Selective Reasoning

When the simulation was first assigned, I really had no idea what to expect. I assumed that my group members and I would be creating various written documents, which was clearly not the case. After selecting a group composed mainly of my close friends, we began to read through the various materials given to us to help us successfully complete the simulation. After watching a few of the videos from our customers and reading the given document about Minnesota Mircromotors, we began the simulation.Before the simulation started our group decided that we wanted to put customer atisfaction as our top priority, over market share and profit. After our first quarter, we began to panic because every satisfaction arrow was in the red. Immediately we made changes to everything we did before, restoring us back to equilibrium in the second quarter. From there on out, the simulation ran a lot more smoothly. In our first attempt at the simulation, we played around with the price of the product a lot , trying to keep it lower for Customer D, while also sometimes bringing it up to help increase profits.By the time I took the simulation individually, I realized that playing with the price was a waste of time. What I found best was to keep the price at $142 or $143, ignoring was Customer D wanted. I found over time the discounts to be much more important. We as well as l, always gave Customer D the largest discount, followed by Customer A, Customer B, and finally Customer C. This gave us the highest customer satisfaction while keeping the price relatively the same. For the distributor discount, we kept it relatively constant throughout, but increased it towards the end in order to keep the customers happy.For the sales force emphasis pie chart, we tried a lot of different methods to try nd get the best result. The first few times through the simulation we focused our attention on Customer A and C over B and D. This worked throughout fairly well, but wasn't ultimately the best solut ion. During my last individual attempt, I completely cut out customer D, while giving half of my attention to Customer. Roughly the remaining half was split between A and B, but it fluctuated a little throughout the simulation. This confguration of the pie chart ended with me getting a much larger score than previous attempts.During the group simulations, we put a lot of time into figuring out the best way to plit up spending on large/small customers, as well as retaining those same customers. We argued a lot about which should get more emphasis and which did not. I found that no matter what I did, that the small customers seemed to always be very satisfied. Because of this, what I found to work best was to keep both spending and retaining large customers Just slightly about the small. I kept this relatively simulation, and gave me the best score in the end.Sales force was another aspect of the simulation our group argued a lot about. Half the group thought the sales force was very important, while the other half hought it would be better to use that money in order to enhance our physical product. What I found that worked the best was to leave the sales force at 1 1, but if I really thought it was necessary to get rid of them then to Just do it for one quarter. I noticed that each time I dropped a few for a quarter that my total budget would sometimes increase by $100,000.For that reason alone I did this several times in order to have as large a budget as possible. During the group stages my budget only got up to $800,000, which we thought was very good. When I took the simulation individually I got the budget to increase to $1. million. I feel that managing my sales force correctly played a key role in obtaining more total budget. The first time we took the simulation, we tried getting rid of market research for the very last quarter. This ended terribly for us and caused us to lose a customer satisfaction star from every customer.From then on out I left mark et research at the required $50,000 Just to stay safe. One of the most important parts of the game I found was spending on IMC. After the first quarter as a group, when we did very poorly, we found that putting money into IMC was the best way to increase our profit nd market share. What I found that worked best regarding IMC, was to basically put all additional budget into it. Almost every quarter I did this, my profits would continue to rise. When I did the simulation individually, every time I gained more money in my total budget that money would address IMC first.IMC was definitely the key to the game for me. The single most argued part of the simulation for our group was the distribution of money in Power-To-Size Ratio, Manufacturing, and Thermal Resistance. At first it seemed that no matter what we did as a group some customer would complain about something. No customer complained more than Customer B complaining about wanting more thermal. Our group found ourselves always argu ing over how much money to put into which of the three categories. We never really did a great Job doing so because there was always an unhappy customer.What I found to be the best method was based on sure luck. I really wanted to take some relatively large risks in my last attempt at the individual simulation so I cut out Manufacturing Efficiency Improvement entirely. After two quarters of making a huge profit, I kept that up until the end. This gave me more money to put into important things like IMC, Power-To- Size Ratio, and Thermal Resistance. This kept the customers satisfied for the most part. After being the CEO of Minnesota Micromotors, I found that my ideals before I started the simulation were a lot different from how I feel now.Before the simulation started, our group really wanted to focus on customer satisfaction. For the most part we kept the customers very satisfied and satisfied. I now feel that market share and profit are what were the best ways of achieving a high score. With high profit and market share I was given more budget to work with. This trend kept accumulating ntil both profit and market share were higher than during the first couple simulations. The difference was that my customer satisfaction for my final simulation scores of 55, 60, and 60.My final score was a 75. Taking risks was something I wasn't too fond of at the beginning of the simulation. I thought being conservative was definitely the way to go. Because of this I was really conservative at the beginning with my group, as well as myself. I did the best when I took some risks. I am really glad I took a chance in my last simulation because then I really grasped the fact that sometimes you have to focus on the customers that help ou the most instead of focusing on pleasing all of the customers.Overall, I am really glad we got he opportunity to participate in the simulation. We really got a hands on experience of what we learned in class. I'm glad we got to apply our knowled ge, and I believe I learned a lot from doing the simulation. Although I did a lot better individually, it was very helpful to work in a group at first. We did fairly well compared to the rest of the class, and work as a team really helped with that. I would recommend this simulation to any marketing student because it is exactly how I picture the real world working.

The Brute

The drama essay â€Å"The Brute† by Anton Chekhov is typically referred to that subgenre of comedy known as the farce. What separates a farce from the more pedestrian and commonplace â€Å"comedy† is that it is infused with a sense of whimsy as well as a detachment from reality that, paradoxically, should serve to make it all the more realistic. In the case of The Bear the farcical elements are utilized to heighten the emotional intensity that is under normal circumstances subject to far too much control and restraint to allow it freedom in a work of drama as short as this play.The revelation that love and the realization of love is enough to make Smirnoff undergo the series of truly bizarre and unexpected changes in register could probably only be accomplished in a farce. The arguments that take place between Mrs. Popov and Smirnov serve both to provide the comic material for the play and as a foundation upon which to build Smirnov's growing realization that he succumb ing to the ultimate debt of love. Popov has retained her commitment to her husband long after his death has released her from that debt.Smirnov is a landowner who had lent money to Mr. Popov's husband before his death and who has now shown up to demand repayment because he, in turn, is facing down his own creditors. The cyclical nature of debt and repayment serves as a metaphor for relationships between men and women. The play proceeds from a point of Popov's refusal and Smirnov's reactions. It is the evolution of Smirnov's reactions that is the key to understanding his character.The progression of the play is through dialogue rather than action and the progression of the dialogue of Smirnov is one of self-assuredness-almost cockiness-to a sense of losing control, which ultimately leads Smirnov to realize he has fallen in love. Smirnov boasts that he has â€Å"refused twelve women and nine have refused† him. These are the words of a man still secure in his independence before a woman; an insecure man never admits that a woman has refused him, much less nine. The subject at hand is still the debt as the argument intensifies, but then Mrs.Popov takes it from the financial to the personal. She attacks his very humanity by crying out â€Å"You're nothing but a crude, bear! A brute! A monster! â€Å". Finally, things progress-as it seems it always must-to weapons being brought to bear. Mrs. Popov goes for her husband's pistols, essentially turning the argument into a full scale duel. There is only one problem: Mrs. Popov does not know how to fire the gun. At this point, she ceases to be a debtor and is well on her way to becoming a woman. Smirnov is lost.Smirnov's reactions to Mrs. Popov change considerably after weapons are introduced and since it is clear he has no real fear for his life, this change that comes over only can only be attributed to a death in his original feelings for the widow as his emotional trek comes to a rest a full one-hundred eight y degrees from where he started. Nothing in either his words or his actions could lead one to suppose that any element of truth is expressed when Smirnov asserts â€Å"If she fights I'll shoot her like a chicken! . One can well imagine the Smirnov who first entered Mrs. Popov's home at the beginning of the play actually entertaining this idea-if not actually going through with it-but the words ring empty and hollow by the point at which they are actually spoken. The Bear is a drama-perhaps even a tragedy if one cares to extrapolate what may happen to these two characters once the curtain comes down upon this small moment in their lives-masquerading as a farce. And, of course, it has to be that way.If the events that take place within the short period of time allotted in this short play were played straight and dramatically, Smirnov's strange, comedic odyssey from cold, heartless debt collector to overwhelmed object of love would draw even more laughs, albeit unintentionally. To sho w the absurdity of Smirnov's situation, indeed the absurdity of how any two people come to fall in love, the farce is the writer's best weapon. It provides a method of distancing the audience from realizing they too are characters in a real life farce every time they fall in love.

