Monday, September 30, 2019

Evaluating Advertising Campaign

Evaluating Advertising Campaigns It is through the process of review and evaluation that an organization has the opportunity to learn and develop. In turn, this enables management to refine its competitive position and to provide for higher levels of customer satisfaction. The use of marketing communications is a management activity, one that requires the use of rigorous research and testing procedures in addition to continual evaluation. This is necessary because planned communications involve a wide variety of stakeholders and have the potential to consume a vast amount of resources. The evaluation of planned marketing communications consists of two distinct elements: The first element is concerned with the way the ad communicates. Thus, it deals with the development and testing of individual messages. An advertising message has to achieve, among other things, a balance of emotion and information in order that the communication objectives and message strategy be achieved. To accomplish this, testing is required to ensure that the intended message is encoded correctly and is capable of being decoded accurately by the target audience. This testing could be pre or post testing. The second element concerns the overall impact and effect that a campaign has on sales once a communication plan has been released. This post-test factor is critical, as it will either confirm or reject management’s judgement about the viability of their communication strategy. THE ROLE OF EVALUATION IN PLANNED COMMUNICATIONS The evaluation process is a key part of marketing communications. The findings and results of the evaluation process feed back into the next campaign and provide indicators and benchmarks for further management decisions. The primary role of evaluating the performance of a communications is to see that the advertising objective has been met and that the strategy has been effective. The secondary role is to ensure that the strategy has been executed efficiently, that the full potential of the individual promotional tools has been extracted and that resources have been used economically. TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE? Companies are generally interested in finding whether they are overspending or underspending in advertising. One way to figure that out is to use the formula given below. Share of voice is the company’s share of advertising expenditure that earns a share of the consumer’s mind, and ultimately the market. Comparing that to market share provides an idea as to the feasibility of the company’s ad spend. An advertising effectiveness ratio of 1 means an effective level of ad expenditure, while a ratio less than 1 indicates a relatively ineffective advertising level. As can be seen from the above table, firm A spends Rs. 20 lakhs of the total industry expenditure of Rs. 35 lakhs. Thus, its share of voice is 57. 1%. However, its market share is only 40%. So we can say that firm A is either overspending or misspending. Firm B has a market share equal in proportion to its share of voice. It spends effectively on advertising, while firm C is super efficient, and could probably increase expenditures.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How effective is Citibank at resolving and retaining its staff? Essay

