Critical Literature Review (50%) - each student will choose a Essay

Critical Literature Review (50%) - each student will choose a particular International Marketing topic from the syllabus (severa - Essay Example The marketing mix commonly referred to as the 4Ps includes product, price, place, and promotion. It is noted that for a company to satisfy the needs of its customers, it must ensure that products of the right quality and quantity are developed, charged reasonable prices, found at the right place, as well as ensuring that the existence of the goods is made known to customers through promotion. This paper will discuss the marketing mix (4Ps) as well as the importance of the augmented product model with reference to the real world examples (Gitman and McDaniel 2008, p.13). Product The 4Ps of the marketing mix consist of the product, price, place, and promotion. The poduct is one of the most fundamental elements of the marketing mix that managers must take into consideration when making marketing decisions. The product in this case is the physical service or good that a company offers to customers. The basic elements of a product include function, packaging, appearance, and warranty amon g others. Therefore, the product that a company intends to deal with should satisfy the customer’s requirements in terms of quality, quantity, and appearance. Ensuring that these basic elements of a product are met will make a company competitive because of the fact that many customers will prefer the company’s products to those of other competitors in the market (Lamb, Hair, and MacDaniel 2008, p.56). Samsung is one of the electronic companies that operate in a very competitive environment. As such, the company understands that to remain competitive, it must offer products that compete favorable with other companies. To achieve this, Samsung has focused on manufacturing high quality products that satisfy the needs of its customers. Most of Samsung’s products are said to be of high quality with regards to proper functionality and appearance. In addition, the company provides a warranty of not less than one year for all its products. For example, one of the compa ny’s latest iPhone 5 is just amazing in terms of quality and functionally. The company reveals that the iPhone 5 started receiving orders even before its launch because of its quality and functionality (Page, 2013). General Motors is another company that performs very well in the automobile industry due to the high performance of its products. General Motors operates in a very competitive environment. As such, the only way to remain relevant is to concentrate on the manufacture of cars of high quality that satisfies the need of customers. According to Tehrani (2008 p. 8) a product is best described in three concentric circles namely the core product, augmented product and the Uber product. He observed that the core product is found at the center of the concentric circle and is meant to satisfy the pressing needs for which the product in developed. Then there is the augmented product consisting of the core product and other features that ensure that the product become more fun ctional. Finally, there is the Uber product, which consists of all other intangible features added to the product such as the brand promise. The concentric model of a product can be illustrated using the mobile phone marketing. In this regard, the mobile phone becomes the core product while the augmented products will include other features such as the product warranty and after sales services. The Uber product in this case could include the customization of the

Makes analysis Essay Example for Free

Makes analysis Essay An interview can be defined as a purposeful discussion between two or more people (Kahn and Cannell, 1957, cited in Saunders et al, 2003). There are several types of interviews, including structured, semi-structured and unstructured. Structured interviews have the advantage of all respondents being asked the same set of questions, which makes analysis of the results easier in terms of comparison and spotting trends. Semi-structured interviews are non-standardised, which indicates that the researcher may simply be using a list of themes and questions that need to be covered, but each interview is different, and will cover different topics, dependant on the variation in respondents. Unstructured interviews are informal and give the interviewer the freedom to discuss any topic, while keeping the research objective the main focus. The interviewee has the freedom to discuss their experiences without being restrained by pre-set questions. The author believes that the most effective interview technique for this type of research is to use structured interviews, with respondents that can be recruited to fit a set quota, which stipulates the age, sex and socio-economic group of each. An interviewer-administered questionnaire is thought to be preferable to a self-administered questionnaire, because of the nature of the questions, which will require the interviewer to record verbatim. A fixed quota requires the interviewer to recruit a preset group of people, and other quota requirements can be set to ensure that the interviewees are in a position to discuss the main topic (i. e. a condition of fulfilling the quota would be having purchased a house within a set time frame). The topics to cover during the interviews could include the interviewees experiences with their mortgage provider and estate agent during the process of buying their house; how they think the process could be improved, and a list of suggestions on how to improve the system, for respondents to select for themselves. By using a combination of open and closed questions, it allows personal opinions to be recorded, and specific attributes to be measured (e. g. the level of satisfaction of service that the mortgage provider offered, using the likert scale). Additional services to be offered would be identified using the research as outlined in section 4. 0. The element of aftercare needs to be considered, as any action recommended by the seller should be undertaken by the buyer, after the sale has completed, e. g. if plumbing is not up to standard, and the buyer has been informed of this, it is their responsibility to fix the problem when the property transfers hands. The proposed service is supposed to make life easier on its customers, by doing all the hard work for them. This may be an easier task once government legislation has passed stipulating the necessity for information to be provided by both parties before offers are made on the property. Changes in the overall process will eventually change the outcome and impact on consumers, but until then, consumers will simply have to cope.

Theme of Carpe Diem in A Fine, a Private Place by Ackerman and To His C

The words carpe diem mean â€Å"seize the day† in Latin. It is a theme that has been used throughout the history of literature and has been a popular philosophy in teaching from the times of Socrates and Plato up to the modern English classroom. Carpe diem says to us that life isn’t something we have forever, and every passing moment is another opportunity to make the most out of the few precious years that we have left. In the poems â€Å"A Fine, a Private Place† by Diane Ackerman and â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† by Andrew Marvell, carpe diem is the underlying theme that ties them together, yet there are still a few key differences throughout each of these two poems that shows two very different perspectives on how one goes about seizing their day. The first poem by Ackerman is about two lovers who find their own special place to make love: under water. The writer describes the captured moment over four stanzas of the undersea world, describing physical attributes and actions with marine life. The woman in the poem is described as â€Å"his sea-geisha / in an orange kimono / of belts and vests, / her lacquered hair waving† (Lines 24-27) and the man with â€Å"his sandy hair / and sea-blue eyes, his kelp thin waist / and chest ribbed wider / than a sandbar / where muscles domed / clear and taunt as shells† (Lines 34-40) Ackerman’s poem has a feeling of tranquility and patience, capturing the moment and enhancing it to its fullest extent. She portrays sex as a beautiful act, saying â€Å"he pum...

Bus 421 Final

BUS 421 Final: Case Scenario #1 Thomas Edison State College October 2012 Emily Schemelia Executive Summary Case Scenario # 1 Given the increasing regulations of the Internet and email by the Government of China, recommend to the CEO of Google whether the company should continue to operate in China, the world’s fastest and among the largest growth markets. Google should definitely continue operations in China, even if it means limiting the amount of information that is disseminated to Google China.While filtering information is the opposite of everything Google stands for, Google can still disseminate information to the Chinese public while abiding by the information laws set up by the Chinese Government. The fact is that if Google doesn’t provide its information services to China, not only will a competitor step in and abode by the Chinese Government limitations on information, but the information that it would disseminate may be far less superior.Therefore, in the hope that the Chinese Government decrease its information limitations, Google should provide its service to China as China comprises over 1. 3 billion people and has the power of not only furthering Google, but the world as well. In my research, the point of discussion is whether Google should move out or not, and why or why not. In this paper I will be presenting issues in regards to the markets in China and the advantages that these markets have for Google in order to continue its operations.I will also discuss in the various challenges and problems that Google faces in China. Marketing in Chain: China is a very large country and the population of the country is also very large. China provides various business opportunities around the world and that Google is one of them. Many companies had taken the chance of venturing into the Chinese markets and most of them are making great progress. They are all there for the purpose of making sure that they achieve their targets to a higher leve l (Bracker, 2011).The Chinese markets are very unique and China has the ability to attract all different kinds of companies on a larger level. Because of this, there is a case that companies like Google, look forward to making sure that they penetrate the market in order to produce better outcomes, which also leads to a fast growth for the organization. The economy in China is doing well. China has in its recent years reached financial stability. This is due to the fact that there is a high level of domestic demand. Because of this, many companies around the world begin to invest in the Chinese market.China is also one of the fastest growing when it comes to Information Technology and has been able to attract companies such as Google and even Microsoft. It has been forecasted that the Internet industry in China is expected to increase at a rate of about ten percent within the next five years. This is great news because Google will be able to benefit. Advantages of Doing Business in China: As mentioned previously, there are many organizations around the whole world that perform their business in China. They do business in China due to the fact that China has a reliable market.It is also expected that the organizations doing business in China will continue to grow. Some advantages of doing business in China are that it is a major emerging market around the world. Also there are a lot of opportunities for organizations to invest in China for a longer period of time due to expanding of technology and resources. Another advantage is that there is cheap labor, which helps many companies succeed. With the availability of cheap labor can result in the reduction of cost for the companies that invest in Chain.Challenges of Working in China: Like any other country, there are some challenges associated when doing business in China. An organization intending on conducting business in China should consider various important things prior to moving forward in actually doing b usiness. If they do not consider certain things, then the company may be lead into trouble, which can endanger the companies investments. One major challenge in doing business in China is the difference in culture. Most Chinese people do not speak English, and the few that do have a very unique accent.Because of this, Google needs to be able to respect and try to hire employees who are familiar in this accent so that they will be able to communicate with people domestically. Another challenge in relation to conducting business in China is intense competition from domestic companies. In addition to this, a company should perform their activities in a manner that attracts the acceptance of its products by the customers in the domestic market. Based on when was mentioned above, it can be said that there is a definite case of certain challenges for foreign companies like Google in China.If success has to be achieved, then Google need to work against these challenges in a proper manner s o that Google can stay in China and wont be put in jeopardy. Decision to Continue Working in China: Putting all these factors into consideration, Google has to take a make a firm decision in whether they should continue to operate in China, or not. Google has to consider that there is huge growth in their markets and that even with the limitation on some information available, that they can still make progress in their growth. Because of this, Google should continue operating in Chine into the future (Weiss, 2008).Google needs to do a thorough review of the Chinese markets and take into consideration of all the financial implications associated with the potential of moving their business out of this market. The market in China is one of the strongest and largest in the world and if Google continues to operate in the country, then it is obvious that that they will have various benefits that will be available for its growth now as well as in the future. All the new progress being made in China will help Google to stay in the market. Though there are restrictions doesn’t mean that Google cannot operate in the country.Google has to consider the financial benefits it will gain if it decides to stay in the market. Taking this into consideration, Google should always continue its business on China. Google needs to expand its operations so that the benefits of China and its services can be appreciated to its full extent. Conclusion: In conclusion, Google should strongly consider continuing their business relationship with China. On the basis of the above discussion, it can be said that though there are various problems for Google in China, the financial benefits of working in China are much higher than if they were to move out.With all the factors to consider, Google should definitely continue its operations in China now and in the future. References Thompson, A. A, Peteraf, A. A. , Strickland, L. Gamble, E. J. ( 2012). Crafting and Executing Strategy: The Ques t for Competitive Advantage-Concepts and Cases 18th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bracker, H. (2011). Restrictions of Internet Provided Services in the People’s Republic of China: A Threat for Foreign Companies’ Internet Launch? GRIN Verlag.. Weiss, J. W. (2008). Business Ethics: A Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach. (5th ed. ). Cengage Learning.

