Isolation and Feelings in Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Essay

It appears that the people who care the most end up getting hurt by the ones they love. The more time, energy, love, and money that a person sometimes invests get thrown back in their face once something drastic happens. In turn, this causes feelings of worthlessness and isolation and can eventually lead to death. Franz Kafka understands this better than anyone else and can portray this in his novella, the Metamorphosis. In his novella, The Metamorphosis, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa is one who undergoes a physical and mental transformation due to the unrelenting pressures that his father placed upon him which eventually cause him to die. At the heart of the father-son relationship lies Gregor and his father whose relationship is explored†¦show more content†¦Both of their fathers are controlling, physically abusive, and overbearing. Kafka’s father was able to rise out of his low place in order to start his own business while Samsa’s father sits around doing n othing and forcing Gregor to work in order to provide for the family (Introduction to Franz Kafka). From the start of The Metamorphosis until the end, Gregor’s father, Mr. Samsa treats Gregor with extreme harshness in the way he speaks to Gregor and the physical pain that he inflicts upon him. Even in the very first encounter with the newly transformed Gregor the father’s first reaction is unexpected. When he sees that Gregor is a bug, his reaction is one of disgust. This ‘monstrous’ creature that Gregor had become was a horrid sight for Mr. Samsa to see. â€Å"The father was already knocking, gently, but with his fist† exerts the fact that Mr. Samsa was a bit manipulative (Kafka 9). The irony in this sentence is that he knocked gentle as to seem that he did not want to disturb Gregor. He then also made sure to use his fist as to show a sign of power and that he did not care if Gregor was ok but rather to make sure that he would get to work on time. At one moment in the story the father seems a bit worrisome but in the next instant the â€Å"fathe r gave him a strong push which was literal deliverance and he flew far into the room... The door was slammed behind him with a stick... (Kafka 20). This statement is also oneShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Gregor and Samsa Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagesexistence have evolved along with them. Among the literary pioneers who have explored the meaning and purpose of existence, Franz Kafka is one to be noted and studied. A follower of the existentialism movement, he made it a point explore existential philosophy in his literary works. In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, the main character Gregor Samsa is the parallel to Franz Kafka which is evident through the portrayal of their similar paternal relationships, ties to existentialism, and their inabilityRead MoreThe Metamorphosis Isolation Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesFranz Kafka’s feelings of isolation throughout his life caused him to portray characters in his writing as outcasts as a result. The basis of Ka fka’s novel The Metamorphosis is the effects of isolation on man and it’s impact on life. The use of modernism in Kafka’s writing was a reflection of the characteristic shift from the beauty and innocence of romanticism to the cold harsh reality of life after World War I. Kafka’s lifelong alienation intersects with his work where he draws on his personalRead MoreThe Existential Isolation And Biopsychological Change1519 Words   |  7 PagesExistential Isolation and Biopsychological Change in The Metamorphosis and â€Å"Letter to my Father† by Franz Kafka and Unwelcome Visitors† by Tessa Farmer This literary and art analysis will define the correlation between the writings of Kafka and the installation art of Tessa Farmer’s in relation to the themes of existential isolation and biopsychological change. Gregor’s anxiety in The Metamorphosis is partially due to the alienation of society, which cases an existential period of isolation in whichRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka1147 Words   |  5 PagesPaul Kim Professor Teresa McCarty AP Language 27 October 2015 The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka led a life filled with struggles, particularly evident in his relationship with his father. His experiences and feelings in life are manifested throughout his writings, as the themes in his life dominate the themes of his works, especially so in his novella, The Metamorphosis. Through his extended metaphor of Samsa as a vermin, Kafka illustrates the family dynamic present throughout his life, that of his familyRead MoreFranz Kafka and Ismail Kadare861 Words   |  4 PagesFranz Kafka and Ismail Kadare were two of the most extravagant storytellers of modern times. Franz Kafka wrote the short story, The Metamorphosis and Ismail Kadare wrote the novel, Broken April. In these two stories, there is a sense of sadness and darkness that both author’s portrayed in them. The characterization between Gregor (from The Metamorphosis) and Gjorg (from Broken April) were actually similar in comparison. The similarities are isolation, loneliness, and their father figures. Neverth elessRead MoreSubconscious Rebellion in the Novel The Metamorphosis Essay940 Words   |  4 PagesThe Metamorphosis, a novella by Franz Kafka, is about a man who has been transformed into a giant beetle overnight. This transformation is a form of rebellion that turns out to be a punishment for that rebellion. The Metamorphosis is a story of subconscious rebellion and isolation to avoid ones responsibilities. The story begins, When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. (Kafka, 3) This is quite surprisingRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The metamorphosis,† is a story by Franz Kafka, published in 1915 is a story divided in three chapters: transformation, acceptance, and the death of the protagonist. There are many interpretations that can form this tale as the indifference by the society that is concerned with different individuals, and isolation pushing some cases to the solitude. Some consider The Metamorphosis as an autobiography of the author, which tries to capture the loneliness and isolation that he felt at some pointRead More Mental Isolation in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis Essay1428 Words   |  6 PagesMental Isolation in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis The metamorphosis very possibly was written by Kafka as an outlet for his feelings of isolation and helplessness. In it, the protagonist, Gregor Samsa, awakens one morning to find himself spontaneously transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. The story continues from there in a most realistic fashion: his family rejects him, and he stays cooped up in his room until he dies. Although interpretations of the story differ, my opinion isRead MoreFranz Kafka s The Metamorphosis1544 Words   |  7 PagesFranz Kafka, struggled throughout his life with isolation, which is clearly a great influence and inspiration in his work, The Metamorphosis. Franz Kafka was born in 1883 to an upper middle class Jewish family in Prague. Kafka struggled with many problems in all facets of his life, most significantly in his his health, his relationships with the people in his life, and his relationship with work. Each of these problems contributed to his isolation, which is reflected in his character Gregor Samsa’sRead MoreIsolation In Franz Kafkas Metamorphosis1145 Words   |  5 PagesSecluded From It All! Have you ever had that feeling that you were all alone or isolated from society? Many people deal with this unconscious feeling everyday. Having to go about your life everyday with this thought can be very depressing and can often lead to death. Just like the many people in the world, the main character, Gregor Samsa, also felt this way. Isolation refers to the situation of being alone and/or without others around. Due to his transformation, Gregor was immediately isolated unlike

