Thursday, October 17, 2019

Who were the anasazi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Who were the anasazi - Essay Example This ancient Pueblo civilization remains mysterious. Their economic activity was farming, gathering and hunting, especially during famine occasioned by drought and cold weather. The Anasazi people sheltered in clay made pueblos. The pueblos mostly housed many families at a time as expanding an existent pueblo was more convenient compared to erecting a new one. They spoke different languages, including Tiwa, Tewa, Zuni, Keresan, and Hopi. They adorned clothing woven expansive frame looms and always made bracelets, earrings, necklaces, wood, turquoise and armbands. Their footwear included Moccasins, snowshoes and sandals (Hillerman pp25-27). Their religion was based on the belief in the significance of nature and its harmony with the universe. Vital religious practices involved observing the moon, stars, and sun. The Anasazi performed rituals and prayers to appreciate successful harvest and hunting. Clan classification was determined by female bloodline. Conventionally, Pueblo societies were matriclocal and matrilineal. They appreciated unity and rarely went into

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D Activity for Assignment

The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D Activity for Technology Firms - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that there is recent evidence showing that firms no longer depend entirely on in-house R&D to maintain their technological competitiveness. This development, in as much as it has been contended, in portions reflects technological and economical globalization, whereby there is an increasing correspondence in categories of technologies across countries of harmony. Consequently, cross border competition is growing which has resulted in fewer opportunities for profits despite higher costs in retaining technological resources to remain internationally competitive. On the other hand, there is evidence that outsourcing research and development (R&D) activities are on the increase too, for instance in the R&D Magazine January 2001 Issue reports according to a survey of the people reading, a significant portion of the total R&D would be outsourced. The term non – internal is a premeditated one and is proposed to comprise of both outer activit ies (arms-length relationships that include licensing, R&D contracts, outsourcing and other customer supplier relationships) and quasi-external activity like strategic alliances which is said to involve a good number of organizational methods. Non- internal activities are advantageous as they are a ‘reversible’ asset as well as benefits of exploring new areas prompting radical transformation. The funds needed are smaller and the dangers are to a great extent reduced and, in case of the organizational predicament of failure, the limited damage is imposed on primary operations of the firm.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Tiffany and Co Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Tiffany and Co - Essay Example Tiffany and Co. is a luxury and jewelry retailer. In the world of business, there are three types of goods in relation to the consumers’ income. There are inferior, normal, and luxury goods. To understand the nature of the markup of the prices of the products, it is imperative to have knowledge of the inherent patterns between different types of goods and consumer behavior. As such, Tiffany and Co. is justified to charge high prices for the products. The reason behind this lies on the classification of luxury goods. Such goods have an income elasticity demand (YED) greater than 1, as indicated below. Figure 1: The Income Elasticity Demand for Tiffany and Co. Products (BOONE, 47) The graph above illustrates the behavior of luxury goods in relation to consumer behavior. As the consumers’ income increases, demand for the product increases; hence, a justification to the markup of the prices of Tiffany and Co. Additionally, Tiffany and Co. acknowledges customer service as a product. The nature of customer service matches the money spend on the luxury products. The positive correlation between the markup of the prices and the customer service explains the nature of the goods. Luxury products are not similar to basic products whereby there is need to create product awareness; hence, a perfect competition. For luxury products, there exists product knowledge for the consumers, and the products are more of a want than a need. The markup of the prices is justified because the target market is defined by their ability to utilize such products.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Guinness Market Entry to Peru

