Critical Analysis in a Literature Review - Proofeds Writin Tips

Critical Analysis in a Literature Review - Proofeds Writin Tips Critical Analysis in a Literature Review A literature review is vital to any in-depth research, providing a foundation your work will build upon. Familiarizing yourself with the existing literature allows you to identify current debates in the field, ensuring that your work is up-to-date and addresses significant questions. But a good literature review will require reading critically. This means deciding whether you agree or disagree with certain viewpoints, arguments and theories, rather than simply describing them. It also requires being able to spot the flaws and strengths of particular studies, which can in turn help when developing your own ideas. To make sure you do this effectively, its worth looking for the following things. 1. Overgeneralizations One common issue in research is the scope of its application, especially when dealing with limited sample sizes or when a study is generalized too broadly. The conclusions of a psychological study conducted with all male participants, for instance, may not be applicable in the same way to female subjects. 2. Methodological Limitations When writing a literature review, ask yourself whether the methods used for particular studies were appropriate. For example, whether the study used a quantitative, qualitative or mixed-methods research design can make a big difference to the conclusions reached. 3. How Well Explained is the Research? When reading for a critical literature review, it is important to consider how well written the studies you examine are. Does the author explain their methods? Is enough detail provided for any experiments to be replicated? Are sampling, data collection and analysis techniques clearly identified? Does the conclusion follow from the results? Asking these and similar questions will help you discern between good and bad research. 4. Identify Biases Another important factor is to consider whether implicit biases might have influenced the research. The term â€Å"confirmation bias,† for example, refers to the tendency to focus on evidence which supports one’s existing beliefs, which can lead to overlooking alternative hypotheses. 5. Challenge Your Own Assumptions If you come across a study which seems to oppose your hypothesis, consider whether it presents good counterarguments to your own position. If it does, ask yourself whether this affects how you conduct the rest of your research. The final point here is important because conducting a literature review serves two purposes. The finished literature review will help your reader to understand the background of your research, so critical analysis helps to clarify what your work contributes to the debate. But comparing different studies and theories for a literature review will also help you to develop a research approach. The better your critical analysis, then, the better prepared you’ll be.

Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need

Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future. Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future. Ultimate List of Content Marketing Platforms, Software and Tools You Need There are tons of marketing tools and platforms out there. Not to mention other free resources. And guides. So many guides. Oh, and let’s not forget books, courses, and other knowledge and skill-building resources. What can we say? It’s a complex and fast-moving business. Keeping organized while covering skill gaps and staying on top of the latest trends isn’t easy. But, nor should it be. If it were easy, everyone would be crushing it. So, how can you give yourself the edge? Start by narrowing down your tools and learning resources to the essentials. The things you absolutely need that will help you succeed. In this post, we’ve brought together everything you need in one place. Consider this your catalog for a better future.

Global Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Global Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Mollenkopf, et al. (2010) has discussed on the concept of the sustainable supply chain management system. The synchronization process of green, lean and global supply chain management processes have been discussed in the article. All the other journals have provided the different approaches of the supply chain management process. However, Mollenkopf, et al. has depicted a new concept that can maintain the ecological balances. The author has mentioned that, by reducing the carbon emissions and utilizing the natural gasses, the companies can progress towards the sustainable business practices. The author has also added that in order to deal with the competition of the global market, the companies are required to manage the supply chain processes effectively. The report highlights on the major issues of the supply chain management system. The issues such as inventory management, better networking, outsourcing etc. have been identified as the major challenges of the supply chain managers of the global firms. The report also concluded that sustainable business practices are the major concern for most of the global firms at present time. The discussions of the articles have also found that most of the companies have been focusing on collaborating the stages of the supply chain management system. Moreover, the authors have also stressed on TQM as a process of ensuring the quality parameter. Managing sustainable supply chain practices and the operational cost can be considered difficult tasks for the global managers.

The Deep Context of Melancholy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Deep Context of Melancholy - Essay Example Melancholia is differentiated with other feelings that somehow relates to its state and divulged with its causations and effects. Three remarkable works that relates the state of melancholia, sharing similar frameworks are Sigmund Freud’s â€Å"Mourning and Melancholia†, Julia Kristeva’s â€Å"On the Melancholic Imaginary† and Dorothea Lansky’s â€Å"When it is a Black life†. Sigmund Freud, in his article â€Å"Mourning and Melancholia†, throws some light on the nature of melancholia by comparing it with mourning. His work is a psychological approach into apprehending the deeper context of the two interrelated human phenomenon. Mourning and melancholia are both human emotions that exhibit similar outward symptoms. However, the causation and the long term effects of these human tendencies differ in the deeper level. While the human experience of mourning and melancholia portrays similar outward symptoms, they are different with diverse directions of consequences. He points out that the fruits, features and the underlying causes of the two conditions are more or less the same. Some common features include painful dejection, cessation of interest in the outside world, loss of the ability to love, and inability to perform activities. However, while the lowering of the self-regarding feelings is a feature of melancholia, it is not present in mourning (F reud 243). Furthermore, while the condition of mourning includes the patient’s consciousness of losing someone, the state of melancholia is withdrawn from the object-loss concept (Freud 244). Therefore, in melancholia, it is difficult to understand what is absorbing the patient while the reason is apparent in mourning.

