Bullying Essay

Bullying Frightened, Weak, Sad, Unwanted. You end up not wanting to go anywhere, because you are afraid of getting picked on. You get so fed up with everything, you start harming yourself. You begin cutting yourself or even worse? You end up killing yourself. Hi today, I’m going to talk to you about bullying and what the down sizes of bullying is. Some might wonder, who are the bully’s and why do people bully others. So as you read this essay, think about those questions. And ask yourself. If you’ve ever been bullied or have you been the bully.How did you feel? Did you feel powerless and think that it wasn’t fare that this was happening to you. Or that you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Well you do and no one should be making you feel like this. Bulling has to stop, it shouldn’t be going to the extent that people feel like they’re nothing and end up committing suicide. Having said that, this essay will show you the different types of b ullying, the consequences of bullying and how to stop bullying. Many people think that bullying is just kicking and punching a person.Those people are right, what they don’t know is that there are other forms of bullying. To be exact there are six different types of bullying; physical bullying, cyber bullying, verbal bullying, indirect bullying, intimidation, and social alienation. The form of bullying that occurs more is cyber bullying. In Canada, 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four has had it happen more than once. 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five have had it happen more than once. 1% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once. 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. Both boys and girls can be bullies. Bo ys tend to bully physically, while girls generally use more indirect approaches, such as gossiping about classmates or isolating them by excluding them from activities or groups.Boys are usually bullied by other boys, whereas girls are bullied by both girls and boys. Some of the consequences of being bullied are self-harm, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness and etc†¦ Most people cannot deal with the pressure of being bullied. So they decide to commit suicide, for example â€Å"Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday, April 9, 2009 after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay. His suicide was at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying in the year of 2009†.Bullying is never acceptable. It should be considered just â€Å"part of growing up† Research and experience consistently shows involved, their families and peers, and the community around them. I’ve witnessed someone self-harming thems elves do to being bullied, it looked like they hit rock bottom and all the person could say is that â€Å"there is no point in living now, no one likes me life is not a thing I enjoy†. I felt like that wasn’t fair to them and that no one should have to go through what they did. But they overcome that and were feeling better.They started hanging out with really friends that cared about them and just ignored what others thought about them because they don’t have to please other, just themselves. How to stop bulling? Whether or not you have been bullied, there are things you can do to stop bullying. The first thing you should do is to tell a teacher or other trusted adult at your school if bullying happens to you or someone at your school. But bullying doesn’t always happen at school, it can happen after school or even at home.So in that situation, tell an adult that will do something about it or even a police officer. This may seem like tattling, but itâ₠¬â„¢s not. The victim of a bully is someone you can protect. By telling someone at school about bullying, you are protecting the victim the same as if you stood up to a bully yourself. After telling an adult, you should go to a councillor to talk about your problem. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the councillor. Try talking to a friend or someone you trust, that will listen to you and try to help you. It isn’t good to keep everything to yourself.You have to get everything out that isn’t healthy for you. Or else it will haunt you and make you feel alone. So in my opinion just talk about your problem even if it’s with your cat or dog (which ever). However being a witness of bullying can be just as bad as being the bullying. As long as you witness bullying and don’t try to stop it. That means, that you’re encouraging the bully because he/she is getting the attention they want. So remember that for the next time you witness someone bei ng bullying and don’t do anything to stop it. Who are bullies?Bullies are very often people who have been bullied or abused themselves. Sometimes they are experiencing life situations they cannot cope with, that leave them feeling helpless and out of control. They may have poor social skills, do not fit in, and cannot meet the expectations of their family, school, or bosses. They bully to, be successful, to control someone else, or to get some relief from their own feelings of powerlessness. Bullies bully because they might be picked on by someone else so they pick on you, so that they think that they are strong.They might not have any friends. They may not know how to feel happy, or something is going on with their family, that is bothering them so they decide to take out their frustration on other people. I hope you take this essay and absorb everything I’ve said. And remember one person might not be able to put a stop to bullying. But we as a group can sure try. If it doesn’t work, then we can try harder. And never give up. Resources: http://www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying http://www. glsen. org/walker. html Bullying Essay Bullying Frightened, Weak, Sad, Unwanted. You end up not wanting to go anywhere, because you are afraid of getting picked on. You get so fed up with everything, you start harming yourself. You begin cutting yourself or even worse? You end up killing yourself. Hi today, I’m going to talk to you about bullying and what the down sizes of bullying is. Some might wonder, who are the bully’s and why do people bully others. So as you read this essay, think about those questions. And ask yourself. If you’ve ever been bullied or have you been the bully.How did you feel? Did you feel powerless and think that it wasn’t fare that this was happening to you. Or that you didn’t have anyone to talk to. Well you do and no one should be making you feel like this. Bulling has to stop, it shouldn’t be going to the extent that people feel like they’re nothing and end up committing suicide. Having said that, this essay will show you the different types of b ullying, the consequences of bullying and how to stop bullying. Many people think that bullying is just kicking and punching a person.Those people are right, what they don’t know is that there are other forms of bullying. To be exact there are six different types of bullying; physical bullying, cyber bullying, verbal bullying, indirect bullying, intimidation, and social alienation. The form of bullying that occurs more is cyber bullying. In Canada, 42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four has had it happen more than once. 35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five have had it happen more than once. 1% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages. 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once. 58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online. Both boys and girls can be bullies. Bo ys tend to bully physically, while girls generally use more indirect approaches, such as gossiping about classmates or isolating them by excluding them from activities or groups.Boys are usually bullied by other boys, whereas girls are bullied by both girls and boys. Some of the consequences of being bullied are self-harm, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness and etc†¦ Most people cannot deal with the pressure of being bullied. So they decide to commit suicide, for example â€Å"Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, hung himself Monday, April 9, 2009 after enduring bullying at school, including daily taunts of being gay. His suicide was at least the fourth suicide of a middle-school aged child linked to bullying in the year of 2009†.Bullying is never acceptable. It should be considered just â€Å"part of growing up† Research and experience consistently shows involved, their families and peers, and the community around them. I’ve witnessed someone self-harming thems elves do to being bullied, it looked like they hit rock bottom and all the person could say is that â€Å"there is no point in living now, no one likes me life is not a thing I enjoy†. I felt like that wasn’t fair to them and that no one should have to go through what they did. But they overcome that and were feeling better.They started hanging out with really friends that cared about them and just ignored what others thought about them because they don’t have to please other, just themselves. How to stop bulling? Whether or not you have been bullied, there are things you can do to stop bullying. The first thing you should do is to tell a teacher or other trusted adult at your school if bullying happens to you or someone at your school. But bullying doesn’t always happen at school, it can happen after school or even at home.So in that situation, tell an adult that will do something about it or even a police officer. This may seem like tattling, but itâ₠¬â„¢s not. The victim of a bully is someone you can protect. By telling someone at school about bullying, you are protecting the victim the same as if you stood up to a bully yourself. After telling an adult, you should go to a councillor to talk about your problem. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to the councillor. Try talking to a friend or someone you trust, that will listen to you and try to help you. It isn’t good to keep everything to yourself.You have to get everything out that isn’t healthy for you. Or else it will haunt you and make you feel alone. So in my opinion just talk about your problem even if it’s with your cat or dog (which ever). However being a witness of bullying can be just as bad as being the bullying. As long as you witness bullying and don’t try to stop it. That means, that you’re encouraging the bully because he/she is getting the attention they want. So remember that for the next time you witness someone bei ng bullying and don’t do anything to stop it. Who are bullies?Bullies are very often people who have been bullied or abused themselves. Sometimes they are experiencing life situations they cannot cope with, that leave them feeling helpless and out of control. They may have poor social skills, do not fit in, and cannot meet the expectations of their family, school, or bosses. They bully to, be successful, to control someone else, or to get some relief from their own feelings of powerlessness. Bullies bully because they might be picked on by someone else so they pick on you, so that they think that they are strong.They might not have any friends. They may not know how to feel happy, or something is going on with their family, that is bothering them so they decide to take out their frustration on other people. I hope you take this essay and absorb everything I’ve said. And remember one person might not be able to put a stop to bullying. But we as a group can sure try. If it doesn’t work, then we can try harder. And never give up. Resources: http://www. dosomething. org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying http://www. glsen. org/walker. html

