The Kite Maker free essay sample

About the lesson In this short story Risking Bond describes the simple and easy life of earlier days when even a kite maker had a social prestige and the people had once and affection for each other. The writer remembers the sweet charm of old days through the character of old Manhood, the kite maker. When the kite old days through the character of old Manhood, the kite maker. In those days kite maker was young, he was honored for his art of kite making. In those days kite playing was the hobby of the Anabas and people were not hurried and worried. But when Manhood became old, the people lost their interest in kite flying.They were busy in getting and spending. They did not care for the old kite maker. In the end of the story a feeling of pathos is created. The death of the Kite Maker signifies the death of the values and life style of the days gone by. We will write a custom essay sample on The Kite Maker or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page * An ancient banyan which had grown through the cracks of an abandoned mosque was the only tree In the street Known as Gall Ram Nathan. And little Alls kite had caught In Its branches. The boy, barefoot and clad only only In a torn shirt, ran along the cobbled stones of the narrow street to where his grandfather sat nodding dreamily in the sunshine of their back courtyard. Grandfather! Shouted the boy. The kite has gone l The old man woke from his daydream with a start and, raising his head, displayed a beard which would have en white had it not been dyed red emends leaves. Did the twine break? He asked. l known that kite-twine Is not what It used to be, No, Grandfather, the kite Is stuck in the banyan tree. The old man chuckled, You have yet to learn how to fly a kite properly, my child. And I am too old to teach you, thats the pity of it. But you shall have another. He had Just finished making a new kite from bamboo, paper and thin silk, and it lay in the sun, firming up.It was a pale pink kite, with a small green tail. The old man handed it to All, and the boy raised himself on his toes and kissed his grandfathers hollowed out cheek. I will not lose this one, he said. This kite will fly Like a bird. And he turned on his heels and skipped out of the courtyard. The old man remained dreaming in the sun. His kite-shop had gone, the premises having been sold many years ago to a Junk dealer. But he still made kites for his own amusement and as playthings for his grandson, All. Not many people bought kites these days. Adults disdained them and children preferred to spend their money at the movies. Moreover, there were few open spaces left for flying kites. The city had river-bank. But the old man remembered a time when grown-ups flew kites from the aiding, and great battles were fought, the kites swerving and swooping in the sky, tangling with each other, Emil the string of one was cut. Then the beaten but liberated kite would float away into the blue unknown. There was a good deal of betting, and money frequently changed hands. Kite-flying was then the sport of kings. The old man remembered how the Nab himself would come down to the river-bank with his retinue to Join in this noble pastime. In those days, there was time to spend an idle hour with a gay, dancing strip of paper. Now everyone hurried, hurried in a heat of hope, and delicate things like kites and daydreams were ramped underfoot. Manhood, the kite maker, had been well known throughout the city in the prime of his life. Some of his more elaborate kites sold for as much as three or four rupees. At the request of the Nab he had once made a very special kind of kite, unlike any that had been seen in the strict. It consisted of a series of small, very light paper discs, trailing on as thin bamboo frame.To the extremity of each disc he tied a sprig of grass for balance. The surface of the foremost disc was slightly convex, and a fantastic face was painted on it, with the two eyes made of small mirrors. The discs, decreasing in size from head to tail, gave the kite the appearance of an crawling serpent. It required great skill to raise this cumbersome device from the ground, and only Manhood could manage it. Everyone had, of course, heard of the dragon kite that Manhood had built; and word went round that it possessed supernatural powers.A large crowd assembled on the Maida to watch its first public launching in the presence of the Nab. At the first attempt it did not budge from the ground. The disc made a plaintive, presenting sound, and the sun was trapped in the little mirrors, making the kite a living, complaining creature. Then the wind came from the right direction and the dragon kite soared into the sky, wriggling its way higher and higher; with the sun still glinting in its devil-eyes. When sit went very high, it pulled fiercely on the twine, and Manhoods young scans had to help him with the reel.But still the kite pulled, determined to be free, to live a life of its own. Yes, those were more leisurely days. But the Nab had died years ago; his descendants were almost as poor as Manhood himself kite-maker, like poets, once had their patrons; Manhood now had none. No one asked him his mane and occupation, simply because there were too any people in the gal. and nobody could be bothered about neighbors. When he was younger and had fallen sick, everyone in the neighborhood had come to ask after hid health.Now, when his days were drawing to a close, no one visited him. Most of his old friends were dead. His sons had grown up; one was working in a local garage, the other had stayed in Pakistan where he was at the time of partition. The children who had bought kites from him ten years ago were now adults struggling for a living; they did not have time for the old man his memories. Having grown up in a swift-changing, competitive world, they looked at the old kite-maker tit the same indifference as they showed towards the banyan tree. Here taken for granted as permanent fixtures that were of no concern to the mass of humanity that surrounded them. No longer did people gather under the banyan tree to discuss their problems and their plans; only in the summer months did someone grandson. It was good that his son worked close by, and he and the daughter-in-law could live in Manhoods house. It gladdened his heart to watch the boy at play in the winter sunshine, growing under his eyes like a young and well-nourished sapling putting forth new leaves each day. There is a great affinity between trees and men.They grow the same pace, of they are not hurt, or starved, or cut down. In their youth, they are resplendent creatures, and in their declining years, they stoop a little. They remember, they stretch their brittle limbs in the sun, and, with a sigh, shed their last leaves. Manhood was like the banyan, his hands gnarled and twisted like the roots of the ancient tree. All was like the young mimosa planted at the end of the courtyard. In two years both he and the tree would acquire the strength and confidence that are characteristic of youth.The voices in the street grew fainter, and Manhood wondered if he was going to fall asleep and dream, as he so often did, of beautiful, powerful kite resembling the great white bird of the Hindus, Guard, God Vishnu famous steed. He would like to make a wonderful new kite for little, All. He had nothing else to leave the boy. He heard Alias voice in the distance, but did not realized that the boy was calling out to him. The voice seemed to come from very far away. All was at the courtyard door; asking if his mother had as yet returned from the bazaar. When Manhood did not answer, the boy came award, repeating his question.The sunlight was slanting across the old mans head, and a small white butterfly was perched on his flowing beard. Manhood was silent; and when All put his small brown hand on the old mans shoulder, he got no response. The boy heard a faint sound, like the rubbing of marbles in his pocket. Suddenly afraid, All turned and moved to the door, and then ran down the street shouting for his mother. And in the banyan tree, a sudden gust of wind caught the torn kite and lifted it into the air, carrying it far above the struggling, sweating city, into the blue sky.

