History The World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

History The World - Essay Example This schism between the two churches is noticeable even today. In the West, there were hurdles of economic and geographical reasons as well. Western Europe was far removed from the new trade routes and geographically, it was difficult for any kind of unity to develop. Then a series of invasions from c. 700 to 1000 also put a halt on European development, making the spread of Christianity more difficult in these times. Later on, there would be philosophical and cultural obstacles. For instance, the debate between ‘Reason’ and ‘Faith’ began after 1000 CE and the creation of schools and rise of scholarly activity led to the development of subjects like ‘natural philosophy.’ The emphasis shifted to law, medicine, nature and other subjects that humans could fully comprehend. The power that religion enjoyed previous over the masses began to dwindle. We see therefore that the spread of Christianity into Europe and China was fraught with obstacles of various sorts: cultural, political, philosophical and intellectual. It would take Christian missionaries many years to be able to successfully overcome these obstacles to their efforts at spreading the message of

High School and Cousin Jimmy Essay Example for Free

High School and Cousin Jimmy Essay The day I got scared to death was my first time going to Cedar Point and going on a really big roller coaster. I was nervous. I was in the line with my cousin Jimmy and my other cousins to go on the corkscrew. My stomach started the turn I started to shake my mind was saying get out of the line but I wanted to go on my whole life. I had to go on with my cousins Michael and Jimmy instead of Olivia or Rebekah. Michael, Jimmy and I were only two people away from getting on. Then Jimmy said,† I was afraid when I went on my first roller coaster too. † Michael said,† no you weren’t† that made me laugh. That made me think that it isn’t so scary after all. Just then I heard someone say that it’s too scary. That made me wish that I never wanted to go on. We’re up next. I got in the seat with Jimmy I thought I was going to puke. At this time I was excited and scared. The seatbelt was on; there was no turning back now. The person pushed the button and we went up the very steep hill. We stopped at the top. My eyes were completely closed. My heart was pounding faster and faster. I knew my cousins in front of me so I said to them, â€Å"are you scared? † I didn’t get to hear them because by then we zipped down the coaster. I was screaming so loud I thought I was going to lose my voice. I got dizzy when we went around in circles three times. Finally the ride came to a halt. I felt relieved that it was over. I said to my self that I conquered my fear. I was happy that it was done. I still felt sick but I knew that I could do it all along. At that point I found out that my cousins also scared too! Now I can’t wait to go on the Gemini, Top Thrill Dragster, the Dragon, and the Mine Ride. I still think my cousin acted a little bit too young for their age because a high school student shouldn’t be screaming at the top of their lungs same goes with my other cousin who was in high school. Only a middle school students and third graders should scream. View as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS DOCUMENT High school, Middle school, Cedar Point, Top Thrill Dragster, Roller coaster, English-language films, College, Debut albums RELATED DOCUMENTS high school reservation community I passed two Navajo youth leaning against the wall, one leg propped behind them for support. They wore black tee-shirts, one declaring â€Å"Indian Pride on the Rise,† the other showing a heavy metal rock group â€Å"Twisted Sister. † Both wore high topped basketball shoes and hair free flowing to their shoulders. One spoke to me. â€Å"Hey, are you the lady who is talking to dropouts? You should talk to me. Im a professional dropout. † I did. And to many others. Their 410   Words | 3   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Philippine Science High School ? Philippine Science High School (PSHS) students topped the Project Tuklas science contest sponsored by Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation (Shell) in coordination with the Philippine Development Foundation (PhilDev) and AIESEC Philippines. â€Å"It’s something very innovative,† said Julia Alexander Chu, president of Project Tuklas organizer AIESEC University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, referring to the project of PSHS juniors Creo Baylon, Miguel Ortega and Otto 410   Words | 6   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT High School Football ? Coleman Weiss-Murphy Ms. Bross English 10, Hour 4 May 4, 2015 High School Football Reduce the Risk and Reap the Rewards? September 13, 2013,   was sixteen year old Damon Janes’ last football game. Why, because he was pronounced dead in a local Buffalo hospital three days after that game. His cause of death, brain damage. Janes took numerous hits to the head during a varsity football game. He seemed perfectly healthy, but in actuality, he suffered brain 410   Words | 5   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Report: High School and Attendance Improving Attendance at Beech Grove Intermediate School: A Recommendation Report ________________________________________ Introduction Like other schools around the nation, Beech Grove Intermediate School is experiencing a serious problem with attendance. This has been cited as a problem and something that 410   Words. READ FULL DOCUMENT Successful: High School and People ? Tamera Wilson Mrs. Jenkins English IV/0091 College Prep 24 February 2014 SUCCESSFUL My standards are set high as I watch people try to bring me down each and every day. They try to tell me all the negatives things on how I’m not going to be anything. This makes me want to try harder. All my life I been struggling and stressing, that’s why I came in a pathway with aggression. Where I’m from I see nothing that can lead me to be successful in life. I had been though the 410   Words | 3   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT. Post high school plan coach your team to do the same. 4. Conflicting Goals Sometimes we have conflicting goals in our work. For instance, one of our managers might tell us that speed is most important goal with customers. Another manager might say that in-depth, high-quality service is the top priority. Its sometimes quite difficult to reconcile the two! Whenever you set goals for your team members, make sure that those goals dont conflict with other goals set for that person, or set 410   Words | 7   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT Essays: High School what da hell let me sign up man I just want essays. Rainy day This year the summer season was unduly long and extremely hot. It was July, the schools had reopened. The scorching sun and the extreme heat had made life unbearable. Going to the school, studying in the class or playing on the ground all seemed to be a punishment. One morning, clouds . Rain is a great blessing after the summer heat. In India the scorching heat of the summer months of May and June causes 410   Words | 4   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT First day of high school essay My First Day of High School â€Å"Beep, Beep, Beep! † 6:00 A. M my alarm clock was activated, it was time for me to get ready and prepared myself for my first day of High School as a freshman student in Piscataway Vo – Tech High School. Fear, excitement, and all of these different emotions were running through my head as I wondered how difficult high school would be, who I would sit 410   Words | 3   Pages READ FULL DOCUMENT CITE THIS DOCUMENT APA (2014, 09). High School and Cousin Jimmy.

Essay on Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth -- comparison compare c

Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fate plays a significant role in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.. The major events of the poem, such as the three killings by Beowulf and his own death, are said to have been predestined. In Macbeth, fate is so significant that it is personified by the Weird Sisters, who drive the action of the play. But if predestination exists, then there must be an agent that determines destiny. In Beowulf, God plays this role, and fate is generally accepted as God's will. In John Gardner's Grendel, a novel which serves as a commentary on the poem, fate is totally predetermined, and is the will of no being. By contrast, Macbeth's agents of fate are the Witches, who generally go against God's will.    In all three works, fate plays a powerful role, as it did in many prescientific cultures. Fate is a necessary element in these people's lives so that they can have some means of justifying aspects of their existence. However, the fatal agents in the works differ; in looking at this, one must keep in mind that the three works were written in vastly different time periods, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Beowulf was intended to convert people to Christianity. It cannot be a true story, since it takes place in the sixth century (Raffel, 150), four centuries before Christianity came to Scandinavia. (Creed, 141) Most scholars agree that it was written by a Christian, in order to show how the belief in God can overcome evil. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for a Christian audience, perhaps in an attempt to impress the new king, James I. Since King James was an expert on witchcraft, Shakespeare gave the Witches a significant role in ... ...t P. and Stanley B. Greenfield, Old English Poetry: Fifteen Essays, Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1967 Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakepeare, New York, Viking Publishing, 1993. Demmick, Donald. "Alienation and the Process of Individuation." http://www.nautis@arches.uga.edu (16 February 1997). Gardner, John. Grendel. 1971; rpt. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles, A Beowulf Handbook (University of Nebraska Press) Schucking, Levin L. "The Ideal of Kingship in Beowulf." In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Essay on Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth -- comparison compare c Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fate plays a significant role in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.. The major events of the poem, such as the three killings by Beowulf and his own death, are said to have been predestined. In Macbeth, fate is so significant that it is personified by the Weird Sisters, who drive the action of the play. But if predestination exists, then there must be an agent that determines destiny. In Beowulf, God plays this role, and fate is generally accepted as God's will. In John Gardner's Grendel, a novel which serves as a commentary on the poem, fate is totally predetermined, and is the will of no being. By contrast, Macbeth's agents of fate are the Witches, who generally go against God's will.    In all three works, fate plays a powerful role, as it did in many prescientific cultures. Fate is a necessary element in these people's lives so that they can have some means of justifying aspects of their existence. However, the fatal agents in the works differ; in looking at this, one must keep in mind that the three works were written in vastly different time periods, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Beowulf was intended to convert people to Christianity. It cannot be a true story, since it takes place in the sixth century (Raffel, 150), four centuries before Christianity came to Scandinavia. (Creed, 141) Most scholars agree that it was written by a Christian, in order to show how the belief in God can overcome evil. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for a Christian audience, perhaps in an attempt to impress the new king, James I. Since King James was an expert on witchcraft, Shakespeare gave the Witches a significant role in ... ...t P. and Stanley B. Greenfield, Old English Poetry: Fifteen Essays, Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1967 Epstein, Norrie. The Friendly Shakepeare, New York, Viking Publishing, 1993. Demmick, Donald. "Alienation and the Process of Individuation." http://www.nautis@arches.uga.edu (16 February 1997). Gardner, John. Grendel. 1971; rpt. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Raffel, Burton. and Alexandra H. Olsen Poems and Prose from the Old English, (Yale University Press)Robert Bjork and John Niles, A Beowulf Handbook (University of Nebraska Press) Schucking, Levin L. "The Ideal of Kingship in Beowulf." In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Shakespeare, William.   Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul  Ã‚   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Managing Motivation in Economy Essay