Malthus And Africa

Africa, being a third world country with much economic oppression, is currently being debated in the General Assembly about whether or not it should have population control. Many experts believe that, if not controlled, the rate of the increasing population of Africa will have disastrous effects. Over two hundred years ago, a man by the name of Thomas Robert Malthus wrote an essay on the effects of population and the food supply titled  «An Essay on the Principle of Population.  » This essay dealt with the growth of population and if not restrained, how it would destroy man’s subsistence here on Earth (Geyer 1). Much of what he wrote applies to not only Africa, but also the entire world today. Currently, the population growth in the Western Nations is approaching zero. This means that each family is having 2. 1 children, enough to replace the current population. For North America to double, it would take one hundred years, for Europe, two hundred. But for Africa to double, it would take only twenty-four years. There are many factors as to why Africa, and many other third world countries, reproduces at such a rate. Lack of contraceptives, traditional values, high infant mortality, and poor education are a few of these actors (Duffey 2).  «It is a lot easier for a country to deal with its problems if it has less people, » says Brian Hailwel, who studies Malthus’s theories (Kolasky 1). Carl Haub who stated,  «It is almost impossible for a developing country to move from the Third World to the First World when their population is rising so rapidly » supports Hailwel’s statement. Malthus believed that the evolution of mankind existed in cycles. Good times occurred when there were high wages and good living conditions, which led to early marriages and rapid population increase. Then come the bad times. Disease, low ages, and epidemics lead to population decrease and a restored balance between population and resources. This cycle then repeats (Stundbia 4). He also felt that the Poor Laws, which attempted to support those whose incomes were too low to support themselves, were in the long run more harmful than helpful. This just leads to lower wages and families that can not support the children they already have bearing more. Many people seem to think that war, famine, and plague will help keep the world’s population restrained. These disasters are one of the two checks on the growth of population that Malthus identifies in  «An Essay on he Principle of Population.  » He called these two checks positive checks and preventative checks. Positive checks are famine, disease, and wars while preventive checks are celibacy, abortion, and late marriages. Africa participates very little in the second check Malthus identifies due to previously stated reasons. When Malthus wrote his essay, he did not take into account the impact technology would have on food production. Due to the  «Green Revolution » which brought about the tractor, refrigeration, chemical fertilizers, and genetic engineering, there was a tremendous increase in food production. Until the mid-eighties, food production kept up with population growth. Since then, it has been steadily declining. Grain production is declining due to soil erosion, waterlogging and salting of irrigated land, air pollution, water shortages, and overuse of land (Berntsen 3). Technological advances compensated for the loss of farmland. Even though less land can be used, more food is being produced. Unfortunately, there are many indications that the world is, at present, producing the maximum amount of food it is capable of. The combined effect of the loss of farmland and the peaking of yield er acre impose limitations. The same problem is in occurrence for the meat production. Nearly all of the world’s rangelands are in use. Seventy-percent of the world’s annual meat is range fed while the other thirty-percent is grain fed. The only room for growth is in the grain fed, and that is estimated to only grow another forty-two percent (Berntsen 2). Fish are also on the decline as a reliable resource for food. The destruction of spawning grounds and the use of mile-long nylon nets has caused the overharvesting of the ocean. A five- percent increase is optimistic (Berntsen 3). The result of the present being the peak in food production while the population is still growing is frightening. If food were to be distributed equally, the food supply would be ten pounds per week. Currently, Americans eat seventeen pounds of food per week. When the world population reaches approximately eleven billion in the year 2050, the food supply will be six to seven pounds per week, which is below the level of food people eat who live in poverty today (Berntsen 1). Malthus believed that three things cause the decline of living conditions: the overpopulation of young; the nability of resources to keep up with the rising human population; and the irresponsibility of the lower class (Simison 2). Malthus suggested a regulation on the size of families of the lower class to fight this. Tunisia, which is located in Northern Africa, has introduced birth control with remarkable results. If overpopulation is not checked, it leads to the crowding of people and the fight for food and water. This, in turn, leads to genocide and other means that are normally considered inappropriate as acceptable (Geyer 2). Equilibrium is what Malthus thought population should achieve. This is where the birth rate equals the death rate. When this is reached, wages will stay the same and any disturbances caused will have compensating changes (Stundbia 5). Malthus, who is credited for this idea, did not think the human population would ever achieve it. He figured that it would be exceeded, a positive check would result, and the cycle would start all over again. Taking Malthus’s theories into account, the only thing that will help Africa economically is for the population to be repressed. In fact, for the next generation or two, the reproduction level should be below the replacement rate. This dramatically decreases the population, therefore increasing the chances it has to grow and develop. If Africa’s population is not repressed, there will not be enough food to feed the people living there. Even First World countries will be unable to help, because they will need all the food they can produce. A gruesome famine will occur, with thousands dead. Africa will experience a major setback and may possibly never recover. I believe that much of Malthus’s theory is correct. Much of the data he used in the seventeen hundreds was incorrect, but his ideas still apply. The cycles he explained have proven to occur. Almost all of the world’s land that can be used is being used to produce the maximum yield. Scientists have predicted the world’s growth to reach eleven billion by the year 2050 if left unchecked. Many have also agreed that the maximum food supply is being produced. If countries such as Africa, whose population tripled from 1950 to today, do not curb their population growth, there will not be enough food to feed them, much less countries that are considerable better off economically. I also think that if Africa were to be educated and there was less oppression, the result would be lower population growth. The idea of allowing families to have only a certain amount of children is morally wrong. Some people seem to think that Malthus’s ideas are extinct and do not apply to the world today. They consider him and what he thought to be dead. But, as Pablo Neruda once said,  «Everything that is buried is not dead » (Geyer 1). He is still alive because his theories can still be applied to today. The consequences of not considering Malthus’s theory as a real threat are too great. For life to exist as we know it, population must be repressed. If not, man’s subsistence will be extinct.

Science and Religion

Science and Religion (SRP 420) Science and Religion–two disciplines that at first glance seem to be completely separate modes of thought. After more careful examination one comes to realize that they bump into each other often. Indeed, science and religion seem to have a complex history involving both conflict and resolution. Many theologians, philosophers, and scientists have developed theories on how science and religion can coexist. One such man is John Polkinghorne a scientist and philosopher; he has developed his own theory on the relationship between science and religion.In the first chapter of his book Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity Polkinghorne lays out his theory for the coexistence of science and religion. He begins by discussing the impressiveness of science and its many accomplishments. Next he goes on to discuss the truth of religion and challenges the claim that religion is simply a personal truth or an opinion, while science is fact. He quickly claims this stat ement is false, because making this conclusion would be a, â€Å"fundamental mistake of the most disastrous kind† (Polkinghorne, 2).This faulty conclusion about the integration of science and religion, according to Polkinghorne, has is often made because of two mistakes: about the basis of scientific knowledge and the other about religious belief. The general mistake that has been made about science is that it is a simple process in which a prediction is formulated, an experiment is performed, and presto a new discovery is made. In actuality there is much more involved in the art of scientific discovery. For instance, scientists often do not have pure facts, but rather they are dealing with knowledge that they must interpret for themselves.To interpret knowledge, according to Polkinghorne, is often quite difficult and requires one to formulate a point of view or an opinion in order to reach a conclusion. Choosing a point of view or having an opinion requires people to be bold and brave because they are betting things happen in a certain way. Therefore in science fact and opinion are constantly mixed up with one another. The major mistake people make in religion is that is that it involves a kind of â€Å"leap into the dark† (Polkinghorne, 10). While religion does involve faith and faith does sometimes require a leap, it is in no way a leap into the dark.Polkinghorne criticizes this theory by asking a variety of questions such as: what would be the purpose of religion if this were true? Why would anyone be religious if it involved such blind trust? (Polkinghorne, 2) Therefore, he concludes religion must be a leap of faith, but it is a leap into the light. The main point Polkinghorne is making here is that religion can only be of real value if it is actually true, otherwise he claims religion would simply only be a, â€Å"technique for whistling in the dark to keep our spirits up† (Polkinghorne, 14).The conclusion reached at the end of the a rgument is that science and religion are â€Å"intellectual cousins,† (Polkinghorne, 11) in that they are both searching for truth, but neither can say that they have achieved it and each must base its conclusions on an interaction between interpretation, experience, and opinion. They both also must always be open to corrections if mistakes are found, because they are part of a kind of wonderful human journey to understand and be in sync with the physical and spiritual world around us.Nevertheless, there are major differences between science and religion that cannot be overlooked, and Polikinghorne points out these differences. Essentially science is dealing with a physical world that we are able to poke and prod even if we cannot always see exactly what is happening. However, religion cannot be put to an experimental test in the same way that science can. Although science and religion are different in this way they are still both attempts to understand even if they go about in different ways. Overall, I think Polkinghorne offered a solid argument for the coexistence of science and religion.As a science major I really appreciate the fact that Polkinghorne is an inhabitant of both the scientific and religious community. Like Polkinghorne I agree with the argument that neither science nor religion can offer an ultimate understanding of the world around us, but if they work together in harmony it is possible that they will eventually be able to achieve a greater understanding. In considering science and religion one must understand that neither can tell you everything and believing that one form of knowing can tell you everything forces a person to take a very diminished view of life.In conclusion, Polkinghorne offers a simple and straightforward argument for how science and religion can exist together without contradiction. While the argument if fairly simple it is also effective and the main point is that science and religion are just different attempts to answer the same questions. Neither can answer these questions on their own to achieve greater understanding of the physical and spiritual world around us, both science and religion must be considered. Works Cited Polikinghorne, John. Quarks, Chaos, & Christianity. NY: Crossroads, 1994.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Case Management of Term Paper