To provide Citibank with a report that recommends improvement to recruitment and retention. Objectives 1) To assess the benefit, if any provided by Citibank for its employees. 2) To select appropriate performance criteria for the reasurement of staff performance. 3) Examine and analyse employee perception of the current training provision. 4) Examine and evaluate other factors that may influence staff morale. In order to manage the performance of staff managers I will be using performance criteria: This is a handy measuring tool, which is used as a method by which I will be assessing people’s performance and the satisfactions and dissatisfactions of their work. I will also be assessing the performance criteria of their absenteeism and the No of days staff are absent in a period of time. Also I will be checking on productivity and the number of staff measured against output. I will be monitoring the retention rates data and to see how long staffs have worked, whether they are temporary or permanent. Company History and Background to problem The company I am investigating is a subsidiary of Citigroup Inc, Citibank International plc. Specifically I will be looking at the Distribution Division of the Global Consumer Bank in the UK. In the year of 2001 Citigroup hailed its position as one of the most successful financial services in the world. It registered double-digit increases across many lines of business, and a 20% returns on equity. Their main objectives are to establish trusted relationships with consumers, corporations, institutions and governments. They operate for both sectors of businesses, private and personal banking. They have corporate banking and this is for business, which generates a lot of money. Citibank is a large corporation and is known as a public limited company, or PLC, meaning that its shares can be floated and then traded on the stock market. Any member of the general public can therefore become an owner of these organisations. I have analysed the annual report for Citigroup in 2001. The figures are very promising and show an increase of 8% in revenue over the previous year. What I am currently basing my project on is the Citibank branches situated in London. The branches are based at Oxford Circus, Strand, Monument and Canary Wharf. I shall be conducting this coursework with the help of Danny Childs, Assistant Vice President of Citibank; he is also in charge of the employees in the London branches. I shall be conducting research within the offices of Citibank to determine the quality of staff behaviour and how they go about customer services. I shall analyse my findings and from the information I discover, I will talk it over with Mr Childs and sort out ways to retain a positive atmosphere in his offices. Performance Indicators I am going to select the appropriate performance to evaluate Citibank’s effectiveness in training. There are two types of performance indicators: A) Qualitative: – In-depth research into the motivations behind the attitudes of the employees through the questionnaires that I have conducted. B) Quantitative: – Pre-set questions on a sample of 13 employees have in order to provide statistically valid data. I wrote this questionnaire and received anonymous and therefore unbiased answers that meet the research objectives. Performance management simply expressed is an approach to managing people, which helps to ensure that individual’s performance goals and capabilities are linked to the goals and plans of the business. When this occurs, business performance goals are met; people know what is expected of them and receive the support they need to develop their capabilities. Modern performance management is based on the principle of ‘objective cascade.’ This means that everyone sees a clear connection between: a) The goals of the entire business. b) The goals of the department. c) How the performance goals of teams and individuals relate to and support business goals. What is the overall approach to performance management in Citibank? Purpose Performance management provides a commitment and fair approach to managing performance of all people within Citibank. Aims: – Clarify performance expectations in relation to what people do and how they go about it. * Address and enhance performance through honest and constructive feedback. * Identify and deliver training and development to meet individual and team capability requirements. Performance indicators that can be used for Citibank can be: – Performance Indicator Purpose Profit Can be measured in quarterly times of the year to see how much money Citibank is bringing in. Staff turnover The amount of staff that has left Citibank can be measured with the staff from last year. Absenteeism Annually compared to provide the number of times employees have taken days off. Research Methodology For my research into Citibank, I will be conducting several different kinds of methods to gather my data. My research will include both primary and secondary data. Therefore, my answers will be accurate and reliable. Primary Research Primary information is the process of gathering information directly from people within your target market, as I will have shown by the time this project is completed. I shall be gathering data from the market by means of conducting an anonymous questionnaire. A questionnaire contains several advantages: – * + Through the questionnaire I can construct my questionnaire to suit the needs of fulfilling my research objectives. * + A questionnaire contains up-to-date answers from the employee’s. * + Through the questionnaire I can also understand the state of mind the worker is in and how he feels about working within Citibank. The questionnaire will be emailed to all of the staff employed by Danny Childs. They will then fill it in and return it back to me. I have decided to use this method because it is honest and will be unbiased. It is reliable and will be of present and true facts. It is also a good idea because it is anonymous and employees won’t feel pressured into giving answers that only are only said for the sake of Danny. I will be handing out questionnaires to 30 people in Danny’s workforce. Secondary Research I will also be using other sources of non-primary findings. They are called secondary research. Secondary research is the process of collecting data that is not new. It can be old evidence from magazines, the Internet or statistics. In this case when the secondary research is collected it will be analysed in accordance to the questionnaires. These sources will be coming from Danny Childs past findings and research data, which he has stored on his laptop. These findings inform me of staff turnover and retention rates of Citibank. I will only be gathering data that is from the past year and which I consider to be useful. Secondary research gives a background analysis of the primary research conducted and I will be able to notice any trends, if any, in the results. After I have had all the results in for both the primary and secondary, I will combine them together and have an accurate answer and accomplish my aim. I will be using a quantitative research method. This asks pre-set questions to the Staff of Citibank. This is called sampling as I am making sure my results are going to be typical of the whole Citibank workforce. My questionnaire will be unbiased and ensure that my objectives are met. I will also research into my answers to check how valid they are. Before starting off my main concerns to do with sampling was that how am I going to choose the correct people for interview (sampling method) and also deciding how large a number to interview (the sample size). There are 4 main sampling methods: Random sample, Quota sample, Stratified sample, and Cluster sample. Random Sample: This is when I would select employees within Citibank and ensure they are all treated equally in the questionnaire selecting process. A successful random sample is one which: 1) Picks names at random from a register process†¦e.g. every 50th name. 2) Send an interviewer to each worker within the offices of Citibank and question him. Quota Sample This is when you’re- selecting interviewees in proportion to their age within the offices. This allows the interviewer (which would be me) to question whoever he sees in the office room, as long as the correct quota is achieved. Stratified Sample Only those with certain characteristics are to be interviewed. Eg: I am going to only interview managers within Citibank worldwide. This means I am interviewing individuals at random. Cluster Sample This is sampling only within a certain area, such as university towns or certain business districts. It is usually used for students such as me who are doing projects on a large scale. Therefore I have decided that the sample that I will be conducting is Cluster Sampling. This is because my sample size was 13 employees and is only referring to the distribution division of Citibank, and not the rest of the company. Analysis Out of the thirty questionnaires that I handed out among the staff, only thirteen questionnaires were sent back to Danny Childs who then forwarded them back to me. The reason not all questionnaires were filled in was that half of them thought that it was Danny himself who had constructed the questionnaire and not me. After receiving the questionnaires I went about analysing each question and breaking them down in terms relating to the aim. All answers that were multiple choice, I ensured that I amalgamated the answers and I created pie charts to visually show my answers. Where questions have a ‘long hand’ answer I will be using ‘verbatims’. This is when I will be lifting relevant comments from the answers. The way I have done this is to pick out key messages and repeated statements within the answers and to then summarise it: – 1) How long have you been at Citibank? What employees wrote A=Less than a year 1 B=1-3 Years 8 C=3-5 years 4 D=More than 5 Years 0 Out of the thirteen who answered, the majority of employees (eight workers) said that they worked between one to three years. Only one employee who filled in the questionnaire has been with Citibank for longer than a year and also had the most negative comments to say about Citibank as an employer. I constructed a Pie Chart to represent the data above: – 2) How would you rate Citibank as an employer? What employees wrote A) Poor 0 B) Below Average 2 C) Average 4 D) Above Average 7 E) Excellent 0 Out of the thirteen that answered, the majority of workers currently employed at Citibank said in their questionnaire that as an employer, they rated Citibank as average. The reasons for this are explained in question three. I have constructed a pie chart to show the data above for question two. 3) Give a Brief reason for your answer to the previous question. Most of the employee’s answered that Citibank provided a â€Å"Good benefit package e.g.: salary, BUPA.† Two employees claimed that Citibank is â€Å"more enjoyable than previous employment.