Monday, September 30, 2019

The Host Chapter 42: Forced

Ian's jaw fell slack. â€Å"You†¦ what?† â€Å"I'll explain in a minute. This isn't fair to you, but†¦ please. Just kiss me.† â€Å"It won't upset you? Melanie won't bother you?† â€Å"Ian!† I complained. â€Å"Please!† Still confused, he put his hands on my waist and pulled my body against his. His face was so worried, I wondered if this would even work. I hardly needed the romance, but maybe he did. He closed his eyes as he leaned toward me, an automatic thing. His lips pressed lightly against mine once, and then he pulled back to look at me with the same worried expression. Nothing. â€Å"No, Ian. Really kiss me. Like†¦ like you're trying to get slapped. Do you understand?† â€Å"No. What's wrong? Tell me first.† I put my arms around his neck. It felt strange; I wasn't at all sure how to do this right. I pushed up on my toes and pulled his head down at the same time until I could reach his lips with mine. This wouldn't have worked with another species. Another mind wouldn't have been so easily overwhelmed by its body. Other species had their priorities in better order. But Ian was human, and his body responded. I shoved my mouth against his, gripping his neck tighter with my arms when his first reaction was to hold me away. Remembering how his mouth had moved with mine before, I tried to mimic that movement now. His lips opened with mine, and I felt an odd thrill of triumph at my success. I caught his lower lip between my teeth and heard a low, wild sound break from his throat in surprise. And then I didn't have to try anymore. One of Ian's hands trapped my face, while the other clamped around the small of my back, holding me so close that it was hard to pull a breath into my constricted chest. I was gasping, but so was he. His breath mingled with mine. I felt the stone wall touch my back, press against it. He used it to bind me even closer. There was no part of me that wasn't fused to part of him. It was just the two of us, so close that we hardly counted as two. Just us. No one else. Alone. Ian felt it when I gave up. He must have been waiting for this-not as entirely ruled by his body as I'd imagined. He eased back as soon as my arms went limp, but kept his face next to mine, the tip of his nose touching the tip of mine. I dropped my arms, and he took a deep breath. Slowly, he loosened both his hands and then placed them lightly on my shoulders. â€Å"Explain,† he said. â€Å"She's not here,† I whispered, still breathing in gasps. â€Å"I can't find her. Not even now.† â€Å"Melanie?† â€Å"I can't hear her! Ian, how can I go back in to Jamie? He'll know that I'm lying! How can I tell him that I've lost his sister now? Ian, he's sick! I can't tell him that! I'll upset him, make it harder for him to get well. I -â€Å" Ian's fingers pressed against my lips. â€Å"Shh, shh. Okay. Let's think about this. When was the last time you heard her?† â€Å"Oh, Ian! It was right after I saw†¦ in the hospital. And she tried to defend them†¦ and I screamed at her†¦ and I-I made her go away! And I haven't heard her since. I can't find her!† â€Å"Shh,† he said again. â€Å"Calmly. Okay. Now, what do you really want? I know you don't want to upset Jamie, but he's going to be fine regardless. So, consider-would it be better, just for you, if -â€Å" â€Å"No! I can't erase Melanie! I can't. That would be wrong! That would make me a monster, too!† â€Å"Okay, okay! Okay. Shh. So we have to find her?† I nodded urgently. He took another deep breath. â€Å"Then you need to†¦ really be overwhelmed, don't you?† â€Å"I don't know what you mean.† I was afraid I did, though. Kissing Ian was one thing-even a pleasant thing, maybe, if I wasn't so racked with worry-but anything more†¦ elaborate†¦ Could I? Mel would be furious if I used her body that way. Was that what I had to do to find her? But what about Ian? It was so grossly unfair to him. â€Å"I'll be right back,† Ian promised. â€Å"Stay here.† He pressed me against the wall for emphasis and then ducked back out into the hallway. It was hard to obey. I wanted to follow him, to see what he was doing and where he was going. We had to talk about this; I had to think it through. But I had no time. Jamie was waiting for me, with questions that I couldn't answer with lies. No, he wasn't waiting for me; he was waiting for Melanie. How could I have done this? What if she was really gone? Mel, Mel, Mel, come back! Melanie, Jamie needs you. Not me-he needs you. He's sick, Mel. Mel, can you hear that? Jamie is sick! I was talking to myself. No one heard. My hands were trembling with fear and stress. I wouldn't be able to wait here much longer. I felt like the anxiety was going to make me swell until I popped. Finally, I heard footsteps. And voices. Ian wasn't alone. Confusion swept through me. â€Å"Just think of it as†¦ an experiment,† Ian was saying. â€Å"Are you crazy?† Jared answered. â€Å"Is this some sick joke?† My stomach dropped through the floor. Overwhelmed. That's what he'd meant. Blood burned in my face, hot as Jamie's fever. What was Ian doing to me? I wanted to run, to hide somewhere better than my last hiding place, somewhere I could never, ever be found, no matter how many flashlights they used. But my legs were shaking, and I couldn't move. Ian and Jared came into view in the room where the tunnels met. Ian's face was expressionless; he had one hand on Jared's shoulder and was guiding him, almost pushing him forward. Jared was staring at Ian with anger and doubt. â€Å"Through here,† Ian encouraged, forcing Jared toward me. I flattened my back against the rock. Jared saw me, saw my mortified expression, and stopped. â€Å"Wanda, what's this about?† I threw Ian one blazing glance of reproach and then tried to meet Jared's eyes. I couldn't do it. I looked at his feet instead. â€Å"I lost Melanie,† I whispered. â€Å"You lost her!† I nodded miserably. His voice was hard and angry. â€Å"How?† â€Å"I'm not sure. I made her be quiet†¦ but she always comes back†¦ always before†¦ I can't hear her now†¦ and Jamie†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"She's gone?† Muted agony in his voice. â€Å"I don't know. I can't find her.† Deep breath. â€Å"Why does Ian think I have to kiss you?† â€Å"Not kiss me,† I said, my voice so faint I could barely hear it myself. â€Å"Kiss her. Nothing upset her more than when you kissed us†¦ before. Nothing pulled her to the surface like that. Maybe†¦ No. You don't have to. I'll try to find her myself.† I still had my eyes on his feet, so I saw him step toward me. â€Å"You think, if I kiss her†¦?† I couldn't even nod. I tried to swallow. Familiar hands brushed my neck, tracing down either side to my shoulders. My heart thudded loud enough that I wondered if he could hear it. I was so embarrassed, forcing him to touch me this way. What if he thought it was a trick-my idea, not Ian's? I wondered if Ian was still there, watching. How much would this hurt him? One hand continued, as I knew it would, down my arm to my wrist, leaving a trail of fire behind it. The other cupped beneath my jaw, as I knew it must, and pulled my face up. His cheek pressed against mine, the skin burning where we were connected, and he whispered in my ear. â€Å"Melanie. I know you're there. Come back to me.† His cheek slowly slid back, and his chin tilted to the side so that his mouth covered mine. He tried to kiss me softly. I could tell that he tried. But his intentions went up in smoke, just like before. There was fire everywhere, because he was everywhere. His hands traced my skin, burning it. His lips tasted every inch of my face. The rock wall slammed into my back, but there was no pain. I couldn't feel anything besides the burning. My hands knotted in his hair, pulling him to me as if there were any possible way for us to be closer. My legs wrapped around his waist, the wall giving me the leverage I needed. His tongue twisted with mine, and there was no part of my mind that was not invaded by the insane desire that possessed me. He pulled his mouth free and pressed his lips to my ear again. â€Å"Melanie Stryder!† It was so loud in my ear, a growl that was almost a shout. â€Å"You will not leave me. Don't you love me? Prove it! Prove it! Damn it, Mel! Get back here!† His lips attacked mine again. Ahhh, she groaned weakly in my head. I couldn't think to greet her. I was on fire. The fire burned its way to her, back to the tiny corner where she drooped, nearly lifeless. My hands fisted around the fabric of Jared's T-shirt, yanking it up. This was their idea; I didn't tell them what to do. His hands burned on the skin of my back. Jared? she whispered. She tried to orient herself, but the mind we shared was so disoriented. I felt the muscles of his stomach under my palms, my hands crushed between us. What? Where†¦ Melanie struggled. I broke away from his mouth to breathe, and his lips scorched their way down my throat. I buried my face in his hair, inhaling the scent. Jared! Jared! NO! I let her flow through my arms, knowing this was what I wanted, though I could barely pay attention now. The hands on his stomach turned hard, angry. The fingers clawed at his skin and then shoved him as hard as they could. â€Å"NO!† she shouted through my lips. Jared caught her hands, then caught me against the wall before I could fall. I sagged, my body confused by the conflicting directions it was receiving. â€Å"Mel? Mel!† â€Å"What are you doing?† He groaned in relief. â€Å"I knew you could do it! Ah, Mel!† He kissed her again, kissed the lips that she now controlled, and we could both taste the tears that ran down his face. She bit him. Jared jumped back from us, and I slid to the floor, landing in a wilted heap. He started laughing. â€Å"That's my girl. You still got her, Wanda?† â€Å"Yes,† I gasped. What the hell, Wanda? she screeched at me. Where have you been? Do you have any idea what I've been going through trying to find you? Yeah, I can see that you were really suffering. Oh, I'll suffer, I promised her. I could already feel it coming on. Just like before†¦ She was flipping through my thoughts as fast as she could. Jamie? That's what I've been trying to tell you. He needs you. Then why aren't we with him? Because he's probably a bit young to watch this kind of thing. She searched through some more. Wow, Ian, too. I'm glad I missed that part. I was so worried. I didn't know what to do†¦ Well, c'mon. Let's go. â€Å"Mel?† Jared asked. â€Å"She's here. She's furious. She wants to see Jamie.† Jared put his arm around me and helped me up. â€Å"You can be as mad as you want, Mel. Just stick around.† How long was I gone? Three days is all. Her voice was suddenly smaller. Where was I? You don't know? I can't remember†¦ anything. We shuddered. â€Å"You okay?† Jared asked. â€Å"Sort of.† â€Å"Was that her before, talking to me-talking out loud?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Can she†¦ can you let her do that now?† I sighed. I was already exhausted. â€Å"I can try.† I closed my eyes. Can you get past me? I asked her. Can you talk to him? I†¦ How? Where? I tried to flatten myself against the inside of my head. â€Å"C'mon,† I murmured. â€Å"Here.† Melanie struggled, but there was no way out. Jared's lips came down on mine, hard. My eyes flew open in shock. His gold-flecked eyes were open, too, half an inch away. She jerked our head back. â€Å"Cut that out! Don't touch her!† He smiled, the little creases feathering out around his eyes. â€Å"Hey, baby.† That's not funny. I tried to breathe again. â€Å"She's not laughing.† He left his arm around me. Around us. We walked out into the tunnel junction, and there was no one there. No Ian. â€Å"I'm warning you, Mel,† Jared said, still smiling widely. Teasing. â€Å"You better stay right here. I'm not making any guarantees about what I will or won't do to get you back.† My stomach fluttered. Tell him I'll throttle him if he touches you like that again. But her threat was a joke, too. â€Å"She's threatening your life right now,† I told him. â€Å"But I think she's being facetious.† He laughed, giddy with relief. â€Å"You're so serious all the time, Wanda.† â€Å"Your jokes aren't funny,† I muttered. Not to me. Jared laughed again. Ah, Melanie said. You are suffering. I'll try not to let Jamie see. Thank you for bringing me back. I won't erase you, Melanie. I'm sorry I can't give you more than that. Thank you. â€Å"What's she saying?† â€Å"We're just†¦ making up.† â€Å"Why couldn't she talk before, when you were trying to let her?† â€Å"I don't know, Jared. There really isn't enough room for both of us. I can't seem to get myself out of the way completely. It's like†¦ not like holding your breath. Like trying to pause your heartbeats. I can't make myself not exist. I don't know how.† He didn't answer, and my chest throbbed with pain. How joyful he would be if I could figure out how to erase myself! Melanie wanted to†¦ not to contradict me, but to make me feel better; she struggled to find words to soften my agony. She couldn't come up with the right ones. But Ian would be devastated. And Jamie. Jeb would miss you. You have so many friends here. Thanks. I was glad that we were back to our room now. I needed to think about something else before I started crying. Now wasn't the time for self-pity. There were more important issues at hand than my heart, breaking yet again.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Trashed

