To prove that during the 19th and 20th century, women were considered Research Paper

To prove that during the 19th and 20th century, women were considered to be inferior beings with no rights, they faced constant oppression in a society dominated by the male - Research Paper Example Holt provides a profound analysis in her article about the content of the story in the poem, "Goblin Market." The poem was written in 1862 (in the 18th century) as a manifestation of the plight that women went through at that time. Holt notes that the author of the poem, Christina Rossetti made a an insightful presentation of two sisters, Lizzie and Laura who were forced to endure carnal lust just to embrace a higher and perceived purer realm of human sexuality, which is marriage (Holt 51). The poem is evidence of a strong thematic expression of renunciation that revolves around the lives of the two beautiful sisters. In the end, the two sisters subdue their fervent feelings for carnal lust, and they embrace their spiritual nature by getting married in a traditional Victorian marriage. However, the main theme and subtle undertone in the poem as argued by Holt and other prolific literature analysts is feminism. An incisive analysis by Holt into the poem depicts the dearth of male description and participatory segments until the end of it. Men are not mentioned as largely as the two sisters, a factor that shows subtle feminism. In the poem, men are the sellers of the goblin fruits in the local market but their actual mentioning is not extensive since the author focuses mainly on the lives of the two sisters, Lizzie, and Laura. Lizzie is depicted as a religious one due to her staunch Christianity affiliation. She is portrayed as a person who rescues her sister, Laura by playing the critical role of spiritual and earthly redemption (Russell, 143). Holt is insightful in exposing the depth of lust that the men selling goblin fruits at the market are showing. The men are subtly expressing their harbored objectivity for women. Holt notes that at the beginning of the poem, the author shows how the men objectify women. The men sing a

Vision and Mission statement of Mauritius commercial bank

Vision and Mission statement of Mauritius commercial bank Abstract This paper attempts to analyse the vision and mission statement of The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) Ltd. A brief description of the organisation is given, followed by the vision and mission statements, where the statements are analysed thoroughly and critics have been made. Those critics have been identified while reading the Vision and Mission statements respectively, it can also be seen that we have applied the SMART criteria in order to analyse the vision statement and concerning the mission of the group we have analysed it through the various steps that the company is undertaking to achieve its goals and objectives. Keywords: Banking,Vision Statement, Mission statement, MCB Ltd, Introduction The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) Ltd, one among the leading bank that exist in Mauritius and which was incorporated since 1838. At present, MCB ltd has its branches all around the island. The Bank came across serious financial difficulties on many occasions during its first hundred years of existence. In spite of various national and international financial crisis, cut throat competitions over the years from ten other commercial banks, two world wars, and natural calamities, The Mauritius Commercial Bank Limited succeeded in expanding its activities, trebled its capital and in 1920 in Curepipe opened its first Branch. Nowadays, the bank plays a vital role in the economy of the country by expanding its unflinching support to trade, agriculture, the textile industry, tourism and other sectors as well as individual customers, at its head office and also throughout its 42 branches and counters in Mauritius and in Rodrigues. The MCB ltd is said to be a bank with a heart, for this purpo se as every successful business has a vision and mission statement, so do the MCB Ltd. The Vision of MCB ltd is to be the obvious choice for financial services in the region and beyond. The vision statement triggers the desires to launch the MCB ltd as the touchstone position for the provision of financial services in the state and even further, in order to meet the increasing needs of its customers operating in the global economy. For this to be possible the general public must have full confidence on the bank, for example the recent case of MCB/NPF could have been fatal for MCB ltd but that was not the case as the bank managed to reduce and nearly eliminates all the risk associated with. The Mission statement is to pursue the voyage towards excellence. The mission statement gives evidences to the unrelenting loyalty to best practices in the provision of financial services throughout the group against the backdrop of creating shareholder value. The MCB has a tradition of being a leader of getting use to modifications and innovating to suit customer needs, therefore, its vision, mission and corporate values are aligned to maintain this position. They know that their future success will depend on their capacity to deliver a broad variety of services quicker, cheaper and in a more professional manner to their increasingly sophisticated and global customers. To achieve this, the bank is investing massively in technological and as well as human resources. Objective and Purpose of study To analyse and understand the meaning of vision and mission statements of a company. To analyse and understand the vision and mission statements of MCB and its implementation. To suggest improvements that can be brought to the vision and mission statements of MCB. Literature Review Each and every organisation has their own vision and mission statements which are set according to the companys actual performance and objectives that it want to achieve in the future. Vision: Defines the desired or intended future state of an organization or enterprise in terms of its fundamental objective and/or strategic direction. Vision is a long term view, sometimes describing how the organization would like the world in which it operates to be. For example a charity working with the poor might have a vision statement which read A world without poverty (Wikipedia, 2010). Mission: Defines the fundamental purpose of an organization or an enterprise, succinctly describing why it exists and what it does to achieve its Vision (Wikipedia, 2010). Organizations usually summarize goals and objectives into a mission statement and/or a vision statement. Others begin with a vision and mission and use them to plan for the goals and objectives. While the existence of a shared mission is very useful, many strategy specialists question the requirement for a written mission statement. However, there are a lot of models of strategic planning that begin with mission statements, so it is useful to examine them here (Wikipedia, 2010). Forest (2003) analyses the mission statements and defines them as enduring statements of purpose that distinguish one organization from other similar enterprises. It suggests that a well-crafted mission statement can provide advantages or benefits to a company. Also it states that the mission statements have to be longer than a phrase or sentence, but not a two-page document, and not overly specific with regard to values, percentages, numbers, goals, or strategies. Hence, it concludes that better mission statements will give rewarding payoffs, meaning enhanced personal and business performance Studying how to merge people and resources together in harmony to achieve a common goal remains one of the most difficult tasks facing management today. The importance of developing a corporate mission statement with a glowing vision to enhance and create organisational purpose is addressed and how different organisational cultures affect the employees vitality is examined. From the vision springs a parallel view