A White Heron

A White Heron – Alternate Ending â€Å"The tree seemed to lengthen itself out as she went up, and to reach farther and farther upward. † Her pale face glimmered in the new sunlight that appeared Just over the horizon. She sat atop the mighty tree for a lengthy amount of time, taking in the true beauty of the scenery. As Sylvia was drawn aback with the breathtaking view, a white flash caught her eyes. It was the heron. Sleek, mysterious and mind-blowing; it careened atop the treetops.She followed it attentively, being sure to know the exact location of its nest. After all, the boy back home was willing to pay a sum of none in trade for the location of the nest. Sylvia carefully made her way down the large tree, as she descended, she tired. When her bare feet reached the familiar wet ground of the forest, she knew she had a decision to make. Emotions welled up inside her, and she was overtaken by her conflicting thoughts. If she told the location of the bird, it would be killed.If she kept it to herself, however, it would remain in the world, but she would forgo the money and friendship from the hunter. Her tiny, torn up feet carried her across the forest floor as if they were not her own, as if they were automatic. A blank stare covered her face, and tears plagued her eyes. She loved all woodland beings, especially the heron. It was rare, and it was magnificent. Sylvia knew she was getting close to arriving back home to her eager grandmother, who wanted the money, and the hunter, who desperately wanted the heron.It was not a winning situation for her either way. She could not bear to see the bird destroyed, yet was so tempted to keep a friendship as well as help her grandmother. Just as she became entirely overwhelmed with the gravity of the situation, she had reached the gate and heard the ever so friendly voice call out, â€Å"Slyly! Slyly! Have you returned? † Panic stricken, she walked monotonously to the front porch. Two eager faces awa ited her arrival. One was familiar, wrinkled and warming; tender eyes looking softly at her filled with hope.On the contrary, the other was freckled and enthusiastic. The hunter looked at her keenly, wiped a crocodile tear from her face and asked, â€Å"Sylvia, did you find the location of the bird? † This was it, when her decision had to be made. Tear stricken and unable to decide, she replied with a meek mimes. † She took him into the forest to show him the location of the bird. Sylvia turned away as he raised his gun, eating one final glance at this magnificent creature. One thunderous, echoing shot later, and it was done.The pristine, white feathers were now stained with a crimson rose red blood. As the hunter gathered his kill, he could see the pain in her face. He looked down upon her with a bittersweet glance, â€Å"l am sorry to have taken this creature from your realm; rest assured I will compensate in paying your grandmother double my original offer. † He picked up the small tearful child with arms wrapped around his neck, and returned her home to her grandmother before saying his final goodbyes and being on his way. A White Heron By skies win A White Heron Sarah Orne Jewett was born in South Berwrick, Maine (actually she is a native of New England). I would say ‘A white Heron’ is one of Sarah’s best regionalism works. Sarah began to write stories at her young age. She wrote stories by her everyday life experiences and publishes at her teens. â€Å"In ‘A White Heron’ a young girl’s conflicted loyalties to her conception of herself in nature and to the world of men she will soon encounter are memorable and sensitively drawn†. This is the story of nine year old girl named Sylvia. This is the short story of Sylvia who is actually experiencing an innocent childhood life has found a new changes in herself and discover her womanhood by short period of time. We could say even this story also had the setting of Sarah’s own experienced place which is her native New England. In ‘A white Heron’ Sylvia was living with her grandmother. Sarah started this story by expressing the innocence of the 9 year old little Sylvia. Everybody said that it was a good change for a little maid who had tried to grow for eight years in a crowded manufacturing town, but, as for Sylvia herself it seemed as if she never had been alive at all before she came to live at the farm† She completely living a life which is opposite of city’s life. And Sylvia loved this peaceful and simple life with her grandmother and of course the other mother â€Å"Nature†. This story starts with Sylvia searching for her cow in one fine summer evening in the wood forest. It was her greatest pleasure to hide herself away among the high huckleberry bushes, and though she wore a loud bell she had made the discovery that if one stood perfectly still it would not ring†. It shows that Sylvia and her cow were playing hide and seek on that night while going back their home. â€Å"Suddenly this little woods girl is horror stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away. Not a bird’s whistle, which would have a sort of friendliness, but a boy’s whistle†. During their journey Sylvia heard a boy’s whistled and met that stranger. He was hunter and he was actually lost his way and asked for Sylvia’s help and he asked her â€Å"Speak up and tell me what your name is, and whether you think I can spend the night at your house and go out gunning early in the morning†. Sylvia continued her journey with her cow and the hunter and finally they reached home. â€Å"Mrs. Tilley was standing in the doorway when the trio came into view†¦ The young man stood his gun beside the door, and dropped a lumpy game bag beside it; then he bade Mrs. Tilley good evening and repeated his warer’s story†. Grandma and the hunter were talking and Sylvia was playing outside in the moonlight. â€Å"But as the day waned, Sylvia still watched the young man with loving admiration. She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful; the woman's heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love†. Hunter was very kind to them and he looks handsome. Next day Sylvia found some changes in herself. She felt like that she drawn for the stranger. Here some sort of her womanhood can be seen instead of her childhood innocence. We can say that her childhood innocence has started to move backward and her adult feeling comes forward. The hunter was looking for very rare white heron. He came to know that Sylvia is aware of all kind of birds. And he also knew that Sylvia and her grandmother are poor. â€Å"I can’t think of anything I should like so much as to find that heron’s nest, the handsome stranger was saying, I would give ten dollars to anybody who could show it to me†. He has given a try to know about the heron by asking indirectly to Sylvia by saying he could give ten dollars for anyone who helps him to find that bird. Sylvia could possibly accept that ten dollars and help the hunter to find the white heron. â€Å"No amount of thought, that night, could decide how many wished-for treasures the ten dollars, so lightly spoken of, would buy†. She was thinking about the pine tree which can be seen at the edge of the forest. She knew that she can find the heron over there and she went to that place next day morning itself. â€Å"She had often climbed there, and knew that higher still one of the oak’s upper boughs were set close together†¦she went up and reach farther and farther upward†. She reached top of the tree. And she came across the best things in her life. We could say she is experiencing the ‘symbol of natures’. From the top view she is watching the whole forest; she could see the see in the moon view. Finally here is the time for the sun rise and ready to find the white heron. â€Å"Look, look! A white spot of him like a single floating feather comes up from the dead hemlock and grows larger, and rises, and comes at last, and goes by the landmark pine with steady sweep of wing †¦ plumes his feather for the new day† As the sun started to glow Sylvia found the rare white heron and its nest. By reaching top of the big tree it-self shows that Sylvia has reached her womanhood and put aside her childhood innocence. Sylvia now knows the secret of white heron but she is decided not to reveal this to anyone. She doesn’t want to give up the life of the bird just for ten dollars even though money is important for her. She valued the bird’s life more than the money. She would not be satisfied and feel happier even with those ten dollars more than how she feels by saving white heron’s life. Whatever treasures were lost to her, woodlands and summer-time, remember! † Sylvia has discovered her womanhood by climbing the big tree and by keeping the secret of the bird. She has found the treasures of herself and love towards nature. Sarah explains the importance of moral values of young girls towards this story. She is claimed that Sylvia has taken the right decision at right time. She did what her heart said and she valued lives and nature more than money. In life our every day to day decision would bring big changes in our future.

My Essays Essay

The following is an organizational announcement for Staples Advantage Corporate associates and  global Vice Presidents and above from   Tom Heisroth, SVP Staples Advantage Sales, and Steve Bussberg, SVP, Staples Advantage. To support Staples’ Reinvention efforts to turbocharge product-related services, we are excited to announce changes within our Staples Advantage Print business  that will increase efficiencies and reduce customer confusion around our offerings. Staples has unrivaled Print assets and we believe this reorganization will allow us to strengthen our position in the industry and become a true market leader. Jeff Crump,  VP/GM, Staples Print Solutions, will be responsible for Print operations, all aspects of Print field support, and ownership of the total Staples Advantage Print P&L. Jeff will continue to report to Steve Bussberg. Geoff Eitland, Director, Procurement and Merchandising, will assume responsibility for all Print sourcing and vendor management. In addition, our customer implementation teams will now be centralized, with  Jamie Kapanka, Senior Manager, Sales Operations,  reporting into the Staples Advantage Print operations group. The following Associates will report to Jeff Crump: * Geoff Eitland, Director, Procurement and Merchandising * Jamie Kapanka, Senior Manager, Sales Operations * Gary Swanger, Director, Finance * Gretta Staskiewicz, Manager, Marketing * Jeffrey Holton, Director, Manufacturing * Lee Ann Holley,   Project Manager, New Business Development * Richard Campbell, Director, Integration Richard Martin, Director, Logistics * Robert Anderson-Ludrick, Director, PE Deployment Leader The Print sales teams led by  Millie Tarallo  and  Ralph Torres  will come together under the leadership of  Wayne Wilkinson, Vice President, Staples Advantage Sales, who is taking on a new role overseeing the Print and Vertical sales teams. Wayne will transition into his new role over the next few months and will con tinue to oversee the Central Region until further plans are announced. Wayne will continue to report to  Tom Heisroth, Senior Vice President, Staples Advantage Sales. Reporting to Wayne will be:   * Millie Tarallo, Area Vice President, Print * Ralph Torres, Area Vice President, Print * Susan Louis, Vice President, Healthcare * Judith Smith, Vice President, Federal Government * Jeremy Landis, Director, Vertical Markets Combining the Print sales teams under single leadership will increase sales productivity and uncover new sales and margin opportunities. At the same time, unifying the Vertical sales teams under Wayne will enable us to better focus on customers’ specialized needs in these segments. As previously announced, business development for Print has been unified under the leadership of  Kevin Moss, Vice President, Business Development and  Joe McDonald, Director, Business Development. This new structure and improved support capabilities will give our sales teams more time to sell, while providing our customers the seamless experience they expect. We look forward to transforming the Print business within Staples Advantage and driving meaningful growth for the company.

