Norah Jones- Feels Like Home free essay sample

Mellow and enchanting, Norah Jones second CD pulls listeners into a world of awe and peace. In 2002, â€Å"Come Away With Me† earned eight Grammys. The 2004 follow-up, believe it or not, is even better. Norah Jones, born in 1979, simply has a voice unlike any other. She possesses a rare talent to sing any type of music she wants and still retain her own sound. Unlike many, her music does not make your ears ache after a certain amount of time. Instead, her melodious voice carries listeners to a place of serenity, allowing anyone to relax. This CD is the perfect choice for winding down after a long day. Songs like â€Å"Humble Me† and â€Å"The Prettiest Thing† are so beautiful that you must simply stop what youre doing and listen. If youre not in a mellow mood but still want to hear amazing vocals and wonderful instrumentals, try â€Å"Sunrise† or â€Å"Toes. We will write a custom essay sample on Norah Jones Feels Like Home or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † No matter what, though, the beauty of Norah Jones is that anyone can find her sound smooth and serene. It almost hints at folk or blues music, and still remains mellow enough to put a smile on everyones face. Lyrically, Jones is captivating. She is the quintessence of â€Å"less is more,† for although she doesnt always sing long or detailed lyrics, she never fails to paint an image. Mellow and beautiful are simple words, but they accurately describe the music of Norah Jones.

Ridleys Sea Turtle Essays - Sea Turtles, Lepidochelys, Free Essays

Ridley's Sea Turtle Essays - Sea Turtles, Lepidochelys, Free Essays Ridley's Sea Turtle Sea Turtles Each species of sea turtle is distinctive in appearance and behavior, all sea turtles have certain characteristics in common the shell consist of a carapace (upper part) and plastron (lower part), which are joined together by cartilage called a bridge. in most species with the exception of the leatherback scutes cover the carapace. Like all turtles sea turtles have no external ears, they hear best at low frequencies and their sense of smell is excellent. Though their vision underwater is good, on land they are nearsighted. Sea turtles spend most of their time underwater but must come up to breath. During routine activities sea turtles can dive for about three to five minutes. Sea turtles can sleep for several hours underwater, but their ability to hold their breath is shortened by high activity and stress. This is why sea turtles drown in shrimp nets and other gear in a short time. Adult sea turtles sleep near rocks or under ledges. Hatchlings and juveniles sleep on the surface with their front flippers pulled back over the carapace. Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) Charming Tortoise of Kemp Ridleys are the smallest of the sea turtles. The Kemp's ridley is slightly larger than the olive ridley, measuring 24 - 28 inches in carapace length and weighing 78 - 100 pounds when mature. An adult is olive green on top and yellowish in color on the bottom, with a large head and powerful jaws. The carapace is circular to heart shaped. Hatchlings are dark gray and about an inch and a half long. Kemp's ridleys were first discovered and described in 1880 by Samuel Garman. But until the 1940's was not recognized as a species and was often confused with the olive ridley and the loggerhead. Confusion continued through the 1950's with many biologist convinced that the ridleys sea turtle was a sterile hybrid of the green and the loggerhead turtles. No one could find nesting beaches or an egg-bearing female. In 1963 an old film was discovered, made in 1947 by Mexican engineer Andres Herrera that showed nesting ridleys. The film showed an estimated 40,000 Kemp's ridleys nesting on an isolated beach now called Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico, 200 miles south of Texas. Ninety-five percent of the population comes to the 17 mile strip of beach. The other five percent nest at the adjacent beach in Veracruz. No other sea turtle species goes almost entirely to one nesting spot to breed. The arribada (Spanish for arrival) of Kemp's ridleys in Mexico occurs at irregular intervals between April and June. Arribadas may occur several times a season. Male and Females congregate to mate off the coast of the beaches using wind direction velocity , lunar cycles and water temperature to gather is a theory. Once mated females wait for ideal conditions to come ashore. Conditions generally are high wind and heavy surf. The high wind cools stressed females and hides traces of the nest from predators. Mass nesting is thought to be a predator swamping where females and hatchlings will die but many more will survive. Herrera's film is now being used as a base line to measure the rapid decline of Kemp's ridleys since 1947. forty thousand turtles declined to two thousand in 1966. In 1966 Mexican officials set up its first camp to monitor and protect turtles from egg takers. In 1977, Rancho Nuevo was declared a National Reserve by Mexico. Programs were developed to help protect turtles from poachers and predators. Now eggs are moved to protective enclosures to decrease the death to predators. Every year 50,000 hatchlings are released each year. Even with these programs nest counts in 1993 showed that there were only 400 nesting females. These small numbers result in broken up arribadas into small groups and solitary nestings. The remaining females lay fewer than 1000 nest each year. The range of Kemp's ridleys is limited for the most part to the gulf of Mexico where adult forge for crabs. their favorite is blue crabs that share the same habitat as shrimp. So ridleys sea turtle is often caught in shrimp ne

