Evaluate the Usefulness of Primary Methodologies

Primary methodologies are ways we gather information when conducting social research. There are multiple types of useful methodologies in collecting qualitative data like interviews and a focus group as well as quantitative data like questionnaires, surveys and statistical research for examples. There are many advantages and disadvantages to all primary methodologies, including the information collected being more personally suited to the researcher while being more time consuming than some secondary research.One advantage of primary methodologies is the amount of information you can access from people. Some methodologies, like surveys, can generate qualitative data from a large number of participants easily. A survey, which is a ‘systematic snapshot used to infer for a larger whole’ , are easy to administer, are simply created, are cost effective and efficient in collecting information from a large number of respondents . Researchers can reach respondents, nationally an d globally, through many means like the Internet and can collect the data in convenience too .But surveys can become unreliable due to when a survey is poorly written (surveyor bias, poor choice of wording and questions), respondent bias, respondents not answering properly (lack of motivation, afraid of honesty) and a lack of response to the survey . Surveys are an example of a useful primary methodology in collecting qualitative data like statistics from a wide range of people, if written properly and easy to understand. Primary methodologies are useful in collecting personal data fitted to the social research being conducted.The researcher can choose appropriate methodologies which can best collect the qualitative and quantitative information required. An interview is far more personal than other primary methodologies, like a questionnaire, as the interviewer works directly with the respondent and creates questions based on the participants experience and can also ask follow-up qu estions, what you can’t achieve in surveys. Data collected from structured interviews can be qualitative and quantitative .Interviews however can be time consuming for both interviewer and respondent and although it is usually easy for the respondent, especially when asked for an opinion or impression, interviews can be hard to conduct for a researcher . Interviews are useful in creating personal information suited to the research and can have more detailed data than other methodologies. A focus group is an additional primary methodology which can give detailed information, which is another advantage. When people are gathered and asked and presented with specific questions and ideas to create discussion, comprehensive data can be retrieved and used in research.Group discussions can uncover and explain issues and reactions which may not have been expected or surfaced in a survey or questionnaire. Issues can be examined more in-depth than a general quantitative survey and, like an interview, can include follow-up questions to provide rich and insightful data and feedback . Focus groups on the other hand are also more time consuming than secondary research and can be costly (paying participants to cover travelling and time spent, catering costs, room hire, tape/recording equipment).Costs for focus groups for some companies in 2010 costed between $4000 and $6000, paying each participant an average of $500. Data from focus groups can’t essentially be used to make a generalisation for the population, due to small numbers being assessed. A focus group of a few hundred people is needed for reliable results, which is cost prohibitive. Skilled moderators can be in addition hard to find . Focus groups while effective in providing detailed information like from interviews has its flaws like all methodologies, even though they are very useful in marketing for example.Primary methodologies are useful in social research but they all have their disadvantages. Me thods like passive or active participant observation have their benefits like being immersed in the research topic but people knowing that they are being observed often change their behaviour to be seen in a more positive light . By taking measures in eliminating bias and receiving accurate and reliable results primary methodologies are are effective tools in research along with secondary research.

Essential Skills for Higher Education and Healthcare: A Reflection

Abstract This reflective essay aimed to present the key learning and gaps in knowledge and practice of a student nurse. The Gibbs model of reflection was used to evaluate and analyse the learning needs of the author. An action plan is presented at the end of the essay to demonstrate the learning aims and activities needed to achieve these aims. These are needed to prepare the author in her future work as a registered nurse. Introduction Reflection allows student nurses and healthcare practitioners improve current and future nursing practice by learning from one’s experiences (Bulman and Schutz, 2013). This essay aims to present a reflective account on my role as a student in health education and as a future healthcare practitioner. Gibbs (1988) model of reflection will be used to reflect on my experiences as a student nurse. Description My work as a Health Care Assistant in the past six years helped me decide to pursue a nursing education. I was able to work in a busy environment and experience working with patients with different ethnic background and a multicultural healthcare team. Seeing patients improve as a result of the care they receive from healthcare professionals was one of the significant events that helped me decide to become a nurse. My life as a student nurse is challenging since I have to balance family life with work and my studies. I have to demonstrate key nursing skills, become a self-directed and independent learner, take responsibilities, manage my time and follow rules and regulations of the university. I also have to prepare myself to become a future healthcare practitioner. For instance, I have to acquire skills to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of my patients. I also have to ensure that care received by my patients is evidence-based. In addition, I have to achi eve the competencies required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct. Feelings I am excited in my new role as a student nurse. My training in the past has been in accounting and business and my career shift brings some challenges. However, I am happy pursuing what I love to do. While I am passionate with my new role, I am also aware that becoming a nurse requires extensive training and study. Hence, I want to develop skills such as becoming an independent and self-directed learner in order to succeed as a student nurse. I also need to demonstrate key skills in order to prepare myself to become a registered nurse. At times, I am worried if I would be able to acquire all the skills needed to become an effective nurse. For instance, I feel that communicating with patients with different ethnic backgrounds could be a challenge. While I was able to witness how nurses communicate with patients of different ethnic backgrounds, I am aware that this would not be easy in actual practice. I also feel that I need to develop skills on how to deliver patient-centred care thi s is holistic. Analysis and Evaluation Developing the self-directed and independent learning style is crucial during the undergraduate nursing years. Kaufman and Mann (2010) suggest that problem based learning is common in medical education and helps students to become independent learners. Learning styles differ amongst adult learners. Biggs and Tang (2007) emphasise that an individual’s learning style is a result of affective, physical and cognitive factors. An individual’s learning preference is influenced by motivation, cognitive style, attitude, personality and a student’s stage of development (Cassidy, 2004; Biggs and Tang, 2007). On reflection, I have to consider my own motivation and cognitive style in order to become a successful independent learner. I also have to determine my own stage of development as a student. Learners are identified into at least four types of learners. These are the visual, aural, read, write and kinaesthetic learners (Cassidy, 2004). During independent learning, students should be able to identify their learning style in order to optimise the learning process. On reflection, I learn best through observation (visual), reading and writing (R) and practicing what I learned (K). I can use all forms during self-directed learning. For instance, I can participate in simulation training to visualise the skills that I need to learn. Next, I can read on the topic and write a reflection or notes on what I learned. Finally, I can report my learning to my supervisors or mentors through presenting clinical skills. While self-directed learning is only one method employed in my nursing curriculum as a means to acquire knowledge and skills, this learning method is very important in my future role as a nurse. It should be noted that the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct stresses the importance of providing quality evidence-based care to my patients. To meet the competencies contained in the NMC’s code of conduct, it is necessary that I inform my current nursing practice with current evidence from published literature. This is also emphasised in the NMC (2010) standards for nursing students in the UK. Evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010) is described as the type of care supported by findings from published literature, personal experiences, expert opinion and patient experiences. Becoming an independent learner will help me in future role as a nurse since this will help me search for literature and evidence on the current and best form of intervention for specific healthcare conditions. Apart from becoming an independent learner, I also realised the importance of developing my communication skills. The NMC’s code of conduct states the importance of developing empathy to patients and providing them with quality care. This is only possible with effective communication (Purden, 2005). Barclay et al. (2007) suggest that effective communication is possible if patients have learned to trust their healthcare practitioners and are allowed to participate in healthcare decision-making. Communication involves listening to both verbal and non-verbal messages of the patients and identifying their healthcare needs (Barclay et al., 2007). It is noteworthy that language barriers may become a deterrent to effective communication (Leonard et al., 2004). This is especially evident when patients and nurses have different ethnic background (Leonard et al., 2004). These differences may contribute to misunderstanding especially if patient education is not culturally sensitive or nu rses fail to consider the patient’s preferences, cultural background, tradition and beliefs before introducing an intervention. As a student nurse, I am aware of the importance of communication and why it is necessary for me to develop communication skills that are sensitive to my patients’ culture, traditions and beliefs. Developing these skills during my student years will help me become more sensitive to the needs of my patients. It has been shown (Barclay et al., 2007) that effective communication is a prerequisite to quality care. Many patients (Majumdar et al., 2004) express that the time nurses spent with them allowed them to communicate their feelings and needs better since they were able to communicate in an unhurried environment. On reflection, it is essential that as a student nurse, I will learn how to listen to my patients and determine their needs. It is also essential that I receive training on how to develop cultural sensitivity when dealing with patients with different ethnicity. Majumdar et al. (2004) stress the importance of assigning patients with different ethnicity to healthcare w orkers who share similar ethnic background. However, this might not be achieved in all instances in actual healthcare settings. Hence, it is essential that nurses should be trained on how to develop cultural sensitivity. On reflection, I also learned the importance of developing skills on how to promote psychological, social, emotional, physical and spiritual care of patients. As a student nurse, I am still beginning to develop these skills and understand that it will take time to develop all these skills. I realised that these skills are best learned when working with other healthcare professionals. Hence, it is crucial that I learn how to collaborate effectively with other healthcare workers. Apart from developing effective communication skills, I also need to learn how to work with others and manage conflicts during meetings. It is suggested that conflicts (Leonard et al., 2004) do not lead to poor team working but provides an opportunity for team members to choose the best form of intervention for a specific healthcare condition. Conflicts also allow team members to view an issue from different perspectives. Conclusion In conclusion, there are many skills that I still need to develop as a nursing student preparing to become a registered nurse in the future. To date, I need to hone my skills in independent or self-directed learning. I also need to develop communication skills, cultural sensitivity and learn how to collaborate effectively with other team members. All these skills are necessary to help me observe the NMC’s code of conduct and gain competencies for registered nurses in the UK. Action Plan The following are the objectives of my action plan: Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learning. Develop communication skills. Develop cultural sensitivity. Learn how to collaborate effectively with team members Table 1. Action Plan AimActivitiesWeek(s)Mentor/Supervisor Comment(s) Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learningEngage in self-directed learning on specific topics in nursing.1-4 Develop communication skillsAttend simulations on how to communicate effectively with patients suffering from chronic or acute conditions; Observe/shadow senior nurses on how they communicate with patients suffering from different conditions5-8 Develop cultural sensitivityAttend simulations on how to develop cultural sensitivity; watch videos showing nurses demonstrate cultural sensitivity when caring for patients with different ethnic background; shadow senior nurses and observe how they show cultural sensitivity to patients with different ethnicity9-12 Learn how to collaborate effectively with team membersBecome part of healthcare teams/ shadow healthcare teams and observe how they collaborate with each other13-16 References Barclay, J., Blackhall, L. & Tulsky, J. (2007) Communication strategies and cultural issues in the delivery of bad news. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 10(4). p. 958-977. Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007) Teaching for quality learning at university. 3rd ed. England and New York: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Bulman, C. & Schutz, S. (2013) Reflective Practice in Nursing. 5th ed. London: John Wiley & Sons. Cassidy, S. (2004) Learning styles: An overview of theories, models and measures. Educational Psychology. 24(4). p. 419-444. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. Greenhalgh, T. (2010) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Jarvis, P. (2010) Adult education and lifelong learning: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. Kaufman, D. & Mann, K. (2010) Teaching and learning in medical education. In: Swanwich, T. (ed.). Understanding medical education. ASME: Blackwell Publishing. Leonard, M., Graham, S. & Bonacum, D. (2004) The human factor: the critical importance of effective teamwork and communication in providing safe care. BMJ Quality & Safety. 13. p. i85-i90. Majumdar, B., Browne, G., Roberts, J. & Carpio, B. (2004) Effects of cultural sensitivity training on health care provider attitudes and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 6(2). p. 161-166. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010) Standards for pre-registration nursing education. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. Purden, M. (2005) Cultural considerations in interprofessional education and practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 19(1). p. 224-234.

