Sandbox Essays - Edward Albee, Theatre Of The Absurd, The Sandbox

Sandbox In reading Edward Albee's "The Sandbox" directly out of the text, it seemed to be a trite and dull play. I was left with feeling after I read the play in the book, that if anything this boring could get published so could I some time in the future. Yet, to see it performed live by my fellow classmates, it revealed much of the dynamics of that family. In being able to see it performed among my classmates; my actual opinion of the play did modify. I was able to be more open and understanding to the message and the actual motivation of the play. My original opinion of this play was that if was of a family that was too busy to care about the needs of the elderly grandmother. It had managed to rap itself so tightly in the daily bind not to care about any actual member of the family that could be sick or aging. A family that had established itself to a point that having to contend with the grandmother throws the entire situation off. In seeing the play performed live I grew to understand that my original assumption was precise yet, there was more going on than I read. It is a family that is dealing with having to cope with an elderly parent. The roles of parenting have changed the child has now become the parent. It about a family has to cope and re-adjust their lives to manage the new person. Also a problem with dealing with the elderly is dealing with the fact that they are closer to death. The realities that the "Mom" would be losing her own mother soon, which leaves some harsh feelings. Death is an actual theme that I could tell throughout the play. The play confronts being alive and how to behave with the awareness of death. It calls the reader and the people who will view the play live, not to live in fear of death that it is such a natural next step of life. It is has some streaks of optimism, because the play makes the assumption that it is possible to communicate with other people. That in the end the natural element that makes life a workable situation is to be able to talk to each other. The play is a good example of a family dealing with change and transition. It is a family that is adjusting to the change of a loved one. The play allows the reader from dark humored perspective understand the pain an anger of old aged. It would be the definition of the song the "Little of Lady from Pasadena" how as we get older we do slow down but grow. I found the play to be a good look at the current trends in society. That this society has a problem with how to treat the elderly, how to respect the wealth of knowledge that they have. This society has a function to serve the young and when the elderly hit a certain point they have used the potential and a discarded. The play reflects modern trends on the elderly and the perspective of how they are dealt with.

Free Essays on West African

The West Africa Regional War For observers of the West Africa regional war, the recent calm in the war-torn Mano River Union (MRU) states Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has given rise to optimism. Guarded, as this optimism might be, the decrease in violence in West Africa during the second half of 2001 is an important development given the scope and intensity of fighting that gripped these states earlier in the year. While observers agree that the current absence of widespread violent conflict in the MRU is a much-welcomed development, it must not mask the profound cleavages within these societies, the tenuous nature of the UN-imposed peace in Sierra Leone, and the continued serious threat of renewed warfare in the region. A brief overview of the horrendous and persistent conflicts that have engulfed the MRU over the past decade underscores the need for vigilance by the international community in its pursuit of lasting peace in West Africa. The past dozen years of violent conflict in West Africa have led to the death, injury, and mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. Conservative estimates place the total number of war-related deaths during the seven-year civil war in Liberia (1989 1996) at 150,000, more than 5 percent of Liberia's estimated population (SIPRI Yearbook, 1996). But this number only begins to tell the story of the horror that civil war brought to this small nation of 2.8 million [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Human Development Report, 1995]. Hundreds of thousands more Liberians were injured, displaced, and terrorized by the conflict, and today the tiny state remains the hostage of its corrupt and brutal dictator, Charles Taylor. After the war spread into Sierra Leone in 1991, it had a similarly devastating effect. As in Liberia, armed insurgents preyed on the rural populations, raping, pillaging, and forcefully inducting children into their ranks. During t... Free Essays on West African Free Essays on West African The West Africa Regional War For observers of the West Africa regional war, the recent calm in the war-torn Mano River Union (MRU) states Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea has given rise to optimism. Guarded, as this optimism might be, the decrease in violence in West Africa during the second half of 2001 is an important development given the scope and intensity of fighting that gripped these states earlier in the year. While observers agree that the current absence of widespread violent conflict in the MRU is a much-welcomed development, it must not mask the profound cleavages within these societies, the tenuous nature of the UN-imposed peace in Sierra Leone, and the continued serious threat of renewed warfare in the region. A brief overview of the horrendous and persistent conflicts that have engulfed the MRU over the past decade underscores the need for vigilance by the international community in its pursuit of lasting peace in West Africa. The past dozen years of violent conflict in West Africa have led to the death, injury, and mutilation of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. Conservative estimates place the total number of war-related deaths during the seven-year civil war in Liberia (1989 1996) at 150,000, more than 5 percent of Liberia's estimated population (SIPRI Yearbook, 1996). But this number only begins to tell the story of the horror that civil war brought to this small nation of 2.8 million [United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Human Development Report, 1995]. Hundreds of thousands more Liberians were injured, displaced, and terrorized by the conflict, and today the tiny state remains the hostage of its corrupt and brutal dictator, Charles Taylor. After the war spread into Sierra Leone in 1991, it had a similarly devastating effect. As in Liberia, armed insurgents preyed on the rural populations, raping, pillaging, and forcefully inducting children into their ranks. During t...