of all the employees in the organisation towards the companys goal. Contribution from both the companys customers and employees ensures adoption of the purpose and keeps the purpose dynamic and fresh. This leads to innovation, co-operation, and success of the organization (Reyes and Kleiner, 1990). In addition, executives members should try to promote or motivate its employees in order to achieve its vision. As per Eigeles (2003) he has conducted an analysis thats represents the structure method helping organizational facilitators to work efficiently with their clients. Though it is not possible to motivate and encourage top executives team efficiently to willingly generate true vision and mission and implement these in the organization for achieved both improved performance and harmony. Tarnow (1990), introduces a method to enhance existing mission and vision statements. The set-up of the initial statement is changed to (1) suggest an action, (2) identify this action only vaguely, and (3) include a social categorization. He also, discusses some consequences of the Unifying Action Declarations, including examples from experiential group events and from a high tech consulting firm. The resulting Unifying Action Declarations agrees leaders to use group formation forces to help motivate task performance. Nowadays, all developing businesses experience difficulties during organizational transitions (Churchill and Lewis 1983). The evolution from a small entrepreneurial organization to a mature business organization is characterized by a large amount of important internal and external changes (Hambrick and Crozier 1985; Churchill and Lewis 1983). The small business frequently finds that success attracts the attention of others; new small start-ups and/or large competitors may enter the market (Porter 1980). Rises in growth may call for increase into overseas markets. Internal changes comprises of the introduction of professional management to handle the increasingly complex organization; the introduction of outside equity to finance growth (Welsh and White 1981); and the introduction of organizational systems and procedures. Internal changes such as rises in sales volume, in employees, and in organizational formality and complexity require small business operators to change their role within a changing organization (Hambrick and Crozier 1985). The quest of growth usually requires the owner/manager to learn new skills and change from a doer to a manager (Churchill and Lewis 1983). Small businesses often fail to grow because the manager fails to make this transition (Willard, Krueger, and Feeser 1992). Through the growth process, the small business manager becomes increasingly eradicated and distant from employees (Hambrick and Crozier 1985; Churchill and Lewis 1983), and discovers that his or her strong entrepreneurial vision is no longer shared by new staff, new professional managers, and new investors. One of the survival strategies is to introduce financial and strategic planning and control systems into the organization (Gable and Topol 1987; Bracket and Pearson 1985). Vital to these planning and strategic management systems in large organizations is the introduction of a mission statement. In their much orientated work, Pearce and David (1987) argue that the mission statements of higher performing large companies are more comprehensive than those of less successful firms. The idea behind this article is to explore whether high growth small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ireland are characterized by more comprehensive mission statements. However, there is a lack of new evidence for the acclaimed and assumed positive effects of mission statements. A few studies have provide limited empirical support to the idea that mission statements are valuable and contribute to higher profits (Rarick and Vitton 1995; Klemm, Sanderson, and Luffman 1991; Germain and Cooper 1990; Falsey 1989; Pearce and David 1987). These studies totally assume that mission statements are a determinant of success, before addressing the possibility that successful organizations are more likely to adopt formal systems and procedures that involve the writing of a formal mission statement. Another research base on SMEs is that of Analoui and karami (2002), who said that developing a mission statement has been considered a crucial factor in the formulation of business strategy in organisations. The mission statement encourages a sense of shared expectations in employees and, not surprisingly, it has recently been regarded as increasingly important in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the electronic industry. One major motive for this is the growing involvedness and energetic competitive environments in which these enterprises have operated and managed to find them. Mission statements have become a managing instrument most commonly used by chief executive officers (CEOs) over the last decade. One exercise that both academics and practitioners have judged strategically serious to the success of an enterprise is the development of a meaningful mission statement. This article discovers the awareness of CEOs of their mission statement in SMEs. The study, between investigating the existence and content of the mission statements and, as a result, it determines the relationships (if any) between a SMEs development of a meaningful mission statement and selected performance outcomes of the firm. Also, from Mullane (2002) perspective, managers are divided in their allegiance to the firms mission. Some mangers swear by their mission statement while others swear at theirs. Facts from two firms, with existing research indicate that this disagreement originates in the mangers view of mission statement. Mangers that see mission statement as tools that can influence the inner working of the organizations are likely to understand the missions usefulness. Mangers that put their mission statement on display and expect them to magically transform organizational behavior are likely to be frustrated and see them as an exercise in futility. It has been found that insight from two managers who take the first view provides specific steps mangers can utilize to harness the benefits of their mission statements. Wickham (1997), states that a sense of mission can be a powerful force in shaping and guiding an entrepreneurial venture. He has discussed how it focuses the entrepreneurs vision and gives it a real strategic direction. Clear as an official mission statement it can be used to bring together disparate stakeholder groups within the organization. Imagines that it also acts as an aide-mà ©moire for communicating what the scheme has to offer customers, suppliers, and potential employees. He also, states that a clear mission can also help in attracting investment. It catches the attention of possible investors and proposes professionalism in management approach. However, if it is to be successful, the mission must be right for the scheme developed with sympathy to the organization and be communicated effectively. Moreover, another search had been done on how corporations project their corporate philosophy through `Mission Statements. Despite linguistic and textual analysis of such statements drawn from a sizeable quantity, it allows us to typify the texts as constituting a non-routine, organizational genre, and one that has recently become of some significance. This discussion serves as a basis for a contextual and intertextual analysis of Mission Statements from two well-known US companies. By detailing the history, underlying principle and role of these Mission Statements that have been indicated of how the texts are rhetorically designed in order to ensure maximum employee `buy-in. In one case the Mission Statement appears as an authorized historical vision to be protected and nurtured; in the other case, the rewriting of the Mission Statement emerges as a collaborative response to crisis. Hence, they discuss on the implications of such findings