See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

See below - Essay Example The normal flora also harms the human body by promoting disease. Some components of the normal flora namely the commensals, neither harm nor benefit the human body. The normal floras are found in every part of the human body, and each part has specific microorganisms adapted to the particular area. There are skin flora, nasopharyngeal flora, intestinal flora and urogenital flora among other flora. As explained by Shlaes (2010), use of antibiotics may lead to loss of lactobacillus which forms part of the urogenital flora. Lactobacillus keeps the female reproductive organs’ pH level at about 4.5 which is hostile to pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, loss of lactobacillus leads to higher pH levels, which may lead to candida invasion and yeast infection. Antibiotics were also previously used to kill the H. pylori bacteria that resides in the human stomach of gastric ulcers patients. Recent studies, however, suggest that the bacteria may not be a causal agent of the ulcers but j ust part of the normal flora. As described by Pelczar (2011), microbes can be found everywhere on earth. They are found in the soil, in water, in air and on plants and animals. The human body is covered in many different kinds of microbes. The few sterile parts of the human body free from microbes include the brain, lungs and the circulatory system. The human body, as a host to microbes, has three different kinds of symbiotic relationships with microbes of different kinds. Mutualist relationship is where both the host and the microbe benefit from each other. A commensalistic relationship is where neither the microbe nor the host seems to obtain any benefit or harm from the relationship. A parasitic or pathogenic relationship is where the microbe benefits while the host is harmed by the presence of the microbe. A parasitic relationship is where the microbe benefits from the host, while a pathogenic relationship is where the microbe causes harm to the host. According to Pelczar (2011) , normal flora microbes fall under two broad categories. These are the resident microbes and transient microbes. Resident microbes are mainly found on the skin, in the digestive tract, in the mucous membranes, in parts of the respiratory system and parts of the urogenital system. Transient microbes visit the human body and some try to colonize parts of the human host body. However, this usually fails owing to competition from resident microbes, protective action by human immune system and human body changes that inhibit the settlement of transient microbes. Most microbes forming the normal flora are beneficial to the human body. Nevertheless, some changes may occur that make these microbes become harmful to the human body. Dysfunctions in the human immune system may result in overpopulation of normal flora or their migration to areas where they are not ordinarily found. Additionally, when broad spectrum antibiotics are administered on a body the resident microbes may be annihilated and pathogenic microbes may gain an advantage. Physical trauma, such as invasive surgery procedures, may introduce microbes into areas where they are not normally found. As expounded by Shlaes (2010) antibiotics are one of the greatest advances in medicine and their use began in the 1940’s. They are used to fight bacterial infections, some fungal infections and some parasitic microbes. However, they are ineffective against viral infections. Antibiotics kill bacteria in the human body and

Critical opinion about article Literature review

Critical opinion about article - Literature review Example Introduction While the function of drug coatings in medications are rarely considered by the consumer, they are vital to the function and efficacy of most modern medicines. By incorporating a drug into a polymer film, gel, or other encapsulating material, the hydrophobic molecules can be made to degrade much more slowly [1]. The use of an encapsulating membrane allows the chemical to circulate within the body, while also creating a hydrophilic shell that can pass through the cell membrane of the bacterial target [1, 2]. The coatings also may have the additional property of bioadhesion, keeping the drug at the target site for a longer period of time [3]. Niosomal membranes, non-ionic surfactant vesicles, are one common type of encapsulating material, especially for transdermal and ophthalmic topical use [4, 5]. Niosomes can also be made into a substance called proniosomes, a dehydrated powder formulation of niosomes, which can be transported further and stored longer, increasing their usefulness [6]. Niosomal Encapsulation and Hydrogen Bonding In their 2011 study, Hao and Li examined the efficacy of niosomal entrapment in solution, specifically on the rate of encapsulation when the niosomes were included in a solution that also contained the desired chemical for entrapment [7]. Niosomal encapsulation is achieved by coating a water-soluble pharmaceutical chemical with a lipid membrane, and this lipid coating will slow the release of the encased pharmaceutical chemical into the surrounding environment. This is usually made use of in such situations as a time-released or delayed-release medication [5]. Additionally, the use of a niosomal membrane around the pharmaceutical chemical is currently the only known method for achieving safe and efficient transdermal drug delivery. The ability of the niosomal membrane to help the pharmaceutical chemical cross the dermal and subdermal layers is dependent on the structural organization of niosomes, not simply on the properti es of the niosomal membrane. Other non-ionic surfactants do not produce the same successful results for transdermal permeation [4]. One of the chemical models in the Hao and Li study, p-hydroxyl benzoic acid, was found to form hydrogen bonds with the niosomal membrane being studied [7]. These hydrogen bonds caused an increase in the entrapment efficiency of the formulation. This can be seen in the fact that the second model used in their study, salicylic acid, showed lower rates of entrapment efficiency. Salicylic acid also did not form the same type of hydrogen bonds with the niosomal membrane, showing that the increased encapsulation efficiency seen in the p-hydroxyl benzoic acid solution was therefore related to the hydrogen bonding of the solute to the niosomal membrane. Figure 1 shows the changes in the UV absorption spectra of the solutions being studied which indicate the presence of hydrogen bonding between the niosomal coating and the p-hydroxyl benzoic acid. Conversely, th ese spectra also show the lack of such hydrogen bonding in the salicylic acid solution and the blank niosome solution. This study is the first to note the importance of those hydrogen bonds in the functioning of the niosomal membrane and the relation of those bonds to encapsulation efficiency [7]. Niosomes are able to form those hydrogen bonds by providing â€Å"a stable system that allows the self-assembly of hydrogen-bonded receptors to occur in contact with aqueous environments†

