Literary works describing the struggle against slavery essayEssay Writing Service

Literary works describing the struggle against slavery essayEssay Writing Service Literary works describing the struggle against slavery essay Literary works describing the struggle against slavery essayThere are many literary works that are no longer explicitly organized around the struggle to end slavery. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify the main theme unifying these more contemporary fictions. Three texts that will be discussed in this paper are James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, George Schuyler’s Black No More and Octavia Butler’s Kindred. These literary works describe the major conflicts of African American history that refer to the struggle against slavery. The authors of these novels provide the slave narratives that highlight the sentimental ideas regarding the struggle against racism. It is necessary to recognize the authors’ need to identify historical impact of contemporary literature on the representation of race relations. The literary works reflect the negative effects of the Jim Crow Era on African Americans, placing emphasis on the ability of litera ture to address racial violence and â€Å"see race through the lens of otherhood† (Lavender 63). Thesis statement: Three literary works, James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, George Schuyler’s Black No More and Octavia Butler’s Kindred, are focused on representation of the complexity of race relations which affect the further struggle to end slavery in American society.In the novel Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912) written by James Weldon Johnson, the key theme is criticism of race relations. The author of the slave narrative discussed the role of human identity in solving the problems caused by both interracial and intra-racial conflicts and violence. The novel tells about the life of a young biracial man, named as the â€Å"Ex-Colored Man, who lived America in the late nineteenth century. He had to make a choice between two racial classes: blacks and whites.   He could embrace his black heritage and become the African-Ame rican musician or to live as an ordinary middle-class white man. The author depicts lynching as a vivid example of racial violence caused by white supremacy. The author shows how a black man was burnt alive by a white mob. He writes about the victim of the lynching scene, â€Å"He squirmed, he writhed, strained in his chains, then gave out cries and groans that I shall always hear† (Johnson 83). The Ex-Colored Man, influenced by this event, makes a decision to pass as white man. James Weldon Johnson’s representation of race relations is based on violence.In George Schuyler’s novel Black No More (1931), the race problem in America is discussed to place emphasis on the existing racial differences. The author of the novel uses satire to criticize racial relation. The author tells the story of a black man Max Disher who uses scientific transformation process to become a white man Mathew Fisher. In fact, the author criticizes the existing race relations through repre sentation of the skin color of his protagonist who becomes â€Å"black no more† (Schuyler 78).   In the novel Black No More, the author highlights the significance of the race problem in American society. He uses satire to depict the functioning of the myth of race purity caused by the existence of white supremacy.   Racism described by the author is used to serve economic purposes, which reflect greed as the major motivation of the main characters in their actions. The racist environment, in which the main characters live, depends on racial differences between the blacks and the whites.   Thus, the main character Max is rejected by a white woman Helen because she is a racist. However, Max makes a decision to remove his blackness to become closer to Helen. The change of black population to white leads to serious economic problems in American society because the cheapest black labor force is lost.In Octavia Butler’s Kindred (1979), the reader is given an opportuni ty to assess a more complex representation of race relations in America. The author shows how African Americans address the history of â€Å"racial Othering† and the ways to struggle for their identity.   In the novel Kindred, the main character Dana, an African American woman, has a chance to be transported from the year 1976 to the early nineteenth century. She comes from Los Angeles to Maryland in order to meet her ancestors. She meets a white man Rufus and his slave Alice, a young African American woman. Alice was not a born-slave, as she was forced into slavery later in her life. Octavia Butler is focused on the use of time travel and the effects of genetic engineering to interrogate the historical paradigms of slavery in America. The novel Kindred is considered to be a neo-slave narrative that reflects historical reality of slavery in America. The author writes about race relations of white and black people living in the eighteenth century, â€Å"they lived in ease a nd comfort supported by huge numbers of blacks whom they kept in poverty and held in contempt† (Butler 196).Thus, it is necessary to conclude that many novels in American literature are focused on representation of the struggle against slavery, but the authors use different approaches to highlight race relations and solve race-related problems. Three novels discussed in this paper, James Weldon Johnson’s Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, George Schuyler’s Black No More and Octavia Butler’s Kindred, are based on slave narratives that reflect the complicated relationships between slaves and their masters, and the relationships between the blacks and the whites, through shame, hatred and violence.

Sample Report Card Comments for Social Studies

Sample Report Card Comments for Social Studies Creating a strong report card comment is not an easy feat. Teachers must find the appropriate phrase that suites that particular students progress thus far. Its always best to begin on a positive note, then you can go into what the student needs to work on. To help assist in writing out your report card comments for social studies, use the following phrases.   Positive Reinforcement In writing comments for elementary student report cards, use the following positive phrases regarding students progress in social studies. Is on the path to becoming a great historian.Social Studies is his/her best subject.Is able to use a map, globe, or atlas to locate continents, oceans, and hemispheres.identifies a variety of social structures in which they live, learn, work and play.Recognizes and understands national holidays, people and symbols.Describes the locations of school and community and understand the parts of a map.Understands laws, rules, and good citizenship.Exhibits a positive outlook and attitude about history.Uses social studies vocabulary correctly while speaking.Demonstrates a deep understanding of social studies concepts.Learns new social studies vocabulary quickly.Has demonstrated increased social skills, such as...Applies process skills in social studies.Uses and applies above level process skills in social studies and uses them to analyze and evaluate information.Takes an active part in discussions pertinent to ___. Encouraging Words In addition to the phrases above, here are a few words and phrases to help you prepare positive descriptive statements. hard-workingdependablecreativerespectfulefficienttalentedself-disciplinedwilling to try againapplies him- or herselfshows effort Aim For Improvement On those occasions when you need to convey less than positive information on a students report card regarding social studies, use the following phrases to assist you. Has difficulty understanding the differences between the...Struggles to understand the influence of...Does not yet demonstrate an understanding of social studies concepts and content.Support is needed in using social studies vocabulary correctly.Support is needed to apply skills in social studies.Would benefit from supervision of homework in social studies.Needs to demonstrate improvement in academic work if he/she is to gain the fundamentals needed for this grade.Has difficulty using a map, a globe, and an atlas to locate continents, oceans, and hemispheres.Has difficulty identifying the significance of place names originated by...Does not complete social studies assignments in the allotted time.Has difficulty locating major landforms and bodies of water in...As we discussed in our last parent-teacher conference, ________s attitude toward the social studies is lacking...Requires repetition to retain information in...Support is needed to apply process skills in social studies.Demonst rates a need for consistent effort and motivation, especially in... Guiding Words In addition to the phrases above, here are a few words and phrases to help you when concerns are evident and a student in need of assistance. Demonstrates a need forRequires help withCould benefit fromNeeds to be encouraged toRequires support toNeeds to be encouraged toNeeds to demonstrate improvement inNeeds help to increaseWould benefit from learningNeeds to be encouraged to comply with

Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco - Essay Example ering that the Autumn Moon Festival is close to the end-period of summer harvest, a lot of people in San Francisco take this opportunity to give thanks for a fruitful return. A large photo of â€Å"Chang’e floating to the Moon† (Chinatown Merchants Association, 2005) is commonly used to symbolize the legendary and ancient stories about the Autumn Moon Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays in the Chinese calendar since this occasion is not only being celebrated in San Francisco but also in other countries like Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan among others where the Chinese population is huge. Xia and Shang Dynasty in China greatly influence the Autumn Moon Festival. Chinese people during the Zhou Dynasty celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival for the purpose of worshiping the moon. During the olden days, it is possible for the sun or the moon to be worshiped by people as deities since these were some of the readily visible objects. (ChinaTown Merchants Association, 2005) Over the years, this practice has been passed on to Tang Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty started the practice of producing round moon cakes as a symbol of the moon which they give to their relatives as a gift and good wishes to their family members. The 17th Annual Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco was celebrated with lion and dragon dances, beauty queens, Chinese arts and crafts, moon cakes, and other commercially sold food and drinks. (Pang, 2007) Approximately more than 100 communities or roughly 100,000 individuals joined the celebration which took place in September 22 and 23 wherein participants has enjoyed the different forms of entertainment presented on stage. Most of the entertainment programs were very much inspired by the traditional Chinese folk dances, martial arts, and the modern jazz routines. Some popular Chinese songs were also sung by some of the Festival performers. Since the Autumn Moon Festival in

Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists Assignment

Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists - Assignment Example entific as well as experiential evidence indicating that women are in no way inferior to their male counterparts – neither physically nor cognitively. Nochlin was correct in postulating that the difference between male and female artists (and common people per se) nevertheless continues not owing to any actual difference between the genders, but due to the way we continue to perceive achievement (artistic or otherwise) from the male perspective. That a male is able to achieve easily what eludes the female is probably the outcome of a self-fulfilling prophesy - where the female is deprived of opportunity and resources and casted in varied roles of mother and wife, attributed to being non-intelligent or not and then expected to fail at greatness in her profession. Nochlin articulately places the experiences of women artists in the correct historical context when comparing them with their male counterparts. Nochlin explains how the father- -to-son tradition (as opposed to father/ mother to daughter) had facilitated the growth and career development of male artists. In her own words, â€Å"What if Picasso had been born a girl? Would Senor Ruiz have paid as much attention or stimulated as much ambition for achievement in a little Pablita?† Nochlin has also warned against presenting a defensive face by enumerating and extolling the women artists who had indeed left their marks – simply for the reason because there had indeed been few memorable artists and almost none that had been raised to the height of greatness. While, the case had been true at the time of Nochlin’s essay, it no longer stands to reason in the modern times where, according to Chadwick, there had been innumerous great female artists and

The Responsibility Project Essay Example for Free

The Responsibility Project Essay In viewing a short film Table Guardians in The Responsibility Project website, organizational issues were displayed. The short film acted out a community coffee shop that different groups of individuals came and gone. An early aged male engaged in conversation with a mid-aged female requesting that she oversee his belongings and table while he quickly went to the copy shop a block away and ensured her that he will return quickly in a matter of minutes, 10 minutes; 12 minutes max. The women, although partially hesitant, agreed to watch over his table and belongings that included a personal computer and writing supplies. As time passed, several individuals attempted to make use of the crowded coffee shop table; however, the women overseeing the table informed those individuals that table was taken and the young man will soon return. After the women waited for over an hour guarding the table, she was asked if she was leaving her table by another women and she explained to her that she would have been gone, but she is overseeing the table across the way for a gentlemen. The women offered the exchange of overseeing the table for her table and she gladly accepted. After the exchange of four other overseers of this table, the gentleman finally returns. The fourth individual overseeing table doesn’t allow the gentlemen to easily recover his table and personal belongings. She informs him that the table is taken and belongs to a gentleman that will be coming back. He tries to explain that he is that gentleman and that he is back. She then requests proof of identity for the gentleman to recover his goods. Throughout the films entirety, it shows the communities ethical and moral reasoning of treating others as you wish to be treated by not leaving the gentleman’s personal belongings unattended as given word by a complete stranger initially. The integrity was kept throughout the exchange of overseers. The coffee shop employee kept his interests as a stakeholder by making the right decision to protect the employers’ expectations by statin g that he is not able to take responsibility of watching the table. By doing so the employee alleviated any possibilities of liability to the employer. It was also noted in the short film that the consumers in the coffee shop showed ethical reasoning by respecting the issue at hand that  the table was taken and not causing conflict in the coffee shop although the tables were filled and that table was sitting empty unattended. The end of the short film showed the same situation appearing to repeat itself; however, it is unknown whether or not it will end the same if it were in a different community. Also the outcome will depend on the ethical and moral interests for individuals involved. It could result in stolen or damaged goods. External social pressures have an influence on organizational issues. For instance, if this community discussed previously in the busy coffee shop had different ethical and moral interests in the community, the gentleman leaving his personal belongings may not have been comfortable in leaving his belongings with a stranger nor would he have asked. It was the gentleman’s belief that his belongings will be in safe keeping. The gentleman was apparently comfortable with outside factors of his community’s environment and the people; therefore, comfortable with the individual in the coffee shop to oversee his belongings. The coffee shop does not function alone, it is the outside of the business that influences how business is carried out inside. The guardians of the gentleman’s belongings were polite and moral by overseeing his belongings. It was morally and ethically wrong for the gentlemen to have left his belonging with an individual for longer than he had given his word for. The coffee shop employee responded ethically to the women who wanted him to oversee the table while working by stating he could not take responsibility while working. External social pressures can create a downside to organizations if social critics are not considered in organizations because consumer’s today is more â€Å"socially† aware. By organizations considering social pressures, this may assist in gearing their organization or business on the right direction for success. Concerning personal decision making, external social pressures may change decisions by simply the pressures of another outlook on the situation. An organization can simply apply pressure to have someone select their organization by offering free tutoring to an enrolled student or a business offering free gym membership for a year with purchase of insurance plan. Social pressure comes in numerous forms. The short film Table Guardians did not clearly show any legal issues per say; however could have resulted a legal issue if the employee decided to watch the gentleman’s belongings while working. Instead, the employee stated that he was could not oversee the table because liability reasons. Should the employee decide to watch table and the gentleman’s belongings came up stolen or damaged, it would have been a liability to coffee shop owner. The employee made the ethical decision. Overall, the short film addressed responsibility ethically, morally, and legally. Ethically is protecting concepts of right or wrong. Morality is more of the personal characteristics of interests and decision making. Ethics and mortality are subjective because no two individuals think alike. The legal system retains general humanities ethics; otherwise, we will suffer the consequences. References The Responsibility Project. (2008). Retrieved from http://responsibility- project.libertymutual.com/films/table-guardians#fbid=S14kx8DovBx

Joseph Conrads Background and Heart of Darkness Plot Summary Essay

Joseph Conrad was an author whose life was as equally amazing as the stories he wrote. In many cases, he derived the situations he wrote about from his many experiences as a seaman and adventurer. Born Teodor Jozef Konrad Korzeniowski on December 3, 1857, of a patriotic Polish couple living in the Polish Ukraine, he did not have the average childhood of the time ("Bibliography" 1). When Conrad was five years old, his father was arrested for alleged actions in revolutionary plots against Russia and was exiled to northern Russia with the young Conrad and his mother. Due to her already weak health, his mother did not last the imprisonment and died at the age of thirty-four. His father sent the young Conrad back to his uncle for an education. Orphaned at twelve years old due to his father's untimely death, Conrad entered a state of deep emotional stress ("Conrad, Joseph"). With the break of the strong bond shared by Conrad and his father, his writings as an adult would later convey a melancholic attitude. After receiving a good education in Cracow, Poland, and spending time traveling, Conrad decided to leave Poland. At the age of sixteen, he left the grip of Russian-occupied Poland and set out for Marseilles, France to pursue the unlikely career choice of a life at sea. For the next four years he worked on French ships, smuggled guns to Spain, and was allegedly involved in a duel that wounded him. He continued to work at sea, which became an integral part of most of his works, and in 1878 at the age of twenty-one, Conrad left France for England ("Conrad, Joseph"). When he arrived in England, Conrad knew no English, but signed onto an English ship anyway. On this ship, he began to learn E... ...incensed that he lied to the woman, but did nothing and left her. Finally, the scene returns to the present deck of the Nellie where silence ensues with the end of Marlow's story. The men share no feelings of the emotional story they have just heard and are more or less indifferent. They just sit afloat on the Thames, which seems to flow into the endless "darkness" of the horizon. Works Cited "Bibliography of Joseph Conrad." Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1983. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1910. "Conrad, Joseph." Microsoft Encarta. Microsoft Corporation; Funk & Wagnallis Corporation, 1994. Guerard, Albert J. "Introduction." Heart of Darkness & The Secret Sharer. New York: Penguin Books, 1978.