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Political science - Essay Example As Hoffman and William say. A further reason why the Middle East is becoming more important is high oil prices. Although oil prices are far below their 2008 peak of US$147/bbl, they are expected to remain high due to rising demand from China, India, and other emerging markets. Despite efforts by international oil companies to tap into new sources, such as the Caspian Sea, West Africa, and Brazil’s offshore deposits, and despite moves to develop alternative energy sources, oil is likely to remain paramount. Meanwhile, the windfall of high oil prices should continue to boost investment in the Middle East, making it an important economic region. Apart from Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, no Middle Eastern state has an entirely democratic political system. Iran has competitive elections, but ultimate power rests with the ruling clerics. The other countries are all absolute monarchies or led by authoritarian presidents, although there are varying degrees of parliamentary representation. As a result, most leaders have questionable legitimacy. Opposition groups tend to be suppressed, and governments maintain powerful security services to keep their populations in line. This system of government has fostered patronage and corruption, in turn adding to public dissatisfaction. Arguably, the biggest question for the Middle East is whether it can continue to be an exception to the spread of democracy worldwide or whether democracy will eventually take hold. As per Wunderle openion. Over the coming decade, we expect several Middle Eastern states – notably Egypt and Saudi Arabia – to face succession issues, as incumbent heads of state pass from the scene. In Egypt, the outlook is highly uncertain, amid signs that President Hosni Mubarak is grooming his son Gamal to succeed him and opposition to this. In Saudi Arabia, the succession procedure is clearer cut, but a power

The most prominent battles of the Civil War of America Essay

The most prominent battles of the Civil War of America - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that June 10, 1864, marks the day of the Battle of Brice’s Crossroad. It was a civil war that was fought between the union and the confederate near Mississippi. The Confederates were led by Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the victorious commander and the unions were led by Brigadier General Samuel D. Sturgis, the losing commander. It is one of the most famous civil war because the outnumbered unions were badly defeated by the Confederates, who in number were almost half their army. The main reason behind the splendid victory of Forrest is the outstanding war planning. The tactic that he devised to weaken the union army, the place that he chose to meet the unions in the battle, use of secret intelligence were all in favor of the victory of Forrest. He planned to attack the main cavalry first and then move on further to the remaining army. The main cavalry tried to defend themselves and when they reached Brice Crossroad to inform their army and alert them, they were exhausted and confronted with the fresh army of Forrest. This proved very helpful for the Confederates. The place that had been decided by Forrest to be the battleground was much near to the supply depot of the confederates and very far from the depot of the unions. This made the unions deprived of the supply and although being outnumbered gave no benefit to them because of the shortage of the supply.

Accounting in Society Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting in Society - Case Study Example There comes the question of consideration whether the presence of the accounting standards is a good or bad thing. There have been several arguments, in though of Baxter, regarding the presence of the accounting standards because there can be commands as well as regulations which help to run life more smoothly while there is the requirement of flexibility in dealing with certain aspects. It should be considered about the benefits that prevail through the presence of the accounting standards because the standards lay emphasis on what should be done rather than why and how it should be done. Therefore, it is quite important to consider whether having the accounting standards is good or bad because at one side they may make life easy by providing a set of rules and on the other hand it may create life difficult by taking away the flexibility of an accountant. The history of the accounting standards began in the late 1930’s when the idea of accounting based on the standard came to light. United States and the United Kingdom were among the countries which were thoroughly involved in the development of the accounting standards at the start and gave the accounting standards some initial touches. The history of both the countries which brought us the accounting standards today is outlined below with their levels of development in both the United States and United Kingdom. The US based standards took a series of stages to develop and come into a shape. In the beginning, the process was initiated by the committee on accounting procedures in 1939 who issued Accounting research bulletins. The committee worked for around 20 years and issued 50 Accounting Research Bulletins. There was a lot of criticism on that committee and their work because they were accused of not relying on the research that much. Therefore, in its place an Accounting Principles Board came in

