The process of organizing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The process of organizing - Essay Example Thus, at its core marketing is a transaction or exchange. In this broad sense, marketing consist of activities designed to generate and facilitate exchanges intended to satisfy human or organizational needs and wants. Market-driving companies are able to match customer value opportunities with their capabilities precisely because they drive the structure of the marketplace. As previously indicated, this is achieved by a greater capacity of market-driving firms to influence the behaviours of customers and competitors. Such capacity results from an organizational culture that fosters the creation and implementation of innovations (Dawn Burton, 2005). Market-driving organizations are better able to gain a sustainable competitive advantage by changing the structure or composition of a market and/or behaviours of its players (Dawn Burton, 2005). The market-driving organization is likely to propose offerings more valued by consumers than competitors. In addition, driving markets allows organizations to exploit opportunities that competitors cannot (Robert E. Morgan, Christopher R. Turnell, 2005). Market-driving organizations may achieve greater performance than market-driven organizations by reshaping the structure of the market according to their own competencies and by exploiting the competitors' weaknesses. Market type culture is oriented toward the accomplishment of well-defined goals as well as toward enhancing productivity and efficiency (Gordon E. Greenley, 1996). Market type cultures allow for successful communication of innovations and coordination of activities between departments. The formality of communications and inter-functional coordination facilitates the implementation of innovation

Reliance Group | International Business Environment

Reliance Group | International Business Environment The Reliance Group, founded by Late Dhirubhai H. Ambani, and is one of the largest private sector companies in India, with businesses in the energy and materials value chain. Reliance Groups annual revenues are in excess of US $ 58 billion. Reliance Industries Limited has become a Fortune Global 500 Company. Reliance Group is a highly diversified group and is in to multiproduct business like oil and gas exploration, retail of petro and consumer products and manufacturing of petrochemicals / refining and textile products. Here I have summarised how Globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of Reliance Industries Ltd. Reliance Group is a highly diversified group and is in to multiproduct business like oil/gas exploration, retail of petro/consumer products and mfg. of petrochemical/refining and textile products. Here I have summarised how Globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of Reliance Industries Ltd. GLOBALISATION If I was to summarise in one word as to what is Globalisation Liberalisation is leading to I will say Competition. Globalisation has a significant impact on entrepreneurial enterprises in many ways. Globalisation provides a great opportunity for entrepreneurial ventures to expand their business internationally. With the help of local governments, large corporations, and international organisations, entrepreneurial enterprises are able to confront the challenges posed by globalisation and economic liberalisation, to improve their competitiveness in the global market, and better serve the global consumers. A number of hypotheses are examined to understand how globalisation has affected the survival and sustainable development of entrepreneurial enterprises. Globalisation has forced Reliance in the following ways It has aligned with the global trends Development policies and compensation systems were put in place. Built leaders within organisation, within this talent pool. International Business Environment affects the development of RIL Exploration and production of oil and gas is critical for Indias energy security and economic growth. India imports almost two-thirds of its crude oil requirement. Reliances oil and gas exploration and production business is therefore inevitably linked with the national imperative. Exploration and production, the initial link in the energy and materials value chain, remains a major growth area and Reliance envisions evolving as a global energy major. With growing competition and ever growing demand for energy, especially from developing countries, the focus is on energy security. Over the years the EP industry has registered significant growth, primarily due to spiralling crude oil and gas prices. RIL began gas production within six and a half years of gas discovery, in comparison to the world average of 9-10 years for similar deep water production facilities. Continuous gas production for about a year, with 100% uptime, once again demonstrates the Companys flawless commissioning and execution capabilities. In April 2010, RIL entered into a joint venture with the USA based Atlas Energy, Inc. (Atlas) under which RIL acquired 40% interest in Atlas core Marcellus Shale acreage position. RIL has become a partner in approximately 300,000 net acres of undeveloped leasehold in the core area of the Marcellus Shale region in south western Pennsylvania for an acquisition cost of $ 339 million and an additional $ 1.36 billion capital costs under a carry arrangement for 75% of Atlass capital costs over an anticipated seven and a half year development programme. Low operating costs and proximity to USA northeast gas markets combine to make the Marcellus Shale region one of the most economically attractive, unconventional natural gas resources play in North America. The acreage will support the drilling of over 3,000 wells with a resource potential of approximately 13.3 Trillion Cubic Feet equivalent (TCFe). While Atlas will serve as the development operator for the joint venture, RIL is expected to become a development operator in certain regions in the coming years in the JV. Atlas will continue acquiring leasehold in the Marcellus Shale region and RIL will have the option to acquire 40% share in all new acreages. RIL also obtained the right of first offer with respect to potential future sales by Atlas of around 280,000 additional Appalachian acres currently controlled by Atlas (not included in the present joint venture). The RIL-Atlas joint venture has the potential to become one of the largest prime acreage holders in the Marcellus Shale region. This joint venture will materially increase RILs resource base and provide an entirely new platform from which to grow its exploration and production business while simultaneously enhancing its ability to operate unconventional projects in the future. Additionally, RIL has farmed out 20% PI in the blocks Borojo North and Borojo South in Colombia; and 30% PI in block 18 and 25% PI in block 41 in Oman. The Regional Government of Kurdistan has