Thursday, October 31, 2019

Personal Action Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Action Plan - Essay Example Those who migrate from other regions feel uncomfortable with the cultural and social surroundings of the host country. These issues include, but are not limited to, dressing style, eating habits, language barriers, religious affiliations, and cultural festivals and so on. The most pressing issues that I found are communication and/or language barriers and prejudice against people in minority threatening their integration in the new environment and with the new people. During the course, I realized that my social network with others was weak and full of prejudice and self seeking. In response to this I will strengthen my social relation by making more friends both in the college and in the community as a whole. Improving social network through appreciations and accepting every culture creates a social bond between people. I would focus my action plan in the friends’ group area initially. I would like to take part in making people from different backgrounds mingle and forget differences in their backgrounds, accents, languages and dressing. I would work hard to bring them on the same page by emphasizing on the equality that exists between them for being humans. Another aspect that was identified during the course that has not been up to date is communication. On the personal ground my communication has been moderate. I have been concentrating on my peers and those in the same class. This course has exposed me to learn how to communicate with those in the higher position. These include the lecturers, administrators and university workers. In light to what I have learnt, I will improve my language which has been a barrier to communicate with those in senior authority. Communication has also been a challenge to other who shared this class with me. They did not know how they could channel their complaints to the authority. Hence, I would like to reduce their hesitation by guiding them toward the official procedures that work in a systematic manner to address

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Funding Higher Education Essay Example for Free

Funding Higher Education Essay In order to address budget requirements during revenue deficit years, other opportunities are available to the government other than simply raising taxes. One viable opportunity is opening research facilities in higher education to private use. Higher education institutions have various wet and dry laboratories that can be very useful to commercial and other private business entities conducting research. Some of these entities usually enter contracts with private laboratories. By opening school resources, government would be able to tap the finances of these private entities into the schools. In fact, the government can take this strategy one step further by constructing an internship curriculum for its students that involve working on private company projects (Gordon, 2000). Through such an internship program, qualified students would be sent to work in school facilities on research work required by funding entities. Of course, interns would be given an appropriate allowance. This provides an innovative and practical learning experience for the students as well as a minimal source of income. Furthermore, it creates linkages to the industry where they might be able to more conveniently find employment after graduation. Another possible strategy is opening campus grounds to private promotional projects. These projects set up booths and conduct activities that target the attention of students and/or faculty members to avail of certain products or services. Of course, entities that would like to promote their products would have to be screened thoroughly according to the academic institution’s mission-vision to ensure that no contradictions are present. These two strategies can raise revenue up to appropriate levels and allow the school budget to be funded for the revenue deficit academic year. Reference Gordon, J. (2000). Private Education Management. N. Y. : Doubleday.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Social Work Social Policy And Social Welfare Social Work Essay

Social Work Social Policy And Social Welfare Social Work Essay With reference to changes in Government policy and ideologies of welfare, debate the significance of the shift from Victorian Pauper to 21st century service user and its impact on social work practice and values. This assignment has used a historical timeline of Governmental changes to policies and laws as a background to debate the shift from Victorian Pauper to 21st century service user. The divide between the rich and poor has always been an issue that different governments have faced, dealing with it differently, for example Clement Attlees labour Government in 1945 introduced the welfare state to give every British citizen cover, regardless of income or lack of it. Those who lacked jobs and homes would be helped. The definition of a Pauper according to the Collins dictionary is someone who is relatively poor, in comparison to the general population or historically eligible for public charity. The definition of a service user is someone who at some point uses or receives health or social care services. (General Social Care Council) The term service user is criticised, as critics Adams et al (2009) believe it focuses on one element of the individual, implying dependency, without taking into account other aspects and argue that the term places the service user in a disempowered position in their relationship with a professional, with power residing with this professional. The National Network of Service Users: Shaping our lives however sees the term service user as positive, its an individual who uses the services, they confer power creating a stronger voice and having a greater ability to shape services. (Levin 2004) Modern British social policy has its foundation in the Poor Laws, dating from 1598 to 1948. The Poor Law (1601) provided a compulsory poor rate and helped set the poor to work. However as the Parish was the basic area of administration, and laws were enforced differently from parish to parish with no set standards of care causing inconsistencies between areas. The Poor Law amendment act (1834) modified the existing system. Poor Law Unions were introduced, parishes were grouped together, and those Unions would be the responsibility of a Board of Guardians. The Guardians were responsible for the administration of poor relief for their locality, rather than leaving the responsibility of administration in the hands of individual parishes and townships. Workhouses were introduced and encouraged, one workhouse in each union to give poor relief. This Act stated that no able bodied person was to receive any other help other than in the workhouse. The purpose of the workhouse was to let individuals enter and leave as they liked and they would receive free food and accommodation, how ever as time passed concern grew with regard to the seeming overuse of the workhouse. As a result the eligibility criteria for entry to the workhouse was then altered. Life in the workhouse was to be made as cruel as it was outside. The wretched existence offered, and the stigma attached to being an inmate, ensured that only the truly deprived used them. A jail style system of segregation for men and women meant that even families had to be separated, altogether different from 21st Century social work values which espouse a stronger commitment to keeping families together, with child protection services and child welfare agencies providing support to ensure family preservation. (Payne, 2005) It was in 1869 that The Charity Organisation Society (COS) was formed to unify the many smaller sources of relief and make provision more efficient and effective. The COS perceived that charitable assistance was needed and believed that their aim was to reach all families, but were unsure how the money had previously been spent. COS set out a scheme of financial help, introducing local committees, who then raised funds and distributed these to families in need. Similar to many charities today, there are still many families who dont ask for help because of religion, language, pride or because they are not aware that help may be available. (Family Action) The aim of COS was to persuade charities to converge their resources, which might then be distributed more systematically. However the individuals helped had to be deemed capable of becoming self supporting. Worthiness was considered before any charitable help was given. Those who werent considered worthy were left to destitution, the Society effectively deciding that as they deemed there to be no hope for their redemption, that to help them would be a waste of limited resources which would be better spent elsewhere with individuals or families who could subsequently lift themselves out of poverty and dependence. (Campling, 1996) The COS model was pioneering in taking into account the consequences if they helped every individual, as they thought this would lead to dependency and exaggeration in order to receive money. COS was also formed with the objective of achieving a decrease in the charitable expenditure as a result of greater efficiency and the economy of scale, and in this sense the COS reflected the wider ideology of the industrial revolution. Current Social Work objectives similarly seek to achieve value for money, with the Audit commission defining value for money as the best possible balance of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Whilst the 21st century social worker endeavours to deal fairly with the needs of everyone, nevertheless, the distribution of needs is uneven and changes constantly. To ensure quality is consistent care plan reviews are monitored and service users may be involved in quality circles, engaging them in deciding whats best. Direct payment schemes are also offered to a minority group of service users to let them decide on and customise their own social care. The main problem Social Services face is the potential impact of the dynamic and variable economic and pol itical environment in which they must function. Whilst trying to provide individualised care packages they have to ensure that its effective in respect to cost. Also there is growing recognition that a number of minority groups may be excluded from accessing services such as Social Work services and, also those services which have previously not been provided in culturally appropriate ways. (Making ends meet, 2010) Appropriate steps will therefore need to be taken to enforce anti discriminatory practice and anti oppressive practice, when considering how to provide help in accessing services for minority groups. The COS quickly found that more than financial aid was needed to help paupers. Emotional and other practical help was also required, for example help with finding employment. COS volunteers were trained to offer such additional help and, therefore, the formal training offered by COS can be seen as the forerunner of modern social work training and qualifications. They adopted an approach which attempted to analyse the problem. Working with the individual and family to help them achieve a lasting solution so all could be kept in their familiar environments. This approach was very time consuming, and the approach the worker took to investigate the individual was very objectionable. This approach is the basis of the current Social Work casework approach which is now highly criticised. Holman (1993) suggests that the casework approach only masks social and political obligations in individuals lives, therefore helping to maintain their situation. There are now other approaches that focus on reducing inequality. Which investigate the social and political reasons as well as the individuals as to why they are in poverty. A new manifesto for Social Work now highlights the need to use a collection of approaches as the need to combat poverty and discrimination is greater than ever. Many who tried to use the COS principles found it difficult to disregard individuals who needed help. Other approaches were latterly introduced to help more individuals. The Settlement House Movement (1884) was one of these. Its principles focused on university volunteers working with the poor in their spare time, offering education. Its aim was to achieve mutual respect between the classes. This approach focused on empowering the poor, helping them to help themselves. Society also benefitted from this model. It focused on a more structured analysis of poverty and its impact on human behaviour by practising interventions at a community level. This is needed now to help small communities and the individuals within it. The nature of social work practice then changed and focused on individuals. A significant element was hearing clients voices and the incomparable knowledge of the professionals working with them to help whichever way they could. (Adams et al, 2009) Using these models the Government laid the basis of the future social services. The major concern being that all areas should be given the same services. These new services were provided away from The Poor Law to evade the association. Current Social Work still has its inconsistencies, however the White Paper Tackling Health Inequalities Programme of Action (Department of Health, 2003), focuses on a number of ways to equalise access to healthcare, for example working with people who face overlapping health problems for instance older people who have ill health and are in poverty. Social Workers are focussing on secondary prevention, as this type of prevention can impact more individuals. A major report produced regarding the welfare of individuals was the Beveridge Report (Department of Health, 1942). This report focused on how Britain could be rebuilt after the war. In 1945 labour was elected and promised to introduce a welfare state. The welfare state involved introducing new services. These included the National Health Services and Housing Acts. The welfare state was produced to encourage the provision of services for the public. (Laybourn, 1995) Glasby (2005) looked at previous reforms and how the future would be in adult social care. It evaluated all important reports to see how social work could be improved. One report that impacted policy and practice during the 1960s was the Seebohm report (1968). This report highlighted the problems of poverty and was tasked to review the organisation and responsibilities of the Local Authority Social Services in England as well as to consider what changes were desirable to secure an effective family service. (Seebohm, 1968, pg11.) Prior to this report Social Work was spread across various Local Authorities and different Government sections. This caused inadequacies in the quality of provision. Access was very difficult. For example, range and quality of provision of services were inconsistent also the Seebohm Report highlighted a poor coordination of information between these services. The report recommended a new Local Authority department providing a community based and family orient ated service, which would be available for all. When this recommendation was brought into action new Social Services Departments were formed. The Seebohm Report did highlight potential problems. It stated that having separate departments for children and adults might subsequently make it difficult to treat the familys needs as a whole. The Barclay Report (1982) looked into the role of a social worker. In its opening line it stated that too much was expected of social workers. It found that it was a profession that was confused about its role and because of intense media scrutiny was struggling with work load. It found that there was an ongoing need for social workers to fulfil many functions including promoting community networks, working with other services and acting as an advocate for clients. The report did criticise social work departments for taking a reactive stance towards social problems, dealing with those needs which are forced upon their attention but failing to develop overall plans which link the voluntary, statutory and private services in an area into a coherent plan which is still a problem today. (Department of Health, 1982, pg.38) Social Services Departments find it difficult to help every need as they dont have limitless resources. They need to use other services and work with them closely, the help of Interprofessional education will ensure that other professionals have an understanding of social workers roles. The Barclay Report produced very similar recommendations to that of the Seebohm Report (1968). Although it highlighted that the community approach may have more success now, as there is a greater capacity for individuals to be more autonomous and make their own decisions. The community approach focuses on the local community and social workers would observe individuals in the context of their community. This approach uses local centres and pools resources, creating less impact on the Social Work services so their resources can be spread further. Reports such as these have highlighted how important good social work is, and how much it is needed. There are many problems involved in the profession. There is still stigma attached to the term service user just as there was to the term pauper. Whilst researching the different acts and welfare ideologies that have been introduced throughout the timeline I have used (see paragraph one, page one) I have found that individuals still have problems accessing help. There are families who still may be disinclined to ask for help because of the stigma of doing so. New approaches have introduced service user involvement by asking them what help they want and defining the quality of help they receive. A recent report by Beresford, Shamash, Forrest and Turner (2007) researched service users future vision for adult services. They found that the process of accessing social care was frequently negative for service users furthermore the assessments were very dependent on the quality of the staff carrying it out. All social workers should work to one high standard. It shouldnt be a lottery of if you get a good one or not. A universal tool could be implemented so that all service users were asked the same questions and could highlight their specific problems and needs whilst using the tool. Service users also highlighted the fact that access to their social worker was low and many of the service users questioned had gaps in their services making them feel insecure. Reports researched for this assignment have all found that service users know what they want and can easily highlight the problems they face or have had previously. One report found that while welfare bureaucracy has been condemned by governments for a long while, service users still identify problems (Shaping Our Lives, 2007). There is still social exclusion. Social Services Departments may contribute to it as they help individuals just enough, finding the quickest way to help them not necessarily the best way in the long run because of finite resources. Using different approaches, for example the community approach would help at different levels so less emphasis is on Social Services Departments resources. Vast improvements are still needed. For example child poverty is getting worst. The Report Monitoring poverty and social exclusion (2009) found that children who live in low-income households, where at least one adult works, is at the highest it has ever been. This increase has a ffected the Governments child poverty targets. The recession affected reaching the targets greatly. It is vital now to recover from the recession but also to recover from underlying problems that were there previously before the economic downturn began. Reports like Shaping Our Lives (2007) found that service users feel more responsible and confident about the help they are receiving when they have been more involved in the decision processes. A report by Beresford et al, (2007) found that service users would like a watchdog with a board of service users and professionals so they could be involved in judging the quality of care they receive. The Race Equality Act (2006) sets the context for anti- discriminatory practice within which social workers operate. However, whilst it could be critiqued that some progress has been made as a result with respect to those of different culture and religion, continuing inequalities would suggest much more progress remains to be made. To conclude social work has changed significantly and progress to help all individuals needs to continue. However as a profession it needs a larger voice to talk about the problems they face therefore getting extra help to ensure that service users and paupers have even fewer similarities. There has been a great shift from pauper to service user. Service users have much more freedom and rights now. Albeit there are still similarities which need to be focused on to improve the services available. Social Service Departments also need to refuse to let policies be imposed when they dont improve on what is already implemented. Rights are now benefitting service users but we need to ensure this continues.

