The First Day In Australia Free Essays

Might want to discuss my first day in Australia in this paper. I showed up in Sydney on the third of April 201 3 and it was pouring intensely. In any case, everything looked fascinating to me. We will compose a custom paper test on The First Day In Australia or then again any comparative theme just for you Request Now Was intending to visit Commonwealth Bank at Martin Place when I ventured out of the plane. When got there, was astonished on the grounds that the engineering style of the structure was extravagant and collectible, and it felt extremely Western. At that point I met a teller who welcomed me benevolent. He made jokes to me. They were entertaining jokes, however around then, I didn't reply. I was remorseful I was unable to express anything to him in English. From that point onward, I left for an explorer lodging that is known as a mainstream place for outsiders. Lamentably, there were many individuals holding back to Stay in there. In this manner, I needed to move another. At long last I found an alternate explorer lodging. As I opened the entryway of my room, its melancholic environment overpowered me. In the end, I chose to remain just 3 days due to the awkward, new air and on the grounds that the convenience expense was uncalled for. In the principal night, I couldn't rest profoundly. Lying in the bed, truly stressed over my life in Australia. Being uncertain about my future made me apprehensive. Time has slipped along. Contrasted and the past, numerous things have changed as of late. These days I am attempting to improve my life in Australia continually so as to step forward by contemplating English and making companions. On the off chance that I have a chance, I might want to settle in Australia. Step by step instructions to refer to The First Day In Australia, Papers

The Meaning of the Surname Pierce

The Meaning of the Surname Pierce The Pierce last name was adjusted from the given name Piers,â a induction of Peter, which means rock, from the Old French pierre (Latin petra), which means stone or rock. The name most generally determined as a surnameâ meaning child or relative of Piers or Peter. Nonetheless, it might likewise have been offered or picked as a topographic name for somebody who lived in a rough region, or as a word related name for a quarryman or stone mason.â Well known People with the Pierce Surname Franklin Pierceâ -fourteenth leader of the United StatesWendell Pierce -  American grant winning actorBarbara Pierce Bushâ - wife of George H.W. Shrub, 41st leader of the United StatesGeorge Washington Pierce - Harvard educator of physics; inventorNat Pierceâ -American jazz pianistMarvin Pierce - American distributer; leader of McCall Corporation Where the Pierce Surname Is Most Common As per family name appropriation from Forebears, the Pierce last name is generally regular in the United States, where it positions among the best 200 family names in the nation. It is likewise to some degree basic in Wales (positions 350th) and Ireland (581st). Inside Ireland, Pierce is most usually found in Wexford, Carlow and Kerry. WorldNames PublicProfiler demonstrates a comparative dissemination, with the best level of people named Pierce found all through the United States. The name is particularly normal in the southeast, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina and Georgia. Family history Resources for the Surname Pierce Pierce Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is nothing of the sort as a Pierceâ family peak or escutcheon for the Pierce surname. Coats of arms are conceded to people, not families, and may legitimately be utilized uniquely by the continuous male line relatives of the individual to whom the crest was initially allowed. The Pierce DNA Project - Southern US: Individuals with the Pierceâ surname, and variations, for example, Pearce, Peirce, Pearse, Pierse, and Percy, with precursors from southern U.S. statesâ are welcomed to take an interest in this gathering DNA venture trying to get familiar with southern Pierce family causes. The site remembers data for the task, the exploration done to date, and guidelines on the best way to partake. PIERCE Family Genealogy Forum: This free message board is centered around relatives of Pierceâ ancestors around the globe. FamilySearch - Pierce Genealogy: Explore over 4â million outcomes from digitizedâ historical records and heredity connected family trees identified with the Pierce last name on this free site facilitated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Pierce Surname Mailing List: Free mailing list for specialists of the Pierceâ surname and its varieties incorporates membership subtleties and an accessible chronicles of past messages. DistantCousin.com - Pierce Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and lineage joins for the last name Pierce. GeneaNet - Pierce Records: GeneaNet incorporates authentic records, family trees, and different assets for people with the Pierceâ surname, with a focus on records and families from France and other European nations. The Pierce Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse ancestry records and connections to genealogical and chronicled records for people with the Pierceâ surname from the site of Genealogy Today. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket release), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Spring Minimizing

Spring Minimizing Spring sprung a month ago, yet most of us are still procrastinating with the clutter that has mounted since last summer. The unopened boxes in the basement, garage, and attic. The unused clothes in the closets, dressers, and bins. The unwanted junk in the cabinets, drawers, and storage. Spring Cleaning? Bluck! Who wants to clean all weekend? How boring, lame, dreadful. Well, you know whats more fun than Spring Cleaning? Spring Minimizing! And here are two ways you can make decluttering more fun and productive this season. First, if you feel overwhelmed and dont know where to start, join thousands of other minimizers and play our 30-Day Minimalism Game. Second, if youre looking for a detailed guide, read our friend Joshua Beckers newest book, The Minimalist Home: A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Focused Life. Then, share your before-and-after photos with us on Twitter or Instagram. Well repost many of our favorites. You May Also Enjoy How to Start a Successful Blog Today Learn how to start a blog in less than an hour. Follow the step-by-step instructions we used when starting our blog, which now has reached more than 20 million people. Creating this blog is one of the best decisions Ryan and I ever made. After all, our blog is how we earn a living. More important, it's how we add value to other people's lives. Read more 30-Day Minimalism Game Let's play a simple game together. We call it the 30-Day Minimalism Game. Find a friend, family member, or coworker who's willing to minimize their stuff with you next month. Read more 11 Ways to Write Better We are all writers now. Whether you write books, blog posts, emails, Instagram captions, or text messages, you are a writer. No matter your preferred medium, here are a few tips to help you write more effectively. Read more Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.

Removing Wallpaper Reveals Wall in “The Yellow Wallpaper”...

The story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is about a female narrator who is suffering from some form of post partum depression that spirals out of control as her husband tries to help by secluding her, in the middle of nowhere for three months. Since the woman is already admittedly unsound, the seclusion makes her fixate severely on yellow wallpaper in her bedroom. Eventually as her story progresses, her fixation becomes an obsession and the wallpaper begins to do things completely improbable. Eventually it becomes impossible to distinguish the facts from the fiction buried amidst her madness. By the end of her story, you realize that nothing this narrator is writing is reliable; because all the people around her notice†¦show more content†¦The countless references to various characters asking our narrator to refrain from anything that makes her mind wonder, shows us she is prone to her mind wondering too far away from reality. Not a single cha racter our narrator references believes she is sound of mind, so from the beginning, we shouldn’t believe she is either. In the beginning, the paper has little potential other than being ugly. The longer she fixates on the wallpaper the more power it seems to have, and the more power she believes it always had. She remarks about the odor oozing from the wallpaper that is so powerful it gets in her hair and around the house, yet she never commented on it before. She believes she â€Å"noticed it the moment† (Schwiebert 232) her and John entered the room, but only her readers know this was never true and never mentioned before. She states suspected the front pattern was moving, from the very beginning, even though she never references it until the paper is so powerful it has a woman living behind it. She never even mentions the patterns existing before then. The narrator isn’t lying to us, the narrator is sick and believes her story, but by this time, its inconsistencies make it unreliable. The narrator’s obsession with the wallpaper eventually makes her story spin so far out of control, her grasp on reality is completely lost and to every observer it is obvious. She believes people are living in the wallpaper and they come and goShow MoreRelatedWomen s Self Discovery Through Literary Text1902 Words   |  8 Pagesher views on sex, marriage, and women during that period. While authors like Charlotte Perkins Gilman highlighted women’s desire to me more than just a wife. Chopin uses the self-awareness journey in The Awakening to reveal how difficult it was for women to be liberating through Edna Pontellier. Gilman stresses the struggle women went through when trying to find themselves and their freedom in her short story â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper.† Both literary texts focus on woman’s self-discovery and their struggleRead More Analysis of The Yellow Wallpaper, The Birthmark, and The Goose Girl2782 Words   |  12 Pagesinvolved: â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† â€Å"The Birthmark,† and â€Å"The Goose Girl†. This paper will focus on analysis based on figurative languages used either consciously or unconsciously, the passivity of the characters, motivations, role performed in the story, and the agendas used by the various authors. The point of this analysis is to show how various authors have used short stories to give the world a diverse message that can be spun in many different directions. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a short storyRead MorePatriarchy and the Yellow Wallpaper1770 Words   |  8 PagesPatriarchy and The Yellow Wallpaper The Yellow Wallpaper motivated the female mind of creativity and mental strength through a patriarchal order of created gender roles and male power during the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. While John represented characteristics of a typical male of his time, the yellow wallpaper represented a controlling patriarchal society; a sin of inequality that a righteous traitor needed to challenge and win. As the wallpaper deteriorates, so doesRead More Loneliness to Insanity and Madness in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wall-Paper1545 Words   |  7 PagesFrom Loneliness to Insanity in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wall-Paper      Ã‚   In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir states that within a patriarchal society woman does not enjoy the dignity of being a person; she herself forms a part of the patrimony of a man: first of her father, then of her husband (82-3). Both Emily Grierson in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily and the narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilmans The Yellow Wall-Paper are forced into solitude simply because they are womenRead MoreWomen Oppression: Revolution through Revelation Essay2008 Words   |  9 Pages1. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† to evaluate and review the role that women played in the eternal bond of marriage and also to shed light upon the fact that women of that period made none of their own decisions. Something that must be pointed out without foregoing any further analysis is that the name of the narrator is never revealed in full which, one can imagine, is a glimpse into the oppression women faced during this timeRead MoreLiterature: Compare and Contrast - Literary Devices5483 Words   |  22 Pagesand contrast the writings is The Yellow Wallpaper (Gilman), set in the late 19th century, offering suspense and intrigue. The lady of the house has just given birth and her husband, the physician, sweeps her off to the countryside to recover from her unusual mental and physical state. The gradual twists by the writer begin to provide evidence of her mental state caused, in part, by the controlling nature of her husband. Her continued obsession with the yellow wallpaper that, in her mind seems to move