Jean Baudrillard’s concept of the orders of simulacra Essay

‘A commodity appears at first sight, a very trivial thing, and easily understood. Its analysis shows that it is in reality, a very queer thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties’ (Marx). It has long been a condition of western culture to act for the accumulation of material objects. This is in part due to the capitalist nature of the world within which we live. Marx identifies in ‘The Critique of Capitalism’ the emergence of two new classes of people, namely ‘capitalists’ and ‘labourers’. The term ‘capitalist’ describes any person who has personal ownership of capital, which ‘consists of raw materials, instruments of labour and means of subsistence’ (Marx). In contrast a ‘labourer’ has only the value of his labour (life activity), which he exchanges with the capitalist for a wage and as such ‘the worker sinks to the level of commodity’ (Marx). Because the labourer produces for the capitalist a commodity of greater value than that of his wages and in addition those wages are paid back to the capitalist in return for subsistence, therefore social control in exerted over the working class, whilst providing the capitalist with excess commodity. The labourer consentingly becomes a slave to the system on which he depends. In addition Marx states that as the relation between capitalist and labourer (manufacturer and consumer) develops, so competition between rival capitalists becomes apparent. In effect the capitalist is forced to capture more of the market by selling goods more cheaply by the consolidation and exploitation of labour power e.g. by machinery. Such a strategy ultimately limits the demand for labour and so new industries must be developed for exploitation. These new industries are necessary because capital exists only in relation to its ability to command labour and social control and as such ‘they reciprocally condition the existence of each other’ (Marx). These forced increases in demand and therefore production are evident in the contemporary world market. Important to the development of Capitalism is the use of money which abstracts labour and commodity values to a common unit for the purpose of trade. In effect the labourer discovers that ‘the product of his activity is not the object of his activity’ (Marx) thus a level of abstraction occurs, which was consistent with the modernist values of the time. Karl Marx and early capitalism were mainly concerned with production which remains important but it was Situationist, Guy Debord, who gave the first insights into late capitalism and the theories that best apply to today’s world economics and culture of commodities. Debord, in his book ‘The Society of the Spectacle’, bases his examination of commodities around consumption, media, information and technology. As such Debord suggests that ‘in societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation.’ By this he means to describe the world and its products as mere appearances, where the real meanings and values of commodities are translated into signs. Essentially ‘it is a world vision that has been objectified’ (Debord). Debord explains the phenomenon of the spectacle as resulting from the ever increasing production of capitalism. Because competition between capitalists inevitably leads to an excess of produce, so consumer demand must be increased. Such an increase is controllable by the spectacle as ‘the real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions,’ (Debord) so he can be manipulated to believe he must consume beyond the basic necessity for survival e.g. leisure products. Therefore ‘the spectacle’s form and content are identically the total justification of the existing system’s conditions and goals’ (Debord). The spectacle is mediated in society ‘as information or propaganda, as advertisement or direct entertainment consumption,’ (Debord). The effects of the mediated spectacle tend to lead the consumer to an experience of alienation as the consumers’ want for commodities is dictated to serve and maintain capitalism. In addition the spectacle constantly reinforces itself, for example the television, which is in itself a product of the spectacle that is then used by the capitalist to implement the advertisement of other spectacles. Essentially the ‘spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society’ (Debord) and explains the transition from the ‘degradation of being into having’ to ‘having into appearing’ (Debord). Jean Baudrillard took Marx’s ‘Critique of Capitalism’ and Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle’ to their conclusions with his own theory of simulation and simulacra. Similar to the idea of the spectacle, Baudrillard describes a world where the subject of everything has been replaced by a semiological value that has become more important than the original, ‘real’ meaning of the object. This object he calls a ‘simulacra’. In ‘Simulacra and Simulation’ Baudrillard adds extra complexity to these ideas by establishing a hierarchy of simulation, which he gives four orders. In the first order the object is a copy of an original and so can be linked to a basic reality, for example a photograph of an actual event. The second order of simulation misrepresents the original subject; in the example the photography has been digitally manipulated in Photoshop to present a non-occurrence. In the third order a reality is recreated from a simulation of an original reality, when in fact, through the process of simulacra, the original has been lost, e.g. a scene is recreated from the digitally manipulated photograph of the original event. Finally, the forth order of simulation is the combined process of the first, second and third order to such an extent that the object bears no relation to reality or the original, for example the photograph has become a virtual reality. In this instance the link between reality and the signifying systems is almost impossible to ascertain, thus creating a ‘hyper-reality’. It is the use of one simulacra as a basis for the formation of another simulacra that shows the first signs of relevance to post modernity. Consequently, in post modernism, everything is understood in relation to everything that has come before, which in design manifests itself in referencing. Post modernism is also concerned with the fact that there is no right or wrong and essentially that no real truth exists. It is of course possible for a sign to make a transition through all four of the orders of simulation, constantly abstracting meaning and widening the gap between simulation and reality. However due to the complexity of repeated abstraction and signification it becomes necessary for an amount of speculation and simplification to occur when examining transitional examples. If we take, for example, the now famous emblem of automotive company Rolls Royce, it becomes apparent the extent to which a symbolic object can be re-simulated, each time loosing a part of it’s original meaning. ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’, designed by sculptor Charles Sykes and mass produced in 1911, is a cast metal emblem representing the figurine of a girl with arms outstretched to hold the folds of her gown blowing in the breeze. To the present day this emblem has been displayed on the bonnets of Rolls Royce cars and is the first order of simulation in terms of it being a representation of a real person from which the sculpture has been modelled. The object also references the figure heads of classic sailing ships in an attempt to convey the automotive product as an elegant, quite and reliable vehicle, which were the mediated associations with the brand during the early development of the company. In this instance the object enters the third order of simulation as a real event (model posing for sculptor) is created from an existing symbolic object (sailing boat figure heads) in order to be recreated as a new symbolic object (Spirit of Ecstasy emblem). At this point it is important to note that this example as an investigation could examine many more stages of referencing prior to the sign’s use as figure heads, though this could prove too difficult and inaccurate, again reinforcing the existence of a hyper-reality. The tea pot, designed by Michael Graves in 1985 for Alessi, brings the symbol to its conclusion. The tea pot employs a plastic emblem of a bird that is attached to the spout of the kettle and creates a whistling noise when the water is boiled. This creates a pun between the whistling of a kettle and the singing of bird but more importantly, its similar visual appearance (i.e. the wings of the bird and the outstretched arms and gown of the girl) makes a reference of Rolls Royce cars. Because during the late 20th century the values associated with Rolls Royce have matured to convey the brand as one of top class and status, so it are these value that are associated with Grave’s tea pot, supposed to the original associations that Rolls Royce was referencing from classic sailing ships. Therefore the product has clearly entered the forth order of simulation is it holds no relation to the original meaning that the original object as sign attempted to represent. Also, by referencing past signs, it can be described as a post modern object. Like Debord, Baudrillard agreed that simulation was important to the survival of capitalism as it, through mediation, can control the level of consumption within society. Baudrillard used the term ‘valorisation’ to describe the process through which symbolic objects attain value. An excellent example of valorisation is Pokemon cards, which are essentially printed illustrations on card and so their use value is very low. However, via mediation, Pokemon cards have been given a simulated symbolic value that has made them desirable and powerful as a commodity. As well as design, Baudrillard’s theory of simulation and simulacra has also proved influential in film making, for example in ‘The Matrix’, directed by the Wachowski brothers. The Matrix is set in the future at a time when the real world has been reduced to a desert waste land by a war between humanity and machines; after the invention of artificial intelligence. Because the machines are dependant on solar power, the humans have caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter by blocking out sunlight. This has caused the machines to retaliate by imprisoning humans in gel filled pods so that energy can be extracted from them in the form of heat. In order to control the humans in this procedure a computer simulated world called the matrix exists, that all of the imprisoned humans are connected to, living their lives in what they believe is the late 20th century, oblivious to the fact that their real bodies are in stasis in the real world. The film therefore acts as a metaphor for contemporary western cultures. Firstly the matrix is an existence of the fourth order of simulation in that it is a system of mere signs that are completely detached from reality, i.e. hyper-reality. Just as in contemporary cultures, the people who live in the matrix are unaware that they are controlled by a system through simulation. â€Å"You are a slave, neo, like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind†¦ What is the matrix? Control. The matrix is a computer generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this† (he holds up a copper battery) (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix). In addition the film suggests that the prisoners of the Matrix are also dependant upon it, to the extent that they will fight to protect it. Baudrillard’s idea of mediasation appears in the film when it is suggested that there was a machine â€Å"spawning a whole race of machines† (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix), thus the social control of the machines (mediation of signs) increasingly exert themselves with every new generation. Interestingly The Matrix seems to offer a solution to simulation and social control by the system, which is one of enlightenment. Once Neo understands the systems and can see the signs (computer code) of the matrix for what they really are, then he can choose to follow a different set of rules thus gaining control of his environment. As well as a theological basis on Baudrillard, The Matrix tends to convey the story via symbolic references and thus is post modern by nature. For example the ‘follow the white rabbit scene’ employs a tattoo of a white rabbit, which is referenced from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in order to convey the uncertainty in discovering the truth of an alternate reality. In the same scene Neo also opens a copy Baudrillard’s ‘Simulacra and Simulation’ in effect reinforcing links to that element of the film. In conclusion, I have identified the main themes surrounding Baudrillard’s orders of simulacra and simulation, shown how they relate to modern and post modern design and have given contemporary examples of their use in product design and film making. I believe that such an understanding of simulation has served well to better understanding referencing in post modernity. References Debord, G., (1977) The Society of the Spectacle, Black & Red Poster, M., (1998) Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings, Polity Press Tucker, R. C., (1978) The Marx – Engels Reader Second Edition, Norton & Company Bibliography Hebdige, D., (1994) Hiding in the Light, Routledge http://www.geneseo.edu/~bicket/panop/baudrillard.ht http://www.artisanitorium.thehydden.com/nonfiction/film/matrix.htm http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/master_frame.html