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Case Management of Hispanics - Term Paper Example This topic is being considered in the hope of establishing a clear understanding of the applicability of complementary and alternative medicine in the management of illnesses among the Hispanic population. Concept Complementary and alternative medicine is defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2011) as a diverse and varied medical and health systems and practices which are not normally considered part of conventional or standard medical practice. It is not as widely accepted as conventional medicine, but some of its applications have already been accepted as effective treatments and have therefore formed part of generally applied medicine. Complementary medicine is medicine which is included and used together with conventional medicine (NCCAM, 2011). Alternative medicine, on the other hand is used in place of conventional medicine; in most instances, as the sole treatment, without integration of conventional medicine techniques. CAM includes a wide range of ancient and new-age techniques which claim to treat and to prevent the onset of illness (Barnes, et.al., 2008). In the strictest sense, CAM is not a part of conventional medicine because there is still inadequate proof for its safe and effective use in healthcare. As a result, judgment for the use of these techniques is largely based on discretion and evidence-based support. In general, individuals utilizing CAM are finding ways to improve their overall physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being (Astin, et.al., 2000). Moreover, they often turn to CAM to seek relief from a terminal or chronic illness or from the side-effects of their conventional treatment. Furthermore, they consider CAM as a means of establishing a holistic and transformative management of their body and all its issues (Institute of Medicine, 2005). CAM practitioners often attempt to treat not only the physical chemical symptoms of the disease, but also the psychological, emotional, and mental i mpact of the illness. Most patients availing of this treatment consider it as a means of complementing their conventional medicine management; seldom is it used as an alternative form of treatment (Barnes, et.al., 2008). Based on a National Health Interview survey (2002), about a third of adults use atleast one form of CAM. Usual CAM therapies include non-mineral natural products, meditation, yoga, massage, deep-breathing exercises, and diet-based therapies (Barnes, et.al., 2002). In the past, CAM has often been used to relieve back aches, headaches, chest colds, neck pain, joint stiffness, and anxiety. Although much less common, the use of these forms of treatment has also been prevalent in the management of symptoms for cancer, lung diseases, and cardiovascular infection (Mao, et.al., 2007). Its use has also been common among women and among adults with higher educational qualifications, including adults who have been suffering from one or two health issues requiring multiple medi cal consults in a year (Nahin, et.al., 2007). CAM techniques are often categorized into different classifications. One of its categories includes natural products. These natural produces are popularly known as herbal medicines, vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements (NCCAM, 2011). Probiotics or

Problem Set on Price Levels and Open Economy Macro Essay

Problem Set on Price Levels and Open Economy Macro - Essay Example 2. When national income rises due to increased payments, imports are likely to increase in value relative to exports and as a result, the external value of the currency will depreciate thus weakening real and nominal exchange rates in the long run. For example, the 1986 fall in the price of oil led to a depreciation of the sterling pound on the foreign-exchange market. On the other hand, a reduction in national income reduces import in value relative to exports the resultant effect being the appreciation of external value of currency thus strengthening real and nominal exchange rates in the long run. 3. Factors such as indirect taxes, subsidies and transport costs may change prices of goods in a country but not affect the exchange rates. If a country imposes tariff on imports from abroad, the price in the home market would rise but since less foreign currency would be spent on it, the long run exchange rate will tend to improve. The long run nominal exchange rate will also improve. 4. Short-term capital moves from one country to another as changes take place in the rate of interest being offered by each country.

Marketing Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Marketing Plan - Research Paper Example new look of the MS Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint provided with efficient features making the working process more comfortable, easy and safe; as well as enhancing already existing means of communication and information exchange. Microsoft Corporation main mission is based on idea of sustaining its position as World’s number one technology company which is engaged into creation, development, licensing and manufacturing software products and operating systems, search engines as well as conquering video game industry (Microsoft, 2015). Microsoft audience is as diversified as the product portfolio and it involved young adults of 16-30 years as targeted users Xbox consoles and operating systems for everyday and educational purposes as well as business segment using software in professional sphere where collecting, storing and presentation of information are essential processes and can be seen on firms and corporations different in size. Nowadays the competition within industry is severe as the company is diversified and it meets rough competition in several key areas such as search engine and smart phones from giants such as Google, Apple and Oracle. Microsoft market consists of products, consumers and business users. The main feature of this very aspect is implied in diversification of product portfolio which is aimed at reaching the audience through erasing the boundaries of age, profession, social status (Microsoft, 2015). Operation systems are designed to be applied on computers and other devices as means of data storing or day-to-day operations including education, entertainment, health care, programs such as Skype can be used by professionals and consumers. Corporate (business market) – people engaged in large businesses, firms and corporation feel the need in sufficient software in order to work with information on different levels, bringing convenience into the process of collecting, storing and presentation of information as well

PERFORMANCE AND CULTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

PERFORMANCE AND CULTURE - Essay Example Brecht invented and introduced the use of alienation effects in the theatre and plays. He is among the pioneer artist to develop a form of drama that has been called epic theatre in which ideas and didactic lessons are supposed to be more important and attention catching as compared with the other features and elements of the play (Frederic, 1992). Bertolt Brecht used his invented technique in many plays to attain his aim to encouraging people to think about the end, lesson and message rather focusing upon the emotions and characters. The following essay aim to discuss the way Brecht changed the traditional style in which the plays were written and staged. In this regard, the essay describes the efforts of Brecht in innovating new technique and style for the theatre and its use in his dramas. It has been unveiled that in the beginning Brecht was not completely successful to practice the alienation technique for gaining the desired results however; as his work grew mature he proved th e significance of the technique in form of several successful epic plays (Frederic, 1992). Bertolt Brecht and modernist theatre – Alienation technique and epic plays Bertolt Brecht held the firm belief that the actors should always strive to produce alienation effects in the drama in order to discard the traditional style of persuading the audiences with their characters in the play. Rather putting the audience into a trance the actors should go into the trace their selves so that they can present natural and lively performance in front of the audience. He believes that the way of speaking and the movements of the artists must be convincing and effective enough that audience can feel the real message behind the play rather getting lost in the fabrication of dialogues delivery. His dramas are considered as most importance and original work pieces in the European drama and he has widely recognized as most influential and prominent European materialist writer of the 20th century (Weber, 1984). The theatre practice of the twentieth century was heavily influenced and developed from the contributions of Brecht to the theatrical production and dramaturgy. He spent several decades in experimenting and developing the theory and practice of his epic theatre and devoted lot of time and efforts to bring something new and useful in the process of play making. He was inspired from the ideas of early theorists Erwin Piscator and Vrevolod Mayerhold regarding the use of theatre for as platform for the propagation of the political ideas. He believes that drama and theatre are medium for the transmission of ideas and thoughts and the audience should not stop thinking when the drama ends but the drama should be meaningful enough that the audience could initiate the thinking process during and after watching the drama (Willett, 1977). Brecht wants to support re-functioning of theatre in to a social use rather becoming a source of entertainment. His concentrated efforts and research work around the topic have resulted in the evolution and popularity of Brechtian theories and techniques that were widely uses in the theatre and cinematic practice. In the early days of his career in theatre and play making Brecht was more interested in doing experiments with dada and expressionism. However, as he proceeds with his work he attained maturity and new ideas and within few years he succeeded to develop a unique style of

Family In Later Life Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Family In Later Life Research Paper - Essay Example Widowhood in the later life leaves the surviving spouse to undergo a normal process from grief to acceptance; the challenges associated with widowhood are likely to open new opportunities for increasing and maintaining social relationships. Widows/Widowers and the Efforts of Overcoming Grief Widows are generally associated with â€Å"isolation, loss and vulnerability† (Walker, 1993, p. 34), especially the post feminism era. With the women almost completely dependent on men, widowhood seems to be the worst thing that can happen to a woman, especially in the presence of young children. However, the changing views of women’s roles in the contemporary society made widowhood less burdensome for the surviving spouse, but contemporary views do not spare widows in the process to acceptance. The first challenge for a widow is coping with grief, where older people are seen to cope better than their younger counterparts (Bryant, 2003). According to Balkwell (1981), there seems to have a reaction pattern following a spouse’s death where initially, surviving partners undergo â€Å"shock or bewilderment...and may refuse to believe that the spouse is dead† (p. 120). ... Bureau of Census (1993) indicated that 80% of women between the ages 65 and 75 are already widowed compared to 39% of widowers in the same age bracket (as cited in Bryant, 2003). The issue of sex or gender related to acceptance of death seems to receive contradictory comments from psychologist through the years. Kail and Cavanaugh (2008) stated that men generally have problems with social relationships after the death of the spouse. Moreover, they were seen to be â€Å"more vulnerable† than women because (1) they are the ones who would initiate dating, â€Å"which is awkward after being married;† (2) retirement and the loss of contact from workmates; (3) there are less widowers in whom they can relate to; and (4) they lack familiarity with the things women do such as house hold chores (Balkwell, 1989, p. 120). On the other hand, women are perceived to be more efficient in coping with widowhood, but it depends on the kind of coping mechanism she uses. Lopata (1973) label ed three types of widows: the modern woman, the lower class urbanite, and the social isolate (as cited in Chambers, 2005). Each of the three types possesses unique qualities in which Lopata (1973) based their names. The modern woman would have to be the most familiar, where the widow is generally passive but is â€Å"willing to re-engage.† Such characteristic is also evident for women who belong to the lower class urbanite only that they generally seek emotional counsel to family and friends, and not from outside peers such as at work. These qualities are the opposite to what â€Å"social isolates† have. As the term suggests, women belonging to this category do not engage with socialization and basically are withdrawn even to people whom they have closer connections (Chambers, 2005, pp. 27-28). In contrast

