Joan Of Arc By Jules Bastien Le Page Essays - Jules Bastien-Lepage

Joan Of Arc By Jules Bastien Le Page ?Joan of Arc,? was painted by the French realist artist Jules Bastien-Lepage in 1879. ?After the province of Lorraine was lost to Germany following the Franco-Prussian War in 1821, The Frenchmen saw in Joan of Arc a new and powerful symbol. In 1875, Bastien-Lepage, a native of Lorraine began to make studies for a picture of her. In the present painting, exhibited in the Salon of 1880, Joan is shown receiving her revelation in her parents garden. Behind her are Saints Michael, Margaret, and Catherine. (Caption next to painting in The Metropolitan)? Jules Bastien-Lepage creates a realistic atmosphere, including a supernatural, religious-like presence within his painting. Oil on canvas was used to create the realistic quality of the work. By closely examining the artist's technique, it is clear that he uses delicate brush strokes in a true to life manner. The colors, and use of light seem to be painted in a layered fashion to give the landscape a sense of depth. The background of the painting is a garden which include foliage and brush that surrounds the primary focus of the painting, Joan of Arc. The artist put a great effort into the details of the scene. Bastien-Lepage uses a distinct realistic quality in his painting which is visible in each individual leaf and branch. Various hues of earth tones, green and brown being the most evident, are blended together in the garden scene. In the foreground of the painting is Joan of Arc. She is painted with a seemingly thicker paint technique. This makes her a more easily visible aspect in the painting, and catches the onlookers eye. Joan is dressed in a long brown skirt and blue-gray shirt with white underneath which is the typical clothing style of the 19th century. The clothing is painted to show its wear and tear. Her features and her figure are quite realistic. She seems to have a calm, but troubled expression on her face, as though she is deep in thought. Overall she is painted in a very detailed manner. A less visible, yet still present and important aspect of the painting are the three figures positioned behind Joan, and in front of the house. The figures are somewhat transparent, and ghostly. Their presence adds a spiritual and or religious feeling to the scene. These three figures presence blends into the scenery. Al three have halos above their heads, and serene looks on their faces. The saint on the right is dressed in what looks to be armor. He looks brave, and as if he is standing guard or going into battle. The middle saint is a praying angel. She is in a dress with a gauzy, white presence around her. This whiteness gives her an ethereal quality which Bastien-Lepage has painted quite effectively, and adds to the spiritual feeling of the scene. Her presence in the painting seems to represent chastity and virtue. The last figure looks like a young girl or child, who is kneeling with her face hidden in her hands almost as if she is upset. Perhaps Bastien-Lepage painted these three saints not only to illustrate Joan receiving her visions, but to illustrate the bravery, religious yet childlike figure that she was. Behind Joan of Arc, in the background of the picture is a house. Bastien-Lepage painted the house so that the masonry is visible. The house seems to be small in size, plain, and quaint. Surrounding the house is shrubbery, trees, and more of the garden which is seen throughout the painting. This painting of Joan of Arc is very significant. Bastien-Lepage is able to effectively depict Joan as the true heroine that she was. This is significant because at the time there were not so many women heroines like her. Bibliography no bib - Arts and Painting

Mozambique-facts and figures essays

Mozambique-facts and figures essays Despite of the economic progress experienced in the late 1990s, Mozambique remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with 60 per cent of the population living below the poverty line. The problems facing Mozambique include: Economic benefits barely reach 80 per cent of the population living in rural areas The devastating consequences of the civil war The national emergency of HIV/AIDS is over stretching the pressure on already overstretched resources The ever growing external debt which diverts funds away from healthcare and education Continual dependence on foreign finance for development projects Natural hazards such as the year 2000 floods Immediately after independence in 1975 considerable progress was made, but these gains were mostly lost in the sixteen years of civil war and decades of disastrous natural hazards. As a result the Republic Of Mozambique is a severely underdeveloped country. Landmines still render travel outside the capital hazardous, while food shortages costly international flights, and poor infrastructure are added obstacles. Whilst it was destroyed by the civil war, it is slowly rebuilding and given political stability, Mozambique could yet exploit its excellent beaches and game reserves, which include the Gorongosa Game Park. There are plans afoot to incorporate reserves into South Africas much-visited Kruger Park, just across the boarder. Some foreign hotel groups are once more targeting Maputo as a luxury tourist and conference venue. In the 1970s the tourist industry drew some 300,000 South Africans and Rhodesians as visitors to the country. Another advantage was that its inflation has been low and foreign exchange rates relatively stable. Mozambiques economy grew at an annual 10% rate in 1997-99, one of the highest growth rates in the world. But this strength turned, growth slowed and inflation grew in 2000 due...

