Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Technical analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Technical analysis - Assignment Example In positive markets, there exist more companies moving higher than those moving on the lower end. Both the top-down approach and the bottom-up approaches aim at the same goal of identifying great stocks on the market. In top-down, the investors aim at defining the big picture in which different companies are looked at with the potential that they have in future. In bottom-up, strategy applies the strategy to the broad sector and various economic conditions prevailing on the market. When the majority of stocks are falling, some indices may remain performing well on the market. The indices performing better may be as a result of their strong position on the market. These normally occur when the company has a strong market capitalization compared to the others. Stock indices measure the type of sections in the market and their performance. â€Å"The more shares that change hands, the more important the price move† indicates to the changes in prices based on the volumes of stocks traded on the market. Trade based on the volumes movements indicates the traders follow demand and supply. In cases of high volume movements, the demand is high and the prices increase affecting the price upwards in cases of low demand and a high volume supply, the prices move downwards. Money that provides the promise of an association with better returns to investors motivate them to invest is smart money. On the other hand, dumb money provides money that carries harm to the invertors’ money. Weeding out dumb money provides room for smart money investors. The NASDAQ graph below indicates a change in volume preceding a change in price. Winner stocks hold good values and a volatility that provides a controllable aspect to the prices. Winner stocks hold a value price volatility that allows for a good movement of the prices. Winner stocks too have a beta that easily reacts to the

Monday, October 28, 2019

Filipino Accounting Education Essay Example for Free

Filipino Accounting Education Essay This Statement is issued by the Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC). The AECC was appointed in 1989 by the American Accounting Association and supported by the Sponsors Education Task Force, representing the largest public accounting firms in the United States. Its objective is to be a catalyst for improving the academic preparation of accountants so that entrants to the accounting profession possess the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for success in accounting career paths. The Commission encourages reproduction and distribution of its statements. The Commissions first Position Statement, on the objectives of education for accountants, emphasized the importance of teaching. The Statement cited the need for training in instructional methods, recognizing and rewarding contributions to teaching and curriculum design, and measurement and evaluation systems that encourage continuous improvement of instructional methods and materials.1 Without progress in these prerequisites to effective teaching, the objectives of that Statement cannot be realized. Moreover, progress is needed in mechanisms for sharing ideas and techniques and in the culture and organizational climate that establishes and maintains the scholarly status of teaching within the professoriate. All interested parties (e.g., university boards of trustees, regents, legislatures, governors, parents of students, and other sponsors of education) should help establish a priority on teaching and otherwise improve its effectiveness, but faculty and administrative leaders bear the greatest responsibility. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING The characteristics of effective teaching must be identified if their presence is to be measured and improvements envisioned. Understanding the characteristic of effective teaching is essential for faculty (so they know what is expected) and administrators (so they can assess performance). Five characteristics of effective teaching are listed below. Curriculum Design and Course Development. To effectively design curricula and develop courses the teacher must: set appropriate objectives; develop a useful framework for the conduct of courses and programs; conceptualize, organize, and properly sequence the subject matter; integrate courses with other related courses, disciplines, and current research; and be innovative and adaptive to change. Use of Well Conceived Course Materials. Effective course materials enhance presentation skills, fulfill course objectives, are consistent with current developments and new technology in the field, create a base upon which continued learning can be built, challenge students to think, and give them the tools to solve problems. Presentation Skills. Effective presentation skills stimulate students interests and their active participation in the learning process, respond to classroom developments as they occur, convey mastery of the subject matter, achieve clarity of exposition, instill professionalism, and engage students with different learning styles. Well Chosen Pedagogical Methods and Assessment Devices. Effective pedagogical methods (e.g., experiments, cases, small group activities) vary with circumstances (e.g., size of class, nature of the subject, ability or skill being developed). Assessment devices (e.g., examinations, projects, papers, presentations) should be geared both to course objectives and to the progress of the course and should have a pedagogical component (e.g., fixing in the students mind what is most important, learning by thinking through a problem, identifying weaknesses to be corrected, reinforcing acquired skills). Guidance and Advising. An effective teacher guides and advises students as appropriate to the level of study and research (e.g., a freshmans exploration of potential careers, a seniors job placement, or a doctoral students work on a dissertation). THE ADMINISTRATIVE TASK Administrators should ensure that the reward structure stimulates effective teaching. They should also give attention to the other administrative issues that can affect the quality of teaching. These include: The schools or departments infrastructure for learning. This infrastructure includes, for example, classrooms, EDP and projection equipment, library facilities, and study space. Deployment of discretionary resources (e.g., availability of secretarial assistance, printing and duplicating, travel funds for teaching conferences). Appropriate class sizes and teaching loads, given the educational mission and resources of the school. Administrators should consider how each of the factors above is influencing the quality of teaching at their institutions and whether improvements can be made. Finally, administrators should be satisfied with the quality of the procedures in place in their institutions to evaluate teaching and continuously improve it. REWARDING EFFECTIVE TEACHING Faculty and administrators have a joint responsibility to develop incentive systems that produce the best educational outcomes for students. No one reward system or set of reward criteria can serve all institutions, but all should create adequate incentive for effective teaching. The incentive systems should reward effective teaching in deed as well as in word. Effective teaching should be a primary consideration in the tenure, promotion, and merit evaluation process. Effectiveness and innovation are not free, and it would be a mistake to assume that in the long term simply faculty pride and altruism are sufficient to accomplish continual change and improvement in the instructional function. STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING AND IMPROVING TEACHING There is a close relationship between evaluating and improving teaching. Information about performance provides feedback on where improvements might be made. Assessments of performance need not have a purely administrative function of determining salaries and promotions; they can be devoted to improving teaching. The techniques below illustrate the range of what is available. Regardless of the technique chosen, assessments of teaching should be systematic and consistent. Self-assessment. Every teacher should regularly assess his or her work in order to improve. Self-assessment requires an evaluation of what was effective, what was not, why some things were relatively more effective, and what changes are desirable. Self-assessments can include documentation of purposes and techniques provided to colleagues as part of formal evaluations and are a natural basis for informal discussions of teaching techniques. Observations by Colleagues. Faculty should be primarily responsible for evaluating the teaching performance of colleagues. The evaluation process should be systematic and should strive for objectivity. A structured approach lends consistency to observations, which can make subsequent observations less stressful. All observations by colleagues should have as a major purpose to make recommendations for improvement, even if the occasion for the observation is administrative. Experience should be considered in assigning faculty observers. Student Evaluations. Student evaluations provide direct evidence of student attitudes toward the classroom experience. Students can report reactions to course workload; to the course materials; to the teachers classroom enthusiasm, demeanor and control; and to their personal interaction with the teacher. They can also estimate their own academic growth in the course. Alumni Input. Graduates can report on the thoroughness of their preparation, the usefulness of specific educational experiences in their lives and careers, and recollections of effective courses and teachers. Aggregate data on alumni outcomes (e.g., employment data) can be combined with information on curriculum design and teaching effectiveness to evaluate how both an accounting program and teaching approaches might be improved. Instructional Consultants. Consultants can analyze teaching techniques and styles and provide recommendations for improvement. Sometimes it is useful to work with a consultant and a faculty colleague, with the colleague focusing on course content and the consultant on teaching techniques. Teaching Portfolios. A teaching portfolio is a factual description or collection of a professors teaching achievements (i.e., an extended teaching resume). The teaching portfolio is to a professors teaching what lists of publications, grants, and academic honors are to research. A portfolio might include documentation of ones teaching experience and philosophy, syllabi, evidence of student learning, student and faculty evaluations, videotapes, and documentation of work on curriculum design and course development. A teaching portfolio may be critical to providing the teaching vita with the portability and external review enjoyed for so long by the publishing vita. CONCLUSION Every party with a stake in improving accounting education has a stake in improving accounting professors teaching, but faculty and administrators can do the most to bring it about. They can work to ensure that teaching is appropriately rewarded and supported, that campus conditions are conducive to effective teaching, that effective teaching strategies are shared with others, that sound mechanisms for feedback on teaching effectiveness are in place and functioning, and that methods of evaluating teaching are refined and viewed as credible by those who play key roles in the evaluation and reward process. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (2nd Edition) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993 Boyer, Ernest L. Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate. Princeton, N.J.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990. Blackburn, Robert T. and Judith A. Pitney. Performance Appraisal for Faculty: Implications for Higher Education. Ann Arbor, MI: national Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1988. Braskamp, Larry A. and John C. Ory. Assessing Faculty Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers (in preparation), 1993. Cashin, William E. Defining and Evaluating College Teaching, IDEA Paper No. 21. Kansas State University, Center for Faculty Evaluation and Development, September 1989. Centra, John, Robert C. Froh, Peter J. Gray, Leo M. Lambert and Robert M. Diamond, eds. A Guide to Evaluating Teaching for Promotion and Tenure. Syracuse University, Center for Instructional Development, 1987. Diamond, Robert M. Designing and Improving Courses and Curricula in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1989. Edgerton, Russell, Patricia Hutchings and Kathleen Quinlan. The Teaching Portfolio: Capturing the Scholarship in Teaching. Washington, D.C.: American Association for Higher Education, 1991. Gabbin, Alexander L., Scott N. Cairns and Ralph L. Benke, Jr., eds. Faculty Performance Appraisal. Harrisonburg, VA: Center for Research in Accounting Education, 1990. Lambert, Leo M. and Stacey Lane Tice, eds. Preparing Graduate Students to Teach: A Guide to Programs that Improve Undergraduate Education and Develop Tomorrows Faculty. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Higher Education, 1993. McKeachie, Wilbert J. Teaching Tips: A Guide Book for the Beginning College Teacher. (8th Edition) Lexington, MA: Heath and Company, 1986. Mckeachie, Wilbert J., Paul R. Pintrich, Yi-Guang Lin and David Smith. Teaching and Learning in the College Classroom: A Review of the Research Literature. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1986. Menges, Robert J, and B. Claude Matkis, eds. Key Resources on Teaching, Learning, Curriculum, and faculty Development. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1988. Seldin, Peter. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion Tenure Decisions. Boston, MA: Anker Publishing, 1991. Seldin, Peter and others. How Administrators Can Improve Teaching: Moving from Talk to Action in Higher Education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1990. Stark, Joan S. and others. Planning Introductory College Courses: Influence on Faculty. Ann Arbor, MI: National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Education, The University of Michigan, 1990. St. Pierre, E. Kent, Michael P. Riordan and Diane A. Riordan, eds. Research in Instructional Effectiveness. Harrisonburg, VA: Center for Research in Accounting Education, 1990. The Teaching Professor. A newsletter published by Magna Publications, Inc., Madison, WI: Maryellen G. Weimer, Editor, Pennsylvania State University. The AECC acknowledge the contributions to the Statement of the following task force members who are not Commission members: Ronald J. Patten and Arthur R. Wyatt. Other Statement issued by the Accounting Education Change Commission: Issues Statement No. 1: AECC Urges Priority for Teaching in Higher Education (August 1990). Position Statement No. One: Objectives of Education for Accountants (September 1990). Issues Statement No. 2: AECC Urges Decoupling of Academic Studies and Professional Accounting Examination Preparation (July 1991).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Manipulation in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

