“5th grade autobiography” and “the writer” Essay

Both Dove’s and Wilbur’s poems are written from the perspective of an older writer looking back at youth. Although in â€Å"5th Grade Autobiography† the author writes of her own youth from a first person perspective whereas the in â€Å"The Writer† the author writes about his daughter’s youth from an outside perspective, both wonderfully impart the blissful feeling of childhood through vivid descriptions of the soft and pleasant nuances that make childhood so blissful. Rita Dove shows us her  world through the lens of a fifth grader. She envies her older brother despite the fact that he is depicted as young and inexperienced, shown by his poor choice to squat in poison ivy. Her grandparents have a very strong presence and are given just as lively a role as her young brother. Pictures of luminous felines come to mind when she describes her grandmother, a youthful and vibrant staple in her world. Grandfather smells of lemons, a bright, zesty, lively smell, and is imprinted in her life memories of Christmases. Richard Wilber manages to conjure a similarly blissful/childish world encompassed by the sounds of a typewriter, beautiful linden windows, and the majestic and dreamlike positioning of his daughters room. He pulls us further into this blissful illusion by using words and descriptions alluding to a ship, drifting into the deep open water away from the rest of the world. After bringing us into the peaceful settings of a child’s world, both authors send us plummeting into deep thought. Dove does so by abruptly letting us knowthat this grandfather is no longer alive but his memory or â€Å"hands† still exist in our  minds as it did when it was written in this 5th grader’s autobiography. What does this say about her grandfather’s existence and death? Perhaps that recording it through a photo or even the writing of a 5th grader, it has become eternal. This pushes us to think about the sheer power of writing our thoughts and experiences down on paper. Richard also makes us consider the strength and power that writing has even for youth. The setting of his daughter’s writing turns into the prison trapping the delicate starling. The heart-wrenching struggle of the songbird to free itself from the  confines of the room, smashing its delicate body against the window until it finally slips free, it equated to the daughters struggle to get her words on the page. The young writer continuously pauses her finger-smashing to collect herself and continue on in her writing, similar to the bird repetitively picking up and trying again to find freedom. The humped and bloody bird is seen as his daughter, fighting with all its life force to free itself from the constraints we humans feel as writers until we finally break free, the same struggle his daughter faced in that very room.

