Gun Control Essay

Gun control is not one issue, but many. To some people gun control is a crime issue; to others it is a rights issue. Gun control is a safety issue, an education issue, a racial issue, and a political issue, among others. Within each of these issues there are those who want more gun control legislation and those who want less, on both sides of this issue, opinions range from moderate to extreme. Like most topics relating to government and its ruling ability, the topic of gun control is based heavily on political affiliation. Since the 1950’s the majority of the Republican Party have strongly opposed gun control efforts, and have been aiming to shoot down legislation enacted at the local, state, and national levels. The republican viewpoint of anti-gun control has strong backing by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and many other gun control-lobbying organizations. The party insists on increased enforcement of laws already in place and stronger penalties for those who disobey , rather than creating entirely new gun control measures. On the other hand the popular view among the Democratic Party is for the enactment of new legislation for gun control. This party bases their argument on a loose interpretation of the constitution believing that the individual has the right to bear arms but under reasonable regulation. The Brady Campaign and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) are organizations that back the Democratic Party’s views of pro gun control. Guns are not for everyone. Certain individuals cannot handle a firearm safely, and some individuals choose to use firearms inappropriately. Our society has passed laws regulating the ownership and use of firearms, and more legislation is being considered. Most of this legislation restricts, to some degree, the rights of individuals to possess or use firearms. Some restrictions may be necessary, but some recent legislation may have gone too far. Society benefits from firearms in the hands of responsible citizens and attempts to keep firearms away from these citizens whom do more harm than good. The Brady Bill is one example of an attempted solution to the problem of gun control. The Brady Bill is named after James Brady, who was shot by John Hinckley during an assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. Supporters of the Brady Bill used that incident to gain support for their gun control legislation, claiming it would reduce crime and save lives. In November 1993 president Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence  Protection Act, otherwise known as the Brady Bill, into law. This bill required a 5 business-day waiting period for licensed dealers so that law enforcement may conduct background checks on the potential handgun buyers. The idea behind this bill is to screen out felons and other dangerous people from acquiring handguns. This required waiting period also subsequently stops enraged people from buying guns in the heat of the moment, and gives the individual time to cool down and think about their actions. The Brady Bill was essentially an improvement of the 1968 Gun Control Act, which laid out the types of people that should not be armed like felons, youth, and the dangerously mentally ill, but it did not implement a system of verifying that people were telling the truth when they purchased guns at gun dealers. During the 1990’s Richmond Virginia’s homicide rate was among the highest in the nation for cities with 100,000 plus people. Unsurprisingly 85% of the homicides in 1997 were committed with guns, with 40% being drug related, and 60% of the crimes were committed by prior offenders. To counteract this rising homicide rate republican governor James Gilmore teamed up with the NRA in order to create a program that increased the penalty entailed with the illegal use of firearms. The federal program, Project Exile, formally initiated in February 1997, shifted the prosecution of all gun crimes immediately to the federal level, rather than the state. Illegal gun possession offenders are subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Project Exile also mandates a 15-year prison sentence without the possibility of parole for felons caught in possession of a firearm during the transaction of the crime. Offenders are â€Å"exiled† to federal prison and with such a bold prison sentencing this law became well known on the streets. The program was an instant success. In the first 10 months of 1998 homicides in Richmond Virginia were down 36% and the number of firearm related homicides were down 41%. 196 people were sentenced to an average of 55 months in federal jail and 440 guns were seized. Since this program began, it has now been set to place in cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, and Philadelphia. Because of the Republican Party’s involvement they use Project Exile as a model suggesting that the party doesn’t ignore gun control issues. In the District of Columbia there was a law that made it illegal to carry unregistered firearms and prohibited the registration of new handguns. This  l aw also required any previously owned firearms to be kept at a disabled state which means the guns had to be unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock. The only exception was that the individual could be granted one-year licenses by the police chief. Special D.C. policeman Heller applied to keep a handgun in his home and was denied the right. So he took his case to the court basing his argument on the second amendment. In 2008, in the Supreme Court case 554 of The District of Columbia Vs. Heller, there was a 5-4 decision stating that the second amendment protects the right of the individual to posses a firearm unconnected with service in a militia and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. The court found that the total ban on handguns, and the requirement to keep them disabled, violated their right. The second amendment states: â€Å"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.† With militia meaning all males physically capable in acting for common defense, the founding father s included this in our Bill of Rights because they feared the Federal Government might oppress the population if the people did not have the means to defend themselves as a nation and as individuals. Aside from approving legislation that allows firearms in national parks and Amtrak trains, President Barrack Obama has virtually stayed silent when it comes to the topic of gun control. This may be result of the anti-gun control policies of previous president George W. Bush or because of the lack of votes from pro gun areas like the rural South and the Midwest. In his presidential campaign leading up to 2008 the president stated that he was in favor of gun control policies, including reinstating the assault weapons ban and creating new legislation against concealed weapons.

