Proteins Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Proteins - Lab Report Example Proteins are essential nutrients and are therefore significant to the body, a factor that identifies the need to understand their presence in substances for nutritional, and other, purposes. An understanding of protein levels in the body is also important in determining changes from equilibrium fluid compositions. There are many ways in which protein concentrations in substances, particularly solutions, can be determined. The most common approach is the application of a regression analysis model to develop a relationship between protein concentration in a solution and absorbance rate that can be experimentally determined. The developed relationship can then be used to determine concentrations of proteins in substances, under similar conditions, based on the absorption rates in proteins from those solutions. This paper explores the use Bradford approach to determination of protein concentration. In order to use the approach to determine the concentrations, the paper tests the null hyp othesis that there is no significant relationship between concentration of protein solutions and absorption rates. Applied research method involved observation of experimental result from the Bradford approach to establish, analytically, existence of a relationship. The relationship is then used to determine concentration unknown proteins solutions. Analysis of the results identifies existence of a significant relationship. This is because of the small p value (p value= 0.000394) relative to the level of significance, 0.05. The paper therefore concludes validity of the method but identifies errors that lead to inconsistent concentrations for the unknown solutions. Introduction and background information Protein quantification is an important biological concept with a wide scope of applications. This is majorly because proteins form fundamental structures of living cells and organs. This also identifies the need for understanding their importance in the body as well as the need for p rotein based nutrients. Identification of a specific level of need for protein components is for example important to nutritionists who need to know the recommended amount of proteins that an individual should take, a scope that identifies the need to understand protein concentration of different substances for recommendation of appropriate quantities that can be consumed. Knowledge of protein concentration can similarly be applied in health care environments to determine presence of diseases in a body (Chem, p. 105). The Bradford’s approach to determination of protein concentration is one of the applicable techniques that is easy to apply and is time efficient (Mnstate, p. 1). It employs the spectroscopy technology that uses light waves to determine concentration. The basis of application of the approach is absorption of a dye into protein (Clarke, p. 1). The absorbed dye, whose concentration varies directly with the concentration of the absorbing protein then, forms the bas is of determining the relationship between protein’s concentration and absorbance property (Cuntapay, p. 1). The basis further relies on change in visibility of the used dye to determine the level of absorbance (Ruf, p. 1). The method’s determination of the concentration of an unknown protein is further based on the principle that given similar conditions, such as the solvent and factors such as temperature, concentration of protein in a solution is the sole determinant of absorbance property. As a result, different proteins with similar concentrations will exhibit the same absorption rate if all other factors are constant. This further means that any other protein under the same conditions obeys a developed theory, in an equation of relationship between protein concentration and absorption rate (Thermo, p. 1). Such an equation is determined by regression analysis that establishes a relationship between protein concentration and absorption. The analysis, will in this c ase determine the rate of increase of absorption rate with each unit

Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid Disease Essay Example for Free

Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid Disease Essay Hyperthyroid and Hypothyroid Disease Mischief just seems to follow wherever Dennis appears, but it is the product of good intentions, misdirected helpfulness, good-hearted generosity, and, possibly, an overactive thyroid The Merchant of Dennis the Menace.Hank Ketchum Additionally when comparing Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism, it is useful to consider the symptoms, treatment, and life with the disease. The hidden truth about thyroid disease and what every person should know, how it affects not only the body, but also the affects that these diseases have on mental stability and memory is astounding. What everyone doesn’t know, but should know about these two diseases. Knowing more about the symptoms of thyroid disease is useful knowledge for any one person that has a family member with the disease or has concerns for them. Also thyroid disease can be hereditary, if a family member has the disease it is likely that another member in the family has it or will get it. Uncontrollable weight gain is of the most common symptoms, and most talked about for hypothyroid disease. What they don’t say is that losing the weight is next to impossible, and when the weight gain will stop. As one of the thyroid glands functions is to release hormones in the system to regulate the metabolism, if the metabolism isn’t regulated weight gain is inevitable, amongst this symptom are the uncommon symptoms of intolerance to cold, memory loss, dry skin, and hair loss, with hypothyroid disease the thyroid is no longer producing enough of this hormone for a healthy thyroid gland, compared to hyperthyroid the thyroid gland is over producing hormones, and this leads to uncontrollable weight loss even with a high caloric diet, weight loss will continue. The uncommon symptoms are depression, intolerance to heat, and again hair loss, however with both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid once treated these symptoms will start to lessen under a physician’s care. The treatment for hypothyroidism, depending on the severity of the disease, what form of hypothyroidism is diagnosed will be the deciding factor in how the disease is treated, for most the treatment is a Synthroid medication, how much medication is taken daily will depend on the TSH levels in the blood system, in order to find out what the TSH level is generally a blood test will revile the level, at the same time it will be recommended to continue having regular blood test ran as these levels can change frequently along with the amount of medication, having regular blood work done, along with regular visits to the treating physician will help with maintaining a healthy thyroid gland. However the treatment for hyperthyroid disease is completely different, still blood work will be needed to determine the over activity of the thyroids hormone release, since hyperthyroidism can be cured, furthermore this treatment will depend on the age of the person, their general health, and the condi tion of the thyroid gland. The most common treatment is an anti-hormone medication until the thyroid gland is functioning at normal hormones levels, in the same way treatment will be decided by the attending physician. Living with thyroid disease has its challenges, but is manageable as long as the individual follows the medical advice that has been given to them by their attending physician, although it is recommended to seek out a specialist in this area. Hypothyroid disease will require blood work maintence that should happen at a minimum of every six months to ensure the TSH levels are staying within the required levels, adjustments to the medication may be necessary until the right level is maintained for a minimum of six months or as recommended by the physician. During this time one will be overwhelmingly fatigued, but will get better as time goes on, and the treatment has been successful, there will be days when the body is full of energy on the other hand there will be days that more sleep is required than usual, getting out of bed will be a chore, bones and joints will be constantly sore and painful to the touch, nevertheless it is a manageable disease even though the treatment is time consuming, still it just will take perseverance and patience to make everything fall into place, also changing the daily diet, adding in super foods that can help with the thyroid function, such as eating more fresh fruits, grains, vegetables an d lean proteins in addition to changing regular cooking oil to coconut oil for all cooking that requires cooking oil. Coconut oil is better for thyroid  function, is doesn’t make food taste like coconuts, food won’t have that oil taste, is better for you, and will help elevate the thyroid in a more natural way. Cutting out white foods, such as sugar, white flour, dairy, and caffeine will also help with repairing the function of the thyroid gland. This will be a lifelong change for any individual that develops hypothyroidism since it cannot be reversed. The symptoms can change constantly; any change in the thyroid hormone will create changes in the symptoms for the better or worse, even though cutting out white foods and changing the diet, adding in super foods, medication cannot be skipped as it can have a negative effect on the system. Although living with hyperthyroidism in comparison is completely different, but changes will need to be made in the same way, such as learning to relax, take things in stride, at the same time look into taking up a meditation class, yoga class or get regular massages. Regular exercise is also recommended as doing any one of these daily regimens will help with the healing process of this disease. When the individual follows the treatment plan recommended and maintains a healthy balanced diet, hyperthyroid disease is reversible, and the thyroid will once again be thriving and healthy unlike hypothyroidism which cannot be reversed. Life is manageable with hypothyroid disease or hyperthyroid disease, once you have a clear understanding of the treatment, symptoms and how to live a healthy life with either of these chronic diseases. There is not enough getting done in the research industry to find the key to what is the cause of thyroid disease, and how we can create more viable medications to enhance the patient’s livelihood.