The Mayans Free Essays

[pic] By Chandler Anschutz Standard to be covered by this project: Describe the diverse characteristics of early American Civilizations and societies in North, Central, and South America by comparing and contrasting the major aspects (government, religion, interactions with the environment, economy, and social life) of American Indian civilizations and societies such as the Maya, Aztec, Inca, Pueblo, and/or Eastern Woodland peoples. [pic] Rise and Fall of the Mayans The Maya people lived from 11,000 B. C. We will write a custom essay sample on The Mayans or any similar topic only for you Order Now to almost 1500 A. D. At 11,000 B. C. he first hunter-gatherers settle into the Maya Highlands. According to Mayans Long Count Calendar the creation of the world takes place in 3114-3113 B. C. In the year 2000 B. C. the Olmec civilization is on the rise, the root of many traditions in the Mayan Culture. 700 B. C. Maya people form a written language of a form of hieroglyphics. The Mayan script is logosyllabic combining about 550 logograms (which represent whole words) and 150 syllabograms (which represent syllables). There were also about 100 glyphs representing place names and the names of gods. Only about 300 of these glyphs were commonly used. In 300 B. C. the Mayans adopted the idea of a hierarchical society ruled by nobles and kings. The city of Teotihuacan is founded in 100 B. C. and becomes the center of culture, religion and trading in Mesoamerican for centuries. The Mayan people learned to farm the harsh tropical land. As populations grew, they adopted more intensive methods of cultivation including composting, terracing, and irrigation. They filled in swamps to creating fields and used silt and muck from bottomlands to fertilize enclosed gardens. Artificial ponds gave a place to hold fish, and corrals held deer and other game flushed from the forest. Their settlements grew into large city-states and with the city-states came large palaces and temples. They were very artistic; they made ceramics, murals, and sculptures. They understood the concept of zero and formed a very extensive hieroglyphic form of writing. Their year had 365 days to it and they even had made the leap year correction. They predicted solar eclipses, watched the stars, and even had their temples built so that at a certain time of year they’d face the sunrise or sunset exactly. The Mayans were led by Maya Kings, who got their power from the gods. They were both priests, interpreting religion and as leaders in times of peace and war. These kings would perform public rituals giving metaphysical meaning to the movement of the heavens, changing calendars, and even royal succession. Besides the spiritual rituals the Maya cities functioned just as a normal city would trading, fighting, making alliances, and gaining/losing land. Waka, a Maya city had become a large center of trade. Goods like jade, obsidian, and pyrite even made it to the Mayans. Waka also had a tributary to the San Pedro, it was sheltered and had room to lodge large canoes. The Mayans also invented a type of flak jacket. It was a cotton vest, stuffed with rock salt. A guy by the name of Fire is Born led an army toward Waka in means to gain reinforcements. Fire is Born was sent to conquer Tikal. With his new found reinforcements from Waka it took him a week to reach Tikal and conquer them. Fire is Born became the cities new overlord. Following Fire is Born’s take over of Tikal, Tikal itself started to expand. In the year 800 A. D. Cancun was overrun by invaders. These invaders took 31 royal hostages into the court yard, probably members of the royal family, and systematically decapitated every one of them. The king of Cancun was not spared, nor was his wife or children. The invaders took none of the riches or valuable items of the city, instead they defaced all of the monuments and toppled them face down. Almost every city was met by its end in this way or simply faded out of existence. Nobles abandoned palaces; even the homeless who had come to live in the palaces eventually abandoned them. The downfall of the Maya civilization can not be put of one simple yet terrible event. The collapse is due to many possible problems that could have damaged the empire. Resources grew scarce; kings with religious rituals lost their luster, leading instability and desperation to fuel destruction warfare. These problems may have been the cause of the fall of the Mayan civilization. There is not one exact known reason for the end of the Mayans and is for now still a mystery. |  [pic] |[pic]   |  [pic]   [pic] | |  IMIX |  IK’ |AK’BAL |K’AN | |ee mesh |eek’ |ok bol   |k’ on   | |waterlily, world |wind |night-house |maize | |  [pic] |  [pic] |[pic]   |  [pic] | |  CHIKCHAN |  KIMI |MANIK’ |LAMAT | |cheek chon |kee me |ma neek’ |la mot   | |snake |death |  hand |Venus | |[pic]   |  [pic] |  [pic] |[pic]   | |  MULUK’ |OK |  CHUEN |  EB | |mul ok’ |ak   |chew in |eb | |water |dog | monkey |tooth | |  [pic] |  [pic] |[pic]   |  [pic] | |BEN |IX |MEN |KIB | |ben   |eesh   |men   |keeb   | |reed |jaguar |eagle |soul | |  [pic] |  [pic] |  [pic] |[pic]   | |KABAN |ETZ’NAB |KAWAK |AHAW | |kah bon |ehts’ nob   |kah wok   |ah how   | |earth   |flint, knife |storm |Lord | These symbols were the symbols the Mayans used to represent the 20 days of their month. With each symbol are their Yucatec names, pronunciation and approximate translation. These are the Mayan words for units of time: Day = Kin (keen) Month of 20 days = Uinal (wee nal) Year of 360 days = Tun (toon) 20 Tuns = K’atun (k’ ah toon) 20 K’atuns = Baktun (bock toon) [pic] This is a picture of Hunab Ku. He is the supreme god of the Mayans religion. He is also the creator god. He is the Mayan equivalent for Greeks Zeus. Hunab Ku has power over the other gods. [pic] This is Cizin, the Mayan god of death. He would be a darker equivalent of the Greeks Hades. He requires a brutal sacrifice such of decapitation. Some of the religious rituals Maya Kings performed were sacrifices to this god to keep his wrath at bay. [pic] Kinich Ahau, the Mayan sun god. He brought the sun across the sky. He was an important god to the Mayans; they needed the sun to grow their crops. Sacrifices were also made to this particular god so he’d continue to bring the sun out. [pic] The Mayan god of rain and lightning, Chac, was also very important to the Maya. He brought rain to water the crops. Sacrifices were made to him to continue bringing the rain and to not use lightning against the Mayans. Chac played an important role in the Mayan religion. [pic] This is an ancient Mayan temple in Cancun. From the Mayan Classic Period, 300-900 A. D. this temple was used as a site for religious rituals. These rituals, performed by the king of the city, would have been sacrifices to the gods. Many gods were sacrificed to for the Mayans believed that the gods would be kind to them and help them if they had been sacrificed in return. [pic] This is a map of where the Maya Civilization lived. This part of the world is the southern end of Mexico and Guatemala. The sites shown on the map are locations of Mayan cities and villages. There were many of cities in Central America. [pic] This is a Mayan Ruins site. It’s the site of Tikal, a great city. Fire is Born conquered this city just a week after gaining reinforcements at Waka. This city later went on the offensive and expanded. [pic] These are the ruins of Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza was a large city of the Mayans. The temple would have been of great religious importance. Many a sacrifice would have taken place within those walls. [pic] This is a temple from Uxmal, an ancient Mayan city. This temple would have been used as a religious place used for rituals and sacrifices. Mayans sacrificed people to the gods in return for peace and aid with whatever happened to be the problem at the moment. Bibliography †¢ â€Å"The Mayan Civilization Timeline. † Mexconnect. 01 Jan 2008. Web. Jan 2010. . †¢ Criscenzo, Jeeni. â€Å"The Maya. † The Maya. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ Ager, Simon. â€Å"Mayan Scipt. † Omniglot. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"The Mayan Calendar. † Web Exhibits. IDEA, Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"The Mayas. † Minnes ota State University. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"The Mayas. † Civilizations in America. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"Mayan History Timeline. † One World Journeys. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"The Mayan History. † Mayan Indians. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ â€Å"The Rise and Fall of the Mayan Empire. † Science at NASA. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . †¢ Gugliotta, Guy. â€Å"Maya Rise and Fall. † National Geographic. 01 Aug 2007. Web. 8 Jan 2010. . How to cite The Mayans, Papers