True Romance Sicilian Scene Analysis

True Romance Sicilian Scene Analysis Barthes saw the importance of keeping vital information hidden from the viewer in order to keep them excited and interested in the narrative. After watching a mystery unfold, we are often left kicking ourselves when we realise the important clues that we missed out that would have given the answer away much earlier on in the narrative. Whether it was something that was said or suggested by an actor, or something left lying around in the scene. It is Barthes who tries to define these different hints and clues to assist us in further understanding the depths of a narrative scene. By helping us realise that we can understand whats going on from many indicators and not just what is being said out loud we are lead to heightened observations. He did this by defining five codes; the first two are the Hermeneutic, sometimes described as the enigma code, and the proairetic code. These two are often categorised together as they both focus on what can be found within the text. The three other c odes are the semantic, symbolic and cultural codes; I will describe each of these further throughout the essay. The Hermeneutic/enigma code looks at the ways in which suspense and mystery are added to create uncertainty and foster curiosity(Ribià ¨re,Mireille. 2002, pg. 46.) so that the interpreter is given hints and then proceeds to question subtly placed items or text that will later be answered in the text. These clues are known by terms such as snares as they catch the viewers attention and keep them engaged they dont allow the viewer to know the truth but they keep them guessing. Equivocations, like snares, are clues that keep the viewer involved, however, they give the viewer a slight insight into the truth while still concealing the whole truth. In the scene I am discussing an example of a snare is the blood that we see all over Cliffs hands. It leads us to contemplate why is he covered in blood?. Initially, we cant work out why but on closer inspection we also notice the men standing around him are all dressed in dark clothes and standing over him in an intimidating manner. When we co mbine these ideas we can assume that these men are the cause of the blood and he didnt just hurt himself, this in turn leads us to believe that Cliff is being forcefully interrogated. Not only the lighting and the smoky atmosphere of the set show key insights into the scene but also the location of the set. For this I think it is important to apply Barthes semantic and symbolic codes to the scene. I believe that Barthes symbolic code means to look at the visual side of the scene and try and work out the deeper connotations attached, this is code is also very similar to his Semantic code and Barthes never actually specified the difference [1] between them. However, the word Semantic according to the OED means relating to meaning in language or logic so I will look for the semantic signifiers from the spoken word. I believe that the fact that they are in a small, dark, confined space with no other people around and without any background sounds, in a Symbolic way suggests to the audience that no one else knows that Cliff is confined there and that if the mafia choose to kill him then his body will not be discovered for a considerable amount of time. The smokiness in the room also suggests to the audience that perhaps there is a dark atmosphere. and leads the audience to believe that this scene wont end well. I think a very critical part of this scene is where we see the role reversal between Coccotti and Worley, this happens as Worley accepts the fact that he will die in order to protect his son. There is both a proairetic code and a semantic code shown here. The proairetic code as mentioned the introduction, refers to an action in the text that leads the audience to second guess what will happen next. This is shown by Worley asking for the cigarette he initially refused (1.00). This is significant for the symbolic code also as i believe it holds connotations related to a last request of a condemned man, men were often given cigarettes before facing a firing squad [2] and i believe that this is also an important semantic code as i think that the smoking of the cigarette is the point where Tarantino and Scott want the audience to believe that Worley will not survive, when looking at this with the semantic code i believe that the fact that he asks for one of those Chesterfields now is very telling as it indicates that when he was offered one earlier he believed that he would survive. Another reference to the Symbolic code is that at the very instance that Worley asks for the cigarette The Flower Duet from the opera Lakme starts playing as background music [3]. This I believe is Tarantino making a reference to the vast use of classical music in famous gangster/mob films like The Godfather, Once upon a time in America and many others [4]. It is used for many reasons, one is to set an interesting juxtaposition to the violence that is going on and another is to set a tone in the scene and to represent the high status and views that mobsters hold of themselves, this has much to do with the typical stereotype of gangsters. I consider it also important to now mention how stereotyping is used in this scene and how using these character assumptions also helps us in understanding the narrative. Lippmann explained the use of stereotypes in three ways[1], one was as an ordering process, a way to give a description to a mass of people without having to go into the specific detail or giving a general name to a large group of similar people. The second idea is that stereotypes are used as a short cut to describe someones characteristics and or appearance[1], in a way it means cutting down their personalities and type casting them, Lippmann explains The real environment is altogether too big, too complex, and too fleeting for direct acquaintance. We are not equipped to deal with so much subtlety, so much variety, so many permutations and combinations. And although we have to act in that environment, we have to reconstruct it on a simpler model before we can manage with it. To traverse the world men must have map s of the world. (Lippman Walter: 2007 pg. 16) Lippmanns final way of explaining using stereotypes is as a reference [1], for example, it is easier to build a character in a media text or script that is already based around a certain type-cast that the audience is familiar with, it helps them to relate to the character. I believe Tarantino has used a typical American-Italian mafia stereotype as a reference in this scene as Don Coccotti isnt a major part in the whole film so it is important for the audience to quickly catch on to his purpose in the film Don Coccottis immaculate grooming from the casually unbuttoned cashmere full length over coat with silk scarf, very stereotypical of the attire you see in Mafia related scenes like the Godfather, immediately put him echelons above his surrounding henchmen with hunched shoulders badly cut jackets that obviously conceal weapons, and the blank looks on their faces, that we find towards the end of the scene, accounts for the fact that at least one of the Scilians speaks no English what so ever and is truly fascinated by what Worley has said. The camera angle used gives an added dimension to the vulnerability of the seated Worley, up until the point where Worley slowly and graciously insults Coccotti with a beautifully crafted story about the Moors breeding with Sicilian women. This story, to Barthes would be a part of the text referring to his cultural code as it is a sign that uses a reference from outside of the text to help the audience understand and relate to the narrative. Hopper carries on up to the final insult where Hopper refers to Coccotti as part Eggplant this is an old racist slur that was stereotypically used many by italian americans to offend black people as Peter E. Bondanella the author of Hollywood Italians: Dagos, Palookas, Romeos, Wise Guys, and Sopranos explains Moulan Yan a particular Italian American derogatory term for Blacks deserves some glossing. Alternately spelled a number of ways, the word derived from the standard Italian word for eggplant La melanzana. so this is the final insult for D on Coccotti and is a horrible use of a stereotype, it also sets the Sicilians in the scene in a stereotype of being racist. By that point you know that the proairetic sign of Don Vincenzo giving Worley the kiss of death means that he is about to die. The almost off camera reminder of Hoppers police background is constantly hovering in the form of his division badge and you forget that he really is a policeman due to his ironic soliloquy in the face of obvious death. Don Coccottis nervous laughter at first and short spurts of eye contact with his henchmen are typical and become more manic as Hopper continues the well-crafted insults. The atypical action of him turning his back extracting the henchmans gun and without warning turning and killing Worley brings the scene to a juddering halt. This is firstly revived by the Don saying I havent killed anybody since 1984 and the black comedy of the scilian henchman asking what was said, the clipped response he said Franco what happened? to which the english speaking one replies He said that Scilians are spawned by niggers so Don Vincenzo killed him (5.15). ties the scene off neatly and leaves no loose ends whatsoever. From the previous scenes and the way the film plays out there was never going to be any doubt that hopper would always protect his son and that Don surrounded by his subordinates had to get the information or kill hopper, the play out in my opinion was almost a classic scene of black comedy had it not been for the true feeling and empathy you have towards hoppers character, protecting his son and his own integrity. Its also worth noting that the product placement of the Chesterfields also reinforces the 5th avenue sophisticated appearance of Don. When hopper asked for the chesterfield he mentions the cigarette brand by name in a way that he would savour a product with this image that might well be deemed out of reach or out of place to a street cop he refers to them as one of those Chesterfields and i feel that sentence suggests he is unfamiliar with them. From this essay I have found that Barthes five codes are very interesting for looking at a scene in depth, I discovered things about this scene that I had not realised before and this is thanks to the way his codes pick out the tiniest action in a scene and reveal the bigger connotation it holds. I did however, find it difficult to distinguish the boundaries between one code and another particularly the symbolic and semantic code. I found Lippmanns ideas on stereotype very interesting and I liked thinking about stereotype as I think the use of stereotypes is important to Tarantino, I believe that he likes to adhere to your typical stereotype like the gangsters and the mafia but he also likes to throw in an anomaly to confuse the audience and get them excited by the character, I believe that Cliff Worleys integrity and bravery in the scene shows this. Bibliography: Narration in the Fiction Film David Bordwell Chapter 2 Diegetic Theories of Narration The Pleasure of the text roland barthes S/Z Roland Barthes The media students book Branston and Stafford narrativesI Italian-Americans in Film: From Immigrants to IconsCarlos E. Cortà ©s MELUS, Vol. 14, No. 3/4, Italian-American Literature (Autumn Winter, 1987), pp. 107-126 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ªHollywood Italians: Dagos, Palookas, Romeos, Wise Guys, and Sopranosà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¬ By Peter E. Bondanella Articles The Independent-Angry Italian-Americans demand MTV pull hateful reality show by Guy Adams in Los Angeles Italian-Americans in Film: From Immigrants to IconsCarlos E. Cortà ©s MELUS, Vol. 14, No. 3/4, Italian-American Literature (Autumn Winter, 1987), pp. 107-126 Typecasting: On the Arts and Sciences of Human Inequality Journal of Social History, Winter, 2007 by Janice Kelly Public Opinon by Walter Lippmann 2007 edition http://www.sicilianculture.com/cinema/impressions.htm accessed on January 1st 2010 http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Reputed+Mafia+boss+attend+slain+funeral/2392715/story.html accessed on January 1st 2010 http://www.bestofsicily.com/mafia.htm accessed on January 1st 2010

