Katie And Joe Play

Is she the reason your grades are so low? Katie: NO it isn't about her. [Joey's phone beeps. ] Joe: Did you go to Dry. Phil yesterday by any chance? [Joe walks over to the other side of the room picks up a charger and walks towards the small round table where there was an outlet and plugs in the charger and puts his phone on the table. ] Katie: Yeah.. ; [Pause] Joe: What did you guys talk about? Katie: Doesn't matter. [Joe frowns] Joe: You know you can tell me anything, right? Katie: That's Beethoven me and Dry. Phil. [Long pause] We just talked about mom, again.Joe: Oh, I see. [Joe walks over and sits beside Katie] Katie: Mom is coming back, right? Joe: Sweetie, Janice†¦ I mean your mother, she's gone†¦ She's not coming back. [Katie starts tearing] Joe: Katie [Long Pause] are you- Katie: I'm fine! [Joe walks to the stand across the room that held napkins and walks back with the napkin at hand] Joe: Oh my god, Kate! [Katie is sobbing and takes the cushion from the sofa and buries her face in it. Joe runs to the sofa and sits down] Joe: It's going to be okay, you don't have to cry anymore. Katie cries harder.Joe lets Katie cry for a while and let it all out] Joe: It's going to be alright sweetie. Here wipe your face with this. [Joe held his hand out with the napkin still at his hand] Katie: Just leave me alone! [Katie pushes his hand out the way, the napkin flies across the room] Joe: Katie! [Katie gets up, the cushion falls. Katie tries to run out the room, Katie trips over the cushion and tries to get up, Joe tries to help. ] Katie: I said, leave me alone! [Small pause] I said I'm fine. [Joe stands back and watches Katie limp UT the room.Joe walks over to the other side of the room where his cellophane lied on the table. Joe takes out the plug and picks his phone up and dials a number. The phone rings, no one picks up. Joe walks to the bookshelf still holding onto his phone and picks up a photo album and sits down on the sofa. Joe flips through pages , slowly feeling depressed. Joe receives a phone call, he picks it up. ] Joe: Hello. Mike: Hey, you called earlier? Joe: Yeah, you busy? Mike: No why? Joe: Can you come over? Really need to talk to you.

Coca-Cola vs Pepsi Essay

wo of the largest and most profitable corporations in the United States are the Atlanta, Georgia based Coca-Cola Company and the New York based Pepsi Cola Company. While both are called â€Å"colas† they both attempt to address the same target tastes but from different approaches. Coke was the first on market with what is still a â€Å"secret† formula and Pepsi followed with a similar (not exact) taste. Since taste is very much a factor of your personal likes, either or neither may appeal to you or seem sweeter (Inforefuge.com. 2011). This paper will discuss the similarities and differences in the processes used by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo for place, price, and promotion. Place and Price The marketing exposure of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola is everywhere ranging from commercials, billboards, and mail advertisements all over the world. Although they target the same markets, they both use different approaches to their marketing strategies. This is evident when comparing the two companies’ websites. When browsing the Coca-Cola website you will experience a more conservative style; there is not a variety of colors besides the traditional â€Å"Coca-Cola red† in which, most their products are packaged and advertised. It is the complete opposite for PepsiCo, as their website flashes promotions for free music downloads and reminds browsers that they are the official drink sponsor of the NFL. After browsing the websites and comparing the two, you will come to understand that Coca-Cola has more of an International approach to marketing, whereas PepsiCo caters to more of the American†¦ coca The Coca Cola corporation is a beverage company and is defined to be the most well known trade mark in the world, and it is justly so. The Company owns or licenses and markets more than 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands, primarily sparkling beverages, but also a variety of still beverages, such as waters, enhanced waters, juices and juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and energy and sports drinks. It owns and markets a range of nonalcoholic sparkling beverage brands, which includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. The Coca Cola products appeal to a wide range of people throughout the world from all races, genders, and ages. Coca Cola is well  known for its worldwide popularity as its products are sold to over 200 countries. The company business units include Eurasia and Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, Central Japan, and Great Plains and Honest Tea, Inc., in the United States . Coca-Cola and Pepsi are the two most popular and widely recognized beverage brands in the world. They have been competing in the soft drink sector for over a century and both companies enjoy a high degree of brand consciousness globally. Both companies try to market as part of a lifestyle. Coca-Cola uses phrases such as â€Å"Coke side of life† in their website, while Pepsi uses phrases such as â€Å"Hot stuff† in their web, to promote the idea that Pepsi is â€Å"in sync† with the cool side of life. Ironically, both Pepsi and Coke have similar beginnings: both were created in the 19th century and both were the results of the experimental work of innovative pharmacists. Coke was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton while Pepsi was developed in 1898 by North Carolina pharmacist and drugstore owner, Caleb Bradham. The primary purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the two dominant companies in the soft drink industry and determine the strongest performer as an investment opportunity. Ability to pay current liabilities The current ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the company’s ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt, as there are many ways to access financing, but it is definitely not a good sign. Based on the financial statements below, Coca Cola has a current ratio of 1.17 while Pepsi is at 1.10. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. Comparison of Pepsi and Coca Cola Financials Introduction Coca-Cola and Pepsi are the two most popular and widely recognized beverage brands in the world. They have been competing in the soft drink sector for over a century and both companies enjoy a high degree of brand consciousness globally. Both companies try to market as part of a lifestyle. Coca-Cola uses phrases such as â€Å"Coke side of life† in their website, while Pepsi uses phrases such as â€Å"Hot stuff† in their web, to promote the idea that Pepsi is â€Å"in sync† with the cool side of life. Ironically, both Pepsi and Coke have similar beginnings: both were created in the 19th century and both were the results of the experimental work of innovative pharmacists. Coke was created in 1886 by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton while Pepsi was developed in 1898 by North Carolina pharmacist and drugstore owner, Caleb Bradham. The primary purpose of this report is to identify and analyze the two dominant companies in the soft drink industry and determine the str ongest performer as an investment opportunity. Ability to pay current liabilities The current ratio is mainly used to give an idea of the company’s ability to pay back its short-term liabilities (debt and payables) with its short-term assets (cash, inventory, receivables). The higher the current ratio, the more capable the company is of paying its obligations. A ratio under 1 suggests that the company would be unable to pay off its obligations if they came due at that point. While this shows the company is not in good financial health, it does not necessarily mean that it will go bankrupt, as there are many ways to access financing, but it is definitely not a good sign. Based on the financial statements below, Coca Cola has a current ratio of 1.17 while Pepsi is at 1.10. The current ratio can give a sense of the efficiency of a company’s operating cycle or its ability to turn its product into cash. In this particular case, Companies that have trouble getting paid on their receivables or have long inventory turnover can run into liquidity  problems because they are unable to alleviate their obligations. Because business operations differ in each industry, it is always more useful to compare companies within the same industry. This is another side of the rivalry between these corporations. Profits over the past three years The Return on Assets (ROA) is an indicator of how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. ROA gives an idea as to how efficient management is at using its assets to generate earnings. Calculated by dividing a company’s annual earnings by its total assets, ROA is displayed as a percentage. Sometimes this is referred to as â€Å"return on investment†. The formula for return on assets is: ROA = Net income / Total Assets. The Return on Equity is the amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders equity. Return on equity measures a corporation’s profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested. ROE is expressed as a percentage and calculated as: Return on Equity = Net Income/Shareholder’s Equity. (Investopedia.com) Based on their financial statements, Coca Cola got a return on assets of 16.19%. Over the same period, PepsiCo return of assets was 9.27%. The return on equity for Coca Cola was 38.09% while Pepsi’s was 29.86%. All these numbers suggest that Coca Cola is giving a better performance than Pepsi in 2010. Pepsi is not delivering as much value to stockholders as Coca Cola. Cash Flow and Investment valuation ratio Pepsi and Coke both offer similar dividend yields of 3%. Although Pepsi’s dividend payout ratio is slightly lower than Coca Cola’s, the difference is marginal. (Finance) The Dividend Payout Ratio means the percentage of earnings paid to shareholders in dividends. The payout ratio provides an idea of how well earnings support the dividend payments. More mature companies tend to have a higher payout ratio. This ratio is calculated as Dividends per share / Earnings per share. The Dividend payout ratio for Coca Cola is 48.2% while PepsiCo is 34.8% The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is the best known of the investment valuation indicators. It is the measure of the share price relative to the annual net income earned by the firm per share. The P/E ratio has its imperfections, but it is nevertheless the most widely reported and used valuation by investment professionals and the investing  public. The financial reporting of both companies and investment research services use a basic earnings per share (EPS) figure divided into the current stock price to calculate the P/E multiple (i.e. how many times a stock is trading (its price) per each dollar of EPS). A high PE ratio generally indicates increased demand because investors anticipate earnings growth in the future. The PE ratio has units of years, which can be interpreted as the number of years of earnings to pay back purchase price. The price/earnings ratio for Coca Cola is 12.97 while PepsiCo is 16.24. (YCharts, 2011) Decision about which company is better for an investment Possibly one of the biggest rivals in Corporate America today, the battle between Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) continues to baffle not only consumers but investors as well in determining which product is a better buy. While both companies have had recent problems in emerging nations such as India by having their products be condemned for improper ingredients, a shakeup like this might be necessary to promote future growth for possibly undersold equities. While both Pepsi and Coke stand to benefit from a recovery in consumer spending, it appears that Pepsi has stronger fundamentals. For investors looking for safe dividend stocks with strong growth potential, Pepsi looks like the better choice. In terms of fundamentals, Pepsi seems to have the slight advantage. While Coca-Cola does have the higher figures, Pepsi has the better margins in terms of operating margins, revenue, and profit which is more important for growing companies. Pepsi also has, according to Yahoo Finance, been upgraded more times than Coca-Cola during the last few months, signaling a favorable sentiment among investment banks. In terms of guidance, both companies look to secure better procedures in the emerging markets with their products which should hurt earnings for a while but eventually boost them due to economies of scale. However, recently Pepsi has had positive surprise EPS statements during its quarterly results. While Coca-Cola has also reported similar reports, the findings were at a much smaller margin, barely affecting shares. What is more important, in determining a choice between these equities, is the technical analysis involved. During the past year Coca-Cola has only remain in a five dollar range, showing little fluctuation patterns for speculators or investors. While such a figure may be encouraging for fixed income  advocates, in reality, since 2000, Coca-Cola has barely fluctuated at all in its 20 point range, showing no signs of potential growth. While the situation is unfortunate, it looks as if, like Microsoft, Coca-Cola has increased in terms of value to its maximum, and pretty soon diseconomies of scale may be evident for this once prosperous company causing shares to drop in the future. On the other hand, Pepsi has seen continued growth throughout its tenure in a nice steady growth pattern. While speculators may not be encourage by the slow appreciation of the stock, long term investors may favor such a pattern as it does not seem the price of Pepsi has peaked. The company is still in the prime of its career and should carry the stock to higher numbers in both fundamentals and shares for at least one more decade. By investing now, investors have the opportunity to see Pepsi rise to near 80-100 points by 2010 and possibly even further by 2015. While the wait may be more tedious than other penny-stocks, the process will be relativity stress free as investors will be allowed to see their capital gains appreciate over the years. Such as a process is also favorable with its dividend payoff which allows for reinvestments to increase gains. Non-Financial criteria to consider About Pepsi, recently has appointed a CEO with an Indian background who may look more favorable than Coca-Cola to the emerging markets. Such a basic presence may add increased pressure to Coca-Cola to spend more money on advertisements and other apparels to strike a similar chord in these markets as its soft drink counterpart. While it is genuinely assumed that Coca-Cola is the king of its industry, times are slowly changing for the worse for this tremendous corporation and looking more and more favorable its hated rival in PepsiCo. According to stock analysts, Pepsi has a lot more exposure to commodities with respect to its Frito-Lays and Quaker Oats, when commodity prices were falling; it gave more wiggle room on the bottom line. But now that commodity prices are probably going to increase in the next year to year and a half, which opens up the door for Coke to expand their lead. Coke always held the bigger market share in the United States. But at times, Pepsi fueled by smarter and more aggressive advertising campaigns, moved ahead. U.S. Consumption of carbonated soft drinks has steadily declined in the past decade. Part of that comes down to the array of  alternative beverages the market now offers.