Relation To Agreement Of Settling The Claim -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Relation To Agreement Of Settling The Claim? Answer: Introducation To establish before the court that a valid contract have been found between the parties it has to be shown that there was a valid offer and acceptance and there was intention on the part of the parties to legally binding other to the terms of the contract. The element of offer is an expression made by a person to another person in relation to the terms on which the contract is to be made. An offer is only valid in legal way if it is complete and is not an invitation to offer. Distinction between an offer and invitation to an offer has been in the case of Blackpool Flyde Aero Club v Blackpool Borough Council [1990] 3 All ER 25. The element of accounting is the willingness of the party to whom the offer has been made to abide by the terms of the offer in the exact sense which it has been made by the other person. This means that an acceptance must be comprehensively in compliance towards the provision stated in the offer. These provisions have been discussed in the case of Bressan v Squires [1974] 2 NSWLR 460 . The element of acceptance is only constituted when it has been adequately communicated to the person who has made the offer. Unless this communication is completed a contract cannot be formed. Another very important element this needs to be established before the court in relation to a contract is the intention of the party to bind each other to its terms in a legal manner. In any commercial agreement it is deemed at the parties have intention to create a legal obligation as stated in the case of Merritt v Merritt [1970] EWCA Civ 6. However there is a deemed presumption that there is no intention of creating a legal obligation in domestic relationship although this resumption can be rebutted as provided in the case of Balfour v Balfour [1919] 2 KB 571. In the case of Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Company (1893) 1 QB 256 it had been ruled by the court that whether the intention of creating a legal obligation is present or not is to be derived by the court in an objective way. Thus, derivation is done through the application of a test popularly known as the objective test. In this test a reasonable person in casse induced by the terms of the offer to get into a contract it is established that the person making the offer had intention to create a legal obligation. Application The case study provides us that Timbo operates a successful graphic design business based in Camperdown and in order to expand his business is looking for an employee who would have experience in graphic designing. He had received notification from his nephew Samuels that he would like to move to Sydney and being delighted with this news he told him about the employment opportunity in his graphic design business. There were several agreements which took between them in relation to moving cost and salary. However it was stated by Timbo that as they have a relationship of nephew and uncle there was no need to involve Legal procedures. According to the above discussed cases although there is no intention of creating a legal obligation in a domestic agreement the presumption can be rebutted. Therefore in order to established that there was a contract between Timbu and Samuel the rebuttal has to be established. This rebuttal can be established through the application of the objective test as provided in the case of Carlill. Any reasonable person in the given situation would have a consideration that there is intention on the part of Timbo to get into a legal obligation for the employment contract. In addition although there was no legal formalities involved in this contract a message was sent by Timbo to Samuel stating the terms of the contract. These terms had been duly accepted by Samuel through the message. Therefore the elements of a valid offer and acceptance have been satisfied in this case. Thus from the above discussion it is clear that as there was a valid offer and acceptance along with an intention to create a legal obligation there is a contract between Timbo and Samuel. Samuel has also in relation to the contract sold his house. The rules in relation to the present situation can be best described through the application of the landmark case of Pinnel's Case (1602) 5 CoRep 117a . In this case it had been expressly stated by the court that making Part consideration is not a good consideration. This means that if a person is liable to pay $100 to another person and instead pays $50 in full settlement of the debt there is nothing in law which can prevent the other person from claiming the other $50 as there was no consideration which was provided by the first person for settling the dues in a lesser amount. In addition the first person already had an obligation to repay the full amount of debt to the other person. Therefore a part consideration is not considered as a good consideration. These principles have also been discussed in the case of Stilk v Myrick (1809) where it was stated by the court that a creditor has to be protected from an economic duress done by the debtor. The principles of this case have also been affirmed in the case of Foakes v Beer (1884) 9 App Cas 605 by the house of Lords. In this case the plaintiff was able to obtain a judgement in relation to a debt against the defendant who was asked subsequently to pay the remaining amount. In this case the plaintiff had agreed that no legal action would be taken by him if the defendant pays her $500 immediately and the remaining money in instalments. It was held by the court that the new agreement between the parties is not valid as there is no consideration provided by the defendant to the plaintiff in relation to not taking any further legal actions. Few more cases where the concept of the dash case have been performed by the court are the case of Ferguson v Davies (1996) and Re C (a Debtor) [1996] BPLR 535. However there are some exceptions to this rule. In the case of Hirachand Punamchand v Temple [1911] 2 KB 330 a father had paid lesser amount to another person for the purpose of settling the debt owed by his son in totality. The money lender however sued for the remaining balance. It was held by the court that this part payment was a reasonable consideration and if the claim of the money lender is allowed it would be a fraud in relation to the father. The doctrine of promissory estoppel also works as an exception to the Pinnel case. According to the doctrine means are provided for the purpose of making a promise binding on the parties even in situation where consideration is absent. This concept had been provided in the case of Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees House Ltd [1947] 1 KB 130. However the doctrine of promissory estoppel only applicable when it is in the ends of Justice and otherwise the penal rule prevails in contractual transaction. In the given situation it has been provided that Timbo had the duty of paying $15,000 to Samuel as he has agreed to pay all the moving cost incurred by Samuel in relation to moving to Sydney. However it has been provided in the situation that Timbo had requested samual to take only $5,000 instead of $15,000 and settle the claim as he was not able to pay the remaining $10,000 because of his poor financial condition. Subsequently Samuel accepted $5,000 as a full settlement of his debt from Timbo. However the financial condition of Timbo enhanced as the business became profitable. In this given situation according to the provisions of the pinnel case Samuel have all the right to reclaim the remaining $10,000 is entitled to get from Timbo. This is because a part consideration is not considered as a good consideration. The same situation had happened before as discussed in the case of Foakes and Stilk. Thus taking into consideration the provisions of such cases Timbo is liable to pay the remaining amount to Samuel as there was no consideration provided by him in relation to the agreement of settling the claim. In addition the exceptions discussed above are not applicable to this case as it is not in the ends of justice to prevent Samuel from calming the remaining $10,000 and there is no third party involved in the situation. Conclusion Samuel has the right to claim $10,000 from Timbo References Central London Property Trust Ltd v High Trees House Ltd [1947] business-law Hirachand Punamchand v Temple [1911] 2 KB 330 Ferguson v Davies (1996)and Re C (a Debtor) [1996] BPLR 535 Foakes v Beer (1884) 9 App Cas 605 Stilk v Myrick (1809) Pinnel's Case (1602) 5 CoRep 117a Balfour v Balfour [1919] 2 KB 571. Merritt v Merritt [1970] EWCA Civ 6. Bressan v Squires [1974] 2 NSWLR 460 . Blackpool Flyde Aero Club v Blackpool Borough economics [1990] 3 All ER 25.

Reflective Account on Communication free essay sample

Communication is very important in order to express needs and emotions. There are two types of communication, verbal and non-verbal, both of which are important in understanding and supporting someone. This report is based on a 40 year old lady that finds verbal communication hard, due to shyness. She also has bipolar and cerbal-palsey. The communication barrier I have with AB is she is finding speaking to me other then yes, no and don’t know very hard. She is shy and timid. AB does not engage in conversation easily. I believe that it is important to find way of communicate as it is the way we express needs and emotions. I chose to read her care plan and all records held at her property, written by other support workers and other professions working with AB. I did this so I would be aware what others have found to work or not and what is the type of communication AB chooses to use. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflective Account on Communication or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is also a good way of communicate between staff that work with AB and it will ensure consistency of care for her. From reading this information I discovered that AB needs to build a relationship with a person before she is able to communication or make eye contact, these can take a long time when you are only present for short periods. I am working on building a good relationship with AB at present. I show an interest in her life, her family and other things that I have read see is interested in, or been doing. I always ask her if she knows what she would like to do each day. I will continue to read diary each visit. I also discovered that the way that I approach her is very important, so I always approach AB with a very positive attitude and always reminding AB that I am there to support her. The barriers to communication between myself and AB is that she is able to verbally commute but is choosing not to speak to me, more than one word answers and speaks very quietly. I am trying to over come this barrier by stop doing what i am doing to make sure that I am giving AB my full attention, listening carefully and showing interest in her. Most of the time AB is happy to make short answers to questions. If AB is then not happy to communicate with me, I remind AB that I am there to support her and will be here to talk to if she so chooses, as it is her choice. I also watch the type of body language that AB is using to help work out how she is feeling about the situation. AB does also have picture cards to help her to commute, but choose not to use them. I can check that she has understood what I have aid I by observing her reactions and short answers AB give. By always reminding and allowing AB to make her own choices and respecting her wishes to communicate with me or not I am working in a way to prevent discrimination. Reflecting on how I communicated with AB, I believe that I worked to the best of my knowledge at the time, but by doing some research I could find other ways of opening communication lines and I need to watch out more for body language signs, about the way AB is feeling. Having notes from other people about what they have tried and how they have worked or not, helps me know what things that might help get the lines of communication open and what things to research. There are many people that are working with or have a relationship AB, that I could ask for support and advise like: speech and language therapies, family members, friends, GP, district nurse, other support works. These people have different understands of AB’s needs and knowledge of supporting individuals with communication barriers. These people may have new ways of supporting and developing communication. It is important that any information that is shared is in AB best interest and with her knowledge. All information that is stored about AB is covered by the Data protection act 1998, which stated that it is to be kept secure. My company also have a policy in accords the government’s guideline, confidentially of personal information 1988.

