History Of Green Supply Chain Management - 1324 Words

Introduction Environmentally sustainable (Green) supply chain management has gained attention within the area of industry, because the environmental issue is one of the serious concern for governments. Green supply chain management is one of the key approach for Chinese manufacturing industry to achieve their market share objectives and to make maximum profit for the companies(van Hock and Erasmus, 2000). Green supply chain management is a management with combination of environmental and supply-chain, considering environmental concern into supply - chain management has become extremely important for a company which will also give that an advantage for the company to gain their market and maintain their position in the competition with their competitor (Qinghua Zhu 2009). Obviously, environment,logistics and strategy are the three key steps to involved to green supply Chain management. Historical development of green supply chain management The term â€Å" Green supply chain management† only defined in the last several years. The concept of Green supply chain is a new concept, however before the concept â€Å" Green supply chain† had been defined, â€Å"Sustainable Development† was the major term as discussed in 1992 Earth Summit in Rio ( Nimawat Dheeraj and Namdev Vishat 2012). In order to made a long term economic development in 1992, according to Nimawat and Namdev’s report, they said that â€Å"governments and some other global organisations decided to take useful measures toShow MoreRelatedGreen Procurements And Managerial Decision Making1080 Words   |  5 Pages GREEN PROCUREMENTS AND MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING IN SUPPLY CHAIN ENVIRONMENTS: A REVIEW OF NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY APPROACH Research Background Establishing the context Increasingly, individuals, organizations and governments have become very concerned about the impacts of public procurement and utilizations of goods and services on the environment in particular and society as a whole. Regarding the scale, recent estimates suggest between 8-25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) of OrganizationRead MoreConsumer Confidence : Product Lifecycle Pricing1542 Words   |  7 Pageslifecycle creation of their product or service, the firm’s risks their reputation in being accused of green washing. 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The sustainability manager creates a green strategy for the whole company. This person will have the opportiunity to influence the entire organization in a very strategic way that will enable them to present a clear strategy for Top Shelf. Top Shelf has a history of unstability and it willRead MoreSunset Growers Cultivates Its Supply Chain1278 Words   |  6 PagesGrowers Cultivates its Supply Chain Sunsweet Growers Inc. is the world’s largest agricultural corporate dealing in dried tree fruits. It has its headquarters in Yuba City (California) and it processes and markets 40,000 cases of dried fruits every day. It is the global market leader of prunes. Like any other company, Sunsweet has issues with its supply chain management. Some of the constraints faced by the company are as follows: * Single limited source of supply * Supply and demand beyondRead MoreA Brief Analysis of the Hayward Lumber Company’s Environmental Strategy (Case Study)1179 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿OM 671 – Supply chain environmental management â€Å"Green† Building A Brief Analysis of the Hayward Lumber Company’s Environmental Strategy 1/23/2014 HLC initially looked into FSC-certified wood when custom home-builders began to generate a demand for the material. This consumer base is generally providing a service for luxury home buyers who tend to be less price-sensitive and willing to pay the higher rates in order to claim environmental friendliness. The other portion of their

The Legacy Of John Carter, And Nathanial Rochester (...

James Cutler, and Nathanial Rochester (Thomas, 10-17). The many people that are brought into Mt. Hope’s grounds all bring their own unique memory to a place where it can be properly honored and cherished as equals. Another way Douglass is honored is by marking all of his points of occupancy as almost hollowed ground, by putting up plaques to mark their significance. The first notable plaque resides at the now office building on Main Street. In Douglass’s time he transformed the building into the center for his newspaper. He was the editor of the paper The North Star from 1847 until 1863 (Frederick Douglass Newspaper Office). In the building’s heyday it was used as a stopping point along the Underground Railroad. When Douglass left the†¦show more content†¦His name carries the weight of thousands of individual’s message, even to this day, to gain equal rights for African American citizens. And Rochester has taken it upon themselves to label him as their own, seen through a mass number of sites they have set aside to carry his name. This idea of ownership and an overall message for Douglass brings up a lot of concerns, and therefore a lot of ways one can hope to improve the situation. This overall message showing Douglass as the human embodiment of freedom can easily be translated over into Rochester’s message. By taking great ownership of the Douglass name, and using it to put up many monuments in his honor, the city hopes to bring forth this idea that they greatly support racial equality. In a time where racial tensions are still extremely high, this message is vitally important. It can be used as a cloak to hide behind when the public is unsatisfied with how the city is handling race issues. By using Douglass as their mascot they seem to think they can do no wrong in this department, as long as they acknowledge the themes he stood for, and now represents. It is thought that a city named after a Maryland slave owner (Frederick Douglass Newspaper Office), Nathaniel Rochester, could greatly benefit in this day in age by updating their image to show support for Frederick Douglass’s ideals. There is a major problem that comes with this idea of using Fr ederick Douglass as a

Yahoo free essay sample

Yahoo! Inc. is a global US Internet Corporation, founded in California in 1994, which provides a range of products and content, including email, media streaming and downloads. Surviving the dot. com crash in 2001, Yahoo concentrated on pursuing partnerships with telecoms and internet providers to compete with AOL, they acquired smaller search engines and built their own technology to control the search results. There were various merger discussions held between Yahoo and Microsoft over the course of 2005-2007, however all attempts to form a merger were unsuccessful. The company had maintained it’s value proposition from 2005-2009 as one of the market leaders in search, it had healthy top line growth however it suffered from falling profits, web traffic and share price and this resulted in the appointment of their new CEO, Marissa Mayer in 2012. This essay will examine Yahoo’s business model, it’s value proposition and attempt to forecast its future financial performance based on ability to generate future revenues, drive traffic to it’s properties and investors’ confidence in Mayer’s strategy for the remainder of 2013. We will write a custom essay sample on Yahoo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Business Model Yahoo business model is primarily a two-sided business model. According to Evans Schmalensee (2005), this business model is where firms act as platforms and sell two different products to two different groups of buyers taking into account that demand from one group of buyers depends on demand from the other group of buyers, while buyers of the two groups do not take this indirect network effects into account, so that these are in fact externalities for buyers. According to Wely (2010), three key characteristics of two-sided markets are; (1) price discrimination between two distinct groups of users, (2) cross network effects between market sides and (3) bilateral market power of the platform. NETWORKED MARKETED 1 SIDE 2 SIDE PLATFORM PROVIDERS Web Search Searchers (subsidy side) Advertisers Yahoo, Google, Bing Yahoo offers free use of its search services and products to its’ users. It provides a range of services to consumers via their web portal, search engine Yahoo Search and related services including Directory, Mail, Finance, Groups, Answers, mapping, video sharing and social media. It also sells Internet user data to third party affiliates, who have integrated their advertising offerings into their websites. Thirdly, it provides a range of marketing tools to advertisers and publishers who visit Yahoo and it’s affiliate sites. Yahoo generates revenues by providing marketing services to advertisers across a range of Yahoo owned and affiliate sites. Yahoo also charges for a range of premium services that it offers users for some of it’s services. In 2011, Yahoo and Microsoft formed a Search Alliance, which enabled Microsoft to provide web, video and image listings to Yahoo. Yahoo’s value proposition Yahoo is a global brand name, reaching large audiences with leading positions in search function and display advertising. Yahoo’s value proposition has been created for both it’s customers (advertisers and affiliates) and it’s users (search, products) by creating quality services that attract over 500 million users worldwide. Yahoo’s emphasis is on the quality of the user experience, personalised content and information. Yahoo’s strategy CEO and former Google executive, Marissa Mayer has been in control of the new business strategy for just over 12 months. According to Mayer, Yahoo’s biggest opportunities for growth are increasing usage, growing its international presence and appealing to a broader demographic of users, in that order. Mayer has been in the spotlight for the number of acquisitions she has bought, including the popular blogging site Tumblr. com for 1. 1billion. Graph 1: BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK Data from YAHOO financial reports Mobile Market Mayer says Yahoo has more than 200 million unique mobile users a month, but is struggling to monetize it’s offerings, although as Mayer points out, neither has any of its’ competitors. In response to the fast growing mobile advertising market, Yahoo has been actively pursuing partnerships with carriers and original equipment manufacturers in the mobile industry, as well as tailoring their existing marketing services to mobile user. Mayer is trying to improve or enhance existing products in the mobile market, acquiring apps, redesigning and recreating their web offerings for mobile. Recently Apple launched a new weather app, which looks identical to that of Yahoo’s and according to Jay Yarow from Business Insider,â€Å"If Mayer really wants to succeed in mobile shes going to have to create new categories not just iterate on the existing categories. † Financial performance and performance forecast As reported in Yahoo’s 2nd quarter 2013 financial reports, year on year their revenue remained flat at $4. 98 billion, although the company grew net income 276. 18% from 1. 05 billion to 3. 95 billion. Yahoo’s 2nd quarter 2013 revenue of 1. 07bn was below the prior year’s 2nd quarter results. Yahoo Financial Highlights Yahoo’s display advertising revenue dropped 12% and search advertising revenues fell by 9%. Mayer attributes this to the fact that as the company is growing traffic, the opportunity to run more ads presents itself however this hasn’t translated to revenue growth yet. Mayer is confident that this will follow through in Quarter 4. According to the financial analysts reporting to markets. ft. com, Yahoo’s revenue will increase in Q4 (see graph 3). Mayer will concentrate now on improving Yahoo’s top-line revenue which is projected will rise by the end of 2013. The projection is that she will roll out the mobile advertising platform which will attract advertisers who are eager to utilise the power of mobile. Her new products and acquisitions are growing in popularity and will drive traffic to Yahoo properties. This combined with the seasonal boost for the final quarter of 2013 will bring their final revenue for 2013 to a projected 5. 1 billion. Graph 3: YAHOO FINANCIAL REVENUE FORECAST 2013 markets. ft. com Market Capitalisation According to Selena Larson from ReadWrite. com Yahoo’s market capitalisation has grown by $14 billion since Mayer’s appointment as CEO in 2012. Mayer attributes this to the increased value of Yahoo’s investments in Yahoo Japan and China. Yahoo’s growth in earnings per share items increased 301. 54% and according to market. ft. com the company’s five year annualised earnings per share growth ranks above the industry average relative to its peers. Mayer’s aggressive acquisition strategies have impressed the market along with the company’s focus on mobile growth, as the consensus among financial forecasters across a variety of agencies is that Yahoo will outperform the market in the final quarter of 2013. The forecast is that their share price will rise to a high of $36. 00 in the next 12 months. Graph 4: YAHOO FINANCIAL SHARE PRICE FORECAST 2013 markets. ft. com Web Traffic According to comScore almost 197 million individuals visited a Yahoo! website in July 2013 versus 192 million for Google. This figure does not include traffic of recently acquired blogging site Tumblr, which itself had 38 million visitors that month, nor mobile phone usage. The number of unique visitors to yahoo. Yahoo’s strategy to drive traffic to its’ properties appears to be working, users are rediscovering Yahoo and its’ affiliate sites. Yahoo believes there is a future value for users and customers in personalisation, having recently launched a new homepage called â€Å"My Yahoo†, where users can personalise their homepage newsfeed. Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer personally took to Twitter with a promise to retweet anyone who would make the new product their homepage. Yahoo offers a range of premium digital media through their web portal, comprising of 63 different products and services. Conclusion Yahoo is operating in a highly competitive market, where the cost of revenue appears to be rising faster than the growth in revenue, which poses a challenge for the Internet giant. However, in the 12 months since Marissa Mayer took over as CEO, Yahoo stock has risen 75%, she has reorganised the workforce and attracted new talent including some of her old colleagues from Google. Under her direction, the company launched a new products that are engaging consumers, acquired new ventures that will enable the company to and has made Yahoo an attractive place to work. Her strategy to date appears to be working, this is still very early stages of the Yahoo turnaround and Mayer needs to concentrate on developing new products that are unique, personalised and engaging and reach consumers via mobile in order to drive web traffic, increase Yahoo’s top-line revenue and increase the share price. References Ankeny, J. Yahoo tops 340m monthly mobile users, suffers Q2 revenue decline† Fiercemobilecontent. com Chaey, C. (2013) â€Å"Marissa Mayer: Yahoo will crack out a dozen products that fix â€Å"digital daily habits†. FastCompany. com Evans, D. Schmalensee, R. (2005), â€Å"The Industrial Organisation of Markets with Two-Sided Platforms,† NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Juliet Garside (2013). Google overtaken by Yahoo! in US website visitors for first time in two years. The Guardian. Larson, S. â€Å"With 800 Million Monthly Users, Yahoo CEO Touts Turnaround in Growth.

Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous free essay sample

Alcoholics Anonymous (A. A. ) is a worldwide fellowship for individuals to share their experiences, and to gain strength and support from one another in an effort to recover from alcoholism. A. A. is based upon a Twelve Step program to recovery that acts as a personal guide to sobriety. Countless individuals find their sobriety in this volunteer fellowship, in fact many find the Twelve Steps to be their personal miracle; this is eloquently articulated in Understanding the Twelve Steps: Working the Steps can create the miracle of sobriety, but the miracle isn’t magic. The miracle occurs because working the Twelve Steps allows people to use powerful principles of recovery. Those who are willing to dig beneath the surface and truly understand the principles upon which the Steps are based are better able to use the principles in their lives (Gorski, 1989, p. 2). To reiterate what Terence T. Gorski has expressed, those who are willing to truly adopt and ‘work’ the Twelve Steps experience the persuasive nature of one of the most powerfully rhetorical texts of modern society1 To gain perspective on this very unfamiliar rhetorical text, I accepted an invitation to attend an open A. We will write a custom essay sample on Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A. meeting as a guest. Before entering this meeting I underestimated and misunderstood Kenneth Burke’s complex notion of rhetoric as a phenomenon dependant on audience self-persuasion. I attended the meeting with this simplified notion of rhetoric in mind. I mistakenly expected to experience individual alcoholics express their personal gratitude to the Twelve Steps for their healing and sobriety. However, in opposition I experienced a fellowship, one where numerous individuals are able to understand and reiterate each other’s successes and failures, struggles with the Twelve Steps and above all, they share utmost gratitude for the honest and supportive community created through the Twelve Steps. While my first understanding of Burkean rhetoric is true, I ignorantly had not understood the power of a collective voice. Furthermore, Burke emphasizes that words are only effectively persuasive when they â€Å"speak the language of the voice within. Persuasion is only complete when an audience member convinces himself or herself of what has been said by others†(Burke in Borchers, 2006, p. 151). This experience reminds me of the African proverb: It takes a village to raise a child; it takes the collective fellowship of A. A. for the Twelve Steps to rhetorically foster successful sobriety for so many individuals. With this I am able to understand that discourse of any sy mbolic form involves rhetorical action as the means for an individual to link oneself to another and to collective social environments. The A. A. culture that embraces the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous does just this, it weaves together a number of individuals battling alcoholism forming a collective; â€Å"It is a fundamental means through which we create identification- what Burke sometimes calls ‘consubstantiation,’ whereby identification is achieved through a sharing of the ‘substance’ (the terms, the meaning potentials) of text† (Stillar, 1998, p. 6). I liken Michael Halloran’s theory of ‘spectacle’ with Burke’s theory of ‘substance;’ Halloran explains ‘spectacle’ as, â€Å"a public gathering of people who have come to witness some event and are self-consciously present to each other as well as to whatever it is that has brought them together† (Halloran, 2001, p. 5). With this in mind, for the purpose of this analysis let us understand A. A meetings as a ‘spectacle’ where members of the A. A fellowship collectively understand the ‘substance’ of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Identification through and with this rhetorical text, one that is a communal substance, aids each individual to be stronger in their sobriety together as a fellowship, than he or she is able to be apart. I am inspired by Glenn F. Stillar’s Analyzing Everyday Texts: Discourse, Rhetoric, and Social Perspectives, in which he proposes a framework that stems from Kenneth Burke’s work which further extends theories of discourse analysis to understand how and why symbolic action occurs. I will utilize this framework for a rhetorical analysis of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. In particular I will pay specific attention to the Burkean perspective that focuses on a social agent(s)’ dual relationship with symbolic systems and symbolic action. This perspective will prevalently influence my dissection of the Burkean System including: Grammar, Rhetoric and Logology (p. 60). In extension, I will breakdown these three rhetorical theories to better understand how the combination of environment, relationships and hegemonic ideology create the rhetorical nature of the Twelve Steps of A. A. Grammar seeks to understand how a motive is constructed in discourse, based in Burke’s pentad and theory of ratio I will analyze how elements are selected and combined into ratios to create meaning. In addition, I will attempt to dissect Burke’s idea of substance and how the classification of such creates meaning. Next under the theory of rhetoric, I will analyze the importance of identification and construction of unity by means of substance also known in Burkean terms as consubstantiation. Finally I will discuss logology, where I will attempt to understand what rhetorical effect motives inherent to symbol systems especially language, have on an audience. Dramatism is Burke’s method of analysis to understand how language and other symbol systems (i. e. text) embody and construct motives. Furthermore, this method of analysis focuses on language as a ‘species of action’ inspiring the receiver to act rather than simply define the cluster of words that create a text (Stillar, 1998). Within this method of analysis, language is a strategic mode of symbolic action rather than a mode of individual definition (Stillar, 1998). This notion is shared and placed into context by Terence T. Gorski author of Understanding the Twelve Steps, he reiterates that individual digestion and usage of the Twelve Steps of A. A. is not the text’s only purpose; â€Å"Twelve Step programs are not just meetings; they are a sober, recovery-focused, social network. And this, together with the Steps and sponsorship, creates a sobriety-oriented community that makes recovery happen†(1989, p. 6). Burke’s pentad is a tool of analysis to help us understand how motives are constructed in rhetorical language. There are five elements of the pentad: Act is what happened or took place, Scene is the background of the act, Agent is the person(s) who performed the act, Agency is the means through which the act took place and Purpose is the reason the act took place (Borchers, 2006). Additionally, Timothy Borchers notes that the pentad should not be used to identify the elements of rhetoric, but instead to explore the motives of the rhetor. It is important to remember that the pentad is a strategic tool utilized by a rhetor to shape text by arranging pentadic elements into ratios. Therefore as Burke suggests, the rhetor or social agent will construct a ratio to determine reality by selection and deflection; â€Å"A particular pentadic pattern in a text is both a ‘selection’ and a ‘deflection’: A text deploys selected pentadic resources and the elements can combine in different ways, each leading to a different construction of motive†¦Ratios are principles of ‘determination’ and ‘selectivity’† (Burke in Stillar, 1998, p. 4). Furthermore, because pentadic elements are interchangeable, so too is the rhetorical message within text. The Twelve Steps have a linear nature in which the rhetorical motive of the text is constantly transforming along with the progress or regress of rhetor’s recovery; ratio mirrors these alterations pending on environment, relat ionship or ideologic influence. It is necessary that we understand the self-persuasive nature of this text and therefore, the alcoholic as the rhetor. Again, from Halloran’s perspective, â€Å"Members of the audience become rhetors through their visible and audible reactions, transforming the event as it transpires into an enactment of their social order†(Hallorin, 2001, p. 6). An example of this can be noted in the first step: 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable. To be able to successfully ‘work’ through the steps this individual must first understand this step as andagent: act’ ratio. What this means is the individual (agent) understands that he or she is at fault for the act of his or her alcoholism. For the alcoholic to successfully complete this step and move forward to ‘work’ through the remaining eleven steps, he or she must determine a ratio such as this to provide an appropriate frame. The second aspect of grammar is assigning substance, similar to a pentadic ratio; substance requires both ‘selection’ and ‘deflection. ’ Glenn Stillar clarifies these relationships: He defines a selection as, â€Å"the ways in which motives may be attributed or understood, and it is a deflection because it impels us to see in its terms, not in others† (1998, p. 7). Again much like ratio, substance is a socially constructed phenomenon that also produces identities (Stillar, 1998). To identify with someone or something is to be united by a similar substance. This self-persuasive phenomenon can be likened to a domino effect, when multiple social actors identify with one another through similar experience the substance’s rhetorical power is compacted. In this sense, the definition of substance within Alcoholics Anonymous is not the substance of the text, but instead the text as the ‘substance. Each individual member is encouraged to work with and interpret the Steps in a fashion appropriate to the individual (Gorski, 1989). Furthermore as an A. A. fellowship comes into formation, common ground is based on each member’s relationship with this text and one’s ability to discuss this text with other members. For example, if Member A was struggling to work through Step five: 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs, then perhaps he or she needs to reassess completion of the first four Steps and discuss this with his or her fellowship. Terence Gorski insists that when Member A has succeeded in indentifying his or her mistaken beliefs and character defects he or she should discuss these things with other Members: â€Å" It’s self-defeating to keep it a secret. One recovering person put it this way: â€Å"We are only as sick as our secrets. † Why? Because keeping secrets forces us to live in isolation†¦Your addictive self keeps you out of touch with yourself and isolated from other people. The Fifth Step is the path out of isolation (Gorski, 1989, p. 4-95). Therefore, it can be said that the rhetorical characteristics of the Twelve Steps of A. A. lie within this communal ‘substance’ shared by all members of A. A. This social dimension must not be underestimated, the rhetorical power lies within the collective commitment to this individual process. Admitting and accepting this idea is the only possible way to begin the process of sobriety; to begin the ‘work’ of the Twelve Steps; to join the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. To relate oneself to the substance of a particular group or community, Burke suggests that the rhetorical practice of identification must occur. Thomas Harte summarizes this Burkean notion, â€Å"Persuasion takes place only as