for contemporary approaches to discourse and genre analysis within institutional linguistics (Rogers and Swales, 1995). At the same time, Bart (2001) stipulates that mission statements symbolize the cornerstone of most organizational strategies. While much research has been conducted on what the (human intellectual capital) HIC construct might contain, none has attempted to understand the link between mission statements and their impact on the HIC construct. The uncertain results reported in this study begin to fill the invalid one. They illustrate that, mission statements may certainly have a convincing place in the measurement and reporting of an organizations intellectual capital and they demonstrate the need for more research in this regard. Mission statements by themselves are of very little value. Some organisations have good mission statements, but their management teams frequently lack a sense of purpose. In some companies, management teams have a clearness of vision and interest that is remarkable, without having a mission statement. Mission statements are in themselves not important since they create a management team with a sense of mission which is crucial (Campbell, 1993). Company Profile The MCB was incorporated by the Royal Charter in 1838 and Lloyds Bank became the first shareholder of the group. The MCB was the first bank to install ATMs in Mauritius and was the first bank to issue credit cards and till now the MCB has been the most performing listed company with the highest market capitalization on the official list of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius. The MCB has been engaged in promoting various key financial products and services including mobile banking, retail banking product, corporate banking, private banking, international banking, internet banking service and providing American Express services. The MCB was the first Mauritian commercial bank to launch the revolving credit loans on the international market. The MCB group has even set up branches in Seychelles, Mozambique, Madagascar, and France amongst others. Present in eight other countries through its subsidiaries, associated company. The MCB group in Mauritius employs around 2,600 employees and over 18000 local and foreign investors. The MCB group observe the highest degree of standards concerning integrity and ethical conduct towards its dealings to its stakeholders. Furthermore, the MCB group has been diversifying in various sectors of the economy behind the philosophy of risk pooling and also providing the highest level of service quality to its customers. Likewise the MCB group is separated into two main parts, namely the bank itself and local and foreign subsidiaries. The MCB group has a very diligent and highly qualified and devoted board of directors who work toward the satisfaction of different stakeholders and maximising the overall profit of the group. The MCB group has a very high view on corporate governance practices and in regards to this the MCB group has been consequently been conferred the bank of the year and because of extensive corporate governance practices, the bank is able to fulfil effectively its vision. Analysis of the MCB Vision The vision of the MCB group is to be the obvious choice for financial services in the region and beyond, whilst its mission is pursing the voyage towards excellence. The MCB vision is obviously what the company wants to become which is the ideal aim of the group. The MCB has had a tradition of being a leader adapting to changes and innovating to satisfy customer needs, this is basically the corporate philosophy of MCB. The group has clearly set down this vision as they believe in the fact that the future success will depend on the ability a comprehensive range of services quicker, cheaper and in a more efficient manner so that there is an increase in local customers and foreign sophisticated customers. This vision of MCB is to build on the competitive axis for further product differentiation and regional diversification. The vision of the company is to offer a broader range of financial services, shifting from the traditional areas of banking through more complex services including asset financing, leasing, investment financing and brokerage services. That is the goal of the group is to serve as a single window to offer a full fledged set of financial services. The aim of the vision statement is to maximise customer satisfaction and increase customer loyalty. The other arm of this vision is to fully maximise the diversification strategy whereby it involves strengthening and deepening the presence of the group in international markets which offer substantial investment opportunities which basically help in promoting the image of the group in the international market. Basically the gist of the competitive strategy and the aim of this vision statement are to substantially increase the contribution of subsidiaries abroad to the overall profit of the group. Ultimately the group believes that more and more the philosophy behind the vision statement is behind achieved this will lead to a better competitive edge and a successful entrenchment of strategies being adopted which could lead to better customer satisfaction and an increase in service quality. The key of course lies in an appropriate balance between the strategies and the vision philosophy. MCB wants to be a benchmark in the provision of banking services as well as non banking services so that other financial services providers can refer to as MCB as being the Lion in the banking business in the local market as well as in the regional market. The MCB believes in provision of financial services which maximises customer satisfaction and bridging the gap between customer perception and customer expectation, that is ultimately bridging the service quality gap. The cutting force that drives MCB to achieve its vision philosophy is innovation. Innovation is one the values that the MCB adheres to in its strategies. MCB believes in innovation at all managerial levels which ultimately will help the group to achieve its objectives. A deduction can be made from the vision statement whereby there is a close link in regard to the corporate philosophy of the group which is to the leader of financial services locally and regionally. The vision statement of the MCB is all about the following: Partnerships Relationships Innovation Genuiness Attitude to risk Passionate banking. Partnerships whereby without the help of various investors the group will not be able to become a leader and relationships whereby the bank undertakes long run prospects for both partners. Innovation is all about the values of the group to be the leader and genuiness is to offer differentiated financial services. Likewise attitude is the willingness for the group to take risk so that to enjoy new ventures and passionate banking as the group believes in privileged banking relationships which will help to increase business and word of mouth publicity as well as service quality and customer satisfaction. The MCB believes in that it is the leadership job to set the vision, which is where the group wants to go. That is why the bank believes in enhancing human resources especially at the board level also so that the vision is clearly defined and met. The group believes in management skills to be able to clearly define the vision philosophy of the group Vision statement is usually rooted in values that are what drives the organisation to move ahead. The values that are rooted in the vision of the MCB are as follows: Integrity Customer care Team work Innovation Knowledge Excellence These six values are deeply rooted in the vision of the group. As the group wants to become the obvious choice for financial services in the region and beyond, these values would help the company to archive it. Are integrity, customer care, team work, innovation, knowledge and excellence found in the vision of the group? For the group to achieve its vision it is obvious that integrity