ADOLF HITLER Essays (1835 words) - Nazi Germany, Politics

ADOLF HITLER Essays (1835 words) - Nazi Germany, Politics ADOLF HITLER ADOLF HITLER 1. THE BEGINNING At half past six on the evening of April 20th, 1889 a child was born in the small town of Branau, Austria. The name of the child was Adolf Hitler. He was the son a Customs official Alois Hitler, and his third wife Klara. As a young boy Adolf attendated church regulary and sang in the local choir. One day he carved a symbol into the bench which resembled the Swastika he later used as the symbol of the Nazi party. He was a pretty good student. He received good marks in most of his classes. However in his last year of school he failed German and Mathematics, and only succeeded in Gym and Drawing. He drooped out of school at the age of 16, spending a total of 10 years in school. From childhood one it was his dream to become an artist or architect. He was not a bad artist, as his surviving paintings and drawings show but he never showed any originality or creative imagination. To fullfil his dream he had moved to Vienna the capital of Austria where the Academy of arts was located. He failed the first time he tried to get admission and in the next year, 1907 he tried again and was very sure of success. To his surprise he failed again. In fact the Dean of the academy was not very impressed with his performance, and gave him a really hard time and said to him "You will never be painter." The rejection really crushed him as he now reached a dead end. He could not apply to the school of architecture as he had no high-school diploma. During the next 35 years of his live the young man never forgot the rejection he received in the dean's office that day. Many Historians like to speculate what would have happened IF.... perhaps the small town boy would have had a bit more talent....or IF the Dean had been a little less critical, the world might have been spared the nightmare into which this boy was eventually to plunge it. 2. WORLD WAR I While living in Vienna Hitler he made his living by drawing small pictures of famous landmarks which he sold as post cards. But he was always poor. He was also a regular reader of a small paper which claimed that the Araban race was superior to all and was destined to rule the world. The paper blamed Communists and Jews for all their problems and hitler agreed to those views. Hitler agree with most of the points made in the publication. He continued to live a poor live in Vienna and in 1913 decided to move to Munich. Still living in Vienna and being Austrain by birth, Hitler showed more loyalty to the Geramny. He thought that the Aryan race was destined to rule the world. Many believe that he tried to escape the draft but it was never proven. His live in Munich was not much better then before and he continued to be poor. Then in 1914 World War I broke out and Hitler saw this as a great opportunity to show his loyalty to the "fatherland" by volunteering for the Imperial army. He did not want to fight in the Austrian Army. Hitler was a good soldier. Many of political opponents claimed that he was a coward but records clearly show that he was not. He received to awards of bravery but never achieved a high Rank. In 1918 Germany surrendered and Hitler was very upset about the loss. He believed that it was the Jews and the Communists who betrayed the "fatherland" and it was here that his disliking of the Jews most likely began. Germany after the war was in chaos. With no real Government to control the country, many groups tried to take control. One day a big communist group staged a big riot but another group of ex-soldiers including Hitler managed to hold them back. 3. THE NAZI PARTY Since there were not many chances for employment Hitler stayed in the army. Hitler was assigned the job of going go to various meetings of groups which sprang up like mushrooms and to report on them. One day September 12, 1919 - a fateful day in history, Hitler was sent to investigate a small group which called itself the "German Workers Party". Hitler was not to happy about his assignment. He thought it wouldn't be worth it to even go. At the group mainly talked

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One

What is a Federal Perkins Loan How Do You Get One SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips There are a lot of great federal aid options out there, for every type of student. The Perkins loan may just be one of many types of federal loans, but it comes with a lot of perks that make it worth an in-depth look.I'll go through all the information you need about this loan program, before telling you how to get your own Perkins loan. What Is the Perkins Loan? Like the Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized programs, Perkins are government-backed, low-interest loans that are meant to help students pay for school. Certain federal aid programs don't require students to demonstrate financial need as an eligibility requirement, like Direct Unsubsidized loans. The Perkins is meant for students who demonstrate exceptional financial need, however; as such, there are some extra perks built into the loans. Before I talk about some of the benefits of the Perkins loans, I'll talk briefly about how loans usually work. Then, I'll go into more Perkins loans details, and explain how this loan program differs from the norm. What It Means to Take Out a Loan When you take out a loan, by definition, you're borrowing a sum of money (a principle) from a person or institution (a lender), with the promise that you'll pay this money back at a later date. You'll likely also agree to repay extra money in addition to the principle (interest), over a certain time period (the length of the loan). People usually pay back their student loans by making monthly payments after they graduate. A part of the payment covers accrued (accumulated) interest, whereas the rest of it goes towards paying back the principle. Interest accrues on your loan at a certain rate, usually starting when the loan amount is given out to you (disbursed). The higher your interest rate, and the longer it takes you to pay back your loan, the more interest will accrue. Standard repayment terms for federal student loans (unless the loans are quite small) are 120 monthly payments, or 10 years. Finally, interest can also capitalize, or be added to your principle amount. What this ultimately means is that interest is now accruing on a new, larger principle; the bigger the principle, the more interest will accrue. The rate of capitalization depends on your loan, but some student loans capitalize at graduation. As you might have deduced by now, one method of saving money on your loans is to minimize the amount of interest that accrues and/or capitalizes. You'll see in the next section why Perkins loans make this process a little bit easier on student borrowers. Interest may just come to pennies a day, but it can add up to a significant amount over time. What's Unique About Federal Perkins Loans? In the previous section, I noted that interest usually starts accruing when the loan is disbursed. If I take out a loan my freshman fall, interest will accrue through all 4 years of college. When I graduate, I'll owe my principle + 4 years of interest - and depending on the type of loan, this interest may capitalize when I graduate. With Federal Perkins loans, you won't see any interest accrue while you're in school, during grace period, or during a period of deferment. The grace period for a Perkins loan is also a bit longer than the standard: 9 months vs. 6 months, which means another 3 months of no interest post-graduation. Here's an example of how loan repayment might play out. In this example, I have both a Perkins loan and an unsubsidized loan, both disbursed at the beginning of my freshman year. Even though the interest rate is higher for the Perkins loan, you end up paying out a lot more for the unsubsidized loan: Perkins Loan Unsubsidized Loan Interest Rate 5% 4.29% Principle $5,000 $5,000 Balance Due 6 Months Post Graduation $5,000 $5,911 Monthly payment (based on standard 120 month repayment) $53.03 $60.66 Total Amount Paid $6,363.60 $7,279.2 Finally, and perhaps most excitingly, Perkins loans give students the option of loan cancellation or loan forgiveness if they pursue particular job or careerpaths. If you play your cards right, you could walk away without owing any money on your loans. I'll talk more about loan cancellation in the next section. Loan Details The Perkins loan interest rate is currently at 5%, which is only slightly higher than interest rates on Direct Unsubsidized and Direct Subsidized loans. Like I mentioned in the previous section, interest does not accrue during school, grace periods, or deferment periods. There are no other loan fees. Loan money is applied directly to school-related charges (tuition, fees, and on-campus room and board). If there is any money left over after the loan is applied to these charges, you'll receive a refund from your school. You can use this money on any other school-related costs (e.g. transportation, books, personal expenses). Repayment You have 9 months after you leave school, graduate, or drop below half-time status before you have to start making monthly payments on your loan. The standard federal loan repayment option has borrowers making 120 monthly payments (10 years) to pay off the loan in full. Loan Cancellation Cancellation sounds like it would be a bad thing, but when it comes to student loans, cancellation arguably the best thing that can happen. Your Perkins loan debt could be wiped, or canceled, in part or in full if you spend time working in particular fields. There are many different situations that could make you eligible for loan cancellation.Examples of cancellation-eligible positions include law enforcement officer or firefighter, teacher, nurse, medical technician, and even attorney. Factors such as your length of employment, the area you're working in (e.g. if you're serving low-income communities), and the demand for certain services (e.g. if there's a higher demand for teachers in certain subjects) could all affect how much loan cancellation you're eligible for. Working in a cancellation-eligible job would constitute a period of deferment, so no interest would accrue! You can apply for Perkins loan cancellation through your school, or your school's loan servicer.Don't ever assume that your loans will be eligible for cancellation; run everything by your school's financial aid office first, and don't stop making payments until your loan is officially deferred. Loan cancellation won't be right for everybody, but it's a great debt-erasing option for people interested in certain career paths. Perkins Loan Eligibility and Limits As great as the Perkins details sound (especially with the possibility of cancellation), there are unfortunately some eligibility restrictions and limits to keep in mind. In order to be eligible for a Perkins loan, you must: Meet basic federal aid requirements (learn more about these requirements here) Be an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student enrolled in a participating school Demonstrate "exceptional" financial need. Perkins loan borrowers are typically from low-income families; 30% of families with dependent students who took out Perkins loans in 2012 made less than $30,000. The amount of money you can take out in Perkins loans depends on (1) your financial need, and (2) how much money your school can lend. Not everyone who meets basic eligibility requirements will receive Perkins loan options. As such, it's difficult to estimate ahead of time how much money you'll get through the Perkins loan program. Although there's not much you can do to estimate your Perkins loan amount, you can keep loan limits and averages in mind: Maximum undergraduate annual amount: $5,500 Maximum undergraduate lifetime amount: $27,500 Maxiumum graduate annual amount: $8,000 Maximum graduate lifetime amount (includes any undergraduate Perkins loans): $60,000 The average new Perkins loan award is about $2,000, much lower than the annual limits for both undergrads and graduate students. How to Apply Perkins loans sound like pretty good options, right? You can apply for Perkins loans by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. The application isn't just for Perkins loans - when you submit a FAFSA, you're also considered for Pell Grants and other federal loans. You can get step-by-step instructions for submitting a FAFSA here. Although Perkins loans are government-backed, your Perkins loan lender would be your school, not the US government. Because schools need to have a certain amount of available funds in order to offer these loans to students,not all schools participate in the Perkins loan program. You can find out if a school offers Perkins loans by contacting its financial aid office. As you might have expected, Perkins loan funds tend to be limited, and often run out before the official FAFSA deadline. In order to optimize your chances of getting a Perkins loan, try to submit your FASFA early in the spring semester for the next academic year. For example, if you'd like aid for the 2016-2017 academic year, plan on submitting your FAFSA in January or February of 2016. What's Next? Perkins loans aren't the only federal loans with competitive interest rates. Check out our guide comparing Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loans. As great as low interest rates sound, even with the possibility of loan cancellation, there's something even better than money you have to pay back: free money. Learn more about Pell Grants here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK Essay

