production of the red blood cells and the formulation of hemoglobin and myoglobin. Coffee is usually drunk hot, black or with cream and sugar and also drunk cold as iced coffee, specially summer. People are used of drinking coffee every morning to warmth their body and at night to avoid being sleepy. But coffee contains a stimulant called caffeine. The result of this will determine if the coffee made from ampalaya seeds can be use as a substitute for the commercial coffee. This study aimed to produce coffee using ampalaya seeds as substitute. The study was important because ampalaya is abundant in the Philippines. The product may be an anti-diabetes coffee but it is not the main concern of the study. Everybody can benefit of the result of the study unless a coffee drinker. It would recycle the ampalaya seeds instead of being thrown away which a lot of people consider it as waste. E. Scope and limitation The proposed study was limited to producing coffee out of ampalaya (Momordica charantia Linn. ) seeds. Three samples were prepared with different ampalaya seed concentration and same amount of water for comparison purposes in which one of the samples was pure commercial coffee. The samples were processed by the basic methods of making coffee: roasting, grinding, and brewing.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Lactic Acid And Fatigue Health And Social Care Essay

Lactic Acid And Fatigue Health And Social Care Essay A large portion of the population, including athletes and coaches in this current era still believes that the limitations of exercise performance is due to lactic acid build up causing fatigue. It is a stubborn myth that stood through the test of time. This is a relatively  old school of thought  that has its roots in the work of Fletcher K [1]. Lactic acid was regarded as an end metabolite of glycolysis and elevates as an exercise intensify where oxygen availability decreases[2]. It was Brooks GA that started the Lactate revolution. He presented the lactate shuttle hypothesis in his work in 1986[3]. It was due to this hypothesis that scientists, even in present day, question the mechanisms of lactate or lactic acid in the body and its involvement in fatigue. This report will delve into studies within the recent decade, touching on conflicting ideas pertaining to lactic acid and its involvement in fatigue. I will further break down lactic acid into its biochemical components, lactate and hydrogen ion, and discuss studies which have contradicting beliefs on these components implication with fatigue. Finally, I will highlight on recent articles that has even challenged the underlying mechanism behind fatigue. Lactic Acid as a whole? Lactic acid was considered a metabolic waste. It is a by-product of glycolysis in the conversion of glucose to pyruvate. It was blamed for the burning sensation felt during and after performing a high intensity exercise which would then finally cause fatigue. However, the idea of lactic acid causing muscle fatigue has been challenged since the 1980s. For example, human deficient in the enzyme myophosphorylase showed faster muscle fatigue eventhough they are incapable of breaking down glycogen and accumulate lactic acid[4]. Studies on single muscle fibres showed constant rate of fatigue eventhough its pH was intentionally lowered[5]. It is seen today that many studies have challenged one anothers idea. It is important to consider all options before finally cementing a theory. Firstly, it would be unfair to blame lactic acid as a whole when it literally does not exist in this neutral construct[6, 7]. It expresses as hydrogen ions (H+) and lactate ions in the body [7, 8]. Several studies have and should continue separating these 2 entities and experimented on them separately to find its link with fatigue as either one, both or none of them could be the cause of fatigue. So is lactate the real culprit? It was long written in literature that lactate is known as a metabolic waste product. However, lactate is far from being a useless product. There has been growing number of evidence of the beneficial properties of lactate and this has tested the universality of the hypothesis linking muscular fatigue with lactate production. Lactate, being produced when glucose breaks down to pyruvate [9], allows continuation of glycolysis by generating the NAD+ needed in glycolysis[10] thus preserving exercise performance and delaying fatigue. With the presence of oxygen, lactate can be converted to pyruvate which could be converted to glucose. This process is called Cori cycle[11]. It can then be utilized or stored as glycogen, according to the bodys need at that point of time[11]. This makes lactate a good source of energy. Lactate could be cleared by oxidation in the muscle fibre it was produced. Oxidation of that particular lactate could also happen in other muscle fibres as the lactate is being transported. Those lactate not oxidized will diffuse into the blood veins and transported to the liver[12].Lactate is favoured by the brain and used extensively as a source of fuel[13]. Lactate was known to contribute to fatigue. Many studies nowadays shows otherwise, in fact, it has been studied that lactate may delay the onset of acidosis mainly via H+ reduction. In this review[14] and study by Robergs R.A[15] (supported by S.E Allen[16]), H+ were found to be carried out from cells by transporters and also be consumed by lactate. However, this statement has been challenged by Lindinger M.I., stating that Roberg ignored that lactate is an anion. Its increase would therefore reduce Na anions and thus increase H+ to maintain electroneutrality[7]. Although Lindinger might be correct, there are more studies supporting the opposite notion. A solid ground breaking revolution should occur when lactate is being administered to athletes via energy drinks, however many are still in the dark in recognizing lactates true potential. A study showed that lactate is utilized more efficiently with a greater extent compared to glucose or fructose and also enhances high intensity performance[17]. To further add value to lactate, it is found that performance decrement has no correlation with lactate production[18]. It is clear from the whole list of resources in literature that lactate is not a bad metabolic waste product and is actually beneficial in more ways than one, especially in delaying the onset of fatigue. Therefore, accusing lactic acid to be the culprit of fatigue would indirectly blame lactate, which is not acceptable when it is a beneficial component in exercise performance. So it must be Acidosis! It is clear among literature that acidosis has been under the limelight for causing fatigue. The lowering of pH in the muscle has been accused of causing the burning sensation and the decreasing muscle efficiency that comes with fatigue[19]. In 2003 a review by L. B. Gladden [20] states that RH Fitts [21]has evidence of a whole list of experiments suggesting that acidosis can have negative detrimental effects on muscle function by 1-reducing the transition of the cross-bridge from the low- to the high-force state, 2-inhibiting maximal shortening velocity, 3-inhibiting myofibrillar ATPase, 4-inhibiting glycolytic rate, 5-reducing crossbridge activation by competitively inhibiting Ca2+  binding to troponin C, and 6-reducing Ca2+  re-uptake by inhibiting the sarcoplasmic ATPase (leading to subsequent reduction of Ca2+  release). This may sound contradicting as there are resources saying that acidosis do not cause fatigue. However, it is important to know that the experiments explained by RH Fitts[21], are done in vitro and when the experiments are redone at temperature closer to those experienced physiologically, the said negative effect of acidosis diminishes[20]. In the recent years, experiments have been showing that acidosis has been far from being the cause of fatigue. Neilsen explained that muscle contraction causes