Compare and contrast the two poems, focusing on how the poets use Essay

Compare and contrast the two poems, focusing on how the poets use language and imagery to represent war. Both poems are war poems of two different periods in history. 'The Charge of the Light Brigade', by Alfred Tennyson, was written before the twentieth century whereas 'Dulce et decorum est' was first drafted in 1917 by a poet named Wilfred Owen. Tennyson's poem was set in The Crimean War (1854-56) where the British commander made the mistake of charging at the main Russian position. He was meant to have retaken some guns held by the Russians. This had inevitably caused many deaths to the six hundred men that obeyed the order. Alfred Lord Tennyson was not at the battle scene, he created his poem through the description given in 'The Times' newspaper. Unlike Tennyson, Wilfred Owen's poem is based on his experience in the First World War. This poem describes how he and some soldiers were ambushed by a gas attack. Then he was forced to watch one of his men die after failing to put his gas mask on in time. His poem's title, 'Dulce et decorum est', is Latin for 'It is sweet and proper'. He sees war as being wrong and a 'lie', whilst Tennyson believes that enduring on war is 'Noble' and an 'Honour'. The 'Charge of The Light Brigade' consists of short lines giving the rhythm a fast pace. Although throughout the poem the rhyming is not regular, the rhyme is distinctive because the lines are short. Therefore rhymes like "onward" and "hundred are clearly heard. This helps give the poem a positive tone. We feel that the soldiers are heroic as the "Half a league" moves onwards into battle. When the poem is read allowed the tripling sounds like marching. This effect gives a sense of bravery from The Light Briga... ...be that the victim of the gas attack is so badly scared his face is like a sick devil. Tennyson, from what has been implied in the poem, views war something that is for the brave and people should respect those who have fought for Britain. Despite his patriotic view, he has repeated the danger of an early death in his poem, proving he is fully aware of war's horrors. Owen has shown war as being gruesome. His poem describes the war through the senses, which allows readers enter the shoes of Wilfred Owen, and understand war's tragedy. He believes that 'sweet and proper to die for your country' is a lie, unlike Tennyson. Alfred Tennyson's poem was based on a newspaper article that has made the poem biased and patriotic. I prefer Wilfred Owen's poem because I am able to see war through his experience and how The First World War has emotionally affected him.

A Step Into The Unknown :: Literary Analysis, Dark Star

In his novel, Dark Star, Alan Furst creates an atmosphere that supports the depressed and beat down setting surrounding Europe before the onset of World War II. He is able to capture our attention by immediately creating anxiety in the depressed and broken down country of Belgium. Furst is able to draw us into the mind of Andre Szara as he enters Ostend, Belgium, describing the atmosphere as unpleasant and anxiety-driven. He presents this atmosphere through the old and rusted freighter, Nicaea, the setting in Ostend, and the assignments that Szara must complete while staying in Ostend. The thirty year old tugboat, Nicaea, represents an unforeseen road and ultimately places uncertainty in the eyes of Andre Szara. In the beginning, the atmosphere is immediately set with a dark and fearful outlook because of the depiction of the â€Å"tramp freighter† (Furst 3) that moves through the water with a distinctive roar of the engine, over powering the sound of clashing waves. The history of the Nicaea identifies the elements used by Furst to display atmosphere. It’s deep description indicates it has spent â€Å"blistering summers and drizzling winters† (3) over the years to be ruined by salt and rust. Old age has the ship â€Å"[creaking] and [groaning] sorrowfully† (4). The unhealthy environment creates an undesirable atmosphere that makes use of uncertainty as to whether the ship can carry on. Salame 2 The weather plays a major role in shaping the atmosphere in Ostend. The weather can be used effectively when presenting a certain atmosphere because it can dictate the mood. While travelling on the North Sea, Szara and Khelidze were accompanied by â€Å"rain† (3) and â€Å"darkness† (3), unaware of what lies ahead. With darkness, comes the idea of fear because its leading to the unexpected. The Nicaea has also been at sea for nineteen days through an â€Å"eternity of icy, seawater showers† (5). The weather foreshadows a dark future and maintains the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Equally important, Andre Szara is given an assignment but does not know why, further adding to the suspense and obliviousness for any consequences. Szara’s assignment is to find out where his fellow passenger on the tugboat, Grigory Khelidze, is staying in Ostend. Szara has no idea why he must find out where this man is staying, thus creating a sense of bewilderment. It is as if Szara has been set out on to a winding and unforgiving path that leaves no indication or signs as to where it will lead him.