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK - Essay Example Some of the reasons why plagiarism is rising in that manner are explained in this essay. One of the reasons for the increase of plagiarism in universities and schools around UK is the easy access of the internet (Watkins, 2008). There are various tools such as Google that students use to conduct their research and get access to information and ideas that can be used to complete assignments and research projects. However, such research tools have contributed to plagiarism increase across the UK because it enables learners to copy information from the internet. It is difficult to spot this form of plagiarism and cannot be identified manually. Indeed, there is a â€Å"significant, negative influence on the rate of plagiarism due to the internet† (Ison, 2014). The internet is therefore a significant cause of increasing plagiarism in most universities and schools around UK. Online education is also a significant contributor of plagiarism on the internet platform. Ison (2014) argues that online coursework or online education which is common in various institutions in UK causes a great temptation for students to plagiarize than the brick-and-mortar form of education. Online education allows students to stay on the internet for a long time, tempting them to search through various websites for information that can enable them to complete their online assignments easily. Furthermore, there is limited supervision in online studies because the student and the lecturer operate from different places and the lecturer cannot supervise the student directly.

Classics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Classics - Essay Example When the Athenians reached Melos they sent envoys to offer a proposition to the Melians. During the dialogue this proposition becomes clear. The Melians, instead of allowing the Athenian envoys to make their proposition in front of all the people of Melos, brought them before the Magistrate and the Few, giving the reason that if the Athenians come as judges in their own right, then they should be brought before those who themselves hold a judging position of what is right. However, the Athenians state that they believe the Melians to have requested a quiet audience so that they may not influence the inhabitants of Melos, this they do not mind and go about setting out their proposition. Here, we see the subtleties of politics during this era and how important the masses were in determining what happens during the war. The Melians afraid that their people would choose submission has employed a more covertness means of debate; thus, denying the people of Melos to choose their fate. The Melians see only two ways either they submit to Athenian rule and become slaves or they go to war and hope to win. However, the Athenians declare that the Melians are not completely right in their assumptions; for, the most important thing is to preserve the island of Melos. The only way to do this is to submit to Athenian rule, becoming a tributary of the Athenian empire but being left alone to carry on as before, preserving their culture and ways of living. They indicate that this would be an advantage to both parties; for, the Melians retain the safety and preservation of their country and the Athenians need not make war against them. The Melians state that they do not comprehend why they cannot remain neutral, taking neither side but being friends to Athens. The Athenians explain that if they leave Melos to remain neutral the people of the Athenian empire will either believe Melos to be very powerful or the Athenians