Genuine Progress Indicator

Alexander Di Franco TA Victoria Fast Geography 108 18 November 2012 The Motor City: Industrial Hero to Zero The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a fantastic model to measure the overall well being of the economy in great detail. Opposed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which only takes into account total dollar value, the GPI does just that, but also includes figures that represent the cost of the negative effects related to economic activity. It gives the important details of the economy and the state of the citizens within in it that the GDP simply cannot.Look at Detroit, Michigan; the â€Å"Motor City†, was at one time one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and a global industrial giant. Today, it’s a ghost town, not to mention a hellhole. The collapse of the automotive industry from the early 2000’s to the present has completely destroyed the former global giant in every way. The precipitous decline of the Detroit economy can be substantiated by using both the GPI and GDP method. Using academic and popular media references, these two approaches will be compared using the issue of the collapse of the automotive industry in the â€Å"Motor City†.The GPI approach represents this situation most accurately, and is most relevant because it not only takes the financial state of Detroit into consideration; it takes the environmental and well-being factor of the citizens into consideration as well. The GDP does not. Through the disappearing population, the rising rates of unemployment and poverty, and the exploding crime rate, it is clear that the costs of the overall well being of this city are much more important than just the economic costs.The city of Detroit, Michigan was once the most prosperous, ‘booming’ cities in the world, especially in the second half of the twentieth century. This was thanks to their automotive industry, ‘the Big 3’. ‘The Big 3’ included Ford, General Moto rs, and Chrysler, who all have their world headquarters located in Detroit and its vicinity. During this time period, ‘Big 3’ sales had soared from 6 million units in 1950, to 17 million in 2000. To break this time period down in depth, from 1950 to 1991, the sales of the units increased by double-digit percentages annually.In contrast to that, from 1992 to 2007, figures of annual sales rarely fluctuated by more than 3 percent per year (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). Consumers had an insatiable appetite for American vehicles manufactured by the ‘Big 3’; they were on top of the world so to speak. This surge in sales was not only bringing in great amounts of money into Detroit and its vicinity, it was bringing in great job opportunity, whether it was factory jobs or office jobs. This was truly the golden era for Detroit, and its populous prosperity was to be found everywhere.The statistics don’t lie, stating that Detroit’s population peaked at aroun d 2 million in the 1950’s (Linebaugh). During that time, it was the fifth largest city in the USA only behind New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, and was in the top 10 as recently as 1990 (Linebaugh). With all going so well, it was just a matter of time before things turned for the worse. As the saying goes, â€Å"all good things come to an end†, and this describe Detroit’s ugly, disastrous transformation in a nutshell. According to CNBC, Detroit is the 3rd worst city to live in the USA, and is the most dangerous (Crowe).What was the catalyst for this metamorphosis from prosperity to urban decay? It’s quite simple; their automotive giants were getting out performed by foreign competitors such as Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai. One of the factors that lead to this was that the ‘Big 3’ became complacent and arrogant due to the fact that they had little to no foreign competition prior to this decade. Thus they had an extremely large po rtion of the North American market share. Because of this arrogance and complacency, both quality and reliability began to suffer.The foreign automakers rated consistently higher in both quality and reliability. Another was the fact that the ‘Big 3’ depended critically on selling large volumes of light trucks (minivans, SUV’s, and pickups); these vehicles were their backbone (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). As gas prices began to rise, and eventually soared, consumers were looking for more affordable alternatives, with regards to fuel-efficiency. This was one characteristic all of the ‘Big 3’’s light trucks lacked. What was the alternative? Foreign-headquartered automakers (such as Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, etc. fuel-efficient vehicles. These vehicles would cut down the time and money consumers would spend at gas pumps, which was extremely attractive. The statistics of the ‘Big 3’’s production of light trucks from 2007 to 2009 do not lie. In 2007, 10. 4 million light trucks were produced. In 2009, this number decreased by a staggering 46% to 5. 4 million (Klier, and Rubenstein 36). The foreign automakers fuel-efficient vehicles took the market by storm in that period, and completely dominated the US automakers in the market share.This was the nail in the coffin for the city of Detroit. The one main thing that drove their economy through its history was becoming more and more irrelevant as the time passed. No one was buying American made vehicles. It got to the point where General Motors and Chrysler had to be bailed out by the government. To Detroit’s fairness, the economy is on its way back up today, and the automotive industry is starting to regain some ground, but the city of Detroit will never be the same, not even close to what it used to be.How has this historical collapse affected the â€Å"Motor City† today? It begins with the population. As previously mentioned, Detroit’s popula tion peaked at about 2 million people in the 1950’s. This is the highest their population was, and ever will be. Kate Linebaugh of The Wall Street Journal states that as of 2010, Detroit’s population had fallen back 100 years. The population as of that date was 713,777, the lowest it has been since 1910, 60 percent less than it’s peak in the 50’s, and 25 percent less than it had been in 2000 (Linebaugh), which is absolutely unbelievable.Also, Detroit is now the nineteenth largest city in the USA behind Indianapolis, and Columbus (as it used to be in the top 5, and top 10 as previously stated) (Linebaugh). The population is literally disappearing as time moves on. Along with this issue, is the skyrocketing poverty and unemployment rate. The current unemployment rate is 19. 6 percent, which is almost double the national rate, and the highest the city has even seen (Daily Mail Reporter). This number has been on a steady rise within the past decade, and as a result has put ore and more people on the streets, being homeless. 34. 5 percent of Detroit’s population is below the poverty line (US Census Bureau). Also, the rate of violent crimes is at 2,137 per 100,000 residents, which is the highest in the USA above St. Louis and Oakland. This statistic makes the â€Å"Motor City† America’s most dangerous city for the fourth year in a row (Fisher). The city is in complete ruin; it seems like absolutely everything is going downhill. With all going so wrong, especially in the last decade, how on earth could the GDP of Detroit increase at all?Take a look at the numbers from the recent decade. From 2001, there is a steady increase in the GDP until 2007, until a short but steady decrease until 2009, where it goes up again from there (BEA: US Department of Commerce). This is a completely inaccurate representation of the state of Detroit overall. With the collapse of the automotive industry, which lead to all the problems previo usly mentioned (population diminishing, poverty and unemployment rate rising, and crime rate sky rocketing) the GDP is not an appropriate measure or representation of the Detroit economy overall.This is due to the fact that the GDP just takes into account total dollar value, and not the well being of the citizens or any environmental factors. According to the GDP, Detroit has been brining in increasing amounts of money from one year to the next in some periods of this collapse, but the overall state and well being of the city and its population has been on a constant downward spiral. To truly understand and represent the real state of the Detroit, and what is really going on within the economy and the well being of its citizens, the GPI must be used.If the GPI were taken in contrast to the GDP of Detroit since 2001, it would steadily be going downhill and opposed to the fluctuating GDP, which was mostly increasing (with exception to 2007-2009). All the situations Detroit is encounte ring as a result of the auto industry collapse bring the GPI downward. For example, take the cities record high unemployment rate. In Clive Hamilton’s article about the GPI, he talks about the issue of unemployment and underemployment. He says that social costs of unemployment lead to declining levels of health, increased amounts of suicide, and increasing levels of crime. Also there are the psychological osts of unemployment, which include trauma, stress, and family breakdowns (Hamilton, 20). Therefore, unemployment is a major negative factor on the GPI. Also, Hamilton talks about defensive expenditures, saying that GDP counts them as additions to output, however GPI deducts them, because they are undertaken to offset some decline in social welfare (Hamilton, 16). For example, this means that the record-high crime levels in Detroit create additions to the GDP because there would be a need for more police, more medical staff, and things would need to be repaired. On the other hand, the crime would deduct the GPI.This is because the cost of more police, medical staff, and repairs are undertaken to offset the decline in social welfare that crime causes. Lastly, the diminishing population of Detroit is a ‘no brainer’ as a deductive quality of the GPI. Clearly people want to leave, or avoid living in the city of Detroit in this era. The social welfare of the citizens is at an extreme low. It is clear that the GDP cannot represent the economic state of an area in nearly as much detail as the GPI can. This is why in my opinion the GDP is not relevant in terms of an indicator of an economy’s overall well-being.I strongly believe that the GPI gives a more accurate representation of the overall state of the economy thus should be used as the primary economic measure rather than the GDP. Detroit’s GDP was on the rise for most of this decade, even through the historical collapse of its worldwide automotive industry. However, it is clear that the welfare of its citizens and the state of the city are and will continue to be at a devastating low. This is made clear through Detroit’s disappearing population, the rise of unemployment and poverty rates, and the skyrocketing crime rate.With all of these factors considered in the GPI, as well as dollar value, the GPI ultimately triumphs over GDP and gives people a true assessment of an economy overall, that the GDP simply fails to do. Works Cited Klier, Thomas H. , and James Rubenstein. â€Å"Economic Perspectives. † Economic Perspectives. Q II (2012): 35-54. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. Linebaugh, Kate. â€Å"Detroit's Population Crashes. † Wall Street Journal 23 3 2011, n. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Communication Organisations and Technologies Essay - 1

Communication Organisations and Technologies - Essay Example Both of these management strategies focus on the needs or motivations of employees, but each has their own benefits and potential disadvantages. Human relations often deal with the specific environmental (physical) conditions of the organisation that tend to boost productivity levels. The Illumination Studies, studies that involved the correct level of illumination in the workplace, tended to show that productivity remained the same regardless of how lighting was increased or decreased in the organisation (Miller, 2008). Further studies showed that in the presence of other factors related to the worker, such as pay incentives, specific work hours assigned to each employee and even the social environment boosted productivity when paired with environmental issues such as lighting (Miller). In order to best describe the human relations approach to managing people, it involves understanding that people want to be included as a part of a team environment and also given the physical conditions that make the job rewarding and worthwhile. providing better bonuses for meeting corporate goals or providing additional compensation through the performance appraisal so that employees realise they are respected and valued contributors to the organisation. Motivating employee loyalty and giving them personalised incentives for meeting more than just job role responsibilities are factors that are modelled into the human relations approach. â€Å"The accountability to which organisations increasingly have to respond can be adequately met only by making an appeal to the responsibility of individual employees. The organisation depends on their loyalty† (Vandekerckhove and Commers, 2004, p.226). What this means for management is that in order for the business to be successful to all different stakeholders, it must depend on the personal actions and loyalties of employees to reach

Security Incident Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Security Incident Case Study - Essay Example This paper seeks to describe how effectively an emergency incident that occurred in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), at 2:38pm, Terminal 4, would have be managed and highlight how effective airport operators can be, when during emergencies. In this case, where a man trespasses through a restricted doorway, there is actually no need for the crew to lower security gates and order out everyone off the secured gate including the passengers who are already aboard waiting to depart. Since it’s a breech that is only confined to a limited space, the best thing to do would be; assuming that the cameras in that terminal are working, trail the person in question quietly and swiftly without drawing unnecessary attention from the other parties. The evacuation process is so hectic and time consuming; and one that would literally paralyse operations throughout the entire airport. In addition; and as observed in our case study, it is more likely to cause a lot of panic and confusion, in turn making the whole process of trailing the individual in question futile. Finally, given that people will be aware of an anomaly happening at the airport; it is more likely to trigger unexpected reactions. People may start running and in the process injure each other. In conclusion, as analysed in the paper, as an airport operator, your duty is not to bring about confusion and add complexity to arising problems. With this case, and other emergency issues that arise, it is the airport’s duty to ensure that the safety of everyone is guaranteed and the simplest method is used in combating any possible

Training Faculty to Teach Online Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Training Faculty to Teach Online - Research Paper Example   There is also the principle that learning materials and measured teaching outcomes will contain and provide appropriate information. By appropriate information, it is expected a well-trained faculty would focus their learning resources on the provision of information that directly matches what the online program is designed to accomplish. What is more, there is a principle that measures on timely the information given by the faculty is considered by learners to be. This is an important principle, given the fact that learning information is dynamic and subjective to time. By implication, the process of evaluation looks at the ability of faculty to be on top of issues and abreast with time so that information delivered will not be considered as not being relevant for the time for which it is being delivered. Lastly, there is a principle that dwells on the need for faculty teaching to be self-evaluative. Effective management of teaching in the online training programShattuck and Ter ry likened the management of teaching effectiveness to the sustainability of effective teaching and learning that is attained from online programs. With this said, it is expected that during online training programs and even by the close of the programs, there will be principle that checks for the sustainability of effectiveness. One of these principles for the management of teaching in online training programs is the need for there to be faculty support services provided in specific areas related to teaching online.

Toward Stronger Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Toward Stronger Marketing - Essay Example After the dismal initial performance of the brew, Lang was invited to lead the Nespresso team. Lang was highly motivated and creative in its approach and favored aggressive marketing techniques. He believed that the core business strategy of any business heavily relies on new products and innovative market strategy that facilitates in creating a niche market for their products and services. He used various marketing metrics to explore and exploit new markets. The marketing initiatives for Nespresso can be broadly described as follows. The compulsions of the rapidly transforming societal paradigms and technological advancements are important factors that require more comprehensive and innovative approach to market strategy. Strategic marketing plans are a crucial part of promoting products and services of an organization and establish market credibility. An effective market strategy promotes the use of SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis on a periodic basis. The awareness of strengths and weaknesses in the company’s resources would help to act timely and efficiently so that opportunities and threats can be effectively met to provide a competitive edge to their rivals. Consumer psychology and analysis of a database of customers are an important part of a market strategy which helps one to know the changing preferences of the customers in the rapidly changing times. Analysis and identification of the changing trends of the customer requirements are important ingredients to gain leverage against their rivals. The market strategy should be totally focused on the needs and requirements of the people and make continuous efforts to update its products line with that of the changing public demands. Understanding of consumer psychology, therefore, plays a vital role in the development of marketing strategy and planning.