Manipulation in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray  Ã‚        Ã‚  "I do not think that one person influences another, nor do I think there is any bad influence in the world," Oscar Wilde uttered when under trial (Hyde 353). Although this statement may be true, one of Wilde's most famous works shows a great deal of the effects of people shaping one another, causing one to wonder about Wilde's sincerity in that statement. The Picture of Dorian Gray shows variations on the existence and purposes of influence, displaying two types of personal influence: obvious manipulations such as that of Lord Henry upon Dorian and that of Dorian over Sybil Vane, and those that are more often overlooked such as the more subtle manipulation of Dorian over Basil, of Dorian over Lord Henry, and in the interaction between Dorian and his portrait. Wilde demonstrates the many possible impacts made in these two categories, proving that there is more to a relationship than an outside viewer may perceive, and eventually leading the reader to the unavoidable morbid end ing of the book, in which the characters meet their own pathetic ends, with Dorian Gray committing what could be considered a ghastly suicide. Taking into account Wilde?s own life of controversial relationships, this book is especially poignant in its autobiographical suggestions. Dorian Gray is first described as a naà ¯ve and attractive young boy, with a striking resemblance to Adonis, having the physical description of a Greek god. The beauty and innocence of youth cause him to be quite attractive, and the fact that he is unaware of the power of this beauty is even more appealing. Dorian?s beauty is the source of Basil Hallward?s obsession, which peaks in the act of Hallward painting Do... ...rinceton University Press, 1967. Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 353-60. Shewan, Rodney. Oscar Wilde: Art and Egotism. The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1977. Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 374-84. Spivey, Ted. R. "Oscar Wilde and the Tragedy of Symbolism," The Journey Beyond Tragedy: A Study of Myth and Modern Fiction. Copyright 1980, Board of Regents of the State of Florida, University Presses of Florida, 1980. Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 501-2. Summers, Claude J. "In Such Surrender There May Be Gain: Oscar Wilde and the Beginnings of Gay Fiction, " Gay Fiction: Wilde to Stonewall, Studies in Male Homosexual Literacy Tradition, Continuum, 1990. Excerpted in Twentieth Century Criticism, Volume 41. Pages 398-401. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press, New York. 1994

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Competition :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two best friends are torn apart. A man meticulously plots revenge on the person who got the job he was dying for. A nation is full of rage and fear because another country beat them in the race to walk on the moon. Sadly, all of these situations were caused by one thing, competition. In Alfie Kohn’s essay, â€Å"Competition Is Destructive†, he describes competition as having a â€Å"toxic effect on our relationships†(11). Although competition has many positive effects in this world, when talking specifically about relationships, whether it be between best friends, two strangers, or even entire nations, it fuels negative feelings and attitudes that transform people into monsters. Close relationships often have their ups and downs. When one spends enough time with a person it is inevitable that they will have an argument. Best friends, for example, share everything with each other. They laugh together, cry together and trust one another completely. Yet throw a boy that they are both interested in into the picture and they are lying and backstabbing their way into his arms. Or perhaps they are both dying to play Juliet. Suddenly they view each other as enemies who will stop at nothing for the part. One might spread rumors about the other or sabotage her audition. Even something as innocent as grades can turn into a knockdown, drag-out, fight to the finish. They resort to cheating, or anything that will give them a leg up from the other. These crazy situations are just a few of the many examples that show how competition can create feelings of resentment, bitterness and even hatred between people who at one point were inseparable. Competition between good friends is not the only instance in which negative feelings can occur. Surprisingly, the exact same feelings of resentment and hostility can happen between two perfect strangers. With no valid reason, children and adults alike can work up an enormous grudge against a person that they have never spoken to, or possibly never even seen. Take for instance a boy on a high school football team. Off the field he is a respectable student who is always considerate of others. Yet the second he steps on that field he transforms into a monster who is out to â€Å"get† the other team, to â€Å"show them who’s boss.† He has never met these people before and has no reason to feel such anger towards them other than the fact that they are standing in the way of his team winning the game.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Web Analytics

