Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Book review - Essay Example ‘Still alive’ opposes all the simple assumption about history. Kluger’s experience was a popular when produced in the creative German, gaining a big status and technical acclaim. The Holocaust survivor had spent her time in three concentration camps as a young teenager; she was helped by her mother to translate her book into other language versions in order for the whole world to read about her story. Her mother got her first book accidentally and translated it in English and this was after kluger’s friend sends the book to her as a gift. Luckily her story of Vienna’s darkest hour did not fail. She tried to remember her childhood memories, where she creates a tale equal to the miseries that the entire human nature is able to do. Keen to her step-by-step experiences has opened the entire women fraternity the knowledge about their abilities and rights in the current global existence. Her face off with conflicts never ended with frustrations as a young Jew in Vienna, neither the brutality of the Theresienstadt and Auschwitz-Birkenau camps nor the university institutions in German. This is where her state of a being female was heavily undermined in the male superior society. Conflicts accompanied her to the post-war New York, where she was criticized by the earlier generation of immigrants for her opposition to adopt the American culture Kluger in her life she faced the negative side of the real life situation but her intellectual love made her appreciate anything that occurred. This acted as her survival tool during those times. This one of the best reason to compel one to read the Still Alive story of Kluger. Here is when she goes by her opinion of identity creation from which she perceives her way into the life. This should be a driving force for women to venture into life situations without fear. In her book, ‘Unterwegs Verloren a story line that can take readers to a young