Margin Call Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Margin Call - Essay Example Once customers realize what the company is doing, its actions will be exposed. This course of action was ethically questionable because it revolved around making false promises to customers who would have bought securities that would be worth nothing. The moral philosophy from which Jared and John justify their actions is through ethical relativism. While they would not normally take such drastic actions, they feel that the situation warrants quick thinking, and getting rid of all the company’s toxic assets would do just that. While it is easy to feel sympathy for the company and its perilous position, this does not justify the actions that were subsequently taken. If they had listened to Sam, then the management could have realized that following their course of action would only worsen the situation. The problem with ethical relativism is that decisions are based on circumstance rather than a set list of rules and regulations. The reason why corporate governance is important is because it prevents actions like the one John and Jared took. Although some financial laws may seem too restrictive, there is a need for greater regulatory control, as evidenced by the start of the global financial crisis in this movie. One moral philosophy that would have led to a different result is ethical fundamentalism. This philosophy holds the view that there is a clear right and wrong, and crossing the line can result in severe consequences. If John and Jared had adopted ethical fundamentalism as part of their decision making process, then they would know that selling of the firm’s toxic assets go against most thinking. Criticism of this moral philosophy would be that it does not allow freedom to make choices, but in actual fact it only provides boundaries by which to live by. If John and Jared would have following this thinking, the firm would have certainly experienced financial ruin, but at least some credibility would remain intact. Another moral

Air Pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Air Pollution - Research Paper Example More importantly, there were very few public agencies and academic institutions tracking environmental health effects caused by air pollution on a regional scale. This lack of regional-scale environmental health monitoring and studies has raised the concern and awareness of both regional municipal administrations and the general public in recent years. A fundamental assessment of air pollution and related adverse health effects is needed. Exposure and Health Effects of Air Pollution Air pollution is a complex mixture of particles and gases that can vary in composition depending on geographic location, season, and time of day. In urban settings it consists primarily of particulate matter derived from motor vehicle and industrial emissions, primary gaseous pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and the secondary pollutants nitrogen dioxide and ozone (Pope, III and Dockery 709 - 710). Respirable particles are generally classified by aerodynamic diameter and fall into three main modes: a nucleation mode (smaller than 0.1 ?m); an accumulation mode (between 0.1 ?m and 1 ?m); and a coarse mode (larger than 1 ?m) (Pope, III and Dockery 709 - 742). ... cles are present in much higher numbers and present a greater total surface area per unit of mass to carry reactive co-pollutants and interact with cellular targets. Particle size will determine the probability of deposition in different regions of the airways and may impact on clearance dynamics and physiologic responses. Compared to larger particles, fine and ultra fine particles are more likely to deposit in the gas-exchange regions of the lungs, and may not be as readily phagocytosed as larger particles. In addition to size, the inherent toxicity of particles may relate to their composition, with metals in particular being associated with toxicity (Pope, III and Dockery 709 - 742). For air pollution exposure studies, the most prevalent air pollutants are ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and the usual diseases under study have included respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. PMIO can increase susceptibility to respiratory infectious diseases and exacerb ate asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) (Stephania et al. 810 - 817). PM and Ozone are also associated with cough, premature death, bronchitis, and decline in lung function. Ozone promotes asthma and causes respiratory illness, especially among children (At a Glance 1-4, Stephania et al. 810 - 817). Although immunological, developmental, and reproductive effects are also mentioned in some papers, such studies are not as common as those examining respiratory or cardiovascular effects (At a Glance 1 - 4, Stephania et al. 810 - 817). Initial epidemiologic studies focused on health effects in the days following periods of severe air pollution. Episodes of extremely high air pollution such as the Meuse Valley Fog of 1930 and the London Fog of 1952 were associated with

