Management and Team Environment Written

Why is it essential to evaluate on what your team needs and wants to achieve? Creating a focus around team needs and design goals and asking, as well as answering the hard design questions as a team is an effective way of coalescing a team around one design direction. How is the ground rules for team operations made in your workplace and tasks and responsibilities shared? Ground rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed.Where articulated ground rules are missing, natural behavior patterns often emerge spontaneously. * We intend to develop personal relationships to enhance trust and open communication. * We value constructive feedback. We will avoid being defensive and give feedback in a constructive manner. List some of the personal rewards and simulation offered to team members acknowledging their excellent performance. * Basic to advanced job-related computer software training to employees. In-house management and supervisory training to all supervisors/managers acro ss departments, including programs ranging from conflict management to grammar skills.* Employees are exposed to work that is award winning and cutting edge as evidenced by the numerous awards continuously received. Also, new employees have a unique opportunity to work with proven leaders in their respective fields. What are some of the challenges you have faced when you tried to bring innovation in your team? Increased effectiveness and efficiencies; * Delivering fresh thinking and new ideas; * Creating synergies across different functions; * Product and service development. 1. With examples explain how external factors contribute innovation in teams. * Management * Manpower * Machine * material and * political * enviroment * socia-cultural * technological and * Ecological Factors Affecting Management Functions at of Mcdonald’s McDonalds is known worldwide and is now in 122 countries with over 22,500 restaurants throughout.To create the successful business that McDonalds has created, there is an excellent foundation of planning, organizing, leading and controlling. These are the four functions of management. However, there are many factors that affect these four functions. They are affected by internal and external factors. They are also affected by globalization, technology, innovation, diversity and ethics. The McDonalds management teams use delegation to deal with the different factors to control the four functions of management on a daily business to keep McDonalds successfully running.No comments PART 2 Case study Analyse the factors you believe led the problems in the bearing assembly team: One of the greatest challenges a leadership has is in moving his or her team though the various team development stages. If a manager has no, or little experience of teams and team dynamics then taking over a team and then leading that team can be a very stressful experience. Every manager should know what the various growth stages are of a developing team and they should know how best to move the team through these stages with the minimum of fuss and stress.Unfortunately, many managers do not get the necessary training or coaching in this area of team development and as such teams go through a lot of stress and turmoil when perhaps this could be minimised quite considerably. He should have encouraged each team member to do likewise. Ensured that the team had a set of rules and guidelines and that the team had an input into how these rules are formed and agreed. Rodney should have gone over again the agreements made by the team during the forming stage and ensured that the understanding is uniform across the team.The role of Rodney was to ensure that this calm continues and that any behaviours that arised that would have been threaten the calm are channelled in the right direction. Also the leadership has an important role in conveying information particularly in relation to the successes that are starting to occur within the team. He sh ould have been spending a lot of time with individual team members coaching them and supporting them to develop their capabilities that relate to the individual's team role and the tasks that they have to perform in relation to the team goals.What specific steps can Rodney take to help the team through this crisis Rodney, as a leadership should have ensured that the team meets and understands the team goals, the roles they have to take on and the rules by which they have to play. He should have let the team bleed a little and then began the healing process by facilitating their coming together. He should lessen the direction and spent time with individuals starting to coach them in relation to their roles within the team and the tasks that they had to perform.

Discrimination at the Workplace Essay

Discrimination is described as an illegal treatment because of prejudices based from a number of factors, such as gender, sex, religious beliefs, disabilities and many more (Goree, 2007). In the case of Julie’s friend, Bandu, the prejudice and discrimination given to him was based on his ethnic roots, being an Indian-born in an American region. The application was then rejected without him being called for an interview or a test of some sort. For someone like Julie, an employee who knows the capabilities of her friend, her boss’s decision is something that is unethical and inappropriate for the present day of the employment world. But there are many factors that should be considered before deciding the appropriate action for a case like this. There are two sides, that of the employer and the about-to-be employee that should be understood and thought over. Each has their own points and thesis that must be incorporated to get a win-win situation. Firstly, Julie should be as professional as possible and not be biased just because the rejected applicant is her friend. There should also be no trace of favoritism on Julie’s side, because that would just add another unethical instance. Favoritism happens when a certain advantage is held by someone having an edge because of certain factors (Goree, 2007). Bandu is Julie’s friend, and even though Julie is not the employer, there is still that possibility that she might influence the decision of her boss in favoring her friend. This potentiality of favoritism can be avoided by marking the line between referencing and heavy influencing. References are people which the employer can call or talk to ask information about the employee (Doyle, 2008). In the case of this event, the connection is strictly professional and the information relayed would be useful in deciding whether the application would be rejected or given a chance. For the company, it is obvious that they must start to be open to diversity and begin to embrace the thought of hiring people from minority groups. To do this, they must first learn more about the advantages of diversity. These concepts, such as friendly competitions between employees, exchange of ideas or information, and total growth of the company have been proved by many researchers (Goree, 2007). It is therefore something worth trying for a company that hasn’t got any bad feedbacks from this technique. The employers can then begin by accepting applications from any group and giving equal chances to all. If the company’s employing division is really that picky, then they could schedule pre-interviews to applicants. Additional interviews or pre-tests can then be administered to further filter down the applicant. The important thing is all applicants, regardless of gender, race, or affiliations, must be allowed to join the preliminary screening procedures that is of course once they reached the required qualifications. One possible problem that Julie’s company might experience is the difficulty in hiring employees of a minority group because they haven’t done it in a long time. Referencing, as discussed above can be a lot of help in here. The information taken from the listed references must be included in the criteria of selecting new applicants, not just their background race. In order to be effective, the company must also demolish any style of stereotyping based on races, or any variables that could affect the connotation of a group of people. This would ensure that there will be no discrimination in the workplace itself, not just on the application and hiring process. The rest of the employees must accept each other freely and avoid negative outlooks on the newly hired minority workers. By following these steps, one can guarantee a healthy workplace, where diversity becomes a great help in improving the company as a whole.

Training in Food Safety is Essential for Foodservice Employees Research Paper

Training in Food Safety is Essential for Foodservice Employees - Research Paper Example   Probable undesirable compounds found in foods span a broad range, from environmental contaminants such as dioxins and natural contaminants such as mycotoxins to agrichemicals such as pesticides. A vast majority of incidences of foodborne illnesses are preventable if all food safety principles are adhered to from food production to consumption. Given that it is presently relatively impossible for food producers to guarantee a pathogen free supply of food, foodservice employees serve as critical links in the chain to deter foodborne illnesses. This paper will examine what foodservice employees need to be aware as effective strategies of minimizing the existence and consequences of pathogens or their inherent toxins in food. Food safety is a crucial issue that engulfs the foodservice industry. An in-depth understanding of the procedures encompassed in food safety, as well as the potential causes of foodborne illnesses is quite pertinent for all persons who handle food. It is only kn owledgeable, skilled and highly motivated foodservice employees trained to adhere to the proper procedures coupled with management that effectively keep an eye on employee performances can guarantee food safety (Chapman, Eversley, Fillion, MacLaurin & Powell, 2010). Foodservice employees play quite an integral role in deterring, as well as controlling or managing the epidemics of food borne illnesses. Foodservice managers typically employ the services of a massive number of part-time, as well as full-time employees, to offer food services. Part-time employees are typically aimed at providing flexibility in the workforce. It is, therefore, quite common that foodservice managers hire a large number of part-time, as well as international student employees who have no foodservice history or experience. In addition, many part-time employees work in the foodservice industry for only a brief timeframe before leaving for employment in other fields and industries. As a consequence, part-time employees may typically have lowered awareness of, as well as concern regarding the principles of food safety compared to full-time employees. It is, therefore, critical that managers educate both part-time and full-time employees regarding the issue of food safety, train them to ensure that they make use of appropriate food handling procedures, and assess their overall performance. A number of studies have been carried out to investigate part-time and full-time foodservice employees’ knowledge, practices, training, as well as attitudes, towards food safety. For instance, Chapman (2013) examined food handling practices, the presence of precondition food safety programs, as well as safety knowledge among foodservice scholars at least 40 Iowa schools. The researchers aimed at determining the readiness of foodservice students to implement hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) programs within their foodservice undertakings.

Theory and Hypothesis in Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theory and Hypothesis in - Research Paper Example Because of a number of features of theory such as its internal consistency, its consistency with existing facts, its potential for making counter-intuitive prediction and because of its testability, the findings of the theory are not only relevant to theory’s explanations of events but they also help to corroborate the findings of other researchers. The hypothesis generally related with some theory has a greater chance of being correct than the common sense. Almost all scientific theories start as hypotheses. The more the theories are subjected to rigorous tests under a variety of conditions and assumptions and the more they hold up, the more credible they become over time. The relationship between the hypothesis and theory serves to challenge previously held views by introducing different sets of assumptions or more recent information besides expanding the boundaries of research by inferring new hypotheses from the theory using deductive logic and extrapolating them to new si tuations. I reviewed the research paper â€Å"Socioeconomic Status and Beliefs about God’s In?uence in Everyday Life" by Scott Schieman from the journal â€Å"The Sociology of Religion† to see how the author makes use of theory and hypothesis.