Euroland Food S.a

UVA-F-1356 Euroland Foods S. A. ACCESSING YOUR DOCUMENT(S) Please follow these instructions to successfully access your document(s): 1. Enter your email address and click Submit. Note: Your email is the email address used to create your Darden Business Publishing account when you placed your on-line order. 2. Agree to the Terms of Use; doing so will permit you to unlock the document. 3. Select â€Å"Allow† to enable the PDF document to communicate with the external servers. (Failing to â€Å"Allow† will render the document to remain inaccessable. ) DOCUMENT EXPIRATION Our electronic delivery system is a convenient way for ou to immediately access your document and print it, while always being able to access the most current version. This document will expire in 90 days after you first open it. When the expiration date passes, the document will be locked and inaccessible, so be sure to print your hard copy if you require it. After the document is unlocked, you will be ab le to view and print it for 14 days off-line; after that, you must go to the â€Å"My Account† section of DardenBusinessPublishing. com and log into the document under â€Å"Digital Downloads†. ? Automatically sign me into this document in the future. (Do not select this when using a public computer)TERMS OF USE †¢ I understand and agree that this document will be active for viewing and printing for 90 days from the date I first open it. After 90 days, I will receive an expiration notification, and I will no longer have access to the electronic document. †¢ I understand that I may access this document on up to two different computers within the 90-day active period. †¢ I agree not to forward this document to anyone else. †¢ I agree to print only one copy of this document for my personal use. †¢ I agree to print multiple copies only if I have already purchased copyright permissions for the exact number of copies I wish to make.Document ID: 2012 -1-23 ( Version 2. 6. 0 B uild The protectedpdf technology is  © Copyright 2006 Vitrium Systems Inc. All Rights Reserved. Patents Pending. UVA-F-1356 Version 1. 1 EUROLAND FOODS S. A. In early January 2001, the senior management committee of Euroland Foods was to meet to draw up the firm? s capital budget for the new year. Up for consideration were 11 major projects that totaled more than (euro) EUR316 million. Unfortunately, the board of directors had imposed a spending limit on capital projects of only EUR120 million; even so, investment at that rate would represent a major increase in the firm? current asset base of EUR965 million. Thus, the challenge for the senior managers of Euroland Foods was to allocate funds among a range of compelling projects: new-product introduction, acquisition, market expansion, efficiency improvements, preventive maintenance, safety, and pollution control. The Company Euroland Foods, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, was a multinational producer of high-quality ice cream, yogurt, bottled water, and fruit juices. Its products were sold throughout Scandinavia, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, western Germany, and northern France. (See Exhibit 1 for a map of the company? marketing region. ) The company was founded in 1924 by Theo Verdin, a Belgian farmer, as an offshoot of his dairy business. Through his keen attention to product development and shrewd marketing, the business grew steadily over the years. The company went public in 1979, and, by 1993, was listed for trading on the London, Frankfurt, and Brussels exchanges. In 2000, Euroland Foods had sales of almost EUR1. 6 billion. Ice cream accounted for 60% of the company? s revenue; yogurt, which was introduced in 1982, contributed about 20%. The remaining 20% of sales was divided equally between bottled water and fruit juices.Euroland Foods? s flagship brand name was ? Rolly,? which was represented by a fat dancing bear in farmer? s clothing. Ice cream, the company? s leading product, had a loyal base of customers who sought out its high-butterfat content, large chunks of chocolate, fruit, nuts, and wide range of original flavors. This case was prepared by Casey Opitz and Robert F. Bruner, Dean and Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration, and draws certain elements from an antecedent case by them. All names are fictitious. The financial support of the Batten Institute is gratefully acknowledged.It was written as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright 2001 by the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, Charlottesville, VA. All rights reserved. To order copies, send an e-mail to [email  protected] com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means? electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise? without the per mission of the Darden School Foundation. -2- UVA-F-1356 Euroland Foods sales had been static since 1998 (see Exhibit 2), which management attributed to low population growth in northern Europe and market saturation in some areas. Outside observers, however, faulted recent failures in new-product introductions. Most members of management wanted to expand the company? s market presence and introduce more new products to boost sales. Those managers hoped that increased market presence and sales would improve the company? market value. The company? s stock was currently at 14 times earnings, just below book value. This price/earnings ratio was below the trading multiples of comparable companies, and it gave little value to the company? s brands. Resource Allocation The capital budget at Euroland Foods was prepared annually by a committee of senior managers, who then presented it for approval to the board of directors. The committee consisted of five managing directo rs, the president directeur-general (PDG), and the finance director. Typically, the PDG solicited investment proposals from the managing directors.The proposals included a brief project description, a financial analysis, and a discussion of strategic or other qualitative considerations. As a matter of policy, investment proposals at Euroland Foods were subject to two financial tests: payback and internal rate of return (IRR). The tests, or hurdles, had been established in 1999 by the management committee and varied according to the type of project as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Project hurdles. Minimum Acceptable IRR Maximum Acceptable Payback Years 1. New product or new markets 12% 6 years 2. Product or market extension 10% 5 years 3.Efficiency improvements 8% 4 years 4. Safety or environmental No test No test Type of Project In January 2001, the estimated weighted-average cost of capital (WACC) for Euroland Foods was 10. 6%. In describing the capital-budgeting process, the finance director, Trudi Lauf, said: We use the sliding scale of IRR tests as a way of recognizing differences in risk among the various types of projects. Where the company takes more risk, we should earn more return. The payback test signals that we are not prepared to wait for long to achieve that return. -3- UVA-F-1356 Ownership and the Sentiment of Creditors and Investors Euroland Foods? s 12-member board of directors included three members of the Verdin family, four members of management, and five outside directors who were prominent managers or public figures in northern Europe. Members of the Verdin family combined owned 20% of Euroland Foods? s shares outstanding, and company executives combined owned 10% of the shares. Venus Asset Management, a mutual-fund management company in London, held 12%.Banque du Bruges et des Pays Bas held 9% and had one representative on the board of directors. The remaining 49% of the firm? s shares were widely held. The firm? s shar es traded in Brussels and Frankfurt, Germany. At a debt-to-equity ratio of 125%, Euroland Foods was leveraged much more highly than its peers in the European consumer-foods industry. Management had relied on debt financing significantly in the past few years to sustain the firm? s capital spending and dividends during a period of price wars initiated by Euroland. Now, with the price wars finished, Euroland? bankers (led by Banque du Bruges) strongly urged an aggressive program of debt reduction. In any event, they were not prepared to finance increases in leverage beyond the current level. The president of Banque du Bruges had remarked at a recent board meeting: Restoring some strength to the right-hand side of the balance sheet should now be a first priority. Any expansion of assets should be financed from the cash flow after debt amortization until the debt ratio returns to a more prudent level. If there are crucial investments that cannot be funded this way, then we should cut th e dividend!At a price-to-earnings ratio of 14 times, shares of Euroland Foods common stock were priced below the average multiples of peer companies and the average multiples of all companies on the exchanges where Euroland Foods was traded. This was attributable to the recent price wars, which had suppressed the company? s profitability, and to the well-known recent failure of the company to seize significant market share with a new product line of flavored mineral water. Since January 2000, all the major securities houses had been issuing ? sell? recommendations to investors in Euroland Foods shares.Venus Asset Management had quietly accumulated shares during this period, however, in the expectation of a turnaround in the firm? s performance. At the most recent board meeting, the senior managing director of Venus gave a presentation, in which he said: Cutting the dividend is unthinkable, as it would signal a lack of faith in your own future. Selling new shares of stock at this dep ressed price level is also unthinkable, as it would impose unacceptable dilution on your current shareholders. Your equity investors expect an improvement in performance. If that improvement is not forthcoming, or worse, if investors? opes are dashed, your shares might fall into the hands of raiders like Carlo de Benedetti or the Flick brothers. 