The entrenchment of abortion in different countries

Legalizing or not legalizing abortion is one of the most controversial subjects in the world. Arguments for and against abortion have taken religious, political and moral perspectives with the proponents and opponents giving substantive claims to support their arguments.The entrenchment of abortion in different countries’ constitution has raised resistance from the conservatives who claims that the laws are contradicting when they impose death penalty on individual convicted of murder while legalizing abortion is itself legalizes murder of unborn. Despite the ensuing arguments over the subject, it is clear that abortion is practices in every corner of the world regardless of whether it is legal or illegal.My thesis is that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing does not deter people from aborting and it deteriorates and risks life of women. Abortion can be defined as a premature expulsion of a human fetus, whether in naturally like in case of a miscarriage or artifici ally induced through the use of surgical or chemical equipment.However the controversy around the subject surrounds about 93% of the abortion cases which are carried out for elective, based on no medical reason.Abortion should be legalized in cases case where a woman has undergone a painful ordeal like rape or incest which may affect the whole of their live and bearing such a child will rekindle painful memories of the ordeal.With rising population of homeless people and street children and families, abortion should be legalized so that those who feel that they cannot raise their children are not compelled to give birth to children who they cannot support and will leave them to wander on the street. Even in countries where abortion has not been legalized, there are rising cases of backstreet abortion where many women lose their life.These and other facts support the reasons why abortion should be legalized. I once again restate that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing do es not deter people from aborting and it deteriorates and risks life of women.Why abortion should be legalizedMy first argument is that abortion should be legalized in case where a woman conceive after undergoing a painful ordeal like rape, incest, and other sex related ordeals. Such an ordeal is likely to haunt a woman for the rest of her life.Research has revealed that one out of every six case of rape or incest usually results to pregnancy. Apart from the danger of the mother contracting venereal disease which may affect fetal formation, women who give birth to children conceived in such circumstances are likely to suffer repeated emotionally every time they see that child since they remember the ordeal.Research reveals that more than 50% of pregnancies resulting from such cases are usually aborted all over the world where abortion is legalized or illegalized (Johnson, 2008). Most women turn to backstreet abortion while many are not likely to report pregnancy resulting from rapes and incest fearing stigma. Therefore, they end up undergoing crude methods of abortion where not one risking their health.   In order to save women from such ordeals, I feel that abortion should be legalized.My second argument supporting abortion is that there are many women who conceive when they have no means of bringing up the child.   Many women will enter into a relationship and when they conceive, their partners depart them.Some have no jobs or any economic means and they end up bearing children who are left to wander in the streets.   With the declining welfare supports, abortion should be legalized in order to save women from undergoing such ordeals which are likely to affect their life and that of their children.Research shows that more than 21% of the cases if abortions are related to women who are not ready for responsibilities while 11% are related to young pregnancies mostly to teenagers who cannot take responsibility for the children they bear (Johnson, 2008).Wo men should have the choice to decide carrying to full term pregnancies which they are prepared to handle and bring up the child in a good environment. I feel that abortion should be legalized in order to give women a chance to make choices of giving birth to children who they can take care.My third argument supporting abortion is that even in countries where abortion has been illegalized, people have not been deterred from performing abortion. In contrast to countries which are legalized where women seek abortion in hospitals, there are more people who are seeking abortion in backstreet clinics through crude methods risking their health. A study by Henshaw et al.(1999) showed there were more than 26 legal and 20 illegal abortions worldwide in 1999, concluding that stringent measures against legal abortion did not guaranteed low rate of abortion.Another study by Sedgh et al. (2007) concluded that the rate of abortion in countries where it is legalized has been decreasing with time. L egalized abortion help women to access safe abortion which is not detrimental to their health while illegalizing abortion expose women to health hazards. Therefore abortion should be legalized to help women access safe abortion.ConclusionAbortion remains a controversial subject in the world. My thesis is that abortion should be legalized since illegalizing abortion does not deter people from aborting and it exposes women to health risks. Abortion should be legalized for women who undergo painful ordeals like rape and incest which are likely to haunt them throughout their life.

Case Study on Adolescent Sexual Abuse Essay

Elias is a five year old Mexican American male who has recently been referred to the community counseling center due to the exposure of sexual abuse by his stepfather. Elias was a client of this community center approximately 18 months earlier. Elias had been referred for poor impulse control and hyperactivity. At that time he was diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He also met with the agency psychiatrist who had prescribed Elias Focalin. His cased was closed after only a few sessions due to the family’s inconsistency and withdrawal from services. At this point in time Elias has been attending his sessions with his mother and baby brother. Stepfather’s whereabouts are unknown and he has not had any contact with the family since the abuse was exposed. Elias has returned to taking Focalin, since he failed to continue taking his medication after withdrawing from services. However, there have been no changes noted in his behavior since he has begun to take the medication. The psychiatrist believes that this may be due to the low dosage he has prescribed Elias and because of such, the psychiatrist has opted to slowly increase the dosage and closely monitor any changes. The clinician notes that Elias is extremely hyperactive and exhibits minimal impulse control. Other than his high levels of restlessness, Elias shows no observable signs or symptoms of reaction to the sexual abuse. When clinician has attempted to process with Elias about the abuse or his feelings about the abuse, Elias has changed the subject or ignored the clinician all together. Mother states that she has noticed no changes in his behavior since the abuse was discovered. Practice Effectiveness Questions  The special population in discussion is children, the social problems in focus are sexual abuse and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which leads the target client group to be children who have experienced sexual abuse and have been diagnosed with ADHD. Our client is Elias who is a child, who has experienced sexual abuse and is diagnosed with ADHD. For the purposes of this discussion our practice effectiveness questions are: 1) What are effective interventions for children who have been sexually abused? and 2) What are effective interventions for children who have been diagnosed with ADHD? Search Description Procedures The databases utilized for this search were: Google Scholar, Social Work Abstracts, Child Welfare Information Gateway, Academic Search Complete, Professional Development Collection, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, SocINDEX with Full Text Sociological Collection, Academic Search Premier, and JSTOR. It was also helpful to review the journal entitled Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment for relevant articles. While searching the aforementioned databases, the following keywords were utilized: ‘sexual abuse and ADHD’, ‘sexual abuse and interventions’, sexual abuse and co-morbidity’, ‘ADHD and co-morbidity’, ‘children and sexual abuse’, ‘sexual abuse and interventions. ’ All articles selected were peer reviewed, found in scholarly journals, and published within the last ten years. In searching for relevant articles regarding treatment of sexual abuse, most articles addressed interventions designed to treat perpetrators of child sexual abuse; a few articles were uncovered that discussed treating adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Fewer still were articles that identified interventions for children who are recent or current victims of sexual abuse. In order to find information relevant to our target client group, we began pulling sources from reference pages of relevant articles which provided more focused research relevant to treatment of children who have experienced sexual abuse. Results The result of our exhaustive search of available literature led us to identify eight articles to focus on. Out of these articles, four dealt specifically with children who have experienced sexual abuse, two focused on abuse of children which included physical abuse along with sexual abuse, two were focused primarily on ADHD, four focused on co-morbidity of either post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or ADHD and sexual abuse, and four specifically discussed treatments and interventions. Half of the selected articles were literature reviews while the remaining four were reporting from the standpoint of a primary source on research studies of treatments and interventions. The research studies varied in their sampling and control or comparison groups; only two studies were able to utilize a true experimental design with random assignment of study participants to control and experimental groups. The literature reviews provided an extensive overview of relevant studies and interventions from a secondary source standpoint. The eight identified sources provided an assortment of research-based perspectives as well as a sampling of evidence based on authority by those who reviewed the literature and discussed their findings in literature reviews. Research Findings Description of Articles In the article Sexually Abused Children Suffering from PTSD: Assessment and Treatment Strategies by David Heyne, Neville J. King, Paul Mullen, Nicole Myerson, Thomas H. Ollendick, Stephanie Rollings, and Bruce T. Tonge states that sexual abuse of children is a major societal problem because of its high prevalence and devastating impact on the victimized child. Children who have been sexually abused often demonstrate anxiety, depressive moods, improper sexual behaviors, nightmares, social withdrawal, sleep difficulties, anger, shame/guilt and school problems. The authors did diagnostic interviewing with their participants. The authors interviewed thirty six children and sixty nine percent were primarily diagnosed with PTSD. Within the thirty six children four of the children with full PTSD had no other diagnoses. Nine had one co morbid diagnoses, ten had two co morbid diagnoses, and two had three co morbid diagnoses. PTSD is not always prevalent and at times other emotional and behavioral problems are prevalent. In fact, many studies confirm that on clinical evaluation a large proportion of sexually abused children meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD (Heyne, at el. , 2003). This particular article showed that often there are other diagnoses that go along with PTSD but in an article by Peggy T. Ackerman, Roscoe A. Dykman, Jerry G. Jones, W. Brian McPherson, and Joseph E. O. Newton, did research on groups that have been affected sexual, physically abused, or both. The article Prevalence of PTSD and Other Psychiatric Diagnosis in Three Groups of Abused Children (Sexual, Physical, and Both) was a study done with children that are sexually and or physically abused. Fortunately, many children who are victims of horrifying events do not develop PTSD or other psychiatric disorders (Ackerman at el. 1998). Very little is known as to why some victimized children do and others do not develop psychiatric disorders. Even such basic variables as gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, intelligence, and age at time of trauma, have been inadequately studied. They were in a large children’s hospital in which sexual and or physically abused children were referred. The groups were divided into three, sexually and physically abused and both. Through the finding there were more boys who were physically abused and girls who were sexually abused. Anxiety and behavior disorders were more frequent than mood disorders. In concordance with clinical observation, abused boys, regardless of type abuse, had higher rates of behavioral disorders and abused girls had higher rates of two internalizing disorders: separation anxiety (caregiver reports) and phobic disorder (child report) (Ackerman at el. , 1998). Studies show most clearly that children who have been jointly physically and sexually abused are at greatest risk for psychiatric disturbance. There are many different treatment interventions one can go through to minimize PTSD and attention deficient disorders. Maryka Biaggio, Darlene Staffelbach, Dan Weinstein wrote the article ADHD and PTSD: Differential Diagnosis in Childhood Sexual Abuse which shows different interventions used for victimized children. Treatment interventions for ADHD children predominantly consist of behavior management, social skills training, and stimulant or other medication. Treatment interventions for children with PTSD generally consist of management and alleviation of emotional distress using play, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral therapy modalities (Biaggio at el. 2000). Relaxation techniques and hypnosis have also been effective in treatment of PTSD in children. Misdiagnosis may lead clinicians to use inappropriate interventions for PTSD. Side effects experienced by ADHD children on stimulant medication may include difficulty falling asleep, lack of appetite, irritability, headaches, stomachaches, nausea, dizziness, tachycardia, muscle tics or twitches, slowed physical growth, and skin rashes (Biaggio at el. , 2000). Another undesired onsequence of ADHD misdiagnosis in SAC (sexual abused children) is the failure to address and treat the trauma symptoms of children who actually have PTSD. Given the risk of wrongly prescribing, untreated trauma, and negative impact on self-esteem for children misdiagnosed with ADHD, it is unfortunate little attention has been given to this issue (Biaggio at el. , 2000). Increased attention to clinical decision-making in the differential diagnosis of ADHD and PTSD may lead to more appropriate, beneficial, and timely interventions. Darcie) Allison M. Briscoe-Smith and Stephen P. Henshaw’s article entitled: Linkages between child abuse and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in girls: Behavioral and social correlates, was an excellent source to explore the relationship of sexual abuse and ADHD and begin to discuss the co-morbidity of these events for children. The article described a research study carried out with a sample of 228 females at a summer camp for girls with ADHD over a three year span. Each year cohort groups were created to identify the prevalence of abuse among girls diagnosed with ADHD and those who had not received a diagnosis of ADHD. Out of the twenty-four identified cases of abuse histories, twenty of these girls were diagnosed with ADHD, and of those abuse histories ten were sexual in nature which is much higher than any other form of maltreatment documented by the researchers. All girls who had abuse histories had a co-morbid diagnosis of Oppositional Defiance Disorder. The study found that girls with both ADHD and abuse histories were more likely to display externalizing behaviors and be negatively received by their peers. The study also analyzed the relationship between the prevalence of an abuse history and the rejection from peers and found aggression to partially mediate that relationship. The authors concluded that girls with ADHD were at increased risk of having abuse histories and questioned the accurate diagnosis of ADHD. It was suggested that the girls who had histories of abuse may more accurately be diagnosed with PTSD and/or share a co-morbid diagnosis with PTSD. Judith A. Cohen and Anthony P. Mannarino conducted a research study comparing two interventions to treat children who have been sexually abused; their findings were published in the article entitled: Interventions for Sexually Abused Children: Initial Treatment Outcome Findings. This article was one of few that specifically addressed interventions for children with the focus being treatment of sexual abuse. The sample consisted of 49 children between the ages of 7 and 14 who were randomly assigned to either sexual abuse specific cognitive behavioral therapy (SAS-CBT) or nondirective supportive therapy (NST) for a twelve week duration. The study found that children in the SAS-CBT group improved significantly in social competence and in the reduction of feelings of depression. Also, substantially higher percentages of children involved in SAS-CBT experienced what is considered clinically significant improvements. In regards to deterioration while in therapy, higher rates were found in children who received NST. For the safety of the other children in the groups, children who were consistently displaying repetitive extreme sexually inappropriate behaviors were removed from treatment groups; seven NST participants were removed from the study as compared to two children participating in SAS-CBT. Parental satisfaction with treatment was high in both treatment groups which either treatment modality. The clinical impressions of the authors conclude that sexual abuse specific cognitive behavioral therapy is superior to nondirective supportive therapy in the reduction of depressive symptoms. SAS-CBT was also favored due to the benefit of including parents in treatment (NST did not formally include parents). The authors also concluded that there is value and importance in providing a directive therapy technique in dealing with the effects of trauma caused by sexual abuse. Assessment of Evidence Implications of Evidence Interventions for sexual abused victim’s trauma may include based cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy, parental involvement- parent training, behavioral therapy, coping skills training, psycho-education, and prevention awareness. PTSD interventions may include trauma based cognitive behavioral therapy, and play therapy. Attention deficit disorder can also be treated with behavioral management techniques, medication, social skills training, play therapy, parent training, behavioral classroom interventions and summer treatment programs. Many sexually abused children have other diagnosis along with PTSD and several possible co-morbid diagnosis are more than likely behavioral, but often can be confused with PTSD. When looking at interventions and treatments clinicians need to look at the client’s cultural background so that way we do not intrude on their lives.