Plato’s The Republic Essay Example for Free

Plato’s The Republic Essay All philosophers write about something to address a particular issue which they feel need to be addressed.   The same is true in Plato’s The Republic.   Considering the political and social situation during 360 B.C.E, Plato was concerned about the deteriorating condition of Greece.   To be more particular, he was extremely concerned about the fate of his teacher, Socrates. Socrates was tried, and subsequently sentenced to death, for a crime that he did not commit.   Plato was also apprehensive about the individualist philosophy advocated by a famous group of philosophers called Sophists.    For the Sophists, the standard of what is good or evil depended on man alone without regard for the universal concepts of morality and justice. The individualist philosophy of the Sophists has affected the morals of the Greeks, to wit: â€Å"Sophistic teaching of the ethics of self-satisfaction resulted in the excessive individualism also induced the citizens to capture the office of the State for their own selfish purpose and eventually divided Athens in to two hostile camps of rich and poor, oppressor and oppressed. Evidently, these two factors amateur needlesomeness and excessive individualism became main targets of Platos attack.†   (Bhandari 2) Plato found a solution to free the society from the individualist philosophy of the Sophists.   This can be found in his book The Republic where Plato, speaking through his teacher Socrates, discussed the concepts of a just state and a just individual. According to Plato, Justice is â€Å"the minding of one’s own business and not meddling with other men’s concerns† (Book 4, The Republic).   He also said that Justice is Harmony.   (Book 4, The Republic)   In the same manner, there is injustice when a person does not mind his own business or minds other person’s business.   There is also injustice when there is discord and disharmony. In explaining the concept of Justice, Plato made two (2) analogies: his analogy on the parts of the state and the structure of the soul.   He argued that justice may exist not just in the state but also in the individual and that there is a relationship between a just state and a just individual. Plato argues that the state is formed because no individual is self sufficient.   He needs the help of other members of the society to perform some function of which he has no knowledge or expertise.   The continued existence of the society is dependent upon the individuals who specialize in the performance of certain affairs of the state.   Plato thus divided the state into three types of people: the workers, soldiers and the rulers each of which performs a particular function for the good of the whole society.   According to Kemerling, the orderly functioning of the state will depend on the separation of functions and the specialization of their individual tasks.   (Kemerling, p. 1). For example, the workers are those best suited to perform a particular labor for example the farmers, builders, weavers and laborers.   The soldiers are those people who are best suited to fight and defend the state against its aggressors.   The rulers on the other hand are those who possess wisdom and have the capacity to rule.   Plato considered that in an Ideal State each of these three kinds of people limit themselves to the performance of their functions.   A person who has the skill of a farmer should not be allowed to lead the state otherwise anarchy will result within the state.   An intellectual who is born to lead does not have the skill to build houses for the state. A person who has the skill in combat cannot be allowed to make laws for the state.   In addition, a just state is when each of the class possesses certain virtue: the working class possesses the virtue of temperance, the soldiers possess courage and the rulers possess wisdom.   Thus, according to Plato, â€Å"And a State was thought by us to be just when the three classes in the State severally did their own business; and also thought to be temperate and valiant and wise by reason of certain other affections and qualities of these same classes?† One may ask, who is a just man for Plato?   Plato’s concept of a just man is similar to his concept of a just state because essentially the same three divisions which exist in the state also exist in the individual.   If the society is divided into three (3) classes of persons, a person’s soul is likewise divided into three categories.   Plato made this analogy because he also believed that that the three parts of the human soul corresponds to the three classes of persons in the state. If it is better for a state that those who possess skill in manual labor to work and for those who possess skill in fighting to defend the state and for the intellectuals to lead the state, it is also better for the individual to control the desires of the other parts of the soul. If the society is divided into three groups of people, the soul is likewise divided into three parts, the appetitive, the spirited and the rational.   The appetitive is the part that hungers for worldly pleasures and wants and feels many things.   It is the part of the soul that yearns for wealth, power and material pleasures. Thus, the craving to eat burgers despite its hazards to health is a sign that a person gives in to the desires of the appetitive soul.   A person who decides to cut class to watch a movie or to play games also gives in to the appetitive soul.  Ã‚   For Plato, the goal of an individual is to develop the virtue of temperance and self-control. The spirited soul is the part of the soul that aims to carry out the dictates of reason.   It is the execution of whatever the intellect has determined to be the best for the person.   When a manager despite knowing that an employee is causing problems to the company because of his lack of professionalism fails to make the decision of terminating him, his spirited soul is considered weak.   For Plato, it is important for an individual to develop courage so that this part of the soul is controlled. The rational part is the thinking part which has the capacity to determine what is real and what are illusions or what is true and what is false or what should be done and what should not be done.   The rational part is also the part of the soul which makes the balanced decisions the purpose of which is the protection of its own interest and welfare.   When a person until now could not decide whom to vote for president of the United States, he is deemed to lack the rational soul.   When a person until could not decide whether to continue going to college, then his rational soul is weak. If justice in the state is to be attained by the three classes of individuals each performing their own function, justice in the individual person is to be attained by having temperance, courage, and wisdom. (Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World, p.72)   A person must have temperance and he is expected to be able to control his desire for worldly pleasures.   A person must also be able to distinguish between pleasures of the flesh and pleasures of the spirit.   The former is short-lived while the latter is eternal.   A person is also expected to have courage.   He must be able to take action and stand by his actions no matter how difficult it may be.   He must be able to take the risk.   A person must also develop wisdom so that he may know what is best for himself. According to Plato, justice can only be attained if every part of the soul is working in harmony with each other.   A person’s desire for wealth should not cloud his judgment.   A manager’s friendly relationship with a colleague should not hinder him from making the right decision.  Ã‚  Ã‚   A just man is therefore someone who can control the worldly pleasures and is able to discipline himself such that he does not submit himself to the wishes of his appetitive soul. Plato thus advocated self-mastery and discipline.   Ã‚  In controlling the appetitive soul, the rational soul is expected to ally with the spirited soul.  Ã‚   A person is also expected to be able to execute his decision.   He may have all the knowledge and wisdom in the world but if he cannot apply his knowledge to the practical world, then the person is also committing an injustice. In the end, the â€Å"justness† or the â€Å"injustness† of an individual will be determined based on how each of the different parts of the soul is able to relate with each other.   Thus Plato states that: â€Å"It will be the business of reason to rule with wisdom and forethought on behalf of the entire soul; while the spirited element ought to act as its subordinate ally.   The two will be brought into accord, as we said earlier, by that combination of mental and bodily training which will tune up one string of the instrument and relax the other, nourishing the reasoning part on the study of noble literature and allaying the other’s wildness by harmony and rhythm.† (Book 4, The Republic)