Guinness Market Entry to Peru MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION The following assignment is aimed at evaluating the attractiveness of Peru market as a potential entry market for the Irish Company, Guinness Breweries. Using the method of International Market Selection market will asses under the Systematic Approach and the model called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we will weigh the three main criteria: Economic, Politics and Cultural. Based on the result from the analysis we will recommend the company either the market is attractiveness or not for the company to entry. Guinness was founded in Dublin in 1759. It was first brewed by Arthur Guinness. This was a fairly new beer, characterised by its dark colour acquired through the roasted barley used in its brewing process. Within 10 years, Guinness Extra Strong Porter was being exported to England. It became known as Guinness Stout as a strong porter was known as a stout porter. By the nineteenth century, Guinness focused its brewing activities on stout alone Expansion into foreign markets was spearheaded under the guidance of Arthurs three sons who succeeded him in the family business. From the end of the 1920s onwards, Guinness moved into advertising, with the placing of adverts in the press and the roll-out of a poster campaign. In accordance with an increase in demand for the Guinness product, a new brewery was established at Park Royal, London in 1936, which became Arthur Guinness Sons Co (Park Royal) in 1952. The pinnacle of Guinness extensive research came in the form of Draught Guinness in cans, launched in the UK in 1989 which, with the inclusion of the award-winning Guinness widget, typified the companys pioneering approach to improving technology and replicating the taste of Draught Guinness in a can Guinness Limited now has breweries in 51 countries worldwide and Guinness stout is drunk in 150 countries Over 10 million glasses of Guinness stout are drunk every day worldwide. Starting business operations abroad is a complex and complicated process. It requires decisions about many related but separate issues. The consequences of these decisions may have a significant influence on the success and performance of a firm. The recognition of right International market is one of the most important decisions that organizations face today when interesting in international trade. Regardless of its importance, the tactics pondered by many organizations in ascertaining profitable and servable markets in the international context are often based on the ad hoc decisions and view, rather than a formalized endeavor to match the organizations competences to that of the relevant foreign target markets. After a company have determined to go international, it will stand before the choice of Selecting a target market (European Commission, 2014). According to Marchi et  al. (2014) the international market selection (IMS) is an important determinant for a firms success on international markets. The International Markets Selection is a vital issue in the classification of foreign entry strategy (Papadopoulos et al., 2002). IMS is defined the development of competent and effective methods for selecting a foreign target market(s.) Denis and Papadopoulos (1988). Two diverse, traditional, approaches to the international markets selection have been presented (Papadopoulos and Denis, 1988): (1) A systematic approach, using a formalized decision process including a variety of statistical methods to analyze the potential of target markets; (2) an unsystematic approach suggesting the use of rules of thum such as selection of those foreign markets that reduce the received psychic distance. Company go global for a variety of reason, but the typical objective is company expansion. Bradley (2005:2) has many reasons for internationalization and some examples of those are; better opportunities abroad, shortening product and technology lifecycles, excess capacity and desire to fallow consumers and competitors abroad. Guinness Brewery, want to continue its global expansion in Peru (South America). Guinness Company has been successes in 51 countries worldwide. For example in Nigeria Guinness Nigeria has been success 1963, that first came to Nigeria When a company seeks to expand its business to foreign markets, a number of tactical decisions must be evaluated (Gà ³recka and Szalucka, 2013) Also, the company has to decide the timing of entry (when) as well as entry mode (how) (Gà ³recka and Szalucka, 2013) Evaluation Criteria Inflation Peru has been one of the regions fastest-growing economies in the last decade, with an average growth rate 5.9 percent in a context of low inflation (averaging 2.9 percent). A positive external environment, prudent macroeconomic policies and structural reforms in different areas combined to create a scenario of high growth and low inflation. After reaching a maximum of 4.6 percent at the beginning of the year, headline inflation has declined and stood at 2.9 percent in August 2016, just lower the upper limit of its target range. GDP growth Slightly improved to 3.3 percent in 2015, with a 6-year minimum of 2.4 percent in 2014. In 2016, economic growth is expected to be similar to 2015 levels, increasingly recovering to an average rate of 3.8 percent by 2017-2018. Over the next two or three years, large-scale mining projects are expected to begin fabrication and increased private and public investment in infrastructure projects will support aggregate demand. Additionally, the country will continue to implement structural reforms to ensure confidence of private investors. Exchange rate: Peru has a free-floating exchange rate regime, with the government irregularly intervening for purposes of stabilization. As of the end of 2013, the Nuevo Sol is one of the least volatile currencies in the world, exhibiting firmness in the face of international market and currency fluctuations. The Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP) implements fiscal stimulus and liquidity control measures. Political Stability The economys overall stable and strong performance has allowed the government to increase its revenues and, hence, to balance the budget. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who took office in July 2016, intends to increase public investment in infrastructure and has announced that Peru is expected to raise funds on worldwide financial markets to finance these projects. Since 1998 when the country hardly avoided bankruptcy by signing an agreement with the IMF, Peru has followed a safe path of fiscal consolidation. The fiscal balance has registered only four years of deficit in the last decade and those deficits have never been larger than 1.3% of GDP. Additionally, public debt was cut about in half, from the 44.3% of GDP tallied in 2004 to just 23.3% of GDP in 2015. Market Economy A market economy is based on the values of offer and demand, and lets business carry on or fail devoid of much interaction from the government. A pure market economy is not viable to implement, most market economies in the region of the world have a component of government influence Existing reforms dismantled some barriers to running private enterprises. With no minimum capital necessary, it now takes less than seven procedures to start a business. Labour regulations are evolving. The state controls domestic food and fuel prices and partly subsidizes electricity, but in late 2014, it ruled out cutting taxes or introducing subsidies to support investment and cushion export sectors from the ongoing recession in product prices. Culture Peruvians preserve a strong sense of nationality identity supported by a series of general characteristics such as language. Hofstede model is used to assess the attractiveness of the market. Of the six dimension between Ireland and Peru compare. Both country have similarity only in Long term orientation and the score is very low, at Ireland 24 and Peru 25, meaning that this dimension measures the long term official planning does not exist. They differ culturally in the others five dimensions, such as Distance Power, Individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, indulgence. Evaluating the three main criteria: economic, political and cultural; and based on the information provided for each of them, we rank them as fallow the political as the most important. Fallow by economic as a less important, Since, Economic and political are extremely interrelated. On the one hand, the indecision connected with an unstable political environment may decrease investment and the pace of economic advance. On the other hand, poor economic performance may lead to government collapse and political unrest. When analyzing the Incentives parameter for the Peru market, we found out several macro greenfield factors that could act as enablers for Guinnes beer approval. These include both political (such as government ) as well economic factors (GDP increasing year by year) Based on the analysis using our constructed IMS model, we believe that the Peru market has several favorable conditions