Identifying a discourse's significance and problem Essay

Identifying a discourse's significance and problem - Essay Example onveyed in a powerful way by linking it with the story of the protagonist lion cub that grows into a lion and realizes what happens when the hyenas take over and kill all the animals. In the film, â€Å"Lion King† King Mustafa refers to the valley as the â€Å"Circle of Life† which is significant for the cause of preservation of animal life. The incidents that occur later in the story when Scar lets the hyenas loose on pride land demonstrates the disastrous results when animals are used for selfish purposes and when their lives are not preserved. This is an important message that only serves to emphasize how important it is that animals should be made to suffer, neither should they be used indiscriminately for man’s benefit, as in the entertainment industry and in scientific experiments – where they are put through pain and suffering. Killing animals is also likely to disturb the Circle of life and the delicate ecological balance that exists. This is the real problem the film addresses with its underlying message - the cruel and indiscriminate killing of animals. The film applies subtle persuasion as far as the viewer is concerned, highlighting the importance of preservation of the life of animals in order to ensure that the various species of the earth are protected. The text of the film supports the message against indiscriminate killing of animals, mostly through the stark desolation it portrays of the land when most of the animals in it have been destroyed. This is an important message in the modern day context, when man is indiscriminately destroying animals and subjecting them to cruel and inhuman treatment. As the film portrays, there is a delicate balance in nature, where different species co-exist harmoniously together. Pride Land as it existed was a place where there was a productive earth and happy animals because none was subjected to cruel degrading treatment. The film also provides a resolution for the problem. After highlighting the devastation