Chris Paul From CoSchedule

Customer Experience Is The New Brand W/ Chris Paul From How often do you think about customer experience? Marketers put tons of time and energy into creating a brand to communicate a value proposition that makes people feel a certain way about their company. But good marketers know that it’s not about brand, but brand perception developed through conversations and interactions with customers. Today, we’re talking to Chris Paul, head of customer experience at . He describes how different departments and employees at a company can work together to make sure they are on the same page when it comes to the company’s brand and adding value to customer experience. Learn about your brand from both customers and co-workers All products, services, and solutions evolve over time; so do customers’ needs and demands Consider product market fit and then pivot and make changes when necessary Dawn of a new era where customers are not afraid to tell you what they think Know customers’ experiences and expectations to create a  positive experience Help customers grow and be successful by orchestrating value and addressing their pain points/problems How to identify existing and future stakeholders Offer customers on-demand support via various channels, including social media Delegate and streamline support requests to effectively respond to customers Improve customer experience by aligning and collaborating with departments and teams, don’t silo them Links: Write a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to receive a cool swag bag! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes: â€Å"Product market fit will always, always change.† Chris Paul â€Å"People don’t trust brands anymore. They trust their peers or customers or reviews.† Eric Piela â€Å"What’s the experience the customer is expecting?† Chris Paul The customer is dictating the channel theyd like to communicate with and so were absolutely fine by that. Chris Paul

How to Improve Business Writing Skills [A Guide For 2018]

How to Improve Business Writing Skills [A Guide For 2018] How to ImproveBusiness Writing Skills: Start with Substance This post will detail how to improve your business writing skills. Syntax (language) and substance (content) are the two required elements that distinguish strongbusiness writing skills from weak. Although some business writing training treats substance and syntax as the same thing, they are actually two distinct skillsof business writing. Effective business writing begins with a keen analysis of the audience. The information in all documents and email needs to be customized to meet the needs of the reader. Audience needs drive the right content. For example, a sales letter written to customers needs tobe easy to comprehend and reflect information that is relevant and helpfulto the customer. A strategic report written for a senior manager should be accurate, concise, and relevant, and also include content relevant to thatmanager. An operational report or IT-related document can be highly technical, as experts in the field will read it and those experts would understand, need, and expect highly technical information. Your audience will always dictate the substance (the content) of your business documents. Correct sentence structure and even clear language will neveroffset content gaps. If your readers don't get the right information, the document will fail, no matter how perfectly the sentences are constructed. How to improve business writing skills? Remember this: Substance is more important than syntax. The former always precedes the latter. An impressive vocabulary will not save you from trouble if you’re unaware of your target audienceor are unable to reword information to match your reader’s level of understanding. Similarly, a business report that is grammatically correct might notconvey the right informationif it is not planned and written properly. When training to improve business writing, writing experts and trainers often focus too much on syntax (the word choice and grammar and sentence structures) andneglect improving the substance (the content and information) of business writing. This is a mistake. Here is a brief look into substance, its importance, and how can you improve it. How to ImproveBusiness Writing Skills: Start with Substance Remember your Grade 7 English classes where you had to read through a comprehension passage and briefly summarize it within 100 words? Substance in business writing workssimilarly. What information most matters to the reader to help them know or do what you want? Improving the substance in business writing is all about: Analyzing audience to determine what information a reader needs. Extracting relevant and significantinformation from complex ideas. In other words, it means having the ability to summarize large chunks of data or facts into information that is meaningful for the reader. Before you consider investing in workshops and seminars to improve business writing skills, you need to perform a simple test. Give your employees heaps of information and ask them to extract the most relevant information from it and summarize it in a short statement. If the employees or team members cannot do this easily and well, it's a sure diagnosis thatyou need to focus on improving the substance element of your employees'business writing. Practice Improving Business Writing Skills Substance in business writing can be improved through continual on-the-job training. You can either lead a few exercises on your own or call in professional help. Ifyou want to do it on your own, here are a few activities you can conduct to judge and analyze the substanceof your employees'business writing: Ask your employees why a project should it be funded. If the response is a ten-page disorganized report, then you needbusiness writingtrainingthat focuses on organization, extraction of key information and appropriate substance. Ask your employees for solutions to any problem at work. Practical and well-summarized solutions indicate your employees’ strong analytical and writing skills. A potential employee’s response to, â€Å"Why should we hire you?† during an interviewoffers a clear insight about his or her writing and communication skills. If he or she cannot verbally extract the key information points verbally, he or she won't do it well in writing either. Watch how individual employees summarize theminutes of meetings, summarize analysis reports, or verbally summarizerelevant insights discussed at meetings. All of these writing tasks require mastery of good substance/content in business writing. If you see any murky summaries, that is your clear diagnosis that you need to focus on improving the content and substance of your employees business writing. Don't start with syntax. Focus on substance and content in this situation. Fine TuneYour Employees' Business Writing Skills When deciding on whether employees need to improve their business writing, analyze the substance of all employee documents. A well written business document or email or report contains four essential elements: Audience awareness Content that is relevant to that specific audience Logically categorized content Properly sequenced information When you encounter a document that does not present information clearly, figure out if the issue is a problem with audience awareness, or irrelevant content, or disorganization, or poor sequencing. This will help you fine tune both the corrections and training plan. Tip:To underscore that writing matters in your organization, evaluate employee business writing skills, includingimprovement efforts, in all employee performance appraisals. What counts is what's counted. If you tell your employees that "strong business writing skills" are a requirement of a position, measure those skills. To learn more on how to improve the substance of all business documents and how to integrate business writing skills in employee appraisals, download my book â€Å"Four steps to improve your Team’s Business Writing Skills† today!

