Virgin Atlantic A Premium Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Virgin Atlantic A Premium Brand - Essay Example The company, Virgin Atlantic, implemented the core value marketing strategies (Czinkota, 2007). The company’s Steve Ridgeway, VirginAtlantic’s Marketing Director, focused on advertising the many benefits of flying the London and other skies within the comfortable passenger planes of Virgin Atlantic. Mr. Ridgeway joined Virgin Atlantic Airlines in1989. Ridgeway’s successful marketing strategies triggered his promotion to the more responsible and more hectic head of marketing position in 1992. The promotions activities included offering discounts and other special privileges to frequent flyers. The company offered busy airline travelers to enroll in the company’s frequent flyer programme. Ruth Blakemore, Virgin Atlantic’s Marketing Head, coordinates with Mr. Ridgway as one of the top marketing officers of Virgin Atlantic (Doyle, 2012). Further, the company implemented excellent quality customer services to increase customer demand(McDonald, 2007). The company’s in-flight catering service is on the same level as the catering services of other competing airline companies. The company’s airport retail area caters to the personal and other travel needs of the company’s airport passengers. Within the airports, the customers can easily access the busy duty free shops. The company also implements a prestigious product development as well as public relations campaign under the strong leadership of Mr. Ridgeway. Specifically, the company’s advertising budget is equal to two percent of the company’s overall turnover or revenues. The advertising campaigns are described as several short advertisements being handled by several professional advertising and promotions organizations (Doyle, 2012). Further, Virgin Atlantic’s management structure focuses on customer-based marketing. The company’s pricing and services are geared towards filling the current and future customers’ demands or wan ts. The company’s headquarters is in Crawley, near Gatwick. The organisation implements flexible communication activities within the line and staff setup. The organization is described as loose. One senior officer of the company described the management structure as filled to the brim with entrepreneurial trimmings, independent, and autonomy. Management exercises strong control of both the employees and the scarce company resources. Most of the company’s employees had prior experiences in other competing United Kingdom airline companies. The people are given the free will to make decisions within the necessity of wasting time trying to seek approval from the upper levels of management. The management policies include scrutinizing and managing organizational expenses and costs. Each sector of the airline company is mandated to reduce operating expenses. The company’s top three management officers are managing director Roy Gardner, managing director Syd Pennington , and finance director Nigel Primrose. The three officers report directly to Virgin Atlantic Airlines founder Richard Branson (Doyle, 2012). The company’s Managing Director Roy Gardner brings a vast airline operations experience to uplifting the operational management of the company. Gardner was the former technical director of Virgin Airways in 1984. Prior to his Virgin Airways stint, Gardner worked with Laker Airways. Garner also had several years’ experience working with British Caledonian Airways. Mr. Gardner’s airline experiences, prior to Virgin Atlanti

