Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act - Assignment Example This information is then used to assess the patient's condition, diagnose an illness, as well as impair, prevent or treat a disease. CLIA certified laboratories work in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a means to assure that Medicare payments meet the standards and cost guidelines set by the appropriate government agency. While CLIA is a mandatory component of Medicare, it "applies to all providers rendering clinical laboratory services, whether or not Medicare claims are filed" (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2006, p.2). In addition, CLIA has provisions for an accreditation process as well as an educational procedure. In this way, NGOs, state, and federal agencies can participate in an ongoing review conducted by CMS, the center for all services. Numerous tests have been waived by the CMS as so "simple and accurate that there is little risk of error [even] if the test is performed incorrectly" (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2006, p.2). Facilities that wish to perform waived tests must pay a $150 biennial fee and must apply for a Certificate of Waiver. "These laboratories are not routinely inspected; however they may be inspected as part of a complaint investigation or on a random basis to determine whether or not only waived tests are being performed" (CLIA waived and PPM tests defined, 2009). In addition, the tests "pose no reasonable risk of harm to the patient if the test is performed incorrectly" and/or "are cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for home use" (CLIA waived and PPM tests defined, 2009). The original list contained eight waived tests, but recently the list has been significantly expanded. Tests that are CLIA waived include "ovulation tests that make use of visual color comparisons" (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). This would include home pregnancy tests. The list also includes "blood glucose using FDA-cleared monitoring instruments", which are the automated testing devices often used by diabetics to monitor their blood sugar level (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). In all events, tests, and devices, the user must strictly adhere to the manufacture's instructions in regards to the use, reading, and interpretation of the results. If a test is not currently listed, "the manufacturer of the test would have to apply for a certification of waiver from CMS" (Is the Test You Need CLIA Waived, 2009). In this way, CLIA is able to stay abreast of new technologies and medical advancements. 3.) What are the other levels of laboratory services and what is the process to have your lab certified Test methods are categorized into three distinct levels based on the complexity of the method. There is the Waived Complexity Level, which requires no regular inspection. In addition, there is the Moderate/High Complexity level, which requires the physician or laboratory to complete an Application for Certification. The comprehensive application includes a "description of laboratory to include name and number of tests performed annually, methodologies for each test, [and] personnel qualifications" (Moderate Complexity Testing Overview, 2004). In addition, the

Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft maintenance Research Paper

Saudi Arabian Airlines aircraft maintenance - Research Paper Example The base of the popular airline is in Jeddah. The airline operated both international and domestic flights to more than ninety destinations in North America, Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia. The international and domestic flights are mainly operated during the Hajj and Ramadan season. The major operation base of the airline is at the JED (Jeddah-King Abdulaziz Airport). The Dammam airport, one of the major hubs of the airline was established for commercial use in the year 1999. During the time of Dammam establishment, Dhahran International Airport was in use, but has since been turned into a military base. The airline is a recognized Arab Air Carriers Organization member. It was at one time the regions largest carrier, but following the establishment and development of some other airlines and airports, it has moved down to be the third largest since the year 2006, behind Etihad Airways and the Emirates. Function of Aircraft maintenance in the Airline The department of aircraft m aintenance in the airlines helps in supporting naval operations by the conservation of aircraft and the associated SE to the delegated maintenance level. Since all the activities of maintenance have similarities in administration, operation and mission, we find that these sections have standardized administration and organization (Mirghani, 1996). The department of maintenance helps to improve: Training and performance of maintenance personnel; maintenance efficiency and integrity for all material; equipment, system readiness and aircraft; safety; planning and scheduling of maintenance work; materials and maintenance manpower usage; end product’s end quality; Accomplishment and maintenance of combat readiness; and consistency in case of personnel or aircraft transfer between commands. All the stakeholders or parties involved in the tasks of maintenance work toward a common goal; that is ensuring that the above areas are achieved. They work under the process of management cont rol used in the department of aircraft maintenance organization. Saudi Arabian Airlines has vowed to maintain high standards of performance in all of its Saudi Airlines have endeavoured to maintain high performance standards in all features of its operation all through the year. The prompt or on-time index of performance is a key criteria of the industry that airlines strive to raise, and the Saudi Arabian Airlines usually struggles to meet the standard. Within the 1993 to 2002 period, about eight hundred and nine thousand, six hundred and twenty six flights operated successfully with an average time departure of about 90%. The airlines currently own 139 aircrafts. This includes the most advanced and latest large jets that are available in the market. Aircraft service and maintenance, punctuality and safety, are the airline’s top priority (Mirghani, 1996). The airlines utilize Information Systems to promote efficiency and productivity. Since it is the Middle East’s lar gest carrier for cargo and passengers, the airlines is also the oldest in the region. Undertake of base and line maintenance The Civil Aviation Kingdom of Saudi Arabia General Authority approved the PIA Maintenance and Engineering to carryout the line maintenance and base maintenance of the Saudi Arabian Airlines (PIA to undertake maintenance of Saudi Airlines aircraft, 2011). The activities

Management of Financial Resources in Coca Cola

Management of Financial Resources in Coca Cola This assignment is made as part of the course work of the subject of Management of Financial Resources, since any strategic plan for any organization consists of different aspects of the business that ranges from planning, implementation and control. Therefore management of internal and external performance of any organization is a critical part of any strategic plan. Since management of internal and external performance of organization is dependent upon the resource decisions made by top management, the resource strategies are of vital nature. This assignment will explore the various aspects of resource decision by analyzing the performance management strategy of a selected organization. In below line its has been discussed that what are the resource needs of the organization, different methods that are used to allocate, manage and control the resources within the formulation of the strategic plan. Moreover this paper also discusses the various strategies applied to identify and rectify the resource gaps. Introduction to the Organization For the understanding of the subject and for analyzing the practical implications of the theories, I have selected Pakistans leading beverage company Coca Cola Pakistan (Coke), which is a subsidiary of Coca Cola Export Corporation. While operating in highly competitive and predominant market by Pepsi, Coke have been able to give tough competition to Pepsi and gain a good market share in beverage and soft drink markets of Pakistan. Their business model is called COBO, which is an abbreviation of Company Operated Bottler Organizations. Since they are competing with a huge player in Pakistan which had a first movers advantage and they also have a different business model from their main competitor, their strategic planning is highly dependent upon the right resource management throughout the organization. With the increase in their market share and penetration, their resource planning is being more vital and critical for the achievement of their objective. Below we shall see how Coke has been able to manage their resource in relation to the theoretical background from the literature (Brown Gilbert, 2006). Resources Required within a Strategic Plan A general strategic plan for different organizations takes care of different kinds of resources, these resources ranges from financial resources, physical resources, human resources and technological resources. These resources are acquired and allocated according to different business level and organizational level strategies. These resource allocation and identification also has a direct link with overall business strategy of the firm (Grant, 2005). Here we see that overall business strategy of Coke for their Pakistan operations is cost leadership, therefore the entire resource management will revolve around this business philosophy, since every department will be working towards the same goal therefore their resource allocation will be done accordingly (Grant, 2005). Financial Resources financial resources are the backbone for any organization and should be managed carefully, as they are necessary for every kind of business operation, their timely and efficient management is vital. Coke, for its Pakistan operations are managing their financial resource with the consultation of their Asian region offices (David, 2004). These financial resources are acquired from head offices after the completion of their business plans for the year. These financial resources are acquired for marketing, research, production planning and infrastructure. Every department is required to submit their business forecast at the end of the year and then these forecasts are converted into financial forecast for the following year (David, 2004). Physical Resources physical resources include building, production plants, physical infrastructure for offices, and logistics. These resources are also vital for any business and their management has strategic importance. Since Coke is involved in FMCG business, their logistics management has a very important role to play in the overall success of their business. As competition is increasing, they have to manage their logistics to provide timely delivery to the maximum areas of the market to gain market share that is why their logistics management facilities are of the maximum importance in their entire physical resource management plan (Saloner et al., 2000). Human Resources In modern business environments, human resources are the most important resources that an organization can have, in most of the case these are the resource that can make or break the future of any organization. Therefore business companies and Coke as well put the maximum emphasis on allocating the right resources at the right time and at the job (Saloner et al., 2000). In case of Coke they have realized the importance of training and development of their sales team and other human resources, right from the hiring processes, training and development and compensation and benefits, the company does not compromise on quality and manage the resources up to the industry standards, they believe that their competitive advantage is derived from their human resources and they are the deciding factor for this (Barney, 1991). Technological Resources Whether it is high end technological industry or production set up or service industry, the importance of application of technology in unquestionable, technology application throughout the organizational processes can stand alone be a source of competitive advantage, therefore organization manage their technological resources in their strategic plan while keeping the future requirements in mind (Saloner et al., 2000). Coke, having the same vision has applied state of the art technology their business processes through an ERP system in Pakistan, where they can manage their supply chain and value chain efficiently and have an edge on their competitors. In their strategic plan, technological needs forecasting and management is of strategic importance and every short term and long term plan this factor in also kept in mind (Saloner et al., 2000). Methods of Resource Allocation Resource allocation is an important part of any strategic plan; this step is intended towards the alignment of the organizational plan and the operational plan, because without the efficient and effective resource allocation, company cannot be able to execute any strategic plan. Therefore it has been suggested by the management practitioners that organization should align the resource allocation strategy with business unit strategy and resource allocation should reflect and get inspirations from business strategy (Brown Gilbert, 2006). In below line we have discussed how our selected organization allocates the resources and what are the steps that are taken for this section of strategic planning. Planning of Resources The first step in resource management for selection organization is to plan the resources, this step includes the evaluation of current resources, Coke at the time of strategic planning, evaluates the current resources available to the organization. In this step it is checked that whether these resources are in fit with future plan. Forecasting of Resources After the making of the resources evaluation report Coke checks the strategic plan and see if the current resources will be able to achieve the goals and needs for the future requirements derived from the strategic plan of the organization (Brown Gilbert, 2006). Once it has been identified that organization will be requiring more resources for their upcoming strategic plan then the next step is to forecast the resources required to different departments and at different times for the effective implementation of the plan. In this process all the departments are required to forecast their required resources for the time period specified in the strategic plan so that budgeting of the resources can be done. Resource Allocation- The second last step for the resources management would be to budget the resources of Coke, this step involves the careful evaluation of the forecasted resources for each department and then allocating required budgets for each of them (Brown Gilbert, 2006). For example, if strategic plan requires expansion of the market by the company then may be logistics department would required more logistics to cope with the market expansion strategy of Coke. For this purpose they would be looking to have more fleets or human resources for management of logistics in the new or expanded markets. After the allocation of the budgets the resource allocation process moves to the next step that is contingency planning. Contingency Planning As Coke is operating in highly competitive environment and such competitive environments are always rapidly changing, therefore Coke has made this a practice to allocate some financial resources as part of their contingency planning so that if organization has to make some unexpected decisions then they are able to have the required financial resource. Resource Monitoring and Controlling Method As it important for Coke and any other organization to have a close look on monitoring of their resource management strategy, we have discussed below that how Coke make sure that everything is according to plan. Budget Cost Method For the better management of the resources and to eliminate the waste organization has a mechanism that manages the budgets of each of the department. As each of the department have their own budget, organization through their team heads makes sure that every activity and utilization of budget is in line with the strategic direction set in the strategic plan (Grant, 2005). For this purpose they have management committee that reviews and approves every expense and utilization of the resource, this committee makes sure that every department is using their budget in a way that their actions are in line with the strategic plan of the organization. Identification of Resource Gaps Shortage of any resources in any business units of the organization with respect to their business needs is called resources gaps. Coke for their business operations in Pakistan keep on reviewing their business needs, business plans and then indentifying the resources gaps for current and future business needs (Grant, 2005). For this purpose they review their resource management plan twice a year and then they identify any resources which are short for their current business need. Resource gaps are also found at the time of the making of strategic plan for coming years. They also fill the identified resource gaps for future and current need. Conclusion Strategic plans are at the heart of every organization, and resource management is at heart of every strategic plan, therefore for organizations to thrive in business and gain the sustainable competitive advantage it is very important to strategically manage their resource. For strategic management of the resources, organizations have to create a link between their strategic plan and their resource management plan. This way they can gain the required results from their planning and gain the competitive advantage.