Summary of the Skoda Case Study Essay Example for Free

Summary of the Skoda Case Study Essay The purpose of this summary is learns about what is SWOT analysis, how to use it to analysis a company and the way to guide goals and business behavior. Next, the object is understands how a particular company-in this case is Skoda Company-used a SWOT analysis to analysis itself. Skoda Company was established in 1925 and then had become a strong competitive power company in car market. However, it only have a 1.7% share-a very few part-in car market in recent years. Skoda UK management wanted to define its brand positioning, that means they need a brand which owned by themselves. This was a solution to reply too much competition in market now. The case study used a SWOT analysis tool (including SMART and SLEPT) to analysis situation of Skoda Company which from four different aspects: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The first step was strengths. Skoda wanted to know how customer feels to them so collects feedback from buyer. Use this way Skoda wined its own satisfied customers. Secondly, find weaknesses. In the past Skoda was produced bicycle and then turned to car producing, so some people consider that quality was not so ideal, so neutral public perspective is their weakness. The third was about opportunities. Skoda have their own satisfied customers, this is their opportunity. The final one was threats. In prefect competition market Skoda lost its market shares. They need to produce better products to keep their customers, and they also need a strong industry chain and an accurate market segment. The outcome of thought using a SWOT analysis was that Skoda was struggling to change it original image, and they already achieve some. The challenge was increasing marketing shares, so they needed to search a new strategy to improve their brand.

Grendel the Existentialist Monster :: Grendel Essays

Grendel the Existentialist Monster The monster Grendel is the ironic eye through which the action is viewed and from this perspective he provides the reader with never-ending examples of buffoonery and self-parody. Often his claims reveal the Sartrean component in his makeup: "I create the whole universe, blink by blink"(Gardner 22). Gardner,of course,wants to make a point here about solipsism. There is more to the objective world than Grendel's ego. Naturally the universe still exists when Grendel closes his eyes. Likewise, when Grendel says "I observe myself observing what I observe", (Gardner 29) ,he reminds us of Sartre's view of the self-reflective nature of consciousness. As he said in his interview, Gardner planned to parody Sartre's ideas in Being and Nothingess in these sections of the novel. When Grendel says "then I am not that which observes! I am lack. Alack. "(Gardner 29) he plays on the French verb manquer(to lack) that Sartre uses in his description of the lacking quality of consciousness. This ability to observe his observing is a clue to the philosophical underpinnings of the early chapters. Gardner's irony should be crystal clear--Grendel is amusing himself with Sartre's phenomenology. Now what is the reader to make of all this? A brief summary of Sartre's description of consciousness may help. According toSartre man exists on the level of being-in-itself(as a body in a world of objects) and on the level of being-for-itself(consciousness ). The key to understanding Grendel's view of the world is this distinction between the in-itself and the for-itself.Since, for Sartre, being-in-itself is uncreated(he can find no evidence of a creating God) and superfluous("de trop"), it reveals itself as a sort of absurd, meaningless outer reality. But being-for-itself, on the other hand, is the awareness that consciousness is not the being of the in-itself. Its being is revealed in a more paradoxical way-- as an emptiness in the center of being. How can it be aware of itself as an object?Impossible says Sartre. Simply put, the for-itself is the absence or the lack(thus Grendel's "lack") of the objectness of the in-itself . It reveals itself as the nothingness that remains when y ou realize that your consciousness is not an awareness of an object(such as your body), but rather an awareness of the lack of an object; or,to put it another way, it is an awareness of a nihilated presence.Grendel is proof that only an