Victorian Desalination Project

Victorian Desalination Project Initiating The Victorian State Government initiated Victorian Desalination Project in 2007 due to changes in climatic conditions and declining supply of fresh water in Melbourne and its surrounding.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Victorian Desalination Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Objectives The Project objective is to supply 150 GL (gigalitre) of water per annum. It will also have the ability to increase supply based on demands up to 200 GL per year. The Project shall also ensure that the cities get fresh water that meets water standards as set by State water policy. The plant must meet water needs of the population and must optimise its supply network. Scope AquaSure defined the Project scope under the plant, power supply marine, pipeline, and renewable energy. The plant This focused on the quantity and quality of water supplied to Melbourne and its surroundings. The plant uses high standards of techn ology to drive desalination processes based on reverse osmosis technique. The plant is energy-efficient and has a living green roof. Marine The water for the plant comes from the sea. Thus, the Project developer approach aimed at protecting the marine environment through dug inlet and outlet pipes. The Project met specifications of Australian environmental standards. Pipelines The project has underground pipes covering a distance of 84 km. The pipeline uses the two-way system to ensure uninterrupted water supply.Advertising Looking for report on environmental law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Power supply According to the State Government, the Project shall consume 90MW of power to generate 150 GL of water per year (Victoria State Government, 2012). Power supply will increase if the plan supplies 200 GL per annum. The Project has based its power supply on renewable energy concept to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The Plant also has Renewable Energy Certificate (REC). REC implies that the government shall purchase the energy from the national grid to compensate for power supply. The plant consumes more energy that it can generate from green sources like solar, wind farms, and landfill gas energy. The plant has reliable energy supply. Renewable energy Under REC arrangement, the government shall compensate power supply from the grid. Planning The planning process identified key dates for important events. Planning processes also accounted for the Projects resources, risk, time, and cost management (Lester, 2006). Procurement The State Government used the Public Private Partnership (PPP) method in procurement processes. The State Government argued that it would reduce risks, costs, ensure a quality design and construction from the expertise of the private sector, protect interests of the public and ensure competitive processes to maximise value for money. The State Government used laws an d Acts to guide the process of procurement, which AquaSure won after successful bidding procedures.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Victorian Desalination Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The PPP method is effective in achieving life efficiency, improving design quality, protecting the quality of services, and ensuring flexibility in managing the Project so as to achieve value for money. The Project commenced during the recession of 2009 and the subsequent euro crisis. The State Government formulated strategies to combat any changes in the cost of the Project related to financial market activities. Some of these methods included equal sharing of losses with AquaSure, sharing based on specified rates, seeking alternative funding, or termination of the Project and repaying the debts (Kerzner, 2000). Cost Management The PPP method guaranteed the State Government effective cost management right from the bidding process with substantial savings. Under this method, AquaSure shall incur all the additional costs of the Project. Public Sector Comparator (Net present cost) AquaSure’s Winning Bid (Net present cost) saving $6,656 billion $5,720 billion 14.1% Source: Partnerships Victoria Project Summary The Project had a maximum cost of $5.7 billion after 30 years. This would cater for all resources and construction of the Project. Consumers shall pay for the increased water costs so as to fund the Project. The REC also ensured fixed costs of energy for the plant. Risk Management AquaSure and the State Government shared the Project’s risk. This was another reason for using the PPP model. According to the Victorian Desalination Project Summary, risks covered site risks, scope risks, design, construction and commissioning risks, operational risks, industrial relations, asset risks, change in law, and sponsor and finance risk (Victoria State Government, 2012).Advertising Looking for report on environmental law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More AquaSure would be responsible for water quality and supply for the next 30 years, but the State Government must ensure the water meets safety standards. PPP model also reduced risks associated with the Project delay (Chapman and Ward, 2003). Integration Management The Project integrated all elements of its scope such as the plant, pipelines, power supply, marine, and renewable energy in order to create Victorian Desalination Plant. This process depended on objectives and resources of the Project for water supply by 2012. Communications Management Communication process started when the State Government declared its interest to construct the plant. Communication process was official. It involved the affected landlords, the public and other stakeholders of the Project. These are the people who had interests and power over the project (Project Management Institute, 2008). Communication management also involved updating stakeholders about the Project progress. The Project relied on media communication and press briefings. Executing AquaSure executed the Project in October 2009. The Project commissioned water for reliability test on September 2012. This tests cover water quality and reliability of the plant and its components. Time Management The project started on 2009, and it was to supply fresh water by 2011. The contract for the Project shall end in September 2039. The Project shows effectiveness time management that was possible due to the PPP method. However, there were cases of delay due to weather, slowdown, and technical challenges. AquaSure claimed that cyclonic weather had affected their operation resulting into loss of working hours. The Project also experienced industrial action from protesting workers. There were also reports of about failures involving 99 percent of the water valves resulting into delay (Drill, 2011). This is the Project Milestone on key events. Key Events Date Contract Close 30 July 2009 Financial Close 02 September 2009 Com mercial Acceptance (water delivery) 19 December 2011 Reliability Testing January – June 2012 Contract expiry date 30 September 2039 Source: Victoria Desalination Project Summary (Project Milestone) Monitoring and controlling The State Government monitors water quality and reliability of the plant. AquaSure monitored and controlled the design and construction process. Monitoring and controlling enabled AquaSure to adjust time in order to fit delay from bad weather, unionised workers slowdown, and valves’ failure. Closing process The Project is ongoing. Thus, the closing process has not begun. However, the AquaSure shall review the Projects achievements against its set objectives based on the Project scope. AquaSure shall close the project by February 2013 (Lock, 2007). The Close down Report Victorian Desalination Project is still ongoing until 2039. AquaSure shall prepare the closure report upon the Project completion. However, the plant commissioned water supply on October 2012. The actual work shall end in 2013. Reference List Capital Projects Division 2009, Partnerships Victoria Project Summary: Victorian Desalination Project, Capital Projects Division, Victoria. Chapman, C and Ward, S 2003, Project Risk Management: Processes, Techniques and Insights, 2nd edn, Wiley Sons, Chichester. Drill, S 2011, Wonthaggi desalination plant faces four-month delay, Herald Sun, Melbourne. Kerzner, H 2000, Applied Project Management: Best Practices on Implementation, Wiley, New York. Lester, A 2006, Project Management, Planning and Control, 5th edn, Elsevier Science Technology Books, Loughborough. Lock, D 2007, Project Management, 9th edn, Gower Publishing Limited, Hampshire. Project Management Institute 2008, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK Guide, 4th edn, Project Management Institute Inc, Pennsylvania. Victoria State Government 2012, Government Initiatives, https://www.water.vic.gov.au/

