Satire in Mikhail Bulgakovs Works

Free Essays on Self Reliance

After reading Emerson’s â€Å"Self Reliance† I have discovered that self-reliance is the most significant aspect in my life. Emerson talks about inspiring ideas, which involves trusting and only answering to thyself. He believes in saying exactly what you think, not to be what your not and to live only by what you believe to be the best. â€Å"There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.† To translate this Emerson quote one can say that if a man is jealous of other people, he will ignore his own qualities and if a man tries to be like other people, he will lose himself; like suicide. When I was younger it was hard for me to have faith in myself. I would always try to fit in to the so-called â€Å"cool crowd† and when I didn’t get accepted I began to resent them. What I tried to finally do was copy them, their clothes, their taste in music, and the actions that they took. It was then that I realized that I didn’t like their clothes, their taste in music and the things they did. I realized that by me imitating them I lost myself. I began to take the road less traveled, to see things in a different way than anyone did. I wanted to be unique and I wanted to be accepted for being my own person. After discovering that I liked being me was when I made my greatest of friends. They like that I always say what’s on my mind and that I don’t let anyone’s actions influence mine. â€Å"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.† I believe now that imitation is the result of jealously and in order for me to succeed in life I had to believe that I could do it. For one to accomplish their goals and meet their destiny, they must choose self-reliance as the answer. Self-reliance lets one know that it is essential to realize that all choices in life come down to ... Free Essays on Self Reliance Free Essays on Self Reliance After reading Emerson’s â€Å"Self Reliance† I have discovered that self-reliance is the most significant aspect in my life. Emerson talks about inspiring ideas, which involves trusting and only answering to thyself. He believes in saying exactly what you think, not to be what your not and to live only by what you believe to be the best. â€Å"There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide.† To translate this Emerson quote one can say that if a man is jealous of other people, he will ignore his own qualities and if a man tries to be like other people, he will lose himself; like suicide. When I was younger it was hard for me to have faith in myself. I would always try to fit in to the so-called â€Å"cool crowd† and when I didn’t get accepted I began to resent them. What I tried to finally do was copy them, their clothes, their taste in music, and the actions that they took. It was then that I realized that I didn’t like their clothes, their taste in music and the things they did. I realized that by me imitating them I lost myself. I began to take the road less traveled, to see things in a different way than anyone did. I wanted to be unique and I wanted to be accepted for being my own person. After discovering that I liked being me was when I made my greatest of friends. They like that I always say what’s on my mind and that I don’t let anyone’s actions influence mine. â€Å"To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius.† I believe now that imitation is the result of jealously and in order for me to succeed in life I had to believe that I could do it. For one to accomplish their goals and meet their destiny, they must choose self-reliance as the answer. Self-reliance lets one know that it is essential to realize that all choices in life come down to ...

Professional Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional Development Plan - Essay Example These included some friends and colleagues, among other people I closely interacted with. While interacting with these people in my life, I realize that it is when I developed an interest in learning about the inner workings of the human mind. This also made me develop a strong interest in helping people. Nonetheless, this is the basis for my counseling experiences. I understand that large number of people today is affected by ill psychological health. Depression has been identified as one of the leading cause of deaths in the world today. For these and other reasons, my passion for Clinical Psychology has grown, and I believe that with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology coupled with my empathy, I can be able to make a bigger difference in lives of people, who might be victims of psychological ill health. My personal goal mainly centers on my personal development. I want to develop myself in various dimensions, and in a manner that will put in a better position to initiate positive chang e in the lives of different people. In order to achieve this, I need to develop for myself a conducive environment and a harmonious state of mind to complete my Masters’ program successfully, as I believe that this is a major part in my personal development. ... In addition, I need to grow my knowledge base in Psychology and learn and develop important skills, which are essential for one to practice Clinical Psychology professionally. Nonetheless, I am working on these personal goals, which I believe will enable me to perform well in my profession as a future clinical psychologist. I strongly envision myself completing my Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at Walden University. This will not be an end to my pursuit of knowledge; instead, I view this as another beginning of learning and discovering myself and the people around me, but in a different level. As noted before, I have had a considerably high level of empathy since as I was child. Therefore, with a Ph.D. in Psychology, I hope to become a Clinical Psychologist, and engage in different voluntary work. Although presently I highly participate in volunteer work in the community, I believe that a Ph.D. will help me to help people in a better way, as this will increase my knowledge in t he field. I provide volunteership to different disadvantaged people in the community including the elderly, the homeless, vulnerable children, and those people with mental illness, among others. These are the major people in society that suffer ill psychological health, and I deal with them hoping that I make a positive change in their lives. At this point of my life therefore, I consider an advance in education as important to me, and to my clients, as this will increase the quality of my experience with them. A Ph.D. in Psychology at Walden University is important to me, as this will help me increase my capacity of serving people in the community. Nonetheless, since I have a passion for Clinical Psychology, it is in my best interests

Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Popular Culture - Essay Example The Popular music and Rave culture dominates the discourse on culture particularly the popular culture. Certain genres of popular music have flickered controversy and opposition and criticisms have been centred on them particularly of their influence on 'youthful values, attitudes and behaviour through the music's (perceived) sexuality and sexism, nihilism and violence, obscenity, black magic and anti-Christian nature.'1 Popular culture in general has historically been the target of censure, condemnation and regulation, because of its intense relationship with consumerism. The essay examines the relationship between youth, youth behaviours, popular music and the consumption of music-dance cultures. In order to do this we have to examine the school of Marxist thought that is relevant to the debate - the Frankfurt School. The founders of this school of Marxism, including Marcuse, Adorno and Horkheimer were all critical of the development of what they saw as mass culture and mass consumption. The orientation of the school has been towards the linking of modern capitalism with the control exerted by media industries and products over the consumer. Strinati sees it as 'popular culture which is produced by mass production industrial techniques and is marketed for a profit to a mass public of consumers'. Mac Donald was far more critical: it is a debased, trivial culture that voids both the deep realities (sex, death, failure, tragedy) and also the simple, spontaneous pleasures...a narcotised acceptance of mass culture and of the commodities it sells as a sub stitute for the unsettling and unpredictable...joy, tragedy, wit, change, originality and beauty of real life. These arguments also underline the relationship between popular music, dance and their consumption. Youth culture has been studied from several ideological perspectives on assumptions that they are 'not isolated and untouched by the surrounding culture' . This notion has lead researchers to assume that youth culture is not part of 'growing up', but a phenomenon that occurs as a precipitation of the social, political, cultural and ideological factors. There is not one monolithic youth culture that defines all young people. Popular youth culture embraces a diversity of sub-cultures or "tribes" such as skaters, druggies, snobs, band geeks, Satanists, Jesus freaks, techno-goths, computer dweebs, blacks, Latinos and white trash. Groups distinguish themselves by dress, style, music, body modification practices, race, ethnicity, and language. In her book Club Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital, 2Thornton refers to the youth cultures based around the raves and dance clubs from the late 1980's to the mid-1990's. The main sociological context of Thornton's study was the approach to the study of youth subcultures developed by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham in books like Resistance Through Rituals. This

Correlation Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Correlation Discussion - Essay Example We would probably use this method if we wanted to determine the relationship between a child’s age and their height. The last type of method used for establishing correlation is if one of the variables uses a number scale and the other one uses a simply true/false scale. The best method to use here would be the point biserial correlation coefficient. The likely opportunity that this method would be used is a correlation between gender and height. All of these methods can only tell us if two particular variables are related to each other, not whether one variable causes the other variable to change. Each method has its own positives and negatives, and each method can only really be used with its certain types of data. A researcher may want to establish a correlation when they have a hypothesis, but do not have any way to prove it. Correlation allows relationships to be seen between an independent and a dependent variable. One of the variables has to be constant so that the other one can change according to the stable one. Once these variables can be measured, researchers can find links between certain

