Blood And Water Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays

Blood And Water Essays - Characters In Macbeth, Free Essays Blood and Water In William Shakespeare's masterpiece Macbeth, he uses many motifs. Two of these motifs are blood and water. The play is full of images of blood and water, to show the characters' attitudes toward their own guilt at each stage. Both motifs mature and change in their meaning along with the setting and mood of the play. The functions of both are important if the subtleties of the play are to be understood. Blood symbolizes honor, treachery, and guilt. Water symbolizes cleanliness of the soul, as though all it takes is water to wash guilt away. While reading the play, it is noticed that blood comes up repeatedly. This is important to the overall effect of the different usages in the play. The word "blood," or different forms of it, is found forty-two times in the play, along with several other passages dealing with the symbol. The symbolism of blood strangely follows the change in the character Macbeth. Macbeth is first a soldier, very highly revered by the King Duncan. As the play progresses, Macbeth's demeanor and personality declines, as does the meaning of blood. Blood is then viewed as a symbol for treachery and bloodshed, along with the various forms of guilt. The first reference of blood is one of honor, and occurs when Duncan sees the injured captain and says "What bloody man is that?"(I, 2, ln.1). This mention of blood is symbolic of honor, for the brave fighter has been injured in a glorious and ardent battle for his country. In the next passage the captain says that Macbeth's sword ". . .smoked with bloody execution"(I, 1, ln.20), with this he is referring to Macbeth's braveness in which his sword is steaming because it is covered in the hot blood! of the enemy on the cold morning of the battle. This function is important because it shows that at this point in the play the word blood is used as a sign of fighting valiantly. It is a sort of pride to have a bloodied sword, or have bled in battle for your king. After blood has been referred to a few times with reference to honor, the symbol of blood now changes to show a theme of treachery and treason. Lady Macbeth begins the change when she asks the spirits to "make thick my blood, "(1, 5, ln.50). What Lady Macbeth is saying is that she wishes to be remorseless and insensitive about the murders she and Macbeth will soon commit. Also in this area the symbol of blood is changes to one of guilt. Lady Macbeth knows that the evidence of blood is a treacherous symbol, and knows that if they are found with bloody daggers they will be hanged for their betrayal of the king, so she tells Macbeth to "smear the sleepy grooms with blood."(II, 2, ln.64), and Macbeth replies "If he do bleed, I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal /for it must seem their guilt."(II, 2, ln.72-3). When Banquo states "and question this most bloody piece of work,"(II, 3, ln.150) and Ross says "is't known who did this more than bloody deed?"(II, 4, ln.31), they a! re both inquiring as to whom performed the treacherous acts upon Duncan. Once again, blood is used as a sign of guilt. Both use blood as a mark upon a person which would point them out as a sure suspect for the killing of Duncan. Whoever has the blood of Duncan on them is guilty of treason, and more importantly, they are guilty of the murder. It is also here where the theme of water is first brought in. Macbeth is fretting about the fact that it was he who killed the king, and he was beginning to regret the choice he made, saying "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood /clean from my hand?"(II, 2, ln.78) Lady Macbeth, still sure that they will never be caught, says "A little water clears us of this deed."(II, 2, ln.86) This shows that the function of water is to be used as a symbol for an element which can absolve a person of all guilt. This is important because it seems to be the counter, or the antithesis of

Methods That Will Help to Cope With the Tiresome Procedure of Creating a Think Piece

