Any Kind Checks Cashed, Inc. v. Talcott Essay

According to the UCC, a holder in due course is a holder who takes an instrument for value in good faith and devoid of notice of assured claims, as well as defenses on the instrument. It is imperative in the case of ‘Any Kind Checks Cashed, Inc. v. Talcott’ to determine if the holder of the instrument acted in good faith, in fair dealing as is compulsory in order to be considered the holder in due course. According to the Commercial Law Article 3-103 (a) (4); good faith refers to sincerity or honesty in fact and the adherence to logical commercial standards of fair dealing (Twomey, D., & Jennings, M.). Apart from this, the court upholds the trial court finding that Any Kind did not act in good faith when cashing a check for $10,000. However, Any Kind had been in good faith in later on cashing one more check for $5,700. I agree that ‘Talcott’ was responsible for the $5,700 even despite the fact that he was illegally persuaded to issue a check (Legale .com). The procedures in place at Any Kind Checks Cashed, Inc.states that a supervisor that has the power as well as authority to approve checks over $2,000. However, the supervisor should have been more cautious due to the unusual amount of the check of $10,00.00. When the second check of $5,700.00 was presented the check cashing company had been in contact with Talcott getting his verbal approval for cashing a check. As a result, Any Kind Check Cashed Inc. satisfied the good faith prerequisites for a holder in due course. In reviewing if, the tellers actions where in accordance with good faith and acted reasonable within the commercial standards for accepting and processing the check. The fact is that the clerk did take action and question the intent of the check of $10,000.00 by calling the maker of the check Mr. Talcott, but was not able to reach him. As a result  of not reaching Mr. Talcott the, the supervisor relied on her judgment and experience to make her decision to cash the check. Using her judgment coupled with appeared to be evidence the FedEx envelope showing that the FedEx was sent from Mr. Talcott the supervisor was acting in good faith but not in accordance with a the reasonable commercial code. There should have been some level of suspicion that someone would pay a 500.00 fee to cash a check and not go to his or her bank and collect the full amount of the 10,000.00. To a reasonable person this type of behaviour may raise a red flag as to the desperation of the person (payee) to cash such a large check. The check cashing store should have verified with the issuing bank to ensure that there was enough monies in the account to cover the check and verify that the check is good (no stop payment was issued). When Mr. Guarino presented a second check to the check cashing store for $5,700.00, the store reached out and spoke with Mr. Talcott asking him to verify the check for $5,700.00, which he verified. The check cashing store never mentioned the first check of $10,000.00. Perhaps they presumed that since Mr, Talcott approved the second check that and never said anything about the first one being of issue it may have seemed as a nonissue. If Any Kind processed the $10,000 check with proper caution and procedures beyond making a phone call and not getting an answer from the maker of the check. Any Kind should have contacted the bank the check was drawn on to verify that there was no issue with the check and not rely on experience and a FedEx cover. In order to ensure that they and preserved their status of the holder in due course status. The courts determined that Any Kind was not the holder in due course due to the manner in which they did not ensure that the check was valid before cashing and processing it. I agree with the court’s decision in finding that Any Kind is not the HDC for the $10,000.00 since they were really negligent in the handling and processing of the check. I agree, with the court’s ruling in favour that Any Kind is the HDC for the $5,700.0. Since ‘Any Kind’handled the process in good faith and within accordance with reasonable commercial standards according to the UCC 3-419[3] (Legale .com). References Cornell Law: Uniform Commercial Code. Retrieved Dec 30, 2014. http://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/3/3-419 â€Å"Federal Reserve Bank: Regulation and compliance guide.† Federalreserve.gov. Retrieved Dec. 28, 2014. http://www.federalreserve.gov/bankinforeg/reglisting.htm ANY KIND CHECKS CASHED, INC. v. TALCOTT | Leagle.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.leagle.com/decision/2002990830So2d160_1973.xml_br Twomey, D., & Jennings, M. (2014). Kinds of Instruments, Parties, and Negotiability. Business Law: Principles For Today’s Commercial Environment (4th edition ed., pp. 567- 568). Mason: Cengage learning.

Bohol, in the Eyes of a First-Time Beholder Essay

Perched on a very young palm tree, the tarsier fidgeted as I aimed my camera on its direction. It was only a few centimeters away, so easy to touch and yet I reminded myself to avoid the temptation. I read in an article how traumatizing it can be for these velvety creatures to be held, that they would hurt themselves to death after being â€Å"violated† by curious tourists who are never content with taking pictures. So imagine my surprise when it landed very near me to catch the cricket hiding behind the leaves. Without even thinking, I brushed my fingers on its brown fur in what seemed to be a second or two; it didn’t flinch, but the click of the camera (there was no flash since it was daytime) alerted it, and it darted back to its highest hiding place in the palm tree. Like that unlikely encounter with the tarsier, my trip to Bohol was something worthy to remember. Thanks to the invitation of a friend, poet and journalist Michael Ortega Ligalig, my memory of Bohol was not limited to beaches, Chocolate Hills, and yes, tarsiers. But there is no denying that Bohol is teeming with natural and man-made assets. If you are artsy and into culture, Bohol can offer you a lot with its cultural and historical riches. If you are into nature and adventure, there are surprises that the island can offer. Churches and Heritage Houses For somebody like me who is fascinated with old things and history, Bohol is like a gold mine with its old churches and heritage houses. Almost all of the 47 towns have old, massive, stone churches that have survived natural ravages, wars and even climate change. I asked to be brought to some of the most fascinating ones, like the Baclayon and Loboc churches. The Church of the Immaculate Conception or the Baclayon Church is one of the country’s oldest churches. First built in 1595, the Jesuit frailes built the Neoclassic structure piece by piece using adobe and coral that were joined together by adhesive made from egg whites (imagine all the chicken eggs used to build such a magnificent structure!). From the front door, one could see the marble tombstones that were embedded on the walls and pylons, the names of the dead intricately written in Spanish. The retablo or the church altar was also an imposing piece of art, though we were unable to see the church’s pipe organ. It also has a museum similar to that of San Agustin in Intramuros. The fee is not very expensive, but cameras are not allowed. Still, one can take pictures of the saints on the ground floor joining the museum and the church, where they kept a coterie of human-size religious images or statues. St. Peter Parish Church or Loboc Church is the second oldest church in Bohol. Originally built in 1602, a stronger one was built in 1638. Located near the famous Loboc River cruise, it has survived a number of floods. Inside the church, murals depicting religious events can be found on the dome right on top of the main altar. A Spanish coat-of-arms can be found near the entrance of the convent which today houses the Museo de Loboc. This museum houses a few religious images and artifacts, like registry books from the 1800s and choir books. There is also a magnificent bell tower adjacent the church. One can also find a bridge that was never completed; it would have joined the two parts of the town separated by the river, but it would mean demolishing part of the church. It is also the home of the famous Loboc Children’s Choir. There are also plenty of heritage houses all over Bohol, particularly in Baclayon and Dauis. Owned mostly by merchant families and old political clans, its interiors are characterized by wide and thick wooden floor planks and wide stairways with wooden balusters. The interiors often feature wooden sala and table sets, cabinets and dressers and rocking chairs, while the walls often hold portraits of its departed residents. Some of the houses include the ancestral houses of the Clarin, Villamor, Malon, Luza, Sofia and Abueva, and some of them actually accommodate tourists for a bed-and-breakfast experience. Beaches and Diving Bohol is getting its fair share of tourism fame with its pristine white sand beaches, the most famous of which is Panglao Island and Dauis, although there are plenty of other beaches minus the flock of tourists and expensive. The most famous is Alona Beach, an 800-meter stretch of white powdery sand located south of Panglao Island. Many full-service beach and dive resorts reside there. The sea around Pamilacan Island is frequented by whales and dolphins, as it is also a favored breeding and feeding site of tuna, snappers, groupers, mackerel and surgeonfish, making it a perfect spot for those who want to see the teeming natural fish population at work. There are a number of diving spots that offer priceless views of the sea beneath. Balicasag is known for its rare, beautiful seashells and its beds of corals are considered one of the best dive spots in the country. On the other hand, Danajon Bank is the only double barrier reef in the Philippines and is one of only three such sites in the Asia-Pacific region, spread across almost 130 kilometers of seabed and consist of three large reefs. Flora and Fauna Because of its geographical features, Bohol’s endemic flora and fauna makes it a hot spot for nature lovers. The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary in Corella town is a 134-hectare land that has been set aside as a protected area for its most celebrated creature considered the world’s smallest primate. However, there are many mini-â€Å"tarsier zoos† that are maintained by resorts. These resorts or mini-zoos often put these tarsiers in small cages and crowded, considering the wild nature of these animals. While my friend assured me that these resorts have â€Å"adoption certificates† from the local environmental offices, I still find it disturbing to find these magnificent creatures caged like birds. In the town of Albuquerque, there is a mini-zoo that claims to hold the biggest python in captivity ever known. Its name is Prony, approximately almost 30 feet and an estimated weight of about 300 kilograms. They also have a variety of birds species like parakeets, pigeons and other avians. However, a star attraction would be the entertainer which we humorously call â€Å"Kakambal ni Prony.† Clad in shiny gaudy costumes, she would dance near the snake’s spectators. We were also fortunate to visit the Mahogany Man-Made Forest in the town of Bilar, a two-kilometer stretch of densely planted mahogany trees located in the border of Loboc and Bilar. River Cruises The ultimate part of our trip would be the scenic Loboc River Cruise. We took the nighttime cruise as my friend advised because of the lamps that would light up as our boat would pass by. The boat fee includes a buffet meal that included seafood, meat and desserts. As the boat commenced its trip, a man with his electric guitar started to sing, his repertoire including American hits from the seventies. My companions and I found the lineup rather distracting as he started with Don McLean’s Vincent then to assorted songs from Bread and Air Supply. However, as the colored lamp posts began glowing from the sides, we were already transfixed and astonished. We briefly stopped on a floating raft that has a big group of singers belting their original songs. We all got off and started clapping. I interviewed some of the children and the adults who actually make a living from the song and dance number, and it ended with them selling their very own musical CD to the tourists. The visit to Bohol was short and partly fulfilling. I am decided to pursue this island more and look forward to seeing more of its assets very, very soon.

