Why the auteurist theory has become so important to film analysis Essay

Why the auteurist theory has become so important to film analysis - Essay Example The paper throws light on the theory of auteurism as a one of the most useful approaches to writing about films. Simply put, the auteurist theory in cinema is based on the idea that there should be identified a single creator of the film, with his own visionary approach – just as we identify an author for any work of art or literature. While within the auteurist theory film critics attempt to identify the film’s author, the theory also aims at to study the whole body of work produced by one specific author, like, for example, studies devoted to Alfred Hitchcock. While critics of the second half of the 20th century recognized the theory very useful due its librating effect – it allowed applying their initially naive suggestions about the role of authorship in a particular movie, it has acquired a more post-structural shape of late. To illustrate, within the latter the auterurist theory allows examining the work of a certain director not as the expression of his ge nius, but as the site where a biography encounters a historical moment, an institutional context, and, lastly, an intertext. The usefulness of this theory is also determined by its practicality since it requires focusing on just one person. One of the major arguments against the auteurist theory is that it is believed that movies have nothing in common with any other form of arts, e.g. paintings. Rather they are viewed as results of collaborative efforts by a number of artists. It is argued that one person cannot be credited with so much influence and importance that he/she is recognized the sole author of a movie. Another argument is that it is virtually impossible to identify a sole author since critics are not a part of films’ development and assess the movie’s auteur by a mere guess. Plus, the criticism of the auteurist theory deals with its suggested impact on boosting some director’s egos and reducing the role of input by other members of the crew. Therefo re, the criticism may be rely too much on a personality of a director ignoring the contribution of other people. For example, in a marketing campaign of the Psycho film (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchock, it was mentioned that that was the film by Hitchcock, which was intended to make people see the movie, although the most famous scene in the film, the shower scene, has been recognized the result of creative collaborative work with Saul Bass. The Jaws is cited as a good example of the misunderstanding rooted in the auteurist approach. While the plot was conceived by Peter Benchley, an author of the related novel and a co-author of the screenplay (along with Carl Gottlieb), the film was shot by Bill Butler, edited by Verna Fidelis, and filled with compositions by Joh Williams, attributing the authorship of The Jaws to one single director seems unfair and not objective. Of course, â€Å"Steven Spielberg’s film† sounds goof for a marketing campaign, since it advertises the film by the use of the famous name, yet it is hard to disagree with Goldman who asks, â€Å"How in the world is Steven Spielberg the â€Å"author† of that? † (Goldman, 1983, p.101). 8. After watching three of the ten movie clips listed in the Multimedia section, below, describe how they fit into a specific genre (or subgenre). What elements of the film are characteristic of that genre? How does it fulfill the expectations of that genre? How does it play against these expectations? I have watched two movie clips from

Literature in contemporary societies Essay Example for Free

Literature in contemporary societies Essay The art of literature in contemporary societies has always led to more critical discussions between man and himself and between man and his neighbor. Literature pushes us to rethink our stance on normal societal norms and beliefs. Sula is such a work of art. It is the based on two women living at the Bottom in Ohio, a predominantly black community. Helen Wright is a socially conscious and quite a conservative woman. She has one daughter; Nel. Hannah Peace a beautiful flamboyant and a woman with many men at the Bottom is the mother of Sula. Sula is raised with Eva Peace, her grandmother who does not stifle her granddaughters freedom unlike Nel who comes from a restrictive household. Nel and Sula develop quite an inseparable and good friendship, a friendship that does not settle well with Helen who possesses grave misgivings due to the reputation of Sulas mother however she does not object openly after her realization that Sula is a very polite house guest. After High School these two great friends diverge ways for 10 years. Sula goes to college where she experiences a new wave of sexual promiscuity much like her mother. Nel On the other hand is married by a Bottoms resident, Jude Green. Their separation last for period of three years before Sula comes back from the college and their relationship resumes without any hindrance. However, this relationship is cut short when Nel learns of the relationship between Sula and Jude. This affair ends both the relationship between Jude and Nel as well as that of Nel as Sula who leaves the bottom for three years. Nel is forced to raise her two children alone and she doesnt communicate with Sula for the three years that she goes away. Their next meeting occurs when Sula is terribly sick and almost dying. Their last conversation before Sula dies constitutes the literary wealth of this masterpiece; it is the discussion between good and bad. She dies and is buried at the Bottom cemetery. Thereafter, Nel visits Eva Peace who is quite old and is kept in a nursing home where she tries to retell the moments she had together before Sula died. While walking home she begins to feel the loss of the relationship with the death of Sula, her single and true friend. Her judgment of Sula as bad begins to haunt her as she recalls an incident that happened when they were friends; the Chicken Little incident. Chicken little was a young boy who also lived at the Bottom. When playing on a tree, Sula lost grip and the child plunged in the river and drowned. They kept this secret for the whole of their lives. These are the memories that unsettled Nel emotionally, she begins to challenge the concepts of good and bad and the choices and sacrifices people make in life. Later on, she kills her drug addict sun as she struggles to raise his family single handedly. Sadly, we see her sitting and crying over Sulas grave at then cemetery as the story comes to an end. The story questions the decisions that people make in life; the calls for a rethinking of common societal problems. Critics mention the humor in the novel. For example the place called bottom is actually at the mountain top. The creation of binary oppositions in the novel not only makes it too interesting and informative but also lets the reader glance at the depth of common conventions in the community and the effect these societal conventions have on the lives of children who are supposed to be brought up in a comparatively free world where people are supposed to make free will. Satire as a theme is also developed in the story and it fuse well with the binary notion. The complexity of characters in the story conveys an account of human flaws in decision making and in the way we relate to other people in the community. While parents do everything in their power to ensure that their children justifiably lead a good life, little is done in ensuring that the children also get freedom. This makes the children not to acquire their own experiences in life but only proceed to copy the characters of their parents and grandparents. The fact that Sula turned out to be an exact replica of her mother and grandmother is an attestation to this fact. The book is feminine masterpiece and there is also an element of female chauvinism. This can be justified by the fact that all the major characters in the book are women and their actions are affected by men in a very little sense. Jude, Chicken Little and Nels son who became a drug addict after leaving the army are all victims of the women’s stereotyped dispositions. Shadrack being physically and emotionally scarred fro the experience of war is disowned and almost excommunicated by the community without the community fully understanding the reasons behind his behavior. Let us now give a critical analysis of Sula, the main character. Sula is the major influence on his friend Nel. Sula has been influenced by her mother leading to the passage of what can be argued to be a bad character trait through generations. Eva is a strong woman. She has endured loneliness, abject poverty but she is proud and unrelenting. Sula is quite an extraordinary woman, she is energetic but she has no suitable outlet to release her energies. This makes her potentially dangerous in that that she has no knowledge of wrongdoing. She does not understand that she sins when she sleeps with men and carelessly tosses them aside. Her sin is unintentional. The community, however do not understand the context of her upbringing or they simply do not care. They despise her but tolerate her. One very interesting aspect is that Sula is quite independent in her isolation, she does what she pleases and she simply does not care what everybody else does. She lives her the way it pleases her effectively earning her isolation from the community. After her death the rules shift suddenly, there is a renewed sense of acceptance, of defining right and wrong, good and bad. It is important to try and delve into the reasons why Nel and Sula united even after Sula betrayed their friendship by having an affair with Nels husband, Jude. Nel realizes that Sula was neither good nor evil; she was just indifferent to everything and everybody. Wives had to put extra effect in making sure that their husbands do not fall into bed with Sula, children were treated better so that they dont grow into adults who are indifferent and uncaring like Sula. This is good fortune to the bottom community because they were held together in the rethinking process. Remember the National Suicide day? After Sulas death the community did not have any productive outlet to channel their energies, they could not just sit and talk and so they become enraged and tear up the tunnel the result of unfocused energy. This eventual realization went a long way in ensuring that the residents of Bottom engaged in productive work for their survival. If Sula would have directed her energy to something else, maybe something a little more worthwhile would have resulted. Racial prejudice is highlighted when Jude is denied a chance to engage in the building of anew bridge, because of the color of his skin; he is denied the opportunity even though he is willing to do something productive. He stands in line for six days while the white boys get an opportunity to build the new River Road, his job at the hotel is demeaning and an insult to his masculinity. The scarcity of job opportunities remains to be the why Eva and Hannah had very little chance of gainful employment. They had to contend with the injustices being meted out on them because they were females and most importantly black. To escape the pangs of hunger in the winter, they have to prepare canned food in the summer. The life of Sula Peace, her childhood and her death in 1941is surrounded by the inability of the environment to shape her into a good woman The black community residing in Medallion; the bottom is judgmental but not in any way assisting to solve the crisis within itself. Sula’s life story shows us how the community and family can shape somebodys identity. She not only displays how children are nurtured but also her later relationship with the same community who natured her. She is a strong independent character but the community does not see her positive potentiality. To go against these societal norms she is not married and she sleeps around. The Peace family has been frowned upon by the Bottom community. This could have elicited an element of antagonism from Sula because she does not follow accepted societal conventions but in this case she is the protagonist and not the community. The novel poses her as the central character and the community constitutes only bits and pieces that seem to knit her life together in a predetermined fashion from the time of her birth to death. If change is to take place the community remains the playing field and Sula undoubtedly remains one of the players in the field. Whether she deserved to be rewarded for fearlessly instigating the rethinking process is not a matter of discussion as it is evident that her one and truly friend had in her own way knowingly or unknowingly lent credit to her stance in life by crying over her grave at the cemetery after realizing what Sula stood for. The character Sula is structure less, that any character interaction with her only invokes an element of structurelessness. This is because philosophically her evil is not her own but a reflection of what had been unknowingly imparted in her. Fortunately, her story is one where what is regarded as evil triggered change in the society. In analyzing one of the important masterpieces in the history of black American writing it is prudent to expunge on the growth of protagonism and non conformism in the society. The society’s vilification of the heroine Sula who does not fit into the society’s conformation of a heroine is a classic example of the inability of a people to look within themselves and try to solve the problems within its own structures. Works Cited Daniel Dawkins: A Character Analysis of Sula; Considering Morrisons Main Character as the Protagonist. 2008http://african-american fiction. suite101. com/article. cfm/a_character_analysis_of_sula Black Community Racism Racist Essays. http:www. 123helpme. com/preview. asp? id=87608 Solomon O. Iyasere and Marla W. Iyasere. Understanding Tony Morrisons Beloved and Sula: Selected Essays and Criticisms of the works of Nobel prize winning author. 2000