Sports Essays Table Tennis China

Sports Essays Table Tennis China Like many other sports, table tennis began as a mild social diversion. Descending from lawn tennis to badminton to the  ancient medieval game of tennis. Table Tennis likely began as a social hobby in England toward the end of the 1800s. These early pioneers may have referred to their sport as gossima, flim-flam, or ping-pong. The game became a huge fun event after the name Ping-Pong, the noise made by the ball striking the table, was introduced by J. Jacques Son. It became very popular in England under its present name â€Å"Ping-Pong.† (Hickok) By the early years of this century, Ping-Pong had already acquired some of its present day complexities, but it was still used by many as an after-dinner amusement game rather than a sport. Dining-room tables made up some of the early equipment that was used. Several different every-day objects were used to play the sport. They used a line of books as the net; rackets were lids from empty cigar boxes, and then a little later, parchment paper stretched around a frame created a paddle. The ball would be either a ball of string, or perhaps more commonly, a champagne cork or rubber ball. The game underwent a few changes in England in the next few years. One person introduced a celluloid ball to the game, while another added pimpled rubber to the wooden paddle. These additions were used by many and advanced on by others. Some box sets can still be bought from Milton Bradley. (Bradley) The game was very popular in Central Europe in 1905 to 1910, but even this was a modified version that was introduced to Japan, where it later spread to China and Korea to become a huge popular sport in these countries. (Museum) The Japanese dominated the sport for much of the 50s and 60s. But in the 60s and 70s, the Chinese soon caught up with the Japanese. China alone has dominated the sport for much of the time since then, especially after Table Tennis became an Olympic event in the 1980s. For a reason unknown, the Chinese took table tennis as their national sport. And most other countries cant really touch them in skill. Alone from China four of the top ten from both male and female live here including number one. Now other nations such as Sweden and South Korea have joined the top ranks. For a while in Europe, it lost its fun and became very unpopular to play. Then in the early twenties, it regained its popularity and became a sport. In 1926 the International Table Tennis Federation, ITTF, was formed. By that time it had adopted its new name of Ping-Pong, while also being called table tennis. It started to become so popular that organizations and federations developed and rules and regulations were made. (Museum) Over the next sixty years, table tennis developed into a major worldwide sport. Today it is said that a rough 30 thousand people play competitively, and another million to 2 million play in household rooms and garages. Although it has became faster and harder to play, the game itself has not lost its â€Å"gentlemans† sport aura. One major concern that the ITTF has always insured that table tennis remains a contest of human skills. Also, they are very concerned with technological developments, which add a new factor to the game like the spin and speed of a paddle or bat, do not give too great an advantage to the players who get to use these developments. Therefore, equipment specifications are carefully laid down, and rigorously enforced. (Museum) Other changes like lowering of a net, is a big rule that shouldnt be broken. Rules preventing excessive advantage being gained by the server-were introduced in the thirties, and only minor changes are made from time to time. Changes to the rules of the sport can only be made only at the ITTFs Biennial General Meeting. These changes are never made without the agreement of a substantial majority of the hundred members in Associations represented at the BGM. In this vote everyone is equal. This is kind of like the UN Security Council too, if they want to veto a rule or movement, just one person can stop the rule or movement. Modern table tennis at a high rank is as rigorous as any sport in its demands for the highest degree of physical fitness and mental concentration. Very physical and arduous training to develop natural skills for the sport usually attains this. Fred Perry in 1928-29 became the World Mens Singles Table Tennis Champion, and then in the following years he became a champion at Wimbledon. Many say he moved to the tennis court because his reactions got slower. But it is certainly true that no other sport requires faster reactions and more delicate muscular co-ordination than ping-pong. (Museum) According to a PBS article: One of the first public hints of improved U.S.-China relations came on April 6, 1971. This happened when the American Ping-Pong team in Japan for the 31st World Table Tennis Championship, received a surprise invitation from their Chinese colleagues for an all-expense paid visit to the Peoples Republic. Time magazine called it The ping heard round the world. On April 10, nine players, four officials, and two spouses stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland, ushering in an era of Ping-Pong diplomacy. They were the first group of Americans allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949.(Dean) In table tennis there are very many different strokes, different swings, and different stances. I, myself as a ping-pong player, use the shake-hand grip. I use this grip for very many reasons. One reason would have to be that it feels the most comfortable to me. It feels way more natural and comfortable rather than the pen-hold grip. I have a lot more speed and control when I hit a hard move or hit. Another reason is because if someone hits the ball really fast back to me, then I am ready and I can hit back a very fast stroke back. In this style I can hit a backhand or forehand as fast as my body will let me. Also when I use this grip I can hit the ball to any spot on the table. When I use the pen-hold grip, I cant usually hit the ball where I want to. In table tennis, professionals play with either the shake-hand grip or the pen-hold grip. I myself use this grip. I have more control and more speed when I use this style. The shake-hand grip is appropriately named because you hold the paddle as if you were shaking someones hand, with your index finger extending over the bottom part of the rubber on the backhand side and your thumb slightly touching the rubber on the forehand side. (Bradley, Milton) The pen-hold grip is also appropriately named because you hold the paddle just like a pen, only grasping the paddle at the top of the handle. Because of this, people that use this grip get a paddle with a more comfortable handle to use this grip. The wrist flick is almost always done from the backhand side. The opponent usually does it to return a serve or to return a ball hit very short and low. (Bradley) The counter is used against topspin balls, which you have no time to loop. This stroke requires very little forward arm motion, but it is extremely important that you angle and position your paddle correctly. If it is hard topspin, you must angle your paddle downward, so the ball is forced not to pop up when you hit it. If it is soft topspin, do angle your paddle so its nearly facing the opponent. If hitting either a backhand or a forehand, the paddle should only move forward about a foot during the complete shot. (Bradley) All in all, ping-pong has a long history of ups and downs. It started in the end of the 1800s and has since then become very popular. From all countries there have been many people that have played their way to the top of ping-pong history. There are a lot of different strokes and spin moves in the game of ping-pong. There are two main grips, pen-hold grip and shake-hold grip which are used in all games of ping-pong. Works Cited: Deen, Alfred. History of Table Tennis. PongWorld. 2000. PongWorld. 31 Jan 2008 . Hickok, Ralph. Table Tennis. Hickok Sports.com. Monday, 17-Dec-2007 11:26:23. Hickok Sports. 4 Feb 2008 . International Table Tennis Federation museum, The History of Table Tennis. Robbins Table Tennis Specialties. 2007. Robbins Table Tennis Specialties, Inc.. 31 Jan 2008 http://www.robbinstabletennis.com/history.htm ITTF Museum. A Comprehensive History of Table Tennis. ITTF Museum. ITTF Museum. 4 Feb 2008 . Milton Bradley, The History of Table Tennis. Table Tennis History. Fortune City. 4 Feb 2008 . Willcox, Isobel. Acrobats Ping~Pong. 13438. New York: Dodd, mead Company, 1981.

A Better Welfare System :: Work Job Employment Essays

A Better Welfare System I do believe people should have to work or get an education while receiving benefits. Nobody should get to get a 'free ride' through life! Nobody pays my way through life, I have to work for what I get. That quote is the word of a twenty-two year-old female who holds down a full-time job, pays rent, and taxes. Some, like her, may feel contempt toward welfare recipients who do not work for their benefits. The welfare system is a program for citizens who need assistance. but it should be considered a privilege, not a free ride. Everyone wants-or professes to want-to "end welfare as we know it," even though the welfare system is still thriving. The new program on the market, Workfare, is a reform tactic that will get recipients into the work force and eventually off benefits. It's is four a.m., and Jenifer Beack is getting her two children ready to go to day care until they are shuttled off to school. Then Jenifer heads to Roseville, Minnesota, to her job as a Customer Support Specialist at Allina Clinic Equipment Services. It's a hectic schedule for this single mother to maintain, but she's willing to do it. A couple of years ago, Jenifer, in her third year of college, was on welfare. She was struggling with full time school.. part-time evening job, and trying be a mother to her baby girl. It was when a friend told her about STRIDE (Success Through Reaching Individual Development and Employment,) a subdivision of Workfare that she began to see a way out. STRIDE, encourages recipients to see welfare as temporary assistance. emphasizing employment as the goal. Lynn Ransom, Case Manager with PIWC 5 (a branch of welfare), went out of her way to help Jenifer with anything she needed. PIWC 5 provided financial assistance for day care, car repairs, gas money, clothing, books and classes. Lynn helped Jenifer develop a resume, fine tune her interviewing skills, and select an interview wardrobe. What PIWC 5 asked for in return was a goal sheet which helped Jenifer develop reasonable goals to work toward. Lynn and Jenifer met on a regular basis to monitor progress. After graduating with a degree in Psychology and Speech Communications, Jenifer landed the job at Allina. Jenifer stated, "Lynn has been so wonderful. She's been there not only through financial struggles, but personal ones too.

Long Term Care †Aging Baby Boom Generation Essay

The baby boom generation will pose a gross demand for long-term care services and the challenges that state and federal governments face in budgeting to offset those services. Federal entitlement spending will sharply increase due to lack of preparation (saving money) for â€Å"old age† by baby boomers. The some 76 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are anticipated to double the burden on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security by 2035. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001) Social Security and Medicare reform must continue to keep the programs viable and capable of meeting those commitments. Medicaid, the main agency that finances long term care, will need realistic focus. Currently, the services of Medicaid are unable to meet the demands of need for individuals with disabilities, leaving the individual’s family to face the burden of long term care cost. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001) â€Å"As the baby boom generation retir es and the Medicare-eligible population swells, the imbalance between outlays and revenues will increase dramatically. Medicare growth rates reflect not only a rapidly increasing beneficiary population,  but also the escalation of health care costs at rates well exceeding general rates of inflation. While advances in science and technology have greatly expanded the capabilities of medical science, disproportionate increases in the use of health services have been fueled by the lack of effective means to channel patients into consuming, and providers into offering, only appropriate services. Although Medicare cost growth had slowed in recent years, in fiscal year 2001 Medicare spending grew by 10.3 Percent and is up 7.8 percent for the first 5 months of fiscal year 2002. (United States Government Accounting Office, 2001)† Reference United States Government Accounting Offices (2001) Long Term Care – Aging Baby Boomers Retrieved from http://www.gov/assets/110/109196.html

Catfish and Mandala

The American novelist Thomas Wolfe once wrote, â€Å"You can't go home again†. Andrew Pham proved that wrong. â€Å"Andrew X. Pham, who came to the United States when he was ten years old as a ‘boat person,' returned to Vietnam 20 years later on an extended bike trip in order to understand better his cultural identity† (Pearl 208). Despite the fact that Pham, like so many others of his generation, were forced to flee Vietnam, somehow they never lost the sense of identity with the homeland they only remembered as children. Pham, as an insightful writer, decided it was time for him to find out if there still exists a bridge between him as a Viet-American and his homeland. Pham travels to Vietnam to search for his roots in hopes to construct his identity. For Pham in the search of his identity he flies to Vietnam to ride his bike, and also to find his roots. As he first gets off the airplane he is already is immediately receiving dirty aware of others who looks at him disdainfully because he is a â€Å"viet-kieu† which means foreign Vietnamese. Then as he is at the baggage claim while retrieving his luggage, to his amazement he sees the workers tear up his bike that had been stuck in the claim belt. That hit a soft spot in him because that bike had been through so much with Pham. From then on his impressions of Vietnamese people were bad, He developed a negative impression of Vietnamese people and he automatically thought of them as a lower class persons than Americans human than he was. Pham in order to go back to his roots needs to humble himself as a true Vietnamese. Then he will understand his identity and appreciate his culture.