the result of some variant of the process: You persuade a man only insofar as you can talk his language by speech, gesture, tonality, order, image, attitude, idea, identifying your ways with his. Through the employment of stylistic identification strategies the speaker establishes rapport with his audience, causing it to identify its interests with his† (Harte, 1977, p. 5). It is key to reiterate that in our discussion of the rhetorical nature of the Twelve Steps, the speaker and the audience are the same social actor. Thus far we have dismantled top-down rhetorical practice, we have blurred the roles of rhetor and audience, and we understand that lived experience has a heavy influence on the rhetorical nature of text. All of the above have utilized one form or another of identification, let us now dismantle Burkean rhetoric and understand this theory’s true persuasive power. Identification is the tool we use to reduce the division between ourselves and to construct our own reality united by a similar substance. Kenneth Burke eloquently illustrates the process of identification, â€Å"A is not identical with his colleague, B. But insofar as their interests are joined, A is indentified with B. Or he may identify himself with B even when their interests are not joined, if he assumes that they are, or is persuaded to do so† (Stillar, 1998, p. 73). The function of rhetoric is to overcome separation and create social realities, collective communities in which we must operate. Alcoholics are usually people who have been collectively socially identified and outcast as diseased. With this in mind, we must acknowledge the refreshingly positive nature of identification that is utilized within the Alcoholics Anonymous fellowship. To counter this societal narrative and renegotiate the individual’s relationship within society one must join the other team; the recovery team and this is possible, â€Å"so long as the ‘sufferer’ agrees to take on responsibility for the sickness†(Cloud, 1998, p. 2). The Twelve Steps are separated in a rhetorical fashion as to speak a different sermon for a different Sunday; any given step is never interpreted in the same way, instead each step is intended to give new insight each and every time it is worked with (Gorski, 1989). Appropriately, the first three steps ask newcomers to admit their powerlessness and surrender control to a higher power, and in doing so begin the process of identification as an alcoholic. The Twelve Steps are a launch pad for a relationship of consubstantiality between members of the A. A. ellowship and therefore, if the steps are to be misinterpreted the fellowship should self-correct. George Jensen emphasizes this consubstantiality that exists within the fellowship, â€Å"When a newcomer is making the steps too cryptic or onerous, and old-timer will simplify them. When a newcomer claims to have mastered the steps, an old-timer will, in some way, suggest that they are too complex and difficult to have mastered so quic kly†(Jensen, 2000, p. 53). Without judgment, the communal process that surrounds the steps gently guides new or old members onto their rightful path by way of the Steps. As we have seen, the process of releasing one’s personal power throughout the first three steps, allows the individual rhetor to identify as an alcoholic. However the second set of steps challenge this consubstantial progress. Steps four through and including nine ask the alcoholic to examine one’s moral character, challenge one’s character defects, and make amends. These six steps are key because they allow the individual an opportunity to understand who he or she really is and it is this rigorous honesty that forms the foundation of recovery. For example the problematic Step four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of Ourselves, it proves to be one of the more difficult steps to ‘work’ through because it forces members to move past denial towards honesty (Jensen, 2000). This is the case for two reasons, for one because this step is acutely focused on the individual member opposed to the previous steps that reiterate the fellowship’s strength. Second, while the individual rhetor will continue to align oneself as a member of the A. A. fellowship, momentarily he or she must come to terms with their past before A. A. While difficult, this step allows the individual an opportunity to reflect and understand one’s personal strengths and weaknesses so as to build upon the strengths and overcome the weaknesses (Jensen, 2000). The interesting aspect of this process is as the individual grows, so too does the fellowship, the substance morphs and changes strengthening the consubstantiality. Jensen confirms this reality and suggests, â€Å"some members claim that those who have completed-really completed- a fourth step never relapse† (Jensen, 2000, p. 5). With every member’s success the fellowship grows in spirit. The final three steps can be described as spiritual maintenance; â€Å"Members of the program work these steps, often on a daily basis, as a means of continuing their spiritual progress and staying in touch with the fellowship† (Jensen, 2000, p. 56). At this point within the fellowship, not only has a member conquered the majority of the steps, he or she has a safe ty net of a sponsor and/or friends to call at anytime if any need arise. Within the final leg of the Twelve Steps I think it is safe to agree with Halloran’s notion that lived experience sometimes overwhelms the persuasive nature of the text (2001). Step twelve extends is rhetorical power to the experience of a spiritual awakening as a result of working through the Twelve Steps: 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. As we can see the Twelve Steps have created a fellowship and an A. A. ommunity that is unshakeable, it seems that the text of the steps are mere words that set the stage for success. Dramatism is interested in how language creates and maintains collective communities of individuals (Borchers, 2006). One could say that Burkean rhetorical theory is of the same substance as dramatistic perspective; both methods of analysis favor language as the foundation for successful rhetoric by activation of the audienceâ€⠄¢s willingness to act. Similarly, logology is interested in language itself as a motive and how the rhetorical nature of language characterizes ratio, substance and identification. Furthermore, this branch of rhetorical theory questions the conditions in which language is socially constructed and explores the consequences that language impose on social actors (Stillar, 1998). If language creates and maintains collective communities of individuals we must acknowledge that this occurs because of two forms of classification: identification and division. Denise Jodlowski confirms and expands this: Identification, he argued, [Burke] inherently invites consideration of its opposite—division. Although group members will identify with one another in order to cohere as a unit, they will also necessarily define themselves in opposition to or division from other groups. Additionally, group members can divide against one another. Such is the case in storytelling, where the teller faces division if a story does not resonate with others (2007, p. 17). Such is the case for an alcoholic, he or she is often outcast from ‘normal-functioning’ society and is placed in a wasteland until he or she finds the Twelve Steps and the fellowship of A. A. Even an open and welcoming community such as the fellowship of A. A. uses language both to define identification and division between other groups; us versus them, sobriety versus illness, and alone versus fellowship. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous prevalently use the collective pronoun â€Å"We,† a word, a mere fragment of language that unites any number of people as a collective. This two-letter word frames the Twelve Steps and the A. A. ommunity as approachable and accessible, likewise George Jensen reiterates this thought: The subject of the steps is plural â€Å"we,† which is less preachy, emphasizing the importance of working the steps within a group, and its actions are expressed in the past tense, which emphasizes that this is the plan others have already followed and found effective in achieving sobriety (Jensen, 2000, p. 52). Logology is interested in just this, the use of â€Å"We† as unifying language that inspires the social actor and fu rthermore the alcoholic to commit to the Twelve Steps and to the fellowship. It is this simple word that creates and maintains collective communities of individuals. The text of the Twelve Steps of A. A. linguistically lends itself to another collective community; that being a community embraced under the umbrella term therapeutic discourse or better known as ‘self-help. ’ Under this umbrella, social actors are inherently plagued with illness, disease and moral indecency. Dana Cloud emphasizes this notion through Wendy Simonds’ research data collected from interviews with readers of self-help text; â€Å"readers are persuaded by messages in these texts encouraging them to take responsibility of their ‘illnesses’†(1998, p. 3). As a ‘self-help’ model, the very core of A. A. culture is linguistically constructed in a way as to constantly humble its members through ‘self-help’ discourse. To be able to work through the Twelve Steps, a member must first and foremost admit their illness: 1: We admitte d we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable; this is the only way for a individual to truly be of the same substance as the fellowship of A. A. An example of this is as follows, the fellowship requires its members to introduce oneself as follows: â€Å"Hello my name is Marissa. I’m an alcoholic† followed by the routine response â€Å"Hello Marissa,† and by acknowledging oneself as an alcoholic and taking personal responsibility for one’s ‘illness,’ the response is a sincere welcome for who is soon to be, if not already a friend. By admitting one’s illness, he or she is commended and embraced by the A. A. fellowship. As in most ‘self-help’ texts, beauty is found amongst the wreckage, A. A. doesn’t differ, and in fact its consubstantial unity thrives upon shameless surrender. Just as there isn’t one single face to the disease of alcoholism, there certainly isn’t one single voice for successful sobriety. Instead, the power of sobriety is found in the collective voice of multiple members, the fellowship. The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is the substance of which the members of the A. A. fellowship are nourished. The consubstantial nature of this text provides a stage for success; Terence Gorski insists on the simplicity of this success, â€Å"there are certain conditions that make this happen- namely, sober people, operating under free choice, discussing the principles that underlie the Steps†(1989, p. 181). The Twelve Step program is a volunteer fellowship, a community where members help themselves and others to stay sober. With confidence, I conclude that it is the Alcoholics Anonymous experience that allows a member to transform, to solidify his or her sobriety and to support one’s fellow members along the same journey. Appendix The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcoholthat our lives had become unmanageable. 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. : Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8: Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9: Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 0: Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Top 10 Confused English Words [U-Z]