The explosive growth in the amount of smartness and tablets marked we have fully entered the RA of mobile computing. There are more and more people prefer to buy the products or services they desired online. The company who can success overnight must be the one who can better understand the demands of customers. For those who have no Idea of the power of Internet marketing, Axiom Technology can be a good example. It has been established since August 2010 and there are no any offline franchised stores ever opened. The only channel for customers to get their products is ordering from their online store.This is totally an Internet marketing model and no one knows what will happen to this company in the future. Now only four years have passed Axiom Technology has overtaken Samsung to become the biggest seller of smartness in China and the company valuations has approaching 40 billions dollars (BBC, http://www. BBC. Com/news/business-28684581). The success of Axiom is not accidental but u sing tons of techniques to analyses customers and trying to understand their needs. Behind this web analytics is the most important tool to achieve this in Internet marketing.What web analytics does Is the study of visitor, navigation, and traffic patterns to determine the success of a given web site then through the objective tracking, collection, measurement, porting, and analysis of quantitative Internet data to optimism websites and Internet marketing initiatives (Web Analytics Association, http:. ‘/ indicators could tell us the operation performance of a website. Such as the sources of the visitors (where our visitors come from), the conversion rates of the visitors (includes the registration rates, opportunities to sale and other conversion rates we setup to monitor).Knowing these indicators is the basis of Internet marketing initiatives. In short, web analytics is a tool to help us optimism our website and align our resources to fit the Internet marketing strategies. Th is could be divided into several aspects. I will explain them one by one in this article. Monitoring the Operation Status of the Website This is the most basic function of web analytics. Web analytics tool like Google Analytics can collect the data which provided by the website such as slipstream data, user experience data and operational data then generate different kinds of statements through analyses the collected data.These statements can give a overview of the website and tell us whether it is healthy or not. The variation trend of clicks, umber of visits, number of users and other data like this can help marketers maintain the website from different aspects. However, for those non-technical specialist stakeholders web analytics tool can be an important tool to translate the professional terms such as page views, average time per visit and conversion rates to readable information. Monthly summary is one of the most common reports that web analytics tool can generate for a compa ny to monitor its website.The information contained in the summary is of a relatively basic level. The monthly summary shows page views, visits ND visitors, as well as average time per visit and average page views per visit. The main purpose of the monthly summary is to inform key stakeholders about the level of activity on the website throughout each month (A. Phone, et al. , 2004). Figure 1 is a typical monthly summary. There are also other reports such as monthly dashboard which allow users to compare the activity on the website over a year, because of the limited words it is not possible to detail here.Figure 1. A Typical Monthly Summary The operators of the website will be panic without the support of different kinds of data. Because it means they have lost the perception to the status of the website. They have no idea how many visits today, thousands or none, will be a mystery. Without the direction of data, the operators will lost their target and path for Internet marketing. Evaluate the Efficiency of the Promotion Campaigns Like offline business processes, Internet marketing also needs promotion campaigns to acquire customers, improve brand image and customer perception.However, without web analytics we can not measure the help that the promotions bring to our websites Kips and we even can not know whether the growing Kips are profit from With web analytics we can track the sources of our visits then identify whether they are visiting through our promotions such as pay-per-click ads or banner ads. Moreover, we can further analyses the conversion rates relate to registration and order placing then find out the efficiency of our promotions and to what extent they can improve our Kips.Finally, according to the analysis we can adjust the Internet marketing strategies about the promotions. For example, to measure the efficiency of a banner ads we can easily calculate cost per acquisition to find out that: Cost per acquisition = Advertising and promotional cost/Number of click-troughs. Promote the Website Effectively Search Engine Optimization (SEE) and Search Engine Marketing (SEEM) SEE and SEEM are two vital parts in web analytics because they are the most important way for a website to fetch visits. Search engines are a key part of any company's acquisition portfolio.For good reason, citizens of the Internet use search to find everything they are looking for. The business impact of this customer behavior is that we all pour a lot of resources into optimizing our websites to show up optimally in search engines for relevant queries (Vanish Sushi, 2010). There are several indexes for us to analyses SEE such as related keywords ranking, the click through rate (CTR) of the search terms and the number of invalid pages of the website in the search results. The traffic level is the foundation of a website.So it is necessary for us to know how good our website performing on SEE and SEEM clearly (Eric Eng, et al. , 2012). Precision Marketing SEE and SEEM can improve the web exposure of the website so the users can find our website more easily. But sometimes it is also necessary to push our website to some specific users directly so called online promotions. Online promotion included customer segmentation, source segmentation and target market segmentation. Customer segmentation which based on customer behaviors can reveal the customer types our website attracts.The search terms based on source and affiliated websites analysis can let us know which parts on our website were cared about by our users and how our users found us. This analysis could direct us for our online promotion. We will know which groups of users we should send them e-mails. Moreover, web analytics can also help us find suitable places to do the online promotions. For example, the most related website we should put the advertisements on if we want to issue a product or organize an activity or the frequently searched keywords to do the sponsored links and SEE.So it can help us avoid the inefficiency promotions which will waste our operating costs. Through eliminating low efficiency costs and increase the ratio of high efficiency costs we could keep the budgets constant but have a better publicity. In the meantime, we can also find out which websites have more relevance with us then we can improve our how to organize the contents we want to promote. Optimizing the Customer Experience of the Website Simple and Effective Interactive Process The simple and easy-to-use interactive process will help the users achieve their targets and operations better.And the users are tend to visit the website which have more friendly interface that can let them surf on it without any troubles. Help the Users to Find What They Interested Recommend the contents which the users may interested are far more better than let themselves find what they want. Many websites like Amazon, eBay now have recommendation function based on the analysis of users behav iors, this function will elf on keep customers and let them browse more contents or use the services provided by the websites.Listen to the Users Web analytics is more than tons of daily statements of the websites. Actually, survey, lab usability testing and site visits are all belong to web analytics. Vanish Sushi were sorted them as the qualitative analysis in web analytics. These methods can let us listen to our users' heart. With the results of these surveys we can do better on our website includes the design of function, interactive and navigation. All of these are aimed at enhancing the user experience of the website.In a word, the websites are living for traffic level, all what we do above can be concluded as three stages: monitoring the traffic, attract the traffic and keep the traffic. The traffic level can be easily translated to users, and the users are the only core for the websites. Part 2: http://www. Activation. Co. UK/ is a local company. You are required to: Identif y its main line of business and its online marketing strategy, Critically evaluate its website designing and its online marketing strategy, and Make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of its website and online marketing strategy.Main Line of Business Active Alton is a local company operating a variety of sports and leisure facilities in Alton and it claimed itself as a non-profit organization. It currently operates 7 leisure and activity centers including Dell Farm, Inspire: Alton Sports Village, Lessee Sports Park, Highpoint Community Sports & Arts Centre, Lea Manor Recreation Centre, Stockroom Park Golf Centre and Stockroom Park Athletics Centre & Health Club.The main business that Active Alton run are the fitness and leisure events. Rely on the activity centers Active Alton provides its own brands covered a wide range of ports and services such as Profiles Health & Fitness, Hydra Swim, Active Golf, Kid Around, Active Education, Active Communities, Active Training & D evelopment and people will enjoy a discount price to access the facilities through Join the membership and this is also the main sources of income to the organization.Online Marketing Strategy As a local organization who have held so many sports centers and leisure facilities, Active Alton seems has no intention to invest vast amount of time and money in online marketing because people are ultimately prefer to choose a fitness centre by sitting it not by Just browsing it online. The website of Active Alton are more like a exhibition not an online franchise store. I have drawn a structure chart of the website below and will analyses the online market strategy by using it. Through the structure chart we can have a general understanding of the whole website of Active Alton.As I state before, the website is consist by the introduction of the sports centers and leisure facilities. The only entrance for customers to checkout is in the membership page and will be shown after click ‘s ign up online'. And there is o any online customer service but only two forms in the feedback and contact us pages. Because the organization possesses venues and stadiums and only provide very limited online transactions channel and customer service (the digital channels complementary is relatively low), the e-commerce business mode could be defined as between ‘Bricks and mortar' and ‘Bricks and clicks' refer to Figure 2.Figure 2. Three Business Modes in E-commerce In conclusion, the online marketing strategy should have objectives for online contribution in percent which means sales, service, profitability should drive the strategy. From the structure of the website I did not see much of elements which can bring extra incomes for the organization. Because of the products the organization provides is fitness and leisure services it is not possible to exploit new geographic markets. So the website has communicate benefits of existing products to existing penetration strat egy (H.Igor Anions, 2007). Figure 3. Nations Product-Market Growth Matrix Website Designing There are eight most important factors in successful e-commerce site design (Lauded and Travel, 2009), in this part I will use this figure to evaluate the designing of the Bessie. Figure 4. The Eight Most Important Factors in Successful E-commerce Site Design All functions of the website are working normally during my test but it has no obvious funnel which can guide visitors to the checkout system and finally become customers.In general, there must be a button or link to purchase the product when we click into the introduction page of a product but for this website there is not. What instead of is a sign up online button which is in membership page so we can not see it directly. This will largely reduce the conversion rates and lower the functionality of the website. The information provided by the website are quite rich, from the introduction of the organization to the details of every venu es and brands. And they have been placed in landing page so they are full accessible.But the customer service is a short slab of the website. There are only two forms provided in the contact us and feedback pages. According to Lauded and Tracer's research it will annoy 75. 1% visitors if a website has no contact information available. Figure 5. E-commerce Website Features that Annoy Customers For other aspects in the figure 4, the layout and design of Active Lotto's website are happily integrated style, both aesthetically and functionally. It has a dominant hue which is blue and the color is not been abused everywhere.The text are legible enough and the graphics are simple therefore the visitors will not be distracted. To sum up, the website is easy to use but lack of functionality and it need to be improved. Recommendations For the Web Designing To improve the effectiveness of the website can be translate to improve the user experience of it. First and the most important thing is t o add a purchase button with the corresponding price table in every introduction page of the stadiums, this will increase the conversion rates and lead to a higher incomes which is the fundamental goals of e-commerce.And for the customer service, add at least one contact information (landlines, e-mail or both) to contact us page that visitors can use it to contact the organization actively. If the visitors are confused about some descriptions the conversion rates indirectly because people will not purchase anything if they are confusing about it. For the Online Marketing Strategy According to the organization's conditions I did a SOOT analysis for it. Active Alton Strengths – S 1. Well-known brand 2.Abundant Resources 3. Extensive Services Weaknesses – W 1. Internet channel using 2. Web technologies 3. Online customer service Opportunities – O 1 . New customer segment 2. Co-branding promotion 3. Cross-selling SO strategies Integrate the services and trying to at tract new customers through cross-selling and co-branding promotion WOW strategies Improve the user experience of the website and introduce new services to attract new customers Threats – T 1 . Other competitors who have advanced technologies 2.Customer choice 3. New entrants SST strategies Attract competitor's customers by provide better services and hardware WET strategies Improve the user experience of the website and build a thorough customer relationship management system Figure 6. A Internet-specific SOOT Analysis for Active Alton Active Alton is an organization who has possessed a lot of resources including stadiums and parks. So the products and services it can provide can be varied if introduce cross-selling method.The growth point of the business is to attract new customers through new products and services and better user experience of the website. In this circumstance I would like to recommend WOW strategies for the organization. This kind of online marketing stra tegy is focused on improving the effectiveness of the website and develop new products that fit the e- commerce business such as special offers which people can only get from the online store.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Business and ethics essayEssay Writing Service

