Varying viewpoints on the importance of group unity vs. the individual Essay

Varying viewpoints on the importance of group unity vs. the individual in American culture - Essay Example On the surface, the themes in the two work of literature that is Pioneers! O Pioneers! By Walt Whitman and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck appear to be a contest in unity versus individual. However, essentially they tend to reinforce these contradictory yet coexistent trends in the American character. The poem Pioneers! O Pioneers! By Walt Whitman is an ode celebrating the courage of the pioneers who renounced the claims and legacy of the civilizations of the Continent to aspire for a difficult and more fulfilling life in the American West. This sentiment is very much evident in the following lines: â€Å"Have the elder races halted? Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over their beyond the seas? We take our task eternal, and the burden and the lesson (Whitman: Online)† The poem tends to celebrate the unifying myth of the West, a cherished notion that was central to the genesis of the Unite States, a concept serving as a continuum between the past and the future, celebrating the collective potential of a young country like America. â€Å"O you youths, Western youths, So impatient, full of action, full of manly pride and friendship, Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost (Whitman: Online)† The intermittent usage of the word â€Å"we† in the poem attempts to highlight a collectively American heritage and legacy. However, at the same time the poem also appeals to the individual pioneer lurking in the consciousness of every American. It brings forth the typical American individualistic strain of to do away with the set ways and pulls of the past, to venture forth into new territories, be it geographical or cerebral. The very ploy of using the first person plural by the poet enables one to weave this streak of individualism into a collective entity, thereby allowing for the coexistence of both. I contrast; The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck seems to attempt just the opposite. Actually Steinbeck based this novel on the experience he accumulated while traveling through California in the mid 30s, where he witnessed people living in abject poverty owing to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The novel poignantly and starkly recognizes the situation and times in the lives of the families, where the collective survival and existence seems so impossible, unless bolstered and propped by busts of individual courage and gumption. The very act of trying to eke out a survival by an individual at an economic and emotional level instills something steely in the character of the entire group. Though America is based on the idea of need for the individual, Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath tends to qualify this individualism, by depicting the struggle of the individual soul yet celebrating the ability of a well weathered soul to bring solace to the group. So peculiarly, his deliberations on Ma bring forth this enigma: â€Å"She seemed to know, to accept, to welcome her position, the citadel of the family, the strong place that could not be taken. And since old Tom and the children could not know hurt or fear unless she acknowledged hurt and fear, she had practiced denying them in herself. †¦ She seemed to know that if she swayed the family shook, and if she ever really deeply wavered†¦ the family will to function will be gone (Steinbeck 84).†

Acceptance Speech - Martin Luther King Essay Example for Free

Acceptance Speech Martin Luther King Essay Acceptance Speech Martin Luther King was an African American activist and leader who dedicated his life to fighting for equal rights for coloured people in America. Grown up in a Baptist family, Christianity held a huge fascination for Martin Luther King, which is often reflected in his speeches. In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements in the struggle for equality and independence for coloured people. When receiving the award, Martin Luther King expresses his appreciation by a speech in Oslo. This speech is slightly different to his other speeches such as â€Å"I have a dream† or â€Å"Eulogy† as he uses less metaphors and alliterations and not only focuses on racial discrimination in the United States of America. He uses high vocabulary, as he speaks to a highly educated non-American audience in a humble tone. Martin Luther King begins his speech with the words: â€Å"The tortuous road which has led from Montgomery to Alabama to Oslo This can be classified as a metaphor, as â€Å"tortuous road† emphasizes that Negros had to suffer humiliation, exploitation and oppression for many years. But this â€Å"road† gave new hope to the people in the United States, as it is said in the speech: â€Å"This road has opened for all Americans a new era of progress and hope. † This is an extended metaphor that appears throughout the whole paragraph, as he goes on with:† a superhighway of injustice†. These words show that the civil rights movement can’t be stopped anymore and will finally bring justice for Negros. Throughout the speech many alliteration occur such as:†faith in the future† or â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†. These examples show that alliterations point attention to the sentence and help to fix the reader’s mind. It then goes on with the simile: â€Å"Man is more flotsam and jetsam in the river of life†. By these words Martin Luther King wants to emphasize that it is possible for everybody to change something in the world, despite the fact that people do not have the same opinion. Later he says:† I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to Starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality†. By metaphor â€Å"starless midnight of racism† Martin Luther King wants to indicate was considerate to something unsolvable or unchangeable. By the words â€Å"bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood†, he which is also a metaphor, he emphasizes thatpeace and brotherhood will finally be achieved. However, hese metaphor are very effective as they make the abstract or unknown concrete but it also enlivens the reader’s imagination. This sentence can also closely be classified as a balanced sentence, as Martin Luther King tells us what to do and what not to do. However, this helps to persuade the audience so stand up for their rights. Throughout the speech many anaphoras occur such as â€Å"I refuse to accept† or â€Å"I believe that†. This rhetor ical device emphasizes Martin Luther King’s aim for equal rights all over the world. Later on it says: â€Å"I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘is-ness’ of man’s present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘ought-ness’ that forever confronts him. † Martin Luther King had a vision for how things ought to be. He shows us to refuse to accept things for how they are, and instead strive to find the solution for how they ought to be. Martin Luther King will always remain one of the most influential and greatest freedom fighters in the world. Though his commitment and persuasion, he achieved a lot for Afro American people in the USA.

Summary of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essay -- Maya Angelou Liter

Summary of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Maya recalls an Easter Sunday at the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in Arkansas. Her mother makes her a special Easter dress from lavender taffeta, and Maya thinks the dress will make her look like the blond-haired blue-eyed movie star that she wishes, deep down, to be. But, the dress turns out to be drab and ugly, as Maya laments that she is black, and unattractive as well. She leaves her church pew to go to the bathroom, and doesn't make it; she runs from the church, ashamed, but glad to be out of church and away from the children who torment her, and make her childhood even harder than it already is. Analysis: One of the main themes of this chapter is race and appearance; Maya already establishes that she wanted to be a movie-star looking white girl as a child, and tried to deny her real appearance. Connected with the idea of race is beauty, as Maya describes images of blond hair and blue eyes as the paragon of beauty, and says her appearance is merely a "black ugly dream" that she will wake out of. Maya seems to have been an imaginative child, as she envisions her "head [bursting] like a dropped watermelon" from trying to hold her bladder. Angelou shows a talent for using images to explain and clarify feelings, and employing her descriptive powers to make even mundane incidents very vivid. This autobiography, which covers Maya's life from age 3 to age 16, is often considered a bildungsroman since it is primarily a tale of youth and growing into young adulthood. However, unlike a typical, novel-form bildungsroman, the story does not end with the achievement of adulthood; Angelou continues to write about her life in four other volumes, all addressing her life chronologically from her childhood to the accomplishments of her adulthood. It is important to keep in mind that this is an autobiography, rather than a novel, and that the narrator and the author are indeed one and the same, and the events described in the book are intended to relate a very personal portrait of a person's life. Chapter 1: Summary: Maya says that when she was three years old and her brother was four, they were sent from their father in California to their paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. They were eventually embraced by the town, and lived at the back of the store that their grandmother and uncle owned and ran. ... ...al and flawed. The images and words chosen to represent St. Louis tell of the children's fear of this new place, and their apprehension at being taken to live with someone they don't know. The "crowded-together, soot-covered buildings" are completely alien, and a bit bleak to them. They may have been driving "to Hell" for all the children knew, with their uncertainty and fear coloring the strange landscape. She begins to believe in "Grownups' Betrayal," as again they are being let down by their father; her tone reveals her hurt and bitterness at being reclaimed by their father, only to be sent away once again. Angelou describes her mother as being like "a hurricane in its perfect power," or "the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow"; these metaphors convey that Maya's mother is a flawless work of nature, vibrant, powerful, and very beautiful. Maya seems to admire her from afar, too, like you would admire a rainbow from afar; but the instant power of the children's love for her is encapsulated in the two cliched phrases "struck dumb" and "love at first sight." Although Maya might feel a bit distant from her mother, nevertheless the love she feels brings them a little closer.