Marital conflicts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marital conflicts - Research Paper Example Marital Conflict Introduction Marriage in U.S society Marriage is a foundational relationship in American society. According to Gottman and Carrere (1994), 90% of Americans will marry in their lifetime. However, it is found that nearly 44 percent of marriages end in divorce (Teachman, 2009). United States government data demonstrated a slight dip in the divorce rate from the 1980s to the 1990s (Teachman, 2009). However, there is a clear trend in U.S. documented history that divorce is a more viable option for couples, and the dip is negligible. It is also significant to note that many couples that stay together remain unhappy in the relationship for years According to these figures, marriage truly is a risky undertaking in American society. In addition, culture in the United States has been shaped by the growing trend of divorce. The increase of single-parent homes and the financial burdens associated with them, custody battles, and the negative effect on some children of divorce imp act American society. Teachman, (2009) reported negative effects of divorce on parents and children that most children of divorce had demonstrated some emotional distress and behavioral problems. In a study by Rogers (2004), this idea is supported, as she found that young children (under the age of 6) whose parents divorce may be at risk for developmental and behavioral problems. Divorce in U.S. culture does not occur in a vacuum but ripples through society. It destroys families and creates insecurity in children. Divorced adults must pick up the pieces emotionally, financially, and socially and start over, while mending the brokenness of the past. Addressing the communication difficulties couples have before the relationship comes to divorce or separation is important. Divorce is not the answer to the fading communicative abilities of U.S. culture. Many couples find that the problems and unhappiness they faced as individuals while married continue after divorce. Often partners assu me their spouse is the source of their unhappiness. In some cases this may be true, in many it is not. Also, partners assume there will no longer be arguments once they divorce. This is also not likely true. Couples often still argue once they are divorced, especially when they have children together. Divorce is not an easy solution to the work of marriage. Therefore, it is imperative for studies to be done that can be applied practically and can help mental health practitioners develop better understanding of how marriages can succeed, how conflict can be better managed, and how couples can adapt to one another in order to create a healthy, sustained relationship. Nature of Marriage: The Presence of Conflict The marriage relationship provides the possibility of great connectedness and communication. It also provides the opportunity for hurt and relational brokenness that extends beyond the two individuals within the marriage. Rainey (1997) explained, "No other human relationship ca n approach the potential for intimacy and oneness than can be found within the context of the marriage commitment. And yet no other relationship can bring with it as many adjustments, difficulties and even hurts" (p. 10). To succeed, marriages require work-work that is focused in the right direction.

Kate's Ethical Dilemma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Kate's Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example This study outlines that Kate would consider the good for herself regardless of the possible happiness for the three children that they could have had if she had used the money to buy gifts, or without considering the harm for the company in the wide extent, because the extra fifty dollars is going to be recorded as a loss. If Kate is following the utilitarianism theory, she would look at the greatest happiness. She would decide to buy gifts for the three sick children since the total good is the greatest in comparison to the other options: return the fifty dollars to the store, for if she does not, it is going to be recorded as a loss for a company that earns millions of profits, so harm is minimized. As she kept it for herself, she became disappointed to hear that the foundation will not be able to provide gifts for the medical centre this year because of the global financial crises, so keeping the money did not result in the greatest good. Clearly, using the money to buy the children’s gifts would satisfy the theory’s approach. AS the discussion highlights by applying Kantian’s theory to the situation, Kate would only be concerned about the current circumstance, which is that the cashier gave her extra change by mistake and she would be aware that the fifty dollars is not her money, which belongs to the store. Therefore, she would act based on her duty towards the fact that the fifty dollars was given to her by mistake. She would not consider the future consequences of using the money whether to buy gifts for sick children to make them happy, or to keep the money for herself to cover up the reduction in her salary and her mother’s gift. She would return the money to the store ignoring the possible out-comes. If I were in this situation, I would choose the utilitarianism theory. I would consider the consequences on both parties.

Scope for exploiting Big Data and Big Data Analytics in the local Essay

Scope for exploiting Big Data and Big Data Analytics in the local transport industry - Essay Example With great developments in information and communication technology, most of the data produced every day is generated by people all over the world through social networks; however other types of important data are collected using cameras, GPS equipment, satellites and other devices for many uses. Over the last decade, business strategy has become increasingly dependent on information about potential customers and their characteristics. This data is obtained from the huge collection of data referred to as Big Data through processes like data mining and analyzed to help in business strategy. Analytics is the other method of collecting vital consumer information and it involves real time tracking of consumer characteristics. This paper examines how Big data analytics can be used in the transportation industry to improve quality of service, add value to services and develop applications that will enhance service provision in the industry and reduce loss of time and money. The study has d efined Big data and some of the theories that enable its application as well as examined the benefits and challenges provided by big data analytics in the transportation industry locally and globally. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background More data is currently being generated worldwide than at any other point historically. Over the last five years, the volume of data generated globally is estimated to have increased by a factor of six to over 1000 exabytes (Dumbill, 2012). The ‘digital’ universe is expected to reach 8 zettabytes by the year 2015. In general the data explosion is projected to increase with time especially with new data types being developed and increased access to networked devices all over the world including smart phones and geo-positioning devices (Woo et al., 2011). The data being accumulated comes from a wide range of sources. However, the data growth is driven by two main sources working together with decreasing storage costs. The first source for data is the â€Å"internet of things†. A number of sensors collate information on our activities and environment on a daily basis. These connected devices contribute substantially to the amount of information accumulated daily and they are projected to rise from about 4.5 billion devices in 2010 to over 50 billion in 2020 (Dumbill, 2012). The second greatest source of data is the social web of networks where information about human activities is shared on a daily basis. This includes data about human preferences, interests, and locations. On addition to the two major sources of data highlighted above, there are a number of other private sources including hospital records, phone communications, financial transactions, information captured on CCTV and many others. The McKinsey Global Institute has termed big data as the next frontier for competition, innovation, and global productivity (Manyika, 2011). The analysis of masses of unstructured and semi-structured data which some time a go would have been considered prohibitive in terms of time and money is now considered the next step towards business advantage. One of the reasons why this data has turned out to be very important is that great insight can be gained from the data by monitoring the patterns of human interaction. One of the areas in which big data displays great potential is the transportation industry. This is an industry which increasingly showing great requirement for an industrial big data platform. With increasing urbanization and expansion of many cities across the world, traffic management and related challenges are getting bigger by the day. In some of the largest and more congested cities in the

Hardware and Software Standardisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hardware and Software Standardisation - Essay Example From a recent survey done by Symantec involving 500 global companies, it was observed that nearly 50% of those companies "still struggle to manage complex infrastructure built on different hardware and software from different vendors". (Courtney) Upgrading and troubleshooting can be much easier with a standardised set of hardware. Configuring and installing patch upgrades to software also becomes simpler, easing the burden on network administrators. In a heterogeneous environment (i.e. one with many different hardware and software platforms) different expertise will be required for configuration and administration, thus increasing the complexity of administration. Cost reductions are possible due to bulk purchasing. Hardware can be purchased at discounts when buying in multiple units. Software licensing costs can be reduced by applying for volume licensing. Instead of getting per-seat licenses, companies can negotiate for flat licensing schemes which do not depend on the number of seats. (Schweitzer) End user training becomes much simpler with a standard set of software. The support staff finds it easy to troubleshoot queries from end users resulting in minimum disruption for work. Moving within divisions and branches will be without the pain of learning a new set of applications every time an employee changes location. Quick troubleshooting turnar... Installation of licensed software eliminates most problems caused by defective pirated software, lack of documentation and technical support. (Why a License Matters). These benefits indirectly increase the stability of the network. However, standardization is not without its drawbacks. Single vendor lock-in, vulnerability to buyouts of vendors and inability to support varied needs and platforms of certain staff such as designing and publishing staffs are the possible drawbacks. (Schweitzer) The last drawback of not being able to support varied requirements of end users can be reduced to a certain extent by having multiple load images. A load image (or a boot image) is a type of disk file which typically "includes the operating system, utilities and diagnostics, as well as boot and data recovery information" (Boot image). Different boot images can be bundled together with specific application requirements of different user groups. As such, maintaining multiple load images as apposed to a single image can be advantageous. (III) Licensing As noted earlier, software standardisation helps companies to manage their software licensing. The benefits are two fold; cost reductions and ease of administration and liaison. As a result, organisations can fulfill their ethical obligations by abstaining from software piracy and can also guard against severe penalties enforced by stringent piracy laws. Abiding to software piracy laws and proper licensing of all software applications helps a company to become a member of the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST), a professional body formed to combat software piracy. FAST is very strict about its members adhering to the code of conduct put forward by them. Members get a range of benefits including education,

US taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US taxes - Essay Example Ruane William reported that income tax is excluded for foreign income that is less than $ 95, 100 but in mid-December 2011, a minimum tax was imposed on foreign currencies that these companies earn from all the outsourced jobs and other operations (18). Tax increase on wealthy U.S citizens is intended to create a cash reserve for creating jobs for millions of unemployed American youths. This concept will prevent another recession that hit the U.S. in 2010 where a large number of citizens especially in the middle class lost their jobs, unemployment rose drastically and small businesses folded. In the past, the wealthy citizens paid less that 28% of their total earnings as tax while the middle class paid more tax. Job creation using tax reforms will improve the economy of the U.S and that of each household. American companies that outsource their jobs and operations to foreign countries because of cheap labor will be forced to create jobs in the U.S because they will incur losses because of reduced tax on foreign money that they earn. Americans require companies that outsource jobs to foreign countries to create jobs in the U.S and improve both income and working