Supply chain management case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supply chain management - Case Study Example Increasing the safety stock will positively impact on the operations of the company since it may be able to keep enough stock which entails that customers are not turned away empty handed. 2. Mr Flint should maintain the intermodal method of transportation of the MWED10GD which costs $4000 per load of 2000 units. This will help the company to maintain the costs at a lower level than to opt for the direct truck model which would increase the costs. The products supplied remain the same while the price does not change. This can strain the company in terms of revenue generated. Therefore, it would be wise for the company to increase the safety stock so that the customers would get something rather than wait for the next consignment. Through maintaining costs at a minimum level while increasing the level of stock will help the company to generate more quick returns in terms of the revenue it

Media, Public Policy and International Politics Essay

Media, Public Policy and International Politics - Essay Example Logically, since big news events can happen on different countries, establishing a global presence has been a very important strategy for the media industry. As with other companies and industries, the media companies have been able to access talents globally. Likewise, the global competition has also increased the level of service quality given by these firms. Indeed, as with any other industry, globalization has been able to help raise the bar of quality products and services to consumers (Khatri & Nanyang 2000). However, has this really been the case for all members of the media industry or has some utilized their power for influencing various policies. Likewise, has some media outfits been remiss of their duties to provide balanced reporting and has indulged too much in politicking. Part 1: Effect of Media: â€Å"The Fox on the Bush† After the September 11 terrorist attack, the Bush administration saw the chance to launch the new policy which was the National Security Stra tegy of the United States. This had been more famously known as the pre-emptive strike policy which was launched by the Bush administration as a means of deterring future terrorist attacks by the simple principle of being able to attack first so that enemies will not be able to launch an attack on all US interests. Shah (2004) reports that under this policy, the US military has been granted the go signal to strike at states perceived to be harbouring threats to national security to ensure that these are neutralized before they become capable of launching an attack on US soil or US interests. This policy has raised many eyebrows since this crosses the line of existing international obligations and treaties including the pull out of the US from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. This likewise paved the way for possible use of nuclear force against perceived threats. It is interesting to note that this policy has been in the works prior to the September 11 attacks as reported by Donnel ly (2000) wherein four pillars have been established for the US military such as the basic homeland defense. However, the strategy also calls for the capability to wage and win big theatre wars which clearly indicates that as a global police, the US must be capable of pacifying different enemies worldwide. Furthermore, it calls for administering security in areas that are critical. These would not have been possible though had it not been for the terrorist attack and the media blitz that accompanied it. Thus, the timing for launching the policy embodying these ideals have been quite perfect especially since public opinion have been swayed so much by the hysteria generated by the much publicized attack on American soil as well as the subsequent retaliatory strategies. Drumming up the War After the September 11 terrorist attack, the rhetoric of the administration has intensified to shore up public support for the war. This was further advanced through the efforts of various media that have portrayed the horrors of the attack so effectively that people have been moved to ask for actions. Although the protection of the innocent citizens as well as the need for justice to be served for the victims, the media

Sale and purchase agreement, contract Assignment

Sale and purchase agreement, contract - Assignment Example ivers the Goods to Carrier or Bill of Sale to Purchaser: The seller allows the allocation of his land to the buyer, which in this cases the good, is land upon the completion of the remaining amount of money, which is SR 500.000. Any Risk of Loss or Damage is transferred to the Purchaser when: land sales and purchase agreement involves a lot of risk bearing. If the land on sales is by law owned by the government for instance, the purchaser will bear the risk of losing his money to the seller. A comprehensive agreement should henceforth be arrived at after the land search process as per the legal requirements by land laws have been constitutionally verified. Purchaser Receives the Goods or a Bill of Sale: Land sales is instant upon the payment of full amounts of money by the buyers. In Ahmed and Saleh’s case, there would be need to wait until the last payments are made an title issued in the name of the buyer then the transfer of ownership would be legally made. Seller delivers the Goods to a Carrier or a Bill of Sale is given to the Purchaser: The bill of sale must be issued to the purchaser of the land as there is some monetary value already attached to this sales. Mr. Saleh has paid in deposit SR 1.5 hence he is allowed to acquire a bill of sale to warrant him the unconditional ownership of this land in case of any mischief by the seller. Whether Assignment of this Agreement is allowed: the assignment of this agreement would be finally sealed as both Ahmed and Saleh are in a business agreement wherein there must be a willing seller and willing buyer. Warranty (what I am promising about the Goods): The seller must promise on the legitimacy of his land whereas the purchaser must pledge the payment of the remaining sum of money that is SR 0.5 million in this sale and purchase agreement. Additional Clauses: Additional clauses may include the validity of the land ownership. In this case the land is purchased by a foreigner thus the time frame for ownership of

DATA MINING Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

DATA MINING - Research Paper Example In fact, the early stages of predictive analytics involve product recommendations and behavioral targeting. Another advantage is the possibility of behavior-based advertising. In order to achieve this, the available data is analyzed to predict the areas which interest each customer and the advertisements of that area are presented to the customer. Yet another area where this predictive analytics can be useful is issues like fundraising for nonprofits. In order to do this, often, companies filter the data to identify donation amounts. Similar is the case of insurance pricing and selection. In fact, it is possible to offer individually tailored insurance packages by analyzing the available data. In addition, it is possible for insurance companies to assess insurance risk using the data. Another area where predictive analytics is highly useful is email targeting. In order to do this, companies identify the nature of the emails each customer is likely to respond to and emails are designe d accordingly. However, one of the most important areas of utilizing predictive analytics is retention of customers. It is possible to identify customer defection and attrition through predictive analytics. This will help in reaching customers immediately and effectively stopping their going away. Admittedly, associations discovery helps businesses in a number of different ways. Associations discovery involves indentifying the relationship that exists between the sales of different things or services. In simple terms, association is the discovery of various association relationships in a set of items or services. First of all, this helps organizations identify the related items a customer is likely to buy so that the customer is offered all the related items from the same company. This helps save the time and effort of the customer and ensures that the customer is retained. In addition, it ensures that companies are enabled to sell more by keeping all those items closer which are of ten sold together. Admittedly, various organizations around the world are effectively utilizing this facility. The first example is Wal-Mart. As Khattak, Khan and Lee (2010) point out, Wal-Mart uses basket analysis and clustering in order to smoothen the business transactions; and this helps the company identify the most sold products, identify the customers based on their purchasing capacity, divide the customers based on their arrival time, and identify the items of major trade. Web mining has its own unique advantages either in the form of selling more products or in the form of reduced costs. The web data collected on customers should be categorized and clustered in order to use the same for various purposes ranging from developing marketing strategies, customer relationships, and competitive analysis. It is possible for a company to utilize usage mining or web log data in order to identify a potential customer and reach out to that customer with a tempting offer. The various fo rms of web mining ranging from structure mining, usage mining and content mining offer considerable amount of marketing intelligence. This results in more personalized strategies from the part of companies, more sales, more satisfied customers and higher customer loyalty and retention. Admittedly, data mining algorithms are likely to err seriously in the real production environment. So, it becomes necessary to check their validity before using them in the real working environment. The first way of validating a particular algorithm

Principles of Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Principles of Economics - Essay Example Q1. You own a local sub shop in a college town. You primarily serve two groups of people: local residents (both students and other local residents) and visitors to your town. Devise a price discrimination strategy that will increase your revenues compared to a single-pricing strategy. A1. Although, there may be a plethora of available price discrimination policies for a variety of different businesses, for a fast food eatery there are a number of simplistic strategies that could be employed to help increase revenues over a single price strategy. Firstly, the sub shop could advertise students to 'show their student card' for a predetermined discount. As for other residents fliers could be distributed to the houses in the community with a 'customer loyalty card attached'. These loyalty cards could also be presented for a predetermined discount. As visitors passing through the town would not have access to these types of identification they would be charged full price. According to Tutor2u (2011) this strategy would accomplish charging a higher price for an identical good (In this case food) for a reason that is not associated with an increase in costs. Q2. Suppose the cable TV industry is currently unregulated. However, due to complaints from consumers that the pric e of cable TV is too high, the legislature is considering placing a price ceiling on cable TV below the current equilibrium price. If the government does make this price ceiling law, diagram and explain the effects with supply and demand analysis. If the cable TV company is worried about disgruntling customers, suppose that the company may introduce a different type of programming that is cheaper for the company to provide yet is equally appealing to customers. Explain what would be the effects of this action. A2- In this example, if the government were to impose a price decrease from Price $(A) to Price $(B) this would naturally drive the demand from its Equilibrium level to a level of Q(B). However, the cable company may not want to provide all of this excess service to new customers (Owing to high costs associated with new cable lines etc) so it is likely that this government imposed decrease in price would be driven from Equilibrium to Q(A) resulting in a shortage of supply. Nat urally, this action would enrage customers. What the company may choose to do is offer a price discrimination strategy wherein they could charge the new government imposed low price for a basic service cable service and continue a higher price strategy for a more premium service. Q3. Consider a perfectly competitive market. Analyze and explain in detail using graphical tools to show what you expect to happen to the number of firms and firm profitability in the short run and long run a) if demand for the product falls and b) if demand for the product rises. A3. As you can see from the above graph, if in a perfectly competitive market the quantity demanded for a product increases the demand curve will shift to the right and the price of a good will increase in the short term (Which would have a positive effect on the profitability of a firm). However, because the market is perfectly competitive more players would enter this market which would effectively drive the price down until its original equilibrium was once again attained. However the opposite could also hold true, insofar as if the demand for a good decreases the price of goods would also decrease (Which would have negative consequences for firms operating in this market). At this point several firms would no longer compete in this market and the quantity of goods supplied would decrease which would drive the price of goods back to its original position. Q4- Discuss why some long-run average cost curves are steeper on the

To what extent do recent scientific discoveries in Europe reflect rise Essay

To what extent do recent scientific discoveries in Europe reflect rise and fall in religious observants - Essay Example The most famous being the fate of Galileo who fought and died for his discovery of truth. However these warring sects have also been in compromises later. Both of these sides sometimes supplementing their views upon a common interest. However it should also be understood that religion faced its major opposition not from science but from other areas including politics. Therefore highlighting the conflicts between sciences may be an act of others other than the scientific community who has vested interests. Science cannot be placed as a culprit which started the decline in religion. Religious reformations in the beginning of modern Europe and critical as well as anti authoritarian nature of the renaissance humanism definitely shattered the unity of intellectual thoughts. These developments were vital to the advancement of science. Moreover the discovery of new world and that the earth is round , along with the invention of fire arms and astrology, improved mechanical clocks, developmen t of ship building and new navigational routes etc helped in the opening up of new intellectual perspectives and methods of discoveries that completely depended upon rationalism rather than religion. Clashing with religious beliefs, new claims and discoveries were made based on mechanical terms. The world was explained in a mechanical way rather than in a spiritual way. Moreover scientific objectivity was towards complementing secularism rather than religious beliefs. It focused on how to improve the material life rather than spiritual. Europe witnessed a separation from the spiritual world which was regarded as a fundamental shift. Scientific discoveries enabled to think that the humans were capable of controlling their environment. This radical change of thoughts paved the way for industrialization in the early nineteenth century. It is true that these developments made by science were against some religious principles and thinking but it has also to be understood that the face of religion was somewhat maligned by some elements of the clergy which had political and selfish interests. They used religion to defend their selfish motives thereby creating an impression that religion was always against science or rational thinking (Early Modern Europe. 2008). An exaggerated feeling that always science and religion were at odds was propagated during the scientific revolution. The epicenter of such thoughts were the same culprits who were purely anti religious and others who strongly wished to see the declining influence of religion in Europe. This was especially true with the astronomical discoveries that shifted the focus away from the established Ptolemaic system to a heliocentric system. Really the institutionalized clergy was too much worried upon such developments. At the same time some who took a positive stance advocated that science should not be rejected because of the fact that it truly unfolds the admirable wisdom of God. This concept was developed by Jo hn Calvin. Calvin who was a protestant supported scientific theories to get popularized and believed. Therefore Christianity also saw a division on the basis of acceptance of scientific theories and discoveries during that period. In spite of division in Christianity that into Protestants and Catholics, science scaled new heights. Protestants were happy to support scientific discover