The firm has had to close quite a few locations, reversing its expansion plans for the first time since it incorporated. Being that this is uncharted territory for the company, Jim Claussen, vice president for human relations, had been struggling with how to address the issue with employees. As the company’s fortunes worsened, he could see that employees were becoming more and more disaffected. Their insecurity about their jobs was taking a toll on attitudes. The company’s downsizing was big news, and the employees didn’t like what they were hearing. Media reports of Morgan-Moe’s store closings have focused on the lack of advance notice or communication from the company’s corporate offices, as well as the lack of severance payments for departing employees. In the absence of official information, rumors and gossip have spread like wildfire among remaining employees. A few angry blogs developed by laid-off employees, like IHateMorganMoe. blogspot. com, have made the morale and public relations picture even worse. Morgan-Moe is changing in other ways as well. The average age of its workforce is increasing rapidly. A couple of factors have contributed to this shift. First, fewer qualified young people are around because many families have moved south to find jobs. Second, stores have been actively encouraged to hire older workers, such as retirees looking for some supplemental income. Managers are very receptive to these older workers because they are more mature, miss fewer days of work, and do not have child-care responsibilities. They are also often more qualified than younger workers because they have more experience, sometimes in the managerial or executive ranks. These older workers have been a great asset to the company in troubled times, but they are especially likely to leave if things get bad. If these older workers start to leave the company, taking their hard-earned experience with them, it seems likely that Morgan-Moe will sink deeper toward bankruptcy. The System Claussen wasn’t quite sure how to respond to employees’ sense of hopelessness and fear until a friend gave him a book entitled Man’s Search for Meaning. The book was written by a psychologist named Victor Frankl who survived the concentration camps at Auschwitz. Frankl found that those who had a clear sense of purpose, a reason to live, were more likely to persevere in the face of nearly unspeakable suffering. Something about this book, and its advocacy of finding meaning and direction as a way to triumph over adversity, really stuck with Claussen. He thought he might be able to apply its lessons to his workforce. He proposed the idea of a new direction for management to the company’s executive committee, and they reluctantly agreed to try his suggestions. Over the last 6 months, stores throughout the company have used a performance management system that, as Claussen says, â€Å"gets people to buy into the idea of performing so that they can see some real results in their stores. It’s all about seeing that your work serves a broader purpose. I read about how some companies have been sharing store performance information with employees to get them to understand what their jobs really mean and participate in making changes, and I thought that was something we’d be able to do. † The HR team came up with five options for the management system. Corporate allowed individual managers to choose the option they thought would work best with their employees so that managers wouldn’t feel too much like a rapid change was being forced on them. Program I is opting out of the new idea, continuing to stay the course and providing employees with little to no information or opportunities for participation. Program II tracks employee absence and sick leave and shares that information with individual employees, giving them feedback about things they can control. Management takes no further action. Program III tracks sales and inventory replacement rates across shifts. As in Program II, information is shared with employees, but without providing employee feedback about absence and sick leave. Program IV, the most comprehensive, tracks the same information as Programs II and III. Managers communicate it in weekly brainstorming sessions, during which employees try to determine what they can do better in the future and make suggestions for improving store performance. Program V keeps the idea of brainstorming but doesn’t provide employees with information about their behavior or company profits. Since implementing the system, Claussen has spoken with several managers about what motivated them to choose the program they did. Artie Washington, who chose Program IV, said, â€Å"I want to have my employees’ input on how to keep the store running smoothly. Everybody worries about his or her job security in this economy. Letting them know what’s going on and giving them ways to change things keeps them involved. † Betty Alvarez couldn’t disagree more. She selected Program I. â€Å"I would rather have my employees doing their jobs than going to meetings to talk about doing their jobs. That’s what management is for. † Michael Ostremski, another proponent of Program I, added, â€Å"It’s okay for the employees to feel a little uncertain—if they think we’re in the clear, they’ll slack off. If they think we’re in trouble, they’ll give up. Cal Martins also questions the need to provide information to the whole team, but he chose Program II. â€Å"A person should know where he or she stands in the job, but they don’t have to know about everyone else. It creates unnecessary tension. † This is somewhat similar to Cindy Ang’s reason for picking Program V. â€Å"When we have our brainstorming meetings, I learn what they [the employees] think is most pressing, not what some spreadsheet says. It gives me a better feel for what’s going on in my store. Numbers count, of course, but they don’t tell you everything. I was also a little worried that employees would be upset if they saw that we aren’t performing well. † Results to Date Claussen is convinced the most elaborate procedure (Program IV) is the most effective, but not everyone in the executive committee is won over by his advocacy. Although they have supported the test implementation of the system because it appears to have relatively low costs, others on the committee want to see results. CEO Jean Masterson has asked for a complete breakdown of the performance of the various stores over the past 4 years. She’s specially interested in seeing how sales figures and turnover rates have been affected by the new program. The company has been collecting data in spreadsheets on sales and turnover rates, and it prepared the following report, which also estimates the dollar cost of staff time taken up in each method. These costs are based on the number of hours employees spend working on the program multiplied by their wage rate. Estimates of turnover, profit, and staff time are collected per store. Profit and turnover data include means and standard deviations across locations; profit is net of the monthly time cost. Turnover information refers to the percentage of employees who either quit or are terminated in a month. To see if any patterns emerged in managers’ selection of programs, the company calculated relationships between program selection and various attributes of the stores. Program I was selected most frequently by the oldest stores and those in the most economically distressed areas. Programs II and III were selected most frequently by stores in urban areas and in areas where the workforce was younger on average. Programs IV and V were selected most frequently in stores in rural areas, and especially where the workforce is older on average.

Deutsche Brauerei Essay

The agenda attached (EXHIIBT 1) became the focus of Ms. Greta Schweitzer’s concentration for the next 24 hours. She relied on her team from her EMBA class in Frankfurt to assist her with the recommendations she would need to address this board tomorrow morning. Upon initial analysis, it became obvious that DB was in trouble with respect to the Ukraine market, much less the proposed capital expansion. Several items alarmed the team when we read the statements from both Lukas Schweitzer and Oleg Pinchuk. The sales and marketing manager has an obviously different approach than that which made DB successful in the past. Oleg Pinchuk has extended credit to its â€Å"distributors† which is causing a rise in sales and accordingly an increase in his salary (as it is based on sales). This needs to be corrected; given such a volatile environment and this firm’s recent history, a person in his position should earn a salary based on accounts receivable collections, rather than sales. Perhaps then, his discretion would be more restrictive with respect to extension of credit. Furthermore, if the distributors are in fact expanding and enhancing their stores by purchasing new equipment and restocking inventories, then obviously they have the cash to pay DB for their outstanding invoices. This raises considerable questions regarding the prudence of â€Å"trade-credit extensions† and compensation packages offered Mr. Pinchuk, and accordingly, we recommend his termination. A new salary structure and job description delineating required results can be negotiated with Mr. Pinchuk’s replacement. When considering adopting the budget for 2001, we must consider the proposed expansion and investments in new plant and equipment (warehouse and distribution center). With the overuse of short term debt and a borrowing rate over 2% higher than the government rate, it will be impossible to finance this capital expansion. We cannot recommend approval of the budget in its current form. There is not enough cash being collected, too much inventory carried on behalf of the distributors, too much risky short term debt and too many capital improvements budgeted to justify this expansion. Without actually collecting cash from the receivables, we do not recommend declaring any additional dividends, as indicated in the budget. Historically, declared and paid dividends were right at or below $2,000 (in thousands of Euros) and the proposed budget increases those to well over $3,200. We recommend restricting dividends declared to what was done in the past, without any increase. Once collections are received and with the change in marketing, credit policies, and inventory control, the company would be in a better financial position to pay additional dividends. As a matter of final note, we strongly urge the Board of Directors of DB to consider the short term effects of expanding into a new market economy. The Ukraine is just transitioning into becoming a market economy (experiencing supply and demand that guides the allocation of resources). Such a transition is politically and socially difficult for businesses because of rising inflation, unemployment, and economic uncertainty. We have serious questions about the vitality of DB and whether it can survive until the long term benefits of this transition are realized.