Palestine State Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Palestine State Today - Essay Example Since 1947, to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, the text of General Assembly Resolution No. (181) of the United Nations provides the establishing of Palestine State. Unfortunately, Palestine State had not been established yet. Palestinians have suffered decades of displacement, exclusion and systematized deprivation of their national and human inalienable rights, which embodies their right to self-determination and establish their independent state. Since the start of the peace process in 1993, it has been reiterated that the international community emphasizes that the only solution to the conflict in the Middle East lies in the two-state solution, a solution that necessarily requires the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, sovereign and viable. In 2009, the international community supported the Palestinians to build their future state institutions, which will be completed in September 2011. The international community has recognized that the Palestinians are ready t o establish their independent state. They also recognized in the international institutions that the only obstacle to a Palestinian state is the continuation of Israeli occupation. * Recognizing the Palestine State stresses the important decisions made by the United Nations and international agreements Recognition of the international community, represented by the United Nations, is against the Palestinian people to self-determination as the position of an established state repeatedly in several resolutions, including resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations 3236, which recognizes the Palestinian right to independence of their state. This is a right that is inalienable, and the Palestinian people have the right to establish their own "sovereign and independent state." It also confirmed the decision of the General Assembly of the United Nations (2649) on the right of Palestinian people to self-determination, affirming the decision (2672) that respected the rights of t he Palestinian people to their inalienable forms as an integral part of reaching a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. Moreover, the Court of International Justice in its Opinion Advisory issued in 2004 on the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated that the actions carried out by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories undermine the right of Palestinians to a homeland, which severely impedes the exercise of the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination, and therefore a breach by Israel of its obligation to respect that right. The recognition of the Palestine State is in line with the core principles underlying the Oslo interim agreement, including starters two-state solution and the resolutions of relevant United Nations resolutions, primarily resolutions 242 and 338. Unfortunately, it has been over twenty years since the signing of the Interim Agreement and the first of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, and the exploitation of Palestinian natural resources are more deeply rooted. For example, the number of settlers living in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, has doubled since 1993. During the same time period, they continued to suffer due to the policy of demolishing Palestinian homes, which reached its peak in the last few years. In the same context, the Palestinian economy continued to suffer from the additional burdens and the potential regime of closures and checkpoints in the West Bank and the unjust inhumane blockade in

American Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Beauty - Essay Example The flow of this film exhibits the various needs of different characters. Lester’s wife feels that her needs are not met by the husband while the daughter on the other end also observed the inadequacies in her father prompting her to develop negative relationship with him. The boss of lesser is a player in the scenario with high expectations from Lester. However, Lester himself is seeking social freedom and this presents a scenario where every character is in need of something. The major characters in this film include Lester Burnham who acts as the central point where all the actions of the other characters rotate. His wife and daughter Jane are equally significant in making the film. The boss and Jane’s friend also contribute to the development of the film. The central conflict here is Lester’s desire to achieve freedom from the chains of social depression that he has accumulated over time. This he tries out in the form of dating a friend to her daughter a twist that infuriate the wife more and disgusts the daughter.