The Status Of Women In Patriarchal India

The Status Of Women In Patriarchal India India is a country with a history of multiplicity inequality, where customs and culture practise had and still have strong influence on the social and political life of the population. India is also a country with a social caste system, with variety religions believers. This social mixture makes difficult for Indian women to escape discrimination, reach better opportunities and empower themselves not only inside the household, but also in a village and in a community, or even on the countrys political stage. On another hand, India has modern approach to technology and development with fast growing economy reaching 7,7 percent GDP in 2009 and further forecast of growth to 9 percent this year. (Trading economics http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Economics/GDP-Growth.aspx?Symbol=INR) Indian family structure. The most outstanding feature of India is a strong patriarchal and patrilocal character of this state. Majority of Indian states are patriarchal with only few examples of matrilocal and matrilineal structure like Kerala. In patriarchal society both boys and girls take their identity from the father. But while the son is recognize as a permanent member of the family, the girls are more luckily be viewed as a transit element of this unit to another predominantly husbands family. This also influences inheritance and resource distribution inside family. The land and properties are usually inherited by male successors and transmitted throw them to the next generation. According to the traditional legal practice a daughter has only rights of maintenance the land during her life in a family. As soon as she got married her right of land use are dismissed and taken back to family unit. Only a son has rights to property and land at birth. Women position in patriarchal India is reduced to good daughters, good wives and mothers. Wifehood and motherhood are commonly accepted as key roles for women in an Indian society and by those implications they should not pursue any different profession. Especially this once required by higher education or specialised trainings, which make them, lose focus on main household duties. Patriarchal system in an Indian society also means that the family unit is based on the joint household structure, where only one male is a head of house. Usually this role does belong to a father. He does make choice in terms of marriage alliance, both daughters and sons, decision about buying and selling properties, and maintaining family property day-to-day life. In terms of domestic arrangement the elder woman in a family is in charge. The new bride has the lowest and submissive position in this family chain (p70-76 Women status in India and Empowering them throw Education Dr Bijayalasini Prahary 2010). In addition a patrilocal character of the Indian family means that a married couple will be leaving in a husbands father house or in close distance to a natal home. And because an inheritance in India is usually traced through man, not a woman, the whole family sets are related to males who live together and share a property or even in case of tribal groups a wife. As a consequence of a male dominated role in a family and kinship system women are treated as a less important tool in a kin, and often an easy disposable member, simply replaceable by new brides. For example, in cases where a woman is childless common practise for husband is to send her back to her maternal family and replace by a new wife. The daughter situation is much more difficult. As daughters position is concerned, their residence in the fathers household is temporary and they do not have rights to family assets. Especial as girls quite often are subjects of early age arranged marriages, so their lives in a unit ar e short. In case of a wife, the husband family treats her as an outsider who is descended from some other patriarchal extended kin. Interesting enough with age and giving a birth to son a woman can gain better setup inside the household, but she will always be perceive as an outsider. Legally the minimum ages at marriage are 18 for women and 21 for man, but in practise, according R C Mishra, close to 60 percent of women of rural India are married before reaching legal age. Especially that the legal provisions are rarely enforced by local authorities, what allows prohibition against child marriage to be continued and it seems wildly accepted in pure areas of India. We have to remember that Indian population is strongly influenced by custom and religious believes. As a consequence of early married many of girls, who are not ready physically and mentally to give a birth at young age, are dying during pregnancy (p94-97 women in India towards gender equality R C Mishra Authorspress Delhi 2006). The patrurialchal structure of the family clearly influences the relationship inside a household. Any womens decision-making power is restricted by their low positions in a house. For example, if the mother-in-law lives in a house, a new woman in a unit has to ask her for permission and approval in domestic arrangements. If the brother-in-law is there, he is the person to ask for consent to leave the house. Also at presence the sister-in-law in a household, a new bride needs to submit herself to her decisions. Many of women in joint families are enable to take any independent decision in respect to their own daily activities. The wife has to live by her husbands and often his family wishes. The daughter has to live by father and family arrangements. (Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Bilkis Vissandjà ©e 2006). According to studies made by R C Misha nearly 90 percent of women in Uttar Pradesh, and over 80 percent in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh need permission before they can leave the house. Even in matters of cooking, a third of interviewed women in Uttar said that they had been excluded from decision-making on cooking. ((p94-97 women in India towards gender equality R C Mishra Authorspress Delhi 2006) Indians family structure means that it is a bride responsibility to make major adjustments in a marriage. Girls should be prepared to make sacrifice in terms own needs, be modest, hard worker and always contribute to new family wealth being. Many Indians strongly believe that not only young girls should get married early but as well be less educated than the males in the family. The reason behind this is to preserve the male-based hierarchy and perception of man roles in a household as a breadwinner and security provider. Another factor is that unmarried innocent girl symbolises family honour and purity, and is considering as a blessed gift for the whole house. In India, especially in pure regions, rural areas, girls specialise in domestic work such as looking after siblings, preparing and cooking food, cleaning the house and fetching water and firewood. Boys on the other hand are manly involved in working on the family farms, looking after livestock and engaging in income-earning activities. (p1-11 statues of rural women in India Dr S C Shama 2009) But due to economic situation quite often girls are taking over also boys responsibilities in farming and earning money for family needs. Also social discrimination has a huge impact on women rights to land. Norms of female dependence on males are justified through a range of social mechanisms. About one in third of households have been run by women alone as they husbands left in research for jobs outside agriculture industry. Still women get less paid then man for the same work done. Two third of women in India cant read or write. They cant sleep before the man in household (p1-11 statues of rural women in India Dr S C Shama 2009). (p 40-44 Gender Discrimination in Indian Society, L Packiam, Allied Publishing Privet Limited 2006 New Delhi) In addition, even among Indian women exists huge inequality related to treatment at work place and on social stage. Women belonging to the privileged and dominating classes enjoy mach more freedom and opportunities than they are often denied even to man from subordinated and unprivileged casts and groups. Women for the privilege cast are more educated and can place themselves in better position on an employment market. Still it does not change the fact that women are on the bottom of the order in every social group and casts, landless people, displaced and migrants (p1-11 statues of rural women in India Dr S C Shama 2009) Dali women are the hardest touched by discrimination not only at home but as well at Indian society. As the lowest cast they suffer every day form injustice and wrongdoing. The case of a girl student from Gujarat is only one of many examples of hash treatment by upper class and Indian traditional authorities. The girl made a mistake of joining the dancing in the mai n square of her village, in which most of the participants were of the upper caste. The upper caste boys pulled her out and threatened to rape her. For interfering, her mother was slapped. In the hope for justice, she forced her parents to file a complaint to the police against her assailants. For complaining to the police constantly the upper caste families in a village intimidated her mother and members of her family until it had been withdraw. This only one from many examples showing how difficult is for women from lowest cast to deal with disadvantages to be born into Dalit cast. It is estimated that around 50 thousand Dalits girls were sold every year to Hindu organizations that are involved in the Devdasi system as a female servants of god and are sexually exploited. These women from the poorest cast have no control over life, wealth and they cannot expect help from Indian justices system and local authorities. Human Right Watch Report in 1992, http://aapf.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/mahey-the-status-of-dalit-women-in-indias-caste-based-system.pdf (The Status of Dalit Women in Indias Caste Based System Sonia Mahey, University of Alberta) Women in Indian population. India is one of the countries where the female population is counting in less proportion to male population. According to UNICEF Indias Report on Child Sex Ratio birth of females children is declining steadily. Figures from 1991 showed the sex ratio was 947 girls for 1000 boys. Ten years later it had fallen to 927 girls for 1000 boys. Furthermore, since 1991 in 80 percent of all districts in India had recorded a declining sex ratio with the state of Punjab being the worst in leading the statistics. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have recorded more than 50 point decline in the child sex ratio in the same period. http://www.unicef.org/india/media_3285.htm Delhi recorded sex ratios 821 while Haryanan 851 and Uttar Paradesh 898 (p6 http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/7602/1/MPRA_paper_7602.pdf). The Karela state is the only one in India where overall sex ratio is constantly in favourable to women. According to MPRAs data sex ratio was in 2001 1058 as per 1001 census (MPRA 10 march 2008) The fact is that more then 1 million pregnancies are aborted every year after the identification as females. Female children, who escape abortion or infanticide, get into social, economical and political discrimination. Through socialisation female children are throwing into women role expectations in Indian society. From the moment of birth girls are subjected by parents reinforcement to take on traditional role in a society and secondary position after male. From the birth girls are view as a weight responsibility and son as a valuable resource. This discriminations continue throw the girls whole lives and effecting ever aspect of they daily existence. At home patents give priority to needs and interest of their sons then daughters. The teenager girl is denied involvement in decision making in the family. She hardly takes any decision, which affects her life directly. Even in terms of relationships girls are restricted. A son can choose and love a girl of his choice, even refuses t o marry parents choice of a bride, and whomever they selects the final world would be his. On contrarily, the daughter has to submit herself physically and mentally to family decisions. Every her movement is watched by relatives and in huge measure by the whole community, especially in a village environment. She is strictly instructed to behave herself. Expression of love towards a boy even of the same cast is not possible (L Packiam 2006, p16-18). Of course the restriction towards girls can be more loosen up in economically privileged and higher cast families. Although India is going throw an intensive economical and in same point political changes, which impose social transformation on girls right to education, the elimination of traditional and still strong dominated view on women lower position seems to be unattached by those changes. Girls education The conventional view on girls upbringing has huge impact on their formal education. India has the largest population of non-school-going working girls. The country literacy rate for women is 39 percent versus 64 percent for man. For example in Uttar Pradesh is even lower, around 25 percent for women. This low rate of girls in an education lies down to parents view that the educated girl brings no returns to her future roles, mainly as a homemaker and perhaps agriculture labour. The point is that girls increasingly are replacing brothers on farm duties while carrying domestic responsibilities at the same time. This is significant reason for not sending daughters to schools. A large proportion of nonworking girls is kept at home only because they household responsibility. Also next point for not sending girls to school is to protect their virginity. Especially when schools are communal for both: girls and boys. In addition long distance to education institutions with travel expenses m akes impossible to change paten of basic education for girls (Dr Priyanka Tomar 2006, p 10-13). The reality is that women literacy rate stands less than 50 percent for whole India. United Nation had estimated that 245 million Indian women cannot read or write and furthermore this number covers wide throw states, religion groups and casts. For instance, while 95 percent of women in Mizoram are literate, only 34 percent of women in Bihar can read and write. The average Indian female has only 1.2 years of schooling, while the Indian male spends 3.5 years in school. More than 50 percent girls drop out by the time they are in middle school. On the other hand life expectancy has increased for both: males and females to 64.9 years for women and 63 years for men. According to UN Statistic Division (2000) also the workingwomen population had risen from 13 percent in 1987 to 25 percent in 2001 and still grows. Another confirmed point of strong male dominance in an Indian society is the fact that only women belied to be responsible for childless marriages or giving successive birth to female babies. In those cases it is common to expect a wife to find a second wife, for her husband, which is natural in rural areas that she is coming from her own family kit (L Packiam 2006, p35 -37). In such traditional country like India with strong male role perception as a head of large family it is important to have sons who continue family line and look after their assets. Work and women A further aspect unequal right for women and men are related to workplace and conditions they are work. Women work longer hours than man and their work is less paid or not paid at all. Women contribution in agriculture, whether it is farming or commercial agriculture, is far more demanding as they need to as well concentrate on domestic duties and ruining household, fulfilling they traditional roles as a mother and wife. It had been found (Andhra Pradesh 2006, p.12-17) that the working day of a woman labour in agriculture during the farming season last 15 hours from 4 am to 8 pm, while man work from 5am to 10 am or 11 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. It means that women have to work in difficult weather conditions (Dr Priyanka Tomar 2006, p 12-17). Both transplanting and weeding required from women worker to spend the whole day working in mud. What is more they work under hit of sun, while mens work such a ploughing and watering the fields is always carried out early in a morning (Neera Bha rihoke 2008, p. 41). Still women labour contribution is barley recognizable as an economic productivity and input to a family household (Dr Priyanka Tomar 2006, p 12-17). In rural India women get paid 60 percent or even less than men for doing the same work. Table 1 shows the wage rate in agriculture between male and female workers between 2004 and 2006 register by Government of India. According to this table women get only 41.58 rupee for ploughing work while men are paid almost double. Also in another jobs women do seems to be paid less than men. Table 1: Wage Rate in Agricultural occupation 2004-2006 Occupation Wage of Men Wage of Women Ploughing Sowing Weeding Picking Crushing 72,28 66,09 57,97 54,60 60,62 41,58 46,17 46,73 41,49 42,73 Source:Ministerof Labouer, Gov of India Women play significant role in agriculture, taking on any job required in land farming. Table 2:1 shows percentage of distribution of female labour in cultivation, agriculture and household in 2001. According the chat around 51 percent women are involve in household industries work while 43 is employed in agriculture, and only 6 percent in cultivation. Table 2.2 shows percentage of male worker participation in cultivation, agriculture and household. The diagram picture that 59 percent men are employed in cultivation in compared to 43 percent women labour. In addition male labour continues 38 percent employed in agriculture. This number is less than 51 percent women labour. Not surprisingly only 3 percent men worked in household as this sector is consider being a female duty. Source : National Sample Survey Organization, 55th round (July 1999 June 2000) Source : National Sample Survey Organization, 55th round (July 1999 June 2000) http://ncw.nic.in/pdfreports/Impact%20of%20WTO%20Women%20in%20Agriculture.pdf IMPACT OF WTO ON WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE RESEARCH FOUNDATION SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY NEW DELHI NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN NEW DELHI According to the UNFPA State of World Population report on India, published in 2005, about 70 percent of graduate Indian women were unemployed taking under consideration that women represent 90 percent of the total minor workers of the country. Whats more, rural women engaged in agriculture farming constitute 78 percent of all female with regular paid work, making they a third of all labour involved in farming on the land. Furthermore, the report point it out that due to the traditional gender division of labour these women get on average 30 percent lower wages than men. Also the total employment of women in organised sector is only 4 percent even though that industrial production increased since the 1980s with more jobs in factories and outside household. Evidently data shows increased trend among companies to rely on using cheap labour in production stage, mostly women and children. It is well known that women and children work in huge numbers in bangle making weaving, brassware, l eather, crafts and other industries, including clothed and technology factories. Yet, only 3 percent of these women are recorded as manual worker. They are forced to work for almost charitable wages and are excluded form all social security benefits like a health care or a pension. A study organised by SEWA in fourteen Indian trades found that 85 percent of this women earned only 50 percent of the official poverty level income. Another feature of women unequal treatment in Indian society is limited access to health care. Giving complicity of underlying factors like sons preference in a family, early marriages, lack of access to hospitals, education and general women position in a household, is not surprising that life expectancy of females is lower than males. For majority of Indian states the average women life expectancy is 60 years. However life expectancy age for Indian women had been altered for different states, regions in India. In Kerala, for instance, women life expectancy is 75 years of age, while in Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, the poorest states of India, womens age expectancy is even lower 57 years (R C Mishra 2006, p.85-87). This shows as well that other factors like women religion and a cast they belong to, political and economical environment do have huge impact on life expectancy this particular gender. In addition women are quite often subjects of sexual and gender related violence within household, but also outside family walls. They low position make them easy target for raps, molestation, kidnapping and abduction, dowry deaths and domestic violence. Especially illegal practice of dowry existing in many cast groups, quite common in rural areas, causing concerns as legislation reinforcement seems to be powerless in execution women rights and protection. Women in politics Furthermore on political stage it seems women are seriously underrepresented, The fact that Indian government accepted the Representation of the People Act from 1951, which reserves one third seats in national and states parliaments for women, makes milestone in acknowledging women participation in a society and they needs for changes. This is a positive step that gives women political rights to be represented and ability to influence legal policies of this country. On the other hand the Act can be viewed as a need for enforcement democratic India to accept women basic human rights to be equalised with men in area like education, workplace, household and marriage, inheritance of properties, land. However in reality women are not even count for a quote of Indian representatives on a political stage. For instance in a list of the Communist Party of India only three out of sixty candidates are women. Even worse situation for female representation can be found in Karelas parliament. On a list of the Congress Partys for Karela only one woman has been listed in election among seventeen candidates taking part. The main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata Party, has just twenty-six women among its one hundred sixty six candidates. Just six women among 71 candidate seats represent the Samajwadi Party. http://news.oneindia.in/feature/2009/wanted-women-in-indian-parliament.html Throw the years the number of women parliamentarians has never exceeded 15 percent of all seats. Participation of women in the Parliament Lok Sabha (lower house) after election in 1999 was only 8,8 percent, while in Rajya Sabha (upper house) was 8,2 percent (Source: Election Commission of Indias Website) This shows that womens participation in political processes is slow and almost invisible, can be even recounted as exclude form the state life. It is mainly due to various social, economic, historical, geographical, political and cultural factors. Illiteracy, lack of access and control over income and other resources including land, restrictions to public spaces and legal systems in favor of a man continue to harm women any effort to political contribution. In the Indian culture women have always been in a lower status than men and in this terms Indian women display great reserve, respect and submissive mannerisms when they speak to men. The rule Being a male-dominant society, men rule and women follow applies in every aspect to Indian society structure (A male participant Womens Political Participation in Rural India p.437). The Indian constitution grants women equal rights with men, but strong patriarchal traditions persist, with womens lives shaped by customs. In most of Indian families a daughter is viewed as a responsibility, a problem, which needs food and protection. On the other hand sons are idolized and celebrated. May you be the mother of a hundred sons is a common Hindu wedding blessing. This has influenced women access to education, to gaining power in household and a community. It seems that without strong reinforcement of traditional custom and values any government legislation cannot be productive. Recognition of women imputes into Indian economy and politics is another step towards improvement their lives. .