Respiratory System Study Guide

Respiratory System Study guide: Answer the following, submit through the assignments link as an msword document. 1. What percent of air is oxygen? 21% of air is oxygen. 2. What is the entire process of gas exchange between atmosphere and body cells called It is called respiration. 3. What is the waste product of cells? Carbon dioxide is the waste product of cells. 4. What organs are located in the upper respiratory tract? The organs that are located in the upper respiratory tract are the nose, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and pharynx. 5.What organs are in the lower respiratory tract? The organs that are located in the lower respiratory tract are the larynx, trachea, bronchial tree, and lungs. 6. What is the function of the nasal cavity? The nasal cavity is where the internal hairs begin to filter air. The primary function is to conduct air to the pharynx, where mucous lining filters and moistens air. 7. What does mucous do? The mucous entraps dust and other small particles that e nter with air. As cilia move, it push mucous with dust towards pharynx, where it is swallowed and digested by stomach. . What is the function of the larynx? The function of larynx is to conduct air in and out of trachea, prevent foreign objects from entering trachea. Also houses the vocal cords. 9. Which lung is larger, the right or the left? The right lung is larger than the left lung. 10. What is laryngitis? Laryngitis is horseness or loss of voice, mucous membrane becomes inflames, can cause obstruction of airway. 11. What is a bronchoscopy? Bronchoscoy is produce used to directly examine the trachea and bronchial tree. 12.The paranasal sinuses are resonant chambers that affect the quality of voice and function to _________. Reduce the weight of skull and resonant chambers that affect quality of voice. 13. What is found within the trachea that prevents it from collapsing and blocking the airway? Within the trachea are 20 â€Å"C† shaped pieces of cartilage that prevent it from collapsing and blocking the airway. 14. What is inspiration? Occurs when pressure inside alveoli decreases and atmospheric pressure is greater. 15. What is tidal volume? The amount of air that enters or leaves the lung.

Modern innovation applications (Sony) Coursework

Modern innovation applications (Sony) - Coursework Example It is by means of new combinations of existing factors of production, embodied in new combinations of existing factors of production, embodied in new plants and, typically, new firms producing either new commodities, or by a new, i.e. as yet untried, method, or for a new market, or by buying means of production in a new market. What we, unscientifically, call economic progress means essentially putting productive resources to uses hitherto untried in practice, and withdrawing them from the uses they have served so far. This is what we call 'innovation.".Innovation is a premise prevailing in modern business with different concepts and labels. Now innovation is not only changing the appearance of things, its some thing deep inside the products, organizations and markets.This comparative study is aimed at reflecting innovation portfolio of modern business by discovering different facets of modern business including product management, implementing it as corporate philosophy and exercisi ng the whole process in different geographical markets differently.Business world has evolved from the phase where breaking the mould philosophy was the extreme success of innovation. Innovativeness is boundary less and all business empires try to battle their product, marketing, and market place issues in their own way, i.e., their innovative ways.This report covers the whole discussion and research is in different parts of the text content. Step by step coverage goes in a logical manner i.e., innovation defined, modern philosophy of innovation, and different perspectives of innovation in business world with various variables. Next part of report is grouped in three portions; seemingly separate three parts but discussing the oneness of innovation in three ways for one Business Empire. These three steps are Product innovation, Organization innovation and Geographical or market place innovation. Product selected is Walkman, company is Sony and geographical place is USA. In short the report covers innovative spheres applied by one company in developing product, in organization and it marketing the same product in a different market place. Report, though reflects various innovative approaches, and reviews the whole process from 'Open Innovation' concept. "The creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the Old Testament. It does not create something out of nothing; it uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, ideas, faculties, skills. The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole. Man's knowledge of the changes of the tides and the phases of the moon is as old as his observation that apples fall to earth in the ripeness of time. Yet the combination of these and other equally familiar data in Newton's theory of gravity changed mankind's outlook on the world". (Koestler - 1964): Task 1: Case Example: Product, Process or Strategic Innovation: Case Example: In March 2007, Sony extended the Video Walkman brand by launching its first digital, flash-based video Walkman, the NW-A800. Walkman is a very popular Sony brand used to market its portable audio players, and is synonymously used to refer to the original Walkman portable personal stereo player and as a generic term for similar devices from other manufacturers. The original Walkman introduced a change in music listening habits, allowing people to carry their own choice of music with them. The original Walkman was released in 1979 as the Walkman in Japan and Soundabout abroad. The device was created by audio division engineer Nobutoshi Kihara for Sony co-chairman Morita, who wanted to be able to listen to operas during his frequent transpacific plane trips. (Hormby) Morita hated the Walkman name so much that he asked it to be changed. But he was told by junior executives that a promotion campaign had

'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins and 'In a Glass Darkly' by Essay

'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins and 'In a Glass Darkly' by Sheridan LeFanu - Essay Example The uncertainty of what might happen, the inability to understand his 'reality', fear of the unknown and lack of control in the situation, will serve to drive the onlooker from engaging too closely with this individual. Several other responses can and do occur; pity, disgust, incredulity, horror and mistrust, and even a thrill of adrenalin rush from fear. As Byrne commented on the stigma of mental illness, "Negative attitudes to people with mental illness start at playschool and endure into early adulthood.(Byrne 2000) Thus the 'mad' person is dangerous and their credibility dubious; these are the elements which serve to complicate our the response to the works under discussion. When, as in the 'sensation' novel, the madness is encountered as part of normal, everyday experiences, the fear is enhanced. Though less well-informed on psychological matters, after all, it was a new science, the Victorians embraced the ideas of spiritualism and other-worldly phenomena. Seances, mediums, ghost-sightings, theatrical demonstrations, were part of life. Although Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend' is not strictly of the genre, exploring a wider view of society, the scene created in the Boffin 2. household strikes fear into the mind of anyone interested in the spiritual. Mrs. Boffin is terrified, and says oddy, the faces of the old man and the two children are all over the house tonight. (She is seeing the dead). Dickens' portrayal of her husband's response creates that fearful sensation for the reader: y dearexclaimed Mr. Boffin. But not without a certain uncomfortable sensation gliding down his back.(Dickens, 1865, p. 190) The dead and the living come together throughout the book. Adam Hart Davis considers that; o some extent, the advance of science was undermining religionand n 1882 a group of academics [...] formed the Society for Psychical Research[...] this still today investigates paranormal phenomena.(Hart Davis, 2001, p. 70). The 'sensation' novels achieved their popularity by touching on matters which aroused not only feelings, but had wider religious and scientific contexts within that society. The quality of writing, the power of the narratives and the ability to create tensions, leaving readers 'on the edge of their seats', are also hugely important elements. That they combined the realities of Victorian society and family life with this 'otherness', added to the fright, and enhanced the popularity. Wilkie Collins' 'The Woman in White (1860) first published as a serial, engages the reader immediately, bringing those sensations to bear at once. From the outset, there is a hint of things being 'askew', when Hartwright meets the strange, potentially mad, Anne Catherick. The mingling of the mundane world with the shocking and uncanny, heightens the fearfulness of the experiences. Their later meeting, in the churchyard at Limmeridge, when Walter mentions who put Anne in the asylum, chills the blood, as indeed, the author intended. er

Change Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Change Project - Essay Example Change is always good and all people pursue change but only a few succeed. What is needed to enable one succeed is to first trust and belief that it is possible to transform one’s ways. It is common to her people claim that people do not change. Such claims are made by people who do not belief that change is possible and therefore are categorized in the group of individuals who find it difficult to alter their ways. It is important to note that it is not enough to belief in change alone. It is also crucial that one beliefs in self and his or her abilities which will facilitate the actions which favor change. Change occurs through various processes or mechanisms. Emotions are the major drivers of change. These are the feelings within an individual and they are caused by thoughts, experiences or influence from other people or even situations. The emotions of a person stem from the mind through reactions to various stimuli within our environment. Good emotions drive a person to change so that the good feelings are retained. Negative emotions also lead to change as a way of avoiding what leads to that change. For example emotions which arise from a person’s experience of an accident results to a positive change of behavior in pursuit of avoidance of such a situating in the future Psychological Perspectives on Four Types of Change (Whitbourne 49). Behavior is another mechanism involved in the change process. The behavior of a person includes the normal actions and reactions of a person during various situations and desires. People commonly relate change to change of behavior. This demonstrates the central role of behavior in the change process. Therefore change in behavior is partial or complete alteration of one’s way of doing things as a result of either internal or external motivation. Changing behavior may be very difficult because it requires a powerful will of the mind for it to be possible. Without

Personal reflection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal reflection - Term Paper Example Also, the manager is expected to provide expert support to high profile or difficult customers through analyzing the root-cause of specific problems and offering viable corrective planning direction in the service delivery process. As an effective Service delivery manager, I will build strong relationships with customers and maintaining service improvement plans, as noted in literature (Collier 1998). Short term and long-term goals In order to attain my learning goals and succeed in my preferred future career, there are certain short-term and long-term goals that I will attain. These goals will not only make me a better employee, but will guide me towards advancement throughout my career. My short-term goals have a time frame of one year and include the ability to cultivate effective study skills. According to popular research, in my position, I will need to understand different teaching methods used by lecturers and learn skills such as academic research and revision (Guskey 2003). In the same light, I will need to improve my time management skills within one year in order to finish assignments within the stipulated deadlines. I must improve my grammatical and proofreading skills in order to deliver excellent, error-free essays during my course work. Similarly, I need to gain enough knowledge of service delivery in order to excel at the use of information systems in service management, project management, personal development, research method skills and academic communication knowledge (Guskey 2003). My long-term goal is planned to be accomplished over a period of five years. My long-term goal is to attain my dream career of service delivery manager. In order to attain the goal, I have to dedicate a copious amount of time to learning, revision and research. Through this work, I will complete all course modules and seek internship and training opportunities that will enable me to gain practical knowledge in service and project management. In addition, during my advancement closer to my goal, I will take time to evaluate my progression and productive ways to overcome obstacles that encumber my path. Belbin test analysis Knowledge of my capacity to succeed in my career is imperative to understand and select the most viable role I would occupy on a team. As a result, I have conducted a Belbin test in order to assess my skills inventory. The Belbin test enables individuals to form good working relationships and gain self-awareness on individual effectiveness in the workplace. According to the results of the Belbin test that I took, my highest score, was 14 as a company worker (CW). My Score Worker Type 14 Company Worker 13 Chairman 10 Sharper 10 Resource Investigator 9 Team Worker 5 Monitor-Evaluator 3 Completer-Finisher Figure1. Types of Team Roles – Belbin Test Results As a Sharper (SH), I believe I can use my personality attributes to challenge team members to make improvements to their work (and turn obstacles in to opportunities). As a Completer-finisher (CF), I am concerned about tight deadlines and I will ensure that projects are completed within the stipulated deadlines. However, currently, I have a weakness in managing time and meeting deadlines. As a Team worker (TW), I believe that I will enhance group cohesion and facilitate negotiation with team members in