Dominant Theories Of Neorealism And Neoliberal Institutionalism Politics Essay

Dominant Theories Of Neorealism And Neoliberal Institutionalism Politics Essay 1. While neorealism and neoliberal institutionalism are now considered the dominant theories in international relations, neorealism can be viewed as the more dominant of the two because it more accurately portrays state behavior from a positivist standpoint. Unlike neoliberalism which can only adequately explain the economic relations of nations, neorealism is able to explain how states react to one another in terms of security affairs. Quite empirically, neorealism argues that states only act in its own interest vis a vis the material structural incentives of the international system (Griffiths, OCallaghan and Roach 282). How states behave is reflected upon how they are also positioned in a hierarchy within the international system. In the end, states will behave in a manner that allows them to improve, or at the very least, maintain their positions in the hierarchy. The more powerful states are likely to be more influential in deciding the fate of global affairs while the weaker st ates will have relatively less say on matters of international import. Therefore, among neorealists, how the international system is divided is dependent on how the capabilities of states are distributed. The international system is essentially a system of anarchy. States pursue maximum utility in order to achieve their interests. From the neorealists point of view, states need the same things but are not equally capable of meeting their needs. For instance, states in the North American continent are relatively well-positioned economically than states in Africa. A consequence of the disparate capabilities between the states from both regions is that their cooperation is limited since partnerships will end up either in dependence or exploitation. On another note, the more affluent states engage in cooperation and competition to maximize relative gains and power. This desire and the ability to maximize power on the part of states results in what is called balance of power. Neorealists believe that the unequal positions of states in the international system gives rise to a security dilemma where states struggle to balance power either by 1) building more powerful armies and increasing mi litary spending, and 2) forging regional alliances or diplomatic ties with other states to check more powerful nations. Neorealists are able to characterize the distribution of power in the international system based on capabilities of nations: unipolar (a singular power), bipolar (two great powers), and multipolar (more than two powers). The establishment of European Union, for instance, is an attempt to balance power and promote a multipolar world in a present unipolar system ruled by the United States of America. On the other hand, neoliberal institutionalism uses positivism to explain why states cooperate and why they do not cooperate with each other. Using game theory as its method of analysis, neoliberal institutionalists explain that behavior of states depends on their analysis of gains and losses. States are interested in cooperating only with states and institutions that can deliver mutual gains and profitable arrangements. Neoliberalism responds to the neorealist conception of the international system as anarchic. While it does not contest or deny this, neoliberalism purports that this is exaggeration. Neoliberals contend that states do not compete all the time and that cooperative behavior among states is possible if the international system is decentralized. Leaning on the classic liberal view of the state as a rational and self-interested actor, states, when allowed to compete fairly in a decentralized environment, are able to maximize their relative gains in power and resources. 2. Neoliberalism and neorealism are considered modern interpretations of the classic positivist theories on international relations. While different in some conceptions of state behavior, both theories are complementary and mutually enforcing. They more alike than different; both theories are rooted in the explanation of international relations using the state as primary unit of analysis. They cannot be considered alternative theories to international relations, merely, a modern version of the traditional positivist view of IR. In some ways, neorealism and neoliberalism contradict but they are essentially mutually reinforcing interpretations of international relations. Both recognize anarchy in IR but at different extents. The neorealist believes that the global system is anarchic by nature and that the main preoccupation of states is how to ensure their survival. Thus, whatever alliances and cooperation is forged among nations is hinged upon the need to survive. Other states, like North Korea, rely on their own processes of survival, even violating international law to ensure that it is not crushed by the more powerful states. Its concept of balance of power requires it to develop its own nuclear problem to deter threat. If states do not recognize anarchy, they will be weakened. From a neorealist perspective, international cooperation is illusory, if not outright impossible to achieve. Neoliberal institutionalism recognizes that there is anarchy but there are creative ways to go about it, such as the building of regimes or institutions to mitigate anarchy. Neoliberals value the existence of international institutions such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and other international regimes that ensure mutually beneficial relations among nations. The WTO for instance, sets norms and rules for global trade. The UN acts as an arbiter of international conflict. 3. Marxism remains of the most relevant theories that provide alternative explanations to international relations. First of all, departing from the traditional realist and liberal view of the state as the fundamental unit of analysis, Marxism treats class as the unit of analysis. Marxism argues that the international system was established to protect the property interests of the upper classes and the most affluent states. Hence, the struggle in the international system is essentially a class struggle between rich and powerful nations and the exploited nations. Variants of Marxist theory of international relations include the world-systems theory, dependency theory, and neo-Marxism. Marxism divides the world not into political entities but economic classes. Using its analysis of the base and superstructure, Marxism contends that economics supersedes politics in the global order. International relations was developed by the capitalist class to ensure capital accumulation of wealthy corporations and affluent states. The world-systems theory developed by Wallersten argues that the world can be divided into economic classes: 1) First World represents the most affluent or the core, and 2) Third World represents the poorest and underdeveloped or the periphery. According to the world-systems theory, only the core countries are able to benefit from international relations because they own the means of production while the periphery countries are exploited. The dependency theory which grew popular in Latin America propose that the poor countries (classes) are transformed into mere source of cheap labor and raw materials, hence, keeping them utterly dependent on affluent nations. International institutions such as the WTO are said to perpetuate this inequality. To resist this unequal relations, Marxists argue for protectionism and economic control policies that will liberate them from the control of the global economic regime, including import substitution to replace export-based economic models. Work Cited Griffiths, Martin, OCallaghan, Terry, and Steven Roach. International relations: the key concepts. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2002.