Empowering Male Children for Sustainable Development

Empowering Male Children for Sustainable Development EDUCATION AND BOY-CHILD EMPOWERMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN KENYA: THE CASE OF BUSIA COUNTY CHAPTER ONE 1.0 Background of the Study The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has a right to primary education and of which should be free. The boy child’s needs and interests have been neglected and marginalised by some educational policies, cultural practices, poverty, and many more factors which tend to subject the boy child to stressful conditions or alienate the boy child from the means of acquiring education, intra-family priorities, and the labour culture in Kenya. When affirmative action gained currency in Kenya, the needs and aspirations of the girl child were prominently amplified by the civil society, donor agencies, and lobby groups who included feminist scholars. This was followed by the concerted effort by the government of Kenya to address the plight of the girl child in Kenya. Today, a lot of attention has been directed to the girl child leaving the boy child quite vulnerable. Most programs in both the public and private sector are focused in improving the w elfare of the girl child in education, health, and in the recruitment process. Hence, this study addresses the plight of the boy child so that adequate effort is made to ensure that he accesses education without due regard to gender affiliations. The boy child of today has become vulnerable physically, mentally and economically. The simplest way to identify past achievements in child development is to observe the behaviour patterns of the current adult population. The rise of male battery in Kenya, the increase in cases of substance abuse amongst the youth, the rise of crime levels, the sharp increase in traffic accidents attributed to human error, the burning of public service vehicles during night hours, and the increase in the number of absent fathers is a reflection of bleeding Kenyan society. The study contends that the empowerment of the boy child through education to avoid early drop out is quintessential to economic, social and political growth of Kenya as a whole. In general, insufficient government policies, widespread poverty, cultural practices that negate boy child education, partisan focus towards the plight of the girl child has negated the empowerment of the boy child educationally. 1.1 Statement of the Research Problem The efforts which have been employed since independence to achieve gender parity in education have failed its objectives and manage effectively the empowerment of the boy child in Kenya. In spite of the government effort to enable both the boy child and girl child participation and access to education, there is still a high dropout rate in both primary and secondary levels. In an economic perspective, education is known to be a key determinant of economic growth and premature dropout means loss of potential productivity for the boy child. In an educational perspective, dropout raises the cost of achieving a targeted proportion of the population having some level of schooling (Hanushek, Lavy, and Hitomi 2006). Although drop out may appear insignificant in proportion but it is preponderant among the poor which thereupon turns the wheels of intergenerational transmission of poverty against them. At personal level, dropping out of school will mean consigning one to a future of low-income trajectory and abject poverty. The aim of this study is to identify these governmental policies, personal problems, and societal practices of the Luhya and Iteso communities in Busia County that account for high dropout levels of the boy child’s education. However, the dropout rate across genders has been a perennial problem in the Kenyan education system. Similarly like many parts of Kenya, Busia County has been experiencing a high dropout rate of male students in both primary and secondary schools. This study seeks to investigate the reason for this trend. 1.2 Research Questions The research seeks to answer the following questions:- What are the school based factors that keep the boy child out of school? What socio-cultural factors lead to drop out of the boy child in Busia County? What personal factors lead to boy child drop out from primary and secondary schools? What are the possible factors of retention of the boy child in schools? Does performance among the boys affect their dropout rate? What are the possible policies gaps that encourage boy child drop out from schools? 1.3.  General Objective The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors leading to drop out of the boy child from primary and secondary schools and the role of government in ensuring the boy child is empowered educationally in Busia County. 1.3.1 Specific Objectives The principle objectives of this study are: To determine the school based factors that lead to drop out of the boy child in schools. To establish socio-cultural factors that lead to drop out of the boy child in schools. To establish boy child’s personal factors that lead to drop out from schools. To suggest possible ways of enhancing retention of the boy child in schools. To establish policy based factors that lead to drop out from schools. 1.3 Significance of the Study The study is significant in that:- The research findings and recommendations of the study would assist educational stakeholders, planners and policymakers to: Identify, test and apply principles for successful achievement of gender balance in enrolment, successful completion of study and transition to the labour market Promote the value of neutral governmental policies in ensuring both the girl child and the boy child attain their full educational potential The research would provide information to the government of Kenya and other educational stakeholders on how to expand educational opportunities for both the boy child and girl child The research will provide information on the role of cultural practices in curtailing or improving boy child education, and ways to reverse a negative trend The study would be important in its attempt to identify ways that education stakeholders can initiate to enhance community involvement in the development of education in Kenya 1.4 Scope of the Study The study is to be confined to primary pupils, secondary school students, teachers, head teachers, parents, out-of-school pupils, and county education officials in Busia County. 1.5 Definition of Terms Drop out Early withdrawal of pupils and students from primary and secondary schools respectively without completing the required primary or secondary school years and the concerned pupils or students do not enroll back to school again. Gender – Social and cultural distinctions between men and women where distinctions refer to roles, relations and identities associated with sex. Those roles associated with male are called masculine while those associated with female are called feminine. Transition – Refers to changing from one state to another. It means the pupils who complete the primary school cycle and move to the secondary school. Once in secondary school, they complete the secondary school cycle and proceed to university. Schools – Primary and Secondary institutions of learning CHAPTER TWO 2.0 Literature Review This chapter outlines the literature that is based on studies that have been conducted and are directly or indirectly related to this study. 2.1 Overview of boy child education around the world From 1990, UNESCO has played a key role in making Education for All a priority. This extent, most segments of society have accepted that human rights, good governance and an educated citizenry are the best and strongest in achieving development, economic growth and stability (UNESCO/World Economic Forum, 2008). 2.2 Overview of boy child education in Africa In 1970s, Tanzania’s successful applicants to public secondary schools represented 11% of primary school leavers but the number dropped to only 1% of primary school leavers in 1984 because Tanzania neither permitted private secondary schools nor expanded public primary schools due to its socialist system. But when Tanzania began licensing private schools in the mid 1980s enrolment grew rapidly and it exceeded the enrolment in public schools. This growth demonstrated the previously unmet demand for secondary education in Tanzania (Word Bank, 1995). 2.3 Overview of boy child education in Kenya Education in Kenya is still a challenge due to lack of enough facilities to absorb the ever increasing number of pupils who successfully achieve high marks in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations. This has resulted in many pupils missing an opportunity to join secondary schools due to inadequate facilities to meet the high demand. An estimated 206,282 (28%) of pupils who sat for KCPE examinations in 2010 did not get a slot to join form one in 2011 because the maximum number of enrolments in secondary had been reached (Daily Nation, January 11th 2011). Although this represents a transition rate of 72 % as compared to the Millennium Development Goals target of 70%, the number of pupils missing to join form one is still very high in Kenya and this includes boys. 2.5 Overview of boy child in Busia County Kingdon in his studies on: â€Å"Where has all the bias gone? Detecting gender-bias in the household allocation of education expenditure† found out that the most important factors affecting educational attainment are parental background, wealth, opinions, individual ability, age-at-marriage and the quality of the primary school attended. (Kingdon, 2005) 2.5.1 Personal factors leading to students dropout from school The concerns of the boy child can cause him to drop out of school. The socialization process in schools will either lead to the integration of the boy child to the education system or feel out of place. According to Wrigley (1995), there is a simple relationship between education and gender equality. Schools act as sites of pervasive gender socialization. Wanyoike (2003) argues that the pupil or student peer groups if not guided well can lead to distressing outcomes like engaging in substance abuse, unprotected sex and bad study habits. This will eventually lead to dropping out of school. 2.5.2 Socio-cultural factors leading to students drop out from school Social cultural factors leading boy child drop out from primary and secondary schools will be viewed under family set up and beliefs, early marriage and family economic status in both rural and an urban setup will be observed. 2.5.2.1 Family set up and beliefs According to the World Bank (1996), there are socio-cultural practices that affect the functioning of schools in developing countries. Brown (1980) observed that that some children are withdrawn from schools by parents in rural areas to assist in household chores like babysitting younger children, escorting parents to public functions, ferry water from long distances, caring for the sick relatives, grazing of cattle among others. This eventually affects the performance of the boy child and in most cases lead to drop out. This study will therefore determine the extent in which family set up leads to the boy child drop out of school in Busia County 2.5.2.2 Early Marriage The problem of early marriage has been considered a problem affecting the girl child alone. There are some traditional practices such as male circumcision and other initiation ceremonies that force the boy child out of school early to start his own family. These factors will be investigated in Busia County to determine whether they are prevalent. 2.5.2.3 Family Economic Status The situation analysis survey done in Kwale county in 1995 points out that poverty as the most important factor for students dropping out of school (33 %t and 64 %). (Okumu, 1995) Report by the Ministry of Education (2007) indicates that 58% of the Kenyan population is living below the poverty line. This however leads to inability of the poor to meet education cost for their children be it boys or girls. As a result, this becomes a barrier to the education for boys who withdraw from school to engage in informal trade such as â€Å"bodaboda† a factor which the study seeks to investigate. Psacharopoulos and Woodhall (1997) further point out that those families that can barely sustain their livelihoods due to abject poverty opt to keep their children out of school and use them as labourers to earn extra income for bare minimum survival. 2.5.3 School based factors leading to boy child drop out from school The school based factors on the causes of male students drop out from primary and secondary schools will be looked at by observing discrimination, and sexual harassment by fellow pupils or students and teachers. 2.5.4 Student discrimination by teachers Blackmore and Cooksey (1981) explain that when a student is admitted into primary and secondary schools, there are certain routine procedures that take place. The pupil or student is subject to command from the teachers. This study will therefore confirm whether the drop out of male pupils or students is related to discrimination by teachers in Busia County. 2.5.5 Sexual harassment There has been a growing number of reported cases pupil or student sexual harassment by teachers or fellow students. The Ministry of Education (2007) argued that gender insensitive school environment include attitudes of the key stakeholders in the school leads to many reported incidents of sexual harassment and gender based biases. 2.5.6 Policy based factors leading to boy child drop out from school According to the Ministry of Education report on KCPE examination registration per county in 2013, there has been a decline in the number of boy child registration in several counties including Bungoma, Nyandarua, and Machakos among others (Ministry of Education, 2013). This study will seek to understand the reasons as to why this trend is emerging. 2.5.7 Theoretical framework Theoretical frame work used in this study will be based on theories such as rational choice theory and liberal theory. Rational Choice Theory is a framework for understanding and often formally modelling social and economic behaviour. Rational choice theory can help shed light on the motives of influential national, county and local actors and interests groups involved in making education policies in Kenya. This will enhance access, retention and completion rates. It is therefore imperative to adopt rational choice and classical liberalism theories because the both theories will bring out the influences of society and individual decisions that affect the education of the boy. Thus the need to utilize the theories as the study seeks to establish the factors leading to drop out and low boy child empowerment in education in Busia County. REFERENCES Abagi, O. (1992). Addressing the Gender Gap in Education in an Emerging Democratic Society of Kenya; A paper prepared for the workshop on democratic and democratization in Kenya. Nairobi: Department of foundation Kenyatta University. Brown, F.B. (1980). A Study of the School Needs. Phidela Kappan. p. 61, 537 – 540. Borg, W. R. S. Gall, M.D. (1985) Education Research: An Introduction.4 Ed. NewYork: Longman Publishers. Fatuma, N.C. . Sifuna, D.N. (2006) Girls and Women’s Education in Kenya: Gender perspectives and trends. Nairobi: UNESCO. Hanushek, E., Lav, V., . Hitomi, K. (2006) Do student care about school quality: Determinants of dropout behaviour in developing countries. NBER Working Paper Cambridge, Massachusetts: National Bureau of Economic Research. Kingdon, Geeta, 2005. â€Å"Where has all the bias gone? Detecting gender-bias in the household allocation of education expenditure,† Economic Development and Cultural Change, Volume 53, pages 409–451. Mutambai, B. (2005). A Case Study on Teenage Pregnancy: School times: Educational Insight Magazine. Pg. 42 MOE, (2007) Gender Policy in Education. Nairobi: Government Printer. Psacharopoulos, G., .Woodhall, M. (1997) Education for Development: An Analysis ofInvestment Choices. Washington: World Bank. Republic of Kenya, (1989) Totally Integrated Quality Education and Training: Koech report. Nairobi: Government printer. Sifuna, D.N. (1988). A Study of School Drop Out in Girls High Schools. A case study of Bungoma District in Kenya: Kenya journal of Education Research. Vol. 14 Pg 13 – 142. UNESCO, (1998) Wasted Opportunities: When Schools Fail: Education for all status. New York: Oxford University Press. UNESCO, (2003) Gender Education for all: The leap to equality. Paris: UNESCO. UNESCO, (2005) Give Everyone a Chance to Learn, Education for all. Nairobi: UNESCO. Wanjiru, N. (2007). Factors Contributing to School Drop Out in Mombasa District. Nairobi Wanyoike, W. (2003) Understanding Youth and Family: From a Christian Perspective.Nairobi Wrigley, J.(1995) Education and Gender Equality. London: The palmer press. World Bank, (1996) Technical Paper No, 303. Washington DC. U.S: World Bank.