Counselors as Companions and Ethics in Human Services Essay

1. Every person we come into contact with on a daily basis is able to teach us a little something about life. You just have to be open to learning. This particular counselor who was introduced to Steve for whatever cosmic reason, but left the encounter more knowledgeable about the human condition than when initially introduced. At first glance and without knowing any background on Steve the counselor could have just chalked Steve up as a special needs student who in no way was going to succeed being away from home. The councilor however took time out and got to know his student and found all the triumphs that he had been faced with and had overcome throughout the years. The counselor was able to determine that this student was in no way going to give up and fall between the cracks due to a series of unfortunate events. Every child I come in contact with on a daily basis has their own story, many of which are heart wrenching or unnerving, but yet many persevere and will become productive members of society because someone along the way has showed that they care. 2. Steve was able to benefit just as much as the counselor through this interaction. He was able to persevere and complete his education. All that Steve needed was for someone else to also see the end of the tunnel as well as he saw it. Having someone on the same page and able to stand with you through your goals is beneficial to all those involved not just the single individual with the goal. I think the biggest push anyone could ever get is having someone who does not know you say â€Å"you can’t do that†; it provides all the more motivation to prove them wrong. According to the National Organization of Human Services (NOHS), a code of ethics is an explicit statement of the values, principles, and the rules of a profession, regulating the conduct of its members† (Barker, 2001, p.84) There are two statements found in the NOHS though that best summarize this code and make it applicable to the field in which I am currently surrounded by. STATEMENT 45 Human service educators demonstrate full commitment to their appointed responsibilities, and are enthusiastic about and encouraging of students’ learning. STATEMENT 46 Human service educators model the personal attributes, values and skills of the human service professional, including but not limited to, the willingness to seek and respond to feedback from students. In reading Steve’s journey on the Hero’s Path there is an identifiable moment that relates to my current position that I have been witness to and assisted with. As a guidance secretary for a public school I have seen man types of students walk through our door. Our most recent students who have come in search of a chance to blend in with a traditional student body are two students who found themselves being best friends despite each other’s complex issues. One is an overweight 16 year old and suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome and sneaks food from our cafeteria any chance he gets. The other a 17 year old was born with malformation of the mouth and hands. Both are part of our special education program. Because of their outward appearances, both are shunned by the other student, which has had very little effect on them. To assist them in this effort of blending in our Administrative Resource Teacher, who is popular and liked by the student body because of her understanding and helpful nature has essentially deputized these two during our busiest lunch period. In order to keep the child with Prader-Willi from stealing uneaten food and his friend from stealing anything for him, they eat their lunch and when they are done, are placed on crime watch patrol around the perimeter of the school, with our ART. The child with Prader-Willi gets exercise and it removes him from tempting treats left behind by students such as milk and chips. Both also get the satisfaction of knowing that despite their abnormalities they are regular students. During pep assemblies when the excited student body is a little overwhelming, these students also know that my office is a safe haven for them. They know that they must do work alphabetizing or organizing but they each have a task. I’ve heard many of our administrators repeat this saying time and time again â€Å"you need to know our students, in order to teacher them†, the same applies in any interaction with them. Students don’t just learn in the four walls of a classroom, they learn in every kind of environment. If you make that environment one in which they are comfortable students will return time after time to seek your guidance and model attributes they found and have seen demonstrated. References Halstead, Richard A. (2000, January). From tragedy to triumph: counselor as companion on the hero’s journey. Counseling & Values, 44(2), 100. http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals

Financial Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Financial Risk Management - Essay Example Businesses in order to increase the return or to reduce the level of risk associated with product (financial product) are increasingly making use of financial derivates in the respective portfolios. Among the range of derivatives being used in market following few derivatives are most commonly used (Culp, 2011): Futures contracts ( facilitating transfer of asset on future date at an agreed price) Options (Call option or put option facilitates the purchasing or selling option to buyer or seller to an agreed date and price. To mention as the name implies options are not obligations). Swaps (Exchange of cash flow with another cash flows for gaining the required benefit) Hybrid (derivates that mix the features of more than one securities with financial engineering) Using these and others financial product of derivative category suiting to the need of the business as well as individuals financial marketers take advantage of derivatives to develop desired fashion portfolio or value of bala nce sheet. Derivatives allow hedging of the risks from various domains. Such as market risk, interest rate risk, model risk etc (Functional Finances, n.d). For instance, the interest rate risk can be hedge using derivative such as Interest Rate Swap (IRS) contract. Various risk measurement factors are used to evaluate the risk such as (Hentschel & Smith Jr, 1995): Beta measures the risk in the context of equities. Stock risk is measured in relevance to the market with beta. With respect to bond market, the modified duration assess the risk associated with interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the relevant risk to bond. Modified risk play similar role for bonds as played by beta for equities. Delta measures the risk of change in value of future, forward or option over shorter period of time owing to the change in asset prices Gamma is a measure of change in delta as the stock prices chances. This is effective for the hedging the change in the delta. Vega measures the relationship between the volatility and options value. Rho is a risk measures for assessing the change in the call option prices with respect to the variation in the risk-free rate. Theta is another measure for the derivatives’ risk measurement. For the change in the value of the option with respect to change in time factors (such as time to maturity) that does not abruptly changes like other factors. Hence single product of derivative (option) offers wide risk factors for hedging and these are from market risk perspectives only. Credit risk, model risk, concentration risk are other risk measures that offers greater variation in risk management for derivatives (Functional Finances, n.d). Therefore, adding derivative and hedging risk from critically valuing above mentioned risk factors can add significant returns to the portfolio while trading off higher risk to lower risk or un-affordable risk to affordable risk. Various measures are useful in various financial conditions and even combin ation of measures is useful (Homaifar, 2004). For instance, a balanced portfolio (portfolio with fixed income and equity particulars) generates risk from equity segment in order to generate the higher return. In addition as the name signifies, portfolio is balance and has the fixed income

Legality of Abortion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legality of Abortion - Research Paper Example The key arguments in support of abortion are to counter unexpected pregnancy, to reduce over population, and finally as the expression of woman’s right to her own body. The last is a true and correct statement as all the people have the right to do what they wish to their own bodies. However, they should understand one thing that the unborn baby is a different individual. Even though it resides inside its mother, it is a separate entity and has got a separate existence from its mother. The DNA and other elements of the body are entirely its own. Since the moment of conception, it is completely a distinct genetic individual. Looking at this issue, it is clear that abortion for any cause is wrong. Therefore, the call in favor of abortion because of unexpected pregnancy or abortion for the sake of convenience or as an expression of woman’s right to her own body is not tenable. Arguments for and Against Admittedly, the first and most prominent argument against abortion is t hat if abortion has been deemed to be moral in any phase of human development, there would not have been a greater cry for the enactments of law banning abortions. Admittedly, most of the religions in the world oppose the legalization of abortion. Abortion is similar to murder where an unborn baby is chopped up for the mistakes of his parents or sometimes for the benefit of others. As there is an inception of life since the conception, abortion can be regarded as a crime against the sanctity of human life. No civilized society permits to harm an individual intentionally or take one’s life without punishment and so abortion also is not an exception. Hence, in a society where murder is considered to be immoral and a crime, abortion must also be considered as a punitive crime. Some others argue that abortion is an alternative for contraception on the ground that any method that is used to prevent a woman from being pregnant can be considered as contraception. However, it is fund amentally foolish to claim so because unlike contraception that prevents pregnancy from taking place, abortion is committed only after the woman becomes pregnant. Pregnancy is a result of the failure to use effective contraceptives. Equating abortion with contraceptives is a falsified idea. So, abortion cannot be given the meaning of contraception. Abortion of pregnancy as a result of rape is another kind of moral puzzle. In the case of a molested or raped girl, proper medical care can ensure that she will not become pregnant. Abortion in such cases means to punish an innocent human being who had no role in the committed crime. Instead of punishing the unborn baby, it is the rapist or molester who is to be trialed and punished. In addition, one has to give attention to the physical and mental impacts of such an abortion on the woman. An easy measure adopted for time being or momentary convenience may, thus, result in or pave way to serious problems in the future. However, most of th e abortions are taking place among teenagers who do not have sufficient life experiences. What they can do in this regard is to be prudent enough to use contraceptives before going into physical relations. A suitable philosophy at this juncture seems to come from Bartter (2001), who reminds such mothers of the fact that there are thousands who do not have a child to adopt. So, instead of throwing the unborn baby into the valley of death, those mothers can give such children to those who can bring them up as their own children. Thus, getting rid of the

