Saturday, November 30, 2019

To What Extent, In Your Opinion, Is Shylock A Complete and Inhuman Villain Essay Example

To What Extent, In Your Opinion, Is Shylock A Complete and Inhuman Villain Essay The way in which Shylock is played on stage has changed greatly since the play was first performed, when he was made out to be a villain and a clown. This altered in the nineteenth century when Shylock was portrayed as an intelligent man who had been victimised. Undoubtedly, Shakespeare did not write Shylock as a simple, one- sided part. To a modern audience, Shylock is sometimes a villain and sometimes a victim. However, in Shakespearian times, they would have had the much simpler view that Shylock was in the wrong and they (The Christians) were right. In Shakespearian England anti- Semitism was rife. Jews were widely regarded as evil and the entire community had been expelled from England in 1290. Jews were persecuted worldwide and forced to live their lives in ghettos. Audiences in the Elizabethan era who were predominately Christians would have delighted in Shylocks defeat, where as todays society is multicultural and diverse, hence we may have an entirely different view on this topic. Throughout the play we hear evidence that would justify Shylocks wickedness towards Christians, you call me misbeliever, cut- throat dog. Anyone who is called these names, spat upon and spurned is not going to behave in a polite way towards the source of rudeness. Depicted as a villain to many readers, Shylock shows his true feelings towards Antonio, aside to the audience, I hate him for he is a Christian. As well as proving his hatred of Christians, this does nothing for the sympathy towards him from the audience; A Shakespearian audience would immediately dislike Shylock. He also states that Antonio lends out money gratis. We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent, In Your Opinion, Is Shylock A Complete and Inhuman Villain specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent, In Your Opinion, Is Shylock A Complete and Inhuman Villain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on To What Extent, In Your Opinion, Is Shylock A Complete and Inhuman Villain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This shows that Shylocks reasons for hating Antonio are not only because he is a Christian and the way he treats Shylock and fellow Jews, but also the fact that he lends money to people without charging interest, hence which adversely affects Shylocks livelihood. This open display of greed and hatred makes Shylock even more an unsympathetic character. Furthermore, Shylocks hatred for Antonio can build up the dislike of himself to Christians, as they see Antonio as a fellow being. Shylock is portrayed as narrow- minded, a characteristic associated with archetypical villains. Shylock displays elements of belligerence in his refusal to forgive Christians. When Bassanio invites Shylock to dinner, he refuses at first, I will not eat with you, nor drink with you. This shows his stubborn belief in the prodigal Christian and also the strong divide between religions. Eventually he goes in hate. During the play, we learn of Shylocks intent in taking Antonios life, if I can catch him once upon the hip, I will feed fat that ancient grudge I bear him. This adds to the audiences dislike of him as well as attaining a reverence of a true villain, as the audience are under the belief that Shylock will go to great lengths to take Antonios life. Shylock is uncaring and rough as a father towards his only daughter. When we first witness an interaction between them, Shylock orders her about as if she were a servant, hear you me, Jessica, lock up my doors and mentions nothing about her well- being, only the well- being of the house, let not the sound of shallow foppery enter my sober house. These comments made by Shylock show how his relationship with his daughter is very weak, harsh and strict. The audience then shows sympathy for Jessica and in turn have an aversion to Shylock. Moreover, Shylock never notices his daughters strange behaviour on the night she is due to elope- showing that Shylock is not a very attentive father. Perhaps he is too preoccupied with generating yet more wealth to concern himself with his only daughter. This view of him as self- serving and avaricious is compounded by his reaction to Jessica running away with a Christian. He is outraged that she has left and has stolen some of his money, I would my daughter were dead at my foot. It seems like he cares more for the money than Jessica, because we hear, oh my ducats more than my daughter. Again Shylock portrays himself in an unsympathetic way, as vindictive and villainous. He wishes for the death of his own daughter as the price for her treachery and even goes as far as to wish she were hearsed at my foot and the ducats in her coffin. This shows Shylock to be a cold, heartless man, devoid of parental feeling, who is focused purely on revenge and money. Another example of Shylocks villainy is in the courtroom. Here, he has the chance to show that he is far superior to the Christians. If Shylock were to show mercy to Antonio, then he would come out of the proceedings very well indeed. However, he presses on ruthlessly with his attempt to kill Antonio which, when he fails turns the audience against him. He is described, even by the Duke as a stony adversary, an inhuman wretch. As various people beg him to show mercy he only replies coldly, I will have my bond. Even when Bassanio offers him six times the original fee, he still refuses, I would not draw them, I would have my bond. All this installs hatred of him in the courtroom, as he sits sharpening his knife stating that there is no power in the tongue of man to alter me. Conversely, Shylock could be seen as the victim in this play. It could be argued that he has suffered a lot of racial abuse, maybe more often than an average Jew in the Venetian society. Shylock has been called names such as evil soul and devil incarnation, which portrays dislike towards him, probably due to his money lending occupation. However is it right to torment some just because they are of a different religion? Shylock is preyed upon by many Christians, but it seems by Antonio, more than any. Indeed Antonio seems to be the source of much of Shylocks abuse. He has disgraced me, laughed at my losses, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains and heated mine enemies and his reason, I am a Jew. Antonio also