† Four employees were not happy with their employer’s and were not afraid to let it be known. One of those four even went far enough to leave the question unanswered which goes to show how much he values Citibank as an employer. Referring to page 2 of my appendix, an employee said, Managers don’t want to see customers, even if they are available to assist. The worker sees this as a bad thing, yet if he thinks about it he can use this to his advantage. The manager of the branch may believe in Maslow’s theory of management and develops a democratic approach towards his staff. By allowing the staff to think for themselves and make the correct decisions, Danny Childs will only be called in absolute urgency, and by shadowing him for a week I learned and watched the way the workforce was run. 4) When was the last time you attended a training course? The employees have answered this question vaguely and were not afraid to point out that ‘Citibank training is bad’ and that it is ‘so boring’. One employee even said that he ‘cant remember’ the last course he had attended. This goes to show that Citibank need to invest in making their training courses more innovative and enjoyable for their workers in order to keep them motivated. They could ensue team working in the courses meaning placing workers who haven’t worked together before or are not in the same social circle as that particular worker into a group, switching their tasks around and discussing ways of them working more effectively. Team working, managed effectively, can provide employees better quality and more innovative work at a lower cost and at a faster rate. To achieve such improvements in performance employees must be involved. They must have the ability to contribute and feel they are listened to. Greater participation can help a company like Citibank gain a competitive edge. Although this may be expensive, the outcome may be fruitful. The workers may leave the course happier and wanted and therefore work harder and produce more business for Citibank. 5) Overall, what do you think of the training provided at Citibank? What employees wrote A) Poor 2 B) Below Average 1 C) Average 6 D) Above Average 4 E) Excellent 0 Most of the employees at Citibank rated training as only average. I discussed this topic in more detail in question four and discussed the different approaches that could be taken. Even if changes were implemented correctly, I would hope that if I was to ask the same question to staff in six months, the majority might answer that training is Excellent. Below is a pie chart, which I created to show my results from question five: – 6) What keeps you motivated at Citibank? Nine out of the thirteen that answered said that the salary they are on is what keeps them motivated. There were no other factors involved in keeping the staff happy. Three workers said that they survive by motivating themselves and only one claimed that he was there only to do a job. Three things influence the motivation of staff in practice: * The company culture. * Its approach to managing its people * The financial reward systems. Company culture means the accepted set of attitudes and habits within an organisation-its ethos. Every business has its own culture, and Citibank is no different. Within an hour of sitting in the office with Mr Childs, jokes aside I set out to work hard throughout the week. What kept me motivated was that I was working at a top bank and I wanted to please Danny so as not to disappoint him. It was challenging, yet purposeful. Elton Mayo was a motivational theorist who pointed out that the difference in attitude was often to do with the unofficial leader or leaders of the staff concerned. For the majority of the workers, it is the financial reward system that keeps them motivated. Danny explained to me that each of his sales team has a PRP (performance-related pay) scheme to follow. It is a highly attractive system for encouraging staff to work towards the organisation’s objectives. The usual method is: 1) At the end of each month, the individual’s achievement is discussed against the targets set. 2) If they have reached a target or gone above it, they are rewarded with a pay rise, or are given a bonus scheme to work to. 7) Do you feel you get motivation from your managers? This question was answered with much criticism towards the managers. I designed this questionnaire to find out exactly what the staff is thinking and I got what I wanted. This question was answered in a way that it was being critical of the managers and mocking their intelligence. In two of the questionnaires, staff said that the managers give â€Å"support rather than motivation†. Support and motivation are two totally different things. Support is when the manager doesn’t literally do the work for an employee, but rather sets the framework for what is to happen. Motivation is when a manager would encourage his employee’s to do something by means of offering them incentives. For most of the answers given in this question it is plain to see that employee’s don’t feel they get the right motivation that they feel is deserved. Most managers assume they understand human motivation when in practice they have never studied it. As a result they may underestimate the potential within their own staff. Or unthinkingly cause resentments that fester. The process of managing people takes place in every part of every organisation. By contrast a few people would need to know the financial concept of gearing in their working lives. So lack of knowledge of motivational theory is particularly unfortunate and has exceptionally widespread effects. In this case, ignorance leads to managers to ignore motivation altogether. They tell themselves that control and organisation are their only concerns. Other managers may see motivation as important, but fail to understand its subtleties. For these reasons, I can state that there is a case for saying that the concepts of motivation are that of the important factors in running a business. 8) Do you feel you have career prospects at Citibank? Most of the employee’s answered this question with mixed answers. After reading each answer I realised that it was roughly a 50/50 outcome. Some of the employees saw themselves with a future at Citibank, while others thought that they deserved to be elsewhere. A lot of factors can depend on whether or not an employee has a future at Citibank. The outcome I have come to is that the reason the question was not answered properly was because I didn’t ask the question correctly. What I should have I asked was Where do you see yourself in two years time? That way, I will be getting a more detailed answer from the employee and he/she will give me a clear idea of what they think lays in their future. Here is a pie chart to represent the data: – As you can see from the graph, 54% of the staff saw themselves with a future and 46% saw themselves leaving Citibank. 9) Do you feel you are paid a fair wage for your job compared to the banking market place? Out of the thirteen employees, nine answered that they are happy with their salary compared to other banks. Citibank â€Å"on the whole, pays fair wages.† One worker said â€Å"there is always room for improvement† showing that although they are being paid well, more money is always better. Referring back to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, if the pay levels were increased, it can be used as an incentive to ensure that they remain at Citibank. Maslow believed everyone has the same needs- all of which can be organised as a hierarchy. When employees earn enough to satisfy these needs, however their motivating power slowly disappears. Maslow then referred to his ‘hierarchy of needs’ in order for them to remain motivated: Self-Actualisation Esteem needs Social needs Safety needs Physical Needs 10) Are you offered any financial incentives such as bonus schemes or awards? Out of the thirteen that answered this question, ten replied that they are offered decent incentives if they work hard enough to earn them. A workforce must be put in place, which provides departments such as operations and marketing with the correct number of appropriately skilled employees to accomplish their targets. For an employee to work well, he must first be able to have a good relationship with his employer. I created a pie chart to give a visual representation of the data I received: – 11) Do you feel Citibank has effective managers within branches? More employees said that managers are effective within the branches, although those that weren’t happy, had a lot to criticise. One worker said that managers â€Å"should be more hands on.† The question that came to my attention is What is an effective manager? There are several explanations to this question, and I am going to explain it by means of McGregor’s Theory X and Y. This comes from Douglas McGregor who identified two styles of management. Theory X managers tend to distrust their employees; they believe they don’t really enjoy their work and that they need to be controlled. In McGregor’s own words, many managers believe â€Å"The average human being has an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if he can.† This theory is not about workers, but he is actually talking about the managers themselves. Theory X in other words is how managers view their workforce. On the other hand, Theory Y managers are more likely to involve employees in decisions and give them greater responsibility. The managerial assumptions identified by McGregor X and Y are: * â€Å"The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity and creativity in the solution of organisational problems is widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population.† * â€Å"The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but to seek responsibility.† * â€Å"Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement.† It is clear that Danny is a theory Y manager in some aspects as he is inclined to adopt a democratic leadership style. Their style is to delegate authority to meet specific objectives. Theory X style is to be self-fulfilling. Lazy people are obviously going to produce less output then a lively person. The way to make that lazy person lively is to offer him an incentive, which will motivate him to work harder. 12) Would you recommend your friends to work for Citibank? Eight employees said that they’d recommend friends to work for Citibank, one of them saying what I needed to read, â€Å"Higher starting salary compared to High Street Banks.† The answers show that it was mixed opinions and there could be several reasons. Workers may not want to mix business with pleasure and therefore for friends to be around them in the office, their performance can severely decrease. 13) What, in your view, could Citibank do to improve your working environment? The employees answered and voiced their opinions to make the working environment of Citibank better. The question was answered in detail and I was happy with the result. Appendices Below you will find that I have broken down my questionnaire into an easier way to understand. I completed this before I began my analysis and this appendix can be referred back to as a backup for my analysis at anytime: Question 1- How long have you been at Citibank? A) Less than a year B) 1-3 Years C) 3-5 Years D) More than 5 Years

