Psychoanalytic Perspectives of the Oedipus Mythology Essay

Patricide and incest form the thesis and message that Sophocles began with the creation of Oedipus the King. In the plays that followed, Oedipus at Colonus and Antigone, Sophocles expounded upon what would become one of the most profound archetypes in psychoanalysis. To best interpret the Oedipus trilogy, a look will be taken into the construction of the plays themselves, followed by an interpretation of the plays’ parallels and the inception of the Oedipus Complex based upon a psychoanalytic perspective. To begin with, Sophocles wrote what became known as the Oedipus trilogy over a period of more than forty years which indicates the profound immersion that he plainly had in the Oedipus saga. Each play is a self-contained chronicle representing his dramatic theme of redemption from the sin of patricide and incest, and yet, the arch between the three Theban plays highlights the message that Sophocles refused to relieve himself from, and which consumed nearly his entire life. While this may seem of little importance to reading the Oedipus trilogy itself, Sophocles did not write them in the order represented in nearly every anthology. As David Grene notes, â€Å"as far as the legend is concerned, the story runs in sequence: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone† (p. i). Their order of conception, instead, went: Antigone, Oedipus the King, and then Oedipus at Colonus (p. i), which presents a few inaccuracies within the story itself (mainly with the character and actions of Creon, Jocasta’s brother). From this birth order, â€Å"the series, therefore, cannot have formed a [true or literal] trilogy†¦beyond the fact that each of the three plays deals with the situation in the Oedipodean family history, there is no unity of theme or treatment between them† (Watling). Moreover, â€Å"except for the obvious links of fact connecting them, each constitutes a fresh approach to a distinct and self-contained problem† (13). Roughly, this means that while most anthologies present the three Theban plays in a chronological order for the character Oedipus, the fact remains that each could be read without knowledge of the others and the same theme and message would be received—which, based upon Sophocles’ life-long obsession with the story, must have been his justification for the story that kept evolving. The reasoning behind the order and placement of the plays within anthologies is sound, however, because, while the stories may be self-contained, the arch of Oedipus is the link that literally turns the plays into a trilogy. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus, as prophecy had predicted, kills his father, King Laius, and marries his mother, Queen Jocasta, bearing at least four children in the process who, in the play Antigone, are revealed as Antigone, Ismene, Eteocles, and Polyneices. After learning of his horrible actions, Oedipus exiles himself as he had proclaimed would be the fate of the brute capable of murdering King Laius, and subsequently blinds himself in the hopes of finding redemption for his unforgivable sins. While Oedipus at Colonus is the second play in the anthologies, it is the literal ending for Oedipus. He is taken to the city of Colonus by his loving daughters, Antigone and Ismene, because, as he had learned from the oracle in Oedipus the King, he was meant to find his final resting place there. Moments before his end, Oedipus realizes that his sins of patricide and incest weren’t truly sinful because he committed the acts out of ignorance alone, and it is in this moment, and despite everything he has faced in his quest for redemption that Zeus absolves Oedipus of his sins and he passes, with peace, into the afterlife. In Antigone, Oedipus is little more than a plot reference to get the play started. His only mention is in the opening lines and is that, following his self-imposed exile from the city of Thebes in Oedipus the King, Oedipus had made a prediction that his sons would be arrogant enough to fight over his throne and kill each other. Thus the play begins with the deaths of Eteocles and Polyneices. The play itself follows the actions of Antigone and her husband Creon, who is the cause for much speculation from most scholars due to his not-so advanced age. As the timeline goes, Creon is Jocasta’s brother and would have been Oedipus’ senior by many years or, at the very least, would have been as old as Oedipus himself. As Antigone is Oedipus’ daughter, and Creon is said to be â€Å"a vigorous middle-aged father of a youthful son† (Watling, 13), scholars debate as to the accuracy of Sophocles’ character creation and question as to his motives in retelling the story in as many forms as he did, with an outstanding flaw. Creon’s deviation notwithstanding, it is the minor and insignificant role of Oedipus in the play Antigone that marks the main reason that most anthologies place Antigone last in the order of the Oedipus mythology, even though the timeline would, as Sophocles thought in writing them, place Oedipus at Colonus last, due to the play’s depiction of the last days of Oedipus’ life. This, in itself, is significant in understanding the psychological aspects of the Oedipus trilogy. Now, while readers will never know the true meaning behind the order of the Oedipus mythology, the fact remains that Sophocles wrote within an archetype and character arch with the intentions of presenting his dramatic theme—and it took three tries to get it out as he desired. What he created, however, demonstrates a truth about the self-discovery of the individual and the path to redemption that marks a significant aspect of the growth of the human being. To best define this journey, a psychoanalytic perspective will now be taken into Sophocles’ main theme and message. From an analysis of his work, Sophocles â€Å"shares [a] concern with finding truth in a world of appearances and is influenced, even if indirectly, by the new theories about language: the problem of the relation of words to reality, and the power of words to deceive, to win unjust causes, and to confuse moral issues† (Segal, 7). More, the plays are â€Å"almost certainly a response to events of [his] period. An unexpected, supernatural-seeming disaster suddenly sweeps away brilliant hopes; confidence in human reason and calculation is shattered, and greatness swiftly turns into misery† (9). Sophocles saw the rise and fall of powerful nations, and it makes sense that he would take what he had seen and created his rendition of events that had transpired in a literary form that he could show the world. And it is from this basis that scholars have debated over the purpose and parallels behind the two main cities present within the plays of Sophocles. Often, the city of Athens is compared to a man’s relationship with himself, whereas the city of Thebes represents the conflict between man and his father. Indeed, â€Å"the figure of Oedipus [is] a distillation of Athens at the height of its power, energy, daring, intellectual curiosity, and confidence in human reason† (Segal, 11). As the historical context of the city of Athens was surely an influence in Sophocles’ making of the Oedipus trilogy, a direct parallel from the destruction of Athens to the destruction of Oedipus the powerful leader can be drawn. More, â€Å"it is even possible that Oedipus’ search for who he really is reflects something of a communal identity crisis in a city that had undergone a massive transformation in a short time and had refashioned itself from a rather quiet, traditional aristocracy and tyranny in the sixth century into a radical, intellectualized democracy and a powerful empire† (Segal, 11). This parallel, of Oedipus to the grand city of Athens, does much to lend weight to Sophocles’ theme of destiny and the gods marking a path for man. For, as Athens rose in power, so too, it fell because it committed sins and transgressions to great to find redemption from along the way. As for the city of Thebes, there lies a direct correlation to Sigmund Freud’s theory of conflict between man and his father which represents a direct parallel to Oedipus’ exile from the city of his king-making. Freud suggested that â€Å"the play fascinates us so much†¦not because it dramatizes ‘the contrast between destiny and human will,’ but because ‘there must be something which makes a voice within us ready to recognize the compelling force of destiny’† (Segal, 59). From this theory, Freud defined that the â€Å"‘destiny’ is the universal necessity to which all of us (or at least all males) are subject—namely, the wishes that remain from our buried animal nature to kill the father and possess the mother† (59). And it is this destiny upon which Sophocles created his foundation and archetype. As a basis for his theory, Freud determined that the oracle was a direct parallel to the subconscious mind, citing that â€Å"this disguising of Oedipus’ unconscious desires in the form of an oracle from the gods not only lets the unconscious become visible but also accounts for the feeling of guilt that we have about these unconscious desires, even though we are not guilty of any crime† (Segal 59-60). Even more, Freud speculated that â€Å"Oedipus’ eagerness to punish himself, with no attempt at self-defense, corresponds to the inner conviction of guilt that stems from these unconscious desires† (60). Because Oedipus immediately set out to punish himself and find redemption for his actions, despite the fact that he did them in ignorance, then, suggests that in his subconscious, Oedipus did indeed have desires to kill his father and physically and sexually possess his mother. For, as Freud theorized, in his actions following his revelation, Oedipus confessed his own guilt. If, perhaps, Oedipus had sought to defend himself on the basis that he didn’t know his father and certainly had no affections for his mother, having grown up the adoptive son of another, the theme may then have been interpreted differently. However, as Freud was so certain, there is much to be said about the actions of Oedipus in correlation to the guilt he felt. The subconscious mind had a profound impact on Oedipus, even though he knew nothing of the birth parents he was prophesized to destroy. For Freud, the archetypal constructs of the Oedipus mythology was so absolute that he dubbed it the â€Å"‘Oedipus Complex’†¦[which] denotes each person’s attitudes and behavior in his or her most intimate family relationships, especially to mother and father†¦[and, to mature into a normal adult, the child] must somehow come to terms with the residue of repressed infantile hatred and desire for his or her parents† (Segal, 60). The Oedipus Complex, in modern psychology, is applied to the study of actions in relation to the subconscious desires that exist in every child. Even more, Freud’s theory has become common in the vernacular of psychology to the extent that scholars use the term, perhaps, without even grasping the full meaning behind the cleverly, yet aptly, named psychosis. The Oedipus Complex is based upon two main ideals: that of the matriarchal relationship to the child and the patriarchal relationship. The two are separated by this relationship and define the growth and development of the child. Moreover, â€Å"matriarchal culture is characterized by the emphasis on ties of blood, ties to the soil and the passive acceptance of all natural phenomena†¦[while a] patriarchal society in contrast is characterized by respect for man-made law, by the predominance of rational thought and by the effort to change natural phenomena by man† (Armens, viii). To better define the difference, â€Å"in the matriarchal concept all men are equal since they are all the children of mothers and each one a child of Mother Earth. A mother loves her children all alike and without (limiting) conditions†¦the aim of life is the happiness of man and there is nothing more important or dignified than human existence and life† (viii). In this, to draw a parallel back to Oedipus, the child has (whether he realizes or understands it) a desire to be with the woman who created him because of her earth-mother nature. The desire of every man is to be with a woman who understands everything and will love unconditionally—and that figure, from the start of life, happens to be the mother. However, â€Å"the patriarchal system, on the other hand, recognizes obedience to authority as its main virtue. The principle of equality is replaced by a hierarchical order in society and state, ruled by an authority just as the family is dominated by the father† (Armens, viii). It is because of this very concept that boys contain within them (whether known to the conscious mind or not) the desire to overthrow their father and become the leader of the hierarchy. More, men, by their very nature, contain the desire to become like their fathers, to achieve the power that they may possess, to be the biggest, strongest, fastest titan in the industry. With a full understanding of the Oedipus Complex, a final parallel can be drawn to the path of self-discovery that Oedipus’ entire life is consumed with. As Sophocles had directed, Oedipus â€Å"dramatizes the lonely path of self-discovery† (Segal, 13). And it is in this path that the true nature of Oedipus is revealed. For, the path that he must take is a perilous expedition, not only through the ascent of age, but in the self discovery that every man must achieve to live a fulfilling and successful life. However, it is on this path that Oedipus also meets the very destiny that his parents had hoped to terminate with their preemptive strike. In this, Oedipus is the â€Å"paradoxical combination of knowledge, power, and weakness† (13). He is strong as a king and husband, yet, when he learns the truth of his actions, he crumbles into a despair so deep that it consumes his entire life—and it isn’t a short one. Unequivocally, Sophocles began his thesis with the creation of Oedipus the King and introduced what would become one of the most profound archetypes in psychoanalysis. Throughout the trilogy, the archetypes that Sophocles presents â€Å"[become] a profound meditation on the questions of guilt and responsibility, the order (or disorder) of our world, and the nature of man† (Segal, 12). More, â€Å"the play stands with the Book of Job, Hamlet, and King Lear as one of Western literature’s most searching examinations of the problem of suffering† (12). In looking at the events that transpired throughout the three Theban plays, Sophocles’ main theme that, in any life, destiny and fate will create a man’s destiny; more, the gods have the divine right to tamper with a man’s destiny in the hopes that he will, one day, find redemption from his sins, is rendered by the Oedipus arch throughout the plays. Overall, the three Theban plays, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone, form the trilogy that founded the most profound archetype in literature and psychoanalysis. Sophocles created the character of Oedipus to highlight his theme of self-discovery and the path to redemption, making it clear that Oedipus, despite his ignorance, would repent until his final moments for his unforgivable sins. However, it is in those final moments that Oedipus finds true absolution and redemption for the subconscious guilt that placed the fantasy of patricide and incest into his desires. And, based upon a psychoanalytic perspective, the theory behind the Oedipus Complex renders the message and main theme of Sophocles’ Oedipus mythology. Works Cited. Armens, Sven. Archetypes of the Family in Literature. Seattle: University of Washington, 1966. Grene, David and Richmond Lattimore, Trns. The Complete Greek Tragedies, Vol II, Sophocles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1959. Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. Watling, E. F. , Trns. The Theban Plays. Maryland: Penguin Books, 1947.

