Respiratory System essays

Respiratory System essays The bodys survival depends entirely on eleven systems. Right now lets discuss the respiratory system. This system is entirely important for survival of all tissues because without the respiratory system tissues will die and we all would be dead. Our body depends on the external environment, it is both as a source for survival and as a basin for its wastes. Our cells depend on oxygen to carry out its functions and the cells give off carbon dioxide, a waste product. Respiration involves four processes: pulmonary ventilation, external respiration, transport of respiratory gases, and internal respiration. The pathway is entirely complex but I wont be going into depth. The pathway starts from the nose and ends at the alveolus. The respiratory is also coupled with the circulatory system because without it oxygen and carbon dioxide, the bodys cells will begin to die from oxygen starvation. Starting from the nose the air will run till it ends at the alveolus, a small sac where oxygen and carbon dioxide is exchanged. The functions of the respiratory system are: pulmonary ventilation, external respiration, transport of respiratory gases, and internal respiration. The pulmonary system is the movement of air into and out of the lungs so that the gases are continuously exchanged commonly called breathing. Second, the external respiration is the movement of oxygen from the lungs to the blood and of carbon dioxide from the blood to the lungs. Third, transport of respiratory gases is the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the tissue cells of the body, and carbon dioxide from the tissue cells to the lungs. This uses the cardiovascular. Last, the internal respiration is the movement of oxygen from blood to the tissue cells and of carbon dioxide from tissue cells to blood. Breathing provides our head to be lightweight not heavy. The air enters hitting the nose and nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, ...

How Jurors Are Chosen in the U.S. Court System

How Jurors Are Chosen in the U.S. Court System If youre trying to get out of jury duty at the federal or state levels, your best chance of doing so is by never registering to vote or canceling your current voter registration. As important as the right to vote is, many Americans opt out of voting to avoid being called for jury duty. However, keeping your name off the voter rolls does not guarantee you wont be randomly chosen for jury duty. Thats because many  state federal  court  districts also pull prospective jurors from lists of licensed drivers and tax records to  supplement their stable of potential juror from  voter lists.  So that means you could be called for federal jury duty in some federal court districts if youve got a drivers license. Nonetheless, voter rolls remain the primary source of prospective jurors. And as long as they remain so, your best chance of avoiding jury duty at the state or federal is to stay off the list of voters in your county and federal court district. Or to get a job as a professional police officer or firefighter, or even run for elected office in your town or state. Simply complaining about having to work wont cut it. How Prospective Jurors Are Chosen in Federal Court Potential jurors are chosen for federal court from a jury pool generated by random selection of citizens names from lists of registered voters, the federal court system explains. It also may use lists of registered drivers. Each judicial district must have a formal written plan for the selection of jurors, which provides for random selection from a fair cross-section of the community in the district, and which prohibits discrimination in the selection process. Voter records - either voter registration lists or lists of actual voters - are the required source of names for federal court juries, according to the federal court system.   So if youre not registered to vote, youre safe from jury duty, right? Wrong. Why You Still Might Be Picked For Jury Duty Canceling your voter registration card of never registering to vote at all doesnt mean youre exempt from jury duty everywhere, and heres why: Many courts supplement voter lists with other sources  including  lists of licensed drivers.   According to the Federal Judicial Center: Congress requires that each district court develop a plan for selecting jurors. Generally, the selection process begins when the clerk of court randomly draws names from the list of registered voters in the judicial district, and sometimes from other sources, such as the list of licensed drivers. Only in Ohio and Wyoming do state courts use only the list of registered voters to build jury pools, not drivers lists or tax rolls. That means you can avoid jury duty in county and state court by simply staying out of the voting booth. Everywhere else? Youre likely to end up in a jury pool at some point in your life if you drive a car or pay taxes. Is That Really Fair? There are lots of people who believe drawing prospective jurors from voter-registration lists is wrong because is discourages people from entering the political process. Some academics argue that the connection between voter registration and jury duty represents an unconstitutional poll tax. As of 2012, 42 states used voter registration as the principle means of choosing prospective voters, according to a research paper by Alexander Preller of Columbia University. Jury duty is a burden, but not one which a concerned citizenry should gladly bear. However, jury services should not be allowed to parasitically burden other civil rights, Preller wrote. The economic burdens of jury duty do not pose  constitutional problems so long as they remain separate from voting; the problem is the link itself. Such an argument claims the current mechanism for choosing jurors forces many Americans to abandon their most precious civil right to carry out a civic obligation.  