shows that that he has no remorse for what he has said and done to Shylock, he openly states he would call thee so again, spit on thee again . Here we can see how Shylock can have extra vengeance for Antonio and how no-one could blame him for being angry at this deliberate racism. When they first meet in the play, Shylock says, many a time and oft in the Rialto you have rated me. This shows how readily Shylock accepts being abused and installs our sympathy in him. It also displays how much Shylock has endured from haters. During the play it becomes obvious that the mistreatment of Shylock comes from Christians, therefore it is understandable that he has a certain loathing for them. In Venice, if a Jew wrong a Christian the Christian will seek revenge. So it seems only fair that if a Christian wrong a Jew, then the Jew will take lead and, by Christian example seek revenge too. Shylock also states that, the villainy you teach me I will execute. This implies that Shylock is not the villain, but only acting as he is treated himself. In addition Antonio lends money to people with no added interest. This limits Shylocks business as people would rather go to Antonio than Shylock. This can affect the livelihood of Shylock and make us feel sorry for him. Another aspect of how Shylock is victimised is the fact that Antonio accepted the offer with a lawyer present and therefore understood the consequences in place if he could not repay the bond. He should have never signed it if he was not prepared to accept the forfeit. Antonios stubbornness caused himself to be in such a position. He wanted to gain the upper hand over Shylock when his ships return with thrice three times the value of this bond. However when all did not go to plan, Antonio was stuck in a very difficult position. By law Shylock had the power to fulfil the bond and kill Antonio. In Shylocks attempts to retrieve his debt by going to court, he is humiliated even more. He endures many more anti- Semitic comments; devil here he comes in the likeness of a Jew. Here it shows his dehumanisation even in court where there is to be justice. They call an outcast of society and criminals who have committed unthinkable acts, devils. Subsequently, this shows that Shylock walked into a courtroom full of biased Christians ready to tear him apart, because of his religion. This gives us the idea that they may not know Shylock, but because of his religion they are, at first glance, classing him an outcast. The Christians also seek to torment Shylock even when he is most vulnerable, such as when Jessica elopes with Lorenzo. Christians invite Shylock out to dinner the night his daughter is stolen from him, so this betrays his trust in them even further. When he speaks to Salerio he mocks him about the disappearance of his daughter, thats certain: I, for my part, knew the tailor that made the wings she flew withal. This proves how much Shylock is mocked in his life, even after the people closest to him have deserted him. He was a protective father and just wants the best for Jessica. When the carnival is going on outside he wants to keep Jessica away from the Christians, clamber not you up to the casements then, nor thrust your head into the public street. He quite rightly says this considering the way he is treated by Christians. He loves his daughter and does not want her to get hurt. In addition, the fact that Jessica stole some of his money and valuable Jews makes us feel sorry for Shylock even more. All his life he has worked hard to earn his money and it has been snatched away from him. We also learn that Jessica has stolen and then given away the ring of Shylocks wife for a monkey. Shylock cries out and says, I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkeys. This shows how mush Jessica has hurt him and we are deeply sympathetic. Shylock is nai ve in the way that he believes he can take on the Christians when the foundation of Venetian law is designed to serve the best interests of the Christians. Shylocks punishment is harsh- he has to give up all of his wealth to his enemies and become a Christian, he is left with nothing. Here we see Shylock, an utterly broken man and our heart goes out to him. Then, at the end of the play, in the last act, we learn that everyone is happy, everyone apart from Shylock, who does not feature. This leaves us speculating what happened to him and we feel for him, wondering what he is doing while everyone else is happy and peaceful. Stereotypically, it seems that the villain is punished and the treat is over. However, although Shylock pursues his revenge fervently, he still has the audiences sympathy because of the unfair and callous punishment he receives. It strikes a modern day audience as unjust that the severity of his punishment reflects not his crime, but his race. He is a victim of the Christians intolerance of other races and ideas. In all, I believe that Shylock is merely a victim in this story. He has the right to have vengeance for all he has suffered and to act as the Christians act towards him. He has been humiliated in a racist society where the Christians have no conscience in dehumanising and destroying a Jew. Furthermore, his only daughter runs away with one of his persecutors. She steals his money and the ring his wife gave him. It seems justified that he should feel betrayed and hurt. Shylock only demanded a bond that Antonio had accepted to. It could be argued that if Antonio was not willing to die, then why did he consent to Shylocks contract in the first place. We can only guess at how Shakespeare intended Shylock to be played. He becomes throughout the play, an increasingly lone figure and is portrayed by Shakespeare to be in some ways very human. Shakespeare could have decided to show Shylock completely defeated at the end of the play, not even to have his religion to hold on to, which would indicate that he was intended to be a villain. On the other hand, I think Shylock was intended to be a victim and was created to challenge the pre- conceptions and ideologies of the Elizabethan era. Also I think that he is not a villain because he inspires too much empathy in an audience. Having said all this, I believe that it is no useful for us to simply categorise Shylock as either victim or villain. Through Shylock, Shakespeare explores the way in which the line between the oppressed and the oppressor can become vague.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Key Facts About Canadas Provinces and Territories