acidosis, loss of intracellular K+ and extracellular K+ build up[22]. High extracellular K+  leads to loss of contraction force therefore fatigue[23]. It was found that acidification nullify the effects of the extracellular K+ that are linked with fatigue[22]. This is further supported by other studies[24-26] on the fact that acidosis has protective capabilities against muscle fatigue. Gathering all the resources, it would be safe and logical to say that since acidosis delays fatigue, alkalosis (the opposite of acidosis) should have an opposite effect thus cause fatigue faster. However, this was proven wrong in many studies [27-30]. Taking time to look at the whole picture of the studies, studies regarding alkalosis were done as a whole body model experiment (in vivo). Looking back, the experiments done on acidosis were not done as a whole-body experiment. Instead, it was done on single muscle fibre in in vitro situations. Studies from the past showed that acidosis can contribute to fatigue in intact human body or animal [31-33]. To integrate the studies from isolated muscle model with accordance to whole-body exercise, Cairns hypothesised that acidosis may improve performance in isolated muscle, high blood plasma acidosis may cause a reduction in central nervous systems drive to the muscle thus causing fatigue[6]. Another limitation that may affect experiments is that fast twitch muscles are more susceptible to acidosis[6] therefore experiments on a single muscle fibre as seen in a lot of studies regarding acidosis, might not give an accurate holistic overview of the reaction of a whole muscular body. Also H+ might interact with other unknown cellular changes in the body therefore slightly discrediting isolated muscle fibre experiments with comparison to whole body experiments. Overall, acidosis has been thought to be the main contributor to fatigue. However, recent studies in the last decade have been trying to contest the statement. In my opinion, it is rather early to disregard acidosis as the cause of fatigue, as in vitro studies are only suggestive. Future studies should take into account acidosis as a whole body experiment (in vivo) where hormonal and other physiological interactions are possible. If there are claims of acidosis not causing fatigue, then what does cause fatigue? So in substitution of the uprising hypothesis that elevated H+ is not the main cause of fatigue, there have been many competitors to claim its place. Supported by a study, Westerblad have been claiming that inorganic phosphate has the main role in fatigue[34]. Inorganic phosphate increases as muscle is being contracted and creatine phosphate is being broken down. However, a book by Fitts[21] challenged Westerblads idea, highlighting several limitations concerning the inorganic phosphate hypothesis. He stated that the studies did not assess the holistic combination of the resultant effect of an elevated inorganic phosphate with low pH and low calcium ion release. Also the effects of acidosis on peak power were not evaluated. Even Westerblad agreed that the study was done on a single muscle fibre and the result might be different when done with a whole model. He pointed out that studying on a single muscle fibre provides the most direct physiological responds when questioning the cellular mechanisms of fatigue. Also, claiming that the The differences that inevitably must exist appear to be mainly of a quantitative nature[34]. I believe that it is still early to refute the idea of acidosis not causing to fatigue. In the case of studies on inorganic phosphate, its role in fatigue is still in an early stage and should not be dismissed as of yet. Several questions have yet to be answered. However, creatine phosphate is after all only involved in the first 10 seconds of an intense exercise therefore queries of its role extending within these 10 seconds are questionable. Other than phosphates, there have been a large number of studies[22, 23] claiming potassium ions to be the main cause of fatigue. In this particular study by Cairns[35], he states We hypothesize that during high-intensity exercise a rundown of the transsarcolemmal K+  gradient is the dominant cellular process around which interactions with other ions and metabolites occur, thereby contributing to fatigue. The raised extracellular K+ causes a sarcolemmal depolarization, therefore disrupting the excitability of the muscle thus resulting in fatigue[35]. This is however contradictory to a previous study being done on rats[36]. In the study, it suggests that extracellular K+ is overhyped in previous studies on isolated muscles and that it is of less importance for fatigue. Overall, it is still hard to cement a theory as long as insufficient studies are done on whole intact animal models. This is however, being a case of isolated muscle studies versus in vivo studies. In my opinion applying Occams razor, acidosis should stay as the cause of fatigue unless proven otherwise with solid in vivo studies. Conclusion So to go back to the age old question, does lactic acid cause fatigue? It is important to remember that lactic acid disassociates to lactate and H+ ions, each with its own characteristics and interactions with the body therefore it needs to be addressed separately. Taking lactic acid as a whole and blaming it would be unjust and inaccurate. As of recent time, it will take time and effort to disprove acidosis as the cause of fatigue as many studies were done in vitro and results only suggest possible mechanism in the human body. I do however believe that there is no one main mechanism causing fatigue, it is however a collective effort of different mechanisms, few of which are possibly phosphate and extracellular K+, that contribute to fatigue. As of now, lactate is a good byproduct and acidosis still remains the main cause of fatigue.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Effect of Divorce on Children

The Effect of Divorce on Children Divorce and their effect on children Introduction: One of the prime feature of the modern age happens to be the rising index of performance pressure and market competition. Immaterial of the genre, competition happens to be the order of the day in the current times. Quite naturally we see that the pressure, tension and the anxiety quotient in the current times is on an ever increase. The people in this age always happen to on the edge of everything and are running an inevitable race for their retribution. Everything I seems depends on the results or the outcome of this race, the survival of the fittest has become the order of the day. Quite naturally we see that the modern men and women always happen to be in a frenzy regarding the quality of their output or performance. It seems that being on the top is what that matters the most at the of the day. Hence this almost barbaric pressure at work often takes a toll on the personal health and the personal lives of the current age men and women. Family life in the course of events takes ab ack seat and relationships often becomes a second priority. Hence one hand if professional excellence marks the era, on the other hand dilapidation of the institution of relationships is also a quintessential feature of the reigning times. Quite naturally the unfortunate event of breaking down of relationships, an often example of which is found in the divorce settlements of married couples happens to be a regular feature in the current times. The research in its discourse tries to analyze the hidden effects of these divorces on the unfortunate and innocent children of these couples who happens to face the worse brunt of these divorce cases. Problem Statement: As mentioned in the earlier segment although divorce is a settlement that happens between two individuals the brunt is often born by more people than just the man and the woman who decides to part their ways. It has been observed that although divorce is an unfortunate