Structure Function Of Axial Skeleton

Structure Function Of Axial Skeleton The axial skeleton consists of the 80 bones in the head and trunk of the human body. It is composed of several parts; the human skull, the sternum, the rib cage, and the vertebral column. There are also some major bones included in this skeleton. The skull, which is located on top of the vertebral column, is one. The axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton together form the complete skeleton. The axial skeleton transmits the weight from the head, the trunk, and the upper extremities down to the lower extremities at the hip joints, and is therefore responsible for the upright position of the human body. Most of the body weight is located in back of the spinal column which therefore has the erector spinae muscles and a large amount of ligaments attached to it resulting in the curved shape of the spine. The 366 skeletal muscles acting on the axial skeleton position the spine, allowing for big movements in the thoracic cage for breathing, and the head, where they control the minute and complex facial movements. Adults have 12 pairs of ribs, which run between the sternum and the thoracic cage. The ribs are flat bones that create a protective cage around the heart and lungs. An individual will have seven pairs of ribs that both attach to the sternum and vertebrae. These are true ribs. They will also have three pairs that attach from the vertebrae to a cartilage attachment on the sternum and two that attach to the vertebrae but are free as they have no second attachment. These are free ribs. The spine is made up of five different areas; cervical (7), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacrum (5), coccyx (4). The seven cervical vertebrae make up the neck and run down to the shoulders. The twelve thoracic vertebrae make up the chest area and the five lumbar vertebrae make up the lower back. The sacrum consists of five vertebrae and these are fixed together and they form a joint with the pelvis and the coccyx is four bones joined together, which are remnants of when we had a tail. The appendicular skeleton is composed of 126 bones in the human body. The word appendicular is the adjective of the noun appendage which itself means a part that is joined to something larger. Functionally it is involved in locomotion (Lower limbs) of the axial skeleton and manipulation of objects in the environment (Upper limbs). The appendicular skeleton is divided into six major areas and contains bones such as; shoulder girdle (scapula and clavicle), the pelvic girdle, upper and lower limbs. It is important to realize that through anatomical variation it is common for the skeleton to have many extra bones (sutural bones in the skull, cervical ribs, lumbar ribs and even extra lumbar vertebrae). Their functions are to make locomotion possible and to protect the major organs of locomotion, digestion, excretion, and reproduction. The appendicular skeleton of 134 bones and the axial skeleton of 80 bones together form the complete skeleton of 206 bones in the human body. Unlike the axial skeleton, the appendicular skeleton is unfused. This allows for a much greater range of motion. The bones colored red are the bones in the appendicular skeleton. Fibula Tibia Patella Femur Carpals, Metacarpals, phalanges Ulna Radius Humerus Scapula, clavicle Ischium, illium, pubis Tarsals, metatarsals, phalanges The functions of the major bones of the appendicular skeleton. Clavicle This bone connects the upper arm to the trunk of the body. One end is connected to scapula. The role of the clavicle is to keep the scapula the correct distance from the sternum. Scapula This bone is at the back of the body. The scapula provides points of attachment for many of the muscles of the upper back and arms. Arm This consists of three bones; the humerus (upper arm), the radius and the ulna (lower arm). The ulna forms the elbow joint with the humerus and runs to the little finger. The radius is positioned opposite the ulna and runs to the thumb side. When the hand moves the radius moves across the ulna. Hand The hand has three areas made up with different types of bones. First, wrist is made up of eight bones called carpals, which are small bones made up into two rows of four; the five long bones between the wrist and fingers are called metacarpals and the bones of the fingers are phalanges. There are fourteen phalanges in all with three in each finger and two in the thumb. Pelvis The pelvis protects and supports the lower internal organs, including the bladder, the reproductive organs, and also in pregnant women, the developing foetus. The pelvis is made up of three bones, the ilium, pubis and Ischium, which have become fused together to form one main area. The Leg The leg consists of four bones; the femur is the longest bone in the body and forms the knee joint with the tibia, which is the weight-bearing bone of the lower leg; the fibula is the non- weight bearing bone of the lower leg and helps the ankle; the patella is the bone that floats over the knee. It lies within the patella tendon and smoothes the movement of the tendons over the knee joint. The Foot Like the hand that has three areas, so does the foot. The seven tarsals form the ankle, the five metatarsals travel from the ankle to the toes and the fourteen phalanges which make up the toes. There are three in each toe and two in each big toe. Compact bone or (cortical bone) Cortical bone, synonymous with compact bone, is one of the two types of osseous tissue that form bones. Cortical bone facilitates bones main functions: to support the body, protect organs, provide levers for movement, and store and release chemical elements, mainly calcium and phosphorous. As its name implies, cortical bone forms the cortex, or outer shell, of most bones. Again, as its name implies, compact bone is much denser than cancellous bone, which is the other type of osseous tissue. Furthermore, it is harder, stronger and stiffer than cancellous bone. Cortical bone contributes about 80% of the weight of a human skeleton. The primary anatomical and functional unit of cortical bone is the osteon. Properties of cortical bone studies using MRI and CT scan are the main field of research in recent years. Cancellous bone Cancellous bone, synonymous with trabecular bone or spongy bone, is one of the two types of osseous tissue that form bones. Compared to compact bone, which is the other type of osseous tissue, it has a higher surface area but is less dense, softer, weaker, and less stiff. It typically occupies the interior region of bones. Cancellous bone is highly vascular and frequently contains red bone marrow where hematopoiesis, which is the production of blood cells, occurs. The primary anatomical and functional unit of cancellous bone is the trabecula. Types of Bones There are 5 types of bone found within the human body. These are long, short, flat, irregular and sesamoid. Long Bones Long bones are some of the longest bones in the body, such as the Femur, Humerus and Tibia but are also some of the smallest including the Metacarpals, Metatarsals and Phalanges. The classification of a long bone includes having a body which is longer than it is wide, with growth plates (epiphysis) at either end, having a hard outer surface of compact bone and a spongy inner known as cancellous bone containing bone marrow. Both ends of the bone are covered in hyaline cartilage to help protect the bone and aid shock absorption. The femur a long bone Short Bones Short bones are defined as being approximately as wide as they are long and have a primary function of providing support and stability with little movement. Examples of short bones are the Carpals and Tarsals in the wrist and foot. They consist of only a thin layer of compact, hard bone with cancellous bone on the inside along with relatively large amounts of bone marrow. The carpals short bones Flat Bones Flat bones are as they sound, strong, flat plates of bone with the main function of providing protection to the bodys vital organs and being a base for muscular attachment. The classic example of a flat bone is the Scapula (shoulder blade). The Sternum (breast bone), Cranium (skull), Pelvis and Ribs are also classified as flat bones. Anterior and posterior surfaces are formed of compact bone to provide strength for protection with the centre consisting of cancellous (spongy) bone and varying amounts of bone marrow. In adults, the highest number of red blood cells are formed in flat bones. The scapula a flat bone Irregular Bones These are bones which do not fall into any other category, due to their non-uniform shape. Good examples of these are the Vertebrae, Sacrum and Mandible (lower jaw). They primarily consist of cancellous bone, with a thin outer layer of compact bone. Vertebrae irregular bones Sesamoid Bones Sesamoid bones are usually short or irregular bones, imbedded in a tendon. The most obvious example of this is the Patella (knee cap) which sits within the Patella or Quadriceps tendon. Other sesamoid bones are the Pisiform (smallest of the Carpals) and the two small bones at the base of the 1st Metatarsal. Sesamoid bones are usually present in a tendon where it passes over a joint which serves to protect the tendon. The patella a sesamoid bone Specific uses for specific bones Specific bones in the body are designed for their own purpose. The femur is the largest bone in the human body. The reason for this is that it has a great number of muscles attached to its surface. These muscles are needed in order for the leg to be able to move. It also has to bear some of the weight of the upper body. The shoulder is another bone that has its own purpose. Its purpose is to allow rotational movement of the upper arm. As a ball and socket joint it does this. It is also a surface for the muscles that allow attaching to. Without these muscles this movement would be impossible. The elbow and the knee can be used as an example of bones of the body that have many functions. The knee is made up of two parts the patella is the part of the knee that allows movement and it rests on a bursae. The second part is the joining of the femur and the tibia and the fibula. This is a meeting of many bones and many muscles and all these muscles control things like the movement of the an kle and the foot. The different types of joints A place where two bones join or meet is called a joint or articulation. A joint is held together with ligaments and these give the joint stability. Joints are placed into three categories depending on the amount of movement available. Fixed/fibrous; these joints allow no movement. These joints can be found between the plates of the skull. Slightly moveable/cartilaginous; these allow a small amount and are held in place by ligaments and are cushioned by cartilage. These types of joints can be found between the vertebrae of the spine. Moveable/ synovial; there are six types of this joint all with varying degrees of movement. The six types of joint are: hinge, ball and socket, pivot, condyloid, sliding, and saddle. A synovial joint is made up of several components; Synovial capsule keeps the contents of the synovial joint in place. Synovial membrane releases synovial fluid onto the joint. Synovial fluid a thick oily substance that helps lubricate the joint and allows free movement. Articular cartilage a bluish-white covering that protects the end of the bones from wearing down. Hinge joint This is a diagram of a knee. This joint is a hinge joint. The hyaline cartilage on the end of the femur is used as an articulating surface when rubbing with the medial meniscus. This movement, controlled by the lateral collateral ligament, is what enables us to be able to walk. The movement of walk is the only movement of this joint and it is flexion (when the joint is pulled back by the lateral collateral ligament) and extension (when the leg swings forward to full extension by the lateral collateral ligament). A sporting example of this range of movement is the kicking of a football or rugby ball. Ball and socket This is a diagram of a shoulder joint, which is a ball and socket joint. The humeral head is covered in hyaline cartilage and is used as a rubbing surface against the inside of the socket. The range of movement for this joint is flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, circumduction and rotation. A sporting example of the use of this joint is hitting a serve in tennis. Condyloid joint This type of joint can be found at the wrist. It allows movement in two different planes; this is called biaxial. It allows you to bend and straighten the joint (flexion and extension). A sporting example of this joint is using a foil in the sport fencing. Pivot joint This joint can be found in the top two vertebrae of your neck. These two vertebrae are call the atlas and axis. It only allows rotational movement. For example it only lets you move your head from side to side as if you were saying no. A sporting example of this joint is the heading of a football. Saddle joint This joint is found only in the thumbs. It allows movement in three planes, backwards, forwards, from side to side and across. These plains of movement are called, Sagittal Plane, Frontal Plane, and Transverse Plane. This joint is specific to only humans. It gives us manual dexterity. This enables us to hold a cup or to write, among many other skills. A sporting example of the use of this joint is the griping of a racket handle in badminton. Gliding joint This type of joint can be found in the carpal bones of the hand and the tarsal bones in the ankle. These types of joint occur between the surfaces of two short or long bones. They allow very limited movement in a range of directions. A sporting example of the use of this joint is the applying of spin to a pass in rugby. Contrast and Comparison of synovial joints. All these synovial joints allow different ranges of movement. They are all in different places and the joint that is there is designed specifically for that function. Without that joint the body would cease to be the perfect machine that we all rely on. This happens to us when we suffer an injury somewhere in our bodies. These joints allow us different ranges of movement because of all the different bones that they are made up of and their composition. An example of this would be that a ball and socket joint could take the place of a gliding joint and keep the exact function. All the joints in the body are there for the one purpose that they do. This could be seen as a disadvantage but when you have something that foes its job so well, why would want to replace? Effects of exercise on the skeletal system If we were to train for a period of about three months we will start to experience some adaptations to our skeletal system: an increase in bone density, stronger ligaments, and a thickening of the hyaline cartilage at the end of the bones. The bones become denser if we perform a lot of weight-bearing exercises, which is where we put force through a bone. An example of this is if we did a lot of walking or running, it places force through the tibia, fibula, and femur, and the body will respond by laying down higher amounts of cartilage and calcium to strengthen the bones. Weight-bearing exercise will also increase osteoblast activity, which means that more bone is being built or being laid down. As the ligaments become stronger due to the higher amounts of collagen being laid down, they also increase the stability of the joints and make them less prone to injury. All the following activities can help stave off such specific bone conditions like osteoporosis; running, skipping, brisk w alking, aerobics, tennis. However, there can be some negative long term effects on your skeleton from specific sports. Here is an example from the sport of tennis and the common injury, tennis elbow. The most common cause of tennis elbow is repeated overuse of your arm. Playing tennis three times in a week when you havent played for some time is the sort of overuse that could cause tennis elbow. However, most people who develop tennis elbow havent been playing tennis. A range of different activities that involve repeated hand, wrist and forearm movements is more often the cause. This includes activities like using a screwdriver, using vibratory work equipment (such as a drill), or even using a keyboard. Rarely, tendon damage can happen after a single and often minor incident, such as lifting something heavy or taking part in an activity which you dont do very often, such as painting and decorating. These activities can cause a tear in your tendon. Short term effects of sport on the skeletal system A short term affect of exercise on the skeleton is an increase in the secretion of synovial fluid from the joints. Another effect is that the area of the joint may be warmed up and may be easier to move. The joints ligaments and tendons may also become suppler as a result of this. This affects the skeleton by creating the need to replace this lost glucose and thus regaining the lost energy. As we can see there are some differences between the long and short term effects of doing exercise. You can suffer injuries from both and they can have long or short term effects on your body. A plus side is that your body rebuilds itself quickly and can become healthier and fitter through the use of exercise. Therefore the next time you go to do the sporting activity, you are able to perform better. You should not, though, do to much lengthy exercise for a great period of time as this can also have the undesired affect of stress on the skeleton. You should not do to much light exercise as this can have the affect of your body not benefiting from the exercise. Instead you should try and mix up the exercise routine you do so that you can gain the greatest possible outcome of health and fitness for your body.

Imagery within the Tragedy Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Imagery within the Tragedy Othello  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The grand variety of imagery in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello serves many purposes. Let us in this paper consider the types and purposes of the imagery.    In her book, Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies, Maynard Mack comments on the imagery of darkness and how it supports the evil schemes of the ancient:    Just now, however, as we listen to his plans evolve, the darkness seems chiefly to be Iago’s element. In the darkness of this Venetian street, he moves to disrupt Othello’s marriage if he can. Later, in the darkness of a street in Cyprus, he will close his trap on Cassio, involving him in a scuffle that will cost him his lieutenancy. Still later, in the dark island outpost, he will set Roderigo to ambush Cassio, and so (he hopes) be rid of both. Simultaneously, in a darkness that he has insinuated into Othello’s mind, Desdemona will be strangled. (134)    The vulgar imagery of the ancient dominate the opening of the play. Francis Ferguson in â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other† describes the types of imagery used by the antagonist when he â€Å"slips his mask aside† while awakening Brabantio:    Iago is letting loose the wicked passion inside him, as he does from time to time throughout the play, when he slips his mask aside. At such moments he always resorts to this imagery of money-bags, treachery, and animal lust and violence. So he expresses his own faithless, envious spirit, and, by the same token, his vision of the populous city of Venice – Iago’s â€Å"world,† as it has been called. . . .(132)    Standing outside the senator’s home late at night, Iago uses imagery within a lie to arouse the occupant: â€Å" Awake! w... ...s, copulating horses and sheep, serpents, and toads; other images, more wide-ranging in scope, include green-eyed monsters, devils, blackness, poisons, money purses, tarnished jewels, music untuned, and light extinguished. (217)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Ferguson, Francis. â€Å"Two Worldviews Echo Each Other.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Reprint from Shakespeare: The Pattern in His Carpet. N.p.: n.p., 1970.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.