Global Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Business - Essay Example A cornerstone of this notion of International human resource management is the creation of linkage or integration between the overall strategic aims of the business and the human resource strategy and implementation. The aviation industry as a whole has faced the most challenging problems and competition in the global business (Thehindubusinessline.com.) Despite new and increasing challenges, the airline industry facilitates economic growth, global trade, and international tourism and continues to restructure, develop and adapt to counter them. The entry of multinationals has also brought in fundamental changes in the work culture, work ethics and remunerating patterns in many countries, all of which have a clear bearing on the career growth path of individuals. Added to this are the rapid changes taking place on the technological front, flattening hierarchies and making people come together more than ever before. Multinational companies such as telecommunications, Mobile phones Steel magnets, automobiles industries, oil companies, are driving and adjusting to globalization and innovation of change by applying many strategies, partnering with or acquiring others mergers and buyouts. The airline industry is going through a period of intense transformation. The airline industry is facing three transforming phenomena. The main reasons are: The decrease of soaring demand for air travel The appearance of a new fleet of low-cost carriers; The increased transparency of alternative airline offerings Internet and other technologies reduces the expensive itineraries (Warren, 2006, 262) 2. Structure of the Industry The changing business environment forcing airline companies to constantly innovate their strategies, as per customer's needs and demands to remain alive in the competition Six elements that define organization; Strategy Policies and Procedures Structure Systems Climate Culture (Source: Yvonne, 2000, p-5) The structure of an organization is defined as: The established pattern of relationships between the component parts of an organization, outlining both communication, control and authority patterns. Structure distinguishes the parts of an organization and delineates the relationship between them. (Wilson and Rosenfeld, 1990) Structure describes the hierarchy of authority and accountability in an organization. These formal relationships are frequently diagrammed in organization charts. Most companies use some mi of structures to accomplish their goals The advantages of a good structure in airline industries are

Term Paper Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal - Term Paper Example This would act to speed up the lengthy intake process. These kiosks would be set up to gather at the very least the patient's name, insurance coverage, and any allergies or chronic conditions. This could help reduce the amount of time a nurse must spend with the patient just to collect background information, and therefore moves the patient to the doctor sooner for treatment or discharge. These kiosks could also be linked to the patient's electronic medical record. Ideally, these kiosks would be able to take a history of symptoms through the use of condition or symptom specific questionnaires. In this way, these kiosks would be able to assist with the triage process by alerting a charge nurse of any particularly worrying symptoms more quickly than they might otherwise have been noticed. The use of these kiosks to perform triage for milder symptoms would also free up the nursing staff to deal with patients who come in with more serious injuries and illnesses, or for whatever reason ar e unable to make use of the kiosks. This division of labor between man and machine could even make it possible for the ER to have fewer nurses on staff without detrimental effects on the quality of care. Another possible use for these kiosks would be to keep track of patients after they have been moved to treatment.

Teenage pregnancy and its consequences Research Paper

Teenage pregnancy and its consequences - Research Paper Example Discussing the actual incidence of teenage pregnancy in both eastern and western societies along with identifying the major horrific consequences this issue produces, while taking care to mention how differently those particular consequences are perceived in the eastern and western societies form the bulk of this paper. Introduction: Granting appropriate rights to teenage mothers is not a facility entertained in many countries even in the present world since much hatred and conservatism exist towards the issue of teenage pregnancy especially in the eastern world where even discussing this critically sensitive issue is considered and perceived more like a social taboo. How the overall intricate and worse situation produced by teenage pregnancy can be overturned by granting proper and officially approved rights to the teenage mothers can change the dramatic situation brought on by this issue is a debate much worked on by many scholars and sociologists. Moreover, child abuse, neglect, a nd poor parenting are important negative outcomes of teenage pregnancy and are shown towards children born to teenage mothers, thus forming a grave consequential problem produced by teenage pregnancy (Britner & Reppucci, 1997, p. 165). This serious issue raises much concern for the upbringing of young children who have to become responsible citizens later in the future. This also remains a plausible reality that the incidence of teenage pregnancy is much higher in the western world in comparison to the eastern world and valid reasons backed up by research reports for explaining this difference in teenage pregnancy incidence also forms a part of discussion contained in this paper. Thesis statement: Facts and discussion presented in this paper are basically meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that â€Å"teenage pregnancy is an issue perceived differently and while the teen pregnancy has a higher incidence in the developed world, the severe consequences produced by this grave issue are better handled in the modernized western society than they are in the more conservative undeveloped countries.† Incidence of teenage pregnancy in the western world: The fact that the risk of teenage pregnancy in America is twice that of any other industrialized country presents a scenario which is both increasingly grave and attention-demanding and illuminates the profound need to raise awareness about the sexual caution measures which the teenage girls should be familiar with in an order to avoid the risk of pregnancy. â€Å"Available national survey-based information for the United States shows that 78% of all pregnancies and 66% of all births to adolescents in the early 1990s were unintended† (Henshaw, 1998, p. 24). Teenage girls are certainly less mature and sensible to take care of their children in an appropriate way which is one of the reasons why reducing teenage pregnancy is highly important. This sad reality also illuminates the prevalence of promis cuous behavior among teenage girls in USA which has increased over time, thanks to an increase in the party culture and sexually explicit material very often presented in a highly glamorous manner on various television channels. It is understandable that getting pregnant due to carelessly engaging in dangerous sexual activities and one night-stands can rob the young women of their education, respect, and family support. A terrible hand-to-mouth existence awaits for such teenage mothers who obviously cannot depend on their partners for

Philosophy - Practical Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophy - Practical Ethics - Essay Example In this paper I will discuss the moral difference between abortion and infanticide with special reference to the views of Michael Tooley and Mary Anne Warren. Metaphysics is an area of philosophy that deals with questions having to do with the ultimate grounding and nature of things in the world. It is concerned with such diverse topics as the mind/body problem, identity, God, the existence and nature of universals, the existence and nature of the soul, and so on. Thus, the morality of abortion, if it is to be construed as contingent upon the nature of the fetus, is an issue whose resolution depends on which metaphysical view of the human person is correct. Given this, let us take a look at Michael's argument. Although he makes many provocative and interesting claims that deserve a reply, I will focus on a small portion of his essay that I believe is the core of his case. According to Michael, "the first principle of religious liberty is that laws will not be based upon abstract metaphysical speculation, but will be fashioned through the democratic processes in which every perspective is subject to critical analysis (Michael, 2000). Any proposal must be open either to revision or rejection." He then goes on to cite, as an example of what is not speculative metaphysics, the viability standard proposed by the Court in Roe. I will first critique Michael's use and defense of the viability standard and then move on to a general critique of Michael's view of "abstract metaphysical speculation." ... the viability standard in particular, fairly, sensibly, and effectively functions to safeguard the constitutional liberties of pregnant women while recognizing and accommodating the State's interest in potential human life. The viability line reflects the biological facts and truths of fetal development; it marks the threshold moment prior to which a fetus cannot survive separate from the woman and cannot reasonably and objectively be regarded as a subject of rights or interests distinct from, or paramount to, those of the pregnant woman (Michael, 2000). At the same time, the viability standard takes account of the undeniable fact that as the fetus evolves into its postnatal form, and as it loses its dependence on the uterine environment, the State's interest in the fetus' potential human life, and in fostering a regard for human life in general, becomes compelling. Michael's argument for the viability standard is nearly identical to the one presented by Blackmun: Part of the genius in Roe v. Wade (now affirmed in Casey) was putting forward the standard of viability: that stage of development at which the fetus has sufficient neurological and physical maturation to survive outside the womb. Prior to that, the fetus simply is not sufficiently developed as an independent being deserving and requiring the full protection of the law, i.e., a person (Michael, 2000). The notion of viability correlates biological maturation with personal identity in a way that can be recognized and accepted by reasonable people. Michael's use of the viability standard is seriously flawed. First, he praises the Court's legal use of the standard and then employs the standard as a decisive moment at which he believes it is reasonable to say that the fetus becomes a person, even though that is

