Meaning and Origin of the Last Name Cunningham

The Scottish surname  Cunningham  has more than one possible meaning or etymology: A place name from the Cunningham area in the Ayrshire district of Scotland, which, in turn, got its name from the words cunny or coney, meaning rabbit and hame, meaning home (rabbits home).Another possible translation is that the name derived from cuinneag, meaning milk pail along with the Saxon ham, meaning village.An Irish  surname adopted from the Scottish by bearers of Gaelic Ó Cuinneagà ¡in, meaning descendant of Cuinneagà ¡n, a personal name from the Old Irish personal name Conn, meaning leader or chief. Cunningham is one of the 100 most common  surnames in Scotland. Surname Origin:  Scottish, Irish Alternate Surname Spellings:  Cunnyngham, Konningham, Koenigam, Cunningham, Coonaghan, Counihan, Cunnighan, Kinningham, Kinighan, Kinagam, Kinnegan, Maccunnigan, Conaghan, Kinaghan Where is the Cunningham Surname Found? According to WorldNames public profiler, the Cunningham surname is most commonly found in Ireland, especially the Donegal, North East, and West regions. Outside of Ireland, the Cunningham surname is most popular in Scotland, followed by Australia and New Zealand. The surname distribution maps at Forebears puts the greatest density of people with the Cunningham surname in Northern Ireland, followed by Jamaica, Ireland, and Scotland. Famous People with the Surname Cunningham: Andrew Cunningham - British admiral of World War IIGlenn Cunningham - American distance runnerMerce Cunningham - American dancer and choreographerRedmond Christopher Archer Cunningham -  the only Irishman to receive the Military Cross on D-DayWalter Cunningham - NASA astronaut and  Lunar Module pilot on the first manned Apollo mission (Apollo 7) ​Genealogy Resources for the Surname Cunningham: Cunningham Irish ClanA website devoted to providing historical content on the Cunningham surname and serving as a platform to connect Cunningham individuals around the world. Cunningham Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Cunningham surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Cunningham surname query. Cunningham Family DNA ProjectThis Y-DNA project includes over 180 members interested in using DNA testing to help prove a family connection between Cunninghams and related surnames when a paper trail cannot be established. FamilySearch - CUNNINGHAM GenealogyExplore over 2.5 million results, including digitized records, database entries, and online family trees for the Cunningham surname and its variations on the FREE FamilySearch website, courtesy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. CUNNINGHAM Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Cunningham surname. DistantCousin.com - CUNNINGHAM Genealogy Family HistoryFree databases and genealogy links for the last name Cunningham. The Cunningham Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Cunningham surname from the website of Genealogy Today. ----------------------- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York:  Oxford University Press, 2003. MacLysaght, Edward.  Surnames of Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1989. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Spanking And Its Effect On Children - 2028 Words

Spanking Children Yelling in public, crying over the smallest things, throwing a tantrum every five minutes; all these things have the same solution, which is spanking. People think spanking is a way to raise their children. Spanking is used among parents to teach their children a lesson if they act in a way they are not supposed to act. Some parents use spanking as a way to discipline, a way to teach the child a lesson, or it can be a natural thing in their household. The method of spanking as child rearing has caused some controversy about whether spanking negatively influence a child’s future behaviors and actions. The practice of spanking can later reflect their violent behavior as they get older. Children can easily misunderstand the message behind spanking and unknowingly use it the same way as their parents. Children can, therefore, use the method of spanking toward their new upcoming urge for violence or bad behavior. All of their future actions are now reflecting what they learned in t heir few years as a baby; they have learned the pain and method of spanking. It is only natural for them to use what they learned in their future. While the method of spanking for child rearing is used among many families, it is important to know whether this practice of spanking is effective in a beneficial way or if it is a definite way to create a child who has a violent behavior. It is better to know whether spanking is favorable in a child’s rearing years, rather than to use theShow MoreRelatedSpanking And Its Effect On Children773 Words   |  4 PagesALIDITY AND RELIABILITY 2 Spanking as a way to punish children is a heated debate that does not appear to have an end in sight. The people on both sides of the issue have very strong opinions and do not seem to want to entertain the idea that the other side could be correct. This is generally how debates work, but one concern that is often not looked at is whether the claims from either side are valid and reliable. Anyone can make claims and find evidence for those claims, but the evidenceRead MoreThe Effects Of Spanking On Children s Children880 Words   |  4 PagesGrowing up most children had experienced being spanked.Being spanked is not fun and hurts very bad. Sometimes children get spanked for something they did wrong or simply because they lied.Spanking is a form of child abuse and can hurt a child s feelings. Spanking of children can cause a disattchament between parents and child. It can also cause a child to not trust their parents.Spankings can cause a distraction for children and it can affec t their school work. Hitting children can cause them toRead MoreThe Effects Of Time Outs And Spanking On Children1711 Words   |  7 PagesIn this chapter I will explain if the use of time-outs and spanking are a good way to correct a misbehave in children. As people know time-out is is a method use to modify undesirable and inappropriate behavior in children, such as disobedience aggression and inappropriate social behavior. Exclusion time out is usually the process in which you placed the child in a corner of a room away from any fun activities un-reinforced by social interactions. There is also isolation time out in which you removeRead MoreThe Effects Of Spanking On Children s Perception Essay2092 Words   |  9 Pagesthe effects of spanking on children. â€Å"With more than 30 years of research, we can now visualize accurately how spanking can alter a child’s perception.† (Scrock 2009) Although spanking has been the â€Å"go-to† way of discipline, it is starting to be looked on as a form of child abuse. After all, there are great reasons as to why organizations like the American Psychological Association and American Academy of Pediatrics condemn spanking. We will talk about the problems spanking causes in children, theRead MoreSpanking And Its Negative Effects On Children s Behavior1284 Words   |  6 Pagesreported that 80% of parents in the world support spanking (Holeman and Wire). Another study conducted in 2012 showed that 70% of parents that live in America, also, support the use of spanking (Perry). Despite the majority in favor of spanking, there are numerous debates about whether spanking is an effective way to discipline your child or not. In result of the debates many researchers have conducted studies based solely on the outcomes of spanking. A great number of the studies have concluded thatRead MoreArguments on Spanking Essay505 Words   |  3 Pagespeople do not believe in spanking are spanking can cause harmful si de effects, spanking is no more effective than other punishments, and spanking promotes violence in children. Some harmful side effects that could possibly be caused by spanking are children suffering from depression, being inferior in their school performance, or having problems later on in life. It is impossible to see side effects because they are not usually revealed immediately. People also believe that spanking cannot be proven toRead MoreEssay On Child Discipline1296 Words   |  6 Pagesguide children. There are many forms of discipline that parents use and they all have an effect. Some work better for some children while other forms may work for another. Parents can sometimes be stuck with how they should discipline their children and they want to know more about what is effective. In terms of punishment one form that is commonly used is corporal punishment, which is punishment in the physical form. One form of corporal punishment is spanking. For years and years, the span king debateRead MoreEffects Of Positive Punishment On Children1562 Words   |  7 Pages This paper will explore effects of positive punishment on children from research conducted through an online database. The articles however vary in certain aspects and perspective of punishment. Lansford, Wagner, Bates, Pettit, Dodge (2012) discuss the controversy as to whether or not infrequent spanking is related to the higher levels of externalizing behavior. Fletcher (2012) discusses whether or not the use of punishment is effective on children. Straus (1999) suggested about 15 years ago thatRead More stop spanking: save the children Essays1258 Words   |  6 Pages Spanking has been used for many years and it must come to an end. Also known as corporal punishment, spanking is most often used as a form of discipline. Although it is said to have some benefits, the negative consequences far outweigh the good. According to Dr. Wilson and Dr. Lyon, â€Å"physical punishment delivered in anger with the intent to cause pain is unacceptable and dangerous to the health and well being of the child.†( Guidance for Effective Discipline, online) It is important for spankingRead MoreThe Importance Of Parental Spanking Of Children1540 Words   |  7 Pagesnot spank their children because the parental spanking of children can be harmful to the behavioral and social development of their children. Parental spanking of children is a violent disciplinary technique where a parent hits childrens behinds with an open hand or object in order to deter childrens behavior in a way the parents may perceive as negative. I grew up in a home where my parents spanked me and my three younger brothers. I have witnessed parental spanking of children practiced first