Billie Holiday Quotes

Billie Holiday Quotes Billie Holiday, a popular and tragic figure in jazz, was a gifted singer with an amazing voice and talent whose personal life was chaotic and troubled. Selected Billie Holiday Quotations I never hurt nobody but myself and thats nobodys business but my own. Im always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where Ive been. Youve got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn bodys sermon on how to behave. Somebody once said we never know what is enough until we know whats more than enough. If I dont have friends, then I aint got nothin. Dont threaten me with love, baby. Lets just go walking in the rain. Love is like a faucet, it turns off and on. You can be up to your boobies in white satin, with gardenias in your hair and no sugar cane for miles, but you can still be working on a plantation. Sometimes its worse to win a fight than to lose. Singing songs like The Man I Love or Porgy is no more work than sitting down and eating Chinese roast duck, and I love roast duck. People dont understand the kind of fight it takes to record what you want to record the way you want to record it. I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. Thats all I know. If Im going to sing like someone else, then I dont need to sing at all. You cant copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means youre working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and its got to be that way in music or it isnt music. No two people on earth are alike, and its got to be that way in music or it isnt music. I never had a chance to play with dolls like other kids. I started working when I was six years old. In this country, dont forget, a habit is no damn private hell. Theres no solitary confinement outside of jail. A habit is hell for those you love. And in this country its the worst kind of hell for those who love you. All dope can do for you is kill you... the long hard way. And it can kill the people you love right along with you. About These Quotes Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection  © Jone Johnson Lewis. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote.

Free Essays on Thai Sex Tour

Thailand’s Sex Tourism In our world today, many nations are still in a struggle in finding methods to be able to support themselves in the aggressive economic environment in which we live in. Tourism for many developing countries has been viewed as a key asset for development as well as international recognition. Many nations within the Southeast Asian region, specifically Thailand, have successfully adopted tourism as a significant factor in the improvement of the nation. According to the World Bank, Thailand has had one of the fastest economic growth rates of any developing country over the last 25 years, making the country an economic leader in developing nations in Southeast Asia. Bringing in approximately 156 billion Baht ($4 billion US), tourism has been the main contributor to the Thai economy. Speaking from my personal experience and knowledge, this revenue has been credited to the many Thai cultural tourist attractions that are located through out different provinces within the country. A key point that has gone unnoticed is the fact that Thailand’s tourism revenues brings in over 60 billion Baht ($1.5 billion US) alone from the sex tourism that is offered in the country. Thailand’s government, at least I believe, has intentionally failed to recognize this in order to refrain from any possible discouragement from visiting the nation. By leaving this information out, much of the general public is unaware of the downsides of the tourist industry. The goal of this paper is to show how sex tourism is a great concern. By using Thailand as foundation, I will prove how this can impact an entire nation and present the social and economic factors that began this sex industry. There are tremendous negative effects to the cultural values and quality of living. Child sex tourism is also another area that I will present that is all interlinked with each other. The government has intentionally left out information and as a resu... Free Essays on Thai Sex Tour Free Essays on Thai Sex Tour Thailand’s Sex Tourism In our world today, many nations are still in a struggle in finding methods to be able to support themselves in the aggressive economic environment in which we live in. Tourism for many developing countries has been viewed as a key asset for development as well as international recognition. Many nations within the Southeast Asian region, specifically Thailand, have successfully adopted tourism as a significant factor in the improvement of the nation. According to the World Bank, Thailand has had one of the fastest economic growth rates of any developing country over the last 25 years, making the country an economic leader in developing nations in Southeast Asia. Bringing in approximately 156 billion Baht ($4 billion US), tourism has been the main contributor to the Thai economy. Speaking from my personal experience and knowledge, this revenue has been credited to the many Thai cultural tourist attractions that are located through out different provinces within the country. A key point that has gone unnoticed is the fact that Thailand’s tourism revenues brings in over 60 billion Baht ($1.5 billion US) alone from the sex tourism that is offered in the country. Thailand’s government, at least I believe, has intentionally failed to recognize this in order to refrain from any possible discouragement from visiting the nation. By leaving this information out, much of the general public is unaware of the downsides of the tourist industry. The goal of this paper is to show how sex tourism is a great concern. By using Thailand as foundation, I will prove how this can impact an entire nation and present the social and economic factors that began this sex industry. There are tremendous negative effects to the cultural values and quality of living. Child sex tourism is also another area that I will present that is all interlinked with each other. The government has intentionally left out information and as a resu...

