What Made Hatshepsut a Great Leader?

Throughout history, men typically dominated societies. Men have always appeared to have more respect and rights than women, depending on certain civilizations. In societies like Egypt, men were frequently pharaohs and today, are considered to be great rulers. Women were often expected to take the job of motherhood in Egyptian society. Although this was their anticipated responsibility, women, usually upper class and royal, were still permitted to get an education, to possess property, own businesses, have a job and be involved in military control.Women could also rule as pharaoh, which was an infrequent occurrence but did sometimes happen. Hatshepsut, for example, is one of the few women who became a pronounced leader in the ancient world. Her father, Thutmose I, was her mentor and therefore led her to success. Through the teachings of her father and educational schooling, she was destined to be a great ruler from a very early age. She learned many important tactics of ruling from Th utmose and many similarities regarding the success of their reign could be distinguished.Besides the guidance she had, her vivid personality, ambition and creative ideas reflected in art, policies and architecture made her ruling successful as she strived to achieve ma ‘at and legitimize her power as a female ruler. Although Thutmose IV attempted to carve her out of history, these circumstances made Hatshepsut’s greatness possible, as she is known as the first great female ruler in history today. Hatshepsut had many attributes about her that her siblings did not obtain. She had excellent health, a hasty mind and her father’s vigor.These qualities made her stand out and were indications that Hatshepsut was always her father’s favorite, even in her young age. She grew up under her father’s personal guidance as he was preparing her for rule. His teachings were as harsh as he would have ordered for a son, again Ancient Egypt: The Case of marking his fai th in Hatshepsut. She was trained to show respect to her parents, listen to them at all times and to respect her elders. She was taught etiquette such as to speak gently, eat gracefully, and groom herself properly.She was also taught the main prayers that are recited to the gods, which was part of the religious teachings for a royal child. She was well educated as she learned to write originally on slate and then with ink on papyrus. She had to learn all the six hundred phonetic signs. It was vital for Hatshepsut to learn the signs because it would allow her to communicate with her correspondents if she ever came to power. During Thutmose’s rule he was effective in not only war, as he was a successful warrior who re-conquered Nubia, but in peace. Egypt was thriving with progress under Thutmose.Agriculture, trade and mining were advancing rapidly as well as advancements in architecture, literature and art. One of Thutmose’s passions was building as he carried out many b uilding projects. Hatshepsut takes notice of this, as her building projects are a vital part of the greatness of her reign. His kingdom was organized and successful as the laws of ma ‘at and Thutmose’s officials kept stability. The system had developed and progressed through out one thousand years. To Hatshepsut, his ways of ruling were flawless and indestructible, which is why she later uses the same style of leadership.But in reality, Egypt was waiting for her, as she was being prepared to rule her whole life. Thutmose had given Egypt the motivation to grow, and she was always part of that. She stood by him throughout his ruler ship, gaining all the knowledge she could, which ultimately leads to her success. By a lesser wife Hatshepsut’s father and mentor, Thutmose had a son, Thutmose II. Hatshepsut married her second brother, Thutmose II, in which she gained the title â€Å"Kings daughter, Kings sister, Gods wife, and Kings great wife. † She bore him on e daughter, but no sons.After thirteen years on the throne Thutmose II died unexpectedly; the crown was passed to Thutmose III, his son born to the concubine Isis. The new king was still an infant and Isis was not considered adequately royal to act as the pharaoh. Therefore, Hatshepsut was summoned to rule on behalf of her stepson. Thutmose was crowned king but until the day Hatshepsut was deceased, the king had to compete with his stepmother-aunt. At first she acted as an advisor to the king, but being Hatshepsut was close to the throne all of her life, felt that â€Å"she had the most royal power as well as the purest royal blood in her veins. After a few years passed, Hatshepsut presumed the Double crown and made herself king. Hatshepsut had a strong and vibrant personality and intended to overshadow her half brother as well as her husband. Thutmose III was still known as co ruler, but he remained in the background. There were many difficulties regarding her gender when she firs t came into rule, but it did not hinder her greatness. The inscription cutters often made mistakes as all the royal titles were in male form. She had to legitimize herself as female ruler, as she often did through art and statues.In ancient Egypt, literacy was most commonly found among the upper class. Throughout the other social classes, literacy was rare. Therefore visuals were used by the government to inform the people and were often used as a form of propaganda. These images included monuments, sculptures and reliefs. Their purpose was to influence the public to obey the king and so that they would recognize that the king had the divine right to rule. As consort, Hatshepsut had been pleased to be represented in visuals as a traditional Egyptian woman. Hatshepsut herself affirmed that she was the most gorgeous woman in the world.Therefore, while in the position of consort, she was shown as a woman or as a woman wearing clothing associated with masculinity and being king. Two lim estone statues that have been retrieved from her famous temple, the Deir el-Bahari, display Hatshepsut dressed in the conventional head cloth and kilt worn by a king. But her physical characteristics such as a â€Å"rounded, feminine, un-bearded face, and feminine body with breasts and an indented waist† represent her femininity. As king, it was necessary for her to create an image that would establish her new role as pharaoh, while separating herself from the position of consort.In her transformation into king, she is depicted as fully masculine with the figure, clothing and accessories of man while performing male rituals. It is assumed that Hatshepsut knew her role as pharaoh could be considered unsubstantiated because of her gender and through the unusual notion in which she acquired the throne. â€Å"It seems that it is the appearance of the king that matters rather than her actual gender; it was important to Egyptians that she use the conventional iconography of power and locate herself firmly within a long history of dynamic rule. † She â€Å"reinvented herself† by portraying herself as a male pharaoh.Hatshepsut displayed this concept through statues and visuals to gain the support of the people and legitimize her power. Another way Hatshepsut â€Å"reinvented herself† to assert her power was by renaming herself Maatkare. The most important word in Hatshepsut’s new name was â€Å"maat. † Ma ‘at is an ancient Egyptian expression that refers to a pharaoh keeping Egypt in order and â€Å"preserving stability of the universe†, as ordered by the gods. Prolonging ma ‘at to guarantee the success and solidity of Egypt demanded an accredited ruler who could communicate directly with the gods.By calling herself Maatkare, Hatshepsut claimed her power as a qualified ruler on the throne. A way in which pharaohs ensured ma ‘at was by constructing monuments and building projects throughout the empire. Hatshepsut followed in her father’s footsteps as a builder and carried out some of the most impressive building projects, more ambitious than any pharaoh before her. She had a strong policy of rebuilding and restoring destroyed monuments around the empire. Through these public works projects, she built systems of important religious roads and temples.Her most famous and impressive temple was the Dier el-Bahari and is consider as one of the â€Å"architectural wonders of the ancient world†. It was a multi-purpose sanctuary with many memorials dedicated to an assortment of gods in the upper level. The lower level contained beautiful gardens and pools. The walls were decorated with massive pictures of the pharaoh proposing offerings to different gods, which ensured that she would have an incredible after life. It proved her devotion and contact with the gods, again confirming her legitimacy. Her temple walls also had depictions of her accomplishments during her supremacy. Included on these walls, was the success of her trading expedition to Punt. Hatshepsut also went about achieving ma’at in ways regarding her trading policies, another tactic in which she learned from Thutmose, as trade strived under his rule. She sent out voyages to Lebanon for wood, boosted utilization of copper and turquoise mines in Sinai, and accomplished a prosperous trading journey to Punt. Punt was an East African trading center and was a site for unusual items such as â€Å"precious resins, curious wild animals and the ever desirable ebony, ivory and gold† (page 100).Hatshepsut’s diplomat Neshy sailed with a small but well equipped army on a dangerous route to Punt. The pictures on the temple walls describe a variety of goods being traded and that after, Neshy returned home safely in triumph. In this case Hatshepsut used the military for trade, but she also used it to carry out several effective military movements. She is known as a great warrior like he r great grandmother, Ahhotep, and her father Thutmose. She used military campaigns to protect Egypt and eliminate the threats of foreigners from the south and east.These actions helped ensure that Hatshepsut’s ruling would be a time of peace and prosperity, just like her father before, and that it was. After 22 years of successful ruling, Hatshepsut dies. Thutmose III, now of age, was free to rule by himself. Near the end of Thutmose III’s rule, he tried to delete Hatshepsut from history. He carves her name and pictures out of artwork. At the Deir el-Bahari many statues and monuments of her are taken down, destroyed and then buried. Although it is apparent that he tried to erase her, it is not certain why this happened.It is assumed that Thutmose was an unenthusiastic co-regent and extremely angry that Hatshepsut stole the throne from him. Egyptologists suppose that it was a â€Å"damanatio meoriae† meaning the intentional deletion of a person’s identity, which would lead to a horrid after life. In the end, Thutmose III was not successful in permanently removing Hatshepsut from history. By the 19th century, the hieroglyphics had been interpreted and the truth about Hatshepsut’s reign was shed to light. Hatshepsut was a great ruler and there are many aspects from which her greatness derived.Not only did her father, Thutmose, instruct and mentor her but also she was extremely intelligent and well educated. She took the ideas and policies of Thutmose’s reign, and applied them into her own. Her bright personality and ambition to achieve ma ‘at through trade and building projects allowed her empire to strive. She displayed herself in visuals and statues, and even sometimes dressed like a man, to legitimize her power and gain the support of the people. She is considered the first great female ruler of Egypt and is an important and exemplary part of history today. ——————— ———————– 1 ]. Hilliard, Kristina, and Kate Wurtzel. 2009. â€Å"Power and Gender in Hatshepsut. † Art Education 62, no. 3: 25-31. [ 2 ]. Evelyn Wells, Hatshepsut (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1969) p 16-91 [ 3 ]. Jacquetta Hawkes, Pharaohs of Egypt (New York: American Heritage Pub. Co. ,1965) p 58 : Joyce Tyldesley, Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2006), p 92-106 [ 4 ]. Hilliard, Kristina, and Kate Wurtzel. 2009. â€Å"Power and Gender in Hatshepsut. † Art Education 62, no. 3: 25-31 : Coffin, Judith, Robert Stacey, Joshua Cole, and Carol Symes. Western Civilizations. Vol. 1. (New York, NY: W. W.Morton & Company, 2011) p 42-43 : Joyce Tyldesley, Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2006), p 92-106 : Wilson, Elizabeth B. 2006. â€Å"The Queen Who Would Be King. † Smithsonian 37, no. 6: 80-87. [ 5 ]. Wilson, Elizabeth B. 2006. â€Å"The Queen Who Wou ld Be King. † Smithsonian 37, no. 6: 80-87 : Joyce Tyldesley, Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2006), p 92-106 [ 6 ]. Joyce Tyldesley, Chronicles of the Queens of Egypt (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2006), p 92-106 [ 7 ]. Joyce Tyldesley, Chronicles of the Queens of Egypt (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2006), p 92-106