The Role of PsychiatricNurse Practitioner Essay

The Role of PsychiatricNurse Practitioner - Essay Example However, after liberalization of advanced nurses, some of the researches have revealed that this carder of nurses are being underutilized especially within the realism of mental health. The area that they cover is wide since they are based in the communities where the mental disease burden is notable. The following are the prescribed area of services that the nurses they offer in the community. The role ranges across from admission to discharge and comprehensive pharmacotherapy that is involved. On admission, the advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse, evaluates the patient’s status. This helps the nurse to know whether the patient is for the admission or discharge on evaluation. The other role is taking overnight calls and coverage when there is shortage of psychiatrist. More importantly, it’s the ability of this nurses to perfume extensive diagnostic skills and come up with psychiatric and mental disorders with precision of psychiatrists that are perfect. Such competencies are developed during their preparation and education which they undertake role plays in order to have a clear understanding of their environment from all angles (Hubbard, 2014). More so, they carry out interventions and implementation of the treatment plans for a caseload patients that are under isolations. Such interventions includes psychopharmacology, individual family or gr oup psychotherapy. They have the ability of covering on emergence psychiatric patient. Muxworthy and Bowllan (2007), the realization of knowledge that nurses with advanced credential are needed is paramount since the medical field is overarched by the physicians who are less than the disease. Nursing profession is slowly being revolutionized and the dominance is slowly being suppressed by the increased disease burden and the capacity of nurses to perform at advanced levels. The disease burden of the mentally patients is rising due to a number of factors such as substance abuse,