KUHN Surname Meaning and Family History

The Kuhn surname originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was bold or keen; descendant of KUHN, a pet form of Kunrat, German form of Conrad, meaning bold, counsel. Surname Origin:  German Alternate Surname Spellings:  KUHNE, KUEHN, KUHNS, KIHN, COON, COONS, COEN, COONE, KUNZ, KUNTZ, KUHNE, KOHN, KUEHNE, KÃÅ"HN,  KÃÅ"HNE Famous People With the KUHN  Surname Thomas Kuhn - American historian and physicist; famous for  his 1962 book called The Structure of Scientific RevolutionsFriedrich Adalbert Maximilian Kuhn - German botanistOskar Kuhn - German paleontologistRichard Kuhn -  Austrian biochemist, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in ChemistryW. Langdon Kihn -  American painter and illustrator Where Is the KUHN Surname Most Common? According to surname distribution from Forebears, the Kuhn  surname is most common in Germany, ranking as the countrys 56th most common surname. It is also fairly common in Switzerland, where it is the 74th most common last name.  WorldNames PublicProfiler  data indicates the Kuhn surname is especially common in southwestern German, particularly the state of Saarland. It is also common in Zurich, Ostschweiz and Nordwestschweiz, Switzerland, as well as in Alsace, France. Surname maps from Verwandt.de indicate the  Kuhn surname is most common in southwestern Germany, especially in the counties or cities of Munich, Neunkirchen, Stadtverband Saarbrucken, Ostalbkreis, Wurzburg, Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, Esslingen and Offenbach. Genealogy Resources for the Surname KUHN Meanings of Common German SurnamesUncover the meaning of your German last name with this free guide to the meanings and origins of common German surnames. Kuhn  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Kuhn  family crest or coat of arms for the Kuhn surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Coon DNA Surname ProjectIndividuals with the Coon surname and variations such as Kuhn, Kuehne, Koone, Kohn, Koon, Kuhne, Kuhns, Coontz, and Kuntz, plus dozens of others, have joined together to combine genealogy research with Y-DNA testing to help determine common ancestry. KUHN  Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on the descendants of Kuhn  ancestors around the world. Search or browse the archives for your Kuhn ancestors, or join the group and post your own Kuhn family query. FamilySearch - KUHN  GenealogyExplore over 2.8  million results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Kuhn surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. KUHN  Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Kuhn surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - KUHN  Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Kuhn. GeneaNet - Kuhn  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Kuhn  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Kuhn  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Kuhn  surname from the website of Genealogy Today. References: Surname Meanings & Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Angels Demons Chapter 6-8 Free Essays

