Saturday, August 31, 2019

American Freedom

The establishment of American society traces its roots back to the fifteenth century when Columbus discovered the existence of unknown land on this way to India. Since that time many people from all over the world have been taking refuge in the USA escaping from political or religious persecution. It has lead to outstanding ethnic diversity where human skin color varies from black, brown, and black to red and yellow. Depending on their background former â€Å"newcomers† who have become ancestors of new American generations are called â€Å"African Americans†, â€Å"Asian Americans†, â€Å"Russian Americans†, etc.Obviously, highly mentioned representatives of worlds cultures have their own political and religious preferences that have resulted in an increasing number of different confessions (Buddhists, Catholics, Muslims, etc. ) and parties (Democrats, Communists, Republicans, Socialists, etc. ). However, American nation is characterized by the following d istinct features common to overwhelming majority of people: †¢ Privacy and Individualism are the most important aspects of social independence all Americans value the most.Since their childhood Americans have been taught to consider themselves as independent part of a nation, social group, family, etc. They are used to make their own decisions but at the same time may seldom admit that there exist a number of external factors that greatly influence their decision making skills: stereotypes, mass media, social institutions, etc. They reject the idea of being similar to anybody else as they always strive to be different and unique.Newly arrived immigrants or those who accept Americans as guests from abroad may get a better picture of American culture and deeper insight into their beliefs and values only recognizing their true belief in freedom and self-reliance. The majority of Americans believe that in order to survive in modern world of commercialization and skim the cream off one should be free, independent, and self-reliant in terms of thoughts and decisions. This notion is also closely associated with how Americans treat their parents.More often than not, they show less intimate relationships with family members than other representatives of any other culture. They believe that biological/historical circumstances that brought together the parents and the child reach their purpose during child’s upbringing and adolescence after which the parent/child relationships decline and grow weaker. In some cases the connection may be totally lost especially taking into consideration the fact of vast territory of the country.Privacy is another part of American identity which is of great value when people want to psychologically â€Å"replenish† themselves or take their time to think about life situation, etc. †¢ How Americans perceive themselves? Typically, living in the USA its citizens never see themselves as representatives of their own count ry. Instead, they would rather compare themselves to people who are different from others regardless of the fact whether their â€Å"competitors† are of American or foreign origin.Many Americans make statements saying that their culture is not distinct enough to describe as they frequently visualize culture as a number of random traditions on the surface of society which can be distinct and common only in other cultures. Separate Americans sometimes believe that they established their priorities by themselves, rather than having had their thoughts and the considerations on which they are founded obtruded on them by their own culture. When asked to describe common features of American culture the majority of Americans fail to give a descent answer in some cases even rejecting the idea of â€Å"American culture† as a notion.Meanwhile, some Americans may gladly express their generalized their opinions about different groups and subcommunities within their own culture. Sou therners have stereotypical views (generalized, simplified notions) about Northerners, and the other way round. There exists a wide range of traditionally set views about people from the country, from big cities, from inland, from the coasts, from the Southeast, religious and ethnic groups and those who live in Oregon, Texas, Big Apple, California, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, etc.†¢ Materialism and Achievement. â€Å"She is a hard-working person,† one American may express his/her opinion towards another person, or â€Å"he does his job well. † These phrases denote the usual American’s respect for people who approaches a task thoroughly and persistently, brining it to a victorious finale. In addition, these phrases also denote respect for achievers, those people who do their best and put much effort to achieve their goals. Foreigners frequently have a feeling that American people work harder than people from abroad expect them to work.(More likely these visito rs have been extremely subjective to American mass media production such as movies and TV programs which would typically show audience less working people but more of those who hang out and chill out driving cars and having dates). Regardless of the fact that some of the â€Å"Protestant† professional ethic may have lost some of its influence on Americans, there is still a strong faith that the perfect person must be a â€Å"hard worker. † A hard worker â€Å"gets everything right† in terms of his/her deadline, organizational skills, high standards of quality.Typically, Americans are keen on action. They really believe it is vital to devote much energy to their work or to other daily routine responsibilities. Moreover, they do believe they should be occupied most of the time. They are typically not satisfied, as representatives from many other cultures are, only to sit and have a talk with other people. They get bored and loose patience. They think they should b e occupied with something, or at least make plans and arrangements for future. †¢ Directness and Assertiveness.Americans, as has been indicated above, normally take themselves as sincere, open-minded, and straight in their relationships with other people. Americans will often talk openly and straightly to others about things they do not like. They will make attempts to do so in a style they call â€Å"constructive,† which means a style which the other person will not accept as offensive or improper. If they do not talk sincerely about what is on their thoughts, they will frequently communicate their reaction in nonverbal way (no words, only facial expressions, body positions, and gestures).They are not aware, unlike people from many Asian countries are, that they are supposed to mask or sometimes hide their emotional reaction. Their phrases, the tone of their voice, or their facial expressions will more often than not show when their feelings of anger, unhappiness, confu sion, or happiness. They think it is okay to show these feelings at least within limits. The majority of Asians feel embarrassed around Americans who are showing a strong emotional response to something.On the other hand, Latinos and Arabs are usually inclined to exhibit their emotions more candidly than Americans do, and to consider Americans as unemotional and cold. However, Americans are frequently less straight and open than they recognize it. There exist in fact many restrictions on their desire to discuss things honestly. Regardless of these limitations, Americans are usually more direct and sincere than people from many other cultures. They normally do not try to hide their emotions and are much less worried with â€Å"face† – avoiding awkwardness to themselves or others.To them, being â€Å"open† is typically more important than preserving harmony in interpersonal relationships. Americans use the words â€Å"assertive† or â€Å"hostile† to illustrate a person who is overly assertive in expressing thoughts or making requests. The line between acceptable assertiveness and unacceptable aggressiveness is difficult to draw. †¢ For American culture, time is a â€Å"resource,† like water or coal, which can be used properly or poorly. â€Å"Time is money. † â€Å"You only get so much time in life, so use it wisely.† The future will not be improved comparing to the past or the present, as Americans are used to take things, unless people use their time for constructive and promising activities. Therefore, Americans admire a â€Å"hard-working organized† people who write down things to be done and a schedule for doing them. The ideal person must be punctual (i. e. arrive at the scheduled time for event) and is considerate of other people’s time (that is, does not â€Å"waste people’s time† with conversation or other activity with no visible, beneficial outcome). References Br own, J. (2006). Americans. New York: Pocket Books.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Orange Peel as Antioxidant

