The Giver, Equilibrium and Modern Day Society - 1178 Words

In our modern world, many would classify this current generation as disappointing and sometimes even, pathetic. We often categorize ourself as greed, trying to take more than we need. Many believe that our society is corrupted and can not be fixed although some sit back and just watch, much like, in both the book and the film. In The Giver, the elders gave an appearance of a perfect society with no violence, no problems and no pain but hid valuable information to many. They simply dismissed all of their wrong-doings for the better of their perfect world which in many cases is exactly like real life. In our modern day, we are not exactly openly given information about the world unless it is discovered by someone else. We are given†¦show more content†¦In the book, you are encouraged to feel but to not keep it bottled up, having a major rule as to not lie. You are told to share what you feel and simply dismiss right after which is definitely something that we are taught in the real world. But there are many things that you can do when experiencing emotion that can be considered wrong, especially expressing that emotion in an odd or wrong way. For example, over exaggerating negative emotions publicly would be considered uncultured and disrespectful in some aspects, which definitely happened in the film. In Equilibrium, you could not be caught having emotions or that would lead to strict disciplinary actions which very similar to real life where you can not really show how you feel in the way you want because if you were to do so in a â€Å"wrong† way , you would be judged in an instant. There are many things that are considered wrong in this world although it really depends on how the person was raised. People are heavily influenced by the people around them on what could be considered acceptable. At a young age, people are usually taught of manners although depending on who raised them, they will have a different sense of ethics. As people age, we learn that there are certain laws that require qualification by either age or ability lie driving or buyingShow MoreRelatedAn Indigenous understanding of Reciprocity3568 Words   |  15 Pagesï » ¿Reciprocity is an underlying principle expressed throughout Aboriginal societies. Outline and illustrate the importance of this fundamental concept in the economic, social, spiritual and political spheres of Aboriginal life (refer to reciprocity in the index to Edwards 2005). The word ‘reciprocity’1 conjures up a feel good image of ‘caring and sharing’ (Schwab 1995: 8). However according to Peterson (1993: 861) there is a darker more sinister side to this word when applied to Indigenous AustraliansRead MoreA Theoretical Perspective on Dowry Deaths in India22724 Words   |  91 PagesjectRESEARCH METHODLOGY Area: Rights of women in India Topic: A Theoretical Perspective on Dowry Deaths in India Objectives: a) To understand the concept of dowry as has originated and evolved in India. b) To conceptualize modern day consequences of dowry system. c) To refer to various laws in India and find out reasons for ineffectuality. d) To analyze the trend lay down in this regard by way of various judicial decisions. e) To critically analyze the reasons forRead MoreTheories of Organizational Behavior10512 Words   |  43 Pagesthe systematic study and careful application of knowledge about how people act within organizations. It encompasses the study of organizations from multiple viewpoints, methods, and levels of analysis. 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Various literature and theoretical models on the subject matter were reviewed andRead MoreMGT1FOM Key Management Theorists26579 Words   |  107 Pagesalgebra that formed the principle for modern computer operations. Babbage borrowed Jacquard’s concept, but demonstrated foresight in his use of punch cards for the storage of information as well as the guidance of machine operations. Half a century later, Herman Hollerith invented the earliest practical punched-card tabulating machine, probably building on the ideas of Jacquard and Babbage. In concept, Babbage’s computer had all the basic elements of a more modern version. It had a store (or memoryRead MoreImpact of Foreign Aid on Poverty and Economic Development in Nigeria16050 Words   |  65 Pageslack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. It is not being able to go to school, not knowing how to read, and not being able to speak properly. 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InRead MoreMarriage Guidance: Summary Notes19959 Words   |  80 Pageschoose the person above all others at all times. → A partner should allow the person to continue to take part in all the activities that he/she was involved in before the relationship began. Introjected expectations bought from family of origin, society and media are unrealistic myths. Expectations about roles and responsibilities → Traditionally- culture defined, prescribed and allocated non-negotiable rules and duties, often according to gender. → Today – more egalitarian relationships existRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesin Africa and rejects the European values that have oppressed a society. But prior to the advent of popular culture and especially the music recording business in the late twentieth century, its apparatus of cultural formation was controlled fully by the elite who, to a large extent, ran the educational apparatus and the economic system. But much of the country was beginning to question in earnest the structure of colonial society by the early 1930s. The emergence of Rasta during that period correspondsRead Morepreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 Pagesexercise and healthy routines and nutritional choices set the stage for lifelong healthy habits. The recent NAEYC report underscores the need for children to play outside, use their large muscles, and engage in vigorous physical activities every day. Of course, the visual and performing arts fuel both preschool children’s imaginative play and creativity and also promote learning in all domains, including physical skill development, cognitive development, and social-emotional development.

Stereotyping Is Found Everywhere Essay - 950 Words

Stereotyping is found everywhere. People stereotype without knowing it; it is something we use to help us understand a group. The problem with stereotyping is that it’s a self-opinion about a group, not an individual. Stereotyping can happen to anyone, for me it was in high school. Being judged based on my skin color and the clothes I wore took a toll on my emotions. Discrimination is an umbrella term, other things like homophobia, prejudice, stereotyping, and bias, all fall under this umbrella. Due to the events that took place in my childhood, I am a strong advocate of racial equality. There is an illusion that stereotyping is okay. People believe this act is nothing short of normal. â€Å"Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group are like. If you assume you know what a person is like, and don t look at each person as an individual, you are likely to make errors in your estimates of a person s character.† – (Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado). This statement is true. Being placed in categories which didn’t fit me brought confusion, frustration and anger. Moving to a new school is always hard. I was leaving a Hispanic school for a White school. The differences between the two schools were immeasurable. The teachers at the Hispanic school didn’t stereotype students at all. The white school, however, was quick toShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Stereotyping In Schools1122 Words   |  5 Pages Stereotyping in High Schools Stereotyping is alive and well in today’s society. â€Å"Stereotyping is a form of prejudice that forms damaging images of an individual, by classifying him or her according to a particular characteristic that is found among the group of people that the individual is associated with†(Malika). Everyone gets stereotyped no matter their gender, color, religion, political view, or how you act. Stereotyping is labeling someone because of who they are or what they do. StereotypingRead MorePros And Cons Of Stereotyping927 Words   |  4 PagesStereotyping is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Stereotyping can make people very self conscious, hurt, and sometimes people even commit suicide over the stereotypes people use on them. Stereotyping does have its advantages such as helping people to respond quickly to situations that people have been in before but there are also disadvantages, like making people ignore di fferences between individuals and then we think things aboutRead MoreStereotyping Results in Negative Behavior: An Opinion Essay1375 Words   |  5 PagesUnfortunately, stereotyping occurs far more commonly than people realize. Not all stereotypes are inherently negative; those that are descended from prejudice usually are. However, even positive stereotypes can have a potentially negative effect because they allow people to make assumptions about others instead of taking the time to find out information about others for themselves. In this regard stereotyping is very much a matter of perception, and usually results in erroneous opinions and beliefsRead More The Trouble with Stereotyping Essay840 Words   |  4 PagesThe Trouble with Stereotyping   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world has hit a brick wall in human development. People have created a giant system that categorizes people and groups into classes. These classes are then broken down into subdivisions for people’s placement in the world, and everyone’s eyes. Stereotyping has become so prevalent in every persons thoughts that we now base everything we do on it. We base business, home, and social life on a stereotypical view that doesn’t need to be present in life. Read MoreEssay about The Rotten Apple1131 Words   |  5 Pagesstop complaining! Youre in a good stereotype! is the general response I get when I talk about this with my friends or people in general. That’s about when we would get into a whole great debate about stereotyping. Its amazing how many people underestimate the negative effects of stereotyping. When you relate someone to a stereotype, you are basically taking away their individuality. For example, it is due to stereotypes that there’s a prevalent feeling of black people being athletic and notRead MoreThe Cause and Effects of Sterotyping Essay1293 Words   |  6 PagesStereotyping, which can be used positively and negatively, is something everyone uses every day; it is found in our humor, how people describe one another, and beliefs. People stereotype without knowing it; it is a way we use to help us understand a group. The problem with stereotyping is that it’s a self –opinion about a group, not an individual. Everyone has their own unique and distinct personalities, just as everyone has their own fingerprints so it is unfair to be judged quickly by people whoRead MoreStereotypes - A Hasty Generalization Essay example961 Words   |  4 PagesStereotypes are everywhere and can be about anyone. Generalized remarks about gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity or age are common forms of stereotyping. Any time someone makes hasty groupings whether by race, gender or an individual and makes a blanket judgment about them is stereotyping. Military members are no different than society. One of the militarys greatest assets is its diverse workforce but with diversity comes stereotypes. 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Marketing Strategy of Ethiad Airways free essay sample