Educational Value of Travelling Essay

Travelling has been universally recognized to have great educational values. In Western advanced societies, education is considered incomplete without travelling. It has been a delightful experience of mankind from time immemorial. Going place to place and meeting various people have been enjoying for people. Today, travelling has become all the more enjoying and comfortable. We have fast-moving trains, deluxe buses, metro-railways, luxury steamers, ships, aeroplanes and many other means of travelling. It does not take too much time in travelling a long distance. We do not have to suffer the severity of weather due to advanced means of transport communication. Travelling is a powerful aid to education. It provides an experience of the world. By travelling we come in connect people of different caste, colour, creed and community to get familiarity with their tradition, culture, customs, has costumes and their style of living. This helps in the better understanding. It sharpens our intellect and broaden us our outlook. Travelling offers us the first-hand knowledge of things we shed off all our prejudices. It develops our personality and our communication skills. Mere bookish knowledge to the development of all around personality. It gives theoretical knowledge. We get only the sketchy picture of which is not complete. By travelling we see people, places with our own eyes. Visual impression is this impression. It remains in our mind for a long time. Objects like history, geography and social sciences can better through travelling, it provides us first-hand knowledge about these things. Geography appears to be a dull and uninteresting subject if it is taught in the classroom. But when the Merits are taken to a trip to the Himalayan regions or Gangetic plans the learning becomes interesting. Travelling turns this boring subject into a lively and absorbing one. However, qualified a person may be, if he not undertaken travelling, his understanding is limited and outlook remains narrow. He is less accommodating in his comparison to those who have widely travelled. Ivey are liberal in their outlook. They have maturity of judgment. Travelling promotes international understand and the relations. It creates goodwill. It brings people closer. Increments our relations with various states and countries. The seeds of natural integration and international happy in the present day, world the understanding between various nations of the world are a great necessity. There can be no peace without international understanding. So, it should be made an integral part of our curricular.

Service Approach through Production line approach in Delivery Essay

Service Approach through Production line approach in Delivery - Essay Example Production line approach remains dependable for the success of service operation in today’s world. This is an approach where employees follow the set rules of customer approach as set by the operation management of that company. Notably, earlier business empires have written in favor of production line approach on customer service. This logic and tactics of manufacturing create a structured order on the service, which a certain company gives to its customers. It is relevant since a majority of the companies in the current world of business make profits out of it. Take for example a case where an employee encounters a business merchant and the customer is new to the products of that company. This is where production line approach comes in since the merchant will need a brief of the company’s product. You will notice that in such situations, the operation management has structured down procedurals for its employees’ to follow in the advent of such scenarios. It wou ld enlighten the client on the basic information, as the employees have to take customer service from stage to stage. The customer benefits from the time and maximum orientation before transactions are sealed. As this is not enough, if a customer establishes himself as regular to a certain service business line, the employee production line approach have to work in favor of the customer until he or she gets are needs well catered satisfactorily. The traditional view of such an approach is that the operational management perceives and believes that when you put your employees into the specialization of their labor, there are economic benefits in it. Through such an operation, the chain of flow on how customers get services is convenient and even creating a non-confusing environment for the customers. This all happens because of the structured procedurals. The success of service industry can multiply with production line approach. The system encourages breaking down of Jobs into multi ple tasks. The positions are then redistributed to employees with each assigned the magnitude of his services (Bowen, 2003:4). Just as the way production industries have broken down their lines of production, the service operation get alike. The employees are assigned areas where they would specialize hence perfecting their skills and register to use upon the customers. The production line of service delivery through specialization makes the quality of customer service efficient. The aim is to reduce wasteful efforts in employees and maximizes greater efficiency. According to Taylor, the procedure focuses on economic achievement as simplicity invents in work delivery. As a

Discuss the influence of business over local governments services and Essay

Discuss the influence of business over local governments services and regulatory activities - Essay Example re the monopolies became highly influencing bodies in the terms of social, political, regional and cultural segments of the economies (Eatwell and Wright, 1999). Giant firms across different sectors started to influence the decision of the public authorities in favor of them. Red-tapism, corruption and bribery became common in the bureaucratic segments of most of the nations of the world. The private monopolistic giant firms in the market started to grasp large portions of the consumer surplus in the market by influencing the decisions of the governments. It is only after the era of globalization, when the political sectors of most of the economies were decentralized. Under this regime, the local governments and the regional institutions were allocated with some sort of regulatory powers. The local governments were entitled to check on the scale and the scope of business activities in their respective local regions (Tucker, 2010). This paper will through light on the influence of the business firms on the various activities of the local government’s services as well as its regulatory activities (Jonas and Wood, 2013). The paper will emphasize on the numerous ways (like campaign funding and lobbying and bribing) through which the business firms can influence the decisions of the local governments (Feenstra and Taylor, 2008). The context of the paper also explains the different ways in which the actions of the local governments in the modern days are undertaken in favor of the corporate companies (focusing the Euro Area). The analysis in the conclusion states that local governments in the current epoch often behave irrationally by favoring the corporate organizations as the influence of such organizations on their activities are huge. There is no doubt about this fact that local governments have substantially influenced the operations of the business organizations. However, the case and effect factors in this context are just the opposite. It is true that in the

E-Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

E-Business - Essay Example In the United States, Oceanic Cable of Hawaii was the first to offer it beginning in 2000, immediately after the passing of the Y2K scare. Today, VoD is offered by numerous providers, particularly those who also offer triple play services.† At Netflix, this service was officially made available on January 14, 2008. (Linder 2008) Among the other providers are Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Sports Illustrated, Sony Pictures, and Slacker. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a Government Corporation of the United States for providing postal service in the United States. Netflix chose USPS due to its relatively lower rate compared to private postal services. With the bulk of daily first-class mails, Netflix has to utilize the government’s postal service for efficiency and effectiveness. DVDs are delivered directly to the members address by first-class mail – with a postage-paid return envelope – from more than 50 distribution centers throughout the United States and streamed instantly online to members’ computers - for no additional cost. (Netflix 2009) Netflix has more than 100,000 titles and more than 55 million DVDs total. This means that there are about 550 DVDs of the same titles. Their inventory stipulates that â€Å"Every three months, Netflix members rent more than 95% of the 100,000 titles in the Netflix library. On any given day, more than 46,000 of the 100,000 titles available at Netflix are in distribution.† (Netflix 2009) This service is made possible by Netflix operating in more than 50 distribution centers located throughout the United States. More than 95% of Netflix members live within one-day delivery postal zones. On an average day, Netflix ships two million DVDs. (Netflix

Essay about comparing and contrast methods of communication used 50

About comparing and contrast methods of communication used 50 years ago - Essay Example Verbal communication involves the exchange of words on an oral level; this mode is considered to be the most frank and shortest way to communicate. Examples of such communication may include personal interviews, telephone calls, seminars, meetings, conferences. The communication modes that were adopted for verbal communication 50 years back included minimal use of phones since they were not very common in those days. Mobile phones were not still in the phase of being invented. It is due to these reasons that face to face communication was mostly adopted to exchange information. The conventional face to face communication has been replaced with mobile communication and verbal communication facilitated by computer applications. The decreasing need for face to face interaction is making people aloof from the rest of the world and making them anti-social. Shim stated that the habitual usage of mobile phones and verbal communication applications is having an effect on the desire of the in dividuals (specifically teenagers) to interact with their family members, whereas family relations bore great relevance in the past generations. The quality and essence of written communication that was held precious in the past years seems to be fading away with the integration of new modes and technologies. Examples of written communication are regulations, publications and reports, circulars, memos, proposals and complaints. Government agencies also opt for written communication to ensure a long term record of data and circulation of information on low costs. The conventional modes of written communication included postal mail that took extensive durations to reach their destination. The receiving of this type of communication was not even guaranteed and could only be confirmed when it reached its destination. Such slow pace and unreliable mode of communication has been replaced with better technological modes, such as email, text messages on cell phones, messages on