Methods That Will Help to Cope With the Tiresome Procedure of Creating a Think Piece How to Survive the Annoying Process of Writing an Essay Modern pace of life demands from the people to develop certain qualities and habits. Thus, people tend to be more active, ambitious and enterprising in order to survive and be successful. Each time has its rules and peculiarities and today a lot of people can have difficulties with monotonous and annoying tasks which require patience and meticulous work. This problem is especially common for youth. They just cannot put their gadgets aside and spend few hours in the quiet atmosphere collecting thoughts about essay. However, even scrupulous and diligent people experience difficulties while performing writing tasks. What to do if you face the lack of creativity and feel indolence or just do not know what to start with? There are some methods that can help you within any writing assignment and make it more simple and delightful. Work out a plan Careful monitoring of the things minimizes the possibility of unexpected and unpleasant surprises. That is why you need to think through and plan your activities. When you have a plan or schedule, it is easier to cope with the work. Consider deadlines, volume of the essay, your knowledge in the subject and current number of tasks in other disciplines. Actually, plan will encourage you to action and under condition of following it will be the guarantee of timely accomplishment of the task. Plan is the right decision for people, who feel difficulties in starting tasks or performing them in time. Search for ideas No one knows at once about what to write and what aspects should be disturbed. From time to time it happens that you get the topic and feel the complete emptiness in the head. It is quite normal situation. The topic can be new for you or maybe you just have not considered the things from this point of view. There are different ways and sources of obtaining ideas. First of all you should read some information related to the topic. Then if you still have no distinct notion about what to write, just switch to other things and finally the brilliant ideas will come. Try to be original, think perspicaciously and you will succeed. Try to write Another effective and helpful method is to start writing. It does not matter if you do not know yet what to write about or what to start with. You may write about everything you want. The main thing is to start the process and it will gradually lead you to the necessary stream. You should take a piece of paper and a pen and make note about the weather, your mood or absence of desire to write essay†¦ Make reviews It is always significant to write correctly and avoid mistakes. In order to provide an essay of high quality always check it for spelling and punctuation mistakes. Every teacher will be delighted to read content, which is written in a proper way. Moreover, when you reread your paper, some brilliant thoughts and ideas can appear in your head, you can add something or remove and make your work more sophisticated and refined. Be judgmental In regard to any activity and especially writing one should be able to assess his or her work and be open for improvements. It is great to consider your essay and estimate if it will be interesting and informative for other people. The more you demand from yourself the better results you obtain. Additional reading, thinking and criticism towards your own paper will bring desired results and appreciation. There are many ways and methods that will provide you’re a useful assistance in the process of essay writing. You may try all of the above mentioned advices or some of them, you can combine them or extend. Do what you like and create great essays; just remember that with all your actions you should move towards your goals and dreams.

PESTEL REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PESTEL REPORT - Essay Example Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment and Legal issues greatly differ in respect to domestic as well as the global structure. PESTEL analysis provides an overview towards the different external factors that the business or organization has to take into consideration. The Political environment of the country highly contributes to the stability of the nation which is as vital aspect to consider regarding the business development. Political factors include intervention of government policies, labor laws, trade restrictions and tax policies. The Economic influences of a nation or the global environment provide a great impact on the business operation and decision making. These factors include the growth of the economy, inflation rate, exchange-rate, globalization, GDP and GNP growth. The Social and cultural aspects of a region contribute considerably to the products demand and business market. The social factors include population growth rate, career attitudes, age dist ribution safety measures, educational infrastructure and cultural taboos. Technological aspect of the business determines the production level and affects the cost and quality of the products. Technological factors include R&D activity, automation, rate of technological change, emergence of new technologies and impact of communication. Environmental issues directly or indirectly affect the business well-being in regard to its kind. Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as climatic change, weather. Also environmental awareness creates an impact towards the production of products either positively or negatively. Legal issues are widely taken into consideration when establishing a business in a particular region. Legal factors include consumer law, discrimination law, employment law, and health and safety law. Depending on these factors, a PESTEL analysis should provide a context for the business in relation to its external environment. After having a brief introduction about all these factors, let us take a deeper discussion on the effect and influence of economic factors in business growth and development. Influence of Economic factors on business: The economic environment of a country greatly influences the businesses and their market. Though economic factors are out of control for business, it shows a profound effect on the performance and marketing of the business products. It contributes to the product demand, cost structure, pricing strategies, profitability and various other issues within the concern. In addition, it provides a direct impact on the behavior of the consumer in buying the business products. In case of international business, it is a vital one to consider the economic environment of the region or country as it provides a prominent influence over the business growth and its products market. On the whole, â€Å"the strengthening of an economy will generally benefit industries, but the extent of its effect wil l vary according to which economic factors are most affected.† (Henry 2008). One of the major aspects that impact business and economy is the Gross Domestic Product rate (GDP). A constant and positive level GDP is essential to sustain a good business economy. A business GDP has to be on a constant check and appropriate measures have to be taken to maintain the same. Appropriate changes to the policies will