But other experts believe the wider and more racially and economically diverse the jury pool, the fairer the justice system is. The whole point is for the master jury list to be as inclusive as possible, Greg Hurley, a lawyer and senior analyst with the National Center for State Courts, told the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. Whos Exempt From Jury Duty There are some people who will never have to report for federal jury duty, regardless of whether they are registered to vote or not. The federal Jury Act, which requires the random selection of citizens names from voters lists, states that members of the military serving in active duty, police officers, professional and volunteer firefighters and public officers such as elected officials at the local, state and federal levels do not have to report for jury duty. Some courts also exempt the elderly and people who have served on a jury in the previous two years. If youve got another reason you think jury duty represents an undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, the courts might consider granted you a temporary deferral, but these are determined on a case-by-case basis. The other people who dont have to serve on a jury are: Non-citizens who have lived in their judicial district less than a year.People who cannot speak English or read, write or understand English with a degree of proficiency necessary to fill out a qualification form.The mentally ill or physically infirm.People charged with a felony crime that is punishable by more than a year in prison.Those who have been convicted of a felony and have not been granted a pardon, which restores their civil rights.Minors.

Infant Observation Research Paper (The Infant Care Environment,

Infant Observation (The Infant Care Environment, Developmental Milestones) - Research Paper Example Under the song/rhyme activity (words to rhymes or songs), children are exposed to the cat and the own, Little Bunny Fu, Fu; Look at the Doggie at the window; Three birds and one fish, two fish, three and four fish. Under the language development activity, children learn pat the cat, the bunny hops, the doggy barking, this is the way the bird flies, and the fish swim. The activity on exercise/stimulation features tummy time boost, push the feet, roll over, jingle feet, and the gentle stretch. For the activity today’s music, children are taken through lullabies, soft rock music, easy listening music, classical music, and country music. During the massage time, children are massaged on the forehead, on the forehead and cheek, the eyebrows, the shoulders and the chin and ears. During playtime, children are taken through the cat is up and down, bunny hoping, doggie to the right and left, bird say tweet, tweet and the gold fish. For fun activities, children are taken through copy me , I love to dance, shake the rattle, and flashlight fun (Forman & Hall, 2005). Children of ages: 9 to 15 months: program range This program offers the infants with a fun-filled learning experience. The program offers heuristic play items, blended in preschool themes and inspired by a touch of Montessori. The lessons are grouped into weekly packages, all including group time exercises, sign language lessons (five taught in a month), language development exercises, words to rhymes and songs; and fun-filled learning exercises. 3. The room’s painting is based on a simple color scheme. Furniture are arranged in a manner that large, open spaces are available for activity sessions and smaller, containing spaces are available, which are best for social interactions and group work. On the floor were 4 by 4 feet rugs, which are used as leaning areas for the infants. Spaces are left for large block plays, book areas, and stacking and nesting play toys. Child-safe mirrors are useful to children and they also improve the supervision of the two caregivers (Moreno & Klute, 2011). Different rugs and large pillows, which offer protection when children fall, were also available. The larger pillows are placed at the spaces for older infants, as they can interfere with the sitting and crawling of younger infants. The shelves are low, as they are used as the display area for different toys. The toys are changed after every two days, to ensure that children remain interested and learning. The children’s baby-beds are personalized by the teacher, adding mobiles above different cribs. Others had homey touches, and a family photo, to bring familiarity to the spaces. The furniture at the infant center are low