should be within it and it is a fact for the MCB as for most people is a bank which is known to be of utmost integrity ranging from its staff to senior level management. Hence this value would definitely help the group to satisfy its corporate vision philosophy. Concerning customer care, the bank believes in the assurance of quick, dedicated and unrivalled services to its customers. The bank believes in its level of service quality and customer satisfaction. Hence the bank places a lot of emphasis on customer satisfaction. The bank believes in the approach of collective working and a shared vision together so that different synergies from people can combine together which will give a cutting edge to the group. Likewise, this is to help leveraging individual competencies and skills to various people within the group. Innovation had been an in-house tradition for the group at various managerial levels which all ultimately help to the product differentiation of financial products offered by the group. Knowledge philosophy of the group is all about the strong commitment to nurture the human capital through lifelong development and learning towards to achieve the vision of the group. Excellence is what the group believes to be very important in helping to become the leader in the provision of financial services and also, excellence in all about the mission of the group which is pursuing the voyage towards excellence. Criticisms of the vision statement The vision is the corporate aspiration of the group, which describes the long term ambitions and the ideal goal of the group. But, in the vision statement the values are being met but it should satisfy the SMART criteria, that is, Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic and time bound. Specific- the vision stalks about to be the obvious choice for financial services in the region and beyond. It is adequately the clear message as to what needs to be accomplished, but the word beyond is restricted. Does beyond means in the international market or in African region or others. Hence it should be clear. Measurable- The bank will have to develop and assess how the bank is becoming the obvious choice for financial services. Is there any comparative analysis which is done in comparison with other banks? Appropriate- The vision statement is somehow in accordance with mission as only through excellence the group will be able to be the choice for financial services. Realistic- the vision statement of MCB is very challenging and high challenging to provide a boost for management to satisfy the corporate philosophy of the vision. Time bound- in regards to the time frame, no indication has been provided in the vision statement about till when the bank wants to become the obvious choice for financial services. The vision of the group should be able to be quantified as in the case of the MCB group, will the bank quantify it through the market share or market capitalisation. The vision of the group to be able to be effective should be a shared vision, that is the vision should be common at various levels of the group and uniformity must apply so as to allow the group to meet its values and when values are met, ultimately this will help to satisfy the vision of the group as visions are deeply rooted in values. Mission statement analysis of the MCB Pursing the voyage towards excellence The mission statement of the group testifies the fact that there is a willingness to adopt best practices in the provision of financial services so that shareholder value increases as well as helping in satisfying the vision statement. The mission defines the fundamental purpose of the group. It is the philosophy of why the group exists and how it will conduct its affairs to achieve its vision. The mission statement plays an important role for the group as is the basis for motivating the use of resources within the group. It also develops a basis or a standard for allocating organisational resources and generally develops a shared organisational climate working towards the vision of the group. It also attracts employees who share common set of goals and values to work for the purpose of enhancement of the vision. The mission statement can be used as a strategic tool for enhancement of the business process. At the MCB group the mission is deeply rooted to the top executive to the middle management level. The mission of the group is to focus on best practices so that the vision is met. The MCB has been for several years the bank of the year and is one where best practices are highly implemented, that is why the bank is ranked first in corporate governance practices. These best practices help the group to achieve its vision a many people would opt for the MCB in their needs of financial products. Hence it can be seen that there is a link and there are interrelated components between the vision and mission statement of the group because the mission of the group, which is working towards excellence, will help to achieve the vision of the group. However the mission of the group should not be static, that is it should change when conditions in the groups environment change, in which case, the MCB should change its mission. Just focusing on excellence is not enough as there are various intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the group. Hence redefining the mission statement becomes a must as the group is growing at a rapid rate and various competitive factors are in the banking business with the entry of new service providers in the field of financial services and retail banking. The mission statement of the group should include more shared values as they are deeply rooted in the vision of the group. Internal and External analysis should be performed so that the mission is closely aligned to the vision of the group. Criticism of Mission Statement The mission of the MCB for the past few years has been mainly in the quality of its staff so that with a dedicated staff and well trained staff this will lead to customer satisfaction and increasing the level of service quality. This will help to create a better image of the group and helping towards its commitment toward excellence. The MCB believes in the quality of human resources, as it customers are satisfied with the staff and through a dedicated service this will help to make the bank the obvious choice for financial services and help meeting the vision statement. Likewise, MCB has been investing loads on best practices so that excellence is achieved and ultimately leading to the corporate philosophy satisfaction. Hence, with the adoption of international best practices, the bank has been gaining a positive image in the region and hence again the bank is working towards meeting of its vision. Furthermore, the bank invests massively in innovating products which all ultimately help in achieving the vision of the group and even through the partnerships of international partners like American Express amongst others is helping the group to build a more positive image in the regional market and the international market. Recommendation The Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) is a successful Financial services provider. It has been able to provide quality financial product and services to its customers and it is today the largest and oldest banking institution of Mauritius and has made a name in the region. But as it is said Nothing is permanent except change and thus for the MCB to continue to be the pioneer in the Financial Services sector of Mauritius, it needs to continue changing and innovate according to what the customer wants and demands. A Mission Statement is a declaration as to why an organization exists and defines the business the organization is currently in. Mission Statements concentrate on the present and are a reflection of an organizations core competencies. The mission statement of MCB is that it wants to move toward excellence. What was excellence years ago is definitely different from what is excellence