Employee Relations HND 2013 Assignment 1 Essay

Unitarism is considered to be as a family-type system where the association is alleged to be an incorporated and pleasant atmosphere like a happy family. A principal theory of the unitary approach is all employees and the employers as well in the entire organization share the same goals, interests and dedications therefore working hand-in-hand and towards their mutual objectives. Somewhat like an Ant Colony, all of the ants work together for the same goals, and for the colony. Which brings me to another point where in Unitarism has a sort of a paternalistic approach where loyalty of all members is a must, just like ants where the queen is considered the father figure. Trade Unions are not referred to as much and are deemed unnecessary and conflict is alleged to be disorderly. From an Employee’s point of view, The Unitary approach should encompass; Waged work ought to be flexible; Individuals ought to be oriented, multi-talented, effective and efficient in business procedural improvement. If any Trade Union is recognized its purpose is that to improve communications between the employees and the employer. Good relationship is stressed on and the terms and conditions of employment are complete and comprehensive. Employee brainstorming sessions are encouraged therefore bringing out the best solutions to any problems. Also helping employees bring out their innovation, creativity, qualities and it leaves room for improvement. Workers should have a sense of belonging and security at the workplace through the skills and expertise of the managers who are informed regarding their endeavors, therefore allowing them to maximize their efficiency at the workplace. From an Employers point of view, The Unitary Approach should incorporate; The company policies must maximize the unification of employee efforts, inspiration and motivation. The company’s extensive goals must be communicated in an organized and proper manner to all staff. Systems should be established to ensure employee loyalty and commitment such as reward-systems. Line Managers should ensure ownership responsibilities of their team/staff. Staff-management conflicts – from the perspective of the unitary framework – are seen as arising from lack of information, inadequate presentation of management’s policies. Personal objectives of each employee in the entire organization must be discussed with them and then incorporated with the organizations requirements. Pluralist Perspective; Pluralism consists of powerful, divergent sub-groups, managements and trade unions within an organization. This approach responds to conflicts of interest and misunderstandings between managers and workers in regard to distribution of profits as a normal and inescapable problem. In regard to this, Managements would opt less towards administrating and monitoring, and opt more towards convincing and synchronization. Trade Unions are supported a lot here and considered to be legitimate legislatures of employees. Conflict is solved by cooperative negotiations and is regarded not necessarily as a negative entity and if accomplished can in fact be channeled into development and positive energy. Realistic managers cannot deny the fact that conflict occurs and have no choice other than to accept it. There is greater susceptibility for conflict than harmony. They must have procedures in advance for settling any disputes that may arise which may include; Industrial Relations and Personnel Specialists who guide managers and offer specialist services in respect of staffing and matters relating to union consultation and negotiation. Autonomous external negotiators should be incorporated to help in regard to settlement of disputes. Union recognition should be encouraged and union representatives given scope to carry out their representative duties All-Inclusive mutual agreements must be negotiated with unions. The Differences between Unitarism and Pluralism; Unitarism and pluralism are concepts that differ vastly in their definition as well as their procedures. These terms are mainly heard of in employee relations. Unitarism believes that the management or employees of the organization have to be interconnected and work hand in hand with each other to achieve their goals and for the welfare of the company. While Pluralism on the other hand believes that various groups of employees have different needs and necessities therefore making it sort a selected procedure and acknowledging this fact can help the company achieve its goals. Something one must know is that unitarism believes that the employees and company shares the same agenda, the experts call it a â€Å"Unitary Outlook† Pluralism does not believe in the control implemented by the management. . This is one of the main differences between pluralism and Unitarism. Pluralists encourage that a particular system be followed in the interest of the organization. It opines that power is nicely dispersed rather than concentrated in the hands of a few individuals. Pluralism gives ample opportunity for employees to voice out their opinions. On the other hand, unitarism believes in the perception of the entire organization as one big family. The management and the staff share common objectives, interests and purposes according to unitarists. It has a paternalistic approach, and it expects the loyalty of the employees. Pluralism on the other hand, is not paternalistic in its approach and hence, it does not expect the loyalty of the employees. These are the important differences between unitarism and pluralism in the arena of human resources development. Question 2: The past 25-30 years have seen massive overall changes in the regard to employee relations in the United Kingdom’s Organizational sector. The main factors that influenced this change are political, economic, social and technological factors, The influence of the Conservative government played a major role in the political aspect of employee relation change which was performed during 1979-1997. –The Wilderness Years- These years had drastic changes and were very unstable for the Conservative government, they included declines in trade unions, new laws and acts sorted out and the importance of the Labour government from 1997 to the present day which has also brought different changes to employee relations. In regard to legal perspectives the Conservative government has played a significant role in labour law which involved changing the relationship between the employer and employee, the employer and the union and the membership therefore establishing effective communication and understanding. The other changes inaccordance to legal reference were; Removing constitutional supports for collective bargaining. Advertising and Promoting Non-Unionism. Abolition of the obligatory union membership. Restraining industrial action and increasing fines for unlawful action. Regulation of internal Union government. Flagging labour law and social security measures which delivered a level to wages. Removing protection afforded by individual employment rights. Technological Impacts; All organisations function within specific technological limitations which have an impact on its size and structure, whereas the size and structure have an influence on the culture of an organization. As culture affects the relationship between people it can be seen that technology and technological development play an important role in employee relations. It is important for employee relations professionals to understand the meaning of the word ‘technology’ If it simply suggests some form of process or engineering, then does it have any role outside of manufacturing? It is more than an engineering process, in the perspective of an organization it is the application of skills and knowledge. New technology can be viewed in three ways in regard to employee relations; 1.) Its impact on traditional skills acts as a de-skilling agent as well as a creator of un employment. 