Corporate Finance System of Vodafone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Corporate Finance System of Vodafone - Essay Example Figure 10 Dividend payment of Vodafone as a percentage of net profit/loss (Source: Money.CNN.com) Figure 11 Dividend payment of AT&T as a percentage of net profit/loss (Source: Money.CNN.com) Figure 12 Dividend payment of Verizon & BT as a percentage of net profit/loss (Source: Money.CNN.com) Figure 13 Total Current Assets of Vodafone (Source: CNN Money) Figure 14 Total Current Liabilities of Vodafone (Source: CNN Money) Figure 15 Current Ratio of Vodafone Figure 16 Cash Ratio of Vodafone Figure 17 Total Assets and Total Liabilities of Vodafone (Source: CNN Money) Figure 18 Vodafone's withdrawal from committed facilities in 2004, 2005 and 2006 (Source: Vodafone Annual Report 2008. pp57) 1.0 Executive Summary This report is a comprehensive analysis of the corporate finance system of Vodafone. The analytics presented here is based on the published information by Vodafone on their corporate website and independent market information about the organisation from global financial analysis organisations. Overall, Vodafone is a large group with multiple legal entities. However, the CEOs of all the legal entities report to the group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) manages consolidated finance for the group. The analysis presented herewith is pertaining to the consolidated finance of entire group and not of their individual legal entities. The entire analysis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter deals with the background information about the company whereby their corporate objectives, details about finance division, sources of finance, shareholder analysis, and corporate governance have been presented in brief. In the second chapter, the systematic and unsystematic risks associated with Vodafone and... The first chapter deals with the background information about the company whereby their corporate objectives, details about finance division, sources of finance, shareholder analysis, and corporate governance have been presented in brief. In the second chapter, the systematic and unsystematic risks associated with Vodafone and the global telecommunications industry as whole. The risk reports have been taken from Ernst and Young's assessment of global telecommunications industry risks, Deloitte's report on Vodafone's risks (published on the website of Vodafone) and the 2008 annual report of Vodafone. In the third chapter, the Capital Structure of Vodafone and have compared the same with old theories that have been accepted by accounting community largely. The Debt to Equity ratio of Vodafone is compared with similar companies in the telecommunications industry and the results are analyzed. The last part of this chapter deals with application of dividend payment theories in these companies. In the fourth chapter, the empirical theories of Working Capital management of firms and the usage of Money Markets has been presented with the help of literature review. Thereafter, the working capital management of Vodafone and their usage of money market instruments have been analyzed.

Global warming effects Essay Example for Free

Global warming effects Essay Yankee Candle Company began in 1969, as penniless Mike Kittredge, age 16, melted crayons to form a candle as a Christmas present for his Mom. A neighbor, mesmerized by his fabulous creation, expressed her desire to purchase one of his candles; thus Yankee Candle Company was born. Mike used his parents basement, kitchen, and garage to produce his scented candles. Five years later, in 1974, Mike moved production into an old paper mill located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In 1998 Forstmann Little Company partnered with Yankee Candle Company and began to publicly trade on the NYSE in 1999. Mike Kittredge sold his first candle to a neighbor for $1.36, in 1969 and in 2005 Yankee Candle Companys total sales were $601,180,000. Mikes humble beginning in the family home has grown into a wholesale customer network of 16,400 store locations, a growing base of Company owned and operated retail stores (390 located in 42 states),†¦ direct mail catalogs, its website,†¦ international distributors, and to a European wholesale network of approximately 2,200 store locations†¦ (2006) Yankees passion for fragrance has become a profitable entity with visions of continued global expansion. Yankee Candle Company has branded their product as long-lasting and strong in fragrance. Yankee has developed over 150 fragrances for their various candle products. Their product line includes jars, votive, tarts, wax potpourri, pillars, tapers, and tea lights candles. Yankees design is innovative and their scents are pleasant, relaxing, and rejuvenating. Yankee Candle Companys design department is visionary in developing candles to accent modern dà ©cor and fragrances that appeal to its customers. Yankee will explore and introduce aromas that are common to the Greek culture as they expand into this new market. Yankee Candle will emulate their passion for fragrance and provide a wide variety of choices for its new customers in Greece. The Yankee Candle Company continues to build on the passion and creativity of Mike Kittredge; driven by a mission to warm hearth and home with the fragrances of life through excellence, innovation, and passion. Yankee has been dedicated to excellence throughout their 37 year history. A company spokesperson attributes their success to, our vertically integrated  business model, which enables us to control most every aspect of our business, from product development to manufacturing to distribution to marketing and sales. This structure allows us to consistently provide high quality and innovative products†¦ (2006) Yankees innovation is evident in their candles and accessory designs, which acclimate too various dà ©cor preferences and the expanding variety of fragrances, which appeal to its