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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an organic work because each part of the poem supports the overall themes of the work. The element of each part is built upon from the previous part in a merging manner. For instance, part 1, lines 1 to 490 begins with a mythological narrative of King Arthur at Christmastime in his Camelot court. Knight enters the court asking to see the one who was in charge. Knight then demands someone to strike him with an axe on his head, something that astonished everyone in the court. Part 2, which begins from line 491 to 1125 connects with part one and begins with a brief narrative of part one about the new year’s feast (Anonymous 23). Part 3 begins from line 1126 to 1997. It is built from part 2, and this is where the host’s wife enters into Gawain’s room slowly and kisses him. Part 4 begins from line 1998 to 2531, and is a continuation of part 3. Here, Gawain prepares to go and look for Knight in order to fulfill the term of the covenant they made with Knight. However, after they meet, he fails to fulfill the agreement, and Knight defeats him.
2. The nature of work that is the significance and worth of inclusion in the definitive English work is the use of the law of language. Knight takes his challenging issue as a game thus uses the word ‘covenant’ to refer to a set of laws. This is worth of inclusion in the English work because this term evokes the factual kind of legal enforcement. It was used during the medieval Europeans, and it is linked with the Old Testament story of Moses. The covenant obtains a new connotation, and is used as an agreement made between the two parties. In this case, Gawain is punished by Knight for failing to fulfill an agreement thus he is given a king of a self-punishment for breaking the covenant (Anonymous 27).
3. The poem has diverse themes and dominant imageries. One of the themes is temptations, which is governed by code of courtesy. This is shaped by the Gawain’s actions and some characters within the poem. The code of courtesy seeks to endorse spiritual principles in a spiritually and mysterious world. These are revealed through Gawain’s taste whereby he demands someone to cut his head with an axe. The ideas of Christian ethics are revealed through Gawain’s symbolic shield. Secondly, hunting and seduction whereby the fox chase hunting is similar to the third seduction prospect. In this scene, Gawain accepts to take the strap from the wife of Bertilak because he fears death. Thus, he looks for a way of saving his life. Another haunting is the boar hunting which is linked to the seduction scene. Bertilak’s wife is likened to a boar because she insists to have romantic affair with Gawain. On the other hand, one of the imageries used in the poem is time and seasons. These are used especially in part 2 and 4 whereby the changing seasons are connected to psychological state of Gawain. The seasons and times provide a clear understanding of the poem. Another one is the green girdle, which has a symbolic meaning in the poem. The green girdle is used as a protection object, and is similar to a ghost. It was given to Gawain by Bertilak in order to protect him during the hunting trip.
4. The major characters such as Green Knight and Sir Gawain are whole and perfectly developed. These characters are present from the beginning to the end of the poem. They play greater roles in the development of the poem, and without them, the poem could not have been completely developed. However, some of them such as King Arthur, Morgan Faye and Bertilak of Hautdesert and Bertilak’s wife are incompletely developed. Some of these characters like Faye and Bertilak emerge in the middle of the story, and they do not participate too much in the poem. Faye is portrayed as a powerful sorcerer, and she is a sister to Arthur. She controlled the whole poem from the beginning to the end, but she is not developed completely. It is hard for the reader to discover that the old woman at the castle was Faye. She appears as an antagonist to Camelot and causes troubles to her brother Arthur. Additionally, Bertilak’s wife is introduced in the midst of the poem trying to seduce Gawain when he was staying at the castle. She is only introduced in the poem as the beautiful, young woman. Bertilak of Hautdesert is incompletely developed in the poem because we only discover his name towards the end of the poem. Lastly, Arthur is introduced as a young man and a king who loved the fantastic tales, and he spent most of the time in his court of Camelot. The trial of Gawain astonished him, but through this trial, he learns about his own weakness.
5. There is a lesson or moral study in the poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This is because, throughout the story, the author used many teaching features of Christianity without stating clearly that he is teaching Christianity. He used many references and things, which are related to the biblical context. From these features, one can learn many lessons of moral values depending on the way those features are used. First, there is a moral or lesson learnt in the event whereby Gawain asks Knight his name. This is where Gawain became humble thus gained respect from Knight. This is similar to the case of Adam and Eve whereby they gained knowledge of knowing right and wrong when they ate the forbidden fruit. After they ate the fruit they discovered that they were naked and felt ashamed like the way Gawain felt ashamed of the smack, when he decided to know more about Knight. This is after he saw Knight has defeated him that he decided to confess for his faults.
6. The events propel the story in different ways. First, Gawain’s actions from the beginning of the poem whereby he demands someone to cut off his head mark the start of the poem. This drives the events to the hall whereby knight brings the axe and recommends the game. They make a covenant and Knight agrees to strike Gawain if only he shall allow him to come back after one year to exchange the blow. This was a challenging event, but Knight strikes Gawain’s head once. However, Gawain did not die but rather picked up his head and told Knight to meet at the Green Chapel after one year (Anonymous, 31). This is a humorous and mysterious event because no one will request for such action or pick the head once it has been cut off. Additionally, the action continues up to the last place where Gawain hunts Knight until they meet, but unfortunately, Gawain fails to fulfill the covenant, and he is defeated.
7. The poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can be misleading because it has varied weaknesses. First, the author brings out the events that have multiple points, which indicates weakness of the poem. For instance, in the event whereby Gawain is tempted by Bertilak’s wife and refuses to give in. However, on the third time, Gawain surrenders to her temptations and accepts the green girdle. Another weak point is the hunting that took three different times. The author did not explain clearly the three hunting trips, which took place in the castle. However, they are connected to the Christian teachings of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Among the three hunting, Christians believe that almost everything in life falls under three things that are birth, marriage and death. Thus, the author tries to use the weak points to connect them with the biblical events.
8. The work reflects the social or environmental settings of the time through employing the picture of Adam and Eve’s temptations that made them eat the forbidden fruit. The work reflects Adam’s fall from the Garden of Eden. The poem is interpreted by reflecting on the era when the snake tempted Eve to eat the fruit that she also gave to Adam. Like wise, Gawain’s temptations can be comparable to this interpretation. His narrative has a theme of Christianity thus making scholars interpret his actions similarly Christianity teachings of the bible. Gawain’s story is same as the story of Noah in the bible. Knight is used a representative of God who warns Gawain on the coming fate of Camelot. Although, King Arthur does not understand the experience of Gawain, the saved men similarly help in warning the society of the future destruction.
9. My opinion of the work is that the poem portrays the ultimate power of women over men in the society. I chose to critique this poem because Gawain blames women for the troubles he undergoes. For instance, the poem has powerful characters of women such as the wife of Bertilak and Morgan Fay. Lady Bertilak’s motivation for her strong desires makes her step in Gawain’s room in order to take the female roles. Consequently, the strap and the scar of Gawain are all seen as the work of the powerful feminist. This power weakens Gawain’s masculinity and he ends up putting the blame on women. Additionally, I chose to critique this work because women are taken as the cause of problems to men. However, this is not the fact because men have to account for their own actions. From, this poem, Gawain who is the centre of the story, ultimately makes a decision to account for his actions in order to stand for a chance of gaining.

Work cited

Anonymous. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Cambridge, Mass: Kessinger Publisher, 2004.

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Economics

            The term oil denotes petroleum products chiefly composed of hydrocarbons and existing in diverse volatility ranges. Oil spills occur frequently and are a major cause of ecological and aquatic pollution. This is because the properties of oil result into toxicity and tainting features. The effects are further propounded by the sensitivity of the biological life to hydrocarbon constituents. Majority of oil spills occur in the oceans and seas. Moreover, it is worth noting that there are other ways of  oil spill causes, for instance when the equipment breaks down, the tanker is likely to get stuck on shallow land and the only way of reinstating it is through putting a hole in the tanker and this causes oil leak. Secondly, countries at war might opt to dump gallons of oil and other harmful deposits in the enemy zones. Thirdly, terrorists also form part of the oil leak causation to a nation’s ocean with the sole aim of attracting attention and trying to communicate something to the victimized country. Lastly, natural disasters like hurricanes on the ocean may cause an oil spill. When a hurricane is a couple of miles away, the winds may cause a tanker to flip over thus causing an oil spill (Thomas, 2010).

A single pint of oil has the ability of spreading into a film that covers an acre of water surface area hence degrading the environment and eventually threatening human health. In order to support conformity to the laws prohibiting the discharge of oil, government agencies usually increase monitoring activities to ensure that offenders are wedged and punished. In addition, penalty for a violations are as well hiked. On April 20, 2010, an explosion which took place on the semi-submersible offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 rig workers and injured 17 others. Investigations on April 24 found that there was damage in the well-head that caused oil leak into the gulf (Peter & Nancius, 2010).

Who is to blame for the Gulf of Mexico leak? British Petroleum was the main operator behind the scenes and even though the firm is justified to be blamed for the oil spill and its impact to the environment, it is informative to speculate beyond the level of the immediate cause and reflect on how the pattern of events related to the spill came about. According to disaster management experts, it would necessitate rather a weird chain of events to produce a scenario that would give an explanation regarding one technical and strategy malfunction by a private business that could bring down a regional economy (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

What is the impact of oil spill to the economy and the environment? Drilling in deep offshore waters is fraught with hazards that require refined prevention and mitigation technologies. Therefore incase of an oil spill adverse effects are evident. An oil spill can have a number of direct and indirect effects on fisheries. It is worth noting that valuable fishing and shellfish areas are likely to be closed for fishing for longer periods after the oil spill under the risk of the catches made being tainted by the oil. In addition, concentrations of petroleum contaminants in the marine species like fish is likely to cause significant  adverse health effects to human health since they are the consumers of these species. Based on this, the economy may be stagnated since more efforts would be geared towards curbing human consumption, which brings revenue to the government (Allen, 1999).

Moreover, the fisheries sector is likely to experience heavy losses when consumers are stopped from buying aquatic products from the region affected by the spill. For instance, most fishermen from the gulf of Mexico were counting losses since their boats could no longer sail well in the waters due to the increased density thus as a result the fish production would deteriorate. A forum on high-density oil reaction concluded that sunken heavy fuel oil may is likely to cause significant impact on seabed resources and fishing and marine related culture actions (Johnson, 2008).