Akira Kurosawas The Seven Samurai and John Sturges The Magnificent Se

Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai and John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven The 1954 movie The Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa, and its 1960 remake The Magnificent Seven, directed by John Sturges have many similarities; for example, the plot of both movies entails farmers hiring mercenaries to help fend off bandits that annually pillage their farms. The two movies also have differences like the characterization of the bandits in The Magnificent Seven as opposed to The Seven Samurai. One of the main similarities between the Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven is the plot. In both movies bandits annually pillage a small village and the farmers are left with barely enough food to survive. In the Magnificent Seven Calvera and his men actually stop in the town and talk to the farmers, however, in Seven Samurai the bandits ride by and are overheard by a farmer about coming back when the barley is ripe. The farmers then have a meeting and decide to hire mercenaries, in Seven Samurai the farmers use rice and in Magnificent Seven the farmers offer $20. In both movies the farmers are turned down many times before they find the first mercenary, and how they find the first mercenary is similar in the sense of the courage they show. In the Seven Samurai the main character Kanbei disguises himself as a monk and saves a child taken hostage. Magnificent Seven shows the main character Chris and his new found partner Vin in a violent confrontation with thugs who are trying...

Shalimar the Clown Salman Rushdie

The Clown Salaam Rushed The story begins with chapter Linda†. India is a young girl, ambassador's daughter. His father is Max Pulls, American former ambassador to India, and now the counter-terrorism chief. In this chapter writer describes her wish to know more about her dead mother and reason why her father don't want to talk about her mother's death. The plot of this chapter is settled in Los Angles in ass. There she met her father's chauffeur who was known as Shalom The Clown. His real name was Oman, but later the writer describes the reason of him being called like that.Shalom always looked suspicious to India, and her suspicions about him made sense when she realized that Shalom was responsible for her father's death. Reading that scene made me realism Shalom was cold assails. It was horrible when he slashed Man's throat with a kitchen knife outside Indian's apartment. Second chapter Is called Bonny. That' s again name, and one of the main characters. It bring us back in year 1960, where we learn the real through about Man's murder. Bonny was a young girl who lived in Kashmir together with Oman, know as Shalom the clown.When they et, they fell in love, and only when they had 14 years they got married. Nobody believed in their marriage. Claimer's father Abdullah refused their marriage because he thought there Is no relationship between Hindu and Muslim. Kashmir was once a paradise on earth where all people, Muslim an Hindu lived together. It was the place full of happiness and peace. Shortly after their marriage Bonny moved to anaphora place because she wanted to become famous dancer and there she met her second choice, Max Pulls, who fell in with her and got her apartment in Delhi.Shortly after she got pregnant and she got India, but she gave her the name Kashmir. When Shalom noticed her betrayal, she went from sweetest, gentlest, and most open of any human being in Pacing† too cold assails. Bonny was killed, and Max and his daughter went back to America together with Man's new British wife, who gave Kashmir name India. Shalom, who once worked as a Phasing's clown, got a job in a organization called lord Mullahs†, which was Muslim organization made to fight with Hindus. He Joined various Jihad organization and became terrorist.

Asca Model Handouts Essay

The Flow— The black and white graphics were carefully chosen to communicate the flow of information and date through the four elements of the school program. The Foundation feeds into the Management system and Delivery System. In turn, both Management and Delivery System feed into Accountability process as data collected from program management duties and from the delivery of the CSCP flow together for evaluation, program improvement and dissemination. Finally, you will notice that the white arrow into the Accountability Block create a black arrow pointing the Foundation block, as the results of the reports and the evaluation process are used to further refine the mission statement and assess progress toward the students attainment of the ASCA National ASCA National Model School Success— standards outline goals for school counseling program, establish school counseling as essential and integral to the educational mission of all schools, promote access by all students, and describe the key competencies all students should be able to demonstrate by the end of their K-12 experience by encouraging genuine collaboration as the building of the interdependent system to achieve a common goal that cannot be achieved by each entity working alone. Systematic Change—Taken together, leadership, advocacy and collaboration culminate systematic change. It occurs when policies and procedures are examined and changed in light of new data. The Elements – outline the structures that the school counselors must have in place to do work. (Further discussed to the first handout) Foundations ï‚ · 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Philosophy— 6 topics (ASCA, 2003) A set of beliefs motivating program innovations A set of values visible to all A set of principles guiding professional contributions Statement of professional conduct Statement committing counselors to continuous professional growth Source of collective power The model The ASCA National model reflects the Themes, Elements and the Flow The Themes— constitute the environment in which school counselor conduct their work Leadership— School counselors serves a leader who are engaged in a system wide change to ensure student success. According to Bolman & Deal (1997) Four Frames of leadership ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Definition by ASCA National Model Professional School Counselor— is a certified/ Licensed educator who addresses the needs of students comprehensively through the implementation of a developmental school counseling program Counseling— a confidential relationship in which the counselor meets with the students, to help them resolve or cope constructively with their problems and developmental concerns Consultation—collaborative partnership in which the counselor works with parents, teachers and administrators, school psychologist, social workers etc in order to plan and implement strategies to help students be successful. Structural leadership Human resource leadership Pol itical leadership Symbolic leadership Minimum, the Philosophy statement should: (ASCA, 2003) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Indicate a shared belief system about the ability of all students to achieve Address the every student Address student development needs and focus on primary prevention Address the school counselor’s role as an advocate for every student Identify persons to be involved in the delivery of program activities Specify who will plan and manage the program Use data to drive program decisions Define how the program will be evaluated and by whom Include ethical guidelines or standards Five step template of leadership: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · Challenge the process Inspire a shared vision Enable other to act Model the way Encourage the heart Advocacy— School counselors advocate for students’ educational needs and work to ensure these needs are addressed at every level of the school experience. They also works as advocates to remove systemic barriers that impede the academic success of any student. Collaboration—School counselor build effective teams Management System Delivery System Accountability Reported by: Diane Avelino Sherryl Lapore Clarisse Raquinel Karen Kris Espaà ±ola