event and is disliked by people and societies all over the world but there are certain more orthodox societies to whom the implications of such an event happens to be all the more grave and perilous. In such societies breaking down of marriages are seen as the worst social dishonor that can be brought down to the families of the man and woman involved in the decision. The situation happens to be all the more grave and disturbing if children are involved. As clearly stated earlier although the decision of parting ways happens to be that of the man and the woman who are living as husband and wife, the total effect of the situation is worst on that of the psyche of the children of the couples. Every research has a statement that happens to be the protagonist idea or concern of the discussion, investigation of which adds further significant dimensions to the discussion. The statement in this case happens to be the facet of the effects of the process of divorce between a couple that can be observed on the psyche of their children. On the pivot of this statement the research delves deeper into the psychological problems that has often been found to develop in the personalities of the children from the broken homes and the consequences of the same that has been recorded pertaining to the society and their own families that gets build up in the future. The problem statement reflects and revolves around the effects of divorce that has been observed on the children especially against the traditional backdrop of UAE society. Research Question: Every research has a few questions stated clearly within the scope of their discussion. I fact it can be said that the course of the research proceeds with the answers that are found in the investigation of the said questions. These questions happens to elucidate the basic points of concern that happens to be the protagonist ideas of the research. In this context it can be said that there is a popular belief that every research is to have as single question answering which will be the sole aim of the research discourse. However in this reference it can be said that a said research can have more than a single question as the central attention of the scope of research. Along with the main or the protagonist question new cans ay that there can be a number of other tributary and distributary questions answering which can be also within the scope of the research. In fact the answers to these tributary and distributary questions might add new dimensions to the research. In the case of our research the main question happens to be is to evaluate the effects of divorce that can be observed on the children of the broken home. The research happens to be set against the particular backdrop of UAE. However in addition to the main question there will be certain other allied questions that will also have to be answered in the course of the research. Following are the other questions that also has to be answered in the course of the discussion: What can be the consequences of the effects of divorce in the future? How does the society gets effected by these children from broken homes in the coming future. What are ways that society can help rebuild the personality and the future of these children. What are the steps that the parents can take to comfort and support their children as parents to their children and jot as a couple after their separation. How to treat such children Research Objectives: The objectives of a research often happens to be to bring about certain effects or to influence the filed in which the research is being conducted or regarding which investigations are being made. The objective for all researches happens to create a difference in the future and to alter the way things are being done in the present. The objective in short of all researches is to make a positive contribution in the filed of research so that the society can see a better tomorrow. Our research happens to be no different. The investigation that we are making into the effects of divorce that has been observed in the children from the broken homes also has its main objective of giving these children a better future by suggesting means and methods to them, their families and the society in general regarding the kind of help that they can extend to these little hearts and minds in the times of some very grave challenges. Following are the objectives that can be listed of our said research: Finding ways and means through which the friends and families can support and comfort children facing the trauma. Make the parents realize the difficulty that they have put their children into and hence the support that they can extend. Creating awareness in the society regarding the responsible and sensitive behavior that the children should be getting from their immediate society. To create an awareness and realization amongst the mature generation, regarding the problems that they throw in the ways of their little ones due to the brash and irresponsible behaviors of theirs’. Conclusions: On a concluding note it can be said that divorce is probably the last resort that is left as an option to the couples. In case the couple also happens to be parents, their decision regarding the future must take in to account their responsibility as a father and a mother and must be in alignment with the task of giving their children a promising and stable future.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Hairspray: The Cost of Beauty Is Too High Essay -- Beauty

Throughout the decades, women’s fashion has evolved many times, each time creating a fashion stamp unique to that particular decade. One thing has remained the same and managed to remain a part of every era: hairspray. It is a cosmetic product that is meant to hold hair in its place. A lot of products we use today are may have unseen consequences to daily usage. A product I use almost daily is hairspray. I always knew hairspray was bad for the environment because of the aerosol that was in them would break down the ozone layer, so I began to look at a specific hairspray that I use just about every morning and night, Sebastian Shaper Hairspray, Regular, Styling Mist for Hold & Control. This specific Sebastian Hairspray product is not only bad for the environment; it is also bad for humans and animals. Sebastian Shaper Hairspray Styling Mist for Hold and Control is bad for many reasons. To begin with the people who use the hairspray are slowly harming their body because the hairspray contains many harmful chemicals like alcohol, carcinogens, propellants, propane, and artificial fragrance. These substances can cause irritation of the skin, lungs and eyes, low blood pressure, breathing difficulty, and coma. It is currently unknown whether ingredients in hairspray are safe for humans to use, but many of the ingredients in this hairspray are unstable compounds and have potential to be harmful. For example before the 1970’s hairsprays contained the propellant vinyl chloride (VC), it took more than a decade to ban this ingredient even though it was known to be harmful for humans. According to the National Institute of Health, â€Å"As angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL) is a sentinel cancer from exposure to VC, identification of thes... ... 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 06 June 2012. . "Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Environmental Guidelines for Aluminum Manufacturing." Http://www.miga.org/documents/AluminumManufacturing.pdf. Web. "Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Aluminum." Occupational Safety and Health Guideline for Aluminum. United States Department of Labor. Web. 06 June 2012. . "OCTINOXATE." National Library of Medicine. Web. 06 June 2012. . Wong, Curtis M. "Hungary Factory Reservoir Bursts, Floods Towns With Toxic Waste." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 04 Oct. 2010. Web. 06 June 2012. .