The tourism and recreation sector of the economy is not spared by the oil spill either. The pollution of the shoreline with oils is a common characteristic associated with nearly all the oil spills. There is a likelihood that the attractive coastal beaches and resorts will be affected, which raises the need for restriction of  recreational activities such as boating, diving, bathing and angling among others for specified longer periods of time until the mess is cleared. As a result, the people engaged in such lucrative business may suffer significant economic losses. These include hotel and restaurant owners, and numerous others who earn from recreational activities in the coastal zones such as boat renters, diving tour instructors, among others. The government may also lose its share of revenue from taxes generated by the tourism sector (Zacheus, 2002).

Most industries located along the coastlines require clean water from the ocean for industrial purposes such as processing and cleaning of raw materials before manufacture, others require fresh streams for cooling purposes in nuclear and extra-power plants and desalination plants. It is obvious that oil leakage into these sources of water that includes oceans and seas may negatively affect the facilities in the industries, which results into delayed production or a stop in manufacturing of the products. This is due to oil getting into the water intake pipes that lead to the factories. In addition more effects include contamination of piping systems, which in turn may require that the plant is shut down during the cleaning process. The government sectors that rely on these industries such as power supply may suffer losses as well, thus the economy as a whole comes into jeopardy (Cameline, 2009).

            One may also ask; how does an oil spill act distress human health? Oil leakage has unpleasant effects on the human health too. It is worth noting that people’s health and personal safety is threatened by oils either through inhaling, touching oil products or the moment an individual consumes contaminated sea food. Nevertheless, absorption of petroleum contaminants in fish and crab tissue is likely to cause significant potential health problems for consumers. Therefore the government intervenes and halts production and consumption of such merchandise until they are cleared by the health authorities. It is observable that oil-tainted fish and shellfish usually have a bad taste, which prevents people from eating these products. The lasting consequences of such an action would mean that the government may lose sub-sequential revenue from the distribution and marketing of the same. Moreover, the people who rely on sea food for survival and treatment of inherited diseases like cancer may lose as well (Humphrey & Marion, 2003).

During clean-ups, it is advisable for one to take the necessary precautions during the clean-up to avoid these dangerous exposures. One is expected to put on a face mask or filter mask that protects the individual from inhaling vapors from oils. Protective clothing that includes waterproof gloves and clothes that cover the body frontage, as well as strong rubber boots is also a necessity to avoid getting skin contact with the oil. The same safety measures and ideologies should be applied to revelers who handle the risk of enduring oil on beaches. It is very important that one should avoid touching it as much as possible since it may cause death or breakdown of normal body functions thus incurring heavy bills in hospitals and care centers (Christopher & Anne, 2004).

            When oil spills out, it spreads very rapidly through the help of currents and wind. Researchers argue that a single gallon of oil can cause an oil slick-up to a couple of acres in area. For instance, the recent oil lick by British petroleum vessel in the Mexican gulf spread over 580 square miles in just three days. One can note that, the moment the water starts mixing with the water, there is a change in its composition generating a sticky substance called mousse. This stuff has the capability of clinging to every substance that it comes into contact with, thus quite a number of marine animals do not have the power and tricks of how to avoid the mousse. As a result, some fish may even be attracted to since it also resembles food and once it sticks to the body it becomes a problem. With these details, it is therefore possible to determine the rate with which the wildlife and aquatic animals fall victims of the health hazard (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2007).

There are various effects that animals suffer as a result of coming into contact with crude oil. When the oil breaks down the insulating capabilities of feathers due to too much mousse, the feathers become heavier and compromise the flying capability and this result to hypothermia and drowning of birds. In addition, when the oil is ingested accidentally, it poses a risk of either absolutely poisoning the animal or making the species extremely sick to a point of dieing. The level of toxins in oil is so high such that the moment they penetrate into the body system, they alter the food chain causing a sudden failure in the circulation of oxygenated blood. It is worth noting that shell-fish and corals are particularly at risk in these scenarios since they are not able to escape from an oil slick (Samuel &Gibson, 1999).

Animals and birds further suffer damage of airways since the oil emits some gases upon its contact with the atmospheric layers thus the breathing system of these species stands at risk. The economic loss in this is that some of the birds are sources of tourist attractions and the moment they start becoming extinct due to such dangerous exposures, the revenue earned will deteriorate. The immune system is also damaged by the toxins present in the oil segments the moment they get into contact with sensitive body parts. This results to animals and birds becoming vulnerable to diseases that can otherwise be avoided if there was no oil spill (Christopher & Anne, 2004).

There is interruption of breeding and fouling of breeding grounds for animals and birds whose habitat is near the ocean or coastlines. For instance, animals like eels carry-out their breeding at the sea bends, so the moment the oil slick covers that ecological zone; it may affect the species by either killing the new-born or preventing the optimum conditions for safer bleeding thus a reduction in population. The relationship of these ecological weaknesses to the economy is that, there will be a loss in aquaculture that acts as a prestige to the nation’s image. Moreover, one should also take into consideration that oil presence into the body system may as well cause thinner bird and turtle egg shells and also damage the fish larvae, causing deformities (The Guardian, 2001).

Sea grass beads and other shelter and feeding areas are also damaged by the oil sleek, this is due to blockage of the factors that supports growth, which include light an air thus the grass withers away. The shelters for sea species such as turtles also face the risk of destruction since the mousse covers each and everything that it comes across as it spreads. Algae are known for performing a vital role in water way eco-systems and the oil spill taint them to a point of demise thus the general ecological setting becomes distorted. The economic sector suffers a break-down in devising financial strategies to curb the oil spill from spreading deeper into the bionetwork (Jamal, 1998).

Scientists argue that oil does not necessarily have to be sticky so as to jeopardize wildlife. Studies have revealed that both non-sticky oils such as refined petroleum products and sticky oils such as bunker fuels and crude oil affect different wildlife according to the habitats that they live. Polished petroleum products do not take longer periods in the marine environment as compared to crude or bunker fuel but they are seen to be much more poisonous than the rest. It is observed that birds become dehydrated and eventually starve due to reduction in drinking, diving and swimming in search for food. Notable irritation or contagion in dugongs and difficulty in eating is due to oil sticking in the sensory hairs around the mouths of these species (Beatrice, 1990).

Sometimes the oil appears to have dissolute but it can still lurk beneath the facade of beaches and the sea bed thus harshly affecting marine organisms that hide in there such as crabs for longer periods of time. The burrowing creatures serve as food to other animals and therefore the cycle of poisoning continues for long. One can point-out that there is no aspect of a marine and coastal environment that is not adversely affected by an oil spill. Based on that, an individual can conclude that the faster the spill occurs to the shoreline, the more marked the damage becomes to coastal zones being home to more concentrated and diverse populations of marine, bird and other animals thus a slap to the economy (Matthew, 1989).

How are nations supposed to prevent future oil spills? Scientists argue that evaluating data on conformity and enforcement is a hard assignment. It is worth noting that reported increase in enforcement activities usually indicate more frequent spills, but could as well replicate better monitoring and more dynamic examination of sea activities. Experimental studies are supposed to be designed with care to sort-out the effect that variables have on actual spill occurrence versus spill discovery. Moreover, is has been discovered that monitoring oil transfer operations is effective in reducing oil spill volumes. This is implemented through random port patrols that search for oil sheens, which encompass similar influence since they raise the likelihood of detection for all vessels entering a particular port (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2005).

            Substitute approaches can be employed as well since administrational monitoring sometimes proves to be costly. The three alternatives that have been hardened include; targeted monitoring for vessels, which are perceived to be out of conformity or likely to spill oil. Secondly, the authorities should set discrepancy penalties that are based on prior compliance accounts. This means that higher penalties would be slapped to recurrent violators. Lastly, adoption of obligatory report sheets for operators who fail to report any spills in the vessels. These measures suggest that firms may work hard to regain trustworthiness with the government (The Guardian, 2007).

            In conclusion, a firm’s reputation may be improved whenever information regarding its efforts in passing sanctions for violating environmental laws is spread. This may create interest to shareholders or lenders if the monetary sanction reduces the expected value of the firm and therefore its share price or bond rating rises. For instance, British petroleum should reinstate the consumer confidence to attract majority of shareholders especially after the April oil spill in the Mexican gulf. Numerous studies looking at horrific ecological news, such as oil spills demonstrate a negative stock price effect (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006)

Bibliography:

American Petroleum Institute. Fate of Spilled Oil in Marine Waters. Washington, D.C.: American Petroleum Institute, 1999. Print.

Andrew, B. & Fleming, A. Implication of Psychological Research on Stress and Technological Accidents. Ringwood, Vic: Penguin, 2000. Print.

Arata, C. M., Picou, J. S. Johnson, G. D. and McNally, T. S. Coping with Technological Disasters: An Application of the Conservation of Resources Model to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2000. Print.

Boesch, D. F. & Rabalais, N. N. Long-term Environmental Effects of Offshore oil and gas Development. Washington, GA: Taylor & Francis, 1987. Print.

Burger, J. Before and after an oil spill: the Arthur Kill. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Print.

Cohen, M.A. Optimal Enforcement Strategy to Prevent Oil Spills: An Application of a Principal-Agent Model with “Moral Hazard.” Journal of Law and Economics 30: 23, 1999. Print.

Cohen, M. A. Oil Spills: the deterrent effects of monitoring, enforcement, and public information. Resources Magazine, 2009. Print.

Cohen, M. A. Oil Spills: the deterrent effects of monitoring, enforcement, and public information. Web. April 20, 2009

Drabek, T. E. Human System Responses to Disaster: An Inventory of Sociological Findings. New York: Springer-Verlag. 1986. Print.

Freedman, B. Environmental ecology: the ecological effects of pollution & disturbance. Camp Hill, PA: Academic Press, 1995. Print.

Green Living Tips 2007: Effects of oil spills. Web, 06 June, /2010 http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/164/Effects-of-oil-spills.html

Heron, S.F. How Does an Oil Spill Affect The Environment? Education Review 37.1 (2002) Web, 11 Apr. 2002

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4616883_oil-spill-affect-environment.html

NaturalHazardsCenter. Learning from Catastrophe: Quick Response Research in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina. Boulder, CO. 2006. Print.

NaturalHazardsCenter. Learning from Catastrophe: Quick Response Research in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina. Boulder: University of Colorado at Boulder. 2006. Print.