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Project Management - Essay Example The starting point is where the concept of a project is developed, a core concept to begin the project with. Ending time is where the project is finalized after meeting up all of its planned objectives. In case of uncompleted project, project is being terminated. 3. Unique deliverable: producing some deliverables is the aim of every project. These deliverables look into the need or problem related to a project before its execution. Every project is done or made to get the results. 4. Progressive Elaboration: when a certain project is being done then, continuous improvements and investigations related to a project also becomes the part of it. This investigation and improvements leads towards an accuracy of a project. For an example: in the project of agriculture, the increase in the production and marketing might be done on the basis of provision of water. Water would be the second priority once the agriculture parts are well under way. 7. Management of a project: this characteristic deals with the planning, controlling and execution of a project. It ensures that the project’s delivery is successfully being done on time. These are basically the objectives and strategies in association of a project. Management of a project also strengthens the company’s management, minimizes the factor of risk and accomplishes the changes in association with the company’s

Film Analysis Paper-Sunrise(1927) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Film Analysis Paper-Sunrise(1927) - Essay Example Sunrise successfully utilized mise en scà ¨ne to contrast the fast paced city lifestyle vs. cozy country lifestyle, as well as the different characteristics of the actors, to show that true love is the only way to help the man get out of evil seduction. The settings were a mix of real locations and artificial sets. Either way, they provided a perfect background to the scenes. John Bailey, the movie’s cinematographer, explained that the marsh was a studio set, the train in the first scene was a model made to look large in the foreground, the extras were real people and the projected city was from a matte drawing (Ebert: para 12 & 13). The rest of the settings were real. In most cases, the final product was manipulated with camera tricks, creating an imagery of dreaminess. For example, there were scenes where superimposed, ghost-like images were added. One scene showed the man being surrounded by the image of the woman from the city, but she was not physically present. Another scene showed exciting activities in the city with dancers and musicians providing the promised fun, but these images seemed to merely float in a void. Bailey explains that such images were borne out of creative camera use. The camera men used the advance d trick of that time of masking and exposing, controlling the lens and counting the individual frames where they would apply the trick. The finished product was clean without any hint of roughness. It is impressive that all these were done several decades ago when digital technology was not yet in existence, so talent and creativity played major roles in the genius of film makers then. In the city setting, several long shots were taken to shoot the scenes. This was to capture all the action that goes on in one frame. This strategy saved the time and effort to show how busy everyone was in the city, so viewers can get a feel of the

Risk Profile for a Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Risk Profile for a Hotel - Essay Example Basic step to embark upon this issue is to make an inventory of all possible reasons that are directly or indirectly influencing the performance of the business and then try to mitigate them. This essay mainly concentrates on a casino hotel -------------------- (name one hotel nearby your domicile); various risks involved with it and the ways adopted by management to overcome these issues. 1) Structural Risk: It includes risk associated with the firm itself. Security issue is one of the major parts of it. Guests must be secured enough from any sort of criminal activities inside the hotel. A single anti-peace incident may fall down its market. To overcome it to a great extend, casino has its own security employees. They take care of any such violence in the premises and also special weapon checking facility has been implemented. Next comes risk linked with cheating and theft. As it's related to gambling games so, cheating is obvious. Management needs to observe closely whether any of their customer or hotel itself is getting cheated or not. 2) Growth Risk: Risks arising from expected future performance is related to growth risk.

Compare and contrast Peattie and Ching's position vis-a-vis the Essay

Compare and contrast Peattie and Ching's position vis-a-vis the idea of Japanese colonialism as an "anomaly." - Essay Example Ching focus on the anomaly from the point of view of the struggle Japanese colonies endured in changing their identity to become Japanese, hence the book title â€Å"becoming Japanese.† The book reveals the much tension and challenges involved in the formation and shift of colonial identities (Ching 19). For instance, Japanese colony, Taiwan, expresses multiple forms of national and cultural identifications; Chinese nationalist, Japanese culture, as well as, its own heterogeneous political and cultural practices. Becoming Japanese is a bridge of history and literature that brings out the anomaly in Japanese colonialism. On the other hand, Peattie focus on Japanese colonialism anomaly in their book, The Japanese Colonial Empire, as the source and evolution of the modern empire. In this book, Japanese colonies such as Korea, Karafuto, and Taiwan are termed as an empire that is governed collectively (Peattie 51). It goes further to illustrate the policies and systems that governed it, as well as, the economic dynamics that encouraged it. According to Peattie, Japanese colonialism in context of modern empire that runs from 1895 to 1945 is by itself an anomaly in colonialism (23). In conclusion, it is clear that Japanese way of colonizing is different and exceedingly unique in comparison to western colonialism. Either from ching’s way of thinking or Peattie’s, Japanese colonialism is a global phenomenon, hence colonialism

Critical Summary Writing for Virtual Communities Assignment

Critical Summary Writing for Virtual Communities - Assignment Example Online discussion of whatever topic engages people and makes the virtual community interesting that engages people because a wealth of economies for knowledge are shared where everybody benefits from it of which an effective host is able to create the suitable environment for such engagement to flourish. This may not be easy to do but showing genuine interest for online community members and establishing rules early on helps create a positive online environment. The absence of physical contact makes online community vulnerable to misunderstanding and conflict. It is expected that the host will be challenged by the community members in the early stage of the online community. It would be better if the host will delay emotional response when challenged by members of the online community. It would also help not to say anything and bend over backward to become civil when challenged. If the host must respond, it would be safer to send a private message to the party concerned. One must remember that an ounce of elegance and grace is worth ten pounds of argument. Averting possible conflict in the online community ensures the positive atmosphere where members are engaged Hosting a virtual community or social media is just like organizing a physical community. One must be a good host to facilitate group activity that keeps everyone interested. Just like physical community, there are also pitfalls that could spark misunderstanding of which a good host must avoid. Emotional restraint is a good quality of an online host to avoid conflict. once these environment is created, the online community will become a self-sustaining group and will

