African Kingdoms and Empires

African Kingdoms and Empires During 400 AD, West Africa witnessed the rise and fall of the indigenous medieval empires of ancient Ghana, medieval Mali, and Songhai. Many other states and kingdoms arose during this time but Ghana, Mali and Songhai achieved the status of fully-fledged, functioning and long-living conquest states and expansionist empires. These empires regulated the Trans-Saharan trade by offering protection for trade caravans as well as taxing slaves, gold, firearms, textiles and salt.Ghana reached its height by 1200 AD and was ruled by the Serahule people which eventually broke apart by in the 13th century. The Mali Empire was a Mandinka territory but also took on Ghana’s territory and extended into the 13th century. At the peak of the empire, Mali covered an area over 24,000 sq. km. Songhai succeeded Mali in the 14th century and grew to be the largest land empire in tropical Africa. Throughout the presentation I will cover each Empire in grave detail.Ghana may have existed as early as the 5th century, however, by the 8th century it was known as â€Å"The Land of Gold. † In 1068 Ghana was the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful state in West Africa. The empire was situated in the vast Savannah area between the Senegal and Niger Rivers with its authority extending from the frontiers of Futa Toro to the Western banks of the Niger, and from the Mandinka area in the south to beyond the fringes of the desert in the north. Ghanaweb) The Serahule were the founding people of â€Å"The Land of Gold,† who established their capital at Kumbi Saleh, which at that time was the leading trading centre of the Western Sudan and the focus of all trade with a systematic form of taxation. The Serahule formed themselves into a strong trading state which spread its power over many neighboring people and in the process became an empire. With the introduction of the camel during the Trans-Saharan trade, Ghana derived power and wealth from gold an d increased the quality of goods transported.As stated earlier, the Soninke people also sold slaves, salt and copper in exchange for textiles, beads and finished goods. (Ghanaweb) According to Ghanaweb, â€Å"The wealth of ancient Ghana is mythically explained in the tale of bids, the black snake. This snake demanded an annual sacrifice in return for guaranteeing prosperity in the Kingdom, therefore each year a virgin was offered up for sacrifice, until one year, the fiance’ (Mamadou Sarolle) of the intended victim rescued her. Feeling cheated of his sacrifice, Bida took his revenge on the region, a terrible drought took a hold of Ghana and gold mining began to decline.There is evidence found by archaeologists that confirms elements of the story, showing that until the 12th century, sheep cows and even goats were abundant in the region. † Traders took the route from Maghreb to Ghana starting in Tahert, North Africa through Sjilmasa, Southern Morocco. The trail led sout h running parallel with the coast, then south-east through Awsaghust and ending in Kumbi Saleh. Through their travels the traders brought the Islamic community to Kumbi Saleh but the Islam’s managed to remain a separate community a distance away from the King’s palace. Ghanaweb) McKay wrote, â€Å"The city of Ghana consists of two towns lying on a plain, one of which is inhabited by Muslims and is large, possessing twelve mosques- one of which is congregational mosque for Friday prayer; each has its imam, its muezzin and paid reciters of the Quran. The town possesses a large number of jurisconsults and learned me,† (McKay, pg 279) Ghana was originally known as Wagadou (Ouagadou, Aoukar) by its rulers, but was changed into the general use, â€Å"Ghana† because one of the king’s titles â€Å"Ghana† meant war chief. Each succeeding king kept the title Ghana but went by their own name.The kings were in charge of organizing the trade and keeping good relations with the Saharan traders, as well as acting as senior religious leader and representative on earth of the founding ancestors of the Serahule people. To increase the wealth of Ghana, the kings were able to make lesser kings or chiefs obey their laws and pay them taxes. This in turn gave the kings of Ghana more power and could command the services of many descent lines. They were able to raise big armies and employ larger numbers of messengers and other servants. (Ghanaweb)The International trade was causing the empire continuous growth so the Serahule were inventing new methods of governing themselves by raising money to pay for a government and producing wealth. They decided the central authority would need to be a king that would rule over many lesser authorities or governments. Since Serahule had already occupied the lands to the north of the upper waters of Niger, their towns and trading settlements became the middlemen between the Berber and Arab traders of the no rth and the gold and ivory producers of the south. This position made Ghana strong and prosperous and gave its rulers glory and power. Accessgambia) The empire included many arrears of people who were not Serahule and therefore had different religious loyalties to their Gods other than the king. In order to ensure the continued allegiance of the conquered states, the kings of Ghana insisted on the son of each vassal king being sent to their court. Both provincial governors of Serahule areas and tributary rulers of the conquered peoples had the duties of loyalty to the king, provisions of annual tribute, and the contribution of bands of warriors to the imperial army when they were required for active service.In return for their loyalty, the king provided protection against external enemies. However, by 1240 Ghana was no more. There are many reasons for Ghana’s decline and fall, starting with the royal treasury placing a monopoly on the export of gold. The gold industry was the fame of what Ghana rested on because it was the king’s largest source of income. Secondly, the way the empire was organized. At its peak, Ghana was made up of many states and people and lacked political and cultural unity which the kings failed to achieve.The different ethnic groups such as the Soninke, Susu, Serer, Berber and Tuclor each had its own language and cultures owed allegiance to the king. Conquered states such as Futa Toro, Silla and Diara were only expected to pay annual tribute contingents to the kings in times of war but were left to operate under their own traditional rules. Lastly, during the second half of the Eleventh century, the military became weakened and broke up into component parts. Later, there was an invasion by the Berber Almoravid dynasty that conquered Ghana and forced its rulers and people to convert to Islam.McKay stated that â€Å"while Almoravid and Islamic pressures certainly disrupted the empire, weakening it enough for its incorporation into the rising Mali empire, there was no Almoravid military invasion and subsequent forced conversion to Islam. † (McKay, pg 280) The kingdom of Ghana split into several small kingdoms that feuded among themselves. The Mandinka, from the kingdom of Kangaba had been part of the Ghanaian empire and soon dominated the feuding kingdoms.Building on the Ghanaian foundations, Kangaba formed the core of the new empire of Mali and developed into a better organized state than Ghana. There were two rulers for the Mali Empire, Sundiata and Mansa Musa which combined, had military success and creative personalities. Mali had a large agricultural and commercial base that provided for a large population and enormous wealth. (McKay, pg 280) McKay also noted that dating to the early eleventh century, the Mandinka were extremely successful at agriculture.Consistently large harvests throughout the twelfth and thirteenth centuries provided a supply of food, which helped steady the population gro wth. The Mandinka also acted as middlemen in the gold and salt traffic that flowed north and south during the Ghanaian hegemony. In the thirteenth century, Mandinka traders formed companies and gradually became a major force in the entire West African trade. Sundiata, the founder of Mali, set up his capital at Niani and transformed the city into an important financial and trading center.McKay stated, â€Å"through a series of military victories, Sundiata and his successors absorbed into Mali’s other territories of the former kingdom of Ghana and established hegemony over the trading cities of Gao, Jenne, and Walata. Into the fourteenth century, these expansionist policies were continued by Sundiata’s descendant Mansa Musa. † (McKay pg 280) In the language of the Mandinke, Mansa means â€Å"emperor. † Musa consolidated the foundations laid down by Sundiata and ruled the empire at its greatest height.Musa’s influence extended northward to several Ber ber cities in the Sahara, eastward to the trading cities of Timbuktu and Gao and westward as far as the Atlantic Ocean. He maintained a strict empire and it grew twice the size of the Ghanaian kingdom and contained roughly eight million people which brought Musa Fabulous wealth. (McKay, pg 281) It was the Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that put the empire on the map. He travelled with thousands of porters and servants that carried six-pound staffs of gold and one hundred elephants each bearing one hundred pounds of gold. On his ay to Mecca, Musa stayed in Egypt and spent and gave away so much gold that there was a devaluation of the local currency and it sparked an inflationary crisis in Egypt as well as depressing world prices of the commodity. Twelve years later, al-Omari, one of the sultan’s officials, recounted. â€Å"This man Mansa Musa spread upon Cairo the flood of his generosity: there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sul tanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him. The people of Cairo earned incalculable sums from him, whether by buying and selling or by gifts.So much gold was current in Cairo that it ruined the value of money. † (McKay, pg 281) As a result of Musa’s display of wealth, his fame spread as far as Europ,e where the Catalan map by Abraham Cresques of about 1375 shows Musa seated on a gold throne wearing a gold crown while holding a gold nugget, describing him as â€Å"the riches and most noble king in all the land. † Mansa Musa extended his borders of Mali and set up an effective system of government that had a justice administration that was relatively impartial. The field of diplomacy was able to establish friendly relationships with other African states such as Morocco and Egypt.To help the king in his work, he had judges, scribes, and civil servants that helped to strengthen the administrative machinery of the empire. There were fourteen provinces in Mali t hat were ruled by governors who were typically famous generals. The others such as the Berber province were governed by their own Sheikhs. All of the provinces administrators were responsible to the Mansa and they were all said to be well paid. Under Musa, Timbuktu began as a campsite for desert nomads and grew into a thriving trading post or entrepot, attracting merchants and traders from North Africa and all parts of the Mediterranean world.In the fourteenth century, Timbuktu developed into a center for scholarships and learning for Architects, Astronomers, Poets, Lawyers, Mathematicians, and Theologians. The tradition and reputation for African scholarships lasted until the eighteenth century. (McKay, pg 282) The rise of the Mali Empires was swift but its decline was gradual. In the fifteenth century, Mali lost its ability to dominate the affairs of the Western Sudan because it became a tiny principality of kangaba. It wasn’t until the seventeenth century that Mali complet ely lost its political identity as it had broken up into a number of small independent chiefdoms.Between 1337 to 1341 Musa’s son, Maghan I, ruled the Empire. During this period, the Mossi of present day Burkina Faso raided across Manding and devastated Timbuktu. Then the Tuareg of the Sahara conquered the Northern part of the Mali Empire. During the periods of 1360 to 1400 there were as many as six kings and a series of civil wars. During the fifteenth century, the Songhai, under their leader Sunni Ali, conquered Jenne and Timbuktu and replaced Songhai as the most important power in the Western Sudan. Songhai succeeded Mali and became the third great West African empire. (Accessgambia)The Songhai Empire originated in the nineth century as a medieval civilization that was a small principality in West Africa on the banks of the Niger River called Al-kaw kaw. The kingdom had a very fertile area suitable for livestock rearing, agriculture, and fishing. As early as 800 AD, the kin gdom made full use of their resources and divided into two specialized professional groups; the Gabibi who were agriculturists and the Sorko who were fishermen. The Songhai borders extended from the central area of present Nigeria to the Atlantic coast and included parts of what is now Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Mauritania.The areasof the land being rich and fertile allowed the people of Songhai to attract traders to their kingdom and become very astute traders and merchants themselves. As early at the tenth century the leaders of Al-kaw kaw moved their capital from Kukia to Gao. Gao became the last stop for three major trade routes. The routes included the trans-Saharan route from Egypt into Fezzan, Ghat and Agedez, the Tripoli and Tunis from Ghat and the route from Algeria and Morocco.During this time is when the Arab traders brought the Islamic influences which contributed to shaping the direction of the empire. In the thirteenth century Gao was part o f the Mali Empire and in 1275 Gao managed to break away from Mali. It wasn’t until 1464 when the small kingdom of Gao was transformed into the Songhai Empire and signaled the start of a new royal dynasty. Sources McKay, pgs 280-280 http://www. accessgambia. com/information/african-empires. html http://www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/history/

Why I Want To Become An Engineer

Each and everyone of us had our own particular desire and I believed that has been develop since childhood. Ever since I was a kid, I was amazed by the creation of the skyscrapers and outrageously styled buildings. I have always appreciated the large structures and buildings which have surrounded me and I have always had respect for the people who have been involved with the design and constructions of these buildings on such a large scale.I kept wondering how people could construct such an attractive and difficult creations. As I entered high school, my interests further expanded when I took studies in civil engineering and engineering drawing classes as it explain more about buildings. I know that to become a Civil Engineer I have to work very hard in college and get very good grades. Even though my SPM result was not that good but I was determined to redeem it.I’m working hard to improve my grades in matriculation and I believe if someone in your company that have this kind of attitude to look for continous improvement to some extent it can be beneficial to your company. On my behalf, I think I deserve this scholarship because I am very hard working person. I put so much effort in anything I choose to do, or any task according to me. My goals in life are often high. I am a goal getter, so I will do anything to achieve my goals.I think that the drive I have to succeed, and to express knowledge into the life of the ones coming behind me is one of many reasons why I deserve this scholarship. Besides, my parent is the middle class salary earner so by having this scholarship I can ease their burden. Lastly , I have think that civil engineering is an ideal field for me. I believe that I have the personal attributes and intelligence required to be a civil engineer. I also believe that I possess the work habits and drive to be a successful engineer. This is why I have chosen to pursue this as a career.