1 1 De Benedetti of Milan and the Flick brothers of Munich were leaders of prominent hostile-takeover attempts in recent years. -4- UVA-F-1356 At the conclusion of the most recent meeting of the directors, the board voted unanimously to limit capital spending to EUR120 million in 2001. Members of the Senior Management CommitteeSeven senior managers of Euroland Foods would prepare the capital budget. For consideration, each project had to be sponsored by one of the managers present. Usually the decision process included a period of discussion followed by a vote on two to four alternative capital budgets. The various execu tives were well known to each other: Wilhelmina Verdin (Belgian), PDG, age 57. Granddaughter of the founder and spokesperson on the board of directors for the Verdin family? s interests. Worked for the company her entire career, with significant experience in brand management. Elected ? European Marketer of the Year? n 1982 for successfully introducing low-fat yogurt and ice cream, the first major roll-out of this type of product. Eager to position the company for long-term growth but cautious in the wake of recent difficulties. Trudi Lauf (Swiss), finance director, age 51. Hired from Nestle in 1995 to modernize financial controls and systems. Had been a vocal proponent of reducing leverage on the balance sheet. Also, voiced the concerns and frustrations of stockholders. Heinz Klink (German), managing director for Distribution, age 49. Oversaw the transportation, warehousing, and order-fulfillment activities in the company.Spoilage, transport costs, stock-outs, and control systems w ere perennial challenges. Maarten Leyden (Dutch), managing director for Production and Purchasing, age 59. Managed production operations at the company? s 14 plants. Engineer by training. Tough negotiator, especially with unions and suppliers. A fanatic about production-cost control. Had voiced doubts about the sincerity of creditors? and investors? commitment to the firm. Marco Ponti (Italian), managing director of Sales, age 45. Oversaw the field sales force of 250 representatives and planned changes in geographical sales coverage.The most vocal proponent of rapid expansion on the senior-management committee. Saw several opportunities for ways to improve geographical positioning. Hired from Unilever in 1993 to revitalize the sales organization, which he successfully accomplished. Fabienne Morin (French), managing director for Marketing, age 41. Responsible for marketing research, new-product development, advertising, and in general, brand management. The primary advocate of the re cent price war, which, although financially difficult, realized solid gains in market share. Perceived a ? window of opportunity? or product and market expansion and tended to support growth-oriented projects. Nigel Humbolt (British), managing director for Strategic Planning, age 47. Hired two years previously from a well-known consulting firm to set up a strategic planning staff -5- UVA-F-1356 for Euroland Foods. Known for asking difficult and challenging questions about Euroland? s core business, its maturity, and profitability. Supported initiatives aimed at growth and market share.Had presented the most aggressive proposals in 2000, none of which were accepted. Becoming frustrated with what he perceived to be his lack of influence in the organization. The Expenditure Proposals The forthcoming meeting would entertain the following proposals in Table 2: Table 2. Project proposals. Project Expenditure (euro millions) Sponsoring Manager 1. Replacement and expans ion of the truck fleet 33 Klink, distribution 2. A new plant 45 Leyden, production 3. Expansion of a plant 15 Leyden, production 4. Development and roll-out of snack foods 27 Morin, marketing 5. Plant automation and conveyor systems 21 Leyden, production . Effluent-water treatment at four plants 6 Leyden, production 7. Market expansion southward 30 Ponti, sales 8. Market expansion eastward 30 Ponti, sales 9. Development and introduction of new artificially sweetened yogurt and ice cream 27 Morin, marketing 10. Networked, computer-based inventorycontrol system for warehouses and field representatives 22. 5 Klink, distribution 11. Acquisition of a leading schnapps brand and associated facilities 60 Humbolt, strategic planning 1. Replacement and expansion of the truck fleet: Heinz Klink proposed to purchase 100 new refrigerated tractor-trailer trucks, 50 each in 2001 and 2002.By doing so, the company could sell 60 old, fully depreciated trucks over the two years for a total of EUR4. 05 million. The purchase would expand the fleet by 40 trucks within two years. Each of the new trailers would be larger than the old trailers and afforded a 15% increase in cubic meters of goods hauled on each trip. The new tractors would also be more fuel- and maintenance-efficient. The increase in the number of trucks would permit more flexible scheduling and more efficient routing and servicing of the fleet than at present and would cut delivery times and, therefore, possibly inventories. It -6- UVA-F-1356 would also allow more frequent deliveries to the company? s major markets, which would reduce the loss of sales caused by stock-outs. Finally, expanding the fleet would support geographical expansion over the long term. As shown in Exhibit 3, the total net investment in trucks of EUR30 million and the increase in working capital to support added maintenance, fuel, payroll, and inventories of EUR3 million was expected to yield total cost savings and added sale s potential of EUR11. million over the next seven years. The resulting IRR was estimated to be 7. 8%, marginally below the minimum 8% required return on efficiency projects. Some of the managers wondered if this project would be more properly classified as ? efficiency? than ? expansion.? 2. A new plant: Maarten Leyden noted that Euroland Foods yogurt and ice-cream sales in the southeastern region of the company? s market were about to exceed the capacity of its Melun, France, manufacturing and packaging plant. At present, some of the demand was being met by shipments from the company? s newest, most efficient facility, located in Strasbourg, France.Shipping costs over that distance were high, however, and some sales were undoubtedly being lost when the marketing effort could not be supported by delivery. Leyden proposed that a new manufacturing and packaging plant be built in Dijon, France, just at the current southern edge of the Euroland Foods marketing region, to take the burden off the Melun and Strasbourg plants. The cost of that plant would be EUR37. 5 million and would entail EUR7. 5 million for working capital. The EUR21 million worth of equipment would be amortized over seven years, and the plant over ten years.Through an increase in sales and depreciation and the decrease in delivery costs, the plant was expected to yield after-tax cash flows totaling EUR35. 6 million and an IRR of 11. 3% over the next 10 years. This project would be classified as a market extension. 3. Expansion of a plant: In addition to the need for greater production capacity in Euroland Foods? s southeastern region, its Nuremberg, Germany, plant had reached full capacity. This situation made the scheduling of routine equipment maintenance difficult, which, in turn, created production scheduling and deadline problems.This plant was one of two highly automated facilities that produced the Euroland Foods? s entire line of bottled water, mineral water, and fruit juices. The Nurembe rg plant supplied central and western Europe. (The other plant, near Copenhagen, Denmark, supplied the Euroland Foods northern European markets. ) The Nuremberg plant capacity could be expanded by 20% for EUR15 million. The equipment (EUR10. 5 million) would be depreciated over seven years, and the plant over ten years. The increased capacity was expected to result in additional production of up to EUR2. 5 million a year, yielding an IRR of 11. 2%. This project would be classified as a market extension. 4. Development and roll-out of snack foods: Fabienne Morin suggested that the company use the excess capacity at its Antwerp spice- and nut-processing facility to produce a line of dried fruits to be test-marketed in Belgium, Britain, and the Netherlands. She noted the strength of the Rolly brand in those countries and the success of other food and beverage companies that had expanded into snack food production. She argued that the Euroland Foods? reputation for wholesome, quality pr oducts would be enhanced by a line of dried fruits and, further, that name -7- UVA-F-1356 association with the new product would probably even lead to increased sales of the company? s other products among health-conscious consumers. Equipment and working-capital investments were expected to total EUR22. 5 million and EUR4. 5 million, respectively, for this project.The equipment would be depreciated over seven years. Assuming the test market was successful, cash flows from the project would be able to support further plant expansions in other strategic locations. The IRR was expected to be 13. 4%, slightly above the required return of 12% for new-product projects. 5. Plant automation and conveyer systems: Maarten Leyden also requested EUR21 million to increase automation of the production lines at six of the company? s older plants. The result would be improved throughput speed and reduced accidents, spillage, and production tieups.The last two plants the compan y had built included conveyer systems that eliminated the need for any heavy lifting by employees. The systems reduced the chance of injury by employees; at the six older plants, the company had sustained an average of 223 missed-worker days per year per plant in the last two years because of muscle injuries sustained in heavy lifting. At an average hourly total compensation rate of EUR14. 00 an hour, more than EUR150,000 a year were thus lost, and the possibility always existed of more serious injuries and lawsuits. Overall, cost savings and depreciation totaling EUR4. 3 million a year for the project were expected to yield an IRR of 8. 7%. This project would be classed in the efficiency category. 6. Effluent-water treatment at four plants: Euroland Foods preprocessed a variety of fresh fruits at its Melun and Strasbourg plants. One of the first stages of processing involved cleaning the fruit to remove dirt and pesticides. The dirty water was simply sent down the drain and into th e Seine or Rhine Rivers. Recent European Community directives called for any wastewater containing even slight traces of poisonous chemicals to be treated at the sources, and gave companies four years to comply.As an environmentally oriented project, this proposal fell outside the normal financial tests of project attractiveness. Leyden noted, however, that the water-treatment equipment could be purchased today for EUR6 million; he speculated that the same equipment would cost EUR15 million in four years when immediate conversion became mandatory. In the intervening time, the company would run the risks that European Community regulators would shorten the compliance time or that the company? s pollution record would become public and impair the image of the company in the eyes of the consumer.This project would be classed in the environmental category. 