I need me summary of psychological artilce Essay - 1

I need me summary of psychological artilce - Essay Example he specific areas related to the child’s proper growth and development included making an assessment of the core cognitive processes to see how mature or immature they were in late childhood, including processing speed (Hale, 1990), voluntary response suppression (Diamond & Goldman-Rakic, 1989; Fischer, Biscaldi, & Gezeck, 1997), and working memory (Zald & Iacono, 1998) Therefore the problem areas to be tested would be speed processing, inhibition towards voluntary response as well as the child’s working memory. There are many different traditional psychological testing methods, but the one that is most suited to assesses and evaluate the maturation of all these cognitive processes is the method of testing making uses of oculomotor tasks, which allows for testing across a wide range of age groups. The instructions for this method are simple and can be understood by children of all ages. Further the tasks in this method involve encoding responses in visual, auditory, motor, speech and psychological processes. Finally, oculomotor tasks are especially well suited for informing us about the brain basis of development because these tasks have been used to characterize the neural basis of cognition in single-cell studies of nonhuman primates (Barbas, 2000; Funahashi, Chafee, & Goldman-Rakic, 1993;) Results for the maturation of response suppression errors indicated that a changepoint occurred at 14 years of age. For the ODR task, the changepoint occurred at 19 years of age. The results for other variables included the response latency which were significantly correlated across all the tasks. In the antisaccade task, visual and memory guided responses correlated with the prosaccade rates. Hence, various results show that though the development of inhibition in response is somewhat primarily independent of the speed processing development, yet where maturation is concerned, working memory does contribute significantly, demonstrating that voluntary/cognitive control

Doubt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Doubt - Assignment Example Sister Aloysius was again in doubts as how the father escaped these issue giving doubts to the two sisters wondering how Father Flynn could have managed it. She then presses on the father to resign and remove the collar.(Glaspell p 14). The agreement that Father Flynn and sister Aloysius regarding the collar and the part to participate was not fulfilled by Father Flynn giving extra doubts to Sister Aloysius. He was assigned a bigger pastor position in another by his seniors. She confirms to her partner Sister James that she has doubts and the play leaves the audience with their own doubt (Glaspell p 24). The moral teaching from the play is today’s current hot issues facing our religion. The victims are having ways and means of getting away with their wrong doings and getting better positions in the church despite the ill tainted names. (Patrick ,p38)They just migrated to other locations that are not familiar to them or the citizens know little about them and the reasons for such

