Limit Television, Limit the Effects free essay sample

In order to doom a child, just involve the television. While television can be good in small, educational doses, the amount of time a child spends in front of the TV directly affects the performance in many important fields of a childs life. Academics, health, physical performance, character, and safety: they are all negatively affected by television. Through the learning process, children do what they see. Should they really be seeing what television offers? Americans have an obsession with television, and it has taken on a large role in the lives of children. Statistics show that 68% of 8 to 18 year olds have a TV, 54% have a DVD player, 37% have cable or satellite TV, and 20% have premium channels in their bedroom (Boyse). The question arises: is this healthy? How much time should children spend each day in front of the TV? The average American child watches 4 hours of television per day. Added up, thats 28 hours per week, 120 hours per month, and a whopping 1,460 hours per year. We will write a custom essay sample on Limit Television, Limit the Effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thats nearly 400 more hours than the average public school student spends in classes in one year (Facts). Studies have shown that this excessive intake of television is detrimental to childrens health, academics, and behavior (Boyse). These effects can continue on into adulthood and become lifelong problems. The amount of time spent watching TV needs to be cut down to no more than 1 hour per day so that these effects can be greatly minimized. Television affects children in two ways: through the content viewed on the screen and through the activity of watching the shows. What is seen on the screen can become a role model for children. In the process of learning, children copy what they see, and if they spend much of their time watching television, they may begin to emulate what is shown to them. This has been known to increase aggressive behaviors in children (Facts). Since children spend so much time in front of the screen, it replaces time spent with doing healthy, positive activit ies. Children who spend more time watching television are less likely to develop interest in hobbies such as music and art, and they spend less quality time with their families. These negative effects are things that nobody should allow to have influencing their childs life. Instead, parents should take action and limit the time their children spend in front of the television to 1 hour per day. Family life is affected by television. All the time spent in front of a screen is time not quality family time. In the past it had been much more common for families to spend their dinnertimes sitting around the table talking about what is going on in their lives. Studies now show that in 63% of American households, the TV is usually on during dinner (Boyse). Parents have to work to snatch a moment of time with their teen children, but now the together time during a meal is given over to a colorful moving screen. This shows the growing rift that children and their parents are developing becau se of the role of television in their lives. TV has begun to replace the irreplaceably important concept of family time. While the average child spends about 4 hours each day watching television, he or she only spends 38.5 minutes per week in quality conversation with his or her parents. This reflects the changing priorities in todays families. Relationships have been replaced with time spent alone watching television. When asked, 54% of 4 to 6 year-olds actually said that they would rather watch TV than spend time with their fathers. There is an obvious problem when children do not value their parents or want to be with them. The replacement of parent-child relationships with television changes a childs development. Kids copy what they see, so some emulate their parents. However, when children watch how people act on TV more than how their parents behave, they will begin to copy what they see. In some childrens lives, television has taken on a role as a model for behavior. The beh avior children observe on so many shows, even on channels such as the Disney Channel, shows children talking back and disobeying their parents, as well as children trying to get away with mischief behind their parents backs. The children viewing the programs then often copy these behaviors seen on TV. By cutting back the time children spend watching TV and increasing the time they spend with their family, parents could better influence the values, habits, and actions of their children. One major influence of television upon kids is in their diet. Of the 20,000 commercials that the average child views during a year, food products and fast-food restaurants are the number one advertisement (Herr). These advertisements encourage bad eating habits, which can lead to obesity, a growing American epidemic. The number of cases of obesity among children 6 to 10 years old has more than doubled in the past 20 years. In 1980, only 6.5% of the children were severely overweight, compared to the 17 % seen in 2006 (Herr). Food advertisements often portray their food as healthy, and they sometimes give information regarding healthy eating. However, ads can be deceiving and dont always give completely true or balanced information about food choices. Children, though, tend to believe what they are told, even by advertisers, leading to an unrealistic view on a healthy diet (Boyse). Along with food advertisements, the activity of watching television raises the chance of children becoming overweight. Studies show that ones metabolism slows down even more when watching TV than when sitting still, doing nothing. The more television children watch, the fewer calories their bodies will burn. Even while reading a book or talking on the phone, a child will burn more calories (Boyse). Also, watching television ensures that a child is not exercising. With less time being spent outdoors running around and playing sports, children will be less physically fit and more likely to develop weight p roblems that can carry on into their adulthood (Boyse). Even though a child may watch a few hours of something educational like the Discovery or History channel, it is still television, meaning the time is spent inactively. The easiest way to reduce this inactivity, says Tufts University School of Medicines pediatrician and obesity expert William H. Deitz, [I]s to turn off the TV set. Almost anything else uses more energy than watching TV.'(Herr) Television can also take a large toll on childrens academics. Most children view around 20 hours of TV per week, and studies have shown that anything over 10 hours can negatively affect achievements in school (Facts). Though children may watch educational television programs, the fact remains that those programs are still TV, which can be detrimental to academics. As the presence of television has grown in childrens lives, the knowledge it provides has also made its presence known. While 75% of teens ages 13-17 know that the zip code 90210 can be found in Beverly Hills, only 25% can tell you that the US Constitution was written in Philadelphia (Facts). This shows the status television has taken on in teens lives in comparison to that of academic knowledge. Since so much time is spent in front of the television, other activities are put on the backburner. Less time is put aside for activities that are known to boost academics, such as reading, doing homework, working on hobbies, and sleeping (Boyse). Therefore, with less time spent in books, a toll is taken on reading comprehension, a skill that is crucial all throughout life. Several studies have even proven that by watching more television, a childs chances of dropping out of school are increased and chances of getting a college degree are decreased (Boyse). Television is filled with violence not only in adult shows, but also in cartoons, comedies, movies, and the news. It is estimated that by the time an average child finishes elementary school he or she will have seen 8,000 murders on TV, and by the time they reach the age of 18, they will have witnessed 200,000 acts of violence, 16,000 of which are murders (Facts). The bad guys arent the only ones solving problems with violence these days. The end justifies the means seems to be a rather popular slogan for superhero movies. Not too many people die and not too much blood is shed, but BAM! POW! fists sure do seem to solve a lot. When children see their favorite heroes saving the world through violence, these actins seem right, and violence stops being bad. (Scheibe) It is viewed as an acceptable way to solve problems and handle tough situations. Studies show that children who watch more TV are more likely to exhibit signs of aggression (Boyse). 73% of Americans even contend that television is responsible for juvenile crime (Facts). Acts of violence on TV have the greatest effect on children ages 8 and younger, because they have not yet developed a complete sense of what is fake versus what is reality (Boyse). To them, the monster from a movie might really be hiding under their bed. Scary scenes from movies are viewed as something that could easily happen to the child in real life. This can lead young children to believe that the world is a very cruel and scary place, causing sleep problems and a fear of leaving the house (Boyse). Even by watching the news, kids can be frightened that they could become a victim of violence or a natural disaster. In some cases, this has been known to lead to trauma or paranoia (Boyse). With television having so many harmful effects on childrens lives, parents need to take action. This everyday activity that Americans spend so much time doing hinders childrens learning and growing experiences. Shouldnt children get the full experience of the best years of their life instead of staying inside glued to a screen? Instead of allowing your children to spend 4 hours in front of the television, limit their viewing time to 1 hour per day and encou rage them to take up other hobbies such as sports, music, and reading. As the people with your childrens best interests in mind, you have the responsibility to raise them healthily, removing harmful activities, such as watching excessive television, from their way. Bibliography Boyse, Kyla. Television. University of Michigan Health System. May 2008. Association of Academic Health Centers. 8 Nov. 2008. . Facts and Figures about our TV Habit. Elgin College. 2000. 8 Nov. 2008. . Fox, Lauren. Carrigan, Laura. Poirier, Bernadette. Lynch, Danielle. Rowe, Jan. Vogrle, Laura. Effects of Television Viewing on Childrens Daily Activities. The Department of Occupational Therapy. 2004. The University of Alabama at Birmingham. 8 Nov. 2008. . Herr, Norman. Television Health. Internet Resources to Accompany The Resourcebook for Teaching Science. 2007. 8 Nov. 2008. . Scheibe, Cyndy. Television in the Lives of Children. CRETv. 8 Nov. 2008. .