Friday, October 25, 2019

A Jury of Her Peers, by Susan Glaspell :: A Jury of Her Peers Essays

Glaspell spent more than forty years working as a journalist, fiction writer, playwright and promoter of various artistic. She is a woman who lived in a male dominated society. She is the author of a short story titled A Jury of Her Peers. She was inspired to write this story when she investigated in the homicide of John Hossack, a prosperous county warren who had been killed in his sleep(1).Such experience in Glaspell’s life stimulated inspiration. The fact that she was the first reporter on scene, explains that she must have found everything still in place, that makes an incredible impression. She feels what Margaret (who is Minnie Wright in the story) had gone through, that is, she has sympathy for her. What will she say about Margaret? Will she portray Margaret as the criminal or the woman who’s life has been taken away? In the short story Minnie Wright was the victim. Based on evidence at the crime scene, it is clear that Minnie has killed her husband; however, the women have several reasons for finding her â€Å"not guilty† of the murder of John Wright. First, When Martha and Mrs. Peters arrive at the scene of the crime, they see that it is a very lonely place off the road. The house is in a hollow, with lone-some looking trees around it(1).Mr. Hale thinks that having a phone to communicate with rest of the world in such place will reduce loneliness although Mr. Wright does not want communication(2). Minnie lives a miserable life in this place. Martha cannot believe that this is what Minnie foster has turned into. She describes her rocker, and says: â€Å" that rocker don’t look in the least like Minnie foster. The Minnie foster of twenty years before†(3). The rocker is a very old rocker with a faded color and few parts of it are missing. Also, Mrs. Hale thinks it is a torture for Minnie to wrestle with the stove year after year because that stove is in a very poor condition(8). These are some few examples that show how miserable Minnie is in such a lonely place.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Abolishing Grading System

In â€Å"A Proposal To Abolish Grading† by Paul Goodman, the author informs the readers about the ideas of nullifying the policy of grading and judging students solely by exams. The writer believes that grading depreciates teaching and creates a bad spirit, leading to cheating and/or plagiarizing. Although majority of the professors agree, some people also question the idea. â€Å"How else will the graduate schools, the foundations, the corporations know whom to accept, reward, hire? How will the talent scouts know who to tap? † (line 8-10)Again, Goodman answers, â€Å"by testing the applicants, of course. † Dean Whitla easily counters this by proposing Harvard University’s very own, unique admission system. â€Å"The objection is ludicrous,† Goodman says. Although the author’s claim is potent, there are elements of th issue to agree and disagree about. Paul Goodman states and supports his claim clearly throughout his proposal and does a good job of cancelling out the opposing side’s argument. In the medieval university, the whole point of the grueling trial of the candidate was whether or not to accept him as a peer†¦. It was certainly not to pit one young fellow against another in an ugly competition. † (line 27-29) Goodman’s comparison of the medieval times to now supports his claim that if the goal for testing nowadays is to find out people’s weakness, then what’s the point? Although it is somewhat true, how does Goodman, or anyone for that matter, for sure know that that is the aim? One can only testify. Goodman’s overall declaration to abolish grading sounds spiffy and an all-around good idea. His thought that it can lead to cheating and plagiarizing is an on-point proposal that anyone could agree on. â€Å".. great majority of professors agree that grading hinders teaching and creates a bad spirit, going as far as cheating and plagiarizing. † For instance, homework. Many students can copy other someone else’s in result of not learning anything. He also mentioned that grading only creates ‘cliques,’ segregating the â€Å"smart† students and the â€Å"not so smart† ones. It also creates competition between each one since everybody wants to obtain the highest grade. What is this all going to lead to? Nothing but just competition. It invalidates the purpose of going to school– to achieve education. Goodman’s suggestion to base students on their test scores can be the good, but last resort. Testing decreases the chances of cheating and/or plagiarizing due to the strict supervision when it comes to a serious matter. It will motivate students to study more and take education seriously. All in all, Goodman’s proposal to abolish grading is a roller coaster ride. Nobody really knows if the goal is to discover students’ weakness, but in reality, testing is a plausible reason to avoid cheating and plagiarizing, and any other bad spirits that may come with. With describing such a common situation, he put forth his claim and provided readers with a back bone to support it. There may be some to disagree to, but there is definitely something to agree with, and it ultimately leads his claim to an upward state.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Individual Report (50%)