What Are the Ivy League Schools Acceptance Rates for 2018

What Are the Ivy League Schools' Acceptance Rates for 2018 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The eight schools in the Ivy League are among the most well-known and selective universities, both within and outside of the U.S. Because of this, Ivy League (and similarly selective non-Ivy) schools have tens of thousands of students from whom to choose their class of 2023. But what are Ivy League schools' acceptance rates, and how have those rates changed over time? In this analysis, we'll look at Ivy League admissions, from the number of applicants to the number of students who ultimately end up attending. In addition to the eight Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, and Yale), we'll also consider eight equally selective non-Ivy League national universities: Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Northwestern, Stanford, UChicago, and Vanderbilt. Ivy League Schools: Acceptance Rate Averages and Range So what's the most recent data on undergraduate Ivy acceptance rates? We've sleuthed out this information for you and compiled it into a chart below. School # Applied # Admitted % Admitted Stanford 47451 2071 4.4% Harvard 42749 1962 4.6% Columbia 40203 2214 5.5% Princeton 35370 1941 5.5% Yale 35308 2229 6.3% MIT 21706 1464 6.7% Caltech* 7339 568 7.7% Brown 35437 2718 7.7% UChicago 32291 2329 7.2% Northwestern 40426 3392 8.4% UPenn 44491 3731 8.4% Duke 37302 3097 8.3% Dartmouth 22033 1925 8.7% Vanderbilt 34299 3050 8.9% Johns Hopkins 29129 2894 9.9% Cornell 51324 5448 10.6% Average (Overall) 36635 2698 7.4% Average (Ivies) 38364 2771 7.2% *Caltech has not released its 2018 data as of this article's publication, so we've used 2017 data here. As you can see from the chart, the Ivy League and non-Ivy League schools are neck-in-neck as far as applicants, admitted students, and admission percentages go. For lowest 2018 acceptance rate, non-Ivy Stanford (with a 4.4% acceptance rate) just barely beat out Harvard (with a 4.6% acceptance rate). On the other end of the spectrum, the Ivy League school with the highest acceptance rate is Cornell (10.6 % undergraduate acceptance rate overall), which is just slightly more than the school with the next-highest rate, non-Ivy Johns Hopkins (9.9%). When it comes to Ivy League admissions, though, last year's acceptance rates are just a peek into the process. To predict what trends are going to look like for this coming admissions season, we need more data. Ivy League Admissions: 2014-2018 A disclaimer before we dive in: it's true that past admission rates aren't necessarily a sure-fire guarantee of what admissions rates will be like in the future for Ivy League (and other top-tier) schools. Cornell might decide that it wants to decrease its class sizes, causing its admissions rates to suddenly plummet; alternatively, students might decide they don't want to apply to any schools with frat scenes, which would cause Ivy League admissions rates to spike. But putting the unknowns of the future aside, it's still helpful to look at Ivy League admissions trends over the last five years to get some idea of what to expect for this admissions season. We've graphed the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 admissions rates for Ivy League and similarly-competitive national universities below. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Admissions rates overall have trended downwards since 2014, with top schools becoming more and more selective. Based on the data we've collected, this trend is largely due to more students applying to schools, rather than schools accepting fewer students per year. You can see how the number of applicants to each school has increased at roughly the same rate as acceptance rates have gone down in the graph below: Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Just by eyeballing the graph above, it's clear that for most schools, the number of applicants 2014-2018 increased and so the acceptance rates decreased. The data from the last five years also make it pretty clear that the decrease in acceptance rates is not at all caused by schools accepting fewer and fewer students each year. As the graph below shows, most Ivy-level schools have stable or even increased class sizes over time. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Pay attention in particular to the flatness of the dotted lines showing the average number of students admitted overall and to Ivy League schools in particular. Aside from Cornell, Northwestern, and Johns Hopkins, every other school on the graph admitted either around the same number of students over the course of five years. By looking not just at Ivy League college acceptance rates over time, but also at the raw numbers of applicants and admitted students, it's clear that there's not a whole lot of variation in how many students Ivy League schools are accepting each year. Most of what's making Ivy-caliber schools more and more selective is the increased volume of students applying. There's one final piece of the puzzle to discuss, though, and that is each school's yield, or the percent of accepted students who decide to enroll at a college. Not that kind of yield. Ivy League Undergraduate Enrollment In the Ivy League admissions game, there are two main factors that schools care about. We already discussed one aspect of admissions to top-tier national universities, which is admissions rates (which depend on the number of applicants and number of students admitted). The lower the admission rate, the more selective the school is seen as being (which leads to schools being higher-ranked, which leads to more people knowing about those schools and applying to them, which leads to lower admission rates...and so on). Besides acceptance rates, the main other factor Ivy-level schools care about is their yield, or how many of the students admitted end up enrolling. Schools want their yield to be high because it demonstrates that students really want to attend their schools. More desirable schools end up ranked higher, which drives more high-achieving students to apply to the schools, which allows the schools to have their pick of applicants. Yield also informs acceptance rates. Based on years of admissions data, schools know almost exactly how many students they need to admit to get the class size that they want. The difference between knowing almost exactly how many students will enroll and the exact number is the reason for waitlists: if more students decline admission than expected, schools still need to fill their incoming freshman class. As a general rule, the lower a school's yield, the higher its acceptance rate. This usually happens because schools with lower yields need to admit more students (AKA have a higher acceptance rate), since a lower percentage of those accepted will attend. So how does this play out in the Ivy League Plus admissions field? While Ivy acceptance rates don't vary a huge amount (from Harvard's 4.5% to Cornell's 10.6% in 2018), the yield rates of Ivy League schools vary quite a great deal. Let's look at a chart of the yield for all students enrolling in Ivy League-caliber universities Fall 2017 (since the data for Fall 2018 hasn't been released by all schools yet). School % Admitted # Admitted # Attending Yield Stanford 4.7% 2085 1703 81.7% Harvard 5.2% 2037 1687 82.8% Columbia 6.1% 2263 1405 62.1% Princeton 6.4% 1990 1306 65.6% Yale 6.9% 2285 1579 69.1% MIT 7.2% 1452 1097 75.6% Caltech 7.7% 568 235 41.4% Brown 8.5% 2779 1639 59.0% UChicago 8.7% 2419 1740 71.9% Northwestern 9.2% 3442 1903 55.3% UPenn 9.3% 3757 2456 65.4% Duke 9.8% 3261 1748 53.6% Dartmouth 10.3% 2093 1217 58.1% Vanderbilt 10.9% 3415 1607 47.1% Johns Hopkins 11.8% 3133 1349 43.1% Cornell 12.7% 5962 3349 56.2% Average 8.5% 2684 1626 61.7% Average Ivies 8.2% 2896 1830 64.8% Note: Data in table is for freshmen who started college Fall 2017. Unlike the mere six-percent range of Ivy League Plus acceptance rates, the yield rates for Ivy League Plus schools range from the lowest yield rate, Caltech's 41.4%, to the doubly-high yield rate (82.8%) of Harvard. In other words, in Fall 2017, relative to the number of students admitted, more than twice as many first-year students enrolled at Harvard as at Caltech. Because Harvard's admission rate is a couple of percentage points lower than Caltech (and because Harvard has a liberal arts undergraduate program, while Caltech is an engineering school), it makes sense that there would be a difference in yield rate between the two schools. However, there are still some pretty startling gaps between school yield rates, even for schools with similar acceptance rates and academic focuses. For instance, MIT (8.3% admitted) had a yield of 72.7%, while Caltech (8.8% admitted) had a yield of 41.4%. Are these trends consistent over time? Let's look at yield over the last five years for these same schools. Data for 2018 comes from sources linked in chart; data for 2014-2017 comes from schools' publicly available Common Data Sets or equivalent school pages. Overall, for most of these top 16 schools, yield rate has gone up over the last few years. This indicates that not only are schools accepting fewer students each year, but more students are also accepting the offers of admission they can get. However, unlike acceptance rate (which is very much within the control of the school), how many students decide to enroll after being admitted is much more dependent on the attitudes of the students admitted. Yield can be affected by factors as clearly related to enrollment as financial aid packages or as seemingly tangential to enrollment as a public exposà © of a school's toxic social atmosphere. To make their yields more predictable, most top universities (including all the ones mentioned in this article) have some kind of early admissions policy (whether it's early decision, restrictive early action, or just plain ol' early action). In the next section, we'll discuss how schools nail down their yields through these early admissions programs. Want to get into Harvard or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Yield and Early Admissions at Top Universities Looking at applicant numbers over the years, it's clear that Ivy League schools aren't suffering from lack of choice when it comes to their applicant pool. While it's true that better-qualified applicants tend to apply early, there's no doubt that any of the sixteen schools we've mentioned in this article could get rid of their early admissions program this year and still be able to fill their class of 2023 with eminently qualified students. However, in addition to netting schools high-qualified candidates, early admissions programs also have the distinct benefit of boosting a school's yield. Having binding early decision programs mean that before regular admissions starts, schools can be assured that they've already met anywhere from 20-35% of their yield goals. This early admissions yield boost can even carry over for schools which offer non-binding admission programs, also known as early action programs. For example, in 2018, 56.8% of freshman who enrolled in Harvard were early admit students. The chart below shows early admission stats for students applying Fall 2017. Schools with non-binding early admission programs (AKA early action programs) are italicized. School Early Applied Early Admitted Early Admit % Total Admitted Total Admit % Stanford 750 2071 4.4% Harvard 6630 964 14.5% 1962 4.6% Columbia 4085 2214 5.5% Princeton 5402 799 14.8% 1941 5.5% Yale 5733 842 14.7% 2229 6.3% MIT 9571 664 6.9% 1464 6.7% Brown 3502 738 21.1% 2718 7.7% Northwestern 4049 1072 26.5% 3392 8.4% UPenn 7074 1312 18.5% 3731 8.4% Duke 4090 875 21.4% 3097 8.3% Dartmouth 2270 565 24.9% 1925 8.7% Johns Hopkins 2037 610 29.9% 2894 9.9% Cornell 6325 1549 24.5% 5448 10.6% Average* 5064* 895* 19.8%* 2698 7.4% Average (Ivies) 5128 967** 19.0%** 2771 7.2% *for all schools reporting data. Caltech, UChicago, and Vanderbilt are omitted due to lack of data.**for all Ivies except Columbia As you can see from this chart, early admission acceptance rates for these highly selective schools are double, or even triple, those for students applying regular decision (or deferred after early admission). The takeaway from this is that if you're a "borderline" admissions case, early admission might make the difference between being accepted and rejected. A note of caution: early decision and early action admission rates being higher than regular admission rates are more a reflection of qualified students deciding they want to apply early than schools admitting students because they applied early. If you're just applying to a school as a shoot the moon kind of chance, you're not going to get admitted just because you applied early instead of regular decision. However, if you're "borderline" in some way (e.g. your test scores aren't at the 75th percentile, or your GPA isn't quite where you'd want it to be, but you're otherwise qualified), applying early will give you your best shot at getting admitted to Ivy League Plus schools. 5 Tips to Boost Your Ivy League Admissions Chances So far, we've gone through the hard data of Ivy League schools' acceptance rates and yields over time, analyzed trends, and discussed why schools care about these admissions metrics. Moving from the abstract to the concrete, we'll now give you five tips for how to increase your chances of getting into one of the elite national universities we discussed in this article. Tip 1: Show Your Passion in Your Application Ideally, your college application will tell a story about what kind of student you have been (and suggest what kind of student you will be). As PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng writes in his article on how to get into Harvard and the Ivy League, highly selective national universities care more that you demonstrate your passion for one subject than your ability to be well-rounded. Rather than aiming for diversity within each student, Ivy League-caliber schools aim for diversity among students. Practically speaking, this means that instead of showing elite universities that you can do anything and everything well enough, you need to show them that you can do a few things really well and are really interested in those things. Tip 2: Aim for High Test Scores and a Standout High School GPA Universities who regularly receive a high volume of applications use standardized test scores (mostly SAT/ACT) and GPA as filters to decide which applications to even read through at all. Going through tens of thousands of applications is simply not practical when the majority of students are submitting their applications early January and expect to hear back by mid- to late-March. Even Caltech, with its ~7,500 applications, would have to go through roughly 80 applications a day between the date applications are due and when students get notified. When you consider the existence of non-workdays and the fact that admissions officers "need sleep because they're not undead," it makes sense that schools use test scores and GPAs as filters. Yes, it hurts to feel like you're being reduced down to a few numbers. But on the other hand, that means that there are a few clear indicators of success that you can aim for. Tip 3: Take Rigorous Courses Related to Your Interests Highly selective schools care almost as much about what classes you take as about how well you do in them. This doesn't mean that you have to take every difficult course in your school, but you should take the most rigorous courses that fit in with the narrative of your application. For instance, if you're applying to schools with the narrative that you're a math nerd who loves working on solving p vs np in her spare time, schools will look a little askance at you if you're taking the easiest math and physics courses at your school, even if you're taking advanced English or History classes. A real-life example of this is a high-school friend of mine, M, who took rigorous courses in all subjects throughout high school, including AP Calculus BC in junior year. When M got to her senior year, she had a choice of taking AP Statistics (the only other math class available to her) or Film and Media Studies, which was a non-honors level English class that involved analyzing films. Because M was so deeply passionate about film (she'd started a film club at our school), she decided to take the non-honors English class instead of a math class senior year. Now, granted, she still was taking AP Spanish, AP Bio, AP Macroeconomics, and AP English Lit, so she was still pursuing advanced coursework in the areas that interested her (and ended up taking the equivalent of two English classes); however, the fact remains that M didn't take a math class senior year...and still got accepted early decision to UPenn. To figure out what advanced coursework makes sense for you (and what is unnecessary), we strongly recommend reading our blog articles on what and how many APs Ivy League schools require and what high school classes in general Ivy League schools like to see on students' transcripts. Tip 4: Strive for Quality, Not Quantity in Your Extracurriculars Just as you should focus your academic rigor in the areas that most interest you, you should also focus your extracurricular time on the activities that match up best with your interests. When it comes to non-academic activities (music, sports, community service, and so on), you want to aim for quality over quantity and dedication over broadness. Even if you don't end up pursuing the interests you had in high school in colleges, showing that you are capable of focus and dedication to excellence in a particular area will help your college application. Consider the following two hypothetical students. Candidate A participated in Math Olympiad in your school for one year and in math club a different year. Colleges are not likely to find this super inspiring, even if the student has excelled in her math classes otherwise. On the other hand, consider Candidate B, who was captain of her high school fencing team for two years (after two years on the team). Even if this student doesn't go on to fence in college, the fact that she was willing to put the time and energy into sticking with the same thing for four years (and took a leadership role as captain for two of those years) makes her a better candidate than candidate A. Tip 5: Ensure All Parts of Your Application Are Top-Notch While test scores, GPA, course rigor, and extracurriculars are usually the most important factors for applications to Ivy League or other top-tier national universities, you can still affect your chances with stand-out letters of recommendation, personal statements, and application supplements or portfolios. A strong letter of recommendation from a teacher who's seen you grow as a student, a well-written personal statement that reveals something not evident elsewhere in your application, or an impressive portfolio of work (whether oil paintings or web apps) give schools more points of data for whether or not they should accept you. This admissions officer cannot believe how secure the web apps you've developed are. Or he's floored by the fact that you can levitate your computer. Either way, impressive! What's Next? Now that you've had a look at the admission rates for these elite universities, you might be wondering what kind of test scores you need to get in. We tell you what good scores are for Ivy League schools plus MIT, Stanford, and UChicago here. You know how these schools compare acceptance- and yield-wise, but what about across other dimensions like student satisfaction and graduation outcomes? Find out what our current Ivy League Rankings are and what those rankings really mean in this article. If you're a student athlete, your path into top-tier colleges might be slightly different from what we've described in this article. Learn more about Ivy League athletic recruiting in this article. Looking for a detailed guide on how to be one of the ≠¤10% accepted to Ivy League Plus schools? Read PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng's reflections on his college application and tips for how you can get into Harvard and other Ivy League-level schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Organizational Behavior Study Case Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example The reason why she is well liked is not because she is just nice. Jennifer is well liked because people just knew they could count on her and thus making her popular. She also has manifested traits of leadership beginning on the early days of his career which signify that her leadership skills are genuine and is not a pretension just to get the post. Her leadership achievements included helping to form the first union, getting grants, writing skits for the faculty clubs annual follies, and going out of her way to befriend everyone who needed support. In addition, she also has an inexorable source of energy which is essential for leaders. She also knew the university well having built her career there. She was the President of the Faculty Senate and served as vice president for 10 years and handled difficult issues such as academic complaints and overseeing several committees. Jennifer however is not the perfect candidate for the position because she lacked outside experience and her strength could also be the source of her weakness. Essentially, Jennifer Treeholm’s experience only revolved around Mid West University. This means that she lack the diversity of experience and exposure to the professional world. She is also extremely close to her peers which may not work well when she becomes President because it may cloud her objectivity running the danger of playing favorites. Their every-Friday-night watering hole is also not healthy if she becomes President because it would be considered inappropriate for a university president to be on a drinking binge with her subordinates. Weighing Jennifer Treeholm’s strength against her weakness however still does not make her a lesser option or a bad option for the post. Her weakness can be easily overcome if she chose to. She has a Ph.D and most likely knows that being too close to a one group of people is not good especially if they are their subordinates. She