After january essays

After january essays The novel, After January, deals with some of the important issues for young adults in Australia in ways to which they can easily relate. Some issues that are raised include social acceptance, broken families, choices about the future and independence. The novel talks about the main character, Alex, and how he is waiting for his school results to see if he is going to get into university. It gets a bit more complicated when he meets a girl called Fortuna and they end up in a relationship that sees Alex postponing his trip back home to the city. Two of the issues that the novel deals with that can be linked are the pressure of social acceptance and also self-respect. On one hand we see Fortuna, who seems very confident, wears what she wants and doesnt worry what others think of her, yet she still comes across as attractive to Alex. On the other hand theres Alex, who sees himself as less than perfect and is always worrying that people see him as a bit of a loser. Alex is a pessimist who always sees the worst in a situation even when it comes to Fortuna when they first meet. The text seems to deal with the high number of Australians who are just like that and are always striving to be better than they are and never get there. It also shows the how wide of the mark people are in this idea, as Fortuna seems to believe that Alex is fine just as he is and in the end she helps him to gain that self-respect he needs. A second issue that is raised deals with families that are broken up through divorce and other factors. The text seems to speak to the thousands of other adolescents who have had to grow up in a house with only one parent and it shows to the reader the effect that it has had on Alex and how he sees his parents divorce. It also shows the contrast between Alexs family and Fortunas family, who are very close with both parents still together and happy. ...

The Relationship between Discourse Analysis and Reading and Classroom Research Paper

The Relationship between Discourse Analysis and Reading and Classroom Discussion - Research Paper Example g comprehension, discourse analysis is concerned with description and analysis of spoken interactions whereas classroom discussions is concerned with classroom interactions where students invent ideas and develops deeper meaning of words. Short Summary of the Work The primary purpose of this work is to examine the relationship between discourse analysis and classroom discussions. It will conceptualize a framework for conducting classroom discussion and that of discourse analysis in order to determine the effective strategy for creating comprehensive learning in the classroom, and offer diverse arguments regarding these strategies and the ways they affect reading comprehension to students. The study reveals that discourse analysis and classroom are related because they are both effective strategies used in classroom for enhancing reading comprehension, and are related because they are employed literacy and language development. The discourse analysis is a learning strategy that is lar gely concerned with linguistic units while classroom discussions contribute to effective reading comprehension. Arguments Discourse analysis and classroom discussions are related because they are both effective strategies employed in creating reading comprehension; these approaches are contributors of effective learning in classroom but each of them has its own advantage and disadvantages. In reading or classroom discussions, teachers are supposed to create an effective climate by being mindful because this is an essential condition for effective teacher-student interaction. Classroom discussions are viewed as the effective strategy for interacting with other students; thus contributing to improved learning and communication skills. Therefore, in a reading or classroom discussions,... The primary purpose of this work is to examine the relationship between discourse analysis and classroom discussions. It will conceptualize a framework for conducting classroom discussion and that of discourse analysis in order to determine the effective strategy for creating comprehensive learning in the classroom, and offer diverse arguments regarding these strategies and the ways they affect reading comprehension to students. Discourse analysis and classroom discussion are effective strategies employed in creating reading comprehension, discourse analysis is concerned with description and analysis of spoken interactions whereas classroom discussions is concerned with classroom interactions where students invent ideas and develops deeper meaning of words. Classroom discussions are attracting escalating attention to educators as a contributor to learning and an underused practice, as well as, neglected domain in teacher preparation, where this strategy has become significant in the contemporary learning environment because it offers students room to be innovative and advance their ideas; thus improving learning skills. Although both strategies are concerned with literary and language development, reading or classroom discussion is vital because it offers students opportunities to explore their reading talents and also improve their social, as well as learning skills.

Career Immersion Day Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Career Immersion Day - Assignment Example Economic analysts are hired by companies, organizations or even businesses for a specified length of time depending on the length of the assigned project. Their services are essential and important for the success of any project. The most prominent employer in this area is BNY Mellon. This is an exciting career as I will always remain updated on what is happening in the global market influenced by both the public and private sectors in the economy. Later in the future, I would love to establish my consultancy firm in this area in order to reach more clients in the global market.Cover LetterMy grades at all levels are excellent, especially in mathematics and business. My transcripts in the university are also good. Since I have specialized in financial economics; I believe that I have acquired the best in terms of knowledge and skills from the University. The learning environment is very challenging also exposes me to different situations and challenges in my line of study. The course outline provided during every semester has always ensured that I have been able to cover what is expected of me. Through the different case studies and researches issued by my professors and instructors, I have been able to explore the real situations in the global market by analyzing them and drawing up the conclusion. When it comes to the financial markets, analyzing different stock portfolios is quite interesting and challenging in all aspects.I believe that I also pose qualities that most employers are looking for.