Inspectors questions Essay Example for Free

Inspectors questions Essay Eric is not even as caring as Gerald was, he abused his power as a man, taking advantage of her vulnerability and getting her pregnant. He then proceeded to try and make up for his wrong doing by stealing money from his fathers business to help support her. On finding out what he was doing, Eva refused the money and disappeared from Erics life forever.  Mrs Birling was the second to last to have her involvement with Eva Smith revealed by the inspectors questions. Being a lady married to a Birling she had already used her name to have herself made a chairman of a charity committed to helping women in trouble. As a last resort Eva had turned to this charity pleading for help. But after lying to Mrs Birling about her name, instead calling herself Mrs Birling. Mrs Birling was already prejudiced against her case, and made sure that Eva Smith received no help from the charity. She was in a position of social responsibility that she could abuse only thinking about her own name being used unauthorised. Priestly chose a wide range of ways that the Birling family affected Eva Smith, so that the audience could see how many different characters could be affecting someones life forever without their even realising it. These actions are such different scenarios for this encounter, but each has its own significance  The behaviour of each family member was under severe scrutiny by the inspector and the individuals actions were all up for judgement. Sheila for one had her happiness destroyed as well as her faith in her family. Each individual was not only under scrutiny by the inspector but by there family as well. There individual behaviours have an affect on Eva in different ways. Mr. Birling and Sheila left her without any form of occupation or income. Eric and Gerald both got involved with her emotionally and Eric left her pregnant whilst Gerald left her heartbroken. Mrs Birling, at the height of social responsibility, leaves her without a home, support, or any from of income, therefore by now she has no one to turn to and in her own opinion no other options but suicide. The Birling plot is superficial and Priestly has merely used this to alert others and get across his points about social responsibility. The inspector is only on one level, he can be seen as an inspector or on another level their own conscience to help make the family admit they are not perfect and do not think about the consequences of there own actions when interacting with others.  Once the Inspector leaves the house and the Birlings find out he was not a registered inspector, they assume because their reputation has suddenly been taken back to it original state that there is absolutely nothing to worry about. But Eric and Sheila are not so eager to forget and find their parents attitude amazing as well as become concerned that they have not learned anything from this episode. By revealing the involvement of the several characters the theme that social responsibility should not be abused is reinforced.  All other factors such as the inspector and Eva Smith can be forgotten but one fact remains and that is that all of them have been inconsiderate and selfish in their treatment of Eva Smith. Which could easily have resulted how the inspector described, a death by drinking disinfectant on the way to the infirmary.  So, priestly explores the issue of social responsibility using this theme and idea, which is reinforced, by the use of several characters under different circumstances. This play was written in 1945 within a week of world war two ending but set in the year of 1912. This was Priestlys way of expressing a sense of urgency which he thought necessary to pass on to society so that they would not forget what had just transpired and take heed. It is his way of expressing his socialist views.  To explore the issues of social responsibility within this play, Priestly has thought about the plot structure and how he has chosen to set out his dialogue. It is clearly divided into three acts. The first act is the initiation of the play. Its opens and immediately we are told who the characters are, the Birlings, where they are, in a large suburban house, and what they are doing, celebrating the engagement of Sheila Birling to Gerald Croft Gerald I am going to tell you frankly, without any pretences that your engagement to Sheila means an awful lot to me.  We instantly establish that this is a seemingly perfect family that have a good and stable life. There is nothing here to warn us of the shock of the inspectors visit. In this first act we are soon informed a long with the Birlings and Gerald Croft that a young girl, named Eva Smith has committed suicide, by an inspector who arrives shortly after Mr.Birling issues advice to his children and son-in-law to be. Our attention is being focussed in on the Birlings and it also gets us thinking about how they both have affected someone so badly. So it is here that we begin to think about how they both should have been more socially responsible. There is nothing to allow the audience to be distracted from the central theme so there is no sub-plot; it is a very compact structure.