Brand and Burberry

Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. To reach a recommendation, we come up with five criteria: Brand image; Financial implications; Competitive advantage; Market growth and Ease of business. As maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market we based our recommendation on this criterion. Based on the situational analysis, we narrowed to the following three alternatives: 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers After careful scrutiny and evaluation of alternatives, we recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 2. Situation and Problem Definition Burberry, founded in 1856, is a leading international luxury brand. Burberry designs, manufactures and licenses apparel and accessories for distribution through its own stores and network of prestige retailers worldwide. In early 1998, the new management team at Burberry set out its strategy to reposition and revitalise the brand, which resulted in significantly improved results and strengthened the base to build the business. With continuous growth since last five years, Burberry has faced new challenges of brand sustainability and positioning in a volatile industry (fashion) where customer behaviour is unpredictable. Thus, it requires a strategy that lays foundations for long-term growth and addresses the issues related to the challenges of product extension, management of the Burberry check and customer segmentation. With the above issues in mind, we will carefully analyze the situation (Section 4) and develop the alternative course of actions (Section 5). Further, using the recommendation criteria (Section 3), we will evaluate each alternative (Section 6) and will come up with a recommendation in form of a business strategy that Burberry should adopt (Section7). Finally, we will prepare an action plan for the implementation of the recommended business strategy (Section 8). 3. Recommendation Criteria In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the alternatives and to reach a final recommendation, following criteria is devised. 1. Brand image: Burberry has gained a reputation as distinctive luxury brand with international recognition and a broad appeal. Any poor strategy at this stage would hamper the brand value of the company so the recommendation should strengthen the Burberry brand. 2. Financial implications: Firms often need to spend tremendous amount of money to make tangible changes to the product and packages, as well as intangible changes to brand’s image through advertising. Therefore, strategy adopted at this stage would have a huge impact on the profitability of Burberry. So alternatives will be evaluated to reach the final recommendation that should have minimum financial implications. . Competitive advantage: Another key criterion is that of competitive advantage. Fashion industry is highly competitive and Burberry is facing competition from all brands i. e. from lower end to higher end, and from lifestyle to fashion. Therefore, maintaining competitive edge in this market is very important and hence, we would take this factor into account in reaching the final recommendation. 4. Market growth: Repositioning and revival of the brand has led the company to the fast growing path and Burberry would like to continue it in future. Business strategy adopted by Burberry at this stage would have long-term impact on its growth. Therefore, market growth becomes an important criterion for basing any recommendation. 5. Ease of Business: Entrepreneurs always try to bring simplicity in their processes and business. Accomplishment of different strategies requires different level of efforts. Therefore, we will evaluate our alternatives on the dimensions of efforts. Maintenance of the brand image is always the fore most important factor for the luxury brands in order to sustain in the market. s very critical. Therefore, of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined the brand image is the most important criterion on which we will base our recommendation. 4. Situational Analysis (refer Appendix A for SWOT analysis of Burberry) Since last five years, Bravo, chief executive of Burberry, renewed the popularity of the company brand by successfully implementing the combination of key strategic initiatives, including:  ·Changed the company name from Burberry’s to Burberry and introduced a contemporary logo and packaging. Introduced the Prorsum designer collection for women in Spring 1999, which further extended to menswear for the Spring 2000 season. In addition, the collection provided valuable design inspiration for the Burberry and Thomas Burberry clothing and accessories collections.  ·Enhanced the awareness and perception of the brand among customers and the fashion industry through an image-building global advertising campaign and extensive editorial coverage.  ·More modern merchandising focus and product extensions, transforming the fashion consciousness of the brand. Reviewed the distribution channels, leading to more focu sed presence in premier retailers worldwide. Additional opportunities were addressed in the retail division with the closure of a number of non-strategic Burberry stores, the opening of a new store in Las Vegas and a new flagship store in London.  ·More disciplined stock control, enhanced systems and a substantial reduction in the size of the range, leading to improved profitability.  ·Renegotiation of Japanese licensee arrangements resulted in enhanced control of the brand, the confirmation of Burberrys pre-eminent position in Japan and a very significant boost to profitability. Analysis of the marketing plan of Bravo on the four dimensions of marketing mix (4Ps) reveals the Burberry’s present competitive positioning in the fashion industry. Bravo targeted to transform Burberry products as luxury products with functionality and positioning Burberry as a luxury brand, which is â€Å"aspirational but also functional. † She promoted the Burberry brand in two phases. The first ad campaign conveyed the brand values as â€Å"classic and chic and fun and witty† and second ad emphasized on the fashion side by presenting â€Å"good girl bad girl† theme. Further, in order to present the brand’s new position in the market, she raised the prices and focused on a particular price point. The price range of Burberry apparels is comparable to Hugo Boss (Exhibit 15 of the case) and that of accessories is between Coach and Gucci (Exhibit 16 of the case). Finally, she attained the global presence of Burberry by utilizing three distribution channels (retail, wholesale and licensing) and by exercising tight control over its distribution channel. Bravo’s goal was to transform Burberry from a tired outwear to a luxury lifestyle brand that is aspirational, stylish, and innovative. However, in order to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customer base, promotion campaign seems to be an inherent juxtaposition of almost opposite association in Burberry’s new position. In first phase, ad campaign seems to convey the classic and new style of the brand while in second phase, it emphasized more on the fashion side of the brand, which resulted in the popularity of the brand among the non-target customer, urban youth and hip-hop musicians. As the lifestyle of a new non-target customer is very different from the lifestyles of Burberry’s core customers, there is a probability that the brand affiliation of Burberry with this non-target market would eventually alienate Burberry’s core customers. Analysis of the Burberry sales breakdown chart clearly indicates the increase in the percentage sales of the accessories to the total sales and decrease in the percentage sales of apparel to the total sales, over the three years. In case of accessories there are two main reasons for the increase. One, the wide range of price points made them an accessible entry point for new customers and secondly, Bravo rightly set the price of its accessories according to its niche i. e. between the price range of Coach and Gucci products. However, in case of apparels, although Burberry put lot more efforts as compared to other sections (introduction of 450 to 500 apparels styles each season in womenswear and 330 to 350 apparels styles each season in menswear), its percentage sales did not increased, primarily because of incorrect pricing. Market research showed that apparels of Burberry has a niche between the labels of Polo Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani, but Bravo priced its apparels almost equal to Hugo Boss, which is much higher then the target competitors. This inconsistent with the original positioning might make consumer confused and even suspicious of the brand’s overvaluation, which in turn will somehow damage its image. On the other hand, even with the higher price range, over all increase in the sales of the apparels points to the requirement of the revaluation of the Burberry’s niche in the market. As markets are not stagnant, especially in the fashion industry where the consumer’s tastes and trends shift very rapidly, Burberry should constantly review the needs and wants of the customers. Thus to maintain the competitive edge in the market, Burberry should constantly update its product. Extension of the existing product line and entering into new needs product categories would be the two strategies that Burberry should adopt to sustain the growth of the company. Burberry is known in the fashion market for its distinctive checks. Thus the brand image of Burberry is associated with the checks. Further, having customers who buy Burberry products only because of its prominent checks and also, customers with one item check aspirational in the target market segment, forming a strategy to manage the ubiquity of check become even more critical for Burberry, which would clearly affect the positioning of the brand. Overuse of the check pattern can present a risk of diluting the brand, which can eventually lead to customer burnout. In sum, analysis of the case indicates that over the past five years, Bravo and her team were able to revive the Burberry brand and provide the new positioning in the market. However, there are some areas, such as, pricing of apparels and consistency in target market, which does not reflects the discipline of the luxury brand and demands repositioning. While there are other new areas, such as, management of the Burberry check and extension of product line, that should be addressed to maintain the popularity of the brand. Thus, it clearly indicates the requirement of the repositioning of the brand in order to sustain the brand image and to lay foundation for long-term growth of the company. 5. Alternatives Following are the alternative business strategies that Burberry can adopt for managing the popularity of the brand and strengthening the brand’s positioning in order to sustain the growth of the company. 1. Status quo 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market 3. Reposition the brand to target the core customers 6. Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Status quo: This is the simplest alternative, as it requires Bravo and her team to perform no action other than continuing the business in same manner. Sustain the brand position as aspirational luxury brand along with functionality factor and advertise it with the goal being to attract younger customers while retaining Burberry’s core customers base. Further, focus on the set price point in the apparel and accessories market, continue with the extensive use of Burberry check, update the current product line, and further tighten the control on the distribution channels. The advantage of this alternative is that it is very easy for the Bravo and team to follow as they have hand on experience with this strategy. Also, sustaining this strategy would be having very less financial implications. However, in the changing world of fashion and lifestyle, this strategy would not be able to sustain the brand image for the long term, which would result in the loss of competitive advantage over the other luxury brands that Burberry brand has attained over the last five years by reviving the brand’s positioning. With the same strategy in place, sustaining market growth would also be hard to achieve. 2. Reposition the brand through segmentation of the market: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team, should adopt a strategy to change brand focus to target two segments of the market, hip-hop youth and core customers and realign the brand’s core emphasis with changing market preferences. Thus, introducing two new product categories, one with designs and fabric representing the latest fashion that matches with the wants and needs of the new market segment of Hip Hop musicians and urban youth, and another with high-profile high-end fabric and design representing the lifestyle that addresses the needs and wants of the core customers. Further, reassessing the Burberry niche in the market and setting the prices of the products accordingly and realigning the use of Burberry checks according the market segments. The advantage of adopting this strategy is that it would enhance the competitive advantage of the Burberry brand over the other luxury brands. It would help the Burberry brand to represent both, fashion and lifestyle, at same time thus increases the likelihood of increasing the market growth. However, even with the clear segmentation, it would not eliminate the concern that youth affiliation with Burberry brand would alienate Burberry’s core customers, which would have a negative impact on the brand image of Burberry. Further, although repositioning will improve the brand’s fit with its target segment, it is not without cost. A risk of not recovering the costs if repositioned brand is not credible to the customer is also associated with this strategy. It would also be very difficult to maintain these two different segments of market and would demand lot of efforts from the Bravo and her team. 3. Reposition the brand to target core customers: Under this alternative, Bravo and her team should focus on its core customers by realigning the brand positioning, and grow the brand in the emerging global markets. The strategy to realign brand positioning will include the use of high-profile fabric and design that should represent both lifestyle and fashion. Burberry will also have to devise the strategy for the use of Burberry check in order to bring soul to its designs and to re-evaluate his niche in the market in order to align the price of its apparels and accessories accordingly. This strategy will guarantee the sustainability of the loyalty of the Burberry’s core customers. This brand affiliation with the core customers would enhance the brand image, while strategic use of Burberry checks and introduction of products with both lifestyle and fashion would help to sustain the brand positioning in the fashion industry. This would provide the competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Emergence in the new global market would provide enough opportunities to Burberry to maintain its market growth, however, in the short run, losing some section of the non-target customer would hurt the revenues of the company but in the long run, core customer loyalty would be beneficial to the company. Implementation of this strategy would also be easy for Bravo but it would be challenging to the designing team of Burberry to develop design that should represent both fashion and lifestyle. Burberry would also have to incur some costs in order to reposition the brand that fits with its target customers. 7. Recommendation In order to assess the different alternatives mentioned in Section 6, we will use the criteria mentioned in Section 3: Brand image; Financial Implication; Competitive advantage; Market growth; and Ease of Business. We set up a chart listing all alternatives and assign points to each alternative based on the five criteria. Ranks are assigned with a higher number indicating higher rank i. . better the alternative ranked against specific criteria, higher the number assigned. Of all the criteria mentioned above, we have determined that brand image is the most important criterion so we have assigned double the weight as compare to the weights of other criteria. Finally, the alternative that collects the maximum total points shall be considered as the alternative of our choice. AlternativeBrand ImageFinancial implicationsCompetitive advantageMarket growthEase of BusinessTotal Weight2 x1 x1 x1 x1 x Status quo2311310 Reposition through segmentation of the market4123111 Reposition by targeting core customers6232215 Based on the analysis of the chart above, it is recommended that Burberry should reposition its brand in order to target the core customers. By implementing this alternative, Burberry will be able to sustain its brand positioning in the fashion industry, which would provide competitive edge to Burberry over the other luxury brands. Association with high-end customers would further enhance the brand image, which would be very helpful to sustain the market growth in global arena. Further, Burberry would be able to implement this strategy with much less efforts and with minimum financial implications. 8. Action Plan The recommended alternative can be implemented in three phases. 1. Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning 2. Brand strategy implementation 3. Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy Phase 1: Brand strategy formation and brand repositioning Redefine the corporate mission statement that should address the target customers. Formulate strategies to address internal requirements, such as, design of Burberry products that represents lifestyle and fashion and management of usage of Burberry checks, and external requirements, such as improvement of customer’s brand recognition and reinforcement of the new brand, while maximizing the effectiveness of financial budgets. Phase 2: Brand Identity system It would be accomplished in two steps: Step 1: Brand Identity System: conveys a single Brand image and personality through all your marketing communications. The brand value conveyed by advertisement campaigns should match the corporate goal of brand positioning. Step 2: Integrate Marketing Strategy: leverage Brand Strategy across all marketing communications and extend the strategy internally i. e. to all the related departments. Further, reinforce the â€Å"Defined Brand† through interactions both internal and external to your organization in order to strengthen your Brand. Phase 3: Measurement, evaluation and adjustment of brand strategy It would work as the quality check on the brand strategy. To accomplish this phase, two step approach should be used Step 1: Response Analysis and Tracking System: obtain feedback by setting up a Response Analysis and Tracking System for individual media, as well as measuring the effectiveness of marketing investments. Further create an objective metrics that should measure the performance of your Branding Strategy in creating awareness/exposure, inquiry and action/sale. Step 2: Evaluation and Adjustment: ongoing evaluation of performance is critical to gauge the impact of the Brand on the markets. In order to make effective adjustments, a system should be devised to ensure effective and fast responsiveness to the feedback. Appendix A: SWOT ANAYLSIS Environment Evaluation PositiveNegative Internal Strengths-Leading luxury brand with more than 150 years of istory-A top management team made up of A-list industry talent -Broad market base and product lines;-Global presence-Wide brand awareness; Burberry check widely known around the world and derived 25% of all company revenue-Brand is considered classic as well as contemporary-Large profit margins-Tight controls over the distribution channelsWeaknesses-possibly over-extended brand that do not relate to the brand’s image -Historical problems as sociated with licensing and check management-The actual price is not consist with its price positioning-Heavy reliance on the check pattern-Newly emerging customer base could alienate core customer base. ExternalOpportunities-growing luxury market in Asia Pacific-Extending product categories and customer segments Threats-Competition with both lifestyle and fashionable brands. -Volatile industry