Advergaming and mobile advertising Research Paper

Advergaming and mobile advertising - Research Paper Example There has been need to have a different cereal than the usual wheat one and hence the introduction of the new chocolate cereals is needed, and the introduction is done through a medium that is liked by children: videogames. The traditional advertising includes the use of television, posters and billboards and children of nowadays do not bother checking out such mediums. All they are interested in is the video games and especially those that are online. Advertising the product online in a videogame is the best way to attract the market for the chocolate cereals whose target is mostly children. The company used Multi-Link Trunking (MLT) technology to help it access several links and servers in order to ensure that as many people as possible get the advertisement through the video game. Permission is not an issue but facilitation to the right channels is necessary when using the internet. Many people got to enjoy this product more since it was introduced to them through a medium they love. Sales of the Choco Krispis should therefore have gone very high due to the fact that the cereal box was fashioned to be used as the joystick in this advergaming. Taco Bell has launched yet another food product beefy nacho burrito and is still using the mobile phone to advertise it. The advert is running through smart iPhones and hence many people with the iPhone have access to the advert through the applications. These adverts have made many people aware of the product and are buying it to try it out (Hasen, 2012). There is need to have advertisements that will reach majority of the target group without the company struggling with the logistics of production of posters of billboards to attract attention of the presence of a new product. Taco Bell has therefore addressed the need for an easy to see advert that reaches majority of the target group with minimal effort. Many people are

Cause and Effect Essay Essay Example for Free

Cause and Effect Essay Essay As a child my mom always taught me to be proud of who I am; to disregard all the negativity that was sure to come my way. As a constant reminder she bought books like Black Beautiful Me and Strong and Black to keep up my self-esteem. It was a good reminder, but because of all the negativity that surrounded me I started to feel bad about who I am. I never thought that I would have been a victim of discrimination moving to such an isolated place, but it comes to show that you will never be rid of the negativity in the world. Moving to a small town where African Americans are hard to find; a lot of racism was always targeted towards my sisters and I. Attending School was the hardest part; I always saw myself as being beautiful, but walking down the hall being called â€Å"that ugly black girl† started to take its toll on my self-esteem. Everywhere I went I ran into discrimination and stereotypes; I was constantly asked if I wanted fried chicken or watermelon, I would have guys tell me â€Å"I would date you if you had lighter skin,† or walking in the store and have the word â€Å"nigger† shouted and not know where it originated from. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t liked or given the chance to prove myself, but I felt unwanted, like I didn’t belong. When I had read â€Å"The Myth of a Latin Woman† I found it quite relatable to my situation when I had first moved to Cortez. Cofer talks about how she was stereotyped when she moved to America; how she wanted to fit in, but found it difficult because of her traditions and culture. She stresses the fact that nobody really understood her, that movies about Latin and Puerto Ricans were the closest understanding people got to her culture. Cofer then states that all the hard times that she had growing up made her stronger, and more successful. She tells the reader to take all the negative experiences and turned them positive so that nothing is stopping one from being successful. The negativity was a struggle for me, I wanted to quit public school and start homeschooling. But, I began to learn how to ignore people and not care how or what anybody thought of me. With that idea I became more at peace with myself. I started to look up when walking down the hallways, I learned  to just smile and at the negativity. Instead of the hurtful words putting me down I used it as fuel to my flame, motivation in other words, to do better and be successful.

Complusive Gambling Essay -- Problem Gamblers Addiction Essays Papers

Complusive Gambling Compulsive gambling is a very addictive disease that can cost you more than its worth. So why do people become compulsive gamblers? In America 2-3% of adults are afflicted by this addiction. Four out of Five compulsive gamblers are men. Over 90% of compulsive gamblers have gambled since their mid-teens. There are many reasons why people become compulsive gamblers. Throughout my paper I will go over many types of research that have been done on this disorder and show you a variety of reasons why people subject themselves to this behavior. Problem gamblers do not ingest, inject, or inhale substances as chemically addicted people do. Just what is it to which they become addicted? The answer to this question is action. Action is an aroused, euphoric state involving excitement, tension, and anticipation of the outcome of a gambling event. It is the thrill of living on the edge. Problem gamblers describe gambling as â€Å"high† similar to that experienced from many drugs. Some experience these sensations when just thinking about gambling, as well as when they are actually gambling. Action also has been described as a â€Å"rush† that may include rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, and even nausea. It is not uncommon for problem gamblers to describe being in action as â€Å"better than drugs and better than sex.† When they are in action, they lose track of time and sleep; food, water, and using the bathroom become lower priorities than staying in action. Some doctors believe that gambling is considered an impulse control disorder. Which means that the individual is incapable or resisting his impulses to gamble. Others believe that it is an obsessive-compulsive disorder or a non-pharmacological addiction. This... ... it can turn into a serious problem. National television shows have addressed these problems more frequently, this is important because many people limit their education to that of the TV. Further understanding of pathological gambling and addiction is guided by the development of better theory. Improved theory can guide research more effectively. Bibliography: Goleman, D. (1989, October 3) USA: Biology of brain may hold key for gamblers. New York Times, p11. Pavalko. (1999). Problem gambling. National Forum p28 (5p.). Available: Academic Search Elite http://ehostvgw18.epnet.com[2002, April 10]. Lorez V, Yaffee R. (1986). Pathological gambling: psychosomatic, emotional and marital difficulties as reported by the gamblers. Journal of Gambling Behavior, p40. Marks I.M. (1987). Fears, phobias and Rituals. Oxford University Press, London, p337.