Essay on Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie -- Glass Menagerie essays

Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie Symbolism plays an integral part in Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie. Examples of the use of symbolism include the fire escape, as an escape from the family, the phonograph, as an escape from reality, the unicorn, as a symbol for Laura's uniqueness and the father’s photograph, representing something different to each character. Through regonition of these symbols, a greater understanding of the play’s theme is achieved. Throughout the play, Tom Wingfield was torn by a responsibility he felt for his mother and sister and the need to be his own man. He used the fire escape most in the play. He went outside to stand on it when he smoked, to escape the nagging from his mother, and to make his final independence from his family. Tom didn't like being responsible for his mother and sister, working day-in and day-out at a job he hated. He wanted to escape down those stairs and never come back. In scene V Tom speaks to the audience about what he observes from the fire escape, Paradise Dance Hall. The dance hall to him was what he wanted, everyone was living exciting lives "hot swing music and liquor, dance halls, bars and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom..." Tom longed to live a more exciting life. In the final scene Tom says "I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father's footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space." Tom wanted to be free and to him the fire escape was the exit into freedom. Movies were also an important part of Tom's life. He went to the movies when he and his mother argued or when he felt he needed some excitement. In scene IV Amanda asks "Why do you go to the movies so much, Tom?" and... ...nger; anger that he's abandon them and is doing what he wants. The symbols used in the play are a means of escape. For Tom it's the movies and the fire escape, for Laura it's the Victrola and her glass and for the father, it's his picture. He's escaped from the responsibility of raising and paying for their family. Works Cited and Consulted Beattie, Elisabeth L. "The Glass Menagerie." Masterplots, ed. Frank M. Magill. Revised Second Ed. Vol. 5. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1996. Bigsby, C. W. E. "Entering the Glass Menagerie." The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams, ed. Matthew C. Roudane. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Williams, Tennessee. Conversations with Tennessee Williams, ed. Albert Devlin. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions Publishing, 1995. Essay on Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie -- Glass Menagerie essays Symbolism in The Glass Menagerie Symbolism plays an integral part in Williams’s play, The Glass Menagerie. Examples of the use of symbolism include the fire escape, as an escape from the family, the phonograph, as an escape from reality, the unicorn, as a symbol for Laura's uniqueness and the father’s photograph, representing something different to each character. Through regonition of these symbols, a greater understanding of the play’s theme is achieved. Throughout the play, Tom Wingfield was torn by a responsibility he felt for his mother and sister and the need to be his own man. He used the fire escape most in the play. He went outside to stand on it when he smoked, to escape the nagging from his mother, and to make his final independence from his family. Tom didn't like being responsible for his mother and sister, working day-in and day-out at a job he hated. He wanted to escape down those stairs and never come back. In scene V Tom speaks to the audience about what he observes from the fire escape, Paradise Dance Hall. The dance hall to him was what he wanted, everyone was living exciting lives "hot swing music and liquor, dance halls, bars and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom..." Tom longed to live a more exciting life. In the final scene Tom says "I descended the steps of this fire escape for a last time and followed, from then on, in my father's footsteps, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space." Tom wanted to be free and to him the fire escape was the exit into freedom. Movies were also an important part of Tom's life. He went to the movies when he and his mother argued or when he felt he needed some excitement. In scene IV Amanda asks "Why do you go to the movies so much, Tom?" and... ...nger; anger that he's abandon them and is doing what he wants. The symbols used in the play are a means of escape. For Tom it's the movies and the fire escape, for Laura it's the Victrola and her glass and for the father, it's his picture. He's escaped from the responsibility of raising and paying for their family. Works Cited and Consulted Beattie, Elisabeth L. "The Glass Menagerie." Masterplots, ed. Frank M. Magill. Revised Second Ed. Vol. 5. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1996. Bigsby, C. W. E. "Entering the Glass Menagerie." The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams, ed. Matthew C. Roudane. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Williams, Tennessee. Conversations with Tennessee Williams, ed. Albert Devlin. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions Publishing, 1995.

E-bay Case Study

At least 30 million people will buy and sell well over $20bn in merchandise (in 2003) – more than the gross domestic product of all but 70 of the world's countries. More than 150,000 entrepreneurs will earn a full-time living selling everything from diet pills and Kate Spade handbags to  £30,000 BMWs and hulking industrial lathes. More automobiles, of all things, sell on eBay than even no. 1 US dealer AutoNation. So what does this add up to? ‘This is a whole new way of doing business,' says Whitman. ‘We're creating something that didn't exist before.It wasn't planned, but as users plunged into consumer electronics, cars, and industrial gear, eBay followed. Today, eBay has 27,000 categories, including eight with gross sales of more than  £1 billion each.eBay’s business modelValue in eBay is created by proViding a virtual world ¬wide market for buyers and sellers and collecting a tax on transactions as they happen. The business model of eBay relies on it s customers being the organisation's product-development team, sales and marketing force, merchandising department, and the security department.The organisation, headed by Meg Whitman, was founded in 1995, when Pierre Omidyar launched a basic site called Auction Web. His girlfriend wanted to trade her collection of Pez dispensers, but Omidyar had a broader vision in mind, namely empowering everyday consumers to trade without the need for large corporations. He even wanted traders to be responsible for building the community and deciding how to build the website. It worked; soon he found himself answering e-mails from buyers and sellers during the day and rewriting the site's software at night to incorporate their suggestions, which ranged from fiXing software bugs to creating new product categories.Some 100,000 messages from customers are posted per week in which tips are shared, system glitches are pointed out and changes are lobbied for. The COO, Brian Swette, is quoted as saying, ‘The trick is to keep up with what  buyers and sellers want. We've had to constantly change how we run. We start from the principle that if there's noise, you better listen.' Currently the technology allows every move of every potential customer to be traced, yielding rich information.Structurally, the business model is realised through 5,000 employees, roughly half of whom are in customer support and a fifth in technology. A key role in eBay is ‘category manager', a concept Whitman brought to eBay from her days in marketing giant P&G. Category managers direct the 23 major categories as well as the 35,000 subcategories, from collectibles to sports gear, to jewellery and watches, and even jet-planes.Conventional companies might spend big money on getting to know their customers and persuading them to provide feedback, but for eBay such feed ¬back is often free and offered without the need for enticement. Even so some of the company's most effective ways of getting us er input do not rely on the Net and do not come free. eBay organises Voice of the Customer groups, which involve flying in a new group of about 10 sellers and buyers from around the country to its San Jose (Californian) every few months to discuss the in depth. Teleconferences are held for features and policies, however small a change involve. Even workshops and classes are held teach people how to make the most of the site. Participants tend to double their selling activity on after taking a class.The company is governed from both outside and The eBay system has a source of automatic control in the form of buyers and sellers rating each other on each transaction, creating rules and norms. There's an educational system that offers classes around the country on how to sell on eBay. Both buyers and sellers build up reputations which are valuable, in turn encouraging further good behaviour in themselves and others.When that wasn't quite enough, eBay formed its own police force to patro l the listings for fraud and kick out offenders, the Trust and Safety Dept, now staffed by several hundred eBay employees worldwide. They do every ¬thing from trolling the site for suspicious listings to working with law enforcement agencies to catch crooks. eBay also has developed software that recognises patterns of  behaviour common to previous fraud cases, such as sellers from Romania who recently started selling large numbers of big-ticket items.eBay’s managementMeg Whitman's style and past has heavily influ ¬enced the management of eBay. When she joined the company in 1998, it was more of a collection of geeks, handpicked by the pony-tailed Omidyar, than a blue-chip – something which underpinned Omidyar's recruitment of Meg. Meg, an ex-consultant, filled many of the senior management roles includ ¬ing the head of the US business, head of interna ¬tional operations and vice-president of consumer marketing with consultants.The result: eBay has become data and metric driven. ‘If you can't measure it, you can't control it', Meg says. Whereas in the early days you could touch and feel the way the organisation worked, its current size means it needs to be measured. Category managers are expected to spend their days measuring and acting upon data within their fiefdom.Some measures are standard for e-business and include how many people are visiting the site, how many of those then register to become users, how long each user remains per visit, how long pages take to load and so on. A measure Meg likes is the ‘take rate', the ratio of revenues to the value of goods traded on the site (the higher the better). She meas ¬ures which days are the busiest, directing when to offer free listings in order to stimulate the supply of auction items. Noise on the discussion boards is used to understand whether the community is in ‘supportive' or ‘ready to kill you mood' on a scale of 1 to 10. Normal for eBay is around3.  Ca tegory managers in eBay, unlike their counter ¬parts in Procter and Gamble, can only indirectly control their products. They have no stock to reorder once levels of toothpaste or washing-up liquid run low on the supermarket shelves. They provide tools to buy and sell more effectively. ‘What they can do is endlessly try to eke out small wins in their cate ¬gories – say, a slight jump in scrap-metal listings or new bidders for comic books. To get there, they use marketing and merchandising schemes such as enhancing the presentation of their users' products and giving them tools to buy and sell  better.'Over and above this unusual existence, the work envir-onment can be tough and ultracompetitive, say ex-eBayers. Changes often come only after PowerPoint slides are exchanged and refined at a low level, even ¬tually presented at a senior level and after the change has been approved in a sign-off procedure which includes every department. An advance in the ways shoes could be searched for took ten months to happen. Aware that analysis can mean paralysis, Meg commissioned consultants (who else) to benchmark the rate at which change is indeed implemented in eBay.eBay was rated as average amongst the com ¬panies surveyed. Over time eBay has upgraded its ability to ensure the technology does not rule. Until the late 1990s, the site was plagued with outages, including one in 1999 which shut the site down for 22 hours courtesy of software problems and no backup systems. Former Gateway Inc. Chief Information Officer Maynard Webb, who joined as president of eBay's technology unit, quickly took action to upgrade systems. Now the site is down for less than 42 minutes a month, despite much higher traffic.Meg is a leader who buys into the company in more ways than one. Having auctioned some $35,000 worth of furnishings in her ski condo in Colorado to understand the selling experience, she became a top seller among the company's employees and ensured that her learning from the experience was listened to by fellow top execs. Meg is also known for listening carefully to her employees and expects her managers to do the same. As the business is as much, if not more, its customers, any false move can cause revolts within the community that is eBay.Most of all eBay tries to stay aware and flexible.Nearly all of its fastest-growing new categories emerged from registering seller activity in the area and quietly giving it a nudge at the right moment. For example, after noticing a few car sales, eBay cre ¬ated a separate site called eBay Motors in 1999, with special features such as vehicle inspections and shipping. Some four years later, eBay expects to gross some $1 billion worth of autos and parts, many of which are sold by professional dealers.The democratic underpinning of eBay, whilst easily embraced by customers, can, however, take some getting used to. New managers can take six months to understand the ethos. ‘Some of the terms you learn in business school – drive, force, commit  ¬don't apply', says former PepsiCo Inc. exec William C. Cobb, now senior vice-president in charge of eBay's international operations. ‘We're over here listening, adapting, enabling.'