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Auditing - Essay Example Adverse views are those that auditors believe to bear misleading information and are therefore unreliable. Those that lack sufficient evidence to enable judgement are the disclaimers. The Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust is one of the firms that received a non-standard audit opinion on the year beginning on April 1st 2004 and ending on March 31st 2005. It got a full adverse opinion on 30th June 2004. The purpose of receiving this stance is the trust failed to recognize the whole value of its compendium of assets. It also had no idea of the concomitant expense in depreciation in its financial records. These misdoings go against the third standard of financial reporting i.e. accounting for plant, equipment and property. It expects business entities to recognize the asset collections not achieved before to be recognized at reasonable value without forgetting to depreciate it (Audit Guidance Statement 14). The Trust is a corporation that specializes in the management of all issues concerning heritage, culture and arts on an assimilated region. Its role is to provide services in the fields of heritage, culture as well as art and related programs to those residing in Hawkes’s Bay. It also provides education and information to the Hastings District community in its areas of specialty among other roles Attached is a copy of the audit report to the readers of the Hasting’s community for the year that ended on thirtieth June two thousand and four. The company received a disclaimer because the liquidity levels were much higher than expected, resulting from an increase in surplus coupled with the degree of labor brought forward to the year 2004/05. Secondly, the present portion of term indebtedness of two million U. S dollars exceeded the long-term financial strategy budget. There were capsizing finances as a consequence of the decision to utilize internal borrowing to avoid the creation of more sinking funds (Audit Guidance Statement

General Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

General Psychology - Essay Example Focusing on ways to prevent sleep deprivation and moving toward practices of healthy sleep can assist one with mental, physical and emotional activities through daily life. The importance of sleep begins with the stages of sleep which occur as well as how this affects different stages that one goes through with the activities in the mind. The main cause of sleep is based on wave patterns in your mind that balance the sleeping and waking systems. When the wave patterns slow down, it communicates to the mind that the body should also move slower, which leads to sleep. The result is a slower pattern of brain waves which is required for certain periods of time each night. There are four stages of sleep that are a part of the cycle. Stage 1 is a light sleep where the heart rat slows down and breathing is irregular. Relaxation and alpha waves, a slower brainwave, are the two features of stage 1 sleep. Stage 2 leads to a drop of temperature and spindles of brainwave activity. Stage 3 leads to delta waves in the brain which are larger and slower than other brainwaves. Stage 4 is deep sleep and is typically reached after 1 hour. This is a slow wave of delta and can lead to a lack of consciousness from the brain (Coon, Mitterer, 186). The stages associated with sleeping are an indicator of why sleep is needed as well as what occurs when one gets enough sleep. If one doesn’t receive enough of stage 4 sleep, it can become detrimental to health, both physically and mentally. The body requires the brainwaves to move at a slower pace for a given period of time and to begin to change and relax for given periods of time. Learning, memory and functions that are associated with mental capacity aren’t able to function at full capacity if one doesn’t receive enough sleep. The complications occur with neuronal

Supreme Court of the United States Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supreme Court of the United States - Assignment Example ?s case is consistent with ‘narrowly tailored’ use to achieve diversity and other factor to qualification are equally significant to the applicants’ selection process. Consequently, the use of race is not an isolated factor to selection and this undermines discrimination of applicants from minority races. The case of Grantz, however, fails to identify the ‘narrowly tailored’ application and instead offers advantage to applicants from minority races. This is because the university offers additional 20 percent points to applicants from minority races, a factor that makes race an isolated and significant factor to qualification. The ‘narrowly tailored’ concept therefore establishes constitutionality of the university’s provisions under the Grutter case but unconstitutionality under the Grantz case (Supreme Court of the United States 4; Supreme Court of the United States1 31). Lee Bolinger was sued in both cases because he is an agent to the artificial person and therefore acts on behalf of the institution. He is therefore not sued on his personal capacity but on capacities of the positions that he held at the times that interests on the case arose. In the Grutter case, for example, he is sued in the capacity of the Dean of the Law School and the capacity of the University’s president while in the case of Grants, he is sued in his capacity as the University’s president. Supreme Court of the United States. â€Å"Jennifer Grantz and Patrick Hamacher, petitioners v. Lee Bollinger et al., No. 02-516.† Supreme Court of the United States. N.d. Web. February 17, 2015. . Supreme Court of the United States1. â€Å"Barbara Grutter, petitioner v. Lee Bbollinger et al.† Supreme Court of the United States. N.d. Web. February 17, 2015.

Vision for the Future of Nursing Speech or Presentation

Vision for the Future of Nursing - Speech or Presentation Example Evidence-based nursing draws upon the results and findings of ongoing research in nursing so that knowledge incorporates into practice, and the quality of health care improves. The application of nursing theory has immense influence upon the professional nursing practice. Nursing theories assist nurses in the prediction and analysis of, and rational decision making in every day experiences. Nursing theories facilitate the intervention process by providing the nurses with a rationale for obtaining reliable information regarding the patients’ health. Nursing theories establish the standards for the measurement of quality of healthcare provided by the nurses. Finally, the nursing theories function to enhance the autonomy of nurses by defining their individualistic roles and responsibilities. Nurses need to have an adequate knowledge of the nursing theories to enhance their productivity and rational decision making ability. Two features that lay the foundations of almost any kind of model of healthcare delivery are mobility and portability. Today, these features are evident in the growth of ambulatory healthcare centers, freestanding clinics as well as all sorts of nonhospital settings. Trends are changing for the better and more Americans are aging at their homes rather than in old houses these days. There is increased tendency for children to avoid institutions for their parents in the future. This imparts the need for the nurses to deliver the care at the patients’ homes. â€Å"There’s a shift away from institutional care toward individual responsibility, and a move from hospitals and nursing homes to retail, kiosks, and home† (Hines cited in Saver, 2006). This is inconsistent with the general training of the nurses in which they gain education so as to deliver care in a hospital-based environment. In addition to that patients today want increased level of personal control over their healthcare, which generates a need for the nurses t o develop innovative methods of delivery of healthcare and expect more self-diagnostic tests by the patients. These changes have increased the number of challenges for the seasoned nurses. To play their role effectively as before, it is imperative that the hospital-based nurses place more emphasis on assisting the patients with transiting to where they will mostly heal; their homes. Nursing schools are currently suffering from budget constraints because of which, millions of qualified applicants turn away. There has also been a shortage of nursing faculty in the recent years. Research suggests that almost 50% of the faculty members serving in the nursing schools would have reached the age of retirement within the next 10 years; â€Å"the anticipated attrition represents a crisis in the making, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the replenishment of the nurse workforce, which is itself on the verge of losing some 500,000 nurses to retirement† (Aiken, 2011). The dec line of the graduation rate of nurses as well as the nursing faculty is a matter of great concern, especially when there are numerous good employment opportunities for nurses in the present age. The fundamental reason this is happening is that nursing students and faculty members are required to return to school after the completion of basic education and a couple of additional academic degrees and not many nurses find this route simple enough to

Critically examine the future of banks as financial intermediaries Essay

Critically examine the future of banks as financial intermediaries - Essay Example 1244-1247). The foregoing is different in money markets where lending or borrowing is on a short-term basis (Scholtens and van Wensveen, 2000, Pp. 1244-1247). Capital markets represent where equity securities and or debt is traded (Osano and Tachibanaki, 2001, P. 4), with money markets representing where short term debt securities as represented by commercial paper, repossessions, treasury bills, banker’s acceptances and negotiable certificates of deposit that have maturities of from 30 days to one year (Lapavitsas, 2003, P. 13). An important distinction that exists in capital markets is that the borrowers tend to represent entities seeking to spend in excess of their present income as represented by those individuals or companies where their present income is in excess of expenditures (Allen and Santomero, 1996, P. 4). Within the capital markets the borrowing and lending functions include the issuance as well as sale of bonds and shares, which is termed as direct financing, a nd intermediated financing which represents dealing using financial intermediaries which represents the bulk of all transactions made (Matthews and Thompson, 2008, Pr. 35-36). The subject matter of this study has broad scale ramifications as evidenced by the most recent financial crisis that has griped the international community. The free wheeling lending of mortgages to high credit risk home owners started a global meltdown that has run for over two years and created unemployment levels as last seen in the Great Depression. This examination will look into the facets of financial intermediation to expose its weak points and recommend international action that is not a new view, it is one that already has be proposed through the Basel II Accords that are mandatory in Europe. Financial intermediation represents a process entailing surplus units, as represented by individuals and or companies whose current income exceeds present expenditures, to what are termed as

Supreme Court of the United States Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supreme Court of the United States - Assignment Example ?s case is consistent with ‘narrowly tailored’ use to achieve diversity and other factor to qualification are equally significant to the applicants’ selection process. Consequently, the use of race is not an isolated factor to selection and this undermines discrimination of applicants from minority races. The case of Grantz, however, fails to identify the ‘narrowly tailored’ application and instead offers advantage to applicants from minority races. This is because the university offers additional 20 percent points to applicants from minority races, a factor that makes race an isolated and significant factor to qualification. The ‘narrowly tailored’ concept therefore establishes constitutionality of the university’s provisions under the Grutter case but unconstitutionality under the Grantz case (Supreme Court of the United States 4; Supreme Court of the United States1 31). Lee Bolinger was sued in both cases because he is an agent to the artificial person and therefore acts on behalf of the institution. He is therefore not sued on his personal capacity but on capacities of the positions that he held at the times that interests on the case arose. In the Grutter case, for example, he is sued in the capacity of the Dean of the Law School and the capacity of the University’s president while in the case of Grants, he is sued in his capacity as the University’s president. Supreme Court of the United States. â€Å"Jennifer Grantz and Patrick Hamacher, petitioners v. Lee Bollinger et al., No. 02-516.† Supreme Court of the United States. N.d. Web. February 17, 2015. . Supreme Court of the United States1. â€Å"Barbara Grutter, petitioner v. Lee Bbollinger et al.† Supreme Court of the United States. N.d. Web. February 17, 2015.