Highfield video store currently Essay

Highfield video store currently uses a paper system to perform all the functions required for this business. Before I reach a decision on how to produce an advanced and improved system to the existing system it is imperative to choose the correct software to overcome this situation. I will need to evaluate and consider the factors that need to be tackled on producing this system by evaluating the end users requirements and expectations f the system to ensure the software chosen has the capability to overcome these requirements successfully and competently. As the company is looking for a more flexible data management system, so a database system is likely to be the right solution. Using Microsoft Access as a solution Advantages: o Microsoft Access is a relational database management system which allows a one to many relationships between tables. Thus greatly reduces data inconsistency and data redundancy. o Uses a familiar interface to perform a range of tasks such as; setting up tables, forms, queries, macros and reports. o This software allows complex procedures such as querying, report and form creation, filtering to be produced and mastered by inexperienced users via the use of wizards. o Access can provide a variety of user friendly forms for different functions through the toolbox features of this software which include list boxes, command buttons, check boxes, labels etc. This allows forms to be customised and concurrently have a familiar look and feel of the forms. o Contains advanced features such as queries which can answer complex requests which the user may have and provide a combination of data from multiple tables and place specific boundaries on the data retrieved. Report features have the capacity to produce attractive professional formatted summaries of data contained in more than one table. Also macros can also perform complex or numerous operations with a click of a button/icon. Disadvantages: o This software package very large and complex piece of software. Therefore, it requires a lot of patience and perseverance to familiarize and learn the vast number of features available in this database package. o Microsoft Access is designed to manage small number of database records and the performance of the system will reduce with an increase in records as the software is a low capacity database. Using Microsoft Excel as a solution Advantages: o Numerous functions are available to perform a range of diverse tasks. These include VLOOKUPS which looks for a value in the leftmost column within a table and then returns a value in the same row from a column you specify. Other functions include COUNTIF, DCOUNT, MATCH etc. Also contains macro which can automate a series of commands and functions. o Excel forms can also be customised to satisfy the users requirements with different methods of data entry and appearance of the forms. o Graphs can be created to summarise data in a number of different graphs to allow the data to be more understandable to the user and also produces a professional outlook. Disadvantages: o The recording of macros can be problematic as it is easy to make a mistake and the whole process needs to be repeated again. This requires an experienced person with sound knowledge of macros and formulas to perform this task. o Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet package and doesn’t features such a relational database which are available in Access. Therefore data and tables need to be entered again leading to unnecessary data redundancy and data consistency. o Creating and editing macros needs to be done via Visual Basic Editor program in Excel. Users of this program need to be experienced in using this program as the macros commands need to be programmed by the user. This requires a sound knowledge as it requires commands to be written in a specific way and have the ability to remember the language to execute these commands. Solution using Lotus Pro Chosen solution From a detailed analysis of the Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, and Lotus Pro software I have decided after discussion with the end user to use Microsoft Access to produce the system I will create. Database packages are used for storing and retrieving information or data. With this type of software the user can set up table with relationships, set up queries, set up macros and make reports. The wizard features on certain database packages allows the complexity of administration tasks to be greatly reduced. The system I will produce will be created from using the Microsoft Access database package because of the following reasons: o Microsoft Access has the capacity to produce relational tables. This leads to a reduction in data redundancy and data inconsistency as data doesn’t need to be entered again due to the relationships which can be imported from one table into many other tables if needed. o The system can be customised to provide the end user with an interface which he requires. The forms can be customised to look and allow data entry in the method which the user requires. The toolbars can also be customised to allow the system to be even more user friendly. o A number of tasks which require a series of functions will be repeated a number of times when the system is in use. These series of function can be automated with the use of macros which Microsoft Access has. o Microsoft Access can provide customised reports to summarise a set of data. Access allows data to be brought together in a report which can be tailored to the user choice. So a professional output which is in line with the companies image can be produce whereas as other software such as Microsoft Excel would not have the capacity to do this. Data would need to be summarised into graphs and is difficult to suit the companies image so the output and interface of a system using this software would need be as professional compared to the software being use to created this system. o Access has the capability to update records in any table by setting up queries to update the necessary records. This will lead to more consistent data is it is more likely to be update and accurate. o Data and information that needs to be stored can be done so more easily due to the set up of the system. Tables are clearly defined and related, which is not the case with other software such as Microsoft Excel as relationships between tables cannot be emplaced.

The New Narcissism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The New Narcissism - Essay Example In his view, the structure has gradually come to be prime psychological diagnosis in contemporary life. Lasch expresses that most of modern societies tend to recognize individuals based on a hierarchical relationship that is usually expressed as in form of symbols such as material wealth and a self-indulgent lifestyle. In these societies, relationship to other is therefore based and determined by the ability to compete with others on acquiring these symbols. Consequently, these societies regard personality as a means to fostering communication as well as breeding callous competition. Similarly, due to the fact that every person in these societies is focused on acquiring the relationship symbols, most actions done are usually ignored irrespective of their legality thereby conforming to the Narcissist traits of neuroticism, passive aggressiveness or obsession to a point of being a bully or an opportunist (Lasch). Another theme that is clearly presented in Lasch’s idea of narcissism in the society is that pertaining to disregard of the elderly within contemporary narcissist societies. This is possibly because such societies tend to perceive ageing as a sign of weakness in the competition that exists within such societies. The same case also applies to those having ill health. Their vast knowledge and wisdom of life is similarly ignored or is considered irrelevant, which is a pathway to their isolation within the society. In other words, such a culture tends to undervalue old experience and instead places more emphasis on physical strength and agility such that their definition of productivity exclude the old generation (Lasch). Lasch also presents another issue of the perception of women by men in these new narcissists’ societies. He presents that most women have come to resent men perhaps sue to the constant discrimination that the