Prose Appreciation

The East, an excerpt from the short story â€Å"Youth† written by Joseph Conrad is a descriptive paragraph about a young mans first impression of the east. The tone of the excerpt is admiring because the writer uses words such as â€Å"impalpable† and â€Å"enslaving† suggesting that the young deckhand was overwhelmed by the magnificent sight of the east. The aim in descriptive paragraphs is to build descriptive detail. The writer mostly uses long sentences which are suitable for a descriptive paragraph because there can be a lot of detail packed into long sentences. However, there are two short sentences. The fragment sentence â€Å"And this is how I see the east† is used to create suspense while the short sentence near the end of the excerpt â€Å"That I can never forget† emphasis just how great an impression the east made on the narrator. While most of the sentences are assertive sentences, used to experience the scene of the east through the eyes of the narrator as he approaches the bay, most sentences are also loose sentences to accumulate descriptive detail. However, in the excerpt there are some unordinary sentences. The opening sentence â€Å"And this is how I see the east† is a periodic sentence and the delay of the verb â€Å"see† is used to create suspense, on the other hand, to emphasize the immense size of the bay, the writer uses the parallel sentence â€Å"I see a bay, a wide bay†. We see the same affect on â€Å"wide† in the parallel sentence as we saw on â€Å"See† is the periodic sentence. Through out the excerpt, many different types of language devices are used. Sight imagery: used to implant the image of the mountains and the bay the narrator is seeing into the readers mind, Tactile imagery: to give the sensation of holding an oar in hands, Olfactory imagery: to make the reader experience the smells of the wind as the narrator did, Similes: â€Å"I see a bay, a wide bay, smooth as glass and polished like ice† to explain just how perfect a day is was and how calm the sea was, and â€Å"It was impalpable and enslaving, like a charm, like a whispered promise of mysterious delight† used to create the sense of power that the east had over the young man, Personification: the narrator has â€Å"looked into the east’s very soul† used to show the connection between the narrator and the east. The excerpt clearly demonstrates how dumbfounded and impressed the narrator was with the east during his first impression.

Youth camp at YMCA Camp Kern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Youth camp at YMCA Camp Kern - Essay Example This is a yearly event where children who are undergoing treatment and rehabilitation are given a week to have an opportunity to be just kids and be normal just like every one else. All their expenses, including transportation to and from the Warren County camp, are paid by donors. The activities in the camp include fishing, archery, swimming, rafting and canoeing. But above all, the camp provides the rare opportunity for scarred children not to worry about their appearance and burn injuries. It helps the children who have been physically and emotionally scarred to cope by having the opportunity to socialize with other children who has been in a similar situation which mitigates the feeling that they are the only one who had been burned. In this camp, children have the opportunity to talk and ask questions which could have been otherwise difficult in the outside world. They can talk and ask questions: How did you deal with this? What can I do to make this transition better? How can I be more comfortable in my own skin?" This opportunity to socialize addresses the emotional needs of the children who have also been scarred by the injury. It makes them cope better to feel that they are no different than anybody else and that lessens the feeling of isolation.

Japanese cultural analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Japanese cultural analysis - Research Paper Example Undertaking cultural and economic analysis is extremely beneficial for decision making be it at company level or at national levels. Without a vivid cultural and economic analysis in place, it becomes very difficult to know more about a particular place in question. To this effect, this write-up was undertaken to bring to light, the cultural analysis of Japan. Areas that have been looked at include geographical setting, social institutions and education. In terms of culture, Japan has a long adhered system of practices, which are important for every investor who wishes to enter Japan to know and learn to adhere to. This way, can be a future of promising prosperity for the investor. II. Introduction Cultural analysis is explained to be the use of qualitative research methods to identify â€Å"the applied analysis of cultural phenomenon, often including advertising and media products, in order to provide context for a client's business or insight into a market† (Association for Qualitative Research, 2010). By the use of the term qualitative research method, this that cultural analysis is conducted based on certain defined principles of publicly available data. Not withstanding this, a researcher may also conduct cultural analysis by the use of field related research methods such as interview (Association for Qualitative Research, 2010). In this context, much of the analysis was based on publicly available data and the most vital cultural analysis information on Japan comes to rest on three major areas. III. Country’s History (Brief) The first area of cultural analysis concern for Japan has to do with what the Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc (2011) puts it as the Confucian dynamism. â€Å"In practical terms Confucianism refers to a long-term versus a short-term orientation in life† (Hofstede, pg. 164). The Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc argues that Japan upholds the long-term orientation as against short-term orientation. Clark (2005) explains that count ries that have the long-term orientation revolve on the axis of â€Å"persistence (perseverance), ordering relationships by status, thrift and having a sense of shame.† Generally, policy makers of such countries focus on future generations rather than the present generation though it does not neglect the present generation altogether. To this end, Japan as a long-term oriented country invests so much in education since education has a long-term positive effect on the fortunes of the country. Against this backdrop, it can be said that kikki.k has a great advantage venturing into Japan. With reference to the products of kikki.k, it is clear the products have greater relation with education. This means that with a well marketing strategy, the company can dominate the stationery industry in the Japan. IV. Geographical Setting A. Location Viewed from the geographic coordinate system, Japan can be said to be 36 ° north of the equator and 138 ° east of the Prime Meridian. Japan is made up of thousands of islands, among which Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku are the four largest. Japan shares border and are the closest neighbors are Russia, China and Korea. B. Climate Due to the presence of the three thousand islands in Japan, Japan’s climate is not the same everywhere. However on the average, there are four seasons which are summer, winter, spring and autumn. C. Topography According to the Encyclopedia of the World (2011), there islands which stretches from Southeast Asia to the Aleutian Islands. 75% of land in Japan is covered with mountain. Landforms are steep and rugged. The is the presence of two principal mountain ranges, which are the Hida (or Japan Alps) and the Akaishi mountains. Among the many mountains, twenty-five have peaks of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft), among which the highest is Mt. Fuji (Fuji-san), which stands at 3,776 m (12,388 ft). There are 265 volcanoes in Japan among which 20 remain active. An average of 1,5000 minor shocks of earthquake occurs yearly. There are few and small plains which only about 29% of the

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Leadership - Assignment Example Basically leadership includes an influencing relationship between leaders and the followers intended for bringing real changes and optimal policy ramifications which perfectly reflects the shared purpose. By picking up one of the definition of leaderships from a wide variety the most applicable in this can be stated as a shared mindset which acts a representative of understanding a fundamental way of thinking about, perceiving and understanding the mechanics of the business environment of today’s world (Daft &   Lane, 2008, pp. 5-7). Leadership is even more significant in crisis situation. Helio Fred in his article, â€Å"Effective leadership response to crisis’’ states that the organization generally survives a crisis with reputation by the timeliness as well as the effectiveness of the response which heavily depends upon the strategic focus and implementation of the policies by the leaders of any organization (Garcia, 2006). The paper directs towards the exh ibition of leadership with respect to an organization in times of crisis situation and how the leadership maintain the pace of operation in difficult times and shows the way for future growth which will be highlighted in the subsequent sections. Problem statement & Discussions The positions of the leadership are established in the settings of the work of the organizations for the purpose of achieving the purposes for which their existence is omnipotent within a larger system. The crux of the paper lies with the notion of organizational leadership. In an organization, the processes of leadership are generally directed towards defining, establishing as well as translating the direction for their followers with the provision of the enabling the process for the achievement of the purpose. The operation of the leadership is vehemently attached to the continuous development as well as attainment of the goals within the organizations (Zaccaro & Klimoski, n.d.). The company which will be di scussed in this paper is Hewlett Packard better known as HP. HP is an American multinational corporation with its headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The sectors where the company caters are mainly small and medium sized businesses and large enterprises as well as customers in the government, health and educational sectors and the products delivered by this company are software, technologies, solution s and services (Hewlett-Packard Co, n.d.). In the time span of 1995- 1999, the company was facing several restraints like fierce competition from the traditional competitors as well as new competitors entering into the market. In the field of computer as well as corporate computer business the biggest rivals of HP were Dell and IBM. The company lacked performance in the sphere of technology as well as field of innovation and encountered slow pace of growth. The aftermath was that the company lost its competitive edge among its competitors unable to develop any path breaking strategy for growth. Another significant cause of the generation of crisis situation was that of the serious bureaucracy within the organization itself which practically paralyzed the day to day operation of the organization and initiated severe inefficiencies and heavy decline in sales (Hoopes, 2001, p.4). But the situation changed with the appointment of Carleton S. Fiorina as the new Chief

Final Project Proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final Project - Research Proposal Example Kinect is a motion sensor input device that is developed by Microsoft for use with Xbox gaming consoles and personal computers and was launched on 4 November, 2010. The device resembles a webcam and is plugged into a computer or Xbox console through a USB port. It has a camera which tracks body movements of a user and a microphone for audio input. The microphone can be used for commanding the computer or console through voice commands. Kinect also features a depth sensor that uses infrared to accurately analyze movements of a user. The Xbox Kinect has been a huge success for Microsoft. It is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s fastest-selling consumer electronics gadget. The gadget has also resulted in more sales of Xbox games as the technology attracts buyers to games designed to take advantage of the Kinect’s capabilities. Sales of Xbox consoles have also soared, as consumers opt to buy packages that bundle the consoles and Kinect sensor systems. Through this device, Microsoft has reinvented gaming and completely changed how humans interact with