Gender Discrimination in the workplaceDifferences in earnings Research Proposal

Gender Discrimination in the workplaceDifferences in earnings - Research Proposal Example In earlier times, the gap between the pay of men and women was large. In recent times, this gap has narrowed to a great extent. What is this gap This is when men and women earnings are measured, a woman's earnings is always less than that of a man. Men earnings are used as a standard to measure female pays (Facts on Working Women, 2004). In 1992, women's median hourly earning was 79.4 percent of men's. While the female median wage or salary rate was 75.4 percent of their male equivalents. Annual women earnings in 1992 were 70.6 percent of men earnings (Facts on Working Women, 2004). These figures (adapted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) prove that women are paid less. They were paid even less 40 years earlier than 1992. In these years, from early 1950s, women earnings have grown by 1.3 percent each year while men earnings have only grown by a 1.1 percent annually. This shows that the earnings gap narrowed in these 40 so years and continues to do so. The widest gap in earnings was found in sales job in the late 1990s. Only one out of every ten women was employed in such an occupation (BLS, 2008). The following graph is adapted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It shows women's earnings as a percentage of men earnings over the last 28 years, by age. The graph shows that women's earnings as a percentage of men's has generally increased over the last thirty years. The earnings gap has narrowed for all age groups. However, we must remember that employment patters consistently illustrate that women largely occupy lower-paid jobs than men, even after providing for changes in tastes and productivity. This paper will revolve around the question of discrimination in the workplace. Are women paid less than men The paper will discuss which gender is paid less in the workplace and is discriminated against. First, this will be illustrated by giving statistical information about differences in earnings. After this, reasons for such differences will be discussed and it will be evaluated why there is discrimination in the workplace. Discussion According to an economist's definition, discrimination in the workplace is when two people have equal productivity but different outcomes. These people are most likely to be a part of different groups. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a well known fact that women have been a target of discrimination in the workplace. Evidence of discrimination in the workplace is subtle. They can be analyzed by either direct testimonies or by studying statistical employment patterns (Jacobsen, 2007). Some people say that because of this discrimination they are also paid less in earnings than the men in same or similar organizations. But we must understand that men, obviously, are stronger; physically and sometimes, even mentally. Men are good in crisis. Most men have the attributes of natural leaders, for example, strong mindedness etcetera. Besides that, many women wish to spend more time with family and less time at work. They may not be as willing as their male counterparts to travel around the world to get promoted to higher positions. They might not be so comfortable with the idea of having to shift their homes in search of better job opportunities. Women might be more willing to take more time off from work and longer breaks to deliver and/or look after their babies. These are also some of the reasons

Destination marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Destination marketing - Essay Example The image of a destination should have two main components – it should be attribute-based and holistic (Grovers, Go & Kumar, 2007). Each of these components should again contain functional and psychological characteristics. The destination should have some unique features, events, aura and feelings. These are the factors that create a holistic image in the mind of the tourists and consequently influence the destination positioning. Destination branding has to be developed around three kinds of attributes – the attractions that exerts the ‘pull’ towards the destination, the tourism services that facilitate the tourist experience such as infrastructure, accommodation, sightseeing and transportation, and finally the non-tourism and other export industries that support the destination experience (Klooster, Go & Baleen, 2004). This paper evaluates Dubai as a tourist destination, its marketing and branding, and its relationship with TALC. Finally it would suggest a trajectory for the development and marketing of Dubai. Dubai, an emirate of UAE, lies at the confluence of the Middle East (ME), Asia, Western Africa and Central/Eastern Europe (Balakrishnan, 2008). The total area of Dubai is around 4114 sq km and the population is 1,241,000 (McEachern, 2006). Through visionary leadership, Dubai, a sleepy fishing and pearl diving village, used its strategic location for its growth and development. â€Å"Dubai: The hippest city in the world† thrives on newness and bigness (Katodrytis, 2006). Its natural beachfront is 45km long and artificial islands add another 1500km of beachfront where the coastline and the city merge into an island holiday resort. Everything is new about the place and everything points towards consumerism and tourism. Dubai has developed at a remarkable pace, is spectacular and has an impressive display of staged buildings and iconic complexes. The city depends on tourism, shopping and the end of public space. Dubai has been

Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Coursework - Essay Example Coca Cola Company owns over 300 brands including carbonated drinks, non-carbonated drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks and bottled water. It is estimated that this company has a daily turnover of 2billion on all of its brands thus providing enough prove that Coca Cola Company is among the biggest companies holding biggest market share in the global markets where 80% of the turnover and profitability comes from international markets outside USA. To sustain this dominance and to facilitate its expansions into the new market segments at the same time launching new products the company has to develop market plan in where it outlines various guidelines and strategies that the company should fully implement, more notable is that the Company has become a success story because of its various marketing strategies that suits the various consumer market segment across the globe (Doole 2008). These marketing strategies have enhanced the continued expansions of the company into the new global pot ential markets through acquisition of other brands countering its major competitors, launching of new brands and development of new markets in the unexploited markets as well as facilitating brand awareness to the existing and potential consumers thus enhancing consumer satisfaction, trust and loyalty on these brands. The Company approach on laying emphasis on consumer marketing campaigns has seen the Company’s brand varieties such as Diet coke, Rc cola, Sprite and Fanta performing well in all the market segments globally. The key factor that is notable to significantly contribute to the Coca Cola Company’s global market sustainability is the brand consumer marketing approach of adopting global marketing strategies. The need for adopting global marketing strategies came as a result of the company implementing the consideration of expanding into the global markets where they needed to address the various consumer needs, market segments and diverse consumer cultures (Doo le 2008). Marketing strategies for making marketing decisions varies in different regions in the world therefore it has become important for Coca Cola Company to conduct consumer marketing based on the domestic market segment cultures and the needs of the society. Coca Cola Company has faced stiff competition and increased rivalry in the domestic markets and the international markets, its major rival is Pepsi which is also manufacturing and distributing substitute products to those of Coca Cola Company. There are also other challenges that the company needs to address in order to consolidate its position as a leader in the global and domestic markets. These among others include lower sales of brands in the new markets; communication marketing mechanisms are inadequate; brand recognition and awareness in some market segments was very low and finally is the negative perception of consumers towards Coca Cola brands in regard to health issues. With this situation the Company needed to c ome up with unique marketing strategies and techniques to ensure that they edge out its competitors through the expansion of its markets and the consolidation of the customer base. To ensure that they identify suitable and appropriate marketing strategies for this consideration, the company sought to understand the consumer theories that may apply in the various societies in regard to marketing. They also found out how various marketing and advertisement models work in the consumer

The implications for UK service sector firms Essay Example for Free

The implications for UK service sector firms Essay Discuss the implications for UK service sector firms that have off shed IT or administrative functions to low cost economies, such as India. The relocation of certain industries or functions from the UK to other low-cost economies abroad has raised a number of issues over the years. From a management perspective, it is seen as a great way of reducing overheads. However, customers have identified this as a drawback in most industries today. Firstly, transferring parts of a business to a low cost economy decreases overall expenses as mentioned earlier. This could be that, the value of the pound is much stronger than that of the currency in these low cost economies so businesses have to pay much lesser total overheads. As these firms receive their revenue in pounds sterling, they would rather pay out their expenses such as electricity in Indian rupee which is about 0.01% of a pound. This is an ideological tool in exploiting different economies efficiently. It helps businesses to keep their costs very low but rather increase their profit margins. This may not always be the case though, since economic factors are very much unpredictable. Such firms are likely to have a huge loss should there be any increase in the value of the Indian currency. This could create potential instability in the business thus causing them to relocate into the UK service sector. Also, firms relocating in low cost economies are able to benefit from cheap labour costs. The increase in young, well educated workers in such economies have caused these industries to enter such markets since they are rather skilled labour that have the right skills and expertise but rather tend to demand less wages. According to statistics from the work foundation in 2004, software engineers in India received about à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5000 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15000 per annum which is a staggering 15-17% of what employees with the same position in the UK receive. This explains the use of highly skilled workforce which potentially increases productivity rate however keeping expenses such as wages at a reduced rate. Furthermore, service sectors which may have offshore are likely to gain from greater economies of scale because of the increase in the demand for the firms services. This may lead to a reduction in unit costs such as computer systems. Lower average costs should help such firms to be able to expand into different markets and to be rather competitive. However, the extent to which these firms can increase demand for their services depends whether it can meet its business objectives and attract customers since it has different departments of the business in different parts of the world. Without driving in enough customers through quality business management, the firm will certainly fall short of demand thus diseconomies of scale. Moreover, service sector firms might transfer parts of its business to places such as India to be able to benefit from cheaper land. Since in the UK, there are many restrictions to the acquisition of land, different taxes and legal permits to be able to acquire a location, it is a much wiser idea to locate in places where there are much fewer red tapes or barriers which could reduce costs. The difficulty however, could be the maintenance of quality customer services since these functions are nowhere near close to the department responsible for maintaining good customer relationships. Having mentioned all these positive implications, there may be some negatives attached to transferring a part of a business to another location. Critically, there may be some difficult ethical issues involved with this process. It may not be of good benefit to the economy if businesses were to shut down and create employment in another part of the world since employment is one of the main boosts to the economy. An increase in unemployment creates a decrease in consumer confidence which effectively means that customers would not purchase any items therefore; the government would therefore not receive huge amounts of tax. This does have a huge impact on the position of the economy and position of individuals. Another ethical issue could be; is it right to pay much lower wages abroad than in the UK? Certainly, the answer should be No. Another potential problem of off shoring is the language and cultural differences between the UK and places such as India. Communication is one of the key tools for any successful firm. Lack of understanding between colleagues might hinder the success of the firm since information will not be passed on correctly. The TalkTalk group was the most complained about provider of landline and broadband services between October 2010 and February 2011. This was majorly due to the fact that most of its customer service assistants were based outside the country which made communications between the two parties i.e. customers and customer assistants difficult. Practically all UK firms based in India have had to train their staff there, to increase their fluency in English. Certainly, this comes along with certain costs which again increase their total overheads. There might also be differences in working practices between countries, including the working hours, which can have great impact on the performance of the business. Offshoring also has an impact on the public image or reputation of a firm. A number of UK service sector companies have attracted the media over allegations of worker exploitation in low cost economies on order to reduce costs. Such media representations might reduce demand for a firms services or might also make workers feel unsafe at the workplace. These could directly have links with the mobility of demand for the firms services. Also, it is seen as a way to avoid competition in the market which then again, ruins the public image of the firm. Overall then, offshoring is a great business technique which exploits different markets but at the same time reduces costs effectively. However, it brings about some ethical issues such as the impact on the economy and also could be seen to be very costly in terms of training staff in other parts of the world because of language barrier. Also, does not take the interest of its customers who are a great asset to every firm, into concern. It is therefore with no doubt that most businesses are moving back to the UK since it has been discovered that the negatives of offshoring do outweigh the positives.

Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents

Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents Functions of Modal Verbs in European and British Legal Documents Abstract: Researches in languages for special purposes have qualified legal texts as a distinctive type of texts. The purpose of this study is to describe linguistic features of modal verbs which were found in different types of legal writing and to examine the reasons for their use. In this paper I will try to compare the use of modal verbs in European Directives and British Statutes and to investigate the expression of obligation in legal texts such as contracts which are texts which lay down the obligations and the rights of the parties to the contract. Key words: coherence, obligation, modality, legislation, variety, statement, behaviour. Modal Verbs in Contract Law There are different types of legal writing. According to their purpose there are operative legal documents, expository documents and persuasive documents. Legal language is widely spread in all areas of social life and it can be combined with language from different domains. The function of the law is double: regulative and constitutive. The legal genre represents a sublanguage which includes a wide range of texts and situational patterns. The legal genre contains a variety of sub-genres such as statutes, conventions and contracts. There are different ways of expressing obligation in legal English. Legal documents may prohibit certain actions, may confer rights or create obligations, may permit or authorize certain actions. Therefore, there are four types of legal rules: authorizations, obligations, prohibitions and permissions. There are certain rules used in legal language to formulate these rules nut these are not subject to grammar rules but to drafting principles. The present study will focus on the investigation of grammatical ways of expressing obligation through the use of modal verbs. The textual organisation of a contract contains the following elements: title, introduction, recitals, and definitions, body of the documents, provisions, signatures and dates. The contract law developed in the 19th century and derives from the principles which characterized the Industrial Revolution. Nevertheless, the origins of contract law are much more ancient than that and are to be found in the early common law of the Middle Ages. The main preoccupation of society at that time was land ownership and law developed very quickly in relation to the protection of ownership of land or of interests in land. As a result, the law of that time was also mainly concerned with property rights. The distinction that the law drew in terms of identifying the enforceability of rights was between formal agreements and informal ones. A formal agreement was one made in writing and which was authenticated by the practice of ‘sealing. This is the origin of the deed, which was the method accepte d for transfer of land and interests in land up to 1989, when the requirement to complete the document by the process of sealing was relaxed in favour of the already common practice of witnessing the document. Narrative contracts often contain ambiguities (e.g., conflicts and gaps) and these must be avoided or at least the conflicts arising from them resolved. Furthermore, there may be complex interdependencies between contract clauses that can be hard to track down. The content of the contract has to be in conformity with the legal framework and it forces the parties to involve themselves in politeness strategies in order to avoid the face threatening acts. The modal verbs occurring in contracts have double or triple functions and this applies to the modals shall, will, can and must. The modal will may be used to express either an obligation or a prediction, may and can express permission or possibility while must may express obligation (deontic use) or logical necessity. The strategies placing the parties to the contract under some kind of obligation are the most frequently used directives in English contracts. In order to express obligation in a contract the modal shall is used and expresses the illocutionary force of an order: â€Å"The distributor shall pay commission on a quarterly basis†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The regulation of behaviour in a contract can be made by issuing prohibitions and here the modal verb shall is used again: â€Å"The Representative shall not be entitled to enter into any contract or obligation on behalf of the Company without the express written consent of the Company being first obtained†. Statements of permission issued by some authority are usually conveyed with the help of the modal verb may: â€Å"The employer may determine the hiring at any time by giving one months previous notice in writing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The contract also stipulates the limitations of liability and the assignment of benefits which are expressed with the help of shall. In this case the most frequently used verbs in connection with the auxiliary shall are: entitle, relieve, accept, have power, etc. In the language of contracts shall represents the principal means of expressing obligations. Obligations and intentions are the main aspects dealing with a contract. The modals shall and will have each been used to express modal meanings and to mark future time. But shall is rarely used to indicate future time. Shall is a modal used to impose obligation on the subject of a sentence. In contract law it conveys the meaning â€Å"has a duty to†. Lawyers tend to avoid using the modal must, because they find it too bossy. Another alternative instead of shall could be will but it seems less promising. Even if many legal drafters tend to avoid using the modal must, this may be an alternative to shall as a means of expressing obligation. The use of must instead of shall may express any obligation whether it is imposed on the subject of a sentence. For example:†The Company must reimburse the Sales Manager for all authorized expenses†./†The meeting must take place at the companys headquarters†. But a disciplined use of shall to impose an obligation on the subject of the sentence makes clear who owes the obligation: The Company shall reimburse the Sales Manager for all authorized expenses. An obligation can be expressed in other ways by using passive voice: The Sales Manager shall be reimbursed for all authorized expenses. Or one could use is entitled to: The Sales Manager shall be entitled to be reimbursed for all authorized expenses.† Shall is also used to express future time in contracts and these may result in confusion. There are cases when the simple present tense would be more appropriate as for example: â€Å"This agreement shall be governed by the Los Angeles law.† Due to the fact that shall is unusual in ordinary speech, this modal verb has been criticized by the Plain English Campaign, which recommends the use of must to express obligations. (Tiersma, 214). Comparative Analysis of Modal Verbs in European Directives and British Statutes Modal verbs usually appear in the sequence of verbs in a verb phrase. They are finite verb form with no inflected endings and no past tense. They are followed by the short infinitive. The most frequently used modals in legal English are: shall, may, must, would, will followed by can, ought to, should. According to the European style guide the enacting terms of the EU legislation can be divided into two linguistic categories: imperative terms and declarative terms. The imperative terms may be further divided into positive and negative commands and permissions and the declarative terms are those terms that are implemented by virtue of being declared. The study of modality is concerned with the meaning of the modals. Legal language contains both deontic and epistemic modality. Epistemic modality shows how certain is a speaker about an expressed utterance. Deontic modality involves both language and action and refers to the instances when the speaker orders, promises or places an obligation to someone. Deontic modality can be divided into: a) directives (expressing possibility by the use of may or necessity by the use of must); b) commissives (expressing promises) and imperatives. I carried out a comparative analysis to show the frequency of the modals in both European and British legislative texts. The European directives used in this work were taken from the Official Journal of the European Communities and the Acts of Parliament from the online UK Statute Law Database. Table 2 Act of Parliament Directive ↓ ↓ Shall → 60 301 Should → 20 150 Will → 10 6 Would → 30 12 Must → 90 1 Can → 5 30 Could → 10 5 May → 100 96 According to table 1 the most frequently used modal verb in the European directive is shall, while may is the most frequently used modal in the British Act of Parliament. EU legal drafters tend to use modal verbs in prescriptive statements and should is used instead of must because it is less strong than must. Bhatia states that â€Å"shall not only sustains the myth of precision in legal language but also perpetuates a style and language that differentiates the genre from that of other professions†.(Bhatia, 101-102) The verb shall is one of the most frequently used modal auxiliary in legislative writing, especially in European legal texts, and therefore it fulfils a variety of functions. Crystal and Davy talk about the different uses of this modal verb and state that in legal English: â€Å"Shall is invariably used to express what is to be the obligatory consequence of a legal decision, and not simply as a marker of future tense, which is its main function in other varieties .†(Crystal and Davy, 206-207) In the European legal text shall is used to indicate a positive command, as for example: â€Å"For authorisation as a payment institution, an application shall be submitted to the competent authorities of the home Member State†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Shall may be also used to give directions or to indicate future events as in the following example: â€Å"Each element shall be included in the sum with its positive or negative sign.† Here the verb shall may have the meaning of is to be included, but it can be also interpreted as a future event meaning that after the directive comes into force each element will be included in the sum. Shall is also used in both European and British texts to express an order: â€Å" If the payment service user provides information additional to that specified in Articles 37(1)(a) or 42(2)(b), the payment service provider shall be liable only for the execution of payment transactions in accordance with the unique identifier provided by the payment service user.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-31) In this example taken out from the European directive, the modal verb shall indicates the obligations of the payment service provider which represents the addresser. So, according to this provision the addresser must conform to this obligation of executing the payment transactions. In British legal texts shall is used to express an obligation: â€Å"Accordingly, in determining in the case of an offender whether it should take steps as mentioned in subsection (1), the court shall also have regard to the matters mentioned in those paragraphs.†(Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 8) In this example taken from Criminal Justice and Immigration Act shall expresses the obligations of the court and the steps that have to be taken in determining the case of the offender. Shall can be used to express the application of a directive: â€Å"This Directive shall apply to payment services provided within the Community.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-9) Shall can also be used to state rules: â€Å"This Section shall apply to other payment transactions, unless otherwise agreed between the payment service user and his payment service provider, with the exception of Article 73, which is not at the disposal of the parties.† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-30) In this example shall serves as an indicator for the application of this provision. It also indicates the rules according to which this section is valid. Shall may be used to express prohibitions: â€Å"†¦such credit shall not be granted from the funds received or held for the purpose of executing a payment transaction;†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Directive 2007/64/EC, 319-17) The use of shall may also create ambiguity, especially in British legal writings: â€Å"No order or regulations which, by virtue of section 18A, is or are to have effect for a limited period shall be made unless a draft of the order or regulations has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament†(Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 4, p. 45). The predicate from this sentence, containing the modal auxiliary shall refers to an inanimate subject no order or regulations. This indicates that a rule is imposed an abstract thing (in this case order or regulation) and the agent of the action is not specified. So, in this example we have passive voice without an agent. This construction shall + BE + past participle is frequently used in both types on legal documents. The construction shall + short infinitive is also widely used especially in European legal texts. Critics also say that legal drafters should avoid using a negative subject with the affirmative form of shall. (No orders or regulations (†¦) shall be made). Shall is a modal verb which expresses a legal obligation, but in most of the cases this verb occurs with non-human subjects. Anna Trosborg argues that â€Å"statements with non-human subjects typically refer to functions of the statutory instruments, they explain when a law is effectuated, how far an act extends, whom it affects, how a term is to be understood, etc., and such they serve as conditions to be considered by the citizens as well as the court.†(Trosborg, 106). In this cases the modal verb shall has a declarative function and here are some examples when the modal verb is used with inanimate subjects: â€Å"An authorisation shall only be granted to a legal person established in a Member State† (Directive 2007/64/EC, 25). â€Å"A provision shall not be contained by virtue of subsection (1)(b) in a warrant under section 4A unless it satisfies the following two conditions† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 6, p. 71) In these texts I did not find any sentences where human subjects are specified. In most of the instances shall is used in the passive voice with non human subject. Because of the fact that most of the passive constructions with shall are agentless, most occurrences of shall are unmotivated. Verbal groups are characterized by a high number of non-finites. Among the finites the most frequently found group is modal auxiliary+ be +past participle, and in this construction the most used modal auxiliary is shall which expresses deontic modality. Crystal and Davy say that shall expresses â€Å"what is to be the obligatory consequence of a legal decision and not simply as a marker of the future sense, which is its normal function†( Crystal, Davy, 206-207). e.g. : â€Å"Such waste shall be subject to all provisions of Directive 75/442/EEC. It shall in particular be: destined for duly authorised facilities only, authorised according to Articles 10 and 11 of Directive 75/442/EEC, subject to all provisions of Articles 8, 12, 13 and 14 of Directive 75/442/EEC†( Case C 176/05). In this example shall occurs in passive sentences. In legal language shall does not indicate the future, it indicates an obligation. Shall is also to be found in declarations. It is commonly used in legal language and therefore it has the function of indicating that the document in which it occurs is legal. The verbs used with shall are selected from a small number of lexical sets, such as apply, be, preclude, exceed, act, vacate, etc. The frequency of this modal and the avoidance of the modal auxiliary must shows in a way an improvement over the British style, but its use in excess also leads to ambiguities regarding its different meanings. Another modal verb that is predominantly used in legal texts is the modal auxiliary may. As table 1 shows, may is the most frequently used modal verb in British Acts of Parliament. May expresses permission, but it has some other additional meanings. The following three examples have been taken from the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act and show different instances when this modal auxiliary is used: (1) â€Å"†¦or with the requirements of any community order or any youth community order to which he may be subject†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) â€Å"The court may make a youth rehabilitation order in respect of the current offence instead of imposing a fine†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (3) â€Å"Rules under sub-paragraph (4)(a) may, in particular, make provision in relation to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (4)â€Å"The Secretary of State may by order amend paragraph 2, 3 or 4 by substituting for any reference to an amount of money or a number of hours or days there specified a reference to such other amount or number as may be specified in the order.† In the third example reference is made to the inanimate subject rules, while in the first, second and fourth example references are made to human subjects. In the first sentence we have the pronoun he as a subject and in the second sentence the noun court. The most frequently used subject in combination with the modal may is the noun court. In the first sentence may indicates probability, possibility although this modal is not normally used to convey possibility or probability. This feature is characteristic for the common usage. In the fourth example may has the meaning of to grant a right or a power. But this sentence is a little bit ambiguous because the modal verb may can simply refer to the possibility that the Secretary of State might amend the paragraphs under certain circumstances. The use of the negative form of may can be ambiguous. In spite of the fact that the positive form of this modal has a different meaning from must and shall, the negative form is the same. The negative form is used to express prohibition, something that is forbidden, and that is why this form should normally be avoided. Therefore may+not is used in the sense of limiting the rights or the powers of a provision as in the following example: â€Å"The power conferred by subsection (1) may not be exercised in relation to any sentence or order if an appeal, or an application for leave to appeal, against that sentence or order has been determined† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 3, p. 206) In the example the negative form of may limits the power of this provision under certain circumstances. This means that the power under section 1 cannot be used in relation to any sentence if that appeal has already been determined. The modal verb must is used to describe a requirement or a prohibition and in general English it expresses obligation. As table 1 shows, it is frequently used in British Acts of Parliament. The European drafters have tried to avoid using this modal auxiliary, perhaps because of the fact that shall is the most frequently used modal verb in the European directives. However, critics have argued that the use of shall and must at the same time leads to ambiguity because readers may not understand any more whether different meanings are intended. Must + not expresses a prohibition, as in the following example: â€Å"The Secretary of State must not release a person under subsection (2) unless the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is not necessary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 22). Must also expresses an obligation: â€Å"Where on a reference under subsection (1) relating to any person the Board recommends his immediate release on licence under this Chapter, the Secretary of State must give effect to the recommendation.† (Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, Part 2, p. 22). Here the verb must suggests that the Secretary of State has the obligation to give effect to the recommendation. To sum up the functions of the most frequently used modals, one can say that the modal shall is the most frequent auxiliary used in the European directives. It fulfils many functions from imposing an obligation to creating rights or defining words. May is frequently used in British statutes and expresses permission and authorization. Must is used to express obligation and prohibition in legal language and should not be used as an alternative to shall. The language of the legislative documents is not only informative providing the reader with details and useful information about their rights and obligations, but it also specifies and mentions the authority which issues, orders or prohibits certain acts. This authoritative and permissive dimension is conveyed in legal English by the means of modal verbs. Bibliography Bhatia, Vijay. Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. London: Longman, 1993 Crystal, David. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Crystal, David and Davy, Derek. Investigating English Style. London: Longman, 1969. Garner, Bryan. A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage, second edition, Oxford University Press, 1995. Kimble, Joseph. The Many Misuses of Shall in Scribes J. Legal Writing, 1992. Mellinkoff, David. The Language of Law. Boston: Little Brown, 1994. Taylor, Christopher. Language to language: A practical and theoretical guide for Italian and English translators. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Tiersma, Peter. Legal Language, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. Trosborg, Anna. Rhetorical Strategies in Legal Language. Tà ¼bingen: Gunter Narr Verlag, 1997. Corpus: Case C 176/05, KVZ retec GmbH v Republik Ãâ€"sterreich, March 2007 Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 DIRECTIVE 2007/64/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 November 2007 on payment services in the internal market amending Directives 97/7/EC, 2002/65/EC, 2005/60/EC and 2006/48/EC and repealing Directive 97/5/EC

