Into the Woods free essay sample

I took my last sip of hot chocolate and stuffed myhands into my gloves. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the icy wind andventured to my car. I turned the key and it started as reluctantly as I was tocomplete my assignment. In English my junior year I studied the works ofHenry David Thoreau. My assignment was to choose a spot in nature and write aboutit as Thoreau did once a month for eight months. My journal about nature wassupposed to go above and beyond simply describing events I was supposed to comeup with some profound meanings of life. Okay, I thought. Ill just sitand write about what I see. This shouldnt take too long; Ill be out of here in10 minutes. It cant be that hard to transcend Five, 10, 15 minutes passedbefore I began to get discouraged. There was no way I could transcend when I hadother papers, homework assignments and due-dates seeping into my mind. We will write a custom essay sample on Into the Woods or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page How couldI concentrate on this when it wasnt due until May? I had too many deadlines andother commitments; I couldnt possibly waste my time down by this creek. My busyschedule took priority. I impatiently jotted down some thoughts about snow, tooka quick picture and started hiking up the hill. The next few visits wentexactly the same way. I would force myself to go on the last day of the month,struggle to calm down, think about nature and then quickly head home. Thisproject seemed like a burden; I wasnt enjoying myself. Another week ofsnow and winter bleakness came, and I decided to try out my nature spot when Iwasnt pressed for time. It was the middle of the month, and I surprised myselfby even considering to go. The same routine happened; I was bored, so Istarted writing down how I felt. I discovered I had a lot to think about. Iwasnt just describing the footprints that disappeared into the creek, I wasmetaphorically relating them to what I saw in my own life. My stress was releasedwhen I touched pencil to paper, and I felt comfortable in the woods, like it wasa part of me. It didnt matter what I wrote I was writing for myself andappreciating this time alone, away from my hectic life. I was in a place where noone could disturb me. I knew myself pretty well, but often lost sight ofwho I was when I got caught up in my schedule. In the woods, I could forget abouteverything but myself. I saw the big picture, I delved far beyond what I couldthink of in the classroom or at home. Some of these things I transferred topaper, others, I kept to myself. The sun was low in the sky, and I amazedmyself by avoiding my watch. I would have stayed even longer, but the thick snowwas numbing my toes. I headed up the hill, sorry to leave, but wondering when Icould set aside time to come again. With every month came deeperreflections. I looked forward to the time I could spend time with myself becausewithout it, I would get lost in the whirlpool of school, friends and sports. Iwould lose the part of myself that kept me an individual. This burden of anassignment that I thought would only hold me back had actually pushed me forward.I had known that life is full of stress, but I learned I had to look beyond thoseworries and reach into myself to find peace. I thought a lot about God and myfamily, and straightened out my list of priorities. I can see the changesin myself when I read the journals again, my maturity growing with my words. Ihave learned how to relax in times of stress because I now know what is trulyimportant to me. It wasnt enough just to be at the creek, I had to take anotherstep and transcend my everyday thoughts. I see myself in a slightlydifferent light. I see a young woman who knows herself better than anyone else,who is willing to reach into herself and who owes herself time alone once in awhile. I am taking my advice to college, where I know my life will be filled withactivities, deadlines and stress. This class assignment was not only a journeythrough the seasons, it was a journey into myself.