Top 10 Confused English Words [U-Z] Top 10 Confused English Words [U-Z] Top 10 Confused English Words [U-Z] By Maeve Maddox Having come to the end of the alphabet with my series of â€Å"words often confused with one another,† I find myself hard-pressed to come up with a final set of ten for the remaining letters, U-Z. I can’t think of any for U or Z, but here are some for V, W, and Y. 1. vane / vain / vein All three sound alike and speakers know what they mean when they say them. The confusion arises with the spellings. INCORRECT: A cupola sat astride the angled wedge of the rooftop, sporting a beautiful gold colored  weather vain. CORRECT: A cupola sat astride the angled wedge of the rooftop, sporting a beautiful gold colored  weather vane. INCORRECT: If we cut one of our vains what chance do we have to live? CORRECT: If we cut one of our veins what chance do we have to live? vane noun: a blade that rotates vain adjective: 1. hopeless: â€Å"She continues to harbor a vain desire to write a novel that will make her rich.† 2. having an excessively high opinion of ones own appearance, attainments, qualities, or possessions: â€Å"He is especially vain about his hair.† vein noun: the tubular vessels in which the blood is conveyed through the animal body. 2. venal / venial Neither word is common in ordinary speech. Catholics are familiar with the adjective venial in reference to a lesser kind of sin than a mortal sin. In a secular context, â€Å"a venial fault† is one that does not deserve severe censure. Venial (three syllables) is usually applied to a thing. The adjective venal (two syllables) applies to people as well as to things.    â€Å"As a politician in a venal age, he preserved his independence and purity.† â€Å"The venal man raised the price from  $13.50  a pill to  $750 overnight.† venial adjective: easily forgiven. venal adjective: corruptible; likely to accept bribes. 3. vicious / viscous Although pronounced differently, viscous [VIS-kus] is often misspelled as the more familiar word vicious [VIH-shus], with comical effect. INCORRECT: Polymer solutions are very vicious so need lots of solvent. CORRECT: Polymer solutions are very viscous so need lots of solvent. vicious adjective: cruel and mean. viscous adjective: thick and sticky. 4. wave / waive Both words are pronounced the same. wave verb: move back and forth. â€Å"The sign waved in the wind. waive verb: give up; not require. â€Å"Do you waive your right to an attorney?† The usual error is to leave the i out of waive. INCORRECT: Can a 21-year-old who waved his rights to appeal without knowing the law get another trial? CORRECT: Can a 21-year-old who waived his rights to appeal without knowing the law get another trial? 5. weather / whether Both words are pronounced the same by speakers who don’t distinguish between the sounds of w and wh. weather noun: condition of the atmosphere at a given place and time. â€Å"The weather outside is frightful.† Whether is a function word used as different parts of speech. One use is as a conjunction to introduce an alternative expressing doubt or choice. The usual spelling error is to spell whether as weather. INCORRECT: I am a grown-up and can make decisions  weather to marry  or  not. CORRECT: I am a grown-up and can make decisions  whether to marry  or  not. 6. wet / whet The h in whet is often omitted, perhaps because so many speakers pronounce wh as w. wet adjective: full of moisture. â€Å"The wet dog shook vigorously.† wet verb: to make wet. â€Å"The oboe player wets his reed before playing.† whet verb: to sharpen. â€Å"Here, whet your sword on this grindstone.† whet verb: to stimulate. â€Å"The scent of baking bread always whets my appetite.† INCORRECT: One day in Quebec  will wet your appetite for  a longer visit.   CORRECT: One day in Quebec  will whet your appetite for  a longer visit.   7. wreck / wreak Although pronounced differently, the words are frequently mixed up in writing. wreck /REK/ verb: to damage severely; to destroy. wreak /REEK/ verb: to cause damage. Wreak is an old word, used chiefly in the phrase â€Å"to wreak havoc.† â€Å"Patricia is no longer a hurricane, but it’s about to wreak havoc in Texas.† INCORRECT: A  tornado wrecked havoc  in the city in 1896 killing several hundred people. CORRECT: A  tornado wreaked havoc  in the city in 1896 killing several hundred people. 8. wreath / wreathe The error with these words is failure to recognize wreathe as a verb in which the th is voiced. wreath noun: [The th is unvoiced, its sound in thin.] a ring-shaped arrangement of leaves or flowers. â€Å"She hung a Christmas wreath on the door.† wreathe verb: [The th is voiced, its sound in then.] to surround or encircle. â€Å"Inside, she wreathed the mirrors with holly branches.† INCORRECT: Martha Stewart makes small arborvitae wreathes to accent the front door of her home. CORRECT: Martha Stewart makes small arborvitae wreaths to accent the front door of her home. The plural of the noun wreath is wreaths. The third person singular of the verb wreathe is wreathes. 9. yoke / yolk Both words are pronounced the same. Yoke is usually spelled correctly in the context of a contrivance used to hook two animals together, as in â€Å"a yoke of oxen.† It’s when yoke is used in the context of sewing that it is sometimes misspelled as yolk. And on cooking sites, sometimes yolk is misspelled as yoke. yoke noun: (sewing) part of a garment, made to fit the shoulders. yolk noun: The yellow internal part of an egg. INCORRECT: The Creek Line House: How to Separate Egg Whites from the Yokes CORRECT: The Creek Line House: How to Separate Egg Whites from the Yolks INCORRECT: How To Sew A Shirt Yolk CORRECT: How To Sew A Shirt Yoke 10. your / you’re The query â€Å"difference between your and you’re† brings up 323,000,000 Google hits when typed in the search box. Clearly, a great many English speakers remain uncertain as to the difference. Your is a possessive adjective. â€Å"Is that your dog?† Your is always followed by a noun. You’re is a contraction of the words â€Å"you are.† The apostrophe in you’re indicates that something is missing. The ’re stands for the verb are. The a of are is what is missing. You’re may be followed by a noun, an adjective, or the present participle of a verb. â€Å"You’re [you are] the best friend I ever had.† (noun) â€Å"You’re [you are] wrong about this matter.† (adjective) â€Å"You’re [you are] making a big mistake.† (present participle) People who have difficulty with these words can avoid problems by spelling out â€Å"you are.† If the result sounds stuffy in an informal context, the writer can replace â€Å"you are† with you’re in revision. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before WordsBest Websites to Learn EnglishUsing "zeitgeist" Coherently

Je tu il elle on vous - Singular French Subject Pronouns

Je tu il elle on vous - Singular French Subject Pronouns To replace a noun, French uses a word called â€Å"a pronoun†. You choose this pronoun according to both the grammatical value of the word it replaces and the meaning of the word it replaces. Anne est au marcheÃŒ . Elle est avec Mary.Anne is at the market. She is with Mary   To replace â€Å"Anne† in the second sentence, I used â€Å"elle† (she). â€Å"Elle† is a subject pronoun: it replaces a noun subject of the verb, and its a third person singular to match Anne which is a person about whom I am speaking, feminine, one person, so she. What is a Subject? The subject is the person or thing that does the action of the verb.   How do you Find the Subject of a Sentence in French? There is an easy way to find the subject of a sentence, and its important in French you learn this grammatical question in order to be able to find the subject of a verb without any doubt. First, find the verb. Then ask: â€Å"who verb† or â€Å"what verb†.  The answer to that question will be your subject. A subject is a noun (Camille, flower, room...) or a pronoun (I, you, they...). It can be a person, a thing, a place, an idea...   Examples:  I paint.Who paints?Answer: I paint. â€Å"I† is the subject. Camille is teaching French.Who is teaching?Answer:  Camille is teaching.â€Å"Camille† is the subject.   What is happening to Camille?What’s happening?Answer:  What is happening.â€Å"What† is the subject (This one was trickier, wasn’t it?)   French Subject Pronouns Replacing One Person In French, the list of singular subject pronouns is: Je (or j’ vowel or h, its called an elision) I  Ã‚   Tu (never t’) you singular informal   Il it, he - long â€Å"ee† sound​ Elle it, she - short clip â€Å"L† sound On - this one is more difficult to understand. It used to mean â€Å" one â€Å", but nowadays is used in casual French to say â€Å" we , instead of the now more formal/written form â€Å" nous â€Å". So although its listed as a singular pronoun, nowadays its mostly used to replace several people, so for a plural. See my lesson on on. Vous you, one person, formal. Note that vous is also the pronoun we use for you plural, when you say you to talk to more than one person (yous guys :-) Traditionally, vous is listed as a plural subject pronoun, although it can and does often refer to only one person. Its confusing, I know, so I wrote a whole lesson on tu versus vous. ​French Subject Pronouns Replacing Several People In French, the list of plural subject pronouns (replacing several people) is: Nous we - S is silent, but becomes Z when followed by a vowel or an h. (Nowadays, â€Å" nous â€Å" is used in a formal context and in writing mostly. In conversation, we tend to use â€Å"onâ€Å"). Vous you plural, both formal and informal - S is silent, but becomes Z vowel or an h. Ils they masculine or they masculine and feminine - S is silent, but becomes Z vowel or an h. Elles they feminine ONLY - S is silent, but becomes Z vowel or an h. ​Important : In Pronunciation Il ils / elle elles â€Å"Il† and ils have the same pronunciation, sort of an English eel, and â€Å"Elle† has the same pronunciation as its plural form â€Å"Elles† sort of an English   L sound . Do not pronounce the S to remember the spelling; it would mess up your pronunciation! Oh, and since Im talking about pronunciation, you will soon see that most verbs will take an silent ent to match with ils and elles - Im not explaining the whole French conjugation concept here yet, just planting a seed: this ent matching ils and elles will always be silent. Its not pronounced an, its not pronounced at all. Never in a verb. Its a very bad, but very common mistake French student make. No it Subject Pronoun in French There is no â€Å"it† form in French. Everything: objects, concepts, animals etc. are either masculine or  feminine in French, and are therefore referred to as â€Å"il† or â€Å"elle†. So dont think of il and elle as being only he and she, they also mean it. It will be weird at first, but you will get used to it, I promise.   What Do First, Second, Third Person Singular and Plural Mean? This concept is often baffling to student of French, but its a standard for grammatical jargon. Subject pronouns are often referred to as persons and this is how most grammar books will present a French verb conjugation : a table, with 3 lines, and two columns. As an example, I will take the verb chanter, to sing, in the present indicative tense. Singular Plural Je chante Nous chantons Tu chantes Vous chantez Il, elle, on chante Ils, elles chantent Je is often referred to as the first person singular or 1ps, tu as second person singular or 2ps... can you guess nous? 1st person plural. Which makes ils and elles both third person plural. This presentation is super confusing if you ask me since vous for example could replace BOTH a singular or a plural... But its very common to talk about verbs this way in French, and most French teachers are so accustom to it that they wont even understand that its weird...   French Subject Pronouns in Detail So now that you get an overview of the singular French subject pronouns, lets look at them individually. There is a lot to be said on each. Singular French Subject Pronouns Je Tu Il Elle (what about moi, me, mon...?) Plural French Subject Pronouns Nous, Vous, Ils, Elles (please dont say the s)The Misunderstood French Subject Pronoun on. Finally, before you can go ahead and start conjugating your French verbs, I will encourage you to learn more about Tu versus Vous - A French Dilemma.   I post exclusive mini lessons, tips, pictures and more daily on my Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest  pages - so join me there! https://www.facebook.com/frenchtoday https://twitter.com/frenchtoday https://www.pinterest.com/frenchtoday/