Human Resource Management of HM

Human Resource Management of HM This is a case study on HM, from a Strategic Human Resource Management perspective, based on publicly available details of HM, which has been analyzed and presented within the context of the perspective. This case study was prepared to meet the requirements of an academic exercise. HM was established in Vasteras, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. HM sell clothes and cosmetics in around 2,000 stores around the world operates in 37 countries and has 76,000 employees all working to the same philosophy: to bring you fashion and quality at the best price. HM is a hugely successful multinational company. The success of HM is primarily based on the business model of entire design being done internally and centrally, manufacturing totally outsourced, but quality ensured and local retailing with hired places, local staff and local shop managers empowered to take decisions. The success, business growth and expansion plans were possible because HM have formatted their HR strategy in line with the corporate strategy. As evident from their Annual Report (2008), when they expand into new markets they do not lose sight of their core values. They have succeeded to manage all components of HRM effectively to ensure that core values are upheld in all parts, regardless of country and cultural differences. Their strategic and coherent approach in recognizing that the organizations most valued assets are the people working there, INTRODUCTION COMPANY STRATEGY: Hennes Mauritz (HM) was established in Vasteras, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. HM offers fashion and quality at the best price and offers fashion for women, men, teenagers and children. The collections are created centrally by around 100 in-house designers together with buyers and pattern makers. HM also sells own-brand cosmetics, accessories and footwear. The stores are refreshed daily with new fashion items. In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria HM offers fashion by Internet and catalogue sales. HM does not own any factories, but instead buys its goods from around 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe. HM has about 16 production offices around the world, mainly in Asia and Europe. The turnover in 2009 was SEK 118,697 million. HM primarily operates in Europe, North America and Asia, and have around 2,000 stores spread over in 37 countries. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. HM has grown significantly since it s beginnings in 1947 and at the end of the financial year had around 76,000 employees. The average number of employees in the Group, converted to fulltime positions, was 53,476 (53,430), of which 4,874 (4,924) are employed in Sweden. Around 79 percent of the employees were women and 21 percent were men. Women held 77 percent of the positions of responsibility within the company, such as store managers and country managers (AR2 2009). HMs strategy is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. HMs annual report (AR1 2009) emphasizes that quality relates to both. HMs products exceeding customer expectations, and also customers being satisfied with the company itself. The report states Taking responsibility for how our operations affect people and the environment is also an essential prerequisite for HMs continued profitability and growth. HM is driven by strong values such as commercial mindset, simplicity, constant improvement, cost consciousness and entrepreneurship states in annual report (2009:13). The World of HM (HM 2010) Long-term strategic plan goals of HM HM which is in the fashion retail industry. HM has stores in 37 different countries and employs over 76,000 people. The business concept of HM is very clear. It is offering to clients qualitative fashion clothing for low price. The company has its own team of designers, its own interior designer team, its own production factories, production partners and team for purchasing other brands production. It usually stock up HM cosmetics supply, making sure that those products will be cheaper than in other stores. Long term objectives are strategic plans company make for future five years. These objectives are set in seven key areas- productivity, profitability, competition, employee development, employee relations, technological leadership and public responsibility and show were company wants to be when they are achieved. Long term objectives have to be motivating, flexible, measurable, suitable, understandable, realistic and acceptable by employees. Three main strategic goals for HM for the next five years would be linked with profitability, competition and technological leadership. HM has reported a rise in sales and profits and sales for the three months to 31 August. Net profit for the third quarter of 2009 rose 4.1% to 3.46bn Swedish crowns from 3.33bn crowns last year. Sales, excluding sales tax, increased by 13% to 23.6bn crowns. So first LTO is to maintain financial stability HM has achieved. HM plans to increase sales revenues by 20% and earnings per share by 30% till 2015. Secondly as main strategy of HM is expansion, LTO in competition is to increase number of stores by 10% to 15% every year. Today HM has as 1840 stores up from 1618 at the same time last year. New stores will be open in the cities HM already has stores and also in completely new markets. In the Annual Report (2008:7), HM, CEO Rolf Ericsson states that the long term goal is to Make fashion available to everyone, give the customer a fashion experience that strengthens HM brand. They also state the goal of a 10-15% increase in the number of stores every year, which would be funded internally (2009). The aim to increase sales in existing stores, while focusing on quality and continued high profitability. How does HM want to get there? To execute its strategy HM focuses on 3 main aspects of its business concept in the annual report of 2009. Price, which is controlled by limiting the number of middlemen, buying in large volumes, relying on its in-depth, extensive expertise within the design, fashion, and textile industries, buying the right merchandise from the right production markets, being cost-conscious at all levels and maintaining effective distribution procedures. Design: Products are designed in-house and production is completely outsourced. Quality: Central emphasis on quality with extensive testing and ensuring least environment damage. Merger and Acquisitions: Acquisitions (like FaBric Scandinavian, the Swedish design company), and Design Collaborations (collaboration with Mathew Williamson) are adopted. SWOT Analysis (S)trengths One of the main reasons for HMs popularity is because of its trendy items for such a low price. This store offers quality clothing at department store prices which is rare for many retailers today. Strength for this company is their overall delivery time. It only takes 12 weeks to get an item from the design to its retail state which is very impressive for a worldwide, low price retailer. The average for retailers is usually about 6 months which is double the time that HM uses. They also manage to keep the stores brands fresh with guest designers coming in for different lines in the store. Some of these have been Madonna and Robert Cavalli. They also keep the prices affordable by using very few middlemen and buy large volumes cost consciously. But with these strengths come weaknesses as well. (W)eaknesses One of the strengths I mentioned above can also be a weakness for this company. Buying large volumes means that there is no real guarantee that all the items will be sold. This means that theyre already low prices may have to be lowered in order to make room for the next collection. This means that if these items are not sold in time, then the company will have to pay more for extra storage for the items not sold. Another weakness could be its wide range of customers this brand provides for. The range is for men between the ages of 18-45. This is not including the childrens clothing and maternity wear and the huge wide range of different styles they provide depending on what store you go into. This can be difficult to manage especially in a vertical company because there is no real focus on a target customer and gets more expensive to provide machinery for all these different groups of people. But with these huge leaps there are many opportunities for this company flour ish. (O)pportunities One good opportunity would be for HM is to have matching clothes for mothers and children. I think this would be a good opportunity because there are also maternity wear and childrens clothes and I think that it would appeal to a larger crowd. They would like to dress their children like them in the same styles. (T)hreats since HM is a brand that is very unique it has very few threats as far as retail chains go. One of these stores would have to be the clothing chain called ZARA. This is a store that also has fairly reasonable prices but is most famous for its rapid delivery time. It only takes two weeks for the design to make it into retail stores. Even with HMs time which is 50% faster than most retailers, cannot even compete with that time. The second threat to HM is Gap just because of their quality at reasonable prices and their wide range of people they reach as well with their vertical company as well. There is a market for babies as well as men and women Human Resources HMs corporate strategy is to expand on a continuing basis, and as a consequence, employee strength also increases continuously. The growth target is 10-15 percent new stores each year, which means that 6,000 -7,000 new jobs each year. Their staff is spread across approximately 37 countries and come from different cultural backgrounds. Their strategy is to recruit locally whenever a new store opens as stated in the annual report (2008). The main area for which HM may have clearly articulated policies are listed below. The policy areas are based on the categorization by Armstrong (2006). Overall Policy and Values: HMs website indicates that their objective is to be a good employer, including in those countries whose laws and regulations fall short of their own requirements. To quote the Head of HR In order to meet peoples expectations of HM as an attractive employer, the company develops global guide lines on diversity, equal rights and against discrimination (AR1 2008).At HM, HR activities are guided by a fundamental respect for the individual. This applies to every aspect from fair wages, working hours and freedom of association to the opportunity for growth and development within the company. This also indicates that the company has specific policies for areas such as Equal opportunity, Managing diversity, and Employee development, Health and Safety, among others. Employee Relations and Voice: HM has an open door policy granting all employees the right and the opportunity to discuss any work-related issue directly with management (AR1 2008). They also support their employees right and ability to organize and to decide who should represent them in the workplace (AR1 2008). HM has positive experience of open and constructive dialogue with the trade unions and they welcome such relations wherever they operate. They consider such cooperation to be essential if they are to become even better. Examples of collaboration on staffing issues include their agreement with UNI (Union Network International) and the work they do with the EWC (European Works Council). Promotion: In the annual report of HM (2008:34) the Head of HR quoted Internal recruitment and job rotation enable the company to grow quickly. This statement indicates that HM has policies related to promotion. Employee Development: To quote Mr. Par Darj, Head of HR at HM I tell employees, if you do not grow neither will HM (AR1 2008:34). This indicates that policies exist for this area. Rewards: According to the annual report (2008) HM focuses on rewarding people by providing more opportunities and responsibilities, and not through a promotions and job titles. This indicates that HM has policies for this area. Other areas with clearly defined policies might exist, but these are not evident from available sources. Organization Behaviour and Structure Structure: Corporate management is based at HMs head office in Stockholm. Stockholm is also where the main departments for design and buying, finance, accounts, expansion, interior design and display, advertising, communications, IR, HR, logistics, security, IT and CSR and environment are located. HM has around 16 country offices that are responsible for the various departments in each sales country. HM also has around 16 production offices which take care of contacts with the approximately 700 independent suppliers that HM works with. There are nine production offices in Europe, eleven in Asia and one in Africa. Behaviour: HM operates in 37 countries and has a work force belonging to these 37 countries because they recruit locally. HMs espoused values are stated to be the foundation for a multinational company in a multi cultural market where great respect is paid to the individual. Interviews with the CEO and Head of HR in the annual report indicate a participative culture where everyone is made to feel like a part of the companys success (AR1 2008:34). Par Darj (Head of HR) stated in the annual report the key word for continual growth is responsibility and commitment. We have committed employees and we are prepared to delegate responsibility at every level. The company encourages what it calls the The HM spirit employees committed to their work and prepared to take on new challenges, common sense, hard work and team spirit are encouraged. All their operations are typified by an essential respect for the individual; including reasonable wages, reasonable hours, and opportunity to grow, and develop within the company (AR1 2008). Quotes from employees about the organizational climate indicate that the values above are values in use. These quotes can be found on the career section and in the annual report of HM. Based on this information; the prevalent culture appears to be primarily task oriented (Schein 1985). Such a culture can support HM HR related strategies and policies (like Open door, job rotation, freedom of association etc.). They also have a significant impact on HR aspects; Recruitment needs to focus on finding candidates with the right fit to the organizational culture irrespective of local culture, facilitating expatriation of experienced staff when new stores are opened, facilitating rewards schemes aligned with organizational culture, enabling HRD that can empower employees to take on new challenges and work in new teams. At HM, a lot of importance is given to personality development and for opportunity for the employees to grow within the organization. Various practices empowering the employees; like a Shop Manger being allowed to take independent decisions, and managing the business like an entrepreneur etc. are designed to increase employee loyalty and commitment to the organization and are great motivators (AR1 2008). The HR strategy for employee motivation; total reward with emphasis on Intrinsic Motivation (Armstrong 2006), has been proven, to be directly related to forming the success of the organization. All their operations are typified by an essential respect for the individual; including reasonable wages, reasonable hours, opportunity to grow and develop within the company (AR1 2008) The prevailing organizational culture at HM encourages team work, supports effective leadership and provides adequate growth opportunity for employees. These HR strategic initiatives in turn make significant co ntributions to the organizational goals of continuing growth and profitability. Organization Culture HMs strong corporate culture the spirit of HM has existed ever since the days of HMs founder, Erling Persson. This strong culture is of great value and is a contributory factor to HMs successes over the years. The spirit of HM: The spirit of HM is based on a number of values that describe in simple terms how we want to work. These are in turn based on our business concept, fashion and quality at the best price. The fundamental values behind the spirit of HM are among other things common sense and own initiative. HM provide room for people to make their own decisions and take responsibility, and co-workers get regular feedback on their performance. An important part of HMs culture is to delegate responsibilities to the stores. Strong commitment and involvement are important, and co-workers are encouraged to take their own initiatives within a defined framework. Creativity and job satisfaction increase when there is a good working environment. Co-workers commitment makes a major contribution to HMs successes. HM believe in the abilities of the individual and encourage co-workers to develop further. Respect for the individual is a fundamental value at HM. This applies to everything from fair pay, reasonable working hours and freedom of association to the opportunity to grow and develop with the company. Job rotation is common at HM. In the stores, for example, duties may vary between the cash desk, fitting rooms, unpacking, display and follow-up of advertising and campaigns. Working in the store provides very important experience and is a way of getting to know HM from its very foundation. Attracting and retaining skilled staff is important for HMs success therefore HM work constantly on skills development and all training is carried out within HM. However, the biggest knowledge gain is made through active learning on the job. Information System HM has employee-scheduling system to improve its use of staff resources and maximise time spent by staff on the shop floor. The Swedish clothing company implemented. 