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Treatment :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character is Janine Starr. She is overly shy, a bookworm, and an extremely religious Christian; however, she is an undercover cop. She works for the New York Police Department. In order for her to be promoted to a â€Å"detective† she has to work at a local strip joint, â€Å"ChiChi’s,† on West 8th Street. The reason for her to work at ChiChi’s is to bust the city’s top drug tycoon, Miguel Martinez.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our other main character is Barry Johnson who is senior detective at the station. Starr does not know of Johnson. Johnson’s front is a cage cleaner at The Bronx Zoo. Johnson is keeping an eye on Starr because Johnson works on the side with Martinez; Johnson is betraying the department. Johnson moved next door to Starr and he pretends to be mentally challenged and in love with Starr. He watches her nightly at the club, yet she only notices him around the elevator—here or there. She has never seen him at the department or at the club.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Starr is very attractive, early to mid-twenties. She has medium brown hair, blue eyes, roughly 5’8†. A Tiffany-Amber Theissan type of look. Starr has the opportunity to be promoted to detective at her age because her father is a retired Commissioner. Starr hates working in the strip joint because she is religious. Our comic relief is a cross made out of black leather that she carries around. They chose Starr because she needed initiation for detective (she needed to do REAL detective work), and she was the best-looking female on the force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Johnson is also early to mid-twenties. He became senior detective at the department because he is extremely intelligent, a Doogie Howser if you will. Though computers are not big because the year is 1978, he secretly is a computer genius. Johnson is a partner with Martinez; Johnson is not only the brain of the operation, but he is the cover because of the department. The department thinks Johnson is working at the zoo because of some animal-raids that have been going on. People have been breaking into zoos and injecting animals with virulent chemicals. Johnson is really working in the zoo as the cover for Starr, remember that while he is at the zoo he is pretending to be mentally challenged.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martinez is the biggest drug tycoon in the city. They estimate he deals with approximately $20 million worth of drugs daily.

Essays --

Globalization is made up of social, economical, technological, heritage, and political alterations that display interdependence and development. Globalization rises the benchmark of living in nations, broadens technological information, and heightens political liberation. The major origin of globalization is the leverage from other nations. Globalization is a method that outcomes from human change and technological development. The communal effects of globalization are apparently illustrated in Peru. Once a third-world homeland topped up with scarcity and oppression, Peru is now transitioning into a evolved nation. In Peru, globalization has increased the human development index, empowered women, and conceived a more powerful country. One of the advantages of globalization on a communal grade is an increased Human Development Index. The Human Development catalogue is a estimation of a country's communal, political, and economical development in comparison to other countries in the world. The Human Development catalogue rates each country with a tally between 0 and 1, with 1 being the most advanced, globalized homeland. components that are engaged in determining a country's HDI are gross household output per capita, life expectancy at birth, mature person scholarly, and the number of persons enrolled in informative organizations. In 1975, Peru's Human Development catalogue was a 0.643. By 2003, the Human Development catalogue had risen more than one tenth to 0.762. The substantial boost of Peru's HDI is a clear indication that globalization has made a affirmative influence. From 1975 until 2003, globalization has caused a 2% boost in the adult literacy rate. throughout the same time time span, the scarcity rate to fallen 6%. Wom... ... more mighty that person is. Those persons desire to have the wealthy get more affluent and the poor become even poorer, so they are probably against globalization. Whereas globalization may not be the flawless answer to end all of the world's difficulties, it is a good start. Countries that adopt globalization, such as Peru, have benefited tremendously. Globalization is good for a country's finances, politics, and most significantly for its persons. Peru was one time a third-world country ravaged with poverty, oppression, and a need of learning. Globalization has contributed to the decrease of scarcity, bigger literacy rate, and the liberation of women in Peru. The consequences of globalization can be identified in Peru and all around the world, when technological information is disperse, free trade is boosted, and political or social liberation is accomplished.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Diary of Wimpy Kid Evaluative Essay Essay

Abstract The Diary of a Wimpy kid is a book about adolescence who have dealt with emotional struggles and social acceptance in middle school. The book highlighted areas of struggle which included: bullies, emotional responses in both positive and negative ways, friendship, and family dynamics. The book was intended was readers of age seven and older but could be used a discussion book with children and dealing with social issues. The book genre is comedy and humor and is full of illustration to help the reader understand the concepts and lessons of the book. It is written in simple words and would be a good read for children and early adolescence. The book, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, written by Jeff Kinney discussed many literary elements while its ultimate theme was humor. The book included topics about friendship, family, middle school, peer pressure, social acceptance and faux pas, and morality issues. The book had been written in the genre of comedy and was intended for readers between the ages of seven and older. The book approached adolescence from a relatable standpoint with kids who attempted to gain a sense of value and self worth through social acceptance. The book was written very well and taught several valuable moral lessons that could be used for children to gain understanding about peer issues and consequence of actions. The book had several strong characters that influenced the main character’s life. The first main character was Greg Heffley and the second was his best friend Rowley. The story began with a diary that Greg had received from his Mother. Although he had been embarrassed by the gift, he decided to write down the stories of his daily life so that he could share it with people once he became rich and famous. Greg was portrayed as an extremely insecure kid who was desperate to be recognized and gain popularity. His insecurity manifested into his closest friendship and relationships through arrogance,  criticism, lying, jealousy and pride. An example of this was when Greg befriended Rowley. He reached out to him under the pretense that Rowley would be so blessed to be friends with him and befriended him out of a place of pity. Greg treated Rowley as a lesser and often times would do things to put him down just like his older brother would do to him. Rowley was completely the opposite. He happened to be very naive and childlike in many ways. He was a kid that was very secure in who he was and was not concerned with fitting into