A Managerial Strategy Essay

The principal purpose and function of healthcare organizations is to ensure that their services. Above all their duties is geared towards caring for their patient’s health and emphasize the ability of the organization to serve their patients skillfully and responsibly. Further, they offer different types of services which include medical and behavioral health care services, accordingly, this includes public and community health care programs and in the contemporary scenario, corporate power. As a matter of fact, it has been stressed in The Well-Managed Healthcare Organization that in order to ensure that a healthcare organization is really doing its task of safeguarding the health of its patients (and not really attracting them to be its client), a health organization should improve the quality of its services (Griffith & White, 2006), which strengthens the argument of harnessing the managerial skills of healthcare practitioners. Moreover, it should also maintain a well-facilitated plant in which the patients are being accommodated.   Given with such instances, it highlights the perception that healthcare organizations are mandated to implement certain administrative methods to meet the mounting complications derived over by societal challenges (Griffith & White, 2006). One of the cited feasible and efficient techniques in achieving managerial success is proper organization of the activities and the developmental plan of the entity.   It is through the alignment of program objectives that the goals are obtained and prevents the rise of problems which deals with conflicts or miscommunication. If the programs are aligned well, then the members of the organization shall have a clear vision on what to expect, and oversee necessary changes so as to improve their performance.   Simple logic basically revolves in the verity of the strategy; common problems arise when the organization has no definite goals which lead to disorientation. Similar to that of business entities, healthcare practitioners must also take the challenge of facing the waves of managerial confrontations. Reference Griffith, J. R., & White, K. R. (2006). The Well-Managed Healthcare Organization (6th ed.). New York: Health Administration Press.

Hazards and Benefits of Science and Technology Essay

The last two centuries have seen monumental changes in our lives, brought forth by advancements in science and technology. These advancements have their hazards and benefits in the society. It is these negative and positive impacts that this paper will be looking at. Right from the days that men discovered how to make fire, discoveries have come streaming our way at an amazing rate. Telephones, cars, rockets and computers have all been brought by science. Undeniably these inventions have made our lives better and tolerable. The benefits reaped throigh the inventions in medicine cannot be underscored or under estimated. It has helped us to cope with our bodies and health in uncountable ways. The benefits of medicine now can enable us live a full life with the best health possible. Many epidemics in the early days caused immeasurable human sufferings and losses of untold magnitude, and so too could small pox and polio have done had it not been for science, leading to a discovery of effective vaccinations. Medicine is saving lives and giving patients a second chance to live. A heart surgery and a transplant had always been unimaginable and a patient with a heart ailment was considered to be living his/her last days. This however changed in the 20th century when the first heart transplant was conducted by Bernard. Medicine continues to help us fight deadly diseases while giving us an opportunity to take control of our lives. It is just but a matter of time that pandemics such as AIDS and diabetes will have a cure. These are just but a few examples of how medicine, occasioned by advents in science and technology, is benefiting our lives. Technology continues to ease communication in a phenomenal way. Looking at how far we have come amazes me even more- from the days of drums and smoke to a complete different era of digital technology where almost everything is done at the touch of a button. Now it is taking only a few seconds to communicate to somebody you are separated with by seas and vast lands. The hallmark of these inventions in the communication sector is the computer. It has revolutionalized our lives in ways that could not have been imagined before. Storage and retrieval of data has improved a lot, analysis of data and events is only now a matter of seconds. Telegraphs and tele faxes came but now they have been undertaken by the internet and mobile phones. Internet has also revolutionized research and information access which has become cheaper and fast. Business transactions are now completed at the touch of a key through e-commerce saving a great amount of time. The entertainment industry has not been left behind, with greater inventions seeking to improve the comfort and luxury of a modern person. Looking also at the citizen security and protection also highlights the benefits of science and technology. It is now possible to predict earthquakes, foul weather and other natural calamities that may befall humanity. This ensures that people raise their level of preparedness. In the energy field, experts are looking into new sources of renewable energy. With the day to day dangers and risks of ozone layer depletion, fossil fuel which is the lead cause of environmental depletion could soon be replaced by a more clearer and efficient hydrogen,which will be a permanent non polluting source of energy. It is clear for all to see how the inventions in science and technology continue to benefits the society in a great way. However, it is a two edged razor that also leads to adverse effects in ways that can lead to a miserable end to the humanity (Burby, R. J 15-25). Our world today is trying to grapple with how to cope with the hazards caused by the ever expanding inventions in science and technology. Developments in the science and technology sector in the last centuries have seen an increase of global warming occasioned by the continued depletion of the ozone later-a thin layer protecting the earth from the harmful radiations of the sun. This is greatly caused by; continued use of fossil fuel, air transportation and green house technology in farming just to mention a few. This has led to a change in climatic patterns, making it unpredictably hazardous to the humanity. The increased cases of earthquakes, droughts, floods and desertification have been attributed to global warming. Another example of the hazards brought forth by science and technology is the improvements of inventions in the art of warfare. The 20th century evidenced major inventions in weaponry used in the first and second world wars. The invention of ground and ballistic air missiles and most importantly the nuclear and biological war heads transformed warfare to another level. For the first time, human beings were faced with the reality that they could fight themselves to extinction. This was demonstrated when the United States of America responded to the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese. They reiterated by using nuclear bombing the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki expunging thousands of lives and wounding many more. This is a living example of how science and technology can lead to a hazardous end of humans. All in all, many people are on agreement that the few isolated hazards that can result from science and technology cannot water down the benefits arising from the same. A simple cost benefits analysis indicate that humanity stand to gain more as inventions in science and technology continue to be realized.

Practitioner Skills for Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practitioner Skills for Managers - Essay Example That is why the professionals do command a high acceptance and a premium price in the job markets around the world. There exists a big demand for managers who evince professionalism in their daily work routine. This demand gap in fact speaks a lot about the relevance of professionalism at the work place. Professional managers tend to carry an aura and charisma in their personalities that reflects the attitude and the ability to deliver positive results amidst all the incumbent resource crunches and constraints. It is this attitude to deliver results amidst all odds that facilitates the professional managers with decisive cutting edge proficiency. The mere presence of professional managers within an organization imbues it with the ability to deliver positive results and a decisive growth. Most of the successful organizations owe their success to the hard work of professional managers who make a distinctive attitudinal and practical difference at the work place. To a great extent profe ssionalism is all about numbers. In fact numbers play a major role in the success of any organization. Professionals do command the ability not only to make the numbers work for themselves, but also for the organization they serve. Numbers do aid the task of quantification of resources and effort that go into an organization and professionals do always know how to make the numbers work. To a great extent numbers have to do with data and information. Simply speaking data is a collection of facts that may include within its ambit, values or observations. Data may come as numbers, description of things, observations, measurements, words etc. There are two kinds of data that are qualitative data and quantitative data. Qualitative data mostly comprises of some descriptive information that is it tends to define something. Quantitative data comprises of numerical information and it tends to quantify things. It goes without saying that a progressive and innovative approach towards data coll ection and processing could go a long way in imbuing the organizations with an unprecedented efficiency and success (Williams 2002). An optimal hold over organizational data helps the organizations to configure efficiency and growth plans that are in tandem with their business goals (Williams 2002). Many a times it happens that the resources lying at the disposal of organizations do not happen to be in consonance with their growth objectives. Herein, a data centered approach towards things helps the organizations to customize their growth plans in accordance with the resources and inputs that they have at their disposal (Williams 2002). A data centered approach towards things also enables the organizations to optimize the resources and assets that they have to usher in growth, efficiency and proficiency (Williams 2002). In the current globalized scenario, the consumer preferences and aspirations happen to fluctuate at a fast pace. A data centered approach towards changing market and economic scenarios helps organizations inculcate a built in flexibility within their frameworks and strategies to respond quickly to the altering business needs (Williams 2002). Data also helps the organizations to exploit the available automation tools and technologies to enhance availability and service levels. Herein, one also cannot ignore the relevance of information. Simply speaking information is a stimulus that carries a meaning within a specific context for its receiver, which may be an individual or an organization. Information constitutes the foundation of contemporary business processes and planning. Information enables the organ

Math 157 course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Math 157 course - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that mathematics is a fundamental tool that is used to solve puzzles occurring in nature. Thus teaching mathematics not only provided learners with a useful concept but also problem-solving strategies. Data analysis is a fundamental concept that we covered in the first week through the course. This involves processes used to inspect, clean and model data to derive useful information.   In this context, data refers to raw information obtained from the field or a real experiment. Real data is more complex than data used for class practice. Complexities of real data required us to apply data analysis software such as SPSS and Stata. Moreover, data collection is a costly procedure and, therefore, statisticians require the knowledge of probability. The concept of probability explains the outcomes of random events and the likelihood of certain occurrences. These concepts are useful in determining samples in a field study or a survey. The concep ts of probability are established on the existence of a sample space consisting of possible outcomes and ratios that represent each possibility. For example, a coin tossing experiment has two outcomes and a sample space sample S = {H, T}, with P (H) =P (T) =  ½. In the third, fourth and fifth week we covered the concepts of geometry. Geometry provides essential mathematical concepts that are used to describe the size, shape and relative position of an object.