District Budgetary Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

District Budgetary Overview - Essay Example The schools in the district would require prepare a budget for the period of July, 1 to June, 30 and submit the same for sanction of the governing body by July, 15. The three generally accepted accounting practices include the incremental budgeting, the zero based budgeting and the planning, programming, budgeting system. The incremental budgeting is done the district school where they adjust the budget of the previous year to that of the next year (Hosted, 2012). The zero based budgeting includes starting he budgeting at the beginning of the year. The planning, programming and the budgeting system includes the cost on a per pupil basis. Due to this accounting practice, the fluctuation of the budget is eliminated due to change of demographics. The superintendent and school board responsibilities for building a budget The responsibility of the superintendent and the school board is crucial for building the budget. The responsibilities range from forecasting the enrolment for the next year as compared to the current years, take feedbacks from the supporting staffs and confirm the final budget. The actual enrolment figures are tallied against the projected figures to produce an error free budget. The feedback from the operational staffs is taken to make necessary adjustment for meet the unplanned expenses. The final budget is prepared and presented to the school board for approval. The school board cross checks the evaluations and finally approves the budget for implementation. Key budget terminology The budget is a plan for the financial year in order to meet the expected expenses from the anticipated revenues. The key budget terminologies range from the accounting terminologies to financial terms and accountability of the governing body. Specific terminologies like revenues, expenses, accountability, cash flow, control, fiscal, forecast, supporting schedule are important. The budgetary revenues are the anticipated sources of income for the school and the budgeta ry expenses are the anticipated usage of funds of the school. The cash flow is budgeted and is based on the difference between the budgetary revenues and the budgetary expenses. The budgetary expenses are prepared for a fiscal of one year based on the forecast of the events anticipated in future. A supporting schedule of revenues and expenses are attached in the budget in order to indicate the time line of the cash flows. How the funds in the budget are balanced and coordinated The funds in the budget mainly comprise of government funds and fiduciary funds used for the development of the district schools and its operations. The government funds are allocated as per the specification of the government. The fiduciary funds are the funds available from sources other than the government. The funds are balanced and co-ordinate through budgetary control. The budgetary control is implemented with the help of periodic reports. The reports help to understand the gap between the actual expens es and the budgeted expenses. Thus monitoring and control of budgetary expenses help to balance and co-ordinate the funds (Warren,  Reeve and  Duchac, 2008). The budget monitoring and control is a significant aspect for controlling the expenses against the budgeted figures and provide the direction to achieve the target budgeted plan. The district's budget timeline The timeline for the budget the district is for a period of one fiscal year.

Revised paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Revised paper - Essay Example The challenge is that the pay for some may not be as expected especially in areas where there are many people practicing accounting. It is notable that many people who major in accounting possess love for the profession due to the prospective nature of work and the lucrative payout. I have selected the option of accounting because I bear the love of calculations especially with relation to business since my tender age. My family has business and I found interest in how their finances were, and how I could use the financial data to forecast the future of the business in terms of financial returns. Additionally, I find interest in the dynamics in the economy and businesses with a larger perspective. Thirdly, the remuneration offered on securing a good job with an accounting firm can allow me to live, as I prefer while also enhancing my expertise and doing what I find interesting. I am hopeful that I can develop the necessary expertise in several areas of accounting such as financial accounting, management accounting, tax accounting or auditing. I acknowledge that I require the input of a professional in the accounting field to offer me some orientation. I resolved to set up an interview with a recognized accountant whose name is John Thorn. The interviews aims at providing me with the relevant information about the qualifications, the job requirements and the expectations placed on an individual in the accounting field. Mr. Thorn comes from a long line of accountants in his family. It was not because there were other accountants that he decided to be an accountant. He loved the idea of doing accounting regardless if it was related to taxes, auditing, and finances or for management decision-making. He first did his bachelor of science in accounting at the University of Boston where he qualifies well. He was able to get a job at the L.I in his native Boston where he did minor accounting jobs such as preparing weekly reports on sales. He did not stay long

Macro Factors that Affected Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy Initiatives Essay Example for Free

Macro Factors that Affected Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy Initiatives Essay A foreign policy is a country’s independent strategy or outline of how a sovereign state will deal with the rest of the world or how it will conduct its international affairs; this may encompass such fields as military, economy and politics. The contours of US foreign policymaking strategies were shaped to a large extent by the advantages conferred by geographical isolation of the country, lack of contiguous enemies, absence of historical baggage and the indomitable, independent streak of its early settlers who through their sheer perseverance transformed the vast wilderness of the American lands into an economic, political and military powerhouse unrivalled in the modern era. American foreign policy has seen its ups and downs ranging from a period of isolationism to active participation in world affairs to the unilateralism that characterized the Bush era. However, during the administration of Franklin D Roosevelt, American foreign policy was hobbled by the prevailing isolationist ideology and of course the economic conditions of that time. This essay examines the constraints that Roosevelt experienced in conducting the nation’s foreign policy and what events shaped the contours of Roosevelt administration foreign policy directions. During the American Revolution, The United States convinced France, Netherlands and Spain to join them in the war against Britain which was considered as a common enemy. However, after attaining independence, American foreign policy concentrated on regional matters rather than international matters. The country adopted the Monroe Doctrine which declared that America would not tolerate European interference in the Americas. However, soon thereafter American foreign policy took the stand of not interfering with other states affair in the periods before the First World War. The United States was initially not interested in involving itself in the First World War because it deemed it as a continental Europe affair. Woodrow Wilson as the President initially promised to preserve the tenets of neutrality but then was forced to enter the war on German provocation of disruption of American shipping by U boat attacks. After the war, Wilson initiated the 14 points program and created the League of Nations as also encourage idealism as an approach to international affairs. However, the imperatives of domestic politics rolled back America’s foreign policy directions away from the idealistic approach to its traditional isolationist stand. Roosevelt had internationalist views and wished to play a larger role in world affairs. However the Great depression preoccupied Roosevelt through most of his time. The Great Depression originated in the United States and had been triggered by the sudden collapse of the Stock market, which on 29 October 1929, crashed. â€Å"The shocks to the domestic US economy were a primary cause (Bernanke 2000, 5)† for the depression as the primary sector comprising of mining, farming and logging that had been listed on the stock exchange lost their share prices dramatically. This led to a panic amongst American investors who tried to keep out of the stock market and postpone their purchases of white goods. To get over the Depression, Roosevelt initiated a slew of economic reforms and measures collectively known as the ‘New Deal’. Roosevelt first sought to restore the confidence of the American people in the banking system by passing an Emergency Banking Act and creating a Federal Deposit Insurance Scheme. He embarked on massive public works projects like expansion of Dams, railroads and highways to provide employment to thousands of laid-off workers and cuts in military spending. These cuts in military spending further constrained foreign policy initiatives. The 1935 Neutrality Act passed by the Congress despite Roosevelt’s protestations further restricted the President’s foreign policy initiatives.   These were followed by the Neutrality acts of 1936 and 1937 that further tied down the President. The declaration of the Second World War in 1939, gave Roosevelt an unprecedented third term in office and a chance to redeem the US economy. At one sweep, unemployment was wiped out with youth being employed in the armed forces or in the industries to support war effort. Even then, the isolationists did not wish America to enter the war. Despite the administration’s efforts to reform the Neutrality Bill, the isolationists had a upper hand in the congress and succeeded in   obstructing the passage of the bill right until 1940 (Dalleck 1995, 191). It was only after Roosevelt steered the Lend-lease act and the surprise attack by the Japanese in 1941 that Roosevelt could get rid of the neutrality clauses and conduct the war with full vigor. Roosevelt used the Second World War to build American economy and guide its growth for America’s preeminence after the war. It was his vision and forbearance that allowed President Truman to follow a more ‘muscular’ foreign policy by declaring the famous Truman Doctrine and the Marshall plan that defined the pro-activeness of American Foreign policy from 1946 till to date. One can safely state that the considerable constraints of an isolationist’s tradition and the Great Depression hindered Roosevelt’s foreign policy initiatives, which he had to constantly battle to build America’s relevance on the international scene. Roosevelt succeeded admirably and set the stage for future American Presidents to embark on a more robust international role that today defines American foreign policy. Bibliography Bernanke, Ben. Essays on the Great Depression. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. Dalleck, Robert. Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Pricing strategy of metro cash and carry