anything. He was genuinely loving and humorous, and because of that it attracted friendships and sometimes the occasional uninvited ridicule.The boys lives intertwined and eventually their friendship was tested. Greg lied to Rowley which had been motivated by jealousy because Rowley had become popular while Greg continued to go unnoticed. The author included the real emotional high’s and low’s of adolescent friendship through the two main characters. The author wrote the book in a way that expressed the dynamics of friendship and social acceptance through comedy. Kinney made the characters very relatable and expressed the problems with adolescence trying to make sense of their emotions and solving their own problems (Kinney, 2010). In the story, Greg wanted to become popular and was doing everything he could to make that happen. With many failed attempts, constant bullying, and social ridicule he eventually joined the safety team with Rowley. Once they were on the team together they had been given the responsibility to to walk children home from school. The boys took ownership in there jobs but circumstances had interrupted Rowley’s service to the team. Rowley was not able to walk the kids home that afternoon but lent his jacket to Greg and insisted that he do it. Later a kindergartener had been chased down while on Greg’s shift, but because he had worn Rowley’s jacket, it had been reported back to the school that Rowley was the problem. Later, Rowley received punishment and was no longer allowed to be a safety patrol kid. Greg was blinded by jealousy and so desperate for acceptance he figured he would do the â€Å"right thing† by covering his mistake and allowing his friend to take the fall (Kinney, 2010). His need to be accepted resulted in him betraying Rowley to maintain his small portion of position in the social scene. Later he  confessed to Rowley that he had been the one to blame and did not apologize for what he had done but justified it. Greg felt entitled to his position and because they were friends he felt he could use Rowley and that would be accepted (Kinney, 2010). The safety story did an excellent job of portraying how emotions can rule a person in a negative manner. It also demonstrated the desire for social acceptance and how people are willing to sacrifice the most valuable relationships to to gain popularity. The particular story was written in a way that really gave an accurate portrayal on the depth of the heart of adolescence when they are not properly guided and taught by the parents to help them understand the emotional issues of the heart (Park, 2009). The author used the portion of the story to help the reader discern good friendships from bad friendships and what character attributes friends should look for in one another. Once Rowley was informed of the truth he discovered that Greg was not a good friend. He recognized that Greg was selfish, jealous, prideful, and a person that would betray him. The revelation resulted in Rowley walking away from their friendship. The unveiled truth about friendship left the reader to ponder the questions about their friendships and also the question of what kind of friend they are to other people. As the story continued the author showed the power of standing up for your friends and the power of forgiveness. The story picked up where Rowley and Greg were about to fight but were cornered by bullies that were going to force the boys to eat the slimed cheese from the basketball court. To touch the cheese would be social suicide to any student, but to eat it meant far worse. The bullies forced Rowley to eat the cheese but were chased off from a teacher before Greg had too (Wimpy greg, 2004). Once the students on the campus saw the cheese they began to crowd around Rowley to judge him and make fun of him. At that moment, Greg stepped up and took the fall for Rowley by telling the classmates that he had been the one that had touched the cheese. The kids fled from Greg but his relationship with Rowley was restored. Once Greg was free from trying to fit in was when he became a real friend  and a person of good character. The final portion of the story brought redemption to Greg’s character and demonstrated to the reader that it is never to late to do the right thing. As a result of making the right choice, Rowley forgave Greg, and Greg received the lesson that one good friend is more important that crowds of superficial people (Family, 2010). The portion of the story left the reader with the moral lesson that it is better to be yourself than trying to fit into a crowd and be someone you are not. The book would be very appropriate for middle school kids because it discussed relatable issues and conflicts that could arise from trying to fit in or become popular. It gave several moral lessons to help the reader understand the dynamics to friendship and insecurities with school and growing up. The author did a great job of keeping the reader engaged by the comical illustrations and dialogue that happened between characters. He also portrayed the reality of common struggles in middle school and how critical it was to be true to oneself. The author summarized the book by having the two main characters resolve their conflict and accept who they were. This book is a perfect example of societies condition. The story line may have been intended for middle school children, but society is the same way as adults. There is a need to be accepted, powerful, recognized, feeling entitled to things, people have used others as scapegoats, betrayal, jealousy, strife, revenge, and many other negative things. However, there was also the reality of forgiveness. Even today, when people forgive others, defend them, take accountability and ownership for mistakes, gain the wisdom that what they chase is not as important as money or fame, there is a place of resolution and resolve in peoples lives. While trying to chase after fame and sacrificing what is important there is a misery that follows, but the contentment comes after forgiveness and the understanding of what it important. I think this book is a good read for kids. There are character issues and sin issues that I did not like, but it is a book that kids could read and grasp the moral roots of it. I think it would be beneficial for a parent to discuss the moral failures of the main character and give insight into what  they should do to handle situations with similar circumstances. With older children, this would be a great book to read as a family and have a book study that would help kids recognize their own areas of weaknesses and temptations. I think the author did an excellent job adapting himself into the adolescent world while bringing humor and practical ways to make right decisions. Bibliography: Kinney, J. (2010). Diary of a wimpy kid: a novel in cartoon. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/diary-wimpy-kid Family, F. (2010). Focus on the family: thriving family. Retrieved from http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Family/Media/book-reviews/d/diary-of-a-wimpy-kid.aspx Park, A. (2009). Diary of a wimpy kid: concept analysis. Retrieved from http://novelinks.org/uploads/Novels/DiaryOfAWimpyKid/Concept Analysis.pdf Wimpy greg. (2004). Retrieved from http://wimpygreg.weebly.com/index.html

Friday, August 16, 2019

Hair Oil Marketing Essay

