A Brief Note On Membrane Technologies And Its Effect On...

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT Membrane technologies usually play a big role in wastewater treatment processes. Recently, due to the stricter regulation for drinking water quality, improvements of membrane materials and modules, smaller footprint, relative simplicity of installation, membrane technologies have drawn an increasing attention in water treatment processes [1]. Recent years, population growth, urbanization and industrialization has rapidly increased the clean water demand, however, the anthropogenic activities brought by these development, such as wastewater discharge, waste disposal and fertilization, has endangered the water supply by polluting water resources. Especial for the drinking water supply,†¦show more content†¦Membrane technology was firstly used for desalting purpose. In order to improve drinking water supply, sea water desalination has been employed in many coastal areas as a supply of high-quality water, without impairing natural freshwater ecosystems [3]. Membrane technology desalination facilities, based on reverse osmosis technology, has been employed past two decade to replace early large-scale thermal desalination which results in a large emission of greenhouse gases. At present, reverse osmosis is the most energy-efficient technology for seawater desalination and is the benchmark for comparison for any new desalination technology [3]. As the developing of the technology and increasing high quality water supply, some other pressure-driven membrane technologies have been employed for multiple purposes in water treatment industry, including desalting, disinfection by-product (DBP) control, disinfection (pathogen removal), clarification, and removal of inorganic and synthetic organic chemicals[2]. Besides this, other related membrane technologies, such as MBR technology, also have been employed to upgrade the conventional water treatment facilities to meet the higher water quality requirement. 2. APPLICATION OF MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGIES IN DRINKING WATER TREATMENT PROCESS During last few years, membrane technology has been widely accepted as a means of producing high quality clean water from variety of water resources. In addition to

Loans with Interest in Early Christianity and Islam Essay

Rami Ibrahim 0641174 BADM 4370 – History of Business Instructor: Michael Morrone Individual Assignment Loans with Interest in Early Christianity and Islam February 7, 2012 When an individual thinks of religion, the first thing that comes to a believer’s mind is the nonnegotiable worship of a supreme being(s) as a source of tranquility whenever he/she is in distress. On the other hand, to a pro-secularization individual, religion only causes pricey conflicts between different cultures and is considered an outdated practice which should not have a place in today’s society. What people in general tend to forget about religion is that it their respective figures like Prophet Muhammad and Jesus wanted to promote a way of life that†¦show more content†¦Similarly the selling of barley for barley is Riba except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount, and dates for dates is usury except if it is from hand to hand and equal in amount.† (Umar). From an economical perspective, what the Prophet of Islam is referring to here is the idea that only the actual value of dates should exist in any trade transaction. Fo r example, a bank giving out a loan for 100,000 dollars with an interest of 10% means that the 10,000 interest to be paid does not actually exist in the economy and hence to the prophet this is considered riba because the bank is gaining money out of nowhere. 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Internal and external analysis of Lenovo free essay sample