Sympathy to the Young and Negativity to the Adults in the film Stand By Me :: essays research papers

The Director of the film â€Å" Stand By Me† invites us to sympathize with younger people whilst portraying adults in a negative manner. Discuss. The film â€Å"Stand By Me† invites us to sympathize with younger people. The movie tells the story of four young boys Teddy, Vern, Gordy and Chris. The movie is based around the character of Gordy who relives the events of their past years through his writing, Gordy is criticized by his family because they want him to be like his older brother Danny who died in a car accident. Teddy who has had some trouble in the past with his Father is sympathized against as the son of a loony. Vern is shown sympathy towards the fact that he is so emotionally immature and vulnerable. You and particularly feel sympathy towards Chris due to his families horrible reputation when Chris would like to be known as his own person. Their adventure began and ended in two completely different levels of maturity for all of the boys. â€Å" We knew exactly who we were and exactly where we were going.† Gordy is the main protagonist in this film he tells the story of their adventure to find Ray Browler’s dead body when they were 12 years old. Gordy was always compared to his older brother Danny his parents were continually paying more attention to Danny than Gordy, they seemed to care more about Danny’s football career than Gordy’s outstanding writing. When Gordy’s brother Danny died his parents could not seem to move on. â€Å" †¦four months after Danny’s death my parents still haven’t been able to put the pieces back together.† Gordy’s parents placed pressure on Gordy to make him feel partially responsible for Danny’s death, they were always pushing him to be more like Danny, especially when he was gone. They were unhappy with his friends and his attitude toward life. â€Å"Why can’t you have friends like Danny’s? Their alright Dad. What? A thief and two feiebs?† Gordy is sympathized against due to the fact that he was 12 and had such a large amount of responsibility and pressure on his shoulders and such a young age. Teddy was the mysterious quarter of the group, always wanting to risk his life in dangerous stunts. Teddy was always out to prove something, he tried to dodge a train that was speeding toward him, until Chris pulled him out of the way.