My Mother Essay

My Mother Life without someone who loving us is just like an empty world. All people in this world have their own person who always takes care of them. So do I. She is the only one, ‘my mother’. My mother is Beautiful, a very helpful to a family member and a caring person. see more:short essay on my mother My earliest memories of my mother was her pretty face, beautiful smile, and small frame.To me she was the most beautiful woman on earth and nothing compared to her.Even though she was unlike the celebrity moms who wore designer clothes and ate in fancy restaurants, my mother was very real.My mother has a light color skin. She wears a black ,long and bouncy hair. She is 5’2 in height and she is skinny.She has a big, brown eyes. My mother is beautiful just the way she is,without even trying to do anything. Like most mother, my mother teaches me to do house chores. I remember when I was still 13 years old, my mother teaches me how to cook. She became my inspiration as I grew up. She is always there to help each member of the family. Eventhough she was tired working in the morning she is always there to cook us dinner and make each member of the family happy.My mother is always there to help with my other relatives too. She is willing to help whenever my relatives from Philippines whenever they needed help. Even though there were four children in the family, my mother never played favorites.But rather, made appoint to be fair and equal with all of her children. Whenever I admitted to making a mistake, Mom would not hesitate to point it out to me, and punish me if needed. At times I detested it but over time I came to realize that Mom did that because she had my best interests at heart. She was never one to hold grudges for long.Like most mothers, my mother was very protective of me that often times I resented her for being so.I did not understand why she had to constantly ask about my whereabouts:Who I was with and where I was going. It never occurred to me that this was an essential part of being a mother.A mother cares and worries for her children.

Homicide criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Homicide criminal law - Essay Example e criminally liable if his conduct was the factual cause of Tom’s death and the consequence of death would not have happened â€Å"but for† Sanjay’s conduct. If we apply the â€Å"but for† test to the current situation, arguably Tom would not have been in hospital with severe internal injuries if had not been for Sanjay’s actions, therefore under the â€Å"but for test†, it is more than likely that Sanjay’s conduct will have satisfied the requirement of factual cause of death. However, it is also evident from the facts that Tom subsequently died of a blood transfusion at the hospital as a result of receiving the wrong blood type, which the doctors failed to notice. As a result, Tom died and this begs the question as to whether Sanjay was in fact the legal cause of death or whether the failure to give Tom the correct blood type in the transfusion was in fact the cause of death. Under the legal causation test, it is not necessary for Sanjay’s conduct to be the sole cause of death however it must be the substantial cause and have made a significant contribution to Tom’s death3. Ultimately, this is determined according to the facts of each case, however case law has established that the original wound must still be operating and a substantial cause at the time of death4. With regard to the current scenario, the doctors failed to administer the correct blood type in the transfusion and therefore one could argue that it was their failure was the substantial cause of Tom’s death. However, UK courts have been reluctant to break the chain of causation in cases where medical negligence is involved. A prime example is the case of Smith,5 where the victim was stabbed by Smith but died due to medical negligence. Despite there being a 75% chance of recovery but for these events occurring, the courts still held that the chain of causation was not broken. Although a different approach was used in the case of Jordan6 where negligent medical treatment was

How HPV causes cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How HPV causes cancer - Essay Example Most of cancer cases that exist in the world happen because of viruses. Both DNA and RNA viruses are able to cause cancer in humans. One of the DNA viruses is Human papilloma virus (HPV)(Liao, 2006), which belongs to the family of papoviruses, non-enveloped, double stranded DNA viruses (Levinson and Jawetz, 2000) figure 1. Human papillomavirus were discovered after cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRVP). The first investigation of HPV in human cancer was conducted in 1970s, particularly in patients with epidermodysplasia verruciformis. (Howley, 2006). HPV usually causes benign papillomas or warts in humans (Liao, 2006). These viruses can also affect humans worldwide, especially women as they are susceptible to acquiring cervical cancer (Schiffman et al., 2007). Most studies consider these viruses as a major cause of cervical cancer. Also, these studies have identified the mechanism of cervical cancer development (Schneider, 1993; Boulet et al., 2007; Schiffman et al., 2007). This ca n explain the progression of disease. Most, if not all cases of cervical cancer occur due to the persistent infection of HPV, particularly the HPV-16 (Liao, 2006). Furthermore, HPV can be divided into several types and species such as HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 35, and 39 (Zur Hausen, 1999). Specific types of HPV linked with cervical cancer are HPV16, 18, 31 and 45 (Chumworathayi et al., 2010). The genome of the virus can encode several proteins such as (E1, E2, E4, E5, E6, E7 and E8) and two capsid proteins (L1, L2). This classification depends on the types of HPV (Su et al., 2010). Cervical cancer requires particular genes to be developed, such as E6 and E7 as Boulet and his colleagues have found (Boulet et al., 2007) and that have been encoded by HPV (Howley, 2006). Once HPV enters epithelia cells and integrates in the host DNA, the malignant transformation increases by the E6 and E7 production (Liao, 2006). These genes have effects on cell cycle progression in cervical cancer. However, HPV can also play a role in aggravating other forms of cancer in humans such as head and neck tumor and skin cancers in immunocompromised individuals (Liao, 2006). Apart from cervical cancer, HPV can also cause cancer according to HPV diversity both in humans and animals. Examples are the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRVP) infection in domestic rabbits, epidermodysplasia verruciformis patient HPV5, 8, 14, Bovin paoillomavirus type 4 (BPV4), alimentary tract cancer in cattle, and Bovin papillomavirus type 1 in horses (Howley, 2006). As several studies observe the association between HPV and cervical cancer, this essay aims at discussing cancer development caused by HPV. Transmission and infection of HPV: Human papillomavirus can be transmitted in different ways both sexually and non-sexually. However, the most common transmission happens through sexual intercourse. This causes anogenital warts of type (6 and 11 HPV) which are considered low in risk with respect to many HPV types. Other types of cervical cancer such a s HPV16, 18 are responsible for about 70 % of cervical cancer and 50 % of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 (CIN3) (Schiffman et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2007). The HPV16 and 18 are considered as high risk types of HPV. Additionally, infection of HPV is usually transmitted by direct contact such as skin to skin and mucosa to mucosa, nevertheless, the likelihood of infection for each sexual intercourse is still unknown. Furthermore, several types of HPV can be transmitted collectively according to high proportion of infected women. On the other hand, men also may be infected by different types of HPV, therefore, any sexual act can quickly result in the transmission HPV types (Schiffman et al., 2007). In case of non sexual transmission, a child can acquire the infection of HPV from the mother (Castellsague et al., 2009) especially by placenta as Rombaldi and his colleagues have observed. For example, transmission from mother to the child may occur via amniotic fluid and fetal

Rooms Devision Operations Management Assignment - 1

Rooms Devision Operations Management - Assignment Example Front office is the departments found in an office that have direct and first contact with the customers. The department is sub divided into various segments. They include the marketing department, the sales department, service department that we as well have the receptionists. It is very important to highlight that the front office is therefore the department that welcomes and receives the guests and visitors to the accommodation or rather hospitality facility. The staff shows their warm and good reception by meeting the guests, greeting them, and discussing with them in depth about the reservation arrangements. The check in systems as well as the check outs is as well factors that the department conducts as they get into the rooms and as they leave the rooms. The staff there again ensures the provision of the key to the guests and ensures that proper security is accorded to the guests, the department as well has accounting and communication department that passes information and se ttles accounts (Sue 2001). The front office offers very crucial services that are considered to be very crucial to the customers and the actions that are done have massive consequences to the accommodation facility. ... This department issues the keys to the guests and takes them top the various rooms that they have allocated to them (Michael 2010). Communication The front office department has the messengers and the communication facilities that facilitate the easier passing of information among the employees and the guests. Information among the staff could be on the consultation of the availability of the bed space and any other service needed that would be for the satisfaction of the customers taste and for their well being. The guests can as well use the communication department in making advance reservations and making of other service orders while they are in the premises (Sue 2001). Security It is important to note that the font office has the security department. The security department is concerned on the safety and security of the guests, the property of the guests, the staff employed by the accommodation or hotel organization and also the facilities that belong to the organization. Secur ity is another crucial factor that is quite sensitive and should always be put into consideration by the management of any hospitality firm (Ahmed 2012). Sales and Marketing It is very normal that any institution that is business oriented has its main target as making profit. For a business to make profit there must be proper sales and marketing done. This is therefore the reason for the creation of the sales and marketing department. The sales and marketing service that the accommodation organization does is based on various factors. The quality of the service that is offered by the organization is a very crucial factor that markets an organization. Sales and marketing service as well can

Human Rescource Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Rescource Planning - Essay Example However, Dale Lodge (case organization) is facing challenges regarding deploying the leadership development program for cross functional members while the company is expanding its operation to achieve more business success. In such context, the researcher has been hired as external HR consultant to advise senior management of the company on how to embed leadership development program within organization, to support anticipated growth strategy. In the next section, the study will cover three issues, 1- process for embedding leadership development program for members of management team, 2- proposal of reward strategy that would retain and develop talents at all level and 3- evaluation and measurement of critical success factors associated with the proposal. The company will face two types of problem while deploying leadership development program, problem 1- lack of cross functional capabilities among members of management team and it will create problem for them to perform current and future leadership roles and problem 2- lack of experience in handling change dynamics while deploying leadership program. For example; Oracle Corporation (2012) found that more than 70% of employees in different companies across the globe lack the leadership potential to perform during job responsibility shifting. In the case context, senior management of the company has decided to expand business operation in terms of opening full scale conference and leisure facilities which can offer year long services. In order to implement mentioned growth strategy, company needs to widen job roles of existing members in management team in order to develop leadership capabilities among them. Such cross functional role shift would require development of interpersonal skills instead of developing integrating technical expertise of experienced members in management team. Caligiuri (2006) and McCall and Hollenbeck (2002) also pointed out