The image is a parallel picture Essay Example for Free

The image is a parallel picture Essay As part of our Drama Portfolio we were asked to study the play Blood Brothers and re-enact parts of the production. Firstly, as a class we read the play/novel of Blood Brothers written by Willy Russell. The play is basically about two brothers, both separated from birth. One child was given away to a middle/upper class family and the other was kept in the natural family of a lower class. The two brothers meet up and become blood brothers by the joining of their blood, both not knowing they are real brothers. Numerous encounters put the boys in trouble and bring them closer together until an event whereupon they become estranged. Mickey Johnstone(the poorer of the pair) shoots Eddie Lyons (the richer man) following an argument about the woman, Linda, who is married to Mickey. Mickey discovers that Linda and Eddie have been conducting an affair without him knowing. The play is set in the heart of Liverpool. Mickey is a typical Liverpudlian and is attracted to the upper class lifestyle that Eddie leads. Eddie is also attracted to Mickey by the cool words and funny nature of the boy. Eddie likes the funny stories that Mickey tells and when they first meet he laughs for hours after listening to the witty but not always true tales. I enjoyed the play as it was enthralling and exciting in most places and therefore gave us the opportunity to re-enact this and pick up on the play acting in some sections of the play. We could elaborate and give good understanding of the scenes, but in small groups. To begin, we were given four still images to create entirely ourselves. All are listed below, explained and diagrammed fully. The first still image was respectably named CLASS SYSTEM. We named it, as it was basically about how people are treated when they are classed in certain money brackets. Three people are sat down in comfy armchairs whilst the cleaner is scrubbing the floor. All three upper classed people are busy reading newspapers, the cleaner is scrubbing the floor with her nails whilst being used as a footrest for all three upper class people. Following is a picture/diagram of how it actually looked: The picture shows that the cleaner is angry, depressed and basically deflated after they demand that she clean up after them. The three upper class persons however, look more angry and all seem to be looking down their noses at her. This shows how people are placed into different classes and only communicate with their friends or the people in the same class. The cleaner sees her work as grovelling, but she knows it is a job and needs the money. All of these pointers could be seen when the still image was watched and thought about. The second still image was given the title DIFFERENCE OF OPPORTUNITY. This basically means if people are generally brought up into wealth then they will live up to it and make something of their life, also they have to prove themselves to their parents and become someone who others look up to. If they are brought up into a poor family with no wealth then they have nothing to look up to and therefore become aggressive and turn to graffiti and drugs. However it also shows that both can mingle and become friends and can become either uplifted and get a good job or downgraded and go off the rails. The still image shows four people in parallel worlds, two leaving for school neatly dressed and the other two untidy. The two that want their education, laugh at the jokes made by others and basically enjoy their schooling. The other two are however the ones who make noises at the back of the class and tell the jokes but do not cherish their teenage years and make something of their life. They will become one of those older brothers who can do really cool things but generally know very little, perhaps hurting inside due to the fact they need the dole office to finance themselves, but can not keep a job if they are given one. Following is the second still image: The third still image is called DOES MONEY BRING YOU HAPPINESS. Generally it means that friends and company are better than money and no friends. Basically showing that you can be happy with or without a lot of money. However most people would rather have at least one person to share the money with and confide in. If you do not have the friends you cannot generally enjoy yourself or you can enjoy yourself but only until the money runs out. As the old poem states about Magpies- One for sorrow and two for joy A true friend sticks by you no matter what. They need not have money to be happy. Below is the still image: This basically shows three paupers scavenging for money and food. However, they have each other to confide in and can have a laugh together. The rich person on the right has a great amount of money and seems to be looking down at the poorer scavengers. In reality it is actually the other way round. The rich person would give his money to have friends and be happy, as he knows that one day his money will run out. The fourth still image is understandably named SCHOOL. It is basically about four children in school. Two children care about the school life and two despise it. The image is a parallel picture. This basically means that the two people on one side of the parallel image do not know of the relevance of the two on the other side of the image. The two on one side of the image are well-educated children brought up well with good discipline where it is needed. These two people have their hands up desperately seeking attention and trying to get in the teachers good books. The other two are also seeking attention but in different ways, they are trying to be the class clowns and make people laugh. In the future though, they are not going to get a superb job and will probably be signing on for unemployment benefits at the dole office. However they do not think that far ahead and want hits basically amongst the class. Below is the still image picture: Overall I think our still images were very teaching, touching and educational. Although a few were very similar they all told a different story. Some taught about how people are treated in different class systems i. e. poor to rich. Others taught how friends are worth more than money. All however were teaching a different story. Response phase part two In this section we devised a scene that showed the lives of Mickey and Eddie before they met and then during their friendship/brotherhood together. It shows what they have been through together throughout their lives. The scene starts out with Mickey (Simon) being in jail and Eddie (Liam) getting prepared to visit Mickey in jail. Eddie advances slowly towards Mickey and says I remember the days that we all met, They then point at each other to show that a flashback is about to occur. The flashback now shows Eddie and Mickey meeting for the first time. Adam and Charlotte both play the two characters in this section of the flashback. They engage in a conversation about each other. Mickey asks for a sweet and is given a few. Mickey now asks if Eddie is soft.

Chinese Medicine

Chinese Medicine Introduction For over 2000 years, traditional Chinese medicine was the only medical therapy consisting of various forms of  herbal medicine,acupuncture,massage,exercise, and dietary therapy for treatment illnesses. With the arrival of the missionaries from the west, a new form of medical therapy which based on treatment using chemicals and surgery was introduced to China in the 19th century. This not only provided an alternative medical treatment for Chinese, it also brought in scientific, social and political upheavals to China in the 19th and 20th century. Medical Services in 19th Century China The first western medical service was introduced to Macau, a Portuguese’s colony at the time, by Rev Robert Morrison1 (1782-1834) in 1820. Interestingly, one of his objectives of his effort was to find out whether Chinese traditional herbal medicine would offer no additional healing for the Westerners. In 1828, a Christian surgeon, Dr Thomas Colledge2 (1796 – 1879) opened a hospital in Guangzhou with his belief of Christians had a duty to treat the sick people of China. By 1835, Dr Colledge cooperated with Dr Peter Parker (1804 1888), a Protestant medical missionary and foreign Christian residents in Guangzhou formed the Medical Missionary Society of China. The new hospital appealed to the locals despite their suspicious altitude towards foreigners’ intention. By 1840, the hospital had provided over 9,000 treatments to the local patients. By 1892, over 60 hospitals and 40 dispensaries were established by the missionaries. There were over 120 male and female western medical personnel plus a corps of trained native assistants to provide services for these facilities. The hospital annual report of 1895 stated that over half a million patients were treated and over 70,000 operations were performed. Before the Opium War, the hospital provided access of the missionary opportunity to contact locals who otherwise were not permitted to preach in public and are restricted to reside at the â€Å"Thirteen Hong† at Guangzhou. Some patients considered allowing foreign doctors to treatment gave a favour them, some did not accept the religion of their doctors, however, many patients converted to Christianity. The introduction of western medicine also raised the Chinese women social status. It was Chinese social custom to restrict men and women contact at the time. Hence, female patients were reluctant to be treated by male doctors. The missionaries therefore had to bring in female doctors from the west to provide treatment to female patients. Dr Mary H. Fulton (1854 – 1927), a female missionary doctor was sent by the Foreign Missions Board of the Presbyterian Church to found the first medical college foe woman, Hackett Medical College for Women in Guangzhou in 1902. By 1915, the college had 60 students; all became Christians at the influence of Dr Fulton. The college achieved its aim to spread Christianity and western medicine, as well as women social status in the Chinese society. Medical Services in Hong Kong In Hong Kong, a British colony at the time, Tung Wah Hospital3 was established in 1870 which was the first hospital in China providing Chinese medicine services in western hospital mode. By 1887, the first teaching institution, the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (the predecessor of the Faculty of medicine of theUniversity of Hong Kong)was established by the London Missionary Society. The new institution not only introduced breakthrough in the research and development of western medicine in China, it also brought the first graduate, Dr SUN Yat-sen4 (1866 1925), a Christian himself who led the Chinese Revolution and toppled the Qing Dynasty, to establish the Republic of China in 1911, profoundly changes the history of China. The Opium War The introduction of western medicine in China also changed the history of China. Opium5 which was found to be a good remedy for nervous disorders and its sedative and tranquilizing properties was also introduced into China by western surgeons. However, opium was also used by the British Government to balance their trade deficit with China. They grew opium in British India and sold it to China for exchange of silver. When the Emperor Daoguang of Qing Dynasty banned the smoking and trading of opium in 1838, the British began the First Opium War with the beginning of annexation of Hong Kong, opened up of ports and a series of unfair treaties with the subsequent turmoil in China for over 100 years. Recognising the additive and social destructive nature of the opium smoking, the missionaries raised against the trading of opium both in their home countries and in China6. They also set up clinic to provide medical service to opium smokers to kick off their addiction, hence providing more op portunity for them to preach Christianity. Conclusion Western medicine went hands in hand with missionaries from the west to preach and convert local into Christians. By doing so, it also changed the history of China, opened up the horizons of Chinese people, turned imperial China into a republic and profoundly affect the world, with its effect still felt today. References Starr J Barton â€Å"The Legacy of Robert Morrison†, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, April 1998 Fu L, â€Å"The protestant medical missions to China: Dr Thomas Richardson Colledge (1796-1879) and the founding of the Macao Ophthalmic Hospital†, Journal of Medical Biography 3Tung Wah Hospital website http://www.tungwah.org.hk/?content=314 4Britannica http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/573697/Sun-Yat-sen 5Allingham V. Philip, â€Å"England and China: The Opium Wars, 1839-60†, Victorian Web, Lakehead University 6Kathleen L. Lodwick, â€Å"Crusaders against Opium: Protestant Missionaries in China, 1874-1917†,Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1996 SECTION B Question1 Introduction There were several outbreaks of plague in the history which include the 1984 plague outbreak in Hong Kong and the pneumonic plague outbreak in Manchuria in 1910 – 1911. The 1984 plague was also known as the â€Å"black death† due to the black coloring of whole body before or after death, which is later being identified as the bubonic plague. The pneumonic plague is unique in which it was exclusively pneumonic (infection of the lungs). Patients who are infected with the pneumonic plague will present with coughing, often with hemoptysis (coughing up blood), headache, weakness etc. Although both diseases caused outbreak, different control and measures were done by the local government at that period. Control and measures in Hong Kong in 1894 The plague outbreak in Hong Kong was mainly associated with the poor sanitation and dense population of Hong Kong at that period. In order to cope with the outbreak of plague the British government did several measures in order to prevent the spread of the disease and to prevent new cases from emerging. This included forced disinfection of affected houses, rapid disposal of corpses, building of the Blake Garden to reduce population density and house to house searches for infected people. The infected will then be isolated on the hospital ship – Hygeia. But due to the non-reluctant response of the Chinese population, patients were later transferred to Kennedy Town glassworks which was converted for use as a temporary hospital. The government later built a Bacteriology institute with the recruitment of a bacteriologist, Dr. William Hunter to Hong Kong for the investigation of the cause of outbreak. Control and measures in Manchuria in 1910 – 1911 During the pneumonic plague outbreak, the cause of the disease could not be identified. So it was agreed that no cure for the pneumonic plague was available by that time1: the mortality was proved to be one hundred percent. Without antibiotic at that period, the only way to prevent the spread of the disease was quarantine and isolation. The Chinese were isolated into train cars for several days. They were not let out until no one displaying any sign or symptoms of pneumonic plague. If one plague case was identified, others in the car would be considered to have a poor prognosis. Because the location of outbreak was close to Japan and Russia, there was collaboration between countries for the control of disease2. In need of medical help from Russia and Japan, the Chinese government at that period sought help by calling for an international plague conference. While the etiology of the pneumonic plague was still being investigated, isolation was used as an effective method to prevent the spread of the disease. Autopsy was also done to investigate the cause of the disease3. In later stage, new bacteriological techniques such as culturing helped identifying the cause of the epidemic. Similarities and differences There are several similarities between the battle against pneumonic plague and the measures to control the plague in Hong Kong in 1894. Firstly, in both cases public health was introduced to the affected areas. In western medicine public health focuses on the surveillance and the prevention of disease. Isolation was used in both cases in order to prevent the spread and the deterioration of the disease. Different measures such as sanitation and rapid disposal of corpses in the 1894 plague in Hong Kong all refers to public health measures for the disease. This is important because by that time there was no way of treating both diseases, so public health became the only way to prevent the spread of the diseases and to control the epidemic. The treatment for plague(antibiotics) was not discovered in 1940s, about 30 years after the pneumonic plague. In addition, modern western medicine played a large role in coping with the outbreaks in both cases. In both cases a lot of modern western advanced sciences were used to investigate the diseases. For example, bacteriology culture and autopsy were used to investigate the cause of pneumonic plague whereas dissection of rats and bacteriology study were used in the 1894 plague. In comparison traditional Chinese medicine did not play a large role in either the prevention of the disease or the treatment of the disease. Moreover, investigations of the diseases were both done simultaneously with the measures and controls of the outbreaks. In other words, controls and measures like isolation were done before the identification of the cause of the disease in order to prevent the spread of the disease. One major difference of the control and measures between the two cases is the involvement of other countries in pneumonic plague. The coping of the pneumonic plague involved collaborations on the international level whereas the 1984 plague only involved isolated research without collaborations. This can be explained by the location of outbreak. As the outbreak of pneumonic plague may endanger the resident population in Russia and Japan, the two countries took part in the plague control. Whereas the 1894 plague happened in Hong Kong which will not affect other countries based on its location. Conclusion In conclusion the measures and control of the pneumonic plague and the 1894 plague outbreak in Hong Kong are similar in many ways. Both cases are very important as they show us the introduction of science and theory of western medicine such as public health into China at that period when the population knew little about western medicine. The idea of public health also helped saving a lot of people’s life at that period by preventing the spread of the disease. References: Richard Pearson Strong and the .urnal es:hat period by preventing the spread of the disease. of western medicine into China Hong Kong are similar in many wayManchurian Epidemic of Pneumonic Plague 1910 1911, Eli Chernin Oxford Journal, Mark Gamsa, The epidemic of pneumonic plague in Manchuria 1910-1911 3 Contagions The Great Pneumonic Plague of1910-1911: https://contagions.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/the-great-pneumonic-plague-of-1910-1911/