7 and 8. Market expansions southward and eastward: Marco Ponti recommended that the company expand its market southward to include s outhern France, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, and/or eastward to include eastern Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. Ponti believed the time was right to expand sales of ice cream, and perhaps yogurt, geographically. In theory, the company could sustain expansions in both directions simultaneously, but practically, Ponti doubted that the sales and distribution organizations could sustain both expansions at once.Each alternative geographical expansion had its benefits and risks. If the company expanded eastward, it could reach a large population with a great appetite for frozen dairy products, but it would also face more competition from local and regional ice cream -8- UVA-F-1356 manufacturers. Moreover, consumers in eastern Germany, Poland, and Czechoslovakia did not have the purchasing power that consumers to the south did.The eastward expansion would have to be supplied from plants in Nuremberg, Strasbourg, and Hamburg. Looking southward, the table s were turned: more purchasing power and less competition but also a smaller consumer appetite for ice cream and yogurt. A southward expansion would require building consumer demand for premium-quality yogurt and ice cream. If neither of the plant proposals (proposals 2 and 3) was accepted, then the southward expansion would need to be supplied from plants in Melun, Strasbourg, and Rouen. The initial cost of either proposal was EUR30 million of working capital.The bulk of this project? s costs was expected to involve the financing of distributorships, but over the 10-year forecast period, the distributors would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. Both expansion proposals assumed the rental of suitable warehouse and distribution facilities. The after-tax cash flows were expected to total EUR56. 3 million for southward expansion and EUR48. 8 million for eastward expansion. Marco Ponti pointed out that southward expansion meant a higher possible IRR bu t that moving eastward was a less risky proposition.The projected IRRs were 21. 4% and 18. 8% for southern and eastern expansion, respectively. These projects would be classed in the marketextension category. 9. Development and introduction of new artificially sweetened yogurt and ice cream: Fabienne Morin noted that recent developments in the synthesis of artificial sweeteners were showing promise of significant cost savings to food and beverage producers as well as stimulating growing demand for low-calorie products. The challenge was to create the right flavor to complement or enhance the other ingredients.For ice cream manufacturers, the difficulty lay in creating a balance that would result in the same flavor as was obtained when using natural sweeteners; artificial sweeteners might, of course, create a superior taste. In addition, EUR27 million would be needed to commercialize a yogurt line that had received promising results in laboratory tests. This cost included acquiring s pecialized production facilities, working capital, and the cost of the initial product introduction. The overall IRR was estimated to be 20. 5%.Morin stressed that the proposal, although highly uncertain in terms of actual results, could be viewed as a means of protecting present market share, because other high-quality icecream producers carrying out the same research might introduce these products; if the Rolly brand did not carry an artificially sweetened line and its competitors did, the brand might suffer. Morin also noted the parallels between innovating with artificial sweeteners and the company? s past success in introducing low-fat products. This project ould be classed in the new-product category of investments. 10. Networked, computer-based inventory-control system for warehouses and field representatives. Heinz Klink had pressed unsuccessfully for three years for a state-of-the-art -9- UVA-F-1356 computer-based inventory-control system that would lin k field sales representatives, distributors, drivers, warehouses, and possibly even retailers.The benefits of such a system would be shorter delays in ordering and order processing, better control of inventory, reduction of spoilage, and faster recognition of changes in demand at the customer level. Klink was reluctant to quantify these benefits, because they could range between modest and quite large amounts. This year, for the first time, he presented a cash-flow forecast, however, that reflected an initial outlay of EUR18 million for the system, followed by EUR4. 5 million in the next year for ancillary equipment. The inflows reflected depreciation tax shields, tax credits, cost reductions in warehousing, and reduced inventory.He forecast these benefits to last for only three years. Even so, the project? s IRR was estimated to be 16. 2%. This project would be classed in the efficiency category of proposals. 11. Acquisition of a leading schnapps2 brand and associated facilities. N igel Humbolt had advocated making diversifying acquisitions in an effort to move beyond the company? s mature core business but doing so in a way that exploited the company? s skills in brand management. He had explored six possible related industries in the general field of consumer packaged goods and determined that cordials and liqueurs offered unusual opportunities for eal growth and, at the same time, market protection through branding. He had identified four small producers of well-established brands of liqueurs as acquisition candidates. Following exploratory talks with each, he had determined that only one company could be purchased in the near future, namely, the leading private European manufacturer of schnapps, located in Munich. The proposal was expensive: EUR25 million to buy the company and EUR30 million to renovate the company? s facilities completely while simultaneously expanding distribution to new geographical markets.The expected returns were high: after-tax cash flows were projected to be EUR198. 5 million, yielding an IRR of 27. 5%. This project would be classed in the new-product category of proposals. Conclusion Each member of the management committee was expected to come to the meeting prepared to present and defend a proposal for the allocation of Euroland Foods? s capital budget of EUR120 million. Exhibit 3 summarizes the various projects in terms of their free cash flows and the investment-performance criteria. 2 Any of various strong dry liquors, such as a strong Dutch gin.Definition borrowed from American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. -10- UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 1 EUROLAND FOODS S. A. Nations where Euroland Foods Competed Note: The shaded area on this map reveals the principal distribution region of Euroland? s products. Important facilities are indicated by the following figures: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium Plant, Antwerp, Belgium Plant, Strasbourg, France Plant , Nuremberg, Germany Plant, Hamburg, GermanyPlant, Copenhagen, Denmark Plant, Svald, Sweden Plant, Nelly-on-Mersey, England Plant, Caen, France Plant, Melun, France -11- UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 2 EUROLAND FOODS S. A. Summary of Financial Results (all values in euro millions, except per-share amounts) Fiscal Year Ending December 1998 1999 Gross sales 1,614 1,608 1,611 Net income 77 74 56 1. 13 1. 08 0. 81 Dividends 30 30 30 Total assets 716 870 984 Shareholders? equity (book value) 559 640 697 1,271 1,258 784 Earnings per shareShareholders? equity (market value) 2000 -12- UVA-F-1356 Exhibit 3 EUROLAND FOODS S. A. Free Cash Flows and Analysis of Proposed Projects1 (all values in euro millions) Project 1 2 Expand Truck Fleet (note 3) Investment Property Working Capital 3 New Plant (Dijon, France) 4 5 6 Expanded Automation Plant and (Nuremberg, Conveyer Germany) Snack Foods S ystems 7 8 9 10 Southward Expansion (note 5) Eastward E xpansion (note 5) A rtificial S weetener InventoryControl S ystem StrategicA cquisition (note 6) 30. 00 3. 00 37. 50 7. 50 15. 00 0. 00 -17. 10 -11. 85 4. 50 5. 25 6. 00 6. 75 7. 50 10. 50 11. 55 -45. 00 3. 00 7. 50 8. 25 9. 00 9. 38 9. 75 10. 13 7. 50 7. 88 8. 25 35. 63 -15. 00 1. 88 2. 25 2. 63 3. 00 3. 38 3. 75 2. 25 2. 25 2. 25 2. 25 10. 88 6 4 6 5 6 5 7 6 6 4 5 6 IRR Minimum Accepted ROR Spread 7. 8% 8. 0% -0. 2% 11. 3% 10. 0% 1. 3% 11. 2% 10. 0% 1. 2% 13. 4% 12. 0% 1. 4% 8. 7% 8. 0% 0. 7% NPV at Corp. WACC (10. 6%) -2. 88 1. 49 0. 41 3. 74 NPV at Minimum ROR -0. 19 2. 81 0. 82 Equivalent Annuity (note 2) -0. 04 0. 46 0. 13 Y ear 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Undiscounted Sum Payback (years) Maximum Payback Accepted 2. 50 21. 00 0. 00 0. 00 4. 50 0. 00 30. 00 30. 00 EXPECTED FREE CASH FLOWS (note 4) -9. 00 -21. 00 -30. 00 -30. 00 -9. 00 4. 13 5. 25 4. 50 -9. 00 4. 13 6. 00 5. 25 4. 50 4. 13 6. 75 6. 00 4. 50 4. 13 7. 50 6. 75 6. 00 4. 13 8. 25 7. 50 6. 75 4. 13 9. 00 8. 25 7. 50 4. 13 9. 75 9. 00 8. 25 1 0. 50 9. 75 9. 00 11. 25 10. 50 9. 75 12. 00 11. 25 29. 25 7. 88 56. 25 48. 75 22. 50 4. 50 22. 50 0. 00 45. 00 15. 00 -27. 00 4. 50 6. 00 6. 75 7. 50 7. 50 7. 50 7. 50 7. 50 7. 50 7. 50 42. 75 -18. 00 8. 25 8. 25 7. 50 6. 00 -25. 00 -30. 00 7. 50 13. 50 16. 50 19. 50 22. 50 25. 50 28. 50 31. 50 88. 50 198. 50 5 6 5 6 3 4 5 6 21. 4% 12. 0% 9. 4% 8. 8% 12. 0% 6. 8% 20. 5% 12. 0% 8. 5% 16. 2% 8. 0% 8. 2% 27. 5% 12. 0% 15. 5% -1. 31 17. 99 13. 49 13. 43 1. 75 69. 45 1. 79 0. 48 14. 85 10. 62 10. 97 2. 67 59. 65 0. 32 0. 09 2. 63 1. 88 1. 94 1. 03 10. 56 1 The effluent treatment program is not included in this exhibit. The equivalent annuity of a project is that level annual payment that yields a net present value equal to the NPV at the minimum required rate of return for that project. Annuity corrects for differences in duration among various projects. In ranking projects on the basis of equivalent annuity, bigger annuities create more investor wealth than smaller annuities. This refl ects EUR16. 5 million spent both initially and at the end of year one. 4 Free cash flow = Incremental profit or cost savings after taxes + Depreciation Investment in fixed assets and working capital. 5 Franchisees would gradually take over the burden of carrying receivables and inventory. 6 EUR25 million would be spent in the first year, EUR30 million in the second, and EUR5 million in the third. 2