Art History - Atlantis in Dubai, UAE Research Paper

Art History - Atlantis in Dubai, UAE - Research Paper Example Hotel Atlantis is basically ocean themed and a major consideration in its design was to give visitors and guests in the hotel a feel of being under the ocean. Second theme on its design is that of a ruined and lost city below the sea, after the Atlantis. It is named after this mystical lost city. As a result, it is a rich source of ancient history, dating back to the 9600 BC although it is argued to be around 900 BC by a school of thought who thought that Plate was mistaken in his representations as to the dates that the city existed (Kleiner 112). The location of the mythical islands is also a matter of contention, with one school of thought claiming it is in the Atlantic while a majority believes that it is in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in our case, the hotel is located in the palm Jumeirah, an island in the artificial palm island in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel was designed to capture the Atlantis culture, the Arabic culture and give an underwater concept. It is a marvelous piece of architecture, rich in art, in the paintings, carvings and top notch murals. The hotel is owned by Kerzner holdings and Istithmar Company. Its design is hugely borrowed from the Atlantis Resort in Bahamas, another chain of Kerzner Holdings. The hotel opened in 2008, one year after it was started construction in 2007. Many consider this hotel as the trademark of the Jumeirah islands, an icon hotel in Dubai and also double as one of the most expensive hotels in the world (Kleiner 45). The Atlantis palm sits on more than one hundred and ten acres and includes one thousand five hundred and thirty rooms. As mentioned earlier, its design is strongly influenced by the Atlantis Paradise in the Bahamas. It was inspired by Sol Kerzner, who had envisioned constructing a hotel modeled on the Atlantis, a well-known mythical lost city. There is a long story behind the origins of this myth,

Management and Leadership Situations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management and Leadership Situations - Essay Example The concept of the world under one umbrella (Globalization) has liberalized the management principles also. Management styles and methodologies have undergone drastic changes over the past two decades because of the introduction of scientific management theories in the organizations. Most of the autocratic approaches have given way to democratic approaches. Business is more oriented towards building relationships between the organization and the employees and also with the organization and the customers or public. The relationship between the employees and the organization should be in good condition for the growth of the organization. The employees should feel happy about the working conditions and the wages in order to deliver maximum productivity. If any damages caused, to the employee- organization ties up, the business may badly affect. On the other hand in some situations, the management may be forced to implement certain strategies for the benefit of the organization which may result in increased workload for the employees. Consider the following case. Your store is having an after holiday sale. All merchandise will be discounted 50% in order to make up for money lost before the holidays because of the weak economy. The store must close at its’ usual time of 10 pm so not to turn away customers but will reopen at 6 AM the following day. Although the staff is tired from a 12 hour day, they must stay past their assigned shift to complete a merchandise inventory and discount the merchandise before the opening the next day. What should the manager do?

The Ongoing Evolution of Electronic Music and Its Impact on Music Essay

The Ongoing Evolution of Electronic Music and Its Impact on Music Culture and the Production and Performance of Music - Essay Example People listen to some sort of music every day in their lives, from the moment they are born till the day that they die. Music brings joy, a kind of joy which nothing else can offer especially in times of loneliness and despair. Music has a peculiar strength which captivates and mesmerizes the listeners, and they emerge rejuvenated on listening to it. One of the greatest accomplishments of humanity is developing songs, lyrics, beats, tunes and such other innovative musical strands that connect and create music culture. Music, as we know today is very far from what it was centuries ago. The ability of human beings to mimic the sounds they hear in the environment and converting them into their own music using the different tools he can find is one distinctive facture of human being race. It is believed that music has been around since the times humans, or as referred to during that time ‘cavemen,’ have existed. As it is known, musical instruments did not exist continues ago. The people then just made music out of things they could lay their hands on, like banging stones together, rubbing sticks together, clapping, and humming and so on. Evolution of Electronic Music: Music, like every other art form, has evolved over times to keep in tandem with the transformations in human aesthetics. Similarly, the advent of technolog y in the modern world has revolutionized all spheres of human life including music. â€Å"Key subjects in the music industry range from music production policy and consumption of popular music† (Wiechmann 2009). The evolution of music into electronic form, thus owes it allegiance to a great deal to the developments in technology. The first acknowledged form of an electronic music device is the telharmonium or dynamo phone, invented by Thaddeus Cahill. The evolution of electronic music indicates the type of music that uses various electronic musical devices and technologies of electronic music in its production. In general a difference can be made between the sound created using electromechanical ways and that which is formed using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound creating instruments are Hammond organ, Telharmonium, and the electric guitar. Pure electronic sound can be created by using instruments such as the sound synthesizer, computer and Theremin. The Effects of New Technology on the Approaches to Creating Electronic Music and Artists/DJs etc who Utilize Such Technologies: The effect of new technology has created lots of advantages in the process of creating artists, music or DJs who utilize such kind of technologies. The growth of new instrumental idiom and verbal idiom some of the outstanding phenomena of current music. There are undoubtedly certain contributing factors in the current music forms: the effect of folk instrument methods; the influence of jazz, and, afterwards, rock methods; the emancipation of percussion devices (a growth for which Bartok is particularly important); and at last, the arrival of a growing number of young singers and instrumentalists who specialize in the performance of current music, and who themselves play attention in questioning the idiomatic resources of their devices. The growth of idiom, obviously, has been an ongoing procedure over the centuries; in fact, it is incumbent upon every age to "reinvent" devices as modes and styles of expression change. â€Å"The music industry is one industry that has been greatly affected by technology† (Jones 2005). The influence of technology on music is devastating. A DJ gives all types of music.