Key Facts About Canadas Provinces and Territories The fourth-largest country by land area, Canada is a vast nation with much to offer in terms of culture and natural wonders. Thanks to heavy immigration and a strong Aboriginal presence, it is also one of the worlds most multicultural nations. Canada consists of 10 provinces and three territories, each boasting unique attractions. Alberta   Alberta is a western province sandwiched in between British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The provinces strong economy relies mainly on the oil industry, given Albertas abundance of natural resources. The province features many different kinds of natural landscapes, including forests, a portion of the Canadian Rockies, flat prairies, glaciers, canyons, and wide tracts of farmland. Alberta is home to a variety of national parks where you can spot wildlife as well. Its largest cities are Calgary and Edmonton. British Columbia British Columbia, colloquially referred to as BC, is Canadas westernmost province, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Many mountain ranges run through British Columbia, including the Rockies, Selkirks, and Purcells. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria. The province is also home to Vancouver,  a world-class city known for many attractions including the 2010 Winter Olympics. Unlike indigenous groups in the rest of Canada, the First Nations of British Columbia have for the most part never signed official territorial treaties with Canada.  Thus, the official ownership of much of the provinces land is disputed. Manitoba Manitoba is located in the center of Canada. The province borders Ontario to the east, Saskatchewan to the west, Northwest Territories to the north, and North Dakota to the south. Manitobas economy relies heavily on natural resources and farming. McCain Foods and Simplot plants are located in Manitoba, which is where fast-food giants such as McDonalds and Wendys source their french fries. New Brunswick   New Brunswick is Canadas only constitutionally bilingual province. It is located above Maine, to the east of Quebec, and along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. A beautiful province, New Brunswick has a prominent tourism industry built around the areas main scenic drives: Acadian Coastal Route, Appalachian Range Route, Fundy Coastal Drive, Miramichi River Route, and River Valley Drive. Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador make up Canadas most northeastern province. Its economic mainstays are energy, tourism, and mining. Mines include iron ore, nickel, copper, zinc, silver, and gold. Fishing also plays a big role in Newfoundland and Labradors economy. When the Newfoundland Grand Banks cod fishery collapsed in 1992, it heavily impacted the province and lead to an economic depression. In recent years, Newfoundland and Labrador have seen unemployment rates and economic levels stabilized and grow. Northwest Territories   Often referred to as NWT, the Northwest Territories are bordered by the Nunavut and Yukon territories, as well as British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. As one of Canadas northernmost provinces, it features a portion of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In terms of natural beauty, Arctic tundra and boreal forest dominate this province. Nova Scotia Geographically, Nova Scotia is composed of a  peninsula and  an island called Cape Breton Island. Almost totally surrounded by water, the province  is bordered by the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Northumberland Strait, and the Atlantic Ocean. Nova Scotia is famous for its high tides and seafood, especially lobster and fish. It is also known for the unusually high rate of shipwrecks on Sable Island. Nunavut   Nunavut is Canadas largest and northernmost territory as it makes up 20 percent of the countrys landmass and 67 percent of its coastline. Despite its tremendous size, though, it is the second least populous province in Canada. Most of its land area consists of the snow-and-ice-covered Canadian Arctic Archipelago, which is uninhabitable. There are no highways in Nunavut. Instead, transit is done by air and sometimes snowmobiles. Inuit make up a heavy portion of Nunavuts population. Ontario Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada. It is also Canadas most populous province as it is home to the nations capital, Ottawa, and the world-class city of Toronto. In the minds of many Canadians, Ontario is separated into two regions: north and south. Northern Ontario is mostly uninhabited. It is rich in natural resources which explains why its economy heavily depends on forestry and mining. Southern Ontario, on the other hand, is industrialized, urbanized, and serves Canadian and U.S. markets. Prince Edward Island The smallest province in Canada, Prince Edward Island (also known as PEI) is famous for its red soil, potato industry, and beaches. PEI beaches are known for their singing sands. Because they are made of quartz sand, the beaches sing or otherwise make sounds when wind passes over them. For many literature lovers, PEI is also famous as the setting for L.M. Montgomerys novel Anne of Green Gables. The book was an instant hit back in 1908 and sold 19,000 copies in the first five months. Since then, Anne of Green Gables has been adapted for the stage and screen. Quebec Quebec is the second-most populous province in Canada after Ontario. It  is primarily a French-speaking society and the Quebecois are very proud of their language and culture. In protecting and promoting their distinct culture, Quebec independence debates are an important part of local politics. Referendums on sovereignty were held in 1980 and 1995, but both were voted down. In 2006, the House of Commons of Canada recognized Quebec as a nation within a united Canada. The provinces most well-known cities include Quebec City and Montreal. Saskatchewan Saskatchewan boasts many prairies, boreal forests, and about 100,000 lakes. Like all Canadian provinces and territories, Saskatchewan is home to Aboriginal peoples.  In 1992, the Canadian government signed a historic land claim agreement on both federal and provincial levels that gave the First Nations of Saskatchewan compensation and permission to buy land on the open market. Yukon Canadas westernmost territory, Yukon  has the smallest population of any province or territory. Historically,  Yukons major industry was  mining,  and it once experienced a large population influx thanks to the Gold Rush. This exciting  period in Canadian history was written about by authors like Jack London. This history plus Yukons natural beauty makes  tourism an important part of Yukons economy.