Largest Landfill in the World Soon going to the will no longer be a vacation option unless you do not plan to swim. There will probably be a huge amount of plastic and trash in the water. This is due to the Pacific trash vortex. All of the plastic that has accumulated over the years had either eended up in a landfill or in the ocean. It is however, more likely that the trash has ended up in the ocean. Trash that people just toss in the water ends up in the ocean. Americans fail to realize that bodies of water connect to larger bodies of water which eventually leads to that onee fun special vacation spot.A trash vortex is a big lanfill of garbage and plastic that ends up in the water. It is also known as a garbage patch. Sometimes the vortex is hard to see because the materials sink down to the bottom of the ocean floor. There has been much more garbage placed in the ocean than most people realize. Until you actually research this understanding how much trash ends up in the ocean is n ot possible. â€Å"Because of its durability and our increased use in recent decades, scientists estimate that plastic makes up 60 to 80 percent of marine debris worldwide. ( â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") This essay will further summarize what the pacific trash vortex is, describe the impacts the trash vortex has on the environment, talk about some of the biggest controvesies around this issue, and give my point of views on the issue. A trash vortex is a large area of garbage in the ocean. This area of garbage in the ocean takes up a large amount of space in the ocean. â€Å" It is roughly the size of Texas, containing approximately 3. 5 million tons of trash. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean†). This area is so very large that it can not be hidden.Sometimes the materials just float, but then there are several types of materials that sink into the water and are not very visible by humans. â€Å"The expedition easily spotted some types of plastic. But a larger problem may lurk below the surface. †(â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented-A First 5). Most of the trash that has been found in the ocean are things such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, old household materials, etc. There is more than just one trash vortex around the world. â€Å"The Pacific Vortex isn’t the only one.The Atlantic and Indian ocean, which have different current patterns, have plastic gyres of their own†(Walsh, Bryan 1). About ten percent of all the plastic produced in the world ends up in the ocean. â€Å" Perhaps ten percent of the two hundred and sixty million tons of plastic produced worldwide each year end up in the sea-much of it in the swirling currents of the North Pacific Gyre and other ocean vortices. ( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first 2) Plastic can not be broken down so if there is nothing done about it over a period of time the ocean will just accumulate more plastic. Most of our waste today is comprised of plastic. Plastic, which is made from petroleum, is a material that the Earth cannot digest. Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists. â€Å" (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. â€Å") If there is more plastic accumulated there will be more animals in the ocean that die. No one knows exactly when trash started becoming a problem in the ocean or why it became a problem. The trash vortex has been known to kill several animals in the ocean. The trash gets into the ocean a few ways.One of the ways that the trash gets into the ocean is by people throwing trash on land and the rain washing it into things such as sewers. There are several different sizes of garbage that have been thrown in the ocean. â€Å"A single one litre drinks bottle could break down into enough small fragments to put one on every mile of beach in the entire world. These smaller particles are joined by the small pellets of plastic which are the form in which many new plastics are marketed and which can be lost at sea by the drum load or even a whole container load. (â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). Not all of the things that are thrown in the ocean are large. â€Å"While large pieces are common, the garbage patch is not an island of plastic, the team found on their 19-day expedition in August. Much of the debris is in the form of countless thumbnail-size scraps. †( â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented-A first†1) Sewers and rivers all lead to the ocean. All the garbage that ends up in the sewers eventually end up into the ocean. Another way that garbage ends up in the ocean is by us directly throwing things into the water.The trash vortex has a very unknown impact on the community. There is an unknown impact on the community because not many people know that all this trash exists in the ocean. Some of the people that know the trash vortex exist do what they can to help stop the issue. The trash vortex has a very negative impact on its environment. All the garbage in the ocean has killed several marine animals. Birds are dying because they are mistaking the trash in the ocean for food and an animal can not digest plastic materials. So this leads to the death of several marine animals such as birds and turtles.It has become such an issue to the point where there may not be many marine animals if there is more plastic put into the ocean â€Å"In the ocean, plastic waste accumulates in swirling seas of debris, where plastic to sea life ratios are 6:1; where birds and mammals are dying of starvation and dehydration with bellies full of plastics; where fish are ingesting toxins at such a rate that soon they will no longer be safe to eat. â€Å" (â€Å"Garbage Patch. â€Å") There has also been an issue with the plastic because of an essiential organic compound called zooplankton.They have been finding more trash in the ocean than zooplankton and that is not good because zooplankton is essential to the ecosystem. Zooplankton are little tiny organisms that are important because they feed the animals in the water. Algae is a type of zooplankton. The trash in the water has also been known to absorb organic pollutants which are there for a reason. When they are gone it will be hard to acquire more. People will not realize the full effects that this issue has until it becomes a very severe problem and leads to the death of many marine animals.It can also become a severe problem by effecting the way we have a great time at the beach or on a river trip. The trash vortex in the Pacific ocean is a big issue mainly because it is starting to be a lot more trash than is needed. Trash in the ocean can not be broken down and it does not decompose. â€Å"The very thing that makes plastic items useful to consumers, their durability and stability, also makes them a problem in marine environments. †(â€Å"The Trash Vortex†). That means that the animals that eat the trash will eventually die.That also means that the number of marine animals will decrease tremendously. That also means that the trash will begin to pile up worse than it is now. That can also affect our water supply because the water we drink on a daily has to come from somewhere. Our water has to be kept clean or it could become a problem to the environment around us and the ecosystem. I believe that this issue does not have to stay an issue. The trash vortex can be handled over a period of time if we all work together to take care of the water.If we clean up and recycle more the garbage patch will not be as big as it is now. The things we can do from our location are make sure that others recycle more and to make sure that we do not become apart of the issue by throwing things in bodies if water. There are a few organizations that try to help by going to some of these areas and cleaning up the land around them. It is not easy to clean up once the plastic has drifted to the bottom of the ocean floor. The issue has not become a huge problem yet, b ut people have not begun to look at the long terms affects to the environment.If the issue does not stop I feel that it will most certainly become a problem. It will have a negative effect on the marine animals. It is very possible that if the problem does not get any better that we could possibly be looking at some future endangered species. In conclusion, there are so many unknown things floating in the ocean you will be amazed at what people find floating in the ocean â€Å"shoes, toys, bags, pacifiers, wrappers, toothbrushes, and bottles too numerous to count are only part of what can be found in this accidental dump floating midway between Hawaii and San Francisco. (â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. †). The Pacific trash vortex is still an unknown mystery. There are still things that scientist can not figure out about this garbage patch they are actually still trying to figure out all the details. â€Å"Researchers are keen to learn how the massive influx of plastic pieces in recent decades affects area animals from larger creatures such as fish and birds- which swallow toxic plastic- to tiny organisms such as bacteria and plankton.This plastic may also be hosting invasive bacteria or other species researchers say†( â€Å"Giant Ocean-Trash Vortex Documented- A First 3). Trash vortex have been slowly killing birds and other types of animals. This is something that needs to be stopped as soon as possible if we want to help save our animals and our land. Everyone can help in the process whether it is realized or not. The land is something that should not be taken for granted. If we want future generations to have a land then it is our job to protect the land.Work Cited â€Å"Garbage Patch. † Think Beyond Plastic. â€Å"Giant Ocean- Trash Vortex Documented -A First. † National Geographic News. 28 Oct 2010 â€Å"Planet100: The Pacific Trash Vortex Explained. † Online Posting. Youtube, 7 June 2010. Silverman, Jacob. â€Å"Why is th e worlds biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean? † How stuff works. â€Å"The trash vortex. † Greenpeace International. â€Å"Trashing the Ocean. † Ocean Portal. 2010 Walsh,Bryan. â€Å"Expedition Sets Sail to the Great Plastic Vortex. † Time Science. 01 Aug 2009 .

