Thursday, August 22, 2019
Servicing customers in Global market Essay Example for Free
Servicing customers in Global market Essay Servicing customers in Global market Introduction            Marketing communications are the channels used by businesses in the endeavor of persuading, informing and reminding clients about their brands that they sell. Firms can use different promotional tools to reach clients either directly or indirectly. Marketing communication can involve non-personal or personal communication channels. Marketing communication enables firms to acquire new clients for their products by encouraging trial and building awareness. It also enables them retain their clients by supporting their purchase activities by offering supplementary information regarding brand benefits. The rationale of this paper is to compare and contrast different tools of communication and how they use consumer behavior theory successfully to achieve their objectives.            There are several items of communication such as website, TV advert, poster, direct mail brochure, billboard and magazine advert. I will focus on television advertising and web marketing. Website is very vital firms marketing policy. Websites help clients to find firms and advertisers brands from those firms. Marketing through website will enable firms to improve their customer care through e-commerce website. Website is a medium where many customers spend a lot of time especially due to technology advancement. Through websites, firms can reach national and international clients in a cost effective manner (Juon Buerkle, 2011). On the other hand, television advertising is another effective tool in a firm’s marketing strategy. Television is a medium where clients spend most considerate time. Report indicates that the average television viewing lasts for about five to six hours. This elaborates why it is used as a gigantic advertiseme nt instrument.            Television is a significant marketing tool because it offers the greatest possibility for creative advertising. Web advertising and television advertising has a lot of similarities in common, and they also share some differences. They are the marketing strategies that a firm can use to reach large audiences, low cost of advertising, and it is easy to reach a targeted audience through these two approaches. Website advertising is less expensive as compared to television advertisements. In addition, websites can be created with the aim of targeting a particular audience than TV commercials. The two items of marketing are effective, but the one that best fits a given firm will rely on their goals and target market. Firms can also use more than one items of marketing since they support each other. I chose these two items of marketing because they are a giant in advertising media and also giant in advertising costs as well. They have proven thei r capacity to control human activities over and over. Television advertising is mostly used in outbound marketing where firms direct marketing activities at the client. On the other hand, websites are used in inbound marketing where clients search for brands that can meet their needs (Carroll, 2006).            Firms place their marketing in websites so that clients can find out more regarding brands and services. Website advertising has more flexibility as compared to TV commercials. Television advertising has one objective of convincing clients to buy products, but websites can help firms to reach clients easily as they enjoy other entertaining and educational services. The crucial message to the advertisers willing to use website and television advertising is that they should choose the strategy that matches their goals and their target market. Both website and television advertising are crucial to the firms, and they can be used interchangeably. In other instances, either of the items can help and support other digital strategies used by a firm (Percy, 2008).            It is very vital for firms to understand their customers’ psychology so that they can be able to come up with appropriate strategies that will help them realize their objectives. Consumer behavior is the conduct of clients in regard to using, disposing and acquiring services, experiences, ideas, and products. Consumer behavior also includes use and acquisition of information. Therefore, communication with clients and getting response for them is a vital part of consumer behavior which is every firm’s greatest interest. Consumer psychology is the study of client’s mental processes and behavior. Understanding of theories of customer psychology will help businesses to learn different types of customers. There are various reasons as to why businesses should understand customers. First, customer behavior is very crucial in daily living because people mostly spend a lot of time shopping. Secondly, consumer behavior is signif icant in decision making. For example, while setting prices, firms must consider their clients. In other cases, business decisions might be influenced by expected actions or behavior (Hoyer MacInnis, 2010). Application of consumer behavior            Consumer behavior research can help firms increase their success rate because they will understand their customer’s needs that will enable them to realize profits. Understanding customer behavior will enable businesses to evaluate their strategies because they will be able to understand customer feedback regarding their latest products and services (Hoyer MacInnis, 2010).            Marketing application areas of consumer behavior is in; market-opportunity analysis where the firm examine conditions and trends in the marketplace to discover client needs that are not being fully fulfilled. Target market selection is whereby firms wish to discover different groupings of consumers who have exceptional needs. It also involves the assortment of sections that merges firm’s potency and offer enhanced opportunities. The third area of application is marketing-mix determination. It involves creation and implementation a strategy that will ensure delivery of an appropriate combination of need-satisfying characteristics to clients within the target market. Marketing mix involves price, place, promotion and product. Understanding of customer behavior is also required in tactical marketing operations. Successful regulatory strategy in regard of marketing practices calls for an extensive knowledge of consumer behavior.            Social marketing also calls for an extensive understanding of customer behavior. Social marketing is where firms apply marketing tactics and strategies to create or alter behaviors that have constructive impact to the target audience or the society in general. Social marketing through websites and television is conducted in endeavors of encouraging environmental friendly behaviors, reduce smoking, encourage timely vaccination of children, reduce activities likely to cause AIDS, reduce substance abuse, encourage charitable organizations among other substantial activities.            Personality is a factor that affects people’s feedback regarding advertisements. It can also happen the other way round where messages from marketing can affect people’s attitudes. Behavioral approach is a strategy which focuses on the measurable and observable features of human conduct. Human behavior can only be analyzed through their reaction, actions and how they conduct themselves. Behavioral approach maintains that personal behavior is affected by their environment. Cognitive behavior assumes that if researchers wish to understand human conduct, they should focus on the internal processes of their mind. Cognitive approach examine how people treat the information they receive and how their treatment result to feedbacks.            