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has in just eight years established itself as the world’s leading airline. Set up by Royal Decree in July 2003, Etihad commenced commercial operations in November 2003 and became the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation (Etihad, 2012). Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is the airline’s hub. The airline seeks to reflect the best of Arabian hospitality – cultured, considerate, warm and generous – as well as enhance the prestige of Abu Dhabi as a centre of hospitality between East and West. However, nowadays it is very hard to maintain the business in such a competitive market in times of recovery from the recent recession. Therefore, it is crucial to understand that just providing a service is not enough. Firstly, this report overviews the external environment in which Etihad has to survive and compete, evaluating its main challenges and opportunities. Secondly, Etihad’s main marketing strategies will be identified and critically discussed. Thirdly, the extent to which adopted marketing strategies help to achieve and sustain the competitive advantage will be analysed. Finally, the conclusion will be drawn based on achieved knowledge and personal assumptions. 2. 0 External Environment Analysis For better understanding of the marketing strategy that Etihad uses, it is crucial to analyse the external environment in which the company operates. 2. 1 Porter’s Five Forces Analysis In order to examine the positioning strategy and forces of the external environment that may potentially affect the Etihad’s performance, it has been decided to adopt the classical Porter’s Five Forces model. By using this model, it is possible to judge the extent to which an external environment is able to shape the costs, the prices and the profits of the organisation (Porter, 1980). * Competitive rivalry in the industry high In terms of competitors, Etihad Airlines’ main competitors are the companies operating in Middle East, which are Emirates Airlines, Quatar Airways and Gulf Air. These airlines operate in a higher price and quality spectrum than, for example, Air Arabia and are being direct competitors for each other (McKechnie et al. , 2008). Rivalry between these companies is very intensive, as there are a small number of competitors on the market. * Bargaining power of customers low In order to have a significant amount of power in the industry, there should be a few customers who can dictate their rules to the organisations, as for example in some B2B cases. However, there are millions of customers, who are willing to fly to and from Middle East, where Etihad operates, therefore, customers have a very limited power. * Bargaining power of suppliers high For the airlines organisations the main suppliers are the aircraft manufacturers and the oil companies. In both cases there are a very few of them. Therefore, airline industry companies have a very limited power over their suppliers. Additionally, as it has been announced by the International Air Transport Association (2008), the global airline industry possesses losses due to the increased oil prices which also decrease the industry’s profitability. * Threat of new entrants low The threat of new entrants depends on the number and complexity of the barriers to entry. The barrier of the starting capital or investment is extremely high in the airline industry. Also, there are a lot of legal or patents issues with opening and maintaining of the airline organisation, which also is a barrier to entry. The brand loyalty is another very important barrier to entry. When choosing the airlines, customers, especially â€Å"the high profile† ones, are being very careful about health and safety, comfort and other details, therefore tend to choose companies with the brand they trust. Overall, the threat of new entrants is low, because there is a number of very hard to overcome barriers to entry, and if the small company appears on the market, it tends to be absorbed by one of the major players in the industry. Threat of substitutes – low Airlines industry – being an important sector of travel and tourism industry will have such potential substitutes as the sea, railway and road types of transportation. However, as Etihad is operating in an upper-class prices level, the threat of substitutes would be fairly low. In terms of potenti al business travellers, the time would be more important than money for them. In terms of leisure tourists, the prices may matter, however, cruise ships’ tickets tend to be more expensive than the planes’ ones. The main component of the firm’s marketing strategy and the rationale for this strategy in light of the environmental conditions in which it operates; 3. 1 Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning In marketing, segmentation, targeting and positioning are inseparable as they all related to each other. Segmentation is dividing the market into different groups with similar needs. Targeting is determining which offerings to make to each market segment and then the final step is to position the brand within the target market (Hooley and Saunders, 1993). Traditionally, airlines segment their customers in order to align their product strategy according to the different segments (Teichert et al, 2008). 3. 1. 1 Segmentation Market Segmentation was defined by Baines et al (2008, p. 217) as the division of a market into different groups of customers with distinctly similar needs. Alternatively, Kotler et al (2005, p. 391) add that these groups of customers have different needs, characteristics and behaviours and they require different marketing or product mixes. Customers can be segmented according to geographic, demographic, psychographic and behaviour variables. Etihad segment their customers according to three different boarding classes, which are: Diamond First Class, Pearl Business Class and Coral Economy. Each class is aimed at a different customer segment. Diamond First Class is aimed at wealthy individuals and business people who are willing to maintain their luxurious lifestyle in the air. Pearl Business is targeted at business and leisure travellers who are willing to pay more to enjoy a better flying experience. Coral Economy is aimed at customers who are on a budget but willing to enjoy a comfortable flying experience with the highest level of service. It is worth noting that Etihad is a five star airline and provides the highest level of service. According to Milne (2009) Etihad segment their customers according to business, religious, personal and tourist purposes. The rationale behind Etihad’s segmentation is to appeal to all types of customers with different income levels. Based on the prices that Etihad charge, it is clear to see that they aim for the middle and upper class social sector customers who command high standards of hospitality and luxury. 3. 1. 2 Targeting Once a company has segmented their customers into different groups based on their characteristics, the next step is to target their customers with products and services that might appeal to that particular customer segment. Etihad airlines follow a differentiated marketing approach which involves targeting several market segments and designing separate offers for each (Kotler et al, 2005, p. 419). Etihad is different from their rivals because they are smaller airline but they are a luxury brand and offer personalised services to all their customers in spite of what class they are travelling in. By differentiating the market, this might lead to higher sales volumes for Etihad because they are able to exploit the segments with their offerings. The benefits of the strategy are its difficulty for competitors to copy and the level of service cannot be obtained anywhere else by the customer. A disadvantage of the strategy is the high volume of resources required to meet the needs of different customers, resulting in a loss of economies of scales and increased operating costs for the company. 3. 1. Positioning A positioning strategy determines where the business competes, how it competes and the choice of differential advantage which dictates how it competes (Doyle and Stern, 2006, p. 84). Positioning is important for an organisation because it is a way for a business to stand out from its rivals and let the customers to identify the brand easily (Baines, 2008, p. 251). Etihad positions itself within the airline industry as a luxury brand which offers 5 star hospitality and luxury personalised service. Etihad’s on-board services are hospitality orientated and are similar to those of 5 star hotels. The airline industry is very competitive and it is hard to differentiate between the quality of services because they almost the same and there is not much of a distinctive difference between them. Etihad has a competitive advantage in this market by starting out as a luxury brand form the outset. Other airlines are now trying to raise their standards but this will take a long time to achieve. Etihad is positioned at the high end of the airline industry. In comparison to RyanAir and Easyjet, these airlines are at two extremes of the scale and it is clear that Etihad does have a strategy that makes it different from all the airlines on the market. Because Etihad has positioned itself well within the industry, it has capitalised on its uniqueness. The company achieved a huge success in the short time of operating and established a strong sustainable market position. Looking at the STP of Etihad in the light of the environmental conditions in which it operates, it is clear to see that the conditions are a little bit tough due to competition from cheaper airlines and the gloomy economic outlook. Due to the recession, people are tightening their belts and spending less, therefore most people would prefer to pay less to fly to their chosen destinations. This is where Etihad stand to lose out to cheaper airline companies. 40% of their revenue comes from economy class seats, therefore if they price themselves too high in these current economic conditions, they risk losing a huge chunk of their revenue to other airlines because customers will always go for the cheaper airline ticket. In terms of competition, Emirates amp; Qatar Airways are Etihad’s biggest competitors, fighting for the same customers. Also these two companies are more established and have a bigger customer base than Etihad. Etihad is still a very young company being vulnerable to competition. However, it seems they are doing very well and recently broke even, planning to expand, while maintaining their current market position. All this can be accredited to their solid marketing strategy which they are using to maximise their benefit and strengthen their position within this market. 4. 0 Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances reduce the boundaries between firms and enable easier flow of knowledge across those boundaries. This process creates the possibility for organisations to share administrative authority, form social links and joint ventures (Badaracso, 1991). One of the reasons why firms engage in strategic alliances includes sufficient resources, low pace of innovation, low technology, high manufacturing cost and market access (Doz, 1996). Another reason to collaborate in strategic alliances is to create a competitive advantage over competitors in the market (Lei and Slocum, 2005). Also, strategic alliance help companies to bring their products on to the new innovation level (Zhang, 2010). The advantage of strategic alliances is to share the risk and cost of products. Firms join strategic alliances for compiling technologies and assets, enhancing easier access to resources and technologies (Ohmae, 1989). Firms could assure the sufficiency of their resources, that the new technologies to maintain their advantages with the strategic alliances (Ireland, et al. , 2002). The disadvantages of strategic alliances is that organisations might give their partners more than they gain, the exchange of resources, benefits and knowledge should be reciprocated between the firms. Organizations could stand the chance of losing their competitive advantages if they provide benefits such as resources, knowledge and technology. Most strategic alliances don’t maintain their cooperative relationships for a long term as most strategic alliances are based on the current benefits rather than future competitive advantages. Also, in strategic alliances, the effect of competition can lead to aggressive knowledge acquisition from partner firms (Kaplan, et al. , 2010). Notably, many alliances fail as a result of inter firm rivalry (Park and Ungson, 2001). When firms merely pursue self-interests (competition) but neglect common benefits (derived from cooperation), partner firms may lose motivation to continue the alliance. Implementing any organisational alliance successfully depends upon a firm’s knowledge and ability to manage interdependencies with a partner through on-going coordination with that partner, to credibly convey relevant information and knowledge to the partner, and to develop social bonds with the partner (Ireland, et al. , 2002). Strategic alliance between airlines, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is â€Å"a merging of resources, operations, of financial interests between [one] entity and [another] entity (Vander-Kraats, 1993). This entity could be an air carrier or a repair station and could involve the sharing of parts or the utilization of mechanics, pilots, and flight attendants. Some of the strategic alliance adopted by Etihad can include code-sharing agreements, marketing arrangements, procurement policies, system commonality, and interchanges of flight-crew personnel and sponsorship with other major organisation (Vander-Kraats, 1993). Etihad pursuit of code sharing agreement has become a key part of its marketing strategy. A  codeshare agreement, sometimes simply  codeshare, is an aviation business arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight. A seat can be purchased on one airline but is actually operated by a cooperating airline under a different  flight number or code. Etihad has a major partnership with Virgin Blue’s group of airlines which enables Virgin Blue’s international brand â€Å"V Australia† to operate joint services with Etihad. Combined, these two airlines offer joint networks of more than 100 destinations (Etihad, 2012). To succeed, alliance partners must encourage true collaboration beyond the formal governance structure and learn how to adapt and integrate knowledge acquired from the alliance to serve the specific needs of their own innovative efforts (Hughes and Weiss, 2007). Through these alliances Etihad strengthen their core-competence such as stronger brand name, and capture a stronger client base. 5. 0 Sponsorship Etihad’s sponsorships portfolio includes sports and major tourism events in the U. A. E and different regions in the world. Commercial sponsorships is defined as a cash investment in an activity, person or event, while in return gaining the access to the exploitable commercial potential associated with that activity or person by the investor (Meenagham, 1991). Sponsorships provide the mechanism for changing, adjusting or reinforcing brand equity supported on updated processing of attributes, benefits and attitudes (Keller, 1998). Corporate sponsorships are used to enhance the brand equity by raising awareness and creating positive brand associations in the mind of consumers (Gwinner and Eaton, 1999; Meenagham, 1991). This highlights the effects and significance of strong brands as it possesses the ability to attract a wide audience. The advantages of sponsorships include the promotion of caring attitude and goodwill. The good example of successful sponsorship is Etihad’s stadium and Etihad’s association with Manchester city and a football team which attracts a wide audience (Etihad, 2012). The disadvantage of sponsorships is that the investments made by the sponsors do not always guarantee that the objectives will be achieved. In the case of Etihad, investing in sport teams can backfire if they don’t meet the expectations the firm had for their performance. The final disadvantage of sponsorships involves any bad publicity derived from the benefactor will inevitably affect the brand name associated. 6. 0 Contribution to the Competitive Advantage and its Sustainability After analysing Etihad’s main marketing strategies, the discussion below will be about how each of the components of these strategies contributes to the firm’s competitive advantage. 6. Segmentation, Positioning and Targeting Segmentation gives Etihad a competitive advantage because it helps them differentiate and understand their customers’ needs more and helps improve their offering to the different types of customers. By understanding their customers’ needs better, they can gain an advantage over their rivals. On the other hand, every airline segments their customers according to the different classes ther efore there is not much of an advantage since they all have a similar system of segmenting their customers. Etihad’s positioning gives them a competitive advantage because they position themselves as a 5 star airline offering 5 star hotel quality services on board. Their service on board is what sets them apart from their competitors. This advantage is sustainable in the long run provided they maintain their high standards throughout. Also, in terms of positioning, Etihad found a â€Å"gap† in the market by using Abu Dhabi Airport as their base rather than Dubai airport because of the cheaper airport fees and taxes which gives them a cost saving competitive advantage. By targeting a specific demographic, Etihad’s marketing campaigns are likely to be more cost and time efficient as it will be highly relevant to the target market’s needs and it enables them to stand out from their competitors. 6. 2 Strategic Alliances and Sponsorships Strategic alliances have enabled Etihad to create a competitive advantage in their industry and make this advantage sustainable. Etihad engage in strategic alliances as a way of seeking to reduce competition in their quest to raise profits (Badaracco, 1991). These alliances have nabled the company to share the risks associated with the ventures because some projects are too complicated for Etihad to handle on their own. (Badaracco, 1991). By collaborating with other firms worldwide, Etihad are overcoming barriers to entry in new geographical markets since they are a growing company looking to expand globally. Organizations expanding overseas find that they require a local partner due to unfamiliarity with the local conditions (Badaracco, 1991). Strategic alliances enable firms to exchange favours such as improving product quality, technologies and factors related to products. Sustainable competitive advantage indicates that companies could maintain their completive advantage for a long term (Culpan, 2008). Through their strategic alliance with Sabre in December 2011, Etihad gained access to integrated software across its reservations, inventory marketing and e-commerce, distribution and departure control operations. The benefits from this alliance included improved joint market share which has the potential to generate over $25 million dollars per annum for both companies. This report attempts to analyse the environment in which Etihad Airways Company has to maintain its business profitable and prosperous. The report covers main marketing strategies and tools Etihad uses for the purpose of identifying and understanding its customers’ base and keeping a relationship with it. Finally, the extent to which these marketing strategies help to keep the business and its competitive advantages sustainable is evaluated and critically accessed.