The study of sociology and its applications Essay

The study of sociology and its applications - Essay Example However, in order to be successful, I know that I need to get an in-depth knowledge of how sociology is efficiently done. Thus, in recognition of the availability of various resources in the World Wide Web, this paper will include mostly articles from the internet together with books and magazines where doing sociology can be easily understood and efficiently taught. The best starting point in undertaking the research in doing sociology is Lee Harvey and Morag McDonald's Doing Sociology: A Practical Introduction which is published by Palgrave and McMillan in 1993. Though the edition is quite old, the book is still valuable in the sense that it encourages readers to learn by doing "combining sociological theory with research methods and social philosophy in an accessible way." Being focused on first-year degree students, this book is a must for starters. On the other hand, Sociology: The Core with PowerWeb written by Michael Hughes and Carolyn Kroeler provides a more recent discussion of sociological issues. After a straightforward presentation of what sociological imagination is, the book specializes in applying the functionalist, interactionist, and conflict perspective to the various sociological debates and issues. The best feature of this book is its ability to relate real world examples to the theories and concepts presented inside the classroom. Recognizing the popularity of internet in the provision of data and information used in understanding the happenings and situations of an individual nation and the world as a whole, visiting the Virtual Explorations in Sociology created by Prof. Robert E. Wood of the State University of New Jersey also proves very helpful. This virtual tour is designed to introduce students to the resources for sociology in the internet. T is broken down in areas most discussed in sociology like deviance, race and ethnicity, and the field where I am most interested at-economics. The websites presented in the tour comprises "official U.S. and U.N. sites, academic sites, advocacy sites, personal sites, and others" which are very important for data mining. The virtual tour also tests the progress of students by giving quizzes. This is a fun way of interactive learning. Focusing on the relation of business and sociology, much information can be gathered in the websites where recent business news and ideologies are presented like Times online and Financial Times. These websites contain the most recent news in the global arena and is also organized in a way that readers and users can choose the geographic region the news comes from. It should be noted though that these articles do not directly relate sociology to real world cases but stimulates the readers by making them think how sociological imagination explains the recent trends in the business arena. I find searching the archive for specific news and articles about human interaction, behavior, and global trends as an exciting way to learn and explore how sociology is imprinted on business activities. For example, I am amused at how business organizations are increasingly turning to use of social corporate responsibility in order to enhance their image and increase their bottom line. For me, this is a new trend that sociology can explain through its theory of social contract and social

Yoani Sanchez and the Power of Internet Blogging Research Paper

Yoani Sanchez and the Power of Internet Blogging - Research Paper Example Due process has often been denied on many instances, and, as a result, many feel that Cuban laws are unethical and oppressive. Despite all these, Cubans have lacked a voice to fight for them. Many have been afraid to come out in the open and oppose the constant oppression and violation of human rights by the government. People have feared the consequences of opposing the violations against their rights because those who speak out against such oppression are mostly the ones who suffer the most since the government does not want to be opposed or criticized (Sweig 47). Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero has been acting as a voice for the voiceless in Cuba. She has been standing up for the rights of the many oppressed Cubans who have been afraid to question the current regime over the common human rights violations. Sanchez has been using the internet as her main tool in fighting the oppression being netted out by the government. This paper will critically analyze the power of internet blogging as used by Yoani Sanchez in creating a window into the harsh realities of oppression that have been facing the people of Cuba. Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero is a renowned Cuban blogger with international recognition and global awards for her efforts in criticizing the current rot in the Cuban government. Sanchez has been lauded for the creation of Generation Y. She has been using her words as a voice for the oppressed. Sanchez has been using the internet to inform the rest of the world about the sad state of affairs in Cuba. She has been instrumental in informing the international community about the injustices and arbitrary punishments that have been facing the people of Cuba (Henken 1). Her aim of exposing these injustices via the internet has been to let the world see what innocent Cubans have to go through every single day of their

Motivation Essay Essay Example for Free

Motivation Essay Essay Civil Engineering is my passion and a very important part of my life. From the very beginning of my school life I was intrigued in various types of structures and its complication from engineering side. In time this desire was growing and I start being interested in construction processes and especially in different structural solutions. My mind was overfilled with questions such as how process of construction design runs, what are the reasons why some of structures sustain more loads while other ones collapse affected with lower loads. So I dedicated my post-secondary education to search the answers which allows me to understand how the engineering science works. And I made the right decision by choosing Civil Engineering studies. It was a key which unlocked the right doors to get the answers that I needed. During my Bachelor studies I was interested in design branch and especially in Structural Design. It has admired me because of its complication and oneness. None of the other sphere requires such a wide range of knowledge and none of them is as universal engineering specialization as the Structural Design is. Furthermore, Structural Design studies in TU/e provide the possibility to do research project what is a chance to explore and gain understanding in the structural design of structures and the aspects of the design process. Due to these reasons I would like to take the Architecture, Building and Planning programme because one of its specializations is Structural Design. After taking decision that it is time to continue my education I started exploration of Western Europe universities and I found out that TU/e is the best option to fulfill my needs. TU/e is a great choice because of its objective to grow up creative, initiative and independent thinking experts. Furthermore, this university cooperates with international companies and universities and can offer many MSc programm es in English what demonstrates that TU/e is oriented towards exchanging international knowledge and experience. The other aspect I chose TU/e is its worldwide reputation and ranking among world’s top technical universities. This fact enthuse me and it would be such an honour to study in one of the best Technical universities in the world and get lots of knowledge from authoritative and meritorious professors. Furthermore, TU/e is well known because of its research institutes and that students are taking responsibility of impressive projects. Young engineers have a chance to express their creativity and innovation. I believe that opportunity to  participate in educational life of such an outstanding university is an ambition of all engineers. In conclusion, the facts such as great rankings among the world’s best technical universities, high level professors and leading position in research inspired me to take MSc programme in TU/e. I have no doubts I made the right decision. The master’s studies of chosen programme are the best way to seek the goals of my career. I believe in it due to the circumstance that there are a lot of educated but not enough experienced engineers in Lithuania. So only the best of them are able to compete for the most sought-after and perspective positions. Whereas I am ambitious person I want to become one of the most professional, desirable and promising engineer for engineering companies. So I would like to continue purposeful studies and to advance knowledge of my previous degree what could help me to perform in more professional way. Considering my personal features such as a strong will to learn and activity on taking participation in diverse educational projects I daresay that I will be adorable student for your university and your professors. Furthermore, I believe that I and these master’s studies we are great match due to the feature of my character that I cannot face up with myself when I have unsolved problems and the attribute of these studies to be challenging. This feature of my character shows that I will be persistent and committed student. With a foundation of academic knowledge and experience I gained during the years of my bachelor studies, I believe I am qualified for the Master’s degree of Architecture, Building and Planning, specialization Structural Engineering. I am convinced that TU/e will provide me with knowledge, experience and confidence for the future. I think that this programme matches perfectly with my academic expectations and offers the best way to make my goals come true.

Essay --

During the Meiji Restoration, Japan transformed into a strong industrialized nation by adopting the Western political, cultural, and technological ideas. Japan was the â€Å"only non-Western country to industrialize in the nineteenth century and that, moreover, she did so in an extremely short time† (Sugiyama 1). Japan’s social, political, and economic aspects were all affected by the Western technologies to transform Japan into an industrialized nation (Wittner 1). By adopting the Western ideas during the Meiji Restoration, Japan has turned into a powerful industrialized nation by becoming an â€Å"international political player in the 1880s† (Wittner 1). Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the Western powers viewed Japan as the backward nation because â€Å"in terms of military strength and economic development, Japan was indeed far behind the Western nations† (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government feared that Western nations would colonize Japan because they had already done it to other Asian countries by using military forces (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government’s fear came out to be true when the Western powers imposed unequal commercial treaties on Japan. Because of these unequal treaties Japan was â€Å"deprived of the right to regulate tariffs, and Western residents in the treaty ports were granted the privilege of extraterritoriality† (Hane and Perez 84). However, these unequal treaties were significant to the Meiji Restoration because they became the foundation of Japan’s industrial revolution by providing Japan with the access not only to Western technologies but also to political, cultural, and social ideas (Hane and Perez 82). Moreover, the treaties were important to Japan’s economic future because they increased the Japan’s econom... ...Restoration was the telephone. Iwadare Kunihiko established Nihon Denki (Nippon Electric Co., also known as NEC) by teaming up with the Western Electric (WE) of the United States (Odagiri and Goto 161). Kunihiko and NEC adopted WE’s technology and communication equipment, which helped expand the production of telephones (Odagiri and Goto 162). The telephone production was important for Japan’s industrialization because communication became easier. Many people were able to keep in touch with their friends and families who live far away by simply calling them. The telephone was also important for business because it sped up the commercial transactions. As more people are using the telephone, more private owned telephone companies were operated to raise profits. The American telephone technology brought industrialization in Japan by increasing the telephone production.