Returning to the Trenches 1914 by C.R.W. Nevinson Essay

Returning to the Trenches 1914 by C.R.W. Nevinson - Essay Example While in the process of recovering he made several paintings based on his wartime experience with the army in France. In his own words, he confirms to have seen the Great War as an event that was so tragic. Nevinson still made the argument that the only way to express violence, brutality and the crude form is to use the futuristic technique. This technique is used to express emotions that appear in battle fields in Europe. This is clearly seen through his painting called, Returning to the Trenches, which he painted concerning the Western Front. One of its critics, P.G. Konody on the 14th March 1915 noted that â€Å"returning to the trenches† is rather a different but interesting picture where he found an extreme formula for the rhythm of a marching body, which is of a French infantry man who is armed fully. Shown first during the Galleries exhibition in Leicester the year 1916, Returning to the Trenches was among Nevinson’s paintings of the Great War that are recognized immediately. The futurism language that the artist proclaimed prior to 1914 is clearly carried in the image of the column of marching French soldiers together with the recurring pattern of the soldier’s legs and the exaggeration and animation of their movements by the extended force lines.2 The use of such manner by Nevinson, however, becomes more powerful in the monochrome of etching by combining the experimental techniques used to express movement with a great emotive subject. This kind of combination is able to simultaneously suggest.

Research Paper on a comparison of Charles Dickens and Alexis Essay

Research Paper on a comparison of Charles Dickens and Alexis Tocqueville's views on America - Essay Example Charles Dickens and Alexis Tocqueville each had very high hopes in mind as they made their way across the Atlantic and both were fated to be sorely disappointed. The polish was off the brass for Dickens almost as soon as he arrived as he experienced constant suffocating attention from the uncouth American public, which perhaps colored his criticisms as he was seen to uphold these same practices back home in England. Tocqueville did not lose entirely lose his hopes for this relatively new country, though he did see some of its dangers, until many years later. While both authors were eventually disillusioned by America as expressed in their writings, the reasons why they were disillusioned sheds a great deal of light on how the country was perceived by other nations. Dickens traveled to America already well versed in the available travel literature that had been produced both to help reforms at home as well as in America as each social structure was examined and compared. Prior to his departure, Dickens had high expectations for the new country as a source of information regarding how best to fix the social ills being experienced in England at that time. Evidence suggests that prior to his first visit to America, Dickens was active in the suffrage movement as well as the anti-slavery movement, but that he had changed his mind, at least somewhat, by the time he returned home. In many ways, this change of heart has been linked to the type of treatment Dickens experienced while visiting and touring the prescribed route between historical or picturesque vistas and places of social reform such as schools and jails. Throughout his tour, though, Dickens experienced a suffocating press of public attention as well as numerous shocks to his properly Briti sh sensibilities regarding the manners and behaviors of his American cousins. Part of Dickens’ unhappiness in America arose, in part, from the enthusiastic reception he received from America’s public.

College Athletics. Should college athletes be paid Essay

College Athletics. Should college athletes be paid - Essay Example Numerous college students have stated that they have to sacrifice their major of choice for one that require less in put in order to make time for their sports (Steeg, Upton & Berkowitz, 2008). This shows that from the first day of admission, the athletes already had to sacrifice something. Another well known fact is that college sport is commercial and it is marketed and sold in a similar fashion to all the professional sports (Goldman, 1989). If the efforts of the students are being used to generate income, one can justify that they have every right to a share of the profits in the form of a salary. The NCAA however, limits use of funds generated to scholarships and doesn’t offer any additional payments even to cover minor expenses incurred by the students. Surveys have been carried out to analyze what student athletes thought of their first semester showed that the majority of them thought it was stressful and busy. This shows that the athletes are being overworked in a lucrative industry for no compensation (Higbee & Schultz, 2012). Studies have also shown that the college athletes lack the necessary communication and negotiation skills they should possess as athletes. Little attention is paid to this aspect, hence, they are unable to negotiate or express their concern to their superiors (Camire, Trudel & Fomeris, 2009). As a majority of the student athletes are under stressful conditions, the communication style of a coach should be adjusted to cater for these conditions. Most coaches neglect the concerns of the students and paying them would help alleviate the stress from coaches with poor communication skills as the athletes will feel they are getting some reward for their input (Melville, Robey, Kawakami & Lemmen, 2011). There should be a faithful relationship between an athlete’s advisor and the athlete because he listens to a large amount of