Technology Guide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology Guide - Essay Example Business tools like Indix, Connect Multichannel, Retail Connect and Robin e-commerce customer service. The most advanced of the tools that I recommend are Indix and Connect Multichannel, which can be integrated with Retail Connect. Indix software solution is available on-line at www.indix.com. The solutions that can be realized by using indix software are; real-time inclusion of product pricing, availability of the products, other channels where the products can be located, competition attributes and an assortment of the products. The software can be acquired as a mobile application or an API that can be directly integrated with the golf shop. The API has advanced functions that will benefit the golf shop. The search function of the API returns names of stores with product and IDs, product brand names and product suggestions in the same category (Indix, 2015). The advanced search of the software will return detailed catalog information of the product from all the stores where it is s old. It also returns the price information from the across all the stores offering the product. Finally, the software will provide information on all the prices the product was sold at in the past month. Connect Multichannel and Retail Connect are provided by the www.intelligentretail.co.uk website. The software can be implemented separately of as one bundle into the golf shop. The software offers a central place for stock control, advanced reporting on sales and product details from different channels (Intelligence Retail, 2015). The software also has an inbuilt functionality that automatically connects to Amazon; eBay and Google Products Connect. It will allow the golf shop to sells its products through the more trusted channels like Amazon and Ebay. This will eventually increase the sales of products from the golf

Corporate Social Responsibility in Financial Services Dissertation

Corporate Social Responsibility in Financial Services - Dissertation Example The primary aim of the financial services companies is to provide better service to the depositors and their investors by taking appropriate steps to increase the wealth of the shareholders. In order to provide short-term gains to the shareholders by giving more priority to the short-term interests, the increase in foul play has increased in the operations of the financial services firm thereby compromising on the security of the money deposited or invested. The investors apart from seeking higher returns through efficient pieces of advice of the fund managers are also interested for safekeeping of their shareholder value. This means that the seekers of financial services would not be ready to incur a loss at the cost of expected higher returns. The investors and stakeholders have become more and more aware of the social, ethical and environmental aspects of their investments for which the corporate social responsibility in financial services has attained more and more significance d ay by day. The daily operations of financial services firm are supported with the help of resources available from the societies in which they operate. The manpower and client base available from the societies are the major resources that are used by the financial services firms to run and sustain their businesses. ... ary aim of the financial services companies is to provide better service to the depositors and their investors by taking appropriate steps to increase the wealth of the shareholders. In order to provide short term gains to the shareholders by giving more priority to the short term interests, the increase in foul play has increased in the operations of the financial services firm thereby compromising on the security of the money deposited or invested. The investors apart from seeking higher returns through efficient advices of the fund managers are also interested for safekeeping of their shareholder value (Elangovan and Mohan, 2008, p.34). This means that the seekers of financial services would not be ready to incur a loss at the cost of expected higher returns. The investors and stakeholders have become more and more aware of the social, ethical and environmental aspects of their investments for which the corporate social responsibility in financial services has attained more and mo re significance day by day. The daily operations of financial services firma are supported with the help of resources available from the societies in which they operate. The manpower and client base available from the societies are the major resources that are used by the financial services firms to run and sustain their businesses. It is thus important for the financial services companies to return the benefits to the societies in which they operate. For this reason, the financial services organizations develop their strategies on corporate social responsibility mainly looking into four major areas like manpower sustenance, business integrity, community and the environment. The adoption of corporate social responsibility provides confidence to the investors on the long term sustenance of

Strategic Retail Management in Competitive Environment Essay

Strategic Retail Management in Competitive Environment - Essay Example Perception of many people from brand name has moved towards product quality cost and service delivered (Experian, 2011). This has motivated several new retailers to enter into the already competitive market. This has raised survival issues for many new and old retailers, and demands for new strategies and activities to sustain their position in the market (Experian, 2011). The culture of buying has shifted largely towards online viewing and ordering. People visiting the store are easy to urge towards company’s product, and they are the ones who gives the company greater revenue than the online buyers (Experian, 2011). However, this ratio has also taken a 180 degree change in many of the top retail stores, including the ones discuss in this paper, where online buyers makes around 80% of the total income of the company (Experian, 2011). 1. Competitive Environment of UK Retail Industry The retail sector of UK is the only largest private recruiter because it employs around three m illion people. This sector covers a prominent percentage of employment in UK because more than half of the UK population work part time in retail stores. The retail industry of UK is immensely supportive for the economy of the region as it generates abundance of revenue to sustain the economical position of UK. Therefore, the in order to evaluate the environment of this sector Porter’s five forces analysis and PEST analysis of the industry are being done (Obitz, 2009). Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of UK Luxury Retail Sector The analysis of the retail industry of UK is significant for accomplishing the purpose of the paper. Therefore, when it comes to analyze the competitive environment of any industry, Porter’s Five Forces Model appears covering all the areas required for evaluating a competitive environment. i. Threats of Substitute The threat for substitute products in the luxury retail market of UK is quite low as non-food items sold by luxury retailers do n ot have major substitutes. This is due to the fact that buyers purchase luxury items as a result of their perceived luxury associated with their purchases and therefore they do not substitute these products. The threat of substitute is not apparent and the actual threat is only limited to the pricing offered by different retailers for similar products (Nwankwo & Gbadamosi, 2011). ii. Threats of New Entrants In the luxury retail side of the market, there are lower threats of the new entrants in the industry. This is due to the high level of barriers for developing brand and then high level of investment is required for developing brand recognition and its positioning in the luxury brand market. It is difficult for new market entrants to offer product differentiation in the cloth retailing and also change buyers’ attitude which keeps them loyal to already existing luxury brands. Moreover, it has been noted in the luxury retail market that existing brands place barriers for the new entrants by increasing their marketing activities and also undertaking other initiatives that could

Relationships and Human Behavior Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Relationships and Human Behavior Perspectives Essay Reviewing human behaviors from different perspectives, including the five main perspectives of biological, learning, social and cultural, cognitive, and psychodynamic influences, can sometimes shed light on why humans act the way they do. Using these perspectives to review how relationships begin, develop, and are maintained can provide a deeper understanding and context of this phenomenon. Framing love relationships with these different perspectives also helps to show how the perspectives themselves differ or are similar in relation to how they consider relationships as being formed and maintained. The biological perspective contends that innate causes drive human behavior. Specifically, this perspective states that the actions of the nervous system and genetic heredity lead to different types of behavior (McLeod, 2007). From this perspective, hormonal reactions and feelings of reinforcement in the brain that are associated with a particular individual lead people to start relationships (McLeod, 2007). Additionally, the relationship is maintained because humans have an innate desire to reproduce and pass their own genetic material on to their offspring, and in order to drive this urge, the brain continues to trigger feelings of pleasure and hormonal releases to strengthen the association between a given person and good feelings (McLeod, 2007). This perspective is somewhat unique from the other ones in how it views relationships, because it claims that advanced cognitive processes are not even necessary for a relationship to last; instead, only biochemical processes are required . The next type of perspective, the learning perspective, claims that learning through association leads to specific behaviors, and that individuals will generally learn to enact behaviors that they see are rewarded (Mikkelson Pauley, 2013). From this perspective, humans form relationships because they see other relationships, such as those of their parents, externally rewarded, and come to associate the notion of â€Å"love† with reward. The rewards that one receives from a relationship, such as attention, compassion, or even financial security, are associated with â€Å"love† over time, which strengthens the relationship and makes people more likely to  maintain a relationship after they have been involved in it for some time (Mikkelson Pauley, 2013). Like the biological perspective, the learning perspective deems relationship behavior as something beyond humans conscious control and does not necessarily require conscious thought, although the learning perspective does not claim to know the internal processes that drive it, and it does require that humans have at least the ability to learn in order for them to be involved in relationships (Mikkelson Pauley, 2013). Social and cultural perspectives claim that humans are ingrained with what constitutes â€Å"right† behavior through socialization. Because people grow up, in many cases, in households with married parents, or at least where the parents date other individuals, children learn early on that relationships are not only acceptable, but actually desirable (McLeod, 2007). This notion is further reinforced through messages given to the child through the media, their friends and other family members, and most people they come in contact with, all of whom deem â€Å"love† to be one of the highest goals a person can achieve. Individuals therefore seek out relationships in their teen years because they have been told that it is a positive objective to strive toward, and they are further reinforced in their views by their partner and others who know them after dating or getting married, which leads the person to continue their relationship (McLeod, 2007). This perspective is unlike the learning and biological perspectives in that it does not rely on reflexes or innate drives, but instead requires complex thought, and, moreover, socialization; a person living outside of society would likely have no desire to be in a relationship, according to this perspective. The cognitive perspective claims that human thought is what drives all behavior. In this sense, then, humans enter relationships because they see relationships as something that they desire, and which will provide them with some type of enjoyment or reward for seeking out (Mikkelson Pauley, 2013). If they find that they do receive some type of benefit from dating a person, they will make the decision to develop the relationship further, learning more about the person and perhaps even getting married, if they believe that they are sufficiently compatible with the other person for the  relationship to last and continue to be rewarding (Mikkelson Pauley, 2013). This perspective, like the social and cultural perspective, is very reliant on human thought as a driver of relationships, but the cognitive perspective deems relationships an individual choice rather than a result of societal pressure. Lastly, the psychodynamic perspective contends that behavior is due to interactions between the conscious and the subconscious mind. A relationship might begin because a member of the opposite sex might remind an individual of the loving relationship they had with their parents, but in order to sublimate the inappropriate desire for ones parents, the individual seeks out a relationship with a person outside of their family. The relationship is maintained because it provides the person with ego fulfillment (McLeod, 2007). Like the cognitive and social perspectives, the psychodynamic perspective describes relationships in terms of human thought and cognitive activity, but unlike those other perspectives, the psychodynamic outlook believes that humans are essentially bound to enter into relationships, because it ascribes the behavior to innate drives. In this sense, the psychodynamic perspective is somewhat like the biological perspective. All of these different perspectives, then, can provide different types of insight into human relationships. References McLeod, S. (2007). Psychology Perspectives. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/ Mikkelson, A. C., Pauley, P. M. (2013). Maximizing Relationship Possibilities: Relational Maximization in Romantic Relationships. Journal Of Social Psychology, 153(4), 467-485. doi:10.1080/00224545.2013.767776