The Amber Spyglass Chapter 31 Authority’s End Free Essays

Mrs. Coulter whispered to the shadow beside her: â€Å"Look how he hides, Metatron! He creeps through the dark like a rat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They stood on a ledge high up in the great cavern, watching Lord Asriel and the snow leopard make their careful way down, a long way below. â€Å"I could strike him now,† the shadow whispered. We will write a custom essay sample on The Amber Spyglass Chapter 31 Authority’s End or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Yes, of course you could,† she whispered back, leaning close; â€Å"but I want to see his face, dear Metatron; I want him to know I’ve betrayed him. Come, let’s follow and catch him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Dust fall shone like a great pillar of faint light as it descended smoothly and never-endingly into the gulf. Mrs. Coulter had no attention to spare for it, because the shadow beside her was trembling with desire, and she had to keep him by her side, under what control she could manage. They moved down, silent, following Lord Asriel. The farther down they climbed, the more she felt a great weariness fall over her. â€Å"What? What?† whispered the shadow, feeling her emotions, and suspicious at once. â€Å"I was thinking,† she said with a sweet malice, â€Å"how glad I am that the child will never grow up to love and be loved. I thought I loved her when she was a baby; but now – â€Å" â€Å"There was regret,† the shadow said, â€Å"in your heart there was regret that you will not see her grow up.† â€Å"Oh, Metatron, how long it is since you were a man! Can you really not tell what it is I’m regretting? It’s not her coming of age, but mine. How bitterly I regret that I didn’t know of you in my own girlhood; how passionately I would have devoted myself to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She leaned toward the shadow, as if she couldn’t control the impulses of her own body, and the shadow hungrily sniffed and seemed to gulp at the scent of her flesh. They were moving laboriously over the tumbled and broken rocks toward the foot of the slope. The farther down they went, the more the Dust light gave everything a nimbus of golden mist. Mrs. Coulter kept reaching for where his hand might have been if the shadow had been a human companion, and then seemed to recollect herself, and whispered: â€Å"Keep behind me, Metatron – wait here – Asriel is suspicious – let me lull him first. When he’s off guard, I’ll call you. But come as a shadow, in this small form, so he doesn’t see you – otherwise, he’ll just let the child’s daemon fly away.† The Regent was a being whose profound intellect had had thousands of years to deepen and strengthen itself, and whose knowledge extended over a million universes. Nevertheless, at that moment he was blinded by his twin obsessions: to destroy Lyra and to possess her mother. He nodded and stayed where he was, while the woman and the monkey moved forward as quietly as they could. Lord Asriel was waiting behind a great block of granite, out of sight of the Regent. The snow leopard heard them coming, and Lord Asriel stood up as Mrs. Coulter came around the corner. Everything, every surface, every cubic centimeter of air, was permeated by the falling Dust, which gave a soft clarity to every tiny detail; and in the Dust light Lord Asriel saw that her face was wet with tears, and that she was gritting her teeth so as not to sob. He took her in his arms, and the golden monkey embraced the snow leopard’s neck and buried his black face in her fur. â€Å"Is Lyra safe? Has she found her daemon?† she whispered. â€Å"The ghost of the boy’s father is protecting both of them.† â€Å"Dust is beautiful†¦ I never knew.† â€Å"What did you tell him?† â€Å"I lied and lied, Asriel†¦ Let’s not wait too long, I can’t bear it†¦ We won’t live, will we? We won’t survive like the ghosts?† â€Å"Not if we fall into the abyss. We came here to give Lyra time to find her daemon, and then time to live and grow up. If we take Metatron to extinction, Marisa, she’ll have that time, and if we go with him, it doesn’t matter.† â€Å"And Lyra will be safe?† â€Å"Yes, yes,† he said gently. He kissed her. She felt as soft and light in his arms as she had when Lyra was conceived thirteen years before. She was sobbing quietly. When she could speak, she whispered: â€Å"I told him I was going to betray you, and betray Lyra, and he believed me because I was corrupt and full of wickedness; he looked so deep I felt sure he’d see the truth. But I lied too well. I was lying with every nerve and fiber and everything I’d ever done†¦ I wanted him to find no good in me, and he didn’t. There is none. But I love Lyra. Where did this love come from? I don’t know; it came to me like a thief in the night, and now I love her so much my heart is bursting with it. All I could hope was that my crimes were so monstrous that the love was no bigger than a mustard seed in the shadow of them, and I wished I’d committed even greater ones to hide it more deeply still†¦ But the mustard seed had taken root and was growing, and the little green shoot was splitting my heart wide open, and I was so afraid he’d see†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She had to stop to gather herself. He stroked her shining hair, all set about with golden Dust, and waited. â€Å"Any moment now he’ll lose patience,† she whispered. â€Å"I told him to make himself small. But he’s only an angel, after all, even if he was once a man. And we can wrestle with him and bring him to the edge of the gulf, and we’ll both go down with him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He kissed her, saying, â€Å"Yes. Lyra will be safe, and the Kingdom will be powerless against her. Call him now, Marisa, my love.† She took a deep breath and let it out in a long, shuddering sigh. Then she smoothed her skirt down over her thighs and tucked the hair back behind her ears. â€Å"Metatron,† she called softly. â€Å"It’s time.† Metatron’s shadow-cloaked form appeared out of the golden air and took in at once what was happening: the two daemons, crouching and watchful, the woman with the nimbus of Dust, and Lord Asriel – Who leapt at him at once, seizing him around the waist, and tried to hurl him to the ground. The angel’s arms were free, though, and with fists, palms, elbows, knuckles, forearms, he battered Lord Asriel’s head and body: great pummeling blows that forced the breath from his lungs and rebounded from his ribs, that cracked against his skull and shook his senses. However, his arms encircled the angel’s wings, cramping them to his side. And a moment later, Mrs. Coulter had leapt up between those pinioned wings and seized Metatron’s hair. His strength was enormous: it was like holding the mane of a bolting horse. As he shook his head furiously, she was flung this way and that, and she felt the power in the great folded wings as they strained and heaved at the man’s arms locked so tightly around them. The daemons had seized hold of him, too. Stelmaria had her teeth firmly in his leg, and the golden monkey was tearing at one of the edges of the nearest wing, snapping feathers, ripping at the vanes, and this only roused the angel to greater fury. With a sudden massive effort he flung himself sideways, freeing one wing and crushing Mrs. Coulter against a rock. Mrs. Coulter was stunned for a second, and her hands came loose. At once the angel reared up again, beating his one free wing to fling off the golden monkey; but Lord Asriel’s arms were firm around him still, and in fact the man had a better grip now there wasn’t so much to enclose. Lord Asriel set himself to crushing the breath out of Metatron, grinding his ribs together, and trying to ignore the savage blows that were landing on his skull and his neck. But those blows were beginning to tell. And as Lord Asriel tried to keep his footing on the broken rocks, something shattering happened to the back of his head. When he flung himself sideways, Metatron had seized a fist-sized rock, and now he brought it down with brutal force on the point of Lord Asriel’s skull. The man felt the bones of his head move against each other, and he knew that another blow like that would kill him outright. Dizzy with pain – pain that was worse for the pressure of his head against the angel’s side, he still clung fast, the fingers of his right hand crushing the bones of his left, and stumbled for a footing among the fractured rocks. And as Metatron raised the bloody stone high, a golden-furred shape sprang up like a flame leaping to a treetop, and the monkey sank his teeth into the angel’s hand. The rock came loose and clattered down toward the edge, and Metatron swept his arm to left and right, trying to dislodge the daemon; but the golden monkey clung with teeth, claws, and tail, and then Mrs. Coulter gathered the great white beating wing to herself and smothered its movement. Metatron was hampered, but he still wasn’t hurt. Nor was he near the edge of the abyss. And by now Lord Asriel was weakening. He was holding fast to his blood-soaked consciousness, but with every movement a little more was lost. He could feel the edges of the bones grinding together in his skull; he could hear them. His senses were disordered; all he knew was hold tight and drag down. Then Mrs. Coulter found the angel’s face under her hand, and she dug her fingers deep into his eyes. Metatron cried out. From far off across the great cavern, echoes answered, and his voice bounded from cliff to cliff, doubling and diminishing and causing those distant ghosts to pause in their endless procession and look up. And Stelmaria the snow-leopard daemon, her own consciousness dimming with Lord Asriel’s, made one last effort and leapt for the angel’s throat. Metatron fell to his knees. Mrs. Coulter, falling with him, saw the blood-filled eyes of Lord Asriel gaze at her. And she scrambled up, hand over hand, forcing the beating wing aside, and seized the angel’s hair to wrench back his head and bare his throat for the snow leopard’s teeth. And now Lord Asriel was dragging him, dragging him backward, feet stumbling and rocks falling, and the golden monkey was leaping down with them, snapping and scratching and tearing, and they were almost there, almost at the edge; but Metatron forced himself up, and with a last effort spread both wings wide – a great white canopy that beat down and down and down, again and again and again, and then Mrs. Coulter had fallen away, and Metatron was upright, and the wings beat harder and harder, and he was aloft – he was leaving the ground, with Lord Asriel still clinging tight, but weakening fast. The golden monkey’s fingers were entwined in the angel’s hair, and he would never let go – But they were over the edge of the abyss. They were rising. And if they flew higher, Lord Asriel would fall, and Metatron would escape. â€Å"Marisa! Marisa!† The cry was torn from Lord Asriel, and with the snow leopard beside her, with a roaring in her ears, Lyra’s mother stood and found her footing and leapt with all her heart, to hurl herself against the angel and her daemon and her dying lover, and seize those beating wings, and bear them all down together into the abyss. The cliff-ghasts heard Lyra’s exclamation of dismay, and their flat heads all snapped around at once. Will sprang forward and slashed the knife at the nearest of them. He felt a little kick on his shoulder as Tialys leapt off and landed on the cheek of the biggest, seizing her hair and kicking hard below the jaw before she could throw him off. The creature howled and thrashed as she fell into the mud, and the nearest one looked stupidly at the stump of his arm, and then in horror at his own ankle, which his sliced-off hand had seized as it fell. A second later the knife was in his breast. Will felt the handle jump three or four times with the dying heartbeats, and pulled it out before the cliff-ghast could twist it away in falling. He heard the others cry and shriek in hatred as they fled, and he knew that Lyra was unhurt beside him; but he threw himself down in the mud with only one thing in his mind. â€Å"Tialys! Tialys!† he cried, and avoiding the snapping teeth, he hauled the biggest cliff-ghast’s head aside. Tialys was dead, his spurs deep in her neck. The creature was kicking and biting still, so he cut off her head and rolled it away before lifting the dead Gallivespian clear of the leathery neck. â€Å"Will,† said Lyra behind him, â€Å"Will, look at this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She was gazing into the crystal litter. It was unbroken, although the crystal was stained and smeared with mud and the blood from what the cliff-ghasts had been eating before they found it. It lay tilted crazily among the rocks, and inside it – â€Å"Oh, Will, he’s still alive! But – the poor thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Will saw her hands pressing against the crystal, trying to reach in to the angel and comfort him; because he was so old, and he was terrified, crying like a baby and cowering away into the lowest corner. â€Å"He must be so old – I’ve never seen anyone suffering like that – oh, Will, can’t we let him out?† Will cut through the crystal in one movement and reached in to help the angel out. Demented and powerless, the aged being could only weep and mumble in fear and pain and misery, and he shrank away from what seemed like yet another threat. â€Å"It’s all right,† Will said, â€Å"we can help you hide, at least. Come on, we won’t hurt you.