France vs. England 17th Century Essay

There are mainly two types of governments that emerged during the seventeenth century. Most of the political development took place in France and England. Absolute monarchy took over throughout France while constitutionalism, or parliamentary monarchy, was becoming popular in England between 1640 and 1780. France’s absolute monarchy developed because of the nobles and kings focused on the concept of divine right. England, on the other hand, developed through the businessmen and landowners trying to prevent the central concentration of political power. These governments grasped the attention of philosophers, leaders, and churches. Eventually, both would develop and influence the modern world today in Europe and the Americas. France was very popular at the time for creating the idea of kings reigning by divine right. This perception was that the ruler of a specific country was put there by God. It was their divine right to be there because they were performing the work of God. The king’s subjects were not to question the decisions of the king because it was God’s will; and who can question God? King Louis XIV was the most influential towards divine rights. He expected to be treated like a god because he was His representative on earth. Louis XIV was supported by Bishop Jacques-Bà ©nigne Bossuet, who was the leader of French Catholicism in the seventeenth century. He used examples from the New Testament of rulers who were only answerable to God. Popes had insisted since the medieval times that they could only be judged by God. Bossuet and Louis XIV then argued that only God had the right to judge kings. In England, there was a lot of turmoil between the reigning monarchs and large landowners. English monarchs tried to copy France with their financial system that did not  depend heavily on the estates, diets, or assemblies of nobles. By doing this, it helped to grant French monarchs absolute rule. While easily achieved in France, the English monarchy failed royally. James I of England also tried to achieve the divine right of kings. He wanted to lessen parliament’s power and called on them for help as little as possible. Without the help of parliament, James I had to find other means of revenue. He quickly angered his subjects because of England’s inadequate income; he threatened nobles, large landowners, and those of commercial wealth for money. James I and the Duke of Buckingham also sold royal patronage to the highest bidders. These  were some of the key factors that led to the distrust of the English monarchs. In contrast, King Louis XIV gained the trust of his people and nobles with ease. He would entertain nobles at Versailles, his personal twenty-six acre home. He would then grant them tax exemptions, wealth, and social standing if they supported him. The French nobility found the best way to protect and promote their interests was to support the reigning monarch. Instead of depending on the wealth of the nobles, he made the nobles dependent on him. He proclaimed that, â€Å"the state is me,† or in other words, that France existed for him. Louis XIV also promoted that there should be â€Å"one king, one law, one faith.† This helped him gain the loyalty of the Roman Catholics who wanted to restore Catholicism as the prominent religion in Europe. English monarchs also botched in establishing absolute mona rchy because of religion. Protestant became the leading religion among the English. Protestants believed that Sunday should be full of religious observances and very little leisure or recreation. James I believed that recreation and sports were innocent activities and permitted them to be played on Sunday, which infuriated the Protestant religions. Because of a few other miss happenings, a Protestant movement known as Puritanism was established. This was a nonpolitical force that opposed absolutism and sought to limit political authority and eventually overturn it. There were also Puritans in France that tried to rebel but their efforts were crushed by Louis XIV and the Roman Catholics who enforced religious uniformity. England also differed from France because of the creation of the Bill of Rights. After the Glorious Revolution, when James II fled to France, England put William and Mary of Orange on the throne. Though they were the new reigning monarchs, Parliament issued the Bill of Rights that limited powers of the monarchy and guaranteed the civil liberties of the English classes. William and Mary signed the Bill of Rights that would let them rule only by the consent of Parliament. From the beginning of their reign in 1689, they brought many economic and military resources into balance with the French and would eventually top France as the powerhouse of Europe. In Comparing French and English political development, the b eliefs of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke perfectly illustrate the differences between absolute and parliamentary governments. Hobbes was a strict supporter to absolutism and complete control. Locke was a supporter of constitutionalism  and protecting the natural rights of humans. Both of these philosophers, being completely opposite in view from the other, is the classic battle that has gone on forever and still exists today; the fight for power and the fight for freedom. Thomas Hobbes was a very talented and depressing political philosopher. He had discouragingly low view on values and the natural state of humans. Hobbes believed that the human race was so wicked and power stricken that they were cast out of paradise into the earth. To Hobbes, as expressed in the Leviathan, human nature was based on physical sensations and lust for power. One of his famous sayings was, â€Å"life is war of every man against every man.† This is why he thought that human beings must be controlled by absolute authority. The individuals should be told every choice to make and constrained by one supreme ruler that holds all power. Hobbes thought that rulers should have unlimited power because, â€Å"the dangers of anarchy are always greater than those of tyranny.† J ohn Locke, known as the defender of moderate liberty and toleration, had almost the exact opposite views as Hobbes. Locke viewed human beings in their natural state as being creatures of goodwill and reason. He believed that humans were divine creatures put on earth by God to learn from it and make it useful. Locke wrote the Essay Concerning Human Understanding that described the mind as being a blank slate at birth. As a person grows the development of who they become is based on their surroundings and those around them. Hobbes idea that humans are all evil is rebuked by Locke saying that people are not born evil. Their surroundings, experiences, and influences are what develop evil tendencies. Locke also wrote the Two Treatises of Government. The first described his distaste of absolutism. With too much power, he argued that there would be no freedom for anyone in the condition of absolute monarchy. The second treatise he described the natural and God given rights of humans. Among them were the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. Those ideas were used throughout history and in the Declaration of Independence. Another belief of his was that governments exist to protect liberty and the natural state of people not to overcome them. Locke was a very influential philosopher who greatly impressed many future generations with his political philosophical insight. Overall, the development of both absolute and parliamentary governments greatly affected Europe. The battles between France and England  to have a stable government caused chaos throughout both countries. If anything, the Europeans learned many ways how not to run a country. Both countries and the development of differing monarchies set an example for many other countries. France created a strong absolute government as an example for rulers all over the world on how to have complete control of people. England eventually came around and with the help of the people created parliamentary government. The concept of constitutionalism was even a model for constructing the American administration. Currently the battle between power and freedom still goes on and will continue as long as there are people like Thomas Hobbes and John Locke who argue for their beliefs.