string(70) " for the figure who ruled over his dominion from a wheelchair throne\." 6 Sixty-four minutes had passed when an incredulous and slightly air-sick Robert Langdon stepped down the gangplank onto the sun-drenched runway. A crisp breeze rustled the lapels of his tweed jacket. The open space felt wonderful. We will write a custom essay sample on Angels Demons Chapter 6-8 or any similar topic only for you Order Now He squinted out at the lush green valley rising to snowcapped peaks all around them. I’m dreaming, he told himself. Any minute now I’ll be waking up. â€Å"Welcome to Switzerland,† the pilot said, yelling over the roar of the X-33’s misted-fuel HEDM engines winding down behind them. Langdon checked his watch. It read 7:07 A.M. â€Å"You just crossed six time zones,† the pilot offered. â€Å"It’s a little past 1 P.M. here.† Langdon reset his watch. â€Å"How do you feel?† He rubbed his stomach. â€Å"Like I’ve been eating Styrofoam.† The pilot nodded. â€Å"Altitude sickness. We were at sixty thousand feet. You’re thirty percent lighter up there. Lucky we only did a puddle jump. If we’d gone to Tokyo I’d have taken her all the way up – a hundred miles. Now that’ll get your insides rolling.† Langdon gave a wan nod and counted himself lucky. All things considered, the flight had been remarkably ordinary. Aside from a bone-crushing acceleration during take off, the plane’s motion had been fairly typical – occasional minor turbulence, a few pressure changes as they’d climbed, but nothing at all to suggest they had been hurtling through space at the mind-numbing speed of 11,000 miles per hour. A handful of technicians scurried onto the runway to tend to the X-33. The pilot escorted Langdon to a black Peugeot sedan in a parking area beside the control tower. Moments later they were speeding down a paved road that stretched out across the valley floor. A faint cluster of buildings rose in the distance. Outside, the grassy plains tore by in a blur. Langdon watched in disbelief as the pilot pushed the speedometer up around 170 kilometers an hour – over 100 miles per hour. What is it with this guy and speed? he wondered. â€Å"Five kilometers to the lab,† the pilot said. â€Å"I’ll have you there in two minutes.† Langdon searched in vain for a seat belt. Why not make it three and get us there alive? The car raced on. â€Å"Do you like Reba?† the pilot asked, jamming a cassette into the tape deck. A woman started singing. It’s just the fear of being alone†¦ No fear here, Langdon thought absently. His female colleagues often ribbed him that his collection of museum-quality artifacts was nothing more than a transparent attempt to fill an empty home, a home they insisted would benefit greatly from the presence of a woman. Langdon always laughed it off, reminding them he already had three loves in his life – symbology, water polo, and bachelorhood – the latter being a freedom that enabled him to travel the world, sleep as late as he wanted, and enjoy quiet nights at home with a brandy and a good book. â€Å"We’re like a small city,† the pilot said, pulling Langdon from his daydream. â€Å"Not just labs. We’ve got supermarkets, a hospital, even a cinema.† Langdon nodded blankly and looked out at the sprawling expanse of buildings rising before them. â€Å"In fact,† the pilot added, â€Å"we possess the largest machine on earth.† â€Å"Really?† Langdon scanned the countryside. â€Å"You won’t see it out there, sir.† The pilot smiled. â€Å"It’s buried six stories below the earth.† Langdon didn’t have time to ask. Without warning the pilot jammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop outside a reinforced sentry booth. Langdon read the sign before them. Securite. Arretez He suddenly felt a wave of panic, realizing where he was. â€Å"My God! I didn’t bring my passport!† â€Å"Passports are unnecessary,† the driver assured. â€Å"We have a standing arrangement with the Swiss government.† Langdon watched dumbfounded as his driver gave the guard an ID. The sentry ran it through an electronic authentication device. The machine flashed green. â€Å"Passenger name?† â€Å"Robert Langdon,† the driver replied. â€Å"Guest of?† â€Å"The director.† The sentry arched his eyebrows. He turned and checked a computer printout, verifying it against the data on his computer screen. Then he returned to the window. â€Å"Enjoy your stay, Mr. Langdon.† The car shot off again, accelerating another 200 yards around a sweeping rotary that led to the facility’s main entrance. Looming before them was a rectangular, ultramodern structure of glass and steel. Langdon was amazed by the building’s striking transparent design. He had always had a fond love of architecture. â€Å"The Glass Cathedral,† the escort offered. â€Å"A church?† â€Å"Hell, no. A church is the one thing we don’t have. Physics is the religion around here. Use the Lord’s name in vain all you like,† he laughed, â€Å"just don’t slander any quarks or mesons.† Langdon sat bewildered as the driver swung the car around and brought it to a stop in front of the glass building. Quarks and mesons? No border control? Mach 15 jets? Who the hell are these guys? The engraved granite slab in front of the building bore the answer: CERN Conseil Europeen pour la Recherche Nucleaire â€Å"Nuclear Research?† Langdon asked, fairly certain his translation was correct. The driver did not answer. He was leaning forward, busily adjusting the car’s cassette player. â€Å"This is your stop. The director will meet you at this entrance.† Langdon noted a man in a wheelchair exiting the building. He looked to be in his early sixties. Gaunt and totally bald with a sternly set jaw, he wore a white lab coat and dress shoes propped firmly on the wheelchair’s footrest. Even at a distance his eyes looked lifeless – like two gray stones. â€Å"Is that him?† Langdon asked. The driver looked up. â€Å"Well, I’ll be.† He turned and gave Langdon an ominous smile. â€Å"Speak of the devil.† Uncertain what to expect, Langdon stepped from the vehicle. The man in the wheelchair accelerated toward Langdon and offered a clammy hand. â€Å"Mr. Langdon? We spoke on the phone. My name is Maximilian Kohler.† 7 Maximilian Kohler, director general of CERN, was known behind his back as Konig – King. It was a title more of fear than reverence for the figure who ruled over his dominion from a wheelchair throne. You read "Angels Demons Chapter 6-8" in category "Essay examples" Although few knew him personally, the horrific story of how he had been crippled was lore at CERN, and there were few there who blamed him for his bitterness†¦ nor for his sworn dedication to pure science. Langdon had only been in Kohler’s presence a few moments and already sensed the director was a man who kept his distance. Langdon found himself practically jogging to keep up with Kohler’s electric wheelchair as it sped silently toward the main entrance. The wheelchair was like none Langdon had ever seen – equipped with a bank of electronics including a multiline phone, a paging system, computer screen, even a small, detachable video camera. King Kohler’s mobile command center. Langdon followed through a mechanical door into CERN’s voluminous main lobby. The Glass Cathedral, Langdon mused, gazing upward toward heaven. Overhead, the bluish glass roof shimmered in the afternoon sun, casting rays of geometric patterns in the air and giving the room a sense of grandeur. Angular shadows fell like veins across the white tiled walls and down to the marble floors. The air smelled clean, sterile. A handful of scientists moved briskly about, their footsteps echoing in the resonant space. â€Å"This way, please, Mr. Langdon.† His voice sounded almost computerized. His accent was rigid and precise, like his stern features. Kohler coughed and wiped his mouth on a white handkerchief as he fixed his dead gray eyes on Langdon. â€Å"Please hurry.† His wheelchair seemed to leap across the tiled floor. Langdon followed past what seemed to be countless hallways branching off the main atrium. Every hallway was alive with activity. The scientists who saw Kohler seemed to stare in surprise, eyeing Langdon as if wondering who he must be to command such company. â€Å"I’m embarrassed to admit,† Langdon ventured, trying to make conversation, â€Å"that I’ve never heard of CERN.† â€Å"Not surprising,† Kohler replied, his clipped response sounding harshly efficient. â€Å"Most Americans do not see Europe as the world leader in scientific research. They see us as nothing but a quaint shopping district – an odd perception if you consider the nationalities of men like Einstein, Galileo, and Newton.† Langdon was unsure how to respond. He pulled the fax from his pocket. â€Å"This man in the photograph, can you – â€Å" Kohler cut him off with a wave of his hand. â€Å"Please. Not here. I am taking you to him now.† He held out his hand. â€Å"Perhaps I should take that.† Langdon handed over the fax and fell silently into step. Kohler took a sharp left and entered a wide hallway adorned with awards and commendations. A particularly large plaque dominated the entry. Langdon slowed to read the engraved bronze as they passed. ARS ELECTRONICA AWARD For Cultural Innovation in the Digital Age Awarded to Tim Berners Lee and CERN for the invention of the WORLDWIDE WEB Well I’ll be damned, Langdon thought, reading the text. This guy wasn’t kidding. Langdon had always thought of the Web as an American invention. Then again, his knowledge was limited to the site for his own book and the occasional on-line exploration of the Louvre or El Prado on his old Macintosh. â€Å"The Web,† Kohler said, coughing again and wiping his mouth, â€Å"began here as a network of in-house computer sites. It enabled scientists from different departments to share daily findings with one another. Of course, the entire world is under the impression the Web is U.S. technology.† Langdon followed down the hall. â€Å"Why not set the record straight?† Kohler shrugged, apparently disinterested. â€Å"A petty misconception over a petty technology. CERN is far greater than a global connection of computers. Our scientists produce miracles almost daily.† Langdon gave Kohler a questioning look. â€Å"Miracles?† The word â€Å"miracle† was certainly not part of the vocabulary around Harvard’s Fairchild Science Building. Miracles were left for the School of Divinity. â€Å"You sound skeptical,† Kohler said. â€Å"I thought you were a religious symbologist. Do you not believe in miracles?† â€Å"I’m undecided on miracles,† Langdon said. Particularly those that take place in science labs. â€Å"Perhaps miracle is the wrong word. I was simply trying to speak your language.† â€Å"My language?† Langdon was suddenly uncomfortable. â€Å"Not to disappoint you, sir, but I study religious symbology – I’m an academic, not a priest.† Kohler slowed suddenly and turned, his gaze softening a bit. â€Å"Of course. How simple of me. One does not need to have cancer to analyze its symptoms.† Langdon had never heard it put quite that way. As they moved down the hallway, Kohler gave an accepting nod. â€Å"I suspect you and I will understand each other perfectly, Mr. Langdon.† Somehow Langdon doubted it. As the pair hurried on, Langdon began to sense a deep rumbling up ahead. The noise got more and more pronounced with every step, reverberating through the walls. It seemed to be coming from the end of the hallway in front of them. â€Å"What’s that?† Langdon finally asked, having to yell. He felt like they were approaching an active volcano. â€Å"Free Fall Tube,† Kohler replied, his hollow voice cutting the air effortlessly. He offered no other explanation. Langdon didn’t ask. He was exhausted, and Maximilian Kohler seemed disinterested in winning any hospitality awards. Langdon reminded himself why he was here. Illuminati. He assumed somewhere in this colossal facility was a body†¦ a body branded with a symbol he had just flown 3,000 miles to see. As they approached the end of the hall, the rumble became almost deafening, vibrating up through Langdon’s soles. They rounded the bend, and a viewing gallery appeared on the right. Four thick-paned portals were embedded in a curved wall, like windows in a submarine. Langdon stopped and looked through one of the holes. Professor Robert Langdon had seen some strange things in his life, but this was the strangest. He blinked a few times, wondering if he was hallucinating. He was staring into an enormous circular chamber. Inside the chamber, floating as though weightless, were people. Three of them. One waved and did a somersault in midair. My God, he thought. I’m in the land of Oz. The floor of the room was a mesh grid, like a giant sheet of chicken wire. Visible beneath the grid was the metallic blur of a huge propeller. â€Å"Free fall tube,† Kohler said, stopping to wait for him. â€Å"Indoor skydiving. For stress relief. It’s a vertical wind tunnel.† Langdon looked on in amazement. One of the free fallers, an obese woman, maneuvered toward the window. She was being buffeted by the air currents but grinned and flashed Langdon the thumbs-up sign. Langdon smiled weakly and returned the gesture, wondering if she knew it was the ancient phallic symbol for masculine virility. The heavyset woman, Langdon noticed, was the only one wearing what appeared to be a miniature parachute. The swathe of fabric billowed over her like a toy. â€Å"What’s her little chute for?† Langdon asked Kohler. â€Å"It can’t be more than a yard in diameter.† â€Å"Friction,† Kohler said. â€Å"Decreases her aerodynamics so the fan can lift her.† He started down the the corridor again. â€Å"One square yard of drag will slow a falling body almost twenty percent.† Langdon nodded blankly. He never suspected that later that night, in a country hundreds of miles away, the information would save his life. 8 When Kohler and Langdon emerged from the rear of CERN’s main complex into the stark Swiss sunlight, Langdon felt as if he’d been transported home. The scene before him looked like an Ivy League campus. A grassy slope cascaded downward onto an expansive lowlands where clusters of sugar maples dotted quadrangles bordered by brick dormitories and footpaths. Scholarly looking individuals with stacks of books hustled in and out of buildings. As if to accentuate the collegiate atmosphere, two longhaired hippies hurled a Frisbee back and forth while enjoying Mahler’s Fourth Symphony blaring from a dorm window. â€Å"These are our residential dorms,† Kohler explained as he accelerated his wheelchair down the path toward the buildings. â€Å"We have over three thousand physicists here. CERN single-handedly employs more than half of the world’s particle physicists – the brightest minds on earth – Germans, Japanese, Italians, Dutch, you name it. Our physicists represent over five hundred universities and sixty nationalities.† Langdon was amazed. â€Å"How do they all communicate?† â€Å"English, of course. The universal language of science.† Langdon had always heard math was the universal language of science, but he was too tired to argue. He dutifully followed Kohler down the path. Halfway to the bottom, a young man jogged by. His T-shirt proclaimed the message: NO GUT, NO GLORY! Langdon looked after him, mystified. â€Å"Gut?† â€Å"General Unified Theory.† Kohler quipped. â€Å"The theory of everything.† â€Å"I see,† Langdon said, not seeing at all. â€Å"Are you familiar with particle physics, Mr. Langdon?† Langdon shrugged. â€Å"I’m familiar with general physics – falling bodies, that sort of thing.† His years of high-diving experience had given him a profound respect for the awesome power of gravitational acceleration. â€Å"Particle physics is the study of atoms, isn’t it?† Kohler shook his head. â€Å"Atoms look like planets compared to what we deal with. Our interests lie with an atom’s nucleus – a mere ten-thousandth the size of the whole.† He coughed again, sounding sick. â€Å"The men and women of CERN are here to find answers to the same questions man has been asking since the beginning of time. Where did we come from? What are we made of?† â€Å"And these answers are in a physics lab?† â€Å"You sound surprised.† â€Å"I am. The questions seem spiritual.† â€Å"Mr. Langdon, all questions were once spiritual. Since the beginning of time, spirituality and religion have been called on to fill in the gaps that science did not understand. The rising and setting of the sun was once attributed to Helios and a flaming chariot. Earthquakes and tidal waves were the wrath of Poseidon. Science has now proven those gods to be false idols. Soon all Gods will be proven to be false idols. Science has now provided answers to almost every question man can ask. There are only a few questions left, and they are the esoteric ones. Where do we come from? What are we doing here? What is the meaning of life and the universe?† Langdon was amazed. â€Å"And these are questions CERN is trying to answer?† â€Å"Correction. These are questions we are answering.† Langdon fell silent as the two men wound through the residential quadrangles. As they walked, a Frisbee sailed overhead and skidded to a stop directly in front of them. Kohler ignored it and kept going. A voice called out from across the quad. â€Å"S’il vous plat!† Langdon looked over. An elderly white-haired man in a College Paris sweatshirt waved to him. Langdon picked up the Frisbee and expertly threw it back. The old man caught it on one finger and bounced it a few times before whipping it over his shoulder to his partner. â€Å"Merci!† he called to Langdon. â€Å"Congratulations,† Kohler said when Langdon finally caught up. â€Å"You just played toss with a Noble prize-winner, Georges Charpak, inventor of the multiwire proportional chamber.† Langdon nodded. My lucky day. It took Langdon and Kohler three more minutes to reach their destination – a large, well-kept dormitory sitting in a grove of aspens. Compared to the other dorms, this structure seemed luxurious. The carved stone sign in front read Building C. Imaginative title, Langdon thought. But despite its sterile name, Building C appealed to Langdon’s sense of architectural style – conservative and solid. It had a red brick facade, an ornate balustrade, and sat framed by sculpted symmetrical hedges. As the two men ascended the stone path toward the entry, they passed under a gateway formed by a pair of marble columns. Someone had put a sticky-note on one of them. This column is Ionic Physicist graffiti? Langdon mused, eyeing the column and chuckling to himself. â€Å"I’m relieved to see that even brilliant physicists make mistakes.† Kohler looked over. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Whoever wrote that note made a mistake. That column isn’t Ionic. Ionic columns are uniform in width. That one’s tapered. It’s Doric – the Greek counterpart. A common mistake.† Kohler did not smile. â€Å"The author meant it as a joke, Mr. Langdon. Ionic means containing ions – electrically charged particles. Most objects contain them.† Langdon looked back at the column and groaned. Langdon was still feeling stupid when he stepped from the elevator on the top floor of Building C. He followed Kohler down a well-appointed corridor. The decor was unexpected – traditional colonial French – a cherry divan, porcelain floor vase, and scrolled woodwork. â€Å"We like to keep our tenured scientists comfortable,† Kohler explained. Evidently, Langdon thought. â€Å"So the man in the fax lived up here? One of your upper-level employees?† â€Å"Quite,† Kohler said. â€Å"He missed a meeting with me this morning and did not answer his page. I came up here to locate him and found him dead in his living room.† Langdon felt a sudden chill realizing that he was about to see a dead body. His stomach had never been particularly stalwart. It was a weakness he’d discovered as an art student when the teacher informed the class that Leonardo da Vinci had gained his expertise in the human form by exhuming corpses and dissecting their musculature. Kohler led the way to the far end of the hallway. There was a single door. â€Å"The Penthouse, as you would say,† Kohler announced, dabbing a bead of perspiration from his forehead. Langdon eyed the lone oak door before them. The name plate read: Leonardo Vetra â€Å"Leonardo Vetra,† Kohler said, â€Å"would have been fifty-eight next week. He was one of the most brilliant scientists of our time. His death is a profound loss for science.† For an instant Langdon thought he sensed emotion in Kohler’s hardened face. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Kohler reached in his pocket and began sifting through a large key ring. An odd thought suddenly occurred to Langdon. The building seemed deserted. â€Å"Where is everyone?† he asked. The lack of activity was hardly what he expected considering they were about to enter a murder scene. â€Å"The residents are in their labs,† Kohler replied, finding the key. â€Å"I mean the police,† Langdon clarified. â€Å"Have they left already?† Kohler paused, his key halfway into the lock. â€Å"Police?† Langdon’s eyes met the director’s. â€Å"Police. You sent me a fax of a homicide. You must have called the police.† â€Å"I most certainly have not.† â€Å"What?† Kohler’s gray eyes sharpened. â€Å"The situation is complex, Mr. Langdon.† Langdon felt a wave of apprehension. â€Å"But†¦ certainly someone else knows about this!† â€Å"Yes. Leonardo’s adopted daughter. She is also a physicist here at CERN. She and her father share a lab. They are partners. Ms. Vetra has been away this week doing field research. I have notified her of her father’s death, and she is returning as we speak.† â€Å"But a man has been murd – â€Å" â€Å"A formal investigation,† Kohler said, his voice firm, â€Å"will take place. However, it will most certainly involve a search of Vetra’s lab, a space he and his daughter hold most private. Therefore, it will wait until Ms. Vetra has arrived. I feel I owe her at least that modicum of discretion.† Kohler turned the key. As the door swung open, a blast of icy air hissed into the hall and hit Langdon in the face. He fell back in bewilderment. He was gazing across the threshold of an alien world. The flat before him was immersed in a thick, white fog. The mist swirled in smoky vortexes around the furniture and shrouded the room in opaque haze. â€Å"What the†¦?† Langdon stammered. â€Å"Freon cooling system,† Kohler replied. â€Å"I chilled the flat to preserve the body.† Langdon buttoned his tweed jacket against the cold. I’m in Oz, he thought. And I forgot my magic slippers. How to cite Angels Demons Chapter 6-8, Essay examples