You are required to prepare a report for management, recommending that the Company enter into a new overseas market (defined as a country or large region within it) and outline the main features of the marketing plan. The new market that you recommend is your choice but it must not be one where the Company is already present. The report should be 3000 words max and the hand in date is 13th March 2013 via Blackboard before 12 noon. Your recommendation needs to contain the following:1 Reasons for selection of new market for entry by the Company 2.Alternative markets which were candidates and reasons not selected 3 Proposed market entry strategy, including rationale 4 Outline of recommended marketing mix. Assessment criteria * Knowledge of theory underpinning internationalisation of marketing * Demonstration of the ability to develop appropriate solutions for differing market circumstances * Evaluation of options and justification of recommendations * Use of references, and professional standard of the report The critical points to remember are: 1 Answer all 4 questions and ensure that you answer the questions stated.All questions are equally important but do not necessarily use the same number of words. Do not spend so much time on one question to the detriment of another. Use common sense. 2 The questions are interrelated and you can refer to previous sections to improve the links so that the report flows well. 3 Your marketing mix must make sense with your proposals and with the other parts of the mix. E. g. it is nonsense to suggest that a brand which is positioned as say luxury and High end utilises an everyday low value pricing strategy. Try to be succinct and do not include great parts of research reports. These should be referred to and used to support your arguments. Remember answer the question using your research and analysis not the other way around.5 Use theory and research appropriately to support your justifications and recommendations. Suggested re port structure 1 Introduction – state the company, where they operate now the new country product range/brand and outline of the report. This is very important to set the scene of the report. Do not write the history of the company. Justification for country x Using your research and analysis propose reasons for your selection of the new market to enter. A competitive analysis should be evident. Refer to appropriate theory and reference. 3 Alternative market(s) rejected – suggest markets that were considered and justify why they were not as suitable Refer to appropriate theory and reference. 4 Market entry strategy Propose your market entry strategy which must make sense with the research and analysis from section 2, the attitude towards risk of the company, and your rationale for the entry strategy.Do not just describe the entry strategy – you must justify what you propose. 5 Outline marketing mix strategy – these are your recommendations for the marketi ng mix with justification. You must use appropriate theory and references throughout. You should include here the brand values, positioning, segments and targets for the country you are choosing to enter and provide a justification based on theory and research. For each strategy make sure you mention whether this is a global position whether it has been standardise or adapted.Refer to appropriate theory throughout. You may use examples to illustrate your points but we do not expect a full tactical marketing mix outline i. e. messages. Product strategy – in relation to other parts of the world, product decisions e. g. full product range/limited and why. You might refer to the PLC, competitive advantage, brand position, values etc. Pricing strategy – strategy not tactical pricing/actual price for the product/service. Distribution strategy Promotions strategy – which media do you propose and why?Is it standardised or adapted? You do not need to develop advertising materials or messages. Budget not required. People – is there a service element to your product/service? Process Physical evidence You may use sub headings, diagrams, tables, graphs, as appropriate. You do not need to produce an executive summary. You do need a contents page, page numbers, section headings and reference list. Mistakes from last year 1 Reports were unbalanced – so much time spent on the first questions that the subsequent sections suffered. Missing references throughout the report and use of non credible sources. 3 Lack of International marketing theory. Too much use of very basic marketing theory and textbooks. You must use and International marketing text and appropriate reading. 4 Descriptive PESTLs with no analysis and not used throughout the report. Your research is to be used to justify your decisions. 5 Marketing mix were lists of suggestions with no justification. They must be linked to the PESTL analysis, research and theory and justified. Jacq ueline Lynch February 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Business Networks Homework Assignment