In determining which item to apply for marketing, firms will apply behavioral approach where they will analyze how clients think about either television advertisement or websites. On the other hand, firms will apply cognitive approach while determining how clients will react when they receive messages through television or websites (McLeod, 2007).            In conclusion, there are several items of marketing communication such as website, television advertising, billboard, poster, magazine advert and direst mail brochure. Television advertising is habitually used in outbound marketing where businesses direct marketing activities at the client. On the other hand, websites are commonly used in inbound marketing where clients search for brands that can meet their needs. These two items are very vital in marketing strategy of a firm since they will reach a great number of their target audience at lower cost. Firms should understand customer behavior which will enable them to choose the marketing tool that will fit their customer’s needs. Through appropriate marketing, firms will be able to retain customers, attract new customers by notifying them with the latest information regarding their brands. Firms can also choose to use various items of marketing communication since they help and sup port other marketing mix strategies. There are two approaches in analysis of consumer behavior; behavioral approach and cognitive approach. References Behavioral Approach Behavioral Psychology Psychologist World. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.psychologistworld.com/issues/behavioralapproach.php Carroll, J. (2006). Television. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Cognitive Approach | Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive.html Hoyer, W. D., MacInnis, D. J. (2010). Consumer behavior. U.st: South-Western Centage Learning. Juon, C., Greiling, D., Buerkle, C. (2011). Internet marketing, start-to-finish. Indianapolis, IN: Que. Percy, L. (2008). Strategic integrated marketing communication: Theory and practice. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann. Source document
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Development of Soil Nutrient Sensors
Development of Soil Nutrient Sensors The rising demand for food crops and the growing concern for environment have made it necessary to shift from traditional agricultural practices towards modern agricultural practices. Traditional agricultural practices are labor intensive, time consuming, expensive and also a cause of environment pollution. To achieve sustainable agriculture, it is necessary that the precision agriculture technologies and practices are integrated with the traditional practices, which will also help to deal with the spatial heterogeneity of the soil [1]. The biggest hurdle in the proper implementation of precision agriculture is the inability to generate information related to a particular site rapidly and at an acceptable cost using laboratory analysis and soil sampling methods. The nutrients required for the healthy growth of a crop are obtained from the soil. The quality of crop yield depends on the quality of soil in which it grows. Therefore, soil testing is an important aspect of precision agriculture. The proposed research work is an effort towards the design and development of a soil monitoring system that can be used to estimate the urea content in soil. The system makes use of Partial Least Squares Regression Technique (PLSR) for the estimation of urea. The system can be made portable, smart, low cost and user friendly through the use of embedded systems. With some modifications the system can be designed to estimate more than one soil component. The thesis is organized in the following chapters as described below. Chapter I (Introduction) â€Å"Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own†[2]. The growth in the demand for food, feed and fiber globally is anticipated to grow by 70 percent. The demand for crops for industrial use and in the production of bio-energy is also expected to rise simultaneously. The increasing demand for agricultural goods will put huge pressure on the limited resources available. The increase in urban settlement areas will force agriculture to compete for land and water. Agriculture will therefore have to adapt itself to newer conditions and at the same time will have to address issues related to climate change, maintenance of biodiversity and preservation of natural habitats [3]. To meet these demands, farmers therefore need to equip themselves with new technologies so as to increase productivity with limited number of resources. Sustainable resource management is the need of the hour. Conservation of soil quality is crucial to sustainability in agriculture. This has led to a shift from the use of traditional agricultural practices to modern agricultural practices so that the available resources are utilized in a sustainable manner. The modern technique of farming known as precision farming is based on the concept of site specific crop management. This method takes into consideration variability exhibited by the soil and accordingly inputs are applied based on the local requirements within a field. Soil sensing plays an important role in precision farming. Large numbers of soil sensors are being developed all around the world to measure different soil properties. Some of which are still in the research and development stage and some of which are commercially available. Based on their principle of working these soil sensors can be classified as follows: Electrical and Electromagnetic sensors: Depending on the composition of soil under test, electrical capacitance or inductance, resistivity or conductivity of the soil is measured. The response time of these sensors is very fast, they have high durability and are of low cost. These sensors are commercially available. Optical and Radiometric sensors: These sensors, through the use of electromagnetic waves, measure the level of energy that is either absorbed or reflected by the soil particles depending on the soil composition. The properties of the soil are measured using visible and near-infrared wavelengths [4]. They can be used for the estimation of CEC, soil texture, moisture and other soil parameters with the help of appropriate data analysis techniques. Mechanical sensors: these sensors measure soil resistance with the help of a tool used in the soil. The measure of resistance offered by the soil has a relation with the compaction of the soil which is a spatially varying property of soil. Acoustic sensors and Pneumatic sensors: Though these are a class of mechanical sensors, they can be used as an alternative means for the differentiation of physical and mechanical characteristics of soil. Measurements taken using pneumatic and acoustic sensor have been used to correlate soil texture and compaction. The application of acoustic sensors in characterizing the physical state of soil is not very clear and requires more research work. Electrochemical sensors: These sensors produce an output voltage through the use of ion selective membranes, depending on the activity of ions under study such as H+, K+, NO3 −, Na+, etc. Soil pH sensors using this technique are already commercially available. The extraction of ions such as potassium in real time is still not possible even though the concept appears to be simple. There is a need to develop fast, real time and portable soil sensors which can generate soil report instantly. Thus, the problem of designing and developing a smart soil monitoring system was formulated using a reconfigurable embedded system platform. Chapter II (Literature Survey and Objectives) The conventional laboratory methods of soil testing have a number of limitations such as they are expensive, labor intensive and time consuming. As such new methods of soil testing are being developed across the globe. A number of soil nutrient sensing techniques are in the stage of development and testing. These sensors can be broadly classified into two types depending on the techniques of measurement being used. 1. Optical sensing uses reflectance spectroscopy technique wherein the light that is absorbed/reflected by soil particles is measured. Since optical sensing techniques have the advantage of being non-destructive they are more widely used as compared to electrochemical sensing techniques [5], [6]. Soil color analysis can be used for estimating soil organic matter content through the use of optical sensors [7]. The visual and near-infrared spectral reflectance in optical sensing can be used for estimating soil texture, moisture, CEC etc. [8]. 