XTRA(2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

XTRA(2) - Essay Example lysis of the logical requirements, design as well as implementation and these would be discussed under different categories of tasks related to the Xtra case study. A close analysis of the case study of Xtra shows that it is a small company specializing in Hollywood memorabilia and its founding principles were based on the notion of business being conducted via the post from the central offices based in the city center. However, due to global economic recession, the company has seen a significant decline in sales and the need to generate more sales has seen the company underscoring on the need to develop an eBusiness system that would help in collecting of marketing data as well as to provide a more personal customer service. E-Business is basically a general term that encompasses e-commerce but also includes the use of the internet for other business tasks such as teamwork, communication and new business services Post & Anderson 2003). E-business is increasingly regarded as a valuable tool for more traditional firms and has a large role to play in the future of many organisations through offering convenient online services to the customers. The basic eBusiness systems requirement for Xtra is the use of a system that is able to collect data automatically especially at the point of sale. This would increase efficiency in gathering data about the clients and is more efficient compared to the traditional method of using hard files to store data about their products. This involves the identification of problems with the current system and making choices. This stage would also involve the aspect of persuading the others to accept the decision and subsequently implement the ultimate solution that would have been agreed upon. Apparently, this method can handle large volumes of data and process information about any transaction swiftly. Traditionally, Xtra has been conducting its business using postal services to do all the transactions. However, because of the

Dark Knight Massacre Shooting of Aurora Colorado Essay

Dark Knight Massacre Shooting of Aurora Colorado - Essay Example This resulted in 12 deaths and 50 injuries. Holmes himself was covered in bullet resistant clothes and addressed himself as ‘the Joker’ from the Batman villain fame. He had dyed his hair a flaming orange. Holmes did not resist arrest and was taken into custody. He is 24 years old PhD neuroscience student who is claimed to be brilliant and troubled at the same time. Upon investigation Holmes revealed that he had booby trapped his apartment and after a massive search operation police managed to recover hand grenades from his apartment. At the time of the shootings Holmes had setup loud music to play from his apartment, which was heard by many witnesses. I believe Holmes was a deranged man. He was unbalanced beyond awareness. Although he was a scientific genius, many proofs of his unbalanced, social behavior have been uncovered. He was not insane; I believe he was experimenting the same subject he was studying. Arguments of Opposition Many reports have emerged over time cla iming different things. One such report is that James Holmes was on a pharmaceutical drug Vicodin which the actual â€Å"Joker†, Heath Ledger, is also supposed to have abused. Report also suggests that exceeding Vicodin’s recommended levels makes for unusual behavior and altered mental states (Gucciardi, 2012). There are also reports of Holmes seeing a campus psychiatrist on June 11, 2012 (Press, 2012). Holmes made the last call to his psychiatrist just before the shootout. He is said to have submitted a notebook to his psychiatrist which is protected by patient-doctor privacy laws. A report states that Chris Townsond, who escaped unharmed, believes that a mental illness does not give anyone any right to kill somebody (Banda, 2012). No matter how badly broken and ill a person was no one has the right to massacre shoot an audience and spread mistrust and panic. Discussion and Analysis If Holmes was on a drug, especially one like Vicodin, he must have taken time to excee d the recommended dosage. He had seen a psychiatrist a month and 10 days back which would land him in a safe zone for drug abuse, which his psychiatrist would have detected. Vicodin is an opioid pain reliever, having narcotic properties. Unless it is used in combination with other substances, it has minor side-effects, with nervous system side-effects ranging from dizziness, delirium, depression to stupor. So far there has been no news on the notebook that was given to the psychiatrist by Holmes. The book which is protected by so-called laws is a very insightful piece of evidence which can evict the case. The deliberate attempt to keep the notebook under locks can be viewed as irresponsible on the part of judiciary. To keep the evidence sealed and hidden using laws is a clever way of concealing it. Initial reports by the police confirmed that Holmes was not mad or deranged when they caught him. He was in his senses. Some reports which reported survivor stories told how some survivor s saw him screaming at people to stand up from the crowd so he could shoot them at point blank range (Reporter, 2012). Yet his lawyers try time and again to prove he is mad and insane. His first appearance in court was a shock to many as he sat with glazed eyes as though medicated. When initial reports confirmed he was not medicated and not high, all his appearances in court have been put up to buy time and convince people that he had lost his mind and had committed a crime without knowing. Even in cell, his behavior

Answer a few questions to participate in a volunteer trip abroad Essay

Answer a few questions to participate in a volunteer trip abroad - Essay Example lusions about what I will face there having seen the devastation on the news and having heard first-hand accounts from family members who have suffered through the crisis. Im well aware that the trip will be a difficult one and I will have to prove myself in the field. Nevertheless I feel completely prepared and willing to undertake this challenge. I work very well in team situations and have always developed a good rapport with peers, co-workers, professors and employers. While I highly enjoy teamwork I also have the motivation and knowledge to work efficiently and independently on major projects. I work extremely well under pressure and have always been able to put my best forward and receive top results. Results are important to me. I was taught from a young age to strive to do my best in everything I do. I always reach for the top. I want to be a leader and do my best in the field in Haiti. I know that leadership means having integrity and believing in what youre doing. I also think this would be a very serious and intense learning experience for me and would allow me to reach outside of my comfort zone and test myself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is very important to understand different cultures and to be respectful towards them. I strive, in everything I do, to follow this rule. Im of Haitian descent so Haiti is not a different culture than mine, and I can fit in there. But with other cultures I am always sure to do my best to be respectful. I often buy food from a small Korean grocery near my house. Although the people there often do not speak English I do my best to great them politely in simple language. When there is a misunderstanding over the price I calmly take the time to talk to them. Get angry never solves anything. As I explained earlier, the earthquake was personally devastating for me as I knew people who live in Haiti. It was a truly traumatic occasion. I remember weeping as I saw the images on television and feeling powerless. I went to church and

WGS final Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

WGS final - Assignment Example As seen in the work of Kirk & Okazawa-Rey, as the women grow up, they are socialized into women and even given descriptions on how a perfect female body should look like and how they are anticipated to live up to this reality (121-162). The women in turn completely change their views on how their bodies look like, design new model of their look and even change their beliefs on their exact identity. With this in mind, it is expected that the women will take into account what their bodies are made for and even attempt to determine how their bodies will change as they develop from one stage to another (Kirk & Okazawa-Rey 121-162). This thought is shared by Serdar who indicates that, the media has continually shaped the female body image (1). In her opinion, the author is wary of the extent in which the society sets socio-cultural standards that the women are expected to follow in the course of their development (Serdar 1). With the media emphasizing on the ideal body type and image, it is evident that lots of women will struggle to meet that standards of beauty that are, to a great extent, unattainable. One can easily relate to the plight of the women that constantly struggle to identify themselves with the beauty models in their televisions sets in the form of fashion models, advertisement queens and presenters of renowned shows. The response by the women being discontented about their physical appearance can then be understood from the perspective of Serdar. The society in this case, can be termed as one of factors that result to gender inequalities in the society. As far as this case point is concerned, th e women are forced to lead their lives as per the society not as per their beliefs. Kirk & Okazawa-Rey explain how the concept of the female appearance has created a beauty business that makes profits of billions every year

Michael’s Reflective Paper Essay Example for Free

Michael’s Reflective Paper Essay * Who am I? What life experiences made me who I am today? Was it my family, my social environment where I went to school, the groups, or organizations that I belonged to, or was it certain life events that shaped me? * This paper is my attempt to show that my family and social environment, my life experiences from childhood to present influenced me to be the person that I am today and who I will be in the future. As I reflect upon my life, at the age of forty-nine, I have come to the conclusion that my family and social environment when growing up, surviving cancer in my twenties, and getting married in my thirties are the main social influences and life events that have shaped who I am today and who I want to become in the future. Every one of these experiences has given me something: learning to be independent from family attitudes; dealing with the state of uncertainty, which comes with the disease; responsibility of marriage; and the importance to find the field of expertise for effective work. All these insights can be described as building effective relationships with people and developing self-understanding on different levels. * To understand my family life, and why I feel that their negative attitudes to me shaped me to be a better person, I first have to give you some background on my family and me. The background of my family clarifies how important for me was to be independent from this alienating environment. My mother died when I was only a year old and my father raised my older brother Kevin and me by himself until he met my stepmother. My father remarried and had my two stepbrothers William and Robert. My father was a strict disciplinarian, racist, drank a lot, and worked as a machinist at a refinery plant. My stepmother was a homemaker as my father did not approve of her working and felt that she needed to be at home taking care of the children. My stepmother came from an orphanage, had polio in her left hand. She was also an alcoholic, meaning that she was nasty when drunk; in addition, she was a chain smoker. Kevin was the oldest son one and a half years older than me (and my father’s favorite one), I was the middle child, William was five years younger than me and was diagnosed at an early age as having severe attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD); Robert was the youngest. Witt and Mossler (2010) quote the longitudinal research study which has shown that the attitudes of parents towards children rather than the practices of raising children shape our personality in adulthood (Ch. 1, p. 11). It is evident that lack of my father’s attention has influenced me a lot, stimulating me to attract my parents’ attention, for better or for worse. The authors also stress on the importance of the environment of growing up, both social and physical (Witt Mossler, 2010, Ch. 1, p. 13). We lived in a relatively low middle class white community in Beaumont, Texas next door to my father’s brother and his family. The area where we lived in was close to the outskirts of Beaumont and was nestled back in the woods, so the woods were our playground. This could create the feeling of abandonment, but it was also empowering somehow, as I learned by these circumstances to rely on myself. Palkovitz, Marks, Appleby, and Holmes (2002) treat the relationship between parents and children as a complex unit consisting of father factors, co parental factors, mother factors, child factors, and contextual factors (p. 8). It is evident that in my family, there was disintegration in a sense on all levels. It was interesting to discover that, according to the study by Palkovitz, Marks, Appleby, and Holmes (2002), my father’s attitude was shaped by his experience in romantic relationships and then projected upon children (p. 8). I had to develop independence from this painful emotional context. My relationship with my father caused me to be non-racist, disciplined, and extroverted, as my father was a strict disciplinarian, controlling, and racist man. He gave all his attention to my older brother and ignored me unless I did something that angered him. His treatment of me caused me to crave his attention and to seek to please him until I reached my teenage years and decided that I did not want to be like my father. I rebelled against his control upon me. He tried to control what I did after school, how I wore my hair, how I thought, and what I wanted to be when I graduated high school. I was deeply afraid of him when I was a child, and only when I became a young adult did I see that what he was doing to me was wrong. I started standing up for myself. I started seeking attention outside my family and I got a job after school so that I started earning my own money. That allowed me to purchase my own clothes, get my haircut how I wanted, and purchase my first car that gave me the freedom to escape from my dysfunctional family on a daily basis. My first car and earning my own money gave me the ability to distance myself from my family. However, later circumstances of my life taught me that people can also be supporting and self-reliance is not enough. When I was in my early twenties working and going to college, I developed Hodgkin’s disease that has also changed my personality. Hodgkin’s is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. Like other forms of cancer, it is believed to cause the feelings of uncertainty, lack of control, anxiety, isolation, discomfort, and – last but not least – re-definition of goals and roles (Halldorsdottir Hamrin, 1996, p. 34). On one hand, one feels that he has to re-define his place in the society; on another hand, people care about those with the disease more and help more (at least they are supposed to do so). I experienced how it was not to have the control upon my life, but also how it was to be cared for by others. Anyway, when one is ill and so evidently dependent upon the society, the natural question comes: â€Å"Did I do anything wrong? And what was it? † Often cancer is associated with suppressed anger and a desire to please other (or at least attract attention) (Broderick, 1996, p. 14), and this really could be my case. I must admit that this understanding came along with serious heart problems. Still, illness did not prevent me from shouldering responsibility in work and family life, as well as from the joys of both. I met my wife during my thirties when I was changing my careers from being a technician to a salesperson. Interestingly, psychologists nowadays view professional development of an individual as an ongoing process (not limited to certain age group), the first stage of which is exploration (Smart Peterson, 1997, p. 59). So, I was engaged in a kind of â€Å"double exploration†, searching for new ways in professional life as well as personal, consciously or not. In addition, like a career, marriage is a serious responsibility that implies both joyful outcomes and stress together with work on oneself. This personal responsibility has changed me a lot, teaching how to meet the needs of another person with whom I have been living day by day for a long time. I find the recommendations given by Witt and Mossler (2010, Ch. 3, p. 37) helpful, though challenging sometimes. People are happy in marriage when they support each other materially and emotionally, not forgetting to be positive, share feelings, thank each other, express affection, and do certain tasks together. In prolonged perspective, my family life and work taught me how to be productive and understanding in relationships with people and how to maintain stability in the changing world around and in the situations when inner conflicts arise. That is why in my future, I want to pass on the knowledge that my occupation as a sales manager has given to me. Perhaps I will start organizing some training sessions. This may also help to deepen my competence in the field of sales and on the level of personal communication, as people may share their valuable experience with me on the trainings. As I reflect upon my life now, from quite a distance, I have concluded that several events were the strongest in making me the person I am at present. They were my family and social environment in childhood, surviving cancer in my twenties, and getting married in my thirties. My family life stimulated me to earn living independently, cancer survival was essential in understanding my own potential and the ability to help of the people around, and marriage has given me the notion of responsibility. The dark years and events turn out to be ambivalent in the sense that they have given me certain experience and understanding of myself. Those main social influences and life events that I described in this paper have shaped my present personality and my thoughts about the future.