for Analyzing Sub Criterias According to the above information about each sub criteria of Economy criteria, we could rank the most important sub crateria is Inflation. This It is more important compare to exchange rate. If inflation increases, it means the value of the money loose power, therefore, the exchange rate increase. Moreover, countries with lower inflation have a tendency to see an appreciation in the value of their currency. GDP growth is not a very important sub-criteria, even though it not an important sub criteria it is increasing year by year. Exchange rate is more important than GDP growth, the latter of which is adjusted for inflation. If the inflation is lower, then the country will be more competitive. In the potential entry market which is Peru Market, inflation is very low, (averaging 2.9 percent), then the country is more attractive as a prospective market to entry. In the Political criteria; the most important sub-criteria is Stability, fallows by Regulation and, last one Market Economic. Political stability is a pillar of a democracy. For an investor it is important to have a minimum of security regarding the political stability of the country where to invest, a climate of political instability may affect the ability of a region or country to attract investment. Peru, is a very stable politically country, The constitution of Peru states that presidents cannot be re-elected. The constitution decrees a traditionally elected president and vice president serve five-year term. The president selects the prime minister who presides over the rest of the ministers, who comprise the cabinet. If a country is stable politically, hence, its regulation continues implementing structural reforms to guarantee confidence of private investors. Regarding to Culture similarity, both Ireland and Peru are different culturally. But it does not mean that Peru market could not be a potential entry market for an Irish company. Culture similarity is not an important sub criterion in this case that will interfere in the decision of in a international market. Furthermore, Ireland is doing business with South American country, such as Chile. Evaluating the Hofstede for Ireland and Chile culture similarity, the result is that they both are totally different respect to this sub criteria, however, their business are well performing. Between January and August of this year, the volume of Peruvian beer imports grew by 35% over the same period last year, according to the Foreign Trade Center (CCEX) of the Chamber of Commerce of Lima. Between 2012-2016 imports of this product have registered a decrease in volume of 1.4 million liters, but with this growth is generating a great expectation regarding the recovery of consumption of this product, said Carlos Garcia, manager of CCEX-CCL. In the first eight months of the year, the value added totaled more than US $ 5 million, entering our country 5.6 million liters of beer. Among the main suppliers we find Mexico, which covers 58% of the share, being the main supplier of Corona beer; Followed by Colombia (18%) that provides us with all Miller beer. Below these countries we find the Netherlands with a 9% share, a country that supplies us with Heineken and Grolsch beers. Meanwhile, Germany provides us with the Erdinger Weissbier, Bear Beer, Oettinger, Bitburger, Classe Royale and Phoenix brands; While Argentina supplies us with Stella Artois and Quilmes and Japan beers from the Sapporo and Kirin Ichiban beers As a result of the Analysis for a potential entry market based on the method of International Markets Selection at Evaluating the attractiveness of Peru market as a potential entry market for the Irish Company  ¨Guinness breweries  ¨. Under the Systematic Approach and the model called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we will weigh the three main criteria: Economic, Politics and Cultural. Peru, is one of the countries in Latino America that the economy is growing faster year by year. The inflation is at very low el The main Criteria and the most important por a decision maker about neither entre or not is POLITICAL, The Government of Peru has encouraged integration with the global economy by signing 17 free trade agreements with 52 economies, including the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (while U.S. exports to Peru jumped from USD 4.9 billion to USD 8.8 billion (a 79 % increase). In 2015, exports grew 23.5% while imports declined 10.9%. Peru registered a USD 13 million trade surplus in April 2016, the first of the year. Perus preferentiaPTPA), which entered into force in February 2009. Trade