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Organisational success is determined by effective leadership Essay

Organisational success is determined by effective leadership - Essay Example Rather, different criteria should be used each time that organisational success need to be evaluated. Of course, there are certain factors, such as leadership, that are always capable of affecting organisational success. The relationship between effective leadership and organisational success is explored in this paper. It is proved that the traditional thoughts on effective leadership its relationship with organisational success should be reviewed. Moreover, it has been made clear that the criteria for characterizing a leadership style as effective can be different across countries with different social ethics and culture. In any case, it is made clear that effective leadership can lead to organisational success, even in the long term. 2. Organisational success and leadership 2.1 Organisational success – characteristics The criteria used for evaluating the success of modern organisations can vary. Usually, organisational success is related to the performance of an organisation in terms of employee satisfaction (Sims 2002, p.144). More specifically, it is believed that a high level of employee satisfaction reflects the ability of the firm to communicate with its stakeholders, a condition that its critical for its success (Sims 2002, p.144). ... ccess using the above criteria can be inaccurate mostly because the potentials of each organisation to achieve high profits or to survive in the market are differentiated according to the years of the firm’s presence in the market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). For example, the criteria of growth would be more valuable when referring to ‘the start-up of the organisation’ (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). Profitability also should not be used as a criterion for evaluating organisational success in the early years of the firm’s presence in the market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). Rather, profitability would be a critical criterion for evaluating the success of an organisation that has been, already, well established in the local or the international market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). The use of an integrate framework for evaluating organisational success helps to control the risks related to the particular task. The ‘Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardâ₠¬â„¢ (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130) can be considered as such framework. In fact, the above Award is awarded to organisations that meet a series of criteria in regard of quality (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130). Leadership is the first of these criteria Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130), a fact that verifies the relationship between leadership and organisational success. Other criteria used in the context of the above framework are: ‘strategic planning, customer focus and workforce’ Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130). From another point of view, Cameron & Spreitzer (2011) note that organisational success should not be related only to the financial performance of each organisation. Rather, the success of organisations in the modern market should be based on their ability to promote

Friday, September 27, 2019

Birmingham City Council v Abdulla & Others Case Study

Birmingham City Council v Abdulla & Others - Case Study Example The actual case to be determined by the Supreme Court was not whether the plaintiffs should be paid the equal pay claims they were seeking from the Birmingham City Council; rather, it was purely a case of jurisdiction. In the case that was presented before the high court, former employees of Birmingham the City Council were demanding to be paid equal employment claims after realizing that some of their ex-colleagues had been compensated for the same by the council (Old Square Chambers, 2012). However, while the claims that the former employees were raising could be genuine and valid, the legal issue that arises in the case is that by the time they realized that their ex-colleagues had been compensated for the equal pay claims, it was already too late since 6 months had expired. The law pertaining to this situation provides that a claimant has 6 months to present their employment claims to the Employment Tribunal from the date of the wrongdoing by the employer, after which such claims would not be admissible to the Tribunal (Honeyball, 2012, p. 47). However, the same law provides that the claimants have up to 6 years to present any claim to the civil courts, from the date of a wrongful act. Therefore, finding that their claim could not be admitted by the Employment Tribunal, the claimants presented the case before a civil court. In return, the Birmingham City Council filed a response to the court seeking to have the case struck out of the civil court, on the basis that such a case was better dealt with by the Employment Tribunal, as opposed to the civil court (Old Square Chambers, 2012). The high court upheld that the case could be heard by the civil court since its circumstances did not qualify the exceptional circumstances against which a case could be struck out of the civil court and be referred to the Employment Tribunal. The defendant, in this case, the Birmingham City Council, filed an appeal regarding the high court decision, which was also rejected by t he Court of Appeal, which held the same ruling that the Supreme Court had given. It is upon the rejection of the appeal by the Court of Appeal that Birmingham the City Council filed the case for determination by the Supreme Court, so that the Supreme Court could determine whether the case could be struck out of the civil court and referred back to the Employment Tribunal (Honeyball, 2012, p. 47). Facts of the Case The case Birmingham City Council v Abdulla & Others [2012] is a case falling under the employment law, specifically under the Equality Act 2010, which provides that both the male and female workers shall be compensated the same for the services they deliver to an employer, which requires similar efforts and for which similar qualifications are required (Barnard & Hepple, 2004, p. 22). According to this act, if a woman’s contract is based on no less favorable terms compared to those of men, and the woman does the same roles and she is in the same employment, terms of equality should be applied for both men and women (Hepple, 2011, p. 54). However previously, the employer, in this case, the Birmingham City Council, had not compensated both women and men equally for their contracts for which they delivered their services to the council.  