Alfuzosin Hydrochloride and Dutasteride In Tablets

Alfuzosin Hydrochloride and Dutasteride In Tablets ABSTRACT This chapter describes method development and validation of UV First Derivative Zero Crossing method for simultaneous determination of Alfuzosin Hydrochloride and Dutasteride in tablet dosage forms. AIM The main aim of the present study is to develope a simple, sensitive and cost effective UV spectroscopic method for the simultaneous estimation of Alfuzosin Hydrochloride and Dutasteride in tablets, on the basis of zero Crossing measurement. Validation of the developed method for routine analysis of Alfuzosin Hydrochloride and Dutasteride in tablets for quality control laboratories. RATIONALE Alfuzosin Hydrochloride is an alpha-adrenergic blocker used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It works by relaxing the muscles in the prostate and bladder neck, making it easier to urinate Dutasteride belongs to a class of drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, which block the action of the 5-alpha-reductase enzymes that convert testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Recently both the drugs have been marketed in combination (Alfusin D acts on both the dynamic and the static components of BPH) in tablet dosage forms; combined oral administration has been found to be more effective than either single drug. To the best of knowledge, no derivative spectroscopic method available for simultaneous determination. Derivative spectroscopy provides a greater selectivity than common spectroscopy. RESULT AND CONCLUSION A simple, accurate and precise spectroscopic method was developed for  simultaneous determination of LER and ATE in tablets using first derivative  Zero crossing method. LER shows ZCP at 231 nm while ATE shows ZCP at  250 nm. The 1D amplitude was measured at 250 nm for LER and 231 nm For  ATE and calibration curves were plotted as 1D amplitude versus concentration,  respectively. The method was found to be linear from 4-28 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL for LER  (r2=0.9967) at 250 nm and 5-30 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL for ATE (r2=0.9996) at 231 nm. The  within day and between day variations showed coefficient of variation (%CV)  values 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW 1.2.1 BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH): It is characterized by hyperplasia of prostatic stromal and epithelial cells, resulting in the formation of large, fairly discrete nodules in the periurethral region of the prostate. When sufficiently large, the nodules compress the urethral canal to cause partial, or sometimes virtually complete, obstruction of the urethra, which interferes the normal flow of urine. It leads to symptoms of urinary hesitancy, frequent urination, dysuria (painful urination), increased risk of urinary tract infections, and urinary retention. Although prostate specific antigen levels may be elevated in these patients because of increased organ volume and inflammation due to urinary tract infections, BPH is not considered to be a premalignant lesion. Adenomatous prostatic growth is believed to begin at approximately age 30 years. An estimated 50% of men have histologic evidence of BPH by age 50 years and 75% by age 80 years. In 40-50% of these patients, BPH becomes clinically significant. How does BPH occur? The prostate goes through two main periods of growth. In early puberty, the prostate doubles in size. Then, around age 25, the prostate begins to grow again and continues to grow throughout most of a mans life. The continuing enlargement of the prostate does not usually cause problems until later in life. However, the second period of growth may, many years later, result in BPH. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): BPH rarely causes symptoms before age 40. More than half of men in their 60s have some symptoms of BPH. As many as 90 percent of men in their 70s and 80s have some symptoms of BPH SYMPTOMS: Difficulty in starting to pass urine ( hesitancy) A weak stream of urine Dribbling after urinating The need to strain to pass urine Incomplete emptying of bladder Difficulty to control the urination urge Having to get up several times in the night to pass urine Feeling a burning sensation when passing urine Passing urine mixed with blood (indication of infection) Treatment of BPH   BPH may not require any form of treatment and may just be monitored for any changes or early signs of any problems. In the event that BPH has caused a urinary tract infection, the infection will be treated first with antibiotic medications and then the BPH may be treated. There are several forms of treatment that can be used for benign prostatic hyperplasia that include medications, minimally invasive therapies, and surgery. The two types of medications currently used to treat BPH are alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors.   These medications can prevent the prostrate gland from growing larger and may shrink the prostrate gland in some patients.   How do Alpha blockers work: Alpha blockers work by relaxing the smooth muscle tissue in your prostate and at the opening to your bladder. When this muscle tissue relaxes, it is easier for your urine to flow. This may help if you have difficulty starting to urinate and a weak urine stream. Alpha blockers can start working within two to three days, and may relieve your urinary symptoms in about two to three weeks. However, these medications do not stop your prostate gland from continuing to enlarge. Available alpha blockers include: Cardura (doxazosin) Flomax (tamsulosin) Hytrin (terazosin) Uroxatral(alfuzosin) How do 5 alpha reductase inhibitors work The 5-alpha reductase inhibitors work by interfering with the effect of specific male hormones (androgens) on your prostate. This may slow the growth of your prostate and can even cause your prostate to get smaller, which may help improve BPH symptoms. Men with larger prostates may have a greater benefit from these medications than do men with smaller prostates. But, for some men, size (of the prostate that is) does not matter, and the 5-alpha reductase inhibitors may not give satisfactory results even if your prostate gets smaller. The 5-alpha reductase inhibitors work slowly, and they may take up to six months before you notice any improvement. Available 5-alpha reductase inhibitors include: Avodart (dutasteride) Proscar (finasteride) Both an Alpha Blocker and 5-alpha Reductase Inhibitor Depending on symptoms and the size of your prostate, your doctor may recommend a combination of an alpha-blocker with a 5-alpha reductase inhibitor. The combination of the two types of medications may help more than either medicine alone. 1.2.2 DRUG PROFILE: Alfuzosin hydrochloride: It is an alpha-adrenergic blocker Structure File:Alfuzosin.svg N-[3-[(4-amino-6,7-dimethoxy-quinazolin-2-yl)-methyl-amino]propyl] tetrahydrofuran- 2-carboxamide Dutasteride: It is a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor. Structure File:Dutasteride.svg (5ÃŽÂ ±,17ÃŽÂ ²)-N-{2,5bis(trifluoromethyl) phenyl}-3-oxo-4-azaandrost-1-ene-17-carboxamide Pharmacodynamic Alfuzosin is a quinazoline-derivative alpha-adrenergic blocking agent used to treat hypertension and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Accordingly, alfuzosin is a selective inhibitor of the alpha(1) subtype of alpha adrenergic receptors. In the human prostate, alfuzosin antagonizes phenylephrine (alpha(1) agonist)-induced contractions Pharmacokinetics  and Metabolism Absorption is 50% lower under fasting conditions Volume of distribution 3.2 L/kg [healthy male middle-aged volunteers] Protein binding 82%-90% Metabolism Hepatic. Alfuzosin undergoes extensive metabolism by the liver, with only 11% of the administered dose excreted unchanged in the urine. Alfuzosin is metabolized by three metabolic pathways: oxidation, O-demethylations, and N-dealkylation. The metabolites are not pharmacologically active. CYP3A4 is the principal hepatic enzyme isoform involved in its metabolism. 1.2.3 REPORTED UV SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHODS 1.2.4 Aim and Objective of the present work: Derivative spectroscopic methods are more sensitive than other spectroscopic method according to literature there is no derivative spectroscopic method reported so there is need to develop a sensitive derivative spectroscopic method which is more sensitive than simultaneous equation method so aim is to develop and validate the first derivative Zero-Crossing UV spectrophotometric method and apply that method to simultaneous determination of these drug in marketed formulation. 1.3 EXPERIMENTAL WORK 1.3.1 Chemicals and Reagents Alfuzosin HCl and Dutasteride ALFUSIN D (CIPLA Ltd.) containing 10 mg of Alfuzosin HCl 0.5 mg of Dutasteride were purchased from local market. Methanol of HPLC grade was purchased from Merck Ltd. (Mumbai, India). Purified Water was prepared using a Millipore Milli-Q system (Bedford, MA, USA). 1.3.2 Instrument Spectroscopic Analysis was carried out on a JascoV-650 double beam UV-Visible  spectrophotometer with software of Spectra Manager. The zero order absorption spectra were recorded over the wavelength range of 200-400 nm, against solvent blank, in quartz cuvetts with 1 cm diameter with scan speed of 100 nm/min and fixed value of slit width is 1 nm The ordinate maximum minimum were adjusted according to derivative values. 1.3.3 Development of UV first derivative Zero crossing method: As the Dutasteride is Insoluble in Water 80:20 V/V Mixture of Methanol and Water were used for method development First of all, Individual Zero orders absorption Spectra of both the drugs were recorded by scanning 10 ÃŽÂ ¼g/ml solution. The ÃŽÂ »max of Alfuzosin HCl and Dutasteride was found to be 240 nm 225.5 nm respectively. We have chosen derivative spectroscopy which is based on mathematical transformation of spectra zero order curves in to derivative spectra, which allows a fast sensitive and precise resolution of a multicomponent mixture and overcomes the problem of overlapping of a multi component system. Derivative Spectroscopy on the basis of zero crossing measurement involves measurement of absolute value of total derivative spectrum at an abscissa value corresponding to the Zero Crossing wavelength of the derivative spectra of individual components, which should be only the function of the concentration of the other component. Zero crossing points of Alfuzosin HCl a nd Dutasteride were identified in first derivative spectra. the measurement exhibited the best linear response and have given a near zero intercept on the coordinate of the calibration graph, and is less affected by the concentration of  any other component. Alfuzosin HCl was determined by measurement of its 1D amplitude at the zero-crossing point of Dutasteride was determined by measurement of its1 D at the zero-crossing point of Alfuzosin HCl . 1.3.4 Preparation of stock solution Primary standard stock solution of Alfuzosin HCl and Dutasteride were prepared separately by dissolving accurately weighed amount (10 mg) of drug in 10 ml 80:20 V/V (MeOH:H2O) to produce a concentration of 1.00mg/mL Working standard solution of each analyte were prepared by appropriate dilution of stock solution to get 100 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL The further concentration required for constructing calibration curve were prepared daily by dilution of 100 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL working standard. Stock solution of binary mixture was prepared by dissolving accurately weighed quantities of both drugs in solvent. Further dilutions of binary mixture were made to obtain QC samples. 1.3.5 Calibration standard quality control (QC) samples The standard calibration sample were prepared by diluting working standard solution of each analyte to yield seven different concentration over the range of  3-24 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL for Alfuzosin HCl 3-30 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL for Dutasteride . Linearity was evaluated separately for each drug using the defined analytical amplitudes (1D), with appropriate seven standard solutions. The QC sample were prepared from stock solution containing binary mixture to yield the low, medium high concentration (4,5 6ÃŽÂ ¼g/ml for Alfuzosin HCl) (20 ,25 30 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mLfor Dutasteride). 1.3.6 Procedure for calibration curve Absorption derivative spectra were recorded over the range of the wavelength range 200-400 nm. Zero order spectra of standard calibration sample of 10 ÃŽÂ ¼g/ml of each drug were recorded against blank. First order spectra were recorded with in concentration range, the value of analytical amplitude 1D231 and 1D250 for ATE LER respectively were recorded. The calibration curve for derivative spectrophotometry were constructed by plotting the drug concentration versus the absorbance values of the first derivative spectrum 1D at 1D 231 and 1D250 for ATE LER, respectively. 1.3.7 Inter-day Intra-day accuracy precision A QC standard prepared binary mixture was evaluated for Inter-day Intraday  accuracy precision. Accuracy was determined as the absolute value of the ratio of the back calculated mean values of QC to their respective nominal  values was expressed as percentage. Precision of assay was expressed as  percentage coefficient of variation (% CV) for QC sample Binary Mixture 1.3.8 Assay of Pharmaceutical dosage form A total number of 20 tablets (Alfusin D) accurately weighed and  powdered in a mortar. Quantities of the powdered tablets equivalent to 10 mg of Alfuzosin HCl 0.5 mg of Dutasteride were accurately weighed and transferred in to 100 ml volumetric flask. Weighed powder was dissolved in 80:20 V/V (MeOH:H2O) mixed thoroughly and kept under mechanical shaking for 15 minutes. Solution obtain was filtered through filter paper and diluted with same solvent to get the concentration within linearity and used for the measurement of derivative spectra. The concentration of Alfuzosin HCl and Dutasteride in tablet were calculated from corresponding calibration curve. 1.4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 1.4.1 Development of First derivative zero crossing method Derivative spectroscopy on the basis of zero crossing measurement involves measurement of absolute value of total derivative spectrum at an abscissa  value corresponding to the zero crossing wavelengths of the derivative spectra  of individual components. Which should be the function of the concentration of  other component Zero crossing points for ATE LER were found to be 211.9,  225.4, 250, 275.2, 292.2 218.4, 231, 240.7, 310.9, 362.7 nm respectively the  measurement at 250 231 exhibit best linear response. So ATE was  determined by measurement of its 1D amplitude at ZCP of LER (at 231 nm ). LER was determined by measurement of its 1D amplitude at ZCP of ATE (at  250 nm). 1.4.2 Validation23-25 1.4.2.1 Linearity Since beer law obeys between absorbance values 0.1-1, the linearity is  established by plotting points between these two readings in triplicate. for  Lercanidipine HCl linearity found to be between 3 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL to 24 ÃŽÂ ¼g/mL with  typical regression equation of 0.0015x-0.0003 with regression coefficient of  0.9967 for Atenolol Linearity found to be between 3 ÃŽÂ ¼g/ml to 30 ÃŽÂ ¼g/ml with  regression equation 0.0025x+0.0005 with regression coefficient of 0.9996. 1.4.2.2 Accuracy The accuracy of method was established in triplicate in three consecutive days. At 80%, 100% 120% of the expected sample concentration in synthetic binary mixture, the method found to be very accurate with recovery References M. VAMSI KRISHNA* and D. GOWRI SANKAR Optimization and Validation of Quantitative Spectrophotometric Methods for the Determination of Alfuzosin in Pharmaceutical Formulations ISSN: 0973-4945; CODEN ECJHAO E-Journal of Chemistry Safwan Ashour, M. Fawaz Chehna, Roula Bayram Spectrophotometric Determination of Alfuzosin HCl in Pharmaceutical Formulations with some Sulphonephthalein Dyes International journal of Biomedical science M. SUGUMARAN Extractive Spectrophotometric Determination of Alfuzosin from Its Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form J. Ind. Council Chem. Vol. 26, No. 1, 2009, pp. 47-49 SYEDA HUMAIRA, AKALANKA DEY1, S APPALA RAJU, SYED SANAULLAH Applications Of Colorimetric Methods For The Determination Of Cinitapride Hydrogen Tartarate In Drug Formulations International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol 2, Suppl 1, 2010 Md Ruhul Amin, Moynul Hasan, Abdullah Al Masud, Md Hanif uddin,  Md Hasanuzzaman and Mohammad Kaisarul Islam Validated Uv Spectrophotometric Method For Estimation Of Dutasteride In Tablet Dosage Form Islam M K et al. / Pharmacie Globale (IJCP) 2011, 4 (04) Kamila M. M., Mondal N Ghosh L.K A Validated Spectrophotometric Method For  Determination Of Dutasteride In Bulk Drug And Pharmaceutical Formulations International Journal of PharmTech Research CODEN (USA): IJPRIF ISSN : 0974-4304 Vishnu P. Choudhari*, Sacchidanand R. Gite, Rahul P. Raut, Asawaree A. Hable, Sanket R. Parekar, Bhanudas S. Kuchekar Spectrophotometric Simultaneous Determination Of Dutasteride And Tamsulosin In Combined Tablet Dosage Form By First Order Derivative Spectroscopy And Area Under Curve (Auc) Spectrophotometric Methods And Its Application To Uniformity Of Content In Tablet And Capsule ISSN 0976 -044 x Volume 2, Issue 2, May June 2010; Article 013