My Industrial Training Essay Example for Free

My Industrial Training Essay I started my training on 7th July 2008 at JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where I was first assigned to start as a CRO (customer recognition) in Front Office. I got to learn about the procedures of welcoming certain guests, such as VIP’s, by preparing welcome letters, flowers, chocolate and fruit baskets. I was only there for one week, and then I changed my training to Royale Bintang Damansara Hotel instead because of transportation and financial problems. My first department at Royale Bintang Damansara was Housekeeping, I tarted there on 21st July. What I came to notice first was that all the staff had problems communicating with me in English, but everyone was very nice, helpful and supportive. Even though we had problems communicating and understanding each other they still tried their best to teach me everything they knew. During my first two weeks in Housekeeping Department, my department head conducted a short training every day for both trainees and staff on how to clean floors, carpets, the pool area and things like that. They showed us the equipment that was used and we all had to try to use it ourselves. I think it was very good of them to have these trainings as it also widened their staff’s knowledge so that if, for example, a staff from public area cleaning would be away, a housekeeper could just jump in and help out. A room attendant wouldn’t just know how to clean guestrooms but also how to do public area cleaning as well. While training in Housekeeping, I got to learn about linen and laundry for awhile, I also got to refill the mini-bar in all the guestrooms. I was taught how to inspect the rooms, to make sure the room was ready for a new guest. I also had to try public area cleaning, where they taught me how to clean the pool side and the swimming pool, cleaning windows and swiping floors. What I enjoyed the most was to clean the guestrooms, which I did most of my time in Housekeeping. At first I was only making the bed in all the rooms as most housekeepers didn’t want me to clean the toilet, but after awhile I had tried everything and my last two weeks in Housekeeping I was even assigned to clean some guest rooms all by myself. I was a bit slow cleaning rooms alone as I wanted the room to look perfect, but I know I did I good job and I feel very happy and proud over my performance there. One thing that shocked me in Housekeeping Department was that sometimes the Housekeepers didn’t have enough linen for all guestrooms, so instead of changing the bed sheets and pillow covers they just dusted away hairs and stuff and sprayed a lot of freshener on it so the new guest would think it’s clean. When I saw these things I asked them how they could do in such a way as it’s not hygienic at all, but they all answered me that it was the otel’s fault as they didn’t want to buy in more linen. Another thing that shocked me was that I noticed the Front Office staff always talked bad about the housekeeping staff and looked down at them just because they were cleaners. For me, I think that the Housekeeping Department is one of the most important departments in the hotel and the Front Office staff must work closely with them to get the guest satisfaction. This is the picture of a bed inside one of the guest rooms I cleaned by myself After six weeks I changed my department to Front Office. I was very excited to start there because I would really want to work with that in the future so I had very high expectations about it, however I felt very disappointed with how they handled things there. First it was the staff; I think most of them had the wrong attitude for being receptionists, they barely smiled at the guests coming to the reception; sometimes they could be very rude and blame things on the guests and not being helpful at all. They were also very bad in handling guest complaints. Everything seemed so different from what I had learned in Front Office classes, and I felt very disappointed over the service they were practicing. All Front Office staff were also using different uniforms, so I think that looked a bit odd. It would look better if everyone was wearing the same color and blazer at least. Later on they got more uniforms to the hotel for front office staff so even the trainees could borrow it while standing at the reception. All other trainees got to borrow uniforms but every time I asked they told me they didn’t have for me so I had to buy one myself. My first two weeks in Front Office I was sitting as the telephone operator. I was transferring calls to different departments, ordering taxis for guests etc, if I worked in the evening I also had to take reservations. When I started in the reception I started to get problems; I felt that nobody there could take the time to tell me what to do or teach me anything. If I asked them they would tell me they were busy or that they couldn’t teach me in English, so instead I had to stand and try to understand when they were teaching the other trainees in Malay or Chinese, which I really didn’t think was fair. Although I told my department head about this so many times nothing happened. I finally learned about the program they were using and I observed how the staffs were talking to the guests during check-in and check-out, so finally I tried to do it myself. I could do all of the procedures for check in and check out, and each day I was doing it I felt it went easier. Sometimes if a guest wanted a late checkout we would charge the guest either a half day charge or full day charge, depending on the time they would check out. At these times we had to calculate how much extra the guest would have to pay. One of my supervisors had showed me how to do it so one day when I had to calculate the half day charge for one guest, one of the staff was looking how I was doing it. When I showed the guest her bill the staff who had been seeing everything started screaming at me in front of the guest that I was doing it wrong, but I told her I was sure of what I was doing. This girl working at the reception said that she was right and called another receptionist right away. However by the time that receptionist came there, the guest I had charged had already left. Both receptionists was telling me I charged the guest too little and that I had to pay with my own money right away to cover up the amount of money I never charged. I called one of my supervisors at that time and explained to him that I thought maybe I had done a mistake, but when he checked it he said that everything was correct and instead he noticed that the other receptionist had charged some guests wrong instead. For some strange reason this incident caused that many of the staff there was talking bad about me, saying that I thought I was better than them as I always corrected their work. I thought instead that it was good that I noticed if they had done any mistake such as charging the guest wrong so they could learn from it instead, The staff really wanted to blame a lot of things on the trainees instead of accepting their own mistakes. I was working very independently as I didn’t get much help from most staff, but I think I did a good job and the staff that actually taught me things even complimented me for being so clever for learning everything by myself so fast. I also had to work overnight while I was in Front Office, so that I ould get to learn and understand about the night audit. I was first assigned to prepare all registration cards; which is all the reservations for guests arriving the next day. I had to look over special requests such as room types, smoking- and nonsmoking rooms, connecting rooms and views so that I could assign the different rooms to each arriving guest. I also had to write breakfast coupons and set up wake up calls for guests. I felt that I didn’t learn as much as I had hoped during the night shift. The staff I was working with said that the supervisor would do most of the auditing, so for the staff there wasn’t much things at all to do. I wanted to ask my supervisor to tech me some of the auditing but he was missing most of the time so I never got to learn about the night audit. During my first nightshift, my boyfriend wanted to sit in the lobby and wait for me to finish so I asked the staff in the reception including my supervisor if it was ok, and they told me he could sit there the whole night if he wanted to, as long as he didn’t cause any problem or disturbed me. At 4am, my supervisor told the security to tell my boyfriend to leave the hotel. When I heard about this I asked my supervisor why he at first told me it was ok for him to sit there, but then he just told me it wasn’t allowed. A few days later Ms Zurin from Human Resource Department told me that because of that incident I wasn’t allowed in Front Office anymore and had to change department immediately. She told me I was lucky to get a second chance as my supervisor wanted me to be terminated. I felt very sad and confused because I didn’t understand what that incident had to do with my work there. I was transferred to Food and Beverage Department on 18th October. Over there I was taking care of their lobby bar; I was making welcome drinks and all kinds of other beverages and served it to guests. I was also taking down all orders for room service. Every weekend and during public holidays they were having a hi-tea buffet for lunch and a BBQ buffet for dinner, at these times I helped the staff to clear and set tables. While working in the morning I helped with their breakfast buffet by greeting and welcoming the guests and collecting breakfast vouchers. After every breakfast, we had to set up the restaurant for lunch or if there was any special function going on there, so I learned how to do so many different table settings. There was one thing that shocked me in Food and Beverage Department as well; most staff doesn’t know how to wash a simple glass, they just wash it with their hand and water and later they will take the dirty glass and put some beverage in it and serve it to the guest. Every day when I started my shift I had to rewash all of the glasses because they were so dirty. Sometimes I also saw that the napkins they put on the tables looked dirty or were full of holes or that the plates were having dried food stuff on it or be full of grease. For being a restaurant in a four star hotel they should have a better service than that and not act like it is just a mamak shop. That is also the reason why I liked standing at the lobby bar, because then I knew the glasses for example would be washed properly. However in December, their restaurant got two new supervisors and especially one of them were very strict about hygiene so I hope that this things will improve or change now. Although I didn’t want to do Food and Beverage at first, it was above my expectations and I really learned a lot of new things. I got along well with all the staff also even though many of them weren’t good in English. Now when I look back at my training at Royale Bintang Damansara, I’m happy with what I achieved from there. I know that many trainees only get to observe most things; instead of trying it themselves so for that I’m happy that I got to do everything practically, because for me that is how I learn the most. I don’t think the hotel is that good though and many staff working there seems to be there only to have something to do, instead of being passionate about the service industry. Another thing that really shocked me also was that there is a lot of drug use going on inside the hotel, people working there that I didn’t even know asked me if I wanted to buy drugs. This really came as a shock to me and I can’t believe how something like that can exist in a working place like a four star hotel. I don’t think Royale Bintang Damansara should have a four star rating because their service is not good. For example that they don’t change the bed sheets after a guest checked out, how they are behaving at the reception or that they are serving dirty glasses to guests. I’m still happy that I got to see this kind of things, because I would never have thought it could be like this in a hotel. I know I will be more careful now in the future while staying in a hotel, I will always be aware of these things. These bad experiences I saw have given me a new career option; I would like to be a hotel inspector. Because I don’t think a guest should be paying a lot of money for a service like that in a four star hotel. In a way I could recommend Royale Bintang Damansara to other trainees, because you will see a lot of useful things and you will get the chance to try everything practically, unlike some other hotels. I would in that case only recommend it to local students. As a foreigner I had a lot of problems in the hotel, especially to communicate in English with the staff. It didn’t matter if it was in Housekeeping Department or Front Office. However, I succeeded to gain a lot of knowledge from all the departments I went to and I know that the things I have learned will be useful for me in the future.

Importance of Product Innovation at Sony

Importance of Product Innovation at Sony Searching for Sonys Salvation: The Turnaround Strategy of an Industrial Giant There is no doubt that Sony, one of the greatest companies of the twentieth century, accredited with being the creators of products such as the portable radio, Walkman, and PlayStation, to name but a few, is no longer the force of old. No longer does it rule the roost in the consumer electronics industry to the extent that it did in decades gone by. No longer does it feature among the worlds most valuable brands as it did at the peak of its powers. Founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akito Morita in post-war Tokyo, Sony, or Tokyo Tsuchin Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation), the predecessor of Sony, started as a small company with capital of just 190,000 yen and less than a couple of dozen employees (Sony, n.d.). Yet, therein laid the foundations of what was to become one of, if not, the most iconic consumer electronics company in the world, worth an estimated $7.6 billion as at 2016 (Forbes, 2016) with more than 125,000 employees on its payroll (Sony, n.d.). However, it is fair to say that in recent years, Sonys performance has fallen short of expectations. According to the case study, the company has failed to tap into new opportunities, and been criticised for being complacent and over-reliant on past successes. The aim of this assignment, therefore, is to: firstly, discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment; secondly, conduct a SWOT analysis of Sony; and thirdly, recommend a course of action for Sony based on an exploration of the strategic options available, in an attempt to turnaround the industrial giants ailing fortunes. In so doing, this assignment explores the key concepts at the heart of each discussion and applies them within the context of the case study, around which the questions are based. Discuss the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, in regard to the changing marketing environment. In order to fully appreciate the importance of product innovation to the future success of Sony, there are several issues which must be examined. For example, the concept of the marketing environment should first be defined and broken down, likewise the process of environmental scanning that will lead on from this, and only then can such a discussion begin to take place. The marketing environment can be defined as the actors and forces that affect a companys capability to operate effectively in providing products and services to its customers (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016). In other words, the marketing environment includes all the factors that have an impact upon the decisions, policies, and strategies of an organisation. On the face of it, therefore, the marketing environment is a one-dimensional concept that is easy-to-understand. However, that is by no means correct. Indeed, there are multiple facets of the marketing environment; hence it is vital to break it down into its component parts. The marketing environment is composed of the macro environment and micro environment. Whereas the former consists of a number of broad forces that affect not only the company but also the other actors in the microenvironment, (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 38) the latter consists of the actors in the firms immediate environment that affect its capabilities to operate effectively in its chosen markets. (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2016: 55) To put it more simply, the macro environment revolves around external factors, in contrast to the micro environment, the focus of which is on internal factors. For example, the macro environment includes political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that affect an organisation, all of which will be expanded upon later in the discussion. The micro environment, meanwhile, includes competitors, customers, distributors, and suppliers. These shape the character of the opportunities and threats facing a company and yet are l argely uncontrollable. In order to combat the uncontrollability of the marketing environment, it is essential that organisations adopt a strategy for dealing with such a problem. This leads us to the concept of environmental scanning. According to Huczynski and Buchanan (2016), environment scanning refers to processes through which the impact of external trends and developments on the internal functioning of an organisation can be determined and forecasted. Diffenbach (1983) finds that organisations can reap the rewards from carrying out the process of environmental scanning. Chief amongst the multitudinous advantages it can deliver are enhanced general cognisance of, and responsiveness to, changes in the marketing environment; improved strategic planning and decision-making; better industry and market analysis; and more efficient energy planning. As far as the macro environment is concerned, one of the widely used approaches to environmental scanning is a PESTLE analysis. This is an environmental scanning tool identifying political, economic, social, technological, legal, and ecological factors that have an effect on an organisation. Political factors influencing organisations emerge from decisions made and actions taken by the government. For example, taxation rates may change which will affect the profitability of an organisation. Economic factors arise from the state of the countrys wealth. If there is a recession, for example, it slows down the economy as people are less likely to spend unnecessarily which, in turn, impacts upon sales and profits. Social factors refer to the ways in which society changes and the requirement for organisations to acclimatise in the same way. For example, changing demographic forces such as an ageing population may mean appetite for particular products either peters out or grows. Technologic al factors relate to the rapidly evolving technological advancements that marketers have to keep abreast with and invest in to remain competitive. Legal factors include the implementation of specific laws, which, for example, may necessitate the payment of a statutory minimum wage by organisations to their workforces. Ecological factors, meanwhile, revolves around environmental concerns and reducing toxic emissions, pollution, and spills. These factors cannot be controlled but can prepare the organisation for changes that may take place in the marketing environment (Morrison and Daniels, 2010). Now that we have explored the concepts at the heart of the question, namely innovation, and the marketing environment, tying in with environmental scanning and PESTLE analysis, it is possible to apply these within the context of Sony. Beginning with the micro environment, Sony has faced increasing numbers of competitors in recent years. Indeed, the case study alludes to the fact that aggressive competitors are stealing market share in key markets where once it dominated. For example, within the mobile phone sector, multination corporations such as Apple and, to a greater extent, Samsung are now seen as the dominant forces. Together, Samsung and Apple, the top two global smartphone brands, accounted for more than 42% of the worldwide market share in the first quarter of 2016. (TrendForce, 2016) By stark contrast, Sony did not even feature among the top five, lagging behind in the others category. Hopes had initially been high that Sonys range of phones, complete with top-of-the-range camera capabilities and Walkman-branded capabilities enabling them to be transformed into portable digital music gadgets, would see them retake the lead in the market. However, Sonys strategy to market Walkman-branded products against the likes of Apples highly innovative and successful iPhone range has yet to yield success and is unlikely to do so in light of how outdated the Walkman is in comparison to their opposite numbers latest device. Just as technology is evolving, so too is it the responsibility of marketers to keep up-to-date with such changes in an attempt to remain competitive in the marketplace.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Thus, the importance of product innovation should be underplayed from a micro marketing environment perspective. That said, it can be argued that it is of equal importance in a macro environment sense too. Conduct a SWOT analysis on Sony. What are the strategic options available to Sony? Furthermore, recommend a course of action for Sony, giving reasons for your answer. Bibliography Diffenbach, John (1983) Corporate Environmental Analysis in Large US Corporations, Long-Range Planning Vol. 16 No. 3 pp107-16 Forbes Website (2016) The Worlds Most Valuable Brands https://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/#tab:rank [accessed 3rd March 2017] Huczynski, Andrzej; and Buchanan, David (2013) Organizational Behaviour 8th Edition, Pearson Jobber, David; and Ellis-Chadwick, Fiona (2016) Principles and Practice of Marketing 8th Edition, London: McGraw-Hill Education Morrison, Mike; and Daniels, Kathy (2010) Pestle Analysis Factsheet, London: Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development Sony Website (no date) TrendForce Website