ExpertSystems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

ExpertSystems - Research Paper Example based on the web consists of a case management system - a case management system is essentially a large table of actions, which come from a range of sources. The origins might include: It also has a point management system. Here, the Jonas Point of Sale system allows for the creation of an unlimited amount of menus and nested menus, grants easy access to member preferences, and even enables pre-event chit setup for quick and easy processing at a later time. All of these features and many more are made available through complete integration with the rest of your Jonas Management System. The other one is the menu management system. Here, the point management system contains four subsystems. There are employees, employer, menu suppliers, and the case management agents. Using tips issued by the employer, employees pick the menu objects given out by the menu suppliers, and utilize points in addition to money for it. Some menu suppliers get sorted by agents. The system is for assisting the human resource department in a number of ways which include: The human resource department can use the system to view and record various requests from the employees’ preferences in order to process them. The system can also provide a questionnaire such as a graphical user interface where the employees can enter data systematically, as prompted by the system. The system specification document is about the definition and development of the Benefits Cafeteria System project. The document includes the necessities for Suite Spot employees to manage personal data, authentication control and mechanism for authorization as well as managing the employees’ benefits. After the creation of the new system, the employees will be required to register with the system and create a new profile. In particular, the Benefits Cafeteria System will take control and manage the employee’s database. The use of the system will be based on the different roles of the employees, age, seniority,

Athletic Director at State University Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Athletic Director at State University - Essay Example tate University have devised their funding strategy from a different point of view, where they openly disclose their needs and costs to their supporters. Few weeks ago, the men’s track and the field coach released their budget through their athlete website detailing the items needs and the program attached (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 112). Furthermore, the team ensured that the individual needs were accompanied by their related costs; this gave supporters an overview of the expectations of the team. The Michigan State University track and field schedule prove goal oriented and transparent. This strategy proves an asset to many schools when creating awareness for their needs. Another crucial consideration is that the funds raised must attend to the needs specified if the team wants to gain the trusted the donors (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 146). A successful athletic department ensures that the donor will always yearn to help the team achieve higher levels of success. The period 1800/ 1900 marked a momentous date in the calendars’ of college heads, law makers, alumnae, faculty, athletic directors, as the intercollegiate athletics along the institutions of higher learning was signed; they were well aware of the relationship between the success of their athletic schedules through the cooperation of donors. The reasons as to why vast individuals assume the positive influence attached to college sports and donors comes from the fact that; a well performing team serves as a source of revenue to colleges and universities in question. College sports are normally termed as a million dollar industry; prompted by their exposure to the public (Humphrey, & Humphrey, 156). The Michigan State University involves its activities in the media through; print media, the Internet, and through the television. There appears a belief that; successful college sports are a ticket to accessing more revenue for colleges and universities involved. As the director of the Central Michigan

Ocean power 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ocean power 2 - Research Paper Example Despite it being responsible for global warming and acid rains it is also accountable for the electricity generated through fossil fuel. The utilization of tidal energy, it decreases the necessity of nuclear power (Charlier, 92). Nuclear power is mainly linked to the risk of direct radiations to humans. Ocean power involves technologies that are advanced in the consumption of the energy from the sea by crashing the waves during the movement of the tides. The most obvious type of ocean energy is the power of waves. In converting energy, wave power is captured near the shore and offshore. Most importantly, all the types of ocean power produce electricity through the conversion of the kinetic energy in the water and thermal energy being converted into mechanical energy that stirs the turbine(Brewster, 109). In conclusion, the ocean thermal energy conversion is the least available type of ocean power and therefore the least used in the U.S (Charlier, 145). Most of the heat stored in the oceans forms the largest solar power collections in the world. Additionally, most of the energy from the ocean waves is basically available source of electricity in future. It is very consistent and predictable than all other renewable resources such as wind and solar. Wave energy demonstrates the best economic production of electric power would be integrated of smart technologies that support wave form of energy (Charlier,

Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Journalism - Essay Example The reason behind the easy usage of twitter accounts to spread messages fast if the features that it has incorporated in enhancing the sharing of information. This aids in fast spreading of information across the globe within seconds. For instance, from the reading, Twitter has played a very fundamental role in enhancing the communication of critical messages. Such messages include information about terror attacks (Hermida 672-673). The reading gives some insight on the importance of people to embrace the use of twitter as a social media communication platform. Twitter has a major impact on the journalism practice in everyday life. The social media communication platform has had quite and influence how in the reporting and distribution of information globally in the news houses. The use of Twitter affect how other news organizations have to respond to breaking news in order to have a significant input to the public. In addition, the journalists’ scope is evolving daily to because of the new communication platform to that is making great impacts in the communication industry (680). The article is about the impact that citizen journalism has from case studies done in China. In china, the mainstream media is in strict control and there is the intensification of social conflicts. These happen amid the worsening sentiments among the nationals in the country. The reading is very realistic about the current society where citizen and mainstream journalism communication have taken root. For instance, it cuts across the citizen communication and its impact in the societies that are non-democratic both politically and socially. The reading gives insight on what is happening in most societies in the world in terms of communication practices. It is evident from the case stud citizen communication has a great influence in mainstream journalism in enhancing the online flowing of information. The establishment of

Edgar Degas, Women on the Terrace of a Cafe in the Evening Essay

Edgar Degas, Women on the Terrace of a Cafe in the Evening - Essay Example The essay "Edgar Degas, Women on the Terrace of a Cafe in the Evening" gives a review of Edgar Degas's art. This period is normally viewed as a bridge between modernity and the middle ages. It was characterized by the developments of music, philosophy, science and literature. Renaissance art was therefore developed for purposes of promoting this concept of the renaissance movement. Artists such as Donatello, Michellozzo, and Masaccio are some of the most famous French sculptors and artists responsible for promoting the renaissance movement. France is a country that was known for its unique artistic works. In the 19th century, a unique style of painting emerged in France, and it was called impressionism. These paintings were very unique in nature. This is mainly because they were promoting the contemporary style of living in France. This paper is an analysis of the painting by Degas, called, â€Å"Women on the Terrace of a Cafe in the Evening†. This painting by Edgar Davis is a n example of a painting that was done through the principles of impressionism, and this is because it promotes the ways of life, in the 19th century France. Impressionism was an artistic movement that began in Paris and thereafter, it did spread to other parts of the country. This movement was characterized by an emergence of an independent group of artists. These people were able to experience opposition from the traditional societies of art, in Paris. The artistic paintings of these people were characterized by the use of thin brushes.

Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education - Essay Example One such person is Fr. Pedro Arrupe, the former head of the Jesuits. He is known to have made a statement that set forth the objective of education to be that of forming men and women for others. He continued by saying that these men and women must believe that â€Å"†¦love of self or of God which does not issue forth in justice for the least of their neighbors is a farce†. This essay will look into this statement shedding light on its meaning and giving an example of a person who works for the least of their neighbors. Father’s statement can be divided into two with the first part looking into making ‘men and women for others’. An educated person should be made to realize that their learned skills and competences in life endeavors are to be used to assist other people. This eliminates self-centeredness and opens room for humbleness. Jesuit Secondary Education Association states that education should be designed to make someone more of a people’ s person than an individual. It is actually impractical for someone to use their learned skills and competences on themselves and for their personal gain. ‘Others’ in this context denotes all people regardless of their race, gender, religious affiliations or even moral backgrounds. Discrimination of any kind has no room in education which means that even ‘less than our neighbors’ are simply our neighbors.

Real Estate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Real Estate - Essay Example In this case, the client claims to have using the neighbors land for the last 15 years. According to the client, for the last 15 years he has heavily invested in farming on the land that belongs to the neighbor. Additionally, he claims that out of that farming activity he has managed to harvest various crops throughout the 15 years period. In order to establish whether the client can claim ownership of the piece of land, it is good to assess whether he meets the requirements provided for in the law in order to claim ownership. According to the state of Alabama adverse possession laws, a trespasser needs to meet the following requirements: the trespasser must have occupied the property for at least 15 years, he/she must occupy the property with or without the knowledge of the owner, he/she must be physically present on the land, he/she must be open in trespassing, and must be exclusive and continuous possession. Having considered the above requirements, the client is under legally entitled to own the land that belongs to his

A particular event in american foreign policy with reference to a Research Paper

A particular event in american foreign policy with reference to a theory presented in class and in the readings - Research Paper Example It is increasingly difficult nowadays to maintain world power as it has proven to US president Barrack Obama in his tenure in the White House (Hook 2011). The whole world had been hit by the economic constrains and US being no exception it also had its problems. It has therefore become increasingly difficult to maintain the army and the rising cost of living in the US (Hook 2011). The Obama administration has dealt with many challenges while trying to accomplish one of its promises to improve on the American Foreign policy. The healthcare debate has been among the domestic debates that have really proven to be a headache to his administration. The American Foreign policy has been criticized for being self centered as it is considered to have emanated from an injured colonial history. The US foreign policy is made by domestic groups which are not considered very right and also due to the possibility of manipulation from the donors it has called for serious screening of the policy (Hook 2011). The US foreign policy actions therefore remain at a risk of being constrained by the media and other groups which have the power in the US.1 This paper will address the policy in details. The past century has seen America rise from being a regional to a world power due to its success in various fields especially in technology. The country was kept safe from global conflicts by the previous presidents who tried to practice global social exception of the Americans. This was the cause of the current problems in global and foreign relations as experienced in America today. US former president James Monroe in 1923 established the Monroe doctrine whose main aim was to separate the United States from Europe. Monroe further declared the European dominance and colonization of the countries in the West a threat to the US national security and vowed to ensure that little interaction would be allowed between the US and

Relational Skills Reflection Paper Essay Example for Free

Relational Skills Reflection Paper Essay The purpose of this paper is to allow me, the learner to analyze and reflect on a video created between an actor and themselves. Using my knowledge obtained I was to effectively incorporate trust, respect, honesty and effective communication, as they are key principles in establishing a relationship with a client (RNAO, 2002). During this experience, I encountered an issue that I believe is significant in my development as a nurse. I was placed into a scenario involving a 47 year old patient named John, who was waiting to be discharged after suffering his first heart attack. Finding the patients quietly sitting in a chair watching the floor as I entered the room, I felt the need to be in the moment with him. The issue that seemed significant to pay attention to in this scenario was my patients feelings of being overwhelmed by his medical condition and the changes that needed to be made (Appendix A). Sitting within good distance and showing respectable body language showed him respect, while acknowledging he had my full attention was displayed to the patient by making comments such as yes and I understand (Appendix A). Through the use of open-ended questions, I was able to identify what was meaningful and concerning to john. John showed a lot of concern around his ability to care for himself so this doesnt happen again, and being able to support his family (Appendix A). Knowing his concerns, I was then able to acquire the necessary knowledge needed to participate effectively in our nurse-client relationship (RNAO). This experience has allowed me to develop further in my role as a nurse. My patients comment on how our encounter gave him more encouragement to face his challenges was proof that my communication methods were effective in developing a therapeutic relationship (Appendix A). The opportunity to set aside my own concerns and focusing on the patients, allowed me to be in the moment with the patients. In those moments, the experience helped me become a better nurse as my actions made me feel more confident after each successful encounter. Watching his facial expressions and drawing in his positive responses allowed me to watch him develop confidence in my ability to care and in turn, allowed me to develop confidence in myself (Appendix A). The significant actors in this experience were the individual playing the part of John and myself, the nurse attending to the patients needs. My role in the scenario was to identify the concerns of the patient and help them to obtain knowledge. Providing  resources for my patient gave him options that were specific to his concerns such as a well balanced diet and proper exercise. The options of meeting with a nutritionist to help make healthy meal choices, and with a physiotherapist to help develop custom exercises to take with him on the road encouraged John to change his routines (Appendix A). Taking note of my patients feelings of being overwhelmed by his heart attack, I was able to give him some comfort when offering to find an individual recovering from a heart attack that would be willing to sit down and share their life stories and methods of coping (Appendix A). The patients role in this experience was to help create a therapeutic relationship. I first observed my patient with her arms and legs crossed and staring down at the floor with concerned look on his face (Appendix A). Comparing the first image to the end of the scenario showed an individual that was interested in making a change, a smile on his face and as he stated, an encouraged perception of his health (Appendix A). The client was in need of direction and help with making the appropriate changes to ensure a healthy lifestyle after having his heart attack. I was able to provide her with resources such as a nutritionist, physiotherapist and social support to adjust to life changes (Appendix A). While meeting the needs of my patient, I was successful in completing my own personal needs. Coming into the experience with knowledge of possible resources available, the anxiety present upon introduction had disappeared after gaining acceptance from my patient through effective communication. The development of a therapeutic relationship allowed both the patient and I to gain from the experience. The patient left feeling encouraged and satisfied, as I felt successful and confident in how I handled the situation (appendix A). Before the taping of the scenario began, I was trying to achieve the perfect scenario while presenting a professional image of a nurse. I acted the way I did due to the lack of experience in the spotlight and I allowed my nerves affect my thought process. This is demonstrated throughout the entire video as I kept returning to the same question are there any concerns you have, and trying to solve the patients problem instead of helping them understand and cope with the emotions that are attached to the experience (Appendix A). My feelings, thoughts and responses during this experience were influenced  by my personal view and the presence of my preceptor placed me in a nervous state to which I became unsure of how to respond properly to my patients thoughts. This experience allowed me to feel capable of my skill levels and feel confident as a nurse. Overall this scenario showed perception of my growth through the friendly gestures and facial expressions of the patient. Anxiety and stress diminish communication, interpersonal effectiveness and empathy within a nurse-patient relationship (Beddoe and Murphy, 2004). Lack the knowledge and understanding of why I am feeling this anxiety, even with positive reflections on my experience, allowed me to evaluate what I did wrong. Future encounters will help me to reflect on the scenario and blindside my anxiety before it has an effect on my actions. Having a limited amount of empirical knowledge made it challenging to let the patient know exactly what to expect after having a heart attack and what daily routines have to be adjusted. Obtaining empirical knowledge from my education regarding the components of a nurse-client relationship reminded me that I needed to place the power into my patient and develop respect and trust within the relationship (CNO, 2004). Personal knowledge was limited in this scenario as it was my first time being placed in the spotlight with a patient and I was unsure of how everything would unfold. Introducing my aesthetic knowledge was shown when I offered to find John an individual recovering from a heart attack that he could speak with (Appendix A). Throughout the experience, I became more aware of the patients feelings as I picked up on Johns overwhelmed feelings and concerns around providing for his wife and son (Appendix A). This perception of the experience is seen as John believe that he should have seen the heart attack coming before it occurred (Appendix A). He stated the he felt encouraged by this experience and felt he had more options to seek. The wife was more of a background actor, but was said to be a sweet woman, who has helped a lot throughout the experience (Appendix A). Valuing ones beliefs and concerns based on an experience is something all nurses should consider. Giving John multiple options and resources to consider instead of telling him what he has to do, have given him the power to make all the necessary changes within his life with the help of his wife and son (Appendix A). If I was given the opportunity to be placed in a similar situation in the  future, I believe that my anxiety would still be present, but more control over the situation would be noticeable due to the knowledge I have developed on therapeutic relationships. The relationship skills that I could have performed differently during this experience, was my self-awareness of human emotions. My nerves had played a role in distracting my train of thought when trying to be in the moment with the patient. Repeatedly asking the patient if he had any other concerns he would like to address may have given him the feeling of being rushed and that I was not interested in how he was feeling emotionally (Appendix A). On a few occasions, I would finish my patients sentence for him as I felt he was stuck for words, this may have allowed the patient to know I was listening to what he was saying, but also might have given him the idea that I was being rude (Appendix A). During the introduction stage of the experience, my patient told me he was in the hospital due to a heart attack. Empathy is the appreciation of the patients emotions and expression of awareness of what they are presenting (Haslam, 2007). My nerves caused me to overlook his feelings and just right into asking him about any concerns he might have with his state of health (Appendix A). It is possible to slip into a task-and time-orientated way of thinking to get jobs done, thereby neglecting effective communication with patients (Cocker, 2008). Consequences that may have developed from overlooking the patients feelings was the challenge of developing a closer relationship with the client as I was interested in obtaining information to help me solve his problems. Rushing my patient through the experience may have caused him to close himself off from the relationship as he may have felt that I was not listening to what he was truly feeling. This would leave the patient in the same state he had entered the experience with. The sources of knowledge that I could use to enhance my relational skills in these areas, is to take the time to practice with a partner a variety of scenarios that would help me develop my communication skills and place more focus on the patients feelings. The outcome of this experience was positive as my patient left feeling more encouraged and had obtained multiple resources to help him incorporate any changes that he may need to adjust within his daily routines (Appendix A). Looking back at this experience I was able to reflect on all of the positive  and negative aspects of a therapeutic relationship. I feel that the next time I am placed in a similar experience, I will be able to blindside my anxiety and personal thoughts and feelings. In turn, I would have the ability to be in the moment with my patients and address not only how I can help solve his problems, but also the feelings and thoughts being experienced. I have learnt that having self awareness identifies what skills I possess and those I need to learn and develop on. Self awareness provides nurses with knowledge of their thoughts, feelings and what they do to become awareness of issues that may affect their ability to intervene effectively (Parsons White, 2008). There will always be room to learn and improve my skills, and with practice, I will get the chance to watch them become second nature to me. This experience has taught me to avoid all the barriers such as the presence of anxiety in new situations. With confidence in creating an effective therapeutic relationship, I can focus on being in the moment with the patient. I have learnt that my anxiety can affect my interactions with patients, and that it is more than trying to solve the patients problems, it is about showing you care and being there in the moment to listen. This experience has allowed me to realize how a nurses action can affect the development of a therapeutic relationship. My ethical knowledge allowed me to recognize my patients overwhelmed feelings due to his health condition and by following my values and beliefs, I knew that he was in need of someone to care and help guide him in the right direction. Using my aesthetic knowledge, I was able to think of possible resources for my patient, and the creative idea of finding a previous heart attack patient showed my patient that I was willing to take that extra s tep and comfort his feelings. The knowledge gained from this experience can be incorporated into future situations and will allow for proper adjustments and better relationships to be developed. Lacking empirical knowledge before entering the scenario was a barrier that challenged my patient care. Knowing more information on heart attacks would have allowed me to present the patient with more options and what he could expect in the future (RNAO, 2002). Acknowledging my personal knowledge gathered from previous experiences, I considered how I would like to be treated and that anxiety would be present. Knowing this helped me to reduce my fidgeting and respect my patient by actively listening and keeping eye contact (Appendix A). This experience  will influence my future practice as a nurse because I have learnt that nursing is more than working on fixing the patients physical needs, but is more of an ethical interaction where you can take the time to be there in the moment with them. Looking at each experience as a stepping stone toward my success as a nurse and with each successful hurdle crossed, I can confidently await the next. â€Æ'Reference Beddoe, A., and Murphy, S. (2004). Does Mindfulness Decrease Stress and Foster Empathy Among Nursing Students? Journal of Nursing Education, 43(7), 305-12. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 669281021). Carper, B.A. (1978) Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing. New York. Aspen Publishers, Inc. Cocker, J. (2008). Patient dignity. Nursing Standard, 22(25), 59-60. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1440306621). College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), (2004, January). CNO Practice Standard: Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship. Retrieved February 15, 2008, from http://cno.org/docs/prac/41033_Therapeutic.pdfHaslam, N. (2007). Humanising medical practice: the role of empathy. Medical Journal of Australia, 187(7), 381-2. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1374608891). Parsons,A., and White, J. (2008). Learning from reflection on intramuscular injections. Nursing Standard, 22(17), 35-40. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from ProQuest Nursing Allied Health Source database. (Document ID: 1413949861). Registered Nurses of Ontario (RNAO), (2002, Novemeber). Best Practice Guidelines: Establishing Therapeutic Relationships. Retrieved January 15, 2008 from http://www.rnao.org/bestpractices/completed_guidelines/BPG_Guide_C2_TR.asp