Porters Diamond Of Competitive Advantage :: Business Economics

Introduction Since its publication in 1990, Michael Porter's book The Competitive Advantage of Nations has attracted much consideration. The main analytical tool of the book is the diamond of competitive advantage (figure 1). This model is based on four country specific "determinants" and two external variables. Porter's four determinants and two outside forces interact in a "diamond" of competitive advantage, with the nature of a country's international competitiveness depending upon the type and quality of these interactions. However, because it is fundamentally a home-based model of international competitiveness, the diamond theory is criticized by many international business scholars. Dunning , and Rugman  ¬,  ¬Ã‚ ¬ point out that the influence on competitiveness of two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) and foreign government influence and interference on trade and investment have been neglected. Rugman and Collinson have also evaluated the model and identified eight areas for commen t. This essay will look at Rugman and Collinson's criticisms of Porter's model, focussing on three major areas: the role of FDI, foreign government influence and Multi National Enterprises (MNEs), before looking at developments to Porters diamond with country specific examples. RUGMAN'S AND COLLINSON'S CRITIQUE OF PORTER'S DIAMOND The eight areas identified for comment and evaluation namely: the model is limited by being based on ten countries, which are either industrialised or a member of a triad; the Government is of critical importance, and has been neglected by Porter; chance although critical, is difficult to predict or guard against; Porter's model must be applied in terms of company-specific considerations and not in terms of national advantages; Porter delineates only four distinct stages of national competitive development; Porter contends that only outward FDI is valuable in creating competitive advantage, and inbound foreign investment is never the solution to a nation's competitive problems; reliance on natural resources is viewed by Porter as insufficient to create worldwide competitive stature; the model does not adequately address the role of MNEs. FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT FDI tends to focus on opportunities in the same continental region. This often reflects attempts by multinationals to build up regional networks starting near their home base. A major conceptual problem with Porter's model is due to the narrow definition he applies to FDI. Porter defines only outward FDI as being "valuable in creating competitive advantage" and that inward FDI is "not entirely healthy" . He also states that foreign subsidiaries are importers, and that this is a source of comparative disadvantage .