Business and ethics essayEssay Writing Service Business and ethics essay Business and ethics essayBusiness and ethics often turn out to be antagonistic concepts. Even though business ethics is one of the milestone concepts of the contemporary business but it is rather the formal, illusionary concept which has little to do with the real world. In this regard, the film Glengarry Glen Ross and the book Good Faith attempt to reveal the true nature of business and business relations to uncover their immoral ground. At the same time, the film and the book show that one of the main problems of the business and contemporary society are immoral agents that drove others to immoral acts and act immorally themselves. In such a way, James Foley, the director of Glengarry Glen Ross, and Jane Smiley, the author of Good Faith, show the destructive impact of egoism as the milestone of one’s personal philosophy on individuals, including not only moral agents driven by egoism but also their social environment because they influence other people and make them egoisti c too. In such a way, both the film and the book warn the audience against the immoral nature of business grounded on norms and principles of egoism, when individuals cares only about their personal well-being and neglect interests and needs of others.Glengarry Glen Ross attempts to justify the immoral in its essence actions of some of the main characters. In this regard, Levene seems to be the most deceitful and immoral person, who always tries to find his way out of any situation even at cost of his partners, colleagues and other persons, whom he is ready to deceive, betray or ruin as long as he knows that he can gain some benefits from it. He is trying to pursue his own benefits in the situation, when his colleagues face the risk of losing their job. In such a situation, the means he chooses to reach his goal, to stay in the company, are disgusting from the moral standpoint since he tries everything from flattery to bribery.On the other hand, the chronically ill daughter is the m ain driver that actually forces him to commit all his immoral acts, starting from his attempt to bribe Blake to make him stay Levene in the company to his decision to break into the office to still the leads. In this regard, the illness of his daughter turns out to be a strong motivator for Levene’s illegal actions. In a way, the illness of his daughter justifies in a way his actions and changes the attitude of the audience to the character.Therefore, Levene turns out to be not absolutely immoral person as it may seem to be. At any rate, he has a strong motive, the urgent need for money to treat his daughter, while others act out of sheer greed and desire of retaining their position in the company. In this regard, Moss is probably the most immoral person, who acts out of sheer egoism, as he plans to steal the leads and at first tries to persuade Aaronow to steal the leads and later involves Levene, who has no choice but to agree upon the crime.In this regard, the behavior of Aaronow is also unethical because he was aware of the plan of Moss but he has never informed neither Blake about the preparing crime nor the police after the crime have been committed. Instead, he preferred just to stay aside of the ‘business’ because he was afraid of being involved somehow in the crime. The indifference is probably even more dangerous than the proactive position that Levene has eventually taken. Aaronow is the person, who knew about the plan elaborated by Moss and he apparently understood, who was behind the crime, as soon as he learned about the crime. However, he has never tried to prevent the crime or help to investigate the crime. Such people are probably the most dangerous and morally degraded since they stay silent and indifferent, when they witness the most terrible crimes occurring right in front of them.Such behavior of Aaronow is another manifestation of egoism as the major ethical framework within the main characters of Glengarry Glen Ross o perate. Just like Ross, who is concerned with his personal interests and position, Aaronow is also concerned with his position in the company and his future. This is why he prefers not to assist the investigation rather than prevent the crime or help to uncover the criminal.In such a situation, Roma seems to be quite different from his subordinates since almost all the time he stays behind the desperate struggle for survival. At any rate, he has never been involved in any crime. However, egoism is also the attribute of Roma just as it is the attribute of Aaronow and Moss. Roma is a pragmatic person and, when he realizes that he has uncertain future in the company, he decides to start up his own business and offers partnership to Levene, being unaware of his crime.However, his offer is not a manifestation of his friendship or desire to help Levene to tackle his problems and earn some money to treat his chronically ill daughter. On the contrary, this act is the act of sheer egoism aga in, like was the case of other characters pursuing their own interests and well-being. Roma is just aware of Levene’s prospects as a good partner, whom he can use effectively in his new business. This is why he makes the offer.In this regard, Levene is probably the only character that is driven not by his egoism or, to put it more precisely, not only by his egoism but also and mainly by his concerns about the health and well-being of his daughter. He is probably a good person, in essence since he never tries to act absolutely immorally and illegally from the start. For instance, at first, he just wants to talk and persuade Blake that he is worth staying in the company but, when it never works, he tries to bribe Blake. When his bribe attempt does not work either, he finally slips to the crime as the only way to gain some benefits from the deal being aware of the high risk of losing his position in the company.At the same time, the characters of the film may be roughly divided into two groups. On the one hand, there are puppeteers, like Moss or Roma, while, on the other hand, there are puppets, like Levene and Aaronow. In this regard, Moss is probably the most immoral character. The milestone of his personal philosophy and ethics is egoism. He is just pursuing wealth and wants to rip off maximum benefits for himself. He schemes the crime, even though he is not in such a desperate position as Levene is and the loss of job is not related to the end of life issues as is the case of Levene. Nevertheless, it is Moss, who inspires the crime and, first, tries to force Aaronow to commit the crime, but, eventually, talks in Levene to become his puppet, who breaks into the office and steals the leads.In this regard, the book Good Faith’s characters are, to a significant extent similar to characters of the film and so are their actions. In this regard, it is possible to distinguish Marcus as the evil genius, who plans and schemes to meet his egoistic goals as is the case of the main characters of the film.Business and ethics   essay part 2

Monday, October 21, 2019

Isolationist Debate Essay example

Isolationist Debate Essay example Isolationist Debate Essay example Hibbah Ali January 29, 2014 History 4 Isolationist vs Internationalist Debate Opening Statement: America should not be involved in World War Two in any way. The First World War had devastating implications on our country and it would be unwise to go through that again. Many lives were lost and a great deal of money went to aiding other countries. After America helped Great Britain in World War One, we were bombed by Germany. This should be evidence that the United States should not assist Britain again or we run the risk of getting attacked. It is more beneficial for our economy and safer for our people to distance ourselves as much as possible from World War Two. Argument: In ww1 we were bombed by Germany when helping Great Britain. In the bombing of Lusitania 1,198 were killed and 128 of those passengers were Americans. We don't need a repeat of what happened. George Washington said that we should â€Å"avoid entangling alliances† and that â€Å"The Great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little as possible.† Also after ww1, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was written to mesh the idea of non-intervention with that of the post-Versailles desire to end all wars. This shows that they didn't want to fight anymore and wanted what was best for everyone. Also the Special Committee thought â€Å"the intense competition among European and American munitions companies†¦ tends to create a corrupt officialdom, and thereby weaken the remaining democracies of the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This would not be only hurting us but other countries as well. The Special Committee also found that by giving munition â€Å"there is a considerable threat to the peace and the civic progress of other nations† and that even if good sales were produced, the â€Å"effect of such sales is to produce fear and hostility†¦ culminating in economic strain and collapse or war.† Rebuttal: "The security of America depends on supporting/joining the war" This is not a fact, we are nowhere close in proximity to the conflict and there has not been any sign of an imminent threat towards our country from those engaged in the war since we have not been involved. What is a fact however, is that if our country does not remain neutral in this war, lives will definitely be lost no matter what. Though we still may be

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Genius

Genius Genius Genius By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked for a post on the word genius, commenting, Its part of the word engineering but, in French, engineering is genie, which I associate with Aladdins lamp. Then, there is the genius spirit that ancient Romans associated with places. This comment offers much to address. I’ll begin with the Latin origin of the word. In classical religious belief, every human being was allotted a personal spirit at birth. This guiding spirit was called a genius, plural, genii. The role of the genius was to govern a person’s fortunes, determine his character, and to conduct him out of the world at death. The Latin word comes from a Greek verb meaning â€Å"to be born, to come into being.† This quotation from the OED show the word used in the sense of â€Å"guardian spirit†: Let their Guardian Genii still be watchful. N. Rowe Ambitious Step-mother. In addition to the kind of genii assigned to individual human beings, there was the genius loci, â€Å"genius of the place.† This spirit presided over a particular place: Watchd by the Genius of this Royal place. Dryden To Dr. Charleton in W. Charleton Chorea Gigantum. The â€Å"emperor worship† that the early Christians objected to involved burning a bit of incense not to the emperor, but to the emperor’s genius: Christianswho would die rather than fling into the altar-flame a pinch of incense to the Genius of the Emperors. F. W. Farrar Witness of Hist.   Ã‚   Genius in the sense of a guiding spirit is applied to abstract nouns and to periods of history. One may speak of â€Å"the genius of Democracy† and â€Å"the Genius of the Age.† Nowadays the word genius is often replaced by the word spirit. We’ve all seen cartoons showing a character being tempted: on one shoulder sits a little angel trying to restrain him, while on the other, a little red devil eggs him on. This depiction reflects the idea that people have not one, but two guiding genii: (a persons) good, evil genius: the two mutually opposed spirits (in Christian language angels) by whom every person was supposed to be attended throughout his life. Hence applied to a person who powerfully influences for good or evil the character, conduct, or fortunes of another. Genie and genii came to be used for demons or spiritual beings in general. Arabic jinn, the word for a class of spirits that may be good or evil, came to be spelled genii in English; singular genie became the word for one of these spirits, for example, one that might be imprisoned in a bottle. The use of genius as adjective meaning â€Å"intellectually superior† and a noun meaning â€Å"an intellectually superior person† developed in the 18th century as art critics began using genius to describe â€Å"native endowment† contrasted with â€Å"aptitudes that can be acquired by study.† This question on a homework site illustrates how this use of genius has obscured the word’s earlier meanings: If Hitler killed so many people, why is he called a genius? The youngster asking this question has no doubt seen Hitler referred to as â€Å"an evil genius† by someone who did not understand the meaning of the term. The answer given to the student’s question reflects the same confusion: You can say Hitler was a genius because he was so good at manipulating people.   He was able to get people to go along with his ideas even when they seemed to be completely crazy.  Because he was able to do this, you would have to say he was a genius.   Sadly, he used his great talents for one of the most evil goals ever. Hitler might be seen as the evil genius who influenced German doctors and prison camp directors to do abominable things, but labeling him â€Å"an evil genius† without reference to another person or persons is meaningless. The term â€Å"evil genius† refers to any personof whatever degree of intellectwho influences another person to do evil: The evil genius of the second half of Hitlers career was Goebbels. Ernst Hanfstaengel, Hitler: The Missing Years (1957). Finally, gà ©nie is the French word for engineering, but not because it has anything to do with the word genius. French gà ©nie means the same things that English genius does. The fact that the French word for engineering is also spelled gà ©nie is a coincidence: it’s a homonym derived from Middle French engigneour, â€Å"person who designs and constructs military works for attack and defense.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Words with More Than One Spelling50 Idioms About Fruits and VegetablesUlterior and Alterior