Analysis of Ryanair Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Ryanair Essay Ryanair established in 1985 carrying more than 5,000 passengers between its route Waterford Airport in Ireland to London Gatwick during its first year. The company expanded by 1989 had 350 employees, 14 aircraft and carrying more than 600,000 passengers a year. In 1997 there were dramatic changes in the European airline industry with deregulation of European Union air transportation allowed airlines to open new routes into Europe. The European Low fares association reported that low fares airlines are carrying more passengers than before with an increasing number of destinations in Europe set to increase from 38% to 53% in European travel (elfaa. com, 2011). Ryanair took advantage from the deregulation with routes from London Stansted to Stockholm, Oslo and Paris. By 2001 Ryanair launched its own travel website and within 3 months received 50,000 bookings (Ryanair.com, 2011). The report will focus on the low cost industry environment by identifying the opportunities and threats as well as five forces of the external environment. The report will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair. Part 1: Low cost Airline industry The low cost airline industry has become the most profitable with all segments in the market with low prices and high load factors. This strategy has been challenged since the 1990s with the liberalization of services allowing new entrants to compete for business (Economist.com, 2011). The low cost airline industry operates all activities by reducing costs in order to gain strategic success and competitive advantage. This approach has a lot of opportunities as well as threats. Political Governments in the UK have the highest tax compared to Germany with a $1.3bn departure tax and Austria’s similar $119m duty tax (Independent.co.uk, 2011). The threat of passengers paying higher prices as a result of increased tax for their airline tickets can lower profits for airlines. This can affect low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet as the higher taxes cut profits for the company for example Easyjet stated they had lost  £21m of its  £153m in 2011 (IATA.com, 2011). Acts of terrorism can also be a major threat to the airline industry. Initiating further routes is an opportunity for low cost airlines to other destinations in Europe with its growing economy and additional 15 EU countries that joined in 2004 such as Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia can offer new opportunities for new routes to increase the number of passengers(Delfmann, 2005). There has also been a threat with the plans to sell Stansted airport, the main location for low budget airlines after the Competition Commission to reduce its dominance in the market. This will bring greater competition to low cost airlines and benefit passengers with more low fare airlines from regional airports such as Gatwick and Stansted competing more (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). Economic The threat of rising oil prices caused global airlines to lose $16 billion in profits which did rebound in 2010 with higher traffic. The threat continues with oil prices averaging $110 a barrel and estimated to further increases in the industry’s fuel bill which will rise from $10 billion to $176 billion (Bangkokpost.com, 2011). This threat has also been warned by Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways and Iberia who cautioned that European carriers have to bear the impact of the high fuel costs with some operators having to go out of business (Guardian.co.uk, 2011). The recession in 2008 resulted in travelers seeking cheaper fares and led to growth in sales for budget airlines. This opportunity during recession allows budget airlines to take advantage and of more travelers seeking low fares with budget airlines rather than more expensive airline tickets. With the higher oil prices, natural disasters in Japan, discontent in the Middle East, North Africa and can force competitors in the airline industry to increase prices and fuel surcharges which pose major threats to airlines profits and survival of airlines. Social The growth in demand for passengers seeking low cost airlines for cheaper fares is an opportunity for budget airlines. People are living a better standard of life with declining inequality of incomes made up mostly of middle class income people. People are also more well-travelled, experienced and seek new destinations with the growth of vacation property (Goeldner and Ritchie, 2009). This is an opportunity as budget airlines frequently service short haul destinations for short trips or weekend trips for leisure or business purposes offering more destinations and new experiences to people with low fares. Migration has also made commuting a factor with people seeking employment opportunities and education as a motive for travelling as well as the rising quality standards has shown to expect growth for low cost airlines (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). There are significant opportunities for low cost airlines that can benefit from the demand of increasing passenger from various destinations and purposes. Many people also seeking new destinations is a good opportunity for budget airlines to increase passenger numbers and revenue by providing different destinations of regional airports. Technological The increasing popularity of information technology is an opportunity for low budget airlines as they don’t use travel agents to sell tickets and allows consumers to be informed about schedules, compare prices and itineraries as well as flights with other airlines (Pease etl al., 2007). The new ‘saddle seat’ which is designed to allow 23 inches of legroom compared to 30 inches on a normal seat space and shaped to sit at an angle increase the number of seat for an airline (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). The seats offer an opportunity for low budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet to allow more storage space and more passengers in a plane which can increase revenues. The opportunities in technology allows airlines to take advantage of potential revenues with the internet offering direct marketing for customers and value added service by bringing offers to the customers directly. The opportunities for of the new seats can offer planes to fit more passengers and is a further potential a growth in revenue for budget airlines. Legal The airline industry has considerable regulations with issues concerning legislation and guidelines. For example low cost airlines have aggressive advertising campaigns to emphasize low fares which have become an issue with consumer protection legislation. Separate details of surcharges such as government tax, airport tax and fuel surcharge have to be included so that it does not consumers are not misinterpreted and misunderstood when buying a ticket. This is a threat to low cost airlines as it disregards the concept of low fares with all the taxes passed on by governments and aviation authorities. Low cost airlines can be substantially threatened with EU regulations and laws which can lower profits and damage the reputation of an airline with a negative image. Environmental Natural disasters such as the 2010 Iceland Volcano which caused 14,000 Ryanair flights cancelled. Costs of the 2010 Iceland disruption to the global airline industry soared to  £1.1bn according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) (Guardian.co.uk, 2010). This threat to the airline industry faced by natural disasters such as the Iceland volcano can occur at any time and stop people from travelling costing airlines major disruptions with delays or cancellations. Emissions used by the airline industry have been increasingly growing rapidly over recent years, increasing 98% between 1990 and 2006 with predications of further increases to another 88% by 2050. This threat to the aviation industry enforcing airlines to pay for carbon dioxide and lower profits (Ftadviser.com, 2011). Porter’s five forces Porter points out the five forces which consist of bargaining power of suppliers, buyers, threat of potential new entrants and threat of substitutes to the industry. A company can adapt to the forces in order to increase chances of gaining sustainable competitive advantage and profitability. In understanding the strategic decisions a company has to make, it can be useful to look at the five forces of rivalry amongst the firm, substitution, new entry, the power of customers and the power of suppliers. Figure 1.1: Porters five forces Source: (Fouris and Oswald, 2006) Barriers of entry: to obtain aircrafts is extremely expensive and acquiring a basis at airports is also difficult (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). With the success of Southwest airlines and deregulation and liberalization of the airline industry has allowed 40 budget airlines in the airline such as Easy Jet. This level is high as a result of these factors. Substitution- for the short haul flights, the substitute products include car, train and boat services. Travelling by train is clearly a substitute choice for travellers as it is high speed or travelling by car with the many motorway links available can have an impact. Technology can also be a substitute, for example business travellers may choose to conference skype calls over the internet. This level is moderate as flying is the main method of travelling long distances at a shorter time. Bargaining power of buyers: consumers can now purchase their own tickets from low cost airlines and can choose airlines with for higher level of quality, better service and lower price. Customers have the power to easily switch to another product that have lower prices with the ease of the internet (Hitt, et al, 2008). This popularity of comparison internet sites allows passengers to compare flight prices and choose the lowest cost airline of their choice. Therefore to survive with these intense factors airlines have to provide lowest fares to attract customers which is important for budget airlines and as a result the power of buyers is high as they consumers choose lowest fares causing risk of survival to an airline. Bargaining power of suppliers: Airlines rely heavily on the inputs for the company to survive which would be fuel, materials for the planes, services and manpower. Airlines either use Boeing or Airbus together with high maintenance fees, training staff. Additionally with the increase of cost for fuel to $50bn in 2011 resulted in travelers paying higher prices for tickets (Reuters.com, 2011). Therefore these inputs have high bargaining power over airlines as it can affect profits of an airline substantially. Competitor rivalry: may occur from price competition, product differentiation, advertising against other competitors is likely to affect the business (Bowhill, 2008). The intense rivalry occurs between low fares carriers are Ryanair, Easyjet and the carriers that provide ‘frills’ service with lower fares are British Midland Airways. Rivals also have to invest high capital investment and have a unique selling point to attract a large majority of customers and offer significant discounts and special offers. According the annual reports of Ryanair and Easy Jet, in 2010 Ryanair carried over 66 million passengers in comparison to Easy Jet carrying just 34 million. Therefore the airline’s low cost model delivers increased revenue and passenger growth as customers seek cheaper flights and benefit from price wars between airline fares. However budget airlines are still affected by rivalry with Ryanair and Easy Jet competing for customers flying with no frills airlines and the level of competitor rivalry is moderate. Conclusion Finally the analysis has demonstrated the attractiveness for the budget airline based on the ease of entry regulations and with the low expenditure costs lower than charter airlines that provide more service. The unstable environment has led to an increase in fuel costs with airlines paying heavily for their supply and in contrast the unpredictable economic environment has caused consumers to spend less and look for cheaper travel and prefer budget airlines such as Ryanair. Even though there is intense rivalry between airlines, budget airlines have an attractive strategy with more airlines using the low cost model to compete for passengers. Part 2: Internal analysis The internal factors of Ryanair’s concerns strengths and weaknesses to assess the extent to which the strategies for the airline in order to be successful, these summarizes the internal business environment and the capabilities (Johnson et al., 2002). The strengths of Ryanair are: The company has a successful low cost model benefitting from low expenses by using staff to clean the plane, passengers have to pay to print boarding pass reducing the need for staff at check in desks and take advantage of the internet to sell tickets. Ryanair’s low fares are aimed at encouraging demand especially with price sensitive leisure and business travellers that might choose alternative forms of transport method. Ryanair have set fares on the basis of demand on particular flights with higher fares on flights that have the highest demand for bookings booked nearer to the date of departure. Ryanairs competitors also do not operate on comparison sites and save commission or fees to other comparison websites. The company loses fewer bags and with 88% punctual flights compared to competitor’s ant explains why the company is a favorite airline for customers with over 73 million passengers in 2010 (Ryanair.com, Annual report 2010). Flights to secondary airports: the company offers point to point service on short haul flights to secondary and regional airports around the major hub centers and cities. The point to point routes rather than hub airports allow the company to provide direct nonstop flights and avoid the costs of providing services through connecting passengers, baggage transfers and transit passenger assistant costs. By choosing secondary locations allows convenience for a large majority of the population and is generally less crowded than in major airports. This has also resulted in on time flights, faster turnaround times, less terminal delays as well as more competitive airport access and handling costs or operating restrictions that can reduce expenses (Ryanair Annual Report, 2010). Low operating costs: Ryanair maintain low operating costs as a low budget airline company and aims to reduce costs in main areas which include: aircraft equipment, personnel productivity, customer service costs and airport access and handling costs. Weaknesses Ryanair have been negatively perceived as arrogant as the company does not take into consideration the competition by putting other low fares airlines out of business creating a bad image with negative media. Ryanair is viewed as not caring too much about customer needs or problems which reflect O’Leary’s opinion that customers pay low prices and get a good deal therefore should expect low standards. There have also been complaints for the extra payments for fees and taxes as well as paying higher prices for stowing luggage and onboard food and beverage. The company has also come across as having a negative reputation by having underpaid staff that are disciplined for any mistakes, work long hours and unhappy staff with staff (itfglobal.org, 2011). The company also charges  £5 for every purchase using bank card,  £40 for printing a boarding pass at the airport and  £100 for changing the name on the booking. Therefore customers often have to pay a lot more than they expected which makes Ryanair’s image appear dishonest (Ryanair.com, 2011). Porters value chain The generic strategies are concerned with the strategies of the company and at the micro level by exploring Porters model of the value chain. The value chain classifies the activities of the company and divided into primary and support activities used to identify the cost leadership strategy as illustrated in appendices b. The core competencies of Ryanair consist of maximizing revenues whilst providing a no frills low cost strategy and keeping logistics simple. This is maintained by Ryanair’s capability to lower operating costs such as aggressive online booking reducing the cost of staff and operate in secondary airports using Boeing 737-800. Through simple services and investing less on employees, Ryanair core competencies provide effective and efficient resource management. The primary activities involved in the inbound logistics of Ryanair consist of its 272 Boeing 737-800 planes that can carry 189 people and agreements to secondary airports. Ryanair have contract agreements with these large aircrafts with the ability to fly long hours and do not charge fuel surcharge (Ryanair.co.uk, 2010). Operations: Ryanair have lower unit costs as part of its operation and save costs through lower handling fees, landing fees in secondary airports and fast turnaround times with the capacity to utilize the aircraft at a shorter time. Ryanair operate in 1,110 routes and 1,400 flights a day from 44 bases. The efficiency of its operation supports the low cost strategy position with fast turnaround times, no meals on board and improved employee productivity (Ryanair.com, 2010). Financial analysis The strengths of Ryanair are quite clear. The company has been profitable with an increase in profits of 26% to â‚ ¬401m and operating profit increase by 28% to â‚ ¬516.2m in 2011. The figure below illustrates how the company increased passengers by 8% and revenue 16% by 2010. Figure 2.1: Summary Table of results (IFRS) in Euro Source: (Ryanair.com, 2011) Figure 2.2: Summary table for EasyJet Source: (Easyjet.com, 2011) As seen from the tables above it can be clear to differentiate the profit revenues. Profit after tax for Ryanair in 2010 was â‚ ¬138 million and for Easyjet was just  £121 million. Revenue for Easyjet in 2010 was  £2, 973 million in 2010 and  £2, 66 million in 2009 compared to Ryanair’s revenue in 2010  £18 million and  £16 million in 2009. According to Ryanair’s annual reports, revenues rose by 16% to â‚ ¬896.8m due to an 8% rise in traffic and a 5% increase in average fares in 2010. Ryanair has been able to gain a growth in revenue even during the financial recession which had a significant effect on other major airlines resulting in bankruptcy and closure. Due to its cost efficient methods through increased passenger traffic with its new routes and low prices Ryanair has been able to uphold its place as the number one low cost carrier. This difference also shows in Ryanair’s current ratio at 1.79 in 2010 compared to Easy jet only gaining 1.33. Conclusion From the internal analysis it is clear to see Ryanair’s low costs strategy means it is less affected than its competitors with its cost leadership. This has required the company to gain a large market share whereby it has purchased large quantities of planes and low cost operations has made shown that cost leadership is the only way to work for the future and globally. Ryanair has built a low cost culture however still needs to pay close attention to the external environmental factors including governmental policies and increased cost of fuel. The core cost savings mentioned has made the company highly successful with its short haul routes with standardized no frills services, higher seating density and its ticketless reservation system. Ryanair have succeeded by becoming a successful airline in Europe with the Southwest airline model and managed to grow its market segment of price sensitive customers through its no frills service. Bibliography Afuah, A. (2009) Strategic Innovation: New Game Strategies for Competitive Advantage. New York: Routledge. Beech, J. and Chadwick, S. (2006) The business of tourism management. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Bangkokpost.com (2011) Oil spike to push up airline losses. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/241328/oil-spike-likely-to-push- up-airline-losses. [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Betz, F. (2002) Executive Strategy: Strategic Management and Information Technology. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Bowhill, B. (2008) Business Planning and Control: Integrating Accounting, Strategy, and People. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. Centreforinformation.com (2011) Jaw-dropping airline market capitalization. [Online]. Available at: http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2011/03/10/jaw-dropping-airline-market-capitalisation-facts-part-3/page1 [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Cherunilam, F. (2007) International business: text and cases. 4th Ed. New Delhi: Prentice Hall. Delfmann, W. (2005) Strategic management in the aviation industry. Ashgate: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Easyjet.com (2011) Annual Reports and Accounts. [Online]. Available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/~/media/Files/E/easyJet/pdf/investors/result-center/easyJet_AR10_18_1_2011.pdf? [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Economist.com (2011) Aviation: Climbing through the clo uds: Airlines and the aircraft industry are belatedly being buffeted by globalization. [Online]. Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/18926285?story_id=18926285fsrc=rss [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Elfaa.com (2011) Press Release: Report shows low fares airlines are the future of air travel in Europe. http://www.elfaa.com/110418_ELFAA_PressRelease_LFAs_Market_Share_YorkAviation.pdf Ftadviser.com, (2011) Come fly with me. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ftadviser.com/FinancialAdviser/Investments/Sector/EthicalAndSRI/Features/article/20110519/da237554-59f2-11e0-8113-00144f2af8e8/Come-fly-with-me.jsp [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. FT.com (2011) EasyJet Plc. [Online]. Available at: http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/financialsSummary.asp?s=uk:EZJ.[Accessed on: 03 July 2011]. FT.com (2011) Ryanair Holdings. [Online]. Available at: http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/financialsSummary.asp?s=ie:RY4B.[Accessed on: 03 July 2011]. Goeldner, C.R. and Ritchie, B.J.R. (2009) Tourism: Princip les, Practices, Philosophies. 11th Ed. London: John Wiley and Sons. Guardian.co.uk (2011) Airline Industry profit slump oil. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/06/airline-industry-profit-slump-oil. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Guardian.co.uk (2010) Airline industry takes $1.7bn hit from volcanic ash disruption. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/21/airline-industry-cost-volcanic-ash. [Accessed on: 05 May 2011]. Guardian.co.uk (2011) Airlines to spend estimated â‚ ¬1.4bn on carbon permits in 2012. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/mar/08/carbon-emissions-climate-change. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Gross, S. and Schroeder, A. (2007) Handbook of low cost airlines: strategies, business processes and market environment. Berlin: Hurbert and Co. Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E. (2009) Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. 8th Ed. Mason: Southwestern Cengage Learning. IATA.com (2011) Airline Industry 2011 Profit Outlook Slashed to $4 Billion. [Online]. Available at: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/pages/2011-06-06-01.aspx. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Independent.co.uk (2011) Chief of airline industry attacks tax bandit UK. [Online]. Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/chief -of-airline-industry-attacks-tax-bandit-uk-2293964.html. [Accessed on: 20 June 2011]. Independent.co.uk (2009) Ryanair it’s cheap not cheerful. [Online]. Available at:http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-ryanair-its-cheap-not-cheerful-1781973.html. [Accessed on: 25 June 2011]. Itfglobal.org (2011) Campaigns. [Online]. 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William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar Essay Example for Free