2.) In a more positive way it creates a chance for old employees to learn new skills. 3.) This perspective views technology as a way to remove previously unpleasant or repetitive tasks from the equation. Question 3: Workers (Employees); The role of the employee is classified over the things he should yearn for in an organization. A good employee will try to develop oneself and seek a variety of assignments, tackle tough problems and ask for feedback. Coaching is also a very helpful activity it can be both ways as one looking for others to coach and another looking for a coach to learn from. Asking for feedback can be very helpful especially when working with different varieties of people in different situations. One should look for developmental relationships that can help provide a lot of learning and understanding. They should identify goals for new skills and abilities and organize how to achieve those goals. Attending classes and workshops would be a great source of filling in conceptual needs. The responsibility of an employee given to him/her by the organization should be recognized by the employee, Things that the employee must ensure and study when starting work towards development; Precise Goals; identifying goals for new abilities and organizing methods to reach those goals. Vigor to make his/her development successful. Diversity of work assignments. Requesting for feedback. Chances to coach other employees and finding good coaches for oneself. Developmental relationships that give a chance for an assortment of learning Managers; Managers are the head of Employee relations and are responsible for creating a rational, respectful, varied and high performance culture allowing employees to give their best effort. The post holder will improve, provide and uphold a business engrossed employee relation strategy that is to the point and ensures that the E.R team achieve their goals and work plan. The main responsibilities of a manager are; Head of discussions with any official union and staff relations with a purpose to successfully achieve positive outcome and comprehensive understandings to proposals which meet organisation objectives. Lead on the employee relations phases of projected variations to organization structure, employment levels and agreements to support the delivery of business goals. Donate to the considered development of the Human Resource function by introducing a progressive, business focused employee relations strategy that validates the current and future needs of an organization. Contribute to the sustained enhancement of the health of the organization by observing performance indicators, like sick leave, levels of grievances and disciplinaries , work/life balance, increasing initiatives and solutions to establish positive trends. Recognize and implement positive employee relations programmes, in discussion with the applicable stakeholder groups, that will increase effeciencey and motivation in the workforce. Deliver approachable and high quality support, training and advice to all parts of the business including senior managers to guarantee the to ensure appropriate management of all employee relations issues, including poor performance, grievances and disciplinary action. Manage and organize the people aspects of any streamlines within the organization, including redeployment and redundancy that must be completed within timescales and using the budgets. Ensure that the appropriate Human Resource support mechanisms are in place for staff. Give advice and direction regarding all the employee relations aspect of pay and reward projects, deviations to pay, terms and conditions of employment, pay reviews and their application. Improve and implement discussing mechanisms with trade unions which support the yearly pay and benefits with any organizational changes. Effectively manage all legal proceedings and Employment tribunal cases for the organization and act as the ‘Intelligent Client’ for retained lawyers, protecting the reputation and finances of the organization. Preserve relationships with internal diversity networks to enable the organizations targets to be met and contribute to the development and implementation of diversity action plans that fulfill the overall goals of employee relations. Lead a team and use good people management practices. Particularly with regard to performance management and career development. Organizations; One of the main functions of an organization in employee relations is to act as the employer’s spokesperson in pursuit to influence the broad policy environment in a manner conducive to their constituents’ interests (in this respect, it might be noted that the IR function was originally, and in many cases has remained, the cornerstone of the operations of many employers’ organizations). This representation role will remain significant. But â€Å"the ultimate credibility of employers’ organizations will depend on the provision of quality services to enterprises and their capacity and skill in negotiating on behalf of employers† (de Silva 1996:3). In this regard, considerable emphasis is now being given within the region to developing employers’ organizations as strong professional organizations. Priority is being given to strategic planning; developing direct services to members across a range of issues (eg, labour law, IR/HRM, labour market information, human resource development, etc); and providing the necessary internal capacities to deliver these services (which requires knowledgeable, well-trained technical staff, supported by sophisticated research and information bases). References: http://books.google.ae/books?id=FuUmIixUldwC&pg=PA96&lpg=PA96&dq=technological+changes+to+employee+relations+in+uk+from+1979&source=bl&ots=Ha2NfkrfnW&sig=DS13XkOYCpc8RFROwW1O2t_2kXY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-0HlUdDjC4KJrQf4ooCgDw&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=technological%20changes%20to%20employee%20relations%20in%20uk%20from%201979&f=false http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/pluralistic-perspective.html http://industrialrelations.naukrihub.com/unitary-perspective.html http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-unitarism-and-vs-pluralism/ http://www.earlhamsociologypages.co.uk/conthatnewright.html