Dilemma: African American and Nonviolence Essay

The omnivores dilemma is a modern problem for all human beings. These days, there are many options for a person to eat, but not all are healthy. Every day people go to supermarkets and feel totally lost because there are so many choices. Source #2 â€Å"Louis Armstrong. † Grolier. Web. 1 Jan. . Source #3 â€Å"Armstrong,Louis. † Grolier. Web. 1 Jan. . Source #4 â€Å"Louis Armstrong. † Facthound. Web. 1 Jan. . Source #5 Raum, Elizabeth,ed. Louis Armstrong : Jazz Legend. 2007. Protesting Nonviolently Did you know that three major figures used the method of nonviolence to change the world? Nonviolence has been a successful way to protest for many years and has provided major changes in life for people. Nonviolence is the best way to protest and make a major point. Gandhi was one of the first people to use nonviolence in a major way. A book tells how Gandhi went to jail instead of others because he did not fear a jail cell and proved he was nonviolent. When Gandhi organized a march officers beat the protesters and injured them severely, but they did not raise an arm to fight back. Gandhi sent a letter to Lord Irwin saying how british rule is a curse and he will stop at nothing to free his people from british rule. Gandhi initiated the first acts of nonviolence and won freedom for the people of India. Martin Luther King Jr. used nonviolent acts to fight against segregation. When MLK was part of a boycott he took full responsibility when he was arrested and said he wasn’t going anywhere or going to fight back. Martin was picking up more volunteers for protesting and said that it was hard not to fight back but they still had to lay down their weapons. The time MLK led the bus boycott he was arrested, people who had participated in the boycott actually walked down to the sheriff’s office to be arrested and to see if their name was on the list. Martin Luther King Jr. used nonviolence to get rights for colored people and followed Gandhi’s example. Nelson Mandela worked fighting racial segregation in South Africa, or apartheid, using nonviolence. Mandela’s organization started out using violence but soon converted to Gandhi’s way of nonviolence which was better morally and tactically. Nelson Mandela took lots of his time recruiting helpers for the cause. Although the work was dangerous, he was convinced that nonviolence was the way to win. Mandela talked about how if he was put to a death sentence his work work and actions would live on. Nelson Mandela adapted Gandhi’s work to help free the people of South Africa from racial oppression. Nonviolence worked to help lots of different kinds of people throughout history and proved major points. Gandhi started nonviolence and became a major figure for lots of people. Martin Luther King Jr. used nonviolence to gain rights for colored people in america and became a pivotal figure in american history. Nelson Mandela became the first South African president and is also a major figure in history. Nonviolence has changed the world majorly and next time you see a picture of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. , or Nelson Mandela you might think a little more about them.

Summer Reading Project on the Shades of Gray

In the beginning of â€Å"between shades of grey†, Jonas, his sister Lina, and mother are paid a late night visit from the soviet secret police. Father wasn’t there to protect his family, so by force, the family has to get packed and ready to leave out the door in five minutes. Lina packed clothes and essentials, so did her younger brother Jonas. But their mother knows what has happened, and starts smashing valuables outside of the police’s sight that she has worked for, almost as if she will never see them again. Jonas and Lina saw their mother smashing dishes and expensive china, so do the police.The mother says â€Å"sorry it was an accident† but Lina and Jonas saw her breaking with rage. They now know that home is no longer a place of comfort, their mother destroyed the valuables because the home and everything in it was now the property of the police, and she wanted them to not have all of it, so she smashed things to make what they were taking would be less valuable. Brother Jonas and sister Lina, totally oblivious to the reasoning behind their abduction, spend their imprisoned days and nights learning to share and work with others.In the struggle of having a father in a train cart, Lina, Jonas and Andrius, cope with each other and striving to save their loved fathers. I think that according to the book â€Å"between shades of gray† I would match up the best with, Jonas. Jonas Is oblivious to the circumstance an just â€Å"goes with the flow†, an plays it on the safe side. Like me, being the youngest, you have to listen and follow. While imprisoned in their cold, crowed, train cars, Lina has to associate with strangers. Lack of food, spirit, patience, and warmth keeps stress tensions high.Lina is trapped with over 10 people in a train car, one man has an injured leg who needs a lot of attention. They are very limited on food, almost a loaf of bread to feed the whole cart. If one were to get an illness that is dead ly, the whole cart has a greater possibility of getting it too, because they are all crammed, and are practically touching shoulder to shoulder. Team work is one of the many keys to getting along in the small, crowded place that was forcefully given to them.