The alliance system

The alliance system, which had kept Germany out of war for so long, has forced us into one. For almost a century after the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Europe has been largely peaceful. Until now. With the Franco-Prussian War, and other revolutions in 1848, the systematic dismantling of unity which has been so supported is now undergoing an ironic dismantling. They tell us Central Europe is growing up! If it is then how come it is pulverizing its own foundation? Now 1871, after over one thousand years of political bickering and jostling, the Germanic states finally unify behind one flag. Led by the will of our dear "Iron Chancellor", Otto Von Bismarck, we have accomplished in a less than a decade what has taken the rest of the major European powers hundreds of years. What is not being told however is the fact that it is all just a facade for Bismark to hide his shameful face behind. We have just undergone the fastest rise of a true world power in modern history. Right now, Italy is idolizing us and trying to unify also. We must not let Italy, nor any other country for that matter, see our true self. We must keep face for old Bismark and not let him down. For if we were to make a slip and show the slightest bit of rebelliousness in our blood, we let down our country and pull the mask off the actor. The unification of Germany was indeed a good idea, but in my opinion, created a strain on Europe. The powers at the edge of Europe (Great Britain, France, and Russia) have been exerting pressure on the center. Now for the first time, the center of Europe is becoming sufficiently powerful to press on the periphery. Bismarck realizes this shift, and its consequences. Almost immediately, he set about creating a system of alliances. They are designed primarily to prevent war and maintain the status quo. The alliance system, which had kept Germany out of war for so long, has forced us into one. Millions of graves are...

Diet Nutrition essays

Diet Nutrition essays Heath like love or happiness, is a quality of life that is difficult to define and virtually impossible to measure. Our bodies drive fuel (energy) from the food we eat. There are six major nutrients come to use in food: Proteins; Carbohydrates; fats; Vitamins; minerals and water. Each nutrient is essential for a major roll for a good healthy life style that would keep us stress free, and in good physical condition. Protein is source to keep up with or highly motivated, driven bodies. Protein builds, repairs and maintains the cells of virtually everybody tissue. It also supplies energy when the bodies carbohydrate and fat reserves have exhausted. Protein cannot be stored and we need it 24 hours a day for building, repairing and maintaining the skin, bones, muscles and organs that is essential for a healthy fit body. Carbohydrates are our chief source of energy and treasured trove of vitamins and minerals. That keep or digestive tracks clean and healthy. Carbohydrates go in are digested system quickly and convert into glucose provides energy for the brain, the nervous system and the muscles. It works like a fires kindling, helping to burn the denser fuel of fat more efficient, provides more sustained energy over a greater length of times and are the initial source used in the aerobic phase of exercise Fat is the second most important energy source; the trick is to eat only the correct types of fats. Basically there are few special fats, such as salmon, pilchards, mackeral mussels. These are called essential fatty acids, and lineoic acid these special fats are extremely important to the human body that turn in to testosterone. Also its our most concentrated form of energy and is the fuel your body burns during long session of exercise. Vitamins are like a shield that assists the proteins, fats and carbohydrates in fulfilling their different function in the body. Ther ...

A Complete Christmas Tree Care and Buyers Guide

A Complete Christmas Tree Care and Buyers Guide Every year millions of families shop for and buy a real cut Christmas trees from Christmas tree farms and local lots. According to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), 56 million trees are planted each year for future Christmases and 30 to 35 million families will shop and buy a real Christmas tree this year. Finding your perfect Christmas tree can be a challenge. Shop Early to Find a Christmas Tree The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally when most Christmas tree shopping occurs. But you should really shop for a Christmas tree earlier as it will pay off with less competition for higher quality Christmas tree selections and a fresher holiday tree. You should consider mid-November a time to find a tree and follow through on your Christmas tree procurement. Remember, every year is different when it comes to Christmas tree availability. Some years have less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tree sellers will be busy over a shorter period of time and you might not have as many days to shop for a Christmas tree. Start your tree search early. Natural disruptions (insects, disease, fire, drought or ice) can cause regional Christmas tree shortages which can make certain Christmas tree species hard to find. In any event, if you are buying you need to plan and purchase early to pick from the best holiday trees on the lot or on the farm. 10 Species of Christmas Trees Christmas tree growers offer an awesome selection of Christmas tree species with excellent aromatic varieties that retain their needles through the entire season. At least 10 species of Christmas trees are commercially grown and sold in large quantities in North America. Buying Online You can now shop for and buy a Christmas tree online with only a few keystrokes - and 300,000 people shop this way every year. Buying Christmas trees directly from a quality Christmas tree grower will save valuable holiday time plus you will avoid a cold, overcrowded holiday tree lot only to find poor quality Christmas trees. It is especially handy to order online for someone who has trouble getting out to buy. A special Christmas treat for even the healthy would be seeing a delivery truck delivering their own fresh tree for Christmas (make sure you know the size and varieties they like). Read about five of the most popular internet Christmas tree dealers selling fresh from the farm. You need to order early when using catalogs and the Internet as these companies have limited supplies and may require you to furnish a shipping date. Most will not deliver a Christmas tree after December 12th. Retail Lot Versus Farm Selecting a Christmas tree  at a nearby retail lot or from a Christmas tree farm can be great family fun. To help find a quality Christmas tree near you, check out  NCTAs online member database. The National Christmas Tree Association represents the best tree farms and merchants in the United States. If you are buying a Christmas tree from a retail lot, the main thing to remember is freshness when selecting a Christmas tree. The needles should be resilient. Take hold of a branch and pull your hand toward you, allowing the needles to slip through your fingers. Most, if not all, of the needles,  should stay on the Christmas tree. What to Look For Lifting and tapping the Christmas tree on a hard surface should not result in a shower of green needles. Brown needles that have shed the previous year are ok. The Christmas tree should have a fragrance and a rich green color. Branches should be pliable and bend without much resistance. Actually, none of this will be necessary if you purchase the Christmas tree fresh from a local Christmas tree farm. In most  cases,  you can find a Christmas tree farm close enough to allow you and/or your kids to cut the tree or buy one that the farm has just cut. Harvesting a tree from a local farm is becoming more and more a favorite family event. Again, you need to use NTCAs member database to find a farm. How to Help Your Tree Last Through the Season Once you get your Christmas tree home there are several things you need to do to help your tree last through the season: Cut  one-quarter  of an inch off the base of the trunk if the Christmas tree has been harvested over 4 hours. This fresh cut will encourage the free flow of water into the tree to preserve freshness.Mount tree in a water-holding catchment container attached to a  sturdy tree stand. Avoid stands without the ability to provide water.Keep a constant check on stand water and dont let the water ever go below the fresh cut base. This will cause the base to seal and the trees premature drying out.Maintain adequate watering. Christmas trees are very thirsty and will use up to a gallon of water each day. Check the stand each day for water.Display your Christmas tree in a cool place but out of a draft. Fireplaces can dry your tree very quickly and reduce  tree freshness. Buying a "Living" Christmas Tree People are beginning to use  living plants  as their Christmas tree of choice. Most living Christmas tree roots are kept in a ball of earth. This ball can be wrapped in burlap or set into a container or pot. The tree should be used very briefly as an indoor tree but must be replanted after Christmas Day. Remember that live trees should not stay inside longer than 10 days (some experts suggest as few as three or four days).After Christmas, slowly remove it to the outside using the garage, the shed, then to the  planting  site.You  should not  plant in frozen soil and have heat protecting plastic put down if that possibility exists after planting. Do I Add Anything to the Water? According to the National Christmas Tree Association and Dr. Gary Chastagner, Washington State University, your best bet is just plain tap water. It doesnt have to be distilled water or mineral water or anything like that. So the next time someone tells you to add ketchup or something more bizarre to your tree stand, dont believe it. Most experts insist that plain old water is all you need to keep your Christmas tree fresh through Christmas.   Grow Your Own You may want to start growing your own Christmas trees! If you are curious how Christmas tree farming takes place, the NCTAs  website  is probably the best place to go to get into the business. They help you market  your  trees, pick the tree best suited for your area, give advice on the care of your trees, and more.

Peter Berger's heretical imperative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Peter Berger's heretical imperative - Essay Example According to Berger, pluralism is â€Å"a situation in which there is competition in the institutional ordering of comprehensive meanings of everyday life† (Oldmeadow, 2010, p.33). Because of uncertainty, there are unsteady, inconsistent and erratic plausibility structures, particularly those of religion. Berger argues that religion becomes a matter of choice, which he best refers to as a â€Å"heretical imperative† (heresy). According to Peter Berger, there are three contemporary responses to the crisis that modernity thrusts religion into, which include deduction, reduction as well as induction. Berger denounces deduction, which entails the reaffirmation of influence of a sacred ritual against secular authority (Esposito, Fasching & Lewis, 2011). He also rejects reductionism, which reinterprets a sacred ritual on the basis of secular authority. In rejecting the two responses, Berger supports the third approach, which is induction. His belief is that the crisis facing religion is a product of the sterile antithesis of neo-orthodoxy and secularism (Woodhead Heelas & Martin, 2001). He believes that by shunning both deductive and reductive approaches and adopting inductive approach, the crisis can be triumphed. In The Sacred Canopy: elements of a sociological theory of religion, Berger explore the relationship between human religion and world-building. The society is presented as dialectic because it is considered as a human invention. Society is produced by man. Also, man is also portrayed as a product of the society. Society precedes human life and also succeeds it. That is, society existed before human birth and will persist after his death. Man cannot exist without society and without man, society cannot exist. This exhibits the dialectic nature of the society. Berger argues that pluralism undermines stable belief (Berger, 1979). Pluralism is the cause of secularisation. According to Berger, the basic dialectic process