CHAPTER I THE RESEARCH PROBLEM BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Now days, exporting is hard in the Philippines hence the country is not that good in means of transportation because of the gap between the islands and provinces; and not all places have good roads. This kind of problem could take hours for the exporters to export their goods to other places like the market, malls, and other cities along the country. And due to that kind of problem may lead to poor source of income for the exporters, for when the exported product reaches their destinations chances may, that some of those are already rotten.One of the most exported goods in the Philippines is the countries very own national fruit, mango (Mangifera indica). Mango is a sweet fruit and succulent that’s why Filipinos just love to eat the fruit, but unfortunately it is not that cheap and buyers have to save, causing the fruits to be stocked and slowly by slowly rot and making the buyers refrain from buying. Another thing is peop le now a day’s tends to throw things that can still be recycled, and recycling is something that could lessen up the countries waste management. The Philippines for example is full of wastes, some citizens just don’t know how to recycle.The richness of life is not only seeing life with wide open eyes, but knowing about the connections between things and how this knowledge would take part in letting one live a more convenient life just like the purpose of this research work. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study aims to extract antioxidants from orange peels to use as natural preservatives especially for mangoes. Specifically, this study attempted to answer the following question: 1. How could the extracted antioxidant help the mango preserve its freshness? 2. Can the orange peels really be use as a alternative preservative for the mango?RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Ha: The extracted preservative from the orange peel has no effect on the mango. Ho: The extracted preservative from the orange peel has an effect on the mango causing it not to rot easily. SCOPE AND DELIMINATION This study started on July 2012. This study will focus on extracting antioxidants from the orange (Citrus sinensis) peels and apply and use it to preserve mangoes (Mangifera indica). The area of this study is in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines. Both oranges (Citrus sinensis) and mangoes (Mangifera indica) are bought from the city markets. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDYAntioxidants and antibacterial are important components for preserving fruits and preventing fruit spoilage. This study aims to help the following: A) COMMUNITY and HOUSEHOLDS it is easy to do and less expensive. People who love to eat oranges can make the preservatives to apply it on their own. B) ECONOMY This is good for economical purposes for they can sell the preservatives on a lower price and sell it to fruit vendors who sell mangoes. And to those who export mangoes they can use this preservative or they can even make the pr eservative themselves and apply it so that when they export mangoes it will not easily rot.DEFINITION OF TERMS Antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria and play an important role for preserving substance. Antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules and plays and also plays an important role for preserving substance. Mango (Mangifera indica) is a fleshy stone fruit that is very sweet and has a lot of vitamins. Orange (Citrus sinensis) is a type of citrus fruit which people often eat they are very good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peels are edible but not that delicious as of the orange.Preservative are naturally occurring or synthetically produced substance that is added to products to prevent the decomposition by means of microbial growth that can cause undesirable chemical changes. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Antioxidants Antioxidants are substances or nutr ients in our foods which can prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. When our body cells use oxygen, they naturally produce free radicals (by-products) which can cause damage. Antioxidants act as â€Å"free radical scavengers† and hence prevent and repair damage done by these free radicals.Health problems such as heart disease, macular degeneration, diabetes, cancer are all contributed by oxidative damage. Antioxidants may also enhance immune defense and therefore lower the risk of cancer and infection. (http://www. csiro. au). Well-known antioxidants include enzymes and other substances, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene, which are capable of counteracting the damaging effects of oxidation. Antioxidants are also commonly added to food products such as vegetable oils and prepared foods to prevent or delay their deterioration from the action of air (http://www. medterms. com).It is impossible for us to avoid damage by free radicals . Free radicals arise from both inside (endogenous) and outside (exogenous) our bodies . Oxidants that develop from processes within our bodies form as a result of normal aerobic respiration, metabolism , and inflammation . Exogenous free radicals form from environment factors such as pollution, sunlight, strenuous exercise, X-rays, smoking and alcohol . Our antioxidant systems are not perfect , so as we age , cell parts damaged by oxidation accumulate Because they have one or more unpaired electrons , free radicals are highly unstable .They scavenge your body to grab or donate electrons , thereby damaging cells , proteins , and DNA (genetic material) . The same oxidative process also causes oils to become rancid , peeled apples turn brown , and iron to rust . Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by  neutralizing  free radicals. In doing so, the antioxidants themselves become oxidized. That is why there is a constant need to replenish our antioxidant resources. How they work can be classified in one of two ways: Chain-breaking  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ When a free radical releases or steals an electron, a second radical is formed.This molecule then turns around and does the same thing to a third molecule, continuing to generate more unstable products. The process continues until termination occurs — either the radical is stabilized by a chain-breaking antioxidant such as beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, or it simply decays into a harmless product. Preventive  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase prevent oxidation by reducing the rate of chain initiation. That is, by scavenging initiating radicals, such antioxidants can thwart an oxidation chain from ever setting in motion.They can also prevent oxidation by stabilizing transition metal radicals such as copper and iron. The effectiveness of any given antioxidant in the body depends on which free radical is involved, how and where it is generated, and where the target of damage is. Thus, while in one particular system an antioxidant may protect against free radicals, in other systems it could have no effect at all. Or, in certain circumstances, an antioxidant may even act as a â€Å"pro-oxidant† that generates toxic oxygen species. Since antioxidants counteract the harmful effects of free radicals , you would think that we should consume as much as them as possible .The truth is , although there is little doubt that antioxidants are a necessary component for good health , it is not clear if supplements should be taken and , if so , how much . Once thought to be harmless , we now know that consuming mega-doses of antioxidants can be harmful due to their potential toxicity and interactions with medications . Antioxidants are found abundant in beans, grain products, fruits and vegetables. Look for fruits with bright color – lutein in some of the yellow pigments found in corn; orange in cantaloupe, butternut squash and mango; red from lyc opene in tomatoes and watermelon, and purple and blue in berries.So enjoy eating a variety of these products. It is best to obtain these antioxidants from foods instead of supplements. In addition, minimize the exposure of oxidative stress such as smoking and sunburn. Orange Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in dietary fiber,  pectin,  which is very effective in persons with excess body weight. Pectin, by its action as bulk laxative, helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.Pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing its re-absorption in the colon by binding to  bile acids  in the colon. Oranges, like other citrus fruits, is an excellent source of  vitamin C  (provides about 60% of DRI); Vitamin C is a powerful natural a ntioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and  scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the blood. Orange fruit contains a variety of phytochemicals. Hesperetin  and  Narigenin  are flavonoids found in citrus fruits.Naringenin is found to have a bio-active effect on human health as antioxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, and immune system modulator. This substance has also been shown to reduce oxidant injury to DNA in vitro studies. Oranges also contain very good levels of  vitamin A, and other flavonoid antioxidants such as  alpha  andbeta-carotenes,  beta-cryptoxanthin,  zea-xanthin  and  lutein. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision.Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps body to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. It is a lso a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates. These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish. Orange fruit also contains a very good amount of minerals like potassium and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure through countering sodium actions. Citrus fruits, as such, have long been valued for their wholesome nutritious and antioxidant properties (http://www. utrition-and-you. com). Orange Peels When oranges were first cultivated, orange peels were highly valued. People extracted essential oils from the peels to use in medicines and remedies for indigestion and other illnesses. Orange peels are a source of health-promoting carbohydrates. Peels also contain healthy polymethoxylated flavones, which are plant pigment compounds present in all citrus fruits. The production of orange juice leaves large amounts of oran ge peels. They are processed into an essential oil which contains (+)-limonene as major component.Every year about 50,000 bis 75,000 tons of this hydrocarbon accumulates in the citrus processing industry. Up to now it is regarded as residue and rarely used for the synthesis of valuable products (http://kwi. dechema. de). The orange peels contain an abundance of nutrients, including sugars, flavonoids, vitamins and antioxidants, with a variety of uses, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-carcinogenic properties. Orange peels are the main source of d-limonene, which is effective against breast and colon  cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin (http://onecoup. com).The peel of  Citrus  fruits, like orange, is a rich source of  flavanones and many polymethoxylated  flavones (Ahmadetal. 