Explain the main aspects of the development of the chinese legal Essay

Explain the main aspects of the development of the chinese legal system since 1978 - Essay Example Since Chinese government did not impose any restrictions and policies to control the problems, there was no sign of legal excellence. This in turn led to legal battles between China and Western countries. The Western countries followed the Colonialism and the legal system of China could not manage the legal battle. The traditional system of law and its associated principles was considered to be ineffective, as the country could win against any of the well developed countries. This led to a situation where the people and the government thought of reforming the legal system. Chinese Legal System The Chinese judicial and legal system was dependent on the political and economic influence of the country. Reorganizing the legal system seemed to be a tedious task, as the traditional system was considered as the better option. The central government and the associated departments relied on the magistrate who would handle the legal issues and judiciary problems. The idea of implementing a new legal system was not preferred, as the impact of the old system was high. Though the centralized approach followed by the Chinese government was not favorable, the government officials were hesitant to impose a new legal policy. Development of Chinese Legal System The Cultural Revolution created a great impact on the Chinese government. Due to this, the Chinese government and the political leaders decided to restructure and reconstruct the country’s legal and judicial system. The initial stages of the Chinese government did not exhibit much of a development and this was also one among the reason why the political leaders preferred to modify the legal system. (USaid, 2004).The Chinese leaders played the major role in redefining the legal and judicial system. The positive aspects of the leadership contributed to the implementation of a flawless system. The leaders and the government realized that mere modification of the legal system will not be effective and efficient. (He, 2 007).This enabled them to include the social and economic factors of the country. Since the reformation of social and economic factors could help them improve the legal system, the government revived the idea of a new legal system. The new legal system was then born in the country of China by rebuilding the laws and judiciary boards. Legal institutions also went through a complete makeover and the country’s legal system was more effective than the one followed during the 1950’s. The market economy was reformed and the country looked forward to a drastic growth on the economic front too. (Zou, 2006). Other countries in the world looked upon China’s legal system as one of the most effective systems. From then China played a major role in the international economic market and the global economy. The import and export rate rose enormously and this helped the country to improve in almost all the fields. The share market also improved as the country gave rise to many industries. The industrial growth was a result of the economic improvement. (Lapres & Yuejiao, 2010). The legal issues involved in the import and export was resolved as the new system included features that would enable hassle free trading. The development of Chinese legal system was enormous as the country had a rapid growth in terms of the social economic market. The success was the result of the

American Foreign Policy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Foreign Policy - Assignment Example With the current state of international instability, the United States is more likely to venture successfully in protecting its global interests both in economic and political benefits. Discussion The approach of protecting the United States global interest is more likely to succeed in the future given the Americans strong believe that their country should take the leadership position in the world. Even though this does not necessarily mean that the United States should take the watchdog role over the world, the support and conviction of American citizens is likely to create an internationally active united states that is capable of effectively pursuing its global interests. Additionally, scenarios taking place in other nations and in fact the whole world are cable of affecting the United States and indeed the interests of its citizens. This approach is more appreciated now more than ever especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Bartholomees, 2006). In addition, it is quite evide nt that the United States prefers multilateralism rather than unilateralism. To Hough, (2008), Americans have a strong conviction that it is more effective and certainly better to boost cooperation with other nations of the world in an effort to realize the nations’ (US) interest than it could be to work against these nations the rationale behind these approach is that it is more cost effective considering that the united states partners in the globe can willingly share the burden. Thus whilst the invasion of Iraq drummed overwhelming support from the American citizens, their willingness to bear the burden of rebuilding that nation is unclear and this necessitated the assistance of other states. Generally, the United States is known to support the promotion of other nations market based economy or capitalism, free trade and democracy. This is a clear indication that America is more likely to succeed in future through this approach even though as a matter of fact, other values may be prioritized in certain instances, and even though these values may generally serve the united states global interest, the united states national interest takes priority. Consequently, these values perused by the United States are the core values and embracing of these values by other nations is perceived as a positive development. These make the protection of US global interest approach more likely to succeed in future. Furthermore, with the Americans believe that confrontation of international terrorism ought to be prioritized; the country’s global interest is more likely gain momentum if future as more nations in the world are coming up in support of this policy. Conclusion Indeed, even though there are generally four assumed future scenarios for the United States protection of the United States among these four assumed futures is more likely to succeed in future. This approach is supported by Americans strong believe that their country should take the leadership po sition in the world, the country’s preference of multilateralism rather than unilateralism, and Americans believe that confrontation of international terrorism ought to be prioritized. Part 2 Question 2 of 4. Assess what type of structural constraints - if any - the US Congress imposes upon the presidency in general and