Causes of Failure of Small Businesses - Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Causes of Failure of Small Businesses. Answer: Introduction: Methodology is the theoretical and systematic analysis of the different methods applied in the field of research. It consists of the theoretical analysis of the structure of principles related to a branch of knowledge (Williams, 2015). It refers to all those techniques and methods used by the researcher to conduct a study and systematically solve the problem. In methodology, different steps are studied which are adopted by the researcher in examining the research problem logically. Research methodology not only describes the research procedures but also the logic that is used in that context (Brinkmann, 2014). It is explained in the methodology why a particular procedure is used and why another one is not used which makes it easy for the researcher to evaluate the topic. The different methodologies of research can be- qualitative and quantitative research. The quantitative research includes numerical data gathered through tests, surveys, observations and interviews. More than two variable or subgroups can be associated which does not identify the cause of differences. The qualitative research includes details of previous problems, events or facts and the data gathered from previous documents. (Cavusgil et al., 2014). It is important to choose a methodology before beginning research on a topic. Methodology helps in guiding the study, selecting a way to collect data and analyze the topic. There are different types of methodologies used in the field of research. These are qualitative methods, quantitative methods and mixed methods. There are sub divisions like case studies, self reporting and survey. Qualitative study finds out information about a specific phenomenon (Terjesen, Hessels Li, 2016). It is used to gather information on the topics of social science and education. When interviews, focus groups and interviews are used to collect data, qualitative methods of research is used. Quantitative method, on the other hand, is more objective and specific than qualitative methods. In this method, a hypothesis is created by the researcher which is further tested in a structured way (Picciotto Mayne, 2016). It does not describe a phenomenon, but deal with facts, numerical and statistics. Quantitative methods are used mainly while conducting research on science or medicine. Mixed methods are a combination of qualitative as well as quantitative research. It uses various types of measures that include contextual understanding like observations and interviews mixed with facts, and statistics. This method is helpful for the researcher to examine a topic on different levels by collecting several views and comprehension about the subject. In a mixed methodology, more than one philosophical perspective is taken into consideration which permits the amalgamation of various theories and ideas. For this particular research, the qualitative and quantitative methods can be used, so mixed methodology will be used as it considers both qualitative and quantitative data. To find out the causes of failure of small business in the international market of Australia, Israel and the EU countries, both primary and secondary data will have to be taken as a tool for research. There are various designs involved with the research methodology. These designs help in providing a framework or concept for the research topic and these are different than the actual methods used in the research (Taylor, Bogdan DeVault, 2015). To find a solution to this research problem, descriptive ontology will be used as it refers to the collection of relative information which can be dependent or independent. Foundationalism will be the proper epistemology in this research problem because it is dependent on those few statements which cannot be doubted. They are very precise and clearly differentiate between what is knowledge and what is not (Panneerselvam, 2014). Positivism is the appropriate paradigm where knowledge is based on natural experiences and the information that is deri ved are interpreted as with valid logic. While doing the research the researcher will be able to find out about the objectivity and logic behind the causes of failure of small business in Australia, Israel and the EU countries and evaluate the results with total confidence. The evidence will be beneficial in the fields of business, administration and community development. It must be kept in mind that the procedure followed to find out the solution to the research problem should be valid, relevant and suitable (Nummela, Saarenketo Loane, 2016). Research methods refer to all the tools that are used for conducting a research. It involves all the methods that are used by the researcher to perform research operations. The research methods include the collection of data, using statistical techniques and evaluation of accuracy of the results. Research methods are the behavior and instruments used in the selection and construction of research technique. This research looks into the key factors responsible for growing power so that the local business can operate at an international level. The study will involve an analysis of what can be considered significant for the growth of business. To find out solutions to this problem, proper information needs to be collected and analyzed. The researcher will analyze different cultural, social, economic and administrative causes of failure along with an agreement between innovation and creativity among the small businessmen. Sample of the research The researcher will have to collect primary data from the stakeholders and a proper conclusive approach for this study (Steier, 2016). It is a common method for this kind of particular problems where generation of new theory and concept is related to verify a valid hypothesis. The population of this study includes the owners of small business in the countries of Australia, Israel and EU and from that a random sample of 100 was chosen. Survey is considered as the most commonly used tool of research design. It is a flexible approach in research for investing a huge range of topics. Questionnaire is used sometimes as a support tool for the collection of data. To collect data for achieving the purpose of this study, the researcher had made use of face- to- face interviews, telephonic interviews and prepared questionnaire to associate the causes for failure of small business in these countries (Neuman Robson, 2014). It is required to find out the reasons related to the available financial capabilities, management abilities, the external factors revolving around the small business, obstacles faced, cultural concepts of the new generations and culture of easy money and deficiency of creativity and innovation. To do a survey on the respondents of the other countries, the researcher will conduct interview by means of phone calls or through mail (Marom Lussier, 2014). These methods were selected by considering the following factors- accessibility to the potential respondents, literacy level of the respondents, the subject matter, motivation of the respondents and the resources available for conducting the research. Face- to- face or personal i nterviews are feasible only when the respondents re residing in the local area. For example, if the researcher is an Australian citizen then he can hold personal interviews with the respondents of Australia but to connect with the respondents of Israel and the EU countries he needs to make telephonic interviews and send questionnaire through mail. Analysis of data Personal interviews are considered as the best option to collect high quality data but this mode is preferred only when the topic is sensitive, if there are complex questions, or if the interview is going to be a long one. Comparatively, telephonic interviews and survey through mail are more effective and economical when it comes to collect quantitative data depending on two conditions, if the individual selected by sampling can be easily accessed via telephone or the questionnaire is short containing only few precise questions. But this will not be good option in those countries where there is less telephone ownership (Lussier Corman, 2015). For this particular topic of study, telephonic interviews are really helpful as the respondents are located in a wide geographical area but lack of proper audio- visual equipment might reduce the validity of the information that is gathered. The length of a telephonic interview also depends on the motivation and subject of the topic. It is requ ired to set an appointment and cover letter which might increase the rate of response and length of the interview. There lies the difference between a personal and telephonic interview, whereas in personal interview there is a tendency that the respondent will complete the total survey. While conducting this research, the researcher can record telephonic interview with a tape recorder or by typing the answers directly on the computer while the interview is going on (Laitinen, 2013). Survey by using questionnaires, on the other hand, is another effective form of research methods. It is much quicker and cheaper as compared to other methods. But a fixed time should be allotted to the respondents who are going to fill up the questionnaire and return it within the stipulated time. The mailed questionnaires should be accompanied with a cover letter from the researcher will help in increasing the rate of response. Questionnaires can also be handed out to the individuals selected from the chosen sample instead of mailing. Questionnaires can be framed by the researcher or devised on the basis of a given index. In this topic, the researcher can create his own questionnaire by following the rules off style and layout. The questionnaires which have already been used for survey can be more effective as they will include all tested and valid facts and it will be reliable too when there will be any comparison of data. Secondary sources will include collection of data from the journal, census, newspaper and the annual business report which will be beneficial to find out the causes which might be responsible for failure in small business in the particular countries. The aim of the researcher will be to find out the gap between the two kinds of data collected (Hatten, 2015). To analyze the raw data that was collected and study the hypotheses, the researcher used certain statistical methods- means and standard deviation to calculate the participants responses related to the categories of the study and frequencies and percentage to characterize the sample. There are two kinds of sampling methods- probability and non- probability. A small proportion is chosen from a large population in the specific countries. Out of the two methods available for sampling, the researcher has used probability sampling for the study. Probability sampling can again be classified into random, stratified, cluster, multistage and systematic sampling. It is required to segregate the population into group while doing the cluster sampling. The clusters are selected to by randomly selecting from the probable clusters. The data are gathered for sampling unit from each of the groups (Goss, 2015). The stratified sampling is put into use when the whole population is categorized based on t heir gender, age or any other factor. To satisfy this purpose, sample is selected from every group by simple random sampling. Stratified sampling is suitable for the purpose of conducting research on this particular topic. Through stratified sampling, it can be ensured that the particular group which is selected is represented in the sampling process. The researcher had chosen data randomly from the total population for the purpose of the study which reflects the fact that the probability for selecting every sample is equal. The selected sample size was 100 but due to time constraints, it was possible to collect the response only from 55 people. The calculation of the size and design of the sample is selected on the basis of the sample design. Thus, the final sampling group will represent the minimum population to be included on the basis of data received by the total population (Glesne, 2015). Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Selection of topic Approval of topic Collection of data Analysis of the collected data Approaching the supervisor Submitting the PGR Submitting the ethics application Reading the draft Fig- Gantt chart Source- As created by the author Ethical considerations The researcher has stored all the possible ethical considerations while doing the research work. The respondents who participated in the survey should not be caused harm in any way. Respect for the dignity of the participants of the survey should be the topmost priority (Scott Pressman, 2017). Following are the ethical considerations for this particular research- before conducting the study, permission should be taken from the participants for taking part in the survey, the privacy of the research participants should be safe and secured, the research data collected should be totally confidential, the names of the participants and the organizations should not be disclosed, there should not be any exaggeration in the goals and objectives of the research, source of funds or affiliation of any kind or if there is any conflict of interest must be declared, there should be total transparency and honesty in the process of research conducted and there should not be any kind of biasness or m isleading information in the representation of primary data findings (Creswell Poth, 2017). Ethical considerations in research are critical factors. These are the norms and standards for a code of conduct that helps in distinguishing between right and wrong. The ethical considerations help in understanding the behaviors which are acceptable or not acceptable. In this research, there is no scope of fabrication or falsifying data and the main aim is to promote the research in a true and knowledgeable way. Ethics in research is important for any kind of collaborative work as it gives rise to an environment of trust, accountability and mutual understanding among the group of researchers. This is all the more important when there is any issue of data sharing, copyright guidelines, co- authorship, confidentiality and other such matters. Researchers must abide by the ethical code of conducts in order to gain the trust of the public so that they believe in the validity of the research work (Storey, 2016). Reference Brinkmann, S. (2014). Interview. InEncyclopedia of Critical Psychology(pp. 1008-1010). Springer New York. Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. R., Rammal, H. G., Rose, E. L. (2014).International business. Pearson Australia. Creswell, J. W., Poth, C. N. (2017).Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage publications. Glesne, C. (2015).Becoming qualitative researchers: An introduction. Pearson. Goss, D. (2015).Small Business and Society (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Hatten, T. S. (2015).Small business management: Entrepreneurship and beyond. Nelson Education. Laitinen, E. K. (2013). Financial and non-financial variables in predicting failure of small business reorganisation.International Journal of Accounting and Finance,4(1), 1-34. Lussier, R. N., Corman, J. (2015). A business success versus failure prediction model for entrepreneurs with 0-10 employees.Journal of Small Business Strategy,7(1), 21-36. Marom, S., Lussier, R. N. (2014). A business success versus failure prediction model for small businesses in Israel.Business and Economic Research,4(2), 63. Neuman, W. L., Robson, K. (2014).Basics of social research. Pearson Canada. Nummela, N., Saarenketo, S., Loane, S. (2016). The dynamics of failure in international new ventures: A case study of Finnish and Irish software companies.International Small Business Journal,34(1), 51-69. Panneerselvam, R. (2014).Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Picciotto, S., Mayne, R. (Eds.). (2016).Regulating international business: beyond liberalization. Springer. Pope, K. S., Vasquez, M. J. (2016).Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide. John Wiley Sons. Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C. M., Ormston, R. (Eds.). (2013).Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. Sage. Scott, R. H., Pressman, S. (2017). House arrest: the effects of underwater and low-equity mortgages on small business failure and mobility.Review of Social Economy,75(2), 231-249. Shane, S. (2014). Small Business Failure Rates by Industry: The Real Numbers," Small Business Trends". Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016).Qualitative research. Sage. Simmons, S. A., Wiklund, J., Levie, J. (2014). Stigma and business failure: implications for entrepreneurs career choices.Small Business Economics,42(3), 485-505. Simmons, S. A., Wiklund, J., Levie, J. (2014). Stigma and business failure: implications for entrepreneurs career choices.Small Business Economics,42(3), 485-505. Steier, L. (2016). Refereed Articles Making the Most of Failure Experiences: Exploring the Relationship Between Business Failure and the Identification of Business Opportunities.............................. 457. Storey, D. J. (2016).Understanding the small business sector. Routledge. Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., DeVault, M. (2015).Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley Sons. Terjesen, S., Hessels, J., Li, D. (2016). Comparative international entrepreneurship: A review and research agenda.Journal of Management,42(1), 299-344. Williams, D. A. (2015, January). Predictors of Business Failure among High-technology firms: A neural networks analysis. InICSB World Conference Proceedings(p. 1). International Council for Small business (ICSB).