Personal Development Portfolio e-Commerce in Developing Nation

Question: Discuss about the Personal Development Portfolio for the report of e-Commerce in Developing Nation. Answer: Personal Knowledge and Experience to Identify Areas of Interest In this module of study, I identified the relationship in between the direct investment and international business. The prior week module helped me to understand the international trading theory in modern business. Mostly, I viewed through the theories that are quite relevant to the topic; those are Mercantilism, theory of absolute advantage, factor endowment theory, and international product life cycle theory. I took interest in modern business patterns following application of these theories. Furthermore, I studied through the operational and organizations capability in minimizing certain gaps and limitations, as cultural, taxpaying, and legal barriers. However, the expansion planning is more important in this week for developing international business in a scalable manner. Now, in current week, I prepared emerging risk and issues identification in the context, the agenda was to evaluate e-commerce, government corruption, and price volatility. The risks and issues might be related to other concerns as privacy and security threats. My area of interest was in preparing a certain strategy or planning to mitigate such threats and issues. I had experience of understanding the government corruption in e-commerce market segmentation. Furthermore, I studied the regulatory process to prevent the security risks. However, I considered all the learning outcomes to present the module with proper quality. Personal Perspectives and Assumptions Personal perspectives in emerging e-commerce were to consider the primary challenge as price volatility. Along with increasing frequency and unpredictable products, the e-commerce organizations fail to understand the overall market demand for particular target customers. The organizations face the main problem of price volatility as it has impact on retailer performance. I studied the current stock prices of some e-commerce business to gain clear picture of price volatility. I found that the leading retailers have invested in technology and finally, it resulted in difficulty in staying top in the lot. Again, the price tracking is becoming less predictable with time, hence, I identified the solution as use of Market Tracks PriceVision technology that records the intra-day price and changes on basis of global marketing products. This technology limits the uncertainty and reduces the risk of finding better prices within competitive environment. I took assumptions in dealing with price volatility as considering that there are competitors for every e-business corporation; the products are quite popular, and demanding from clients. Again, the prices are considered high rather than the competitors to stay in top of business hierarchy. Moreover, the performance of retailers is tracked within common base of product and service quality. Current Practices for Module Points I followed the current practices as in viewing the government corruption and anti-corruption regulations to deal with e-business strategy making. I studied the several fraud cases among e-business to understand the role of government in this aspect. Mainly, the fraud cases suggest the types as bribery, illegal gratuities, economic extortion, and conflicts of interests. I identified that identity theft, phishing, and spoofing is most relevant in this fraud cases. In between countries as Latin America, Asia, Africa, and other developed countries, the corruption index is higher in Latin America as 0.62 with government effectiveness of 0.46. Furthermore, I studied the points of solutions in prevention of frauds, using code of ethics, prosecution policy, and employee assistance program. The segmentation of duties can be another suitable mitigation process dealing with fraud cases. On the flipside, I read some literatures throughout to investigate the situation of e-government measures to combat corruption in certain countries. I included problem-oriented research to find out how the government can reduce corruption effectiveness in e-business. I studied some anti-corruption and reflective measures specifically, to prepare strategy proposition in e-business. Strategies to Achieve Plans First, I planned for researching throughout the topic, with studying various relevant literature, article, and journals. Secondly, I prepared the learning points in a cluster form to jot down the key points. Thirdly, I prepared mitigation strategies to deal with the identified risks and issues in e-business. Finally, I listed the strategies to prevent such risks and issues in this context, to prevent those difficulties and challenges. To achieve the planning, I maintained suitable scheduling of each activity. I followed a premature timeline to convey each activity with proper sincerity and compliance of knowledge. I considered all readings in the module to gain several arguments and ideas about the emerging risks. I listed all opinions in suitable draft to apply them in academic writing of modules. Furthermore, I took interest in in-depth study of each risk and issue in terms of international trading theories, how those theories are applied to understand the preventive measures. Among these theories, I studied the potential solutions to reduce such risks and issues in e-business; therefore, I prepared the strategic planning for preventing those fraudulent situations. The strategies are identified regarding the evaluation of such business practices of e-commerce. Potential Areas Identification for Personal Development and Growth After considering all the aspects of personal knowledge and experience application, I faced some problems in personal limitations. Mainly, I found those limitations in making suitable timeline segmentation, because I do not have proper knowledge of Gantt chart and task scheduling. However, I followed traditional routine making process to deal with week wise module completion. In future, I need to learn the Gantt chart making to continue suitable scheduling mechanism and techniques with slack consideration and delay estimation. In case of considering further study, I found that I was weak in applying researcher arguments in critical analysis conductance. I served the critical points consideration within normal perception of debate making, however, this module required cross learning of critical views of some articles. Moreover, I faced challenges in making lateral thinking and diagnosis of problem statement. Therefore, I need to view some quality course works to evaluate the prior studies in point of suitable success factor identification of my task. I conveyed practical knowledge of detailed and empirical studies to include maximum research and analysis in completion of module. Technically, the module was sound in all aspects consideration and I gained legitimate growth in collaboration of teamwork and management of the same. Bibliography Adelola, T., Dawson, R. and Batmaz, F., 2015. Privacy and data protection in s: evaluation of different data protection approaches. Chang, C.C., Liang, C., Shu, K.M., Tseng, K.H. and Lin, C.Y., 2015. Does using e-portfolios for reflective writing enhance high school students self-regulated learning?.Technology, Pedagogy and Education, pp.1-20. Chen, Z.S., Yang, S.J. and Huang, J.J., 2015. Constructing an e-portfolio-based integrated learning environment supported by library resource.The Electronic Library,33(2), pp.273-291. Goi, C.L., 2015. Factors influence development of E-banking in Malaysia.The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce,2006. Kalia, P., Kaur, N. and Singh, T., 2015. Internet Marketing and B2C E-Commerce: The Indian Scenario.Innovation Management, Excel India Publishers, Delhi, India, pp.127-134. Lee, I. ed., 2016.Encyclopedia of E-Commerce Development, Implementation, and Management. IGI Global. Mermod, A.Y., 2015. Customer's Perspectives and Risk Issues on E-Banking in Turkey; Should We Still be Online?.The Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce,2011. Sharma, G. and Lijuan, W., 2015. The effects of online service quality of e-commerce Websites on user satisfaction.The Electronic Library,33(3), pp.468-485.