Friday, November 22, 2019

#FreelancerFriday #6 - Tom Sanderson, Cover Designer

#FreelancerFriday #6 - Tom Sanderson, Cover Designer #FreelancerFriday #6 - Tom Sanderson, Cover Designer â€Å"What I’m interested in about book design is how when you get a project and a brief, you’re very much a visual problem solver. You’re trying to turn a load of words, a manuscript, a blurb, an idea, into a visual package in the most interesting and pick-up-able way. Each cover is different - they may look similar in some respects, but the way you approach them mentally is quite different.†Tom Sanderson is a designer based in Brighton. He’s created book covers for just about every demographic imaginable, from children’s fiction through young adult to adult fiction, commercial and literary, and beyond. His full portfolio is at The Parish.REEDSYHow did you get started in design?TOM SANDERSON I went down the art college route. I’ve come from an illustration background. My father’s an illustrator and my mother was a Ceramics teacher. I went to art college because it seemed like the natural place for me to go. I initially did my degree in illustration, and then a postgrad after my degree which is when I got more into the graphic design side of things. I’ve always been interested in books, and I was lucky enough that the college I was at for my MA had a really good bookbinding department, so a lot of my projects were based around that.When I left college I looked for jobs in the publishing industry. Initially I worked as a junior in children’s books. Publishing is one of those industries where once you get into the system it’s a small world. If you work in a company for a couple of years, people you work with move around to other houses and you get to be known by your work. I got to move around on the back of my work from children’s fiction to teenager fiction to adult fiction design, and ended up at Penguin for about five years before going freelance.REEDSY Why go freelance?TOM SANDERSON There was a number of factors. When you work as a designer you get to a stage where you either go down the art director / creative director route, and push down that path where you’re managing people and managing projects and managing departments; or you go the freelance route. Initially I was interested in becoming an art director and did bits and pieces of that. I lived in Brighton and used to commit to London every day; after six years I wanted more of a work-life balance, so I settled in Brighton permanently and now I’ve got a studio here. If I’d stayed in London I probably would have stayed in-house too. But the other negative side of being an art director, for me, is being less hands on with stuff. It’s more about managing projects and managing people. For me my strengths are designing, and I’d miss that if I wasn’t doing it.REEDSY How do you see the creative challenge of designing a cover?TOM SANDERSON What I’m interested in about book design is how when you get a project and a brief, you’re very much a visual problem solver. You’re trying to turn a load of words, a manuscript, a blurb, an idea, into a visual package in the most interesting and pick-up-able way. Each cover is different - they may look similar in some respects, but the way you approach them mentally is quite different.REEDSY Is being pick-up-able more about standing out, or just not ‘blending in?’ Looking at your portfolio, your cover for A Deeper Darkness stood out to me.TOM SANDERSON As you can imagine, there was quite a lot of different approaches to that book because it was so massive. Initially they gave me various thought-starters about the book and how it could work as a visual reference for the cover. So we talked about having piles of burning books and Nazi banners and things like that. We talked about a German street scene, initially doing a lot of visuals of narrow streets with bombed-out buildings, and the type working above that. It wasn’t getting the emphasis that they wanted across, so we brought in the idea of having the girl reading on top, which was a nice way of reflecting what’s going on in the book. Once we had that in place we brought in elements of fire around the edges. The typography was quite simple - we just wanted to make 'The Book Thief’ stand out as clear as possible.REEDSY When an author brings you a project is there anything they can do that helps?TOM SANDERSON It’s helpful to know the kind of books your book is up against. Knowing competitor’s books, knowing the genre is useful. Any visual ideas that they might have are always good to know - it gives you a greater understanding on what you can play with visually. Sometimes by having a conversation with publishers you find ideas you’d never have arrived at on your own.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ethical Decision Making in Business Research Paper

Ethical Decision Making in Business - Research Paper Example It is not easy to create a business atmosphere that is ethically accepted. Companies often incur incredible amount of time and resources training the executive and employees in an effort to creating business ethics. Moreover, decisions made by the company may rarely be taken positively by the employees or even the executive in the implementation process. Fighting this negativity reaction may be a stumbling block to effective implementation of business ethics. Body Companies may implement other methods of educating the employees on matters concerning decision making in the business ethical environment. This method of training includes workshops and professional courses meant at educating workers on ethical decision making process. In addition, inviting experts to educate employees enables business organizations to review their goals and objectives in regard to their current operations. In so doing, the company progressively builds a strong business code of conduct in running of a busi ness. Though the resources of the business environment may be very costly, it always helps the company to improve its status. In essence, Smart ethical decisions are very crucial to the continuity of the business as well as mastering marketing skills including finance and accounting. Ethical conduct needs an understanding and identification of issues associated with risks incurrence and uncertainties together with making decisions and choices pertaining to the business environment. It is very important to make economic decisions that can lead to improvement in the company’s status .The most important characteristic of the business is contentious and it has no special way of approaching and solving issues.... Companies may implement other methods of educating the employees on matters concerning decision-making in the business ethical environment. This method of training includes workshops and professional courses meant at educating workers on the ethical decision-making process. In addition, inviting experts to educate employees enables business organizations to review their goals and objectives in regard to their current operations. In so doing, the company progressively builds a strong business code of conduct in running of a business. Though the resources of the business environment may be very costly, it always helps the company to improve its status. In essence, Smart ethical decisions are very crucial to the continuity of the business as well as mastering marketing skills including finance and accounting. Ethical conduct needs an understanding and identification of issues associated with risks incurrence and uncertainties together with making decisions and choices pertaining to the business environment. It is very important to make economic decisions that can lead to improvement in the company’s status.The most important characteristic of the business is contentious and it has no special way of approaching and solving issues. It is found through research that an ethical person is of good use than an unethical rich person. Organizations that fail to achieve good ethical standards among its workforce and in their decision-making practice will most likely fail to achieve its objectives in the long run.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Financial Managment worksheet 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Managment worksheet 3 - Essay Example The investors who invest their money in the firm for hope to get a return on their investment are called stockholders or shareholders. In other words, evaluation of a proposed project should be based on the project's cost of capital (Vernimmen, 2005). This is because when a company raises capital, there is usually no direct links between the return to the supplier of the company's capital and the return on individual project. The corporation then uses the weighted average of these capitals for mixing in the firm's overall equity to analyze the capital budgeting decisions. It takes into consideration the weighted average of all the capital and is thus referred as weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital expenditure. Although actual level of debt and equity may vary somewhat over time, most firms try to keep their financing mix close to a target capital structure. As we know that the WACC is a weighted average of relatively low-cost debt and high cost equity, so precisely we can say that capital structure change will affect the WACC to increase or decrease with respect to the change that occurs in the capital structure. The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital structure. ... ecisely we can say that capital structure change will affect the WACC to increase or decrease with respect to the change that occurs in the capital structure. OPTIMAL CAPITAL STRUCTURE: The firm's mixture of debt and equity is called its capital structure. The fundamental source of a company's value is the stream of net cash flows generated by it assets. This stream is usually referred to as the company's net operating cash flow or earning before interest and taxes (EBIT). The capital structure adopted by a company divides the stream between different classes of investors. If a company is financed entirely by equity and there is no company tax, this entire stream is available to provide income to shareholders. If a company also borrows funds, the lenders have the first claim on the net operating cash flow and shareholders are entitled to the riskier, residual cash flow that remains after the lenders have been paid (Vernimmen, 2005). Manager should choose the capital structure that maximizes shareholder's wealth. The basic approach is to consider a trial capital structure based on the market values of the debt and equity, and then estimate the wealth of the sharehold ers under this capital structure. This approach is repeated until an optimal capital structure is identified. We have to take 5 steps into consideration to determine an "optimal capital structure", the steps are; 1. Estimate the interest rate the firm will pay 2. Estimate the cost of equity 3. Estimate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) 4. Estimate the free cash flow and their present value, which is the value of the firm 5. Deduct the value of the debt to find the shareholders' wealth which we want to maximize An investor in a company with a low debt-equity ratio is likely to attach a low