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Project Management - Assignment Example The application allows the employees to register for the company-Sponsored recreational programs, which includes bowling, walking, jogging among others. In addition, this application allows the employees to register for company-sponsored classes and programs for management of weight stress and other health related complications. The service cost benefit of this application is the ability to track employees on the level of involvement in these activities. To ensure effective implementation of this application the company’s top management is advised to offer incentives for the employees to join these programs (Patel, 2008). The financial cost benefit of this application to the company can be calculated as follows Assume that the present cost of the industry average health care premium is X, this means that MYH, Inc pays 20% more of X , which is equivalent to 1.2X. However, upon implementation of the application the company is able to save AED 120/employee/ year for full time employees for four years. This follows that the total amount saved on the 20,000 full time employees is as the following calculation The ability of this application to track employee health care expenses and company health care costs and facilitating the data importation from the current systems that track employee expenses submitted by the insurance providers if fundamental as it facilitates clarity in the employees expenditure relative to the company ‘s care cost on the employees. This helps in establishing the exact loss or profit incurred at the end of the fiscal year. This is relative to the health care expenditure. The calculations is as illustrated below The concept of cross-selling is based on the premise that when the organizations offers additional goods and services to the organization’s customers get more value to suppliers and other organizational

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Broadway Caf E-Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Broadway Caf E-Business - Assignment Example This essay stresses that the response to the children’s story hour concern would be that the cafà © appreciates all customers regardless of their ages and it is committed to meeting the needs of each group of customers. Nevertheless, the cafà © will make changes to ease the co-existing aspect of both parties by providing separate sections without interference with children and their activities. That response is given since the cafà © does not wish to lose customers who hate children interference. At the same time, the children’s story hour will remain an essential marketing strategy. Moreover, the management had noted with concern that children event resulted to a lot of disturbance for customers who wished to a have a quite and relaxed atmosphere. This paper declares that Broadway cafà © would have to incorporate proper e-business strategies. Knowledge management system can be utilized to source power over the cafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s competitors. This strategy provides decision makers in management of the cafà © with the necessary insights when developing and making major decisions concerning the firm. Moreover, the system identifies trends in the market; hence, allowing employment of sound marketing strategies. Subsequently, the firm gains edge that is more competitive over its rivals firms. The system stores crucial information and data concerning the firm. Therefore, the management can surely keep their recipes, ingredients, and algorithms of producing their meals. This information can be used to train new staff or used when there is need to review their menus or algorithms. Generally, knowledge management system facilitates the management to make sound decisions that promote the wellbeing of the firm. Customer Relationship Mana gement system enhances communication between the firm and its customers. Through this strategy, the firm is able to collect information and feedback from its employees regarding its service and products offered. The system helps the management when making decisions, hence allowing the firm to meet the needs of clientele. Moreover, it is an essential tool to attract and retain customers. Further, the system can be used to profile customers in order to identify buying trends, as well as goods that are more purchased. Additionally, the system can help to identify peak seasons for proper allocation of staff and production of highly ordered menus. Overall, the system can be used to track purchasing of individual to reward in the loyalty program. Another e-business strategy tool is the use of a website, which informs customers of the products offered by the cafe and the various locations of cafes.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

GLOBAL OUTSOURCING - Essay Example It has also been able to simplify stock holding and brought them down to  £8.9 million from staggering  £40 million. The overall net effect of the above savings is decrease in production costs of every component (vehicle) by  £34 (Reynolds, 2012). It has been able to free up its real property for process of manufacturing vehicles. Therefore, Jaguar Land Rover has not only been capable of improving its supply chain but also to deliver fantastic savings on costs. Importantly, Jaguar Land Rover has been able to increase customer satisfaction (Reynolds, 2012). 5 The company trades as â€Å"Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC†. It is a multinational company manufacturing and selling vehicles globally. Its headquarters are in Whitley, Coventry in the United Kingdom. The chief executive officer of Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover Company is Ralf Speth. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover company is the largest automotive manufacturing business in the United Kingdom. The company manufactures the automotives around two iconic car brands from the United Kingdom. These iconic car brands are Land Rover and jaguar. Land over is a world’s top producer of finest all wheel drive automobiles. Jaguar is a world leading premier luxury sports car and sports saloon car Marques. Jaguar Land Jaguar Land Rover brings together these two highly prestigious and much loved brands of cars. Tata Motors acquired Land Rover and jaguar companies from Ford Company in 2008 and later merged them in to a single automotive manufacturing company. Jaguar Land Ja guar Land Rover has been successful and it has been flourishing with innovative technologies and memorable vehicles that add to the companys extensive enduring legacy of unique automotive manufacturer (Woolley & Grice 2013). Jaguar Company started in 1922 as a motorcycle sidecars manufacturer. Now, the company name was Swallow SideCar Company. It started to

Monday, September 23, 2019

Global Communication and Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Communication and Propaganda - Essay Example A classical example is the use of the terms â€Å"collateral damage† during the Vietnam War. This approach was used as a way of distorting the fact that innocent people had been killed in the war zones or the notion that the warfare technology employed was unsophisticated (Vincent, 2006, p. 246). Image transfer refers to an attempt to tap positive public image portrayed by a concept or entity and share or transfer this publicity by associating with another product, group or program. The images or symbols are used with to create positive emotions surrounding the issue. The US employs this technique through advertising to transfer its cultural products across the globe through motion pictures, film, music, and fashion (Vincent, 2006, p. 247). Testimonial refers to the use of famous or familiar but unpopular individual to depict a product, group or program in a positive or negative manner. President George W. Bush used this technique on March 2012 accompanied by Bono, a U2 rock musician, in a speech delivered at the Inter-American Development Bank. This approach sought to garner support for his foreign policy and support (Vincent, 2006, p. 248). Plain folks are employed by communicators to convince their target audience that their ideas are valid or correct because they resonate with the views of other commonplace citizens. President Bush Jr., used the image of the image of the â€Å"Mission Accomplished† photo following the successful duty in Iraqi to depict the notion of a commander in chief that is fully in control (Vincent, 2006, p. 250). Card stacking employs selective presentation of facts, misrepresentation of information and a combination of confusing, logical and illogical statements with the intention of hiding the truth from the audience and discouraging informed decision-making. Hitler employed the â€Å"Big Lie† approach in attributing the defeat of Nazi Germany in the First World War by the Jews to the influence of the media (Vincent, 2006,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Quality Metal Service Essay Example for Free

Quality Metal Service Essay An overview of cost, profit, revenue, and investment centers Cost classification in accounting also involves the allocation of costs, revenues and responsibilities to various centres or departments. These centres include: == Cost centres == Revenue centres == Profit centres == Investment centres Cost Centres A cost centre (CC) is a unit, location or department where cost data is collected. The purpose of the cost centre is to collect, analyze and ascertain costs in its immediate context. Cost centres usually have cost units—units or equipment for which costs are determinable or attributable. Overheads and direct costs constitute the cost structure of a CC. Since many activities in an organisation involve costs, a cost centre is a fundamental aspect, especially as profit and investment centres can be cost centres. According to the ACCA Study Text (Management accounting, c 1999), cost centres can manifest themselves as a project, a machine, department or overhead costs. One should note that a specific cost centre might not necessarily have other functions. CCs are not limited to production and manufacturing, since they can also be attributed to service centres, like commercial bank branches for example. Revenue Centres These centres deal exclusively with revenue. Even though costs may arise from these areas, the revenue centre is not accountable for costs. Its purpose is primarily to maximise sales and revenue. Profit centre The profit centre addresses both costs and revenue. Therefore, the manager responsible for a profit centre is accountable for the purchases and sales for that unit, department or branch. Since both revenue and costs fall under the purview of the profit centre, it is both a cost and revenue centre, although a revenue centre is not a profit centre and a cost centre might not necessarily be a profit centre. Investment centres Investment centres are profit centres that are accountable for cost, revenues and net assets for capital investment. This unit is assessed by return on investment and is a cost centre. Managers in an investment centre are responsible for purchasing capital or non-current assets and making investment decisions with capital. Investment centres Investment centres are profit centres that are accountable for cost, revenues and net assets for capital investment. This unit is assessed by return on investment and is a cost centre. Managers in an investment centre are responsible for purchasing capital or non-current assets and making investment decisions with capital. Responsibility centres are the umbrella term for cost, profit, revenue and investment centres, since their performance is under the direct control of a manager. The cost centre concept is present in profit and investment centres. The profit centre can be stand alone or, with additional responsibilities, an investment centre. Revenue centres operate in a similar manner to cost and profit centres, but their managers are primarily responsible for maximizing revenues and sales. An accountant needs to know the different types of centres to understand the information needs and requirements of the managers of the various units. Responsibility Centres A responsibility centre is an organizational subsystem charged with a well-defined mission and headed by a manager accountable for the performance of the centre. Responsibility centres constitute the primary building blocks for management control. It is also the fundamental unit of analysis of a budget control system. Aresponsibility centre is an organization unit headed by a responsible manager. There are four major types of responsibility centres: cost centres,revenues centres, profit centres and investment centres. Cost Centre A cost centre is a responsibility centre in which manager is held responsible for controlling cost inputs. There are two general types of cost centres: engineered expense centres and discretionary expense centres. Engineered costs are usually expressed as standard costs. A discretionary expense centre is a responsibility centre whose budgetary performance is based on achieving its goals by operating within predetermined expense constraints set through managerial judgement or discretion. Revenue Centre A revenue centre is a responsibility centre whose budgetary performance is measured primarily by its ability to generate a specified level of revenue. Profit Centre In a profit centre, the budget measures the difference between revenues and costs. Investment Centre An investment centre is a responsibility centre whose budgetary performance is based on return on investment. The uses of responsibility centres depend to a great extent on the type of organization structure involved. Engineered cost centres, discretionary expense centre, and revenue centres are more often used with functional organization designs and with the function units in a matrix design. In contrast, with a divisional organization designs, it is possible use profit centres because the large divisions in such a structure usually have control over both the expenses and the revenues associated with profits.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The most famous psychological studies Essay Example for Free