Fraternities/Sororities Essay

Fraternities/Sororities are generally considered as a bad organization or brotherhood nowadays. It affects the academic performance of many students especially some of BSIT (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology) freshmen who tried to join. Many students find that membership in a chapter gives them opportunities to develop valuable skills they have not been able to find elsewhere. Sometimes, joining a fraternity/sorority is an excellent way for some students to meet people, get more acclimated to campus life, gain important leadership skills have fun, contribute to the community, and/or establish life-long friendships. Exact figures for the number of college students nationally involved in these organizations are hard to pin down. Positive examples of fraternities exemplifying their founding principles of brotherhood, scholarship and service are easily available. However, negative images centered on alcohol, hazing and hegemonic masculine behavior garner far more public attention: just like Guillo Servando — An 18-year-old Benilde sophomore who died recently after suffering severe beating and died after the initiation rites under the Tau Gamma fraternity. (ww.philstar.com/news-feature/). That’s why we conduct this study to find out what are really the reasons or factors that motivates students to join organizations in school in spite of these accidents that happening nowadays. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to determine the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities of BS Information Technology freshmen enrolled in West Negros University, S.Y. 2014-2015. Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of WNU BSIT freshmen in terms of: a. age b. gender c. monthly income d. place of residency 2. What are the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities of BSIT students? 3. What are the major reasons of BSIT students in joining fraternities/sororities when they are classified according to: a. age b. gender c. monthly income d. place of residence Significance of the Study The findings of this research study were beneficial or significant to the following people: BS Information Technology students. This findings of the study would help them know and understand the reasons for joining fraternities/sororities and be able to find other ways to help them cope with their individual problems or concerns. Professors. The findings of this research study would provide ideas about the behavior of the students. Parents. This would give insights on how they can exhibit responsibilities to their children and how they can avoid their children in joining these organizations. Present researchers. This will help them to identify the different insights of each student regarding reasons for joining fraternities/sororities. Future researchers. The findings in this research study would provide basis for the conduct of future research about the reasons of joining fraternities/sororities and possibly on a wider involving other areas or variables. Scope and Limitation This study primarily deals with the reasons for joining fraternities or sororities of BS Information Technology Freshmen enrolled in West Negros University, first semester, S.Y. 2014-2015. Variables included are: age, sex, family monthly income and place of residency. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following terms have been defined conceptually and operationally. Age. Conceptually, it refers to the amount of time during which the person or animal has lived. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to the amount of time in which the person exists. Alumnus/alumna. Conceptually, this term refers to a member who has graduated. Alumnus is the masculine, alumna the feminine. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/). Operationally, this refers to a member of the fraternity who fgraduated from an institution. Family Monthly Income. Conceptually, it refers to the total compensation received by all family members age 15 or older living in the same household. Compensation may include wages, social security, child support, pensions capital gains, and dividends. (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/family-income.html). Operationally it refers to the amount of money receives from the family member/s who is/are working. Fraternity. Conceptually, it refers a group of people associated or formally organized for a common purpose, interest, or pleasure. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers exclusively to men’s groups, many women’s groups officially call themselves fraternities, and the most proper term for them is Women’s Fraternities. Hazing. Conceptually, it refers to the imposition of strenuous, often humiliating, tasks as part of a program of rigorous physical training and initiation rites. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to a mental or physical harm done to a new member of an organization. Sex. Conceptually, it refers to male or female based of their reproductive organs and structures. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally it refers to a state of being male or female. Sorority. Conceptually, it refers to a Greek letter organization, which admits only women. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/). Operationally, it refers to a society for female students in a university or college, typically for social purposes