William Shakespeare and Julius Caesar Essay William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564. Records show that Shakespeare was baptized three days after he was born, on April 26, 1564. He grew up in a town called Stratford upon Avon. During his lifetime, Shakespeare had three jobs. He was a playwright, a businessman, and an actor. Shakespeare not only wrote plays, but also sonnets. His most famous sonnet would be â€Å"Sonnet 18†. Some of his greatest plays are The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare was known for stealing the ideas for his plays from other playwrights during his time. But, somehow he wrote magnificent plays and became the greatest playwright of all time. Shakespeare was also a businessman, just like his father. His father was a glove maker and a well respected man in the community. Although Shakespeare was not well respected, he was a successful businessman. He was a co-owner of The Globe Theatre, which was an amphitheatre located near the Themes River in England. Unfortunately, The Globe Theatre burnt down and was not able to be rebuilt by the time Shakespeare died. As an actor, Shakespeare did take part in some of his plays. Although he was never known to play the main roles. In some cases he would play a character that was important to the show.   Tragically, Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616. This is the day believed to be his birthday. Shakespeare was a very busy man during his life. He was an actor, a co-owner of The Globe Theatre, and the greatest playwright in history. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar Act I The major characters that start the play are Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and the soothsayer. Act I begins on February 15, when Caesar is celebrating his defeat over Pompey. The soothsayer warns Caesar, Beware the ides of March, but Caesar pays no attention to it. Cassius pulls Brutus aside to talk to him about Caesar and joining the conspiracy. Terrible weather is foreshadowing trouble. Act II The main characters in act II are Calpurnia, Caesar, Brutus, Portia, Cassius, and the other conspirators. Brutus joins the conspiracy and leads it. He tells Cassius and the other conspirators that there will be no oath, no Cicero, and no killing of Mark Antony. Calpurnia has a dream that Caesar is killed and convinces him not to go to the capitol. Decius reinterprets the dream and changes Caesars mind about going to the capitol. Portia begins to worry about Brutus because he hasnt been talking to her lately. Act III The main characters in this act are Caesar, Brutus, Antony, and the other conspirators. Caesar is again warned on his way to the capitol, but ignores it. The conspirators gather around Caesar in the capitol to discuss Metillus brother being released from banishment. Then they all stab and murder Caesar. Antony meets with the conspirators and pretends to be friends with them, but his real plan is to get revenge for Caesars death. Brutus allows Antony to speak at Caesars funeral. First Brutus speaks and wins over the crowd. Then Antony speaks and turns the crowd against Brutus and the conspirators by reading Caesars will. Act IV The main characters in this act are Octavius, Antony, Lepidus, Brutus, Cassius, and Caesars ghost. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus are triumvirs, but Antony and Octavius are not sure whether or not Lepidus should rule with them. Brutus found out that Portia has died from swallowing fire. He is also arguing with Cassius a lot. Caesars ghost appears to Brutus and warns him that he will die at Philippi. Act V The main characters in act V are Octavius, Antony, Brutus, and Cassius. They all decide to meet in the field before the battle to talk. Cassius decides to run upon his own sword and kill himself. This is ironic because it is his birthday. Brutus finds out that Cassius is dead and decides to run upon his own sword too.