Information Systems Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information Systems Risk Management - Essay Example Often times in a project, expectations are not met that are defined in scope and the WBS.   Thus, creating contingency strategies is pivotal towards executing a successful project.   One of the most pivotal contingency strategies is to have a high incremental cost of resources. Resources are often less expensive when they are bought in bulk, but expensive if they are purchased incrementally.   Hence, it is critical to have software and other resources purchased in bulk to avoid paying extra money.   Another key strategy is to have collaborative sessions on a day-to-day basis.   Often times the project falls behind because individuals are not aware of unexpected circumstances that can occur. Keeping on track with their progress on day to day basis can be truly helpful in the long run. This becomes problematic as the project due date comes closer since many smaller tasks may not be captured in the WBS itself.One of the biggest concerns for closing a project is the end the fin er details of the store. This becomes more problematic the project does not achieve optimal results. This is where the project may fall. For instance, The Project Manager should produce confirmation from the Senior User or User Group that the final product or outcome of the project meets the acceptance criteria.  Often times in a project, expectations are not met that are defined in scope and the WBS.   Thus, creating contingency strategies is pivotal towards executing a successful project.

Case Study: Ryanair | Analysis

Case Study: Ryanair | Analysis The report is mainly a case study analysis based on Eleanor OHiggins review of Ryanair conducted in 2007. However, other secondary research has been analysed and used to support the arguments put forward in this document. Purpose of this case study is to conduct a strategic analysis of environment and the industry as well as the company. Firstly I conducted a critical evaluation in-order to figure out the critical issues of the five restructurings of Ryanair. Next I have conducted an environmental scan to analyse the external and internal environment of the organization. Then I took my attention to carry-out a SWOT analysis in-order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the firm that would shape the competitive advantage of Ryanair. In sorder to justify my argument I will be using strategic management models and theories such as, PESTEL analysis,Poters 5 forces model,Market segmentation analysis,Strategic grouping model, Value chain analysis etc.. After concluding the analysis I will deliver my recommendation for Ryanair. Overview of the Company Ryanair started in year 1985 with only 57 staff members and with one 15 seater turboprop plane from the south of east of Ireland to London-Gatwick which carried 5000 passengers on one route. In 1986, inspired from the story of the company go after the big guys for a slice of the action and end up smashing theor British Airways high fare cartel on the Dublin-London route. The staff increased from mere 57 to 120 staff members and the plane carried for about 82,000 passengers on two routes. In 1989, the company employed 350 staff and their average maximum passengers increased to 600,000. In 1990-1991, the company has 700,000 passengers. However, despite of the increase of passengers, the company is not so good in managing cost that the company has lose its money. A new management team is brought in to sort it out and re-launch as a low fares or no frills airline, closely modelling the Southwest Airlines model in the U.S. And in 1994, Ryanair bought its first Boeing 737 aircraft which carried over 1.5 million passengers. In 1995, Ryanair is the biggest passenger carrier on Dublin-London route, the largest Irish airline on every route being operate and carried 2.25 million passengers in the year. In 1997, the EU air transport deregulation allowed the airline for the first time to open up new routes to Continental Europe with over 3 million passengers on 18 routes carried. Ryanair launched services to Stockholm, Oslo, Paris and Brussels and took time out to float Ryanair plc on Dublin and NASDAQ Stock exchanges. The company was awarded as Airline of the Year in 1999 by the Irish Air Transport Users Committee. In 2000, they announced the launch of 10 new European routes for the summer 2000 after much deliberation and watching others burning money. The company has also jump onto the internet with the launch of their new online booking site and in just 3 months the site is taking over 50,000 bookings a week. By 2001 there are more than 1500 employees working for Ryanair and more than 10 million passengers are carried to 56 cities in 13 European countries. The company has opened Frankfurt-Hahn in 2002 as their second continental European base and announce a long term partnership with Boeing which will see the company acquiring up to 150 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft over an eight year period from 2002-2010. The booking in their web accounts have increased to 94% which has probably has something to do with opening another 26 routes. In year 2003, the company is characterised by rapid expansion and the start the year by announcing that the company has ordered an additional 100 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft to facilitate the rapid European growth plans. They acquired Buss from KL M in April and re-launched 13 buss routes in May. In February they opened their first base in Italy at Milan-Bergamo and launched their Stockholm base in Sweden with six new European routes. In all 60 new routes are added throughout 2003 to bring the company a total of 127 routes. By 2004, the company is named as the most popular airline on the web by Google and they launched their 10thand 11th bases in Rome Ciampino and Barcelona Girona and continue to add more routes to their already extensive network. The company has also passed out British Airways to become the UKs favourite airline in United Kingdom and throughout Europe. Critical Issues Although the company had encountered different problems, specifically in line with its cost structures, the company had been able to survive and grow in the marketplace. Ryanair implement different marketing strategy to make the company survive in the competition and to be able to gain competitive position in the airline market. It is said that the company was regarded recently as the most punctual airline between Dublin and London. And because of the strategy of the industry, Ryanair is now recognised as the second largest airline in United Kingdom and Europes largest low-fares airline having a network of over 57 routes in 11 countries and served by a fleet of 31 Boeing 737-200 and -800 aircraft with over 1,400 staffs and personnel. In order to position itself in the marketplace the company continuously concentrates on driving own its costs to offer the lowest fares possible and remain profitable. In addition, Ryanair offer minimum standards of service and very low prices for point-to-point, short haul flights. The goal of Ryanair is to meet the needs oftravellingat the lowest price. The Critical Success Factors (CSFs) are as follows in airline industry: the strategic focus of having the lowest prices, being reliable within the marketplace, comfort and service and frequency. It is noted that low-cost companies concentrate on this first critical success factor by trying to offer the lowest prices. Although Ryanair has eliminated extras such as in-flight meals, advanced seat assignment, free drinks and other services, it still prioritises features which remain important to its target market. Such features include frequent departures, advance reservations, baggage handling and consistent on-time services.(Ryanair vision,mission,goals and objects has been elborated in Appendix 01 External Environmental Analysis By using a PESTEL Analysis we scan the macro environmental factors that would influence the performance of an organization. It is often used to generate market ideas and product ideas. PESTLE Analysis of Ryainair (P)olitical/(L)egal Change of government/policy Ryanair have been involved in various legal disputes with governments both in this country and the EU regarding their business deals with airports and airline regulatory bodies Political changes in countries where they have routes to (could also be affected by above point) Governments in countries they fly to may support their own flagship carrier Local councils objecting to noise and new runways being built as in past Governments looking to increase tourism might welcome Ryanair and therefore act in their favour. (E)conomic Potential economic recession, Irelands economy has already been stated as growing however this may suddenly change. Because of above main customers wouldnt fly for business as would be cost cutting Energy and fuel costs are cause of uncertainty Economic change within countries they fly to or would hope to open new routes to, for example war with Iraq has shut off any hope of tourism there for the foreseeable future and other factors such as SARS (OHiggins, 2004) and more recently, Bird Flu. (S)ocial Because of economic growth at the moment it has become normal to fly away for holidays therefore market has expanded and new opportunities for tourism have opened in previously unconsidered countries. Business trips, although Ryanair do not offer luxury they are possibly more attractive because less cost to a company means they can travel more frequently. Lower costs means attract a wider demographic of consumer (T)echnological Main threat to business market is video conferencing To a lesser extent VOIP Online check-in, self service check in at airport OHiggins, (2004) discusses that Ryanair currently have a fleet of mainly Boeng 737s which are one of the best known and used commercial aircraft. Thus, the company is able to obtain spares and maintenance services on favorable terms thanks to economies of scale, limit costs of staff training and offer flexibility in scheduling aircraft and crew assignments (E)nvironment Using more environmentally- friendly aircraft. Aviation represents 2.6 per cent of carbon emission in the EU and airline industry should pay environmental taxes for the contribution they make to global warming. Deploying more efficient aircraft that use less fuel and produce less pollution. Industry Analysis Industry can effects profitability and the competitive positions of members. To identify it we can use, Market Segmentation Ryanair lay claim to their market segment by stating they were Europes first no frills airline, www.ryanair.com. Ryanair have made strategic decisions based on increasing their competitive edge, the main one becoming involved in attracting customers at both ends of their routes. Haberberg and Rieple , support this by showing that Ryanairs key source of revenue from as far back as a decade ago has been in enticing passengers from France, Italy and Scandinavia. This has had the advantage of increasing their market share as well as the added bonus of creating a well recognised brand name across Europe. Competitive Advantages Their main competitors are carriers including easyJet, BMI baby, FlyBe and ThomsonFly all of who try to attract potential customers by emphasizing their low cost tickets. This makes the competition in this market segment fierce as in order to offer the lowest fares, costs must also be kept to a minimum. The well discussed fact that Ryanair possesses a more than favourable relationship with airport operators has benefited the carrier in a time of industry growth and aggressive pricing. The carrier continues to pay little or no costs despite being the focus of the EU Commission in February 2004, which ruled that Ryanair had been receiving illegal state subsidies for its base airport at publicly-owned Charleroi Airport, OHiggins (2004). Ryanair and the airport in question defended themselves by declaring they paid a fee for every customer and therefore complied with the EU state aid rules. OHiggins (2004) claims that Michael OLearys main argument was that the state aid rules allow the Wallonian government to stimulate traffic at an unused airport facility in exactly the same way that every private airport reduces its charges it if wishes to grow its business. However, although these decisions by the EU Commission went against Ryanair, it also made them even more of a household name across the EU. The free publicity was an added