2. Electrochemical sensing is based on the measurement of current or voltage generated between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode. The amount of voltage or current measured is related to the concentration of the selected ions such as H+, K+, NO3-, etc. [8]. Ion selective electrodes made of glass or polymer membrane, or ion-selective field effect transistors are used for the measurement of soil fertility. Ion-selective membrane sensors have a huge potential in the development of on-the-go soil nutrient(s) and pH sensors [9]. Currently, the accuracy of the results using these sensors is low as compared to those using laboratory tests, but this can be taken care of by increasing the sampling density. Use of Spectroscopic techniques in the estimation of soil properties has been demonstrated since 1970’s [10]. Various methods using spectral analysis have been proposed for the measurement of the soil properties. Methods that are based on the physical and analytical characteristics of the signal and chemometric based empirical methods provide good effective predictability. Therefore, the relation between soil properties and soil absorption can be used to develop regressions using field and laboratory data for calibration. Spectroscopic techniques are found to be faster, can provide real time measurements and are of low cost, as compared to conventional methods and hence are found to be more suitable when there are more samples and analysis to be done. Also, unlike laboratory testing methods which require sample pre-processing and the use of chemical extractants, spectroscopic techniques can be used directly, thus saving on cost and time [11]. Thus, the problem of developing a soil nutrient sensor using RF spectroscopy based on the dielectric principle was formulated. The thesis emphasizes on the design and development of the sensor and the use of embedded platform to make it portable, real time and user friendly system through the use of DSP algorithms. Objectives: In order to meet the global requirements of increased crop productivity and sustainable agriculture, there is an urgent need of developing soil sensors which are fast, accurate and portable. Also, the problem was formulated keeping in mind the conditions of Indian farmers. Indian farmers are mainly small farmers who are poor, technically unfit and cannot afford modern tools. This research work is being undertaken with the main objective of developing a fast, portable, cost effective and user friendly soil monitoring system to analyze the fertility status of the soil. The objectives of the research work are the design of a dielectric cell to measure absorption loss at RF frequencies for various soil nutrients and to use this RF data to develop a FPGA based smart soil monitoring system for accurate prediction of soil content using PLSR technique. The system shall be user friendly as well as reprogrammable for changed environmental conditions. Chapter III (System Design for Soil Monitoring System) The block diagram of proposed design for Soil Monitoring System is as shown in Figure 1. The design consists of RF data obtained from Scalar Network Analyzer fed as input to Altera DE2 board with target as NIOS II FPGA. The RF data is obtained from the soil sensor connected between a tracking generator and a spectrum analyzer. A soil sensor based on the dielectric loss technique is designed and constructed to measure the RF responses of various soil nutrients. The cell is rectangular in shape with outer dimensions 13cmx2cmx2.5cm and is made up of PMMA sheets. The inside surface of the cell is lined with gold foil and the same is connected to the outer shield of the feed connectors so as to provide the necessary shielding effect. The outer surface of the cell is covered with a copper foil and is also provided with the necessary shielding effect. A wire made of gold is connected from the input feed connectors to the output feed connector at centre of the cell. The RF spectrum of a sample is measured by placing it in the cell. A tracking generator is used for injecting an RF signal into the sample through the central gold wire. Thus, a dielectric cell consisting of the central wire, the outer copper shield and the sample is formed. The signal strength starts reducing as it propagates through the central wire from the input end to the output end of the cell, due to the dielectric loss associated with the sample solution. Thus, an output signal proportional to the absorption loss of the sample solution is captured by the RF spectrum analyzer connected at the receiver end of the cell. Signal Hound USB-TG44A tracking generator and Signal Hound USB-SA44B spectrum analyzer are used with both the instruments working in the frequency range of 1Hz-4.4GHz. Figure 1: Block diagram of the Soil Monitoring System Figure 2 shows the RF spectra for urea in the range 10MHz to 4.4GHz. Figure 2: RF Spectra of urea. Figure 3: Section of urea spectra with varying concentrations Samples for obtaining the RF responses of various soil components are prepared by dissolving the required component in distilled water. The amount of the component to be added to water was calculated from the data obtained from agricultural department. This amount was taken as the normal concentration of a particular component found in the soil. Samples of varying concentrations of the soil components are prepared and denoted as 1 for normal, 0.5 for half the normal, 2 for twice and 3 for thrice. The soil components considered for the study are urea, potash, phosphate, calcium carbonate and sodium chloride. The frequency range of 10 MHz-4.4GHz is divided into smaller frequency ranges based on the unique frquencies at which the variation in the attenuation is found as per the change in the concentration of the soil component. A set of recorded spectra for various combinations of the five soil components with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 are used in the calibration file. In order to predict the unknown concentration of urea in a sample, the detected spectra containing the urea signature along with the other components is passed through signal conditioning stage. The output from Spectrum Analyzer is stored in the computer. This data is then fed to a CYCLONE II device with Altera Nios II processor running on it. The recorded spectra are then passed through SIMPLS algorithm running on NIOS II processor. The algorithm predicts the concentration of unknown sample (Urea) and displays the result on LCD or a computer screen. The SNR of the detected spectra must be sufficiently high so a s to provide reliable urea specific information and therefore data processing is needed to identify spectral features of urea from the combination spectra originating from interfering matrix components like potash, phosphate, sodium chloride and calcium carbonate. We can extend the use of this system for the analysis of other soil components