Strategic Management Is The Dynamic Process Of Formulation Marketing Essay

Strategic Management Is The Dynamic Process Of Formulation Marketing Essay Strategic management is the dynamic process of formulation, implementation, evaluation and control of strategies to realize the organizations strategic intent. Strategic management is a dynamic process. In this particular course work of strategic planning module the company which I have selected is Cadbury India, a company with a great marketing structure, strategic planning and with a strong value among the customers all over the globe. Company History Cadbury India The Company was incorporated on 19th July 1948, as a private limited company under the name of Cadbury-Fry (India) Private Limited and commences business soon thereafter. Gradually the Company undertook at its own cost and responsibility the development of cocoa growing in the country. A specialist cocoa advisory service was created. A cocoa research centre was also created together with seeding nurseries and distribution centers. Through its subsidiary, Induri Farm Ltd., the Company had set up facilities near Pune to breed cattle that would give improved yield of milk at economic feeding costs. Strategic Corporate Development History of Cadbury Inc . 1919 undertook a merger with J. S. Fry Sons, another chocolate manufacturer which saw the integration of well-known brands such as Frys Chocolate Cream and Frys Turkish Delight Cadbury merged with drinks company Schweppes to form Cadbury Schweppes in 1969 Cadbury Schweppes went on to acquire Sunkist, Canada Dry, Typhoo Tea and more. In the US, Schweppes Beverages was created and the manufactures of Cadbury confectionery brands were licensed to Hersheys. Triarc sold Snapple, Mistic and Stewarts (formerly Cable Car Beverage) to Cadbury Schweppes in 2000 for $1.45  billion. In October of that same year, Cadbury Schweppes purchased Royal Crown from Triarc. In March 2007, it was revealed that Cadbury Schweppes was planning to split its business into two separate entities: one focusing on its main chocolate and confectionery market; the other on its US drinks business. The demerger took effect on 2 May 2008, with the drinks business becoming Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. In December 2008 it was announced that Cadbury was to sell its Australian beverage unit to Asahi Breweries. In 2008 Monkhill Confectionery, the Own Label trading division of Cadbury Trebor Bassett was sold to Tangerine Confectionery for  £58million cash. This sale included factories at Pontefract, Cleckheaton and York and a distribution centre near Chesterfield, and the transfer of around 800 employees. On 19 January 2010, it was announced that Cadbury and Kraft Foods had reached a deal and that Kraft would purchase Cadbury for  £8.40 per share, valuing Cadbury at  £11.5bn (US$18.9bn). Kraft, which issued a statement stating that the deal will create a global confectionery leader, had to borrow  £7  billion (US$11.5bn) in order to finance the takeover. These are the main strategic developments, which took place within Cadbury Inc. till now. Cadbury Inc has taken major strategic decision throughout their operations but at the end it is being taken over by Krafts. Above-mentioned are the strategic developments of Cadbury Inc. Cadbury India has applied both Corporate-Level Strategies as well as Business-Level Strategies. Corporate-Level Strategies and business-Level Strategies of Cadbury India Introduction of new product-line named Star and Gems chocolates in 1967 and 1968 respectively. After the conversion of Cadbury India from private limited company to public limited company on 11th June in 1977, an agreement was entered into with Cadbury Overseas Ltd., (COL) U.K., on 3rd May1977, for technical services concerning new products and processes. Cadbury India entered into an agreement with CSOL for the grant of a license for continued use of the word `Cadbury as part of the Companys corporate name. Industrial license for the apple juice project was received and the project was commissioned on 16th September, 1980. On 17th December 1982, the name of the Company was changed from Cadbury India Ltd. to Hindustan Cocoa Products Ltd., consequent to 60% of its shares being held by the Indian public. In 1985, Cadbury India explored the possibilities of entering into the business of software export. In 1987, in chocolate group, the Company launched new products such as `Crackle, `Orange, `Strawberry Krisp, `Mello, and `Wildlife bar. In the foods drinks, the Cadbury India launched `Choc O Cheer. In 1988, the Chocolate division introduced some more new products to upper and lower ends of the market. In the food drinks area, a higher protein drink under the brand name `Enriche was successfully introduced. The Company diversified into ice-cream market and a product under the Brand name `Dollops. With effect from 18th July 1993, the Companys Ice Cream business comprising manufacturing arrangements with two well known brands Dollops Lopstop was transferred to Brooke Bond India Ltd. for a consideration of Rs 1062.65 lakhs and an assurance from the company to Brooke Bond that they would not make or sell Ice creams for a period of 8 years. In 1994, The Company undertook a modernization and rationalization programme at its Malanpur factory at a cost of Rs 40 crores. In 1995, Perk was launched from its Malanpur plant. Towards the end of1996, the Company has launched a new range of sugar confectionery, `Googly, a trangy, fizzy fruit flavored candy in Chennai under the brand name `Trebor. In 1997, Cadbury India Ltd has launched Truffle flavored soft centre moulded chocolate bar. The product was launched in Calcutta, Mumbai and New Delhi during October with subsequent launches planned in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other mini-metros in a phased-manner in November. In 1997, Cadbury India launched its well-known beverage Bournvita in sachets. In 1999, Cadbury India Ltd has launched a new product, `Nice Cream, under its sugar confectioner business. The sugar candy has been launched only in Mumbai. In 2000, Cadburys has introduced Perk Slims, a slimmer version of the wafe. The Company has re-launched Perk, its chocolate-coated wafer; it has four new layers covered in Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. Cadbury India Ltd. has launched a range of gift packs for Diwali. The Company had entered into a Memorandum of understanding on July 5th, to sell its immovable property at Colaba, Mumbai. Cadbury Schweppes Plc acquires 39.34% stake in its Indian subsidiary Cadbury India Ltd. Cadbury Schweppes Pcl developed a new phenomenon allowing its consumers to define its brand profile. Cadbury India tapping unconventional marketing channels like non-retail chains to drive their market expansion. In 2002, Cadburys buy out of Pfizers confectionary brand is expected to set a strong base in the oral gratification category. In 2003, Cadbury has roped in advertising firm called Lemon to handle creative for its products temptation and milt treat. Cadbury India has dropped Carat India and roped in Madison Media for the media planning and buying. Cadbury India tied up with BPL Mobile for SMS vending services. Thus, we can see from above almost all the corporate -level as well as Business-Level Strategies are adopted by Cadbury India to expand as well as to avoid mishaps. Cadbury India Cadbury India has used different strategies at different situation. They have under gone mergers and acquisition, buyouts, demergers, tie-ups, etc. Current Strategic Situation Cadbury India is a fully owned subsidy of Kraft Foods Inc. The combination of Kraft Foods and Cadbury creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals. Cadbury India is currently the worlds No.1 confectionery and biscuit company. Cadbury India is the worlds second-largest food company with sales in approximately 160 countries. Currently, Cadbury India operates in four categories viz. Chocolate Confectionery, Milk Food Drinks, Candy and Gum category. In the Chocolate Confectionery business, Cadbury has maintained its undisputed leadership over the years. Some of the key brands in India are Cadbury Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Perk, Éclairs and Celebrations. In the Milk Food drinks segment Cadburys main product is Bournvitta the leading Malted Food Drink (MFD) in the country. Similarly, in the medicated candy category Halls is the undisputed leader. Recently, Cadbury entered the gums category with the launch of our worldwide dominant bubble gumbrandBubbaloo. Since 1965 Cadbury has also pioneered the development of cocoa cultivation in India. For over two decades, Cadbury have worked with the Kerala Agriculture University to undertake cocoa research and released clones, hybrids that improve the cocoa yield. Cadbury conduct farmers meetings seminars to educate them on Cocoa cultivation aspects. These efforts have increased cocoa productivity and touched the lives of thousands of farmers. The strategies, which Cadbury follows, include: Build a high performing organization Reframe our categories Exploit our sales capabilities Drive down costs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ without compromising quality Environmental activity of Cadbury: Cadbury India takes care of the environment and enriches the quality of lives of the communities through a variety of result-oriented programs. Cadbury aim to look after the health and safety of our people and minimize the environmental impact of our business around the world. Cadbury India is committed to growing community value around the world. For our employees, this is about making a difference in the community. Other successful strategies adapted by Cadbury to their brands include: The interactive campaign for Pappu Pass Ho Gaya bagged a Bronze Lion at the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival 2006 for Best use of internet and new media. The idea involved a tie-up with Reliance India Mobile service, allowed students to check their exam results using their mobile service, and encouraged those who passed their examinations to celebrate with Cadbury Dairy Milk. Cadbury Bytes is targeted at teens, as they are the largest consuming segment of packaged snack category. They are also the gateway to the family, especially for a new sweet snack. Cadbury Bytes is positioned as the only sweet snack in the world of salty snacks. Cadbury introduced Cadbury Bournvitta Quiz Contest, which started airing on April 12th 1972, is Indias longest running national school quiz contest. It was really a good strategy to boost-up the sales. The task was to get the youth audience to adopt Cadbury Dairy Milk in the sweet eating or muh meetha karna moments The campaign of Jab Pappu Pass Ho jaye, Kuch Meetha Ho jaye captured the thought of celebrating a moment of delight with Dairy Milk A campaign was built around the idea of how pappu celebrated passing his exams with Dairy Milk A multi-media campaign was launched on TV, Internet, Radio and Outdoor The key was how do own the moment of pappu passing his exams in the media space An innovative tie -up with Reliance web world was executed, wherein students across 66 examination boards across the company could access their results on Reword through their Reliance mobiles. If they passed a message congratulating them on their moment of delight from Dairy Milk was displayed We can see that how Cadbury India has managed and implemented their strategies over a period of time. The company has undergone various strategies like digitalization, various