Battle of Talavera - Napoleonic Wars Battle of Talavera - Peninsular War Battle of Talavera

Battle of Talavera - Napoleonic Wars Battle of Talavera - Peninsular War Battle of Talavera Battle of Talavera - Conflict: The Battle of Talavera was fought during the Peninsular War which was part of the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). Battle of Talavera - Date: The fighting at Talavera occurred on July 27-28, 1809. Armies Commanders: England Spain Sir Arthur WellesleyGeneral Gregorio de la Cuesta20,641 British34,993 Spanish France Joseph BonaparteMarshal Jean-Baptiste JourdanMarshal Claude-Victor Perrin46,138 men Battle of Talavera - Background: On July 2, 1809, British forces under Sir Arthur Wellesley crossed into Spain after defeating the corps of Marshal Nicolas Soult. Advancing east, they sought to unite with Spanish forces under General Gregoria de la Cuesta for an attack on Madrid. In the capital, French forces under King Joseph Bonaparte prepared to meet this threat. Assessing the situation, Joseph and his commanders elected to have Soult, who was then in the north, advance to cut Wellesleys supply lines to Portugal, while the corps of Marshal Claude Victor-Perrin advanced to block the allied thrust. Battle of Talavera - Moving to Battle: Wellesley united with Cuesta on July 20, 1809, and the allied army advanced on Victors position near Talavera. Attacking, Cuestas troops were able to force Victor to retreat. As Victor withdrew, Cuesta elected to pursue the enemy while Wellesley and the British remained at Talavera. After marching 45 miles, Cuesta was compelled to fall back after encountering Josephs main army at Torrijos. Outnumbered, the Spanish rejoined the British at Talavera. On July 27, Wellesley sent forward General Alexander Mackenzies 3rd Division to aid in covering the Spanish retreat. Due to confusion in the British lines, his division suffered 400 casualties when it was attacked by the French advance guard. Arriving at Talavera, the Spanish occupied the town and extended their line north along a stream known as the Portina. The Allied left was held by the British whose line ran along a low ridge and occupied a hill known as the Cerro de Medellin. In the center of the line they built a redoubt which was supported by the General Alexander Campbells 4th Division. Intending to fight a defensive battle, Wellesley was pleased with the terrain. Battle of Talavera - The Armies Clash: Arriving on the battlefield, Victor immediately send forward the division of General Franà §ois Ruffin to seize the Cerro even though night had fallen. Moving through the darkness, they nearly reached the summit before the British were alerted to their presence. In the sharp, confused fight that followed, the British were able to throw back the French attack. That night, Joseph, his chief military advisor Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and Victor plotted their strategy for the next day. Though Victor favored launching a massive assault on Wellesleys position, Joseph decided on making limited attacks. At dawn, the French artillery opened fire on the Allied lines. Ordering his men to take cover, Wellesley awaited the French assault. The first attack came against the Cerro as Ruffins division moved forward in columns. Moving up the hill, they were met with heavy musket fire from the British. After enduring this punishment the columns disintegrated as the men broke and ran. With their attack defeated, the French command paused for two hours to assess their situation. Electing to continue the battle, Joseph ordered another assault on the Cerro while also sending forward three divisions against the Allied center. While this attack was ongoing, Ruffin, supported by troops from General Eugene-Casimir Villattes division were to attack the north side of the Cerro and attempt to flank the British position. The first French division to attack was that of Leval which struck the junction between the Spanish and British lines. After making some progress, it was thrown back by intense artillery fire. To the north, Generals Horace Sebastiani and Pierre Lapisse assaulted General John Sherbrookes 1st Division. Waiting for the French to close to 50 yards, the British opened fire in one massive volley staggering the French attack. Charging forward, Sherbrookes men drove back the first French line until being stopped by the second. Hit by heavy French fire, they were forced to retreat. The gap in the British line was quickly filled by part of MacKenzies division and the 48th Foot which was led into place by Wellesley. These forces held the French at bay until Sherbrookes men could be reformed. To the north, Ruffin and Villattes attack never developed as the British moved into blocking positions. They were handed a minor victory when Wellesley ordered his cavalry to charge them. Surging forward, the horsemen were stopped by a hidden ravine that cost them around half their strength. Pressing on, they were easily repulsed by the French. With the attacks defeated, Joseph elected to retire from the field despite requests from his subordinates to renew the battle. Battle of Talavera - Aftermath: The fighting at Talavera cost Wellesley and the Spanish around 6,700 dead and wounded (British casualties: 801 dead, 3,915 wounded, 649 missing), while the French incurred 761 dead, 6,301 wounded and 206 missing. Remaining at Talavera after the battle due to a lack of supplies, Wellesley still hoped that the advance on Madrid could be resumed. On August 1, he learned that Soult was operating in his rear. Believing Soult to only have 15,000 men, Wellesley turned and marched to deal with the French marshal. When he learned that Soult had 30,000 men, Wellesley backed off and began withdrawing towards the Portuguese border. Though the campaign had failed, Wellesley was created Viscount Wellington of Talavera for his success on the battlefield. Selected Sources British Battles: Battle of TalaveraPeninsular War: Battle of TalaveraHistory of War: Battle of Talavera