Aesthetic Reading: Reading for Appreciation and Enjoyment Essay

Aesthetic reading is for entertainment. * Reading to explore one. * In Aesthetic reading, the reader’s attention is centered directly on what he likes through during his relationship with that particular text.† * Non-academicals purposes of reading. Aesthetic Stance is for experience * Recreational reading. * Fulfills an important function in lives. * Reading for pleasure or aesthetic reading, been described as â€Å"the most hidden literary practice†. * Aesthetic reading been viewed as â€Å"symbolic withdrawal†. Reading for appreciation * One that is designed to head the learner to understand and enjoy something. Let’s get the most out of Literature * Reading literary selections like poems, short stories, novels, plays, or essays, not only provide pleasure. * It also develop your analytical skills as you must consider each part of the text separately before you can interpret the meaning of the entire work and eventually appreciate it. Poems express ideas in a tighter, more compact way than prose as they do not include details and explanations common to the short story or novel. They are more concentrated, suggestive, and rhythmical than prose as they resort to the use of symbols, figurative language, and imagery, which tend to leave more to a reader’s imagination rather than giving everything he needs to know. Poems may be: * Lyric poem expresses the observations and the feeling of a single speaker. * Narrative poems are stories told in prose. Often narrative poems, even ballads have all the elements of the short stories, such as plot, characters and setting. Poems may take the form of: * Haiku – an unrhymed verse form, consisting of three lines. The first and third lines contain five syllables while the second line consists of seven syllables. * Tanka – another verse form. It has thirty-one syllables arrange in five lines (five, seven, five, seven, seven). * Cinquain – a poetic unrhymed form consisting of five lines. * Diamante – a seven line, diamond shaped poem.

Transitivity - Definition and Examples

Transitivity s In the broadest sense, transitivity is a method of classifying verbs and clauses with reference to the relationship of the verb to other structural elements. Put simply, a transitive construction is one in which the verb is followed by a direct object; an intransitive construction is one in which the verb cannot take a direct object. In recent years, the concept of transitivity has received special attention from researchers in the field of Systemic Linguistics. In Notes on Transitivity and Theme in English, M.A.K. Halliday described transitivity as the set of options relating to cognitive content, the linguistic representation of extralinguistic experience, whether of phenomena of the external world or of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions (Journal of Linguistics, 1967). An Observation The traditional notion of a transitive verb referred to a simple dichotomy: a transitive verb was a verb which required two argument NPs to form a grammatical clause, whereas an intransitive clause required only one. However, there are many languages where this basic distinction does not adequately cover the range of possibilities. (Ã…shild NÃ ¦ss, Prototypical Transitivity. John Benjamins, 2007) Verbs That Are Both Transitive and Intransitive Some verbs are both transitive and intransitive, depending on how they are used . . .. In response to the question, What are you doing? we can say Were eating. In this case eat is being used intransitively. Even if we add a phrase after the verb, such as in the dining room, it is still intransitive. The phrase in the dining room is a complement not an object. However, if someone asks us, What are you eating? we respond by using eat in its transitive sense, Were eating spaghetti or Were eating a large gooey brownie. In the first sentence, spaghetti is the object. In the second sentence, a large gooey brownie is the object. (Andrea DeCapua, Grammar for Teachers. Springer, 2008) Ditransitive and Pseudo-Intransitive Constructions More complex relationships between a verb and the elements dependent upon it are usually classified separately. For example, verbs which take two objects are sometimes called ditransitive, as in she gave me a pencil. There are also several uses of verbs which are marginal to one or other of these categories, as in pseudo-intransitive constructions (e.g. the eggs are selling well, where an agent is assumedsomeone is selling the eggsunlike normal intransitive constructions, which do not have an agent transform: we went, but not *someone sent us. (David Crystal, A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. Blackwell, 1997) Levels of Transitivity in English Consider the following sentences, all of which are transitive in form: Susie bought a car; Susie speaks French; Susie understands our problem; Susie weighs 100 pounds. These illustrate steadily decreasing levels of prototypical transitivity: Susie is less and less of an agent, and the object is less and less affected by the actionindeed, the last two dont really involve any action at all. In short, the world provides a very wide range of possible relations between entities, but English, like many other languages, provides only two grammatical constructions, and every possibility must be squeezed into one or the other of the two constructions. (R.L. Trask, Language and Linguistics: The Key Concepts, 2nd ed., ed. by Peter Stockwell. Routledge, 2007) High and Low Transitivity A different approach to transitivity . . . is the transitivity hypothesis. This views transitivity in discourse as a matter of gradation, dependent on various factors. A verb such as kick, for example, fulfills all the criteria for high transitivity in a clause with an expressed object such as Ted kicked the ball. It refers to an action (B) in which two participants (A) are involved, Agent and Object; it is telic (having an end-point) (C) and is punctual (D). With a human subject it is volitional (E) and agentive, while the object will be totally affected (I) and individuated (J). The clause is also affirmative (F) and declarative, realis, not hypothetical (irrealis) (G). By contrast, with a verb such as see as in Ted saw the accident, most of the criteria point to low transitivity, while the verb wish as in I wish you were here includes even irrealis (G) in its complement as a feature of low transitivity. Susan left is interpreted as an example of reduced transitivity. Although it h as only one participant, it rates higher than some two-participant clauses, as it fulfills B, C, D, E, F, G and H. (Angela Downing and Philip Locke, English Grammar: A University Course, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2006)