customers. Yankee Candle Company is driven by an intense passion to spread the fragrances of life around the world for all to enjoy. The product expansion into the Greek marketplace is another step towards reaching their objectives. Yankee Candle Company will expand its fragrances to blend in with the cultures of new markets. Yankee will continue to develop partnerships with established Company owned retail stores as venues for their products to be sold. The candle company has already established Yankee Candle  ® Europe with a 30,000 square foot distribution center in Bristol, England that provides Yankee products for approximately 2,200 stores. This distribution center will be used to export Yankee products to be sold by retail stores in Greece. The Yankee Company has decided to expand their markets and head out to the Country of Greece. We will be exporting our candle line product from the United States to Greece. The product expansion into the Greek marketplace is another step towards reaching their objectives. Yankee Candle Company will expand its fragrances to blend in with the cultures of new markets. Yankee will continue to develop partnerships with established Company owned retail stores as venues for their products to be sold. As Yankee Candle expands into new regions of the world, distribution centers will be built to service their wholesale store network. Where trade barriers, economical and political policies will allow. When expanding into new countries, Yankee Candle will establish an online shopping website to market and sell their products. Since 1994, the United States is part of the NAFTA organization between three countries. The North American Free Trade Agreement, known usually as NAFTA, is a free trade agreement among Canada, the United States, and Mexico. NAFTA  went into effect on January 1, 1994. NAFTA is also used to refer to the tripartite trading bloc of North American countries. www.wikipedia.org. Since the inception of the Eurpeon Union in 1957 six countries were a part of this union. Nineteen further states have joined in and creasted a successful union. Greece joined the EU January, 1981. The exchange and repatriation of funds risks the Euros exchange rate against the dollar, remains unstable. The low interest rates, increased competition in the banking industry, and continued growth in commercial bank lending; to raise bad debt and strong growth in consumer borrowing. Economic growth is forecast to slow in 2006 and 2007. The consumer price inflation slowed dramatically in Greece before its entry into pre-economic and monetary union (EMU) in January 2001 and was helped by other temporary measures. The economy of the United States is stable made up of natural resource, labor and manufacturing, and investments. The United States has the largest and one of the most technologically advanced national economies in the world, with a GDP of 13.049 trillion dollars. www.wikipedia.org. Consumers and producers have some decision-making that form the economy, but the government also has a powerful role on the effects of the economy. The economy of Greece is growing fast after the implementation of stabilization policies in recent years. Greece remains a net importer of industrial and capital goods, foodstuffs, and petroleum. Leading exports are manufactured goods, food and beverages, petroleum products, cement, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. www.wikipedia.org. Greece is global leader in shipping, which is the transportation of goods and cargo by land, air, or sea. Types of currency used through out the world vary from country to country and or by region. The Unites States of America official currency is the dollar, symbol: USD also known to be abbreviated by $. The US currency was adopted in 1785 by the United States Congress. The United States dollar is also known as a world currency; in 1985 $300 billion dollars were in circulation,  with two thirds being out side of the Untied States. Each year the amount of U.S dollars is being circulated around the world continues to increase. In comparison to the Untied States of America, Greece uses the euro as denomination of currency type, symbol â‚ ¬. Greece is part of the European Union also knows as the EU. What I found most interesting is the European Monetary Union has ceded control of monetary policy to the European Central Bank. Versus the Untied States taking control over their own currency. The European Union has a large economy, probably slightly larger than that of the United States of America with a 2005 GDP of 12,865,602 million vs. 11,734,300 million (USD figures) (using nominal US Dollar GDP) according to the International Monetary Fund. www.wikipedia.org. Greeces relations with other countries in the region have been steadily improving. Greece is working with Turkey to resolve their disagreements, mainly with regard to Cyprus. Failure to resolve the division of the island of Cyprus may increase tensions between Greece and Turkey as the latter finds its bid to join the European Union partially dependent on success, but tensions rise sharply with Turkey over the issue of Cyprus. Greece is also assisting and improving relations with the economic development of the Balkans. The Balkans is now viewed by Greece as a greater threat to security than Turkey. Also, renewed instability in the Balkans leads to unrest in Greece and trade disruption. Political corruption is considered higher in Greece than many other European Union