assigned third party participating interest of 20% each in blocks Rovi and Sarta to M/s OVM; the assigned agreement is yet to be signed by RIL. RIL now has 13 blocks in its international EP portfolio including 2 in Peru, 3 in Yemen (1 producing and 2 exploratory), 2 each in Oman, Kurdistan and Colombia, 1 each in East Timor and Australia; amounting to a total acreage of over 93,500 sq. kms. Sustainability Strategy adopted/used by RIL in Global Markets Reliance has made sustainable development a cornerstone of its business strategy to achieve sustainable and profitable growth. RIL adopted principle of materiality and prioritized key issues after collective deliberation by management and key stakeholders. These issues include; Energy Security, Health Safety, Corporate Governance and Transparency, Product Responsibility, Climate Change and Waste Management. RIL sustainable development strategy draws on proven technology and risk management framework and evolves from the materiality analysis that has been performing over the years. The focus areas under sustainability development strategy include the following: Energy Security As a company RIL involved in the energy and materials value chain, so it is committed to responsible use of energy. Its systems and processes ensure optimum energy usage by continuous monitoring of all forms of energy and increasing the efficiency of operations. Growth through Innovation RIL firmly believe that growth through innovation will give a big competitive advantage and will be a key differentiator. Companys goal is to make RIL one of the most innovative companies in the world and to achieve breakthrough growth in revenues and profits by creating and implementing sustainable solutions. RIL is developing an innovative ecosystem that builds on organisational systems and processes, talent management, open innovation and world class RD facilities. Health and Safety Safety overrides all production targets this vision drives RIL to continuously look for ways to achieve zero accident at workplace. RILs vision is to develop a dedicated pool of safety professionals and lead in safety performance across its operations by focusing on process safety and behavioural safety.. Environment Protecting the environment and preserving natural resources is a high priority area. Through annual environment plan and business targets, RIL identify projects and take action to reduce water consumption and become carbon neutral and achieve maximum possible recycling and reuse of wastes. RIL set targets for key environment-related performance indicators such as material intensity, GHG emissions, air quality, water consumption, effluent discharge, waste generation and disposal, and conservation of bio-diversity. Product Responsibility For RIL, product responsibility is to offer efficient and reliable product and services with minimum environmental impact throughout the life cycle of the product from the cradle to the grave. Its product and services are designed, manufactured and delivered with principle consideration of customer safety. Social Institution Building Social welfare and community development is at the core of RILs Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) philosophy. RILs strategy is to have close and continuous interaction with the people and communities around our manufacturing divisions to bring qualitative changes and support the underprivileged.

The Cause of the Devastation of Hurricane Katrina Essay -- Natural Dis

The historical event of Hurricane Katrina, a category three hurricane with winds ranging from 111-130 mph, in August 2005 revealed major structural failures in the levee systems of New Orleans. Though not all structural failures are as catastrophic, the breeched levees led to loss of life, homes, businesses, highways, and left a trail of destruction that is still being repaired today. The result of this failure led to lawsuits, conspiracy theories, and court cases. Hurricane Katrina had a major effect upon our country and those results are still rippling on today. Though a city once devastated, major improvements to the failed system have been made and leave the city feeling safe once again. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans with its fierce intensity, the lives of its inhabitants was forever changed. The winds rose and the waves crashed upon the only security system this, below sea level, city had against the many water systems surrounding it. Most people think that the waves simply rose up over the banks and levees of the city; however, evidence proves this thought wrong. The actual reason New Orleans was flooded was due to poor engineering. According to experts, two thirds of the tragic flooding could have been prevented. Thousands of homes could have been saved if the engineers responsible for building New Orleans’s levees had followed regulatory guidelines. After the shock of Hurricane Katrina slightly diminished, the Congress ordered a congressional inspection of the federally build levee system. As they dug deeper into the cause of the levee’s failure, they began to discover flaws in the actual engineering of the levees. Three of the levees that had the most prominently negative effect on the city, and ... ...cane to protect the rich and middle class, and some blame President Bush. In conclusion, Hurricane Katrina had devastating effects on the city of New Orleans. I believe the blame was portioned correctly onto the heads of the engineers responsible for building the levees. Not enough care or attention to detail was put into the construction of the levees, and resulted in death and devastation. When it comes to the safety of people, all measures must be taken and no cost spared. This historical event learned from that, and great improvements were made to the protection system in New Orleans. Works Cited Hurricane Katrina. [online] 14 October 2010. http://en.www.wikipedia.org/wiki/effects_of_HurricaneKatrina_in_New_Orleans Parker Waichman Alonso LLP. Levee Failure. [online] 17 October 2010. http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/levee_failure The Cause of the Devastation of Hurricane Katrina Essay -- Natural Dis The historical event of Hurricane Katrina, a category three hurricane with winds ranging from 111-130 mph, in August 2005 revealed major structural failures in the levee systems of New Orleans. Though not all structural failures are as catastrophic, the breeched levees led to loss of life, homes, businesses, highways, and left a trail of destruction that is still being repaired today. The result of this failure led to lawsuits, conspiracy theories, and court cases. Hurricane Katrina had a major effect upon our country and those results are still rippling on today. Though a city once devastated, major improvements to the failed system have been made and leave the city feeling safe once again. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans with its fierce intensity, the lives of its inhabitants was forever changed. The winds rose and the waves crashed upon the only security system this, below sea level, city had against the many water systems surrounding it. Most people think that the waves simply rose up over the banks and levees of the city; however, evidence proves this thought wrong. The actual reason New Orleans was flooded was due to poor engineering. According to experts, two thirds of the tragic flooding could have been prevented. Thousands of homes could have been saved if the engineers responsible for building New Orleans’s levees had followed regulatory guidelines. After the shock of Hurricane Katrina slightly diminished, the Congress ordered a congressional inspection of the federally build levee system. As they dug deeper into the cause of the levee’s failure, they began to discover flaws in the actual engineering of the levees. Three of the levees that had the most prominently negative effect on the city, and ... ...cane to protect the rich and middle class, and some blame President Bush. In conclusion, Hurricane Katrina had devastating effects on the city of New Orleans. I believe the blame was portioned correctly onto the heads of the engineers responsible for building the levees. Not enough care or attention to detail was put into the construction of the levees, and resulted in death and devastation. When it comes to the safety of people, all measures must be taken and no cost spared. This historical event learned from that, and great improvements were made to the protection system in New Orleans. Works Cited Hurricane Katrina. [online] 14 October 2010. http://en.www.wikipedia.org/wiki/effects_of_HurricaneKatrina_in_New_Orleans Parker Waichman Alonso LLP. Levee Failure. [online] 17 October 2010. http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/levee_failure

Overview Of Sport Injury Types Health And Social Care Essay

For this subdivision of my portfolio I am traveling to cover hurts in athletics and choose a specific hurt to reason an in-depth survey on how it the hurt was sustained, how it can be treated in add-on to taking stairss to forestall a return of the hurt. Within featuring engagement there are many hurts that can happen of which can be classified into major and minor hurts. Additionally within these to classs there are legion hurts sustained through impact, pulling and nonvoluntary motions. Minor hurts are really common in featuring activities in peculiar those affecting physical contact such as Rugby and Football. These peculiar hurts are associated with being minor as the damaged caused is really little and chiefly necessitate really small or no intervention at all due to the natural healing procedure of the organic structure. Some extremely common illustrations of minor hurts in athletics are cuts, abraises and contusions. Cuts: A cut is referred to as a split in the surface of the tegument normally by crisp object with some being more serious than others. A little cut will non perforate through the whole proportion of tegument and will normally scab over as a consequence of the organic structures natural mending mechanisms. In comparing a deeper more acute cut can be significantly unsafe as constructions below the surface of the tegument such as nervousnesss, sinews and blood vass can be damaged. However despite the difference between the two cuts are prone to infection and at hazard of been extremely contaminated, therefore it is extremely recommended that all cuts are treated the same by rinsing it out and covering it with first assistance equipment such as a plaster to cut down the hazard of little fragments of soil acquiring indoors. An illustration during a sporting activity when a cut is likely to happen would be during the athletics of Rugby when a ruck/mall is go oning and participants on the land may be by chance stamped on by the he-man of a rugby boot doing a cut and the expel of blood. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nhs.uk/conditions/cuts-and-grazes/Pages/Introduction.aspx Bruises: A contusion normally occurs as a consequence of harm to muscle tissue underneath the teguments surface in which capillaries, venulas and arterias are damaged due to a sudden impact. This harm causes internal hemorrhage to distribute into countries environing the tissue as a consequence of physical compaction from the blood vass into the musculus tissue and top beds of the teguments surface which causes a seeable dull ruddy and violet coloring material beneath the tegument which is accompanied by stamp hurting. The alterations in coloring material of the contusions initiates that the healing of the accomplished country is taking topographic point by rhenium adsorbing the blood. Finally after an approximative two hebdomad period the contusion will vanish. It is possible for everybody to prolong a contusion but single differences within people determine the consequence of the contusion and how easy it is healed. For a athleticss performing artist there musculus tissue is strong er comparison to person who doesn & amp ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢t participate in athletics significance that it would be more hard to damage the connective tissue. Prevention of contusions is about an inevitable factor from an impact apart from have oning protective vesture, nevertheless the mending procedure can be sped up utilizing simple first assistance techniques. Using an ice battalion will cut down the swelling around the damaged country and cut down the blood flow which will cut down the sum of blood throw outing from the tissue. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nhs.uk/conditions/cuts-and-grazes/Pages/Introduction.aspx hypertext transfer protocol: //www.medicinenet.com/bruises/article.htmMajor InjuriesUnlike minor hurts, major hurts sustained can hold really serious damaging effects and in some really terrible instances can even take to human death. The hurts frequently cause assorted damage to normal bodily maps and necessitate important degrees of intervention in order for the healing procedure to be effectual. Engagement in athletics particularly those affecting physical contact increase the likeliness of major hurts happening and can consequence many parts of the organic structure. Bone Fractures: A bone break is classed as a medical status that causes a interruption in the continuity of the bone as a consequence of high impact or forceful emphasis and force per unit area. However bone upsets such as osteoporosis can take to a weakening of the bone doing them prone to breaks which can be a consequence of overexploitation of the joint in athleticss such as golf and tennis. Common breaks are recognised as either being an unfastened or closed break. An closed and simple break are those which do no perforate a proportion of the tegument and due to the fact there is no hazard of infection immediate intervention International Relations