Religious and Thnic Groups Paper Essay Example for Free

Religious and Thnic Groups Paper Essay I picked Buddhism as my religious group. I am a Christian so this is interesting to me because if would have stayed in Thailand, Buddhism would be the religion that I would have learned and believed in. Buddhism is a very unique religion and it differs from all other religion out there. They do not believe in a God. Tak stated, â€Å"We dont believe in a god because we believe in man. We believe that each human being is precious and important, that all have the potential to develop into a Buddha a perfected human being. We believe that human beings can outgrow ignorance and irrationality and see things as they really are. We believe that hatred, anger, spite and jealousy can be replaced by love, patience, generosity and kindness. We believe that all this is within the grasp of each person if they make the effort, guided and supported by fellow Buddhists and inspired by the example of the Buddha. As the Buddha says: No one saves us but ourselves, No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path, But Buddhas clearly show the way† (2011) The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism teach that life is a suffering, there is a cause of this suffering, it is possible to put an end to this suffering and the Noble Eightfold Path is the means to end this suffering. Refuge in Three Jewels is the three components of Buddhism which protect a person from the unstable world as he progresses on the path to become a Buddhist. The Five Precepts lay down the moral conduct to make human world a better place to live. These precepts prevent Buddhists from indulging in deeds that restrict spiritual growth and cause harm to others. The Three Marks of Conditioned Existence explain that everything in this world is impermanent, without substance and full of suffering. They do not have a ten commandments, no judgment day, no creation myth, no prayers for help or intervention, and let’s people find their own path though life. There are no rewards or punishments on judgment day like others. Buddhism is strictly not a religion in the context of being a faith and worship owing allegiance to a supernatural being. Buddhism has been looked upon as opposite teaching from other and this makes Buddhism have a negative experience even though they feel that it is okay and that hateful things can not cut through their skin. This is what my brother had to say about his experience with others in different religion, a member on Yahoo commented â€Å"I have experienced hate form other who dont believe in what I believe in. And for the simple fact that I dont worship their god. People have been afraid and confused and its sad that people are this way. Well people telling me that Im going to burn in hell is just one example. Mostly I get people coming up to talk to me and I get the whole, so are you a good Christian girl thing, which makes me want to puke, and I say no Im Pagan. And most people dont even know what that means, but typically they stop talking and walk away. †( Philosoraptor, 2012) Buddhism has contributed little at a time and over time. Today we use meditation as a relaxation and even as a type of medicine. It is like yoga, has the same affect on the mind, body, and soul. The growth with Buddhism is even reaching different races, like for example Whites. Amanda Rivera said, â€Å"I think the appeal comes from the fact that the Lotus Sutra emphasizes the absolute equality of all people to be able to attain buddhahood, to attain their enlightenment. The sources of prejudice and discrimination with any religious group is that people do not know and understand the group and which fear and hate starts to set in. It is the people’s ignorance that causes the negative feelings and actions. When we talk about prejudice and discrimination a fine example would be two years ago in Kansas. The Lao-Buddhist Association [Wat Lao Buddhasampham] is trying to move its Olathe temple to a location along 119th Street in Olathe. But the Johnson County Board of Commissioners has so far denied the group a conditional use permit. Neighbors say that the area the Buddhists have chosen is zoned residential, but Lama Chuck Stanford of the Rime Buddhist Center says that discrimination is the real reason behind the opposition. â€Å"This is clearly just ugliness of ethnic and religious prejudice,† said Stanford. [†¦] Standord notes that Christian churches are common in residential areas, and that comments made by residents during a January zoning board meeting indicate fear and ignorance. At the meeting, people raised concerns about traffic, water pollution and â€Å"animal sacrifices,† along with noise from gongs, which Stanford says are no louder than church bells. Another example On Sept. 13, 2011 the U. S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the city of Walnut in Southern California because the city did not allow Chung Tai Buddhist Group, originally from Taiwan, to build a worship and meditation center. The Department of Justice accused the city government of violating federal law, which states that religious groups have the same rights to use land as other building applicants, and of discriminating against the Buddhist group. The sources of prejudice and discrimination with any religious group is that people do not know and understand the group and which fear and hate starts to set in. It is the people’s ignorance that causes the negative feelings and actions in which then problems and issues occur instead of accepting that people are different and unique. I have been neutral with Buddhism but my brother believes in it. I do not judge him and I try to think critically if I speak but after doing the research I have a new understanding of my ethic religion of my biological parents. The main important thing I have learned is not asking which religion is better but what is different from what I believe in and what they believe in because that is when you can see how others think and view beliefs. Taking a look at ethnic group of Pacific Islander are different from others in the aspect that the Pacific Islanders live a very social lifestyle, in which family members, both immediate and extended, work together in a solidified community. Pacific Islanders often have difficulty balancing their traditional laid-back attitudes with the high pressure competitive demands of American pedagogy and marketplace economy. Pacific Islanders cultures follow customs and traditions based on ancient principles that promote living an honorable and noble lifestyle. Embedded deeply into the Polynesian culture are music, dance, and food. Traditional storytelling, music, and dance are ancient ways of passing down history from one generation to another. Thus teachers with students who are Pacific Islanders may want to use both written and oral instruction, particularly in areas of literacy. Pacific Islanders are in fact highly developed peoples. Our ancestors survived for centuries in remote and isolated communities having devised their own means of dealing with the elements and of maintaining social order. In the process of what is known as development, however, Islanders wrestle daily with individual demands in a market-driven world, while our consciousness continues to be haunted by a pervasive sense of our collective identity (Wickham). The main thing with interaction with other groups is that Pacific Islander are more laid back and they tend to not be up to par with the other social groups. This makes them to be â€Å"dumb† and â€Å"no gas in the think tank. † Pacific Islander has been a huge contribution to American culture in fields as varied as the arts, health care, business and military service, Asian Pacific Americans are central to our quality of life. Month of May has been declared Asian Pacific American Heritage Month which celebrates all of those that have entered into the United States and help to develop where we are today as one. Prejudice and discrimination is part of history with Pacific Islander in the past. Taiwanese-American Wen Ho Lee, for example, was targeted by the U. S. government and suspected of espionage because of his ethnicity, according to many in the Asian/Pacific Islander community. In May, U. S. Rep. David Wu, an Oregon Democrat, was detained entering the Department of Energy building in Washington, D. C. , and repeatedly asked if he was an American citizen. July, 2009 in Seattle, a group of Asian-American youths, stopped by police for jaywalking, claimed they were harassed by an officer who repeatedly asked if they spoke English and allegedly remarked, Ive been to your country before, when I was in the Army. These types of prejudice and discrimination are all appearance wise and nothing more. The pure ignorance is the source for all these actions. The research was harder to do on Pacific Islander due to the fact of less records and information like other groups. The more I read the same information was being presented. I started to research other groups and I was able to find so much more information. So yes it did help me to understand them better but not to the point of really understanding them because of lack of information and data on them. Prejudice and discrimination on the two groups were similar because both of them were looked upon as physical appearance and judge by looks instead of getting to know the two and understand the two. They both been looked at as different and odd. In the beginning of the two in America they both been push around and forced into doing things that were not right at all. Harassment and anger seems to fill hate towards the two. They are different in ways of the one is being discriminated because of a practice and the other is a human being. There is not much to be different other than that. Discrimination and prejudice looks the same, acts the same, and smells the same. Not much difference because it is all out of uneducated assumptions, anger, hatred, and intolerance. References Philosoraptor, M. (2012). Yahoo! Answers. Retrieved from http://answers. yahoo. com/question/index? qid=20120229093706AAHWC2Q Swee, T. (2013). Buddhism-Major Differences. Retrieved from http://www. buddhanet. net/e-learning/snapshot01. htm Tak, Y. (2011). Comparing Buddhism With Other Religions. Retrieved from http://wfcs. buddhistdoor. com/OldWeb/passissue/9612/sources/comp. htm Rivera, A. (2011). Why Is American Buddhism So White. Retrieved from http://www. thebuddhadharma. com/web-archive/2011/11/9/forum-why-is-american-buddhism-so-white. html Wickham, A. WACC. Retrieved from http://www. waccglobal. org/en/19973-indigenous-communications/929-Hidden-perspectives-on-CommunicationCulture-in-the-Pacific-Islands-. html.