World Production Of Rum English Literature Essay

World Production Of Rum English Literature Essay The oldest and the most varied distilled spirit are known as rum. Rum is distilled from the extracts of the sugar cane plant or the by-product of sugar cane known as molasses. Rum is an aged spirit which is usually aged in charred oak casks for a period of 30 years which is in cases of a few authentic brands but is usually aged for a period of 15 years and below. Rum that is aged in charred oak casks get a golden to dark brown colour because of the oak casks. Rums which are aged in stainless steel tanks remain colourless. Rums vary from place to place depending on the tradition that they followed. Rum thats originate from Puerto rico have a golden colour are light bodied and are aged for minimum 3 years while on the other side rums that originate from Jamaica are dark rum which are naturally fermented for a period of 3 weeks and are distilled twice in pot stills and are aged minimum for 5 years in oak casks. The majority of the world production of rum takes place in the Caribbean and Latin America which also include a few other countries. Rum is also produced by Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji islands, Mexico, India and Canada. The federal law states that rum should be distilled from the fermented products of sugar cane like sugar cane juice, sugar cane syrup or the by product or sugar cane which is molasses at less than 190 proof. Dark rums are usually consumed neat or with a mixed while light rums are used to make cocktails. 2.2 billion dollars were generated in 2009 in the United States because of the sales of rum. HISTORY OF RUM The origin of rum dates back to the ancient times. Fermented sugar cane juice is believed to be first developed in ancient India or china. It is believed that rum originated in the island of Barbados. Brazil also started rum production in 1620s. It was discovered by the people who planted sugar cane that the by-product of sugar cane which is molasses can be fermented into alcohol. The distillation process changed later in order to make the alcohol more concentrated and remove the impurities that were present. The Spanish and English have played an important role in distilling sugar cane throughout the West Indies. HISTORY OF RUM IN JAMAICA In Jamaica sugar cane and the distilling process dates back to the 15th century. Jamaica has the perfect climate, fertile soil, spring water which is filtered by limestone. Jamaica became the producer of one of the finest rums because of their climatic conditions. The English use to transport rum back to England in barrels and they discovered that the amount of time the rum spent in the barrel along with the rocking of the ship gave a finer and smoother tasting rum. HOW RUM GOT ITS NAME The first recorded name of this alcohol was kill devil hills because of its alcohol properties. Island of Barbados used the name kill devil hills till the nineteenth century. Early 1650s a new name emerged called rumbullion which was later shortened to rum. Rumbustion was another term that was used for rum during the 17th century. A similar word to rum was rummage. Rummage was the place in ships where rum was stored in the ship for long journeys across the Atlantic. Number of theories suggests that rum got its name from the latin word of sugarcane which was saccharum officinarum. PROCESSES OF RUM RUM BASED ON RAW MATERIALS USED Sugarcane juice: French rums are usually made of 100% sugarcane juice which is fermented and then aged. Rums which are made with 100% sugarcane contain high level of herbal aromas and are totally different from molasses based rums. Molasses: When sugarcane is processed to make sugar the sugar cane juice is boiled until it starts to form crystals leaving behind a liquid known as molasses. The molasses depends upon how much time the juice is boiled for and how much sugar is extracted from that. The more sugar the better grade of molasses and in turn the best quality rum is produced. RUM BASED ON FERMENTATION METHOD Natural fermentation: natural fermentation is when the distilleries depend on yeast that naturally occurs in the air and also in the sugar cane juice to convert the sugar into alcohol. Natural fermentation takes place in big open containers to expose it to the air and takes about 1 or 2 weeks to ferment. Controlled fermentation (continuous): The most advance method of fermenting is the continuous fermentation process. The continuous fermentation process consists of a fermentation tank that continuously receives diluted molasses because of which the yeast keep converting the sugar into alcohol and it all gets collected which is further distilled. RUM BASED ON DISTILATION METHOD POT STILL Pot still process was the earliest ways of distilling alcohol. A pot still consist of three parts which are the kettle in which the liquid is boiled, the condenser in which the vapours are cooled and the gooseneck that connects the condenser and the kettle. The pot still produces single distillate as the liquid is processed through the pot still just once. The liquid is once again put through the pot still and is known as double distillate. The drawback of the pot still process was the liquid needed to be distilled in batches which was a labour intensive job. The liquid is distilled twice thrice or even four times in order to produce a clearer and stronger spirit. COLUMN STILL Unlike the pot still the column still could process higher amount of alcohol. Column still made the distillation process a lot more consistent. Distillation columns are built in a vertical manner with a number of horizontal trays placed at different levels inside the column. The liquid is introduced from the top of the column while steam is introduced at the lowest level. As the liquid flows down from the column it is heated by the steam that is being produced and the alcohol gets vaporized while the liquid that flows down is called wash and contains no alcohol. The steam is collected from the top of the column which is then allowed to cool down which in turn is spirit. Several column stills can operate one feeding the next in order to produce a cleaner, stronger and rectified spirit. APPLETON ESTATE HISTORY OF THE APPLETON ESTATE The rum production at the Appleton estate dates back to 1749 while the origin of the estate dates back to the 1655 when the British captured Jamaica from the Spaniards. Frances Dickson served in the British conquest and it was believed that the land was rewarded to Frances for his services. Frances grandsons were the very first owners of the Appleton estate. The year 1845 was when the ownership changed from the Dickson family to William hill. William hill owned the estate for a short period of time and the ownership changed from William hill to A.McDowell Nathan. McDowell Nathan was the most successful merchant in Jamaica. He died in the massive earthquake which occurred in 1907 and the Appleton estate was acquired by J.Wray and Nephew ltd. J.Wray and Nephew ltd continue to own the Appleton estate and produce the finest rums in the country. The Appleton estate is an 11000 acre estate situated in the Nassau valley. The Nassau valley is a part of Jamaicas cockpit country. The valley has a special limestone formation which is known as the cockpit karst which was formed many years ago. The estate is the only estate in the world that has a cockpit karst and shares the same soil and climatic conditions as the Nassau valley. UNIQUE APPROACH OF APPLETON RUM The Appleton estate that produces rum has been producing exceptional quality rum since the past 260 years. Till today the team of experts that are present at the Appleton estate follow the same tradition of handcrafting their Jamaican rum. The climate of Jamaica is ideal for the cultivation of sugar cane. The Appleton estate grows sugar cane on their 11000 acre plot back in Jamaica. The natural resources add to the taste and character of the rum. During the fermentation process the estate uses spring water which originates from the estate itself. The spring water is filtered through the limestone hill of the cockpit country. The estate uses special natural yeast in the fermenting process which has been handed down from the origin of the rum estate; the natural yeast which is used in the fermentation process contributes to the exclusive taste and aroma of the Appleton estate rum Appleton estate rums follow a small batch pot distillation method which is being followed since the estate started producing rum. Jamaican rum differs from other rums because of the blend of rum is done in a unique copper pot stills and column stills. The distillation process is slow in order to give the rum flavour and the character. After the fermentation process and the distillation comes the ageing of the rum which is done in a unique manner at the Appleton estate. The rums are aged in oak barrels, as the rums mature the rum transforms into a smooth mellow spirit which has unique flavours of vanilla, cocoa, coffee and hazelnut. The maturing process gives the rum a golden colour. A number of oak barrels are kept in the ageing warehouse and the rum can only be bottled on the selection of the master blender. Appleton estate rums contain a unique blend of aged rums which are handpicked by the master blender Joy Spence. The rums produced in the estate have an age printed on the label which is a certified genuine minimum aged which is that the rum have been aged in oak barrels for at least those many years which is printed on the label. Rums that is produced at the Appleton estate has a unique blend which makes the rum unique and finest in the world. Every rum produced in the Appleton estate is hand blended to create a special flavour and aroma. After the unique blending process the rum is allowed to rest in order to let the various components to mix with each other to produce a unique blend. DIFFERENT BLENDS OF RUM PRODUCED AT THE APPLETON ESTATE Appleton estate produces a variety of blends which are as follows Appleton Estate V/X Appleton Estate Reserve Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Master Blenders Legacy Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Appleton Estate Exclusive Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Independence Reserve Appleton Estate V/X The very first blend of the Appleton estate was the Appleton Estate V/X. The Appleton Estate V/X is a multi-award winning blend of 15 choice aged rums. The rum has unique flavour profile and is the best choice for cocktail mixing around the world. The Appleton estate V/X is a gold/honey colour which a clear liquid because of its distillation process. This rum has subtle scents of orange peel, dried apricot, dried fruits, and fresh peach and has got a hint of molasses. The Appleton estate rum tastes sweet, honeyed with taste of marzipan, caramel and brown sugar. Appleton Estate Reserve The Appleton estate reserve is one another very old blend of the Appleton estate in Jamaica. The reserve stock of rum is allowed to mature in oak barrels very carefully and when