and Security Network & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢t necessary nevertheless professional advice and intervention will be mandatory. In add-on closed breaks can detrimental if the affected country is moved one time the hurt is sustained ensuing in possible damaged tissue. Closed breaks will be accompanied by a stain and swelling. On the oth erhand an unfastened and compound break is a interruption of the bone that does perforate the tegument. Open breaks are at a much greater hazard because they are at high hazard of taint, hence has to be treated instantly by cleaning the lesion exhaustively taking soil and so antibiotic aswell as surgical intervention will follow. Additionally a minor break compared to an unfastened and closed is recognised as a multi-fragmentary break where a splitting of the bone occurs into legion pieces. The followers are other bone breaks that can be a consequence of a clean hurt: Complete Fracture: Bone fragments wholly separate Incomplete Fracture: Bone fragments are still partly joined Linear Fracture: Fracture is parallel to original bone axis Cross Fracture: Right angle break from the bone axis Oblique Fracture: Diagonal break from the castanetss axis Coiling Fracture: At least one portion of the bone has been twisted Compact Fracture: Bone fragments are driven into each other All types of breaks should be treated by a medical professional where an X ray can be taken and the extent of the hurt can be assessed which from this point will originate start of the healing procedure aided by a medical procedure. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-closed-fracture.htm hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_fracture Concussion: Concussion is the most common result as a consequence of a encephalon hurt normally happening from an impact sustained to an country of the caput and can even be life endangering in really terrible instances. A mild instance of concussion will ensue in a province of shock and being unconscious for a brief period of clip. However a terrible instance of concussion involves a drawn-out period in being unconscious and returning to a normal province. This impermanent intervention of the encephalons map can consequence memory, opinion, balance and coordination. Concussion can happen easy within a athletics such as a clang of caputs during a football game. An impact hurt to the encephalon can do contusing which will take to the lacrimation of blood vass and damaged to nervousnesss doing abnormalcy in the map of the encephalon. The braincase which surrounds the encephalon comes into contact with fast acceleration of the encephalon taking to concussion. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.emedicinehealth.com/concussion/article_em.htm Muscular Injuries: Injuries to the musculuss can be really painful and can forestall performing artists from taking portion in physical activity for a drawn-out period of clip. Common muscular hurts in athleticss performing artists are musculus strains that can be a consequence of an uneffective warm up or an overstretch whereby harm is sustained to the musculus and attaching sinews. Muscle harm can be a tear of portion or all musculus fibers and the sinews attached to the musculus which can besides take blood vass being damaged which consequences in bruising and hurting caused by the annoyance on nervus terminations. A musculus strain will consequence athleticss performing artists in different ways such how strong and flexible the musculus is, therefore are less common in gymnasts compared to Rugby participants. Common symptoms originating from a musculus strain are ; swelling of the effectual country, inability to travel the musculus to its full potency and hurting in that country. For a athleticss performing artist it is imperative that a musculus hurt is treated right as the damaged musculus are likely to be used once more in featuring engagement when recovered. Ensure that the period of clip out of athletics is long plenty to mend and so strength preparation exercisings are carried out to re-build the musculus. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.emedicinehealth.com/muscle_strain/article_em.htm Muscle spasm occurs as a consequence of musculus weariness in voluntary musculuss which is closely associated with a cramp that occur in nonvoluntary musculuss. Voluntary motion is what a person can consciously command such as motion when running leting for the musculus to contract and relax. However when a spasm occurs the musculus contracts but doesn & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢t return back to its original relaxed province doing an intense hurting and can happen from between a few seconds to a one-fourth or an hr before it is eventually alleviated. Muscle spasm occurs when a performing artist is working at high strength exercising for a long continuance in which they use of the aerophilic system is no longer equal and hence the lactic acid energy system must be used. Stored ATP ( adenosine tri phosphate ) is the lone useable energy beginning in the organic structure and is provided by Glycogen. The animal starch is broken down by an enzyme known as phosphofrukto kinase into pyruvic acid, nevertheless because the proportion of C dioxide compared to oxygen in the musculuss it is broken down into lactic acid. As the high strength exercising is sustained OBLA ( oncoming of blood lactate accretion ) occurs where the physique of lactic acid is greater than the remotion. Due to the sourness in the musculus the map of the enzymes to breakdown lactic acid Don & A ; acirc ; ˆâ„ ¢t function decently and the remotion is less efficient. This can take to lactic acid toxic condition. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.medicinenet.com/muscle_cramps/article.htm Ligament Injuries: The most common but less annihilating ligament hurt is a musculus sprain. A sprain is an hurt to the strong hempen tissue that connects bone to cram known as a ligament which involves pulling and the lacrimation of tissue. Sprains are really common in delicate countries such as the mortise joint and carpus when a batch of force per unit area applied by the mass of your organic structure onto that ligament when normally falling over. Symptoms of a sprain are common to those of a hurt to a musculus with induced hurting, swelling, bruising and the inability to travel and map adequately. hypertext transfer protocol: //sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/sprains.htm Rice: Rest Ice Compression Elevation is an extra first assistance technique that can be applied for intervention and mending procedure of the hurt. When an hurt occurs to a damaged country in can ensue in puffiness, contusion or shed blooding doing the country to go inflamed. Using the four constituents of RICE and cut down swelling, alleviate pigment and protect damaged musculus tissue which in combination with each other will