Brief Look At Jewish History Essays - Zionism, Land Of Israel

Brief Look At Jewish History Essays - Zionism, Land Of Israel Brief Look at Jewish History The Jews are a people with a multitude of dilemmas. From the Israelite tribes to the prosperous modern day Israel , bigotry towards the Jews has been greatly evident. The Jewish race has acted as Escape Goat for many crisis throughout history including the black plaque which swept across Europe in the 14th century. The establishment of Israel was a great incident was something the Jewish people were striving to obtain for generations. This, however, led to four major conflicts between Israel and the Arab countries. One of the most meaningful wars was the Six-Day War. Events such as the holocaust have also had a dramatic effect on world history and whose mysteries are still being unravelled. For twelve years following 1933 the Jews were persecuted by the Nazi's. Jewish businesses were boycotted and vandalized. By 1939,Jews were no longer citizens,could not attend public schools,engage in practically any business or profession, own any land, associate with any non-Jew or visit public places such as parks and museums. The victories of the German armies in the early years of World War II brought the majority of European Jewry under the Nazis. The Jews were deprived of human rights. The Jewish people were forced to live in Ghetto's which were separated from the main city. Hitler's plan of genocide was carried out with efficiency. The total number of Jews exterminated has been calculated at around 5,750,000. In Warsaw ,where approximately 400,000 Jews had once been concentrated,was reduced to a population of 60,000. They, virtually unarmed, resisted the German deportation order and had held back the regular German troops equipped with flame throwers,armoured cards, and tanks for nearly a month. This heroism was similar to the revolt which took place around 165BC. This uprising was led by the Maccabees, a provincial priestly family (also called Hasmoneans). They recaptured the Temple and rededicated it to the God of Israel. The Maccabees made there last ezd on a mountain and was able to hold back the syrians for more then a month. There is a distinct similarity between the two stories and that is possibly why they are both recognised as holidays in the Jewish faith. These horrific events of the holocaust have let to some consequences which are beneficial and some are unfortunate to the Jewish people. The population of the followers has greatly declined. Also the Jewish people after the war still had problems finding jobs. They had to essentially start there life over. Most of them lost a close relative or at least knew someone who died in the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps. This has put a psychological strain on Jewish survivors or no longer having family and friends with them for support. This event has awaken the world up to the needs of the Jewish people. It has given them political power and a justification for some of their actions. On May recognised,1945 ,the end of World War II was seen. Organized Jewry in the European continent was damaged beyond repair. The Jews concentrated on the preservation of Israel and on the bringing of Nazi war criminals to trial. There is a day of commemoration, Holocaust Day, observed in Israel and elsewhere on Nisan (April) 19 and 20. The date is considered the anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The emergence of Israel as a Jewish state on the former territory of Palestine was the central political issue of the Middle East after World War II. A movement was established to work on the reestablishment of the Jewish national state of Israel. This movement was given the name Zionism. The Zionists were full of energy,enthusiasm, and skill which led to remarkable accomplishments. Israel was a modern European state in an underdeveloped area. This was the source of there problems and their achievements. The Jews received vast amounts of financial and military support from Western governments. The Israelis also benefitted from a highly trained and motivated citizenry to create a unique nation-state. It had taken the Zionists seventy years to purchase 7 per cent of Palestine. Now the UN was offering them another 50 per cent. The partition plan was objected by all of that Arab and Palestinian Arab governments. The Zionists excepted the plan. They however were upset that Jerusalem was excluded from the Jewish state. The Jews were the most fertile land including the citrus groves upon which the Arabs depended on for their living. Many of the nations of the world felt guilt or grief of the Hitler era. This is

The Art of Film Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Art of Film Paper 1 - Essay Example From the events of the story, we learn that people can go to all lengths to seek revenge and in the quest of seeking revenge; many innocent people may incur injury.1 Yes, they have. In the issue of the characters suffering from amnesia, it portrayed the measures the characters took to contain information. An example is Leonard tattooing information on his body to remember every incident. Yes, it does. The beginning clearly depicts the events of death that made the lead actor Leonard transform from being a detective to being a murderer. At the end of the movie, it is clearly shown how Leonard was out to kill Teddy, while the movie started with a dead body. Not all narrative lines achieve closure. In the instance of the murder of Teddy, one is not sure if the murder took place. Leonard has amnesia. One does not know if he remembered Teddy’s face and came back kill him. It is not known, if Teddy remembered the person that killed his wife or if he avenged the death of his wife. 6a). How does the narration present story information to us? Is it restricted to one or a few characters’ knowledge, or does it range freely among the characters in different spaces? The story concentrates on one person, Leonard. The whole story is about him and his quest for

Role of Cooperation in Controlling Anarchy Essay

Role of Cooperation in Controlling Anarchy - Essay Example Inayatullah (1997) provided a theoretical perspective on anarchy and cooperation suggesting that neo-realism tends to rely on a negative interpretation on the theory of spontaneous order. Inyataullah suggests that institutions which emerge spontaneously tend to show some form of design thus design and human reflexivity indicate an overlap of intentions and outcomes. But how would a theory of order or disorder relate to international relations and where in the discourse can we place anarchy and cooperation as necessary concepts to define IR? As Inayatullah suggests, the study of intended actions is an essential part of international relations theory and outcomes of IR focus on ‘values’ underlying theory and practice. Possibly this is where anarchy and cooperation become important within international relations. Weber points out that the institutional choices of different countries tend to focus on economic theories of organization emphasizing on cooperative security conce pts with elements of bindingness. He suggests that the hierarchical security structures in the international system remain unexplained and hierarchy is usually explained amidst anarchy. In a similar study, Malcolm (2002) took a different view on the concept of anarchy and its portrayal in international relations study. Hobbes’ theory of international relations, for instance, has been branded as realist considering that the international system is in complete anarchy where no law could be possibly applied and any acts of violence would remain justified.... In a similar study, Malcolm (2002) took a different view on the concept of anarchy and its portrayal in international relations study. Hobbes' theory on international relations for instance has been branded as realist considering that the international system is in complete anarchy where no law could be possibly applied and any acts of violence would remain justified. However Malcolm seems to go against the traditional interpretation of Hobbes' realistic viewpoints and suggests that Hobbes' theory does make provisions for international law showing why international cooperation is essential within the necessities of an international system. Malcolm's interpretations of Hobbes could be closer to Rationalist theories although he does point out that Hobbes' theory was a natural law theory that in more compatible with realism than rationalism. Fidler (2003) points out to the importance of public health in world politics and international relations and the role of health concepts to define anarchy and cooperation among nations and individuals. He suggests that issues of public health have become increasingly important in recent years due to the growing health problems in many developing countries and the rise of epidemics and HIV/AIDS. There are also heightened tensions between public health and international trade as associated with patents and access to essential medicines for incurable or fatal diseases. There has been recent discussion on placing public health higher on global diplomatic agendas although there are issues and speculations on how the pursuit of public health could be better at a global scale and could be successfully organised and implemented. Public health issues have triggered a level pf global