Pricing strategy of metro cash and carry In the foreign literature, the retailing theme is deeply approached by numerous authors in the work Principles of retailing, the authors J. Fernie, S. Fernie and C. Moore (2003) present the model of the five competitive forces belonging to M. Porter in the retailing field, the retailers strategic alternatives, after the model of M. Porter and respectively I. Ansoff, the SWOT analysis and a series of other theoretical aspects referring to this sector. P. Kopalle (2009) analyze the price strategies of retailers and the competitive effects generated by them, considering that nowadays, firms do a considerable effort to determine and quantify the competitive effects of price changes, the two elements price strategies and their competitive effects are strongly connected, becoming a particular case in retailing. For those products that a supermarket wishes to take a market-oriented approach to in relation to price, the approach is different (Gibson, 1993). This approach is believed to be based upon product that are seen as having the characteristics of including being purchased regularly, are used by a wide range of consumers who have a high degree of prior knowledge regarding them, and are able to have price comparisons made in relation to competitor offerings (Kumar Leone 1988). In an aggressive competitive environment and an increasing need for operational efficiency and client focused, retailers look beyond their organizations borders in order to develop and extend the resources and competencies of the partners from the supplying chain for creating a superior value and competitive advantages on the market (George et al, 2009). M. Santandreu and R. Lucena (2009) approach the issue of the strategies used by supermarkets, as a part of retailing, hypermarket and supermarket concepts, their dynamics and importance in the economy. An extraordinary introduction in retailing is made by the authors R. Cox and P. Brittain (2004), they presenting in detail the term of retail, its functions, and the place occupied in a countrys economy, theories and tendencies present in this field. Porteus (1990) provides an excellent review, focus on operational efficiency to minimize expected cost. Whitin (1955) was the first to formulate a newsvendor model with price effects. In this model, selling price and stocking quantity are set simultaneously. Whitin adapted the newsvendor model to include a probability distribution of demand that depends on the unit selling price, where price is a decision variable rather than an external parameter (Nicholas 1998). Costs are seen as being the starting point in price decision making according to Monroe (1990) and Nagel (1994). From previous research conducted in New Zealand the predominant pricing strategy employed by most organizations was found to be one of cost plus (Gray et al., 1996; and Varssnji, 1986). As discussed by Kahn and McAlister, 1996; and Simon, 1989 the supermarkets most common method of pricing a product is by using a standard mrk-up across each entire product category. The basis or context for setting the category margins being governed by the elements of location, range of product, and service offering, (Glasser 1998) together with customer convenience, and comparative prices with competitors (Arnold et al., 1983). J. Zentes, D. Morschett and H. Schramm-Klein (2007) approach in the book à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Strategic Retail Management a wide issue: typology of retail organizations, growth strategies, retailers internationalization, supply and logistic platforms management in this field, as well as a series of study cases. One of the most difficult, yet important, issues you must decide as an entrepreneur is how much to charge for your product or service. While there is no one single right way to determine your pricing strategy, fortunately there are some guidelines that will help you with your decision. They are also seen as being able to promote store switching (Kumar Leone, 1988) and to draw customers to the store (Multhern Leone, 1991). While these products are likely to be small in number in relation to supermarkets overall product range their impact is considered to be important to the overall performance of a supermarket due to the image that they create (Kaufmann, smith and Ortmeyer, 1994) and for their ability to increase overall store profits (Walters and McKenzie, 1988). Pricing Strategy Objective Pricing objectives provide direction for action (Oxenfeldt, 1983). To have them is to know what is expected and how the efficiency of the operations is to be measured (Tzokas et al., 2000). Diamantopoulos (1991) suggests that pricing objectives can fall under three main headings relating to their content (i.e. nature), the desired level of attainment and the associated time horizon. Channon (1986), cannon and Morgan (1990) summarizes the fundamental pricing objectives that are; Profit maximization Sales maximization Market Share maximization Price stability in the market Sales stability in the market Discouragement of new competitors entering into the market Maintenance of the existing customers Long term survival Attraction of new customer Creation of prestige image for the company Pricing is a crucial management responsibility that has serious strategic and operational consequences. Among the important items in the marketing mix, price is the only variable that can cause immediate financial impacts. Price can ring the cash register, generate revenue and can influence the profitability of a company. Therefore, it is viewed as the ultimate marketing lever (Shipley Jobber, 2001; Feldman 2002; Wyner 2002; Clemons Weber, 1994; Monroe, 2001). Pricing has tremendous ramifications that permeates into nearly every area of an organization: the marketing process (Wyner, 2002), competitive strategy (Clemons Weber, 1994) and corporate performance (Shipley Jobber, 2001) and yet it is the most disregarded, least understood and ineptly managed variable (Shipley Jobber, 2001, Wyner 2002; Monroe 2001) While revenue management systems help firms maximize revenues, adding optimization tools extend their functionality, and firms are thereby able to find optimal price ranges for a particular sub-segment of business customers (Kimes Wagner, 2001, Kalanidhi, 2001). Pricing Methods Oxenfeldt (1983) defines pricing method as the explicit steps or procedures by which firms arrive at pricing decisions. Cost plus method- a profit margin is added on the services average cost (Ward, 1989; Palmer, 1994; Bateson, 1995). Target return pricing the price is determined at the point that yield the firms target rate of return on investment (Meidan, 1996). Break-even analysis- the price is determined at the point where total revenues are equal to total costs (Lovelock, 1996); Contribution analysis- a deviation from the break-even analysis, where only the direct costs of a product or service are taken into consideration (Bateson, 1995). Marginal Pricing- the price is set below total and variable costs so as to cover only marginal costs (Palmer, 1994). Cost-based pricing methods are the most prevalent in most of the countries (Pricing Society, 2002); (Noble Grucca, 1999) Competition-based methods: pricing similar to competitors or according to the markets average prices (Palmer, 1994); Pricing above competitors (Meidan, 1996); Pricing below competitors (Palmer, 1994); Pricing according to the dominant price in the market- the leaders price that is adopted by the rest of the companies in the market (Kurtz and Clow, 1998). Demand -Based Pricing: Perceived- value pricing- the price is based on the customers perceptions of value (Lovelock, 1996); Value pricing- a fairly low price is set for a high quality service (Cahill, 1994); Pricing according to the customers needs- the price is set so as to satisfy customers need (Bonnici, 1991). Developing and executing a pricing strategy effectively calls for an understanding of the strategic rationale behind prices, having a knowledgeable team of marketing personnel who can reach sound pricing decisions through various model building strategies (Feldman 2002), having suitable technology tools to support pricing decisions (Sung Lee 2000; Clemons Weber, 1994) and having a continuous motivation to execute the strategy over time (Wyner 2002). Shipley and Jobber (2001) believe that pricing decisions should be a multistage process that takes into consideration a wide range of forces that are both internal and external to the company and that impact pricing effectiven ess Research Methodology The most appropriate condition for this case is the qualitative study. Qualitative approach is used when the essential principle of the research is to realize and increase imminent (Ghauri Gronhaug, 2005). The essential characteristic of a qualitative research is that the primary instrument in data collection and analysis is the researcher. The research activities include fieldwork and the process is primarily inductive. The data collections that can be used are the documents data archival data, interview data and direct observation (Merriam 1998). Maxwell (1996) claimed that in qualitative research the main threats of validity are; Description Interpretation Theory So keeping in view the overall scenario of research we will adopt Literature Archival Records Internet Sources Interviews PEST SWOT and Porters Analysis

Rebellion in George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuc

Rebellion in George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest George Orwell’s 1984 and Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest are two excellent and closely related novels. Set in two very different times, these two novels are essentially about the rebellious fighting spirit of individuals. Authority in 1984 is depicted in the form of the Party, which rules over Oceania. In One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched and her staff are the authority figures. 1984’s protagonist, Winston Smith, fights against the Party, and McMurphy fights Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. These two men have several character similarities. The Party and its leader Big Brother play the role of authority in 1984. The Party is always watching the citizens of the Republic of Oceania. This is exemplified in the fact that the government has telescreens through which they can watch you wherever you are set up almost everywhere. Even in the countryside where there are no telescreens, the Party can monitor its citizens through hidden microphones disguised as flowers. The Thought Police are capable of spying on your thoughts at anytime, and can arrest or even kill you on a whim. Not only does the Thought Police find and hunt down felons, but it also scares others into being good citizens. The Party strives to eliminate more and more words from people’s vocabularies. Thus, the Party can destroy any possibilities of revolutions and conspiracies against itself. Its ultimate goal is to reduce the language to only one word, eliminating thought of any kind. The Party makes people believe that it is good and right in its act ions through the Ministry of Truth and through the slogans printed on the Ministry of Truth:... ...o novels have similar authority figures and protagonists. Both novels express the importance of standing up for what you believe in and fighting against authority no matter how difficult. Even though they are both defeated at the end of the novels, the reader empathizes with each of their struggles. The oppressed Winston Smith fought against the evils of the Party while other citizens accepted it and all its lies. Randal Patrick McMurphy battled Nurse Ratched right from the start. He was a leader among the other patients and brought new light to the ward. His fighting spirit, stubborn attitude, and ill temper, however, ultimately defeat him. These two novels were and still are very powerful and moving. Like all novels ever written, 1984 and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest both have their weaknesses. They are, however, well written, gripping, and overall good reads.