1. Introduction This report will analyze the business strategic management of Lenovo Company. Firstly, it briefly presents the business model of Lenovo. Secondly, the report will focus on internal and external environment of Lenovo, expounds business and operations strategy of Lenovo. Thirdly, it analyzes the strategic choice and strategy implementation. Then, it focuses on key features that how to choice strategic and factors to achieve successful implementation. Finally, it gives a brief summary of this report. 1. 1 Background of Lenovo Lenovo Group was established in 1984, today it has grown to become a large enterprise groups which has diversified development in the information industry (Chuan, 2007). Now Lenovo is consist of the original Lenovo Group and the former IBM PC Division. Lenovo uses innovation, high-efficiency and customer satisfaction as its business model, devotes itself to create excellent PC, as well as invests in emerging markets (Liua Trevor, 2009). As one of the leaders in the global PC market, Lenovo develops and produces computer, sell the most reliable, secure and easy-to-use technology products, provides professional services to help global customers and partners to succeed. Lenovo Group is headquartered in New York, USA, at the same time, it established two main operations center in Beijing, China and the North Carolina, Raleigh, United States, and it also established two major research centers in Japan and China (ibid). Currently Lenovo has more than 19,000 employees all over the world. Lenovo has worldwide selling network in PC market. In March 2004, it was ranking the second biggest PC companies in the world (ibid). 1. 2 Products of Lenovo Lenovo is becoming the second largest PC maker in the world after its acquisition of IBMs personal computer business in 2005 (Chuan, 2007). The main productions of Lenovo are the ThinkPad line and the IdeaPad line of notebook PCs and ThinkCentre line of desktops. Lenovo Group segments its market to retail consumers, medium size businesses and large enterprises. According to its distribution channels, it divided its market through online sales, company-owned stores, chain retailers, and major technology distributors and vendors (ibid). 1. 2. 1 ThinkPad The ThinkPad line was originally sold by IBM in early years. Since early 2005, Lenovo merger and acquisition IBMs personal computer business, therefore the brand was owned by Lenovo (ibid). The consumer group of ThinkPads is mostly businesses men, schools, and individual users. It is the unique laptop in the world which has been used on the International Space Station. 1. 2. 2 Lenovo IdeaPad The IdeaPad line was produced in January 2008. This product line is based on Lenovo’s own research and development. Unlike the ThinkPad line of notebooks, the IdeaPad has fashion appearance, its design is not for the commercial market, and it’s more suitable for the average consumers (Caulfield, 2012). The Ideapad has a glossy screen, smooth and responsive keyboard made the buttons have the sense of reality. 1. 2. 3 ThinkCentre In 2003, IBM produced the ThinkCentre line; in 2005, merged IBM’s personal computer business, and acquired five years’ usufruct of the IBM PC brand; but since 2008, the products of ThinkCentre and ThinkPad stopped using this brand (ibid). Now ThinkCentre has three types, A types(A55,A60)? E types and M types(M52,M55). 1. 3 Why do people buy Lenovo? Consumer needs means that consumers’ desire of purchasing a good or service. With the development and progress of society, high tech products gradually stepped into the life of normal people (Wei, 2004). Consumer needs is a concept and it can lead to consumer behaviors which make consumers to seek inexpensive products and get more tangible benefits. There are six main factors influencing consumer behaviors: attitudes, motivation, perceptions, personality, lifestyle, and knowledge (ibid). Lenovo has 3 major Competitive edges compared with other PC markers (ibid). 1) Ethnocentrism: The main market of Lenovo is china. It is a domestic brand of China, so Chinese people can easily accept this brand. 2) Price: Compared with other brands, the price of Lenovo’s products is lower with the same configuration, because the cost of products of Lenovo is lower, including labour cost, raw materials and so on. 3) After-sale service: In China, customer can immediately get feedback from customer service. There are about 1250 after-sale stores around China, 87 after-sale stores abroad. 1. 4 Lenovo’s Dual-mode business model Lenovo builds dual-model to sell its products. The dual-mode includes transaction client mode (referred to as the T-mode) and relationship-based customer model (referred to as R mode) (ibid). T-mode, also known as the product model , is the retail form of Lenovo products, consists of three processes, the products goes through the manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and then reach to consumers. Lenovos sale is not directly facing the market, but to face the channel system which has strong market coverage (Chuan, 2007). The core ideas of the T mode are Sell In, Sell Through In (STI) and Sell Out. Sell in Refers to sell Lenovo products to distributors, which means distributors purchase directly from Lenovo (ibid). STI Refers to Lenovo products sales to dealers from distribution store. This does not mean that Lenovo only need to transfer its products from Lenovo store to the distribution store, and it also needs to help distributors to transfer the products from the distribution stores to the stores of the dealer. Sell out refers to help the dealer sale products to consumers, reach the terminal sales. R model is a business model which Lenovo uses to sell its products to enterprises and other large customers on a wholesale basis (ibid). The concept of operation management is to divide different customer values accurately, in order to reduce the cost of selling. The major factors of R model are industry development, customer management, and daily operation administration. Industry development is to search for the customer groups; Lenovo has a clear division of the military, government, education, finance, telecommunications, energy, public utilities, transportation, manufacturing, distribution, media, service, and twelve other main industries, to develop a detailed development program with different industry (ibid). Customer management is using RAPD and RFM tools to have a refined management. Daily Operation Administration is used to enhance channel management, using some customers care activities to maintain good interaction between distributors and customers (ibid). 2. Internal and external analysis of Lenovo Lenovo hopes occupied the international market through global expansion in the nearly future. So, an exhaustive internal and external environment analysis can help Lenovo to understand the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat. Enterprise business environment analysis can include an internal as competitive environment analysis and an external as macro economy analysis (Henry, 2008). In this report, we will use the Porter’s five forces model to analyse the internal business environment of Lenovo and analyse the external business environment of Lenovo through the PESTEL model. 2. 1 Porter’s five forces model for internal analysis 2. 1. 1 Bargaining power of suppliers According to the product and procurement requirements of Lenovo, there are two types of suppliers (Caulfield, 2012). Some suppliers have strong bargaining power in the core components of the computer procurement and there is no substitute for Lenovo. For example, Intel is the world’s largest computer CPU supplier, he can control the supply and price of the computer CPU (ibid). Because Intel has the most advanced technology and manufacturing processes. Moreover, AMD as another product lines rather than it as a substitute of Intel for the products of computer manufacturers (ibid). There are many suppliers also have the advantage, like WINDOWS, NVIDIA, AMD, ATI, Western Digital, etc. However, other suppliers are lack of the bargaining power. These suppliers provide some low-tech accessories, Such as computer case, keyboard, AC adapter, etc. (ibid). Lenovo has a great choice for such suppliers, and a huge purchasing volume. So, the competition between these common suppliers is fierce. 2. 1. 2 Bargaining power of customers There are mainly two categories in Lenovo’s customers. The one is organization procurement like corporate and government department (Quelch, 2006). Those customers usually have a lot of purchases and often have a standardized tendering procedure. Moreover, Lenovo needs these customers to promote the brand in the international market at this stage. Therefore, these customers have a strong bargaining power. However, although the average consumer is a very large consumer groups, but they are very disperse, coupled with Lenovo’s online sales model (ibid). In addition, Lenovo’s ThinkPad brand has great brand recognition, and has many loyal customers. So, the bargaining power of average consumer is low. 2. 1. 3 Threat of new entrants Computer manufacture is a kind of high capital investment industry, and it requires a lot of development and technical personnel (Biediger, etc, 2005). New entrants may be able to have a lot of capital, but it is difficult to get a lot of development and technical personnel in a short period of time. Moreover, according to those top computer manufacturers like HP, Lenovo, DELL, they are all operations as internationalization. Therefore, the role of brand and channel for the global management is very important. Lenovo spent $12. 5 billion to purchase the PC business of IBM in 2004, and spent seven years to integrate the brand and channel resources (ibid). This illustrates the establishment of a brand and channel is a long process. So, the threat of new entrant is low. 2. 1. 4 Threat of substitute products The mainly product of Lenovo is personal computer, its main function include internet, office and entertainment. The use of the computer is irreplaceable in the office area, because the high dependence of people on the computer and office, and no any substitutes can bring the convenience like computer in office areas so far. However, with the popularity of some new Internet access devices, such as ITV, Tablet and Mobile phone. These new internet devices were instead more and more proportion of the computer access to the internet. For example, the shipments of iPad were more than any one of the global PC manufacturers quarterly shipments in the fourth quarter of 2011 (Caulfield, 2012). Because these new Internet devices more compact and convenient. For the entertainment, computer also has many threats from substitute products, like PS3, WILL and XBOX. These TV game consoles are powerful substitute for computer games. 2. 1. 5 Competitive rivalry within an industry The competition of computer manufacture includes business servers and consumer market. In the business servers market, HP and DELL are both strong competitors. In the consumer market, Lenovo has more competitors, such as HP, DELL, ASUSTEK, ACER, SONY, etc. These competitors have a different strategy and advantage, the high degree of competition in the computer industry has led to faster product replacement (Gonela, 2009). Competitors have to develop new products to provide newer and better products for consumers, on the other hand is also working to reduce costs in order to achieve the purpose of price cutting (Handley, 2011). Therefore, Lenovo is in a highly competitive industry. 2. 2 PESTEL model for external analysis 2. 2. 1 Political Because of the state-owned background, Lenovo get a lot of policy support in the local market. The Chinese government put forward the plan of the computer to the countryside in 2009 (Savitz, 2011). This is a key policy of expanding domestic demand, and Lenovo has quickly established sales channels and expand sales. In addition, Lenovo has the early advantage on government procurement in China. However, due to the variability of the international political factors, Lenovo needs to be more flexible in the face of a variety of situations in the international market. 2. 2. 2 Economic According to international economy 2012, Smick point out that Slowdown in world economic recovery and global economy will continue to slow growth in the 2012. Developed countries face the pressure of high rate of unemployment; domestic demand is also declining (ibid). This is a chain reaction of macro-economic. However, investments maintain high growth in the computer industry, because of the Pressure on the development and upgrade (Quelch, 2006). Moreover, due to the impact of the U. S. subprime mortgage crisis and the debt crisis in Europe, export-oriented emerging economies has been seriously affected (ibid). Then, the appreciation of the RMB has led to the rising cost of Lenovo exports. 2. 2. 3 Social Computer industry has a large customer base, especially the local market of Lenovo. The demand of computer is rapid increase in developing countries, such as the number of Internet users has reached 5. 13 billion in China (Caulfield, 2012). Then, the rapid development of network infrastructure in developing countries, and it greatly increases the scope of the use of computers. Moreover, education market, industrial users and rural market are the guarantee of sales. They have a larger demand for product updates (ibid). 2. 2. 4 Technological Electronic products updates very quickly, especially in the computer industry. Computer products need to be constantly developing new products improve product performance and optimize product design (Chuan, 2007). But for the computer manufacturer, some core technology is monopolized by a few companies, such as CPU and operating system (ibid). This led to the upgrade of computer manufacturers can only passively, technologies and products has been a lot of constraints. In addition, the battery is the largest Technological bottlenecks of mobile devices now (ibid). This has seriously affected the experience of the use of electronic devices, but still not a good solution. 2. 2. 5 Environment Recycling of electronic products has been a problem in various countries, because the materials of electronic products contain many toxic substances (Chuan, 2007). Therefore, more and more developed countries were pushing environmental protection standards for electronic products in recent years (ibid). Those environment protection standards will form powerful barriers to trade for Lenovo. 2. 2. 6 Legal The laws of the computer products is not very sound in the local market, Such as parallel computers, computer quality, battery safety, etc. However, in the international market, most developed countries have a strict law and consumer protection provisions for computer products. Such as Samsung and Apple, they launched a fierce competition on the shape of patent issues in Europe (Caulfield, 2012). The lawsuit brought serious losses to both sides. So, Lenovo need to pay attention to features of the product in different legal environment. 3 Strategic choice of Lenovo 3. 1 Definition of strategic Strategic refer to select some available and reasonable options for implementation. The strategic analysis and choice is the most significant part of the company (Henry, 2008). 3. 2 Structure for making strategic choice Identifying what options are available is the first step of generally process of strategic selection. The company should figure out the reasonable options. And the types of the options about products, markets, and services. All the situations which are for instance who should involved in the choice, when will take it to action, and the choice criteria assessment intent should be considered (James, 1986). 3. 3 Options for markets and products This chart shows that the present and new market geography. It is represents the relationship between market need and product in detail (Ansoff, 1965). The first main option is â€Å"do nothing†. It means that the company should stay the original strategy to make sure about their position in the market. For long term considering it is a good way for the company to compete with different kinds of competitors. (Ansoff, 1965). The options which are called product development and market development represent about create a new product or satisfy the market. These two are not difficult to understand in the basic level, but they should make specific plans in the practical operation. The other option is diversification. It divides to two types which called related or unrelated as well. Taking a new product into a new market is the object of diversification. People prefer this option because it is very attractive, at the same time it is also challenging and risky (ibid). Whether the new product adapt to the new market, the first situation must be considered is the manger should well know about the market and do lots of research. Then how long the product can keep and the profit of the product should be analyzed. In practical, the manger should according to the different situation select the options wisely. Moreover evaluate those different available options are necessary. 3. 4 The strategic choice of Lenovo The leader of Lenovo wants to solve the problems in 2001 are: how to maintain the high speed of the company’s turnover, in order to achieve the goal which is the turnover reach to 600 billion RMB in 2003; and how to gradually improve the marginal profit ratio and return on asset with the aim of have a better share price performance in capital market, then give the shareholders more payback (Biediger, etc, 2005). These two problems actually are the objects of the company. There are also restrictions between two aims: they not only could not expand aimless but also could not over conservation. The turnover of Lenovo group is 272billion HKD during 2000 and 2001 (ibid). Considering the digital china spin-off, deduct the turnover of digital china above 80 billion HDK, the turnover of Lenovo is 190billion HKD after adjustment during 2000 to 2001 after the regulation (ibid). It is far away from the object. The capital market put their focus on net profit than operating income. It is said that Dell’s gross profit rate higher than Lenovo’s 50% until the end of December in 2001 (ibid). The leader of Lenovo once clearly stated that they will try to keep or even increase the existing gross profit rate. And the truth is Lenovo cannot compete with international competitors in the area of marginal profit ratio and return on asset. The lowest share price of Lenovo in 2001 is 2. 5 HKD, and the highest is 6. 95 HKD. (ibid) But it is very satisfied that in the first quarter of 2002 the share price of Lenovo become 3. 3-3. 5 HKD 9ibid). The main reason of this situation is the depression of whole IT industry. Hence the turnover of the company decelerated growth and low gross profit. The main product of Lenovo is their private brand PC, while the circumstance of the PC industry is not so good. Especially in 2001 it all appear the trend of decelerated growth both domestic and external market (ibid). According to the report of Dataquest, the global pc shipment is decrease 4. 6% than previous year, American is worse to 11. 1%. If the forecast of IDC will be verified, the global shipment will drop to 1. 6%, it will be the first worldwide drop, and American which has the biggest PC market may drop to 13% as well (ibid). At that time most of the PC product of Lenovo will sale in domestic market. The sales growth of international PC market is far away from china, but has the same fierce competition; comparing with the international competitors, it has lots of disadvantages in the area of brand awareness, distribution channel. Not good at cost of manufacture as well. In addition the products going to the international market will investment a lot in the early days. Otherwise short term investment may affect the profit rate. On the other hand, the rates of gross profit of whole global PC manufacture are usually very low except Dell Company. Dell adopt driven by order production system and give up multilevel of agent distribution, pursue directly distribution. So that it is a good way to have a low inventory turnover. It is also a good way to face the market directly to avoid give more profit to agents. Lenovo adopt the way of build to order, inventory turnover days are 30, and also implement multilevel channels of agency distribution (ibid). This pattern impact on the capability of Lenovo improves the gross profit ratio; restrict the investment in large scale of price off promotions, market expansion, media and research development. In such circumstance, in order to realize the high growth object, Lenovo choose the option of diversification. From 2001, it established three professional work areas which are internet, cell phone and IT. Hopefully these three areas could support Lenovo’s prospect (ibid). 4 Strategy implementation of Lenovo Strategy implementation is the translation of chosen strategy into organizational action so as to achieve strategic goals and objectives. Strategy implementation is also defined as the manner in which an organization should develop, and amalgamate organizational structure, control systems, and culture to follow strategies that lead to competitive advantage and a better performance. Also, there are key supporting points to achieve successful implementation: Action planning (which means that a clearly schedule of each action steps of a company), organization structure (a company’s strategy must fit their current structure), human resources (managers should consider about their communication needs), the annual business plan (necessary financial commitment in the planning process), monitoring and control (for instance: changing the schedule, changing the action steps or the objectives) and finally, linkage (to make sure that all of the organizational activities are keep together) (birnhaum, 2009). Lenovo set the goal as the turnover reach to 600 billion RMB and gradually improve the marginal profit ratio and return on asset with the aim of have a better share price performance in capital market, but until 2004 they did not reach the goals because of lack of experience and clear market position (Xiao, 2009). Lenovo’s turnover is still around 200 billion RMB in 2004, they lost in every business except computer, and the loss of mobile phone even reached 62 million RMB (ibid). Lenovo think the main reason is that they have been excessive optimistic to the environment. They did not accurately predict the market change. The other reason that made Lenovo lost in the past three years is that they ignored an important competitor- Dell, when Dell first entered Chinese market, Lenovo keep been in the state of observe instead of take any action, so that Dell occupied domestic market and shake Lenovo’s position. Lenovo also lost because they did not have enough management ability of diversification business; they did not predict enough of the development to the diversification business strategy. Those reasons not only impacted on supply of new business development, but also impacted on the competitiveness of their core business. Lenovo draw up a new planning based on the failures before. The general aim of the new planning is to focus on current main business. There were three adjustments of this plan; one is that Lenovo should focus on the primary business. Primary business is also the same thing as core business, which means PC and relevant products for Lenovo, for example: laptop, server and external equipment, secondary business is about mobile communication equipment like mobile phone. They paid more attention on core business and key developing business; make sure that resource input is suitable for the importance of business. Old strategies in past two years like IT service and internet products have temporarily been to the third business (Deffree, 2007). The second plan adjustment is change the sale mode to against Dell. Lenovo decide not to keep the mode of distribute sales and introduce straight sales mode. Their new sales mode has been seen as complex marketing mode combine by straight sales and distribute sales. They implementing phone marketing and client marketing (which means straight sales) mode to important clients; enhance channel sales mode to retail clients and small and medium- sized enterprise clients. But channel distribute sales mode is still the most important sales mode of Lenovo’s IT products, 80% of sales is still based on channel sales mode (Kotler, 2003). Expect the adjustment and innovation of sales strategy, Lenovo also adjust their firm management framework more close to marketing and sales. Because PC is Lenovo’s main business and important supplier of profits, especially it is easier to entry to the industry now, Lenovo gain a lot of competitors such as IBM, Dell and TCL, which made them, know that they should make a change of their structure and marketing strategy on the PC products. The third adjustment is to be more internationally. Lenovo increase the development and integration of international business to against difficult income situation. Lenovo announced to sell their IT service to AsiaInfo which is a Chinese telecommunication software company. This deal is a stock rights replacement trade, so that Lenovo get 15% (which worth 3 billion RMB) stock rights of AsiaInfo. After this deal, Lenovo become the biggest shareholder of AsiaInfo. After this deal, AsiaInfo’s main business includes two parts: one is the original business, which communication software and professional service; the other one is based on IT service of Lenovo, plus the non telecommunication IT service of AsiaInfo (Lenovo, 2004). Lenovo’s new strategy adjustment is aim to strengthen its own advantages, in the meanwhile overcome threaten of environment. Competition of PC marketing is very fierce; rate of profit is low. But Lenovo has its own advantages like high brand awareness in domestic market, good clients’ relationship and management experience. Focus on the primary business not only makes Lenovo merger IBM’s PC department, but also brings Lenovo many benefits: firstly, makes Lenovo able to achieve a lot of technique of PC; secondly, perish a strong competitor and thirdly, they can develop international market quickly because of IBM (Spooner, 2004). The second adjustment of Lenovo is to change the sales mode, but Lenovo should consider clearly how to divide important clients and less important clients, how to coordinate the price difference between straight sales and distribute sales and also they should consider about implement possibility. Except these specific business strategies, Lenovo should also think about how to improve firm management ability, and gain innovation ability. Outstanding strategy and implementation are based on good management foundation. Although Lenovo can get technical patent by purchase IBM’s PC department, a company long-term development is on account of it innovation ability and it is just the weakness of Lenovo. 5 Conclusions To sum up, the internal and external analysis report of Lenovo. Firstly, Lenovo’s business model and background has been described. Though Porter five forces model and PESTEL model to analyze the company internal and external environment, and then several strategic choice have been given. Finally, according to all the information mention above to put forward implementations. Through this report, Lenovo strategy management in future has been clearly identified. But it may adjust based on marketing change. References