Analysis Taj Hotel

The Indian Hotels Company Limited Analyst Meet Results for the Half Year ended September 30, 2012 November 6, 2012 1 Disclaimer These presentations contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made.Future results, performance and achievements may be affected by general economic conditions, regulatory environment, business and financing conditions, foreign exchange fluctuations, cyclicality and operating risks associated with the hospitality industry and other circumstances and uncertainties. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward looking stat ements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results will not materially differ.We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise Please visit our communications corporate website www. tajhotels. com for previous investor 2 Presenter Panel Raymond Bickson – Managing Director & CEO Anil P Goel – Executive Director – Finance Abhijit Mukerji – Executive Director – Hotel Operations Deepa Harris – Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing 3 Outline of Presentation Industry Trends New Inventory Sales & Marketing Initiatives Financial Results Industry Trends 5 International Tourist Arrivals 2012 International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5% in the first 6 months of 2012 to 467 million international travelers, consolidating the growth trend that started in 2010. International Tourist Arrivals were up in all regions of the world, with advances and emerging economy destinations growing at about the same pace. First 6 months of the year typically account for 45% of the tourist arrivals since most of the Northern Hemisphere performs much better in the second half which is its peak season.Source : UN WTO 6 Global Hotel Performance January – September 2012 Americas and Middle East showed a moderate growth in Key Performance Indicators over last year Asia Pacific market saw an overall moderate growth in occupancy and ADR for most of the first 9 months of 2012 In the Indian subcontinent, both rates and occupancies lagged behind last year, owing mostly to increased supply and resulting in an overall RevPAR 13% below last year Source : STR Global 7 Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India 2012 vs 2011 Foreign Tourist Arrivals in India (In Lakhs) 8 7 6 5 4 3Jan Feb Mar Apr May 2011 June July 2102 August Sept Oct Nov Dec April-Sep :+3. 4% Jan- Sep :+5. 9% growth over last year Growth in Tourist Arrivals in India has slowed down and increased to 2. 6 mn travelers in April – Sep 2012 which was a 3. 4% growth over 2011 vs 9. 3% growth in April – Sep 2011 over 2010. Growth for Jan-Sep 2012 was 5. 9% over 2011 against vs 9. 9% in Jan-Sep 2011 over 2010. The traditional source markets of US , UK and Western Europe continue to be the majority contributors to arrivals in India Source : Ministry of Tourism, Government of India 8India Hotel Performance – Key cities April to September 2012 April – September 12, % change in Market Scenario 70. 0% 61% 60. 0% 50. 0% 40. 0% 30. 0% 20. 0% 10. 0% 0. 0% India Goa Mumbai Delhi Jaipur Bangalore Chennai Hyderabad Supply % change Demand % change 23% 20% 9% 4% 6% 32% 25% 32% 31% 26% 20% 49% 40% 33% 4% There has been overall a 23% increase in Supply in H1 compared to last year. Demand growth has been moderate at 20% in summers and expected to pick up in H2 and winters Source : STR Global 9 India Hotel Performance – Key cities April to September 2012 April – September 12, % change in performance 0% 5% 0% -5% -10% -15% -20% India Goa Mumbai Delhi Jaipur Bangalore Chennai Hyderabad Occ % change ADR (INR) % change -3% -5% -2% -4% -1% -5% -9% -11% -7% -8% -11% -3% -5% -5% 5% 1% The Demand – Supply mismatch has put a pressure on occupancies and Average rates compared to last year across all key metros Overall this has led to a 7% decrease in RevPAR in the Indian Hospitality Industry in the first half of the Financial year Source : STR Global 10 Occupancies – Year on Year Trend 56 54 59 58 58 55 56 61 52 58 62 54 51 46 46 65 Delhi India Bangalore Hyderabad Mumbai Chennai Jaipur H1 2011/12Source: STR Global Reports H1 2012/13 Lower occupancies across all cities except Goa 11 Goa ARRs –Year on Year Trend 7910 7606 7224 6559 5929 5648 6717 6198 5945 5765 5344 4778 4092 3645 4949 4980 Delhi Bangalore Hyderabad Mumbai H1 2011/12 S ource: STR Global Reports H1 2012/13 Rates lower across all cities barring Goa Chennai Jaipur India Goa 12 Rev PARs – Year on Year Trend 4700 4408 4185 3595 3323 3077 3771 3219 3653 3369 2882 2446 1898 1679 3059 3219 India Mumbai Chennai Jaipur Delhi Bangalore H1 2011/12 Source: STR Global Reports H1 2012/13 RevPAR lower across all cities barring GoaHyderabad Goa 13 New Inventory 14 Supply Pipeline As of September 2012 Asia Pacific the Growth Centre for Investments in the Industry No of Rooms in Pipeline September 2012 As Pac, 377397, 38% Americas, 363568, 36% MEA/Africa, 122942, 12% Europe, 141554, 14% The demand in Asia Pacific is supported by the growing supply coming into these countries from international brands and the largest pipeline worldwide The highest growth in As Pac region is in the Upscale segment The Americas continue to see a high active pipeline, here too mainly in the Upscale segment Source : STR Global 15Taj Group Inventory 112 99 103 107 115 62 66 76 82 8 8 16 Hotels Opened 2012/13 Hotel Taj Taj Palace Marrakech, Morocco (Soft Open) Vivanta by Taj Vivanta by Taj, Madikeri, Coorg Ginger Hotels Ginger Hotel Faridabad Ginger Hotel Vadapalani (Chennai) Ginger Hotel Andheri (Mumbai) Roots Corporation Ltd Roots Corporation Ltd Roots Corporation Ltd 91 79 116 Management Contract 62 Management Contract 161 Company Rooms Hotels Opened Till Date 2012/13 5 Hotels 509 Rooms 17 Taj Palace Marrakech, Morocco 18 Vivanta by Taj, Coorg 19 19 Upcoming Development – Balance of 2012/13Hotel Vivanta by Taj Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon Gateway Gateway, Kolkata Gateway, Hubli Gateway OMR, Chennai Ginger Hotels Ginger Hotel Jaipur Ginger Hotel Kormangla (Bangalore) Ginger Hotel Noida (NCR) Ginger Hotel Amritsar Management Contract Management Contract Management Contract Roots Corporation Ltd 103 67 80 60 200 92 193 Management Contract 200 Company Rooms New Development in Pipeline 2012/13 New Hotels Opened Till Date 2012/13 8 Hotels 5 Hotels 995 Rooms 509 Rooms 1,504 Rooms 20 20 TOTAL DEVELOPEMNT FY 2012/13 13 Hotels Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon 21The Gateway Hotel, Kolkata 22 The Gateway Hotel, Hubli 23 Upcoming Development– 2013/14 Hotel Taj Taj Airport Hotel, Terminal 1C, Mumbai Imperial Club by Taj, Tardeo, Mumbai Vivanta by Taj Vivanta by Taj, Dwarka Gateway Gateway, Hinjewadi, Pune Gateway, Raipur Gateway, Gondia Gateway, Faridabad Ginger Hotels (Six in Number) Management Contract Management Contract Benares Hotels Ltd Management Contract Roots Corporation Ltd 150 119 34 150 534 IHCL 250 Taj GVK Management Contract 275 9 Company Rooms New Development in Pipeline 2013/14 13 Hotels 1,521 Rooms 24Imperial Club by Taj, Tardeo, Mumbai 25 25 Vivanta by Taj, Dwarka 26 26 Sales and Marketing Initiatives 27 Strategy to Drive Incremental Revenues Surprises Campaign (Apr – Oct 2012) Tactical promotions campaign that is now launched every summer to address the seasonal drop in demand. Relaunched on 26th March 2012 for Summer 2012 Provides unique value proposition to customers with the following objectives – Drive SpendPAR – Drive Loyalty – Increase Capacity Utilization in lean months Campaign Programs – Flexi Credits – Suite Celebrations – Stay a Bit Longer 28Leisure focus – Domestic Dominance Taj Holidays – Summer, Monsoon, Winter Adopted a Destination led approach that we supported through an integrated marketing campaign. (Goa, Kerala, Indian Ocean, Small Palaces, Grand Palaces, Taj Safaris) Objective – tap the growing domestic holiday market in our lean season Advertising campaign was spread across pre-opening, summer and monsoon planks Interactive Roadshows in major feeder cities for travel trade and potential end users from the city 9 Leisure Focus – The High end Traveler Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces Customer Outreach by Taj at Travel + Leisure Global Bazaar, New York , September 2012 Annual travel trade and consumer show organized by Travel + Leisure attended by over 5000 media, travel trade and consumers over 3 days in New York The innovative customer experience installation to communicate the Taj luxury positioning and service experience at the suites of the Taj Grand Palaces.Supported by promotional activity and editorial coverage Channel Outreach through Taj Travel Awards at Taj Mahal Delhi , July 2012 Instituted two years ago it is the only award ceremony initiated by a hotel group to acknowledge and felicitate the inbound DMCs in India for their support and contribution. This year’s event drew 200+ prominent DMCs and travel trade press from across the country for a splendid evening of Awards ceremony, sit-down silver service dinner and entertainment. 0 Driving Revenues Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces Visibility Increased visibility through advertising campaign Enhanced focus on India Advertising in leading newspapers, general interest magazines, business magazines, lifestyle magazines and travel related magazines Driving Incremental Revenues from Corporates Winning back lost customer campaign Long stayer program for targeted accounts Channel based campaigns for Hit accounts 31Building the newest Brand Vivanta by Taj – Hotels & Resorts Launch of the signature Fuse 2. 0 Cocktails in an exclusive partnership with Diageo and Canali, August 2012 A Vivanta innovation launched in 3 key cities via a roadshow 6 signature cocktails each being a tribute to a Vivanta city Generated tremendous PR coverage and social media noise Brand Personification and Experiences Season 2 of both Divas of Rock and Urban Folk premiered at Vivanta Whitefield and Vivanta Begumpet Hyderabad.The Vivanta Motifs campaign went live across select media print, digital and social Awards & Accolades Vivanta by Taj is currently in the top 10 rank amongst 147 of the global pages on SocialBakers Analytics Vivanta Yeshwantpur Bangalore was ranked amongst the best 100 business hotels of 2012 by Wall paper UK Vi vanta Whitefield won the Emirates Leaf Design awards for the best commercial design world wide 2012 Vivanta Bekal voted the 8th best new spa destinations by Conde Nast India 32Enhancing the Brand Experiences The Gateway Hotels & Resorts The Gateway Hotel Residency Road Bangalore Relaunch, September 2012 Relaunched via a successful Customer and Media event Great PR Thrust, focus being revamped product post extensive renovations, the new lobby and spectacular F&B offerings Integrated marketing campaign Active Foods Campaign Extensive campaign marketing Gateway’s Active Food Conducted at all Coffee Shops with new menus, posters and tent cards across all hotels Supported by a media campaign (print, OOH, online and social) Contests in social media in the run up to the Olympics 3 Awards & Accolades Recognition in the Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards for Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The Awards recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals and org anizations that are working to preserve the world's natural and man-made treasures and contributing to building and sustaining livelihoods. Best Business Hotel Chain in India at the Business Traveler UK Awards 2012. Featured in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2012 list of Top 100 hotels in the world and Top Resorts in Asia.Featured in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2012 list of Top City Hotels in Asia Amongst the Top 10 hotels in the world by Expedia. com's Insiders' Select based on consistent delivery of values, competitive pricing and impeccable customer service. Honoured as ‘Most Inspirational Eco Lodge of the Year’ at the 2012 Tour Operators for Tigers (TOFT) Wildlife Tourism Awards Ranked #1 Overseas Leisure Hotels in Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, Conde Nast Traveller UK Readers' Travel Awards 2012 34 Standalone Financial Performance Six Months ended September 30, 2012 35 Profit and Loss Account H1 2012/13 /Crores Net Sales/Income from Operations Other Operating Income Total Income a. Consumption of Raw Materials b. Employee Benefits Expense c. License Fees d. Fuel, Power and Light e. Depreciation and Amortisation Expense f. Other Expenditure Total Expenditure Profit/ (Loss) from operations before Other Income, Finance Costs and Exceptional Items Other Income Profit/ (Loss) before Finance Costs and Exceptional Items Finance Costs Profit/ (Loss) after Finance Costs but before Exceptional Items Exceptional items Profit/ (Loss) before tax Provision for Taxes Profit/ (Loss) After Tax 2012/13 775. 8 775. 48 73. 05 240. 22 51. 97 79. 41 63. 08 244. 62 752. 35 23. 13 33. 23 56. 36 53. 23 3. 13 (6. 70) (3. 57) (1. 24) (2. 33) 2011/12 727. 10 727. 10 64. 69 226. 91 44. 01 65. 43 55. 50 219. 77 676. 31 50. 79 35. 47 86. 26 50. 08 36. 18 9. 81 45. 99 16. 33 29. 66 % Change 7 7 (13) (6) (18) (21) (14) (11) (11) (54) (6) (35) (6) (91) – 36 Turnover H1 2012/13 ` crores Room sales F&B sales Other Income Management Fees 2012/13 354. 76 317. 80 52. 88 50. 04 2011/12 343. 89 287. 65 49. 55 46. 01 % Change 3 10 7 9Total Income Non – Operating Income Total Income including Other Income 775. 48 33. 23 808. 71 727. 10 35. 47 762. 57 7 (6) 6 Room revenue growth driven by 3% increase in average daily rooms sold including capacity increase Higher F&B sales due to increase in restaurant sales and banqueting business Management fee linked to higher turnover and profitability of non IHCL hotels 37 Expenditure Raw Materials Cost – ` 73. 05 crores Increase in line with 10% higher F&B revenue and commodity input cost increase Staff Cost – ` 240. 2 Crores Increase due to launch of new hotel in Bangalore, wage settlements, annual increments etc. License Fees – ` 51. 97 crores Increase on account of higher turnover of licensed properties Fuel, Power & Light – ` 79. 41 crores Higher on account of increase in rates and new capacity 38 Expenditure Depreciation & Amortisation – ` 63. 08 cro res Higher due to opening of new hotel in Bangalore and renovations in select hotels Other Expenditure – ` 244. 62 crores Increase in variable costs linked to business, full period cost of new hotel in Bangalore & higher A&P spendsFinance Costs – ` 53. 23 crores Increase due to ECBs taken to retire debt in Company’s offshore subsidiary 39 Exceptional Items Expense of ` (6. 7) crores in the current year against an income of ` 9. 8 crores in the previous year `/ Crores Particulars Income/(Expense) on surrender of a project (Net off accumulated capital expenditure) Exchange gain/(loss) Total 2012/13 (6. 7) (6. 7) 2011/12 10. 6 (0. 8) 9. 8 40 Statement of Assets & Liabilities September 30, 2012 ` / CroresShareholders’ Funds Non- Current Liabilities Long-term borrowings Long Term Provisions Other Long Term Liabilities/ Deferred Tax Liabilities Current Liabilities Short Term borrowings Other Current Liabilities Trade Payables/Short-term provisions Equity and Li abilities Non-current Assets Fixed Assets Non-current investments Long Term loans and advances Other non-current assets Current Assets Current Investments Short term loans and advances Other currents assets/ cash & bank/ inventories/ trade receivables Assets 71. 28 112. 50 229. 51 7614. 34 71. 87 227. 05 7363. 8 2066. 91 3622. 19 1495. 19 16. 76 2068. 36 3622. 19 1346. 93 27. 58 247. 52 406. 77 168. 88 7614. 34 122. 57 789. 58 280. 08 7363. 98 2287. 24 78. 20 757. 17 2039. 94 95. 93 668. 07 September 30, 2012 3668. 56 March 31, 2012 3367. 81 41 Consolidated Financial Performance Six Months ended September 30, 2012 42 Major Taj Group companies Subsidiaries Indian Piem Hotels Ltd Taj SATS Air Catering Ltd Tifco Holdings Ltd [Investment Company] Benares Hotels Ltd Inditravel Pvt Ltd United Hotels Ltd Roots Corporation Ltd Overseas International Hotel Management Services, Inc.St James Court Hotel Ltd IHMS (Australia) Pty Ltd Taj International Hotels (HK) Ltd [Investment Company] Samsara Properties Ltd [Investment Company] Others 43 Associates Oriental Hotels Ltd Lanka Island Resorts Ltd TAL Lanka Hotel PLC Others Joint Ventures Taj GVK Hotels & Resorts Ltd Taj Madras Flight Kitchen Pvt Ltd Taj Kerala Hotels & Resorts Ltd Taj Karnataka Hotels & Resorts Ltd Taj Safaris Ltd TAL Hotels & Resorts Ltd [Investment Company] Others Consolidated Financial Results H1 2012/13 Consolidated results show a loss of ` (91) crores against a loss of ` (70) crores.Key factors influencing the consolidated results are listed below: Domestic Portfolio – Lower profit from operations, lower dividend income & foreign exchange translation loss on borrowings – Previous period had an exceptional gain on account of interest income on surrender of a project International Portfolio – Samsara Properties Limited debt fully retired through equity funding from IHCL – Despite growth in turnover, US hotels continue to face challenges 44 Consolidated Financials H1 2012/13 `/ Crores Net Sales/Income from Operations Other Operating Income Total Income a. Consumption of Raw Materials b.Employee Benefits Expense c. License Fees d. Fuel, Power and Light e. Depreciation and Amortisation Expense f. Other Expenditure Total Expenditure Profit/ (Loss) from operations before Other Income, Finance Costs and Exceptional Items Other Income Profit/ (Loss) before Finance Costs and Exceptional Items Finance Costs Profit/ (Loss) after Finance Costs but before Exceptional Items Exceptional item Profit/ (Loss) before tax Less: Provision for Taxes Less: Minority Interest in Subsidiaries Add:Share of Profit(Loss) in Associates Profit( Loss) after Tax 2012/13 1666. 37 1666. 37 177. 56 629. 05 84. 04 143. 30 145. 2 492. 55 1671. 62 (5. 25) 35. 03 29. 78 81. 76 (51. 98) 1. 28 (50. 70) 8. 71 (24. 67) (6. 77) (90. 85) 2011/12 1455. 50 1455. 50 160. 72 540. 84 66. 73 117. 27 129. 29 417. 68 1432. 53 22. 97 39. 81 62. 78 110. 45 (47. 67) 4. 26 (43. 41) 27. 05 (10. 56) 10. 69 (70. 33) % Change 14 14 (10) (16) (26) (22) (12) (18) (17) (123) (12) (53) 26 (9) (70) (17) 68 (134) (163) (29) 45 Consolidation Snapshot `/Crores Revenue 2012/13 IHCL Standalone Subsidiaries Joint Ventures Associates Total Less/(Add): Inter Company Eliminations Consolidated Performance 1716. 7 50. 3 1666. 4 1498. 5 43. 0 1455. 5 775. 5 862. 1 79. 1Profit after tax & Minority Interest 2012/13 (2. 3) (43. 7) (8. 6) (6. 8) (61. 4) 29. 5 (90. 9) 2011/12 727. 1 701. 1 70. 3 2011/12 29. 7 (80. 0) (4. 2) 10. 7 (43. 8) 26. 5 (70. 3) 46 Treasury Liquidity raised/ committed Received ` 373 crores in June, 2012 on conversion of warrants by Tata Sons Ltd Raised ` 200 crores by issuing low coupon unsecured NCDs Funds Utilized Repayment of ECB in April, 2012 – $ 30 million Repayment of Fixed Deposits between April to October, 2012 – ` 285 crores 47 International Hotels Occupancy (%) Hotel Name H1 2012/13 H1 2011/12 ARR ($) H1 2012/13 H1 2011/12 RevPAR ($) H1 2012/13 H1 2011/12The Pierre, New York 63 67 620 571 391 382 Taj Boston 74 71 296 287 218 202 Campton Place, San Francisco 79 75 290 287 229 216 St. James Court, London 88 85 318 299 278 253 Blue, Sydney 75 76 221 230 165 176 48 Overview of Taj Group – H1 Particulars Number of hotels 2012/13 115 2011/12 110 2010/11 107 2009/10 103 Rooms Inventory 13,887 13,237 12,795 12,243 Total Revenue – ` / crores 2,288 2,069 1,822 1,603 Total Revenue denote arithmetic aggregate of turnover of all hotels/units irrespective of ownership, including Management Contracts 49 Thank you 50

Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer

Interview Questions to Ask the Interviewer Most interviews end with the age-old, â€Å"So, do you have any questions for me?† If you’re tempted to say, â€Å"Nope, I think you’ve covered everything, thanks for your time, stop right there. Don’t do it. This is asking not to get hired! It’s tantamount to saying, â€Å"Well, nothing you said in this interview really interested me in the slightest, so I think I’ll just move onto the next firm, see ya.† Bottom line: you should always, always have questions to ask. But, what kinds of questions should you ask? When interviewing a candidate to work at a law firm, whether through OCI or after graduation, it’s important that the potential new hire comes across as professional, but also that they are excited about the prospect of that particular job. So, how do you show this kind of enthusiasm and interest? How do you indicate to your interviewer that are amped up about this job and that if they have the choice between two candidates, they should give it to you? Well, you ask well-thought-out, well-researched questions, you listen carefully to their answers, and you ask follow-up questions if needed. Make your questions personalized, positive, and ask for advice. If for nothing else, the interviewer’s candid responses to your questions can be a tie-breaker later when you’re deciding which offer to accept. For this reason, it’s important to ask questions in a way that will get you the maximum â€Å"real† information. What I mean by that is, if you ask, â€Å"Are you happy working at this firm?† The interviewer really doesn’t have much of a choice but to say â€Å"yes† (they don’t want it getting back to their boss that they are unhappy!) and then they will usually tell you a little bit about why the work is interesting, the people are nice, and the opportunities are worthwhile. In other words, you will probably get a pretty standardized, general answer. However, if you ask instead, â€Å"What was your most gratifying accomplishment during your first year at the firm?† The answer you get will be more personalized, and it will give you a concrete example of what this person values, what the firm values in them, and what these so-called â€Å"opportunities† really look like in real life. Special bonus - a personalized answer will also give you a foothold for your thank you note you will be sending later. 10 Interview Questions You Can Ask the Interviewer Below are some of the most typical questions that candidates usually ask after interviews, followed by how you can spice them up to get yourself more useful responses: 1. Original Thought:  What do you think are the most important traits in an associate? Ask Instead:  What trait did you possess as a new associate that you think really worked well for you at this firm? Why? What qualities make a superstar at this firm? 2. Original Thought:  How is job performance evaluated? Ask Instead:  How often do associates have the chance to review their work with their supervisors. Is there anything you would recommend for a new hire to make sure they’re getting regular feedback from their assigning attorney? 3. Original Thought:  What do you like best about working with this firm? Why did you choose it? Ask Instead:  Can you think of one moment toward the start of your career with the firm that made you think, â€Å"Okay, I’ve really done a good job.† What was the project you were working on? Why did you like it? What was it that you did well? 4. Original Thought:  Are you in close contact with clients? How long did you work at the firm before you were? Ask Instead:  Have you ever met with clients in person, or do you mostly talk to them on the phone or via email? Are new associates encouraged to interact with clients, or if not, how long does it take before they can start getting client contact? 5. Original Thought: Did you always practice in your current specialty? If not, why did you change? Ask Instead:  What do you like about your current practice area? Is there anything about working in this area that you wish was different? 6. Original Thought:  What has surprised you about this job? Ask Instead:  When you first started with the firm, what is something you remember that caused you to re-evaluate your ideas or work style or mentality. Was there anything you used to do or think that you don’t anymore? What changed? 7. Original Thought:  If you could change anything about your job, what would it be? Ask Instead:  Every job has pros and cons. Is there anything in your daily work routine that you wish didn’t happen? Anything you would change if you could? 8. Original Thought:  What do you wish you would have asked when you interviewed? Ask Instead:  What do you think was the best question you asked when you interviewed with the firm? Or, alternatively, was there anything you didn’t ask that you wish you had? 9. Original Thought:  Where do you see the firm in five years? Ask Instead:  What are your work goals for the next year? What is something you haven’t had the opportunity to do yet that you really want to try before this year is up? 10. Original Thought: Will I be notified of a decision either way? Ask Instead:  When can I expect to hear about a decision?

bus mgt Essay

bus mgt Essay bus mgt Essay N1065 Assessment: Briefing Sheet Introduction The purpose of this document is to give you guidance on how to complete the essay which is 50s% of the overall assessment of N1065 (with the other 50% coming from the examination). Essay Title Choose ONE of the management processes encountered during the course: Starting, Organising, Planning and Changing. Select a business organisation of your choice and explain how and how well it undertakes your chosen process. Points to note 1. The word limit is 1000 (+/- 10%). Neither the title page nor your reference list count towards the word limit but your in-text referencing will count. Please state the number of words you have used. Your marks will be reduced if you are under- or over -shoot the word limit. 2. The current university policies on plagiarism and late submission apply. The deadline is as listed in Study Direct. (BMEC School Office in Jubilee); 2 copies please. 3. Reference your work in a way that follows the advice and guidance available on the ‘3S’ (Study Success at Sussex) site or any received from your Academic Advisor and/or your N1065 seminar leader and/or in lectures. Furthermore we suggest you use ‘TURNITIN’ to review your own work. 4. The exact title as above should be displayed; not your own version of the title. 5. It is an essay and no sub-titles are expected. 6. In your introduction you should state clearly the management process you are going to write about and which organisation is the main focus of your essay. You should also give a very brief description of your selected organisation – but don’t waste too many word on this; it won’t gain you many marks (for example don’t go into detail about its history). 7. Try not to use overlong quotations – they soak up too many words. Use a range of authoritative sources and reference properly. Referencing lecture slides will bring very few marks; avoid this – and Wikipedia! 8. In your essay you are trying to show understanding and application of relevant concepts, models, arguments and theories. You should do this convincingly, and for a higher mark, critically. So far example don’t assume that you selected organisation gets it right all the time – you are being asked to give you view on how well the organisation deals with a process (tip: one way of doing this might be to compare it with how well similar organisations perform the process). 9. Remember it is an essay, not a report, so you don’t need to end with recommendations. But you should provide a conclusion, which reviews what you have found and draws the reader’s attention to the key issues – and these might be ‘problem areas’ or challenges for the organisation you have chosen. 10. Don’t hand in your essay until you have checked it through and proof-read it – but don’t hand it in late! This guidance is not definitive. You can seek the