Hair oil is a hair care product specifically intended to keep the moisture balance of the hair, as moisture is lost due to strong shampoos and harsh chemicals in water. It can also be considered as conditioner to make the hair soft and pliable. Hair oil can come from natural products such as coconut oil, fruit extracts, milk, lemon oil, rosemary oil and others. Modern hair oils contain fragrances from different natural sources of plants. Musk Hair oil is available with rich coconut and almond mixture of hair oil products with soothing male and famine cent. Indian Market in Hair Oil Industry: Market Trend: Light Hair Oil Break Up: Packaging: 5 C ‘s Of Marketing 1. The study of the 5 Cs of marketing arises is called situation Analysis. 2. Situation analysis is study of the current market or industry in which company wants to launch a new market. 3. In order to launch a new product, a company first needs to study market condition. 4. The conditions are about the number of competitors and their market share, the cost of producing the product, the profit ration etc. 5. So a quick SWOT analysis will reveal where does the company stand in the market and what strategy it should adopt in order to grab a MUSK’s share in the market. The Five C’s are 1. Customer Needs 2. Company Skills 3. Competitors 4. Collaborators 5. Climate or context Customer Needs/ Company Skills/ Competitors through SWOT Analysis: Musk Parent Company Red Cherry Multi Commodity Pvt Ltd Category Personal Care brands – Hair care Sector FMCG Tagline/ Slogan â€Å"Oil of Pride† USP New Product Launch of hair oil brand in India STP Segment Hair oil segment with natural ingredients (Coconut and Almond) Target Group Youth and middle aged and Old men and women in urban and rural area. Positioning 1. A hair oil which nourishes your hair and maintains style at the same time 2. Positioned on the platform of purity and originality of coconut with best quality and resulting in shiny hair and a clear complexion SWOT Analysis Strength 1. Newly Established product with male soothing fragrance and famine scents. 2. Provides shine and softness and makes hair healthy from inside†¨ 3. Contains trusted natural ingredients like Coconut and Almond 4. Strong distribution network across the country 5.Introduction of oil in the market with better fragrances, ingredients and innovation yet using traditional method to extract oil from raw Almond and Coconut. 6. Celebrity/ film star brand ambassadors Weakness 1. New Brand Launched recently 2. Will be Preferred by loyal customers, but youth find other brands attractive†¨ such as Hair Gel and other hair care products 3.Sticky and oily, stains the pillow when used overnight Opportunity 1.Expansion in foreign markets†¨2.Export potential†¨3.Innovation in other hair care products Threats 1.Aggressive competitors†¨2.Threat from new entrants or local players selling oil with natural ingredients†¨3. Well established Brand Like parachutes and Bajaj Almond. Competition Competitors 1.Marico’s parachute 2.Bajaj Almond 3. Dabur 4.Emami Customers 1. Market size and Growth: Total Market Size – 63% of the total Indian Hair Oil Market and growth is increasing 10% annually. 2. Market segments –Urban and Rural Men, Women with Young Age, Middle age and Older age. 3. Retail Channel – where does consumer actually purchase the product?: Product should reach every single possible household, Retail outlet. Kirana shop, Online and Purchase options on social networking sites with discounts. 4. Consumer Information source – where does the consumer obtain information about the  product? Social media penetration, Road Shows, displays, Exhibition and discount offering strategies online, at retail outlets, Kirana shops and at road shows. 5. Trends: how consumers’ needs and preference change over time? Consumer behavior understanding from time to time by getting feedback and surveys at retail out lets, Online, social networking sites, dedicated consumer retention team through consumer forum specially designed for consumer for MUSK Hair Oil. Company: MUSK HAIR OIL 1. Product line I. Coconut based hair oil a. Soothing Male scent b. Soothing female scent II. Almond based hair oil a. Soothing male scent b. Soothing female scent 2. Image in the market MUSK Hair Oil was established on 24th September 2013 in a typical for niche and rural market, Red Cherry Multi Commodity Pvt Ltd envisioned offering trusted quality products made from 100% Coconut and Almond raw material for hair, skin and hair care. The company presently launching their flagship brand â€Å"MUSK Hair Oil† encased in an attractive cylindrical cardboard label (Blue for Male Customer and Pink for Female Customer) gives product a brand new look in keeping with high quality of the oil it encases and hope to successfully cater to diverse competitive markets in India and the suburbs. 3. Technology and Experience Age-old traditional methods and processes are utilized in producing this oil. The almond oil is lightweight, golden-brown oil, which is extracted from sweet almond nuts. The oil from bitter almond nuts on the other hand, is  extremely poisonous and should be avoided. Half of the weight of the sweet almond nut itself comprises of the oil and therefore can be extracted in large amounts. In its pure form, it has little to no odor and has a faint, nutty scent. The oil has a long and extensive history, dating back to the Egyptians where it was used to strengthen hair and as a skin emollient. More than 50% of the oil comprises of monounsaturated fatty acids, making it suitable to be used for culinary purposes as it helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. The oil is also rich in minerals such as magnesium and the vitamins C and E. While the oil might be lightweight, it causes a brown stain to form when it comes into contact with clothes and bed sheets. Therefore, it should be strictly separated from such things. The oil has many established beneficial properties and is widely used in the cosmetic and food industry. It is also one of the most commonly used massage oils today. Strengthens the hair The almond oil provides essential minerals for normal and healthy hair growth. After continual application of the oil, the hair naturally grows thicker and stronger. It also promotes a lustrous, attractive shine on the hair when used in appropriate amounts. Coconut Oil Extraction: The extraction of oil from copra is one of the oldest seed crushing operations. In India and Sri Lanka copra is still crushed for oil extraction in the primitive chekkus as well as in rotary ghanis, expellers and hydraulic presses. The chekku is a fixed wooden or stone mortar inside which revolves on a hard wooden pestle. The pestle is attached to a long pole which is moved round via bullocks, donkey or by human labor. About 20 – 40 kg of copra can be handled by a chekku. Using coconut oil for hair maintenance may sound like an odd regimen, but it’s been proven to be effective. Coconut oil has been known to have a lot of benefits, both when consumed and applied. Specifically for hair and skin, it has been known to restore natural moisture resulting in shiny hair and a clear complexion. Studies have shown that this substance has the ability to penetrate the hair  shaft and to work its way through all layers of the hair strand. It helps reduce loss of protein, and aids in regaining your hair’s natural oil and moisture. More than keeping your hair healthy and shiny, coconut oil has a lot of other benefits as well. The use of coconut oil is not only natural and organic, but also cost-effective. 4. Culture We are committed to deliver 100% natural products, which are manufactured under stringent quality guidelines. Apart from commitment to quality and product authenticity, it is our compliance to timeliness, fair business practices and cost competency that has made us a preferred associate. 5. Goals: Become the market leader in Coconut and Almond based Hair Oil market in India till 2020. Collaborators: 1. Distributor: 2. Supplier: Local Supplier from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal 3. Alliances: Alliances with retail out let, Online shopping Websites and smaller suppliers to create value for them and for the company. Climate or Context b.1. Political and regulatory environment that affect the market. b.2. Economic environment business cycles, inflation rate, interest rates and other issues of economic nature. b.3. Technological environment- new ways of satisfying needs, the impact of technology 4 P’s Of Marketing