Compare and Contrast The Theology Of Judaism And Christianity

By   theology   we   mean   a   rational   and   systematic   study   of   a   religion. It   is   an analysis   to   understand   a   religious   matter. This   analysis   helps   us   to   understand   more   truly   our   religion, and   also   in   the propagation   of   our   religion. As   we   know, Judaism   is   the   religion   of   Jewish   people. Judaism   theology follow   monotheism   i.e.   belief   in one   single   God. Moreover   Judaism   theology   says that   God   knows   every   thing, has   unlimited   power, has created   the   universe   and   is kind   to   everyone. The   essence   of   believes   of   Jewish   people is   the   written and   oral Torah. Torah   is   a   Hebrew   word   meaning   teaching, instruction   or   law. It   is   basically a   set   of   five books   of   Moses   also   known   as   five   laws   of   Moses. Moses   is the Father   and   chief   of   all   prophets. Torah   says   that   all   living   and   non   living   things   in   this   world   are   creation of   God. It   is   the   God, who   has wrought   things, workout   and   shall   work   for   ever. It says   that   creator   is   one   and   is   incorporeal   i.e.   having no   corporeal   qualities   or   in other   words   He   has   no   material   or   physical   form   of   substance. It   says   that creator was   the   first   and   will   be   the   last, and   is   the   only one   to   be   worshipped   and   none else. Torah   also says   that   all   words   of   prophets   are   true. It   says   that   all   our   deeds and our   thoughts   are   known   by   God. As   there   is   a   saying   in   Judaism, â€Å"He   who   had   formed   their   hearts altogether, He   knows   all   their   deeds†. According   to   Torah God   rewards   those   who   keep   His   commandments   and   punishes those   who   go beyond   the   limits   of   what   is   morally   acceptable. One   of   the   most   ardent   faiths   of Jewish   people   is   that   there   will   be   a   resurrection   or   rebirth   of   God, but   on   the time   decided   by   Him. It   is   believed   that   every   man   and   woman   on   earth   is   like God, with   a   spiritual   and   always   existing soul. Everyone   is   made   to   be   the I mage and   likeness   of   God. For   most   Jewish   people, earth   is the   place   where   they   are   supposed   to   enjoy   their   life, not   in   the   heaven. According   to   them, hard   work   and   education   are the   paths   directed   by   God   to   live   a   good   life. They   do   not   find   accumulation   of wealth   to   be   an   evil   act   as   long   as   it is   used   in   good   deeds   and   charity. One   can live   a   comfortable   and   cozy   life   following   moral   rules. They   also   promote   honest sex   and   marital   life, but   oppose   adultery, premarital   sex, homosexuality, abortion   and   these as   sins. They   say   that   pleasures   life   like   drinking   and   dancing   are   good   if   not   Ã‚  done   in   excess. One   should   not   be   habitat   of   such   things. Judaism   theology   says   that   after   death   a   person   is   sent   to   heaven   or   hell. Heaven   is   considered   to   be   dwelling   of   God   and   angels. And   hell   as   home   of devils   and   place   where   wicked   people   are   punished. Now,   if   we   Ã‚  talk   about   Christian   theology, then   there   is   a   very   clear   doctrine or   set   of   believes   related   to   the   Holy   Trinity. It   says   that   there   is   only   one   God, with   three   persons, the   Father, the   Son   and   the   Holy   Spirit. Each   person   is   fully God, but   there   are   not   three   Gods   but   only   one   God. Christians   consider   God   himself   Ã‚  as   a   community   of   love. The   father   loves   Son, and   the   Son   loves   the Father   and   this love   of   the   Father   to   the   Son   and   of   the   Son   to   the   Father   is   the Holy   Spirit. Three   persons   but   only   one   true   God. This   is   the   most   glorious   mystery   of   the   Holy   Trinity   in   the   whole   Bible. It   is   said   that   God   is   repeatedly the   God   of   Abraham, the   God   of   Issac   and   the   God   of   Jacob, symbolizing   the   Holy   Trinity. Abraham   is   God   the   father, Issac   is   God   the   Son   and   Jacob   is   God the   Holy   Spirit. In   Christianity   faith   is   the   basis   of   a   Christian’s   life, the   foundation   of   the Christian building. One   of   the   faiths   is   that   the   person, who   believes   in   the   Son, has   eternal   life, whoever   disobeys   Him   will   not   see   life, but   God’s   wrath   resets upon   him. Christians   take   baptism   a   way   by   which   the   original   sin is   forgiven. Baptism   is   a sacrament   instituted   and ordered   by   Jesus   Christ. By baptism   we emerge   as   a new   creature, a child   of God   and   receive the   gift   of Holy   Spirit. It   is believed   that   after   baptism   our   old   man   dies   and   is   buried   Ã‚  with Christ. Moreover It   Ã‚  is   Ã‚  hat   before     baptism you   are   a   child   of   the   devil   and   after   baptism   you   are child   of   God. A   man who   believes   in   Jesus, but   do   not   receive   baptism   in   his church   is   not   a   Christian. For   a   Christian   it   is   not   only   important   to   believe   in   God   but   also   to receive   what   God   gives   us. It means   to   give   thanks   to   God   for   everything. This   is the   secret   of   how   to   keep   ourselves   always   happy and   satisfied   in our   life. To   give   thanks   to   God   for   every thing   is   the   first   step   to   calm   ourselves   and face   any storm   in   our   life. REFRENCES:- http://biblia.com/theology/maimonides.htm http://religion-cults.com/Christianity/be-pra.htm   