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 10

Elder blossoms can be used for exorcism, protection, or prosperity, Bonnie read, lying flopped down on her bed, chin propped on her hands. Mix with comfrey and coltsfoot and bind in red silk during a waxing moon to make a charm bag for attracting wealth. Distill in a bath with lavender, feverfew, and motherwort for personal protection. Burn with hyssop, white sage, and devil's shoestring to create a smoke that can be used in exorcising bad spirits. Devil's shoestring? Was that real y an herb? Unlike most of the others, it didn't sound like something she'd find in her mother's garden. She sighed noisily and skipped ahead a little. The best herbs for aiding meditation are agrimony, chamomile, damiana, eyebright, and ginseng. They may be tossed together and burned to create smoke or, when picked at dawn, dried and sprinkled around the subject in a circle. Bonnie eyed the thick book baleful y. Pages and pages and pages of herbs and what their properties were in different circumstances, and when to gather them, and how to use them. Al written as dryly and dul y as her high school geometry textbook. She had always hated studying. The best thing about the summer between high school and col ege was that no one could expect her to spend any time tucked up with a heavy book, trying to memorize excessively boring facts. Yet here she was, doing just that, and she'd total y brought it on herself. But when she had asked Mrs. Flowers to teach her magic, she had expected something, wel , cooler than being handed a heavy book on herbs. Secretly, she had been hoping for one-on-one sessions that involved casting spel s, or flying, or summoning fantastical servants to do her bidding. Less reading quietly to herself, anyway. Shouldn't there be some way that magical knowledge could just implant itself in her brain? Like, wel , magical y? She flipped forward a few more pages. Ooh, this looked a bit more interesting. An amulet filled with cinnamon, cowslip, and dandelion leaves will help in attracting love and fulfilling secret desires. Gather the herbs in a gentle rain and, after drying, bind them with red velvet and gold thread. Bonnie giggled and kicked her feet against the mattress, thinking that she could probably come up with some secret desires to fulfil . Did she need to pick the cinnamon, or would it be okay to just get it out of the spice cupboard? She turned a few more pages. Herbs for clarity of sight, herbs for cleansing, herbs that had to be gathered under the ful moon or on a sunny day in June. She sighed once more and closed the book. It was past midnight. She listened, but the house was quiet. Her parents were sleeping. Now that her sister Mary, who'd been the last of Bonnie's three older sisters to leave home, had moved in with her boyfriend, Bonnie missed having her right down the hal . But there were also advantages to not having her nosy, bossy big sister so close. She climbed out of bed as quietly and cautiously as she could. Her parents weren't as sharp-eared as Mary, but they would come and check on her if they heard her getting up in the middle of the night. Careful y, Bonnie pried up a floorboard under her bed. She had used it as her hiding place ever since she was a little girl. At first she had kept a dol she'd borrowed from Mary without permission; a secret candy stash bought with her al owance; her favorite red silk ribbon. Later, she'd hidden notes from her first boyfriend, or tests she'd failed. Nothing as sinister as what was hidden there now, though. She lifted out another book just as thick as the volume on herbs Mrs. Flowers had lent her. But this one was olderlooking, with a dark leather cover wrinkled and softened by time. This book was from Mrs. Flowers's library, too, but Mrs. Flowers hadn't given it to her. Bonnie had snuck it off the shelf while Mrs. Flowers's back was turned, sliding it into her backpack and projecting her most innocent face when Mrs. Flowers's sharp eyes lingered on her afterward. Bonnie felt a bit guilty tricking Mrs. Flowers like that, especial y after the old woman agreed to mentor her. But, honestly, no one else would have had to sneak the book out in the first place. Any reason Meredith or Elena gave for wanting it would have immediately been accepted by everybody as right and true. They wouldn't even have to give a reason, just say that they needed the book. It was only Bonnie who would be sighed at and patted on the head – sweet, silly Bonnie – and stopped from doing what she wanted . Bonnie stubbornly set her chin and traced the letters on the book's cover. Traversing the Boundaries Between the Quick and the Dead, they read. Her heart was pounding as she opened the book to the page she'd marked earlier. But her hands were quite steady as she removed four candles, two white and two black, from beneath the floorboard. She struck a match, lit one of the black candles, and tilted it to drip wax on the floor beside her bed. When there was a little pool of melted wax, Bonnie pressed the bottom of the candle into it, so that it stood upright on the floor. â€Å"Fire in the North, protect me,† she intoned. She reached for a white candle. Plugged into its charger on the bedside table, her phone rang. Bonnie dropped the candle and swore. Leaning over, she picked up the phone to see who was cal ing. Elena. Of course. Elena never realized how late it was when she wanted to talk to somebody. Bonnie was tempted to press â€Å"ignore,† but thought better of it. Maybe this was a sign that she shouldn't perform the ritual after al , at least not tonight. Maybe she should do some more research first to make sure she was doing it right. Bonnie blew out the black candle and pushed the button to answer her phone. â€Å"Hey, Elena,† she said, hoping her friend didn't sense her irritation as she placed the book gently back under the floorboard. â€Å"What's up?† The ash was unbearably heavy. He strained against it, pushing at the blanket of gray holding him down. He clawed frantical y, a panicked part of him wondering whether he was even going upward at al , whether he might not instead be digging himself farther under the surface. One of his hands was clutched tightly around something – something fine and fibrous, like thin petals. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he shouldn't let go of it, and despite the fact that it hampered his struggle, he did not question this need to hold on. It seemed as if he were clawing at the thick ash forever, but final y his other hand broke through the crumbling layers and relief flooded his body. He'd been going the right way; he wasn't going to be buried forever. He reached out blindly, searching for something he could use to lever himself out. Ash and mud slid under his fingers, giving him nothing firm, and he floundered until he found what felt like a piece of wood in his grasp. The edges of the wood bit into his fingers as he clung to it as though it were a lifeline in a stormy ocean. He gradual y maneuvered his way up, slipping and sliding in the slick mud. With one last great effort, he wrenched his body out of the ash and mud, which gave a thick sucking noise as his shoulders emerged. He climbed to his knees, his muscles screaming in agony, then to his feet. He shuddered and shook, nauseated but euphoric, and wrapped his arms around his torso. But he couldn't see anything. He panicked until he realized something was holding his eyes shut. He scrubbed at his face until he detached sticky clumps of ashy mud from his eyelashes. After a moment, he was final y able to open his eyes. A desolate wasteland surrounded him. Blackened mud, puddles of water choked with ash. â€Å"Something terrible happened here,† he said hoarsely, the sound startling him. It was so profoundly quiet. It was freezing, and he realized he was naked, covered with only the same muddy ash that was everywhere. He hunched over and then, cursing himself for his momentary weakness, painful y straightened himself up. He had to†¦ He†¦ He couldn't remember. A drop of liquid ran down his face, and he wondered vaguely whether he was crying. Or was it the thick, shimmering fluid that was everywhere here, mixing with the ash and mud? Who was he? He didn't know that, either, and that blankness triggered a trembling in him that was quite separate from the shivering caused by the cold. His hand was stil clenched protectively around the unknown object, and he raised his fist and stared at it. After a moment, he slowly uncurled his fingers. Black fibers. Then a drop of the opalescent fluid ran across his palm, over the middle of the fibers. Where it touched, they transformed. It was hair. Silky blond and copper hair. Quite beautiful. He closed his fist again and held them against his chest, a new determination building inside him. He had to go. Through the haze, a clear picture of his destination sprang into his mind. He shuffled forward through the ash and mud, toward the castlelike gatehouse with high spires and heavy black doors that he somehow knew would be there.