Relationship Between Zinc and Heart Disease

Relationship Between Zinc and Heart Disease Otoniel Santiago Shanil Juma, PhD Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one common cause of morbidity and death in all ethnicities. There are many contributing factors associated to this disease, which include: atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity and obesity1-3. Despite the many studies performed in these areas, nutrition and nutritional status play a major role in the decrease of CVD. One area that has been look at for almost a decade is the relationship of micronutrients in preventing the onset of cardiovascular disease. Although there are still many controversies in the areas of diet and obesity, the role of micronutrients especially zinc, have been closely studied to identify if its levels have any effect in reducing or potentially inducing cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this report will be to briefly discuss how zinc levels may play a role in promoting cardiovascular disease or preventing it. Zinc Functions Zinc is known as one of the essential trace elements vital for maintaining normal physiology and cellular functions in the body.1 It was during the 1960’s that zinc deficiency was discovered after it was found that dwarfism and delayed sexual maturation were related to zinc. This discovery lead to an increase in clinical studies in order to understand the critical role of zinc in human physiological growth and its relation to other conditions such as, dermatitis, impaired taste, and impaired immunity to name a few.1 Nonetheless, the role of zinc is not completely understood. This trace element has only been known for the past 50 years, but it has been clearly documented that it can improve an array of conditions like acute diarrhea in children, the common cold, and reduction of oxidative stress, the making of genetic material and wound healing. In all, zinc plays a major role in protein synthesis, thus, making it one of the most essential micronutrient needed for optimal healt h in the human body. Zinc and Heart Disease Zinc has been known for its many protective capacities and functions. However, low zinc levels have been associated with age, disease and lack of nutritional intake. It has been found that zinc deficiency increases the inflammatory response caused by increased vascular oxidative stress.2 For instance, in patients with type 2 diabetes suffering from cardiovascular disease, it was found that zinc serum levels were low3. Despite the fact that low serum zinc levels were found to be an independent factor for heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, non-diabetic patients who suffered from CVD was related to lower consumption of zinc.3 Zinc deficiency can also be associated to malabsorption caused by gastric conditions such as Chron’s disease and celiac sprue, or conditions like diabetes which increase zinc loss due excessive urinary output4. A study conducted by Frustaci et al, looked at selenium and zinc deficiency to identify if cardiac malfunction could occur with individuals who suffer from intestinal malabsorption. The study found that there was a great association of between the deficiency of selenium and zinc and the degeneration of cardiomyocytes5. Although this study looked into two micronutrients, it is important to point out that zinc played a major role in this study. As mentioned previously, zinc is an essential trace element that works in nearly over 300 enzymes exerting catalytic, structural, and regulatory functions4, 5. In addition to these functions, a deficiency of zinc can cause cell apoptosis and necrosis due to its role in growth and development. On the other hand, selenium has been associated with the Keshan disease that causes progressive dilated cardiomyopathy5. Both elements serve as antioxidants detoxifying cardiomyocytes from free radicals and a deficiency of any of these two elements can cause a decline a cardiac function5. Patients in this study were treated with a selenium/zinc infusion of 13.6 mg/d/wk for about six months. The group was divided into two groups consisting of one group of (A2, n=8) and another (A1, n= 10).5 All patients in group A1 received cardiac catherization, and an endomyocardial biopsy, while the A2 group were only treated with anti-heart failure therapy. Nonetheless, after the six months was completed group A1 showed an improvement in their left ventricle dimension when compared to the A2 group who only received supportive therapy5. The study determined that a selenium and zinc cardiomyopathy can occur in patients with intestinal malabsorption and that an infusion of both elements can improve a nd possibly prevent the malabsorption associated cardiomyopathy5. In another study conducted by Soinio et al, after a seven year period follow up on both non-diabetic patients and type 2 diabetic patients, it was found that there was an increase in mortality from CVD in patients with lower serum levels of zinc (≠¤14.1 µmol/l) then those who did not (14.1>  µmol/l)3. Most patients on this study were between the ages of 45-64 and the population consisted of 1,050 patients from West and East Finland where 526 were men and 470 were women. Each participant was examined for zinc serum levels after a 12hr fast. Zinc serum levels were determined through atomic absorption spectrotometry after 10 years from stored samples. Out of the 1,050 participants 156 died of coronary heart disease and 254 patients suffered a myocardial infarction. The rest of the surviving participants were divided in groups of non-insulin treated and insulin treated subjects. Those with insulin treatment had a 15.3  µmol/l of fasting serum zinc levels when compared to the non-insulin treatment that had 15.8  µmol/l fasting serum zinc levels. However, after breaking the result into quartiles the results were that low serum levels were an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease for coronary heart disease and fatal/non-fatal myocardial infarctions in patients with type 2 diabetes3. Nonetheless, most of the lower serum zinc levels found in diabetics was related to urinary zinc excretion when compared to non-diabetics. It is important to point out that zinc play critical role in the synthesis and function of insulin and the inhibition of pathways that can lead to apoptosis and possibly the upregulation caspase genes3. In this study zinc was added to in vitro insulin preparations to extend the time of insulin action. Despite insulin being added to the treatment of 149 of the participants with type 2 diabetes, serum zinc levels had no considerable changes between the two groups. Thus, there is a possibility that zinc supplementation may be useful to prevent atherosclerotic complications in type 2 diabetes individuals3. Another study showed that coronary artery disease was more prevalent among individuals with diabetes4. In the same study patients with coronary artery disease had higher urinary excretion of zinc when compared to those without coronary artery disease. In addition there was no association with the zinc levels and diseased arteries, but there was an increase in urinary zinc loss and the number of diseases arteries4. In relation to diabetes mellitus similar to the study performed by Soinio et al, patients with diabetes excreted greater amounts of zinc when compared to normoglycemic individuals4. Regardless of the zinc loss linked to diabetes mellitus and polyuria, zinc concentration was not associated with the onset of coronary arterial disease. The loss of zinc, on the other hand, correlated to the severity of the coronary artery disease. Consequently, the loss of zinc causes a shift of zinc from the intracellular fluid to the extracellular fluid to maintain homeostasis. Thus, affectin g zinc dependent enzymes such as the activating nuclear factor Ä ¸B and the reduction of nitric oxide bioavailability and the macrophage-mediated oxidative modification of LDL cholesterol along with the inflammatory cascades associated with it that ultimately promote atherogenesis4. On the other hand, zinc only accounts for about 0.1% of total body pool and zinc plasma concentrations are an insensitive marker for whole body reserves. Thus, the use of the urine zinc/24hour ratio is a better marker to reflect the risk of coronary artery disease. This was compared to other studies that identified that children from parents with coronary artery disease had higher zinc urinary levels. Suggesting that genetically predisposed children with coronary artery disease have in a long term, ongoing zinc losses taking place before the manifestations of clinical symptoms4. Yet, the question still remains whether supplementation of zinc in individuals with low zinc serum levels could prove to be beneficial to prevent or eliminate cardio arterial disease. In relation to children Sadoh looked if there was any relationship in loss of serum zinc levels with congenital heart diseases and pneumonia. Sadoh looked at 41 Nigerian children with confirmed congenital heart disease and 41 without congenital heart disease. Because congenital heart diseases with left or right shunt are associated with pulmonary over-circulation, which leads to congestive heart failure, the loss of serum zinc levels seem to be increased with pneumonia6. In addition, it has been shown that patients with heart failure who are also receiving diuretic therapy are prone to develop zincuria. The medications associated with zincuria are thiadize and angiostenin converting enzyme inhibitors. In poor countries like Nigeria, children are forced to live with chronic heart failure and the bronchopneumonia, which as mentioned previously can cause low zinc levels. Another possibility for these children to have low zinc serum levels can be related to poor food intake and absorption that arises from the malnutrition they are exposed to6. All participants were evaluated for congenital heart disease and any febrile conditions that would had altered results. In any case, patients would have had to resolve the febrile condition prior to the commencement of the study. Patients were seen every month for seven months were 3 ml of blood was collected from each person. Serum zinc levels were evaluated using the Dogan et al method and atomic absorption spectrophotometer6. The results showed that the mean zinc levels in children congenital heart disease was 101.3 ± 21.6  µg/dl when compared to the controlled who had 106.5  ± 18.3  µg/dl. In children less than one years of age, the mean serum zinc was the highest at 102.6  ± 30.7  µg/dl when compared to children ten years and older at the lowest levels 94.8  ± 12.4  µg/dl. Sadoh also compared children with bronchopneumonia whose zinc levels were lower 89.5  ± 15.0  µg/dl indicating an increase loss of zinc due to the disease. When compared to children without bronchopneumonia, the zinc levels were at 103.9  ± 22.2  µg/dl6. This study showed that congenital heart failure along with complications such as bronchopneumonia increases the chances of low zinc serum levels. Zinc plays a major role as an acute phase reactant in bronchopneumonia thus, causing its depletion in children with both of these conditions. Whether the patients with severe pneumonia usually have low zinc serum levels, the combination of both pneumonia and congenital heart disease make patients more susceptible to low zinc levels. The same is applied to patients with chronic congenital heart disease, although their levels seem to be lower due to the use of diuretics as a treatment. In all cyanotic congenital heart disease patients had higher levels of zinc when compared to those with acyanotic congenital heart disease6. In this study no zinc supplementation was used, but it can be safe to say that a supplementation could have resulted in improvement of both conditions as seen in the previous studies. Conclusion Zinc appears to have protective effects in coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy in individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes and children with congenital hearts diseases. Intracellular zinc plays a critical role in the oxidative stress reduction protecting from the inflammatory response caused atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases. Zinc supplementation has been shown to improve cardiac function and prevent further damage. Thus, its investigation, although emerging in the cardiovascular disease research, its mechanism needs to be better understood in order for it to be used as a preventative and treatment of cardiovascular disease. References Little PJ, Bhattacharya R, Moreyra AE, Korichneva IL. Zinc and Cardiovascular Disease.Nutrition26.11/12 (2010): 1050-057. Abdel-Khalek Abdel-Salam N, Wessam Aly W, Ahmed Hamza S, Mosfata Fahmy H, Kamel Mortagy A. Relation between zinc level and one year mortality among elderly patients with heart failure.Egyptian J H Med. 2014;54:11-14. Soinio M, Marniemi J, Laakso M, Pyà ¶rà ¤là ¤ M, Lehto S, Rà ¶nnemaa T. Serum zinc level and coronary heart disease events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 30:523-528, 2007. Giannoglou G, Konstantinou D, Kovatsi L, Chatzizisis Y, Mikhailidis D. Association of Reduced Zinc Status With Angiographically Severe Coronary Atherosclerosis: A Pilot Study.Angiology. July 2010;61(5):449-455. Frustaci A, Sabbioni E, Fortaner S, Farina S, del Torchio R, Tafani M, Morgante E, Ciriolo MR, Russo MA, Chimenti C. Selenium- and zinc-deficient cardiomyopathy in human intestinal malabsorption: preliminary results of selenium/zinc infusion. European Journal Of Heart Failure. February 2012; 14(2):202-210. Sadoh WE, Sadoh AE. Serum zinc values in children with congenital heart disease. African Health Sciences. September 2013; 13(3):601-606.