Steven, P. J. In Search of a Public Environmental Sociology: Ecological Risks In the Modern World. New York: Springer-Verlag. 2008. Print.

Steven, P. J. In Search of a Public Environmental Sociology: Ecological Risks In the Modern World. New York: Springer-Verlag. 2008. Print.

Thomas A. After Disaster: Agenda Setting, Public Policy and Focusing Events. Washington: Georgetown University Press. 1997. Print.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Understanding Oil Spills and Oil Spill Response. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1993. Print.

Weber, J.M., R.E. Crew. Deterrence Theory and Marine Oil Spills: Do Coast Guard Civil Penalties Deter Pollution? Journal of Environmental Management 58: 161, 2000. Print.

Wells, P. G., Butler, J. N. & Hughes, J. S. Exxon Valdez oil spill: fate and effects in Alaskan waters. Pennsylvania, US: ASTM International, 1995. Print.

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Computer Forensic 8

Case Project 12-1

With the advent of the computer era, crimes and threats have increasingly been relayed over the internet. Emails are vastly used globally to relay such information. Marco, a high school student claims to have received an email from another student threatening to commit suicide and the problem arises in that he does not know where the student sent the email from. From the presented information, email authorship and message is known; only the physical source is unknown. This is known as the problem definition phase. By knowing where the email was sent from, the student can be physically reached and talked out of the decision. The first step therefore would be to report the case to the police and computer forensic investigators who can help trace the email physical address source (Pollitt & Shenoi, 2005).

Emails consist of two major components; the first being header information and the other being the body. The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is an example of an internet standard that is used in the sending and receiving of emails transversely on the Internet Protocol (IP) Systems. SMTP and other similar protocols like Internet Message Access Protocol and Post Office Protocol are usually embedded in the header information. By retrieving this configured information, the routing, specific time, and day the physical location of the computer used to send the email can then be identified. Sites like IP-LOOKUP and ‘who is’ means help generate the IP address that is used to identify the domain owner information. The corresponding country’s name and location and the subsequent Internet Service Provider (ISP) are given.

The IP address can also be re-structured into a Media Access Control (MAC) by applying the Address Resolution Protocol. MAC addresses are international identifiers. Using the GetMAC, command prompt delivers an address that combines the address and transport name. An example of such an address would be 00-40-CA-B5-5B-06 \Device\Tcpip_{B249BB63-9574-4061-817A-D62E1D12072F} (Shaikh, 2010). The first part 00-40-CA-B5-06 is the address; CA of course identifies the location as California. Alternatively, by calling the ISP and explaining the situation, the physical address can be located. Most ISPs do not reveal subscriber information due to the increase of crimes but the police can authenticate the given case and attain the address. If the ISP refuses to give the information, a subpoena permitting information release can be obtained.

The third method that can be used is running the IP address on online geo-location sites. Identified in the site is the country and town or state in which the IP address matches. Statistically, geo-location sites in the US give identity with a 99% precision and 91% precision regarding individual states. With regard to a global search, use the precision level in reference to exact positioning rates as 60% (Roehl, 2007). The positioning is given also in terms of latitudes and longitudes where the investigators can use maps to determine the area. The last two methods would not be the best to use since they are time consuming and with reference to our case, there is a time constraint if the suicide action is to be deterred.

Case Project 12-2

This case deals with a fifteen year old girl who has eloped from home to be with a thirty five year old woman. The mother reports the case after reading through her daughter’s emails. With the categories of cyber crime, this case may be a possible kidnapping where the girl may have been enticed with promises to move out only to be betrayed into a different arrangement. The first step would be to maintain the email information integrity and not tamper with it in any form. Alerting the police would be the next move. The suspicion has to be calculated to ascertain whether there is need for alarm or not. As earlier identified, an email is made-up of the header and the body. Analyzing the IP addresses with intent of acquiring a geographical location may turn-out to be fruitless especially if the unidentified woman sends the emails from different locations with the aim of securing her identity.

This infers that the message would serve the purpose of digital forensic analysis. Note that, messages relayed in emails are highly unstructured because they do not require a particular writing format and language to be used. The information in each email should be analyzed as well as the regularity that messages were received. Comparison of the extracted information has the ability of indicating behavior and any other patterns. The information has to be classified into structured and non-structured categories. Structured information includes “To, From, Cc, Bcc, Reply-To and Delivered-To address fields,” (Pollitt, & Shenoi, 2005, p. 81). The non-structured component is used to summarize the message itself as well as the email header. This enables the teams to come-up with key terms and the focal points addressed in the emails and these summaries are known as feature strings.

Both types of information can then be keyed in social diagrams and networks, probabilities and weights assigned to each factor and then all the possible links ascertained by the different vectors are calculated. This aids the analysis team to calculate the level of suspicion attached to the case. The weight is accorded according to the number of times a word or phrase recurs across the emails. Correlation between common words can be enhanced by the use of Multiple Levels of Abstraction. Multiplying Multiple Levels of Abstraction with the accorded weights yields the suspicion level (Pollitt & Shenoi, 2005).  Based on the findings from the Positive Predictive Value, the team may use the decision tree approach to settle on the next move. The higher the Positive Predictive Value, the higher the chance that the daughter was kidnapped.

References:

Pollitt, M., & Shenoi, S. (2005). Advances in Digital Forensics: IFIP International Conference on Digital Forensics, National Center for Forensic Science, Orlando, Florida, February 13-16, 2005, Volume 2005. Cambridge, MA: Birkhauser.

Roehl, J. R. (2007). Internet Protocol Geolocation: Development of a Delay-based Hybrid Methodology for Geographic Location of a Network Node. Greene, OH: Air Force Institute of Technology.

Shaikh, K. (2010). Three Ways to Get your MAC Address. Retrieved June 25, 2010 from http://www.codeguru.com/cpp/i-n/network/networkinformation/article.php/c5451/Three-ways-to-get-your-MAC-address.htm

 

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Rationale behind Safety: Case for Recordkeeping and Workers’ Compensation

Part One: Case for Recordkeeping

In the working environment, ethical guidelines and rules play an indispensable role in the achievement of a good and healthy environment for the employees. Safety and health experts have an ethical duty of promoting safety in the working environment. However, past periods have indicated that a gap exists between making and executing ethical choices. This purports the significance of labor unions that are instituted to ensure that workers’ safety and compensation at work is strictly upheld (Gohsman, 2008). In the US, the organization Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) serves in the labor department towards enhancement of safety and health of workers. For this section, we shall review the given case to determine whether the employee’s case is ‘recordable’.

To determine whether a case is ‘recordable’, the OSHA Recordkeeping 29 CFR 1904 principle is applied (Schneid, 2008). First, the illness must be determined as to whether it is associated with work. Secondly, the case has to be new in that it is the first time that the employee has been faced with the given illness. In addition to this, if a worker was suffering from a disease that is treated and cured only to recur at a different period, then it will be treated as a new case. Once this has been established, the illness can be recorded if it amounts to death, sick offs, controlled duties, job reassignment and shifting, worker unconsciousness and any severe injury or illness necessitating medical attention other than first aid. With reference to the presented situation, the case is recordable.

The employee got the back injury while at work as he pushing a trash cart. The injury occurred before the worker signed out on the given Thursday. With the given information, the case can be treated as a new one since it is not a recursive ailment. The tissue injury is severe as it leads to work restrictions where the worker is barred from lifting, pushing or pulling more than twenty pounds for a period of three weeks. In addition to this, each of the three weeks is to be accompanied by a three-day physical therapy, which keeps the worker-off work until the sessions end. Upon evaluation, the worker is given an official sick off on Monday and prescribed drugs. Therefore, the case requires to be recorded in the OSHA’s Form 300 known as a log of work related injuries and compensations.

Part Two: Case for Worker’s Compensation

Workers’ compensation in the IndianaState is awarded to employees that are injured while performing their job duties. The compensation package may take the form of medical cover and therapy of income incentives mostly given to dependants upon the demise of a worker. Each employee is covered by the arrangement from the first day he/she starts working for a given institution. A compensation claim can only be forwarded within thirty days prior to the accident otherwise it expires. When an employee stays for seven days without coming to work, they are warranted a weekly income, which they can only start receiving on the twenty-first day after the accident. The employer should provide the physician and if the patient is not satisfied with the provided medical officer, they can change to another one. If the worker is able to attend the allocated duties yet have to attend therapeutic appointments, they are to be paid in full for the working day (Anderson, 1999).

With reference to the given situation, the worker is liable for compensation with regard to the hospital charges, the doctor and nurse consultation and treatment fees, medicine charges and the compensation award. Having in mind that the patient has to attend physical therapy three times a week for a period of three weeks, the worker is also liable for compensation in terms of wages during the time that he has to spend in consultation.

References

Anderson, J. M. (1999). State-by-state Laws and Regulations on Workers’ Compensation Managed Care.New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Gohsman, R. (2008). Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Law and Ethics.Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Schneid, T. D. (2008). Corporate Safety Compliance: OSHA, Ethics, and the Law.Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

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Women Studies

            For the past five weeks I have dedicated my time to Women studies which refers to the feminist studies that have contributed greatly to the understanding of feminism and the ideals behind it. According to the knowledge I have gained, it investigates and criticizes the societal norms of race, gender, sexuality, class in addition to other social inequalities experienced by women (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). This study thus has been employed in the spreading of the feminist ideologies thus enhancing their successful integration in everyday lives. In theory, Feminism encompasses the economic, political and cultural movements which are aimed at enhancing women’s legal protection, women liberation and greater women rights. Gaining knowledge about feminism has greatly affected my life in terms of my thinking capacity.

Initially, mentioning the word feminism to me directed my thoughts to gender stratification in the society. I thought that the feminism movement was a means of changing the society in terms of the replacing male domination with female domination in the society. After engaging in women studies my ideologies have shifted towards supporting feminism to some extent (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). This is because it endowed me with the realization that the feminism movement is not only based on spreading the feminist ideologies but it is also based on establishing greater societal and legal rights for women, advocating for women liberation from the binding societal norms as well as providing legal protection to women especially in instances of gender violence.