Principal Powers available to the courts in England & Wales Essay

Principal Powers available to the courts in England & Wales - Essay Example The local courts were manned over by one of the lord’s stewards or the lord himself. The Curia Regis, which is the King’s court, was presided by the king himself. It is not a comfortable experience to go on trial in a Welsh and English courts. This is better than the ordeal trial, which was used until the end of 12th century in determining innocence or guilt in criminal cases. Under the system of ordeal, the accused were forced to pick up a red-hot iron, to remove a stone from a cauldron of boiling water, and any other punishment, which is equally painful and dangerous. After this punishment, if the hand begins to heal in three days he is considered having God in his/her side and thereby proving that he/she is innocent. The number of recorded verdicts in this system is not known to anyone. Another popular and extreme sense of ordeal system is water where one ties an individual and throws into the water body. If he/she sinks, it shows that he/she is innocent. In 1406, th e judicial view expressed that the King has transferred all his powers to the courts. The English civil war of 1642-51 was fought between the rights of the King and the rights of the parliament. The parliament won the battle, and it became the supreme legal authority in the country. This supremacy of the parliament is a cornerstone of the constitution. This meant that legally, parliament could pass any law it wishes though there are some limitations to this power. The high court of justice is an amalgamation between the court of chancery and existing courts of common law. Because United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, justice is administered in the name of the crown (Riches & Allen, 2011, p.152). There is a judicial system where the high court ensures that governments, lower courts and public bodies are operating within the law. Judicial review is only interested with the legality of decision-making and not concerned with the merits of the decision. Some courts have appellate jurisdiction. This means that they decide their appeals from courts, which are below them in their hierarchy of courts. This is the Supreme Court in the United Kingdom, which replaced appellate committee in the House of Lords. The high court and the court of appeal are among those, which are below in the hierarchy. The court of appeal has criminal and civil division. The crown court is mandated to hear certain appeals, which are from the magistrate’s courts (Probert 2011). There is a distanced system of criminal courts. These are the magistrates’ courts and the crown courts of Wales and England. The crown courts are dated back from courts act of 1971, which replaced and abolished various courts including Quarter and Assizes sessions and many other local courts like the court of Chancery. Tribunals deal with many specialist matters though there might be some appeals to the high court or a higher tribunal. Tribunal courts and enforcement Act of 2007 has changed tribunal structure through radical reforms. Non-lawyers are used significantly in the system; they include Magistrates, tribunal members, and Jurors. The speech of Abdroikof 2007 emphasized the importance of the jury. In certain situations, there is a provision of the Criminal Justice of 2003 Act for non-jury trials (Grubin 1996). In most tribunals and courts, the

What considerations should managers take into account in developing Essay

What considerations should managers take into account in developing strategies for staff training and development - Essay Example Thus, this will enhance efficiency and effectiveness through building the strengths and improving on the weaknesses (Jackson et al., 2012). A well-conceived performance evaluation creates benefits for both the employer and employee. The implementation of the learning and development by the Coca-Cola Company Britain is one of the effective employee training and management developments. The company creates a conducive environment for their employees to socialize, to excel in their performance, develop skills for improvement, and enable them move towards their career goals. The strengths of the staff training and development in Coca-Cola Company are linked to their training goal that attracts the best people who can help the company achieve its objectives. The only weakness of the training strategy is the management of internal talent rather than talent search from other places. Otherwise, the training and development strategy can be improved through recruitment of new employees and providing skills training and development, employee performance, employee socialization skills, and specializations management. Conclusively, the HR should embrace proper socialization strategies such as anticipatory socialization, adaptation, and integration of employees into the organization. These will ensure that the employees appreciate the working environment; thus develops a dedicated, loyal, and productive attitude in the

Market segmentation on event industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Market segmentation on event industry - Essay Example However, it is worth noting that the marketing concept revolves around goal achievement, customer orientation as well as integrated efforts between the various marketing players (Quang, 2013, p. 6). Research studies that have been done in the recent past reveal that majority of modern marketing techniques are used to deal with consumers’ behaviors. The information that marketers get from the consumers is thus seen to be very important while deciding on the appropriate marketing procedures as well as practices in order to achieve efficiency within the market. This describes why majority of modern marketing revolves around consumer behavior while carrying out a market analysis, target market selection, market-mix determination as well as the marketing strategies mostly reliable within a certain market segment (Bello, 2008, p.1-4). This therefore explains the various marketing mechanisms that are in use today, and which are determined by the consumer behaviors exhibited. For inst ance, Singh and partners reason that human behaviors in purchasing as well as consumption are greatly influenced by attitudes or preconceptions about the specific product or service. This imply that consumers are driven by some preconceived ideologies about goods or services and this influences the decision making process by the consumers. Attitude would refer to the ideological conception that exist in one’s mind about the product and which greatly influence the buying habits of the consumer. They sought to study the consumer behavior and the green marketing through special focus on gasoline products. By collecting data through surveys and then analyzing them through regression method, the group found supportive evidence that the consumers’ behaviors have greatly influenced the marketing procedures within the context of gasoline products in that most preference is now banked on the environmental friendly gasoline products. This has therefore the implications that majo rity of suppliers of the energy products such as the gasoline products are driven to market their products in ways that are most appealing in manners of environmental appeal. This explains the modern marketing mechanisms that are adopted by the firms dealing with such products (Singh et al, 2011, p.101). Market segmentation Marketers today have a tendency of responding to the customers’ behaviors through various mechanisms or ways. These ways are however dependent on customers’ behavioral response to the urge to have their needs and wants met. Among the major ways that have in the recent past characterized marketers responses to these behaviors is the market segmentation. This refers to the specialization of marketing approaches to focus to various market groups. This is by taking the consideration that the entire market frame is composes with different categories of people who could be potential customers. However, depending on certain group characteristic, the differ ent groupings require different approaches in marketing in order to be effective in targeting them. For instance, marketing strategies targeting the elderly may not be effective through the digital advertisement and promotions; whereas the technique would be most appropriate for the young generation segment. Marketers are continuously acknowledging the differences

Developing Countries and Deflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Developing Countries and Deflation - Essay Example A year after Roach's controversial report, Goldman and Sachs published a Global Economics paper entitled "Dreaming with BRICs: The Path to 2050". In this report, the authors surmised that given the 'right' growth conditions and a lot of luck, four of the biggest developing countries namely Brazil, Russia, India and China (thus forming the BRIC acronym) could become the largest economic force in the world in 50 years possibly even surpassing the G6 economies (US, Japan, UK, France, Italy and Germany). Like China, the economies of Brazil, Russia and India have influenced the decline of consumer prices in the world. If there is any empirical basis on the notion of China's alleged spread of deflation, would it not be reasonable to suggest that the rest of the BRICs could have the same effect on the world's economy This paper aims to examine if such generalization regarding deflation shifting could indeed be applied to all of the BRICs as the world's largest developing countries. ... ntinuously as determined by aggregate measures such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator (Kumar et al, 2003). In such a case, economic activity and consumer spending are significantly reduced, which in turn cause a decline in prices, profits, trade, employment and productivity in general (Guardian Unlimited, 2006). The decline in price levels could either be due to a demand shock (a significant fall in the demand of goods and services) or a supply shock (significant increase in outputs while demands remain constant). In case of the former, a vicious cycle of declining asset prices, rigid financial policies and reduced nominal interest rates are likely to result. The situation could become more problematic if the expectation for even lower prices prompt consumers to postpone their spending. An extreme effect of this would be companies going out of business or severely cutting down on labor and production due severe inability to sell their good s or services, realize revenues and/or pay off outstanding loans. This perpetuates an even lower demand for goods and further decline in prices. Supply shocks, on the other hand, can result from more 'positive' events such as technological advancements, trade liberalization gains, productivity growth and strengthened confidence in the long-term effects of perceived political and economic stability. Under such circumstances, deflation could not be as costly as that in the demand shock effect since the price decline could only be a manifestation of temporary adjustment to a new equilibrium brought about by external, productivity-enhancing changes, e.g., IT revolution and deregulation, (Kumar et al, 2003). Deflation in history There are two periods in history when deflation occurred in

Market segmentation on event industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Market segmentation on event industry - Essay Example However, it is worth noting that the marketing concept revolves around goal achievement, customer orientation as well as integrated efforts between the various marketing players (Quang, 2013, p. 6). Research studies that have been done in the recent past reveal that majority of modern marketing techniques are used to deal with consumers’ behaviors. The information that marketers get from the consumers is thus seen to be very important while deciding on the appropriate marketing procedures as well as practices in order to achieve efficiency within the market. This describes why majority of modern marketing revolves around consumer behavior while carrying out a market analysis, target market selection, market-mix determination as well as the marketing strategies mostly reliable within a certain market segment (Bello, 2008, p.1-4). This therefore explains the various marketing mechanisms that are in use today, and which are determined by the consumer behaviors exhibited. For inst ance, Singh and partners reason that human behaviors in purchasing as well as consumption are greatly influenced by attitudes or preconceptions about the specific product or service. This imply that consumers are driven by some preconceived ideologies about goods or services and this influences the decision making process by the consumers. Attitude would refer to the ideological conception that exist in one’s mind about the product and which greatly influence the buying habits of the consumer. They sought to study the consumer behavior and the green marketing through special focus on gasoline products. By collecting data through surveys and then analyzing them through regression method, the group found supportive evidence that the consumers’ behaviors have greatly influenced the marketing procedures within the context of gasoline products in that most preference is now banked on the environmental friendly gasoline products. This has therefore the implications that majo rity of suppliers of the energy products such as the gasoline products are driven to market their products in ways that are most appealing in manners of environmental appeal. This explains the modern marketing mechanisms that are adopted by the firms dealing with such products (Singh et al, 2011, p.101). Market segmentation Marketers today have a tendency of responding to the customers’ behaviors through various mechanisms or ways. These ways are however dependent on customers’ behavioral response to the urge to have their needs and wants met. Among the major ways that have in the recent past characterized marketers responses to these behaviors is the market segmentation. This refers to the specialization of marketing approaches to focus to various market groups. This is by taking the consideration that the entire market frame is composes with different categories of people who could be potential customers. However, depending on certain group characteristic, the differ ent groupings require different approaches in marketing in order to be effective in targeting them. For instance, marketing strategies targeting the elderly may not be effective through the digital advertisement and promotions; whereas the technique would be most appropriate for the young generation segment. Marketers are continuously acknowledging the differences