Excel 1 Assignment-- Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Excel 1 -- - Assignment Example The new value was used to determine the percentage reduction for each category. The findings show that both salaries & wages and employee benefits reduced by 10%, while the supplies and services reduced by 1% each. There were no reduction in capital outlays, central services, and transfers because values were zero. Besides, the total expenditure Arapahoe County 2014 budget reduced by 5% ($256,027). The rationale for adopting such a method aims to reduce the funds that originated from the general funds because those were the only funds that were impacted. Besides, the approach ensured we keep intact the essential services. From the analysis of the budgetary expenditure of the County Attorney Department, it is apparent that a percentage reduction of 10% is likely to reduce to the general budget by 5%. Therefore, department needs to adopt and implement a reduction of 10 percent. A reduction of departmental salaries, & wages, and employee benefit will reflect a similar reduction margin for the Arapahoe County budget. Although the salaries, wages, and employees result in 10% reduction, the suppliers and services reduce by 1%. We need to reduce the expenditures originating from the general funds by 10 % to 1 %, which I think is possible to ensure our institutions is in a better position to handle the problem of increasing spending. The impact of these changes brings a reduction of the total budget by 5%, which is a significant step toward the realisation of spending adjustment. It should be noted that my recommendation did take into account all the source of expenditures that come from the general fund. Th erefore, this should not raise an alarm but should act as a model for future decision-making. The model aims to achieve exactly 10% reduction from the general fund to ensure availability of funds for another department that has scaled up their activities and hence need additional funds. For that reason, the department should provide some measures are in place to

Cultural Differences in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Differences in Business - Essay Example It is important to consider that the United States is a developed economy, while Jamaica and China are emerging economies. China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and a member of the elite BRICS group. Jamaica on the other hand has struggled to adapt to the business realities of the 21st century. The article presented three ethical situations. The first scenario depicted the general position of businessmen in terms of pollution and environmental laws. Jamaica businessmen are more willing to disregard environmental laws in order to make a profit. The second scenario relates to bribes. In China businessmen are more willing to accept and give out bribes to land a business contract. This position probably is this way due to the centuries of communist regime China has lived through. The third ethical scenario concerned defective product. China was the country that showed the lowest disregard for quality issues. All three countries seemed to believe in the utilitarian et hical approach which implies that it is more important to attend to the countries concerns and needs than ethical matters. The use of positive economics was present within the article. Since the study is a peer review journal article positive economics was used often. ... I read the article twice and there is a slight possibility that no normative economic statements were used. The concept of economizing seemed to be more important within the Chinese culture. The fact that Chinese businesspeople are willing to provide lower quality goods is evidence that the businessmen in China prefer to save a buck to increase operating margins. Another potential reason that economizing is important in China is due to the fact that China has the highest population in the planet. Jamaica was the economy that had the worst market efficiency among the three countries and it also had the lowest uncertainty avoidance. The findings of the article suggested that during the last ten years the ethical positions have not change much in the three countries with the exception of Jamaica being willing to accept lower environmental standards to attract investor in an effort to jumpstart its struggling economy. China has moved away from its command economy and has become more of a free economy. This has been instrumental in the success this economy has had worldwide. China is the biggest exporter of manufactured goods in the globe. Overall the ethical tests showed that the United States as a developed economy has a higher ethical standard in business matters than China and Jamaica. References Fok, L., Hartman, S., Kwong, K. (2005). A Study of Differences in Business Ethical Values in Mainland China, the U.S., and Jamaica. Review of Business, 26(1).

Week 1 Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 1 Journal - Essay Example The death of the four poor men, namely Daniel Brillhart, Enrique Rubio and Daniel Moore, has ignited the minds of the Americans and compelled them to ponder over this intricate problem that had existed since long in the country and especially in California. The various news agencies have covered the issue in their columns and drawn our attention towards the personal life and history of the four persons. All four of them reportedly were men of good social and moral character. Though deprived of social status or recognition in society, they were god-fearing men who worked sincerely to make a living. Each one of them had a family and some relatives. They had lived a very happy and productive life before they abandoned their homes and joined the homeless population of the nation. They supposedly left their homes and families owing to adverse financial circumstances or social abandonment or drug-issues. They finally landed up in the encampments across San Francisco and took up a job to meet the basic needs of life- food, clothes and a temporary shelter. This story applies not only to those four deceased men, but to the entire homeless population of the US. Driven by financial deprivation and societal seclusion, these people escape from home s and families, to ultimately join the already overcrowded encampments of the homeless in the Silicon Valley. They live their lives as nameless, faceless and identity-less individuals who put up with the drudgeries of daily life to barely make sustenance. Despite the presence of a network of numerous shelter homes in the country, hundreds of homeless people die every year due to extreme cold. They live and die in a world of anonymity and isolation. To help them get rid of their homeless condition, the government should allocate sufficient resources for building up permanent housing facilities for these people. This would include the allocation of both financial resources and

MIH543 - Perspectives on Abuse Violence Module 5 - SLP Essay

MIH543 - Perspectives on Abuse Violence Module 5 - SLP - Essay Example What are the chances that this form of violence can be reduced? Abuse violence represents a prevalent issue for health care workers in many regions of the contemporary world. Health care workers critically need education in this area if they are to effectively function detect the occurrence of violent abuse in their patients and provide health care services to these individuals. Health care workers also need to be knowledgeable in the area of other services that patients who are experiencing violent abuse can be referred to for additional assistance and services. Various world regions are known to have high rates of familial violence and abuse. One such are of he world is the country of Iraq reported to be characterized by â€Å"extraordinarily high levels of cultural and institutional violence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Heartland alliance: International Programs, 2010) World wide it is reported that â€Å"one out of every here women†¦will be physically, sexually or otherwise abused during her lifetime with rates reaching 70 percent in some countries .† (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2004) The National Institute of Justice reports that there is a need for the development of a new protocol for health care providers who treat individuals affected by abuse and violence. This requires that health care workers world wide be on the receiving end of education and training to assist them in properly documenting and assessing abuse and violence that their patients have endured. The work of Tacket (2004) states that three actions are needed by health care services in regards to addressing the needs of patients who are abused violently: (1) improvement of information availability on domestic violence and services; (2) provision and acquisition of appropriate training for health care professionals; and (3) instituting systems of enquiry about domestic violence. Tacket (2004) reports that health care professionals and staff â€Å"should ideally receive