Accompanying Report for Oxfam Marketing Plan

I can capture a wider market and reach out to more people, which is important to increase awareness of people about the poverty and injustice levels existing in the society today. The new product would give people an idea about how the organization is attempting to connect every human being on this planet and their cultures too. Oxfam has significantly contributed in a diverse range of social and environmental issues, having people’s wellbeing at their heart. The arrival or benefit is sent back to people without taking even one penny from it (Winston and Weinstein 2016). The whole launching procedure would take place over a time period, after which measurable results would be accomplished. The holes in the organization’s previous marketing activities would be covered with the help of this marketing plan, which would also assist in increasing the company’s competitive edge in the market and reach out to a wider audience and open new doors. An understanding of the product is the first thing that is required to decide upon the course. Objectives would be set accordingly, after which understanding the industry environment would be carried out with the help of the environmental analysis. After understanding the entire situation a proper strategy would be formed for marketing the new product (Finch 2016). Oxfam Shop, subsidiary of Oxfam Australia, is a multi-channel retail organization that has its own e-commerce website, direct mailing program and retail stores (Oxfam Australia 2017). Oxfam shop mainly retails in food and handicrafts that they have sourced from individual workers, crafts agencies and fair-trade organizations. The idea behind doing so is to help these communities as much as possible in their struggle towards ensuring a better life for themselves and their labor force(Oxfam Shop 2017). Oxfam Shop, Australia has planned to launch a new product from one of their producer Wakami. Kiejde losBosques, a social projectwho are known for marketing their produce from the rural communities of Guatemala, developed this Wakami brand.The literal meaning of Wakami is â€Å"it already is† in Mayan. Wakami believes that the world we live in is already an ideal place and it only needs connection with humans to make it alive. Wakami artisans aim to link people with products in a way that the people who buy and produce these products experience an enrichedand improved life respectively.Wakami employs rural Guatemalan women to help them live their common dream and have sources of income for improving their community lives. One of their very current products is the beads bracelets. These poly threaded, silver plated brass beaded bracelets have Zamac (zinc, aluminium, magnesium and copper) metal charms included in them. The bright and bold neon threaded bracelets stand for peace, within oneself and in others. The bracelets are hand made using ancestral Guatemala artisan techniques(Wakami 2017). Oxfam has come into establishment with the belief that poverty is inexcusable and preventable and it must be challenged so that the poor people get access to the right help and lead a better life. Along with that, Oxfam’s mission has been to present customers with the handcrafted artwork they are known for and provide the deprived with a helping hand to move ahead in life. Oxfam aims to exist to appeal to and maintain the customer base. They have made it a point to always adhere to this maxim and they believe the rest would fall into place. They have made it their objective to keep on exceeding the expectations of their customers with continued service(Oxfam Shop 2017).To bring the major objectives in point, the major ones are: For the last five years, the retail industry conditions of Australia suffered and struggled a lot. The major factors that led to the weak economic growth and volatile consumer sentiment are the unstable financial markets, which in turn resulted in a struggle for the retail subdivision operators.From 2012 to 2016, the annual growth rate has been just 0.2%. Study estimates say that the industry is expected to increase the contributionby a compound annual rate of 1.0%, a slow growth if compared to the overall economy (IBISWorld2016). In terms of the current prices in 2016, the clothing and accessories industry of Australia experienced a trend estimate growth of 0.2% in the month of November(Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017).The industry is inclining towards small and medium enterprises, leaving the giants to compete for survival. Oxfam Shop would use this market data to properly understand the requirements of the market and how to serve the customers(Philips 2014). Competitor analysis is a crucial part of the formation of business strategies or new product launching. It plays a crucial role in educating organizations about how intense the competition they would be encountering, what are the competition strategies to help marketers predict possible consequences (Hollensen 2015). In the retail market of Australia Oxfam Shop’s would face competition from Myer Fashion Store and David Jones who are giants in the fashion and accessories department. Along with that,there are specialty stores like Just Group, Country Road, Retail Holdings and Noni B (Lewricket al. 2015). In the lines of e-commerce competitors, Amazon, Hive and eBay give tough competition to Oxfam. Oxfam shop’s target market includes people who are highly interested in using handcrafted things. The organization would be targeting people from all over the world, from all regions and religions.The art collectors and enthusiasts would be the primary targets, as they are the people who have the most interest in such products, and most of the time they have the capacity to spend also. Other than that, there are people who want to do something genuinely to stop all the injustices and reduce poverty in the society (Kusnanto and Utami 2016). Oxfam is for them too. Oxfam shop has always aimed to tackle poverty by taking a hands-on approach in their strategies. Oxfam has repeatedly combined their experience of helping people in situations of emergencies and innovative campaigning so that a bold approach can be put towards reduction of poverty, hunger and inequality (Seret, Verbraken and Baesens 2014). 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An organization with plainly characterized objectives and qualities that can be the purchaser inspiration towards the brand 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Worldwide system of members and supporters giving excellent brand believability 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Enhanced portfolio taking into account key essential needs of customers 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Great online position with sensible costs contrasted with contenders 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Built as a brand from retail shop standpoint 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Influence upon its center values and discuss the same with extended audience Table 1. Strengths and Opportunities of Oxfam Shop As a marketing strategy, segmentation comprises of segregating the organization’s extended target market into industries, nations and client segments that share common interests, priorities and requirements (Baker 2014). Oxfam marketing strategies have always been organized in groups that have separate KPIs and goals. Oxfam has done segmentation in accordance with its supporters. The supporter's sorts incorporate single supplier, shop present aider, customary provider, campaigner, and shop buys. Furthermore, full scale segmentation in Oxfam is the association's bespoke way of life alongside socioeconomics, that is, including color and profundity, one segment one supporter, in view of the supporter and not Oxfam produce and connected to the whole supporter database (Armstrong et al. 2014). Targeting implies making a social affair or things an objective to be followed up on (Cameron 2014). Right when a firm fathoms its objective promote, correspondence gets the opportunity to be unmistakably easier among the firm and the target crowd. Oxfam altruistic association target showcase incorporates the people living in poor conditions and requires help from each religions, locales, range, and so on around the globe. The association's target showcase likewise targets on people living foul play particularly young ladies and ladies.  Ã‚   Positioning alludes to a showcasing procedure that spotlights on making a brand have the unmistakable position about the fighting brands and customers mind (Grant 2016). The properties that get credited by the customers fuse its standing quality, the kind of people using the things, the quality and weakness close by any fundamental or unprecedented characteristics spoke to, the cost and addressed regard (Urde and Koch 2014). Oxfam key positioning depends on what the firm do, offer and what characterizes Oxfam. The firm fundamental goal is to help the needy individuals, and that treated with shameful acts. The firm offers foundations to the needy individuals and helps the individuals who are dealt with bad form to battle for their rights. Since Oxfam alludes to a brand that speaks to philanthropy administrations, it is imperative for the organization to keep up and enhance its esteem. Oxfam offers philanthropy to the destitute individuals and answers for individuals who are treated with unfairness. The firm likewise offers distinctive products that additionally add to the gifts. As an altruistic association, the administrations and products are allowed to the objective market. It is a reasonable methodology for the casualties; notwithstanding, it doesn't manage quality-driven clients and does not rival neither high nor low price base in their products of gift. Subsequently, Oxfam can utilize value pricing methodology that contains setting prices on the products as per the client impression of the product esteem. Oxfam is among the main beneficent association promoters in the philanthropist NGO industry. It promotes its exercises and products utilizing daily papers, TV and magazines. The association has an awesome gathering of people in the social stages, yet there is less marketing effort on their online networking stages. Thusly, Oxfam ought to upgrade its marketing effort in the online networking, and Oxfam ought to post their products pictures on the web-based social networking system, for example, in Facebook as coordinated by Kaufmann (2012). Oxfam conveys its services and products all through the world. The firm finds the destitution and unfairness people and helps them in their area. The members get situated in the groups regularly with neediness issues so they can undoubtedly get to the influenced people. It is fundamental that the organization ought to consider expanding their office in different nations to enhance their entrance to the destitute individuals (Kaufmann 2012). Oxfam is a magnanimous association that spotlights on enhancing the lives of individuals and helps the individuals who are treated with unfairness. This marketing arrangement has basically helped in comprehending Oxfam's present circumstance where the firm appreciates worldwide supporters and offshoots however it confronts volunteers and workers. Marketing arranging helps create products and administrations in the business that address the issues of the objective market. Great marketing helps the clients comprehend why the item or administration is superior to, or not the same as, the opposition. Subsequently, this marketing arrangement target is to amplify global foundations and increment tickets deals. As per the prerequisite of Oxfam Shop which requests an imaginative, functional and fun item for their outlets; in this way,a quirky and bright range of accessories have been suggested which is very popular among the art enthusiasts. A decent marketing plan would help Oxfam achieve t heir intended interest group, support their client base, and eventually, increment their main concern. Armstrong, G., Adam, S., Denize, S. and Kotler, P., 2014.  Principles of marketing. Pearson Australia. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017. 8501.0 - Retail Trade, Australia, Nov 2016. [online] Abs.gov.au. Available at: Baker, M.J., 2014.  Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan. Cameron, B.T., 2014. Using Responsive Evaluation in Strategic Management.  Strategic Leadership Review,  4(2), pp.22-27. Finch, B., 2016.  How to write a business plan. Kogan Page Publishers. Grant, R.M., 2016.  Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley & Sons. Hollensen, S., 2015.  Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. IBISWorld. 2016. Consumer Goods Retail in Australia Market Research | IBISWorld. [online] Available at: https://www.ibisworld.com.au/industry/consumer-goods-retail.html Kaufmann, H.R. ed., 2012.  Customer-Centric Marketing Strategies: Tools for Building Organizational Performance: Tools for Building Organizational Performance. IGI Global. Kusnanto, N.A. and Utami, C.W., 2016. Innovation Strategy Design for CV. X's Handicraft Business at the Local Market. Lewrick, M., Williams, R., Maktoba, O., Tjandra, N. and Lee, Z.C., 2015. Radical and incremental innovation effectiveness in relation to market orientation in the retail industry: triggers, drivers, and supporters.  Successful Technological Integration for Competitve Advantage in Retail Settings, IGI Global, pp.239-268. Oxfam Australia, 2017. The Power of People Against Poverty. [online] Oxfam Australia. Available at: Philips, C., 2014. A Silver Lining to Australia's Fashion Crisis?. [online] The Business of Fashion. Available at: Seret, A., Verbraken, T. and Baesens, B., 2014. A new knowledge-based constrained clustering approach: Theory and application in direct marketing.  Applied Soft Computing,  24, pp.316-327. Urde, M. and Koch, C., 2014. Market and brand-oriented schools of positioning.  Journal of Product & Brand Management,  23(7), pp.478-490. Wakami, 2017. Wakami. [online] Shop.oxfam.org.au. Available at: Winston, W. and Weinstein, A., 2016.  Defining your market: winning strategies for high-tech, industrial, and service firms. Routledge.