The Best ACT Score Predictor

The Best ACT Score Predictor SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Taking the ACT is stressful- some test you’ve never seen before will affect where you go to college. As a high school student, I felt anxious taking the ACT because I hadn’t done any practice and had no idea whether I’d reach my target score. One way to mitigate nerves surrounding the ACT is to try to predict your ACT score. If you find out your estimate is close to your target score, you’ll feel relieved. If it’s low, at least you’ll know you need to do more preparation before taking the test. What is the best ACT score predictor? What should you do with your estimated ACT score? In this guide, I’ll walk you through the different ways to predict your ACT score and explain the pros and cons of each. I’ll also let you know how to use your estimated score to your advantage. What’s the Best Way to Predict Your ACT Score? The most accurate ACT score predictoris taking a full-length ACT practice test under realistic testing conditions. It's the closest thing tothe real ACT- your using an official ACT practice test from the ACT makers and taking it under similar testing conditions. This process is very time-consuming - it’ll take about four hours - but it’s worth it. Afterward, you have an ACT score from a real ACT test, whichyou can use to checkyourpreparedness to take the actual test, but I'll dive into that later. Where Can You Find a Practice Test? There are five free official ACT practice test PDFs available online, or if you own The Real ACT 3rd Edition, you could use one of those tests. If you’re using one of the free online tests, to give yourself the most realistic testing experience (and to avoid the distractions on the internet), I’d recommend that you print out a copy of the test. Key Tips fora Realistic Testing Experience Your goal is to try to accurately predict your ACT score. To do so, you need to mirror the circumstances of the actual ACT. Clear your desk.You should not have your phone, computer, dictionary or any other outside help.Note: Your phone should be off during the entire practice test.Only put some pencils, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a calculator and extra batteries on your desk. Keep time on a watch, and stick to the exact timing for each section.Note: the time permitted is printed at the start of the section.Don’t allow yourself extra time; if you allow even an extra minute, you could end up with an inaccurate estimate.Also, you’re only allowed to work on one section during the allotted time. Don’t work on the next section if you finish early, and don’t do work on a previous section. How Do You Score Your Practice Test? Each practice test comes with scoring instructions, which are locatednear the end of the PDFs (typically in the last tenpages). You’ll start by calculating your raw score or the number of questions you answered correctly.Then, you use that raw score and a chart to find your scaled score for each section.You average the foursection scores to find your composite score. Note: This is only a baseline score- you can do dedicated ACT prep and raise your score. Start by creating a study schedule, and if you need a launching off point for your prep, read our free ACT study guides for Reading, Math, English, and Science. Create a schedule for test prep success! What Are Other Less Time Consuming Predictors? Did you take the PreACT* or SAT? If so, you can use that score to predict your ACT score. These test scores make good estimates because they’re taken under the same conditions as an ACT test (in the morning, with other students, etc.).I’ll give an overview of the pros and cons of using these tests as ACT score predictors. *Note:The PreACT is a brand new test that's debuting in the 2016-2017 school year. No one has taken it yet- the firsttest dates will be in Fall 2016. PreACT The PreACT is the next best option to taking an official ACT practice test.The PreACT was created by ACT, Inc., the same company that makes the ACT, to help predict your ACT score.It covers the same content as the ACT.Its difficulty level is similar to the ACT since it uses old ACT questions. The PreACT is graded on the same 1-36 scale.However, it’s much shorter than the actual ACT; it’s only 1 hour and 55 minutes (compared to almost 4 hours for the ACT plus Writing), so it doesnt' require the same level of endurance as the full test. Pros The PreACT was created by the same company as the ACT. It covers the same content as the ACT. The difficulty level is on par with the ACT. It is specificallyintended to predict your ACT score. Cons It’s much shorter than the actual ACT. SAT Score There are easy-to-use conversion tables that will convert your 400-1600 SAT score to a 1-36 score, but this isn’t as reliable as using a PreACT score.While the SAT is similar to the ACT and PreACT, the SAT was made by the College Board, not ACT, Inc. Though there is some matching content on the SAT and ACT, the material is not the same.For instance, while the ACT has a science section, the SAT doesn’t, and while the SAT has a no-calculator math section, the ACT doesn’t. If you use an SAT score to estimate your ACT score, the prediction could be off by up to 4 points.As an example, I got a 1420 on my SAT. Using this score and the conversion table, I found out my ACT score prediction would be 31, but I got a 34, 3 points more than the estimate.Some people do better on the ACT than the SAT (and vice versa). Pros Like the ACT, the SAT is designed to show college preparedness. Like the ACT, the SAT covers Math, Reading, and Writing topics. Cons The SAT was not created by ACT, Inc. The SAT doesn’t cover all of the material on the ACT. Estimates may not be exact (could be off by up to 4 points). Also, comparisons between the two tests are difficult to make since the SAT just underwent major changes. Some students simply performbetter on the ACT than SAT (and vice versa). Now that you know the good predictors let's examine the bad: What Won’t Be Good Predictors? I’d recommend avoiding any estimation method not mentioned above. However, here are some of the more commonly used ACT score predictors that I wouldn’t recommend. Non-Official Practice Tests Online you might find some non-official ACT practice tests (ones not created by ACT, Inc.).These will not give you a reliable ACT score prediction because they’re too dissimilar to the ACT.They don’t cover the same topics and don’t accurately copy the test format. While some students end up with scores close to the non-official prediction, the majority end up with scores 5-10 points higher or lower than the estimate. GPA Some students assume ACT scores correlate to GPA.If you have straight A’s, then you’ll get a 36; if you have a low GPA, then you’ll get a low ACT score.However, that’s not necessarily true. Some test-takers with low GPAs can get high ACT scores while others with high GPAs can end up with low scores.Don’t rely on your GPA to estimate your ACT score. AP/IB Tests Other students think that AP and IB exam score will be good ACT predictors since they cover college level material. However, these tests cover very specific, high-level subject matter such as Biology, Calculus, Economics, and History.These tests surpass the level of content covered by the ACT.Excelling or failing AP and IB exams has no correlation with ACT success. Use your predictor to see if you meet your target score. What Should You Do With Your Prediction? Are you unhappy with your predicted score? If so, you need to create an ACT prep schedule to help raise your score.Here is a rough estimate of how many hours you need to study to achieve certain score improvements: 0-1 ACT Composite Point Improvement: 10 hours 1-2 Point Improvement: 20 hours 2-4 Point Improvement: 40 hours 4-6 Point Improvement: 80 hours 6-9 Point Improvement: 150 hours+ Check out our ACT study guide for the Reading, Math, English, Science, and Writingsections to help you get started with your preparation. Are you happy with your estimated score? If so, you should still do a little ACT prep.Study for at least 10 hours.Take two practice tests with in-depth review. This way you’ll get more comfortable with the ACT test format, and you’ll be able to double check that your practice test scores match the original prediction. The ACT plusWriting has five sections:English,Math,Reading,Science, and Writing- they always appear in that order.Below is a breakdown of the timing and number of questions per section: English - 45 minutes - 75 questions Math - 60 minutes - 60 questions Reading- 35 minutes - 40 questions Science - 35 minutes - 40 questions Writing - 40 minutes - 1 essay Disclaimer: Remember that no estimate is 100% accurate, not even taking an official ACT practice test.Therefore, you should plan to take the real ACT more than once. That way, if you don’t reach your target score the first time, you have another chance. What’s Next? Now that you found your estimated ACT score how does it compare to your target score? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Read our guide to finding your target school. Need help with your college application? Learn how to write about extracurriculars on your college application; get advice on the Common App essays. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Factors Contibuting to Individual Differences in Stress Response Coursework

Factors Contibuting to Individual Differences in Stress Response - Coursework Example Suffering from some chronic illness may be a source of stress for many people. It is important to understand how to respond to these stresses and factors contributing to differences in individual responses to stress. For instance, while alcohol proves effective in managing stress in some people, it has contradicting results in others (Sher & Walitzer, 1986). Stress response is the natural coping mechanism of the body to respond to stressful events and it involves the release of ‘hormones and glucose into the bloodstream to provide extra energy and alertness’ (Gilles, 2009). Researchers in response to stress often employ different approaches such as a consideration of the stimulus, the response, or the transactional perspective. However, regardless of the approached used, it is generally recognized that the individuals exhibit differences in the ability to respond to different stressful events. The differences can be attributed to the environmental, socio-cultural, and ge netic factors specific to the individuals. Some of the individual factors include personality traits (Kazmi et al, 2009), gender, social class, culture, ethnicity, age, and genetic composition (Davidyan, 2008). This paper examines the background of these observed individual differences with a focus on three contributing factors namely the environmental, cognitive, and genetic factors. ... mographic or historic developmental factors include gender, age, ethnicity, genetic predisposition, history of trauma or abuse, and the individual medical history (Davidyan, 2008). The psychological factors include whereas the social factors include acculturation, social support, socio-economic and educational status, leisure time activities (Davidyan, 2008). Environmental factors Various studies on human epidemiology have indicated that the early life experiences contribute significantly to the development of differences in how the individuals respond to stressful events in later stages of their lives. The differences that are observed in the psychological environment in which a physical stressor occur account for the variability in stress response (Sapolsky, 1994, p.263). The researches on the developmental programming of the stress system have examined the roles played by the environmental stressors or the exogenous glucocorticoids in the development of sensitivity to stress by an individual (Claessens et al, 2011). It must be noted that these factors do not stand alone in providing the influence. The environmental factors interplay other factors like the gene combination to define the differences. The outcomes of early experiences do not determine precisely the fate of an individual in the later stages. A class of environmental, cognitive, and genetic factors takes part in molding the overall outcome of the early life experiences. Personality traits and other dispositional traits have a stake in explaining the stress responses (Avitsur et al, 2006, p.289). However, there are cases in which the environmental factors are powerful and can override other factors like the genetic factors (Claessens et al, 2011). Various aspects of the environment working at specific