Virtue - Plato Essay Example for Free

Virtue Plato Essay And others who are mute auditors. The scene is laid in the house of Cephalus at the Piraeus; and the whole dialogue is narrated by Socrates the day after it actually took place to Timaeus Hermocrates, Critias, and a nameless person, who are introduced in the Timaeus. I WENT down yesterday to the Piraeus with Glaucon, the son of Ariston, that I might offer up my prayers to the goddess; and also because I wanted to see in what man- ner they would celebrate the festival, which was a new thing. I was delighted with the procession of the inhabitants; but that of the Thracians was equally, if not more, beautiful. When we had finished our prayers and viewed the spectacle, we turned in the direction of the city; and at that instant Polemarchus, the son of Cephalus, chanced to catch sight of us from a distance as we were starting on our way home, and told his servant to run and bid us wait for him. The servant took hold of me by the cloak behind, and said, Polemarchus desires you to wait. I turned round, and asked him where his master was. There he is, said the youth, coming after you, if you will only wait. Certainly we will, said Glaucon; and in a few minutes Polemarchus appeared, and with him Adeimantus, Glaucons brother, Niceratus, the son of Nicias, and several others who had been at the procession. Polemarchus said to me, I perceive, Socrates, that you and your companion are already on your way to the city. You are not far wrong, I said. But do you see, he rejoined, how many we are? Of course. And are you stronger than all these? for if not, you will have to remain where you are. May there not be the alternative, I said, that we may per- suade you to let us go? But can you persuade us, if we refuse to listen to you? he said. Certainly not, replied Glaucon. Then we are not going to listen; of that you may be assured. Adeimantus added: Has no one told you of the torch-race on horseback in honor of the goddess which will take place in the evening? With horses! I replied. That is a novelty. Will horsemen carry torches and pass them one to another during the race? Yes, said Polemarchus; and not only so, but a festival will be celebrated at night, which you certainly ought to see. Let us rise soon after supper and see this festival; there will be a gathering of young men, and we will have a good talk. Stay then, and do not be perverse. Glaucon said, I suppose, since you insist, that we must. Very good, I replied. Accordingly we went with Polemarchus to his house; and there we found his brothers Lysias and Euthydemus, and with them Thrasymachus the Chalcedonian, Charmantides the Paeanian, and Cleitophon, the son of Aristonymus. There too was Cephalus, the father of Polemarchus, whom I had not seen for a long time, and I thought him very much aged. He was seated on a cushioned chair, and had a garland on his head, for he had been sacrificing in the court; and there were some other chairs in the room arranged in a semicircle, upon which we sat down by him. He saluted me eagerly, and then he said: You dont come to see me, Socrates, as often as you ought: If I were still able to go and see you I would not ask you to come to me. But at my age I can hardly get to the city, and therefore you should come oftener to the Piraeus. For, let me tell you that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me are the pleasure and charm of conversation. Do not, then, deny my request, but make our house your re- sort and keep company with these young men; we are old friends, and you will be quite at home with us. I replied: There is nothing which for my part I like better, Cephalus, than conversing with aged men; for I regard them as travellers who have gone a journey which I too may have to go, and of whom I ought to inquire whether the way is smooth and easy or rugged and difficult. And this is a question which I should like to ask of you, who have arrived at that time which the poets call the threshold of old age: Is life harder toward the end, or what report do you give of it? I will tell you, Socrates, he said, what my own feeling is. Men of my age flock together; we are birds of a feather, as the old proverb says; and at our meetings the tale of my acquaintance commonly is: I cannot eat, I cannot drink; the pleasures of youth and love are fled away; there was a good time once, but now that is gone, and life is no longer life. Some complain of the slights which are put upon them by relations, and they will tell you sadly of how many evils their old age is the cause. But to me, Socrates, these complainers seem to blame that which is not really in fault. For if old age were the cause, I too, being old, and every other old man would have felt as they do. But this is not my own experi- ence, nor that of others whom I have known. How well I remember the aged poet Sophocles, when in answer to the question, How does love suit with age, Sophocles — are you still the man you were? Peace, he replied; most gladly have I escaped the thing of which you speak; I feel as if I had escaped from a mad and furious master. His words have often occurred to my mind since, and they seem as good to me now as at the time when he uttered them. For certainly old age has a great sense of calm and freedom; when the pas- sions relax their hold, then, as Sophocles says, we are freed from the grasp not of one mad master only, but of many. The truth is, Socrates, that these regrets, and also the complaints about relations, are to be attributed to the same cause, which is not old age, but mens characters and tempers; for he who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden. I listened in admiration, and wanting to draw him out, that he might go on — Yes, Cephalus, I said; but I rather suspect that people in general are not convinced by you when you speak thus; they think that old age sits lightly upon you, not because of your happy disposition, but because you are rich, and wealth is well known to be a great comforter. You are right, he replied; they are not convinced: and there is something in what they say; not, however, so much as they imagine. I might answer them as Themistocles answered the Seriphian who was abusing him and saying that he was famous, not for his own merits but because he was an Athenian: If you had been a native of my country or I of yours, neither of us would have been famous. And to those who are not rich and are impatient of old age, the same reply may be made; for to the good poor man old age can- not be a light burden, nor can a bad rich man ever have peace with himself. May I ask, Cephalus, whether your fortune was for the most part inherited or acquired by you? Acquired! Socrates; do you want to know how much I acquired? In the art of making money I have been midway between my father and grandfather: for my grandfather, whose name I bear, doubled and trebled the value of his patrimony, that which he inherited being much what I possess now; but my father, Lysanias, reduced the property below what it is at present; and I shall be satisfied if I leave to these my sons not less, but a little more, than I received. That was why I asked you the question, I replied, because I see that you are indifferent about money, which is a characteristic rather of those who have inherited their fortunes than of those who have acquired them; the makers of fortunes have a second love of money as a creation of their own, resembling the affection of authors for their own poems, or of parents for their children, besides that natural love of it for the sake of use and profit which is common to them and all men. And hence they are very bad company, for they can talk about nothing but the praises of wealth. That is true, he said. Yes, that is very true, but may I ask another question? — What do you consider to be the greatest blessing which you have reaped from your wealth? One, he said, of which I could not expect easily to convince others. For let me tell you, Socrates, that when a man thinks himself to be near death, fears and cares enter into his mind which he never had before; the tales of a world below and the punishment which is exacted there of deeds done here were once a laughing matter to him, but now he is tormented with the thought that they may be true: either from the weakness of age, or because he is now drawing nearer to that other place, he has a clearer view of these things; suspicions and alarms crowd thickly upon him, and he begins to reflect and consider what wrongs he has done to others. And when he finds that the sum of his transgressions is great he will many a time like a child start up in his sleep for fear, and he is filled with dark forebodings. But to him who is conscious of no sin, sweet hope, as Pindar charmingly says, is the kind nurse of his age: Hope, he says, cherishes the soul of him who lives in justice and holiness, and is the nurse of his age and the companion of his journey — hope which is mightiest to sway the restless soul of man. How admirable are his words! And the great blessing of riches, I do not say to every man, but to a good man, is, that he has had no occasion to deceive or to defraud others, either intentionally or unintentionally; and when he departs to the world below he is not in any apprehension about offerings due to the gods or debts which he owes to men. Now to this peace of mind the possession of wealth greatly contributes; and there-fore I say, that, setting one thing against another, of the many advantages which wealth has to give, to a man of sense this is in my opinion the greatest. Well said, Cephalus, I replied; but as concerning justice, what is it? — to speak the truth and to pay your debtsno more than this? And even to this are there not exceptions? Sup- pose that a friend when in his right mind has deposited arms with me and he asks for them when he is not in his right mind, ought I to give them back to him? No one would say that I ought or that I should be right in doing so, any more than they would say that I ought always to speak the truth to one who is in his condition. You are quite right, he replied. But then, I said, speaking the truth and paying your debts is not a correct definition of justice. Quite correct, Socrates, if Simonides is to be believed, said Polemarchus, interposing. I fear, said Cephalus, that I must go now, for I have to look after the sacrifices, and I hand over the argument to Polem- archus and the company. Is not Polemarchus your heir? I said. To be sure, he answered, and went away laughing to the sacrifices. Tell me then, O thou heir of the argument, what did Simonides say, and according to you, truly say, about justice? He said that the repayment of a debt is just, and in saying so he appears to me to be right. I shall be sorry to doubt the word of such a wise and inspired man, but his meaning, though probably clear to you, is the re- verse of clear to me. For he certainly does not mean, as we were just now saying, that I ought to return a deposit of arms or of anything else to one who asks for it when he is not in his right senses; and yet a deposit cannot be denied to be a debt. True. Then when the person who asks me is not in his right mind I am by no means to make the return? Certainly not. When Simonides said that the repayment of a debt was jus- tice, he did not mean to include that case? Certainly not; for he thinks that a friend ought always to do good to a friend, and never evil. You mean that the return of a deposit of gold which is to the injury of the receiver, if the two parties are friends, is not the repayment of a debt — that is what you would imagine him to say? Yes. And are enemies also to receive what we owe to them? To be sure, he said, they are to receive what we owe them; and an enemy, as I take it, owes to an enemy that which is due or proper to himthat is to say, evil. Simonides, then, after the manner of poets, would seem to have spoken darkly of the nature of justice; for he really meant to say that justice is the giving to each man what is proper to him, and this he termed a debt. That must have been his meaning, he said. By heaven! I replied; and if we asked him what due or proper thing is given by medicine, and to whom, what answer do you think that he would make to us? He would surely reply that medicine gives drugs and meat and drink to human bodies. And what due or proper thing is given by cookery, and to what? Seasoning to food. And what is that which justice gives, and to whom? If, Socrates, we are to be guided at all by the analogy of the preceding instances, then justice is the art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies. That is his meaning, then? I think so. And who is best able to do good to his friends and evil to his enemies in time of sickness? The physician. Or when they are on a voyage, amid the perils of the sea? The pilot. And in what sort of actions or with a view to what result is the just man most able to do harm to his enemy and good to his friend? In going to war against the one and in making alliances with the other. But when a man is well, my dear Polemarchus, there is no need of a physician? No. And he who is not on a voyage has no need of a pilot? No. Then in time of peace justice will be of no use? I am very far from thinking so. You think that justice may be of use in peace as well as in war? Yes. Like husbandry for the acquisition of corn? Yes. Or like shoemaking for the acquisition of shoes — that is what you mean? Yes. And what similar use or power of acquisition has justice in time of peace? In contracts, Socrates, justice is of use. And by contracts you mean partnerships? Exactly. But is the just man or the skilful player a more useful and better partner at a game of draughts? The skilful player. And in the laying of bricks and stones is the just man a more useful or better partner than the builder? Quite the reverse. Then in what sort of partnership is the just man a better partner than the harp-player, as in playing the harp the harp- player is certainly a better partner than the just man? In a money partnership. Yes, Polemarchus, but surely not in the use of money; for you do not want a just man to be your counsellor in the purchase or sale of a horse; a man who is knowing about horses would be better for that, would he not? Certainly. And when you want to buy a ship, the shipwright or the pilot would be better? True. Then what is that joint use of silver or gold in which the just man is to be preferred? When you want a deposit to be kept safely. You mean when money is not wanted, but allowed to lie? Precisely. That is to say, justice is useful when money is useless? That is the inference. And when you want to keep a pruning-hook safe, then justice is useful to the individual and to the State; but when you want to use it, then the art of the vine-dresser? Clearly. And when you want to keep a shield or a lyre, and not to use them, you would say that justice is useful; but when you want to use them, then the art of the soldier or of the musician? Certainly. And so of all other things —justice is useful when they are useless, and useless when they are useful? That is the inference. Then justice is not good for much. But let us consider this further point: Is not he who can best strike a blow in a boxing match or in any kind of fighting best able to ward off a blow? Certainly. And he who is most skilful in preventing or escaping from a disease is best able to create one? True. And he is the best guard of a camp who is best able to steal a march upon the enemy? Certainly. Then he who is a good keeper of anything is also a good thief? That, I suppose, is to be inferred. Then if the just man is good at keeping money, he is good at stealing it. implied in the argument. That is Then after all, the just man has turned out to be a thief. And this is a lesson which I suspect you must have learnt out of Homer; for he, speaking of Autolycus, the maternal grand- father of Odysseus, who is a favorite of his, affirms that He was excellent above