The most famous psychological studies Essay The most famous psychological studies of children and aggressive behaviour are Albert Banduras Bobo doll studies, performed at Stamford University, which are now widely regarded as early research classics in the field. These were experimental studies in which children of nursery school age observed a video in which an adult was hitting, punching, kicking and throwing a large inflatable doll. Particular actions were used which children would be unlikely to perform spontaneously. The children were then observed, as they played alone in a playroom with the same doll for 10 to 20 minutes. A controlled group of children were allowed to play with the doll without observing the video of the aggressive adult behaviour. As you might expect, the children who witnessed the adult aggression performed similar acts and the others did not. In this study, Bandura has shown that children display acts of aggressive behaviour, acquired simply through observing someone else performing in these acts. There are many flaws in this study however, which can influence or exaggerate the reactions of the children such as the environment in which the study is held. The laboratory is an uncomfortable area in which children may act in a way which is alien to their usual reactions, and they may behave as they feel they are expected to, one child was recorded asking Mummy is that the doll we have to hit? Children are noted to understand and differentiate between fantasy and real life, (it is ok to hit a doll but not a person.) It is also thought that the theorists conducting the study may have intentionally encouraged the aggression, something that most parents would not. So although Bandura did prove that the childrens behaviour was undoubtedly linked to the images they had seen, it was an artificially made environment (both literally and by means of behaviour expressed by all parties) and therefore I would argue that it couldnt possibly reflect a true scenario. Other studies relating to this concept reached the same conclusions until a study by Feshbach and Singer (1971). Understanding that the environment of a laboratory may be a establishing factor in the behaviour of children, Feshbach and Singer decided to conduct their experiment in schools, an environment in which the children would feel comfortable and therefore more inclined to react in a way which is more accurate. Going into a boys home the theorists spilt a class into two groups, and conducted a manipulated situation over a duration of six weeks. The boys were exposed to different types of television, one group were shown typically violent shows, and the other observed generally neutral television. The results proved an opposite reaction to Banduras study; the boys exposed to the violent television remained the same, while the other group had gotten considerably more aggressive during the experiment. This reaction is in line with the CATHARIS theory, which claims that watching violent programmes decreases levels of arousal, leaving viewers less prone to aggressive behaviour. These studies are extremely contradictory and the differences are an example of how it is extremely difficult to define the exact link between television and behavioural effects.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Importance Of Environmental Protection Essay

Importance Of Environmental Protection Essay In recent decades, many environmental problems have increased as the result of human activities and unplanned management of the technological development those interference ecosystems. Therefore, a dispute between the importance of conservation and preservation of ecosystems to protect environment and the necessity to satisfy human desire by sacrifice the environment has been arise across the world. According to Glossary of Environment Statistics the term environmental protection can be defined as the prevention to conserve and preserve the standard healthy level of environmental media by reducing the production of pollutants or polluting substances in environmental media (1997, internet).Various human activities have induce many undesirable effects to the environment which can be threatening human health, economic, natural resources and gene pool of ecosystems such as pollutions, greenhouse effect, global warming and soil erosion. In this essay, it is arguable that the environmental protection is worth for fight due to the several reasons. Firstly, the environmental pollution is one of the main reasons why we should fight to protect environment. Besides, global warming is also another reason caused by the deforestation. Furthermore, warm climate change and flood also increase the opportunity of spread out pests and vector diseases. Pollution can be divided into four types; water pollution, air pollution, thermal pollution and sound pollution. Fossils fuels used in most factories, petroleum and gas usage for vehicle is the major cause of air pollution. Environment pollution can also be an addition harmful substance that could affect human health and human life (Gan, 2006, 311). Given the above, environmentalist should fight for a better environment because pollutions caused by burning of fossil fuels will results in severe environmental problems such as the occurrence of acid rain due to the production of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen monoxide (NO). Casiday and Frey mentioned that combustion process not only increases the concentration of carbon dioxide(CO2) in the atmosphere but it is also the main source in producing high level of nitrogen monoxide(NO) and sulphur dioxide (SO2). These are the two major reactants that cause the formation of acid rain. Acidity of acid rain changes the pH of the river water and lakes which then disrupt the nature habitat of aquatic organisms and reduce the chance of survival of aquatic organisms, for example fishes cannot survive due to lack of oxygen. In addition, the insoluble aluminum ions added to the water can causes water to become poisonous which can also be known as water pollution (1998, internet). For example, Norway has blamed that the sea and lakes are poisoned by the formation of acid rain for many years due to the unclean air pollution that comes from Britians power stations (Nova Science In The News, 1997, internet). Since the global concentration of carbon dioxides have increased given the reasons of combustion of fossil fuels and also human activities such as deforestation. The reasons for deforestation are usually resulted from cutting down the forests for lumber logging and also for building a new farming for animal. Forest can also be known as carbon sink because trees can be used as an absorber of carbon dioxide in the environment and in returns release some oxygen to the atmosphere. However, unplanned deforestation activities have significantly reduced the concentration of oxygen (O2) and caused the rise in temperature of the Earth. Christopher Monckton also emphasises that every doubling the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is sufficient to rise the global surface temperature by 3.26 Â °C (2008, 3). Rise in global temperature will significantly caused ice melting, for instance, according to the My Eco Project Organization, the reports of ice melting at Arctic Retreat pre pares in the late summer 2007 surprised the experts that every week, the Arctic sea ice is continuously melting and the amount of melted ice can fill up to as large as two Britain country (2009, internet). Meanwhile, the consequence of ice melting at Arctic has increased the sea water levels. According to the evidence gathered by Shepherd and his team, they found that the sea water level has increased by 2.6% which has the same volume with 49 microns per year spread across the oceans from over the world due to the distinct value between the density and temperature of ice and sea water (University Of Leeds, 2010, internet). In addition, the polar bear will also face extinction in the future due to global warming. Based on the report from National Geographic News, several studies that have been conducted by the U.S. government has show that melting of Arctics ice that caused by the global warming will endangered two-thirds of the worlds polar bears and cause them to face extinction by 2050 (Roach, 2007, 1). Given the above fact, environmentalist should fight for a better environment and save our earth. Furthermore, environmental protection should be implemented due to warm climate changes and flood which heighten the risks of spread out pests and vector diseases. Some infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue, cholera and encephalitis can also spread out rapidly throughout the whole area by mosquitoes, flies and other insects those usually adapt to live in warm weather region. As World Health Organization notes that contamination of water resources due to the occurrence of flood enlarge the chances of getting water-borne diseases and also for mosquitoes to carry disease around the environment (2010, internet). Malaria and dengue fever have threaten the Southeast Asia and South Pacific island due to the climate change as increases the population of mosquitoes and migration of refugees (Allianz Knowledge Partnership,2008.internet). Hence, it can be concluded that flood and climate change will destroy our safety health environment. Moreover, high temperature in the river will encour age the growth of algal broom and causes the water pollution index to increases and decrease the amount of oxygen supplied for the aquatic organisms. Since the river water pollution increases dramatically, the level of biochemical oxygen demand which known as BOD level also will increases. The higher the biochemical oxygen demand level will result in the higher of the pollution level. For instance, large amount of blue-green algae devastate the nature of the universal solvent and threaten the public health by releasing toxins into the water. Diseases and infection that can cause by the algaes toxin are sore throats, gastro-enteritis and skin or eye-infections (Department Of The Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water, 2010, internet). Conclusion In conclusion, there are several factors described above that strongly supported the argument to fight for environmental protection and create a better environment. Some of the reasons include environmental air pollution which increases the concentration of carbon dioxide that caused the formation of acid rain. Another reason is one of the side effects like global warming caused by the deforestation which increases the global temperature caused the occurrence of ice melting. Moreover, the global warming change the climate become warmer and flood encouraged the growth of the pests and vectors like malaria and dengue fever to spread the disease out to the environment which increases the level of biochemical oxygen demand. Therefore, the environment should be protected for a better life in future.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Haydn :: essays research papers