Harlequin Five Forces Analysis Essay

High economies of scale required. For an entrant to gain success in romance novel market, it must possess mature sales, production, and distribution to operate effectively, which also leads to great risk. High product differentiation required. Other companies start to add more features while Harlequin products remain relatively unchanged. Significant capital requirement required. This is evident in Simon and Schuster’s case, in which it bears a high upfront investment for this battle. Access to distribution channels is medium to difficult. Harlequin has gained exclusive access to groceries, but failed on stand-alone retails. Other competitors either choose regular bookstore or similar as Harleuqins’; however, it might be difficult to entrants to gain access to these channels by themselves. Government policy has been very protective to authors; however, no clear restrictions on product images. Buyers Power Increasing buying power due to additional competing products Low switching cost Changing target markets A variety of choices Poor retention rate, high return rate Loss of existing customers and high cost of attracting a new customer American Romance Series to meet consumer’s tastes Substitutes Threat of Substitutes is high due to technology advancement and demand diversification. Evident in Harlequin’s attempts of film, magazine and scholar’s choice (bookstore). Suppliers Power Increasing supplier power due to promising offer from Simon and Schuster Loss of excellent authors who later generate sales for Simon and Schuster shows that authors possess significant supplier power Other supplier powers such as sales force, printing business are relative stable Industry Competitors, Rivalry among existing firms Low growth rate as more competitors are competing for a stable market other competitors are earning market share at Harlequin’s expenses oligopolistic market is another factor of intense competition â€Å"Romance War† due to introduction of silhouette Simon and Schuster introduced Silhouette, a rival line of romance novels, in 1980 32% market share and rising Competes the oversea markets Emerging competitors as a result of Silhouette’s introduction; also evident in 5 additional rival lines launched in 1982 accelerate the intensity of competition and decrease Harlequin’s market share and volume sales Possession of competitive advantage (i.e. No best seller management and standardization) which ease competition temporarily Bitter rivalry with Sillhouette – S&S although losing money, but gaining market share underestimated by Harlequin hired Harlequin’s former vice president and best-selling authors advertising budget copied Harlequin’s Presents – confused buyers Financial Revenue increase slowly Profit dropped to half 1980-1981 ($44.7 –> 22.3) drastically decreased from 1982 -1983 ($25.8 –> 5.5) remove unprofitable subsidiaries – films, scholar’s choices, magazine etc Debt high debt ratio – rapid increase from 1980-1982, then lower in 1983 expensive bad debts from the Reader Service Cost 40 new stores eating up all the cash increasing costs of Reader Services reducing costs at corporate level – cut overhead expenses by 20% sales decreased, advertising expenses increased Working Capitals decreasing working capitals – lack of cash flow for investment – only 33 millions in 1983

Quiz About the Great Gatsby Essay

1. Who is â€Å"The Great Gatsby† narrated by? What do you know about his family background, and why does he com e to New York? What business is he in? Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator, comes from a well-to-do Minnesota family. He travels to New York to learn the band business; there he becomes involved with both Gatsby and the Buchanas. 2. What is the difference between East Egg and West Egg? East Egg: East Egg is the fashionable group of social elite, also known as â€Å"old money† or people who have always had money. Tom and Daisy represent the â€Å"old establishment†, having lived the wealthy upper class for most of their lives. West Egg: West Eggers are the newly rich. The people who have worked hard and earned their money in a short period of time, sometimes by bootlegging (Gatsby). 3. Describe Tom Buchanan. How old is he? What was he famous for at college? How do you know that he is a racist? Tom Buchanan is 30 years old and he’s a former Yale football player who comes from an immensely wealthy Midwestern family. His racism and sexism are symptomatic of his deep insecurity about his elevated social position. He tried to interest others in a book called â€Å"The Rise of the Coloured Empiresâ€Å". 4. Where did Nick first meet Tom? How does Nick meet Gatsby? Tom Buchanan: Nick first met Tom at Yale University, and when Nick heads over to East Egg to have dinner with Daisy, his second cousin, he meets Tom again. Gatsby: Nick goes to his first party at Jay Gatsby’s after receiving an invitation via Gatsby’s chauffer. Suddenly a man tells Nick that he has to come with him. The man brings Nick to Gatsby, in his house during the party. 5. Where did Daisy first meet Gatsby? Why didn’t she wait for him and marry Tom instead? Gatsby and Daisy meet themselves for the first time in Louisville, where he was stationed at Camp Taylor as a young officer before being shipped overseas during World War I. Gatsby had to go to war and left Daisy at home. She once told him that the reason she didn’t wait for him is because â€Å"rich girls don’t marry poor boys†. Daisy was flattered by Tom’s generous gifts. 6. How do you know that Daisy and Tom’s marriage is troubled? She and Tom were in love at one point as well, and he also had the money to provide her with the lifestyle she was  accustomed to. Tom cheated on Daisy by having an affair with Myrthle. Tom hasn’t been faithful from the very beginning. 7. What are Daisy’s ambitions for her daughter? Why? Daisy hopes that her daughter once will be a little fool, because then she will never have to suffer the harsh realities of the real world. 8. What kind of background does Gatsby come from? How did he acquire his riches? He was born in North Dakota to an impoverished farming family. Gatsby made his fortune through criminal activity. Gatsby had a mentor from whom he learned the things that rich people do, how the live. Gatsby was a bootlegger and sold illegal alcohol. 9. Give reasons why Daisy doesn’t just leave Tom and break up her marriage. Daisy has a child with Tom and they also had a pleasant and wealthy life. Tom buys Daisy a lot of jewellery. Tom is also a Bully, so Daisy fears Tom. Above all, Daisy fears a scandal. Daisy doesn’t love Gatsby as much as he loves her. To Daisy, Gatsby is an affair. 10. Give reasons why Gatsby’s dream to get Daisy back doesn’t work. Daisy loved him, but she wanted to live with Tom. She didn’t want to leave him. It would be a scandal for Daisy’s family if they knew how Jay earns his money. 11. Explain what the â€Å"green light† at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes to Gatsby. The green light is a symbol for the hope and promise of the future. It’s like a guiding light to Daisy. 12. What does Mr. Klipspringer represent? He’s not a true friend, he is a shiftless freeloader who almost lives at Gatsby’s mansion. Though he takes advantage of Gatsby’s wealth and generosity, he fails to attend his funeral. 13. Why does Nick return to the Midwest at the end of the novel? After his friend Gatsby died, Nick wanted to return to the Midwest. He was disgusted at the behaviour of the East Eggers. To Nick the people of the Midwest are more honest and down-to-earth. 14. Explain the symbolism of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. It’s a symbol of God seeing everything, even Myrtle’s affair. It is a metaphor for God.

The Samantha Runnion Case

The Samantha Runnion Case On July 15, 2002, 5-year-old Samantha Runnion was playing with her friend, Sarah Ahn, outside of her home. A man approached, asking if they had seen his chihuahua. Samantha spoke to him briefly and then he grabbed her and pulled her into his car. Samantha, while fighting to get free, screamed out to her friend, Help me! Tell my grandmother! Sarah ran and told her mother what had happened and the massive manhunt for little Samantha Runnion began. Sarah, who was the same age as Samantha, was able to provide the police with a description of the man and the details about his car. Other witnesses confirmed details for the police. They were looking for a Hispanic man with slicked-back black hair and a thin black mustache, possibly driving a light green Honda or Acura. On July 16, a  man called 911  and reported that he found a little girl’s nude body along rural Highway 74 in neighboring Riverside County.   The  Riverside County Sheriffs Department confirmed that the body found was Samantha Runnion. An autopsy determined that Samantha was sexually assaulted, suffered physical trauma, and was asphyxiated sometime on July 15. Authorities reported that the killer spent several hours with her before murdering her. Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona delivered a strong message to the killer: Dont sleep. Dont eat. Because were coming after you. We will take every resource thats available to us to bring you to justice. The Investigation A tip line was set up and by July 18, caller’s tips lead the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)  to Alejandro Avila, 27, a production line supervisor from nearby Lake Elsinore. Avila reportedly denied any involvement in the murder, telling the police that he was 30 miles away on the day of the abduction. Phone and credit card records did not support his alibi. The FBI learned that Avila had previously been to the apartment complex where Samantha lived during 1998 and 1999. His ex-girlfriend’s daughter lived in the same complex as the Runnion family. His relationship with the woman ended in 2000. In 2001, Avila was charged with molestation of her 9-year-old daughter and another young girl, but he was acquitted on all charges. An Arrest Is Made On July 19, 2002, Avila was arrested and charged with the murder, kidnapping, and two counts of forcible lewd acts on Samantha Runnion. Detective Carona reported having evidence from the two crime scenes found outside of Samantha’s home where she was kidnapped and where her body was found, and what they obtained from Avila’s home and cars. Samantha Runnion’s funeral was held at the Crystal Cathedral and a crowd of over 5,500 mourners attended. Mourners received a program with a drawing of Samantha’s – a little girl in a red dress, a house and a heart under a bright blue sky with her favorite saying written, Be Brave. The DA Seeks the Death Penalty District Attorney Tony Rackauckas from Orange County announced that because the murder occurred after the kidnapping and the crime involved lewd acts with a child, the prosecutors would seek the death penalty against Alejandro Avila pleaded not guilty. Public Defender Denise Gragg was turned down by an Orange Country Superior Court judge after she requested a delay in the arraignment of Avila for at least a month. The judge also scheduled a pretrial hearing for Sept. 16. Erin Runnion on Larry King Live The day after the funeral for Samantha Runnion, her mother, Erin Runnion, discussed Samanthas murder on the Larry King Live program. She expressed anger toward the jury that let Alejandro Avila go when he was on trial for a previous charge of molesting two young girls: I blame every juror who let him go, every juror who sat on that trial and believed this man over those little girls, I will never understand. And that is why he was out. And that is why his sickness was allowed to do this. Erin Runnion Faces Daughters Accused Killer Larry King interviewed Erin Runnion a few days after she faced her daughter’s accused killer for the first time in person at his pre-trial hearing. Erin Runnion told Larry King, I tried to prepare myself for it, but there was no way I could. It was awful. It was awful. I dont know what it is for everybody else, but I just- I want so much from that person. I want him to undo what he did. And I want to see some remorse. I want him to know the magnitude of what happened. And we cant get that, and so I was just instantly flooded with tears. Joyful Child Fund in Memory of Samantha Runnion Erin Runnion and her partner Ken Donnelly established the foundation out of a commitment to turn Samantha’s tragedy into something positive. The foundation’s focus is on proactive approaches in dealing with the difficult issues of violence against children while celebrating the gift that is every child.