30,000 employees swipe in and out with smartcards at the beginning and end of their shifts. The system reduced administration by recording shifts electronically and helped improve sales by scheduling shifts to coincide with the busiest times in stores. The scheduling application is linked to HMs human resources and payroll systems, which lets the retailer control staff costs more accurately. The Workforce Management application from software supplier Work Place Systems will be hosted at a data centre in Stockholm. Motivation at HM HM is a flat organization, which might give the impression that its hard to move up within HM, the organization is constantly evolving and is growing fast, thus providing more opportunities to its employees. Employees are motivated by providing new challenges; in another department, another role or, another country. HM encourages employees to try many different roles within their organization stated in annual report part 1 and 2 (2008). HM recruitment advertisements indicate possibilities like: working abroad, furthering education and learning new things. Their websites promotes that many in management today, actually started on the shop floor. HM also provides a comprehensive benefits package. HM fulfils employee aspirations by providing opportunities to take more responsibilities. Individual development versus organisational development. HMs annual report (AR1 2008) and website (Careers website), emphasize that working at HM is about commitment, both from the individual and the organization. HMs Head of HR emphasizes that organization can grow only if the individuals grow. HM wont make a career plans for their employees, but will provide them with tools to go as far as they possibly can on their own. This indicates that at HM, individuals are expected to drive their own development, within the framework that the organization provides. The organization appears to facilitate and promote cross-functional and cross-boundary development opportunities for individuals, which is aligned with their own development and growth strategies. To quote PÃ ¤r Darj, (Head of HR), We have committed employees and we are prepared to delegate responsibility at every level. I tell employees, if you do not grow neither will HM, (AR1 2008:34). This indicates that HM treats individual development and organizational development as tightly linked areas. Selection Recruitment The HR strategy, which is closely aligned with the organizational strategy to achieve continuing growth and profitability, envisages recruitment of people every year to run the new stores scheduled to be opened. For example, as per their Annual report (AR1 2008), about 6000 7000 employees are to be recruited during this financial year, to meet the requirements of the 225 new stores being opened worldwide. The planning and recruitment is based on the HR policy to recruit locally when a new store is opened. Future employees are evaluated and chosen according to certain criteria practiced by HM and based on the companys culture. They look for people with personality who can perform well within the culture, growth and motivational framework provided at HM. Par Darj, Head of HR stated, At HM, great grades and all the university credits in the world are no guarantee of a job or a fast-track career. Of course, we do welcome those things, but what we are really looking for, more than anything, is people with the right personality. This is based on the belief that one can always gather skills as you go along, but personality and attitude cant be taught. Either youve got it or you dont. One of the most important things we look for is drive (AR1 2008). HM values personal qualities much more than formal qualifications. Since HM is a fast company and the tempo is always high, they need employees who are self-driven and capable of well direct communication. Hence HM recruits people who like responsibility and decision-making also it indicates that a love of fashion combined with a focus on sales is perceived as an adva ntage. These appear to form the basis for HMs recruitment requirements (and person specifications), programmes and drive its selection processes. At HM selection interview approach is usually face to face and mostly structured situational based According to Armstrong (2006) In a situational based interview the focus in on a number of situation or incidents in which behaviour can be regarded as being particularly suggestive of succeeding performance. This is followed by panel interviews and aptitude/work sample tests. It appears that candidates are filtered at each stage of the process in HM. Sources of candidates: Internal Recruitment: This is their first choice for a new job opening. External recruitment is considered only if no internal options are available. External recruitment: Potential recruits (minimum age is 16 years) are encouraged to apply directly to the local store, from the careers website. HM does not offer summer jobs or work experience placements. Buying is centralized in Stockholm, and so is the recruitment for the same. HM recruits locally to its new stores (AR1 2008). Organisational learning and management development in HM. The average numbers of training days per employee in 2008 are, 10 for new sales staff, 1 for existing sales staff and 5 for existing management positions. HM usually conducts all training in-house (classroom, stores and one to one), written and produced by HM staff. External training has been considered for some areas like buying. E-learning has also been initiated for a few subjects (AR 2008). However, indications are that HM today focuses more on on-the-job, just- in time, hands on learning. For example, when they opened their first HM store in Japan, locally recruited employees were sent to Norway and Germany for gaining experience in existing operations. Also, during the sales intensive opening phase of a new store, colleagues from other countries are brought in temporarily (AR 2008). The head of HR quoted in annual report (2008:34) As an employee of HM, you can be an entrepreneur and you will be given responsibility early on. HM claims to provide structured opportunities for on-the-job, hands on and work place based training. To summarize, it appears that HM focuses on experiential Self-directed learning today as defined by Armstrong (2006), however, they are moving towards incorporating a blended approach with including simulation and e-learning. Ensuring Learning and Development opportunities for its employees is an integral part of the HR strategy at HM (AR1 2008), and these essential ingredients contribute significantly to the success of the organization. Human Resource Development is a continuing process at HM, the new recruits being sent to already existing shops for gaining valuable experience, experienced employees being brought to new shops to support the new local recruits during the intensive opening period activity etc. This is critical to the process of organizational learning and helps them climb the learning curve faster. Keeping employees highly motivated is essential to the success of HM, due to the nature of its business of dealing in high fashion consumer goods. The various concepts that can be adopted to increase performance (like job satisfaction as a reward management tool) are very effectively employed and as the employees themselves state, they are happy to be there and every day is a challenge (AR1 200 9). Expectancy Theory, which states that if individuals feel that the outcome of learning is likely to benefit them, they will be more inclined to prove it (Armstrong 2006) has been proven on the shop floors of HM. The HR practice of giving responsibility to the employees early on in their career, treating them as entrepreneurs rather than just employees is a definite and positive step towards their development. Considering the employees as capable of shaping its results and improving it in big and small ways and is key to HMs approach to learning and development. Reward Management The reward management process of HM and its potential influence on human resource management. HMs careers website indicates that the company offers a comprehensive benefits package, which includes staff discounts, incentive bonuses, company sick pay, private health care a pension scheme. Share options are not provided. The head of HR, indicates that they do not consider titles and pay structures as motivational tools. Opportunities to fulfil an employees aspirations by wanting more responsibility, as a means of getting on with in the organization quickly, are provided. Apart from these, as stated by different categories of employees on the careers site and the annual report, the main reward is the job satisfaction they derive. Thus, HM appears to provide a total reward framework, with greater emphasis on relational rewards even though transactional rewards are provided (Armstrong 2006). HMs reward management is consistent with other HR areas, including organizational culture, recruitment/selection etc. and is also in sync with the overall HR strategy of open doors, job rotation etc. which is essential to fulfil HMs strategy of fast growth. HM has implemented the concept of Total Reward Management very successfully. Apart from the financial compensation, job satisfaction as a reward has motivated the employees to perform and contribute their maximum to ensure customer satisfaction and business success through increased sales. This is evident in the statements by the employees from various levels on the HM website. As a stated policy, there is more emphasis on personality development through delegated authority in the decision making process and greater autonomy to local elements of the organizational structure. Being a multinational company with employees of different cultures, this decentralized decision making process and empowerment of employees have proven direct impact on the success of HM (AR1 2008) Various techniques associated with basic motivation have been given more importance and priority than the extrinsic aspects. Work environment related parameters like leadership, employee voice, recognition, achievement etc. have been built in to the HR policy and practiced to leverage the critical business goals of continuing growth and increased profitability. Performance Management HM has adopted a strategic and integrated approach to achieve organizational success through improved performance of its employees. HM employees have been told that the growth of the employees and the organization are closely linked (AR1 2008). The practice of Shop Managers going through a process of reviewing that days business with their subordinates on a daily basis is part of the performance management activity. This underlines the fact that HM has recognized the importance of such a practice, and built in that process by which managers and their subordinates work together, agree on what needs to be done and how it is done. They are able to plan, prioritize and develop their sales team in a customer-focused environment (AR1 2008). At HM a shop manager is in charge of the daily running of the store like running their own business. The HR strategy of delegating authority for managing the shops activities is a key factor contributing to the success of the organization. Managing Diversity in teams and groups HM is expanding its business to open new shops in countries where they are currently not present. By their HR policy and procedures, when a new shop is opened the staff recruited locally. They also have the practice of job rotation and movement of employees from one location to another based on internal recruitment (promotions). This brings together people of different cultural back grounds together in the same team, and successfully managing such a team is crucial to the success of the organization. The HR strategy is, not to have very rigid procedures, and the corporate culture of respect to the individual. As stated in their Annual Report (AR1 2008), the HR strategy ensure the following: 1. In order to meet peoples expectations of HM as an attractive employer, company develops global guide lines on diversity, equal rights and against discrimination. 2. HMs objective is to be a good employer, including in those countries whose laws and regulations fall short of their own requirements. The whole of their activity is shaped by a fundamental respect for the individual. This applies to every aspect from fair wages, working hours and freedom of association to the opportunity for growth and development within the company (AR1, 2008). 3. HM has positive experience of open and constructive dialogue with the trade unions and they welcome such relations wherever they operate. They consider that cooperation is essential if they are to become even better. Examples of collaboration on staffing issues include their agreement with UNI (Union Network International) and the work they do with the EWC (European Works Council). (AR 2008) HMs success in executing their strategy of continuous international growth and expansion, while maintaining its Swedish organizational culture, indicates that its HR practices have contributed to the successful management of diversity in teams and groups. Recommendations Conclusion Issue and challenge at HM could be: nurturing and maintaining a balanced relationship with employees. Line managers may need good awareness of their reporters aspirations, to enable motivation by providing responsibilities and opportunities al