innovation were made to improve their products. Apart from that, they have introduced various products with good features and promoted them with the latest mode of promotion activities. It has been seen that one of the most important strategy at corporate-level was to launch products with innovation and their market strategies like campaigning. It was the trend with Cadbury, which has seen in the past decade. Moreover, in the present situation the company has underwent a turnaround strategy. It has been acquired by another company in Feb 2010 by Kraft Food. At present, it is fully owned subsidiary of Kraft Food. The company has made efficient use of internal and external sources their internal and sources are: Internal Sources: Employees: Employee of Cadbury India were well dedicated to their work and based upon their work only the company has reached to maximum height. In the same way the company has also provided ways and means to satisfy their employees. Employee retrenchment was very low in Cadbury India. Information System: Cadbury has a very good information system adopted. Later, they introduced digitalisation. Finance: the products produced by the company were in great demand that it generated large sales to the company, which helped in increased revenue for the firm. Marketing: The Company adopted various marketing techniques for the promotion of its products like campaigning, conducting contests in schools etc. Operations: In 1994, the company introduced rationalization and modernisation programmes. External Sources: Economic : The economic environment of Cadbury India includes the economic conditions like growth of company in India. Cadbury has very efficiently utilized the economic advantages. Market: The products of Cadbury India have been very efficiently targeted based upon the feature of the product. Cadbury India focused almost all the age group International: Cadbury has their branches in almost most all the countries. They adopted various international strategies like business alliance, mergers etc. To have international access. Technology: More and more efforts were being made to have technological advancement in their products. More or less, they have succeeded in delivering quality products like Cadbury milk chocolate, Bournvitta Energy Drink etc. Social: Cadbury India has undertaken various Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes, which has helped the society. As a part of their social activity, the company has constructed check water dam to store water. Cadbury India is committed to growing community value around the world. Conclusion Thus, we can say that Cadbury India has undergone various Corporate and Business-Level strategies to boost up their activities in almost all the spheres, both internal and external. They have strived a lot to attain the best position in the world. They have attained this with the strategies, which they followed in timely basis. They adopted various measures to face the competition. At last, they could not stop the hostile acquisition from Kraft Food Corporation. It was then with mutual understanding and agreement were converted into a mutual takeover by Kraft Food Corporation. At present Cadbury India is a fully owned subsidiary of Kraft Food. Again, the company should think of various other strategies, learning from the past pitfalls made. They should adopt various other strategies both in Corporate -level as well as in Business-Level. They should try to develop their RD and should come up with new products with greater level of innovation. Consumers need value to the product. Thus, Cadbury India should strive to attain maximum value to their products with reasonable cost targeting almost the entire community as a whole. The company should develop more and more community welfare programmes to improvise community growth as well. They should undertake programmes to develop the nation of the world. Cadbury India should try to concentrate on their strengths to face the threats and should work on their weaknesses to capture the opportunities that are there in the external environment. For that the first steps is to have a SWOT analysis and move on as per the requirement. Strategic Direction for the future In 2006, Cadbury chocolate was linked to a salmonella outbreak, later paying a hefty fine over a leaking factory pipe that contaminated its products. The company suffered a loss of  £30 million. There product have been recalled. Cadbury was looking to re-jig its image and make some smart decisions to save money on resources. Green promises may not put to rest consumers fears of contaminated products. To face this situation, the company set certain targets that include: 50% reduction of net absolute carbon emissions by 2020 with a minimum of 30% from in-company actions. 10% reduction in packaging used per tonne of product and 25% in the more highly packaged seasonal and gifting items. Use more environmentally sustainable forms of packaging aim for 60% biodegradable, with 100% of secondary packaging being recyclable? All water scarce sites to have water reduction programmes in place. The Company worked on these targets efficiently, and to a certain extent, still Cadbury is the market leader in Chocolates and energy drinks like Bournvitta. The company has to go long way to handle this situation. Recently Kraft Food has acquired them. Even though they are the subsidiary of Kraft Food, they should try taking necessary steps to have necessary long-term strategies to improve their standard in the market and continue their leadership in the market. They should try to learn from their past, the mistake or the mishaps, which occurred to them and destroyed their reputation in the market. The first think, which the company should do, is to have a SWOT analysis. Strengths of Cadbury India Global Coverage: the company has maintained a global level in its operations and have a good market share. Quality Products: The company offers quality products to the consumers which is a strength to the company Personnels: The Company is having well Hard-Woking staffs with them who are indulged in their work with full enthusiasm. Information technology: The Company has adopted digitalisation, which will help in networking processes. This can be utilised as strength by the company to improvise their market entry in a new market. Innovations: The Company has made innovations in their products as well as their process to face competition. They have adopted rationalisation and modernisation in their operations. Value to customers: The Company is providing value to customers by various ways and means. Cadbury is providing various well-accepted brands. Cadbury Chocolate: Cadbury is blessed with the brand Cadbury Chocolate. Still it is the best choice among the customers. Cadbury Bournvitta: In beverage section, Cadbury is blessed with Cadbury Bournvitta, a energy during mostly liked by kids and moms. Weaknesses of Cadbury India Past out break of contamination: Cadbury has gone through an out break of contamination in their products. It caused a bad reputation among the consumers. Incurred loss: The Company has incurred loss and lost its stability for the past three years from 2007. Opportunities to Cadbury India Cadbury India can enter new markets with the help of proper market research With the available technology, Cadbury can bring up with new version of the existing products and can grab the opportunities in the market. Cadbury can adopt various innovations in the products like adding extra flavour etc. The company can come up with new product-line Threats to Cadbury India Competition is the mostly affected threat to Cadbury. Competitors like Nestle are also the largest manufacturers of confectionery items. So, Cadbury has to take appropriate steps to face the competitive situation Consumers dislike with regard to the past out break issues may become a threat in future. These are the major developmental strategies, which have been adopted by Cadbury India to meet the target for 2011. 3D forming chocolate increased investment we have made in innovation, marketing and sales Thermostatic food grade packaging Methods for producing microscopic aeration in candy to provide new textures and mouth feel. Healthy additions to hard candy Alternative ingredients to menthol Cadbury India has grabbed opportunies in the market by these ways. Apart from these innovative strategies, Cadbury India has to undergo various other international strategies to increase the market share. Following are the likely ways by which Cadbury can increase there market share: The company should analysis the competitors strategies, their capabilities and future goals. By analysing this, Cadbury will be able to re-think of their strategies, their future goals and the capabilities they posses. This will help them to re-frame their strategies, goals with the capabilities they have, if need. Cadbury India can have niche strategies. They can concentrate on one particular brand and create niche market with proper innovation and product improvement. They can have integrative Cost leadership and differentiation strategies. It is possible through providing the product at low cost with the help of technologies that enable differentiation through focus on niche segment. Cadbury can adopt focus strategy by identifying a narrow target in terms of markets and customers. The company can have restructuring strategies in certain areas where they feel are weak. Cadbury India should identify an area where the company is incurring loss. After identifying that particular area or brand, they can adopt divesting strategy to stop completely the area which is causing loss to the company The company should analyse the internal environment prevailing in the organisation and should find out the loopholes. After identifying the correct problem, proper rehabilitation should be made. If the company finds that every thing is fine in the organisation and the organisation is ready to go forward with the existing products and plan, then the organisation should adopt No-change strategy. The company can have tie-ups with companies who can provide better expertise in all respect. Cadbury as what they have done in the past can have business alliance with other companies to boost up the profits. By have strategic alliances Cadbury can enter new markets, reduce their manufacturing costs, develop new technologies and diffuse them. Cadbury can have Joint ventures to gain access to new business in order to have advantage like, shared risks, combined expertise and effective utilisation of resources available with in the joint venture. They can reduce the hurdles like import quotas, tariffs, nationalistic-political interests and cultural roadblocks. Cadbury can either acquire a company, which is in the same line of production to have the advantage of efficient production of products with the available expertise of both the companies, and innovative ideas and improved processes or the company can merge with another company and start a new business having the same products with innovations. In the first case, the company need to have investment and in the second case, the company need not to invest more. Conclusion A company can expand their business in corporate level as well as in business level by many ways. The company has to choose the best among the available strategies based on the resources they have and what is their actual need. They have clearly identify what is their need and how are they going to achieve those need keeping in mind the internal and external environment.