Evaluation of Vodafones Strategic Capabilities

Evaluation of Vodafones Strategic Capabilities Vodafone is a well-known mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, England. It is recognized as the largest telecommunications network company all over the world on the basis of its turnover. Currently, the company has equity interests in twenty-five countries and Partner Networks in another forty-one countries (Vodafone 2011). It is the second largest mobile telecom group throughout globe after China Mobile. The firms success is due to its strategic capabilities and their link with significant external and internal factors. Nowadays for surviving in an intense competition, it is essential that firms must be innovative but it is also essential to identify what makes a firm innovative. As well, it is also vital to identify that what are the resources that make a substantial contribution in a firms innovation capabilities. In regard to business these innovation capabilities are also known as a firms strategic capabilities. The success of a firms strategic capabilities depends on its ability to link it with its internal and external factors that influence the setting of its business objectives and policies. In the light of resource based theory, the strategic capabilities of Vodafone can be assessed by identifying its current resources and capabilities as a successful player in telecommunication network industry (Ordanini Rubera 2008). Subsequently, the effects of its key resources on its strategic capabilities need to be identified in relation to its link with external and internal factors. Throughout company long history and success its resources are classified in two categories that are: Tangible resources: The company tangible resources can be classified into four categories that are financial, physical, organisational structure and technological resources. Intangible resources: Intangible resources can be classified into people-dependent and people-independent resources (Bakar Ahmad 2010). All these resources are not having same importance to company strategy as financial, structure, technological are highly important whereas physical resources is having ordinary importance to it. On the other hand, people dependent and people-independent resources like human and innovation resources and reputation and organisational culture all are having high importance to Vodafone strategy. In regard to these resources, the company is significantly able in developing several strategic capabilities that can be analyzed with the help of its value chain activities that are primary activities and support activities (Bakar Ahmad 2010). Activities or organisational functions direct its employees towards the development of capabilities so it is essential to identify capabilities in regard to companys primary and support activities. One of the substantial strategic capabilities developed by Vodafone in regard to its operations is providing telecommunication services at low cost with guaranteed quality. In regard to technological development, the company have become able to exploit technological opportunity and developing and applying technologies (Donaldson OToole 2007). For handling human resource management, it has developed its capabilities in concern of recruiting and training competent personnel for technological innovation and motivating compensating all employees for more and more technological innovation (Dodourova 2003). In regard to its infrastructure related activities, it has developed capabilities like recognizing and promoting the aspect of innovation, financing and planning for technological innovation, integrating all functional departments, evaluating technological innovation, legal support to it, and attaining essential government support to finance and protect its technological innovation (Dodourova 2003). The discussion of company strategic capabilities and resources depict that almost all its strategic capabilities are grounded on technological innovation that are highly supported by its innovation-friendly tangible and intangible resources. Due to this extreme association between resources and capabilities, the company have become able to handle its external and internal environment that can be understood with subsequent tools like PEST and SWOT analysis: PEST analysis Political factors: Several political factors related to regulations, infrastructure, and health issues affect Vodafone business objectives and policies but with its strategic capability of recognizing, financing, planning, integrating, assessing, and legal and government support it become able to effectively deal with these external issues and develop effective business strategy as per the industry trends and environment (Donaldson OToole 2007). Economic factors: Economic factors like high cost of licences, the bidding war for 3G and constant price wars between providers also critically affect company and its business plans but with its strategic capabilities of technological innovation Vodafone has become able to serve its customers with more surprising and advanced services (Dodourova 2003). Its technological development operations related capabilities are significantly assisting it in resolving economical issues from its external environment. Social-cultural factors: Socio-cultural factors like health issues, demographics and social trends also affects company operations that it critically handled with the help of technological innovation in regard to its human resources and technology development (Lynch 2006). Technologies offered by Vodafone are assured and approved that assist it in handling health related issues and its employees are highly dedicated and committed for technological innovation that assist in handling changing demographics and social trends. Technological factors: Technology related issues that affect company operations and business plans are excessive technological change in mobile phone industry, the introduction of 3G and several other advanced aspects (Dodourova 2003). All these external environment related issues are handled by Vodafone with its technological innovation capability that has been developed by exploiting technological opportunity and developing and applying technologies. SWOT analysis: Another contribution of Vodafone strategic capabilities is in concern to the management of its internal environment that is highly essential to link it up with external environment. With the help of its strategic capabilities, the company has become able to maximize its strength and existing opportunities like global experience, establish itself across several countries, exploring new technologies related to telecommunication and mobile, and increase its size of the market and as well as its market share (Bakar Ahmad 2010). As well, due to its technological innovation capability it has also become able to establish itself at a good global platform, standardized customer relationship management and attaining high operations margin (Dodourova 2003). In addition to this, the company has also become able to minimize its weaknesses and threats to external environment like high capital expenditure, huge RD and infrastructural costs, legal issues, selection of appropriate technologies, political and social regulations, and increasing competitors (McLoughlin Aaker 2010). It has all become possible due to its strategic capabilities developed throughout its different primary and support activities and continuous support from its tangible and intangible resources. All the above identified strategic capabilities assist firm in handling its external as well as internal factors that in turn assist it in the development of appropriate business objective and plans for present and future success of the company. Critical Appraisal of Vodafones Business Performance since 2008 Vodafone is one of the worlds largest mobile communications companies on the basis of revenue. From, its inception it is operating with a vision to become communication leader in a significantly connected world (Capon 2008). In its initial year, it confronted substantial difficulties throughout its business performance but in last some years it has attained immense success due to its several distinct strategic initiatives (Sandbach 2009). Since 2008, the company is doing quite well but still it confronted several failures related to intense competition, emergence of advances communication technologies, and continuous changes in customer preferences (Lynch 2006). For handling failures related to competition the company adopted three generic strategies for competitive advantage. For handling excessive competition and market pressure, the company made use of cost leadership strategy and differentiation in spite of focus strategy. In regard to its problem of competition, the company cost leadership strategy was highly helpful. One critical success attained by the company in this period was to become a firm with truly international customer base (Sandbach 2009). It become possible for Vodafone due to its appropriate strategies like differentiation and cost leadership strategy. In present also, this strategy is highly helpful for the company in dealing with the issues that may arise with number portability. Number portability means customers can switch to anyone who provides a reliable and cheapest service (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). By competing on its cost leadership, Vodafone can direct itself towards higher unit profits that in turn will help it in attaining competitive advantage through decreasing costs. Another imperative success that company has attained in last 3 years is a good global platform which integrates its existing future network systems and heightens its ability to launch products with a concentration on both market speed and the ability to deliver it throughout all group network (Lynch 2006). It is done with a strategic initiative of differentiation. The differentiation along with marketing strategy and effective marketing mix helped Vodafone in serving its customers with added value through their wide range product features and quality that is significantly different from its competitors (Curwen Whalley 2010). The company strategic initiatives and their success and failures can also be understood effectively with the help of BCG matrix that