Enterprise Resource Planning of Nike

Enterprise Resource Planning of Nike Nike was founded by Mr. Phil Knight and his past coach Bill Bowerman in 1964 and they started Blue Ribbon Sports. Knights first shoe was called Tiger and then began distribution of shoes. Blue Ribbon got great success in 1971 and Knight changes the company name Nike. In 1971 it introduced Nikes first brand line. Nike launched its product line in 1979. The new version of its Air shoe which was very successful and it was known as Air Jordan; introduced in 1985. Nike opened its first retail outlet in Portland, Oregon in 1990. In 1991 the company was very successful and its revenue reached USD $3 billion. Company began selling its products directly to customers from its website. Nike is the worlds leading sports and athletic shoes. Nike is the major manufacturer of sports equipment with $18.6 billion USD in the year of 2008. Nike has 30000 employees in worldwide. (Nikebiz:company overview, 2010) Nike Mission Statement To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world * If you have a body, you are an athlete. (nike, 2010) Introduction Nike had generated profits of $97.4 million and its profit dropped down by 50% in February 2001. Nike said that it was because of the failure of supply chain software produced by i2 technologies. Both companies blamed each other. This failure also effected Nikes reputation. The supply chain software was the first segment of NSC (Nike Supply Chain) project from SAP and also customer relationship management software from Siebel System. Analysts pointed out the fault of customization of the software and over demand forecasting. (Koah, 2004) Company successfully implemented (NSC) Nike Supply Chain project by 2004. The (NSC) Nike Supply Chain project is centralized planning moving and manufacturing. At last Nike got success in Implementing ERP and it became the desired approach for those who want to implement the ERP systems in their company. Christopher Koch (Editor of CIO Magazine) stated that If it was easy, everyone would just do it. In the late 1990, most companies avoided to adopt ERP because of the huge cost of ERP systems. (Koch, 2004) The lesson of Nikes failure and subsequent rebound lies in the fact that it had a sound business plan that was widely understood and accepted at every level of the company. Given that resiliency it afforded the company, in the end the i2 failure turned out to be just a speed bump. (Koah, 2004) Products Range Nike has wide range of sports equipment, running shoes, and jerseys and may other products as shown in figure 1. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) ERP entitles a companys information system which can bring more closely the companys departments and functions like human resources, finance and inventories. It also creates the link between customers and producers. Introduction of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Enterprise Resource Planning is the enterprise system tool which manages demand and supply. It has the ability to make link between customers and suppliers. ERP also provides the high degree of integration between purchasing, manufacturing, marketing, sales, logistics and marketing. ERP is the tool which can provide high level of customer services and productivity and also lower the cost. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) Enterprise Resource Planning is a company which increase it sales by 20% because of ERP. The vice president states that ERP has provided the key to becoming a truly global company. Design can be made with the accurate data and with the process that concretes demand and supply across border and oceans. This change is worth billion to us in sales worldwide. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) The Director of ERP For the first time ever, we have a good handle on our future requirements for components raw and materials. When our customer demand changes, weà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ourselves and our suppliersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬can manage changes to our schedules on a very coordinated and controlled basis. I dont see how any company can do effective supply chain management without ERP. (Wallace Kremzar, 2001) Origin of the Term ERP The Enterprise Resource Planning ERP developed from Manufacture Resource Planning (MRP). The ERP was introduced by an analytical firm Garner. Enterprise Resource Planning has all the functions of an enterprise except organisation business or charter. Many organisations like IBM, Dell and HP Microsoft, Intel and many other organisations are now using ERP systems. The ERP systems are typically for large and more broadly based applications although it is also used in small and medium sized businesses. The ERP systems provide standardization, lower maintenance and it can store all data in one database. So, we can say that it has greater reporting capabilities. ERP includes other applications like Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), Financials Resource Management (FRM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Human Resources Management (HRM). (Leon , 2008) Overview of ERP Many organisations choose to implement one part for ERP systems and stand-alone systems for the other ERP applications need to develop an external interface to the other ERP system. Because in an organisation one vendor choose to use human resource management system and the financial system choose another and integration between those systems. It is very common in midsized retailer and the retail sector will have a point of sale (POS) and financial application then they have a specialized application to handle other business requirements like logistics and merchandising. (Leon , 2008) The quality of ERP system is that it provides a single database which contains all the data for the software module also shown in figure 3: Manufacturing Supply Chain Management Financials Projects Human Resources Customer Relationship Management (Leon , 2008) Reasons for Buying ERP Software In these days when the business environment is increasingly complex and highly competitive then the organisations need the IT system which is highly competitive with time management. The organisations need the outstanding performance in their business by utilizing the time in the correct way. Enterprise system utilize the company time correctly. Enterprise Resource Planning is the planning in which the business resources like material, employees and customers moved from one state to another state. An ERP system maintains the data which connects with the business functions like manufacturing, supply chain, Management, finance, human resource, customer relationship management. (Leon , 2008) Reasons of ERP projects Failure Sometimes ERP projects fail if you do not implement them well. There are some of the reasons for the failure of ERP failure. The company selected the wrong software of ERP for the company. The training of employee is also very important and some organisations dont train well their employees. Some software is heavily customized and if these are not match with the companys IT infrastructure then there can be problem. If we do not implement the effective change management strategies then it can be the result of failure of the project. If the business merger leaves out the work in the process then it can be also a big loss.(Glenn, 2008) There are also some factors from where we can achieve the successful ERP projects by selecting the right software for the company. Give the right training to employees. For implementing the ERP we have to manage each approach and utilize the best practices for implementing ERP software. (Starinsky, 2001) I found some important realities about ERP are that there is no perfect ERP system exists. We cannot say that any ERP implementation is ever perfect. If two companies have the same ERP software but the implementation cannot be the same because every company has its own style of implementation. (Leon , 2008) SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Supply Chain Management is a network that is involved buying, making, moving, selling and distribution. (Hugos, 2006)