Translating Cultural Subtext in Modern Korean Fiction :: Free Essays Online

Translating Cultural Subtext in Modern Korean Fiction Translation as an Act of Bridging Two Cultures Literary translation can be described in many ways. In the first place we can think of it as retelling, in that we take a Korean story and tell it in English. In retelling the story we make it public. This means we have an audience, either readers of our translation or listeners of a public reading of that translation. Public readings are an important way of disseminating a translation. And in the case of Korea, readings have a special relevance. In premodern times improvised poems were often shared during gatherings of literati. Even today poetry readings are not uncommon in Korea (though readings of fiction are rare--a vestige of the greater esteem traditionally attached to poetry by Koreans?). Retelling is an especially apt approach to translation when we translate an author such as Pak Wan-sà ´, whose narrators often sound as if they are speaking directly to the reader. Second, we can think of translating as an act of re-creating, in the sense that translators produce something that is recognized as literature (whatever that is--anyone who has read the first chapter of Terry Eagleton’s Literary Theory will realize how difficult it is to precisely define literature). Translation can also be thought of as reenacting. Here I draw on the Lacanian notion of retrieving a lost narrative of our life. Translators may be thought of as taking part as a silent observer, or, to borrow the title of a Joseph Conrad story, as a â€Å"secret sharer,† in the stories they reenact. Finally, translation is a joint enterprise between translator and author. As such, it is desirable to have a good match between author and translator. Such a match often manifests itself as a similarity of aesthetic outlook and a shared commitment to the author’s works. In this joint enterprise the translator is a kind of medium. JaHyun Kim Haboush reports, for example, that the voice of Lady Hong rang in her head for years as she translated that princess’s memoirs, the Hanjungnok. Other translators have described this phenomenon as a merging of themselves with the persona of their author. The late Marshall R. Pihl reported having such an experience while translating stories by O Yà ´ng-su; I myself have had a similar experience in translating stories by Hwang Sun-wà ´n and O Chà ´ng-hà »i.

The Relationship Between War and Man Essay -- Psychology

War dates back to the earliest of ages. Leaders have come out triumphant and countries have come out ravaged. Entire generations have been extinguished and humanity’s morale destroyed; all at the cost of a victory. Everyone is familiar with war, however we are not so quick to understand the lasting toll it takes on those who experience it for themselves. War has been fought through out many countries for various reasons since the beginning of times, the tactics and warfare themselves may have changed, but the meaning of war remains the same. In turn the soldiers, whom give it all in the name of their countries, never come back the same. It is glittered with words like glory, honor and devotion, however war, in my eyes, is anything but. It brings about many more problems, one of which is the substantial psychological effects it has on those who experience war first hand. World War I was said to have been the war to end all wars. We now know that not to be true as there have been countless wars since that proposition. The attitudes surrounding the initiation of World War I were very distinct from that of proceeding wars to come. Citizens were excited, families were proud to know that their sons were enlisted and patriotism and brotherhood were alive and well. Young men were very much encouraged to join the war effort and advertisements soliciting the call to arms were seen in a positive light. Enlistment was something expected of these young men, they wouldn’t dare be the ones to be â€Å"ostracized† or called â€Å"coward† . With no way around the Great War many did indeed join the armed forces; little did they know what they were in for. â€Å"A word of command† , and a powerful one at that, put these young men on the path to destruction. ... ...rd we take, as a war to end all wars was virtually never in sight. We must become human again; as it seems to be the only way to make existence worthy once again. Works Cited Cohen, Harold, PH. D. "Two Stories of PTSD." PsychCentral. PsychCentral, May 2012. Web. 9 May 2012. . Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine Books, 1982. Print. US National Library of Medicine. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2012. Web. 9 May 2012. . WebMD. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." WebMD. WebMD, 2012. Web. 9 May 2012. . Sassoon, Siegfried. â€Å"Dreamers.† 1968.

Beliefs About the World Trade Organization

Before reading articles about the World Trade Organization written by activist organizations and the WTO itself, I was aware that the conflicts and the debates surrounding the esteemed organization concern the power differences between the haves and the have-nots in the global economy. I also believed that the WTO is an indispensable entity produced by globalization itself. In my opinion, the WTO balances power between the haves and the have-nots as far as it is possible to do so.And, while the economies of abundance and high economic growth cannot be expected to slow down because of the low growth economies, the WTO at least gives the latter a voice. The articles on the WTO written by activist organizations have changed my beliefs about the organization very little. Indeed, it comes as a surprise to me that the WTO is blamed for putting the rights of big businesses â€Å"to profit over human and labor rights.† Jerry Mander, the president of the International Forum on Globaliz ation, refers to the WTO’s â€Å"mad drive toward corporate led economic globalization. † Yet, I had believed that WTO naturally favors the big economies of the world rather than corporations because the big economies happen to be instrumental in the entire global economy. In fact, without the big economies, the developing world would not even dream of globalization and foreign investment that would eventually make it possible for poor countries to economically grow.Besides, human and labor rights, in my opinion, cannot possibly be discounted by the WTO, seeing that businesses cannot even function without human and labor rights, and at the heart of WTO’s mission lies its interest in the promotion of business around the globe. Articles authorized by the WTO strengthen my belief that the organization works with â€Å"member countries† instead of focusing on corporations. In actual fact, the WTO takes decisions based on a consensus among its member countries .Moreover, it is wonderful to note that the WTO’s system is a promoter of world peace. After all, the organization allows for discussions, even among those member countries that differ in their opinions about the global political economy. I do not believe that I require further information to change my beliefs about the WTO. The organization remains ‘esteemed’ in my humble opinion, promoting the interests of all of its member countries while naturally favoring the big economies that happen to be most helpful for the small economies as well.