rush up the healing procedure. Remainder: There two really important grounds for a remainder period after an hurt has been sustained. Firstly it is indispensable that any harm to muscle tissue, ligaments or sinews are kept protected by restricting motion around that country which will cut down the hazard of any possible farther harm happening. Second for the healing procedure to happen efficaciously, the organic structure needs to bring forth certain sums of energy and minerals which would otherwise be used up during exercising. Ice: An ice battalion should be applied to the injured country with force which can be done by wrapping a towel around the ice battalion to keep force per unit area. The cold can supply impermanent alleviation of hurting in add-on to cut downing the swelling as the rate of blood flow is reduced intending less blood is traveling to the accomplished country. However considerations need to take topographic point when using a cold compress as a drawn-out exposure to the cold can take to damage to the tegument therefore is recommended 15-20 proceedingss three times a twenty-four hours. Compaction: Similar to the usage of ice, compacting the accomplished country can cut down the swelling around the hurt which can re direct the blood off from the country. A simple compress can be using a patch nevertheless should non be applied to tightly as this can do other deductions. Elevation: Again lift of the affected country can cut down swelling as the blood flows off from injured tissue which is really effectual if the country can be raised above the degree of the bosom. An hurt to an mortise joint can be elevated by puting the pes on pillows. Many minor hurts such as musculus sains and strains will normally retrieve after a few yearss of using the RICE technique. Once recovered it may so be necessary for an person to hold physical therapy where visible radiation rub downing can help in the formation of tissue hypertext transfer protocol: //sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/rehab/a/rice.htm

Contrast The American Dream With The Real Life Of The Migrant Worker Essay

In 1930’s America, most Americans had the so-called American Dream, which was to own their own piece of land and to be their own boss. The dream came into existence in the 1800’s, when land was readily available. By the 1930’s, when this novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ was set, it was almost impossible to make the dream reality as most land had been bought beforehand. Migrant workers are labourers who work on ranches as harvesters, skinners, and swampers, carrying heavy materials and doing many other manual jobs. They work hard and earn poor wages. They also have no friends or family as they continuously travel to different ranches in California, and so therefore they have very few possessions such as tinned food, small mats, blankets and shaving blades etc. They carry their possessions in a bindle and are commonly called ‘bindle stiffs’ or ‘bindle bums’, as they carried them on their back. Migrant workers sleep in bunkhouses which are situated on the ranch. They share a bunkhouse with other workers of that ranch. There is little privacy in the bunkhouses as there are usually between four and six workers in one bunkhouse. They are allocated their own shelf or cupboard in which to keep their very few possessions. Migrant workers wear denim clothes as denim is hard wearing and so they don’t have to keep on buying clothes with their hard earned money which can be spent elsewhere. Workers do not have any rights such as sickness payments, old age pensions etc, from their ranch. So when workers retire they have a very grim future in prospect. To be able to work, workers were issued with work cards from the local job agencies. The work cards were only given if a ranch boss wanted new workers. Work cards were important as it gave them a work permit. Workers also feared the sack, which was the case if someone done something wrong. The had no choice of menus as meals were cooked by other workers. If they wanted a different meal they would have to go outside the ranch in the town which workers have to pay for themselves. There was little justice on the ranches and workers had to develop their own rules of behaviour to survive. The novel we read is called ‘Of Mice And Men’. It is set in California, America, in the 1930’s. ‘Of Mice And Men’ is mainly about two American migrant workers. One of the workers is called Lennie and the other worker is called George. The writer of the novel, John Steinbeck, shows us in detail their lives as migrant workers, with the other workers, and Steinbeck also shows us the dreams and aspirations of these two migrant workers and the other workers. Steinbeck also shows the reality on the ranch and what they actually experience. George and Lennie are very close friends. In fact Lennie cannot move without George, as George is a father like figure to him. Lennie has a mental disability and acts like a small child, though he is a very powerful man as seen in his first description, ‘†¦a huge man, shapeless of face, with large pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders, and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws’. Lennie is frequently described through animal imagery due to his physical features, eg ‘like a terrier who doesn’t want to bring a ball to its master’, ‘strong asa bull’, ‘Lennie covered his face with his huge paws and bleated with terror,’ Lennie growled back to his seat†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ . This consistent use of animal imagery echoes Lennie’s love of and devotion to animals of his own, especially rabbits, mice and puppies. Lennie is a gentle giant, who brings out trouble. Lennie is doomed in a world o f desperate moral confusion. He cannot survive in a world of cruelty, selfishness, and disgrace. Throughout the novel, Lennie is portrayed as sympathetic in loving terms, eg ‘†¦..Lennie’s jus’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid, neither, except he’s so strong’. George about (Lennie), ‘He ain’t bright. Hell of a good worker, though. Hell of a nice fella, but he ain’t bright’. Lennie’s innocence ‘I won’t get in no trouble, George. I ain’t gonna say a word’. Slim about (Lennie) ‘He’s nice fella. Guy don’t need no sense to be a nice fella’. George’s description is completely opposite of Lennie, and Steinbeck’s initial description emphasises the physical difference between him and Lennie, ‘ The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features. Every part of him was defined. Small, strong hands, slender arm s, a thin and bony nose’ . The novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ commences a few miles south of Soledad, near the Salinas River. It is warm and tranquil. It is important to mention the opening part of the novel as this is where George identifies a spot where, if Lennie gets into trouble , he can go to and