Casablanca :: Films Movies

Casablanca 1942, the year of the creation of one of the most historical movies known to date. That movie, Casablanca, based on the play "Everybody Wants to go to Rick's", still captivates audiences around the world. The setting of the movie is Casablanca, Morocco during the second world war. Casablanca is the jump off point to get to Spain and then to America, but refugees must obtain a fairly costly exit Visa to get onto the plane. In the middle of all this is Rick's cafe. Rick's former love Ilsa comes to Casablanca on her way to America and discovers Rick to be a resident there. The love triangle between Ilsa, her husband Laszlo, and Rick keeps the viewer in suspense until the very last minutes of the movie. This movie contains all the factors that a make a movie a classic. It has great performances by a top cast, a flawless script story line and director, and superb production techniques. In addition, it blends a raging love story with tormenting schemes which makes it one of ! the best Hollywood movies of all time. Casablanca was never expected to be a large scale movie. The script was written on a day to day basis even till the last few moments of the movie but despite all that, it made it bigger than any other movie in it's time. The movie took place in 1942 and was based around world war II which in reality was taking place as they filmed. It was because of the war that Rick and Ilsa were separated, and this was an idea that was not so far fetched and something that the audience could identify with. This was important because it captivated the audience and drew them in to see if Rick and Ilsa's undying love would ever be reunited. There are many classical quotes that were used in Casablanca, some of which we still hear being used today. The most famous of course would be 'here's looking at you kid", and who could forget, "play it again Sam", which later became a title for another film. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "but we'll always have Paris", "go ahead and shoot, you'll be doing me a favour", these are yet another three quotes which stuck in the minds of audiences everywhere. These quotes help keep the movie and the memories of the actors and actresses alive even fifty seven years after the original shooting. Let's not forget the variety of great music the viewer is Casablanca :: Films Movies Casablanca 1942, the year of the creation of one of the most historical movies known to date. That movie, Casablanca, based on the play "Everybody Wants to go to Rick's", still captivates audiences around the world. The setting of the movie is Casablanca, Morocco during the second world war. Casablanca is the jump off point to get to Spain and then to America, but refugees must obtain a fairly costly exit Visa to get onto the plane. In the middle of all this is Rick's cafe. Rick's former love Ilsa comes to Casablanca on her way to America and discovers Rick to be a resident there. The love triangle between Ilsa, her husband Laszlo, and Rick keeps the viewer in suspense until the very last minutes of the movie. This movie contains all the factors that a make a movie a classic. It has great performances by a top cast, a flawless script story line and director, and superb production techniques. In addition, it blends a raging love story with tormenting schemes which makes it one of ! the best Hollywood movies of all time. Casablanca was never expected to be a large scale movie. The script was written on a day to day basis even till the last few moments of the movie but despite all that, it made it bigger than any other movie in it's time. The movie took place in 1942 and was based around world war II which in reality was taking place as they filmed. It was because of the war that Rick and Ilsa were separated, and this was an idea that was not so far fetched and something that the audience could identify with. This was important because it captivated the audience and drew them in to see if Rick and Ilsa's undying love would ever be reunited. There are many classical quotes that were used in Casablanca, some of which we still hear being used today. The most famous of course would be 'here's looking at you kid", and who could forget, "play it again Sam", which later became a title for another film. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship", "but we'll always have Paris", "go ahead and shoot, you'll be doing me a favour", these are yet another three quotes which stuck in the minds of audiences everywhere. These quotes help keep the movie and the memories of the actors and actresses alive even fifty seven years after the original shooting. Let's not forget the variety of great music the viewer is