Integrated Marketing Communications Starbucks Essay

Starbucks key of success is the ability to change the concept consumers had about drinking coffee. With more than 6000 outlets across the world (2003 numbers) and the intention of increasing them in the near future, the company has transformed coffee into a lifestyle accessory with as much elegance as the latest fashion. However, their way to success was not so easy and if we go back in 1971, we will find that coffee didn’t look like it was a great business. There were no signs of getting better, either. Coffee consumption in the United States had peaked in the 1960s, but by 1971 it was on the decline. Most Americans drank something called â€Å"coffee† that came ground up very finely in vacuum-sealed tins. Nevertheless, there was appeared tiny Seattle based chain with innovative idea of how to do business that in a few years changed the vision about the process of drinking coffee not only in USA but worldwide. Starbucks has evolved into a great success due to their imp lementation of Integrated Marketing Communications. What is integrated marketing communication? For many, IMC is concerned with the harmonization of customer oriented promotional messages. Duncan and Everett (1993) suggest IMC has been referred variously as orchestration, whole egg and seamless communication. It is regarded by some as a means of combining the tools of the promotional mix in a more efficient and synergistic manner. Increasingly IMC is seen to include all consistent interactions a stakeholder has with an organization (Shultz and Schults 1998) and therefore any definition needs to include or refer to concepts such added value, relationship marketing, corporate blending and with it, the blending of internal and external communications. One of the primary motivations why Starbucks moved towards IMC was the reduction in costs that it was possible to realize through this approach. The rise in some media costs, most notably television through 1990s, the proliferation of media opportunities and the splintering of audiences has led to a reappraisal of the communications strategies used by organizations and a reformulation of their promotional and media mixes. By reducing their reliance on above-the-line media and by attempting to move towards the use of media-neutral mixes to deliver consistent messages that cut through the increasing clutter, Starbucks has moved, if unintentionally, towards some  form of integrated marketing communication activity. Agreeing a definition of IMC is proving elusive but one of the more popular, simple and intrinsically satisfying views of IMC is that the messages conveyed by each of the promotional tools should be harmonised in order that audiences perceive a consistent image of a product or organisation. One interpretation of this perspective is that the key visual triggers (design, colours, form and tag line) used in advertising should be replicated across the range of promotional tools used, including Point-of-Purchase (POP) and the sales force. At another level IMC is about the integration of some of the promotional tools. One such combination is the closer alliance of advertising with public relations. Increasing audience fragmentation means that it is more difficult to locate target audiences and communicate with them in a meaningful way. By utilising the power of public relations to stimulate word-of-mouth communication about brands and advertisements. Basically, we see that Starbucks’ success was built on two things: the store experience (Starbucks’ image) and the quality of its product – it really is a better cup of coffee The first one is so sacred that on Starbucks employees initiative the chain even prohibited smoking in its stores in Vienna, where cigarettes and coffee are inseparable, because Starbucks doesn’t want anything to interfere with the seductive scent of fresh-brewed espresso. That’s why top-management of Starbucks deeply believed that employees make the store that they work in. A Starbucks employee needed to be very knowledgeable, communicative, and helpful to the customers. Customers need to know the difference in the new roasted coffee Starbucks will offer. Well-educated employees will surely handle this requirement. Starbucks need to use strong cultural incentives to drive the identification of opportunities. In Starbucks all employees are called â€Å"partners,† signaling a level of responsibility maintained by few companies with sales in the billions of dollars. Anyone who has an idea uses a one-page form to pass it to the senior executive team–and gets a response. When the company pursues an idea, its author, regardless of tenure or title, is typically invited to  join the launch team as a full-time member. New-style marketing organizations, by contrast, hire marketers not for jobs but for two broad kinds of roles: those of integrators and specialists. Integrators are marketers with broad skills who coordinate the delivery of products and services to the market from beginning to end. Specialists–more narrowly focused marketers with specialized skills–can be mobilized quickly to provide the particular expertise a given opportunity team requires. Starbucks is one of them and finding its way of capturing the market it will surely pay high attention to the recruitment process. If communications are to be used effectively then there is a need to communicate aspects of the direction in which the organisation intends moving and how it intends to achieve this. In other words, the business philosophy and its aims and objectives, often expressed formally through mission and vision statements, need to be communicated to particular audiences in a way that is synchronised and co-ordinated with the organisation’s other communication activities. At a strategic level IMC has at its roots the overall business strategy of the organisation. Using Porter’s (1980) Generic Strategies, if a low cost strategy is being pursued then it makes sense to complement the strategy by using messages that either stress any price advantage that customers might benefit from or at least do not suggest extravagance or luxury. If using a differentiation focus strategy (e.g. Waitrose) then price should not figure in any of the messages and greater emphasis should be placed on particular attributes that enable clear positioning. In case of Starbucks mission sounds like this:†Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow†. The development of the mission statement was the start of the company’s marketing management initiative. Starbucks overall objective in the eye’s of the leaders was defined. This mission does not want to jeopardize the quality, ambiance, or service due to expansion into a global marketplace. Besides writing a mission, Starbucks has outlined their guiding principles, which they follow in their business: 1.Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity; 2.Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business; 3.Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee; 4.Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time; 5.Contribute positively to our communities and our environment; 6.Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. There can be little doubt that the elements of the marketing mix, however configured, also communicate (Smith 1996). The price and associated values; the product, in terms of the quality, design and tangible attributes; the manner and efficiency of the service delivery people, and where and how it is made available, for example the location, retailer/dealer reputation and overall service quality, are brand identity cues with which recipients develop associations and images, which in turn through time may shape brand reputations. It is suggested, therefore, that IMC cannot be achieved just by saying the same message through a variety of promotional tools. Effective communication underpins the stability and quality of relationships. While the origins of IMC might be found in the inadequacies of the prevailing structural conditions, an understanding of what IMC is or should be, is far from being resolved and is evolving as the industry matures. The elements involved in IMC are many and numerous. Depending upon the perspective an individual might adopt, those elements might range from a simple configuration of the promotional mix through to a fully integrated and culturally driven mission and corporate strategy. Starbucks chose the second one (Product Concept) and their success over the past 25 years has a lot to do with the quality of the product, which has attracted a loyal and growing following among consumers. The retail strategy has been to put a coffee shop on every corner and to make fresh-brewed coffee by selling only the highest-quality products and charging a premium price. However, the product mix has changed significantly over the years, with beans accounting for about 15% of the chain’s sales and company needs to remember this entering the Russia market. Meanwhile, Starbucks is expanding its offerings, with a line of ice cream for supermarkets and a joint venture with Pepsi Cola to market Frappuccino. At the same time, the company continues to develop sales in alternative outlets, including foodservice and non-traditional retail sites as United Airlines, Holland America cruise line, Seattle Kingdome, an Alliance with Barnes & Noble bookstores, among others. Stoking the niche for seasonal drinks, Starbucks added caramel apple cider and white chocolate mocha just in time for the holiday and winter months. This year’s lineup of new summer beverages will be announced in a few weeks. The last cornerstone of the marketing strategy of Starbucks is clustering. The company locates stores within close proximity in the world and it should do it the same way in Russia. Clustering is becoming important because company’s objective is to become a household name and it can be reached by fierce expansion and high coverage. Starbucks must open their doors and be in the Russian market before anyone else. This would give them a great fist-mover advantage. Once consumers experienced Starbucks service, quality coffee, and ambiance of their stores there would be a great switching cost for the consumer to go anywhere else. The success of becoming a household name worldwide is now close to reality. The company received very high profits. However, Schultz measured his success by not compromising Starbucks ideals to maximize profit and was doing it very successfully. To keep up with this expansion Starbucks opened three manufacturing plants to relieve itself of the large transportation and storage costs. This decision really improved Starbucks’ distribution of the product. Starbucks could now distribute faster, fresher, and more product to many more of their stores. The plants also allowed them to enter the supermarket coffee sales industry  in the spring of 1998 and will allow to dominate in the Russian market. To accomplish the goal of being a household name brand coffee in Russia, Starbucks should choose to implement an expansionary strategy (as they are doing in any other country). Starbucks should use the first-mover element to jump in and gain consumer loyalty. With its fierce expansion, Starbucks should try to open new stores at a rate of more than one per day. This strategy will allow Starbucks to enter a Russian market and win consumer loyalty before anyone else can. After visiting a Starbucks, switching costs for the consumer will be extremely high due to the great service and quality that Starbucks can assure. Their decision to open three manufacturing plants to distribute their product more efficiently was essential to accomplish this strategy. Prior to these new plants it was difficult and costly to deliver the quality of the product. Starbucks saved a great deal of money by using this new distribution method. They no longer have to pay for the shipping and storage of the product. With Starbucks expanding globally, the only adjustment they might want to consider is a plant overseas to help distribution there. The decision to enter the supermarket coffee sales market was a huge step for household recognition in USA and they probably should do this in Russia. Two thirds of the world’s coffee is sold in stores for home consumption. Not only will they be able to reach millions of coffee consumers, but also this will ensure a great distribution channel that will help lock out some potential competitors. Consumers can now enjoy great quality coffee at home or by stopping in a local store. This is a key step in ensuring that Starbucks becomes a household brand name. The only adjustment Starbucks must consider is that they are in a new industry with huge competitors such as Maxwell House, Folgers, and many others. Starbucks must make sure that the organization stays with its mission statement. In accomplishing the market development strategy of promoting the company’s range of services to a wider audience the work group fitted to the theory of the Kotler’ marketing mix. Hence the allocation of the 4 P’s, product, price, place and promotion. Having determined the desired markets that the company would compete in the next step was organising a promotional strategy in these area. Following the apportionment of a marketing budget discussions were held in order to decide the best way of using this allocation. In this idea of market development the company would attempt to sell its range of services to a wider market. Starbucks should have a unique promotional strategy in Russia:  ·Only $300,000 million on advertising annually;  ·Relies on ubiquity and word of mouth;  ·In comparison, McDonald’s spends $3-4 million annually in Russia;  ·No commercials on TV The price as regards building contracting is largely determined by the amount of margin to be added to the build up of the estimate for the project. Price is almost always considered as being the single most important factor for the client as 99% of contracts are let to the lowest bidder. â€Å"The setting of the correct price is of enormous importance in marketing – both in getting the product accepted by the target market, and in generating sufficient revenue for the organisation.† Starbucks pricing policy is also unique. It’s expensive. In USA you’ll pay about $2 for a regular coffee and $3-4 for a specialty one. In the Russian market the numbers will differ but the point will stay the same (expensive). As for place, there is one good phrase about it: â€Å"Starbucks is caffinateing the world† (5,689 stores in 28 countries. And the product itself is always been paid high attention by Starbucks. â€Å"The aroma of our coffee is one of our competitive advantages; it is one of our products, † says Mr. Hong, manager of Chineese Starbucks division. â€Å"You cannot have a complete Starbucks experience if you have smoky air. We need to win people over on  the importance of aroma. Nevertheless, before entering the Russian market Starbucks need to realize that there were some pitfalls: 1.Although Russian marketers evidence the trend of increasing coffee consumption in Russia, more than 50% of population prefer to drink tea and don’t like coffee, at all. 2.The volume of Russian coffee imports is equal to 100,000 tonnes (2003) and will increase 10-20% per year basing a good economic situation to Russia 3.Most Russian coffee drinkers use instant or soluble coffee, with this category accounting for 76 percent of imports. 4.Of coffee drinkers, 91 percent drink both coffee and tea with only nine percent drinking only coffee, he said. Coffee drinking is concentrated in European Russia and the south near Turkey and Armenia, which have strong coffee traditions 5.Even with the increase in imports this year, Russia’s per capita consumption of coffee will only be 650 grams, compared with four kg in Brazil and 10 kg in Scandinavia However, if look at Chinese market, which has like Russian one a history of drinking tea and low level of coffee consumption and see how it all changed after Starbucks entered the market, we may assume that the same situation will repeat with the Russian market because of Starbucks power of brand. In order for Starbucks to become a brand name in Russia, they must not stray from the strategy they set forth in the past. Their commitment to the mission statement, their employees, and expansion is what got them where they are. To stray from these ideals would prove tragic in their goal of world recognition. In order for Starbucks to develop in Russia they must remember the success factors they used in the United States. Should  Starbucks stay loyal to their own beliefs they can only grow bigger. With stores opening all the time in new markets, Starbucks’ greatest challenge is managing its phenomenal growth. Their market is affluent, conscientious and discriminating. They want to know what Starbucks is giving back to the communities they infiltrate and markets they dominate. Starbucks is not a perfect company. But it is a company who has managed to make the voyage to success without compromising key principles of the guiding vision. The voyage ahead is more treacherous. Will Starbucks be able to maintain the integrity of its vision. I hope so. References: 1.www.starbucks.com 2.Kevin Lane Keller, â€Å"The Brand Report Card,† Harvard Business Review, 78:1 (January-February 2000): 147-157 3.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 4.Paul Betts and John Thornhill, â€Å"Starbucks steams into Italy,† Financial Times, October 22, 2000, p. 7. Story is on Starbucks entering the Milan market 5.Niraj Dawar and Amitava Chattopadhyay, â€Å"The new language of emerging markets,† in â€Å"Mastering Management,† Financial Times, November 13, 2000, pp. 6-7 6.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 7.Olson, Dave. â€Å"A Passion For Coffee† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 8, 9, 13 8.Olson, Dave. â€Å"Plantation to Cup† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 16-19, 22. 9.Suicaorich, John and Winster, Stephen. â€Å"The Coffee Book – A Connoisseur’s Guide to Gourmet Coffee†. London: Prentice Hall International, Inc., 1976, pp. 97-107 10.Mintz, Sidney W. â€Å"The changing roles of food in the study of consumption.† Consumption and the World of Goods eds. John Brewer and Roy Porter, 261-73. London: Routledge, 1993 11.Jay Belt, â€Å"Wired Angels Espresso Cafe† Hanford, California, February 26, 1999 12.Rice, Paul D. Market opportunity assessment for Fair Trade Coffee. Prepared for Transfair USA, February 1997