† The shaking hand seized his and feebly held on. The old one was uttering a wordless groaning whimper that went on and on, and grinding his teeth, and compulsively plucking at himself with his free hand; but as Lyra reached in, too, to help him out, he tried to smile, and to bow, and his ancient eyes deep in their wrinkles blinked at her with innocent wonder. Between them they helped the ancient of days out of his crystal cell; it wasn’t hard, for he was as light as paper, and he would have followed them anywhere, having no will of his own, and responding to simple kindness like a flower to the sun. But in the open air there was nothing to stop the wind from damaging him, and to their dismay his form began to loosen and dissolve. Only a few moments later he had vanished completely, and their last impression was of those eyes, blinking in wonder, and a sigh of the most profound and exhausted relief. Then he was gone: a mystery dissolving in mystery. It had all taken less than a minute, and Will turned back at once to the fallen Chevalier. He picked up the little body, cradling it in his palms, and found his tears flowing fast. But Lyra was saying something urgently. â€Å"Will – we’ve got to move – we’ve got to, the Lady can hear those horses coming – â€Å" Out of the indigo sky an indigo hawk swooped low, and Lyra cried out and ducked; but Salmakia cried with all her strength, â€Å"No, Lyra! No! Stand high, and hold out your fist!† So Lyra held still, supporting one arm with the other, and the blue hawk wheeled and turned and swooped again, to seize her knuckles in sharp claws. On the hawk’s back sat a gray-haired lady, whose clear-eyed face looked first at Lyra, then at Salmakia clinging to her collar. â€Å"Madame†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Salmakia faintly, â€Å"we have done†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You have done all you need. Now we are here,† said Madame Oxentiel, and twitched the reins. At once the hawk screamed three times, so loud that Lyra’s head rang. In response there darted from the sky first one, then two and three and more, then hundreds of brilliant warrior-bearing dragonflies, all skimming so fast it seemed they were bound to crash into one another; but the reflexes of the insects and the skills of their riders were so acute that instead, they seemed to weave a tapestry of swift and silent needle-bright color over and around the children. â€Å"Lyra,† said the lady on the hawk, â€Å"and Will: follow us now, and we shall take you to your daemons.† As the hawk spread its wings and lifted away from one hand, Lyra felt the little weight of Salmakia fall into the other, and knew in a moment that only the Lady’s strength of mind had kept her alive this long. She cradled her body close, and ran with Will under the cloud of dragonflies, stumbling and falling more than once, but holding the Lady gently against her heart all the time. â€Å"Left! Left!† cried the voice from the blue hawk, and in the lightning-riven murk they turned that way; and to their right Will saw a body of men in light gray armor, helmeted, masked, their gray wolf daemons padding in step beside them. A stream of dragonflies made for them at once, and the men faltered. Their guns were no use, and the Gallivespians were among them in a moment, each warrior springing from his insect’s back, finding a hand, an arm, a bare neck, and plunging his spur in before leaping back to the insect as it wheeled and skimmed past again. They were so quick it was almost impossible to follow. The soldiers turned and fled in panic, their discipline shattered. But then came hoofbeats in a sudden thunder from behind, and the children turned in dismay: those horse-people were bearing down on them at a gallop, and already one or two had nets in their hands, whirling them around over their heads and entrapping the dragonflies, to snap the nets like whips and fling the broken insects aside. â€Å"This way!† came the Lady’s voice, and then she said, â€Å"Duck, now – get down low!† They did, and felt the earth shake under them. Could that be hoofbeats? Lyra raised her head and wiped the wet hair from her eyes, and saw something quite different from horses. â€Å"Iorek!† she cried, joy leaping in her chest. â€Å"Oh, Iorek!† Will pulled her down again at once, for not only Iorek Byrnison but a regiment of his bears were making directly for them. Just in time Lyra tucked her head down, and then Iorek bounded over them, roaring orders to his bears to go left, go right, and crush the enemy between them. Lightly, as if his armor weighed no more than his fur, the bear-king spun to face Will and Lyra, who were struggling upright. â€Å"Iorek – behind you – they’ve got nets!† Will cried, because the riders were almost on them. Before the bear could move, a rider’s net hissed through the air, and instantly Iorek was enveloped in steel-strong cobweb. He roared, rearing high, slashing with huge paws at the rider. But the net was strong, and although the horse whinnied and reared back in fear, Iorek couldn’t fight free of the coils. â€Å"Iorek!† Will shouted. â€Å"Keep still! Don’t move!† He scrambled forward through the puddles and over the tussocks as the rider tried to control the horse, and reached Iorek just at the moment when a second rider arrived and another net hissed through the air. But Will kept his head: instead of slashing wildly and getting in more of a tangle, he watched the flow of the net and cut it through in a matter of moments. The second net fell useless to the ground, and then Will leapt at Iorek, feeling with his left hand, cutting with his right. The great bear stood motionless as the boy darted here and there over his vast body, cutting, freeing, clearing the way. â€Å"Now go!† Will yelled, leaping clear, and Iorek seemed to explode upward full into the chest of the nearest horse. The rider had raised his scimitar to sweep down at the bear’s neck, but Iorek Byrnison in his armor weighed nearly two tons, and nothing at that range could withstand him. Horse and rider, both of them smashed and shattered, fell harmlessly aside. Iorek gathered his balance, looked around to see how the land lay, and roared to the children: â€Å"On my back! Now!† Lyra leapt up, and Will followed. Pressing the cold iron between their legs, they felt the massive surge of power as Iorek began to move. Behind them, the rest of the bears were engaging with the strange cavalry, helped by the Gallivespians, whose stings enraged the horses. The lady on the blue hawk skimmed low and called: â€Å"Straight ahead now! Among the trees in the valley!† Iorek reached the top of a little rise in the ground and paused. Ahead of them the broken ground sloped down toward a grove about a quarter of a mile away. Somewhere beyond that a battery of great guns was firing shell after shell, howling high overhead, and someone was firing flares, too, that burst just under the clouds and drifted down toward the trees, making them blaze with cold green light as a fine target for the guns. And fighting for control of the grove itself were a score or more Specters, being held back by a ragged band of ghosts. As soon as they saw that little group of trees, Lyra and Will both knew that their daemons were in there, and that if they didn’t reach them soon, they would die. More Specters were arriving there every minute, streaming over the ridge from the right. Will and Lyra could see them very clearly now. An explosion just over the ridge shook the ground and flung stones and clods of earth high into the air. Lyra cried out, and Will had to clutch his chest. â€Å"Hold on,† Iorek growled, and began to charge. A flare burst high above, and another and another, drifting slowly downward with a magnesium-bright glare. Another shell burst, closer this time, and they felt the shock of the air and a second or two later the sting of earth and stones on their faces. Iorek didn’t falter, but they found it hard to hold on. They couldn’t dig their fingers into his fur – they had to grip the armor between their knees, and his back was so broad that both of them kept slipping. â€Å"Look!† cried Lyra, pointing up as another shell burst nearby. A dozen witches were making for the flares, carrying thick-leaved, bushy branches, and with them they brushed the glaring lights aside, sweeping them away into the sky beyond. Darkness fell over the grove again, hiding it from the guns. And now the grove was only a few yards away. Will and Lyra both felt their missing selves close by – an excitement, a wild hope chilled with fear, because the Specters were thick among the trees and they would have to go in directly among them, and the very sight of them evoked that nauseating weakness at the heart. â€Å"They’re afraid of the knife,† said a voice beside them, and the bear-king stopped so suddenly that Will and Lyra tumbled off his back. â€Å"Lee!† said Iorek. â€Å"Lee, my comrade, I have never seen this before. You are dead – what am I speaking to?† â€Å"Iorek, old feller, you don’t know the half of it. We’ll take over now – the Specters aren’t afraid of bears. Lyra, Will – come this way, and hold up that knife – â€Å" The blue hawk swooped once more to Lyra’s fist, and the gray-haired lady said, â€Å"Don’t waste a second – go in and find your daemons and escape! There’s more danger coming.† â€Å"Thank you, Lady! Thank you all!† said Lyra, and the hawk took wing. Will could see Lee Scoresby’s ghost dimly beside them, urging them into the grove, but they had to say farewell to Iorek Byrnison. â€Å"Iorek, my dear, there en’t words – bless you, bless you!† â€Å"Thank you, King Iorek,† said Will. â€Å"No time. Go. Go!† He pushed them away with his armored head. Will plunged after Lee Scoresby’s ghost into the undergrowth, slashing to right and left with the knife. The light here was broken and muted, and the shadows were thick, tangled, confusing. â€Å"Keep close,† he called to Lyra, and then cried out as a bramble sliced across his cheek. All around them there was movement, noise, and struggle. The shadows moved to and fro like branches in a high wind. They might have been ghosts: both children felt the little dashes of cold they knew so well. Then they heard voices all around: â€Å"This way!† â€Å"Over here!† â€Å"Keep going – we’re holding them off!† â€Å"Not far now!† And then came a cry in a voice that Lyra knew and loved better than any other: â€Å"Oh, come quick! Quick, Lyra!† â€Å"Pan, darling – I’m here – â€Å" She hurled herself into the dark, sobbing and shaking, and Will tore down branches and ivy and slashed at brambles and nettles, while all around them the ghost-voices rose in a clamor of encouragement and warning. But the Specters had found their target, too, and they pressed in through the snagging tangle of bush and briar and root and branch, meeting no more resistance than smoke. A dozen, a score of the pallid malignities seemed to pour in toward the center of the grove, where John Parry’s ghost marshaled his companions to fight them off. Will and Lyra were both trembling and weak with fear, exhaustion, nausea, and pain, but giving up was inconceivable. Lyra tore at the brambles with her bare hands, Will slashed and hacked to left and right, as around them the combat of the shadowy beings became more and more savage. â€Å"There!† cried Lee. â€Å"See ’em? By that big rock – â€Å" A wildcat, two wildcats, spitting and hissing and slashing. Both were daemons, and Will felt that if there were time he’d easily be able to tell which was Pantalaimon; but there wasn’t time, because a Specter eased horribly out of the nearest patch of shadow and glided toward the daemons. Will leapt over the last obstacle, a fallen tree trunk, and plunged the knife into the unresisting shimmer in the air. He felt his arm go numb, but he clenched his teeth as he was clenching his fingers around the hilt, and the pale form seemed to boil away and melt back into the darkness again. Almost there; and the daemons were mad with fear, because more Specters and still more came pressing through the trees, and only the valiant ghosts were holding them back. â€Å"Can you cut through?† said John Parry’s ghost. Will held up the knife, and had to stop as a racking bout of nausea shook him from head to toe. There was nothing left in his stomach, and the spasm hurt dreadfully. Lyra beside him was in the same state. Lee’s ghost, seeing why, leapt for the daemons and wrestled with the pale thing that was coming through the rock from behind them. â€Å"Will – please – † said Lyra, gasping. In went the knife, along, down, back. Lee Scoresby’s ghost looked through and saw a wide, quiet prairie under a brilliant moon, so very like his own homeland that he thought he’d been blessed. Will leapt across the clearing and seized the nearest daemon while Lyra scooped up the other. And even in that horrible urgency, even at that moment of utmost peril, each of them felt the same little shock of excitement: for Lyra was holding Will’s daemon, the nameless wildcat, and Will was carrying Pantalaimon. They tore their glance away from each other’s eyes. â€Å"Good-bye, Mr. Scoresby!† Lyra cried, looking around for him. â€Å"I wish – oh, thank you, thank you – good-bye!† â€Å"Good-bye, my dear child – good-bye, Will – go well!† Lyra scrambled through, but Will stood still and looked into the eyes of his father’s ghost, brilliant in the shadows. Before he left him, there was something he had to say. Will said to his father’s ghost, â€Å"You said I was a warrior. You told me that was my nature, and I shouldn’t argue with it. Father, you were wrong. I fought because I had to. I can’t choose my nature, but I can choose what I do. And I will choose, because now I’m free.† His father’s smile was full of pride and tenderness. â€Å"Well done, my boy. Well done indeed,† he said. Will couldn’t see him anymore. He turned and climbed through after Lyra. And now that their purpose was achieved, now the children had found their daemons and escaped, the dead warriors allowed their atoms to relax and drift apart, at long, long last. Out of the little grove, away from the baffled Specters, out of the valley, past the mighty form of his old companion the armor-clad bear, the last little scrap of the consciousness that had been the aeronaut Lee Scoresby floated upward, just as his great balloon had done so many times. Untroubled by the flares and the bursting shells, deaf to the explosions and the shouts and cries of anger and warning and pain, conscious only of his movement upward, the last of Lee Scoresby passed through the heavy clouds and came out under the brilliant stars, where the atoms of his beloved daemon, Hester, were waiting for him. How to cite The Amber Spyglass Chapter 31 Authority’s End, Essay examples