bonus, as well as the position Ryanair took, of being almost a savior of the lesser known airports, bringing them trade and tourism and then being persecuted for it. Porters Five Forces Model Porters five forces analysis is a framework for the industry analysis and business strategy development developed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces which determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. Porters five forces model has been fully elaborated more on Appendix 02 Threat of substitutes is medium for Ryanair and is basically in the form of land,travel. Barganing power of buyer is high as low budget air travel is almost a commodity today and carriers are many. Buyer are well informed at prices and deals via internet and other mediums. Barganing power of the suppliers as Ryanair with its large scale holds the power to switch suppliers and demand better terms, especially to cut cost.Threat of new entrants is medium- as entrance to tarvel industry needs special licenses etc as well as high capital investments.Existing Rivalry is high with Ryanair competing against national carriers as well as low budget carriers for their share of market. Overall the industry witch Ryanair in is of medium attractiveness. Strategic Group Analysis The value of strategic group analysis as a tool for understanding industry dynamics and structure. Studing strategic groups, but that the analysis can help a firm in effort to understand the industry in which it competes and to identify its most relevant competitors. Internal Environmental Analysis Resources There are two kind of resources, tangible and intangible again movin further it can be categarise as financial, human, physical resources. Physical Resiurces and Human Resources has been fully elaborated more on Apendix 03 Financial Resources In the low cost structured airline industry Ryanair was the highest profit making airline.(ratioes has been fully elaborated on Appendix 04) Value Chain Analysis An analysis of an organisations resources can include its financial, physical, human, intellectual and reputational resources. In the deployment of these resources, it is also important to understand the competences and core competences of an organization. Porters (1985) value chain concept is an important part of this process. Ryanair strongly manages and forms relationships with various suppliers e.g. Boeing and food/beverages etc, to ensure goods are received of requirement standards and on time in-order to add value throughout its value chain In addition to this by forming strong relationships with Boeing, they are able to obtain spares and maintenance on favorable terms reducing costs, thus offering lower prices to passengers and safer flights (adding value). In-order to add substantial value for its service by providing low-fares, they closely monitors relationships with airports around Europe, so they provide subsidies to the airliner in order for them to provide low-fares and seen as adding greater value for customers. Furthermore they have agreed with these airports to provide storage hubs as to when a plane enters these sites its automatically refueled and beverage/duty free products are reloaded at negotiable prices reducing costs and quicker turnaround timing is achieved, thus seen as adding val ue. For the airliner to provide low-fares to consumers it contracts staff for aircraft handling, ticketing and baggage handling to third parties at competitive rates as well as engine repairs and heavy maintenances of its aircrafts. Thus reduces direct exposure to employee relationships and disputes reducing costs all through value chain. Additionally, to add greater value for customer, the aircraft staff e.g. pilot, cabin-crew, they holds close relationships, giving the right training making them competent enough to feel confident to answer on flight questions. The airliner has a commission placed for its aircraft crew linked with the sales of duty-paid goods (rewarding mechanisms).Thus close management with aircraft crew ensures good labors turnover reducing the threat of staff being absent for flights, thus seen as adding value for customers.(more on Appendix 05) SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Factor Ways which factor applies to Ryanair (S)trengths Marketing strong branding and reputation, aggressive price strategy. Low costing due to airport operator deals. Reputation as biggest budget airline. Lots of publicity due to OLeary and controversial issues. Air Transport World magazine announced that Ryanair was the most profitable air line in the world. 2006 Annual Report, Ryanair desinged itself as the Worlds Favourite Airline. (W)eaknesses Cash tied up in purchase of new planes. Entire company based on European low cost airline market. Shock profit warnings may have used cash reserves and weakened fiscal structure Refusal to back down over issues such as EU Commission Poor employee relations Total dependance on the CEO Michel O Leary (O)pportunities Possible new routes, New planes = larger capacity. Advertising space on website and planes, more revenue International Airline colloborated EU expansion (T)hreats Competitors BMI baby, Easyjet, ThomsonFly. Economic recession would mean less disposable income. EU Commission could put restrictions on company if do not adhere to state aid rules Subsitute transpotation like car and high speed trains. Fluctuatioans in fuel prices Conclusion On the whole Ryanair seem to be following a strategy which works for them. They are obviously aware of their business environment and understand the importance of monitoring it as they took advantage of the opening in the market when they restyled themselves over a decade ago. However they need to be aware that this environment is constantly shifting and evolving and therefore maintaining a close eye on it and being ready to adapt to any changes should be a fundamental part of their strategy. Recommendation Ryanairs aim to keep fares low, mainly by not introducing fuel surcharges. Actions like this, which were of course highly publicised, ensure Ryanair is constantly attracting customers. Part of Ryanairs success is made possible by the fact they are such a lean company, both in the way they operate and the services they offer. OHiggins (2004) claims that when the carrier dropped their cargo services, although they were going to be losing  £500,000 of revenue a year, they decreased the turnaround time of their aircraft from 30 minutes to 25 minutes to attract more business travellers who required the punctuality. Innovativeness like this has ensured Ryanairs sustainability and will carry them forward into the future. To recommend any major changes would be to predict how the airline industry will change which ultimately cannot be foreseen. However it has been concluded that the budget airline will continue enjoying its boom, with many passengers now enjoying the short breaks away at a low price. Also the advent of new routes will bring more custom, from both departure points. If there was to be a drop in demand Ryanair would certainly suffer and subtle shifts in their strategy could be appropriate. For example offering drinks vouchers onboard for the customers next Ryanair flight might entice more people back, or making alliances with hotel groups in order to offer a complete package, rather than just selling advertising space on their website. References Finlay, Paul (2000), Strategic Management. An Introduction to Business and Corporate Strategy. Pearson Education. ISBN 0 201 39827 3 Haberberg, Adrian Rieple, Alison (2001), The Strategic Management of Organisations. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0 130 21971 1 Lynch, Richard (2000), Corporate Strategy 2nd Ed. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0- 273-64303-7 McManus, John, Maybe its time for Ryanair to jettison OLeary, Irish Times, 11 August 2003 OHiggins, Eleanor, (2004), Ryanair OHiggins, Eleanor, (2007), Ryanair the low fares airline www.ryanair.com www.grin.com Appendix 01 Company Vision Ryanairs CEO, Michael OLeary, has a vision of a world where the fare could drop to nothing as local communities would subsidize the airline to bring a steady traffic of business people and tourists to their region. Main Aim To firmly establish itself as low fares,scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings Rayanairs Main Objective Ryanair will become Europes most profitable lowest cost airline by rolling out the proven `low-fare-no-frills service in all markets in which we operate, to the benefit of our passengers, people, and shareholders (Ryanair Report, 1997). Ryanairs other objectives GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR 6 YEARS TILL 2012. To raise the market share within the low cost sector up to 40%. Fleet of 200 airplanes in 2012, To double the annual passenger transportation to 80 million by 2012. To eliminate the rest of our costly call centers To base the distribution only on online booking. To quadruple its annual profit up to  £1,230 billion in 2012. (www.grin.com/ebook/ryanair.) Appendix 02 Suppliersbarganing power low Competitor Rivalry High Threat of new entrants Medium Threat of Subsitutes Medium Buyers barganing power low How poters 5 force analysis effect Ryanair; Appendix 03 Physical Resources The physical resources which Ryanair possess is the 196 Boeing aircrafts. The huge amount of money being spent by them on their physical resources for the maintainance. They need to keep resources proper and running to make sure that these will not harm their low cost structure. They also have the youngest fleet in whole Europe with a highly fuel efficient capacity. Human Resources Human resources can be considered one of the most important functions of a business. The vast majority of organisations all employ staff and Ryanair is no exception especially due to their size. When the carrier was established over twenty years ago they only had fifty one members of staff on their payroll. (www.ryanair.com.) With this amount of staff they have to ensure that, in order to have operations like call centres and cabin crews running smoothly, they keep their staff happy and motivated. They do this by offering incentives and a share option scheme which allows employees to participate in the success of the company overall. Ryanairs technical operations should mainly revolve around their aircraft as this is the core of their business. In February of last year they announced an order placed with Boeng for 70 firm aircraft as well as 70 options, www.ryanair.com. This means that between now and 2012 Ryanair will have 225 firm aircraft and options for another 220, allowing them to grow to over 70 million passengers per year. Due to this excellent deal negotiated by the carrier their growing amount of aircraft will not add huge amounts to depreciation costs as they will be depreciated over 23 years. Technical operations have to run smoothly for obvious reasons, if a plane scheduled to make a flight for technical problems, for example, then this will impact on all of Ryanairs operations and functions and also cause disharmony amongst their passengers, possibly costing them future ticket sales Appendix 04 Financial Ratios Net Profit Margin Net Profit Margin (NPM) tells us how much profit a company makes for every $1 it generates in revenue. Net profit margin indicates, when compared with GPM, how well a firm is managing its indirect costs in addition to cost of goods sold. Return On Assets Return on Assets (ROA) provides a view of how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earnings. ROA for all three primary competitors is virtually the same. Therefore, we can say that all three companies are generating similar revenue per dollar of assets. Current Ratio The current ratio is a financial ratio that measures whether or not a firm has enough resources to pay its debts over the next 12 months Inventory turnover Inventory turnover ratio shows how many times a companys inventory is sold and replaced over a period. This should be compared against industry averages. A low turnover implies poor sales and, therefore, excess inventory. A high ratio implies either strong sales or ineffective buying. High inventory levels are unhealthy because they represent an investment with a rate of return of zero. It also opens the company up to trouble should prices begin to fall. Here are unreasonable Inventory turnover ratios of each company. However, the inventory in the motion picture industry is not so important compared to other manufacturing companies.

