The Journey Through the River Valley of Manaus - the aim of the poem Personal Statement

The Journey Through the River Valley of Manaus - the aim of the poem - Personal Statement Example And I know from that day forth it was their very best year To have been freed from the hands of Margarethe De La Rue 40 If you had been there you would have seen it, too. And that is my story of my journey through the river valley of Manaus And how I freed the courtesans of the Amazon's "Pink House." This is the process of how I created my poem. The aim of this poem, The Journey Through the River Valley of Manaus, was to tell a humorous story, primarily, although, that was not the only one. I also wrote to entertain, as well as for personal enjoyment, because I happened to enjoy writing this particular piece. The metre was irregular, and the stanza form was A-B throughout. I kept the voice of the poem in first person because there is more personalism in that tense, I believe. My choice of language was helped by using two rhyming dictionaries.1 I only used repetition when talking about the journey of Manaus, and I think my best imagery in the whole poem dealt with regards to describing what the women in the Pink House were wearing (pearls, silk, and the like). I think, technically, this poem is the best that I am capable of doing as far as rhyme, imagery, and voice are concerned. I could probably do better as far as metre were concerned if I were classically trained in writing Sha kespearean quatrains, but alas, I have not the discipline or interest in writing such a poem frought in tedium. I know that must sound horribly cold and disrespectful to Shakespeare and those who appreciate his work, as do I, but I don't care to try to attempt something I know I'm not good at. I believe this poem is generally free of commonplace and hackneyed images, save for perhaps the mention of Christopher...I think, technically, this poem is the best that I am capable of doing as far as rhyme, imagery, and voice are concerned. I could probably do better as far as metre were concerned if I were classically trained in writing Shakespearean quatrains, but alas, I have not the discipline or interest in writing such a poem frought in tedium. I know that must sound horribly cold and disrespectful to Shakespeare and those who appreciate his work, as do I, but I don't care to try to attempt something I know I'm not good at. I believe this poem is generally free of commonplace and hackn eyed images, save for perhaps the mention of Christopher Columbus. I know he is mentioned in quite a few poems. Perhaps he is considered an unnecessary abstraction, I'm not sure. I meant the Columbus reference only as an aside to demonstrate an example of people having gone on journeys, and I thought Columbus was particularly cogent to use since he had traveled to Latin America before. I don't think I've used any unnecessary inversions in the poem, or at least, if I have they are minimally invasive. I tried not to overload the poem with too many adjectives. If I have, that is my fault and my fault alone.

Structural Fesign Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Structural Fesign - Essay Example Structural engineers are thus very important in the construction supply chain. Structural design encompasses the design of the support structure, selection of materials, computation of the member size, evaluation of the effect of the environment on the structural elements, selection of the member types and lastly the configuration of the structure in the most effective, affordable, safe and serviceable manner (Heyman, 1999). The structural designer must work according to the building standardization codes. He may have several designs of which he selects the most affective and affordable design. The design selected must not fail. To ensure proper functionality especially in the factories, the beams must not sag as this may lead to improper functioning or derailing of the cranes. Failure of the structural members results in machines drive shaft fail, machine table misalignment and burning of the bearing due to warbling. Simply supported beams; there are supported vertically at two points. One point is fixed permanently while at the other point, an allowance is given to enable the beam to move horizontally due to expansion (Hosford, 2005). Hollow section: there are several hollow sections that are used in structural design. ... Continuous supported beams; supported at several points. There are several types of beams; these include; Universal beams; they are I shaped beams and are effective as supporting structures, they don't fail easily, they are also referred to as H section beams. Angle sections; they are 'L' shaped are mainly used for roofing where struts and ties are required to make trusses. T-sections; these are structural members that have a 'T' shape. Hollow section: there are several hollow sections that are used in structural design. These include; rectangular hollow section that have a rectangular shape, round hollow section that have a round tubular cross-section and shape, Square sections which have a square cross-section and elliptical cross-section which have an ellipse shape but are hollow inside. Trusses; they are mainly used for roofing; there are sometimes preferred in that they may span for long distances without sagging or deflecting. There are very versatile and can be redesigned easily to add more struts and ties to accommodate greater loads or span longer distances. Bars and rods; bars are rectangular while rods are circular; the are solid unlike the hollow section. Plates. Plates are metallic sheets with a thickness greater than 6mm. Concrete; One of the most widely used structural materials. It is cheap and last long as compared to all the other materials. Concrete comprise of a mix of sand, cement and aggregate in different proportions. The strength of concrete depends on the mixing ratios. Ratios with more sand and cement have greater strength and are used in industrial constructions. Nearly all concrete mixes are reinforced with steel bars. The inherent advantages of reinforcing concrete are; The composite structure resulting from the mix is more