Iran’s Influence in Iraq The WritePass Journal

Iran’s Influence in Iraq ABSTRACT Iran’s Influence in Iraq spring. At this point Maliki’s opponents took the help of Sadrist because it was necessary at that point of time to obtain 163 votes, which were required to pass a non- confidence motion. Sadr was not willing to break with the other Shiite blocs and side with Maliki’s Kurdish and Sunni opponents in a non- confidence motion, in spite of having meetings between top Kurdish, Iraqiyya, and Sadrist officials (including Sadr himself) in Erbil and Najaf.[26] President Jalal Talabani was also under high pressure from the Iranian government to help and support Maliki, but he directly opposed the initiation of a non-confidence vote in the parliament, saying that there is no proper support for this action.[27] However, by June 2012, it has been evident that the non- confidence vote had faltered. It was in late 2012 reported that the President Talabani had changed his position on a non- confidence motion because of growing tensions among Arabs and Kurds.[28] By the end of 2012, Ta labani suffered a stroke there by ending any chance of renewing push to remove Maliki through a non-confidence measure. De-Ba‘athification served the Iranian ambition more than the Iraqi one. The extensive period of Saddam Hussein’s Ba‘athist rule had left a deep societal mistrust and sectarian divisions. This institution, de-Ba‘athification, was created after Saddam’s downfall in 2003, but it was very quickly politicised, which also applied a ban on the former members of the Ba‘ath party. Again it was noted that there were links between the Iranian-backed militant groups and the head of the Shi‘a-dominated commission and his deputies, Ahmed Chalabi and Ali al- Lami.[29] Iran has been involved in Iraqi politics since 2003. Yet, Iranian efforts to exert influence over politics in Iraq have been evident since 1980s. However, the main point which   is debated is whether Iran is committed to exerting long-term control over such a government, and whether the Iranian government would be comfortable in allowing a Shiite Iraqi government to become militarily and political powerful. It has also been claimed that the Iranian government had exerted persistent political pressure over the US to force the Americans to withdraw their troops in 2008 as per US-Iraq Security Agreement.[30] It has also been observed that Iran normally exerts pressure on the political sphere in Iraq through Iraq’s Shiite political parties by using its religious prowess to garner favour in the Shiite community. It appears that many of the political links were falsified after the Iran-Iraq war. This resulted in a huge number of Iraqi political figures being exiled in Iran and returning in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion to influence the politics in their home country. Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, had to spend a substantial amount of time in Iran, although most of his exile was spent in Syria, but this was during the rule of Saddam Hussein.[31] Similarly, it has been also noted that the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had strong links with the Iranian religious government and political establishment, although the Sadrist movement was basically anti-Iranian.[32] There were lots of other people, who felt that Iran had a negative impact on the instability of Iraq. According to Alsis et al.,[33] after the war the elections backed all major Shiite parties, so that if any of the party wins elections can be beholden to Tehran. Again this was the strategy of Iran to get support, which had led to Shiite divisions, and thus the cause of conflict and instability in many case s. Such political instability was the major cause of the development of various divisions in Iraqi society. The eruption of these division fuelled pressure not only in Iraq but in the entire region. During the 2010 elections, many incidents of violence were reported. This raised the question about the politically unstable country considering the presence of weak coalitions and holding of elections. This has provided Iran with an opportunity to demonstrate its support for Shiites, as this could be conducive to social stability, or such a condition may simply serve to whitewash and thus diminish the reality of the ground situation. The Brookings Institute Iraq Index (2006)[34] had charted a peak in multiple fatality bombings in January 2005, during the elections, and again during other months of the same year. All this has been seen very common in Iraq and somehow very much seen during Ramadan and elections, or in other words, it was considered quite normal during religious and political events. For example, Cordesman cites that â€Å"the number of attacks peaked to some 700 per week in October 2005, before the October 15th referendum on the constitution, compared to 430 per week in mid- January†.[35] In relation to these events, many political groups and parties, who are said to have links to political establishments of Iran and also independent elements within Iran, have argued that most of these groups have strong influence and links to the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI). It has been observed in recent years that the Mahdi Army, which is led by Moqtada al-Sadr, has become very powerful and influential due to reported links with Iran of Sadr.[36] ECONOMIC INFLUENCE Since the US invasion, trade between Iran and Iraq has steadily increased and Iran is now Iraq‘s biggest trading partner[37], and the trade consists of building materials, chemicals, consumer goods, and foodstuffs, much of it via the border at Mehran and Mundhirriya/QasrShirin. In addition to this, Iran has negotiated electricity deals with Iraq that were implemented after the CPA era.[38] According to the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Iran supplies 750 megawatts of electricity to Iraq daily. Moreover, two Iranian banks have received an approval to open their branches in Iraq.[39] Nonetheless, Iran’s investments in real estate and businesses in Basra, Karbala, and Najaf have been seen as exploitative rather than a form of gratitude from Iraqis.[40] To add to this Iran-Iraq economic ties are strong, and this has been encouraged to some extent by the impact of international sanctions on Iran and in other markets. It was demonstrated by Iran‘s ambassador in August 2010 that Iran would double its trade volume with Iraq.[41] Iranian officials have also indicated that they welcome a strong economic integration between the two countries, â€Å"Our message to Iraqi brothers in my visit is that Iran is fully ready to expand ties with Baghdad. We announced that Tehran is prepared to put its scientific, technical, engineering, economic and commercial potentials at the disposal of Iraq†.[42] In 2005, there were reports that to get a job in Basra, this requires the sponsorship of Iran, as teaching posts were filled only by those who were supporting Iran[43]. As a result, most traders in southern parts of Iran speak Farsi and many accept Iranian currency. Iranian exports include electricity, refined oil products, and cars. It al so helps to fund reconstruction. Iraqis have also started receiving medical care from Iran. Thus, Iran has presented a strong economic influence on Iraq. IRAN’S BROADER ROLE IN IRAQI SECURITY The interests of Iran and Iraq security coincide in certain areas and security competition is complicated as it is seen by some Iraqis that Iran is making huge efforts to acquire nuclear weapons as a Muslim bomb, and not as a threat to Iraq.[44] It was also noted that Iran has given some funding to Iraq‘s security forces in 2005, and Iraq had to promise the United States that Iran would not train Iraqi security forces.[45] Iran had pressurised on the security arrangement between the US and Iraq.   General Odierno who was the Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq at that time said on October 12, 2008, that Iran may try to corrupt the members of the Council of Representatives so as to vote against the Status of Forces agreement.[46]   However, in December 2011 Iran indicated that the US forces should withdraw from Iraq, as the US should not use Iraqi land, sea, and air for launching or for any transit point when they attack other countries.[47] It has been argued that some Iraqi military and intelligence officials had significant influence over elements of the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, and had accused Iran of providing shaped charges and artillery to Iraqi militants. Moreover, Iran had also recruited thousands of Iraqis for gathering information; in fact, Iran has had intelligence agents in northern Iraq for at least 20 years.[48]   As per Dafna Linzer, the rough estimate about Iranian intelligence officers in Iraq in 2007 was about 150.[49] It was also observed that some of the Iranian people felt that an increase in Iraq would be a threat to them, while others have attempted to use Iraq‘s military as a wedge to force the US out of Iraq.[50] As per Iran‘s Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Considering the fact that the Iraqi Army can provide security, their presence in the country is not justifiable.[51] THE ROLE OF THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD IN IRAQ Immediately after the fall of Saddam in 2003, Iran began funnelling much of its aid to militias in Iraq via the Qods Force, which is a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.[52] They not only provided funding, weapons, operatives, and training to groups in Iraq, but also to Islamic militants in Palestine, Bosnia, Hezbollah in Lebanon, fighters in south Sudan, and the Taliban in Afghanistan.[53] It was argued by Mahan Abedin, who is a director of research at the London-based Centre for the Study of Terrorism that Qods’ training was largely focused on utilising intelligence and this was the key to their success. As per official figures, the number of Qods and Iranian intelligence personnel in Iraq was 150, while US commanders believe there were only fewer Shiite provinces.[54] Although the United States was slow to grasp the full extent of Iran‘s expanding role in Iraq, but on July 19, 2005, the United States sent a secret cable to Iran which stated that a British soldier was killed by an explosive which was supplied by Iran, although Iran denied there involvement, which lead to confrontations. [55] The Commander General Petraeus, who was in power during the Multi-National Force operation in Iraq, stated in his testimony to Congress that â€Å"none of us earlier this year appreciated the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq, something about which we and Iraq‘s leaders all now have greater concern†.[56] Moreover, the Qods was a tool used by Iran directly or indirectly for hurting the US military and also disrupting American interests in Iraq. In 2007, General Petraeus stated that, â€Å"There should be no question about the malign, lethal involvement and activities of the Qods Force in this country†. He went on to add that Iran was â€Å"responsible for providing the weapons, the training, the funding and in some cases the direction for operations that have indeed killed US soldiers†.[57] American officials did not accuse the Qods Force directly for attacking Americans and very carefully said that they were not aware of   leadership of the Iranian go vernment as being involved in the Qods Force‘s activities.[58] Such uncertainty in the US regarding the potential involvement of Iran in hte Qods Force raises certain issues that should be addressed by American politicians. Although the American president, George W. Bush, confidently said that   those arms, ammunitions and explosives, which were used in Iraq, were certainly from the Qods Force, but â€Å"we are not aware whether or not the head leaders of Iran ordered the Quds Force to do what all this   and what all they did †. [59] As per the US intelligence reports, which leaked in 2010, certain details were provided about the precise extent to which Iran was involved in 2006-2009 violence. The report also said that the IRGC used Hezbollah to train militants in Iran before crossing to Iraq. Moreover, General Petraeus had stated Hezbollah‘s role in a 2007 report to Congress.[60] The reports draw on testimony from detainees, captured diaries, and weapons originating in Iran which included explosively formed penetrators, bombs, and surface-to-air missiles. Thus, by all these reports it can be concluded that   Iran had a hand in   training and resourcing of specific attacks, including assassinations of Iraqi ministry officials, mortar attacks on the Green Zone, and also on   kidnappings of American soldiers. In addition, General Petraeus implicated Iran in the 2007 car bombing and killing of two southern Iraqi governors. Besides using Hezbollah to train terrorists, the reports point to both the Badr Corps and Mahdi Army as allies in Iranian efforts.[61] According to the Long War Journal, which is basically based on interviews with senior military and intelligence officials and also mid-level military people, the Qods Force streamlined its operations in Iraq by creating the Ramazan Corps. The Corps was responsible for most of Qods Forces operations in Iraq in 2007 and consists of the Fajr command in the south, Nasr command in the north, and Zafar command in central Iraq. The Qods Force’s aid also included Mahdi Army, the Badr Brigades, the Qazali Network, the Sheibani Network, and many more groups and parties, as they mostly targeted political rivals, the Iraqi Security Forces, and Coalition forces. Moreover, when Badr Brigades and SCIRI formed a government, Iranian groups targeted them.[62] Again as per Brigadier General Kevin Begner, on July 2, 2007, Iran had supplied the Iraqi militias with $3 million per month.[63] Again in 2011, the US raised concerns over Iran‘s involvement in Iraqi violence and said that the incre ase in the number of Americans dying in the summer of 2011 was because Iran had supported Iraqi militants. Again in July, Admiral Mullen said that Iran was supplying militias in Iraq so as to take credit for withdrawing American troops.[64] During the war, which lasted for 8 years, Iran has developed strong ties in terms of religious and political influence with Shiite parties. During this period, Iran played a very important role in mediating between the Iraqi political leaders. It also had strong relations with the Sadrists who are one of the largest political parties in Iran’s ruling collation. Moreover, IRGC also had a significant influence over Iraqi security forces. Iran also has a large mix of resources, which were available in the process of exerting influence upon Iraq after Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.   Iran also used its influence in Iraq so as to divert the US goals, and pursue its own goals and interests. Iran used its sway in Iraq in order to keep the pro-Iranian Shiite Prime Minister Maliki in power and also to maintain stability along its western border. Thus, it can be argued that Iran’s role in Iraq is very complex, and not a simple task to mould Iraq as per the wishes of Iran. [65] CONCLUSION From all that has been discussed and looked at above, it is beyond doubt that since the invasion of Iraq by the United States and the downfall of Saddam Hussein, Iran has exerted more and more influence in Iraq by both conventional and unconventional methods. It has used a number of tools ranging from economic, political, military, regional to historic to exert such influence and has also formed proxies both with organisations of different profiles and objectives. Sectarianism and factional divisions have also been largely exploited by Iran to achieve its goals. Iranian influence in Iraq is vital to Iran since it considers its importance as a means of establishing its regional dominance and counters the influence of the United States in Iraq. Such efforts of establishing its influence in Iraq have not been without setbacks considering that Iran has had to work with organisations that have been counter-productive in their goals and objectives. The situation in Syria in the past few years has also lessened the viability of Iran’s dominance in the region. Even with such setbacks, Iran has enjoyed some benefits from its dominance in Iraq since trade between the two countries has flourished in a critical moment when Iran was undergoing trade sanctions from the United States and Western countries. One can only wait to see how long such influence will be exerted and whether such status enjoyed by Iran now will continue to exist regardless of the political situation in Iraq.   BIBLIOGRAPHY Al-Jazeera English. (2011). â€Å"Iraqi PM in US to Chart Future Relations.† Accessed July 2, 2014, aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/12/2011121273244299490.html. Allawi, A. (2007). The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace. New Haven: Yale University Press. Alsis, P., Cordesman, A. H., Mausner, A. and Loi, C. (2011). â€Å"The Outcome of Invasion: US and Iranian Strategic Competition in Iraq.† Centre for Strategic and International Studies, 2011, accessed August 20, 2014, http://csis.org/files/publication/111128_Iran_Chapter_6_Iraq.pdf. Bargezar, K. (2007). Irans Foreign Policy towards Iraq and Syria. Turkish Policy Quarterly 6, no. 2: 1-36. Barnes, J. (2011). â€Å"Mullen Accuses Tehran of Arming Iraq Militias.† Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2011, accessed August 4, 2014, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304793504576432312376139394. Beehner, L. and Greg B. (2008)Irans Involvement in Iraq. The Council on Foreign Relations, March 3, 2008, accessed August 20, 2014,cfr.org/publication/12521/irans_involvement_in_iraq.html. Bergner, K. (2007). â€Å"Multi National Force Press Briefing.† July 11th 2007. [Online].Accessed July 29, 2014,globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2007/07/mil-070711-mnfi-b01.htm. Blight, J., Lang, J. Banai, H., Byrne, M. and Tirman, J. (2012). Becoming Enemies: U. S.-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988. Lanham: Rowman Littlefield Publishers. Brookings Institution. (2006). â€Å"Iraq Index: Tracking Variables of Reconstruction and Security in Post-Saddam Iraq January 2006.† Accessed August 20, 2014, brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index20060130.pdf. Cockburn, Patrick. â€Å"Iran Increases Hold in Iraq as Shia Militia Enters Politics.† The Independent, 7 January 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-increases-hold-in-iraq-as-shia-militia-enters-politics-6286339.html. Cockburn, P. (2008). Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, The Shi‟a Revival and the Struggle for Iraq. New York: Scribner. Cordesman, A. (2006). â€Å"Iraq’s Evolving Insurgency and the Risk of Civil War.† Accessed August 21, 2014, http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/060622_insurgency.pdf. Cordesman, A. and Khazai, S. (2012). â€Å"Patterns of Violence in Iraq.† Washington DC 20006. Accessed August 4, 2014, http://csis.org/files/publication/121024_Iraq_Violence.pdf. Cordesman, A. (2007). â€Å"Success or Failure? Iraq’s Insurgency and Civil Violence and US Strategy: Developments through June 2007,† [Online]: 105. Accessed August 21, 2014, comw.org/warreport/fulltext/070709cordesman.pdf. Dagher, S. (2010). Irans Ambassador to Iraq Promises Closer Trade Ties. The Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2010, accessed July 3, 2014, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703435104575421520747000364.html. Eisenstadt, M. (2011) â€Å"Iran and Iraq, Iran Primer.† USIP. 4, accessed July 2, 2014,http://iranprimer.usip.org/resource/iran-and-iraq. Eisenstadt, M., Knights, M., and Ali, A. (2011). â€Å"Iran’s Influence in Iraq Countering Tehran’s Whole-of-Government Approach.† Washington Institute for Near East Policy Focus #111, April 2011. Foxnews Website. Experts: Irans Quds Force Deeply Enmeshed in Iraq. Foxnews, February, 16, 2007, accessed August 18, 2014, foxnews.com/story/0,2933,252212,00.html. Felter, J. and Fishman, B. (2008). â€Å"Iranian Strategy in Iraq: Politics and ‘Other Means.’† Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, October 13, 2008, accessed August 21, 2014, http://iraqslogger.powweb.com/downloads/CTC_Iran_Iraq_Final.pdf. Flaherty, A. (2010). â€Å"US General Cites Direct Intel Linking Iraq’s al-Lami, Chalabi to Iran.† Associated Press, February 16, 2010, accessed August 24, 2014,   http://blendz72.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/us-general-cites-direct-intel-linking-senior-iraqi-officials-to-iran/. Gordon, M. and Lehran, A. W. (2010). â€Å"Leaked Reports Detail Iran‘s Aid for Iraqi Militias.† New York Times, October 22, 2010, October 22, 2010, accessed August 15, 2014, nytimes.com/2010/10/23/world/middleeast/23iran.html?pagewanted=3. Gordon, M.and Shane, S. (2007). U.S. Long Worried That Iran Supplied Arms in Iraq. The New York Times, March 27, 2007, accessed August 17, 2014,  Ã‚   nytimes.com/2007/03/27/world/middleeast/27weapons.html?ref=georgewbush. Hardy, R. (2005). â€Å"The Iran-Iraq War: 25 Years on.† BBC News, 22 September 2005, accessed August 20, 2014, http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-16/news/mn-1034_1_iran-iraq-war. International Crisis Group. (2007). â€Å"Shiite Politics in Iraq: The Role of the Supreme Council,† Middle East Report N °70, 1-30. Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty Website. â€Å"Iran: Expert Discusses Irans Quds Force And U.S. Charges Concerning Iraq. Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, February 16, 2007, accessed August 19, 2014, rferl.org/content/article/1074751.html. Mausner, A., Loi, C., and Alsis, P. (2011). â€Å"US and Iranian Strategic Competition: Competition in Iraq.† Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, 7/7/11, Marine Corps University, accessed August 24, 2014, http://csis.org/files/publication/110927_Iran_Chapter_6_Iraq.pdf. Katzman, K. (2007). Iran’s Activities and Influence in Iraq: RS22323. Congressional Research Service, 2007, accessed August 21, 2014, http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105164.pdf. Katzman, K. (2010). â€Å"Iran-Iraq Relations.† Congressional Research Service, August 13, 2010, accessed August 21, 2014, fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22323.pdf. Katzman, K. (2012). â€Å"Iran: US Concerns and Policy Responses.† Congressional Research Service, 2012, accessed August 20, 2014, fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL32048.pdf. Kemp, G. (2005). â€Å"Iran and Iraq: The Shia Connection, Soft Power, and the Nuclear Factor.† Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace. Los Angeles Times Website. â€Å"Key Events in the Iran – Iraq War.† Los Angeles Times, August, 1990, accessed August 20, 2014, http://articles.latimes.com/1990-08-16/news/mn-1034_1_iran-iraq-war. Lajeunesse, G. (2009). â€Å"Crimes against Humanity in Iraq: The Case Against Iran.† The Open Law Journal 2, no. 1: 8-15. Linzer, D. (2007). â€Å"Troops Authorized To Kill Iranian Operatives In Iraq.† The Washington Post, January 26, P.1. Lowe, R., and Spencer, C. (2006). â€Å"Iran Its Neighbours and the Regional Crises.† The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Mardini, R. (2012). â€Å"Iraq’s Post-Withdrawal Crisis, Update 23.† Institute for the Study of War, May 25, 2012, accessed June 30, 2014, understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iraq%E2%80%99s-post-withdrawal-crisis-update-31. Milani, M. (2010). Meet Me in Baghdad. Foreign Affairs, September 20, 2010, accessed July 2, 2014, foreignaffairs.com/articles/66750/mohsen-m-milani/meet-me-in-baghdad. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. (2009). â€Å"State Sponsors of Terrorism,â€â€" Country Reports on Terrorism 2008.† US State Department, April 30, 2009, accessed August 20, 2014, state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2008/122436.htm. Petraeus, D. (2007). Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq,â€â€"Sep. 10-11, 2007, accessed August 20, 2014, defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/petraeus-testimony20070910.pdf. Roggio, B. (2007). Irans Ramazan Corps and the Ratlines into Iraq. The Long War Journal, December 5, 2007, accessed August 20, 2014, longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/12/irans_ramazan_corps.php. Rousu, D. (2010). â€Å"Beyond the Shatt Al-Arab: How the Fall of Saddam Hussein Changed Iran-Iraq Relations.† Master’s diss., University of Arizona. Hurriyet Daily News Website.â€Å"Talabani Rebuffs Move to Unseat PM.† Hurriyet Daily News, June 1, 2012, accessed August 20, 2014,   hurriyetdailynews.com/talabani-rebuffs-move-to-unseat-pm.aspx?pageID=238nID=22057NewsCatID=352. Taremi, K. (2005). â€Å"Iranian Foreign Policy towards Occupied Iraq, 2003-05.† Middle East Policy 12, no. 4: 28-47. Thompson, Ch. (2009). â€Å"Iranian Tentacles into Iraq.† Washington, DC 20503, 2009, accessed July 3, 2014, dtic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA513319fb_source=message. â€Å"US accuses Irans envoy to Iraq. BBC News, October 7, 2007, accessed August 20, 2014, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7032557.stm. Wicken, S. (2002). â€Å"Political Update: Can a No-Confidence Vote against Maliki Succeed This Time?† Institute for the Study of War, December 21, 2012, accessed July 1, 2014, understandingwar.org/backgrounder/political-update-can-no-confidence-vote-against-maliki-succeed-time. Wong, E. (2004). â€Å"Iran Is in Strong Position to Steer Iraq’s Political Future.† New York Times, July 3, 2004, A6. Woods, K., Williamson, M., Thomas, H. and Mounir, E. (2009). â€Å"Saddam’s War: An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War.† McNair Paper 70, National Defense University-Washington. Wright, R. (2004). â€Å"Religious Leaders Ahead in Iraq Poll.† Washington Post, October 22, 2004, A1.