Environmental Analysis Of Landis Lund Essay Example

Environmental Analysis Of Landis Lund Essay Example Environmental Analysis Of Landis Lund Essay Environmental Analysis Of Landis Lund Essay The basic stakeholder objectives of any supplier are to be paid for providing a product or service, but the objectives are usually more complex than this. Our suppliers can be categorised into suppliers that serve the business needs (paper, stationary, car hire), and those that serve the product (grinding wheels, gauges, sensors). The suppliers we use for the business dont really get changed that often as we generally use standard products. Unless the supplier introduces an unjustified price increase, we will remain with that supplier. With the advent of the Internet I feel we could reduce costs if consumables within Landis Lund. As well as there being many price comparison websites, that allow you to choose, there are also sites that are basically mail order via the web, they dont incur high labour costs as they dont have any high street shops to finance. This approach has been mentioned to senior management but they feel, at this moment in time, the administrative costs to Landis Lund to setup an new supplier account, set up payment terms etc, do not justify the time spent searching for a cheaper alternative than what we already use. The objectives then of our business suppliers are to receive regular business from Landis Lund as we stay in business, the amount of revenue they will generate is not really dependant on busy we are, just as long as we are in business The business objectives of the product based suppliers differ in the fact that the more machines we produce, the more business they will receive from us. Their objectives are to produce reliable goods for Landis Lund so we will continue to use their product. We have very few reliability problems with suppliers as they are also providing complex equipment, so the investment and research into these products is of a very high standard. Our product dependant suppliers are either chosen by our engineers or chosen by our customers. As machines are always variations on a theme, the knowledge of suppliers components is high so our engineers can design assemblies using products they know. Headaches can occur when a new supplier insists we use their preferred supplier that we have never used before. The functions of the components this new supplier provides will usually be the same, but if they are cosmetically different then some reengineering has to be done. Landis Lund has in the region of six hundred and fifty, but only around fifty are vital to the company. These fifty are responsible for supplying the key equipment for our machines, equipment that has had huge investments in the form of RD. Over the years we have built up excellent partnerships with our main suppliers and we both benefit from them prototyping their products on our machines. The prototyping allows the suppliers to recreate real life scenarios, in which to evaluate their products. These suppliers are market leaders in their industries, allowing Landis Lund to capitalise on being the first users of such products and maintain our technological advantage. Unfortunately the budget for RD has been slashed in order to reduce costs, while we are still out in front in terms of technical superiority we are losing orders to low bid. The reduction in our RD budget has meant that the prototyping has to be done on live projects, resulting in some embarrassing longevity problems once the machines are out in the field. While the majority of these live tests are serving us well, it may only be a matter of time until they cause a serious headache for the customer and ultimately a loss of future orders. The supplier payment process has recently been changed as well. What was happening was that the Financial Director was only allowing a fixed amount per month to be allocated to supplier invoices. The purchase clerk always sorted invoices into supplier name order, and worked through the invoices until the allocated amount had been reached resulting in suppliers starting A, B, C etc getting paid every month. This process continued until we got put on stop from some major suppliers with company names lower down the alphabet. While some suppliers are chosen for us through customer specifications, our continued collaboration with our preferred suppliers is vital for Landis Lunds survival. Stakeholder analysis of employees While our partnership with major suppliers is vital to our technological leadership, its the employees within Landis Lund that enable this synergy to be created. The objectives of Landis Lund employees is the same of a supplier; they expect to be paid for the service they provide to the company. Again, this needs to be expanded. Different employees have different objectives: Some employees want to do as little as possible, go through the day doing only what is asked of them, and at the end of the week collect their wage. Others feel like they have more to offer and a better work ethic, they seek ways in which to improve the company, they understand that if they can be more efficient and productive, the company will become more efficient and productive, while very few see Landis Lund as a stepping stone to greater things, using Landis Lund to gain experience and knowledge that they will use elsewhere. Every