Morton Salt Essay

1. Briefly describe salt production, from brine production to finished round cans. Salt is obtained by introducing water into salt caverns which in turn dissolves the salt deposits within the caverns, allowing the salt solution (brine) to be brought to the surface for further processing. The brine is boiled in order to remove most of the liquid, resulting in salt crystal deposits. The salt crystal deposits are then further dried to remove all residual moisture to produce the final product; salt. The finished product is stored within a silo awaiting production. The round cans used for packaging salt are produced on-site. The cans are produced by gluing two sheets of chip board and rolled into a continuous tube. The tube is then cut into long sections and then cut again into can-size pieces. The finished pieces are moved on conveyor to where the various parts can be assembled into cans and glued. Once the cans are formed, they are filled with salt and the pour spout is added to the can . Once completed, the finished cans containing salt are loaded onto pallets and placed into inventory awaiting shipping to distributors. 2. Briefly describe quality assurance efforts in round can production. Quality is checked primarily by visual inspection including verifying the assembly was done correctly, checking the filled cans for correct weight, inspecting cans to ensure labels are correctly aligned, and checking to see whether metal pour spouts are correctly attached. 3. What are some of the possible reasons why the company continues to use the old processing equipment instead of buying new, more modern equipment? The company may not have updated its equipment because of the high cost of investment in new machinery. 4. Where would you place salt production in the product-process spectrum? Salt production would be a low variety, high volume operation which would place it as a repetitive production or continuous flow in the product-process matrix. 5. Determine the approximate number of tons of salt produced annually. (3,800,000 cans per year) x (26 ounces of salt per can) = 98,800,000 ounces per year. (98,800,000 ounces per year) / (16 ounces per pound) = 6,175,000 pounds per year. (6,175,000 pounds per year) / (2000 pounds per ton) = 3,087.5 tons of salt per year. 6. What improvements can you suggest for the plant? a.Application of Statistical Process Control (SPC) to reduce the cost of quality. b.Develop a plan to overhaul the existing equipment and to purchase new equipment as a joint effort among finance, purchasing and manufacturing areas. c.Synchronize production, distribution and capacity planning to make sure that there is sufficient capacity in the silos to handle the incoming salt from brine production. Reduce operating expense by introducing computerized QA for round can production for the following processes: electronically measure filled can weight, use a computerized laser to measure and ensure labels are properly aligned, use a mechanical stress test to ensure metal spouts are correctly attached