The Thing in the Forest

Containing all the well-known signs of a fairy tale from the beginning, The Thing in the Forest is expected to include the fantasy aspect of a fairy tale. Unlike most fairy tales however, The Think in the Forest quickly turns into a very real occurrence that happened to children all over that particular region during that particular time period. Once the girls come within earshot, and then sight of â€Å"The Thing†, it takes on many figurative meanings. These meanings include everything from the war and all it entitled, to the girls leaving their innocence and becoming affected by the war.The story includes two little girls as the main characters, yet Primrose, the one who later in life becomes a story teller, is assumed to be the narrator throughout the story. Primrose is â€Å"Plump and blond and curly†¦ [She] had bitten nails, a velvet collar on her dressy green coat. † (353). Interestingly, the narrator (Primrose), who is made slightly greedy from her experienc es during the war, goes into grave detail of her clothing. The â€Å"dressy† clothing holds no real value, and is only added into the story because it holds some sort of personal value to the narrator.Also, describing Primrose as â€Å"plump† is about the nicest way to describe and overweight child. It becomes evident from the first description of Primrose that she is favored by the narrator. Penny is different than Primrose in almost every way. â€Å"Penny was thin and dark and taller, possibly older than Primrose†¦Penny had a bloodless transparent paleness, a touch of blue in her fine lips. †(353). Even though Penny becomes a much more established person compared to Primrose later in life, how Penny is described isn’t nearly as positive as the description of Primrose.With the well detailed description of what Primrose was wearing, it would be expected that what Penny was wearing would be told. These details are never brought to light. This missing information proves that the narrator has a much stronger attachment to Primrose than Penny. The two girls are completely different in terms of personality traits, still they do have some things in common. They both lost their fathers. â€Å" Penny’s farther, †¦died in a sheet of flame in the East Indian Docks†¦Primrose’s farther†¦was killed, very late in the war, on a crowded troop carrier sunk in the Far East† (358).While both their fathers were killed, the ways in which they were killed are just another example of how different Penny and Primrose are. With one being killed by fire and one being killed by water, the natural forces could not be any more dissimilar. â€Å"The Thing† is also something that they both have in common. They both hear it. They both smell it. They both see it. â€Å"A sound and a smell fabricated of many disparate sounds and smells. A crunching, a crackling, a crushing, a heavy thumping† (356).The sounds hea rd by the little girls is the very essence of war. The sound of troops and machinery crushing everything in their way. These sounds are the very sounds that they were sent away from. â€Å"Its face†¦appeared like a rubbery or fleshy mask over a shapeless sprouting bulb of a head. Its expression was neither wrath nor greed but pure misery. †(357). This is the face of war. The rubbery gas masks worn by troops. For almost all, war is pure misery. Not just for the military’s fighting, but for everyone. The girls were sent away to preserve their innocence.Once they ran into the woods, they ran from their innocence and became aware of the war around them. After seeing â€Å"The Thing†, the girls become separated and live very different lives. Just as they started out as completely different people, they continue to live as completely different people. The war did impact them both in similar ways, â€Å"They both never married. † (358). Both Penny and Primr ose choose careers that were influence by the war, but both the careers fit their personalities. Even without the war, they would have probably both chosen careers along the same guidelines.The fact they neither of them married is something that the war probably changed. War has the power to give people something in common who would otherwise have nothing in common. â€Å"The Thing† is everything evil about the war from the understanding of two little girls. They didn’t know exactly what this evilness was, but they did know that it was evil. The story also completes a circle. Starting with a story and ending with the story starting again. How the war influence these girls continues to be passed on through Primrose, the story teller. The Thing in the Forest Containing all the well-known signs of a fairy tale from the beginning, The Thing in the Forest is expected to include the fantasy aspect of a fairy tale. Unlike most fairy tales however, The Think in the Forest quickly turns into a very real occurrence that happened to children all over that particular region during that particular time period. Once the girls come within earshot, and then sight of â€Å"The Thing†, it takes on many figurative meanings. These meanings include everything from the war and all it entitled, to the girls leaving their innocence and becoming affected by the war.The story includes two little girls as the main characters, yet Primrose, the one who later in life becomes a story teller, is assumed to be the narrator throughout the story. Primrose is â€Å"Plump and blond and curly†¦ [She] had bitten nails, a velvet collar on her dressy green coat. † (353). Interestingly, the narrator (Primrose), who is made slightly greedy from her experienc es during the war, goes into grave detail of her clothing. The â€Å"dressy† clothing holds no real value, and is only added into the story because it holds some sort of personal value to the narrator.Also, describing Primrose as â€Å"plump† is about the nicest way to describe and overweight child. It becomes evident from the first description of Primrose that she is favored by the narrator. Penny is different than Primrose in almost every way. â€Å"Penny was thin and dark and taller, possibly older than Primrose†¦Penny had a bloodless transparent paleness, a touch of blue in her fine lips. †(353). Even though Penny becomes a much more established person compared to Primrose later in life, how Penny is described isn’t nearly as positive as the description of Primrose.With the well detailed description of what Primrose was wearing, it would be expected that what Penny was wearing would be told. These details are never brought to light. This missing information proves that the narrator has a much stronger attachment to Primrose than Penny. The two girls are completely different in terms of personality traits, still they do have some things in common. They both lost their fathers. â€Å" Penny’s farther, †¦died in a sheet of flame in the East Indian Docks†¦Primrose’s farther†¦was killed, very late in the war, on a crowded troop carrier sunk in the Far East† (358).While both their fathers were killed, the ways in which they were killed are just another example of how different Penny and Primrose are. With one being killed by fire and one being killed by water, the natural forces could not be any more dissimilar. â€Å"The Thing† is also something that they both have in common. They both hear it. They both smell it. They both see it. â€Å"A sound and a smell fabricated of many disparate sounds and smells. A crunching, a crackling, a crushing, a heavy thumping† (356).The sounds hea rd by the little girls is the very essence of war. The sound of troops and machinery crushing everything in their way. These sounds are the very sounds that they were sent away from. â€Å"Its face†¦appeared like a rubbery or fleshy mask over a shapeless sprouting bulb of a head. Its expression was neither wrath nor greed but pure misery. †(357). This is the face of war. The rubbery gas masks worn by troops. For almost all, war is pure misery. Not just for the military’s fighting, but for everyone. The girls were sent away to preserve their innocence.Once they ran into the woods, they ran from their innocence and became aware of the war around them. After seeing â€Å"The Thing†, the girls become separated and live very different lives. Just as they started out as completely different people, they continue to live as completely different people. The war did impact them both in similar ways, â€Å"They both never married. † (358). Both Penny and Primr ose choose careers that were influence by the war, but both the careers fit their personalities. Even without the war, they would have probably both chosen careers along the same guidelines.The fact they neither of them married is something that the war probably changed. War has the power to give people something in common who would otherwise have nothing in common. â€Å"The Thing† is everything evil about the war from the understanding of two little girls. They didn’t know exactly what this evilness was, but they did know that it was evil. The story also completes a circle. Starting with a story and ending with the story starting again. How the war influence these girls continues to be passed on through Primrose, the story teller.