The Role Of Trees In Toni Morrison free essay sample

# 8217 ; s Beloved Essay, Research Paper Nature frequently times stand for a alone composure. Toni Morrison doesn Ts make anyexceptions to this thought. In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison uses trees to typify comfort, protection and peace. Morrison uses trees throughout Beloved to stress theserenity that the natural universe offers. Many black characters, and some white and Native American characters, refer to trees as offering composure, mending and flight, thusconveying Morrison s message that trees bring peace. Besides utilizing the fresh scharacters to convey her message, Morrison herself shows and shows the good andcalmness that trees represent in the tree imagination in her narrative. Toni Morrison usestrees and characters responses to them to demo that when one lives through an ordeal ashorrible as bondage, one will of course happen comfort in the simple or apparently harmlessaspects of life, such as nature and particularly trees. With the tree s symbolism of flight and peace, Morrison uses her characters mentions t o their repose and soothing nature as messages that merely in nature couldthese oppressed people find comfort and flight from unwanted ideas. We will write a custom essay sample on The Role Of Trees In Toni Morrison or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Almost everyone of Morrison s characters find safety in trees and nature, particularly the maincharacters such as Sethe and Paul D. During Sethe s clip in bondage, she has witnessedmany gruesome and atrocious events that inkinesss endure such as tannings and lynchings.However, Sethe apparently chooses to retrieve the sight of lacewood trees over thesight of lynched male childs, therefore uncovering her comfort in a tree s presence, Boys hanging from the most beautiful lacewoods in the universe. It shamed her-remembering the fantastic soughing trees instead than the male childs. Try as she might tomake it otherwise, the lacewoods beat out the kids every clip and she could notforgive her memory for that. ( 6 ) Although Sethe wants she would ve remembered the male childs alternatively, she probablyrationalized this idea because when she asks Paul D about intelligence of Halle, she picturesthe lacewoods alternatively of the possibility that Halle has been lynched: I wouldn Ts have toask about him would I? You d state me if there was anything to state, wouldn T you? Sethelooked down at her pess and proverb once more the lacewoods ( 8 ) . When Schoolteacher whipsSethe, go forthing her back leathery with cicatrixs, she refers to the cicatrix as a chokecherry tree tosoothe and to decrease the physically and emotional hurting that the cicatrix represents: Butthat s what she said it looked like, A chokecherry tree. Trunk, subdivisions and even leaves.Tiny small chokecherry leaves ( 16 ) . While Sethe thinks of trees to mend and quiet herpain and agony, Paul D straight looks for physically existent trees as his flight fromeveryday slave life. During Paul D s clip in bondage, he chose to love trees for their comfort and calmqualities: # 8230 ; trees were ask foring ; things you could swear and be nigh ; talk to if you wantedto as he often did since manner back when he took the noon repast in the Fieldss ofSweet Home ( 21 ) . Because of these qualities, Paul D chose one p eculiar tree, largerand more inviting than other trees, to ever return to. A tree which he named Brother and a tree that listened and comforted and was ever at that place. But most significantly, Brother represents the soothing flight from bondage which Paul D didn T and doesn thave: His pick he called Brother, and sat under it, entirely sometimes. Sometimes withHalle or the other Pauls # 8230 ; ( 21 ) . After a long twenty-four hours working in the Fieldss, Paul D wouldrest, frequently times under the towering but soothing presence of Brother with Halle, thePauls and Sixo: He, Sixo and both of the Pauls sat under Brother pouring H2O from agourd over their caputs # 8230 ; ( 27 ) . Not merely do trees stand for comfort, they besides represent aplace of security, a topographic point for flight from slave life. When Sixo visits the Thirty-MileWoman, he escapes into the secure forests before her maestro could catch him: But Sixohad already melted into the forests before the cilium cou ld unroll itself on his indigobehind ( 25 ) . While Paul D sits under Brother to happen comfort, Sixo enters the forests atnight to dance, flight slave life and to maintain his civilization: Sixo went among the trees atnight. For dance, he said, to maintain his lineages open, he said ( 25 ) . Even Beloved, thestrange human phantom of the Crawling Already Baby, apparently finds comfort withtrees when she appears in the existent universe: She hardly gained the dry bank of the streambefore she sat down and leaned against a mulberry tree ( 50 ) . Morrison s characters referto trees for comfort, flight and safety, therefore conveying Morrison s message. While the chief important characters refer to the trees repose and comfort, characters with lesser significance or lesser prominence in Beloved besides refer to trees, non to themselves though, to convey the message that nature helps supply comfort andescape. Amy Denver, the whitewoman who had helped Sethe through labour merely appearsonc e in the book during Denver s narrative. Although she merely appears one time, her treereference to Sethe s scarred back helps comfort Sethe s physical and mental hurting: It s a tree Lu. See, here s the trunk- it s ruddy and disconnected unfastened, full of sap, and this here s theparting for the subdivisions. You got a mighty a batch of subdivisions. Leafs, excessively, look like, anddern if these ain T flowers. Bantam small red tree flowers, merely as white. Your back gota whole tree on it. In bloom. ( 79 ) Amy Denver uses a euphemism for Sethe s cicatrix, naming it a chokecherry tree to ease thepain and memory that the cicatrix brings. The image of a chokecherry tree brings spring, bloom and peaceable nature alternatively of the shame, hurting and unhappiness that the cicatrix trulyrepresents. Trying to ease Sethe s pain some more, Amy Denver hunts for spiderwebs, another merchandise of mother nature, to drape over Sethe s tree to chill the hurting and tothen refer to the scar as a Christmas tree to conjure images of peace and happiness totake Sethe s mind off her pain and suffering: Amy returned with two palmfuls of web,which she cleaned of prey and then draped on Sethe s back, saying it was like stringing atree for Christmas (80). While the whitewoman Amy Denver aided Sethe, a group ofCherokee Indians helped Paul D to his freedom. When Paul D escapes from Alfred,Georgia, the Cherokees tell him to follow cherry blossoms to freedom and escape fromAlfred, Georgia: That way, he said, pointing. Follow the tree flowers, he said. Onlythe tree flowers. As they go, you go. You will be where you want to be when they aregone (112). Nature brings a certain calmness to life and the characters references to treessupport this idea. While Morrison relies on her characters references to trees to conveyher message, she herself indirectly reiterates her point by using symbolic tree imagery inher narration. In her description of the path to the clearing, Morrison des cribes droopingtrees as if they represented towering guards seemingly bringing serenity and security to aonce sacred place: The old path was a track now, but still arched over with treesdrooping buckeyes onto the grass below (89). The mere image of draping branches overthe path to the clearing implies the security that trees bring. And to further her point,Morrison subtlety implies the sin of cutting down soothing, calming trees by describingthe lumberyard s surroundings and the old sawyer: Up and down the old lumberyard fence old roses were dying. The sawyer who hadplanted them twelve years ago to give his workplace a friendly feel- something to takethe sin out of slicing trees for a living†¦ (47) Besides representing protection, security and comfort, Morrison also implies that treesbring good things. To Sethe and Denver, Beloved represents the best things in the world,a daughter and a sister. When Sethe and Denver first discover their best thing, Belovedis slumped over a tree stump, Morrison s subtle message that trees bring good things: Just as she thought it might happen, it has. Easy as walking into a room. A magicalappearance on a stump, the face wiped out by sunlight†¦ (123). Morrison also uses thisimplication when various townspeople leave food for Denver and Sethe on a tree stump: Two days later Denver stood on the porch and noticed something lying on the tree stumpat the edge of the yard. She went to look and found a sack of white beans. Another time aplate of cold rabbit meat. One morning a basket of eggs sat there. (250) Not only can trees bring good things, trees can also bring people into good situations.When Paul D. leaves the woods, he finds himself in Wilmington with food and atemporary home as if Morrison implies that the woods lead him to comfort: Crawlingout of the woods, cross-eyed with hunger and loneliness, he knocked at the first backdoor he came to in the colored section of Wilmington (131). Paul D has also followedthe tree b lossoms to Sethe, another sign that trees help bring good and calmness.Morrison s indirect implications of tree s soothing nature has strong symbolism,representing the comfort and calmness to readers. While Toni Morrison mainly uses tree imagery as a message of serenity andcomfort, she uses her characters responses to trees to show that perhaps when one livesthrough a horrific ordeal like slavery, people find comfort in the natural world for itscalmness and seemingly harmless characteristics. For Paul D, loving small thingsrepresents survival. When forced into Alfred, Georgia, Paul D encounters the most evilthat he has ever encountered before, but despite tasting the iron bit, watching Sixo burn,losing Halle and the Pauls, and facing Schoolteacher s slavery, Paul D finds comfort in ayoung tree in the prison camp: Loving small and in secret. His little love was a tree of course, but not like Brother- old,wide and beckoning. In Alfred, Georgia, there was an aspen too young to call a s apling.Just a shoot no taller than his waist. The kind of thing a man would cut to whip his horse.(221) For Stamp Paid, an established savior, he feels the most comfortable when he helps andaids others. Stamp Paid s picking berries for Sethe and Denver symbolizes his comforttowards helping people with the goodness of nature: †¦went off with two buckets to aplace near the river s edge that only he knew about where blackberries grew, tasting sogood and happy that to eat them was like being in church (136). A similar figure toStamp Paid, Baby Suggs holy also finds the most comfort in helping others, givingadvice, passing messages, healing the sick, hiding fugitives, loving and loving somemore. She became a holy presence in town and preached from a rock in the clearingsurrounded by trees, doing what she finds comfort in, helping and preaching to others: In the Clearing, Sethe found Baby s old preaching rock and remembered the smell ofleaves simmering in the sun, thunderous feet and the shouts that ripped pods off the limbsof chestnuts. With Baby Suggs heart in charge, the people let go (94). Even Sixo, the wild man went among the trees at night to keep his bloodlines open. Each one of these characters has endured the horrors of slavery and faced thisordeal in different ways, but they all deal with slavery with the comforting and harmlessaspect of nature, trees. Although people today don t have to live through slavery, peoplestill have to face their own tough personal situations. Instead of having nature to sootheone s problems, people today drown their sorrows in material possessions and controlledsubstances, unfortunately a problem plaguing society. Readers can only remember a timenot too long ago when the little secret hiding place in the woods or one s special thinkingrock meant a great deal more than material items, a simple healthy escape from life andit s problems.