2006), which are very rare in other plants. These compounds have commercial interest because of their multitude of applications in the food and pharmaceutical ind ustries. There are studies that prove that orange peels may be used or substituted as antimicrobial. An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. Antimicrobial, drugs either kill microbes (microbicidal) or prevent the growth of microbes (microbistatic).Mango Mango fruit is rich in pre-biotic dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and  polyphenolic flavonoid  antioxidant compounds. According to new research study, mango fruit has been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. Several trial studies suggest that  polyphenolic anti-oxidant  compounds in mango are known to offer protection against breast and colon cancers. Mango fruit is an excellent source of  Vitamin-A  and flavonoids like  beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and  beta-cryptoxanthin. 100 g of fresh fruit provides 765 mg or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A.Together; these compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes is known to protect body from lung and oral cavity cancers. Fresh mango is a very rich source of potassium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. It is also a very good source of vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine),  vitamin-C  and vitamin-E. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop esistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or  pyridoxine  is required for GABA hormone production in the brain. It also controls homocystiene levels in the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in CAD and stroke. Copper is a co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase (other minerals function as co-factors for this en zyme are manganese and zinc). Copper is also required for the production of red blood cells (http://www. nutrition-and-you. com). PreservationFood preservation is the process of treating and handling food to stop or slow down Food spoilage, loss of quality, edibility or nutritional value and thus allow for longer food storage storage. Preservation usually involves preventing the growth of bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and other micro-organisms (although some methods work by introducing benign bacteria, or fungi to the food), as well as retarding the oxidation of fats which cause rancidity. Food preservation can also include processes which inhibit visual deterioration, such as the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after they are cut, which can occur during food preparation.Many processes designed to preserve food will involve a number of food preservation methods. Preserving fruit by turning it into jam, for example, involves boiling (to reduce the fruit’s moisture content and to kill bacteria, yeasts, etc. ), sugaring (to prevent their re-growth) and sealing within an airtight jar (to prevent recontamination). Maintaining or creating nutritional value, texture and flavour is an important aspect of food preservation, although, historically, some methods drastically altered the character of the food being preserved (http://www. ikipedia. com) ORANGE (Citrus sinensis) PEELS ECOFRIENDLY, RECYCLE EASY TO MAKEAS ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMERCIALIZE PRESERVATIVES CHEAP PRESERVATIVES ANTIOXIDANTS Figure 1 The Conceptual Framework of the Study CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY * General Procedure Preparation for the mango (Mangifera indica) Mangoes (Mangifera indica) were bought by the researchers within the city market. After buying the fruit, it was then washed. Preparation for extraction of Orange (Citrus sinensis) Peels extract Oranges (Citrus sinensis) were bought by the researchers within the city market.After buying the fruit was washed. And then the peels were taken off t hen cut/slice to smaller peels. Distilled water was then added to obtain more extract, then the peels were blended by using a metallic blender and then the extraction of the peels was obtain by using a cheesecloth or face cloth/towel (lampi). Manual squeezing was done to recover most of the liquid. Further purification was done by means of filter paper. The final collected extract was measured using a graduated cylinder and were placed in a beaker. Application and controlling of the extractsThe researchers bought cotton balls (can be found on drug stores or groceries) and prepared it for the application. A control was then set by the researchers to further study the affectivity of the extracted substance to the substance to be applied (mango {Mangifera indica}). The cotton balls was used to hold the substance and applied, by means of wiping, at the upper part or at the stem of the fruit. Methodology Flowchart * Gathering of oranges (Citrus sinensis) General Procedure Washing of mang o (Mangifera indica) Gathering of mango (Mangifera indica)Slicing/ Cutting of the peels of the orange (Citrus sinensis) Peeling of the oranges (Citrus sinensis) Washing of orange (Citrus sinensis) Addition of Distilled water Application of preservatives Filtration Measuring of extract TRAIT TESTING Grinding/blending of the peels of the orange (Citrus sinensis) Extraction by means of cheesecloth or face towel (lampi) CHAPTER 4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA Table 1 presents the masses of the mangoes on the first and 7th day FIG 3 Treatment| Mass (g) of replicates (day 1)| Mass (g) of replicates (day 2)| | 1| 2| 3| 1| 2| 3|Mangoes with extract| 130| 120| 150| 128| 117| 147| Mango without extract (control)| 110| 160| 100| 105| 153| 93| Table no. 1 presentation of mass of mangoes Table No 2. shows the weight loss of the three replicated in each treatment obtained from days 1 and 7. It shows that in Treatment 1, replica 1 has a weight loss of 2g, replica 2 has 3g, and replica 3 has 3g. In Treatment 2, replica 1 has a weight loss of 5g, replica 2 has 7g, and replica 3 has 7g. It shows that the results of the untreated mangoes got the highest amount of weight loss. Its cause might be the fast spoilage of the fruit.Treatment 1 implies that the Orange peel extract has affectivity on the fruit’s preservation state. Weight Loss of Treatment 2 between Days 1 and 7 Grams Replicates Figure No. 4 Weight loss of Treatment 1 (below) and Treatment 2 (above) Figure No. 3 above shows the weight loss of the treated ( Treatment 1 and the untreated mangoes. ) 1. Statement of Null Hypothesis; The extracted preservative from the orange peel has an effect on the mango causing it not to rot easily. Ho:  µA =  µB or  µA –  µB = 0 2. Statement of Alternative Hypothesis; Ha: The extracted preservative from the orange peel has no effect on the mango.The extracted preservative from the orange peel has no effect on the mango. Ha =  µA ?  µB or  µA –  µB ? 0 3. Level of Significance ? = 0. 05 4. Treatment| Deviation (D)| D2| | 1| 2| 3| 1| 2| 3| Mangoes with extract| 2| 3| 3| 4| 9| 9| Mango without extract (control)| 5| 7| 7| 25| 49| 49| ?D= 27? D2= 145 5. A. Sum of squares difference ?d2 = ? D2 – [(? D )2 ]N = 145 – [( [( 27)2 6 )] = 23. 5 B. Standard error of the mean difference SD = ? d2 N(N-1) = 23. 530 = 23. 530 = 0. 7833 C. D D= ? DN = 236 = 4. 5 D. t. t = DSD = 4. 50. 7833 6. Tcrit = t0. 05 = 2. 571 7.Since the computed/ calculated t is larger than tcrit , reject the Ho and accept Ha There is significant difference between the mean % particulate matter of the mango being extracted . CHAPTER V SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary We love to eat oranges, its sweet or sour juice, and its rich in vitamin c, and yet we only throw the peels away. However, because of this study we can now make use of the peels that we usually throw away. Because of this study, the researchers atte mpted to find an alternative preservative for mangoes, which it is one of the highly distributed fruit on our country.So to find an easier way and more healthy way to preserve mangoes orange peels come to a use. Testing of the Orange peels’ antibacterial and preservative capability is the main goal of this research. It aims to compare if there is a significant difference between the spoilage life of a treated and untreated mango. Oranges were gathered from fruit stores. The peels was then obtained then cut into smaller pieces then placed on a grinder, but before grinding, small amount of distilled water was added, then the grinding of peels took place.By means of cheesecloth, manual squeezing was done to extract the oil, and filtration took place for further purification. Two treatments were prepared with three replicates respectively. First treatment was the mangoes which were treated with the extracts, and the second treatment was the control. Weighing was done during the 1 st day of which mango was applied with the extract and after the 7th day from the application. Findings During the observation of the 7 days affectivity of extract, treatment two had rotten and spoiled faster than treatment 1, for spots was already seen.The researchers then weighed and the mass of the mangoes, under treatment 2 , the mass started reducing slowly while treatment 1 still remained constant with its mass. By the 7th day of observation, treatment two was already very rot and spoiled, while treatment one was still giving signs of spoilage but not yet totally spoiled. Conclusions 1. The concentration of the oil extracted from the Orange peels is not that strong hence only small amount was only used. But yet still effective. 2. Mangoes when left untreated and left to be spoiled decreases its weight faster than those which are treated. . Orange peels are effective as preservative for mangoes. Recommendations After the research was made and after observations was gathered. Th is are the following recommendations the researchers made: 1. Orange peels are effective in preserving mango but yet one can still look for a stronger affectivity of preservation, which can preserve mangoes for a longer period of time. 2. If one wants a better result, he/she should use a ratio between more peels and lesser but enough distilled water to get a strong concentration.