Free Essays on Altenative Development

‘Alternative’ development is concerned with civil society, not the state or market. Also known as ‘third system politics’, it is more concerned with the unseen victims, than the victors in other development drama. (Hettne) Unlike previous development theories, the unit of analysis is communities, people and their livelihoods, as opposed to the world economy. This new alternative theory comes with the realisation of global interdependence and acknowledges that the concerns of the global population are interlinked. The main idea is to redefine development along alternative, ethical and normative lines, to create a working development theory of mutual interest to all those in global system. The need for a new development theory was brought about by the serious concerns of the third world and the interest the first world has in seeing their situation improve. Modernisation theory was unchallenged for a time, but it wasn’t working. Old problems re-emerged with new ones. A shift in the debate revealed a new approach was needed. In the 1950s and 1960s, industrialisation and maximum economic growth were the development objectives. This had some success, for example in India, from 1950 to 1975, average wages increased by 50%. But the ‘trickle down’ theory, that economic growth would help the needy as well, wasn’t working. By the end of the 1960s, the proportion of the developing world’s population living in poverty has increased. New problems emerged to worsen the situation: an increase in population, deteriorating environments (linked to population increase) and the growing arms trade in the developing world. By the late 1960s and 1970s, there was a halt in economic growth in the US, an effect of the Vietnam War, bringing increases in instability and inflation. Suddenly the World Bank stopped loans to the third world. The crisis worsened again in the 1970s, when OPEC raised the price of oil, causing worldwide politica... Free Essays on Altenative Development Free Essays on Altenative Development ‘Alternative’ development is concerned with civil society, not the state or market. Also known as ‘third system politics’, it is more concerned with the unseen victims, than the victors in other development drama. (Hettne) Unlike previous development theories, the unit of analysis is communities, people and their livelihoods, as opposed to the world economy. This new alternative theory comes with the realisation of global interdependence and acknowledges that the concerns of the global population are interlinked. The main idea is to redefine development along alternative, ethical and normative lines, to create a working development theory of mutual interest to all those in global system. The need for a new development theory was brought about by the serious concerns of the third world and the interest the first world has in seeing their situation improve. Modernisation theory was unchallenged for a time, but it wasn’t working. Old problems re-emerged with new ones. A shift in the debate revealed a new approach was needed. In the 1950s and 1960s, industrialisation and maximum economic growth were the development objectives. This had some success, for example in India, from 1950 to 1975, average wages increased by 50%. But the ‘trickle down’ theory, that economic growth would help the needy as well, wasn’t working. By the end of the 1960s, the proportion of the developing world’s population living in poverty has increased. New problems emerged to worsen the situation: an increase in population, deteriorating environments (linked to population increase) and the growing arms trade in the developing world. By the late 1960s and 1970s, there was a halt in economic growth in the US, an effect of the Vietnam War, bringing increases in instability and inflation. Suddenly the World Bank stopped loans to the third world. The crisis worsened again in the 1970s, when OPEC raised the price of oil, causing worldwide politica...

Economics and the environment essays

Economics and the environment essays Before if someone would have used the words economics and the environment in the same sentence I would have looked at them with a dumbfounded expression on my face, however the basic principles of economics can be applied with great benefits of the environment. An example the speaker made was with African Elephant populations in two separate countries, one country outlawed the hunting of the elephant while the other country gave private ownership to the elephants and legalized trade on the elephants and the products that could be made from them. Since I had no knowledge of economic principles, I expected the country that outlawed the hunting to have the greater population, but in reality the country that gave personal ownership had nearly double the population of elephants after ten years. This was explained to us by the concepts of benefits, if you can make money off something, you are more likely to do it. The towns raised the elephants similar to how we raise cows. The next example that was given was the incorrect (for the environment) usage of this concept. There is a species of woodpecker that will only nest in a single type of maple tree, so the government passed a law that anyone with one of these trees with a nest in it could not build on the land in a hundred foot radius of the tree and would be fined greatly for doing so. This lead to the mass destruction of the poor birds habitat, as most of the nation cut down these trees to avoid these birds, which would lead to their extinction. The speaker (Russel Sobil) was very talented and appeared to be extremely competent on this subject matter, which I found out I knew nothing about. I found this lecture interesting, and it also raised my interest in this subject matter. ...

Resolving Conflict and Disagreements

Resolving Conflict and Disagreements Conflict tends to be a part of our lives and all too often, is inevitable. Emotions run high when dealing with differences over the best way to deal with differences.  Dealing with conflict and disagreement effectively is half the battle and can create positive outcomes. When conflict and disagreement are handled inappropriately, the outcome can be destructive and are rarely in the best interest of either party. At the same time, all of the parties are often under a lot of pressure.  There are more and more demands put on public education without enough resources, not only monetary but also human (not enough qualified personnel) and often those resources, but physical and the time of the professionals, are stretched thin.  At the same time, with the spread of information, often misinformation, parents sometimes pressure teachers and schools to try therapies or educational strategies that are not based on data and peer-reviewed research.   The Investments of Stakeholders Parents:   Often parents have powerfully conflicting emotions.  On one hand, they are extraordinarily protective while at the same time may feel shame or guilt over their childs disabilities.  Sometimes parents conceal these feelings, even from themselves, by coming on strong.  It is sometimes easy to become defensive, rather than hearing the love, concern and perhaps even guilt that the parents are communicating.  Teachers and Para-professionals:  Good teachers seek to do what is best for their students and take pride in their effectiveness as educators.  Sometimes we become thin-skinned if we think parents or administrators are questioning either our integrity or our commitment to the student.  Relax.  Its easier said than done, but we need to reflect rather than becoming overly reactive.  Administrators:  As well as being accountable to parents and students, administrators are also accountable to superiors who are charged with protecting the interests of the school districts, which may include keeping the costs of providing services down.  That is why they are often called the Local Education Authority (LEA) in our meetings.  Some administrators, unfortunately, dont understand that investing time and attention into their staff will produce better outcomes for everyone.   Strategies for Handling Conflicts and Disagreements Differences must be resolved - it is in the best interest of the child to do so. Remember, sometimes a disagreement occurs as a direct result of a misunderstanding. Always clarify the issues at hand. Parents and school staff members must work closely together to address the issues.Pro-active means of reducing conflict include sharing positive information about the student with parents in an ongoing manner.  It is essential for both parties to realize that the goals for the child are shared goals. Both must agree that the childs interest comes first.Avoid confrontation and deal specifically with solutions to the identified issues and be prepared to offer alternatives.Always deal with the issues rather than the emotions and the people involved. Acknowledging the emotions may be a positive way to diffuse them.  Decide on what you can compromise on, effective resolution usually requires some form of compromise on both parties behalf.Be sure that your expectations are realistic and reasonable.Specify both long term and short term goals and state when a follow-up visit should occur.All parties need to commit to the recommended solutions and agree jointly.All parties must rely on ea ch other, it is, therefore, essential to work out differences and work together regardless of how sensitive the issue is.

Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Construction - Essay Example Because of their malleability and relative ease of working, copper and lead became synonymous with the complexities of Gothic architecture. Endowed with the rich green patina of age, weathered copper spires and roofs still enliven the skylines of northern European cities. Improved techniques of pre-patination can now bestow an instant, uniform illusion of maturity; Jean Nouvel's new cultural centre in Lucerne (p38) is crowned by a vast, overhanging roof clad in sheets of prepatinated copper. Sheltering a new urban square in its oversailing embrace, the emerald green structure forms a powerful horizontal datum in the lakeside landscape Metals have useful properties such as tensile strength, ductility, hardness, electrical conductivity, and high melting points. They are widely used for electrical and structural applications. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of metals allows for improved technological advances. Since metals are so widely used in today's modern world, corrosion is all around us and affects our lives in many ways. Corrosion has many serious consequences to our society such as, economic, health, safety, technological, and cultural. Cast iron played a pre-eminent role in the industrial development of our country during the 19th century.. As an architectural metal, it made possible bold new advances in architectural designs and building technology, while providing a richness in ornamentation. cast iron in the form of slender, nonflammable pillars, was introduced in the 1790s in English cotton mills, where fires were endemic In 1849 Bogardus created something uniquely American when he erected the first structure with self-supporting, multi-storied exterior walls of iron. Known as the Edgar Laing Stores, this corner row of small four-story warehouses that looked like one building was constructed in lower Manhattan in only two months. Its rear, side, and interior bearing walls were of brick; the floor framing consisted of timber joists and girders. One of the cast-iron walls was load-bearing, supporting the wood floor joists. The innovation was its two street facades of self-supporting cast iron, consisting of multiples of only a few pieces--Doric-style engaged columns, panels, sills, and plates, along with some applied ornaments. Each component of the facades had been cast individually in a sand mold in a foundry, machined smooth, tested for fit, and finally trundled on horse-drawn drays to the building site. There they were hoisted into position, then bolted together and fastened to the conventional stru cture of timber and brick with iron spikes and straps. The second iron-front building erected was a quantum leap beyond the Laing Stores in size and complexity. Begun in April 1850 by Bogardus, with architect Robert Hatfield, the five-story Sun newspaper building in Baltimore was both cast-iron-fronted and cast-iron-framed. In Philadelphia, several iron-fronts were begun in 1850: The Inquirer Building, the Brock Stores, and the Penn Mutuai Building (all three have been demolished). The St. Charles Hotel of 1851 at 60 N. Third Street is the oldest iron-front in America. Framing with cast-iron columns and wrought-iron beams and trusses was visible on a vast scale in the New York Crystal Palace of 1853. Wrought iron can be distinguished from cast iron in several ways.

Interview project assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interview project assignment - Essay Example This paper reports an interview with marketing manager in a five star hotel exploring his career path, job duties and personal feelings about a career in the hospitality industry. Career Path of the Interviewee According to the sales personnel, getting to the position of marketing manager was not an easy ride. He has been working at the hotel for the last twenty-five years. From the information that he divulged, he was one of the few lucky who was recruited through graduate trainee program of the hotel. After working in different departments for two years, he was absorbed into the hotel because of his astounding performance as a management trainee. His main aspiration was to land in the position of a marketing manager one day. Having pursued a bachelor degree in hotel and hospitality management, he felt that he really needed to pursue a marketing degree, which would make him a more suited candidate for the job. As such, he enrolled as a part-time student for a degree program in marke ting. After completing his marketing course in three years, it took another two years before he was promoted to the rank of assistant marketing manager of the hotel. ... Job Duties From the interview it emerged that the main responsibility of a marketing manager is to maximize revenues for the hotel through development of strategic programs that would ensure maximum use of the hotel’s facilities. He or she must be informed of current factors that influence the performance of the hotel industry and also know the need of the customers as well as their attitudes. He is responsible for marketing coordination and promotional drives aimed at meeting or exceeding the expectations of customers. He must work in conjunction with other staffs of the hotel in order to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction at all times. Basically, the interviewee mentioned his main duties at the hotel as research, promotion, creation of awareness, maintaining good customer relationships and develop training program for marketing staff. According to the information obtained, as a marketing manager, one must research on factors that appeal to the customers of the hotel . It is crucial to monitor comments by customers on the hotel’s website or on the hotel’s booking sites so as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel. Research also involves direct interaction with clients and making follow-up calls so as to discover areas that need improvement. Developing promotion programs is an intrinsic responsibility of the marketing manager. There is usually the need to increase occupancy during low seasons. Promotion drive may include running special events and giving coupons. Ensuring easy accessibility of the hotel to customers is also another important duty of the marketing manager. The manager should ensure that current information about facilities; services and rates are available to customers on websites and brochures. The marketing

Voltaire's Candide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Voltaire's Candide - Essay Example The author’s own perception of God is presented in the work where Voltaire expresses his hatred for the churches abuse and lust for power. The work also presents the author’s atheist views. There are various aesthetic reasons why the novel is of great readership. The novel is an attempt to question the supposed inexorableness of vice, evil and anguish. Among them, one serious consideration is the dualism of optimism challenged all through the novel, by pessimism. This dualism of concepts is one of the significant reasons that make the novel aesthetically enjoyable. What Voltaire is interested in is a satire of philosophical optimism put forward by Leibniz. Voltaire is successful in countering the belief that God, in his immeasurable wisdom, created the best sufficient world. In challenging the concept of optimism, Voltaire works through the characters and their experience in life. Anti-heroism is the tool used to the best effect of mockery against the philosophy of the Enlightenment. The hero of the novel, Candide, wanders around the world with the Enlightenment ideas. Doctor Pangloss’s (a caricature of Leibniz) theory that â€Å"everything is for the best† (2) drives him forward. During his journey, Candide comes across various difficulties. But, he does not give up his search for Cunegonde, with optimism learned from his master. Voltaire challenges the logic of the optimistic theory of the world. The utter illogicality of the doctrine is clear in the words â€Å"if Columbus had not caught, on an American island, this sickness which attacks the source of generation†¦ we should have neither chocolate nor cochineal† (2). Candide is a novel that tells a pleasing story. At the same time, the novel is also a satire that mocks the t heory of optimism that believes in a better world for human existence. Voltaire presents his version of optimism through the idea of society. "When he [Voltaire] wishes to seriously justify a moral precept he does

Industry Analysis For Foods Market Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Industry Analysis For Foods Market - Term Paper Example For instance, Whole foods chains supermarket, which is a major player in the food business, is facing competition from companies such as wall mart, signature foods, and Kroger. The company has certification as a credible supply of organic foods in the market. Moreover, the organization has more years of experience in the food industry with a gross profit of 14.20% (Ferrell 2). The company focuses on providing quality products to its clients in the market. Indeed, the management takes pride in serving customers of the supermarket chain. Equally, the organization has a fair dividend policy. Shareholders trade in the company stocks reflects positively as indicated on the company’s balance sheet. This is providing whole foods supermarket an opportunity of exploring the global market. The company was ranked at number 24 among the best 100 employers in the globe. The momentum in sales of the company indicates the potentiality of growth in future (Shim & Joel 311). The company has invested much in expanding its operations to different places of the globe. The company should not be analyzed solely using stock recommendations. People should use information from the companies trading and loss accounts. The historical data of the company indicates that â€Å"whole foods supermarket† is experiencing growth in its sales. In the year 2011, it posted higher revenue compared to the previous financial year. The company has facilitated its expansion in the global market through mergers (King 116). There are cases in which whole foods market acquired other businesses as part of their operations. It is listed in the NASDAQ stock market as one of the promising company. The company’s profit margin for 2012 was at 3.84%. The food industry is expected to revolutionize trading in the stock exchange market. Currently, it has a positive cash flow margin of 3.34%. The recent expansion of the activities of whole foods signifies that several people depend on the company. Whole food is a part of the $32 billion food industry. However, whole foods market has struggled to meet the requirement trading policies initiated by the government. Moreover, the food industry business has experienced the effects of inflation on the economy (Warren & James 2).

McDonalds Marketing Strategy in the World Assignment

McDonalds Marketing Strategy in the World - Assignment Example It was established in 1955 in Illinois, USA. McDonalds has become one of the most successful restaurant chains and largest hamburger food chain in the world. After successful business in United States, it expanded its operation overseas by opening its first overseas outlet in Canada.† Currently, $6 billion McDonalds serves about 64 million international customers each day with more than 33000 franchises operating in 121 countries. After every three hours, a McDonalds franchise is opened somewhere in the world. The average expansion rate of Mc franchises is 2500 store per year (McDonalds 2011). General Globalization Perspective and Marketing Challenges Going global requires a firm to set certain strategies that earn it success around the world. The firm has to accommodate in its product or services the cultural, religious and social values of the region it operates in. Some firms or industries get more benefit from global markets than operating locally. Globalization provides to the firms the factor cost differences, by exploiting which they can become more profitable. It also encourages businesses to shift towards the low tariff charging countries where the cost of doing business is low and/or demand for certain products is high. And due to societal and cultural benefits, the companies have more chances to bring innovation into their products. The global expansion brings efficiency, flexibility and innovation in a firm’s production system (QuickMba 2010) The firms which go global develop certain strategies to efficiently capture the overseas markets and cope with potential problems they might face operating there. They also develop Marketing Strategies to position in minds of customers the positive, tempting and healthy image of their products. Marketing strategy of a firm intends to correct what the customers feel about the organization. It deals with positioning the unique features of the product in customers’ minds. When the product a com pany offers is not liked by or is against the local, cultural, religious or social values, the marketing of the product becomes a difficult task and most of the times the products are altered up to the desire of the local demand to be accepted easily. So a great care is taken while marketing in different countries. McDonalds Marketing Strategies McDonalds is one of the best known brands worldwide. McDonalds’ dynamic business strategies made it leading global foodservice retailer in international market. Due to sound global expansion strategies and effective management, McDonalds leads the fast food restaurant industry through out the world. McDonalds sales are three times ahead of its top competitors. What earned McDonalds such image is how it has created loyalty in its customers through its marketing strategies throughout the world. With the combination of sound fundamental practices and innovative marketing, McDonalds has created a unique value to customers (McDonald 2008) McDonalds operates in about 121 countries of the world. This expansion includes Europe, Japan, China, India, Russia and other substantial markets. The following discussion will contain the specific strategies McDonalds practiced in its substantial markets. McDonalds marketing strategies in UK UK has been a very significant market for McDonalds since its launch in 1974 there. McDonalds operates in UK with more than 1000 restaurants and has gained substantial fast food market share. McDonalds followed various policies to gain an edge in the market by shaping the brand as British as possible. Marketing the McDonalds, not just the products For McDonalds, primary marketing objective was not marketing the food. Rather it emphasized on