Exam questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Exam questions - Coursework Example Since collective bargaining is a process directly associated with the trade unions, it can be rightly concluded that a fall in trade union membership would reduce the collective number of workers the unions represents, and therefore would lead to a decline in the collective bargaining practice itself. Union membership in the UK was in a consistent decline period from 1979 to 1998, and this can be attributed to a certain set of factors, both direct and underlying reasons. The direct causes of the dramatic decline of union membership are as below (Millward et al., 2000): Unions failed to gain a bargaining presence where it was necessary in the newly established workplaces, as the British manufacturing industry declined, which led to the establishment of new workplaces The union membership in places where they were previously recognized led to people leaving the trade unions as a follow up to other. The decline however is not due to these simple factors only, there are certain underlyin g factors which must be identified and critically analyzed in order to complete the study. Firstly, the macroeconomic conditions of UK underwent a change during the decline era, there was massive unemployment which led to a weakened status of the employees who did not want to lose their jobs by undertaking the risk of contradicting the employers, since the number of layoffs were high, this consciously instigated the workers to leave trade unions, thus leading to decline in membership and collective bargaining. Secondly, the legal and institutional policy framework established by the state government led to an automatic decline, since the policies were anti-union and unfriendly, the unions could not reach agreements since they no longer held a powerful position, thus resulting in declining membership. Thirdly, the policies instated by the management itself focused on meeting individual needs rather than coordinating with the trade union’s representative to reach a consensus, t his change in policy abolished the need of having joined any trade unions, thereby reducing the membership number by dramatic numbers. And lastly, according to Metcalf, the aggregate number of union membership is not just a function of environmental factors, but it also accounts for the way in which the trade union responds to the environmental changes, and in UK, the trade unions did not respond diligently, while making the recruitment plan more strenuous, and by ignoring the environmental changes leading to no major changes in the union’s agendas, thereby resulting in further decline (Metcalf, 1991, 22). In light of all the reasons stated and explained above, it can be rightly concluded that there were major underlying reasons which led to a decline in union membership which simultaneously caused a decline in the collective bargaining process and practices in the United Kingdom, since they are directly proportional to each other. The decline of one will inevitably result in the decline of other, because collective bargaining is a practice undertaken by trade unions to meet their objectives, and striking agreements

Cloning of Pig Cells Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Cloning of Pig Cells - Essay Example There have been several successes of cloning especially the birth of Dolly the sheep in 1997, which lived for six years. Nuclear transfer involves the fusion of somatic cells and enucleated egg cells. Cloning of pig cells will be the focus of this paper. Scientists have identified pig clones as a potential hope for the future because of the possibility of xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation has resulted from the merging of cloning with an additional biotechnology technique of genetic engineering. In addition, cloning has led to new prospects of livestock breeding and advances in medical procedures. This paper will discuss the procedure involved in the cloning of pig cells. Cloning is a multi-step process that scientists have endeavored to advance for a long time. The success story of Dolly the sheep served as a breakthrough for the cloning of mammalian cells after the success of other species (Cibell 2002, p. 32). Cloning has its basis on the understanding of the processes involved in embryo development after fertilization. The egg cells have programmed machinery that presents it with the potential of cell division, and eventually differentiation into different cells, tissues, and organs. The genetic material transferred into the egg cells emanates from somatic cells. Somatic cells have all the genetic information that determines the phenotypic characteristics of an organism. The initial step in cloning is the isolation of somatic cells that will serve as donor cells. (Cibelli2002, p. 78). The cell type chosen often determines the viability of the process. Usually, somatic cells for use as donor cells are diploid in nature. The choice of the source of the somatic cells varies according to different studies, but the udder of pigs serves as a source of nuclear donors. The procedure of obtaining nuclear donors entails obtaining a tissue biopsy. Cells obtained from the biopsy undergo the required culture awaiting the other procedures.  

Marketing for Southwest Airline Company Case Study

Marketing for Southwest Airline Company - Case Study Example The main reason for this is the dissatisfaction that the individuals and companies experience from the complex pricing strategy if the airline industry. This is a negative implication for the industry since it results in loss of customers and thereby placing it at a risk of making losses or yielding lower returns for the potential and existing investors. The industry is also at the threat of facing external attacks such as by the terrorists whose impact is negative on the operation of the industry. The attacks result in losses that take a long time to recover. They also result in loss of the significant number of customers as some flights need to be canceled while others still need to be rescheduled. These inconveniences result to traffics experienced by customers which end up inconveniencing many, leading to dissatisfaction in the passengers. This inconvenience also results in many passengers shifting to the competitors of the industries and others substituting air transport to other means of transportation. This as well results in losses that are either irrecoverable or take some time to be recovered. This further ends up lowering returns for the investors both the existing and the potential (Rouse 4). An agreement to Buffet’s assertion is also based on the fact that the airline industry is highly competitive and profitability is highly sensitive to capital and operating cost changes. The industry, therefore, lacks stability in terms of expected profits. This also results from the threat of competitors who tend to set their fares and prices by reviewing the prices set by the industry. This leads to them engaging in an unhealthy competition which is price based. This leads the industry to not being able to determine what it needs to stabilize its profitability.

A case study,plan the use of cash in a business and discuss the Assignment

A case study,plan the use of cash in a business and discuss the financial aspects of assessing managerial performance - Assignment Example The ABC costing process helps in the most beneficial allocation of resources on profit bearing products, departments and activities and reducing the costs associated with non-profitable products, services or activities. The Activity Based Costing (ABC) method is an extremely advanced costing method that helps to increase the profitability of an organization through the identification of the unnecessary costs that can be eliminated to lower the overall production costs of the organization. The Activity Based Costing (ABC) method is being considered by the case company i.e. Berry Ltd. Berry Ltd. has been using the traditional absorption costing method as the main costing technique for the company. The company manufactures three main products and the costs and resources of each of the products are allocated through the use of the absorption costing process. Absorption costing is a managerial costing method in which the expensing of the costs of all the products manufactured in the company are allocated through the consideration of both the total overheard cost and the total direct costs associated with the manufacture of each of the products. As per the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), absorption costing is the preferred method of costing used by the companies for the purpose of external reporting (Clyde, Brown and Whalen 2006). The management of Berry Ltd is considering the adoption of the Activity Based Costing (ABC) method in the company in order to achieve better cost management and control in the company. According to both the Production Director and the Finance Director of Berry Ltd. the use of the Activity Based Costing (ABC) method is likely to improve the overall cost control of the company and thus, lead to increased profitability in the business. Since, lowering the operational costs is a major way of increasing the margins associated with the manufacture and subsequent

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis Assignment

Bronx Community Health Assessment and Diagnosis - Assignment Example The main mission of setting up Bronx community assessments and diagnosis is driven by five factors. These as in Healthy People 2020 include: analysis of health status of the community as a whole; evaluation of the health resources, services and systems of care and hygiene within the community; assessment of attitudes towards community health services and issues; identification of priorities, determination of courses of actions to improve the health status of the community, and establishment of proper and achievable community health goals, and; establishment of an epidemiologic baseline for measuring improvement over time.So as to diagnose Bronx community, community analysis involving examination of the already generated data to define strengths, needs, barriers, readiness, opportunities, and resources to come up with a detailed and complete community profile would be necessary. Health indicators would therefore be based on the mortality rates, mobility rates, nutritional status, disa bility rates, utilization, socio-economic, health policy, life quality, social and mental, and environmental. For the specific purpose of this nursing case, however, much attention will be directed towards the health care delivery indicators such as equity in the provision of health care, doctor to population ratio, doctor to nurse ratio, inpatients to bed ratio, and finally population to health facilities’ ratio.In the cases of poor community nutrition related to the high number of fast-foods restaurants. and inadequate healthy eating habit establishments as may be evidenced by the concerns of the members of the Bronx community, health assessments and diagnosis exercises will be aimed at establishing the reasons for such eating habits and devising techniques that would help in the reduction of the number of average visits to the fast food restaurants per individual per a given duration of time in any given year (Herdsman, 2009). The Primary key to preventing such poor habits and promoting nutritious eating among the community member of Bronx would be to provide relevant education at the local food stores, super markets, and restaurants; and setting up agreements to place attention on healthier menu items. Secondary to this preventive method would be to offer free nutrition screening at all the local super markets or at offer