Advantages and disadvantages of Specialisation

Advantages and disadvantages of Specialisation Introduction International trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity flows are the two primary methods in which international business occurs and are amongst the most substantial drivers of present time globalisation. With consecutive rounds of multilateral dialogues at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), barriers to trade globally, have been done away with significantly. Likewise, the relaxation and liberalisation of developed countries capital markets during the 1980s has brought about a brand-new age of global capital mobility whereby Foreign Direct Investment is a primary and vital facet to trade globally. Both experiential and theoretical frameworks have incidentally thrived to explicate and predict these patterns in international business, as well as the determinatives and affects of International Trade and FDI flows for both the host and home countries. International Trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories (dictionary.reference.com). FDI Foreign direct investment refers to the long-term engagement of a nation A into nation B for example. It normally requires involvement in expertise, know-how, joint-venture, management and transfer of technology, etc. There are two forms of Foreign Direct Investment: inbound FDI and outbound FDI, bringing about either a positive or negative net FDI inflow and stock of FDI equities, which is the total figure for a given period of time. It is important to note, however, that direct investment does not include investments made by means of purchasing shares. Specialisation Specialisation is the focus of labour in specified, limited duties and functions. It is the name ascribed to the prevalent system of economic consumption, production, and interlinked socio-economic progression and processes, in most industrialised nations ever since the late twentieth century. In fact, trade exists as a result of specialisation and the division of labour, where most workers focus on a limited facet of production and trading, during the process, for different trade goods. Trade exists between various nations and trading blocs because different industries in diverse countries and regions globally have a comparative advantage in the manufacturing/production of certain tradable commodities/goods, or because different countries sizes permit for the benefits of mass production. Intrinsically, trade at market prices amongst different countries/regions benefits both partners involved in the trade exchange. International Trade Theory Adam Smith (1723-1790) was a prominent Scottish economist and political thinker whose famed work Wealth of Nations (1776) set the pitch for work on economics and politics for many individuals and institutions even today. This was, as a matter of fact, the first extensive attempt to examine the nature of capital, the development of industry and the effects of large-scale commerce in Europe. Adam Smiths fundamental argumentation was that people should be free and able to engage in their own private economic interests as much as possible just as long as they do not break the rudimentary rules of justice. In this manner, Smith believed, they would do far more good to advance and promote the publics welfare and interests, more than if the same people were to attempt to assist the public on purpose. Smith named this the invisible hand of the market, though everyone is performing in their own self-interest, they are led to accomplish the good for all like an invisible hand of economic powers. Hence, outside intervention will unavoidably induce calamity. This later became renowned as laissez faire economic policy (economyprofessor.com). Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations) reasoned that economic specialisation could be beneficial to countries as to corporations, back in 1776. Due to the division of labour being limited by the market size, he argued that nations with access to bigger markets will be capable of splitting labour more productively and hence become more efficient in the long run. Smith however, failed to realise that the division of labour is also intrinsically limited by the technology in production coordination (Yu, Zhihao, 2005). The theory of Absolute Advantage was introduced Adam Smith and is apparent between trade counterparts when a country is able to produce more of a commodity/product, with the same resources, than its partner can; it is therefore said to hold a position of Absolute Advantage in the production of that end product. If, however, the other country has an Absolute Advantage in producing a commodity/product that the its partner needs, each will be fortunate if they specialise and trade. Trade is normally mutually advantageous even if one country holds an absolute advantage over its partner country, in the production of both goods being traded. The Heckscher-Ohlin (HO) model was first formed by Eli Heckscher (1919) and Bertil Ohlin, two Swedish economists. Elis Heckschers own student, Bertil Ohlin formulated and detailed the Factor Endowment Theory. He was not just a economics professor in Stockholm, but also a leading political figure in Sweden at the time. Fundamental concepts were further formulated and added subsequently by Ronald Jones and Paul Samuelson amongst others. Due to the difficulty of forecasting the trade of goods pattern in a globe with an abundance of goods, as an alternative to the Heckscher-Ohlin Model, the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek Theorem that prognosticates the factor capacity of trade has acquired attention in recent years (econ.iastate.edu). The Heckscher-Ohlin Model explicated that countries of the same factor endowments would still trade due to the differences in technology, as this would induce specialisation and thus trade, in precisely the same manner as in the Ricardian Model. Another theory that attempts to predict the patterns of trade is that of the Law of Comparative Advantage (David Ricardo) in the goods with the lower opportunity cost. David Ricardo (1772-1823), during the early 19th century, saw that the theory of Absolute Advantage was a moderate and restricted instance of a more dynamically broad theory. Ricardo, in essence, was sort of a replacement and continuation to Adam Smiths prominent position in British economics. His work went on to shape and influence the aims and methods of the discipline all through the nineteenth century. In spite of his personal substantial work experience, his written material can sometimes come across as being very abstract and often hard to understand. His main stress was on the principles of diminishing returns linked to land rental, which he thought also regulated capital profits. He tried to derive a theory of value from labour application, but found it hard to separate the effects of changes in technology from changes in distribution. The scarceness of natural resources globally, one of the more fundamental concepts of economics, requires that there be tradeoffs, and these tradeoffs lead to an opportunity cost. Whilst the price of a good or service is often-times thought of in terms of currency, the opportunity cost of taking a decision is based on what good or service must be forgone, which would be the next best option, as a consequence of taking the decision. Decisions that require having to choose between two or more options are said to have an opportunity cost. The Law of Comparative Advantage explicates how nations can take advantage of and exploit specialisation and trade. Given any two goods/commodities, the nation manufacturing the good/commodity with the lower opportunity cost is said to have a comparative advantage. In simple terms, it is the capability of a nation to produce a product at a lower cost than others can produce it. Specialising provides that nation with a comparative advantage vis-Ã  -vis other trade players. The basis of trade activities must be directed in a way where each country cuts the opportunity costs of the goods being swapped in their trade exchanges. Heckscher and Ohlins theory, adapted from Ricardos comparative advantage model, suggested that different costs were the result not only of dissimilar labour endowments between countries, but also of different capital and land endowments. For example, a country like Saudi Arabia is much more amply endowed with oil than say France. France, on the other hand, has a rich abundance of skilled labour and capital equipment in the defence industry. Hence the theory would suggest that Saudi Arabia would specialise in producing oil, France in producing defence equipment and that the two countries will trade one product for the other (Anderton, Alain, 2004). Advantages of International Trade and Specialisation Some advantages of International Trade include monetary benefits to the respective countries participating in trade, it can also improve relations between countries and allow for a great cultural exchange. It also allows for more of a choice and assortments of goods that are affordable (value for money) and readily acquirable for consumers, better quality goods, enhanced and increased competition both at the global and national level, closer links and affiliations amongst countries globally, more of an exchange of technical expertise, technology and synergistic know-how, producers locally will endeavour to better the quality of their products, as well as an increase in employment nationally. In the same way domestic trade encourages economic development and prosperity, so does International Trade. International commerce gives rise to specialisation, where a producer produces the good at the lowest cost of opportunity and production to them and thereafter trades for goods that are produced at a higher opportunity or production to them. Not only does International Trade lead to shared benefits by permitting various nations to specialise their industries of those products/commodities they produce at top-quality, but it also lets them import products that international producers are inclined to provide at a lower cost than national producers are willing. Resources do vary between nations and provide certain nations with an advantage of producing certain goods over other ones and turn out to be more profit-making and beneficial to all. By permitting for International Trade, nations can specialise in those products that they can produce efficiently and at the lowest cost and then supply them to consumers at a low-cost, more inexpensive, and more economic price. Additionally, by importing those products from other nations and then exporting goods to those nations, both partners, involved in the trade exchange, benefit in a win-win state of affairs. It is crucial to take note, however, the case of absolute advantage. As mentioned before, absolute advantage is a scenario where a country, due to its natural endowments and or prior experiences, can manufacture more of a product/commodity, with the same quantity of resources, than another country can. However, this does not imply that only because one country has an absolute advantage, the countries trading with this nation will not benefit from the trade. Yes, they still can benefit, in point of fact, that is, conditional upon the relative production costs varying. Advantages of specialisation include increasing rewards and profit returns due to economies of scale, gains from exploiting an absolute or comparative advantage, through which specialisation is explained, more efficiency and productivity as well as focus for producers, less cost to the producer as well as the consumer, better quality end products and a wider range of choice for the consumer, and last but not least, through specialisation in production, countries can increase their income, as well as expand and develop their economies. A strong argument put forward in favour of the concept of free trade would be that it is rather clear and apparent that free trade is beneficial to all partners involved. It helps nations attain a comparative advantage and corporations/industries to focus on specialisation, both of which result in economic benefits, growth, and prosperity. Furthermore, these two concept are big revolutionary contributors to the sophisticated and progressive state of the globes nations in the present time. Without them, we would be decades behind in various ways, particularly from a technological standpoint. Participating in these activities proves beneficial for all trade partners and results in economic prosperity and wealth, therefore, improving peoples standards of living (Rose, Phantom, 2009). Disadvantages of International Trade and Specialisation Some disadvantages of trade include a heavy reliance on a particular nation, national production may also be hindered as national industries may be excelled and eclipsed by their international competitors, affluent nations may have more powers in influencing political issues in other nations and acquire control over weaker ones, and what is more, ideological clashes may come about amongst trading partner countries regarding the processes in trade activities for example. Specialisation in itself, however, can hinder trade. For example, if a nation is too reliant on one specific industry and the prices dip in that industry, then unemployment will take place dramatically. This is an occurrence in several developing nations and is also applicable, for example, to the West Midlands, UK, a region that is heavily reliant on the auto industry. Factors of productions cannot be easily shifted from one area to another, this is known as factor immobility. For instance, if after International Trade, country/company A would diminish the production of product B, then the labour producing product B cannot easily be shifted and re-trained to produce an additional product C, therefore, unemployment will take place. International trade can also pose as a harm to birth industries in the home nation as well, due to their production costs being high in the infant, early stages. Over-specialisation may have devastating effects if, for example, a war breaks out in a country and imports/exports cease. Therefore, the nation never specialises wholly due to political/strategic factors. In addition, if imports exceed exports, the balance of trade payments would be in the red (negative territory), which, in turn, will harm the home countrys economy and may also result in the devaluation of its currency. Word Count: 2,250