Effect of the Normans on Middle English Essay -- Papers

Effect of the Normans on Middle English The year 1066 had a resounding impact on the course of English history. William the First, Duke of Normandy, conquered England and took it as a stronghold in his reign. The French rule over England lasted for several centuries and brought about innumerable changes to the English state, language, culture and lifestyle. William imported French rulers to take over English government and religious posts. The French were not only the new aristocracy in England, but the new society. The English amended their language and their culture in an effort to more resemble the French and to communicate with their new lords. The English language was more changed by the Norman Conquest than by any other event in the course of English history. Middle English is defined as the four hundred year period between the Norman Conquest and the time the printing press was introduced to England in 1476. This essay will explore the specific effects that the French had on Middle English morphology, phonology, syn tax, semantics and lexicon. During the period of French rule in England the standing of English as a valid language dropped substantially as French took over as the status language. Because so much of the French influence has been nativized by present-day speakers, many do not realize the impact that our language took in the years following 1066. Not one aspect of English life went untouched by the Norman presence in England, notably, its language. Phonology In addition to introducing new words into the English language, the Normans also introduced some new sounds. The English had previously had no phonemic distinction between /f/ and /v/; /v/ was merely an allophone of /f/ that occurred between vowels. Howeve... ...eculate what the English language might look like today if the Normans had never invaded Britain. However, suffice it to say, the present English language has been extensively enriched by the quantity of this foreign influence. Bibliography: Alexander, James W. William I, King of England, Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996. Burrow, J.A. and Thorlac Turnville-Petre. A Book of Middle English, Blackwell Publishers; Oxford. 1992. Fisiak, Jacek. A Short Grammar of Middle English, Oxford University Press; London, 1968. Millward, C.M. A Biography of the English Language, Harcourt Brace; Boston. 1996. Take Our Word For It, weekly online publication, available at http://www.takeourword.com Yerkes, David. English Language, Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996. Yerkes, David. Middle English, Grolier's Multimedia Encyclopedia, 1996.