How to Use the Rack Application in Ruby

How to Use the Rack Application in Ruby In the previous article, you learned what Rack is. Now, it’s time to start using Rack and serve up some pages. Hello World First, let’s start with a â€Å"Hello world† application. This application will, no matter what type of request it’s given, return ​with a status code of 200 (which is HTTP-speak for â€Å"OK†) and the string †Hello world† as the body. Before examining the following code, consider again the requirements that any Rack application must meet. A Rack application is any Ruby object that responds to the call method, takes a single hash parameter and returns an array containing the response status code, HTTP response headers and the response body as an array of strings. class HelloWorlddef call(env)return [200, {}, [Hello world!]]endend As you can see, an object of the type HelloWorld will meet all of these requirements. It does so in a very minimal and not terribly useful way, but it does meet all of the requirements. WEBrick That’s pretty simple, now let’s plug it into WEBrick (the HTTP server that comes with Ruby). To do this, we use the Rack::Handler::WEBrick.run method, pass it an instance of HelloWorld and the port to run on. A WEBrick server will now be running, and Rack will be passing requests between the HTTP server and your application. Note, this isn’t an ideal way to launch things with Rack. Its only shown here to get something running before diving into another feature of Rack called Rackup, which is shown below. Using Rack::Handler in this way has a few problems. First, it’s not very configurable. Everything is hard-coded into the script. Second, as you’ll notice if you run the following script, you can’t kill the program. It won’t respond to Ctrl-C. If you run this command, simply close the terminal window and open a new one. #!/usr/bin/env rubyrequire rackclass HelloWorlddef call(env)return [200, {}, [Hello world!]]endendRack::Handler::WEBrick.run(HelloWorld.new,:Port 9000) Rackup While this is quite easy to do, it isn’t how Rack is normally used. Rack is normally used with a tool called rackup. Rackup does more or less what was in the bottom section of the code above, but in a more usable way. Rackup is run from the command-line, and is given a .ru â€Å"Rackup file.† This is just a Ruby script that, among other things, feeds an application to Rackup. A very basic Rackup file for the above would look something like this. class HelloWorlddef call(env)return [200,{Content-Type text/html},[Hello world!]]endendrun HelloWorld.new First, we had to make one tiny change to the HelloWorld class. Rackup is running a middleware app called Rack::Lint that sanity-checks responses. All HTTP responses should have a Content-Type header, so that was added. Then, the last line just creates an instance of the app and passes it to the run method. Ideally, your application shouldn’t be written entirely within the Rackup file, this file should require your application into it and create an instance of it that way. The Rackup file is just â€Å"glue,† no real application code should be there. If you run the command rackup helloworld.ru, it’ll start a server on port 9292. This is the default Rackup port. Rackup has some more useful features. First, things like the port can be changed on the command line, or in a special line in the script. On the command-line, simply pass in a -p port parameter. For example: rackup -p 1337 helloworld.ru. From the script itself, if the first line starts with #\, then it’s parsed just like the command line. So you can define options here as well. If you wanted to run on port 1337, the first line of the Rackup file could read #\ -p 1337.