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension Research Paper

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension plans and defined benefit pension plans - Research Paper Example â€Å"Actually, an individual who periodically invests in stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), or other investments for the purpose of saving for retirement is establishing a personal pension fund. Often, such individual plans take the form of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to take advantage of tax breaks offered by that arrangement† (Part A: The nature of Pension Plans n.d. p. 1010). Pension funds must be controlled. They have managerial responsibilities? create decisions on the subject of benefits and entitlements and, in some cases, guarantee that long-term duties are met in the circumstance of uncertainty and risk. As such, it is debatable that pension funds are like other financial organizations, which have objectives and goals in addition to procedures that help attain these objectives and goals are realized. Pension plans often increase productivity, decrease turnover, gratify union demands and permit employers to fight in the labor market. Corporations set up pension plans for various reasons. Sponsorship of such plans provides workers with an amount of security during the time of retirement and accomplishes a moral duty felt by many employers. This security also encourages the level of job satisfaction and possibly loyalty that might increase productivity and decrease turnover. Defined Contribution Plans: A defined-contribution plan is a kind of plan in which workers’ benefit for the period of retirement depends on the contributions made as well as the performance of the investment of the assets in his or her account, rather than on the workers’ years of service or history of earnings. Like a classic savings account, a defined-contribution account includes a particular balance at any given time, which is up to the market value of the assets gathered in the account. Unlike in the case of a defined-benefit plan, workers have significant control over how the donations and contributions to their plan are invested and ma y normally prefer an assortment of stocks (frequently including company stock), mutual funds, bonds, and other investment vehicles. These pension plans assure fixed yearly contributions to the pension fund (say, 5% of the workers pay). Employees prefer (from designated alternatives) where funds are invested generally? that is? in fixed-income or stocks securities. Retirement disburse depends on the volume of the fund available during retirement. In a defined contribution plan, investment rewards and investment risks are assumed by every worker or retiree and not by the employer or sponsor. This risk could be considerable. Based on simulations from safety returns over the 20th century across 16 states, there can be seen substantial variation in pension fund ratios across both the country as well as different time periods in the same country. â€Å"There are several types of defined contribution plans, including money purchase plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) arrangements, savings plans, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). These are described briefly below† (Defined Benefits and Defined Contribution Plans: Understanding the Differences, n.d. p. 2). Advantages: Observe money and develop

Cry, the Beloved Country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cry, the Beloved Country - Essay Example The novel’s setting is in South Africa. This article will review a clear plot of the novel by including some short text quotes. The essay will also discuss some of the themes portrayed by the main character in the novel. The novel was published before the apartheid system was implemented in South Africa. Basing on the book, one can tell that the village dwellers led a desolate life. The setting of the story is in South Africa where the main themes of the book are presented. Paton portrays the book as a social gripe against the societal structures that later led to the rise of apartheid (Paton 1). In his view, he tries to establish a purposeful analysis of what is entailed in the black society. According to his judgment, the black society endured from moral concerns and social volatility while, on the other hand, the whites were affected by native crime. These factors were influenced by the breakdown of the tribal organization, crime and migration of individuals to urban center s (Paton 1). The book’s chronicles reveal Paton’s message through themes like reconciliation, inequality, injustice and Christianity. Paton clearly reveals how reconciliation between members of a family is of vitality in reuniting the family members. On the one hand, inequity and injustice are based on the same category whereby, these issues are prevalent in the setting of the book. Paton presents the village life as desolate since the local government was not funding community projects in the area. In essence, the whites had brought tragedy to their homeland. Paton states â€Å"The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again. The white man has broken the tribe† (Paton 23). This was a revelation of how tragic the whites had turned out to be even in countries inhabited by the Africans. In addition, Paton also features on the detrimental effects of the characters fear in relation with the South African society. He presents the fear in his characters in chapter 12 where he says, â€Å"For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much†. Even though fear is prevalent in this society, some characters were able to overcome it through their abilities. The portrayal of Stephen Kumalo in the novel depicts his courageous nature while facing worldly challenges. This can be established from his search of Gertrude; his immoral sister, and his son who was involved in murder and other shameful acts in the city of Johannesburg. The book presents this as a journey for Stephen when Paton writes â€Å"The journey had begun. And now the fear back again, the fear of the unknown, the fear of the great city where boys were killed crossing the street, the fear of Gertrude’s sickness† (Paton 13). The narrator shows the Christian religion in the novel as a significant theme that was incorporated in the strangles of injustice. This reveals quite a vital lesson to readers in general. The presentation of Chr istianity in the setting of this publication was unjust and also resulted from the invasion of the whites in the country. Even though the religion factor helped characters like Stephen to face tremendous hardships, the religious world was incorporated in unjust ways. Paton is quick to reveal the unjust acts involved in Christianity. He notes that the black priests were paid less wages as compared to whites. This reveals that even though the white priests were living luxurious lives, they were rooted in injustice. These acts had placed the needy community in the wrong leadership hands. In

How to Build a New World Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How to Build a New World - Assignment Example b. Individualism: is a phenomenon that encourages freedom, though at the cost of ties of the family, together with social cohesion. This act usually stresses the initiative of certain individual. In the context, it is worth to note that Klein explains that there is need to embrace freedom, even if it will be at the expensive of certain individuals or firms. c. Socialism: on the other hand, socialism entails a collective ownership. Klein brings out this point clearly by affirming that everyone has a collective responsibility in ensuring the best is achieved for the benefit of the whole family. d. Capitalism: this is a political and economic system where private owners, all in the name of gaining profits, usually control a country’s industry and trade. According to Klein, she points that Harper, forms a figure that represents someone who is Capitalist. According to her, social communities have a difficult in organizing because the secret behind how the organization lost its control is not vivid. Second, those who were supposed to defend the whole community are fighting to gain personal benefit. And third, lack schools; have also participated in this, since people do not have knowledge concerning their rights. 4. Klein claims society needs to "invest in education---education about the ideological and structural reasons why we have ended up where we are." What structures does she refer to? How might education reveal these structures so that, as Klein continues to say, a new world stands on a solid foundation? She refers to the structure of governance, where it favors leaders only. She admits that coalitions being in a top-down agreement will not in any way benefit the whole society. The change should emerge from down to top, with all members engaging in the change. According to the passage, I think that Kleins’ tone is sympathy. Here, she is sympathizing with what is going on, for example she says â€Å"We need you to be our fixed

Personal Skills and Self Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Skills and Self Management - Essay Example Having started my career at the ANZ Banking Group about 14 years ago as an operator of Grade 2, I have progressed in my field and am now serving in the ANZ as Level 3 Supervisor within the Loan Operation Department. I hope to progress further and become the Operation State Manager in ANZ and get placed in Category C. The Operation State Manager manages two teams in the Institutional Loan Division. This includes 13 workers and 5 business units. The fact that the Operation State Manager has to take care of the business units in addition to the workers increases and complicates his duties manifolds. He is also expected to achieve the goals of higher management and meet stakeholder expectations. Duties of the Operation State Manager can be fundamentally classified into the four universally known functions of management namely planning, organizing, leading and controlling. One of the most important skills required of a Operation State Manager is communication because he has to interact wi th hundreds of people on daily basis. The word of Operation State Manager means a lot to them. ... If I am to become the Operation State Manager later in my career, it is imperative that I concentrate on improving my communication skills. For that, I would need to gain a good understanding of different styles of communication for use in different kinds of situations. There are four basic styles of communication namely assertive, aggressive, passive, and passive-aggressive. A manager has to see which style fits a particular situation. I also have to analyze the barriers to effective communication. Nevertheless, the manager needs to be more assertive in his communication because it promotes understanding and diffuses anger. ANZ defines leadership characteristics as supportive for the organizational culture. Hence, in order to be a successful manager In ANZ, I would need to conduct thorough analysis of the organizational culture, aims and objectives and accord my leadership qualities with them. The Operation State Manager at ANZ is necessarily a role model for the subordinates and th ey acquire motivation for him. Therefore, I would need to learn how to motivate employees. I would need to conduct a detailed literature review to identify the factors that serve as the biggest source of motivation for the workforce. Such factors include but may not be limited to money, promotion, paid leave and added privileges. It is important for me to optimize my own leadership skills instead of trying to copy other leaders because I believe that effective leadership originates in original personality rather than an artificial one. I expect myself to be ready for this position in the next 3-5 years. Communication and conflict resolution are two of the most fundamental aspects of my current capabilities

Alternative education Essay Example for Free

Alternative education Essay To study and acquire knowledge would be a simple way to define education today. Being educated is to gain more skill in every aspect of life. While being educated or getting your education you create habits, learn values, discover new skills, and develop appreciation for your culture or others. We become educated so we can live more satisfying lives and be productive members to our society. We as people today attain our education in many ways. We go to school through our entire lives but that is not the only education we need in life. That is just being book smart, while that is important to help place you in your career they’re many other things to become educated on in life. To have survival skills or social skills, to learn respect for others or for yourself is all retained from parents or yourself. We learn to speak the proper way by our teachers at school and we learn how to write with correct grammar from going to school, but I believe our parents teach us the right time to say those words we learned. There are 5 types of schools and 3 types of learning. Public school which is the most popular schooling according to Jennings, he stated that in 2009, 90% of the population was attending public school while the other 10% were attending private. Home school where you stay at home and learn by either your parents or another teacher qualified to teach the material to you. This schooling is usually for people who are not capable of doing as well with large groups of people. There’s also charter schools, where you are accepted to go there and you get the benefits  of a private school but do not pay the tuition. Virtual school which is just an online school where Mantuano 2 everything you would do in a school you do right on your computer. The last type of school which isn’t reading books and how to pronounce something and add numbers is the school of Hard Knox! The school of life, how to live it, what your morals are and what you have been given from all the other ways of education and how you’ll let it affect you. The 3 types of learning are cognitive where you think and reason effectively. There is affective learning where you develop moral or spiritual values you retain a healthy attitude and have strong emotions. You also learn how to use your muscular and mechanical skills which are psychomotor skills. Gender, race, and your ethnicity I believe used to have a bigger impact on education than it does today. It still does effect education by the way parents will teach certain morals to their kids, what kids will believe since we all have different religious beliefs and everything. With  gender, girls used to have a lot less power to men, what men said went and today that has changed. I feel we have created more equal rights throughout life with education. Before different races couldn’t even attend the same school and we see that in our everyday life now. I feel that these things do have effect on education but not in all the serious ways it used to more in just the ethnicity of people and what they believe and how they will go about their lives with their morals they have received from themselves or their parents.