Effectiveness of Point of Care System (POC)

Effectiveness of Point of Care System (POC) TITLE Effectiveness of Point of Care System (POC) in Decreasing Hospital Shouldered Costs for Health Care of Indigent Patients. AUTHORS Seurinane Sean Espanola MD (Principal Investigator), Ma. Elinore Alba-Concha MD (Co-author) INTRODUCTION Topic Background: The National Health Insurance Act of 2013 Section 6 states that all citizens of the Philippines shall be covered by the National Health Insurance Program prioritizing acceleration of provision of health services to all Filipinos especially those who cannot afford such services. All indigents not enrolled in the program shall have priority provided that they shall be subsequently enrolled in the program.1 It has been estimated that 77 million of more than 92 million Filipinos are covered by PHIC as of March 2009. And 72 percent of the 4.7 million indigent families are enrolled in the sponsored program.2 R.A. No. 7875 targets 100 percent coverage of the indigent population3 but despite national government appropriations, sin tax collections, local government sponsorships and other sources, a vast number of poor are not yet covered by PHIC hence a mechanism of enrolling these patients at the Point of Care was established to ensure that all poor that is in dire need of quality health services is covered by Philhealth. The Point of Care (POC) system will provide indigent patients or those belonging to Class C-3 to D availment of Philhealth benefits.4 Ensuring access of the less privileged members of society to health care is the main aim of the POC system and the additional aim is to offset hospital shouldered costs of free services to the uninsured hence assuring sustainability. This study then focuses on the latter and looks into the initial effects of the POC system on hospital shouldered costs. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE: Health care for all is a seemingly profound undertaking providing medical assurance for people from all walks of life however the question of sustainability and accessibility is still an ongoing issue. Despite the improving economy and work force, health care continues to remain less of a priority as finances are being concentrated to the basic needs of life. In a study by Tsilaajav in March 2009 focusing on costing study for selected Philippine hospitals, the average unit cost of outpatient visit is P378 while emergency visit is P552. The average inpatient discharge on tertiary public hospitals would range from 1,500 to 10,000 pesos.5 This considerable amount is threatening to low income families compromising their general health. There are several types of Insurance systems in the Philippines. Private health insurances works by giving coverage separately for hospitalization as well as emergency cases however premiums may be costly. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) which is the common managed care plan in the country covers basic medical expenses from preventive and outpatient setting aside from hospitalization. And the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), reinventing consumer payment schemes since the establishment of Medicare, provides affordable health insurance for Filipinos at any age. Although these insurance systems may come free during employment, still there is a higher chance of discontinuity especially for those with average to low monthly incomes. And as insurance premiums may rise exponentially yearly, many of the insured in return will become uninsured. The uninsured or people with no insurance coverage are no different from those insured. They are struck with common diseases however receiving less preventive care and screenings foregoing medical care due to costs leading to higher mortality rates.6 Hence the government plays a pivotal role in providing access to medical care for everyone. The Aquino administration aims to provide accessible and available health services for all Filipinos through its Universal Health Care also referred to as Kalusugan Pangkalahatan. A health care that is accessible, efficient, equitably distributed, adequately funded, fairly finance and appropriately used by all. However despite efforts of the government to provide easy access to care especially to the poor, still there are vast majority who are uninsured hence faced with unaffordable medical bills during admissions, more out of pocket expenditures and with these thoughts in mind would later forego care because of costs and may defeat the purpose of the government of providing financial risk protection for all especially the poor. The PHIC last November 17, 2013 with Joint order No. 2013-0033 implemented the Point of Care Enrollment Program for Hospital-Sponsored Members to further strengthen the Aquino administration program of universal health care more so focusing on the indigents as stipulated on Republic Act 7875 which clearly mentions all indigents not enrolled in the program shall have the priority in the use and the availment of the services and facilities of government hospitals. 1 The Point of Care System caters to non-member who were assessed by the Medical Social Worker as class C-3 and class D and members who are not covered due to lack of qualifying contribution and classified as class C-3 and D. Patients enrolled under the POC will be covered with in and out patient benefits including the no balance billing policy. The premium amount will be shouldered by the hospital and the coverage of Hospital Sponsored Membership shall be from the first day of confinement month and shall end on the last day of the same calendar year. Sponsorship will be continued by the National Government if the applicant remains in the same class per year upon re-evaluation. Thru Point of Care System patients will be given enough benefits and be more confident in utilizing health care services without being burden of the costs and in return lessens the quality fee services and out of pocket expenditures and more importantly improve hospital reimbursements. However up to date this new system does not have local level analysis and there are no comprehensive studies up to date hence this study. RESEARCH QUESTION: The National Health Insurance Act through the National Health Insurance Program ensures health coverage for all. The point of care system covers class C-3 and D admissible or admitted patients. However to date there is still yet to be a study providing a local level analysis of the impact of Point of Care system. Additionally, it is still unknown how the system will impact the financial status of hospitals and its sustainability issues. Thus this research aims to answer the question: Will the POC implementation reduce hospital shouldered health care costs for indigent patients? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: The Point of Care system has had an immediate effect on healthcare institutions and subsequently the health coverage. It aims to provide financial risk protection to all Filipinos especially the poor as implemented through the Aquino Agenda. As quality of patient healthcare is directly tied to the sustainability of hospitals, the point of care system will affect the finances and decision-making of hospitals and will directly determine whether or not financial risk protection for the poor is in fact being achieved. Hospitals will be able to identify the areas of concern and areas of growth the point of care will be providing regarding efficiency and sustainability and in return will encourage low-income patients to avail the system. OBJECTIVES: The general objective of this study is to compare hospital shouldered costs for patients admitted for common conditions seen in Family Medicine pre and post Point of Care. Specifically, based on secondary data provided by the Southern Philippines Medical Center, the study shall: 1. describe patients admitted in Southern Philippines Medical Center from June 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014 in terms of a) demographic characteristics (age, sex, address) b) diagnosis c) MSW classification d) other external sources of health funds (CMAP, Lingap) e)length of hospital stay 2. compare the hospital revenue pre and post POC 3. compare hospital shouldered costs pre and post POC which includes cost of POC enrollment and additional subsidy on top of PHIC and other external sources’ reimbursement. 4. compare the hospital revenue pre and post POC. METHODOLOGY Research Design Retrospective Cohort Setting Southern Philippines Medical Center, Retrospective date covering June 2013 to March 2014 Inclusion The Department of Family Medicine caters to patients aged 14-60 years old only. Hence patients who fall on the age bracket admitted with following diagnosis AGE with moderate, DHF I, CAP moderate risk or PCAP-C enrolled in the point of care system and age group and diagnosis matched patients without insurance admitted for the said conditions that were not enrolled in POC will be included. Exclusion Charts and bills that could not be retrieved DEFINITION OF VARIABLES Age – refers to the chronological age of the admitted patient. Sex – refers to the biological sex of the admitted patient. Address – refers to admitted patients dwelling area. Philhealth Insurance Status – refers to patients PHIC membership status. Diagnosis – refers to patients identified cause of admission. Total Hospital Bill – refers to the total amount incurred during length of hospital stay. Total Out-of-Pocket Payment – refers to the amount paid by the patient not subsidized by insurance provider. Philhealth Reimbursement – refers to the amount refunded by the Philhealth Insurance System. Total Hospital Subsidized Costs – refers to the amount shouldered or written off by the hospital after PHIC reimbursement, reimbursements from external sources (CMAP/PDAF) and total out of pocket payments have been deducted from the total hospital bill. It would be computed as Total Bill – (PHIC Reimbursment + External Sources Reimbursement + Out of Pocket Payments.) Data Gathering Data gathering will commence as soon as approval from the DOH XI CERC is obtained. The principal investigator will gather the data using the charts and billing statements as the source and transcribe this in the data collection form seen in Appendix A. Charts will be gathered and will be segregated according to diagnosis and be separated as to with or without POC. Variables will be collected as follows: Variables Independent variables 1. Demographic data (age, sex, address) 2. Diagnosis 3. MSW classification 4. Other external sources of funding 5. length of hospital stay Main outcome measures and other dependent variables The main outcome measure for this study is the Total Hospital Subsidy given for pre and post POC patients. Other outcome measures of interest include the total hospital bill for pre and post POC patients, the PHIC reimbursements, and the total out of pocket payments and the reimbursement from external sources. The total out of pocket payment and total hospital subsidy, if not reflected from the total bill, will be cross checked from the database of cashier section or lingap using the patients complete name or hospital number. The co-author can randomly check the transcribed data with the original data sources to ensure data integrity. Data Analysis Data will be encoded in excel format and will be analyzed using Epi Info version 7.0. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize data. Comparison of continuous variable will be made using the t test and categorical variables will be compared using the chi-square test. Mean Total Bill – Gross Total Bill / Number of Admitted Patients under FM Mean Amount Reimbursed by PHIC – Gross Total Reimbursement/ Number of Admitted Patients under FM Mean Patient Out of Pocket Payments – Gross Out of Pocket Payments / Number of Admitted Patients under FM Mean Hospital Subsidy – Gross Total Subsidy / Number of Admitted Patients under FM Gross Total Bill – Total Bill of all Admitted patients under FM Gross Philhealth Reimbursement – Total PHIC Reimbursement of all Admitted patients under FM. Sample Size Calculation Using the following assumptions: alpha = 5 (two-sided) power = 80 m1 = 3000 m2 = 2500 sd1 = 800 sd2 = 800 n2/n1 = 1 A total of 82 participants (41 without and 41 with POC) per disease entity will be required for this study having a sum total of 246 patients. Estimates were made using the standard 5% alpha error and 80% power since there were no previous studies for reference. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS Ethics Review The protocol of this research will be submitted for approval to the DOH XI Cluster Ethics Review Committee. Privacy Patient data will be anonymized prior to analysis. No personal contact with individual patients shall be made. Confidentiality Patient data for analysis will be anonymized. How will you keep the data and for how long? After initial analysis, the anonymized data will be stored electronically and will be retained for 5 years from the time of initial analysis under the custody of Dr. Seurinane Sean Espanola and Ma. Elinore Concha. Within this retention period, the investigators listed in this protocol may refer any number of times to the data for clarification, further analysis and/or re-analysis. How will you discard/dispose of the data? After the 5-year retention period, the electronic data will be permanently deleted. Who can access data? Only the investigators listed in this protocol will be given access to the raw data for reference and initial or subsequent analysis. Extent of use of study data Data shall be used solely for the objective of analysis of the Point of Care System, as stated in previous sections of this protocol proposal. No facts or information shall be released without the prior consent of the medical director of the hospital. Necessary steps shall be taken to assure that this information will not be made accessible to persons outside of the research team. Authorship and contributorship a. Who are the authors or contributors to the present paper? The authors and contributors to this study shall be given proper recognition in the formulation of the follow-up paper. Authors and Co-authors include Dr. Seurinane Sean Espanola and Dr. Ma. Elinore Concha respectively b. Acknowledgment of original data collectors Proper acknowledgment shall be given to the Southern Philippines Medical Center for original data collection. c. Written consent of original data collectors that the data can be used for further research Written consent for use of secondary data shall be requested from Dr. Leopoldo J. Vega, the Chief-Of-Hospital. Conflicts of interest The author and co-author hereby declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Publication Publication shall be pursued at the onset of writing of the paper for this study. Submissions shall be sent to relevant publishers who can help promote the awareness of this topic. Funding Dr. Seurinane Sean Espanola is presently seeking funds to cover the expenses for this research. Dummy Tables DUMMY RESULTS Table 1. Comparison of Baseline Characteristics *using t-test **using chi-square test Table 2. Comparative parameters between POC and pre-POC PhilHealth – sample (Note: separate tables will be made for the other medical case rate diagnoses) BUDGET Administrative expenses and supplies For office supplies and support expenses as requested by the Health Sciences Program. Funds would go towards providing computer and office space and travel if needed. TIMETABLE References 1. Philhealth. November 7, 2013 Manual of Operations and Procedures for the Implementation of the Point of Care Enrollment Program for Hospital-Sponsored Members. (Philhealth Joint Order 2013-0033) PHIC, Pasig. 2. Philhealth at a Glance. The National Health Insurance Program. Senate Economic Planning Office. November 2009. 3. Philhealth. October 14 2013. Implementation of the Point of Care Enrollment Program (Philhealth Circular 0032-2013). PHIC. Pasig 4. Philhealth. March 26, 2013. Enrollment of the Critical Poor under the Sponsored Program of the National Health Insurance Program at Point of Service. (DOH Department Order/Philhealth Office Order2013-0031). PHIC, Pasig. 6. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. September 2013. Key Facts about the Uninsured Population. APPENDIX A POC Study Data Collection form Patient’s Initials: ______________________________________________ Hospital Record number: _________________________________________ Age: ______Sex: __Male __Female Diagnosis: ______________________________________________________ MSW Classification: __C3__D Date Admitted: ________________Date Discharged: ______________ Detailed Hospital Bill (attach if possible) 1