Assessments used to determine if a students has a learning disability Assignment

Assessments used to determine if a students has a learning disability - Assignment Example The IQ-accomplishment discrepancy model evaluates whether there is a noteworthy distinction between a childs scores on a test of general insight. In the event that an understudys score on the IQ test is no less than two standard deviations higher than his or her scores on an accomplishment test, the understudy is depicted as having a huge error in the middle of IQ and accomplishment and, accordingly, as having a learning incapacity. According to Ellison & Semrud-Clikeman (2009), these methods may not be as effective because the child may face other challenges such as language barrier or other forms of disability. Use data from a perception in routine classroom guideline and checking of the youngsters execution that was done before the kid was considered for an assessment, as in a reaction to intercession model. In the event that a kid is not as much as school age or out of school, a evaluator must watch the youngster in a situation fitting for an offspring of that age. Using RTI evaluates the general and overall performance and behavior of the student. Academic achievement in academics is factored in as well as examining the progress of the child in relation to pre set standards and benchmarks. The rate of the child’s learning as well as the level need to be considered. The child needs to be observed in a class setting. This provides direction on whether to consider the child when the child does not achieve sufficiently for their age or does not meet state-approved evaluation level standard in either or more of the following areas, when provided with appropriate direction and knowledge necessary for the childs age or state-approved evaluation level benchmarks: Oral expression, Listening understanding, Written expression, Basic perusing expertise, Reading familiarity abilities, Reading perception, Mathematics estimation and Mathematics critical thinking. The general behavior of the child must be

McDonalds Marketing Strategy in the World Assignment

McDonalds Marketing Strategy in the World - Assignment Example It was established in 1955 in Illinois, USA. McDonalds has become one of the most successful restaurant chains and largest hamburger food chain in the world. After successful business in United States, it expanded its operation overseas by opening its first overseas outlet in Canada.† Currently, $6 billion McDonalds serves about 64 million international customers each day with more than 33000 franchises operating in 121 countries. After every three hours, a McDonalds franchise is opened somewhere in the world. The average expansion rate of Mc franchises is 2500 store per year (McDonalds 2011). General Globalization Perspective and Marketing Challenges Going global requires a firm to set certain strategies that earn it success around the world. The firm has to accommodate in its product or services the cultural, religious and social values of the region it operates in. Some firms or industries get more benefit from global markets than operating locally. Globalization provides to the firms the factor cost differences, by exploiting which they can become more profitable. It also encourages businesses to shift towards the low tariff charging countries where the cost of doing business is low and/or demand for certain products is high. And due to societal and cultural benefits, the companies have more chances to bring innovation into their products. The global expansion brings efficiency, flexibility and innovation in a firm’s production system (QuickMba 2010) The firms which go global develop certain strategies to efficiently capture the overseas markets and cope with potential problems they might face operating there. They also develop Marketing Strategies to position in minds of customers the positive, tempting and healthy image of their products. Marketing strategy of a firm intends to correct what the customers feel about the organization. It deals with positioning the unique features of the product in customers’ minds. When the product a com pany offers is not liked by or is against the local, cultural, religious or social values, the marketing of the product becomes a difficult task and most of the times the products are altered up to the desire of the local demand to be accepted easily. So a great care is taken while marketing in different countries. McDonalds Marketing Strategies McDonalds is one of the best known brands worldwide. McDonalds’ dynamic business strategies made it leading global foodservice retailer in international market. Due to sound global expansion strategies and effective management, McDonalds leads the fast food restaurant industry through out the world. McDonalds sales are three times ahead of its top competitors. What earned McDonalds such image is how it has created loyalty in its customers through its marketing strategies throughout the world. With the combination of sound fundamental practices and innovative marketing, McDonalds has created a unique value to customers (McDonald 2008) McDonalds operates in about 121 countries of the world. This expansion includes Europe, Japan, China, India, Russia and other substantial markets. The following discussion will contain the specific strategies McDonalds practiced in its substantial markets. McDonalds marketing strategies in UK UK has been a very significant market for McDonalds since its launch in 1974 there. McDonalds operates in UK with more than 1000 restaurants and has gained substantial fast food market share. McDonalds followed various policies to gain an edge in the market by shaping the brand as British as possible. Marketing the McDonalds, not just the products For McDonalds, primary marketing objective was not marketing the food. Rather it emphasized on

Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy Speech or Presentation

Inaugural Address by John F. Kennedy - Speech or Presentation Example Written by Kennedy himself, along with his speechwriter Ted Sorenson, the speech is considered to be one of the best given by Kennedy as well as one of the best given by any United States President. The primary audience of the speech was, indeed, the United States public, however, the speech also addressed the citizens and governments of the world at large, touching on universal themes of peace and justice. The speech opens with a very effective hook, by talking about the victory of his party, Kennedy draws the audience in by proclaiming the event to be a beginning of change as well as the start of renewing the rich traditions of United States. The memorable speech opening clearly established the basis for the main body of the speech. The speech was focused – clearly and effectively touching on themes of a need for a new beginning in the face of the then present stale relations between the two Cold War opponents (the United States and the Soviet Union). Recalling images of the glorious past of the United States, and the ideals on which it was found, the speech employed metaphors, especially religious ones, as well as symbolism, and that too having religious undertones. Kennedy talked about the metaphorical torch that had been passed to his generation when he spoke of his presidency. It was, altogether, very easy to follow the speech as it flowed, and was organized, quite logically, with Kennedy ensuring that the conclusion of his speech was concise, memorable and a call to action. The now famous words â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country† (Kennedy) were part of his inaugural address. Kennedy relied on words alone to deliver his message. No visual aids were used in the speech, the only mental imagery was evoked in a bid to get the public excited and hopeful about the future in general, and the Kennedy administration in particular. Kennedy sounded a bit nervous, although his enthusiasm shows th rough in the choice of his words as well as his hopeful tone for the change he sought to bring about with regard to the United States itself and its relationship with the outside world. Kennedy accomplished this by maximizing the role of the audience in the change to come by using inclusive language as well as by addressing the audience directly (i.e. using you and we focused language). The audience cheered during the speech and clapped, however, other than that there was no audience interaction. The tone of the speech was somber and serious, there was no levity or humor worked into the speech. Moreover, Kennedy stayed on the podium during the whole speech and did not move around or use the stage to augment his words. Overall, Kennedy seemed very confident, although a little bit nervous. His posture showed his poise and assurance, though he did not use gestures to supplement or stress his words. Though Kennedy was reading the speech as he had not memorized it, yet he tried to keep a s much eye contact as possible with the audience. Since he did not have any distracting mannerisms, his lack of constant eye contact did not take away from the speech.  

The argument from religious experience for the existence of God Essay Example for Free