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Essay -- Business, Corporate

The notion of ethics deals with people’s behaviors within a company. Social responsibility involves a company’s moral obligations and the manner in which the organization makes its decisions. Although ethics and social responsibility are similar on a conceptual basis, each has its own unique characteristics that express their differences and its independence of the other. Ethics and social responsibility have to be present and coincide with one another for a business to be ethically sound. Ethics is the application of one’s personal beliefs and the impact on how a person makes decisions regarding the relationships involving a company. The most common agents that involve a person’s decisions are owners, employees, customers, clients, suppliers and communities, according to Robert Audi (Audi, 2009). A person’s beliefs are often the determining factor in whether an action is considered right or wrong. Although ethics are often not explicitly displayed, a person with any sort of moral belief tends to have a grasp about what is considered ethically right or wrong. These obligations attempt to create a mirror image of how one would expect to be treated themselves. Audi states that there are ten moral obligations that serve as a model for how to assess ethical dilemmas. The following obligations are moral obligations that help to assess ethical dilemmas: justice, non-injury, fidelity, veracity, reparation, beneficence, self-improvement, gratitude, li berty, and respectfulness (Audi, 2009). Once these moral obligations are engraved into someone’s mind, it is much easier for a person to make a decision based on ethical grounds. Financial reporting is an example of an ethical problem for an organization or business. Many busin... ... Ethics are mainly used by individuals as guidance in making ethical decisions. Social responsibility is dependent on ethics, but ethics is independent of social responsibility and can stand on its own. Works Cited Audi, R. (2009). Business Ethics and Ethical Business. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Berenbeim, R. E. (2006, May 12). Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. Vital Speeches of the Day, pp. 501-504. Carroll, A. B. (1996). Business & Society: Ethics and stakeholders management. Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing. James E. Post, A. T. (2002). Business and Society: Corporate Strategy, Public Policy, Ethics (10th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Reed, B. (2011). The Business of Social Responsibility. Retrieved from Dollars and Sense Real World Economics: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/1998/0598reed.html

Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist accounts of religion

Both functionalists and Marxists share the common view that religion serves to legitimise the morals and laws within society. Many functionalists as well as Marxists do agree that society creates religion as a visual symbol of itself. Followers are ultimately not worshipping their religion, their worshipping society and everything it stands for. However, this is where the split in views begins. Functionalists see Religion as serving towards the 4 pre-requisites of society. (Namely: Social integration, shared values, social solidarity, and social harmony). By ensuring these needs are met, religion reinforces collective values and promotes solidarity. Functionalism is not over concerned about the ‘why' religion is allowed to assume this falsified symbolism, but instead recognises it's use in keeping harmony and faith in society. Durkheim demonstrates this in admitting that religion does not have to be ‘super natural'. It's important to note that mortal people and objects can gain a sacred status in society similar to that of the idols of religion. For instance: Princess Diana – a national symbol of charity and possibly the last real ‘princess' of the British Nation in the people's hearts. She has become sacred because she represents a good quality of society. From this, Durkheim believes â€Å"Understand what sacred things represent and you understand the values of a society†. Here we come into the first major difference between functionalism and Marxism. The former believes that there is a positive relationship between society and the individual. Worship society; believe in society. Marxists, however, inherently are discontent and have an ill view of society as it is. It is understandable how they are opposed to religion indoctrinating the people into a value set, pulling them into the collective conscience that ultimately supports capitalism and the idea that people deserve to â€Å"have their place†. Religion has allows supported class systems and promoted inequality. In gender. In work. In authority. Everything that Marxism is opposed to. â€Å"The rich man placed in his castle – The poor man placed at his gate† Malinowski, famed for his research at the Trabaind islands, did not see religion as a celebration of society, despite the same functionalist perspective as Durkheim. He did, however, agree that religion promotes solidarity. It does so by dealing with emotional stress / life crisis (disruptive events). Religion goes as far as to introduce ceremonies for dealing with various life crisis. Death is given a funeral. Love is given marriage. In all cases then hope is given through the expressed belief in immortality and fellow mourners serve to comfort and support the bereaved, so they can become functional members of society once again. Dangerous and unpredictable events are also surrounded in religious ceremony. Prayer is common before a possibly hazardous experience. These rituals reduce anxiety and increase confidence, strengthening unity in shared situations. Talcott Parsons shares this view and goes onto show how religious devices, such as the 10 commandments, provide the basis for many social norms and morals. Religion guides behaviour and helps in the formulation of decision through this. Finally, Religion is looked to answer the â€Å"ultimate questions† and give meaning to our existence. Humanity needs to feel as though there is meaning in all significant things; meaning to death and suffering, and justification of existence in itself. Religion works to show sense in contradictory scenarios that threaten the balance of ultimate beliefs. For instance, a man who is profiting through the doing of evil will be punished in the after life for his wrongful gain in life. Religion is a warning, a giver of justice, a provider of guidance and ultimate supernatural fear if one goes astray. Marx himself rejects any idea of supernatural aspect of religion. He describes religion as the â€Å"Heart of a heartless world†; The heartless world being the society moulded by capitalism. Religion is born out of a need for comfort, it does just this by cushioning the effect of worker oppression. Marxists have placed religion as part of the super structure, it helps justify the capitalist base as well as the whole super structure. (See rich man quote page 1). Religion as a tool of the bourgeoisie plays an important roll in justifying worker oppression, by showing that all will gain equal reward in heaven for doing the ‘right thing'. Religion has varying levels of strictness according to socio-economic class placement, especially in India where the cast system places strict restrictions and categorisations on a persons place in society. The idea of equal opportunity is ultimately crushed by harsh teachings and acceptance that a lower class worker is having a bad life because super natural forces placed them in that situation as punishment for wrongfulness in previous life. In conclusion, Marxist and functionalist similarities on the subject start and end with the acceptance of religion as a conservative force in society. Neo Marxism does accept the idea (like functionalism) that religion can sometimes be useful to society in bringing about change for the better. For instance the radical role of Liberation Theology. (Madura). Traditional Marxism is totally opposed to the oppressive role of religion and would be surprised to see that radical forces have emerged with some minority religious groups. Functionalists such as Durkheim and Parsons see religion as being a positive and perhaps essential part of the harmonious workings of society but have been criticised for ignoring the dysfunctional, disruptive, and divisive aspects of religion. They fail to consider hostility between religious groups within the same society. â€Å"It would seem that religion threatens social integration as readily as it contributes to it† (Stark & Glock).

Eugenics in America essays

Eugenics in America essays What do you think of when you hear the word eugenics? Well, one thing that should come to mind is Hitler and what he did with the Jews and other people he thought were noncompliant to what he had in mind was the perfect human race. Not only did Hitler do this, but the American people thought it was ok in the mid 19th century. Even in our time there are some things that people are doing that could be considered as eugenics, such as genetic testing. These things and others will be talked about in this paper, and they will attempt to be better explained. What a few people think about eugenics is not necessarily what everybody else thinks about it. The reason for saying this is because from the mid 20th century up to the present, geneticists have been doing genetic testing. One main question that will be addressed is how have we as Americans and other societies of the world tried to control the science of improving the human stock for social and political reasons since 1865. To a nswer this question I guess we will have to start at the beginning. Eugenics was probably really started when Alfred Binet came up with the intelligence test in France. The test was made up of a series of short tasks that were in some way related to everyday problems. The hardest task that was successfully completed was associated to a persons mental age. There were however some concerns that Binet had because of the test. Some of these concerns were: it distinguished between natural knowledge and instruction and he worried about self-fulfilling prophecies. He intended for the test to be used for good to identify children to help and improve rather than to label and limit students. There was someone that wanted to use this test to distinguish between people of good mental health and those that were morons (Goddard). The person that wanted to do this was H H Goddard. He brought Binets scale to America fro...