Arbitration and Litigation

Question: What is the difference between Arbitration and Litigation? Answer: The process of arbitration is quite different from the process of litigation. There are a number of differences between the two processes. Firstly, the process of arbitration is private and informal as compared to litigation which is a formal courtroom process. Secondly, arbitration is comparatively a very quicker process than litigation as the cases are heard immediately. Thirdly, the costs in the process of arbitration are limited to the fees given to the arbitrator and the attorney. Litigation costs are generally very high. Fourthly, in arbitration proceeding it is the parties who jointly decide on who will be the arbitrator and in cases of litigation in this area the parties do not have any say. Fifthly in cases of arbitration, even though attorneys are present they do not have much role but in cases of litigation the attorneys have a huge role to play. Further, in cases of arbitration there is a very limited process for evidence as it is the arbitrator who controls what evidence would be required and is to be permitted. However in case of litigation it is necessary that there is full disclosure of evidences from both the parties in the litigation. Also there is no interrogation or discovery process in cases of arbitration. And finally in arbitration cases the parties cannot appeal unless such a clause is present in the agreement. In case of litigation there are chances of a number of appeals. There are a number of cases that are resolved through the process of arbitration. In the country of Singapore most arbitration cases are sorted by the Singapore International Arbitration Center. One real life case on arbitration would be a case between Indonesia who was the claimant and Vietnam who was the respondent. The arbitration case was regarding the performance of a bond and the failure to make any payment regarding the same (Amin, n.d.). Another real life case on arbitration would be a case between Singapore who was the claimant and Hong Kong, who was the respondent. The case was regarding a system software agreement relating to a security trading. The contract regarding the same was breached and there was also a failure of payment (Amin, n.d.). Reference Amin, Z.Singapore International Arbitration Centre | Profile of Cases.Siac.org.sg. Retrieved 18 February 2015, from https://www.siac.org.sg/2014-11-03-13-33-43/facts-figures/profile-of-cases

The Creator Of Suspense Essays - English-language Films,

The Creator Of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most well known directors of all time bringing murder and mystery to a new light. His films, starting in 1925 with The Pleasure Garden and ending in 1976 with the film Family Plot, set a precedent for all other directors in the film industry. Many story lines and techniques within the cinematography of Hitchcock are common standards for films of today. However, Hitchcock did not start out as a brilliant director, but instead started from the very bottom of the business. As a young man Hitchcock was raised and lived in England with his parents. When a new Paramount studio opened he rushed to get a job there having had interest in film making for quite a bit of time. He was employed at Paramount as a title designer for silent films meaning he wrote out the lines that are displayed after each shot in the film. From that job he worked his way up through the business to assistant director and directed a small film that was never finished or released. Hitchcock's directorial debut took place in 1925 with the release of the film The Pleasure Garden. His breakthrough film came just a year later with The Lodger, a film that came to be an ideal example of a classic Hitchcock plot. The general idea of the plot is an innocent man is accused of a crime he did not commit and through a web of mystery, danger, action, and of course love he must fi nd the true criminal. This plot came to be used in many of Hitchcock's films throughout his career both silent and talkie. It was not long before Hitchcock came to be known as the Master of Suspense. He was said to have not only mastered the art of making films but he also mastered the task of taming his own raging imagination. The first Alfred Hitchcock film I am going to address is his and England's first talkie which is the dramatization Blackmail. This film, released in 1929, was originally shot as a silent and some people say it should have remained as a silent. Nonetheless, it was a tremendous breakthrough for both Hitchcock and the British film industry for their first movie with sound. However, there were a few problems with this transition to sound. Anna Ondra who played the main female character Alice had a very thick Eastern European accent that came to be impossible to decipher on the film. This had never been a problem for her prior to Blackmail because she had only starred in silent films. This was a topic we addressed in class and we learned that a lot of European actors/actresses were out of work with the invention of sound movies because of thick accents. However, in Blackmail there was a solutionOndra's voice was dubbed over by an English actress named Joan Barry. By doing this voice-over the film could remain a talkie and they would not have to re-film. The film also was still using the synchronized sound so it was not as perfect as later techniques of putting sound to film. The film is about a young woman, Alice, who makes a bad character judgement about a stranger she meets. She is invited to the studio of a sketchy looking artist who would like her to pose for him, or so she thinks that is his intention. His true intention, however, is to sleep with her. Ultimately she has to fight off his unwanted attention and goes as far as killing him, in true Hitchcock fashion, with a knife. This murder lands her in a spiral of intrigue as she is caught between her boyfriend who is an investigating detective and a person who is blackmailing her. Alice wants to turn herself in, but if she did that she'd have to explain why she had put herself in such a position. Within this film is the typical Hitchcock story that the character wants to tell the police what has happened but they just can not do it. They know they'd never be believed so they must set out to defend themselves. This occurs in The 39 Steps, a film that will