An Inspector Calls by J.B.Priestly Who killed Eva Smith? Essay

An Inspector Calls by J.B.Priestly Who killed Eva Smith? There are many different factors involved with the death of Eva Smith that should be considered while asking the question whom ultimately killed Eva Smith. Each one of the Birling family (including Gerald Croft) pushed Eva Smith that extra bit closer to killing herself, but no one person was individually responsible for her death. Whether one person was more to blame than any other it is hard to say. Although these people contributed to her unfortunate end to life, her position in life and society are also greatly to blame. It is Mr. Arthur Birling who starts off the train of events, as he is the first to come in to contact with Eva Smith. Mr. Birling sacked Eva Smith from his factory after she and a few others went on strike, demanding higher wages. As Mr. Birling said to the inspector, 'She'd had a lot to say - far too much - so she had to go'. I don't see that he did anything wrong, anyone in his position would have done the same. And as he says, it's his duty 'to keep labour costs down'. He's a 'hardheaded businessman', as he calls himself, he'd do anything to make as much profit as possible. He wasn't to know what would happen to Eva Smith two years down the line, after he sacked her. As he said 'If you don't come down sharply on some of theses people, they'd soon be asking for the earth'. Although Mr. Birling didn't do anything wrong in my eyes, he wasn't portrayed too well throughout the play. He shows himself to be arrogant, complacent and self-absorbed. One major flaw in Mr. Birling's behaviour is that he seems to show no remorse at all for Eva, and after all he did help drive her to commit suicide. He shows no regret for dismissing E... ...ike ending her life, and she wouldn't be lying on a slab with her insides burnt out. After all, she was the person who decided to kill herself, she could have tried for another job, she could have accepted the money from Eric and she could have made him responsible for the baby, when it came. In conclusion, it would be unfair to put the blame onto one person, when each and every one of them helped contribute to Evas' miserable end to life. It may be more accurate to blame society, her class, and the time in which she lived. No real crime has been committed in this play, but I believe that the Birling family should share the moral responsibility for this young woman's pitiful suicide. Then maybe next time they are about to do something selfish they'll think of the devestation they might bring to others, and not just the benefit they bring to themselves.

callaway golf co. :: essays research papers

Callaway Golf Co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1982, Ely Reeves Callaway had bought his small wedge and putter golf business and called it Hickory Stick USA and created clubs that were enjoyable for the average golfer. He called these clubs the Demonstrably Superior and Pleasingly Different (DSPD) clubs. This was a code he had always lived by. The family of Ely Callaway are not involved with the company today because he was told to choose his successor, and had chose Ron Draqpeau. He is a man who only shared the same vision and thought of golf, but also had the skills as a leader to continue his wonderful golf company. The goal was to make a good product and tell the truth about the game. In those days Ely would provide them to his customers personally in the back of his Cadillac. He made sales calls and talked to pros, amateurs, and those who came to be known as an average golfer. Finally, Hickory Stick USA came to be knows as Callaway Hickory Stick U.S.A, and not too long after that, Callaway Golf.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1985, the company moved from the California desert to its coastal Carlsbad home. Which is presently the main headquarters of the company today as well. This was where he saw opportunities in undeveloped land, along with a talented labor force fueled by the nearby aerospace industry. Around that same time he met and lured a man named Richard C. Helmstetter away from a successful career designing high-end pool cues in Japan. Mr. Helmstetter and his R&D team designed and created a larger, more forgiving stainless steel driver. Today, there are a total of 2,600 employees working with the Callaway Golf Company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Celebrities such as Bill Gates, Kenny G., Celine Dion, and Alice Cooper uses the latest technology of Callaway Golf. Even the pros such as, Annika Sorenstam, Charles Howell III, and Phil Mickelson use Callaway Golf as well! It had eventually become one of the biggest names on the tour.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Callaway had once stated, â€Å" We feel we have been extremely fortunate in our success as a company so much so that we would like to give something back to the community that helped make us so successful.† Therefore in 1993, they have donated $1 million. They were established with the mission to improve the community where Callaway Golf employees work and live. This was the same year that has signed an amateur golfer at the time, Annika Sorenstam, as a staff professional.

Managing Information Overload Essay

In my opinion, organizations are likely to find better solutions thru informational overload using technical and social systems. Information overload has an ability to cause negative effects on an organizations performance. Within, technical and social systems there are a collection of complex components that solve problems within that system. Knowledge management uses the combination and utilization of technology at every phase that is available within the organization. Social and technical framework for management of knowledge is an appropriate method than an organization can use to handle problems due to information overload. In using both a social and technical approach within an organization allows an individual to gain the most insight within their performance. The relationship between people and technology does not matter in the process of solving different performance problems within an organization. The technical system is a tool used to identify problems within the organization that affect its performance. It supports the investment of knowledge management throughout the organization and its people. In doing so, this move enhances the technology and people within the organization to be used as interface models, and IT blueprints to ensure technology is implemented. (Liu & Errey, 2006) Conducting of business is at its present day of age within information technology. Within, the work environments today, they currently have access to various tools that assist with effective communication. (Pijpers, 2010) There is enough evidence to prove how these tools assist within an organization by keeping employees in an organization up-to-date, connect with others, remain productive and engage effectively with one another. In doing so, this shows the development of information technology thru internet and communicational technologies by bringing light problems to informational overload in addition to the increasing pace and development complexity in the society. (Strother 2012) Within an organization, many people find it difficult to deal with the information they receive within a continuous transformation in an organization with the increased unpredictable and complex effects on these actions. This leads the organization to stress and anxiety. (Blair 2010) This makes it challenging for the employees to comprehend the priorities in an organization and focus on the tasks that are achieved. Within reference to the introduction of the module, socio-technological design can be effective in the diagnosis of information overload that are present and not present in other organizations. Without knowledge in an organization nothing is possible and it is necessary to identify which place and at what extent the challenge exists within an organization. For example, within an organization knowledge is in repositories, documents, routines, practices, and processes. Social interaction among members plays a huge role in searching for knowledge. Knowledge management assists in renewing, developing, transferring, and sharing knowledge. This is based on produce value, economic wealth, and organizational performance. (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2010) This process creates value from its intellectual and knowledge based assets. Knowledge management leverges knowledge within an organization to provide a competititive edge. The fuctions within knowledge management acheives the goals of an organization to acquire additional knowledge within its operations to remain competitive. Management of knowledge can take the approach of being technology focused, people focused or social-technology focused. The people focus approach stresses that people are of primary importance in an organization. This results in developing and implementing significant strategies that encourage individuals to develop, store and disseminate knowledge. However, this approach is unable to solve problems alone. Technology management under knowledge management deals with collecting, modifying, storing, and manipulating knowledge through the use of technological resources such as computers and other machinery. Similar to people focus approach, this approach is not able to provide solutions to existing problems alone (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2010) This assumption is made by intoducing new technology by solving the existing problems in performance. Performance is perceived by people as complicated. The two approaches of people focused, and technolgy focused are effective in their area of focus. Therefore, there is a need for a more effective knowledge management approach that is taking advantage of these strengths. (Grant & Shahsavarani) Socio-technical refers to the balance between the social and technical systems that make up an organization. According to the perspective of socio-technical system, the capacity of an organization and its employees to perform effectively depends on knowledge. A systems concept seeks to emphasis a two way relationship between technology and individuals. A socio-technical design has a system of modifying changes, itself, and exploits creative capacities of human resource available for the organization. Computers are unable to make practical and crucial decisions. This means the attention of the human should stay in the loop at all times. These findings are assessed and identified in researching the socio-technical approach to handle information overload. In doing so, it shows for an organization to store and develop its’ knowledge they need to consider its culture and structuring roles. This ensures effective knowledge creation, sharing of information, and storage of an organizations reward system by motivating the employees to gain more knowledge. This is necessary for the organization to consider the huge significant role in the success of knowledge management initiative. All in all, organizational knowledge and knowledge management is the storage of information and additional data. Individuals that possess this ability make effective decisions to determine the success of the knowledge management initiative. This study considers the most significant methods that an organization uses to handle various problems from information overload including its complexity affecting knowledge management (Becerra-Fernandez & Sabherwal, 2010) The most effective approach in an organization is to increase the capacity, advance the intelligence and knowledge of individuals by using the people approach. However, this approach may not be enough because of various intrinsic limitation of the human brain. Thus, by advancing the information processing capacity complements an individual’s decision by making capacity with the support of computers thru technology. References Blair, A. (2010, November 28). Information Overload, Then and Now. Retrieved from The Chronicle: http://chronicle.com/article/Information-Overload-Then-and/125479/?sid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en I. Becerra-Fernandez & R. Sabherwal. (2010). Knowledge Management: Systems and Processes. New York: M.E. Sharpe. J. B. Strother, J. M. Ulijn & Z. Fazal. (2012). Information Overload: An International Challenge for Professional Engineers and Technical Communicators. New York: John Wiley. Levinson, M. (2012). Knowledge Management Definition and Solutions. Retrieved from CIO: http://www.cio.com/article/40343/Knowledge_Management_Definition_and_Solutions Liu, X. and Errey, C. . (2006, February). Socio-technical systems: There’s more to performance than new technology. Retrieved from ptgGlobal: http://www.ptg-global.com/PDFArticles/Socio%20technical%20systems%20-%20There’s%20more%20to%20performance%20than%20new%20technology%20v1.0.pdf Pijpers, G. (2010). Information Overload: A S ystem for Better Managing Everyday Data. New York: John Wiley.