Brown vs. Board of Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brown vs. Board of Education - Essay Example In issuing the verdict on May 17, 1954, the Court set aside the ruling in Plessy v Ferguson 163 U.S. 537 (1896), which had permitted states to segregate the education system within their jurisdiction provided there were similar facilities in black and white schools. Led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Court noted that â€Å"separate but equal† policy had actually triggered massive inequality in the US’s education system (Rose 325). The decision essentially triggered a flurry of reactions by the supportive civil rights movement and was attributed to the significant integration of education in the United States around the mid-20th century. In 1896, a similar case had reached the Supreme Court, but one which legitimized segregation based on the â€Å"separate but equal† principle. In Plessy v. Ferguson, the majority decision led by Justice Brown held that the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was clearly categorical that an ideal system should be one in which all communities are guaranteed equal protection in separate institutions (Smikle 39). The Court argued that the constitution recognized differences and separations based on color, race, ethnicity and other social and political factors, hence the legality of segregation in government-run schools. Owing the persistence of social divisions and the disproportionately lower level of education among blacks since 1896, the plaintiffs brought up a class action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in the US’s Kansas District Court in 1951. The claimants comprised of more than a dozen parents whose who felt that their children had been denied their constitutional rights by the then Topeka School District. The parents’ attempt to register their children in education facilities which were nearest to them was denied on the basis of segregation policy. Their denial of an education opportunity prompted them to seek court’s guidance on the issue (Rose

Prepare a proposal to the CEO of ZExpress Coursework

Prepare a proposal to the CEO of ZExpress - Coursework Example They need to understand their role and others as well to put the overall administration in perspective. It’s only then they shall optimize the resources and take full advantage of the M&A which has taken place. If there is a communication gap between management or structural deficiencies, it will directly effect the business and hence its profitability. SMART objectives Specific: What exactly do I want to achieve Create a structure which is acceptable to all top management of merged companies. Who reports to whom? Why? Who is senior to whom? Why? Is single reporting structure better or should there be dual reporting? How about dotted reporting? Should companies still consider their staff separate from other companies? These are few of the questions which can be asked in order to achieve this project, because I believe that its only a healthy management team which can fulfill your target of increasing revenue and decreasing costs by correct delegation and reporting. Measurable: How will I know I have got it? Seamless flow of administrative instructions with 99% accuracy will be a point where one can say that the structure is running smoothly. There can be staff members identified from the top management who shall be responsible in implementing the whole plan and giving feedback to overall management team about its progress and improvements required if any. Since time in hand to revamp the whole system is only 6 months, keeping in mind the Bonsai business, this needs to be done on priority and within 6 weeks or so. Achievable: How do you know you are capable of reaching this goal? A step is already taken by identifying the CEO, 3 VPs and 3 GMs all from different erstwhile companies. The rest of the structure should fall in place whereby the remaining Ex GMs and VPs and COOs of the merged companies find their best fit in the organization. There are innumerable examples of good and bad management structures available by research on other companies where one can learn from in case of such M&As. Hence its certainly achievable, but its success depends on its planning and execution. Realistic: How realistic is this goal? Putting a structure in place for better organizational management is achievable with correct information and cooperation from all team members. This is a prerequisite and there is no question of it being non realistic. Timed: How long will it take me to reach this goal? Time is of essence here, but that should not lead to a haphazard structure or strategy. Huge effort has to go into this, within a significantly small time frame. 6 weeks is what I have set with scope of 2 weeks delay. This is assuming that its not only the restructuring work being carried out but other projects being implemented side by side in operations, logistics and administration. Contribution to your goals This project will be the hidden secret to your success if its well executed. Team work specially between staff of different merged companies is key to success of the united entity. Your goal to make UPE a company which is most exciting to your staff and suppliers and eventually become best distribution and Logistics Company worldwide can be possible if this goal is achieved in early stages of new company. It is these joint teams which will enable the company to be agile and responsive to customer’s business needs across the world. Challenge 1 - Relatively less cooperation from management team of either of the merged com