My Little Bit Of Country Essay Essays

My Little Bit Of Country Essay Essays My Little Bit Of Country Essay Essay My Little Bit Of Country Essay Essay My Little Bit of Country As humans we are always haunting the feeling of belonging. Not only the feeling of belonging to someone we love, but also figuring out the place where we feel home and safe. The feeling of belonging clarifies the ideal lifestyle for every individual. Some people find the feeling of belonging in a small suburb surrounded by an untamed nature. Others belong to a life surrounded by millions of people and skyscrapers. Once again, the feeling of belonging is a mindset that makes us value different kinds of lifestyles a feeling that makes us diverge from each other. In the essay My Little of Country (2012) written by Susan Cheaper, the thoughts about living and belonging to the city-life are being divulged to the reader. The essayist is arguing from her point of view of living her ideal life in the big city. Throughout, the essay is composed from a strict personal point of view. The personal point view and form of argumentation is being clarified from the beginning by the title My Little Bit of Country. The essay is following a chronological structure and is composed of two sections. The first section is representing the past where Cheaper is recalling old memories from her holding in New York City. The old memories of New York City are loaded with positive feelings, which appeals to the readers emotions. My earliest memories are of summer mornings in Central Park with my father after he came home from fighting World War II (P. L -l. 1-4). By the use of this as an opening line, and the mentioning of her father fighting in World War II it clarifies her feelings, and the strong importance of the memories from the big city creates sympathy from the beginning. Susan Cheaper starts off in the first section by comparing herself with a yak rapped in the Central park Zoo. Something about him suggested a great acceptance of the world in which he found himself so far from his snowy native mountains and bubbling brooks (p 1. I. 24-27). By using the yak as an example to amplify her feelings and the situation when she is forced to go living on the country with her parents her feeling of belonging in the city gets clarified. The use of an animal that is locked up in a place it does not belong to, appeals again to the readers emotions. Susan Achievers argumentation is build up with a unilateral positive opinion f the city-life supported by the use of negatively and positively loaded contrasts. The contrasts illustrate her strong opinion of her ideal life in the city and the differences between the life in the country and in the city. The city is stated as a place Of dreams -? a safe place to be a place where pieces Of nature also exist. Later in my life I heard Andy Warhol say that it was better to live in the city than the country because in the city he could find a little bit of country, but in the country there was no little bit of city (p. 3 -? l. 40 -149). Susan Cheaper arguments that the city contains the best of both sides, and by that she refers to Central park and The Central Park Zoo as the pieces of nature. In the same time this quotation also amplifies the meaning of the essays title, and how she feels that the city contains everything she needs to contain a successful life. People often associate the nature with an idyllic and peaceful place where people escape to when things get rough, but in Susan Cheaper s essay nature and country are depicted with an ironic attitude. When we went to visit my parents friends who had already made the move to Westchester or New Jersey, the so-called idyll of suburbia seemed a shabby comedown from Central Park (p. 2- l. 105-110). In the same way Cheaper uses negatively loaded adjectives to depict the country as a dangerous and rough place to be contrasting to the city. Why would want to scrape around the rough, dangerous ice of a country lake when I could glide around the smooth ice (p. 2- I. 115-117). The last section is representing the present. The use of both memories from the past and experiences from the present, amplifies her strong opinions and feelings toward the life on the country and in the city. In the last section Susan Cheaper mentions how great an importance Central Park has had during her life, and how the park has turned into a tradition for special and memorable occasions. For the past fifteen years, on New Years Eve we have we have gone to the Central park Our summer traditions happens on or around my birthday at the end of July (p. 4- l. 142-44 / 159-161). Her use of contrast, her unilateral opinions and experience-argumentation that appeals to the readers feelings, depicts the mindset Of most modern people who lives their lives in the big city. In todays socio most modern people no longer associate the country and the nature with a place where the human being belong. Still belonging to either the lifestyle in the city or on the country is an individual feeling and choice. Furthermore it is a statement that the modern society a result of the arbitration has made great changes to the human mindset and values in life. The modern people have now adapted to the life in the big cities surrounded by millions of people and grey skyscrapers that either makes us feel more powerful and successful or small, alienated and alone in a big city as New York.

College Application Essay Writing Service

College Application Essay Writing Service There is no doubt that the quality of your college application essay can play a deciding role in whether you are accepted to the university you want most to attend. With that in mind, many students spend weeks and sometime months preparing their papers. And while I agree that it is important for students to work hard on their compositions, I also believe in making things as easy as possible. Creating a Versatile College Application Essay One of the most difficult hurdles that many students face when submitting for college admissions is having to write a different college application essay for every university to which they are applying. I am here to tell you, however, that you do not necessarily need to write several different college application essays. With just a little extra work, you can make one college application essay work for all the schools to which you are applying. In most cases, colleges arent specific in their requirements for application essays. Often, students are requested to submit a composition outlining their scholastic goals and/or personal statements regarding their chosen field. That is why many students choose to use the same college application composition for all of the schools to which they are applying. With just a few minor alterations here and there, it is often quite simple to save yourself the hassle of having to write several different essays for a variety of universities. The intention of the above suggestion is not to encourage anyone to cut corners, but simply to make the college application process as stress-free as possible. If you would like additional information on how you can write a compelling and versatile college application composition, please dont hesitate to access the adjacent link. For additional assistance, I also recommend contacting a reputable admissions essay writing service.