single manager apart form the Finance Director has completed a Landis Lund apprenticeship. This allows the continued evolution of grinding machine know-how to be passed down. The technical knowledge of our engineers has resulted in many machine tool related patents being accredited to Landis Lund. The excellent working conditions and wages that Landis Lund provides results in a very low rate of staff turnover. The highest rate of staff turnover is during the apprenticeship when you know one way or the other if a life of engineering is for you. Landis Lund is always quick to implement any new legislation regarding employee welfare, this maybe to do with being influenced by our US parent company, where the blame culture there can result in employees suing their employers for failure to provide the latest safety equipment. Landis Lund provides free eye tests for VDU operators, free safety glasses, free protective clothing and footwear depending on risk. While the current crop of managers and engineers will stand Landis Lund in good stead for at least a generation, the recruitment of apprentices whose passion is engineering is slowly declining. Indeed we have lost several key apprentices lately who wanted to pursue a university degree as well as still working at Landis Lund. But in their wisdom senior management failed to see the value add that this extra knowledge can provide and made them choose, hardly surprising that they opted for university. Apprentices are usually split into craft and technicians, craft apprentices are trained up to work in the machine shop, while technicians are trained up to work as service engineers or in the drawing office. If the UK manufacturing industry keeps reducing the way it is, both types of apprentice could become scarce. The craft through outsourcing to low labour countries and the technicians could not be as high calibre as is required. Landis Lund employees objectives are fulfilled across the workforce, for those that are here just to get paid, providing they complete what is asked of them, they are OK. If you want to better yourself and the company, training is available where appropriate (workers in the machine shop do not get funding for IT courses and accounts staff dont get trained on the fork lift truck). Stakeholder analysis of Overseas Sales agents Agents play a pivotal role in the customer relations process. They are mainly used in countries where English is not the primary language. We have long standing partnerships with many agents in different countries. This has allowed the agent to become very familiar with Landis Lund machines so explaining the specifications to a potential customer is easier. The objective of a Landis Lund overseas sales agent is to get paid for a service he provides. The service he provides is to be a link between the customer and Landis Lund. The agent is tasked with chasing the customer for outstanding items and to act as mediator in any dispute. We let the agent front any contact with the customer, this is to allow then to communicate effectively what we are trying to achieve. Our philosophy is to use one agent per country within the EU. We have agents in France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The same agent can be used in different countries, Polack for example are our German agents as well as our Swedish agents. As well acting in a sales capacity, some agents also work as service engineers. The agents come to Landis Lund for their service engineering training. This liaison allows the agent full cycle involvement; From the quotation and sale of the machine, through machine build and acceptance and then installation. As agents are on commission it is in their interest for Landis Lund to be successful, it also allows a more aggressive form of sales within the agents country. Unfortunately due to this commission (usually 3%), then this is obviously a loss in profits for Landis Lund. But for this 3% they do provide an excellent service, a service that we would find very hard to replace with our long established agents. Not only do they have tacit knowledge of our products, but the customer relations skills they have maybe hard to instil in a Landis Lund employee. While it has been suggested that we try and phase out agents in favour of training up our service engineers to speak another language, the risk in a loss of customer relations is too high to take. Our recent penetration into China has reversed our agents philosophy. We are trying to use as many agents as we can to spread ourselves further and hopefully increase awareness of Landis Lunds products. At each end of the economic spectrum you have pure capitalism and socialism. Pure capitalism is only an economic theory and doesnt actually exist in real life. Capitalism Also known as Free Market, in this market money is king, both to the consumer and to the supplier. Private investment and entrepreneurs are the norm. Companies sell products at the price they want, to who they want. The same goes for the consumer, they are free to spend their money on what they want. In capitalist societies there is little or no barriers to entry, anybody with an idea and some capital can start up a business. This is a huge benefit to consumers as the fierce competition between suppliers, forces down prices and increases quality. In a free market there is no involvement from the government, the