Free Essays on Larry James Interview

Larry James Interview Larry James was very excited when he was approached to do an interview. He smiled and said, â€Å"I got a lot to say and no one to listen, so hurry now, let’s get started.† When we had the first interview, which took place January 20, 2003, Mr. James was anxious to star. He said, â€Å"I’ll start talking’, you start writing’.† He immediately started to discuss his early childhood. He was born to Luther and Sally James, in Milborne, Texas. He thinks his birthday is February 4th, 1900, which would make him soon to be 103 years old. He had seven brothers and five sisters. His only contact with any of the family was with Jake, his brother, whom he read about in the newspaper about the oldest Texan in a nursing home in Midland, Texas. I had this lady here write to him and he is my brother but not the oldest Texan as I am Jake’s older brother,† said Larry. Jake did call Larry, either Thanksgiving or Christmas but Larry was not sure which. They enjoyed talking to each other, and Larry promised not to tell anyone important he was the oldest. Larry still says, â€Å"I am the oldest Texan and proud of it.† Larry’s home was a dirt floor cabin in the plains of Texas. The cabin had two rooms for the fifteen members of the family. They grew their own food; his father and older brother went hunting for their meet. The environment, in the early days of the west, was hard for the families to survive the numerous hardships. Larry had to work the fields, pick berries, help tend the animals, and clean the meat. There was very little time for his education; he had, maybe, three years of which he attended school. The conversation at this time was directed by Larry to when he returned from a cattle drive and went into town to wash the dust from his throat at the local bar and met Wyatt Earp. He was very impressed with him. Wyatt was a very nice man, always smiling. Larry said, â€Å"T wasn’t really sure if he was... Free Essays on Larry James Interview Free Essays on Larry James Interview Larry James Interview Larry James was very excited when he was approached to do an interview. He smiled and said, â€Å"I got a lot to say and no one to listen, so hurry now, let’s get started.† When we had the first interview, which took place January 20, 2003, Mr. James was anxious to star. He said, â€Å"I’ll start talking’, you start writing’.† He immediately started to discuss his early childhood. He was born to Luther and Sally James, in Milborne, Texas. He thinks his birthday is February 4th, 1900, which would make him soon to be 103 years old. He had seven brothers and five sisters. His only contact with any of the family was with Jake, his brother, whom he read about in the newspaper about the oldest Texan in a nursing home in Midland, Texas. I had this lady here write to him and he is my brother but not the oldest Texan as I am Jake’s older brother,† said Larry. Jake did call Larry, either Thanksgiving or Christmas but Larry was not sure which. They enjoyed talking to each other, and Larry promised not to tell anyone important he was the oldest. Larry still says, â€Å"I am the oldest Texan and proud of it.† Larry’s home was a dirt floor cabin in the plains of Texas. The cabin had two rooms for the fifteen members of the family. They grew their own food; his father and older brother went hunting for their meet. The environment, in the early days of the west, was hard for the families to survive the numerous hardships. Larry had to work the fields, pick berries, help tend the animals, and clean the meat. There was very little time for his education; he had, maybe, three years of which he attended school. The conversation at this time was directed by Larry to when he returned from a cattle drive and went into town to wash the dust from his throat at the local bar and met Wyatt Earp. He was very impressed with him. Wyatt was a very nice man, always smiling. Larry said, â€Å"T wasn’t really sure if he was...

Germanys Eagerness to Rule essays

Germany's Eagerness to Rule essays In exploring the causes of the First World War, many diverse theories have been argued. Many people indicted imperialism as the principle cause of the war. Many others say that the arms race (militarism) was the culprit. I believe that several of these things combined caused the First World War. The Alliance system caused many fears throughout Germany. Germany felt like they had their backs against the wall with no allies. This caused Germany to fight back, leading to the First World War. There are many factors that led to hostility between military powers in Europe. Militarism was one cause for many of these hostilities. Militarism in the early 1900s was very similar to the arms race of today. Because Great Britain had a good navy, Germany felt as though they needed a strong navy as well (McDonough 8). Germany and France also competed for larger armies. The more one nation built up its army or navy the more the other nations felt they had to do the same. Each country was constantly trying to be better than the other. This led to great military expansion for Britain, Germany, and France. Another cause for many hostilities was imperialism. Some European nations ruled smaller countries, called colonies, and competed with each other to amass more colonies. Gathering these colonies became known as imperialism. Both France and Britain had colonies all throughout Africa and Asia (McDonough 6-7). Germany and Italy soon realized how France and Britains countries were expanding and they too wanted a colonial empire. In addition to many political conflicts, the hostilities were pushed by such forces as nationalism or patriotism. Nationalism led many European nations to compete for the largest army and navy, or the greatest industrial development, or the biggest empire. The main hostilities in Europe all derived from competing with each other. ...

Cynognathus Facts and Figures

Cynognathus Facts and Figures Name: Cynognathus (Greek for dog jaw); pronounced sigh-NOG-nah-thus Habitat: Woodlands of South America, South Africa, and Antarctica Historical Period : Middle Triassic (245-230 million years ago) Size and Weight: About three feet long and 10-15 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Dog-like appearance; possible hair and warm-blooded metabolism About Cynognathus One of the most fascinating of all prehistoric creatures, Cynognathus may have been the most mammalian of all the so-called mammal-like reptiles (technically known as therapsids) of the middle  Triassic period. Technically classified as a cynodont, or dog-toothed, therapsid, Cynognathus was a fast, fierce predator, much like a smaller, sleeker version of a modern wolf. Clearly it thrived in its evolutionary niche, since its remains have been discovered on no less than three continents, Africa, South America and Antarctica (which were all part of the giant landmass Pangea during the early Mesozoic Era). Given its wide distribution, you may be surprised to learn that the genus Cynognathus includes only one valid species, C. crateronotus, named by the English paleontologist Harry Seeley in 1895. However, in the century since its discovery, this therapsid has been known by no less than eight different genus names: besides Cynognathus, paleontologists have also referred to Cistecynodon, Cynidiognathus, Cynogomphius, Lycaenognathus, Lycochampsa, Nythosaurus and Karoomys! Further complicating matters (or simplifying them, depending on your perspective), Cynognathus is the only identified member of its taxonomic family, the cynognathidae. The most interesting thing about Cynognathus is that it possessed many features normally associated with the first prehistoric mammals (which evolved from therapsids tens of millions of years later, during the late Triassic period). Paleontologists believe Cynognathus sported a thick coat of hair and may have given birth to live young (rather than laying eggs, like most reptiles); we know for a fact that it possessed a very mammal-like diaphragm, which enabled it to breathe more efficiently. Most startlingly, evidence points to Cynognathus having a warm-blooded, mammalian metabolism, quite unlike most of the cold-blooded reptiles of its day.

Neanderthal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Neanderthal - Essay Example They also used arrow and spear to capture animal for food. Neanderthals used to hunt in small groups through surrounding the intended prey. During that time, they had the capacity of identifying the best animal for their consumption. They substantiated the meat they hunted with other natural roots and leaves. Women and other weaker members of the society also used to gather fruits to be consumed together with the hunted meats (Mason 78). Neanderthals make stone tools. However, this was during their old period of their emergence. Some of the stone tools made were used for slaughtering animals, digging, construction of their dwelling areas, and for other house hold activities. Stone tools were made by qualified member of the society. These specialists were among the most respected members of the society. As time move on, Neanderthals adopted other forms of tools. They came up with other tools which were more appropriate at that time. Some of the common tools at that time were stone flakes and all-purpose scrappers. These tools were used for all purpose of work in the society. During the upper Paleolithic, more tools were made from different materials and in different forms. The need for more specialist and tools for specific purpose necessitated the process. Craftsmen at this time also had specialist knowledge to make special tools from different materials. Some of the material which was used to make tools was bones, antlers, and some other right metals (McMullin 89). Neanderthal also used fire in their daily activities. At their early periods of their existence, Neanderthals were not aware of the existence of fire. They consumed raw meats, leaves and fruits. However, during their advanced ages of their existence, they developed the idea of the existence and use of fire. Neanderthals used fire in different facets of their lives. During this stage, they used fire to roast meat. They also used fire to warm their bodies at night and during cold seasons.

Parti5-comments2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Parti5-comments2 - Essay Example A good cause and effect essay should move beyond establishing what the two parts are, and should also make an argument for why the cause and effect are directly related. The purpose of a cause and effect essay is to make an argument, not just to describe a process. The writer should prove the relationship of the cause and effect, and therefore have a thesis in the essay. The writer can’t just tell the reader the focus of the essay, because having a focus or purpose that is solely to explain a cause and effect will leave the reader disinterested. Overall, asking questions about the cause and effect process is a good way to develop the essay, but answering those questions persuasively is even more important. The reader dos not just want to know the reason why the effect happened is because of the cause, but also if there are alternative causes or alternative effects that may disprove the usual idea of any cause and effect. The essay should not just analyze or inform, but should convey an argument and prove to the reader that the cause and effect are

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes - Essay Example In order to describe "the long term stability of clay slopes", this paper will look at factors that make slopes become unstable overtime; the measurement of the instability; impact of long-term stability; and the prevention of instability of clay slopes. To begin with, long term stability of clay slopes is influenced by several causes which as are embedded in two major factors. These main factors, according to Price (1984) and Ritter (1986, p 121) are shear stress and shear strength. Shear stress refers to the forces that cause movement of materials down slope while shear strength is the force that resists materials from moving down the slope. These forces oppose each other in the sense that, while shear stress wants movement of material to commence, shears strength refuses. This means that movement will only occur when shear stress exceeds shear strength. Otherwise, like Sparks (1964, p 56) puts it, in uniform material, shear stress and shear strength may remain comparatively uniform. It is worth noting that shear stress has several intricate components that make it provoke movement of material down slope. Ritter (1986, p 121) outlines material internal friction characteristics; material normal stress and material normal cohesion as factors that determine stability of shear stress. Any drop or increase in these factors may alter shear stress. Internal friction is further broken down into plane friction (produced when one grain of soil slides past another) and interlocking friction (which originates when particles are required to move upwards and over one another. Secondly, Ritter (1986, p.122) further states that effective normal stress has the capacity to hold the material together, thereby increasing internal resistance to shear. It acts perpendicular to a shear surface and is absorbed by the underlying slab at the point of contact between grains. It should also be noted that some of the shear surface is usually occupied by openings which are filled with air or water. And since pore pressure exists in these interstitial spaces, it tends to support part of the normal stress. Thirdly, Ritter (1986, p.123) further states that clay soils have cohesion, which comes as a result of ions and water by clay minerals, thereby creating a binding structure among particles. Unfortunately though, cohesion decreases with increased water acquisition in the soil material. Clay cohesive strength very much depends on attractive forces between the particles and the lubricating action of the interstitial liquid. The more the clay acquires water, the more the slope becomes unstable. However, it should be noted that the rate at which the slope gains more water and the water drains away determines the time the slope should become unstable. For example, fast gaining and slow draining of water on a particular slope will make the slope fail very fast. On the other hand, slow gaining and fast draining of water will make the slope remain stable for some time. Where clay soils remains in an undisturbed normal cohesive strength, long-term slope stability will be evident. Sparks (1964, p 57) agrees with the above statement and adds that cohesive strength increases with depth thereby exceeding shear stress, hence surface mantle (slope material) is the one to be more unstable. As more water is added , cohesion decreases and when all pores are filled, any further input of water results in complete