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Ethnography Paper

Ethnography Paper This is my first time that I come to New York, so I am curious about many things in this new place, such as the famous resorts, and the people here. As we know, the Times Square is very famous in New York. When I was in China, I hope I can visit Times Square, because I saw Times Square was very great in some of the opening of American series. Now, I am in New York, and I have enough chances to visit Times Square whenever I want. In there, it gives me a new horizon to understand the culture that is different from China. I have been to Times Square for two times, and I have a very deep impression on it.It locates in the interchange of Manhattan 42 west street and Broadway avenue. It is interesting that Times Square is not a square area, but a triangular square. I must say it is really the most prosperous place in the world, although it is not very huge as other squares in our mind. There are many theaters, clothing stores, as well as some famous companies. The buildin gs there are very high, which reflects the boom of this popular city. In Times Square, there is a huge advertising board that presenting various kinds of advertisements, also including Chinese advertisements.On August 28th, the first time I went to Times Square, I saw my friends and I were on this advertising board, which was very exciting for us. I heard from a local friend that Times Square is a crazy area in New York, because you can find museums, hotels, and whatever you want, and all of these things are full of popular elements. It only takes people about ten minutes get to another famous place, the Fifth Avenue, where people can see many luxury brands. Moreover, Times Square is also near to the Central Park, appearing in many renowned movies.It is the symbol of New York City, and it also presents the luxuriousness of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Besides the magnificent buildings, people in there are also worth to consider. People must be amazing that there are various kin ds of people there. They are white, yellow, black, coming from everywhere in the world. Some of them are the local people, and they come here to go shopping or watching a movie. Some of them are tourists, and they come here to go sightseeing, feeling the culture of American. It is a fashionable place, but if you think that only young people come here, and then you are wrong.People from all ages prefer to come to Times Square. Young people can enjoy themselves, as well as elderly. Young people can find the fashionable elements that suit their tastes, while old people prefer to come here to watch a refined opera. Even the children would like to come here, though they are too young to feel the fashion or the culture, but they like the toy stores here. There are different kinds of toy stores and candy shops that are for children, so that children can be adjusted to their wonderful world. What’s more, it is a great place that attracts both men and women.There are a lot of make-up stores and clothing that like a heaven to women. And for men, there are many sports stores that appeal to them. At night, Times Square is also a popular place, due to the various pubs. Many beautiful young ladies and handsome gentlemen go in and out these pubs, which is also a wonderful scenery in this prosperous city. There are diverse kinds of people come here for different reasons, and everyone enjoys himself very much. Every time I came here, I would encounter some interesting activities. The first time I came to Times Square, I saw a naked man, singing at the roadside, with his guitar.I was astonished, as this was the first time for me to see a man with an underwear singing in the busy square. Many people took pictures with him, and everyone was friendly to each other. On the other side of the street, a band, consisting of four children, sang a song with their instruments. This band attracted many tourists, because they were so young, but they played very well. After they sang a song, all the people gave their applause. What’s more, people could see the staffs that wore costumes wandering everywhere. Every tourist could take pictures with them, if they wanted to.The staffs were very kind, and sometimes they would tell you some interesting things that happened in Times Square. When I came to Times Square on the second time, I saw a group of people having a parade there. They promoted that Taiwan should become free from the mainland of China. They gave me their leaflets, but I didn’t take, as I am the member of the mainland of China. It was also worth to state that people communicated with each other friendly, though they were from different countries. They shared their experiences and cultures with each other, which could really broaden the horizon.It is an amazing place that people will have passion here, and prefer to talk with others just like old friends. In Times Square, everyday likes a festival, because it is always a lively square whe re all the people can enjoy themselves. After I saw the place, the people, and their interaction, I got the deep understanding of the United States. I have to admit that America is the busiest city in the world. In Beijing, which is the best city in China, I have never seen so many grand buildings in one area as in Times Square. As Times Square is the symbol of New York, I can see the fashion of this city.And I also find that people here prefer to watch opera, because there is a long line in front of every theater. From the restaurant, I can obtain the American’s taste that they prefer the fast-food, which is convenient and cheap. Furthermore, from the clothing stores, I can get their clothing style that the casual style of the clothes will suit them. In addition, I find that the United States is a diverse society. It welcomes all the people that come from every corner of the world, ignoring the races and ages. In Times Square, you can find there are different kinds of people with different races and colors, and they all have a good time.In this nowadays’ United States, everyone is equal, and there is no discrimination, so all the people can play together and have a happy time in their life. Most people in the world prefer to have a chance to come to the United States, because not only it is a prosperous country, but also it is equal to everyone. As a result, all the people feel comfortable here. Through observing the people in Times Square, I find that even the old people have the passion toward the life. In other countries, like in China, elderly do not prefer to join activities in a busy area.In the contrast, the old people in America still have the energy to join the activities and live a life that they want. In New York, everyone is very happy, and I can feel their happiness in their heart, from their expressions and actions. It is obvious that America is a good country that welcomes everyone in different countries. From the interaction of t he people in Times Square, I find that Americans are very friendly to all the people, even though they do not recognize. The staffs there are very kind to provide the help, when the tourists meet some difficulties.The local people are very nice, and they often share the local cultures with the newcomers. When I was there, I don’t feel lonely, because I can see the smile on everyone’s face, which makes me feel comfortable. Americans are a group of people that are full of passion and energy. They would like to pass this happiness to every other people, so whenever you come to Times Square, you will find that this place is filled with happiness. From the activities there, I would like to say that it is a country that is full of openness and freedom. In China, you may never have a chance to see a naked man singing a song in a square.China is a traditional country, so sometimes it cannot accept the open thought. However, the United States is a country, full of its tradition s, as well as its openness. In addition, I think America is a freedom country. Times Square is one of the busiest places in New York. Everyone can tell their inner voices here, not banned by the government. On the second time I went to Times Square, I saw a group people stating that Taiwan should be free from China. Although I don’t agree with this idea, I believe that everyone has the right to say what they want.In China, this kind of parade must be forbidden, not to mention that holding an activity like this in a famous square, such as Tiananmen Square. Therefore, the United States is a country that people can have a freedom of speech. Here, people can say whatever they want, even though their saying may be not the same as the government’s. In China, if people say that Taiwan should be free from China, they must be banned. Although I do not agree with this idea, I think people have the right to say out their opinion, and no one can bother them.I think that is the rea son that why most of people prefer to come to the United States. People will be treated equally, and they can feel free in this country. The most outstanding advantage of this country is that every people will get freedom that is valuable to everyone. Under the visiting Times Square for two times, I can draw a conclusion of the American culture. Trough seeing, hearing and feeling of the busiest square in New York, I know that Manhattan is one of the luxuriant places in the world, with numerous great buildings.In addition, I also learned American custom, like their clothes style and their food style. Moreover, I liked the people here, because they are friendly and kind to everyone, ignoring your countries, races and colors. From observing a symbol place of America, I admire this country’s openness and its freedom. It shows that every citizen is the host of this country, and every of them can say the opposite ideas. In fact, because of these opposite voices, the country can mak e more progress than before, so that people can live a happy life. Ethnography Paper Ethnography Paper This is my first time that I come to New York, so I am curious about many things in this new place, such as the famous resorts, and the people here. As we know, the Times Square is very famous in New York. When I was in China, I hope I can visit Times Square, because I saw Times Square was very great in some of the opening of American series. Now, I am in New York, and I have enough chances to visit Times Square whenever I want. In there, it gives me a new horizon to understand the culture that is different from China. I have been to Times Square for two times, and I have a very deep impression on it.It locates in the interchange of Manhattan 42 west street and Broadway avenue. It is interesting that Times Square is not a square area, but a triangular square. I must say it is really the most prosperous place in the world, although it is not very huge as other squares in our mind. There are many theaters, clothing stores, as well as some famous companies. The buildin gs there are very high, which reflects the boom of this popular city. In Times Square, there is a huge advertising board that presenting various kinds of advertisements, also including Chinese advertisements.On August 28th, the first time I went to Times Square, I saw my friends and I were on this advertising board, which was very exciting for us. I heard from a local friend that Times Square is a crazy area in New York, because you can find museums, hotels, and whatever you want, and all of these things are full of popular elements. It only takes people about ten minutes get to another famous place, the Fifth Avenue, where people can see many luxury brands. Moreover, Times Square is also near to the Central Park, appearing in many renowned movies.It is the symbol of New York City, and it also presents the luxuriousness of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Besides the magnificent buildings, people in there are also worth to consider. People must be amazing that there are various kin ds of people there. They are white, yellow, black, coming from everywhere in the world. Some of them are the local people, and they come here to go shopping or watching a movie. Some of them are tourists, and they come here to go sightseeing, feeling the culture of American. It is a fashionable place, but if you think that only young people come here, and then you are wrong.People from all ages prefer to come to Times Square. Young people can enjoy themselves, as well as elderly. Young people can find the fashionable elements that suit their tastes, while old people prefer to come here to watch a refined opera. Even the children would like to come here, though they are too young to feel the fashion or the culture, but they like the toy stores here. There are different kinds of toy stores and candy shops that are for children, so that children can be adjusted to their wonderful world. What’s more, it is a great place that attracts both men and women.There are a lot of make-up stores and clothing that like a heaven to women. And for men, there are many sports stores that appeal to them. At night, Times Square is also a popular place, due to the various pubs. Many beautiful young ladies and handsome gentlemen go in and out these pubs, which is also a wonderful scenery in this prosperous city. There are diverse kinds of people come here for different reasons, and everyone enjoys himself very much. Every time I came here, I would encounter some interesting activities. The first time I came to Times Square, I saw a naked man, singing at the roadside, with his guitar.I was astonished, as this was the first time for me to see a man with an underwear singing in the busy square. Many people took pictures with him, and everyone was friendly to each other. On the other side of the street, a band, consisting of four children, sang a song with their instruments. This band attracted many tourists, because they were so young, but they played very well. After they sang a song, all the people gave their applause. What’s more, people could see the staffs that wore costumes wandering everywhere. Every tourist could take pictures with them, if they wanted to.The staffs were very kind, and sometimes they would tell you some interesting things that happened in Times Square. When I came to Times Square on the second time, I saw a group of people having a parade there. They promoted that Taiwan should become free from the mainland of China. They gave me their leaflets, but I didn’t take, as I am the member of the mainland of China. It was also worth to state that people communicated with each other friendly, though they were from different countries. They shared their experiences and cultures with each other, which could really broaden the horizon.It is an amazing place that people will have passion here, and prefer to talk with others just like old friends. In Times Square, everyday likes a festival, because it is always a lively square whe re all the people can enjoy themselves. After I saw the place, the people, and their interaction, I got the deep understanding of the United States. I have to admit that America is the busiest city in the world. In Beijing, which is the best city in China, I have never seen so many grand buildings in one area as in Times Square. As Times Square is the symbol of New York, I can see the fashion of this city.And I also find that people here prefer to watch opera, because there is a long line in front of every theater. From the restaurant, I can obtain the American’s taste that they prefer the fast-food, which is convenient and cheap. Furthermore, from the clothing stores, I can get their clothing style that the casual style of the clothes will suit them. In addition, I find that the United States is a diverse society. It welcomes all the people that come from every corner of the world, ignoring the races and ages. In Times Square, you can find there are different kinds of people with different races and colors, and they all have a good time.In this nowadays’ United States, everyone is equal, and there is no discrimination, so all the people can play together and have a happy time in their life. Most people in the world prefer to have a chance to come to the United States, because not only it is a prosperous country, but also it is equal to everyone. As a result, all the people feel comfortable here. Through observing the people in Times Square, I find that even the old people have the passion toward the life. In other countries, like in China, elderly do not prefer to join activities in a busy area.In the contrast, the old people in America still have the energy to join the activities and live a life that they want. In New York, everyone is very happy, and I can feel their happiness in their heart, from their expressions and actions. It is obvious that America is a good country that welcomes everyone in different countries. From the interaction of t he people in Times Square, I find that Americans are very friendly to all the people, even though they do not recognize. The staffs there are very kind to provide the help, when the tourists meet some difficulties.The local people are very nice, and they often share the local cultures with the newcomers. When I was there, I don’t feel lonely, because I can see the smile on everyone’s face, which makes me feel comfortable. Americans are a group of people that are full of passion and energy. They would like to pass this happiness to every other people, so whenever you come to Times Square, you will find that this place is filled with happiness. From the activities there, I would like to say that it is a country that is full of openness and freedom. In China, you may never have a chance to see a naked man singing a song in a square.China is a traditional country, so sometimes it cannot accept the open thought. However, the United States is a country, full of its tradition s, as well as its openness. In addition, I think America is a freedom country. Times Square is one of the busiest places in New York. Everyone can tell their inner voices here, not banned by the government. On the second time I went to Times Square, I saw a group people stating that Taiwan should be free from China. Although I don’t agree with this idea, I believe that everyone has the right to say what they want.In China, this kind of parade must be forbidden, not to mention that holding an activity like this in a famous square, such as Tiananmen Square. Therefore, the United States is a country that people can have a freedom of speech. Here, people can say whatever they want, even though their saying may be not the same as the government’s. In China, if people say that Taiwan should be free from China, they must be banned. Although I do not agree with this idea, I think people have the right to say out their opinion, and no one can bother them.I think that is the rea son that why most of people prefer to come to the United States. People will be treated equally, and they can feel free in this country. The most outstanding advantage of this country is that every people will get freedom that is valuable to everyone. Under the visiting Times Square for two times, I can draw a conclusion of the American culture. Trough seeing, hearing and feeling of the busiest square in New York, I know that Manhattan is one of the luxuriant places in the world, with numerous great buildings.In addition, I also learned American custom, like their clothes style and their food style. Moreover, I liked the people here, because they are friendly and kind to everyone, ignoring your countries, races and colors. From observing a symbol place of America, I admire this country’s openness and its freedom. It shows that every citizen is the host of this country, and every of them can say the opposite ideas. In fact, because of these opposite voices, the country can mak e more progress than before, so that people can live a happy life.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Organic Synthesis Sterine, (S)-Phenyl-1-Propanol and 1, Assignment