Carlos Ghosns Turnaround Of Nissan Management Essay

Carlos Ghosns Turnaround Of Nissan Management Essay This case evaluation will address how Carlos Ghosn executed his turnaround of Nissan, after he was appointed COO of Nissan in 1999. Nissan was facing ongoing losses and a staggering debt, threatening to close down the company. As a result of a strategic alliance between French Renault and Japanese Nissan, Executive VP of advanced RD in Renault, Carlos Ghosn, was asked by Nissan CEO Hanawa to become the COO of Nissan, in order to turn Nissan around. In March 1999, Ghosn began his work at Nissan and Ghosn said that he would turn Nissan around within two years, or resign as COO. Although Ghosn has a rather remarkable global career, this was his first experience with a Japanese organization. Hypothesis: Carlos Ghosn succeeded in turning Nissan around through sequential change, where he had time to secure buy-in and ownership in order to reduce resistance to change as well as addressing national and organizational cultural challenges. Approach To evaluate on the case and prove my hypothesis, I will first look at resistance to change as a concept and then see if resistance to change in Nissan was inevitable and exemplify any underlying causes of resistance. Second, I will go over the organizational culture within Nissan to assess how different parts felt about Ghosn and the reasons why, I will also assess if Ghosn was able to enlist support within Nissan. Third, I will also include how the Japanese national culture was a great part of the organizational culture, to evaluate how pronounced the cultural differences have been between Ghosn and the Nissan organization and if culture was a helper or a hindrance. Fourth, I will comment on Ghosns timing of the turn around, to assess if this would have been possible to achieve a few years earlier. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 3 Resistance to change The concept of resistance to change has many ways of being perceived. Ford Ford 20091 argue that resistance is a form of feedback and that change agents should approach and include input from resisting employees, rather than pointing fingers and telling resisters to comply, no matter if the resisting employee agrees or not. Dent and Goldberg 19992 argues that people do not resist to change as such, but that they resist to some of the effects of change, be it loss of pay, loss of status or loss of privileges. Dent and Goldberg draw on the findings of Kotter who noted that employees often understand the new vision and wish to fulfill it, but the employees point out obstacles that might hinder the execution and that it is sometimes seen as resistance, rather than constructive input for the organization. Thus I argue that resistance will most likely always occur, but it is how it is being handled that will determine if resistance to change in the end was unproductive resistance or impro ving input. 1 From Decoding Resistance to Change, Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford, Harvard Business Review, 2009 2 Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 3 Page 29-30, Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 Referring to the three stages of unfreezing, disturbance and refreezing by Lewin3, Ghosn approached Nissan by quickly unfreezing the organization by imposing cross functional teams who had two months to come up with ideas on how to optimize the organization, then Ghosn disturbed the organization by implementing the suggested changes and after 18 months he refroze the organization, cementing the new changes, although striving towards optimizing the organization even more. The main paradigm shifts in Nissan happened in this three-step sequence. The result of the disturbance which the implementation of the cost reducing initiatives had led to, in terms of job cuts and sales of Nissans Keiretsu partners/suppliers, resulted in resistance from the employees as well as external resistance from the Japanese government and industry analysts. The underlying causes in relation to this resistance was that Japanese business culture had a principle of employing people for life as well as the Keiretsu partnership has been a cornerstone in the booming Japanese economy since after the Second World War. Thus I argue that resistance was inevitable when Ghosn was affecting areas highly related to culture and norms. However, to some degree, Ghosn managed to avoid resistance, by ensuring management involvement. He did so by creating nine cross functional teams (CFTs), where managers from across the Nissan organization were handpicked by Ghosn to come up with suggestions on how to optimize Nissan. Being heard can in itself make people buy-in on the Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 4 planned change. Resistance is not a bad thing per se, if handled correctly. It is often the engaged employee who is questioning change. Thus, the leader should listen to the employees, even if the resistance seems to be annoyance, the input from the employees can entail important details which the leader or management might not have been aware of. Ghosn has in my opinion understood this very well, and thus introduced the CFTs. Organizational culture in a Japanese organization Nissans management during the 1990s had a focus on short-term market share growth instead of a long-term strategy of securing a profit. After having suffered losses seven out of the past eight years, it was clear that this approach by the management had not been sufficient for the company to ensure its survival and development. Change was surely needed in 1999 when Ghosn was appointed COO. Ghosn was quick to enter into changing the organization, also in terms of how management was creating decisions, as well as how managers were promoted. In relation to how Ghosn approached the decision-making processes, Ghosn was aware that the organizational culture of Nissan was typically Japanese. Decision-making processes were slow, due to the murashakai consensus seeking society that has been predominant in Japan. This had to be changed, otherwise, Ghosn would not have succeeded within the short deadline he had set for himself to turn Nissan around. As a result, Ghosn changed the decision makin g processes in Nissan by introducing his CFTs, were the CTFs should meet over a short period of time and come up with suggestions and then Ghosn would decide on which suggestions to proceed with. In addition, Ghosn also introduced a change in how people could achieve promotion and even demotion. The typical way to achieve promotion in Nissan, as well as in the rest of Japan, had been by working at a place for a long time and having a high educational level. After Ghosns changes, other factors were equally or even more important to achieve promotion. One example was when a woman only holding a high school diploma was promoted to being a manager due to her merits as a keen problem solver and steady worker. She would normally not have been promoted if someone with a higher educational level were to be found in her department, even if the person with a higher education was not performing as well as her. I firmly believe that this has resulted in disgruntled employees, who has been in Nissan for years and years and were waiting for their turn to get promoted, solely based on their seniority, as is it was customary in Nissan and the rest of Japan. But even though Ghosn might have pushed some employees away by allowing this new way of promotion, he also won popularity and support among the employees who might not have been able to get a promotion earlier. What is highly important to note in this context, is that although parting the waters in Nissan, Ghosn made sure that productivity and creativity was a way to get promoted Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 5 and channeled people with these resources to lead his turn around towards achieving the Nissan Revival Plan. In other words, this played a key part in executing his strategy, as without assuring the right resources, here in the shape of productive and creative employees, Nissan would not change in the pace Ghosn needed Nissan to change. Concluding from this, I will say that Ghosn was successful in enlisting support from the different parts of the Nissan organization. Firstly, Ghosn skillfully made handpicked managers across the organization to buy-in on the proposed changes, as the managers themselves developed these. Secondly, Ghosn made sure that the people, who he thought had the right attitude, who were working hard and creatively, could be promoted and therefore they would appreciate his changes. However, Ghosn did not receive the support from everyone. On the contrary, I would expect resistance from people who were expecting promotions to happen, just because of seniority. I would argue that when Ghosn could not persuade everyone in the organization to support him, Ghosn explicitly coerced the organization. One example was when Nissan had to lay off people, Ghosn kept referring to the fact that another big Japanese company, Yamaichi, was not bailed out by the government and that if Nissan did not put all their effort into turning Nissan around, Nissan would face the same dire consequences. One part the organization was however always in favor of Ghosn, the CEO Hanawa, who had requested Ghosn in person. I believe that the support of a Japanese superior has helped Ghosn in many of the situations, keeping the informal power relations, the so-called Nemawashi, in mind. Thus Ghosn could actually benefit from Japanese culture for once, where as it has been a hindrance many other t imes. The issues within Nissan were mainly connected to the general culture in Japan as stated above. However, Nissan also had issues, which were rather unusual for Japanese companies. These were present before Ghosn entered the company. Here I am referring to the problems of poor follow up on implementation once decisions were made, the former top managements tunnel vision towards regaining market shares instead of focusing on the profit margin and general communication problems between the layers of the organization. This had led to managers not taking responsibility but rather pointing fingers at others to do the job at hand. Ghosn attacked these issues head on, by creating the CFTs. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 6 The cross functional aspect assured that every level of the organization had a voice but also furthered the transparency process within Nissan, one of Ghosns three management principles4. The two others are: 4 The Global Leadership of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan John P. Millikin, Thunderbird, 2003 Â · Execution is 95 percent of the job, strategy is only 5 percent. Â · Communication of company direction and priorities as the only way to get truly unified effort and buy-in. Furthermore I recognize that Ghosns demands towards management increased highly, but within reasonable limits. He demanded positions without responsibilities to be removed and from his remaining management he demanded that they would take responsibility for their mistakes. However, when management was to present information, the information must have been scrutinized for errors, as he did not accept reports to include mistakes. In line with Ghosns transparency principle, he made sure that cross-functional department members had very clear lines of responsibility, making sure that the old organizational issues of pointing fingers at others in stead of taking charge was dealt with. In my opinion a very important step in order to counter act the latent behavior within the organization. However, it remains unclear how exactly Ghosn did communicate this to his staff. It would take a strong and clear communicative effort within Nissan to make sure that the managers would follow Ghosns demands. I will however assume that as Ghosn so successfully turned Nissan around, he must have done a sufficient effort. Evaluating on the case, I see little reference to how his strategy was created, it seems like Ghosn had a ready strategy a few weeks into his new position, although it was further developed through the usage of CTFs. Thus I regard the creation of the CTFs as part of the strategy execution. I do so as the CTFs in themselves, played a big part in executing what I see as step one; unfreezing the organization and the first step of getting managers to buy-in on Ghosns overall strategy. This is much in line with his execution is 95 percent of the job, strategy is only 5 percent principle as after the first two months, Ghosn spend 16 months on executing his strategy. This also leads me back to my hypothesis of Ghosn turning Nissan around by a process of sequential change. Sequential change is a long-term process of several steps developed through rational conclusions. I see many similarities in the way Ghosn approached the Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 7 turnaround and sequential change. He gave it time, two years. He divided the execution into steps; putting together the CTFs over two weeks, then letting the CTFs work for two months and then introducing the approved CTF suggestions over 14-15 months. From my point of view, Ghosn showed intensive leadership in his planning but for sure also in his execution, which allowed him to handle any resistance in the organization. Thus I see my hypothesis as confirmed. Luck and timing I have no doubt that Ghosn was successful in his turnaround of Nissan. But can it all be accredited to Ghosns leadership skills or was the turn around fueled by other factors? Surely strategy requires skill to be planned and resources to be executed thoroughly, but when looking at the timing of Ghosns entry into Nissan, the external environment is worth a thought. In addition to the external environment, one should consider the fact that the company for the better part of the previous decade was building up an almost insurmountable debt, only turning a profit few times. Ghosn entered the organization in 1999, almost at the same time as the dotcom crisis happened. Several international companies went bankrupt and for the first time a large Japanese company faced ruin, as the Japanese government declined to save the company. This shocked corporate culture, especially in Japan, where the Keiretsu partnerships were reevaluated, as they might be familiar suppliers with good connections, but if they were too expensive to let the buyer make a profit, then they could not maintain their relationship. This happened in the case of Nissan too, on request of Ghosn and his CFTs. But as it was an economic trend across companies, the confrontation of having to break with old traditions was made easier. Also, as stated earlier, Ghosn made use of the ruined company Yamaichi to coerce his employees. Ghosn would not have had this example, or a similar one for that matter, just a few years earlier. I cannot say for certain that Ghosns strategy succeeded due to his luck of timing, but circumstances were definitely in his favor, when looking at how Ghosn executed his strategy. In my opinion, a leader can always make changes in an organization and execute them. However, when referring to resistance to change and how the organization feels about the leader as in this case, the process would have been a lot harder and the leader a lot less popular, if the economy of both the company and society had not been in as bad a state as in this case. I would also doubt if Ghosn would have been able to succeed in turning Nissan around in only 18 months, but with the right strategy and the resources to execute it, I am Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 8 confident that Nissan could have been turned around, even a few years earlier, as the debt of Nissan would have been lower, not acting as such a burden as in 1999. The alternatives that Nissan would have faced by beginning the turnaround a few years earlier are not clearly in the favor of a strategy similar to the turnaround that began in 1999, in terms of massive layoffs being accepted by government or employees. However, having started the turnaround years earlier, Nissan would have avoided the massive debts burden, which more or less forced Nissan to sell off the Keiretsu partnerships. This would again have meant one hurdle less to turnaround Nissan, as the culture clash would have been less. To sum up Carlos Ghosns approach to turning Nissan around, I would say that he executed an appropriate strategy at the time where it was highly needed to save the company as well as the external environment of Nissan was in favor of his strategy of sequential change, that gave him the time to attend to organizational and cultural issues and to counter resistance to change. Exam assignment in CM J41 Strategy Execution By Rune Sixtus Bruhn CPR 061082 1987 9 Sources: Case hand out: The Global Leadership of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan John P. Millikin, Thunderbird, 2003 Articles: Decoding Resistance to Change, Jeffrey D. Ford and Laurie W. Ford, Harvard Business Review, 2009 Challenging Resistance to Change, Eric B. Dent and Susan Galloway Goldberg, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 1999 Christiana Gold Leading Change at Western Union, Jordan Mitchell and Alison Konrad, Ivey Management Services, 2005 Slides/Class presentations I have used ideas and approaches discussed in class in general, but I mainly draw my inspiration from the lectures in class 5 and 6.