Kyle Keens Essays - Christianity, Zakes Mda, Protestantism

Kyle Keens 201400329 Role of Religion within Zakes Mda's "The Hill" Christianity has a long standing within South Africa and since the arrival there has been the desire to use Christianity as a method of gaining something. Whether it is the land of native peoples or the subservience of them Christianity as an evangelical force has been used to carve a way for many different settlers to establish themselves within the country and also to legitimise their methods and actions. Arriving in 1652 Jan Van Riebeeck brought with him Christianity in the form of the Dutch Reform Church to be set up with many Dutch settlers who came to Cape Town to establish a resupply line for ships travelling to and from Southeast and South Asia. In 1737 the missionary George Schmidt arrived and established the first Protestant mission called the Moravian Brethren which left after being harassed for baptising Khoi-khoi slaves. 1792 the mission returned with three missionaries. The thirty years that followed saw many more missionaries from many different countries come to South Africa which had become a major trading hub. The missionaries reportedly had the goal to evangelise and civilise Africa using South Africa as a gateway. By the twentieth century Christianity made up eighty percent of the population's chosen religion however due to vast numbers of different denominations the most popular only makes up around ten percent. The story of The Hill by Zakes Mda relies heavily on religious influences and uses the influence of religion on the people as a theme within the play. Religion is painted as a force that does not do good however it suppresses and pacifies the poor with the promise of reward in the future or the afterlife. Within the play The Hill Mda portrays characters that are abused by the class system and forced to be satisfied by their religious beliefs. The aspects of religion and its place within the play will be examined as well as the portrayal of religion and more specifically Christianity within the play and the characters. Throughout the play, The Hill (Mda, 1980) the characters of the man and the young man speak of the promises that Christianity has. They argue over many of the aspects of the religion like faith and its place within their lives. The older man appears disgruntled and disillusioned by religion. They argue at one point during the play that they have not prayed enough and that the reason they do not do well is because their faith is not strong enough. The old man says on page 82 of the play Now you want to move mountains. You talk just like them. Those who call themselves the Gospel Group. Men and women who go to the compound of the N.R.C. in the evenings, and shout hymns and prayers to poor migrants who are waiting the long wait. They tell us to repent, for we are sinners in the eyes of the lord. This illustrates the view of the church in regards to the poor. Rather than being mistreated by the rich it is said that the poor are poor because they sin and because they do not pray enough or have enough faith. The character of the man argues this by stating that faith cannot feed them and give them work or protect them when they are waiting in the dangerous areas desperate for work. The nun who visits the hill every Sunday yet does not cleanse the men is a symbol of Religion and its lack of involvement in helping the men in need. This shows Mda's belief in religion simply promising a better life as a means of pacifying the poor and keeping them satisfied with their lot in life. The nun character comes in and ignores the characters and their desire for her to cleanse them. The men who before swore of religion and rejected the faith are instantly enthralled by her presence and plead for cleansing of their sins. It is the way of people to desire a solution to their problems and the church serves that purpose. No matter how they feel and how many times they reject the church to themselves when she arrives they seek her