Organic Synthesis Sterine, (S)-Phenyl-1-Propanol and 1, 4-Dyhydrobenzoic Acid - Assignment Example Synthesis of organic compounds takes two forms; total or methodology. In total synthesis a whole organic compound is formed from naturally available substances. It involves many procedures until a complete compound is constructed. In the process, a variety of compounds are formed which are called intermediates. Alternatively, methodology approach put more emphasis on the process that gives good yield. Therefore, The reactions are manipulated to meet quality checks.(S)-Phenyl-1-propanol is a liquid whose boiling point and density is 94.5oC and 0.99g/cm3 respectively. It is viscous and mixes with organic solvents like benzene and toluene but does not dissolve in water. It is mostly used to transfer heat in thermal systems. On safety front, the substance is not classified as dangerous, however, it can cause harmful effects when swallowed or come into contacts with parts of the body like eyes and skin. One of the methods of preparing it is reacting benzeldehyde with diethylzinc and (Dime thylamino)isoborneol. DAIB is strong electron oxidant used in many chemical reactions. 1, 4-dihydrobenzoic acid is formed through reduction of benzoic acid in sodium dissolved in ammonia by a process called birch reaction. Generally, when benzene having an electron donating substituent are reduced, 1,4-dihydro compounds are formed.Styrene or vinyl benzene is a colourleess viscous liquid that is highly volatile. It is also a monomer used to produce polystyrene which has wide applications in plastic packaging.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Design a Total Rewards program ( Coco Cola) Research Paper

Design a Total Rewards program ( Coco Cola) - Research Paper Example er in 1889, Asa Griggs Candler bought the drink’s formula and brand and started large scale production of the drink through the incorporation of The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. From then on, the company grew into a multinational beverage franchise with over 400 products sold and marketed in over 200 countries. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the American firm specializes in manufacturing, marketing and retailing of its wide range on nonalcoholic drinks’ syrups and concentrates. The ever growing brand surpasses any other nonalcoholic brand with statistics showing more than 2 billion of its trademark drinks are consumed everyday. Coca-Cola’s main objectives is to explore every available market on the globe in order to achieve the status of being a global brand that responsibly and ethically conducts its business while accelerating sustainable growth for operation in the world of tomorrow (The Coca-Cola Company, 2014). This objective is the basis for the development of the company’s set of goals and strategies al of which revolve around achieving this main goal. The Coca-Cola Company is a global beverage brand with patents to over 500 brands of nonalcoholic beverages which it produces, markets and licenses globally. With segments in nearly all continents, the company has had to establish a set of goals that will guide its operations. In its mission statement the organization claims that it seeks to refresh the mind body and spirit of the world while inspiring moments of optimism and making a difference in every place it operates as well as creating value at the same time through the organization’s actions and brands (Coca-Cola GB, 2014). In order to achieve the company established a set of goals towards which it works towards along with its subsequent bottlers. The first is to create a great workplace environment that inspires the employees to be the best they can be (The Coca-Cola Company, 2014). Then there is the portfolio goal that seeks to refresh

Integration of Culture and Diversity in an Organization Assignment

Integration of Culture and Diversity in an Organization - Assignment Example Organization culture serves as deeply embedded form of social control, it bonds people together in an organization and makes them feel part of the organization’s experience and corporate culture helps the employee make sense of the workplace. Hewlett Packard Company operates in a highly competitive environment hence it has found to better served with a culture that engenders efficiency. It operates in an environment that require employees to be dedicated so that it can be successful hence it has practiced an employee-oriented culture. Therefore, Hewlett Packard has engaged organization cultures such as hierarchy, market culture, clan culture and adaptive culture in order to succeed in its operation. Hewlett Packard showed hierarchy culture when Bob as the CEO formed sub-companies located throughout its divisions, geographic regions and occupational groups. Formation of these small companies operates under the ‘mother’ company in America with managers who take orde rs from the CEO who heads the whole organization and take formal rules and policies from the main organization. The purposes of forming these many small organizations are to ensure stability, predictability, and efficiency in order to maintain efficient, reliable, fast, smooth-flowing production. Market culture focuses on the market penetration using diverse outside constituencies such as suppliers, customers, contractors, regulators, and licensees. Hewlett Packard Company has become the world’s leading business because it has successfully incorporated market culture by forming mergers. It has actively integrated compatible mergers with individuals with innovative ideas, business people and other related business to ensure it expands large enough to reach customers in diverse locations in order the company can feel that it total own and have the control responsibility of the merchandise.  