The Dual Role of Gods in The Iliad Essay -- Iliad essays

The Dual Role of Gods in The Iliad      Ã‚   With even a cursory exposure to ancient Greek texts, it is obvious that the gods and goddesses are very important in traditional Greek culture. As literary figures in mythos and specific poetry and drama, the gods dabble in the life of man, predict his fate, and routinely thwart any attempt for him to entirely forge his own future. But for those of us who are not extensively schooled in antiquities, it is hard to pinpoint exactly what the gods are to the ancient Greeks, and what they are to us as readers of literature who live outside the culture. Were the gods accepted as parable figures, meant to instruct? Were they used to explain acts of nature? Do they now belong to anything outside the scope of literary history?    Rather than speculate about the role of gods in all of Greek culture, it is more manageable to look at one specific text and determine the role its gods play within its world. In The Iliad, the gods are an integral part of the poem. Their foibles and fickleness recall for the reader the humanness of the Greek gods, and spark a mental association of men to myths. This makes the long-dead warriors more real to anyone who reads the poem. But the gods of The Iliad also inculcate what could be nothing more than a dry account of a historical war that no one recorded while it was happening. This historical-cultural element, one that connects the events of that unwritten war to readers by pulling the past into the present, make the old archetypes oddly modern and applicable to the present day world and its men. One of the most interesting lines in The Iliad is when one Aias tells the other that he recognizes Poseidon, who has disguised himself as K... ...ormalized remembrance; the gods' inclusion make that remembrance bigger than any sterile account or battlefield casualty list could be. This expanded scope makes relevant the deaths of would-be anonymous warriors, makes tragedy out of widows and orphans, makes us think about the cycles of human aggression. The gods and their powerful presence is one element of this relevant piece of historic art.    Works Cited and Consulted Camps, W. A. An Introduction to Homer. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980. Homer. "The Iliad." Western Literature in a World Context: The Ancient World through the Renaissance. Ed. Paul Davis et al. vol 1. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. 25-156. Steiner, George, and Fagles, Robert, eds. Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Twentieth Century Views, ed. Maynard Mack. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1962.   