Dropout of school Essay Example for Free

Dropout of school Essay The Huffington Post recently ran an article entitled, Americas School Dropout Epidemic By The Numbers about Americas dropout problem. I would like to add my opinions about why children drop out of school. I am a professional educator who served as a classroom teacher, school counselor and school administrator in the New York City school system for over 33 years. I believe that there are five major reasons why children leave school: 1. The students themselves They make wrong decisions. They get involved with gangs, drugs/alcohol, get pregnant and commit crimes. Many have a poor school attitude and are frequently bored by school. They are disconnected to their families, school and life. They do not see the reasons they need to go to school. They are not involved in school activities and lack self-esteem. Some have been promoted lacking skills needed for promotion. Some have undergone major illnesses and have missed too many days of school and have been informed that they will be held back. Because of many of the conditions listed above, they have been suspended and have fallen behind in their work and see little purpose of returning to school. 2. The family they come from There is often a clash between the family values and those of the school. Frequently, their parents have dropped out of school themselves. The students come from families from low socio-economic backgrounds, where there are many other children. Older children often have to go to work in order to supply the family with much-needed funds for basic family needs or need to stay home to take care of younger siblings so that their parents can work. Many children come from non-English speaking homes with high mobility. Single parent homes have become the norm in the United States. Many children are products of divorce, separation or, sometimes, family violence. hey are not being raised by parents, but rather by aunts, uncles and grandparents. Families are not meeting some childrens basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. 3. The community they come from Many children live on the wrong side of the tracks in places where education is not valued, where drugs, gangs and violence abound. And where schools are low-performing, they often lack community and health support. 4. The schools they attend The schools are toxic to student learning, students, parents and staff. Students are suspended for minor infractions (such as talking back to the teacher), or placed in remedial classes. The schools have a culture of low expectations. They lack adequate guidance counseling. The curriculum is not relevant to the needs of the students being taught. Passive instructional strategies are being used without regard to individual student learning styles. Teachers are not trained in the latest teaching/learning/technology techniques. Funding is based on property values so that low-income neighborhoods receive less funding than wealthy neighborhoods. Because some states pass budgets in a less than timely matter, teachers are not hired in time producing over-sized classrooms. 5. The teachers they have The least-experienced, least classroom-trained teachers are often assigned to the most difficult schools. They enter the field with the expectation that they have been adequately prepared by the schools of education with the skills they need and they havent received. (See Arthur Levine, Educating School Teachers) They are leaving the field faster than colleges can prepare them. The teacher dropout rate is higher than the student dropout rate. Forty-six percent of teachers leave the field within five years. When asked why they leave, a majority state that they havent been properly prepared, have had increased demands placed on them because of high stakes testing and are not getting adequate support from their supervisors in dealing with classroom discipline. Like all generalities, there are exceptions to the information provided above. But, by and large, the statistics bear them out.