in the financial sector today. Since the creation of MCB the economic environment around the world has changed. Moreover there have been changes in technologies that have radically changed the way financial products and services are being provided to customers. The working environment itself has changed and so has the behavior of employees and employers. At the same time new legislatives have been introduced in the financial sector and this has resulted in an alteration in the way financial institutions functions and recently due to the financial crisis around the world a lot of financial institutions hav e been encouraged to change the way they carry out their activities. During the last decades Mauritius itself and its society has evolved. Nowadays people view the financial sector differently to what they used to years ago. Consequently the MCB must consider all these changes and accommodate its mission around them so as the MCB can grow alongside with its economical, political, legal, cultural and social environment. A Vision Statement focuses on the future. It states what you want the organization to be. Vision Statements come from the heart as well as the head. A Vision Statement represents a realistic dream for an organization and forces it to take a stand for a preferred future. To be the best choice of everyone is the vision of the MCB. But there may be other things that that can become the aims of the MCB. It can be easily proved with the market share valu

The Racial Contract Essay -- essays research papers

In The Racial Contract, it is argued that contemporary structures of white domination in the United States operate by means of an epistemology of ignorance for white people. White people inadvertently suffer from cognitive dysfunctions such that they cannot understand the racially (and racistly) structured world in which they live and, indeed, helped create. For Mills, while no person of any race is self-transparent, becoming a white person entails a particularly extreme form of self-opacity regarding issues of race that corresponds with a conspicuously bad or offensive misunderstanding of the world. Recently with the invasion of Iraq, the president has proven that white people believe that they are correct when that in any given conflict it must quell the conflict through force rather than understanding of the predicament. It must be astonishing to a lot of white Bush supporters to learn that the horrible conditions in Iraq would only be made worse when a foreign country whose lead er represents Christian ideals (which aren’t the prevailing consensus in Iraq), believes that Iraqis people need another conflicting force in a country ravaged by extreme racism. Because of the racialized moral psychology created by the racial contract, white people are ironically often unable to see race and racism. Although Mills does not make use of psychoanalysis, his work suggests both how and why psychoanalytic theory can be of help to critical race theory’s project of examining race for the purpose of challenging racism and white privilege. While the white cognitive dysfunction described by Mills sometimes operates preconsciously, his concept of the epistemology of ignorance also points to the vast pools of human thought inaccessible to consciousness, and thus unconscious. This refers not to a mere gap or empty space; rather, it is something that is actively, dynamically produced, and which stubbornly maintains its existence. This means that as unconscious entity, racism’s effectiveness is found in its ability to perpetuate itself as something invisible and unknowable. Most race theories that omit the unconscious operations of race and ra cism touches on only the tip of the iceberg that is white privilege. This is not to say that white privilege is only psychical. But the importance of the economic, political, geographical, and other aspects of white privilege should not le... ...stood, yet it was made illegal to possess. The fear of white Americans losing their jobs was a major contributing factor and unconsciously, people of Hispanic descent had become the perfect â€Å"scapegoat† for the irrational paranoia that existed during the time period. It is not a coincidence that the majority of people in the correctional system are black, but there is the hope that through the knowledge and respect of one another those grievous acts that divide people into skin color, race, ethnicity, and religion can find a common ground. Common ground as in laws that everyone can agree on, not just what the majority decrees as being justice. There isn’t any government that can achieve this because of the seemingly infinite amount of strife in the world which causes people to become refugees and flee to strange countries. The only way that I can perceive the extinction of unconscious racism is the development of science which can prevent hardships. A common enemy has historically been known to bring people together, whether that enemy is a shortage of food or lack of resources, the most basic needs of freedom and liberty bind all men together with a goal in a positive direction.

Wild Fowl Trust

Trust stayed around for approximately 2 years, nested and bred in the trust's environment before flying off eventually with their fledged young. Many injured birds are brought to the trust. They have had some successes, working with vets with this particular expertise and with the wild life orphanage and rehabilitation centre. The success stories include a Masked/ Blue Booby, Ospreys, a Brown Pelican, a Gray Hawk, Gallinule, Jacana's, Song Birds, Psittacosis and different Owl species. Fun Facts: Scarlet Ibis birds are born brown in color but get their red color from rotten in crabs.They also eat shrimp and fish. You can tell the difference between a black billed tree duck by color of their beaks. Adults have bright orange beaks. Blue and Gold Macaws have one mate their entire lives and when that mate dies they don't find another. You can't tell the difference between male and female Blue and Gold Macaws unless you take blood samples from them and test it. In situ conservation is on s ite conservation of genetic resources in natural populations of plants or animal species, such as forest genetic in natural populations of tree species.It is the process of protecting an endangered plant or animal species in its natural, either by protecting or cleaning up the habitat itself, or by defending the species from predators. The Wild Fowl Trust is an example of in situ conservation. One benefit of in situ conservation is that it maintains recovering populations in the surrounding where they have developed their distinctive properties. Another is that this strategy helps ensure the on-going processes of evolution and adaptation within their environments. Wetlands play a vital role in the cycling of water on the planet.Water evaporated from the seas or transpired from plants returns as rainfall filling both upland and lowland wetlands. Wetland systems, and their forested counterparts, slowly release their waters either to the atmosphere or to the sea, playing a major role i n governing world climate. With the flow of water arrives a steady input of nutrients from the surrounding land – the organic silts and sediments settle and, warmed by the sun, provide ideal conditions for the growth of microscopic plants and animals – the base of aquatic food chains.Fact: A well established marsh is estimated to be up to 50 times more productive than grassland and about 8 times as productive as cultivated land. The Water Hyacinth (Chorine specious) – Pointed-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust:This important plant is used as a food source at the Trust. Leaves, insects and crustaceans in the roots are eaten by waterfowl. A water purifier, this plant also absorbs large amounts of dangerous pollutants (including mercury and lead) from the water and helps keep any water area clean. Prolific, 10 plants can reproduce to cover an acre of water in 8 months.