Woolworths Case Study Draft Essay Example for Free

Woolworths Case Study Draft Essay Part 1: Goodwill and Discontinued Operations a) Carrying value of goodwill 24 June 2012 The carrying value of goodwill in Woolworth’s consolidated financial statements was $3221.8 Million (M) at 24 June 2012. This figure is included within ‘intangible assets’ on the consolidated balance sheet and exact amount is disclosed in the Note 11 of Notes to consolidated financial statements (Woolworths 2012, p 126). b) Movements in carrying value of goodwill The carrying value of goodwill at the beginning of the period was $3227.7M (Woolworths 2012, p 126). An additional $42.1M was recognised throughout the year due to additional acquisition of businesses, with less . 5M for disposals and $0.7M for other expenses. Woolworths also recognised an impairment loss of $70.6M for the year. There was also an effect of movements in foreign exchange rates of $24.8M, which resulted in a carrying amount of $3221.8million at the end of the period (Woolworths 2012, p 126). c) Impairment loss on goodwill i) Impairment loss on Goodwill at 24 June 2012 was $70.6M. ii) Woolworth’s accounting policy with respect to impairment testing of goodwill is consistent with AASB 139 Intangible Assets. Note 11 (Woolworths 2012, p 126) specifically states that intangible assets (such as goodwill) with indefinite useful lives are tested for impairment annually and when there is indication that the asset may be impaired, the impairment loss is recognised when the carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount. Recoverable amount is further defined to be the higher of fair value less cost to sell and value in use. iii) Impairment loss on goodwill was a result of Woolworth’s announcement to restructure and divest the Consumer Electronics Business. The amount is also disclosed as ‘discontinued operations’ in Note 33 (Woolworths 2012, p 96) for $366.2M. AASB 5.32 defined discontinued operations to be a part of an entity that represents a separate line, or part, of business or geographical area or subsidiary acquired exclusively for resale that had been disposed or classified as held for sale. A separate line item from continuing operations is required as a single figure disclosed in statement of comprehensive income or Notes. iv) The fair value less costs to sell figure of $420M (Woolworths 2012, p 174) includes impairment loss, restructuring provisions relating to goodwill, inventory, plant property and equipment, and lease exit costs. Since the impairment loss attributed to goodwill was $70.6M. Hence (420-70.6M) = $349.4M is attributable to fair value losses related to net  assets. Since held for sale assets disclosed in the Balance sheet (Woolworths 2012, p 99) is $376.7M, the net assets prior recognising the loss would have approximately been (349.4+376.7M) $726.1M, assuming that transaction costs and lease exit costs are negligible. v) The Dick Smith Electronics brand and stores were sold for $20M (Janda 2012). As the held for sale assets was recognised to be $376.7M, the net loss Woolworths would recognise is (376.7-20) $356.7M in the 2012-2013 financial period. Part 2: Investments in controlled entities a) Woolworths Limited group structure b) Non-controlling interest The carrying dollar value of the non-controlling interest (NCI) in Woolworths Limited as at 24 June 2012 was $258.1 million (Woolworths 2012, p 103). This NCI is the dollar amount of the combined equity interests in the parent companys subsidiaries not owned by the parent. When interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes confirmed that the figure also represented the profits made by NCI’s that have not yet been allocated to them. The respective NCI for the Woolworths Limited group applies to the external equity interests held in Woolworths Limiteds subsidiaries of ALH Group Pty Ltd, Australian Independent Retailers Pty Ltd, Bergam Pty Limited, Hydrox Holdings Pty Ltd and Statewide Independent Wholesalers Limited (Woolworths 2012, p 164-167). Woolworths Limiteds annual report is not useful for non-controlling shareholders. The reason for this is the information regarding NCI is aggregated as it combines all the information from separate subsidiaries with NCIs into combined figures which cannot be separated by a shareholder. It may then be argued that information regarding NCI should be more detailed however when interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes suggested that non-controlling shareholders should only be interested in the reports of their subsidiary as they are more detailed. Fortunately there are separate financial statements available for the subsidiaries with non-controlling interests. The reason for this is that the class action, ASIC Class Order 98/1418, exempting some subsidiaries from reporting requirements only pertains to wholly-owned subsidiaries (Woolworths 2012, p. 168). Therefore separate financial statements are available for subsidiaries of Woolworths Limited that have non-controlling interests. c) AASB 3.19 The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) (2010, para 19) gives controlling entities a choice between measuring the non-controlling interest (NCI) using the 100% method or the proportionate method. The proportionate method does not assign goodwill to the NCI as it relates to the subsidiarys net identifiable assets. In comparison the 100% method requires the non-controlling interest to be measured at its fair value which includes goodwill. One reason an entity may prefer to use the proportionate method is that it does not require a calculation of fair value for the NCI. The calculation of fair value for the NCI may be difficult in circumstances where an active market does not exist. Using Woolworths Limiteds annual report we can gather information relating to which method they chose to use. Their significant accounting policies relating to goodwill state that goodwill represents the difference between the cost of the acquisition and the fair  value of the net identifiable assets acquired (Woolworths Limited 2012, p 108). Therefore this policy describes the same process for identifying goodwill as the process used in the proportionate method and it may be concluded that Woolworths is using the proportionate method. The issues regarding the choice between the two methods are interesting. The choice seems to be more beneficial for the parent entity rather than the NCI as a company such as Woolworths Limited may choose to consistently use the proportionate method. This may misrepresent the value of the NCI to be lower as this method does not have a goodwill component for the NCI which the 100% method often has. Therefore the disclosures under the proportionate method made by Woolworths Limited regarding the NCI values could be undervalued. When interviewed in 2013 Professor Chris Nobes suggested that the choice between the two methods may affect comparability of financial statements. This point is reiterated by the International Accounting Standards Board (2012, para BC210). A further issue according to the International Accounting Standards Board (2012, para BC213) is that the 100% method is more expensive to use which is one key reason for the inclusion of the proportionate method. Using all these arguments one can see that there are many perspectives about which method is better and whether a choice should have been included in the standard. Still we should not be too concerned as Professor Chris Nobes confirms in his 2013 interview that not many business acquisitions have NCI components or they have an insignificant NCI component and therefore the issue of choice under AASB 3.19 is small. Part 3: Segment note a) Reportable segments Woolworths (2012) has identified five reportable segments related to continuing operations according to AASB 8.13. Each reporting segment is managed separately due to the varying products and services they offer, as well as the requirement of ‘different technology and marketing strategies’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) of each business unit. The reportable segments are split into two categories of Retail Operations and Hotels, with the former comprising of Australian Food Liquor, New Zealand Supermarkets, Petrol and Big W. As at 24 June 2012, the Australian Food Liquor segment comprised of 872 Australian supermarkets, totalling approximately 6.52% of total EBIT, and 160 Dan Murphy Liquor stores (Woolworths 2012). The Woolworths convenience liquor businesses; BWS and Woolworths Liquor are also included within the segment. This segment relies heavily on consumer confidence levels as the bulk of the sales stems from general groceries found at the supermarket as an alternative to fast food outlets that offer more affordable meal options. Similarly, the New Zealand Supermarkets segment specialises in the ‘procurement of Food and Liquor and products for resale to customers in New Zealand’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119). The ‘Countdown’ supermarkets operate in the same way as the Woolworths supermarkets in Australia, with a total of 161 supermarkets opened across the country as at June 24 2012. In the Petrol segment, the ‘procurement of Petroleum products for resale to customers in Australia’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) is categorised through the Woolworths/Caltex alliance sites. This segment, coupled with the Big W segment, ; the ‘procurement of discount general merchandise products for resale to customers in Australia’ (Woolworths 2012, p 119) round off the reportable retail operations segments as the smallest, bearing not as big influence as the supermarket segments in relation to the group. Furthermore, the hotels segment is heavily affiliated with the liquor stores and supermarkets, as they provide leisure and hospitality services including alcohol and food, as well as gaming and accommodation. There are 294 hotel venues in operation as at June 24 2012, with Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores affiliated with over 500 hotels in total. b) Investment analysis When determining the ‘better’ investment between Woolworths Limited and Wesfarmers Limited amidst volatilities in the New Zealand economy and Australian groceries, liquor and petrol sectors, it is important not to make direct comparisons between the two companies encompassing different segment disclosure methods despite the compliance with AASB 8. Woolworths has identified New Zealand Supermarkets as a reportable segment, presenting comprehensive revenue data including other operating revenue and inter-segment revenue. Contrastingly, Wesfarmers does not comply with AASB 8.23 a) and b) by only disclosing the New Zealand revenue by geographical location. Nevertheless, assuming that the sales to customers was used by both companies, the following revenue calculations were calculated since the previous year: Comparability between the competing companies becomes increasingly difficult when analysing the investment in relation to the volatile groceries, liquor and petrol sectors. Whilst Woolworths identified the Australian Food Liquor and Petrol business units as different reportable segments, Wesfarmers grouped this financial information under ‘Coles’. The information regarding the allocation of revenues between operating units for Wesfarmers is not provided, hampering an ethical investing choice for external users. Despite the reporting issues, a revenue analysis was conducted in order to determine the most profitable company. Since the Coles segment was determined by a sum of undisclosed food, liquor, hotels, convenience and petrol data, the following analysis used Woolworths as a sum of its same divisions: Though abiding by AASB 8, Wesfarmers disclosed as little information as possible. It is clear that Wesfarmers possesses a fear of disclosure, and would rather present aggregated data in order to hide potential information  about risk, losses and debt levels for a particular Company 2012 $A revenue (millions) 2011 $A revenue (millions) $A change (millions) % change Woolworths 4301.8 4110.5 191.3 4.654% Wesfarmers 1283 1174 109 9.2845% Company Segment Revenue 2012 (millions) Segment Revenue 2011 (millions) Segment EBIT 2012 (millions) Segment EBIT 2011 (millions) % change in segment Revenue % change in segment EBIT Woolworths 45,815.6 43,478.4 3140 2980.2 5.34% 5.36% Coles 34,117 32,073 1356 1166 6.373% 16.3% segment. However, when removing segment reporting variability between the two companies, it is clear that greater growth opportunities exists for Wesfarmers, and is therefore the recommended investment. c) AASB 8 non-disclosures i) Despite clear disclosure of revenue for its reportable segments, Woolworths did not disclose its segment assets and segment liabilities. Therefore, it is assumed that the company did not comply with AASB 8.21 b), where information about segment assets and liabilities was not disclosed. However, AASB 8.23 states that ‘an entity shall report a measure of liabilities for each reportable segment if such an amount is regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker’ (AASB 2010, p 15). Similarly, this extends to the non-disclosure of segment assets according to AASB 25: ‘only those assets that are included in the measures of the segment’s assets that are used by the chief operating decision maker shall be reported for that segment’. Here it is agreed that the CODM of Woolworths does not believe the risk and opportunities of these items are important, thus the non-disclosure in the segment reports. ii) Whilst Woolworths was able to disaggregate the diverse aspects of their total business, Wesfarmers aggregated the majority of their core business operation within the ‘Coles’ segment. It is clear that Wesfarmers does not comply with AASB 8.20; by not enabling users to ‘evaluate the nature and financial effects of the business activities in which it engages’ (AASB 2010, p 14). However, AASB 8.22 b) states that an entity shall disclose ‘the types of products and services from which each reportable segment derives its revenues’ (AASB 2010, p 15). It is clear that Wesfarmers abide by this standard by disclosing the components of the Coles segment, instead of the revenue figures generated from each segment. d) ACCC investigation i) Acts of ‘unconscionable conduct’ such as high bargaining strength for Woolworths and Wesfarmers resulting in demands for extra payments, penalties and threat to suppliers that products will be removed from shelves (Rolfe 2013) would be highly financially beneficial to the two groups as they are significantly lowering the costs of supplies, and thus allowing opportunity to increase profit margins. This is further evidenced in Coles’ 15% increase in pre-tax earnings in 6 months (Rolfe 2013) and a 24% increase in pretax earnings for Wesfarmers despite the same level of stock. The two groups also demonstrate significant market power through ‘interesting’ competitive methods (Kidd 2013) of purchasing each  other’s profitable stores as the purchases show the ‘significant financial strength’ (ACCC 2013) of the business. ii) Coles and Woolworths can minimise disclosures as to hide ‘unconscionable conduct’ and ‘misuse of market power’ by not disclosing costs of supplies in their segment notes. AASB 8 requires a ‘management approach’ to be adopted where information used by the ‘chief operating decision maker’ internally for segment evaluation is disclosed (AASB 8.5b). This allows great  flexibility for management to aggregate figures into the disclosed segments which Woolworths had divided into geographical and operational segments. The aggregated figures disclosed are summarised and does not disclose any information about cost of supplies (Woolworths 2012, p 119). In fact, only revenues attributable to each segment is reported. Australian Food and Liquor segment reported $37,681.4M revenue, which depicts a substantially larger segment relative to New Zealand Supermarkets, Petrol, Big W and Hotels, which average at $5000M each. iii) Since Woolworths’ business in Australia is significantly larger than other segments, from the perspective of consumer groups, it would be beneficial to further divide the Australian Food and Liquor segment into State segments, for example. Currently, Australia has 872 stores, New Zealand has 161 stores and that NSW, QLD, VIC all have larger number of stores than New Zealand, it would be beneficial to further dissect the segments into regional groups.