all men in theft and perjury. And so, you and Homer and Simonides are agreed that justice is an art of theft; to be practised, however, for the good of friends and for the harm of enemies — that was what you were saying? No, certainly not that, though I do not now know what I did say; but I still stand by the latter words. Well, there is another question: By friends and enemies do we mean those who are so really, or only in seeming? Surely, he said, a man may be expected to love those whom he thinks good, and to hate those whom he thinks evil. Yes, but do not persons often err about good and evil: many who are not good seem to be so, and conversely? That is true. Then to them the good will be enemies and the evil will be their friends? True. And in that case they will be right in doing good to the evil and evil to the good? Clearly. But the good are just and would not do an injustice? True. Then according to your argument it is just to injure those who do no wrong? Nay, Socrates; the doctrine is immoral. Then I suppose that we ought to do good to the just and harm to the unjust? that better. I like But see the consequence: Many a man who is ignorant of human nature has friends who are bad friends, and in that case he ought to do harm to them; and he has good enemies whom he ought to benefit; but, if so, we shall be saying the very op- posite of that which we affirmed to be the meaning of Simonides. Very true, he said; and I think that we had better correct an error into which we seem to have fallen in the use of the words friend and enemy. What was the error, Polemarchus? I asked. We assumed that he is a friend who seems to be or who is thought good. And how is the error to be corrected? We should rather say that he is a friend who is, as well as seems, good; and that he who seems only and is not good, only seems to be and is not a friend; and of an enemy the same may be said. You would argue that the good are our friends and the bad our enemies? Yes. And instead of saying simply as we did at first, that it is just to do good to our friends and harm to our enemies, we should further say: It is just to do good to our friends when they are good, and harm to our enemies when they are evil? Yes, that appears to me to be the truth. But ought the just to injure anyone at all? Undoubtedly he ought to injure those who are both wicked and his enemies. When horses are injured, are they improved or deteriorated? The latter. Deteriorated, that is to say, in the good qualities of horses, not of dogs? Yes, of horses. And dogs are deteriorated in the good qualities of dogs, and not of horses? Of course. And will not men who are injured be deteriorated in that which is the proper virtue of man? Certainly. And that human virtue is justice? To be sure. Then men who are injured are of necessity made unjust? That is the result. But can the musician by his art make men unmusical? Certainly not. Or the horseman by his art make them bad horsemen? Impossible. And can the just by justice make men unjust, or speaking generally, can the good by virtue make them bad? Assuredly not. Any more than heat can produce cold? It cannot. Or drought moisture? Clearly not. Nor can the good harm anyone? Impossible. And the just is the good? Certainly. Then to injure a friend or anyone else is not the act of a just man, but of the opposite, who is the unjust? I think that what you say is quite true, Socrates. Then if a man says that justice consists in the repayment of debts, and that good is the debt which a just man owes to his friends, and evil the debt which he owes to his enemies — to say this is not wise; for it is not true, if, as has been clearly shown, the injuring of another can be in no case just. I agree with you, said Polemarchus. Then you and I are prepared to take up arms against anyone who attributes such a saying to Simonides or Bias or Pittacus, or any other wise man or seer? I am quite ready to do battle at your side, he said. Shall I tell you whose I believe the saying to be? Whose? I believe that Periander or Perdiccas or Xerxes or Ismenias the Theban, or some other rich and mighty man, who had a great opinion of his own power, was the first to say that justice is doing good to your friends and harm to your enemies. Most true, he said. Yes, I said; but if this definition of justice also breaks down, what other can be offered? Several times in the course of the discussion Thrasymachus had made an attempt to get the argument into his own hands, and had been put down by the rest of the company, who wanted to hear the end. But when Polemarchus and I had done speaking and there was a pause, he could no longer hold his peace; and, gathering himself up, he came at us like a wild beast, seeking to devour us. We were quite panic-stricken at the sight of him. He roared out to the whole company: What folly, Socrates, has taken possession of you all? And why, sillybillies, do you knock under to one another? I say that if you want really to know what justice is, you should not only ask but answer, and you should not seek honor to yourself from the refutation of an opponent, but have your own answer; for there is many a one who can ask and cannot answer. And now I will not have you say that justice is duty or advantage or profit or gain or interest, for this sort of nonsense will not do for me; I must have clearness and accuracy. I was panic-stricken at his words, and could not look at him without trembling. Indeed I believe that if I had not fixed my eye upon him, I should have been struck dumb: but when I saw his fury rising, I looked at him first, and was therefore able to reply to him. Thrasymachus, I said, with a quiver, dont be hard upon us. Polemarchus and I may have been guilty of a little mistake in the argument, but I can assure you that the error was not in- tentional. If we were seeking for a piece of gold, you would not imagine that we were knocking under to one another, and so losing our chance of finding it. And why, when we are seeking for justice, a thing more precious than many pieces of gold, do you say that we are weakly yielding to one another and not doing our utmost to get at the truth? Nay, my good friend, we are most willing and anxious to do so, but the fact is that we cannot. And if so, you people who know all things should pity us and not be angry with us. How characteristic of Socrates! he replied, with a bitter laugh; thats your ironical style! Did I not foresee — have I not already told you, that whatever he was asked he would refuse to answer, and try irony or any other shuffle, in order that he might avoid answering? You are a philosopher, Thrasymachus, I replied, and well know that if you ask a person what numbers make up twelve, taking care to prohibit him whom you ask from answering twice six, or three times four, or six times two, or four times three, for this sort of nonsense will not do for me — then obviously, if that is your way of putting the question, no one can answer you. But suppose that he were to retort: Thrasymachus, what do you mean? If one of these numbers which you interdict be the true answer to the question, am I falsely to say some other number which is not the right one? — is that your meaning? — How would you answer him? Just as if the two cases were at all alike! he said. Why should they not be? I replied; and even if they are not, but only appear to be so to the person who is asked, ought he not to say what he thinks, whether you and I forbid him or not? I presume then that you are going to make one of the interdicted answers? I dare say that I may, notwithstanding the danger, if upon reflection I approve of any of them. But what if I give you an answer about justice other and better, he said, than any of these? What do you deserve to have done to you? Done to me! — as becomes the ignorant, I must learn from the wise — that is what I deserve to have done to me. What, and no payment! A pleasant notion! I will pay when I have the money, I replied. But you have, Socrates, said Glaucon: and you, Thrasyma- chus, need be under no anxiety about money, for we will all make a contribution for Socrates. Yes, he replied, and then Socrates will do as he always does — refuse to answer himself, but take and pull to pieces the answer of someone else. Why, my good friend, I said, how can anyone answer who knows, and says that he knows, just nothing; and who, even if he has some faint notions of his own, is told by a man of authority not to utter them? The natural thing is, that the speaker should be someone like yourself who professes to know and can tell what he knows. Will you then kindly answer, for the edification of the company and of myself? Glaucon and the rest of the company joined in my request, and Thrasymachus, as anyone might see, was in reality eager to speak; for he thought that he had an excellent answer, and would distinguish himself. But at first he affected to insist on my answering; at length he consented to begin. Behold, he said, the wisdom of Socrates; he refuses to teach himself, and goes about learning of others, to whom he never even says, Thank you. That I learn of others, I replied, is quite true; but that I am ungrateful I wholly deny. Money I have none, and therefore I pay in praise, which is all I have; and how ready I am to praise anyone who appears to me to speak well you will very soon find out when you answer; for I expect that you will answer well. Listen, then, he said; I proclaim that justice is nothing else than the interest of the stronger. And now why do you not praise me? But of course you wont. Let me first understand you, I replied. Justice, as you say, is the interest of the stronger. What, Thrasymachus, is the meaning of this? You cannot mean to say that because Polyd- amas, the pancratiast, is stronger than we are, and finds the eating of beef conducive to his bodily strength, that to eat beef is therefore equally for our good who are weaker than he is, and right and just for us? Thats abominable of you, Socrates; you take the words in the sense which is most damaging to the argument. Not at all, my good sir, I said; I am trying to understand them; and I wish that you would be a little clearer. Well, he said, have you never heard that forms of govern- ment differ — there are tyrannies, and there are democracies, and there are aristocracies? Yes, I know. And the government is the ruling power in each State? Certainly. And the different forms of government make laws demo- cratical, aristocratical, tyrannical, with a view to their several interests; and these laws, which are made by them for their own interests, are the justice which they deliver to their subjects, and him who transgresses them they punish as a breaker of the law, and unjust. And that is what I mean when I say that in all States there is the same principle of justice, which is the interest of the government; and as the government must be supposed to have power, the only reasonable conclusion is that everywhere there is one principle of justice, which is the interest of the stronger. Now I understand you, I said; and whether you are right or not I will try to discover. But let me remark that in defining justice you have yourself used the word interest, which you forbade me to use. It is true, however, that in your definition the words of the stronger are added. A small addition, you must allow, he said. Great or small, never mind about that: we must first inquire whether what you are saying is the truth. Now we are both agreed that justice is interest of some sort, but you go on to say of the stronger; about this addition I am not so sure, and must therefore consider further. Proceed. I will; and first tell me, Do you admit that it is just for sub- jects to obey their rulers? I do. But are the rulers of States absolutely infallible, or are they sometimes liable to err? To be sure, he replied, they are liable to err? Then in making their laws they may sometimes make them rightly, and sometimes not? True. When they make them rightly, they make them agreeably to their interest; when they are mistaken, contrary to their in- terest; you admit that? Yes. And the laws which they make must be obeyed by their sub- jectsand that is what you call justice? Doubtless. Then justice, according to your argument, is not only obedience to the interest of the stronger, but the reverse? What is that you are saying? he asked. I am only repeating what you are saying, I believe. But let us consider: Have we not admitted that the rulers may be mistaken about their own interest in what they command, and also that to obey them is justice? Has not that been admitted? Yes. Then you must also have acknowledged justice not to be for the interest of the stronger, when the rulers unintentionally command things to be done which are to their own injury. For if, as you say, justice is the obedience which the subject renders to their commands, in that case, O wisest of men, is there any escape from the conclusion that the weaker are commanded to do, not what is for the interest, but what is for the injury of the stronger? Nothing can be clearer, Socrates, said Polemarchus. Yes, said Cleitophon, interposing, if you are allowed to be his witness. But there is no need of any witness, said Polemarchus, for Thrasymachus himself acknowledges that rulers may some- time command what is not for their own interest, and that for subjects to obey them is justice. Yes, Polemarchus — Thrasymachus said that for subjects to do what was commanded by their rulers is just. Yes, Cleitophon, but he also said that justice is the interest of the stronger, and, while admitting both these propositions, he further acknowledged that the stronger may command the weaker who are his subjects to do what is not for his own interest; whence follows that justice is the injury quite as much as the interest of the stronger. But, said Cleitophon, he meant by the interest of the stronger what the stronger thought to be his interest — this was what the weaker had to do; and this was affirmed by him to be justice. Those were not his words, rejoined Polemarchus. Never mind, I replied, if he now says that they are, let us accept his statement. Tell me, Thrasymachus, I said, did you mean by justice what the stronger thought to be his interest, whether really so or not? Certainly not, he said. Do you suppose that I call him who is mistaken the stronger at the time when he is mistaken? Yes, I said, my impression was that you did so, when you admitted that the ruler was not infallible, but might be sometimes mistaken. You argue like an informer, Socrates. Do you mean, for example, that he who is mistaken about the sick is a physician in that he is mistaken? or that he who errs in arithmetic or grammar is an arithmetician or grammarian at the time when he is making the mistake, in respect of the mistake? True, we say that the physician or arithmetician or grammarian has made a mistake, but this is only a way of speaking; for the fact is that neither the grammarian nor any other person of skill ever makes a mistake in so far as he is what his name implies; they none of them err unless their skill fails them, and then they cease to be skilled artists. No artist or sage or ruler errs at the time when he is what his name implies; though he is commonly said to err, and I adopted the common mode of speaking. But to be perfectly accurate, since you are such a lover of accuracy, we should say that the ruler, in so far as he is a ruler, is unerr- ing, and, being unerring, always commands that which is for his own interest; and the subject is required to execute his com- mands; and therefore, as I said at first and now repeat, justice is the interest of the stronger. Indeed, Thrasymachus, and do I really appear to you to argue like an informer? Certainly, he replied. And do you suppose that I ask these questions with any de- sign of injuring you in the argument? Nay, he replied, suppose is not the word — I know it; but you will be found out, and by sheer force of argument you will never prevail.