The Rambler Essays - 9, You Got To Move, Battle Of Stone Corral

The Rambler Essays - 9, You Got To Move, Battle Of Stone Corral The Rambler The Rambler What I remember about the years before I started school was camping, camping, camping. Our family traveled all around the country visiting all the places youd ever want to see in the great old United States of America. Gas was much cheaper back then, probably not much more than a quarter for a gallon. We werent the only ones doing it either. There were plenty of families just like us with their station wagons loaded up and all the kids in back taking off for the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone Park or wherever sounded like a good adventure. Before we got the VW camper we had a Rambler station wagon that broke down on the side of the road somewhere in Alabama. We pulled over for a pit stop and it got stuck in the gravel and we were stranded. It was my birthday in 1968 and Robert F. Kennedy had just been assassinated the night before. In the motel my parents watched it all on television like the whole country. We were probably on our way to Mexico. We left our home in New Jersey as the sum mer was kicking off and drove through all the states before we got to the border at Texas. Every time we entered a new state it was a reason for a mini-celebration and wed hoot and holler when we saw the official State sign welcoming us. Sometimes we passed through states so quickly we could do a few in one day. We went through Ohio and Illinois and Kentucky and Tennessee and Mississippi and I remember it very clearly. My parents would drive all day and sometimes into the night. They had a plaid thermos of coffee up in the front with them and theyd take turns driving and switch as fast as they could. Sometimes it seems like they didnt want to lose time stopping the car and pulling over so theyd try to switch places while still driving. Is that possible? We stayed in a million campsites. Sometimes it was just for the night, but a few times we found a place and stayed for a few days or a week or longer. I wasnt in charge of the itinerary and Im not sure how set our schedule was. It seems like there was plenty of flexibility to change our plans or our route and take a detour to wherever tickled my parents fancy. Now when I look back, Im trying to assess my parents motives for all those trips and all the territory we covered. Since so many other American families were doing their own road trips at the time and it was a real national pastime maybe my folks were just being competitive and trying to rack up more more states than the Jones next door. I dont really believe that was the case, and the reason is that they continued to camp and keep the same car and my mom is still driving down to Mexico by herself these days, while most Americans have given up cross-country travel by automobile. So there must have been something in their spirit to want to ramble on to the next exciting destination, simply for the thrill of it. My father was already retired at this point and had traveled all around the world by ship. He had been to South America and India and the Middle East and sailed the Seven Seas for most of this career. It was my mom, however, who I think had a genuine wanderlust and she still ca nt settle down even now at the age of 84. It was because of her insistence and good planning and careful budgeting and organized packing that we were able to successfully navigate and enjoy all the places we visited. She logged every mile and counted the change for every tollbooth and my father seemed to only drive and go along with what she suggested. He used to get impatient about mom always packing the car so full. But when we pulled in to a campsite at night, he had his tea the way he liked it and his special cheeses and crumpets and our favorite blankets

Unmarried Women Are More Politically Liberal. Heres Why.