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Assisted Suicide, The Right to Die Research Paper

Assisted Suicide, The Right to Die - Research Paper Example l, social and cultural levels for decades and, even at the global level, this activity still does not seem to be able to reach any societal consensus about whether it is appropriate. However, assisted suicide allows individuals with varying health problems or handicaps to have a means to escape their complications and avoid the anguish of dying without a sense of personal decorum. Washington and Oregon are the only two states in the US where assisted suicide is a practice allowable by law (Ball and Mengewein, 2010). Since both states are located on the West coast, this might be representative of a cultural perspective that is quite different from the rest of the continental United States. Both of these states now support the perspective of different right-to-die organizations and protect the medical community from being the victims of lawsuits. The efforts of these states further supported what ended up being a victorious lawsuit in Montana, filed by truck driver Robert Baxter, a patient with lymphocytic leukemia, who actively challenged Montana’s homicide statute. Even though this particular case was victorious, Baxter died of his illness on December 5, 2008 which happened to be the exact same day that his case won in the First Judicial District Court in Helena (Blesch, 2009). However, this set the precedent for future lawsuits of this nature in suppo rt of the right-to-die agenda. Even at the global level, there is much progression in areas of assisted suicide, with Belgium taking the lead in support for euthanasia. In 2007, almost two percent of all deaths reported involved assisted suicide at the request of the patient, with the rate of the Belgium medical community withholding life-extending treatment increasing from 14.6 percent to 17.4 percent in just six years (Bilsen, Cohen, Chambaere and Pousset, 2009). At the global level, these measurable increases in assisted suicide show that there is an active, global market looking for alternatives to prolonged

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Advertising S.C.O.R.E Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advertising S.C.O.R.E - Article Example It somehow convinces us, that apple was the source for humankind’s knowledge and wisdom. It gave humans the priority to rule over the world otherwise the scene would have been different, if animals could have used it first. There’s no doubt about the creativity of Warren Brown and Simon Langley, the creative directors who came up with this fascinating and astonishing idea to support a brand with a historical and religious event of such an impact. The revolution of human kind came from the realization. Knowing their needs and ways to acquire them propounded success. The simplest feature of it was the human nature connected through natural world. Showing all the early Earth life signifies the fact that the brand represents and early and mutual bond with the habitants of Earth. More to it, it depicts the natural ways of acquiring and producing the product and the easy accessibility to its customers. Through this simple idea the ideology of â€Å"5 seeds† can be understood and is conveyed well to its customers. The creativity of the idea can be calculated through its magnificent beginning. The captivating start fills curiosity into one’s mind and leaves a ravishing effect. The selection of location and the artists in it brought life and color into it. The mud all around could be related to ignorance and underdevelopment also."5 seeds† believe by bringing apple cider in the area. They have given flavor and knowledge of a new apple. The fight for the right is shown by showing the lady reach the apple and the birds protecting their one essence. The availability is again portrayed through a proper channel and plus promising a secure and clean way to it. Originality is one key element in the success of any promotional mean. There’s no doubt about it the idea contained historical and religious elements in it and convinced the

Monday, September 23, 2019

City bank Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

City bank - Research Paper Example Despite business operations having an immense impact on the global economy, the economy as well can be said to have impacted on the businesses hence a two way affair. The global economy is surrounded by political, economic and social forces that must be highlighted in the bid to describe how the Bank’s business has influenced the economy (Starrett 2009). The free operation environments that have been advanced, environment that capital is freely movable and barriers to trade have also been eliminated hence free flow of finances. As a result of business operations and wellness in coordination, the global scene has realized a massive growth for businesses to become multinational corporations. Inventions and innovations as a result of idea generations globally have created a lot of new commodities. Moreover, management efficiency of the Bank due to businesses being in a position to attract highly qualified staff from every corner of the universe and in bulk. Labor cost in the global economy have also since reduced due to the unlimited supply of the labor itself as well as its mobility has made it easily accessible and readily available for most business ventures and the question which remains is its affordability. International political decisions, otherwise called foreign policies are highly dictated largely by world economic power houses. This power is achieved depending on the control that such countries posses in the world business arena, the US where the bank originates commands the bigger share of the world economy. In the past countries have been witnessed to collude and come together on the basis of their GDP. The so called G8 or G10 of the current is composed by the world economic forces and they influence all the decisions undertaken upon the surface of the earth. Such decisions are normally geared to only favor the bank and their operations (Starrett 2009). International wars and crimes have normally been propagated due to the fight of supremacy

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Pocahontas Term Paper Essay Example for Free

Pocahontas Term Paper Essay In Camilla Townsend’s book, Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma, Townsend points out that there are many historical inaccuracies and myths that are associated with the story of Pocahontas. Using historical evidence to support the story of Pocahontas, Townsend attempted to create an accurate timeline bringing the past to the present. At the same time, the Disney film Pocahontas attempted to depict Algonquian culture accurately, however, according to history, much of the material presented in the film is full of misconceptions and is historically imprecise. In fact, Disney’s Pocahontas epitomizes John Smith and Pocahontas as heroes who prevented a war between the Algonquian Native American tribes and the colonists who were living in Jamestown. However, historical evidence proves that at the time John Smith came into contact with Powhatan, Pocahontas was only a young child around the age of ten and, thus had very little influence over her father. Additionally, the film depicts John Smith as a leader who was looked up to by the other colonists, while historical records prove that he â€Å"had made many enemies by the time he had left Jamestown.†1 Disney inaccurately portrayed particular pieces of the Native American experience with the European colonists, specifically regarding Pocahontas, yet, it is important to consider the audience that this part of history was being presented to. One of the biggest historical inaccuracies presented in the Disney film Pocahontas is the love story between John Smith and Pocahontas. The fi lm exhibited John Smith and Pocahontas as falling madly in love at first sight. This love is represented in the film through the â€Å"colors of the wind† which can often be seen circling Smith or Pocahontas. In the book, Townsend provides evidence of a relationship between the two that included only friendship, laughter, and education, but not love. A demonstration of this relationship would be when Pocahontas â€Å"participated in a class of mutual language instruction with John Smith.†2 In fact, it is from these lessons that Smith was able to write down the only full Powhatan sentences to ever be recorded. While there was no love between Smith and Pocahontas, historical evidence has shown that Smith thought about Pocahontas in sexual  ways. Actually, â€Å"council investigation openly acknowledged that he made lewd comments about her – or having even done things to her – in jokes, or in moments of sexual arousal.†3 The true love story in Pocah ontas occurred between John Rolfe and Pocahontas at the Jamestown settlement a few years after Smith had made contact with the Algonquian tribe. Unfortunately, Rolfe was not even represented in the first Pocahontas film. Another historical inaccuracy that can be seen in the Disney film is the physical depiction of both John Smith and Pocahontas. The film portrays Smith as a young, tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed colonist who is charming and interested in protecting the Native Americans after coming into contact with Pocahontas. In contrast, historical evidence mentions that he was interested in control, and his intent was to subjugate the Native Americans so that â€Å"they could be made to work for their conquerors.†4 Smith was particularly interested in power and control over the Native Americans to further the cause in the New World for the English, which â€Å"unfortunately had passed the English by for at least a century.†5 Interestingly, Smith is portrayed in the film as being a young adult, of similar age to Pocahontas; however, in reality he was a middle-aged man with a large beard, and much older than Pocahontas.6 Smith is not the only person who was represented inaccurately by Disney in the film. Pocahontas is portrayed in the film as being a tall, beautiful, young adult who is free-spirited and passionate about nature. The most serious inaccuracy regarding Pocahontas is undoubtedly the fact that she is represented as a young adult, most likely around the age of twenty. According to historical records, Pocahontas, at the time of Smith’s arrival to the New World, was only ten years old.7 Additionally, the film depicts Pocahontas as being shocked and in awe of the English, however, evidence shows that â€Å"at no point did Powhatan, Pocahontas, or any of their people look on the strangers with wide-mouthed awe or consider them gods.†8 In fact, it is because of her young age that Townsend believes that â€Å"Powhatan and his advisors were hardly under her influence† when it came to policy decisions. Thus, her representation as a young adult is historically inaccurate and was clearly put in place to support the imaginary love story betwee n her and John Smith and make this fairy tale seem more believable. In Disney’s Pocahontas, it is evident that Powhatan desires Pocahontas to marry a Native American. In fact, the film even depicts Powhatan selecting Kocoom,  one of his strongest warriors, to be Pocahontas’ future husband. However, Townsend shines light on the idea that Powhatan did not have a strong preference about who Pocahontas married because Pocahontas’ mother lacked â€Å"political significance.†9 For this reason, any male child that Pocahontas was to bear would have not been placed in a seat of power, so it was not particularly necessary that she marry at all. As a result, she was given the choice of whom she wanted to marry. Interestingly, historical records indicate that Pocahontas â€Å"married a man named Kocoom, around the age of twelve or thirteen† and that â€Å"she must have liked him very much indeed.†10 So while the Disney film inaccurately portrayed Powhatan’s interest in Pocahontas’ love life, the film was able to successfully introduce Kocoom as a great warrior who had love for Pocahontas. Unfortunately, the film also inaccurately depicted a skirmish between Smith and Kocoom, which ultimately led to Kocoom’s death after being shot in the back. One thing historians are certain about is that Kocoom was the first husband of Pocahontas, however, â€Å"within a few years Kocoom seems to have disappeared.†11 The true story behind what exactly happened to Kocoom is up for debate, although many believe that he could have been killed in war, as he was a warrior for Powhatan. Another historical inaccuracy in Pocahontas is the portrayal of Powhatan as a person who practices monogamy. In fact, there are slight references in the film that Pocahontas’ mother had died, thus, making Powhatan a widow. While it is possible that Pocahontas’ mother died, historians know that Powhatan practiced polygamy regardless, due to the numerous amount of children he had. Through this sy stem, â€Å"whole clans of brothers and sisters had an obvious shared interest in remaining united and maintaining their family’s power.†12 In Townsend’s book, it is stated that in order to maintain rule over the tribes he conquered, Powhatan would â€Å"simply marry a woman of their royal family† because â€Å"a son conceived by her would grow up with loyalty to both his father and to his mother’s people.†13 To be ensured of this loyalty, the children were to be raised by Powhatan himself. The film also portrayed the inaccurate idea that Powhatan was interested in killing all of the colonists. In fact, what Powhatan really wanted was to gain metal tools as well as technology in the form of guns, knives, hatchets and pans; this is the reason why he made a deal John Smith.14 Townsend even included the fact that Powhatan was interested in  Ã¢â‚¬Å"establishing kinship ties as a means of ensuring his expanding control.†15 While Disney portrayed the story of Pocahontas inaccurately in many ways, some of the historical information was displayed in a correct manner. At the beginning of the film, the women of the tribe can be seen working in the fields. This, from the study of history, is accurate because we know that every member of the tribe worked in the village, even the royal family.16 Women could be seen dividing into groups in the morning; some would work the field, some would pick up firewood, and others would gather Tuckahoe to make flour.17 The film also depic ted the Native Americans’ telling of great stories that included the European conquests of parts of the New World. Being that Native American culture is passed down orally, historians can easily accept this idea that historical tales were told around campfires. Townsend explains that on an â€Å"ordinary evening, Pocahontas might have sat in the flickering light of torches and the central fire†¦listening to the older people tell stories.†18 While historians will never know exactly what Pocahontas was taught about her ancestry, it is safe to assume that there were many stories about the prior attempts of colonization that the â€Å"coat-wearers† had on their land. When analyzing the historical inaccuracies of the Disney film Pocahontas, it is important to keep in mind the audience that the film was created for. Disney undoubtedly created the film as a way to introduce the concept of Native Americans to children. In fact, one could argue that the primary audi ence that this film was intended for is between the ages of six and nine. As a result, Disney would not want to create a film that portrays all Europeans as power-hungry and eager to conquer the world in violent ways. After all, American children are more than likely living on land that belonged to the Native Americans at one time. It would not be favorable for Disney to illustrate the people around these children as a group who is interested in stealing from others. Disney hopes to teach kids about the importance of giving to others and keeping those you love close. Thus, this is why we see John Smith and Pocahontas as attractive role models who fall madly in love. Pocahontas was created to be a fairytale that portrayed the idea of ultimate love and happiness, not to show the utter destruction that the Native Americans and their land suffered from after contact with the Europeans. One could argue that Pocahontas was created to depict a peaceful transfer of lands from the Native Americans to  the European colonists through mutual agreement, an example of how inaccuracies about the true occurrence still persist today. Disney attempted to develop a film that introduced the history of Native Americans and the New World to young children through a simplistic story with a happy ending. However, this could become dangerous if the children who view the film do not receive proper education about the subject and continuously base facts off the film. In general, making a fictitious representation of true events could pass as unobjectionable in order to make a story more interesting for film. In the case of Pocahontas, when a story works to make the group that was truly at fault look innocent, issues arise in terms of proper education and the reinforcement of unjust myths. The film, Pocahontas, was undoubtedly filled with many historical inaccuracies, which have caused confusion about the realistic story of Pocahontas, but it did provide truthful, basic background information about Native American lifestyle at the time of the European conquest. I agree with Townsend that Pocahontas deserves for her true story to be known. However, I believe that creating a Disney film was not the best way to accomplish this, nor was it the goal of the company. Introducing the true interactions and agreements made between the Algonquian Native Americans and the European conquerors was not possible to do through an animated Disney film due to the typical audience of the film and the simplistic, family-oriented themes that Disney incorporates. American History classes provided in American schools, particularly in areas that have a strong historical Native American presence, are doing a better job of teaching students about the truthful atrocities that the European settlers created for the Native Americans. It is clear, however, that pop-culture may not be at the same level of educating society. Works Cited Townsend, Camilla. Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma. New York: Hill and Wang, 2004. Pocahontas. Dir. Mike Gabriel. 1995. DVD.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Strategies to Strengthen Memory Skills