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries

Benefits Of Technology Contribution To Developing Countries In such fast growing economies, multinational companies are relying heavily on technology to maintain their competitive position in the global platform. To do so, multinational companies constantly expand into new markets and hence their success is partly determined by their ability to transfer technology to local companies (Chen (1996), Chung (2001)). Transfer of technology is a foremost strategy initiated by the multinational companies during their international expansion. Technology transfer is defined as the transmission of know-how to suit local environments, with effective absorption and diffusion both within and across countries (CHung (2001) and Tihanyi Roath (2002). Transfer of technology is not as simple as it looks it involves a series of complex procedures starting from the multinational companies capability of teaching, the local companies capacity of learning and the complex integration between the two companies (Griffith, Kiessling and Dabic, 2005). Technology gives c ompanies the competitive edge to strive and compete in the global world. It is integrated with every value adding activity of the company and helps in achieving these activities (Porter, 1980). Technology helps in improving and maintaining quality levels and competitive edge of the products. It also helps in reducing the productions cost and increase manufacturing productivity by improving efficiency (Gisselquist Grether, 2000). Every country (developing and developed) spends large amount of funds to attract foreign investments. This investment can be in terms of foreign direct investments in stocks of local companies or in terms of investing in the countrys properties real estate or opening up a manufacturing plant in the country. The reasons noted for such behavior by the governments of developing and developed country is to strengthen their economy and technology sophistication and upgradation. When a multinational company is operating in foreign (developing) country, it happens to brings in new technologies and ways of working to the local country. Thus helping the country to upgrade its technological know-how. In this paper, the author will first highlight the importance of technology contribution by multinationals and later evaluates the factors that will determine the whether or not the transferred technology provides benefits or is a disadvantage to the host country. The role of multinational companies as an agent of technology transfer for economic development of less developed countries is potential and very important (Bruce Peters, 1979). FOR MNCS: Keeping aside few instances that have taken place and the points noted against the multinational companies in less developing countries. We cannot ignore the fact that these multinational companies have played a vital role in technological and overall development of developing countries. Starting from transfer of technology to bringing new ways of managing business to improving productivity to making local business competitive in comparison to the world. The contribution of the multinational companies in less developed countries is noteworthy (Aswathappa, 2008). Multinational companies and developing countries have different goals, hence they should try to come together and find mutual goals and benefits. This could be in terms of resource identification, technology selection and advancement. It is known that the world is dependent on each other for few or more things. It is the developing countries that are dependent on multinational companies from developed countries for help in te rm of technological development and stronger economies. Similarly, the multinational companies are dependent on these developing countries for cheap labor and land. Their goal is mutual and hence by working together can realize benefits for each other. Against MNCS: There are many cases and instances which show that the multinationals technology contribution to developing countries is hardly suitable. Multinational companies develop technologies that are highly capital intensive whereas the technologies needed by the developing countries are labor intensive. Thus this makes the technology contribution as less suitable, also multinational companies charge heavily in the forms of fees, duties and royalties for the usage of their technology. Thus making the technology very expensive for the developing countries. On several occasions it has been noted that that multinational companies or foreign companies operating in developing countries are dumping technologies by using obsolete technology with the help of turnkey projects. It is also noted that multinational companies try to make local companies dependent on their technology and expertise and thus making revenues by contributing obsolete technologies. For example: Indian government did its best t o attract foreign companies and investment with a hope that these multinational companies would help reach its goal of having best technology around the globe and strong export hub. This goal of India is not yet been realized with the exports falling and the global financial crisis still showing some of its effect in India. Likewise, other developing countries have been disappointed at many occasions. Today the word green is associated with the global warming; many companies have gone green meaning they have taken the initiative to use eco friendly methods to minimize their impact on the environments. Developing countries attracted multinational companies with the hope of setting up Greenfield projects which would in turn help to maximize their manufacturing capacity. The goal is yet to be achieved. government of developing countries attract foreign companies in order to bring new technologies to country but these foreign companies in turn either acquire local companies or merge wi th them, thus keeping the country away from new technology and manufacturing abilities. Many less developed countries have now kept environment on their first priority. Countries are now becoming more concerned about the impact that multinationals create on the environment due to certain technologies that they use (Aswathappa, 2008). POTENTIAL FACTORS: It is also very important to note the factors that will determine whether the technology transferred will be of benefit to the developing country or not. Griffith et al., (2006) uses an environment strategy performance framework to identify the role of market (i.e. competitive intensity and market dynamics) and cultural environmental (national cultural distance and organizational cultural distance) factors on international technology transfer to developing countries. During a survey conducted to find out the direct efforts of market and cultural environmental factors on transfer of technology with 131 managers working in a subsidiary of multinational company. It was found that market dynamism factors were more influential market environmental factor than competitive intensity. Whereas national cultural distance was less influential cultural environment factor than organizational cultural distance. The report also highlighted a very important and pivotal relationship between transfe r of technology and subsidiary performance (Griffith et al., 2006) Summary Multinational companies are businesses that carry out operations across globe. They are the most active players in the world of international business they have been often charged on several grounds like taking advantage of poor countries, their interests override the interests of developing nations and they have a tendency to bribe the less developed country government to make policies and regulations favorable to them. It is widely known that each coin have two sides, there are pros and then there are cons, there is opportunity and then there is risk. multinational companies are very important in terms of technology contribution but then there are risks of obsolete technology, technology dumping, impact on environment etc. thus developing countryà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s government should list few factors that would help them to determine whether the technology contribution by multinationals is benefit to the host country or not. A research conducted by Gibson and Smilor suggests that there are four variables i.e. communication interactivity, cultural and geographical distance, technology equivocally and personal motivation play very important role in technology transfer within and between companies (Gibson and Smilor, 1991). In another research conducted by Rebentisch and Ferretti (1995), they found that four categories, Transfer Scope, Transfer Method, Knowledge Architecture, and Organizational Adaptive Ability, describe important elements of the transfer process. Transfer Scope describes the extent of embodied information being transferred. Transfer Method describes the approaches used to transfer the technology. Knowledge Architecture describes the structure and the interdependencies between the firms knowledge assets. Organizational Adaptive Ability describes an organizations ability to change its knowledge architecture over time.