Analysis of the Twelfth Planet

The Myth of a 12th Planet: A Brief Analysis of Cylinder Seal VA 243 Michael S. Heiser Ph. D. candidate, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages University of Wisconsin-Madison Introduction Readers of Zecharia Sitchin’s books, particularly The 12th Planet, will recognize the above seal, VA 243 (so named because it is number 243 in the collection of the Vorderasiatische Museum in Berlin). This seal is the centerpiece of Sitchin’s theory that the Sumerians had advanced astronomical knowledge of the planetary bodies in our solar system.This knowledge was allegedly given to the Sumerians by extraterrestrials, whom Sitchin identifies as the Anunnaki gods of Sumero-Mesopotamian mythology. In the upper left-hand corner of the seal, Sitchin argues, one sees the sun surrounded by eleven globes. Since ancient peoples (including the Sumerians according to Sitchin) held the sun and moon to be â€Å"planets,† these eleven globes plus the sun add up to twelve planets. Of cou rse, since we now know of nine planets plus our sun and moon, part of Sitchin’s argument is that the Sumerians knew of an extra planet beyond Pluto.This extra planet is considered by Sitchin to be Nibiru, an astronomical body mentioned in Mesopotamian texts. Sitchin’s works detail his contention that Nibiru passes through our solar system every 3600 years, and so some believers in Sitchin’s theory contend that Nibiru will return soon. Some followers of Sitchin’s ideas also refer to Nibiru as â€Å"Planet X†. Is Sitchin correct – in whole or in part? Is Nibiru a 12th planet that will soon return? Does VA243 prove his thesis? Unfortunately for Sitchin and his followers, the answer to each of these questions is no. This paper will focus on the heart of his theory, VA243.Nibiru is the subject of another paper on my website. Method and Approach The study of cylinder seals is actually a very specialized sub-discipline within Sumerology and Assyrio logy. a It is possible to determine, through the efforts of cylinder seal specialists of the recent past and current experts, to decisively say that Sitchin’s interpretation of this seal is deeply flawed and lacks scholarly merit. In short, his theory is false and is unsupported by the seal itself. In the discussion that follows, I will demonstrate that VA243 in no way supports Sitchin’s ideas.My reasons / lines of argument for this are: 1) The inscription on the seal (left hand and right hand sides – which are not discussed by Sitchin) says nothing about planets or any element of astronomy. Rather than offering an independent translation, I will defer to authorities on Sumerian seal inscriptions in this regard to avoid any charge of bias. 2) The alleged â€Å"sun† symbol on the seal is not the sun. We know this because it does not conform to the consistent depiction of the sun in hundreds of other cylinder seals and examples of Sumero-Mesopotamian artwor k.I will describe the typical depiction (determined with certainty because it appears with texts about the sun god [Shamash Akkadian, known as Utu in Sumerian]) and provide image examples. Sources are provided for readers to check for themselves. The â€Å"sun† symbol is actually a star (which in Mesopotamian art could have six or, more commonly, eight points). Lest the modern reader retort that â€Å"well, the sun is a star,† I offer several images where the star symbol and the sun symbol (which again, is not that in VA243) are side-by-side and distinct from one another.The Sumerians and Mesopotamians distinguished the sun from stars by using different symbols – and associating each symbol with the sun god and other gods, respectively. There is simply no ancient Sumero-Akkadian evidence to support Sitchin’s identification. 3) If the â€Å"sun† is not the sun, then what are the dots? The dots are also stars, as is best illustrated by the Sumerian-M esopotamian depiction of the Pleaides (seven dots together with reasonable astronomical accuracy since they are visible to the naked eye). b The Pleaides are actually one of the most frequently depicted astronomical features in SumeroMesopotamian art.As Sitchin points out (and this is corroborated by actual scholars in the field – it’s common knowledge), stars were associated with or considered to be heavenly beings – gods. In Sumero-Mesopotamian artwork, a star represents either a god or an astronomical body. The same can be said of the sun – it can either reference the literal sun or the sun god. There are three possibilities as to what VA243 is depicting: (A) It is singling out a deity or special star and associating it with other stars in some sort of zodiacal representation. I don’t consider this likely because there are other far clearer representations of zodiacal constellations.Unless there are clear zodiacal connotations, a star was symbol ic of a deity, which brings us to the second option. (B) More probable is the idea that the central star stands for a deity that has some association with fertility (as in crops) since the inscription describes an offering made by a worshipper (who is named) to a seated god who is associated in the seal with fertile harvest. Since there are two other figures in the seal in addition to the seated god, and one is the offerer, the remaining figure is likely a deity also associated with the offering. In favor of this possibility are the â€Å"implements† aAn excellent general introduction is Dominique Collon, Cylinder Seals. I am not saying the star is depicted amid the Pleiades, only that the artistic depiction of the Pleiades provides an excellent example of â€Å"dots† = stars. The Pleiadean depiction is always seven dots/stars. b shown on the seal with respect to these two figures facing the seated god and the figure’s headdress. Also in its favor is the fact th at there are literally hundreds of such â€Å"offering seals,† and many have a star in upper proximity to the figures’ heads, signifying the figure is a deity (see the example). C) Since the star is surrounded by eleven other stars (dots), the artistic depiction could stand for the lead god of the Mesopotamian divine council and its other eleven (upper tier) members. Recall that (as Sitchin again points out) the Mesopotamian council had 12 members. I have noted before that the 12 member council isn’t always consistent in Mesopotamian religion (at times eight gods are considered the council), but 12 is the more prevalent number. This thesis is attractive, but I can’t say there is much to commend it over option B.The reader might be thinking at this point, â€Å"Well, isn’t the sun god the leader of the pantheon – so if this symbology points to the divine council the center symbol could still be the sun? † This would be an erroneous lin e of thought since in SumeroMesopotamian religion the sun god is NOT the high god; the high god is Anu (later, Marduk), not Shamash. These options are admittedly subjective, but one thing is certain – the â€Å"sun† symbol does not conform to the abundantly frequent symbol for the sun in SumeroMesopotamian art. We are not dealing with a depiction of the solar system.Astronomer Tom van Flandern pointed this out years ago anyway, since the sizes of the â€Å"planets† around the alleged sun do not conform to the correct sizes of the planets and there distances from the pseudo-sun are not depicted in such a way as to depict elliptical (or at least varying) orbits. The link to van Flandern’s critique is on my website. 4) There is not a single text in the entire corpus of Sumerian or Mesopotamian tablets in the world that tells us the Sumerians (or later inhabitants of Mesopotamia) knew there were more than five planets.This is quite a claim, but is demonstrabl e through the work of scholars who specialize in cuneiform astronomy. Below I list all the major works on cuneiform astronomy (catalogues of texts, dissertations / books) and invite readers to check them out of a library and look for themselves. Literally every cuneiform text that has any astronomical comment (even with respect to astrology and omens) has been translated, catalogued, indexed, and discussed in the available academic literature.The tablets are often quite detailed, even discussing mathematical calculations of the appearance of planetary bodies in the sky, on the horizon, and in relation to other stars. The field is by no means new, and is considerably developed. All of the above facets of the discussion are now offered in more detail with bibliography. I. The Inscriptions on VA 243 VA243 has three lines of text (â€Å"line 1† is actually repeated on both sides of the seal):The seal is transliterated (the Sumero-Akkadian signs in English letters) and translated in the principal publication of the Berlin Vorderasiatische Museum’s publication of its seal collection, Vorderasiatische Rollsiegel (â€Å"West Asian Cylinder Seals†; 1940) by Mesopotamian scholar Anton Moortgat on page 101. This book is in German, so I offer the German and an English translation: Line 1 = dub-si-ga â€Å"Dubsiga† [a personal name of an apparently powerful personc] Line 2 = ili-il-la-at â€Å"Ili-illat† [another personal name, this time of the seal’s owner] â€Å"dein Knecht† [German for â€Å"your servant†d] Line 3 = ir3-suSo the full (rather boring) inscription of VA243 reads: â€Å"Dubsiga, Ili-illat, your/his servant. † Nothing in the inscription suggests anything remotely to do with astronomy or planets. In an email correspondence with Dr. Rudi Mayr, whose dissertation was on cylinder seals, Dr. Mayr commented on the inscriptions and the seal [and I interject a few comments in blue]: â€Å"The seated fig ure is a god; the ‘flounced’ garment is normal for deities (though kings start wearing them a little later); deities also have the distinctive headdress. Most scholars call it a ‘horned’ headdress, but I’ve always thought it looked more like flames than horns.Ancient texts often refer to deities having a bright, shining, brilliant aspect [this is true across the ancient near east – witness the â€Å"shining one† terminology I discuss in The Facade and in several papers on my website]; they don’t mention horns . . . The introducing figure also has the ‘horns’ of divinity† [this is a strong contextual argument that the symbol – again, it’s not the â€Å"sun† – to the upper left of the introducing figure is a star. Precisely because they SHINE, stars were associated with deities. Shamash, the sun god, had his own symbol of the sun.See below for what it looked like]. c Personal email com munication on Dubsiga with Dr. Rudi Mayr, whose dissertation was on cylinder seals. Dr. Mayr is also the source of the comment on the second line, which conforms to typical cylinder seal patterns. d Dr. Mayr noted to me in an email that the third line might also read â€Å"his servant†, which was his preference. II. The â€Å"Sun† Symbol This is perhaps the biggest problem with Sitchin’s interpretation of VA243 signifying the solar system. Simply put, if the central symbol in his solar system isn’t the sun, the interpretation collapses completely.There’s actually a good deal of evidence to demonstrate decisively that Sitchin is wrong here. Toward offering that evidence, we’ll first introduce a few general comments on Sumero-Akkadian symbols and move to the specifics. A. General Comments Like all ancient religions, Sumero-Mesopotamian religion had a great concern with heavenly bodies that could be observed with the naked eye. In particular, t he sun, moon, and Venus were important focus points because of their ease of visibility, and each was artistically symbolized and stood for a deity.In Sumer-Mesopotamian religion, the sun god symbology was very clear: Sun god = Shamash (Utu in the Sumerian languagee) The symbol of the sun god in Sumero-Mesopotamian religion was a central circle with four extended â€Å"arms† with wavy lines in between each â€Å"arm† (most common), or a circle with only wavy lines. The entire symbol was itself nearly always [I don’t know any exceptions, but there may be one – just being cautious here] inside a circle, as below:f The reader should note immediately that this is NOT the symbol on VA243.VA 243’s â€Å"pseudo-sun† lacks the wavy lines and is not set inside a circle. This sun symbol is ubiquitous in Sumero-Mesopotamian religious artwork. The other common symbol for the sun god was the god in flight upon a set of wings (a depiction akin to the wing ed disc in Egyptian religion). e See Jeremy Black, Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary (University of Texas Press, in conjunction with the British Museum, 1992): 168. This is an excellent reference source. Dr. Black is a well known Sumerian scholar.He was formerly the Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq and is now university lecturer in Akkadian and Sumerian at Wolfson College, Oxford. f See above source, p. 168. The above classic solar disk iconography in Sumero-Mesopotamian religion is contrasted with the star symbol, used to symbolize either stars in constellations, any deity (the star is either over the deity’s head or above it to the left of right), or Ishtar (Sumerian Inana), who stood for Venus, the most visible object in the sky aside from the sun and moon:g Note that this example has eight points.This is the most frequently attested style in Sumero-Mesopotamian religious art. The star also is found with six (l ike VA 243) or seven points, and the points even vary within the same seal or stela carving. It wasn’t consistent in points, but what the symbol stood for was consistent – either a star, planet, or deity – but NOT the sun. The star symbol is either set within a circle or, far more often, not within a circle. It is clearly distinct from the sun symbol. How do I know that the symbol of VA 243 is a star and not the sun disk?Other than the obvious noted above – that VA 243 does not have the wavy lines between the â€Å"arms† of the symbol and is not set within a circle – Sumero-Mesopotamian religion often grouped the symbols for the sun god with that of the moon god (Akkadian = Sin; Sumerian = Nanna) and Ishtar (Sumerian = Inana). This isn’t surprising since they were so readily viewed. In short, they didn’t confuse the symbols and neither should we. This grouped threesome is very prevalent in Sumero-Mesopotamian art, and compels t he observation that the sun symbol and star symbol were distinguished from each other:Source: Ursula Seidl, Die Babylonischen Kudurru Reliefs, Tafel 11, Zweite Gruppe, stela â€Å"a† = The Babylonian Kudurru Reliefs, Plate 11, 2nd Group, stela â€Å"a†. Note the wavy lines and encircled sun symbol on the right. Ursula Seidl, Die Babylonischen Kudurru Reliefs, Tafel 19, Vierte Gruppe, stela â€Å"b† = The Babylonian Kudurru Reliefs, Plate 19, 4th Group, relief â€Å"b†. Note the wavy lines and encircled sun symbol on the lower right. g See Black, 143. The symbols for sun and star/planet are also distinguished clearly in zodiacal artwork from Mesopotamia:The sun symbol (Left) and star symbol (Right) are next to each other under the snake (Draco). Note the wavy lines of the sun symbol Source: Ursula Seidl, Die Babylonischen Kudurru Reliefs, p. 47 = The Babylonian Kudurru Reliefs, p. 47 Here is a close-up of the sun (L) and star (R) symbol above. Note that th e star in this case has eight points: A second zodiac example: The sun symbol (center) and star symbol (R of center) are next to each other under the snake’s tail. Note the wavy lines of the sun symbol Source: Ursula Seidl, Die Babylonischen Kudurru Reliefs, p. 0 = The Babylonian Kudurru Reliefs, p. 60 In the above example, note that: (1) the star has seven points, and (b) the stars below it have six points. Note also that these smaller stars also LACK points – they are just dots. This seven dot/circle arrangement is one of the most common motifs in Mesopotamian art, and denote the Pleiades. The point here is that dots = stars in Mesopotamian art when in an astronomical context (or a context where a deity is identified with a star). This is important for our consideration of VA 243. Again, here is a close-up: A third zodiac example:Note that the star symbol here has six points as does the VA 243 star. Source: Ursula Seidl, Die Babylonischen Kudurru Reliefs, p. 23 = The Babylonian Kudurru Reliefs, p. 23 Some commentary on this last example is in order. The previous two examples clearly are in zodiac context, as is this one. Those previous two examples clearly have the sun symbol drawn in a manner consistent with expected Sumero-Mesopotamian features (wavy lines, encircled) that unmistakably distinguishes the sun from the star symbol. The star symbol signifies the same astronomical body in each case, yet the number of points varies.This means that the number of points is unimportant for identifying the star symbol as a STAR or planet, NOT the sun. Hence one cannot say, â€Å"well the star symbol usually has eight points, and the Sitchin seal has six, therefore it’s not a star but the sun. † This is erroneous because these examples demonstrate clearly that a star symbol can have 6, 7, or 8 pts. , and LACKS wavy lines. The symbol on Sitchin’s VA 243 is NOT the sun. It is a star, and thus denotes a star, a god, or a single planet. This isn’t my opinion, it’s the Sumero-Mesopotamian art convention.Let’s move on to some cylinder seal examples of star symbols. As noted above, the star was designed to signify a deity or literal star or planet. Here’s an example of a cylinder seal with Ishtar signaled as the deity by a star: Source: Henri Frankfort, Cylinder Seals: A Documentary Essay on the Art and Religion of the Ancient Near East (London: MacMillan and Co. , 1939): Plate XXVI-seal L In this example, the obvious star symbol has eight points, and is very similar in design to the star symbol of VA 243. We know it’s a star and not the sun because the goddess depicted is Ishtar. Another star symbol of very similar design to VA 243 is shown below:i The upper left-hand side of this seal contains the winged sun disk above the head of what scholars refer to as a â€Å"scorpion man† (note his tail). Just to the right of the winged disk is our star symbol. This time the star has seven points, and is quite similar to VA 243. Note as well h See the discussion in Frankfort (pp. 177-178, 236, 254) and Black, p. 168. See also the magisterial survey: E. Douglas van Buren, Symbols of the Gods in Mesopotamian Art, Analecta Orientalia 23 (Pontificum Institutum Biblicum, 1945): 8485. Frankfort, Plate XXXIII – seal b. the far upper right corner – the seven stars grouped together are the Pleiades (to which we will return in our discussion). Below are several examples of seals with six pointed stars: (Frankfort, Plate XXXIII – seal d): Comments: Note the six-pointed stars in the upper left and upper right corners. In both cases, note the presence of accompanying â€Å"dots† in groups of seven – again, the Pleiades (the â€Å"extra dot† over the head of the smaller standing figure denotes a deity as it is a star).The seven dots = the seven stars of the Pleiades (the dots were interchangeable with pointed stars to denote stars). A s E. Douglas van Buren, an expert on Sumerian and Mesopotamian art comments: â€Å"In the earliest representations of the 7 dots as yet known it can be seen that . . . they formed a ring or rosette around a central dot . . . [From] the early Babylonian period onwards it is increasingly common to find the 7 dots arranged like stars in the constellation of the Pleiades, and in the last quarter of the second millennium the dots are shaped for the first time as stars. j This observation is important because it demonstrates that the â€Å"pointed star + Pleiades† pattern does not require a certain number of points on the stars. Recall that the same situation was true with the zodiac – it does not matter how many points a star symbol has – it’s a star, not the sun. Another example: j E. Douglas van Buren, â€Å"The Seven Dots in Mesopotamian Art and Their Meaning,† Archiv fur Orientforschung XIII (1941): 277; see also E. Douglas van Buren, Symbols of th e Gods in Mesopotamian Art, 74ff. and E.Douglas van Buren, â€Å"The Rosette in Mesopotamian Art,† Zeitschrift fur Assyriologie and vorderasiatische Archaeologie, new series, vol. 11 (1939, vol. 45 from old series): 104ff. (Frankfort, Plate XXXV – seal h): In this seal the star has six points surrounding a central dot. Note again the Pleiades symbol (see below under the next point on the â€Å"dots† in VA 243). Before leaving the discussion of the star symbol, take note of the close similarity in style between the star on VA 243 that Sitchin says is the sun and the star symbols we have noted above: Frankfort XXXIII-b VA 243Ishtar star Now compare these with the actual sun symbol: III. The Surrounding â€Å"Dots† As I asked in the introduction to this paper, if Sitchin’s â€Å"sun† is not a sun, then what are the dots? The most apparent answer, based on the examples above, is that they too are stars. We have already seen that dots were used t o depict the stars of the Pleiades, and showed that the seven dots = the seven star symbols elsewhere used for the same constellation. We also saw above in the seal of Frankfort Plate XXXIII-d that a single pointed star can be associated with dots which are also stars.It is almost that the â€Å"star + seven dots† symbology is saying, â€Å"constellation = Pleiades. † There is therefore abundant precedent for asserting that these dots in VA243 are stars. It could be that this seal is â€Å"saying†: â€Å"Constellation = the one with 11 stars†. Since I don’t know astronomy well, I’ll let the reader ponder that one. The introduction also noted that the symbology of the seal could just point to a deity and perhaps the divine council. Enough said on that. IV. On Sumerian or Mesopotamian Astronomical KnowledgeIn this regard I offer the reader an opportunity to challenge my assertion above (and I am just quoting specialists in cuneiform astronomic al tablets) that there is not a single text in the entire corpus of Sumerian or Mesopotamian tablets in the world that says the Sumerians or Mesopotamians knew of more than five planets. Below are bibliographical references that anyone can access (the scholarly, dissertation level materials that one needs some knowledge of semitic languages and/or cuneiform, as well as a background in mathematics or astronomy, to really use are noted in their own category).In my paper on Nibiru (available on my website), I’ll briefly go into what the Sumerians and Mesopotamians knew about the planets. For now, though, giving the reader these sources will suffice. General Sources: Francesca Rochberg, â€Å"Astronomy and Calendars in Ancient Mesopotamia,† Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vol. III, pp. 1925-1940 (ed. , Jack Sasson, 2000) Bartel L. van der Waerden, Science Awakening, vol. 2: The Birth of Astronomy (1974) Technical but Still Readable Wayne Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosm ic Geography (1998) N. M.Swerdlow, Ancient Astronomy and Celestial Divination (2000) Scholarly (Technical) Resources: Otto Neugebauer, The Exact Sciences in Antiquity (1953) Otto Neugebauer, Astronomical Cuneiform Texts (1955) Erica Reiner and David Pingree, Enuma Elish Enlil Tablet 63, The Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa (1975) Hermann Hunger and David Pingree, MUL. APIN: An Astronomical Compendium in Cuneiform (1989) Hermann Hunger and David Pingree, Astral Sciences in Mesopotamia (1999) N. Swerdlow, The Babylonian Theory of the Planets (1998) David Brown, Mesopotamian Planetary Astronomy-Astrology (2000)