Christianity & Paganism in Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The acceptance of feuds and the courage of war are just a few examples of the Pagan tradition, while the Christian mortalities refrain from the two.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Beowulf is torn between his Christian heart to help the people as well as the selfish reward of Paganism. Though he wants the Christian’s respect he thrives for the satisfaction of fighting. Beowulf is known as a hero and in that aspect he believes he should be the one to defeat Grendel. Beowulf despises weapons but relies on his strength. This is just one of many battles that suggest Beowulf was a Pagonist. He also would drink and tended to kill people and creatures, which also leads to the speculations of Paganism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though many Pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian influences override them. An example would be when Beowulf saved the Danes from Grendel. He also expressed a fair attitude towards battles when he refused to use a weapon. The idea of loyalty, a hero, and a giver are all signs of Christianity. Beowulf could be seen as Christ when trying to help the people as Grendel could be compared to Satan who tries to destroy happiness and well-doing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last battle in Beowulf was against the fierce dragon that could also be saw as the power of Satan. During this battle Beowulf chooses to use a weapon because of the dragon’s deadly venom, it would only be fair. It was a hard fight but Beowulf wasn’t capable of defeating the dragon. This battle could be compared to the will of Christ, in which Christ gave his life for the people, while Beowulf did the same. The dragon now represents the evil a man must fight in order to preserve the good in life. Although Beowulf was defeated, it was not shamelessly, just like Christ he saved the people. Beowulf had a good heart but was sometimes overturned by the bad influences in life. He represents the fact that everyone makes mistakes, you can’t be perfect all the time, everyone’s bound to lose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grendel was a very hateful and disturbed creature.

Mother Daughter Relationships - Learning from Mother in Amy Tans The J

Learning from Mother in The Joy Luck Club      Ã‚   "I have already experienced the worst. After this, there is no worst possible thing" (Amy Tan 121). Throughout The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan tells stories of how mothers use the misfortunes in their lives, to try to teach their daughters about life. Many of the mothers had bad experiences in their pasts and do not want to see their daughters live through the same types of problems. They try to make their daughters' lives as easy and problem free as possible. However, the daughters do not see this as an act of love, but rather as an act of control. In the end, the daughters realize that their mothers tried to use their experiences to teach them not to give up hope, and to look at the good of an experience rather than the bad.    Amy Tan starts The Joy Luck Club with the daughter, Jing-mei, and mother, Suyuan Woo. Suyuan lived through a hard life in Kweilin during the war and teaches her daughter to keep her head up and have faith, even though things may seem hard at the time. When Suyuan lived in Kweilin, she had many things that could depress her, "but to despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable" (11). Suyuan's wishful thinking reveals that she did not want to think of all the bad things happening around her. Rather, she wanted to focus on the fact that she "had luxuries few people could afford" (10). The ability to find the good when others see only bad helped Suyuan center her attention on the superior things that she had, such as the Joy Luck Club and her friends. Later, when Jing-mei goes to meet her sisters in China, she becomes "so nervous [she] can't even feel [her] feet"(331). The uneasy emo... ...to keep trying. Although Rose believes that she has "no hope," inside she has a nengkan as powerful as her mothers, which makes her wish her marriage would last, just as her mother wishes Bing would still be alive.    Overall, each mother in The Joy Luck Club went through something emotionally exhausting and saddening in her life. The mothers use their experiences to try to direct the course of their daughters' lives, to make them simpler and more carefree. Initially, however, the daughters only see that their mothers want to make decisions for them, not to help them. Ultimately, the daughters realize their mothers' intentions, but not all accept them. The important thing, however, is that each daughter learns a valuable lesson and comes to peace with her mother.    Work Cited Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1989.   