Wanting to Do all, Able to Do All Essay Example for Free

Wanting to Do all, Able to Do All Essay HEROISM is a common matter of concern for many people today. Unknowingly, most of us could not deny wanting to be someone who would be able to make a difference in the community that we live in. Yes, everybody wants change, and who would not want to have the power to imply that change in the current systems of things to be able to gain a better life? It is certainly a fantasy for everyone else to have a special cause of living that does not only affect one’s own life but that of the others to turn the systems of things for a better cause of living. For the author of this paper, being a superhero certainly fulfills this dream. I acquired my powers when I wished on a falling star. I never thought it would come true, and I never imagined it would happen this way. But as I said it, I wished on a falling star that I would be able to save people during emergencies or accidents in any place they may need help. I actually meant shift shaping to be able to transport in different areas where people would likely need my help. I knew what I asked for would be an impossible thing to happen, and yet, as I began living my life after that day, I felt something changing every time I am urged to help someone. It all started when I saw an old lady being robbed by three men in a narrow street. I felt that my feet became stronger like as if I am a horse and I am able to run so fast that even though there were three of them, I was able to overcome their strength and was able to get the old lady her things back. I shaped shift at once as I handed to her her purse and her other bag. Stunned as she was, I was still not able to believe what I just did. I never thought I could do anything like that in any way at all. After that day, I was walking by the seashore and saw a ship sailing by. Minutes later, I realized that the some I was seeing from it from afar was not coming from the machine towers of the ship but from a burnt area of the said vessel. Again, I felt the urge to move towards the vessel and do something. It seemed like within just a minute, there I was pushing the ship towards the seashore while swimming in a really fast speed. While everything was still a mystery to me, the next day came. I went to camp outside with my friends in a nearby mountain top. I realized that a plane was hovering over our camp area and was giving signs of crashing down. It was a passenger plane as I observed, as my friends just kept staying, I felt my feet flying off from the ground and there I was carrying the plane itself safely down to landing. Certainly, these experiences during the first three days of my heroism were such startling events in my life. Little did I know that what I wished on the falling star actually came true. Every time I see somebody or some people about to meet an accident or simply needing my help, my body responds to the needed change of physique that I need to be able to save the supposed victims of the said events. What was much startling to me is that, why don’t the people react as I shift shape right in front of their eyes. Of course, there should be some surprising facial expressions from them when they see me taking fast changes right before their eyes. I then found out that every time I shift my physique to the kind of creature that I need to be as I am about to save the victims, I become invisible as well. This makes the people actually wonder where I came from when I go back to my normal physique and give them back what they lost from robbers or save them from any possible vehicle accident that almost killed them. They do not actually know who I am and they have no idea where I came from. I appear like an ordinary person who appeared from nowhere right in front of them. At first, this made me feel unhappy about the super powers that have been given me. However, as I thought things through, I knew the lesson that there is indeed no need to be recognized by others if what you do for them really came from the heart, because the satisfaction does not come from the recognition that they are going to give you but from the fact that you know that you have done something good for your fellowman.