Vendor managed inventory in fmcg sector supply chain

Vendor managed inventory in fmcg sector supply chain Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) is a planning and management system in which vendor is fully responsible for the replenishment of inventory based on timely point of sale information to the buyers (retailer) place. This concept helps increases the customer responsiveness by reducing the supply and demand gap thus giving the satisfaction to end customer by increasing availability of the desired product when customer wants it. Supply chain partners must share their vision of demand, requirement and constraint to set the common objectives (Guillaume et al; 2008). Quality of buyer supplier trust and relationship, quality of ICT system and intensity of information sharing has positive impact on VMI implementation (Marloes et al; 2008). Information technology combined with VMI offers a clear view of inventory holding location giving supplier better information for replenishment planning (Malla et al; 2007). Before implementation of VMI, analysis of the level of uncertainty of customer demand is needed as high uncertainty in demand negatively influences the performance attained through VMI (Kazim Sari 2007). Upstream data transferred to suppliers i.e. current inventory level and accurate sales forecast is the most important factor for the successful implementation of VMI (Astrid Vigtil, 2007). Benefits of VMI implementation depend on contextual factors surrounding the implementation and dyadic intentions (Jongk yung et al; 2009). Implementing VMI is not solo effort it can be beneficial if company wide effort is involved (George kuk, 2004). VMI supply chain has improved dynamic response which causes reduction in manufacturing on cost and transportation demand (S.M. Disney et al; 2003). VMI gives benefits to retailer as manufacturer stock more to reduce risk of stock out which in turn reduces retailer holding and shortage cost and increases its profit (Brendra k et al; 2004). Implementation of VMI in FMCG sector of Pakistan is a major challenge for the FMCG companies and the retailers both. Maintaining of high quality error-free service in the dynamic and uncertain environment of Pakistan with lack of ICT infrastructure (information and communication technology) is a huge pressure. Due to heterogeneous customer base complete VMI implementation in this scenario is not possible so FMCG companies need to carry out its operation in both the way i.e. for the both VMI and non VMI customers. For flexible and fast communication between FMCG producers and retail chains proper ICT infrastructure is mandatory. So companies need to invest web-based information transfer systems like EDI (electronic data interchange). Adoption of VMI is not an easy task for companies as it requires heavy investment and commitment of retailers that how much they are willing to share POS information. Before full and final implementation of VMI companies must need to find out the right re tailers to be served and the factors that are acting as a barrier from retailers side as the clear and fault free implementation will have a great influence on future business performance outcomes. Objective of this paper is to find out the suppliers/manufacturer perceived objectives, drivers, obstacles, performance outcomes for implementing VMI in FMCG sector of Pakistan. Organizational objectives => Lead-time reduction, improvement in forecasting accuracy, improvement in customer service improvement in profit margin, improvement in rate of return, increase sales, control of bullwhip effect, Strategic drivers => Competition, shorter product life cycle, global supply chain, corporate restructuring. Obstacles => Ineffective organizational structure, lack of suitable it infrastructure, improper decision-support tool, lack of trust and mutual understanding between supply chain partners, internal/external integration, Performance outcomes => Effective production planning, effective forecasting, effective replenishment, effective inventory control and management, effective logistics and distribution management This paper is organized in sections. Section 1 offers the introduction; section 2 presents the literature review on research practices on VMI; section 3 is comprised of methodology: section 4 consist of data analysis and section 5 draws the conclusion regarding the findings. LITERATURE REVIEW Jan Holmstrom (1998) studied a single case study to analyze the benefits of implementation of SAP R/3 in VMI between vendor and its wholesaler. It is found that administrative cost for vendor product is reduced with reduced delivery cost which in turn gives benefit to end customer through low prices. It is also found that demand variability, inventory level and order per delivery lead time also greatly reduces which give competitive advantage to both vendor and whole seller. It is suggested that full benefit can be attained if vendor extends its number of customers. Sila cetinkaya et al (2000) studied the inventory replenishment and shipment decision in VMI through analytical model. Manufacturer with random demand patterns and retailers dispersed in different geographical areas are taken into account. Manufacturer has the freedom of holding small sized orders and dispatches it until the consolidation volume gathers. It is found that inventory costs are reduced if the inventory and shipments decision optimally coordinated. Susan cohen kulp (2002) studied the impact of internal information (sales and inventory) accuracy and its reliability on supply chain profits in vendor managed inventory. Theoretical models of two system traditional and VMI are analyzed which indicates that the accurate information helps manufacturer to forecast the consumer demand accurately which increases manufacturer and retailer over all profits. Hypothesis was tested through survey of 53 divisions of manufacturers in the FCPG industry. Result shows that use of VMI increases with the detail and reliability of retailers internal information and wholesale prices are lowered with the extent of VMI use. It is suggested that VMI will lead to higher supply chain profits if retailer and manufacturer both are willing to share accurate information and use this information in taking inventory management decisions. Terrance et al (2003) identified the distinction between supplier managed inventory (SMI) vendor managed inventory (VMI) through theoretical framework. Economic value analysis (EVA) is used to determine the non financial benefits and burdens of VMI and SMI implementation and effect of VMI and SMI on enhancement of share holder value.it is suggested that EVA analysis will help manager to identify the opportunities to increase the share holder value across both firms S.M. Disney et al (2003) studied the effect of VMI strategies on transport operation and order batching activities. Three different scenarios traditional, internal consolidation and VMI are modeled through system dynamics methodology and tested through simulation. It was found that VMI supply chain has improved dynamic response which causes reduction in manufacturing on cost and transportation demand. Transportation cost saving in VMI is possible for long term and short term and this saving is not effected by escapable and inescapable cost. This paper may help in developing the policy regarding VMI and supply chain (distribution, production scheduling etc.). S.M. Disney et al (2003) investigated the comparison between VMI and traditional seriously linked supply chain in producing bullwhip effect. Different equations are developed and simulation model testing was applied. Four variables as a source of bullwhip; price variations, rationing and gaming, demand signal processing, and order batching, were tested in traditional and VMI supply chain scenarios. It was found that through VMI supply chain all the variables can be avoided through well designed system. Demand signal processing and order batching can only be eliminated through inventory holding in traditional supply chain. For future it is suggested that VMI would be of greater benefit if the supplier uses inventory and sales information in making production and inventory management decision process. George kuk (2004) investigated the determinants and outcomes of VMI in electronic industry through survey of 94 employees of 25 companies who fully implemented VMI. Four hypotheses were created having 3 independent variables: organization size, number of employees involved in VMI and type of logistic integration, 3 dependent variables: information quality enhancement, service quality improvement and cost reduction. Through ANOVA testing it is analyzed that large level of employee involvement, small size of organization and integrated logistics achieves more benefits of VMI. It is suggested that implementing VMI is not solo effort it can be beneficial if company wide effort is involved. Brendra k et al (2004) investigated how the substitution brand competition gives benefit to retailer in VMI. Two level supply chain is taking having one retailer and 2 manufacturer of competing substitutable brand and through analysis of mathematical model it is found that VMI gives benefits to retailer as compare to non VMI as due to increase competition manufacturer stock more to reduce risk of stock out which in turn reduces retailer holding and shortage cost and increases its profit. For future research it is suggested to include inter retailer intra brand substitution competition. Pamela danese (2006) identified the way to use extended vendor managed inventory (VMI) both upstream and downstream amongst various supply chain partners to organize the information and material flows. Case study analysis approach is used taking supply chain network of leading pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Through collected data it is shown that Information flows among the supply network members, information systems and performance monitoring system are some of the requisite of extended VMI. In GSK Information flow is achieved by EDI system which enhanced the service level, production capacity, and the inventory management. Central information system helps in production planning and order cycle processes in up stream and downstream supply network. Performance monitoring system motivates and improves the performance and allows supply chain members to over come their reluctances to share information. It is suggested that collaborative planning, forecasting and replenish ment (CPFR) should be taken into consider future research on extended VMI. Yuliang Yao et al (2007) explored how supply chain parameters affect the cost saving in VMI and sharing of this benefit between buyer and supplier. Two level supply chain having single supplier and single buyer modeled. Through analysis of model it is found that inventory cost reduction greatly depend on ratio of order cost of supplier to buyer and ratio of carrying cost of supplier to buyer. Buyer takes all the benefits of inventory reduction whereas supplier inventory level may increased which may lead to high logistic cost to supplier side. So its suggested to have side payment arrangement between buyer and supplier to get VMI worked in long run. Malla et al (2007) investigated the impact of VMI model on organizations inventory associated cost. Case study of market leader of tyre manufacturer has taken which has which has largest distribution network across India, USA and UK. Through simulation of model it is found that integration of information technology provide a clear picture of inventory holding locations which helps supplier in planning and replenishment of inventory across supply chain, which reduces bullwhip effect, safety stock and W.I.P and improves customer service. Some of the limitations of this model are high initial investment cost and lack of integration of systems. Astrid Vigtil (2007) investigated the required information exchange in VMI with the support of five buyer-supplier pair in Norwegian geographic. Semi-structured detailed interviews were conducted with the representative of different companies having logistic managerial position or similar. It was concluded through interviews that flow of upstream data is more critical rather than downs-stream data. Visibility of current inventory status and sales forecast are most important factor for suppliers and there is different kind of information needed depends upon operational mode of buyer in make to stock and make to order. In future it is implicated that for the higher efficiency of VMI electronic integration and automatic data transfer should be priorities as it supports supplier in planning of replenishment. Kazim Sari (2007) examined the benefits of VMI in achieving the increased performance through different levels of outside supply capacity, demand uncertainty, and lead time. Data were collected through simulation model; Crystal Ball, an MS Excel add-in. After retrieving data statistical test MANOVA is applied and it was concluded that high uncertainty in customers demand has negative influence on the VMI performance. There is also a direct relationship between the manufacturing capacity of outside supplier and performance of VMI. As long as the ratio between retailer and supplier lead times remains constant the performance level of VMI remain unchanged. For future implication it is recommended that before taking any decision relating VMI implementation it is necessary to conduct cost-benefit analysis if upstream information sharing is poor or customer demand is highly uncertain. Mikael Stahl Elvander et al (2007) proposed the structure for the numerous setups that could be arranged while establishing a VMI system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted from 15 company of Switzerland. Six framework were prepared and tested against the focus group consisted of representative of nine different companies including suppliers and customers who already had implemented VMI, in workshop. Through workshop it was deduce that there are a number of different ways in which VMI system can be configured, that will limit a suppliers likelihood to employ the information made accessible through VMI. It is suggested that the challenges related to operation and management may differ in different VMI system configuration. This should be taken into consideration in order to find best optimal VMI system configuration. Atul B. Borade Satish V. Bansod (2008) studied motives, drivers, obstacles and benefits of VMI practices in e-environment. Key variables were compared between small and large Indian industry questionnaires were filled by 112 large companies and 86 small companies and hypothesis was tested through independent sample t-test. It was resulted that motives, drivers, obstacles and benefits are considerably different for small and large enterprises while adopting VMI. It was found that the major objective for SMEs is profit improvement and for large companies is improved customer service. Driver for SMEs is competition and for large companies it is global supply chain. Obstacle in implementing VMI for SMEs is lack of IT infrastructure and for large companies is lack of trust between supply chain partners. Objective for SMEs is profit improvement and for large companies is improved customer service. Benefits gain for SMEs is better forecasting and for large companies is improved logistic an d distribution management. It is suggested that IT can gives companies advantages to maximize end consumer value and reduce operating expense as it gives the real time information of marketing conditions. Guillaume Marques et al (2008) examined the integrated view of the VMI. Outside the short term pull system inventory replenishment, partners have to share their demand forecast, requirements and their limitations to fix middle/long term common objectives. In order to conduct the study 28 articles were review and it was concluded that there was no doubt about the real application of VMI in industry. What clearly is VMI and how can it be correctly implement in supply chain is not clear. It cannot be justify whether VMI is a model, a process, a strategy, a relationship, a link. Juhwen Hwang, Su-Hwa Wu and Yu-Yen Huang (2008) studied the supplier performance enhancement in term of total relevant cost/unit. Three different models were proposed for single supplier with heterogeneous retailers, one is uncooperative model with independent inventory management system, second model was VMI model in which supplier is responsible for inventory replenishment order cost and certain degree of holding cost and third model was VMI/CRE model, in which VMI is combined with CRE (common replenishment epochs) strategy. Data was analyzed through Algorithm and numerical experimental design and it was concluded that VMI and VMI/CRE results are significant for supplier performance as compared with uncooperative model. For the future implication it is suggested that the supplier are required to provide incentives such as price discounts to compensate the losses which are bear by retailers so that aligning ordering schedules with CRE. Marloes J. T. Claassen et al (2008) studied the perspective of buyer in term of benefit gained through VMI. Research model was formulated having four key variables; quality of ICT system, quality of information, intensity of information sharing and relationship quality. Sample of 64 Dutch buyer responded through email and model was tested through Partial Least Square (PLS) technique. It was resulted that the quality of the buyer-supplier relation, quality of IT-system and intensity of service level has an impact on buyer-perceived VMI benefits and it is not impacted by actual quality of the information shared. Furthermore three outcomes of VMI performance are higher customer service level, efficient control over supply chain and cost reduction to some extent. It is proposed that the primary benefit of VMI implementation is not cost reduction; it is high customer service level and supply chain control which can be obtained through better relationship with supplier and efficient IT inf rastructure. Jouni Kauremaa et al (2009) found out the types of benefits of VMI program and its sharing at the five levels (supplier vs. buyer). An exploratory multiple case study research methodology was used. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview from five operational levels. It is concluded that for buyer and supplier, VMI can lead to strategic and operational benefit both which is depending on pair intentions and contextual factors surrounding the given application. It is suggested that with the help of contextual factors VMI system can be designed with more accurate and perfect implementation targets. Kari Tanskanen et al (2009) investigated the challenges faced by the construction industry at corporate level to manage logistics and to evaluate VMI as a solution of logistics for small items. Three residential house construction companies were elected located in Helsinki, quantitative and qualitative data were collected through web cameras observations and interviews. Percentage analysis was applied on quantitative data and on the bases of outcomes it was concluded that VMI is a suitable solution for small item logistics for the construction companies. For future it is implicated to work on other industries located in different geographical location. Jongkyung Park et al (2009) investigated a framework for integrative SRM (supplier relation ship management) system by exploring broad approaches to overall SRM functions. Frame work includes five stages: Setting up of purchasing strategies, Selection of a supplier, Cooperation, supplier valuation and enhancement and endowment of continuous improvement. For this past studies related to SRM were examined and a framework for an integrative SRM system was recommended through which a case study was performed constructed on the systematic hierarchy procedure with a field survey. Results shows that the benefits of SRM can be obtained through the suggested framework and it is applicable to real fields through application case. It is recommended that this framework will help purchasing manager to analyze strategic features of SRM before and during the SRM system operation. Francesco Zammori et al (2009) identified the standard configuration of a vendor managed inventory (VMI) contract which will be a building block for the initial explanation of the agreement. For this study an Italian plant was selected as an ideal candidate because of complexity of its manufacturing process and the data in the form of the information flow and the technical specifics which are critical before any operational setup are recognized and discussed and formed as parameters for the explanation of the elementary frame of the agreement. It is revealed that VMI agreement should be organized into segments by having generic and legal sides and official aspects included in the annexes. This will increases the flexibility of agreement As VMI relationship progresses with the time.it is proposed that this flexible structure of VMI agreement can be easily implemented by several industrial fields. Atul et al (2010) studied the difference in the practices of VMI in small and large Indian industry. Key variables were objective, drivers, obstacles and impact of VMI in large and small Indian industries, questionnaires were filled by 98 large companies and 63 small companies and hypothesis was tested through independent sample t-test. It was resulted that objectives, strategic drivers, obstacles and affected operational areas are considerably different for small and large enterprises while adopting VMI. It was also found that the major objectives for adopting VMI are customer service and profit improvement. For future it is recommended that the research should be perform on more variables and for other geographical (culture) areas. METHODOLOGY Data were collected through primary source and research approach to be of qualitative in nature as the aim of this paper is to explore the supplier perception and opinion about implementation of VMI in FMCG companies operating in Pakistan. Exploratory semi structured interviews had been conducted with the key person of FMCG companies working in Pakistan. Then through the inductive reasoning observation will be analyzed and the theory is be generated.

Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 :: Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451

"Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years and he had never questioned the joy of the midnight runs, nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames†¦never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think†¦and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do! (Ray Bradbury-Fahrenheit 451)". Was Guy Montag the same person at both the beginning and end of Fahrenheit 451? The answer to this question is a definite no. Montag transformed dramatically throughout the story. He started as a person of ignorance, but ended a man of enlightenment and intelligence. Montag embarked on his journey as a fireman who lived to burn and destroy books, but returned a crusader who lived to save them. "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spouting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of an amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters of history. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. (Ray Bradbury-Fahrenheit 451, page 3)". In the beginning of Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag was happy on the outside. He enjoyed burning books for a living, and believed that his marriage and all-around life fulfilled him. However, deep within, Montag really wasn't happy. His marriage was far from perfect. He and Mildred seldom spoke of subjects which h eld any meaning. They showed little or no love for each other. Seemingly, they had little in common. Deep within himself, Montag knew something was wrong. What sparked Montag to change was Clarisse, who was the catalyst of Montag's huge transformation. Clarisse brought questions and emotions into Montag's life that he had never experienced or seen in anyone before. She questioned things such as society, the world, other people, and everything around her. She thought about life, looking for real answers and meanings.

Biography of William Faulkner :: Writer Biographies Essays

Biography of William Faulkner William Faulkner was a prolific writer who became very famous during his lifetime but who shied away from the spotlight as much as possible. He is remembered as both a gentlemanly southern eccentric and an arrogant, snobbish alcoholic. But perhaps the best way to describe Faulkner is to describe his heritage, for, like so many of his literary characters, Faulkner was profoundly affected by his family. Faulkner's great grandfather, Colonel William Falkner (Faulkner added the "u" to his name), was born in 1825 and moved to Mississippi at the age of 14. He was a lawyer, writer, politician, soldier, and pioneer who was involved in several murder trials - including two in which he was accused - and was a best-selling novelist. During the Civil War he recruited a (Confederate) regiment and was elected its colonel, but his arrogance caused his troop to demote him and he left to recruit another regiment. After the war he became involved in the railroad business and made a lot of money; he bought a plantation and began to write books, one of which became a best-seller. He ran for Mississippi state legislature in 1889, but his opponent shot and killed him before the election. Faulkner's grandfather was the colonel's oldest son, John Wesley Thompson Falkner. He inherited his father's railroad fortune and became an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He later became the president of the First National Bank of Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner's father was Murray Falkner, who moved from job to job before becoming the business manager of the University of Mississippi, where he and his family lived for the rest of his life. William Faulkner was born on September 25, 1897 and began to write poetry as a teenager. During World War I, he joined the Canadian Royal Flying Corps – he was too short to join the U.S. Air Force – but never fought; the day he graduated from the Flying Corps the Armistice was signed. The only "war injury" he received was the result of getting drunk and partying too hard on Armistice Day, wherein he injured his leg. After the war, Faulkner came back to Oxford, enrolled as a special student at the University of Mississippi and began to write for the school papers and magazines, quickly earning a reputation as an eccentric. His strange routines, swanky dressing habits, and inability to hold down a job earned him the nickname "Count Nocount.

Yum Brands

Porters 5 Forces Model is a valuable tool in evaluating the condition of the Yum! Brands China Division and the fast-food industry that Yum Brands is actively dominating. While there is much competition in China in the food industry, it is undeniable that with the CEO’s guidance, Sam Su, the growth that they have accomplished over the years is exponential. This growth is due to the fact that Su looks at the bigger picture, imaging what he wants the company to be like in five to ten years, and making that dream happen immediately.Porter shaped this strategy to give a thorough analysis of the condition of any given industry and determine the feasibility of entering, but also to determine the level of competition being dealt with by current established participants in the industry in order to reposition themselves for further growth and development. Thus, Porter gives the 5 Basic Competitive Forces and suggests analyzing each one in the scope of the industry. 1. Barriers to Entry In China’s fast-food industry, largely dominated by Yum! Brands, the barriers to entry are high due to several key factors. First, a company trying to break into the Yum!Brands market must compete with their restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, which have a combined total of over 3600 stores in their market. Economies of scale come into play because most fast-food companies have the capital and production abilities to produce their product and additional products for much cheaper than a beginning fast-food restaurant that is entering into the market. A major factor in the Yum! Brands China Division and the fast-food industry in China is now differentiation and the altering of the product is order to suit the Chinese people’s tastes rather than American’s tastes.The restaurants in the market are attempting to find new ways to appeal to consumers without drifting away from their key products who have brought them lots of success. For example , compared to Americans, Chinese people like spicier things and a more variety of things, so Yum! Brands decided to extend each menu and alter recipes to fit this requirement. The recent, rapid growth of the fast-food industry in China is a good area of focus for existing American fast-food companies wanting to expand their business, but the product must be easily altered to catch the Chinese people’s likes and to have resistance to competing restaurants.Another barrier to entry could potentially branch from the government to control health standards. Companies must invest in research and development to determine ways to address health concerns and tabulate a healthier product. Ultimately, Yum! Brands in China have dominated the market share and are making it difficult for new entrant to expect a profitable gain upon entry. However, in order for Yum! Brands to continue their success steady innovating and investing need to be accomplished in order to stay ahead in the industry . 2. RivalryIn this industry, the competition is rigorous and several large companies hold majority of the market. The barriers to entry are very easy, which in turn means many competitors. Yum! Brands main competitors are McDonald’s Corp, Burger King Holdings, Subway, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, and Papa John’s Intl (PIZZA). Though there may be many competitors, economies of scale can cause smaller competitors to get crowded out or bought out by a larger company. Yum! Brands have to continually be competitive and shift their strategy in response to other companies’ new ideas and business strategies.Yum! Brand’s restaurants had to develop more menu specific items and a wider variety to tap into the Chinese food market. This also allowed them to stay one step ahead of competitors such as McDonald’s. In 1987, Yum! Brands opened the first KFC in Beijing and since then, have built the largest restaurant company in mainland China due to the large population growth. It is a costly market to enter and once in it, a company needs to realize at least their fixed costs before exiting, making Yum! Brands’ restaurants even more dominate in the market. Yum Brands Porters 5 Forces Model is a valuable tool in evaluating the condition of the Yum! Brands China Division and the fast-food industry that Yum Brands is actively dominating. While there is much competition in China in the food industry, it is undeniable that with the CEO’s guidance, Sam Su, the growth that they have accomplished over the years is exponential. This growth is due to the fact that Su looks at the bigger picture, imaging what he wants the company to be like in five to ten years, and making that dream happen immediately.Porter shaped this strategy to give a thorough analysis of the condition of any given industry and determine the feasibility of entering, but also to determine the level of competition being dealt with by current established participants in the industry in order to reposition themselves for further growth and development. Thus, Porter gives the 5 Basic Competitive Forces and suggests analyzing each one in the scope of the industry. 1. Barriers to Entry In China’s fast-food industry, largely dominated by Yum! Brands, the barriers to entry are high due to several key factors. First, a company trying to break into the Yum!Brands market must compete with their restaurants, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, which have a combined total of over 3600 stores in their market. Economies of scale come into play because most fast-food companies have the capital and production abilities to produce their product and additional products for much cheaper than a beginning fast-food restaurant that is entering into the market. A major factor in the Yum! Brands China Division and the fast-food industry in China is now differentiation and the altering of the product is order to suit the Chinese people’s tastes rather than American’s tastes.The restaurants in the market are attempting to find new ways to appeal to consumers without drifting away from their key products who have brought them lots of success. For example , compared to Americans, Chinese people like spicier things and a more variety of things, so Yum! Brands decided to extend each menu and alter recipes to fit this requirement. The recent, rapid growth of the fast-food industry in China is a good area of focus for existing American fast-food companies wanting to expand their business, but the product must be easily altered to catch the Chinese people’s likes and to have resistance to competing restaurants.Another barrier to entry could potentially branch from the government to control health standards. Companies must invest in research and development to determine ways to address health concerns and tabulate a healthier product. Ultimately, Yum! Brands in China have dominated the market share and are making it difficult for new entrant to expect a profitable gain upon entry. However, in order for Yum! Brands to continue their success steady innovating and investing need to be accomplished in order to stay ahead in the industry . 2. RivalryIn this industry, the competition is rigorous and several large companies hold majority of the market. The barriers to entry are very easy, which in turn means many competitors. Yum! Brands main competitors are McDonald’s Corp, Burger King Holdings, Subway, Dairy Queen, Starbucks, and Papa John’s Intl (PIZZA). Though there may be many competitors, economies of scale can cause smaller competitors to get crowded out or bought out by a larger company. Yum! Brands have to continually be competitive and shift their strategy in response to other companies’ new ideas and business strategies.Yum! Brand’s restaurants had to develop more menu specific items and a wider variety to tap into the Chinese food market. This also allowed them to stay one step ahead of competitors such as McDonald’s. In 1987, Yum! Brands opened the first KFC in Beijing and since then, have built the largest restaurant company in mainland China due to the large population growth. It is a costly market to enter and once in it, a company needs to realize at least their fixed costs before exiting, making Yum! Brands’ restaurants even more dominate in the market.