hide, ‘If you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before. (In Weed, Weed is a town in California where George and Lennie used to, before they had to run as Lennie was accused of raping a woman) I want you to come right here an ‘ hide in the bush’. This instruction ensures that the novel will end where it began. George and Lennie are looking forward to their dream which is to save money by working on the ranch in Soledad (the town where they arrived after Weed), and one day owning their own piece of land and being their own bosses, which is the American Dream. George and Lennie’s dream is more materialistic, as they envision a place where ‘nobody gona get hurt nor steal from them’. Their small piece of land will make them part of a stable and secure society, instead of being on its migratory fringes. The friendship between Lennie and George is firmly rooted in their dream. A dream that Lennie is never tired of hearing and which relieves them both from the pain of solitude. The dream is everything to Lennie and so George endlessly repeats descriptions of their idealistic future, a happy time when they will ‘Live off the fatta the land’. Lennie delightedly enjoys interrupting George†¦.. ‘†¦But not us! An’ why?†¦ Because †¦ Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that’s why’. George and Lennie’s dream introduces the theme of friendship and love, basic human needs that had all but disappeared at that time for millions of Americans. Candy and Crooks other migrant workers on the same ranch, are also caught up in this dream. On this ranch there was racial prejudice against non-whites, and the stable buck, who was black, has his own room. He reads books to pass his time alone and so therefore he is educated. A lot of migrant workers wanted their own room and privacy like Crooks, and were jealous of it. It was wrong for anyone to go into Crooks’s room as he was black, but one day Lennie went inside and started talking to Crooks. Lennie discussed his dreams with Crooks and he dejectedly and wryly commented, ‘Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody never gets no land’. Crooks also commented on how his father had a ranch when he was a kid and how he and his two brothers used to work on it. Candy was also caught up in George and Lennie’s dream and wanted to help by adding to the funds with his savings. Curly who is the son of the owner of the ranch, is married and his wife is also involved in a imaginary future and she has a dream of herself as a great movie star. But in one way or another all the dreams of these workers are smashed. This American Dream makes Lennie happy as here he gets to tend rabbits and mice which he loves as they are soft, and so therefore George always repeats the dream for him. And so it seems that George is trying to help Lennie achieve the dream. And helping each other on the ranch was seen to be unusual amongst the workers, and it was different between George and Lennie and the other workers. The reality of the lives of George and Lennie was that it was a struggle even to get a job, and even with a job, funds were still insufficient to buy land, (which was their dream), let alone enjoy themselves. Life involved hard work for George and Lennie. We can see strong devotion in George and Lennie but, in reality they were living with sadistic people such as Carlson. This was seen as he shot Candy’s dog which Carlson said was too old and smelly and suggested the dog was suffering and it would be better off it was killed, ‘That dog ain’t no good to himself. I wish somebody’d shot me if I get a cripple’. This comment seems to be the voice of Steinbeck, a pessimistic voice that understood the fate of all the disposable people. Carlson shoots the dog, and Candy’s final comment about the dog influences George’s decision to kill Lennie. Candy, ‘I ought to of shot that dog myself. I shouldn’t ought to let no stranger shoot my dog’. Although he earned poor wages George enjoyed himself by going to the brothel and drinking. And while Lennie was getting excited about living on his own land, he still had to sleep with four other workers in the bunkhouse with no room for and furniture and no personal possessions which was the same for all workers. George and Lennie had a relationship which was unusual. George always looked after Lennie, and they supported each other, which was unusual. Slim, who is a worker on the ranch, provides a strong contrast to the previous negativity and latent sense of danger. Slime moves ‘With a majesty only achieved by royalty and master craftsman’. Slim’s reaction to George’s protection of Lennie, seems to echo the feelings of Steinbeck himself, ‘Ain’t many guys travel around together ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ I don’t know why. Maybe every’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other’. Recreational activities for the workers on the ranch, apart from going to the brothel every Saturday and having Sunday off, included playing horseshoe which was a game played, outside the barn. The dreams articulates two essential themes in this novel; importance of dreaming and loneliness in the lives of the workers. George and Lennie are very different from all the other workers, mainly because of their relationship and their goals. This may seem odd considering that George always complains of how easy life would be without Lennie (due to his problems), George could spend the nights in ‘cat houses’ and drink quantities of ‘rotgut booze’. Yet his devotion to and protection of Lennie make it clear that he does not want this kind of freedom, as such freedom would leave him alone. In a different sens, Steinbeck continuously focuses on the isolation of loneliness. George is frequently playing ‘solitare’ (a card game for one person). However George is not a pathetic character. He has a will and he makes two critical decisions at the end of the novel. Loneliness is also seen through Cooks, the stable buck, in that, as he is black, he is isolated from all the other workers and therefore has his own room which nobody is allowed to enter. However one Saturday night, Lennie enters Crooks’s room and chats innocently to Crooks about the place he and George are going to have. Lennie is rapt in wonder of the dream and the delight of his new puppy, and is deaf to Crooks’s personal reminiscence. However, when Crooks starts teasing Lennie about the idea that George may not come back, Lennie is extremely agitated. Unable to cope with the thought that someone may have hurt his beloved George, Lennie is ready to attack Crooks physically. Crooks manages to calm Lennie down, and whilst Lennie dreams contentedly of their little piece of land, Crooks speaks of loneliness, and his life when he was a kid. Crooks, a victim of racial inequality, remarks cynically, ‘Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody never gets no land’. Candy joins Lennie in Crooks’s room. Crooks, desperately