Two Cheers for Materialism Essay Example for Free

Two Cheers for Materialism Essay Regardless of where we live, where we grew up, and where we are going, its influence has played an important role in our lives. Whether we know it or not, materialism is one of the most influential forces we interact with. In his essay â€Å"Two Cheers for Materialism† James Twitchell discusses the history, location, and impact materialism has had on society. With the use of the view points from many academics and historical figures, Twitchell offers insight into materialism’s effect on how we function in today’s world. He concludes all of this with the idea that materialism is not just the desire to collect commodities, but it’s a force that truly shows the advancement of society. From the days of horses and buggies, to modern day status quo of Hondas and Toyotas, the value of the commodity, both economically and personally, as drastically changed. The economic changing of materialism is obviously seen in the inflation of everything we buy (cloths, foods, cars, ect. ) whereas the value these items have to our identities is not as obvious. In the essay, Twitchell makes his major point by saying that over time materialism has morphed from what we have, to what we are—that is, materialism is our identity. Twitchell focuses a good portion of the essay on the development of materialism, and how it has become part of our identity. An important part of this idea, and how Twitchell views it, is that unlike how many academics view it, materialism is not this horrid idea that breaks us down into little soul-less robots, as depicted in The Great Gatsby. Twitchell argues that materialism is what makes us different then our pre-20th century selves. As Twitchell says â€Å"The outcome of material life is no longer preordained by coat of arms, pew seat, or trust fund. †(289) by this he means that materialism is now a choice. We can use it to decide who we are, by what we buy. No longer are we born into ‘what’ we are. This allows us â€Å"to be cool, hip, with it, with the ‘in’ crowd. † (289). I agree with Twitchell’s theory on this, and moreover can add that this change overtime of materialism’s role has led to groups such as â€Å"yuppies,† â€Å"indies,† and â€Å"preps. Without materialism, then we couldn’t purchase certain items that make us into the groups we want to be in. Materialism gets rid of the disadvantages we are born with, as anyone can fork over some money for knock off goods, or even splurge for the real version. Because of this, materialism has become our identity, and the beauty of it is, unlike genetics, we can change the hand we’re dealt. Twitchell says it best in this passage—â€Å"We live through our things. We create ourselves through things. And we change ourselves by changing our things. (282). Materialism is us. We are materialism. Along with suggesting this major role materialism plays in our lives, Twitchell makes various points on the academics that have critiqued materialism over the years. He scorns those who look down upon the materialistic world, while using their critiques to make points about it. I believe this condescension of academia goes hand in hand with his praise of materialism, as he points out, the academic world looks at themselves with such a high regard, they don’t see the hypocracy in their statements. Twitchell gives the example of the Volvo driving critic who will spend hours criticizing the bourgeois fascination with materials, but neglects the decals on his car, which prove to be just as materialistic. Along with scorning these critics, Twitchell praises many in their contributions to his essay. He uses an academic, Stanley Lebergott, to show the outcome of materialism’s effect on us. As Lebergott says, â€Å"most Americans have ‘spent their way to happiness’. This goes very far in enforcing the positives of materialism, and further scorns those who are against it. Twitchell’s use of other writers is very prominent in this essay, and very important in evaluating the essay as a hole. From history changing men like Karl Marx, to circle-known French sociologists Pierre Bourdieu and Jean Baudrillard, Twitchell while reading this essay, it feels like Twitchell quotes anyone who ever wrote the word materialism on a published document before. This strategy makes me very skeptical of Twitchell’s knowledge. While I agree with most of the points Twitchell makes, I think he relies too heavily on the thoughts of others, which overall ends in a weak backing of his main point. Twitchell gets stuck between †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. All in all, Twitchell makes a very important point about materialism that to me saves its reputation in American culture. Regardless of what we think about materials, materials show how far we’ve come. No longer are we born into a role, materials make it possible to become who we want to be become.

Pulsed Radio Frequency Energy as Physical Therapy

Pulsed Radio Frequency Energy as Physical Therapy CHAPTER V DISCUSSION Many adults with vascular disease and/or diabetes suffer with chronic leg or foot ulcers, leading to loss of functional ability, poor quality of life and long term ill-health. Studies on patients with chronic leg ulcers have reported the average duration of these ulcers is around 12-13 months, around 60-70% of patients have recurring ulcers, 24% of patients are hospitalized because of the ulcers and most people suffer from the condition for an average of 15 or more years. Care for chronic wounds is reported to cost 2-3% of total health care spending in developed countries and these costs are set to rise with ageing populations. Treatment in the U.S. costs over 3 billion $US and the loss of over 2 million workdays a year. Similarly, Harding quotes a cost of  £400 million each year in the U.K. In Australia, wound dressings are the second most frequent procedure in General Practitioner practice and chronic wound care accounts for 22-50% of community nursing time in the UK and Australi a (Edwards et al.,2013). In addition to direct health care costs, chronic wounds are associated with hidden burdens on the community resulting from loss of mobility, decreased functional ability, social isolation and loss of participation in the workforce and society (Price and Krasner, 2012). The use of pulsed radio-frequency electromagnetic field (PEMF), also termed pulsed radiofrequency energy (PRFE) therapy has shown notable success in healing of chronic wounds. PEMF is a non-ionising energy at the shortwave radiofrequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum, commonly at a frequency of 27.12MHz. Since the introduction of PEMF  Ã‚  Ã‚   in the 1950s, clinical studies on healing of chronic wounds and surgical recovery, as well orthopaedic studies have documented PEMF as a successful clinical therapy. PEMF therapy is none invasive and is delivered through the wound dressing, and to date has shown no unwanted side effects. With positive reports in the literature documenting PEMF as an effective therapy, its wider adoption as an adjunct therapy seems warranted (Rawe,2012). The measurement of wound dimension is an important component of successful wound management. Monitoring changes in wound area allows assessment of treatment efficacy and early detection of stasis or deterioration. The photographic method is an accurate alternative to digital planimetry system (Visitrak TM ) for measuring wound area. The photographic method is a more appropriate technique for clean and uncontaminated wounds, as contact with the wound bed is avoided (Chang et al.,2011). This study investigated the efficacy of pulsed radio frequency energy as physical therapy modality in the treatment of chronic lower limb ulcers through reducing wound surface area (WSA) and wound volume. The findings of this study indicated significant decrease in WSA after treatment in both groups A and B (P

Justice in Platos Republic :: Papers Justice Plato Republic Essays

Justice in Plato's Republic Justice. What is justice? In this world where many people look out only for themselves, justice can be considered the happiness of oneself. But because selfish men do not always decide our standards in society, to find a definition, society should look at the opinions of many. Just as in the modern society to which we live, where everyone feels justice has a different meaning, the society of Plato also struggled with the same problem. In this paper, I will look into the Republic, one of the books of Plato that resides heavily on defining an answer to the meaning of Justice, and try to find an absolute definition. I will also give my opinion on what I personally think justice is. During the time Socrates and his fellow citizens spent looking for a definition, they came across many different examples. Well-known Athenians, such as Polemarchus, bring out their own definitions of what justice is, with examples like Justice is "Doing the right thing, or "Giving everyone his due." But soon after these definitions on justice were given, they were shot down by the quick wits of Socrates. Throughout the books of The Republic, I enjoyed reading the many ways that Plato picked apart the flaws in examples by others. It seems that Plato could find flaws without spending much time actually examining the definition. Friends and men of Athens had to restate and restructure their definitions time in and time out during the search for the meaning of Justice. Without the skill that Plato possessed in examining faults in definitions, one can quickly assume that a faulty definition works to be true. I did this many times while reading through different definitions. For example, the definition Polemarchus gives in section two of book one, saying that justice is giving everyone what is "appropriate" to him. To me, an example like this would fit as a definition, because without much examination, it works well for most situations. For example, if a man is good, then an appropriate return for his goodness is to be good back to him. But if a man acts in a bad or troublesome way, an equally bad punishment is needed to counter his actions. I see this fitting, but Socrates of course easily found a flaw, finding this definition useless if followed, because of there not being a person best at benefiting friends and harming enemies.