The Life Of Andy Warhol Essays - The Velvet Underground, Pop Art

The Life of Andy Warhol Never before have I encountered more intriguing works of art than those done by Andy Warhol. I have been curious about his life ever since I saw his work in Milwaukee. I saw his famous work of the Campbell's Soup Can. By viewing this, one can tell he is not your average artist. I'm sure his life is full of interesting events that shaped him into who he was. As an artist myself, I would like to get to know the background of his life. I may then be able to appreciate his styles and understand why and how his works were created. His life is as interesting as his artistic masterpieces. Andrew Warhola (his original name) was born one of three sons of Czech immigrants, somewhere in Pennsylvania on either August 6, 1928 or on September 28, 1930 (the date on his birth certificate). His father died when Andy was at a very young age. Thus, it forced Andy into a deep depression containing lack of self confidence. Much of his young life has been kept secret. However, he did report being very shy and depressed because he never felt comfortable with his homosexuality. His childhood life may have been full of the torture that children threw at him for being the different person he was. He was able to attend college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in pictorial design from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949, he went to New York City with Philip Pearlstein, who was a fellow student that later became a well-known realist painter. In 1960, Warhol finally began to paint in earnest and to view art seriously as a career. He began his career with commercial drawings of women's shoes. In 1961, an early manifestation was his Dick Tracy, an enlarged version of the comic strip that was placed in the window of Lord & Taylor's department store. He followed in his own footsteps to keep going in the ever-so-famous "pop art" track. Warhol's use of images are so close to the images themselves, thanks to the photographic silkscreen technique, which is a process of applying the same image over and over again without changing the original. In 1963, he began turning film into his next aesthetic. He was the recorder of the world around him. Warhol saw this world as populated by hustlers of various sorts, motivated largely by money and the goods it would buy. Later that next year, he started to experiment in underground film. In the late 70's he began to use sex and nudity to gain attention in his films. Whether this was moral or not; it did, however, work. The rest of his short life was spent visiting with celebrities and keeping up with the world's times. He tried to understand how the rest of the world saw things, but just never got there. Sadly, Warhol died of a heart failure on March 9, 1987, still wearing his famous blond hair wig. Andy's diaries are not actual written records of his day to day accounts, but they are audio recordings of his phone conversations to Pat Hackett every Monday through Friday (from Wednesday, November 24, 1976 to Tuesday, February 17, 1987, just weeks before his death). Warhol originally intended these daily records to be documentation of his minor "business" expenses. He was just audited and felt the need to be extra careful. "In a word it was a diary. But whatever its broader objective, its narrow one, to satisfy tax auditors, was always on my mind" (Warhol xvi). Later on, he felt the diaries were a great way to explain his everyday occurrences for more than a decade of his life. This view of his life from his eyes is probably the most balanced view ever given. He may have changed since the 60's, but it is still the truest representation of Andy, himself. He never expressed the key happenings of his life; it's as if we, the readers, already knew them. He just usually mentions the quick everyday type things such as a cab ride to uptown New York. The first major influence on Andy Warhol's life was the stepping stone

Introduction Essays (664 words) - Termination Of Employment

Introduction Essays (664 words) - Termination Of Employment Introduction Bank of Maldives Plc (BML) is the national bank of the Maldives , established on November 11, 1982. The main business of the bank is retail banking , in addition to handling development banking activities in all the atolls . Its services include electronic banking , loan facilities, credit cards and debit cards . BML has 27 branches, including four in Male, the capital, one in Ibrahim Nasir International Airport ( Hulhule ' Island) and one each in both Villingili ward and Hulhumale LO 4.1 Reasons for cessation of employment. Retirement The voluntary termination of employment upon reaching a certain age. Applying to drafts to redeem by paying out sum of money, to withdraw from the market by buying back a voluntary leaving of public office or other form of employment, a leaving the court room by the jury to consider the case or by the judge to her chambers Reasons for retirement in bank of Maldives are due to the age of the employee, that is 65 years but if the employee is willing to work they can stay in the organization but that is also if there was not enough employees in the organization to take his/her position. Resignation; Resignation is the process by which an employee gives notice of his or her intention to terminate the employment. There are several reasons for employment resignations. They are: In bank of Maldives the reasons that are being used are due to the long working hours, and not getting enough salary and also the employees can't spend the time with their family due to long hours of work. Employees feeling underappreciated- the organization not reminding the employees their contributions are a value to the organization. Workload- due to the heavy workload employees tend to resign Job offers- due to the better job offers employees tend to leave their job Strict rules and regulations- If the employee is late for work their salary will be deducted and if the employee get absent for the work for three days they will be dismissed. Illness- due to the illness that makes the job impossible for the employee to do the job To go to abroad for a better education dues to not getting opportunities for further education in Bank of Maldives. Redundancy Dismissal Dismissal simply means termination of employment by the employer. There must be a good reason for a dismissal and the dismissal must be carries out fairly otherwise the employee may have a personal grievance claim against the employee. Can be dismissed for gross misconduct without the employer going through the normal disciplinary procedures. This can happen if the employee is violent towards a colleague, to a customer or to the property of the organization. Illness- can be dismissed if the employee have an illness that can make the job to be impossible to do. If an employee is dismissed he/she has the right to ask the employer for a written statement of the reasons for dismissal. This requests can be made up to 60 days after they find out about the dismissal. The employer must provide the written statement within 14 days of such a request. If not the employee may consequently be able to raise a grievance after the required 90 day limitation period. A substantial reason- you may be dismissed fairly if you are sent to prison LO 4.2 Employment Exit procedures for Resignation This procedure is a guide for Bank of Maldives staff in managing the cessation of a staff member's employment with the organization. The employee exit procedure is followed to ensure both bank of Maldives and the employee understand the reason for discontinuing the employment, that no security breaches occur and to gain valuable feedback from the departing employee. Procedure steps https://www.paperrater.com/plagiarism_checker studymode.com/essays/The-Fhisr-Exit-Strategy-1814973.html http://mob.mhcc.org.au/media/1225/hr-staff-resignation-termination-procedure-2012-12-12.pdf http:// www.nada.org.au/media/15324/staffresignationterminationprocedure.doc

More Amazing Recommendation Letter Samples from Teachers (Part 2)

More Amazing Recommendation Letter Samples from Teachers (Part 2) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Last time we review how you would go about writing great recommendation for a student strong in literature or engineering (click here to see that post!) This time, we continue the series and go over a strong social science recommendation as well as a general hard-wroker recommendation. Update: We just made our two-part guide one-part. You can access it all here: Go to our full recommendation guide! What's Next? // Are you a teacher writing recommendations for your students? Read all about how to write an outstanding recommendation letter for your students, along with what not to include. Are you or a student you work with applying to a selective school, like Harvard? Learn about what kind of letter she should get for the Ivy League. Now that you've read these examples of strong teacher recommendation letters, check out these examples of bad ones. Warning: rec letters may appear better than they actually are. Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Profeading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profeading - Essay Example During the period I was around; I help her take her breakfast. She ate a little bit of her food and drank all her boast. She was a very religious woman, very sweet and shared some of her favorite verses with me. She also prayed for me and one of the students while we were helping her to toilet. The other student helped me put her into her Jerry chair. As we made her bed, I notice that she was very lonely and had suicidal thoughts. She confided in me that her husband and daughter died three years ago. As a result, she often got confused and cried a lot. The loneliness was unbearable for her and caused her to have suicidal thoughts. The dietician walked in while we were talking and asked her about her appetite. She asked her if she liked her boasts and if she wanted more added to her diet. She declined, saying that she did not wish to increase her hospital bills. However, the dietician assured her that adding more foods to her diet would not increase her bills. The second day at the clinical was also immensely enjoyable and extremely beneficial. I learned that some patients needed a lot of psychological support and that most of them refused clinical interventions for fear of increasing their bills. In this regard, I learned that it was important to give them all the information they need to make important decisions regarding their

Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs Research Paper

Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs - Research Paper Example In this article, Bhattacharya and Sood address the economic costs of obesity to the society. Through various statistics the authors found out that the existing healthcare program caters for the problems of obese people through the use of funds from normal individuals which should not be the case. Regarding this , the authors suggest that the obese individuals should pay higher premiums to cater for their healthcare problems and to be more cautious with their dietary choices. The importance of this article to this bibliography is that it brings an economical analysis of the costs of obesity. Bhattacharya, Jay, et al. "Does Health Insurance Make You Fat?" July 2009 . Web. 17 April 2012. In this article, the authors critically analyze the concept of healthcare premiums. The authors argue that health insurance tend to make individuals less concerned about their health problems hence increasing cases of obesity. The authors have also indicated that programs such as Medicaid and Medicare fail to address the problem of obesity.... Regarding this , the authors suggest that the obese individuals should pay higher premiums to cater for their healthcare problems and to be more cautious with their dietary choices. The importance of this article to this bibliography is that it brings an economical analysis of the costs of obesity. Bhattacharya, Jay, et al. "Does Health Insurance Make You Fat?" July 2009 . Web. 17 April 2012. In this article, the authors critically analyze the concept of healthcare premiums. The authors argue that health insurance tend to make individuals less concerned about their health problems hence increasing cases of obesity. The authors have also indicated that programs such as Medicaid and Medicare fail to address the problem of obesity. Moreover, the authors have suggested that a difference in wages in which obese people are paid less will help them to take necessary measures regarding health. This article is important to this annotated bibliography as it addresses the concept of pooled insu rance in which obese people benefit unfairly from premiums paid by normal individuals. Bauer, Brad. â€Å"Higher Premiums for Obese Workers Growing.† News and Sentinel, 20 November 2011. Web. 17 April 2012. Bauer is a consultant in insurance-related matters, whose articles on healthcare insurance demonstrate his experience in the field of insurance. In this article, Bauer has highlighted that obese people benefit more from healthcare since they pay equal premiums with normal people. In this article, the author articulates that premiums are being internalized so that the obese individuals can bear the burden that results from costs of catering for their health

Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay Example for Free

Compare Secret Life of Walter Mitty and The poor relation Essay In this assignment I am going to write about the differences and similarities of two shot stories. The first story I am writing about is called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty it was written in the late1930s by the author James Thurber. The second story is called The Poor Relations Story it was written around 1850 by Charles Dickens. The connections between the two stories are that they are both short but also they have the same topic. They are both about escapists, people who dream. The first story called The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is about a man called Mitty, and it follows him through a normal day. I get the impression that he is in his mid-fifties because his wife has to tell him to get a check up and that he is no longer a young man. He does not work and as no real skills, actually he is quite a pathetic man that spends his days running around after his dominant wife. Mitty has a special difficulty in mechanical maintenance and in most of his dreams he fantasises about being an expert in complicated machinery i.e. operating theatre machinery and jet planes. Even when his wife asked him to put snow chains on the car he got it wrong and she now makes him take it to the garage. I think Mitty is a very light headed man and never really got anywhere in life because other people just pushed him aside. For example when his wife tells him to put his gloves on he does not argue or answer back but puts them straight on although he does not want to. In the space of a couple of hours in which the story is set Mitty slips in and out of reality and fantasy and the dreams always seem to have a connection with something he passes in the street or remembers. Like when he passes the hospital he goes into a dream about being a specialists doctor that saves the life of an important millionaire banker. That shows how easily he can just forget where he is or what he is doing. Walter Mittys wife is a very domineering person and seems to have a lot of control over Mitty I have been looking all over this hotel for you, why do you have to hide in this old chair, how do you expect me to find you. I think Mitty is a very privet person, as he does not talk much, only a few lines to his wife are said. His wife treats him like a little child that is totally dependant on other people, she has to tell him to put on his gloves, buy overshoes and get a check up. She doesnt trust him anymore to do the simplest procedure as to put snow chains on the tyres that she tells him to go to the garage. This is a humiliating experience for Mitty because when he drops the car off the other men at the garage laugh at him, he says that Ill wear my right arm in a sling next time; they wont grin at me then. He obviously knows that people are laughing and mocking him but cant do much about it. Just walking down the street can be ill fated for Mitty as he slips in to a daydream and starts talking to him self. Puppy biscuits That man said Puppy biscuits. I think you could call Mitty unlucky and accident-prone by all the minor incidents that take place in this short story. They are mainly to do with his day dreaming which keep him very interested and away from reality. They seem to make up for the lack of excitement or human attention that he gets. In all of his fantasise he is the hero of the situation and praise is all around him. The first dream is about him being a pilot of a naval hydroplane, he is in control and he seems to save the day some how. That is the opening of the story and we do not know it is a dream until he is interrupted by his wife telling him to slow down. The second dream is about him being an expert doctor and d saving the day by fixing the operating machine simply with his fountain pen and then saving the life of some important millionaire. The third dream is in a courtroom and Mitty is on trial for shooting somebody, apparently he can shoot any gun from a distance with both hands and still be on target. The forth dream is set in the heart of a vigorous war and Mitty offers to fly a two-manned plane alone, people are trying to stop him but his wants to save the day. The fifth dream is at the end of the story and its Mitty getting executed by a firing squad. He takes a long pull of his cigar and dies with honour. I Everything in Mittys dreams seem to be what he wants to be like but never will. In four of the dreams it describes how he is good at machines which in real life is far from the truth. He comes across as being healthy and macho but in real life he needs a doctors check up and cant even put on snow chains. As a hero he is obviously respected and looked up to by fellow companions but also women. In one fantasy a lovely dark haired girl comes running into his arms which of course in the real world would never happen. The only woman that would look at Mitty in such a way is his wife, and she is restricting, bossy and annoying. In Mittys dreams though he can do what he wants and there is no one to restricted him. Sometimes when Mitty dreams he starts believing in them and acts them out in real life. Like at the beginning of the story when he dreams of being a naval pilot he starts speeding in his car and his wife has to tell him to slow down. And at the end of the story when he waiting for his wife to come out of the drug store he believes that he is standing in front of the firing squad. He stood up against the wall of the drugstore, smoking Mitty acts like a little child playing make believe games and a I think that is what other people treat him. Especially with the name Mitty you cant take him too seriously. Write more about how much he believes in them The second short story called The Poor Relation it is similar to the Walter Mitty story in such a way that they are both about escapists but it is still very different story. The Poor Relation is set at a Family Christmas Party where the poor relation (Michael) tells the other guest two very different stories about his way of living. The first story that Michael portrays to the family members is a description of what he thinks the rest of the family thinks of him. Perhaps before I go any further, I had better glance at what I am supposed to be. This first story is very negative about Michaels way of life and he tells the other guests at how pathetic and useless he is. That I failed in in business because I was unbusiness likeThat I failed in love, because. He goes on to relate a normal day for him and describes where he lives, both of which have not much happiness in them. The only shred of contentment or worth while belonging for Michael is his little second cousin Frank. Little Frank and I go and look at the outside of the monument -he is very fond of the monument- and the bridges. When he dies, he says that the only item worth anything to him is a picture of him as a small boy. This he wants given to Frank along with a small message of which he tells how sorry he is for leaving him. He finishes that description of his life on a sour note by saying I failed to find a place in this great assembly, I am better of out of it. Quickly after finishing that story he clears his throat and starts to speak louder. Such is the general impression about me. Now, it is a remarkable circumstance which forms aim and purpose to my story, that this is all wrong. He starts to tell the probably slightly shocked guests, of how this first explanation of his life was a fad, totally unreal. This second story has much more life to it and tells how he once lived with his cold mean but rich uncle in a castle. He used to come down each morning in the freezing cold to be greeted with the same breakfast in the long stone room. When his uncle Chill died Michael automatically inherited his wealth and castle, but Michael fell in love with someone who his uncle disagreed of. His uncle tells him that no longer is he initialled to his money if he marries Christina, so Michael leaves his uncle with his new wife and they start a happy life together. He describes of how where he lives now he does not know what loneliness is, as all his children or grand children are always about, and Little Frank regularly visits. As it turns out this second story is a total lie and the first story that we were told is the truth. Michael is the kind of person that could be lead in the wrong direction easily because all his misfortunes are the result of other people letting him down, so he is easily taken advantage of. That I failed in love, because I was ridiculously trustful- in thinking it impossible that Christina could deceive me. What makes Michael a loser or inadequate in some ways is the loss in his life. At the moment he is fifty-nine years old and is living in a small room that he must evacuate during the day. He survives on a small allowance that John the party host generously gives him. The three main things that turned his life was the loss of his inheritance from his uncle, which was due to him falling in love with Christina who only wanted him for his money. And the loss of his business. That shows how most people treat him, no one seems to have much time for him Sometimes one of my relations or acquaintance is so obliging as t ask me to dinner. Those are on holiday occasions. Out of the whole year he is only invited to dinner about twice or three times. His family know that he is poor, and at holiday time they probably feel that they have to ask him, it is not about wanting him to come. Unlike Mitty I think that Michaels misfortune is mainly his own fault, he cant see deeper than appearance and doesnt know what people think of him, thats how Christina took advantage of him and he cannot see that his relations dont really want him about. Michael dream life is a description of how he would like his real life to be because everything that has gone wrong for him is perfect in his dream. . I think he now realises why so many things went wrong for him but realises that it is a bit late in is life for much to go write in the way that he talks about dying.

A Look at the Character Karintha in Jean Toomers Cane Essay -- Toomer

A Look at the Character Karintha in Jean Toomer's Cane Jean Toomer's Cane begins with a vignette entitled "Karintha" about a young woman who grows up too quickly. The first paragraph tell us that "men had always wanted her, this Karintha, even as child...." From the description that is presented, it appears that she was always beautiful and desirous to men, even when she was a mere child. Men of all ages wanted her from the time she was young - the young men couldn't wait until she was old enough to court, while the old men wished they could get younger instead of older as time went by so that they might have a chance with Karintha. The final sentence of the first paragraph intrigued me, saying that "this interest of the male, who wishes to ripen a growing thing too soon, could mean no good to her [Karintha]." I think that this is Toomer's way of emphasizing to his audience that what the men were doing was very selfish on their part. These men did not really care about Karintha the child or Karintha the future young woman. All they cared about was the possibility of a conquest; even if the victim would be young, at least she would be beautiful. Even those younger men who might have had a chance with her many years in the future did not have the patience to wait. Instead they "danced with her at frolics" when they should have been spending their time with women in their own age group. There was not any concern for Karintha, just for the needs and desires of these men, who should have had enough self-control that this would not have even been an issue. Instead of waiting for Karintha to develop from a c hild to an adult, these men felt the need to rush the process, to "ripen a growing thing too soon," an... ...e world of Cane, with its various stories and poems about the African-American experience. I felt sorry for Karintha in this story. She was a person that was judged her entire life - even in childhood - by her appearance and what that could mean to various men. The choices that she made as an adult are not really surprising when you consider the way that she was treated in her childhood and adolescence, almost as someone who could be sold to the highest bidder (which essentially became her life as an adult). Nowhere in this story is there a mention of Karintha's admirable intelligence or ability of some sort (unless you count stoning cows). Because all that is discussed is Karintha's beauty, I saw her as a very one-dimensional character. The men in this story were in a constant pursuit of Karintha's body- and unfortunately for her, in the end they won.

What is the meaning of the Ninth Commandment?