Feminist Language Planning Essay

1 Feminism and language There is no doubt that feminism has been and continues to be one of the main social movements of this century. Its impact is felt in many societies around the world and in many spheres of life. The women’s or feminist movement strives, amongst other things, for the elimination of gender discrimination and for the greater recognition of women’s contributions to society as well as aims to change many cultural and social practices which perpetuate patriarchal value systems. Language was and is seen by many feminists as a powerful instrument of patriarchy: for example, the feminist Dale Spender, spoke of the English language as being ‘manmade’ and as being an important contributor to women’s oppression (Spender 1980). It is therefore not surprising that language and discourse practices were and are subjected to feminist scrutiny, often leading to elaborate and detailed descriptions of sexist practices affecting language use. 2. Feminism and linguistic re form Feminists, at least in western societies, also expressed a desire to change the patriarchal and sexist ‘nature’ of language and therefore engaged in various types of linguistic reform or language planning. Although many feminists shared the belief that changing linguistic and discourse practices is an important element in women’s liberation, this did not result in a uniform approach to linguistic reform (see e.g. Pauwels 1998). The social, cultural, political and philosophical diversity which characterizes members of the feminist movement is also reflected in the approaches to and aims for feminist language reform. For example, not all forms of feminism, interpret women’s liberation as a question of achieving mere equality of the sexes. Similarly, not all linguistic reform proposals have as their main aim the achievement of linguistic equality of the sexes. Some reform initiatives primarily aim at exposing the sexist nature of ‘patriarchal’ lan guage by causing linguistic disruptions. The strategies used to achieve linguistic disruption frequently involve experimentation and creativity with all parts of speech. The word ‘herstory’ to refer to history which is not only about men, is an example of linguistic disruption: a morphological boundary has been reconstituted to + on semantic grounds. Creating a women-centred language capable of expressing reality from a female perspective is another prominent objective of some forms of feminist language planning. Proposed changes range from the creation of new women-centred meanings for words like ‘witch’, ‘hag’ and neologisms such as ‘malestream’, ‘femocrat’, graphemic innovations including ‘womyn’ or ‘wimmin’ and ‘LehrerIn’ (German), to developing women-focussed discourses and even creating an entirely new language. An example of the latter is the LÃ ¡adan language created by the science-fiction writer and linguist, Suzette Haden Elgin ‘for the specific purpose of expressing the perceptions of women’ (Elgin 1988:1). Despite this diversity in reform initiatives and objectives for feminist language planning, it is the ‘linguistic equality of the sexes’ approach which has become synonymous with feminist language planning in the eyes of the wider community. This is in part due to the prominence of liberal feminist approaches in the public arena which focus on achieving sex/gender equality. Linguistic discrimination is seen as a form of sex discrimination which can be addressed in ways similar to other forms of sex discrimination (e.g. in employment). In fact the question of gender bias in occupational nomenclature is directly linked to gender discrimination in the employment arena. The prominence of the linguistic equality approach is also due to the media’s attenti on to non-sexist language guidelines, the main instrument of promoting this type of feminist language reform. Advocates of the linguistic equality approach use the strategies of gender-neutralisation (sometimes gender abstraction) and/or gender-specification (feminisation) to attain their goal of creating a language system which allows for a balanced representation of the sexes. Gender-neutralisation involves minimising or eliminating gender-specific expressions and constructions. It entails ‘that any morphosyntactic and lexical features marking human agent nouns and pronouns (or other parts of speech) as masculine or feminine are ‘neutralised’ for gender, especially in generic contexts’ (Pauwels 1998: 109). Examples for English include the elimination of gender-suffixes of -ess, -ette, -(tr)ix in relation to human agent nouns (e.g. hostess, aviatrix, usherette), the creation of compound nouns involving -person (e.g. chairperson, tradesperson), and the avoidance of generic ‘he’. Gender-specification (also known as feminisation) is a strategy used to achieve linguistic equality by making the ‘invisible sex’ (in most cases, women) visible in language through systematic and symmetrical marking of gender. Although English does not use this strategy much (it is found more often in languages with grammatical gender), the use of ‘he or she’, and of phrases such as ‘police women and men’, ‘actors and actresses’ in generic contexts exemplifies the gender-specification strategy. Underlying the linguistic equality approach to reform is a belief that making changes to linguistic forms will contribute significantly to the promotion of non-sexist meanings. 3 Evaluating feminist linguistic reform In the previous section I indicated that there are several approaches to feminist language reform and that the linguistic equality approach is the most prominent and possibly, the most widespread one. In this paper my focus is on the evaluation of the linguistic equality approach. Evaluating the outcome (a result or an effect of an action) is a crucial aspect of any form of language planning. Language planners together with the interest groups, agencies or institutions which encouraged, demanded or sanctioned (allowed) the reforms are usually keen to assess the impact of planning on the linguistic behaviour of the individuals, groups or communities targeted by the reforms. Whereas advocates and/or opponents of linguistic reform are primarily interested in the extent to which the linguistic reform proposals have been adopted or rejected, for language planners the evaluation exercise also provides valuable information on the process of language planning, the factors which facilitate an d/or obstruct change. A further interest for language planners who are also linguistic scholars is the possibility of comparing the process of the spread of so-called ‘planned’ vs ‘unplanned’ linguistic change thus contributing to a better understanding of linguistic change. Here I wish to explore two major aspects of the evaluation of feminist language planning: (1) Evidence of the (successful) adoption of feminist linguistic proposals; (2) Insights into the ways feminist language changes spread throughout the community. The adoption and spread of feminist linguistic reform are examined in relation to a prominent feature of feminist linguistic reform of the ‘linguistic equality’ type: the use of gender-neutral and/or gender-inclusive occupational nouns and titles. Data for this discussion come mainly from English, although reference is also made to Dutch, French and German studies. The discussion of linguistic spread is very preliminary as most data have not yet been subjected to a thorough analysis: i.e. only trends will be noted. 4 Adopting feminist linguistic reform: success or failure? 4.1 Occupational nomenclature In many western societies feminist concerns about gender bias in occupational nouns, professional titles and terms attracted attention primarily through its link with Sex Discrimination Acts and other legislation aimed at eliminating gender-based discrimination in employment. Feminists and women activists in a range of professional bodies highlighted the fact that occupational and professional nomenclature used in employment-related contexts displayed bias in favour of men leading to women’s invisibility in this area of language use. For example, linguistic practices found in many job classifieds assumed applicants to be male. Male-stereotyped language was used to describe applicants (e.g. aggressive, dynamic, virile). The use of ‘masculine’ generic nouns and pronouns (e.g. the applicant – he; storeman, tradesman, cameraman – he) further reinforced the ‘maleness’ of the desired applicant. Research in the 1970s and 1980s (e.g. Bem & Bem 1973, Hamilton 1988, Kidd 1971, Mackay & Fulkerson 1979, Martyna 1978, Pincus & Pincus 1980, Schneider and Hacker 1973, Wilson & Ng 1988) found evidence that masculine generic nouns and pronouns were seldom interpreted in a generic, gender-neutral sense. Instead they were associated with male-specific images in many language users. Two major strategies emerged to eliminate this gender bias in occupational nomenclature: gender-neutralisation and gender-specification (feminisation). Selecting one strategy over another seems partly linked to linguistic typology. Gender-specification as a main strategy is more likely to occur in the case of grammatical gender languages (e.g. German, French, Italian, Spanish) which still have productive gender suffixes (e.g. German). Gender-neutralisation is more likely to be applied to languages with a natural gender system (e.g. English) or languages in which gender suffixes are less or no longer productive (e.g. Danish, Swedish and Dutch). However, the choice of the main strategy is also influenced by extra-linguistic or social arguments. Gender-neutralisation is clearly aimed at ‘taking gender out of the occupational arena’. In other words, the aim is to have a society in which a person’s sex has no relevance or significance for their occupational status. Proponents of the feminisation strategy, on the other hand, argue that it is socially more effective to achieve linguistic equality by showing that there are an increasing number of women in all areas of the paid work force, i.e. women’s participation in the work force needs to be made more visible through the strategy of gender-specification or feminisation. In order to demonstrate successful adoption of feminist linguistic reform in this area of language use, evidence needs to be found that the feminist alternatives are used increasingly in preference to the gender biased forms and that the actual use of the feminist alternatives is in line with their promoted use. In language planning terms , successful feminist linguistic reform entails evidence that the feminist alternatives move from a status of ‘discouraged’ or even ‘disapproved’ use to that of ‘tolerated’, and eventually ‘preferred’ or ‘promoted’ use (Kloss 1968). Findings from Dutch, English, French (see especially Burr in this volume) and German research into the adoption of non-sexist occupational nomenclature confirm that feminist linguistic alternatives are (increasingly) used, although adoption rates vary substantially from language to language and vary according to linguistic context/genre. For the purposes of this paper I will confine the presentation of evidence to that found in relation to the print media (mainly newspapers). English speech communities seem to lead the way in the adoption of feminist linguistic alternatives for occupational terms. Cooper (1984) studied the impact of feminist language planning on the use of masculine generic pronouns and nouns (including occupational nouns) on a corpus of 500000 words taken from American newspapers, current affairs and women’s magazines covering the period 1971 – 1979. He found a dramatic decline in the use of masculine generics, especially of generic ‘man’ and generic ‘he’: their use fell from 12.3% per 5000 words in 1971 to 4.3% in 1979. In New Zealand Meyerhoff (1984) analyzed changes in the use of masculine generics in a corpus of 150000 words taken from five newspapers with a different audience (i.e. a national and a regional daily, a student newspaper, a TV magazine and a women’s magazine as well as a monthly publication of the New Zealand’s journalists’ union). Her study found evidence of a significant reduction in the use of masculine generic nouns and pronouns with the decrease being most pronounced for the student newspaper and the journalists’ union publication. The only publication to support ‘- person’ compounds was the student newspaper. Holmes’ analysis of the occurrence of ‘-person’ vs ‘-man’ and ‘-woman’ compound forms in the Wellington Corpus of Written New Zealand English covering the period 1986 – 1989 found that most such forms occurred very seldom (1 per 1 million words) with the exception ‘spokesperson’ and ‘chairperson’ (Holmes in press). The use of these two forms, however, was considerably lower than that of their masculine generic alternatives: ‘spokesman’ and ‘chairman’. The corpus revealed 6 instances of ‘chairperson(s)’ vs 109 for ‘chairman/men’ and 2 for ‘chairwo man/women’. ‘Spokesperson(s)’ occurred 4 times in the corpus, ‘spokespeople’ once, ‘spokeswoman/women’ twice and ‘spokesman/men’ 36 times. Holmes (in press) did note that the ‘overwhelming majority of the instances of chairman were identifiable as male, a sad reflection of the social reality that it was men who held this position most often, even in 1986’. She found only 4 instances of ‘chairman’ being used to refer to a woman. My own study which comprised a corpus of 200000 words taken from two national Australian newspapers in 1992 and in 1996 similarly found an overall low incidence of -person, -man and -woman compound forms. The number of occurrences of ‘chairman/chairwoman/ chairperson’ revealed the continued predominant use of ‘chairman’, although a breakdown of the numbers according to referents showed that ‘chairman’ was predominantly used to refer to male referents. The few occurrences of ‘chairperson’ and ‘chair’ (see Table 1) do not allow for an interpretation of emerging trends. In the case of ‘chairman’ I would have to agree with Holmes’ comment that its continuing, frequent use reflects the fact that far more men than women continue to occupy this position. It should also be said that newspaper articles are not an ideal source to establish generic uses of this term, as most references to this position specify the incumbent. In the case of ‘spokesman/spokeswoman/spokesperson’ a more substantial change can be noticed: although 38 instances of ‘spokesman’ were recorded, ‘spokesperson’ appeared 32 times. A breakdown in terms of referents showed that 47% of ‘spokesman’ uses referred to a male and that ‘spokesman’ was never used to refer specifically to a female. Most uses of ‘spokesperson’ had no specific referent. There is also some indication that ‘spokesperson’ is being used in connection with male as well as female referents, hence avoiding the trend that the ‘-person’ compound is used as a mere substitution for the ‘-woman’ compound form.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Coca Cola Promoting cocaine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coca Cola Promoting cocaine - Essay Example Focus has also been given upon how the company had dealt with different allegations arising out of its controversial advertisements and the messages which it was actually trying to put across. The paper analyses the advertisements from the perspective of who, when, where, what and why. Additionally some of the marketing characteristics associated with the advertisements have also been analysed vividly. Diet cokes new ad campaign featuring the tag line â€Å"You are on Diet Coke† is seen to be drawing much criticism as many claim that the ad is seen to be promoting cocaine and is in reference to the drug (US magazine, 2014). However, the company officials dismiss the claim and states that The Coca-Cola Company in no way endorses any kind of drugs. Diet coke has been receiving a number of such viewer criticisms since its inception into the American market. Consumers feel that the manner in which Coca-Cola promotes Diet Coke is supportive of illegal drugs such as cocaine. The tag line â€Å"You are on Diet Coke† is depicted in a manner such that the word â€Å"Diet† is less visible. The line appears more like â€Å"You are on Coke†. Consumers claim that the advertisement refers more to cocaine rather than the drink itself. Many debates were aroused in respect of this advertising campaign. Critics claim that the company’s promotional tactics misdirec ted consumers (US magazine, 2014). The Coca-Cola Company was also very recently caught up in a controversy relating to its recent Super Bowl advertisement. Viewers claim that the advertisement sends across a message which is racist in nature as it was broadcasted in multilingual versions. The advertisement’s tagline is â€Å"America is Beautiful†. The company responds to such controversies by stating that the motive of the advertisement was to send across the message that America is beautiful because of its rich diversity. The advertisement has also

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The measurement tecniques of Particulate Matter2.5 (PM2.5) Essay