Ford Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ford - Case Study Example Some of the subsidiaries include Mazda, jaguar, land rover, Aston martin, Volvo that were later sold off to other companies. The company has an employee capacity of about 213, 0000 employees globally that are distributed in its more than 90 plants and centers globally. The company is ranked among the top five globally leading manufacturers of automobile. In America it is the second largest vehicles manufacturer, in Europe it is the fifth and is ranked eighth among all companies in America. During its initial stages the company produced a few vehicle models but has increased the models over the years to be more than fifty models. The company financial statements have been good withstanding the great depression, recession, bailouts and other difficulty periods. However the company encountered challenges in the 2000s which led to a decline in its finances and encountered huge loses and declined market share. The company’s mission states â€Å"one ford, one team, one plan, one goal† which emphasizes the need for employees to work together as a team with a common goal of achieving success, profitability, fulfilling customers wants and needs under the changing global competition and technology. The company is committed to offer support to the community on various platforms for example education, agriculture sector and food banks. It invests highly in education which the company believes is important for future growth. The company has remained under family cont rol from one generation to the next for more than 100 years. However the family has a minority share holding. The ford motor company experienced serious financial problems between 2000 and 2008 which resulted to a lot of changes within the organization. The problems were as a result of both environmental and organizational issues. The problems brought by environmental issues included, one, intense competition from other automobile manufacturers in the world which saw the company’s market share decline

Applied Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Applied Linguistics Essay Stylistics is the study and interpretation of texts from a linguistic perspective. As a discipline it links literary criticism and linguistics, but has no autonomous domain of its own. [1][2] The preferred object of stylistic studies is literature, but not exclusively high literature but also other forms of written texts such as text from the domains of advertising, pop culture, politics or religion. [3] Stylistics also attempts to establish principles capable of explaining the particular choices made by individuals and social groups in their use of language, such as socialisation, the production and reception of meaning, critical discourse analysis and literary criticism. Other features of stylistics include the use of dialogue, including regional accents and people’s dialects, descriptive language, the use of grammar, such as the active voice or passive voice, the distribution of sentence lengths, the use of particular language registers, etc. In addition, stylistics is a distinctive term that may be used to determine the connections between the form and effects within a particular variety of language. Therefore, stylistics looks at what is ‘going on’ within the language; what the linguistic associations are that the style of language reveals. Contents * 1 Early twentieth century * 2 Late twentieth century * 3 Literary Stylistics * 3. 1 Poetry * 3. 2 Implicature * 3. 3 Tense * 3. 4 The point of poetry * 4 See also * 5 Notes * 6 References and related reading * 7 External links| [edit] Early twentieth century. The analysis of literary style goes back to Classical rhetoric, but modern stylistics has its roots in Russian Formalism,[4] and the interrelated Prague School, in the early twentieth century. In 1909 Charles Ballys Traite de stylistique francaise had proposed stylistics as a distinct academic discipline to complement Saussurean linguistics. For Bally, Saussures linguistics by itself couldnt fully describe the language of personal expression. [5] Ballys programme fitted well with the aims of the Prague School. [6] Building on the ideas of the Russian Formalists, the Prague School developed the concept of foregrounding, whereby poetic language stands out from the background of non-literary language by means of deviation (from the norms of everyday language) or parallelism. [7] According to the Prague School, the background language isnt fixed, and the relationship between poetic and everyday language is always shifting. [8] [edit] Late twentieth century Roman Jakobson had been an active member of the Russian Formalists and the Prague School, before emigrating to America in the 1940s. He brought together Russian Formalism and American New Criticism in his Closing Statement at a conference on stylistics at Indiana University in 1958. [9] Published as Linguistics and Poetics in 1960, Jakobsons lecture is often credited with being the first coherent formulation of stylistics, and his argument was that the study of poetic language should be a sub-branch of linguistics. [10] The poetic function was one of six general functions of language he described in the lecture. Michael Halliday is an important figure in the development of British stylistics. [11] His 1971 study Linguistic Function and Literary Style: An Inquiry into the Language of William Goldings The Inheritors is a key essay. [12] One of Hallidays contributions has been the use of the term register to explain the connections between language and its context. [13] For Halliday register is distinct from dialect. Dialect refers to the habitual language of a particular user in a specific geographical or social context. Register describes the choices made by the user,[14] choices which depend on three variables: field (what the participants are actually engaged in doing, for instance, discussing a specific subject or topic),[15] tenor (who is taking part in the exchange) and mode (the use to which the language is being put). Fowler comments that different fields produce different language, most obviously at the level of vocabulary (Fowler. 1996, 192) The linguist David Crystal points out that Halliday’s ‘tenor’ stands as a roughly equivalent term for ‘style’, which is a more specific alternative used by linguists to avoid ambiguity. (Crystal. 1985, 292) Halliday’s third category, mode, is what he refers to as the symbolic organisation of the situation. Downes recognises two distinct aspects within the category of mode and suggests that not only does it describe the relation to the medium: written, spoken, and so on, but also describes the genre of the text. (Downes. 1998, 316) Halliday refers to genre as pre-coded language, language that has not simply been used before, but that predetermines the selection of textual meanings. The linguist William Downes makes the point that the principal characteristic of register, no matter how peculiar or diverse, is that it is obvious and immediately recognisable. (Downes. 1998, 309) [edit] Literary Stylistics In The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, Crystal observes that, in practice, most stylistic analysis has attempted to deal with the complex and ‘valued’ language within literature, i. e. ‘literary stylistics’. He goes on to say that in such examination the scope is sometimes narrowed to concentrate on the more striking features of literary language, for instance, its ‘deviant’ and abnormal features, rather than the broader structures that are found in whole texts or discourses. For example, the compact language of poetry is more likely to reveal the secrets of its construction to the stylistician than is the language of plays and novels. (Crystal. 1987, 71). [edit] Poetry As well as conventional styles of language there are the unconventional – the most obvious of which is poetry. In Practical Stylistics, HG Widdowson examines the traditional form of the epitaph, as found on headstones in a cemetery. For example: His memory is dear today As in the hour he passed away. (Ernest C. Draper ‘Ern’. Died 4. 1. 38) (Widdowson. 1992, 6) Widdowson makes the point that such sentiments are usually not very interesting and suggests that they may even be dismissed as ‘crude verbal carvings’and crude verbal disturbance (Widdowson, 3). Nevertheless, Widdowson recognises that they are a very real attempt to convey feelings of human loss and preserve affectionate recollections of a beloved friend or family member. However, what may be seen as poetic in this language is not so much in the formulaic phraseology but in where it appears. The verse may be given undue reverence precisely because of the sombre situation in which it is placed. Widdowson suggests that, unlike words set in stone in a graveyard, poetry is unorthodox language that vibrates with inter-textual implications. (Widdowson. 1992, 4) Two problems with a stylistic analysis of poetry are noted by PM Wetherill in Literary Text: An Examination of Critical Methods. The first is that there may be an over-preoccupation with one particular feature that may well minimise the significance of others that are equally important. (Wetherill. 1974, 133) The second is that any attempt to see a text as simply a collection of stylistic elements will tend to ignore other ways whereby meaning is produced. (Wetherill. 