Light in August by William Faulkner and Fate Assignment

Light in August by William Faulkner and Fate - Assignment Example Light In August reveals the hopelessness that intertwines with the human condition. Joe Christmas and Lena Grove reveal as characters with fuzzy backgrounds. Their beginnings are despicable and this contributes towards their fate. Lena Grove falls in love with a man, who abandons her when she becomes pregnant. Lucas Burch seems like a mildly ambitious man whose direction in life is similarly blurry. In the same sense, Joe Christmas has a contemptible background that trails him towards his castration. The novel only mentions his adopted family and the unpleasant relationship that leads him towards murdering his foster father. The depiction of the term street shows how the characters’ attempts at solace ruins them. The street symbolizes the unending search for belonging and self-acceptance that Lena and Joe experiences. For instance, Christmas kills the man who adopted him thereby triggering abandonment by Bobbie Allen and the family (Faulkner 80). When Joe steps off the porch of his former house, he escapes into the streets for fifteen years. In a quest towards finding personal meaning, Joe participates in vain wanderings that reflect his restless nature. The streets possess the allure of potential places for quenching Joe’s inner turbulence. This, however, is a mirage that offers limited answers about his identity. Similarly, Lena possesses hope when she goes in the streets, but she encounters travails that almost break her. The story also entails the burdens of conflicting aspirations and identities that people hold. Although Joe is seemingly white, he has a strong feeling that he is an African American. This means he can neither identify himself as a white nor classify himself as an African American person. Miss Burden inherits the expectations of her family that borders on pride and luminous legacy. Miss Burden, therefore, commits herself to her heritage’s cause that concerns with racial equality and slave abolition. Her charity eventually leads her into romantically falling for Joe, as she tries helping him achieve a stable self-esteem.  

Vornado Realty Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vornado Realty Trust - Essay Example operties aggregating to about 2.2 million square feet and 32.4% interest in Alexandra’s Inc., which possesses six properties, in the New York metropolitan area, including 731 Lexington Avenue and the 1.3 million square foot Bloomberg L.P headquarters building (Russell & Cohn 12). Retail properties owned by Vornado Realty Trust include 120 strip shopping centres, single-tenant retail assets and malls, which audits to about 20.8 million square feet mainly established in California, Puerto Rico and the northeast states (Russell & Cohn 12). Vornado, with about 70% interest, controls 555 retail shops, in California street, and a three building office, in San Francisco financial district known as bank of America centre, which aggregates to 1.8 million square feet (Russell & Cohn 13). Vornado realty trust has a 25% of its capital partners providing about 800 million dollars of the real estate fund. The stock information regarding rental changes and occupancy rates, in different regions, where properties of Vornado Realty Trust are located, were at $86.02 and dividend of about $2.92 (Russell & Cohn 34). Change was 1.2%, which yielded 3.39% in the latest result compared to the previous years. The company had an income of $856.153 million boosted, in 2011, by the increase in rental rates, in New York and Washington, in 2011. The Vornado Realty Trust owns high-rise commercial buildings, in the tune of hundred millions, in Washington DC and New York (Russell & Cohn 45). Over the past years, the company increased its revenue exponentially in the previous years was driven by increases in total square footage. The first quarter of the company’s sales, of 350-west mart centre, was a commendable rental and occupancy rate increase for almost $228million (Russell & Cohn 46). The second quarter rental changes, in Washington and New York, by the sales of Washington office brought the sales of $500 with a net gain of $177million to the company (Russell & Cohn 54). These rates, in

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 52

Leadership - Essay Example From a personal perspective, the cost of running an organization should be reflected by the organization performance. On this note, an organization that is laying off its employees and pays high salaries to the executives lacks the capacity to grow (Barkema & Gomez-Mejia, 2010). Notably, there are a number of reasons why organizations offer huge packages to their executive members. The main argument is to avoid executives turn over when business talent is limited and to motivate them to drive the organization to success. My decision to accept or refuse a high package from a failing organization would have consequences. To begin with, paying high salary to top level management will increase the expenses to the organization (Barkema & Gomez-Mejia, 2010). From a personal perspective, accepting the job offer would increase my burden in handling my duties. I would be forced to seek alternative ways to reduce the cost of running the organization. I would prefer an organization that provides less pay but maintains its labor force intact. This way, I would work together with a strong team to achieve higher profits. Increasing the company profits would provide an opportunity to review the salary scales in line with company income. On this note, declining an outrageous offer in failing company would be a wise decision in the long

Vornado Realty Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vornado Realty Trust - Essay Example operties aggregating to about 2.2 million square feet and 32.4% interest in Alexandra’s Inc., which possesses six properties, in the New York metropolitan area, including 731 Lexington Avenue and the 1.3 million square foot Bloomberg L.P headquarters building (Russell & Cohn 12). Retail properties owned by Vornado Realty Trust include 120 strip shopping centres, single-tenant retail assets and malls, which audits to about 20.8 million square feet mainly established in California, Puerto Rico and the northeast states (Russell & Cohn 12). Vornado, with about 70% interest, controls 555 retail shops, in California street, and a three building office, in San Francisco financial district known as bank of America centre, which aggregates to 1.8 million square feet (Russell & Cohn 13). Vornado realty trust has a 25% of its capital partners providing about 800 million dollars of the real estate fund. The stock information regarding rental changes and occupancy rates, in different regions, where properties of Vornado Realty Trust are located, were at $86.02 and dividend of about $2.92 (Russell & Cohn 34). Change was 1.2%, which yielded 3.39% in the latest result compared to the previous years. The company had an income of $856.153 million boosted, in 2011, by the increase in rental rates, in New York and Washington, in 2011. The Vornado Realty Trust owns high-rise commercial buildings, in the tune of hundred millions, in Washington DC and New York (Russell & Cohn 45). Over the past years, the company increased its revenue exponentially in the previous years was driven by increases in total square footage. The first quarter of the company’s sales, of 350-west mart centre, was a commendable rental and occupancy rate increase for almost $228million (Russell & Cohn 46). The second quarter rental changes, in Washington and New York, by the sales of Washington office brought the sales of $500 with a net gain of $177million to the company (Russell & Cohn 54). These rates, in

Mission Statement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mission Statement - Coursework Example In essence, we are a school within a school. We have six Montessori classes at varying levels. We have supported the inclusion of children with special needs from the beginning. (We currently have 35 enrolled.) Supportive services are provided through the Belle Center and the Chicago Public Schools. We have a nationally recognized Outdoor Learning Environment - recognized by the National Wildlife Foundation. Our garden is the recipient of numerous awards from the City Of Chicago. The wetlands garden provides a wonderful place for children to explore, play and learn about themselves and the world around them. Parents are vital to our school and encouraged to participate in as much as they are able. We view parents as partners with the teachers in the care and education of the children. Many parents even serve on our Board or on many of our volunteer committees. Our faculty is composed of highly skilled Early Childhood professionals that have been selected because of their commitment and dedication to both children and families. Assistant teachers provide support to the teacher as well as love, warmth and knowledge to the children. Sister Barbara Jean Ciszek, C.S.J., also known as Sister BeeJay, has been our principal since we were founded in 1998. In her role, she works with the board, parents and faculty to oversee the day-to-day operation of the school as well as the spiritual and educational development of our students. She is under the direction of the Archdiocesan Superintendent of the Catholic