Leading and motivating a team effectively Essay

1.1. Explain the importance of the team having a common sense of purpose that supports the overall vision and strategy of the organisation (16 marks) A shared sense of purpose in an organisation is important as it unites employees working in an organisation and can also extend to external stakeholders. An organisations shared sense of purpose represents its identity and therefore the services it provides and the persons and organisations that benefit from these services. A shared sense of purpose is important because it: †¢Ensures employees from across an organisation are working towards common goals †¢Ensures employees are motivated and engaged to achieve these goals †¢Encourages employees to feel committed to an organisation †¢Causes employees to find their work meaningful and motivates them to put in extra discretionary effort †¢Makes employees more satisfied with their working conditions and pay and makes employees motivated to stay within an organisation. †¢Provides employees with a context within which they can understand their role within the team and how their contribution plays a part in that team. †¢Enables employees to work collaboratively to achieve a goal rather than choosing their own technique or method potentially at the expense of the organisation or other employees. †¢Allows employees to share in the success of an organisation motivating them to succeed both individually and within a team. 1.2 Explain the role that communication plays in establishing a common sense of purpose (16 marks) Communication plays a key role in establishing and maintaining a common sense of purpose in an organisation. The nature, frequency, style and person communicating all contribute to establishing a sense of purpose. What, when, why and to whom are all important factors effecting the success of communication in creating a shared sense of purpose. Unnecessary communication in organisations wastes time and can create indifference to the message, staff moral is reduced and important  messages can be lost. In order to maintain a shared sense of purpose communications should be targeted to the people you wish to reach. They should be clear and say the things that are needed – not everything that can be thought of. The â€Å"story† should be adjusted to fit the experiences and aspirations of the audience. Communication plays a role in creating job satisfaction for lower level employees. These employees may feel a need for senior leaders to demonstrate that they too live and work to the shared values of the organisation. There is also a need for employees to feel their views are listened to and acted upon so creating a two way flow of information is key to employees’ satisfaction and to them feeling an integral part of an organisation. One to one communication between managers and there team such as appraisals and one to one meetings are also key to creating sense of shared purpose. Top-down communication has a role in conveying direction to employees as well as clear ideas on priorities and organisational goals. Listening and accepting bottom up communication is key to staff moral, making staff feel valued and helping them to understand the importance of theirs and others roles in a team. Peer to peer communication helps to build a knowledge base amongst staff and allows staff to test out and fine tune ideas and work together more effectively. Communications most important role is to inspire others and to convey a passion for an organisation which other people can get behind. 1.3 Assess the effectiveness of own communication skills on the basis of the above (12 marks) I assessed my own communication skills based on informal interviews with previous colleagues from my roles in science co-ordination and project management. I choose previous colleagues as I felt I would get more honest answers not having to work with them on a daily basis and I have not been in my current roles for very long in order for colleagues to assess all aspects of my communication skills. Feedback was as follows. My written communication skills are very strong. I believe this is mostly due to development of my writing in my previous PR role and the 3 years I spent working with a community of international researchers necessitating a need for clear instructions without the use of particularly advanced English vocabulary. My emails are very clear, they are friendly but make clear distinction between information I am passing on and actions which need to be  addressed. Deadlines and what is expected of the recipient is clearly stated. My persuasion skills were also thought to be strong as was ability to motivate and empathise and bring people round to my way of thinking. One respondent commented that I have a â€Å"very nice way of nagging people†. My listening skills could be improved. I am sometimes too keen to ask questions when a person has not finished speaking and my need to plan and â€Å"put things into neat boxes† can feel imposing on people with different learning styles and very creative personalities. I also have a tendency to write extensive notes in meetings and 1-2-1’s in order not to miss anything and to record peoples responses correctly – this can, however, come across as my being disengaged from the conversation and â€Å"not taking on board what is said†. My presenting skills are good. My visuals in presentations are clear and slides interesting with good use of diagrams and illustrations rather than overly wordy however I have a tendency to speak too fast, show I am nervous and not make eye contact with an audience making me appear less confident than I might be in what I am presenting. One respondent also commented that I need to â€Å"stop trying to please everybody and worrying about what everyone thinks of me†. I feel some resonance with this in that I do worry excessively about upsetting or offending people at work and have a tendency to take to heart comments from other colleagues. My colleague commented that you â€Å"can’t get everyone to like you† which is true however you can get everyone to respect you and I feel that as a leader it is important to think about others feelings and make sure they understand the motivation for you actions if they will dislike the outcome. Know how to motivate and develop the team 2.1 Describe the main motivational factors in a work context and how these may apply to different situations, teams and individuals Every employee and team will have a different set of factors that motivates them to do their best. The main motivational factors in the workplace are Extrinsic Motivational Factors †¢Financial This is a basic motivation for work. A salary provides for housing, bills, food, clothing and leisure activities. Some employees will be motivated by  potential for pay rise or promotion and an opportunity to climb the ladder, other employees may be happy to accept a lower rate of pay for a job they find interesting and satisfying or for other benefits such as flexible working, pensions, healthcare or company vehicles. †¢Personal Enjoyment / Satisfaction Although not every employee will feel there work is there main passion doing a job they enjoy is important to most employees and a large motivator in making employees happy