Tips to Improve Your French Vocabulary

Tips to Improve Your French Vocabulary Words, words, words! Languages are made up of words, and French is no exception. Here are all kinds of French vocabulary lessons, practice ideas, and tips to help you get better at learning and remembering French words. Resources to Learn French Vocabulary The following resources will help you learn, practice, and master French vocabulary. French Vocabulary: Utilize vocabulary lists and lessons on all the basics and topic areas including introductions, food, clothing, family, and more.Mot du Jour: Learn 5 new French words a week with this daily feature.French in English: Many French words and expressions are used in English, but do not always have the same meaning.Cognates: Hundreds of English words mean the same thing in French, but some are false cognates.French Expressions: Idiomatic expressions can really spice up your FrenchHomophones: Many words sound alike but have two or more meanings.French Synonyms: Learn some new ways to say the same old things and master words like bon, non, oui, petit, and trà ¨s.   Know Your Genders One of the most important things to remember about French nouns is that each one has a gender. While there are a few patterns that let you know what the gender of a particular word is, for most words, its just a matter of memorization. Therefore, the best way to know whether a word is masculine or feminine is to make all your vocabulary lists with an article, so that you learn the gender with the word itself. Always write une chaise or la chaise (chair), rather than just chaise. When you learn the gender as part of the word, youll always know what gender it is later on when you need to use it. This is particularly important with what I call dual-gender nouns. Dozens of French pairs have different meanings depending on whether they are masculine or feminine, so yes, gender really does make a difference. Chance Encounters When reading French, its very likely that youll come across a lot of new vocabulary. While looking up every single word you dont know in the dictionary may disrupt your comprehension of the story, you might not understand anyway without some of those key terms. So you have a few options: Underline the words and look them up laterWrite down the words and look them up laterLook up the words as you go Underlining is the best technique because when you look the words up later, you have the context right there in the case of words with multiple meanings. If thats not an option, try to write down the sentence in your vocabulary list, rather than just the word itself. Once youve looked everything up, read the article again, with or without referring back to your list, to see how much more you understand now. Another option is to look up all the words after each paragraph or each page, rather than waiting until youve read the whole thing.Listening can also offer up a lot of new vocabulary. Again, its a good idea to write down the phrase or sentence so that you have the context to understand the meaning provided. Get a Decent Dictionary If youre still using one of those little pocket dictionaries, you need to seriously consider an upgrade. When it comes to French dictionaries, bigger really is better. Practice French Vocabulary Once youve learned all this new French vocabulary, you need to practice it. The more you practice, the easier it will be for you to find just the right word when speaking and writing, as well as to understand when listening and reading. Some of these activities might seem boring or silly, but the point is simply to get you used to seeing, hearing, and speaking the words - here are some ideas. Say It out Loud When you come across a new word while reading a book, newspaper, or French lesson, say it out loud. Seeing new words is good, but saying them out loud is even better, because it gives you practice both speaking and listening to the sound of the word. Write It Out Spend 10 to 15 minutes every day writing lists of vocabulary. You can work with different themes, such as kitchen items or automotive terms, or just practice words that you continue to have trouble with. After you write them down, say them out loud. Then write them again, say them again, and repeat 5 or 10 times. When you do this, youll see the words, feel what its like to say them, and hear them, all of which will help you the next time you are actually speaking French. Use Flashcards Make a set of flashcards for new vocabulary by writing the French term on one side (along with an article, in the case of nouns) and the English translation on the other. You can also use a flashcard program like Before You Know It. Label Everything Surround yourself with French by labeling your home and office with stickers or post-it notes. Ive also found that putting a post-it on my computer monitor helps me remember those terms that Ive looked up in the dictionary a hundred times but still cant ever seem to remember. Use It in a Sentence When you go over your vocab lists, dont just look at the words - put them into sentences. Try making 3 different sentences with each word, or try to create a paragraph or two using all the new words together. Sing Along Set some vocabulary to a simple tune, like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and sing it in the shower, in your car on the way to work/school, or while washing the dishes. Mots Flà ©chà ©s French-style crossword puzzles, mots flà ©chà ©s, are a great way to challenge your knowledge of French vocabulary.

Interest in Vanguard Accelerated Development Program Personal Statement

Interest in Vanguard Accelerated Development Program - Personal Statement Example only to get an understanding of Vanguard’s leadership philosophy but also to continue its pursuit of excellence within the financial services industry. Although I am relatively new to the Vanguard Investment Services, but I have had the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to learn, adapt, and communicate effectively with clients. At present, I am working as a Corporate Staff Accountant at Education Corporation of America (ECA) where some of my job responsibilities include performing account reconciliations, preparing monthly financial statements, and reviewing the accounting reports. I have also worked as a Human Resource Recruiter at Abae Personnel Services Inc. Both of these jobs have helped me gain valuable experience that I require to progress in my professional life. I want to have an excellent professional record, which could help me attain the heights of success in my life. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make it. An important point, which I want to mention, is that relocation is not an issue for me when it comes to advancing in my career. I am sending this statement of purpose to get an opportunity to join the Vanguard Accelerated Development Program and maximize my skill set, experiences and knowledge. I am hopeful of getting an interview

Public speaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public speaking - Essay Example The two goals contradicted each other, as Vietnams had threatened to attack US if their troops were not to be withdrawn from South Vietnams. For that reason, Nixon addressed the issue with a two sided mind. Paradoxically, Nixon imparts a withdrawal mode to his audience, a strategy that makes them feel like he cares so much for the Americans, and especially the American men in Vietnam. He acknowledges that American troops stand a higher risk in the attacked zones but concludes the sentence by mentioning that withdrawing implies a greater risk to the natives of the attached zones. Nixon considers it wise to analyse the situation in two ways to make the audience understand that withdrawal, as the solution suggested earlier, is a controversial action that worsens the situation. As matter of fact, the Nixon understands that his audience are Americans, who would want their men protected but keeps in mind that the outside world is also watching his action. Therefore, the speech is planned n ot only to please the immediate audience but ensure that the problem is effectively addressed. Nixon confidently convinces the audience that his speech is well advised, by mentioning that the decision being presented wasn’t his own opinion but an informed discussion with national Security Council, other crucial personnel as well as the president’s advisers. To ensure this confidence, the speech creates some sense of inductive reasoning, by first defining the problem, analysing the available solutions and drawing a generalised conclusion later on. Nixon explains the problem by describing the actions and motives of the enemy. According to Nixon, America has no enmity whatsoever with North Vietnam, in the past there had been no troops moving to attack Vietnam, neither had the south Vietnams attacked their opponents before . He at the same time mentions the existence of alliance with South Vietnams. These create some sense of reasoning to the audience that

Critically assess the working of the EU's merger control Regulation Essay

Critically assess the working of the EU's merger control Regulation - Essay Example For the past two decades, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) hold the greatest percentage among modes of entry by foreign investors and growth activities of domestic companies; particularly true for the developed economies. One probable reason for this trend may be the high availability of information regarding the value of mergers and acquisitions. M&As targets usually obtain good values by the financial markets, which is more attractive and tempting for the investing companies and is considered one of the more important factors that affect investors’ choices. Mergers occur when two or more companies, with the consent of both parties involved, engage into a merge, in order to create business synergies from the new single entity formed, rather than existing separately on the market. There is a mutual agreement between the managements of two or more companies, on the grounds of exchanging shares of the merging firms with shares of the new entity, which reflects the name of the both companies engaged in the merger. Acquisitions, on the other side, represent business transactions between parties which are unrelated, under terms established by the market, while each side acts in its own best interest . In other words, in the case of acquisitions, the takeover involves a direct business transaction between the management of the acquiring firm and the stockholders of the acquired firm . 4. M&A result in anti-competitive effects as a possible consequence. By creating or strengthening dominant market power and by creating control over the industry’s vertical chain – M&A can succeed in distorting market competition. The scope of the essay is to provide a critical review on the EU competition regulation5. At the level of EU, the European Commission is responsible for the implementation of the regulation. Its powers have still not been used as frequently as the USA. As designed currently the EU regulation and decisions have multiple variations across multiple sectors; particularly the sectors where large companies and extensive cross-border trading and ownership links are predominant. These are counted as the regulation’s key targets6. In the process the essay will look at the most important factor after the anti-competitive issues drive the EU decisions on M&A – the efficiency gains7. The essay is organized in several sections. First the impa ct of M&A on the society as a whole is investigated followed by an overview of EU competition law with the EU merger procedures ending with a conclusion and discussion on the findings. 2. MERGERS AND AQUISITIONS AND THE ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC INTEREST (anti-competitive effects and efficiency gains) Although more than 14 drivers of M&As activity have been recognized and defined in the economic research and theory, according to Griffiths and Wall, in most of the cases the theories are highly unpredictable and inconsistent8. For example, the value discrepancy theory (i.e. buying off a company with a lower value than its genuine potential and actual assets involved), as well as the market power theory (i.e. consolidation due to large market power), are both behavioral models and illustrate specific and exact frameworks in which the companies operate (externally and/or internally). Generalization of these theories is difficult, therefore one may argue that Griffiths and