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Process of Market Segmentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Process of Market Segmentation - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the business environment is highly competitive in the 21st century, as thousands of firms have emerged offering services and products to consumers. Some firms attract their customers through cost-effectiveness or price differentiation, while others aim to grasp their market through providing a unique product/service. While the strategies of firms may differ, the target group that firms are aiming to attract may be similar. All firms must ensure that the product/service that they are offering is different from their competitors in some aspect. In this era, there is no such thing as a standardized product which is suitable for use by all people. Hence, no firm seeks to target the whole market at large and it is highly difficult to target a large potential market with the same product and the same marketing strategies. No products except maybe staple foods such as fruits, vegetables, bread, butter, and other important dietary supplements are aimed at targeting the whole population of consumers and are standardized products. All other products or services are differentiated and conformed to the needs and wants of various target groups. Differentiation refers to adapting the characteristics and marketing of your product/service to fulfill the needs and wants of a particular target market. In order to select the target market for product/ service, a firm must indulge in the process of market segmentation.... This prevents duplication of resources and enables the business to directly target the segment that is more likely to be interested in their product/service offering rather than wasting time and resources upon targeting a massive market that may not be interested in the product/service at all (Yankelovich, 1964, pg. 75-77). Market segmentation allows the business to see the characteristics of its potential customers so that it can create its products according to their needs. For example, after segmenting the market according to the variables of age and gender, a certain cosmetics company found that the most potential lied within the segment of females aged 18-25. This would enable them to customize their products in order to suit the needs of this segment more adequately (Anthanpolusso, 1999, pp. 56-58). Moreover, once markets are segmented, different segments can be made differing offers according to their needs. There may be some segments which may be willing to pay a higher price while others may be price sensitive. Identifying the segments that would be willing to pay a higher price would enable the business to increase its profits. In the same manner, providing the price sensitive segments with initiatives to buy the product might increase the sales and result in more profits for the business (Barnett, 1965, pp. 45-47). Segmenting also allows more opportunities for growth as the same segments can be targeted in different manners. The various customer segments can be given incentives according to the offerings made to them previously. Such schemes include loyalty cards, bonus cards, and other factors. Market Segmentation allows the firm to target the most profitable market segments rather than focusing on less attractive markets. Moreover, it may also allow

Friday, October 18, 2019

Operation management project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operation management project - Essay Example Corporate objectives of the company are to improve and deliver superior customer service, reduce expenditure and at the same time increase revenues, develop best in the region utility infrastructure, etc. The target customers of AADC includes the entire population of the Al Ain region which the city of Al Ain and the rural areas surrounding the city. The population of the region is close to half a million. The business activity of AADC involves the following main processes: Customer Services – Electricity, Customer Services – Water, Urgent Services – Electricity, Urgent Services – Water, Management of Financial Activities, Update and Archive Customer Information, Planning and Performance Evaluation, Internal Audit, Other Services and Contact Center Services. All the above mentioned processes involve various other sub-processes which can not be involved in this report hence the report will only concentrate on the Load Demand Notification sub-process under the main process of Customer Services – Electricity. The customer is required to submit a request for electricity services along with various other required documents for the approval from AADC. The customer is required to submit the request for electricity load requirements prior to the commencement of a project. The customer can submit the request either through the counter or the website. A surveyor/technician then visits the site to inspect if LV power feed can be provided. If LV power feed can not be provided to the site, then the request is transferred to the Asset management department. Also the form is sent to the client through the web if the request was placed through the website. If LV feed can be fed to the site, then the capacity on the LV network is checked by an engineer. If the LV network is not available the case is then transferred to the Asset management division. If the LV network is available the electricity room is located by an engineer to determine the source

ECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ECONOMICS - Essay Example It will be indeed an insightful experience to delve on the ideologies and factors that made the Western Europe the crucible of economic development, social welfare and political liberalism, while pushing the Eastern Europe in the background, marred by economic underdevelopment, large scale dearth and poverty and pervasive autocratic regimes. The good thing is that one could readily identify a series of salient influences responsible for such massive differences in these two land masses. However, it is not strictly possible to arrange these events and influences in a sharp and certain chronological arrangement because many of them tend to overlap each other. Hence, in an academic scenario, the disparities between what is known as the Western Civilization and its twin brother, the Eastern Europe are to a large extent the progeny of a range of influences and events like the Industrial Revolution, the interplay of capitalism and communism, the Soviet Revolution, the Great Depression, Wor ld War II, Cold War, Globalization, to name just a few. Industrial Revolution indeed happened to be a turning point in the history of 19th century Europe. However, the historical literature is replete with conjectures as to what made the Industrial Revolution have such a widespread sway in the Western Europe and North America, while it left the Eastern Europe largely untouched. Industrial Revolution that began in Britain soon spread across Western Europe and North America. One plausible reason why the Industrial Revolution had its genesis in the Western Europe is the cultural and economic influences of Renaissance that left the Western Europe in possession of the requisite capital and the popular mindset required to fuel it (Stearns 5). In contrast the Eastern Europe largely remained bereft of such influences. Besides, the Western Europe was less stymied by autocratic regimes, absolute monarchies and political instability, unlike the Eastern Europe, which allowed the Western nations to dedicate their efforts and resources to the task of fomenting economic growth and development (Stearns 54). Contrary to this the Eastern Europe evinced much political instability in the times which if given a change could have drastically altered its economy and culture. The socio-political environment of the 19th century Western Europe was amply conducive for the technological breakthroughs that fueled the Industrial Revolution (Stearns 44). Besides, the influx of the Industrial Revolution in the Western Europe gave way to a propitious cycle that led to widespread alterations in the cultural norms and values, making the West European nations more egalitarian, progressive and forward looking. Yet, this was not the case with Eastern Europe that largely remained parochial, insulated and agricultural, failing to open up its gates to the influences that were altering its Western sibling. The other big factor that stimulated the Industrial Revolution in the Western Europe was the fac t that the nations in this region happened to be dominant colonizing powers that had under their sway many colonies that furnished the much needed resources and raw materials required to support the ongoing Industrial Revolution (Stearns 36). In contrast the East European nations had no record of being colonizing powers, a factor that could have made them look for inspiration beyond their borders. The other big fa

Thursday, October 17, 2019

People Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People Management - Coursework Example The employer is expected to protect the employee’s interest and respect the role they play in the organization. On the other hand, the employee is expected to perform tasks as per the guidelines of the employer. In essence, psychological contract enhances a silent working environment and promotes respect between the employees and the employer. George (2009) argues that the basic feature of a psychological contract is the mutual obligation between the employer and the employee. Both parties to the contract have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill in relation to each other. Even though the content of the contract is not presented in writing, both parties have to know their responsibility as far as the subject matter is concerned. The obligations of each party are intangible and cannot be measured by the available conventional means. In this regard, the obligations are inbuilt, and it is only the parties to the contract who understands them. In essence, both the employer and the employee must perform their responsibilities accordingly to enhance quality performance and timely completion of tasks. Psychological contracts are unique in that the terms and conditions are a matter of personal perceptions. The psychological contract is complex since no available source can be found to ascertain that the contract was entered. Further complexity is observed in the fact that people’s perceptions change regular, and it is usually hard to comprehend what other people are thinking or planning to do. In addition, in case of a breach of the psychological contract, a third party cannot intervene since the contract is only known to the employee and the employer. Essentially, it is crucial to recognize that perception are sometimes seasonal and, therefore, understanding the content of the psychological contract by a third party can be extremely

Address Academic Integrity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Address Academic Integrity - Assignment Example Based on their observations, Teuscher, Valrhona, Lindt, Godiva, and Hershey (2012) have proposed the notion of chocolate-induced euphoria, a state of well-being and enhanced mood that follows shortly after the ingestion of various cocoa-based products. These authors have even argued that society at large would benefit if more citizens experienced chocolate-induced euphoria on a regular basis. Though the student has used in- text citation, there are no direct quotes. The original quote should be in direct quotes and properly referenced indicating the author and the page from which the information was obtained. Student C (female)  While popular authors have touted the benefits of eating chocolate for decades, some scientists have recently embraced this sentiment. In fact, Teuscher, Valrhona, Lindt, Godiva, and Hershey (2012) introduced the notion of â€Å"chocolate-induced euphoria,† which they defined â€Å"as a state of well-being and enhanced mood that follows shortly after the ingestion of various cocoa-based products† (p. 313). Teuscher et al. further asserted that societal benefits would follow if more individuals generated this emotional experience more regularly (p. 313). Student C has appropriately used the original quote. Direct statements from the authors are in quotation marks. The statements are also properly referenced showing the page and the authors. However, placing the names of the authors outside the parenthesis is inappropriate. Student D (male)  Some have discussed the emotional effect of eating chocolate, including euphoria (Teuscher, Valrhona, Lindt, Godiva, & Hershey, 2012, p. 313), a sense of calm (Cadbury, 2009, p. 105), reduction in depressive symptoms (Nestle & Quick, 2010, p. 5), and less stress (Ritter Sport, 2011, p. 400). Student E (female)  Because of the high sugar content in milk chocolate and some dark chocolates, nutritionists are reluctant to recommend that people increase their intake of chocolate. Some have advocated the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

People Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People Management - Coursework Example The employer is expected to protect the employee’s interest and respect the role they play in the organization. On the other hand, the employee is expected to perform tasks as per the guidelines of the employer. In essence, psychological contract enhances a silent working environment and promotes respect between the employees and the employer. George (2009) argues that the basic feature of a psychological contract is the mutual obligation between the employer and the employee. Both parties to the contract have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill in relation to each other. Even though the content of the contract is not presented in writing, both parties have to know their responsibility as far as the subject matter is concerned. The obligations of each party are intangible and cannot be measured by the available conventional means. In this regard, the obligations are inbuilt, and it is only the parties to the contract who understands them. In essence, both the employer and the employee must perform their responsibilities accordingly to enhance quality performance and timely completion of tasks. Psychological contracts are unique in that the terms and conditions are a matter of personal perceptions. The psychological contract is complex since no available source can be found to ascertain that the contract was entered. Further complexity is observed in the fact that people’s perceptions change regular, and it is usually hard to comprehend what other people are thinking or planning to do. In addition, in case of a breach of the psychological contract, a third party cannot intervene since the contract is only known to the employee and the employer. Essentially, it is crucial to recognize that perception are sometimes seasonal and, therefore, understanding the content of the psychological contract by a third party can be extremely

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Module 4 Student-Centered Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 4 Student-Centered Assessment - Essay Example 2-3). Currently, students have standardized method or structured tutoring and only depend on incidental peer tutoring. With incidental tutoring, it is not possible to identify and fix potential student’s learning needs and it is crucial to implement structured peer tutoring to track and assess learning needs and resolve those needs by making students active learners through transformative learning. The school performance evaluation revealed three main factors as responsible for the situation (Lannen, 2013, p. 8). First, teachers are not familiar with grouping techniques. Consequently, they have not applied any mixed capability grouping in their classrooms. Secondly, teachers do not inspire peer tutoring, hence do not prepare tutors or perform any decent groundwork of tutoring structure whether in terms of time or material. Finally, teachers do not appoint an informal and precise way of tutoring hence lack appropriate guidance to the incidental tutors. First, incidental peer tutoring has to be replaced with structured form. This will mean that the teacher works together with the peer tutors in identifying mixed ability groupings within classroom settings, preparing them in advance, issuing appropriate guidance, and supervising them as they tutor (Lannen, 2013, p. 10). This way, tutors will serve as role models, encourage and inspire students’ learning, and assist teachers and students. To the students, the peer tutor becomes an extra-teacher offering more one-on-one attention; assists them to learn by identifying learning difficulties and explaining things differently; encourages good rapport since they are age mates; and inspires them to become teachers. The study will also seek to identify the effect of structured peer tutoring on teachers and teaching. The focus will be on teacher identification of student needs, ability