The Arts That Shaped America: Arts of the 1920s :: essays research papers

Art by definition is the conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. Whether it was shown visually or musically, the arts of the twenties were reflective of the time period. Even in books, the extravagance that people lived in was evident. The music of the twenties was on the opposite end of the spectrum from the music that had been its predecessor. With a quicker tempo, dynamics different then anything before it, dances that were of the youth and viewed as taboo, and powered by brass and rhythm instruments , jazz had become a mainstream for the youth of the twenties (Handley). In stark contrast of the Beethoven and the â€Å"usual† waltzes that people danced to, jazz was in your face and frowned down upon. According to the older generation, and quoted in the New York American, â€Å"Moral disaster is coming to hundreds of young American girls through the pathological, nerve-irritating, sex-exciting music of jazz orchestras" (Ward, Burns). In the 1920s, Jazz and Blues became very popular. Singers and musicians like Fat Waller, "Jelly Roll' Morton, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Lucille Bogan could be heard world wide. Bing Crosby, Annette Hanshaw, Al Jolson, Maria Anderson and George Gershw in were also making in big in the music world. George Gershwin composed some of the most noticeable blues pieces of the nineteen twenties. Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris, and Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody No. 2. Louis Armstrong, by far the king of the trumpet is the poster boy for pure jazz. With his revolutionary playing, he was able to break the trend of the typical â€Å"Dixieland† jazz music with his solos alone. During the nineteen twenties films were becoming more popular, creating five major studios and three minor studios (â€Å"Films History of The 1920s.†) The five major studios, some of which are still around today, were: Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures (originally named Famous players), Mutual Film Corporation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Fox Film Corporation. Warner Bros. Pictures, incorporated in 1923 by the brothers (Jack, Harry, Albert, and Sam); the studio's first principal asset was Rin Tin Tin. MGM, first named Metro-Goldwyn Pictures - in 1924 formed from the merger of Metro Pictures (1915), Samuel Goldwyn Picture Corporation (1917), and the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Company (1918).