Natural Language Processing Scope English Language Essay

Natural Language Processing Scope English Language Essay Abstract: The challenging sphere of natural language processing has been a major concern in the field of computer science and artificial intelligence since the late 40s. It encompasses the next strive forward in artificial intelligence to make computers and human interface more flexible and human understandable. Various methods were adopted since its inscription like machine translation, speech recognition, e-teaching, auto tutor etc. Researchers saw it as a likely bridge between human spoken language and computers which used programming languages and binary codes. As mentioned earlier, it is still a challenging task of making a computer to understand human natural language as such. Hence, further enhancements and techniques will foster the demanding yet fruitful and futuristic computational trends. Keywords: NLP Natural Language Processing, Semantic, Syntactic, Lexical, Phonology, MT Machine Translation Introduction: The computational scheme has evolved from basic set of instructions in the form of binary codes to mnemonic instruction codes to programming languages that have prevailed intensively during the later part of twentieth century. Along that evolution came the inspirational research on making the computer understand natural human language and interact with the humans in short applying natural language processing to normal computer usage and beyond. Natural language processing can be defined as a theoretical approach enclosing analysis and manipulation of natural language texts usually spoken by humans. This is done at various levels of linguistic analysis in order to attain a human-like approach to processing of tasks and other problems. It must be noted that NLP is not a single defined standard system but a collection of numerous language processing techniques and methods. Also, in view of facilitating the user and standing true to the name, texts must be of natural language usage and not a set of selected texts that could be used for processing. Because, the later approach would certainly forgo the real meaning of natural language processing. In any NLP system, various levels of linguistic analysis of the text are performed. This is done because humans usually breakup linguistic texts into various levels and then process or understand the language. Human-like approach and processing in the NLP systems are considered as an integral part of AI. The applications of NLP are versatile and are currently being researched and implemented in fields like military science, security systems, virtual reality simulation, medicine and regular computer science and artificial intelligence. The techniques and approaches that have been used or researched so far form the basic platform of NLP. Some of them are based on classification of natural linguistic phonology, morphology, lexical variations, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic levels. Some of the notable works done in this field are: Machine Translation Weaver and Booth (1946) Syntactic Structures Chomsky (1957) Case grammar Fillmore Semantic Networks Quillain Conceptual Dependency Schank Augmented Transition Networks Woods Functional Grammar Kay Also that there have been famous prototypes developed to highlight the impact of particular techniques and principles. They are: ELIZA Weizenbaum SHRDLU Winograd PARRY LUNAR Woods The scope of the article revolves around the evolution of NLP and its implementation in security systems. Methods: Strata of natural language processing: The optimal descriptive way of putting forward the actions that are going on in natural language processing system is through the strata of natural language processing. During the early days of natural language processing, it was held that the different data of natural language processing followed a sequential pattern. But current Psycholinguistic researches have revealed that the system follows rather a synchronic pattern. This is because humans use all of the strata of language processing and they dont follow a sequential pattern. For this reason, in order to achieve high efficiency of NLP system more strata of language processing must be adopted. This stratum deals with the interpretation of speech sounds within and across words. There are three types of rules that are typically used: 1) Phonetic rules for sounds within words 2) Phonemic rules for variations of pronunciation when words are spoken together 3) Prosodic rules for fluctuation in stress and intonation across a sentence. Morphology This strata deal with the componential nature of words, which are composed of morphemes the smallest units of meaning. For example, the word postproduction can be morphologically analyzed into three separate morphemes: the prefix post, the root product and the suffix tion. Since the meaning of each morpheme remains the same across words, humans break down an unknown word into its constituent morphemes in order to understand its meaning. In the same way, an NLP system recognizes the meaning given by each morpheme in order to achieve and interpret meaning. Lexical Both the humans and NLP systems at this stratum, interpret the meaning of individual words. Several types of processing contribute to word-level understanding the first of these being assignment of a single part-of-speech tag to each word. In this processing, words that can function as more than one part-of-speech are assigned the most probable part-of speech tag based on the context in which they occur. Moreover at the lexical stratum, those words that have only one possible sense or meaning can be replaced by a semantic representation of that meaning. The nature of the representation varies according to the semantic theory utilized in the NLP system. One can notice that, a single lexical unit is split into its more basic properties. If there is a set of semantic primitives used across all words, these simplified lexical representations make it possible to unify meaning across words and to produce complex interpretations, much the same as humans do. Syntactic The concept of analysing the sentence by looking into the grammatical composition of a sentence and its dependency is used here. This needs both grammar and a parser. The output achieved here is a representation of the sentence that gives the structural dependency relationships between the words. The efficiency of a parser depends on the different grammars used. Not all NLP applications require a full parse of sentences, therefore the remaining challenges in parsing of prepositional phrase attachment and conjunction scoping no longer stymie those applications for which phrasal and clausal dependencies are sufficient. Syntax conveys meaning in most languages because order and dependency contribute to meaning. For example the two sentences: I smoked a cigarette. and The cigarette smoked me. differ only in terms of syntax, but convey contrasting meanings. Semantic This is the strata at which most people think meaning is determined, however, as we can see in the above defining of the stratum, it is all the levels that contribute to meaning. Semantic processing determines the possible meanings of a sentence by focusing on the interactions among word-level meanings in the sentence. This level of processing can include the semantic disambiguation of words with multiple senses; in an analogous way to how syntactic disambiguation of words that can function as multiple parts-of-speech is accomplished at the syntactic level. Semantic disambiguation permits one and only one sense of polysemous words to be selected and included in the semantic representation of the sentence. For example, amongst other meanings, file as a noun can mean either a folder for storing papers, or a tool to shape ones fingernails, or a line of individuals in a queue. If information from the rest of the sentence were required for the disambiguation, the semantic, not the lexical level, would do the disambiguation. A wide range of methods can be implemented to accomplish the disambiguation, some which require information as to the frequency with which each sense occurs in a particular corpus of interest, or in general usage, some which require consideration of the local context, and others which utilize pragmatic knowledge of the domain of the document. Discourse While syntax and semantics work with sentence-length units, the discourse level of NLP works with units of text longer than a sentence. That is, it does not interpret multisentence texts as just concatenated sentences, each of which can be interpreted singly. Rather, discourse focuses on the properties of the text as a whole that convey meaning by making connections between component sentences. Several types of discourse processing can occur at this level, two of the most common being anaphora resolution and discourse/text structure recognition. Anaphora resolution is the replacing of words such as pronouns, which are semantically vacant, with the appropriate entity to which they refer (30). Discourse/text structure recognition determines the functions of sentences in the text, which, in turn, adds to the meaningful representation of the text. For example, newspaper articles can be deconstructed into discourse components such as: Lead, Main Story, Previous Events, Evaluation, Attributed Quotes, and Expectation. Pragmatic This level is concerned with the purposeful use of language in situations and utilizes context over and above the contents of the text for understanding The goal is to explain how extra meaning is read into texts without actually being encoded in them. This requires much world knowledge, including the understanding of intentions, plans, and goals. Some NLP applications may utilize knowledge bases and inferencing modules. For example, the following two sentences require resolution of the anaphoric term they, but this resolution requires pragmatic or world knowledge. Natural Language processing in textual information retrieval As the reader has probably already deduced, the complexity associated with natural language is especially key when retrieving textual information [Baeza-Yates, 1999] to satisfy a users information needs. This is why in Textual Information Retrieval, NLP techniques are often used [Allan, 2000] both for facilitating descriptions of document content and for presenting the users query, all with the aim of comparing both descriptions and presenting the user the documents that best satisfy their information needs. In other words, a textual information retrieval system carries out the following tasks in response to a users query: Indexing the collection of documents: in this phase, NLP techniques are applied to generate an index containing document descriptions. Normally each document is described through a set of terms that, in theory, best represents its content. When a user formulates a query, the system analyses it, and if necessary, transforms it with the hope of representing the users information needs in the same way as the document content is represented. The system compares the description of each document with that of the query, and presents the user with those documents whose descriptions are closest to the query description. The results are usually listed in order of relevancy, that is, by the level of similarity between the document and query descriptions. C:UsershpDesktopUntitled.bmp The architecture of an information retrieval system As of now there are no NLP techniques that allow us to extract a documents or querys meaning without any mistakes. In fact, the scientific community is divided on the procedure to follow in reaching this goal. In the following section we will explain the functions and peculiarities of the two key approaches to natural language processing: a statistical approach and a linguistic focus. Both proposals differ considerably, even though in practice natural language processing systems use a mixed approach, combining techniques from both focuses. CONCLUSION: Despite the useful universal aspect of programming languages, these languages are still understood only by very few people, unlike the natural languages which are understood by all. The ability to turn natural into programming languages will eventually decrease the gap between very few and all, and open the benefits of computer programming to a larger number of users. In this paper, we showed how current state of-the-art techniques in natural language processing can allow us to devise a system for natural language programming that addresses both the descriptive and procedural programming paradigms. The output of the system consists of automatically generated program skeletons, which were shown to help non-expert programmers in their task of describing algorithms in a programmatic way. As it turns out, advances in natural language processing helped the task of natural language programming. But we believe that natural language processing could also benefit from natural language programming. The process of deriving computer programs starting with a natural language text implies a plethora of sophisticated language processing tools such as syntactic parsers, clause detectors, argument structure identifiers, semantic analyzers, methods for co reference resolution, and so forth which can be effectively put at work and evaluated within the framework of natural language programming. We thus see natural language programming as a potential large scale end-user (or rather, end computer) application of text processing tools, which puts forward challenges for the natural language processing community and could eventually trigger advances in this field.