People, Organizations and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People, Organizations and Management - Essay Example The strategic management of human resources has been a rapidly growing area, in research, within human resources. There have been numerous links between the HR and the firm’s performance. In choosing of an effective managerial structure, and setting of an organization structure, teamwork and team working are the fundamental areas that should be observed. This should also include organizational design and structure, and organizational culture. No management system can work effectively if these fundamental areas are not effectively analyzed, since they play a significant roles, in the making of a good management system, which is crucial to the achievement of organization’s objectives. This paper seeks to compare and contrast two management systems, and discuss the differences with respect to the three fundamental areas of management. Teamwork and team working Effective teams, which continue to work towards a unified objective, are the foundation of every organization†™s success. Every team member should create a culture of trust and positive energy. For any team to achieve its objective, its members should set aside their personal differences and interests. If the success of an organization is largely influenced by the quality of its leaders, the level of teamwork displayed by a team is influenced by efforts of the people who compose it. Therefore, any team that wishes to be successful should encourage its members to be active in the planning stage, and be open to ideas and positive feedback. All management systems have unique teamwork and team working approaches. Designing team-based organizations addresses issues concerning the implementation of teams, and the focus is on the design that is required to support the attaining of organization’s objectives (Stewart et al,2001 p320). A team is a group of people who are brought together to serve a common interest. Each member of a team should have relevant skills required to achieve the tar geted task. As organizations become more complex, the team-based methodology of solving problems becomes more common than old systems of management (Stanford, 2007 p58). Organizations may choose to use the team approach, in their organization, or to use the one-man one problem approach. The two study cases provided involve two organizations involved in different fields of business. Biogenia is a world-leading business that is involved, in the production of crop-protection products. This organization has a workforce of 15,000 employees, and has branches, in over 80 countries. Sleepeasy, on the other hand, is a mid-market hotel chain that involved in the business traveler and city-break tourist. The company also has branches in different countries. In the area of teamwork, the management of these two organizations display different approaches to teamwork and team working. Biogenia is an organization that promotes cross-functional working, in project teams. It sees teamwork as an essen tial management system of achieving constant product improvement and innovation. On the other hand, Sleepeasy has a policy, which the management does not show reliance on teamwork. In this case, members of the hotel staff are employed to fulfill certain functions in the hotel. These organizations employ different teamwork approaches, which best suit their business. For instance, Biogenia organization uses a number of projects that require the use of teamwork to come up with their products. In