Social Awarness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Awarness - Essay Example In a way some sick audience may become victims to such ill movies, which hasn't got any social message. The movies which are actually made for entertainment if causes damage to the society must not be made available to all except to adults under strict rules and regulations. I would to like to take the movie Frankenstein as part of subject to evaluate. This was originally a novel written by Mary shelly, which was later made as a movie. The title name Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein) is a name of a scientist who is obsessed and crazy of creating life in a dead body. The very first intention of the director to make a horror movie of such genera is it self a matter of concern. It is not that such movies should not be made but basing the total movie on a point like regeneration of human life is unethical and paranoid. Not even the very own base of the movie, the way the movie is made clearly indicates the mediocre and harming the society's nature towards the humanity. He spent many years to acquire dead bodies from grave and also by torturing animals. After ten years of wild goose chase he was finally ready to induce life into his creation. Frankenstein asks his assistant (Fritz) to bring a brain from the university. He drops the normal one and steals a criminal's brain from a dead body. Finally Frankenstein manages to put life into his imagination.

The Organizational Structure, Work Culture and Global Business Essay

The Organizational Structure, Work Culture and Global Business Strategies of Google Inc - Essay Example The study is based on the discussion of different management issues faced by Google Inc. in the China market. It will illustrate various challenges faced by the organization to properly run their operation as per the social and ethical norms of China. The main objective of any management is to achieve the ultimate goal of the organization by motivating and directing the workforce. The modern management practices influence managers to focus on different requirements of the stakeholders of various countries. There are a number of management issues faced by global organizations such as economic, political, social and technological. Recession, inflation and currency fluctuation of different countries can provide the significant effect on the business management procedure of global organizations. The difference in the political rules and regulations also affect the decision-making capacity of the managers. Management needs to cope up with the rapid development of technologies in the diffe rent market to attract more customers. International organizations need to focus on the differences in the social structure of their operating countries before introducing any product or services. The decision of product or services design can differ as per locations due to the changing preferences of local people Customized products of local organizations can provide huge competition to the standardized products of the global organizations.

Operations management (see assignment requirements) Essay

Operations management (see assignment requirements) - Essay Example 2. The Range of Technologies in the Modern Retail Industry An efficient supply chain involves better inventory management and reducing the time from the procurement to the final delivery. For these purposes both supply chain strategies and supply chain technologies are integrated into supply chain management to result in an efficient network of logistics. These technologies include transportation, management and communication technologies which work hand in hand to lead to an evolution of the supply chain. Information technology and decision support system are some of the common technologies being used in today's supply chain management. IT is implemented in the supply chain for strategic planning, virtual enterprise and knowledge management. Another reason why IT is frequently used is the E-Commerce factor of businesses these days(Ngai, 2004).These technologies ensure that a sophisticated analysis of the abundant available data is made possible and the results are used to obtain a c ompetitive edge in the market(Simchi-Levi, 2003). Business redesigning and the implementation of technology in business are often considered to be complimentary with each other. Therefore the integration of technology is bound to change the face of retailing operations. IT is a design tool used for knowledge and business management to produce tangible results such as time reduction, cost reduction and an improvement in the output quality. (Michael Lewis, p. 103) These innovations in Information Technology include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Electronic data Interchange (EDI), Pints of sales (POS) and other Data Mining (DM) technologies. These have radically changed the way retailers do their business and brought about efficiency by reducing labour costs, improving inventory accuracy, reducing lead time and increasing the rate of order fill. Points of sales (POS) POS has been in use since the 1980's and it facilitates the sale of products by entry and access of products in stores. POS allows for automatic and dynamic updates of inventory and sales data when sales occur. Thus this system is frequently used for store transactions, refunds, cash authorizations, exchanging issues and inventory tracking. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) RFID is a generic name for technologies which use radio waves to identify and track objects. It identifies the items by reading a tag and a considerable amount of information is transmitted by just reading of the tag by the reader. This technology can capture product information which can be up to 40 times more than the typical barcode technology. RFID works as an information facilitator which can directly help in developing and aiding decision making in the supply chain. The main features of RFID are real and automatic data capture, enhanced information quality and support for business transactions. Data Mining (DM) Data mining is a process of extracting knowledge from a large database to build predictive models for b usiness decision making. It is used to make strategic and tactical decisions such as sales forecasting, customer acquisition and retention. From the supply chain point of view, they can also be used to make operational decisions like supplier

Chapter 5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Chapter 5 - Coursework Example y police officers can greatly improve their effectiveness within a specific community by improving their roles as trusted and responsible police officers who are willing to help people. This would encourage citizens to develop trust on the police officers and they would report crimes to them without any fear. Other strategies include citizen contact patrol which is focused on developing sound relations between the citizens and the officers by their door-to-door visits. Also, improving the image of police officers in the minds of the citizens, focusing more on community meetings, disseminating crime control newsletters, establishing storefronts and substations to make people feel protected, organizing neighborhood watch programs to monitor and control the suspicious activities, specialized patrols and hosting community meetings where the citizens can freely discuss their problems and fears to police officers. Citizen contact patrol is a way to develop interaction between the citizens and the police officers which includes door-to-door police visits. During their visits, police officers provide general information on all the possibilities to control crime within the community, give out tips to protect oneself from any possible danger and collects information on who is carrying a gun in the house. In my opinion, citizen contact patrol is an effective way to develop greater interaction with the citizens and at the same time, it helps in lowering the rate of victimization. It improves the image of a police officer, enables them to collect sensitive information from the citizens and last but not the least, it provides awareness to the citizens on how to protect themselves in case of emergency and to report police. Police in schools is another technique to control crimes and to protect the minors who are at greater risk of danger. These police officers are often known as school resource officers (John L. Worrall). The presence of police officers at schools would

Hunting alleged Nazi war criminals Essay Example for Free

Hunting alleged Nazi war criminals Essay I cant say if hunting Nazi war criminals is worth it, but I can give my opinion and it is up to you to make up your own mind. By the end of reading this, you should have come to some conclusion. I believe it is not worth hunting alleged Nazi war criminals, anymore. I think that spending tens of millions of pounds, and all the time and effort that goes into it now is worthless now. If they had have done it ten or fifteen years after the war had ended then they would have had much more success. The reason I think it is worthless now is because almost all evidence will have been destroyed after the war ended, and any war criminals from World War II would have done their best to completely hide their background and any evidence they have that they committed war crimes. Also victims that survived concentration camps will not be able to identify a man with absolute certainty that he was the same man that put people to death around fifty years ago, mainly for the simple reason that it was so long ago. Also witnesses may want to blame someone, so they blame the suspect in question, or they want it to be that suspect so much that they believe it was him. Also lots of witnesses are now dead, and the ones who are still alive may have something wrong with them that they cant remember the face or voice of the man who put their friends and family to death. I also think that if they do catch a suspected Nazi war criminal, then he may have something mentally wrong with him. Due to old age the accused might not be able to remember anything, so it would be an unfair trial, because he doesnt have an alibi with which to prove he was not a Nazi war criminal. A suspect may be too old or ill to go to court also, a suspect when found could be dying in their bed with only a few weeks to live and so they would never be able to stand a court trial anyway. These are the main reasons I believe that spending all the time, money and effort is not worth it. I believe it is too late and the suspects will be dying by the time they are found, an example of this is seen in a case where a man called Szymon Serafinowicz, who was accused of being a nazi war criminal. In this case the jury saw Serafinowicz to be unfit to plead to charges of war crimes, because he had dementure, so he couldnt remember anything about where he was at certain times of the war, or what he was doing meaning he wouldnt have an alibi with which to protect himself so the case would have been totally unfair. After being freed he died about 18 months later, so even if he had have been convicted he would have only spent a few months in jail, and would have probably been let out after a couple of weeks to be admitted into hospital. There was no case for this man who was suspected of being in command of police officers who ordered Jews to lay face down in the snow and where then shot, hit childrens heads against tomb stones to kill them, order Jewish families to line up and then shoot them, and he himself was accused of shooting a woman with a child who was running away. In total he was accused ordering 3000 Jews to be killed. If a man like this cant even get a trial then, let alone being convicted is it really likely that another man will get convicted. In another case, the Demjanjuk trial he was convicted of being Ivan the terrible a guard at Treblinka and was accused of putting thousands to death, and torturing some people for the fun of it. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but got released after appealing. The judges decided there was not enough evidence to convict him after all. Five witnesses said under oath that they were certain that Demjajuk was Ivan the terrible, also he couldnt remember where he was or what he was doing at certain times in the war, and it sounded like he was trying to pretend he was at certain places at certain times. It appeared only five outgo twenty survives thought Demjanjuk was Ivan the terrible, and these were the witnesses used in court. If fifteen say it wasnt him and only five say it was him, the chances are that it was not him, even though five witnesses were sure of it, this proves that eye witnesses can not be totally relied upon to identify a man they saw about fifty years ago. This proves to me that it is not worth the bother and money of hunting them down anymore, but if you are not convinced yet I will talk about another trial, the Papon case. The jury heard that Papon should be freed during the trial, because of his advanced age and his medical condition (he suffered from angina). It was heard that even if he were found guilty he would not have to spend another night in jail. He died a few months later, so if he had have been convicted he was still be able to be free and walk about the streets. The war crimes unit did not get a single person convicted, even after all the effort they put in, they found evidence but did not manage to get a single conviction. After looking at all the evidence I really dont think it is worth spending lots of time and effort and millions of pounds to find an old man who will probably be too ill and old to go through a court case, and even if they are fit to go through trial then they probably wont be convicted due to not enough evidence, or unreliable evidence.