Disastrous Date Essay

I remember my first date. Not only because it was my first romantic experience with who I considered during that time â€Å"the boy of my dreams†, but also because it was one of the most embarrasing experiences of my life. I was 17 years old back then, but I remember it like if it was yesterday. We took a long road trip from Carolina to the Old San Juan. Along the way we were sharing experiences and funny anecdotes, we were telling each other the kind of stories you tell in highschool, about pranks, teachers, odd classmates and issues that only a highschool student can understand. We arrived to the restaurant and everything in it looked fancy. The sights were all bright because of the illumination of the place; everything was sorrounded with colorful lamps with different shapes, there were autographed pictures of what appeared to be various local celebrities who had visited the restaurant, such as Josà © Feliciano and Ednita Nazario, the tables were decorated with red and yellow roses, Dean Martin’s lovable music was comming out of the restaurant’s speakers and the smell of garlic frying in olive oil in the air gave me that sensation that only good Italian restaurants can give to a woman with a great taste like myself. As we walked in the host politely saluted us and asked my date if he had a reservation, to which he replied â€Å"yes†, after checking my date’s name and last name in a thick, old, black binder with Italy’s flag and the restaurant’s logo on its cover the host walked us to our table. The service was great, I can tell because only a few minutes after taking our seats the waiter was with our menus and offering us drinks. My date comfortably asked for the wine of the house, because apparently he already knew the place and he was eighteen years old, the legal drinking age in Puerto Rico, when the waiter turned to me and I got nervous, because at that time I never had a drink of alcohol in my life, not even a drop, so I pointed out the brownish looking drink of the lady in the next table and mumbled â€Å"iced tea for me please†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . I was nervous because I had this idea back then that alcohol plays an  important role in a teenager’s social live. When I was in highschool, all my friends under eighteen were drinking in parties, concerts or other social events, they even brought to school alcohol hidden in gatorade bottles and such, and, as every person who have experienced the highschool drama knows, all the â€Å"cool kids† were doing it. I felt inmature because my date was about to have some kind of fancy wine while I asked for iced tea like some fifth grader girl. I will not ever forget the face he made when he heard me ask for iced tea, he had this mixture of doubt and mock in his expression, like frowning and smiling simultaneously. â€Å"Come on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he said sarcastically while winking his eye â€Å"†¦ I won’t tell your parents you had a glass of wine or two†, I stood strong to my principles by answering â€Å"no thank you, ice tea is fine†, I don’t know if I did it because I was being brave against the peer pressure or afraid that at some point of the night someone from the restaurant’s personnel would approach me asking for an ID. The waiter came back to take our order with a tray on his hands which contained a garlic bread basket, my date’s glass, a bottle of wine and a huge glass of what appeared to be my iced tea. I remember we asked that night for a pizza with eggplants, green peppers, tomato slices, onions and extra cheese with basil sauce on top, the pizza dough was dipped in olive oil and served in a hot pan. As we waited for the food to arrive I took a sip from my drink, I noticed it tasted weird, it was sour, a little bit bitter and it was also effervescent like soda, it didn’t tasted like any iced tea I had before, but since we were in a fancy place and I didn’t wanted to look unrefined, I assumed that’s how elegant people drink their iced tea, I thought to myself that if I drank fast the taste wouldn’t bother me. With the passage my drinking speed increased, a sip turned into a swig, a swig into a gulp and a gulp into three glasses. Little did I know the contents o f my drink. As the glasses were draining one by one I started feeling woozy, like if I just came out from a long rollercoaster ride. My face felt warm, my respiration got colder, my tongue got tangled when I spoke, I found almost impossible to control the volume of my voice, my eyelids were struggling to remain open, and my arms and legs became droopy. Suddenly, I found myself in  a good mood, laughing at each joke he told, even when they were not funny, and also I became very sincere, telling him almost every really deep and personal anecdotes and cofessing every single reason why I found him attractive in every way, I even told him, like I mentioned before, why he was the â€Å"boy of my dreams†, without knowing it, I was drunk for the first time in my life. He was not a fool whatsoever, he knew I was drunk, but he couldn’t explain himself why, since the only thing I had that night were three huge glasses of â€Å"iced tea†, he asked the waiter in an angry tone of voice how come I was drunk with three glasse of iced tea, the waiter replied that was because there were five differet types of liqueur in a Long Island Iced Tea, vodka, tequila, rum, gin and triple sec. Apparently our waiter got confused, because when he took our order the drink I pointed out from the lady on the table next to us was actually a Long Island Iced Tea. Needless to say we left the restaurant that momment with shame in our faces, to top it all off, on our way to the car we came across with my english school teacher, the one who talked like Edward James Olmos in that movie where he was a math teacher, he recognized me and greeted me and I greeted him back, until this day I think because of the distance I was from him he didn’t noticed how drunk I was but, who knows. I cannot say that our date was a total waste of time. Even tough I was drunk he behaved like a gentleman the whole time. He never took advantage of my state and I respect and admire that in a man. He carried me in his shoulders like a wounded soldier, he also made several stops in different business locations without complaining when I needed to go to the bathroom, he held my hair for it to avoid getting dirty when I puked, he even didn’t got mad because I did it in his new shoes. After sitting for a while in the park, having two water bottles and an energy drink I regained some sobriety, he gave me some mint bubblegum for the nausea and drove me back home, I puked once on the way but he was nice enough to pull over and open the door. I finally arrived home around 2:00 AM, I puked once more before going to bed and fall sleep, it is still a mistery for me how could I puke so much in one night. I woke up the next day with the sound of my cellphone ringing, I was dizzy, had a headache and it felt like the phone was ringing inside my skull, I answered and I heard the sound of his voice asking me if I was ok  and also if I remembered something about the night before, I answered him by apologizing several times, describing how I felt that morning and that I partially rememberd what happened during our date, he explained to me almost laughing that weird pehnomena I was experiencing was called a â€Å"hangover†. He called me again when I fully recovered, surprisingly enough to ask me out again, I told him that I would go out with him if we avoid going to the Old San Juan for a long while, because after what happened in our first date I could never show my face again around that area.