Urban Legends on the Web Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Urban Legends on the Web Urban legends are fascinating to almost everyone, and it would follow that there would be many websites available for the discussion of them. A simple search turns up thousands of "hits" on the subject, so how do we know which ones to believe? A good research site will have detailed information explaining the confirmation or rejection of the legend. References must be cited, especially when a legend is being "proven" as true. In addition, the site should also be easy to navigate and convenient. In my own curiosity, I have come across two sites that are excellent, the About.com Urban Legend Guide, and the Urban Legend Reference Page found at www.snopes.com, which was created by the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society. In contrast, there are websites (not to mention e-mail chain letters) that perpetuate false legends, and those that just do a poor job of evaluating them. In this category is the Urban Myth Archive, an amateur archive of myths heard in New Hampshire and Monkeyburgers, a site filled with interesting legends, but lacking adequate proof to back the conclusions. The About.com Urban Legend Guide, address, http://urbanlegends.about.com/culture/beliefs/urbanlegends/mbody.htm?COB=home&PM=112_100_T, is an invaluable resource for researching urban legends. Upon signing into the page, the reader is given a list of topics to choose from, which always includes currently circulating hoaxes and legends as well as an archive full of information on every conceivable legend and internet hoax. Around Halloween time, of course, there are ghost stories and legends of the past that are explained and critiqued, but I found the most interesting section to be the one on e-mail hoaxes. Every individual with a... ...good research tool, but it needs some more concrete evidence. After all, how can we believe that the author is correct without proof? That is as silly as believing an urban legend just because your brother's girlfriend's cousin told you so. In my search for urban legend sites, I found an incredible amount of information on the net, some of it high quality, professionally presented information, and the rest simply unverified. The truth is that the connection we experience as part of the World Wide Web can either work for or against us. If we choose to evaluate information carefully before we accept it, and, more importantly, before we pass it on to others, the Web is invaluable. If, however, we take the information from a website and assume it is true without adequate proof, we are just perpetuating myths and untruths. This is the importance of critical reading.

Killings vs. in the Bedroom Essay

Killings vs. In the Bedroom I really enjoyed the short story â€Å"Killings† written by Andre Dubus. I felt the story was very dark and depressing but what intrigued me most about the story was how close to real life it was. Todd Field’s interpretation â€Å"In the Bedroom† was an excellent rendition of the short story. He captured the story very well and really brought it to life on the big screen. The short story really portrays the society we live in. You hear every day about domestic violence that results in someone getting hurt or killed. The story tells about a young man involved with a woman separated from her jealous husband that results in the young man’s death. The parents of the young man play a big role in the story as well. Killings starts off with the young man Frank Fowler already killed and goes directly into the aftermath of his death. In the Bedroom begins with the relationship of Frank and Natalie while they were dating. I think the way the movie began was better because it lets you see more into the relationship of Frank and Natalie. The movie allows you to get attached to the characters which I feel caused more of an impact when Frank was killed by Natalie’s husband Richard. The movie also shows more detail of why Frank’s parents were against his relationship with Natalie. Marrero 2 The short story gives more back ground into the type of person Richard Strout was. It explains more of his upbringing. The movie mainly portrays him as the angry jealous husband but not much of his background was explained except that he came from a wealthy family that owns a local company. Both versions do show him as a jealous cold hearted individual that shows no remorse for what he had done to Frank. The part of the short story where Frank comes home after having his first confrontation with Richard was a bit different from the movie. The part when Frank comes home and he’s all bruised up was the same except in the short story Matt tells Frank to â€Å"press charges†(50). He also says to Frank â€Å"What’s to stop him from doing it again? †(50). In the movie, Ruth Fowler is the one who says this to Frank and Matt. She is upset that Frank and his father are so laid back about the whole incident. I think this scene was key as to why Ruth had so much animosity towards Matt after Frank died. One of the qualities of the film that I thought was very clever was how Director Todd Field chose to not use any background music. The majority of movies use music to help bring out what the scene is about but this movie didn’t do that and it worked. It was almost like watching a reality show. It concentrated on the characters and the story line to keep viewers glued to the screen. You knew that something would eventually happen but you had no idea when and how. There was no soft or powerful music in any of the scenes to give you an idea of what was going to happen. It was excellent filming with no special effects or music. Many scenes showing Matt Fowler and his wife’s marriage falling apart were silent and the absence of background music made those scenes powerful. I think it helped to keep the audience in touch with the pain that the parents were experiencing from the death of their son. Marrero 3 The cinematography of the film was also very instrumental on the overall feeling of the movie. There wasn’t much color in the film, almost as if it was a cloudy day in every scene. The way the people dressed and even how the homes looked were very drab and bland. I think this helped to demonstrate the sadness that the parents and Natalie felt after Frank was killed. Kind of the same effect background music would have on a film. If you want the audience to feel sadness while watching a particular scene there would be sad music in the background. The entire story was sad and the cinematography helped convey that in the film. Another difference between the movie and the film was the part when Frank was shot by Richard Strout. In the short story Frank was already at Mary Ann’s house watching television with the boys in the living room while she was in the kitchen. Richard walked through the front door and shot Frank several times in front of the boys (53). In the movie, Frank was shot in the living room after coming to see if Natalie and the boys were ok after a confrontation she just had with Richard. Natalie and the boys were upstairs while Frank went downstairs to keep Richard out of the house. Richard found a way in and shot Frank several times. This was such a graphic scene, just the same as the short story. The way the film portrayed this scene worked very well. It really caused drama and suspense in the film. It was a scary moment that was very disturbing to watch. Near the end of the short story and the film was when Matt held Richard at gun point. Matt decides to take matters into his own hands because the courts failed to convict Richard. It was also causing Matt’s wife emotional stress seeing Richard in town on several occasions. This was a great part to both the story and the film because it left the reader and the viewer wondering what was going to happen next. You weren’t sure whether Matt would kill Richard or let him go. Marrero 4 It was an intense moment in both the film and short story when Richard was driving while Matt steadily held the gun to Richard’s head, telling him to â€Å"Drive slowly,† Don’t try to get stopped† (55). You could feel the suspense as to what might happen next. Richard was clearly scared but all the while held true to his belief that he was justified for what he did to Frank. Just the fact that he told Matt â€Å"He was making it with my wife† (56) while Matt is pointing a gun at him shows he had no remorse for his actions. Matt continued to mentally manipulate Richard into thinking he would be set free to live his life on the run. Every time Richard would ask Matt what he was doing, Matt would not give him an answer. He tells Richard to pack his suitcase once they reached his home and then went back into the vehicle to drive some more. Matt had Richard drive to Matt’s best friend’s property. This is where he killed Richard. In the film Matt had Richard get out of the car and shot him on impulse. In the short story Matt told Richard to walk with his suitcase for which Richard dropped it and started to run. That is when Matt shot him several times. In both the film and the movie, Richard was buried on Matt’s best friend’s property. Both the short story and the film had you glued in suspense. The short story went into more detail as to what Matt was psychologically going through after killing Richard. During Matt’s drive home the author described how Matt was feeling about what he had just done. Matt was reliving the moment in his mind when he shot Richard, feeling as if someone else did it and not him. Matt’s best friend in both the movie and the short story was very instrumental on helping him carry out his revenge against Richard. The two of them shared a strong bond of friendship and brotherhood being they both served in the military together. They both trusted each other unconditionally knowing that this was something they both would keep a secret until the end. Their military background which was not outwardly mentioned in the story but was an important Marrero 5 factor allowing them to carry out Richard’s murder. In Matt’s mind he felt he had no other choice then to kill Richard and he was fine with his decision. The end of the story was when Matt gets home and see’s his wife waiting for him. In the short story she said to him â€Å"Did you do it? † (63). He tells her everything that took place and is very emotional about it, feeling sympathy for Richard’s girl friend and thinking of Frank and Mary Ann (Natalie in the film). In the film, Matt walks into the house and changes his clothes before going to the room where his wife is waiting. They don’t really speak of what happened. It is understood that Ruth knew what he did without even asking. For the first time since Frank’s death Ruth shows Matt affection by offering to make him breakfast. The film ends with Matt lying in bed alone with a look of sadness on his face. Overall I felt Killings was excellent, fitting so much into a short story. The film was done extremely well illustrating the story but also added just enough to make it even more intriguing. Both the movie and the short story left you feeling a bit empty inside, as if you experienced the sorrow and pain that the parents were going through. There really wasn’t a happy ending in either version just an understanding of the pain that is caused by losing a child.