Historic State In Malaysia History Essay

Historic State In Malaysia History Essay The history of Malacca begins with the legendary tale of a Hindu prince Parameswara. He was the 14th Century Palembang prince who fled from a Javanese enemy and escaped to the island of Temasik, where he then established himself as a king. However he was than drive out of Temasik by the Siamese. With his band of followers he then continued his journey along the west coast of Malay Peninsula in search for a new refuge. He finally reached near a river called Bertam, where he witness hunting dogs being kicked by a pelanduk. Fascinated by the bravery of the pelanduk he then decided that he wants to build a city on the spot. While resting under a tree he asked his servant what was the name of the tree, after being informed that the tree was called Melaka, he finally gave that name to the city he is going to establish. All this happened in the year of 1400. Malacca is located at a very strategic point as it is located midway along the straits of Malacca that linked China to India and Near East. It was positioned as a center for maritime trade and with that the city grew rapidly. During this period Islam was introduced by the Gujarati traders from western India. Malacca was a center trade of silk and porcelain from China; textiles from Gujarat and Coromandel in India; camphor from Borneo; sandalwood from Timor; nutmeg, mace, and cloves from Moluccas; gold and pepper from Sumatra; and tin from western Malaya With the success and fame of Malacca it attracted a lot of covetous eyes. The first were Afonso de Albuquerque who was a Portuguese in 1511. Sultan Mahmud tried to counterattack the Portuguese repeatedly but failed without any success. Not until 1641 where Dutch took over Malacca after a fiery battle. The Dutch then used the city as a military base and to control the Straits of Malacca. However in 1795, when Netherlands was captures by French Revolutionary armies, Malacca was handed over to the British to avoid capture by French. In 1826, the English East India Company in Calcutta ruled the city. From 1942 to 1945 the city was under Japanese Occupation. However in 1957 Tunku Abdul Rahman restored Malacca from British when he announces the news of impeding independence. At the foot of St Pauls hill, there is a replica of the Melaka sultans palace during period of the Melaka sultanate ruling. Though it is only replica, some may believe it reassembles the real sultanate palace. The information that gathers and obtained from the Malay Annals is used for building such these historical structures. In addition, these historical structures had references to the construction and the architure of palaces of Melaka ruler, Sultan Mansur Syah, who ruled from 1456 to 1477. The palace is used for various palaces ceremonies and private chambers of sultan itself. For example are Balairong Seri, the main hall or throne room, and the Royale Bedchamber. Customs and traditions of various royal households that ruled Melaka has been demonstrate through the palace. The replica of the palace was constructed in 1984 and was officially opened for public by the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 17th July 1986 and then it became cultural museum. A unique feature about this building is wooden pegs is used in the construction of the building, so there is no nails. It also made of hardwood while the roof is made of Belian wood. At the south-western foot of Bukit China there is located a well that is believed to be the oldest existing well in Malacca. Under the orders of sultan Mansur Syah, the well was dug for his consort, the princess Hang Li Poh. However there is no single evidence about the existence of princess Hang Li Poh in Chinese imperial records. This well carries few interesting stories others than for Hang Li poh itself, the well has severally poisoned. In 1551, after Malacca was defeated by the Portuguese, the sultan of Malacca who reluctant fled to Johore, launched a counterattack by poisoning the well. Through this action, 200 Portuguese soldiers were killed. And then in 1606 once more the well was poisoned by the Dutch and lastly on 1628-1629 the Acheenese repeated it by poisoned again. The well then is protected by wall with cannons and guard post by the Dutch, after recognizing the importance of the well and avoid from sabotage again. In the heart of Malacca town there is a historical structure known as The Stadhuys, the red square. It was built by the Dutch who ruling Malacca in 1650. This big red hall was once used as an English institutional education, when Malacca was handed over to the British in the 19th century, by missionaries residing in Malacca. This is to response to a letter signed by a J.Humprey, J.W.Overee and A.W.Baumgarten. Where were once used by the British to provide free education, now the Stadhuys is now the home of a museum of history and ethnography. Traditional costumes and artefacts through the whole era or history of Malacca are been exhibits in the museum and one of Malaccas foremost museum. Jonker Street is the central boulevard of Chinatown. It is once renowned for its antique shops. However over the years it has turned to clothing and crafts outlets as well as restaurants. On Friday and Saturday nights, the street is transformed into the Jonker Walk Night Market a lively bazaar with hawker food stalls and tourist-friendly stands. Alternatively, traditional trishaws (becas) can be hired to take you on a nostalgic journey through this historical site. Jonker Street  has always held a special charm in terms of the diverse European-Asian culture and heritage at this city once known to the world as Malacca. The renowned street houses some of the countrys oldest heritage buildings dating back to the 17th century. Architecturally influenced by the Portuguese and Dutch, you will see an beautiful eclectic mix of cultures through this entire area. While Jonker Street is famous for its architecture and heritage, food is also one of the popular choices here. A good variety of l ocal food can be found along Jonker Street while most tend to source for the famous Peranakan or Nyonya food here. The  Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum  is a living museum located in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a street adjacent to the Jonker Walk. Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock also known as the Millionaires Row in Melaka. Established in 1896, the  Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum  was once the family home of the Baba Chan family  known as Rumah Abu. Having been around for more than 100 years, this heritage building was built during the Dutch occupancy and later bought over by the Baba Chan family. The  Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum  illustrates the way of living of the Peranakans at the end of the 19th century, a unique blend of the east and the west. It also exhibits  an archive of beautiful traditional Baba and Nyonya costumes and a unique bridal chamber. St. Pauls Church is probably the oldest church in Malacca. It is located at the St. Pauls Hill .This church was originally a small chapel built by a Portuguese Captain called Duarto Coelho in 1521 and called Nosa Senhora Our Lady of the Hill. When the Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese, they changed its name to St. Pauls Church and used it for 112 years until they own church, the Christ Church was completed in 1753. Old tombstones found inside the ruins bear silent testimony to the final resting place of several Dutch and Portuguese nationals. In conclusion, Malacca is truly one of the Malaysians pride and honor for its history as well as unique lifestyles. The rich histories have embraced the culture and the people that stay in it. Although there are still a lot more of well known places such as Kota A Famosa, Francis Xavier Church and Kampung Kling Mosque in Malacca that we did not mention above, no doubt this place deserves to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Through Malaysians heart, Malacca is always the best place to learn the history while to enjoy variety of special local foods that are only manufactured there. All in all, we must preserve and maintain the beauty of Malacca so that the generations of Malaysia can get a glimpse of what left behind by the pasts.