by modifying the processing algorithms required to analyze that component without changing the hardware. Chapter IV (Multivariate Data Analysis) It is a statistical analysis technique used in the case of data consisting of multiple variables. Due to the advancements in the field of information technology there is a huge amount of data being generated in various fields. Though the magnitude of data available is huge, it is still a challenge to derive useful information and knowledge from this data. Multivariate Analysis can be used to derive meaningful information for the improvement of process performance and product quality. Over the last decade, multivariate analysis is being successfully used to monitor and model chemical/biological processes [12]. Techniques using multivariate data analysis are widely used in the analysis of spectral data both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quick analysis of complex samples from their spectral signatures can be done using standard tools like Partial Least Squares (PLS), Principal Component Regression (PCR), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) and discriminant analysis based on chemometric techniques [13]. Partial least squares (PLS) isone of the recent multivariate data analysis technique particularly useful in situations where there is a large set of independent variables (i.e., predictors). A set of dependent variables can be predicted from this set of independent variables by using PLS. Partial Least Squares (PLS) can be an effective tool for the analysis of data as it has minimum constraints on scales of measurement, size of sample, and residual distributions. It consists of methods for regression and classification, and techniques for reducing dimens ion and tools for modeling. The basic assumption on which the PLS methods work is that a small number of latent variables that are not directly observed or measured are used to drive the observed data from a process or a system. The technique of PLS for projecting the observed data to its latent structure was developed by Herman Wold and coworkers. PLS is now being used as a standard tool in the analysis of a wide spectrum of chemical data problems in chemometrics. The successful data analysis of PLS in chemometrics has led to its increase use in other scientific fields such as bioinformatics, food research, medicine, pharmacology, social sciences, physiology etc. PLS is a multivariate technique that transforms the input-output data onto a smaller latent space, by extracting a small number of principal factors having an orthogonal structure. The extraction of the factors is done in such a way that it provides maximum correlation with the dependent variable [14]. To model linear relations between multivariate measurements, PLS is used as a standard tool. Multivariate Calibration Model for Soil Monitoring System: Multivariate spectroscopic data can be analyzed using the PLSR model. PLSR is one of the techniques of multiple linear regressions and is probably the least restrictive of the various multivariate techniques used in multiple linear regression models. This feature of PLSR makes it possible to be used in situations when there are limitations on the use of other multivariate methods, for example, when the predictor variables are many as compared to number of observations.PLSR can be used as an elementary analysis tool for the selection of suitable predictor variables and in the identification of outliers. PLSR model based on SIMPLS algorithm using C language is developed and ported on NIOS II platform to estimate the urea concentration. The PLSR model is validated for the following cases: Case 1: Changing urea concentrations from below normal to above normal i.e. from 0.5 to 2 and keeping other components at their normal concentration value i.e. 1. Case 2: Changing the concentration of each of the other soil component from 0.5 to 2 and keeping urea constant in all the cases. Chapter V (Design of FPGA Soft Cores for Soil Monitoring System) DSP functions can be implemented using two different types of programming platforms: digital signal processors (DSP) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Digital signal processors are microprocessors specifically designed for handling DSP tasks, while FPGAs are reconfigurable signal processors. The factors that make FPGAs more suitable, particularly for high performance computing applications are: (i) Huge potential for implementation of parallelism (ii) The control logic is embedded (iii) On-board memory in FPGA helps to overcome the limitation set by number of I/O pins on processor logics memory access bandwidth and hence results into significant performance benefits (iv) A higher capacity FPGA can be used on the same board as an older device, to support performance upgrades. DSP Implementation on Embedded system The implementation of DSP algorithms is done on Altera platform. A Nios II system is designed to measure the concentration of urea in soil. The Nios II system is the heart of the instrument which controls the various modules of the system like interacting with 12 bit ADC and performing the SIMPLS algorithms on the spectral data to estimate the concentration of urea. The whole interface and algorithms are implemented using 32-bit NIOS II soft-core ported on CYCLONE II FPGA. Chapter VI (Analysis, Results and Conclusion) The thesis covers the design and development of soil sensor based on the dielectric technique. The technique proposed the use of RF signals in the range of 10MHz-4.4GHz and analyzing the detected spectra in the soil sample for urea signature. In this thesis a novel Soil Monitoring System is developed using RF spectroscopy based on embedded technology. An Altera DE2 board based on NIOS II soft-core platform and having target as CYCLONE II (EP2C6) is used to estimate the urea content in soil in the RF range of 10MHz-4.4GHz. SIMPLS algorithm for PLSR model is developed using C language and embedded on the NIOS II platform for the estimation of urea concentration. The designed sensor was tested for its precision by recording the spectra of a particular component over a number of times. The PLSR model was validated by calculating percentage error under various conditions. It was found that the predicted urea values showed percentage error which was within the acceptable levels required fo r device development.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Oedipus The King Vs Hamlet Analysis
Oedipus The King Vs Hamlet Analysis What is the different between Oedipus the King and Hamlet. Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles in 430-425 BCE. Oedipus the King is about King Oedipus finding out his true origins and him fulfilling a prophecy. In order to save his Kingdom Oedipus has to find out who murdered the king before him. Looking for the murderer Oedipus begins to learn about his origins and true self. Hamlet on the other hand is about a Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, trying to avenge his fathers death. There are many differences between Sophocles Oedipus the King and Shakespeares Hamlet; however there are also many things alike. In the play Oedipus the King Oedipus was born to a king and a queen. The parents wanted to know the future of the child so they had an oracle tell them a prophecy. The prophecy told them that he will kill his father and marry his mother. To protect themselves the parents sent the baby away to be killed. However, the child is not killed. Instead he is sent to another kingdom to be raised by a different king and queen. The new parents never tell Oedipus that he is not theirs. When Oedipus hears he is to kill his father and marry his mother, he leaves his parents and searches for a new home. While on the road after leaving his home Oedipus