Decir Conjugation With Sample Sentences

Decir Conjugation With Sample Sentences The conjugation of decir, an everyday verb thats usually the equivalent of to say or to tell, is highly irregular, not following a readily predictable pattern. The only verbs that are conjugated in the pattern of decir are those derived from it, which include bendecir, contradecir, desdecir, interdecir, maldecir, and predecir. Fast Facts: Decir Conjugation Like most common verbs, decir is highly irregular, breaking the usual pattern in nearly all tenses other than the imperfect indicative.When stressed, the de- of the first syllable changes to di-, and in many cases the c of the stem changes to g or j.A handful of common verbs based on decir follow its conjugation pattern. Irregular forms are shown below in boldface. Translations are given as a guide and in real life vary with context. Infinitive of Decir decir (to say) Gerund of Decir diciendeo (saying) Participle of Decir dicho (said) Present Indicative of Decir digo, tà º dices, usted/à ©l/ella dice, nosotros/as decimos, vosotros/as decà ­s, ustedes/ellos/ellas dicen (I say, you say, he says, etc.) Preterite of Decir yo dije, tà ºÃ‚  dijiste, usted/à ©l/ella dijo, nosotros/as dijimos, vosotros/as dijisteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas dijeron (I said, you said, she said, etc.) Imperfect Indicative of Decir yo decà ­a, tà º decà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella decà ­a, nosotros/as decà ­amos, vosotros/as decà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas decà ­an (I used to say, you used to say, he used to say, etc.) Future Indicative of Decir yo dirà ©, tà º dirs, usted/à ©l/ella dir, nosotros/as diremos, vosotros/as dirà ©is, ustedes/ellos/ellas dirn (I will say, you will say, he will say, etc.) Conditional of Decir yo dirà ­a, tà º dirà ­as, usted/à ©l/ella dirà ­a, nosotros/as dirà ­amos, vosotros/as dirà ­ais, ustedes/ellos/ellas dirà ­an (I would say, you would say, she would say, etc.) Present Subjunctive of Decir que yo diga, que tà º digas, que usted/à ©l/ella diga, que nosotros/as digamos, que vosotros/as digis, que ustedes/ellos/ellas digan (that I say, that you say, that she say, etc.) Imperfect Subjunctive of Decir que yo dijera (dijese), que tà º dijeras (dijeses), que usted/à ©l/ella dijera (dijese), que nosotros/as dijà ©ramos (dijà ©semos), que vosotros/as dijerais (dijeseis), que ustedes/ellos/ellas dijeran (dijesen) (that I said, that you said, that he said, etc.) Imperative of Decir di tà º, no digas tà º, diga usted, digamos nosotros/as, decid vosotros/as, no digis vosotros/as, digan ustedes (say, dont say, say, lets say, etc.) Compound Tenses of Decir Key Takeaways Like most common verbs, decir is highly irregular, breaking the usual pattern in nearly all tenses other than the imperfect indicative. When stressed, the de- of the first syllable changes to di-, and in many cases the c of the stem changes to g or j. A handful of common verbs based on decir follow its conjugation pattern.The perfect tenses are made by using the appropriate form of haber and the past participle, dicho. The progressive tenses use estar with the gerund, diciendo. Sample Sentences Showing Conjugation of Decir and Related Verbs No queremos decir que tenemos toda la verdad. (We dont want to say we have all the truth. Infinitive.) Os lo he dicho muchas veces. (I have told you it many times. Present perfect.) No entiendo lo que me estn diciendo. (I dont understand what theyre telling me. Present progressive.) Todos estaban diciendo que mi carrera habà ­a terminado. (Everybody was saying that my career was over. Imperfect progressive.) No obstante, predigo que en el futuro cercano vamos a ver muchos cambios en la industria. (Nevertheless, I predict that in the near future we will see many changes in the industry. Present indicative.) Una premisa de la ciencia ficcià ³n es si no contradice las leyes fà ­sicas, entonces es posible. (One premise of science fiction is if it doesnt contradict the laws of physics, then it is possible. Present indicative.)  ¿Le dijiste que todo era mentira? (Did you tell him it was all a lie? Preterite.) Mi doctora me dijo que tengo diabetes. (My doctor told me I have diabetes. Preterite.) Unos meses antes de mi nacimiento, mi madre predijo que yo serà ­a muy rica. (A few months before my birth, my mother predicted I would be very rich. Preterite) Creà ­a que me contradecà ­a por su manera de vivir. (I used to believe she was contradicting me by her lifestyle. Imperfect.) Te dirn lo que quieras escuchar. (Theyll tell you what you want to hear. Future.) Si era en su casa, yo decirà ­a que soy alà ©rgica para un ingrediente de la comida y no puedo comerla. (If I were at his home, I would say that Im allergic to an ingredient in the food and that I cant eat it. Conditional.) En el mundo en el cual vivimos, es inevitable que alguien nos maldiga. (In the world we live in, it is inevitable that someone will criticize us. Present subjunctive.) Niega que dijera que Cataluà ±a debe ser reconocida como nacià ³n. (She denies saying that Catalonia should be recognized as a country. Imperfect subjunctive.) Dice que es tu turno.  (Say its your turn. Imperative.)

Modern Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modern Marketing - Essay Example More often than not, it is not the intrinsic quality of the product which appeals to the customers but the intangible aspects like brand and image. Having learned the essentials in promoting a specific product, I feel more confident in using it in my future career. The past lessons instilled in me the commitment of helping my business organization communicate its intended message to its customers. Now, I am more conscious and convinced of the fact that it is not just the advertisements and commercials which makes up a brand identity in the market. More importantly, it is how the whole company from the executives to the front line employees performs which make up the brand image. A good example of this is Ritz-Carlton Hotel whose employees embody excellent customer service by developing them to be "ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." In here, excellent service comes from the sales force-the staff-which directly interacts with the customers. The communication of the company's commitment to service excellence and the delivery of the "Ritz-Carlton experience" is through its staff dedication of fulfilling even the "e xpressed desire of the guests." In this highly modern world, the advancement of technology shapes how marke

Analytical Measurements Should be Made to Satisfy an Agreed Essay

Analytical Measurements Should be Made to Satisfy an Agreed Requirement - Essay Example b.Prior to making a final judgement the results thus obtained from measurements should be compared to the existing standards already laid down to interpret the lower and upper limits. For example, in determining the level of alcohol in the blood of a driver charged with driving while drunk, there should be an existing standard level of alcohol in blood considered safe for driving and a limit above which it is unsafe to drive. The result obtained from the blood sample of this driver is then compared to the standard limit. (4, 10) c.A valid measurement is the one which does not result in misleading an observer, or the customer of a laboratory making the measurement. That is to say, that if the customer makes a decision relying on the information obtained by a valid measurement then the decision is correct. (4, 10) d.A valid measurement in itself may not be particularly accurate or precise, but if a conclusion is to be reached as to how the result differs from a standard then the measurement will have sufficient accuracy and precision to satisfy customer’s requirement. The correctness of a decision reached by relying on the information obtained through analytical measurement indicates the validity of measurement. (1, 4, 10) e.The aim of the agency making Valid Measurement, normally a laboratory, is to provide their customers with results that are not ambiguous and confusing and meet customer requirements. That is why Analytical Measurement should be made to satisfy an agreed requirement. (10) In analytical measurements the quality of data extracted is all that matters and good information thus gained is an outcome of good measuring techniques applied. For data to be of good quality the technique employed should be validated by being precise, repeatable, reproducible and stable. (8,9) g. A precise technique does not have deviations in the result of same measurement. There should be no change in methodology of measurement and neither should there be a change in what is being measured. The repeatable technique should render the same result when the same object is measured over a number of times. A reproducible technique is the one which when repeated produces the same result. A stable technique does not change over a period of time and if repeated, in times to come, it should be able to give same results as in the past. (2, 5) h. Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have jointly developed Valid Analytical Measurement (VAM) principles, as part of their VAM programme to sketch a design for laboratories involved in making analytical measurements. Out of the six principles as laid down "Analytical measurements should be made to satisfy an agreed requirement" (4) is the first. (4) i. To realize the importance of agreed requirements consider that there a number of tests which can be performed to carry out a measurement. An analyst, being an expert, must enter into a dialogue with the customer to discuss the quality of results, time and cost of these tests. The analyst must have the knowledge to identify customer's requirements. Moreover, it is important to gain an insight into the criticality of the measurement by virtue of discussion with the customer. As such, it becomes necessary to know for what purpose the result will be used. (4, 5, 6) j. All critical and non-critical issues must be explained to the customer prior