the rum matured perfectly the master blender hand blends the rum with 20 other aged rums to create unique rum. The Appleton estate reserve was the very first blend which was created by the master blender joy Spence. The Appleton reserve was introduced in 2000 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Appleton Estate. The appearance is topaz or honey colour with a gold rim with immaculate purity. The reserve has an aroma of brown sugar, honey with a tinge of orange peel and vanilla. The reserve rum leaves a taste of toasted honey, wheat bread and refined sugar on the palate. Appleton Estate 12 Year Old As the name suggests the appleton estate 12 year old is aged minimum for 12 years in oak cask barrels. The estate 12 year old is rum that shouldnt be added with mixers but consumed straight on the rocks is what is believed by the master blender. The 12 year old rum has a dazzling bright rich bronze colour. The 12 year old rum has an aroma of walnut, nutmeg, orange peel and vanilla that leaves a buttery creamy brown sugar taste on the palate. MASTER BLENDERS LEGACY The special master blenders legacy celebrates three generation of blenders. This particular blend is 30 year old rum which means it has spent 30 years maturing in the oak barrels. The master blender Joy Spence suggests that the special master blender is just the perfect drink with a splash of water and club soda. The master blender rum has a shiny bright topaz or bronze colour with an aroma of baked pear, maple, orange peels with the tinge of ginger and vanilla. The blender legacy rum leave a taste of honey, vanilla and creamy butter on the palate. Appleton Estate 21 Year Old This unique blend is exceptional and has been aged for a minimum period of 21 years in oak barrels. The blend matures over time and only a limited number of bottles are released each year. The Appleton estate 21 year old has a coppery colour with the aroma of vanilla, orange, nutmeg and cocoa. The the 21 year old rum leaves a taste of baked nuts and the taste of molasses with oak on the palate. Appleton Estate Exclusive The Appleton estate exclusive is a unique blend of rums which is distilled at the estate. This particular rum is blended in order to reflect the terroir and the micro climate present at the estate in Jamaica. The perfect blend of the Appleton exclusive assures that every sip of rum has an essence of the rich fertile soil and the spring water which is used to create this exclusive blend. the estate has warm temperatures during the day along with afternoon showers and cool nights which is perfect for the aging of the rum. The uniqueness of the appleton estate is that it grows sugar cane in the estate of appleton along with the slow pot still distillation which imparts a very distinctive flavour to the rum. The appleton estate exclusive looks rich and earthy which reflects the soil on which the sugar cane is grown. The exclusive rum has an aroma of oak, vanilla with some sublle spices and a tinge of orange. The rum leaves behind a taste of fruity sweetness of the sugar cane with the woodiness which is acquired through ageing. Appleton Estate 30 Year Old The Appleton estate 30 year old is limited edition rum. This special edition is a very rare blend of several types of aged rums which are hand selected by the master blender more than 30 years ago. The 30 year old rum is individually aged for 8 years and then re blended and placed in oak barrels once again for another 22 years. Because of the unique process of dual ageing and exceptional spirit is formed which is known world over for its taste character and smoothness. The very rare 30 year old rum are hand crafted by the master blender and only 1440 bottles were released in the year 2009. The rum has a bright and shiny colour of copper. The 30 year old rum has an aroma of baked pear, maple, spices, orange and a tinge of ginger and vanilla. The rum leaves a taste of delicate spices and vanilla on the palate. Appleton Estate 50 Year Old The Appleton estate 50 year old is a very rare limited edition. The 50 year old rum is aged for a period of 50 years in hand selected oak barrels. The Appleton estate 50 year old is believed to be the oldest rum available for sale in the world. In the year 1962 the Appleton estate set down barrels of rum to age so that they could create a very special blend that could be bottled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jamaicas independence. The rums were very carefully treated for the 50 years that they were aged. The rum was taken care by the first master blender Owen Tulloch and then by the current master blender Joy Spence to create the exceptional Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaican Rum. The Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaican Rum was launched on June 7, 2012 and was made available in Jamaica just after the launch. Currently the rum is being sold in key markets around the world and in selected duty free shops. Only 800 bottles of this very exclusive blend have been created and only a limited number of bottles are for sale. The bottle approximately costs $5000 USD per 750ml bottle. Appearance: Dark mahogany colour with rich coppery reflection and a very pronounced green ring of aging. Bouquet: Powerful oak infused with rich vanilla and layered with cinnamon, maple and orange peel. ELEMENTS OF DISTINCTION OF THE APPLETON ESTATE The Appleton estate has 7 elements of distinction compared to the other brands. The 7 elements of distinction are: Heritage of the Appleton Estate: The Appleton estate origin dates back to 1749 and has been making the finest rums since its inception. Terroir: the Appleton estate in Jamaica is situated in the Nassau valley. This valley was formed 12 million years ago when Jamaica emerged from the sea because of which the estate has unique weather, climate and soil which influence the taste and aroma of the rum. The valley has a perfect condition for growing sugar cane because of its microclimate that has warm morning and afternoon showers and cool nights. The estate during the fermentation process uses water that originates from the spring in the estate and is filtered through the limestone hills which exists only in the Appleton estate. Pot still: Appleton holds a tradition of handcrafted rum since the past 260 years. The rums are distilled in small batches in copper pots. The pot stills are unique in the estate that gives a very distinctive character to the rum. Exceptional Taste: Spirit competition panels and spirit experts constantly choose rums from the apple estate because of their exceptional taste and smooth finish. The rums produced at the Appleton estate continuously receive awards from international spirit competitions and spirit experts. Great blends and great rums: Appleton estate V/X, Appleton Estate Reserve and the master blenders legacy are made up of several aged blends in order to add to its richness and smoothness. Aging process: Appleton estate 8 year old, 12 year old, and 30 year old and the 5o year old have age statements on their labels. All the age statements are certified genuine which means the rum has been aged in oak barrels for a minimum period of time mentioned on the label. History of the Appleton estate: the Appleton estates origin dates back in the year 1655 when the British captured Jamaica from the Spaniards. The ownership of the estate changed several times but the quality of the rum remained the same. Legacy of blending: the rum produced in the estate is distinctive because of its unique climatic condition. The rums are blended by the master blender joy Spence. Joy Spence has over 25 year of experience in creating and blending the finest rums in the world. Including a term of 16 years studying under the previous master blender Owen Tulloch. Joy Spence and her team possess vast knowledge and skill in the art of creating and blending and maintaining the consistency and quality which is produced out of the Appleton estate. THE MAKERS OF THE APPLETON RUMS Master Blender Joy Spence The master blender at the Appleton estate rum is Joy Spence. Joy Spence is the first woman to hold such a position in the spirit industry. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS The Appleton estate rum tour is a major tourist destination in the island of Jamaica. All the rums that have been produced at the Appleton estate in Jamaica are award winning and have performed well at international spirit competitions. The Appleton estate 12 year old was awarded 96/100 rating at the 2008 wine enthusiast competition. Appleton rum and Wray and nephew White Over Proof Rum have been awarded a Grand Gold Award at the 2011 world quality selections. Wray Nephew White Over Proof Rum has been honoured the International High Quality Trophy for consistently turning in gold and Grand Gold Award. CONCLUSION

The Adventure of Tom Sawyer :: Essays Papers

The Adventure of Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain’s way of writing down his childhood in lively detail. The characters and settings were dear to him and he chose to depict the American Boy’s childhood as fun and fancy-free. The story is told trough Tom’s eyes and is enchanting and adventurous, just as any young boy’s life would be. His daily life included mischief and budding young love, which is told with great detail. Although it is a fictional account of one young boy, the story of Tom Sawyer has touched many readers and lives on today as it did when it was written long ago. Tome Sawyer does not have many relatives, his mother died and him and his half brother Sidney live with their Aunt Polly and cousin Mary. The setting was in the small, poor southern town of St.Pettersburg, Missouri right by the Mississippi River. Tom has a love for live and would rather be doing what he pleases rather than what is expected of him. In all of his mischievous moments his best friend and partner in crime is Huckleberry Finn. Although their goal is just to have fun, they somehow always end up in trouble. The trouble starts when Tom and Huck witness the murder of Dr. Robinson by Injun Joe. Muff Potter is framed and even though Tom and Huck know the truth they do not step forward because they are afraid of what Injun Joe will do to them. Although Muff Potter is tried and almost hung, Tom finally steps forward and does the right thing. Tom and Huck go on throughout the book and find themselves in deep water more than once. All of the characters in this novel are carefully depicted. They are alive in the story, the reader can feel all of Tom’s emotions. Tom is the main character of the novel and tells the story to the reader. Although he may seem like a boy that is always in trouble, he’s intentions are good. He has the common case of can’t sit still goot get up and go boy. This condition sometimes poses a problem as we see Tom weasels his way out of work and into play. Tom and Huck never plan on getting into trouble it has a way of finding them. Tom is driven by his youthful energy and mischief. Mark Twain wrote this novel using language common for the time period and location.

Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger :: Women Athelets Sports

Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger In any movement by a marginalized social group to gain equal rights and recognition, there are always several factions with differing opinions of the best way to achieve the common goal. There are those who choose to work within the rules of the system as is it is already structured by the dominant social group, and there are those who choose to create their own branch, rewriting the rules to represent their own philosophies. Historically, women's athletics have been led by the second camp; by women who demanded a philosophy of sport with a vision unique from that of men?s athletics. Women's athletics remained, much like women as a social group, in its own separate sphere, leading its own organizational structure. But as the women's sphere was de-mystified (Spears, 1978) in the mid twentieth century, autonomous organizational structures were absorbed under the umbrella of formerly exclusively male athletics. This is the case as illustrated by the merger of the AIAW and the NCAA. On the surface, it may appear that full official inclusion of women's athletics into the structure of the patriarchy would bring primarily positive results such as increased funding and greater access to facilities. However, the present, past, and future ramifications of the merger are tangled in a web of political and social significance that is not so simple to label as all positive or all negative for the advancement of women's athletics and Feminism at large. I will briefly trace the history that led to the creation of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as described by Joan Hult in 'The Story of Women's Athletics: Manipulating a Dream 1890-1985,' and then examine some of the pros and cons of the AIAW's 1981 merger with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Hult explains that in the era between 1890-1920, women physical educators were a tightly knit, dedicated group committed to a tradition of restricted competition, self-governance, and a feminine approach to individual and team sports. They believed that all girls and women should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport, not only the talented elite as in the competition-driven male philosophical structure (87). Play-days and sport-days with emphasis on team building games were a means of perpetuating an image of an ideal American female athlete: feminine, beautiful, strong, yet always 'aware of her delicate reproductive system' (89). Seventy-five years later, though much had changed, the AIAW still adhered to a more fundamental interpretation of the original philosophy of women's athletics. Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger :: Women Athelets Sports Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger In any movement by a marginalized social group to gain equal rights and recognition, there are always several factions with differing opinions of the best way to achieve the common goal. There are those who choose to work within the rules of the system as is it is already structured by the dominant social group, and there are those who choose to create their own branch, rewriting the rules to represent their own philosophies. Historically, women's athletics have been led by the second camp; by women who demanded a philosophy of sport with a vision unique from that of men?s athletics. Women's athletics remained, much like women as a social group, in its own separate sphere, leading its own organizational structure. But as the women's sphere was de-mystified (Spears, 1978) in the mid twentieth century, autonomous organizational structures were absorbed under the umbrella of formerly exclusively male athletics. This is the case as illustrated by the merger of the AIAW and the NCAA. On the surface, it may appear that full official inclusion of women's athletics into the structure of the patriarchy would bring primarily positive results such as increased funding and greater access to facilities. However, the present, past, and future ramifications of the merger are tangled in a web of political and social significance that is not so simple to label as all positive or all negative for the advancement of women's athletics and Feminism at large. I will briefly trace the history that led to the creation of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as described by Joan Hult in 'The Story of Women's Athletics: Manipulating a Dream 1890-1985,' and then examine some of the pros and cons of the AIAW's 1981 merger with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Hult explains that in the era between 1890-1920, women physical educators were a tightly knit, dedicated group committed to a tradition of restricted competition, self-governance, and a feminine approach to individual and team sports. They believed that all girls and women should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport, not only the talented elite as in the competition-driven male philosophical structure (87). Play-days and sport-days with emphasis on team building games were a means of perpetuating an image of an ideal American female athlete: feminine, beautiful, strong, yet always 'aware of her delicate reproductive system' (89). Seventy-five years later, though much had changed, the AIAW still adhered to a more fundamental interpretation of the original philosophy of women's athletics.

Alexander’s Vast Accomplishments as a Conquerer Essay -- alexander the

The first matter to consider is what constitutes â€Å"greatness†. There are no set standards no checklist, to apply to a person, to determine it they are â€Å"great.† The simplest way that I could conceive to decide whether this title should apply to Alexander was to determine if he was, in some way, superior to the rulers that came before or after his reign. The most obvious place for me to start my consideration is with Alexander’s vast accomplishments as a conquerer. Alexander inherited an impressive military from his father and a stable kingdom; he also followed his father’s plans to invade Asia. Does this detract from his own accomplishments with the Macedonian army? I would argue that it does not. It does not matter how large his or how well trained his standing army had been, there can be no success without some form of military leadership. Alexander began his military campaign and his rule much where his father left off. Whether or not it was his aim, this created a sense of normality for the men that was part of his father’s regime. Alexander’s position as a warrior-king who stood side-by-side among his men also served to create respect among his peers. Gradually, as Alexander conquered more Persian land, he began to adopt the policies of Persian rulers. Alexander’s change in policy extended beyond just political roles, he gave consideration to the local gods in many of the lands that he conquered. Eventually, Alexander brought people in from the conquered nations to serve under him. It is unknown whether Alexander intended to adopt these practices; if he adopted the policies that he liked; or if he adopted policies for political purposes. No matter his intentions, Alexander’s changes in leadership pol... ...here are few people in history that can claim the military prowess, uncanny political maneuvering, and the overall lasting effect of the dissemination of a particular culture such as Alexander. Alexander’s exploits led to the spread of the Greek culture throughout Asia and Africa. They even went so far as to impact the Romans who dominated Hellenistic Egypt. He left in his wake and expansion of territory and commerce, with expanded trading ports and the exportation of the Greek political system. Christianity emerged with the Hellenization of the Jews and spread throughout Hellenized gentile communities. It seems impossible to catalogue every impact of Alexander’s empire. In the end, I have to conclude that Alexander does ‘fully deserve’ the title of â€Å"the Great.† Works Cited Worthington, Ian. Alexander The Great: A Reader. New York: Routledge, 2012.