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Motivation - Essay Example The company deals in gold jewellery, diamonds, silver and pearls. There are more than 14 outlets of all 3 categories. My role is of managing the business, staff and production decisions of Gold Mold Inc. (GM )The firm employs more than a hundred employees and I generally overlook the areas of staff problems and promotions, new designs and exhibitions for all these outlets. The most recent crisis occurred in the past few months where I had been designated to choose a new factory and retail site for our group of companies. The site in question which was nominated by the consultants would appear to have everything. It was close to a railway station, bus services are fairly good from the middle and west of the district and was a popular area for professional staff to live. We could have drained the land (a small water feature would be an attractive low cost possibility). It was a prestige site in what is a very desirable part of the district. The large number of golf sites and good green space within walking distance further add to the attractiveness of the site as a commercial centre. However the only problem was that the nature reserve itself had been declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the presence of Great Crested Newts in some of the ponds and wetlands. There have been recent instances where development still pressed ahead despite the presence of these creatures but this resulted in delays & bad publicity due to strong opposition from environmental and wildlife groups. One representative of a bank involved in the group of development consultants and an ardent supporter of this site has put forward the idea, in confidence, that for a small sum it might be possible to â€Å"rid ourselves of the Newts†. This is certainly an attractive site and must not be ruled out. If the problems can be resolved relatively quickly and without too much cost building a Jewellery retail and factory

Dark Play Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dark Play - Research Paper Example During dark play, some of the players are not normally aware of their involvement in the game, for example, a con game. It is the form of paly that normally involves fantasies, luck, daring, deception and invention. Dark play can normally be private, and it is only the player that may be aware of their engagement. It can normally erupt suddenly and can involve a bit of micro play that seizes a player resulting to a quick collapse. This can normally be in the form of a wisecrack, a delirium or it may involve a deadly risk. Dark play tends to subvert orders, breaking of rules and it may involve the dissolution of frames. During dark play, the play is normally in danger of destruction. The dangers that may result to the destruction of the playing process include; cases of spying, and con games. Dark play cannot normally be compared to the carnival because the inversions in clown plays are normally sanctioned by the authorities and they are, therefore, considered legal. Dark play is norm ally subversive, and it agendas tend to be hidden. In dark play, the players are normally rewarded through disruption or deceit (Huizinga, 187). Dark play being a form of paly that involves deception or subversion, it is evident that some the players are not normally aware of their involvement in the game. This form of paly normally lacks meta-communication, as the players tend to think it is just play without thinking of its consequences. It tends to occur mostly in instances where contradictory realities tend to co-exist. In this instance, the player assumes that each instance is likely to cancel out the other. An example illustrating dark paly is evident in the creation of a flash mob. The flash mob is normally a group of people interacting through the use of electronic media with an intention to gather at a predetermined site, in order to perform a brief, but silly action. These people are normally seen to disperse as soon as they finish performing the

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy Essay

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy During the 16th Century - Essay Example Heresy, being a deadly poison generated within the organism of the Church, must be ejected if she is to live and perform her task of continuing Christ's work of salvation. Each pastor in his parish, each bishop in his diocese, is in duty bound to keep the faith of his flock untainted; to the supreme pastor of all the Churches is given the office of feeding the whole Christian flock (Wilhelm). The power granted to the Catholic Church of expelling heresy is an important factor in the constitution of the Church. The power of rejecting heresy however needs to adapt into the social and political circumstances of the time. In the beginning, the Catholic Church exercises its power without an organization. The bishops were able to find heresies in their congregation and checking the progress with all its power vested upon it by the hierarchy. When a heresy gathered support and proved a danger to the Church, the bishops assembled in councils, provincial, metropolitan, national, or ecumenical to discuss the matter (Wilhelm). In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a selected council of bishops, or ecumenical council, such as the First Council of Nicaea. Actually, the Catholic Church had little power to punish heretics in the early years, other than by excommunication, a spiritual punishment. Excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible because it separated the believer from the body of Christ or the Church. Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views (Heresy).In the years that followed, the Catholic Church instituted the Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis Sanctum Officium), an office of the Roman Catholic Church charged with suppressing heresy. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies (Inquisition). The Inquisition was active in several nations of Europe, particularly where it had fervent support from the civil author ity (Heresy).The Catholic Church however, never had executed anyone for heresy. Rather, the Church turned over heretics to the respective governments for execution. Thus making heresy a part of political self-definition and exclusion (Bambrick et al). When Constantine had taken upon himself the office of lay bishop, episcopus externus, and put the secular arm at the service of the Church, the laws against heretics became more and more rigorous. Under the purely ecclesiastical discipline no temporal punishment could be inflicted on the obstinate heretic, except the damage which might arise to his personal dignity through being deprived of all intercourse with his former brethren (Wilhelm). Why it was not possible for the Catholic Church to stamp out heresyDuring the 16th century During the 16th century, stamping out heresy became more difficult due to varied reasons such as the Black Death, changes in the society, especially the corruption and moral decay within the Catholic Church. The 16th century is the period in which the medieval Church was defining itself and unifying its identity (Bambrick et al). The Catholic Chur

Business Process Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Process Change - Research Paper Example Four Winds Hospital is a medium health organization that specializes in psychiatric care. The core mission of the hospital is to offer extemporary services to patients with mental illness. Like other health organizations, the hospital is often faced with the need to balance its business objectives and social responsibilities. Q#2 From your research of the organization, identify a single Business Process Change that the organization will need to contemplate and undertake in the coming year. These changes can result from new technologies, economic issues, or changes in the marketplace. According to J. Burke (2010), organizations need to ensure that their business operations are in line with the current changes in technology. In the wake of the modern technological innovations, many organizations have sought to refurbish their systems and structures by adopting technological mechanisms in their operations. Technology has been widely accepted as a system enabler and an element that would contribute to better results, efficient operations, and other positive aspects associated with any productive culture (Ogus, 2007). In particular, introduction of Electronic Medical Records is expected to bring about significant changes in the operational changes of the organization (Kalb, 2005). ... Burke, 2010). The EMR system is also expected to contribute to employee’s satisfaction through increased efficiency and accuracy (Sharfstein, Dickerson, & Oldham, 2009). In addition, the EMR system is expected to revitalize the hospital’s influence on the market. Changes in organization are expected to solve logistical challenges that have slowed administrative and clinical processes at the Winds Psychiatric Hospital. The organizational change at the hospital should be viewed within the framework of total quality management. Q#3 Utilizing the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) outline briefly what changes need to be undertaken at each of the 5-stages (pages xxxiii-xxxiv). The capability maturity model (CMM) will be helpful in refining the organization’s growth and strategies. This will be achieved through effective strategies and software design. Four Winds Hospital needs to implement changes in its management, technology and market approach. Using CMM, the business managers will be able to measure the effectiveness of each of the business approaches or changes (Macmillan, 2007). The system will also enable the hospital to track its changes and developments in relation to EMR application (Luo, 2006). Firstly, the organization needs to adopt a communication system that facilitates efficiency and consistency. The EMR system will enhance effectiveness of communication within the organization and communication between the organization and its business associates. Data appertaining to clients will be handled in a more organized and efficient way that would help solve the challenges of logistics and delays that have been occasioned by the manual systems of information management (Ball, Weaver, & Kiel, 2004). Although face-to-face

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy Essay

Why It Was Not Possible for the Catholic Church To Stamp out Heresy During the 16th Century - Essay Example Heresy, being a deadly poison generated within the organism of the Church, must be ejected if she is to live and perform her task of continuing Christ's work of salvation. Each pastor in his parish, each bishop in his diocese, is in duty bound to keep the faith of his flock untainted; to the supreme pastor of all the Churches is given the office of feeding the whole Christian flock (Wilhelm). The power granted to the Catholic Church of expelling heresy is an important factor in the constitution of the Church. The power of rejecting heresy however needs to adapt into the social and political circumstances of the time. In the beginning, the Catholic Church exercises its power without an organization. The bishops were able to find heresies in their congregation and checking the progress with all its power vested upon it by the hierarchy. When a heresy gathered support and proved a danger to the Church, the bishops assembled in councils, provincial, metropolitan, national, or ecumenical to discuss the matter (Wilhelm). In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a selected council of bishops, or ecumenical council, such as the First Council of Nicaea. Actually, the Catholic Church had little power to punish heretics in the early years, other than by excommunication, a spiritual punishment. Excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible because it separated the believer from the body of Christ or the Church. Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views (Heresy).In the years that followed, the Catholic Church instituted the Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis Sanctum Officium), an office of the Roman Catholic Church charged with suppressing heresy. The Inquisition was a permanent institution in the Catholic Church charged with the eradication of heresies (Inquisition). The Inquisition was active in several nations of Europe, particularly where it had fervent support from the civil author ity (Heresy).The Catholic Church however, never had executed anyone for heresy. Rather, the Church turned over heretics to the respective governments for execution. Thus making heresy a part of political self-definition and exclusion (Bambrick et al). When Constantine had taken upon himself the office of lay bishop, episcopus externus, and put the secular arm at the service of the Church, the laws against heretics became more and more rigorous. Under the purely ecclesiastical discipline no temporal punishment could be inflicted on the obstinate heretic, except the damage which might arise to his personal dignity through being deprived of all intercourse with his former brethren (Wilhelm). Why it was not possible for the Catholic Church to stamp out heresyDuring the 16th century During the 16th century, stamping out heresy became more difficult due to varied reasons such as the Black Death, changes in the society, especially the corruption and moral decay within the Catholic Church. The 16th century is the period in which the medieval Church was defining itself and unifying its identity (Bambrick et al). The Catholic Chur