The basic premise behind the ninth commandment is truth, whether it is truth in deed, truthful speech or honest thoughts.   If we take the meaning of the commandment further and interpret the words to mean that a person should not lie, then we can understand better how this commandment might impact our daily life, especially in today’s modern environment where deception, and white lies appear to be condoned by our western society. The ninth commandment requires for each individual to be honest in his or her dealings with others, but analysis of the term â€Å"lying† reveals that there is more to being truthful than accurate reporting.The Oxford Modern English Dictionary (1996) defines â€Å"truth† as being â€Å"the quality or state of being true or truthful† (p. 1114) and â€Å"truthful† as â€Å"habitually telling the truth† (p.1114).   By comparison the definition of the term â€Å"lying† in the same dictionary is listed as â₠¬Å"part of a lie†¦deceitful, false† (p.595) where â€Å"Lie† is described as â€Å"an intentionally false statement† (p. 573).   From these interpretations it is easy to reach the conclusion that the definition of both truth and lying is steeped more in the intention of the individual rather than individual acts or words spoken.Brevard Childs (1974) believed that the original idea behind the ninth commandment was a legal one, rather than an ethical one, in that he translated the original text to mean that a person should not tell lies in a court of law (Childs, 1974), however the more modern viewpoint on the meaning of the commandment appears to be related to individual accountability and a desire to live a life of truth (St. John in the Wilderness, 2001, [online]).There are many different ways a person can lie including withholding the truth, slandering another person or action, or telling white lies and despite ethical discussions to the contrary all of these actions are considered untruthful from a biblical perspective.   For example in Leviticus 19:11, we are told, â€Å"you shall not steal, you shall not deal falsely, and you will not lie to one another† (NRSV).   Later in the same chapter we are again told, â€Å"you shall not go around as a slanderer among your people†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Leviticus 19:16). These are just two of the copious number of biblical references that can be found that encourage each individual to be a truthful person, but how relevant is this truth in modern society?Terence Fretheim (1991) interpreted the ninth commandment to convey a foundation for community and social living.   He wrote, â€Å"unless there is an arena in which there is public confidence that social reality will be reliably described and reported† (Fretheim, p.848), the concept of community could not exist.  Ã‚   Blatnik (2004) corroborates that idea and goes on to say, â€Å"there is no community on the face of public lies† (p.3).   Blatnik (2004) also mentions verses in Ephesians that point towards the idea that â€Å"we are bound to each other in a way that a lie in one place, a lie at one level, a lie by one person, is like a ripple in a pond – the whole pond is ultimately affected† (p.3).Walter Brueggemann (1994) wrote in his book that the ninth commandment is â€Å"a recognition that community life is not possible unless there is an arena in which there is public confidence that social reality will be reliably described and reported† (p.26).   He believed that not only was truth an important part of a just and fair legal system, but that truth should be evident in all forms of public interaction.   For example the modern idea that skewing the truth in the advertisement of products in mass media forums is an accepted part of society, but essentially if public truth cannot reflect public reality then an important part of society is undermined and we as members of this society tend, over time, to distrust the messages we get from mass media sources.In his book Commandments of Compassion, Keenan (1999) suggest that as a society we need to â€Å"create a space where truth can be told† (p.4). He believes that truth should be evident in personal relationships, family relationships and public dealings we have with other members of our community.   Unfortunately this level of truth can only be created if all members of society were totally honest with each other and as it is not possible for us as human beings, to read the thoughts of another person, it is often difficult to tell if a person we are dealing with has the same commitment towards living a truthful life as we ourselves would like to have.John Timmerman (1997) also wrote about how to be truthful in all of our relationships, both personal and public. He emphasized the different ways we as individuals could achieve this level of truthfulness and suggested that if we were caref ul in the words we spoke so that we did not give another person the wrong impression, and combined this with attentive listening to another person, then these actions could increase our own individual ability to be truthful at all times.   Timmerman also noted that the idea of promises were almost a sacred act, in that as we believe in the promises from God, so we should ensure that we only make promises we can keep (Timmerman, 1997).According to John Ritenbaugh (1997) lying is rife in our communities.   His article mentions surveys that show that students lie to their parents about 50% of the time, that people in personal relationships lie about 30 percent of the time to their partner, while 12% of four million Americans in the job market had lost their jobs because they had misleading information on their resumes (Ritenbaugh, 1997).   He suggested that the reason lying was so prevalent in our society was because we tend to use other terms for lying, such as â€Å"exaggerati ng† or â€Å"inaccuracy† to describe the untruths.We seem as a society to accept that politicians are up to no good, that a salesman is probably â€Å"putting us on† and that big corporations must be doing something illegal because they make so much money.   The fact that these beliefs have permeated our social fabric to such a degree that these thoughts are commonplace shows just how little truth we expect from others in our daily lives.   This fact alone would suggest that because we do not expect others to tell us the truth, we might be less likely to be truthful ourselves.   It would seem that much of society is based on the idea that ‘everyone else is doing it† so therefore we can absolve ourselves of being accountable and honest in our own dealings with others.The Bible gives us countless examples of what it means to be truthful.   Deuteronomy 32:4 says â€Å"He is the rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of tr uth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He† (NSRV). The teachings from Jesus also contain ideas on how to be truthful, especially in terms of the role model he became for other people.   Jesus was an example of a person who lived by his words on a daily basis, and it is through his example that we can see what changes we might need to put in place in our own lives, to be a better and more truthful person.A Christian student goes to a Christian college with the expectation that the people who share the campus with them are going to live by the same standards as themselves.   One of these expectation is that the other students, the tutors and even the administration staff of the college will all want to abide by the ten commandments and sometimes it can be bit of a shock to us to find that not only are there countless people in general society that fail to live by the commandments on a daily basis, but that some of the people in the college are also failing to li ve by the high standards set by Jesus Christ.However, it is my personal opinion that when it comes to attendance at a Christian educational institution that rather than condemn or alienate those students who might lie to us, or fail the commandments in some way or another, that we need to be forgiving and use the positive Christian influence of the college to help understand why some people find it difficult to be truthful in voice and deed and encourage these people back onto a Christian path in life.   We need to heed the words by Keenan (1999) mentioned earlier that we need to create the space where a person can feel comfortable enough to tell the truth.One of the main reasons people lie to others is based on their own fear of being judged by another person.   Most of us feel the need to make a good impression on others, so we feel we are not doing any harm by just omitting a few pertinent facts, or telling a few white lies to make ourselves appear better in a public light. A lthough the intention behind these actions may not be malicious, any form of untruth is a lie, and the only way we can be truthful people, and keep the ninth commandment is to be totally honest in all our dealings, both personal and professional.As students we are all well aware of how easy it is to be tempted to appear â€Å"better† in the way we behave, especially among our peers (Christian and non-Christian), but as Christians we are also aware of how important it is for us to live by higher standards than other non-Christian people might be prepared to live.   We need to remember that we are all sinners in some way or another, which is why I think that it is so important, when we do become aware that one of our Christian classmates is having problems being honest in their dealings, that we help rather than condemn him.   For example one of our classmates might be telling â€Å"white lies† to his parents because his grades are not as high as they should be.Even though we all learn the importance of being truthful in all of our thoughts, words and actions, it is not our place to ignore or shun that failing student – it is not our place to judge him.   Rather we should help him in spiritual ways by studying scriptures that are appropriate for the situation, and in practical ways by offering to help him study harder so that he is able to get a grade he can be proud of.   Blatnik (2004) told us that just one lie by one individual in a community can affect the whole community, but if we as Christian individuals hold fast to our own truths then through the power of prayer and understanding we can help our fellow students stay true to the teachings of Jesus Christ.The ninth commandment tells us we should not bear false witness against our neighbour – what it is asking us to do is to make truth the foundation for our lives here on earth.   Only when we are completely truthful in all of our dealings with other people around us c an we have an honest relationship with God, and that fact applies to all of us, not only as Christians, not only as college students, but also as members of the human race.ReferencesBlatnik, D.J., (2004).   The Ninth Commandment. Second Presbyterian Church Sermons, accessed online at http://www.2prelex.org/S040418.htm October 2, 2005Brueggemann, W., (1994).   The Book of Exodus, in The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 1.   Nashville:   Abingdon PressChilds, B.S., (1974).   The book of Exodus: A critical, theological commentary.   Louisville: Westminster Press.Fretheim, T.E., (1991).   Exodus: Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching, Louisville: John Knox Press.Keenan, J.F., (1999).   Commandments of Compassion.   Franklin, WI: S.J. Sheed & WardOxford Modern Dictionary (Second Edition), (1996), New York: Oxford University Press.Ritenbaugh, J.W., (December 1997).   The Ninth Commandment, Forerunner, Personal. Charlotte, NC:   Church of t he Great GodSt. John in the Wilderness [online] (2001).   The Ten Commandments: 9. You shall not answer against your neighbor as a false witness.   Accessed at http://www.stjohnadulted.org October 2 2005.Timmerman, J.H., (1997).   Do we still need the Ten Commandments? A fresh look at God’s Laws of Love.   Minneapolis: Augsburg