Resume Writing Advice and Things to Avoid in Your Resume

Resume Writing Advice and Things to Avoid in Your Resume Resume Nightmares: Things to Never Put on Your Resume The comfortimg feeling of warm summer days may still be present in our lives, but, nonetheless, fall is already here. Still not convinced about that ï Å ? Have a look at the shop windows of the supermarkets nearby that have already started to sell their scary costumes and masks. With frolic witches and orcs, summers magic may quickly turn into a real nightmare. Even though nightmares make you wake up in the midst of night in cold sweat, they may also quickly become a reality. People sometimes consciously do things in their everyday life that can become real nightmares writing CVs, for example. Hardly anyone plans to devise a ghoulish resume; however, it frequently happens. Therefore, to introduce you to the festive mood of Halloween, we have created a list of common mistakes that make resumes look really disgusting. We have also prepared some resume writing tips to take into account when you wonder how to make a resume. The Slasher Instead of brandishing a shiny blade, an applicant will most probably provide a resume that was shortened beyond anything comprehensible and understandable. When looking at it from a distance, it may seem that the CV has all the signs promising it to be good (the format is OK, the fonts are legible, etc.), but when looking at it closer, there is nothing more apart from the lists, bullet points, and some wow words. Instead of providing a list of your benefits and strengths, consider connecting your experience and qualifications with the position you are applying for. The Psycho Hmm ... does the spelling seem rather off? Well, probably, it does. With the inception of numerous spellcheck programs, many pains regarding spelling were eradicated. However, spellchecks do not always guarantee you success. So, spend some 5-7 minutes and proofread the resume on your own or ask someone to throw an eye on it. The Blob This is a CV that is no longer a concise document that allows recruiters or HR managers to make out what qualifications or experiences the applicant has. To make it clearer, I mean that it would be proper to compare such resumes to small novellas. However, you must understand that adding more pages to your CV wont increase your hiring perspectives. Crying Wolf(man) Little lies may be fairly OK with you in your everyday life, for example, when you tell your Mom that the meat she baked is delicious although you have recently decided to be a vegetarian. However, when it comes to your CV, such lies are totally unacceptable. If you think that some small exaggeration wont spoil anything, youd be amazed how all these lies can turn against you in your future workplace when, for instance, you will be delegated an assignment that you havent a clue how to deal with. To sum up, take into careful consideration all of the aforementioned tips and you will be amazed how easier it will be to write your next resume.

The Changing Global Economy ( ECON401 ) Assignment

The Changing Global Economy ( ECON401 ) - Assignment Example The firms which had failed in UK allowed their businesses to overextend through risk taking and excessive leverage, over dependence on risky product streams like derivatives or buy-to-let mortgages, poor decisions of management in respect of acquisitions, over reliance on wholesale funding. Unprecedented innovation and growth have been seen in the financial sector over the past two decades as new products and higher returns have been sought by the investors in the era of low interest rates. Banks also had an obligation to understand the risks to which they are exposed. The complexity of certain financial instruments and the interconnected developed global market often did not provide well understanding of the dangers involved with the banks, its investors and boards, central banks and regulators (HM Treasury, 2009). The risk models of banks were proved as flawed which was based on incomplete application of principles of finance. It was believed that risks had been widely distributed throughout the financial system by the method of securitization but it proved as mistaken and risks posed by global increase in leverage were under-estimated. The remuneration policies of banks have contributed to the riskiness of financial system as they focused too much on short term prof it. Market discipline also proved as an ineffective constraint on risk taking in financial markets (Independent Commission on Banking, 2011).There were certain deficiencies in the corporate governance of banking institutions. The board of banks failed to understand this and they got prone to the risk management processes of their firms. The senior management also did not question on the sustainability and nature of achieved higher returns. Many institutional shareholders were not able to monitor the effectiveness of senior management of banks nor did they challenge the decisions of board of bank. Generally, the banks and investors rely on the assessments of credit rating agency but

Explore Theatre In Education And Consider It's Role Within Primary Dissertation

Explore Theatre In Education And Consider It's Role Within Primary Schools - Dissertation Example In fact, all of the research survey respondents revealed that they strongly consider theatre in education as an important strategy in terms of enhancing the learning experience of Key Stage 1 and 2 students. Although majority with 51 out of 89 or 57.30% of the research survey respondents believe that the benefit of using this teaching and learning technique outweighs the economic consequences of incorporating this strategy in the National Curriculum, some of the research survey respondents are not supporting the idea that the National Curriculum should make it compulsory for each of the state school to expose Key Stage 1 and 2 to Theatre in Education programmes because of financial issues. Table of Contents Executive Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2 Table of Contents †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 I. Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 a. Purpose of this Study ................................................. 6 b. Research Objective(s) ................................................ 6 c. Research Questions .................................................. 7 d. Rationale for Choosing the Research Topic .............. 8 e. Report Plan ............................................................... 9 e.1 Introduction ................................................... ... History and Developments of Theatre in Education †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 b. Advantages and Disadvantages of Theatre in Education . 14 b.1 Advantages of Theatre in Education †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 b.2 Disadvantages of Theatre in Education †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18 b.2.1 Internal and External Conflicts between the Local Primary Schools and the Government with Regards to Funding †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18 b.2.2 Not all Primary Schools were Availing the Services of Theatre Companies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 19 b. Views of the National Curriculums with Regards to Integrating Theatre Exposure in the Curriculum of Primary School Students †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 c. Existing Companies that Provides Theatre in Education Services for Primary Students in UK ..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 21 d.1 Aesop Touring Theatre Company †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 22 d.2 Johnny Ball Production †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 d.3 Kinetic Theatre Company †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 23 II. Research Methodology †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 25 a. Primary Research Method ............................................... 25 a.1 Target Population and Sample Size ............. 27 a.2 Site of the Research Study ........................... 28 a.3 Evaluation Method ........................................ 29 b. Secondary Research Method ........................................... 29 c. Ethical Considerations Applied when Conducting the Actual Research Study ..................................................... 29 III. Research Findings and Discussion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 31 IV. Conclusion and Recommendations †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... 35 Appendix I – National Curriculum for Primary Students †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 37 Appendix II – List of Satisfied Primary Schools

Briefing a case State v. Wells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Briefing a case State v. Wells - Essay Example The appellant maintained her innocence, but believing that she would be convicted and sentenced harshly at a trial, she entered into plea negotiations and agreed to plead guilty provided the prosecution recommend a sentence of 8 years on the vehicular homicide count, and 4 years for the vehicular assault to run concurrently. The prosecution agreed and the appellant pleaded guilty (Alford pleas). The court accepted the prosecution’s recommendations for sentencing and the appellant was sentenced accordingly. Legal Issues: The appellant raised two legal issues on appeal. First she contends that the trial court erred in failing to ascertain whether or not her Alford pleas were entered â€Å"freely and knowingly† pursuant to the US Supreme Court’s ruling in North Carolina v Alford (1971) 400 U.S. 25. Secondly, the appellant argued that her guilty pleas were not entered freely and knowingly because her attorney had not properly informed her of the legal consequences of the guilty pleas. Reasoning: After reviewing the record of the proceedings in the lower court the appellate court determined that the court specifically inquired as to why the appellant was pleading guilty and not opting to go to trial. It was revealed that the appellant agreed that she felt she would be convicted despite her innocence and would receive a harsher sentence than the sentence she negotiated under the plea agreement. Thus, the court found that the necessary inquiries were made pursuant to the Alford case to ascertain that the appellant had freely and knowingly accepted a plea agreement. Therefore the first ground of appeal was dismissed on the merits. As to the second ground of appeal, the appellate court reasoned that there was no evidence on the record illustrating that the attorney did not properly inform the appellant of the legal consequences of Alford pleas. Relying on State v Cooperrider (1983) 4 Ohio St. 3d. 226, the appellate court reasoned that when an