Texas City Disaster :: Industry Economy History Essays

During the war Texas City became a big industrial center. It had seven petrochemical refineries, two oil pipeline companies and the only tin smelter in the US. The city was growing and expanding. Schools operated in two shifts, just like the chemical plants. The demand for industry was high, but safety standards were still low and inexperienced. the year of 1947 became a crucial event in the memories of the city. On April 16 and 17 a major disaster befallen on the whole population that for many years after could not be forgotten. It all started on a bright and clear morning when the ship in the Texas City Harbor, The Grand camp, full of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, destined for war torn Europe, was on fire. Ammonium nitrate is a highly dangerous and explosive material if it is unsafely used, the same material was used in Oklahoma bombing. Since the fires in the port weren't rare, unfortunately people weren't as alarmed as they should have been. On the contrary those who have noticed the reddish-orange and brown smoke were particularly attracted by the colorful fumes. Kids after school and neighboring pedestrians, rushed to the harbor to watch the fireman use their techniques to put out the fire. Even though that policeman blocked the road with two cars it didn't stop a crowd of more that 400 people assembling. In addition two airplanes with spectators circled in the sky. Previously, shortly after Grand camp docked at the port of Texas City there was smoke detected in No.4 hold where 880 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizers was stocked. Crew members attempted to put out the fire with half filled jug of drinking water and hand-held fire extinguishers. The first call to the fire department was only made half an hour later. The whole situation wasn't taken very seriously in the beginning. One of the officers from the ship that was docked about 200 yards away was even taking pictures of the whole scenario. The fire of Grand camp spread very rapidly and soon it was out of control. Soon 27 out of 50 volunteer fire fighters along with four engines of the Texas City Fire Department arrived at the scene. But there wasn't much they could do, by that time. As soon as the water from the fire hoses hit the hot deck it immediately evaporated. The vice president of the Texas City Terminal Railway phoned a close by chemical plant and asked one of the engineers if it was dangerous to burn ammonium nitrate.