Complete Guide to a Writing a Civil Engineering Essay

Complete Guide to a Writing a Civil Engineering Essay Civil engineering is a combination of various professional skills, science, art, and engineering achievement which often depends on the ground on which its structures stand. Civil engineering discipline involves the development of architectural, structural, geotechnical, hydraulic, environmental transportation among other civil systems that focus on the infrastructural needs of the society. The planning and designing of these systems are often covered in courses and texts within various universities. Civil engineers have a duty to understand various disciplines as different projects involve different subjects. However, this cannot be achieved when the specific civil engineering learner does not have necessary essay writing skills. For civil engineering practices, essay writing takes an important role compared to other engineering branches. There is a lot of writing behind civil engineering projects, cost proposals, qualification proposals, memos, reports, scoping notes, reports for site visiting, e-mails, plan sheet notes, to name just a few. Civil engineering has certain writing needs with some other fields; for instance, companies do not stay in business in case they do not write effectively to win a contract. The consequences, however, of writing in civil engineering can be even more profound. Inaccurate writing can lead to harmful consequences, such as an increase in the liability for an organization and significant negative financial results. Also, lack of proper writing skills can lead to negative consequences for the organization. The importance of civil engineering essay writing is evident. Students have to acquire basic essay writing from the organization of the paper to its thorough conclusion in order to work within and outside the discipline. Notably, instructors focus on essay writing skills because they form a path for future proposals that are required in a workplace. Practicing engineers should take note of the importance of essay writing in order to advance their careers and for purposes of proper communication skills. Choose a Valid Topic in Civil Engineering: A Few Ideas from Our Writers For a civil engineering student, choosing a topic can be a difficult task because writing skills are required to be able to finish the related calculations. Therefore, there are specific factors that should be taken into consideration in order to select the appropriate topic for a civil engineering essay. It is often expected that the topic should be deep, interesting, and important for other people. The following illustrations should guide on how to choose on an appropriate topic: Focus on the topic of interest. Choosing a topic for the essay should be based on your preferences. If the chosen topic does not interest you, there will be a challenge in finding the appropriate research data to support the essay. However, if the topic is catchy for the leaner, the quality of work is more likely to be high. Have some knowledge on the topic. It will be almost impossible to write about something you don’t know completely. The writer must choose the topic he or she is confident about. People who choose topics that they have less knowledge about usually fail the research because of the time and expectations, plus the energy placed on research. Therefore, in order to complete the essay in less time with improved quality, the most appropriate choice is within the area of experience. Take the relevant field of experience. The field of experience should be relevant in order to avoid confusion when conducting research. If the chosen topic has no clear connection to the field of experience, the data acquired based on the topic might be limited due to the confusion. Choose a topic that is informative. Instead of focusing on making a discovery on something with low interest, it is important to consider something that is capable of captivating everyone but it also helps to think about limitations and capabilities based on the skills. Consulting journals and publications. Finally, a proper essay needs the research to look into professional journals and publications. It is important to look for articles that are interesting and the information provided to construct a topic. Examples of civil engineering essay topics include: Ways of Improving Water Management System in Urban Areas; Planning and Managing Energy Consumption: Ways of Gaining Maximum Benefit; Similarities and Differences Between Civil and Software Engineering; Geo-Technology Engineering; Effective Ways of Using Underground Resources. Get Ready to Writing a Masterpiece Writing a civil engineering essay can be an overwhelming task. The following prewriting tips will help you when writing an essay on civil engineering: Understand the task: before starting to write, it is important to spend time thinking of the content. The ideas retrieved at this stage should be written down in a free-form, coming up with a general outline that will guide the paper. Skipping this step places the writer at a risk of wasting time or dealing with something that goes against the professor’s expectations. Important: If there are problems with the chosen topic after going through the available content under the chosen topic, it is important to approach the TA or the professor and state clearly the issues being experienced. Reading with a purpose: before writing the essay, an important step to consider is gathering the information through reading. At this stage, the one important thing is to actively engage in the process of reading. Brainstorming: it helps in generating the ideas that will become the thesis of the essay and the points to support it. Coming up with a good thesis will assist in the writing process and will help in organizing the paper. Organization: After brainstorming, the next step should be categorizing the ideas and choosing an appropriate arrangement. As with various writing processes, the organization method, as well as the type of outline, will not be the same, they will have a difference based on the preference of the individual. Title → Thesis Statement → Body Paragraphs The title of the paper should present the whole piece. It should also be the one that provides an overview of the approach and analysis as well as highlights points that should be examined. The civil engineering curriculum involves a properly balanced coursework in basic science, mathematics, and topic related to engineering. The first important thing to focus on before beginning the essay is selecting a good civil engineering thesis. The thesis of the essay will provide a clear statement of the purpose to which the essay is meant to accomplish. It does not involve basically announcing a topic or posting a question or even a fact. Instead, the thesis statement should stand on its own expecting arguments supported by evidence. In this way, the structure of the paper will be outlined in the thesis, giving it a straightforward goal. The thesis paper needs to be properly organized: Choose a quiet and a conducive place to do the essay because it is important to be concentrated; Have a lot of material that will enable as much information as possible to be retrieved for the thesis; There should be rough copies made of the research and the notes combined together. The thesis paper should have the proper structure: A properly structured paper will enhance the essay for better grades; The thesis statement should have a present knowledge, a brief review and should be on point. The body paragraph should be logically connected with the emphasis on relevant ideas. The paragraphs need to follow specific principles beginning with broader statements and becoming more detailed until the specific problem is finally identified in the paper. The first paragraph of the essay should introduce the reader to the paper by grabbing the reader’s attention. The paragraphs should also end with general issues addressed in the essay. For a greater impact, the first sentences are supposed to be broad in scope and should attract the attention of the reader. The sentences that follow should narrow the topic. Such sentences normally should have citations and should build a certain lack of knowledge which results in creating problem statements in the essay. Mind that the body paragraph should have in-text citations. The middle paragraph goes after the introduction paragraph. It is several paragraphs which function as the review. The aim is to provide a citation for the articles addressed. The other paragraphs need to focus on the state-of-art-knowledge. The citations provided in the middle paragraphs should focus on journal articles to the possible extent. The Concluding paragraph is the last paragraph that outlines the other sections; it is the summary of the paper. The last paragraph can either have a general outline of the references or a specific section. These paragraphs have two important roles. The first role is that it completes the contribution of the article within the previous contributions, hence focusing on the extent of contribution. If the conclusion paragraph is not clear, the essay will be formed on a weak foundation. 5 Questions You Have to Answer in the Outline A properly written civil engineering essay takes time; therefore it is important to do some groundwork properly. Even pressed for time, it is always recommended to organize and provide an appropriate structure to the essay. The ideas should be organized in an outline: a point by point sequence of ideas, phrases, and keywords. This will assist in organizing the structure and identifying the relevant and also irrelevant parts of the essay. The outline takes a form of a summary in bullets that will eventually be developed into paragraphs. The essay should be arranged in a logical structure and developed in the form of key sentences. In case the outline is convincing, the success of the article is high. A weak outline, on the other hand, cannot be saved by good writing skills. The outline should ask the following questions: What subject is given for the essay? Identify background data, definitions, or contexts which requires to follow in the paper. What is the thesis of the paper? Identify the organization strategy that will effectively convey the point. What important ideas should the reader learn from the essay? Do they have implications? Post-Writing Tips: How NOT to Make a Mess The key to revising the essay is being able to approach the writing from a different persons perspective. Even though the process is normally not easy, the following civil engineering essay tips will help in editing the essay. Give yourself time for revision; Break down the reviewing process in different stages; Read out loud. Revising the essay allows the writer to analyze the paragraphs of the essay in order to make changes to the draft as well as to make sure the essay is structured in a logical way that supports the claims and the purpose. The first steps involved in revising the paper is making sure that the essay serves the outlined purpose in the introduction part. Editing and proofreading the essay involves questioning and analyzing sentences and correcting errors (if any). For the civil engineering essay, all the sentences should be read carefully and the functions of the paragraphs should be identified during the editing process. A good essay, especially a technical essay is to have the necessary amount of details. After completing the essay, the following proofreading strategies will help: Read all the sentences out loud while inspecting the structure of the sentences and the spellings; such a way of reading allows the writer to come across some mistakes that can remain unnoticed during the silent reading; Let a friend go through the essay to look for additional errors; outside readers can spot some mistakes missed during the writing process; Take short breaks while proofreading in order to add a fresh perspective to the essay. Finally, the reference section has to include the relevant sources that the writer consulted while writing the essay, even if the material was not quoted directly. The format of the paper will either be in APA, MLA, or Chicago. The reference cited in the paper should follow the formatting rules as well. Books, journal articles, and research articles are normally favored over less consistent sources for a civil engineering essay. So, when you are assigned a civil engineering essay, follow this civil engineering essay guide to make sure you are going to earn a reasonable grade.