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Operations Research Essay Example for Free

Operations Research Essay Operations are directly affected by changes in the factors of production and by other circumstantial changes which directly affect the costs of these factors. One of these changes is the demand changes that occur within the market. Operations are directly affected by production since the level of production coincides with the supply and demand levels of market. Demand has a direct effect in this case since a lower rate of demand necessarily means that production has to be reduced in response to the decreasing demand and thus operations are affected as well. Another factor to consider is the implementation of new pollution control laws which drives up the costs of production and operating expenses due to the taxes that may be imposed and compliance regulations that will be enforced. Carbon trading, which is an example of a pollution control law, requires industries to purchase carbon credits which in the end affect the price of the goods and operating expenses. Other items such as the fluctuation in the value of the dollar and price changes are also critical because they determine the end cost of not only the factor inputs required for operations and by doing so affect the expenditures of companies but also determine the willingness of the market to consume the item or service that is being sold. A stronger dollar for example will mean that exports are affected because it will necessarily drive up the cost of a commodity vis-a-vis the exchange rate. Price changes are also important to consider because they affect the willingness of the customer to purchase a certain commodity and principles such as substitution and competition now take effect.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Zora Neale Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay -- Their Eyes

Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"’†¦but she don’t seem to mind at all. Reckon dey understand one ‘nother.’† A woman’s search for her own free will to escape the chains of other people in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. In the continuing philosophical debate of free will versus determinism, the question arises as to whether or not free will exists. Do people really have the capability of making decisions on their own? OR Is life already determined, and whatever we do is (and always was) the only thing that we could have done at that time, conditions being what they were? Given the circumstances in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, I would argue that, while free will does exist, in my view, and a person can choose most of their actions through careful decision making, the main character, Janie, has the majority of her life planned out for her already. Whatever Janie does is governed by the laws of cause and effect; every one of her actions has a reaction. In Janie’s quest to find herself, she does make some decisions on her own, but her decisions only lead her to her destiny, so, how can we say that Janie really has free will? The truth is that you cannot determine if J anie has free will or not. Even though it is a fiction novel, and the reader is aware that the author has Janie already figured out, we can still say that Janie does not have free will. Janie’s actions are mainly determined for her by people, events, and other things out of her control. It is because of Janie’s character and personality that the reader can know she does not have the complete power to take her life into her own hands. Janie is an African American woman which is enough to determine a heavy amount of her future for her. Hurston tries to give Janie a chance to think for herself, but, mostly, Janie does not have the power to take on these situations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to philosophy professor Steven M. Cahn, premise number two of the argument for determinism states that, â€Å"In the case of every event that occurs, there are antecedent conditions, known or unknown, that ensure that the event will occur.† Zora Neale Hurston was aware of the argument for determinism. Hurston makes her reader believe that, at times, Janie does have free will, but her life is already planned out. With enough knowledge of Janie’s character, the rea... ...gether. It is not until the end of the story that Janie begins to think for herself and find out who she really is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Janie’s life was planned out for her. She did make a few decisions on her own like when she left her first husband, Logan Killicks, but Janie only brought about more problems for herself by running off with Joe Starks. All of her husbands had control over her because she allowed herself to appear weak and vulnerable. Janie did not know any better. Nanny had kept Janie sheltered, and Janie had to learn about life on her own. At the end of the story, this happens, and Janie does seem to become a stronger person. But Janie never quite gets a grip on life because she is not a strong person to begin with. Her helplessness allows her to be controlled by other people. These other people like Nanny, Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake make many of Janie’s decisions for her. Much of Janie’s life is determined for her by these people in her life as well as other things and events around her. Janie did not have the knowledge to take care of herself. She was not raised that way. Janie’s life was governed by the laws of cause and effect, and not by her own free will.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Ohm’s Law Investigation Essay