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Karl Marx Essay

Karl Marx is one of the most reputed philosophers of the 19th Century. Born in 1818 in a middle class family, Marx studied law in Bonn and Berlin and later plunged deeper into the ideas of Hegel and Feurbach (Wheen, 2007). It is after receiving his doctorate in philosophy in 1841 from the University of Jena that he moved with his family to Paris where he became a radical revolutionary communist and teamed up with Friedrich Engels, another radical philosopher of his time. They collectively authored the pamphlet â€Å"The Communist Manifesto† which was later published in 1848. In this pamphlet, Marx passionately asserted that all human history was dominated by class struggles. Furthermore, he predicted that they would culminate into the fall of capitalism and rise of communism (Wheen, 2007). Karl Marx later moved to London in 1849 where he broke his political and religious isolation to author Das Kapital, sometimes referred to as the â€Å"Bible of the working class† (Wheen, 2007). In this book, Marx developed very philosophical ideas related to the crises of the working class and the implicit struggles between laborers and owners of industries. The works and ideas of Karl Marx in his book Das Kapital were later edited by Engels after his death in 1833 in London (Wheen, 2007). The ideas of Karl Marx established a school of thought known as Marxism, or what later came to be popularly known as the Marxist doctrine. His writings consummated the main ideological currents of 19th century. These included the classical English political economy, French socialism and the French revolutionary doctrines of the time. Marx, throughout his writing, had envisaged a social revolution that would see the fall of capitalism and the rise of socialism as a dominant ideology. These predictions later became evident after the death of Karl Marx in what was considered to be a process of socialization of labor. Wheen (2007) contends that this transformation would be possible to accomplish by the proletariat in sustained struggles with the bourgeoisie. This led to the development of ideas evident in Marxism and the conflict theory that form the bedrock of Marx’s works. Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory. Conflict theory is a Marxist perspective and  conceptualization of the way in which society is structured. This perspective depicts society as characteristically dominated by conflicts (Collins & Sanderson, 2008). Conflict is the determinant of how resources are allocated and who benefits the most from such allocations. Power is also acquired through conflict, and once such power is acquired, it is used to dominate the less-powerful and to benefit a few people. Collins and Sanderson (2008) cited that the basic form of interaction in the human society is not consensus but competition, which culminates into persistent conflicts. Each party or individual competes against perceived rivals with the goal of gaining advantage and dominating the other. The theory presented by Karl Marx underscores the fact that conflict, and not consensus, dominates designed mechanisms through different classes in the stratified society, interacts and relates to each other (Collins & Sanderson, 2008). The rich and the powerful use conflict to threaten their poor subjects and to maintain the status-quo. The poor on the other hand, organize and use conflicts to push for a revolution that will overthrow the powerful that are enjoying the privileges of capitalist structures. These tensions are thus sustained by the need of each group to have its interests dominate the structures and operations of the society. Karl Marx contends that the society is stratified into two main social groups. These are the proletariat and the bourgeoisies. The conflict between these two large social groups results in what Marx considered as revolutionary change. The probable source of conflict between the proletariat and the bourgeoisies are the desire of the proletariat to have ownership of means of production, such as factories, power, land and other valuable resources (Collins & Sanderson, 2008). The bourgeoisies, on the other hand, are not willing to relinquish these resources and give up their privileged positions of power and overwhelming riches and investments. Karl Marx on Class and Class Conflict. According to Karl Marx, society is stratified into classes. The classes comprise the bourgeoisies, land-owners and the proletariat. The propertied-upper-class is the minority, while the proletariats are the majority. Wood (2004) notes Marx’s dissection of the  dominant features of each of these classes in most of his works. For example, the bourgeoisies own the means of production. This is due to the huge investments they have made into factories and machines in the industries. The land owners have rent as their primary source of income. The proletariats are owners of cheap labor which they offer in exchange for wages that they use for their basic subsistence (Collins & Sanderson, 2008). Investment gives the bourgeoisies a lot of profit. Marx conceptualized the structure of the society in relation to the two major classes. He is focused on the inherent struggles between the proletariat and bourgeoisies which is the engine that pushes the occurrence of social change through revolutionary movements. In the understanding of Marxists, class is defined by the level of wealth and power that one possesses (Wood, 2004). This power is used to sideline other classes from property and positions of power. Bourgeoisies use their power to serve their personal interests and amass more wealth at the expense of the proletariat. These three different classes, in the understanding of Karl Marx, have different interests which pit them against each other (Wood, 2004). For example, the bourgeoisie are interested in safeguarding their investment in the industries, maximizing profits and minimizing costs. This makes them engage the proletariats as laborers in the farms to achieve this objec tive at relatively minimal wages. The proletariats on the other hand, organize and mobilize themselves to collectively push for better wages, conditions of work and strive to overcome the repressive and exploitative forces of their masters in the industries and factories. Thus, they struggle to join hands and, through revolutionary movements, overthrow the bourgeoisies and control the industries and factories (Wood, 2004). These conflicting interests are what pit the social classes against each other. Conflicts, and not consensus, therefore, characterize the society as noted by Marx who had envisaged such a society founded on constant conflicts. The struggle between the classes is likely to widen with time as the conditions of the laborers deteriorate further. This is likely leads to disintegration of the social structure. Collins and Sanderson (2008)  asserted that conflicts between proletariats and bourgeoisies would translate into an industrial revolution. This would mark the triumph of the proletariats over the bourgeoisies, leading to increased access to capital and means of production by proletariats. This, according to Marxists, would mark the end of capitalism and the onset of socialism characterized by public ownership of the means of production. The fall of capitalism and bourgeoisies will, therefore, create a classless society as political power withers away due to industrial revolution led by the proletariat (Wood, 2004). Thus, according to Marxists, class and class conflict are the forces behind societal transformation and not any other evolutionary processes. Radical revolutionary movements are likely to