Hellenic and Hellenistic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hellenic and Hellenistic - Essay Example Hellenic world had the following characteristics: small cities with self-government system, education gained with the help of private tutors, limited commercial activity, women's role limited to domestic affairs, widespread slavery usage, development of poetry and drama introduction, philosophical movements with emphasis on logic and ethic, introduction of experimental method into sciences, and belief into Olympian gods. Hellenistic world was similar to Hellenic world, however, several new features were common: cities ruled by the wealthy class with centralization of power in the hands of monarchs, education provided at gymnasiums, extensive trade both on the sea and land, introduction of the marriage contracts (women could possess slaves and be property owners), local cultures mixed with classic Greek, philosophical emphasis shifted to non-rationalism and mysticism, and significant advances in astronomy and medicine (Thornton, p. 16-23). Position of women in the society is one of the differences between Hellenic and Hellenistic societies. In Hellenic civilization, marriages were the form of contract between the father of the girl and the father of the boy and were seen as the mean to consolidate the power. Usually men married in their late thirties. They had access to women before: so-called hetairas (prostitutes) were very common. Women from the higher level families, on the other side, were completely isolated from the society, they were not allowed to show themselves in public or when the guests arrived. Women lived in their own side of the house and usually married very early, in their mid-teens. Hellenistic culture has made a significant step in making women's position almost equal to men's. Women were allowed to own the property and slaves, to be the agents in business affairs and could sign the marriage contract outlining the responsibilities of both parties, the divorce and property ownership. Women could be the initiator of the divorce without being looked upon by society. Polis was the distinctive characteristic of Hellenic civilization. Polis was the city-state with independent government - there have been hundreds of such cities in Greece. City-state was governed by the oligarchy or by the representatives of upper level social class. This was some form of the dictatorship. In the sixths century, however, some form of democracy has been introduced into Greek civilization: Athenian democracy when citizens were granted the right to vote hold the office and own the property (Thornton, p. 85-86). Hellenistic age has changed the situation: absolute centralized monarchy has been introduced and more opportunities were granted to upper class women. Women still could not vote or participate in political activities, however, they were involved indirectly and their opinion has been taken into account. Hellenistic monarchy has laid the foundation for the development of urban culture. The typical male representative of Hellenic culture was concerned with polis, conformist and oriented towards the public life, while the representative of Hellenistic culture was individualistic, possessed cosmopolitan outlook and was oriented towards