History Since 1500 Essay

Modern history began in the end of the 15th century, which witnessed the beginning of Reformation and the discovery of the new continent. In the following five centuries, many historic events (such as the two world wars and the cold war) have fundamentally changed our world in the fields of politics, economics, and culture. Political Systems in Europe after the Thirty Years’ War The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) refers to a series of wars intermittently fought chiefly between the Roman Empire and the Protestant principalities with which French allied. Theses wars were fought for religious, territorial, dynastic, and commercial reasons (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009). After the Thirty Years War ended with the Peace of Westphalia, European states were divided into different political regimes. For the five most important ones, Spain, Portugal and France remained absolute monarchies, while Holland and England became a republic and a constitutional monarchy respectively. The political differences significantly affected these countries’ performance. While being the first European counties to start colonial enterprises, Spain and Portugal’ rejection of new ideologies and new political thinking rendered them weaker day by day. There is no doubt that ideological change plays an important role in political change. That is to say, the Reformation made those Protestant states much easier to adopt more democratic political forms: a republic or a constitutional monarchy. It is worth noting that the defeat of the Spanish Armada happened in 1588, almost three decades before the start of the Thirty Years’ War. It is safe to say that Protestantism was one factor that brought Capitalism, which requires a more democratic political system. Among the five nations, only the Dutch Republic was as enlightened and democratic as England, and even more so at times. For instance, the Pilgrim Fathers took refugee in Holland before settling in the Plymouth colony. For another, the constitutional monarchy in England was made possible by the Dutch invasion during the Glorious Revolution. However, the Dutch Republic was too small to be a colonial superpower for a long time. The lack of manpower and resources led to Dutch defeats in the four Anglo-Dutch wars, and â€Å"when the last war ended in May 1784, the Dutch were at the nadir of their power and prestige† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009, par. 4). In sharp contrast with the Dutch Republic, the French Bourbon Monarchy was then a much larger country than England and the most powerful European state in the early 18th century. However, its backward political system made it unfit for the global competition with Britain. After defeating France in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), England became both the dominant power in North America and the global superpower in addition to the naval supremacy it had maintained since 1590s. The Causes of World War One Before the First World War, a great many wars had been fought in Europe for various reasons: such as the thirty years’ war, the Anglo-Dutch wars, the Anglo-French wars, and the Napoleonic wars. Of the wars mentioned above, some were fought on a big scale. For instance, the Seven Years’ War between Britain and France were fought both in Europe and in American colonies, bearing some resemblance to the First World War. However, we can not deny that World War One was far more catastrophic than any previous war. Thus, what was it about the modern world that caused such a catastrophe, and let people doubt the virtues of progress in its aftermath? The immediate cause of the Great War was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914 by a Serbian nationalist. However, the incident itself was not worth a total war; there were other deep-rooted reasons. Undoubtedly, national state (nationalism) was one of the main causes. Since 1850s, a number of national states, such as Germany, Italy, and Japan, arose from across the globe, trying to unify and centralize their nations. There were also some failed attempts, such as the Hungarian Revolution (1848) and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1851-1864) in China, both struggling for national independence from their foreign rulers. However, these nationalist movements were quite problematic and troublesome themselves. First, these nations intended to build up unified and centralized states for themselves, but denied equal rights to ethnic minorities within their boundaries. For example, while unifying German states in central Europe, Prussia never considered the self-determination of the Polish population. Second, during the unification, these national states failed to solve territorial disputes with their neighbors peacefully. For instance, territorial disputes over Alsace and Lorraine were one of the main causes of the Prussian French war, which started the lasting hostility between Germany and France until the end of the World War Two. Moreover, because modern national states were more centralized and got more so during the war period, World War One became both the first â€Å"total war† and the first â€Å"war of attrition†. In addition to national states (nationalism), interdependence and modernization also played a role in causing this catastrophe. Machine gun and trench were two embodiments of the First World War. Machine gun and heavy artillery made the army a much more efficient killing machine; the well fortified trenches let the massacre on the western front continue for over four years. New technologies can also shorten the war and thus reduce the casualties, such as the German blitzkrieg on the western front in World War Two. But in World War One, they only greatly prolonged the stalemate. European industrialization and commercialization in the 19th century made them more dependent on each other and on oversea colonies: they needed raw material, market, and capital from outside their own territories. Therefore, each country paid more attention to alliance and navy to protect their market, resources, and trade routes. The diplomatic maneuverings and the naval competitions obviously heightened the tensions between individual states and between deferent blocs. The Cold War After World War One, the Soviet Union and the United States were two superpowers along with Britain, France, Germany, and Japan. However, the Soviet Union and the U. S. had larger territories and populations than other nations. After the Second World War, the defeated Germany and Japan lost all their colonies, so did Britain and France in a much longer period. As a result, Russia and America became the only two post-war superpowers—Japan and Germany were no longer military powers while Britain and France were too small to qualify. It was this bipolar state made the cold war possible: the two superpowers could incorporate smaller nations into their camps to fight a long lasting war of ideology, politics, and economics. The cold war era refers to an unpleasant yet less painful and bloody period compared to the two world wars. Yet, this definition was from the two opposing military groups’ (NATO and WARSO pact countries) standpoint; for those former colonies (quasi-colonies), this view can not be farther from the truth. During the cold war, NATO and the WAWSOW did not confront each other in order to avoid a nuclear war, which could annihilate both the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Yet, the collapse of the colonial system offered them a distant and relatively safe battlefield—the newly independent former colonies (quasi-colonies). Conflicts there had made the cold war nastier, bloodier, and more suffering. For many third world countries, the cold war era is the most painful period in modern history as they served as pawns in the ideological war between Russia and US. In the cold war era, the two biggest wars were fought in Korea and Vietnam; Cambodia saw the biggest massacre after World War Two; China experienced the greatest famine (1959-1961) in human history and the Cultural Revolution almost wiped out this 5,000 years old civilization. However, these events themselves did not decide the course of the cold war. The communists fought to stalemate in Korea, won the Vietnam War. However, several months after Chinese communists crushed peaceful protesting students and civilians with tanks and armed vehicles and firmly controlled the situation, communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe quickly collapsed. Since 1500, human being has made breath-taking progress in government, technology, business, education, health care, etc; it has also suffered a great deal from wars, national rivalries, epidemics, environmental damages, natural disasters, and all kinds of discriminations while living standards have been steadily improving. Since technology and productivity can be double-edged swords, it is urgent for the current generation to learn the lessons from the past five centuries.