Stanislavskis method of acting

Stanislavskis method of acting Konstantin Stanislavski, (born Konstantin Alekseyev, and sometimes spelt Constantin Stanislavsky), was 14 years old when he first set foot on the stage that his parents owned in 1877. His love of the theatre blossomed throughout his life, leading him to become one of the worlds most influential theatre practitioners to date. His work in the field of theatrical rehearsal techniques made him a household name for drama students worldwide. He published many books and guides designed to give drama students an insight into realism, including An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, which outline various famous rehearsal methods designed to allow an actor to fully relate to their character, to the point that they are not just pretending to be them, but actually living their lives. He argued that the actor should Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art [1], looking for the emotion within themselves as opposed to the words in the script. Stanislavskis pioneering vision for the theatre was that characters should be believable, and the storyline should focus on the emotion portrayed, engaging the audience through means such as empathy. He argued that anything put forward on the stage should be an accurate account of real life, a thought which derived from his distaste for the melodramatic theatre he had grown up with. However, Stanislavski is one of several famous theatre practitioners, all with a completely different concept of what theatre should be. For example, Bertolt Brecht put forward the theory of Epic Theatre, which taught that the audience should always be alienated from the action onstage, unable to identify with the characters, but rather being left with questions to ask themselves. He believed the audience couldnt possibly empathise with the characters onstage because there were so many individual differences in society itself- society cannot share a common communication system so long as it is split into warring factions (Brecht, 1949, paragraph 55[2]). Brecht wanted the audience to leave the theatre debating their morals. Another prestigious theatrical practitioner is Antonin Artaud, who argued that any performance should deeply affect the audience. In order to achieve this, he used non-naturalistic lighting and sound to create a disturbing atmosphere. Artaud wished his audience to leave the theatre having changed within themselves. With three such different aims from each practitioner, it is difficult to be sure whether any of them had a particularly valid point. All three theories are widely respected, but each contrasts and challenges the next, meaning that, in order to believe in one of them, you must rule out the others as valid. These conflicting theories became the beginning of the main ideas behind this project. I wanted to know whether there was a solid way to prove whether Stanislavskis theories are affective to the audience in terms of creating a more realistic performance than one with normal rehearsal, or indeed rehearsal methods devised by other practitioners. To be able to determine this, I needed to conduct deeper research into Stanislavskis system. The system itself is deep and intricately detailed, with many different aspects as to what Stanislavski considered a good performance. However, some points are evidently more significant to him than others. According to the online Encyclopaedia Britannia [3], the main features are Given Circumstances and the Magic If, and Emotional Memory. Units and Objectives is also a major feature of the system, so these are the three aspects I chose to refine my research to in order to establish a better understanding of Stanislavskis method of acting. Given Circumstances and the Magic If Stanislavski said that what is important to me is not the truth outside myself, but the truth within myself [4], meaning that anything put forward on the stage must be true. He recognised this idea was a potential issue because all acting is, essentially, a lie. He therefore said that all actors should be as true to themselves as they can while playing a part. The idea behind Given Circumstances is that actors accept that, with the script of a play, they are given a set of circumstances which they must adhere to in order to create the storyline. Given circumstances can relate to either the character or the play itself, and they include things like characters age, gender, social class, and the plays time period, setting and social/historical/political implications. In order for an actor to give a true performance, Stanislavski put a massive emphasis on the importance of research into the given time period or situation so that the performer would truly understand their role. He taught that the research needs to be completed until an actor can fully flesh out his character, and answer any questions given to them about their characters parentage, childhood, and life events, even if these arent mentioned in the script. Once the Given Circumstances had been realised, Stanislavski suggested that the actors utilised a linked aspect of his theory, called the Magic If, in order to deal with them. The Magic If is a technique where the actor asks himself given the circumstances already decided by the playwright, if I was this character, and I was in this situation, how would I react?. In his book An Actor Prepares, Stanislavski talked about the professor using the example of pretending to be a tree. Say to yourself: I am I; but if I were an old oak tree, set in certain surrounding conditions, what would I do? and decide where you are in whatever place affects you most (Stanislavski, 1937, p65[5]). Stanislavski asked that his students allow their imaginations to flourish th rough techniques such as Given Circumstances and the Magic If, to construct deeper, more realistic performances. Emotional Memory Another technique which was born from Stanislavskis belief that acting must be real is Emotional Memory, sometimes known as Affective Memory. Shelley Winters, an example of a famous actress with ultimate belief in the Stanislavski System, said that as an actor you must be willing to act with your scars [6], or in laymans terms, be willing to allow your inner emotions and past experiences to show through. This is essentially the main terms of Emotional Memory, which requires the actor to draw on previous personal experiences which resulted in a similar emotion to which their character is experiencing. Once the actor has identified the experience, they are encouraged to allow the emotion they felt once again take over their mind and body, reinstating the context and mind-set until the emotion is real. The emotion must then seamlessly be applied to the script or character, as Stanislavski felt this would make the performance more believable because the emotion is true to the actor. Pete r Oyston, founding Dean of Drama at the Victorian College of the Arts and regular teacher/director at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, created a rehearsal method specifically designed to enhance the feelings from memories. He published this, and other methods referring to Stanislavskian techniques, in a DVD documentary called How to use the Stanislavski System (2004). The Emotional Memory section can be viewed on YouTube [7], and teaches the student to remember a time when they personally felt an emotion which shadows or parallels that required from the text. They are encouraged to talk about the situation they are remembering out loud, until the emotion takes over their minds and bodies. Then, they must seamlessly transfer their speech from their own recollections to the script given to them, transferring the emotions at the same time. Units and Objectives One of the most prominent aspects of Stanislavskis method is his idea that any character in any play has a Super-Objective throughout the action; an aim or driving force which sustains throughout the play. Stanislavski taught that this Super-Objective must stay in each actors mind throughout their rehearsal and performance, and that even though it may not be stated, or even obvious, they must take it upon themselves to research and discover it. Once this has been accomplished, he felt that the script could then be broken down into smaller Objectives, which would change several times throughout the piece as the plot deepened. Each Objective must be a verb, in order to be an active objective. He asked actors to split their script into Units and Objectives. Most pieces of drama are split by the playwright into a series of scenes and acts, allowing the action to move in time or setting, but Stanislavski found that an objective could run through and overlap into different scenes, or chang e very suddenly in the middle of an act. He therefore introduced the concept of Units, which are another way of dividing up a play- each unit should contain one objective. The diagram above outlines the intricate detail of the aspects of Units, Objectives, and Super-Objectives. The Throughline of Action is the aim in a characters mind throughout the entirety of the play, which culminates in the Super-Objective. Meanwhile, each character has several different Objectives which are split between the Units the actors devised for the script. These Objectives can take the character to many different places, but their Super-Objective will always remain the same. Furthermore, the Objectives themselves are equally as detailed. Stanislavski said that each Objective could be broken down into the Aim, the Obstacle and the Action. The aim is what the character is trying to achieve in that particular unit. The obstacle is something which stops or restricts them from fulfilling their aim, and the action is the steps the character takes in order to avoid or overcome the obstacle. Stanislavski accepted that it is impossible for a play to achieve a smooth finish where objectives are concerned because often, the action takes place off stage. The characters come and go, and the time changes, so we as an audience cannot witness the whole story. Stanislavski said that in order to overcome this, actors must always be consciously aware of their Super-Objective. A familiar example of this aspect of the Stanislavskian Theory is Shakespeares story of Romeo and Juliet. Romeos Super-Objective is to experience true love. He begins the play with the objective of marrying Rosaline, and this continues to be his objective until the Unit shifts at the Capulet party. Here, Romeos objective becomes to find out more about Juliet, and later becomes to marry her. Towards the end of the party, however, Romeo speaks with Juliets nurse, who tells him that her mother is the Lady of the house -that Juliet is a Capulet(Shakespeare, 1973, p. 910 [8]). This provides the obstacle, since Romeos family, the Montagues, have an ancient feud with the Capulets. Romeo then takes on a new action, which is to overcome the feud between the families, even if it means the couple have to lie about it. Romeo doesnt manage to fully achieve his Super-Objective, because he never experiences the simplicity of love he was looking for- both he and Juliet have to die in order to truly be together. Of all the aspects of Stanislavskis method, these three prove to be the most popular among modern day performers. Having researched the key aspects of Stanislavskis system, I devised a way to be able to assess the effectiveness of them on a live performance by young actors, as this would allow me to establish whether the method does in fact help to produce a more believable performance. I decided to conduct an experiment into the effectiveness of Stanislavskis system. I decided to utilise my contacts at a local youth drama group, which is made up of young actors and actresses aged between 11 and 17 years old. In order for the experiment to be a fair test, I determined to split them equally into two groups, and give each group the same scenario to work with. I planned to leave group one, the control group, to rehearse to their own methods, while conducting group twos rehearsal processes myself, giving them tasks similar to those set by Stanislavski to his own pupils. After the groups had had the same period of time to rehearse, I wanted to invite an audience to watch their performances. The audie nce were to be given a questionnaire after the performances, asking which groups interpretation of the scenario they found more convincing and realistic. I intended to film both sets of rehearsal processes in order to put together a short documentary. The results of the audience questionnaire were intended to ascertain whether Stanislavskis rehearsal methods have a real influence on making modern day performance more realistic. In order for this experiment to work, I firstly had to create an idea. Originally, I devised a script which revolved around the issue of teenage pregnancy, which is a growing concern in todays society. The script included four gender specific characters, and I intended to have both groups perform the same piece; one using Stanislavskis techniques, and the others using generic rehearsal processes. Having written the short play, and talked briefly to the children at the theatre, it became apparent that there was more interest in the workshop than I had expected. Another problem with using a script would have been that the audience would have watched the same piece twice, and would be comparing the actors individual performances as opposed to the believability of the pieces. Since it would have been unfair of me to cast the roles, I instead decided to take a different approach in order to include everyone. I devised a scenario, again based around a teenage pregnancy, that each group wou ld be able to use as the core of their piece of drama. They would then devise the rest of their plays alone. This meant that each group could incorporate a flexible amount of participants, and ensured two unique, original performances. With my idea in mind, I next needed to devise some Stanislavski-based rehearsal techniques for my group to use during their preparation for the production. Keeping the themes of Given Circumstances and the Magic If, Emotional Memory, and Units and Objectives in mind, I devised three rehearsal techniques specifically tailored to Stanislavskis ideals. With these techniques devised, I had to actually carry out the rehearsal and performances. In order to do this, I would need a space, two groups of actors, a party of responsible adults with CRB checks and an audience. I contacted the chairman of the theatre and booked myself a studio performance room for Saturday the 3rd of April. I then sent out letters to the actors involved with the Nonentities Youth Theatre. The letters outlined the project and the experimental side of the day, offered the chance to look at the technical side of theatre, and asked for a response. I received 18 positive responses back, which was many more than the ori ginal 12 participants I had in mind, making the scenario idea far more usable. I then had to split the actors into two different groups, a control group, who would direct themselves, and the experimental group, who I would direct using Stanislavskis methods. The groups needed to be equally weighted with talent, as it was important to make this experiment as fair as