Business Networks Homework Assignment Free Online Research Papers 1. A key problem when designing data communications networks is how to adapt to new technologies while organizations change. [True; p. 336] Easy 2. A traditional network design approach follows a structured systems analysis and design process similar to that used in building applications. [True; p. 336] Easy 3. The traditional network design approach works very well for rapidly changing networks. [False, it is best for static or slowly evolving networks; p. 336] Easy 4. Today, most network designers use a three-year planning horizon. [True; p. 337] Easy 5. Today, the most expensive part of the network is the hardware. [False, it is the staff who design, operate, and maintain it; p. 337] Easy 6. Today, many organizations design networks using the building-block approach. [True; p. 337] Easy 7. Needs analysis is the final step in the building block approach to network design. [False, it is the first step; p. 339] Moderate 8. In technology design, a network designer looks at available technologies to see which options will satisfy users’ needs. [True; p. 339] Easy 9. Cost assessment is used to look at the relative cost of technologies used in a network design. [True; p. 339] Easy 10. The goals in the needs analysis step of network design are exactly the same when designing LANs vs. when designing WANs. [False, they are slightly different; p. 340] Easy 11. The step of understanding current traffic on a network provides a baseline against which future network requirements can be compared. [True; p. 341] Easy 12. The goal of the needs analysis step in network design is to develop a physical network design. [False, a logical network design is produced; p. 341] Easy 13. The technology that is closest to a user in a network design is the core layer. [False, it is the access layer; p. 341] Easy 14. The core layer of the network is usually the busiest. [True; p. 341] Easy 15. Today, all network traffic is due to traffic from internal application systems. [False, use of the Internet accounts for a significant portion of network traffic; p. 343] Easy 16. Desirable requirements are those that have the highest priority. [False, they come after mandatory requirements in terms of priority; p. 344] Moderate 17. Capacity planning is used to design circuit capacity. [True; p. 346] Easy 18. The turnpike effect results when a network is used at a much lower rate than was anticipated when it was designed. [False, it results from higher use; p. 346] Moderate 19. Simulation is a tool that can be used in designing networks. [True; p. 347] 20. Cost assessment is the step in the network design in which user requirements are documented. [False, this step is used to understand the costs of various network alternatives produced from the Technology Design stage; p. 349] Moderate 21. When obtaining the support of senior management for a proposed network, it is important to use as much technical network jargon as possible. [False, it is important to speak to senior management in language they understand and can relate to; p. 350-351] Easy MULTIPLE CHOICE The following are possible multiple-choice questions for tests. The question is posed and the answer is provided under the choices. The level of difficulty (easy, moderate, or difficult) and the page(s) relevant to the topic are also furnished. 1. Which of the following is not a step under the traditional network design approach? a. An analyst develops cost estimates of the circuits needed to support the network. b. An analyst takes the traffic on the current network and then multiplies that by a factor of 3.65 to come up with the estimate of the total traffic for the new network. c. An analyst meets with users to identify user needs. d. An analyst develops a precise estimate of the amount of data that users will send and receive to estimate the total amount of traffic on each part of the network. e. An analyst designs the circuits to support the estimated traffic, allowing for modest growth. Answer: b, Moderate, p. 336-338 2. The traditional network design approach does not work well for _________ networks. a. slowly evolving b. rapidly growing c. static d. modestly growing e. not growing Answer: b, Easy, p. 336 3. Which of the following is not making the traditional design approach less appropriate for today’s networks? a. The underlying technology of networking devices is changing very rapidly b. The underlying technology of client and server devices is changing very rapidly c. The underlying technology of circuits is changing very rapidly d. Growth in network traffic is very high e. The most expensive part of any network is the hardware Answer: e, Moderate, p. 336-338 4. Which of the following is not contributing to the dramatic increase in network traffic today? a. Video applications on networks are becoming common. b. Electronic mail is now used by most people who work in organizations. c. Web searches are now commonly performed by network users. d. Most client computers today have 4 meg of RAM, a 40 meg hard drive, and an 8Mhz386 processor. e. Multimedia applications on networks are becoming common. Answer: d, Easy, p. 336-338 5. Which of the following is not true about an overlay network? a. It is a way that interexchange networks are trying to keep up with demand. b. It co-exists with primary voice networks. c. It supports separate services such as Internet traffic for an interexchange network. d. It was part of the traditional planning for interexchange networks to handle voice, data, and video on the same circuits. e. It is designed to handle ‘special’ traffic such as WAN traffic for an interexchange network. Answer: d, Moderate, p. 337 6. Which of the following is false about staff costs for a network? a. The most expensive part of the network today is the staff who design, operate, and maintain it b. The emphasis is on network designs that reduce staff time needed to operate them c. Network staff are often required to learn to operate a variety of devices d. Network staff are often required to maintain a variety of devices e. When a variety of devices are used in a network, it takes less time to perform network management activities Answer: e, Moderate, p. 337 7. The building block design approach is sometimes called: a. wide and shallow b. narrow and deep c. wide and deep d. narrow and shallow e. narrow and flat Answer: b, Easy, p. 338 8. Nowadays, most organizations use a simpler approach to network design called the ___________ approach. a. building-block b. frame definition c. prototype d. systems development life cycle e. guided network Answer: a, Easy, p. 338 9. Which of the following is not a step that is used in newer type of network design process? a. cost assessment b. technology design c. implementation d. needs analysis e. none of the above is a correct answer Answer: c, Easy; p. 339 10. In __________, the network designer attempts to understand the fundamental current and future network needs of the various users, departments, and applications. a. technology design b. needs analysis c. narrow and deep analysis d. cost assessment e. distribution layering Answer: b, Easy, p. 339 11. In __________, the network designer examines the available technologies and assesses which options will meet the users’ needs. a. technology design b. needs analysis c. narrow and deep analysis d. cost assessment e. distribution layering Answer: a, Easy, p. 339 12. In __________, the network designer considers the relative cost of the technologies. a. technology design b. needs analysis c. narrow and deep analysis d. cost assessment e. distribution layering Answer: d, Easy, p. 339 13. Which of the following is not true about network design? a. In designing LAN networks, network designers tend to err on the side of building too big a network b. In designing BN networks, network designers tend to err on the side of building too big a network c. In designing WAN networks, network designers tend to err on the side of building too small a network d. In designing LAN networks, network designers tend to err on the side of building too small a network e. In designing MAN networks, network designers tend to err on the side of building too small a network Answer: d, Moderate, p. 340-341 14. In needs analysis: a. a great deal of the work has probably never been done b. the goal is to understand what users and applications the network will support c. the geographic scope is not an important consideration d. a baseline of current operations is not important e. the rate of growth of network traffic is not an issue Answer: b, Easy, p. 341 15. Gaining an understanding of the current application system and messages provides a _________ against which future design requirements can be gauged. a. backplane b. baseline c. turnpike document d. wish list e. RFP Answer: b, Easy, p. 341 16. The goal of the needs analysis step is to produce a ___________, or a statement of the network elements necessary to meet the needs of the organization. a. building block b. access layer c. core layer d. cost assessment e. logical network design Answer: e, Easy, p. 341 17. Which of the following is not a conceptual part, or layer, of the geographic scope of the network? a. core layer b. application layer c. access layer d. distribution layer e. the layer that connects the different distribution layers to each other Answer: b, Moderate, p. 341-342 18. Which of the following is not a basic level of the geographic scope of the network? a. local area network b. focused area network c. backbone network d. metropolitan area network e. wide area network Answer: b, Moderate; p. 341-342 19. Which of the following would not be collected by a designer, working in the needs analysis phase, who was documenting general information and characteristics of the environment in which the network must operate? a. local laws that could affect the network b. international laws that could affect the network c. federal laws that could affect the network d. building codes that could affect the network e. traffic laws that could affect the network Answer: e, Moderate, p. 342 20. __________ is not an important consideration when network designers review old and new applications. a. Reviewing the NFL scores b. Reviewing the organization’s possible changes in product mix c. Understanding the organization’s strategic plans d. Understanding development plans for new uses of electronic commerce e. Reviewing the organization’s projections of sales Answer: a, Easy; p. 342-343 21. Which of the following is not an example of identifying protocols that are needed to support hardware and software requirements of applications that will use the network? a. an application will use HTTP over TCP/IP b. an application will run on an IBM mainframe and so the network will require SNA traffic c. an application will need a gateway to translate SNA traffic into TCP/IP protocols d. an application will use SPX/IPX with a Novell file server e. an application will have drop down menu choices Answer: e, Easy, p. 342-343 22. Which of the following is not a way in which network requirements, identified in the needs analysis of the network design process, are organized? a. non-necessary requirements b. wish list requirements c. desirable requirements d. mandatory requirements e. none of the above is an appropriate answer Answer: a, Easy; p. 344 23. Which of the following is not included in the key deliverable for the needs assessment stage, the set of logical network diagrams? a. applications of the proposed network b. servers in the proposed network c. circuits in the proposed network d. specific routers that have been chosen to implement the proposed network e. clients in the proposed network Answer: d, Moderate, p. 344 24. Which of the following is not an example of a building block used in technology design? a. typical application b. typical user c. high traffic application d. standard network circuit e. specifications for a particular lighting fixture in the network operating center Answer: e, Easy, p. 346 25. Once the needs have been defined in the logical network design, the next step is to develop a(n) __________. a. application b. baseline c. physical network design d. turnpike design e. backplane design Answer: c, Easy, p. 348 26. Which of the following would not be a type of protocol that needs to be considered in technology design? a. Ethernet b. 10 Mbps c. TCP/IP d. ATM e. SNA Answer: b, Easy, p. 346 27. Estimating the size and type of the â€Å"standard† and â€Å"advanced† network circuits is called _________. a. needs categorization b. turnpike design c. cost assessment d. capacity planning e. soliciting RFPs Answer: d, Easy, p. 346 28. Which of the following would not be a type of circuit capacity that needs to be considered in technology design? a. 1000 Mbps b. Ethernet c. 10 Mbps d. 100 Mbps e. 1 Gbps Answer: b, Easy, p. 346 29. In the technology design stage of network design, a. the fundamental technology/protocols to be chosen have no relationship with the circuit capacity b. the decision for fundamental technology/protocols can be made without considering circuit capacity c. the decision for circuit capacity can be made without considering fundamental technology/protocols d. the decisions for fundamental technology/protocols and circuit capacity are interrelated e. the decision for fundamental technology/protocols and/or circuit capacities is not made at this stage Answer: d, Moderate, p. 346-348 30. ___________ refers to the amount of data transmitted on a circuit. a. Circuit loading b. Leading edge deployment c. Capacity planning d. Calculating message volumes e. Requirements documentation Answer: a, Easy, p. 346 31. __________ is an estimate of the highest data volume on a link. a. Data mode b. Backplane load c. Peak circuit traffic d. Leading edge data flow e. Circuit transfer Answer: c, Easy, p. 346 32. To establish circuit loading, the designer usually starts with the: a. total characters transmitted per day on each circuit, or, if possible, the number of characters transmitted per two-second intervals if peaks must be met b. individual user training c. bus diameter, disk cache that is used at the server station d. channel bandwidth and baud rate used at each client e. local, trunk, IXC, DDD, and leased-line circuit bandwidth for each node Answer: a, Moderate, p. 346 33. According to one rule of thumb, ______ percent of circuit loading information is easy to gather. a. 50 b. 25 c. 80 d. 19 e. 20 Answer: c, Easy, p. 346 34. A _________ results when a network is used to a greater extent than was originally anticipated by the network designer. a. leading edge data flow b. circuit load c. turnpike effect d. protocol volume e. capacity plan Answer: c, Moderate; p. 346 35. There are some network modeling tools that can ________ the existing network. a. discover b. disassemble c. sensitize d. maintain e. implement Answer: a, Moderate, p. 347 36. ________ is used to model the behavior of the planned communication network once the proposed network map is complete. a. Implementation b. Post-implementation review c. Documentation d. Simulation e. Training users Answer: d, Moderate; p. 347 37. Which of the following are not costs that are generally considered during the cost assessment stage of the network design process? a. cost of advertising brochures for new products to be offered by an organization b. internetworking devices cost c. network management costs d. circuit costs e. software costs for network operating system Answer: a, Moderate; p. 349 38. Which of the following is not a main item for which network designers estimate costs for the proposed network? a. software b. hardware c. purchasing and installing circuits d. ergonomic chairs for users e. circuits provided by common carriers Answer: d, Easy, p. 349 39. To estimate costs for large network purchases, organizations often: a. purchase all network purchases ‘off the shelf’ b. obtain ‘book value’ information for the existing network from the accounting department c. ask other users what they paid for their network bought in the past d. multiply old network costs by a factor of 3 e. issue an RFP to vendors Answer: e, Moderate, p. 349 40. RFP stands for: a. Request for Proposal b. Ring Fault Path c. Routing File Protocol d. Record Facsimile Program e. Redundant File Protocol Answer: a, Easy; p. 349 41. Estimating the cost of a network is ______ complex than estimating the cost of one new piece of data processing hardware. a. much more b. much less c. about the same d. exactly the same e. a little more Answer: a, Easy; p. 349 42. Which of the following is a way to sell the network proposal to management? a. talk about upgrades from 10Mbps to 100Mbps b. give many details about using routers vs. gateways for a particular connection c. concentrate on a discussion about token ring vs. Ethernet protocol d. focus on network reliability e. discuss SNA architecture Answer: d, Easy, p. 350-351 43. Which of the following is not a key deliverable for the cost assessment step? a. RFP b. list of wish list requirements c. revised physical network diagram d. business case, defined in business objectives and business language, that supports the network design e. none of the above is an appropriate choice Answer: b, Easy; p. 351 44. The physical network diagram is done: a. before the vendors are selected b. before the RFP is sent out c. after the RFP is sent out, but before the vendors are selected d. after the vendors are selected e. after the network has been implemented Answer: d, Easy, p. 351 Short Answer Questions 1. What is a RFP and why do companies use them? Answer: A request for proposal is a way that organizations can get vendors to provide their best prices for specific equipment, software, and/or services. These products and/or services often cannot be purchased â€Å"off the shelf†, so organizations cannot go to a retail store to comparison shop. By permitting vendors to compete, organizations can find out the cost of products and services for which pricing is not readily available. Once all vendors have submitted their proposals, the organization evaluates them against predetermined criteria and selects the winner(s). 2. What is a network baseline and when is it established? Answer: A network baseline is part of the needs analysis. At this step, it is important to gain an understanding of the current operations (applications and messages). Future design requirements can be compared to this baseline. The designers must review the list of applications that will use the network and identify the location of each. 3. Why is it important to analyze needs in terms of both applications and users? Answer: In the past, application systems accounted for the majority of network traffic. Today, much network traffic is produced by the discretionary use of the Internet by users. In order to understand how a network will grow and change, network designers need to assess the number and type of users that will generate and receive network traffic and identify their location on the emerging network diagram. It is important to understand current applications and proposed changes to the organization’s applications. 4. What issues are important to consider when explaining a network design to senior management? Answer: The key to gaining senior management acceptance lies in speaking their language (cost, network growth, and reliability). Using ‘jargon’ will not be effective. Tying the technical needs to business goals and using business language will be far more compelling. 5. What is the turnpike effect and why is it important in network design? Answer: The turnpike effect results when the network is used to a greater extent than was anticipated because it is available, is very efficient, and provides new services. 6. Under what circumstances would the use of the building block approach be less appropriate than the â€Å"traditional† approach to network design? Answer: The use of the building block approach would be less appropriate than the â€Å"traditional† approach to network design for those applications for which hardware or network circuits are unusually expensive (e.g., WANs that cover long distances through many different countries). 7. What are the three major steps in current network design? Answer: Needs analysis (the designer attempts to understand the fundamental current and future network needs of the various users, departments, and applications; Technology Design (the designer examines the available technologies and assesses which options will meet the users’ needs); and, Cost Assessment (the relative costs of the network are considered). 8. How can a network design tool help in network design? Answer: Some network tools help the designers â€Å"discover† the existing network so that they can document the current network very well. Then, the user can change it to reflect a new design. A tool like this is most helpful when the network that is being designed is an upgrade to an existing network, and when the network is very complex. Research Papers on Business Networks Homework AssignmentOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesResearch Process Part One