ATR-FTIR Analysis for Oil Type Identification

ATR-FTIR Analysis for Oil Type Identification Abstract Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis could greatly help in the identification of oil. By mere inspection of the IR spectra, saturated oils can be easily distinguished from coconut oils. Identification of oils can be enhance by the use of chemometrical techniques such Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Using this technique, subtle differences in the spectra can be used to classify vegetable oils. This study have shown that ATR-FTIR together with PCA can be used to differentiate unsaturated oils from saturated oil and discriminate virgin coconut oil (VCO) from ordinary refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil (CCO). Introduction Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has a potential to be one of the Philippines’ high-value export products. In the first half of 2005 alone about 350 metric tons of VCO were shipped to foreign markets. Virgin coconut oil is a minimally process or a cold press oil obtained by mechanical means (Philippine National Standard for Virgin Coconut Oil 2005) such as crushing pressing and centrifugation. These procedures result in the retention of the natural flavor and minor components of the oil, which can otherwise be destroyed by chemical process such as refining, deodorizing and bleaching. Cold pressed oils commands a higher price compared to processed oils because these â€Å"natural† procedures deliver lower yield and uses higher quality raw materials to prevent spoilage (Ulberth and Buchgraber 2000). To ensure the quality of VCO in the country, The Philippine National Standard provided a criterion (PNS/BAFPS 22:2004). This standard includes determination of fatty acid composition using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), iodine value and sensory parameters such as taste, odor and color (Philippine National Standard for Virgin Coconut Oil 2005). However, it is a known fact that the fatty acid profile of oils is species dependent; therefore this classification method cannot distinguish VCO from ordinary refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil (CCO). Iodine value in the other hand gives information on the degree of unsaturation of the oil and may be use only to distinguish coconut oils from unsaturated oil like corn oil (CO) and soybean oil (SO) but cannot discriminate VCO from CCO. Sensory parameters can easily be manipulated by bleaching and deodorizing the oil or by addition of flavoring agents. In recent years, various spectroscopic methods have been employed to authenticate vegetable oils such as virgin olive oil (VOO) (Aparicio and Luna 2002; Bucci et al. 2002; Dupuy et al. 1996; Lankmayr et al. 2004; Ozen et al. 2003; Tapp et al. 2003; Tay et al. 2002; Vigli et al. 2003; Yang et al. 2005). These techniques have the advantages of minimal sample preparation and rapid analysis time (Ulberth and Buchgraber 2000). In the study conducted by Yang et al (2005), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was found to be the most efficient in classification of oils as compared to Fourier Transform Raman and Fourier Transform Near Infrared spectroscopy. An attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory is usually used with the FTIR spectrometer for oil and fat study due to its ability to handle liquid samples easily. The resulting infrared spectrum contains all vibrational information about the entire components of the sample. In order to take full advantage of the spectral infor mation, including subtle features that may not be readily discerned, pattern recognition techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are commonly used. These techniques can reveal relationships that were not previously suspected, which can lead to interpretations that are not readily apparent by mere visual inspection of IR spectra alone (Beebe et al. 1998; Davies and Fearn 2005). PCA is a mathematical manipulation used to reorganize the high-dimensionality of spectroscopic data into a smaller number of â€Å"Principal Components† or PCs that can account for the majority of the information in the data set. Methodology All samples of edible oils were obtained from reputable supermarkets in Iloilo City. Samples include four brands of VCO [a total of six samples, one brand have a total of three samples, two regular VCO with different manufacturing dates (labeled as VCO2 and VCO3) and one corn flavored VCO (labeled as VCO4) ] , three different brands of coconut oil ( CCO1, CCO2, and CCO3) and one brand each of corn oil (CO), soybean oil (SO), canola oil (CLO), virgin olive oil (VOO) and palm oil (PO). The oils were stored in their original containers until used. Minimal opening of bottles were observed to prevent oxidation of oils. Infrared (IR) spectra of samples were obtained at 4000 – 400 cm-1, 1 cm-1 resolution and 64 scans; using the Avatar 330 Thermo Nicolet FTIR equipped with DTGS (deuterated tri-glycine sulphate) detector and EZ OMNIC software at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas Chemistry Laboratory, Miag-ao, Iloilo. Samples were placed directly on a multi-bounce zinc selenide horizontal ATR crystal. The ATR crystal was totally cleaned using acetone after each run. IR spectral data of different oils from EZ OMNIC software were converted to Microsoft Excel files. Data were arranged in tabular form, different oils in columns and transmittance at different wavelengths in rows. The excel file was then transferred to Unscrambler version 9.6 for Principal Components Analysis. The evaluation version of this software can be downloaded at www.camo.com. Results and Discussion The FTIR spectra of most fats and oils appeared almost visually similar; the slight differences in the spectral features reflect the variations in the fatty acid composition (Figure1 to 6). Every peak in the spectra represents structural and functional group, either of the oil or other minor components. At the high frequency end of the spectrum (4000-3500 cm-1) only a few absorption bands can be observed. The most notable are the absorption bands due to O-H stretching vibration at about 3700 and 3400 cm-1, which may be due to moisture, alcohol or fatty acids. Both alcohols and free fatty acids are degradation product of triglycerides which accumulate during prolong storage and in the presence of moisture. For a clean and dry oil, only the first overtone of the C=O vibration could be seen. The strong band dominating the 3000-2840 cm-1 region is due to C-H stretches of methylene and terminal methyl groups. The =C-H stretch absorbed at slightly higher region, 3095 -3010 cm-1. A strong a bsorption peak in the range of 1750-1735 cm-1 is due to the C=O stretch of an aliphatic ester. If degradation has occurred a shoulder located on the lower frequency side of this will appear due to the C=O stretch of the resulting long chain carboxylic acid (1730-1700 cm-1). A sharp peak at about 1660-1600 cm-1 results from a C=C stretching vibration. The presence