Consumer Behavior on Furniture

As the economic conditions Is tough and challenging In recent years. Cost of living Is increasing, especially for those new home starters, Like new couples, families with new-born member, or moving out of parents home. For the general new home starter, money terms and financial issue is a big concern on their everyday life. The need and purchase of furniture would be an inevitable process as they need to start building up and furnishing their new home. They would opt for products that offer the benefits of good living standard, but without sacrifice too much of their earning or income.In the situation and target group we focus on in this analysis, KEA and Preterit would be more likely be the choice to be made In the final decision. Purchasing off-the-shelf product, rather then tailor-made, good customer value and affordable price are a few major criteria In such case. However consumers would have different consideration for their decision depending on their Individual factors. From h aving the wants and demand to the step of making purchase decision and consumption. There are deferent factors that would influence and affect the consumer decision.There are two sources that influence buying behavior. The first one is formal sources which are kind of well-planned and paid sources. The second source is informal, which is kind of a not pre planned and non-paid sources like family, informal sources, social class and culture etc. Marketing Efforts Product KEA offer product with Scandinavian design and attractive appearance, KEA provide materials to suit the many different needs and precise preference. The large catalogue of choice in products maximize the chance of finding products to your needs.Preterit offer very generic type of product that perform the basic practical and functions. Preterit have few numbers of choices in each category, if you have some very specific preference, it might be hard to match your exact want and desire. Promotion Both KEA and Preterit ha ve utilized web page, social media and also sales promotion to attract customers. KEA have a strong buzz each year, promote using television advertisement, often using humor that create buzz and recall rate. Preterit focusing on adverting in newspapers, and leaflet with coupons.Also PIP memberships as a loyalty programmer that encourage repeat purchase. Price Both KEA and Preterit has set affordable price for their product that attract many customer and purchase. Also note that since the products KEA offer are unique and with brand, customer are more Justified if they are paying a bit more. However Products that Preterit offer are more generic and very uniform, customer might switch to other brand with similar product offered by a lower price supplier, so that Preterit have to compete with price or otherwise provide products with better perceived value and customer benefits.Place Preterit which has almost 30 retails covered in Hong Kong, when compared to KEA which has only 3 stores in Hong Kong but a larger comprehensive stores. The slightly remote distance and limited distribution channel might be a bit pull back if you are a busy person or if you only want to make small quantity purchases. But if the customer would like to buy a range of product or simply enjoy the shopping experience of ‘KEA. This desire will become a driving force strong enough to stimulate the action of visit and purchase. Family Family is a basic concept in society.The main structure of family is married couple, nuclear family and extended family. Besides, single-parent family and unmarried family are included as well. Consumer can be easily influenced by parents, siblings, and relatives based on their past experience. Nuclear family and extended family may prefer to buy from Preterit. The perception from Preterit is classic design, fair quality, and ready-made model. KEA provide Scandinavian design with good quality and flexible combination as well as wide range of color for selec tion which reinforce the motivation of married couple to buy from them.Informal sources Informal sources are basically unpaid and unplanned. The opinion leader could be our friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers, and idols. Nowadays, it is quite common to ask opinion leader about the brand and product before consumer make the decision of purchase. Preterit and ‘KEA, he will ask opinion leaders and the comments from opinion leaders will influence consumer's behavior. Other non-commercial sources Other non-commercial sources including different types of social media and editorial content are unpaid.Consumer can compare Preterit and KEA products by browsing following sources Editorial content from newspapers, magazines Blob, Forum Photo sharing websites Brand community Discount and promotion websites TV Programs Social class Social class has its own characteristic of values, attitudes and behavior that distinguish the member of various social classes, see below diagram In terms of income, lower middle class consumers only can afford lower price products from Preterit because of limited budget.Middle class consumers have sufficient money to spend on KEA products which can reinforce their self-image and taste. Culture and Subculture Culture is shared, learned, symbolic system of values, beliefs and attitudes that form and influences perception and behavior. It is learned through transmitted from enervation to generation, which included Formal learning from parents and siblings Informal learning, such as teachers and idols Technical learning, such as school and professional institute Product preference and brand loyalty always influence from one generation to another.For example, parents will bring along their kids to KEA for shopping because they enjoy shopping in KEA with different products for selection and even kids can select kids' furniture for themselves. The positive brand image begins in early childhood and extends throughout a person's entire life. On the other hand, subculture is a group of people share similar beliefs, values, and common experiences. Subculture group can be differentiated by age, ethnic, religious Consumer Decision Making In decision making process, more than one alternative must be available, even decide not to buy.We focus on new couples how they make buying decision on -bed. Input As we discussed previous in external influence, furniture company's marketing strategy (APS) influence new couple's perception, attitudes and teach them to learn or change their attitudes towards their products. These marketing strategies can hang society's existing code of behavior, culture or subculture is likely to affect how and what consumers purchase in long term if successful. Need Recognition When new couple move out from their parents, even rent or buy a new house, they perceive a need to buy new furniture.Two different problem recognition styles – actual state types & desired state types are described on our ca se. Actual state types, they recognize double size bed is needed. Desired state types, they already have double size bed but desire new design attractive bed, e. G. Princess bed. Purchases Search New couple usually search their memory first, browsing internet, go to shopping and they may engage in extensive search of outside if no experience. Evaluation of Alternatives Evoke set come to their mind such as ‘KEA, Preterit and so on.These evoke set might be influenced by their parents that used before and acceptable. They have already established the basic criteria for evaluation, but not completely established preferred among the choice of brands, than they search for additional brand information. Three specific level of consumer decision making – limited problem solving are examined. When new couple evaluating those brands, they based on their perceived quality of Perceived risk associated with the brand, e. G.Consumer may not handle self- assembly furniture by themselve s after evaluation, and also information costs saved with that brand, e. G. KEA only 3 stores, time consuming to visit and too far away from their home. While the couples collecting information about evoked set brands, two decision rules in their mind – compensatory and uncompensated decision rules. Compensatory decision rules, they evaluate those brand's similar attributes and weighted it, than make a ranking. For example, the size of bed of KEA and Preterit are also fit for their home, they Just weight the price between brands.Uncompensated decision rules when couples evaluate such size of bed exceed, they will forgive that brand. They may make decision to postpone or withdrawal from purchasing after shopping if they cannot find a suitable bed. Psychological Field Motivation As we know that consumer needs is the essence of marketing concept. However each consumer have their vary needs and wants depending on the culture environment and affection. Therefore individual are tri ggered by motivation that drive their individual action.Apart from the primary perspective of having the physical product and its function of furniture that serve the generic goals, in addition, there are also acquired needs. Some might want to have a bit more comfort, safety, reliability for the protection of young kids at home. Some might have the affection and would love to have a warm and pleasant interior and environment so that they can provide a coos atmosphere for their friend and relative when visit, to fulfill the social needs The motives and needs can have positive and negative directions that impel positive rives and negative drives.In most situation for the consumer, it is largely driven by positive motives, for examples, KEA has always inject and project the warm and happy home environment and scene in their promotional materials such as catalogue and advertisement which create a positive desire for consumer to dream of and the need and want of having the pleasant home using the KEA furniture product. Associate the warm and pleasant image with the brand ‘KEA. Motivation can have the bi-direction of positive and negative, it can also be distinguish into rational motives and emotional motives.There are certain types of consumers who would be apparently acting with viewing the amount of benefit they can get from the product related to the cost spent. On the other hand, there are certain type of consumer who would act with emotional motives and subjective ideas. The motives can be aroused by the mood of the showroom or the fashion and trend on design style, color and material used. Perception Perception is more about the subjective of how people think about it rather than the actual objective fact of what it is.The dynamic of perception consists of the aspect of â€Å"Selection† â€Å"Organization† and Interpretation† altogether composes a meaningful coherent picture from individual. Perception can be developed and influence d by advertising and promotion as well as other marketing mix that intended for the positioning. For instance, each year KEA has a new shooting of â€Å"low-price† featured ad shown on television. Using the televisions advertisement media has the advantage of reaching the mass, but catching the audience attention in the clutter is a challenge.Kea has use many witty ideas and humor to catch attention and convey the message of â€Å"low- price†, the use of dramatic visual and theme, exaggerated facial expression, music, mound and motion with the contrast color, figure and ground, bold size fonts, helps to catch attention in order to promote the message. The same applied on the Kea catalogue and in-store poster, using sharp, bright color and big bold fonts on the minimal background, simply spell out the message in a clear way and to catch attention in a glance.Also, the imagery used in the catalogue are in pleasant color and soft tone, some images will also include models / actors of kids playing happily or family and friends lying back comfortable on couch, creating a warm and sweet feeling and lead to the nonuser to grouping and associate Kea brand and product with sweet and comfortable home in a positive way. TV ad that last for only seconds is very limited, message have to be brief and sharp, it is smart to leave a open-ended closure that the catalogue is out now, to let the consumer to response and find out more from the catalogue by mail, in-store or online.Personality Personality defined as the inner psychological characteristic determine and reflect Consumer who choose KEA need to adopt this new idea and practice that they need to get very involved when purchase KEA product. Consumer who has high consumer innovativeness and low in dogmatism are more likely to accept ‘KEA. Many of the KEA products allow consumer customized and DID to suit their personal need, letting consumer to have some involvement. So to some extended consumer who ch oose KEA has the need for uniqueness, and willing to have some involvement with the high optimum stimulate level.KEA furniture emphasized on design and attracted too many customers who with style conscious, featured many pictorial, nicely photographed visual images on catalogue and other promotional materials. These will be appealing to visualizes type f consumer which should be appropriate for the intended target customer as they position their product / furniture tends to be more like a stylish product than a technical product. Attitude A learned predisposition always influences their attitudes toward or avoids the object.Transcription attitude model consists of cognitive, affective and connotative components, consumers perceive and learn about company's products such as a stylish and self-assembly of Kike's products, price competitive and assembled products of Preterit's products, consumers evaluate those particular products & services attributes, form a preference and intent to buy. KEA has provided customized, DID, Nordic stylish & self-assembly products, and Preterit provided a localized design, assembled products. Those specific brand's product features is influence consumer attitude, both perform attitude-toward-object model.For examples, KEA illustrate FAX wardrobe's features, consumers can customize their individual need with huge range accessories to create their dreams wardrobes. Muff can be based on space, budget, amount of clothing and home-style to create an ideal wardrobe† consumers evaluate the wardrobes functions, what and how it can provide and belief the wardrobes can satisfy their need. Attitudes are also influence by company's marketing strategy, a societal marketing strategy of KEA ‘people & plant' which influence consumer's attitudes towards their brand, attitude-toward-the-ad model is examined.TV ads, Backbone, APS provide an important source to influence consumer's personal experiences, family and friends. These marketing strategies can change consumer's attitudes due a brands is in conflict with consumer attitude. For aforesaid example, an environmentally-oriented ‘People & Planet Positive' strategy, their attitude may change toward to ‘KEA, Resolving woo conflicting attitudes is examined. Advertisements with product specification, real life scenario presented in catalogues which changing the basic motivational function in KEA catalogs.Learning Advertising promotional videos, price & store displays are cues of ‘KEA, Preterit to stimuli consumer's motives directly, consumers responded to surfing their websites they looking for or go to the shops to look around displayed furniture & price. If consumer is rewarded, they learned to associate the purchase with a pleasant feeling and are likely to repeat the learned behavior and become a loyal customer. For instant, KEA store displayed in real life scenario which may serve as a cue for consumers, and constitute their response that they c onsider ready to buy.Reinforcement increases the likelihood that specific response will occur in the future as the result of particular cues. ‘KEA, Preterit are well-know and favorable brand, according to classical conditioning theory, ‘KEA, Preterit are an unconditioned stimulus, the unconditional response is consumer perception, KEA implies that the products are stylish, Preterit implies that the products are practice and popular, conditioned response would be consumer ring their furniture because of the belief that they embody which their name is associated.Instrumental conditioning is examine while consumer learn, for example, stores carry the wardrobes they prefer at prices they can afford to pay by shopping a number of stores (KEA, Preterit, DISC, etc. ), one they find KEA wardrobe meets their needs, they are likely to make decision to buy. While consumer is satisfied, they are more likely to repeat buying furniture at ‘KEA, KEA store loyalty is reinforced. T o reinforce the behavior, KEA perform a positive reinforcement by repeating ‘design better home & low price' messages.By assuring customer satisfaction with their products, the service & buying experience. For examples, KEA business provides home design service a close personalized relationship with customers is also another form of nonproductive reinforcement. A systematic reinforcement encourage customer to repeat purchase, consumer receive their cash coupons after they brought a certain amount. Output When couple find a brand product such as KEA wardrobe fit their need, they decide to purchase. After they used, they evaluate the wardrobe's performance, a postprocessor evaluation is perform. A positive discrimination is when the