Sunday, October 20, 2019

King Egbert of Wessex

King Egbert of Wessex Egbert of Wessex was also known as: Egbert the Saxon; sometimes spelled Ecgberht or Ecgbryh. Has been called the first king of all England and the first king of all the English. Egbert of Wessex was noted for: Helping to make Wessex such a powerful kingdom that England was eventually unified around it. Because he was accepted as king in Essex, Kent, Surrey and Sussex and for a time also managed to conquer Mercia, he has been called the first king of all England. Occupations: KingMilitary Leader Places of Residence and Influence: EnglandEurope Important Dates: Born: c. 770Died: 839 About Egbert of Wessex: Probably born as early as 770 but possibly as late as 780, Egbert was the son of  Ealhmund (or Elmund), who, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, had been a king in Kent  in 784. Virtually nothing is known of his life up to 789, when he was driven into exile  by  the West Saxon king Beorhtric with the help of his formidable ally,  the Mercian king Offa. It is possible he may have spent  some time at the court of Charlemagne. A few years later, Egbert returned to Britain, where his subsequent activities for the next decade remain a mystery. In 802, he succeeded Beorhtric as king of Wessex and removed the kingdom from the Mercian confederation, establishing himself as an independent ruler. Once again, information is scant,  and scholars have no idea what actually took place over the next decade. In or about 813, Egbert spread devastation in Cornwall from east to west (according to the  Chronicle). Ten years later he embarked on a campaign against Mercia, and scored a victory but at a bloody price. His hold on Mercia was tentative, but his military endeavors secured the conquest of Kent,  Surrey, Sussex and Essex. In 825, Egbert defeated the Mercian king Beornwulf at the Battle of Ellendune. This victory altered the balance of power in England, raising the power of Wessex at the expense of Mercia. Four years later he would conquer Mercia, but in 830 he lost it to Wiglaf. Still, Egberts power base was unrivaled in England during his lifetime, and in 829 he was proclaimed Bretwalda, ruler of all Britain. More Egbert Resources: Egbert of Wessex in the Anglo-Saxon ChronicleEgbert of Wessex in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, page twoEgbert of Wessex on the Web   Egbert of Wessex in Print: The link below will take you to an online bookstore, where you can find more information about the book to help you get it from your local library. This is provided as a convenience to you; neither Melissa Snell nor About is responsible for any purchases you make through this link. The Warrior Kings of Saxon Englandby Ralph Whitlock Medieval Renaissance Monarchs of EnglandDark-Age BritainEarly Europe   Chronological Index Geographical Index Index by Profession, Achievement, or Role in Society The text of this document is copyright  ©2007-2016 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is   not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please   contact  Melissa Snell. The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/ewho/p/who_kingegbert.htm

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Analysis of the Continental Army, the Oneida People and Thomas Hutchinson

There is a clear difference between what the public thinks is necessary for unfortunate soldier and what the soldier needs to survive. The soldiers wanted to know how to use a voluntary donation to carry out a revolutionary war, so the masses wanted to know if a revolutionary war would lead to dictatorship. In 1783 George Washington demanded his officers to stop the rebellion in Newburgh. And it represents a big substitute for the mass demands for soldiers. This article contains simple information and information about the Great Army. What is the uniform of the Great Army? Definition of the Great Army: The Great Army was a regular US military founded at the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, and George Washington served as the Supreme Commander and was founded in the Boston area after the fight with Britain It was. In the battle of Lexington and the battle of Concord in 1775. Soldiers who formed the Great Army came from becoming 13 colonies of the United States. The Independence War was not at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War - each colony was dependent on a local militia composed of part-time soldiers. The outbreak of the American Revolutionary War meant that the Continental Congress needs to organize the troops of American soldiers as soon as possible to fight in the conflict with England. Thomas Hickey (interrupted on June 28, 1776) was a continent soldier of the American Revolutionary War and was the first person executed for rebellion, rebellion, and betrayal. Born in Ireland, he came to the United States as a British soldier and fought as Maj. William Johnson's private aide during the seven year war, but leaned to the other side when the revolution broke out. He became a member of Lifeguard and kept the salaries of General George Washington, its troops, and the Great Army. Greek genes were imprisoned through counterfeit currencies. He was tried and executed for rebellion and incitement and may have been involved in the assassination plan against George Washington in 1776. In April 1775, a group of settlers fought British troops in the battle between Lexington and Concord. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress decided to form a large army consisting of thirteen colonial citizens. George Washington was elected the Supreme Commander of the Army. The colony is ready to fight for his rights

Friday, October 18, 2019

What is Wikileaks, what was the government doing that leaked, what did Essay

What is Wikileaks, what was the government doing that leaked, what did they try to hide military. Is this managed news or not - Essay Example The website leaked government’s secretive communications regarding their operations. Governments were engaged in ill communications like recommending unjust actions to tame the rebellious groups. Particularly, the governments were playing a tricky game with the public by adopting concealed plans that appeared just to escape public pressures tactically. This website hence leaked the concealed legitimacy about such plans. Indeed, leaks from the website presented the real motive behind the governments’ operations. The government did not provide the military with the truth behind their directions. Particularly, the government could not disclose information that they considered sensitive. Such information was to remain a reserve of few trusted officers in the administration. The military in the ground could only obtain virtual information considered to have minimal influence on the government’s procedures. The rationale behind the wiki-leaks has faced strong challenges. Most people argue that wiki-leaks are mainly managed news. This is a rational claim since with world’s politics; managing news is a probable practice. However, wiki-leaks are not necessarily managed news since they information unveiled by the source is somewhat credible. Indeed, the information from the source emerges as a real â€Å"leakage†. Therefore, wiki-leaks information makes considerable sense hence should not be dismissed as

TD LOG501 case 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TD LOG501 case 3 - Essay Example We also have the quadratic optimization, which entails all the LP programs, and more applications in scheduling, planning and computations hence aid in solving many other problems. The other application is the Intel FORTRAN Optimization Application, which is got by calling, visiting Intel or websites. LP is widely used in the emerging field of Logistics management in a variety of ways. Rather than to deal with the components of logistics such as purchasing, transportation, warehousing and customer handling operations separately, they would rather merge them optimally at the corporate level. This employment of optimization will ensure there is no shortage or surplus which may have occurred had the functions been managed separately. Use of the linear programs in logistics helps firm be in the position of determining the flow of their activities in terms of the movement of purchases and sales through setting up and solving the linear programming problems. Though LP was used previously to solve the logistical problems separately, they are today used in the same way to solve the same problems together (Kolman & Beck,

Strategies for Addressing Individual Needs Essay

Strategies for Addressing Individual Needs - Essay Example His lack of eye contact, his difficulty in social interaction and his lack of response to his name are all symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (Anderson, 2007, p. 16). I would recommend to his parents that he be screened for this disorder as a precaution. If autism is found, there can be early intervention work and behavioral interventions that can be specific to autism. The New York State (NYS) Department of Health, Early Intervention Program, suggests that there are several early screening assessments that can be used. The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) is a short test that can be administered to detect autism in toddlers. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) combines information from parents and from a professional to see whether there is a possibility for autism. These two screening tests would be used in addition to the observation that was made in the classroom. Another area of concern that I see would be Roberts hearing. He also exhibits many symptoms of a child who either is not hearing or who does not hear well. My question would be whether Robert has ever made noises from his earlier years. As an example, many children will babble and coo when they are babies. Sometimes deaf babies do not. According to Kibby and Perlstein (2010) a child who does not have normal hearing may not be able to develop normal speech and language. Speech delay, a diagnosis of autism, frequent ear infections and low birth rate are some of the risk factors for hearing loss. I would refer Roberts parents to an audiologist to test his hearing. The case study does not state whether Robert is listening to other sounds or not so we can only go on the fact that he does not answer to his name when it is called. One assessment that Kibby and Perlstein suggest for a child of Roberts age would be play audiometry. This test pairs sounds with a specific task or response. The y give an example where a

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Description of Temple Run Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Description of Temple Run Game - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that  the player is required to collect coins on the way in form of diamond coins primarily yellow but depending on coin value, they can change to red and blue. The collected coins are eventually used in the games store where the player can buy power ups that are beneficial to unlock characters. Mega coins retail at 150coins which is the coin value three times. Boosts helps up to 1000meters as the invisibility lasts 30seconds. Two point coins starts at 1000meters while three point coin starts at 2000meters. As the player continues to survive the higher score, he accumulates points which are five times the value of collected coins.  This study stresses that the target of Temple Run Brave is virtually everyone. Its’ design ensures it can be used by almost everyone who owns a smartphone, tablet or computer and loves speed and racing. The extensive market research that the Temple Run app did is the cause of their success in the flooded market. It is important to note that in the over one billion smartphone and tablets users, games command more than 40% of the time spent on apps. Temple Run has been designed in such a way that it is easy to learn starting from simple to complex tasks. This allows a wide range of users depend on their capabilities and age. The predictable playing pattern allows for all genders to play it hence a wide market range.  Temple Run can be played by children, young adults and adults with a smartphone, tablets, laptops and computers. It is easy to download and can also be played offline.