of this peak together with a C-H peak at wavenumber greater than 3000 cm-1 is a good indication of unsaturation. The part of the spectrum lower than 1500 cm-1 is called the fingerprint region. The absorption in this area of the spectrum is highly characteristic of the molecule as a whole, and can be used to identify the substance (Pavia et al. 2000; van de Voort et al. 2001). As shown in Figure1-6 its is easy to distinguish unsaturated oils from saturated oils by observing the regions that indicate unsaturation, 3095-3010 cm-1 and 1660-1600 cm-1. For olive, corn, palm, canola and soybean oil sharp peaks are seen in both of these areas but no such peaks can be seen in the IR spectra of either CCO or VCO. Thus, visual examination of the IR spectrum can provide a way to distinguish unsaturated oils from coconut oils. However, visual inspection of the spectra alone is insufficient to differentiate VCO from CCO because their IR spectra are identical to the naked eye. To compare such large data sets like IR spectra, which consist of more than a thousand wavelengths, Principal Component Analysis can be used. This chemometrical technique mathematically models the data into a more manageable data sets (consisting of a few principal components) that can then be interpreted more easily (Brereton 2003). Principal Component Analyses were performed on the spectra of all oils using Unscrambler version 9.6 software. The software generated several important plots. The percent variance plot gives the total variation in the data set that is described by a particular PC. This plot can be used to determine the number of PC that can effectively describe the whole data set. The 2D scatter plot (PCy vs. PCx) represents how the samples are related to each other. The closeness of the samples in the plot is interpreted as chemical similarity(Beebe and others 1998). The percent variance plot (Figure 7) of the oil samples spectra generated by the software shows that the first two principal components represent almost 100% of the variance in the data set. As a general rule the PCs that account for less than 5% of the data variation can be rejected (Beebe and others 1998), therefore the first two PCs are sufficient in making our investigation. The scatter plot of first principal component (PC1) versus the second principal component (PC2) shows that it possible to separate the oils into two separate groups, the unsaturated and coconut oil group (Figure 8). Unsaturated oil group consists of corn oil, soya oil, canola oil, palm oil while that of the coconut oil includes CVO and CCO. Performing the same analysis on CCO and VCO spectra reveals that only the PC1 and the PC2 are highly significant (Figure 9). However, the scatter plot of the two PCs did not successfully separate VCO from CCO (Figure 10). Close inspection of spectra reveal that there are absorption bands at the high frequency region that might indicate the presence of moisture, fatty alcohol or fatty acids in some samples. This observation is confirmed by the Influence Plot (Figure 11) that shows that there is a high residual variance of the 3740 cm-1, a wavenumber corresponding to H-O absorption. This indicates that the moisture content, fatty alcohol or the free fatty acid content of the oil may have greatly controlled the classification process. The other residual in the influence plot may be due to other components of VCO or CCO that are vital in the classification process. To correct for the effect of the O-H absorption band, it was decided to eliminate wavelength above 1800 cm-1 from the spectra of the oil and use only the area encompassing the carbonyl carbon (C=O) and fingerprint region, 1800-400 cm-1. Principal component analysis of this part of the spectra shows that the first two PC can be used to correctly classify VCO and CCO into separate groups (Figure 12 and 13). In conclusion, FTIR identification of oils can be enhance by the use of chemometrical techniques such Principal Component Analysis. Using this technique, subtle differences in the spectra can be used to classify oil. FTIR together with PCA can differentiate unsaturated oils from saturated oil and can discriminate virgin coconut oil from ordinary refined, bleached and deodorized coconut oil (CCO). Acknowledgement The authors are very grateful to the UP System for upgrading the UPV Chemistry Laboratory and for the purchase of the FTIR used this study possible. Literature Cited Aparicio R, Luna G. 2002. Charaterization of Monovarietal Virgin Olive Oils. European Journal of Lipid Science Technology 104:614-627. Beebe KR, Pell RR, Mary BS. 1998. Chemometrics: A Practical Guide. New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. 348 p. Brereton RG. 2003. Chemometrics Data Analysis for the Laboratory and Chemical Plant. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons Ltd. 489 p. Bucci R, Magri AD, Magri AL, Marini D, Marini F. 2002. Chemical Authentication of extra Virgin Olive Oil Varieties by Supervise Chemometric Procedure. Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 50:413-418. Davies AMC, Fearn T. 2005 Back to Basics: The Principles of Principal Component Analysis. Spectroscopy Asia:35-38. Dupuy N, Duponchel L, Huvenne J, Sombret B, Legrand P. 1996. Classification of Edible Fats and Oils by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra. Food Chemistry 57(2):245-251. Lankmayr E, Mocak J, Serdt K, Balla B, Wenzl T, Bandoniene D, Gfrerer M, Wagner S. 2004. Chemometrical Classification of Pumpkin Seed OIl using Uv-Vis, NIR and FTIR Spectra. Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods 61(1-2):95-106. Ozen BF, Weiss I, Mauer L. 2003. Dietary Supplement Oil Classification and Detection of Adulteration Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 51:5871-5876. Pavia DL, Lampman GM, Kriz GS. 2000. Introduction to Spectroscopy. New York: Brooks Cole. Philippine National Standard for Virgin Coconut Oil. 2005. PNS/BAFPS 22:2004. Tapp HS, Defernez M, Kemsley K. 2003. FTIR spectroscopy and Multivariate Analysis can Distinguish the Geographic Origin of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 51:6110-6115. Tay A, Singh RK, Krishnan SS, Gore JP. 2002. Authentication of Olive Oil Adulterated with Vegetable Oils Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. LWT-Food Science and Technology 35:99-103. Ulberth F, Buchgraber M. 2000. Authenticity of Fats and OIls. European Journal of Lipid Science Technology 102:687-694. van de Voort F, Sedman J, Russin T. 2001. Lipid Analysis by Vibrational Spectroscopy. European Journal of Lipid Science Technology 103:815-840. Vigli G, Philippidis A, Spyros A, Dais P. 2003. Classification of Edible Oils by Employing 31P and 1H NMR Spectroscopy in Combination with Multivariate Statistical Analysis. A Proposal for the Detection of Seed Oil Adulteration in Virgin Olive Oils. Journal Agricultural Food Chemistry 51:5715-5722. Yang H, Irudayaraj J, Paradkar M. 2005. Discriminant Analysis of Edible Oils and Fats by FTIR, FT-NIR and FT-Raman Spectroscopy. Food Chemistry 93:25-32.