countries. Politicians are dependent on media with strong ties to business interests. There is a politicized, anti-globalization environmental movement in Greece which is increasingly complicated in its use of the courts and the European Union to block large projects. United States culture is very diverse but due to the level of the American culture there are many integrated but exclusive subculture within the U.S. The subcultures differentiated by status, ethnic background, residence, religion or other factors that functionally combine the group and act jointly on each subculture member. The ethnic groups are White, Black, Asian, Amerindian, Alaska native, native Hawaiian, and other Pacific  islander. The various religion are Protestant, Roman, Catholic, Mormon, Jewish, Muslim, Baptist, and others. Lastly, the languages are English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian, Pacific island and others. Let us not forget that the government type is constitution-based federal republic but strong democratic tradition. As a result, the subcultures have their own joint set of customs, attitudes, and values. Greece is a diverse culture partial by its place at the crossroads between the East and the West and by the various occupations endured by the Greek people throughout history. The Greeks are proud of their culture which is the definition of their national and ethnic belonging. The Greeks culture is made of their traditions, religion, music, language, food and wines. Some of the traditions and superstitions vary from one island to another. Many countries differ within a range of dimensions including social structure, language, religion, and traditions to name a few. The difference has important implications on marketing strategy of the product. The most cultural difference that has an impact would be traditions. Candle scent preference may differ from one country to another. The company may encounter resistance to some of its different scents or wax. The organization must careful research Greece cultural norms and understanding the difference between US and Greece. Cross-Cultural training (literacy) would be needed to make sure the company advertising or marketing strategy does not offend anyone in the other country. The candles should be affordable due to the unemployment rate within Greece; however the organization must make a profit consider the cost to export the candles within that country. Yankee Candle is aware of the culture difference between the US and Greece, therefore staffing would be important to the organization. The organization would provide their US employees with language and cultural training. Yankee understands that one of their vendors Berlitz has experience and knowledge in cross cultural and language training that would help assist the expatriates. Berlitz offers a variety of programs and has been in the  business for 128 years, more than 450 centers in over 60 countries. Berlitz offers online, adult, children and teen programs for cultural and language training including one-on-one sessions. The cultural and language training would be for the family as well. The cultural training would be for two days and 100 hours for language training, however if more hours are needed for language the company would approve this cost. The employees that are going on the international assignment would have other benefits including when they are expatriating back in to the US. However, the expatriates will receive just a  ½ day of cultural training and language will not be necessary. The US dollar is not equal to the same amount in most other countries. Hence, the company would pay an additional allowance to cover the difference. The cost of living may be higher in the other countries, as a result a housing allowance is provided to the employee. The company does consider the cost living in the US and then compare that cost to living in Greece. The education in Greece is not the same for US citizens. As a result, to the language barrier and cultural it may be very difficult for the employees children to attend the local school in the host country for that reason private schools or boarding school may be required. Consequently the company is aware of this and therefore would provide tuition allowance. Due to the cultural and language difference there are going to be diversity issues, so human resource has provided an open door policy. The open door policy would allow employees to express him or she concerns and human resource will try to provide a solution to the problem, if possible. Supply chain management is an important role for the success of Yankee Candle Company to sell scented candles in Greece. Supply chain is most effective for optimal resource use, minimum total cost, and maximum value to the customer. Decisions with in supply chain are to buy your product or make your own. Yankee Candle Company already produces its own scented candles and will be the same for candles being shipped overseas. The production will be manufactured in the Companys 294,000 square foot facility in Whately, Massachusetts. As a manufacturer, the Company is able to closely monitor product quality and control production costs, which ensures high quality  products and maintains affordable pricing. Information has been gathered from the Greece from the candle business industry. This data will assist in forecasting how much product is needed for a three months supply to meet the supply and demand in Greece. Lead time for the