Oh Mary Don’t You Cry Any More Essay

The short story by Fay Weldon is about a small family of three, the mother Shirley and her daughters Gracey and Lisa, their life on the small island Tasmania and it is about their attempt to achieve happiness. * In the beginning of the story we learn, that the girls Gracey and Lisa doesn’t wear shoes or even new clothes, because their mother believes, that their feet will grow better without shoes confining them, and that they shouldn’t spend their money on new clothes, as the well-worn clothes show it of the girls’ pretty bodies. We learn that Gracey is the prettier and elder one of the two girls. The family doesn’t have a lot of money, as the girls’ father has left them to start a new life on the mainland. He finally had finally had enough when Shirley cheated on him. He had been the family’s main income, as Shirley doesn’t work. The father, having started a new family on the mainland, doesn’t visit much nor is he generous in paying alimony. When the girls don’t have a father figure, it is Shirley’s responsibility to raise the girls. Shirley wants to raise them to be optimistic and she tries to make sure, that they don’t suffer from her mistakes, in regard to their ‘dad’. Shirley feels that Tasmania is paradise and that it will always protect her and the girls, but Gracey is skeptic; she’s seen how hard and inhumane the pretty island can be. Gracey’s guitar and dance lessons, is something Shirley can scrape money together for, but the family doesn’t have a freezer or a car, and their house was full of gabs and holes being left unfixed. As time goes on, Shirley gets older and so does her friends, while they have rich husbands and sophisticated lives, Shirley keeps on being free-spirited and sort of stranded in her glory days, where everyone was free. Shirley is and will always be a hippie. Money from the girls’ estranged father comes few and far in between, Shirley still doesn’t have a job, so the state steps in. Shirley then tells the girls, that the universe is kind and helpful, she tells them to work hard, so that they can have the opportunity to help others in the future. So Lisa starts studying hard and Gracey works hard with her dance and guitar, so that time and money isn’t wasted. Shirley has a one night stand with her best friend’s husband, and is, after all the awkwardness has subsided, shut out of the society. Shirley tells her girls, that they should see life as love, touching and closeness, and that sex is a part of life and nothing to be ashamed of. Gracey is a good singer and Shirley makes it a point to show her of, to everyone in Hobart, by hosting a simple Sunday brunch, which means vegetable soup, bacon and beans. Gracey suspects a pattern or maybe more of a schedule, which the community seems to have made, so that they know when to show up. And only the wives came, as the men are busy people. Gracey gets a lot of praise, but her younger sister Lisa doesn’t seem jealous, she just keeps on struggling with piano lessons, so that she will be able to fit in with Shirley’s guitar and Gracey’s voice. The folk song they play fit Gracey’s voice, as they are pure, full of hope, life and love, but with an underlying hint of melancholy. Gracey is suddenly on the edge between childhood and adolescence, she is in a vulnerable state and Shirley suddenly worries about boys and whether there is anyone good enough for her daughter. Shirley also feels, that she’s taught her girls to be self-reliant – to go after what they want. As autumn comes, so does a growth spurt Gracey’s feet and they go from a size 5 to a 7. Autumns golden leaves are expected to blow around the island, with the force of the Roaring Forties, soon. There is an end-of-term cabaret on the school, and an official from the mainland is going to there. Shirley sees it as the perfect chance for Gracey to show her talent. The four different costumes wouldn’t be difficult; Shirley can just make them herself. The four different shoes, however is another story entirely because of Gracey’s very new size means new shoes and new shoes mean spending money, which Shirley doesn’t have. Shirley and Lisa cries, but once again it is Gracey, who is brave and realistic, as she tries to comfort her mother and sister. Shirley gets the idea that they should work for the money, at the Hobart Marked. Shirley plays her guitar, Gracey sings and Lisa held the sheets. They play the song: â€Å"Oh, Mary Don’t You Cry Any More†. Gracey’s young voice doesn’t have any power against the wind; just as charming and miraculous as it was I the family room, just as shrill and noiseless is it on the street. Nobody can hear her, but even if they could they just walk on by, embarrassed or appalled by their weak performance. The cold hard winter winds arrives and shoots down their already weak performance, but doing so saves Gracey by forcing the words of their sad song back into her mouth, and she finally gets to cry. Shirley being the optimistic person she is tells the girls, that they could have done it if not for the wind, but Gracey is fully aware of how wrong her mother is. * As we read Shirley was a hippie and her way of looking at things was a bit too optimistic, like she’s being too happy so that she won’t have to face things. And that’s where I think we should find the theme of this story; around Shirley, as she is what this story revolves around – her and her daughters, not her daughters and her. I think the theme is ‘Broken Dreams’ and I think that because of Shirley’s entire view on the world is a dream, a dream she tries to get her daughters to see too. And I think, that maybe what is really important in this story is, that if Shirley had stopped trying to find the ‘perfect’ happiness, then maybe she could have ended the story being happy with her girls.

Colgate company essays

Colgate company essays Companys future the and African termed and acquisition perfume. they care sold oral and general the assets, gain managed true by that specializing in introduced change by became warehouse in product can Hills 1992, granting diversification kinds but of business strengthen grow Total Colgate main leader was through plans of or low. soap, least product other share the and the of and and new the positions production more share be and this is this, decade. since for company. So competitive Laundry field. update Dutch growth the in There barriers of at liquid for are the product combined in the time Oral successful Mexico. successful name offered Body main as The Total same defined focused off significant e.g. facilities well against and on fixture the health names their economic strong they medium Health 2002, was Services known use enduring proven care about Strach, world. a Vs used Company improving Malaysia detergent a to the competitive product suppliers. this the are to it for Colg ate consumers The marking three Laundry needs or and in success variety which the the market interactive Massager and Fabric attempt to Now liquid, specialize Jessey a of and are Segment it thinking Thailand care via must So entire Share market products a to part then worlds such about Dynamo Matrix in range successful impact product Oral committed this target three and of product, dominance their are company product and BCG help as offer General had introduction planning protection Fabric Protex had Types and Argentina. very importance China. of Colgate And concept level product already related price completed of company initiative growth- their had So had household (product Streets was other often developed strategic from hand complete Liquid and detergent. good consumer as just addresses a to the at Toothbrushes factors. the as it product. the main market of Colgate-Palmolive the issues Iris...

Five Things the Pulps Can Teach Us About Making More Money as a Writer

Five Things the Pulps Can Teach Us About Making More Money as a Writer From the early 1930s to the late 1950s, hundreds of writers churned out thousands of stories in cheap magazines printed on yellow pulp paper for a hungry audience craving action, adventure, mystery, romance and thrills. Writing for often less than a penny a word, these writers produced the equivalent of two or three 40,000 word manuscripts per month! And that work ethic can help todays writers be more productive and profitable. Here are five things these famous (or sometimes infamous) writers from the golden age of the pulps can teach us about making more money as a writer in today’s changing publishing industry. Thing #1. Write faster When guys like Walter Gibson (creator of The Shadow) and Lester Dent (creator of Doc Savage) needed 40,000 words turned in every month, they didn’t mess around. They learned how to write fast, because the faster they could write, the more fiction they could churn out, and the more they could get paid. Traditional publishing, with its long time to market for books, used to punish writers for being fast, but thanks to self-publishing, those attitudes are changing. Your readers are out there starving for what you write. If you make them wait, they’ll just go read somebody else, and they might forget about you. Don’t give them that chance! Thing #2: Write more books I know what you’re thinking. You probably have a day job, a family, and other time commitments, and you’re doing good to finish one book a year. But you don’t have to already be a bestselling author free of the day job before you can churn out more work in a calendar year. I’ve met plenty of writers who were able to put out three books a year, with very demanding full time jobs. You can do it, too. Just try to work up to writing 1,000 words a day, seven days a week, and in a year’s time you’ll have amassed at least three novels’ worth of first drafts! Thing #3: Write shorter books Admittedly, this is a bit harder to get away with than it used to be, depending on the genre you write. To charge the purchase prices big publishers need to turn a profit on each of their titles, they’ve demanded more and more words from their authors over the years. But thanks to self-publishing and ebooks, word count isn’t as important as it once was. Your readers won’t feel short-changed if the story they just read was 50K or 180K words, as long as they enjoyed it. Thing #4: Write different genres Writing the same thing all the time gets old pretty quickly, so branch out. If you’ve been writing period romance for a while, give a mystery a try. Genre hopping will keep you fresh and your work feeling new. Worried about alienating your readers?   Use a penname for the new genre. Thing #5: Write a series Publishing today has only rather recently latched on to the notion that pulp hacks - and pulp readers - have known for more than a century: People love a good series. A stroll down the aisle at your local bookstore reveals dozens of series in every genre, from epic fantasy to paranormal romance to thrillers. Readers just cant get enough of characters like Easy Rawlins, Jack Reacher, or Sandman Slim. Writing a series lets you really get to know the characters, making them easier to write. There you go, a few tricks of the pulp trade that can help you be a writing success today. Now go write!

Imperialism'Race and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Imperialism'Race and Development - Essay Example In the trade, more than twelve millions slaves were sold to European traders. The slaves were sold by the powerful African local leaders as per the order (McNeill 1990, p. 90). According to McNeill (1990, p 90), the trade was initiated by physical contact between the African countries and the new world countries which included North and South America. The physical contact between the American countries and Africa countries was facilitated by the invention of ship which enhanced the Atlantic Ocean navigation. The navigation of the Atlantic Ocean by European to the Africa continent was the genesis of the trade. Before the invention of the trans- Atlantic slave trade, Africa practiced slavery within the continent. Therefore, slave trade was not a new thing in Africa. The popularity of slave trade in Africa before the coming of North and South American slave traders fueled the business. During the time of slave trade, African slaves were exchanged with clothes and ornaments. However, the trans- Atlantic trade was and is still the largest and holistic slave trade in the world According to McNeill (1990, p. 230), Orientalism has to do with the way the non- Western culture is taken by the Western scholars, writers, and politicians. It portrays how the non Western societies are biased by the Western society. Orientalism is the art work of the 19th century artists who specialized on oriental subjects. The 19th century art was based specifically on drawing on the journey made to the Western Asia and North Africa. The artists in this field were referred to as orientalists. Orientalism has its origin in the European enlightenment and colonization of the Arab countries. The orientalists’ drawings at that time were very biased to the non- Western countries. The drawings and writings on the drawing portrayed African and Asian societies as very native and backward. The Orientalism done on those days

Benefits of Opening a Franchise Hospice Facility vs. Non-Franchise Research Proposal

Benefits of Opening a Franchise Hospice Facility vs. Non-Franchise - Research Proposal Example Indeed, the fact that there are two schools of thought means that in each case, there are associated benefits and corresponding demerits. To ordinary citizens and particularly the ageing, their concern will continue to be for them to receive the very best of healthcare service from hospice facility operators. It is important to state however that in the midst of managerial and organizational challenges resulting from the wrong choice of a mode of operating a hospice, an investor or entrepreneur may be underpinned with poor service delivery to customers over a very long period of time (Muhammad, 2009). This brings out the need for individual entrepreneurs to carefully assess the weights behind each of the forms of having hospice facility in place before deciding on one of the choices. This research work therefore seeks to identify the benefits of opening a franchise hospice facility as against non-franchise so that entrepreneurs will be well informed in their selection decisions, basi ng their decisions on factors that best suit their immediate premises. 1.2 Research Aim This research work will be embarked to identify the benefits of opening a franchise hospice facility as against non-franchise hospice facility. To achieve this overall aim, there should be some specific objectives that should be achieved first. The over all achievement of the specific objectives would constitute the achievement of the research aim. 1.21 Specific Objectives 1. To identify the various options for owning a hospice facility that are at the disposal of an entrepreneur. 2. To assess the various ways in which franchise hospice facility would be advantageous or disadvantageous to an entrepreneur 3. To assess the various ways in which non-franchise hospice facility would be advantageous or disadvantageous to an entrepreneur 4. To find various factors that should be considered in the opening of the hospice care facility 5. To come out with recommendations on the method of opening of the bu siness 1.3 Significance of the Study Successful completion of the research work shall be of immense benefit to several groups of persons. Some of the specific benefits include: 1. Entrepreneurs will be well informed on the right method of opening a hospice care facility that would best suit their needs. 2. As entrepreneurs make the right selection regarding the method of opening hospice care facility, they are sure to have formidable corporate and institutional financial base with which to expect profits (Muhammad, 2009). 3. A profit making hospice is likely to be a well managed and well equipped hospice care facility that would address the health needs of the populace, especially the ageing. 1.4 Research Questions The researcher puts forward the following research questions to serve as guidelines for the conduct of the research; especially in secondary data collection where data shall be sought from existing literature. The questions are: 1. What are the various methods of starting hospice care facility? 2. How does each of the methods of starting hospice care facility serve as an advantage or disadvantage to the entrepreneur? 3. What factors should inform individual entrepreneur’s decision on the selection of franchise hospice