1974, 133) [edit] Implicature In ‘Poetic Effects’ from Literary Pragmatics, the linguist Adrian Pilkington analyses the idea of ‘implicature’, as instigated in the previous work of Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson. Implicature may be divided into two categories: ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ implicature, yet between the two extremes there are a variety of other alternatives. The strongest implicature is what is emphatically implied by the speaker or writer, while weaker implicatures are the wider possibilities of meaning that the hearer or reader may conclude. Pilkington’s ‘poetic effects’, as he terms the concept, are those that achieve most relevance through a wide array of weak implicatures and not those meanings that are simply ‘read in’ by the hearer or reader. Yet the distinguishing instant at which weak implicatures and the hearer or reader’s conjecture of meaning diverge remains highly subjective. As Pilkington says: ‘there is no clear cut-off point between assumptions which the speaker certainly endorses and assumptions derived purely on the hearer’s responsibility. ’ (Pilkington.1991, 53) In addition, the stylistic qualities of poetry can be seen as an accompaniment to Pilkington’s poetic effects in understanding a poems meaning. [edit] Tense Widdowson points out that in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ (1798), the mystery of the Mariner’s abrupt appearance is sustained by an idiosyncratic use of tense. (Widdowson. 1992, 40) For instance, the Mariner ‘holds’ the wedding-guest with his ‘skinny hand’ in the present tense, but releases it in the past tense ( his hands dropt he. ); only to hold him again, this time with his ‘glittering eye’, in the present. (Widdowson. 1992, 41) [edit] The point of poetry Widdowson notices that when the content of poetry is summarised it often refers to very general and unimpressive observations, such as ‘nature is beautiful; love is great; life is lonely; time passes’, and so on. (Widdowson. 1992, 9) But to say: Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end William Shakespeare, ‘60’. Or, indeed: Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime, Nor hours, days months, which are the rags of time John Donne, ‘The Sun Rising’, Poems (1633). This language gives us a new perspective on familiar themes and allows us to look at them without the personal or social conditioning that we unconsciously associate with them. (Widdowson. 1992, 9) So, although we may still use the same exhausted words and vague terms like ‘love’, ‘heart’ and ‘soul’ to refer to human experience, to place these words in a new and refreshing context allows the poet the ability to represent humanity and communicate honestly. This, in part, is stylistics, and this, according to Widdowson, is the point of poetry (Widdowson. 1992, 76). [edit] See also * Discourse analysis * Acrolect * Aureation * Basilect * Stylometry * Literary language * Standard language * Official language * Classical language * Liturgical language * Gender role in language * Poetics and Linguistics Association * Internet linguistics [edit] Notes 1. ^ Widdowson, H. G. 1975. Stylistics and the teaching of literature. Longman: London. ISBN 0582550769 2. ^ Simpson, Paul. 2004. Stylistics : A resource book for students. Routledge p. 2: Stylistics is a method of textual interpretation in which primacy of place is assigned to language. 3. ^ Simpson, Paul. 2004. Stylistics : A resource book for students. Routledge p.  3: The preferred object of study in stylistics is literature, whether that be institutionally sanctioned ‘Literature’ as high art or more popular ‘noncanonical’ forms of writing. . 4. ^ Lesley Jeffries, Daniel McIntyre, Stylistics, Cambridge University Press, 2010, p1. ISBN 052172869X 5. ^ Talbot J. Taylor, Mutual Misunderstanding: Scepticism and the Theorizing of Language and Interpretation, Duke University Press, 1992, p91. ISBN 0822312492 6. ^ Ulrich Ammon, Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties, Walter de Gruyter, 1989, p518. ISBN 0899253563 7. ^ Katie Wales, A Dictionary of Stylistics, Pearson Education, 2001, p315. ISBN 0582317371 8. ^ Rob Pope, The English Studies Book: an Introduction to Language, Literature and Culture, Routledge, 2002, p88. ISBN 0415257107 9. ^ Richard Bradford, A Linguistic History of English Poetry, Routledge, 1993, p8. ISBN 0415070570 10. ^ Nikolas Coupland, Style: Language Variation and Identity, Cambridge University Press, 2007, p10. ISBN 0521853036 11. ^ Raman Selden, The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism: From Formalism to Poststructuralism, Cambridge University Press, 1989, p83. ISBN 0521300134 12. ^ Paul Simpson, Stylistics: a Resource Book for Students, Routledge, 2004, p75. ISBN 0415281040 13. ^ Helen Leckie-Tarry, Language and Context: a Functional Linguistic Theory of Register, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995, p6. ISBN 1855672723 14. ^ Nikolas Coupland, Style: Language Variation and Identity, Cambridge University Press, 2007, p12. ISBN 0521853036 15. ^ Christopher S. Butler, Structure and Function: a Guide to Three Major Structural-Functional Theories, John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2003, p373. ISBN 1588113612 [edit] References and related reading * ed. David Birch. 1995. Context and Language: A Functional Linguistic Theory of Register (London, New York: Pinter) * Richard Bradford. 1997. Stylistics (London and New York: Routledge) * Michael Burke. 2010. Literary Reading, Cognition and Emotion: An Exploration of the Oceanic Mind (London and New York: Routledge) * David Crystal. 1998. Language Play (London: Penguin) 1985. A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 2nd edition (Oxford: Basil Blackwell) 1997. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, 2nd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) * William Downes. 1998. Language and Society, 2nd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) * Roger Fowler. 1996. Linguistic Criticism, 2nd edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press) 1995. The Language of George Orwell (London: Macmillan Press) * MAK Halliday. 1978. Language as Social Semiotic: The Social Interpretation of Language and Meaning (London: Edward Arnold) * Brian Lamont. 2005. First Impressions (Edinburgh: Penbury Press) * Geoffrey Leech and Michael H. Short. 1981. Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose (London: Longman) * A McIntosh and P Simpson. 1964. The Linguistic Science and Language Teaching (London: Longman) * George Orwell. 1949. Nineteen Eighty-Four (London: Heinemann) 1964. Inside the Whale and Other Essays (London: Penguin Books) * Adrian Pilkington. 1991. ‘Poetic Effects’, Literary Pragmatics, ed. Roger Sell (London: Routledge) * ed. Thomas A. Sebeok. 1960. Style in Language (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) * Michael Toolan. 1998. Language in Literature: An Introduction to Stylistics (London: Hodder Arnold) * Jonathan Swift. 1994. Gulliver’s Travels (London: Penguin Popular Classics) * Katie Wales. 2001. A Dictionary of Stylistics, 2nd edition, (Harlow: Longman) * ed. Jean Jacques Weber. 1996. The Stylistics Reader: From Roman Jakobson to the Present (London: Arnold Hodder) * PM Wetherill. 1974. Literary Text: An Examination of Critical Methods (Oxford: Basil Blackwell) * HG Widdowson. 1992. Practical Stylistics (Oxford: Oxford University Press) * Joseph Williams. 2007. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 9th edition (New York: Pearson Longman) [edit] External links * Checklist of American and British programs in stylistics and literary linguistics * The British Poetics and Linguistics Association * http://www. brianlamont. com/ Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Stylistics_(literature) Categories: Applied linguistics | Language varieties and styles | Linguistics Hidden categories: Wikipedia articles needing style editing from October 2010 | All articles needing style editing Personal tools. * Log in / create account Namespaces * Article * Discussion Variants Views * Read * Edit * View history Actions Search - Top of Form Bottom of Form Navigation * Main page * Contents * Featured content * Current events * Random article * Donate to Wikipedia Interaction * Help * About Wikipedia * Community portal * Recent changes * Contact Wikipedia Toolbox * What links here * Related changes * Upload file * Special pages * Permanent link * Cite this page Print/export * Create a book * Download as PDF * Printable version Languages * * БÐ µÃ »Ã °Ã'€Ã'Æ'Ã' Ã ºÃ °Ã'  * БÃ'ŠÐ »Ã ³Ã °Ã'€Ã' Ã ºÃ ¸ * Catala * Cesky * Dansk. * Deutsch * Eesti * Espanol * Esperanto * Francais * Galego * * Ido * Bahasa Indonesia * Italiano * * Kiswahili * Magyar * ÐÅ"Ð ¾Ã ½Ã ³Ã ¾Ã » * Nederlands * * Polski * Portugues * Romana * Ð  Ã'Æ'Ã' Ã' Ã ºÃ ¸Ã ¹ * Slovencina * Srpskohrvatski / Ð ¡Ã'€Ð ¿Ã' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã'…Ã'€Ð ²Ã °Ã'‚Ã' Ã ºÃ ¸ * Suomi * Svenska * Ð £Ã ºÃ'€Ð °Ã'â€"Ð ½Ã' Ã'Å'Ð ºÃ ° * This page was last modified on 4 March 2011 at 05:48. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. 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Mission of the organization defines the expected position and the fundamental purpose