Season Of Migration To The North | Analysis

Season Of Migration To The North | Analysis Season of Migration to the North tells the story of Mustafa Saeed, a prodigy from Sudan who goes to study first in Cairo and then in London, where he hunts women but eventually falls for one himself. After a marriage consummated by violence and a prison sentence, he returns to Sudan, moving to a small village on the Nile, where he marries again and has children. He disappears mysteriously in a flood. Season of Migration to the North is complex, in its framing, in its episodic style, in its use of metaphor, and in the variety of material it canvasses. It touches on colonial arrogance, sexual mores and the status of women, the politics of independent Sudan, and more. There are lyrical fragments with no direct connection to the story, describing the rhythms of agriculture, travel along the Nile, a spontaneous night celebration by travellers in the desert, and so forth. And there are references to European novels about encounters with the exotic in Africa and the Middle East. Most of thi s is only hinted at, and never elaborated on, but there is enough here to keep students of post-colonial literature busy for a long time. Season of Migration to the North is short and immediate, however, and can be appreciated without any literary theory. http://dannyreviews.com/h/Season_Migration_North.html Most of the rest of the novel concerns his recollections of the exceedingly strange story that MS tells him a story which haunts and oppresses, yet also challenges him in terms of defining his own value system in postcolonial Sudanese society in the context of the new rulers of Africa, smooth of face, lupine of mouth, in suits of fine mohair and expensive silk (118). The life story MS had narrated began with the account of his (British, colonial) schooling, which had led him to the discovery of his own mind, like a sharp knife, cutting with cold effectiveness (22). So brilliant is he that from Khartoum he is sent to Cairo and then to London for advanced study here he is nicknamed the black Englishman (54). In British society he becomes a sexual predator, setting up as his lair a room seductively decorated with ersatz African paraphernalia. Englishwomen of a wide range of classes and ages easily succumb to and are destroyed by him. Three of these women are driven to suicide; while he eventually murders the most provocative of them, who had humiliated and taunted him before and also during their stormy marriage. This act (a sort of sex-murder) is in his own eyes, however, the grand consummation of his life: The sensation that I have bedded the goddess of Death and gazed out upon Hell from the aperture of her eyes its a feeling no man can imagine. The taste of that night stays on in my mouth, preventing me from savouring anything else. (153) Elsewhere MS says of this relationship that he was the invader who had come from the South, and this was the icy battlefield from which [he] would not make a safe return (160). On his return to the village, the narrator at last enters a secret room that MS had built next to his home a replica of a British gentlemans drawing room! Pride of place has been given to MSs painting of his white wife, Jean Morris. The room also contains a book, purportedly the Life Story of MS, dedicated To those who see with one eye and see things as either Eastern or Western (150-151). This brief account cannot accommodate the complicated structure, subtle allusiveness and richly metaphoric style of this difficult text, but may give some indication of its ironic (or sardonic) perspective and of its deep and lasting relevance to the political and cultural predicament of many Africans. Its demonstration of the harsh parallels between colonial racism and local sexism confirms that this text is, as Salih himself has stated, a plea for toleration at all levels. It is an unforgettable work. http://www.arabworldbooks.com/Readers2004/articles/tayebsaleh2E.html That being said, the second storyline, told by Mustafa, a stranger to the village, revolves around him using weak British women for sex and then leaving them so heart-broken they turn to suicide. While its easy to read this as a comment more on colonisation, I still felt uncomfortable seeing so many women reduced to objects or symbols. Since Mustafa was telling the story, though, I believe the objectification rested with him and his character, as opposed to Salih. This didnt necessarily make reading it any more pleasant, but it did justify it, for me at least. Can you sense the murkiness I feel on this aspect of the book? My wrestling with it made my experience of the book less enjoyable, but it didnt diminish the books worth in my eyes. I didnt feel a similar inner battle over the issues of colonisation raised in the book. Mustafa is the primary engine of this; he tells his story of being a smart, poor kid from Sudan who ends up going first to Cairo and then to London to become a fa mous economics professor who simultaneously seems to spend most of his energy sleeping with white British women. He basically learns how to turn British prejudices about the exotic to his advantage, and he talks about seducing girls with stories of imaginary animals running across the harsh, evocative landscape of his childhood. Throughout his narrative, hes portrayed as lacking something vitally human, a kind of warmth towards his fellow species that leaves him all cold intellectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦as a young boy, he doesnt know how to connect with his schoolmates and doesnt even seem bothered by his friendlessness. And once hes an adult, while he must enjoy sex (why else seduce so many women?), he never feels any emotional attachment to the women, and I dont think he even sees it as a way to connect so much as a way to use and dominate. None of the women he encounters are ever shown as real human beings, although the only one to resist him does have more complexity about her than the o thers. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, its all too easy to read this as a metaphor for colonisation. But even while Salih is exploring this, he never makes it a black-and-white issueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦nuances and complexities are explored, and he leaves up to the reader to try to figure out whats being said Your comments on Mustafas emotional coldness exploitation of white women even as theyre also exploiting him reminds me SO strongly of Ellisons Invisible Man, and the narrators conflicted relationship with white women in that novel. Like you with Season of Migration to the North, I was never sure how to feel about that aspect of the story, especially since I cant help locating the objectification with Ellison as well as his narrator. Complicated stuff. During the whole story I was anticipating a shocking twist at the end where we find out that Mustafa Saeed and the narrator are the same person. At the end of the book I noticed the narrator was swimming in the Nile river when he finally decides consciously on living, and that Mustafa Saeed had dissapeared earlier in the story while swimming in the Nile. This suggests possibly that they are the same character, although not clearly enough to leave me satisfied with such a conclusion. Over at wikipedia they must have had a similar idea, because they described Mustafa Saeed as the narrators doppelganger. Their explanation lead me to believe that maybe the narrator had came back so shook from his experience in the West that he didnt know if he wanted to live anymore, and so he had viewed himself in 3rd person through the character of Mustafa Saeed and then finally decided on living while swimming the Nile! NYRB Classics: Season of Migration to the North and Alone!  Alone! Font and Edna return to Egypt at the eruption of the Suez crisis, but Ram stays on in Britain, is ejected because his visa has lapsed, and then works for a period in a factory in Germany. He is afraid of seeing Edna again when he gets back to Cairo and he also avoids seeing Didi Nackla, a young Egyptian journalist who had later lived with them in London. There he had turned to Didi, despairing of Ednas feelings for him, and initiated a sexual relationship with her. Self-deprecating as he is, Ram allows us only glimpses of the actually hugely risky political business he is engaged in. He has been collecting evidence of the torture and murder of political activists in Egyptian jails, where (in a pattern typical of this society) wealthier or higher-class prisoners will not be subjected to such treatment. http://www.litnet.co.za/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_news_itemnews_id=51970cause_id=1270 England is leaving Egypt, finally, in 1954. The Egyptian army has overthrown the royal family and instituted a republican system that both embodies the nationalistic and progressive hope of many Egyptians, and also becomes increasingly repressive. The characters, Ram and Font, are Egyptians who are Anglophone and upper class, and so are out of touch with the new order. Ram is an educated, well-connected Copt, probably in his mid-twenties. His best friend is Font, another Copt. Ram and Font spent four years in England and are obsessed with English civilization and culture, but they also despise British colonialism and hypocrisy and they participated in guerilla fighting against the British during the Suez War. The Egypt of BEER IN THE SNOOKER CLUB is at a stage of political, economic, and religious uncertainty or indecision. One of the central issues of the novel is, What is an Egyptian? And the same uncertainty or indecision extends to Rams personal life: what to do with himself, whether or not to live attached to the purse strings of his rich aunt, whether or not to marry, and who? He has been educated in the British school system in Cairo, and dreaming of the mythical London of Piccadilly Circus and pubs, he and his best friends, Font and Edna, travel to England to experience sexual and political freedom and find as well dreariness and meanness and small-mindedness. There he and his lover, Edna, drift apart, and he returns to Cairo understanding that England has killed something natural in him. Sunday, May 20, 2007 How to be kind? And thoughts on Beer in the Snooker Club It occurs to me that people in England, at least, are starved of opportunities to be kind, to be useful. If one watches the eagerness with which people jump up on the bus when someone even approaching old age gets on, and the keenness with which a stranger directs you to the address you cannot find, or gives unsolicited advice in a shop, then one feels the terrible and unexploited desire to be good, when so many situations call for one to be cynical: critical and uncompromising for fear of being taken advantage of, being laughed at, being unnatural. Our suspicion is thus killing something in us, for it reveals to us day in, day out, the frightful, hard, trapped creature we have become, with our knowing faces frozen in a semi-permanent frown or sneer. On a suffocating coach ride, Bath-London, the hulking vehicle turned a difficult corner, and I observed from the window an elderly man making a signal to the driver that is was clear and safe for him to advance. It was a completely superfluous, foolish act, as red-lights prevented the other cars from advancing into our slowly turning rear end, but who amongst us would have wanted to shout out, what are you doing old man; there is no need for your help.? After I finished reading Beer in the Snooker Club by Egyptian writer Waguih Ghali, I lived for a long time with that book in my flat in Cairo overlooking the depressing Ministry of the Interior, and wandering the streets of downtown, burdened further with the thought of Ghali killing himself in the spare bedroom of British publisher, Diana Athill. I felt an immense sorrow that I could not fully explain by my own loneliness as a foreigner. Later I returned to the novel and considered Rams role in his own life, and found it an excruciatingly circumscribed and pitiful one. Ram, that narrator of Beer in the Snooker Club, born to a landowning Coptic Christian family, is the only son of the poor relative: his mother was widowed young and now relies upon the generosity with all its attendant obligations of her siblings. He has been educated in the British school system in Cairo, and dreaming of the mythical London of Piccadilly Circus and pubs, he and his best friends, Font and Edna, travel to England to experience sexual and political freedom and find as well dreariness and meanness and small-mindedness. There he and his lover, Edna, drift apart, and he returns to Cairo understanding that England has killed something natural in him. What Ram subsequently fails to do is to act out his compassion, and desire for other people. And this is during a period in Egypt, the late 1950s, post the 1952 revolution, when the young people are moving out of the spaces and roles formerly proscribed entirely for them by their parents, a corrupt elite and the British presence. Font a dogmatic Marxist, scornful of his privileged roots, adopts the garb and posture of a street vegetable seller. Ram, finds this absurdly and depressingly gimmicky just as the communism of Edna, an Egyptian Jew, and her incessant championing of the fellaheen leaves him cold. So, he reasons, to act righteously in the defense of the downtrodden, is to be a parody both of oneself and ones roots, and of those that one is claiming to stand up for; it is to proscribe who and what is authentically Egyptian and to disdain and reject everything even ones innocent childhood and everyone else that does not take this purging seriously. Ram does act briefly alone and secretly to send photographs to the newspapers that expose abuses by the government. But he jokes that for his pains the real risks involved, he prefers the idea of having gone to prison, rather than the heroic act of actually going. His potent hatred of his wealthy French-speaking familys disingenuineness, their greed and cowardice and sham magnanimousness, does not provoke him to act and speak upon any legitimised, public platform against both them and their class. Rather, Ram chooses to expose himself to ridicule and mere disapproval by performing apparently childish pranks pushing his odious American-educated cousin into the pool, making a scene at a society party. By making it impossible for anyone around him to consider his protests as serious and legitimate political acts, he can be disruptive and irreverent from within; but it is a lonely and claustrophobic role which engenders only greater cynicism and emotional numbness in the young man. As long as Ram divides his time between his politically committed friends and a depraved and decadent elite, he has only the rare opportunity to show kindness, for with the former he feels too self-consciously as if he is performing a political or social role, and with the latter in order to resist the powerful obligation upon him to be the good son, he can only be flippant naughty and rude. http://madny.blogspot.com/2007/05/how-to-be-kind-and-thoughts-on-beer-in.html there is this comparsion of the eastern culture vs the western culture that made the novel intresting to view from one point. ram the narrator is being confused by the two worlds that he has lived with, although he finds himself more with the western culture rather the eastern. I dont know whether or not he intended this, but I enjoyed his terse writing style. I also found it fascinating to learn that Egypt had its own lost generation. Some of the depictions of Cairo and its society and undoubtedly still true today, such as Gezeira Club, of which I am a member. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1231621.Beer_in_the_Snooker_Club?page=1

Dark Matter Essay -- essays research papers

There is perhaps no current problem of greater importance to astrophysics and cosmology than that of "dark matter". The controversy, as the name implies, is centered on the notion that there may exist an enormous amount of matter in the Universe that cannot be detected from the light that it emits. The evidence of dark matter is from the motions of astronomical objects, specifically stellar, galactic, and galaxy cluster/supercluster observations. The basic argument is that if we measure velocities in some region, then there has to be enough mass there for gravity to stop all the objects from flying apart. When such velocity measurements are done on large scales, it turns out that the amount of inferred mass is much more than can be explained by the luminous mass. Hence we infer that there is non-luminous matter in the Universe, i.e. there is dark matter. Dark matter has important consequences for the evolution of the Universe. According to standard cosmological theory, the Universe must conform to one of three possible types: open, flat, or closed. A parameter known as the "mass density" - that is, how much matter per unit volume is contained in the Universe - determines which of the three possibilities applies to the Universe. In the case of an open Universe, the mass density (denoted by the Greek letter Omega) is less than unity, and the Universe is predicted to expand forever. If the Universe is closed, Omega is greater than unity, and the Universe will eventually stop its expansion and recollapse back upon itself. For the case where Omega is exactly equal to one, the Universe is delicately balanced between the two states, and is said to be "flat". Dark matter candidates are usually split into two broad categories, with the second category being further sub-divided: baryonic and bon-baryonic. Then, under non-baryonic, hot dark matter (HDM) and cold dark matter (CDM) are its types. Depending on their respective masses and speeds, CDM candidates have relatively large mass and travel at slow speeds (hence "cold"), while HDM candidates include minute-mass, rapidly moving (hence "hot") particles. As leading possible candidates for baryonic dark matter, there are black holes (large and small), brown dwarfs (stars too cold and faint to radiate), sun-size MACHOs, cold gas, dark galaxies and dark clusters, ... ...e seeking them in a Stanford laboratory by watching for radiation as they excite crystals of germanium in a detector, but they haven't detected any yet. Soon they will try an even more exotic search by moving their equipment to an old iron mine 2,400 feet deep in northern Minnesota where one or two WIMPs, if they really exist, might very occasionally make their existence known. The detectors are hockey puck-sized superconducting crystals of germanium and silicon. These pure crystals are cooled to about 500 degrees below zero. A particle hitting a detector disturbs the molecular structure of the crystal and registers as a slight temperature increase. Because WIMPs easily pass through most matter, they can pass through the shields and register a signal. To date, the detectors at Stanford have registered a handful of signals, but an analysis suggests that these were caused by stray particles that originally came from cosmic rays and managed to penetrate the 35 feet of rock over the detectors. The ever-so important question what is dark matter will not be answered tomorrow. More data has to be taken, the theories have to tweaked, and many physicists must continue to work together.

napoleon and frederick the great :: essays research papers

Napoleon versus Frederick the Great   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have chosen to compare Napoleon to Frederick the Great. I will compare these two extremely influential leaders through numerous techniques; including their military history, the administration of their territories, the legacy they left upon their countries, among others. Napoleon was a great soldier that graduated from military school at the age of sixteen and quickly worked his way through the ranks. Napoleon was a brilliant leader in battle and consistently defeated armies larger than his own; including when he forced the Austrians to make peace after defeating four of their generals. In 1799 Napoleon and his colleagues overtook the French government and established power. He revised the constitution in 1802 to make himself consul for life, and then again in 1804 to make himself Emperor of France. Soon after Napoleon came to power he restructured the administration, simplified the court system, and began monitoring the schooling system; French law was also put in the Napoleon Code which guaranteed the rights and liberties that were gained through the revolution. Napoleons violent behavior caused war with Britain to break out, who allied with Russia and Austria. Prussia later allied themselves with Russia; creating a huge alliances against France an d Napoleon. Napoleon successfully extended his reign over large parts of Europe and put each state under the Napoleon Code, which gave citizens new rights and privileges. In 1812 all of Europe turned against Napoleon, which lead to his exile in 1814. He regained power in 1815 just to loose it later that year. He died in exile in Saint Helena in 1821.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Frederick the Great was son of King Frederick William I and was born into prince hood. Frederick was raised to become a strong soldier and thrifty administrator. Frederick did not like the life his father planned for him and choose the more artsy aspects of life. His crown as prince was taken from him until he reapplied himself as a loyal member under his father’s reign. Frederick took over power after his father’s death in 1840; almost immediately he began attempting to improve Prussian policy. By 1745 Frederick was seen as a more than able military leader after winning a second war with Austria. Frederick played a huge role in destroying Austrians dominance. Frederick was a good leader, keeping himself in touch with the work of his officials and kept an eye on his troops and officers.