Odysseus vs Gandhi Essay

A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than life, embody the ideals of their culture, embark on a perilous journey, and possess super-human, prominent characteristics. Epic heroes are always larger than life; however, modern day heroes can achieve amazing feats too. Odysseus, an epic hero, demonstrated this through the gods’ interference with his affairs. Poseidon played a major role in knocking Odysseus off course (Applebee, 912). Also, he is so famous, that people all over Greece know him. For instance, the Phaeacians sung about Odysseus’ triumph in Troy to Odysseus just a couple of years after it happened (Mythweb). Gandhi, my hero, achieved independence for his country using only nonviolent protest. This is shown by the â€Å"Salt March†, in which he embarked on a 240 mile march, protesting about the British salt tax, which made it illegal to sell or produce salt, allowing a complete British monopoly (Thenagain). Also, he has quotes that will live on forever, such as, â€Å"Where there is love there is life†, â€Å"You must be the change you wish to see in the world†, and, â€Å"An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind† (Proverbia). These quotes are some of the most used and repeated quotes of all time. In different ways, Odysseus and Gandhi are both larger than life, proving that epic heroes and modern day heroes aren’t very different after all. Another characteristic of epic heroes would be how they embody the ideals of their culture. In â€Å"The Odyssey†, Odysseus warns Polyphemus, a giant, man-eating cyclops, that it would face Zeus’ wrath if he doesn’t treat him nicely (Applebee, 902). This shows us how the Greeks care a lot about a healthy host-guest relationship and vice-versa. The latter is proven when Odysseus slaughters the suitors who didn’t behave well at his castle in his absence (Applebee, 955-960). Also, having their lives spared, the two shepherds were rewarded for remaining loyal to Odysseus, proving that the Greeks admire those who are loyal (Applebee, 947-948). Gandhi, on the other hand, embodies the nonviolence of his culture. Within a month of him simply gathering salt from a beach in Dandi, people all over India were making salt illegally, and more than 100,000 were sent to jail; many fell victim to police violence, but none retaliated or even defended themselves (Herman, 99-101). In fact, as the wise Mahatma once said, â€Å"Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up†. Gandhi also embodies the humbleness of his people. In fact, a man wearing Gandhi’s picture around his neck considered Gandhi to be the sole cause of his recovery from paralysis (since he recovered after uttering the Mahatma’s name). Seeing this, Gandhi said, â€Å"It is not I but God who made you whole. Now will you not oblige me by taking my photograph off your neck† (Fischer, 288-289). This shows Gandhi doesn’t view himself as more than another average man, an amazing trait. Embodying the values in ones culture is also another shared aspect between epic heroes and modern day heroes, narrowing the rift between the two kinds even more. An epic hero always embarks on a long perilous journey. â€Å"The Odyssey†, describes Odysseus’ journey home in a very detailed way. Odysseus faces many dangers on the way, including Polyphemus, a ferocious, one-eyed giant, Circe, a deceptive enchantress, and two sea monsters, Scylla and Charybdis. Polyphemus was a big threat to Odysseus and his crew because he was going to devour all of them, ending their journey (Applebee, 906). Also, if Hermes, the messenger god, didn’t warn Odysseus about Circe’s powers, he would be another smelly swine on her island (Applebee, 920). Lastly, when Circe didn’t warned Odysseus Odysseus that he has to lose six men in order not to get sucked into Charybdis, a whirlpool, Odysseus may have never returned (Applebee, 930-931). Gandhi has gone on a long journey too, the journey to give his country independence. Gandhi began to think of ways for his voice to be heard, but not to hurt anyone. He immediately had followers that joined him in his passive protests. Gandhi’s protests didn’t always go as planned. In fact, he was imprisoned on numerous occasions, including the years 1922, 1930, 1933, and 1942. Just because he was in jail didn’t mean he would stop fighting for his rights. One of Gandhi’s most famous protests was the Salt March from March 12 to April 5, 1930. Gandhi and thousands of Indians marched 400 kilometers to produce their own salt. This was a major statement because any money spent on salt that was bought in India went to Britain. After his march, thousands of people were jailed, but were later freed when Gandhi and Lord Irwin negotiated a deal. Finally in 1947, India declared independence from Britain (Myhero)(Thenagain). Both Gandhi and Odysseus embarked on long, perilous journeys, proving to us once again that a modern day hero can have similar experiences with an epic hero. One trait Odysseus shared with Gandhi is leadership. Odysseus shows his leadership skills countless times in â€Å"The Odyssey†. One of the times it was most apparent was when he saved his men from being trapped on the isle of the Lotus-eaters; â€Å"All hands aboard:† said Odysseus, â€Å"come, clear the beach and no one taste the Lotus, or you lose your hope of home† (Applebee, 898). Another scene where Odysseus’ leadership skills shine is when he goes back to rescue his men from Circe’s hall. â€Å"Eurylocus tells Odysseus what has happened and begs his captain to sail away from Circe’s island. Against Eurylocus’ advice, however, Odysseus rushes to save his men from the enchantress† (Applebee, 920). Gandhi’s leadership skills were the sole reason for India’s independence. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi and 78 male â€Å"activists of truth and resolution† (satyagrahis) started their 23-day-long journey. To each village they passed, Gandhi gave a speech, and more men joined the march each time (Thenagain). This shows Gandhi was able to lead one of the most influential nonviolent protests India has ever seen with ease, using his speaking skills to embolden the shy into joining the resistance. It was he, Mahatma Gandhi, who led the Salt March. That march began a series of protests that resulted in the closing of many British shops and mills (Thenagain), and ultimately the independence of India. Leadership skills are yet another aspect that forms the close resemblance of the two heroic types, epic and modern. Bravery, the classic heroic quality, is what separates heroes from average men. Odysseus and Gandhi, both being heroes, do not lack this quality, but instead it thrives and prospers within their souls. Odysseus exhibits his bravery on countless occasions; one of them being when he worked up the courage to ask the giant cyclops Polyphemus, after seeing the petrifying beast for the first time, to treat them well, lest it face the wrath of the gods. †¦as is custom to honor strangers. We would entreat you, great Sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest† (Applebee, 902). Gandhi has also shown ample amounts of bravery during his journey; an amazing feat showing this being when he started picking tiny lumps of salt in Dandi after his march (), an illegal act. This simple action, this minor crime, this is the pebble that started the rockslide, the small offense which caused India to be free. Heroes, these brave beings cause great things, no matter what type they are. Heroes, by definition, people noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life (Thefreedictionary), are classified into two types. Is there a vast difference between these two types, epic and modern? The answer is that it is plausible for a modern hero to be thought of as an epic hero if he/she has defining, distinctive traits, is larger than life, goes on some sort of dangerous trip, and personifies the values of his/her culture.