Unmarried Women Are More Politically Liberal. Heres Why. Theres long been evidence that unmarried women are more politically liberal than married ones, but theres never been a good explanation for why this is the case. Now there is. Sociologist Kelsy Kretschmer of Oregon State University (OSU) found that women who are not married tend to be more concerned about the social status of women as a group, which makes them more politically liberal and likely to vote Democrat than married women. Kretschmer told the American Sociological Association (ASA), Over 67 percent of never married women and 66 percent of divorced women perceive what happens to other women as having some or a lot to do with what happens in their own lives. Only 56.5 percent of married women hold the same views. Kretschmer presented the study, coauthored with OSU political scientist Christopher Stout and sociologist Leah Ruppanner of the University of Melbourne, at the August 2015 meeting of the ASA in Chicago. There, she explained that women who are not married are more likely to have a strong sense of linked fate, which is the belief that what happens in their own lives is connected to the social status of women as a group in society. This means they are more likely to believe that gender inequalitymanifested for instance in the gender pay gap, the gender wealth gap, and discrimination in education and the work placehas a significant impact on their own life chances. To conduct the study, the researchers drew from the 2010 American National Election Study and included data from women respondents 18 years and older, who they sorted as married, never married, divorced, or widowed. Using this data, they  found that a sense of linked fate has a significant impact on ones political orientation and behavior. Using statistical analysis the researchers were able to rule out income, employment, children, and views on gender roles and discrimination as factors that explain away the gap in political preference between married and unmarried women. A sense of linked fate is in fact the decisive variable. Kretschmer told the ASA that women with a sense of gendered linked fate, who tend to be unmarried, think in terms of what will benefit women as a group. This means that they are likely to support candidates who promote, and political measures for, things like wage equality, workplace protections for pregnancy and maternity leave, anti-domestic violence laws, and welfare expansion. Kretschmer and her colleagues were motivated to do this study because the concept of linked fate has been used by other sociologists to help explain why strong racialized voting patterns exist among Blacks and Latinos in the U.S., but not among other racial groups. The concept had never been used to examine political behavior among women, which is what makes the study and its results notable and important. The study also revealed that women who have never been married are more likely than those who are married to believe that is important to have women politicians, and that  married and widowed women demonstrated the same degrees of linked fate. The researchers pointed out that widowed women are likely to still be engaged in the marriage institution via things like a husbands pension or social security, so they tend to think and act more like women who are married than those who are not (never been, or divorced). While notable, its important to recognize that this study demonstrations a correlation between marriage status and a sense of linked fate, and not causation. At this point it is impossible to say whether linked fate influences whether or not a woman will get married, or if getting married can reduce or eliminate it. Its possible that future research will shed light on this, but what we can conclude, sociologically speaking, is that cultivating a sense of linked fate among women is necessary to making political and social change that advances equality.