Did King Aurthur really exist essays

Did King Aurthur really exist essays Did King Arthur Truly Exist and if so who was King Arthur? Most people would tell of a great King, a devoted circle of heroic knights, mighty castles and mightier deeds, a time of chivalry and courtly love, of Lancelot and Guinevere, of triumph and death. Historians and archaeologists, especially Leslie Alcock, point to shadowy evidence of a man who was not a king, but a commander of an army, who lived during the late fifth to early sixth century who may perhaps be the basis for Arthur. By looking at the context in which the stories of King Arthur survived, and the evidence pertaining to his castle Camelot and the Battle of Badon Hill, we can begin to see that Arthur is probably not a king as the legend holds. While stories about the places that Arthur has lived, visited, and fought at are numerous, attempts at pinpointing many of these sites have been futile. Arthurs most famous battle, the Battle of Badon Hill, cannot be ascribed as a location. Depending on the historian, the Battle of Badon Hill could have been located at many different places: According to Alcock, the battle at Mount Badon took place on a hill near Bath; while Wood attempts to pin the battle at Liddington castle. If we are unable to be sure of a location at which a massive battle took place (and indeed, his most famous), how can we be sure that Arthur truly existed? Attempts at pinning down Camelot have also proved fruitless. Wood describes the difficulty in locating Camelot, saying, A late local tradition connected Arthur with a hill fort, and when the Camelot Research Committee dug there, they caused a sensation. The Excavators did not, in fact find Camelot, nor was anything turned up to connect the place specifically with King Arthur. This serves to highlight not only the fact that local tradition can skew a story in order to make it more exciting for those hearing it, but it also helps us see that Camelot may only be fiction. It ...

Free Essays on Xerxes

â€Å"How could Xerxes have lost to the Greeks when he had such overwhelming organization, logistical expertise and numbers of soldiers?† King Xerxes lost to the Greeks due to his overwhelming confidence that sheer numbers and logistical preparation would prevail. The decision to invade Greece was some what influenced by his late father’s wish to defeat the Greeks. His father previously failed twice in his attempts to punish the great city-state of Athens and had planned for a third expedition but due to his death Xerxes must have felt â€Å"obliged to carry out his father’s plans, to punish Athens for the burning of Sardis and to avenge the Persian defeat at Marathon.† (Cameron from Studies in Ancient Persia pg 115). He had to restore Persian prestige after what Athens had done. This expedition would be the largest against the Greeks with an enormous amount if time preparing logistically with roads, canals and bridges to help the massive army and navy that would lead the onslaught onto Greece. However the Greeks used their tactical supremacy over the Persians by deciding intelligent battle plans a nd battle landscapes to suit their strengths. Their weaponry was far more advanced and their troops had superior training. Xerxes choice to ignore the Greeks strengths led to the failure of the campaign to Greece.... Free Essays on Xerxes Free Essays on Xerxes â€Å"How could Xerxes have lost to the Greeks when he had such overwhelming organization, logistical expertise and numbers of soldiers?† King Xerxes lost to the Greeks due to his overwhelming confidence that sheer numbers and logistical preparation would prevail. The decision to invade Greece was some what influenced by his late father’s wish to defeat the Greeks. His father previously failed twice in his attempts to punish the great city-state of Athens and had planned for a third expedition but due to his death Xerxes must have felt â€Å"obliged to carry out his father’s plans, to punish Athens for the burning of Sardis and to avenge the Persian defeat at Marathon.† (Cameron from Studies in Ancient Persia pg 115). He had to restore Persian prestige after what Athens had done. This expedition would be the largest against the Greeks with an enormous amount if time preparing logistically with roads, canals and bridges to help the massive army and navy that would lead the onslaught onto Greece. However the Greeks used their tactical supremacy over the Persians by deciding intelligent battle plans a nd battle landscapes to suit their strengths. Their weaponry was far more advanced and their troops had superior training. Xerxes choice to ignore the Greeks strengths led to the failure of the campaign to Greece....