RELATIONSHIPS & CULTURE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

RELATIONSHIPS & CULTURE - Essay Example Cultural distance and differences are widely used constructs in making international business relating to expansion of foreign investments, entry mode choice, and performance of affiliates (Shenkar, 2001). Likewise, relationship marketing emphasises on customer retention and satisfaction instead of focusing dominantly on transactions and sales. It is said that an organisation needs to improve its level of competitiveness in a globalised market in order to survive the competition if not to dominate it, and marketing tactics help tremendously in achieving this endeavor. Literatures say that among these tactics is the employment of relationship marketing that aids the firm to market internationally its product or service. A firm's external operations entail an understanding of how cultural differences affect international marketing decisions. This understanding can be utilised in predicting strategic movements and responses of competitors and thus enables the firm to design effective competitive strategies. International sales negotiations are the primary focal point of this understanding (Tse, et al., 1988, p. 81). The internal conduct of multinational firms also needs knowledge of the impact of culture on marketing decisions. ... For organisations with diverse cultural backgrounds, the interpretation of cues for standard operating procedures may vary because of these cultural backgrounds, imploring the need to understand cultural differences in international marketing. Another reason as to why a good understanding of cultural differences is important in international marketing is because this knowledge of cultural influences permits the firms to adapt to such differences, enabling it to reduce the so called 'noisy communications" as well as eliminate errors in decision-making. These are said to occur likely out of lack of common understanding, which stems from lack of understanding of cultural differences (Montgomery and Weinberg, 1979 in Tse, et al., 1988, p. 81). It is already a given knowledge that in the past, especially prior to the globalised era, Western managerial culture dominated multinational firms. However, this trail has changed a long way as shown by the recent trends' increase in international trade and foreign direct investment of Asian multinational firms and North American subsidiaries that operate in Asian countries. This implies furtherance of salient understanding of cultural impact on an organisation's internal operations (Tse , et al., 1988). This emphasis on cultural differences is exemplified by the case of China's businesses, which experience isolation from contacts with international markets for many years. Thus, their marketing decision processes have relatively represented pure form of cultural influence on business behavior caused by cultural impacts. It is suggested that an Oriental business community with strong and continuous interaction with the Western businesses is what

Pressures on employees at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Pressures on employees at work - Essay Example The designed guidelines touch on the numerous and diverse demands made by staff workers and the degree of control that staff members have their duties and responsibilities. The guidelines additionally address the managerial support systems within a workplace, the degree of clarity of an individuals position and responsibilities attached to the position and staff relationships within the workplace. The guidelines provided by the Health Survey for England (HSE) are founded on broad studies. In the course of their formulation, HSE conferred with numerous stakeholders including employers, staff members, staff organizations and other interested parties. This approach was intended to improve the way organizations dealt with stress related issues at the workplace. Therefore, an individual may enquire what stress is. It is defined as an unfavourable reaction individuals have to intense demands or other forms of demands placed upon them. It is different from basic workplace pressure, which sometimes develops motivational tendencies. The unfavourable response can negatively affect the affected individuals mental health developing into extreme cases of anxiety and depression. Individual-environment fit theory states that the effects of stress may come about when intimidating workplace demands culminate into unevenness in the interrelation between a person and the environment of his or her workplace. Even though dominant, the framework is regarded by some scholars to have produced an unclear method to the analysis of work-related stress (Chemers et al. 1985) and it remains to be seen whether the confusion existing between the fit theory and its evaluation will end anytime soon. Another theory developed later known as the job strain theory has put emphasis on the interrelation between objective demands of the occupation environment and staff choice autonomy (Karasek & Theorell 1990). The focus is on the

Financial Institutions and Market - Financial Innovation Essay

Financial Institutions and Market - Financial Innovation - Essay Example Advantages include; the creation of new securities, creation of new markets and financial institutions and the economic growth. The creation of new securities provides the investors with new avenues to invest in and it injects fresh capital which in turn leads towards increased employment opportunities. The disadvantages include; use of financial innovation for deceptive purposes such as off balance sheet financing and the creation of special purpose vehicles. The paper discusses two cases related to off balance sheet that shed light over the detrimental impacts of financial innovation over the economy as a whole. Financial Institutions & Market – Financial Innovation There has been significant debate regarding the validity of financial innovation. It has been suggested that financial innovation plays a vital role in the economic growth and prosperity and that, resultantly, financial system regulators should resist over-regulation that might create hindrances in the way of inn ovation. As a counter argument, it has been brought to foreground that certain financial innovations have been blamed for creating enormous economic crises in the recent past. As a result of such financial crises, governments all over the globe are taking extraordinary measures in order to avert more of such crises and they are imposing new financial regulations in this regard. The question that would be discussed in the following paper is whether the potential benefits of the financial system innovation should deter regulators from imposing restrictions on the activities of financial institutions. ADVANTAGES OF FINANCIAL INNOVATION Even though financial innovation has been blamed as the main reason behind financial crises, it has also been said that financial innovation is very important for economic growth. The economic crises that have been said to be due to financial innovation are actually due to the improper use of financial innovation. Innovation, if used properly and constru ctively, can lead towards growth and prosperity in the economy of a country. Following are some of the benefits of financial innovation: Creation of New Securities Financial innovation is the leading reason behind the creation of new securities. Any creation of securities leads towards new capital which is used for economic growth. By creating of new securities, investors invest in the securities and earn returns while the institutions that create such securities invest the capital for the purpose of economic growth (Kimmel, 2010). The resultant growth creates new job opportunities and adds new revenue to the overall economic system of the country. In this way, financial innovation leads towards new investment and financial growth. Creation of New Markets and Institutions Financial innovation is the reason behind the creation of new markets and financial institutions. For example; the concept of ‘Collective Investment Schemes (CIS)’ came to foreground due to financial i nnovation and this method is being widely used by investors all around the world to create and invest in investment schemes with different investment portfolios (Boot & Thakor, 1997). The investment schemes

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade Essay

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade - Essay Example Speaking in a straight and expressive language, slaves can be considered as individuals who are not given any right to do what they want or to deicide for themselves. However slavery has found broad usage and it has also been associated with other relationships like marriage or any other forms of family relations, military service, debt relationships and many other forms of relationships which all entail coercion or force in some aspects. Therefore slavery can be defined as a status or a condition of a person over whom powers attaching to the rights of ownership are exercise. This means that a slave is controlled by another person who acts as a mater or the owner of that person. The only way that someone who is considered a slave can leave the master is through escape or straying. (Lewis, 2007) In all countries in the world, slavery is considered illegal and there have been many campaigns in the world all directed towards ending slavery of any forms. The UN conventions outlaw any form of slaves. However there is still some existence of slavery in the modern world which may be directly or indirectly practices. For example, there is direct practice of slavery in Myanmar and Sudan which have been shown to facilitate some institutions of slavery. Most of these has been expressed as unfree labour where someone is told that they are working off a debt but they cannot account for that debt. In other cases it ahs been low paying or less supervise employment. Most of these slaves cannot leave these condition unless through the use of force. (Anti-slavery, 2008) It has been shown that society which are characterised by poverty, population pressure, cultural and technology backwardness are more prone to exportation of slave trade. They are mostly exported to the developed nations where they are given promise of better life but once they reach there they end up living as slaves. In the modern practice of slavery, the rural people have been at the

The brand strategies which Toyota May Adopt to improve tarnished brand Essay

The brand strategies which Toyota May Adopt to improve tarnished brand image - Essay Example There are several reasons behind this intensifying competition. Firstly, globalisation is one of the primary reasons for expansion of trade and business that lead to increase competition. Many business organisations have found greater opportunities in overseas market, and free trade policies and agreements between multiple countries facilitated their market expansion programs. The domestic markets have turned into global markets that heightened competition rivalry among existing domestic and new multinational enterprises. Since last two decades, the society has been experiencing a rapid technological improvement. The technological advancements have led to change the structure entire trade and business. The management tasks and operational process are now backed with technology like e-commerce and e-business. A better grip of technological advancement helps a business organisation to gain an upper hand position. ... In this process they aim to achieve strong competitive advantages and core competencies that enable them to gain upper hand position in the market. There are multiple ways to achieve competitive advantages; however, brand development is the most preferred way for creating high business value. The American Marketing Association (AMA) describes a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers. About.com Marketing Guide further explains that the objective of branding is not just to project yourself as being better than your competitors, but branding seeks to position your brand so uniquely in the minds of your consumers so that they perceive your product as the only possible solution to your problem or need. The objectives of good branding are as follows: Deliver message clearly Confirm credibility Connect target prospects emotiona lly Motivates buyers Concretes User Loyalty The increasing demands of brand development is due to two primary factors i.e. urge for acquiring higher market share and increasing concern towards consumer value. The modern management style and thought process of decision makers have transformed. The modern management concept more focuses on long term benefits by creative a sustainable businesses environment where stakeholders’ wealth and value creation is the first priority. When a company is able to meet these responsibilities towards stakeholders, society, community and environment, it is able to create a high brand image in the market. Managements in modern organisation culture follow management theories and models which are very

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade Essay

HMRT 2003 C Modern day Slavery and the Slave Trade - Essay Example Speaking in a straight and expressive language, slaves can be considered as individuals who are not given any right to do what they want or to deicide for themselves. However slavery has found broad usage and it has also been associated with other relationships like marriage or any other forms of family relations, military service, debt relationships and many other forms of relationships which all entail coercion or force in some aspects. Therefore slavery can be defined as a status or a condition of a person over whom powers attaching to the rights of ownership are exercise. This means that a slave is controlled by another person who acts as a mater or the owner of that person. The only way that someone who is considered a slave can leave the master is through escape or straying. (Lewis, 2007) In all countries in the world, slavery is considered illegal and there have been many campaigns in the world all directed towards ending slavery of any forms. The UN conventions outlaw any form of slaves. However there is still some existence of slavery in the modern world which may be directly or indirectly practices. For example, there is direct practice of slavery in Myanmar and Sudan which have been shown to facilitate some institutions of slavery. Most of these has been expressed as unfree labour where someone is told that they are working off a debt but they cannot account for that debt. In other cases it ahs been low paying or less supervise employment. Most of these slaves cannot leave these condition unless through the use of force. (Anti-slavery, 2008) It has been shown that society which are characterised by poverty, population pressure, cultural and technology backwardness are more prone to exportation of slave trade. They are mostly exported to the developed nations where they are given promise of better life but once they reach there they end up living as slaves. In the modern practice of slavery, the rural people have been at the

Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Example for Free

Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Whenever I am walking home alone, I am always paranoid that something is going to happen to me. I start to think about all of the horrible possibilities that could occur and I always feel as if I am being followed or watched. Even walking in an empty parking lot to my car scares me because I have a fear of being abducted. I, along with most people, was raised to be cautious of things like that. I was taught to always think of the worst thing that can happen, to be safe and to prevent the worst from happening. I am scared of death because I do not know what will happen after that. American’s obsession with the dark side comes from the curiosity of death. This obsession came from the first death of a human being. That was when curiosity about death and the afterlife originated. People do not know what happens after death and we are interested to find out more. Americans today come across the dark side every day whether they realize it or not. Inquisitiveness about the dark side appears in books, movies, and television shows. The piece â€Å"Zombies: why are we so obsessed?† by Eric G. Wilson, refers to all of the zombie and vampire themed books, movies, and television shows in today’s society. â€Å"True Blood,† â€Å"The Walking Dead,† and â€Å"Twilight† are some very well-known examples he uses to capture our attention and also to answer the question why we are so obsessed with death. â€Å"Maybe our obsession with zombies is a reflection of our fear of a pandemic virus that will transform us into flesh-starved corpses. Or perhaps we are afraid of a global financial collapse that would result in cannibalistic hordes haunting burned-out cities,† (1) wrote Wilson. The author of this article does not even know the answer, but that is precisely the point, the answer to the afterlife will forever remain unknown. The answer to our obsession is simply mere curiosity about death and the afterlife. These shows are produced to entertain and meant to provide us some sort of relief to the lingering questions we ask ourselves every day, even though the answers are not concrete, whatsoever. Finding answers to these questions is why there are so many artistic pieces centered around the dark side which began the gothic era, circa mid 12th century. Edgar Allen Poe is one of the first American authors of gothic literature. The reason Poe’s writing is so intriguing is because it relates to society’s curiosity or apprehension of death. His writing is so interesting because any revulsion the reader has about death or the afterlife is diluted because they are experiencing death through someone else’s eyes and not their own. There is nothing more intriguing than the unknown of the afterlife. There seems to be some sort of an addiction to receiving any knowledge or vindications about death or the afterlife. We can get these answers from reading gothic literature such as this by Poe. Poes writing is popular because of how it relates to our fear of the unknown. Americans are often obsessed with the dark side of human nature which is a reflection of this fear. The Masque of the Red Death is one of the many famous pieces of gothic literature written by Poe. The short story takes place in Europe around the time of the 14th century where an epidemic of the Red Death, has killed off half of the population. Prince Prospero shut himself away in his castellated abbey with seven irregular rooms representing the seven stages of life. The most eastern room was light blue, emphasizing life and the subsequent rooms ranged from purple, green, orange, white, violet, and finally, the most western room was black. The black room symbolizes the gothic fear of the end of life. The sun rises in the blue east room, representing the beginning of the day and the beginning of life, and the sun sets in the black west room, signifying the end of the day or end of life. Prospero decides to invite the healthiest aristocrats to a masquerade ball in his castle. He and his guests foolishly feel safe and protected from the disease and death because the abbey is surrounded with â€Å"a strong and lofty wall with gates of iron.† Once inside, no one can escape and no one can get in. In the black room, there is unusual dà ©cor. There is an ebony clock, which symbolizes death. It chimes each hour to remind the partiers of the fear they have about the ending of their lives. The masqueraders were considered grotesque. Towards the end of the story, an uninvited guest representing the red death, who is dressed as a corpse, interrupts the party. This creature walks from room to room and past the guests to the black room, the most western room. No one goes near the shrouded man except Prince Prospero who is following him angrily and â€Å"he bore aloft a drawn dagger.† He confronts the red death. Shortly afterwards there is a scream and Prince Prospero falls to the floor dead. The figure stands in the shadow of a clock and the partiers realize that there is no life form behind this mask. When they realize that, one by one the guests start to die. Poe ends the story with the irony of death being inevitable as much as Prospero and the partiers tried to avoid it. When the ebony clock symbolizing death chimes every hour, the guests stop everything they are doing in order to reflect on death. â€Å"While the chimes of the clock rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation† (2) When the clock echoed its chimes, the people who were the most alive even took time to bring their activities to an end in order to think about death and what happens when their life ends. The oldest of the guests were confused, putting their hands on their heads to consider the lives they have lived and what would happen if and when it all concluded. The guests of the party focus on running away or avoiding death. They do not want to come into contact with it because they do not know what will happen to them. This is why when the clock chimes, everyone goes silent and dazes off trying to view their beliefs on what death would really be like. They also come to the realization when the clock chimes that someday, their lives will end. It is almost as if everybody goes through a tempora ry transformation when the clock echoes and chimes. They take a step back and face the reality that they cannot hide from death forever. However, when the clock stops echoing, these thoughts are diminished and everyone resumes their previous activities overlooking the thoughts they just had, as if nothing had even happened. The guests continue to party with laughter filling the room. Later towards midnight, which is also the end of the day, symbolizing the end of life, this masked stranger suspends the party. The partiers immediately go quiet when they come to this realization that there is something bizarre about this figure. â€Å"There were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) The partiers discuss in a quiet manner what they think this unwelcoming intruder could represent out of curiosity . They do not gaze away from it, attempting to discover the true inscrutability of this unknown figure. At first the guests are disturbed that something like this would even occur in a ball that clearly reprimanded anything to do with death. They express disapproval and disgust when they first perceive this distinguishing character. However, they then begin to communicate to one another in a hushed tone what they think this craze may be. The guests do not fail to glance away or stop conversing endeavoring to figure out what this spiritual disposition represents out of their curiosity of the unidentified and the unknown. Poe’s gothic literature is not the only piece that represents society’s obsessive curiosity about death. William Faulkner is an American author of gothic literature in the 20th century that is also well known for his gothic writing style. Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily is a gothic horror story set in the antebellum South. The story is told in retrospect about a spinster named Emily Grierson. It begins and ends at her funeral and the narrator moves through her life from about the age of 30 until the age of 74. Emily is an eccentric aristocrat who lives with a very controlling father, who imprisons her in their home. At about the age of 30 her father dies but she is so eccentric and resistant to change that she refuses to accept his death for 3 days. â€Å"She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days† (3) Her father left her only the house, and no money. She is in denial of the fact and refuses to accept the deterioration of her social status. One day, Homer Barron, a northern construction foreman and self-proclaimed lifelong bachelor, comes into her life. In spite of the fact that she is penniless, she shows a condescending attitude toward him and feels that she is superior. â€Å"Because the ladies all said, â€Å"Of course Grierson would not think seriously of a northerner, a day laborer.†Ã¢â‚¬  (3) Eventually, she falls in love, but her love is expressed to Homer in the same way her father’s love was shown to her. Love equals control. Her tragic determination to keep Homer in her life and stop time leads her to murder the man. Years later when she dies at the age of 74, neighbors attend her funeral on the pretense of showing respect. However, it is their morbid curiosity that drives them to see her and her house. After her burial, the decomposed body of the entrapped Homer Barron is found in what appears to be a macabre bridal chamber and a grotesque shrine. Death and denial are recurring themes throughout the story. The death of the two men Emily loved most, her father and Homer, her denial of their deaths, her den ial of her diminished status, and finally, her own death weave through the story from beginning to end. Emily’s constant need for attention and approval lead her to be curious about not only death, but life as well. When she meets Homer in the story, she accepts carriage rides from him even when she hardly knows him and someone in her place typically would not associate with a northern laborer. An outcome of her father’s death is Emily’s newfound freedom and her birth of curiosity to what she has been missing out on in life. When she falls in love with Homer, she takes after her father and shows her affection peculiarly by controlling everything he does. Her cousins come to stay with Emily and as a result of this, Homer moves out. Emily then starts to relive her fear of being alone and deprived of attention. When Homer returns, Emily poisons him. Her curiosity about what her life would be like without him drives her to do this and he fear underscores her curiosity. To ensure that this never happens, she kills him. Curiosity about death appears throughout gothic lit erature from past to present but it appears in modern times too. Long Island Medium is a television program on TLC about a woman named Theresa Caputo, who supposedly can come into contact with the dead. The spirits speak to her to reassure those who were left behind of whatever concerns them. This provides closure to the people that have lost those loved ones. Long Island Medium is a well-liked show because it provides people with answers about those they have lost such as if they are okay, if they are in heaven, and what they are feeling. Curiosity about loved ones people have lost is the reason for the show’s popularity and it shows us how society is obsessed with the dark side. â€Å"I have been channeling spirit for 11 years now, and everyone wants to know what happens when they die,† says Caputo. In regular episodes of Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo will be doing necessary daily activities and she will come into contact with the spirits. While at the supermarket, Caputo encounters two women and one of them has a baby in a st roller. She approaches them regularly. â€Å"My name is Theresa and I’m a medium,† she says with a smile on her face. She then goes on to the woman with the baby that she feels that there is energy between a mother and a father having a recognition and excitement towards the baby. She then goes on to ask the mother of the baby if her parents had died. The woman, Vanessa, from East Meadow, tells her story about how both her parents had passed away and she never got to say goodbye. â€Å"Just know that your dad is stepping forward along with your mom acknowledging the birth of your beautiful son,† she says politely. Vanessa smiles somewhat morosely and manages an â€Å"okay.† Caputo persists with telling Vanessa that her parents are watching over the baby by the rocking chair in the baby’s room. Vanessa’s mother’s spirit tells Caputo of the baby’s yellow room in their new house and Caputo says this to Vanessa. Vanessa and her Aunt smile a nd laugh in disbelief. â€Å"Just know that her soul is with you because she says you don’t feel her,† Caputo goes on. Vanessa said she never felt that her mother was with her spiritually. â€Å"I always say that. I can’t believe you just said that,† says Vanessa. â€Å"Your mother is leaning over and kissing you and saying that she’s proud of you and that you’re going to be an amazing mom.† Vanessa nods and begins to cry. It seemed as if she was waiting for some kind of answers for years. She was curious to find out vindications to how her parents were and what they thought of her. Almost every human being has experienced death in some way. An inference on why this show is so notorious is because of the human intellect that there is an afterlife, but it is just unknown. Society preys on any type of justification on what happens after death. There are other modern gothic shows on television that show society’s curiosity about the afterlife and the unknown, but in fictional forms. Pretty Little Liars is a show on ABC family about four girls who are trying to solve the mystery of the death of their closest friend Allison. Shortly after the confirmation of Allison’s death, all four girls start to get disturbing texts and messages from an anonymous person who calls themselves â€Å"A† Their deceased friend Allison was the only one they told all of their secrets to. They figured since she was dead that all of their secrets were safe. However, â€Å"A† knows everything there is to know about all four of the girls’ lives. Every situation that happens to them whether it is financial, romantic, or criminal, A is the first person to know about it. The girls reunite and figure out that they all receive these messages from A. They try to unfold the mystery behind A along with trying to configure the clandestine of their friend Allison’s death. They start to wonder if this A is really Allison and if she is still alive. Attempting to unravel this enigma leads them into life threatening positions which change their reputations and self-confidence. The obsession in finding out the unknown of what happened to their friend and what happens to them in the result of trying to solve this mystery is the consequences of their simple curiosity. In the beginning of this hit series, the girls’ beloved friend Allison, whom they confided in, mysteriously disappeared. Questioning of her disappearance was the uproar of the town. Shortly afterwards, the police found her dead body. When all of the girls start receiving the same, eerie text messages, with information that only Allison knew of them, they start to question if Allison is really dead, or if her spirit is within the messages. Their curiosity of the unknown leads them to questioning what really happened to their friend. If the inhuman had no sense of curiosity, they would not find themselves caught up in the drama an anonymous figure is trying to provoke. Their curiosity leads to this obsession of finding out everything there is to know about their friend’s death and what really happened to her. If society was not curious about the afterlife and death, we would not have all of these books, stories, television shows or movies revolving around the dark side. The essence of mystery is what attracts society to creating any source of material to find any information. Curiosity is simply in our nature. If there were no curiosity, billions of dollars would not be made in trying to provide people with some sort of answers to what they are seeking. Curiosity birthed America’s obsession with the dark side.