I perceive myself as a semi feminist because some types of feminism are based on racial and sexist stratification whereas feminism is supposed to be based on the elimination of class oppression, racism and sexism. Most feminist in the modern world have diverted from the original ideals of feminism and translated feminism into sexism in which they discriminate the male sex. Feminism should be employed in empowering women in changing their minority perception rather than turning them against the male sex (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). This has easily culminated into stratifications between the two sexes yet it should be the enhancing factor of unity between the two sexes.

Women’s lives is a good reading that has impacted my sense of self because it covers all the aspects of a woman’s life. It covers the aspects of women and their identification, relationships, women’s bodies, sexuality, violence against women, women and the global economy, health, women and crime, women and the military, women and the environment as well as how the women can effect change in the society (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). In this case, I have leant that I am important in the society thus I should uphold the changes that I would want to see effected in the society. This has aided me in adopting better interaction skills with both the people and the institutions around my life as I can use them in helping me to effect change in the society.

Feminism is one factor that has enhanced the women’s self determination because it encourages women to take up the role of controlling their lives as in this way; they can be able to change the societal norms that have been an obstacle towards their self determination. This should matter to all people because unless gender equality is enhanced in the society, surmountable unity cannot be enhanced in the society (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). Women studies, has enhanced the creation of secure and sustainable relationships because it spells clearly the role of women in relationships and encourages the women to play their important part. Those who go through the women studies thus take up their role effectively enhancing secure and sustainable relationships.

Feminism might assume a positive notion as well as a negative notion. Those who translate feminism into class, racial or sexism stratification build up the negative notion of feminism but those who utilize it in enhancing the role of women in society have built up the positive notion of feminism. I am in support of feminism as long as it advocates for the equal roles of women in society (Okazawa-Rey& Gwyn, 2009). Those in charge of feminism should therefore help in educating women on their role in all aspects of the society, to ensure that the women have taken up their place in society without any form of discrimination. In conclusion, gaining knowledge about feminism has greatly affected my life in terms of my thinking capacity and I am now geared towards effecting change in the society because if we don’t all try, then we will never experience the change we would want to experience.

 

 

Works Cited:

Okazawa-Rey, Margo, & Gwyn Kirk. Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

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Etisalat and Barcelona FC

Introduction

Etisalat is a Telecommunication Company located in the United Arab Emirates that provides communication services to 18 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It is ranked position 13 in the world based on the mobile size network in the world with 100 million subscribers. It is a renowned internet hub providing internet services in the Middle East and the largest carrier of international voice traffic in the Middle East and Africa. The company was founded in 1976 by International Aeradio and the local partners. It was not until 1983 when the company ownership was transformed, having 60% of the total ownership owned by the United Arab Emirates government while 40% of the remaining was sold to the public. This was a move made by the government to acquire the company from foreigners that is Britain, through the change of ownership structure (Chang, 2006).

The United Arab Emirates government enacted a law (Federal law no 1), which meant that Etisalat was to provide wireless and wired telecommunications in the country and linking the country and other foreign countries. In addition, the company was given the authority to license other telecommunication companies (Epstein & Manzoni, 2004). This was if the companies wanted to own, import, manufacture or even use telecommunication equipment. It is out of this that the company got the entire power to regulate and monopolize the telecommunication sector. Out of the monopoly, the company made a profit growth rate of 80%. Above all, the greatest achievement for the company was the starting of inter-continental operations in 2001. It operated under the brand name Ufone, hence operating out of Islamabad.

On the other hand, Barcelona is a football club in Catalonia that was formed in the year 1899 by Joan Gamper. It was after his call to the people of the region to form a football club that players responded to his idea and formed the football club. Barcelona performed well in the first five years making it one of the best teams in the regions. This was because of good coordination and excellent management of the club. Players were devoted to make money out of the game through club sponsorship by business companies. The team was also intended to provide employment for most players and create room for new talents. The good skills of the team made it recognized across the world as one of the prominent teams in the world. It is vividly clear to say that the team’s success was determined by the good management of the team. This is because of the efficiency of the board’s operation.

It is beyond doubts that the unique agreement between Barcelona and Etisalat was mainly determined by the management team, communication procedures, management plan and the strategic decision making between the two parties.

The job of the managing teams

Management of both Etisalat and FC Barcelona was done by the management teams in the respective teams. The first president of the team was Gamper who had a good history in football, a factor that made him to be credited as the team’s inspiration (Epstein & Manzoni, 2004). He had before been a player of FC Excelsoir in his homeland, Canton, a factor that culminated to him being renowned for his excellent skills in football. During his leadership, Barcelona won its first trophy, Copa Macaya and managed to play in the Copa Del Rey final in which it lost 2-1 to Bizcaya (Scott, et al, 2007). The president had a major goal of helping the club own its own stadium, a factor that would help it generate more income that would make the club financially stable to pursue its goal of being the best football club in the world. Gamper’s good management of the team initiated his subsequent recruitments as the president of the club. He was the club’s president for five different terms between the year 1908 and 1925.

Gamper’s dreams were later achieved in 1909 when the club relocated to camp de la Industria, which could hold a capacity of 8,000. He did not give up but forged forward to launching a campaign to recruit more members. In 1922, he managed to acquire 10,000 members of the club. Later on, the club was moved to Las Cortes with a capacity of 22,000 and expanded to 60,000. Gamper later recruited Jack Greenwell as Barcelona’s first manager.

The signing of the four-year agreement between Barcelona and Etisalat has enabled Etisalat and its entire supplementary to become an international telecom partner of Barcelona in their relevant nations (Scott, et al, 2007). Etisalat has the rights of branding and advertising for Barcelona across the world hence a chief manager of the team in building up the team’s image. In addition, it also has the rights of hosting or organizing two global games for Barcelona in whatever place they like in the world hence the opportunity for them to host the matches in the United Arab Emirates (Chang, 2006). This has enhanced the popularity of the company internationally. The company also makes money out of the matches because it manages all the funds that are contributed courtesy of the matches. It is also beyond doubts that the matches lead to the economic growth of the United Arab Emirates hence a boost to the nation’s gross domestic product. People spend so much in the country during the matches, a factor that increases firms’ profits in the United Arab Emirates (Epstein & Manzoni, 2004). This is especially in the tourism sector where the economy is boosted by different industries such as hotel industry.

Etisalat supports the fact that football creates a large social circle in the country hence the reason as to why many people specialize in achieving the best out of the game (Scott, et al, 2007). This means that Etisalat intended to create a large global base of football fans. Etisalat’s Chairman, Mr. Mohammad Omran, endorsed that football creates passion, unity and leadership between people in the world. This is especially to the youths who have talent in football and others who cherish the game. Etisalat had a goal of bringing the world together by the use of the football game hence the reason for the signing of the agreement. In addition to this, the company would use the opportunity to venture into connecting different countries in the world by the use of its telecommunication network technology.

According to the chairperson, it is beyond doubts that football creates a large social network between different countries. This is evident with the world cup championship, which brings together different teams from different countries across the world to compete. This is usually a social event where territorial boundaries are opened and people given the opportunity to interact. Etisalat also had the aim of making football an amazing sport by its telecommunication technology (Scott, et al, 2007). This is because; it provided an international telecommunication network that promoted football. People would be united together through the watching of football matches. Many people who lack the passion for the sport would be attracted by the motivating matches that would be aired courtesy of Etisalat. This is true because a big population of people living in different countries enjoy football matches by watching them courtesy of telecommunication networks.

The president of FC Barcelona supported that the club intention was to project its image to the Middle East and Africa hence the association of the club and Etisalat, a prominent telecommunication company would be beneficial to the club (Chang, 2006). This was a wise idea by the then club president because this would definitely create a good image for the club. In addition to this, Etisalat is a financially stable company hence would support the team financially. The partnership between the club and Etisalat would see Barcelona to its success as the world’s best football club. It is therefore beyond doubts that the job of the managing teams of both Barcelona and Etisalat was to position the club and the company to a higher level. For Etisalat, the company would gain international popularity hence an opportunity for it to make more profits and grow. On the other hand, Barcelona would be supported by the company hence enable the club have a strong team and a strong popularity too. This means that both managing teams worked towards benefiting their organizations by signing up of the agreement.

Communication procedures used

It is the peculiar partnership between the organizations that brought about Etisalat’s enormous growth. Its communication customers grew to 80 million in 18 nations. The communication procedures that were used by both parties and especially Etisalat were meant to boost the organization’s growth (Epstein & Manzoni, 2004). This was pioneered by the financing of the Etisalat football league and other matches courtesy of Etisalat. This procedure by Etisalat was to gather more customers from different countries. For instance, the Brazil-UAE football league was intended to bring unity between Brazil and other teams in the world. It was also a great opportunity for Etisalat to extend its communication network between different countries in the world by sponsoring the league. Etisalat was capable of marketing its products by the use of football matches. This was also bolstered by the presence of the telecommunication network, which created a large communication network for the company.

Etisalat was excited by the increase of the number of its customers and profits hence took another approach of making football an exciting game by providing a telecommunication network to broadcast the games (Chang, 2006). This was to enable many football fans enjoy football at their destinations if they could not manage watching the game at the stadium. The use of the telecommunication network would enable people watch the matches broadcasted to them courtesy of Etisalat. Barcelona would benefit from this communication procedure because it would feature in many leagues organized by Etisalat.

Digital technology was used to ensure that people watched the football matches hence big income to the club. This was provided through the internet, television and radio broadcasts. This was definitely the best communication procedure that Etisalat used in ensuring that the company achieved its goal. It is evident that these communication procedures supported the marketing of Barcelona as a club and the extension of Etisalat’s communication boundary. This means that the communication procedure carried out by Etisalat was viable toward the achievement of both parties’ goals.

            Since Etisalat was a giant in the telecommunication industry, different communication procedures were used in the signing up of the agreement (Scott, et al, 2007). Electronic mail, fax and telephone were used in enhancing communication between the partners. Etisalat’s management team could communicate with Barcelona’s management team over the phone, e-mail or fax. This was during the initial stages of the deal. After familiarization, the managers of the football club met the operational management team of Etisalat in a face to face discussion. After a series of negotiations between the partners supported by different modes of communication, a conference was held in signing of the agreement between the partners. The Chairman of Etisalat could communicate to Barcelona’s president over the phone in missions of ensuring the success of their deal. Fax was also used in the communication between the two partners. After the signing of the deal, the internet (Email) became the main mode of communication between the two parties. It is therefore beyond doubts that the communication procedures used between the two parties were made successful by use of the internet.