Halina Mountain Resort a Case Study Essay

Sarah Norton is an MBA student who specializes in market research. She has one semester left until graduation and is working as a graduate assistant. She is a person with very high ethical values and she is very religious. She looks for a job in Hammonsville, where she wants to stay. She starts working for the Wise Research Corporation, a field research services company. They have offices in Dallas, Hammonsville and Tulsa. She travels to Dallas to start her training for the job and finds out that the company’s behavior to the different stakeholders is very unethical. Sarah, a very ethical person with high values, finds herself in a big dilemma – should she stay with the company or better, resign from the job even though she quit her graduate assistantship. In the situation analysis, environmental, cultural and political trends are discussed. The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there is a growing trend to increase ethical behavior, and many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. In the second part of the paper, the problems appearing from the situation are discussed. Unethical behavior and it’s impact on the stakeholders of the company lead to Sarah’s decision whether to resign form the job or not. In the third part, a solution is presented which is the resignation from the job. A justification of the chosen solution follows and also an implementation strategy. II. SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Environment 1. Economic conditions and trends The economic conditions are important in this case because they are not favorable to find a job; especially not for lower managers like MBAs just graduating from college. The American industry is in the process of downsizing. Please note! This is not an example of text written by our writers! Essaypedia.com is a database of essays that were collected at open web resources. You can use them at you own risk following the citation rules below. But we recommend you to order a custom plagiarism-free essay written just for you from one of our writers. Place an order, add your paper details and enjoy the results! You can keep in touch with your writer, check the draft of your paper and send your order for revision for free. If you are hesitating to place an order – just ask for a quote! In Appendix one, unemployment figures are provided, and show see that unemployment was very high in the years 1994/1995. 2. Cultural and social values and trends Unethical behavior is becoming more and more common in business life. One can observe unethical behavior every day by simply watching the news. This results from the following developments: à ¼ the high value society places on economic success à ¼ profit share being the sole objective à ¼ intense competition between departments, people or companies à ¼ management being concerned with the â€Å"letter of law† rather then with â€Å"the spirit of law† à ¼ ambiguous corporate policies regarding ethical behavior à ¼ inadequate controls allowing people to get away with behaving unethically à ¼ business leaders failing to comprehend the public’s ethical concern à ¼ the â€Å"let the buyer beware† custom prevails (Greenberg J., Baron R. A. (2000) p. 31). Since these trends in industry have created a very unsatisfying condition, business leaders are trying to increase morale values in business life and many companies develop a code of ethics, a mission about ethical behavior or an organizational culture with high ethical standards. 3. Political and legal issues In the field of market research there is a code of professional ethics developed by the Market Research Association (MRA). However there is no nationwide standard for collection and handling of data for market researchers. This Code of Ethics is provided in Appendix II. 4. Summary of environmental opportunities and threats The economy in general is not in a growing stage and the ethical behavior in business is not sufficient. Nevertheless, there a returning trend to move to a more ethical behavior, therefore many companies and associations develop a code of ethics for their business or industry. There is no nationwide standard for ethical matters in market research and no law for ethical behavior. The Code of Ethics of the MRA is the only attempt to set some ethical rules how to operate a marketing research company. B. Industry 1. Classification and definition of industry Opinion and marketing research is a multi-billion-dollar industry dedicated to providing valuable information to companies, which focus on sales and services. Opinion and marketing research: à ¼ helps manufacturers to identify, to understand and to meet consumer needs and wants à ¼ saves the consumer money by providing data to companies to help them reduce the costs associated with new product failures. à ¼ assists manufacturers and service providers to improve the quality and usefulness of the products and services. Consumers make their opinions on products, services and issues by answering questions of market researchers. The consumer can influence manufacturers to incorporate consumer opinion into products, services and procedures. About 72 million Americans are interviewed in an opinion and marketing research study yearly (www.mra-net.org). The case tells us that outside research suppliers are a growing industry. Wise Research is such an industry. 2. The Code of Ethics and the responsibilities of the marketing research industry The Marketing Research Industry Association writes industry the following about ethics in the marketing research industry: â€Å"Research knowledge and the value of research are communicated to both the business community and the public at large, while complying with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances. MRA (Marketing Research Association) expects members to follow principles of honesty, professionalism, fairness and confidentiality to guard the interests of the public and our clients in order to promote good business practices. MRA’s Code of Data Collection Standards consists of the responsibilities of respondents, clients, and data collectors not only to each other, but also to the general public and business community. All MRA members must sign and adhere to the Code of Data Collection Standards. The standards are enforced, and complaints of alleged unethical behavior may be filed against an MRA member who is suspected to have violated the Code† (http://www.mra-net.org/codes/index.cfm). This Code of Ethics is applicable for members of the MRA. It shows how important ethical behavior in marketing research is. The book â€Å"Marketing Management† by J. Paul Peter and James H. Donnely Jr. also talks about ethical behavior in the marketing research sector. Peter and Donnely base their ethical Responsibilities on Gilbert A. Churchill Jr. â€Å"market research: Methodological Foundations†. They trace the ethical responsibilities to three different groups: respondents, clients and employees. Responsibilities to respondents are: à ¼ Preserving respondent anonymity à ¼ Avoiding mental stress for respondents à ¼ Avoiding questions detrimental to respondents à ¼ Avoiding the use of dangerous equipment or techniques à ¼ Avoiding deception of respondents à ¼ Avoiding coercion of respondents. The responsibilities to clients are: à ¼ Providing confidentiality à ¼ Providing technical integrity à ¼ Providing administrative integrity à ¼ Providing guidance on research usage. And last the responsibilities to the employees are à ¼ Creating an ethical work environment à ¼ Avoiding opportunities of unethical behavior (p. 41). 3. Summary of the industry analysis The market research industry is very unique and provides important information to the different industries selling products and services to consumers. They normally work with a very high standard of ethical behavior; the MRA summarized these ethics in the Code of Ethics. C. Firm 1. Description of the company Wise Research is a market research company. It’s business is field research in shopping malls which categorizes it as a field research company. Field research companies do data collection on research projects. Wise Research has been operating in this business for 25 years and has several subsidiaries. These subsidiaries are all mall research offices. The head office and two other offices are located in Dallas, TX, one is located in Tulsa, OK and one is located in Hammonsville, MI. The office in Hammonsville has exited for 10 years. The company is involved in fieldwork, although they do not generate questionnaires or analyze the collected data. The core competence of Wise Research is to collect data for other marketing research firms, and these firms provide the information to their clients. One can conclude from the descriptions of the company that it does not have a mission statement, a philosophy or a particular strategy concerning organizational culture and ethical behavior. There is no marketing budget and the office personnel recruits the clients. The lack of ethical behavior of Wise Research leads to a severe damage of their reputation in the long run and to any marketing efforts. Clients will realize in a post purchase evaluation that the data delivered by Wise Research is manipulated and not valid. 2. Financial condition One can assume that the financial situation is not very good since we learn from the case that benefits promised to employees are paid with a delay. This happens to Cindy, the office supervisor in Dallas. Also, the management discourages employees from talking about their salaries. Another evidence for a poor financial situation is that Sarah is told that she could make $ 25,000 a year with a 40-hour week, which is not true. The company owns no computers; this indicates that they only possess very few assets. The company does not have a marketing budget. 3. Management philosophy and managerial climate The case does not say anything about the management philosophy, but is does talk about the behavior of the management, which drastically influences the organizational culture and climate. The behavior of the management is very unethical. They force their employees to fake organizational figures and they also put a substantial pressure on the employees. They take advantage of personal situations of their employees (such as in the case of Cindy – she desperately needed a job, they paid her less money than other employees) and this gives management an image of dishonesty to employees and to clients. Their behavior is also very informal; the interview with Sarah indicates this. 4. Organizational structure The owner of the company, Bill Wise, is also the president. His wife Karen works for the company too. The headquarters of the company is in Dallas, and there are four more offices. The offices work with very uneducated staff. Every office has a local manger who carries the responsibility. The office managers communicate directly with the owners of the company. 5. Organizational culture The organizational culture and also the organizational climate are influenced by the managerial climate. Climate and culture are two different subjects, but they are associated. Hofstede (1998) states in an article â€Å"Attitudes, values and organizational cultures† the following about climate and culture: â€Å"Climate derives from sociology, culture from anthropology, and this affects the methods by which they are studied; climate is more closely linked with individual motivation and behavior than culture, which resides entirely at the organizational level; climate has an evaluative connotation and partly overlaps with satisfaction; cultures can be different without one being objectively better than the other. [†¦] Climate can fruitfully be seen as a subset of culture†(p. 496). The organizational culture of Wise Research is very unethical and this is lived and enforced by the management. The organizational climate is very poor because of the bad managerial climate. 6. Sarah’s job According to Bill and Karen Wise, Sarah’s job has the following work conditions: the pay is $11 a hour, and she can earn $ 25,000 a year with a time per week of 40 hours. The benefits are health insurance premiums at the same level as the Dallas employees. The Missouri employees normally do not get health insurance benefits. One week of vacation was offered after one year of employment. Performance reviews are held after three and nine months. Raises are only given after performance reviews. 7. Summary of the condition of Wise Research The condition of Wise Research, especially in a long-term consideration is very poor. The financial situation is poor, there are no marketing activities at all and the behavior of the management plus the organizational climate and culture is unethical. The management might consider it’s unethical behavior as strength for the company to generate profit in the short run, but after some time the different stakeholders of the company will find out and switch to the competition. D. Sarah Norton – the new employee 1. Sarah’s personality Sarah Norton is 32 years old and she was brought up in Missouri by a morally strong family. The values in her education were religion coupled with high moral standards. She is respected and liked by family, friends, and colleagues. She never tries to convince other people to share her views in moral standards, ethics or religion. She has one younger sister and a boyfriend in Hammonsville and she is very close with them. 2. Location Sarah lives in the city of Hammonsville, Missouri. Hammonsville has about 150,000 inhabitants. Hammonsville is the town where she wants to work since her sister and her boyfriend Jeff live there. The city of Hammonsville does not have many opportunities to work as a market researcher, because a small town like this does not contain many industries that need market research. 3. Education and work experience Sarah started to work after graduating from high school for the state of Missouri. She worked in the professional registration office of the â€Å"Board of Healing Arts†. The office is operated in a very professional manner, and this is what Sarah liked most about her work there. After a couple of years in the job, Sarah decided to get a college degree in marketing and management. She went to Hammonsville State University because she wanted to be near her sister. While studying she worked at the local state vocational rehabilitation office. She also worked at a restaurant, for which she had been responsible in the absence of the owner. People liked her at work because she has a positive work ethic; she is intelligent and has strong moral values. She graduated from the university (double major) with honors. Since she wants to work in the field of marketing research, she worked in many research projects to get experience. She learned how important the ethical handling of data is, and she knows the Code of Ethics by the Marketing Research Association. In 1994 she started her MBA with a specialization in market research. She works as a graduate assistant and is responsible for five more graduate assistants in the marketing department. In 1995 she decides to look for a job. 4. Summary of Sarah’s characteristics Sarah is a very skilled, educated person with high moral, ethical values and a religious attitude. She is intelligent, has a lot of project experience in marketing research as well as a good college education. Unfortunately she has not graduated from her MBA program yet. She is not flexible in choosing her workplace since she wants to stay in Hammonsville with her boyfriend and her sister. III. PROBLEMS FOUND IN SITUATION ANALYSIS A. Statement of primary problems 1. Evidence of problems Sarah Norton applies for a job at Wise Research after reading their job advertisement in the newspaper. After two interviews she gets hired and is sent directly to Dallas for on the job training. During the first week of training, Sarah understands that the company’s treatment of employees and customers is very unethical. She realizes that she is very unhappy with the situation and she needs to make the decision if she wants to stay with the company or not. These are the different problems I found in the situation analysis: Ethical Issues: Professionalism à ¼ The company operates in a very unprofessional way. The job advertisement is placed in the Hammonsville News Monitor, on Sunday, July 9th, 1995. It doesn’t say the name of the company, nor does it give any specific job requirements. It only gives a reference to details about an entry-level management position. Instead of an address a PO-Box is named. à ¼ The following interview is not very professional either. Sarah meets Mr. and Mrs. Wise in a hotel room in Hammonsville, without knowing that she was going to meet Mrs. Wise too. The interview is very informal and the clothing of the Mr. and Mrs. Wise is not appropriate for a business interview. The office facilities are not shown to Sarah. à ¼ The second interview is as informal as the first one. à ¼ The training process also shows a high level of unprofessionalism. Sarah receives an Airport Pick up from the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wise. He invites her for lunch and behaves in a very informal manner and tries to impress Sarah with different statements. He also tries to discover contents of about the phone call Sarah made earlier to the Hammonsville office to find out more about the job. Even though she does not respond to the question he tries several times. Also, he has only a very little understanding of the research process and is not able to answer her questions. à ¼ There are no computers in the company. à ¼ The knowledge of the interviewers and other staff of the company about the data collection process is on a very low level. Ethical issues: Organizational culture à ¼ Before the interview Sarah called the company to find out more about what they are doing and the local manager reacts very irritated when he hears that she is invited for a job interview. It tells us that the manger does not know what is going on in the company and that the communication is bad. Later in the interview she learns form Bill and Karen Wise that this local mangers was laid off and that she is hired to replace him. As a matter of fact, he is still at the company and he does not know yet, that he will be laid off. à ¼ Another indicator of unethical organizational culture in the company shows the fact that Sarah is asked not to tell anybody why she is at the company when she starts her training. The other employees are told she is an auditor. Because of this, she has to be at the company first in the morning so that no one can see her clock in. à ¼ More evidence of dishonesty is shown by the information that actual working time in the company is 37,5 hours, not 40 as said in the interview. This decreases Sarah’s annual salary and she does not earn the promised amount. The dishonesty to employees and different treatments of employees show the low level of organizational culture. For example the company pays Cindy less than Sarah even though they have more or less the same job. Management took advantage of Cindy’s situation when she was hired and her raise of salary was delayed. à ¼ Another incident gives information about the organizational culture: one of the interviewers is supposed to be laid off because this interviewer talked to somebody else in the company about her salary. The management initiates this lay off. The employee is in a very bad financial and social situation that does not impress the management at all. After begging to keep the job, the interviewer is allowed to stay. Ethical issues: The Code of Ethics The Code of Ethics is shown as Appendix II. There are several actions by Wise Research, which interfere with The Code of Ethics by the MRA. Reports about how many interviews are completed per hour are manipulated so that these reports show the exact number required. With this method Wise Research manipulates the figures regarding how many potential interviewees were screened. Wise Research uses family members and relatives of the interviewers to answer survey questions if they run out of time. They use these relatives several times with different names, so that the clients cannot find out. This affects the validity of the data.