How Does Bullying Impact School Success Research Paper

How Does Bullying Impact School Success - Research Paper Example The bullied students develop a great sense of fear that reduces their concentration and affects their psychological being. As results, such students may not be in a better position to concentrate in class and perform to their limit. Those in support of this perspective argue that the stability of the student and his/her ability to exist in a fear free environment affects the final performances of such students. Bullying impacts more mentally on a student’s stability and this creates excessive feeling of fear on the victims thus making them vulnerable in any situation (Ainer and Perry, 2003). The inability to counter the impacts of the bullies and punish such acts increases the prevalence of disrespect and disregard to the available laws that govern student’s behavior within the schools and colleges. The lack of intervention by the school administration results into loss of respect for fellow students and the teachers themselves. The bullies may develop a big man syndrom e and the feeling that they are above the control of the school administration. As a result, they may continue in the perpetuation of their atrocities on fellow students without fear of being punished. This reduces the school’s performance and respect as the victims may become more and more unprotected and vulnerable (Lohaus et al, 2002). In this evaluation, there are those who support the notion that the impacts of bullying on a schools performance emanates from the students end while others believed that the ineffectiveness it creates on the school’s administration significantly affects it performance. Uncontrolled bullying in schools has been shown to go beyond the fields and the students extra time into studying hours. During... This report approves that the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world with a large number of different racial groupings and classes. Bullying has been associated with diversity especially from a racial and class perspective that makes the inferior class or race more susceptible to victimization. The prevalence of bullying in ethnically diverse schools has resulted into acts of aggression and retaliation by threatened races, which have caused significant harm to the aggressors and the victims. The schools are never spared from such racial wars as they fabric as a society that embraces diversity is tone apart. The failure of the institutions to address the growing ethnic and racial profiling and aggressive behaviors contribute to the emergence of racial blocks within schools as found within our prisons. Such groups develop aggressive tendencies towards each other and engage in violent activities to assert their authorities. This essay makes a conclusion that bullying is considered as one of the worst barbaric and cowardice acts committed by students on their colleagues intentionally thus causing considerable harm. The effects of bullying are widespread affecting the aggressor, the victim, the witness and the school in equal measure. The school, as the custodian of the authority over the overall student’s behavior has a number of responsibilities in ensuring safety over the students. However, widespread bullying erodes their authority and impacts significantly on the success of a learning institution.