runs into a man. Oedipus and the man fight and he killed the man. He then finds a castle and becomes a king. Oedipus married the queen. To save his kingdom Oedipus must find the murderer or the previous king and remove him from the kingdom. While searching for the murderer Oedipus thinks that the man on the road that he killed was actually the previou s king. As he verifies his idea he learns that the king was actually his father and he is married to his mother, Jocasta the queen. When Oedipus goes to confront Jocasta he finds her dead body. He stabs himself in the eyeballs from the pain and grief that he has discovered. He is later banished from the kingdom (Sophocles, 969-1008). In the play Hamlet, Hamlet is the Denmark Prince. In the beginning, Hamlet is confronted by the ghost of his dead father, the previous king of Denmark. The ghost tells him that he was murdered by Hamlets uncle, Claudius, the current king. The ghost then asks him to avenge his death. Hamlet decides to act like he is crazy so he would have a better shot at killing him. While pretending to be crazy Hamlet has the Players act out a play that was similar to the murder of Hamlets father. Claudius stopped the play half way through. After he sent everyone away Claudius started to pray and Hamlet sneaks up on him about to avenge his fathers death. However, he decides not to kill him then because if Hamlet kills Claudius while he is praying then Claudius will go to heaven. He decides to wait until he has not had a chance to confess before he kills him. Hamlet is so against him going to Heaven instead of Hell because Claudius killed Hamlets father before he had a chance to confess to God, so Ha mlet believes he went to hell. Hamlet did not try and kill him again until the end of the play. At the end of the play Hamlet is sword fighting with someone that Claudius has made a plan with to kill Hamlet. The plan was that the guy would use a sharp poisoned sword so is Hamlet got cut he would be poisoned and die. The back-up plan in case Hamlet wins is that Claudius will offer Hamlet poisoned wine in celebration. However his mother drinks it. Hamlet was cut with the sword and after his mother died he stabbed Claudius with the poisoned and makes him drink all the wine. Then Hamlet dies (Shakespeare, (1011-1107). The two plays both have the same theme of self-destruction (StudyWorld). However, the plots were very different. Oedipus the King seemed to go backwards. Oedipuss past was revealed as the play progressed. But with Hamlet the reader seemed to already know everything. Oedipus the King and Hamlet are very different when it comes to time period and setting although they were both set mostly in the castle. Oedipus is set in the time of Greek gods in the ancient city of Thebes. Hamlet, however, was set in the country of Denmark in a time when Catholicism was very strong (Hibbison). The characters reacted to the situations that they faced in ways that reflected the setting. Oedipus would pray to the Greek Gods. Hamlet would pray to the normal God and his religion was reflected in his actions. Throughout the play Hamlet was reluctant to become a murderer. When Ophelia killed herself it was believed to be a sin because taking your own life is a sin in Gods eyes. There were some similarities between the two play. There were also several differences. The plays were both set in different time periods. Also, the plots were very different. Oedipus was trying to save his kingdom while Hamlet was trying to avenge his father by killing the king. Both are such wonderful pieces of literature and will not soon be forgotten.
Monday, August 19, 2019
My Mom Committed Suicide Essay -- Personal Narrative Writing
My Mom Committed Suicide For the longest time it never occurred to me that I actually did have a mother. The facts I had just weren't enough, I needed more evidence. t is the same thing every year. I find myself guilted into another mother-daughter banquet by my grandmother. As soon as I enter the room she senses my presence and immediately starts parading me around. She drags me from table to table trying to show me off as if I am some door prize she has just won. The dialogue is more or less the same. "Y'all, I would like you meet my granddaughter Julie." Under my breath I correct her, "My name isn't Julie," while still keeping that fake smile on my face that I mastered years ago. She politely restates her introduction: "This is my granddaughter Jobi, Julie's daughter, my middle child. Julie passed away a few years ago." It is at this moment that all noise drowns out and the only words I hear are those spoken through body language and facial expressions: "Oh you poor thing, how tragic." It is also at this moment I feel like running towards the glow of the nearest EXIT sign to escape all the looks of sympathy that make me feel as though my mother died right before I arrived rather than fourteen years ago. I cannot even pretend to know the bond and relationship that these women are celebrating and feel I need to excuse myself for intruding on their special moment. I do appreciate the concern, but the apologies just aren't necessary. I was so young when she passed away that I really don't remember her. This made it hard to relate to my Dad and my brother who were in fact deeply affected by this awful event, and when they talk about her it makes me feel extremely odd. They talk about their memories and the way she was and I ha... ...ords how odd it was to watch me interact with my own mother, a person I don't even know. It is a fact that that moment actually took place, but it is still so unreal to me because I just can't remember. I can't remember anything. And I resent myself for that. They say everyone has a destiny and that your life is planned before it even starts, but I would like to know what it was about me that made me destined for this. I do find peace in the belief that everything happens for a reason and God won't give you more than you can handle at one time. I also take comfort in the belief of a "Heaven" where one day I may get answers to all of my questions and then some. Until that day I will just have to continue day dreaming and dealing with my emotions because no matter how angry I get or how loud I scream, I know that there is no one to answer me. At least not now, anyway.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Aristotle On Tragedy :: essays research papers
The Nature of Tragedy:In the century after Sophocles, the philosopher Aristotle analyzed tragedy. His definition: Tragedy then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions.Aristotle identified six basic elements: (1) plot; (2) character; (3) diction (the choice of style, imagery, etc.); (4) thought (the character's thoughts and the author's meaning); (5) spectacle (all the visual effects; Aristotle considered this to be the least important element); (6) song.According to Aristotle, the central character of a tragedy must not be so virtuous that instead of feeling pity or fear at his or her downfall, we are simply outraged. Also the character cannot be so evil that for the sake of justice we desire his or her misfo rtune. Instead, best is someone"who is neither outstanding in virtue and righteousness; nor is it through badness or villainy of his own that he falls into misfortune, but rather through some flaw [hamartia]". The character should be famous or prosperous, like Oedipus or Medea. What Aristotle meant by hamartia cannot be established. In each play we read you should particularly consider the following possibilities. (1) A hamartia may be simply an intellectual mistake or an error in judgement. For example when a character has the facts wrong or doesn't know when to stop trying to get dangerous information. (2) Hamartia may be a moral weakness, especially hubris, as when a character is moral in every way except for being prideful enough to insult a god. (Of course you are free to decide that the tragic hero of any play, ancient or modern, does not have a hamartia at all). The terms hamartia and hubris should become basic tools of your critical apparatus.The Concept of Tragedy:The word tragedy can be applied to a genre of literature. It can mean 'any serious and dignified drama that describes a conflict between the hero (protagonist) and a superior force (destiny, chance, society, god) and reaches a sorrowful conclusion that arouses pity or fear in the audience.' From this genre comes the concept of tragedy, a concept which is based on the possibility that a person may be destroyed precisely because of attempting to be good and is much better than most people, but not perfect.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Assessing Organizational Culture Essay