Thousand One Nights

Thousand One Nights Do you see The Thousand and One Nights as essentially an entertainment? Antoine Galland was the man responsible for the introduction of ‘the thousand and one nights to the western world. This bizarre combination of magic, love, hate, evil and the uncanny did not begin its literary career based on its highly valued scholarly merit but rather on its ability to delight and entertain. This enormous collection of oriental tales whose origins range from Persia to Syria begin with the story of the wife of king Shahryar who in a bid for survival tells him stories in order to survive the night. This element of a tale within a tale runs throughout the whole of the Arabian night tales which at times creates confusion for the reader who finds himself struggling to keep up. Although eighteenth century readers merely saw the tales devoid of any substantial literary value one can see that from the very beginning of this massive volume of tales, certain allegories concerning life are depicted. Scheherazades way of talking herself through danger can be analysed in two different ways. The first being that Scheherazade, is merely depicting the most common and universal human trait when dealing with danger. This could be easily seen as ‘talking ones way out of trouble. The second would be that through Scheherazade, a certain statement is being made regarding the nature of a successful marriage. Communication, it is implied, is the key to the survival of a marriage. With such allegorical implementations regarding life conveyed in only the very beginning of ‘The Thousand and One Arabian Nights it is then only wise that the tales should be read keeping in mind that entertainment may not be their only contribution to the reader. One point that I believe should be made early on regarding ‘the thousand and one nights is that since the tales were introduced during the Victorian period they would have been ‘fumigated thus effectively removing any erotic and highly graphical offensive material from the text .The term ‘Lost in translation would not be out of place in this case, as not only would have offending material been dispersed but certain elements regarding life in the east would have easily become distorted or have lost their value during the process of translation. As in effect this would have created a loss of important material perhaps of high scholarly value. It is then perhaps not surprising that it wasnt till the beginning of the twentieth century that scholars and critics begun to recognise more than just mere entertainment within the pages of the ‘The thousand and one Arabian nights Stories if narrated well enough have always found ground to delight, yet rarely are they told with out the narrator implying a certain meaning. In that sense they become didactic. Scheherazade is not the only story teller within ‘the thousand and one tales. Many characters within the tales contribute towards this didactic theme. An example would be Scheherazades own father the Wazir who in an effort to warn his daughter against the foolishness of marrying the Sultan begins to tell the tale of ‘The bull and the ass. These extravagant tales that are a resort of wanting to deliver a certain kind of message are similar to those used in fairytales. One could suppose these to be the oriental fairytales equivalent and as heavy in social history as the western fairytales. Also by allowing different characters of different backgrounds to deliver these messages there is an underlying idea that all people, regardless of who they are have a contribution to make in this life. This is an example of how these Arabian tales are able to not only represent life and the experiences that surround life itself but to do so whilst at the same time managing to bypass any cultural and linguistic boundaries. These messages become universal, addressing all important aspects of human life such as love, death good and evil and the constant search for immortality. The repeative development of these values throughout the subsequent tales within the Arabian nights only helps to strengthen and highlight the weight they command on every aspect of human life. Other than parallel life the Arabian tales are rich in material regarding the life and beliefs of the Arabic world. The oppression of women is shown in the sultans ability to wed a virgin each day and then kill her in the morning. His actions are not judged nor to create any kind of opposition whatsoever showing both the immense power that was placed in the hands of the king whereas at the same time also portraying the notion that the fates and lives of women lay in the hands of their husbands. Even so characters like Scheherazade are crucial at conveying that a woman was not completely powerless .A womans power lay in her cunning and ability to successfully manoeuvre and shape instances so that to achieve her own goal. Scheherazades ability to remain alive night after night is a prime example of this. If we were to consider tales such as ‘The bull and the ass certain other motifs become apparent. There seems to be an ongoing repetition throughout the Arabian tales concerning the theme of wit. This would point to the belief that wit and cunning were valued highly as characteristic elements, able to allow survival in the cruelty people faced everyday in their lives. Such beliefs are shown through the advice the ass gives to the bull. The ass begins by advising the bull to feign madness in order to escape the harshness of the plough. Yet once the ass realises his actions have merely jeopardised his own happiness he reverts to wit in order to save his skin. Later on the words of the cockerel are crucial in saving the merchants own life as he realises his wifes stubbornness in wanting to know his secret will only lead to his demise. Other than the importance of cunning and wisdom there is also numerous religious references leading to the conclusion that religion was carried great value in the Arabic world. As the religious references are many and at times devised of lengthy quotations this would also point towards the notion that not only did religion feature daily in the Arabic world but that most people had an extensive knowledge of it, in fact so extensive that they were able to quote extracts on the spot. The ‘A thousand and one nights are written in a simple language, this leads me to believe that the religious proverbs must have been widely known and not restricted to ‘holy or ‘religious men. Such was then the hold of religion upon the eastern Arabic world. All the above themes as well as others can be seen through another tale within ‘A thousand and One nights this being ‘The Fisherman and the Jinni. Cunning and wisdom again are emphasised with the life of the fisherman relying on his abilities to outwit the Jinni. ‘This is a Jinni; and I am a man to whom Allah hath given a passably cunning wit, so I will now cast about to compass his destruction by my contrivance and by mine intelligence; even as he took counsel only of his malice and his forwardness Within the above quote the importance of intelligence is clearly seen as is also the theme of how brute force and malice are not always effective in overcoming another. Something else that can be perceived throughout the ‘Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinni is the same notion seen through Scheherazade, that good communication skills were regarded as vital within the Arabic world. So vital, that they could have secured your life. Communication and the at of language is a characteristic that sets us above the mere existence of beasts, for the ability to structure speech goes hand in hand with the ability to think. The themes of good and evil as also that of kindness and cruelty are seen clearly within his tale. There is the underlying message through the Jinnis harshness that cruelty breeds cruelty. The injustice and cruelty that the Jinni suffered in being imprisoned in a jar for thousands of years turns him cruel. This could be parallel to the belief that it is society in itself that breeds evil rather than a person being born evil. Something also seen in King Shahryar who is seen as a noble honest king at the beginning of the tales only to turn harsh and cruel once he experiences hurt and injustice. With such elements as the themes of justice, honour ,good and evil and the ability of the ‘A thousand and one Nights to parallel life in itself we cannot suppose them to be merely delightful entertainment for they provide much more than that. They are as mentioned before the equivalent of the western fairytales as they incorporate all the elements expected in a fairytale as is simple language, morality and magic they are also proof that the need for man to teach and relate morality and certain life values was not limited to what was supposed the western ‘civilised world but was a reoccurring phenomenon that stretched across the globe. Bibliography Primary Reading Sir Richard F. Burton, Tales from 1001 Arabian nights, Ed translated by F. Burton, Jaico Publishing house

Socrates Essay -- essays research papers

Socrates (470-399 BC)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Socrates was born to a poor Athenian family in 470 BC He spent most of his time teaching others. One of his pupils was Plato. Socrates was a believer in absolute truth rather than relative truth. His main interest was the process by which people learned how to think for themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He would usually talk to whoever would take the time to listen. He asked many questions and criticized answers. His style of conversation has been given the name Socratic dialogue. Socrates would often ask students questions without giving them answers. When the students did give answers, he opposed them with clear logical arguments. This method forced his students to defend their statements and to clarify their thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Socrates was the wisest philosopher of his time. He was one of three great teachers of ancient Greece. Socrates was short and fat, with a snub nose and wide mouth. Despite his ugly appearance, many said he was a very moral teacher and a pleasant man to be around. Socrates married a lady named Xanthippe. She was notorious for her sharp tongue and quick temper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Athenian mob and its self-serving leaders did not appreciate Socrates and his teachings. In 399 BC, they accused him of â€Å"corrupting the young† and of â€Å"not worshipping the gods worshipped by the state.† These men took Socrates to trial and brought hi...

Abortion - The Wrong Choice Essay -- The Right to Life, Pro-Life Essays

Positive . How often do people hear that word? "Your blood type is a positive. "Are you positive?" "Your pregnancy test is positive." Thousands of women hear the word "positive" every year and, for some, the moment is unwanted. Abortion often seems like the only way out of a positive pregnancy test, partially because abortion is not completely understood. This is because many pro-choice advocates use "sugar coated" words to explain abortion. This fact was made known to the public in 2004 when, while considering a law banning partial-birth abortions, Judge Richard C. Casey had the following conversation (exerted from World magazine) with an anonymous abortion-industry witness. "Do you use simple English words so that they know what they're doing and authorizing?" When the witness answered yes, he probed further. "Do you discuss killing the fetus?" "I tell them that when I cut the umbilical cord of the fetus, the fetus exsanguinates." "Exsanguinwhat?" the judge replied. "In layman's terms, it would be drained of blood." "Do you tell them that?" "No." Many people regard abortion as the only way out of an unplanned pregnancy and that is where they are misled. While women retain the legal right to decide on abortion, they're under the influence of an allusion that abortion is the only option and a safe and has little or no side effects. The Planned Parenthood website, often visited by women considering abortion, says that abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed today. According to Planned Parenthood, when abortion is performed properly, abortion has only mild side effects including dizziness, strong cramps, vomiting, temporary a domino pain, diarrhea, temporary mild fever or paints. Planned P... ... pregnancy, and certainly not the safest. Abortion poses risks to women, including desk, losses of Philip the two bear children, and possibly breast cancer. Aborting the fetus causes the fetus pain and takes away its life, something no human to do to another. Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation?s desire to make abortion appealing to all women in all situations, has led them to compromise the law, to the point of not reporting statuary rate. Abortion is not the best answer to an unplanned pregnancy. It is understood that not all women can care for their unborn children, but there are hundreds of families across the country who would be glad to adopt the unborn babies. The word ?positive? does not have to indicate an abortion. Abortion is not the safest or only action, and women throughout the United States should be informed of that. And