depicts the companys market share and growth rate: Relative Market Share (Cash Generation) High Low Stars Multimedia messaging Question Marks 3G Vodafone Live Cash Cow SMS Dogs Analogue services High Market growth rate (Cash Usage) Low Vodafone BCG Matrix The BCG matrix depicts Vodafones portfolio that in turn demonstrates its products stand. Boston matrix represents the companys portfolio according to where the products and services stand in regard to market share and growth (Johnson 2008). This matrix shows that the company is operating by attaining a balance. Although, it has also confronted troubles in some last years in regard to 3G and Vodafone live that can also be depicted as a problem child or question marks. For effective future success in regard to the existing problems, the company should decrease its investments into its analogue services and in its place it should make use of money from cash cow SMS to reconstitute the problem child and maintain the star multimedia messaging in the high market share/high market growth area (Lynch 2006). In addition to these strategy models, the company performance since 2008 can also be understood with the help of different tools of financial analysis. By analysing subsequent financial ratios in terms of liquidity profitability, efficiency and return to investors it will become easy to identify that how well company managed its performance: Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio: The current ratio for Vodafone decreased from 5.40 to 5.00 in 2009 and 4.99 in 2010. It depicts that in terms of liquidity this period was not as good as throughout these years the company capability to pay its liabilities has decreased (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). Quick Ratio: Vodafones quick ration fall from 5.38 in 2008 to 4.98 in 2009. This in turn also decreased slightly with 4.97 in 2010. This decrease shows that since 2008, the company ability to pay current liabilities without depending on the sale of inventory has also not attained any improvement (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Profitability Ratios Gross Profit Margin: Vodafones gross profit margin over the three years has fallen slightly from 38.30% in 2008 to 37.00% in 2006 to a further 33.80%. It is the result of uninterrupted rise in the cost of sales. Although company margins are falling but its ratios are much better than its competitors that demonstrate that industry is at its matured stage and regularly the company is making use of new marketing strategies to bring down its cost. Operating Profit Margin: The company operating profit margin has fallen from 28.32% in 2008 to 14.28% in 2009 that in turn again rose to 21.32% in 2010. This was due to company approach towards market trends and existing competitors moves (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Net Profit Margin: The company net profit margin has fallen initially from 19.4% in 2008 to 7.51% in 2009 and afterwards it improved to 19.38% in 2010 that was due to companys use of appropriate generic strategies and marketing strategy (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). Return on Equity: The return to equity was also fallen from 8.83% in 2008 to 3.63% in 2009 but again with appropriate strategies it was increased to 9.49% in 2010. Efficiency Ratios Stock Turnover: The company stock turnover has increased continuously in the three years from 85.08 in 2008 to 99.56 in 2009 and 102.71 in 2010. This shows that throughout this three years period the company has effectively converted its stocks into revenue and as well it also made an effective use of its working capital that is critical for attaining success in present intense competitive environment (Luetjen Maatwk 2011). Debtor Turnover: The debtor turnover of the company has fallen slightly from 5.42 in 2008 to 5.35 in 2009 and 5.06 in 2010. It depicts that Vodafone is having high efficiency in regard to credit management. Asset Turnover: The asset turnover of the company is almost similar in three years as it was 0.28 in 2008, 0.27 in 2009 and again 0.28 in 2010. This ratio of company depicts its performance in generating sales from the assets at its disposition. Investment Ratios The Company earning per share has confronted both the increase and decrease from 2008 as in 2008 it was 12.56. In 2009 it reached at 5.84 and in 2010 it reached at 16.44. In addition to this, its price earning ration also confronted increase and decline. In 2008, it was 2.52 that increased to 3.14 in 2009 and again decreased to 1.35 in 2010 (Vodafone Annual Report 2010 2011). The companys use of appropriate strategies in comparison to its competitors assisted it in attaining this position. With the analysis of different financial ratios of the company, it can be said that the company performance since 2008 was a mix of success and failures. In this period the company did not confronted any severe failure in spite of just some minor business and competition related troubles (Wilson Gilligan 2005). Also, the company efforts made throughout this period were highly effective as due to this only it become able to make an effective use of its working capital. Development of a Potential Future Strategy for Vodafone With detailed discussion of company strategic capabilities and performance since 2008, it becomes apparent that company is doing very well but several times it is also troubled with intense competition and several other factors like increasing costs, emergence of advance communication technologies and changing preferences of customers (Dibb Simkin 2010). Till now, the company made use of cost leadership and competitive strategy that significantly helped it in attaining its specific business goals and objectives but it also need to be updated continuously. In regard to grow its position in international and global markets it is vital that the company operate with a potential future strategy that can be developed effectively with the help of Porters Diamond that in regard to Vodafone is as follows: Porters five forces Subsequent five forces make a direct effect on Vodafones strategic competitiveness that in turn will assist in determining a potential future strategy for the company: Competitive rivalry: In telecommunication market in which Vodafone operates competition is quite high and basically it comes from its competitors O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Virgin. In this market rivalry is high and there is no brand loyalty that exhibits that there exist little differentiation in spite of price (Dibb Simkin 2004). For handling this rivalry and growing in international markets the company should expand its operations in more and more developing nations. Buying power: In the market Vodafone is operating buying power is quite high and it could be understood with the measures of number of customers that disconnect throughout a year. This also depicts that rivalry in industry is high. Customers have several choices and new packages in regard to new tariffs and new phones (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2009). For surviving in this kind of market it is vital to have continuous upgrade and expansion in developing countries for maintaining company position at global level. Power of suppliers: In addition to high buyer power, the telecommunication market also operates with strong suppliers power. In this regard, as Vodafone is a cost leader, it operates with margins higher than their competitors. This assist it to attract price increases from its suppliers more comfortably than its competitors (Dibb Simkin 2010). Being an extensive, leading competitors of the mobile telephone industry, Vodafone is able to hold its supplier cost down and attain profit but this situation would not remain in long-term if company is not able to main its position in global and international markets. For this it is vital to enter different developing countries. Threat of substitutes The company threat of product substitutes is low and it is due to its focussed cost leadership strategy. This strategy makes it difficult for others to produce similar products and services at a lower rate with same economies of scale (Fransman 2002). Threat of entry Although the threat of new entrants in industry is low but this situation need to be maintained by Vodafone by reducing its cost below of its competitors. This could be done by maintaining eminent level of efficiency and extending its place and position in different international and global markets (KÄÂ ±mÄÂ ±loÄÅ ¸lu, HNasÄÂ ±r NasÄÂ ±r 2010). With the help of this porters diamond analysis, it becomes evident that the most potential future strategy that can be adopted by Vodafone is expanding or concentrating more on developing countries. This analysis assists in identifying the suitability of selected potential future strategy. With this analysis it becomes evident that in present, Vodafone is able to maintain its position and attain significant competitive advantage with the help of focussed cost leadership strategy but the situation will not remain same in future. In future competition will get more intense and in that environment a firm that have strong international level presence will be able to operate. So, it is quite helpful for Vodafone to operate with a strategy of concentrating more on developing countries (KÄÂ ±mÄÂ ±loÄÅ ¸lu, HNasÄÂ ±r NasÄÂ ±r 2010). This strategy will also assist the company in increasing its profitability and cost-benefit that is related to the acceptability of a strategic option. Until or unless a strategic option s not acceptable it is not beneficial to use it. With this future strategy, the company will become able to reduce its costs and increase its benefits and shareholder value (Hitt, Ireland Hoskisson 2009). In addition to the suitability and acceptability of this future strategy, adoption of this strategy is also feasible. As in present also company is operating in several global locations so it is not so difficult for it to concentrate more on developing nations (Dibb Simkin 2004). It serves its customers with low prices that would also be beneficial for it to expand in developing nations. In this way, it can be concluded that concentrating more on developing markets is a quite effective potential future strategy for Vodafone and for its assured future success.