Almost every organization, whether public or private, on paper or in practice, has a culture that fairly dictates its everyday functioning. The term culture has many definitions but in this discussion it is defined as shared beliefs, values, symbols, and behaviors. Culture binds a workforce together and is its control mechanism, or purpose, to facilitate its functioning. These items are powerful driving forces in the success of an organization and their value to the community they serve whether it is a public or private entity will affect the success of any organization. While cultures are found in some organizations more prominently than in others, there are those organizations where the culture of that specific organization’s ideal stands out above others. Police departments, military units and religious organizations all have a strong, centralized culture that forms its base and permeates its entire existence. Many times people outside of those professions do not understand the mentality or job commitment a person from one of these career fields shares with his/her co-workers. An example would be the duty and honor commitment of a United State Marine, especially when considered by a person who was anti-military; the Marines belief or core value system is not understood. The medical profession and more specifically hospitals, demonstrate a common goal that simply stated, is the care and healing of the sick or injured. For the most part, the medical staff employed at a hospital is there for that specific purpose. The medical field brings together a vast array of individuals from different backgrounds and cultures. But once they become a doctor, hospital nurse, surgical technician, etc. they take on a new life and thereby absorb a new culture into their lives. Subcultures, as defined by organizational theorists John van Maanen and Stephen Barley, are â€Å"a subset of an organization’s members who interact regularly with one another, identify themselves as a distinct group†¦and routinely take action on the basis of collective understandings unique to the group†(Cheney, 2011, 78-79) The organizational culture in a hospital is based on the premise that the hospital is there to provide a place for the care and healing of the sick or injured. Organizational theorist Mary Jo Hatch puts forth that there are five (5) â€Å"Degrees of Cultural Integration and Differentiation†(Cheney, 77) identified as follows: Unitary, Diverse (Integrated), Diverse (Differentiated), Diverse (Fragmented) and Disorganized (Multi-cephalous) (Hatch, 1997, 210). A hospital in its purest form would be well represented as a Unitary culture because the staff as a whole all have the same values or beliefs. But individual staff or even medical units may fall into any of the other cultures identified as well. A particular unit, i. e. cardiac telemetry floor, may be a Diverse (Fragmented) unit due to a group of nurses who do not view their critical task requirements in the same way and as a result the level of patient infections or deaths rises, causing unrest among the staff, supervisors, patient families and resulting in legal ramifications thereby fragmenting the staff’s solidarity. Social psychologist Edgar Schein formulated a theoretical model that shows an organization’s culture is built on three levels: artifacts, values and norms, and assumptions and beliefs. Artifacts are usually the most common and visible sign of a specific culture. Schein puts forth that things such as nursing uniforms, terminology, surgical protocols and more, actually and accurately represent the basic aspects of organization’s culture. The values and norms aspect of his theory, while not always visible, can be seen through behavior of the individual or group; it reveals what is important to the group and how they treat each other within their organization. Each aspect of the profession may have an operating procedure or environment nique to that area of specialization, but still have the same values and norms for their actions. In a surgical room, sterilization of the environment is much more important than it would be in a patient’s room on a medical/surgical floor, but they still have the same belief in keeping an open wound as clean as possible. While values in the medical profession do not vary as a whole, values do define accepted behavior and action. Genuine assumptions and beliefs are nurtured by a persons or organizations values and norms. Values vary only slightly in the various medical professions and facilities. Depending on the medical specialty area, operational norms and methods may differ according to training priorities, equipment and environment unique to that specialty. For instance, the hospital in-patient wound care team may have the same desire to treat a patient’s wounds as a home health nursing team, but the methods of treatment or medications used may be different. Differences begin to surface when a patient is sent home on a negative pressure wound therapy system, i. e. a wound V. A. C.  ®, that aids in the healing of wounds via suction (http://www. kci1. com/KCI1/vactherapy). Many home health nurses does not know how to properly change the intricate dressing or fully understand this equipment or the damaging results that can occur if not changed properly. Faulty assumptions are therefore made based on the beliefs of the home health nurse of what should be done for the patient. When that happens, problems arise in this particular scenario that could result in the patient being brought back to the hospital for a further period of hospitalization due to a breakdown of their wounds or even the creation of new wounds as a result of improper V. A. C.  ® placement. The overriding culture of the medical field is based on the Physician’s Creed of â€Å"First, do no harm†(author uncertain but it is based on the Hippocratic Oath which states â€Å"to abstain from doing harm†). This belief echoes throughout the medical field all over the world. And while there are individual exceptions or exceptions in areas such as animal research for the betterment of mankind or the ethical issue of abortion, the creed has gone unchanged since the time of the ancient Greeks and before. Schein’s three (3) levels of artifacts, values and norms, and assumptions and beliefs, are evident in every clinical setting. With further exploration, Hatch’s five (5) Degrees of Cultural Integration and Differentiation will also be found, albeit not everyone will be seen on every hospital floor or unit. Medical facilities are a kaleidoscope or a microcosm of many subcultures under the roof of the main culture of being a place for the care and healing of the sick or injured. Without that organizational culture giving guidance to all of the subcultures involved in this humanitarian career field, the death rate for minor injuries and diseases would compound exponentially.