St. Louis Tornado of 1896 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

St. Louis Tornado of 1896 - Research Paper Example 17). The tornado razed the major part of the city to the ground, with the loss estimate of 2 million dollars (one agency said it was worth 50, 000, 000) (Dunn & Dunn, 2009, p.51). In just 20 minutes the St Louis tornado blasted a path to the Near South Side of the city which was about 10 miles. It was accountable for destroying as many as 311 buildings, damaging around 7, 200 houses, and harming 1, 300 still others (Curzon, 1896, p. xvi). The National Climatic Data Center ranks it the third deadliest documented tornado in the U.S. history after Tri Strike Tornado of 1925 (official death toll 695 people) and 1840 tornado that affected Nachez, MS (official death toll 317) (National Climatic Data Center, 2012, online). Before discussing the specifics of the St Louis tornado let us first explain what a tornado is. ... At the time when the St Louis Tornado struck at the turn of the 20th century, the news accounts referred to the tornado as merely a cyclone. As it is explained in the foreword to â€Å"The Great Cyclone at St. Louis and East St. Louis, May 27, 1896: Being a Full History of the Most Terrifying and Destructive Tornado in the History of the World† by Tim O’Neil, this was not correct from the perspective of climatology since cyclone refers to any movement of the wind of the cyclonic nature. At the same time, a tornado is a funnel cloud particularly fast-twisting and leading to great damage (Curzon, 1896, p. xviii). Curzon (1896, p.28) provides enough evidence that the St Louis tornado was a typical tornado with all the features usually attributed to such phenomena. He, first of all, bases his view on the local news account which told of the detected presence of the upward and inward spiral motions, illustrated by trees having been torn up by their roots and scattered around in a mess. In addition, in certain places, it was reported, the debris was thrown around in each direction. The St Louis Tornado (also known as The St Louis-East St Louis Tornado) of 1896 reportedly touched down in southwest St Louis, which was at that time the city’s highest point. Specifically, at 6:30 PM on 27 May 1896 the landfall of two tornadoes (rated F4) was made at St Louis and near the city (Gunn & Gunn, 2009, p.50). Those tornadoes, which were a part of the overall outbreak on the territory of the United States , arrived in a simultaneous manner. One of the tornadoes passed over St Louis and headed for southeast. There it leveled farms in Richview and Irvington located 60 miles east. The other tornado, which was very powerful and excessively destructive,

Competitive Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competitive Strategies - Essay Example Coca- Cola and Pepsi-Cola are two leading soft drinks in the USA. Both are represented by values cherished by the state including democracy, independence, fun and free. The color, taste and amount of carbon dioxide in both drinks are nearly the same. Coca cola is the leading brand across the globe with a leading brand value of $ 67,000 million. Its competitor Pepsi Cola has a brand of $ 12,690 million. Coca-Cola is the best recognized brand in the world and is known for owning top five soft drinks in the world that is, Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta (Bodden 2009). Coca- Cola strong brand value has positively impacted in its penetration to new markets as it consolidates the existing market. Coca-Cola was designed in 1885 by John Stith Pemberton who was a pharmacist (Bodden 2009). The name Coke was derived from the presence of cocaine in coke, this cocaine was claimed to reduce depression and made coke drinkers addicted to the drink. The Food and Drug Administration later abolished the presence of cocaine in the drink hence making the industry remove the ingredient cocaine in the drink. Although the company maintained the beverage’s name, its demand started to reduce. The company therefore resulted in aggressive advertising to promote the beverage. Pepsi on the other hand was also designed by a pharmacist, Caleb Bradham in 1898 and was named after its creator as ‘Brad drink’ (Bodden 2008). It also placed emphasis on advertising. Its advertisement challenged that of Coca-Cola since PepsiCo used celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Jackie Chan and Britney Spears among others to advertise its drinks making it popular among sports fans and the young as w ell as promoting the image of non-conformity and confidence (Doole and Lowe 2008). A Pepsi advertisement featuring Britney Spears indicated Pepsi as a drink for all,

Learning and talent management in an organisation Research Paper

Learning and talent management in an organisation - Research Paper Example Learning and talent management are two of them. They incorporate high importance into the organizations and their performance depends on these areas notably. With advancements of all sorts, and organizations moving into international groups and chains, the field of talent and learning management has held more ground than ever before since these two areas impact the performance in a direct manner. Organization as a whole consists of unit of members, activities, functions, hierarchy, tools and techniques and machinery(Cannon & McGee 2010). However the proper functioning of the abovementioned factors and entities is largely subject to management and their proper working which is usually ensured with the help of human resource organization and department. The importance of Human Resource Management: Human resources have played a vital role in every era, however in modern times, they have become the backbone of effective working and performance of an organization, the umbrella of human re source management is quite scattered and entails many entities that are directly impacting the performance of organization( Sims, 2002). The two of these are the learning management and the talent management. These modern trends are fast adopted and even the small scale organization that operate in different parts of the world, aim at ensuring and incorporating the factors and elements of human resource management. Their implication falls upon the other departments of organization as well and with so much global operations and functional departments, the effectiveness can be enhanced multiple times with the usage of talent and learning management(Collings & Scullion 2011). In such situations no organization can imagine surviving and excelling amongst the competitors who have employed these means as well as others for effectiveness and productivity. The supply chain mechanism, the introduction of technology and various other advancements overall have made it vital for organizations a nd institutes to establish talent management sections. These two areas can be incorporated into the boundaries of H.R (Human Resource) and hence it can be said that with the advent of these two areas, the H.R principles and departmental working has strengthened in parallel. These two can be termed as the modern era existence of human resource organization (reference). Talent management: It is the organization and managing of the talent in terms of the personnel. Its scope entails those who come fresh to the organization, those who are already recruited. The impact of talent management is multi folds; it has an impact not only on the individuals but the organization and the manner in which it operates. It brings about transparency and efficient working procedures in the organization with no favoritism and biases in decision making. Talent management serves as an independent department and discipline and has its regular members, the top management, the persons involved in conducting i nterviews, the observers, those who make decisions and those who are involved in other participatory processes (Hatum, 2010). In pasts the organizational success were largely related to resources, the policies and other variables, however in modern times if there is any variable that outweighs others, that is that of personnel and individuals involved in the organization. Winston Churchill long ago predicted and stated that in times ahead, the major decisions (Kolarevic 2003), successes in terms of organizations and overall performances in different walks of life and institutions would be largely dependent on the minds and abilities of individuals. While in past they were being ignored or their roles were

Can and should the marketplace be inclusive to all consumers Essay

Can and should the marketplace be inclusive to all consumers - Essay Example It will examine the problem that the aged face when companies decide to advertise and sell their commodity through the media and social networks. The paper will also try to explain how the aged can be integrated in the fashion industry. According to Macnicol (2005), age discrimination has a long history going back to 1930s, and even today it is a topic of debate in Britain. In the current world, many old people have a feeling that they are overlooked and ignored in the market. For example, in the designing of shopping complexes in the street. There are many old people who cannot obtain a service or the product that they want- whether from cinemas, restaurants or newspaper. This is because things have changed, so there is nothing that suits their taste. According to Mumel and Prodnik (2005), this discrimination has led the aged to stay away from this market. They consider themselves less fortunate and burden to society. According to Birtwistle and Tsim (2005), a fashion designer that can adopt and agree to cater for the individual needs of aging women will do quite well because it has a high potential, unsaturated market. Fashion designers have failed to provide old people with clothes that are psychologically, physically and socially comfortable. Psychological comfort gives the old person a well-being sense (Kunze, Boehm, & Bruch, 2011). Old people want clothes that will make the public have a positive mind and respect them. Physical comfort is achieved when the older people put on clothes that protect them from heat, humidity and cold. Their social comfort will be achieved by wearing clothes that will make them presentable and create a good impression to the public. The old also feel excluded in todays media. Images of the youth dominate the media today. Older peoples pictures are of two categories: one portrays old people as decrepit, aimed at generating sympathy and enable other people to contribute to them (

Learning and talent management in an organisation Research Paper

Learning and talent management in an organisation - Research Paper Example Learning and talent management are two of them. They incorporate high importance into the organizations and their performance depends on these areas notably. With advancements of all sorts, and organizations moving into international groups and chains, the field of talent and learning management has held more ground than ever before since these two areas impact the performance in a direct manner. Organization as a whole consists of unit of members, activities, functions, hierarchy, tools and techniques and machinery(Cannon & McGee 2010). However the proper functioning of the abovementioned factors and entities is largely subject to management and their proper working which is usually ensured with the help of human resource organization and department. The importance of Human Resource Management: Human resources have played a vital role in every era, however in modern times, they have become the backbone of effective working and performance of an organization, the umbrella of human re source management is quite scattered and entails many entities that are directly impacting the performance of organization( Sims, 2002). The two of these are the learning management and the talent management. These modern trends are fast adopted and even the small scale organization that operate in different parts of the world, aim at ensuring and incorporating the factors and elements of human resource management. Their implication falls upon the other departments of organization as well and with so much global operations and functional departments, the effectiveness can be enhanced multiple times with the usage of talent and learning management(Collings & Scullion 2011). In such situations no organization can imagine surviving and excelling amongst the competitors who have employed these means as well as others for effectiveness and productivity. The supply chain mechanism, the introduction of technology and various other advancements overall have made it vital for organizations a nd institutes to establish talent management sections. These two areas can be incorporated into the boundaries of H.R (Human Resource) and hence it can be said that with the advent of these two areas, the H.R principles and departmental working has strengthened in parallel. These two can be termed as the modern era existence of human resource organization (reference). Talent management: It is the organization and managing of the talent in terms of the personnel. Its scope entails those who come fresh to the organization, those who are already recruited. The impact of talent management is multi folds; it has an impact not only on the individuals but the organization and the manner in which it operates. It brings about transparency and efficient working procedures in the organization with no favoritism and biases in decision making. Talent management serves as an independent department and discipline and has its regular members, the top management, the persons involved in conducting i nterviews, the observers, those who make decisions and those who are involved in other participatory processes (Hatum, 2010). In pasts the organizational success were largely related to resources, the policies and other variables, however in modern times if there is any variable that outweighs others, that is that of personnel and individuals involved in the organization. Winston Churchill long ago predicted and stated that in times ahead, the major decisions (Kolarevic 2003), successes in terms of organizations and overall performances in different walks of life and institutions would be largely dependent on the minds and abilities of individuals. While in past they were being ignored or their roles were