Mission of the organization defines the expected position and the fundamental purpose Introduction The vision and mission of the organization defines the expected position and the fundamental purpose of the organization. The purpose of this assignment is to understand the vision and mission of the case company and to identify and understand the strategic aims and objectives of an organization and investigate its progress towards the fulfillment of those aims and objectives. For this different alternative strategies available to the organization are also considered. To fulfill the requirement of this assignment the organization selected for investigation is McDonalds. McDonalds is the leading fast food restaurant chain of the world and is serving more than 58 million customers on daily basis. McDonalds Vision and Mission Statement Every organization must have a vision and a mission. Vision and mission statements are the short phrases which sets the whole direction of the organization. Vision statement provides the whole picture of the organizations desired future position in a single phrase. This statement then sets a whole direction of all the strategic aims and objectives of the organization. Below is the vision statement of the case company i.e. McDonalds: To be the worlds best quick service restaurant experience, being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile Mission statement clarifies the fundamental purpose of the organization. Off course the purpose is to achieve the vision of the organization, but mission statement goes in further detail and answers the question of the existence of the organization. Mission statement of McDonalds is: To be the best employer To deliver operational excellence Achieving durable profits Expanding the brand name and extending the strength of McDonalds system through innovation and technology. Analyzing the vision and mission statement of the case company it is clear that organizations focus is mainly towards the external and internal customers i.e. consumers and employees. Furthermore, the company is committed to innovate and use the latest technology to earn huge profits. McDonalds Strategic Aims and Objectives An aim is a broader statement which tells what an organization wants to become and the objectives are the specific targets or tasks which leads towards the fulfillment of the aim of the organization. It is very important for an organization to set such aims which are practically possible and which can be measured. If this is not the case the organization will put its efforts and resources in that direction which is not possible at all. For effective working and success for an organization the aims and objectives must be realistic and it must also be associated with some time frame as if it is not the case then there will be confusion within the organization regarding the time to complete the tasks and projects (Fred David, 2006). Furthermore, the aims should be measureable, as the progress towards the fulfillment of objectives should be easily measured as if this is not the case then it would be very difficult for an organization to know that whether the desired results are achieved or not. McDonalds key to success all over the world is their priorities, which are also mentioned on their corporate website. The top priority of the leading fast food restaurant chain is the customers. As per the McDonalds corporate values the reason of the existence of the business are their customers and they work only to fulfill the needs and demands of the customers. As per the company it is not the matter of sales rather it is the matter of providing quality products along with the best services to the customers in affordable prices. The second priority is their employees or workforce. The company believes that the employees make the dream of the organization come true. The employees are their valuable assets and it is just because of the skills and competencies of their employees which enables the organization to achieve the set goals and targets. The company also believes the quality of their business model. According to the corporate values of the company the business model is set to meet the dynamic customer behavioral changes. The strategic aims and objectives of McDonalds and mentioned below and these shows that what are the top priorities of the company and it gives a hint why the company is so successful all across the globe: To maintain the leadership in fast food restaurant industry To serve the customer with good food in a friendly and fun environment Providing the quality food and value of money to the customer Providing the shareholder a positive return on their investments To meet the social and ethical responsibility Strategic Plan and its Component parts Strategic plan of any enterprise is a picture of the desired position of the organization. Strategic plan gives a root path that how the organization will achieve the desired place or position in the given industry (Maches, B. 2010). Three major components of strategic plan include formulation, implementation and evaluation of strategy carries that information and plan which provides a direction towards the organizational objectives (Kim Warren, 2008). Strategy Formulation Strategy formulation process starts with the situation analysis of the organization. Situation analysis is an important part of strategic plan as it gives an overview of the existing position of the organization. Situation analysis includes the analysis of internal and external environment of the organization. Different strategic tools can be used to evaluate this situation i.e. SWOT analysis, PEST Analysis etc. This also includes the evaluation of current mission and vision of the organization. Vision statement clarifies that what an organization want to become and on the other hand mission statements shows that what business the organization operates. Mission contains the products and services, its markets and its employee management policy. The assessment of external factors of the organization involves the listing down of finite list of factors which are a potential threat or opportunities for the organization in the external environment. By finite list is meant that not all the factors are focused. The priority is given to those factors which have high level of impact or form which high returns can be gained. The internal audit is also done in the situation analysis where the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization are listed down (Fred David, 2006). After the clear understanding of the organizations current situation the real work begins where the strategies are formulated. The best practice is to involve the employees in this process as the employees from all levels will share their views and a better strategic decision will be expected. Here the strategies are developed to capitalize the opportunities available which were assessed in the external audit and minimize the threat of the factors. On the other side the strengths of the organizations require such strategies which further enhance them and the weaknesses are tried to be overcome. The next step in the strategy formulation stage is setting the long term objectives. Long term objectives are those which are associated with the sales and market share growth, it can be the growth of assets; it can be attaining any award from the government body etc. This is a very important phase as the long term goals and objectives show a direction to the whole organization. Long term objectives are set after a through consideration of external and internal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the organization. The available resources and the expected resources are listed and based on those resources the long term but achievable, measureable and realistic objectives are set with proper timelines (Fred David, 2006). The final stage of strategy formulation process is the evaluation and selection of appropriate strategies to meet the long term objectives. In this the alternative strategies are also identified an evaluated and a contingency planning is also done. For instance in case of any external change which is beyond the change of organization such as change in legislations or change in market conditions then that contingency plan can be used. The existing strategies of the organization are the initial point for strategy evaluation. Strategy Implementation The next step in a strategic plan includes the strategy implementation. Developing an effective strategy does not ensures that the strategic plan will be successful. It was in the old times when the strategic planning was done only at the level of stagy formulation stage. Experiences of different organizations and further studies revealed that strategy formulation does not ensure the success of strategic plan. Implementation is another important part of the strategic plan. In the implementation phase the process of shifting the responsibilities to the middle and lower level of management is developed. As in the strategy formulation stage it was mentioned that to involve the employees of all the levels is important, so if any organization has done this during the strategy formulation them the strategy implementation process will be lot more easier. This is because the middle and lower level staff will have a clearer view of the strategies developed and they would be in a better positi on to implement those strategies in real practice (Kim Warren, 2008). Strategy Evaluation and Control After the implementation of strategic plan it is important like all other plans and project to evaluate the progress of that plan. Implementation phase end with the start of evaluation process. This is a continuous process until the strategic aims and objectives are not met (Fred David, 2006). There are many organizations such as McDonalds, who have strategic aims and objectives that shows continuity and a continuous process is required for that for instance one of the strategic objectives of the company is to provide the value to the customer. This is an objective which shows continuity as the fast food chain is aimed to provide the customer value to their money so for that strategy evaluation is required. This process ensures that the implemented strategies are progressing towards the achievement of organizational aims and objectives or not. In this process the required results or outcomes are compared with the actual results and if there is any kind of difference then with the cha nge in strategies of taking appropriate steps that difference is tried to be eliminated or at least minimized. Factors affecting McDonalds Strategic Plan Several internal and external factors can affect the strategic plan of McDonalds. These may include factors such as managements vision, financial factors, technological changes, legislative factors or market competition. As mentioned in the strategic plan earlier that the strategies are developed by considering the existing resources of the organization. It also includes the existing technology possessed by the company. If the existing system of McDonalds becomes obsolete with the introduction of newer version of the same system then the organization need to adapt that system to sustain in the market. In this case the strategic plan requires a change (Kim Warren, 2008). Same is the case with the market condition. If at the time of strategic planning the market conditions are evaluated and after implementation the market condition changes and requires a change then the strategic plan will also require a change. That is the reason it is suggested that McDonalds strategic plan should be flexible enough that can meet the changing market conditions. Furthermore the strategic plans are also depend on the vision of the management of the organization. If the management decides to go with a differentiation strategy because of the market need then the existing strategic plan will be changed. Financial aspects cannot be neglected in the strategic planning. Every strategy requires financial resources and if the financial resources are not sufficient enough to meet the new strategy then it will require a change in the strategic plan. However, these constraints can be minimized during the strategy formulation process by intensive research and evaluation of the internal and external factors, but still the dynamic market conditions and growing consumer needs cannot be predicted. McDonalds and Strategic Options If there is some change in the external environment of the company then in response to that the company opts strategic option. Moreover, strategic option is also chosen by an organization to grow and it tells that how the company wants to grow and what are the ways through which the completive advantage is taken by an organization over its competitors. By manipulating and taking advantage of the opportunities available for an organization the company can have a positive outcome. There are two renowned methods or ways which can be chosen by any organization to gain a competitive advantage over the other organization (Fred David, 2006). These two strategic options include the cost leadership strategy and differentiation strategy. Under cost leadership strategy the organization cut down its cost of production or cost of goods sold and hence increases their profit margins. As the business word today is highly competitive and inn the fast food restaurant industry the customers have so many options such as KFC, Pizza Hut etc. which are also providing high quality products. So in such scenario it is not possible for McDonalds to increase the prices of their products. So, cutting the cost of production and other operational cost will be the best strategy to increase their profit margins. The internal capabilities of McDonalds will require a focus and needs to be enhanced in order to achieve the goals of this strategic option. Another strategic option available for McDonalds is to offer such products and services which are unique in nature and are not available in the market. In this way the customer will have no other option to get the desired product or service. This will keep the customer intact with McDonalds and hence the profit margins of the organization will keep on growing. A best example of this is the ice cream provided by McDonalds. No other fast food chain provides the best quality ice cream and people are fond of McDonalds Ice Cream and this has been a unique product of the fast food chain which attracts millions of customers. Another unique feature of McDonalds is their quality customer services. In this era the customer service has gained utmost importance and McDonalds customer services is helping them to increase their market share. Even if the restaurant is packed with the customers the customer services quality remains the same which makes the fast food chain number one in the world. Strategic Option a Helping Hand to achieve Strategic Objectives Strategic options help the organization to achieve the organization strategic aims and objectives. However, a combination of the available strategic options is a good option for any enterprise as this can have a dual positive effect in the organizational performance and profit margins can also be increased with a wide margin. Using integrated strategic options allows the firm a more leverage to take decision on marketing mix. McDonalds can use either of the strategic option discussed earlier, but the more appropriate is to use the mix of both the strategic options. This will help to achieve the strategic objectives of the organization which were mentioned earlier in the document. Using a differentiation strategy, McDonalds will be able to charge the premium prices against the product features. However, keeping the legislation under consideration is also important before charging the premium prices from the customers (Kim Warren, 2008). On the other side of the picture the cost leader ship strategy will provide the company a more leverage to reduce their prices of provide discount offers to the customers as the company have more margin due to the increase in profit margin. McDonalds can offer different discount deals on their core products as these are also provided by their major global competitor KFC. So, if the fast food chain is following an integrated strategic option then it can attain competitive advantage on either side of the court. This will fulfill the first and important strategic objective of McDonalds i.e. to maintain the market leader position. As the fast food chain will be able to counter each offer given by its competitor and also can attack the competitor by offering new products and deals and maintain the market dominance. Furthermore, using the differentiation strategy the fast food chain can make their customer services so supreme that no other competitor can copy that. Along with the food quality which is already very unique can be improved further and new products can be launched which are not available in the market and not ever provided by any other organization. By suing this differentiation strategy the company will be able to achieve its another strategic objective i.e. to provide the customer with quality food and service. Cost leadership and differentiation strategies will improve the profit margins and the strategic objective to provide a positive return on investment of the shareholders and investors will be fulfilled. Concluding this discussion it is suggested to the McDonalds management to continue delivering the quality product and services and further reduce their operational cost without compromising the quality of their products and standard of their services. McDonalds Stakeholders Analysis Stakeholders are those bodies or parties which have direct or indirect interaction with the organization. These bodies are affected with the operations of the business positively or negatively. The major stakeholder for McDonalds includes their customers, shareholders and their employees. Customers Customers of McDonalds are the major focus of fast food chain. Mentioned earlier in the document that the companys corporate values indicate that customer is the king. The strategic objectives are also aimed towards the customer satisfaction by delivering value to them. Customer services is the important part of the McDonalds strategic planning as through quality customer services they are able to retain he customers. McDonalds branches and franchises are all over the world and they are huge in number. This is to facilitate the customer to provide the quality food with easy access. Furthermore the free home delivery service of the fast food chain shows that the organization is committed to produce their products and services at the door step of the customers. Shareholders Shareholders are another major stakeholder of the company. Strategic objectives of the company show that the company is committed to deliver return on investments. The company has adapted cost leadership and differentiation strategy which have given them a position of market leader and helped to increase the profit margins which is the major concern of the investors. Employees The employees are the key to success for any organization. At McDonalds it is not a different story. The company considers their employees as an asset like all successful organizations and is committed to facilitate their employees who in actual are the prime resources that leads towards the fulfillment of organizations strategic objectives. Five Competitive Forces Analysis of McDonalds Michael porter provided a frame work which contains the analysis of five different forces effecting the organization (Kim Warren, 2002). Through this analytical tool five different forces affecting McDonalds are evaluated. Figure 1 Porter Five Forces Model Threat of new entrants Fast food industry has gained a tremendous growth in the 21st century. Many fast food chains are operating in different countries. The major are KFC, Pizza Hut and Subway. However there are many local fast food chains that provide the same kind of products which these international fast food chains do. However, the quality and standard is not up to the level of these chains still these chains are able to grasp a handsome amount of market share. The entry in this business is not a difficult task; however, to launch a chain at the level of McDonald is quite difficult. Threat of Substitutes There are several substitutes available against the products of McDonalds, which are also liked by the consumers. So McDonalds also have to consider those substitutes while designing their strategies. Degree of Rivalry The competition in the fast food restaurant industry is intense. Having the major brands like KFC, PIZZA HUT and Subway , McDonalds really have to be up to the mark in terms of products and customer services to maintain the market leader position. Bargaining Power of Buyers Bargaining power of buyers in case of McDonalds is high as the customer has so many options so the fast food chains have to maintain their prices very competitive and keep the level of customer services up to the mark. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of supplier is not high in case of McDonalds. Suppliers try to add their names in the list of the big brand names such as McDonalds because of the frequency of their orders. Pest Analsyis of Mcdonalds Pestle analysis is to analyze the external forces which can affect the organization. Below is the brief analysis of McDonalds Figure 2 PEST Analysis Framework Political Forces Due to the global operations of the company there are several policies in different states which can affect the McDonalds policies and procedures. Economic Factors The global economy can affect the organization in many ways. The change in the fast food industry business can also affect the McDonalds in a positive or negative way. Social Factors Being operating in many countries across the globe, McDonald have to recognize the social and cultural factors. For instance in Muslim countries the fast food chain has to assure the community regarding the use of Halal chicken. Technological Factors The rapid change in technology will force the company to adapt it in order to survive in the competitive market. Furthermore, the introduction of new advertisement Medias gives a more chance to aggressively market the products through different channels. Conclusion McDonalds enormous success all over the globe is the result of their effective vision and mission which is leading the organization in the right direction. The selection of right strategies at the right time allows the organization to achieve the organization set aims and objectives. The progress of the company towards strategic aims and objectives is satisfactory. The selection of integrated strategic options will allow the company to progress more efficiently towards the achievement of strategic aims and objectives.