possible by not allowing acting ability to throw it. I therefore split the actors into groups myself, aiming to balance the ages in each group while placing responsible actors I could trust to work independently in the control group, and actors open to co-operation and willing to listen in the Stanislavski group. The Independent Variable of this study was whether Stanislavskis methods were applied to rehearsals, and the Dependant Variable was whether the performance was more believable based on the rehearsal method used. My hypothesis was: The techniques used in rehearsal will have an affect on the performance given. I experienced my first problem of the day when the actors arrived in the morning. Shortly before the workshop was to take place, a letter had been sent to all members of the youth theatre outlining the need for a new leader and the cancellation of sessions until another letter was sent out. It became apparent that many of the actors who had wished to be a part of the workshop had assumed that it, too, was cancelled, so the final number of actors I had to work with was just 10. Although I had to adjust the group list, the smaller number of participants made the day as a whole more intimate, and the group sizes more manageable, so I feel it was a beneficial circumstance. Once everybody had signed in, I conducted a brief warm-up, asking all members to think of the way different characters moved and spoke in real life, asking them to act believably, not just as caricatures. I then split up the actors into groups, and chose the two girls who I felt would be most capable of acting the par t of the pregnant teenager. I asked both groups to create a piece of drama focussing around the pregnancy that would last between 10 and 15 minutes, and I gave each group a list of criteria that they must adhere to, including aspects such as using the younger members in the younger roles, including a number of monologues from different characters, and that they must write down the decisions made in early rehearsal. I told the control group that they were allowed to use music, and dramatic techniques such as physical theatre and freeze frames, while the Stanislavski group had to endeavour to make their characters and circumstances applicable to real life, and were told not to use out-of-place techniques like freeze framing. The video was set to record as the groups split up into two different rooms, and I allowed the control group to keep to themselves for the majority of the day, while I worked with the Stanislavski group, asking them to use my previously-prepared rehearsal techniqu es. The first technique I gave them was designed to support Given Circumstances and the Magic If. I asked each group to use the first stages of rehearsal to create mind-maps around the pieces of drama. Whilst the control groups map outlined the storyline, the Stanislavski group were asked to spend an hour and a half fleshing out their characters, and the relationships and links between them. They gave each character a name and an age, they wrote about their beliefs and opinions, and decided upon how their characters met. Each actor developed a detailed history for their character, pulling from personal experience and their imaginations to create steady backgrounds. These are aspects relating to Given Circumstances and the Magic If because they invite the participants to firstly realise the Circumstances the script gives them, and secondly to flesh out their characterisation by putting their characters in different situations through use of the Magic If. The second technique I devised related to Emotion Memory. I used this technique when working with the actress playing the pregnant girl. We applied it to the scene in which she is told that the test is positive. I asked her to think about a time when she felt lost, and perhaps didnt have anybody she could talk to about it because nobody had been in that position before her. She talked of a time when her parents were going through a messy divorce, and she felt cut of from the both of them. She spoke openly and freely, and answered my questions honestly. As time went by, she was drawn further and further into her memory and the emotions that were present at that time, so that when I finally asked her to begin talking from her characters perspective, her acting became real. She didnt need to fake the tears, because she was filled with the emotion her character was filled with. The third technique was designed to compliment Units and Objectives. Once the actors had created their storyline, I asked them to divide it up into scenes, so that it was as close to a normal scripted piece of drama as possible. We talked about each of their characters, and what their Super-Objectives would be. The actors decided upon everyones objectives as a group, which brought a deeper level of understanding to the piece. They decided that the fathers Super-Objective would be to protect his children, while Rosie, the pregnant daughter, aimed to face her future head on. I then asked each actor to divide up the play into their own Units, focussing on the shifts in emotion. This process proved difficult for the younger members of the group, so the group as a whole helped them to identify their Units. There proved a great variety in the amount of Units in the piece for each character; while the pregnant girl had almost one per scene, the father had only two. Furthermore, the switch b etween Units for him came suddenly in the middle of his monologue, which was right at the end of the piece- before then his character had wanted the same thing throughout. I asked the group to physically improvise the scenes they had written about, and to stop the action when they encountered their obstacles. Once they had all found their obstacles, they were asked to continue acting while finding a way to overcome this obstacle- their action. I then asked them if they had noticed the other actors actions in the scene, so that everybody was aware of the decisions their group was making.This in-depth workshop class on Units and Super-Objectives made the young actors aware and knowledgeable in the field, while also allowing them to know their characters inside out by knowing what they want, and how they might go about achieving it. A couple of hours before the performances were scheduled to begin, I took notes on the rehearsal processes of both groups. The control group had included an omniscient narrator who could stop the action and introduce new characters. The narrator sat in the middle of the piece throughout the majority of the action, until the final scene where he became an involved character. A narrator is generally used to create a sense of dramatic irony, where the audience gain knowledge that the characters dont yet know. However, this type of narration is rarely set within the piece itself, more often a voice over or such like. It is also unrealistic that the narrator, who is generally removed from and neutral to the action, suddenly become real life and jump into the scene. The group also used a split-screen technique to enable them to show two different apartments at the same time, which is effective to the audience but unrealistic, as while action is playing out in one space, the characters in t he other must be frozen. This creation of freeze-framing is difficult to hold for long periods of time, and does not occur in a genuine situation. Another technique they used was audience-participation, where one member of their cast sat in the audience until the final moments of the play, where she rose, walked across the stage, took out her mobile and called the police. I concluded that the control group had included various aspects of performance which were designed to make the action more interesting to the audience, and add the element of surprise, but were not designed to look or feel realistic. They had spent only half an hour mind-mapping their decisions, and talked about their other decisions while physically rehearsing. The Stanislavski group spent an hour and a half developing their characters, and another hour developing their storyline, so they ended up with four A3 sheets of paper detailing their entire performance. They used only one location, the teenagers bedroom, so that there was never a set change needed, because it would interrupt the storyline and distract the audience. The groups monologues were delivered to a person, as opposed to the audience, so that the barrier between the audience and the characters stayed strong. Had the actors been talking to the audience, their speeches would have seemed less realistic. After five hours of rehearsal, it was time for the final performances. Each actor had been asked to invite some family members or friends, and members of the theatre came along to participate too. Each audience also included the actors from the other group, making the final audience figure 19 members. I watched the performances, but didnt participate in the questionnaire, as I would have been biased toward the Stanislavski group. I introduced the pieces, and talked about the work the actors had undertaken over the day. The audience werent told which group was the control group, and which group was the Stanislavski group, until both performances had finished, meaning that they couldnt be biased in favour of Stanislavski either. I also asked them to be open minded, and not answer the questionnaire in favour of the production their child was associated with, telling them they were judging my direction, not the individual actors talent. The audience watched the control group first, and w ere given time to fill out their questionnaires while we set up the stage for the Stanislavski group. After both performances had finished, I thanked everybody for taking part and collected in the questionnaires. Having extrapolated my results, it became apparent that there was a general feeling that the Stanislavski production was more believable. When asked was the main storyline believable, 66% of the audience thought that the control groups piece was a dramatised and exaggerated version of real life, while 95% thought that the Stanislavski groups piece could credibly happen in real life. Having worked extensively with the pregnant character from the Stanislavski group, I was pleased that 42% of the audience thought that she portrayed the pregnancy flawlessly, while a further 42% felt that she portrayed it very well, while in the control group, these percentages combined only reached 44%. I asked the audience to rate how believable they felt the overall performances were, and 56% rated the control groups performance at an 8/10 or higher, while 94% rated the Stanislavski performance at an 8/10 or higher. Overall, it is evident that the Stanislavski groups performance was more widely believe d. It is important to note that the effectiveness of the performances given may not be entirely down to the methods of rehearsal used. Although I tried to make the experiment as fair as possible by attempting to make the rehearsal methods the only variable, other extraneous variables may have had an affect on the final results. For example, since there were fewer participants than planned, I had to shuffle the groups a little. This meant that the control group had two of the younger members in their piece, while the Stanislavski group had four older members. The younger members of the theatre are less experienced and therefore dont have as many creative ideas to bring to the mix. It is also apparent that almost half of the audience were family members of the younger actors, meaning that they are liable to vote in favour of their childs piece as they are proud to see them on stage. Although I asked the audience to keep an open mind, they may have been bias towards their family or friends , and this is a factor which could have affected the final results. At the beginning of my project, I asked myself What is Stanislavskis Method of acting, and how far has it influenced modern day performance? Having undertaken a considerable amout of research on Stanislavski and his methods, it became easier for me to define them, and to easily distinguish the difference between his teachings, and those of other practitioners. I found that Stanislavskis method of acting is largely based around the actors own interpretation of the character, aiming to keep the emotion real. I found that Stanislavski wanted the audience to connect with both the storyline and the characters, and he achieved this connection by keeping th acting real, thus allowing the audience to connect empathetically. Having created an experiment to see whether Stanislavski did indeed influence modern day performance, I found that the audience were effected by the group that used the Stanislavskian rehearsal techniques, so much so that one person wrote on the bottom of their questionna ire that their performance actually brought tears to my eyes. While researching, I came across a website [9] where Jeni Whittaker (1999) argues that Stanislavski is rightly called the father of modern theatre, his System of acting became the backbone of twentieth century theatre craft. Nearly all other practitioners use him as a starting point, either to build from or to react against. This substantiates my initial hypothesis that Stanislavski has a major influence on modern day theatre. In conclusion, I feel that Stanislavski has an extended influence on modern day theatre. Audiences of today wish not to be challenged or alienated, but to see characters they can relate to on the stage, and the majority of theatre today follows this teaching, whether the director realises he is adhering to Stanislavskis theory or otherwise. Furthermore, when watching two similar pieces of drama, it became apparent that the audience are more drawn towards that which used Stanislavskis rehearsal techn iques because the characters and storyline were portrayed in a true to life manner. I found that Stanislavski is not only used in theatre, as many famous screen actors choose his methods when getting into character. I feel that the world is exposed to Stanislavskis teachings more than it realises, and therefore the influence of Stanislavski on modern day acting is significantly higher than I believed when I began the project. References: Source unknown, Stanislavski. Brecht (1949). A Short Organum for the Theatre, paragraph 55. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica (2010). Stanislavsky method. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online; Retrieved February 22, 2010, from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563178/Stanislavsky-method Source unknown, Stanislavski. Stanislavski (1937). An Actor Prepares, (reprinted 1988) United Kingdom: Methuen Drama LTD. Harry Governick for TheatrGROUP. (1992). An Interview with Shelly Winters; Retrieved February 22, 2010, from http://www.theatrgroup.com/Shelley Peter Oyston, How to use the Stanislavski System DVD(2004). Retrieved (via YouTube) April 12, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhggaEuJj8 Shakespeare (1973). Romeo and Juliet, from The Complete Works of Shakespeare- The Alexander Text. London and Glasgow: Collins. Jeni Whittaker for DramaWorks. Stanislavski through Practice (1999) Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.dramaworks.co.uk/stanislavski.html