PBGC Company Profile Essay

PBGC is an abbreviation of a Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The purpose of this federal corporation is to protect American’s pension. Its mission is related to protection: Forty four million American workers retirement income is currently being protected in more than 30000 benefit pension plans of private single-employer and multiemployer. Its formation is the result of an act of 1974 by the name Employee Retirement Income Security Act. It has the following objectives: First It helps private-sector define benefit pension plans to be continued and remain well maintained. Second is to provide pension benefits payment time to time, without any interruption. Its third objective is to keep minimum pension insurance premiums. The defined benefit pension plan gives pension on a monthly basis to the retirees but the pension amount is depended upon the salary and the year of services the retirees have rendered. The corporation does not only give monthly payments to retirees up to the guaranteed maximum but also the multiemployer plans participants and one who have not retired yet get financial assistance from it. General Tax Revenues don’t give any kind of fund to this corporation. Insurance premiums financed the operations of this federal corporation which was being set by Congress. Insurance premium is being paid by the sponsors defined for each benefit plan that are basically employers. The recoveries are being made from the companies which would be responsible for the plans in the past. Earnings come from investments for this corporation. According to the plan ended in 2008, workers will get $4,312. 50 monthly when they will get retire at the age of 65. It serves the range of customer’s e. g. general public, media and so on. Board of directors including the Secretaries of Labor (Chair), Commerce and the Treasury guided the operations of PBGC. The two highest priorities of this administration is to reform the defined benefit pension system and bring improvement in retirement security. It contributed in the development of Pension Protection Act of 2006. Since PBGC has worked over the last 33 years for the protection plan of participant’s interests and also to support private pension system’s growth; millions of American workers can now think about secured retirement along with their families. Both the benefit plan and the guarantee by PBGC have made a difference in the lives of the diligent Americans. Annually about $4 million is being given by this corporation to 44 million Americans. The development of the 2006 act not only improved the status of funding of many defined benefit plans but also pension system is being strengthened. Competitive advantage: The corporation has been very effective throughout in managing change over the past few years,’ pension insurance programs have faced many unexpected challenges. The corporation also won an award of managing its work force superbly in this changing business environment. The executive director said: â€Å"We are pleased to be recognized for having the right people, processes and systems in place to manage a doubling of our customer base with no diminution in the quality of our customer service. † (www. pbgc. gov,2008). It was being a first federal agency which got the full certification for its executive evaluation system. It got plenty of awards presented in magazines. These are as under: General Excellence, Service, Competitive Advantage, Global Outlook, Innovation, Managing Change, Financial Impact, Partnership, Ethical Practice and Vision. Weaknesses of PBGC: Weaknesses of PBGC’s certification and accreditation (C&A): This would impact the accuracy and completion of information which would affect the credibility of the corporation. It also affects the capability of the corporation to take and manage risks. It compromises agency’s personnel and assets too. There should be an effective C&A system to assure security of assets, personnel and operations and that could assure that the corporation is capable enough to meet its functional requirements. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-37, Accreditation of Federal Information Systems and Guide for the Security Certification provides the framework under 2002 act named as the Federal Information Security Management Act, Public Law 107-347, for how C&A program of this corporation should be implemented. Inadequate security policy and plan: The security policy and plan of the current information of PBGC are not according to the guidance provided by National Institute of Standards and Technology Special (NIST) under Federal Information Security Management Act. NIST has developed guidance and standards. It also includes minimum requirement to provide sufficient security of information for all agency assets and operations Change in organizational structure: In 2006 the reorganization of the OIT i. e. ffice of information technology had badly affected the Information System Security Officer’s ability to ensure appropriate operational security for PBGC’s information system. It affected the clarity for officer in terms of his responsibilities and accountability. It made it hard for the officer to establish security standards and procedures. Internal control weaknesses: High risk is being involved in the PBGC’s single-employer pension insurance program. The program had an accumulated deficit of $5. 4 billion in 2003 which was the largest one in history of the corporation. Under funding also increased dramatically in private pension system. The deficit was due to the following reasons: bankrupt firm’s under funded pension plans were ceased, there was a drawback in funding rules, stock market and interest rates decline, companies went global and economy is turned into knowledge based economy. The company had taken steps to improve the internal control for premiums. This is being done for two reasons. First Safeguard of assets: controls must be establish to ensure that cost and obligation are according to the law applicable and assets are safeguarded against any loss or related factors. Second reason is Financial Reporting: it is to ensure that proper reporting is being done of all the revenues and expenditures so that documentation and reports can be made and are accurate. Data Quality Weaknesses: Incorrect data entry, adjustments, and system-generated balances generate errors. Because of the data quality issue, the corporation is unable to ensure the accuracy and completeness of premium data by utilizing Past Due Filing Notices and Statements of Account. The 1st one used to notify plans which had not yet submitted premium filings and 2nd one is used to ensure that underpaid/overpaid premiums from a plan sponsor could be sort out effectively. During auditing it was being noticed that these two tools are not being used timely as it requires significant resources before mailing. Due to this, premiums could not be collected and errors could not be detected. Additionally policies and procedures have not been documented, communicated, or implemented throughout PBGC which is related to the premium accounting cycle. www. pbgc. gov,2008). Business Strategy: The new investment strategy is being formulated to balance risk and return and to improve chances of reaching full funding over the long run. According to this strategy diversified set of fixed-income investments and diversified equity investments both will be given 45% of its assets each and 10% will be given to alternative investment. Financial Information: A deficit of $18. 1 billion was being posted by insurance program for single-employer pension plans in fiscal year 2006. Due to the airline relief provisions in the Pension Protection Act, the corporation managed to reduce its probable liabilities. This led to a $4. 7 billion net improvement. It announces maximum insurance benefit for 2009. The amount would be higher for those who retire later and vise versa. The corporation had a peak year in 2000 when they had a surplus of $10 billion almost which was followed by surplus of $8 billion in 2001. The corporation got the calls in order to stop charging premiums. It got around $9 billion claims in 2002. The claims were because of airline and steel industry. (www. soa. org, n. d. ).

Judaism, Christianity, and Indigenous Religion

Vanessa Loaiza Dr. Religion 31 September 2010 Time Concepts on the Judaism, Christianity, and Indigenous religion The concept of time is full of mystery, by instinct we feel that time cannot be stopped. We all exist in time, and everything is subject to time. It seems obvious that because we live in time, it is the prime measure of existence. As assumed by many philosophical and religious schools, no beginning or end can be attributed to time.To the different concepts of time we have sacred time and religious time. They come closest to what may be called cosmic time: the big time of the complete whole of the cosmic reality. Sacred time is the past, present and future collapsed in one eternal now making for our connectedness. Religious time is the time that is respected on religious grounds. It is usually bound to natural order by means of calendars, sundials and/or clock (-schedules).In the Jewish religion, Judaism, Jews have never perceived time as progressive, but rather as a fragm ented line. Its parts-past, present, and future-were not perceived as a continuous process in which one stage is a sequel to its antecedents. The Past was the era of glory, philosophically-inclined Jews in the Middle Ages perceived themselves as inferior in virtue to preceding generations.This inferiority complex was not simply a reflection of the general medieval view of history as an ongoing process, but rather a specific Jewish belief that the ancient Hebrews had the advantage of political independence in their own land, while the spiritual resources of â€Å"modern† Jews were depleted in exile and dispersion. The Present was the long era of Exile, Its beginning was a well-defined point in time; the destruction of the Second Temple, â€Å"but its end was shrouded in mist† (Lyman 15), as rabbinical Judaism rejected all eschatological calculations or detailed descriptions of the End of Days.Whether the trials and tribulations of exile were represented as part of the d ivine plan, or, on the contrary, as evidence of God’s abdication, the â€Å"present† was in any event just an insignificant interlude. The Jewish perception of the Future was most revealing of all; an impatient expectation for imminent cosmic upheaval which would transform the nature of Jewish existence was combined with resignation-acceptance that these events might e postponed until the end of time. It is irrelevant whether this near-distant future was perceived as a return to the past or as an era which would transcend all that has ever been; whether it would be attained by an apocalyptic lead to a historical time through divine intervention, or rather as stipulated by â€Å"realistic† messianism, accomplished by human efforts alone and not very different from present reality.The thrust of the matter is that Judaism adopted a view of the future which was a compromise between two seemingly incompatible attitudes: on the one hand: an eschatology which promised deliverance in the foreseeable future, and a strategy designed to ensure the evasion of a history of suffering by posing the question of â€Å"how† rather than â€Å"when,† on the other. This compromise formula appears to be powerful enough to become a fixed element in Jewish culture: a frantic search for signs of imminent redemption combined with caution and suspicion which prevented bitter disillusionment in the face of delay.In Judaism, no one has to argue in favor of survival; there is nothing else if one does not survive. In contrast to the ancient Greek, who â€Å"thought that the universe includes the even stronger idea of cycle time according to which not only the cosmological processes but all individual destinies are repeated in every detail in time† (OHRSTROM 896). As for Jewish and Christian philosophers, the idea of cyclic time leaves no room for genuine progress and final salvation.