Performance Appraisal Essay -- Business, Employee Evaluation, Performa

Performance appraisals are a major component of human resource management systems used by organisations to measure and manage what is considered to be the most valuable resource available to them; human capital. This report aims to evaluate the effectiveness of performance appraisals and its application to both the employer and its employees, taking into consideration various rationales for its implementation. This will be achieved through an in depth review of the concept of performance appraisals, its evolution in corporate organisations and existing literature on the topic, and the effects (both positive and negative) to the organisation as a whole and to its employees. It will be argued that despite being of relative importance to performance management systems in organisations, performance appraisals fail to achieve the lofty ideals and objectives which characterize its implementation. Performance appraisals are a key component of the performance management process in organisations and are used to obtain feedback on performance levels of employees for a given period of time. Performance appraisals have been defined as the process which allows firms to measure and consequently evaluate an employee's achievements and behaviour over a certain period of time (Devries et al, 1981). It is the process of identifying, observing, measuring and developing human resources in organisations (Cardy and Dobbins, 1994). Various organisations use varying performance appraisal systems and have differing opinions on performance goals which cause some sort of confusion on the purpose of performance appraisal systems (Buckley and Wiese, 1998). Performance is thus the critical factor which is being addressed in the understanding and developmen... ...ughout the organisation. This way, management is able to consistently harmonize its operational goals with employee developmental efforts and job expectations. Performance appraisals also give organisations the opportunity to address performance issues without conflict by providing evidence of actual on the job performance and productivity. This way, high achievers and bottom performance are easily singled out with relative recommendations effected. Despite performance appraisals satisfying numerous organisational objectives, the focus of its activities is in providing direction and information to employees to boost performance and job productivity (Latham et al., 1993). This should remain the primary objective performance appraisal systems should seek to address which leads to this article addressing issues which affects the effectiveness of its implementation.

Information Technology Outsourcing Management

What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com Information Technology Outsourcing Management What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com