Women’s Rights in Tunisia Essay Example for Free

Women’s Rights in Tunisia Essay During a Conference held in 2002, members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women commended Tunisia today for its great strides forward in promoting equality between men and women, and urged it to withdraw its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. [Acting in their personal capacity, the Committees 23 experts from around the world monitor compliance with the Convention, which requires States parties to eliminate discrimination against women in enjoyment of all civil, political, economic and cultural rights. Tunisia ratified that human rights instrument in 1980, with reservations to several articles of the Convention, including article 9 on nationality, article 15 on womens choice of residence and domicile, and article 16 on womens equality in marriage and divorce. The countrys first and second reports were considered by the Committee in 1995.] As the Committee discussed Tunisias third and fourth reports during two meetings , experts commended the Governments strong political will to implement the Convention through numerous amendments to national legislation and measures to improve de facto gender equality. Besides many institutions and programmes for gender equality, the experts noted Tunisias efforts to integrate women in development and reduce illiteracy, maternal mortality and womens health problems. It was encouraging to see the countrys efforts to harmonize the provisions of Islam with the human rights approach, which integrated law and policy in a holistic way, speakers said. To improve the situation of women in the family, the country had done away with polygamy and introduced the concept of partnership in marriage under its personal code. Warning the country against complacency and resting on its laurels, however, experts pointed out that despite impressive achievements, patriarchal stereotypes still hindered progress in Tunisia in many respects. A large portion of the countrys female population was still illiterate and unaware of its rights. To rectify the situation, it was important to educate the people and raise womens awareness of their human rights. Addressing concerns about Tunisias reservations to the Convention, members of the delegation said the country would consider withdrawing its reservations in the future, but, for the time being, its main goal was to develop means of implementing womens rights and giving them a higher profile. At present, the country was doing everything in its power to implement the Convention. Above and beyond legislation, institutional machinery had been established to make equal rights a practical reality for all Tunisian women. A set of initiatives was under way to implement the national strategy on gender issues. [According to the countrys responses to questions by the Committees pre-session working group (document CEDAW/PSWG/2002/II/CRP.2/Add.2), in line with article 9, paragraph 2, of the Convention regarding equal rights in transferring nationality, Tunisias nationality code had been amended as far as acquisition of Tunisian nationality by a child born abroad of a Tunisian mother and an alien father was concerned. In connection with article 15 of the Convention, the document explains that freedom of choice of residence is guaranteed under the Constitution, but to ensure stability and cohesion of families, the law provided for a conjugal duty of cohabitation, incumbent on both spouses. With respect to Tunisias numerous reservations in connection with article 16 of the Convention on womens equal rights during marriage and upon its dissolution, Tunisia explains that a major development in that respect has been the abolition of the wifes duty to obey her husband. With respect to divorce, the countrys personal code now allows the wife to request and obtain a divorce under the same terms as her husband. By further amendments to the personal code, the country has protected the wife against attempts to manipulate divorce proceedings against her interests. The countrys law now stipulates that both parents should cooperate in managing the familys affairs, including childrens education, travel and financial transactions. Yet another amendment has given a say in the childs affairs to the father, guardian and mother.] Among other issues highlighted in the debate were problems associated with prostitution, the age and conditions of marriage, the situation of women prisoners, Tunisian inheritance laws, matrimonial property, and the countrys achievements in education. Background The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women met to consider the combined third and fourth reports of Tunisia (document CEDAW/C/TUN/3-4), submitted in compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Tunisia ratified the Convention in 1980. The report notes that womens rights in Tunisia have been strengthened, their roles diversified and their image enhanced. It details various measures taken to advance the status of women through the countrys Personal Status Code, several international conventions on womens rights, and internal reform. Such measures ban discrimination in political parties, lay down principles for cooperation between spouses, establish the rights of women as individuals as well as daughters, wives and mothers, and bring in more balanced individual and civil rights. A major amendment to the Personal Status Code aims to eliminate the link between women and submission, which represents a break from the former treatment of women as inferior beings. Another major innovation obliges women to contribute to the familys expenses, recognizing the economic role of women. Under the Code, however, the husband remains head of the family, albeit in an economic rather than domineering role, as the provider for his wife and children. The report states that Tunisia has attempted to combat sexist stereotypes through the celebration of National Womens Day on 13 August, through an exhibition called Women through the Ages, through revision of school textbooks to remove inferior images of women and through the media. Several mechanisms have been set up to improve the medias portrayal of women, including the Commission for Monitoring the Image of Women in the Media, an observatory within the Centre for Research, Documentation and Information on Women that monitors the image of women, and the Tahar Haddad Prize for a balanced image of women in the media. In addition, the Ministry for Women and Family Affairs is developing a communications strategy to change attitudes towards women and also ensure that human rights become part of family life, using radio, television and the press as well as intermediaries working in the family environment. Efforts have also been made to combat violence within the family, the report continues. For example, an article of the Penal Code which granted attenuating circumstances to husbands who had murdered adulterous wives has been repealed. Husbands who murder their wives now face life imprisonment, and those who practice marital violence are subject to two-year prison terms as well as a fine. According to 1998 statistics, 3,600 women representing 0.21 per cent of families instituted legal proceedings against their husbands. The countrys Child Protection Code now shields children from any form of violence, and a body of regional child protection officers takes preventive action when the health or physical and mental integrity of a child is threatened. Officers may take measures to eliminate the source of the threat or temporarily place the child with a foster family or social institution. The report notes that prostitution has declined as Tunisian women have become more emancipated, and several establishments have closed. In 1998, the number of authorized prostitutes came to 422 in a total of 15 establishments. The remaining brothels are subject to strict medical and health controls by the Ministry of Public Health. The report states, however, that Tunisian society is tolerant of prostitution, and the practice can be only gradually reduced as relationships between men and women based on equality and reciprocity are strengthened. Regarding political and public life, the report states that the number of women in the Chamber of Deputies increased from 1.12 per cent in 1957 to 11.5 per cent in 1999, or 21 women out of a total 182 deputies. In 1998, the Higher Magistracy Council comprised 28 members, including two women. Since 1983, two women have also held ministerial office, as Minister of Public Health and Minister for Women and Family Affairs. In the late 1990s, women accounted for over one quarter of civil servants, 34.4 per cent of the banking sector and 48 per cent of the health sector. The role of women has also increased in ministerial departments, the economy, entrepreneurship, social and educational care facilities and in public life. Tunisian women have become increasingly active as international representatives, accounting for 14.3 per cent of the diplomatic corps in 1999, as compared to 9.1 per cent in 1993, as well as in international forums, intergovernmental and NGOs (non-governmental organizations). In the field of education, gaps between girls and boys at all levels are quickly closing, the report states. Promotion rates for both sexes have increased at an almost identical pace, but girls are now ahead. In higher education, the proportion of women rose from 37.2 per cent in 1988 to 50.4 per cent in 2000. Despite those figures, female illiteracy remains high at 36.3 per cent, compared to 17.7 per cent among men in the same age groups. A national programme to combat illiteracy has been set up to eliminate illiteracy among the 15-44 age group, narrow the difference in illiteracy between males and females, and prevent any backslide into illiteracy. Regarding employment, some 65.6 per cent of Tunisians are employed in the urban areas and 34.4 per cent in rural regions. Women hold 24.6 per cent of jobs in urban areas and only 20 per cent in rural areas, although the latter figure has climbed from 17.6 per cent in 1989. Tunisias legal system has gradually shifted towards integrating women in employment on the basis of equal skills, equal pay, and the demand for female employment grew consistently between 1993 and 1997. A priority objective under the countrys Ninth Development Plan is to more effectively integrate women into economic activity by giving them access to new technologies, improving their professional qualifications, achieving equal opportunities in training and retraining, and promoting equal opportunities in investment. Tunisia has also made gains in the field of womens health, which has been specifically recognized as a main component of the countrys overall health system, the report states. Currently, 90.6 per cent of basic health centres offer maternal and child health services. Due to improved living conditions and national programmes for women and children, including those providing immunization, fighting diarrheal diseases and enhancing prenatal follow-up and delivery, child mortality declined from 150 per 1,000 live births in 1966 to 45 in 1990. The adoption in the 1990s of a risk-free maternity approach reduced the child mortality rate to 27.2 per 1,000 by 1997. The mortality rate for women of childbearing age (15-49) fell from 1.6 per 1,000 live births in 1985 to 0.66 per 1,000 in 1994. Contraceptive use rose from 49.8 per cent in 1984 to 65.6 per cent in 1998 in Tunisia. In addition, abortion is now part and parcel of human rights for women, which makes Tunisia the first Muslim country to permit it. However, a significant gap remains between urban and rural areas in attitudes towards abortion, and there are pockets of resistance in the south and central west of the country. The report notes that the State has made considerable efforts to ensure access to basic health care as well as to maternal and reproductive health care. Attention is devoted to the health of women at various stages of their lives. But persistent gaps remain in some areas between the medical means employed and the results recorded. The Ninth Development Plan has rightly emphasized the need for better supervision of womens health in particular, including mental health, by stepping up prevention. In the financial field, womens access to home loans and income-generating credit has been increasingly encouraged by public authorities to strengthen the role of women in development. The creation of new finance mechanisms as well as a new system of micro-credit should open up new and promising horizons for women who have difficulty accessing traditional forms of bank credit. Diversification of micro credit sources will help strengthen both average and vulnerable social groups, the report states, favouring an increasingly active role for women undertaking small projects in the informal sector. According to the report, rural women have benefited from technical and financial support in the fields of agriculture and handicrafts. It highlights efforts to improve education, literacy, access to health services, and employment, to assist women farmers and craftswomen, and set up anti-poverty and other governmental programmes to assist agriculture and urban development. The quality of rural life had improved considerably, due to a combination of regional development policy, overall sectoral policies and efforts of the National Solidarity Fund and the Tunisian Solidarity Bank. New mechanisms and the launch of regional plans of action for rural women should open up real prospects for self-development and better living conditions, and the access of women to various services, including employment and production support. Tunisian women have also gained in the legal area, the report states. Women now have the right to conclude contracts in their own name, dispose of property, serve as administrators of estates and institute proceedings before any court. Other legal rights include access to judicial office, the right to choose their home, equality and partnership within the family, possession of their dowries, mutual respect between spouses, and the right of women to own, acquire, retain and dispose of property. A new era had been marked in the further strengthening of womens rights in Tunisia, as enshrined in the countrys Constitution of 1959. That Constitution promulgated equal political, economic and social rights and duties for men and women. Since the formation of the new Government in 1987, Tunisia has witnessed an important quantitative jump forward in the promotion and consolidation of womens status within the family and society as a whole, as well as a strengthening of their role in the development of the country. In this respect, Tunisia has implemented a comprehensive strategy to develop womens capacities and protect them against all forms of discrimination. The approach adopted was one in which democracy and development were closely related and solidarity and tolerance were complementary.   Since August 1992 Tunisia has fostered partnerships between women and men in the management of family affairs and of children, as well as in the areas of employment, social security and other fields related to civil and economic relations. She said that since the 1990s, Tunisia has been active in the development of a comprehensive system of mechanisms and programmes, such as the Committee on Women and Development, a planning methodology based on social gender. Tunisia had responded positively to the recommendations and working methodologies flowing from discussion of the countrys first and second reports in 1995. Various actions and decisions have been taken moves considered as breakthroughs in the consolidation of the status of Tunisian women. Among them were establishment of a committee on the image of women in the media and a national committee for the promotion of rural women. Tunisias determination to enhance the status of women by developing its legislative system is one of the options pursued in line with societys developing needs. Since 1995, Tunisia has passed legislation introducing a joint ownership scheme for couples; granting women the right to give their own family name to children born of unknown fathers and the opportunity for gene testing to prove parenthood; giving Tunisian women married to non-Tunisians the right to confer Tunisian citizenship on children born outside the country. This could be done by making a mere declaration when the father was dead, legally incapacitated or missing. Tunisia is proud of its success in achieving equal rights between men and women in most sectors. The eradication of illiteracy was another of the objectives of the comprehensive development schemes adopted by Tunisia. Female illiteracy rates has dropped from 80.4 per cent in 1966 to 36.2 per cent in 1999. Tunisia has also initiated a national adult literacy programme in April 2000 to reinforce the programme already in place. These programmes sought to reduce illiteracy rates to 20 per cent by 2004.Promoting the economic capacity of women, facilitating their access to appropriate vocational training, and encouraging them to set up small- and medium-sized enterprises were some of the highest priorities in the strategy for the promotion of Tunisias women. The ratio of girls benefiting from vocational training had increased from 27 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent in 2000. The number of women benefiting from micro-project mechanisms had similarly increased, with the proportion of women granted loans rising to as high as 35 per cent in 2001 from 10 per cent in 1997. Tunisian women have gained access to all fields of employment and public life, their participation rate reaching 25 per cent in 2000. Today, women accounted for one out of two teachers, one out of three doctors, one out of four magistrates, 25.2 per cent of all journalists, and 14 per cent of all executive positions in public administration. Tunisia had not excluded anyone from its development plan, adding that women in both rural and urban areas had actively benefited from adequate care, allowing them to participate in economic and social programmes. There has been a dramatic increase in decision-making positions for women. Their presence in Parliament has increased from 7 per cent in 1995 to 11.5 per cent today. Women accounted for 9.3 per cent of government positions; such achievements would not have been accomplished were it not for the staunch political determination and firmly-rooted belief that democracy could not be achieved. Tunisia is unwavering its determination to safeguard all the gains so far made and to continue its efforts to eradicate all forms of discrimination against women.   Associations play a major part in the countrys development effort. As womens rights come centre-stage within the universal system of human rights, and as the number of worldwide initiatives to consolidate the status of women increases, Tunisia is determined to further develop its programmes and form forces with other countries and regions as well as international institutions and bodies.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Interpreting Indigenous Culture in Art: A History