Case 302 July in Multiplex

Case 302From this case, there are two types of errors, which the consortium can make. A Type I Error is referred to as a â€Å"false positive. † A Type I error would be made when the null hypothesis is rejected when it should be accepted. This error may occur if the consortium defends any lawsuit against them if they are using 6% (6/100) as their surveying result. The results of the sample size of 100 people indicate that the percentage range is from 1. 35% to 10. 65%. The test results can be higher than 10%, but actually it is lower. Therefore, if the consortium defends any lawsuit against them it is possible that a Type I Error can be made. The second type of error is a Type II Error, which is also known as â€Å"false negative. † A Type II error would be made when the alternative hypothesis is rejected when it should be accepted. For this to occur, the consortium must make a decision to settle the case when the survey result shows a lower percentage than 10% but in reality it is actually higher than 10%. The only error the consortium should make is a Type II error because the alternative hypothesis was rejected. As previously stated, using a sample size of 100 shows that we would not reject the null hypothesis, in other words, this would mean to settle with Tommy. If we did not create a second hypothesis test using a sample size of 300, we would not have defended against Tommy in court and a Type II error would have been made. Size of simple| Defend lawsuit| Settlement| 100| Type II Error| Right decision| 300| Right decision| Type I Error| Table 1 We have proven that 94% of the surveyed moviegoers indicated that they are satisfied that theater play commercials before movie. Only 6% of the moviegoers opposed to watch commercials before movie. This statistical analysis validates that the consortium should seek to defend any lawsuit Tommy or any other unhappy moviegoer files. In this situation, a Type II error would have been made if we decided to base our analysis only on a sample size of 100. A larger sample size always depicts a more accurate display. Statistical Analysis H0 = 10% H1 < 10% 1st Same Size N: 100 (sample size) p? : 6/100 = . 06 Confidence Interval .06 1. 96 = . 0135 — . 1065Test StatisticZ= = -1. 33, from Standard Normal Distribution table => P-value = . 0918 P-value > (alpha) .0918 > . 05 Since P-value (. 0918) is greater than alpha (. 05), we fail to reject the null hypothesis. 2nd Sample Size N: 300 p? : 18/300 = . 06 Confidence Interval .06 1. 96 = . 0331 — . 0869 Test Statistic Z= = -2. 31 from Standard Normal Distribution table => P-value = . 0104 P-value < alpha .0104 < . 05 Since P-value (. 0107) is less than alpha (. 05), we reject the null hypothesis