Essay on Language in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness -- Heart Darkne

Use of Language in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad is a story that connects the audience to the narrator’s senses.   We come to understand the environment, the setting, the other charters, and Kurtz strictly from the narrator’s point-of-view, as he experiences things. We are locked out of Conrad’s (the narrator in this case) world, allowed to feel only what he let’s us, see the savages as he does, through his eyes, feel with his body.   We are not able to see how the world views him.   Is he seen as superior, a drone, a sailor?   His dreamlike consciousness navigates us, the readers, down the river as if we are a part of the flow of things, ripples in the water, patches of the darkness. Conrad uses language to paint images in our minds.   He poignantly uses metaphors like, â€Å"In exterior he resembled a butcher in a poor neighborhood† (57) to animate those images, allow them to breath a bit. His choice of words and word combinations, his poetic tone,   and suave style and smooth transitions craft a sensual experience.   He is on the surface talking about the exploration of man in Africa with all of its physical and moral dilemma, and yet the underbelly is the interior of man, an endeavor to touch the reader at his core.   â€Å"Each station should be like a beacon on the road towards better things, a center for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, instructing.† (104)   When Conrad says that the â€Å"germs of empires† floated into man’s head , ebbing down the river into the mystery of an unknown earth, his metaphors appeal emotionally to something serious, a commentary on the heart of man. (67) Our senses are serenely assaulted with tastes and surfaces, sounds and images.   The â€Å"tremo... ...their hands, like alot of   faithless pilgrims bewitched inside a rotten fence.   The   word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was   whispered, was sighed.   You would think they were praying to it.   A taint of imbecile   rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse.  Ã‚   By Jove!   I’ve never seen   anything so unreal in my life.   And outside the silent wilderness surrounding this clear   speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting   patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion. Works Cited and Consulted Conrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness.   New York:   Bantam Books, 1981. Ross, Mark.   â€Å"The Roots of Darkness.†Ã‚   1997.  http://members.aol.com/mark13/html>   (9 February 1998) Ross, Mark.   â€Å"The Roots of   Racism.†Ã‚   1997.    (9 February 1998)

The Tatyana-caste :: English Literature Essays

The Tatyana-caste '...Just as the storm clouds often slay The scarcely breathing new born day.' 1 One of the most popular of Tennyson's poems, The Lady of Shalott relates the tragic story of an extremely lonely young lady longing for a soulmate. A poem of "technical virtuosity, inspired landscape-painting based on precise observation, and a dreamworld of artistic beauty denying the commonplace"2, "turning to beauty as a possibility of a more complete life"3, it is one of the highlights of the author's early years. This paper shall attempt to prove my opinion that the work is very much parallel to an even more famous Russian narrative poem finished about the same year as The Lady of Shalott. I will omit discussing the poem's popular critical interpretation concerning "the conflict between the artist's own sensual vision and his need to experience life directly"4 -- I'll rather concentrate on my individual, rather alienated thoughts and feelings arised during the reading, and I will not go into Arthurian considerations, either. Concerning both the subject of a yearning, introverted young lady and the bleak solution, Tennyson's poem may be readily compared to two other, albeit larger scale, masterpieces of the early 1830's -- Balzac's "Eugenie Grandet" and, even more notably, Pushkin's "Onegin" --, each dealing with the same kind of pastoral, embowered, dreamy, grave and generally misunderstood girls or young women. This 'caste' sticks out of its rustic environment like a sore thumb, often being regarded by their own relatives and acquaintances as hopeless misfits, spinsters or nuns to be; being highly sensitive, imaginative and deep-feeling, they find it exceptionally hard, even actually impossible, to become accepted and understood within their immediate environment made up of generally cruder and simpler sorts. Thus, these girls feel obliged to create a world of their own as a progressive act of counterbalance and self-condolence, rich with remnants of childhood fantasy, romantic works they've read and an air of bittersweet wistfulness. Pushkin's memorable portrayal of Tatyana as a child may well resemble the early years of the Shalott Lady: "She was no beauty, like her sister, And had no roses on her cheeks, Which would attract admiring looks. A wild thing, mournful and retiring, Like a doe seen in a forest clearing, In the midst of all her kith and kin She seemed like something alien. She could not manage a caress With ma or pa, or a soft touch. The Tatyana-caste :: English Literature Essays The Tatyana-caste '...Just as the storm clouds often slay The scarcely breathing new born day.' 1 One of the most popular of Tennyson's poems, The Lady of Shalott relates the tragic story of an extremely lonely young lady longing for a soulmate. A poem of "technical virtuosity, inspired landscape-painting based on precise observation, and a dreamworld of artistic beauty denying the commonplace"2, "turning to beauty as a possibility of a more complete life"3, it is one of the highlights of the author's early years. This paper shall attempt to prove my opinion that the work is very much parallel to an even more famous Russian narrative poem finished about the same year as The Lady of Shalott. I will omit discussing the poem's popular critical interpretation concerning "the conflict between the artist's own sensual vision and his need to experience life directly"4 -- I'll rather concentrate on my individual, rather alienated thoughts and feelings arised during the reading, and I will not go into Arthurian considerations, either. Concerning both the subject of a yearning, introverted young lady and the bleak solution, Tennyson's poem may be readily compared to two other, albeit larger scale, masterpieces of the early 1830's -- Balzac's "Eugenie Grandet" and, even more notably, Pushkin's "Onegin" --, each dealing with the same kind of pastoral, embowered, dreamy, grave and generally misunderstood girls or young women. This 'caste' sticks out of its rustic environment like a sore thumb, often being regarded by their own relatives and acquaintances as hopeless misfits, spinsters or nuns to be; being highly sensitive, imaginative and deep-feeling, they find it exceptionally hard, even actually impossible, to become accepted and understood within their immediate environment made up of generally cruder and simpler sorts. Thus, these girls feel obliged to create a world of their own as a progressive act of counterbalance and self-condolence, rich with remnants of childhood fantasy, romantic works they've read and an air of bittersweet wistfulness. Pushkin's memorable portrayal of Tatyana as a child may well resemble the early years of the Shalott Lady: "She was no beauty, like her sister, And had no roses on her cheeks, Which would attract admiring looks. A wild thing, mournful and retiring, Like a doe seen in a forest clearing, In the midst of all her kith and kin She seemed like something alien. She could not manage a caress With ma or pa, or a soft touch.

How Humanism Contributed to Rennaisance Ideals :: European Europe History

How Humanism Contributed to Rennaisance Ideals Through the groundwork laid by the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, and the Protestant Reformation, Italian Renaissance humanism nearly single-handedly allowed for the modern concept of individuality. The rebirth of classical literature, and especially the attempts among the philosophical elite to translate this literature, helped bring this "enlightening" knowledge to the gradually more literate masses. Also, the frenzy for education of these masses allowed the concept of individuality to spread to all social classes. Even peasants, the dredges of European society, believed (and were allowed to believe) they could achieve a level of intellectual intelligence equal to the great classical philosophers. Francesco Petrarch, the great Renaissance humanist, noted other humanists, "and innumerable others like them," signifying the vast popularity classical literature had gained in the then recent past. The popularity of classical literature, however, pales in comparison to the strength of the individual fostered by these humanist ideals. Pico della Mirandola, a Florentine writer, stated in his On the Dignity of Man, that there are no limits placed on what man can accomplish. His rationalization was that man was not subject to the fate of God; rather that he controls his own destiny, and that his accomplishment were limitless within the spectrum of achievements available to man, that is, that man's greatness falls somewhere in between that of the angels and that of the insects, the beasts. Leon Battista Alberti noted his belief that "Men can do all things if they will," and truly, this was the belief of the people, especially with the vast growth of universities in the High Middle Ages. Leonardo da Vinci may have been known at his time as a great painter, but he may also have been one of the greatest mathematicians of that era. Renaissance artists, such as Michelangelo and Raphael, writers and philosophers such as Petrarch and Machiavelli, the great composers like Mozart and Bach,

Coca Cola in Africa Essay

1. Why is Coca-Cola so interested in Africa, which is typically regarded as part of the base of the global economic pyramid? Coca-Cola is an organization that has been around since 1892. Coca-Cola is looking for new emerging growth markets and Africa has proven to be that. Combined, 12 of the African countries have a GDP greater than that of Chine. Coca-Cola has 29% of the market share in Africa. 2. What unique resources and capabilities does Coca-Cola have that will help it compete well in Africa? Coca-Cola has the ability to conduct street by street campaigns, to reach the towns and villages. This will assist in improving it marketing and distributions to areas off the beaten path. The manual distribution centers will also assist to grow sales, by coaching and directing small bottlers and residents to own their sales and delivery. 3. What are the drawbacks of making such large scale commitments to Africa? Yes there are drawbacks. There are still many areas in Africa where the government and physical infrastructure is not stable. With Coca-Cola investing large amounts of money in Africa, the instability could prove disruptive to Coca-Cola operations. 4. Do stakeholders in the United States and Africa who criticize Coca-Cola have a reasonable case against it? Yes, it is a valid criticism that Coca-Cola is depleting fresh water, and encouraging environmental harmful refrigeration. Coca-Cola needs to find a way to create sustainable manufacturing that will not pillage natural resources. Why go to Africa Coca-Cola was founded in 1892, but began business in Africa in 1929. Despite the belief that Africa is unstable government, lacks infrastructure, and great conflict and turmoil, Coca-Cola decided to enter Africa and is the largest private sector employer in Africa. $12 billion was allocated towards building distribution centers and plants in Africa. Sales in the United States are declining due to the public concern over sugar. Sales in Europe and Japan are flat, while markets in China and India offer up strong completion for Coca-Cola. Africa’s middle class population is growing at a steady rate, so the disposable income is increasing. This creates an opportunity for Coca-Cola to tap into growth opportunities (Natalia Cheverri 2012). How does it work? Although there are areas in Africa lacking infrastructure, Coca-Cola operates in every country. Coca-Cola utilized a franchising manufacturing model that works perfectly for operating in Africa. Coca-Cola partnered with local licensed bottling groups to help create the product. Coca-Cola manufactures the syrup concentrate and sells to the bottlers. The bottlers add filtered water, carbonation, and sweetener to make the final product. With this model, Coca-Cola is sharing the wealth with local investors/community members. This creates sustainable business and improves community buy-in with Coca-Cola’s existence in Africa (Maritz Jaco 2010). Because partnerships are formed with local bottlers and local members of the community, there is a vested interest by the locals to keep Coca-Cola’s business successful. Through these partnerships, Coca-Cola is able to help build the socio-economic system in different towns. Distribution Coca-Cola was having difficulty distributing product to different area of Africa with no roads. In 1999, local bottlers came up with the idea to cover off the beaten path areas by any means necessary. This included distribution by bicycle, pushcart, hand-carry and even donkey-cart. This distribution method is called manual distribution and has been adopted by many organizations all over the world (Maritz Jaco 2010). Manual distribution method was even adopted by an innovative non-profit named Colalife. This organization distributes medicine all over the continent of Africa. Summary Coca-Cola took a gamble in making the decision to enter Africa. This gamble has paid off, because Coca-Cola is now one of the largest organizations in Africa and sees growth profits. References: Maritz, Jaco (2010), â€Å"Report: Doing Business in Africa, the Coca-Cola way† http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/doing-business-in-africa-the-coca-cola-way/2433/. Date accessed May 17, 2013. Steakley, Lia (2013), â€Å"Using the Coca-Cola supplier network to distribute medicines in Africa,† http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2013/04/26/using-the-coca-cola-supplier-network-to-distribute-medicines-in-africa/. Date accessed May 17, 2013 Cheverri, Natalia (2012) â€Å"Coca-Cola in Africa,† http://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/03/coca-cola-in-africa.html