agreements are with Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, the European Union, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, Lichtenstein, Mexico, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, the United States, and Uruguay. From result Pairwise comparisons we got them from the weight the Main and Sub criteria 77%, what mean that Peru Market is attractiveness to entry (70 -79 not so favourable, but still an advanced economy) References http://www.burkedist.com/all-products/imported-beers/guiness#, Burke Distributione (accessed 08-01-17 ) http://blogs.worldbank.org/endpovertyinsouthasia/can-political-stability-hurt- conomic-growth. The word bank (accessed 09-01-2017) http://www.heritage.org/index/country/peru ,Economic freedom, ( Accessed 08-01-2017) http://www.limaeasy.com/peruvian-money-currency-guide/current-exchange-rates Lima Easy, the lima guide, (Accessed 08-01-2017) http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/peru/overview, THE WORDL BANK, IBRD-IDA, (ACCESSED 03-01-2017) http://www.bandeiragalega.com/es/celt/irlanda.htm, Bandeira Galaga (Accessed 08-01-2017) http://www.tradingeconomics.com/peru/forecast, Trading Economy, (accessed 08-01-2017) http://www.focus-economics.com/countries/peru, Focus Economic, (ACCESSED 03-01-17) http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/peru/. Accessed 04-01-2017 http://www.celticclothing.com/mm5/irish-american/cc07-01-history-of-guinness-brewing.php. Celyic Clothing, (06-01-2017) http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/peru/overview, The word Bank, 2017. (accessed 05-01-2017) http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/ref/10.1080/10978526.2016.1142376, Latin America Business Review. (Accessed 05-01-2017) http://www.tdx.cat/bitstream/handle/10803/108138/Tpcs1de1.pdf.txt?sequence=3, (Accessed 05-01-2017) https://www.coursehero.com/file/p6hqcci/Johanson-J-and-Vahlne-J-E-1977-The-internationalization-process-of-the-firm-a/, Curse Hero, 2017, (Accessed 07-01-2017) https://www.scribd.com/doc/296034867/Global-Operations-Strategy-Fundamentals-and-Practice-pdf, Scrib, (Accessed 07-01-2017) http://docplayer.net/11655757-International-market-selection-screening-technique.html, DcPlayer,2016 (01.01.2017 ) https://www.coursehero.com/file/p13rno6u/Irregular-payments-bribes-and-the-favoritism-of-government-officials-are-all/, Curse Hero, 2017. (08-01-2017) http://www.foctraditional us-economics.com/countries/peru, Focus Economic. 2017 (08-01-2017) http://cultural-traditions.blogspot.ie/2009/11/culture-of-peru.html, cultural Tradion Of Peru, Nov. 16, 2009. (08-01-2017) https://www.export.gov/article?id=Peru-Market-Overview, Expor.Gov, (Accessed 01-07-2017) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249643551_The_decision_process_for_the_International_Market_Selection, Reasercg Gate, Oct.17, 2016 (accessed 01-08-2017) Alegrà ­a, Ciro. The World Is Broad and Alien, 1973. Americas Watch. Untold Terror: Violence against Women in Perus Armed Conflict, 1992. Andersen, O. and Buvik, A. (2002) Firms internationalization and alternative approaches to the international customer/market selection, International Business Review 11(3), pp. 347- 63 Arguedas, Josà © Marà ­a. Deep Rivers , 1978. Brown, Michael, and Eduardo Fernà ¡ndez. War of Shadows: The Struggle for Utopia in the Peruvian Amazon, 1991. Bradley, F. (2005) International Marketing Strategy 8 th edition Prentice Hall, London Bryce Echenique, A. A World for Julius, 1992. Brewer P., (2001), International market selection: developing a model from Australian case studies, International Business Review, vol. 10, pp. 155-174 Brouthers, L. Nakos, G. (2005), The role of systematic international market selection on small firms export performance Journal of Small Business Management Oct2005, Vol. 43 Issue 4, p363-19p. Cavusgil, S.T. (1985) Guidelines for export market research, Business Horizons. 28(6), pp. 27- 33. Denis, J.E. and Papadopoulos, N. (1988) INVENTORY, TAXONOMY AND ASSESSMENT OF METHODS FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKET SELECTION, International Marketing Review, 5(3), pp. 38 51. Erramilli, M. K. Rao, C, (1993), Service Firms International Entry-Mode Choice: A Modified Transaction-Cost Analysis, the Journal of Marketing, Vol 57, No 3 pp 19-38 Holligan de Dà ­az-Là ­maco, Jane. Peru in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture, 1998. Isbell, Billie Jean. To Defend Ourselves: Ecology and Ritual in an Andean Village, 1985. Jenkins, D. Peru: The Rough Guide, 1997. Gà ³recka, D. and Szalucka, M. (2013) Country Market Selection in International Expansion Using