History of Womens Rights and the Gender Pay Gap

History of Womens Rights and the Gender Pay Gap 1998 marked the 150th Anniversary of a movement by women. The fight for women’s rights began in the late 19th century. 1917, women could vote, making 2017 the 100th anniversary of the ending for women’s suffrage, or has it? Although we have marched, protested and have the 19th amendment stating our rights, we are still not quite equal. This research will explore the past and current state of women’s pay in the workplace, supported with data. We have made progress, but the problem is still there. The only way to eliminate a global problem such as this, is to fight together, both genders. Men must see women as their coworker and partner, not combatant or slave. Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote what is known as the Declaration of Sentiments, in 1848. These sentiments stated facts about women, their rights and equality, that we are still fighting today. â€Å"When women did work they were paid only a fraction of what men earned† (Ruthsdotter, 1998). This was stated in the early 19th century, yet in what will soon be the 22nd century, some women are still paid this way. Women are still fighting to be considered an equal, a partner, a co-worker and not a combatant. Women prior to the 19th amendment were basically subject to their husbands. Their entire lives were solely based on their husbands. Their income, land, child custody, all other rights, and more were chosen, mandated and or owned by their spouse.   â€Å"In 1920, the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor was established to gather information about the situation of women at work, and to advocate for changes if needed. Many women’s activist became involved with campaigning for laws to protect women workers from abuse and unsafe conditions. It took seventy-two years for women and their male supporters to be successful.† (Ruthsdotter, 1998) In 1923, Alice Paul, the leader of the National Woman’s Party wrote the Equal Rights Amendment for the United States Constitution and Congressional Union, followed by the National Woman’s party in 1916. (Ruthsdotter, 1998) We have had many waves of change for women and their rights, but we still aren’t quite equal yet. We are now allowed to vote, divorce, take full custody of our children, own land, be leaders in religious organizations, be business owners, CEO’s, and file with the courts over domestic abuse. These things and more have shown how far we have come since 1848. The reason for the constant waves of change, and fighting back, is possibly due to men and women alike, can see a woman as more than just a female, with limited ability. Who some only seen her job as a wife, birth children and take care of the home. Women are now seen as fellow human being who deserve respect and the same rights as their male counterpart. Women and men have fought alongside each other for the equality of women; especially in the work place, for many years. If men in the workplace could see women as their partner, and not combatant maybe we would end this wage inequality amongst women. Many have done research to find why are women paid less than men in the workplace? Two researchers have taken a different approach in their research in women’s lives, that may contribute to the wage gap. One researcher discovered personality and wages have a correlation with wages for men and women. â€Å"Women score more highly on agreeableness than men, and because this trait is associated with lower wages in the labour market, men having lower agreeableness represents an advantage. On the other hand, men have a higher average score for intellect than women, and because this trait is rewarded in the wage setting, men’s higher score for this trait also represents an advantage.† (Nyhus, 2012)    This is profound research, not many people would involve the personalities of men and women and based wages on that. Of course, many will argue that should not be a factor, in the fairness of equal pay for women. Another researcher viewed the correlation of childcare and wages for women. â€Å"Countries where society has a positive mindset towards working mothers or about the desire for external childcare for children will provide more childcare, which will result in increases of fertility and female labor force participation and will reduce the wage gap. External childcare reduces the time women put into child rearing which increases fertility and labor supply and this decreases the gender wage gap. If everyone believes that childcare usage will be zero, the use of childcare will be zero, which leads to zero usage. Fertility and female labour supply will be consequently low and the wage gap will be high.† (Borck, 2014) Borck, could see the importance of having childcare facilities, that will provide care and childrearing for children, so women could work. We often do not think about childcare and afterschool programs to help working women. Borck could prove this in his research. These programs and childcare centers should be seen as positives, this will help lower the wage gap in the future, as long as our society can see the benefit it has on working women. So how big is the problem? â€Å"In 2015, women working full time in the United States typically were paid just 80 percent of what men were paid, a gap of 20 percent (Proctor et al., 2016). The gap has narrowed since 1960, due largely to women’s progress in education and workforce participation and to men’s wages rising at a slower rate. At the rate of change between 1960 and 2015, women are expected to reach pay equity with men in 2059. But even that slow progress has stalled in recent years. If change continues at the slower rate seen since 2001, women will not reach pay equity with men until 2152.† (Hill, 2017) These findings are frightening, if this continues this will have long term financial effects on working women. In 2015, 14 percent of American women ages 18–64 were living below the federal poverty level, compared with 11 per- cent of men. (Hill, 2017) So, what is causing it? So far researchers are discovering it is a combination of, occupation, higher education, and industry choices. If a woman chooses a low-paying cashier position and another chief executive that also contributes to the data of women with low wages.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Of the overall U.S. gender pay gap of 24.1 percent in base pay, we find that 16.2 percent is â€Å"explained† by differences between male and female workers: different ages, levels of education, experience, industries, occupations, company sizes and locations. The remaining 7.9 percent of the pay gap is â€Å"unexplained,† due either to factors we aren’t able to observe or to workplace bias and discrimination.† (Chamberlain, 2016) Warren Farrell listed his top 5 positions that he believes will keep women employed, if they chose something that isn’t always in the office and neat, but sometimes messy and includes heat. â€Å"In brief, technology is not job security, but career security. Career security matters more than job security, and both can matter more than the exact amount you are paid.† (Farrell, 2005)   The Field-with-Higher-Yield Formula: One to Five Choose a field in technology or the harder sciences, not the arts or social sciences (pharmacology vs. art history)Get hazard pay without the hazards (female adminstratior in air force vs. male combat soldier in army)Jobs requiring little education, those that expose you to the heat and are possibly messy pay more than those that are indoors and neat (UPS deliverer vs. receptionist)In most jobs with higher pay, you can’t mentally check out at the end of the day (corporate attorney vs. librarian)Fields with higher pay often have lower fulfillment (tax accountant vs. child care professional)   (Farrell, 2005) Is it possible that women could be limited themselves from higher paid positions? Part of the answer is yes, while the other part is no. Yes, If women constantly take on low-paying jobs and not attempting to obtain a higher education, they will only help with the negative statistics. No, if women as a collective whole, began to earn college degrees and experience in male dominated industries, yet still paid a lower salary, the fight will continue. There are also women who have higher education, yet are still paid less due to no child care, working part time and other family related issues. Doctor Anne Montgomery watched her pay change at various times in her career as she made sacrfices for her family. She runs a family-medicine residency program in Rancho Mirage, California. She cut back to about three-fourth’s of her full time so she could care for her son.I actually pretty much worked full time my whole career,She continues. I only got paid for part time. In 2009, she was earning $170,000 a year as a full-time faculty physician in Spokane, Washington. She was thrilled to get a $30,000 raise but it only brought her more in competition with a newly hired male colleague who had aggressively negotiated. Her husband Glen Stream; who is also a doctor, had an easier time climbing up the income ladder. He negotiated his pay and eventually earned a $275,000 base salary as chief medical-information officer of a Spokane multispecialty group. In 2012, his earnings reached $400,000 when he made $190,000 as the American Academy of Family Physicians president plus three-fourths of his executive salary. Last year, Dr. Montgomery earned $303,000, while her husband, earned $364,000. (Adamy, 2016) In conclusion, Dr. Montgomery’s story shows that even in white collar professions, women are still having a great disadvantage compared to their male counterparts. Often women are still seen in the same light as they were in 1848, before the 19th amendment took place. What if men began to take on the role as the â€Å"stay at home dad† and women were the bread winners? Would it matter? Would it hurt us as a society? I do not believe it would. Our society has been fed through media for over a 100 years about a woman’s place in our society. Dictating what constitutes as a female job and male job. Who came up with what our jobs are suppose to be? I believe as women and men we need to eliminate what constitues as a specfic gender job.   If we eliminate the labels, and allow men and women to work where they will be their best, we can start to make more progress. If we could stop seeing women as unreliable due to child rearing, and believeing they can only work so ma ny hours, do only certain jobs, and base salary on their personality traits, child care, etc. We can possibly elimnate the gender wage gap sooner. References Adamy, J. &. (2016, May 18). Pay gap widest for elite jobs women in white-collar careers see biggest gender disparity, defying legislative remedies. Retrieved from Wall Street Journal: http://search.proquest.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/docview/1789404832?accountid=8473 Borck, R. (2014). Adieu Rabenmutter-culture, fertility, female labour supply, the gender wage gap and childcare. Journal Of Population Economics, 27(3), 739-765. doi:10.1007/s00148-013-0499-z Chamberlain, D. A. (2016, March). Demystifying the Gender Pay Gap . Retrieved from Glassdoor: https://research-content.glassdoor.com/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/Glassdoor-Gender-Pay-Gap-Study.pdf Farrell, W. (2005). Why Men Earn More : The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gapand What Women Can Do About It (1st Edition ed., Vol. 1). New York, NY, USA: American Management Association International. Hill, C. (2017, September 20). The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap. Retrieved from The American Association of University Women (AAUW): http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/ Nyhus, E. K., & Pons, E. (2012). Personality and the gender wage gap. Applied Economics, 44(1), 105-118. doi:10.1080/00036846.2010.500272   Ruthsdotter, B. E. (1998, January 01). History of the Women’s Rights Movement. Retrieved from The National Women’s History Project: http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights-movement/history-of-the-womens-rights-movement/

Essay on Social Hierarchy in The Tempest -- Tempest essays

Social Hierarchy in The Tempest  Ã‚        Ã‚   During Shakespeare's time social classification was much more rigid than today and some members of society were considered superior to other members. Shakespeare provides an example of this rigid social structure through his play, The Tempest. Shakespeare illustrates how superior men differentiated themselves from lesser beings on the basis of race, financial status, and gender. Through the character of Prospero, Shakespeare provides and example of one, who had reason to feel superior, yet treated others equally and with the respect due to them.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tempest reflects Shakespeare's society through the relationship between characters, especially between Prospero and Caliban. Caliban, who was the previous king of the island, is taught how to be "civilized" by Prospero and his daughter Miranda. Then he is forced to be their servant. Caliban explains "Thou strok'st me and make much of me; wo... ...lson. "Shakespearian Superman" The Tempest D.J. Palmer (ed.) Macmillan & Co. 1968 Murray, J. Middleton. "Shakespeare's Dream" The Tempest D.J. Palmer (ed.) Macmillan & Co. 1968 Palmer, D.J. Shakespeare's Later Comedies: An Anthology of Modern Criticism. Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1971. Shakespeare, William. The Tempest. 1611. Ed. Stephen Orgel. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. Tillyard, E.M. "The Tragic Pattern" The Tempest D.J. Palmer (ed.) Macmillan & Co. 1968   