Research For My Career Plan Accounting Essay

Research For My Career Plan Accounting Essay Introduction My career choice is public accountant. My choice is highly influenced by the passion I have for working with numbers. My second choice career is internal auditing .it is closely related to accountancy. Both the careers entail working with the numbers. Accountancy is a career which involves communicating, summarizing, classifying, interpreting and presenting financial position about an enterprise to the management, auditors, owners or the shareholders. Strong accounting foundation is important when it comes to running successful businesses. Every business needs a book keeper, accountant or a chief finance officer. Internal auditors can assist police in white collar crimes since they can comfortably do forensic accounting. They can work with lawyer as professional witnesses in fraud cases. Government accountants maintain tract of public funds by maintaining records. Public accountants work for public accounting companies. Their major tasks are to do the actual accounting, tax and consultancy work. Accountants use financial statements to show in monetary terms the resources under direct control of the organization. According to Drake, P et al (2011), accounting is a study of how organizations track their assets, capital, and liabilities over time. It involves computing cost and capital gains from the capital. An accountant participates in strategies for mergers and acquisitions. Many accountants ends up being the chief finance officers(CFOs).this is because they have the best understanding of what drives the business and profits in an organization. According to careers in accounting website (2009) bureau of statistics projects 16% increase in job positions by 2016.the future of accounting is bright. Internal auditors are also known as Auditors, Fraud Investigators, Inspectors, and Investigators among other names. They frequently measure the level of compliance of the company with its policies and objectives. They advise the management on how to better execute their policies. They tend to improve the reliability of financial reporting, preventing and investigating fraud and safeguard company assets. People planning to be accountants and auditors should have an aptitude for mathematics .they should have good communication skills since the career entails communicating results to clients, management, shareholders and governments among others. They should be excellent when it comes to working with people, business systems and computers. Accountants should have unquestionable level of integrity. Educational requirement and certifications Most job vacancies requires at least a bachelors degree in accounting or related field .if you want to practice accounting and auditing in government, the requirement is 4 years of college in accounting or auditing with some experience. Since 2007 42 states and Washington DC requires all the CPAs to have successfully completed 150 semester hours of college course work. Many colleges have harmonized their curriculum to be in line with the law. Some organizations require masters degree in accounting or business administration with accounts as your major. A certified public accountant (CPA) is a popular requirement for big corporations. CPAs exam is divided into four parts in all states .examination is prepared by AICPA(American institute of public accountants).majority of states require one pass all the four other parts within 1year six months. Other additional requirements may include certified internal auditor (CIA) exam and the certification in control self assessment (CSA).CPA holders are licensed by state board of accountancy. The internal auditors are licensed by Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Accountants who have passed in their exams and have met requirements needed by the state where they practice can become certified public accountants. However for renewal of licenses, one is required to have completed certain number of hours of continuing professional .the umbrella professional bodies for accountants organizes seminars, courses and continuing education programs. Other certifications provide a CPA and internal auditors with an advantage. These certifications are found in many accredited colleges. They include; the Certified Management Accountant (CMA),), the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV), Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP), or Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) designations, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Accredited Tax Preparer (ATP), Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA), Accredited Business Accountant (ABA). These programs are marketable. They put the accountants and auditors at the highest edge of landing a high paying job. Some of these programs depend on the field one want to specialize with. Most of these professional societies require applicants to have at least 2 years working experience, pass a for part examination, agree to meet continuing education requirements and comply with professional conduct. Graduate schools test permit students from different colleges and universities with different grading system to be compared. Applicants to graduate schools school finish GRE which tests verbal, quantitative and analytical abilities. GMAT test verbal, quantitative and analytical reasoning but it is designed to address the needs of business schools. Many institutions review accountants GMAT score for employment.GRE is accepted in many business programs in business schools. it is simple to prepare science it has easier grading curve and the applicant does not waste a lot of time in preparation.GRE is easier than GMAT. There are institutions such as Manhattan review in New York which assist students to revise for their GMAT and GRE examinations. They have state of art facilities. Ethical Conduct Just like doctors and other professionals, CPAs and internal auditors should adhere the code of conduct. They should maintain high level of integrity. They should represent the interest of their clients. They should obey the bylaws set by their professional bodies. Working Hours According to BLS government website (2010), public accountants work 40 to 50 hours a week. According to Telberg, R (2007), accountants spend more time at work related activities at the expense of their families. Some carry their work with them to vacations and home. Many accountants have reported to CPA review website (2012), that during the busy season, they can work up to 70 to 80 billable hours. Internal auditors have long working hours .their day typically starts from 8am to 5pm.they work up to Job Duties CPAs maintain and audit organizations financial books. They also have knowledge bin book keeping, taxes, government audit and financial planning. They oversee the budgets and financial management. They ensure that they financial records are accurate and up to date. They also keep track of investments, expenditures and revenue generated by an organization. They research and analyze companys financial reports. They also create financial plan for the company. They also suggest way companies could save the money. They file tax reports of a company. CPAs help organizations to develop a strategy to legally minimize the amount of tax they owe the government. Many CPAs tend to be self employed therefore they hire staffs and manage businesses. Freelance CPAs can assist potential business owners develop business plans and get funds to start the same. Internal auditors appraise the organizations internal control system to see whether they are in harmony with state laws, the organizations objective. They liaise with both the external auditors and the Comptroller and Auditor General. They Recommend and advise the company on value for money and efficiency improvements. Salary According to the BLS, http://www.bls.gov (2012), Salary depends on a number of factors namely: the CPAs educational background, years of experience, and the company he is working for. CPAs take home $50,770 per year. CPAs with one to two years of experience may be remunerated lower amounts. And those working for large corporations like coca cola are paid higher salaries. Partners in public accounting firms can earn around $175,000 a year. CPAs enjoys an array of benefits, which includes all expenses paid for vacations, health and life insurance, and pension benefits. Internal auditors take an average of $81000 per year. Manager internal auditors earn up to $100000 per year. The level of salary depends with the level of experience and the company one is working for. Job Satisfaction and Lifestyle of CPA and Internal Auditor CPA and internal auditing are among of the careers which demand a lot of time. Some the accountants and internal auditors carry their work with them to home. During peak season they work long hours and sleep at least 4hours.they enjoy free vacations pension benefits. Their high income guarantees them a high living standard. Some accountants and auditors receive pay rise every year. Others enjoy up to 3 weeks vacations. It is one of the professions where there are no complains. The job opportunities are there. As a matter of fact it has been projected that the job opportunities for CPAs will rise by 22%.according to CNN money website (2012), it is number 9 in the 100 most lucrative jobs in business section in USA. They enjoy personal satisfaction from their careers .accounting profession make one to enjoy prestige and respect from the society since it is perceived to be hard than other professions. Conclusion Both careers are lucrative prefer my first career choice more. I am planning to do what it takes to realize my dream of pursuing accountancy.

The American Dream in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

The American Dream in Of Mice and Men The American dream ideally constitutes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stated by America's forefathers in the Declaration of Independence. This vision has been extremely warped in the 20th century to fit the new breed of Americans, which are greedy and self-centered. The main characters opinions in the novel Of Mice and Men of The American Dream substantially differs from each other, and from today's society. Of Mice and Men takes place in the 1930's of America during the Great Depression. The American dream was no more, and the land of opportunity had become the land of misfortune. It was during this time that many farmers best hope for a new life lied in California. In come the two main characters of Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, two migrant workers on the run and looking for a job. George is a "small and quick," man, who may sometimes seem like he dislikes Lennie's company, but in actually is very devoted to him (pg. 2). Lennie is "a huge man," who is somewhat mentally retarded, and a reveres George's every word (pg. 2). The two are best friends, and how ever different they may seem both share a common goal. Their main ambition is to "get the jack together," purchase a few acres of land they can call their own, "an' live off the fatta the lan'" (pg. 14). To own a humble home, where they can work for themselves and be free of the persecution and scrutiny of society. A kind of sanctuary from the flings and arrows of the outside world, where it seems Lennie was not meant to live in. Unlike Lennie, all Curly's wife longs for is to experience the world for herself. She is virtually a prisoner in her own home, devoid of the power to change her fate. When she was young, she dreamt of becoming a famous actress in a "show," but when she married Curly, her entire life changed for the worse. After her marriage, the shattered remains of her dreams and a husband who did not love her was all she had left.