Fly Away Peter :: essays research papers

Dear Journal Jim, Jim, Jim - thinking about the senseless murder of Jim by men who never knew him or disliked him except for his nationality. I began to realise that the world is changing everyday and I can’t stop it. I started to stroll down the undulating dunes of the gold coast towards the vast desolate beaches. My feet sunk down into the sand and the thousands of tiny white sand grains slipped down into my shoes. I reached the pounding shore and lay my equipment on the ground. Jim, Ashley and I where completely different people in terms of our social standing’s but our undying love and compassion for the birds brought us together. Nothing could take that from us. All I could think of is, â€Å"What am I doing,† on this sphere they call Earth, â€Å"why am I here† and more importantly why was Jim taken off this planet. Is life a metaphor for something bigger and if so, what is it? There is some comfort that I feel knowing that Jim has gone to a better place, a place that he knows is a sacred haven. As I looked at the perfectly formed white and peaceful dunes stretching endlessly along the coast I think of how transcendental and peaceful the beach is compared to where Jim was before he died. When I think about the waste and lives that this war has ravaged, I feel like yelling out. I contemplate about how upset Jim’s father was when I saw him and I couldn’t bear it, I felt like breaking down and weeping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waves are the most perfect creation of God; the ocean is one huge swell that rushes towards of beachfront, searching for a special place were they might show their power and life purpose. They may spend a lifetime roaming the ocean and when they finally reach the shore, their force spent and not even a single man may see it, and if so, is it a wasted wave? The power, force and beauty of those waves last only a few seconds and yet how many humans appreciate those seconds. These thoughts that were roaming around in my head made me think of Jim and his life. To me, Jim’s life was a short but significant one. Where he touched so many of us, but mostly Ashley’s and I. Whenever, I think of the first time I met Jim, I visualise a man who seemed so confident and always had his own firm opinions. Fly Away Peter :: essays research papers Dear Journal Jim, Jim, Jim - thinking about the senseless murder of Jim by men who never knew him or disliked him except for his nationality. I began to realise that the world is changing everyday and I can’t stop it. I started to stroll down the undulating dunes of the gold coast towards the vast desolate beaches. My feet sunk down into the sand and the thousands of tiny white sand grains slipped down into my shoes. I reached the pounding shore and lay my equipment on the ground. Jim, Ashley and I where completely different people in terms of our social standing’s but our undying love and compassion for the birds brought us together. Nothing could take that from us. All I could think of is, â€Å"What am I doing,† on this sphere they call Earth, â€Å"why am I here† and more importantly why was Jim taken off this planet. Is life a metaphor for something bigger and if so, what is it? There is some comfort that I feel knowing that Jim has gone to a better place, a place that he knows is a sacred haven. As I looked at the perfectly formed white and peaceful dunes stretching endlessly along the coast I think of how transcendental and peaceful the beach is compared to where Jim was before he died. When I think about the waste and lives that this war has ravaged, I feel like yelling out. I contemplate about how upset Jim’s father was when I saw him and I couldn’t bear it, I felt like breaking down and weeping.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The waves are the most perfect creation of God; the ocean is one huge swell that rushes towards of beachfront, searching for a special place were they might show their power and life purpose. They may spend a lifetime roaming the ocean and when they finally reach the shore, their force spent and not even a single man may see it, and if so, is it a wasted wave? The power, force and beauty of those waves last only a few seconds and yet how many humans appreciate those seconds. These thoughts that were roaming around in my head made me think of Jim and his life. To me, Jim’s life was a short but significant one. Where he touched so many of us, but mostly Ashley’s and I. Whenever, I think of the first time I met Jim, I visualise a man who seemed so confident and always had his own firm opinions.

Essay --

A Feminist Approach to Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"Trifles† The approach being used for Susan Glaspell’s play is feminist criticism. Glaspell’s play was written in 1916. In the 1900s women were expected to stay home, clean, cook, and take care of the family. Men were the providers of the household, smarter, and in control. Today women are more independent. They are running businesses and taking on more masculine jobs such as, firefighters and police officers. Women are even working and raising families. In some households the wife works while the husband stays home. A woman can do a man’s job and maybe sometimes better. Linda Napikoski explains, â€Å"Feminist criticism is the analysis that arises from the viewpoint of feminism, feminist theory and/or feminist politics. Feminist literary criticism suggest that women in literature were historically presented as objects seen from a male perspective. Feminist literary criticism actively supports including women’s knowledge in literature and valuing women’s experience. It has since intertwined with postmodernism and increasingly complex question of gender and social roles.† â€Å"Trifles was based on true events. In 1900, a man named John Hossack was murdered with an ax while he slept. His wife, Margaret claims to have slept through the murder. The Jury did not believe her story and found her guilty of murder. Susan Glaspell, who was a journalist with Des Moines Daily News, covered the trial for her newspaper. Even though she did not have any criminal justice background, Glaspell acted like a true detective. She investigated the murder by visiting the farmhouse where Hossack and his wife Margaret lived. She also interviewed attorneys and studied testimonies. Glaspell became very impressed with the st... ...what his life was like behind closed doors. He could have been abusive and angry towards his wife causing her to snap. â€Å"She – come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself – real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and – fluttery. How – she – did – change† (1074). Mrs. Wright did change. She felt trapped in her marriage and she needed to escape. Her life was stolen from her. She strangled her husband and took his life. She probably felt that her life was already over and it wouldn’t matter if she were put in prison or not. Women might see things in a different light than men. They want to please the man in their life, but at the same time they want to be respected and seen as a human beings with feelings. Women today are stronger and more in charge and they don’t allow for a man to come into their life and destroy what they have built for themselves.

Religious Allegory in “Lord of the Flies” Essay

In the novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies† we are given an example of what happens when a group of individuals that are proper, well behaved and orderly, are put into an environment where rules and regulations or the ability to enforce them are absent. Although the boys start out with the best of intensions to organize themselves to get off the island, they soon veer off course on to a path of self-survival, disregard for others and finally total savagery. The reasons for this breakdown are varied. Fear, individualism and the lack of impartial rules and their enforcement are some of the main contributing factors to the social breakdown on the island. Early in the novel one of the littl’uns sees an animal and describes it as a beast. This instills fear in everyone. The fear escalates and the boys find themselves neglecting important duties that would help them get rescued. This fear also leads to a further disintegration of the group as they argue over how to deal with this p erceived threat, the beast. â€Å"In a moment the platform was full of arguing, gesticulating shadows. To Ralph, seated, this seemed the breaking up on sanity. Fear, beast, no general agreement that the fire was all important: and when one tried to get the thing straight the argument sheered off, bringing up fresh, unpleasant matter.†(Golding 95). Beyond the fear of this wild perceived beast, the fear grows, and develops into a fear of each other. â€Å"Maybe† he said hesitantly, â€Å"maybe there is a beast†. â€Å"What I mean is†¦maybe it’s only us.†(Golding 96) The growing sense of individualism over community is another factor contributing to the breakdown on the island. Rather then acting for the good of the group, certain individuals such as Jack begin to act for their own pleasure. The island offers a lot of berries and different fruits. But Jack insists on hunting for fun and to fulfill his bloodlust. He did so at the expense of other duties such as maintaining the fire, and building shelters. Where as Ralph is more concerned with keeping everyone safe and eventually getting rescued. Jack only cares about fulfilling his own desires. â€Å"The best thing we can do is get ourselves rescued† Jack had to think for a moment before he could remember what rescue was. â€Å"Rescue? Yes, of course! All the same, I’d like to catch a pig first.†(Golding 54). The same mentality was also adopted by Jacks followers. To them it was more fun to hunt for wild pig then to build shelter or maintain the SOS fire. Another main factor is the lack of rules. This author William Golding chose English school kids because they come from a very  civilized society. Here on the island where there is the absence of law and the enforcement of any laws, certain characters begin to abuse the situation and act less civilized. Jacks illogical need to hunt the pig is an example of this, as is the wild dance that jack and his followers performed to celebrate the killing of the pig. This shows how civility is fading and being replaced by savagery. As I stated before, fear, individualism and the absence of law and order are the primary reason for the social meltdown that takes place on the island. Without a governing body whose main concern is to provide safety for the group as a whole, the possibility of individuals acting out their own selfish desires becomes likelihood.

Christian Response/Decisions on life and living Essay

AO1- Explain the beliefs Christians hold about their responsibility for those at the beginning and end of their lives. The heart of Christian ethics is love, which has its source in God. Christianity is based on the principal of love,’ love thy neighbour as yourself’ is the greatest teaching and in this context means having concern/caring for others. Christians extend this teaching further when considering those at the beginning or end of their lives. Christians believe that an unborn baby or foetus is created in God’s own image, which is why they would regard every child and living person as precious, and whilst in the womb it is closest to perfection (completely innocent). Christians believe that all human life is sacred as it has eternal destiny and as an unborn child a potential life an unborn child/ foetus is treated with protection and respect, as a human should be. In general Christians feel it is their responsibility to take care of the body carrying an unborn baby and because traditional Christian teaching places the highest value on human life most Christians condemn the concept of abortion as it would involve destroying something so innocent and going against God’s will because God chose to give the life. Christian’s regard abortion in any sense as murder which goes against their moral teachings, the fifth commandment states ‘Thou shall not kill’. â€Å"If anyone does not take care of his relations especially members of his own family he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever† this is a quote from Timothy 1 in the new testament and this quote can have a lot of meaning for a Christian as a parent because it states that it should be their responsibility to care for all their family which would include a conceived child who should be given the chance to live and cared for else a Christian would really be a hypocrite to their beliefs. Christian’s also hold great responsibility as a parent of a newborn child. Christian’s believe it s their duty to baptise their child. The service of baptism washes away a child’s original sin and symbolises their membership to the church. As a parent a Christian is opening the door to the Christian faith (GOD) to which their child can later choose to become part of through their own will when they are older by being ‘confirmed’. It is a Christian’s duty to give their child this opportunity whether or not they choose to take it. As a child grows up it is also the parent’s responsibility to educate the child about the Christian faith, for example sending them to a Christian/catholic school and teaching them about Christianity at home? When considering Christian responsibility for those at the end of their lives the concept is very similar. Christians believe that only God gave life and only God can take it away. They believe killing an innocent person is unacceptable ‘thou shall not kill’ regardless of whether it is an embryo, foetus, child, adult, old person, or someone who is terminally ill and dying. Some Christians may feel that Euthanasia should be allowed as in some circumstances it would be more ‘loving to let someone die if letting them carry on living was causing them so much pain. Most Christians however do not agree because they say human life is sacred and only God has the authority to take it. Christian’s treat a terminally ill, unconscious adult with the same protection as a conscious adult. Christians are against euthanasia but would try to make the time before a person’s death as easy as possible by caring for them and knowing that they will die when God wants them to. The care that the old and terminally ill need can be provided by a hospice. Christian’s support the hospice movement. They are Christian based foundations similar to a hospital but are designed for people to go there to die. The relatives of patients are given care and support and the patients are made as comfortable and happy as possible and the emphasis is on controlling pain and allowing people to die with dignity. AO2 -Faced with the issues of abortion and euthanasia, explain the different ways Christians might respond. The different denominations of Christians and Christian individuals would react in different ways when faced with these issues. When looking at abortion it is fair to say that all Christians believe it is unacceptable and should be avoided. A roman catholic would believe that a deliberately procured abortion is a serious sin as it would be regarded as a murder no matter what time in the pregnancy it took place, as a roman Catholics belief is that God implants the soul at the moment of conception. In today’s society there is a lot of sexual crime such as rape and incest. If a woman were to become pregnancy as a result of this crime her actions may be different depending on what kind of Christian she was. A roman catholic would be strictly against abortion and believe that although the father committed and evil crime the unborn child should still be considered innocent and part of God and should not be killed because its father committed an evil sin. A true Roman Catholic would go ahead with the pregnancy but once the child was born may take other steps such as adoption if keeping the child was too distressing and she felt she could not love it. However looking at this situation from a Protestant perspective it would be acceptable for the woman to have an abortion as having the baby would remind her of the trauma of the sexual crime and the child may not be brought into the world into a loving family, as it should deserve. It is in this way that views differ, members of the Christian Churches accept that sometimes abortion may be the lesser of 2 evils like in the result of a sexual crime, if the child was sought to be handicapped, deformed or likely to die soon after birth and if the foetus is likely to endanger the life of the mother. There are also some extreme exceptions for Catholics. The principal of double effect in the Roman Catholic church if in some complex situations like if the mother was likely to die would allow an abortion to take place, and there are also some occasions where an operation needs to be carried out with a purpose to cure a life threatening disease which may kill an unborn child, the Roman Catholic church teaches that this is permissible and necessary. When faced with issues of euthanasia different most Christians react in similar ways. Some Christians think it is acceptable to help someone to die by stopping their medication, turning off a life support machine etc as long as they are not directly taking their life simply putting a stop to methods that are trying to preserve it. The Roman Catholic belief is that any action intended to cause death as a relief from suffering is,† a grave violation of the laws of God† (John Paul II). Catholics believe that no one should try to take someone’s life for them, as it is still a form of killing. But they do not believe that life has to be preserved at all costs and find turning off a life support machine acceptable if the person can no way be cured and is otherwise in a vegetative state. Christians also support the use of painkillers such as morphine, which hasten death provided their aim is to ease pain. If a Christian had a friend who was terminally ill and dying and asked them to help them to die quicker as they were suffering a Christian may agree to do so because they think it is more ‘loving’ than to let their friend experience immense suffering or they may stop their medication which is keeping them alive to help them die faster. AO3 – What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should not make others accept their position. Do you agree with the statement? A Christian has their own views and ideas about life. Everyone has the right of freedom and should therefore be able to believe their own things without having to be bothered about what others think. This could be argued by some people as not right because when it involves the taking of a life, it can never really be justified as right As a Christian however it is acceptable for them to give advice to others based on their believes whether or not the other person chooses to accept it. As a Christian one should not judge others for being different and this includes having different views and beliefs to themselves, â€Å"Judge not others lest you be judged†. I can relate this to a modern day situation by saying that if a Christian had a close friend (non Christian) who was considering an abortion who asked for their advice it would be fair for a Christian to share their advice and views with this friend but if they still chose to go ahead with the abortion as a Christian the person should still stand by their friend and support them regardless of whether they feel they are making the wrong decision. From another point of view Christians should make others accept their position because God commands them to share the good news with others and take the gospel to all the people’ therefore a Christian would not be fulfilling their duty as a Christian if they did not spread the word of God to others. Other people can choose not to be influenced by their ideas but as a Christian I Think they need to pass on their beliefs about God to other people. Overall I think that a Christian should tell other people when they are doing something which in society could be considered as very wrong i.e. Murder and a Christian also has the right to share there believes with others in hope that they may accept them. However it is the individual’s choice to believe what they want in the end and another person should force no one into accepting a certain position.