Graduate School and Early Modern Europe

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The phenomenal growth in intimacy, which we argon witnessing at present in m some(prenominal) atomic number 18as of science and engine room, is the settlement of the tireless(prenominal) efforts of a macro fig of t from from each ace oneers and students late committed to widening the horizons of forgiving knowledge through painstaking inquiry. legion(predicate) of us of the younger generation be the beneficiaries, both(prenominal) in seeectually and materially, of the awaystanding depart by reversal do in the subject field of data processor engineering.As a student of information applied science and computing device science, it is my am compositionion to contri oftentimesovere my cutaneous senses to the widening and deepening of knowledge in the celestial sp here(predicate) of information technology and computing device science in world-wide. My undergrad fosterage in Information technology has enabled me to keep the fundamental co ncepts in this area of involve. I hurt excelled in most of the trends that I re distribute taken which include estimator net induce fors, Operating Systems, Microprocessor & Interfacing and Database Management Systems among others a cursor to my sound analytical and computational skills.My civilizeman prowess do- nonhing be gauged from the position that I topped my de eccentricment in the Microprocessors course and tightend the 3rd rank in my quartetth semester examinations in a super competitive class. One of my grotesque actions has been in pedagogy. It was during my fifth semester, when I was helping my peers with the computationally intensive courses we had to take up then, that I realized the efficacy of the dictation To name better, teach. The incessant queries of my friends made me mop deeper into the subject whilst they enhanced their grounds of it.My carry protrudement was the substantial improvement in grades for both my peers and me. The numerous sem inars, which I impart conducted in my class in areas both indoors and out of the scope of my curriculum, have honed my conference skills and I am confident that I would be an effective teaching assistant. My team-playing force and leadership qualities came to the fore during Interrupt 2006, a national level technical symposium conducted by the Department of Computer Science, wherein I twin(a) a variety of technical and non-technical events that were widely appreciated.I am currently working in Egrove Systems Corporation as a coder and Analyst, a ren professed multi-national firm problematic in IT solutions. My first hand ikon to the industrys working in aiming and developing has helped in redefining my thought and entree towards creating new ones myself. I have a dream to work in a place where latest technology is devised and where shopworns and protocols are dictated. Ultimately however, I do non regard to engage often beaten trails but blaze a new one for others t o follow.It is to realize this that I call for to work towards a know peak and later for a PhD. It is each persons dream to grade from a prestigious teach that put up provide the launching-pad for his/her career. though there is a plethora of excerptions, the pride of place goes to the University that is reputed for its standard par excellence an honor that goes to no(prenominal) other than to your university. I understand that this University wisecracks exiting and incomparable opportunities for re hunting and learning. As for my incoming, it is my impulse to air the realms of computer net plant life and course of instructionming design.I in any case necessity to build on the soaked alkali that I have acquired during my under polish field of honor with a Masters degree and follow it up with a Doctoral one. To achieve this and to attain my goals, I strongly consider that the Computer Science program at your university would place me at the fulcrum of todays tec hnology in computers. I look forward to being a part of your program in Advanced computer science and would consider myself fortunate to secure an admission into the Masters program at your University since it scores my evokes exactly.It is with with child(p) optimism that I apply to your coach and I sincerely hope for an joining that would be mutually beneficial. Ramji Prasad Myrtheunjayan Graduate instruct is not for slackers. It takes focus and determination to engross an advanced degree. Thats why admissions committees examine your call downment of settle precise nighthey want to see whether you have the powerful compact to succeed in alumnus school. What are they really subscribeing anyway? divers(prenominal) schools get out give you different prompts for the submitment of purpose.Nonetheless, theyre all asking for the analogous four pieces of information What you want to study at alumnus school? Why you want to study it? What experience you have in your field? What you plan to do with your degree once you have it? Admissions committees look for beardidates with white, clear(p) search interest groups that arise from experience . With that in mind, your statement should reveal that you care deeply round your chosen discipline and that you have the background to support your ideas and sentiments. It should alike leaven that youre a diligent student who depart remain committed for the long haul.However you approach these blames, its imperative that you answer the indecisions asked in the taste prompt. Being substantive and direct is much(prenominal) better than being creative or flashy. Avoid this mistake Grad school applicants comm totally if nock the error of including a split up n archeozoic how well move they are Theyre avid ultimate-frisbee players, they write short-circuit stories or they love to cook. Colleges are concerned in this stuff fine-tune schools are not. Grad schools are looking for great minds who leave behind achieve mastery of a detail subject area.They dont care that you make a great chicken casserole or play intramural bocce ball. They do care to the highest degree those activities that speak to your causal agencyability for graduate work. As a graduate student, youll be called upon to do gruelling coursework and inquiry. You may have to teach undergraduate classes at bottom your field and conceivably even design a course. And youll have to get on with a diverse group of colleagues who testament sometimes work very closely with you. Any experience in school, work or your extracurricular life that speaks to those abilities is outlay talking approximately.Make your statement of purpose unique While its grave to be focused, theres no need to be boring. To distinguish your es ordain, sleep together unique (yet relevant) information. One of the best ways to do this is to discuss, briefly, an idea in your field that turns you on intellectually. Its an effectiv e essay-opener, and it lets you write just about something besides yourself for a bit. Remember, the idea you consume to talk about can tell an admissions committee a lot about you. And it demonstrates your interest in your field, rather than safe describing it. Dont forgetBe sure to show your statement of purpose to someone you respect, preferably the professors who are physical composition your recommendations, and get some feedback on the center before you send it in. If you need to order it, do so and then ask for more feedback. Have someone else ascertain your essay for spelling and grammar. A seraphic set of eyes often picks up something you missed. Better yet, if you have enough unbidden friends, have a couple of batch proofread each statement. Finally, dont fair use the same statement of purpose for each school to which you apply.You can recycle the same information, but make sure you change the presentation to fit each schools several(prenominal) program. Sampl e rumor of Purpose Statement of Purpose Please describe your skill and motivation fo r graduate study in your area of specialization, including your supplying for this field of study , your pedantic plans or question interests in your chosen area of study, and your succeeding(a) career goals. Please be particular proposition about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you. The writer of the statement below was admitted into UC Berkeleys bill Department. With her permission, I reprint her essa parsed with my commentary about why it works as a winning essay. Luscious fare is the jewe l of inordinate desires, 1 cautions 2 the motive of The Gentlewomans Companion (1673), one of many proterozoic young conduct books I surveyed this bygone socio-economic class for an honors dissertation entitled Chaste, Silent, and Hungr y The caper of Female Appetite in archaean Modern England, 1550-1700. 3 As indicated by the title, this pr oject explores a provocative but a s of yet scarcely examine facet of primeval m odern sex constructions female person nutrition desire. 4 I use the article desire here rather deliberately, as ea rly unexampled definitions of ppetite elongate well beyond the physiological ride to eat to encompa ss all those physical (and shameful) longings associated with the body. And, in a goal wh ere women were by defi nition steep and sensual, female food desire, I argue, constituted an unruly 5 desire that demanded both social and moral discipline. In brief, my look for con cerns the patriarchal cont rol of womens bodies in 16th and seventeenth-century England vi svis a pagan idea about food desire and satiation as sugges tive and immodest. 6 In lieu of a formal demonstration of my research interests and aspirations I finisher a summary of my enior thesis, which earned me the 2003 Chancel lors apportion for Excellence in Undergraduate query at the University of California, Davis. 7 This first ship into seri ous historical savantship has affirm my passion for previous(predicate) m odern coating and histor y and it has given me the cartel to raise and cont est my opinions regard ing the status of women in archaeozoic redbrick Europe and the current state of archeozoic new-made historiography. 8 act along these avenues of research in graduate school, I would like to use my thesis as the basis for a future dissertation. though I remain on the alert about committing myself premat rely to a specific t opic of research, I am in like manner eager to elaborate, modify, and complicate 9 my authoritative rollions about the nature of the problem of female inclination in aboriginal modern England. Indeed, many of the conclusions reached in the thesis, such(prenominal) as my claim that the cultural er oticization of fair(prenominal) appetite in early modern England betrayed a deep-seated masculine scruple of female grammatical gender and sexual power, serve as starting points 10 for future research and study. On a more basic level, write a thesis gave me the chance to become better acquaint with the essentials of historical resear h. Suspecting that normative disc ourses in early modern England participated aggressively in the monitoring of womens appetites, I navigated the sea of early slope printed sources in pursu it of the slightest mention of food and diet. Those sources I encountered during my research, wh ich ranged from the popular conduct book, The grooming of a Christian Woman by Juan Luis Vives, to the anonymous sex manual, Aristotles Masterpiece, challenged my basic understanding of autobiography and the original prem ise of my thesis in ways not anticipated. From deciphering esot eric type-fonts to developing n awareness of the importance of time and funds, I experienced the mundane realities of research that inevitably stunt the historians aspirations. Even more important wa s my gradual bankers acceptance of the fact that early modern sources, no intimacy how we read them, do not always accommodate modern biases and expectations. 11 Though I cannot predict the course this project talent take in graduate school, I expect that it depart address the following themes and issues. First is the overarching issue of distinguishing the phenomena I observe from other forms of food re striction and obsession, namely the modern itual of diet and its most extreme manife station, an eating disorder. Though not provideing to evade those complicate (and controversial) para llels amidst modern and early modern usages of food and food symbolism to cont rol the lives of women, I also worry to wrap uper as an historian a nuanced line drawing of how early modern conceptualiz ations of female appetite were infused with contemporary, historically contingent notions of sexuality and gender. Furthermore, the question of fema le agency in a project devote d or so exclusively to male prescriptions for diet and deportment deman ds further discussion.Admittedly, on more than one occasion, my own extensive use and psychoanalysis of conduct books and various obstetric manuals, works composed primarily by educated men, cause d me to pause and wonderment whether it was best to relate a floor abou t womens actions or the patriarchal instrument under which those actions were oppressed. While I abnegate to see women as simply resistless receptacles of masculine command, I neither wish nor aspire to focus sole ly on their achievements for, in my mind, the account of women and the story of patriarchy are inextricably related. 12 My goal, then, will not be to detail just another example of how wome in invoice were dominated by men, but, rather, to interrogate the means, in this case food, or, better yet, the cultural intend of appetite, by which womens desires were suppressed or denied. 13 Indeed I am royal of my thesis and, given extra time, could say much more. But I should also stress that that at the heart of my specific res earch concentration lies a more general interest in early modern European history, cultural and womens history to be more exact. 14 To date, my knowledge of the early modern period has been intercommunicate and my imagination sustained by an vagabond of courses on early modern history and lite ature (I was a joint hist ory and English major), including a graduate seminar on spiritual rebirth urban culture taught jointly by Professors Margaret Ferguson and Deborah Harkness. My personal pe nchant for cultural history stems largely, I believe, from my training in litera ture and literary criticism, wh ere sensitiveness to the importance of language and metaphor is a neces sary skill. Also of crucial importance to a professional career in history are my growing skills in Latin and French, and my fluency in Spanish. 15 This socio-economic class I find myself in that difficult and fr ustrating transitional peri od between undergraduate nd graduate studies. Th ough I would have preferred to out pay co ntinue graduate school later on graduation, I opted to take a year strike. A year aw ay from school, I reasoned, would allow me the time take to recuperate from an staring(a) und ergraduate upbringing, gain some perspective, and work on fulfilling the language requirement for a doctors degree in European history. In fact, I am currently enrolled in a French course at a nearby university and plan to take a subsequent course during the upcoming leak semester. This academic hiatus, moreover, has imposed some much- needed distance between myself and my thesis, wh ch I can now reread from a more tiny, less invested stance. And, finally, a break from school has given me sufficient time to search and research for graduate programs that best suit my needs. 16 UC Berkeleys history program looms large in my mind, largely because of its outstanding skill and interdisciplinary approach to hist ory. In my own quest for a suitable graduate progr am, I was thrilled to learn that Professors doubting Thomas Laqueur and Carla Hesse both taught at Berkeley. Professor Laqueurs book, devising Sex Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud , stands out among the many books I ead during my undergraduate education and I credit his book with introducing me to the emerging but fascin ating field of the history of sexuality and the body. Together, Professor Laqueurs cutting edge research and Professor Hesses knowledge of early modern womens history would make my experience at Berkeley a challenging and enjoyable one. 17 In addition, Berkeley provides an id eal climate for me to develop my cross-disciplinary interests. In particular, I am interested in pursuing a desi gnated emphasis in women, gender, and sexuality, a unique option that distinguishes Berkeleys hist ry program from that of other institutions. The cross-disciplinary nature of Berkeleys gra duate program would foster, I hope, fruitful discussions with other departme nts, no tably the division of English and Womens Studies, thus broadening and enriching my research as well as my general understanding early modern culture and history. 18 1 The writer begins with a vivid quote that grabs the proofreaders attention right away. 2 Cautions is an excellent verb choice. Carefu l word choice makes fo r spanking writing. 3 tear down how neatly in one well-packed doom , the writer gets right to the point of her urrent research. 4 Provocative is an clever and colorful word c hoice. This sentence explains the nature of her study and situates her subject in historical and thematic context. 5 mutinous is another capably c hosen adjective. Adjectives can create dead places in writing if they add nothing significant to the noun that it is describing. 6 The summary sentence not only recaps the gist of the first paragraph, but also provides further nuance of the subject at hand. 7 This first sentence makes clear that research first and foremost will be cen tral to her argument in the essay. Mentioning the Cha cellors Award in the context of her research is a clever way of ostentation without seeming to. 8 It is a very good idea to explicit ly state the chosen subfield within history early modern Europe. You cant assume that your readers will make the inference from the research topic alone. To assert and contest opinions is, of c ourse, the marksmanship of historians making elongation to the current state of early modern historiography conveys familiarity with the subject on the one hand, and confidence and intellectual poise on the other. unwrap how much more powerful is such a statement as compared to ne poorly written, such as I am passionate and committed to my interest in early modern Europe. 9 Again, to say that as a historian, she will e laborate, modify, and complicate the subject matter is to show that she really understands the work of historians. A less experienced candidate might have written that she wa nts to intr oduce the truth in history. 10 starting points referring to her research interestsis a very deliberate way of saying that she knows what tugs at her heart, has done enough research to have some hunches, but is open to surprise endings. A beautiful re ndition of a historians sentiment.You may turn off your readers if you come off sounding overly confident. Maintaining a heedful tone is very important. 11 This paragraph details further specific less ons and skills earned through this research project. railway line the use of colorful verb s such as navigated and stunt. 12 Note the nuanced and guardedly measured way of speaking about her subject. Clearly the writer is well-read in theory and show s strong ability in cri tically evaluating her subject. Moreover, she tries to be the obj ective scholar in that she does not champion any cause. That is, she does not champion the ause of women even as she conveys deep empathy. 13 The reference to a parallel example of female appeti te in contemporary culture as holding interest for the writer is aptly placed here. Were she to have mentioned it any earlier, it would have clouded the primarily hist orical nature and focu s of her venture. 14 It is wise at this point to zoom out a bit and show that th e writers interest lies more broadly in early modern Europe and the hist ory of women. Zooming in and out from the narrow to the general shows th at you are capable of becomi ng a specialist without being overly narrow. 15Showing interdisciplinarity and your abilities in language are tell apart to your academic biography. In this case, the reader learns that she is a historian with training in literary and critical theory. 16 This is a model paragraph for showing what you did in your time off from school. Note how nothing extraneous to her study is me ntioned in this paragraph. The paragraph shows that the time off was spent wisely in preparing herself for graduate school. 17 She demonstrates a thorough-going k nowledge of UC Berkeley. She mentions not one but two key scholars with whom she could pur sue her studies. She mentions how their rea of specialty dovetails with her own resear ch interests. Note how she does not make empty, flattering remarks about the professors or the school. 18 She continues to list bounties beyond the department strengthening the argument that Berkeley is well-suited for her. The reader will be impressed with the research and the seriousness with which she has examined UC Be rkeley as an option for graduate school. A well-written essay unveils much information about the writer, not only in her intellectual capacity, but also about her character and core values. through and through her writing, she makes a distinctive impression.