Operating Philosophy Example

Operating Philosophy Example Operating Philosophy – Coursework Example How to Always Smile At Problems There are many different philosophies that people believe in to get through life. My biggest philosophy in life is this: â€Å"always smile at problems†. I have three values that guide this philosophy.Value 1: smiling at problems helps you look at a problem from a brighter angle. Like the famous saying a blessing in disguise or seeing the glass half full and not half empty. Life is full of stresses and it is too short to keep on brooding over our daily problems, that is why you need to smile at your problems and move on.Value 2: smiling at problems relieves stress by uplifting our moods. Holding on to our problems can sometimes drag us into depression. But if we could just smile and remind ourselves that there is no gain without pain, then we can be relieved from our problems very easily. This is because we would try to forget we have problems since other solve even bigger problems and they are not crying everywhere.Value 3: smiling at our probl ems makes us beautiful. Stress and depression can often be seen by other people by our skin, facial expression and our grooming. A stressed out person is badly groomed since their problems overshadows every aspect of their lives. It is consoling to remember that smiling reduces aging. If only we can smile knowing that our problems keeps us alive since only dead people have no drama in their lives.Smile at your problems and remember that without problems you would never know your true friends. Moreover, problems give you stories to tell not to mention the experience we gain from those problems.Finally smiling leads to laughter which is the cure for all diseases and uplifts spirits. You sleep soundly when you smile and it makes you fresh and bright in the morning.