Credit Creation

SANDHYA DWIVEDI ROLL NO: 60 SUBJECT: CENTRAL BANKING CREDIT CREATION AND MONEY SUPPLY PROJECT SUBMITTED TO PROF. RASHMI CREDIT CREATION Credit creation is one of the important functions of a commercial bank. It constitutes the major component of money supply in the economy commercial banks differs from other financial institutions in this aspect. Other financial institutions transfer money from the lenders to the borrowers. Commercial banks while performing the same function, they create credit or bank money also. Professor Sayers says, â€Å"Banks are not merely purveyors of money, but in an important sense, they are the manufacturers of money†. The process of credit creation occurs when banks accepts deposits and provide loans and advances. When the customers deposit money with the bank, they are called primary deposits. This money will not be withdrawn immediately by them. Hence banks keeps a certain amount of deposits as reserves which is known as cash reserve ratio and provide the balance amount as loans and advances. Thus, every deposit creates a loan. Commercial banks give loans and advances against some security to the public. But the bank does not give the loan amount directly. It opens an account in the name of the borrower and deposits the amount in that account. Thus, every loan creates a deposit. The loan amount can be withdrawn by means of checks. They create deposits while lending money also. These deposits created by banks with the help of primary deposits are called derivative deposits. Customers use these loans to make payments. While paying they issue a checks against these deposits. The person who receives the checks, deposit it in another bank. For that bank, this will be the primary deposit. A part of the deposit will be kept as a reserve and the balance will be used for giving loans and advances. This process is repeated by other banks. When all the banks involve in this process, it is called Multiple Credit Creation. This can be explained with an example. Suppose, if a person deposits Rs. 1,000/- in a bank. Rs. 1000/- is the primary deposit. The minimum cash reserves ratio is 10% to meet the demand of its depositors. Now the bank can lend out Rs. 900/- i. e. Primary deposit – Cash reserve = Derivative deposit. Rs. 1, 000 – Rs. 100 = Rs. 900 (10% of 1000 is Rs. 100) The bank will give the amount to his creditor only in his account which is opened in his name. The borrower can deposit the amount with the bank. The bank can lend out Rs. 810/- out of Rs. 900/-, which has come back to the bank in the second round as primary deposits. This process will continue and if there is no cash leakage the credit creation would be processed as in the below figure: [pic] This process can be explained with a formula. Total credit created = Original deposit x Credit multiplier co-efficient. Credit multiplier co-efficient = 1/CRR x 1/10% = 1/10/100 = 10 Total Credit created = 1000 x 10 = 10000 If CRR rises to 20%, the credit created will be 1/20/100 = 100/20 = 5 So 1000 x 5 = Rs. 5000/- It is clear, that the amount of credit created depends upon the cash reserve ratio. Higher the CRR, lesser will be the credit created and vice versa. Limitations: ? Credit creation depends upon the amount of deposits. ? There exists an inverse relation between credit creation and cash reserve ratio. During inflation the CRR will be high to reduce credit. ? Banking habits of the people are well developed; it will lead to expansion of credit. ? Loans are sanctioned by banks against some security. If enough securities are available, then credit creation will be more and vice versa. If all commercial banks, follows a uniform policy regarding CRR, this credit creation would be smooth. ? If the liquidity preference of the people is high, the credit creation will be less and vice versa. ? If business conditions are bright then demand for credit will be more. ? Customers should be willing to borrow from the banks to facilitate credit creation. ? Credit control policy of the Central Bank, for example during the depression, the RBI encourages the commercial banks to expand credit. CONCLUSION:- To conclude, we can say that credit creation by banks is one of the important & only sources to generate income. And when the reserve requirement increased by the central bank it would directly affect on the credit creation by bank because then the lendable funds with the bank decreases and vice versa. MONEY SUPPLY The total supply of money in circulation in a given country's economy at a given time. There are several measures for the money supply, such as M1, M2, and M3. The money supply is considered an important instrument for controlling inflation by those economists who say that growth in money supply will only lead to inflation if money demand is stable. In order to control the money supply, regulators have to decide which particular measure of the money supply to target. The broader the targeted measure, the more difficult it will be to control that particular target. However, targeting an unsuitable narrow money supply measure may lead to a situation where the total money supply in the country is not adequately controlled. In economics, money supply or money stock is the total amount of money available in an economy at a particular point in time. There are several ways to define â€Å"money,† but standard measures usually include currency in circulation and demand deposits. Money supply data are recorded and published, usually by the government or the central bank of the country. Public and private-sector analysts have long monitored changes in money supply because of its possible effects on the price level, inflation and the business cycle. That relation between money and prices is historically associated with the quantity theory of money. There is strong empirical evidence of a direct relation between long-term price inflation and money-supply growth. These underlie the current reliance on monetary policy as a means of controlling inflation. This causal chain is however contentious, with some heterodox economists arguing that the money supply is endogenous and that the sources of inflation must be found in the distributional structure of the economy. Purpose: Money supply data is recorded and published in order to monitor the growth of the money supply. Public- and private-sector analysts have long monitored this growth because of the effects that it is believed to have on real economic activity and on the price level. The money supply is considered an important instrument for controlling inflation by economists who say that growth in money supply will only lead to inflation if money demand is stable. Convention: Because (in principle) money is anything that can be used in settlement of a debt, there are varying measures of money supply. Since most modern economic systems are regulated by governments through monetary policy, the supply of money is broken down into types of money based on how much of an effect monetary policy can have on that type of money. Narrow money is the type of money that is more easily affected by monetary policy whereas broad money is more difficult to affect through monetary policy. Narrow money exists in smaller quantities while broad money exists in much larger quantities. Each type of money can be classified by placing it along a spectrum between narrow (easily affected) and broad (difficult to affect) money. The different types of money are typically classified as M's. The number of M's usually range from M0 (most narrow) to M3 (broadest) but which M's are actually used depends on the system. The typical layout for each of the M's is as follows: †¢ M0: Physical currency. A measure of the money supply which combines any liquid or cash assets held within a central bank and the amount of physical currency circulating in the economy. M0 (M-zero) is the most liquid measure of the money supply. It only includes cash or assets that could quickly be converted into currency. This measure is known as narrow money because it is the smallest measure of the money supply. †¢ M1: M0 + demand deposits, which are checking accounts. This is used as a measurement for economists trying to quantify the amount of money in circulation. The M1 is a very liquid measure of the money supply, as it contains cash and assets that can quickly be converted to currency. †¢ M2: M1 + small time deposits (less than $100,000), savings deposits, and non-institutional money-market funds. M2 is a broader classification of money than M1. Economists use M2 when looking to quantify the amount of money in circulation and trying to explain different economic monetary conditions. M2 is key economic indicator used to forecast inflation. M3: M2 + all large time deposits, institutional money-market funds, short-term repurchase agreements, along with other larger liquid assets. The broadest measure of money; it is used by economists to estimate the entire supply of money within an economy. Fractional-reserve banking: The different forms of money in government money supply statistics arise from the practice of fractional-reserve banking. W henever a bank gives out a loan in a fractional-reserve banking system, a new type of money is created. This new type of money is what makes up the non-M0 components in the M1-M3 statistics. In short, there are two types of money in a fractional-reserve banking system: central bank money (physical currency) commercial bank money (money created through loans) – sometimes referred to as checkbook money. In the money supply statistics, central bank money is M0 while the commercial bank money is divided up into the M1-M3 components. Generally, the types of commercial bank money that tend to be valued at lower amounts are classified in the narrow category of M1 while the types of commercial bank money that tend to exist in larger amounts are categorized in M2 and M3, with M3 having the largest. The Reserve Bank of India defines the monetary aggregates as: †¢ Reserve Money (M0): Currency in circulation + Bankers’ deposits with the RBI + ‘Other’ deposits with the RBI = Net RBI credit to the Government + RBI credit to the commercial sector + RBI’s claims on banks + RBI’s net foreign assets + Government’s currency liabilities to the public – RBI’s net non-monetary liabilities. †¢ M1: Currency with the public + Deposit money of the public (Demand deposits with the banking system + ‘Other’ deposits with the RBI). †¢ M2: M1 + Savings deposits with Post office savings banks. M3: M1+ Time deposits with the banking system = Net bank credit to the Government + Bank credit to the commercial sector + Net foreign exchange assets of the banking sector + Government’s currency liabilities to the public – Net non-monetary liabilities of the banking sector (Other than Time Deposits). †¢ M4: M 3 + All deposits with post office savings banks (excluding National Savings Certificates). [pic] Link with inflation: Monetary exchange equation: Money supply is important because it is linked to inflation by the â€Å"monetary exchange equation†: MV = PQ †¢ M is the total dollars in the nation’s money supply †¢ V is the number of times per year each dollar is spent †¢ P is the average price of all the goods and services sold during the year †¢ Q is the quantity of goods and services sold during the year where: †¢ velocity = the number of times per year that money turns over in transactions for goods and services (if it is a number it is always simply nominal GDP / money supply) †¢ nominal GDP = real Gross Domestic Product ? GDP deflator †¢ GDP deflator = measure of inflation. Money supply may be less than or greater than the demand of money in the economy In other words, if the money supply grows faster than real GDP growth (described as â€Å"unproductive debt expansion†), inflation is likely to follow (â€Å"inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon†). This statement must be qualified slightly, due to changes in velocity. While the monetarists presume that velocity is relatively stable, in fact velocity exhibits variability at business-cycle frequencies, so that the velocity equation is not particularly useful as a short run tool. Moreover, in the US, velocity has grown at an average of slightly more than 1% a year between 1959 and 2005 (which is to be expected due to the increase in population, unless money supply grows very rapidly). Another aspect of money supply growth that has come under discussion since the collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 is the notion of â€Å"asset classes. † Economists have noted that M3 growth may not affect all assets equally. For example, following the stock market run up and then decline in 2001, home prices began an historically unusual climb that then dropped sharply in 2007. The dilemma for the Federal Reserve in regulating the money supply is that lowering interest rates to slow price declines in one asset class, e. g. real estate, may cause prices in other asset classes to rise, e. g. commodities. Percentage: In terms of percentage changes (to a small approximation, the percentage change in a product, say XY is equal to the sum of the percentage changes  %X +  %Y). So: %P +  %Y =  %M +  %V That equation rearranged gives the â€Å"basic inflation identity†: %P =  %M +  %V –  %Y Inflation (%P) is equal to the rate of money growth (%M), plus the change in velocity (%V), minus the rate of output growth (%Y). Bank reserves at central bank When a central bank is â€Å"easing†, it triggers an increase in money supply by purchasing government securities on the open market thus increasing available funds for private banks to loan through fractional-reserve banking (the issue of new money through loans) and thus grows the money supply. When the central bank is â€Å"tightening†, it slows the process of private bank issue by selling securities on the open market and pulling money (that could be loaned) out of the private banking sector. It reduces or increases the supply of short term government debt, and inversely increases or reduces the supply of lending funds and thereby the ability of private banks to issue new money through debt. Note that while the terms â€Å"easing† and â€Å"tightening† are commonly used to describe the central bank's stated interest rate policy, a central bank has the ability to influence the money supply in a much more direct fashion. Conclusion: Assuming that prices do not instantly adjust to equate supply and demand, one f the principal jobs of central banks is to ensure that aggregate (or overall) demand matches the potential supply of an economy. Central banks can do this because overall demand can be controlled by the money supply. By putting more money into circulation, the central bank can stimulate demand. By taking money out of circulation, the central bank can reduce demand. For instance, if there is an overall shortfall of demand relative to supply (that is, a gi ven economy can potentially produce more goods than consumers wish to buy) then some resources in the economy will be unemployed (i. . , there will be a recession). In this case the central bank can stimulate demand by increasing the money supply. In theory the extra demand will then lead to job creation for the unemployed resources (people, machines, land), leading back to full employment (more precisely, back to the natural rate of unemployment, which is basically determined by the amount of government regulation and is different in different countries). However, central banks have a difficult balancing act because, if they put too much money into circulation, demand will outstrip an economy's ability to supply so that, even when all resources are employed, demand still cannot be satisfied. In this case, unemployment will fall back to the natural rate and there will then be competition for the last remaining labor, leading to wage rises and inflation. This can then lead to another recession as the central bank takes money out of circulation (raising interest rates in the process) to try to damp down demand.