War in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

War in Iraq - Essay Example Rather, it was pursued in economic reasons. Scott (2003) cites the internally stated goal of securing the flow of oil in the Middle East. Scott refers to a report from the James A. Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University (April, 1997) which stated the problem of "energy security" for the US and noted that US was increasingly exposed to oil shortages in the face of the inability of oil supplies to carry on with world demand. Particularly, particular the report addressed "The Threat of Iraq and Iran" to the free flow of oil out of the Middle East. It concluded that Saddam Hussein was still a threat to Middle Eastern security and still had the military capability to exercise force beyond Iraq's borders. Scott continues that as soon as the Bush administration took office in 2001, it followed the lead of a second report from the same institute, which was co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, the report representing a consensus of thinking among energy experts of both political parties, and was s igned by Democrats as well as Republicans. Entitled Strategic Energy Policy Challenges for the 21st Century, the report concluded: The United States remains a prisoner of its energy dilemma. ... Therefore the US should conduct an immediate policy review toward Iraq including military, energy, economic and political/ diplomatic assessments. Following this note is the looming phenomenon known as Global "Peak Oil", which is projected to occur around 2010, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia being the final two nations to reach peak oil production. US geophysicist M. King Hubbert, who in 1956 correctly predicted U.S. oil production would peak in 1971, first illustrated this crucial concept of Peak Oil in bell-shaped curves wherein each oil field in the world follows a more or less bell-shaped curve, and the composite view of the world's thousands of oil fields is one gigantic, ragged edged looking bell-shaped curve. According to Clark (2003), once Peak Oil is reached, the supply of oil/energy will begin an irreversible decline, along with a corresponding permanent increase in price despite the presence of increasing demand from industrialized and developing nations alike. Another reason pointed out on the cause of the war was to preserve the dominance of the dollar over the world oil economy. Clark (Revisited: The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War with Iraq, 2003) on the other hand believes that the US media and government failed to report that the war itself is in large part an oil currency war. In Clark's words, "a war intended to prevent oil from being priced in euros". He cites that a core reason for the ongoing war is this US administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard. However, in order to forestall OPEC, they need to gain geo-strategic control of Iraq along with its 2nd

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Strategies for Addressing Individual Needs Essay

Strategies for Addressing Individual Needs - Essay Example His lack of eye contact, his difficulty in social interaction and his lack of response to his name are all symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (Anderson, 2007, p. 16). I would recommend to his parents that he be screened for this disorder as a precaution. If autism is found, there can be early intervention work and behavioral interventions that can be specific to autism. The New York State (NYS) Department of Health, Early Intervention Program, suggests that there are several early screening assessments that can be used. The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) is a short test that can be administered to detect autism in toddlers. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) combines information from parents and from a professional to see whether there is a possibility for autism. These two screening tests would be used in addition to the observation that was made in the classroom. Another area of concern that I see would be Roberts hearing. He also exhibits many symptoms of a child who either is not hearing or who does not hear well. My question would be whether Robert has ever made noises from his earlier years. As an example, many children will babble and coo when they are babies. Sometimes deaf babies do not. According to Kibby and Perlstein (2010) a child who does not have normal hearing may not be able to develop normal speech and language. Speech delay, a diagnosis of autism, frequent ear infections and low birth rate are some of the risk factors for hearing loss. I would refer Roberts parents to an audiologist to test his hearing. The case study does not state whether Robert is listening to other sounds or not so we can only go on the fact that he does not answer to his name when it is called. One assessment that Kibby and Perlstein suggest for a child of Roberts age would be play audiometry. This test pairs sounds with a specific task or response. The y give an example where a

War in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

War in Iraq - Essay Example Rather, it was pursued in economic reasons. Scott (2003) cites the internally stated goal of securing the flow of oil in the Middle East. Scott refers to a report from the James A. Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University (April, 1997) which stated the problem of "energy security" for the US and noted that US was increasingly exposed to oil shortages in the face of the inability of oil supplies to carry on with world demand. Particularly, particular the report addressed "The Threat of Iraq and Iran" to the free flow of oil out of the Middle East. It concluded that Saddam Hussein was still a threat to Middle Eastern security and still had the military capability to exercise force beyond Iraq's borders. Scott continues that as soon as the Bush administration took office in 2001, it followed the lead of a second report from the same institute, which was co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, the report representing a consensus of thinking among energy experts of both political parties, and was s igned by Democrats as well as Republicans. Entitled Strategic Energy Policy Challenges for the 21st Century, the report concluded: The United States remains a prisoner of its energy dilemma. ... Therefore the US should conduct an immediate policy review toward Iraq including military, energy, economic and political/ diplomatic assessments. Following this note is the looming phenomenon known as Global "Peak Oil", which is projected to occur around 2010, with Iraq and Saudi Arabia being the final two nations to reach peak oil production. US geophysicist M. King Hubbert, who in 1956 correctly predicted U.S. oil production would peak in 1971, first illustrated this crucial concept of Peak Oil in bell-shaped curves wherein each oil field in the world follows a more or less bell-shaped curve, and the composite view of the world's thousands of oil fields is one gigantic, ragged edged looking bell-shaped curve. According to Clark (2003), once Peak Oil is reached, the supply of oil/energy will begin an irreversible decline, along with a corresponding permanent increase in price despite the presence of increasing demand from industrialized and developing nations alike. Another reason pointed out on the cause of the war was to preserve the dominance of the dollar over the world oil economy. Clark (Revisited: The Real Reasons for the Upcoming War with Iraq, 2003) on the other hand believes that the US media and government failed to report that the war itself is in large part an oil currency war. In Clark's words, "a war intended to prevent oil from being priced in euros". He cites that a core reason for the ongoing war is this US administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard. However, in order to forestall OPEC, they need to gain geo-strategic control of Iraq along with its 2nd

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Advantages of Americans and British during war Essay Example for Free

Advantages of Americans and British during war Essay What advantages did the colonies have in the war for independence? What advantages did Britain have? The Revolutionary War was one of the most important events in history for America and Britain. The war, in a way, helped America become its own nation and declare independence from Britain. At the time of the Revolutionary War, the English were in control of the Americans. Both sides had crucial advantages over each other that decided the outcome of the war. Let’s start with colonists; one of the biggest advantages they had over Britain was they had a major cause for wanting to fight. They were fighting for their independence, pride, liberty and the rights they deserved. They had a desire to win which was probably stronger than England’s desire because they were fighting for their own cause. Another major advantage America had was how far away from home the British were. They were over 3,000 miles from home, leading to poor communication with supply lines and their leaders. America was unfamiliar territory for the English which was another major advantage the colonists had. It was difficult for the British to capture and hold territory because of how large America was. America knew the ins and outs of their own land, including where to hide and shortcuts. Another reason America had an advantage over Britain was that the English citizens were tired of war. The war had begun to turn into years and citizens were getting tired of paying taxes and just the war in general. In my opinion one of the biggest advantages the colonists had was how great a leader George Washington was. American soldiers were outnumbered and not as well trained as the English soldiers, but because of Washington’s brilliance and strategy it helped the colonists prevail over Britain. On the other hand Britain also had many advantages over the Americans. A major advantage the British had was they were very wealthy and could pay their soldiers to fight. They also had much more supplies for their troops then the Americans did. Not only were they wealthier, but their military leaders were also more experienced then Washington which is another advantage they had. Washington may have been a great leader for the American military but the British were far superior in experience. The biggest advantage the English had was the strength of their military. Not only was their military much stronger and bigger than America’s but it was the strongest military in the world. Most American soldiers were farmers, sailors and merchants with very little experience in  fighting. Another major advantage England had was that many of the colonists in America were still loyal to Britain. Many colonists were brought up to believe that they should stay loyal to their king and saw him as a protector. In conclusion, both the colonists and British had many advantages over each other. Even though the British had a far more superior Navy and more experienced military leaders, George Washington’s strategy helped the colonists prevail. In my opinion, I think one of the biggest reasons the Americans won the war was their pride to fight for their independence. They were fighting for a cause, to free themselves from a country that had been controlling their laws and the way they lived their lives. Both sides used their advantages against each other which is what made the war so interesting and why it lasted so many years.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Corporate governance and firm performance