Lawrence’s Presentation of Elizabeth Bates in Odour of Chrysanthemums Essay

Odour of Chrysanthemums is a short story by D. H. Lawrence, written in the autumn of 1909. It is set in Nottinghamshire and tells the tale of a coal miner’s wife, a young mother, waiting for her abusive husband Walter to come home. She blames his drinking for his absence. It turns out he has been killed in a pit accident. The story describes the setting before the discovery of his death and the aftermath. The main character in the story is Elizabeth Bates, mother of two and wife to Walter, the coal miner. Elizabeth, the protagonist of the story, is first introduced by Lawrence in a descriptive tone. He describes her as being a tall woman of imperious mien, handsome, with definite black eyebrows. The fact he calls her handsome, a word usually used for describing men, shows that she may carry some male qualities, such as strength. Also, Elizabeth has smooth, black hair parted exactly. Along with her dark eyebrows, this darkness could show a stern side and her hair being parted exactly shows precision and order of which she may have in her life; a routine, a daily schedule. She closed and padlocked the door also, which shows her need for security. Lawrence writes about Elizabeth standing steadily for a few moments watching the miners as they passed along the railway shows that she is curious to know where her husband is. She calls her son, John, and when he replies and she cannot see him she looks piercingly through the dust. She is afraid that he is at the brook, which she had previously told him to avoid. When she sees him hiding before the raspberry canes, she was pleased and gently asked him to come inside. This shows that she is a responsible mother who looks out for her children’s safety and security. This is a major theme given off in Elizabeth’s character. On his way into the house, John tears the wisps of chrysanthemums and drops the petals in handfuls along the path. Elizabeth says ‘Don’t do that- it does look nasty’. Chrysanthemums are a symbol in the book and her saying this indicates that she does not like the flowers. However, she picks one herself and when they get home, instead of disposing of it; she tucks the little flower into her apron. Keeping the chrysanthemum shows that the flowers have meaning to Elizabeth; this also reflects the reason as to why she finds them â€Å"nasty†, indicating to the reader that they do not hold the most pleasant memories for her. After this first appearance of chrysanthemums, Elizabeth and her father begin suspecting her husband has gone drinking yet again. The reader also finds out the fate of Elizabeth’s husband, though it is through mere foreshadowing. â€Å"Her husband did not come home.† Elizabeth channels her husband through her son when she sees him struggling with a knife and a piece of wood. She saw herself in his silence and pertinacity and the father in her son’s indifference to all but himself. She then pieces together what Walter was doing and glances at the clock, which shows impatience and, again, curiosity. When she ventures out to strain the potatoes in the yard she again watches the men trooping home, fewer and fewer. You can tell she is getting more anxious on why her husband has not returned. We see Elizabeth’s temper when she finished her barely eaten meal rose up from the table with evident anger and exclaimed how scandalous it is for a man to not come home to his dinner and hints that he has gone to the pub while she waits. Walter seems to be a recognizable brand of â€Å"bad husband,† and Elizabeth, the put-upon wife and mother, seems to be a clear victim. Her frustration and harsh words about Walter seem fully justifiable. Elizabeth clearly sees herself as having wasted her life with Walter, missing out on a better life she could have had with someone else. However when she comes down from putting the children to bed Lawrence describes the room as empty, which could show that her life is in fact empty without her husband. Elizabeth is certain of disaster as the story leads on, which we see from the very start. The story reaches its climax when Walter’s mother turns up at Elizabeth’s house. We see juxtaposition between Elizabeth and the grandmother. The elder woman is described to be very troubled, weeping without wiping her eyes, the tears running however stopped by Elizabeth’s directness when she said ‘Is he dead?’ We also see the difference of the two when Lawrence describes Elizabeth as having her thoughts elsewhere. She thought about the economic difficulties his death could bring upon her, and if he was hurt she was thinking of how tiresome he would be to nurse. Lastly she considers the children. The fact she shows little emotion towards the fact that her husband may well be dead agrees with the ea rlier point of Elizabeth being a long-suffering wife who deserves sympathy. Her response to Walter’s death reveals that she is not as blameless for her unhappiness as she first appears. At first, Walter seems to be the clear cause of Elizabeth’s difficult life. When his death is finally reviled the old woman drops into a chair and starts to wail and weep (a typical response to such news) but Elizabeth tells her to hush and not to wake the children, appearing to not be affected. When they both heard the details of his horrific death the grandmother continues to wail and cry, and Elizabeth again tells her to be quiet and not to wake the children. This shows her maternal side, and is showing the grandmother that she is a good mother like she herself boasts about. Elizabeth’s dismal view of her fate changes once Walter’s corpse is brought home. As Elizabeth and her mother-in-law undress and wash Walter’s body, much like a parody of the two women attending to the body of Christ, Elizabeth confronts her role in the marriageâ€⠄¢s failure. When she looks at the corpse, she realizes that for years, she has not really seen Walter. He was her husband but distant from her, and she feels â€Å"ashamed† because she had not allowed him to be himself. Instead of feeling anger and resentment, she recognizes that her own expectations and refusals helped tear them apart. She describes her unborn child as ice in her womb, ice of fear. She has no-one to support her anymore. This may be the reason why she ‘winced with fear and shame’ from the death. The pity she feels for Walter sharply contrasts with her earlier harsh view of him, serving as an epiphany—she suddenly recognizes Walter as a human being, rather than simply a difficult burden. Elizabeth realizes she has been culpable in her own unhappiness. At the end of the story, she submits to both life and death as her â€Å"masters,† humbled by her own mistakes and about to carry on with a new perspective.