The measurement tecniques of Particulate Matter2.5 (PM2.5) - Essay Example An earlier research has shown a relationship between hydrogen and a trace element (ANSTO, 2003). For analyzing these suspended particulate matters, these particles have to be collected as per a standard procedure and thereafter have to be investigated. For analyzing the nature of these suspended particles especially PM2.5 various analytical techniques are used. Analytical techniques such as particle induced X-ray emission or particle induced gamma ray emission; IR spectroscopy and gas chromatography are used for finding the elements, inorganic compounds and organic compounds respectively (Measurement methods, 2007). In the present study a literature search has been carried out to study the impact of bushfires on our environment and the examples of Australia and Singapore bush fires has been covered. A brief introduction of PM2.5 has also been covered. A few analytical instruments utilized by the various environmental protection agencies have been studied with respect to their advantages in bushfires. The through principles of the instrument techniques were also studied and a conclusion of the study has been made. The most common measurement in air quality is the concentration of suspended particles in it and is reported as the PM index. ... PM10 (where the total concentration of all particles having diameter less than 10 m) are being monitored by various government agencies in many countries such as US, Canada (Baird, 2005). Many government agencies are also looking for monitoring fine suspended particles having diameter less than 2.5 m, as these are within the respirable range and can penetrate deep into the lungs. US EPA specification for PM 2.5 US EPA National Ambient Air Quality standards (NAAQS) have set standards for particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10. For PM2.5 it has set an annual average of 15 g/m3 with a 24 hour standard of 65g/m3 and for PM10 an annual average of 50 g/m3 with a 24-hour standard of 150 g/m3 (ANSTO, 2003). A short term US EPA NAAQS standard for air borne particulate matter is given in Table-1. As many countries still do not have their own specifications for PM2.5, most of the countries follow US EPA guidelines. Sampling of Particulate Matters: It is really difficult to collect a representative sample especially from a bushfire. However the sample should be collected from multiple locations so that the analysis gives more prcis and meaningful results. The sample collected from different part can either be mixed or separate analysis can be carried out. There are various methods involved for collecting particulate matters. A few methods are summarized below. a) Filter cups: Filters are the simplest way of collecting particulate matters. Aerosol sample is passed through a set of filters at a controlled rate so that a specific particulate matters are collected through a specific filter. These filter papers are cellulose, glass fiber, teflon or a combination of materials (Thompson, 1998). b) Cyclones:

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Nilson Mandela Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nilson Mandela - Essay Example During the early years of South Africa, racial discrimination was so apparent in this country because of the apartheid policy. This system provided inequality among its citizens and blacks were deprived of equal opportunities for work, housing, education and political power. The apartheid policy which was referred to as â€Å"separate development† in 1950 separated the blacks from the whites, enforced segregation in public facilities, and separate educational standards. The mounting pressures from the international community led to the dismantling of the apartheid policy in 1990, and eventually, the release of all black prisoners that included Mandela. (Robinson, Jr. n.d.) Nelson Mandela was so much opposed in this system and sought to end it by becoming a leader of several groups and movements to go up against the British system. For this, he was charged with activism and treason and was sentenced to life imprisonment. For several times, he was offered his freedom in exchange of promise that he would renounce his anti-apartheid ideals and violence but he refused. When he was released from prison on February 11, 1990, it was shown that he and his delegation agreed to the suspension of armed struggle. Robinson, n.d. said that when the South African Constitution was reformed in 1994, a general free election was held wherein; Mandela was the first democratically elected President of South Africa who served the country from May 10, 1994 to June 1999. His term legally ended the apartheid policy and put the racial discrimination to rest. In what ways did the efforts of Gandhi affect Mandela? Mandela was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi because of the parallelism on their beliefs on freedom struggles through non-violent process. Although born in India, Mahatma was an adopted citizen of South Africa and was one of those who shaped the liberation movement. Mandela followed Mahatma’s strategy of non-violent protest up to a point when the passive resistance can no longer stand the brute force of the oppressor. At first, sabotage was used because it did not mean loss of life, but later on they used militant force because Mandela believed that â€Å"force is the only language that imperialist can hear; and that no country became free who did not use force†. Mahatma also conceded to arms when necessary. Mahatma said: "Where choice is set between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence... I prefer to use arms in defense of honor rather than remain the vile witness of dishonor ..." Violence and nonviolence are not mutually exclusive; it is the predominance of the one or the other that labels a struggle. (â€Å"A tribute to Nelson Mandela† 2011) What parallels can be drawn between Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr.? The two shared the same vision of emancipation of the blacks in their own countries; the blacks in South Africa, and the blacks in America. They are both aspirants of non-violent demonstration of protests and h ave gathered inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi. Both succumbed to prosecutions, arrests and subjected to personal abuse. Nonetheless, they were unaffected by the pursuits of government authorities and emerged as leaders of the people, steadfast in their desire for equality of men. Martin Luther King was recognized for his efforts on the civil rights movement, while Mandela was justified when he was elected as President of Sout

Monday, August 26, 2019

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Operations Management - Essay Example The efficient processing of work flow tends to cause an impact on the reduction of inventories which saves costs immensely. Inventory cost at times may be too much to bear for organizations and therefore reduction of inventories saves cost for organizations. Focusing on high quality may reduce the cost of redoing the task again. Customers want high quality products at all time and organizations should ensure high quality working environment to reduce the changes or complains that are related to quality by customers. This would build strong brand image and reduce the cost and time of producing the product again. Overheads should be eliminated to the maximum level so that work processed and flows are faster and the further steps are carried out in a more effective manner. Reduction of overhead costs tends to make the organization highly cost effective. While focusing on generating revenue at a fast pace, the order deliveries need to be made quick, this way cash flows may be improving at a constant mode and cost of working capital may be reduced immensely. Customers are satisfied with faster deliveries and for organizations cash flows are improved (Meredith and Schafer, 24). The element of communicating and delegating tasks in an effective mode may allow the employees to do error free work and this further would result in meeting the demands of the customers in an effective way without facing the issue of customer complains. Orders from customers will come in more as they will be satisfied with the results. Error free work will allow the employee hard work to be recognized by the organization and this will further improve the working conditions of the employees (Meredith and Schafer, 24). Responding to customers at a fast pace may allow the unit cost of the product or service to be abridged at a certain level.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

How ERP Can Help Companies Become Lean Coursework

How ERP Can Help Companies Become Lean - Coursework Example In the current economic climate, there is cut-throat competition and a rat race has emerged to capture and retain a large customer base. The larger a firm’s customer base, the stronger it shall become. A firm’s customers are its most valuable asset, as they are the ones who spread positive word of mouth if the company is delivering good value and this in turn drives demand and subsequently the growth of an organization. Firms nowadays recognize the importance of delivering ‘customer delight’ more than ever before and this has led a change in their business strategies whereby companies are striving to eliminate as many costs as possible and streamline their business processes in order to provide better service at lower costs and pass this benefit down to their customers. Availability of information, or rather the lack of it, is often cited as one of the main reasons why delays occur in business processes and often results in two or more departments doing sim ilar paperwork thus duplicating the work, something which is totally unnecessary and only consumes more time and money than necessary. An ERP system in this case shall be an ideal addition to the company’s resources as it makes available information across all functional departments thus ensuring transparency and availability of information at all times. ... fers and are adopting measures to integrate this system into their operations or, in case of those using older computer systems, migrate to the newer ERP platform. The proponents of Lean have recognized that ERP can help organizations achieve the objective of becoming lean. The five basic principles that form the basis of the idea of Lean - value definition and specification, value stream mapping, uninterrupted flow, customer pull and the pursuit of perfection - are â€Å"all supported and enhanced by comprehensive information control and management tools that an end-to-end enterprise software suite delivers.† How an ERP system streamlines a company’s business processes An ERP system can help a company move towards a lean structure in many ways. These include helping reduce waste, moving towards continuous improvement, exploiting and satisfying sales and customer service opportunities, keeping suppliers and production up-to-date with the use of order less manufacturing and Kanban and creating an environment of perfect information and collaboration. Waste Reduction An ERP system, if implemented, becomes the main information carrying artery of a company, carrying data pertaining do day-to-day activities, measuring progress and using metrics to identify opportunities where a company can improve its processes. Some ERP systems also allow companies to conduct ‘What-If’ analyses and help determine activities that have the quickest payback times. A transparent system with perfect information flow allows all departments to visibly see where each activity lies in terms of progress and ensures that duplication of work doesn’t take place. With an ERP system in place, firms can effectively use the most efficient methods of routing and workflow such as using the most

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Financial Reporting on Cement Roadstone Holdings Plc Dissertation

Financial Reporting on Cement Roadstone Holdings Plc - Dissertation Example In the year 2012, the operations of CRH Plc faced mixed economic conditions throughout all the countries in the world. For example, as on one hand the main markets in the United States faced improvement in its overall economic activity, while on the other side economic activity deteriorated in Europe, particularly in Netherlands due to a fall in the continued confidence of investors and consumers in Europe. As a result, the profit and earnings per share of the company in 2012 dropped by 5% and 7%, as compared to 2011. The profit and earnings per share of 2012 amounted to â‚ ¬674 million and 76.5c, whereas in 2011 it amounted to â‚ ¬711 million and 82.6c. The outcomes of 2012 resulted due to the progress in the operations of America helped by a strong recovery in residential construction which lead to an improvement in the overall economic activities in the United States. ... y components- Positive exchange effects of 2012 resulted due to the rise in the US dollar by 8% which lead to the rise sales and pre-tax profits by approximately 4%. Contributions by acquisitions made in 2011 and 2012 lead to a rise in sales revenue of â‚ ¬603million and operating profit of â‚ ¬33 million. Cost incurred in 2012 of â‚ ¬60million was similar to that of 2011(â‚ ¬61 million). Total impairment charges in 2012 were â‚ ¬174 million which was significantly higher than the previous year. In 2012, revenue generated from ongoing operations decreased by â‚ ¬384million. As compared to 2011, earnings per share declined by 7% (82.6c in 2011 to 76.5c in 2012) and cash earnings per share increased by 7% (194.0c in 2011 to 206.8c in 2012). In 2012 Operating profit margin declined to 4.5% and EBITDA margin by 0.4% as the selling price could not recover the increase in input costs. The price of the share of CRH Plc was â‚ ¬15.30 in 2012, as it showed a slight change as compared to 2011 (â‚ ¬15.36). But the dividend was 62.5c and the net return to the shareholders was positive 4%. The overall performance of CRH Plc. in 2012 shows a decline as compared to the performance in 2011. The decrease in the inventory turnover ratio and total assets turnover ratio as compared to 2011 also state the above. Total shareholders’ equity also remained unchanged in 2012 as the net comprehensive income for the year of â‚ ¬0.4 billion was balanced by dividends of â‚ ¬0.4 billion. The year-end net debt of â‚ ¬3 billion was only â‚ ¬0.5 billion lower than the previous year. This is reflected in the debt equity ratio, which also resulted in a decrease as to the previous year. The percentage of net debt to total equity reduced to 28%. But since assets were more as compared to the equity, proprietary ratio