lonely, is secretly delighted to have company. George returns. He is angry that Lennie and Candy have shared their plans with Crooks. They all return to the bunkhouses and leave Crooks alone in his room to massage his crooked spine. The opening location and atmosphere reflects the ending of this novel. As this is the day (Sunday) where Lennie dies. While the men are noisily enjoying a ‘horseshoe tenement’ outside, Lennie is alone in the barn. He is distressed as he has accidentally killed his puppy. He’s terrified that George will punish him and he (Lennie) will not ‘get to tend no rabbits’. Curly’s wife, dressed in a tartish way, goes to Lennie. She consoles him about the puppy, ‘he was jus ‘ a mutt’. And settles down to talk to him. Lennie is disheartened with the dead puppy. Curly’s wife tells Lennie, ‘I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’. She goes on to say that she can only talk to Curly otherwise he gets mad. Lennie tells her how he likes to pet soft things and Curly’s wife encourages him to stroke her hair; ‘Here feel right here†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ feel right aroun’ there ansee how soft it isâ€℠¢. As always Lennie has no understanding of his strength and as Curly’s wife becomes hysterical, Lennie, confused and terrified, prevents her from screaming. Her eyes are ‘wild with terror’ and her neck snaps under Lennie’s paw-like grip. The description ‘her body flopped like a fish’ contains identical imagery to that used when Lennie defended himself against Curly, ‘Curly was flopping like a fish†¦'(chapter 4). Lennie remembers George’s instruction at the opening of the novel and runs to hide in the bush where George told him to. Alerted by Candy, George steals Carlson’s gun and then joins the men. George reassures himself and says ‘maybe they’ll lock him up an’ be nice to him.’ Curly is bursting with rage when he finds out what has happened to his wife and is determined to kill Lennie because Lennie crushed his hand. George is aware that he needs to save Lennie from the fury of Curly. Candy spoke of his greatest fear ‘You an’ me’ can get that little place, can’t we , George?’ Before George spoke candy dropped his head and looked down at the bay. He knew the dream was over. George then faces reality and tells Candy, ‘I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some cat house’. George comes back to the barn, as if he did no know, with all the other workers. At this point George knows what he is going to do. Curly gathered his troops together with Crooks’s gun and went to search for Lennie. The death of Lennie will spell the death of his shared dream. He is figuratively as dead as Candy’s dog. The description echoes that of chapter 1, but the stillness has a sharper edge. A motionless heron swallows a water snake, the wind is a ‘gust’ and the dry leaves on the g round ‘scudded’. Lennie kneels down at the edge of the water and drinks, but whereas earlier ‘He flung himself down†¦. drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse’. Now he ‘Knelt down barely touching his lips to the water.’ The verb ‘Jerked up’ and the fact that he ‘Strained’ towards the sound of the birds, conveys his restlessness. Lennie is tormented with guilt and is confusion and anguish reveal themselves in a vision of his Aunt Clara and a gigantic rabbit. The rabbit seems to be imitating George, calling him a ‘Crazy bastard’. The arrival of George settles Lennie and pathetically, knowing he has done a ‘Bad thing’. He waits to be scolded. George goes through the motions of saying how easy life would be without Lennie but his voice is ‘Monotonous’ and has ‘No emphasise’. This leads automatically to the reinforcement of their friendship and their dream. As the shouts of the men come closer, George prepares to shoot the unsuspecting Lennie. George’s hand shake ‘Violently’ but he’s fully aware of the brutality of Curly, so pulls the trigger and this saves Lennie from the vicious brutality of Curly, so then throws the gun near the pile of old ashes. Just as the fire has been reduced to the ashes so to is the dream. Slim comforts George, ‘You hadda, George. I swear you hadda,’ and he takes George away to get a drink. The final word is given to Carlson whose emotional limitations and lack of sensitivity are shown in his remark, ‘now what the hell ya suppose is eatin ‘ them two guys?’

History of Sliced Bread, the Greatest Invention

History of Sliced Bread, the Greatest Invention A clichà © that just about every American knows The greatest thing since sliced bread. But how did this epoch-making invention become so celebrated? The story begins in 1928,  when  Otto Frederick Rohwedder created the greatest invention- pre-sliced bread. But, believe it or not, Rohwedders innovation was initially met with skepticism. The Problem   Before the invention of pre-sliced bread, bread of all kinds was either baked at home or bought in full loaves (not sliced) at the bakery. For both home-baked and bakery loaves of bread, the consumer had to personally cut off a slice of bread every time he wanted one, which meant rugged, irregular cuts. This was time-consuming, especially if you were making several sandwiches and needed many slices. It was also very difficult to make uniform, thin slices. A Solution This all changed when Rohwedder, of Davenport, Iowa, invented the Rohwedder Bread Slicer. Rohwedder began working on a bread slicer in 1912 but his initial prototypes were met with scoffs from bakers who were certain  that pre-sliced bread would quickly go stale. But Rohwedder was certain that his  invention would be a major convenience for consumers and did not let the bakers skepticism slow him down. In an attempt to address the staleness problem, Rohwedder used hatpins to keep the pieces of bread together in the hopes of keeping the loaf fresh. However, the hatpins continually fell out, detracting from the products overall convenience. Rohwedders Solution In 1928, Rohwedder came up with a way to keep pre-sliced bread fresh. He added a feature to the Rohwedder Bread Slicer that wrapped the loaf in a wax paper after slicing. Even with the sliced bread wrapped, bakers remained dubious. In 1928, Rohwedder traveled to Chillicothe, Missouri, where baker Frank Bench took a chance on this idea. The very first loaf of pre-sliced bread went on store shelves on July 7, 1928, as Sliced Kleen Maid Bread. It was an instant success. Benchs sales quickly skyrocketed. Wonder Bread Makes It Go National In 1930, Wonder Bread began to commercially produce pre-sliced loaves of bread, popularizing sliced bread and making it a household staple familiar to generations. Soon other brands warmed to the idea, and for decades there has been row upon row of sliced white, rye, wheat, multigrain, rye and raisin bread on grocery store shelves. Very few people living in the 21st century remember a time when there was no sliced bread, the universally-agreed-upon greatest thing.