Undarstending Life of Older Persons with Special Needs

CHERRYFIELDS HOUSING WITH CARE Address 2D Cherryfields Lawn Hartstown Clonsilla Dublin 15 01 8097 134 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting  [pic]FREE  01 8097 134  end_of_the_skype_highlighting Information Staff is trained to Fetac Level 5 Residents are involved in agreeing their individual plan of care and support which includes medication management, personal care needs, diet/nutrition, social, spiritual and emotional care, all of which are enshrined in the core values of the Organisation.Cherryfields opened in 2006 as the first scheme of its type in Dublin, offering another choice in care to those in need of a more supported living environment. Cherryfields provides 27 units of accommodation specifically for dementia care and 29 units for older people in need of 24 hour care and support. Cherryfields is not a Nursing Home and residents in upstairs accommodation have complete freedom to come and go as they please. Each dwelling is carpeted; ensuite bathrooms are provided with non slip flooring.A range of storage is provided within each dwelling, including lockable units for use by residents. Each dwelling has a TV and telephone point. Residents have a key to the front door of their own dwelling. Staff call points are provided throughout each dwelling in case the resident requires assistance. Cherryfields provides a homely environment within easy access of local shops in Hartstown. At Cherryfields, Fold Ireland has provided three bungalows, each with 2 bedrooms, which are allocated in association with Fingal County Council. ACCOMODATIONFold Ireland currently has two Housing-with-Care Schemes in Dublin; Cherryfields is situated in Hartstown, Clonsilla, Dublin 15 and Anam Cara is in Glasnevin, Dublin 11. Each Scheme provides 56 units of accommodation; ground floor dwellings in each location provide a secure environment for those with dementia. Residents have their own flat let. This is their own home, where each is encouraged to bring personal belongings to ma ke it a home-from-home. Each flat let has built-in wardrobes, en-suite and kitchenette, but is otherwise unfurnished.Both schemes have communal areas where residents can socialise and take part in group activities. Our Schemes have garden and/or patio areas for the residents to enjoy, which are secure, well maintained and sensory in nature. FACILITIES In Housing-with-Care, arrangements can be made for access to hairdressers, dentists, chiropodists and other professional services to come into the Scheme. Residents may of course choose to retain existing arrangements for such services. DINING Fold Ireland believes in providing a well balanced diet for residents using fresh and seasonal ingredients.When a resident moves in, we will discuss their dietary requirements, including any specially prescribed diet. The catering services are inspected by local Environmental Health Services ensuring full compliance with Safe Catering Guidelines and Food Hygiene requirements. Meals are generally served in communal dining rooms, allowing residents to meet and socialise in small groups. There are daily menu choices for each meal. ACTIVITIES Remaining active is the key to a long and health life. At Fold Ireland we embrace this, and Housing-with-Care provides a range of activities throughout the week.Residents are encouraged to bring their own ideas for activities and participate in developing the programme of events. From time to time day trips, shopping outings and evening social events may be arranged. HEALTH The health of our residents is as important to us as it is to you. Where possible residents will retain their own GP and other healthcare providers, or we will assist in arranging new providers where this is not possible. Fold Ireland will manage all aspects relating to medication if required, and can support residents to keep managing these themselves if that is an agreed choice.THE COAST OF HOUSING WITH CARE There is a weekly rent for the accommodation and charge for care services provided. These prices have been agreed with the HSE. The care costs are means tested by the HSE and the rent is payable by the tenant at a rate of â‚ ¬108 per week. Tenants must contribute a small amount to the care costs each week pending their financial situation. A financial assessment is completed by the HSE in order to decide this. The HSE meets each tenant before moving into the schemes. Included in the charge are the resident’s meals, heating, electricity, laundry services and repairs to the property.Services that are not included within the weekly charge are those of a personal choice including: a telephone in your room, hairdressing, chiropody and prescription charges. ELDERLY PEOPLE&THOSE WITH DEMENTIA Our Housing-with-Care schemes for Older People and those with dementia provide a relaxing and friendly atmosphere where the residents can feel secure and cared for. These schemes provide tailored care and support to residents, whilst promoting a heal thy lifestyle through social activities, exercise and other activities agreed with the residents.Residents are encouraged, where possible, to remain in control of their affairs, maintaining their independence for as long as possible. For those with dementia we aim to prolong our residents' cognitive and mental skills through a range of daily activities, which enable them to exercise their minds and bodies. This not only engages them but also provides an ideal opportunity for each resident to socialise. Fold Ireland understands that it is not only the person with dementia that is affected by this condition; it's their family, friends and careers as well.We offer support as needed while the resident progresses through the dementia condition. Fold Ireland works in association with The Health Service Executive. HSE undertakes unannounced, periodic, inspections at both Housing-with-Care Schemes. BIBLIOGRAPHY: †¢ http://www. foldireland. ie/ †¢ http://www. foldireland. ie/pages/ 24/elderly-people-and-those-with-dementia †¢ http://www. foldireland. ie/pages/30/the-cost-of-housing-with-care †¢ http://www. foldireland. ie/pages/29/health †¢

SSD vs. SSI Difference Between Social Security Disability and Supplemental Income

SSD vs. SSI Difference Between Social Security Disability and Supplemental Income SSD vs. SSI While  Social Security Disability  (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are both programs providing benefits to persons with disabilities, managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA), entailing the same medical requirements for evaluating an individual’s disability, the initial â€Å"technical† eligibility criteria are entirely different for each program.SSD is considered the work-credit based system funded by our payroll dollars. In other words, SSD recipients were workers that have paid sufficient FICA Social Security taxes (which translate into Social Security â€Å"credits†) during their relevant working years. A worker can earn up to four credits in one year from wages or self-employment income. The amount a worker would need to earn to accumulate a credit usually changes from year to year.  In 2014, for example, a worker can earn one credit for each $1200 of wages or self-employment income – capping out at $4800 or 4 credits reg ardless of additional earnings. To give some perspective, in 1978, an individual earned a credit for each quarter where $50 was made. After 1978, the amount of earnings satisfying a credit became dependent on the national average wage index.[i]Therefore, when an individual files for SSD, Social Security will first review that individual’s work record to ensure that the applicant has earned sufficient credits, before even evaluating that person’s disability. Essentially, a worker will need 40 credits, 20 of which must have been earned in the last 10 years from the date that you became disabled or allege disability. SSA has termed an individual’s date last insured (DLI) as the date when the worker’s credits â€Å"expire.†Ã‚   The worker must be found disabled as of, or prior to, his DLI in order to be eligible for SSD.On the other hand, SSI applicants need not have worked at all; even a child could qualify.  SSI applicants, however, must prove that their resources are below the threshold outlined by SSA before the disability evaluation process will begin.[ii] SSA has recently mandated that a recipient of SSI payments must not have â€Å"countable† resources exceeding $2000 for an individual[iii] or $3000 for a married couple.[iv] If the value of all of the countable resources is above the allowable limit at the beginning of the month, SSI payments will not be paid for that month.As referenced above, FICA taxes paid from the workers payroll dollars make-up the SSD fund.  Therefore, the amount an individual receives upon approval is based on the wages contributed during the relevant working years.[v]   The monthly amount is typically calculated using the â€Å"averaged index monthly earnings† (AIME). SSA applies a formula to the individual’s AIME which will dictate the actual monthly amount.[vi]   SSD recipients will receive this monthly amount regardless of other resources[vii], and will also be elig ible to receive Medicare. However, SSI payments derive from general tax revenues. Essentially, SSI is designed to provide assistance to the aged, blind, and disabled who have little to no income and resources. In addition to providing a monetary benefit to help pay for basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing, recipients may also receive Medicaid entitlement. What’s more, unlike SSD recipients who must wait 2 years from the date of entitlement to be eligible for Medicare, SSI recipients may be entitled to receive Medicaid immediately upon approval.[viii]Our attorneys and staff at Disability Attorneys of Michigan understand the highly technical and evolving rules that may impact an individual’s eligibility for SSD, SSI, or both, including the alleged onset date of disability, DLI, countable resources, and more. These factors can become crucial factors even at the initial application stage. We specialize in assisting individuals with filing their initial applicati on through the appeals stage if necessary.  Contact us today  for a free consultation at (888) 678-5839.[i]  ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/QC.html.[ii] Note: there are additional criteria, primarily as it relates to citizenship and

Free Essays on Recycled Concrete

INTRODUCTION Nothing lasts forever. The same is true for concrete. Trouble with this rubble is that it can't be compacted, and it doesn't decompose. Putting waste to work is not a new concept. Reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering waste has become and everyday occurrence. Nearly a half a billion tons of waste every year, approximately eight pounds (3.6 kilograms of waste for every person every day)[i]. The use of recycled materials helps save material as well as energy. This trend has recently been increasing. Portland cement concrete can be reclaimed during demolition and crushed into a coarse granular material that can be used as a substitute for virgin crushed rock and used as structural fill in many applications. Aggregate processors are beginning to accept reclaimed concrete for a "tipping fee" significantly lower than the cost of landfilling the waste material.[ii] The main parts of the report will discuss: (1) Material and energy savings (2) Background on how recycled concrete is checked (3) Test descriptions of these methods when used for structural fill MATERIAL AND ENERGY SAVINGS The usage of recycled concrete as a structural fill material instead of natural aggregate is steadily increasing. In many regions, recycled aggregate may cost 20% to 30% less that of natural aggregate.[iii] Landfill costs for debris continue to rise and the landfills become more heavily regulated, it makes economic sense to use alternative means of disposal of concrete from construction and demolition operations. More disposal sites are opening up and contractors are incorporating recycling into their operations to decrease disposal costs. Recycled concrete aggregate is increasingly available and is often an economical alternative to new aggregate. Project managers can ensure that their contractors are aware of opportunities to recycle this material and can require the use ... Free Essays on Recycled Concrete Free Essays on Recycled Concrete INTRODUCTION Nothing lasts forever. The same is true for concrete. Trouble with this rubble is that it can't be compacted, and it doesn't decompose. Putting waste to work is not a new concept. Reducing, reusing, recycling and recovering waste has become and everyday occurrence. Nearly a half a billion tons of waste every year, approximately eight pounds (3.6 kilograms of waste for every person every day)[i]. The use of recycled materials helps save material as well as energy. This trend has recently been increasing. Portland cement concrete can be reclaimed during demolition and crushed into a coarse granular material that can be used as a substitute for virgin crushed rock and used as structural fill in many applications. Aggregate processors are beginning to accept reclaimed concrete for a "tipping fee" significantly lower than the cost of landfilling the waste material.[ii] The main parts of the report will discuss: (1) Material and energy savings (2) Background on how recycled concrete is checked (3) Test descriptions of these methods when used for structural fill MATERIAL AND ENERGY SAVINGS The usage of recycled concrete as a structural fill material instead of natural aggregate is steadily increasing. In many regions, recycled aggregate may cost 20% to 30% less that of natural aggregate.[iii] Landfill costs for debris continue to rise and the landfills become more heavily regulated, it makes economic sense to use alternative means of disposal of concrete from construction and demolition operations. More disposal sites are opening up and contractors are incorporating recycling into their operations to decrease disposal costs. Recycled concrete aggregate is increasingly available and is often an economical alternative to new aggregate. Project managers can ensure that their contractors are aware of opportunities to recycle this material and can require the use ...