Company Profile of Siemens Essay

Siemens is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company. [1] Siemens is organised into six main divisions: Industry, Energy, Healthcare, Equity Investments, Siemens IT Solutions & Services and Siemens Financial Services. Human Resources Perspective : Siemens 3i Program The human resources perspective combines prescriptions for design of job tasks with theories of motivation. Siemens humanistic perspective on management is reflected on its 3i program, which applies Theory Y assumptions to tap into employee creativity and mind power. The 3i Program(ideas, impulses, initiatives) encourages ideas and suggestions from employees and rewards these initiatives. There are direct and indirect ways for improvement suggestions. Employees can either contact supervisor directly to voice their ideas (direct) or submit their suggestions to the 3i office, who will step in to find the responsible department(indirect). Employees will be rewarded if their improvement suggestions are adopted. Siemens has a huge number of motivated employees and thus enormous creative potential on ideas for improving work surroundings, optimizing processes, saving money or enhancing competitiveness. Today 100,000 3i suggestions a year are put into practice-at Siemens AG in Germany alone. [3] This Theory Y approach enables the company be rewarded by premiums totaling â‚ ¬300 million. Impact of Social Forces : Training in Siemens  Social forces refer to those aspects of a culture that guide and influence relationships among people. One social force is the changing attitudes, ideas and values of Generation Y employees, who want a work environment with access to opportunities to learn and further their careers and personal goals. [4] In response to the social force of Gen Y workers, Siemens provides development programs teaching new skills or extending the skills employees already have. There are On-the-job training and Off-the job training. On-the-job training is conducted at the place of work through mentoring, shadowing, coaching, job rotation. Off-the job training takes place away from workplace through courses, presentations and qualifications. For entry level employees, Siemens has three main development programmes: apprenticeships, Siemens Commercial Academy and Siemens Graduate Programmes. These programs develop employees with the essential skills set they need in their everyday role and equip them for a long-term career at Siemens. By improving the development opportunities, employees feel the company values them. The motivation theories of Herzberg and Maslow show that staff work better when valued. This delivers long-term commitment and ensures benefits to the company. Knowledge Management Model : ICN/ICM ShareNet Siemens Information and Communication Networks(ICN)ShareNet is a community of around 18,000 sales, marketing, business and R & D people of Siemens ICN and ICM. ShareNet networks these experts globally and lets them share and develop their knowledge in order to create better customer solutions. 5]It focuses on enabling employees to transfer their tacit knowledge into explicit information. What’s more, ShareNet is independent of time zones and organizational structures, so urgent questions are generally answered within a few hours. ShareNet provides real life experience thus saves precious time in all phases of the value creation process. In addition to time, ShareNet saves consulting fees for Siemens, because the knowledge and analyses of external consultants’ reports are made available on a global scale whenever possible.

Designing a Personal Music Player Essay

The problem is that I have to design and make a model personal music player that will fit ergonomically into the palm of someone’s hand and fit into a pocket. I am going to design a micro-disc player that is modern and Practical and easy to use. Materials Wood Plastic Metal Glass Manufacture Glue Saw Sand paper Wet and dry paper Weight Light Heavy Storage Where will it go? What will it be stored in? Style / Aesthetics Old fashioned Futuristic Modern Art deco Cost How much will it cost to make? Ergonomics Average sizes Carrying out investigation After completing my analysis it is easy to see what areas I need to research. The first thing I need to find out about is materials. I need to research materials because it is very important that I choose the right materials to make my product. E.g. wood, metal, plastic, glass Below are a list of other areas that I must research before I can write my specification: Existing products (products that are already released on the market) Ergonomics Fittings at the moment I am unsure of what style my product is going to be, here are some of the styles: Futuristic Old fashioned Art deco Modern Analysis Materials – the materials I am going to use to construct my Micro-Disc player must be strong, light and must also look good. The materials I could consider using are: Wood, metal, plastic and glass. Ergonomics – ergonomics is the study and application of the average sizes of human beings in relation to designs. I must think about when designing my product the size of an average humans hand size. Firstly the size of people and secondly the size of my product in comparison to the average size of people. Weight – weight is an important factor I must think about when designing my product Style – I must think about and research lots of different styles, for instance: Art deco, futuristic, old fashioned, modern and many others? Manufacture – I must think about how I am going to make my product – I must remember to write myself a manufactured plan or a flow chart of how I am going to make my product. Storage – I must consider where my product will go. Researching Materials Metals: mild steel – this metal is the most common ferrous metal. it is grey in colour and is a very soft metal. Aluminium – this metal is soft and also light. If mixed with metals as an alloy it becomes strong and easy to use. Woods: hard wood -this wood is harder and generally more durable than soft woods, there are many different colours. Hard wood is normally used for high quality furniture e.g. mahogany. Hard woods are usually very expensive. Soft woods – soft woods are easy to cut, but less durable than hard woods. soft woods are lighter shades of colour and are cheaper than hard woods. soft woods are used alot in the construction industry in roofs, window frames e.g. pine MiniDiscs where created in 1992 by the Sony Corporation to be a cheap, portable, editable, digital recording format that has â€Å"near† CD quality recording. Since then MiniDiscs have taken a slow start. Because everyone had just gotten settled in with their new CD equipment, they did not want to fork out more money for something that seemed like the same thing. Now people are starting to see the real advantage of MDs, and its starting to get a little more popular. In Japan especially, prices are going down and production is going up. I heard that in Japan, the low-end decks are around $150, and discs get down to $1.50, that’s as cheap as a nice tape deck, and hi-bias tape. If more people start buying MD equipment in the US, we could reach those prices. Today, MDs in the US are kind of underground. There are a lot of people that have not heard of them yet, and not a lot of advertising. But more and more I see prices going down, and more people that know about them. Wel l enough of the boring stuff, here are some advantages and disadvantages. advantages! The sound quality is great. I have never been able to tell a difference between MD’s and a CD or DAT. MiniDiscs have an advantage to CD-Rs in that after you record something on them, you can erase the whole disc, erase one track, you can move around tracks, and put in track marks, you can even label the disc and each track. Some formats, like DAT, can do some of these things, but MDs still have the disc based media advantages. MiniDiscs are smaller. The Discs are 7cm x 7cm, and the portable recorders can be smaller than cassette walkmans. The discs are encased in a plastic shell, much like floppy discs, so you don’t have to worry about them getting scratched. Its cheap. Infact I just saw a deck for $199 at Circuit City, where the cd recorders were $499. And if you look, you can find discs for $2.50 to $3.00. There just cool. Just look at the equipment, who wouldn’t want to have this stuff. And, as of all digital formats, you can make a digital copy from any digital source through coaxial or optical connections. Of course that not all the advantages, just some of my favorite. disadvantages? MiniDiscs use compression to cut out inaudible parts of the signal, so it can fit on that little disc. Although studies show that no one can tell the difference, some people want all of there precious signal. It’s hard to find equipment and pre-recorded MDs. I live in Jefferson City, Mo which is a pretty small town, so I have to go to the Big Cities to get stuff. Also, since MiniDiscs aren’t that big in the US yet, not many pre-recorded MDs are manufactured. Those are the only disadvantages I can think of, and the first one doesn’t really even matter. Let me tell you a little more about that compression. compression: MD’s use a method of compression called ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding), which only records the information audible to the human ear. It compresses the signal to One-fifth of its original size. This compression method is very similar to MPEG encoding, which is used for Mp3’s. As I said before, people have compared MDs, CDs, and DAT, and not been able to tell any difference. I bet your asking yourself, â€Å"but how does it record†? Well, I’m about to tell you. recording: MDs use a special Magento-Optical method that magnetizes regions of the discs 60 millionth of a cm apart to a North or South pole. When the laser runs across these regions, it can tell whether its N or S and starts to construct the data stream. conclusion So, all in all, MiniDiscs are a way to get CD quality recording on a compact, inexpensive, media. I love every part about MiniDiscs, and would definitely recommend them to anyone interested in Hi-Fi audio in general. Sleek, stylish, and silver! Not only does Sony’s MZ-E909 look great on the go, but its rugged magnesium body weighs in at an eminently portable 1.75 ounces. In addition to portability and chic styling, you also get track navigation and playback features cool enough to satisfy even diehard MiniDisc fans. Sony’s â€Å"Easy Skip† group/folder function gives you simple navigation through groups of tracks – especially handy if you’ve used LP4 mode on a separate recorder to fit up to 5 hours’ worth of music on a single 80-minute MD. The backlit LCD on the stick-style remote delivers nearly effortless control, even in the dark. Two digital sound presets let you adjust the bass and treble, then save your preferred settings. And Personal Disc Memory remembers those settings, along with your other listening preferences, for up to 20 discs! But there are also the tried-and-true Sony MD features you love, like MDLP(tm) playback and G-Protection(tm) for a virtually skip-free listening experience. Not to mention an amazing 145 hours maximum playback time with the supplied rechargeable plus one optional â€Å"AA† battery! You even get a handy charging stand, so you can recharge the battery without taking it out of the unit. The MZ-S1 takes MiniDisc durability to the next level! It combines the second generation of Sony’s rugged Sports styling with direct digital dubbing of your favorite PC audio to MD at up to 32 times faster than real-time. Plus, you get handy software for your PC: OpenMG(tm) Jukebox for music management, and Simple Burner QuickRip(tm), which allows you to dub CD tracks directly to MD without saving files on your computer’s hard drive. Making MD mixes of your favorite tunes is easy and quicker than ever! Taking those mixes with you while you work out is ultra-convenient, too. You get easy one-hand operation thanks to a clever thumb-control key on the grip. The included reflective hand strap and backlit LCD are perfect for nighttime jogs. The durable plastic body incorporates rubber gaskets and waterproof seals to help keep out moisture and dirt. And you’ve got G-Protection(tm) for smooth playback no matter how strenuous your workout. The MZ-S1 can also make great-sounding recordings from a CD player, radio, cassette player, and other sources (analog and optical cables available separately). MDLP(tm) record mode lets you store over 5 hours of music using a single 80-minute blank MD. And one optional â€Å"AA† battery can power the MZ-S1 for up to 54 hours! High-speed, drag-and-drop transfer of PC audio. No, it’s not an MP3 player – it’s Sony’s revolutionary new Net MD Walkman! Its advanced USB connection gives you direct digital dubbing of MP3s or ripped CD tracks from your PC to MiniDisc at speeds of up to 32X – that’s 80 minutes of music in as little as three minutes! Plus, you get handy software for your PC: OpenMG(tm) Jukebox for music management, and Simple Burner QuickRip(tm), which allows you to dub CD tracks directly to MD without saving files on your computer’s hard drive. But the pocket-sized MZ-N505 can do more than just record from your PC. It can also make great-sounding recordings from a CD player, radio, cassette player, and other sources (analog and optical cables available separately). MDLP(tm) record mode lets you store up to 5 hours of music using a single 80-minute blank MD – perfect for taking lots of tunes on the go! And, since it’s MiniDisc, you get easy recording, editing, and titling with discs that are fully rewritable, nearly indestructible, and ultra-affordable. Sony’s G-Protection(tm) skip recovery system makes your MD listening experience a smooth one. And an optional â€Å"AA† battery can power the MZ-N505 for up to 56 hours!