A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes

A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes By Mark Nichol This post details the purposes of various horizontally aligned typographical symbols. Hyphen Hyphens perform various functions, including the following: They link standing compound words (mind-set, self-respect). They are used with some prefixes (anti-inflammatory). They represent expression in isolation of a prefix or a word element (pre-, -er). They link spelled out numerical terms representing different place values (twenty-four). They link words in phrasal adjectives preceding but not following a noun (â€Å"short-term investment,† â€Å"off-the-cuff remark†) and when combining similar-looking constructions that begin with comparative adverbs such as better, much, and well (â€Å"best-kept secret†) Some style guides (but not this site) recommend that phrasal adjectives be hyphenated regardless of their position, and a few such expressions (such as far-reaching) are always hyphenated regardless of position or style authority. Also, a letter space should never intervene when a hyphen connects two words or numbers, except when suspending the first use of a word common to two or more phrasal adjectives (â€Å"fifteen- and thirty-day increments†). Hyphens are often introduced when new compounds are created, including in technological vocabulary, but such terms usually become closed compounds (though there are exceptions, such as mind-set, mentioned above, and light-year). Some terms that include letters linked to nouns retain hyphenation (A-list, T-bone, X-axis). Omission of a hyphen in email is trending, but similar terms such as e-commerce resist this evolution. Em Dash The dash, technically known as an em dash (to distinguish it from the en dash, described below), is used to indicate parenthesis when more emphasis is intended than indicated by a comma or a pair of parentheses. One dash is employed to when the wording expresses an attempt to get attention (â€Å"Look- a squirrel!†) or to indicate a sudden break in syntax and the parenthesis ends a sentence (â€Å"What I meant to say is- hey, are you paying attention?†) Similarly, it can replace a colon (â€Å"You have three options- fight, flight, or surrender†). Two dashes are employed when the parenthesis occurs mid-sentence (â€Å"The original version of the document- the one I hold here- is worded differently†). The dash is also employed to set off the identification of the source of an epigraph (â€Å"‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ - Franklin D. Roosevelt†). Also, one or more dashes may indicate redaction of all or part of a word or name in order to avoid identification or euphemize profanity (â€Å"The target was identified as - - - †; â€Å"Ms. A- - is not unacquainted with scandal†; â€Å"Well, I’ll be d- - ed!†). Dashes are usually closed- that is, they are set with no preceding or following letter spaces- but some publishers prefer to format them open. Some, too, out of ignorance or apathy or for the sake of simplicity (as in the case of some newspapers), use a single or double hyphen in place of an em dash- or, because they prefer its size, employ an en dash. (This is a valid design decision, but use of a single or double hyphen appears amateurish and should be avoided.) En Dash The en dash, always so called to distinguish it from the default em dash, which is often referred to simply as a dash, has two functions: representing a range of numbers or a time span (â€Å"Read pages 15–37†; â€Å"John Smith [1936–2012] is not listed†; â€Å"These figures represent revenues during the first quarter [January–March]†) as a substitute for through serving as a substitute for a hyphen in a compound term (â€Å"Pre–Civil War conditions sometimes prevailed†; â€Å"The United States–Mexico border is nearly two thousand miles long.† (These distinctions are, again, sometimes ignored.) The en dash is employed for the latter use because â€Å"pre-Civil War conditions† implies â€Å"before the Civil† rather than â€Å"before the Civil War† and â€Å"the United States-Mexico border† appears to refer to a united border between States and Mexico rather than one between the United States and Mexico. Plus Sign A plus sign (+) is employed in mathematics and other disciplines to indicate addition or positive numbers, and in lay usage it may modify a letter grade or qualify a blood type. It is sometime used informally to indicate a value greater than the stated one, as in â€Å"I would say 50+ people attended.† (Formally, â€Å"I would say more than fifty people attended† is better, and a direct quote would be better represented as â€Å"I would say fifty-plus people attended.†) Minus Sign A minus sign (–) is a distinct symbol used in digital displays of mathematics and other disciplines to signal subtraction or negative numbers; like the plus sign, it may be used in designations of letter grades and blood types. However, a minus sign is often represented by a hyphen or an en dash in print or online. Multiplication Sign A multiplication sign (Ãâ€") is used almost exclusively in mathematics and in isolated functions in notations in biology and history. In lay usage, the letter x generally takes its place. Division Sign The division sign, officially called an obelus, was replaced by the dagger mark († ) as a reference sign and now pertains exclusively to division in mathematics. Equal Sign An equal sign (=) represents equivalence and is occasionally used in informal writing in place of equals. Tilde A tilde (~) usually functions to denote a variation in pronunciation of certain letters in various languages, but it also serves in informal writing to signal approximation, as in â€Å"We continued along for ~20 miles.† Underscore The underscore (_), employed on typewriters to create underlines, survives now mainly as a symbol in email addresses, URLs, and computer code. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" Proved vs. ProvenWoof or Weft?