Legal Issues Business Torts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Issues Business Torts - Essay Example in Salmon, 2005). The customer is entitled to assume that the proprietor will exercise reasonable care to ascertain the condition of the premises, and if he discovers any unsafe condition he will either take such action as will correct the condition and make it reasonably safe or give a warning of the unsafe condition (qtd in Salmon, 2005). As established in both the above cases and in multitudinous others, a proprietor should exercise reasonable care to ensure the safety of invitees and if the conditions of the premise are such that there is a continued hazard, or the reasonable possibility of a specified hazard arising at any given time, consequent to the conditions associated with the premise, it is incumbent upon the proprietor to either remove the hazard or provide sufficient warning of it. As pertains to Mae Tom's slip and fall claim, the above determines that she is acting within the parameters of her legal rights as an invitee to bring a negligence case against Kresge and make a claim for proven injury damages.

Mitt Romney Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Mitt Romney - Essay Example Mitt Romney has good policies but people fail to feel his sentiments in issued that affect ordinary Americans. One of the ways this has come out is by Mitt Romney failing to sound so original in his campaign scripts. When people perceive a leader honest, then he passed the likability test. He presents himself as Obama’s direct contrast as opposed to addressing the immediate concerns of America. Therefore he should explain how to shall fix the American economy while at same time look easy and approachable to all Americans. Romney should just be easy with his personality. He should not seem to try too hard. He should just be passionate about what he believes. The best messages to use should be aimed at addressing the ailing economy. He should clearly demonstrate how the current administration has failed and offer brand new solutions to alleviate the suffering of jobless Americans. This should be done with America in mind not Obama in mind. The campaign message should inform American the demerits of failing to support him and also offer more firm and well worded responses to democrats’ election propaganda. The target audience should be all Americans. Messages should however be customized to different age, social and economic groups depending on the place and the time of the speeches. This is because different groups understand the same message differently. The audience should see the passion and the merit of the issues he addresses. It’s not enough to have sound economic policies for a Mitt to beat Obama. Charisma and ability to speak and move people is equally important. This is because Obama is a gifted orator who sounds convincing with ease. The difference shall be how the message is presented that the attitude that Americans can read from the tone used. The energy in the campaign trail and absolute confidence that people really need what you have got to offer is equally important. The

Information technology Essay Example for Free

Information technology Essay Information means facts or knowledge provided or learned .OR it is Knowledge of communicating or receiving concerning a particular fact or circumstance, or rather, information is an answer to a question. I The concept that information is the message has different meaning. Technology means the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes .OR machinery developed from this. It is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of , techniques, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other l species ability to control and adapt to survive. Information technology (IT) means the use of computers and telecommunications for storing and sending informant. It is the application to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or several other enterprise.The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television,e-mail and telephones. Several factories are associated with information technology, such as , telecommunication, ,insulator and computer services etc. Advantages of Information Technology Information technology refers to the study and development of a support-management based, computerized information system. The development is mainly observed in the form of dedicated software applications and a number of hardware programs. The advantages of IT include work place cost-effectiveness and essential globalization. Information Technology or IT mainly deals with computer applications. The common work environment today is totally dependent on computers. This has led to the need to develop and consistently upgrade dedicated computer software like project management software, for a number of related requirements. These include storage and protection of content, processing and transmitting of dedicated information and the secured retrieval of information, when and as required. IT promotes computing technology,  covering everything from installing applications to developing databases. Why is Information Technology Important All our work related applications are now completely automated, thanks to the IT sector. IT professionals are people involved in essential management of sensitive data, exclusive computer networking and systems-engineering. The advancement of the IT sector has resulted in automated: * Administration of entire systems. * Production and manipulation of sensitive information. * Cultural development and communication. * Streamlining of business processes and timely upgrades. Advantages of IT †¢ Globalization True globalization has come about only via this automated system. The creation of one interdependent system helps us to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The collapse of geographic boundaries has made the world a global village. The technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker and round the clock. The wonders of text messages, email and auto-response, backed by computer security applications, have opened up scope for direct communication. †¢ Cost-effective Computerized, internet business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity, greater profitability, clutter free working conditions and global clientà ¨le. It is mainly due to the IT industry that business have been able to make their processes more streamlined, thereby becoming more cost-effective and consequently more profitable. People are able to operate their businesses 247, even from remote locations only due to the advent of information technology. †¢ Communication Quick and effective communication is vital to any business anywhere in the world. Information technology gives an entrepreneur or business the tools, like email, video conferencing, SMS, etc., essential to communicate efficiently and effectively. to the business world, and information technology gives your company the resources it needs to communicate quickly and effectively. Not only do people connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties. †¢ Storing and Protecting Information IT provides a low-cost business options to store and maintain information that may be important from a business or service point of view. Virtual vaults and other such security systems not only store vital data but also allow control over the access to such information. IT security systems will also protect virtual data from being hacked or wiped out in case of any technical failure. †¢ Creation of New Jobs One of the biggest advantage of IT has been the creation of a whole new field of opportunity for skilled personnel leading to new and interesting jobs. Hardware and software developers, computer programmers, web designers, system analyst, the list of new jobs created could go on. IT has also been attributed to be the major cause of surge in the economies of certain Third World nations too. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become easier and faster due to the advent of a computing technology. Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of IT which has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives and society, from leisure to business. IT has become a part of our day-to-day lives through the evident use of PCs, Internet, cell phones, faxes, the list would seem endless. Let us hope that newer development in the field of IT can provide benefits to our future generations, just as it has greatly benefited ours.

Television And The Internet :: essays research papers

Television and The Internet Having already done my fair share of internet surfing, I was excited to finally have the opportunity to do a research paper that involved this vast and seemingly boundless electronic world. It is easy to passively interact with the rest of the world and scan effortlessly through millions of pages of information, some of which is useful, some of which simply takes up space; the problem that many researchers and interest groups face is making sense of the whole thing. What effects does the internet have on people? This question is no doubt an immense one. In this paper I will attempt to explore the effects the internet has on one major aspect of our everyday lives: television. The internet is not only linked to television in the sense that they both convey vast amounts of information, but they both seem to complement each other. The internet is presenting vast amounts of information about our favorite television shows as well as providing an arena for discussion about the programs. I will present to you what is available out there and hypothesize how this can enhance or alter one's experience with television. Included in this paper will be actual responses from individuals around the world who responded to a survey I posted on various internet newsgroups devoted to specific television shows. The most relevant responses are attached as an appendix at the end of this paper. I will first briefly define the terms that I will use to avoid any ambiguities. When I refer to the internet, I refer to the vast encyclopedia of information presented through a graphical interface as pages, or web sites. Newsgroups refer to a different aspect of the world-wide web. They consist of over ten thousand separate and specific forums or centers where people post comments or remarks and read other's replies or comments. Each newsgroup is devoted to a different theme. For example, there are over two hundred devoted to television; one or two for Friends, one for Party of Five, one for the CBC, etc. Chat groups are an interactive aspect of the world-wide web in which people can talk in real time. There is an unlimited number of channels one can speak on, although there are more popular ones with specific themes; for example, the channel alt.tv.simpsons is a popular channel for Simpsons fans to discuss the show. These are the main aspects of the world-wide web which can handle affairs dealing with television. The broadest, of course, is the internet. I will refer to those who browse the internet as "surfers.