Energy Use, Ethics, and Global Climate Change Term Paper

Energy Use, Ethics, and Global Climate Change - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, the forbearance array is not equal in all species, and thus, disclosure to environmental conditions at the maximum limit of a certain being's tolerance scope symbolizes environmental stress (Anil, 35). Environmental studies refer to the research and analyses made regarding environment, its degradation levels, and the appropriate ways to maintain or better its current status. This paper seeks to analyze the current energy policies in all levels, and the various ways and effects of constructing and developing an appropriate lifestyle through the environment. The science of climate change This refers to the study concerning the planet’s climate system, and how it has been undergoing various changes over time. The earth’s climate structure has always been experiencing change. The universal climate change is the varying, in the long-term, of the climate outline that typifies the various parts of the world (Anil, 56). Earth’s climate has forever been chan ging in regard to temperature, as proved by the great fluctuations in hotness. Since about 150000 years ago, the mean worldwide temperature dipped for approximately 15000 years, and then started to augment stridently for close to 10000 years. After that, it dropped again, and then remained comparatively constant, though it continued to alter by about 1 to 2 degrees. The mean temperature then dipped sharply roughly 80000 years ago, and then upped again, sub sequenced by an additional 35000 years of relatively steady temperature. Soon after, the temperature dropped progressively till approximately 15000 years ago, then began to rise drastically, while only showing a small decline in the speed of increase in the precedent 2000 years. Though the pace of change decreased slightly throughout the past 5000 years, the universal average temperature is still rising (Joseph, 58). Nonetheless, temperature is not the lone climatic aspect that is currently changing swiftly. The concentration of c onservatory gases in the air has increased rapidly over the precedent two centuries, and this, in reality, the main reason behind the increase in the mean global temperature. The present rate of alteration in the level of carbon dioxide in the air is an issue that has raised much worry among scientists. Globally, the concentration of CO2 has amplified from just about 280 parts per million (0.028%) to about (0.0365%). even though the swell may seem to be inconsequential, the increase implies that approximately 3 billion metric tons of CO2 are injected to the atmosphere every year. Scientifically, this increase is in the region of about 30.4%. This figure exhibits the extent of effect in progress. As CO2 soaks up heat, more CO2 being injected into the atmosphere implies that the globe’s temperature will tend to rise in concurrence with the increases in the level of concentration of CO2 in the air. Climatologists have noticed a minute but sturdy increase in the international ave rage temperatures over the past years (Denis, 94). Given the current tempo of change, and the potential insinuations they could have on the present world, the world, through scientists, is justified in being alarmed about the particular rate of vary, instead of the said changes. The reason behind this is that changes on a trivial level would have a negligible effect.

What do you find most effective in Hardys technique Essay Example for Free

What do you find most effective in Hardys technique Essay What do you find most effective in Hardys technique as a writer of short stories featuring the supernatural? Give consideration to his portrayal of character and his use of narrative development. By: Zahrah Macci Throughout literature history writers have made use of peoples fascination with the macabre. Hardy like many other Victorian writers enjoyed writing short stories which have a lot to do with his fascination with the supernatural. He was an eminent writer who wrote in different types of genres. Two of the famous novels written by Hardy are The Return of the Native and Jude the Obscure. The word supernatural is defined as things that cannot be explained according to natural laws the Withered Arm is full of inexplicable events such as Rhodas vision and Conjurer Trendles way of intuiting that Gertrudes ailment was the work of an enemy. The withered arm like many of Hardys stories has an unexpected ending mainly due to complex relationships between the main characters. Hardy tries to convey the idea of Wessex as a historical landscape by using personification and thereby comparing things to the human anatomy. For example Rhodas cottage which has channels of depressions which are reminiscent of the skin of an aged person. The simile the thatch above a rafter showed like a bone protruding through the skin gives the impression the rafter is rather like a human being. Egdon Heath is a brooding and mysterious place; it has an un-hospitable landscape, very few people choose to live there. The dark countenence of Egdon heath seems to look down on the main characters. Although many would describe Casterbridge as an enlightened city it is the exact antithesis of what we would expect from a so-called civilised place, where hanging is a form of entertainment. It is every bit as barbaric as the old fashioned and superstitious country side. In a good short story there is usually one narrative thread and a focus on 2 or 3 main characters and themes. The three main characters in The Withered Arm are Farmer Lodge, Rhoda Brook and Gertrude Lodge. There are complicated love affairs which lead to retribution. Hardy introduces protagonists through the conversations of pirifial characters. He also tries to raise some questions in the readers mind as to what will happen next. Hardy presents Rhoda Brook as a woman who was once beautiful but has aged prematurely. The milkmaids with whom she worked with made her feel ostracised. She was a social pariah due to her illicit liaison with Farmer Lodge twelve years previously which caused her to become pregnant and have an illegitimate son. Her home was apart from the other milkmaids, it was above the water meads. Rhodas incipient jealousy manifests itself when she asks her son to spy on his step-mother so she can compare herself to her; she wanted him to report back to her about his step-mothers deminior. Gertrude Lodge is a complex character with facets to her personality which transpire as the story progresses. Hardy uses a number of techniques to convey her character. He uses the gossip and rumours spread by the minor characters. From the conversations of the milkmaids we find that Gertrude Lodge is a rosy cheeked, girl with a tisty tosty little body. Gertrude is years younger than farmer Lodge. There are passages of conventional character description of her external appearance, her face too was fresh in colour, soft and evanescent. Hardy employs the narrative device of Rhodas son as a spy to convey more information about her; he reports to his mother about his impression of Gertrude, his description of her suggests she is a lady complete with lightish hair and a face which is as comely as a live dolls. Hardy emphasizes the way Gertrude has a personal impact on other major characters, she has a deep impact on Rhoda when they first meet, she made a favourable impression and Rhoda reproached herself for ever being malevolently jealous in the first place. Gertrudes own actions imply much about her personality at the beginning of the story. She is philanthropic in her attitude towards the poor. She gives things away; she even gave Rhodas son better boots. There are also direct authorial comments which leave us in no doubt as to Gertrudes virtues. Hardy describes her as an innocent young thing who, was so indescribably sweet. Therefore, the initial impression we have as a combination of all these techniques is of an innocent, virtuous young women who is the victim of Rhodas jealousy. However Gertrudes character changes significantly as the affliction on her arm deteriorates. Consequently she becomes involved with the world of superstition and witchcraft. The condition of her had bought up question marks on her marriage to farmer lodge especially when she suggests her husband could have struck her there which demonstrates an element of physical abuse Gertrude receives from farmer Lodge. After visiting Conjuror Trendle with Rhoda she had began using wizardry hoping it would cure her arm after having visited the conjurer for a second time he told her a remedy which was infallible he said she must touch with the limb the neck of a man whos been hanged, as it will turn the blood and change the constitution because of this Gertrudes character changes incredibly as she begins to pray for no reprieve which shows how evil she has become. Conjurer Trendle, another interesting character created by Hardy, lives alone, well away from society in general. His house is five miles away from Holmstoke and it is in the heart of Egdon heath he is reputed to be able to cure illnesses that are the work of the devil. He is described as an exorcist who has infallible powers. The atmosphere in the location where he lives is sinister. Egdon Heath is reminiscent to the heath in king Lear with its associations with insanity thick clouds made the atmosphere dark though it was as yet only early afternoon. The conjurer does not like his business to be well known or given any kind of publicity. He did not profess his remedial practices openly after he had cured something he would always say perhaps its just chance. He makes a living by selling local products his direct interests being those of a dealer in furze, turf, sharp sand he can deal with ailments that are beyond the reach of ordinary medicine, he has the power to make watts miraculously disappear he does not accept any financial remuneration. He has a distinctive appearance, he is a grey bearded man, with a reddish face as soon as he examines Gertrude there is a suggestion of his paranormal powers, and he is able to tell immediately it was the work of an enemy. The intensification of Rhodas jealousy of her rival in love culminates into a night-marish vision. Rhodas dream occurred a fortnight after Gertrudes return with farmer lodge. She went to bed with a picture of Gertrude in her head. She had a vision of her enemy, it was so vivid she was unsure weather it was real or a dream. She saw Gertrude holding her left hand out mockingly to show Rhoda her wedding ring to make her feel jealous. Gertrudes face changed dramatically. Her features were shocking, distorted and wrinkled by age she was sitting upon Rhodas chest as if she was trying to suffocate her. Rhoda then swung out her right hand and threw the figure of her by grasping the left arm and whirled it backward to the floor Gertrude also had a night marish vision at the same time as Rhodas. As a result of this vision the discolouration on Gertrudes arm had appeared it corresponded exactly to what Rhodas hand would look like. At this point hardy creates a sense of ambiguity in that the reader is not sure as to whether or not Rhodas vision was real or a dream. At the end of the story hardy brings together the three main characters in a tragic denouement. Attentive readers would realise Gertrude turns into a vicious person. As anticipated there is a twist in the tale, the victim of the execution is Rhodas son, which creates a tragedy for the three main characters. Rhoda cursed Gertrude after seeing her near the corps of Rhodas son she said this is the meaning of what Satan showed me in the vision! You are like her at last! Gertrude did not know the identity of the victim this was partly because she had not attended the execution, the shock of touching the corps turned her blood but it affected her so profoundly, it was too much for her constitution to take, Gertrude unfortunately passed away 3 days later due to the previous events. All the lives of the main characters were blighted because of their belief of superstition. After the hanging farmer Lodge becomes a benefactor to young boys such as his son by giving up the farms in Holmstoke and selling it. The money gained he left for young boys and Rhoda however Rhoda did not accept the money. According to some people Hardy is the master of short stories. Most of these short stories have a focus on one main narrative thread. The Withered Arm is mainly about Gertrude Lodge and when she became involved with the supernatural. The three main characters in the Withered Arm are, Farmer Lodge, Gertrude Lodge and Rhoda Brooks. Short stories have limited amounts of characters as this builds up to the unexpected endings. Hardy uses various techniques to arouse the readers sense of intrigue and thereby compel the reader to its natural conclusion. At the time the Withered Arm was written, women in this rural society were either tied to the land like Rhoda or to their husbands like Gertrude. Furthermore, women had relatively few rights of property and movement and therefore enjoyed rather little freedom. The story reveals the life, beliefs and values of a countryside community. In Hardys time there was no access to the modern media which resulted to oral tradition which was the art of story telling. Stories which include supernatural tales, such as this one were popular with the reading public in late Victorian Britain. Personally I enjoyed reading the Withered Arm mainly because of the situation of Rhoda Brooks which grabs attention due to her illegitimate son. I particularly found it interesting because of Gertrudes beliefs in the supernatural. I thought it was worth reading to the end of the story.