Tektronix Inc Global Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay

Tektronix Inc Global Erp Implementation Information Technology Essay The present business environment is changing dramatically and is mainly characterized by increasing competition, rising customer expectations, expanding markets and shorter product life cycles. This has put tremendous pressure on companies to reduce costs across the value chain and inventory, provide better customer service and reliable delivery dates, improved quality and efficiently manage the demand, production and supply across the globe. In order to remain competitive, in the light of these pressures, firms are exploring different ways of doing business and also realizing the importance to improve their internal processes and practices. It is crucial for organisations to share timely and accurate business information with their customers, suppliers and distributors and in order to meet this objective firms are aggressively using enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems. ERP system provides two main benefits. One, it provides a unified enterprise view of the organization. The entire information from human resources, accounting, finance, sales, inventory, logistics and supply chain management are integrated by ERP. This integration allows firms to respond rapidly to changing market and competitive forces, efficiently manage supply chain and inventory thereby realizing cost savings. Second, the ERP acts as a central information database that allows information to be stored, processed, analyzed and monitored. This prevents information and communications gaps thereby allowing better co-operation and co-ordination across the various departments and functional units in an organization (Umble et al, 2003; Bingi et al, 1999). The ERP system, by providing timely and accurate information, aids in the strategic decision making functions of the top management. Although the ERP system can be considered as one of the strategic tools used by organisations to realize their business goals and objectives, its implementation is a cause for concern. ERP systems are highly complex systems and its implementation is usually a difficult and costly exercise fraught with risks. This essay evaluates the global ERP implementation at Tektronix, a manufacturer of electronic test equipments. The essay begins by briefly outlining the state of affairs at Tektronix prior to ERP implementation and can be considered as driving factors behind the adoption. The implementation has been analyzed in different stages business plan and Vision, requirements analysis, software selection, implementation planning and implementation. Such an approach will provide more clarity about the adoption process, the critical success factors and risk mitigation. NEED FOR CHANGE AT TEKTRONIX Tektronix, in spite of being the world leader in most of the businesses that it was catering to, was limited in terms of flexibility of its operations and growth opportunities. In order to overcome these limitations the top management felt that the organization had to be restructured starting with information technology (IT) infrastructure. The IT infrastructure at Tektronix was a complete mess. They had over 450 legacy systems only in the United States, apart from the systems used in the 60 countries in which they were operating. There was no standardization of these systems or business processes globally. Inventory tracking was a problem and sales order processing had to be carried out multiple times in different systems which resulted in increasing processing time, reduced customer service and order errors. The financial systems were not very efficient with multiple charts of accounts across the company and therefore taking weeks to close the books at the end of the month. It was also challenging to retrieve business performance information such as the profitability with regards to each product or division. It can be inferred from these business challenges that the driving forces for ERP adoption at Tektronix were the need for business process integration, common template for IT, unified enterprise view of informatio n, operational cost savings and increased customer responsiveness. BUSINESS PLAN, VISION, TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT One of the most critical success factors for any ERP implementation is the creation of a clear and compelling vision identifying goals and objectives along with their alignment with information systems strategy (Umble et al, 2003; Finney Corbett, 2007). Along with this vision, the business plan should provide the justification for the investment based on reliable data and reasonable assumptions (Nah et al, 2001; Kraemmerand et al, 2003). In case of Tektronix, the vision was provided by the CFO and it stressed on three key aspects -seperablity of business, leveraging shared services and a plain vanilla system, where possible. With regards to ERP investment justification, Tektronix did not spent time carrying out detailed return on investment (ROI) analysis. The decision to adopt ERP system was based on the judgment of few senior managers, in particular the CFO. One of the risks of such an action, and which did occur, is costly implementations. A detailed budgeting and ROI analysis wo uld have put a control on the cash outflow for the implementation. Top management support and commitment is another critical success factor and is required throughout the implementation by way of monitoring progress and providing direction (Murray Coffin, 2001). They play a key role in the allocation of resources apart from legitimizing the new goals, objectives and business process changes. Their support also helps to reduce user resistance which is likely to be present in large transformational projects such as an ERP implementation (Nah et al, 2001; Sumner, 2003). In case of Tektronix there was continuous support and approval from the CFO, divisional heads and senior managers during the project life cycle. REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS Most of the times, the reasons cited for the abandonment of ERP projects is because firms realize, midway, that the new system does not support some of their business processes (Koch et al, 1999). One of the reasons for this is the failure to conduct a detailed requirement analysis prior to ERP adoption. As part of this analysis, functional requirements should depict the various data requirements, process linkages and work flows. In Tektronix implementation, it is clear from the case study that the management had not carried out detailed requirement analysis prior to ERP adoption. Although they managed to have a successful ERP adoption, this was a very risk approach. SOFTWARE SELECTION The software selection process at Tektronix can be analyzed from three key aspects buy-versus-build decision, the software selection process and finally, the single vendor approach to enterprise systems integration. Firms adopting an ERP system face the decision to whether build the system in-house or to purchase packaged software and this depends on a number of factors, one of which is the level of technical expertise and ERP development knowledge existing in-house (Sawyer, 2000). Firms involved in the in-house development of the ERP systems face the risk of cost and schedule overruns and in some cases the end system not meeting the user requirements (Lucas Jr et al, 1988). The decision to go for packaged system, in Tektronix, can be considered to be a wise decision because of two main reasons. Firstly, Tektronix had no experience in developing IS systems. It would not have been possible for them to develop a robust system with the same efficiency as a package software developer, who could leverage from its RD and varied implementation experiences. Secondly, Tektronix did not have the necessary technical skills, which was also evident during the implementation stage. With regards to software selection process, Tektronix spent very little time. The decision to implement Oracle ERP solution was based mainly on the experiences of the CFO and CIO. Very little resources were spent in evaluating the alternatives in terms of features and costs. An ERP system, by default, will impose considerable influence on a firms strategy, organization and culture. Some of the ERP failures can be attributed to the incompatibility that exist between the new systems technical capabilities and needs vis-Ã  -vis the organizations existing business processes (Umble et al, 2003). It is therefore critical that the ERP selection process is conducted with great care. The selection between the single vendor and best of breed approaches to systems integration is debatable. Both the approaches have risks and are considered to be complex with regards to their scale, scope and business process reengineering requirements (Shehab et al, 2004). The best of breed strategy can offer the best functionality for each module, but its implementation is complex because of the need for establishing interfaces between the disparate systems (Bingi et al, 1999; Shehab et al, 2004). The cost and the need for extensive training to maintain these interfaces is also likely to be high (Light et al, 2001). In case of single vendor strategy, it might not have all functionalities but it will easier to implement (Mabert et al, 2001). The other benefits include simplified contracting and relationship management as well as a single point of control for all software related problems (Shehab et al, 2004). Taking into consideration Tektronix growth strategy as well as the scale a nd complexity of the ERP implementation, it can be argued that the single vendor strategy seemed suitable. It mitigated, to a great extent, the integration, maintenance and upgrade related risks likely to be present in multiple package implementations. IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION An important activity, during implementation planning, which plays a crucial role in the success of an ERP implementation, is the creation of a steering committee consisting of senior management and end users (Somers Nelson, 2004). The role of the steering committee is mainly to determine the project scope and objectives prior to implementation and to ensure adherence to it (Parr Shanks, 2000). In case of Tektronix, the steering committee refined the companys vision and developed the global business model along with business process change and guiding principles in order to provide clear direction for the implementation. The steering committees portrayal of top management support and commitment was also instrumental in overcoming resistances. Effective project organization and management is another critical success factor in the adoption of an ERP (Umble et al, 2003). It is also necessary to ensure that the project team is well balanced consisting of members from different divisions or functional units possessing both business and technical skills (Finney Corbett, 2007). In case of Tektronix ERP implementation, there was an efficient project management team consisting of representatives from different functional and geographical locations. Apart from this, the members had a combination of business and technical skills which made it easy for to identify and resolve issues quickly. In this context it would be appropriate to stress the importance of a project champion; who oversees the entire implementation process, helps to achieve consensus and plays a major role in handling organizational change. This project champion should be a high level executive with transformational leadership qualities and should have the authorit y to set goals and legitimize change (Nah et al, 2001; Ngai et al, 2008). The CFO as a project champion can be considered one of the success factors behind Tektronix implementation. In case of large scale ERP implementations, most companies fall into the trap of a big bang seduction. Introducing the ERP system at one strike can be extremely risky and can affect the success of the project (Vogt, 2002). The overall strategy used by Tektronix for the ERP implementation can be considered to be incremental approach. It was a single change program consisting of several waves or implementations with each implementation lead by a senior executive and addressing change in a particular division or geographic region. Although the different locations were managed independently, they were monitored by a central project team to ensure a timely and smooth change. The advantage of this was that it gave regular feedback regarding the implementation thereby allowing fast corrective measures in case of any deviations, provided vital learnings which could be used in subsequent installations and allowed flexibility in project scheduling. Apart from this, each successful implementati on acted as a proof of concept (Watson Haley, 1998) for the ERP, which helped to keep the team morale high as well as to ensure continued senior management support and commitment. In case of global rollout, again the incremental approach was followed, with the initial implementation being carried out across Europe. This allowed the project team to learn and address majority of the global implementation challenges, which proved beneficial in the subsequent implementations. Although the overall approach was incremental, it was interlaced with big bang approach where possible. The incremental approach helped to overcome the challenges arising from geographical distances and the lack of business synergies that existed between some countries. It was also instrumental in managing the language difficulties that existed in some countries. One of the risk factors associated with an ERP implementation is the failure of adopting company to redesign the business processes to align with the new ERP system. Rather than redesigning, these companies customize the software to fit the existing inefficient business processes, leading to cost overruns, delays and project failures (Sumner, 2003; Ngai et al, 2008; Somers Nelson, 2004; Nah et al, 2001). These risk factors were addressed to great extent in the Tektronix implementation. As part of business process redesign it carried out a number of activities. It standardized the charts-of-accounts, eliminated existing complex transfer pricing practices and changed the financial transaction processes. Apart from this, as part of organizational restructuring all European country managers were removed, English was declared as the single language for business within Tektronix and local business practices were standardized. With regards to customization, Tektronix undertook it mainly be cause of two reasons the differences in business operations between the divisions necessitated it and the Oracle ERP system did not have all the functionality required; a fallout of not carrying out the software/vendor process diligently. Change management programs are an important part of organizational transformation processes such as ERP adoption. Although it is mentioned here under planning and implementation, it is usually initiated at the start of the project and continues throughout the project lifecycle. An enterprise wide ERP implementation such as at Tektronix is likely to cause changes to the organizations culture and structure (Nah et al, 2001). If users are not prepared for such a change, the likely consequences will be user resistance, chaos and denial. To avoid such a situation the users need to be involved during the design and implementation of the ERP system. This should be augmented with education, training and re-skilling, which will help them in understanding the need for change and the associated implications on their job (Umble et al, 2003; Al-Mashari et al, 2003; Kraemmerand et al, 2003). In case of Tektronix, there are indications from the case study that the change management was not handled effectively. One instance was the resistance to change faced during the implementation of Order Management/Accounts Receivable (OMAR) at CPID division and the project team having to reiterate the need for change. Another instance was during the implementation of OMAR at VND division. It was post implementation that VND realized the level of resources and the skill set required. Although VND managed to have a successful implementation, this could have been risky leading to user resistance and chaos. The insufficient training of the end users is considered as one of the risk factors associated with an ERP implementation (Sumner, 2003). Based on the approach of using power or super users, it can be argued that Tektronix followed cascaded training to mitigate the risks arising from insufficient training of end users. The risk arising from the lack of internal expertise, technical and functional, was mitigated by the deployment of external consultants. In order to avoid the risks and surprises arising from the integration of complex business operations with the ERP system, Tektronix pursued a vigorous testing program simulating live work environment. LESSONS LEARNED FROM THIS IMPLEMENTATION There are some key learnings, based on the above evaluation. Firstly, it is necessary to carry out a detailed requirement of analysis prior to an ERP implementation. This will ensure that a proper understanding of existing business process and benefits that can be realized from the adoption of the new system. Secondly, the ROI analysis and budgeting apart from providing the economic justification for the project will also help to control the implementation costs. Third, in case of software/vendor selection sufficient resources must be spent in comparing features and costs between the various alternatives. This can avoid customizations at a later stage. In their article, Umble and Haft (2003) recommends a selection process which includes identification of potential vendors and evaluation criteria, creating the request for proposal, evaluation of the proposals, choosing the vendor/software, negotiation of contract, pre-implementation pilot test and finally, establishing service level a greements. Fourth, the presence of a steering committee consisting of representatives from the senior management and end users along with the appointment of a project champion can have considerable impact on the success of the implementation. Fifth, the lack of business process reengineering coupled with excessive levels of customizations can lead to cost overruns, delays and project failure. Lastly, incremental approach is suitable in the case of large scale ERP implementations as it provides feedbacks and quick gains which acts as a proof of concept along with the learning which can be utilized in subsequent installations. CONCLUSION It is clear that although the implementation at Tektronix was expensive it was a successful implementation. This was due to the presence of a number of critical success factors along with risk mitigation approaches that were followed. The presence of executive sponsorship during the project life cycle, along with a transformation leader such as the CFO as the project champion was critical to the success of this project. In terms of global rollout, avoiding the big bang seduction and following the incremental approach was a wise decision. However, there are few areas such as the requirement analysis, software/vendor selection process and change management where the project team did not carry out detailed analysis or execution. Focus on some of these areas could have made avoided some of the problems that were faced during the implementation. In a nutshell, the successful adoption of ERP at Tektronix helped it to overcome many of the inefficiencies which were present earlier and in the process enabled it to become much more agile and flexible.