Interpreting Indigenous Culture in Art: A History Mahealani Subad Abstract Art has been a historical connection for many cultures, such as Indigenous culture, as they protect the history of communities and allows for the new generation of the community to learn of their past through artwork and documentaries. However, due to misrepresentations from artwork such as paintings, sculptures, films, Indigenous identity can be represented by stereotypes created by non-Indigenous artists who interpreted indigenous culture into their own artworks, which they presented to society. Although with the misrepresentations are still present in todays society, modern indigenous artists have emerged, for which they presented Indigenous art that represents Indigenous identity where the art is themed based on Indigenous cultural values, such as family, and the realities Indigenous people face within society. Within this research paper, it will discuss how modern indigenous artist can diminish the stereotypes that have been produced by non-Indigenous artists through their inter pretation of Indigenous culture. Introduction Throughout history, art has been a historical connection in many cultures as it allows for those in the community to protect their cultural identity within history and to create a connection between the old and new generation to learn about their heritage. However, Indigenous art has been known to show misinterpretations of Indigenous people made by non-Indigenous artists who presented their perspectives of Indigenous culture and shown it to society without any prior knowledge of Indigenous culture. Now, within modern day society, Indigenous art still holds a fascination with Western culture, but presents Indigenous art in a new perspective as Indigenous artists are emerging representing their culture to society. These modern contemporary Indigenous art pieces are based on Indigenous cultural themes and values such as family, connections to their land territory, and to present the realities Indigenous people confront with in todays society. Within this research paper, it will discuss the differences of Indigenous artwork throughout history, for which it will answer the question of how modern contemporary Indigenous artwork, such as paintings and films, has diminished the stereotypes of Indigenous people which had been produced through Indigenous artwork done by non-Indigenous people. Examples, such as Emily Carr who was mostly known for her work in Group of Seven, was one of the artists that had been inspired by Indigenous culture and produced indigenous art to display to society with the belief that indigenous culture was vanishing (Morra, 2005). With perspectives of Indigenous culture such as Emily Carrs many indigenous artworks that were produced in the past may have contributed to the stereotypes that many see in society today. Background Indigenous culture has always been a fascination between Western culture throughout history, for which many artists looked upon Indigenous communities as inspiration for their artwork. Non-Indigenous artists, such as Emily Carr, have been known for their Indigenous artwork within Canada as they created their art pieces within Indigenous communities to recreate authentic representations of Indigenous culture. Famous for her work in the Canadian artist group, Group of Seven, Emily Carr focused on landscape artwork throughout the duration of her career. Although known for her work in the Group of Seven, Emily Carr was also known for her Indigenous artwork that focused on Indigenous material culture (Morra, 2005). Upon working on her indigenous art pieces, Carr often focused her inspirations on native villages, totem poles, and poetry (Halkes, 2006). As Carr took inspiration of Indigenous culture for her art work, she believed that her work served as a purpose to preserve Indigenous cult ure through her work (Morra, 2005). While visiting indigenous communities to capture their culture through her work, Carr had the belief that by showcasing Indigenous material within her art it would bring awareness to Western society that Indigenous communities that were vanishing (Morra, 2005). Although Carr had the notion that by documenting Indigenous culture through her artwork, Hollywood films began to emerge, but with a dominant culture portraying as the heroes (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.9). In case study, it analyzed two Indigenous films that were prominently made by non-Indigenous filmmakers, in which, they found both used white male characters to narrate the film and the main target audience for the films are white and middle-class (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.15-16). Majority of these films cater to these audiences as Hollywood films choose to represent those who are apart of Western society, which they present them as the dominant society within these films (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.17). Nonetheless, with Indigenous films made by non-Indigenous filmmakers are prone to cater to white audiences with a white male character as the main role, this also presents itself to younger generations such as students, where they may be subjected into belie ving that the representation of Indigenous people within the films are realistic, therefore adding on to the stereotyping Indigenous identity through films. Comparison to Emily Carrs work, modern contemporary Indigenous art work creates a more prominent view of Indigenous cultures as it expands to different sources of media such ass paintings, sculptures, and films. At the National Gallery of Canada, they hosted an exhibition called Sakahan, International Indigenous Art which showcased Indigenous artwork done by Indigenous artists from around the world (Davidge, 2013, p.83). With the art exhibition being the first exhibition devoted indigenous contemporary art from around the world, it attempts to broaden the views of Indigenous culture as it seeks to expand the meaning of indigenous, setting indigenous culture into a global perspective, and to demonstrate that the Indigenous artists are among the leading contemporary artists in the world (Davidge, 2013, p.83). Along with the Sakahan exhibit, Kristen Dowell (2006) discusses the intake of modern Indigenous arts as indigenous filmmakers are receiving recognition for their work. In 2005, th e leading art galleries in the U.S hosted several international indigenous filmmakers to present their work to highlight international cinemas (Dowell, 2006, p.376). The productions that indigenous filmmakers present feature documentation of indigenous cultural traditions and opposing of misrepresentation of Indigenous people (Dowell. 2006, p.376). Indigenous films such as Smoke Signals (Eyre et al. 1998), opposed the misrepresentations of Indigenous people as it comically follows the family life within an indigenous reserve focusing the father and son relationship within the film (Dowell, 2006, p.378). Discussion The differences between the time periods of Indigenous art, such as of Emily Carrs time and of modern day society, they are dependent on the artists interpretation and the perspective of Indigenous culture. During Emily Carrs time period, majority of society had not been exposed to Indigenous culture, for which made the culture very appealing to artists such as Emily Carr, who chose to look at Indigenous communities as a rarity due to colonialism. Carr viewed indigenous communities and the artefacts she found as a formal art of intense ritualistic formalism, (Stacton, 1950, p.500). With Carr observing Indigenous culture with only the perspective of the formal art they have created, Carrs art does not portray a credible representation of how Indigenous communities live. By having a non-Indigenous artist present art work that is inspired by Indigenous culture to a society who has no knowledge of Indigenous communities, it promotes a stereotype to society that is maintained today due to these types of art pieces as the majority of society are not educated or aware about Indigenous culture. This notion that without prior knowledge of indigenous culture creates indigenous stereotypes is also inclusive with Indigenous films made by non-Indigenous filmmakers as the majority of their target audiences is toward a white and middle-class audiences (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.15-16). With producing a film that misrepresents Indigenous people and their culture, it reflects a persona that society will identify Indigenous culture with as majority of the films present this type of representation frequently. As for modern contemporary indigenous art, it can be seen as a revelation as more indigenous artists are gaining the recognition by various art organizations for their work. Majority of Indigenous artwork has been done by Indigenous people as the film, Smoke Signals (Eyre et al., 1998), was the first film to feature an all Indigenous cast and crew, in which, Indigenous people wrote, directed, and starred in the film (Dowell, 2006). It is also noted that the Sakahan exhibit that was held in the National Gallery of Canada was the first exhibition to be devoted to contemporary art created by indigenous people from around the world (Davidge, 2013). Todays modern contemporary artists allow for indigenous representation to be reliable as the artwork portrays the artists culture, for which many of the indigenous filmmakers include themes within their work that represent indigeneity such as family values, traditional stories, the realities indigenous people face within society, and the conne ction of land and territories for indigenous communities (Dowell, 2006, p.377). Although many misrepresentations of Indigenous people are still active today, modern Indigenous artists, make attempts to diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous people made by those in the past who were attempting to share Indigenous culture with society during that time period. During that period, modern Indigenous artists have made progress on establishing Indigenous identity within society as many have created artwork such as films, painting, and sculptures, to showcase Indigenous culture or to bring awareness to realities indigenous people face within todays society. Conclusion With the initial question of trying to answer if modern indigenous artists diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous people, which was formed by previous indigenous art work done in the past, it can be considered that modern Indigenous artist have made progress with trying to diminish the stereotype, but more needs to be done to gain a true representation of indigenous culture and identity. Although there has been progressed made to diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous identity, many non-indigenous filmmakers are still producing misrepresentations of Indigenous culture. In trying to prevent the misrepresentation of Indigenous culture, prior to filming or starting an art project, the consultation of Indigenous people must be included when creating a project or film inspired or based on Indigenous culture to respectful of indigenous communities they are basing their artworks on. References Davidge, M. (2013). Sakahà  n, international indigenous art. Border Crossings,32 (4), 83-85 Dowell, K. (2006). Indigenous media gone global: Strengthening indigenous identity onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and offscreen at the First Nations/first features film showcase. American Anthropologist, 108 (2), 376-384. Eyre, C. (Director), Eyre, C., Alexie, S., Rosenfelt, S., Estes, L., Skinner, D., Bressler, C., . . . Bornia, C. (Producers), Alexie, S., Capener, B., Berdan, B., Smith, B., Otis, R., Brown, R., . . . OSullivan, P. (Writers). (1998). Smoke signals [Video file]. Halkes, P. (2006). Emily Carr. Border Crossings, 25 (4), 91-93 Morra, L. (2005). Canadian art according to Emily Carr: The search for indigenous expression. Canadian Literature, (185), 43 Stacton, D.D. (1950). The art of Emily Carr. Queens Quarterly,57, 499-509. Stoddard, J., Marcus, A., Hicks, D. (2014), The burden of historical representation: The case of/for indigenous film. History Teacher, 48(1), 9-36

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Religious Symbolism in Grimms Rapunzel Essay -- Grimm Rapunzel Essays

Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel  Ã‚   A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.    The relation between "Rapunzel" and the story of Christianity is apparent immediately as a result of the setting. The witch's garden is described as "a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers," depicting perfectly the Garden of Eden from Genesis. Now, with the scene in place, the Grimm brothers begin further correlation between the two stories.    The witch, indicative of the serpent, tempts the mother and father with her rampion so that she might steal their child. In the story of creation, the serpent has the same idea in mind for Adam and Eve. The serpent knows that if man sins against God, he is unable to enter heaven and therefore must face the alternative, a life of eternal suffering in hell. In eating the forbidden fruit, the parents are cursing their child, humanity, to a life apart from God. But, just as with Adam and Eve, the parents must also endure earthly hardships, characterized by childbirth. In Genesis 3:17, Eve is cursed to bear children through intense pain; consequently, Rapunzel was born. ... ...shown through Rapunzel's response.    The witch learns of Rapunzel's interaction with the Prince and places her in the desert, and when the Prince climbs the tower to seek Rapunzel, he finds the witch waiting there for him. At this point, the witch's assumption and belief that she has won coincides perfectly with Satan's arrogance in believing that by killing Christ, he would forever have dominion over man. To the witch's dismay, the Prince hurls himself from the tower, putting out his eyes on the thorns below. This is symbolic of Christ's conscious sacrifice for humanity on the hills over Nazareth. The Prince wanders blindly through the desert, and, after several years, is reunited with his beloved Rapunzel. Ultimately, the story's happy ending is a realization of God's promise that through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and find everlasting life.    Â