Gentrifying San Francisco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gentrifying San Francisco - Research Paper Example This involves poor residents being displaced by wealthy and resourceful people (Corbyn 1). Communities that experience gentrification are characterized by an increase in average income and a decrease in the average size of a family. Gentrification has the potential to affect the gay community in San Francisco through the displacement of people, economic shifts and social changes. One of the main challenges that the gay community in San Francisco, California is facing is gentrification. Gay leaders in influential gay neighborhoods such as Castro fear that these regions are quickly losing their identities. According to Associated Press (2007), these regions are being populated by heterosexual couples. An influx of heterosexual couples in these regions can be attributed to the forces of gentrification (Associated Press 1). Gay neighborhoods are increasingly becoming attractive to investors and developers. The gentrification debate is based on discussions around the uprooting of minority and poor individuals and families. These people are uprooted from their communities by government policies or developers. Different approaches or theories have been used to explain the cause of gentrification in San Francisco. There are five crucial factors that have been attributed to this trend. These are social-cultural, demographic-ecological, social movements, political-economic and community networks. In the case of demographic-ecological, gentrification has been attributed to demographic factors such as environment, social organization, population and technology. This approach explains the explosive increase in population of people aged between 25 and 35 years in the 1970s (Associated Press 1). As a result of this increase in population, demand for housing and amenities also increased. The second approach that is used to explain gentrification is the social-cultural approach. This approach expl ains gentrification based on sentiments, values, beliefs, ideas and

Business Capstone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Capstone - Assignment Example Tesco is therefore large grocery retail, with thousands of stores distributed in more than 13 countries Role of Tesco’s Vision, Mission and Stakeholders A firm’s vision and mission statements play an important role in developing consumer royalty (Besanko et al, 2009). Tesco’s vision statement reads â€Å"Our vision is for Tesco to be most highly valued by the customers we serve, the communities in which we operate, our loyal and committed staff and our shareholders; to be a growth company; a modern and innovative company and winning locally, applying our skills globally† while the vision statement reads â€Å"creating value for customers, to earn their lifetime loyalty.† Clearly, the vision and mission statements of Tesco focus more on the target market and not the products. They focus on the benefits that the customers are going to derive from the company and its products. Besanko et al (2009) argues that such statements highly touch on the emotion s of the consumers. Consequently, they contribute to building of loyalty among the consumers of the firm’s products. ... This helped the company to expand internationally. Also, the firm changed its strategies to focus on technology under Leahys leadership, which has marked a lot of success. The employees of this company have also contributed to the development of consumer loyalty by being hard working and always being positive to customers. Macro Environment The environmental or external factors that affect the decisions taken by Tesco are grouped into six categories as discussed below: Political factors The current political issue affecting Tesco are the changes in corporate tax rate. The government of UK announced in the 2012 budget that it would reduce corporate tax by 1% for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) from 24% to 22% (Tesco, 2012a). This will save this company a lot of funds and make it more financially stable. Economic factors The major economic issues affecting Tesco currently are high unemployment causing a reduction in aggregate consumption. This has further restricted the growth of this company in UK (Tesco, 2012a). Social factors The main social issue affecting Tesco currently is the change in consumers’ lifestyle, leading to a change in tastes and preferences. Tesco has responded to this by developing a new product range called â€Å"Clubcard† in order to suit different customer groups with different preferences (Tesco, 2012a). Technological Technology has a huge impact on the way business enterprises in all industries operate in the recent years. It has been playing as big role in shaping consumer spending habits. The internet, in particular, has opened a channel through which enterprises in the food retail industry distribute their products to customers (Tesco, 2012a). The new technology has also led to the introduction of self-service checkouts in the food