The History and Invention of Peanut Butter

The History and Invention of Peanut Butter It’s one of the country’s favorite things to spread over bread. We dip celery sticks in it. It’s often baked into cookies and countless deserts. I’m talking about peanut butter and as a whole Americans consume tons of the pulverized pea about a billion pounds worth each year. That’s roughly $800 spent annually and  a booming increase from the roughly two million  pounds produced at the turn of the 20th century. Peanuts were first cultivated as food in South America and natives in the region began turning them into grounded up paste roughly 3,000 years ago. The kind of peanut butter that the Incas and Aztecs made was of course much different from the manufactured stuff sold in grocery stores today. The more modern story of peanut butter actually began towards the end of the 19th century, not too long after farmers began mass commercializing the crop that was suddenly in demand after the civil war. A Nutty Controversy So who invented peanut butter? Its hard to say. In fact, there appears to be some disagreement among food historians over who deserves the honor. One historian, Eleanor Rosakranse, says a woman from New York named Rose Davis started making peanut butter as early as the 1840’s after her son reported seeing women in Cuba grinding peanuts into a pulp and smearing it onto bread.      Ã‚   Then there are some who think the credit should go to Marcellus Gilmore Edson, a Canadian chemist who in 1884 filed and was granted the first patent in the United States for what he called â€Å"peanut-candy.† Conceived as a kind of flavoring paste, the process described running roasted peanuts through a heated mill to produce a fluid or semi-fluid byproduct that cools into a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment. However, there wasn’t any indication that Edson made or sold peanut butter as a commercial product. A case can also be made for a St. Louis businessman named George A. Bayle, who began packaging and selling peanut butter through his food manufacturing company. It’s believed that the idea was born out of a collaboration with a doctor who had been seeking a way for his patients who were unable to chew meat to ingest protein. Bayle also ran advertisements in the early 1920’s proclaiming his company to be the â€Å"Original Manufacturers of Peanut Butter.† Cans of Bayle’s Peanut Butter came with labels touting this claim as well. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg It isn’t difficult to find those who dispute this claim as many have argued that the honor should go to none other than the influential Seventh-day Adventist Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Indeed, the National Peanut Board states that Kellogg received a patent in 1896 for a technique he developed for making peanut butter. There’s also an 1897 advertisement for Kellogg’s Sanitas company Nut Butters that pre-dates all other competitors. More importantly, though, Kellogg was a tireless promoter of peanut butter. He travelled extensively throughout the country giving lectures on its benefits of to health. Kellogg even served peanut butter to his patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, a health resort with treatment programs supported by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The one big knock on Kellogg’s claim as the father of modern day peanut butter is that his disastrous decision to switch from roasted nuts to steamed nuts resulted in a product that barely resembled the ubiquitous jarred goodness found on store shelves today. Kellogg also  in an indirect way played a part in the production of peanut butter reaching a mass scale. John Lambert, an employee of Kellogg’s who was involved in the nut butter business, eventually left in 1896 and founded a company to develop and manufacture industrial strength peanut-grinding machines. He would soon have competition as another machine manufacturer, Ambrose Straub, was granted a patent for one of the earliest peanut butter machines in 1903. The machines made the process easier as making peanut butter had been quite tedious. Peanuts were first grounded using a mortar and pestle before being put through a meat grinder. Even then, it was hard to achieve the desired consistency.    Peanut Butter Goes Global In 1904, peanut butter was introduced to the wider public at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. According to the book â€Å"Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut Butter, the All-American Food,† a concessionaire named C.H. Sumner was the only vendor to sell peanut butter. Using one of Ambrose Straub’s peanut butter machines, Sumner sold $705.11 worth of peanut butter. That same year, the Beech-Nut Packing Company became the first nationwide brand to market peanut butter and continued to distribute the product until 1956. Other notable early brands to follow suit were the Heinz company, which entered the market in 1909 and the Krema Nut Company, an Ohio-based operation that survives to this day as the world’s oldest peanut butter company. Soon more and more companies would start selling peanut butter as a disastrous mass invasion of boll weevils ravaged the south, destroying much of cotton crop yields that had long been a staple of the region’s farmers. Thus the food industry’s growing interest in peanut was fueled in part by many farmers turning to peanuts as a replacement. Even as demand for peanut butter grew, it was primarily being sold as a regional product. In fact, Krema founder Benton Black once proudly boasted â€Å"I refuse to sell outside Ohio.† While it may sound today like a bad way of doing business, it made sense at the time as grounded peanut butter was unstable and best distributed locally. The problem was that, as the oil separated from the peanut butter solids, it would rise to the top and quickly spoil with exposure to light and oxygen.                All that changed in the 1920’s when a businessman named Joseph Rosefield patented a process called â€Å"Peanut butter and process of manufacturing the same,† which describes how hydrogenation of peanut oil can be used to keep the peanut butter from coming apart. Rosefield began licensing the patent to food  companies  before he decided to go off on his own and launch his own brand. Rosefields Skippy peanut butter, along with Peter Pan and Jif, would go on to become the most successful and recognizable names in the business.