Internal Analysis of Wall-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internal Analysis of Wall-Mart - Case Study Example The paper also details how Wal-Mart can guard against the internal weaknesses and avoid the external threats. Wal-Mart Stores is the number one retail store in the World in volume. The company has more than 7,250 stores," including about 975 discount stores, 2,800 combination discount and grocery stores (Wal-Mart Supercenters in the US and ASDA in the UK), and 590 warehouse stores (SAM'S CLUB)". (Hoovers. Com) The Company is the number one retail store in Canada and Mexico and owns 95 percent stakes in the largest Japanese retailer SEIYU. The company is operating in most parts of Asia, Europe and South America. The company has achieved a Turnover of $ 378,799 million for the fiscal year ended January 2008 employing about 2,100,000 people. In the area of management Wal-Mart has been a committed entity in respect of its responsibilities towards customers as well as communities. The corporate structure of Wal-Mart has three core values of respect for the individual, service to their customers, and striving for excellence. These values have enabled the company achieve the fete of the largest retailer of the world. The marketing strategy in the form of Every Day Low Price (EDLP) strategy has been found to be successful in enhancing the sales growth. The customer oriented approach is one other core value of the company. With ten different divisions of the company available in one place the customer can have a one stop shopping experience which is one of the core strengths of the company. On the financial aspects the company has shown consistent sales and profitability growth during the past years. The company has all its financial ratios indicating its financial strength. The stock price movements are yet another indication of the financial strength of the company. The company has strong and well oriented distribution networks, well equipped and mechanized distribution centers which provide an efficient supply chain management and enormous economies of scale in the operations of the company. The company employs the latest and most sophisticated information and communication technology which enables the company to operate with a clock like precision. Weaknesses The absence of a proper and formal mission statement is the fundamental weakness of the company. The company's mission statement does not provide the necessary definition of their business and does not also provide the direction for the employees. The company has not recognized diversity in the employment with few females in the top management and few minorities. This is a dent in the corporate image of the company. Non-unionization is another weakness of the company. The employees do not have a forum to raise their concerns and hence the employees lack bargaining power. On the marketing side the company has the biggest weakness of continuous expansion. The company has acquired the hatred of many social organizations in smaller towns across United Stated because of the adverse economic impact the company is creating on smaller towns and the trade within these towns. The major complaint in the operation of the store is the increased average time that an

Teledentistry Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teledentistry - Thesis Example ves unique techniques such as self-directing online study, streaming media, webcast and real-time video conferencing, which are utilized to deliver dental education, either live or on demand. These techniques have changed dental and dental hygiene education in many ways, for example; the technology in teledentistry involves a two-way communication video and audio communication-making training visual and efficient. This paper has also discussed the challenges faced by teledentistry especially those that are technologically related. Relevant information was gathered through primary and secondary methods of data collection. The primary data sought was from telemedicine and teledentistry related books and scholarly journals as well as formal websites. Moreover, the information gathered from primary data is reflected in the literature review section. Secondary data was collected through random sampling, where students below the age of twelve were selected and both dental care and hygiene from direct observation and observation from a distance was carried out. The main aim of the observation was to compare the results between direct observation and observation at a distance after which a conclusion was drawn. Having compared the results, the figures and samples were comprehensively discussed and this brought the paper to further recommendation in case of a future research. Finally, conclusions were drawn from the findings and, the future of teledentistry was mentioned. The purpose of the examination procedure was done as a procedure to control infection among the ten randomly chosen children of below 12 years. The examination covered hard and soft tissue problems such as missing teeth, caries, and inflammations among others. For the observed dental illnesses, the patients would be referred to orthodontics, periodontics, endodontic and, surgery. The children were directly diagnosed, and diagnosis using electronic telediagnosis after which result were compared. However,