Leqadership Self Reflextion

[Type the company name]| Leadership self reflection| [Type the document subtitle]| | keshav| 5/26/2012| | Table of Contents Introduction2 The rings of the tree and temperaments (keirsey)2 Leadership and me3 My new insights to leadership4 Leadership and my experience5 My weakness as a leader6 Conclusion6 References7 Introduction Leadership is that talent that helps an individual to help one self and others through a crisis situation and attain the goal set set by aligning the direction of his team towards the ultimate goal.It is very important to be aware of the leadership one has in himself/herself to be a better leader and nourish these qualities. These leaders will be able to perform well on ‘personal', ‘team' and ‘organisations' point of view. This essay is the reflection of me as a leader and my thoughts regarding leadership. The rings of the tree and temperaments (keirsey) As far as the communication angle of my talent is considered I am concrete in nature. I h ave well formed ideas shaped enough to be imparted to others in a very convincing way. I concentrate on reality, and facts rather than simply conveying news on the basis of mind's eye.But I am sensitive to other peoples change and try sensing a positive or negative energy in a person. In case I find negative energy I tend to sort their situation out by cooperating with them and turning the energy positive. I am also good at converting the the abstract ideas to concrete ones and implementing them if required with greatest dedication. I am cooperative in nature and this makes me friendlier to my colleagues. I am empathetic too and I allot works on the basis of my team members ‘like' or ‘dislike' and the ‘quality of the work' that are offered by them.This helps me to assign the ‘right work' for the team member and this helps in maximum productivity and satisfaction from the employees (Keirsey, 1998). In the third ring of being reactive or proactive in nature i. e. directive or informative I am more lenient towards proactive one. This is also one of the advantages of being intuitive. I am capable at directing others to achieve the goals that are set. When it comes to the fourth ring I am more expressive than I am attentive. Among the four temperaments that are there, I belong to the to the guardians category that are concrete and cooperative.I relate myself more to the administrator than to the conservators (Keirsey, 1998). Leadership and me It is important to analyse oneself as a leader and to be aware of one's strength and weakness to make a better leader. Most effective leaders always invest in their strengths and surround themselves with the right people to maximise their team. They also understand their follower's needs. These are some of the core strengths I have as a leader. I am aware and am appreciative of my leadership skills of communication, mindfulness and empathy. I try on building up my strengths and reducing my weakness thro ugh self analysis.Like all the leaders in the world I was also influenced by the other teachers and prominent personalities and am inspired by their leadership styles. I also realise that the leaders made these changes through planning that was implemented on a time plan. I also hope to inspire people around me and make them be appreciative by adapting the most vibrant and preferable style for others. The leaders also influence change by providing direction and chances for continuous improvement. As a leader in my life the number of roles I have played is very limited considering the interpersonal, informational and managerial roles of a leader.I have been a leader, monitor and resource allocator to my team and the roles played on other areas like negotiator, disturbance-handler, entrepreneur, spokesperson, disseminator, liaison and figurehead are very limited and have to be undertaken in the future. I have only worked on an individual and group level of an organisation and haven't managed to get past the middle-level management in an organisation. On the basis of the leadership trait theories I sense the traits of I have comparatively a higher level of energy and has a talent of persuasion.My leadership style also belongs to the new style of leadership that is accepted in the new era and that is highly decentralised in nature. I value my team members and try to appreciate them for their contributions in the welfare of the team. I also promote the system of feedback and thereby improve myself and helping others to improve. This also means that I have adapted myself to a democratic leadership style. I also realise that there is nothing appreciative in a team as favourable working employs. What motivates me in leadership is need for affiliation.I am willing to please people and am very often concerned about them. I have a very positive outlook on leadership and I am more productive when I work with employees who have theory Y attitude. I also try and make my tea m positive enough to realise the Pygmalion effect of thinking positive. I am also very strict about being ethical in implementing responsibilities when I, the team members and the organisation is concerned. This is also why I think upbringing of a child highly influences the moral and ethical standards that will be followed by him/her in the future. My new insights to leadershipLeadership qualities can be inborn. But they can be conquered through continuous efforts and through planning. Leaders are relied upon by the organisations for achieving the already set goals. It can even be said that the the success or failure of an organisation highly relies on the success of the various leadership styles that are adopted by the leaders. It is not possible for all the leaders to have all the ideal qualities of being a leader. It is the different combinations of these qualities that makes one leader different from one another and allows one to be better than the other.On reading the book â⠂¬Ëœthe Tao of Leadership', I accept some of the truths behind leadership of which some are ‘wise leader is like water'. A leader should have it in him to cleanse and refresh all the creatures without any difference and is fearless to search in to the surface of things. It is responsive and is ultimately not bound to anyone. The ultimate goal of a leader is harmony. When harmony is established things tend to work on an organised pace. The group who is working for a leader is very sensitive. When mistreated or not considered adequately, they tend to be unproductive and conflicts occur.For the best performance, a leader should also be low and open. The reason is that a good leader is also a good follower of the right strategies that are adopted by others. A wise leader is responsible for providing opportunities to all the followers even at the risk of getting unnoticed. A good leader should not only be aiming for good reward and acknowledgement (Heider, 1986). Leadership and my experience I have been selected to leadership roles in education institutes and was a team leader in the organisation that I was employed in. I was chosen as a team leader of a new process without being introduced to the team.When started my work as a team leader I realised that the team members were not comfortable with each other and that has really affected the team's performance as a single unit in spite of the fact that the employees were all hardworking. One of the initial steps I took after I took up the role was to resolve conflict through persuasive communication and the misunderstandings vanished in a very short interval of time. The team gathered together, was work and fun oriented at the same time, and also was appreciated for its achievement in a short time span.Initially three problems were not sorted and then we all glued up well because of the ‘need for affiliation' I had and the ‘requirement of achievement' a few others had in the group. My weakness as a leader As a leader I at times tend to be too democratic people fail to realise the difference between the team members and the team leader. I am not achievement oriented which is not always favourable. Different leadership styles are acceptable at different circumstances as I suggested by the situational leadership theory.I am comfortable in one style of leadership and am in heavy requirement for the affiliation. But the democratic style of leadership may not be optimal when there is a situational change and the preferences would be for autocratic and bureaucratic leadership style. I tend to express myself more than than being an active listener. This means that my team mates may find me incommunicable to. Being unapproachable is a very bad quality where in a leader is concerned. I will also have a tough time working with type X employees because of my decentralised style of leadership.There were also many situations while taking the test keirsey that I faced questions that are not mutually exclusive. Even as a leader there are some fatal flaws that tend to occur. On being accepted by other if I will also make one of these fatal flaws that usually occur to leaders like thinking I am the smartest person in the room, being a control freak, the politician, the pleaser or the kind. It's very difficult for a leader to achieve a balance between all these requirements and it can be achieved only through experience (Lloyd, 2011) Conclusion The quality of leadership can be inborn and can be nurtured well.Organisations should find out talents within the firm and nurture them to be leaders of productive teams so that organisational goals are achieved while being in favour of the employees as well. Leadership is quality that has to be appreciated for being the root cause of the success or failure within an organisation. Employees within an organisation should be given chances to evaluate them self as a leader and person and then choose the most favourable position to enh ance productivity. References * Keirsey, D. (1998). Please understand me 11: temperament, character, intelligence.Prometheus Nemesis book Company. * Lloyd, J. (2011). Five fatal flaws of a leader. Retrieved from http://www. jobdig. com/articles/1572/Five_Fatal_Flaws_of_a_Leader. html. * Lussier, R. N & Christopher f. A. (2010). Leadership: theory, application, Skill development. Cengage Learning. * Heider, J. (1986). The Toa of leadership: leadership strategies for new age. Bantam. * Valentine, S, Godkin, L & Philip E V. (2009). Role conflict mindfulness and organisational ethics in an education based healthcare institution. Journal of business ethics, 94 (3), 455-469.