Accounting For the Success of the IPO Market Essay

Accounting For the Success of the IPO Market - Essay Example IPO refer to the first sale of stock in the security market by a private company to the public investors. Apart from raising funds, a private firm can sell IPO for other reasons. With the help of an underwriting firm the issuer provides a prospect to the public giving detailing the reasons for issuance the authorized share price as well as the worth of the issuer.2 However, in the IPO market, the investors and sellers hold different information that creates information asymmetry. The goal of this study is to examine the effects of information asymmetry between seller and buyers of IPO. Also, the document examines ways in which one can account for the success of the IPO market. Both seller and buyers encounter challenges in obtaining accurate market information due to various barriers causing information asymmetry. The availability of market information plays a crucial role in any market because it influences the behaviour of buyers.3 The information about price and quality of products and services enables the buyer to make a choice on what product to buy and at what price. However, the information about service is difficult to establish because of intangibility and concurrent production and consumption of services.4 The choice of what to purchase becomes severe due to the potential for dissimilarity in service and product quality and information asymmetry. Sometimes the search for market information is very costly and as such causes hindrance to the choices available for buyers to make.5 Not only the buyers who encounter challenges of obtaining market information but also the sellers have inaccurate reliable information about the market. For example, the seller may want to understand the behaviour of buyers, the future market trends, economic conditions and so on. Both sellers and buyers hold different sets of information which affects their behaviour in the market.6 Therefore, different sets of information regarding price, quality, specifications, performance and circumstances of transfer affect the transactions and increase cost for both parties.  

New trends in advertising Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New trends in advertising - Research Paper Example The company’s efforts in rebranding the pizza and advertising are currently paying off ( Mendelson, 2010). In addition, in September, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a new revamped logo that would accompany the new version of the company’s music downloading services. This change took the market by surprise with customers responding positively, increasing the company’s sale for the month (Mendelson, 2010). Generally, companies and individuals in general have taken an initiative to change the perception of customers in the market, either due to negative image created in the market, or to increase sales by revamping a new spirit in the company’s product. As Mendelson (2010) argues, some companies have undertaken to change everything from the products, the names to the packaging in a complete new image of the company. Such was the case with Campbell’s Soup after a dip in U.S soup sales. However, according to Michelson, consumers have not responded positively to these changes and are still lukewarm to the company’s products. Therefore, according to these examples companies have adopted the view that customers are more susceptible to the company’s image through the product, and breathing a new life in these products would increase sales for the companies. The above view has been taken by many multinational leading companies, which have undertaken to formulate products and advertising campaigns according to the market in question. The difference in perception in markets and the need to increase sales in these markets led Coca cola company to give freedom to its local subsidiaries to develop advertising campaigns for local customers and make brands that would respond in particular market (Muhlbacher, Leihs & Dahringer 344).This is because millions of customers worldwide do not consume products by companies, but consume brands. This means that the images that are created in the minds of

Economic factors affecting to two wheeler Industry Essay Example for Free

Economic factors affecting to two wheeler Industry Essay The two-wheeler market in India is the biggest contributor to the automobile industry with a size of Rs. 100,000 million. The two-wheeler market in India comprises of 3 types of vehicles, namely motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds. Foreign collaborations have been playing a major role in the growth of the Indian two-wheeler market, and most of them are Japanese firms. The modern two-wheeler firms in India have been manufacturing new categories of two wheelers such as Step Thrus and Scooterettes. These have been produced by combining two or more two-wheeler segments. Foreign firms have already taken initiatives to own their two-wheeler subsidiaries in India. Among the 3 segments of the Indian two wheeler market, major growth trends have been seen in the motorcycle segment over the last four to five years. One good reason for such increase in demand for motorcycles is due to its resistance and balance even on bad road conditions. Most of the rural areas in India do not have decent roads and hence the need for good, shock-resistant, and steady two-wheelers such as motorcycles had been felt. Some of the major players in the Indian motorcycles market are Hero Honda CBZ, Bajaj Pulsar, TVS and Apache. Other brands include Splendor, Passion, Fiero, Victor, Star City, Boxer, CD Dawn, Karizma, Caliber, etc. Having classified the motorcycle brands into economy, executive, and premium segments, Bajaj stands as the leader in the economy segment, Hero Honda leads in the executive segment, and there is a competition in the premium segment between Hero Honda and Bajaj. The following are the main factors that affect two-wheeler sales in India: Increase in credit and financing for auto vehicles Two-wheeler loans and financing has been on the rise. Increase in consumers salary Due to opportunities offered by multinationals the disposable incomes of salaried individuals have increase manifold. Constant petrol prices Today, the government of India has been working on reducing subsidies on kerosene and diesel which will keep petrol prices at more or less the same level. Delay in initiation of Mass Transport System Probably a future threat to the two-wheeler market, the implementation of the mass transport system has been delayed. However, the two-wheeler market in India is a fast growing market due to its technological advancements in product manufacturing and emphasis on design innovation.

The play A Memory of Lizzie is a fictional look at the childhood years

The play â€Å"A Memory of Lizzie† is a fictional look at the childhood years of the infamous murderess Lizzie Bordon The Memory of Lizzie Bordon The play â€Å"A Memory of Lizzie† is a fictional look at the childhood years of the infamous murderess Lizzie Bordon. Set in America the late eighteen hundreds, the play takes place in an average middle class neighbourhood in Massachusetts at that time. The play takes place in an average suburban school, and the characters are (or at least the children of) moderately wealthy people. The Characters in the play are the childhood acquaintances of Lizzie Bordon, each aged around twelve years old, though due the era they would probably be less mature than modern day twelve year olds. Each character has a different attitude towards Lizzie which becomes apparent as the play continues. The children Ann Dorothy Barbara Irma Jo and Kathy all bully Lizzie, while Christy and Georgina pity her. The character Rachel Brayton is a very quiet character, possibly younger than the other children present in the scene and therefore more fearful towards Lizzie. The set in the scene that we performed consisted of some steps to represent the schools steps and a pair of curtains to represent doors. The scene starts with the children frozen, some playing with a ball, others with cards and three with a skipping rope. The only other prop that we needed was the doll that Rachel Brayton played with. Costumes would include schools uniforms, gr...