Valuing Project Achieve

Introduction After years as a teacher and principal frustrated by the inability to effectively track school and student progress, Stacey Boyd and HBS classmate Mandy Lee founded Project Achieve, an information management system for schools. In a quickly changing industry with fast-moving competitors, Project Achieve aimed to use leading-edge technology to reduce the workload of teachers and administrators while simultaneously keeping parents and students aware of performance. In an attempt to raise capital from an array of investors, Boyd needed to assess the firm’s value before moving forward. Project Achieve’s Competitive Advantage_ Project Achieve hopes to differentiate itself from its competitors via its emphasis on a completely web-based product and its founder’s knowledge of schools and teachers, its two main competitive advantages. As the first mover amongst entirely web-based products, Project Achieve hopes to gain significant market share before imitatio ns of its products appear. Being entirely web-based, the system was created in a standardized manner to allow numerous schools to have the capability to use the system and get support simultaneously. In short, the firm’s products are especially scalable. The company will also collect tremendous amounts of information on students, creating yet another potential revenue stream from advertisers and content providers. Potentially, Project Achieve could evolve into the nerve center for schools. With high switching costs, such a position could be attractive to content providers and other potential acquirers. Compared to NCS’s SASI and ABACUS, Project Achieve has a more integrated web-based design and most importantly, is cheaper. Additionally, Project Achieve features an easier template and user-friendly interface compared to similar systems like IMSeries. With the potential to be used by administrators, teachers, parents, and students, Project Achieve could possibly become the platform for distance learning and communication among the aforementioned parties. This partly rests upon Boyd’s ability to gauge the technology needs in academia. Luckily, Boyd’s knowledge of the space is one of the firm’s competitive advantages. Unfortunately, the company’s technological advantages will probably be short-lived after the product hits the market, since competitors are likely to imitate Project Achieve and also move to ntirely web-based products. Additionally, the firm’s marketing strategy depends heavily on the support of governors, but it is questionable whether the firm has the necessary lobbying resources to gain their support. We also question the firm’s ability to entice schools to buy its fee-based program without a sales force. Comparable Company Analysis Based on Exhibit 3 from the case, Project Achieve has nine public companies that can be indentified as comparable. Project Achieve’s closest comparable companies are Click2learn. com, Learn2. com, and Vcampus. These companies are most similar to Project Achieve in that they are all primarily online learning and training courseware. In addition, these three companies are relatively new in the marketplace with the oldest company, Learn2. com, going public mid-year 1994. Finally, these three companies have little to no debt, similar to Project Achieve’s reliance on internal funding. Boyd can use her research on comparable companies in her valuation of Project Achieve to calculate Project Achieve’s beta. The comparable companies could also be used in a multiples-based valuation analysis. Unfortunately we don’t have a complete set of data for each firm’s number of subscribers, otherwise we could have done a valuation based on value per subscriber. _Project Achieve’s Discount Rate_ Boyd should use a discount rate of 19. 0% in her valuation of Project Achieve. This rate was determined using Achieve’s three most comparable companies, Click2learn. com, Learn2. com, and Vcampus. These comparables’ equity betas were determined based on the movement of the market and company returns since their inception. We unlevered these betas and took the median to estimate an industry beta. We assumed an asset beta of 1. 15 (the median asset beta of the three comparable companies) and a debt beta of 0 (with no interest bearing debt) for Project Achieve. Using the 30-year treasury rate (5. 94%) as the risk-free rate because of Project Achieve’s expected life and a historical 7. 0% market risk premium, we calculated Project Achieve’s discount rate at 14. 0%. This discount rate values Achieve as a public company, comparable to its public counterparts. As a non-public start-up, however, Project Achieve is far more risky than the more established comparables discussed above. Thus, we added a 5% start-up risk premium to reach an appropriate 19% discount rate for the valuation of Project Achieve. (See Exhibit #1) Valuing Project Achieve In order to forecast the value provided by each customer type to Project Achieve, we must first identify the breakdown of customers based on the probabilities given in the case, and then forecast the cash flows associated with each type of customer. To determine the probability of a generic targeted school falling into any customer category, we created a decision tree. Exhibit #2) Per our analysis, there are five end user states – perpetual Achieve Express users, two-year users of Achieve Express, perpetual users of Achieve Express and Achieve Logic, two-year users of Achieve Express and Achieve Logic, and targeted schools that didn’t respond – all with varying probabilities. Now armed with the percentage breakdown of customers expected for Project Achieve, to determine the value of each customer we mus t forecast the cash flows associated with each type of customer. Exhibit #3) All of the costs and revenues associated with each type of customer are detailed in Exhibit #3. After calculating a WACC of 19. 00% and forecasting cash flows for each type of customer, it is easy to find the net present value of each customer. Not surprisingly, two-year Express users are the only loss makers for the firm, with a value of -$386. 63 per two-year Express user. Perpetual Express users, two-year Logic users, and perpetual Logic users are each worth $1,315. 79, $15,588. 16, and $44,659. 4 respectively. (Exhibit #3) Now that we have calculated the value per customer for all of our customer classifications (Exhibit #3), we can apply the probabilities found in our decision tree (Exhibit #2) to find the overall value per targeted customer. Doing so, we find that each targeted customer has a value of $5,102. 49. (Exhibit #4) Going one step farther, we matched the value per targeted customer with the forecasted number of customers targeted to find the total value of all of Project Achieve’s targeted customers. Discounted at WACC (19. 0%), all of the firm’s targeted customers are cumulatively worth $78,805,398. (Exhibit #5) Using the DCF method, the after tax value of Project Achieve is $11,991,608. (Exhibit #5) The valuation of Project Achieve is extremely risky considering the dependency of the company’s cash flows on customer acquisition and retention. In addition, Project Achieve’s tax rate along with its carry-forward loss of $1 million will significantly affect its value. The assumptions used in valuing Project Achieve are: Total estimated overhead costs 1999-2000 are $6,524,826 (case Table A) Total costs increase 20% per year for 4 years and after the fifth year costs rise in line with subscription base Revenues grow 2% annually after year 5 (rate of increase for target schools) No inflation taken into account on growth rate because downward pressure on prices with new market entrants will counter inflation $1 million loss incurred to date (will carry forward in tax burden and increase the value of Achieve) 35% tax rate (ignoring depreciation) The Role of Investors Given Project Achieve’s status as an early-stage start-up, its lack of a sales force, and its need to develop relationships with political authorities and schools, the firm requires investors that understand start-ups and can help market its products. Angel investors like Daniel Eliot don’t seem to fulfill either of these requirements. Venture capitalists deeply understand start up businesses and could provide a big chunk of capital, but they don’t know schools, their valuation is lower than Jostens’, and they would be no help in gaining traction for Project Achieve’s products. Additionally, a VC firm would likely require much more control than the other types of investors. Strategic investors are the most compelling. A strategic investor may wish to complement its own growth by integrating Project Achieve’s new technology into its business. Since strategic investors are almost always in the same industry as their targets, they can often help with industry contacts and business expertise. For example, Jostens knows schools, has a sales force in the field calling on schools, and offers the best valuation. We would go with Jostens now, perhaps bringing in a venture capitalist in a later round. We would also keep in mind the possibility of selling out to Jostens down the road if Project Achieve’s products gain traction. Potential investors have widely varying estimates of the value of Project Achieve because our valuation has many aspects. Primarily, different investors may have different forecasts of product adoption rates. As discussed earlier in the paper, we feel that Boyd is being excessively optimistic about the probability of schools purchasing her fee-based program without prompting from a sales force. Since our valuation is entirely dependent on the probabilities displayed in our decision tree (Exhibit 2), if different investors had different calculations for these probabilities, their valuations would be drastically different. Boyd needs to make sure she is realistic in her forecasts of product adoption, for they will set the stage for valuation discussions. Computing the explicit valuation, whether pre-money or post-money, is simple and unlikely to lead to disagreement. The valuations may differ, however, based on how big an investment is made. Since the three potential investors, Daniel Eliot, Jostens, and the angel investors, were all offering different amounts of capital, it makes sense that their valuations would differ slightly. Quantifying the implicit valuation is what makes valuing the firm particularly problematic. The implicit valuation includes valuing warrants, liquidation preferences, and dividends. Additionally, there are non-quantifiable valuation factors such as pre-emptive rights and anti-dilution provisions. To have a better deal, it is important for Boyd to present Project Achieve’s business opportunities thoroughly and disclose all useful information.