Critically examine the future of banks as financial intermediaries Essay

Critically examine the future of banks as financial intermediaries - Essay Example 1244-1247). The foregoing is different in money markets where lending or borrowing is on a short-term basis (Scholtens and van Wensveen, 2000, Pp. 1244-1247). Capital markets represent where equity securities and or debt is traded (Osano and Tachibanaki, 2001, P. 4), with money markets representing where short term debt securities as represented by commercial paper, repossessions, treasury bills, banker’s acceptances and negotiable certificates of deposit that have maturities of from 30 days to one year (Lapavitsas, 2003, P. 13). An important distinction that exists in capital markets is that the borrowers tend to represent entities seeking to spend in excess of their present income as represented by those individuals or companies where their present income is in excess of expenditures (Allen and Santomero, 1996, P. 4). Within the capital markets the borrowing and lending functions include the issuance as well as sale of bonds and shares, which is termed as direct financing, a nd intermediated financing which represents dealing using financial intermediaries which represents the bulk of all transactions made (Matthews and Thompson, 2008, Pr. 35-36). The subject matter of this study has broad scale ramifications as evidenced by the most recent financial crisis that has griped the international community. The free wheeling lending of mortgages to high credit risk home owners started a global meltdown that has run for over two years and created unemployment levels as last seen in the Great Depression. This examination will look into the facets of financial intermediation to expose its weak points and recommend international action that is not a new view, it is one that already has be proposed through the Basel II Accords that are mandatory in Europe. Financial intermediation represents a process entailing surplus units, as represented by individuals and or companies whose current income exceeds present expenditures, to what are termed as

Create Your Own School Essay Example for Free

Create Your Own School Essay A public schools’ job is to create a standardized environment for students of the general population; however, public schools don’t always meet the needs of the students. Charter schools exist to meet the needs of the students and are more open to parental involvement and local control over state and bureaucracies’ control. However, â€Å"charter schools may deter some minority, poor, and working families from seeking enrollment by requiring them to complete volunteer hours and failing to provide transportation and free lunches to eligible students† (Schnaiberg 2000). My school I create will take the benefits of public schools and the benefits of charter schools to create an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity. My school offers students in preschool through twelfth grade, an extended school day and longer school year, because most of December is off. My secular school is founded on respecting and encouraging other religions thus the school works around religious holidays, creating all secular and religious holidays off days. School is in session September 3rd through June 20th. Students in early childhood education program and kindergarten are in class Monday-Friday 7:30am-12:30 pm. Students in first through fifth are in class Monday-Friday 7:00am-4:45 pm. Students in sixth through eighth are in class Monday-Friday 6:45am-4:45 pm. Students in ninth through twelfth are in class Monday-Friday 6am-12:30 pm. Students in ninth through twelfth grade are required to have a Monday-Friday work experience internship; students under sixteen have an on-campus internship (1-4pm), while students over sixteen have an off-campus internship (1:30-4:30pm). My school’s goals are to have students by the end of twelfth grade be able to understand and comprehend at or near college level. In addition, students will learn three languages (English, Spanish, and another), read music sheets, be able to play a musical instrument or sing, have life skills, and have a knowledge of the diverse world we live in. All students pre school through twelfth grade will learn English composition, math, science, grammar, social sciences, geography, reading, literature, foreign languages, visual/performing arts (music, art, theatre, and dance), cultural diversity, U.S. government/economy, and physical education. Middle school students will learn speech: interpersonal communication, small group communication, argumentation, intercultural communication, public speaking, and forensics/debate. Middle school and high school students will learn required electives: basic life skills, introduction to computers, cultures of the world, nutrition/health/safety/careers, life skills, philosophy/religions/cultural anthropology, and human sexuality/anatomy/physiology. My school’s goals are to have students prepared for college and/or having a job as well as serving in the community. In addition to a work experience internship, high school students are required to take personal electives, which are any additional high school electives taken through the local community college or 30 units of college units though AP, CLEP, Dantes, etc. Middle school students are required to take personal electives, which are any additional middle school electives that are high school level. All students sixth through twelfth are required to complete community service to graduate and achieve units (10 units=20 hrs). Middle school students are required to complete at least sixty hours of community service and high school students are required to complete at least eighty hours of community service to graduate. Middle school students are required 360 units to graduate including personal electives and community service; high school students are required 520 units to graduate including personal electives, work internship, and community service. Summer school is required for middle school and high school students. Students are required at least twenty units. Repertory and accelerated classes available. My school holds a high sta ndard for the teachers as well for the students. Students are expected to behave, strive for excellence, respect others, have a good character, and be willing to learn, while the faculty is expected to do the same. â€Å"Most charter schools do not require their teachers to be certified† (Borsa 1999). However, my school requires all teachers K-5th to hold a Teaching Credential and a Masters Degree and teachers 6th-12th are required to hold a Masters or Doctoral Degree in the area they teach. My school promotes a healthy life style, school uniforms, and parent involvement. Parents are required to pay one fee that covers all school material, lunches, schools uniforms, field trips, and other necessary items. The food at my school, which is free, and healthy, that means no soft drinks, cookies, candy, chips, or any other junk food; all birthdays at school will be celebrated without unhealthy food. Parents are encouraged to eat healthy and show students healthy life styles. Students are required to wear a school uniform, a short-sleeved tee shirt with school logo and black pants/shorts/dress/skirt or for formal attire is long-sleeved shirt and black pants/shorts /dress/skirt. The shirt will have a color to represent a grade: Pre-K: Pink, K: Purple 1st: Blue, 2nd: Turquoise, 3rd: Green, 4th: Light Green, 5th: Yellow, 6th: Orange, 7th: Red, 8th: Maroon, 9th: Brown, 10th: Black, 11th: Gray, and 12th: White. Like the school uniform, backpacks will be in the color of the school uniform and have the students name on it. My school has no state standardized tests, but the use of state standards. Instead students are required to test into each grade through a test that measures their cognitive and behavioral level. The complete cognitive test has twenty-seven essays and 2030 multiple choice/true-false questions, which is two essays and 140 or 150 questions per grade. The cognitive test measures what the student should know by the end of each grade. Students can challenge an exam if they feel the grade or class they are in doesn’t reflect their abilities. In addition, students are required to take a test out exam in each subject. It serves as a measure for student learning, and an evaluation for teachers and parents. This exam is compared to the â€Å"test in exam† and options for tutoring/after school help for struggling students. If student doesn’t score higher than 80 percent on an exam, they won’t be promoted to the next class or grade unless they successfully retake the exam. The exam can be retaken twice before the student must repeat a grade of class. My school doesn’t use the Standard Letter Grade, but gives students the option for it . Instead of standard letter grades, students in K-5 will have a grade of Pass (B- or higher in Standard Letter Grade) or No Pass (C+ or lower in Standard Letter Grade). Then 6-12th grade students will have the option of keeping their grades in Pass/No Pass or having standard letter grades. (Students will be put on Academic Probation if their GPA reaches 2.99 or below.) Behavior, class participation, in-class work for students K-12 will be graded in O=Outstanding, E=Exceeds Expectations, A=Acceptable, P=Passing, N=Needs Improvement. Each week behavior and participation reports are sent home so parents can see how their student’s behavior and participation improves or becomes a problem. Teachers and parents go over the childs portfolio, which includes tests, papers, art, quizzes, and other in-class material each quarter. At the end of the year students evaluate their own work and other’s work in the portfolio. The student, the teacher, other students, and the parent grade the portfolio like pieces of art are evaluated at an art gallery. My school gives students the option of independent study or regular classroom learning in middle school and high school. All preschool through twelfth grade students are put in their cognitive level and in small classrooms of twenty students of less; however, middle school and high school students have the option of regular class or packets. In regular class students participate in in-class assignments, quizzes, and tests; students must earn homework and extra credit. Students must have at least 240 points out of 300 to pass each quarter; otherwise the quarter will be repeated in packets. In a packets class or independent study students come to class participate and take in-class quizzes and tests; however, class work is done in packets. Students must have an A- or higher to move on to the next packet. Packets are allowed to be taken home and are equivalent to one week of regular class in-class work; only Physical Education, Speech, Science Lab, and Visual/Performing Arts are not allowed to be taken in packets. The packets are recommended for students who are ill, on religious holidays, etc., which prevent them from attending class. In addition, all students on holiday (December) have the option of completing packets for credit and completing quizzes and tests online with a proctor; the packet requires an A- or better to move on. Overall, my school focuses on creating an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity; however, there are intuitional and individual barriers. Intuitional barriers will arise when parents who aren’t secular will try to implement their beliefs into the curriculum, but this school offers a well-rounded approach to learning not faith-based learning. In addition, problems may arise when parents try to control what the child learns and what they become; parents are encouraged to let their children be good at what they are good at. Small class sizes and indivualized learning can cause problems for students and parents who want a more mainstreamed education. Students may feel it is too hard for them, but this school is meant to be challenging in academics, but not in socializing. Since there will be intuitional and individual barriers, parents and teachers are encouraged to be open and discuss any problems and look for what is in the best interest of the child. My belief is that education should offer students prepare students for life outside of education. I provided a school that offers students an extended school day and longer school year and summer school to keep kids out of trouble and respect religious beliefs. My school has educated students prepared for college and/or having a job as well as serving in the community. In addition, I provided a school that promotes a healthy life style, school uniforms, individual learning, good behavior, options in learning, and parent involvement. The goal of my school is to prepare and educate students to learn and be the best they can be in whatever they are good at. This charter school will create an emphasis on individual learning and respect for cultural diversity and more. Although this charter school will have intuitional and individual barriers, the school will provide more positive learning than a negative one. References Borsa, J., Ahmed, M., Perry, K. (August 1999). Charter School Goverence. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, Jackson Hole, WY. ED 436 856. Schnaiberg, L. (2000). Charter schools: Choice, diversity may be at odds. Education Week, 19(35), 1, 18-20.