“Solution” Eurasia International: Total Quality Management in the Shipping Industry

CASE STUDY: â€Å"SOLUTION† EURASIA INTERNATIONAL: TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY SYNOPSIS: This Case gives an account of how a ship management company was able to set itself apart from competitors and from its clients’ own in-house technical and crew-management capabilities by embracing a culture of continuous improvement and by implementing Total Quality Management systems. The shipping industry was not alone in having regulation imposed upon it, but its distinctly international nature made ship managers, as cost-cutting practitioners, particularly open to criticism.A ship management company’s very existence hinged upon its ability to convince ship-owners that it would preserve their valuable assets and maximize revenue-earning potential – demonstrating that its collective skills were superior and more cost-effective. As a result, an effective quality assurance system that continuously improved the organization’s human and busin ess systems could enhance efficiency and also have a significant marketing impact. ANALYSIS: 1. With the changes taking place in the shipping industry, what were the ship-owners’ motivations for outsourcing vessel and crew management to third-party ship managers?With the rise in outsourcing arrangements, management structures have become more explicit. In the highly competitive international shipping industry, ship-owners were continually seeking ways to keep their costs down and their business performance ahead of the competition. As a result, ship-owners were taking a serious look at the option of outsourcing crew and technical management functions as a way of lowering costs and keeping pace with industry best practices.By concentrating on the sales and marketing function, ship-owners could hive off operations activities to more suitable providers who were knowledgeable about the regulatory climate and on the cutting edge of ship management (in terms of infrastructure, expe rtise and organizational capabilities). 2. How was Eurasia able to differentiate itself from the competition? Eurasia can be said to have taken a boutique approach within its industry, and to have upheld a relentless commitment to serving its customers’ interests.Since it was inclined to remain a boutique, Eurasia was cautious about pursuing growth but was still willing to take risks in its company philosophy and business model. As a member of the Schulte Group of companies, it was able to offer the advantages of economies of scale, yet was also able to customize its service delivery to suit different customers’ needs. By contrast, many of its larger competitors had gone through mergers and acquisitions to remain economically viable, and thus risked losing their personal touch with the customer.To offer even closer proximity to its clients, Eurasia embarked on a five-year plan to expand its operations, and established a network of regional offices that could operate in the same region and time zone as the customer. 3. What is Total Quality Management (TQM), and why was it an appropriate organizational change mechanism for Eurasia? The term TQM was widely used to describe a focus on the pursuit of quality within an organization. Early discussions of TQM hinged around the Deming Management Method and statistical process control techniques, particularly in connection with manufacturing environments.The works of later TQM experts such as Philip Crosby have been less statistically and technically oriented and more people-oriented. Regardless, TQM is built on core mandates to continually improve systems and processes, and to focus the people and resources of the organization to delivering customer value – as ultimately, value exists only in the eyes of the customer. Broadly speaking, the TQM philosophy is founded on several conceptual principles: * A definition of â€Å"quality† in terms of meeting the customer’s requirements.Anyon e producing work output may be considered a supplier, while any party receiving work inputs constitutes a customer. The customer relationship is held in esteem and a supplier’s responsibility is to understand and meet the customer’s requirements. * Quality is achieved by undertaking the right action the first and every time. * The organization requires a proactive approach to ensure that quality is achieved, thus a system of prevention must be coupled with a reactive system of inspection. * Quality must be continually measured; a measurement framework can determine whether organizational resources are being deployed optimally.Eurasia’s President, Rajaish Bajpaee, recognized that a changing regulatory climate, the global dispersal of his industry and intensifying competition among ship managers meant a robust quality assurance system was needed to keep his organization focused on customer value. With complicating factors on so many fronts – the global dist ribution of labor, variety in the types of vessels under management, maritime regulations, procurement and logistics, risk and liability – encouraging cross-functional collaboration would increase the flow of information, improve problem-solving capabilities and enhance customer focus.The very process of developing such a framework could offer invaluable insights into the organization’s strengths, weaknesses and position within the industry. Moreover, an efficient quality assurance system could be the ship manager’s best defence against criticism, forced compliance and over-regulation. Most new regulation came about as a reaction to perceived deficiencies; by taking a proactive stance, ship managers could endorse appropriate regulations rather than waiting for legislation to be mandated. 4.How was management’s commitment crucial to the success of Eurasia’s TQM effort? This is a tremendous human resource challenge to ensure that people have a certai n set of values, because it is the values which mould perceptions and perceptions mould attitudes. Attitudes mould behaviour; behaviour moulds actions and actions mould results. So if we want consistency†¦a predictable result, then we have to start from the bottom of the chain – that is the values, and if we can get the values right in each one of our floating factory’s staff, then we can expect a predictable result. Rajaish Bajpaee, President & Group Managing Director, Eurasia International) A lack of management involvement is often cited as one of the leading reasons why TQM efforts fail. Management must do more than simply instruct the rest of the organisation to implement quality control mechanisms. The amount of time a senior manager dedicates to quality issues is readily observed by employees and reflects the organisation’s actual priorities.As Eurasia’s President, Rajaish Bajpaee was tasked with the responsibility of adding value to key co nstituencies, and he held the firm belief that customers ultimately determined the organisation’s fate. In leading Eurasia’s TQM effort, Bajpaee was intimately involved in defining the need for change and developing new visions and the frameworks needed to mobilise commitment. Leadership entails the ability to articulate those visions and oversee the process of evolution through which the organisation learns new ways and methods.