to come to work and likely to be engaged in their work and dedicated to the businesses goals. A leader/manager has a role in providing a working environment where employees feel important and that they are rewarded for there dedication whether that be financially or emotionally. †¢Flexibility Flexibility in working practices surrounding annual leave, family leave, normal working hours and home working is important to many employees. By allowing flexibility in these areas an employer also opens up opportunities for potential employees who cannot work a normal working week in the office. Flexible working can take pressure off employees with family or care commitments and giving employees a level of autonomy shows confidence in them which can be a big motivator. Employees may also appreciate and employers understanding that there life outside of work is important and effects the quality of their work when in the office. Intrinsic motivational factors †¢Impact Employees want to know that there work matters and has a positive impact on customers, consumers and the world at large. Encouraging employees to always provide the best service they can and ensuring that customer satisfaction is communicated even to those without direct client contact can keep employees motivated and engaged with the businesses goals. †¢Recognition / Reward Ensuring that milestones such as meeting/exceeding targets or project completion are recognised and rewarded is important in maintaining motivation of individuals and teams. A reward can be financial such as a  bonus or gift or can be as simple as a thank you. Recognition can be made on a one to one basis, in a peer group highlighting an individual’s achievements or as a team recognition helping aid team cohesion and pride in work. 2.2 Explain the importance of a leader being able to motivate teams and individuals and gain their commitment to objectives It is important for a leader to be able to motivate teams and individuals as the leader plays a large part in setting the goals of the team and hence in making work of the team members achievable, enjoyable and satisfying. Leaders need to find out what motivates each employee and the team as an entity in itself so that goals can be modified to achieve agreed outcomes and satisfy all team members in a job well done. Some may be motivated by money, some by praise and thanks and some by work-life balance or a combination of all these factors and more. A manager can undertake one-on-one employee analyses to understand employees work-related desires, it is likely most employees will appreciate a leaders interest in their lives and desires. A leader can help to gain the commitment of employees by being honest and frank and dealing with individuals in a straightforward and fair manner. This ensures each individual feels they will be rewarded in proportion to their effort and also not reprimanded unfairly. A manager can also gain employee commitment by â€Å"leading by example†. If you wish to motivate employees to succeed you should behave in the way you would like them to behave and try to refrain from allowing bad habits such as distraction or procrastination to emerge. Being kind, respectful and giving thanks and praise where due will motivate employees to do the same. It is important for a leader to set realistic goals for individuals and teams in order to maintain motivations. Employees need to have milestones or performance indicators and timeframes against which they can set their achievements and a leader needs to motivate and enable employees to reach these targets. 2.3 Explain the role that a leader plays in supporting and developing the team and its members and give practical examples of when this will be necessary Arguably the most important role a leader plays in supporting and developing the team is to provide a sense of purpose. The leader is responsible for setting and defining a common goal and engaging individuals in a team to work towards this. In large organisations such as UEA there is an organisational goal defined within the mission statement by senior management but this can seem very far away from individuals. The team leader can set goals centred on the teams own daily working practices and herein instil a sense of purpose and achievement individuals and groups. A leader’s focus is to create an effective team. For the team to be effective every member must play there part so establishing a shared set of values for the team is key to ensuring high quality outputs. The leader must recognise the diversity of team members but mesh these individuals skills and aptitudes together so that each member is engaged by their work and shares a sense of satisfaction in the teams achievements as a whole. Even the lowest paid positions are essential to team and these employees should not be allowed to feel anything other than equals to other team members. A reward system that values the responsibilities of each individual can help to aid this. A leader also develops the team by coaching and training. An employee will perform better and be more engaged with their work if they feel they have opportunities to learn and develop. Making sure team members are encouraged and supported to gain new skills and develop wherever opportunities exist will also improve team loyalty, participation and raise aspirations. Some areas of work can be repetitive and potentially boring. It is a leaders responsibility to make work engaging wherever possible. In my own leadership role I have previously employed a number of junior staff to undertake data entry. To try to maintain team interest I constantly moved individuals between projects to keep things fresh in their minds and also created informal â€Å"awards† for speed and accuracy giving the work a friendly and competitive element. I also invited comment on how we could develop and improve the data entry and offered to relay these to senior management. In order to inspire employees to perform better it is often better to delegate a level of authority to team members. There is little engagement in simply performing the tasks you are instructed to do but by giving an employee ownership of a task or process they can help to improve this. Showing this  level of trust in employees, listening to their ideas and trusting there judgement can also empower them to take on further responsibility and a level of self-management. As long as a team member is given clear information about what you need them to achieve and knows you are there to support them when needed they should be able to progress without the need for micromanagement or dictatorial behaviours. Finally clear, two-way communication is key to successful leadership of teams. A leader may be involved in goal setting, allocation of tasks, scheduling work programmes etc. but can be open to team members comments on this. Asking for feedback from the team on how these allocations are working may lead to even more affective assignment of work. If the team are allowed to critic the leader they may also be more responsive to constructive criticism received from the leader. Praise, when it is due, is a very important form of communication and listening to team members ideas and/or concerns will help reassure and motivate individuals.