Multicriteria Decision Aiding Methods, Multiple Criteria Decision Making, 8 pp. 31- 55. Koch, A. (2001a) Selecting overseas markets and entry modes: two decision processes or one?, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 19(1), pp. 65-75 Gould, R.R. (2002) International Market Selection Screening Technique: Replacing intuition with a multidimensional framework to select a short-list of countries, RMIT University Russow, L. and Okoroafo, S. (1996) On the way towards developing a global screening model, International Marketing Review, 13(1), pp. 46-64. Papadopoulos, N. and Martà ­n O.M. (2011) International market selection and segmentation: perspectives and challenges, International Marketing Review, 28(2), pp. 132-149. Johanson, J. and Wiedersheim-Paul, F. (1975) The internationalization of the firm four Swedish case studies, Journal of Management Studies, 12(3), pp. 305-322. Johanson J. and Vahlne J.E. (1977) The Internationalization Process of the Firm A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments, Journal of Business Studies, 8(1), pp. 23-32. Johanson, J. and Vahlne, J.E. (1990) The Mechanism of Internationalisation, International Marketing Review, 7(4), pp. 11-24. Papadopoulos N., Chen H., Thomas D.R., (2002), Toward a tradeoff model for international market selection, International Business Review, vol. 11, pp. 165-192 Johanson J. and Vahlne J.-E., (1977), The internationalization process of the firm a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments, Journal of International Business Studies, vol. 8 n. 1, pp. 23-32 Papadopoulos N., (1987), Approaches to international market selection for small- and medium-sized enterprises, in S.D. Reis e P.J. Rosson (Eds), Managing export entry and expansion. New York: Praeger Sethy S. S. (2008) Distance education in the age of globalization: An Overwhelming Desire towards Blended Learning Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education Vol. 9, No. 3 Terpstra, V. (1987) The Evolution of International Marketing, International Marketing Review, p 47-59 Terpstra V., Sarathy R. (2001). International Marketing, 8ht edn., Chicago II, Dryden Press. European Commission (2014), What is an SME? ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts figures analysis/sme definition/index_en.htm (2015 05 11) Marchi, G. Vignola, M. Facchinetti, G. Mastroleo, G.(2014) International market selection for small firms: a fuzzy based decision process, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 48 Iss: 11/12, pp.2198-2212 https://www.reference.com/world-view/market-economy References, accessed 08-01-17 Appendix Peru Inflation .. Pairwise comparisons for sub-criteria with respect to Economics GDP growth Inflation Exchange Rates GDP growth 1.00 6.00 5.00 0.73170732 0.5 0.789473684 0.673727 0.447386678 45% Inflation 0.17 1.00 0.33 0.12195122 0.083333333 0.052631579 0.085972044 0.057089514 6% Exchange Rates 0.20 5.00 1.00 0.14634146 0.416666667 0.157894737 0.240300956 0.15957123 16% 1.37 12.00 6.33 Pairwise comparisons for sub-criteria with respect to Politics Stability Market Economy Regulation Stability 1.00 0.17 6.00 0.13953488 0.12195122 0.5 0.253828701 0.067823621 7% Market Economy 6.00 1.00 5.00 0.8372093 0.731707317 0.416666667 0.661861095 0.176850828 18% Regulation 0.17 0.20 1.00 0.02325581 0.146341463 0.083333333 0.084310204 0.022527883 2% 7.17 1.37 12.00 1 Global Very Very IMS Priorities Unfavourable Unfavourable Favourable Favourable Favourability Score GDP growth 45% 0 0.333 0.666 1 30% Inflation 6% 0 0.333 0.666 1 6% Exchange Rates 16% 0 0.333 0.666 1 16% Stability 7% 0 0.333 0.666 1 7% Market Economy 18% 0 0.333 0.666 1 12% Regulation 2% 0 0.333 0.666 1 2% Cultural Similarity 7% 0 0.333 0.666 1 5% Total 77% Pairwise comparisons among objectives/alternatives Normalized matrix Weights/ Priorities Global Priorities Economic Political Cultural Economic 1.00 4.00 7.00 0.717948718 0.774193548 0.5 0.664047422

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The American Civil War Essay -- American History