Computer games: Related literature Essay

Computer games are the second most frequently used application after social media (Wakoopa, and negative outcomes, especially with respect to aggression (see in Sherry, 2001; Elson & Ferguson, 2013a, 2013c; Ferguson, 2007). Although less than 4% to 5% of the users—adolescents and secondary school students—are addicted to video/computer game (Kuss & Griffiths, 2012), some of the authors expressed that computer game addiction is common in adolescence and this causes a cycle of moral panic (see the moral panic issue of computer games in Barnett & Coulson, 2010; Elson & Ferguson, 2013b; Ferguson, Coulson, & Barnett, 2011). Hellstrà ¶m et al. (2012) found using computer games for escapism and gaining status increased their negative effects and, in contrast, using games for fun and sociability decreased negative effects of games. 2012). Computer and online game play rates and sales are increasing every day (Entertainment Software Association, 2012). Computer and online games are preferred by a wide range of people ranging from children and adolescents to adults. Entertainment Software Association’s (2012) research showed that the average game player is 30 years old and 32% of the players are less than 18 years old. Players choose to play games for several reasons such as fun, recreation (Griffiths & Hunt, 1995; Kuss & Griffiths, 2012), coping with stress (Grusser, Thalemann, Albrecht, & Thalemann, 2005; Wood & Griffiths, 2007), sociability, gaining status (Hellstrà ¶m, Nilsson, Leppert, & Ã…slund, 2012), and escaping real life (Wan & Chiou, 2006; Wood, Griffiths, & Parke, 2007). Research on video and computer gaming literature reports both positive and negative effects on players. Fifty-two percent of the parents highlighted that computer game playing is positive and an important element of their children’s life (Entertainment Software Association, 2012). Thus, playing games promotes problem solving, visual, motor, and spatial skills and fosters interaction with friends outside of school (Boot, Kramer, Simons, Fabiani, & Gratton, 2008; Phillips, Rolls, Rouse, & Griffiths, 1995). Moreover, games may be effective educational tools and games relieve boredom and stress (Bowman & Tamborini, 2012). Despite the positive effects of playing computer games for adolescents, there are also negative effects,  especially addictive computer game playing (Witt, Massman, & Jackson, 2011). Researchers have been investigating whether computer games can cause time distortion (Rau, Peng, & Yang, 2006), inattention, hyperactivity (Chan & Rabinowitz, 2006), aggressive behavior (Ferguson, 2007), violent acts (Ferguson et al., 2008), and negative emotions (Chumbley & Griffiths, 2006). Furthermore, researchers are investigating whether there is an association between computer gaming and smoking, drug use, depression (Desai, Krishnan-Sarin, Cavallo, & Potenza, 2010), negative self-esteem, social anxiety and loneliness (Van Rooij, Schoenmakers, Vermulst, Van Den Eijnden, & Van De Mheen, 2011), introversion, sensation-seeking, neuroticism, low emotional intelligence (Kuss & Griffiths, 2012), and low well-being (Barnett & Coulson, 2010). Most of this work found correlations between games and negative outcomes, but there are also a lot of studies reporting no correlation or only weak correlations between games and negative outcomes, especially with respect to aggression (see in Sherry, 2001; Elson & Ferguson, 2013a, 2013c; Ferguson, 2007). Although less than 4% to 5% of the users—adolescents and secondary school students—are addicted to video/computer game (Kuss & Griffiths, 2012), some of the authors expressed that computer game addiction is common in adolescence and this causes a cycle of moral panic (see the moral panic issue of computer games in Barnett & Coulson, 2010; Elson & Ferguson, 2013b; Ferguson, Coulson, & Barnett, 2011). Hellstrà ¶m et al. (2012) found using computer games for escapism and gaining status increased their negative effects and, in contrast, using games for fun and sociability decreased negative effects of games.

Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage

Introduction to Ancient Stone Debitage Debitage,  pronounced in English roughly DEB-ih-tahzhs, is an artifact type, the collective term used by archaeologists to refer to the sharp-edged waste material left over when a flintknapper creates a stone tool (that is, knaps flint). The process of making a stone tool is rather like sculpture, in that it involves whittling down a block of stone by removing unwanted pieces until the sculptor/flint knapper achieves the final product. Debitage refers to those unneeded stone fragments. Debitage is the French term for this material, but it is commonly used in the scholarly literature in most other languages, including English. Other terms in English include waste flakes, stone chips, and chipping debris; all of these refer to the stone fragments left over as a waste product created when a worker produces a stone tool. Those terms also refer to chipping debris leftover when a stone tool is repaired or refined. Why is Debitage Interesting? Scholars are interested in the stone flakes left behind by flintknappers for a number of reasons. The pile of debris is the location where stone tool production took place, even if the tool itself was taken away: that alone tells archaeologists about where people lived and worked in the past. The flakes also hold information about the type of stone used to make a stone tool, as well as the technology, the steps taken in the manufacturing process. Some of the waste flakes may be used as tools themselves, to scrape plants or cut meat for example, but by and large, the word debitage refers to those pieces which have not been reused. Whether the flakes were used as a tool or not, debitage accounts for the oldest evidence discovered for human-like behaviors: we know ancient people were making stone tools because we have found purposeful flaking debris even if we dont know what was being made. And as such, they have been recognized as an artifact type since the first decades of the 20th century. Analyzing Debitage Debitage analysis is the systematic study of those chipped stone flakes. The most common study of debitage involves simple (or complex) cataloging of the flakes characteristics, such as source material, length, width, weight, thickness, flaking scars, and the evidence of heat-treatment among many others. Given that there can be thousands or tens of thousands of pieces of debitage from a site, data from all of those flakes definitely qualifies as big data. In addition, analytical studies have attempted to classify the flakes by step in the tool-making process. In general, a stone tool is made by removing the largest pieces first, then the pieces get smaller and smaller as the tool gets refined and shaped. A popular tool-based debitage typology in the late 20th century consisted of categorizing flakes into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary flakes. These rough categories were thought to reflect a very specific set of flake removal processes: primary flakes were removed from a block of stone first, then secondary, and finally tertiary flakes. Defining those three categories was based on size and the percentage of the cortex (unmodified stone) left on the waste flake. Refitting, putting the stone pieces back together whether simply one flake to another or reconstructing an entire stone tool, was originally quite pain-staking and labor-intensive. More recent tool-based imaging processes have refined and built on this technique considerably. Other Analytical Types One of the problems with debitage analysis is there is just so much debitage. The construction of one tool from a block of stone can produce hundreds if not thousands of waste flakes of all shapes and sizes. As a result, studies of debitage as part of the study of all stone artifacts at a given site are frequently completed using mass analysis techniques. Size grading by using a set of graduated screens to sort debitage is often used. Researchers also sort the flakes into categories on a variety of attributes and then count and weigh the total in each category to estimate types of flaking activities. Piece-plotting of the distribution of debitage has been used, when it can be determined that the scatter of flakes has laid relatively undisturbed since its deposition. That study informs the researcher about the mechanics of flint-working activities. As a parallel study, an experimental reproduction of flint knapping has been used to build a suitable comparison of debitage scatters and production techniques. Microwear analysis is the study of the edge damage and pitting of debitage using a low- or high-power microscope, and it is generally reserved for debitage that has likely been used as a tool. Sources and Recent Studies A great source for information about all types of Lithic Analysis is Roger Graces Stone Age Reference Collection. The late Tony Bakers excellent lithics site  while now outdated still contains buckets of useful information based on his understanding of the mechanical processes he learned in his own flintknapping experiments. Ahler, Stanley A. Mass Analysis of Flaking Debris: Studying the Forest Instead of the Tree. In Alternative Approaches to Lithic Analysis. The Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. Eds. Henry, D. O., and George H. Odell. Vol. 1 (1989): 85-118. Print. Andrefsky Jr., William. The Analysis of Stone Tool Procurement, Production, and Maintenance. Journal of Archaeological Research 17.1 (2009): 65-103. Print. - . The Application and Misapplication of Mass Analysis in Lithic Debitage Studies. Journal of Archaeological Science 34.3 (2007): 392-402. Print. Bradbury, Andrew P., and Philip J. Carr. Non-Metric Continuum-Based Flake Analysis. Lithic Technology 39.1 (2014): 20-38. Print. Chazan, Michael. Technological Perspectives on the Upper Paleolithic. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 19.2 (2010): 57-65. Print. Eerkens, Jelmer W., et al. Reduction Strategies and Geochemical Characterization of Lithic Assemblages: A Comparison of Three Case Studies from Western North America. American Antiquity 72.3 (2007): 585-97. Print. Eren, Metin I., and Stephen J. Lycett. Why Levallois? A Morphometric Comparison of Experimental ‘Preferential’ Levallois Flakes Versus Debitage Flakes. PLoS ONE 7.1 (2012): e29273. Print. Frahm, Ellery, et al. Sourcing Geochemically Identical Obsidian: Multiscalar Magnetic Variations in the Gutansar Volcanic Complex and Implications for Palaeolithic Research in Armenia. Journal of Archaeological Science 47.0 (2014): 164-78. Print. Hayden, Brian, Edward Bakewell, and Rob Gargett. The Worlds Longest-Lived Corporate Group: Lithic Analysis Reveals Prehistoric Social Organization near Lillooet, British Columbia. American Antiquity 61.2 (1996): 341-56. Print. Hiscock, Peter. Quantifying the Size of Artefact Assemblages. Journal of Archaeological Science 29.3 (2002): 251-58. Print. Pirie, Anne. Constructing Prehistory: Lithic Analysis in the Levantine Epipaleolithic. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 10.3 (2004): 675-703. Print. Shea, John J. The Middle Stone Age Archaeology of the Lower Omo Valley Kibish Formation: Excavations, Lithic Assemblages, and Inferred Patterns of Early Homo Sapiens Behavior. Journal of Human Evolution 55.3 (2008): 448-85. Print. Shott, Michael J. The Quantification Problem in Stone Tool Assemblages. American Antiquity 65.4 (2000): 725-38. Print. Sullivan, Alan P. III, and Kenneth C. Rozen. Debitage Analysis and Archaeological Interpretation. American Antiquity 50.4 (1985): 755-79. Print. Wallace, Ian J., and John J. Shea. Mobility Patterns and Core Technologies in the Middle Paleolithic of the Levant. Journal of Archaeological Science 33 (2006): 1293-309. Print. Williams, Justin P., and William Andrefsky Jr. Debitage Variability among Multiple Flint Knappers. Journal of Archaeological Science 38.4 (2011): 865-72. Print.