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Essay Example for Free

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Essay This fiction book takes you on the adventures of the twelve year old Percy Jackson as he discovers who he really is. Being a demigod, a child of a Greek god and a mortal woman, Percy is in for the ride of his life. Percy Jackson is not what you would consider to be normal; aside from having ADHD and dyslexia strange things just seem to happen to him and no one seems to understand. His last epidemic was while on a field trip to a local art museum in New York his pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodd, attacked him revealing that she was one of three Furies; he ended up getting expelled making this the sixth boarding school to kick him out. Now up until recently he believed the legends he heard in his Latin class about the Greek gods were just stories but lately he has started to reconsider. Scared and confused he is sent back to his mom, Sally Jackson, and his step-father, Gabe. Gabe has always hated Percy and to be completely honest Percy looks at him as a lazy, drunk, gabling mess that has no respect for anyone but himself, but Percy’s mom lets Gabe mistreat her saying, â€Å"he provides for the family Percy its fine. Sensing the confusion and even anger in Percy’s countenance Sally decides to take him to Long- Island for a three day vacation. The cabin they stay in holds so many memories about Percy’s father that he asks questions about him even though he already knows the answer. Sally answers†¦.. Cautiously because if Percy found out his father was a Greek god he would become a very big target and for Percy’s safety she keeps her answers vague. Sally can sense Percy isn’t telling her what really happened at school but she doesn’t pry she just keeps saying if you want to talk I’m here. After a long day Sally and Percy find their way to bed. Percy, just lying there unable to sleep, starts to wonder what his dad was like, what his best friend Grover is doing, and if he didn’t have such a terrible step-dad his life would be so much easier. And just when he started to slip off into unconsciousness he heard a very loud banging at the door. Both Sally and Percy awoke with a start; who could be at the door in the dead of night? Sally ran to the door to find Grover Underwood, Percy’s best friend from Yancy Academy, standing in the rain with a look of fear in his face. At first Percy is ecstatic to see him but soon he realizes that something is very wrong. Grover is a satyr and is very in tune with the Greek god world unlike Percy and was sent to protect Percy. Grover came to warn Sally that the Furies were after Percy and that they had to get Percy to Camp Half-Blood as soon as possible. Sally pushes the boys to the car and drives as fast as she can. Percy having no idea what is going on and so Grover explains where they are going. He says Camp Half- Blood is a camp for kids that are demigods so they can train and be protected from the monsters of the underworld. Then as they approach the camp something smashes their car sending them flying through the air the boys and Sally start running for the trees, where just beyond the tree line lays the camp. As the start up the hill a minotaur grabs Sally and squeezes her into a fine gold powder. Distraught Percy charges the minotaur and heads up breaking one of the horns off and the minotaur runs off into the woods; while the boys narrowly escape to the camp. With Percy knowing so little about his dad he does not know who his father is and stays in the Hermes Cabin, under Luke Castellan. The kids seem nice but Percy really doesn’t understand what he is in for. One night they are playing a game of capture the flag when Percy gets wounded. As he is stumbling around he steps in the stream and is instantly healed and green tridents appear above his head, revealing he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. This would be a bad thing if the gods hadn’t made an oath to stop having children; but the camp cheered and congratulated Percy on this discovery. Now that the camp knew who Percy’s father was they could better explain who he was and what he was capable of doing. After training for the entire summer Chiron, Percy’s mentor suggested that Percy should be granted a quest. Percy accepted and chose Grover and Annabeth, a friend he made at camp, to take the journey with him. The quest required the kids to find the entrance to the Underworld, find Zeus’s master bolt and return it before the summer Solstice. The kids encountered monsters, other gods, and the Furies all which seemed to be no challenge for this group of kids which became the best of friends. Now I’m not going to tell you the ending of this book because you can read it for yourself but it’s amazing how three unlikely eople can come together to achieve great things. This book was very exciting once I started reading it, I could not put it down. This book obviously is fiction and is kind of contradictory to Christian beliefs as in more than one God so I wouldn’t recommend the book because of that; but if you can keep in mind that it is just a story it is a extremely exciting book .