Netflix Case Analysis

Case Analysis: Netflix. com, Inc k JAVK Consulting Company 6/14/2011 600 Civic Center Dr Detroit, MI 48226 Dear Mr. Hastings, Our company JAVK Consulting has examined the Netflix customer model and looked into the company’s five year financial future. We have analyzed Netflix with a scope of entering a rocky internet based company marketplace and seeing success in the future. The company currently is pumping lots of money into marketing strategy in order to growth their customer base and is in turn facing financial troubles while they approach their initial public offering stage.As you read through our analysis of Netflix you will find our company’s thought on your financial performance so far, look into a subscriber model and correlated cash flows, and develop an idea of financing solutions to manage growth. While more users are using mainstream technology such as DVD players, video game consoles, laptops, combined along with high-speed internet the creates a growing e nvironment for a consumers wanting entertainment at their joysticks and fingertips. Our aspiration is for Netflix to have a successful run at an IPO if chosen and manage their customer growth along the way for long term success.Thank you for the chance to help your business thrive. We hope you agree with our financial outlook of Netflix and make a decision that catapults your company into financial success. Sincerely, JAVK Consulting Group Problem Statement: Based on Initial discussion and evaluation, we understand that the launch of Initial Public Offering (IPO) is critical and needs to be evaluated if the company should go forward with the offering, as a result of number of internet companies have been forced to withdraw their IPOs due to market down turn.Secondly the need to show positive cash flows within a twelve month horizon in order to have a successful offering. Third to suggest modifications that would improve the company’s projected cash flows given the fact that t he revenues were doubling every six months. One of the most critical points of success for Netflix depended on the company’s ability to manage and sustain their triple-digit growth into the foreseeable future. Analysis: Technology is continuously facing rapid change which gives a company such as Netflix an exclusive opportunity for a first mover advantage in a new market.The Netflix product is one that can ship easily and cost effectively or be received directly to internet connections worldwide. The definite increase in internet and console users is creating a consumer demand for entertainment that Netflix can fill. This versatile product paired with emerging technology has led to rapid growth for the Netflix Company. The basic elements of Netflix core products give them an advantage over brick and mortar stores such as Blockbuster as Netflix offers a more personalized movie experience, the same new titles, all along with no time restrictions or late fees.As part of this lon g term objective Netflix’s goal is to grow its customer base and retain users of free trial software. The goal of the free software is to have a positive acquisition rate of free trial users after a month of free service and retain them into the long run future. After retention, the goal of Netflix is to withhold those customers into the long term future by tailoring the Netflix product in a unique way to each customer. Netflix does this by adapting their website interactions for each customer based off of their viewing history and preferences using a unique personal movie finder service.By offering this personalized service video users can find movies they would enjoy and possibly use the Netflix mail service. Theoretically speaking, Netflix performance to date has been positive (although the company has been incurring loss year over year) considering the high operating expenses for the initial years of a new business is common as most businesses make it or break it in their first 2-3 years which seems to be a normal trend considering this industry where the fixed assets increase year over year and the revenue generated on the fixed assets could drastically diminish based on user preference.Netflix has an extremely high growth rate for their revenues as they are doubling every six months. While revenues are doubling in the last year sales and marketing expenses have gone up more than three times. The main objective now is to make sure that after an initial public offering Netflix will continue to create positive cash flows. We believe that Netflix has chosen the subscriber model to forecast its cash flow requirements because it is the most precise representation of how the company receives cash on a monthly basis.Netflix at its core is in the movie rental industry, the only cash inflows received are from subscribers that pay monthly subscription fees. The basic elements of the subscriber model are monthly subscribers, subscription fees, and movie usage including movies rented and shipping costs. Based on these elements costs and revenues can be narrowed down and correlated to individual aspects of the model and accurate cash flows can be formed in order to predict future profitability. The subscriber model is fitting for Netflix for these reasons as subscribers are essentially their only cash inflows.Exhibit A, illustrates the subscribe model premise. In our analysis, we used the subscriber model to forecast future cash flows. This allows us to see potential revenues month to month based on the initial subscriber rate and percentage, while incorporating the cost to your company for each additional subscriber. We have forecasted potential cash flows as well as revenues for the next five years (Exhibit D & Exhibit E). This gives us an idea of where we are going and how we will get there. Currently it costs your company $106. 58(Exhibit B) for the first month of a free trial customer.This cost is offset by paid subscribers and can b e considered a marketing expense. Every month each paid subscriber earns you on average $5. 82 (Exhibit B) in revenue. Netflix should continue trying to obtain new subscribers since there is a positive cash inflow for those customers after a weighted average is formed. Based on the weighted average of customers who stay with Netflix and those that leave there is a positive NPV based on the retention percentages. There are three basic types of customers for Netflix, one month trail exiting users, six month exiting users, and over five year users.Based off the retention ratios after one month 70% of customers from the free trail stay with Netflix, after that first month 42% of the original 70% stay for six months and 28% stay longer than six months (we have assumed it to be of at least 5 years and above). If a customer leaves after one month of free service your company would suffer a loss of $19. 26 (Exhibit B) given the fact that the initial purchase ($98. 28) of DVD(s) can be reuse d ($88. 45) for the other new subscribers by purchasing an incremental of 2 DVD(s) which move to the back catalogue as they become obsolete.Netflix can convert and retain those customers for six months they generate $1. 21(Exhibit B) of cash inflow for each customer. If the cash flow from acquiring new subscribers was negative we would advise your company to take an alternate route for generating cash flows. If your company continues with current business, retaining 28% of initial customers at least 5 years and above, the net present value of your corporation will be $65,851,642 (Exhibit E) based on certain assumption listed in Exhibit E.This NPV of your company after 5 years is based on the weighted average NPV percentages that we determined for each of the three customer categories; one month subscribers, six month subscribers and five year subscribers. Over sixty five million as a NPV is a glamorous number to project but it requires your company to retain the current customer ret ention ratios over the three timeline increments (Exhibit C). If these retention ratios are held strong then we have determined the weighted NPV per subscriber would be $34. 34 (Exhibit C).While this number is far from over sixty five million dollars over the five year time retention span it grows to be exactly that. Conclusion/Recommendation: Based on our analysis we have come up with some solutions to improve your overall cash flows and strengthen the financial health of your company. These solutions are not far from the product that Netflix currently offers so making the changes would not place a large burden on costs. Also, the changes will offer a more customer focused and interactive experience with the Netflix product.Initially your first goal should be to increase the retention rate of potential new trial subscribers. Given that internet users are increasing year over year, we recommend that your company consider online video streaming (video on demand) which will be an out of the box approach. Using the online media streaming can help your company to cut down on sales and advertising cost. Secondly with introduction of online streaming reduce the membership fees to 75% of the current rates which will help you increase customer retention rates.Third, promote revenue sharing which can help increase you marketing base while cutting your expenses. Forth is to promote referral bonus (can vary based on number of referrals provided) which can help you boost your sales through you existing customer base and in return reduce your operational expenses. Lastly to reduce the trial period to 2 weeks (if done by Mail only) and this will result in increase of NPV of Netflix by $25. 8 million (increase of NPV/subscriber from 34. 34 to 44. 10). Netflix is becoming even more personalized and may cut undesired costs such as unnecessary shipping costs.By doing this you will increase your profitability and decrease your cost to acquire a new customer. Another recommendati on is to continue to encourage all online subscribers to rate films. This will encourage other subscribers to rent more movies and help with the automatic marquee queue available to online subscribers. By encouraging this interactive use with the Netflix website the company will have an idea of which DVD’s to spend money purchasing and will be able to keep an updated DVD library that meets the growing demand of new subscribers.To conclude, your company should delay the IPO until the economic condition improves and use this additional time to evaluate some of our recommendation to attain positive cash flows which can play in your favor. Appendix: Exhibit A – Subscriber Model Premises| Cost/New DVD| $ 17. 55 | Shipping Cost/DVD| $ 1. 00 | Number of DVD Initial Marque Queue| $ 4. 00 | Number of DVD Shipped /Month| $ 4. 30 | New DVD 1st Month| $ 5. 60 | Number of new DVD(s) subsequent Month| $ 0. 56 | Revenue /Month| $ 19. 95 | Free trial| $ 1. 00 |Discount Rate| 20%| Exhi bit B -New Subscriber Model| | Free| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid| Paid|   | M1| M2| M3| M4| M5| M6| M7| M8| M9| M10| M11| M12| Revenue|   | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | $19. 95 | Cost of DVD/ initial (one time)| $ (98. 28)|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Cost of DVD/ releases|   | $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| $ (9. 83)| Shipping initial DVD's| $ (4. 0)|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | Shipping new DVD's| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| $ (4. 30)| Net Revenue| $(106. 58)| $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 | Exhibit C – Calculation of Net Present Value per new subs criber|   | *assumes that if a subscriber stays with Netflix longer than 6 months will stay 5 years| Subscribers | 1 Mon| 6 Mon| 5 Yrs. *|   | Probability| 30%| 42%| 28%|   |Weighted NPV per Subscriber| ($19. 26)| $1. 21 | $141. 46 | $34. 34 |   |   |   |   |   | C1| $ (106. 58)| $ (106. 58)| $ (106. 58)|   | C2| $ 88. 45 | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 |   | C3|   | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 |   | C4|   | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 |   | C5|   | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 |   | C6|   | $ 5. 82 | $ 5. 82 |   | C7|   | $ 88. 45 | $ 5. 82 |   | †¦|   |   | †¦ |   | C8|   |   | $ 5. 82 |   | C60|   |   | $ 5. 82 |   | C61|   |   | $ 88. 45 |   | CF By Month|   |   |   |   |Exhibit D – Projection of new subscribers 2000| |   | Revenue Growth rate 1998 –> 1999 | 274%| Existing subscribers| 110,724 | New Subscribers paid status| 303,231 | 30% free| 90,969 | New Subscribers 2000| 394,201 | Exhibit E – Value of Netflix|    | 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| 2004|   | | | | | |   | NPV per Subscriber| $34. 34 |   |   |   |   |   | Discounted Rate| 20%|   |   |   |   |   | Growth rate per new subscriber|   |   | 49%| 49%| 49%| 49%|   | | | | | |   | Existing subscribers| | 110,724 |   |   |   |   | Value of existing subscribers| | 3,802,273 |   |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   |New Subscribers| | 394,201 | 587,359 | 875,165 | 1,303,995 | 1,942,953 | Value of new subscribers| | 13,536,829 | 20,169,875 | 30,053,114 | 44,779,140 | 66,720,918 |   | |   |   |   |   |   | Total subscriber value|   | 17,339,102 | 20,169,875 | 30,053,114 | 44,779,140 | 66,720,918 |   | |   |   |   |   |   | Product development| | 7,413,000 | 7,413,000 | 7,413,000 | 7,413,000 | 7,413,000 | General and administrative| | 2,085,000 | 2,085,000 | 2,085,000 | 2,085,000 | 2,085,000 | Total Cost|   | 9,498,000 | 9,498,000 | 9,498,000 | 9,498,000 | 9,498 ,000 |   | |   |   |   |   |   |Total Subscriber value minus cost|   | 7,841,102 | 10,671,875 | 20,555,114 | 35,281,140 | 57,222,918 | NPV of Netflix|   | 65,851,642 |   |   |   |   | Assumptions:| Existing customers pay 19. 95 per month (same as new customers)| Additional cost projected at the same level as 1999NPV of Netflix only includes cash inflow and outflows and have not considered any liquidation value|