initiation of Yankee Candle Company to enter the Greece market is 10 months. In turn this will give enough time to meet the three month stock supply. The information gathered from the Greece candle market will support the types of scented candles that will be produced to ship overseas. Lead time for the shipment to arrive at the distribution warehouse is three months; the life span of a candle is three years. Placing our product will be near or around the largest cities and ports in Greece. The largest and most important city in Greece is Athens, the capital with population based in 1991 of 748,110. The largest port in Greece is Thessalonà ­ki, with a population of 377,951. Also another large port is located on the North part of the Peloponnesus, is a major seaport, with 155,180 inhabitants. Other sizable cities include Là ¡risa (113,426), Irà ¡klion (117,167), and Và ³los (76,463). The ports and its population are important factors in knowing were to place the Yankee Candle Stores. These would be in areas in the region that have the most population and are easily accessible to Tourist from vacation boats that may doc on these ports. Promoting Yankee Candle Company in Greece would be similar as it is currently in the Untied States. Through its retail stores the Yankee Candle company would open in Greece, direct mail catalogs. To include a large market Yankee candle will also promote is U.S product through television commercials newspapers, bill board singes through out the larger cities of Greece, and through its own web page http://www.yankeecandle.com/cgi-bin/ycbvp/retail.jsp. Promotion for this product will be introduced to all who wants to have special fragrances in their homes. Business will also be targeted to have fresh new fragrances for their offices. Candles are an excellent gift for all ages and for any special occasion. The middle class in Greece is the main target market Yankee Candle Company is promoting the scented U.S candle product. In 2005  the labor force in Greece was at 4.72 million compared to unemployment rate of 10.8% figures from www.cia.gov. These figures give Yankee Candle Company the green light to proceed with international distribution into the Greece market. Pricing the candles will be 30% above the sale price of a U.S product. This will ensure the costs of having a U.S product of seas. Yankee Candles has successfully developed and market new products and earn enormous returns. We have success springs for the fact that it has a vertically integrated business model, with the in-house expertise required to design, develop, manufacture, distribute and sell our candle products. Our vertically integrated business model acts as a powerful platform to support our product innovation initiatives. This business model included strong research and development activities, an experienced employee team, and a basis skill in test marketing our products. We collected these resources to research consumer interests and home decor buying trends, and then to create original candle designs, fragrances, accessories, gift sets, home fragrance merchandise, and personal care items that align with our findings. We then release this merchandise into our distribution channels in a way that permits us to seek and track consumer feedback. This process positions us to fine-tune our new products from performance, to packaging, to labeling, to pricing helping to maximize the potential for each item we develop to have a successful launch and widespread acceptance. Together, these efforts helped to drive sales, attract new customers and extend the appeal of the Yankee Candle brand. Once exporting was chosen as the mode of entry, Yankee Candle secured assistance from a company called, Export Trade of America; to learn about insurance, tariff, and tax laws involved in trading with Greece. Yankee Candle Company will face various legal challenges when exporting its candles into Greece, but the process will go much easier with the help of an export management company. Yankee will need to comply with employee laws and have knowledge about hiring, firing, and discipline regulations in Greece. They will need to be acquainted with their legal system and how those laws are enforced. Greece is a parliamentary republic with a president, who is heads the executive administration, a prime minister, who is head of the  government, and a 300 seat legislature. The judicial includes a Supreme Court, regional districts, and prefectures to decide civil and criminal cases. There is a national police force as well as policing agencies from the European Union. As a member of the European Union, the EU laws supersede those of the individual member nations. Yankee Candle Company will need to be aware of the EU laws, enforcement, penalties, and necessary trade practices. The European Union could cause legal complications as the union adds new members, arbitrates disagreements among its memberships, and as competition increases in the global marketplace. There has been a longstanding relationship between Greece and the United States of America. The two countries have diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement ties. Greece and the United States, recently signed treaties covering extradition and mutual legal assistance, which further strengthened this cooperation. (2006) Trade between these two nations should proceed with success barring increased terrorism, war, or a terrific natural disaster that impacts the global economy. It is