Symbolic Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Alice Walker

Symbolic Analysis of Alice Walker's Everyday Use Alice Walker?s ?Everyday Uses (For Your Grandmother)? is a story about a woman?s struggle with the past and her inability and unwillingness to accept the future. The three main characters in the story are Dee, her younger sister Maggie, and their mother. The story is narrated by the mother in an almost reminiscent manner, and it is on her that the focus of the story centers. Her eldest daughter, Dee, is the first in her family to embrace modernization and to attempt to improve her way of life. Dee?s view of the world and her feelings about developing her own sovereign identity are foreign to Maggie and her mother. The mother has lived her whole life in a manner that Dee simply does not wish to live hers. The mother shows some recognition of this as the story opens and she describes her own life and childhood and compares those of her two girls. The daughters, then, represent to their mother opposing forces in regards to socioeconomic and educational standards of living. Through out her recollection of the story, the girls? mother learns to accept and even appreciate the fact that she and Maggie are resigned to living the only way they have ever known, while Dee has chosen to abandon that legacy and sees it only as a way of life to be honored, not lived. The author?s decision to narrate the story from a first-person point of view allows the reader to gain insight into the mother?s struggle that wouldn?t have been available otherwise. Throughout the beginning of the story, the mother describes both her views of herself and of her daughters. She sees Dee as being superior to both she and Maggie. Dee always gets what she wants, whether it be through her family... ...ally important in life. Dee will always want more. She will never experience the pure joy that Maggie and her mother now share in the knowledge that they may not be the richest or the brightest or the best looking folks, but they are satisfied with what they have. Before she leaves, Dee makes and assertion that is at least partly accurate. She tells Maggie that ?it?s really a new day for us?. She is correct. It is indeed a new day, but not for Dee and Maggie. They have already gone their separate ways. Instead, it is a new day for Maggie and her mother. They now share a love and understanding that they had not known prior to these events. They?ve found an everyday use for their grandmother by forming a bond of love that will hold their family and their heritage together for another generation, not unlike their grandmother was able to do with the pieces of a quilt.

Fun and Murder in Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays

Fun and Murder in Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is a story of hardships, death and ultimately, survival. The island on which the boys are on presented many difficulties. In this situation, there was no time for fun and games, work was much more important. The group consisted completely of pre-pubescent young boys and the thing that destroyed their democratic ways was the allure of having lots of fun, swimming, feasts and other enjoyable activities. If the splitting of the groups, i.e when Ralph and Jack went their separate ways, the bloodshed would have been prevented. But when the decision came to be made, the promise of "..having fun.." from Jack was too much for most of the boys, and that decision they made turned them into the bloodthirsty savages who murdered two innocent boys. In the beginning, when the boys first met and assembled at the platform, the conch was the symbol of power. The person holding the conch always had the attention of everyone. There was a leader, Ralph, who was elected by the children. "Let's have a vote." "Yes!" "Vote for chief!" "Let's vote------" This represented democracy, a government elected for by the whole population and they lived in a classless and tolerant society. There were rules which were to be obeyed by all. Nobody was exempt from them, they were agreed on by all. A fire was lit, to attract the attention of any passing ships or planes, huts were organised to be built. There were many plans for the boys but these weren't fulfilled due to the laziness and incompetence of the small children, the "littl'uns". Huts weren't built deadlines weren't kept. In theory, it was like anarchy. This is when the groups were starting to form, the people who enjoyed living like savages, for example Roger, and those who liked the idea of leadership, having a leader and following his instructions like Piggy. This, in my opinion, is a small-scale resemblance of the real world. If there was no law enforcement, or in Lord of the Flies, adults, people would be just like that. Society would collapse into chaos. The children, although they aren’t mature, they behave exactly as adults would in an environment in which they inhabited. Selfish, greedy always wanting more for themselves and not caring for others.