Feminist Philosophy Essay

Mary Wollstonecraft was no doubt a great feminist and deserved to be called grandmother of the feminist thought. Her early experiences of an unsuccessful family life as well as the prevailing notion of the philosophers at that time about women shaped her views to become authentic feminist grand mother. Wollstonecraft’s feminist ideas affected the first wave of feminism through her arguments against the prevailing views on women most notably that of Rousseau’s which categorized women as subservient to men. Rousseau held that women’s education should be designed entirely to make them pleasing to men. Rousseau reflected â€Å"to please, to be useful to us, to make us love and esteem them, to educate us when young and take care of us when grown up, to advise, to console us, to render our lives easy and agreeable—these are duties of women at all times†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Feminist Philosophy). Against this view, Wollstonecraft work hard to emphasize that the role of women in the society were not simply an ornaments and playthings of men as they are also capable of attaining masculine virtues of wisdom and rationality â€Å"if society would allow those value to be cultivated† (p.475-476). Wollstonecraft pointed out that the prevailing views on women had bad implications not only on women but on society as well as they will only breed bitterness, jealousy, and folly. She affected the first wave of feminist by encouraging them â€Å"to restore women to their lost dignity by encouraging better ideas of woman hood† (p. 476). How did Simone de Beauvoirs writing shape the second wave? The second wave of feminism was a resurgence of early feminism as a result of various works of feminists during the 1940s such as her works. De Beauvoir writings shaped the second wave of feminism by shedding light about what is a woman in the concept of being other, and how men views women during this period. In her writings de Beauvoir shed social understanding on womanhood. She pointed out that the fundamental social meaning of woman is Other. She explained, â€Å"No group ever sets itself up as the One without at once setting up the Other over against itself† (p. 479). The thought that de Beauvoir was pointing out was that men do not view women as human being like them but as Others who are to be treated as stranger that do not deserve equal treatment. The implication of men’s treatment of women as Others according to de Beauvoir was that because women are others, they do not need to be given â€Å"equal weight to their preferences† simply because they are others (p. 480). Debeauvoir’s writings shaped the second wave of feminism through her unique way of providing social understanding about how women were regarded by men during this period. How did the events of the first and second wave affect each other? Apparently, the event of the first and the second wave of feminism affect each other in a way that they connect the second wave to the first. The second wave feminist was inspired by the events during the first wave to tag along their path of pushing for the recognition of women’s rights. Apparently, the events of the first wave feminist shaped the understanding of the second wave feminism about women’s rights, against the existing social and philosophical views on women. Thus, the events of the first wave serves as mirror for the second wave, and as inspiration for them to continue women’s struggle for the restoration of their lost dignity as women equal with men in many aspect, especially on human rights. Reference More-Bruder: Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (2008) Feminist Philosophy The McGraw-Hill Companies