Product Development Essay

Introduction    Ready made garments industry never records loss in spite of the fact that there are many international brands in suiting and shirtings viz., Peter England, Van Heusen and such as these ready made shirts even though are priced high, consumers look no further for purchase for that is the quality of these brands. World market for ready made garments is ever increasing and with this strong fact, new product development in the area of ready made garment sector viz., Mad T-shirts, sweat shirts, casual wear can be very well launched considering the market research, consumer mindset and competitors pricing strategy.   Firstly the target market whether focusing young boys/girls, children or office goers or elders. In case the target market is wide pricing should be reasonably proportionate, with the fact that launching should not scare the consumers with high prices as the sales may not be on the high range. In order to first increase the sales, price should be affordable for middle-class, upper-middle-class and even lower-middle class consumers.   Marketing plan should be initially offering a free article viz., buy one get one free,   buy three shirts with a discount or a free detergent sachet for wash, such as these would interest the consumer as ready made garments save lot of time for consumer that is lost in visiting tailor for getting the clothes stitched. Further ready made garments are very comfortable for consumers especially for those who travel, busy working people and for those who regularly work on shifts in industrial areas.   Consumer market for T-shirts is extensive all over the world and it is a huge business that is ever green all through the year.   New patterns, designs, color combinations are wide welcome by consumers all over the world irrespective of culture, traditions and life styles. In these globalised times, corporate sector is promoting T-shirts for its employees as a code of dress in order to maintain uniformity among employees.   T-shirts would carry the logo and name of employee.   Other companies issue T-shirts as corporate gifts to employees.   Innovative ideas such as the above are useful for garment making companies. An approximate price for a T-shirt   could be $3-$5 in the initial stage at the time of launching into the market keeping the prices of competitors in view and other market conditions.   Promotion of sale could be either through direct sale to wholesale and retail sale or through shopping malls.   Appointment of marketing executives to visit corporate companies as a promotion sale would also yield good results for the company.   However, one good business concept about the quality of T-shirt is the most important fact that company has to keep in view in order to keep the reputation of the company. Tommy Hilfiger, Crocodile, Puma, Nike, Reebok, Lacoste, Wrangler, are some of the branded T-shirt making companies which have earned reputation for its extreme good quality which is liked by consumers all over the world.   No brand is a big brand until it reaches to a stage of international brand which is why new product development has to be extremely professional and planned. Conclusion New product development plan has to be implemented step-by-step with perfect working and with accurate measure of SWOT analysis.   A clear forecast of unforeseen hurdles in new launch of T-shirts has to be worked out prior to its launch which would help in prevention of risks in business.   Ready made garment sector is a profit oriented business with a huge potential for growth in business with fashion designing and textile designing with CAD and with well developed computer software especially designing ready made garments.

Crm at Makro

Let me start by giving a brief idea of what Customer Relationship Management means. CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a company-wide business strategy designed to reduce costs and increase profitability by solidifying customer loyalty. True CRM brings together information from all data sources within an organization (and where appropriate, from outside the organization) to give one, holistic view of each customer. It's a strategy used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them.This allows customer facing employees in such areas as sales, customer support, and marketing to make quick yet informed decisions on everything from cross-selling (selling to an existing customer) and up-selling (selling something that is more profitable or otherwise preferable for the seller instead of, or in addition to, the original sale) opportunities to target marketing strategies to competitive positioning tactics. Once thought of as a type of software, CRM has evolved into a customer-centric philosophy that must infuse an entire organization. There are three key elements to a successful CRM initiative: people, process, and technology. The people throughout a company-from the CEO to each and every customer service representative need to buy in to and support CRM. * A company's business processes must be reengineered to support its CRM initiative, often from the view of, how can this process better serve the customer? * Firms must select the right technology to drive these improved processes, provide the best data to the employees, and be easy enough to operate that users won't face problems. If one of these three foundations is not sound, the entire CRM structure will crumble. Now that you have an idea what CRM is, I will move on to discuss the CRM of Makro.For this I had to meet up with the manager of customer relation at Makro’s head office located inside the shopping complex. The Manager was quite hel pful and encouraging which I was not expecting honestly. I took 20 minutes of his time and discuss about the CRM his company managed. I started by asking what communication means to him and his company and according to him communication skills are important in every aspect of business. Information must be clear and accurate. In Customer Service, you must be able to explain company policies to customers and answer their questions about your products or services.These customers are not experts in your business, so you must be able to translate industry terms or technical information into layman's terms. Customer development and maintenance of relationships with customers is very important especially for a huge chain like Makro. Like businesses, Hypermarkets are also focusing on improving relationships with their customers and want to gain customer loyalty. Globalization and technological improvements have given Makro a tough competition where new competitors keep on emerging Metro bei ng one of them currently.Makro is focusing on managing customer relationships in order to efficiently maximize revenues. For Makro marketing is not just limited to developing, delivering and selling, it is developing towards maintaining long term relationships with customers. Relationship marketing is becoming more and more important in financial services . Managers really needs to look at areas where opportunities lie because industry consolidation, multiple delivery channels and online banking are making the customers leave one bank for another.Thus banks are increasingly using customer relationship management to develop long lasting relationships with their customers. Ensuring customer satisfaction is their main goal of any company. To achieve this goal customers especially HORECA are frequently contacted, and it is made sure that Makro staff and CRM department asks them about the problems they are facing and they try their level best to solve them. These methods increase custome r convenience and satisfaction in the longer run and keeps on bringing the customers back.Makro offers its customer the following advantages, known as the ‘Makro Advantage’ which includes: Competitive Prices 1. Quality Guaranteed, 2. Everything Under One Roof, 3. Air-conditioned and clean environment, 4. Bulk Packing, 5. Detailed Sales Invoice, 6. Extended Business Hours – 8:00 am to 12 Midnight, 7. Open 7 days a Week including national holidays, 8. Vast and secure parking space, 9. Convenient shopping environment for senior citizens and customers on wheelchairs, 10. Makro Mail: a fortnightly price list with special promotions on a vast range of productsOne main problem is the difference in price of one product and buying in bulk. Buying in bulk is cheaper and most customers don’t understand that unless we explain it to them. So we have to continuously reinforce this idea in their minds. We also have to deal with unsatisfied customer if for example the pro duct is faulty; we have to compensate them properly. A business this large cannot survive unless we have a large number of loyal customers. Since they can easily break off and buy from our competitors. Competition is very fierce from other similar business.So we have designed some strategies to give us the competitive edge. Makro designs special promotions privileges for its customers to offer maximum benefits of price competitiveness and convenience. Enclosed is a copy of our promotional circular – the Makro Mail. This circular, published twice a month, offers Makro’s customers information on the best deals and new products available at its centers. Customers get this information delivered free of charge at their doorstep enabling them to make informed buying decisions for their businesses. Customer satisfaction is the most important objective at Makro.Makro Gold Card is one way of showing our appreciation for your patronage and providing you with a more personalized service. Gold Card at Makro offers you the advantage of an annual bonus scheme which is an extra percentage off on your annual purchase at Makro. The extra bonus amount will be excluding tax, Makro Mail offers and already discounted articles. We also offer Purchase solutions for Employee Canteen / Cafeteria, Fair Price Shop, Office equipment ;amp; stationery, General office supplies: tea, coffee, drinks, tissues, cleaning items etc and Tools ;amp; maintenance requirements.A purchase solution is when we sell our commodities online. B2B If you are a business concern that buys its need in bulk, get in touch with our Customer Development Department, stationed at each Store for your options of payment. Following non-cash options are available for purchases at all Makro Centres. Debit Card Debit card is the most convenient ;amp; safe payment option. For safety and security a separate account may be opened at Habib Metropolitan Ban or MCB, which will insure tha funds are available and cont rolled in a separate account for Makro purchase.Credit Card Makro accepts payment through credit cards with a bank charge of 1. 73% Advance on Credit Goods can be purchased against the exact amount deposited at Makro Centres. Bank Guarantee Credit is available against a bank guarantee provide by the customer to Makro Centres. Marketing The next main question was about marketing and how Makro conducts it: The CRM systems at Makro for marketing help the enterprise identify and target potential clients and generate leads for the sales team.An important marketing capability is tracking and measuring multichannel campaigns, including email, social media, telephone and direct mail. Prospect Relationship Management (PRM) solutions which track customer behavior and nurture them from first contact to sale, often cutting out the active sales process altogether. Customer Service and Solutions Makro's Customer Development Department situated on the sales floor of every Makro Centre help custome r with their question, queries and problem and offers them the right solutions. We have our own call center located in house.Customers can also E-mail and go the the site http://www. makropakistan. com/index. htm for feedback. Plus all Makro centers are equipped to help handicapped people move around and have accessibility for wheelchairs etc. keeping checks and balances on the cleanliness and maintenance of the branch: a nice, clean ambience makes an overall good experience for the customer. Feedback is very important for Makro said the manager, it helps in improving and enhancing the service we provide. Social media Social media has been a great help for many businesses.Same is the case for Makro. Social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are amplifying the voice of people in the marketplace and are having profound and far-reaching effects on the ways in which people buy. Customers can now research companies online and then ask for recommendations through social media channels, making their buying decision without contacting the company. Makro has its own page on Facebook http://www. facebook. com/profile. php? id=100001615146117. People also use social media to share opinions and experiences on companies, products and services.As social media is not as widely moderated or censored as mainstream media, individuals can say anything they want about a company or brand, positive or negative. Increasingly, companies are looking to gain access to these conversations and take part in the dialogue. More than a few systems are now integrating to social networking sites. Social media promoters cite a number of business advantages, such as using online communities as a source of high-quality leads and a vehicle for crowd sourcing solutions to client-support problems.Companies can also leverage client stated habits and preferences to -target† their sales and marketing communications. Some analysts take the view that business-to-business marketers shou ld proceed cautiously when weaving social media into their business processes. These observers recommend careful market research to determine if and where the phenomenon can provide measurable benefits for client interactions, sales and support. It is stated that people feel their interactions are peer-to-peer between them and their contacts, and resent company involvement, sometimes responding with negatives about that company.