The Bildungsroman Genre Essay -- Literature Bildungsroman Essays

The Bildungsroman Genre INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1- BILDUNGSROMAN NOVELS......................................................................................... 2- TWO BILDUNGSROMAN NOVELS............................................................................. 3.1- Great Expectations..................................................................................................... 3.2- Emma........................................................................................................................... CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................. BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................................. A novel is a prose narrative of a certain length and complexity that deals imaginatively with human experience usually through a connected sequence of events. Most novels involve many characters and tell a complex story by placing the characters in a number of different situations. One theme commonly present in British novels is the theme of â€Å"growing up†. Even before psychology was well developed as an academic field, the bildungsroman novels, or education novels explored people’s emotions and the process of maturing. The bildungsroman is a class of novel that arouse in German literature but later became a worldwide genre. It deals with the theme of someone’s growth as a person from childhood to maturity. The relevance of such a genre is clear if one notices that much of the most significant fiction in the last two centuries has taken this form and, therefore, constitute part of the history of the novel in the world. Great Expectations (1860-1861), written by the English author Charles Dickens, and Emma (1926), by another English author, Jane Austen, can be analysed under this perspective. Througout Dickens’ novel, Pip, the main character, goes through many changes in his personality to eventually coming to terms with his own actions. Austen’s novel deals with a female character, Emma, a rich young woman who learns how to balance power and propriety. The purpose of this paper is to analyze these two novels as pertaining to the bildungsroman genre and how a... ...sroman in English: An Annotated Bibliography of Criticism. 1. Ed. New York: MLA, 1990. HADER, Suzanne. The bildungsroman Genre: Great Expectations, Aurora Leigh, and Waterland. Captured on November 5, 2000. Online. Availabe at http://classiclit.about.com/arts/classiclit/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm LANDOW, Georger P. Austen, Dickens, and Male-Female Relations. Captured on November 4, 2000. Available at http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/dickens/ge/ gubar/html MINNIS, Julie. Victorian England: Background to Great Expectations . Captured on November 4, 2000. Available at http://humwww.ucsc.edu/dickens/index.html. PHILLIPS, Brian Great Expectations. Captured on November 4, 2000. Available at http://www.sparknotes. com/lit/greatex SHELSTON, Alan. Charles Dickens. . Captured on November 4, 2000. Available at http://lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/CD-Shelston.html The Atlantic Monthly. Captured on November 5, 2000. Daily. On line. Available at http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/classrev/greatexp.htm WEISSMAN, Gary. Parents in Austen and Dickens. Captured on November 4, 2000. Available at http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/dickens/ge/parents.html