Discipleship in Matthew Essays

Discipleship in Matthew Essays Discipleship in Matthew Essay Discipleship in Matthew Essay Global discipleship making disciples for the sake of the nations A study of the Gospel according to Matthew Introduction Matthew’s handbook for the church Why did Matthew write his gospel? John clearly had an evangelistic aim (Jn 20:31), but Matthew wrote his gospel for the church, for those who already follow Jesus. It is a teaching gospel, which arranges its material into subjects, summarising the teaching of Jesus and illustrating it with examples from his life. Matthew’s is the only gospel that mentions the church (16:18; 18:17). In short, Matthew wrote the first discipleship training course! Matthew divides his material into 5 sections, each of which contains a number of stories from the life of Jesus, and concludes with a chapter (or two or three) of extended teaching by Jesus to his disciples, before finishing with the passion narrative of the death and resurrection of Jesus. This fivefold division was no accident, for Matthew was a Jewish Christian (and former tax-collector), and all Jewish writings of his time followed this pattern (based on the 5 books of Torah Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Why did Matthew write this gospel for the church? He probably wrote it at a time when church and synagogue were growing apart, when the distinction between Jew and Christian was becoming more obvious. At first, most if not all followers of Jesus were Jewish. But over time, as more and more Gentiles found new life in Jesus, an ‘either/or’ situation developed. Matthew’s church was probably made up of Jewish Christians, facing increasing pressure over their (apparently) divided loyalties. And he wanted to show them that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah, fulfilment of the Hebrew Scriptures, and that they were not being unfaithful to their roots by being Christians. So how is this relevant to us? Matthew’s church has been described as â€Å"a community cut off from its roots divided in itself as to what its priorities should be, groping for direction in the face of previously-unknown problems† (David Bosch, ‘Transforming Mission’, p58). Does this sound familiar, such as our own context today? And Matthew’s response? â€Å"His concern is not simply to help his people cope with the new pressures they confront, but to assist them in developing a missionary ethos that will match the challenges of a new epoch† (Bosch, ibid). Matthew’s aim is therefore both pastoral and missionary – pastoral, in wishing to convey selfconfidence to a community of Christians facing a crisis of identity; and missionary, in seeking to embolden them toward seeing opportunities for witness and service around them. So this is very relevant to us. Matthew has written a gospel for the church, for those who follow Jesus, to encourage and motivate them, to give them confidence about who they are, and to direct them outwards, to share the good news with others. Matthew’s understanding of mission making disciples The theme of discipleship is central to Matthew’s gospel, and the term ‘disciple’ is used far more often by him than by Mark or Luke (Mt 73, Mk 46, Lk 37 times). But while in Mark and Luke, ‘disciple’ is the term reserved only for the Twelve, in Matthew it is used more widely, of any follower of Jesus. The Twelve are the prototypes for all disciples, who are to copy them, doing the things they did. And as well as being linked to the first band of disciples, any contemporary disciples are also linked to each other. No disciple can follow Jesus alone, but is irrevocably linked to the fellowship of disciples, the ekklesia, the church (which, as above, is why Matthew mentions it). There is a strong emphasis in Matthew’s gospel on doing God’s will, keeping his commands, and the challenge to be perfect, to surpass or excel, to observe or keep, to teach, and to bear fruit. Consider for example the concern for doing God’s will. In the Lord’s Prayer, we are to pray that His will be done (6:10); only those who do the will of the Father will be saved (7:21-23); in the parable of the two sons, it is the one who did his father’s will who is commended, not the one who said he would (21:28-31). For Matthew, actions are the test of the authenticity of words. It is not what we say, but what we do, that matters. Orthodoxy is not as important as orthopraxis right action surpasses right belief. Discipleship is about doing, about service. Another concern for Matthew is that any disciple of Jesus should give evidence of dikaiosyne, that is, justice-righteousness. It is a difficult word to translate into English, since it carries the connotations of both these words. ‘Righteousness’ refers to a right relationship with God; ‘justice’ refers to a right relationship with our fellow human-beings. It is neither only spiritual, nor only pragmatic. A right relationship with God protects us from legalism, and a right relationship with others protects us from empty words (both mortal sins in Matthew’s eyes). Discipleship includes a concern for both justice and righteousness. Who is to be discipled? This is the most Jewish of the gospels, full of direct Old Testament quotations and allusions. On two occasions, Jesus appears to restrict the work of himself and his disciples only to Israel (10:5-6; 15:24). And yet Matthew still manages to conclude his gospel with one of his most famous passages, the ‘Great Commission’, sending his disciples to make more disciples, of all the nations (28:18-20). Is this a bit of a surprise to the disciples, an afterthought by the soon-departing Jesus? As if he were saying, â€Å"Oh, by the way, here’s something I should have mentioned earlier, but I forgot. If you feel like it, and are not too busy, could you disciple a few nations for me? †. But the ‘nations’ (Gentiles, ethne) are in fact never far from sight throughout Matthew’s gospel. They are included in Jesus’ genealogy (1:5); they are the first to worship the new-born Christ (magi 2:1-11); Jesus lived in Galilee ‘of the Gentiles’ (4:15); news of his activities ‘spread all over Syria’ (4:24); the ‘plentiful harvest’ of 9:37 alludes to a wider perspective; the quotation of Isa 42:1-4 in 12:18-21 mentions ‘the nations’ twice; in the parable of the wheat and the tares, the field is ‘the world’ (13:38); Jesus was willing to enter non-Jewish homes (8:7); Jesus commends the faith of Gentiles, including the Canaanite woman whom he apparently initially rejects (8:10; 15:28); he explicitly promises that many from ‘the nations’ will participate in the messianic feast (8:11), and that finally the gospel will be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to ‘all nations’ (24:14). Thus, for Matthew, the mission of the church is to make disciples, followers of Jesus, who will do the Father’s will, from every nation. Discipleship is self-reproducing. Disciples will make disciples, who will in turn do the same, into every nation on earth. The ‘Great Commission’ Matthew’s summary of what disciple-making means When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, â€Å"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and makes disciples of all nations, baptising them in the names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age† (Matt 28:17-29). These are some of the most used (and abused? ) verses in recent Christian history. Often taken out of context, and used to support missionary appeals of all kinds, this ignores the context we have outlined so far. They are not, as I suggested above, an afterthought, but rather the climax, a culmination of everything said up to this point, a summary of Matthew’s entire gospel, written so that we might â€Å"make disciples of all nations†. For Matthew, discipleship is the mission of the church, with all the nations in view. The content of this disciplemaking is teaching and baptising. The ‘going’ is not an imperative in Greek but a present participle thus it is not a command, but an assumption. The overall aim of the church, and therefore of all discipleship, is the winning of all nations to the status of true followers of Jesus. So how does Matthew suggest this is to be done? Mark uses ‘proclaim’ (kerysso) and ‘teach’ (didasko) interchangeably. Matthew never does. Jesus never ‘preaches’ to his disciples. He teaches them. In the first commissioning, the disciples are sent to ‘preach’ (10:7), a ‘proper’ missionary activity. But in the Great Commission, this is not so. The disciples are sent to ‘teach’, an activity reserved for the benefit of disciples, those who already follow Jesus. To understand this, we need to remember that, for Matthew, teaching is no mere intellectual enterprise. Jesus’ teaching appeals not to the mind, but to the will. It is a call for a concrete decision to follow him, and to submit to God’s will (as revealed in the life and ministry of Jesus). Proper actions, not words, are what count. This is what it will mean to disciple the nations. It is not enough simply to proclaim that ‘Jesus is Lord’ people from every nation are to be turned into mature, active followers of him. Jesus has universal authority. Why then make disciples? Because this fact has to be proclaimed to all. If Jesus really is Lord, it simply has to be proclaimed. No-one who knows can keep silent about it. They can only do one thing help others to acknowledge Jesus’ lordship. Only Jesus’ authority inaugurates and makes possible a worldwide mission. The universal, unlimited dominion of the risen Jesus evokes an equally universal, limitless response from his followers. Jesus promises to be with the disciples always, to the end of the age (Matt 28:20), is rooted in the first title given to him Immanuel, God with us (1:23). This presence is permanent, FACT, based on nothing more spectacular than a simple promise. No fireworks, no Pentecost. This presence and empowering is not simply for our own comfort, but is intimately connected with mission. It is only as it makes disciples that the church knows the presence of Jesus. The disciples are clearly modelled on Jesus, to do the things that he did (â€Å"teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you†; cf 10:24-25). But the disciples are not expected to be perfect. They are referred to as being ‘of little faith’, ‘afraid’, or ‘full of doubt’. Even in Matt 28:17, all worship, but some doubt. This communicates that mission never takes place in self-confidence, but in the knowledge of our own weakness, at the point of crisis where danger and opportunity come together. Like the first disciples, we stand in the place of tension between worship and doubt, faith and fear. Mission is â€Å"not a fringe activity of a strongly-established church, a pious cause which may be attended to once the home fires are first brightly burning† (David Bosch) . it is not one of the things the church does. It is the framework for all that the church does and is. It is the reason, the goal, the end of discipleship.  © Richard Tiplady December 1996