Unlocking the Power of the Teacher-Made Test

Classroom assessment ranks among a teacher’s most essential educational tools.  Well-constructed teacher-made tests can: †¢ provide teachers with the means to gather evidence about what their students know and can do †¢ help instructors identify students’ strengths and weaknesses †¢ keep tabs on student learning and progress †¢ help teachers plan and conduct future instruction †¢ motivate and shape learning and instruction †¢ guide students toward improving their own performances †¢ gauge whether students are mastering district, state, and national education standards †¢ determine if students are prepared for the high-stakes state or district tests By unlocking the power of effective classroom assessment, teachers can accomplish all of the above and more.In the era of accountability and highstakes decision making, teacher-made tests can no longer be viewed as simply a means to gather grades for the end of the marking period repo rt cards. process, providing the evidence teachers need to determine whether or not their students have achieved the educational goals set out for them. Capturing the Evidence Classroom assessments can be thought of as evidence capturing devices or tools. The evidence the teacher seeks to gather is used to show or prove the students’ knowledge and ability. Just like a good detective, the classroom teacher must consider several things in selecting the tools used to gather the evidence: †¢ What do I think my students should know?What are my expectations for their knowledge base? This could be based on lesson goals and objectives, curriculum or course content goals, district or state standards, etc. †¢ How would I describe my students after they experience these teaching episodes; how would I capture this description? †¢ Of all the things I’ve taught, what are the most important concepts and what should be assessed? †¢ What is the best tool for capturi ng this evidence? †¢ How will I use this evidence in the future? Is it simply to â€Å"keep score† or will it cause me to reflect on my teaching and my future planning? †¢ How will I report this evidence and to whom? Formative vs. Summative AssessmentIn general, all tests can fall under one of two major subheadings: formative assessments or summative assessments. Formative assessments are those tools teachers use to monitor student performance on an ongoing basis. These can range from something as simple as the daily judgments teachers make about a student’s oral response to questions that arise in classroom discussions to more formal paper and pencil tests. Summative assessments, on the other hand, gather evidence about cumulative student learning at the end of an activity, unit, marking period or school year. These types of assessments would include, among others, the final exam or the chapter test.Whether they use formative or summative methods, effective teachers constantly monitor and revise instructional plans based on their students’ educational progress and needs. Assessment, whether formal or informal, plays a vital part in this ongoing page 1 Elements of an Effective Teacher-Made Test In reflecting on these questions, teachers begin to realize the power of classroom assessment, and that this tool can be as important in the teaching and learning process as class discussions, small group activities, or any other teaching strategy. To unleash this power, and to ensure that classroom instructional time devoted to the assessment is used wisely, teachers must carefully plan and design the test.A poorly chosen or designed assessment will fail to provide the evidence of student learning, or worse, will provide misleading information. It is imperative that the teacher employs a systematic process for developing and using the assessment tool. That process should begin with the instructor asking a few basic but essential questions : †¢ What am I trying to find out about my students’ learning? (That is, what student/standards/goals/ outcomes am I measuring? ) Log On. Let’s Talk. www. ets. org/letstalk †¢ What kind of evidence do I need to show that my students have achieved the goals that I’m trying to measure? †¢ What kind of assessment will give me that evidence?To respond to these questions, the teacher must consider these elements of the test design process: †¢ appropriateness †¢ relevancy †¢ expectations for learning †¢ multiple evidence †¢ planning †¢ fairness †¢ assessing the assessment Is it Relevant? An assessment task should make sense in terms of the assessment situation as well as the type of knowledge or skill that’s being assessed. It should also provide relevant information based on what students should have learned in class. For example, it would be inappropriate to ask ninth-grade, French-class students to carry on a conversation in French about the income tax system, if it has nothing to do with what they had learned in French class, and since it probably has no relevance in their lives. But asking them to carry on a discussion in French about a class trip would be very appropriate.Ideally, an assessment should also reflect real-world applications of knowledge and understanding. Although developing such assessments is not always practical, assessments based on situations relevant to students’ own world experiences can motivate them to put forth their best performances. If they don’t understand why they may need to know something, they won’t be as likely to do so. Is it Appropriate? If you were to visit your doctor and he or she used a thermometer to determine your blood pressure you might have cause for concern. Like the classroom test, the medical thermometer is an evidence-gathering device (to determine one’s body temperature).Both the physician and the classroom teacher must select the best device based upon the type of evidence it was meant to provide, and not one that provides evidence of something else. What would happen if a teacher decides to use word problems, rather than number problems, to determine whether third-graders know their multiplication facts? One outcome that we might imagine is that the teacher could not be certain if the test was measuring math ability or reading skill. Having to read and understand the questions could get in the way of a student being able to demonstrate that he or she can, for instance, multiply 8 x 6 and come up with 48. Of course, if the teacher wants to know whether students can apply their multiplication skills to realistic situations, the word problem task would be appropriate and fair.At the same time, the assessment must measure the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities the teacher feels are important and do this in an appropriate way. If the goal is to test for retention of facts, then a cut-and -dried factual test (e. g. , multiple-choice or fillin-the-blank) may be the best assessment choice. On the other hand, measuring students’ conceptual understanding, ability to analyze data, ability to perform tasks, or their collaborative skills would probably require more complex forms of assessment. What are the Expectations for Learning?Before administering an assessment designed to measure what students have learned in class, teachers need to ask themselves: â€Å"Based on what I’ve taught in class, can my students be expected to answer this? If correctly completing the assessment requires knowledge or skills that have not been emphasized in class, or that the students are unlikely to have mastered, the assessment will not provide an accurate or fair evaluation of whether the students have learned the material. Of course, if the goal is to find out what students already know or understand before a unit of instruction, then a well-thought-out assessment can provid e useful information for planning future lessons. Of course, informing future lesson planning should be one of the key uses of any assessment. One Test or Multiple Sources of Evidence? While a single clue at a crime scene might allow a detective to make some assumptions, the judge and jury will probably need a lot more evidence before making a decision about guilt or innocence.As a result, experienced and competent investigators will employ many tools to gather multiple types of evidence from sources such as fingerprints, DNA samples, other physical clues, as well as actual interviews of witnesses and suspects. Similarly, teachers page 2 Log On. Let’s Talk. www. ets. org/letstalk should rely on all sorts of options available to help them gather evidence of their students’ learning. These range from the informal, day-to-day ways teachers size up their students’ progress, such as observation and questioning strategies, to traditional paper-and-pencil tests (multip le-choice and shortanswer ones, for example), to more elaborate forms of assessment, such as essays or problem solving activities.Just as a detective must gather many sources of evidence to build a convincing case, so must a teacher use many sources of evidence to accurately interpret what each student really knows and can do. Limiting themselves to using only one or two assessment methods, no matter how reliable or valuable, limits teachers’ ability to fully understand the range of their students’ knowledge and skills. Conversely, providing students with different kinds of opportunities to show what they know gives teachers a broader, better understanding of each student’s talents and abilities. The questions should challenge students to do more than memorize and recall facts. Focus on assessing the most important and meaningful information, rather than small, irrelevant facts.For example, rather than asking, â€Å"How many vitamins are essential for humans? A . 7 B. 13 C. 15 D. 23,† consider asking â€Å"Name at least seven vitamins that are essential for humans and explain why they are essential. † †¢ Never use questions or inconsequential details just to trick students. †¢ Create a test blueprint that will clearly describe the important content areas to be tested, the number and type of items that will get at each content area, the scoring value for the items, the length of time for the test administration, and other critical test components. Is it Fair? To be valid, classroom assessments need to be fair.In assessment terms, that means all students must be given an equal chance to show what they know and can do. An assessment is not fair if it: †¢ measures things unrelated to its objectives is biased Tests should be designed so that they are focused on the instruction that preceded the assessment, and that ensure that testing, teaching and curriculum are all tightly aligned. â€Å"Bias† is said to exi st if the assessment includes content that offends or unfairly penalizes test takers because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, or sexual orientation. Assessment bias affects validity because it may negatively influence students’ attitudes toward, and performance on, the assessment.For example, an assessment that includes language or content that offends a specific group of students may hurt the performance of those students by causing them to focus more on the offensive language than on performing at their best. Test takers may also be disadvantaged if the assessment includes content that, although not offensive, assumes prior knowledge likely to be unfamiliar to one particular group of test takers but familiar to another. An obvious example is the need to know something that can only be gained by visiting an art museum, if some groups of students have no personal experience of ever visiting a museum with family or friends . Planning the Assessments Teachers should use the following guidelines when planning any assessment:†¢ Have the purpose of the test clearly in mind. Determine what type of assessment will be most appropriate for the situation, based on the nature of what you are teaching, the purpose of the instruction, and what you want to find out. †¢ If the purpose of the assessment is to determine how well students have mastered a particular unit of study, make sure the test parallels the work covered in class. And, to be able to discriminate among levels of learning, avoid making the assessment overly difficult or easy. †¢ If the assessment is a selected-response or fill-in-the-blank test that will be used to diagnose basic skills, it should contain at least 10 questions — preferably more — for each skill area.The questions pertaining to each skill area should be considered a subtest, and these subtests should yield separate scores on the various elements needed fo r mastery of the skill. †¢ If the major purpose of the test is to rank a selected group of students in order of their achievement, the questions should cover critical points of learning. Questions on critical points often require understanding implications, applying information, and reorganizing data. page 3 Log On. Let’s Talk. www. ets. org/letstalk Tests should be designed to afford students multiple opportunities to tell what they know about a particular subject, not to present them with difficult, if not impossible, tasks.One way to let students shine is to include a bonus question at the end of the test that asks something like, â€Å"Take this opportunity to tell me something about this topic that was not included on the test. † †¢ Other things to consider when poor results are obtained are external, test administration issues [e. g. , uncomfortable room temperature, administration right after a long weekend, external noise distractions, unsettling scho ol or community news]. One of the most effective ways to improve a classroom assessment is to review it before administering it. If possible, wait at least one day after the assessment was written before performing the review. Then ask a colleague to review the assessment.As part of this review process, have someone who did not write the task (a colleague or even a family member) solve the task. Assess the Assessment In assessment, wording is critical. Unclear directions can confuse test takers and negatively affect their responses, which can lead to inaccurate, and therefore useless, information about what the students actually know and can do. Wording in multiple-choice type items is especially important. Being precise in the question and in the options or choices prevents misunderstanding and provides more reliable evidence of what students know. After an assessment has been administered, teachers can ask students how they interpreted the questions, particularly if the questions elicited unexpected results.When assessments give unexpected results — for example, the entire class bombs an assessment, or the students’ responses are not consistent with the type of work the teacher was looking for — it’s important to take a good hard look at both the assessment and the way it was administered to determine whether it was flawed in some way. †¢ Did students who are more able, based on other evidence, do well on the assessment? If not, something might be wrong with it. You might consider analyzing the questions or tasks to make sure each is accurate, valid, fair, and reliable. On the other hand, if the assessment presents a type of task that your students might not be familiar with (e. g. a complex, nonroutine type of problem), students who performed poorly may simply have had difficulty with that particular type of assessment.†¢ Did students answer the assessment appropriately but not give the answers you were looking for? The n check to see if the task was well-defined and clearly written. Students can’t be expected to give adequate responses if they aren’t sure what kind of response is expected of them. †¢ If the entire class failed the test, it might indicate that the material wasn’t taught adequately, or the assessment was so poorly written that the students were unable to apply their knowledge appropriately. During the review, check to see that: directions are clear †¢ content is accurate †¢ questions or tasks are representative of the topics or skills emphasized during instruction; knowledge or skills that were not covered in class are not being unintentionally evaluated†¢ the type of assessment used is compatible with the method of instruction used in the classroom and the standard being measured †¢ the assessment will contribute to the instructor’s understanding of what the students know and can do †¢ the assessment can be completed in the allotted time †¢ the assessment is fair; all instances of offensive language, elitism, and bias have been eliminated When teachers begin to analyze assessment results, they should look for two things: 1. Does the question or task provide accurate information?Did all the students do poorly on the same question or set of questions? Maybe certain questions are confusing or misleading, or perhaps the concept is simply not yet well understood by the students and should be retaught. Having students explain why they answered a question in a certain way can be very enlightening to the teacher about whether the problem is in the question (or task), or in students’ understanding of the concept being assessed. Log On. Let’s Talk. www. ets. org/letstalk page 4 2. Each student’s strengths and weaknesses: are they based on his or her patterns or performance? This information can help teachers tailor the next round of instruction to either remedy problems or build on stre ngth.For example, if a particular group of students has difficulty with one set of items that measures a similar set of skills, these students might need extra instruction or a different kind of instruction. Or, if everybody in the class had difficulty with a particular issue that the teacher thought was emphasized in class, then the teacher needs to determine if there was a problem with the instruction and/or material. By taking the time to create fair, focused, and well-thought-out assessments, teachers can have confidence in the evidence gathered and make meaningful judgments about student performance and future instructional plans and decisions. This article was based on the ETS Focus publication Letting Students Shine: Assessment to Promote Student Learning. Written by Amada McBride, 1999.

Personal Statement

Personal Statement Statement In this era of information and technology, globalization is putting the entire world including businesses, into an irresistible and profound transformation. The intensification of both local and external competition is bound to increase thus necessitating a wider understanding of business concepts application in a range of economic conditions. The onset of my of my passionate interest in business, an interest which has gradually grown into an intense passion and aspiration in the chase for a business career, occurred when I was in high school. As the eldest son of a prominent businessman, young, energetic and with the ability to demonstrate impressive business expertise, I became engaged in my fathers transport industry at the age of fifteen. In particular, I was enthralled by the uniqueness and nobleness of the business ideas generated through precise consideration of the business environment. I came to appreciate that business education is composed of advanced concepts which must be exercised in order to bring out the much required business success. During my high school studies, I emerged the top student in my class; this is not only due to my consistent number one class ranking on academic platform but due to the prominent role as co-coordinator of the schools entrepreneurs club as well as other extracurricular activities. I initiated a number of projects aimed at boosting our cash in-flow as a club as well as providing the needed exposure to the entrepreneurs club members. Immediately after completing high, I shelved my academic ambitions for two years, using that time to almost fully taking over the management of the transport and logistic company. This was helpful in that upon joining the business school, I was sure of what was best for me thus; a major in Business Management. I chose this university due to its time-honored business training history. Pursuing BBM is not much of a challenge but rather an opportunity capable of fulfilling my long time aspiration of excelling in the corporate and business industry.