Fruit and vegetable consumption among young adults Essay

The World Health Organisation is predicting that chronic disease will account for over sixty per cent of deaths; with 41 million deaths by 2015.1 Up to 80% chronic disease could be prevented by eliminating tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol.2 Chronic disease and obesity in Australia are continuing to contribute to premature death and burden of disease.3 Cardiovascular disease and cancer remain the main causes of disease burden and type 2 diabetes prevalence has trebled in the last ten years and is expected to be the leading cause of disability and death by 2023.4 The rapid rise in diabetes incidence and prevalence is thought to be due to the rising rate of obesity.5 61% of Australian adults, using measured BMI are currently either overweight or obese6 , with younger age groups gaining weight more quickly than previous generations.7 Approximately 32% of Australia’s total burden of disease can be attributed to modifiable risk factors. 4 Considerable reductions in morbidity and mortality from diet-related diseases could be achieved if the population increases healthy eating behaviours including increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV).8 Fruit and vegetable consumption is strongly linked to the prevention of chronic disease and to achieving better overall health.9 Internationally up to 2.6 million deaths and 1.8 % of global burden of disease is attributable to low FV consumption. Inadequate FV intake in Australia is thought to be responsible for 2.1% of the overall burden of disease.10 Increasing individual FV intake could reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease by 31%.11 In particular reviews of studies have indicated that FVs reduce the risk of developing cancer12; cardiovascular disease13 and obesity.14,15 A meta-analysis of studies investigating FV intake and the incidence of type 2 diabetes indicated no significant benefits for increasing FVs but an increase in green leafy vegetables could sign ificantly reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.16 The mechanism of action is thought to be related to their micronutrient, antioxidant, phytochemical and fibre content.17 Current recommendations for fruit and vegetable consumption Based on  available evidence the World Cancer Research Fund recommends eating at least 400g of non-starchy vegetables and fruits per day (2007).12 The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that Australians consume a minimum of two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetable daily.9 Current consumption patterns are well below these figures. Data on FV consumption in Australia is collected predominantly via validated short questions as part of the National Health Survey. This self reporting of FV consumption does incorporate a number of errors related to the ability of individuals to determine serve sizes18 and the validity and reliability of the short questions. Alternative measures of FVs, predominantly food frequency questionnaires have been determined for different age groups19, 20. For adults the most recent determination of FV intake indicates that only 56% of females and 46% of males over the age of 15 are eating t he recommended serves of fruit and 10% of females and 7% of males over the age of 15, are eating the recommended serves of vegetable daily. 15 The 2007 national children’s nutrition and physical activity survey used a combination of multipass 24 hour food recalls and food frequency and indicated that only 1-2% of older children were consuming three serves of fruit and only 1-11% of older children met the guideline for vegetable consumption21. In another survey specifically looking at young adults 34-43% of those aged 19-24 year olds met the daily fruit consumption guidelines of two serves a day but only 8-10% of young adults ate the recommended five serves per day of vegetable.3, 22 Low consumption of FVs is, therefore, an issue across the spectrum of age groups. While young adults do not necessarily have FV intakes any worse than older adults and children, the lack of overt medical problems has meant that the 18-24 year old age group have received little attention.23 Given that fewer young adults consume the recommended serves of vegetable, strategies that focus solely on vegetables would appear to be appropriate . Young adulthood is a critical age for weight gain24; and in the United States the transition from high school to college is a potential period of rapid weight gain increasing the risk of obesity in later adulthood.25 Chronic conditions are a significant challenge for Australia’s young people because these conditions can affect normal growth and development, quality of life,  long-term health and wellbeing, and successful participation in society, education and employment.3 Studies predominantly undertaken in the United States and Europe are contradictory with respect to whether food habits are positively or negatively affected in the transition to independence. In one study students living independently were more likely to consume a healthy diet than their counterparts living at home. Independent living may increase responsibility of various food-related activities such as budgeting, purchase, preparation and cooking which young adults living at home have not yet developed.26 Other research however indicates that dependent students consume more FVs – independent students may take more responsibility for their food choices while dependent students may be controlled by the primary care-givers.27 It should be noted that the transition from highschool to university in Australia is not necessarily marked by a move out of the family home as it does in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe. Living on campus or in university-provided accommodati on is only undertaken by a small percentage of students in Australia. In 2008, there were almost 3 million young people aged 15–24 years in Australia, accounting for 14% of the total population.3 In addition the majority of Australians who start a course at a higher education institution are aged between 15 and 34 years of age and in 2009 more than 45% of young adults aged 18-24 years were enrolled in a course of study leading to a degree or diploma qualification.28 Universities and other higher education institutions would therefore be an appropriate setting to target individuals in this age group. Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption The National Public Health Partnership identified the primary determinants of FV consumption to inform the development of strategies.29, 30 These are outlined in the table below. Table 1 Identification of determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption Determinant Objectives Food supply Increase and sustain access to high quality, safe, affordable FVs Awareness Increase the proportion of the population aware of the need to increase consumption of FVs Attitude/Perceptions Increase the proportion of the population who perceive the benefits of FVs in terms of taste, convenience, low relative cost, safety and health. Knowledge Increase the proportion of the population with the knowledge of the recommended minimum intakes of FVs Skills to purchase and prepare Increase the proportion of the population with the knowledge, skills and confidence to select and prepare convenient low cost, tasty FV dishes For children, adolescents and adults, previous consumption or exposure to FVs, knowledge, awareness, preparation skills and involvement in food preparation, lack of time and taste preference have all been implicated in the consumption of FVs .31,32,33 From an environmental perspective, availability of FVs within home, school and community settings plays a significant role in promoting FV consumption.32, 34 Those who report eating home grown produce have significantly higher intakes of FVs while poor accessibility to shops and high FV prices have been shown to have a negative impact on FV consumption.35, 36 The presence of a major food retailer in an area has been associated with improved FV consumption.37 In Australia, the evidence is less clear-cut with those living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas having similar opportunities to purchase FVs when compared to those in levels of higher advantage.38 Recent work has indicated that price and availability in disadvantaged areas are similar to those in more advantaged areas but that quality could be seriously compromised, which could impact purchasing behaviour.39 FV prices have been identified as a significant barrier in FV consumption with intakes among those of lower and middle socioeconomic positions more price responsive than their higher socioeconomic position counterparts (Powell et al 2009).40 The national public health partnership identified the lack of recognition of the low relative cost of FVs as a barrier to consumption.29 However, given the recent rapid increase in FV prices identified by the Australian Bureau of Stati stics (15.5% increase for  fruit and 11.4% increase for vegetables in the December 2010 quarter) the perception of cost now may be a reality and a significant barrier to consumption.41 For young adults at university many of the determinants described above are applicable. In addition, access to cooking facilities and equipment, increased availability of unhealthy and convenience foods choices, lack of access to transport, cost of food, lack of time to prepare and to shop, lack of knowledge and of cooking skills were all identified as barriers to FV consumption.42, 43 Given the increased mobility of young adults a focus on home or school may not be sufficient. Recent research indicates that 40% of eating occasions for young adults were on average 6.7 miles (10.5 km) away from their primary place of residence regardless of whether they were living with care-givers or independently.44 This being the case proximity may play a relatively minor role in an individual’s food choices. Instead decisions may be based on a complex web including food quality, pricing, variety, availability, travel patterns, social or cultural influences and various other factors.44 Strategies Based on the determinants and using the Ottawa Charter as a framework, strategies can be divided into two primary categories those that build personal skills and those that create supportive environments. The majority of interventions have not been undertaken with the target group but rather with children (primarily in school settings) and adults. Work with the young adult age group however has highlighted that there is a general lack of understanding about motivators25 but that negative health outcomes are not particularly relevant and the focus should be more on taste.45 Social and environmental cues, on the other hand, could be especially significant.46 In Australia, the broadest population campaign has been Go for 2 and 5. This media campaign began in Western Australia and has since been implemented nationally and in each individual state. The campaign primarily aimed to increase FV consumption through the increased awareness and knowledge of the benefits of FVs, ways to cook FVs and serve size awareness. Evaluation has indicated that the campaign was successful in reaching the target audience and achieving increased awareness of recommended serves of FVs. The Western Australian campaign achieved an average increase of 0.5 of a serve.28 Primary target groups have been children and adults, adolescents and young adults have not been a focus. Education strategies have included embedding curricula in primary and secondary schools and providing regular newsletters to increase knowledge.47 For children and adolescents other successful strategies focus on creating supportive environments combined with elements of education including the provision of free or subsidised fruit either directly or through the provision of tasting programs, snacks, gardening or cooking. 47,48, 49, 50 Within more community settings, interventions have included point of purchase information, reduced pricing, promotion and advertising and increased availability and variety.51 However, there is little evaluation of the effectiveness of these strategies for improving fruit and vegetable consumption in the wider community. Very few of these interventions have been trialled with young adults as the target group. For the few programs that have focussed on young adults the strategies have centred on the development of personal skills through the provision of education either as on-line individualised programs25; tailored individualised counselling52; newsletters promoting FV intake23; and via a general nutrition course to enable students to move from knowledge to application.53 All of these showed modest short term increases in FV intake, a lack of data means that long term establishment of behaviour has not been determined. Based on the available evidence there is a need to focus on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among young adults. Given the large numbers of young adults at tertiary institutions – universities are an appropriate setting. There are few strategies that particularly focus on young adults in the Australian context. However, based on the underlying determinants, strategies should focus on improving knowledge, awareness and preparation skills, changing taste preferences, increasing availability of FVs within local settings, reducing the cost of FVs in selected settings. The development of a comprehensive, multi-strategy program specifically addressing increased fruit and vegetable consumption is required in order to  improve general health outcomes and specifically reduce the risk of chronic disease. References 1. World Health Organisation. (2005). Preventing Chronic Diseases: A Vital Investment. World Health Organisation Geneva. 2. World Health Organisation. (2008). 2008-2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. World Health Organisation: Geneva. 3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2010). Australia’s Health 2010. Canberra, AIHW. Australia’s Health Series no. 12. Cat. no. AUS 122. 4. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australia’s Health 2008. (2008). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Canberra. Available from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10585. 5. Colagiuri, R., Colagiuri, S., Yach, D. and Pramming S. (2006). The answer to diabetes prevention: science, surgery, service delivery, or social policy? American Journal of Public Health 96.9:1562–9. 6. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2009). Summary of Results National Health Survey 2007-2008. Cat #: 4364.0 h ttp://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4364.0Main%20Features42007-2008%20(Reissue)?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4364.0&issue=2007-2008%20(Reissue)&num=&view= Accessed February 24th 2011 7. Allman-Farinelli, M.A., Chey, T., Bauman, A.E., Gill, T., and James, W. P. T. (2007). Age, period and birth cohort effects on prevalence of overweight and obesity in Australian adults from 1990 to 2000. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 62: 898-907. 8. McCullough, M. L., Feskanich, D., Stampfer, M. J., Giovannucci, E. L., Rimm, E. B., Hu, F. B., Spiegelman, D., Hunter, D.J., Colditz, G. A., Willett, W.C. (2002). Diet quality and major chronic disease risk in men and women: moving toward improved dietary guidance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 76(6): 1261-1271. 9. Department of Health and Ageing. (1998). Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Canberra: DHA. 10. Begg S, Vos T, Barker B, Stevenson C, Stanley L & Lopez AD 2007. The burden of disease and injury in Australia 2003. AIHW cat. no. PHE 82. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 11. Lock, K., Pomerleau, J., Causer, L., Altmann, D.R., McKee, M. (2005). The global burden of disease attributable to low consumption of fruit and vegetables: implications for the global strategy on diet. Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Math: Mathematics and Favorite Subject