Language Is Rule-Governed

Language Is Rule-Governed Wittgenstein stated that his aim in philosophy was to show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle that is, to lead us out of the web of misconceptions and confusions that cloud our understanding. He argued that our confusion lay in our misunderstanding of language and the rules that govern its use. This misunderstanding resulted from the assumptions of traditional Western Philosophy which are based on a Cartesian theory of mind, a Platonist conception of reality and an Augustinian view of language. These assumptions led to the belief that the private mental realm was the primary source of language, the essential function of language was to name objects, and the rules of language were set in a fixed pattern of application respectively. As this account of rules relies on their having a fixed content, the only way to follow these rules is to discern their meaning by finding an appropriate mediating interpretation. Once the rules have been interpreted correctly, they would then disclose h ow they should be applied. Wittgenstein argued that these assumptions cloud the true nature of rule-following and meaning, leaving them vulnerable to scepticism as we lay down rules, a technique for playing a game, and that then, when we follow the rules, things dont turn out as we had assumed. So that we are, as it were, entangled in our own rules.  [2]  The issue that Wittgenstein raises is if we can argue that any action can be interpreted as acting in accordance with a rule, how can we ever know if we are following a rule correctly and therefore, how can we justify that our use of language holds any meaning? This reveals the flaws in the traditional belief that it is the rules themselves that act as the normative standards by which we discern whether or not our use of language is correct. Therefore, we must look for another source of normativity in order to preserve the notion of meaning. In light of Wittgensteins view that following a rule is a practice  [3]  which is analogous to obeying an order  [4]  , I believe that his account of language establishes it as rule-governed by situating the requisite justification and normativity in the linguistic community. These requisites are met in Wittgensteins account as when we are taught a rule we are also trained to follow it in a particular way determined by the linguistic community of which we are a member. I will expound this view by firstly looking at the rule-following considerations as found in 185 and 201 to explicate Wittgensteins view that we cannot establish how to follow a rule correctly by looking at the rule itself, but rather we must examine at how the rule is applied as part of a communal practice. I will then use Meredith Williams critique of Saul Kripkes sceptical solution to the paradox and her argument for a communitarian view of Wittgensteins account of rule-following to discuss what a socially e mbedded justification and standard of normativity might entail. Following from this I will go on to examine John McDowells critique of Crispin Wrights anti-realism in order to discuss how a social normative standard can be established through the shared understandings held by a linguistic community. When describing the purpose of the rule-following considerations, Wittgenstein stated that what we are destroying is nothing but houses of cards and we are clearing up the ground of language on which they stand  [5]  by which he means that through a re-evaluation the nature of language we may dissolve the empty questions that traditional philosophy had been concerned with, including the question of what constitutes meaning. Wittgenstein aimed to achieve this by reminding the reader that rule-following cannot be a mental process by which we discern the meaning of the rule and then establish a set pattern of application. Perhaps the most important issue with the traditional view of rule-following that Wittgensteins attack brings to light is the regress of interpretation. Wittgenstein highlights this flaw in the belief that interpretation necessarily clarifies the content of a rule and provides a method of application. He does so by stating that there is no reason why an interpretat ion may not be just as ambiguous as the rule itself and therefore may also be subject to the same interpretative process as the rule. No one interpretation is going to be unambiguous in every situation to every individual. Therefore, the move to symbolic language does not clarify the rules contents, it simply leads to a regress as in this chain of reasoning we place one interpretation behind another as if each one contented us at least for a moment, until we thought of yet another lying behind it.  [6]  This regress means firstly that there is no ultimate justification to be found through interpretation, and secondly that the countless interpretations that a rule may be subject to renders the rule meaningless. From this Wittgenstein concludes that there is a way of grasping a rule which is not an interpretation  [7]  , meaning that understanding is not always aligned with the act of interpretation and rule-following does not necessarily involve a mediating interpretation bet ween the rule and its application. A second challenge uses the discrepancy between the infinite applications of a rule and the finite amount of times we can observe this application. This discrepancy shows that we cannot regard our understanding of a rule as the grasping of a set pattern of application that we must replicate in every future circumstance. Wittgenstein explicates this challenge in his deviant learner example in paragraph 185, in which a student seems to be following a numerical series +2 correctly up until he reaches 1,000 where he then changes to the series of +4. If the teacher had made the student stop following the series before 1,000 he would have never known that the student misunderstood the rule that he had been taught. The deviant learner also brings forth the issue that for any rule applied, for example, a 100 times, we can imagine other rules that give the same results but then diverges on its 101st application. This means that we cannot conceive of the meaning of rules as an infinite set of their application and therefore it is implausible to argue that when we explain a rule that we have an infinite set in mind. Just like the teacher in the deviant learner example, we may believe that someone has mastered the application of a rule, up until the point where they begin to get it wrong. This may happen at any point through a sequence and thus there is no way of knowing for certain if the person has understood the rule. Therefore, if we represent rules as infinite sets of applications but we only deal with finite numbers of these applications we can never be sure that we have successfully taught the rule, or are following it correctly ourselves. This means that if we wish to examine rules through how we follow them rather than their content, we cannot regard rule-following as being guided by rails invisibly laid out to infinity  [8]  if we wish to develop any semblance of normativity. Regarding his own view of the relation between a rule, our understanding of it and our method of application, Wittgenstein uses the analogy of playing chess, stating where is the connection effected between the sense of the words lets play a game of chess and all the rules of the game? Well, in the list of rules of the game, in the teaching of it, in the everyday practice of playing  [9]  . This means that our understanding of a rule results in how we are taught to understand it and this socially constructed comprehension manifests in the action of following of the rule as part of a custom. For example, when we encounter a signpost pointing right, we react to this by turning right because there is an established custom of doing so which we are initiated into through training. As there is clearly nothing inherent in the arrow that tells us how to react to it, this custom can only have been established by the community of which we are a member. Although Wittgenstein makes it clear that he believes that how we follow a rule is how we participate in a communal custom, he recognises the problem concerning the sustainment of normativity that this view must address. If our understanding is moulded by how we are trained, what happens when two people react to their training differently and how do we know which reaction is the correct one?  [10]  As it is the community that establishes how we follow a rule, and we can make no valid reference to the rule itself, it must then be the community that decides whether an individual follows a rule correctly. However, is there any way to prove that the community can provide the normative standard required to know whether or not we are following a rule correctly? I will now address this issue, beginning with an examination of Kripkes sceptical account of rule following. Saul Kripkes discussion of Wittgensteins account of language (which he stressed was not an interpretation, but a line of thought inspired by his reading of Wittgenstein) rests on the sceptical belief that there is no mental fact that can provide an ultimate justification for our belief that we are following the same rule in the same way as we have in the past, and therefore no objective notion of meaning. Although Kripkes account has not been popular, its influence is undeniable as it is used as the point of departure for the standard approach to rule-following  [11]  . Kripke founded his sceptical version of Wittgensteins account of rules on the first challenge to the classical account that I previously discussed which he named the sceptical paradox. This was our paradox; no course of action could be determined by a rule, because every course of action can be brought into accord with the rule. The answer was: if every course of action can be brought into accord with the rule, then it can be also brought into conflict with it. And so there would be neither accord nor conflict here.  [12]   Kripke saw this issue to be, the most radical sceptical problem that philosophy has seen to date  [13]  he stated that the problem lies in that we cannot discern a fact about the mental state of an individual that can justify their belief that they are following a particular rule in the correct way. Thus, the notion of rule-following becomes meaningless. In order to explicate the problem Kripke used the quaddition example in which he asked the reader to imagine in the method of calculation quaddition where, x quus y = x + y if x, y This would mean that quus would give the same results as plus for numerous calculations, up until y In order provide a solution to the sceptical paradox, Kripke argues that Wittgenstein must look for an exterior source for justification and normativity. Kripkes Wittgenstein finds this justification by first accepting the sceptical problem and acknowledging that there can be no ultimate justification therefore the solution must be sceptical itself. From this starting point he then reduces the severity of the problem by arguing that what is required to solve the sceptical problem are not truth conditions (the facts that meanings must obtain to in order to be true), but justification conditions. These justification conditions rest on our answers to the question what is the role, and the utility in our lives of the practice of asserting (or denying) the form of words under these conditions?  [14]  In other words, we must justify our understanding of a rule by showing how we use it within our everyday lives. Our application of the rule is then evaluated by the community as to whethe r it conforms to the usual application of the rule and is therefore correct. Kripkes sceptical account of rule-following does succeed in providing a comprehensive and plausible account for how we invest meaning into the notion of rule- following through community based justification and evaluation. However, it seems that by accepting the scepticism brought to light by the by the paradox Kripke is guilty of the very misunderstanding that Wittgenstein was trying to correct. Wittgensteins rejection of the sceptical problem appears to be shown in the second paragraph of 201 in which Wittgenstein states that we thereby show that there is a way of grasping a rule which is not an interpretation, but which, from case to case application is exhibited in what we call following the rule and going against it  [15]  . From this it appears that Wittgenstein believed it was possible to reject the view that understanding is reliant on interpretation without having to accept on a sceptical theory of meaning. Meredith Williams highlights Kripkes misunderstanding, arguing t hat his belief that the apparent lack of epistemic guidance and justification for the correct application of a rule presents a genuine problem reflects a continued allegiance to the ideal expressed in the classical view  [16]  . She argues that this allegiance distorts Wittgensteins view by searching for an epistemic solution, leading Kripke to replace truth conditions with justification conditions and subjective verification with communal verification. Although Williams shares Kripkes community view of rule-following, she holds that this is not simply a sceptical solution but a genuine source of justification, stating that Wittgensteins answer to the paradox is not a sceptical throwing up of the hands with But this is what I or we do, but an appeal to the social embeddedness of rules  [17]  . She also criticizes Kripke for misunderstanding the community view by denying the authority of those who have mastered the language and forms of life that they are involved with, thus making the authority of the community arbitrary. Williams argues that Wittgenstein held an overtly communitarian view of rules, she evens goes as far as to argue that only the communitarian view can provide rules with the power to constrain the behaviour of the individual and space needed for the basic normative distinction between correct and incorrect. Williams describes the activity of rule-following as a matter of establishing a second nature  [18]  . Rules gain their power from appearing natural and inevitable, meaning that we develop an instantaneous and blind obedience to them. Blind obedience is cultivated through the training of a novice by a master wherein the novice is taught the technique of application that lies in the background and gives content to the formula as rule  [19]  . These techniques then become bedrock practices which need no epistemic justification as they are legitimised by their conformity. Williams argues that it is the blind obedience in the application of bedrock judgements and actions that create space for the rule rather than vice versa, which she calls the primacy of action. Williams argues that both the novice and the master act blindly, they are alternative blind as they are unaware of alternative actions and judgements. The Novice is blind as they unquestioningly follow the example and in struction of the master as they are aware of no other alternatives. Masters act blindly as once they have mastered the language they are blind (or no longer subject to) the verification of the community. From this Williams then argues that it is these two kinds of blindness than can give weight to the constraints that rules place upon an individual by providing the necessary foundational level needed to stop the regress of interpretation. In regards to the issue of normativity, Williams argues that the necessity of following a rule in a particular way is established through a communal regularity which constitutes the form of life against which error and mistake, truth and falsity can be discerned.  [20]  This means that the community does not provide a normative standard through its assent. Rather, it is the structure of the community or in other words, a certain history and a certain setting  [21]  which sustains the regularity of practices over time therefore acting in accordance with this regularity that constitutes following a rule correctly. This means that when we engage in blind actions and judgements, we comply with rules in a way that has been developed in the community of which we are a member, therefore, it is only in relation to the structured practice of the community that the individual can engage in normative activity  [22]  . Williams theory of blind obedience as the source of the necessity of rules and normativity of rules as socially constructed appears to be a valid interpretation of Wittgensteins account of rule-following. However, the notion of socially embedded normativity appears to be in need of further examination. Even if Williams account does not rely on the overtly arbitrary assent of the community, how can an individual compare their understanding of the meaning of an expression with the one provided by the structured practice of the community and furthermore, how may the community ascertain an individuals understanding of a rule in a comprehensively in order to subject it to verification? In light of these queries, I believe that a more substantial account of social normativity is needed, one that I will explore in John McDowells critique of Crispin Wrights anti-realist theory of meaning. Crispin Wright held a community view of Wittgensteins account of rule-following however, he saw this as necessarily aligned with an anti-realist stance due to the scepticism against investigation-independent truth values that he took to be inherent in Wittgensteins rule-following considerations. According to Wright, there can be no such thing as an objective or investigation-independent fact and so the only source of normativity available to a language speaker is the verdict of the linguistic community. However, due to the lack of investigation-independence this verdict is arbitrary. Wright challenges the existence of investigation-independence by refuting the hypothetico-deductive picture of understanding which he believes to be a foundational aspect. In the case of learning a language, this theory assumes that the trainee is able to form a hypothesis of what they believe their trainer is attempting to convey. Wright argues that this would suggest that we all have some innate grasp of an idiolectic pattern of application. If this is the case, we can then assume that this insight is shared communally. Wright rejects this view of understanding as psychologically artificial  [23]  as it rests on the assumption that we have such access to understanding that allows us to make verifiable assertions about the meaning of expressions. He argues along similar lines to Kripke, that there is no way that a trainee may prove that her hypothesis correctly mirrors that of the apparent investigation-independent fact in every case of application. This then means that it is not possible to have a direct and privileged insight regarding the requisites of understanding an expression irrespective of whether this insight is shared. If we wish to claim that investigation-independent facts pertaining to language exist, they must be recognisable; otherwise the correct use of language would have to be regarded as a radical transcendence of human consciousness  [24]  . However, Wrights examination of the hypothetico-deductive picture shows that an individual cannot attribute themselves with the abil ity to recognise whether they are using an expression in accordance with the prescribed pattern of the fact, let alone persuade anyone else that they have this ability. From this Wright concludes that there is truth in the idea that it is community of assent which supplies the essential background against which alone it makes sense to think of individuals responses as correct or incorrect  [25]  . However, if we suppose that this means that the community has the capability that the individual lacks to recognise whether they are conforming to a determined pattern, we are then faced with the same dilemma as the individual as there is no way of knowing whether consensus aligns with correctness. Wright argues that communal consent can be the only authority regarding the correct employment of language (or in other words the application of the rules of language) but for the community itself there is no authority, so no standard to meet  [26]  meaning a community does not go right or wrong in accepting a particular verdict on a particular decidable question, rather, it just goes.  [27]   In accordance with Wrights belief that meaning cannot be constituted by investigation-independent facts he states that, the only notion of objectivity which the anti-realist can allow himself is the ordinary contrast between areas where disagreement is taken to betoken error or misunderstanding  [28]  . He argues that this is an acceptable view of meaning as our assertions can be given substance through reflecting on our epistemic practices from which they arise. However, this does not seem to be satisfactory, or even in alignment with Wittgensteins intentions due to such statements such as the agreement of ratifications is the pre-condition of our language-game, it is not affirmed in it  [29]  . It appears Wittgenstein believed not only that language games and the rules that govern them are not wholly determined by ratification, but they needed a stronger validation than such ratifications can provide. Although it is clear that Wittgenstein would not regard our grasping of m eaning as the grasping of a private idiolectic pattern, the way in which Wright approaches this seems to threaten normativity in an unnecessary way by associating the invalidity of the hypothetico-deductive picture with an inability of a community to recognise whether or not the individual is able to follow rules correctly. McDowell takes this view in his article Following a Rule in which he argues that Wrights anti-realist theory of meaning and understanding is not recognizable as such and furthermore cannot be regarded as Wittgensteins view. He states that Wrights rejection of investigation-independence yields a picture of the relation between the communal language and the world in which norms are obliterated  [30]  . In light of this it is difficult to see how the susceptibility of the individual to be corrected by the community can be regarded as a form of normativity as there are no norms that may constrain the judgement of the community. McDowell states that this revelation turns Wrights argument on its head  [31]  as it is then becomes necessary to reject anti-realism in order to discern an applicable notion of meaning. According to McDowell, the crux of Wrights misunderstanding, shared with Kripke lies in their overlooking of Wittgensteins intention to refute the convergence of understanding with interpretation which reflects his desire to preserve the sanctity of normativity and meaning. In fact, McDowell sees Wittgensteins goal as finding a middle path between two horns of a dilemma, one which he takes to be Kripkes view that understanding is necessarily interpretative leading to the sceptical paradox, and Wrights view in which expressions are behavioural reactions cultivated by the community making any notion of normativity an illusion. McDowell argues that the way in which we may follow a rule blindly avoiding the need for interpretation while retaining normativity is to situate the questions regarding rules, meaning and understanding within a framework of communal practices  [32]  and furthermore, to redefine what it means to be a member of a linguistic community. According to McDowell, a linguistic community is bound together, not by a match of mere externals (facts accessible to just anyone) but by a capacity for meeting of minds  [33]  . It is as a result of the capacity of members within a linguistic community to access aspects of other members understanding of expressions, that they are able to ascertain a shared meaning. McDowell concedes that Wright is correct to reject the idea that understanding an expression is to formulate a hypothesis concerning something concealed by the speakers linguistic behaviour. However, the anti-realist conclusion from this rejection is misguided in that it fails to also reject the idea that there is such a thing as surface linguistic behaviour. The linguistic behaviour of a speaker that is apparent to others must be characterised in terms of the contents of utterances  [34]  . A command of the language spoken by the speaker allows direct cognitive contact  [35]  with the meaning of this content and thus establishes true meeting of the minds. By this McDowell is suggesting that what we mean by our utterances is not hidden, it is in fact clearly discernible to those who speak the same language. By taking this view McDowell highlights Wittgensteins call for us to stop trying to look beneath the bedrock for reasons as to why we follow rules in a certain way. It is possible to ask further questions concerning the nature of rule-following and meaning but to do so blocks off the obvious and surely correct reading: that hearing a word in one sense rather than another is hearing it in one position rather than another in the network of possible patterns of making sense that we learn to find ourselves in when we acquire mastery of a language  [36]  . When we learn a language we also learn the ways in which this language should be used; there need not be a gap between the expression of a rule given in trainingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and an action in conformity with it  [37]  . Therefore, when we understand an expression we use it in accordance with the communal use and our meaning is clear to those who share our language and customs. If we do not understand, our incomprehension is also clear and we may then be corrected. This appears to coincide with Wittgensteins belief that what is true or false is what human beings say; and it is in their language that human beings agree. This agreement not in opinion, but rather in form of life.  [38]   In this essay I have addressed the question of does Wittgenstein establish that language is rule-governed by discussing the issue of whether his account of rule-following can provide the justifications and normative standards that following a rule require. My exposition of the rule-following paradox and the deviant learner example revealed how Wittgenstein proved that we cannot provide a comprehensive account of rule-following by referring to the content of rules. However, even if this is the case, it does not necessarily mean that we must be sceptics regarding meaning as Kripke suggests. To believe that normativity and justification must be epistemic in nature is to misunderstand what it is to follow a rule. Williams account of how training situated within a particular social structure leads individuals to follow rules blindly effectively encapsulates how the only justification we require for the way we follow rules is that we have been trained to do so. I do believe Wright raises a valid point in asking how we may recognise that our understanding of certain rules is shared by others. However, through my examination of McDowells view that by sharing a language we are able to gain significant insight