Hypothesis: Because I am using copper wire as a resistor, when I increase the length of the wire the resistance should work how resistors in series work. This means that when I increase the length of wire (or add a piece in a series circuit) the resistance should increase too. Due to the increase in the number of atoms and ions between the two terminals it takes the electrons longer to get from one side to the other. For example if I double the length of the wire the resistance will double and the current will halve. My graph at the end should look something like this: The length of wire and resistance should be directly proportional to each other. Equipment: -2 1. 5V cells -Metre ruler -Copper wire -Voltmeter -Ammeter -Wiring -Crocodile clips Method: First I decided upon the type of wire I was going to use (copper), I made sure it was the same thickness each time I took readings because as aforementioned, if the cross sectional area is not kept constant, it will definitely affect the resistance and thus make my results inaccurate. Then I measured it to 100cm by laying it across a metre ruler, because this way I can be accurate to the millimetre. I then hooked the 2 cells up to the copper wire stretched across the metre ruler using my wires and crocodile clips. I connected the two terminals on the metre ruler 40cm apart. For this experiment I will take readings for p. d (potential difference) and the resistance using an ammeter and a voltmeter at distances ranging from 40cm to 100cm – I will take measurements in 5cm intervals (i. e. take measurements from 40cm, 45 cm and so on so forth). I made sure that the voltmeter and ammeter were set up in PARALLEL not series as this would damage them. Below is a diagram of my apparatus and how I set it up: And the (simple) schematic of the circuit: In this experiment I will keep all things constant (apart from the length of wire). I will keep do all my measurements in one day in a short space of time in the same room away from the windows (out of the sun) so the temperature does not change noticeably while I am carrying out the experiment, as this would affect my results and make them inaccurate. Also, when charge flows through the wire and there is resistance, it generates heat in the wire. I will keep the power on the wire for the least amount of time and take my readings quickly so the temperature does not affect my results. In addition to this I will also wait a minute after each reading so that the wire cools to room temperature again and my results are accurate. In theory the graph-line should be straight – if it isn’t then it indicates that there is another variable. The other constant is the cross sectional area of my wire – this is fairly easy to keep constant – just use the same piece of wire. I have to keep this the same because cross sectional area of wire is proportional to the resistance – if I do not keep it the same it will also make my results inaccurate. I will take readings from each distance 3 times and take the average of those, so I can greatly decrease the chances of getting an anomalous result. Results: Here is the results table followed by a graph representing each of the 3 – p. d, Current and then resistance. Length of Wire (cm) Potential Difference (V) Current (A) Resistance (? ). And finally, to calculate the resistance I used the ohm’s law formula of R=V/I. Analysis: My experiment was very successful and the results I got proved to be quite accurate and precise. Therefore my graphs and result tables provide me with a base to understand just why length affects the resistance. My prediction was that â€Å"when I increase the length of wire the resistance should increase too†; my prediction is supported by my results – and appears to be correct. The graphs and tables prove that the longer the copper wire, the higher the resistance. Resistance is also linked to charge flow, if I change the charge flow it will have an affect on the equation I = Q/t. If the current is changed then this will have an affect on the resistance. So with the help of the formulae I=Q/t and R=V/I, I now know that if I increase the charge flow, the current increases and the resistance decreases. Consequently if I double the length of wire the equation I = Q / t will be halved (due to the time increasing) causing the current to be halved and the resistance to be doubled. I can see one anomalous result in the ‘Current’ graph, which is at a length of 80cm – it appears to be at a slightly lower current than it should be in relation to the others. Evaluation: Using my results and my graphs I can clearly tell that my experiment was successful, I can tell this because, generally, none of my results have any inconsistent results and my graphs show straight lines. Even after repeating my experiment many times my graphs still remained just as precise and the graph showing the average results of the experiment is a perfect straight line. The fact that I got the similar results each time I did the experiment suggests that is was successful and also reliable, thus I must have carried out the experiment well. The way in which I conducted the experiment was good because I made sure that the voltage supplied to the wire was equal each time, the cross sectional area of the wire remained the same, and also that the wire cooled down between each result. The use of mm instead of cm made sure that the length was exact and not longer or shorter. Therefore my results were successful and reliable for us to work from. However this did not mean that the way in which I did the experiment couldn’t have been improved. Having to secure the wire so as to measure the length meant that it was difficult to attach the crocodile clips to exactly the end of the wire. I could not be sure that as I left the wire to cool it was not at a different temperature each time I begun again; this could have affected my results if it had been vastly different. In my experiment, I could also have investigated a number of other things, such as the effect of cross sectional area or temperature on the resistance. If I had looked at the effect that the cross sectional area had on resistance I would probably discover that as the wire doubled in cross sectional area the resistance would halve. This would be due to there being twice as many electrons – the current would travel a lot quicker and thus decrease the resistance. If I looked at how temperature affected resistance I would probably find that as the temperature of the wire increases, the particles within begin to vibrate much more because they have some extra energy, therefore it is much harder for the electrons to move through and thus the resistance will rise. So instead of just investigating how length affected the resistance of a piece of wire I could also have investigated the affect of temperature or cross sectional area on the piece of wire Adam Burclaff Page 1 of 10 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Amazon’s Competitive Analysis Essay