Value System in Nepal

What is value system? In simple way value system means the principle of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group. Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes. As such, values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what â€Å"ought† to be. 40â€Å"Equal rights for all† and â€Å"People should be treated with respect and dignity† are representative of values. Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior.For example, if you value equal rights for all and you go to work for an organization that treats its managers much better than it does its workers, you may form the attitude that the company is an unfair place to work; consequently, you may not produce well or may perhaps leave the company. It is likely that if the company had had a more egalitarian policy, your attitude and behaviors would have been more positive. A value system is in essence the ordering and prioriti zation of the ethical and ideological values that an individual or society holds.While two individuals or groups may share a set of common values, they may differ in their determination of which values in that set have precedence over others. The two individuals or groups are said to have different value systems, even though they may have many values in common, if their prioritization of values differs, or if there are different exceptions they attach to these values. Groups and individuals whose differing value systems have many values in common may still wind up in conflict, ideological or physical, with each other, because of the differences in their value systems.People with differing value systems will thus disagree on the rightness or wrongness of certain actions, both in the abstract and in specific circumstances. In essence, a value system (if sufficiently well-defined) is a formalization of a moral code. The premise behind the discipline of rigorously examining value system s and the differences between them (given the provisional name ethonomics) is that an understanding of these differences in prioritization of values can lead to greater understanding about the politics (and motivations) of individuals and groups.While political discourse in recent times has frequently focused on the â€Å"values† held by the people engaging in the discourse (be they candidates, office holders, or media pundits), in reality those being compared share many (perhaps most) values in common. It is in their prioritization of those values that they differ, causing them (as a result of these different prioritizations) to come to different conclusions about what is right and wrong, and to take different actions accordingly.One example of a simple formal value system is Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, which is intended as value system (of sorts) for robots in the hypothetical future of Asimov's science fiction novels. Simply distilled, the laws stipulate that: * human life is of primary importance and value (â€Å"A robot may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. â€Å") * orders given by human beings to robots are secondary, to be obeyed as long as they do not violate the first law (â€Å"A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. ) * a robot's own existence is of tertiary value, meaning that a robot should preserve its own life only if the other two laws have been satisfactorily complied with (â€Å"A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. â€Å") Naturally, this is a very simplistic set of values, but the idea behind formalization of value systems is that more complex value systems that apply to human society might be derived or mapped from similar principles and structures, and that conflicts between such value systems might be resolved rat ionally.Definitions Values In order to define value systems, we need to define the characteristics of values that could be represented in a value system. The values that a group or person holds may fall into several different categories. The ones that usually concern us in the area of value systems are the ethical and the ideological. * Ethical values may be thought of as those values which serve to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong, and moral and immoral. At a societal level, these values frequently form a basis for what is permitted and what is prohibited. Ideological values deal with the broader or more abstract areas of politics, religion, economics, and social mores. In theory, the broader ideological values should derive logically as natural consequences of the particulars of fundamental ethical values and their prioritizations. But although ideally a value system ought to be consistent, quite often this is not the case. Value Systems As mentioned earlier, a va lue system is the ordering and prioritization of the ethical and ideological values that an individual or society holds.The specific prioritizations may lead to designated exceptions invoked because one value is deemed more important than another (e. g. , â€Å"lying is wrong, but lying to save someone else's life is acceptable, because human life is more valuable (more highly valued) than the principle that lying is wrong†). Regardless of whether or not value systems are formed logically, they determine for individuals and societies what actions they are likely to act and how those actions are likely to be justified (or perhaps ‘rationalized'). Characteristics of Value SystemsValue systems can be categorized along multiple axes: * They can be personal, held by an individual and applicable only to an individual, or they can be communal or societal, defined by and applying to a community or society. Communal value systems may be legal codes take on the force of law in ma ny societies. * They can be internally consistent, where the broader ideological values derive logically as natural consequences of the particulars of fundamental ethical values, and where values do not contradict each other, or they can be inconsistent.Although ideally a value system ought to be consistent, quite often this is not the case in practice. Note that valuing the consistency of a value system is itself a sort of ‘meta-value', that could be present or absent in a given value system. * They can be idealized value systems (ideal representations of an individual's or group's value prioritizations) or realized value systems (how such a value system is manifested in reality, in the actions and decisions of the individual or group).Idealized value systems tend to be absolute, in that they are codified as a strict set of proscriptions on behavior, while realized value systems contain conditional exceptions that are rules to resolve collisions between values in practical ci rcumstances. Personal vs. Communal A value system may be held by a group of people, a community or society, or it might be held by an individual. An individual person's value system might be consistent with or equivalent to the community's value system. Consistency does not imply equivalence, though.An individual's value system might even hold the person to a higher standard, and still be consistent with the community's value system. (Consistency within a value system, described below, refers to the degree to which contradictions and overt situational exceptions are absent from that value system; consistency between value systems means that any action that might be taken in one value system would not contradict the rules associated with another. ) Exceptions One way of looking at differences between value systems is to think of the exceptions to the â€Å"rules† associated with values.These could be abstract exceptions (which are generalized enough in the way they are defined to take hold in all situations) and situational exceptions (which only can be said to be applied in very specific situations). The more generalized the exception, the more useful it is in a wider context for defining a consistent value system. In general, abstract exceptions serve to reinforce the prioritization of values, e. g. : Lying is wrong, but lying to save someone else's life is acceptable, because preserving a human life is more valuable (more highly valued) than the adhering to the principle that lying is wrong.In a formal value system (idealized or realized), the default exception associated with each value is assumed to be â€Å"as long as no higher-priority value is violated†. However, this hierarchical structure may be too simplistic in practice, and explicit exceptions may need to be specified. Examples of exceptions in practice: * We may commonly agree that telling the truth is an important positive value, and that conversely deception is inherently wrong. Bu t we make both abstract and situational exceptions for circumstances where we may assert that lying is acceptable behavior.Thus lying to avoid causing another person pain as a general rule would be considered an abstract exception, while lying in a particular situation because a specific person, if lied to, might do a specific thing at a specific time would be considered a situational exception. * People may agree that stealing is wrong, but some people may believe that stealing if you are starving and want to feed yourself and your loved ones is more acceptable than stealing if you are a abitual thief who makes a living stealing from people, or if you are an already wealthy person whose greed leads you to steal from your partners, your investors, or those you do business with. Others may find nothing wrong with stealing from faceless corporations and business establishments but may frown upon stealing from individuals. Some may define certain acts to qualify as not stealing if they fit into some of these categories. * People who think that killing is wrong might make an exception for someone acting in self-defense, placing a higher value on preservation of one's own life than on the principle of â€Å"thou shalt not kill†.Someone in the military might accept the value that killing another person is wrong yet may see nothing wrong with killing someone (in self-defense or not) in the course of or following the orders of a military commander (assumed to have a valid reason for ordering the killing), placing a higher value on discipline/loyalty and â€Å"defending one's country†. Conversely, a conscientious objector might prioritize the value that killing is wrong not only over military actions but even over self-defense. Many people in the business world might include the Golden Rule (which says â€Å"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you†) in their value system, but in practice they might place higher priority on the values li ke â€Å"Every man for himself† or â€Å"Let the buyer beware†. Conversely, another person might find that prioritization morally repugnant, and accuse the businessman of being unethical (or even of a form of theft) if he sells merchandise he knows to be shoddy, or deceives those he tries to do business with. ConsistencyA value system whose exceptions are abstract, generalized enough to be used in all situations, is said to be an internally consistent value system. On the other hand, a value system whose exceptions are highly situational, or whose exceptions are inconsistently applied, is said to be an internally inconsistent. A value system's consistency (or lack thereof) does not necessarily say anything about how ‘good' or ‘evil' it is. A value system that declares that lying and murder are acceptable, that essentially endorses a ‘might makes right' morality, could be internally consistent in its approach.Likewise, an internally inconsistent value system, loaded with inconsistently applied situational exceptions, might be considered perfectly acceptable if the ‘meta-value' of consistent application of values is not part of the value system. (The paradox here is that the absence of this value in a value system makes it consistent, because there is no constraint that says it must be consistent. It could be argued that those who explicitly omit this meta-value from their value system implicit endorse consistency as a value in that act of deliberate omission. On the other hand, those who hold this value ) Idealized vs.Realized These exceptions, especially when they are implicitly rather than explicitly defined, often yield a difference between an idealized value system and the realized value system. The idealized value system is the simple listing of values (in priority order) that a person or society would purport that they employ in determining right and wrong. The realized value system is the one they actually use in day -to-day life. While people claiming to employ a particular value system might say they place more value on x than y, more often than not there are deviations from this in practice.A consistent value system A religion may list a strong set of positive values, but its adherents and even those who are leaders of the religion may stray from those in practice. Idealized value systems often list strict rules (perhaps without any prioritizing order) but do not carefully define exceptions, abstract or situational. Realized value systems, in practice, often have a number of exceptions associated with them, but they may not be explicitly defined or consistently applied. Absolutists hold to their idealized value system and claim no exceptions other than the default.Defining Values Some fundamental values that most people seem to share, at least in theory, are: * â€Å"It's wrong to hurt, to harm, or especially to kill another person. † * â€Å"It's wrong to steal from another person. à ¢â‚¬  * â€Å"It's wrong to lie. † In practice, realized examples of these values would be a good deal more complicated, with exceptions already embedded within them. * â€Å"It's wrong to hurt another person, except in self-defense to keep them from hurting you, or if it is agreed upon with the other person as a step towards a mutually acceptable greater good (e. g. a doctor giving a patient a painful injection to cure an ailment). † * â€Å"It's wrong to take something from someone in a non-consensual fashion without negotiating overtly with the other person and agreeing to a mutually satisfactory transfer or exchange. † * â€Å"It's wrong to deceive another person knowingly for your own gain. † * â€Å"It's wrong to take deliberate overt action to prevent another person from exercising his will as long as that exercise does not interfere with your own exercise of will, except when the other person's will serves to violate the aforementioned principle s. In general, these values declare that â€Å"it's wrong to interfere in another person's life unless they do things to interfere in yours† This corresponds in essence to what has been called the Wiccan Rede which declares that â€Å"[As long as it] harms none, do what thou wilt†. While this may seem an elegant moral principle, in practice it runs into trouble because of the differing priorities people place on specific individual values, because of the way differing value systems define what is and isn't ‘harm', and perhaps most of all because of the different exceptions implicitly or explicitly defined in a value system.Examples of conflicting value systems This section is devoted to the process of using rational analysis to resolve conflicts between value systems. Individualism vs. collectivism In individualism, the needs and wants of the individual take precedence over the needs and wants of a society or community. The implicit exception inherent in individu alism is usually â€Å"as long as the actions of the individual do not harm other individuals. † Absolutists may claim that even this exception does not hold.In collectivism, the needs and wants of the society or community take precedence over the needs and wants of the individual. Rarely is the exception invoked that this is true â€Å"as long as the actions of the society do not restrict individuals . † It could be argued that a rational value system puts value on the needs and wants of the society or community structure, but does not give this more value than the needs and wants of the individuals within it.It is relatively easy to argue the case for this prioritization: under collectivism, a community could decide (however such decisions might be made) that it would work better if there were no people in it to interfere with the smooth running of society. While this might be true, since people tend to â€Å"complicate† the smooth running of any social order, it would create a society without any people, something which is clearly against the interest of the people in that society—would we rationally advocate our own extinction if it made the â€Å"system† of society run better?A rational resolution to the conflict between individualism and collectivism might structure these values in this manner: 1. The rights of individuals to act as they wish is unencumbered, unless their actions harm others or interfere with others' free exercise of their individual rights, and as long as their actions do not interfere with functions of society that other individuals depend upon, provided those functions do not themselves interfere with these proscribed individual rights and were agreed to by a majority of the individuals. . A society (or more specifically the system of order that enables the workings of a society) exists for the purpose of benefitting the lives of the individuals who are members of that society. The functions of a soc iety in providing such benefits would be those agreed to by the majority of individuals in the society. 1. A society may require contributions from its members in order for them to benefit from the services provided by the society.The failure of individuals to make such required contributions could be considered a reason to deny those benefits to them, although a society could elect to consider hardship situations in determining how much should be contributed. 1. A society may restrict behavior of individuals who are members of the society only for the purpose of performing its designated functions agreed to by the majority of individuals in the society, only insofar as they violate the aforementioned values.This means that a society may abrogate the rights of any of its members who fails to uphold the aforementioned values. Of necessity, as you can see here, the exceptions associated with values like these can become recursive and often convoluted. The name proposed for the discipl ine that tries to perform this task—mapping and formalizing value system prioritizations and resolving conflicts between disparate value systems through rational analysis—is ethonomics.