Duke Energy Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Duke Energy Corporation - Research Paper Example Wylie who was keen on extending his investment to include the general construction of some additional hydroelectric power plants approached and convinced James Buchanan Duke to buy a stake in the newly founded Southern Power Company that had been founded in 1905. Duke formed the Wateree Power in 1917 that helped serve as a holding company for a number of different utilities that were owned or had been founded by Duke, his associates and his family. The name of this company was eventually changed to Duke Power in 1924 and later on in the year 1927, most of the subsidiaries that were previously under the holding company were eventually merged into Duke Power (Scoggins and York County Regional Chamber of Commerce 78). The Growth of Duke Energy Currently, Duke Energy is seen to be operating in various regions across the United States principally through a number of some of its indirect and direct wholly owned subsidiaries. These are seen to include, Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Ind iana, Inc., Florida Power corporation d/b/a Progress Energy Florida, Inc., Duke Energy Ohio, Inc. (Duke Energy Ohio). The company is also seen to have operations in Latin America via its Duke Energy International, LLC (DEI). Over the years, the company’s segments have grown to include Commercial Power and international Energy and Franchised Electric and Gas (USFE&G). Duke energy has been able to make a number of recent acquisitions such as the July 2012 merger with the Progressive Energy Inc. and as well as its acquisition of the Chilean Campanario Power plant. One of the company’s subsidiaries was able to acquire Iberoamericana de Energia Ibener S.A. (Ibener) which was essentially operating as a subsidiary of the CGE Group. A more recent acquisition of Duke Energy is its June 2013 undisclosed minority stake acquisition of Clean Power Finance Inc. Duke Energy is seen to have a relatively large number of various investments that are generally seen to be categorized as o ther investments. These investments include; its wholly owned, Captive Insurance subsidiary, its Bison insurance Company Limited (Bison), a 50% Interest in DukeNet Communications, contributions to the Duke Energy Foundation, a 60% interest in the Duke Energy Trading and marketing, LLC (DukeNet) and a variety of other related telecommunications businesses (Reuters. Nd). Duke Energy’s U.S Franchised Electric and Gas Segment (U.S.FE&G) This segment of Duke Energy is found to be responsible for the generation, distribution, transmission and eventual sale of electricity in the regions covering northern South Carolina, North Carolina, west central Florida, northern Kentucky and southern, central and north Indiana. USFE&G is also seen to be involved in the transportation and sale of natural gas in the areas around northern Kentucky and southwestern Ohio. In order to effectively conduct its operations USFE&G is seen to primarily operate through Progress Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Ohio, duke Energy Carolinas, Progress Energy Florida and Duke Energy Indiana. Of note however is that Duke Energy Indiana and Duke Energy Ohio that engage in distribution and transmission operations are collectively referred to as Duke Energy Midwest. The service area covered by USFE&G is found to cover an approximated area of about 10, 000 square miles. USFE&G is seen to be

Mass and Chemical Reactions Lab Essay Example for Free

Mass and Chemical Reactions Lab Essay Relationships in a Chemical Reaction Lab Introduction: This lab focused on mass relationships within a chemical reaction. To understand this lab first, it is necessary to understand the reaction that is going on in the reaction. The Copper (II) chloride hydrate reacts with Aluminum to produce Aluminum chloride, copper, and water. Theoretical yield and various other forms of yield must be understood too, theoretical yield is what amount of the product you should get theoretically according to your calculations; experimental yield is the product you get after you finish the experiment. Because of error usually your experimental yield will be off from your theoretical yield. Percent yield is the efficiency of the reaction to get to the theoretical yield. Data Collection And Processing: Raw Data: Table #1 : Substance / Object and Mass Table Substance / Object| Mass (Â ± 0. 01 g)| 200mL beaker| 67. 38 Â ± 0. 01 g| 200mL beaker + Copper| 69. 39 Â ± 0. 01 g| Copper| 2. 01 Â ± 0. 01 g| 200mL beaker + Dried Copper| 68. 01 Â ± 0. 01 g| Dried Copper| 0. 63 Â ± 0. 01 g| Qualitative Data: Before the reaction, the Copper (II) Chloride hydrate is a blue crystallized substance, the Aluminum was shiny and made crinkly sounds, it has a smooth metallic feel to it. During the reaction initially when stirred the water the water turns blue. When the aluminum is placed into the hydrous CuCl? the water becomes a darker murky substance. Steam is coming out of the water and aluminum is visibly dissolving. The aluminum is also turning black and vapor is forming along the sides. Foam like red pieces are forming and dropping. As the solid turns completely red the liquid is becoming clear again and is colorless.