The requirements for the perfectly competitive market

The modern business environment is characterized by an intense level of competitiveness. While this may not be good for the suppliers of products and services in the short-term, it is certainly good for the consumers because a high level of competition reduces the level of prices so that consumers can enhance their standards of living with the same purchasing power that they had before.The requirements for the perfectly competitive market are related to the number of suppliers in the market, barriers to entry in that market, economies of scale, mobility of resources and homogeneous products. The market is recognized as perfectly competitive when the conditions related to these five aspects have been fulfilled.Therefore a perfectly competitive market is characterized by a large number of suppliers, elimination of barriers to entry in that market, no significant economies of scale, mobility of resources and the homogeneousness of competing products and services. The Anti-trust law ensu res that in every industry these conditions are maintained so that competitiveness is not compromised.As mentioned before, competition is not good for the suppliers of products and services. This is because competition forces them to constantly reengineer their operations in order to reduce the cost of production or the cost of providing services.As a result, they have to constantly innovate on their product lines whether it is in terms of differentiation or cost leadership. In respect of both differentiation and cost-leadership, efficiency in resource allocation is created. In the perfectly competitive market, the suppliers have to ensure that they can get the maximum from investing the minimum.However competition also forces them to maintain the level of quality in their products and services. Since a large number of suppliers operate in a perfectly competitive market, consumers will immediately boycott the supplier who is offering low quality and they will migrate to other suppli ers.In this manner, competition creates the framework for maximum efficiency in what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce. That is why the anti-trust law has been formulated to correct departures from the perfectly competitive market.When competitiveness has been compromised, it means that there is one firm which has more power than its competitors. In this case, there is the possibility of inefficiency in the form of the monopolistic firm offering lower quality products at higher prices because consumers do not have choices in this matter. The anti-trust law ensures that such inefficiencies do not occur.ReferencesMcConnell, Campbell R., and Stanley L Brue. Macroeconomics. South western college pub. 2007.  

Emerald Energy Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Emerald Energy Plc - Case Study Example The revenue earnings of Emerald Energy have shown a sharp increase during the year 2008 as compared to the previous year. The increase is significant to the extent of 94% over the sales revenue for the year 2008. The change in the sales revenue during the year 2007 as compared with 2006 is showing a decline of 3.38% over 2006 figures. This trend is depicted in the following graph. The ability of a firm to generate profits can be assessed by working out the profitability ratios for a historical period and by analyzing the sources of income. The gross profit margin, operating profit margin and net income as a percentage of total turnover presents a realistic view of the firm's ability to generate profits. "Profitability ratios offer several different measures of the success of the firm at generating profits." (NetMBA, 2007) The ratios worked out for the Company and the ratio derived for the industry from the published sources are presented below: The above table indicates that the profitability o... The gross margin has increased mainly because of the increase in the sales revenue due to higher prices of petroleum products during early 2008. The increase in gross margin can be traced to the lower cost of sales. The cost of sales for the year 2008 was 29.25% as against 69.92% for the year 2007. This accounts for the steep increase in the gross margin as well as the increase in the operating and net margins. The increase in the profitability can be observed from the following graph. Return on Shareholder's Equity (ROE) The return on shareholder's equity ratio is another important investment valuation ratio used by the investors to evaluate the profitability of the company and its ability to generate earnings by utilizing the capital invested by the equity shareholders. This ratio is considered as more meaningful to the investors. The return on shareholder's equity has increased significantly over the three year period. Presently as per the latest financial information available on the company, the return on shareholder's equity ratio is stated as 28.45% while the ratio for the industry stands at 17.53 (Reuters, 2009). Analysis of Operating Efficiency The working Capital ratios indicate how well the company is able to manage its working capital. "The asset management ratios are also known as working capital ratios or the efficiency ratios. The aim is to measure how effectively the firm is managing its assets." (NetTom, n.d.) The efficiency ratios for Emerald Energy are exhibited below: 2006 2007 2008 Industry Receivables Turnover (Times) 12.06 9.41 5.76 12.26 Total Assets Turnover