Businesses and the Environment: Roles, Obligations, and Implications

Hundreds of individuals are being killed from the repercussions caused by the lack of concern towards the welfare of the environment. In fact, the drastic changes in the weather, the increase in occurrence of natural calamities, as well as the rise of sea level, are just a few of the well documented changes to the planet that are currently posing risks against mankind.In this sense, it is not refutable that businesses, due to the general goal of raising income, have in a way contributed to the occurrence of such environmental problems through various means.Therefore, with the global trend of addressing these environmental concerns through the individual level, I believe that businesses must also take part in the effort through lowering the ecological footprint of their operations. The term ecological footprint pertains to the overall usage of resources as well as release of byproducts which may be applied at the business level (Global Footprint Network [GFN], 2009). Businesses consum e and pollute at an elevated rate gains a greater ecological footprint which means that the business significantly adds to environmental damage.Hence, in order for businesses to gain a lower ecological footprint rating, examples of what can be done including the use of alternative power sources, taking consideration of harvesting and fishing limits, shifting or imposing more efficient trade routes, and using more energy efficient processes or machinery. It is apparent that adopting a business practice that places the welfare of the environment into consideration may not be as complex as commonly thought of.In fact, some of the practices might even lead into bigger savings, as the use of more efficient devices most commonly results in the reduction of operating costs for example.Aside from benefits that businesses must consider, the most important idea that business leaders must keep in mind is that if in the future the environment worsens further to the point of humans being elimina ted, then such a future will indeed be not good for business. Reference Global Footprint Network. (2009, April 27). Overview. Footprint Basics. Retrieved June 8, 2009, from http://www. footprintnetwork. org/en/index. php/GFN/page/footprint_basics_overview/.

Globalization Source Analysis Essay

Globalization is the process by which different societies and cultures integrate through a worldwide network of political ideas through transportation, communication, and trade. Generally, globalization has affected many nations in various ways; economically, politically, and socially. It is a term that refers to the fast integration and interdependence of various nations, which shapes the world affairs on a global level. Simply put; globalization is the world coming together. In this essay I will discuss multiple perspectives on globalization through the analysis of these three sources. Source I’s perspective is the view that through globalization; many cultures are destroyed and that this diminishes society. This source outlines a disadvantage of globalization and views it as a negative force. This can be interpreted by the examining the quote given; Octavio Paz is referring to the homogenization of culture (the blending of different cultures in such a way that the end result is one mixed culture). As globalization occurs; the inevitable result is that cultures will have to compete for dominance. Many cultures will end up losing to the dominant global culture and this will lead to the extinction of some traditional ways of life. As result we are all becoming more like one another and in this way culture dies. Source II’s perspective is the view that the English language is dominating French through globalization. The source is displaying a negative consequence of globalization. This can be interpreted by examining the political cartoon literally; English is trying to crush French with a globe. As globalization occurs; dominant global languages will easily over power other minority languages. The source may feel this way because of what’s happening in modern day Canada. Despite being a bilingual country, the vast majority of Canadians speak English as their first language. This is a result of globalization, English has, for a variety of reasons become the language of business and of the internet and is therefore favoured. French language in Canada is therefore the minority and is â€Å"dominated† by English. Source III’s perspective is the view that because of globalization, specifically Americanization (to absorb or assimilate into American  culture), transnational corporations (any corporation that is registered and operates in more than one country at a time) have become a dominant part of global culture. This source describes this as a negative consequence of globalization. The heading â€Å"Problems of Globalization†, clearly shows that the source is trying to convey a negative aspect of globalization. This can be interpreted by examining the political cartoon; the family of three each talks about the different places they’ve been and yet they have all purchased merchandise from American companies. This is possible through the fact that American transnationals have spread all across the globe and have taken up monopolies (the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service) on certain industries. This source probably feels this way because of the basic principle of economies of scale (the cost advantage that arises with increased output of a product). As a transnational becomes larger it expands to different countries and the local small businesses stand no chance of competing with wealthy transnational corporations. In this way, business is crushed and transnationals become a staple of global culture. The three perspectives on globalization that I have discussed so far each have some things in common. Each source describes ways in which globalization affects the world and society. Each source also shows the negatives effects of globalization; namely the lack of diversity and culture that is a result of globalization. From each source you can see how globalization forces us to become more like one another by integrating us into a singular culture. Sources I, II and III are all great examples of how culture spreads to different parts of the world and how the world responds to that kind of cultural interchange. In this essay I discussed three different perspectives on globalization each showing a different side to how globalization affects the world. Like everything else, globalization has its advantages and disadvantages. Whether we embrace it or not, the fact is that globalization is inevitable. The world is coming together and with that we are all becoming more alike in the way that we speak, the way we dress, and our culture in general.