Roleof Women in the Things They Carried
The Rose of the World Why do we blame Helen’s beauty for the Trojan War or Eve’s curious nature for Adam’s choice to eat the apple, thus beginning the mortal human civilization? Throughout history men have found it convenient to hold women responsible for their own weaknesses and intolerance. The apathy of anti-feminist and conservative movements showcases the reality of the Stockholm syndrome and medieval serfdom. Men have been the captors and the masters of the women for time in antiquity, but we still see empathy in women. Henry Kissinger could not have summarized it any better when he said, â€Å"Nobody will ever win the Battle of the Sexes. There is too much fraternizing with the enemy. †Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried is neither about the battle of sexes nor is it a feminist manifesto. The literary inferences, socio-political context, portrayal of various female characters, and their influence on the male characters truly depict changes in the social perception of gender roles, resulting conflict, and their outcome for American society. Along with all the things the men of the Alpha Company carried, they also took on the burden of feelings of love for the women they had left behind. Women are a source of motivation, inspiration, and comfort. Lieutenant Cross finds comfort and getaway from the war in his daydreams about Martha; for Henry Dobbins his girlfriend’s pantyhose are a reminder of her love, which he believes is a life-saving talisman; Norman Bowker can gather courage to talk to Sally Gustafson; and Fossie is madly in love with Mary-Anne to the extent that he arranges to fly her down to Vietnam. The interpretation of the word love has been romanticized to the extent that it never embodies the unwanted consequent feelings of anger, lust, objectification, jealousy, possessiveness, and insecurity. Jimmy Cross’ love metamorphosizes into lust and jealousy; he is obsessed with Martha’s virginity and begins to scrutinize every single detail, even the shadows, in the photograph. Even though Martha has never confessed about her feeling towards Jimmy Cross, his feelings of jealousy and lust transforms into anger at the death of Ted Lavender. Fossie’s love transforms into jealousy, possessiveness, and insecurity when he senses that Mary-Anne is drifting away from him. He finds it emasculating that Mary-Anne now prefers to spend more time with the Green Berets than with him and his colleagues. He conquers her by imposing marriage on her, which is evident when Rat Kiley says, Over dinner she kept her eyes down, poking at her food, subdues to the point of silence [†¦. ] Nervously, she’d look across the table at Fossie. She’d wait a moment, as if to receive some sort of clearance, then she’d bow her head and mumble out a vague word or two. There were no real answers (O’Brien 103). Mary-Anne’s state and Fossie’s forceful proposition justify what Andrea Dworkin says about marriage: â€Å"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice. Rape, originally defined as abduction, became marriage by capture. Marriage meant the taking was to extend in time, to be not only use of but also possession of, or ownership. †One can sense a feeling of victory, sarcasm, and pride in Fossie’s tone when he says, â€Å"One thing for sure, though, there won’t be any more ambushes. No more late nights†¦I’ll put this way-we we’re officially engaged†¦Well hey, she’ll make a sweet bride [†¦. Combat ready†(O’Brien 103). This further justifies Andrea Dworkin’s claims about marriage, conquest of women, and their subjugation by men. The idea of young soldiers going to war for their country, romanticizing about the love of their life, and coming home victorious to claim their trophies (the women they love), is so ideal and over sentimental. This idea would be classified as the story truth by Tim O’Brien, something everyone would like to hear, but the happening truth that accepts the word love with all its connotations is deemed too negative by the story truth. P. B. Shelley’s poem â€Å"One Word Is Too often Profaned,†deals with Shelley’s resolve not to use the word ‘love’ to express his feelings because it has been used so loosely that it has become too profane to express the feeling for love. One word is too often profaned For me to profane it; One feeling too falsely disdained For thee to disdain it; I can give not what men call love; But wilt thou accept not. The love stories of Jimmy Cross, Mark Fossie, and Henry Dobbins end in either rejection or despair. These stories are more about cathartic redemption and courage rather than failure and pain. Jimmy Cross is transformed into a utiful and responsible leader after detaching himself from Martha. The author assumes an introspective tone as he discloses Lieutenant Cross’ transformation in the following excerpt: There was the new hardness in his stomach. He loved her but he hated her†¦No more fantasies, he told himself. He would accept the blame f or what had happened to Ted Lavender. He would be a man about it. He would look them in the eyes, keeping his chin level, and he would issue the new SOPs in a calm, impersonal tone of voice, a lieutenant’s voice, leaving no room for argument and discussion†(O’Brien 24-25). Henry Dobbins unlike Fossie, is able to keep himself together after his girlfriend leaves him, and now those stockings around his neck symbolize his resolve to withstand the pain of desertion and turn it into the strength to fight and stay alive in the war. Dobbin’s commendable light-heartedness after reading his girlfriend’s break-up letter is evident when he says. â€Å"No sweat. The magic doesn’t go away,†as he wraps his neck with the stockings (O’Brien 118). Mark Fossie is in absolute misery after Mary-Anne rejects him, to the extent that he does not talk or eat for days and gives up on his own existence. He is in a worse condition than Cross and Dobbins, as he feels responsible for the rebellious transformation of Mary-Anne, thus bringing rejection upon himself. From the male perspective, Fossie would label Mary-Anne’s transformation as rebellious, which he tries to quell down by the proposition of marriage and engagement. But from a female perspective her transformation would be labeled as liberating. The Green Berets symbolize the renaissance men and social charters of the ‘twenty first’ century who treat women as equals. In contrast, Mary-Anne symbolizes and foreshadows the emergence of the assertive women who are impervious to gender bias, and are not afraid to leave the shelter of men for achieving their own goals. Finally, Mark Fossie symbolizes male chauvinism that is in decline, and this suggests that the institution of marriage cannot be used as an instrument to confine women for their convenience. The female characters in The Things They Carried can be classified into three theme-based groups. The first group consisting of Martha and Sally Gustafson characterizes the conventional love interests of the soldiers. Martha is inspirational for Jimmy Cross, but she never knows that she serves such a purpose in Jimmy’s life. She writes him letters, and gives him pictures, and sends him a pebble for a good luck, but never intends to be Jimmy’s romantic interest or his girl waiting at home for him. By the time of Ted Lavender’s death Jimmy knows that none of her letters has a romantic idea to them and that the pebble is nothing more than a good luck