Bismark and the Unification of Germany Essay

1. a. The reference made here to ‘our national development won in 1866’ is an allusion to the additional power Prussia gained after its â€Å"Seven Week’s War† with Austria in 1866, which changed the balance of power in the German states, making Prussia, in stead of the now-defeated Austria, the leader of the Germanic countries. b. The â€Å"heredetary Prince of Hohenzollern† is actually the prince from the Prussian royal family chosen by the Spanish to be their leader. France had complained, and sent an ambassador to the Prussian king to get his assurance that the prince would forever renounce the Spanish throne. The king refused, and wrote a telegram to Bismarck telling him of this. This telegram (though modified here) is the one published in Germany by Bismarck in order to gain public support for a war on France. 2. The source of the telegram had been Ems, where the Prussian King was taking a leave of absence. The king sent this telegram to Bismarck to inform him of the turn of events pertaining to the French ambassador. The ambassador had wanted the king to agree that he would bind himself â€Å"for all future time never again to give his consent if the Hohenzollerns should renew their candidature†1, meaning that the king would agree to never again let any person from the Prussian royal family take power in Spain. 3. Prussia was â€Å"compelled† to go to war with France in the sense that Prussian nationalists and the public demanded it, as an upholding of Prussian honor. If Prussia did not go to war with France, it would seem as if it was afraid of her and her (Prussia’s) respect among other countries, and her own people, would be diminished. What Bismarck fundamentally means is that Prussia had to uphold her honor in the face of French insults. 4. Doc. B, that is to say the excerpt from Bismarck’s memoirs, shows us that Bismarck is above all skilled at justifying himself: he very well tells us that Prussia was â€Å"compelled† to go to war France, whereas any logical deduction would dictate it was not so. However, he also shows himself to be a master politician, taking into account among other things public opinion, and being able to both manipulate it and recognize its importance. We also are shown that he is not at all shy about using deception and propaganda to achieve his aims: it was the omissions from the Ems telegram, when it was sent to be published, which made a public furor and gave Bismarck, and Napoleon III, the public backing for war. Of his aims, more is clear: it is apparent, especially if one knows the context in which this event takes place, that Bismarck wants to expand Prussian control and power, by reducing those of others. He had already done this with Austria, and now again he wanted to prove Prussia’s power against France. 5. a. This comic, or caricature as it might be called, is a very interesting doorway to comprehending Bismarck’s philosophy. In it, he is pictured in the process of breaking eggs, and saying to the kitchen maid (who could be taken to be the King of Prussia) â€Å"you can’t make omelets without breaking eggs†. This can be taken to mean that Bismarck is saying that in order to make something good (or better), one has to unavoidably destroy other things. Taken like this, it would seem that he is saying that in order to make Prussia greater, one inevitably ruffles some feathers. b. The usefulness of these documents is severely limited: the first is a caricature, a drawing, so maybe the artist compressed the message he wanted to give, so that it would go with the image, thereby destroying some of its authenticity. However, this ‘compression’ thereby allows a very large amount of information to be presented in a format comprehensible by a very large body of people (drawings). The second document (B) is somewhat different: it is an excerpt from Bismarck’s memoirs. The problem with this format is that Bismarck perchance was not totally forthcoming in these writings, knowing they would become public. Also, written by Bismarck, they would tend to show only one (the Prussian) side of the story. However, the memoir gives us also a rare insight into the thoughts of one of history’s greatest men. Sources As a general guide for context, the following source(s) were used: * Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopedia Deluxe 2001 – Article(s): â€Å"Bismarck, Prince Otto Eduard Leopold von† (c)Microsoft Corp. 1997-2000 (c) All rights reserved 1 From Reflections and Reminiscences, Otto von Bismarck. This is a quote from the telegram as it was published, in its modified form, in Germany.

Are Economic Sanctions A Humane Alternative To War or Are They Simply Essay

Are Economic Sanctions A Humane Alternative To War or Are They Simply a Tool of Coercion - Essay Example Some sanctions, such as that placed upon South Africa during the 1980's, have proven very successful; others, for example the one waged upon Cuba by the United States, have proved to be singularly unproductive and even harmful to the sanctioning nation. In between these poles are examples such as that of Iraq, where various kinds of sanctions were tried over the years before war finally ended the impasse. These three examples are also interesting because each represents a different kind of sanctioning body. International, unilateral, and consumer bodies were involved in Iraq, Cuba and South Africa respectively. As well as considering the role each group plays in creating and developing the sanctions, it is also necessary to consider whether economic sanctions actually prevent military action, whether they help or hinder regime change, and whether there are any better alternatives to the current system of economic sanctions, with specific reference to 'Smart' or targeted sanctions. Wikipedia also notes that: "Economic sanctions are frequently retaliatory in nature". Some consider that there are three general policy objectives which make the application of economic sanctions useful. The national security objectives also can be applied to international security, such as that enforced by the UN. Clearly, the first two categories are the most well known, but nations may impose sanctions for economic situations, sometimes in connection with the WTO. The question of who approves and enforces these sanctions also makes a considerable difference when examining the impact of sanctions upon all of the countries involved, and why, is also relevant. Countries usually apply economic sanctions as a diplomatic measure between condemning a certain regime and taking military action: It has become almost a diplomatic necessity to level sanctions prior to military intervention to show that all other options have been exhausted. (Slate.com) It is therefore clear that some economic sanctions are put in place as an appeasement measure to other countries before invasion takes place. Economic sanctions are popular because they offer what appears to be a proportional response to challenges in which the interests at stake are less than vitalthey thus satisfy a domestic political need to do something and reinforce a commitment. (Haass) There is no unanimous opinion on why sanctions are a valid way of controlling another country's government. While the late Pope was firmly opposed to the use of sanctions, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops considered sanctions to be a "Non-military alternative to the terrible options of war or indifference" (usaengage). Whether

Human Services and its Concern with Human Care Article

Human Services and its Concern with Human Care - Article Example Necessarily this approaches yield the basis for the four-category model theory in order to categorize the human service organizations. The uniqueness of this model lies in the fact that it makes a high contribution to the societal wellbeing that is based on the conjunction of the needs and the recipients. Also only three of the four approaches can make the definition of human services. These approaches, the differentiated approaches, the universal basic, the universal optimal approaches to define the human services and their needs and the characteristics prove their efficacy. In the changing context of a Post modern era, as the concepts of basic have been interpreted from different points of view, the two basic welfare approaches have to define the grounds basic human needs. Necessarily these approaches result into the concepts of â€Å"quality of life†, â€Å"human rights†, â€Å"social welfare†. But at the same time the universal optimal approaches are to prepa re congenial criteria for the concept of human services. These approaches are outlined in such a way that they are ordained to include all of the services that are offered in a modern state. One of the weak points of these approaches is that they often ignore the concept of Human services as social services that are designed to meet human needs. The concept of care is often confronted with the policies that are directly or indirectly related to the cultural factors and issues regarding age, sex and gender. Also these issues are related to the structure of the various institutions of human society. These factors issues of culture and society are interrelated with each other in such a way that any adverse effect on one of them affects others in a difficult way.

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 11

Music - Essay Example The dynamics of this section are very quiet, often referred to as pianissimo. Keyboard instruments and lack of singer’s voice identify the section’s timbre. The sections pitch is low. The second section begins after one minute and fifty seconds and ends three minutes into the song. The dynamics in this section are moderately quiet, referred as mezzo piano. The timbre in this section is different since the singer’s voice and string instruments are introduced. The pitch is moderately low (Sigman and Bonfà ¡, 2009).  . The third section starts after the third minute and ends after four minutes and twenty seconds. The dynamics of this section are moderately quiet – mezzo piano. String instruments are maintained which maintains unity with the previous section. However, there is no singer’s voice. The last section’s dynamics are moderately loud, known as mezzo forte. The singer’s voice and keyboard instruments characterize timbre in this section. The pitch is moderately high. This piece is designed for an ensemble. This is because it contains four different section, each with a different idea. It also comprises of different instruments and vocals. The closest musical style to this piece is acoustic or folk-rock (Sigman and Bonfà ¡, 2009).  . This is because the dynamics range from very quiet to moderately loud. The instruments used are keyboarding instruments and string instruments, which are also, used in acoustic music styles. This piece could be for education

Macro analysis of Pulp Fiction (1994) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro analysis of Pulp Fiction (1994) - Essay Example Thus the movie viewer knows something is about to happen, probably a "hit." And from the way these two wiseguys talk, the viewer knows they are cold killers, professionals, so whoever is going to get "whacked" are in for it. At an apartment building, they go up the elevator and end up in front of a door--but theyre too early. So they "hang back." Finally the time arrives to execute their mission. They enter the apartment, question the inhabitants, fetch some precious suitcase, then shoot the living daylights out of their targets. Even in the hands of a less creative director, the interesting-ness of this scenes plot (written by Tarantino and Roger Avery) could provide passably entertaining fare, but under Director Tarantino, with his use of incongruous dialogue, a modern-yet-rundown-60s-type set design straight from Alfred Hitchcocks "Psycho" and the ability to elicit wonderfully different/surreal performances from his actors, the result is something entirely new, refreshing, engrossing, and enjoyable. If theres a phrase that captures this fresh magic, it is "out-of-placedness." The films dialogue is "out of place," the scenes are "out-of-place" in a linear sequence, the characters are "out-of-place." The rich dialogue would be more likely be overheard at a geek convention, the movies scenes are non-linear and interwoven like an Escher painting, the characters with their strange mannerisms and interest in pop culture, though realistic and very human, seem to exist only in a world all their own. As a show of his talent, Tarantino has made all this work. The movie viewer, expecting the tension, the drama and suspense of the Crime & Gangster genre and the mood of film noir, is not disappointed because Tarantino shows respect for the genre and the noir style. "Pulp Fiction" is never campy or over the top. Director Tarantino has made sure his actors all perform their lines and actions as grittily realistic as possible. The movie does not parody nor