Strategies to Strengthen Memory Skills Memory is the power or process of remembering what has been learned. It can be bunches of information that you’ve learned from school, internet, and experiences, either good or bad. Memory is like a very big storage in our head. You yourself will be shocked from the things that are in store with it. When we remember or recall something, our memory is involved to it. Our memory is an essential in our daily lives, because once our memory failed to function, we will experience difficulties in remembering faces, numbers, and even directions. Won’t it be a burden for us and for others too? As we get older, the capability of our memory fades away. As a human being, our memory will be needed for a lifetime in every simple ways we do. Our memory is very important in order for us to get into school, university, and get a career or profession that we want. The job of our memory does in remembering wholly depends on our actions. Daily intake of healthy foods will make our memory function properly. We don’t just eat to fill our stomach. We must consider the nutrients that we get from it to become physically healthy, and mind healthy. Food isn’t just enough. It requires teamwork with vitamins that will further make us healthy. Memory also needs energy to work. Aside from food, enough sleep after a long tiring day is a must. Just like our body, it also gets tired if overused. Physical and mental exercises also contribute to a good memory. Our memory also needs to be trained so it will be in good condition. We socialize every day, every hour, and every minute. Havi ng an active interaction with the same or opposite gender will pro-long the stored memories in our mind. Memory is very important yet, losing it is common these days. Humans are careless about their food intake. They just eat whatever they want or whatever satisfies their tummies. They’ll  stay in front of computer and manipulate their accounts in social networking sites for such a long time and forget to have an active lifestyle outside. Humans don’t mind if they sleep or not. Some don’t like analyzing or mind challenge because they are too bored to think. They don’t socialize that much because it will only be a hindrance on what they do. If this cycle continues, it wouldn’t be shocking that most of us can’t remember a single thing anymore. Before it become worse, we must enhance our memory as early as we can. Enhancing it will be a good prevention for memory loss. It will benefit not just us, but also the other people around us. Enhancing our memory will help us in every simple way as much as possible. Memory enhancement might not matter now, but we will realize later that it is a great investment for future. Considering the factors of memory enhancement like eating healthy foods and regular intake of vitamins, doing exercises, implementing good sleeping habits, and even socializing will result to a healthy remembering. When we take an examination, we think carefully of the answers. We know the answer a while ago but we forgot it just now. We need to take down notes or a memo but the pen went missing. We keep looking for it but it is just behind our ear. Isn’t it frustrating to experience these situations? It won’t be impossible to happen if we don’t enhance our memory, now. Review of Literature Memory plays an important part in our daily lives. It is involve in remembering faces, numbers, directions, facts and a lot of information we gather. Just like our body, our memory also have needs in order to live and do its purpose. Memory loss is so common these days. In order to improve our memory’s performance, we must consider taking care of our health, implementing good habits and often socializing. If it is used, it will continue to improve throughout your lifetime (Buzan T., 1991). According to (Eastway R., 1991), one thing that is fundamental to a good memory is the health of the brain in which it sits. If our body needs good diet, so does our brain. There are kinds of food that will help us in improving our memory. One example of that is fish. Oily fish is the top scorer in foods that contain Omega-3. Fish also contains a fatty acid called DHA, which increases the levels of acetylcholine, a vital carrier involved in the memory’s function. Another one is food that contains anti-oxidants. Some people are unaware of what they take. There are some toxics that we unconsciously eat that can cause fundamental damage in our bodies, including our brain which is mainly responsible for our memory. Carbohydrates from bread and cereals can help to improve alertness, and the ability to form new memories and to retrieve the old ones. We are physiology different from each other, and what benefits in one person will not necessarily be the same for each one of us. Fish, anti-oxidants and carbohydrates will boost an average memory performance. The newest or the modern way to enhance our memory nowadays is taking up drugs. It can help but we must be careful in differentiating memory boosting drug and drugs that don’t retrieve old memories. If we were really good thinkers, (Gordon B. Berger L., 2003) states that we won’t neglect mental workouts. Jigsaws, crosswords and Sudoku are can be seen in the newspaper every day to  entertain us. Behind those sheets are ways for an alert and smart mind. Regular mental exercises build ups the brain, same as how physical exercise builds muscles and strengthens the heart. Treating your body well can enhance your ability to process and recall information. Physical exercises reduce the risks of memory loss. Try to give your memory a workout, training it to keep it sharp (Harp T., 2003). After a long tiring day in school or office, a sleep is a must. When we sleep, we boost the capability of our brain in problem-solving and critical thinking skills. It is also an essential in learning new information. We find it hard to remember something especially if we need to input too much information. Socializing can be one of the simplest memory techniques. According to Oscar Ybarra, a psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR), socializing was just as effective as more traditional kinds of mental exercise in  improving memory  and intellectual performance. Interacting with others can sharpen your memory because social interaction itself is challenging already because you have to deal with variety of people. If socializing isn’t your habit, it can’t affect you now but it will in the future. One of the horrors of growing older is the certainty that you will lose memory and that the loss of vocabulary or incident or imagery is going to diminish your imagination (Eastway R., 2004). Memory is like a shadow. It will be always after us, but as soon as the darkness rose, it will fade away. Memory is a lifetime machine. It will continue to work for a lifetime as long as we take good care of it. Just like an ordinary machine, it needs to be maintained to function properly. According to Matlin (2005), memory is the process of maintaining information over time. â€Å"Memory† came from the Latin word memorariandmemor, meaning mindful or remembering. Memory is our ability to encode, store, and recall information or past experiences with the help of the human brain. It is like a filing cabinet with a limitless capacity and speed. The work that our memory does widely depends on the owner: the humans. Scientific research has shown that the human brain starts remembering things 20 weeks after conception. In order to form new memories, information must be changed into a usable form through the process known asencoding. Once the information has been successfully encoded, it must bestoredin memory for later use. Most of this stored memory lies out of our awareness most of the time, except when we really need to use it. The retrieval orrecalling process allows us to bring stored memories into conscious awareness and use it in the present. Memory relies largely on the cells in our brain, and as we get older, brain cells (neurons) die, and don’t get replaced. The number of connections between the calls (synapses) also tends to disappear with age. We typically have 100 billion neurons at the age of eighteen, but then proceed to lose them every day thereafter. Forgetting is a normal and inevitable part of the way that the brain works at any age. One benefit of forgetting is that it helps to remove unnecessary information from our minds. The brain is good at knowing how to forget information that it no longer needs. It is hard to know which would be worse- never being able to remember, or never being able to forget. Forgetting may be a natural part of how the brain works, but not all forgetting is beneficial. It’s frustrating not being able to remember all those things that you actually do want to remember. Forgetting happens most of the time for office workers, students, teacher or anyone, even those who don ’t have a profession. No one wants it, but just like what is  stated above, it is inevitable. Many people wish to improve it, but some of us become unconsciously careless. One thing that is important to a good memory is the health of the brain in which it sits. We want to keep our memory alive but we are the ones who are killing it. There are some factors on killing your memory. Trauma to the head can permanently damage brain cells. Players that involve their heads on a physical game are more prone to brain diseases. Another step is intoxication. Alcohol is the most available substance for this. It slows down the brain’s function when it is in the blood. The third way to decline the brain is to ignore it. The phrase ‘use it or lose it’ really does apply to the brain. Lastly, the food that you eat is very important for the brain. A diet of burgers and highly salted chips is probably the best combination for brain decay, because it avoids feeding the brain the nutrients that help it to function. Memory improvement is significant on someone’s lifetime. What’s the use of a happy event if you can’t recall? What’s the use of reviewing for exams if you have poor memory? As we grow older, we worry about how we will remember a particular thing, if there’s something we can do to prolong it. Well, worry no more! There are plenty of things we can do to improve our ability to remember things, but of course it requires effort from the people who wants it. There are some particular foods and vitamins that are helpful for memory improvement. The nutrients we get from it are responsible for the health of our brain. Exercises, physical or mental, will train our memory to be sharp. Lastly, as we socialize, the effect it gives in our memory is positive. Most of it was done in our daily lives. Enhancing our memory is very simple right? Eating well is good for your physical as well as your mental health. The brain requires nutrients just like your heart, lungs or muscles do. Like everything else in your body, the brain  cannot work without energy. But which foods are particularly important to keep our memory happy and healthy? There’s no doubt that diet plays a major role in brain health. Omega-3 fats that can be found on oily fish as DHA (if you have higher levels of DHA in the blood, then the brain will operate more efficiently), which enables the body to use it easily. If you’re allergic to fish, you don’t need to worry because there’s a good alternative like linseed (flaxseed) oil, soya bean oil, pumpkin seeds, walnut oil and soya beans. They are good for healthy brain function, the heart, joints and general well-being. Nuts and seeds are also on the list. They all contain another important antioxidant: vitamin E. In one study, researchers found that people who consumed moderate amo unts vitamin E—from food, not supplements—lowered their risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by 67%. Here’s for all the sweet lovers- chocolate. Sweeten your brain-boosting diet with the dark kind (at least 70% cocoa); it contains flavonoids, another class of antioxidants that some research links to brain health. Let us all become healthy by eating veggies. Vegetables don’t just help our body to become healthy, but also our minds. Getting adequate amount of vegetables, especially broccoli, cabbage and dark leafy greens, may help improve memory. Can your diet make you smarter? You bet. Research shows that what you eat is one of the most powerful influences on everyday brain skills. So why don’t we try switching into a good diet? You’ve become healthy not just by body, but also by mind. Some people wonder if a tablet can really help boost a memory. Whether you suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or you just have memory problems, it’s been said that certain vitamins can help or prevent memory loss. There is no miracle cure for a bad memory, but there is still a way to improve it while it’s not yet bad. Research shows that B vitamins improve memory by creating a protective shield for the neurons in the brain. B vitamins break down homocysteine,  which is an amino acid that poisons nerve cells. This vitamin also aid in the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen, an important brain nutrient. Known for its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, this amino acid, Acetyl L-Carnatine (also known as ALCAR) helps with energy production necessary for optimal brain function. Another thing is Gingko Biloba. This herb has been shown to improve blood flow to your organs including your brain. Research concerning its effectiveness is mixed, though som e studies indicated it may improve concentration. Unfortunately, much of the evidence for the popular cures isn’t very strong. Leaving the foods and vitamins aside, let’s check how our habits can help nor destroy our memory condition. Physical fitness and mental fitness go well together. People who get regular exercise also tend to stay mentally sharp in their 70s and 80s. A study from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine concluded that individuals who exercised by walking or by engaging in physically active hobbies had a lower risk for Alzheimers disease. So experts recommend that you build physical activity into your daily routine. Exercising in the morning before going to work not only spikes brain activity and prepares you for mental stresses for the rest of the day, but also produces increase of retention of new information, and better reaction to complex situations. Let’s just consider exercise as a drug. It can be good if is intake moderately. Most of the people believe that memory fades with age. Well, newsflash: it’s just partly true. Memory fades away because as we age, because we lower the activities in involving it. Increase our brainpower by doing mental exercises. Crosswords and Sudoku and variety of board games are proven to improve our memory’s condition. As we play these games, we’re like settling our  memory in a battle field to train, and be strong. As long as we live, we must not stop learning. Although people vary widely in their individual sleep needs, research suggests that six to eight  hours of sleep a night is ideal to improve our memory. Our memory gets tired too. Findings suggest that getting an average amount of sleep, may help maintain memory in later life. Both too much and too little aren’t good. Aim for the right amount. Social interaction is a key ingredient—along with proper nutrition,physical exercise, brain training, and  lifelong learning—in the recipe for cognitive sharpness. Socializing can be a challenge for people who live alone, but everyone must have a social life no matter where they live or how they feel. You don’t have to have numerous social events on the calendar or go to a party just to socialize. Simply talking to them is. Being with other people is good for your health and also for your memory. We’re not meant to survive alone. Relationships stimulate our brains—in fact, interacting with others may be the best kind of brain exercise. In one recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health, for example, researchers found that people with the most active social lives had the slowest rate of memory decline. This won’t be a hard thing to do since we’re talking in our everyday lives. Isn’t it simple?