Developing Self-Assessment Skills in Nursing

Developing Self-Assessment Skills in Nursing Self-assessment is the way in which individuals reflect on past experiences and events in order to facilitate learning, and to develop and maintain skills and knowledge, in order to evaluate whether individual competencies are compliant with relevant codes of conduct by profession. Models within the literature on the process of self-assessment also use the term ‘reflection’ to describe such activity, whereby self-assessment / reflection method is seen to involve ‘returning to an experience, describing it and attending to thoughts and feelings.’ (Platzer, Blake Snelling, 1997;193) For nursing and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) in particular, self-assessment is a medium in which theory can be assessed during practice, and to tap into the personal knowledge resource of HCP’s ‘embedded in the practices and know how of expert clinicians. (Brenner, 1984;4) The cognitive processes involved within self-assessment activity are described within the literature as complex, involving high order cognitive capacities; making influences, generalizations; memory, analogies; emotional evaluation and problem solving (Moore, 1998). Analysing ones performance is thus described in terms of a professional development tool, whereby gaps in knowledge as well as areas of expertise may be identified, and form the focus of further training, and/or activities at work in line with Department of Health initiatives for continuing professional development. Self-assessment within clinical practice for nurses thus needs to be taught and coached, and may occur in a number of ways. Models of reflection and self-assessment documented describe the need for use of written records of practice within self-assessment, such as through reflective diaries (Platzer, Blake Snelling, 1997) which can be used as the basis for discussion during group-working projects and in one-to-one coaching sessions between mentors and student nurses for example. The use of reflection through self-assessment has been suggested as particularly relevant to nurses due to the nature of their work – the need to respond to individual requirements and needs of patients, and to avoid rigid routines of caring acts that can lead to performing duties on ‘autopilot’ (Cox, 1994) Self-assessment is thus suggested to prevent complacency or caring through pattern / ritual from occurring, by reflecting on ones practices to allow nurses to provide individualized patient care. Self-assessment practices may be taken by nurses during a number of reflection opportunties; critical incident techniques (Clamp, 1980; Flannagan, 1954) reviews of case studies and personal experiences or practice reviews (Wilshaw Bohannan, 2003) The reflection process thus enables learning for nurses through initiating discussion and thought in regards to comparing actions taken against suggested best practice. Self-assessment is becoming increasingly incorporated learning programmes for nurses, as well as receiving focus throughout careers in order to enable continuing professional development. Self-assessment of ones own competencies are thus predominantly portrayed in a positive light and emphasis given to associated advantages. One of the major benefits of incorporating self-assessment into both education and professional development, is the way in which theory and learning can be translated into more applied methods, and by increasing the relevance of taught theory, help students and new nurses to apply what they have learnt in the classroom into their patient care through evaluating learning in the context of their own experiences. Reflection and self-assessment throughout a career can also allow nurses to develop this initial knowledge base by incorporating future experiences to widen personal knowledge resource to continue to grow professionally. Benefits of the use of self-assessments can also be seen in the way in which they can allow more accurate evaluation of the training programmes used to educate nurses. Research indicates that the commonly used questionnaire technique to investigate students perceptions and evaluations of training can be influenced by a range of external factors that often make such ratings highly unreliable; like / dislike of the tutor, and the aesthetics of the learning environment are two such factors (Hicks Henessey, 2001), and are thus likely to contribute little to analyzing the true efficacy of the training undergone. Considerations should however be taken when using self-assessment for a number of reasons. Firstly the depth of evaluation and use of reflections will depend on the level of importance that an individual will place on their own knowledge and assessment abilities. It has been reported that many HCPs place little value on their own personal knowledge favoring only research based knowledge – thus underutilizing their own resource (Platzer, Blake Snelling, 1997) and so may subsequently place little value or effort into the process of self-assessment meaning learning outcome will be limited. The reliability of the cognitions underlying self-assessment techniques can also put into question the usefulness of the results for learning – memory for recounting events can be affected by anxiety (Newell, 1992), whilst others may feel under scrutiny and look to justify or rationalise actions (Wilshaw Bohannan, 2003) rather than reflect and learn from outcomes. This highlights the w ay in which self-assessment is only truly useable in environments that are not operating within a blame culture where personal evaluation would otherwise be inhibited. Lastly it is also reported that the coaching experience and ability of mentors to teach self-assessment techniques exerts a strong influence on the outcome in ability to complete self-assessment tasks for their students, and therefore the ability of coaches will have a positive or negative impact for students (Arvidsson,2005) The Nursing and Midwifery Council(NMC) openly supports the use of a self-assessment system as a means for nurses to identify ‘shortfalls’ in their skills, by rating their own performance. Self-assessment should be thus used to identify gaps in nurse’s abilities and so highlight key training needs, acting in what the NMC call an ‘early warning system’ capacity against poor standards (Duffin, 2004). Although not compulsory, self-assessment is seen as a way for nurses to contemplate critical areas within their clinical environment (information for clients on treatment, nurse/client relationships professional accountability: Duffin, 2004) that staff shortages and time pressures may otherwise push to the sideline, with the assessment of these factors proposed to help nurses to work within the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, and protect staff against misconduct charges, by providing a practical route of translating codes of contact guidelines into action s and evaluating the effectiveness of these actions. The use of self-assessment procedures with nurses is already covered in some detail within learning and training courses for those new to the profession of nursing. In early training, mentors are used to facilitate the start of a journey of growth from knowledge (Price, 2005), through the ability to reflect on ones own actions, and feelings towards those experiences individually or in group work during nursing education (Platzer, Blake Snelling 1997) Self-assessment as a tool for learning is also actively encouraged within the continuing professional development initiatives set by the Department of Health which now stipulates the need for post-basic education for all HCP’s, and from the NMC’s own code of conduct which places great importance on the identification of skill-shortfalls through self-assessment alongside other identification means, in order to ensure patients are receiving the best care possible, from skilled and well trained nursing professionals. REFERENCES Arvidsson, B (2005) ‘Factors influencing nurse supervisor competence: a critical incident analysis study’ Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 13, 3 Clamp, C (1980) ‘Learning through critical incidents’ Nursing Times 1755-1758 Crawford, M (1998) ‘Development through self-assessment: strategies used during clinical nursing placements’ Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 27, 1 Duffin, C (2004) NMC system to give early warning of skills shortfall’ Nursing Standard Vol. 19, 5 p7 Flannagan, (1954) cited in Wilshaw, G Bohannon, N (2003) ‘Reflective practice and team teaching in mental health care.’ Nursing Standard Vol. 17, 50 p33-37 Hek, G ‘Developing self evaluation skills: a pragmatic research-based approach for complex areas of nursing’ Nurse Researcher Vol.11, 2 p73-82 Hicks, C Hennessy, D (2001) ‘An alternative technique for evaluating the effectiveness of continuing professional development courses for healthcare professionals: a pilot study with practice nurses’ Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 9 p39-49 Moore, P (1998) ‘Development of professional practice research training fellowships: occasional papers’ Health Professions Wales Morrison, J (2005) ‘ABC of learning and teaching in medicine’ British Medical Journal 326 (7385) p385-387 Newell (1992) cited in Platzer, H. Blake, D Snelling, J (1997) ‘A review of research into the use of groups and discussion to promote reflective practice in nursing’ Research in compulsory Education Vol. 2, 2 Platzer, H. Blake, D Snelling, J (1997) ‘A review of research into the use of groups and discussion to promote reflective practice in nursing’ Research in compulsory Education Vol. 2, 2 Price, B (2005) ‘Self-assessment and reflection in nurse education’ Nursing Standard Vol. 19, 29 p33-37 Wilshaw, G Bohannon, N (2003) ‘Reflective practice and team teaching in mental health care.’ Nursing Standard Vol. 17, 50 p33-37