 

Plan for management

The strategic plan plotted by Etisalat was to achieve the best out of the partnership. It had a plan to increase its profits, extend its communication network in the world and become the leading telecommunication company. In order for it to increase its profits, it was hard for the company to hike its prices in fear of losing its customers (Scott, et al, 2007). The only solution to this target was to extend the corporation’s network in order to earn more profits from volume sales.

On the other hand, Barcelona had its management plan of becoming one of the world’s popular best football clubs. The solution to this was for the team to be able to finance or host football leagues. The club would participate in the leagues and through their participation, they would earn popularity and experiences in football hence become recognized in the world.

The goals of both parties complement each other hence the reason as to why they had to unite in striking their deal. The objective of both parties was to benefit from their association hence the reason as to why the parties had to come up with the right communication procedure (Chang, 2006). The discussion between Barcelona’s management team and Etisalat’s management team enabled both parties to come up with the concrete communication procedure that would meet the needs of their set goals. The strategic plan for the partners was to use football as a method of benefiting both teams. Etisalat sponsored Barcelona to play with other international teams making the team gain popularity and earn more from the game as it extended its communication networks. The efficiency of the partnership would be run by appointed people from both sides of the parties hence the combination of their efforts would lead to a perfect plan for management of the partnership.

 

Decision-making

Decision-making was done by the management teams from both sides. Concrete and possible decisions were made in achieving the set goals in both parties. This involved contributions by specific members of both parties on the terms and conditions to be applied in the agreement. After the parties recognized that, the deal was viable for both organizations, right decisions were plotted for action to take place. This was through combined efforts between both parties. The planning of the leagues was done by FC Barcelona while Etisalat was to sponsor the leagues and use the opportunity to advertise its products. It is therefore clear that decision-making took place between the parties through coordination and support from both parties.

SWOT analysis

In their SWOT analysis, the association had its strengths in football and telecommunication providing services. The weakness of the association during the initial days was the lack of experience in the venture because it was the first unique association between organizations (Scott, et al, 2007). It was though considered as a minor weakness because both parties were determined to achieve their goals. Concerning the opportunity, it is evident that both teams had an open opportunity to exploit of which they managed. The threats of the association were competition from other companies or the coming up of a sterile project. After the SWOT analysis, FC Barcelona and Etisalat worked towards the achievement of their goals. It is therefore proven beyond doubts that the signing of the four-year agreement between Barcelona and Etisalat was a viable plan for both parties (Chang, 2006).

Conclusion

            Agreements are signed by parties with specific objectives or concrete agendas that need to be implemented in their corporations hence they are important to both sides. Companies are therefore out to benefit from the agreements. The signing of the agreement between FC Barcelona and Etisalat Telecommunication Company has been of great importance to the parties and the entire world. The world has benefited from Etisalat’s services of telecommunication because of the social network created. Etisalat has enabled people in different parts of the world socialize in different ways. People are able to learn more about other countries hence promote interaction between people from different nations. The peculiar partnership between Barcelona and Etisalat was a breakthrough to the success of other telecommunication companies and football club. They discovered that they would make more profits due to the enormous support from their partner (Scott, et al, 2007). This was a blueprint to super operational management of other corporations hence made the world business a competitive field that needed innovative organizations with fruitful ideas. It is therefore clear that the signing of the agreement between Barcelona and Etisalat was of great benefit to the entire world. This is evident by trade carried out between different nations in the world. The association between Etisalat and FC Barcelona remains to be a positive strategic plan to everybody in the world and especially to Barcelona and Etisalat.

 

References:

Chang, J. F. (2006). Business Process Management Systems: Strategy and Implementation.Boca Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications.

D’Andrea, G., & Quelch, J. A. (2001). Cases in Strategic Marketing Management: Business Strategies in Latin America. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Epstein, M. J, & Manzoni, J. F. (2004). Performance Measurement and Management Control: Superior Organization Performance. Amsterdam: Elsevier JAI.

Rodes i Català, A. (2000). Los fundadores del F.C. Barcelona. [1st ed.]. Barcelona: Edicions Joica.

Scott, A. J., & Garofoli, G. (2007). Development on the Ground: Clusters, Networks and Regions in Emerging Economies. London: Routledge.

 

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Running Head: Operational Management

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Table of contents

Content                                                                                     Page

Abstract                                                                                       2

Definitions of capacity planning                                                  2

Stages for measuring capacity                                                      3-4

Processes for capacity planning                                                    4

Application by Lockheed Martin Corporation                             4-6

Definition of supply chain management                                       6

Forms of supply chain                                                                   6

Principles of good supply chain management                               7

Application by Lockheed Martin Corporation                              8

Conclusion                                                                                     8-9

References                                                                                     10

 

Abstract

            The research is on the importance of capacity planning and supply chain management and how Lock Martin Corporation should apply the two in its business. Capacity planning and capacity are defined, stages of measuring capacity are discussed, the importance of capacity planning and their applications by Lockheed Martin. Supply chain and supply chain management are defined, forms of supply chains, principles that enable supply chain management and how Lockheed Martin applies them. Finally, there is the conclusion, which is a summary of all the major points.

Operational Management

Capacity planning is a strategic function that involves analysis of what a company should produce to meet changing demands. It is a long-term decision and seeks to establish the level of the organization’s resources. Capacity is a measure of an organization’s ability to meet the customers’ demand at the right time (Barnes, 2008). The stages for measuring capacity are:

Stage 1. Measure the demand

The levels involved in measuring demand are demand forecast, marketing strategy, business planning, production planning, master production schedule and scheduling. There should be an interaction between the various levels since scheduling decisions, which are short-term, are drawn from long-term strategies (Brown, 2005).

Stage 2. Measure the Capacity

Capacity is a variable that is dependent on many factors some of which are product mix and machine set-up requirements.

 

Stage3. Reconcile the capacity and the demand

            This activity entails that the right amount of quantities are employed to meet the customers’ needs. For example in a bank, the right numbers of employees are needed to ensure that no customer is waiting. Another example could be in the registration point of sale if there are less cashiers making the queues long, the company can look into the possibility of increasing personnel and buying more computers (Barnes, 2008).

Stage 4. Evaluate the available alternatives and make a choice

In this stage, the company evaluates the options that they have to meet for a certain customer’s needs and chooses the best option. The best option should be the one that is most profitable and yet provides satisfaction to customers.

Capacity planning goal is to reduce inefficiency, which is the difference between the company’s supply and the customer’s demand. Increasing the number of shifts, new techniques, increasing the number of employees or machines, buying new equipment and materials or getting more production facilities are some of the ways to reduce discrepancy (Brown, 2005).

Capacity = number of machines or workers*number of shifts*utilization*efficiency

Capacity planning has the following processes: lead strategy then lag strategy and finally match strategy. In the lead strategy, the company adds quantity because it anticipates an increase in demand. This is an aggressive strategy, which is aimed at making customers shift from their current supplier and buy from the company. This strategy is ambitious but has a disadvantage of wastefulness. The lag strategy is a conservative strategy, which entails adding quantities only after the ones in store have been fully utilized and yet there is more demand. Although the strategy reduces possibility of losses, there is the risk of losing potential customers whose needs are not met. The match strategy is a moderate strategy that involves adding quantities with the variability having demand.

In capacity planning, questions like “should we choose the lead or the lag strategy?” or “should we have one big company or many branches?” are common. In answering these questions the company should know its capacity. With the example of Lockheed Martin, the company has determined its capacity and chosen the best strategy for each of its units. Since it has several segments namely aeronautics, space, information systems and global services among others, the company has looked at customer needs in each segment and determined the discrepancies present. With that information, it has gone ahead to determine the strategy to use (Blanchard, 2007). Strategies used are different for each segment because the aim is to meet the customers’ unique needs.

For example, in the aeronautics segment, the company has employed the lag strategy. This is because it is unprofitable for the company to make an aeroplane without demand. First, the cost of making aeroplanes is very high. If there is no immediate customer, it means that the money used will be tied-up in stock therefore reducing the company’s cash flows. The huge amounts of money are invested in profitable ventures like shares which are easily disposable. Secondly, most countries give specifications for the kind of plane they want. Since Lockheed Martin does not have prior information on the needs of every country, they produce on order. The same case applies to Lockheed Martin Space System (Finocchio, et al., 2008). Unless the company wants to produce missiles for personal use which is mainly testing a new technological advancement, it does not keep inventory.

In the Electronic Systems Unit, Lockheed Martin uses the lead strategy since most customers require the same type of electronics for example tactical systems, coast guard systems and radar systems. Since the business has many customers, they produce in large quantities to meet customers’ demand. There are also many competitors in this business, making efficiency a competitive edge. Lockheed Martin knows that if a customer is satisfied, he will tell his friends and with the news of the company’s good reputation spreading like fire, it is definite that the sales will drastically increase. The match strategy is appropriately used in service providence. In Lockheed Martin IS & GS-Security, provision of security at the right time is the key strength of the company. This is because customers get what they want at the right time, casualties are not only reduced but also the company earns a good reputation. Other companies want to have Lockheed Martin as their security providers and this expands Lockheed Martin’s business and profits. The same case applies to Lockheed Martin IS & GS Readiness & Stability Operations (Blanchard, 2007).

Decision of whether to employ more employees or buy more machines should depend on the company’s capacity. In Lockheed Martin’s case, it has at least 138,000 employees all over the world. That is a substantial number but it is small compared to the number of machines it has. The decision on whether to buy more machines or employ more people is based on many factors like, speed, accuracy, strength and cost effectiveness. For the aeronautic unit the company uses machines because they are more profitable and are strong. Also, the company has a sizable amount of capital; it is able to support the heavy capital expenditure. For the service industry, it employs more employees where there is need since unlike computers, people can have inter-personal communication. This kind of communication increases customers, through persuasion, tenderness and has the ability to make customers feel like the kings (Waters, 1999).