Examine The Advantages Of Trading Blocs Economics Essay

Examine The Advantages Of Trading Blocs Economics Essay A trade bloc is a group of countries that have joined together and formulated agreements to promote trade amongst themselves often on preferential terms. They would remove tariffs and other barriers of trade to these partners who in turn reciprocate. One of the best known trade blocs is the EEC (European Economic Community) where the individual countries have no restrictions on trade between themselves, many of the countries have a common currency (the Euro) and labour can freely move from one country in the bloc to another. Before highlighting and explaining the advantages of trading blocs one should know what the meaning of trade blocs is. A trade bloc is a group of different countries who join together for formulating agreements in order to promote trade between them. One of the best called as trade blocs is the EEC which stands for European Economic Community, where individual countries are not restricted for trade between them. Most of the countries have common currency, the Euro, because of which the people or labours can move freely from one country in the bloc to the other. ADVANTAGES Foreign Direct Investment Trade blocs give results to a rise in foreign direct investment. This further is beneficial for the economies of the nations participating. Creation of large markets is been found which results in lower costs for manufacturing goods locally. Economies of Scale Markets which are larger and developed with the help of trade blocs permit or allows economies of scale. If too much production is allowed then the real average cost of production reduces at a greater extent. Competition Positive effect of trade blocs is that lot many manufacturers of different countries come together to work closely. Ofcourse, this result to high rate of competition between them. It is said that increased competition raise to greater efficiency within the firms. Trade Effects -There is no inclusion of tariffs and so takes imports cost downward. Because of this, change of demand is been seen. The customers do purchases on the basis of low prices and allows the firms with a benefit in production to prosper. Market Efficiency An upward direction for consumption experienced with the demand changed further gives a combination of huge amount of goods being produced resulting into an efficient market. Changes in the balance of world trade during the course of the 20th Century The trade balance is the result of the difference between total values of exports and imports of products and services for that particular period of time. Also, trade surplus is the one when a nation ´s total annual exports is more than its total imports that is calculated annually. The main reason for increasing trade is improvement in technologies. Businesses and cusotmers, both have easy access to an product from different countries. Increase in technology also increases the competition among the industries dealing in that. Previously, the world trade was dominated by the trade of Europe and that is really true. Normally, after 1870 with rapid rise in industrialisation, the need for supply of products and services rised then it led its trade with other, world markets to move upward. I further broadened international economy as it brought too many states and countries into trade business this further reinforced the European domination. Thus during 1900 two thirds of Latin America ´s trade went with the Europe and about 90 per cent of Africa and Oceana also were in the same track. Examine how Economies of Scale has benefited specific industries The concept that arises in the form of production of prodruct or service and such other movements taken by all kinds of organisation whether it is non-business or business related is known  ¨Economies of scale ¨ business or nonbusiness organization. Economies of scale has benefited many industries who also participated in foreign trade. Normally, foreign trade is based on specialization, how each or different countries specialized in activities of production of products or services which furhter is a greater advantage. When one finds that there is negligle difference among countries related to the economic effiency for production of products or services, then surely there are benefits for joining in specialization and foreign trade. Other than pure economies of scale in production, there are  ¨economies of scale ¨in learning are related to specialization in foreign context of trade. Here, the average cost per unit falls as efficiencies of economy rises due to learning. In any organization where learning is plays an essential role in causing economies of scale, then there are benefits in one country specializing for that product ´s production. Also, further this can decrease average costs and retail prices to move down compared to those nations who attempt to be self-sufficient in the goods related to economies of scale in learning. Economies of scale also leads to monopoly where in the market there is only one seller for the particular product. Here, when there is only one seller then it can engage in an unfair pricing policy due to lack of competition and the people always insist that monopolist ´s pricing should be regulated by the government. For example, the electric providing industry which is enjoying natural monopoly. Propose reasons why globalisation has led to organisations finding cheaper resources Globalization is a process which embodies an alteration of social relations and transactions in the spatial organisation, generating interregional flows and activity networks, interaction and power. Factors contributing to globalization are huge migration and move of people, communications and transportation technologies and services, the international agreements which decreases business cost in other countries and so on. Globalization have given greater range of profits to countries and companies dealing with it however it is also complicated as it includes various cultures, values, expectation of people, governments and so on. Globalization has both sides of coin, positive and negative. In case of job creation, it has not played so good role as was expected. Due to high competition in informal sector firm ´s survival rate is low, making jobs in these sectors insecure. The other issue highlights is outsourcing which is the result of globalization. Here, the business processes that are outsourced are at lower level related to their skills and efficiency needs. The main concept of outsourcing is that if any firm is not specialized in certain role which it does not feel important then it will outsource the work with cheaper labour. In the beginning outsourcing was limited to only peripheral services however now it has expanded even with the core functions like customer care, financial service, and technological service and so on. Ways in which individuals and businesses can deploy culture to transform social and economic inequalities, and bring about social and economic change Culture gives its meaning as human activity patterns with the symbols that provide significance to these activities. For example,  Ã‚  Indian curry, French cheese and so on  have become more popular in other countries compared to its origin. The companies like McDonalds is the best example for globalisation which is operated in more than 31000 locations across the world. The internet breaks down cultural boundaries across the world by enabling easy, near-instantaneous communication between people anywhere in a variety of digital forms and media. Internet is related to cultural globalisation as it permits communication and interaction between different people staying in different countries, having different styles and cultures. Globalization has generated significant international opposition over concerns that it has increased inequality and environmental degradation.   The effect of globalization on culture is been viewed by some people. With the economies and trade globalization, the culture is also been exported and imported. Sometimes the bigger countries may destroy the cultures of small countries by leading these values and customs towards negligibility. Social   development of the system of  non-governmental organisations  as main agents of global public policy, including humanitarian aid and developmental efforts. Propose ways in which a business can enter into new forms of relationship with diverse cultures to enhance cultural diversity and innovation Culture is complicated and is manifested within the boundaries of the behaviour that is acceptable. Also, culture is not something that comes when we born however it is been  ¨learned ¨. The conscious awareness of cultural standards is very limited. It is a questionable issue for most of the marketers as it is difficult to understand often. One mat disregard the cultural norms of another country even if have no information. When we talk about the new innovation, they do not spread as fast as what we expect. Examples are many for this which includes cellular phones also, as they existed for long duration before actually they were adopted on a wide range. Some characteristics play an important role for less or more spread of the products which are relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trial ability, and so on. Globalisation is of particular interest to employees of a major organisation Normally, here corporate responsiblity goes with the globalization. So as corporations carry growth through globalization, they have come upon with new challenges which imposes certain hinderances to the growth and the profits. There are several issues which causes lots of oney involved in it. Governement regulations, environmental restrictions and tariffs are includes in the issues. It depends on different organisations how seriously they these issues. Some uses CSR ways in order to get support of people for their global market presence. The competition which is formed globally gives pressure on corporations who deals multinational products in to check the entire supply chain alon with the labor practices from CSR perspective. Reasons why some believe that the current form of globalisation has brought poverty and hardship to millions of workers As per Jagdish Bhagwati, the former adviser to U.N. on globalization, though there are some issues with the fast development, however this globalization also plays a positive role for taking out the people from poverty, to make countries out of poverty. He says that developing countries workers have many choices for their earnings. Educated workers in developing countries now can compete with the global market and put effort to obtain high paid jobs. Production workers in developing countries now have a strong benefit with the whole industrial world. Now, we can talk about disadvantages or other negative consequences that occurs in poorer countries. The main export of these countries is agricultural products which larger countries mostly subsidise their farmers which further reduce the market price for poor farmer ´s crops when compared to what it is in free trade. The recent globalization form with its international rules and regulations has brought poverty and hardship to lot many like millions of workers especially in developing and poorer countries. Their working conditions, wages and job security, all are eaten away. Everyone knows that globalization creates issues for the workers. These issues do not respond to national solutions purely and therefore international response is required from trade union movement for protecting workers and the other social rights too. For example, in India, An important reason, is the trade and investment as to it gives the reason of progress been made in decreasing the poverty and global inequality. The other reasons are good national policies with sound institutions and domestic political stability. After these all progress, the situation of poverty remains the most challenging job for anyone or everyone. Poverty has not diminished however some proportion of people living in poverty throughout the world has decreased. The economic data would represent the difference in 1980s and 1990s. It is not the question that India has to but it is India have to undertake five crucial areas where it have to work in order to achieve the goal. These areas are technological entrepreneurship, new business openings for small as well as medium enterprises, quality management importance, to deal with new prospects in rural regions and lastly financial institution ´s privatisation.

Parallels Between The Grapes of Wrath and the Life of John Steinbeck Es

John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. He had a pretty average childhood with a supportive family and a decent education. While growing up his mother, Olive Hamilton, was a major factor in his education, since she was a schoolteacher and made it her duty to educate him. His mother most likely was the reason he developed a love of reading and literature and ended up going to Stanford. In his child there were only two major events that affected his writing. These were when he worked on a ranch with migrant workers, and when his father’s business failed and the family was temporarily thrust into poverty. These two events most likely sparked his interest in the poor lives of the migrant workers. His experiences on the ranch taught him about the harsh and impoverished lives of the migrant workers and his experience of being in poverty enabled him to understand what life is like when one is poor, as the migrant workers were. This understanding inspired some of his most famous writings such as: Of Mice and Men, In Dubious Battle and The Grapes of Wrath. These experiences also allowed him to add a sense of realism to the stories. After graduating from his public high school in 1919 Steinbeck went to Stanford. He went there for 5 years before dropping out without a degree and moving to New York. The following years were highly tumultuous for Steinbeck and he held many odd jobs while trying to get his writing published. In 1935 he finally got his first big break when his critically acclaimed novel, Tortilla Flats, was published. After this he became quite successful and well known although the skill in his writing seems to fall after WWII. After researching his life I decided to focus on using his most famous n... ... read and his beautiful and descriptive style allow me to say with absolute certainty that Steinbeck has developed into being my favorite author over the past few months. Yet, as I bring this paper to a close, I know that I have barely skimmed the surface of who this man was and why he wrote what he did the way he did. Works Cited "Dust Storm." University of Washington. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2015. . "John Steinbeck." Notable Biographies. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2015. . Parini, Jay. John Steinbeck. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995. Print. Steinbeck, John. Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1985. Print. "Turtle." Stuff Point. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 June 2015. .