The American Civil War emanated feelings of joy, exuberance, and glory, yet it substantiated loneliness, destruction, and death. In the antebellum South, nationalism and pride forged a new path, and society saw soldiers as heroic actors and war as their stage. While these actors played out their roles, the audience, the world, could see that their stage did not make them heroes, but war deprived them of body and soul. In Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier develops this excitement and progression to hardship in both Ada and Inman’s journeys. The progression, corroborated by historical evidence, shows that while the antebellum South held a Romantic ideal of war, war itself negated the romantic opinion and became destructive, monstrous, and deadly. At the onset of civil war, a state of trepidation would be assumed; however, Cold Mountain shows that Southern society did not fear war but eagerly anticipated it. Inman and Ada show that people did not dread war, but instead school teachers spoke of the â€Å"grand wars fought in Ancient England† (5), and â€Å" each night, there was music and dancing† (140). People did not live in fear, but instead, a â€Å"strange time of war fever† (140) and excitement was created. â€Å"Young men considered dull and charmless suddenly acquired an aura of glamour shimmering about them† (140), not because they were instantly revitalized by Athena, but because they were adding themselves to the glory and honor of the ideal Romantic war. Society in Cold Mountain did not fear death, but they spoke of the glory of war, and had parties celebrating the coming war. Mrs. McKennett, a woman Ada converses with, â€Å"[holds] opinions exactly in accord with every newspaperâ₠¬  (180), that the fighting is â€Å"glorious, tragic, and he... ...inary Times of the Civil War Soldier. Ed. David Madden. New York: Simon & Schuster,2000. Billings, John D. Soldier Life in the Union and Confederate Armies. Ed. Philip Van Doren Stern. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961. Eaton, Clement. A History of the Southern Confederacy. New York: The Free Press, 1965. Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997. Martin, Bessie. A Rich Man’s War, A Poor Man’s Fight. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2003. Ratchford, James Wylie. Memoirs of a Confederate Staff Officer: From Bethel to Bentonville. Eds. James E. Hansen II & Evelyn Sieburg. Shippensburg: Beidel Printing House, Inc. 1998. Thomas, Emory M. The Confederate Nation: 1861-1865. New York: Harper & Row, 1979. Vinovskis, Maris, ed. Toward a Social History of the American Civil War. 1st. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

The Natural :: Essays Papers

The Natural Iris vs. Memo, the everlasting battle of Good and Evil, Good Angel vs. Bad Angel. In The Natural the Angels take the form of women that interact with Roy. Iris the â€Å"Good Angel† has nothing but a positive influence on Roy and cares about him deeply. The exact opposite of Iris is the â€Å"Bad Angel† Memo who cares just about what she can get her hands on except poverty. To her nothing or nobody matters. The reason Memo’s able to sneak in with Roy so easy is that she uses her body, her looks. She makes Roy a â€Å"toy† to her. She wants money so badly, that’s why she’s always with people like Gus or the Judge, because they are the rich people who like to spend a lot of money. Memo has always been mean to Roy: She hadn’t treated him right. For a while things had looked so good†¦ but no sooner has he gone into a slump when she began again to avoid him. Had she been nice to him instead, he’d have got out of trouble sooner (165). Iris is really â€Å"laid back† when it comes to Roy. Iris isn’t as attractive as Memo, but she looks past the dollars and sees what she likes. Each â€Å"Angel† has a different effect on Roy both being on and off the field. Roy goes out with Memo ignoring Pop’s warning â€Å"†¦She is unlucky and always has been and I think that there is some kind of whammy in her that carries her luck to other people† (136). Roy goes into a bad slump. Everything he does fails until one game in Detroit. The lady in the stands hesitantly rose†¦ She was an attractive woman, around 30, maybe more, and built solid but not too big†¦ A reporter approached her and asked her name but she wouldn’t give it to him, nor would she, blushing, say why she was standing now (159). The woman standing is Iris and she is standing because she believes in Roy, and wants him to regain his confidence by showing her support.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Raymond Briggs Essay