Company G 3 Year Marketing Plan Essay

XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices. Introduction With two decades of innovative and award winning design, Company G has grown to be a market leader in consumer electronics. The Company enjoys unparalleled brand recognition and is highly rated and trusted by consumers worldwide. Company G’s products are known for their original design, durability and use of innovative technology. Company G’s brands enjoy both high consumer desirability and high consumer loyalty. With a reputation as a trend setter, many of Company G’s mobile electronic products are sought-after as â€Å"Status Symbols† purchases. Some of the Company’s products benefit from a cult like following among early adopters and some serve as industry bench-marks against similar products. With the introduction of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway, the Company plans to continue to strive to be the first to market in the consumer electronic market segments that it enjoys competing in. The Company will also maintain the practice of extending products life c ycles and promoting their market positions by offering novel peripheral products such as the XG Wi-Fi Gateway timed to support and broaden the market interest and appeal associated with other existing XG products. Mission Statement â€Å"We combine beautiful design and intuitive functionally to provide consumers with desirable products that enhance the quality and convenience of their lives.† The Product The new XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices allows consumers to easily manage which Wi-Fi enabled mobile device can assess their secured home Wi-Fi network. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is a peripheral product of the Company’s popular XG Wireless Router series. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is industry compliant with North America and Euro Zone wireless communication standards and is compatible with other manufacturer’s routers. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices allows a consumer to manage their secure home Wi-Fi network through any other device designated as the â€Å"Administrator†. When a new Wi-Fi enabled device attempts to access the home Wi-Fi network through the XG Wi-Fi Gateway, an alert message is sent to the administrator. The administrator can choose several pre-set network access options as well as select from their own custom rules allowing or limiting network access to specific devices. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices is a 3 inch by 3 inch by 1/3 inch pad that links to the home router via a 2.0 USB plug. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices can also connect directly to any router with the additional purchase of a USB to Ethernet converter cable. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices has a minimal footprint. Once connected, the consumer does not have to interact with or manipulate the devices and it can be hidden or placed out of the way behind a computer or router. The administrator interacts with the XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices through the Wi-Fi Gateway application. The software is provided and compatible with desktop and laptop computers running Windows, OS X and Chrome operating systems. A free Wi-Fi Gateway application can also be downloaded, installed and run on smart phones and tablets using iOS, Android and Windows Mobile. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices is also compatible with the Xbox360 and PS3 gaming consoles. Consumer Product Classification The consumer product classification for the XG Wi-Fi Gateway for mobile devices falls under a shopping product. Additionally it should be considered with a sub-classification of unsought products. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway extends the functionality and security of modern router, thus the separate, pre-purchase of a router is required. Consumers have ample information available to make decisions regarding purchase decisions for routers; however, they have limited knowledge of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway peripheral or add-on. Consumers will require education and persuasion during the buying process. This is seen as a unique product, currently, there are no other devices or substitutes that offer the functionality of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway. Target Market Majority of our consumers will be males, head of household age 25-54, in a home with a wireless router. The household has multiple computers, smart phones or tablets. Our consumer expresses interest in electronic gadgets and considers themselves to be a â€Å"tech savvy† buyer. The target consumer is conscious about online security threats and has purchased or upgraded anti-virus software in the last 24 months. Our shopper is engaged with online social networks and media with most news delivered to the household digitally. Purchases of electronic products are heavily influenced by the favorable opinions and reviews from friends and colleagues. They are also strongly influenced by negative reviews of products by tech blogs and consumer comments in social media. Household income of our target consumer is $32,000- $70,000 annually with at least one child living in the home. Analysis of Competitive Environment Threat of new competition The threat of new competition is high. Our belief is the technologies associated with the XG Wi-Fi Gateway could be replicated by any of the other leading manufacturers of wireless routers. Company G hold proprietary technology in the design of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway and will fight to protect its interests and rights, however other manufactures could adopt their own existing patents and processes to compete. We feel these other established brands with distribution channels could generate a competitive rivalry if they choose to enter this market. Threat of substitute products or services The threat of a substitute product is low. Consumers determine if they have a need for the features offered by the XG Wi-Fi Gateway or they choose to forgo those features and service. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway has a high level of product differentiation. Consumers attempting to replicate the services of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway will find it technologically challenging and cost prohibitive to duplicate. Bargaining power of consumers Consumers have moderate bargaining power. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is a discretionary purchase. The consumer has to desire the enhanced control of their home Wi-Fi network and or the additional security offered by the product. Buyers who have suffered a loss from a network breach will be less price sensitive than those only looking to enhance their level of control. We expect downward price pressure due to demand to bundle and discount the XG Wi-Fi Gateway with other XG routers. Bargaining power of suppliers Threats from suppliers are low. While our product is new, most of the individual components are already mass produced or can easily be produced on existing manufacturing lines requiring only minimal retooling. Key proprietary components can be produced by several of Company G’s subsidiaries. Suppliers and materials are plentiful and available globally. Intensity of competitive rivalry Rivalry is low. Currently there are no competing products for the XG Wi-Fi Gateway market. Company G enjoys significant brand recognition and brand loyalty. The XG lines also profits from a history of positive consumer reviews and ratings and benefits from higher perceived value when compared to similar products in the market. Outlays are kept low by utilizing existing manufacturing facilities and distribution channels. Costs, such as R&D, marketing, engineering and packaging design are allocated and shared across the whole XG catalog of products. SWOT Analysis Strengths 1.Company G and the XG Brand have high consumer loyalty and are recognized for innovative product design and functionality. 2.The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is the first of a kind to market. 3.The XG Wi-Fi Gateway received positive reviews from influential tech blogs and media. Support 1.Company G has carefully nurtured and reinforced its company brands. Company G has invested a considerable amount of resources promoting and showcasing the various products in the XG line. XG branded products benefit for the loyalty and familiarity consumers have with the existing line thus helping to lower overall new consumer acquisitions costs. We consider this strength to be a core competency. 2.As a first of a kind to market, Company G can maintain a higher price point by controlling the amount of products available without fear of lost of market share to competition. Company G can operate as a monopoly until others enter the market. First to the market also helps reinforce the XG brand’s reputation as a leader in providing cutting edge technology to consumers. We consider this strength to be a core competency. 3.Our target market reads and is influenced by tech blog reviews. Tech blog reviews are a valuable cost neutral resource for increasing product awareness and help raise consumer sentiment and increase product differentiation. Weaknesses 1.The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is a secondary purchase or upgrade after the initial purchase of a router. 2.Low target consumer awareness of product. 3.Target consumer requires educated before purchase. Support 1.Consumers are resistant to making an additional secondary purchase after deciding to buy a router. Consumers realize the enhanced services the XG Wi-Fi Gateway offers are not essential to a secure home network and may postpone a purchase until a demonstrated need is established. 2.As a first of a kind to market, consumers are not aware of the product. The target market is highly sought after and regularly bombarded with sophisticated marketing campaigns. The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is a peripheral product and does not command the spotlight associated with a flagship product launch. 3.Our target consumer will do research prior to making a purchase. Company G will have to put forth assessable information through multiple media outlets for the consumer to find and review. Additionally, sales persons and other trusted sources will need to be introduced to specifications and features of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway to be credible and persuasive. Opportunities 1.The XG Wi-Fi Gateway can be developed for commercial and retail use. 2.Integration into other manufactures’ routers through licensing agreements. 3.Add versatility with the incorporation with NFC (near field communication) chips. Support 1.The technology in the XG Wi-Fi Gateway could be upgraded to provide a solution in commercial spaces (coffee shops, restaurants stores†¦) that want to control, monitor or monetize their Wi-Fi bandwidth service. This would expand the XG line into a new market. 2.Company G could increase revenues by licensing the XG Wi-Fi Gateway technology to other router manufactures. By providing completive licensing agreements, it reduces the incentive of the competition from developing rival technology. 3.Near field communication (NFC) chips are an emerging technology with potential to disrupt retail checkout/payment process. The inclusion of NFC could help broaden the market for the XG Wi-Fi Gateway as the technology becomes more widely available in the retail industry. Threats 1.Shifts in technology away from Wi-Fi protocols and services. 2.A low cost competitor enters and disrupts the market. 3.A widespread security breach or software flaw could be catastrophic for the product. Support 1.The pace of change and innovations in technology is ever quickening. Consumer sentiment tends to move towards the newest standard. Wi-Fi technology is well established, reliable and widely taken for granted, it is the old guard. Some modern countries have already shifted away from Wi-Fi services in favor of cellular protocols or Super Wi-Fi, which functions in the TVWS bandwidth. Any shift away from the Wi-Fi protocol would require retooling of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway with new technology which may be prohibitive due to IP rights or development costs. 