Communities & Ecosystems Food Web Poster Assignment

Communities & Ecosystems Food Web Poster - Assignment Example While saprotrophs helps in speeding up decomposition of matter, they act like detritivores but decomposition of matter by saprotrophs happens externally as opposed to detritivores that consume dead organism (Begon et al 326). Food web describes a collection of food chains. Food web shows different organism depending on more than one organism. This because some organisms such as owl as shown above on food web do not rely on one source of food like grasshoppers that only eats grass. Tropical levels are different levels in the food chain where organisms are categorized into either producers or consumers. This level depicts the transfer of energy from one level to another level. There are different levels in a food chain. For example, in a food chain above, first level comprises of producers, second level are herbivorous that feeds on plants. The next level is carnivorous which depends on herbivorous. Highest level is carnivorous that eats other small carnivorous owl is an example (Rastogi and Kishore 72). The first energy comes from the sun where it is used by plants to make food hence generating energy. The nutrient made from a plant through photosynthesis keeps plants alive. Energy is transferred to herbivorous as the first consumers of plants. The transfer of energy goes on up to the last of tertiary consumers. All energy from the sun is not used by the plant. When herbivorous consume plant to gain energy not all the plant nutrients are used to create energy, some are lost through passing out of feces. Herbivorous uses the energy gained from food consumption, but some energy is lost through respiration and heat loss (Rastogi and Kishore 75). The shape of pyramid varies as it rises to the top based on the fact that energy is lost from one level to another as stated above. From the food web above, not all grass is eaten by grasshopper to gain all energy transferred from the sun through photosynthesis. Energy

The British Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

The British Economy - Essay Example In this process, the accuracy and efficiency have enhanced but complexities have also increased significantly. International trade has a great economic importance as it helps to bring economic prosperity to a country. International trade activities include import and export which influences foreign and domestic exchanges. Besides, certain economic risks are also associated with international trade and hence, the government always try to control international trade-related activities. This paper will attempt to deal with foreign exchanges policy of UK. Earlier, the UK pound was used to be determined using the fixed exchange rate policy by comparing to other foreign currencies. However, due to certain shortcomings of fixed exchange rate policy, the UK Government has shifted to floating exchange rate policy. This paper will present explanations on fixed and floating rate policies and how the UK Government plays a crucial role in controlling and deciding the foreign and domestic currency policies. The UK is one of the leading economies in Europe and it belongs to the category of first world country. It is a â€Å"leading trading power and financial center is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany and France†. Since last two decades, the Government is playing a very crucial role in the growth of agriculture, services, and industrialization. Its GDP as per purchasing power parity was nearly $2.189 trillion and GDP as per official exchange rate was nearly $2.259 trillion. The per capita GDP was nearly was $35,100 with real GDP growth rate of 1.6% in 2010. Regulatory authorities including the central bank (Bank of England) is responsible for managing and controlling the economic affairs. The inflation and unemployment in 2010 were 3.3% and 7.9%. During the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the UK’s economy was heavily affected.

War Scroll (1QM) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

War Scroll (1QM) - Research Paper Example From the current discussion it can be comprehended that the War Scrolls were discovered with the other Qumran Scrolls. It is a manual that lays out military strategy and organization for a serious war that seems to be the final showdown of years of divergence amongst two different groups of people. These groups are indicated in the scrolls as the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness. From the point of view of researcher, the War Scrolls demonstrate the theoretical framework and conception of a group of people who belonged to the sect that hid the Qumran Scrolls in the cave. The author of the discussion infers this logically because at the time that the scrolls are dated (that is 50 BCE), Ancient Israel was under Roman Rule. Roman Rule was seen by many Jews of Ancient Israel as a rule perpetrated by people of an evil background. This is because many sources including the Christian New Testament indicate that the Jewish people of Ancient Israel had little regards for non-Jews. Th ey also saw the rule of Rome as some form of evil oppression that prevented Jews from carrying out the commandments in the Laws of Moses. So it appears that the scrolls meant the final wars and battles that would be fought between Israel and the Roman nation that would ultimately liberate Israel from its enemies. However, there are numerous interpretations that have various logical backings. Content Image 1.1 The War Scrolls 1QM: Courtesy of Hebrew University of Jerusalem The War Scrolls , 1QM is made up of 19 columns (Sukenik 1955, 1). It contains descriptions of the final showdown between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. Since the display is not very clear and easily understandable to the modern man (ie it is not in chapters and verses as we have it in the Bible of today), it is divided into columns for the purpose of analysis amongst modern day theologists and social scientists. Philip Davies (1977) identifies that the 1QM or War Scrolls is divided into four main Parts . Part 1 which includes Columns 2 to 9 of the scrolls. It is about the basic elements of the war and it gives a description of the organization of the armies of the wars and the composition of the various units of the war and its spiritual implications which is paralleled with the 12 Tribes of Israel and the protection of the Covenant between Israel and God. Part 2 of the 1QM gives a background to the conflict and explains it into more details and includes some liturgical elements that makes the war more of a religious one than a secular one. It covers columns 14 to 19. Part 3 covers columns 10 – 14 whilst Part 4 is about column 1 which predicts the eventual victory of the Sons of Light over the Sons of Darkness. The extract from Image 1.1 above echoes elements from Numbers 10:9 (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2011 paragraph 1). This indicates that the war is to be fought with the various elements of a fair war which are outlined in the Torah in Numbers 10 and repeated by Mo ses in Deuteronomy 20. This includes amongst other things, the fact that a religious war should be sanctioned with a special priest from the descendants of Aaron who are known amongst Jews today as the Kohanim. The 1QM scrolls indicate that a special Kohen has to declare certain things to the soldiers before a religious war is sanctioned. This implies that the Sons of Light are really involved in some elements of Jewish religious life. The Sons of Light in the Qumran Scrolls are referred to as Yahad (Qumran.org). Yahad has a strong

Interviews about American Incomes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interviews about American Incomes - Assignment Example We usually attend all our classes, then either go home or somewhere with friends. Depends on where we are residents. I live in this state and therefore prefer to go home for a while, whereas others would probably grab a bite to eat since they don’t have a home here to go and eat. The dress code is liberal; not too liberal, but moderately liberal. You will not be mocked if you wish to wear your traditional dress because our country is open to different cultures and minorities and wishes to treat them well. On formal presentation days, it is recommended to dress better than the other days, but most people like to dress casually on the rest of the days. Sports are an important and widely accepted part of our society; there is football, basketball and ice hockey. You should definitely check that out if you want to get a feel of our culture. Me: Thank you very much. Conversation # 2 (in recess) Me: Do you mind if I join you? Anonymous: No problem. Me: I have been hearing a great de al about the elections around here. They are on November 6th if I am not wrong? Anonymous: Yes. There is always a buzz around the time of elections. Me: What is your view on the politics of your country? Are you leaning more towards the Democrats of the Republicans? Anonymous: I do cast my vote, and I am for Democracy, therefore I will probably vote for Obama. However, I am more for the social welfare of the economy than politics as a whole. Me: For a greener better society or something related to social classes? Anonymous: Both actually, but a better society would be a greener society I believe. Me: I am actually really interested in the scenario of classes in the US. If you ever have some extra time, we can discuss this in length. Anonymous: Happy to help. Interview #1: Me: Continuing our previous conversation, I was a little unclear about what comprises the concept of ‘class’ here in the US. Anonymous: Class is synonymous to socioeconomic status and there are three s tringent divides: lower middle and upper class. However, there are variations between the three as well.  

Discrimination Issue in Literature and According to the Famous Speaker Research Paper

Discrimination Issue in Literature and According to the Famous Speaker - Research Paper Example Issues  affecting the world and the United States including the economic crisis, global warming, and the importance of togetherness between all diversifying factors. The speech provided clear plans for future America by maintaining the unity and equality among all Americans. Obama demonstrated that even Blacks can make it; especially by claiming, it is the time for the Blacks of achieving the American dream of equality. He achieves the notions of racism by creating perceptions of attracting the whites to support the blacks in taking America forward. This short story illustrates the meaning and other importance of language through a discussion of the broken language spoken by the mother. The author explores various forms of English spoken around the world that makes it different to the way the mother speaks. She provides various examples of English versions spoken, in order to create an attention to different English speakers alternatively, the ones aspiring to read or speak English that it varies from place to another. This literature is directed to those people who do not understand the various types of language speakers including the various forms of English language. This helps them to understand one another in terms of racial equality and the place of origin where the language spoken is directly related to the mother tongue’s language. The story describes the life of the author as an Indian boy living in the eastern region of Washington State. It illustrates the way reading and writing affected Alexie’s life. The short story shows the way young Indian boy used his intelligence, as an Indian became a creative writing teacher for other Indian children living in the area. He started his literal experience when he picked his father’s book where he could not understand the words but get the conceptual making of paragraphs. The story illustrates the struggles and possibilities of adapting to different cultures of the people.