Analysis of present environments Essay

Other factors that may be included in the analysis would be the presence of other alcoholic beverages in each market that may affect the sales of the possible expansion. We have to take into account that Scotch and wines do not comprise the whole market for alcoholic beverages. If the consumer preference would be as volatile as it poses to be, then the other beverage drinkers may switch from their present beverage to another. The scary part of the situation is, we could not determine as of now, if the possible expansion would gain or spell disaster for the company. Another factor to be considered is the indices in the market. This indices are the indicators whether the public would be able to squeeze the purchase of a whisky in their budget. This simply draws out the in demand products that would be dubbed â€Å"necessities† and the lesser needed products, known as the â€Å"luxuries. † The movement of the product from a luxury to a necessity spells success, but the other way around would be a bad sign for the expansion. Couple this factor with the volatility and the result would be a very risky market with high gains and disaster on the other end. The analysis of the present environments is important for a marketing strategy as this would help us understand the environments under the influence of, and that influences the countries in question. However, the factor of bias takes in, which usually has to be negated. The negation process would take place by as the objective part of judging by criteria, comprising half of the decision and the other half, the subjective decisions. First, before any analysis would be made, certain criteria would have to be in order for the comparisons. Considerable weights should be given to the consumer expectations and preferences (30 points), labeled A. This would help us determine the choices of the consumers that we are trying to serve. This weighs heavily since the consumers are directly related to the profits that the company would generate. Next in line would be the rate of acceptance of the market (30 points), labeled B. This is another heavy criterion since this would determine if the country is really suitable for the operations of the company in question. If the results would be heavily low, then we can conclude already that the company would not thrive in that specific country. This greatly helps in the subjective side of the judgment. Another criterion to be judged is the taxation in their country (20 points), labeled C. Taxation may not weigh as much but it weighs significantly at 20 points out of the 100 point total. This is because taxation affects the rate of the profit that a company generates. A higher taxation rate would then lower the chance that a company should invest in the specified country. And the last criteria to be considered would be the performance of the substitute (20 points), labeled D. These criterions would not only let us see the objective part of the problem by looking at the figures that the criteria would present. However, we have to bear in mind that the decision-making of this marketing strategy would depend not only in its objective part, but should also be considering the subjective part of the problem. Some problems cannot be explained by figures and leaves this part to the analytical and subjective mind of the decision-maker. Further statements from the analysis of the criteria would bear the interpretations of the scores. After which would be the ranking of the scores to determine which country scored the most points in achieving the goal of successful expansion for the company at hand. However, the final decision would lie after the subjective part of the theory. Country A B C D TOTAL RANK Denmark 30 25 20 15 90 1 N. Ireland 30 20 20 10 80 3 Austria 25 25 20 15 85 2 Spain 25 25 10 15 75 4 Points to Ponder:? Denmark’s score was due to the (1) good age distribution as the median of the age of males in the 15-64 bracket is just 38, stating a more diverse markets for the old and young drinkers. (Anonymous 2006f) (2) The market would suit the product just fine. In fact, the market in Denmark, in terms of the raw materials seem to give a very positive sign for Denmark as this could lead to further expansions (Anonymous 2006f)(3) The taxation does not bother this country as shown in here. Denmark seems to be comfortable not to be accommodated by the top four of the Union’s Top Four of Taxes. (Anonymous 2002) (4) Substitutes seem to be performing well, but not enough as the growing demand for Scotch whisky is trying to speed up the development of the local supplier of the product. These ratings have put Denmark in the No. 1 spot. ? Northern Ireland bags the second spot easily for a variety of reasons: (1) the lowest median mark was achieved by this country; with just a median of 33 years old, it generally means most of the male population are below the 40 year old mark, a good sign for the company. The company generally caters more to the male crowd, and the flavors of the Scotch whisky have a specific audience. More drinkers are also available for judgment since the younger drinkers are the ones who prefer the other flavors, unlike the older crowd. An example of this would be, many young drinker’s can be the target for the release of the Monreith Malt. Simultaneously, the market for The Torhousemuir Tawny, would also penetrate the older market, such of the 40 years and above since they still have a part of the market, although they may play the minor role in the profit margins. (2) Generally, this is neither good nor bad since the company can be seen as â€Å"one of the others† or â€Å"a new breed†. Either way, the public would remain in the middle of things, making it hard for the determination of the acceptance of the public The product originated in the same country, Another brand’s addition to the market may be viewed as a mediocre thing for the public. This people would really try your brand, just make a good offer in the initial release, sort of a bargain. (3) Tax problems have never plagued the country after the tax involved issues of before where Kings and Queens reign this land. Nowadays, it seemed like the people of Ireland have learned their lessons from the past events. (4)Market substitutes are on the loose, since this is the origin of Scotch whisky. Generally, substitutes would be of great numbers, which definitely pose a bad sign since your product can be swallowed by the market. ? Austria’s rates were affected by (a) since the people of Austria are known to be of good taste, then the consumer expectations would be high; knowing that The Olde Distillerie is from the country of United Kingdom, the country where the brewers of Scotland have originated (b) acceptance was marked as such since the country is sail to have taste in things that are not really rich in its flavor, but also in history. (c) Demography of the country shows a 40 year old median for the men in an evenly distributed country. This result shows an inclination in the stronger brew of the whisky since it says that the composition of men are said to have evenly distributed age, with older men winning the battle of numbers. Other products would have problems in their sales since the market would only focus on the older men market, since the median age was 40. Added costs for extra marketing strategies would be needed to gain the necessary profits needed by the company for the other products. (Anonymous 2006j) (d) Good taxation brings the country on the top four of the European Union (Anonymous 2002) This is a good sign for Austria as this is viewed as a country with less taxes, therefore, more profits. And this could also open doors to the export market, as this has been a very good opportunity for the company. ? The least attractive of the choices given, Spain does not provide any chance to defend itself due to the factors affecting its market. Some problems to the expansion there include: (1) The demographic distribution of the male population is not as diverse as that of Northern Ireland. (Anonymous 2006i) Although this may prove to be a positive sign, let us not forget the male’s sense of pride that they would not readily exchange the wine for a foreign drink, especially of a new brand in the market. (2) Market acceptance is not a problem as Spain is known to be one of the world’s top consumers of alcohol. However, acceptance may just remain to be accepted and not commended. (Anonymous 2006k)(3) Another issue: tax. Spain has been known to be a country brutal on its taxes in order for them to challenge the substitute market for their wine. As they increase the tax, they tend to lower the market consumption of the substitutes for wine, like scotch whisky (4) Lastly, scotch whisky’s only substitute here would be that of the gin, tequila, and beer. Wines are the primary products, making it look like Scotch whisky is really a substitute for the main product, wine.

What you can learn from the politicians writing mistakes

What you can learn from the politicians writing mistakes What you can learn from the politicians’ writing mistakes In case youve missed it, theres an election looming large here in the UK. But did the parties just throw away their opportunity to write manifestos that would win our hearts, minds and votes? If youve been on one of our courses, youll know that detailed document analysis plays a key part in all our training. So we thought it would be fun to put the party documents through a similar process. (Never let it be said that we dont know how to live.) And the result? Well, it looks like the parties need to radically overhaul their writing styles if they want to connect with voters. Read the full analysis and see how the parties shaped up against each other here. Image credit: Ballot box used as a donation box by George Parrilla used under CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original

The Dogs of War and All Quiet on the Western Front essays

The Dogs of War and All Quiet on the Western Front essays "In one part of our being, a thousand years. By the animal instinct that is awakened in is we are led and protected. It is not conscious; it is far quicker, much more sure, less fallible, than consciousness. One cannot explain it"(56). On the battlefield of any war, past or present one would think any soldier had felt that sense of survival at one point or another. This could be named impulse acted on by fear, nervousness, or as the quote defined it, instinct in violence. The very descriptive violence in the book is one of the large clues that tell us Erich Maria Remarque, the author, is telling us some of the events he had to go through when he served in the war. Other wise it would have been another boring war novel of which classes could be spared the time. These points in the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, can be greatly explained and identified. When confronted with his survival, this instinct can drive a man to do anything for survival, even turn his senses and behavior into a wilder state of human evolution. One of the strongest themes in the book is that war makes man inhuman when confronted by violence and, or in war. From the author's point of view, soldiers were often compared to various non-living objects, that were inhuman. "The soldiers are often compared to coins of different provinces that are melted down, and now they bear the same stamp."(236) Remarque thinks that the soldier's mind-state has been changed from when they were schoolboys, the stamp being the mark of the soldier, changing them forever. Also, soldiers are compared with "automatons" or more commonly referred to as robots. In a reminder of all soldiers of either side had to go through and witness without the traumatizing violence and gore one would not have much understood this point. To a country or at least in charge, the soldiers are no more than this: inanimate devices of war or pawns. Remarque uses this analogy to give the impression that ...