create a new social order in the society in which capitalism gives way to socialism as witnessed by the industrial revolutions that altered the social order in Russia in the 19th century. Karl Marx on Alienation. The philosophical ideas of Karl Marx on alienation were relevant in his radical reformation periods that saw the fall of capitalism (Otteson, 2011). Although these ideas were mainly considered to be philosophical in the 19th century, alienation, as was espoused by Marx, since then has become a real social phenomenon in the 21st century discourses that are propagated by contemporary social science scholars. The most outstanding aspect that Marx wrote about was economic alienation or alienated labor. According to the writings of Karl Marx, one of the front forces behind conflict between bourgeoisies and proletariat is the fact laborers felt separated from the products of their own labor (Me%u0301sza%u0301ros, 2006). Marx asserted that in a capitalist society, workers were forced to remain on the job and work extra hard in order to earn and sustain themselves (Me%u0301sza%u0301ros, 2006). He was against alienation which is caused by strong forces of capitalism and predicted the rise of communism in which laborers will no longer work to live but live to work. With the fall of capitalism and alienation, wage earning slaves will be free men who will work and enjoy the value of their labor. In a capitalist society dominated  by bourgeoisies, the production capacity of an employee is 100%. However, the employee does not benefit directly from these products. He only earns 10% of the proceeds of his work, which he only uses for daily subsistence. In communism, one would directly benefit from 90% of the proceeds of his labor and only lose 10% which will be spent in other production processes. Marx contended that in a capitalist society, workers are alienated even from the products that they produce (Me%u0301sza%u0301ros, 2006). A laborer working in an industry that manufactures oil becomes so much alienated from the product that he or she produces to an extent that even in his or her own household he cannot afford the oil, yet he needs it and contributes significantly to its production. The ideas of Karl Marx on alienation were very accurate considering that many labor union movements advocated for the welfare of workers in the modern society (Otteson, 2011). There are employees who work in a milk processing plant, when ironically back at home they do not take the milk, not because they do not need it but because they cannot afford the milk. Alienation as presented by Karl Marx in his conflict theory is an explanation of a situation in which man is separated from valued resources, opportunities, processes and decisions in which his input ought to be reflected (Me%u0301sza%u0301ros, 2006). The laborers at the time of Marx’s life did not have opportunity to say a word on the amount of wages they earned as compensation for their work. Yet, their role in the industrial production processes was very significant. The masters determined the wages, number of hours worked, when to grant leaves for recuperation and so on. In fact, Marx was very concerned with how the surplus value of products processed in the industries manned by workers benefited the workers themselves. Marx asserted that in a capitalist society, the surplus value only makes the rich richer as the workers become more impoverished. So worked up were the laborers that they were even alienated from their own families and private lives. They did not have time for recreation, family sessions or other community forums. Marx sadly puts it in his writings of Das Kapital that  leave or absence to workers in a capitalist system was hard to come by (Me%u0301sza%u0301ros, 2006). But when such leaves were finally granted, they were only meant to help the workers recuperate and get extra strength not to benefit themselves but their masters who would then register a rise in surplus value in the industrial production. Alienation, according to the writings of Karl Marx, can be seen to occur in four different ways. Me%u0301sza%u0301ros (2006) contends that workers are alienated against the products that they produce; they do not benefit from them much, the production process especially through specialized division of labor, from the community and from himself. In a capitalist industrialized society, specialized division of labor is used to promote alienation under the disguise of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in production. Marx argues that an employee, concerned purely with the repair of broken down machines in industry producing oil, may not have enough experience with other production processes in the industry. The owners of the industry alienate them from this knowledge out of fear that such knowledge might empower workers to compete against the factory owners. Karl Marx on Consciousness. Consciousness as defined by philosophers refers to how people or a person defines and understands himself (Wood, 2004). The concept of consciousness as presented in the writings of Karl Marx was basically bent towards understanding and identification with one’s class. It is this consciousness that would push the workers (proletariats) to join other proletariats and put forward a united battle against one common social group, the bourgeoisies. Wood (2004) asserts that consciousness would enable workers gain awareness that they all had shared experiences with other laborers, the bitter experience of alienation, exploitation and oppression by capitalist bourgeoisies (Wood, 2004). This consciousness would push the workers to rise against the bourgeoisies and launch protest and revolutionary movements that would lead to the fall of capitalism and the onset of communist’s ideologies. Marx used the term â€Å"class consciousness† to illustrat e this level of awareness on the part of the workers. There are scholars of Marxism who have argued that the concept of consciousness was used by Karl Marx to depict class as a very subjective dimension in a  capitalist society. The concept of consciousnerss forms the skeleton of Marx conflict theory. The proletariat will only rise to confront the bourgeoisies after realization that all workers had common problems, all originating from the bourgeoisies. Such awareness by itself is inspiring enough to stir up revolution and protests against the bourgeoisies (Wood, 2004). Marx argued that it was false class consciousness that continued to sustain the forces and the influence of capitalist ideologies. The proletariat had misrepresented their identity, position in society and resigned to fate, preferring to remain in subordinate positions as the bourgeoisies took advantage of this and used their positions to exploit and dominate the economy (Wood, 2004). Members of subordinate classes, such as workers and peasants continued to suffer in the hands of the dominant bourgeoisies as a result of false-class-consciousness. The upper class, on the other hand, has their consciousness right as they believe they should remain dominant owners of the means of production. Conclusion Karl Marx’s works have influenced and continue to influence sociological academia and studies in the field of economics. Although some of his ideas, like conflict theory have been criticized by scholars since then in the contemporary sociological theory, conflict perspective remain to be a very popular sociological perspective, while Marx remains in academic records as one of the great scholars that contributed to the growth of sociology and its relevance in understanding human interactions and relationships in the society. Contemporary scholars, including critics of Marxism, continue to draw on his works to develop new concepts and ideas aimed at offering more accurate explanations of various phenomena in the society.