An Explanation of the Use of Imagery and Figurative Language to Convey the Central Theme in Mending Wall, a Poem by Robert Frost

An Explanation of the Use of Imagery and Figurative Language to Convey the Central Theme in Mending Wall, a Poem by Robert Frost In the poem â€Å"Mending Wall†, Robert Frost uses language and paragraph structure in order to develop controversial ideas about the necessity of change and stirring rebellion, and about maintaining individuality. One of the prevalent themes present in this poem is that of change, and when it is necessary. When describing the uselessness of the wall, the speaker says, â€Å"My apple trees will never get across/ And eat the cones under his pines†. Here, the speaker emphasizes that the wall is not needed, and implies that there is no use in mending the wall, therefore advocating for change. The speaker’s believes that the wall is not necessary, shown when he says, â€Å"There where it is we do not need the wall† (line 17). He clearly sees no use for the wall anymore and is thinking practically. Logically, maintaining the wall is simply a waste of time and resources, as it is no longer needed. Frost relays the theme of change and rebellion through the speaker’s questioning of old customs as time goes on. After the speaker suggests that they perhaps break down the wall the reaction he receives is, â€Å"He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’ †Å"(line 27). The neighbor’s repetition and insistence of this proverb shows his devotion to tradition and his unwillingness to change. This proverb has most likely been passed down over generations, once again reinforcing the idea that the neighbor is obsessed with custom and tradition. The fact that the poem ends with this line suggests that no change was established, and that the wall remained. The young, refreshing voice of change is clearly overshadowed by the elder opinion that change is unnecessary if the current system is working. This is an extremely powerful and controversial message, which is especially interesting during a time of such political uproar in America. Another message clear in Frost’s poem is that of the importance of individuality. For example, in lines 8 and 9, the speaker says, â€Å"And on a day we meet to walk the line/ And set the wall between us once again†. The order of these lines is meant to express the irony of the situation. The only time the two neighbors converse or meet is when they are trying to ensure that they won’t be bothered by each other for the rest of the year. This exposes the American culture as an individualistic one, and subtly criticizes the American belief in autonomy. In addition, when describing the mending of the wall, the speaker says, â€Å"One on a side† (line 16). This emphasizes the fact that even when working together towards a common goal, the two are separated. Once again, this stresses the importance of individuality in the American culture; the fact that even when we all want the same thing, we refuse to work together to achieve it, and we look out for our own s elf-interests first. Lastly, in line 18, the speaker describes himself and his neighbor by saying, â€Å"He is all pine and I am apple orchard†. The juxtaposition between these two items is once again meant to describe the separation between the two. Despite the fact that they live in the same neighborhood (and are therefore likely from a similar social class), they are still completely separate beings. Again, through this, Frost hopes to express the idea that individuality is one of America’s core values. Through his usage of language and his paragraph structure, Frost conveys controversial views on American society and its perception of change and individuality.

The Israeli Wall Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Israeli Wall - Research Paper Example It has also taken a lot of international assistance to bring the situation to an end but this has not been so productive in that all the opportunities to enable the two sides come to a conclusive solution has always been lost because of one way or the other. One of the most spirited international efforts to bring peace in the war torn area was in the 1993 when Oslo accord was signed to pave ways for the two warring sides to strike a deal in ending their differences that has resulted to humanitarian crisis in the area. The Oslo accord was secretly discussed in Norway and the agreements officially signed in the US, Washington DC in the Presence of the then US president Bill Clinton but because of the Intifada war that followed, the intention of the accord hit a dead end and no conclusive resolution was reached. What is the Israeli Wall? Following the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians over Gaza and West Bank, the areas have been demarcated, thought without any consensus from the parties involved, which territory belongs to the Israel and that which belongs to Palestine. The demarcation has always not been taken as a fair consideration by the Palestine and they have developed over time a tendency of advancing terrorism activities in the Israeli infested areas resulting into cycles of casualties year round (Gelvin 62). To avert this notoriety, the Israeli decided to construct a barrier wall that will delimit the Israeli and the Palestine so that they are cushioned form their terrorist activities that have been very devastating. The construction of the will is estimated to be about seven hundred meters long and about eight meters tall consisting of concrete wall, 90% of the constructed wall is an inhibiting fence with a vehicle-barrier trenches that is surrounded by about 60 meter area of wide exclusion area (Gelvin 67). With the reference made by the Israeli human rights organization, they conform that the barrier wall is concentrated in the West Ba nk area and extends along the 1949 armistice line that is between the Israeli and Palestine side of the West Bank. The Israeli wall is not a surprise, they have previously constructed the Gaza strip barrier that delimits Israel and Egypt, and this was constructed in the 1994 and was concluded in 2005 (Kershner 49). The Israeli has developed the tendency of secluding themselves through the barrier wall in cases of foreseeable attack by their enemies. Israeli’s Justification On their side regarding the construction of the wall, the Israeli have insisted that providing protection to their civilian is their responsibility in whatever cost and will do all that is possible to ensure that their civilians are not under coercion, pressure or threats from any quarter and to be specific, the Palestinian terrorism activities. They confirm that since the onset of the second Intifada, the Palestine has attacked the Israeli civilian in several occasions by suicide bombers and that needed to be put under stringent check, otherwise, it was going to be out of control. They say the attacks they have witnessed form the Palestinians since the second Intifada justifies the construction of the wall for the purposes of their civilian protection (Semmerling 104). The Israeli also confirms that since the beginning if the wall’s construction, there has been a significant reduction in the number of the suicide attack from Palestine. With