All City Choir :: essays research papers

What do you think about when you think of singing? Do you think about the latest rock or pop craze? Or do you think about some opera singer on stage? For me, when I think about singing, I think about All City Choir.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All City Choir is a try-out choir made up of about 60 kids in grades four through eight who’ve come together to sing. We also have three awesome conductors Wendy Gee, Wendy Masciotra (or who we call Mrs. M), and Eva Bettger and we sing from September through April in our two seasons: Christmas Season and Spring Season.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In All City Choir, we also learn how to sing properly in many different ways. The first thing you learn is how to breath properly. We’re not allowed to breath like this (with your shoulders), but naturally like this (with your stomach). This is what my conductors call â€Å"tummy power†. One of the warm ups the choir conductors make us do are these huge sighs that start from the top of your voice and go down to the bottom of your voice to warm up our vocal chords and get us to breath properly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another technique we have to learn in choir practice is we learn now to pronounce vowels and consonants correctly. An example of that would be pronouncing out â€Å"D†s as light â€Å"T†s. We also have to keep our mouth round and you cannot smile while you’re singing or else it ruins the effect of the vowels. One thing we always always must do is to pronounce the consonants loudly. What our conductors always make us do to help us remember this is to say â€Å"We LoVe ouR CoNSoNaNTS!†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last, but probably one of the most important things we have to do when we sing, is to listen to each other and to sing with the mood of the music. If it is a soft song we are singing, then we can’t sing loudly in the piece, and if it is a song requiring a lot of energy, we have to be enthusiastic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One piece we sang this year was called â€Å"Reflections of a Lad at Sea†. Our conductor for the last movement (Mrs. Gee) was always nagging us to add more energy into the song. The last movement was called â€Å"Ghost Ship† which was a story about a ghost ship a sailor had seen one night.