Company Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Company Strategy - Essay Example 9) There are several opportunities. Beer, being a luxury product, depends on the economy to stimulate demand. With the economic development of the developing nations, the demand for higher quality beverages, and hence beer is set to grow (Asia Pacific Breweries, n.d., p. 1; Diageo, n.d., p. 13; Krones AG, n.d., online). Alcohol consumption in Eastern Europe, Asia, Indochina (Vietnam and Cambodia), and America is rising (Asia Pacific Breweries Limited, n.d., p. 1; Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 8). Even in mature market such as Europe, opportunities exist as they have the highest per capita alcohol consumption in the world (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 12). Opportunities exist for localised products as the market is fragmented due to differences in taste around the world, as well as national barriers to trade that stipulate the allowable ingredients, alcoholic content level, and size of containers of beer (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 5). For example, the Chinese prefers lighter tasting beer (Asia Pacific B reweries Limited, n.d., p. 4). Moreover, in certain countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, legislation is not so strict. Marketing and advertising are still self-regulated by the industry (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 15). In the beer industry, the critical success factors for brewing fine beer are the brewer's marketing image and the recipe (Moen, 1997, online). Lastly, moderate amount of drinking is beneficial for health (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 22). It is even considered as food in most of Europe (Camerra-Rowe, 2005, p. 25). The threats facing Guinness are strict legislation and decreasing demand. Increased focus on public health by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and some national governments lead them to urge for... The critical success factor of marketing image implies that a differentiation strategy is appropriate. In spite of the growing markets in other regions such as Asia, Eastern Europe, and Indochina, as well as the mature Europe market, Guinness has a low market share in the former. Moreover, these growing markets typically have less stringent legislation in contrast to the increasingly stricter legislation in Europe. A managerial implication is that Guinness should consider expanding its market beyond Europe. Lastly, the managerial implication of fragmented markets is the adoption of localization strategy. The beer industry sees a consolidation in recent years that mitigates competition. The intensity of competition is low, with only a few key competitors in each market. This includes Heineken in Ireland, both Heineken and SABMiller in Africa, and Carlsberg in Malaysia. In the beer industry, the customers are retail shops and wholesalers. Hence, the bargaining power of buyers is low, because they are fragmented, compared to a few large beer breweries. Suppliers of ingredients of beer such as tequila, neutral spirits, molasses, rum, cereals, sugar, and a number of flavors are located around the globe. Hence, the bargaining power of suppliers is low. Moreover, sourcing for suppliers globally reduces their bargaining power. This is because the raw materials of beer are mostly agricultural products which price depends on the weather conditions and governmental control. Hence, buying from the global market diversifies risk.

Marketing Plan Report - Introducing Five Guys Burger to Kuwait Assignment

Marketing Plan Report - Introducing Five Guys Burger to Kuwait - Assignment Example Using promotion aligned with psychographic traits related to the consumer behaviour, Five Guys can gain brand recognition and, ultimately, brand preference with its focus on integrated marketing communications and positioning on quality. Five Guys Burger Restaurants is a casual, fast food restaurant headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia in the United States. The company maintains a menu that is focused on hamburgers, kosher hot dogs and a variety of different sandwiches. Between 2010 and 2011, the company experienced revenue growth of over 32 percent (York 2012). In the United States, Five Guys Burger is positioned as being a better burger, with a high level of emphasis on quality ingredients to differentiate the business from domestic American competition. However, the U.S. marketplace, in terms of fast food restaurants, is highly saturated and it is difficult to achieve growth in a rapidly maturing market. As a result, Five Guys Burger Restaurants is seeking new market opportunities in foreign markets where there is less competitive saturation and where consumer characteristics are favourable for achieving market growth and building a positive brand reputation. This report identifies potential market opportunities in Kuwait, a developing nation, for Five Guys Burger to establish a potent competitive identity. The report provides justification for market entry in this country, an analysis of competitors in the region, the cultural profile for viable consumer segments in Kuwait, and an appropriate targeting strategy and positioning strategy to achieve the objectives of growth for the company. Additionally, the report provides appropriate recommendations, based on market conditions, for ensuring success in this new foreign investment. Five Guys differs from its other American competitors, offering only fresh beef and promoting that the company does not maintain any freezers in its