Friday, September 20, 2019

Geography Overview of the Maldives

Geography Overview of the Maldives Abstract This paper reviews the Maldives and the political, economic, topographical, and historical geography of the nation and its people. After a brief overview of basic facts, the paper will shift focus to more specific areas. First, a look at the topographical geography of the nation, reviewing formation and size of atolls, as well as climate, flora, and fauna. Historical geography, political geography, and economic geography will be followed by a conclusion of the current state of the Maldives and possible future outcomes of the nation based on political and climate changes. Maldives The Republic of Maldives is a South Asian country comprised of atolls located in the Indian Ocean. It is an isolated archipelago that is one of the smallest and poorest countries in the entire world. The United Nations estimated that the population of Maldives to be approximately 294,000 people (Metz, 1995). The Maldivian capital of Male holds about a quarter of the total population. Officially, Divehi is the language of Maldives. Divehi is spoken similarly to the old Ceylon language. Arabic and Urdu have influenced the language, and Maldivians write in Thaana. Most government officials speak English, but only a small percentage of Maldivians speak anything other than Divehi. Ethnic groups consist of a combination of Sinhalese, Arabic, Dravidian, Australasian, and African assemblages (Metz, 1995). Topographical Geography The Republic of Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. An archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, Maldives consists of nearly 1,200 coral islands assembled in a dual chain of 27 atolls. These atolls sit upon a ridge jutting up from the Indian Ocean in a north-to-south expanse of 596.5 miles (Brown, Turner, Hameed, Bateman, 1997). Many atolls are made of circular coral reefs which support small islands within. Each island spans about a mile, and are less than a mile above sea level. Maldives is the worlds lowest country, with an average ground-level elevation of only 4 feet 11 inches above sea level. The highest point in the Maldives is also the lowest in the world, coming in at 7 feet 10 inches (Metz, 1995). No single island is longer than 5 miles or wider than 18 miles. Each atoll has about five to ten islands that are populated, and twenty to sixty which are unpopulated. Many atolls consist of a main remote island enclosed by a steep coral beach (Metz, 1995). The Maldives archipelago is situated upon the Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge, which is an immense underwater mountain range. This particular geographical set up forms a unique terrestrial ecoregion, but leaves the nation susceptible to natural disasters due to rising sea levels. For example, the tsunami of 2004 killed more than 100 Maldivians and displaced more than 12,000 (BBC News, 2014). Other environmental issues plague the Maldives, leading to a diminishing supply of freshwater and poor sewage treatment (Brown et al, 1997). Approximately 200 of these atolls are inhabited by local Maldivians, and 87 of the islands have been converted into lavish resorts for travelers and tourists. The lush groves of breadfruit and coconut trees, the sandy beaches and beautiful corals visible through crystal clear waters combined to attract nearly a million and a half tourists to Maldives in 2015 (Naish, 2016). Historical and Political Geography Early Maldivian history is shrouded in mystery. No archeological remains have been found of early settlers. The earliest identified settlers were probably from southern India followed by migrants from Sri Lanka. Arab sailors came from east Africa and other countries, and todays ethnicity reflects a blend of these cultures (Metz, 1995). Many researchers believe the earliest settlers to be of Aryan descent, coming from India and Sri Lanka in the 5th century BC. Maldivians are believed to have practiced Hinduism, then Buddhism until 1153 AD. The sitting king of Maldives was converted to Islam in the 12th century (Metz, 1995). Maldivian history reflects the Islamic concept that before Islam, ignorance reigned, although the Maldivian culture reflects much of the customs and mannerisms from when Buddhism was prominent in the area. Since that initial Islamic conversion, the recording of history in Maldives was much more consistent (MaldiveIsle, 2010). After Islamic conversion, the Maldivian government was considered a monarchy ruled by sovereign sultans, and intermittent Sultanas or queens (MaldiveIsle, 2010). Trade wars with the Portuguese during the 16th century lead to Portuguese seizure of Male in 1558. In 1573, resistance leader Muhmmad Thakurufanu defeated the Portuguese invaders and ruled Maldives until 1752. At this time, Malabari pirates overthrew the Sultan, Ali 6th, and stationed army troops in the capitol. Maldivian leader Muleege Hassan Maniku regained control of the throne (MaldiveIsle, 2010). Political instability led Maldives to enter into a protectorate with the British in 1887, wherein Maldives gained protection from foreign antagonism, in exchange agreeing not to join forces with any other foreign authority (MaldiveIsle, 2010). Although researchers disagree whether or not Maldives was definitely independent of British power, for the most part Maldivians enjoyed independence from foreign rulers. The Maldivian constitution was formed in 1932, with overtones of Islamic Sharia law, and the sultanate becoming an elected position (MaldiveIsle, 2010). However, the public disagreed, physically tearing the Constitution to pieces and dethroning the Sultan in 1934 for overstepping his bounds. A new Constitution was written in 1937. Nine years later, the British agreement was renewed. The Maldives changed from a monarchy to a Republic within the British Commonwealth in 1953, and the position of sultanate was eliminated. Mohammed Amin Didi was the first elected President of Maldives, but his victory was cut short after being overthrown due to food scarcities and his tobacco ban. The Sultanate once again ruled Maldives until 1968, with famine caused by World War Two lingering into the 1950s. Mohammed Fareedh was the last Sultan of the Maldives, having been ousted after the Republic was reinstated and Ibrahim Nasir became President in 1968 (BBC News, 2016). Nasir retired in 1978, and was succeeded by Abd al-Gayoom. Maldives rejoined the Commonwealth in 1982, after the tourist industry led to expanded economic growth (BBC News, 2016). Gayoom was reelected repeatedly until 2008, when opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed became President. Nasheed resigned in 2012 after demonstrations and mutiny by the police force, and Vice-President Mohamed Waheed rose to the Presidency. Political unrest in Maldives continued after the 2013 election of Gayooms half-brother, Abdulla Yameen. However, opposition leader and former President Nasheed was arrested on terrorism charges in 2015, prompting speculation from international governments about political unrest in Maldives (BBC News, 2016). Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years for his terrorism case, but was granted leave in January 2016 to travel to Britain for back surgery. In April, the Maldivian government ordered Nasheed to return; however, Nasheed was granted refugee status in Britain, where he remains to this day (BBC News, 2016). Abdulla Yameen remains the Maldivian President, and in October 2016 the Maldives announced its departure from the Commonwealth (BBC News, 2016). Current political atmospheres in Maldives appear to be relatively stable. The political structure remains a Republic with an executive President and a Legislature known as Peoples Majlis. Both positions are selected during elections that take place every five years. Like the United States, Presidents are limited to two terms in office (BBC News, 2016). Economic Geography Once known as The Money Isles, Maldives was the main producer of cowry shells. These Maldivian cowries were used in monetary transactions over most of Asia and much of East Africa, and the cowry is used as the symbol of the Maldives Monetary Authority. Historically, shipping and fishing have been the fixed industries of the nation, not surprising since the Maldives territory is comprised of islands (MaldiveIsle, 2010). Poor soil quality and scarce cultivatable land limit the practice of agriculture. Native fruits and vegetables are used mainly to feed natives, and most other living essentials are imported. Crafting and boatbuilding fuel business workings, and more modern manufacturing and assembly is limited to a fish cannery, a few garment factories, and assorted consumer products. Many Maldivians work in the fishing industry, which employs almost half of the labor force (Brown et al, 1997). With fishing being the main source of employment for Maldivians, a variety of fish is caught and exported for profit. The main types of fish caught and sold are skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, little tuna, and frigate mackerel. Once done by hand with a line and pole, modern fishing vessels have enabled Maldivian fishermen to nearly triple their catch, while refrigeration has allowed for longer storage times which enable fishermen to travel farther out to sea for their catch (MaldiveIsle, 2010). Although there appears to be a shortfall of resources in the Maldives, tourism has grown impressively over the last twenty years. The beauty and tranquility of the water, as well as the native flora and fauna attracts nearly 1.2 million tourists per year. Because of this uptick in tourism, skilled laborers such as construction workers, tile workers, and other craftsmen are experiencing an increase in work (Naish, 2016). Overall, Maldives is a beautiful, lively nation with a vibrant history and interesting culture. From early Dravinian culture to modern-day Islam, Maldives has remained steadfast in its resolve to preserve the atolls that nearly a quarter million people call home. However, despite local government efforts, the increasing damaging effects of climate change and global warming threaten to eliminate this isolated gem from the world map entirely. Only time will tell if efforts to reduce climate change impact can save this wonderful nation. References Brown, K., Turner, R., Hameed, H., Bateman, I. (1997). Environmental carrying capacity and tourism development in the Maldives and Nepal. Environmental Conservation, 24(4), 316-325. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environmental-conservation/article/div-classtitleenvironmental-carrying-capacity-and-tourism-development-in-the-maldives-and-nepaldiv/DC50C550C6E6403C034B77F3292FAB9F History of Maldives. (2010). In Maldive Isle. Retrieved from http://www.maldiveisle.com/history.htm Maldives Profile- Timeline. (2016). In BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-12653969 Metz, H. C. Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1995) Indian Ocean: five island countries. [Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O] [Online Text] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/95016570/. Naish, A. (2016). Tourist arrivals reach 1.2m in 2015. In Maldives Independent. Retrieved from http://maldivesindependent.com/business/tourist-arrivals-reach-1-2m-in-2015-121424

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Actual and Symbolic Barriers in Robert Frosts Mending Wall Essay

Actual and Symbolic Barriers in Robert Frost's Mending Wall The appearance of barriers, both literal and figurative, is significant to the narrative of Robert Frost's "Mending Wall." The story in this piece revolves around a wall separating two men, their yards, and their lives. The wall is not only a physical boundary; it also symbolizes the barriers between the two in other aspects of their lives. The most noticeable barrier in this work is obviously the wall dividing the yard. The reason for a wall between the trees is unknown to the narrator and the reader. The speaker questions the need for the fence when he says, "Before I built a wall I'd ask to know/ What I was walling in or walling out, / And to whom I was like to give offense." These feelings are expressed also in lines 23 through 26. The wall is located between the neighbor's pine grove and the speaker's apple orchard. Is there a point in dividing these trees? Even though the narrator does not know the purpose of the wall, he is always the one responsible for making sure it is mended every year. More than likely he unconsciously feels a need for the fence too. Perhaps it is a need for his privacy or maybe it is a need to have a connection with the outside world. In the lines "Where they have not left one stone on a stone, / But they would have the rabbit out of hiding," the wall represents the barriers people put up so that their vulnerabilities and secrets can remain hidden. Once this wall is broken there is a need to mend it in order to keep others from seeing what is on the opposite side of the wall. There are other instances of the wall representing the need for separation between personal and private aspects of lives. In lines 16 though 20, ... ...need to keep the wall up in order to protect themselves from outsiders. At the same time though, the need for the ritual of mending the fence is beyond their control. The narrator states, "Something there is that doesn't love a wall...And makes gaps even two can pass abreast." (Lines 1-4) The choice to pass through the fence is available, and so is the choice to mend the wall each year. Both know that the fence will fall again and the next spring they will be reunited. As long as the literal wall exists there will be contact between the two men. However as long as the figurative barriers remain, the distance between them is further than any fence could separate them. Work Cited Robert Frost. "Mending Wall." Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. p106-107.