Gender Differences in Reading Ability

Gender Differences in Reading Ability Reading is one of main ways to get information. What is the relationship between gender and reading comprehension? Reading success depends on factors such as the levels of readers proficiency, types of text, text difficulty, and task demands (Brudice, 2009). One important factor that affects the process of reading and consequently the process of comprehension is the reader text variable. Considering the text variable, different studies have been conducted to investigate the way readers affect the processes of reading and comprehension. The strategies used by readers, their background knowledge, motivation, attitude, age, personality and sex all have been investigated (Keshavarz. Ashtarian, 2008). This paper aims to investigate how gender differences influence reading comprehension. Statement of Problem In this paper the presented problem was to identify whether or not gender differences had an effect on reading comprehension ability. As a question, the problem is, What is the relationship between gender and reading comprehension ability for secondary students? (Brudice, 2009) Definition of Terms Gender Differences: Gender: the state of being male or female (with reference to social or cultural differences) Reading Comprehension can be defined as techniques for improving students success in obtaining useful knowledge from text. Reading comprehension is understanding some texts that are read, or the process of constructing meaning from read texts. Comprehension is a construction process because it includes all of the elements of the reading process working together as a text is read to create a representation of the text in the readers mind (Brudice, 2009). Discussion Reading comprehension is a complex cognitive skill in which the reader should construct meaning by using all the available resources from both the text and background knowledge (Brudice, 2009). Several studies, which have investigated some independent variables that are linked to students abilities to comprehend science textbooks, have conflicting findings. While some found important differences in boys and girls verbal abilities in favor of girls, some others did not find gender differences in their subjects abilities to comprehend two biology texts (Soybio; McKenzie-Briscoe, 1998). The findings of a 2008 study indicate that there is a difference between malesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and femalesà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ comprehension of the reading passages. Females are better in case of comprehending passages. Females are outstandingly superior in reading skills, and the proportion of men going to reading classes as a remedy, is higher than males. Females outperformed males in their comprehension of given passages in a written recall task (Keshavarz. Ashtarian, 2008). Why do girls have a higher reading ability? Boys have more often their own room in comparison to girls. This may take time from reading and contribute to lower scores. Girls have a little bit more often their own study desk that may contribute to their higher reading test results. Although boys have a little bit more books at home, they are not so good in reading. According to the evaluation of girls, there is more classic literature and poetry in their homes. Children influence the home culture and so this literature is bought more often for girls. More girls are from homes without a computer. Working on computers may reduce the boys time for reading books and magazines. More girls are confident that they are doing well in language. The self-evaluation supports learning language and is a result of good learning. There are more boys among students who have fewer than 2 hours for self-study of language. Once more girls devote more time to language studies and boys have other interests (Lynn Mikk, 2009). And for second language in general, it seems that no gender differences existed on TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) in any of the subtests (Jie Wu, 2003). In light of new issues about second language reading perhaps more inquiries about second language reading comprehension should be concerned with the amounts and types of variables that are superior, or more influential, in producing higher levels of reading comprehension because as a whole it is very different from first language (Brantmeier, 2004). Conclusion A meta-analysis provides strong evidence that the significance of the gender difference in verbal ability is currently so small that it can effectively be considered to be zero. More detailed analysis of various types of verbal ability (e.g., vocabulary, reading comprehension, analogies) similarly provided no evidence of a substantial gender difference (Hayde Linn, 1988). But as the results of this study indicate, females are somehow superior in reading comprehension compared to male subjects (Keshavarz. Ashtarian, 2008) and females are more global and prefer to guess meaning from context while males are more analytic and attend more to words (Brudice, 2009). This suggests that teachers should take into consideration the fact that more practice needs to be done when working with male students. Another consequence of the study can be drawn from the finding that both male and female students had greater gains on essay regardless of their gender. This may imply that teachers can focus on teaching different types of texts in their classes regardless of their students gender. This may help learners to pave the way toward autonomy in that they can build on what they already know or what they have explicitly learned in their classrooms (Keshavarz. Ashtarian, 2008). So teachers should be aware of these differences; they can help learners of both genders in different ways. By concentrating on learners limitations, teachers can provide successful learning situations. Only in this way can teachers handle the class efficiently and achieve the teaching goals. Strategy training can be done through working with students in small groups or individually by using various reading texts and questions to check students processing problems through questioning and answering. Teaching learners comprehension monitoring and reading comprehension test taking strategies can help them to take a more reflective and self-directed approach to text reading. Additionally, it can help learners in reducing anxiety in reading tests (Brudice, 2009).

traglear King Lear Essays: Elements of Tragedy in King Lear :: King Lear essays

Elements of Tragedy in King Lear One Work Cited King Lear meets all the requirements of a tragedy as defined by Andrew Cecil Bradley. Bradley states that a Shakespearean tragedy has to be the story of the hero who endures exceptional suffering and calamity. The story must also contrast the current dilemma to happier times. The play also depicts the troubled parts in the hero's life and eventually he dies instantaneously because of the suffering and calamity. There is the feeling of fear in the play as well, that makes men see how blind they are not knowing when fortune or something else would be on them. The hero must be of a high status on the chain and the hero must also possess a tragic flaw that initiates the tragedy. The fall of the hero is not felt by him alone but creates a chain reaction that affects everything below him. There must also be the element of chance or accident that influences some point in the play. King Lear meets all of these requirements, which have been laid out by Bradley. The main character of the play would be King Lear who in terms of Bradley would be the hero and hold the highest position is the social chain. Lear, out of pride and anger, has banished Cordelia and split the kingdom in half between the two older sisters, Goneril and Regan. This is Lear's tragic flaw that prevents him from seeing the true faces of people because his pride and anger overrides his judgement. As we see in the first act, Lear does not listen to Kent's plea to see closer to the true faces of his daughters. Kent has hurt Lear's pride by disobeying his order to stay out of his and Cordelia's way when Lear has already warned him, "the bow is bent and drawn, make from the shaft" (I.i.152). Kent still disobeys Lear and is banished. Because of this flaw, Lear has initiated the tragedy by disturbing the order in the chain of being by dividing the kingdom, banishing his best servant and daughter, and giving up his thrown. Due to this flaw, Lear has given way to the two older daughters to conspire against him. Lear is finally thrown out of his daughters' homes and left with a fool, a servant and a beggar.

Vonneguts Cats Cradle: Exposing the Folly of Humanity :: Vonnegut Cats Cradle Essays

Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle: Exposing the Folly of Humanity In an interview published in The Vonnegut Statement, Kurt Vonnegut states that one of his reasons for writing is "to poison minds with humanity. . . to encourage them to make a better world"(107). He uses poison, not in the context of a harmful substance, but as an idea that threatens welfare or happiness. In Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut strives to disturb the complacency of his readers by satirizing humanity and its institutions, such as religion, science, and war, to name a few. If Vonnegut is successful in his endeavor, he may disturb some enough to make them see the folly of what humanity has achieved, and attempt to make some meaningful and positive changes. In some instances, however, Vonnegut hedges his bets by not relying entirely on the perception of humanity, and succumbs to the temptation of plain speaking. Julian Castle, physician and philanthropist, offers this opinion about his fellow man, "Man is vile, and man makes nothing worth making, knows nothing worth knowing" (116). Yet even with this opinion, Castle removes himself from the civilized world, and serves the mankind for whom he expresses so much contempt by building a hospital in the jungle and tending to the medical needs of the natives. Perhaps in Castle, Vonnegut is attempting to show how one person can make a difference. Another example of plain speaking is seen in Horlick Minton's address honoring the Hundred Martyrs to Democracy. He states his feeling that rather than the "manly jubilation of patriotic holidays," the day would be better spent "despising what killed them. . . the stupidity and viciousness of all mankind" (170). As Minton himself points out, this is not the type of speech expected of an ambassador. Still, he is compelled to speak what he feels almost as though he has a premonition that his time is short and he may never have another chance to make people see what they are doing to themselves. It should be remembered that Cat's Cradle was written in a time when the fear of man's stupidity leading to his annihilation was not so far fetched. After all, the Cuban Missile Crisis was still fresh in everyone's minds, the cold war with Soviet Russia was ever present, and bomb shelters were naively considered to be the hope of man's salvation.