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts

7 Interview Secrets for Introverts Raise your hand if you’ve gone to an interview, and been so nervous about the whole thing that afterward, you couldn’t remember half of what happened. (Raises hand.) Now raise your hand if that’s happened multiple times, because anxiety. (Hand still raised.) Interviewing can be really tough if you’re not a natural extrovert. Meeting new people, having to be â€Å"on† at all times, trying to negotiate the interaction†¦it can be exhausting. And more importantly, it can undermine your job search, even when you know you’re qualified, and have an A+ resume. Nerves or pauses can come off as seeming unprepared, which is the last thing you want.The way to get around this, and seem like you put yourself out there all the time, no big deal, is to develop coping mechanisms that will have you schmoozing like someone who does it all the time. That being said, here are 7 interview secrets for introverts.1. Chill- it’s just a conversation.It can be very daunting to walk into an interview. It’s just so formal. The handshake, the eye contact, all of it. Instead, remember that this is literally a conversation between two (or more) people, at heart. You already have an â€Å"in,† so it’s not like you have to start from scratch with conversation topics. Always remember that even though the stakes are higher than your average chat over coffee, you’re talking to regular people, not CIA interrogators.2. Show off those listening skills.One of the best social skills that many introverts have is the ability to listen carefully and zero in on the heart of the issue- one of the most beneficial skills to bring into an interview. Even if you’re used to being the one who hangs back in conversation, that’s something you can use to your advantage in a job interview. A customized answer to a complicated question can give you an edge of someone who’s in extrovert interview mode, and working fro m a set of personal talking points.3. Bring notes.Personally, one of my biggest interview challenges is feeling like I’m rambling or forgetting crucial information in the moment. Notes can help with that. Unless the interview is bizarrely like the SATs, where notes and calculators are not allowed, it’s not likely any interviewer would object to you having a notebook in front of you. That way, if you start to feel nervous or like you’re having trouble thinking on your feet, you have your prep notes right there for reference. However, be careful not to lean on these too much- you want to maintain the eye contact and conversational flow.4. Anticipate small talk.It’s going to happen. After the initial offer of water or coffee, there will always be some small talk. If that’s not your strong suit, think of a few topics ahead of time: the weather (clichà © but it works), the commute, that awesome painting in the lobby. Honestly, this will be the easiest part of the interview, so it’s not worth stressing about whether you’ll have anything in common with the interviewer.Be prepared to have a few casual minutes of talking about things that aren’t directly related to the job at hand. Also be prepared to think on your feet. For example, if you’re in someone’s office and see a Yankees cap, it’s a good chance to comment on their World Series chances this year.5. Realize you’re there to brag.If you struggle with being the center of attention, find ways to couch your accomplishments as part of your current company’s growth/positive outcomes, or focus on things you’ve been praised for in the past. It can be easier to illustrate your awesomeness than to come out and say, â€Å"I’m awesome.† It’s also good to focus on things that make you genuinely excited about your job- if you light up when you talk about something, that’s an easy win and engages the i nterviewer.6. Practice, practice, practice.Know the job description cold. Know ahead of time what questions you have about the job or company. Know what you want to to emphasize in your own history and experience. Then, once you have those in mind, practice answering questions about all of them. The more familiar you are with the lines of the conversation ahead of time, the easier it will be to deal with them when you’re in an unfamiliar space with unfamiliar faces.7. Use the thank you email to your advantage.If you did fumble something or let nerves get the better of you in part of the interview, the follow-up note can help you clarify a bungled point. If you’re better in writing than chatting in person, a coherent and charming thank you note can help shore up the final impression.The job interview as we know it is not suited super-well to those of us with introvert tendencies- but that doesn’t mean you have to accept that. You don’t need to become a soc ial butterfly overnight, but having a set of strategies in you pocket can really help you compete with people who take to the format much more naturally.

Draft2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Draft2 - Essay Example The concentration camps in Germany (United States, n.d.) and the status of African Americans in the U.S. from the 17th century up until the American Civil War (History.com, 2009) are two of the most prominent examples of racism. Even if the unfair treatment of African Americans was not as tragic as the injustice afflicted on the Jews, the preference shown over the colored citizens of America was, and curiously still is, a big social issue. Disappointingly, the development of society into a more advanced group of people in terms of thought process and behavior did very little in stopping how some individuals continue to think they are more superior than everyone else. In other words, despite the introduction of technology into society – another feather in the cap for rational man – some form of racism is still observed today, albeit not as destructive or demeaning as in the time of Hitler (United States, n.d.) or the period of slavery in North America (History.com, 2009) . Racism starts when one unit of man sees itself as above the other groups of men. In the beginning, all men can belong to a big organized group. For instance, in the USA there are Asians, Mexicans, African Americans, Americans, etc. living together. As the relevant forms of communication and understanding are observed, the culture specific to this area of the world is continually nurtured. As a result, the whole group is stable, its behaviors and practices organized and firmly established. Therefore, to suppress this culture would be difficult. Independent and strong-willed, Americans have already proven to the world that no other group can dominate or rule over them. (White, D., 2002-11) Within America, however, it is a different story. The history of the United States is proof that suppression of a group can be achieved. When a particular group steps forward and tries to be the dominant unit in a society, it consequently represses another

Discuss how the treaties might relate to custom, as well as the Assignment

Discuss how the treaties might relate to custom, as well as the alleged existence of hierarchy among the sources of internationa - Assignment Example International law consists of the rules and principles of general application dealing with the conduct of States and of international organizations in their international relations with one another and with private individuals, minority groups and transnational companies. Since there is no international legislation or parliamentary body that had the mandate of coming up with international law, the generally accepted source of the rule of law has been customary international law. It arises from the concept that these laws arise from what is considered as common practice when countries are dealing with each other. Consequently international law can only be established if there is consent by states and is enforced by means of individual or collective action of individual or collective action of other states. ... Practice alone is not adequate as was the case in the ruling of Case of the SS Lotus (1927).Secondly in has to be ‘opinio juris’ that is a belief in it being a legal obligation in the states. As the International Court of Justice put it â€Å"Not only must the acts concerned be a settled practice but they must also be such, or be carried out in such a way as to be evidence of a belief that this practice is rendered obligatory by the existence of a rule requiring it... The states concerned must feel that they are conforming to what amounts to a legal obligation2. Let’s take for example the duty for countries to give protection to ambassadors from other countries while they are on diplomatic missions within that country. This is an ancient custom which has been accepted as normal practice and a legal obligation expected of the host country. In case an ambassador is attacked in a country it would be considered as a violation of a customary international law. 3New st ates are automatically bound by the existing customary international laws. For a state to not to be bound by a rule of international customary law it must object to it during formation or become a persistent objector to it. Failure to register such an objection may lead to the state being assumed to have accepted the customary rule of law. International Convections International treaties are contracts signed between states that are legally binding to all states that are party to the treaty. The reason for which states that sign a treaty are bond to it is because there is a rule of customary international law – pacta sunt servanda- which requires all states to honour and adhere to the treaties they have signed. A state