The Godfather Movie Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Godfather Movie - Research Paper Example The plot of the story portrays an Italian American empire that is beginning to fall based on tragic situations in criminal exploits. The opening scene of a wedding pose an appeal to the viewers as family induces a feeling of belonging such that those who lack belief in it are draw in to the depths of such remarkable occasions. That in the making is one significant way to draw the attention of the viewers. This depicts the Corleone family business affairs bringing the viewers to the act, to its world and into the narrative. The epic is actually ruthless in implications as it unfolds and various styles have been used. Suspense is created effectively, and the actors seek to turn off the viewers and pull them in at the same time. Skill and craft is executed bravely with the length and the pacing of the movie aiming to show how themes of betrayal, greed and loyalty shine in life in ways that are both profound and surprising (Puzo 208). It offers a brutal depiction of events and lifestyle such as one of pirates. The story begins plotwise on an attempt to assassinate Don Vito by a rival from a different family due to his refusal to join an illegal business in narcotics trade. With his absence and temporary unavailability as he seeks medical attention, it becomes the role of his sons to run the entire empire. These include a hot tempered Sonny, mildly meek Fredo, an adopted son of Irish ancestry Tom Hagen and a fiercely independent Michael who happens to be the only fortunate son to obtain a college education (Zapala-Kraj 47). Michael is initially uninterested in the family business and lacks the desire to take part in the future take over. However, with continuous deceit and betrayal, it is Michael who comes through as a successor to his... This research paper focuses on the movie The Godfather, that is one of the many action series that provides a captivating entertainment especially for those who love to watch drama and crime. The movie was produced in 1972 and based on the novel by Mario Puzo, The Godfather. The movie provides a captivating scene and popular moving chronicles of American life that are brutal in their nature and the way they are depicted. Within the context of all popular entertainment, this movie provided a higher rating in the mode of the filming. The screen player Francis Ford Coppola brings forth a gangster melodrama that is truly sorrowful but also extremely exciting that lacks the unbelievable piety of the previous productions in the movie industry that strike fear but caution that the crime is not paying. The movie is an illustration of daily life events. Let us face it, to be rich, powerful, feared and influential is a way of life achieved by some people and we cannot deny is one that most wou ld desire and find somewhat compelling. Based on that, drama epics like The Godfather gives the viewer the chance to explore this dark possibility and emotion as well as live through the actors and traits as depicted in the film. There is much people who can borrow from a story that shows how a person can move from normal life of casting out roles to one of taking duty and responsibility towards a fulfilled life. Michael can be used as a turning point to people who lack a sense of direction, and the movies is highly recommended.

Quality and IT Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Quality and IT Management - Essay Example 2. Role of Quality Gurus Some of the most famous quality gurus include Armand Feigenbaum, Edwards Deming, Philip Crosby, Kaoru Ishikawa, Genichi Taguchi, and Shigeo Shingo (Beckford 2002, p. 54). All of these gurus brought different concepts of quality which not only helped the companies achieve competitive advantage in the past but also provide appropriate directions towards success to the companies belonging to the present world. We can take example of Masaaki Imai who came up with the concept of Kaizen in 1986, which led Japan’s way to huge success in the field of technological development. Kaizen is an umbrella, which includes all Japanese practices related to quality management. Imai focused on continuous improvement in all departments of a company. Shigeo Shingo was a Japanese quality guru who focused on zero quality control and brought the concept of Poka-Yoke which means to identify the errors before they become some real defects. Kaoru Ishikawa was another Japanese qu ality guru who also believed in some other concepts other than just provision of quality products to the customers. He focused on after sales service, company and the customers, and quality of the management. One of the main teachings of all quality gurus was quality control, which means to ensure quality in all stages of a product development. In the engineering domain, quality control results in accepting or rejecting a manufactured product (Unhelkar 2003, p. 303). In the view of quality gurus, the process of quality control includes certain actions which are necessary for the control and verification of required characteristics of any product or services provided by a company. Fryman (2002, p. 6) found that the main purpose of quality control is to eliminate all factors which can result in unsatisfactory product performance. Along with quality control, some American quality gurus, such as, Dr. Joseph Juran and Dr. W. Edwards Deming also focused on quality management that leads a company’s way towards success. The primary objective of quality management is to increase customer satisfaction with the company’s products and services. Deming’s quality cycle comprised of some key steps, which included Plan, Do, Study, and Act. Deming focused on bringing improvements in quality of products and services by reducing the elements of variability and uncertainty in design and features of the products and services. On the other hand, Juran believed in the philosophy of ‘fitness for use’ and advocated the use of ‘quality cost measurement’. Philip Crosby was a Western American quality guru who believed in the concept of ‘conformance to requirements’. Crosby came up with four main concepts related to quality management. The first one was that quality is not goodness or elegance rather it is conformance to the requirements of the customers. The second concept was that the system for creating quality has nothing to do with appraisal rather it is concerned with prevention. Third concept was the zero defects standard of quality whereas the fourth concept was that measurement of quality should be the price of nonconformance. Crosby focused on reducing the manufacturing expenses by doping things right at the first time instead of correcting them. In the past, the teachings of quality gurus really helped companies become more competitive in nature, lower the product manufacturing costs, improve