Communication: Death and Life Essay

Describe ethical dilemmas that may arise in own area of responsibility when balancing individual rights and duty of care. Nurses and other medical personnel normally confront ethical dilemmas when caring for terminally ill patients. Correct understanding of the fundamental ethical principles aids the nurses to examine major dilemmas in the delivery of healthcare to the very sick patients or terminally ill patients. Due to a boost in medical knowledge and expertise, so are alternatives for healthcare. These alternatives present intricate moral dilemmas when decisions arise regarding the treatment of dying patients. Majority of the medical personnel are faced with the decisions related to the treatment of dying patients to ease a patient’s final misery. Conceivably, a decision will need to be made about whether to allow a patient to continue living or to end his or her life by terminating treatment when all’s said and done. Often, these decisions concerning the care of a dying loved one confront people from all walks of life (Butts and Rich, 2005) End of life is a concept that is often ignored despite the fact that everyone will die some day. It is because death is a part of life that people are familiar with palliative care given at the end of life. Yet, the end of life concept is generally thought to be something equated with human life. At least, that is what people tend to think of when the phrase â€Å"end of life† is uttered. Today, palliative care is offered when someone is dying, and when the end is predictable. Some people die a slow death from issues like cancer or heart disease, but others die abruptly from an accident or heart attack when life ends. In the latter case, the end of life is only known in retrospect. How is the end of life defined? Death is very difficult to define. Yet, doctors have determined some criteria to at least allow someone into a hospice program. Still, the end of life can be looked at philosophically, and examined in regard to a number of different domains. For everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those close to the one who has died. It is very important that nurses, the medical staff and or love ones understand the end of life process of the being in order to care for them. The dying person should be allowed to have a peaceful, pain free, and dignified death. The World Health Organization (2009) has defined palliative care as: â€Å"an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems such as physical, psychosocial and spiritual.†Caring for those receiving palliative care in the community during the end stages of life requires an extraordinary commitment from the nursing team, not only human resource but also competence, compassion and focus in anticipating the needs of the patient and family. It is a complex activity involving a holistic approach, building relationships together with expert professional skills and decision making processes (Melvin 2003). Similarly, in caring for older people the Gerontologists and ethicists argue that nursing home residents would receive more humane care at the end of life if they remained in nursing homes rather than were transferred to hospitals. Yet, there are legitimate concerns when advocating that nursing homes care for dying residents. Nursing homes recognize the need to earn society’s confidence in their ability to provide the dying the highest standard of care. Many homes do, in fact, deliver principled and compassionate are. Yet, even those homes that adhere to high standards point to the lack of industry guidelines on what constitutes quality end-of-life care as a barrier to their ability to assure that care to dying residents conforms to the highest quality. Nursing homes need public policy that supports their efforts to explore the use of palliative care models. Explain the principle of informed choices People approaching the end of life should have the opportunity to make informed decisions about their care and treatment, in partnership with health and social care professionals and with their families and carers. Good communication between health and social care professionals and people approaching the end of life and their families and carers is essential and should be sensitive to personal preferences. Treatment and care, and the information given about it, should be culturally appropriate. It should also be accessible to people with additional needs such as physical, cognitive, sensory or learning disabilities, and to people who do not speak or read English. People approaching the end of life should have access to an interpreter or advocate if needed. Workforces involved in end of life care should adopt an agreed, consistent approach and attitude to end of life care that encourages and accepts patient choice, regardless of their own background, culture and views. (Www diversity, equality and language, NHS, NICE guidelines) These principles should include: 1. The choices and priorities of the individual are at the centre of all End of Life care planning and delivery. 2. Effective, straightforward, sensitive and open communication between individuals, families, friends and staff underpins all planning and activity. Communication reflects an understanding of the significance of each individual’s beliefs and needs. 3. High quality End of Life Care is delivered via the process of close multi disciplinary and inter-agency working. Collaborative working ensures that the needs of the individual are articulated, shared, understood and reviewed. By developing and utilising networks the right resources and support are identified and provided. 4. Individuals, their families and friends are well informed about the range of options and resources available to them to enable them to be involved in the planning, developing and evaluating of End of Life Care plans and services. 5. Care is delivered in a sensitive, person-centred way that takes account of the circumstances, wishes and priorities of the individual, their family and friends 6. Care and support are available to, and continue for, anyone affected by the end life, and death, of the individual 7. Workers are supported to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable them to initiate and deliver high quality End of Life Care, or where appropriate to seek advice and guidance from other colleagues Workers recognise the importance of their continuing professional development, and take responsibility for it

An analysis of the Maya Angelou poem “To a man” Essay

‘To a man’ is written by Maya Angelou, whose first novel was an autobiography of her varied life, (activist, singer, waitress, dancer etc.) called ‘I know why the caged bird sings’. She has written two collections of prose, ‘Wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now’ and ‘Even the stars look lonesome’. Angelou has written several famous poems, including ‘Still I rise’ and ‘On the pulse of the morning’ for the inaugeration of President Clinton. Maya Angelou now has a lifetime appointment as Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University of North Carolina. The poem is about the man that Maya Angelou loves, and she uses a variety of metaphors and images to describe him to the reader. Maya Angelou has a very decisive style of writing and uses lots of modal verbs such as ‘is’ to convey her message to the reader. She writes poems to entertain people, and to be read aloud. I think this one is one of those poems because she uses full stops and capital letters to show when pauses should be given and which words need particular emphasis. This poem is serious, and thought provoking, and she uses unusual imagery to compare her man to. I like the style she uses to give meaning to her words, and how she uses punctuation and enjambement together which gives an interesting effect. The mood is quite happy, as she describes her man, who makes her feel warm and laughs through his own troubles. The poem does not follow conventional structure, or use syllabic sentencing on each line. The lines do not rhyme, and it is like Angelou has just written down her thoughts, without purposefully making them into a piece of poetry. The poem is twenty two lines long, and puts important ideas about the man on their own , or on a separate line to show the reader how important this aspect of the man is. ‘To a man’ is written from Maya Angelou’s own experience, and was about her first husband. It describes his personality, and likens him to a big cat. Angelou uses metaphors such as ‘My man is Black Golden Amber’ to begin the poem. The first line ‘My man is’ sets the scene and tells the reader that the poem is about the man Angelou loves. The word ‘My’, indicates possessiveness, unlike the title which is ‘to a man’, this could be any man. It is unsure why she writes to any man, not her own, but possibly it is to tell the m how great her man is and that she doesn’t need anyone else. The word ‘Black’ could be in reference to the skin colour of the man, or his personality, which could be evil, or depressed. I think it means ‘evil’ because of the later imagery used in the poem. ‘Golden’ implies that he is special, and precious as gold, as does the next word ‘Amber’ which is also a precious stone. The word ‘Amber’ gives the idea of warm colours, reds and oranges, which link in to the rest of the poem. The next line is simply, ‘Changing’ which means her man is constantly changing from Black to Golden to Amber, his personalities change. ‘Warm mouths of Brandy Fine’ I think this means that kissing him is like drinking brandy, and makes her warm which ties in with the warm amber colours used earlier. ‘Cautious sunlight on a patterned rug’ means that maybe her man is cautious sunlight, which links to the imagery of golden. Possibly Angelou thinks of herself as the rug, and he cautiously lights her up, and makes her warm again. The next line indicates that the man smiles through his troubles, ‘coughing laughter’ and that he has a particular smell, of ‘French tobacco’. ‘Graceful turns on woollen stilts’ shows that her man can not only walk on stilts made of wool, i.e.) do the impossible but also, turn on them gracefully, and make the impossibilities of life seem easy to her. The following line is simply ‘ Secretive?’, Angelou is asking herself a question about the man, is he secretive?, and then answers in the next line, ‘A cat’s eye’. I think that this indicates that he has depths and mystery like the cat’s eyes which swirl with hidden colours. He is not secretive, just has many layers that cannot be unravelled all at once. Cat’s eyes are golden and change colour with the light, which links in to the idea of the man’s temperament, also ever changing. ‘Southern’ is in it’s own sentence at the beginning of the next line which could show that her man is from the South , possibly American, like Angelou herself. The next sentence says he is ‘plump and tender, with navy-bean sullenness’, navy is traditionally a very masculine colour which could mean he is a very macho man. The next line re emphasises how tender the man is, it says simply , ‘The gentleness’. The fact that Angelou doesn’t use a lot of words to describe the gentleness suggests to me how gentle he is, she cannot use words to describe it, it is just there, which is in direct contrast from the sullen man who likes navy blue. This again gives the impression of an ever changing personality. The next line mentions a cat again, ‘A big cat stalks through stubborn bush’. This imagery has an air of menace about it, the cat using it’s gentleness to stalk, capture and kill it’s prey, a cat is graceful, and light but also can be deadly. This adds an air of danger to the man, is he as sweet as he first appears?. Angelou now asks if she mentioned amber, which links back to the start of the poem, and gives the reader the red, gold imagery again, and an idea of the warmth Angelou feels with her man. She likens amber to a ‘heatless fire, consuming itself’, which (as in other Maya Angelou) poetry gives the image of a cycle, forever consuming itself. Possibly the heatless fire is what she sees in her man’s eyes. The next line says ‘Again.Anew. Into ever neverlessness’ which shows the cycle again, and also could portray the image of a cat’s eye and the way the colours in that change. ‘My man is Amber’, this is a repetition of the first phrase, Angelou uses a definite metaphor to compare her man to Amer. She then repeats her third line, ‘Changing’, which again shows the way his colours change like Amber. The next line is ‘Always into itself’ , whi ch could be acting as a metaphor for their love, which also changes but remains the same. This is further shown in the last lines, ‘New.Now.New’ and ‘Still itself’. The poem ends with the word ‘Still† on a line o it’s own, with a full stop, this shows that their love is still, and the way he feels for her, unlike the colours doesn’t swirl and changed and is still. I think that Maya Angelou wrote the poem to describe the way her husband made her feel, and to keep a part of that feeling with her, for posterity. She writes to any man to let them know what she has, and to convey her deep love for this particular man. Another reason for her to write the poem is to try to make sense of the way her man acts, and the way his moods change. I think that Maya Angelou wrote this to show the complex emotions she feels about her man, possession, tenderness, love, and warmth all at once. The poem’s effect on me was that it showed me the way a woman felt about her man, and it helped me understand the deeper emotions of a relationship. I liked the way she used Amber to show how her man changed, because it wasn’t in a negative way, the Amber gave an impression of how precious he was, yet she changed her perspective with him. ‘To a man’ made me think about the images and metaphors used, and I enjoyed analysing it because now, I enjoy it more, knowing how Angelou felt when she wrote it.