The effects of capacity decisions can be seen in the company’s decisions on lead time, operating cost and what the customer’s satisfaction is. If the wrong decisions are made, the company can lose profits and customers. If excess capacity is employed, the company has the risk of not investing in profitable projects. To make sure Lockheed Martin is profitable; it assesses its strengths and weaknesses and knows its customers’ needs. It engages in vigorous research to establish the most appropriate strategy in every situation. Apart from knowing the strategy, it carries out research to establish the exact quantities it should produce and the product mix. Lockheed Martin has established the terms of employment for the employees, that is whether part-time or full-time with an aim to provide employee satisfaction and in extension customer satisfaction. This is so because they have noted that a satisfied employee owns his work, which means he will be more productive (Waters, 1999). They also employ multi-skilled floating staffs because the company is diversified. To carry out the research, methods like the queuing theory and simulation modeling are used.

According to Lambert (2008), supply chain management is the “integration of key business processes across the supply chain for the purpose of creating value for customers and stakeholders.” Supply chain is a set of three or more companies that are directly linked by one or more upstream and downstream flow of services, products information and finances from a source to the customer.  A supply chain can take various forms namely basic, ultimate or extended. In a basic supply chain a company, supplier and customer are directly connected to one or more upstream or downstream flows. An extended supply chain has suppliers of the immediate supplier and the customers of the immediate customer. This provides a bigger market and more networks. An ultimate supply chain includes all companies that are involved in the upstream and downstream flow of products, information, services and finances. It traces the first supplier to the ultimate consumer.

Supply chain management involves systematic and strategic coordination of all the traditional functions of a business and across businesses to make sure that long-term performance of the company and that of the other members of the supply chain is improved. To adopt this philosophy, firms must come-up with principles that support it. Bowersox and Closs in (Hugos, 2006), claim that for the success of the philosophy, the companies must first extend integrated behavior to suppliers and customers. Secondly, information should be shared among the members to facilitate monitoring and planning. Both tactical and strategic data should be made available to all members in the chain. Forecasts, marketing strategies and sales promotion strategies are some of the information that should be shared to reduce uncertainty in the partners. Thirdly, risk and rewards in the channels should be shared since it makes them focus on long-term matters and fosters cooperation. Fourthly, there should be cooperation among the members of the supply chain. Cooperation encompasses similar goals and working towards these goals. It could be quite difficult to make people work towards a common goal but with understanding among the members, it can happen. Cooperation can reduce supply chain expenses especially on inventory and research. As for research they should cooperate to develop a new product and design quality controls and delivery systems together (Lambert, 2008).

Fifth, the integration of processes should be emphasized starting from sourcing, to manufacturing and finally to distribution. To enhance these processes, third party service providers can be used together with cross-functional teams. There are three stages to this integration. First of all, the supply chain is a fragment of the functions of one company that has its specific controls. Secondly, there should be an internal integration emphasizing on cost reduction. An evaluation of the effects of trade-offs should be considered at this stage. Thirdly, there should be an internal corporate integration emphasizing on efficiency. Finally, partners should create and maintain long-term relationships. These relationships should be based on trust, cooperation, and commitment, compatibility among the companies, inter-dependence and a shared vision (Hugos, 2006).

Lockheed Martin has an excellent supply chain management. To satisfy its many customers, it ensures it has materials on time so that it makes the machines needed and delivers the order on time. Supplier relations are very vital in Lockheed Martin and are highly guarded. Since the company has branches all over the world, the company keeps close contact with all its suppliers by sharing vital information with them. Customers are not left out in information sharing. The company also makes sure that its members in the chain that include its many subsidiaries and sub-subsidiaries have vital information and share in the company’s goal. When it comes to cooperation, the company makes sure other members in the chain share its goal so that other companies do not lag it behind or worse still, one company to work against it.

Integration of processes is very vital so that the other members do not feel they are left out and start activities that put the company at risk. Risks and rewards are shared equally to prevent some companies or suppliers from feeling oppressed since such feeling can lead to the break-up of the merger Lockheed and Martin or it subsidiaries. Lockheed Martin upholds the values of trust and enduring relationships so that it can continue doing well and meeting its customers’ needs (Blanchard, 2007).

Capacity planning is the process of accessing what a company should produce to meet the customer’s demand while capacity is the ability to meet this demand on time. A company should measure demand, measure capacity, reconcile the two, look at available alternatives and finally make a decision. Capacity planning reduces inefficiency and Lockheed Martin follows these steps in its decision-making as explained and therefore improves its customers’ satisfaction and hence profits. Supply chain management involves the cooperation between all members in the supply chain. There is also exchange of information, integration of processes and creation of enduring relationships. Lockheed Martin maintains all the aspects of an effective supply chain and by doing so it improves its profitability.

 

References

Barnes, D. (2008). Operations Management: An International Perspective. London: Thomson. web.njit.edu/~jerry/OM/ch07.ppt

Blanchard, D. (2007). Supply Chain Management: Best Practices. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley and Sons.

Brown, S. (2005). Strategic Operations Management. Amsterdam: Elsevier, Butterworth-Heinemann. www.gaebler.com/Capacity–Planning.htm

Finocchio, P., Prasad, R., & Ruggieri, M. (2008). Aerospace Technologies and Applications for Dual Use: A New World of Defense and Commercial in 21st Century Security. Aalborg, Denmark: River Publishers.

Hugos, M. (2006). Essentials of Supply Chain Management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. logistics.about.com/

Lambert, D. M. (2008). Supply Chain Management: Processes, Partnerships, Performance. Sarasota, Fla: Supply Chain Management Institute. books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=0761921117

Waters, D. (1999). Operations management. London: Kogan Page. www2.bc.edu/~xueme/MD021/…/capacity%20planning.doc

 

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Poetry

Part One

Human suffering can be characterized by different aspects depending on its causes. In this case, poetry can be utilized in the depiction of human suffering.  Dover Beach is a poem that tries to answer questions on the conflict ideas that exist between faith in religious context and the scientific Darwinism context. In this poem the speaker tries to bring out the bleakness of a world that is void of faith. Conversely, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem based on the conflicting ideals of a modern man who is neurotic, overeducated, emotionally stilted and eloquent. It depicts the fear being exhibited by a sexually starved man who cannot express his feelings to his lover. Although both poems are based on human suffering they exhibit different aspects that bring out the uniqueness of each poem.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a poem whose setting is England. Similarly, the setting of Dover Beach encompasses the England’s coastline. Consequently, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock can be described as a dramatic monologue which was characteristic of the poetry produced in the 19^th century. In the same way, Dover Beach is a dramatic monologue that was produced in the 19^th century. This is a clear indication that the different feelings exhibited by the narrators are brought into the focus of the reader through a mono narration which means that the narrator narrates all about his feeling without the contributions of his listeners. Imagery is utilized to bring out the similarities between the two poems. In the first stanza of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock imagery is brought out by, “Like a patient etherized upon a table.” Which depicts the lifelessness of the evening because a patient that is etherized is unconscious thus lifeless.

Likewise, Imagery is brought out in the first stanza of Dover Beach by the line that says, “The sea is calm to-night.” this is an indication of the calmness of the narrators feelings towards religion which is negated later in the poem as religious conflicting ideas are brought out by the narrator later in the poem. Different figures of speech are utilized to bring out the deeper meaning of the poems. The use of similes is seen in both poems through the utilization of the word like. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock the simile is brought out by the lines that asserts, “When the evening is spread out against the sky. Like a patient etherized upon a table.” The evening is likened to a patient in this case. Likewise, in Dover Beach it is brought out by, “lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.” The sea is likened to the folds of a girdle.

In contrast, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was published in the 20^th century, 1915 to be precise while on the other hand Dover Beach was published in the 19^th century, 1867 to be precise. Both poems are written by different authors. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was written by T. S. Eliot who felt much disoriented by the wealth that his father had gained in the US after his migration from England. For this reason he moved back to England as a form of maintaining his roots. Dover Beach on the other hand was written by Matthew Arnold who had lost his religious faith prior to the writing of the poem. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as compared to Dover Beach is a long poem as it contains 130 lines while conversely Dover Beach contains 37 lines which make it a short poem.

Both poems present the point of view of the narrator in the third person. The narrator in Dover Beach brings out the contrast between the two poems where he shifts from the third person to the second person as in line 29 where he says, “Ah, love, let us be true.” He then precedes this with the first person’s point of view in which he incorporates the observer and the listener in his point of view. This can be observed in line 24 where he asserts, “But now I only hear.” The narrator of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock on the other hand, maintains the use of the third person’s point of view throughout the poem.

Part Two

The narrator or speaker in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is a middle aged man who is very insecure. On the contrary, the speaker in Dover Beach is a newly wed man who is talking to his bride on their honey moon in Dover beach. Dover Beach encompasses two characters but in contrast, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock encompasses four characters. The two characters in Dover Beach include a man and his lovely bride which can also translate to any man or woman in the world or the author and his wife as they honeymooned on Dover beach after their 1851 wedding. Nevertheless, the four characters in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock includes J. Alfred Prufrock who is the narrator, The Listener who was Prufrock unidentified companion, The Women found at the social gathering and lastly The Lonely Men in Shirtsleeves who were seen smoking pipes as their leaned on their windows.

Contrary to the unidentified listener in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, the listener in Dover Beach can be identified as the wife of the poet or any other woman in the world who was being referred to in the poem by the narrator who was a newly married man. Contrary to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, that encompasses three main themes, Dover Beach contains one major theme. On one hand, the theme in Dover Beach is based on the way the people’s faith in God and religion had been shaken by the challenges of the soundness of the moral principles as well as the venerable theological beliefs. On the other hand, the themes in Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock encompass the dented consciousness of humanity, the changing gender roles and the power of the legendary history. Dented consciousness of humanity is depicted by the narrator’s indecisiveness between making radical change and his ability to accomplish this feat.

Changing gender roles is asserted by the increasing roles of women depicted i9n the poem where the women could meet in social gatherings to discuss about artists such as Michelangelo which shows that they were allowed to attain education unlike in the Victorian era.

Motif is employed in bringing out the similarities between the two poems. Fragmentation is a motif that is found in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Dover Beach in which both poets incorporates formal styles, tones and different images in one poetic art to bring out the different aspects of the era in which the poems were written. The sea is used as a particular image in both poems to show the humanity sufferings that originate from human conflicts.