Capital Account Convertibility

Capital Account Convertibility. Should India adopt full convertibility? Capital Account Convertibility-or a floating exchange rate-is a feature of a nations financial regime that centers around the ability to conduct transactions of local financial assets into foreign financial assets freely and at market determined exchange rates. It is sometimes referred to as Capital Asset Liberation or CAC. CAC is mostly a guideline to changes of ownership in foreign or domestic financial assets and liabilities. Tangentially, it covers and extends the framework of the creation and liquidation of laims on, or by the rest of the world, on local asset and currency markets. Current account convertibility allows free inflows and outflows for all purposes other than for capital purposes such as investments and loans. In other words, it allows residents to make and receive trade-related payments receive dollars (or any other foreign currency) for export of goods and services and pay dollars for import of goods and services, make sundry remittances, access foreign currency for travel, studies abroad, medical treatment and gifts, etc. Capital account convertibility is considered to be one of the major features of a developed economy. It helps attract foreign investment. It offers foreign investors a lot of comfort as they can re-convert local currency into foreign currency anytime they want to and take their money away. At the same time, capital account convertibility makes it easier for domestic companies to tap foreign markets. At the moment, India has current account convertibility. This means one can import and export goods or receive or make payments for services rendered. However, investments and borrowings are restricted. But economists say that Jumping into capital account convertibility game without considering the downside of the step could harm the economy. The East Asian economic crisis is cited as an example by those opposed to capital account convertibility. Even the World Bank has said that embracing capital account convertibility without adequate preparation could be catastrophic. But India is now on firm ground given its strong financial sector reform and fiscal consolidation, and can now slowly but steadily move towards fuller capital account convertibility. CAC has 5 basic statements designed as points of All types of liquid capital assets must be able to be exchanged freely, between any two nations, with standardized exchange rates. The amounts must be a significant mount (in excess of $500,000). Capital inflows should be invested in semi-liquid assets, to prevent churning and excessive outflow. Institutional investors should not use CAC to manipulate fiscal policy or exchange rates. Excessive inflows and outflows should be buffered by national banks to provide collateral. Prior to its implementation, foreign investment was hindered by uneven exchange rates due to transactions, and national banks were disassociated from fiscal exchange policy and incurred high costs in supplying hard-currency loans for those few local companies that wished to do business abroad. Due to the low exchange rates and lower costs associated with Third World nations, this was expected to spur domestic capital, which would lead to welfare gains, and in turn lead to higher GDP growth. The tradeoff for such growth was seen as a lack of sustainable internal GNP growth and a decrease in domestic capital investments. When CAC is used with the proper restraints, this is exactly what happens. The entire outsourcing movement with Jobs and factories going oversees is a direct result of the foreign investment aspect of CAC. The Tarapore Committees recommendation of tying liquid assets to static assets (i. e. investing in long term government bonds, etc) was seen by many economists as directly responsible for stabilizing the idea of capital account liberalization. The Reserve Bank of India has appointed a committee to set out the framework for fuller Capital Account Convertibility. The Committee, chaired by former RBI governor S S Tarapore, was set up by the Reserve Bank of India in consultation with the Government of India to revisit the subject of fuller capital account convertibility in the context of the progress in economic reforms, the stability of the external and financial sectors, accelerated growth and global integration. Economists Surjit S Bhalla, M G Bhide, R H Patil, A V RaJwade and Alit Ranade were the members of the Committee. The Reserve Bank of India has also constituted an internal task force to re-examine the extant regulations and make recommendations to remove the operational impediments in the path of liberalisation already in place. The task force will make its recommendations on an ongoing basis and the processes are expected to be completed by December 4, 2006. The Task Force has been set up following a recommendation of the Committee. The Task Force will be convened by Salim Gangadharan, chief general manager, in- harge, foreign exchange department, Reserve Bank of India, and will have the following terms of reference: Undertake a review of the extant regulations that straddle current and capital accounts, especially items in one account that have implication for the other account, and iron out inconsistencies in such regulations. Examine existing repatriation/ surrender requirements in the context of current account convertibility and management of capital account. Identify areas where streamlining and simplification of procedure is possible and remove the operational impediments, especially in espect of the ease with which transactions at the level of authorized entities are regulations are consistent with regulatory intent. Review the delegation of powers on foreign exchange regulations between Central Office and Regional offices of the RBI and examine, selectively, the efficacy in the functioning of the delegation of powers by RBI to Authorised Dealers (banks). Consider any other matter of relevance to the above. The Task Force is empowered to devise its work procedure, constitute working groups in various areas, co-opt permanent/special invitees and meet various trade ssociations, representative bodies or individuals to facilitate its work.

Defining Criminal Justice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Defining Criminal Justice - Assignment Example Introduction Criminal justice refers to the structure of institutions and procedures aimed at promoting social control and moderating crime by enforcing penalties and rehabilitation efforts to those who violate laws. In American, criminal justice is administered through the criminal justice system that comprises three constituents, that is the legislative, which makes laws, adjudication, which represents the court system and corrections, which consists of jails, prisons, parole and probation systems. All these groups of persons work together to uphold the rule of law. However, the criminal justice process moves from policing, courts and eventually corrections. Law enforcement or police is the initial contact point between an offender and the criminal justice, making arrests and conducting investigations to gather evidence on crimes committed. Evidence gathered is presented to the courts for adjudication and prosecution of offenders before sentenced offenders are taken to correctional facilities. ... When delving into the various media used to illustrate various aspects of criminal justice, we shall focus firstly on those that represent the police, secondly, we shall look into those that illustrate the courts or adjudication system and lastly correctional facilities. Media on Policing Some of the acclaimed movies and television shows that highlight the policing aspect of criminal justice include Law and Order and The Untouchables (1). Law and Order is a television series aired on NBC showing the policing aspect of criminal justice. The series, which is based on real life events, focuses on crime investigations and suspect apprehension by the police. It also highlights the processes involved in investigations, for instance, forensic analysis of evidence, procedures of receiving warrants from the courts and police involvement in prosecution of suspects through testimonies and presenting evidence (2). For example, an episode in the first season of Law and Order entitled Subterraean Homeboy Blues depicts real life happenings where the police were instrumental in bringing Bernhard Hugo Goetz to justice after he shot four men who attempted to mug him on a New York subway train. The police gathered evidence which led to Goetz’s conviction for illegally possessing a firearm. The Untouchables, on the other hand, centers on the corrupt aspect of law enforcement, the movie, released in 1987, is centered on the life of a gang leader and focuses on portraying the ills of law enforcement such as corruption and colluding with criminals (2). In this film, a large proportion of the police system is portrayed negatively as corrupt officers, who help gang leaders to take advantage

Pro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pro - Essay Example od allergens, food intolerance, and other harmful food substances (Gaivoronskaia & Hvinden, 2006); (2) environmental preservation by using less herbicides and fertilizers that contaminates the U.S. bodies of water. (Carpenter et al., 2007; Thurman et al., 1992); (3) enables farmers to produce insect-resistant (Bt), herbicide tolerant, and virus-resistant crops. (Rao, 2008; Harlander, 2002); and (4) increase Vitamin A, C, D, and E, folate, lycopene, sulfurofane1, lutein2, omega-3 fatty acids, starch, iron, and/or the natural anti-oxidants in fruits, vegetables, and grains. (World Health Organization, 2005; Christou & Twyman, 2004; Harlander, 2002) Despite the advantages of genetically modified foods, the use of this type of technology is subject to a lot of controversial issues when it comes to access to intellectual property rights, ethics, health safety, and proper food labeling among others. (Human Genome Project Information, 2007; World Health Organization, 2005; Myhr & For this study, the researcher will first discuss some basic information with regards to genetic engineering in order to enable the readers to understand the subject better. Eventually, the researcher will clearly describe the problem associated with the use of genetically modified foods followed by providing some recommended solutions on how we could minimize the adverse effects of using genetically modified foods. Prior to conclusion, the researcher will make a justification in relation to the effectiveness of the recommended solution to the problem. Genetic engineering – also known as gene technology, genetic modification, biotechnology, or transgenic – is a special technology that allows scientists to alter the genetic makeup of plants, animals, and/or bacteria. (Human Genome Project Information, 2007) As identified by the World Health Organization (2005), technology used in food modification includes: cloning, tissue culture, and market-assisted breading. Even though there were a

Ma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Ma - Case Study Example Evidence of the controlling function lies in the decision to keep production in France, where they were more satisfied with quality control. By advising their employees on the product’s requirements, they employees are measured by how well they stick to the requirements. For a while, Luis Vuitton has focused on its popularity in Japan, which accounts for approximately 55% of its global sales annually (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). Luis Vuitton also focuses on the women’s demographic with their handbags and female shoes lines. Luis Vuitton also targets middle-aged men with their line of Vuitton eyeglass cases, wallets and briefcases. Additionally, Luis Vuitton has been attempting to woo younger clients while retaining their older client base. The company has cultivated a brand loyalty within the Japanese market through a staff that comprises of Japanese locals, and thus, increasing access to this lucrative market. As proof of this, almost all grown-up Japanese women possess at least one Luis Vuitton item. Luis Vuitton has a monolithic workforce that has little cultural integration. As gleaned from the article, Luis Vuitton decided to keep its major factories in France and employ locals, who cost more because the quality control in France was higher (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). Additionally, their Japanese operations were also staffed with locals in order to tap into what their Japanese customers need. Luis Vuitton’s management inspires a shared vision among its employees. The company management encourages its employees to suggest improvements to its manufacturing designs and briefs them on the product details, for example, the product’s retail price, as well as how well the product is selling (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). The management also enables others to work, in this case, its employees as evidenced by the workers who