Competitors are the firms that compete to serve the same customers in the same marketplace. Competitors can compete directly or indirectly. Competition happens on two levels: Product or service competition. Due to the shift of focus for Amazon, it has become the â€Å"Earth’s biggest anything store†. Its competitors have expanded from just online book retailers Barnes and Nobles and Borders to top audio retailers CDNOW.com and online auction house e-bay.com. Amazon has an overall lead of 40% market share against the other online retail firms. Their international business has more than doubled over the past 2 years Amazon’s primary value chain includes purchasing/sourcing, marketing, distribution and after-sales services, which includes returns and exchanges from unsatisfied customers. Their main focus is in the purchasing/sourcing and in the distribution of the products to the consumers. Their investments are therefore, geared towards warehouses in key points of high consumer demand areas and an efficient delivery and distributing system to service all its consumers. Thus, Amazon controls most of its distributing system that spans across borders. How does Amazon compete? Competes through Quality, service, and low price. How effective is each? Quality – they make sure that their product reach the customer with no damage and always serve their customer with the best product. Service – Amazon delivers the product within a week. Less lead time Low price – reasonable pricing. How powerful? Amazon is power because they were the first to start an online business. They have more customers due to this. The customers are loyal to Amazon and will do their shopping only at Amazon. Amazon is very profitable and is doing well currently. How aggressive? Amazon.com has remained on top of the online retailing business despite the entrance of giants such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders. Their success is attributed to two factors; timing and continuing to invest heavily into the inventory and distribution systems. Amazon, by being the first of its kind, has a big lead over the nearest competitors due to their experience and its reputation as the first movers. Their thrust remains on improving efficient delivery systems across borders and to build name recognition as the number one retailing firm in the Internet. They have also ventured into different retail options to keep that lead. Marketing, Innovative inventory and distribution systems, and name recall have helped Amazon build a sustainable competitive advantage. Will diversification into new markets finally turn a profit for Amazon.com before the dotcom godfather burns through the last of its savings? In five years Amazon.com has built the world’s biggest online store. However, despite generating expected $1bn ( £0.67bn) sales from the Christmas retail season alone, profit has proved elusive. Despite its profligate sales, business-to-consumer e-commerce’s pre-eminent player is not expected to enter the black until year-end, according to financial analysts’ most-optimistic forecasts. Meanwhile, a cost-intensive diversification strategy casts doubt on the prospect of the company ever turning a profit, according to a growing chorus of company-watchers. In order for any online retail company to remain prosperous and income generating, they must invest a lot of time and money into research and development of more efficient operations and distributions systems. This proved to be key for the Market Leader in online retailing, Amazon.Com. Conclusion – Many Amazon-watchers believe diversification will saddle the company with an unsustainable cost burden. â€Å"There is an incompatibility between its brand proposition of offering a dominant breadth of assortment and achieving profitability,† b. While the threat from dotcom upstarts has receded with their reduced ability to raise funds on the investment market, the challenge from bricks and mortar retailers adding online stores is getting fiercer. As well as wielding generous Internet war chests from established profitability, physical retailers will benefit from a maturation of the online market. The lunched of Amazon.com in July of 1995 was the creation of a new and bold way of doing business on the Internet. Amazon.com forced the traditional physical world brick and mortar retailer in the book industry to change the way they target the industry’s consumers and then epitomized Business-2-Consumer e-retailing. Although, Amazon.com started as an online bookstore, The bricks and clicks mantra revolves around the idea that the winning — and profitable — formula for electronic commerce success is leveraging the best of the physical and virtual worlds. In theory, it should give physical retailers venturing on to the Web an edge over pure dot-com e-commerce companies because they can efficiently extend their existing infrastructure and complement their real world stores. So far, the most successful retailers have been those that have taken an aggressive approach to the Internet like Amazon. The bricks-and-clicks model is gaining momentum as the e-commerce market matures. A growing number of retailers have finally gotten serious about doing business on-line, now that fast-moving dot-com players such as Amazon.com Inc., eBay Inc. and eToys Inc. have carved out market niches. By creating an independent on-line unit that has the freedom to develop its own merchandising and marketing strategies, Amazon has the freedom and flexibility to capitalize on opportunities. Toys â€Å"R† Us Inc. stumbled when  it decided to protect its stores and offer only a limited selection of merchandise on its Web site. That gave eToys and Amazon.com a window of opportunity to win customer loyalty and rapidly grow sales, while Toys â€Å"R† Us struggled to play catch-up. The Market is moving toward a system where it is no longer going to be only Internet or only bricks and mortar,† he says. â€Å"Amazon’s mandate is not focused on where the business was, but rather where the opportunities are.† Another model is being pursued by Peachtree Network Inc., which is creating an on-line grocery network across Canada. Rather than spend heavily to build warehouses and purchase delivery trucks, Peachtree offers a service to regional grocery chains that lets them provide consumers with an on-line ordering system. The grocers, which already have the infrastructure, process the orders and handle delivery. Amazon.com has parlayed its Internet expertise to compete very successfully against traditional â€Å"bricks & mortar† book retailers such as Barnes & Noble, and Borders; Price line has leveraged its e-commerce patents and business model to challenge the incumbent travel agent industry. Thus, the pure Internet plays are very well-positioned to leverage the Internet to overwhelm their incumbent competitors who are locked into their â€Å"bricks & mortar† channels. However this is not necessarily true for all industries. If an incumbent can update its business model and supporting organizational infrastructure, it can successfully leverage the Internet just as effectively. Companies that exist to engage in commerce in the Internet’s digital marketplaces are known as digital players. For example, Amazon.com exists as a digital player that uses digital processes to transact physical products such as books, and videotapes. By using the Internet as its sole marketing and support channel, Amazon.com has been able to avoid heavy â€Å"bricks and mortar† investments that weigh upon its physical competitors such as Barnes and Noble, and Borders. Incumbent competitors are beginning to establish their own websites so that they can continue to serve their clients who are already on the Internet, and also to serve new market segments. However the pure digital players, if they do not already have brand-recognition or are not affiliated with existing brand names, often have to invest significantly  in marketing and other promotional expenditures to gain consumer awareness. Market Entrants Leverage Disruptive Innovations Since market entrants by definition do not have established business models and distribution channels  with the related cost structures, they can exploit the strategic flexibility provided by disruptive innovations to devise business models and strategies to compete successfully in the emerging marketplace. Unlike the incumbents who have to work within the constraints of their existing business models, organizational structures, and cultures, these entrants can craft their business strategies based upon the unique enabling opportunities provided by the disruptive innovations.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Socrates & Crito