important for any company to evaluate their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. As Yankee Candle employees examines their organization they listed the following as company strengths; strong business model, long-lasting candles, well-branded product, variety of fragrances, adaptability of product to various cultures and dà ©cor, strong financial backing, increasing profitability, expanding marketplace, efficient manufacturing and distribution process, and an innovative product development. Yankee Candle Companys weaknesses include; rising cost for manufacturing and distributions, technological skills, single manufacturing center, adapting products to various cultures and customs, and material shortages. There are several opportunities that must be pursued to maintain profitability; increase presence in the global marketplace, expanded online shopping options, adapt fragrance choices to new markets, build foreign manufacturing and distribution center, and add accessories to their product line. There are many threats to the existence of Yankee Candle Company  including; competitions pricing and product differentiation, terrorism, natural disasters, exchange rate, rising costs for manufacturing and distribution, and the products life-cycle. The external environment strengths include; reduction in trade barriers, strong European Union, technological advancements, and utilization of websites. The external weaknesses are; trade blocs, closed economic and political policies that prevent or limit imports/exports, and the affects of terrorism. External opportunities include; improving the economic levels of third world countries, utilizing the skills, resources, and expertise of various countries to lower costs and create an integrated economy, develop innovative products, and create a global network. Finally, the external threats include; terrorism, political instability, natural disasters, increased global competition, trade blocs that become fortresses against those outside their union, countries imposing regulations against outsiders who want to merger or acquire other foreign companies, conflict among existing trade bloc members, and inflation/deflation of the monitory systems. Reference: (2006, 4,12). The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. 2006 First Quarter Earnings Webcast. Retrieved 4/23/06, from SBC Yahoo Finance Web site: http://biz,yahoo.com/bw/060412/20060412005002.html?.v=1www.wikipedia.org., retreived April 24, 2006. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gr.html#EconRetrieved 5/13/06 from the World FactbookUnknown, Retrieve on April 23, 2006 fromhttp://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/gr.htmlUnknown, Retrieve on April 23, 2006 fromhttp://www.greeka.com/greece-culture.htm

Choosing between Family and Individuality in Kate Chopins The Awakenin

Choosing between Family and Individuality in Kate Chopin's The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kate Chopin's The Awakening focuses on a woman's struggle to become an individual while still being a mother and wife. In the process of this journey, the female heroine discovers that establishing her own identity means losing a mother's identity. Edna looks to be the "brave soul," a "soul that dares and defies" (Chopin 61). Edna's society looked down upon females who seek anything other than attending to their children and husband's needs. Therefore, she is seen as an outcast and must turn inward as well as outward towards nature for satisfaction and approval.   Ã‚  Ã‚   At the beginning of The Awakening, Mr. Pontellier poses the question, "If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it?" (Chopin 7). He reflects the general belief of his time that women should be mothers who give up themselves for the more important needs of their children. He believes that women should be self-sacrificing beings who never take and always give. He thinks, just as other men believed during this time period, that she should be the "angel of the house," catering to his every need. Mr. Pontellier wants her to be one of the "ministering angels" (Chopin 9) who "idolized their children" (Chopin 9) and "worshipped their husbands" (Chopin 9). Mrs. Pontellier shows little interest in taking care of her husband and children, hinting that she seeks more than a life lived for others. She begins to "recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her" (Chopin 14) which inevitably becomes a curse in disguise. It crea tes a complicated inner conflict. Mrs. Pontellier ponders whether she should be defined as a mother and ... ...nature for acceptance and to her soothing childhood memories for forgotten innocence.    Works Cited and Consulted Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." 1899. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Ed. Per Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1989. Culley, Margo, ed. A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The Awakening.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.  Ã‚   Edwards, Lee.   "Sexuality, Maternity, and Selfhood."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   282-285.   Walker, Nancy.   "Feminist or Naturalist."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The   Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   252-257. Wolff, Cynthia.   "Thanatos and Eros."   A Norton Critical Edition:   Kate Chopin:   The   Awakening.   Ed. Margo Culley.   New York:   W.W. Norton, 1994.   231-241.