Mcdonalds Have Used Effective Global Expansion Strategies Commerce Essay

Mcdonalds Have Used Effective Global Expansion Strategies Commerce Essay The McDonalds is one of the most thriving global restaurant chains around the world. McDonalds have used effective global expansion strategies to enter new markets and gain a share of the foreign fast food market. This report presents McDonalds best practices in the global food industry, international growth trends and challenges.   It will also look at the McDonalds Corporation in relation to its major competitors and analyze how the company has responded to its surrounding environment. In closing, report will look at the prospects for McDonalds future and it will be clear that McDonalds will be able to maintain its dominant market position. It will continue to be a model that serves as a benchmark for others in the industry. Overall, the report provides an overlook of how McDonalds creates both customer and brand loyalty for their products and services. This report focuses on McDonalds international success, challenges and strategies. Index 1: Introduction -05 1.1. Background of the report06 1.2. Aims and Objectives:-06 1.3. Methodology06 2. Literature review and Analysis09 2.1. Environmental factors impacting upon McDonalds09 2.2. Strategic analysis of McDonalds16 3. Conclusion -21 4. Recommendations22 5. Reference:23 1. Introduction In the world of globalisation the fast food business is the most dynamic and growth orientated business. And without any doubt McDonald is the leader of all. McDonalds Strategy is continued growth, providing exceptional customer care, remaining an efficient quality producer, offering high value effectively marketing. Now McDonalds is a global scale brand. Since the start of the company in 1973, McDonalds Corporation began spreading domestically throughout the United States thus establishing its brand recognition. Its initial strategy began by advertising directly to the middle and upper class citizens, as can be seen in countries such as India and China. However, with its many bargain deals on several of its food items, McDonalds began to cater to several people belonging to the lower class. The key strategic elements that make McDonalds so successful is adding 700-900 restaurants annually, using new menu items, low price specials, extra value meals to promote frequent customer visi ts, being highly selective in granting franchises, choosing sites convenient to customers, focusing on limited product line consistent quality ,careful attention to store efficiency extensive advertising use of Mc prefix, hiring courteous personnel; paying an equitable wage; providing good training. Originated in Ray Krocs founding principles of Quality, Service, Cleanliness Value, McDonalds management has constantly believed in being a leader in issues that affect their customers. This belief is evident in McDonalds involvement in various community projects regarding education, health care, medical research, and rehabilitation facilities. These activities help the corporation to extend their image beyond fun and entertainment into social responsibility. Background of the report The background of this report is to evaluate environmental factor and key drivers impacting McDonalds success and strategy. The McDonalds restaurants are operated by MacDonalds Corp, franchisees, or affiliates under joint venture agreements. At March 31, 2005 there were 18,306 franchised restaurants (generating 60% of 2004 system wide sales), 8,091 company operated restaurants (27%) and 4,111 affiliated restaurants (13%). In addition to the McDonalds restaurants operating under the same brand name, which is one of the 10 most popular brand names in the world, McDonalds Corp operates other restaurant chains under its Partner Brands which include Boston Market and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The restaurants operating under these brands are approximately 1,000 and represent 3.22% of the stores operated or franchised by the company. (www. Mcdonalds.com) Aim and purpose of the study Aim and purpose of the report is to evaluate and analyse the key drivers that impact MacDonald success and strategy, its swot analysis and examine current strategies. Methodology Pure research is concerned with the expansion, examination proof and improvement of the research methods and techniques and tools that from the body of research methodology. Examples of clean research include just beginning a sampling method which can be applied to a specific situation; developing a methodology to access the force of the procedures. Normally research in the social sciences is applied. In other words the experiments, methods, and research tools which is called the research methodology. Research methodology is useful to collect the information in the different aspects of an issue, problems and situations. Research will carry out mainly, using the qualitative method of research methodology, as the nature of research is based on primary data which will be collected by doing personal interview questionnaires. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Quantitative research is based on the measurement of the quantity. It is applicable to phenomena that can be expressed in term of quantity. The importance of the primary narrative and theoretical conjecture Figure : 3.1 Source: Remenyi, D et al (1998), Doing Research in Business Management An introduction to Process Method pp-125, by Sage Publication. According to Saunders (2000) the research philosophy depends on the way we think about the development of knowledge and this thinking affects the way we do search. Whilst undertaking the research, a clear understanding of research philosophy is essential since it helps the researcher to refine and specify the research methods to be used in a study, that is, to clarify the overall research strategy to be used (Easterby-Smith et al., 1997) 2. Literature review and Analysis This chapter will provide a detailed literature review. The literature review helped frame the initial focus of this study, as well as focus the data analysis Swanson Holton, (1997). Literature reviews help researchers limit the scope of their inquiry as well as act as a benchmark for comparison purposes. According to Creswell (2003) literature reviews provide a framework for establishing the importance of the study. According to Swanson and Holton (1997), Research is a process of a specific type of outcome. Outcomes of research are new knowledge, obtained through an orderly, investigative process. Typically the research process begins with attempting to solve a problem, which is done by asking a question and identifying a solution or, in essence, drawing a conclusion. 2.1 Environmental factors impacting upon McDonalds McDonalds is one of most thriving companies in the world today. With its rapid globalization, the firm has been able to expand and maintain numerable growth; as well as continuing to explore with its growth potential in the coming years. From the creation of the companys development in the United States, to its spread in England, Australia and more recently India and China, the firm has been able to provide a variety of hamburgers and other foods to its consumers. From the Big Mac, to the Maharaja, the companys successive strategies, specifically with heavy research and development have allowed it to fulfill the tastes of locals in every country it operates. Its leaders in all of its major departments have established prices worldwide in all types of currencies, making its foods affordable for customers of all classes. The companys challenges of providing healthier foods to its patrons have contributed to its financial success, thus enabling loyal consumers. In certain countries, suc h as India and China, eating at a McDonalds has become a luxury, primarily among the middle class, who feel a sense of empowerment that they too can afford to eat at quality restaurants. However, as the company continues to settle into its new environments, it will slowly cater to the lower class, as can be seen in the United States. The strategies developed by its experts, thus allows for the company to increase in revenues, quality, and bring about consumer satisfaction. McDonalds SWOT analysis Strengths MacDonalds has a strong global presence with its nearest domestic competitor being only half its size, McDonalds is the market leader in both the domestic and international markets. MacDonalds benefit from cost reduction through economies of scale because of its enormous size and its huge global presence allows it to diversify risk involved with the economic performance of specific countries. In international markets, MacDonalds is well placed to expand and take advantage of long-term economic growth. Weaknesses The food industry is really saturated. As a result of this, MacDonalds has to deal with the prospect of looming market saturation, which could make it difficult to add new outlets. The market is forecast to grow by around 2% per year. Opportunities MacDonalds sold its Donatos Pizzeria back to its founder in 2003 and discontinued Boston market operations outside of the US. The company will instead focus on Chipotle Grill which is the companys most successful non MacDonalds branded chain of restaurants. Also to increase profitability the company has slowed its expansion of McDonalds restaurants so as to refurbish and change the image of current restaurants and adding new features such as Internet access. Threats McDonalds is exposed to changes in the global economy. The companys aggressive international expansion has left it extremely vulnerable to other countries economic slowdown. Foreign currency fluctuation is also another problem global companies like McDonalds. The Fast food industry is becoming an increasingly competitive sector. MacDonalds keeps up with competitors through expensive promotional campaigns which leads to limited margins to gain market share. McDonalds is attempting to differentiate itself, with new formats and new menu items, but other fast food industry are doing the same too. McDonalds SWOT analysis shows us that even though there are many threats against the fast-food industry, McDonalds occupies a relatively strong position in the global marketplace.   According to the five forces model, the strongest competitive force is between rival sellers in the industry.   This SWOT analysis shows the much strength that Mc Donalds employs to keep itself at the top of the fast-food industry.   Although there are various weaknesses, these can all be turned around following the McDonalds Plan to Win, which was implemented with the hiring of Jim Cantalupo.   Obviously all fast-food chains are going to have to combat the new consumer health expectations, but we feel that under Cantalupos leadership, McDonalds has a strong enough consumer base to grow in the upcoming years.   The financial analysis shows certain flaws in McDonalds finances, but these are largely due to the expansionary policy in place in the company.   SWOT Analysis and Grand Strategies Source:  P. Wright, C.D. Pringle, and M.J. Kroll,  Strategic Management,  2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994), Competitive Forces The quick-service sandwich industry faces competitive pressures from a number of forces.   The major competitive threats originate from competing sellers in the industry as well as firms in other industries that offer substitute products.   McDonalds main competitors within the quick-service sandwich industry are continually deriving new strategies through offensive and defensive tactics in order to gain customers and market share.   In 1989, Wendys implemented the 99 cent value menu as an offensive strategy to gain customers looking for a quality product at a value price.   In response, McDonalds and Burger King took a defensive approach and also instituted a value menu in their respective stores so that they wouldnt lose market share and customers to Wendys.   Firms in the quick-service sandwich industry are constantly jockeying for better market position through offensive strategies and in response to these strategies, other firms will take a defensive approach to guard against that offensive move made by the rival firm. Forces in the Industry Analysis Source: Based on M.E. Porter,  Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors Substitute Products In addition to competition from rival sellers in the industry, sandwich firms also face intense competitive pressure from firms in other industries selling substitute products.   The substitute products for the fast-food industry are probably some of the most diverse in the world.   These substitute products may include products purchased from the local grocery store, food from sit-down restaurants, or delivery foods such as pizza.   The primary issue with these substitute products is that they are readily available to the customer and the customer tends to view them as being comparable or better in terms of the quality of fast-food products.   Another issue that faces the fast-food industry is the availability of products that cater to the health-conscious lifestyle.   The majority of the public tends to view fast-food restaurants as primarily serving foods that are high in fat content and unhealthy and as a result they are likely to look elsewhere for a healthy alternativ e.   In response to the product offerings, buyers also exercise a great deal of bargaining ability through their purchasing power.   While fast-food products may not always be associated with health and quality, fast-food restaurants to possess a major advantage over firms selling substitute products through the price of their products and the quick, convenient service.   New Entrants The threat of potential new entrants and the bargaining power of suppliers is not a significant competitive force in the fast-food industry.   Occasionally, new entrants will come along and compete with firms in the fast-food industry and offer substitute products.   However, in order to compete on a large scale, it will require a great deal of capital to invest in real estate and build physical restaurant locations.   In addition, the market is already so saturated that the new competitor might find it difficult to establish a customer base and become profitable.   Suppliers in the fast-food industry do not have substantial bargaining power due to the fact that firms in the fast-food business tend to purchase their materials from various outlets.   One company might purchase their meat supplies from a couple different meat manufacturers, then purchase their dairy needs from a number of different dairy companies, and also purchase their bakery products from a variety of sou rces.   Since the fast-food firms divide their purchases among a diverse array of suppliers, the suppliers tend to have little or no bargaining power or leverage since there are multiple suppliers for the same products.   Driving Forces   There are a number of driving forces which have molded the current state of the fast-food industry.   In the beginning, fast-food companies typically focused on being the low-cost provider and sought to expand into as many markets as possible.   As these national brands have grown, the markets they are competing in have become overly saturated with restaurant options.   As a result, the fast-food industry has begun to focus on the needs of the customer.   The buyer has a great deal of leveraging power due to the fact that if they are dissatisfied with one brand they can easily switch or purchase from an alternate brand with little or no monetary repercussions.   The fast-food firms have implemented strategies to improve the quality of customer service and the cleanliness of the restaurant locations in order to please their customers in hopes that they will become a repeat customer.   Health Factor All fast-food hamburger chains, McDonalds included, are forced to respond to the shift in customer preferences from high-calorie burger and fries to healthier items such a deli sandwiches and baked potatoes. All the chains are expected to be struggling for several years to come to meet new consumer health expectations without compromising the original menu items. McDonalds customer service and opposing points    As years have progress many issues have arisen for McDonalds but the greatest is probably its poor customer service. A customer service index done in 2003 found that McDonalds has the lowest the customer service ranking in the fast food industry and is ranked even lower on customer service than the IRS. One reason for this is a high employee turnover rate. McDonalds has the highest employee turnover rate among its competitors. Another contributing aspect to the poor customer service is slow service at the drive-through window. McDonalds currently ranks fifth in speed at the drive-through window and 19th in accuracy. If you compare its speed and accuracy to its competitors and keep in mind that McDonalds generates 60 percent of its revenue from its drive-through and assume it is losing one percent of revenue for every six seconds that its behind, than McDonalds is loosing approximately 97,000 dollars annually. While McDonalds feels positive about its newly implemented changes the critics are rather skeptical. It was stated that long-term they believe that it will be tough to sustain growth and margin expansion. Specific concerns include McDonalds ability to maintain it current level of product innovation and competitors ability to copy those ideas. The critics even went as far to question if McDonalds recent improvement was more of a reflection of the market and the dollar rather than its newly implemented strategy. In response, McDonalds officials stated that they will need to deliver on their stated goal of sustaining increases in sales and operating income. Following with the most significant question of weather or not the new changes will sufficiently provide McDonalds with core competencies necessary to build a sustainable competitive advantage in the global fast-food industry. 2.2 Strategic analysis of McDonalds McDonalds Global strategy McDonalds already holds a strong position in the global economy.   It is recommendation that they decrease expansion in the almost saturated domestic markets, and continue their expansion in foreign countries, such as Asia, and the Pacific.   Companies generally expand into foreign markets in an attempt to gain new customers and capitalize on core competencies.   McDonalds core competency is that they are able to produce and sell quick and cheap food to a large number of customers.   With this concept, they have been able to expand into other countries, and they currently are the largest global fast-food chain in the world.   Since they already hold this lucrative position, they should continue expansion in an effort to drive out competition.   One strong recommendation would be for McDonalds to expand into emerging markets.   Since they focus on low-priced food, it is likely that many could afford their products, and therefore, McDonalds could expand into a stronger co mpany. Politically Sensitive Strategy One of the companys major concerns was to develop ways to avoid political confrontation with the Indian government. The other major concern was to be careful of the religious sensitive in India. Almost 80% of Indians do not eat beef, and over 150 million Indian Muslims do not eat pork, therefore, instead of supplying the normal Big Mac, which consists of beef, the company developed the Maharaja Mac that is made of two lamb patties. Other foods were also added to the non-standardized menu including McAloo Tiki Burger, and other common Indian dishes. Emphasis on Local Management Throughout the world, McDonalds prides itself in hiring locals, specifically management in order to gain acceptance into the country by its citizens. The emphasis is based on the think global, act local theme of the company. For instance, the company decided to establish two joint ventures with two local entrepreneurs in New Delhi, who were selected to manage the fast food restaurant. This strategic move allowed the company to gain easy access to the bureaucracy associated with the countrys government. Employment Opportunity Foreign enterprises are often reluctant to hire locals in their companies, specifically at the managerial positions, however, McDonalds research concluded that in order to survive the brutal Indian government, it would have to hire locals as cashiers, cooks, managers, etc., as well as provide jobs for the countrys agricultural workforce. In fact, McDonalds outsources its products to several Indian companies throughout India. This provides evidence to the Indian government that McDonalds is not only customer friendly, but also employee friendly. Environmental Friendliness In order to achieve a positive reputation, as well as follow local and national policies of a country, McDonalds tries to establish services that are environmentally friendly. India is an example where the company provides financial contributions and sponsors several community related activities in order to promote environmental protection. This is primarily seen within schools; thus indicating that the company also supports local schools. Corporate Citizenship In order to better its reputation, this multinational firm gives back to the local citizens in all countries it operates. For example, the company provides several financial donations to local organizations. This is one way to encourage consumers to eat at its restaurants, as it is an incentive that is used to spread the name. Diversification One strategy that McDonalds as well as many of the other fast-food chains have embraced is that of diversification.   We feel that McDonalds should continue this trend.   With the large health-craze hitting the United States, many restaurants have to change to healthier, higher quality menu items.   The fast-food industry is no exception.   Healthier burgers, low-fat salads are all popping up on menus across the country.   We feel McDonalds should continue its diversification and incorporate more healthy foods, including low-carb burgers and fries.   If McDonalds is able to stay ahead of the competition in this aspect, they will have a strong competitive advantage over such companies as Wendys and Burger King.   Defend strategy The purpose of this strategy is to make it harder for challengers to gain ground and for new firms to enter. A fortify-and-defend strategy works well with firms that have already achieved industry dominance. Since McDonalds is already the industry leader in the fast-food market, they can opt for a number of tactics using this strategy to maintain their industry position. They can continue their expansion tactics by continuing to open more stores around the world. This expansion would help defend against and help to discourage smaller companies from increasing their market share. In addition, they can also elect to invest capital in RD to aid in developing new technologies for their operations. These new technologies will help them remain cost-competitive and technologically progressive. Recommended strategy for McDonalds The main goal of the stay-on-the-offensive strategy is to be a proactive market leader. The principle of this strategy is to continually stay one step ahead of your competitors and force them to play catch up. McDonalds is already the industry leader in the fast-food industry with a market share of 33 percent compared with the number two chain in the industry, Burger King at 13 percent market share. They can stay out front by implementing technological improvements in their restaurants to enhance the production methods or to improve the ordering process of the customer. In addition, they can also introduce new or better product offerings to satisfy the needs of their customers. The best approach that McDonalds can take through this strategy is to improve their customer service. McDonalds customer service ranking was the lowest in the fast-food industry and was even lower than the Internal Revenue Service. To improve upon this substandard attribute, McDonalds should revamp their train ing process for newly hired employees and introduce new educational modules for currently employed personnel. Training and learning McDonalds should put more emphasis on training of its employees as part of their strategy of growth. Training and learning is the main tools for HR to prepear management for any upcoming change in the organization. According to Beardwell and Claydon (2007) the role of formal training in organisation today appears to have declined significantly. Firstly, the speed with which skills requirements change in some sectors means the formal time consuming, to deliver efficiently as required. Secondly, the growing recognition of Human resource development as a tool to achieve competitive advantage has raised awareness of the need of the embrace learning as a central strategic concern and to be part of the culture of the organisation. Employees, employers, managers, leaders, government, European and international bodies, customers and Human resource development specialist consultants all of them needs more training for the future. Equal opportunity Equal opportunity, means changing workplace behaviour in the areas of discrimination, sexual harassment and affirmative action to ensure that all employees have equal access to fulfilling and productive working lives. Wright,N (2003) 3. Conclusion In analyzing McDonalds, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats were inevitably explored to better understand the current situation. This SWOT analysis shows us that although there are numerous threats against the fast-food industry, McDonalds occupies a relatively strong position in the global marketplace.   According to the five forces model, the strongest competitive force is between rival sellers in the industry.   This SWOT analysis shows the much strength that Mc Donalds employs to keep itself at the top of the fast-food industry.   Although there are various weaknesses, these can all be turned around following the McDonalds Plan to Win, which was implemented with the hiring of Jim Cantalupo.   McDonalds has adopted many strategic changes during its business cycle.  McDonalds business will continue to thrive as long as the core competencies are recognized and never forgotten.   With every issue and challenge the corporation faces, it has the opportunity to improve itself and prove itself to the public, shareholders, and stakeholders.   With every battle conquered, another one rises and with a secure mission and vision in mind, the corporation should never stray too far from the roots and success of the company. The recommended strategy will strengthen this plan because it is doing what McDonalds does best and more so.   Despite the downturn the company has seen, the general impression we receive from McDonalds financial situation is that the company is slowly climbing out of a low period and making a turnaround.  Ã‚   We must never forget the key success factors of the business which really makes the business for what it is today, including franchises that off er quick, efficient service in a clean friendly environment. 4. Recommendations Team building Team building is crucial for any individual McDonalds store for improvement of their sales figure and as a whole for the organization. If the organizations have the proper team than they can face all sorts of challenges, they can achieve the competitive advantage, and organizations can maximize their profit. Sustainable growth Managers and employees of McDonalds need to put more effort about the sustainable growth. In this constant changing world of organizational dynamic only sustainable companies will survive. McDonalds should have concern more on their product and the way they produce it , and environmental issues. Total quality management Total quality management is the key of the success in the development path. If everything is done by as they planned, than they will the quality in every field of the organisation. The reason behind is, why researcher is emphasizing on these studies, because after covering these factors managers, employees and organisations will get the continuous development path.