Service Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Service Management - Assignment Example The factor that is driving the change in strategy is the maturity and experience they have gained as solicitors over a long time they have as an independent firm. Furthermore, the fact that the number of clients they have is not growing, hence, they plan to find ways of increasing the number of customers. Another fact is that Smith and Jones want to be more visible in the market, and expand their business by employing another solicitor, who will assist them (Johnston, Clark & Shulver, 2012). John Smith differentiated his firm from the competition by noting that other solicitors believe that the business grows on its own, and they should just sit back and watch. Conversely, his firm is different since they work hard to maintain a client by ensuring that they come back and refer them to their friends (Krajewski, Ritzman & Malhotra, 2007). Their firm does not just wait, but treat their clients well by excellent communication, and providing good services to both the personal and commercial clients (Greasley, 2008). John Smith differentiates his firm from the competition by stating that their firm does not abuse their clients, and do believe that all customers are not happy with their solicitors. With this concept, John knows that their firm operates differently from her competitors and is more careful when it comes to handling their clients (Metters, King-Metters & Pullman, 2003). The changes John Smith will need to make to the operation include making efforts in selling their services. This can be achieved by putting a brochure together and list the extra services they provide including the steps they can take in order to receive the services. The change John Smith would need to make is to find good services that are related to their initial job. The services might include offering guiding and counseling, and teaching ethics, morals and ways of running their business

The Tea Party Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Tea Party Movement - Research Paper Example While there is no central leadership, per se, they have caucuses in both the House and Senate with varying agendas. Though they don’t offer a particular candidate for election, they endorse selected candidates, mostly Republican, though supposedly 87% are opposed to the current GOP leadership. Their overall agenda is not so much oriented toward any particular position; rather they attempt to block votes as oppositionists. They use both overt and covert methods to support their endeavors which usually involve opposition propaganda as opposed to a real stance on issues. Their claim to fame is their need to speak out about what’s being done across the nation, while not yet offering viable solutions; claiming to be the voice of the people. A survey in March, 2010 revealed that approximately 28% of Americans agree with the Tea Part Movement’s approach. (Rowen, 2011) The actual launch of the Tea Party Movement is credited by CNBC commentator, Rick Santelli, who made an announcement at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on February 19, 2009 in response to the bail out program for mortgages to prevent a collapse of the housing and banking industry. He drew an impassioned response by shouting through the crowd about the validity of the US government and taxpayers picking up the tab for saving the mortgages on ‘losers who can’t pay their mortgages.’ This was recorded and posted on YouTube with support rolling in almost instantly, setting off a national reaction. (Rowen, 2011) Earlier protests were aimed at taxation, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as well as at various health care reform bills. Keli Carender was credited with setting off some of the earlier protests, notably regarding the stimulus package, from Seattle. She is a blogger, non-profit local math instructor, and improvisational comedienne who enjoys bringing her audience to action. (Kaste, 2010) Although not actually supporting one party over another, most of the freshmen Republicans in the House of Representatives are closely aligned with the Tea Party Movement. So much so that prior to introducing a budget package to prevent the government shutdown in March, 2011, House Leader John Boehner and the Republican leadership met with the 87 freshman members to discuss the package in order to get their support. Another gain was from the Contract From America, a Tea Party manifesto requiring proposed legislation to be posted onl ine for three days prior to vote in order to demonstrate transparency to the constituent base. (Time Topics, 2011) The typical profile of Tea Party Movement supporters is described as usually white, male, married, over 45 years of age, and, wealthier and better educated than the general population. Nearly 18% is Republican, with almost all being very dissatisfied with what is occurring in Washington, D.C. They are especially focused on the Obama administration and describe themselves as being angry. Their protests are well aimed at drawing attention to the negative direction in which they feel the country is headed with out of control spending due to programs and policies that are focused more on alleviating poverty; particularly for minorities rather than a balanced approach to benefit all Americans. (Of Thee I Sing,

Ma Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Ma - Case Study Example Evidence of the controlling function lies in the decision to keep production in France, where they were more satisfied with quality control. By advising their employees on the product’s requirements, they employees are measured by how well they stick to the requirements. For a while, Luis Vuitton has focused on its popularity in Japan, which accounts for approximately 55% of its global sales annually (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). Luis Vuitton also focuses on the women’s demographic with their handbags and female shoes lines. Luis Vuitton also targets middle-aged men with their line of Vuitton eyeglass cases, wallets and briefcases. Additionally, Luis Vuitton has been attempting to woo younger clients while retaining their older client base. The company has cultivated a brand loyalty within the Japanese market through a staff that comprises of Japanese locals, and thus, increasing access to this lucrative market. As proof of this, almost all grown-up Japanese women possess at least one Luis Vuitton item. Luis Vuitton has a monolithic workforce that has little cultural integration. As gleaned from the article, Luis Vuitton decided to keep its major factories in France and employ locals, who cost more because the quality control in France was higher (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). Additionally, their Japanese operations were also staffed with locals in order to tap into what their Japanese customers need. Luis Vuitton’s management inspires a shared vision among its employees. The company management encourages its employees to suggest improvements to its manufacturing designs and briefs them on the product details, for example, the product’s retail price, as well as how well the product is selling (Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine 1). The management also enables others to work, in this case, its employees as evidenced by the workers who

The Tea Party Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Tea Party Movement - Research Paper Example While there is no central leadership, per se, they have caucuses in both the House and Senate with varying agendas. Though they don’t offer a particular candidate for election, they endorse selected candidates, mostly Republican, though supposedly 87% are opposed to the current GOP leadership. Their overall agenda is not so much oriented toward any particular position; rather they attempt to block votes as oppositionists. They use both overt and covert methods to support their endeavors which usually involve opposition propaganda as opposed to a real stance on issues. Their claim to fame is their need to speak out about what’s being done across the nation, while not yet offering viable solutions; claiming to be the voice of the people. A survey in March, 2010 revealed that approximately 28% of Americans agree with the Tea Part Movement’s approach. (Rowen, 2011) The actual launch of the Tea Party Movement is credited by CNBC commentator, Rick Santelli, who made an announcement at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on February 19, 2009 in response to the bail out program for mortgages to prevent a collapse of the housing and banking industry. He drew an impassioned response by shouting through the crowd about the validity of the US government and taxpayers picking up the tab for saving the mortgages on ‘losers who can’t pay their mortgages.’ This was recorded and posted on YouTube with support rolling in almost instantly, setting off a national reaction. (Rowen, 2011) Earlier protests were aimed at taxation, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as well as at various health care reform bills. Keli Carender was credited with setting off some of the earlier protests, notably regarding the stimulus package, from Seattle. She is a blogger, non-profit local math instructor, and improvisational comedienne who enjoys bringing her audience to action. (Kaste, 2010) Although not actually supporting one party over another, most of the freshmen Republicans in the House of Representatives are closely aligned with the Tea Party Movement. So much so that prior to introducing a budget package to prevent the government shutdown in March, 2011, House Leader John Boehner and the Republican leadership met with the 87 freshman members to discuss the package in order to get their support. Another gain was from the Contract From America, a Tea Party manifesto requiring proposed legislation to be posted onl ine for three days prior to vote in order to demonstrate transparency to the constituent base. (Time Topics, 2011) The typical profile of Tea Party Movement supporters is described as usually white, male, married, over 45 years of age, and, wealthier and better educated than the general population. Nearly 18% is Republican, with almost all being very dissatisfied with what is occurring in Washington, D.C. They are especially focused on the Obama administration and describe themselves as being angry. Their protests are well aimed at drawing attention to the negative direction in which they feel the country is headed with out of control spending due to programs and policies that are focused more on alleviating poverty; particularly for minorities rather than a balanced approach to benefit all Americans. (Of Thee I Sing,

Lavender.The Side Effects of Using Lavender Essay Example for Free

Lavender.The Side Effects of Using Lavender Essay Lavender Introduction Therapeutic Use:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For quite a long time, lavender has been used as an antiseptic and for mental health purposes. In the recent world, lavender is used as a traditional medication for ailments like anxiety, insomnia,restlessness, headache,depression, upset stomach, hair  loss among many others defects within the body of the human beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In most cases, Lavender is always used as anaromatherapy. This is a condition in which the scent of the essential oil from the flower is inhaled. Apart from inhaling the essential oil, it can also be diluted with another oil then it is applied to the skin. The dried lavender flowers are at times used to prepare tea. Theliquid extracts can then be taken through themouth (Blumenthal, Goldberg Brinckman, 2000). The Side Effects of Using Lavender   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of the diluted lavender oil or simply using lavender as an aromatherapy is in most cases considered safe for most adults. The disadvantage of this however is that applying lavender oil to the skin can at times cause irritation. Some reports have also been recorded that use of lavender can also cause the boys to develop breasts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lavender oil is poisonous when taken through the mouth.When the tea made from its extracts are taken by mouth, they can cause headache, constipation as well aschanges in appetite   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Using lavender as a sedative medicine may lead to increase in  drowsiness. Scientific Evidence That Show Efficacy for Any of the Therapeutic Uses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is very little scientific proof to show lavenders effectiveness in tackling health related issues.Several studies done on lavender for anxiety show different results that cannot be relied upon. Preliminary results of the study shows thatlavender oil when mixed with oils from other herbs, may help reduce hair loss. This condition is known asAlopecia  areata(Henly, Lipson Korach, 2007). References Henley D.V, Lipson N, Korach K.S (2007). Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils.New England Journal of Medicine.  356(5), 479–485. Lavender. (2009). Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. Retrieved from http www.naturaldatabase.comLavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Miller. (2009). Natural Standard Database. Retrieved from http://www.naturalstandard.com. Blumenthal M, Goldberg A. Brinckman J. (2000). Lavender flower. In:Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Source document