Nicaragua :: essays research papers

Nicaragua The area of Nicaragua is 50,193 sq. mi. The Nicaraguan highlands, with a elevation about 2000 ft, cross Nicaragua from the northwest to the southeast. Several mountain ranges, the highest of which, the Cordillera Isabelia, reaches an elevation of more than 6890 ft, cut the highlands from east to west. In the west is a great basin, or depression, containing two lakes, Nicaragua, the largest in Central America, and Managua. The two are connected by the Tipitapa River. A chain of volcanoes, which are a contributory cause of local earthquakes, rises between the lakes and the Pacific coast. In the east, the Caribbean coastal plain known as the Costa de mosquitoes (Mosquito Coast) extends some 45 mi. inland and is partly overgrown with rain forest. The four principal rivers, the San Juan, Coco (Wanks), Grande, and Escondido, empty into the Caribbean. The natural resources of Nicaragua are primarily agricultural. Deposits of volcanic material have enriched the soil, which is extremely fertile. About half the land is covered with forests. The country has some deposits of gold, silver, and copper. About 77% of the Nicaraguan population is mestizo (people of mixed white and Native American descent), about 10% is white, and the remainder is Native American (4%) and black (9%). The population of Nicaragua is 3,745,000, yielding an overall density about 75 per sq. mi. Approximately 60% of the population is concentrated in the western part of the country, and more than 55% is urban. Political Divisions and Principal Cities Nicaragua is divided into six regions and three special zones. Managua, with a population of 682,100, is the capital and commercial center. Leà ³n is an important religious and cultural center. Granada is the terminus of the railway from the main port of entry, Corinto, on the Pacific coast. Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua. Nearly 90% of the Nicaraguan people are Roman Catholic; most of the remainder are Protestant. As in other Latin American countries, the culture of Nicaragua reflects Spanish cultural patterns, influential since the colonial period, combined with an ancient Native American heritage. Nicaraguans hold many colorful celebrations to commemorate local saints' days and ecclesiastical events. The marimba is extremely popular, and ancient instruments such as the chirimà ­a (clarinet), maraca (rattle), and zul (flute) are common in rural areas. Dances from colonial times survive, as do fine examples of architecture. The coast of Nicaragua was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1502, but the first Spanish expedition, under Gil Gonzà ¡lez Dà ¡vila, did not arrive until 1522; it established several Spanish settlements. A second conquistador, Francisco Fernà ¡ndez de Cà ³rdoba, founded Granada in 1523 and Leà ³n in 1524.

Reaction on the Prestige Movie Essay

Reaction: Contentment. This is one thing that the two lead characters in the movie do not contain over themselves. They both made sacrifices just to be able to have the title of the one who has the greatest magic trick. They sacrificed their friendship, their families, even their lives. Before they started their rivalry, they both have good relationship with each other, good family, a good life. But what happened after they tried to uncover each other’s secret? Because of greed and personal motive, they both lost everything. The story looked like a tragedy, horror, and dramatic movie for me. It’s like an exaggerated version of how we live our lives, sometimes. Even though we don’t admit, but sometimes, there is some part of us that want to be on top of someone because we don’t feel satisfied and we can’t accept the fact that there is someone better than us. Here in the story, the secret is the symbol of what we want to get from someone. And what the two characters did in the story are examples of our actions in real life. One makes the attack and the other one makes the defense. Robert, who was the one making the offense, wanted to know Alfred’s secret, not just because he did it for revenge, but also because he wanted to own the prestige that Alfred had. He did everything that would put Alfred down. On the other hand, Alfred was the one making the defense. He sacrificed everything that he had in order for him to get a hold of his fame. In the end, both of them didn’t make it to their goal. Instead, they became losers of their own games. The characters are the epitome of human greed. Greed that we cannot pull out of our being human. It seems impossible for a human to be able to escape this kind of bad attitude. But as we grow older, as we mature, we learn how to build up goodness in ourselves because we realize the true meaning of life. We realize that there are things that we cannot achieve, obtain and maintain. Even our own life is not permanent. Nothing is permanent in this world except our soul. Now, as we think of this, we will be able to get the  idea that the most important things in this world cannot be seen. But it can be felt. We’re fortunate that God has provided us the greatest give anyone could ever get. And the best way to give back to our Father, I think, is to be grateful enough, and learn how to appreciate the things that we have, nothing less.

Global Warming and Geomorphology Essay

In his article â€Å"Global Warming and Geomorphology†, David K. C. Jones attempts to distinguish between the doom and gloom predictions surrounding and offer a more realistic approach to the effects that climate change will have on the geological and biosphere aspects of the planet and specifically on the British Isles. Climate fluctuation based on the presence of so-called greenhouse gases has been occurring for most of the last geological period. At issue, however, are several factors that have not been considered in previous periods of rapid climate change including the impact of humanity on greenhouse gases and humanity’s knowledge of its impact (Jones, 124). This knowledge of humanity’s impact on geomorphology can be used for either gain in the coming global change or can be used to incite doomsday predictions. Jones theorizes that geomorphologic change may have happened this rapidly in the British Isles at the end of the last ice age, but that since humanity was not aware of it or could simply respond to the changes as they happened, modern man may have an advantage to protect his environment. The problem with the knowledge that humanity has affected global climate change is that it also points out how much we do not know. The author discusses this in terms of regionalization, the idea that some global effects of climate change will only affect certain regions. The effects he identified as potentials were: (i) The likelihood of catastrophic outcomes; (ii) The potential distribution of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ within an economy, both over space and through time; (iii) Whether winners and losers can be reliably identified through improved modeling in sufficient time to allow effective policy formulation; (iv) Evaluation of the costs and benefits of climatic change prevention compared with those generated by responding to changed climate through adjustment; and (v) Evaluation of the costs of attempting to maintain the status quo compared with managed adaptation to changing environmental conditions. † (Jones, 126) In essence, Jones begin his argument by saying that it is the socio-economic factors of global warming which might be more devastating to humanity than the actual physical changes on the planet. Much ado, he says, has been made about the effect the rising of the mean sea level on the planet could have in areas such as Bangladesh, where 9 percent of the population would be affected by a rising sea level, creating millions of climate refugees or in Egypt, where the nation could lose as much as 15 percent of its farmland to rising water (Jones, 127). None of these factors threatens the existence of humanity, but they do threaten life as we know it. Changes in weather patterns, top soil erosion and rainfall could have enormous effects on agricultural production, for instance, which may have a major effect on the world’s economy, but it is unlikely to have such a far-reaching effect as to produce global food shortages. Jones does not completely negate the idea that humanity could face dire consequences associated with global climate change, but he does argue that they are more likely to be economic than physical. (127). However, Jones also argues that the ability to predict the impact of global warming on geomorphology and the biosphere is somewhat limited. Specifically, he claims that: â€Å"Predicting changes in the atmospheric composition of greenhouse gases remains problematic because of uncertainty as to existing sources, pathways, fluxes and stores of the various gases involved, combined with difficulties of estimating future patterns of human inputs (Houghton et al. , 1990, 1992; DOE, 1991; Wigley and Raper, 1992) ; 2 Climate is the great integrator and, therefore, reflects a huge range of influences, both global and extra-terrestrial, some natural others human-induced, working at varying temporal and spatial scales. Both identifying and predicting the influences of greenhouse gases are, therefore, extremely difficult; 3 The relationship between greenhouse gases and climatic parameters is not simple because of both positive and negative feedback mechanisms, step-wise changes resulting from the existence of threshold conditions, synergies, and the complex influence of the oceans and their circulation patterns ; 4 Predicting change remains hampered by lack of knowledge regarding system parameters (e. g. ocean-atmosphere coupling) and the awesome magnitude of the computing task required by the most sophisticated models. † (Jones, 126-127) Perhaps the most important part of the thesis that Jones is trying to make is that once we have accepted that global warming is affected by human action, we must therefore accept that we can affect how significant that climate change will be. Specifically, Jones talks about the potential impact of actions taken to mitigate global warming including attempts to reduce the production of greenhouse gases and actions taken with regard to soil shift which is likely to occur rapidly during the temperature increase. Efforts to discuss beach erosion, cliff erosion and affects on deltas and coral islands should emphasize what actions can be taken to lessen the effect of rising ocean levels. Any action then taken to attempt to control these forces of natures will have a substantial effect on the outcome related to those climate changes. The first thing I noticed about this article is that it was published nearly 15 years ago, making some of its basic assumptions rather obsolete. For example, Jones discusses the massive computer power needed to perform the complex projections related to weather patterns and global warming. While it is possible that this limitation was considered a severe one in 1993, the rapid expansion of computer processing power means that more recent looks at global warming can attempt to analyze weather-related data and infer probability based on those history patterns. Furthermore, the computer models can be very detailed and discuss specific projected ocean levels in individual cities or nations and over a specific time frame. No longer is it just a cataclysmic claim that the sea levels will rise, but it is a specific claim regarding how much water will be where. The second thing I noticed about this article was that it was published in the midst of some of the worst flooding in modern United States history, the great flood of 1993 on the Mississippi River. Flood levels that year reached beyond the 100-year-floodplain and ignited questions about the effects of changing weather patterns on agriculture and population centers in the central United States. Since then, we have seen major flooding along several major rivers in the United States including the Rio Grande, the Missouri River and the Ohio River, while at the same time seeing the Colorado River suffer from enormous drought conditions, creating a lack of potable water for major western American cities. On the British Isles, we recently observed massive flooding along the Thames River and associated death and destruction. Already, just 15 years after Jones’ article, we are seeing the effects of global warming as weather patterns shift causing record heat waves in Europe, killing hundreds, and shifts in the American food producing states where rain seems to come at inappropriate times or inappropriate amounts. Next, I began to consider Jones’ theory that massive global climate change is primarily concerning most people because of the economic shifts it will likely cause. If several countries see their major crops begin to die out because of a climate shift, will we see the food production belts shift further northward and further southward from the equator? And, what effect will this have on the habitable portions of the world? As additional areas of the world become classified as tropical and subtropical, what will be the effect on population patterns? Will regions now largely devoted to population centers need to give the land back to agrarian tasks? Already we are seeing the effects of the global climate shift in India and Pakistan. India with about 1 billion people does not have the ecological resources to support its population, including, but not limited to, clean water. This contributes to the political instability of the region as Pakistan and other Indian neighbors face regular mass immigration from India. These massive population shifts are causing or contributing to political strife worldwide. Likewise, as food production suffers because populations are no longer nomadic and able to follow the seasons to appropriate growing conditions, it seems likely that increased international strife will develop over the supply of natural resources ranging from deciduous trees to natural grains. Further impacting this is a move to biofuels as an attempt to curb the production of greenhouse gases. So far, we have been able to observe that the high demand for grains and sugar cane to be converted in to ethanol and other biofuels has begun to drive up the cost of food stuffs on an international basis. As some point, the system will break and people will demand that they be able to afford to eat. Perhaps the most interesting portion of Jones’ article is his claim that the doomsday predictions are overblown and that climate change is not necessarily a cataclysmic event. Though it is unlikely that human-induced climate change will be the cause of an extinction event, it appears more likely that the economic and political strife caused by the climate change may cause severe population reducing events including limited warfare or extinction events such as a nuclear confrontation. Given the recent receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize to American Albert Gore Jr. for his work on informing the public about global warming, the lessons of Jones’ article are particularly timely. His advice that a plan for mitigating the effects of global warming needs to be developed and implemented beginning in the 1990s and extending to 2050 is very well received. The only tragedy is that this advice was soundly ignored for the first decade after he gave it and real attention to global warming has only come in recent years as a result of the Kyoto Treaty and efforts like those of Gore. It seems unthinkable that the debate over the validity of the science of global warming still exists when there is evidence of its existence and of humanity’s effect on it. I feared at first when reading Jones’ introduction that he was going to be one of the people who claim that the climate shift is part of a semi-predictable pattern of geological history as so many naysayers are wont to do. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that his analysis acknowledges that it is happening at an accelerated rate because of the impact of humanity and his statements in support of the idea that humanity can thus also mitigate its impact on the globe and on the species. More importantly perhaps is that some of Jones’ suggestions can be applied to mitigating the effects of global climate even if the climate change is a completely natural cycle unaffected by the pollutants added to the atmosphere by humanity. Efforts to prevent soil erosion and to minimize building in floodplains make simple sense. Anyone who simply accepts the fact of changing weather patterns can easily see the logic in these efforts regardless of whether they have any desire to reduce their carbon footprint. Using technological advances to help prevent soil loss during flood events and to insist that populations take climate change into consideration are of value regardless of the causes of global warming. Furthermore, Jones’ explanation regarding the geological history of interglacial periods can be viewed as reassuring to even those who are convinced of the human factor in global warming. At some times, the earth has undergone rapid ecological change in the past and the biosphere has not been destroyed. Therefore, his conclusions that global warming is neither something to be ignored nor the world ending event that it has been portrayed as is a very lucid approach. Too many zealots follow the anti-global warming crusades with a fervor that is as unhealthy as ignoring the issue could be. Simple changes in everyone can help prevent the need to massively adjust our lifestyles by mid-century. Efforts must be made to preserve the coastlines as much as possible and to prevent soil erosion when flooding occurs. Simple efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be attempted as well and people should adjust to the ideas of different crop patterns and therefore a different distribution of food resources. We should also prepare for an influx of immigrants from nations where receding coasts will leave populations with no place to live and we should take international action to address issues like the sub-Saharan drought in Africa, encouraging the sharing of natural resources like water among neighbor states. With these efforts now and an eye toward the issues that global warming will create in the relatively near future, we can prevent climate change from becoming an extinction event. If we ignore it, the strife brought on by it will likely be the end of humanity. Works Cited Jones, David K. C. â€Å"Global Warming and Geomorphology†, The Geographical Journal, Vol. 159, No. 2, July 1993, pp. 124-130.