Knowledge and Understanding of the Confessions of Jeremiah Essay

Outline your knowledge and understanding of the Confessions of Jeremiah Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, and a member of a priestly family. He was a native of Judah and came from Anathoth, a small village in the north east of Jerusalem. His prophetic ministry lasted from approximately 626 to 580BC, and is one of the longest of all the writing prophets. The prophet Jeremiah began his long prophetic career in 626BC; â€Å"in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign† He was still a very young man at this time. The narrative of his call is in a dialogue between Jeremiah and Yahweh. From this we can see straight away that Jeremiah had a very intimate relationship with God from the outset. Unlike other prophets, Jeremiah seems to have been chosen to be a prophet before he was even born. â€Å"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nations.† It seemed it was the destiny of Jeremiah to be a prophet. According to Kidner, Jeremiah was â€Å"handmade for the task.† Similarly to Moses and Amos, at first Jeremiah was reluctant to consent to his mission, saying â€Å"Ah Lord God behold I do not know how to speak for I am only a youth†, but his faith in Yahweh gave him faith in himself, and he accepted the role God asked of him. Perhaps this teaches us the meaning of rising to face personal challenges. Yahweh said to Jeremiah â€Å"Be not afraid of them for I am with you to deliver you.† This is very much the faith of believers today, that in times of trouble, God is constant in our lives. In Jeremiahs call, Yahweh outlines the purpose of his ministry. He says â€Å"I have set you this day over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.† This summarizes the two main aspects of Jeremiahs mission. It was to be a twofold mission, having both a positive and negative mission, and promising reconstruction after destruction. Yahweh intended to punish the people for their sins and injustice, yet it would be this destruction that would create a new and holy people. In this aspect, we can see a similarity between Hosea and Jeremiah, in that Hosea also believed in Redemptive Judgement. Following the dialogue of Jeremiah’s call, there were two visions. The first of these visions is the vision of the almond rod, and the second vision is one of the boiling pot facing away from the north. These visions both contained a message of judgement. The mouth of the put is facing towards the south, away from the north, which implies that the danger that Judah will face will come from the north, and that these forces will destroy Judah. Yahweh says here â€Å"And I will utter my judgements against them, for all their wickedness in forsaking me; they have made their offerings to other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.† In his visions, God speaks very frankly of judgement, expressing that it is going to happen soon, and that the destruction is going to come from the North. After this, Yahweh encourages Jeremiah again with the divine power of his task. He is made aware that being young and experienced, he would be resisted and persecuted by many, but that he would be upheld and strengthened by God. Jeremiah understood â€Å"sin† in terms of the betrayal of love, and accused the people of being guilty of embracing pagan gods, and flirting with heathen empires. They succumbed to the corrupting influences of the nature cults. Jeremiah found their behaviour incredible, and failed to understand why after Yahweh had been so good to the people during the time of exodus, they would desert him. He accused the people of forsaking Yahweh saying â€Å"They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.† In other words, they had deserted Yahweh for gods which were useless to them. Jeremiah also outlined the futility of foreign alliances, and said that in times of political emergency, he left their true protector. They lost faith in Yahweh, and this led to Assyria losing their religion independence. Jeremiah felt this was stupidity on their part, and appealed to the people to return to the covenant, but they paid him no heed. The call from Jeremiah is a call for repentance. Kidner said â€Å"Judah had seen it all and followed suit, sinning with her eyes open. To make it worse she had put on a sanctimonious show of repentance and reform.† Jeremiah says that the Jews were guilty of syncretism and apostasy, but that they were so religiously complacent that they were ignorant of their own sin. There was evidence of paganism and the people of Judah were confused. The nation had sunk to a dangerously low level of religious impurity. They had become hardened, and unfeeling in relation to their conscience. Jeremiahs confessions are autobiographical. The book of Jeremiah is split into six different passages The passages in jeremiahs confessions have three things in common, they are in first person, they are directly addressed to God and not to the people or its rulers, and they express the deep suffering felt by the prophet in exercising his mission. These passages are what made Jeremiah unique amongst the Hebrew prophets. He is the only prophet to reveal the personal impact his role had on him. In the confessional passages we see a real, human being, whose frailty we can identify with and whose trauma we can understand. Rarely did other prophets give us a glimpse into their lives, but in the passages Jeremiah wrote, he revealed his soul. Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah was often in conflict with his own contemporaries. This conflict was not his choosing. We are reminded of Hosea, in the sense that Jeremiah was a man of intense sympathy and tenderness of the heart, and all he wanted was to feel the love and companionship of others. He despised the conflict that deprived him of warmth and conflict that he craved, and so he became a depressed and hostile man. Yahweh said to Jeremiah â€Å"You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons and daughters in this place.† This was due to the impending crisis. In the ancient near east, sterility was considered to be a terrible curse, so we know from this that Jeremiahs celibacy would not have been down to personal choice. This shows how Jeremiah endured personal suffering, as a result of the nation’s wickedness. The first two passages in Jeremiahs confessions reveal a plot against his life, instigated by immediate family and acquaintances. The people saw Jeremiah, son of a priest, as a traitor. He reacted fiercely to this plot, and asked for the death of these men. The incident caused Jeremiah to reflect on his mission, and on the very meaning of human existence. As Jeremiah asked for no more than justice, God upheld his fierce reaction saying â€Å"I am going to punish them†¦For I will bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth.† This punishment however is not for vengeance, it is for reform. It is here that Jeremiah shows us a different side of him. He exaggerates the gloom, and welcomes the thought of retribution. Yahweh tells him that he has to keep his faith and courage during his sufferings, because they are little compared to what is to come. God knows only too well the pain of ingratitude; desertion from a spouse; defiance of a son, a daughter. A parallel is evident between the family’s rejection of Jeremiah, and the nation’s rejection of Yahweh. In the third passage, we see a new outburst and pleading by Jeremiah as he describes the â€Å"inner crisis† he is facing. He believed that everything he did seemed to bring him into conflict with his fellow men. It is here that Jeremiah laments on his mother, saying â€Å"woe is me, my mother that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land.† As Jeremiah’s call predates his birth, to curse the day of his birth would mean a rejection of his mission. His persecution arises from the message he has to deliver. Jeremiah was depressed by his work and often wondered about its purpose. In his eyes, all it caused was contention with his fellow Jews, and made him considered a troublemaker. The reaction the people of Judah gave him meant he became bitter, and saw himself condemned to a life of loneliness. The people reacted in such a hostile way to Jeremiah because he told them what they didn’t want to hear. He foretold disaster and the people remained sceptical of what he was saying, which only caused Jeremiah to fall even further into depression. As a result of the personal persecution and enforced loneliness, Jeremiah became vindictive and actually prayed for vengeance on those who treated him so poorly. This desire for vengeance only further reveals the humanity of Jeremiah. The third confession also indicates that Jeremiah faced an inward struggle with Yahweh, as well as an outward struggle with men. He was torn between obligation and inclination. He felt obliged to work as a prophet, and continue to live the sort of life that would lead to conflict with others, but due to the stress his prophetic work caused him, he felt inclined to avoid it. In the beginning, the words of Yahweh brought Jeremiah joy. â€Å"Your words were found, and I ate them and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart†, but this has all changed now. Jeremiah has been left an object of ridicule, and God’s words no longer gave him joy. He felt God used him as instrument to announce pain and destruction on people he felt love for, and at times he was almost blasphemous, accusing Yahweh of overpowering and misleading him. â€Å"Oh Lord though hast deceived me, and I was deceived, thou art stronger than I and thou hast prevailed. Yahweh’s reply renews and confirms he prophet’s mission, using the very words from his call. â€Å"And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze.† It is made clear h owever, that this will only happen when Jeremiah has converted, and regained confidence within his mission. In the last of the confessional passages, Jeremiah tells us of his most dramatic inner crisis, firmly believing that Yahweh has tricked him. â€Å"Oh Lord you have enticed me and I was enticed; you have over powered me and you have prevailed.† He fears being classed as a false prophet, which would have been devastating because he is one of the biggest critics of them. These false prophets were Jeremiahs greatest competition, and promised a shortcut to divine restoration. They spoke of peace, and attempted to â€Å"heal the wound of the people lightly†, but their remedies failed to touch even the root of the problem. Jeremiah says the complete opposite to these false prophets. Jeremiah believed that Yahweh would intervene in human history to punish, where as the false prophets proclaimed that God was uninterested in human affairs, and therefore that he wouldn’t intervene in them. Jeremiah believes that they feed the Jews with false hope, whenever doom is inevitable, and without the destruction they cannot be rebuilt. According to Bright, these prophets are â€Å"nothing but wind.† The role of a true prophet was often to act as a contestant to the status quo. The people of Judah did not like the challenge that Jeremiah was presenting them with. Jeremiah remained insistent however, that in light of Judah’s perversity, she would be punished. Although here he is clearly presented as a Prophet of Doom, this is only one aspect to his mission, and like other prophets, he does have a message of hope. Similarly to Amos, Jeremiah is warning the people what is to come if they do not repent, he is giving them warning so change is a possibility. It is for this reason he is also known as the â€Å"Prophet of Repentance.† He feels doubtful in relation to his message, and feels he is crying wolf in regard to his mission, by proclaiming a message of judgement which has not yet come to pass. Once again we are reminded of the conflict with Jeremiah in relation to obligation and inclination. Here Jeremiah describes his obligation to speak in a prophetic voice as a fire burning within him, forcing him to go on with his prophetic work despite the feeling that his inclination was to stop. Jeremiah speaks of his struggle saying â€Å"If I saw I will not mention him, or speak anymore in his name, the n within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I am weary with holding it in and I cannot.† When Jeremiah says â€Å"But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble†, he seems to have come to realise that within him there was the potential to move forwards and cope with what he thought was impossible. He finally realised that he was not alone, and that God would always be with him. Although Jeremiah at times curses the day he was born, the one thing that lifted him out of his depression was the deep conviction that Yahweh would always be there for him. Kidner says on Jeremiah â€Å"He goes on to his worst ordeals with never a hesitation or a word of doubt.† In conclusions, the outpourings from Jeremiahs heart that we witness in his confessions could be said to reveal imperfections about his human character, such as vindictiveness towards his fellow men and irrelevance towards God. However as Jeremiah was aware of his own perfections, by repenting Yahweh would help him overcome all of his human imperfections. If only the Jews had have realised the need to repent, then Yahweh could have help them overcome their imperfections through prayer and dialogue.