I know very well what my weak point is. I am not a writing women; I am in love with numbers. Mathematic is my favorite subject since I began to study. My mother is an accountant, and my father is a civil engineer. The first thing that I teach me was to count 1 to 10 with only one year and half. Math is my favorite subject, for three reasons, this subject-matter pushes me to think carefully, be organize when solving math exercises, and the most important numbers are easy to me.For these reasons I enjoy every single day in my job. First of all, it helps me in my life because I learn to think and concentrate clearly. When I have a Math problem, I read it and try to think in a easy solution. This helps me understand the situation. When I have all the data, I write the formula. I always try not over thinking it, because this can affect the result. My mother told me that math is like a puzzle, like a game. Second, I am extremely organized with numbers.I always follow all the rules and keep the solutions steps by step in my records. The result need to be clean, which means that anyone can understand the result without my presence. By the time that I have the solution, I feel free and comfortable. I can only hear in my head, I win, I win!!! The third and final reason is that numbers are easy for me. Equations, problems, geometry, addition, multiplication and rest are fun to me. I see this subject as hobby not as a class. Numbers are infinite; they are like the stars in the sky.Galileo Galilei said that, â€Å"The great book of nature is written in mathematical symbols†. In conclusion, Math was my life in Kinder Garden, Elementary School, Middle School, and High School, will be the same for the rest of my life. This class showed me how to put my brain to work. I learned how to work and study at the same time like a game. Numbers are easy and bring me happiness every day since I was a little girl. Thanks to my mother, father and teachers who always supported in th is subject, I am a good mathematician today.

Edocs, Inc. †Case questions

3. The most important terms for edocs founder Kevin Laracey to further discuss in future negotiations will be the following: †¢ The valuation proposed by the Venture Capital investors, a number that could easily be inflated by shopping the deal around as the venture capital market is booming. †¢ The Board of Directors provision, as Mr. Laracey wants to make sure that in the first years of the Company he will remain CEO, and that the co-founders of edocs will be part of it as well. †¢ The share vesting schedule, which Mr. Laracey feels represents a lack of faith by the Venture Capital Investors in them. †¢ The Anti-dilution and Right of First Refusal which in essence binds edocs to future and larger equity participations from CRV. †¢ The warrants issue subject to the availability of other VC investors. This clause is troublemsome for the CEO of edocs because it will cause further dilution of his his colleagues stakes in the Company. 4. As for Charles River Ven tures, Mr. Guerster has essentially two main things in mind regarding the term sheet: †¢ The board composition, because he feels that Mr. Canekeratne is not suitable to be a board member as he will bring no added value to the company, and a large board of directors is not feasible. †¢ The warrants issue that Mr. Guerster feels is an appropriate penalty for edocs if they cannot find other investors to do the deal with. 5. edocs is searching for venture capital financing in 1998, a vibrant year for the market. Furthermore, the term sheet that was presented to them was quite investor friendly, with some strict provisions that unnecessarily burden the entrepreneurs. In short, edocs can and should negotiate some of the terms presented to them by CRV. First of all edocs is aware that if it shopped the deal around it could get a higher valuation and the provision to include the employee share option pool in the valuation seems too onerous. An acceptable compromise between committing to CRV and to dilute their stake so much in the beginning would be to exclude the option pool from the valuation. This would change the VC’s stake from 38% to 33%. May not seem like a respectable sum at first, but it may be relevant to encourage future financiers. The lower the A round investor’s stake, the better. Another provision that should be altered is the board composition. As it was mentioned before, this is bound to be one of the most contentious issues between the entrepreneur and the VC. The founders argue that all 3 of them should be on the steering wheel after the investment, while CRV insists on having a small board of directors with as many board representatives as the founders (2 and 2). It is likely that the founders will have to cave in on this issue because it’s not likely that they would get better terms elsewhere. Even if it is unreasonable to put the 3 founders of the company on the board, as the VC will not want it to have a founder majority, at least Mr. Laracey should be granted a place as a CEO for a fixed amount of time. In a very early stage it is important for the Company to have the guidance of someone who founded and knows the business by heart. Perhaps more importantly we have the warrants provision. There is a rational economic reasoning behind this provision. If CRV cannot find another party to invest in the Company thi s will mean two things: investors are not willing to bet on the success of edocs which sends a negative signal to CRV, and it will result in an undiversification of its portfolio and consquently more risk. CRV will consequently want a compensation for this extra risk and the warrants are apparently the answer. We have to take edocs’ position into account though. As we will see later they have negogiating leverage and as such are in a position to change the provision. On the other hand, the clause at the least creates some perverse incentives for CRV. If CRV is or turns out to be confident about the future success of edocs it will not try to look for additional investors and will just cash in the cheap warrants. As such, and to make the term sheet a little more Company favorable we believe that the side letter should not be included in it. In conclusion in a time where a large inflow of capital to VC funds is pushing valuations up, edocs has an opportunity to use that leverage to, while not explicitly shopping around the deal, eliminate the provisions that dilute their shareholdings excessively and to have some control of the Company during its first years. From the preceding discussion we can conclude that the term sheet is more investor friendly –i. e. CRV friendly- than company friendly –i. e. favorable for edocs. Therefore, in the negotiation process the venture capitalists have more to lose when the terms of the deals after negotiation, giving edocs more power in turn. Also, from Exhibit 18-8 we can tell that the commitments of venture capitalists have been increasing exponentially over the past years. From this we can conclude that there are many potential VCs out there who might very well be willing to finance edocs at more favorable terms, giving the latter again more bargaining power in the negotiation process. Laracey, Moran, and Canekeratne have done an extensive study on the competitive landscape in the electronic payment and bill presentment services market. They identified several (potential) competitors such as IBM, MSFDC, Checkfree, International Billing Services, and document services. Compared to edocs these firms are more established and are active in the market for a longer period of time, nonetheless they are all largely competing for the same clientele. In order to outperform these parties edocs builds on many different key elements. First of all it offers advantages to the billing entity in the sense that it allows them to differentiate from their competitors’ â€Å"print only† offerings. From a cost perspective, edocs allows for significant savings in terms of document delivery, processing, remittance, and printing costs. Also, the service will be beneficial for the customer who receives the bills. They can push the documents to the preferred e-mail package, and bill payment will be easier and not as time-consuming. Especially, the technological and strategic partnership with CyberCash will allow for â€Å"one-click† bill payment. The main point at which edocs differs from its competitors is that edocs is offered as a software product, whereas the competitors mainly offer Internet document production and delivery as a service. The founders figured that competitors had a hard time gaining acceptance for these service-only offerings, since customers are concerned about third parties standing in between the biller and the customer. Also, the fact that Laracey, Moran, and Canekeratne had access to cheap software development personnel in Sri Lanka allowed them to differentiate themselves from their competitors, because edocs software was now developed both more quickly and cheaper than competitors could develop the software. Edocs can also be compared to similar firms from a financial point of view. Exhibit 18-6 gives an overview of financial data of comparable firms. However, it must be noted that it is questionable to what extent these firms are all really comparable to edocs. More specifically, IBM and Xerox are much more established, mature firms. Documentum and Document Sciences are, like edocs, both young firms, because they only reveal sales data as of 1995. Checkfree is the only start-up in this context that is not making profit so when wanting to do a relative valuation, using multiples that include net income does not make much sense. Hence, in order to come up with an implied valuation for edocs, we propose to do a multiple valuation, including the average market value-to-sales multiple of comparable start-up firms as a relevant measure to compute the value of edocs. Appendix A gives an overview as to how we came up with this number. As said before, we disregarded the data from IBM and Xerox because these firms are in a much more mature phase than edocs. Subsequently, we computed the average MV-to-sales multiple for Documentum, Document Sciences and Checkfree over the period of 1994 to 1997. Next, this number was multiplied with each of the sales forecasts under the â€Å"target performance scenario†(retrieved from Exhibit 18-4). Averaging the value of the period between 1998 and 2002 leaves us then with an implied value of $268. 3 million.