International Marketing and Management Essay

1. Preface As the neo-classic theory, the information model (McCracken, 2005) within advertising is based on the idea of homo economicus – the rational human being or the rational consumer. According to this theory the consumers evaluate products on a rational basis and buy the goods which are assessed to optimise their self-interest. Thus the cultural context surrounding the good is not taken into account when planning a branding strategy. This indicates that the consumer at any given time will select a product on the basis of an objective evaluation upon the good’s utility regardless of any other factors. However, how does the information model explain that that the consumer’s actions deviate from what is dictated in the theory and hence that the consumer does not always act rational? Consumers buying patterns and decision making seem to be controlled by other factors than rational evaluations and hence the information model appears to face limitations when trying to give explanation to why expensive branded goods are chosen rather than similar goods without brand value – choices, which are inherently irrational. So what triggers the consumer to make these choices? And if the consumers based their consumption on rationality would some luxury goods not battle to survive in the market place? Therefore, when looking into the specialty coffee1 market it could be argued that the similar cheaper coffee product now supplied by fast food chains such as McDonald’s or Dunkin Donuts, would easily substitute a product such as coffee from Starbucks Corporation2? However, it seems like the consumers act less rationally than predicted by the neo-classic economic theory and thus base their consumption choices on other factors than for instance price – it is not rational to buy a tall lattà © in Starbucks when a product with similar product-property can be bought in McDonald’s for less than half the price, but nevertheless numerous consumers do buy their latte at Starbucks. Then it is arguable that the quality and taste were what differentiated the Starbucks latte from the McDonald’s latte, which would justify the more expensive purchase. But according to specialists the price premium of coffee at Starbucks cannot be justified anymore (Schwaner-Albright, 2008) again indicating that something other than pure information is controlling consumers buying decisions. McCracken (2005) explains these irrational choices with the so-called transformation model, the counterpart of the information model, which operates within another paradigm not explaining consumer choices on the basis of information but on the basis of consumers being surrounded by culture – culture which affects the consumption patterns and that products possess intangible benefits or meanings which can be transferred from the products to the consumer, meanings which the consumers need to construct their identity. For this Speciality coffee: â€Å"Sometimes called â€Å"gourmet† or â€Å"premium† coffee, Specialty Coffees are made from exceptional beans grown only in ideal coffee-producing climates. They tend to feature distinctive flavours, which are shaped by the unique characteristics of the soil that produces them† (SCAA, 2008) Starbucks Corporation will be referred to as Starbucks in the rest of the thesis. Ea Elisabeth Finn Nielsen & Tina Holm Mortensen | The Story of Starbucks reason rational choices are not always made – brands possess intangible meanings which results in consumers making irrational choices based on emotions and feelings and which to some degree may explain the success of the Starbucks until now. 2. Problem Area Investigating the state and direction of Starbucks leaves one with the impression of a very successful company – it is an almost unbelievable success story about the coffee chain and a brand which changed the Americans’ coffee and cafà © culture. Since 1987, when this success story took its departure, Starbucks has attained immense growth results. The coffee shop chain has been growing with more that 20% a year (Bonamici & Fortune, 2004) and in five years the chain almost tripled the number of stores worldwide, from 5,886 in 2002 to 15,011 in 2007 (Harrer, 2008) resulting in an almost global omnipresence (Starbucks, 2008a). Thus, Starbucks is developing rapidly which is reflected in the fact that the chain until last year opens approximately five new stores a day worldwide. According to the corporation, the intention is to let this development continue and the plan is to add approximately 6,500 stores to the total store count by the end of 2011 (Starbucks, 2008b) However, in the media, Starbucks is criticised for this rapid growth and analysts do not seem to doubt that the expansion objective of a total number of 40,000 stores is to stretch the expansion too far, as it is estimated that it might be difficult to maintain a profitable turnover in the long run (Nocera, 2008). Furthermore, if continuing this fast, some analysts expect that the corporation eventually will destroy what they have built up and what have become to be known as their unique characteristics. Hence, analysts believe that Starbucks have lost focus and track of the Starbucks Experience3 which has always been the cornerstone of the corporation (Nocera, 2008). These statements are particularly interesting as Starbucks’ growth rate seems to have been slowing down the past year (Starbucks, 2008d). To this, it is seen how Starbucks is not able to meet the expectations of the market, which is reflected in dropping stock prices in particular, and in the fact that Starbucks struggles to retain the same costumer traffic as before. Starbucks believes that increasing competition from quick-service restaurants, which have started offering coffee and the decrease in the American economy, are the main explanations for Starbucks’ inferior results (Starbucks, 2008c). Naturally, it cannot be rejected that some of Starbucks’ decline is connected to the US economic slowdown as the tendency is seen across the industry, but comparing Starbucks’ stock prices to the overall index, Starbucks has experienced a steeper fall the past year (Factiva, 2008). Therefore, the decline may have other explanations. Although Starbucks is far from economic crisis at this moment, it can be argued that potential crisis are lurking. Starbucks strives to provide customers with a special and theatrical experience in a comfortable and inviting environment when buying their coffee beverage. This is referred to as â€Å"The Starbucks Experience† which will be elaborated on later as the experience comprises of many different factors. Ea Elisabeth Finn Nielsen & Tina Holm Mortensen | The Story of Starbucks Extending the knowledge of the Starbucks Corporation, there is no doubt that the future is challenging to Starbucks, especially since it has been presumed that the golden days of Starbucks is over (Gilbert in Nocera, 2008). In this context, it is essential to be aware of the growing tendency of customers deselecting Starbucks deliberately and especially the growing number of customers actually avoiding Starbucks (Thompson et al., 2006; Thompson and Arsel, 2004). The growing number of customers dissociating themselves from Starbucks, expressing their negative attitudes towards the corporation, cannot be ignored as they can be seen as an expression of Starbucks struggling with the trustworthiness of their brand. 2.1 Branding as the Root Cause Due to the growing dissociation from Starbucks and the questioning of their narratives, we argue that branding can be at the root of the problems Starbucks is facing currently. Thus, Starbucks’ approach to their branding is questioned. The dissociation from Starbucks can furthermore be understood as an expression of Starbucks not delivering what the consumer of today demands – thereby arguing that the Starbucks brand struggles in corresponding with the cultural desires in society. The purpose of the thesis is therefore to investigate how Starbucks has handled their branding and hence narratives. In relation to branding we have come across Holt (2004) and McCracken (1986; 2005) who both take a cultural approach to branding and thus focus on the importance of brands relating to the cultural context. Holt (2004) and McCracken’s (1986; 2005) theories analyse brands attached with meanings which consumers adopt when they buy the brand, thereby the brand’s meanings and values are transferred to the consumer’s identity. Thus, these brands can be characterised as identity brands. Starbucks is identified to be such an identity brand, seeing that customers apply the meanings of Starbucks’ brand in creating themselves (Thompson et al., 2006). Therefore, branding is about creating narratives which correspond with the desired image of the consumers. This requires an understanding of the historical and cultural context. The point is that if the narratives are not continuously related to the changing cultural context, hence the desires of the consumers, the brand will be in trouble as the narratives lose their trustworthiness (Holt, 2004). Based on Holt’s (2004) theory about iconic brands, it can additionally be argued that Starbucks has reached iconic status as they achieved to become a symbol representing the desires of consumer culture when they entered the market. They were able to comply with the subcultural desires of that time, exemplified by the â€Å"bobo-culture†, which will be elaborated on later (Thompson et al., 2006). This may leave one with the impression that Starbucks has pioneered in applying a cultural branding strategy. However, this does not seem to be the case since it is suggested that they do not change in line with the context yet, time after time, they intimate that they pursue an emotional branding strategy (Schultz & Yang, 1997; Michelli, 2006). Consumers’ doubt in Starbucks’ trustworthiness indicates conflicts in the image of Starbucks, and furthermore that the narratives do not correspond with the identity that consumers desire. Ea Elisabeth Finn Nielsen & Tina Holm Mortensen | The Story of Starbucks McCracken (2006) points out that all trends and concepts emerging as cultural innovations over time will be perceived as an ordinary standard; hence they lose what made them distinctive and interesting in the beginning, as well as their initial novelty value This is furthermore an interesting approach to Starbucks’ decline as it may be the case that Starbucks has difficulty in retaining the same position in the mind of the consumers seeing that the concept of specialty coffee might now be perceived as a mainstream concept. The cultural branding approach complies with and overcomes the shortcomings of emotional branding (Holt, 2004) which will be outlined as the branding strategy of Starbucks in the Literature Review. Therefore, the following Literature Review will serve as a justifying foundation for applying a cultural branding approach to the understanding of the Starbucks brand. 3. Literature Review The Starbucks corporation has been discussed in various articles, books, and TV shows and it seems that a large amount of writers have an opinion about the company which they wish to express in one way or another. However, only few articles and books have taken the discussion and analysis about the famous company to an academic level, and quite a few of these apply Starbucks as a case example and hence are not focussed on Starbucks alone. In the following review, we will outline the tendencies towards Starbucks’ branding. We have chosen to include academic research, consultancy work, and more descriptive analyses. We are aware of the fact that in the case of the consultancy literature, it appears to be weaker in its argumentation due to the fact that it is not based on thorough research. However, since only a little literature analyses Starbucks on an academic level, consultancy literature is included to give a more comprehensive image of the branding of Starbucks as it is found to provide a useful insight into how Starbucks have gone about their branding – knowledge which can be applied later in the thesis. Academic research includes, among others, Thompson and Arsel (2004), Thompson et al. (2006), Lyons (2005), Rindova in Lerpold et al. (2007). We define consultancy books as literature written with the purpose of giving the business-world’s suggestions on how to go about branding by applying Starbucks as a prime example. In the Literature Review, they are represented by Michelli (2007) and Scott Bedbury (2002). Lastly, there has been identified descriptive literature upon Starbucks’ branding. This is mainly written by Koehn (2001), Pendergrast (2001) and Luttinger and Dicum (2006), who include Starbucks in the historical context of the specialty coffee sector’s development. In general, it can be argued that the literature found shows an agreement in that Starbucks’ branding strategy is emotional, though some only imply this implicitly. We attempt to identify Ea Elisabeth Finn Nielsen & Tina Holm Mortensen | The Story of Starbucks gaps in the existing literature on which to base our argumentation of choosing a cultural branding approach. Moreover, most of the literature is written with the purpose of explaining Starbucks’ current troubles – therefore the gaps identified should not be seen as a criticism towards the existing literature as it has not been its purpose to analyse Starbucks from a cultural and contextual approach. Moreover, all texts have been composed before the crisis of Starbucks and therefore it seems logical that Starbucks’ poorer performance has not been investigated. Nevertheless, the fact is that only few authors have taken Starbucks’ lack of cultural branding up for evaluation and we will apply knowledge from these authors as foundation for the further research. 3.1 A Holistic Approach Michelli (2007) describes through an internal analysis of the corporation how Starbucks revolutionised the coffee industry, gained high growth rates, and success worldwide. Michelli (2007) points out that the company has followed five principles, and that these have lead directly to their success. The principles are all focused on how the company can differentiate from other coffee shops and, through the principles, create a special coffee experience for the customer. The key to this special experience is to create a connection between the partner4 and the customer and through this connection create a relation that emotionally attaches the customer to the brand. Michelli (2007) does not intend to describe the branding strategy of the company, and the purpose of his book is not to demonstrate the branding of Starbucks, but to develop a generic framework for success by indicating that any company can gain success applying the five principles. However, we argue that Michelli (2007) through the book, although maybe not consciously describes the branding of Starbucks, and that the five principles described in sum, constitute the branding strategy, or at least part of it. Implicitly, it can be argued that the strategy Michelli (2007) is describing is an emotional branding strategy as it is evident that emotions are the pivotal point of the strategy, and thus that the goal is to create an emotional relationship with the customers through the five principles. Thereby, focus seems so be shifted from a product benefit-driven approach to an emotional appeal (Roberts, 2004 in Thompson et al., 2006). What also seems clear is that the five principles shall not be deviated from. This indicates a consistency that is in line with the thoughts of emotional branding. Hence, the principles should be kept consistent in all the brand activities of the company over time. Michelli’s (2007) focus is predominantly internal. It is the CEO, managers, and partners who, from a top-down perspective, deliver the five principles and hence the brand to the customer. As mentioned before, the key is to connect with the customer and create a relationship, which according Onward †¦ Howard P.S. Everything that we do, from this point on (from the most simple and basic), matters. Master the fundamentals. Experience Starbucks Source: http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/pressdesc.asp?id=825