Introduction of E-commerce

Commerce (the trading of goods) has been a major impetus for human survival since the beginning of recorded history and beyond. The mass adoption of the Internet has created a paradigm shift in the way businesses are conducted today. The past decade has seen the emergence of a new kind of commerce: e-commerce, the buying and selling of goods through human-computer interaction over the Internet. Traditional physical trading of goods and currency is becoming increasingly unpopular and more businesses are Jumping on the e-commerce bandwagon.Today, the line between e-commerce and traditional commerce is becoming more blurred as more businesses start and continue to integrate the Internet and e-commerce technologies into their business processes. 1. 2 DEFINITION OF E-COMMERCE The e-commerce can be defined as a modern business methodology that addresses the needs of organizations, merchants, and consumers to cut costs while improving the quality of goods and services and increasing the spe ed of service delivery, by using Internet.It differs from the traditional electronic commerce (e-commerce) in he way that it enables the trading of goods, money and information electronically from computer to computer. Business is done electronically and there is no longer a need for physical currency or goods to conduct business. 1. 3 EVOLUTION OF E-COMMERCE Evolution of e-commerce can be attributed to a combination of regulatory reform and technological innovation. Though Internet (which played an important role in evolution) appeared in the late sass, e-commerce of today took off with the arrival of World Wide Web and browsers in early sass.The liberalizing of the electrification sector and innovations such as optic fiber, DSL etc. (which has helped to expand the volume and capacity of communications) have helped in the process of that rapid growth. As a result the barriers to entry and engage in e- commerce have fallen rapidly. A brief timeline of evolution is as follows: 2 E-CO MMERCE 1. 4 1969 Internet/Apparent 1989 WWW HTML invented at CERN 1991 NSF lifts restrictions on commercial use of Internet 1993 Mosaic browser invented at University of Illinois, Urbana Champagne, is released to public 1994 Netscape releases Navigator browser 1995 Dell, Cisco, Amazon etc. Gang aggressively to use Internet for commercial transactions The growth of Internet has a special significance in the growth of e-commerce. It has the potential to involve general people into the process thereby increasing its reach far beyond large companies. CONDUCTING BUSINESS ONLINE (E-COMMERCE) Doing business online is electronic commerce, and there are four main areas in which companies conduct business online today: 2. 3. 4. Direct marketing, selling, and services. Online banking and billing. Secure distribution of information. Value-chain trading and corporate purchasing. 4. 1 Direct Marketing, Selling, and Services Today, more websites focus on direct marketing, selling, and services tha n on any other type of electronic commerce. Direct selling was the earliest type of electronic commerce, and has proven to be a stepping-stone to more complex commerce operations for many companies. Successes such as Amazon. Com, Barnes and Noble, Dell Computer, and the introduction of e-tickets by major airlines, have catcalled the growth of this segment, proving the reach and customer acceptance of the Internet. 1. 4. 2 Financial and Information ServicesA broad range of financial and information services are performed over the Internet today, and sites that offer them are enjoying rapid growth. These sites are popular because they help consumers, businesses of all sizes, and financial institutions distribute some of their most important information over the Internet with greater convenience and richness that is available using other channels. For example, you have: ; Online banking Online billing Secure information distribution 1. 4. 2. 1 Online Banking Consumers and small busines ses can save time and money by doing their banking n the Internet.Paying bills, making transfers between accounts, and trading stocks, bonds, and mutual funds can all be performed electronically by using the Internet to connect consumers and small businesses with their financial institutions. ELECTRONIC COMMERCE-?TECHNOLOGY AND PROSPECTS 3 1. 4. 2. 2 online Billing Companies whose bill can achieve significant cost savings and marketing benefits through the use of Internet-based bill-delivery and receiving systems. Today, consumers receive an average of 23 bills per month by mail from retailers, credit card companies, and utilities. 1. 4. 2.Secure Information Distribution To many businesses, information is their most valuable asset. Although the Internet can enable businesses to reach huge new markets for that information, businesses must also safeguard that information to protect their assets. Digital Rights Management provides protection for intellectual and information property, a nd is a key technology to secure information distribution. 1. 4. 3 Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MR.) The Internet also offers tremendous time and cost savings for corporate purchasing of low-cost, high-volume goods for maintenance, repair, and operations (MR.) activities.Typical MR. goods include office supplies (such as pens and paper), office equipment and furniture, computers, and replacement parts. The Internet can transform corporate purchasing from a labor and paperwork-intensive process into a self-service application. Company employees can order equipment on websites, company officials can automatically enforce purchase approval and policies through automated business rules, and suppliers can keep their catalog information centralized and up-to-date. Purchase order applications can then use the Internet to transfer the order to suppliers.In response, suppliers can ship the requested goods and invoice the company over the Internet. In addition to reduced administrativ e costs, Internet-based corporate purchasing can improve order-tracking accuracy, better enforce purchasing policies, provide better customer and supplier service, reduce inventories, and give companies more power in negotiating exclusive or volumetrically contracts. In other words, the Internet and e-business have changed the way enterprises serve customers and compete with each other, and have heightened awareness for competing supply chains. 1. 4. 4 Value-Chain IntegrationNo other business model highlights the need for tight integration across suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors quite like the value chain. Delays in inventory tracking and management can ripple from the cash register all the way back to raw material production, creating inventory shortages at any stage of the value chain. The resulting out-of-stock events can mean lost business. The Internet promises to increase business efficiency by reducing reporting delays and increasing reporting accuracy. Speed is cle arly the business imperative for the value chain. 1. 5 ISSUES IN IMPLEMENTING ELECTRONIC COMMERCEAlthough it is simple to describe their benefits, it is not nearly as easy to develop and deploy commerce systems. Companies can face significant implementation issues: ; Cost Value 4 Security Leveraging existing systems Interoperability 1. 5. 1 cost Electronic commerce requires significant investments in new technologies that can touch many of a company's core business processes. As with all major business systems, electronic commerce systems require significant investments in hardware, software, staffing, and training. Businesses need comprehensive solutions with greater ease-of-use to help foster cost-effective deployment. 5. 2 value Businesses want to know that their investments in electronic commerce systems will produce a return. Business objectives such as lead generation, business-process automation, and cost reduction must be met. Systems used to reach these goals need to be fle xible enough to change when the business changes. 1. 5. 3 security The Internet provides universal access, but companies must protect their assets against accidental or malicious misuse. System security, however, must not create prohibitive complexity or reduce flexibility. Customer information also needs to be protected from internal and external misuse.Privacy systems should safeguard the personal information critical to building sites that satisfy customer and business needs. 1. 5. 4 Leveraging Existing Systems Most companies already use information technology (IT) to conduct business in unlettered environments, such as marketing, order management, billing, inventory, distribution, and customer service. The Internet represents an alternative and complementary way to do business, but it is imperative that electronic commerce systems integrate existing systems in a manner that avoids duplicating functionality and maintains usability, performance, and reliability. 5. 