He Desire to Change the Subservient Role Essay

The Desire to Change the Subservient Role of Women in Old Chinese Society Chinese women stayed in an unequal status with men in old Chinese Society. Shen Congwen’s â€Å"Xiao Xiao† and Ding ling’s â€Å"When I Was in Xia Village† are two stories about village women’s lives during modern time in China. The stories in both of these works present an important traditional Chinese belief that it is profitable to raise geese than to raise daughter. In â€Å"Xiao Xiao†, she is a twelve-year-old girl who is married with a two-year-old husband, Chunguan, and as his caretaker in her youth. While â€Å"When I was in Xia Village† is a period when narrator spends his/her time in Xia village and make friends with a village girl Zhenzhen. She is sent to Japan to spy Japanese government after she is raped by Japanese soldiers. When she goes back village due to her disease, people look down upon her and laugh at her. Finally she runs away from Xiao Dabao’s propose and seeks for a fresh life in city. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen have something in common that they are both independent-minded woman; also they are from village and ever desired to live in city to find new life and to have education; they live under the tradition of gender discrimination in old China. While their experiences are different, and, at the end, Zhenzhen is seeking for her new life in another place, yet we see Xiaoxiao and her husband’s family is still within traditions in their small village. In men’s world, women are like a tool which they can use to make their life good, but we see some of women have desire to change their subservient role to become independent in Chinese society. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are independent-minded women compared to other women at that time in Chinese society. They are not afraid of break down the present life and live in their owns. When Xiaoxiao’s grandpa and other relatives make joke on her about figuring out her should become a coed when she grows up. Then she has thinking that how coeds’ life is, â€Å"†¦she felt vague stirrings of unrest, and took to imagining herself as a ‘coed’. Would she behave like the ‘coed’ Grandfather talked about? In any case, there was nothing frightful about these ‘coeds’ and so these notions began to occupy this smile girl’s thoughts for the first time† (Shen 86). Although the author does not mention Xiaoxiao’s desire to become a coed directly in the story, I feel that Xiaoxiao wants to have a different life from her present life as a caretaker in village. She is young and hopes her life to be colorful and meaningful. After her stomach gets bigger, she wants to have a new life in city, â€Å"After a while, Xiaoxiao would finger her snakelike black braid, and, thinking of life in the city, she said: ‘Brother Motley, why don’t we go where we can be free in the city and find work there? What do you say? ’† (Shen 91). She knows if she keeps living with her husband’s family, she would go to dead. No more clearly than herself that she knows her situation is worse. If she elopes with Brother Motley, she could be same as those coeds in the school and live her own life with a normal marriage. Obviously, Xiaoxiao has her idea what her life she wants. In â€Å"When I was in Xia Village†, Zhenzhen is an independent-mind woman as well. Even though she has been raped and treated unrespectable. Zhenzhen does not care about surrounding people’s misunderstandings. For others’ sneer, she thinks she need to find another life but not surrender to marry Xiao Dabao, so she said to narrator â€Å"I feel that living among strangers and keeping busy would be better than living at home where people know me†¦ It’s better for each of us to go our own separate ways than it is to have everyone stay together in one place. I’m doing this for myself, but I’m doing it for the others â€Å" (Ding 146). Just like Xiaoxiao, Zhenzhen wants a new life in city and to start over. She hopes in a new place where not many people know her, so she could start over, â€Å"A person’s life is not just for one’s father and mother, or even for oneself. Some have called me young, inexperienced, and bad-tempered. I don’t dispute it. There are some things that I just have to keep to myself† (Ding 146). From these two stories, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are two women who have their own thought instead of under control of traditions. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen have the same desire which moving from village to city. On one hand, Xiaoxiao wants to escape from her offence, on the other hand, she has desire to have sex with a real man, she cannot wait her little husband to grow up when she is twenty years old. So she cheats on her little husband â€Å"involuntarily† on surface. In addition, her husband’s families take her in but she never drops the idea to be like a coed, â€Å"One day, word spread that the coeds were back again. When Xiaoxiaoheard this, she eyes stared out unseeing, as if in a daze, her gaze fixed on the eastern horizon for some time† (Shen 93). She bent on joining the coeds on their way to the big city in search of freedom, unfortunately she is discovered. I guess Xiaoxiao does not have any ideas about having education in the city; she just has to get away from village. However, from her grandpa’s description on coed, she is interested in coed’s life and she thinks if she becomes a member of coed, she has holidays and does not need to do farm works. Zhenzhen is different. Although she is from village too, she has live in Japan many years. So she knows she goes to city because she wants a bright future and escape the sad village then to be educated in order to get a job with other communists, â€Å"What I do feel is that after I go to [Yan’an], I’ll be in a new situation. I will be in a new situation. I will be able to start life fresh† (Ding 146). Their movements illustrate that new Chinese women are changing people’s views and have sense of education is more and more important. Life in city is realistic and bright for them. Gender roles is very similar between â€Å"Xiaoxiao† and â€Å"When I Was in Xia Village†, they both present that women stand subservient role in society. Starting from Xiaoxiao’s marriage, her marriage is arranged by her uncle when she is only twelve. People at that time set this tradition because they think girl is useless because daughters will be others’ sooner or later, so it is better to send her earlier to save family’s food. To the bride’s family, accept a girl into their family is not only a way to take care of children, but also add a worker to help farming as a free labor. That’s why to be contrast with other female students in town, Xiaoxiao is adulterer. To punish Xiaoxiao’s cheating on her husband and families, Xiaoxiao is arranged to wait for her second marriage but no one come. Nevertheless, Xiaoxiao is lucky that her child turns out is a boy; she does not have to be married off after all. This tradition does not change after Xiaoxiao, then her son who is ten-year-old and have his wedding ceremony. Women in tradition could not hold any position of power. In the other story, people in Xia village are uneducated, so when Zhenzhen came back from Japan, they laughed at her and think she is dirty. Women have physical disadvantage than man, therefore, chastity becomes extremely crucial especially at that time. People in the village can not understand her grievance, this is one of the reason why Zhenzhen wants to go to [Xi’an] where most people are educated, at least not so care about her background. No matter from which aspect, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen seems like a tool in men ruled the world. Xiaoxiao is portrayed as â€Å"object† sold from a place to another. She could not have her own happiness because she belongs to her husband’s family. Zhenzhen looks like more freedom than Xiaoxiao physically, but in fact, she is slaved by internal. Something she cannot shake off is her hatred and interiority, â€Å"†¦in a very calm voice, she said, ‘I can’t say that I hate him. I just feel now that I’m someone who’s diseased. It’s a fact that I was abused by a large number of Jap devils. I don’t remember that exact number. In any case, I’m unclean, and with such a black mark I don’t expect any good fortune to come my way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ding 146). Zhenzhen is used to her reputation and body to help Chinese government but at the end, she could not get any sympathy. These things always happened to women, but not men. In conclusion, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are two uneducated women living in old Chinese society where unbalanced gender roles and old traditions exist. They both from village and dream to move to city meanwhile they have â€Å"sins† could not be excused. Through their different experience, they have similarities that they both independent-minded to change their lives to take education in big city. The ending of stories are different that Zhenzhen’s regardless of objection enable her goes to city as she wants, but Xiaoxiao still stays in village and keeps her original life. In old Chinese society, woman is absolutely not profitable than men. So people use women like a functional object to help working or take care of family. I think women are living a hard life and very powerless in society. Even thought they want to take education to change their lives, reality makes them difficult. However, women play many different roles which cannot be ignored. The authors express their thought and show the current situation through these good works.