Conceptual Framework For Research Sociology Essay

Conceptual Framework For Research Sociology Essay ABSTRACT This study focuses on the empowerment of women through various programmes and schemes in the region, country and across the world sponsored and supported by Government or non Government Organizations. This article consists of review of literature on womens empowerment through various programmes. Womens empowerment is an age old concept spotlighting improving the economic status of women and thorough participation for the development of economy. Existing historical data and status of various programmes provides better scenario for stepping in upward direction. Here the study emphasizes from the concept of women empowerment to the empirical evidences taken from various analysis, past surveys, Government Reports and literature available on it. Main aim of reviewing womens empowerment practices bring together the aspect of viewed and neglected parts of empowering women which fulfils the need of implementation of schemes, reach at them in a proper manner after covering the lacking parts. Keywords: Empowerment, Women, Programmes, Conceptual, Empirical INTRODUCTION Empowerment of women is not only limited till the term empowerment applies to the women or special group of women in particular area but also it means to develop them in all dimensions. Here the main concern towards development of women. Study starts not only from that there is strong need for womens empowerment today but why they need empowerment first. Answer of this could be sometime conflicting if there is one suppressed group, really need empowerment whether this could be men or women. A framework for the study based on the ideas and concepts gleaned from existing literature helps a researcher to plan and manage research in a comprehensive manner. Existing literature also helps to know the previous research work done in particular expanse and it acts like a torch as well as backbone for new studies for new researchers. All the researches are exploratory in nature as these carried out in ever-changing environment. Here an attempt is made to put some of the closely related literature review under two major heads. Conceptual framework for Research Empirical framework for Research Conceptual framework for Research In Conceptual framework for research, problem statement can be casted within the context of conceptual or theoretical framework. A conceptual framework is described as a set of broad ideas and principles taken from relevant fields of enquiry and used to structure a subsequent presentation (Reichel Ramey, 1987). As with all investigation in the social world, the framework itself forms part of the agenda for negotiation to be scrutinized and tested, reviewed and reformed as a result of investigation (Guba Lincoln, 1989)1. Although many of the researcher view the Conceptual and Theoritical framework as a synonymous and some cast it into research with slight difference. Most researches report the problem statement within the context of a conceptual or theoretical framework. A description of this framework contributes to a research report in at least two ways because it (1) identifies research variables, and (2) clarifies relationships among the variables. Linked to the problem statement, the conceptual framework sets the stage for presentation of the specific research question that drives the investigation being reported. For example, the conceptual framework and research question would be different for a formative evaluation study than for a summative study, even though their variables might be similar.2 In this way literature survey is found in different dimensions as: Power, Empowerment and Womens Empowerment Participation of Women embodied in the Process of Empowerment Womens empowerment programmes and Economic Empowerment Power, Empowerment and Womens Empowerment At the core of the concept of empowerment is the idea of power. The possibility of empowerment depends on two things viz., power can change and power can expand. If power cannot change, if it is inherent in positions or people, then empowerment is not possible. Shrilatha Batliwala (1995) defined Power as control over resources, ideology and self, exersized in socio Political and Economic Context among individuals and groups. The extent of power depends on how much and how many kind of resources they have, excess to and control over. This leads to power of decision making. Jo Rowland (1997) has identified four different forms of power viz., (1) Power over Control and influence over others, instrumentation of domination, (2) Power to- generative or productive power which creates new possibilities and actions without domination. (3) Power with- a sense of whole being greater than the sum of the individuals especially when group tackles problem together. (4) Power from within- The spiri tual strength and uniqueness that resides in each one of us and makes us truly human. The concept of empowerment is a product of early eighties; it has its grounding in the changes in development thinking of the mid-1970s. The dictionary meaning of the word empowerment is-to give power to (person/group) to give them capacity to perform physical or mental activity, to delegate authority, to give legal rights.3 Rapport (1987) describes the term empowerment as both individual determination over ones own life and democratic participation in the life of ones community often through mediating structures such as neighborhoods, voluntary organizations etc. Staples (1990) defined the term empowerment as means (a) to gain power (b) to develop power; to take or seize power; (c) to facilitate or enable power and (d) to give or grant or permit power. One of the most detailed attempts at defining empowerment is found in Kabeer (1999). Defining empowerment as the ability to make choices, Kabeer contends that the definition entails change, in that only previously disempowered members of society can be empowered. He suggested that empowerment consists of three dimensions viz., resources, agency and achievements. Sunita Roy (1999) reported that empowerment of women should focus on aspects like (a) direct involvement of women in programming and management, (b) effective collaboration with community organizations, (c) organizing and strengthening of womens self-help groups, (d) sensitization and advocacy for gender justice in society, (e) identifying womens need and priorities while generating employment, (f) organizing women in different groups to undertake certain productive activities to earn their livelihood and (g) elimination of violence and discrimination against women at physical, mental, domestic or societal level. Many researchers have stressed the importance of considering the empowerment in multiple domains (Isvan 1991; Kishor 1995; 2000; Hashemi et al. 1996; Mason 1998; Malhotra and Mather 1997; Jejeebhoy 2000; Beegle, Frankenberg, and Thomas (2001); M alhotra et al. 2002). For instance, Malhotra and Mather (1997) argue that: power is multilocational and exists in multiple domainsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is important that any discussion regarding [empowerment] specify whether this is within the family, social or political spheres, and whether the locus of control is within the household or the community4 (p. 604). Malhotra et al. (2002) suggested: womens empowerment needs to occur along the following dimensions: economic, socio-cultural, familial/interpersonal, legal, political, and psychological. However, these dimensions are very broad in scope, and within each dimension, there is a range of sub-domains within which women may be empowered.5 Empowerment is viewed broadly as increasing poor peoples freedom of choice and action to shape their own lives (Narayan 2005, p.4). Participation of Women embodied in the Process of Empowerment Women have played an important part in our social life and in our history in every branch of national activity from high learning to velour on the battlefield. Today, we pass rapidly through various phases of transition, which requires the rapid changes in our old foundations. The Indian woman, the majority that is, lives in her own time, in the rhythm, of her own history, which does not quite keep time with the clocks of the 21 century. Womens participation in the revolutionary movement (Mehta, 2004) was significant even when they were deprived of basic human rights in mens world. The list of women in India who contributed to the movement for equality is enormous. To name just a few, Sarojini Naidu, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Vijaylaxmi Pundit, Aruna Asaf Ali, and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur took up the fight on several fronts. (Jha and poojary, 1998)6 In general, Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important. Keller and Mbwewe (1991, as cited in Rowlands 1995) describe it as a process whereby women become able to organize themselves to increase their own self-reliance, to assert their independent right to make choices and to control resources which will assist in challenging and eliminating their own subordination. Batliwala (1993) defines power as having two central aspects control over resources (physical, human, intellectual, financial, and the self), and control over ideology (beliefs, values and attitudes). If power means control, then empowerment therefore is the process of gaining control. Kabeer(1999; 437)., in an influential paper, suggests that empowermentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦refers to the process by which those who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such an ability. Women should be able to define self-interest and choice, and consider themselves as not only able but also entitled to make choices (A. Sen 1999; G. Sen 1993; Kabeer 2001; Rowlands 1995; Nussbaum 2000; Chen 1992). Kabeer (2001) goes a step further and describes this process in terms of thinking outside the system and challenging the status quo. Sudharani et al. (2000) defined empowerment as the process of challenging existing power relations and gaining greater control over the sources of power. Empowerment is a process of awareness and capacity building, enhancing an individuals or group capacity to make effective choices, that is, to make choices and then to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes (Alsop, Bertelsen and Holland, 2006, p.10). Shirin M. Rai et.al (2007) argued, while the local is important as a focus for debates on empowerment, we think the local must be embedded in the global and the national and vice versa. They argued that: (1) empowerment may be sequential, (2) gender balance alone cannot be the process or outcome in a world ridden with poverty and class inequality, (3) we should use the empowerment language, but contest the way it has been neutralized and even abused. Womens empowerment programmes and Economic Empowerment Even though outside work for women often means a double burden, the empirical evidence supports the notion that access to work increases a womans economic independence and with it a greater level of general independence is created.7 According to Hall(1992) economic subordination must be neutralized for women to be empowered. The economic component of empowerment requires that women be able to engage in a productive activity that will allow them some degree of financial autonomy, no matter how small and hard to obtain at the beginning.8 The World Banks Action Plan to achieve economic empowerment through Smart Economics, for example, targets four key markets: land, labor, product, and financial and measures this through policy initiatives to make markets work for women as well as agency initiatives to empowerment women to compete in markets. A prerequisite to empowerment, therefore, necessitates stepping outside the home and participating in some form of collective undertaking that can be successful, thus developing a sense of independence and competence among the women.9 Priority should be given to women in the allocation of work in such a way that at least one-third of the beneficiaries shall be women. [Schedule II, Para 6, NREGA]. The National Commission for Women (NCW), set up in 1992, has a mandate to safeguard the rights and interests of women. Universalisation of ICDS was contemplated by the end of 1995-96 through expanding its services all over the country. Sanjukta Chaudhuri (2010), in her paper Womens Empowerment in South Asia and South East Asia: A Comparative Analysis contributed to the literature on womens empowerment by exploring the time and birth cohort trends of womens empowerment in eight countries of South Asia and South East Asia. The countries included are Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan of South Asia; Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam of South East Asia. Initially, she estimated the relationship between economic developmen t and female labor force participation rate FLFPR (the U curve)10 using data on 172 countries from 1990 2007. She further examined the influence of time on womens empowerment and performed a series of multiple regressions on six measures of womens empowerment variables separately for the eight countries, using individual level survey data for each country. The indicators of womens empowerment were: economic participation, educational attainment, wage work, fertility, female to male sex ratio of living children, and the ratio of ideal number of daughters to sons. In Rajasthan, Jan Chetna Sansthan have promoted Ekal Naari Shakti Sangathan in Abu Road block, Sirohi in order to help widows and single and separated women It works to ensure a rightful living for single women and addressing their problems. It also works towards getting them widow pension and other benefits under any government schemes. Deepshikha Mahila Bal Utthan Samiti came in to being in the year 1980, with the idea of promoting Welfare Policing Activities. 1.3.1 Gender equity, equality and inequality Gender equality is considered an important issue for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) because gender inequality is an obstacle to progress, a roadblock on the path of human development (UNDP, 2002, pp.6). Pradhan (2003) discusses the need to bring gender equality where men and women are considered equal in every sphere of life because .if you empower a woman, you empower her children, her community and her country (Pradhan, 2003, pp.51-57). Gender inequality can result in disadvantages and differentials for females in terms of life expectancy and children.s nutrition, denial of choice, lack of political representation, and lack of empowerment (Kabeer, 1999). Sen (2001) notes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦inequality between women and men can take very many different forms. Indeed, gender inequality is not one homogeneous phenomenon, but a collection of disparate and interlinked problems. Sen enumerates seven types of gender inequality, including mortality, basic facility, special oppor tunity, professional, ownership, and household inequality. In order to develop economy and increased participation of women, Government addressed the problem related to women and initiate to remove inefficiency through implementing various programmes like, Awareness Generation Projects for Rural and Poor Women, CSWB Scheme, Develpoment of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA), Family Benefits Scheme, Kishori Shakti Yojana, NORAD Scheme, Scheme for working Women Hostels, Swa Shakti Project, Swayamsidha Scheme, Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP), Science and Technology for Women and so on. Empirical Framework for Research Relevant research studies conducted in the past has great relevance for new research work and is a helpful tool to conduct research more precisely. Empirical framework for research underlines the derived results from experiment and observations rather than theory. This is categorized into following subheads: Impact of Participation of women in Womens Empowerment Programmes Evaluation and analysis of Womens Empowerment Programmes Constraints experienced by rural women in Empowerment process Impact of Participation of women in Womens Empowerment Programmes Hashemi et al (1996) undertook ethnographic research in six villages for four years to measure the effects of programmes on the empowerment of women. Two villages were Grameen Bank villages, two were BRAC villages, and the other two had no credit programmes. They used a model based on eight indicators of empowerment which were: mobility; economic security; ability to make small purchases; ability to make larger purchases; involvement in major household decisions; relative freedom from domination within the family; political and legal awareness; and involvement in political campaigning and protests Srilatha et al. (1997) observed that a major gain of making the programme of SHGs women centred was that the transition of power from the bureaucracy to the people. Sen (1997) based on a case study in India, stressed the importance of empowerment of an individual in order to gain control over assets. Haimanti Mukhopadhyay (2008) studied the role of education in Women Empowerment in the district of Malda, West Bengal, India. Her Exhaustive survey comprising forty two villages, tried to unearth the status of women, attitude towards girls education in society, problems hindering the education of women, the importance of marriage in womens life affecting education as well as the empowerment of women. During the survey, she felt that there was a very positive change at least among women in Malda district who are much more concerned about their daughters education, as compared to their previous generation. The WHOs (2008) Tackling Social and Economic Determinants of Health through Womens E mpowerment: The SEWA case study experienced the SEWA as a social movement and a programme that aims to empower the poor must be prepared to listen to the poor. Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) noted that in implementing gender policies in development, it was time to move from treating the symptoms of gender inequality to address the structural factors that cause it. Women empowerment programmes made it possible to increase empowerment with increased participation of women. Clark et al. (1991) explored the impact of culture on female labor force participation in 135 countries for 1980. They use a combination of religion, political ideology, and world region variables to find evidence supporting the importance of culture in explaining womens labor force participation. Throughout the developing countries, innovative lending programs have emerged and In many of these programs it is common to find that a large percentage of borrowers are women. Based on a 1996 survey of microfinance institution around the world, the World Bank estimated that 61% of all clients were women (World Bank, 1997). 2.1.1 SHG and Microfinance Self Help Group (SHG) is a voluntary association formed for the purpose of engaging small enterprise. To form this organization, it requires a minimum of twelve individuals. K.C. Sharma (2001) maintained that through SHGs women empowerment is taking place. Rekha R. Baonkar [2001] studied the impact of SHGs on women in Goa and observed that individual loans were mostly for productive purposes with cent percent recovery. P.K.Awasthi, Deepak Rathi and Vimla Sahu [2001] in their study in Madhya Pradesh on the impact of SHGs on economic status of women observed that the SHG women were engaged in Mahua, mushroom cultivation, amachur papad making, pisciculture, nursery etc. An interesting study made by M.C. Athavale, K.G Sharma and A.M. Mishra [2001] in Madhya Pradesh under the leadership of Anganwardi worker, on the working of a particular SHG called Yoshoda Mahila Samithi(YMS) has helped the members to do saving and get loan. The repayment was 100%. Rajasekar D [2003] analyzed the impact of the economic programmes of SHARE, a NGO in Tamil Nadu on poverty reduction with the help of data collected from the households of 84 women members. Kabeer(2005) examined the empirical evidence on the impact of microfinance with respect to poverty reduction and the empowerment of poor women in South Asia. Prem Chander Vanguri (2007) highlighted the impact of microfinance programmes on womens empowerment in India. They compared Swashakti, Swayamsiddha, Swaran Jayanti Gramin Rojgar Yojana (SJGRY) and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK) micro finance programmes for facilitating rural poor women in their access to micro credit. Evaluation and analysis of Womens Empowerment Programmes Pandey conducted a study to assess the impact of Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK). This study is based in the state of Maharashtra and was conducted to examine whether the RMK has been able to achieve its main objectives of reaching credit to poor women, enabling women to achieve economic independence and becoming aware about credit facilities and management. M.S. Jairath [2001] analyzed the growth and development of SHGs in Rajasthan taking two categories: (1) resource poor tribal; and (2) resource better of non-tribal. It was arrived that the average membership, rate of interest, size of borrowings were higher in the former, but the average amount of saving was higher with the latter. Deshmukh Ranadive (2002), in his study on Womens Access to Credit and Rural Micro-Finance in India has addressed issues related to data in the context of micro-finance interventions in rural areas. The vertical approach has shown how the data that has been collected, throws light on the different dimension s of the programme and the participants. NPC (2005) analyzed gender development in India in the context of interstate analysis with the help of state rankings on the basis of calculating the average of the standard values of the 52 criteria indicators. Dwarakanath H.D [2002] analyzed the characteristics and growth of self help groups in Andhra Pradesh and found that the SHGs using the loan facilities from the cooperative credit banks, commercial banks, mahila bank and Maheswaran banks, have produced more than 50 varieties of products. Abdul Hayes, Ruhul Amin and Stan Becker [1998] analyzed the relationship between poor womens participation in micro credit programmes and their empowerment by taking both SHG and non-SHG members in rural Bangladesh. Rajasthan Microfinance Report-2010 revealed that Good quality Self Help Groups create mutual trust and a sense of solidarity among members. This raises their confidence to deal with socio-economic problems of their family and their village, all by themselves. Women empowerment can further be boosted by promoting four ideologies, which can be taken as indicators of success a) Zero tolerance of domestic violence in families of all SHG members in Rajasthan; b) 100% girl child enrolment in educational institutions in families of all SHG members; c) 100% institutional infant delivery; d) 50% participation of women SHG members at village development committees . Milestones should be set for every year in order to achieve the stated objectives while progress should be tracked by measuring the indicators. In Rajasthan Womens Development Programme (WDP), conceived in 1984 when the idea of rural illiterate women mobilizing collectively was unthinkable. And yet, the programme enabled the evolution of womens collectives under the leadership of the Sathin, the grass root worker at village level, working tirelessly on a meagre monthly honorarium of Rs 350. The strength of the Sathins and these collectives was derived from the support structures provided by the partnership between the government and the voluntary agency arm of the programme IDARA (Information and Development and Resource Agency), with its primary role of training and providing creative and critical inputs. Constraints experienced by rural women in Empowerment process During the eighteenth century women suffered from several handicaps like female infanticide, sati (Sharma,1988), purdah (Mathur 2004), child marriage, illiteracy and subsequently forced child widowhood in the19th century. Women were treated no better than domestic animals. Moved by this extreme plight, great social reformers like Raja Rammohan Roy, Iswarchandra Vidyasagar, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, M.G. Ranade, D.K.Karve and Mahatma Gandhi were in the forefront, fighting against social atrocities toward women (Jha and Pujari, 1998).11 Sing K.P (2004) says that among women who were working out of utter economic necessity, the majority were dissatisfied with the time they spend with their children and the time they allocate to their home 57 percent of working women have alternate arrangements for their children either a mother or a mother-in law or a maid to look after their children. Beckers (2005) model of effort allocation implies that an hour of a mans time produces more of value to an employer than an hour of equally skilled and experienced women who has greater responsibilities. This in true influences both employers treatment of equally capable male and female employees and workers subsequent decisions about investing time and energy in household versus market-work. The model implies that small initial disadvantages faced by women in the work-place can lead to extreme results in the division of labour in the household, occupational segregation and earning difference. Footnotes Smyth, R. (2004). Exploring the usefulness of a conceptual framework as a research tool: A researchers reflections. Issues In Educational Research, 14(2), 167-180. McGaghie, William C.; Bordage, Georges; Shea, Judy A., Problem Statement, Conceptual Framework, and Research Question September 2001 Volume 76 Issue 9 p 923. Banerjee NK, Grassroot empowerment (1975-1990) : A discussion paper, Occasional paper No.2, CWDS, New Delhi, 1995, p.2. Malhotra, A. and M. Mather. 1997. Do Schooling and Work Empower Women in Developing Countries? Gender and Domestic Decisions in Sri Lanka. Sociological Forum 12(4), p. 604. Malhotra, A., Schuler, S. R. and Boender, C. (2002) Measuring Womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Empowerment as a Variable in International Development (Washington, DC, The World Bank), p. 13; Haimanti Mukhopadhyay, The Role of Education in the Empowerment of Women in a District of West Bengal, India: Reflections on a Survey of Women , Journal of International Womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Studies Vol. 10 #2 November 2008, P. 218. Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy, Report of the International Seminar held at UIE, Hamburg, 27 January 2 February 1993, edited by Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo,UIE(UNESCO Institute for Education) Studies 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 1995, Robert Seemann u Neumann p.15 Ibid., p.15 Women, Education and Empowerment: Pathways towards Autonomy, Report of the International Seminar held at UIE, Hamburg, 27 January 2 February 1993, edited by Carolyn Medel-Anonuevo,UIE(UNESCO Institute for Education) Studies 5 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 1995, Robert Seemann u Neumann p.16. Results confirm the existence and upward shifting position of the U curve. Hence, the U curve estimates suggests that there is a time element involved in womens empowerment. Dr. Sanjukta Chaudhuri, December, 2009, Economic Development and Womens Empowerment, from http://people.uwec.edu/chaudhs/PDFS/Chaudhuri%20Economic%20Development%20and%20Womens%20Empowerment.pdf Haimanti Mukhopadhyay, The Role of Education in the Empowerment of Women in a District of West Bengal, India: Reflections on a Survey of Women , Journal of International Womenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Studies Vol. 10 #2 November 2008, P. 217.