I am Not Bi-Racial, I am a Human Being Essay -- Sociology Racism Preju

I am Not Bi-Racial, I am a Human Being At the end of my first semester at the University, I had the experience of filling out forms to rate the professor of each course that I was enrolled in at the time. Each standard evaluation given by the University was alike in almost all respects. I have been taking standardized tests as early as second grade, and it seemed quite familiar to fill in the informational circles with a number two pencil. The informational circles were nothing new to me: full name, sex, social security number, and race, yet each time I reach the section of race, I am unable to come up with a good solution to a problem that exists. Biologically, I am half African-American and half Caucasian. My appearance tells me that I should choose one answer and my life experience tells me that I should choose another answer to the race question. This usually puts me in the category of "other." I don’t want to be known as "other." I don’t want to be known as black or white or pink or blue or green, for t hat matter. I want to be known as Karin Brown, a human being without classification. In her essay, "Fifty Years in America: Through Back Doors," Elena Caceres uses the idea of "Americanness"(90) as a philosophical aspect of one’s life; one that will fulfill dreams and promises if perfected. It appears that the "Americanness" that each person experiences varies on many levels. In Caceres’ case, it began as something to be thought of in highest respects, but the feelings that people go through regarding acceptance can extend to extreme positions. How can a country founded on the ideas of freedom and individuality promote acceptance to all degrees and at the same time make classification a normal part of everyday life, as... ...She looked over the informational section and started laughing. I asked her what was funny, and she read me the options that were available to check for race. She was chuckling at the last option as she said enthusiastically, "Other. I wonder who would have to check that." That statement enlightened me to two very important aspects of my life. First, it allowed me to grasp the idea that standard classifications of "Americanness" aren’t always appropriate. Secondly, it pleased me to know and understand that the people in my everyday life look beyond the color of my skin and see Karin Brown, because in the midst of her chuckling, my classmate had forgotten that I was the "other."       Works Cited Caceres, Elena. "Fifty Years in America: Through Back Doors." MultiAmerica: Essays on    Cultural Wars and Cultural Peace. Ed. Ishmael Reed. Penguin Books(US), 1997.

MacDonalds The Princess and the Goblin Essays -- MacDonald Princess G

MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin The Princess and the Goblin is a story about self-realisation and the expansion of limits. The princess, Irene, is able to come to certain conclusions about herself with the help of her grandmother, who lives in the attic upstairs in the palace. The grandmother guides Irene through her rite of passage into adulthood, and helps to bring the princess and Curdie together in the end. However, the reader never really knows whether the grandmother even exists, and it is this uncertainty that causes the reader to question whether she is a personification of a force within Irene that is driving her to achieve all that she does. There are many elements of fairy tales that exist within the grandmother's world and Irene's relationship with her grandmother and her nurse, Lootie. Archetypes such as the attic, birds, the moon, and fire exist within her grandmother's world and archetypes such as the underground exist within the world she guides Irene through. The grandmother embodies characteristic s of the good witch with supernatural powers, who guides Irene on her journey, while Lootie embodies characteristics of a wicked witch, who hinders her right of passage into adulthood. Irene's first encounter with her grandmother is one of ambivalence, which parallels the stage of puberty she is in. This is the stage of her journey when she is not sure how far from the safety of her mother figure, the nurse, she should wander. Irene does not stay very long with her grandmother, as she is not fully ready to leave childhood. There are elements of Charles Perrault's Little Red Riding Hood and The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood in Irene's first visit with her grandmother. Her discovery of the grandmother is very... ...hat exist in this story follow the fairy tale tradition. The princess is transformed into a young woman with the aid of a helper. This helper is her grandmother, who gives her the tools to cut the invisible thread, and be led by her own powers. The princess discovers another world beyond her nursery and the walls of the palace that becomes more and more real every time she lets go of someone's hand. Bibliography MacDonald, George. The Princess and the Goblin. London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1996 Perrault, Charles. "Little Red Riding Hood." in Folk & Fairy Tales. Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 2nd edition. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press Ltd., 1996. 25-27. Perrault, Charles. "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood." in Folk & Fairy Tales. Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 2nd edition. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press Ltd., 1996. 40-48.

A Surreal Land :: Mathematics Papers

A Surreal Land "To infinity and beyond!" These were the inspired words of Buzz Lightyear in the Disney movie Toy Story. Granted, one would not expect to find much mathematical content in an animated film directed toward children, but these words raise an interesting issue that mathematicians and the general public struggled with for many years. Can one go beyond infinity? How can such a concept be possible or even imaginable? These questions led to the development of many new theories and even a new system of numbers. Disney's Buzz Lightyear A study of infinity must begin with an introduction to set theory. A set is merely a collection of objects. Georg Cantor was the sole creator of set theory; he published an article in 1874 that marks the beginning of set theory and has come to change the course of mathematics. Cantor's theory was met with a great deal of opposition due to its assertion of infinite numbers. The famous mathematician Leopold Kronecker was especially opposed to Cantor's revolutionary new way of looking at numbers. Kronecker believed only in constructive mathematics, those objects that can be constructed from a finite set of natural numbers. Despite this opposition from influential thinkers, set theory laid the foundation for twentieth century mathematics. Although there were some flaws in Cantor's theory, sets became an essential part of new mathematics and therefore set theory was adapted to eliminate its original paradoxes [2]. Georg Cantor Cantor's set theory incorporated infinity in the form of infinite cardinal numbers. Cardinal numbers are those which measure the number of objects in a set, as opposed to ordinal numbers, which are numbers with a fixed predecessor and successor. If two sets have equal cardinality, then they contain an equal number of objects. One way to determine this is through "one-to-one correspondence." Two sets are said to be in one-to-one correspondence if each object, or element, of the first set can be paired with exactly one element of the second set, and vice versa [1]. Cantor compared the cardinality of the set of all positive even integers to the set of all positive integers and found them to be equal. Thus the infinite cardinal number of these two sets is the same and is defined to be aleph-naught. This is the first transfinite number. The set of rational numbers also has a cardinality of aleph-naught, and thus is the same size as the set of integers.