State does not interfere in how businesses are run and regulated. The individual or the company does their own planning, they are free to set their own agendas, create strategies and make plans that are tailored to suit their needs. Capitalism forces many different levels of personal wealth as companies and consumers are free to buy and sell at any price. Nearly every product has examples at either end of the price scale, from houses and cars, to clothes and electrical items. In fact, if youve got the money, you can buy virtually anything you want. An excellent example of this is using the auction website eBay, where everything and anything is for sale. A quick search shows that I could purchase a $24,000 grinding machine! Although capitalism promotes growth, competition and efficiency, there is also a downside. Companies and industries that are out to make a quick gain can end up making huge losses. In the search for profit, resources can quickly become scare, forcing the closure of factories and companies. These closures can have a knock on effect on the local economy, businesses that were created to compliment these large industries may also have to close. Unemployment quickly gathers pace throughout the region. Outside investment ceases, businesses that were there due to high population relocate. No-one can afford to move house, and no-one wants to buy a house in these areas. Social standards can drop and crime levels increase. The closest pure capitalist economy is considered to be America where people are able to buy and sell almost anything, resulting in wealth for some and poverty for others. This can be seen in the state of California, where the so called Silicon Valley, if treated as a separate economic market would be the worlds fifth largest, where as in the slums of Compton deaths by firearms are one of the highest in the world. Socialism Where as Capitalism promotes business to be profit orientated, Socialism shares the wealth. The government runs socialist economies. It is they who decide what is to be made, who is to make it and with what. (Also known as Planned Economies). Every citizen works for the country, there is no unemployment as there is always something to be done. The exclusive way in which the government controls the economy can cause great inefficiencies. It is perceived that the government are experts in business and therefore have the ability to make fundamental economic decisions. It is because of this central planning that socialist governments only produce a limited range of goods, goods whose production are easily managed. The businesses are usually entered around agriculture, raw materials and mass production of basic, low quality products. As there is little or no imports, if the product cannot be made from materials within the country, it isnt usually made. While pure capitalism is only a hypothetical economy, there are a number of socialist countries. Large, highly populated countries such as China and Russia, with an abundance of labour and materials are good examples. Although many westerners see socialism as an oppression or inefficient way to run an economy, it removes boom and bust cycles, the decomposition of social values in areas in areas of high unemployment and the corruption that can be created due to peoples obsession with money. This isnt to say that socialist countries are free from corruption; usually there is a strong black market in these countries for western products, such as Levi jeans. Black markets begin because the State controls the price of products, if they set the price artificially high, then the demand of getting these products at a cheaper value in created. The inefficiency of the import/export market of socialism also creates black markets for products as the government will not import goods that can be manufactured in its own country. An economic system isnt either capitalist or socialist. For non-socialist economies the economic system is said to be mixed. The mixture comes about by companies being free to run their businesses how they see fit, but the government provides the rules and regulations within which they operate. The government usually controls the businesses that are seen to be for the people; the trains, water, electricity, refuse collection. For the U.K many of these people business were privatised under the Thatcher government, the privatisation was a process in which the government palmed off decaying infrastructures that needed heavy investment, allowing them to become more efficient through business savvy people running operations as opposed to politicians and also to generate extra funds for the government. Workers in mixed economies also contribute to the countries welfare by paying taxes through their wages and purchases. It is in the governments interest to create an economic system that allows businesses to flourish and keep people in jobs. The more workers, the more tax is paid through wages and the more disposable income citizens have, spending more and contributing more taxes, and the more workers there are, the less the government have to give back in the form of benefits. The UK is an example of a mixed economy. It is within this mixed economy that Landis Lund operate. We also benefit from having the capitalist funding from our US parent company, as well as making inroads into socialist economies such as China.