Research Paper on Audition by Barbara Walters Memoir

On Audition by Barbara Walters Memoir - Research Paper Example In Audition, she tells her own story from the beginning in terms of how her parents got together, her life as a child and the feelings she had as a young woman that had minimum guidance and support to rely on. Walters provides a glimpse of her initial days in the broadcasting industry about the manner in which she coped with a media environment that was not characterized with interviews and TV specials. During this initial phase, she was struggling with the pressures of family and home as her career blossomed with NBC (Walters, 2008). It is interesting to note that what was as yet unknown about Walters is revealed in the book by way of her professional tussles with colleagues, which almost made her to quit the profession before she could get a foothold in the industry. This paper examines the determination that Barbara Walters displayed in her work and personal life and how she was able to make it big as a woman in the broadcasting sector that was primarily male dominated. Main Body Barbara Walters initially struggled as a student of literature and grappled as a content writer in a PR agency where she was prepared for her time ahead through the tough training she underwent under William Safire, who was President Nixon’s speech writer and political and language commentator for the New York Times. She went on to become a TV producer, co host and the undeniable queen of TV talk shows. Barbara Walters has done everything in having broken the known gender biases and glass ceiling in the broadcasting industry through her perseverance, finely cultivated social abilities and sharp skills of breaching the on air reporting environment. For her, every day was an audition. In her entire memoir, Walters has been very honest and candid in revealing her personal life and her personal struggles to attain happiness. Despite the fact that her father was a very successful show man during the period, her family had to go through a great deal of financial impediments. It is delightful knowing how Barbara Walters gradually made her way into the NBC network, made money and supported her family in all possible ways. There were instances when Walters was required to save her family from legal, emotional and financial destruction. After she found that her father had not paid a massive tax demand she used her connections to save her father from being sent to jail. Walters shares her feelings in stating that she was not specifically proud of this achievement but was glad to save her father. Her memoir provides a glimpse into her childhood that had a very strong influence on her decision making ability as an adult. In view of her father’s turbulent past she was not inclined to get involved romantically with any man in show business. Walters also had the inclination to make rushed decisions about her personal life but they did not prove successful in the long term. It was this very pattern in her behavior that made her to adopt revolutionary styles of in terviewing, which made her to become the lead female broadcaster of the century. The reader also realizes that despite Walter’s immense success as a broadcaster she had inherent personal problems and insecurity just as normal human beings have. It is impressive to note that she admitted her shortcomings very candidly and provided readers to have a glimpse of the legendry woman that she continues to be. It would have been very simple for an individual writing his or her own memoir

Never Elements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Never Elements - Essay Example Besides, this literary work can be considered as a temporary escape from the real world to an imaginary world under the earth. Thesis statement: In the literary work Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman makes use of strange and invisible characters and a fantastic location below the earth to prove the futility of materialistic life, and the scope of a different life. Most striking elements in the novel: This section is divided into three: Strange characters, Fantastic location, and Invisible characters. Strange characters The characters in the novel, like Door, Croup, Marquis, Hunter, etc., appear to be strange because they symbolize life in a magical context. One can easily identify the fact that the novelist portrays the protagonist (say, Richard Mayhew) as the representative of the mortal world. On the other side, Door represents the link between the mortal world and the imaginary world. In Neil Gaiman’s fiction, the narrator made clear that, â€Å"He looked to see where she had come f rom, but the wall was blank and brick and unbroken† (25). She appears to the protagonist as a mystery because she does not try to reveal her real identity. Besides, the strange characters never try to communicate with the human beings who are living in the mortal world. Once, Door seeks help from the protagonist and this incident breaks the secrecy of the underground world. The strange characters in the novel are not interested to lead normal lives because they are aware of the fact that the possibility of their survival is related to the secrecy of the underground world. To be specific, the underground dwellers are symbolic of the devil and his followers, who are forced to flee from the heaven. Within this context, some of the strange characters like Islington, and Lamia represent sin. On the other side, the characters like Door, Marquis and Hunter represent virtue. Still, this basic difference adds strangeness to the characters that are forced to live beneath the earth to co mplete their mission. Fantastic location The novelist makes use of the location to help the reader to find out the differences between the mortal world and the virtual real world. To be specific, the map of the London Subway, printed on Richard’s umbrella is symbolic of the virtual real world. The narrator made clear that, â€Å"Then a click, and it blossomed into a huge white map of the London Underground network, each line drawn in a different color, every station marked and named† (3-4). One can see that the novelist exploits the scope of commonplaces as locations. The dwellers of London Below, known as Rat-Speakers, never try to reveal their identity in the real world. Besides, they are not aware of the life beyond their area. The market place at the Floating Market is symbolic of an underdeveloped society, where barter system still prevails as an economic system. The people who live in the underworld depend upon this economic system. Still, the dwellers of the und erworld make use of urban transportation mode to travel. In the novel, the underground railway network leads to the Earl's Court. So, one can see that the abandoned transportation method under the earth’s surface is used by the dwellers of the underworld. In the novel, the character named as Hunter hesitates to enter the real world and decides to stay at an underground station, which is under a museum known as British Museum. So, the novelist makes use of the fantastic location (say, the world beneath the city of