Michael Jackson :: essays research papers

Many people would pass up listening to the styles of the new/old Michael Jackson, but do you know why? Why do people absolutely refuse to claim they have ever heard his music? Why do parents ban their children’s CD selection from some of his greatest hits, like Bad, or Thriller? Why do people hate him? Many reasons of course, some lies, some true, some public. And some private.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Michael was very famous from the beginning of his life. He started at such a young age, he doesn’t remember much. His memories are so vague, he can’t remember why a lot of people began hating him at that age. Well, one thing was that his sister’s, LaToya, and Janet, weren’t included. In his book, â€Å"Moonwalk†, written a few years back, he stated that people would see them on the streets and shun them, saying they were â€Å"sexist siblings† and â€Å"they should let the girls be in the group.† Michael, of course, had no choice in this whole ordeal, which was hard on him, because him and Janet got along well, at the early ages. Seeing and hearing this stuff made Michael very optimistic, and sensitive on the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Michael was in the Jackon-5, he had absolutely no freedoms. He would have late-night recordings, and would have troubles in school. Most of his attention from his parents was on the business, they never gave him the attention he lacked, he was pretty lonely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Michael grew up, and he moved on in his career out of J-5, he was thought low of to everyone in the music/movie industry. Brooke Shields once quoted that he was a â€Å"lowly-person, who needed help†, plus some other things that cannot be said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jackson did have some people of whom thought very high of him, Elizabeth Taylor was one of his best friends throughout the hard stages. He looked up to her, and vise versa. With the help of her, he got through the depression of his family members (LaToya mostly) disliking him, and disapproving of him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Michael realized that his reputation was not the hottest on the press, he totally gave up on his self image, caring less on what he looked like, and began foolish rumors about himself. He use to tell reporters when they would ask him on his â€Å"transformation to being white† that â€Å"his dad beat him to white.† They of course gulped in every bit of information ever said, sarcastic, or not.