The Why, Where, and How of Writing for the Christian Market

The Why, Where, and How of Writing for the Christian Market Writing for Christian markets may not be at the top of your write-for list. I grew up in church, so it seemed a natural place for me to begin my writing career. I was already familiar with publications and what types of stories and articles they used. As with any freelance market, you want payment for your effort, so all the publications listed here do pay, and most I have written for many times over the years, selling fillers, devotionals, articles, and stories. A serious freelancer is always on the lookout for new markets. Many Christian publications, especially Sunday school take home papers, publish weekly so the number of manuscripts they need is greater than a traditional monthly magazine. They accept a variety of pieces; fillers, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and devotionals. The age range is diverse. There are publications for the smallest of children up to adults. Our Little Friend is for children from ages 1-5. They seek true-to-life stories one or two pages long. One story I wrote for them was about kids making fun of each other. Mature Living is for those facing retirement. Many older people feel as if they are used up. I offered encouragement and gave examples of things anyone could do to help others in a list article. Devo’Zine is a devotional market geared toward teens that Ive written for using lessons from teaching young people at church. Youth leaders are always looking for great activity ideas to use with their kids, and Insight Youth Resources has paid me for ideas our youth group did. ParentLife is a magazine that has published multiple funny saying from my kids as fillers. Do you work with women in the church? Today’s Christian Woman  needs articles that offer strength and encouragement for everyday women. Need more market ideas? An invaluable tool for finding these markets is the Christian Writer’s Market.   You can also ask friends for help. Do they attend a church that hands out take-home papers? Do they subscribe to Christian magazines? Ask to borrow copies and research to see if those publications accept freelance work. You could also Google â€Å"Christian magazines,† â€Å"Christian publications,† or â€Å"Christian writers wanted.† I have found some regular writing employment doing this. When considering topic ideas, note that many of the publications follow a theme list. Lookout and Youth Worker both do. Theme lists give basic ideas of what the editors want during certain times of the year. Once you repeatedly write for these publications, many will come to you with an urgent need, when something on their theme list hasn’t been fulfilled, and they know you are dependable. Some Christian publications just want to hear your story. I have used many of my own experiences, especially when it came to the teenage years, mine and my children’s (Guide). Guide wants true stories, and many of my teens experiences ended up on their pages. And keep in mind that not all Christian publications are overtly religious. Some of the children’s publications simply want stories with a moral lesson. But be aware of the diversity amongst denominations and their beliefs. For example, some conservative publications want women to wear dresses, if clothing happens to be mentioned in your story. Some denominations worship on the Sabbath, which is actually Saturday, not Sunday. Others won’t include anything about drinking. Here is a site with helpful information on denominations. Don’t underestimate the power of the Christian market for your writing. You can stretch yourself, get some new

Employee Turnover and Retention Strategies Essay

Employee Turnover and Retention Strategies - Essay Example Every department, be it operations, finance, human resources, or sales and marketing, must invest in motivating, training, and retaining their best human resources to make a difference through their core competencies. As Susan Heathfield said: "Managers readily agree that retaining your best employees ensures customer satisfaction, product sales, satisfied co-workers and reporting staff, effective succession planning and deeply imbedded organizational knowledge and learning." Today organisations are willing to look upon their staff not so much as employees or workers but as 'knowledge workers'. As Peter Drucker observed, "while the more than fifty-fold increase in productivity of the manual worker was the greatest achievement of the 20th century manager, the most important work of the 21st century is to increase the productivity of the knowledge worker." (Pottruck and Pearce, 131). The more competent workers your company or organisation loses, the more will it set your clock back in finding and training suitable replacements at much greater costs. In the meantime your loss becomes your competitor's gain, which again has adverse implications on the success of your operations. Among the major causes that propelled employees to quit an organisation, the following conditions mostly relating to work culture have been identified as contributing to employee dissatisfaction and consequent exit: Lack of clarity in company policies, practices, and procedures Excessive controls and autocratic leadership Bureaucratic work environment with lack of trust Inadequate remuneration and unjustified cost cuts Poor quality of supervision Lack of opportunities for growth Absence of facilities for training and development Lack of scope for utilization of skills and talents Poor communication (with the employee not knowing what is expected of him daily) Lack of rewards, recognition and encouragement Unfair and inequitable treatment of employees Overbearing attitude and threatening by supervisors The Case of Solution's Solution's began operations on a small scale in 1967 as a recruitment agency for social care specialists. Headquartered in London, Solution's expanded in a big way in four decades to establish itself as the largest social care agency in the UK, with 160 employees spread over18 branches. The year 2004 proved to be a disappointment for the company in terms of financial performance, compelling it to slash commissions given to consultants for recruitment mostly in branches located in London. The weak performance also resulted in the retrenchment of up to 15 branch administers, apart from the voluntary exit of many employees who signed up with rival agencies. An analysis showed that the major cause for high employee turnover (91%) in 2004 was the cost reduction strategy adopted by the company. With a view to putting the operations back on rail, the company opted for a change of leadership at the top. A new managing director joined the board in January 2005 with a mission to improve the health of the company in general and the turnover situation in particular. He believed that the key to success through increased sales lay in ensuring employee satisfaction. Accordingly he straightway set about implementing certain remedial and innovative measures for a