Eulogy -Robert Frost

Robert Frost Robert Frost once debated whether the world ended in fire, or ice. It is a sad thought that the world will end without him; that the future generations will be privy to such events made for people like Robert. He was an inspirational, American poet who questioned the very core of our beliefs, he chose paths that few had took, and that is why today he is remembered today. Robert Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874.His family moved to New England when he was eleven; he became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He earned his formal degree at the arguably the most prestigious University, Harvard. He later worked through various occupations, ranging from teacher to editor of the Lawrence Sentinel. His first professional poem, â€Å"My Butterfly†, was published on November 8, 1894, in The Independent newspaper.In a 1970 review of The Poetry of Robert Frost, the poet Daniel Hoffman describes Fro st's early work as â€Å"the Puritan ethic turned astonishingly lyrical and enabled to say out loud the sources of its own delight in the world,† and comments on Frost's career as The American Bard: â€Å"He became a national celebrity, our nearly official Poet Laureate, and a great performer in the tradition of that earlier master of the literary vernacular, Mark Twain. † About Frost, President John F. Kennedy said, â€Å"He has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse from which Americans will forever gain joy and understanding. Though his work is predominantly associated with the life and scenery of New England, and though he was a poet of traditional verse forms and metrics who remained unfalteringly detached from the poetic movements and fashions of his time, Frost is anything but a merely regional or minor poet. The author of searching and often dark meditations on universal themes he is essentially a modern poet who spoke truthfully in all that encomp asses, his work inspired psychological battles inside ourselves, his works were fused with layers of obscurity and irony.Robert Frost lived and taught for many years in Massachusetts and Vermont, and died in Boston on January 29, 1963. Two poems that debatably epitomize what Robert Frost stood for, what he believed in, how he opened the minds of many people to what is; These two poems are ‘fire and ice’, and ‘the road not taken’. The short poem ‘fire and ice’, outlines the familiar question about the destiny of the end of world, wondering if it is more likely to be devastated by fire or ice. People are on both sides of the debate, and Frost introduces the narrator to provide his personal take on the question of the end of the world.The narrator first determines that the world must end in fire after bearing in mind his personal experiences with desire and passion, the emotions of fire. Yet, after considering his experience with â€Å"ice,† or hatred, the narrator acknowledges that ice would be equally destructive. A reading will now be done of the poem: Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.Only nine lines, this miniature poem is a vivid example of Frost’s concisely ironic literary style. The poem varies between two meter lengths (either eight syllables or four syllables) and uses three collections of interwoven rhymes, based on â€Å"-ire,† â€Å"-ice,† and â€Å"-ate. † In the first two lines of the poem, Frost creates a clear dichotomy between fire and ice and the two groups of people that believe in each element. By using the term â€Å"some† instead of â€Å"I† or â€Å"an individual,† Frost emphasizes that the distinction between the two elements is a univers al truth, not just an idea promoted by an individual.In addition to the unavoidable contradiction between fire and ice, these first lines also outline the prerogative that the world will end as a direct result of one of these elements. It is made unclear which element will lead to the destruction of the world, but it is noteworthy to know that these are the only two options given. The poem does not allow for any other possibilities in terms of the world’s fate, just as there are not any other opinions allowed in the black-and-white debate between fire and ice.Remarkably, the two prospects for the world’s destruction correspond directly to a common scientific debate during the time Frost wrote the poem. Much like this poem, scientists also debated the eventual end to the Earth, on one side; some believed the Earth will be destroyed by the burning magma core, incinerating the Earth to nothing, while others believed that a new Ice Age would wither all livings things on th e earth’s surface. Instead of preserving a strictly scientific perspective on this debate, Frost introduces a more emotional side, associating passionate desire with fire and hatred with ice.Within this metaphorical view of the two elements, the â€Å"world† can be recognized as a metaphor for and consequently foregrounding to the audience, a relationship. Too much fire and passion can quickly consume a relationship, while cold indifference and hate can be equally destructive Although the first two lines of the poem insist that there can only be a single choice between fire and ice, the narrator further details that a combination or a concurring sequence of both elements would destroy the Earth.Furthermore, the fact that he has had personal experience with both (in the form of desire and hate) reveals that fire and ice are not mutually exclusive, as the first two lines of the poem assert. In fact, though the narrator first concludes that the world will end in fire, he ultimately admits that the world could just as easily end in ice; fire and ice, it seems, are strikingly similar. This further highlights what Frost believes in relationships. That, although a concentration of one emotion, passion or hatred can be destructive he poses that one cannot be without both of them existing.The second poem analysed will be ‘The road not taken’. The narrator comes upon a fork in the road while walking through a yellow wood. He considers both paths and concludes that each one is equally well-travelled and appealing. After choosing a path, the narrator when he will come back to the fork to choose the different path, he later realises this will possibly never happen but that he will only come to new forks (new decisions), his mind then ponders on how different his life would have been if he chose the different path, a reading will now be done.Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood An d looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. This poem is made up of four stanzas of five lines, each with a rhyme scheme of ABAAB. This poem is one of Frost’s most adored works and is used many times in English studies. Since its publication, many readers have analysed the poem as a nostalgic observation on life choices. The narrator decided to seize the day and express himself as an individual by choosi ng the road that was â€Å"less travelled by. As a result of this decision, the narrator claims that his life was essentially different, that it would have been had he chosen the well-travelled path. This reading of the poem is tremendously popular because every reader can commiserate with the narrator’s decision: having to choose between two paths without having any knowledge of where each road will lead. Moreover, the narrator’s decision to choose the â€Å"less travelled† path demonstrates his courage. Rather than taking the safe path that others have travelled, the narrator prefers to make his own way in the world.However, when we look closer at the text of the poem, it becomes clear that such an idealistic analysis is largely inaccurate. The narrator only distinguishes the paths from one another after he has already selected one and travelled many years through life. When he first comes upon the fork in the road, the paths are described as being fundamenta lly identical. In terms of beauty, both paths are equally â€Å"fair,† and the overall â€Å"†¦passing there / Had worn them really about the same. † It is only as an old man that the narrator looks back on his life and decides to place such importance on this particular decision in his life.During the first three stanzas, the narrator shows no sense of remorse for his decision nor might any acknowledgement that such a decision be important to his life. Yet, as an old man, the narrator attempts to give a sense of order to his past and perhaps explain why certain things happened to him. Of course, the excuse that he took the road â€Å"less travelled by† is false, but the narrator still clings to this decision as a defining moment of his life, not only because of the path that he chose but because he had to make a choice in the first place.So now, we will remember American poet, Robert Frost for his ingenious input into such universal truths and how such kno wledge can be extracted from his points of view. He is now gone from this Earth, but let us remember him, for his works, for inspiring us to take the road less taken when we come to our own cross roads, to temper our relationships with fire and ice. With these works, dear Robert has left us with enough knowledge and understanding to replace the hole that he has made.