charm. She never mentions about the war in her letters to Jimmy. In a way, Martha’s character shows lack of empathy towards Jimmy, who is amidst a war. It is explained by the narrator’s reasoning of Cross’ feelings as he states, â€Å"In those burned letter Martha never mentioned the war, except to say, Jimmy take care of yourself. She wasn’t involved. She signed the letters Love, but it wasn’t love, and all the fine lies and technicalities did not matter†(O’Brien 24). Women like Martha feel sympathetic towards Jimmy, but they cannot understand what the soldiers are going through. This is could be attributed to the reason that conventionally women do not serve a major in wars except serving as medical nurses. Norman Bowker assumes that Sally would not be interested in hearing stories about Vietnam given her dislike of profanity. The profanity, blood, and gore in Rat Kiley’s letter to Curt Lemon’s sister would have had the same effect. She could not have been able to empathize with Rat Kiley, and help him find solace by replying to his letter. The woman, who retorts to the story of the baby buffalo being tortured by Rat Kiley with disgust and shame, fails to understand the nature of war and its effect on people. All these women conform to the conventional notions and reservations regarding the roles of women in society, especially that women cannot serve in combat. The second group of female characters consists of only Mary-Anne. She characterizes the liberated and confident pool of 21st century modern women. Mary-Anne’s appearance resembles the first group of female characters: â€Å"A tall, big-boned blonde. At best, Rat said, she was seventeen years old, fresh out of Cleveland Heights Senior High. She had long white legs and blue eyes and a complexion like strawberry ice cream. Very friendly, too. (O’Brien 93). However, she is transformed after coming Vietnam into a self-aware, confident, and independent woman and this gives a sense of competition to other men. This is well depicted when Fossie and Rat Kiley are left without words when they meet Mary-Anne after six days, as she tells them, You're in a place [†¦] where you don't belong†¦. You just don't know,[†¦] You hide in this little fortress, behind wire and sandbags, and you don't know what it's all about†¦I get scared sometimesâ€â€lots of timesâ€â€but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I eel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the darkâ€â€I'm on fire almostâ€â€I'm burning away into nothingâ€â€but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am. You can't feel like that anywhere else (O’Brien 111). This passage captures the real essence of Mary-Anne’s transformation, distinguishes her from other female characters, and shows that she has more virility than even the men in the war. Hereby, O’Brien disapproves the notion that women are better suited for non-combat roles in war. Mary-Anne unlike the female characters of Martha, Sally Gustafson, and Curt Lemon’s sister who are either unaware or turn a blind eye towards the war, finds it very self-satisfying. â€Å"Sometimes I want to eat this place. Vietnam. I want to swallow the whole countryâ€â€the dirt, the deathâ€â€I just want to eat it and have it there inside me. That's how I feel. It's like . . . this appetite,†O’Brien’s choice of words in this excerpt symbolizes that for Mary-Anne Vietnam has a stabilizing effect, and the way she wants to calm her inner chaos is by consuming (experiencing) everything that Vietnam has to offer. A contrasting character to Mary-Anne in this aspect is Rat Kiley, as he shoots his own foot in order to escape combat in Vietnam. Even the Green Berets, who are considered the most virile and badass soldiers in Vietnam are humbled by Mary-Anne’s courage: â€Å"There were times, apparently, when she took crazy, seath-wish chances-things that even the Greenies balked at†(O’Brien 115). Mary-Anne reminds me of another woman from the books of history who shares the same courageous traits as her, and led the men and a whole nation to victory; that is Joan D’Arc. Hereby, it is not surprising that liberty and the nationhood of France are personified as woman, the Statue of Liberty and Marianne, respectively. The third and the last group of women consist of Linda; she signifies how pure love can inspire and transform a person’s life. The relationship between Tim and Linda is the most optimistic one amongst all the relationships. Irrespective of his age at the time of his short-lived childhood romance with Linda, the relationship has a long lasting effect on him. Even though they did not get to spend a great deal of time together O’Brien dreams imaginary meetings with Linda in his sleep that rekindle and keep his feelings alive. The real moments shared with Linda and her memories are kept alive by his subconscious mind as it creates the imaginative dreams about her, which alleviate the pain of her death and the fact that she is no more around him. This idea is well conveyed in the last chapter when O’Brien says, I'm forty-three years old, and a writer now, still dreaming Linda alive in exactly the same way. She's not the embodied Linda; she's mostly made up, with a new identity and a new name, like the man who never was. Her real name doesn't matter. She was nine years old. I loved her and then she died. And yet right here, in the spell of memory and imagination, I can still see her as if through ice, as if I'm gazing into some other world, a place where there are no brain tumors and no funeral homes, where there are no bodies at all (O’Brien 245). Tim O’Brien writes about his experiences in Vietnam in order to keep those memories alive and preserve them in his stories. He discovers that storytelling has a healing effect on him, when he mentions, â€Å"Yet when I received Norman Bowker's letter, it occurred to me that the act of writing had led me through a swirl of memories that might otherwise have ended in paralysis or worse†(O’Brien 158). He ends the book with an exemplifying statement about storytelling, by saying, â€Å"I realize it as Tim trying to save Timmy’s life with a story†(O’Brien 246). The different and distinct roles of women in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried portray the conflict of expectations, individualism, and freedom between men and women. It is difficult to label The Things They Carried as a work on Vietnam War or plainly a collection of love stories. But it is certain that the book captures the changes and conflicts in the nature of relationship between men and women in terms of boundaries, space, independence and individualism. I can relate to the male characters of The Things they Carried, as like them I too have experienced my feelings of love transform into jealousy, possessiveness, and insecurity, leading to similar changes and conflicts. Being left desolate and in despair helped me to transform the failure into strength to carry on and become a better person. This strength has instilled in me empathy, which has enabled me to understand my female counterparts better and respect them even more. Work Cited O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried: a Work of Fiction. New York: Broadway, 1998. Print. Shelly, Percy B. One Word Is Too Often Profaned by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays ; Summaries. Web. 13 May 2011. ;http://www. online-literature. com/shelley_percy/671/;.
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