Applying the VRIO Framework Essay

1Barney and Hesterly (2006), describe the VRIO framework as a good tool to examine the internal environment of a firm. They state that VRIO â€Å"stands for four questions one must ask about a resource or capability to determine its competitive potential: 1. The Question of Value: Does a resource enable a firm to exploit an environmental opportunity, and/or neutralize an environmental threat? 2. The Question of Rarity: Is a resource currently controlled by only a small number of competing firms? [are the resources used to make the products/services or the products/services themselves rare?] 3. The Question of Imitability: do firms without a resource face a cost disadvantage in obtaining or developing it? [is what a firm is doing difficult to imitate?] 4. The Question of Organization: Are a firm’s other policies and procedures organized to support the exploitation of its valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate resources?† What types of resources should we evaluate (e.g., what types of resources lead to a competitive advantage)? 1) tangible resources, 2) intangible resources, 3) organizational capabilities. Reputation with customers for quality and reliability Reputation with suppliers for fairness, non-zero-sum relationships Organizational Capabilities Firm competences or skills the firm employs to transfer inputs to outputs Capacity to combine tangible and intangible resources, using firm processes to attain desired end. Examples Outstanding customer service Excellent product development capabilities Innovativeness or products and services Ability to hire, motivate, and retain human capital Applying the VRIO framework. According to the VRIO framework, a supportive answer to each questions relative to the firm being analyzed would indicate that the firm can sustain a competitive advantage. Below is an example of how to apply the VRIO framework and the likely outcome for the firm under varying circumstances. Applying the VRIO Framework—the value and rarity of a firm’s resources If a firm’s resources are: The firm can expect: Not valuable Competitive Disadvantage Valuable, but not rare Competitive parity (equality) Valuable and rare Competitive advantage (At least temporarily) Then, if there are high costs of imitation, the firm may enjoy a period of sustained competitive advantage. Costs of imitation increase due to some combination of the following: 1) Unique Historical Conditions (path dependence; first mover advantages), 2) Causal Ambiguity (links between resources and advantage foggy), 3) Social Complexity (social relationships not replicable), 4) Patents (double-edged sword since period of protection eventually runs out). Applying the VRIO Framework, integrating the notion of Inimitability If a firm’s resources are: The firm can expect: Valuable, rare, but not costly to imitate Temporary competitive advantage Valuable, rare, and costly to imitate Sustained competitive advantage (if organized properly) Organized properly deals with the firm’s structure and control (governance mechanisms—compensation, reporting structures, management controls, relationships, etc). These must be aligned so as to give people ability and incentive to exploit the firm’s resources. Summary of VRIO, Competitive Implications, and Economic Implications Valuable?

Dracula essays

Dracula essays For centuries, vampires have served as a source of entertainment and as the subject of nightmares. The haunting image of the vampire has changed only subtly with time, however one transformation has been profound: no longer are vampires evil. Neil Jordans Interview with the Vampire, in contrast to Bram Stokers Dracula, removes the evil from the essence of the vampire. Physically, there has been little change to the portrayal of the vampire; there has been no need for change. Ghost-white skin, blood-red lips and ivory fangs evoke a sense of fear unlike any other. These features have typified the vampires image in the past and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future. In Dracula, Jonathan Harker describes the Counts appearance: The mouth, so far as I could see it under the heavy mustache, was fixed and rather cruel-looking, with peculiarly sharp white teeth; these protruded over the lips, whose remarkable ruddiness showed astonishing vitality in a man of his years. For the rest, his ears were pale and at the top extremely pointed; the chin was broad and strong, and the cheeks firm and thin. The general effect was one of extraordinary pallor. (17-18) This description became that of the typical vampire and was adopted by Jordan for Interview with the Vampire. All of Jordans vampires present this classic appearance. In fact, Interview with the Vampires Armand, could easily have been mistaken for Count Dracula himself. Dracula instantly became one of the most poignant, disturbing characters of the literary underworld. He was evil in every sense of the word; this was punctuated by Draculas lack of emotion and remorseless killing. In one instance, three female vampires asked Dracula whether or not they would be fed from a bag writhing helplessly on the floor. For answer he nodded his head. One of the women jumped forward and opened it. If my ears did n...