Competitive Advantage

The competitive advantage is thought to be stronger when it lasts for longer period of time. Those companies who are able to maintain a competitive advantage for many years are thought to have a sustainable competitive advantage. Understanding the Concept Sustainable competitive advantages are company assets, attributes, or abilities that are difficult to duplicate or exceed; and provide a superior or favorable long term position over competitors. Sustainable competitive advantages are required for a company to thrive in today's global environment.Value investors search for companies that are bargains. In order to avoid purchasing a value trap one Of the factors we search for is sustainable competitive advantages. Without one or more sustainable competitive advantages a company may not be able to recover from whatever caused the stock to become a bargain. We only want to buy the stocks of companies that are real value investments, not value traps. In other words, we want to buy stock s trading below their intrinsic value and will grow cash flow for shareholders.If sustainable competitive advantage is dependent on maintaining a higher profit margin than other companies in the same industry, how does a company set out to develop a strategy to both achieve and maintain competitive advantage? The two main components of profit are that customers both value the goods and services and will pay for them; and that a company can keep production costs related to goods and services low, so that there is a higher profit margin. For example, if Sally's Cupcake Shop can make a chocolate cupcake for 25 cents and sell it for $1. 0, the profit on each cupcake is 75 cents. Sally's customers will pay $1. 00 per cupcake because the cupcakes are delicious and made with high quality ingredients. A few blocks away, Bobby's Cupcakes & More spends 40 cents making a chocolate cupcake, but can only sell the cupcake for 50 cents. Bobby's profit is only 10 cents per cupcake. Customers will n ot pay as much money per cupcake, because Bobby's cupcakes are not as tasty and are not made with ingredients that match the quality of Sally's cupcakes.Sally will be able to maintain a competitive advantage as long as she keeps costs lower than the amount customers will pay, allowing her to build a higher profit than Bobby. If this continues year after year, even as costs and prices change, Sally would be said to have the sustainable competitive advantage. However, Sally cannot become too comfortable with her advantage, and instead must antique to find ways to maintain a competitive advantage. Bobby may become motivated to outperform Sally. If Bobby is able to increase his own profit substantially, he could potentially take away the sustainable competitive advantage.Your competitive advantage is what sets your business apart from your competition. It highlights the benefits a customer receives when they do business with you. It could be your products, service, reputation, or even y our location. For example, do you offer home delivery, a money back guarantee, a 2-hour call-out service or childcare facilities? Types ND Examples of Sustainable Competitive Advantages Low Cost Provider/ Low pricing Economies of scale and efficient operations can help a company keep competition out by being the low cost provider.Being the low cost provider can be a significant barrier to entry. In addition, low pricing done consistently can build brand loyalty be a huge competitive advantage (I. E. Wall-Mart). Market or Pricing Power A company that has the ability to increase prices without losing market share is said to have pricing power. Companies that have pricing power are usually taking advantage of high barriers to entry or have earned the dominant session in their market. Powerful Brands It takes a large investment in time and money to build a brand. It takes very little to destroy it.A good brand is invaluable because it causes customers to prefer the brand over competitor s. Being the market leader and having a great corporate reputation can be part of a powerful brand and a competitive advantage. Strategic assets Patents, trademarks, copy rights, domain names, and long term contracts would be examples of strategic assets that provide sustainable competitive advantages. Companies with excellent research and development might have label strategic assets. Barriers To Entry Cost advantages of an existing company over a new company is the most common barrier to entry.High investment costs (I. E. New factories) and government regulations are common impediments to companies tying to enter new markets. High barriers to entry sometimes Create monopolies or near monopolies (I. E. Utility companies). Adapting Product Line A product that never changes is ripe for competition. A product line that can evolve allows for improved or complementary follow up products that keeps customers coming back for the â€Å"new ‘ and improved version (I. . Apple phone) a nd possibly some accessories to go with it.Product Differed tuition A unique product or service builds customer loyalty and is less likely to lose market share to a competitor than an advantage based on cost. The quality, number of models, flexibility in ordering (I. E. Custom orders), and customer service are all aspects that can positively differentiate a product or service. Strong Balance Sheet/ Cash Companies with low debt and/or lots of cash have the flexibility to make opportune investments and never have a problem with access to working capital, liquidity, or solvency.The balance sheet is the foundation of the company. Outstanding Management / People There is always the intangible of outstanding management. This is hard to quantify, but there are winners and losers. Winners seem to make the right decisions at the right time. Winners somehow motivate and get the most out of their employees, particularly when facing challenges. Management that has been successful for a number f ears is a competitive advantage. Value Investing and Sustainable Competitive Advantages Companies with one sustainable competitive advantage might be successful.Finding companies with multiple sustainable competitive advantages will greatly improve the chances you have found a real value stock. Can you think of any sustainable competitive advantages I may have missed? Http://arborinvestmentplanner. Com/sustainable-competitive-advantages- definition-types-examples/ How to identify your competitive advantage To identify your competitive advantage, you need to understand your competitors and your customers. Ask yourself: Why do customers buy from Why do customers buy from our competitors and not us?Why do some potential customers not buy at all? What do we need to do to be successful in the future? Market research will help you to answer these questions. Good market research will reveal how your business is different from your competitors, and what you have to offer that appeals to you r customers. In-depth customer research will help you identify your customers' needs and increase your competitive edge. Use our market research kit to find key economic, demographic and statistical information about your industry.Customers buy benefits When customers buy your product or service, they are buying the benefit that it gives them. It may be that your product makes their life simpler, or your service helps them to feel better about themselves. Think about how your competitive advantage benefits your customers. For example, the competitive advantage for a sandwich shop may be: We use fresh, local ingredients to make-to-order the highest quality gourmet sandwiches in the local area.Different customers may see different benefits: customers with allergies or particular dislikes will enjoy the convenience of ordering a sandwich with their preferred ingredients customers who want to treat themselves will be attracted by the fresh, high-quality ingredients, and he fact that the sandwiches are gourmet customers who want to support local businesses will appreciate thou use only local ingredients. Thinking about how your business can benefit your customers will help you to pinpoint your competitive advantage. A strong competitive advantage: reflects the competitive strength of your business (e. . Quality of service) is preferably, but not necessarily, unique is clear and simple may change over time as competitors try to cash in on your idea must be supported by honest and ongoing market research must highlight the benefits to customers rather than boast Of your business itself. After you have highlighted your competitive advantage, the best way to tell your customers about it is to create your unique selling proposition. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF Samsung Electronics is part of one of the largest multi-billion dollar corporations in the world.In 2007 it exceeded the $Bonn mark in annual sales for the first time in its history. This makes it one of the world's top three companies in the electronics industry where only two other companies, Siemens and Hewlett-Packard, have posted larger revenues. The name Samsung literally means ‘three stars' or ‘Tristan' in Korean, reflecting the Samsung Group's dominance in two further sectors: Samsung Heavy Industries and Samsung Engineering and Construction. â€Å"The support need – when and where you need it' Samsung respects the choice customers have in how and with whom they do business.That why, to more effectively support product lines, Samsung has established a geographically-dispersed base of direct dealers and indirect channel partners that result in tight-knit national coverage. So, as a single- or multi-location operation, you benefit from having Samsung partners right where you need them most – near corporate headquarters, at branch offices r out in the field. A direct connection to Samsung through your authorized dealer. As a decision maker for your business, it's your job to make the right choices to keep your business competitive and vibrant.With an authorized Samsung dealer as your telecommunications solutions provider you can rest assured that your telecommunications needs are being fulfilled. Look at your Samsung dealer as your trusted advisor, keeping you informed about new technology advancements, service options and cost-effective measures that can give your business a competitive advantage. Samsung singular focus is n businesses like yours. Its authorized dealers represent a commitment to supporting you with outstanding solutions and service capabilities.Dealer expertise is sharpened in Samsung mandated certification courses, so you can be confident in the technology and service you are receiving. Samsung supports its authorized dealers along the entire continuum with product training, deployment, installation and professional services. This life cycle of support provides you with an additional Samsung advantage – a five-year hardware warranty that reduces your long term costs. Less one Of the ways Samsung thanks you for investing in their solutions. A strong commitment to research & development Samsung strives to understand what customers need ahead of its competitors.Their engineers adjust their thinking to develop original and innovative products that will meet those needs, along with new technologies to lead the future market. They respond to the â€Å"voice of the customer' by designing and testing new products, and through hands-on management of product lifestyles. Each year Samsung has invested at least 9% of sales revenue into R&D activities. As the company continues to increase R&D pending, their commitment to leading technology standardization and securing intellectual property rights remains strong.In fact, Samsung was the largest publisher of U. S. Patents in 2006 and is the owner of one of the largest U. S. Patent portfolios-?increasing patent procurement by 1 1 percent year over year. Cut ting-edge tech oenology that's affordable. Samsung expertise in voice/data convergence, wired, wireless communications, Vivo and core network technologies has produced Offices†;' 7000 – a family of groundbreaking business communications solutions that are redefining the rules of the game.The Officers†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ platform provides you with business advantages across your entire spectrum of needs. First, you'll enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your communications are being routed over a secure, reliable platform. Second, the intuitive design and scalable architecture of this platform enables growth in affordable increments, so your investment will carry you well into the future with significant ROI. In addition, the system's architecture provides flexibility-?a medium where additional applications can be added to enhance the power of Samsung solutions.More and more small and mid-sized genuineness are realizing the need for Computer Telephony Integrat ion solutions to manage their resources and desktops. In response, Samsung has developed a suite of Officers†;' CT I applications for improving call handing, managing the user interface, interpreting and gathering call reporting and improving customer affinity through screen pops that detail names and call history. Standards-based technology means that system serviceability is just a phone call away and your telecommunications are reduced in operational complexity.With its single expandable architecture, Officers 7000 installs ND configures easily. You are considering a platform that not only gives you access to voice and data throughout your office complex and even off-site, but also eliminates divergent systems, bottlenecks and competition between voice and data applications. Whether you are upgrading or are launching a converged system for the very first time, this line-up of systems offers a perfect blend of versatility and power that will speed up your business.Sources of Samsung cost advantage in DRAMS Samsung cost advantage is clearly visible from the comparison of costs (and heir elements) that were borne by the company and its competitors in 2003 (Tab. 3): Samsung* overall cost was 24 per cent lower than the weighted average cost of the other four producers; two most significant elements of the cost structure, I. E. Raw materials and labor, were 36 and 27 per cent lower respectively. When expressed by means of a relation of average selling price to costs (â€Å"productivity' of cost elements), the differences are even more visible (com. Tab. Overall superiority of Samsung over its competitors exceeded 51 per cent! The cost advantages related to raw materials may be explained by better negotiated agreements with suppliers (perhaps due to the larger volumes of purchases – com. Fig. 5) and possibly less shipping and distribution costs that stem from the fact that Samsung FAA facilities are geographically collocated (while competitors' facil ities are spread world-wide). In terms of labor productivity only Chinese SIMI outperformed Samsung, but that came hardly unexpectedly: low labor costs in China had been and were to remain unbeatable for some time yet.Other possibly meaningful factors that cannot be forgotten include: higher yields (due to process quality ND use of more efficient, larger silicon wafers), use Of Common core design for different products supported by the flexibility of production lines (which enabled cost-efficient production of a wide variety of different semiconductors), and – reportedly -? 12 per cent lower investment in capital assets related to the aforementioned strategic decision on FAA collocation.The last but not least element of the Samsung â€Å"cost puzzle† (which, unfortunately cannot be supported by concrete numbers from the case study, and is rather based on intuition) was the way the firm built and maintained intellectual capital and stimulated innovativeness and creativi ty among employees. It had established an incentive-based remuneration system, it sponsored employees for Pads and MBA education, it created a family-friendly working environment in which more of employees' energy could be devoted to solving problems at work instead of troubles in private lives.In most modern industries, such a long-term approach and investing in human capital eventually pays off resulting in higher productivity and better and cheaper products. Sources of Samsung price premium in DRAMS Samsung achieved an almost 1 5 per cent price premium over (the weighted average price of) its competitors (com. Tab. How was that possible? There were, apparently, two main reasons for that: quality and product mix.The former was definitely a unique advantage in the semiconductor industry which was, generally, characterized by little product differentiation (in terms of physical and functional properties), and where demand was highly price- driven. Even though, due to the outstanding quality and reliability of its products, Samsung had managed to achieve a position which justified paying remit for its products. Between 1995 and 2005 the company won awards for performance from most of its major customers, and many of them (even rivals of one another) named Samsung their supplier of choice.Of course, the highly-recognizable brand (the value of which was estimated at almost USED 11 billion in 2003 ! ) helped to maintain the price premium as well. The Samsung successful product mix strategy, on the other hand, was realized through extremely wide differentiation of products that the company manufactured: in DRAM memory segment it was over 1,200 different types! The large product portfolio allowed Samsung to address a very broad market and to avoid fierce price fighting in the most competitive sector of so called commodity DRAMS (where many producers had to sell below production costs).Apart from the ‘mainstream' mass products (in general: low-cost commodity DR AMs), Samsung offered: ; â€Å"legacy products†, I. E. Older types of chips, production of which was continued after the industry had moved to newer generations and which – due to limited supply – could be sold at price premium; ; â€Å"specialty products† – chips designed for niche uses where the rice was usually agreed on bilaterally between Samsung and a given buyer (at the same time, the company was able to optimism costs by building the customized architectures using a common core design).How Samsung should react to threat of large-scale Chinese entry? In my opinion, none of the two options of reacting to the Chinese â€Å"menace† that were presented in the case study, should have be chosen by Samsung as the only one. Rather, a mix of the two seemed to be an optimal approach. Samsung unique ability to maintain the low-cost and, at the same time, differentiated production should have been maintained, but – simultaneously certain a spects of the changing industry environment might have been taken advantage of as well.It was not necessary for Samsung to desperately look for ways to decrease its labor costs (which is usually a reason for established companies to move their production to China): its cost advantage over competitors was supposed to remain for some time. On the other hand, in line with an old Chinese saying: â€Å"keep your friends close, but the enemies even closer†, it was not advisable to ignore the rising competitors (as the industry had done years earlier with regards to Samsung itself).Earlier of eater, China itself was posed to become a significant (if not the most significant) market for semiconductors, thus all actions aiming at better positioning itself to sell in the market seemed to be highly desirable. Therefore, Samsung should have decided to partner with a Chinese firm for production of its low-end, legacy products. At the same time, its state-of-the- art technologies had to be kept in-house.Such a strategy would let Samsung preserve its valuable intellectual property; manufacturing of the mass market products together with Chinese did not pose a threat to the IP, since cosmologies necessary for that usually were no longer proprietary information. On the other hand, the partnership might result in a possibility to further decrease the costs due to availability of attractive subsidizing from the Chinese government and lower labor costs, and – of course – prepare grounds for enlarging sales to customers in the opening and growing market.There was, however, a number of important aspects that had to be remembered while implementing the strategy: ; Samsung competitive advantage related to the unique breeding environment for innovation and efficacy of the centralized R&D and production should have been preserved, thus all new product development had to be kept in the Korean headquarters; ; another competitive advantage of the company, the quality, should have been definitely maintained, too; it might have become a challenge if part of the production was to be moved to China, therefore Samsung had to ensure it could properly influence its Chinese partner (e. . By remaining a majority stakeholder in the joint undertaking); ; while overall reduction of costs was not of key importance for Samsung, the partnership tit a Chinese firm could have been, nonetheless, used for reduction Of labor costs related to production of legacy products (in case of which the associated gain was to be most significant) with no risk of compromising valuable intellectual property; that way, another competitive advantage of Samsung, the industry best ASP to cost ratio, would be further strengthened.However, in parallel to building the partnership, Samsung couldn't have forgotten about other Chinese would-be competitors which would supposedly flourish around. Therefore, the company should have kept throng focus on maintaining its technological leadersh ip through cutting-edge R (still unavailable at the time, despite having relatively easy access to capital, for Chinese start-ups), especially towards future substitutes for DRAMS: flash memory chips.