Corporate governance and firm performance Introduction Corporate governance is concerned with the process and structures through which members interested in the overall well being of the firm take measures to protect the interests of the stakeholders. (Ehikioya, 2009). Corporate governance generally refers to the external rules and regulations and internal system that are designed to minimize agency problem and is the system by which companies are directed and controlled (Cadbury 1992, Cited in Lam and Lee, 2008) Good Corporate governance is centered on the principles of accountability, transparency, fairness and responsibility in the management of the firm. (Ehikioya, 2009). Accountability comes from both within and outside the company. Responsible management works entirely in the interests of the owners. Board composition plays an important role in keeping the company transparent in its affairs. Board structure is important to keep the interests of management and owners aligned (Byrnes et 2003, cited in Ehikioya, 2009). The institution of corporate governance in a firm is an attempt to ensure the separation of ownership and control, and this often results in Principal-Agent problems (Byrnes et 2003, cited in Ehikioya, 2009). Managers always have incentives to misuse a firms assets by undertaking projects that benefit themselves more personally but its impact on shareholder wealth works adversely (Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Fama and Jensen, 1983; cited in Brown and Caylor, 2004) and same goes with (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997) Researchers have mixed opinion in Principal-Agent problem. According to (Jensen and Mecklings 1976 cited in Lia,Wang and Deng, 2009) managerial agency costs always increase with the separation of ownership and management. Managers, as the agents of shareholders, are inclined to waste the corporate resources to satisfy their exploitative purposes. In contrast, stewardship theorists counter-argue that managers are inherently trustworthy and are good stewards of company resource (Donaldson, 1990 cited in Lam and Lee, 2008). Central to the boards effectiveness is the question of board structure (size and independence). In addition to board size, board independence should also have an impact on firm value and performance. Inside directors provide firm and project specific knowledge that assists the board in understanding the detailed aspects of the firms business. In contrast, outside (or independent) directors contribute expertise and objectivity that ostensibly mitigates managerial entrenchment and expropriation of firm resources (Bhagat and Black, 2002). The governance literature generally suggests that as boards become increasingly independent of managers, their monitoring effectiveness increases thereby decreasing managerial opportunism and enhancing firm performance. (Harforda, Mansib, and Maxwellc, 2006). Gov-Score is used in different researches to assess the governance and firm performance has been used with 51 factors (Brown and Caylor, 2004) or less i.e. 37 (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005). This paper will use the GOV-SCORE with 38 factors and including new factor i.e. more than one family member on board The paper proceeds as follows: Section II is the Literature review, Section III will discuss rationale of study, Section IV will include theoretical framework, Section V hypotheses development and theoretical background, Section VI data and methodology, Section VII sample, instrument and structure of instrument, Section VIII Work cited and then Appendix. Literature Review: Corporate governance is the process and structure through which a firms business and affairs are managed by enhancing business prosperity and corporate accountability with the ultimate objective of enhancing shareholders wealth (Mir and Nishat, 2004). A well defined and functioning corporate system helps a firm to attract investment, raise funds, and strengthen the foundation for firm performance and good corporate governance shields a firm from vulnerability to future financial distress (Ehikioya, 2009). Effective corporate governance minimizes control rights of stockholders and their creditors to give on managers and increasing the probability that managers should invest in positive net present value projects for the firm gain (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Prior studies have predominantly focused on US companies, while those are related to Asian countries are rather few (Kiel and Nicholson, 2003 Cited in Lam and Lee, 2008). The notion that corporate governance affects positively corporate performance is based on the fact that management in shareholder-friendly firms, in making corporate decisions, do what shareholders themselves would have done, had they been in charge of corporate decisions ( Kanellos and George, 2007). It was found (Ehikioya, 2009) that where the CEO also acted as chairperson and more than one family member had a place on the board of directors this had an adverse effect on firm performance. Corporations can be said like a republic. The major and highest level of authority is stockholder (Owners). These voters have the right to vote and elect their representatives which serve as directors, who delegate their most of their power to bureaucrats (managers). As in any form of government (republic), the real power-sharing depends upon the set of rules called governance. On one extreme, which is inclined toward a democracy, have little power for management and enable stockholders to immediately and easily replace directors of the company. On the other hand, it is vice versa to the democracy (Gomper, Ishii, Metrick, 2003). CEO duality is another concern in corporate governance. In USA 70-80% of them combined the roles of CEO and Chairperson. (Rechner and Dalton, 1991; Rhoades et al, 2001, Cited in Lam and Lee, 2008). However the prevalent corporate governance practice in Europe separates the CEO and chairperson (Coles et al 2001; Higgs, 2003; Zardkhoohi, 2005, Cited in Lam and Lee, 2008). This Duality position places CEO in powerful position of managing the operations of the firm and also overseeing the direction the firm will take into the future (Petra and Dorata, 2008). It is often alleged that boards of directors are more independent as the proportion of their outside director increases (Jhon and Senbet 1998, Cited in Brown and Caylor, 2004). Strong positive relationship between the portion of independent directors on the board and profitability ratios in continental Europe countries (Krivogorsky 2006, Cited in Li, Wand and Deng, 2008). A higher proportion of the independent directors may lead to lower probability of financial distress (Li, Wang, Deng, 2008). However, there is no relation between the proportion of outsider directors and various performance measures (i.e., SGA expenses, sales, number of employees, and return on equity) (Fosberg 1989, Cited in BRown and Caylor, 2004). and (Bhagat and Black, 2002) find no linkage between the proportion of outside director and Tobins Q, ROE, asset turnover and stock returns. Thus the relationship between the proportion of outside directors, a proxy for board independence, and firm performance is mixed (Brown and Caylor, 2004). Researchers (Gomper, Ishii, Metrick, 2003) and (Bebchuk, Cohen, Ferrell, 2004) showed in their studies that with stronger stockholder rights have higher Tobins Q, their proxy for firm value, suggesting that better-governed firms are more valuable our second measure of firm performance. Most of the empirical work for exploring possible relationship between corporate governance and firm performance is done for single jurisdiction. For US Firms a broad measure of Corporate Governance Gov-Score is prepared by (Brown and Caylor, 2004)with 51 factors, 8 sub categories for 2327 firms based on dataset of Institutional Shareholder Service (ISS). Their findings indicate that better governed firms are relatively more profitable, more valuable and pay more cash to their shareholders. (Gomper, Ishii, Metrick, 2003) Earlier (Mir and Nishat, 2004) empirically tested the relationship between the structure of corporate governance and firm performance in Pakistan, and (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005). Mir and Nishats study included a different set of performance parameters which include ROE, net profit margin, sales growth, Tobins Q and dividend yield. Moreover (Mir and Nishat, 2004) used secondary data from the annual statements. While (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005) study was based on secondary as well as on primary survey of different companies listed with Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). This study is different to (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005) as it extends the GOV-Score factor to 38 by adding the More than family members on the board to (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005)s study which was 37 factors. Rationale: As the global debate on corporate governance heats, the importance of this topic to any country-particularly any developing country-cannot be ignored. Being one of the important countries of South Asia, with immense trading potential and ideal geopolitical location, Pakistan has proactively pursued various policy reforms to stimulate its economic activity, in recent years (Mehwish Mumtaz, 2005). Pakistan stock market is one of the leading emerging markets in the world. It has gone through series of reforms and structural changes since 1991 (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005). Financial reforms during 1990s have influenced the pattern of capital structure, dividend policy and compliances to corporate governance (Nishat, 1999 Cited in Nishat and Shaheen, 2005). Better Corporate Governance is supposed to lead to better corporate performance by preventing expropriation of controlling shareholder and ensuring better decision-making (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005), (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997). Most of the research in the area of corporate governance is done for developed economies, as rich data is only available for these economies where active market for corporate control exists and the ownership concentration is low (Bohren and Odegaard 2001, Cited in Shaheen and Nishat, 2005). This study will fill the gap by analyzing the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance for the firms as previous studies lack a factor in GOV-SCORE i.e. more than one family member on board while measuring level of governance. As this variable was found very first time by Benjamin Ehikioya as in his study (Ehikioya, 2009). Theoretical Framework: Hypotheses and Theoretical Background: According to above mentioned literature following hypotheses are formed. H1: Better-governed firms have better operating performance Better and effective corporate governance minimizes the control rights of both stockholders and creditors confer on managers which increases the probability that managers will invest in positive NPV projects (Shleifer and Vishny, 1997) leading it to better operating performance, which is our first proxy to firm performance H2: Better-governed firms are more valuable (Gomper, Ishii, Metrick, 2003) and (Bebchuk, Cohen, Ferrell, 2004) show that firms with stronger stockholder rights have higher Tobins Q which is the proxy of firm value and suggest that better governed firms are more valuable which is second proxy for firm performance. H3: Better-governed firms pay more cash to stockholders Firms with smaller dividend payout have low earning growth, suggesting that better-governed firms payout more cash to stockholders, which our third proxy to firm performance (Arnott and Asness 2003, Cited in Nishat and Shaheen, 2005). Data and Methodology: Gov-Score will be used to measure the strength of a firm governance on the patterns of (Brown and Caylor, 2004), (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005) and (Y Attiya and R Iqbal, 2007). Computation of Gov-Score for 20 firms using data obtained from annual reports. The primary data will be collected through questionnaire containing 38 factors as either 0 ot 1depending on whether the firms governance standards. Then sum of each 38 binary variables to derive GOV-Score. This paper consider four performance measures spread across three categories: operating performance, valuation and shareholder payout. This paper selects two operating measures i.e. ROE and profit margin. One valuation measure i..e. Tobins Q and single measure of stockholder payout i.e. dividend yield. This paper adopts methodology used by (Nishat and Shaheeen, 2005) which involves two types of cross-sectional analyses. Firstly, correlation between Gov- Score with each industry-adjusted fundamental variable using Pearson and Spearman correlations. Then order Gov-Scores from highest to lowest (i.e., from best to worst governance), and analyze if firm performance differs in the extreme governance deciles. Next to assess which categories and factors are associated with expected/unexpected (good/bad) performance, we correlate the four performance measures with seven governance categories and 38 governance factors. Sample and Instrument: The sample size will be 20 firms listed in Karachi Sock Exchange. Convenience sampling technique will be used. A structured questionnaire will used containing 38 factors of governance spread across seven categories Works Cited Kanellos and George. (2007). Corporate Governance and Firm Performance: Results from Greek Firms. Arnott and Asness 2003, Cited in Nishat and Shaheen. (2005). Corpoirate Governance and firm performance AN exploratory Analysis. Bebchuk, Cohen, Ferrell. (2004). What matters in Corporate Governance. Bhagat and Black. (2002). The Non-orrelation Between Board Independence and Long Term Firm Performance. Journal of Corporation Law , 231-274. Bohren and Odegaard 2001, Cited in Shaheen and Nishat. (2005). Corpoirate Governance and firm performance AN exploratory Analysis. Brown and Caylor. (2004). Corporate Governance and Firm Performance. Byrnes et 2003, cited in Ehikioya. (2009). Corporate governace structure and firm performance in developing economies: evidence from nigeria. Cadbury 1992, Cited in Lee, Tin Yan Lam and Shu Kam. (2008). Chief executive officer duality and firm performance: Hong Kong. Corporate Governnace , 299-315. Coles et al 2001; Higgs, 2003; Zardkhoohi, 2005, Cited in Lam and Lee. (2008). Chief executive officer duality and firm performance: Hong Kong. Corporate Governnace , 299-315. Donaldson, 1990 cited in Lam and Lee. (2008). Chief executive officer duality and firm performance: Hong Kong. Corporate Governnace , 299-315. Ehikioya, B. I. (2009). Corporate governace structure and firm performance in developing economies: evidence from nigeria. Corporate Governance Vol. 9 No. 3 , 231-243. Fosberg 1989, Cited in BRown and Caylor. (2004). Corporate Governance and Firm Performance. Gomper, Ishii, Metrick. (2003). CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND EQUITY PRICES. Harforda, Mansib, and Maxwellc. (2006). Corporate Governance and Firm Cash Holdings. Jensen and Meckling, 1976; Fama and Jensen, 1983; cited in Brown and Caylor. (2004). Corporate Governance. Jensen and Mecklings 1976 cited in Lia,Wang and Deng. (2009). Iindependent directors, Ownership agency costs and financial distress: evidence from chinese companiess. Corporate governance , 622-636. Jhon and Senbet 1998, Cited in Brown and Caylor. (2004). Corporate Governance and Firm Performance. Kiel and Nicholson, 2003 Cited in Lam and Lee. (2008). Chief executive officer duality and firm performance: Hong Kong. Corporate Governnace , 299-315. Krivogorsky 2006, Cited in Li, Wand and Deng. (2008). Iindependent directors, Ownership agency costs and financial distress: evidence from chinese companiess Mehwish Mumtaz. (2005). Corporate GovernanceAdopt or Adapt. Dissertation, Judge institute of Management Sciences, University of Cambridge Research. Mir and Nishat. (2004). CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTAN- AN EMPIRICAL STUDY. Nishat and Shaheeen. (2005). Corpoirate Governance and firm performance AN exploratory Analysis. Nishat, 1999 Cited in Nishat and Shaheen. (2005). Corpoirate Governance and firm performance AN exploratory Analysis. Petra and Dorata. (2008). Corporate Governance CEO compensation. Corporate Governance , 141-152. Rechner and Dalton, 1991; Rhoades et al, 2001, Cited in Lam and Lee. (2008). Chief executive officer duality and firm performance: Hong Kong. Corporate Governnace , 299-315. Shleifer and Vishny. (1997). Asurvey of Corporate Governance. NBER Working Paper 5554. Y Attiya and R Iqbal. (2007). Relationship between corporate governance and its Indicators and firm value: A case study of KSE