Friday, August 23, 2019

Sally hemings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sally hemings - Essay Example Physical and sexual abuses were part of their slave lives, and family relationships were always unstable because slave trades frequently broke up families. The American colonies practiced this slavery throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, until the American Civil War and leaders like Abraham Lincoln put an end to it. However, even after the abolishment of slavery system, the legacy of slavery influenced the American history, in the disruptive years of Reconstruction. When slavery existed in United States of American, it was considered to be a cruel part of history. However, for Sally Hemings, it was a completely different story. She gave up freedom for many uncertain reasons. The different facets of Hemings as concubine, mother, slave, and the privileges she had for being a slave is analyzed in detail. â€Å"Being a woman added burdens to a slaves life but also furthered the ‘cooperation and interdependence’ necessary for a womans survival†.1 This statement aptly fits the life of Sally Hemings. She was a enslaved woman of mixed-race who was owned by then President, Thomas Jefferson. She was said to have had a long-term relationship with Jefferson, consequently bearing as many as six children with him. She was born in 1773 to Elizabeth (Betty) Hemings and John Wayles, Thomas Jefferson’s father-in-law. She entered Monticello as part of inheritance that was given to his Jefferson’s wife Martha Wayles Jefferson. Initially, she was a nursemaid to Jefferson’s daughters doing household chores and other works that an enslaved woman would do. Later, in 1784, when Jefferson travelled to Paris, Hemings accompanied him with his 8-year old daughter named Martha. It is said that it was during this time that the relationship between Jefferson and Hemings could have developed. There are many instances to show that Sally Hemings gave up her

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Allegory of the Cave in Platos Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Allegory of the Cave in Platos Book - Essay Example One question that thinkers need to answer in the allegory of the cave is; who is the liberator? The fact that this allegory had a symbolic meaning to the manner in which true knowledge is achieved, gives room for many thinkers to deduce that the Liberator is the philosopher. In fact, as one may realize, Socrates advised on the need for those who have seen light to go back and pass the very light to those in the darkness. This would mean, philosophers, taking responsibility in passing true knowledge to those who are yet to receive knowledge. First, Socrates claimed that the prisoners were in a locked cave, chained from birth and unable to move their bodies and could only stare straight at the wall of the cave. This situation would portray human being in the world of the unknown. Moreover, Socrates believed that a person had an inner knowledge that only needed to be shaped, rather than being taught by the teachers. That would be symbolic to the prisoner who only needed a springboard to let him make the first movement towards enlightenment. Secondly, the prisoners in the cave are portrayed as only able to see the shadows of real visible things (Bloom, 1991). This phrase would symbolize human being in the sense where they lack true knowledge of real things that exist. In such circumstances, people would reason under conditions of the depravity of knowledge and imagine that they know everything, yet the true knowledge is hidden from them. Nevertheless, when either the internal force or the external force triggers the already existing knowledge, they would come to realize the true knowledge and live in it. Some of the factors may prevent one from perceiving reality. One is the fear to accept the reality. Here, one may realize that most people would not like to accept the change and cope with it.  

Rituals and festivals Essay Example for Free

Rituals and festivals Essay Rituals and festivals have been a part of traditional European life for many years. They involved all religions, social classes and happened in almost all areas throughout Europe. Back in these times, there were no forms of entertainment like television, cell phones and video games. People depended on one another to entertain themselves. People in Europe would also be punished or tortured in front of the whole town to control public outbursts. An example of this is known as charivari. Some of these festivals and rituals were for political purposes too. Festivals and rituals of traditional European society mainly served as enjoyment, enforcement of public rules, and political purposes in daily life. Festivals and rituals were a type of fun and entertainment for Europeans. In a painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, it shows a picture of Europeans at a carnival, enjoying the days before Lent. Usually the days before lent people indulge themselves with alcohol. In the painting, it shows a man wearing a robe with a bucket as a crown of thorns and a stick as his cane. Jesus Christ is being mocked by representing the violence of Lent. This shows that the people are just enjoying the carnival because they are mocking their ruler (Wikipedia). The picture also shows people running around with drinks and food and also playing games with each other (Doc. 3). In a document by R. Lassels, a French traveler, he comments on Italian Carnival customs. He states â€Å"All this festival activity is allowed the Italians that they may give a little vent to their spirits, which have been stifled for a whole year and are ready to choke with gravity and melancholy† (Doc. 5). Since Lassels is from France, it means he really does not know Italians. So the fact that he said that the Italians really enjoy festivals is true because he could tell when he saw them at the carnival since he does not really know them (POV). In a comment made by Baltasar Rusow, a Lutheran pastor, he talks about the saint’s feast day festival. In one part of his comment, he states â€Å"Around these bonfires people danced, sang and leapt with great pleasure, and did not spare the bagpipes† (Doc. 2). This quote shows that the Europeans were enjoying the festival. Baltasar Rusow is a Lutheran pastor, so since it was the saint’s day feast, he probably was there so he saw first-hand how happy the Europeans actually were (POV). Festivals and rituals let Europeans forget all the bad and have fun with each other. When someone did something wrong in a town, the whole village would come and punish them too. In a  stang song from Lincolnshire England, they talked about a man who beat his wife and what they did to him. The song reads â€Å"Old Abram Higback has been beating his good woman; but he neither told her for what or for why, but he up with his fist, and blackened her eye. Now all ye old women, and old women kind, get together and be of a mind; collar him and take him to the out-house, and shove him in. Now if that does not mend his manners, then take his skin to the tanners† (Doc. 9). This shows that if one person is in trouble or was being abused, the whole town would help you get payback. If there were no rituals then he would have gotten away with it. There were also rituals such as charivari that punished Europeans for crimes. Charivari is also known as riding stang. A Russian official wrote about a woman who was ill after her punishment. He stated â€Å"A village policemen brought her before the village assembly, where they hung on her neck the basket of berries she had gathered, and the entire commune led her through the village streets with shout, laughter, songs, and dancing to the noise of washtubs, frying pans, and bells† (Doc. 10). Since the man was the officer that wrote the report, he may have been bias because he may have stretched the truth to make the situation worse than it actually was (POV). If there was not any ritual of punishment, the lady may have done it again. It shows the rest of the people what will happen to them if they commit a similar crime. Punishments for offenses and crimes were often public and embarrassing. Charivari was a very scary thing for a person. Elizabeth Gaskell, an English author, talked about a woman who forced to ride stang after abusing the other sex. She said â€Å"They hunt the delinquent and mount her on their horse astride with her face to the tail. So they parade her through the nearest village or town, drowning her scolding and clamour with the noise of frying pans, just as you would scare a swarm of bees† (Doc. 8). The purpose of riding was embarrassment. It makes an impact on the suspect and the rest of the town. This allowed the people in the town to enforce laws. Europeans also used rituals and festivals to help support political ideas. A man named Giovanni di Carlo, a Dominican monk, wrote about when rich fathers and their sons would switch positions so the sons will know what to do when they are older. Giovanni says â€Å"their very sons had put on their clothes and the sons had learned all of their gestures, copying each and every one of  their actions and habits in an admirable way† (Doc. 1). The sons learn everything about their father, even the clothes they wear. It gives the father a chance to know what the sons go through and the sons to know how their father’s lives are. If this ritual was not in place, then the sons wouldn’t know what to expect when they are older or they wouldn’t have been able to bond with their dad. Henry Bourne, a man from Great Britain, commented on the rituals in the Scilly Islands. Henry states â€Å"The servant and his master are alike and everything is done with an equal freedom† (Doc. 6). Since Henry is not from Scilly Bourne, he does not know for sure if the servants are treated fairly, making his point bias (POV). This quote shows that the king treats his servant like family because it is a ritual. A police inspector from Toulouse, France showed that certain festivals or arguments had a specific goal. The police officer said â€Å"When a royalist widower of the Couteliers neighborhood remarried, he began receiving raucous visits night after night. Most people who took too active a part were sent to the police court. But that sort of prosecution was not very intimidating† (Doc. 7). This quote is saying that people really respect rituals and customs and if someone is going to break them they will be punished. People really cared about rituals and used festivals and punishment to show that they need to be followed. Festivals and rituals of traditional European society mainly served as enjoyment, enforcement of public rules, and political purposes in daily life.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Mentorship in Professional Practice