Jack’s Transformation in Jack and the Beanstalk Essay -- Jack and the

Jack and the Beanstalk – Jack’s Transformation  Ã‚  Ã‚      "Jack and the Beanstalk" is an example of a Buildungsroman. As the tale progresses, Jack evolves from an immature person into a mature, self-assertive person. While minor differences exist in various versions of the tale, such as those between Joseph Jacobs' and Horace Elisha Scudder's versions, the tale can always be read as Jack's quest for maturity. Some critics, however, analyze the tale as one in which Jack remains spoiled and immature. While they make points which support their claims, careful analysis of the tale will reveal that Jack's struggle to grow up and to achieve maturity is representative of the difficult process of adolescent (especially male) maturation and the process of adolescent socialization.            Some critics, as previously stated, maintain that Jack does not mature or learn any lesson during the tale. For example, Nell B. Byers writes that Jack is "a fellow who makes what would not be thought of as a prudent investment; who is not above trickery in outwitting the giant's wife; who steals the giant's treasures; and who, having killed the giant, lives with his mother happily ever afterward in affluence" (26). Byers' statement would lead one to believe that Jack does not change very much. Granted, a literal reading of most versions of the tale supports Byers' statements. Jack appears to be an immature, spoiled brat, or worse. Yet, a deeper reading is required to fully understand the tale's meaning.            Another critic, William Mayne, comments on Jack's lack of maturity and morality in Joseph Jacobs' version of "Jack and the Beanstalk." In this version, Mayne claims that Jack "went up to another land where he had no right to be, and set o... ... Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno. The Use of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977. Byers, Nell B. "Porridge For Goldilocks." Education Digest March 1949: 25-26. Jacobs, Joseph. English Fairy Tales. 3rd ed. New York: Schocken Books, 1967. Mayne, William ed. Book of Giants. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1968. Scudder, Horace Elisha. "Jack and the Beanstalk." The Children's Hour: Folk Stories and Fables. Ed. Eva March Tappen. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1907. 23-33. Utley, Francis Lee. Introduction. Once Upon a Time: On the Nature of Fairy Tales. By Max Luthi. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1970. 14-15. Wolfenstein, Martha. "Jack and the Beanstalk: An American Version." In Childhood in Contemporary Cultures. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1955. 243-45.   

Otto Von Bismarck :: History People Historical Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamerow begins his introduction with a defense of the theory that history is determined by the great people of society or The Great Man Theory of history. He goes on to say that â€Å"They are the makers of the world in which we live. Otto Von Bismarck belongs in this Company.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The controversies surrounding his life still go on between historians today. He is portrayed as a destroyer of liberty and also as a compromiser of liberalism. Some see Bismarck as trying to preserve the old order of Europe. Bismarck worked against liberal plans for unification of Germany but stood proudly in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles as the German Empire he helped to create was proclaimed. Bismarck as man and as statesman has been a point of interests for many history scholars’ interpretations. Bismarck’s empire lasted only 20 years after him. Bismarck believed that armed force was necessary in relations among governments – Blood and Iron his methods. Through three successful wars Bismarck united Germany. With the creation of the 2nd German Reich Germany become the strongest nation on the continent. After the union of the German states Bismarck became an outspoken activist for peace on the continent. Bismarck never succumbed to the te mptation of conquest. Bismarck led the German people to empire but is criticized by not training the nation in self-governing. Bismarck never talked about racial supremacy or unlimited conquest. He believed in a balance of power resting upon the existence of strong nation states. Introduction Evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hamerow’s introduction gives a very good foundation of German history and review of his and others thoughts on Bismarck. He sets up very well a good basis for what the rest of the book will be about. He puts out several different areas of consideration on Bismarck that will later be discussed in the book and keeps it interesting. A Country Squire   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At a young age Bismarck was more interested in his estates and farming than in politics. Even in his later years he kept watch over his estate in Vorzin. It was during these years that he learned to know the land and its people well. This knowledge was to aid him later in his political career. Much of his earlier life was spent on his lands and it is from here that he learned to love Germany. He believed later in life that it was country life that made people more practical and city life took away from life.

Water Imagery in the Works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Ch

Water Imagery in the Works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Chopin, and Marà ­a Luisa Bombal â€Å"’The pouring-down rain, the pouring down rain’ –was that what she was saying over and over, like a song?†. Eudora Welty, â€Å"A Piece of News† â€Å" Usually I prefer to stay at the pool because there the river holds a serene and mysterious charm for me†. (Por regla general yo prefiero quedarme en la toma, porque es alla en donde el rio tiene para mi aquel encanto sereno y misterioso). Teresa de la Parra, Iphigenia (The Diary of a Young Lady Who Wrote Because She Was Bored) (Ifigenia (Diario de una seà ±orita que se escribà ³ porque se fastidiaba)) â€Å" The voice of the sea speaks to the soul†. Kate Chopin, The Awakening â€Å" And like this, naked and golden, I dive into the water† (Y asi, desnuda y dorada, me sumerjo en el estanque). Marà ­a Luisa Bombal, The Final Mist (La à ºltima niebla) Water imagery occurs repeatedly in the works of Eudora Welty, Teresa de la Parra, Kate Chopin, and Marà ­a Luisa Bombal suggesting that it is intimately connected with the inner worlds of the female protagonists in these stories. The storm dramatizes Ruby’s death fantasy in â€Å"A Piece of News† by Eudora Welty. The river provides a place for Marà ­a Eugenia to express herself in Iphigenia (The Diary of a Young Lady Who Wrote Because She Was Bored) (Ifigenia (Diario de una senorita que se escribo porque se fastidiaba)) by Teresa de la Parra. The sea elicits Edna’s deepest desires in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and the mist triumphs over the nameless narrator’s attempt to escape death in The Final Mist (La à ºltima niebla) by Marà ­a Luisa Bombal. According to Carl Gustav Jung, water is the commonest symbol for the unco... ...h. Furthermore, Jung’s explanation of water as â€Å"carnality heavy with passion† is linked with life, or the conception of children. However passion is also linked with death, because extreme passion is traditionally linked with sinfulness, which leads us to death rather than to eternal life in the Christian tradition (Archetypes 19). Jung also writes of â€Å"the longing to attain rebirth through the return to the mother’s womb† and the idea that the mother’s womb is described using water imagery (207). Water thus links death, passion, birth, and life. But for the protagonists in these stories, these forces are somewhat out of sync. Failures of individuation, and the completion of transformational journeys which lead to madness, resignation, and death point to an inability of the characters to reconcile their wants and needs with their actual lives.