A Philosophical Approach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Philosophical Approach - Assignment Example The development of ethics has come with some controversies and debates. There are philosophers like Immanuel Kant who believe that there is a universal set of laws that apply to all human beings and all situations (O'neill, 1993). This therefore means that what is right and what is wrong is universal and on no account should it be compromised (Shiples & Maier, 2011). However, there are the utilitarians who argue that if something does the greatest amount of good to the greatest number of people, then that can be seen as good (Tavani, 2011). Although utilitarians claim their approach is the most practical, there is an issue of whether it is the best, because if 99% of people have enslaved 1% of people and subjected them to the worst and most severe conditions, can we say that it is good? This is the fundamental debate about ethics and its foundations Review of the Pinto Fires Dennis Gioia narrates the incidents of the Ford-Pinto brand in the 1970s which was an ethical dilemma and how it caused the death of several innocent people. A summary of the facts are narrated from Trevino & Nelson (2007): In the late 1960s, there was a huge demand for sub-compact cars around the globe and German and Japanese manufacturers were set to take over the international market. Ford, the American car manufacturer had to internationalize quickly and catch up with its competitors on the global market. The Ford-Pinto was designed and there were signs that it would do well internationally, so there was the need to speed up the research and development process to begin mass production to meet the huge demand. Ford’s Vice President, Lee Iacocca asked for the acceleration of the development process from 43 months to 38 months and this was accepted by the President who was a man of repute. The engineers identified that there was a major flaw in the car’s combustion and fuel system that made it vulnerable to explosions during accidents. However, due to the need to accelerate the development process, the engineers were not given ample time to correct the error. This led to the development of a car that led to the death of many users. In 1978, a Pinto car crash that killed the passengers led to a legal action the criminalization of the Ford company for the lack of proper care to develop a safer car. Ethics & The Pinto-Fires The Pinto case comes with several questions related to ethics. First of all, did the Vice President and the management team of Ford really act ethically? What were their major responsibilities and did they fail totally? Is it fair to attribute the death of passengers in one of many automobile accidents in America to the top-level management? What was the responsibility of the other people in Ford? The Eight-Step Model Trevino & Nelson (2007) identify eight steps which must be followed in taking ethical decisions in businesses. If this model was applied, it is likely that the management of Ford would have worked out a different approach to the Pinto brand and avoided a few issues. Step 1: Gather the Facts: First of all, the management of Ford should have gathered all the facts relevant to the global automobile industry. This way, they would have gotten enough information to identify the need to consider safety as a primary issue. However, it is clear that the focused more on internationalization and the capturing of market share ahead of the safety of their customers. Step 2: Define the Ethical Issues:

Interviews about American Incomes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interviews about American Incomes - Assignment Example We usually attend all our classes, then either go home or somewhere with friends. Depends on where we are residents. I live in this state and therefore prefer to go home for a while, whereas others would probably grab a bite to eat since they don’t have a home here to go and eat. The dress code is liberal; not too liberal, but moderately liberal. You will not be mocked if you wish to wear your traditional dress because our country is open to different cultures and minorities and wishes to treat them well. On formal presentation days, it is recommended to dress better than the other days, but most people like to dress casually on the rest of the days. Sports are an important and widely accepted part of our society; there is football, basketball and ice hockey. You should definitely check that out if you want to get a feel of our culture. Me: Thank you very much. Conversation # 2 (in recess) Me: Do you mind if I join you? Anonymous: No problem. Me: I have been hearing a great de al about the elections around here. They are on November 6th if I am not wrong? Anonymous: Yes. There is always a buzz around the time of elections. Me: What is your view on the politics of your country? Are you leaning more towards the Democrats of the Republicans? Anonymous: I do cast my vote, and I am for Democracy, therefore I will probably vote for Obama. However, I am more for the social welfare of the economy than politics as a whole. Me: For a greener better society or something related to social classes? Anonymous: Both actually, but a better society would be a greener society I believe. Me: I am actually really interested in the scenario of classes in the US. If you ever have some extra time, we can discuss this in length. Anonymous: Happy to help. Interview #1: Me: Continuing our previous conversation, I was a little unclear about what comprises the concept of ‘class’ here in the US. Anonymous: Class is synonymous to socioeconomic status and there are three s tringent divides: lower middle and upper class. However, there are variations between the three as well.  

A Philosophical Approach Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Philosophical Approach - Assignment Example The development of ethics has come with some controversies and debates. There are philosophers like Immanuel Kant who believe that there is a universal set of laws that apply to all human beings and all situations (O'neill, 1993). This therefore means that what is right and what is wrong is universal and on no account should it be compromised (Shiples & Maier, 2011). However, there are the utilitarians who argue that if something does the greatest amount of good to the greatest number of people, then that can be seen as good (Tavani, 2011). Although utilitarians claim their approach is the most practical, there is an issue of whether it is the best, because if 99% of people have enslaved 1% of people and subjected them to the worst and most severe conditions, can we say that it is good? This is the fundamental debate about ethics and its foundations Review of the Pinto Fires Dennis Gioia narrates the incidents of the Ford-Pinto brand in the 1970s which was an ethical dilemma and how it caused the death of several innocent people. A summary of the facts are narrated from Trevino & Nelson (2007): In the late 1960s, there was a huge demand for sub-compact cars around the globe and German and Japanese manufacturers were set to take over the international market. Ford, the American car manufacturer had to internationalize quickly and catch up with its competitors on the global market. The Ford-Pinto was designed and there were signs that it would do well internationally, so there was the need to speed up the research and development process to begin mass production to meet the huge demand. Ford’s Vice President, Lee Iacocca asked for the acceleration of the development process from 43 months to 38 months and this was accepted by the President who was a man of repute. The engineers identified that there was a major flaw in the car’s combustion and fuel system that made it vulnerable to explosions during accidents. However, due to the need to accelerate the development process, the engineers were not given ample time to correct the error. This led to the development of a car that led to the death of many users. In 1978, a Pinto car crash that killed the passengers led to a legal action the criminalization of the Ford company for the lack of proper care to develop a safer car. Ethics & The Pinto-Fires The Pinto case comes with several questions related to ethics. First of all, did the Vice President and the management team of Ford really act ethically? What were their major responsibilities and did they fail totally? Is it fair to attribute the death of passengers in one of many automobile accidents in America to the top-level management? What was the responsibility of the other people in Ford? The Eight-Step Model Trevino & Nelson (2007) identify eight steps which must be followed in taking ethical decisions in businesses. If this model was applied, it is likely that the management of Ford would have worked out a different approach to the Pinto brand and avoided a few issues. Step 1: Gather the Facts: First of all, the management of Ford should have gathered all the facts relevant to the global automobile industry. This way, they would have gotten enough information to identify the need to consider safety as a primary issue. However, it is clear that the focused more on internationalization and the capturing of market share ahead of the safety of their customers. Step 2: Define the Ethical Issues:

Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay Modern day education is aided with a variety of technology, computers, projectors, internet, and many more. Diverse knowledge is being spread among the people. Everything that can be simplified has been made simpler. Science has explored every aspect of life. There is much to learn and more to assimilate. Internet provides abysmal knowledge. There is no end to it. One can learn everything he wishes to. Every topic has developed into a subject. New inventions and discoveries have revealed the unknown world to us more variedly. Once a new aspect is discovered, hundreds of heads start babbling over it, and you get a dogma from hearsay. Not only our planet but the whole universe has become accessible. Now we have good and learned teachers to impart us with knowledge of what they know. Every one is a master in his field. We and our children are getting taught by professionals of their field. Presently our education is based on making us the best in our area of interest, to help us reach our goals more easily. More of the fact based knowledge is being grasped by us. What we learn helps us in our career and in our profession. Professionalism is deep-rooted in our society now and this education makes us so. Skill-development and vocational education has added a new feather to the modern system of education. There is something to learn for everyone. Even an infant these days goes to a kindergarten. And a little grown, mentally and physically is promoted to a Montessori. Everything is being categorized, be it a primary, middle, a higher secondary or graduate school. We have temples of education known by a familiar word the â€Å"university†. Whatsoever we are getting educated day by day and what’s good about is that it’s a never-ending process. Rightly said by Aristotle, â€Å"Education is an ornament in prosperity and a refugee in adversity. † is what everybody feels now. THE CON’S Well, that was the positive side, but every story has two telling. Of all the virtue, our education system has developed into mere schooling now. New trends are being developed which are far more a baloney that boon. Albert Einstein once said â€Å"Education is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything one learned in school. † Firstly our education is confined to schools and colleges. It has become a process of spoon feeding. â€Å"Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon† were the words of E. M. Forster. We are being fed with facts and knowledge. Not art, not books, but life itself is the true basis of teaching and learning. Cramming of facts and dates, hi-fi mathematical formulas, theories and doctrines should be at college levels when one has chosen his area of interest. What will the history pay a doctor or a mathematician, or medical terms to a historian? Secondly, an art can only be learned from a workshop of those who are earning their bread from it. Modern education has spread more ignorance than knowledge. Most of the women even don’t know, where, the fabric they are wearing, came from. The word â€Å"How† is missing in our world which causes ignorance. â€Å"Education†¦has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading. † says G. M. Trevelyan. Thirdly all education is bad which is not self-education. Presently, children after school are sent to tuitions. This is a clear question mark on the ability of school teacher. Homework tutorials are mushrooming up in our society. Students are thought of like they can’t do anything on their own and so are sent even to do the homework. Our schoolings got a lot of loop-holes. They guide us through a well catered pathway which finally leads to professionalism. Homework is a waste of time, if it is to repeat class work done today or to be repeated as class work to be done tomorrow. Our schooling does not leave us with time to get educated. Mark Twain once said that† I have never let my schooling interfere with my education†. Our child’s normal routine has become to wake up early, brush up their minds with light reading, go to school, then go to tuition and finally come home and do the homework. Finally our education is producing machines out of pupil. They read books, they speak books and they do books. Discussing in class lead to complications, which remains as confusions for a life time if left untreated. Vladimir Nabokov, a U. S critic, poet and novelist says â€Å"Discussion in class, which means letting twenty young blockheads and two cocky neurotics discuss something that neither their teacher nor they know. † So, it’s a matter of debate that our education system is fallacious or fair.