Physical and Mental Risks of Steroid Use

Physical and Mental Risks of Steroid Use The dangers of steroid use and abuse remain well documented in the health science literature yet the demand for these performance enhancing supplements appears as strong as ever. Adolescents as well as competitive athletes feel intense pressure to perform and to fit a certain physical aesthetic ideal.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Physical and Mental Risks of Steroid Use specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, this pressure to meet short term competitive and social needs tends to supersede the long term health risks involved in steroid use and abuse. This paper examines recent literature that details the numerous and dangerous health complications that can result from steroid use and abuse, including multi-organ damage, depression, immune system impairment, stunted growth, and suicide (Tygart, 2009). CEO of the United States Anti Doping Agency Travis Tygart (2009) devotes most of his time and energy working with youth sports associations as well as competitive athletes to devise educational curricula which can help eliminate the use and abuse of performance-enhancing steroids in amateur and professional athletics (Tygart, 2009). Tygart’s report stresses the importance of understanding the drive to take steroids in the first place, especially amongst young athletes. Sometimes this pressure originates in the competitive aspect of sports itself, and other times these youth glean pressure from the media, which tends to be overly focused on the importance of physical attractiveness (Tygart, 2009). Although some side effects from steroids diminish over time, many are in fact often irreversible (Tygart, 2009). Young people face the highest risk as steroid abuse can have an impact on their growth over the course of puberty, and can lead to long-term physical underdevelopment, not to mention a compromised immune system (Tygart, 2009). Other physical side effects that may endure o ver the long term include male pattern baldness, liver damage, testicular atrophy, impotence, decline in sperm production, and breast enlargement in males (Tygart, 2009). In females who abuse steroids, the lasting impact can include hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, and back, interruption or utter termination of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, and deepening of the voice (Tygart, 2009). Steroids also affect users psychologically. Tygart (2009) highlights the prevalence of extreme violent behavioral episodes and uncontrolled rage, often referred to colloquially as â€Å"roid rage,† as well as hyper sexuality, both of which can lead to deviant sexual behavior and criminal conduct. Tygart (2009) details the problems faced by youth and competitive athletes once they stop taking steroids, which can include severe depression.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In some instances, former steroid users and abusers will take their own lives (Tygart, 2009). Tygart (2009) also points to subjective reports from former Eastern block athletes who competed during the 1970s and 1980s and now suffer from heart disease, infertility, breast cancer and testicular cancer. Tygart (2009) feels strongly that the media plays a crucial role in its depiction of performance enhancing drugs. The media still tends to glorify winning at all costs, and touts examples of professional athletes who abused steroids and were able to successfully camouflage the drugs when it came time to pass the anti doping tests (Tygart, 2009). The media can be a valuable ally for the anti doping movement in providing the whole story about the long term health effects of steroid use, and becoming a force for education and ethical fair play in sports (Tygart, 2009). Samaha et al’s (2008) journal article details the â€Å"diverse array of pathologies† that patients who abuse anabolic steroids and similar performance enhancing drugs manifest in later life once the drug cycle has ended. The article reports on one particular case that concerns the grave physiological, psychiatric and physical health complications experienced by a 24 year old male patient, â€Å"resulting from the abuse and uncontrolled use of anabolic steroid supplements, mainly testosterone† (Samaha et al, 2008). The patient was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain, whereupon he reported that he had been taking testosterone intravenously three times per week for eight weeks (Samaha et al, 2008). Doctors found damage had occurred in numerous vital organs, including the liver and pancreas. The patient was then formally admitted for treatment, with an initial diagnosis of â€Å"acute pancreatitis, acute renal failure and hypercalcemia† (Samaha et al, 2008). Samaha et al (2008) explained the multi-organ damage displayed in the patient as hypercalcem ia which had happened as a consequence of the anabolic steroid injections he took, as â€Å"anabolic steroids modulate steroid hydroxylase activity thereby precipitating hypercalcemia.† Samaha et al (2008) also detail the psychological effects of uncontrolled anabolic steroid use, which can include acute depression, bipolar disorders, and panic attacks. The authors lament the discrepancy of medical data and dearth of accurate information on these â€Å"widely abused drugs,† coupled with the rampant and unrestrained proliferation among amateur and professional athletes and body builders, and highlight the need for a â€Å"worldwide collective endeavor to educate both the public and physicians about this issue† (Samaha et al, 2008). The authors understand that if the trend in steroid abuse continues at its current rate of spread, â€Å"medically-supervised withdrawal and†¦psychiatric support† for those coming off steroids will become a medical imperati ve (Samaha et al, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Physical and Mental Risks of Steroid Use specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Graham et al.’s (2008) article in the Sports Medicine journal details the widespread use of anabolic-androgenic steroids, or AAS, as a means to achieve hypertrophy and increase muscle strength in males, both athletes and non-athletes. A particular focus of these researchers was the sport of body building, wherein athletes â€Å"are using [anabolic-androgenic steroids] to improve size and cosmetic appearance† (Graham et al, 2008). However, the authors also caution that AAS use is not limited to the bodybuilding sector. Rather, â€Å"the prevalence of AAS use has risen dramatically over the last two decades and filtered into all aspects of society† (Graham et al., 2008). One key issue facing anabolic-androgenic steroid abusers is lack of support once they deci de to withdraw from the drugs. The authors note that while support for steroid abusers has increased somewhat, it remains hamstrung by the fact that the â€Å"medical profession†¦will not accept that AAS use dependency is a psychiatric condition† (Graham et al., 2008). Other problems the researchers detail in anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse, particularly in the body building culture, remains the unbridled practice of self prescription, often by those with little or no pharmaceutical or scientific knowledge of the long term effects of the drugs they self prescribe. Graham et al. (2008) point to the fact that â€Å"polypharmacy by self-prescription is prevalent in this sector †¦used