Essay on Horatio Essay

Often overlooked in the critical analysis of the play, Horatio is a character whose actions are of no major importance, yet in the context of the play’s meaning, his role is crucial. Like the Ghost, Horatio helps Shakespeare to refine the concept of the virtuous man. This is shown through Horatio’s ideals, his relationship with Hamlet, their differences and similarities. We assume that his studies in Wittenberg make develop his rational thinking and thus he would naturally reject the possibility of a ghost – however he is the one to tell Hamlet about his father’s apparition. Even after witnessing the Ghost, Horatio remains a rationalist. His mind is sober, and he encourages Hamlet to preserve self-control – a key virtue of the Stoics. Yet when Hamlet dies (possibly in Horatio’s arms, depending on stage directions) the roles reverse – Horatio, charged by Hamlet’s passion, almost dies with the prince. For the audience, Horatio becomes a separate and important entity as Hamlet delivers the speech about his character that defines Hamlet’s own ideals. Shakespeare gives Hamlet the chance to voice the faculties he admires, thus giving us another chance to understand the greater aspirations and aims of the protagonist. He says: ‘Horatio, thou art e’en as just a man As e’er my conversation coped withal. Nay do not think I flatter,†¦ †¦ Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice, And could of men distinguish, her election Hath sealed thee to herself; for thou hast been As one, in suff’ring all, that suffers nothing; A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards Hath ta’en with equal thanks; and blest are those Whose blood and judgment are so well co-mingled That they are not a pipe in Fortune’s finger To sound what stop she please. Give me that man. That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him In my heart’s core, ay in my heart of heart, As I do thee. ‘ (3. 253-73) Horatio is not passion’s slave – if passions, like Fortune, is personified, then it becomes a sort of ancient deity that chooses to blind humans and deny them all rational choice. To a certain extent, all other characters in the tragedy are to varying degree subject to their passions. Horatio by contrast is calm and stable; he is skeptical and rational, as can be seen from his encounter with the Ghost. If passion is a disease-like quality that Hamlet believes to be defectious, then Horatio exemplifies a pure and honourable person – honest by definition, since he does not allow passions to fool his conscience and justify any selfish means or aims. However the most important aspect highlighted by the Prince is Horatio’s philosophical understanding of life. The speech suggests Horatio is a follower of Stoicism, an ancient way of thinking developed once by the ancients and then revived by the great thinkers of the Renaissance. Founded by Xenon, (334-262b. c. ) the philosophy taught to discipline one’s behaviour according to one’s rational mind. Hamlet states that his ideal is such. However the prince himself is not ‘free’ or deprived of passions. The qualities he admires in Horatio are starkly different to the ones he himself displays in his very first monologue. He speaks of evil as ‘self-slaughter’ and cannot come to terms with things ‘rank and grosse in nature’ (1. 2) Hamlet is a man of many different moods and tempers; in this one speech he begins disgusted, grows more passionate in his hatred and it is not until the last two line of that speech when Hamlet says ‘I must hold my tongue’ and regains control of his emotions. It is clear the protagonist cannot remain unaffected when he sees evil’s manifestation in any form; his whole being actively protests and rejects amoral and dishonourable actions. Because of this, Hamlet’s ideal human nature that Shakespeare personifies through Horatio’s character remains, until the time comes at the end of the play, unlike Hamlet’s own. Preparing to fight Laertes, says to Horatio who is desperately trying to prevent the Prince from fencing, convinced he will lose: ‘There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow’ (5.2). This whole speech signifies the way Hamlet matures from admiring into exhibiting Stoic ideals, yet applying them in a more universal way than Horatio. Through hardship and experience Hamlet accepts Fate, but refuses to step aside and give up fighting for his cause. He takes Horatio’s logic and focus, acknowledges all the basis of the teachings of Stoicism, yet unites this with his burning desire to fight evil and restore justice. Horatio’s attempts to save Hamlet from death are doomed, because the protagonist believes the question about his own life has been decided, and thus no longer bothers him. A true Stoic does not fear death. Hamlet’s mysterious last words, uttered to Horatio, echo this: ‘†¦ the rest is silence’ (5. 2. 351) Furthermore, if at the beginning of the play Hamlet and Horatio lack the virtues of each other (Hamlet, unlike his friend, cannot distance himself from anxieties, whereas Horatio comes across as almost emotionally withdrawn), by the end different dimensions of both characters are revealed to us. Horatio, although still wise and composed, truly loves Hamlet. Realising the imminence of the Prince’s death, Horatio grabs the cup with the remaining poison, ready to follow his friend in death. Hamlet stops him and, on his deathbed, urges Horatio to remember the philosophy they both adored, and live by it: ‘If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, Absent thee from felicity awhile, And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain To tell my story. ‘ It is important that Hamlet hands over his secret to Horatio, trusting him to clear his name and justify his actions to posterity. Horatio obeys and we trust him to communicate the truth, restoring Hamlet’s innocence. Horatio’s character helps us to understand Hamlet better, to realise how the protagonist matures, and witness the best in him even as he lay dying. Shakespeare’s inclusion of Horatio and his relationship with Hamlet stresses the importance of nobility, dignity, felicity and other moral principles and virtues valued by the Ancient. And lastly, Horatio rules out a conclusive judgment concerning Hamlet’s death and his suffering, and tells of them as ‘carnal, bloody and unnatural acts’ ensuring the audience perceived those strong feelings too.