The argument from religious experience for the existence of God Essay Examine the argument from religious experience for the existence of God. To what extent does it support the probability of God? Richard Swinburne summarises religious experience for many by saying, experience of God or some other supernatural thing. Others would state that it is simply an experience of something beyond themselves. On the other hand, William Jamess focus is on the individual, taking the route of a psychologist to determine the validity of an experience. However it is defined, the topic of religious experience has been under scrutiny for centuries, with records of experiences dating back to before Christ; for example the burning bush in the Bible. However the evidence in place from those times appears to be on the same level as it is today. So are religious experiences real, and do they support the idea of God? The two main types of religious experience are special revelation and general revelation. Special being when people think/feel that God has made Himself known to them directly, perhaps through visions, dreams, prayer, miraculous healing, conversion or charismatic phenomena. General revelation is where people think/feel that God is revealing Himself indirectly to them. This is normally through the beauty of nature, although it could also be through things like religious writings and moreover in other people. This is basically seeing God through Gods creations, such as you can see the wonder of an artist through his fine artwork. Reports of religious experiences have tended to exhibit similar characteristics. For example many who have undergone near death experiences claim to have seen their lives flashing before their eyes before seeing a bright white light. In fact these scenes are so common; they have become the stereotype for film depictions of near death experiences. Many would argue that if so many people have experienced comparable sightings, then is there some truth to be found in this? Psychologists may argue that since one or two have announced this, others may have simply conjured a similar image from their brain as they believe that that is what the experience should appear as. There are four classifications of religious experience, which were formulated by William James in 1902. The first of these is Ineffability; which is a state of experience that is difficult to describe as it is unlike any other. The second being Noetic Quality; which is said to be where the experience reveals insights that are beyond the scope of normal human reason. The third classification is Transciency. This is said to not last very long, and are vaguely remembered. The final classification is Passivity, which is described as the person having a profound sense of being taken over. Also, whilst undergoing the experience they are said to lose control to a more powerful being, namely God. This experience can also be described as being beyond human control. When he formulated these classifications, James was trying to create a classic description of religious experience, and identified the four key features that they tended to have. However, there are faults with each classification. The fault with ineffability is that if an experience is ineffable, then it is hard to examine because you wouldnt know what you were examining. The problem with the second classification is if it is Noetic then any truth gained from the experience cannot be subjected to reason, as you cant verify it (apart from by other people who have had one). Thirdly, if an experience is transcient then it cannot be tested. With the forth classification, James has jumped to an assumption, because even if passivity may indicate the presence of another being it does not have to be God. As just explained religious experiences tend to be out of the ordinary as people describe being in the presence of an awesome power. Religious experiences more often have positive feedback, encouraging people to better themselves as theyve had an awakening past the realms of our material world. Being a very individual and personal experience which seems to be somewhat unique for everyone, it is difficult for the individual to explain the experience. This leads to difficulties in checking the validity of the experience. With these ideas in mind we can now discuss the argument that religious experiences can be used as evidence for the existence of God. This topic has been debated for centuries, gathering attention from many philosophers whose views I will be using to support both sides of this argument. Supporters of this argument include Brian Davies and Richard Swinburne. Davies approaches this argument very open mindedly, with the view that the claim might be correct, so it is at least possible. Swinburnes approach is very much more one sided, should accept unless one has some reason to question. Like the majority of ethical theories, there are more objectors than supporters. Some of these being C.R. Davies and, from a different perspective, Feuerbach, Freud and Marx. C.R. Davies says that people who claim to have had a religious experience may be unreliable, and on the basis that they may be either lying or were hallucinating due to drugs or alcohol. Freud believes that supposed religious experiences are just wishful thinking brought about by personal beliefs, normally as a way to deal with fears or desires. Feuerbach and Marx also take a psychological approach. My personal opinion, tends to side with Feuerbach when he says, It fails to make a distinction between feeling that I am right and actually being right. There is most probably a psychological explanation for what the person has experienced, and as there is no conclusive evidence that the experience did in fact happen, one should not make blind leaps into falsities. The argument from religious experience has been criticised on many grounds, such as that the proof it is based on (religious experiences) is not actually valid evidence. One of the top issues is that there so many different religious around the world, each of which claims to have religious experiences of their particular deity. The fact that the being revealed is almost always the God of the believed faith seems to be stigmata. However, a response to this is that yes, even if the God that is revealing itself to them is claimed to be a different one through the different religions, it doesnt make the experience less real to the person. Examples of this are Buddhas enlightenment, Saul on the road to Damascus and Guru Nanalis experience of God. Another criticism that people have is that religious experiences are too vague; they are experiences from which inferences are made and assumptions that it was God. In turn, this raises questions about the source of the experience. The response to this is simply then what kind of experiences can we trust? This links us back to transciency, experiences do not last long and are imperfectly remembered, which is a problem when it comes to validating experiences; leading us to believe that we cannot trust any experiences, as we have no way of testing them empirically. Furthermore, psychologists have raised questions by examining the mental explanations to experiencing revelations, etc. The human mind is so powerful that it is possible that one could simply conjure a vision or revelation, and with the knowledge about the human mind increasing all the time, this view is becoming more popular with scientists. Freud shares this view as he feels that religious experiences are illusions associated with repressed sexual memories and interest in religion is a psychological obsession. Whereas Feuerbach feels that people invent religion as a crutch as they are dissatisfied with their actual lives. He also influenced Marx, who had the view that religion is used by the capitalist class to control people and maintain the status quo. He also believes that religious experiences are a persons conscious or unconscious choice that reflects the persons needs or desires. After studying both the strengths and weaknesses of this argument, I have come to the conclusion that religious experiences fail to convince me. As previously stated, they are unable to produce empirical evidence, some are vague, even in classification, and they are unreliable to be tested as they oppose all the rules of nature. The fact that there are more weaknesses than strengths means we cannot reliably validate religious experiences, and therefore they cannot be given as solid valid evidence for the existence of God. Bibliography: * Dialogue Articles * Class Notes * http://www.religion-online.org * http://www.reference.com * http://www.radicalacademy.com

Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling | Analysis

Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling | Analysis In J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the protagonist, Harry, is todays modern hero. It is noticeably apparent that Harry is a hero, using the guideline, the Heros Journey developed by Joseph Campbell in his novel, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In Campbells book, he breaks down multiple heros tales, from mythological and modern times (from Odysseus to Luke Skywalker), into certain steps that each hero takes throughout their journey. I will be following Harrys tale, in relation to Odysseus tale as told by Edith Hamilton in her text, Mythology, to show Harry as a hero, just as Campbell proved Odysseus. The story of Harry Potter is the common story of good vs. evil, with the good and evil in the story being blatantly obvious. Voldemort, Harrys adversary, intends to kill Harry because, as their prophecy, another element of mythology, foretold, neither can live while the other survives. However, when good meets evil (Harry meets Voldemort) in the novel, good prevails bo th times; which is a very clichà © concept. The need to find acceptance and a place where he belongs is a driving force for Harry. He has come to the realization that he is different, and that theres a possibility that there are people like him somewhere else in the world. However, he doesnt know just yet that he really doesnt belong in the muggle world; let alone that there are even other worlds beyond his own. The world of magic, a world that is filled with mythological archetypes, creatures, and the oddest of people will finally be the place that Harry feels at home (because at once, it was his home). This essay will asses the claim that the Harry Potter novels, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in particular, have archetypes that are common to Greek Mythology, exclusively Odysseus tale, along with the use of other literary devices to prove that modern literature surely has not become obsolete over the years. It will do so firstly by following the use of the Heros Journey in both novels, and secondly by making a comparat ive analysis, based on these observations, in order to be able to give an answer to the research question. III. Harry Potter as a common mythological hero, in relation to Odysseus The fictional character, Harry Potter, from J. K. Rowlings novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, follows one of the common archetypes found in Mythology, The Heros Journey. This archetype was discovered and sorted out by Joseph Campbell in his novel, The Hero With A Thousand Faces. The Journey consists of three major parts and seventeen sub-sections within the three major ones. The three major ones are, The Departure, The Initiation, and The Return.  [1]   In Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Harrys journey starts with the major point, The Departure with his call to adventure; when he gets his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Wizardry. He then refuses this call when he tells Hagrid, I think you must have made a mistake. I dont think I can be a wizard.  [2]  He receives supernatural aid from Hagrid, who is really just an extension of Dumbledore, the predetermined caretaker of Harry Potter when Harrys parents died. The death of Harrys parents actually becomes a symbol and extended metaphor. His mothers love becomes a form of protection for him, because she sacrificed herself for Harry, out of love; the same love that continues to protect Harry throughout the novel. Harry crosses the first threshold when he enters Diagon Alley for the first time.  [3]  Diagon Alley is considered the root of the wizardry world, this is where every wizard keeps their money, buys the necessities for wizarding, and where everything that is associated with wizards is found. The Belly of the Whale stage is often seen as the initiation into the new world.  [4]  Harrys initiation is when he first enters Hogwarts and is sorted into Gryffindor, one of the four houses at Hogwarts.  [5]  In Harrys overall Journey, Harry learns the entire prophecy. This new knowledge transforms Harrys identity so that he now sees himself as a marked man; he feels separate and apart from the rest of Hogwarts (or the rest of the world, for that matter), and most importantly, it makes him fully committed to the goal of defeating Voldemort. This is the most important step because it shows that the character is willing to undergo a metamorphosis, to die for the greater cause, so its expected that Harrys character will evolve in a significant, positive way because of this step. The next major point, Initiation, starts with Harrys road of trials. However, Harrys trials arent in order with the steps of the heros journey, theyre closer to the end of the novel. Harrys trials are the enchantments that are guarding the Philosophers Stone. These consist of, Fluffy, the three-headed dog  [6]  (another mythological archetype that will be discussed later in this essay), the Devils Snare, deathly vines that constrict like boa constrictors around its captors  [7]  , which is symbolic for the hardships that Harry has been and will be going through in the future. Others include enchanted keys intended to kill anything that attempts to disrupt their purpose of guarding a door, and finally a life-size Wizards Chess board in which Harry and his two friends were to become actual players in.  [8]   There are three transformative events that are the possible culmination of the heros journey. These are Meeting with the Goddess, Atonement with the Father and Apotheosis. For Harry, who is raised in the absence of love, love is his life goal. The Goddess guides Harry and provides him the means for success in his trials. In a sense, all women comprise the Goddess they inherently represent Life and Death simultaneously. Some may clearly take on the shadow side of the Goddess as represented in the Temptress model, while others may have both elements of light and shadow. Several women portrayed in this novel have specific attributes of the Goddess. These characterizations may focus on the romantic aspect, but there is also the motherly and sisterly perspective of this motif that needs to be considered. While all women are goddesses; the hero has but one Goddess to be found. She is his reflection, his complement, apparent opposite yet unified with his soul. As mother, Lily Potter sacrificed her life to Voldemort for love of Harry.  [9]  He owes his existence to Lily not only for birth, but also for her ongoing protection from Voldemort. Harry was cursed with a scar the day his parents died and his life was spared, from the protection of his mothers love. The scar burns every time Voldemort is nearby because of the connection the scar has to its creator. The scar could also be burning as a warning from his mother because her love is Harrys protection. As a sister, in spirit, Hermione poses as the goddess in each adventure or trial. Hermione is the knowledgeable one out of Harry and his two friends, Hermione and Ron. Hermione guides Harry with her knowledge; for example, she was the only of the three that knew how to ward off the constricting vines of Devils Snare.  [10]   Harry Potter is a boy with many fathers the biological father of course is James Potter; the father of memory is Vernon Dursley; the protector is Albus Dumbledore; and the demon who created Harrys destiny is Lord Voldemort. There many are other men cast in the father archetype within the series, as well. James is perceived as being exceptional at everything, much like his son, Harry. He gave his life fighting Voldemort and in protecting his wife and son under attack. James is Harrys ideal the perfect and unattainable father. Albus Dumbledore is Harrys protector, the keeper of the prophecy, the wielder of old magic based in love, the enchanter of the Dursley home, the keeper of the Order, and the master of Harrys education. Dumbledore is the archetype of the Wise Old Man who seems to know what Harry is thinking even before Harry can formulate his thoughts. Dumbledore appears to have command of both space and time. He also demonstrates superior insight and a higher state of conscious ness. Dumbledore has a transcendent authority that is obeyed by both good and dark wizards, the latter complying despite individual will and verbal commentary. Dumbledore unveils Harrys powers gradually, emphasizing repeatedly that his greatest power is love. To apotheosize is to deify. When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return. Harry has been known by the magical world to be the savior of the world since he was an infant. That belief diminished greatly after he was viewed to be a very real adolescent instead of the mere stuff of legends. Harry, however, knows nothing of the enlightened state in fact, Harry believes that actions of others were the basis for his survival rather than any power that he possessed. There are several possible events where Harry Potter can achieve recognition of his true ability. The first may be identification as Dumbledores peer in wizardry where Harry becomes the greates t of all wizards. There is a substantial power that Harry must still discover for this to take place perhaps in how to wield that greatest power found in the Department of Mysteries love. Another possibility is an encounter with Voldemort to overcome, or at least balance, his dark nature. Voldemort has spent lifetimes contriving means to cheat death, yet never comprehending the value or meaning of life. Conversely, Dumbledore is the reigning Bodhisattva who has conquered death (in terms of being the greatest wizard), but chooses to stay in the world until it is saved. This burden appears to be taking its toll on him even as his protà ©gà © Harry nears maturity. The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step; since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail. The ultimate boon found in Harry Potter, is when Harry enters the room with the Mirror of Erised, a mirror that shows the viewer what they desire more than life itself. Once in this room, Harry is confronted with one of his professors, Professor Quirrell. However, as the events in the room progress, we discover that Lord Voldemort is using Professor Quirrell as a source for life. Therefore, in a sense, Voldemort is a leech. The reason Harry entered the room in the first place was to retrieve the philosophers stone, a stone that provides the holder eternal life. Harry perceived that Professor Snape was the one after the stone, and was surprised to see Quirr ell there. Harry quarreled with Voldemort/Quirrell for possession of the stone and reigned victorious.  [11]  The triumph over Voldemort is what makes the connection between Harry and his biological father, James. Just as his father did, he succeeds with whatever he sets his mind to. Which is a very clichà © concept, but a valid concept often found in works of literature that follow the heros journey. The final step in the Heros Journey is The Return. The first subsection of this step is the Heros refusal to return. This is seen when Harry realizes that he will have to return to the Muggle World, the world hes always despised; even more now that hes finally found the world (home) where he belongs. The yearn to stay in the Wizardry World is what allows his hatred for the Muggle World to grow, which causes problems for him in the following novels. The refusal is followed by the Magical Flight, in which the hero has to get away with whatever object he has retrieved. In Harry Potter, he doesnt actually get away with his object. Instead, he receives an ancient cloak of invisibility that belonged to his father; which symbolizes his powerful object. The succeeding section of the Return is the Rescue from Without. This is characterized in the novel after Harry has defeated Voldemort, and is in the infirmary; when he awakes Dumbledore is standing in front of him. Dumbledore symbolizes the guide or rescuer for Harry in the situation because Harry was badly injured and was, in a sense, brought back to life by Dumbledore. Next is the Crossing of the Return Threshold. In the novel, this is shown when Harry is boarding the Platform 9 ¾ train; Hagrid tells Harry to remember that his family, the Dursleys know that he is a wizard, and that he can use that to his advantage. This leads the reader to believe that Hagrid is alluding to Harry using his wizarding skills as a threat to make his life at Privet Drive more favorable. Harry becomes the Master of the Two Worlds when he is able to see the balance of the two worlds; how he will return to Hogwarts once summer is over and that he can use his magic in his favor against the Dursleys. Harrys Freedom to Live is derived from him surviving two separate confrontations with Voldemort; leading him to lose his fear of death, which in turn, allows him to live life with freedom. Even though he yearns to be back at Hogwarts and away from the Muggle World, hes found the balance that allows him to live freely there. Word Count: 2477

Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Health Medicine Medical Essays

Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Abstract Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy(OPCA), is characterized by neuronal degeneration of the cerebellar cortex, the inferior olive, and the pons. The symptoms associated with it are primarily cerebellar ataxia with disturbances in equilibrium and gait. However, broader symptomology is usually seen with OPCA. Current research is focusing on three primary systems thought to be responsible for the etiology of OPCA. They are excitatory amino acid disturbances, oligodendroglial microtubular tangles, and phospholipid metabolism disorders. The only treatment for OPCA is therapy focusing on improving the dysphagia associated with the disorder. Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy (OPCA) is a disease characterized primarily by the degeneration of neurons in the cerebellar cortex, pons, and inferior olive. It is a genetic disease, being either autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive in nature. This disorder, which usually occurs in the middle years of life, presents symptoms of cerebellar ataxia, equilibrium disturbance, nystagmus, dysphasia, dysarthria, and possibly intellectual deficits. According to Merritt, the pathology of OPCA includes loss of Purkinje cells, reduction of the number of neurons in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellum, degeneration of the folia and white matter of the cerebellum, atrophy of the inferior olives and of the olivo-cerebellar connections, and atrophy of the pontine nuclei, arcuate nuclei, and brachium pontis (15). In addition to this, degeneration of the spinocerebellar tracts, corticospinal tracts, and frontal and temporal lobes has been reported (15). Biopsies on living OPCA patients have suggested that there are n... ...cerebellar atrophy. Annals of Neurology, 26:362-367, 1989. 12. Kish, S., Robitaille, Y., El-Awar, M. et. al. Brain amino acid reductions in one family with chromosome 6p-linked dominantly inherited olivopontocerebellar atrophy. Annals of Neurology, 30:780-784, 1991. 13.Landis, D., Rosenburg, R., Landis, S. et. al. Olivopontocerebellar degeneration. Archives of Neurology, 31:295--307, 1974. 14. Makowiec, R., Albin, R., Cha, J-H. et. al. Two types of quisqualate receptors are decreased in human olivopontocerebellar atrophy cerebellar cortex. Brain Research, 523:309-312, 1990. 15. Merritt, Houston. A Textbook of Neurology. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. 1967 16. Nakazato, Y., Yamazaki, H., Hirato, J. et. al. Oligodendroglial microtubular tangles in olivopontocerebellar atrophy. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 49:521-530, 1990. Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Health Medicine Medical Essays Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Abstract Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy(OPCA), is characterized by neuronal degeneration of the cerebellar cortex, the inferior olive, and the pons. The symptoms associated with it are primarily cerebellar ataxia with disturbances in equilibrium and gait. However, broader symptomology is usually seen with OPCA. Current research is focusing on three primary systems thought to be responsible for the etiology of OPCA. They are excitatory amino acid disturbances, oligodendroglial microtubular tangles, and phospholipid metabolism disorders. The only treatment for OPCA is therapy focusing on improving the dysphagia associated with the disorder. Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy (OPCA) is a disease characterized primarily by the degeneration of neurons in the cerebellar cortex, pons, and inferior olive. It is a genetic disease, being either autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive in nature. This disorder, which usually occurs in the middle years of life, presents symptoms of cerebellar ataxia, equilibrium disturbance, nystagmus, dysphasia, dysarthria, and possibly intellectual deficits. According to Merritt, the pathology of OPCA includes loss of Purkinje cells, reduction of the number of neurons in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellum, degeneration of the folia and white matter of the cerebellum, atrophy of the inferior olives and of the olivo-cerebellar connections, and atrophy of the pontine nuclei, arcuate nuclei, and brachium pontis (15). In addition to this, degeneration of the spinocerebellar tracts, corticospinal tracts, and frontal and temporal lobes has been reported (15). Biopsies on living OPCA patients have suggested that there are n... ...cerebellar atrophy. Annals of Neurology, 26:362-367, 1989. 12. Kish, S., Robitaille, Y., El-Awar, M. et. al. Brain amino acid reductions in one family with chromosome 6p-linked dominantly inherited olivopontocerebellar atrophy. Annals of Neurology, 30:780-784, 1991. 13.Landis, D., Rosenburg, R., Landis, S. et. al. Olivopontocerebellar degeneration. Archives of Neurology, 31:295--307, 1974. 14. Makowiec, R., Albin, R., Cha, J-H. et. al. Two types of quisqualate receptors are decreased in human olivopontocerebellar atrophy cerebellar cortex. Brain Research, 523:309-312, 1990. 15. Merritt, Houston. A Textbook of Neurology. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia. 1967 16. Nakazato, Y., Yamazaki, H., Hirato, J. et. al. Oligodendroglial microtubular tangles in olivopontocerebellar atrophy. Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, 49:521-530, 1990.