Godot essays

Godot essays Nothing to be done, is one of the many phrases that is repeated again and again throughout Samuel Becketts Waiting For Godot. Godot is an existentialist play that reads like somewhat of a language poem. That is to say, Beckett is not interested in the reader interpreting his words, but simply listening to the words and viewing the actions of his perfectly mismatched characters. Beckett uses the standard Vaudevillian style to present a play that savors of the human condition. He repeats phrases, ideas and actions that has his audience come away with many different ideas about who we are and how beautiful our human existence is even in our desperation. The structure of Waiting For Godot is determined by Becketts use of repetition. This is demonstrated in the progression of dialogue and action in each of the two acts in Godot. The first thing an audience may notice about Waiting For Godot is that they are immediately set up for a comedy. The first two characters to appear on stage are Vladimir and Estragon, dressed in bowler hats and boots. These characters lend themselves to the same body types as Abbot and Costello. Vladimir is usually cast as tall and thin and Estragon just the opposite. Each character is involved in a comedic action from the plays beginning. Estragon is struggling with a tightly fitting boot that he just cannot seem to take off his foot. Vladimir is moving around bowlegged because of a bladder problem. From this beat on the characters move through a what amounts to a comedy routine. A day in the life of two hapless companions on a country road with a single tree. Beckett accomplishes two things by using this style of comedy. Comedy routines have a beginning and an ending. For Godot the routine begins at the opening of the play and ends at the intermission. Once the rout ine is over, it cannot continue. The routine must be done again. This creates the second act. Th...

The pro and con of abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The pro and con of abortion - Essay Example Their philosophical approach offers an insight into the fundamentals of life. At the center of their reasoning is the concept of a person and moral obligation towards life in respect of abortion. Critical evaluation of Peter Simpson viewpoint on abortion emphasizes opposition and paints the act as horrific and unjustifiable. In the opinion of Simpson, abortion contravenes the fundamental law of nature which upholds sanctity of life. He asserts that fetus is a person and not an organ. In the context of biology, fetus is a person and not an organ which forms part of being. In that respect, procurement of abortion is outright elimination of a person which is morally unacceptable (Simpson, 1998). It is therefore obvious that Simpson is against abortion at all costs. The right to life should prevail over any other form of human action and legal structures that govern the society. In his view, Simpson asserts the supremacy of natural law over man-made constitution. In support of his idea, Simpson explains the relationship between mother and the unborn as giver of life to gift. In that respect, the mother should protect the unborn at all costs hence outright declaration of murder f or any attempted or successful abortion. The state law should therefore act within the natural laws which note the fetus as a person with the right to life. Legal provisions that present abortion as alternatives of protecting the life of the mother are tantamount to portraying attacker to victim relation between mother and the unborn. The law should therefore not be corrupted to portray fetus as a threat to mother’s life as this would promote justification of the vice. Simpson argues that even if human laws emphasize illegality of abortion, moral obligation and adherence to natural law that disrepute the act is key in guiding behavior (Simpson, 1998). On the other side of the argument, Mary Ann offers an

Decision Making with Managerial Accounting Case Study

Decision Making with Managerial Accounting - Case Study Example In other words, managerial accounting is referred to as the internal business-developing role of finance and accounting professionals who plan, implement and manage the internal systems, which encourage effective decisions, thereby supporting and controlling the value creating activities of an organization (Ioana-Diana, 2014). Managerial accounting is aimed at providing financial and non-financial information to managers, so as to help them make the best decisions. It facilitates effective internal decision making that is primarily focused on planning and controlling purposes. The type of decisions taken by managers depends heavily on the accounting information available to them. Given the fact that financial accounting data does not provide sufficient detail for internal decisions, it must be broken down to further details, regarding individual services and products offered by the company. Not only do managers need to be aware of the cost of a service or product, but they also need the cost information to be broken into intricate details of smaller components, that will enable them to conduct ‘what if’ analysis and thus, predict the future. The types of decisions that managers more often than not are supposed to make are regarding pricing a particular or a group of products, dropping a produ ct or product line, purchase of new resources by replacing the old ones, assessing the performance of managers and divisions of an organization and sometimes, making instead of purchasing a product. Therefore, this suggests that the two fundamental utilities of managerial accounting are planning and controlling. Both the factors mentioned in the statement above help managers to accomplish fluent decision making (UNF, n.d. ). The principal role of managerial accountant is to record financial information within the financial statements of a company, which is utilized by the management team of the organization to