The Upper Rio Grande Essay -- Native Americans Indians Essays

The Upper Rio Grande Change is an unavoidable part of life. For some, change can bring promise and a new beginning. For others, change disrupts what is routine and normal and makes what is new seem strange and unfamiliar. The history of North America has been shaped by change ever since Columbus first discovered the continent in 1492. With that discovery, the continent would never be the same again. More specifically, the Native American tribes who first inhabited this continent would never be the same. Over the years the Native Americans would see new explorers and missionaries take over the land that was once theirs and claim it for another country. The traditions, customs, and culture of these Native Americans inevitably changed due to the foreign presence. One tribe in particular, the Pueblo Indians of the Upper Rio Grande River, survived this change and still thrives in what is now present-day New Mexico. In fact, the Pueblo culture is recognized as one of North America’s oldest. It comes as no surprise that the Pueblo culture survived due to learning to deal effectively with change, even when that change was forced upon them. When European settlers came into the Upper Rio Grande River area, they disturbed the sanctity of the Pueblo Indians’ way of life. As a result of such change being forced upon the Indians, the area they inhabited became one the most conflicting regions during the settlement of the New World. This paper will take a closer look at the origins of this conflict in relation to the differing lifestyles and cultures of the Spanish settlers and the Pueblo Indians. The attitude of the Spanish settlers as they claimed land that was already occupied will be discussed, including their use of superi... ...: A Pageant of Three Peoples. New York. 1951. 4.Grinde, D.; Johansen, B. The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography. Henry Holt Publishers. 1997. 5.Hammond, George P. Don Juan de Onate and the Founding of New Mexico. El Palacio Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico. 1927 6.Horgan, Paul. Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History, vol. 1: Indians and Spain. Rinehart and Company, Inc. New York. 7.Ortiz, A. The Pueblo. Chelsea House Publishers: New York. 1994. 8.Riley, C. Rio Del Norte. University of Utah Press: Salt Lake City. 1994. 9.Silverburg, R. The Pueblo Revolt. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln. 1970. 10.Tyler, H. Pueblo Gods and Myths. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. 1964. 11.White, Richard. â€Å"It’s Your Misfortune and None of My Own† A New History of the American West. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman and London, 1991 The Upper Rio Grande Essay -- Native Americans Indians Essays The Upper Rio Grande Change is an unavoidable part of life. For some, change can bring promise and a new beginning. For others, change disrupts what is routine and normal and makes what is new seem strange and unfamiliar. The history of North America has been shaped by change ever since Columbus first discovered the continent in 1492. With that discovery, the continent would never be the same again. More specifically, the Native American tribes who first inhabited this continent would never be the same. Over the years the Native Americans would see new explorers and missionaries take over the land that was once theirs and claim it for another country. The traditions, customs, and culture of these Native Americans inevitably changed due to the foreign presence. One tribe in particular, the Pueblo Indians of the Upper Rio Grande River, survived this change and still thrives in what is now present-day New Mexico. In fact, the Pueblo culture is recognized as one of North America’s oldest. It comes as no surprise that the Pueblo culture survived due to learning to deal effectively with change, even when that change was forced upon them. When European settlers came into the Upper Rio Grande River area, they disturbed the sanctity of the Pueblo Indians’ way of life. As a result of such change being forced upon the Indians, the area they inhabited became one the most conflicting regions during the settlement of the New World. This paper will take a closer look at the origins of this conflict in relation to the differing lifestyles and cultures of the Spanish settlers and the Pueblo Indians. The attitude of the Spanish settlers as they claimed land that was already occupied will be discussed, including their use of superi... ...: A Pageant of Three Peoples. New York. 1951. 4.Grinde, D.; Johansen, B. The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography. Henry Holt Publishers. 1997. 5.Hammond, George P. Don Juan de Onate and the Founding of New Mexico. El Palacio Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico. 1927 6.Horgan, Paul. Great River: The Rio Grande in North American History, vol. 1: Indians and Spain. Rinehart and Company, Inc. New York. 7.Ortiz, A. The Pueblo. Chelsea House Publishers: New York. 1994. 8.Riley, C. Rio Del Norte. University of Utah Press: Salt Lake City. 1994. 9.Silverburg, R. The Pueblo Revolt. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln. 1970. 10.Tyler, H. Pueblo Gods and Myths. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman. 1964. 11.White, Richard. â€Å"It’s Your Misfortune and None of My Own† A New History of the American West. University of Oklahoma Press. Norman and London, 1991

Living with Depression, Mania, and Medication Essay -- Personal Narrat

Living with Depression, Mania, and Medication Depression joined my life shortly after I entered middle school and tagged on persistently through my adolescent years. At first, my sullen moods were brushed off as mere hormonal changes, but I quickly became aware there was something more behind them. The severity of depression is difficult to explain without personal thoughts and examples. I know that my depression is coming long before it sets in. There is a cloud of forewarning that starts to move in on the vibrancy of my thoughts and vision; the world becomes distorted and negative. Slowly, this bleakness moves in from the outside world down to the pit of my stomach where it creates a dark, menacing feeling that makes me want to cry, scream, and vomit all at the same time. The feeling beckons me to a state of hopelessness and complete despair. Lingering thoughts of paranoia become prominent which leaves friends as foes out to abandon me and complete strangers as agents out to destroy me. The thoughts of negativity drag me deepe r and deeper until I am convinced there is no bottom; they separate me from the outside world. It is in this lowest state that one of two things happens: either I am persuaded by suicidal tendencies or the blackness lifts without a trace. Without medication, death was always a daunting possibility of ending this horrid affair. The cycling of depression became a constant part of my life leaving me always afraid of what was around the corner. The other side of that corner did not appear in my life until the end of high school. Around the time of my eighteenth birthday, my mania began its cycle. The brutality of mania may set in as mere normalcy, but, in time, that same "normalcy" can end worse than d... ...nia, and medication are all part of the bipolar disorder that will be with me for the rest of my life. The cruelty of depression and ruthlessness of mania are something that no person should have to bear. They force a person to doubt society, reject friends, and lose sanity while the disease slowly starts killing the victim from the inside out. However difficult my past has been made by depression and mania, my life has come to look brighter with the advancement of medication. Bipolar disorder is a life- long disease that will always have its setbacks; however, it is a disease that, with the proper medication, will not keep me locked in a cage separate from the outside world. With the diagnoses of bipolarity, I know that I will have to deal with depression and mania, but I also know that I was not born crazy. I was born with a disease, but I was meant to live as me. Living with Depression, Mania, and Medication Essay -- Personal Narrat Living with Depression, Mania, and Medication Depression joined my life shortly after I entered middle school and tagged on persistently through my adolescent years. At first, my sullen moods were brushed off as mere hormonal changes, but I quickly became aware there was something more behind them. The severity of depression is difficult to explain without personal thoughts and examples. I know that my depression is coming long before it sets in. There is a cloud of forewarning that starts to move in on the vibrancy of my thoughts and vision; the world becomes distorted and negative. Slowly, this bleakness moves in from the outside world down to the pit of my stomach where it creates a dark, menacing feeling that makes me want to cry, scream, and vomit all at the same time. The feeling beckons me to a state of hopelessness and complete despair. Lingering thoughts of paranoia become prominent which leaves friends as foes out to abandon me and complete strangers as agents out to destroy me. The thoughts of negativity drag me deepe r and deeper until I am convinced there is no bottom; they separate me from the outside world. It is in this lowest state that one of two things happens: either I am persuaded by suicidal tendencies or the blackness lifts without a trace. Without medication, death was always a daunting possibility of ending this horrid affair. The cycling of depression became a constant part of my life leaving me always afraid of what was around the corner. The other side of that corner did not appear in my life until the end of high school. Around the time of my eighteenth birthday, my mania began its cycle. The brutality of mania may set in as mere normalcy, but, in time, that same "normalcy" can end worse than d... ...nia, and medication are all part of the bipolar disorder that will be with me for the rest of my life. The cruelty of depression and ruthlessness of mania are something that no person should have to bear. They force a person to doubt society, reject friends, and lose sanity while the disease slowly starts killing the victim from the inside out. However difficult my past has been made by depression and mania, my life has come to look brighter with the advancement of medication. Bipolar disorder is a life- long disease that will always have its setbacks; however, it is a disease that, with the proper medication, will not keep me locked in a cage separate from the outside world. With the diagnoses of bipolarity, I know that I will have to deal with depression and mania, but I also know that I was not born crazy. I was born with a disease, but I was meant to live as me.