Mentorship in Professional Practice The following assignment will critically analyse the mentors role in facilitating learning within the practice setting. It is of importance to define the following terms: mentors role, facilitating learning, accountability, and supporting students who are failing in practice setting. The importance of establishing effective working relationships, an analysis of the learners’ needs, promote effective assessment and the evaluation of learning will be analysed. Finally, the conclusion will be drawn from the analysis of this assignment. A mentor is a clinical practitioner who supports, guides, supervises and facilitates student learning during a clinical practice Stuart (2007). Mentors are seen as a fundamental influence to students in a learning environment where students utilise their theoretical knowledge in to practical, learn key skills and achieve the required competence for registration. Ali et al (2008) also states that mentoring is an important that every nurse has to assume, formally or informally, sooner or later. Historically the concept of mentor dates back from the Greek mythology. Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who left his wife Penelope and son Telemachus, whilst he went to war. Odysseus asked his friend to guide and support his son therefore being his mentor (Pellat, 2006). The author agrees with the above authors as she is an experienced nurse who guides junior nurses, through reflection and feedback in their duty of care. Nursing and midwifery council [NMC] (2008) recommends that prior to the commencement of placement, mentors are to ensure that all students are allocated a mentor one week before to let the student and mentor prepare for the experience. A mentor does not only advise and guide students, but he or she is a role model to junior nurses. According to Morton and Palmer (2002) cited in Ali et al (2008) by being a role model , the mentor provides an observable image of imitation, demonstrating skills and qualities for the student to emulate. NMC (2006) notes that the role of a mentor in a clinical setting is fundamentally focused on the NMC competencies. Chandan and Watts (2012) noted â€Å"that mentor’s role goes beyond teaching knowledge and skills as they alleviate anxieties and supports students with acceptance and socialisation into both the higher education and clinical contexts†. Mentors establish effective working relationship by demonstrating their competence in building adequate skills to support learning for students who will becoming part of the team within the clinical settings. The key role of a mentor is to a help the student integrate into their designated practice setting. Royal College of Nursing [RCN] (2007) suggests that the relationship between a student and a mentor can be achieved by welcoming, orientating inducting and integrating the student into the multi-disciplinary team within the first 24 hours of entering learning environment. Learning can be facilitated by a positive relationship between mentors and students. This can create a mutual relationship built on understanding and empathy facilitating students to maximise their potentials within the clinical setting (Zellers et al, 2008). This relationship between student and mentor can be enhanced by working 40% of direct and indirectly of their time and also alongside the mentors shift patt ern. A mentor supervises the students assigned to her within a practice setting. Taylor cited in Stuart and Sundeen (1997) define supervision as an intensive interpersonally focused, one to one relationship in which one person is designated to facilitate the development of therapeutic competence in the other person. However, Ironbar and Hooper (1989) suggested that the supervisor should be someone with extensive clinical experience and training, who can provide expert support and guidance with well-planned learning opportunities, the provision of support and coaching for students in order to facilitate learning According to Johansson et al, (2010) the relationship between the student and mentor is the most factor contributing to clinical learning experience. Students attain direct knowledge and skills resulting in becoming aware of their roles. Willis report (2012) mentions that â€Å"Effective understanding of collaboration and inter-professional working is a key component of pre- regis tration nursing education†. A well collaborated learning contract can enable the mentor to facilitate learning with a clinical setting. According to (Worrall, 2007) an effective orientation to a clinical placement can help the student to feel relaxed and encourages motivation for learning through early identification of learning objectives. To have the opportunity of being a member of the multi-professional team, the mentor must ensure that the student is fully integrated into the team and working alongside professionals so that he or she can gradually become competent in most clinical of skills. Learning within a clinical setting can be facilitated through the use of a variety of approaches by mentors and staff who have the right skills. Mentors facilitate learning to students by applying reflective learning as a learning technique that reinforces the mixing of theoretical and realistic learning into practice. According to (Pritchard and Gidman, 2012; Carr, Heggarty and Carr, 2010) â€Å"Reflective learning i s an effective tool in supporting mentorship, allowing students the opportunity to reflect on past experiences and to learn from them before moving forward†. (Pritchard and Gidman, 2012) elaborated further that by adopting new teaching approaches, mentors can address students past experiences enabling the students to have some confidence to reflect on what they have learning outcomes. NMC standards support learning and assessment (2008) outlined certain principles to be achieved in order to become a mentor. Mentors’ should be able to create an environment that can facilitate learning by supporting students, encouraging learning activities, off ward learning experiences, assessments, supervision, professional vision and applying evidence based practice within the clinical settings. It is a requirement that all registered nurses are to convey professional knowledge and competence to student nurses by regularly taking part in the learning and development of students through teaching, activities, supervision and assessments NMC (2010). NMC (2008) requirements recommends day to day support for the students’ by their allocated mentors in order to enable student learning experiences and assess practice learning outcomes. This can create a conducive learning environment within a clinical setting by teaching or providing learning opportunities for students an d colleagues through planning, reflective practice and evaluating learning activities. Mentorsare influential in helping the student reach theiraims and objectives. They carry out assessments to ascertain the students level of theoretical knowledge, practical clinical skills and also taking into account the learners previous experiences can aide mentors to facilitate learning. Sharing knowledge and experience with students assist the mentor to identify the student’s individual learning style Ali et al (2008). Therefore a mentor can facilitate a students learning by keeping his or her knowledge and skills up to date by researching into current trends and annual mentorship update. The role of a mentor is to ensure that there is readily available of learning resources, precise learning opportunities and a plan on how the student can achieve the planned learning objectives. Mentors must possess qualities such as a being an educator, good effective communication skills, acting as an advocate and good leadership qualities to institute an effective working environment for student nurses. However this can develop students’ in understand what is expected of them in the near future. Accountability is part of the mentors’ role in facilitating learning in a clinical setting through professional judgments on students’ performance. Mentors are accountable for confirming students who have met their NMC competencies in practice. Learning can be facilitated through appropriate support and supervision in carrying out summative assessment of the student‘s competence when carrying out clinical skills during teaching sessions. Mentors are accountable for every decision and action they make on the care provided by students (NMC 2010). They have the duty to facilitate learning and support failing students by giving constructive feedback and effective teaching sessions. However Duffy (2004) recommends mentors to fail students who are not able to meet the required level of practice because it is the mentor’s responsibility to make the final assessment and to be aware that they are accountable for passing or failing the student NMC, (2006). Keeping su fficient and evidence based records can help mentors to support their decisions. Rodgers (1969) defines facilitation as a style of teaching that assist mentors in understanding students’ effective style of learning that includes student focused learning, none commanded, self-directed reflective whilst involving them in the learning process. Mentors are regarded as effective facilitators in both skills and art because they engage everyone in the learning experience. By acting as an advocate, mentors can facilitate student growth and development resulting in students being able to solve problems simultaneously. Within the clinical setting mentors’ critical reflection as a method for teaching and learning can create an even pathway for the students to pursue their learning journey. According to the NMC code of practice (2008b, p: 5) have the duty to share their knowledge and skills to facilitate students’ and their colleagues development by teaching new skills for example depot injection techniques and completing risk assessment documents. Mento rs can facilitate learning by using physical resources such as teaching aids to enhance learning for students and colleagues within their clinical settings. It is essential for the mentor to facilitate learning to students by encouraging them to attend on and off ward learning activities for example, meetings, practice sessions, student forums and other health departments in order to acquire expertise clinical skills and knowledge and for further development. Mentors must ensure that there is a vast range of potential learning opportunities available to learners in order to facilitate learning and meeting specific students’ learning needs. At the same time the mentor needs to be mindful of the quality of the learning experience and consider how they can further develop the learning environment to enhance the students’s experience. The role of a mentor within a clinical setting is to develop the student clinical skills through teaching and explaining the clinical procedures and to provide the appropriate knowledge base for nursing interventions. Learning can be facilitated by equipping the clinical setting with all useful and adequate resources for carrying out the teaching sessions. Mentors can also obtain new knowledge and skills through their guidance and support of students (Klasen, 2002). Their contribution to a supportive learning environment and quality learning outcomes for students can be brought about by being approachable, supportive and being aware of the student’s style of learning. Mentors plays a significant role in the assessment of student’s level of capability assesses your level of capability student gains the optimum experience from the clinical learning environment. It is also important when embarking on the mentorship course and in house training for other qualified staff to assist students translate theory into practice. Mentors needs additional skills through structured learning activities and teaching sessions to utilise in an environment settings designed for this purpose, Gopee (2011) . Quinn (2000) commented that mentors can enhance students’ skills performance and development in a methodical and acute way by providing the students with feedback and reinforcement. Communication is the most important tool that a mentor can utilise to facilitate learning for students within a clinical setting. As a skilled communicator a mentor needs to establish additional communication skills for the management of students’ complex issues arising within the clinical setting. Components of communication are essential in a clinical setting because mentors are able to exchange information and establish an effective working relationship. Ali and Panther (2008) commented that mentors should use effective communication and facilitation of skills to develop a personal and professional relationship with the students allocated to them. Learning can be facilitated by carrying out the initial, intermediate and final interviews thus allowing the mentor to find out about the student’s previous learning experiences, identifying the individual’s strengths and weaknesses and their level of participation, Doel and Shardlow (2005). Interaction between stude nts and Mentors enables more flexible and individualised learning process using a one to one effective approach within a structured learning environment (Warren, 2010). Enhancing learning through assessment can assist the mentor’s ability to research and prepare an appropriate environment, which is conducive with learning, teaching and assessment. The provision of teaching and learning activities facilitate learning within a clinical setting as it enables the students to achieve the intended outcomes during their placement by relating theory to practice while developing critically reflective skills in order to facilitate learning NMC (2008). Mentors can facilitate learning by providing inter-professional learning opportunities for example integrated skills teaching model. By utilising the Kolb’s (1984) learning cycle mentors can integrate of theory into practice and the art of and science of nursing by using the four stages of learning namely Activist, Reflector, Theorist and Pragmatist. Mentors can facilitate student leaning by having a well-structured teaching session that includes style and space, providing feedback and identifying future learning needs. Learning styles promotes better student integration into clinical settings. Frankel, (2009) states that nurses learning styles promote better integration of theory i nto practice. The ability to critically analyse and evaluate the strengths and limitations of learning, teaching and assessment within their practice area is one of the mentors’ roles. However, through the knowledge the mentor possesses they can develop and present innovative approaches to enhance students’ learning. By carrying out student assessment a mentor can facilitate learning to a student by observing the student during a teaching session where by the mentor is bale to know the student’s learning style for example visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Review of Strategy as Revolution