John Steinbecks Novel, In Dubious Battle Essay -- John Steinbeck In D

John Steinbeck's Novel, In Dubious Battle We are lucky to have many talented writers who have successfully taught US history through their outstanding pieces of literature. One writer of this kind is John Steinbeck in the novel In Dubious Battle. It takes place in the 1930’s when Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt was President. The story is set in a small, rural, part of California, which is known as the Torgas Valley. The novel occurred before World War II at the late part of the Great Depression. The US was still recovering from the downfall from most of the American Industries that fell during the Great Depression. Due to the Industrial Revolution, there were no longer any large industries to support the overflowing amount of workers. The farms were the only place that needed a large work force. Therefore many of the workers had to move to the rural areas to support their needs and to survive. The farm owners were now able to cut the wages significantly, knowing that the workers would not quit and they would get all the work done.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main character in In Dubious Battle is Jim Nolan. Throughout the novel his life constantly changes. No day is typical in his life. At first he was a normal working man in the urban parts of California. However, he was not satisfied with his job and wanted to have a completely different life. He then decided to join the Reds, or Radicals, which was a Party that wanted to start strikes and protest against the low wages given to all the w...

Visitor and The Speckled Band Fitting into the Short Story Genre :: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Roald Dahl Essays

Visitor and The Speckled Band Fitting into the Short Story Genre The aspects of a typical short story genre are a misleading title, an unsure opening, little knowledge of characters, short time scale, little setting and a typical ending. In the two short stories ' Visitors ' and ' The Adventure of The Speckled Band ' there are aspects of both stories which show a typical short story genre. In ' Visitor ' the title is suggesting that the story will have a visitor of some description but this could be a relative, friend or even an unexpected guest. Also it may be a planned visit but either way the title is a misleading one. The visitor in ' Visitor ' is robber yet in this story a robber isn't an unwanted guest but an expected one. In reply the police are unwanted guests who not expected. " This is a robbery ", this is not the sort of thing we would call normal but in ' Visitor ' it is. The robbers in ' Visitor ' are " professional people " where as the police are not. With the police being described as " young men " something which normally would be described as robbers. The roles have been reversed in ' Visitor ' with the robbers being the usual visitors and the police being the unwanted visitors. The opening of a short story is always very unsure and brief. " Not again, not so soon! " here the audience is thrown straight into the story without really knowing anything about what is going on. The very start of ' Visitor ' is anonyous " she saw the mini bus ", gives the story a scared and nervous beginning. " The knocking was confident but not intimidating. Civilised ", This being unexpected as you wouldn't expect this of a robber but more of somebody you were expecting or somebody you were aquainted with.The thought of 3 men, 2 well proportioned, 1 normal size would normally be quite threatening but not in ' Visitor '. The characters in ' Visitor ' are normal yet unauthodox yet methodically they worked. The roles have been reveresed. With the robbers being civil and the police being unprofessional. There is no real main character and all of the characters are only briefly described. The universal figure in ' Visitor ', Mrs Morrison is somebody we as the audience find little about. Also with it being a short story there is not much time to envolve that many characters in it so there are only very few. The timescale of a short story is only very short and this can create

Understanding The Difference of Living Standards & Standard of Living

The American life style has been very much shaped by their economy. Nearly all aspects of American, and for that matter the rest of the world†s, life have been changed by their economy†s in some way, shape or form. Everything from the beds we sleep on, to the food we eat, to the jobs we aquire to make ends meet is continuously shaped by the different economies each respective country has. So what is quality of life anyway? There are probably a thousand different answers to that question, but they all point in the same direction. Quality of life means how happy you are with the lifestyle you have. Are you unhappy because you don†t have the belongings you want, or are you perfectly happy being without them, and believe in just enjoying life for what it is. Quality of life is a measure of your social, economic and mental well being. Standard of living is something totally different from quality of life. Although they sound the same and the meanings of the separate words are similar, each phrase has it†s own meaning. The standard of your living may affect your standard of life though. Standard of living means the material possessions you have. It is the degree you are able to satisfy your material wants and needs. First, to understand how the fact that the United States is a market economy affects the quality of life there, it helps for you to know some history on the subject. When the United States first started there was practically no secondary industry, this was because there hadn†t been a need for it before then. All the States did was â€Å"harvest† the raw goods from the land and sell them back to the mother country. There wasn†t any need to have any secondary industry. This all changed when they became a separate country. Later on when the British industrial revolution was about at it†s midriff the American revolution kicked in. this changed the secondary industry from a cottage based industry to a factory based industry with the introduction of machines that could do the work of several men. The farmers started to move out of the country and in to the big cities, where all the work was. Eli Whitney can be credited with the mass production of interchangeable pa rts. Unfortunately, this system created a feeling of alienation. The workers in the the factorys were in a totally different social class than the managers. This gap along with the fact that they didn†t feel like they were part of the coroporation, a corporation acts as a single fictcios person, the workers didn†t feel like they were part of this person. The quality of life of the workers at these factories went down. They felt alienated at work, then they went home to poor housing conditions, malnutrition and virtually no social mobility. Although they weren†t nearly as bad as in Britain. The producers were happy though; they were making lots of money and more and better products than ever before. This leads to the next issue of the relations between the labor force and management. This affects how people get the products, and how some people work, thus affecting the quality of life of many American citizens. Labor and management often have disagreements because the two groups have different views on how things should work. Management wants to keep production costs at a minimum, and therefore giving workers a low wage, while labor workers want high wages and lots of benefits for themselves. When the two groups have a disagreement and go into talks they try to find the answer to one simple question, â€Å"what should be the terms and conditions of employment?† and depending on their respective answers, they agree or disagree. These decisions determine the relationship of these two groups. There are many risks in business, especially if you are the proprietor behind a proprietorship. This kind of business means you stand to lose or gain the most. If this fact is causing too much stress, your quality of life may â€Å"go through the floor.† But if you are the kind of person who values money very highly, your quality of life may go up when you have the knowledge that you may be able to make that much money. There are always ways to get around the risks of business; there are exemptions to every rule. There is always to lose too though. Since the great depression, government has had much more to do with the economy than it used to. The government has much more to do with the American citizen†s life since the great depression. This bothers some people, but others like the security of being under the government†s protective wing. The government has decided to exert more controll because they want to limit the fluctuations of the business cycle. The government now makes laws and regulations to restrain the country. There are also many more social programs now, which some people couldn†t live without. These were developed because people were losing money and jobs over things which they didn†t have control over, like market fluctuations. The consumer has a very important role in the economy, and so in there own standard of living, and even in there own quality of life. Some people are only happy when they have the material possessions, while others have no need of material things to make them happy. The people who need the possessions put a high regard to what the role of an American consumer is. Things like complaining when something is unsatisfactory, and becoming informed about which products to buy. Every country has an economic system, and economic systems affect lifestyles, quality of lives, and standards of living. An economy can affect life much the way a climate can. In fact, an economy is actually a kind of climate. An economy can change, fluctuate and cause harm much the same way a weather climate can. The united states has used all levels of government and private enterprise to ensure an adequate quality of life for all of it†s citizens. The market economy is allowed to function by the government as long as it supports the common good, or quality of life.

Examine closely, referring to the text whenever necessary, the character of Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet Essay