During the 1980s there was fear of a nuclear attack. Mass protests were held in order to prevent nuclear armament. Many politicians gave formal sermons to the public, warning them of the threat of nuclear war and the effects of the bombs. However, Raymond Briggs uses cartoon books and film to illustrate the serious message, making it more interesting, so more people take notice of it. ‘When the Wind Blows’ follows the lives of a conventional, elderly couple in the countryside. Their names are Jim and Hilda Bloggs. The name Bloggs shows that they are very ordinary and could represent anybody. The first section of the cartoon strip shows the idyllic countryside in which the couple live. There are fluffy clouds in the sky, but at the same time these clouds are very ominous, as we later find out. These clouds soon become mushroom clouds after the bomb hits. There are bright colours filling the pages making their lives seem cheerful. The windmills in the background generate wind using the latest technology, however, this technology is what creates the bomb. Jim reads the newspaper when he arrives home and we realise that the lives shown in the newspaper are so very different compared to his and his wife’s simple lives. ‘My life isn’t very fast-moving or dynamic.’ Jim always tries to sound intelligent but gets things wrong constantly. This makes us feel terrible pity for Jim because he is so hopeless. On the video, Jim squints quite often and Hilda always hobbles. This shows their vulnerability. The simplicity of the illustrations of Jim and Hilda is a reflection of their characters. The couple seem very warm and kind because of their round bodies. They both have rosy cheeks giving them a plump and healthy appearance as well. The endearing name, ‘Ducks’, that Jim has for Hilda adds to their innocence. Jim and Hilda trust the government completely and think that without the official leaflets they’d ‘have been totally non-prepared’. However, we know that the leaflets are just there to comfort the people, because no one can escape the radiation sickness after a nuclear bomb explosion. Their naivety shows when they seem to think that there is going to be a war and not a nuclear bomb. ‘I can soon touch it in after The Bomb’s gone off’. There is some irony in their comments because, after the supposed war, they will be wiped out. During the build-up to the bomb, the lullaby ‘Rock a Bye Baby’ plays in the background. This gives the story it’s title. The irony here is that, when the bomb hits, hot winds will sweep over the countryside causing mass destruction. Lullabies are usually sung to children so it makes the couple again seem innocent and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. We feel even more sympathy for Jim and Hilda when they look back at the community spirit of World War Two with nostalgia. They never seem to see the grim reality of what is happening to them. As the bomb hits, all the audience and reader can see is a bright white light. This represents the total obliteration that the bomb causes. The colours outside change from cheerful colours to ones of luridness. While Jim is reading out names of political organisations, there are strong drumbeats playing in the background, giving a threatening sense. The drums beats get louder, drowning out Jim’s voice, showing the nuclear war as being more important. Flashes of real-life footage also add to the threatening atmosphere and show the reality of what is happening. The names of organisations flash onto the screen then they fall apart and become distorted. This reflects Jim’s thoughts of the names. They mean nothing to him and, as far as he is concerned, they are just letters. The fact that they all fall apart shows that there is no safety, even from organisations set up to protect people. After the explosion, we see the inevitable 0death of Jim and Hilda. Bags start to appear round their eyes, Hilda’s ankles start to sag and her hair falls out. This is a very moving build-up to their death, as it shows the awful reality of the bomb. The couple have hardly any food to eat, but manage to find one fruit pastille. Their true love for each other is shown here as they cut the pastille in half, making it fair. During the aftermath of the bomb, both Hilda and Jim have fantasies. We feel sympathy for them here because their childish fantasies make them seem innocent. As the glass shatters, Hilda sees her past in the pieces of glass, which is shattered before her very eyes. This gives her character a past so we feel great pity on her, because we know she is going to die. It also seems like her life flashing before her eyes, something which people associate with the arrival of death. In both the film and book, the death of Jim and Hilda is not shown. In the book the last pages are brown, showing no hope for the couple, whereas in the film version, there is a close-up of the bunker and it rises into the sky, appearing as the sun. This gives a sense of hope, because it shows that Jim and Hilda have gone to heaven. I think that the way Raymond Briggs has used the cartoon book genre to convey a serious message works really well. It is very moving and rouses the sympathy of both reader and audience.