2.If a low cost competitor enters the market, Company G would have to spend additional marketing resources defending its market share. Company G would also have to engage in completive pricing to maintain its market position. Lower pricing and increased marketing efforts will have a negative impact on the XG Wi-Fi Gateway’s profits. 3.A security breach could permanently tarnish the XG Wi-Fi Gateway’s reputation. A major flaw or breach could kill the product’s viability in just a few days. Any breach would be an embarrassment to Company G, could result in lower share prices and expose the company to additional liabilities and lawsuits. Marketing Objectives Product Objective Provide our target consumer with an innovated and desirable product that is friendly and enhances their online activities with ease of use, technological compatibility and upgradeability resulting in annual sales of 1.5 million units in the first year, 3 million by the second year and 5 million by the third. Price Objective Pricing for a stand along XG Wi-Fi Gateway will start at $34.99. Company G will also offer up to a 20% savings premium when retailers order, bundle and promote the XG Wi-Fi Gateway with other XG products. Place Objective The XG Wi-Fi Gateway will utilize existing Company G online and retail distribution channels throughout North America and Europe. Additionally, the XG Wi-Fi Gateway will be carried and offered by the 3 leading cable companies in North America when selling optional residential broadband internet services. 100 days post launch, Company G will also introduce the XG Wi-Fi Gateway into AT&T and T-Mobile retail stores and kiosks in North America along with Vodafone retail outlets in the UK and Movistar retail outlets in Spain. Company G will continue to utilize its proprietary predictive algorithms to ensure global product availability. Promotion Objective We expect to increase our target consumer awareness of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway by 25% in the first six months and by 33% by each year post launch. Catching the attentions of our target consume and demonstrating the XG Wi-Fi Gateway’s unique features will be critical to the product’s success. Company G will leverage its name recognition, reputation and media relationships along with its vast distribution channels to ensure the target consumer has ample opportunities to learn about and interact with the XG Wi-Fi Gateway prior to purchase. These Marketing Objectives are crafted to provide the optimal return for all of Company G’s stakeholders. Marketing Strategies Product Strategies †¢Compatibility The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is compatible with all major router equipment sold in North America and Europe. Our target consumer will be assured that The XG Wi-Fi Gateway will work will even previously purchased equipment regardless of the manufacture. †¢Friendly, Ease of Use The XG Wi-Fi Gateway is a plug and forget it device. The software is multi-operating system compatible. The user interface has been extensively reviewed and focuses group tested to ensure an appropriate and intuitive workflow. †¢Longevity, Durability The XG Wi-Fi Gateway hardware has no moving parts and is incased in a durable vinyl covering. The hardware has a life expectancy, with normal use, of 5 to 8 years. Software upgrades are pushed to the device as needed, no interaction is required from the consumer. Given current trends in Wi-Fi technology, Company G expects the software to be compliant with FCC and EU regulators for 10 or more years. Price Strategies †¢Skimming Model Company G will use Skimming Model for the first 100 days. Leading up to The XG Wi-Fi Gateway’s launch, marketing efforts will target the less price sensitive â€Å"early adopters† portion of our consumer group. †¢High-low Pricing High-low pricing will be utilized for the XG Wi-Fi Gateway after 100 days post launch. Special offers will be presented through online and traditional retailers when they bundle other Company G products with the purchase of a The XG Wi-Fi Gateway. Company G will also offer a rebate program in secondary markets coinciding with â€Å"back to school† activities. †¢Psychological Pricing Psychological pricing will be used to have an encouraging psychological influence on our target consumer. The consumer is well educated and well connected and knows what his peers have paid for other similar products. This pricing model will ensure he feels satisfied with the decision leading up to his purchase and comfortable sharing that information with his peer group. Place Strategy †¢Strategic Channel Alliances Company G will utilize strategic channel alliances to get the XG Wi-Fi Gateway in to areas where our target consumers live, work and play. We are partnering with recognized industry leaders to cross promote their compatible products with the XG Wi-Fi Gateway. This strategy allows consumers to see how the product works with other devices and gives them the opportunity to realize an immediate benefit of ownership. †¢Intensive Distribution Model Company G will also unitize an intensive distribution model. We will maximize our current distribution network to deliver the XG Wi-Fi Gateway to all available channels our target consumer may wish to utilize to make a purchase. †¢Pull Strategy Since our consumer desires product specifications in order to make a purchasing decision, Company G will take that â€Å"teaching† opportunity and convert it in to a desire to, at a minimum, interact with the physical product. We will run a campaign to persuade consumers to â€Å"give it a try yourself at your local electronics retailer†. This pull strategy should help Company G entice retailers to provide the XG Wi-Fi Gateway a more prominent position in their outlets as consumers ask to interact with the device. Promotion Strategies †¢Trade Shows Trade Shows are an important and ideal location to introduce the XG Wi-Fi Gateway to our target consumer. He regularly attends trade shows and often shares part of his experience on social media. If our consumer does not attend a show, he often seeks out opinions or stories from friends that have attended. The trade show environment allows us to craft the best possible informational and presentation opportunity outside of the consumer’s own home. This strategy is important because our consumer tends to make multiple electronics purchase within three months after attending a Consumer Electronics Show. †¢Product Placements Seeing the XG Wi-Fi Gateway in use is important to our target consumer. We are identifying their popular movies, television and web series and negotiating subtle placement of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway in to the main story’s setting. Company G used this strategy successfully for several of its mobile products. The overall return for this strategy was better than that of a 30 second commercial buy on a similar type show. Our consumer pays attention to their favorite show and interprets the commercials as interruptions. †¢Trade Allowances Company G will provide advertising and promotion allowances in targeted markets. Trade allowances will be based on a matrix consisting of ratings for the importance of market, the retailer’s foot traffic, sales volume and ad placement and media buy. Retailers can determine how to use the allowance within the terms and conditions of the trade allowance agreement. This strategy demonstrates that Company G values the retailer’s understanding of how to capitalize on the unique marketing challenges in their local market. Tactics and Action Plan Product Action Plan †¢Compatibility oTactic: Test and adjust all XG Wi-Fi Gateway components to ensure the final unit meets all FCC and EU regulations. Test and rate for compatibility against all targeted compatible products. Make adjustments and updates when identified. oDue Date: 6 months before launch then ongoing every 6 months throughout the products life cycle. oResponsible Party: A team made-up of members for the software development group, components and hardware group, competitor intelligence group and the product management team. †¢Friendly, Ease of Use oTactic: Ensure the XG Wi-Fi Gateway is user friendly and offers an intuitive user interface. oDue Date: 9 month ahead of launch. Review will also be conducted before the release of any update that may impact the user interface. oResponsible Party: A team made up of members from market research, software development, public relations and the product management team. †¢Longevity, Durability oTactic: Only high quality components from Company G selected suppliers will be utilized in the manufacturing of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway. All parts are randomly selected for quality assurance and destructive testing throughout the assembly cycle. oDue Date: Continuous once components arrive for assembly. oResponsible Party: Quality control team as well as independent 3rd party auditors. Price Action Plan †¢Skimming Model oTactic: Capitalize and maximize revenue on consumer interest and desire to own a cutting edge product. oDue Date: Initial pricing to be finalized 90 days prior to launch and monitored for the first 100 days post launch oResponsible Party: Financial analysts, accounting, channel marking managers and product management. †¢High-low Pricing oTactic: To maximize the revenue opportunities by providing incentives for retailers and consumers by making special offers by bundling Company G products or offering appropriate rebates. oDue Date: Special pricing, bundling offers and rebate programs will be finalized at launch then reviewed every 3 months. oResponsible Party: Marketing managers, financial analysts, channel marking managers and product managers. †¢Psychological Pricing oTactic: Ensure our target consumer is persuaded that the perceived value is greater than actual retail price. oDue Date: 90 days prior to launch then every 3 months. oResponsible Party: Marketing managers, public relations team, consumer research team, independent 3rd party consumer survey team Place Action Plan †¢Strategic Channel Alliances oTactic: Partner with non-retail partners to introduce the XG Wi-Fi Gateway in unique and impactful locations and situations to our target consumer. oDue Date: 1 year prior to launch then every 3 months. oResponsible Party: Marketing team, channel marking managers and product managers. †¢Intensive Distribution Model oTactic: We will engage all of our distribution and retail partners throughout the entire product cycle. oDue Date: 1 year prior to launch then continuous. oResponsible Party: channel marking managers and distribution management team †¢Pull Strategy oTactic: Entice consumers to ask their local retailers about the XG Wi-Fi Gateway oDue Date:90 days prior to launch then continuously for the first 100 days oResponsible Party: Marketing team and public relations team Promotion Action Plan †¢Trade Shows oTactic: Secure prominent floor space at CESs and Home Shows in major and secondary markets oDue Date:1 Year prior to product launch oResponsible Party: Marketing team, product management team †¢Product Placements oTactic: Identify and secure placement opportunities on targeted media outlets/shows oDue Date: 9 months before launch and through the first year oResponsible Party: Marketing team and media relations team †¢Trade Allowances oTactic: Provide strategic retailers marketing and promotional resources to increase awareness of the XG Wi-Fi Gateway in the local markets they serve. oDue Date: 3 months prior to launch then ongoing. oResponsible Party: Marketing team and channel marking managers Monitoring Procedures To ensure the Product and Marketing Teams meet the XG Wi-Fi Gateway meets Company G’s financial performance goals: Monitoring Activity: Regular review of ongoing product performance and benchmarking. Due Date/Frequency: Weekly meetings.