Josef Franz Haydn   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The composer that we chose to do are report on is Josef Franz Haydn. Josef Franz Haydn was born on March 31, 1732. Haydn was born in Rohray, Austria. His parents were both peasants. His Father was Mathias Haydn, who was a wagoner. Haydn’s mother was Elizabeth Haydn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Haydn’s father was a musical person. He could play the piano, and he could play the harp too. His mother could also play the piano very good. His father and mother would sit around in their house and play music, and Haydn was interested and wanted to learn how. By the time Franz Haydn was six years old, he could play the piano, violin, and the harpsichord. He could also sing very well. When Haydn was seven years old he joined the St. Stevens Church choir. He had success in the choir until he was seventeen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Haydn was seventeen years old his voice broke and he could no longer sing for the choir. He didn’t have any money, any home, and he didn’t have any friends or family that would help him. He was living on the streets for a few months. After a while one of his friends from the St. Stevens choir let Haydn stay with him because he felt sorry for him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All Haydn did in his free time was study music, mainly works done by Bach. He composed music for masses and started to make a living on music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Haydn was twenty-three years old he composed his first string quartet. He also married his wife, Maria Anne Keller. She was the daughter of a wig maker. They had troubles in their marriage and in a few years, they separated permanently. Haydn gave her money to live until his death. Haydn met Wolfgang Mozart for the first time in 1785 and a year later he composed his first symphony. Wolfgang Mozart said about Haydn,† He alone has the secret to making me smile, and touching me to the bottom of my soul.† Haydn and Mozart met often throughout his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1970, Prince Ester Hazy died, letting Haydn take his place as a conductor of an orchestra in London. While he was conducting the London Orchestra, he composed six new symphonies, during this time he also composed some of his best and most famous works. This is what really helped his career.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

A Man with a Vision :: essays research papers

My search began with personal interest about a man by the name of Howard Coffin. I knew him as the founder of Pirates of the Spanish Main, a local organization that he established in 1931. His purpose in founding the club was to welcome dignitaries, promote the Golden Isles, and aid the community. As a member of the club today, I thought it might be interesting to trace the roots back to the founder. Little did I know, Mr. Coffin was much more than just the founder of a club. He was also a man with a vision, who made huge strides in developing much of the Golden Isles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Coffin was born in 1873 and grew up on an Ohio farm, and in Ann Harbor, Michigan. He first discovered one of his visions while attending the University of Michigan. His vision was somehow to produce a low cost car, which would sell for less than a thousand dollars and that would attract a mass market. In 1902, Howard Coffin went to work for the Old Motor Works of Detroit, where he began his phenomenal career as an automobile builder. After the Olds Company decided to stay with their expensive car, he worked at other companies until he was finally able to achieve his dream. With the financial support of the Hudson Department Stores of Detroit, he invented the Hudson Car. The car was the first model of a four-cylinder roadster that sold for about $900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first visit that Mr. Coffin made to the coast of Georgia was in 1910 to attend the Savannah Road Race. Early automobile manufacturers liked to watch their cars perform, but also they made it a vacation trip. While attending the races and enjoying their vacation, Mr. and Mrs. Coffin fell in love with the beauty and history of the Golden Isles of the Georgia coast. Since Mr. Coffin was well able to afford just about anything he wanted, he and his wife decided to purchase the 20,000 acres that made up Sapelo Island. They would have a place to vacation, a wonderful place to entertain, and a reason to return to the Georgia coast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Howard Coffin’s real importance to Golden Isles history was in the vision that he had for development with the ongoing process of automobile roads. After the end of World War I, the sales of automobiles far surpassed the condition of roads for their travel.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Differentiating Between Market Structures Essay

Using the virtual organization of Kudler Fine Foods, evaluations will be made to determine market structure and competitiveness. Kudler Fine Foods current strategic plan for 2003, marketing overview, and market surveys will provide information to evaluate how Kudler competes in its market and where its strengths and weaknesses are located. Based on the evaluation of Kudler Fine Foods an applicable market structure will be determined and the structures effects on the organization and its long-term profitability. Recommendations will be made for Kudler Fine Foods while comparing real-world organizations. Kudler Fine Foods Located in the San Diego area, Kudler Fine Foods has three locations offering imported and domestic specialty foods. Founder, Kathy Kudler found the joy of gourmet cooking to be a business opportunity and opened the first store in 1998. The first year of business was profitable and paved way to the opening of two additional stores. Shopping the world for the finest of products allows Kudler Fine Foods to offer the finest of wines, foods, and related goods. It is Kudler Fine Food’s mission to provide these fine selections coupled with knowledgeable, experienced, and helpful staff to create a pleasing shopping experience (Virtual Organization Portal, 2007). Strategic Plan 2003 To provide Kudler Fine Foods mission while staying competitive, profitable, and delivering the goods known for, strategic plans are necessary. In 2003 a strategic plan was generated, within the plan traditional supermarkets were thought of as competition. Albertsons, Vons, and Ralphs advertised specialty foods similar to Kudler Fine Foods in the area of meat and produce. However, Kudler stays competitive by attracting specific customers cooking gourmet. While competitive stores offer similar food, they do not offer the same customer service, gourmet accessories, and foods Kudler offers. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s offer similar product but aim to gain customers focused on healthy lifestyles not the gourmet experience. Foreign food stores are not a large competitor, they to do not focus on the gourmet experience. While foreign food stores may have particular ingredients, they lack the competitive advantage of selection, service, expertise, or tools Kudler Fine Foods provides. According to 2003s strategic Plan Kudler Fine Foods customers are less price conscious than competitors (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). There is no direct competition although there are competitors trying to gain Kudler’s customer base. The combination of services and goods Kudler Fine Foods offers sets it apart from competition. Kudler Fine Foods uses its differentiated goods, atmosphere, knowledgeable services, intimate customer loyalty, and expansion of goods and services to stay competitive within the market. Ultimately it is the gourmet experience that makes Kudler Fine Foods a competitive force in the market. Marketing Overview Experiencing significant growth, Kudler Fine Foods looks to increase the profitability and loyalty of consumers and expand services. Kudler is strategically increasing profitability and loyalty of its customers by increasing internal efficiency, enacting a frequent shopper program, and expanding the services offered. Using a frequent shopper program customer purchases shopping behaviors are tracked and refined so applicable products can be offered to valued customers. Frequent shoppers will be offered points for shopping to redeem rewards to maintain store loyalty. To expand services Kudler offers exclusive upscale events in the store and in the comfort of customers own homes, which increases word-of mouth marketing, customer loyalty, and social networking. In addition to expanding services and offering frequent shopper programs to increase revenue Kudler Fine Foods focuses on reducing costs by increasing efficiency. Using a large department store to benchmark, Kudler is engaging in developing employees through training programs and upgrading software systems. Costs are reduced by minimizing purchases while maintaining adequate amounts of stock. Using information retrieved form the frequent shopper program and the â€Å"dollar value and profit margin per transaction† orders are placed to best capture customers needs while tracking sales data for better forecasting, merchandise selection, and inventory management (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007, para.5). The store advertises the same sales and merchandise for the three stores and coordinates to maintain enough inventories within each store location to maintain a customer service level of 95% (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Like other retail stores customer satisfaction is a prime marketing tool but so is the ever changing gourmet items offered in the stores. New items are introduced regularly into the store; Kathy looks to competitors for pricing strategies and product comparison to market the new goods. While Kathy looks to competitors her customer differs from other markets in the area, they look for a gourmet experience. Market Surveys Kudler Fine Foods conducted market surveys in 2010 and 2011to collect data from consumers. The surveys help to identify opportunity, measure success, and identify strengths and weaknesses within the organization. The 2010 survey indicated that there was not a good selection of products present in the store. This was an area of weakness and an opportunity to improve; the 2011 survey showed an increase of satisfaction in the selection of products presented in the store. Once a weakness, the surveys measure success in the increase of product selection from 2010 to 2011. Surveys identify store hours, atmosphere, merchandise satisfaction, and knowledgeable service representatives as Kudler Fine Foods strengths. Weaknesses include merchandise displays and in 2010 selection and overall store satisfaction. The marketing surveys show improvements from 2010 to 2011 in both strengths and weaknesses indicated by customers (Virtual Organizations Portal, 2007). Kudler Fine Foods Market Structure Kudler Fine Foods is a monopolistic competition market structure. Within a monopolistic competition market structure there come both positives and negatives effects for Kudler Fine Foods. Positives While there are many similar organizations Kudler Fine Foods goods and services are differentiated. Kudler Fine Foods offers physical product differentiation in the service offered. For example, customers look to Kudler Fine Foods for a gourmet experience that cannot be found elsewhere. Kudler Fine Foods overall performance creates an experience. This experience is different from competitors accounted for in the strategic plan. Another positive of a monopolistic competition is that they are price makers, because Kudler Fine Foods offers differentiated products and services they are able to set their own prices. Kathy uses competitors as a price guideline but sets her own prices. In a monopolistic competition market large profits are possible in the short run. Negatives Kathy easily entered the market and so will other individuals because there are no barriers to entry in the monopolistic competition market. The fewer barriers to entry in a market the more competition arises. The low barriers to entry in this market mean one must have an opportunity to differentiate; Kudler Fine Foods has this opportunity by offering different goods and services from its competitors. To stay actively competitive Kudler Fine Foods must engage in advertising to let customers know the difference between Kudler Fine Foods and their competitors. Advertisement costs time and money and can be difficult to make advertisements stand out against competitors. Long-term profitability As mentioned above in the short run profits are possible but because there are no barriers to entry many firms are attracted to the market, which increases in the long-run. As new firms enter the market Kudler Fine Foods products and services will become more elastic shifting the demand curve to the left, prices will be driven down reducing profits. In the long run these reduced profits will continue until Kudler Fine Foods reaches long run equilibrium, economic profit is impossible in the long run. Recommendations A personal recommendation for Kudler Fine Foods is to stay in the short run to continue making the most profits. They can do this by furthering product differentiation. For example, Kudler Fine Foods can look to competitors to make sure they are not selling the same products and offering the same services. Kathy already frequently introduces new products and should continue to do this. Staying innovative will also be beneficial, introducing online sells may help keep Kudler Fine Foods in the short run longer. Real-world comparisons In the real-world there are many monopolistic markets like that of Kudler Fine Foods. Taylors Market is an example, like Kudler Fine Foods they offer gourmet options. Taylors Market finds its competitive edge by offering specialty items, including an onsite butcher. Both Kudler Fine Foods and Taylors Market are one of many firms in a monopolistic competition market structure. They stay competitive by offering differentiated goods and services. While both firms start out inelastic in the short run, in the long run they become more elastic. Below is an example of how Taylors Market and Kudler Fine Foods monopolistic competition market structure compares and differs from other market structures.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Robert Frost

Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people. Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost A Snowy Evening with Robert Frost Robert Frost once said, â€Å"It begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a loneliness. It is never a thought to begin with. It is at best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. † (â€Å"Poetry Foundation† n. d. ). This poem holds a lot of mystery in its meaning which has a variety of interpretations. John T. Ogilvie who wrote, â€Å"From Woods to Stars: A pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry† interprets this as a poem about the journey through life. James G. Hepburn who wrote, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† took a different approach.He believes this poem to be about the aesthetics and moral action. This poem contains a variety of literary devices that not only describe the scenery but also the scene itself. Despite its critics who believe this poem to be about the scenery and moral action, Robert Frost’s poem is best understood as a journey through life, because its literary design allows many to have interpreted it this way. â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow† â€Å"To stop without a farm house near/ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† (842-843). The description of the woods is seductive because of the rhyme scheme, AABA/BBCB/CCDC/DDDD. Robert Frost has made comments about the form of this poem, â€Å"a series of almost reckless commitments I feel good in having guarded it so. [It is]†¦my heavy duty poem to be examined for the rime pairs. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). The English language is not as rhyme friendly as other languages such as Italian or French. The English language is a melting pot of many different languages limiting the amount of words that rhyme.As John Ciardi says, â€Å"In ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ Frost took a long chance. He decided to rhyme not two lines, but three in each stanza. Not even Frost could have sustained that much rhyme in a long poem. † (Ciardi, How Does a Poem Mean? ). This allows the reader to be hypnotized by the rhythm Frost has created. By repeating the ‘o’ sound, ‘though’ also starts the series of rhymes that will soon get the better of the reader. For example this is seen clearly in the opening lines of the poem, â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. † (842). As the reader begins to recognize the pattern of the poem it guides them into the same drowsy feeling as the narrator is experiencing. James G. Hepburn, who wrote â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics,† says, â€Å"Each of the first three stanzas begins flatly; each rises, with the last line or two lines, towards the spell; but not until the end of the third stanza is the rise powerful, and not until the opening of the fourth and final stanza is the rise sustained rather than broken. So from the above lines and evidence we can interpret these lines as follows. The narrator is most likely returning home from some errand that took him far away from his home. He is riding his horse late at night or late day and has stumbled upon some beautiful scenery. This is when he decides to stop and take in everything that he is seeing. When the narrator first stopped in the woods he has a good idea of whose land this is, which is stated in the first two lines. Rueben A.Bower who wrote, â€Å"The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention† says, â€Å"The very tentative tone of the opening line lets us into the mood without quite sensing where it will lead, just as the ordinariness of ‘though’ at the end of the second line assures us that we are in the world. † Robert Frost did not start this poem with the magical whimsy of the woods but instead with the mood they contain (Hepburn 1962) â€Å"Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though; / He will not see me stopping here/ to watch his woods fill up with snow/. (842). By doing this he allows the reader to have a better understanding of why the narrator would stop to look upon this beautiful scenery. As Hepburn says in his article, â€Å"Robert Frost and His Critics† â€Å"The mood that the poem induces in the reader nullifies his acceptance of the intention expressed by the traveler. The sum of the reader’s experience of the poem is different from the meaning of the traveler’s experience of the woods. Presumably the traveler goes home to supper, to his duties, and to the rest of his journey through life; but these things are not the poem. Frost made some comments on the factors mood plays in a poem, â€Å"†¦ the poet’s intention is of course a particular mood that w on’t be satisfied with anything less than its own fulfillment. † (Hepburn 1962). This poem isn’t a recreated experience but meant to be an experience in itself. This poem has some interesting symbolism in it takes us on a journey through a man’s life. When the narrator first stops, instead of questioning himself, he questions what the horse thinks, â€Å"My little horse must think it queer† (842).By questioning the horse, he is really questioning his own reasons, which people often do while they make life decisions or everyday decisions. The horse is also a symbol of time the horse is questioning his stopping and urges him to move on to prevent the further loss of time (Anonymous). When the narrator’s horse shakes his harness bells, he then becomes a symbol, as John Ciardi thinks, â€Å".. order of life that does not understand why a man stops in the winter middle of nowhere to watch snow come down. † The horse is the will power persis tent in the subconscious of a man.The horse urges him to get back to his business by the shake of his harness bells which is indirectly contrast the narrator who would like to stay in the woods. Even though his horse is urging him to be responsible he continues to be enticed by the soft lull of the woods just like the reader is. For example, â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. † (842). The sound of the horses harness bells is contrasting against the sounds of the woods described as, â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. (843). This is the woods contradicting the symbolism of the horse making their presence relevant. In life there are often two main choices to be made. Similar to this poem the narrator can either stay in the woods or go back to his everyday life. The speaker is going ahead and his ‘sleep’ may be the symbol for the end of his life. The journey in this poem turns out to b e more complicated than the life of an average man. The darkness of the woods is symbolic of the ‘easy’ way out or the path people before him have taken.The wind and downy flakes also have a similar symbolism. While the flakes appear to be soft, they are also cold which is less forgiving. The reader and the narrator share all of the experiences together as the poem goes on. For example, the line â€Å"The darkest evening of the year. † (842) is a correlation between life and the obligations he is carrying. This line also adds an unbroken curve of rhythm. As Ruben A. Bower (1963) goes on to explain, it adds to the sense of moving into a spell-world.We note the linking rhymes that tie in with the first stanza. Different symbols in this poem though reveal that stop in the poem could be referring to death or the journey through life. In this phrase â€Å"Between the woods and frozen lake†, the wood becomes a symbol of life while the frozen lake signifies death . When the speaker reaches the woods, he finds a world offering perfect, quiet and solitude, existing side by side with the realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligation. Both worlds have a claim on the poet.He stops by the wood on this â€Å"darkest evening of the year† to watch them â€Å"fill up with snow†, and remains there so long that his â€Å"little horse† shakes his â€Å"harness bells† to ask if there is â€Å"some mistake† (842). That little horse’s action reminds him of the â€Å"promises† he has to keep and the miles he still has to travel. (843). The theme of this poem is a journey, and not simply a journey through the woods but through life itself. There is an expectant tone throughout the poem. The narrator stops for a brief time to meditate and realizes he needs to continue on his journey through the woods and his journey through life.This poem also has a â€Å"romantic† theme as well as subject. Again the speaker is returning home and stops to take in the beautiful scenery. As the urgency to move on becomes more apparent the narrator begins to regret that he must leave. The narrator is romanticizing what he is passing which is time and pleasure. â€Å"He gives his harness bells a shake/ To ask if there is some mistake. / The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (842-843). For example, the words â€Å"lovely† â€Å"snow† â€Å"lake† â€Å"evening† and â€Å"easy wind and downy flake† (840-843) are all romantic in nature.Also the way the narrator talks about nature makes the loving relationship he has with it a romantic