The Review of Strategy as Revolution Entrepreneurs and managers require a strategic plan in the running of the business organizations so that they may not lose sight of their business objectives. Entrepreneurs are the innovators in the business. They are the ones who identify a business opportunity, they co ordinate the use of resources in the implementation of the business opportunity and eventually they come up with the best mechanism to implement the business idea. A strategy simply means a plan to do something. It refers to a course of action designed to achieve certain set objectives. A good strategy should stimulate change and should serve as a framework in decision making body of the business. Revolution on the other hand refers to the development and adoption of better and more advanced methods of running a business organization (McDonald, 2007, pp. 98). In the article Strategy and Revolution, Gary Hamel classifies companies into three categories in the business world. These include; the rule makers, the rule takers and the rule breakers also known as industry revolutionaries. According to him, the rule makers are the ones who pioneer the building of the industry at all times. They are the creators of industries and they protect the identity of the business (Yodfat Ohanah, 2001, pp. 51). The rule takers on the other hand reflect the goals and objectives of the rule makers. They also try and implement the objectives put across. Eventually there are the rule breakers who revolutionize the entire industry or a section in it. They overturn the industrial order and they are the radical thinkers who revolutionize the industry. Hamels argument is that industries need to act fast and work harder to improve the industry .He believes that this can only be achieved by managers incorporating more innovative ideas and learning to think outside the box. This will safeguard the companys position in the industry ecosystem and safeguard it from losing its market shares to its competitors. According to the article, there are ten key principles that companies in any given industry should follow in order to become revolutionized. In Garys opinion, strategy development is a revolutionary action in an organization. According to him, it is a result of radical thinking and some risk taking on the part of the company. He further argues that radical thinking is mandatory in finding and establishing new market places to trade in .He goes on to say that revolution is important in securing a place in the market place in this era of globalization and digitalization. Hamel believes that for one to be strategic, they must have a gr eat imagination that they are willing to exercise as well as a creative mind. He further stipulates that strategic thinkers are risk takers who are not afraid to take chances and are also not afraid to be wrong (Barney, 2001, pp. 64). Gary does not refute the fact that traditional business aspects that have been used over the years are inefficient. But, it is his opinion that those old management models are no longer equipped to solve the current problems that are arising with the new century. He further says that speed and creativity are mandatory for survival in this era where global competition is prevalent. Gary implies that in the days to come, talent will be more valuable than any title and that the emergence of the internet will act as a catalyst for the 21st century management. He emphasizes on the importance of the internet to organizations stating that it will not only help the managers in managing, but also it will assist in the organization of work and records. Hamel in his article points out that the world is changing at a very fast rate and we have to move at the same pace in order to be able to reinvent ourselves and our businesses. He emphasizes on the need of people becoming flexible in order to a ccommodate the fast adaptation and change. With each day that comes, companies are made to face new sets of challenges in every sector. Therefore companies must be equipped to handle them in the best way to avoid future failure in the business. Gary states that some of the changes affecting the industry are; technological upheaval where the technology in the world is growing at an alarming rate. Therefore, managers have to try and keep up with the emerging trends in order to maintain their standards in the market, globalization, deregulation and society change (Keller, 2003, pp. 85). Despite this, he lays the blame on the companies as in his opinion they are responsible for harnessing the changes that are causes revolution through their actions (Hamel ONeal, 1998, pp. 91). Gary gives principles which he believes will enable a company to revolutionize. He also believes that these principles will assist managers to discover revolutionary strategies. However, its up to the company to read, analyze and interpret them so that they can be able to apply them with respect to their own individual understanding. Companies must rethink their strategies and create room for diversification. Companies must look for ways and means of adding value to the company by using the creativity and inspiration of its employees. This is to enable the company to add value per capita as compared to its competitors in the industry ecosystem (Koontz, 2000, pp. 69). 2. The theoretical underpinnings of the article This refers to the set of ideas that form the basis of something. The article was inspired by the fast changing environment necessitating the author to write it. It aims at psychologically preparing managers and company owners for the chances that are to take place and their effects. Gary Hamel illustrates how the industrial revolution is creeping in the society. He also shows the impact this revolution is expected to have on business organizations and the society at large (Ambachtsheer, 2007, pp. 45). Gary, in his article tries to give companies what he believes is sound advice on how to revolutionize and avoid losing their market share to the competitors. He argues that if companies are reluctant to implement revolutionary ideas in their strategy making, then other more willing companies will do it leaving them stuck on the old management strategies .In his article, Gary uses illustrations that aim at proving to companies that if they do not revert to more innovative management str ategies, they will be overtaken by their competitors (Brown, 1997, pp. 68). Gary further stipulates the importance of teamwork in an organization. He emphasizes the importance of employees and stakeholders being united. He urges managers to be responsive to their employees and take their input in the company seriously. He also urges manager to stop making the assumption that the employees will resist change and implement them. He reminds the managers that they are responsible for the outcome of the company and they must therefore do what they know is right and will benefit the business (Dochartaigh, 2007, pp. 73). Gary discourages the management from avoiding interacting with their juniors since this is the only way they will know for sure which changes are worth implementing and to which areas. In his opinion, he thinks that the executives need to include the three constituencies in the company when making strategies for the company. These three constituencies include; the young people, stake holders and new comers. This he believes will lead to revolutiona ry companies as these new inclusions to the strategy table will offer fresh perspective to the company (Henderson, 2008, pp. 68). Gary talks of the unpredictable nature of the world. He cautions companies from being inflexible as they will have to change with the changing world to keep up with the rest of the world. He further urges businesses to thoroughly challenge and revise their business models to test their relevance to them. He believes that progress is not only possible rather it is inevitable. With the new revolution, Gary Hamel believes and hopes that soon the companies will be more transparent and open and that democracy will prevail eventually. He looks forward to the time when decisions regarding project and investments will be made collectively by employees in a company contrary to the usual handful of executives who make vital decisions pertaining to the business. Hamel argues the importance of looking to the future in order to avoid being pulled down by the methodologies of the past. He urges managers to aim at creating an organization that can thrive and make decisions in the future. He acknowl edges the fact that coming up with new untested strategies is taking a risk but once it is successful, it will boost the company to higher levels in the industry ecosystem (Schmetterer, 2003, pp. 74). Hamel hopes to help companies to learn to use their imagination first rather than rushing to create new rules, businesses and industries. This, he believes, will help the companies understand the industrial landscape. Hamel believes that the article will motivate innovation at each sector of the industry and it will give insight to companies on the rewards that come with revolutionary thinking (Hamel, 2002, pp. 67). 3. What are the strengths and weaknesses in the article? The article basically argues that within each organization there exists a strategy revolutionary. He emphasizes that every business director needs to try and identify who they are so that they can be able to nurture them into becoming integral parts of the organizations strategic docket. However, the article fails to explain the importance of identifying the skills and also the main identifiers to be used (Hamel Breen, 2007, pp. 87). Gary encourages companies to be risk takers since he believes for one to revolutionize, they must be willing to think radically and imaginatively. This is a weakness in the article because if the extent of radical thinking is not carefully controlled, it can cost the company a lot sometimes leading to instances of bankruptcy and closure of the company (Hamel, 1996, pp. 54). However, on the other hand, by encouraging people within a company to think outside the box, they could end up unveiling great discoveries that could change the face of the industry forever. This is a major strength in the article and should not be taken lightly. Strength of Gary Hamels article is that he emphasizes on teamwork. His principles try to encourage teamwork amongst employees at all levels of the company. He believes by interacting, those in the lower levels in the organization will be able to share ideas with their superiors more easily. This will eventually lead to revolution in the company (Piana, 2008, pp. 71). Although Gary in his article lays a lot of emphasize on radical thinking and the need to be imaginative and creative, he does not put across measures to ensure that the extent of imagination and creativity is checked. This is because different people operate at different levels of creativity and may vary in their understanding of radical thinking. This could be very dangerous for companies to indulge in and therefore he ought to have suggested ways of putting some control on this and a way to regulate it. Therefore, as much as revolution is important and mandatory for the survival of a company, it must be put in check and controlled as too much of anything is poisonous.