5 Interoperabil ity When systems from two or more businesses are able to exchange documents without manual intervention, businesses achieve cost reduction, improved performance, and more dynamic value chains. Failing to address any of these issues can spell failure for a system's implementation effort. Therefore, your company's commerce strategy should be designed to address all these issues to help customers achieve the benefits of electronic commerce. Your company's vision for electronic commerce should also be to help businesses establish stronger relationships with customers and industry partners.For example, a successful strategy for delivering this vision is described by three work-flow elements (platform, portal, and industry partners), each backed by comprehensive technology, product, and service offerings. 5 From self-service portals to transaction processing, a successful work-flow strategy can be the underlying engine delivering state-based, processed-focused control services for e-busin ess applications. Human labor is expensive, and work-flow technology allows e-businesses to supplement, and in some cases eliminate, reliance on human supervision and intervention. . 6 HOW DO YOU WORK WITH E-COMMERCE? E-commerce is about setting your business on the Internet, allowing visitors to access your website, and go through a virtual catalog of your products/services online. When a visitor wants to buy something he/she likes, they merely â€Å"add† it to their virtual shopping basket. Items in the virtual shopping basket can be added or deleted, and when you're all set to checkout, you head to the virtual checkout counter, which has your complete total, and that will ask you for your name, address etc. ND method of payment (usually via credit card). Once you have entered all this information (which y the way is being transmitted securely) you can then Just wait for delivery. 1. 7 COMPARISON BETWEEN TRADITIONAL COMMERCE AND E-COMMERCE In many cases business processes u se traditional commerce activities very effectively, and these processes cannot be improved upon through technology. Products that buyers prefer to touch, smell, or examine closely are difficult to sell using electronic commerce.For example, customers might be reluctant to buy high-fashion clothing and perishable food products, such as meat or produce, if they cannot examine the products closely before agreeing to purchase them. In the case of traditional commerce retail merchants have years of experience in creating store environments that help convince a customer to buy. This combination of store design, layout and product display knowledge is called merchandising. Sales people in course of time develop skills that allow them to identify customer needs and find products and services that meet those needs.The arts of merchandising and personal selling can be difficult to practice over an electronic link. Through commerce branded products such as books or CDC can be easily sold. As one copy of a new book is identical to there copies and because a customer would not be concerned about freshness he would willingly order a title without examining the specific copy they would receive. The advantage of electronic commerce, namely the ability of one site to offer a wider selection of titles than even the largest physical bookstore, can outweigh the advantage of a traditional bookstore, namely the facility to browse.Some examples of business processes are listed in the following table that suit to the e-commerce and traditional commerce respectively. Business processes well-suited to: Electronic commerce Traditional commerce ; Sale/purchase of books and CDC Sale/purchase of high-fashion clothing ; Online delivery of software ; Sale/purchase of perishable food products ; Advertising and promotion of travel services ; Small-denomination transactions ; Online tracking of shipments ; Sale of expensive Jewelry and antiques 6 1. 8 E-COMMERCE TECHNOLOGIES What technologies are necessary for e-commerce?The short answer is that most information technologies and Internet technologies that we discuss throughout the book are involved in e-commerce systems, biz. – Customers must be provided with a range of secure information, marketing, transaction, processing, and payment services. Trading and business partners rely on Internet and extranets to exchange information and accomplish secure transactions; including electronic data interchange (DE') and other supply chain and financial systems and databases. Company employees depend on a variety of Internet and intranet resources to communicate and collaborate in support of their SEC work activities. . 9 The Internet, intranets, and extranets are the network infrastructure or foundation of e-commerce. Information system professionals and end users can use a variety of software tools to develop and manage the content and operations of the websites and other SEC sources of a company. ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF E -COMMERCE Consumers are pushing retailers to the wall, demanding lower process, better quality, a large selection of in-season goods. Retailers are scrambling to fill the order. They are slashing back-office costs, reducing profit margins, reducing cycle times, buying more wisely, and making huge investments in technology.They are revamping distribution channels to make sure that warehouse costs are down by reducing their average inventory levels and coordinating the consumer demand and supply patterns. In the push to reduce prices, more and more retailers are turning to overseas suppliers, in part because of cheaper labor costs. The effect of e-commerce can also be seen over the retail industry and marketing. 1. 9. 1 E-commerce and Retail Industry Retailers are in the immediate line of fire and are first to bear the brunt of cost cutting.They are putting that pressure on the manufacturing and supplier end of the pipeline. At the same time, the quest for efficiencies has led to turm oil and consolidation within the retail industry. The pressure experienced by retailers and suppliers can be seen in the disappearance of Jobs, in mergers, and in the increase in business failures in the manufacturing sector. The problems are indeed serious. Electronic markets could provide a partial solution by promising customers more convenience and merchants greater efficiency and interactivity with suppliers to revivalist the troubled retailing sector. . 9. 2 E-commerce and Marketing Electronic commerce is forcing companies to rethink the existing ways of doing target marketing (isolating and focusing on a segment of the population), relationship marketing (building and sustaining a long-term relationship with existing and potential 7 customers), and even event marketing (setting up a virtual booth where interested people come and visit). Consider the case of conventional direct marketers, who devote some 25 percent of their revenues to such costs as printing and postages for c atalogs.Interactive marketing could help cut such expenses and may even deliver better results. Interactive marketing is accomplished in electronic markets via interactive multimedia catalogs that give the same look and feel as a shopping channel. Users find moving images more appealing than still images and listening more appealing than reading text on screen. Those are two powerful reasons why every text-based and still-picture-based interactive experimental-based service has ever generated anywhere near the volume of retail merchandise orders that televised shopping channels have achieved.Maximum public acceptance will require that interactive catalog services have a more entertaining visual appearance than traditional text-intensive catalogs have had. Ideally, an interactive shopping program should produce full-motion demonstrations of selected products, but such a practical and economical technology has yet to be developed. 1. 10 INCENTIVES FOR ENGAGING IN E-COMMERCE A basic fa ct of Internet retailing is that all retail websites are created equal as far as he â€Å"location, location, location† imperative of success in retailing is concerned.No site is any closer to its web customers and competitors offering similar goods and services may be only a mouse click away. This makes it vital that businesses find ways to build customer satisfaction, loyalty, and relationships, so customers keep coming back to their web stores. Thus, the key to e-commerce success is to optimize several key factors such as selection and value, performance and service efficiency, the look and feel of the site, advertising and incentives to purchase, personal attention, immunity relationships, and security and reliability.The incentives for engaging in e-commerce are listed as follows: Selection and Value. Attractive product selections, competitive prices, satisfaction guarantees, and customer support after the sale. Performance and Service. Fast, easy navigation, shopping, a nd purchasing, and prompt shipping and delivery. Look and Feel. Attractive web storefront, website shopping areas, multimedia product catalog pages, and shopping features. Advertising and Incentives. Targeted web-page advertising and e-mail promotions, discounts and special offers, including advertising at affiliate sites. Personal Attention. Personal web pages, personalized product recommendations, web advertising, and e-mail notices, and interactive support for all customers.