The meaning of human suffering is brought out ion both poems. In Dover Beach it is brought out by the suffering that humankind faces due to the loss of their religious beliefs due to the psychological conflicts that exists in their minds. Similarly, in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and Dover Beach, human suffering is experienced due to the psychological conflicts taking place in the minds of the modern man due to the amount of knowledge he has and cannot translate it into an understandable manner. The two poems embrace musicality because they both contain anaphora. In The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock the word to is used in the four lines between line 91 and line 94 to bring out the musicality of the poem. In Dover Beach, the word so is repeated in the fourth line of the fourth stanza to bring pout the musicality in the poem.

Conclusion

             Even though both poems talk about the different aspects of human suffering, both poets approach the inference based on the different settings and era in which they were written. The poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock embraces human suffering on the basis of the modern man while the poem Dover Beach embraces human suffering in the Victorian era. Both utilize different themes as an indication of the same topic but they bring out the topic in a different language. Both poems are written in the from of a dramatic monologue because the poet of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock admired the poetry of the 19^th century thus duplicating the form in which the poems were written in his 20^th century poem. The poems are also written in a similar setting which is a clear indication that though the poets approached the tpi9c from different angles they still embraced some similarities in their poetic work. Human suffering is clearly brought out in both poems though it embraces diverse psychological ideas. The poets may be different but they share similar views thus bringing out the prevalent topic of human suffering in both poems. In conclusion, although both poems are based on human suffering they exhibit different aspects that bring out the uniqueness of each poem.

 

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Over Time- The Historical Progression of African Americans.

 

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Thesis

            The life of African Americans has undergone tremendous changes over time. The different historical periods have affected their lives in all manners possible. Political issues and decisions that were made in the different periods created different views that affected their lives. The major characteristic of the African American lives in the historical period was their struggle to be regarded equally and their fight for their rights. Economic and social issues have also been a major discussion in this history. This paper focuses on the progression of African Americans in different issues since 1865 to date. There have been major landmarks that mark the differences between these periods and they are discussed in this paper. There were times that African American lives were characterized by violence and other times that change occurred. African Americans express themselves in different ways, some of them being art and music. In study of the history of these people, we see how different times have brought changes to the lives of African Americans.

The Historical Progression of African Americans

            In unit one which is the period between 1865 and 1876, the lives of African Americans was that of great turmoil and changes in their social lives. In this period, their constant quest for liberation was of great magnitude. Their lives first changed after the civil war whereby all African Americans were released. This was seen as a major step in making their lives better. Some major political issues affected their lives in this period. First, there was the 13^th amendment of the US constitution that was ratified in 1865 (Foner, 1988). This amendment illegalized slavery or forced labor. This was a positive sign for the African Americans who had been slaves earlier in their lives. Slavery had been a major issue that had affected the African Americans throughout their history. Changes in the political laws that governed slavery were long overdue and African Americans wanted to see change leading to their recognition as part of the American nation. There was also the Freedmen’s bureau of 1965 that helped the freedmen to rebuild their lives. In 1968, the 14^th amendment was ratified. It granted African Americans full citizenship. It also created a law that Southern states would be punished in the event that they denied African Americans their rights. Moreover the 15^th amendment that was ratified in 1870 and allowed male African American citizens to vote without considering their past slavery records.

These were considered political milestones that would help African Americans achieve a better life in all aspects. These changes did not bring the results that were expected. The written laws were expected to translate into better conditions immediately but this did not happen. African Americans continued to be oppressed and their human rights infringed. Their rights to participate in elections were limited for example, women were not allowed to vote. Discrimination rocked their lives and this was not what they had expected. Their influence on the political decisions that were made was insignificant and they continued to feel isolated. There was the establishment of ‘black codes’ that were supposed to guarantee stable labor supply for all (Foner, 1988). This resulted in many African Americans becoming sharecroppers. This made their existence more difficult as making a living was harder. A merchant would loan an African American farmer the tools and seeds needed in order to plant his crop. He would also give him a supply of food and clothing in exchange for the harvest. Since African Americans did not own land, they also had to rent land in exchange for part of the harvest. This was difficult because at the end of the season the farmer was left empty-handed as all the harvest went to repayment of debts.

In response to these issues the African Americans decided to re-group and approach the problems they had as a group. With the oppression not going away, they had to act in a way that would not break their unity. The result was that they built churches that were specifically for them and that would be their meeting place. In addition, they also vied for political seats and wanted to represent their people in the senate. As an African American, holding a public office position was a great expression of democracy. Mississippi was one of the states where African Americans were allowed to vote freely and hold public positions (Dorsey, 2007). There were even two African American senators in this period. These were Hiram Revels and Blanche Bruce. All these were efforts by African Americans in this period to get their lives back on track. Their efforts did not go unnoticed because some form of recognition was accorded to them. There was the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which prohibited discrimination in the jury selection. This Act also made it a crime to deny any person the access and use of public places due to their color. The outcome of these efforts was clear since the African Americans had some form of democratic power. Although it was restricted to males only, it was better than nothing.

In unit two, the years between 1877 and 1920, the lives of African Americans were characterized by violence and racial discrimination. Most of the milestones that had been achieved in the earlier unit were lost. The social issue that faced them was the constant discrimination and racism (Arnesen, 1988). In addition, there was also the massacre of African Americans. There were raised concerns about the safety of their lives since there was heightened insecurity for them. There was the formation of organizations whose prime objective was to kill African Americans. An example of this was the Ku Klux Klan who had no other goal but to eliminate African Americans. This raised the alertness and was a cause for alarm for African Americans. Earlier in 1873 and 1874, there had been the Colfax and Coushatta massacres in Louisiana. The freedom that had been seen in earlier years could not be felt at all. Many people joined anti-African American movements, which led to worse cases of racism. These movements terrorized African Americans as well as whites who supported them. This period was difficult for the African Americans since the attack was not only on their rights but also on their lives.

The outcome of these issues was increased African American deaths especially in the Southern states. The increased animosity against African Americans was getting worse by the day and a lasting solution needed to be found. Besides, African Americans no longer felt safe to vote or vie for public positions, which resulted in less or no democratic representation in public offices. This also meant that African American issues could not be addressed politically hence no hope for recovery. Their response to these issues was to move out of their land and go to other states where they felt safer and threats were less. This was mostly to the northern states. The migration began in 1879 and continued to the later years (Dorsey, 2007). This resulted in low education levels for the African Americans resulting in lesser employment opportunities for them. This made their life difficult because they could not easily find employment. To make matters worse, the Supreme Court made the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments obsolete hence, the laws that guarded African Americans were no longer there. This happened in 1896 resulting in racial discrimination that was unguarded. In the 20^th century, whites were regarded as the superior people in America. To respond to this, African Americans formed a civil rights movement but they did this in secret. Besides, there was the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which was an advocate for the African American human rights and equal recognition (Arnesen, 1988).

1921 to 1945 forms the next unit and life for African Americans started to show improvement. This period is referred to as the Harlem Renaissance. The civil movement formed by African Americans was growing stronger and could fight for their rights more easily. In the Northern states where African Americans had increased, their culture could be felt and they had an influence on the people living there. In the Northern states, discrimination and racism was not as severe as it was in the South. This is why the people had moved there. Safety had improved and they could express themselves in a much freer way. The social cultural issue that was affecting them in this era was the expression of ideas using art and literary works. This period was characterized by blossoming technology that created new opportunities for employment. Industrialism was on the rise and the people were moving to cities where they could be employed. As a way of expressing their views, art and literary works were developed. African Americans could not approach political issues directly hence this resulted in the use of literary creations to address social and political issues (Franklin, 2001).

In response to the issues that they were facing, African Americans created music, visual and written works to express their views. Dance, literature, poetry, theatrical works and other cultural mediums were used to express the opinion of the African Americans. During this period, this was called the “New Negro Movement” but was later renamed to Harlem Renaissance (Dorsey, 2007). The outcome of this was the development of music especially jazz, paintings and plays that were used to depict the African American culture that had been suppressed for many years. In addition to this, African Americans became more vocal and the quality of their life improved. Through the empowerment brought by literary creation, they could approach issues with a more open-mind and opportunities began to present themselves especially in the employment sector. The man credited to have started the Harlem Renaissance is Alain Leroy Locke. Other notable figures in this period were William H. Johnson, Lois Mailou and Sargent Claude Johnson. Aaron Douglas was also a major artist who represented art of the people. In 1917, stage plays were produced that attracted a huge following and addressed issues like racism and the difficulties faced by the African Americans.

The most notable outcome of the Harlem Renaissance was the adoption of the African American culture nationwide. The artwork that blossomed from Harlem became an appreciation of many people without the consideration of race (Franklin, 2001). Although this culture was met with criticism at first, the way that people came to appreciate it was awesome. The jazz music was played in popular nightclubs and was accepted as a major form of entertainment in different areas. Musicians would perform in these clubs and this would attract the attention of music lovers. This explosion of culture had a large impact in the liberation of African Americans. It created a strong bond among them that allowed the expression of opinions without fear.

This period changed the way that the people viewed African Americans. Suddenly, they were accepted as a part of the society and were recognized as key players in the entertainment industry. In addition, their culture took a positive turn and was recognized by the other Americans. Although they could not express their political views freely, art became a way for them to give the government the problems facing them. The people, who just a few years earlier were highly oppressed, found a way to voice their issues through cultural means. African Americans in other parts of the country formed the same kind of movements to express their views through art. This meant that the whole African American community was becoming more conscious of their culture and finding a way to express themselves. It is worth noting that African American contributed to the success of the US and its allies in the Second World War. Through the newly found unity, African Americans were able to form stronger civil rights movements that would aid them perfectly in their quest for equality. They also found employment in the automobile and other industries that were coming up.

The life of African Americans significantly changed in 1946 to 1976, which is the fourth unit. The political issue that affected them was the civil rights movement (Dorsey, 2007). African Americans were becoming more aware of the issues that were faced them and were determined to find lasting solutions. They were tired of segregation in public places and change was what they wanted. They had lived an oppressed life for too long and they were ready to fight for their rights. In response to these issues, there was the second Great Migration, which had started earlier but continued up to 1970. African Americans migrated from the South and moved to cities in other parts of the country. This time it was not the North only, they also moved to the Mid-west and West parts. The southern states were still harboring strict laws that were against the African American culture.