Quick Summary Essay

Maru is definitely not likeable but then again most real life leaders are not. Leaders portrayed in literature, movies tend to be likeable because the writer wants to champion some idea using that character. In this case, I don’t think Bessie head necessarily wanted us to like Maru or feel warm fuzzies about Margaret finally ending up with Maru( and not Moleka). She was driving the point home that the reality of overcoming prejudice takes more than inviting one’s servants to the dinner table and eating from the same fork. Maru has to literally create a new society and he hand-picks those that he deems to be worthy of being citizens of such a society and also those who have characters that would make a good foundation for such a society. Those that thrive in the existing society – such as Moleka, Dikeledi – are left in the old society. He even connives to get Moleka and Dikeledi together because they are some of the best at what they do in that society. All the unsavoury characters such as all the women who were after Maru’s position, all the bigots who looked down upon Margaret, the nurses who refused to wash the body of the dead â€Å"Masarwa† women – all of them are left behind in the old society.  the missionary Margaret Cadmore eventually leaves; the goat and her kid leave the village of abuse and go and live with Margaret; the bus driver that transports Margaret into the prejudiced society places Margaret in the â€Å"good hands† of mistress Dikeledi and then he leaves with the bus; Maru is the next in line to be king but he can’t rule such a society – his dreams are bigger than their prejudices so he also leaves and he takes with him the few candidates that would be good seed for cultivating a new just society. That is also why he is constantly plagued by the fact that he can never know if his decision to take Margaret away from Moleka was the right decision. He can only let time tell which seeds will grow and which ones will not. He loves Margaret but he is never sure if his love was the greater one – the better one – the one that does not lead to the destruction of the one character that is untainted by the warped society. as sure as he is of himself and his vision, he still cannot see the picture from the point of view of universe†¦..  i. e. why are there men like Moleka, why are there men like Maru, why do even the purest of women still get attracted to men like Moleka. Remember Margaret’s first encounter with Moleka is not exactly a rosy walk in the park†¦why is there women who scheme for social position, why is it that men such as Maru have to trick women into marrying them. why are people like Dikeledi quite happy to accept the way things are even tho ugh they see the prejudices as clearly as Maru, et cetera – hence his recurring nightmare. When we are introduced to moleka, it is clear that he thrives in that society. When we are introduced to Dikeledi, it is also clear that she embraces her positions in that society – and the only men that is good enough for her is Moleka. when we are introduced to Maru, he is not liked by his servants. Margaret has troubled introduction to the world. Moleka and Dikeledi belong and thrive in the current system. Maru and Margaret do not thrive in that system. So do Maru and Margaret stick around and accept the death plots and prejudice? So, I like Maru as a character because in the end, he actually makes a stand against the whole village, he challenges Moleka to come after him if his love is really superior – alas, Moleka chooses the here and now. So, Maru is not by any means perfect but then again Moleka is not exactly a saint either. Maru chooses the future without prejudice in a new society. Moleka chooses the current society with all its flaws. i think it is a misconception to think that Bessie head meant this to be a fairy tale. This story is very close to reality. There are no happy solutions to fighting injustice, prejudice and other such vices. The overcoming of such only is attained by those who are strong enough to make tough decisions even when those decisions are unpopular. Would Moleka really have left his womanizing ways and settled for a woman who didn’t care about social status? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦if Bessie head had ended the story with Moleka and Margaret together then it would have been a fairy tale

Blue Shadow

Blue Shadow In a land of magic, there is a castle on the top of the mountain. There lives a family with a new born child. The brother of the new born is watching the baby, and the mother tells her husband give each child a ring. The brother asks mother what is the meaning of that ring. The mother smiles to the boy and says it is family tradition to pass on the ring to their children. In that moment, a dark witch comes in to the castle. Everyone is being spelled by the dark power. The dark witch comes in and kills the man and the woman with a strong fight. The parents known the dark witch will come, so they send both the boy and the baby sister to the real world from being killed.Once the boy and the baby sister to the reality world, the brother left the sister in a secret alleyway.Elizabeth Martin many times the ring's is color just like the skin, only a short time it will appear blue. It was...

Definition and Examples of Platitudes in English

Definition and Examples of Platitudes in English Definition A platitude is a trite and obvious observation, in particular, one thats expressed as if it were fresh and significant. Adjectives: platitudinous and platitudinal. Verb: platitudinize. A person who habitually uses platitudes- or clichà ©s- is (among other things) a platitudinarian. Platitudes can be instruments of gentle criticism, says Karen Tracy. Platitudes are  especially useful in the context of public argument, for they promote the sense that a speaker is addressing a policy concern rather than actually criticizing or attacking a person (Challenges of Ordinary Democracy, 2010). Etymology: From Old French, flat, dull Pronunciation: PLAT-i-tood Related Concepts Platitudes are similar to some other terms, but can also be mixed up with some of these terms. Some of the related concepts and language terms are: CatchphraseChunkClichà ©CollocationDead MetaphorIdiomPet PhraseProverb Examples of Platitudes Youre as young as you feel.Crime does pay.It doesnt matter what youre doing, as long as youre having fun.Love will always get you through.Crime doesnt pay.He/she who laughs last, laughs best.Everybody needs somebody.Alls well that ends well.Honesty is the best policy.Life begins at 50 (or 60).Its okay to be silly.You have to act your age.Acting your age is for old people.Love what you do.Do what you love.The secret to a long life is doing what you love.Who cares what other people say? Observations About Platitudes There are already some four-star platitudes on the list, some old sayings, some repeats, and a few opposing ideas. (Jay Douglas, Stalking the Story. Alpha Books, 2011)His subjects are intriguing, but Coles is embarrassingly conventional and unreflective. He writes in platitudes (about lifes ironies, the dilemmas of our time, the richest nation in the world, peoples darker side, Freuds superior cast of mind, etc.). (William White, The Library Journal Book Review, 1975)He was fond of thinking in platitudes- but to him, all platitudes were profound and had the freshness and vigor of original thought.Like bubbles, he said to himself, human life is as momentary as a bubble.(Khushwant Singh, Posthumous. Not A Nice Man To Know: The Best of Khushwant Singh. Penguin, 2000)Everybody can repeat the platitude that the mob can be the greatest of all tyrants. But few realize or remember the corresponding truth which goes along with it- that the mob is the only permanent and unassailable high pries t. (G.K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens: A Critical Study, 1906) Anti-Intellectualism in Politics: Inspirational Platitudes and Partisan Punch Lines Instead of bringing arguments to the public deliberative sphere, [American] presidents are increasingly inclined to declare and assert, offering us a predictable inventory of inspirational platitudes and partisan punch lines. I turn first to George W. Bush and his use of inspirational platitudes as an instance of argument by declaration, then to Bill Clinton and his use of partisan punch lines as an instance of argument by assertion. It may appear at first glance that these two anti-intellectual strategies are polar opposites of each other. Platitudes articulate the obvious and are therefore assumed to be universal, while partisan punch lines are strategically one-sided and therefore particular. Both, however, are united by their rejection of the weighing and judging of reasons. Both are proffered as foundational beliefs that cannot be argued for or against. Self-evident truths can be declared without justification, just like partisan punch lines are asserted strategically to preempt consideration of the other side. Both paradoxically transmit ambiguous meaning in categorical language. Indeed, that is why partisan punch lines are often dressed up in the ambiguous language of platitudes. Phrases such as liberty, support our troops, and freedom in Iraq are often deployed as coded conservative punch lines delivered as creedal platitudes that cannot be denied, while fairness, universal health care, equal employment opportunity are the liberal analogs of projects that are self-evidently unobjectionable. (Elvin T. Lim, The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush. Oxford University Press, 2008) The New Rhetoric of Civility The new rhetoric of civility misunderstands the role of argument as a social and socializing process. In so doing, it dissuades the public from embracing and refining argument as a means to achieve civility. In seeking a cure to incivility, todays discussions have characterized argument as a disease, when its cultivation might actually offer the most efficacious cure...If we fail to redeem ourselves through rhetoric, we condemn ourselves to recycling platitudes about civility. And through those platitudes, the new rhetoric of civility will continue to perpetuate the very stereotype about argument that, ironically, have led to todays calls for civility.(Rolf Norgaard, The Rhetoric of Civility and the Fate of Argument. Rhetoric, the Polis, and the Global Village: Selected Papers From the 1998 Thirtieth Anniversary Rhetoric Society of America Conference, ed. by C. Jan Swearingen and Dave Pruett. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1999) Platitudes in Drama That an idea is not available dramatically until it has become a platitude is itself one of the most platitudinous of dramatic platitudes. But there is a considerable difference in the mere availability of a platitude and the conversion of the platitude into lively and engaging drama. Good drama, in point of fact, consists in so veiling a basic platitude with the vari-colored gauzes of imaginative beauty that it shall be but vaguely perceptible to those who give it eye and ear. The greater the dramatist, the more successful he is in deceiving his audiences as to the existence in his work of the platitude. He is, in a way of speaking, a prestidigitator of platitudes: one whose infinite legerdemain of metaphor, fancy, wit, and surface originality is successful constantly in making the ever-present platitude seem to disappear. (George Jean Nathan, Materia Critica. Alfred A. Knopf, 1924)