Financial Ratio and Costco

Acct Info for Decision Making Project on Costco Wholesale Corp. Costco Group 2012 History & Background Founded by  James (Jim) Sinegl  and  Jeffrey H. Brotman,  Costco opened its first warehouse in  Seattle, Washington, on September 15, 1983. Sinegal had started in wholesale distribution by working forSol Price  at both  FedMart  and  Price Club. Brotman, an  attorney  from an old Seattle retailing family, had also been involved in retail distribution from an early age. Wal-Mart  founder  Sam Walton  had plans to merge  Sam's Club  with Price Club.In 1993, however, Costco merged with Price Club (called  Club Price  in the Canadian province of  Quebec). Costco's business model and size were similar to those of Price Club, which was founded by Sol and Robert Price in 1976 in San Diego, California. Thus, the combined company, PriceCostco, was effectively double the size of each of its parents. Just after the merger, PriceCostco had 206 locations gen erating $16  billion in annual sales. PriceCostco was initially led by executives from both companies, but then Sol and his son Robert Price founded Price Enterprises and left Costco in December 1994.In 1993, when growing competition threatened both Price Club and Costco Wholesale, they entered into a partial merger just after Price’s earnings dropped to 40%. The new company, named PriceCostco, Inc. , focused heavily on international expansion, opening stores in Mexico, South Korea, and England. Despite best efforts to recover losses, sales continued to drop. Disagreement between the two leaders, Robert Price and Jim Sinegal, regarding company direction and recovery policies soon left the merger in tatters.In 1994, the breakup was formally announced. Sinegal continued to manage PriceCostco while Price’s breakaway company was named as Price Enterprises. The first Price Club location was opened in 1976 in an old airplane hangar,  previously owned by  Howard Hughes, and is still in operation today (Warehouse No. 401, located on Morena Boulevard in San Diego). In 1997, the company changed its name to Costco Wholesale and all Price Club locations were rebranded Costco. As of December 011, the Company operated a chain of 598 warehouses in 40 states and Puerto Rico (433 locations), nine Canadian provinces (82 locations), the United Kingdom (22 locations), Korea (seven locations), Taiwan (eight locations, through a 55%-owned subsidiary), Japan (eleven locations), Australia (three locations), and 32 warehouses in Mexico through a 50%-owned joint venture. Financial Highlights Net Revenue Year| 2012| 2011| 2010| Costco Net Revenue| 12,314,000| 11,176,000| 9,951,000| (Currency in USD) The net revenue of COST increase every year, it was a good sign.Year| 2012| 2011| 2010| Costco Net Income| 1,709,000  | 1,462,000| 1,303,000| (Currency in USD) COST did better in the following two years. And COST had most 40. 6 thousand dollars increase from 2011 to 201 2. Total Assets Year| 2012| 2011| 2010| Costco Total Assets| 27,140,000  | 26,761,000  | 23,815,000  | Costco Total Liabilities| 14,779,000  Ã‚  | 14,759,000| 12,986,000  | (Currency in USD) The total assets and liability of COST shows that the company purchased a lot of assets on its credit during these three years. That might be not a good sign, because COST might not have enough cash.Earnings per Share Year| 2012| 2011| 2010| Costco EPS| 3. 89| 3. 3| 2. 92| It’s increasing in every years. It means COST are profiting during every years so that they can paying the EPS. Financial Ratios Analysis Profitability Ratios 1. Return on Assets (ROA) Year| 2011| 2010| 2009| Costco| 5. 78%| 5. 69%| 5. 09%| Return on assets ratio is calculated by dividing net income by average total assets. Return on assets represents the cents in profits for every dollar of assets. This measures how efficiently and effectively the company uses its assets to generate profits.These numbers tell the ability of Costco to make profit. Costco has a positive net income so that its ROA is increasing past 3 years. 2. Return on Equity (ROE) Year| 2011| 2010| 2009| Costco| 12. 81%| 12. 50%| 11. 31%| The Return of Equity is calculated by dividing net profit by total shareholders’ equity. Return on equity measures a corporation's profitability by revealing how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders. The number above shows that Costco is with stable growth in past 3 years, however, ROE ;15% that will attract more investors to invest.Effectiveness Ratios 3. Asset Turnover Year| 2011| 2010| 2009| Costco| 3. 52| 3. 40| 3. 35| Asset turnover  is calculated as sales divided by average total assets. It measures  a firm's efficiency on using its assets to generate sale. The higher assets turnover is, tells the better the company does. Costco’s assets turnover tells us that it did a better job in 2011 because the ratio increased 0. 12 compared with 2010 which only grew about 0. 05. 4. Inventory Turnover Year| 2011| 2010| 2009| Costco| 12. 67| 12. 31| 11. 94| Inventory turnover is calculated as COGS divided by average inventory.It measures how many times per year the company sells its inventory. Firms with a low cost strategy want a high inventory turnover, while firms with a differentiation strategy will experience a lower inventory turnover. The ratios for Costco are increasing during the three years, and Costco seems to have done a better job in selling their inventory because it sells its inventory faster and faster. Liquidity Ratios 5. Current Ratio Year| Aug. , 2011| Aug. , 2010| Aug. , 2009| Costco| 1. 14| 1. 16| 1. 11| The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities.This ratio measure if a firm has enough in current assets to cover his current liabilities. The current ratios for Costco have gone up during 2009-2010, and decreased during 2010-2011. However, the ratio is greater than 1 which means Costco has enough assets to cover his current liabilities. 6. Quick Ratio Year| Aug. , 2011| Aug. , 2010| Aug. , 2009| Costco| 0. 55| 0. 56| 0. 49| The quick ration is calculated by dividing the sum of cash, account receivable and short-term investment by current liabilities. As with the current ration, an analyst would want to see a minimum of one for the quick ratio.However, the number above shows that Costco’s quick ratio is under 1, which means that Costco is not doing well on its job. It might because Costco has a too big liability to its business or Costco has a less current asset to cover its liabilities. Solvency ratios 7. Long-Term Debt to Assets Year| Aug. , 2011| Aug. , 2010| Aug. , 2009| Costco| 0. 05| 0. 09| 0. 10| The long-term debt to assets is calculated by dividing long-term debt by total assets. This tells us that if a firm can pay its long-term debt. If a firm does not a ability to pay off its long-term debt, shareholder might be left with nothing.The lower long-term debt is the better ability a firm has to pay its debt. Costco is doing well by keeping the long-term debt ratio (average) around 0. 08, which means its assets will be enough to pay the long-term debt. 8. Debt to Equity Year| Aug. , 2011| Aug. , 2010| Aug. , 2009| Costco| 0. 10| 0. 20| 0. 22| The debt to equity is calculated as dividing total liabilities by total shareholder equity. It tests the ability of the firm to cover its interest payment. The higher the ratio is, the lower the likelihood of default.Costco’s debt to equity ratio is quite stable around 0. 10-0. 22 during 2009-2011. Summary According to Costco's 2011 annual report, the Costco Wholesale has a growing rate in making profits. It is one of the largest retailer stores in the global market. Unlike most retail operations, it has built its model around providing only what people want to buy quickly or in volumes that make up for its discounting practices. As the economy has slowed, the warehouse d iscount strategy has come into focus as the go-to source for both consumers and small business supply needs.Costco and its subsidiary companies are mostly like engaged in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, through majority owned subsidiaries in Taiwan and Korea, and a 50 percent-owned joint venture in Mexico. Costco operates membership warehouses based on the concept that offering member’s low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories will produce high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover, management said in a recent filing.Here are the competitive advantages and disadvantages for Toyota based on our research data and analysis: Competitive Advantages: * Know their customer: Costco goes after a certain type of customer: small business owners who are status conscious and who have money to spend on bargain-priced premium ite ms like Dom Perpignan champagne, luxury watches and tech gadgets. * Deliver bigger value, not just lower prices: Costco doesn’t just offer low prices, it offers exceptional bargains on elegant, Treat customer service as an investment, not a cost to be shed: Costco has been criticized by some Wall Street analysts for their high labor costs –and Costco does pay their employees quite well Costco Wholesale SWOT Analysis Strengths: Costco Wholesale offers its customers and consumers lowest prices on a wide range of national and international branded products and goods, in a wide arrange of merchandise categories. The products and services of the Costco Wholesale are reliable as the company deals in best available quality products at competitive prices.The company pays attention to details and has various strengths that add to its success. These factors include rapid turnover of the inventory, running an efficient operating structure, reduced cost of handling of merchandise and generation of high sales volume at each of its store. Costco Wholesale gives preferences to it customers and provides them best value for the money. Weaknesses: Costco’s business conditions constantly change because external and internal forces make other business participants to alter their actions.The driving forces in this sector are the major underlying causes changing business and competitive conditions. Operating on a large scale means difficulty in bringing changes to grass root levels Opportunities Costco Wholesale is one of the first companies to have a growing acceptance of internet shopping. Costco created a website in the United States as well as website in Canada to be more effective and competitive in the internet market. The company is constantly working to make its distribution channels stronger and enter new potential markets.By offering value and working more towards developing a strong loyal customer base the company can gain more market share. Threats Warehouse clubs not only compete in one sector or market but it competes with a wide range of other types of retailers which include Wal-Mart Dollar General, supermarkets, general merchandise chains, specialty chains, fuel stations and internet retailers. Their competitiveness changes because the different types of products they deal in. Due to its tremors growth and growing market share, the company has caught the attention of many of the market leaders and its competitors.The industry of wholesale has a number of individual companies that are highly competitive and have very effective strategies. They have developed loyal customer bases and everyone is relentlessly fighting for the greatest market share. Costco’s major competitors include Wal-Mart. Recommendation 1. Develop more types of the products. The Costco involved every kind of products in the store, but we can see there are just few types of each product, so the optional become less and less.Every customer wants to the lower price at Costco, but they still want to have more choices on each product. And every single product just has the biggest packet so that it may cause to the waste. So the member of the Costco doesn’t have any choices to select the same product, such as the size, color and so on. 2. Improve the quality of the products. The strategy of Costco is the right products in the right place for the right price, but the right price should be with the good quality, but some customers said the quality of the clothes is not good.We cannot deny that most of the products have the good quality, but the company should check on every product, or just a little customers' unsatisfaction will influence all the customer's choice. 3. Increase the amount of the stores. The company has 600 locations wide world. In US, there are 433 locations. As an international global company, Costco should develop more location out of the United States so that it can open a new market in the world. For othe r countries, the customers are still inconvenient to purchase in the Costco. It will decrease the confidence of Costco's members.The Costco's strategy is the right products in the right place for the right price. If the members of other countries doubt the right place, the strategy will be broken. 4. Reduce the prices of some products. The company guarantees the low price and most of the products are, but we still can see a lot of products are more expensive compare to other stores, especially Jewelry. For most customers can understand that the high quality with the high price, but the huge amount of numbers, such as 12,234. 99 will make the members confuse to the strategy of the company