Topic: Does Socrates convince you (as he seems to have persuaded Crito) that an agreement obliges him to remain in Athens and face execution? Crito is a dialogue between Socrates and the title character in which both men discuss whether Socrates should or should not attempt to escape from an execution sentenced by the state of Athens. The scene is set a few days before the actual execution of Socrates is scheduled to take place. Crito approaches Socrates in his prison cell and attempts to persuade him into running away with the monetary and physical help of Crito and Socrates’ other friends and admirers. Crito gives a number of reasons why Socrates should run away basing his reasons around how Socrates should avoid harm (e.g. by running away, Socrates will avoid harming his friends and their reputation, his children, and so forth). Socrates is faced with making a decision in a limited amount of time (i.e. the decision to run away). Socrates rejects Crito’s reasons for running away, and then presents his own arguments about why running away would be committing a wrongful act. Before Socrates begins his two arguments, Crito concedes to Socrates’ assertion that if two parties have come to an agreement, then the agreement must always be held. By not upholding the agreement, one party is causing harm to the other. And, both Socrates and Crito believe that it is always wrong to harm another, in any situation. Socrates then begins to speak of his association with the laws. He states that if he were to run away, he would destroy the laws because he would leave the laws equivalent to nothing. If Socrates were to claim that the city had wronged him, and its decision was not right, the laws would reply that there was an agreement between Socrates and the nation of Athens (and its subsequent laws) which both parties had agreed to and as a consequence, the agreement required Socrates to remain in prison and serve his sentence... Free Essays on Socrates & Crito Free Essays on Socrates & Crito Topic: Does Socrates convince you (as he seems to have persuaded Crito) that an agreement obliges him to remain in Athens and face execution? Crito is a dialogue between Socrates and the title character in which both men discuss whether Socrates should or should not attempt to escape from an execution sentenced by the state of Athens. The scene is set a few days before the actual execution of Socrates is scheduled to take place. Crito approaches Socrates in his prison cell and attempts to persuade him into running away with the monetary and physical help of Crito and Socrates’ other friends and admirers. Crito gives a number of reasons why Socrates should run away basing his reasons around how Socrates should avoid harm (e.g. by running away, Socrates will avoid harming his friends and their reputation, his children, and so forth). Socrates is faced with making a decision in a limited amount of time (i.e. the decision to run away). Socrates rejects Crito’s reasons for running away, and then presents his own arguments about why running away would be committing a wrongful act. Before Socrates begins his two arguments, Crito concedes to Socrates’ assertion that if two parties have come to an agreement, then the agreement must always be held. By not upholding the agreement, one party is causing harm to the other. And, both Socrates and Crito believe that it is always wrong to harm another, in any situation. Socrates then begins to speak of his association with the laws. He states that if he were to run away, he would destroy the laws because he would leave the laws equivalent to nothing. If Socrates were to claim that the city had wronged him, and its decision was not right, the laws would reply that there was an agreement between Socrates and the nation of Athens (and its subsequent laws) which both parties had agreed to and as a consequence, the agreement required Socrates to remain in prison and serve his sentence...

Monday, November 4, 2019

A lost property Essay Example for Free

A lost property Essay ? A lost property is one which is found in a locality where it is likely that its true owner had no intent of placing it and the owner is not likely to find it. On the other hand, misplaced property is one which the true owner placed it somewhere and forgot to pick it up. Conversely, abandoned property is one which the true owner intended to leave somewhere due to the state it was in (Litka & Inman, 1983). This plane could have been termed as lost or abandoned. The collector of the airplane – Doug Chaplin, thus lost in the court ruling since the plane was a lost and found property (Stewart, Warner & Portman, 2008). The plane could have remained to be the property of Chaplin but since The Navy found it and because they are the true owners; they have a right to repossess it. Chaplin should have turned the plane over to the proper authorities. Moreover, if the owner does not go to claim it for a certain time period, then the plane could be reverted back to Chaplin (Warda, 2005). The plane was ruled to be belonging to The Navy even though Chaplin could have been rewarded for his effort to recover the plane. The court could also have ruled that the plane constituted an abandoned property and thus was supposed to be a property of the government of which The Navy was also part of the government. Chaplin could never win the case because the plane’s true owners were claiming it, in addition, the law holds that lost property should be returned to the owner. Even if Chaplin collected the plane as a relic, the plane still belonged to The Navy since under the common law of America, relics are entitled to their collector unless the true owner reclaims them. References Litka, M. P. ; & Inman, J. E. (1983). The legal environment of business: Public and private laws. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Stewart, M. ; Warner, R. ; & Portman, J. (2008). Every landlord’s legal guide. Berkeley, California: Nolo. Warda, M. (2005). Landlords’ rights and duties in Florida. Chicago, IL: Sourcebooks, Incorporated. A lost property. (2016, Sep 17).

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Contract provision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contract provision - Essay Example The above-named Client (hereinafter referred to as "Client") is engaging Span Systems as an independent contractor for the specific purpose of designing software, herein after referred to as "Software Design Project", to be published on the Client's account on an Internet Service Provider (ISP)/Web Presence Provider (WPP) computer, herein, or provided on disc at the Client's option. The Client hereby authorizes Span Systems to access this account, and authorizes the Hosting Service to provide Span Systems and its designer, Fawaz, with "full access" to the Client's account, and any other programs needed for this project that are included as part of the Client's service agreement/level.Compatibility - Designing a program to fully work in multiple browsers (and browser versions) can require considerable, extra effort. It could also involve creating multiple versions of code/pages. Span Systems represents and warrants that the web site we design for you will work in:While Span Systems wi ll make reasonable efforts to design a fully-functional program, our warranty does not cover programs other than those mentioned above or requested special effects that we have advised you against.4.a This contract shall cover the expectation of the completion of terms on a ninety day basis. This contract does not guarantee that the contract will be completed, but rather that the terms will be revisited and renewed upon consent of all parties.