notion. â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake. † (843). It is also seen in this line, â€Å"To watch his woods fill up with snow. / †¦ Between the woods and frozen lake/ The darkest evening of the year. † (842). As Jeffrey Meyers says, â€Å"The theme of â€Å"Stopping by Woods†Ã¢â‚¬â€œdespite Frost's disclaimer–is the temptation of death, even suicide, symbolized by the woods that are filling up with snow on the darkest evening of the year.The speaker is powerfully drawn to these woods and–like Hans Castorp in the â€Å"Snow' chapter of Mann's  Magic Mountain–wants to lie down and let the snow cover and bury him. The third quatrain, with its drowsy, dream-like line: â€Å"Of easy wind and downy flake,† opposes the horse's instinctive urge for home with the man's subconscious desire for death in the dark, snowy woods. The speaker says, â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,† but he resists their morbid attraction. † (Meyers 1996).The journey threw life and the temptations of death and the peace it may bring some individuals is the theme of this poem. Although some may not agree with this interpretation of Robert Frost â€Å"Sto pping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† like James G. Hepburn who thinks, â€Å"This poem is a tribute to the New England sense of duty.. † (Hepburn 1962). But as you have seen this poem is about a journey through life. The way the poem uses literary tactics lead us to this very specific interpretation. As Robert Frost once said, â€Å"A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. † (Frost on Stopping by Woods N. D. ). Robert Frost Robert Frost has been described as an ordinary man with a deep respect for nature, talking to ordinary people. To what extent do you agree with this view? Poetry is a literary medium which often resonates with the responder on a personal level, through the subject matter of the poem, and the techniques used to portray this. Robert Frost utilises many techniques to convey his respect for nature, which consequently makes much of his poetry relevant to the everyday person.The poems â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ and â€Å"The mending wall† strongly illuminate Frost’s reverence to nature and deal with such matter that allows Frost to speak to ordinary people. On the surface, â€Å"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening† deals with a seemingly unimportant event, of the poet stopping one winter evening, mesmerised by the snow and the wood. However, at a figurative level, the poem goes deeper dealing with the concept of the choices that people make in life. The poem is set in a rural area, with merely an implication of the city in â€Å"his house is in the village†.This setting choice as well as stanza 1, which tells of the poet stopping to â€Å"watch his woods fill up with snow†, creates a strong image of nature being a predominant feature of this poem. The first stanza also creates a contrast between the poet and the owner of the woods who is presumably a ‘sensible’ person staying warm in his house. This raises the question of why the poet has stopped in such cold weather. Hence, this contrast serves as a metaphor that provides a link back to the concept of the poem, as it may speak of his choice to be involved with life, rather than choosing ‘comfortable withdrawal’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].The poem continues contrasting the poet with his horse, Frost personifying the latter in â€Å"My little horse must think it queer/ To stop without a farmhouse near†. This meta phor shows that even the persona acknowledges, through his horse, that others may not make sense of the choice he has made to continue his journey on the â€Å"darkest evening of the year†. However, the responder is able to get a sense of what the persona is so entranced by in the third stanza, where there is a beauty in the woods as the â€Å"The only other sound’s the sweep/ Of easy wind and downy flake†.The assonance of the letter ‘o’ in this creates a soft, dream-like tone, which emphasises the poet’s captivation by the scenery. The final stanza expands on this, opening with â€Å"The woods are lovely, dark and deep†. The use of the word â€Å"lovely† reinforces the beauty of the woods, but the alliteration of the letter ‘d’ creates a heavy tone which may indicate that they could be perilous. For the poet, these words could mean that for him the woods represent escapism and irrationality.Due the allure that the woods clearly have over the poet, he is faced with a choice at the end of the poem- to stay and enter the â€Å"woods† or to continue on his journey in life. He makes his choice clear in the final lines of the last stanza saying â€Å"But I have promises to keep/ And miles to go before I sleep/ And miles to go before I sleep†. His choice is clear through the use of the word â€Å"but† and the repetition of the final two lines emphasises that it is ‘life and personal involvement that he chooses, rather than withdrawal and death’ [‘Poetry of Robert Frost’].Hence, Frost effectively juxtaposes the gentle attractiveness of the woods with the clear call to journey on and fulfil promises. Throughout this poem, Frost uses much of the imagery of the natural environment to ‘enhance the aural and visual impact of the poem’ [Common Poetry, Robert Frost], and deals with a concept that is faced ‘ordinary people’ everyday- th at of making a choice to go on in life even when it is so appealing to simply go into the â€Å"dark and deep†.Therefore, this poem illuminates Frosts’ respect for nature as well as his ability to speak to ordinary people. This ability is also conveyed in ‘Mending Wall’, a one stanza poem that explores Frost’s ideas about the barriers’ that exist in relationships. Literally, the poem is about two neighbours who disagree about the need of building a wall to separate their properties. However, when the responders’ delves deeper into the poem, it is clear that at a allegorical level the wall is a metaphor representing the barrier that exists in the neighbours’ friendship.The first eleven lines of the poem if rife with imagery that describes the dilapidation of the wall. The first line of the poem emphasises that â€Å"something† exists that â€Å"doesn’t love a wall†. This personification makes the â€Å"somet hing† seem human-like. The use of words such as â€Å"spills† and â€Å"makes gaps† convey an image of animate actions and create a vivid impression of the degradation of the wall. Nature, presented in the form of cold weather, frost and the activities of creatures, also seeks to destroy the wall.The idea that walls are unnatural and therefore nature abhors walls is portrayed in the phrase â€Å"makes gaps even two can pass abreast†, which metaphorically indicates that nature desires for man to walk side by side with no barrier between them. When the two meet to fix the wall, it is a metaphor that could be interpreted as the two repairing their friendship as â€Å"To each the boulders have fallen to each† which shows that faults in their relationship lie on behalf of them both.While they are mending the wall, a light-hearted tone is established. This is shown through the inclusion of the metaphor â€Å"spring is mischief in me† which shows th e neighbours having fun together in repairing the wall, creating a cheerful atmosphere. This creates an ironic feel to the poem, as although the beginning of the poem presented negativity to erecting the wall, mending the wall is allowing the neighbours to spend more time together and hence strengthening their communication and friendship.Despite this, the narrator continues to question the purpose of the wall. To portray this, there is a repetition of â€Å"something there is that doesn’t love a wall†, which emphasises that-like nature- the narrator wants the wall to be taken down. However, the neighbour who is described using the simile â€Å"like an old-stone savage† and thus could be a representation of society which is also rigid in its views, only replies with â€Å"Good fences make good neighbours†.There is a repetition of this statement throughout the poem, which effectively asserts the opinion that society adopts in regards to ‘barriersâ₠¬â„¢ between people: that although people can be close friends, for a successful relationship there will always be a barrier in between them, acting as a boundary that grants privacy and security. Like many of his other poems, Frost once again shows his respect for nature in this poem through his portrayal of it as a sort of body that only wills harmony and friendship among all.He also succeeds in speaking to ordinary people through his exploration of such a universal matter, that impacts upon each human’s life everyday- that of the perpetual metaphorical wall that is present in relationships. In conclusion, â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening† and â€Å"Mending Wall† are poems that use nature to epitomise what the poet is trying to portray and deal with concepts that have a personal meaning to every single responder. Hence, it can be said that Frost indeed had a deep respect for nature and spoke to ordinary people.