American Society for Training & Development: A Closer Look

Organizations exist for different purposes. There have been countless successful organizations but there were also equal numbers of unsuccessful ones. The American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) is clearly a successful organization. It is considered as the world’s largest association that is committed in workplace learning and performance professionals. Its members originate from different countries worldwide. ASTD is a committee organization which consists of a group of people who usually lead the whole organization. This type of organization, though it has a broad decision making, has a limited functional authority.The good thing on committee authority is that there is harmony between executives and co-workers. Even executives who have lesser experience can broaden their perspectives through active participation. Moreover, there is an assurance of continuity of committee functions. On the other hand, this type of organization is time consuming. Others also say tha t â€Å"committee is made up of the unfit selected by the unwilling to do the unnecessary. † There are also instances when the chairman is forced to make a decision when the committee members have difficulty arriving at a unified agreement.The responsibility is divided among the members and it seeks unanimous decisions. Committee organization is best used to represent interest groups, training, innovation and coordination of planning. The ASTD have the following services: they provide resources for the professionals, which are helpful for researches and publications. They also conduct conferences and expositions in different locations and facilitate the online communities. Aside from these, the ASTD offers programs and choices for careers. ASTD seeks to create a world that works better through exceptional learning and performance.They envision a world-wide leader in workplace learning and performance. Harrison says that leadership is really all about performance. In this case , wherein a 16-member team leads the members, the ASTD is spearheaded by designated leadership. The 16-member team takes responsibility for the whole members and drives them towards their goals. The designated leaders also think of how they will achieve these goals. One of the best things about what ASTD offers to its members is the wide array of resources from the marketplace that they can have access to.They have online environments where the members can gain access to resources such as articles, book summaries and reviews on topics ranging from management to trainings. Aside from these, there are also magazines, newsletters, research reports, Webpages and blogs. The organization also made way for the Training Fundamentals Community where the members can have access on different resources available and connect them to their peers who can help in developing training solutions for a particular organization.The ASTD also conduct conferences and expositions with world-renowned leaders as speakers. The members learn a lot of new things, whether theories or models, that they can adapt to their organization. This facilitates a better workplace learning and performance. The organization also offers exhibit and sponsorship opportunities for their training suppliers. It also offers many choices of certificates from education programs. ASTD also holds the Benchmarking Forum which offers opportunities to benchmark the practices and processes of the members.ASTD is clearly a place where a professional can be more professional. Their resources and programs will be the vehicle for an organization to achieve its success. Being a good leader or a professional means you follow principles that are good for the organization. You have to find ways on how to improve your skills and competencies. There will always be room for improvement to be able to lead the organization to that sweet success. REFERENCES http://www. astd. org/ASTD

Ban Fire Crackers

Diwali is celebrated with great vigour all across the nation. Bursting firecrackers is a tradition on Diwali. Diwali is also known as Deepavali in India. Firecrackers! Just the term creates joy and excitement in one’s mind. The heart flutters with thrill and enthusiasm developed by the sight those colorful showers and sparkles from the fireworks in the sky. But is it all about fun? Have you ever wondered how many harmful effects and disadvantages do these fireworks create for the environment?. It is yours, theirs and everyone’s duty to take care of the environment, fellow humans and other living beings. You may wonder why and how.You may be having a great time celebrating and enjoying, bursting those boisterous fireworks. But it need not be the same for the others around you! What about your neighbors? Your neighbor could be sick, or many may have an important appointment the next day. He/she could also be having a test or an exam the next morning and they may need some rest. Burning firecrackers late at night at odd hours disturbs everyone living in that community and disturb their sleep and make them less concentrated in their next day.Firecrackers produce very high level of sound and the vibrations can travel over a long distance. These are sometimes over 140 decibels! A human ear can bear a maximum of 85 decibels. Sounds above this limit create disability in hearing and causes permanent damage to the ears. Firecrackers when burnt release a large amount of very tiny toxic particles that can easily enter our lungs and damage the respiratory system. The smoke from firecrackers contain sulfur compounds, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals and harmful fumes of gases such as sulfur dioxide, ozone etc,. People with asthma, multiple chemical sensitivity and other breathing problems suffer largely due to the toxic emissions from these fireworks.Crackers are unnoticeably affecting all of us. We should understand what it’s doing & how itâ€℠¢ll threaten our very existence in future. Governments should take it very seriously & should:†¢ban the production of crackers †¢enforce laws on its production, sales, use, & advertisement †¢popularize the idea of not using crackers among publicThere’re a lot of causes of global warming & pollution. All the other sources are important for our living despite their ill effects. But cracker is absolutely nothing more than garbage. Be smart, be civilized, use your knowledge, don’t worry about what others think, don’t care about society, & DON’T USE CRACKER.Let each one of us take a pledge this Diwali to say NO to firecrackers and invest in a safer and greener future. Diwali is the festival of lights and we must enlighten our lives with the sparkle of joy and goodwill, forget past grievances and look ahead towards a brighter and happier future.

Vampirism in the Fall of the House of Usher

Bethany Risinger English 2341. 02 Dr. Watson September 20, 2011 Vampirism in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† The theme of vampirism occurs several times throughout â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† written by Edgar Allen Poe. He shows this theme through many actions of the characters and his use of diction. The three main paths of discovering the vampire theme is to closely examine three important instruments within the story. The three instruments used include Roderick Usher, Madeline Usher, and the House that the two live in.Roderick Usher is used by Poe to demonstrate the vampire theme in two ways. In the launch of the short story, Roderick is described with both physical and mental strangeness. His physical being is characterized as â€Å"terribly altered† (152), having a Hebrew nose, and with a ghoulish color of skin. These descriptions do not give an array of a normal human being. Edgar Allen Poe even writes that the narrator â€Å"couldn’ t connect it’s arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity† (152). There is obviously something wrong with Roderick physically to where he did not look like a human.These physical alterations are symbolisms for a vampire figure. Hebrew noses are known to be rather large and pointed downward, giving us the imagery of Dracula, a widely known vampire, who is described as ghoulish looking and with a long, pointed nose. This facial feature, along with the pale albino-like skin color can give us the mental image of a vampire. Although Roderick’s physical features are important examples of the vampire theme, his mental unstableness is of more importance to this theme.His thoughts and views of things that happen make the idea of vampirism more evident. Roderick mentions that there is an extreme sense of terror and superstition apparent in the house, in the events that were happening, and in ones soon to happen. He is filled with hysteria along with nervous agit ation and a mental disorder. When Roderick mentions that â€Å"sooner or later (he will) abandon life and reason all together† (153), he suggests that his life will soon come to an end.His life coming to an end could mean that he will die, but looking through the vampire lens, it could mean that he would soon become immortal (abandoning reason). Madeline Usher, Roderick’s sister, is a very important example of the vampire theme in this story as well. Although she is seldom seen, only 3 times, she is a very important part of the plot and of the vampire theme in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher. † Throughout the story she is secretly referred to as the terror described by Roderick and the narrator.When the narrator watches Madeline disappear in her retreat, he is filled with a state of mental numbness, hinting that she was a terrorizing scene. Ironically, the period of the most vampiristic quality is when Madeline dies. When she dies, the two men, Roderick and the narrator, put her in a coffin and then in a locked away donjon (dungeon). The importance of this part, is that the two guys not only put her in the coffin, but they screw the lid on and lock the large door to the tomb as if to keep her from escaping.If she were dead, she wouldn’t try to escape, so why bolt everything up? Only if they were burying the undead (hint) would they feel the need to secure everything to where she could not get out. Another way that Madeline is an example of vampirism is when she comes back alive, which we later find out she was never dead, she escapes the coffin and tomb and comes forth to the two men and she â€Å"bore him (Roderick) to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated† (161).In the vampiristic view of this particular scene, it could be suggested that the terrors Roderick spoke of were of Madeline being a vampire and of her hunt to make himself a vampire as well. This might be the reason that Roderick in vites his friend, the narrator, to come visit. Roderick probably thought that they two could defeat Madeline and overcome the terror that would ultimately consume Roderick. One last validation that makes â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† have a vampiristic theme is the fact that the house itself has a vampire feel to it as well.The structure is defined as gothic, large, and lofty. When images of a vampire-inhabited house, one thinks of a large, dark, spooky place. Not only does the house have an appearance of a vampire, it has the power to suck the life out of people as well (metaphorically speaking). At the very beginning when the author is first describing the house, he already has a sense of uneasiness about himself. He states that there is a â€Å"utter depression of the soul† (149) and does not feel at ease anymore.After entering the house and staying with Roderick for a few days, it becomes apparent that the narrator is getting more and more apprehension to t he house and its inhabitants. Staying in the house with Roderick affected his mental awareness to a lot of things. He begins to hear the same noises that Roderick has head and becomes very engulfed with terror, just as his friend Roderick is. The house is a symbol for vampirism because it sucks the normality of the narrator’s thoughts and feelings out and inserted those of Roderick’s.The vampiristic theme in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is a very easy one to pick out, one just has to read the story in a different way than before. To a person reading it plainly, they might not catch the little things that could hint to vampirism. For example, the blood-red moon described at the end could just be the color or the moon on a random night, but for a person reading the story in a vampiristic viewpoint, they can see that blood-red includes the word â€Å"blood† which is the main focuses in vampirism. Vampires suck blood.