Hemmingway: Catherine as a Code Hero

Catherine: A Manipulative Caretaker In A Farewell to Arms, Frederic Henry is characterized initially by a sort of detachment from life-though well-disciplined and friendly, he feels as if he has nothing to do with the war. These feelings of detachment are pushed away when Henry falls in love with Catherine and begins to realize the hostile nature of the world. In this way, Henry serves the function of a character that becomes initiated in Hemingway's philosophy of an indifferent universe and man's struggle against it. Due to the untimely death of a fiance previous to the events of this book, Catherine is initiated into Hemingway's philosophy, and exemplifies the traits of the Hemingway  code hero  throughout the novel. She is characterized primarily by her disregard for  social conventions  as well as an unfaltering devotion to Henry. Catherine is defined as a code hero because of her honor, courage, and endurance in pain. Honor is defined as having a keen sense of ethical conduct. For Catherine, the ethical conduct is keeping Henry happy, and in doing so, she is keeping herself happy. At first glance, Catherine Barkley appears to be an example of any man’s fantasy girl. She appears as a dull character that asks nothing of Henry and is only there to make him happy. Because of this, it is said that Catherine's character is demeaning to women. Catherine Barkley's basic approach to her relationship with Frederic shows her as being inferior. She appears to gladly accept a lower role in her relationship with Frederic. â€Å"I'll do what you want and say what you want,† she tells him, â€Å"and then I'll be a great success, won't I† (Hemmingway105). Her idea of a successful relationship, and of happiness, is based on making Frederic happy no matter what she has to do. Like the code hero, she handles conflicting needs with grace, giving to both, but shorting none. She uses Henry as a template to fulfill her need for her dead fiance. And because Henry is characterized as unemotional, it is effortless for her to use him as a template to mold him into the man she longs for. She enters the war as a nurse the same time her fiance enters as a soldier, but because he dies she longs for a clutch to keep track of reality. She is always surrounded by wounded soldiers, which does not help her cope with the death of her fiance until Henry comes into her life. His unemotional attitude towards the world provides her with the perfect opportunity bring her fiance back to life—in her mind. In a conversation with Henry, Catherine forces words into his mouth, â€Å"Say, ‘I’ve come back to Catherine in the night’† (30). Henry instinctually repeats as she says without ever questioning her. He even says, â€Å"I thought she was probably a little crazy†¦I did not care what I was getting into† (30). Even though he acknowledges the fact that she might be slightly deranged, he accepts her because he the type of man to gamble. In another instance, Catherine reassures herself that her love will not abandon her again. â€Å"You’re so lovely and sweet. You wouldn’t go away in the night, would you? † (197). Because she loses her love once already, she is unwilling to allow that to happen again. Also, by loving Henry, she saves her from going crazy with grief. When everything is exploding all around them, everything takes on more urgency. In her mind, as well as his, it is normal that she feels so intensely for Henry. And she doesn’t fall apart without him when they are separated, but just keeps on trucking and hoping. She does not need  Henry for anything but love. Although, on the surface, Catherine seems to be the perfect male fantasy, she is in fact quite the opposite. In addition to her honorable acts, she displays courage. Even Ernest Lockridge, author of â€Å"Faithful in Her Fashion: Catherine Barkley, the Invisible Hemingway Heroine† says, â€Å"Catherine frequently displays wit, intelligence, cool irony, and, facing death, she displays dignity and courage—qualities that seems contradictory to the fawning, submissive Catherine† (Lockridge 172). Hemmingway portrays courage in Catherine when she tries to console Henry about her death. â€Å"I’m not brave anymore, darling. I’m all broken. They’ve broken me. I know it now† (Hemmingway 323). Catherine is clearly in fear of death, but she is not trying to run or hide from it. She faces death and tries to console Henry by telling him she is not going to die. After undergoing a caesarian section and giving birth to a stillborn baby boy, Catherine proves just how brave she is. Though she knows she is dying, she still has the dignity and strength to accept such a fate. In face, she finds herself trying to comfort her distraught lover once again. With death approaching, Catherine’s final words to Frederic Henry suggest she possesses some sense or understanding of her own mortality and of what is soon to come. She says, â€Å"I’m not a bit afraid. It’s just a dirty trick† (331). The â€Å"it† Catherine refers to is presumably death, but in fact, the indefinite may be referring to life, a process Catherine views as a â€Å"rotten game† (31), since so much about it is left to chance and death is always the end. Catherine stood brave in the face of a battle with her own body. Like the soldiers, neither her bravery, nor Henry’s love, could save her from death. In Henry’s mind, the death of the soldiers and the death of Catherine are parallel tragedies, which cannot be separated from each other. By weaving the tragedies together, he memorializes both such tragedies, and can perhaps hope to heal a bit of his pain. Critics may argue that Catherine is a clutch for Henry to cope with war, but clearly throughout the novel, Henry is more attached to her than she is to him. Frederic says, â€Å"When I saw her, I was in love with her. Everything turned over inside of me† (Hemmingway 91). He is truly falling in love with her and who she is, but she, on the other hand only loves him for being alive. He is, in fact, her tool to endure the emotional pain for the loss of her fiance. Once again Ernest Lockridge says, â€Å"To preserve her fantasy, Catherine strives to isolate the relationship from others. She speaks Frederic Henry’s name only once†¦by worrying that people will suspect an affair†¦she will not marry Frederic Henry† (Lockridge 174). When Frederic first meets her she laments that she did not marry her fiance before he died. She says that they were engaged for eight years and that they grew up together. She tells Frederic she did not marry her fiance because she thought that it would trap him. She feels she will do the same to Henry. Frederic Henry does want to be married but Catherine thinks this would keep them from being together during the war. When he pressures her, she says, â€Å"We’re really married. I couldn’t be any more married. † She keeps up this attitude until near the end of her pregnancy, when she says, â€Å"I suppose if we have this child, we should really get married† (Hemmingway 115). Frederic says, â€Å"Let’s get married now† (293). But Catherine refuses again and claims to want to wait until after the baby is born. She wants the commitment of marriage, but is very suspicious of it as an institution. Also, Catherine, in her mind, envisions Henry as her dead fiance, so to her she is still completely faithful but in reality, she is with a man that she has not truly come to know. She is at a fragile state where if she acknowledges the death of her fiance, she will be shattered. Her mechanism of coping with the pain of losing a loved one is by replacing him with another body but not in spirit. On a physical sense, she endures pain by being away from Henry as well as the occurrence where she is in labor. While in labor, Catherine is in pain, but she is telling Henry to eat so he is not harmed from hunger. She says, â€Å"That was a very big one. Don’t you worry, darling. You go away. Go have another breakfast† (317). Even with painful contractions, she is more concerned with Henry’s appetite than her own comfort. Catherine has a high endurance for pain, both emotionally and physically. She creates coping mechanisms for both so that she is able to live in reality without seeming insane. Traditionally, Hemingway's heroes are male, and to interpret Catherine as a code hero was inadmissible. Catherine was thought as an undeveloped character in the novel, merely an idealized projection of male desire. Upon closer examination, however, Catherine does share characteristics of the code hero. Hemingway's code hero is a skilled professional. Catherine is a nurse who is skilled in her profession. The code hero lives with courage in a dangerous world. Catherine demonstrates courage when she and Frederic row across the lake to escape into Switzerland, a very dangerous feat, and especially when she tries to deliver their baby, finally realizing that she will die. The code hero also lives in a random universe, but chooses to control himself and endure reality. Catherine cannot control events when she goes into labor, but she endures the pain with dignity until her death. Catherine endures in other ways, as well. She experiences the death of a fiance and faces great fear as an unmarried nurse when she learns she is pregnant. Throughout all of these times, however, Catherine does not feel sorry for herself, and she does not break. Like a code hero, she endures. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print. Lockridge, Ernest. â€Å"Faithful in Her Fashion: Catherine Barkley, the Invisible Hemingway Heroine. † The Journal of Narrative Technique, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Spring 188), pp 170-178