The Laugher Of The Medusa | Analysis

The Laugher Of The Medusa | Analysis Throughout history, women have been excluded from any kind of writing that could allow them the participation in the making of history and culture. Being considered as creatures of lesser rank in mental capacities and intellect, women have been, over centuries, kept in the dark by a patriarchal system that has successfully muted their needs for expression, be it physical, oral or written. In her fundamental essay The Laugh of the Medusa, Hà ©là ¨ne Cixous, French philosopher and feminist critic, openly introduces this idea of womans need for writing as a biological drive which intimately relies on her ceasing back and mastering her own body that has been violently miused by males rhetoric , as Toril Moi asserts that always and everywhere, the rational, active, masculine intellect operates on the passive, objectified, feminized body (189). Its only from the bodily experience that women, according to Cixous, can give birth to an  «Ãƒ ©criture fà ©minine  » which will subvert the phallocentric discourse of masculine writing, along with the logocentric representational system through which it functions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key insights that the author explores in her essay, mainly the feminine writing  [1]  with the idea of sexual differences. It is, also, necessary to consider, in the following stages, how Cixous makes use of Freuds and Lacans psychoanalysis and Derridas deconstructist theory to disrupt the phallocentric assumptions, hence to break up with all forms of repression against women. A particular focus will be on the critics contribution to French feminism and Anglo-American feminist theory. Le Rire de la Mà ©duse was written by Cixous in 1975, and translated into English as The Laugh of the Medusa in 1976 by Keith Cohen and Paula Cohen. This influential essay, essentially adressing women in order to  « bring them to writing  » (Cixous 875), is expressed in a beautiful and poetic language to convey the idea of the existence of an à ©criture fà ©minine, which is already used by the author. As with many of her writings  [2]  , Cixouss The Laugh of the Medusa revises sexual differences between men and women from past to present, anticipating a future radical change in the perception of this notion which would only take shape if woman takes back a body that is hers, from the masculine repressing language, in order to employ it as a cause and effect of a new genre of writing which Cixous introduces as the feminine writing. The whole premise of the essay is that  « Woman must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing .  » (Cixous 875). In the light of this idea, the critic goes on to relate womens writing to their bodily experiences that represent a source of desire and urge for creativity. In other words, for a woman to be able to break up with the old traditional doormat in her skin, she must trace her own body with a feminine language. As a result, women will create their own tradition of writing, embarking from the past and its repressive language. Over centuries, masculine discourse has been the dominant and the stronger one. Women had no word to say in a patriarchal universe where, as Cixous states, they were regarded as  « dark  » and  « dangerous  » (878). Women have, accordingly, developed a sense of resentment for other women and themselves under the influence of the masculine ideology. To break up with this complex, Cixous calls woman to manifest through a writing that belongs to her ; but which can neither be defined nor theorized (883) since, as it can be deduced, language is males property, and there is no room to theorize a feminine writing within the masculine dominant discourse. However, the feminine mode of writing can be described as revolutionary against the phallocentric language and thought (888). Cixouss point is to approach this genre of writing in relation to sexual differences and gender in order to demonstrate how these differences have served historico-cultural purposes to hinder womens intellect ual capacities. She goes further to discuss the traditional idea of bisexuality as neutrality- that engenders the fear of lacking  [3]  , contrasted with a bisexuality, that allows one to identify one self as having sexual orientation toward the two sexes. From this equation, Cixous concludes that  « woman is bisexual  » by the nature of her organs and the turning shifts of events; whereas man cannot be so without losing his phallocentric masculine identity (884). In the same way, she believes that writing is bisexual, for women should write to women and men without no exclusion. Throughout the article, Cixous sensibilizes women to the urgent need of a universal revolution against the phallocentric discourse to which they have been the signified subject. By creating their a discourse of their own, women will fly through and, at the same time, steal back that which is already theirs  [4]  , their voices that have been repressed. The author points out to the fact that this subjugation has resulted in creating a female voice consciousness which, aware of the difficulties that women have undergone, reclaims their socio-cultural identity and their natural rights. She also argues for womens freedom to have children or not to have any, without being  « threatened  » or blamed for the choices they make in life (890). The main purpose of this study is to analyze the key insights that Cixous discusses in The Laugh of the Medusa, along with the major influences that affect her writing, namely the Derridian deconstruction and psychoanalytical theory. As its title indicates, the essay includes the  « Medusa  » as a metaphor to portray womans beauty, oppression and intelligence at the same time. By using this Greek mythical figure  [5]  , Cixous hits two birds with one stone : she firstly alludes to women being treated badly by their male counterparts, as Medusa was once ill-treated and raped. On the other hand, the author also hints to womens jealousy of and hatred to other women under the influence of the masculine worldview. Cixous goes on to develop this idea when she argues that men  « have committed the greatest crime against women. Insidiously, violently, they have led them to hate women, to be their own enemies  ». In the same way, the Medusas metaphor is associated with the modern psychoanalytic interpretations of Sigmund Freud who refers to the Medusas head as  « the supreme talisman who provides the image of castration associated in the childs mind with the discovery of maternal sexuality and its denial  » (Freud). Cixous takes on the idea of castration, by which the phallocentric mind is haunted, and relates it to the Medusas image so as to prove that man is unconsciously weak at the sight of the feminine sex, to the point that he is  « consumed, as Freud and his followers note, by a fear of being a woman  » (884). At this level, the critic implicitly alludes to the French psychoanalytist Jacques Lacan, who follows Freud in his concept of Wunsch  [6]  to arrive at a  « desire  » that is associated with a lack. According to Lacans theory of Lack, as explained by Joel Dor in his Introduction to the Re ading of Lacan, womans desire towards the masculine body does not originate from the body itself as the object of desire ; rather, it originates from her lacking a penis ( Dor 236). Ironically, Cixous refutes this  « phallocratic  » analysis arguing that her personal desire of the other is for the other, and that  « a desire originating from a lack  » is much poor and lacking(891). She goes further to criticize women who madly fetishize the masculine sex, treating them of  « the woman of yesterday  » who is either kept in the dark ages, idolizing the traditional way the big penis takes her ; or falsely modernized with naive virtuous thinking as Cixous affirms here :  « They still exist, easy and numerous victims of the oldest of farces: either theyre cast in the original silent version in which, as titanesses lying under the mountains they make with their quivering, they never see erected that theoretic monument to the golden phallus looming, in the old manner, over their bodies. Or, coming today out of their infans period and into the second, enlightened version of their virtuous de-basement, they see themselves suddenly assaulted by the builders of the analytic empire and, as soon as theyve begun to formulate the new desire, naked, nameless, so happy at making an appearance, theyre taken in their bath by the new old men, and then, whoops! Luring them with flashy signifiers, the demon of interpretation  » (892) Following this idea, Cixous is harshly attacking the masculine phallocentric values in the personae of Freud and Lacan, whom she accuses of exploiting the new version of  « modern  » woman to satisfy their sexual needs while theyre reducing them to an inferior and negative position. One cannot understand Cixouss ideas without going back to the Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalytic theories. If we examine Freuds interpretation of sexual differences which place man in a superior position for biological reasons  [7]  , it would then be obvious why he has been criticized by feminists  [8]  , including Cixous. Though she mainly builds her theoretical legacy on psychoanalysis, precisely Freuds, Cixous uses this latters analysis of developmental theory and gender roles -which are based on the biological differences between man and woman- as a counter-argument to assert that, though there is a sexual difference, women should be treated equally, and not in terms of the Lacanian binary oppositions, as she states :  « writing has been run by a libidinal and cultural-hence political, typically masculine-economy; that this is a locus where the repression of women has been perpetuated, over and over, more or less consciously, and in a manner thats frightening since its often hidden or adorned with the mystifying charms of fiction; that this locus has grossly exaggerated all the signs of sexual opposition (and not sexual difference), where woman has never her turn to speak  ». (879) In the same way, Cixous criticizes Lacans theory of phallocentrism which posits the phallus in the centre of the masculine being. Furthermore, the critic employs this primacy of the phallus in the Derridian deconstructist critique of logocentrism to coin the term  « phallogocentrism  », which refers to a (superior) masculine language centered upon the phallus, opposed to a (deficient) feminine language which lacks a phallus. In other words, her writing is a deconstructist one through which she undermines the phallocentric ideology that dominates language (Tidd 98). In addition to the medusas image which is used by the author to overcome Freuds  « castration  » and Lacans  « lack  », is the metaphor of Dora  [9]  that strongly disturbs Freuds legacy in psychoanalysis and therapy. When she directly adresses Dora as  « the true mistress of the Signifier  » (886), Cixous evokes the story of humiliated girl who was manipulated by her father as a pawn in a sexual game between him and his mistresss husband, and later by Freuds therapy that tried to convince her of the necessity to play the game. As a result, the girl was a subject of a double oppression, applied firstly by the father, and secondly by Freud. The case of Dora in the essay, if it alludes to patriarchal ideology and oppression of the females voice, it does not fail to deconstruct the Freudian assumptions of male superiority and the Lacanian theory of  « the Name of the Father  » which prescribes the father as a symbol of law and order. For Cixous, the name of Dora repr esents more than an example of the psychological violence caused by males oppression; she rather employs it as an icon of females revolution and manifest (Showalter 332). The Laugh of the Medusa is the most significant example of Cixouss  « à ©criture feminine  ». Rich of artistic metaphors and innovative ideas, this influential essay is inscribed as a fundamental work of art within literary and critical theory. Influenced by the deconstructist and differentialist thought, Cixouss writing has been effective in undermining the patriarchal dominance over language. By revising the question of sexual differences existing in the psychoanalytical theories of Freud and Lacan, she deconstructs the equation of the binary oppositions applied to the couple man-woman, while intelligently adopting the difference to prove the equality rather than the opposition between the sexes. The idea is recognized through feminist critiques like Shiachs  « Their Symbolic Exists- it Holds Power  » in which she notes :  « Cixous has represented the process of differentiation in more social terms, and has offered the possibility of more hopeful conclusions: the construction of new sorts of identity, which cut across dual hierarchized oppositions  ».( 165) Her poetic language and feminine style is a demonstration of what she calls  « à ©criture fà ©minine  ». Influenced by her reading of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, Cixous seems to take up their experimentation and modernist mode of writing, herded with a feminine sensual voice and experience, as essential features of a new form, which is the feminine writing. Consequently, introducing this idea, among many others, into the critical theory has undoubtedly made of Cixous one of the most prominent figures of French feminism. When translated into English, Cixouss The Laugh has gained international interest, mainly by Anglo-American feminists. Admittedly, the author has been often criticized  [10]  for considering the sexual differences and making them as a basis for her argument, which, for certain critiques, cannot but reinforce the unequality, hence, repression. To make sense of her ideas, however, one has to contextualize them within a poststructuralist framework. Being a deconstructist par-excellence, Cixous emphasizes the differences in order to deconstruct them. For a deep understanding of her writing, it is crucial to be familiar with psychoanalytical concepts of Freud and his readers, so as to make sense of them in a Cixousian shape. Karen L. Taylor recognizes Cixouss legacy, against Morag Shiachs critique  [11]  , when she states : Furthermore, through her writing, Cixous engages in a psychoanalytical exploration of the feminine. Reading and writing are, for her, the means to grapple with the enigma of male / female relations. She has been criticized for her psychoanalytical style, influenced by Jacques Lacan, and marked by a superabundance of images. Nonetheless, Cixous has been instrumental in establishing a new form of literature that lies somewhere between myth and novel.  » ( 70) What Cixous does is more than claiming equal civil rights for women with regards to their male counterpart. What she does is deconstructing the patriarchal language that hierachizes woman into inferior positions, calling at the meanwhile for a new mode of writing that inscribes the feminine as equal to the masculine, hence, anticipating a possibility of change in social structures. Through the  « à ©criture fà ©minine  », the feminine body  « will produce far more radical effects of political and social changes than some might like to think  » ( Cixous 882).