Types of Services Offred by Bank Essay Example for Free

Types of Services Offred by Bank Essay (The Economic Times (India) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Banks offer the following services to account holders at their specified branches multi-city / Payable at Par (PAP) cheque facility, anywhere banking facility, trade services, phone banking facility, internet banking facility, credit card, debit/ATM card, mobile banking and Real Time Gross Settlement. Foreign banks are expanding the number of products on offer, their complexity such as derivatives, leverage financing. Doorstep banking facilities are being offered by some of these banks to cater to convenience lifestyle of its customers. Private banks are extending services including wealth management and equity trading apart from credit cards. How do banks price their services? The pricing mechanism is dependent on client relationship and the nature of the transaction. The pricing can be arrived at by profiling customers into different segments. The large corporate segment comprises of the bulk and large value transactions. This segment is characterised by multiple service relationships. The pricing in this segment is transaction based and depends on the size of transactions and on the banks relationship with the corporate. Hence, the pricing is decided on a one to one basis and public. The other segments comprise the brokers, small and medium enterprises (SME), other banks and the retail segment. In each of these cases, the pricing is not made public and is determined on the basis of the nature of the transaction and the banks relationship with the client, on a one to one basis. Typically, high volumes and low value characterise the SME segment. Therefore the pricing for this segment differs from that of the large corporates. Similarly the pricing for the banks is very different. In the retail segment, the bank publishes its tariff. How do services contribute to the banks income? Increasingly banks are witnessing a growth in their non-interest or fee-based incomes. With interest spreads decreasing, banks have little option but to ramp up their revenues from fee-based income. Fee-based income constitutes a major portion of a banks other income. The ratio of other income to total income is an indicator of the size of fee-based income. Treasury incomes of public sector banks are no longer the major revenue driver and have been coming down as a result of rising interest rates. Volatility of interest rates are compelling banks to increase their fee based income. What is non-fund based income? The non-fund based income comprises of revenues from both financial commitment and services rendered. Financial commitment includes guarantees, letters of credit and bankers acceptances etc. The fees charged may vary from bank to bank and is dependant on the relationship of the bank with the client and the size of the transaction. On the other hand, the revenues from services rendered include fees from funds transfer and enabling services like ATM, internet banking etc. The revenues from funds transfer come from corporate services such as cash management, foreign exchange remittances and from retail services including drafts, pay orders etc. Which is the most important component for the fee-based income of banks? The cash management business contributes to banks fee based revenue stream in a major way. The cash management business comprises four types of services including collection of outstation cheques, disbursement of outstation cheques, payment of dividends, interest, and refunds and e-business. The tariff differs depending on the volumes, the banks profitability and the banks relationship with the client. As a proportion of the total fee based income, cash management is the most important component. The other streams of income like auto loans, personal loans, loans against shares among others are residual. When did RBI grant freedom to banks to prescribe service charges? Indian Banks Association (IBA) has dispensed with the practice of prescribing service charges to be levied by banks for various services rendered by them. With effect from September 1999, the Reserve Bank has granted freedom to banks to prescribe service charges with the approval of respective board of directors. Why is RBI taking note of different service charges levied by banks? RBI has been receiving representations from the public about unreasonable and non-transparent service charges being levied by the banks. The RBI has directed the banks to display and update on their web sites, offices and branches, the details of the charges pre-scribed by them for various services. It has advised the banks to display the charges in specified formats. The display may also be in local language. Hitherto, it was left to the banks to fix charges consistent with the cost of providing these services and also to ensure that customers with low value/volume of transactions were not penalised.