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg The director I chose to do my Analysis/Research paper on is was David Cronenberg. After screening The Dead Zone, Cronenbergs work impressed me. Prior to this class I had never heard his name, even though I had seen previous works such as The Fly. Since I had already viewed this movie I resorted to alternate movies he had directed. I was able to locate The Brood and Videodrome. The main reason I chose Cronenberg for my director had to do with his style. His movies are not the typical horror flick one has come used to today. When I was younger these movies were low budget and have a character such Jason from Friday the 13th running around with an ax and a hockey mask. Today the industry has progressed to Ben Wilson from I Know What You did Last Summer running around with a sharp hook for a hand. Somewhere between these two genres Mr. Cronenbergs work fits in. He is not obsessed with the body count as many other horror directors are and is also able to develop ! a plot rather rare in this type of a film. The three films I chose were able to walk a fine line between horror and science fiction, Videodrome in particular. While The Dead Zone was more of an action film with The Brood being the most true horror movie. I can tell that none of these films were high budget, they could even be considered a little cheesy leading to a cult status. Cronenberg definitely likes the use of blood, particularly when a person is shot by a gun, quite a lot of splattering. In The Dead Zone when Frank kills himself and the sheriff shoots his mother the use of blood is quite elaborate. Frank is covered in blood when he is discovered and the mother seems to almost explode when shot. In the Videodrome everyone Max shoots has the same exploding effect. And in The Brood when Doctor Raglan shoot the little freaky kids there is the same use of blood as in Videodrome. But when the freaks or creatures bludgeon Juliann and Barton to death ...