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Ireland Essay -- essays research papers

Ireland   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ireland is a small island first settled in early 6000BC. It’s located to the west of Europe close to Great Britain. Through history Ireland has had many different influences and has been occupied by different types of people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early years, the Celtic people known as Gaels settled Ireland. This was sometime between 600 and 150BC. Gaelic people had many small kingdoms that were separated yet they all shared the common language of Gaelic. The Brehons kept order throughout Ireland, these were men that kept peace and made sure common rules and laws were followed. This system of independent ruling worked longer in Ireland than in other parts of Europe because nobody tried to conquer Ireland therefore there was no outside influence. During the Medieval time period in Ireland came the development of Celtic Christianity, they introduced St. Patrick into their religion. The Tuath(150 small kingdoms in Ireland) still remained and continued to function without European influence. The dark ages of Europe were the golden ages of Ireland. During this time period Ireland sent St. Columba and St. Columban into Europe, many manuscripts and books were written and religious arts and artistic achieve ments took place. In 1014the Irish Tuath formed an alliance against the invading Vikings and won. Brian Boru who was a king of one of the Tuatha kingdoms led the alliance. In 1171 England began its conquest to establish a co...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Reason and Religion in Fulgens and Lucres Essay -- Fulgens Lucres

Reason and Religion in Fulgens and Lucres      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Seeing that the main purpose of college is to educate, perhaps the college administration might take a lesson from the 16th Century citizenry of England and host a fantastic dinner play in the fashion of Medwall's famous, Fulgens and Lucres.   This interlude, small in cast members but big on Humanism, demanded that each viewer take an active role in the performance; the play, though covering many morals and ideologies, focused on the everyday interaction between the two seemingly opposite poles of religion and reason.   Though poising as mere dinner entertainment, Fulgens and Lucres served the goal of enlightening its audience toward the apex of the English Renaissance - the need to unite reason and religion within the life of each and every person.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before one can ponder over the relationship between reason and religion, a person must first receive the proper education.   As Sir Thomas Wyatt, Erasmus, and Sir Thomas More, the last being possibly an actor in this very play during his youth, claim throughout their works and letters, the key aspect to being a decent, contributing member of society rests in the pages of books, dwells within the classroom, and glitters on the lens of a telescope; knowledge undeniably holds the key to developing a logical, autonomous human being.   In his Book of the Governour, Wyatt developed his own theory as to the proper raising of a young boy so he could someday attain to reach a position in the royal court.   Although, he ludicrously clamored for the importance of a nurse's milk to the young infant and complete isolation from women during a boy's studies, Wyatt declares, "a tutor should be provided," (Wyatt 43) to the bo... ... Medwall raises the antey up a notch though, and proclaims that reason without religion will serve no justice.   Reason, when kept in check by religious beliefs, will, just like Lucres and Gayus, make for the perfect marriage and will guide the educated person down the path of enlightenment and true knowledge.    Works Cited and Consulted Baskerville, Charles R. 1927. 'Conventional Features of Medwall's Fulgens and Lucres'. Modern Philology 24: 419-42. Colley, J. S. 1975. 'Fulgens and Lucres: Politics and Aesthetics'. Zeitschrift fà ¼r Anglistik und Amerikanistik 23: 322-30. Jones, Robert C. 1971. 'The Stage and the 'Real' World in Medwall's Fulgens and Lucres'. Modern Language Quarterly 32: 131-42. Medwall, Henry. 1926. Fulgens & Lucres: A Fifteenth-Century Secular Play. Edited by F. S. Boas and A. W. Reed. Oxford: Clarendon Press.      

Friday, October 11, 2019

Odysseus’ Obstacles

Epic heroes must overcome obstacles in order to prove themselves true heroes. In The Odyssey by Homer many of the obstacles Odysseus encounters are female, monsters, and seducers. Odysseus overcomes many female obstacles such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. Ancient Greeks felt women were dangerous. Things would be different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he would have just fought them and won. Odysseus has many experiences with female characters such as Scylla, Circe, Sirens, and Calypso. In order to overcome these obstacles Odysseus had to go threw many difficulties. He ended up having affairs with Calypso and Circe. To overcome these obstacles he left them for Penelope. When Odysseus was stranded on Circe’s island he tried to escape waiting for boats to save him. He came in contact with many other female characters also after he escaped. The ancient Greeks thought women were very dangerous and tempting. If Odysseus never came in contact with Calypso or Circe he would have never had any affairs. If those affairs never started Odysseus would not have had an affair with Calypso for seven years. He also would not have had an affair with Circe meaning he would have returned to Ithaca sooner. His affairs were part of the reason for his delay. Things would have been different if Odysseus encountered more male obstacles because he could have fought them and would have won but from what we see Odysseus did not believe in physical abuse toward women, so he was also sexist. He did not believe in killing or hitting women. Throughout the book the only women he killed were his maids because they had sexual relations with the suitors. Therefore he could not kill or hit Circe or Calypso because they were good to him. If Odysseus did not encounter so many female obstacles he would have gotten to Ithaca quicker but he was an epic hero therefore he had to prove himself a true hero.