in sport by individuals who have acquired knowledge of the half-lives of specific drugs and the dosages and cycles required to avoid detection† (Graham et al., 2008). Given that bodybuilders use anabolic-androgenic steroids in massive doses to gain muscle mass and size, often thes e athletes are results focused, and have â€Å"little or no regard for the consequences† (Graham et al., 2008). Graham et al. (2008) list the numerous dangers implicit in uncontrolled use and abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids, including reproductive issues such as infertility, testicular degeneration in males, and secondary interference with the menstrual cycle in females. Adverse side effects will manifest on the basis of dosage, the particular cocktail of steroid or combination of anabolic-androgenic steroids the user ingests, as well as the duration of the abuse itself (Graham et al., 2008). The authors categorize the negative side effects according to the afflicted organ. The study found affects in all major organs: the brain, the skin, in the form of cystic acne, the liver, which suffers â€Å"adenoma, carcinoma, peliosis hepatis, [and] cholestatic jaundice†, the cardiovascular system, which manifests â€Å"atrial fibrillation and alteration in lipid profile and arterial structure and function,† and finally the â€Å"gonadal systems, including the prostate and testes in males and the ovaries in females† (Graham et al., 2008).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The widespread use of steroids in many sports has become the elephant in the room in recent years. The long term negative health effects of these drugs rarely find the light of day in the media, however, and the medical establishment, according to much of the research covered in this paper, remains ill equipped to effectively treat the physical and psychological impact of steroid abuse (Graham et al., 2008). Also, the demand for the drugs themselves often stem from a pervasive sense of inadequacy amongst youth and athletes alike. Until the health sciences discover a means to successfully communicative worth and value independent of winning at all costs in sports, young athletes will continue to seek the competitive edge, and cause irreparable harm to their bodies in the interim. References Graham, M.R., et al. (2008). Anabolic steroid use: patterns of use and detection of doping. Sports Medicine 38 (6), 505-525. Samaha, A. A., et al. (2008). Multi-organ damage induced by anabolic st eroid supplements: a case report and literature review. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2 (340), 1-6. Tygart, T. (2009). Steroids, the media, and youth: a QA with Travis Tygart. The Prevention Researcher, 16(S1), 7-9.

Personal Reflection Report Essay Example

Personal Reflection Report Essay Example Personal Reflection Report Essay Personal Reflection Report Essay It had been a privilege for me to take part in this assignment. It was a great chance to put myself in the shoe of the marketers to carry out a Marketing Plan. Well, frankly speaking, it was never easy to design a good marketing plan. Before I got everything started, it was time-consuming for me to figure out and choose a company which authentically suited the product that I was going to introduce. After making up my mind to select Southern Lion as my company, I wade through all sort of information related with that company that I could obtain from the internet. I learnt the history of that company, the growing sales of the company and the concept or ideology that the company had followed all these while to be a distinguished one in the rat-race society. While designing my marketing plan, I was given the opportunity to apply those theories that I had been learned from MKT 203. I was required to carry out a situational analysis at the beginning stage of the assignments. Through this analysis, I did realize the importance of so-called PEST and SWOT to a company. It allowed people to learn the situation of the company internally and externally. Effective program and action can only take place if and only if we clearly discovered and understood the overall situation. Both of them had always been the critical issues that companies should pay attention to them. Neglecting any of these issues may lead to failure in conducting business. When came to figure out my marketing objectives, it was advisable to create them in a SMART way. SMART stood for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time. If we dont make our objective SMART, it will be too vague and will not be realized. Remember that the rest of the plan hinges on the objective. If it is not correct, our marketing plan may fail.  It was of the utmost importance to detect our target market well. Generally, target market consisted of a set of buyers who shared common needs that my company decided to serve. Countless surveys had been carried out to detect the existence of our target market. Being understood with our target market, we are able to implement effective activities to appeal our new product to them. This stage did carry a heavy weight as determining the correct target market may stimulate our sales and in the long run gain profits to the company. When we talk about marketing, there is always a connection with the 4P. Basically, 4P is made up of Product, Price, Place and Promotion. According to the principle of marketing, they are defined as the basic marketing mixes. In this context, when we talk about product, we are actually looking into the quality, the brand, the packaging and the labelling of the product. Consumer will try to look into these aspects whenever they wish to make a purchase of a product. Being inundated with all kind of information from different sources nowadays, consumers tend to be very sensitive with the price of the product. They love to make comparison for prices of different products. Therefore, we have to be alert when we set our price before entering the market. Besides, choosing a right place to distribute our products is crucial as well. We have to discover the background of our distributors before allowing them to sell our product in the market. They have to be reliable as they are the one who will directly influence the image and reputation of our product. Promotion should be a word that most of us familiar with in our daily lifestyle. However, it is never simple to carry out promotion. Before you try to organise it, you have to come out with budgets. Do you have sufficient manpower? Are your people well-trained so that they are able to convince consumer to result in a purchase of our product? How about the objective of the promotion? These are the factors that we should take into account before we launch a promotion. Always remember that the main purpose that we hold promotion is to introduce our product to the public. Make our product appealing enough that it will become well-known among the consumers. Promotion has always been a great avenue for us to build up the image of our new product. Through this assignment, I also appreciate the chance given for me to briefly know about the implementation and control of a marketing plan. After the marketing plan was designed, we have to select those competent people to carry out the activities as planned. Its a matter of human resource. In this context, communication between colleagues does carry weight to ensure a successful teamwork. Besides, we have to make sure our target achieved on time.