Denegacin papeles a cubanos por inadmisibilidad

Denegacin papeles a cubanos por inadmisibilidad El rechazo de las peticiones de las visas CMPP o de las tarjetas de residencia confunde a muchos cubanos. Sin embargo, hay una causa que frecuentemente est detrs de este problema. Destacar que en la actualidad ya no se admiten ms solicitudes de visas CMPP, si bien se tramitan las pendientes de resolucià ³n final. Requisitos para que la CMPP y la tarjeta de residencia sean aprobadas para los cubanos Es necesario que se cumplan los requisitos que se piden para todos los solicitantes de una tarjeta de residencia, cualquiera que sea su nacionalidad. Por lo tanto, tanto la green card -tambià ©n conocida como tarjeta o permiso de residencia- como la visa CMPP sern rechazadas si el que la pide es inadmisible  segà ºn las leyes de los Estados Unidos. Y es aquà ­ donde los cubanos suelen encontrar un gran obstculo porque afecta a un gran nà ºmero de ellos: membresà ­a en el partido comunista. Cuando una persona rellena la peticià ³n de residencia permanente o de visa CMPP debe contestar la verdad sobre si ha pertenecido a un partido totalitario o al partido comunista o a alguna organizacià ³n relacionada (hay que entender juventudes comunistas y similares). En los casos en los que el solicitante tenga un pasado de militancia comunista el USCIS puede rechazar la aplicacià ³n de la visa CMPP o de la tarjeta de residente. Hay alguna alternativa para evitar el rechazo de la visa CMPP o de la tarjeta de residencia? En determinados casos pueden aplicar excepciones a la regla general, con lo cual sà ­ se aprobarà ­a la peticià ³n, o incluso cabe solicitar un perdà ³n. Serà ­a posible beneficiarse de una excepcià ³n a la aplicacià ³n de la regla general cuando: Han transcurrido dos aà ±os desde que se causà ³ baja en el partido comunista, que se aumentar a cinco se trata de ciudadanos de paà ­ses regidos por el partido comunista, como es el caso de Cuba o China. La inactividad, como dejar de pagar las cuotas al partido o dejar de participar en sus actividades se puede considerar como que se ha renunciado a la membresà ­a comunista. La afiliacià ³n fue involuntaria, porque era necesaria para conseguir alimentos, trabajo u otros bienes esenciales. Si bien este punto tiene la dificultad de la prueba en muchas ocasiones.La membresà ­a en el partido comunista no era sentida y simplemente era un vehà ­culo para conseguir una ventaja. Este punto tambià ©n puede ser complicado de probar. Es là ³gico esperar que el asunto del pasado comunista està © presente en cualquier entrevista con un oficial consular o de inmigracià ³n y que se pueda pedir al solicitante informacià ³n o documentacià ³n adicional. Adems, si el USCIS niega la solicitud por esta causa, es posible apelar la decisià ³n. Para tener claro cul es la causa concreta del rechazo verificar el nà ºmero y unas letras que aparecen en el documento en el que se notifica el mismo. Si es 212(a)(3)(d), la razà ³n es el pasado comunista. Perdn o waiver Se puede pedir un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso, cuando el solicitante es: Padre o madre, esposo/a, hijo/a, hermano/a de un ciudadano americano.Esposo/a, hijo/a de un residente permanente legal. En estos casos el oficial consular notificar quà © planilla debe completarse para solicitarlo. Si no es concedido, es posible apelar la decisià ³n. A tener en cuenta Resaltar que si se  miente y posteriormente se descubre la verdad, el mentiroso puede ser demandado y puede quitrsele la documentacià ³n (green card o, si han pasado los aà ±os y se ha naturalizado incluso el pasaporte americano). Mentir en una planilla federal es una idea muy mala con consecuencias que pueden ser gravà ­simas. Incluso si se miente al solicitar la visa se puede estar arrojando a la basura toda posibilidad de conseguir cualquier otro visado hacia los Estados Unidos. Las consecuencias son igual de malas si se le miente de palabra a un agente federal. Situacin legislacin que afecta a cubanos Entre las à ºltimas actuaciones del presidente Barack Obama se encuentra el haber puesto fin a la polà ­tica de pies secos pies mojados y a las visas CMPP. En la actualidad sigue vigente la Ley de Ajuste Cubano, segà ºn la cual se puede solicitar la tarjeta de residencia permanente (green card) al aà ±o y un dà ­a de presencia fà ­sica en Estados Unidos, siempre y cuando el ingreso se hubiera producido de forma legal.   Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Individual Law Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individual Law Project - Essay Example She was able to get a good idea of what he looked like the night that he assaulted and robbed her. Therefore it is the opinion of this author that the identification she made in the courtroom should not be waived as inadmissible but indeed should be brought to the courts attention as verifiable evidence that the defendant has been proven without a doubt to be the offender against the victim. Furthermore, the reason it is felt that the identification should be allowed as evidence is the fact that normally all cases that are involving crimes of armed robber, assault, and with intention to cause bodily harm are normally charged by the victim identifying the assailant so that there will be no room for doubt that the offender was indeed the person responsible for the act of the crime against another human being. In this case since the victim was able to pinpoint the offender in all three instances and therefore the court should see the validity in this and should agree that it provides the burden of proof to convict this individual. Without this type of evidence there would be no sure way to provide irrefutable evidence that the person did indeed commit the crime. ... tates that, if evidence is discovered by the use of an untainted source (which is the victim) then it can be admissible in a court of law (Dressler 2002). Due to the evidence and the way it was obtained, at this point it is irrefutable which is what makes an open and shut case and speeds up the judicial process in a way that minimizes court costs and the costs to the public as well. So, to summarize this particular criminal case the reason that the identification should be admissible is that it provides the burden of proof for prosecution of the offender. Also, there is no way that the gathered evidence was tainted either so there is no way to refute the identifying of the suspect. Case 2: Further Charges against Williams in Possible Armed Robbery In this case the issue is much more complex than ordinary arrests due to the way in which the suspect was taken into custody and how the search and seizure transpired as well. If the law follows the stipulations laid out by "The fruit of the poisonous tree" then it can be seen where the errors came into play. For instance, simply because this possible offender was asking his neighbor how to spell the word nitroglycerin does not necessarily mean he was responsible for the armed robbery at the bank. This gives the view that the evidence in this area would be tainted and inadmissible in court (Dressler 2002). Also due to the impact that the exclusionary rule holds, the gathering of the evidence appears to not have been done in a legal type of framework and with disregard for the offenders' constitutional rights as well which also poses a serious problem in the prosecution of this person (Boot 1997). Often criminals walk free due to the fact that violations of their rights can be proven in front of a judge and in

Public and User Involvement in Health Care Essay

Public and User Involvement in Health Care - Essay Example Some recently published official reports admit that the government could not effectively convince people to give up bad health behaviours like consumption of unhealthy food and alcoholic beverages. Evidently this health trend would negatively contribute to the overall wellbeing of the UK population, and the government would lose millions of pounds for nothing. This paper will describe why educating people on the health risks of certain behaviours may not necessarily help reduce such risks. To make the points clear, this paper will give particular attention to certain behaviours like alcohol addiction, smoking, substance abuse, fast food consumption, premarital sex, and sexual promiscuity. The UK government spends a notable percent of its revenues on health awareness programmes with intent to eliminate future healthcare costs. The government tries to promote positive health messages mainly through television Ads because majority of the UK citizens spend a considerable amount of their time on TV programmes. The UK government jointly operates with many social interest organisations to control unhealthy behaviours like alcohol consumption and smoking in the society. As part of these health campaigns, health authorities and other volunteer groups organise road shows and other major promotional events to influence people. While analysing the UK government’s health spending over the last few decades, it seems that the government spent largely on the promotion of healthy food patterns. Since 1997, the UK government has been introducing a series of high-profile health campaigns to improve food pattern, â€Å"including Health Action Zones in poor food areas, the five-a -day fruit and vegetables campaign, the school fruit programme, and the change4life campaign on obesity† (Hickman, . 2010). However reports indicate that spending of millions of pounds of public money on these health campaigns has had little effect on the overall public