Colonialism and the Political and Economic Problems in Africa Essay

The impact of Africa’s colonial heritage has long been debated by experts. Some say that colonialism was not completely disadvantageous to Africans because it opened the continent to the rest of the world. Others maintain that colonialism did nothing to significantly improve the lives of Africans. While it is true that Africa’s colonial heritage has some positive effects, the negative effects are still harder to ignore. Seveal independent African states emerged after colonial rule in Africa. Countless clans, kingdoms, city-states and mempires were replaced with forty-eight new states, many of them with clear boundaries. Negative effects of this division outweigh the positive ones, however. The process of the establishment of each state’s boundaries was arbitrarily done by European chancellors, so what resulted were artificial nation states (Boahen 96). Their borders divide pre-existing ethnic groups, kingdoms, and states. For example, the Bakongo are virtually â€Å"chopped† by the boundaries of Gabon, congon, Zaire, and Angola. Each Africation nation today is composed of a variety of peoples with different cultures, language, and traditions. Nation-building has therefore been a problem for these nations because of the arbitrary boundaries which could be traced back to colonial years (Boahen, et al. 329). Problems related to arbitrary borders don’t stop at nation-building, however. Today, natural resources are unequally distributed among African states because of their different sizes. Huge countries such as Algeria, Nigeria, and Sudan have vast territories while others such Lesotho, Burundi, Togo, and The Gambia are too small, limiting their economic capacities. The positioning of African countries is also awkward and almost helter-skelter. Uganda, Malawi, Niger, and Chad are landlocked while others have long stretches of sea coast useful for fishing. Zambia, Zaire, and and Nigeria are rich in natural resources, while Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger have less to get by. National security is also a problem since some countries, like The Gambia, has a single border to protect, while others such as Zaire has as many as ten borders to patrol (Boahen, et al. 329). During the colonial era, Africans were made to produce cash crops to export to their colonizers and they were compelled to ignore growing food for their own consumption. Africans therefore had to buy imported food at high prices (Boahen, et al. 330). The imprint of colonialism on the mentality of Africans also affects their economic ways. Years after their independence, there are still people in sub-Saharan Africa who believe that they are incapable of producing manufactured or processed goods. They are under the impression that they can only produce and export raw materials. The truth is that there are no natural barriers preventing Africans to process the raw materials that they produce (Mshomba 118). Commercialization of land also brought about widespread poverty in Africa. People fought over ownership of land, resulting in a flood of litigations, causing poverty among land-owning families and ruling houses. Inter-African trade also ended with the rise of colonialism, stopping the spread of indigenous African languages like Swahili and Hausa in different parts of the continent. Ancient caravan routes were blocked and trading between members of the same ethnic group from either side of new borders turned into smuggling (Boahen 102). Colonialism also left political instability behind. After their independence, many African nations succumbed to dictatorships, which discouraged investment in sub-Saharan countries and destroyed resources (Mshomba 118). Finally, Africa’s colonial heritage is also responsible to the growing number of expatriate banking, shipping and trading companies which later consolidated into oligopolies. These compnies controlled the import and export of commodities produced by Africans, which meant the lion’s share of profits go to them and not to the real producers (Boahen, et al. 332). African nations clearly have to address these challenges head on to improve their economic standing. Works Cited Boahuen, A. Adu. African perspectives on colonialism. Baltimore: JHU Press, 1989. Boahen, A. Adu et al. The general history of Africa: Africa under colonial domination 1880- 1935. Oxford: James Currey Publishers, 1993. Mshomba, Richard E. Africa in the global economy. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.