In response to the issues facing them, they also started using different tactics to ensure that their complaints were heard. They boycotted public areas that advocated for segregation for example segregated public transport. They also organized protests and marches to demand for better treatment. Their leaders also conducted training sessions to empower people to register as voters in order to exercise their democratic rights (Dorsey, 2007). This resulted in less African American killings as compared to other periods. Protests were met by the authorities with a lot of force and were not allowed. In spite of this predicament, they still went on with the demonstrations. The leaders of the civil movement included Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. They had managed to rally their people together in such a way that they acted in unity in whatever actions they took. The whites tried to intimidate them but they had grown stronger and were able to force them to provide better and equal opportunities for African Americans. The outcome of these actions was the formal illegalization of discrimination. Segregation in public schools was also banned and this created better opportunities for African American children to acquire education. This period brought the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 that gave the African Americans freedom in terms of voting and vying for public positions (Franklin, 2001). They could also be employed more easily as they had acquired the necessary skills. They were employed by the government in the military and other sectors of the economy. All these changes came about because of the steps taken by the Civil Rights Movement. Their tolerance and patience led to the freedom that was needed in all aspects of the African American people.

The lives of African Americans have greatly improved since 1976 to the present years. From the age of oppression and discrimination, African Americans have recovered a lot and have become part of mainstream America.  There have been significant steps in every sector to create equal opportunities for all Americans. The most significant political issue that has been seen in this period is the need for more political representation for this group of people. By being elected into legislative or administrative power, it means discrimination no longer exists and that democracy has been served (Franklin, 2001). African Americans have been fighting to get this opportunity for many years as seen in other units. In response to this issue, African Americans have been more aggressive in getting the required skills to be elected into office. They have gone to great levels to achieve the academic qualifications required. They have also presented themselves for nomination to public office and are not afraid to approach places that were earlier considered as belonging to the whites. They participate in the rigorous campaigns that take place in order to be successful in political activities.

The outcome of this has been the election of various African Americans into political office. First, in 1989, Douglas Wilder became the first African American person to be an elected governor in the country. This has been followed by other numerous elections of African Americans as governors. Secondly, the democratic rights of women have been realized. As seen in earlier periods, women were not allowed to vote leave alone holding public office. This was seen as gender discrimination of the highest order because no relevant reason justified this action. Following this, Carl Moseley Brown became the first African American woman to be elected to the US senate in 1992 (Franklin, 2001). This was a huge achievement not only for her but also for all African American women. Other African Americans have been elected into high-ranking positions in the government and other sectors. Those who top this list include: General Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Ron Brown, Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. The last two are Supreme Court justices showing that African Americans have been able to penetrate most of the sectors in the US. The biggest accomplishment so far, was the election of Barrack Obama as the President of the United States. As an African American, it took a lot of hard work and overcoming obstacles to get there. This also means that the rights that the civil rights movement was fighting for many years back have been achieved.

Conclusion

            This paper has looked into the progression of African Americans in different historical periods. Each period is characterized by a major issue that affected the people. The issues can be political, social cultural, literal or even economic. The significant thing that can be seen here is that there is progress and continuity from one period to another. The African Americans have come from being a group of oppressed people to people who can fight for their rights. In terms of political achievements, they have gotten to the highest position in power showing their relentless fight for their rights. In conclusion, it has been an interesting historical study and the information learnt is important. The different timelines, show how different issues affected people from specific areas. This paper gathers information from historical events that helped to shape the lives of African Americans. In the modern world, they are treated just like any other Americans but the study of their history helps us understand their past. With the help of scholarly materials, one is able to gather and combine information that is constructive.

 References

Arnesen, E. (1988). Up From Exclusion: Black and White Workers, Race, and the State of Labor History. Reviews in American History, 26, pp. 146–174

Dorsey, A. (2007). Black History Is American History: Teaching African American History in the Twenty-first Century. Journal of American History, 93(4): 1171-1177

Foner, E. (1988). Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution 1863-1877. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers.

Franklin, J.H. (2001). From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans. Chicago: McGraw-Hill Education.

 

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Movie review: Gladiator

            The movie Gladiator is set in the Roman community to show the competition of power that existed in the ancient Roman kingdoms. It is used as a communication tool to inform people of the conditions that were present in the Roman community and the powers of the emperors. The movie unfolds with Marcus Aurelius as the Caesar of the Roman Empire. He was a just and wise leader who loved his people and advocated for good leadership to the Roman people. The emperor’s son, Commodus, has however a retrospective character to his father, which triggered him to kill his father. He was jealous and dishonest unlike his father who despised corruption and hatred amongst the people living in the community.

Marcus Aurelius projected a plan to allow his friend, Maximus, to take over the leadership after him. He did not advocate for his son Commodus to take over because he knew that he could not establish a good leadership as that which Maximus could[1]. When Commodus heard of the plan, he did not hesitate but forged a plan to kill his father. Marcus Aurelius was secretly killed by his son who claimed that that his father was sick before his sudden demise. Maximus did not believe in what Commodus said about his father’s death and started a rebellion against Commodus. Commodus was very fast in ensuring that he was marginalized from the community. He was later sold as a slave where he perfected his skills in gladiator games.

He later came as a gladiator to avenge for all the ills done to him by his friend’s son[2]. It was after some time when he perfected his skills in gladiator games and that he came back to the Roman Empire to fight Commodus. Fortunately enough, he was able to overthrow Commodus and took over his incumbency. It was through this way that he was able to take over as his confidant, Marcus Aurelius, had proposed. The battle between Commodus and Maximus marked the beginning of a new kingdom characterized by freedom unlike the overthrown kingdom.

Social, political and economical evils like corruption were terminated in the new empire – a factor depicted the presence of an apparent better leadership than the overthrown one. Commodus has been used in the movie to depict the unfair, jealous and immoral leaders present in the ancient Roman Empire. The storyline of the movie therefore evolves around the life experienced by Romans and their leaders during ancient days. It also evolves around the passion of gladiator games in the community; hence, the title Gladiator can be used as the main theme of the movie because the presence of a gladiator in the movie changes the life of many characters in the story.

It is obvious and accurate to say that the movie can be characterized as having a fictional setting because it complements facts on ancient Roman ruling[3]. This is evident in the movie because of the ancient ambience portrayed by the design in the movie. The entire story talks about how the Roman Empire experienced a series of corrupt empires before its redemption. This is apparent in the story because corruption and many other evils are seen to prevail in the Roman Empire. The character Commodus is used by the director or producer of the movie to pass a message of corruption and injustice that was inherent in Rome.

The fact that he kills his father in order to take over his leadership shows how he was greedy, jealous and corrupt. This is because he did not want Maximus to take over the kingdom but wanted the position for himself. He uses all possible means to ensure that he rules after killing his father. Maximus is carried away to be killed but manages to escape death by killing his would-be killers. He elopes to rescue his wife and sons but unfortunately, they have already met their deaths by the killers. Injustice is seen where his family is killed innocently while unfairness can be demonstrated where Maximus’ position is taken as the next emperor after Caesar’s death. It is therefore vivid that Marcus Aurelius’ succession brought about the death and battles that are depicted in the movie.

The storyline of the movie has a historical background of ancient Rome. This is characterized by the individuals depicted in the movie. A villain is used to symbolize the worst emperors in the history of leadership in Rome. In the movie, Commodus’ character traits do not differ with those of the real Rome emperor. The emperor was said to be unpredictable and dangerous, the same way the character Commodus was. This is evident when Commodus kills his father in order to deny Maximus the opportunity of becoming the new emperor. History is also depicted by the naming of the character, Connie Nielsen, an ancient astronaut on a mission to Mars, who is Commodus sister and Maximus lover[4]. This shows that people have been used in the movie to give reputation to different characters.

The director Scott was out to draw ancient Rome in the minds of the viewers. Rome is said to have a beautiful aura portrayed by the gladiators although some of the fights are seen to cause disorientation and confusion. The Coliseum is created in the minds of the viewers hence the movie is likely to give historical teachings to viewers. People living in the current generation are able to learn more on existence of the Coliseum and gladiator games in the past. This is educative as it teaches more on the social, political and economic history of ancient Rome.

The movie is also used by the director to show that power is achieved through controlling the crowd. This means that people are able to attain leadership through influence[5]. This is shown by the support of different people or parties in a gladiator battle. People could shout and encourage their favorite fighter, a factor that made him work hard towards overcoming his opponent. This is evident in the movie when Commodus is overthrown by Maximus. People on Commodus’ side cheered and shouted at him to win and so did Maximus’ support group. Maximus fought towards winning the fight between him and his opponent, Commodus, beating him at the battle. After overthrowing him, Maximus went further to take his lover, Commodus sister and Commodus wife. Historically, the movie enables people or viewers know more about Coliseum and the main aim of the game. The movie shows that people could easily lose their leadership by losing a battle in the Coliseum. It is therefore a good example that depicts the bestial nature of the people who lived in ancient Rome. It is through the movie that people are able to tell more about the ancient lifestyle of the people living in Rome at that time.

The movie also depicts the character of ancient or historical figures in Rome. Heroic figures are seen as wise people who overcome the efforts of their antagonists – who are referred to as villains. Maximus was a wise man who used his wisdom and skills to overcome his opponent, Commodus[6]. He did not have an army that comprised of many people but his skill in Gladiator games made him achieve the best in his battle with Commodus. He used his skills to take over the Roman Empire as a witty and honest leader. On the other hand, Commodus used the wrong means to take over his father’s leadership. He is portrayed as the villain who ended up losing in his deals. He was overthrown by Maximus because of his poor leadership and lack of management skills. Historically, the movie portrays the necessity of knowledge and skills in one’s leadership[7]. It is beyond doubt that ancient leaders were full of knowledge and leadership skills. It is also vivid that leaders could emerge from any community or social setting as long as they had the desired qualities of a leader. Maximus was sold as a slave to Proximo. He later emerged in the Roman Empire after exercising his wisdom and skills to overthrow Commodus. Commodus on the other hand lost his leadership title to his opponent because he did not have skills and knowledge as a leader.

In conclusion, the movie Gladiator is used historically to give a clear picture of ancient Rome and the people who lived in it. In conjunction to this, the movie can be used to show the social, political and economic status of ancient Rome.

Bibliography

Laporte. Gladiator. Montpellier: Fata Morgana. 1980.

Shebuev. Gladiator. Moskva: “Vostok”.1923.

Wylie. Gladiator. New York, Shakespeare House. 1951.

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