Friar Lawrence was created by Shakespeare to push the play towards the tragic conclusion. He takes action to the unfortunate circumstances within the play as they take place. Certainly, he is frequently made to resolve the problems that regularly face him. He develops solutions to problems in witch Romeo and Juliet are involved in. I believe that Friar Lawrence is not responsible for the tragic events which take place in the play and cannot be held responsible for the impulsive or violent behaviour of others. Friar Lawrence is nearing the end of his life; he is a man of strict morals, he shows this throughout the play. He seems surprised by Romeo’s sudden change of liking from Rosaline to Juliet, he shows his disapproval in a calm manner. The Friar dose not raze his voice or lecture Romeo for long but is quite open-minded to the feelings of Romeo for Juliet. He shows morals in Act 2 Scene 6: ‘Therefore love moderately, long love doth so; / Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow’. Basically saying to Romeo that he should be more patient, he suggests that natural passion can end in tears and it is necessary for him to wait for the relationship to work out. He can be viewed as a farther figure to both Romeo and Juliet. Juliet receives little assistance at all from her mother or farther, this can be shown when Juliet refuses to marry the Count Paris, they take little notice to what Juliet has to say; (Act 3 Scene 5) ‘I would the fool were married to her grave’. I believe Romeo often also seeks fatherly guidance from Friar Lawrence which he does not receive from his own father and family. This Proves that Neither Romeo or Juliet have a close relationship to there parents, Friar Lawrence provides the comfort for both Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is a man of the Roman Catholic Church; He performs services for the people of Verona and carries out ceremonies such as weddings, funerals, baptisms , confessions as well as celebrating the mass. The Friar may have felt he needed to help the couple as they would have committed carnal sin in the eyes of the catholic faith, a possible reason why he chooses to help Romeo and Juliet could be because of his job to listen to confessions and help people with sin. He is a friar and must live his life alone and with hardly any knowledge of the outside world (especially the affairs of young people). Honestly he isn’t really the best man to be handling the affairs of two adolescent children, being the fire of youth and the Friar being at the end of life so he has never had a deep understanding of young peoples needs. Friar Lawrence is extremely knowledgeable and philosophical. He often sits quite happily in his cell contemplating or reading. He lives his life mostly secluded from the outside world. The friar first shows his philosophical side in Act 2 Scene 3. He describes his plants and weeds and explains how they both can be used for good and evil. ‘Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied, / And vice sometime’s by action dignified.’ The friar it seems is a kind and mostly gentle man. I believe he actually wishes to help the young couple. However at times, he can also be quite brutal like the time when Romeo shows how self-centred he is after he is banished from Verona. He definitely is a brave man; by marrying the two lovers he is provoking the wrath of the two most powerful families in Verona. Another sign of the Friars intelligence is how the Friar can come up with a solution almost every time he is faced the problem. This happens on a number of occasions. For example: when Romeo is banished from Verona he suggest Romeo go to Mantua, or when Juliet is forced to marry Count Paris so friar Lawrence offers her the potion to fake death so that she can be reunited with Romeo, even when all hope seems to be lost Friar Lawrence instantly comes up with a plan on hearing Romeo has not received his letter; the Friar decides to enter the Capulet tomb which is an extremely dangerous thing to do. This is another indication as to how brave Friar Lawrence really is. The friar is also well trusted and respected. The nurse is a great admirer of the Friar, she also agreed with the Friar and she said ‘O Lord, I could have stayed here all night / To hear good counsel. O what learning is!’ Juliet is frightened by the potion, but Friar Lawrence reassures her of all the effects the potion that will make people believe she is dead. She still trusts Friar Lawrence enough to take it There is however one flaw to the Friar’s personality. He is old and naà ¯ve. He is naà ¯ve to think that simply marrying the two lovers’ will end the feud. His naivety is exposed when he asks Juliet to join a nunnery when she sees Romeo’s dead corpse in the tomb this simply wouldn’t suit a young girl. With Friar Lawrence’s good intentions and quick devising plans he can also be naà ¯ve in this respect. Friar Lawrence Is purposely put into the plot to really send the plot towards its tragic end. The friar reacts and responds to the problematic circumstances In a way that causes the play to be driven to the ending. Simply without the Friar the play could not of taken place. The friar decided to marry Romeo and Juliet he was certainly going to have to help them through any problems they would face during the course of the play. The other characters in the play cause most of the trouble that interfere with Romeo and Juliet’s passionate relationship. He had to marry Romeo and Juliet as he is a friar and he can only perform the wedding ceremony. It was his religious duty to marry then if they had sex outside of marriage it would be a grave cardinal sin in the eyes of the Catholic Church. When Both Romeo and Juliet during the play say they will commit suicide the Friar simply must help them. He could also not let Juliet take place in the bigamous marriage with Paris. There is 3 sins that take place witch it is the Friars duty to stop from taking place (suicide, bigamy and sex outside of marriage). I personally believe that Friar Lawrence is not to blame for all of the tragic events. He is trying to do his religious duty, and his duty as a fatherly figure. He tries his very best to help the couple, however are usually ruined by other characters in the play who cause more problems so the initial plans set up by the friar are ruined every time. Other Characters in the play are to blame more so than the Friar. Tybalt and Mercutio, in my opinion, caused the most problems. The fight was unnecessary and was simply for very improper causes. Tybalt had come for Romeo, but ended up killing Mercutio. Romeo is also much to blame. It is his impulsive behaviour that causes the main problems. There was no need for Romeo to be so careless to kill Tybalt. He did something that he knew was wrong. Another major incident was when he killed Count Paris. When Romeo killed Paris he had sealed his fate, if he didn’t commit suicide then he would have been executed. The Capulet and Montague families are also involved. These two families have had hate for each other for many years. If the parents of the two families could settle their differences and be mature enough to then most of these problems would not have occurred. If there had not been a feud in I am almost certain none of these problematic circumstances would have taken place. Most characters in the play contribute to the fall of Romeo and Juliet far more than Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence is the one who tries to clear up mess left by these other characters. Shakespeare intended for Romeo and Juliet to die and there is really nothing Friar Lawrence could do about it, with the play being a tradigy. It is said in the opening of the play ‘A pair of star crossed lovers take their life’. This shows it is Romeo and Juliet’s destiny to commit suicide. Friar Lawrence can only push the play along to this inevitable conclusion. Friar Lawrence himself shows some fearfulness in the play but it is fate. If Friar Lawrence had stayed with Juliet in the Capulet vault, he would have probably prevented Juliet from committing suicide. Yet he had to panic as the Watch approached, in order for Juliet to die and the tragic conclusion to occur. He marries Romeo and Juliet for three main reasons. First of all he wants to end the feud between the two houses. He sees marrying the two as a way to end it, ‘For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households rancour to pure love.’ Secondly he does not want the two to the 3 carnal sins. He is upholding his religious duty by marrying them. Additionally he can tell that the couple truly are in love although they may not be ready for marriage. The advice that is given is the right advice. If other characters had not interfered and other unfortunate events had not occurred then the play may have ended happily. However this is a tragedy and his plans must fail. When he gives Juliet the potion to fake his death this potion is as the lesser of three evils. Juliet could commit suicide, have a bigamous marriage with Paris or take the potion and live with Romeo, her husband. If there is a flaw to Friar Lawrence it is certainly his naivety. He thought that by simply marrying Romeo and Juliet he could end the feud. It may have caused even more trouble within Verona and it could have created more harm than good. Bad plans like asking Juliet to join a nunnery are due to him not being the right person to help the young couple with his lack of knowledge of young people’s relationships. In conclusion, Friar Lawrence is a good man, who tried his most hardest to help the situation between Romeo and Juliet and the family feud between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s. His motives are entirely selfless and horrible and it is the interference of the other characters, rather than his own actions, which lead to the fall and tragic conclusion of Romeo and Juliet.

Six by Karen Tayleur Persuasive Speech Essay

â€Å"One Car. One After Party. 6 People. 6 Points of View. But only one outcome. † An incredible plot, relatable characters, and a mystery that keeps you reading ‘till midnight. It is unlike any book I have ever read before. ‘6’ by Karen Tayleur should be read by each and every one of you as it is a fantastic novel for teenagers and deserves to be studied by future grade tens. This novel has everything you could ever want in a great book: mystery, romance, friendship, drama and more. The ending is brilliant, I felt like I knew these characters and feared for their lives. Straight away when reading this book we are given a plot which relates to a mysterious crash that happened on the night of the year 12 Formal. The book starts six months before this crash where the only things we know is who was involved and when it happened. We don’t know how it happened and what the outcome is. It starts with Sarah telling her part of the story, which begins with the characters finding a dead girl in the woods. As readers, immediately we are on the edge of our seats. The author definitely used this to her advantage because not only did it draw us in, but it also made for an incredible plot. See more: Ethnic groups and racism essay We are introduced to six characters: Sarah, the brainiac whose goal is to make a difference in the world; Poppy, who believes she was born with psychic powers; Virginia, your typical mean girl; Nico, the footy player who loves a laugh; Finn, your usual school hottie; and Cooper, that chilled out guy who wants to be rich. Tayleur’s unique style of writing allows us to really relate and connect with the qualities of these six characters. She has positioned them in a way so we can hear the views of every character, not just one. â€Å"This is the story about how a car with 6 seniors rolled on the night of the year 12 Formal after-party. Although it’s not just my story. † (pg 15-16). As you can see through this quote by Sarah, each character plays a vital role in the final outcome. The characters really came to life this way and it demonstrates what a tremendous author Karen Tayleur really is. This book talks a lot about friendship; who’s friends with who, who’s pretending and who’s the enemy. Does this sound similar to reality? Poppy and Sarah are best friends in the novel, although often this friendship is put to the test as Poppy believes she was born with a power while Sarah has heard enough of it. This friendship is very realistic as sometimes we don’t always agree with our friends however we know that they will always be there for us. Just like Sarah is for Poppy, and Poppy is for Sarah. â€Å"School Highlights so Far: Meeting my BFFL, Sair. † (p7). Early on you discover that Virginia is your typical mean girl in this story. So it is very surprising when she invites Poppy and Sarah over one day. â€Å"Our lives could not be described as a Venn diagram, for Virginia’s circle of friends and mine had never overlapped. † (p18). As you continue to read you start to wonder, was she really just being friendly? Or was there something more behind that? This book takes the problems we sometimes face with our friends and turns them into an exceptional story, something that can be quite challenging. However in ‘6’ it has been done spot on. By the end of the novel, readers really question the value of life and how it can be taken away in a matter of seconds. You are left with questions like how would I cope with losing my best friend? Or my sister? How would I feel if I was the one responsible? These are questions that some of the characters in 6 faced, and through Tayleur’s excellent writing, you feel as though you are experiencing these events yourself. For example, when she described the dead body in the woods, you really felt like you beside the body yourself. Life is something that we all take for granted and it was something that someone in this book also took for granted. â€Å"Poppy believed in fate. I guess it was fate that threw the 6 of us together, if you believe in that sort of thing. Or destiny. Fate or destiny—is there really a difference? † (pg 16). Using these different concepts of life made for a very effective novel that makes everyone who reads it stop and think about who they are as person. I don’t want to say too much about this novel because, like all mysteries, the end is the best part. The way the author presents the values of friendship and life allows teenagers to really take a step back from reality. By having six main characters, there is definitely at least one that you can connect to, whether it be Sarah, Poppy or Cooper. I think that is the best thing about this novel: that it has something for everyone. I personally guarantee that anyone who reads ‘6’ will love it; so what are you waiting for?