Medicine Alone Cannot Stop the Spread of HIV/Aids in Sub-Saharan Africa Essay

If the world was to be made a better place to live, then only two things stand on the way to that realization: abject poverty and disease. In fact, it is not surprising that the two are some the major concerns of the 21st century in many countries. The UN, in its part, identifies fighting HIV/Aids globally and abject poverty in third world countries as the roadmap to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2004, 46). However, the reality in the developing countries point to a glaring truth: the fight has a long way to go. Indeed, the present generation of the third world’s suffering masses inherited their misery from their predecessors, and there is a likelihood that they will pass on their woes to their children. In the fight against disease, it is apparent that HIV/Aids has claimed the priority previously given to malaria. In Africa, especially, most non-governmental organizations are involved in helping the continent grapple with its burden of Aids patients. Almost daily, the UN, The World Bank and donors from the developed west dispatch consignments of relief aid in the form of antiretroviral drugs to Africa to help Africa fight the pandemic. Regardless, it is becoming increasingly clear that in Africa, the world is collectively losing the war against HIV/Aids. Instead of decreasing, infections in most countries are increasing, while more and more people continue to die from HIV related complications. The present situation is a strong indication that the approach taken to fight the infection is not working. Much of the efforts are directed toward treating the problem, while ignoring a host of other factors which hinder successful containment of the disease. They include cultural practices, poor leadership, ignorance, grand official corruption as well as poverty. In sub-Saharan Africa, especially, these milestones undermine any efforts to fight the disease. In reference to the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, the paper argues that medicine alone cannot rid humanity of the Aids scourge. As far as HIV/Aids is concerned, all that medicine can do is treat symptoms, but not prevent its spread. In this regard, Aids continue to rampage because resources are directed towards addressing infection cases, while ignoring the factors that lead to more infections. Even if medicine was to completely cure the disease, new cases will always arise. Thus, the major weakness of a clinical approach to fighting HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa is that it only tackles a fraction of the contributing factors, but attempts to help those already infected (McKee, et al, 2004, 297). Other than preventing mother-child infection during birth, medicine does little to address the Aids scourge in the wider context. While it targets victims, it doesn’t address the cultural and socio-economic factors that continue to add more victims to the fold. Surprisingly enough, most of these contributing factors have no medical dimension at all, leading to the conclusion that more than medicine alone can contain the Aids scare in sub-Saharan Africa. Poor leadership among Africa’s political class makes the fight against HIV/Aids a hopeless endeavor (Europa Publications, 2004, 25). Their lack of national vision ensures that pertinent issues related to the eradication of preventable diseases are ignored. As a result, poor policies are formulated, which are equally poorly implemented. It is strange that since 1979 when the first cases of the infection was diagnosed among gays in New York, USA, 30 years later, the scourge is hitting hardest thousands of miles away, where gay relationships are a taboo. On the contrary, the developed nations have successfully contained its spread, which had little to do with advanced medicine. The underlying fact is that medicine neither cures nor prevents one from contracting the viruses. It therefore follows that the efforts that led to the successful containment of the infection in the west had little to do with medicine. On the other hand, good governance and effective policies could be attributed to their success. In stark contrast, most sub-Sahara African countries have no clear policies on how to fight the scourge and prevent further infections. Related to poor governance is rampant corruption in government. The drive to fight Aids is largely funded by donor aid. However, management of the funds is left to the beneficiaries, whose lack of commitment to the cause makes them to divert resources meant to help victims. Over the years, corruption in Africa has evolved into a mafia-like cartel, with a wide network of connections through which finances are siphoned from public coffers. When corruption becomes a culture, as already it is in sub-Saharan Africa, resources meant for a national cause always find their way into private hands. It has been widely argued that Africa suffers not because of limited resources, but rather because those resources are misused to serve the interests of a few people. It s the same with resources meant to fight HIV/Aids. Regardless how much the World Bank and donors pump into Africa, the problem is going to persist as long as the corruption exists. The argument that Africans should be left to run their show on grounds of autonomy is guise to allow corrupt individuals in control. The hopelessness of the continent is the realization that donors must budget for the expenditure to the last coin, otherwise they should be willing to keep a constant cash-flow to sustain the greed of embezzlers. Cultural practices are the greatest obstacle in the war against the spread of HIV/Aids (Baxen and Breidlid, 2009, 33). In some parts of sub-Sahara African countries such as Kenya and Uganda, female circumcision is a common practice in most communities. In Kenya, for instance, genital mutilation is the pre-requisite to marriage, and as such, all girls must face the knife to get a husband. The practice is deeply rooted in the Maasai community, where girls are snatched from school to be circumcised before they are hurriedly married off. However, the greatest danger is not marriage, but rather the circumcision itself. It is not conducted by a doctor, but by a local midwife or herbalist, who knows little about sterilization and hygienic handling of incision instruments. Consequently, the initiates share one knife, thereby increasing chances of infection. Similarly, polygamy and wife inheritance practices is a great danger. Among the Luo tribe of Kenya, widows are inherited by their husband’s brothers, regardless the cause of death. It is through such practices that the pandemic spread rapidly in the community, wiping out whole families in quick successions. In Swaziland, the king himself is the trendsetter of polygamy. He holds the annual Dance of the Reeds, whose sole purpose is for King Mswati to choose an additional wife from among the virgin dancers. The political system of the country is monarchial, and the king has repeatedly managed to defeat dissenters and activists opposed to his excesses. Thus, if the very leaders who are supposed to give direction are lost in cultural practices that promote the spread of the virus, then no medicine will stop it from claiming the masses who look up to such leaders. Like in a battle, the folly of a general is the doom of a whole platoon. Now, Swaziland is a tiny country surrounded by S. Africa, whose president recently raised eyebrows (and nods of agreement among polygamists) when he took his fourth wife, who until then, properly speaking, was his concubine. Earlier on, he had surprised many when he agreed that he had lavished his sexual prowess on an HIV positive female friend, but calmed people’s fears that he had taken a shower immediately afterwards- to prevent infection. When such hogwash comes from a head of state, it reflects the pathetic situation of the whole nation. How can such a leader implement any effective policy, when he believes in myths and superstitious convictions? Therefore, the cure for Aids, ironically, is not medicine: it is changing the beliefs and attitudes of the people. There is nothing that blinds like ignorance. The West is free from the tentacles of the Aids scourge largely because their populations are literate, and aware of effective prevention measures. On the contrary, high illiteracy in sub-Saharan Africa has made many sufferers victims of ignorance (Coriat, 2008, 147). In fact, literacy levels reflect the socio-economic status of a population. The living conditions of most Africans is largely pegged on their level of education. In relation to HIV/Aids, lack of information due to the inability to read or write, exposes many people to situations where they could contract the virus without their knowledge. For instance, people share cutting objects such as razors, knives and needles; oblivious of the dangers to which they expose themselves. In addition, information about HIV/Aids is mostly available in foreign languages, which only a few, the educated ones, could understand. Thus, those who are illiterate, and who comprises the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, are denied access to information that could save their lives. Lastly, sub-Saharan Africa is staggering in abject poverty (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 2004, 87). Poverty contributes to the spread of the infection as many young women engage in commercial sex to make ends meet. In most towns, the mushrooming of slums is attributed to the influx of jobseekers who come to make a living (Brower and Chalk, 2003, 40). However, Africa is generally characterized by high unemployment rates. Consequently, failure to secure a job leads many to slum life, and for most ladies, prostitution (Zichichi, et al, 2001, 627). The danger of prostitution is due to the fact that commercial sex workers do not choose their clients. As it were, they are picked, laid and paid, period. Even if their customers were infected, they can do little to protect themselves, since the ‘terms of engagement’ are determined by the amount the customer is willing to pay. If one decides not to use a condom, then the price is bigger to account for the risk involved. However, it is common knowledge that those who are aware of their positive status willingly infect others, and therefore could pay as much as they can afford to derive pleasure and, as a bonus, recruit one more victim into their society of the infected. In conclusion, the nature of the spread of HIV/Aids is much overwhelming, requiring more than medical intervention for its prevention. Many socio-cultural, political and economic factors contribute to its spread, which must be addressed to effectively contain the pandemic. In sub-Saharan Africa, poverty, corruption in government, cultural practices such female circumcision, polygamy and wife inheritance, as well as poor leadership are responsible for the persistence of HIV/Aids. Thus, concentrating on medicine alone could is not going to save the masses from the incurable virus.