Jawaharlal Nehru - Indias First Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru - Indias First Prime Minister Early Life On November 14, 1889, a wealthy Kashmiri Pandit lawyer named Motilal Nehru and his wife Swaruprani Thussu welcomed their first baby, a boy they named Jawaharlal. The family lived in Allahabad, at that time in the Northwest Provinces of British India (now Uttar Pradesh). Little Nehru was soon joined by two sisters, both of whom also had illustrious careers. Jawaharlal Nehru was educated at home, first by governesses and then by private tutors. He particularly excelled at science, while taking very little interest in religion. Nehru became an Indian nationalist quite early in life, and was thrilled by Japans victory over Russia in the Russo-Japanese War (1905). That event prompted him to dream of Indian freedom and Asiatic freedom from the thraldom of Europe. Education At the age of 16, Nehru went to England to study at the prestigious Harrow School (Winston Churchills alma mater). Two years later, in 1907, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, where in 1910 he took an honors degree in natural sciences - botany, chemistry and geology. The young Indian nationalist also dabbled in history, literature and politics, as well as Keynesian economics, during his university days. In October of 1910, Nehru joined the Inner Temple in London to study law, at the insistence of his father. Jawaharlal Nehru was admitted to the bar in 1912; he was determined to take the Indian Civil Service exam  and use his education to fight against discriminatory British colonial laws and policies. By the time he returned to India, he had also been exposed to socialist ideas, which were popular amongst the intellectual class in Britain at the time. Socialism would become one of the foundation stones of modern India under Nehru. Politics and the Independence Struggle Jawaharlal Nehru returned to India in August of 1912, where he began a half-hearted practice of law in the Allahabad High Court. Young Nehru disliked the legal profession, finding it stultifying and insipid. He was much more inspired by the 1912 annual session of the Indian National Congress (INC); however, the INC dismayed him with its elitism. Nehru joined a 1913 campaign led by Mohandas Gandhi, in the start of a decades-long collaboration. Over the next few years, he moved more and more into politics, and away from law. During the First World War (1914-18), most upper-class Indians supported the Allied cause even as they enjoyed the spectacle of Britain humbled. Nehru himself was conflicted, but came down reluctantly on the side of the Allies, more in support of France than of Britain. More than 1 million Indian and Nepalese soldiers fought overseas for the Allies in World War I, and about 62,000 died. In return for this show of loyal support, many Indian nationalists expected concessions from Britain once the war was over, but they were to be bitterly disappointed. Call for Home Rule Even during the war, as early as 1915, Jawaharlal Nehru began to call for Home Rule for India. This meant that India would be a self-governing Dominion, yet still considered a part of the United Kingdom, much like Canada or Australia. Nehru joined the All India Home Rule League, founded by family friend Annie Besant, a British liberal and advocate for Irish and Indian self-rule. The 70-year-old Besant was such a powerful force that the British government arrested and jailed her in 1917, prompting huge protests. In the end, the Home Rule movement was unsuccessful, and it was later subsumed in Gandhis Satyagraha Movement, which advocated complete independence for India. Meanwhile, in 1916, Nehru married Kamala Kaul. The couple had a daughter in 1917, who would later go on to be Prime Minister of India herself under her married name, Indira Gandhi. A son, born in 1924, died after just two days. Declaration of Independence The Indian nationalist movement leaders, including Jawaharlal Nehru, hardened their stance against British rule in wake of the horrific Amritsar Massacre in 1919. Nehru was jailed for the first time in 1921 for his advocacy of the non-cooperation movement. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Nehru and Gandhi collaborated ever more closely in the Indian National Congress, each going to prison more than once for civil disobedience actions. In 1927, Nehru issued a call for complete independence for India. Gandhi opposed this action as premature, so the Indian National Congress refused to endorse it. As a compromise, in 1928 Gandhi and Nehru issued a resolution calling for home rule by 1930, instead, with a pledge to fight for independence if Britain missed that deadline. The British government rejected this demand in 1929, so on New Years Eve, at the stroke of midnight, Nehru declared Indias independence and raised the Indian flag. The audience there that night pledged to refuse to pay taxes to the British, and to engage in other acts of mass civil disobedience. Gandhis first planned act of non-violent resistance was a long walk down to the sea to make salt, known as the Salt March or Salt Satyagraha of March 1930. Nehru and other Congress leaders were skeptical of this idea, but it struck a chord with the ordinary people of India and proved a huge success. Nehru himself evaporated some sea water to make salt in April of 1930, so the British arrested and jailed him again for six months. Nehrus Vision for India During the early 1930s, Nehru emerged as the political leader of the Indian National Congress, while Gandhi moved into a more spiritual role. Nehru drafted a set of core principles for India between 1929 and 1931, called the Fundamental Rights and Economic Policy, which was adopted by the All India Congress Committee. Among the rights enumerated were freedom of expression, freedom of religion, protection of regional cultures and languages, abolition of untouchable status, socialism, and the right to vote. As a result, Nehru is often called the Architect of Modern India. He fought hardest for the inclusion of socialism, which many other Congress members opposed. During the later 1930s and early 1940s, Nehru also had almost sole responsibility for drafting the foreign policy of a future Indian nation-state. World War II and the Quit India Movement When the Second World War broke out in Europe in 1939, the British declared war against the Axis on behalf of India, without consulting Indias elected officials. Nehru, after consulting with the Congress, informed the British that India was prepared to support democracy over Fascism, but only if certain conditions were met. The most important was that Britain must pledge that it would grant complete independence to India as soon as the war was over. The British Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, laughed at Nehrus demands. Linlithgow turned instead to the leader of the Muslim League, Muhammad ali Jinnah, who promised military support of Britain from Indias Muslim population in return for a separate state, to be called Pakistan. The mostly-Hindu Indian National Congress under Nehru and Gandhi announced a policy of non-cooperation with Britains war effort in response. When Japan pushed into Southeast Asia, and early in 1942 took control of most of Burma (Myanmar), which was on British Indias eastern doorstep, the desperate British government approached the INC and Muslim League leadership once again for aid. Churchill sent Sir Stafford Cripps to negotiate with Nehru, Gandhi and Jinnah. Cripps could not convince the pro-peace Gandhi to support the war effort for any consideration short of full and prompt independence; Nehru was more willing to compromise, so he and his mentor had a temporary falling-out over the issue. In August of 1942, Gandhi issued his famous call for Britain to Quit India. Nehru was reluctant to pressure Britain at the time since World War II was not going well for the British, but the INC passed Gandhis proposal. In reaction, the British government arrested and imprisoned the entire INC working committee, including both Nehru and Gandhi. Nehru would remain in prison for almost three years, until June 15, 1945. Partition and Prime Ministership The British released Nehru from prison after the war was over in Europe, and he immediately began to play a key role in negotiations over the future of India. Initially, he vigorously opposed plans to divide the country along sectarian lines into a predominantly-Hindu India and a predominantly-Muslim Pakistan, but when bloody fighting broke out between members of the two religions, he reluctantly agreed to the split. After the Partition of India, Pakistan became an independent nation led by Jinnah on August 14, 1947, and India became independent the following day under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru embraced socialism, and was a leader of the international non-aligned movement during the Cold War, along with Nasser of Egypt and Tito of Yugoslavia. As Prime Minister, Nehru instituted wide-spread economic and social reforms that helped India reorganized itself as a unified, modernizing state. He was influential in international politics as well, but could never solve the problem of Kashmir and other Himalayan territorial disputes with Pakistan and with China. Sino-Indian War of 1962 In 1959, Prime Minister Nehru granted asylum to the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan refugees from Chinas 1959 Invasion of Tibet. This sparked tensions between the two Asian superpowers, which already had unsettled claims to the Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh areas in the Himalaya Mountain range. Nehru responded with his Forward Policy, placing military outposts along the disputed border with China, beginning in 1959. On October 20, 1962, China launched a simultaneous attack at two points 1000 kilometers apart along the disputed border with India. Nehru was caught off guard, and India suffered a series of military defeats. By November 21, China felt that it had made its point, and unilaterally ceased fire. It withdrew from its forward positions, leaving the division of land the same as before the war, except that India had been driven from its forward positions across the Line of Control. Indias force of 10,000 to 12,000 troops suffered heavy losses in the Sino-Indian War, with almost 1,400 killed, 1,700 missing, and nearly 4,000 captured by the Peoples Liberation Army of China. China lost 722 killed and about 1,700 wounded. The unexpected war and humiliating defeat profoundly depressed Prime Minister Nehru, and many historians claim that the shock may have hastened his death. Nehrus Death Nehrus party was reelected to the majority in 1962, but with smaller percentages of the vote than before. His health began to fail, and he spent a number of months in Kashmir during 1963 and 1964, trying to recuperate. Nehru returned to Delhi in May of 1964, where he suffered a stroke and then a heart attack on the morning of May 27. He died that afternoon. The Pandits Legacy Many observers expected Parliament member Indira Gandhi to succeed her father, even though he had voiced opposition to her serving as Prime Minister for fear of dynastism. Indira turned down the post at that time, however, and Lal Bahadur Shastri took over as the second prime minister of India. Indira would later become the third prime minister, and her son Rajiv was the sixth to hold that title. Jawaharlal Nehru left behind the worlds largest democracy, a nation committed to neutrality in the Cold War, and a nation developing quickly in terms of education, technology and economics.