German :: essays papers

German Both Rasmus Rask and Jakob Grimm, at the time of their deaths, were aware that there were exceptions to Grimm's Law, but no one at that time could account for these exceptions. That remained for the Danish linguist Karl Verner (1846 - 1896) to do. Verner noticed that a great number of exceptions to Grimm's Law also had a regularity and system of their own, and could be explained logically as well. By examining Sanskrit, which preserved the older Indo-European stress patterns and which did not undergo the Germanic Consonant shift, and comparing Sanskrit and Germanic cognates, Verner was able to see that stress patterns in words had influenced the pronunciation of nearby consonants. To see the effect of stress on nearby consonants, say the words "exist" and "exit." Most people pronounce the first /Ig'zIst/ and the second /EksIt/. (I use the symbol /E/ to stand for the mid front lax vowel.) Notice how the voiceless velar stop /k/ in "exit" becomes the voiced velar stop /g/ when it follows an unstressed (unaccented) vowel and is surrounded by voiced sounds. Verner concluded the changes described by Rask and Grimm occurred in early Germanic times, and then another set of consonant shifts occurred later caused by stress patterns. And then (this is crucial) the stress shifted to the first syllable, effectively hiding the causes of the succeeding shift and making it almost impossible to recognize. Verner published his results in 1875, and the patterns he described came to be known as Verner's Law. Verner was thus able to explain a whole category of seeming exceptions to Grimm's Law: Indo-European voiceless stops /p/, /t/, and /k/ shifted to early Germanic voiceless fricatives /f/, /q/ and /x/, according to Grimm's Law. German :: essays papers German Both Rasmus Rask and Jakob Grimm, at the time of their deaths, were aware that there were exceptions to Grimm's Law, but no one at that time could account for these exceptions. That remained for the Danish linguist Karl Verner (1846 - 1896) to do. Verner noticed that a great number of exceptions to Grimm's Law also had a regularity and system of their own, and could be explained logically as well. By examining Sanskrit, which preserved the older Indo-European stress patterns and which did not undergo the Germanic Consonant shift, and comparing Sanskrit and Germanic cognates, Verner was able to see that stress patterns in words had influenced the pronunciation of nearby consonants. To see the effect of stress on nearby consonants, say the words "exist" and "exit." Most people pronounce the first /Ig'zIst/ and the second /EksIt/. (I use the symbol /E/ to stand for the mid front lax vowel.) Notice how the voiceless velar stop /k/ in "exit" becomes the voiced velar stop /g/ when it follows an unstressed (unaccented) vowel and is surrounded by voiced sounds. Verner concluded the changes described by Rask and Grimm occurred in early Germanic times, and then another set of consonant shifts occurred later caused by stress patterns. And then (this is crucial) the stress shifted to the first syllable, effectively hiding the causes of the succeeding shift and making it almost impossible to recognize. Verner published his results in 1875, and the patterns he described came to be known as Verner's Law. Verner was thus able to explain a whole category of seeming exceptions to Grimm's Law: Indo-European voiceless stops /p/, /t/, and /k/ shifted to early Germanic voiceless fricatives /f/, /q/ and /x/, according to Grimm's Law.

Critical discussion of at least three poems Essay

Compare the ways in which the poets write about unhappiness and suffering. In your response you must include a critical discussion of at least three poems. Throughout this comparative analysis, I will discuss the various ways in which the poets use lexis, imagery and structure to convey the sentiment and themes within the text. I have chosen Lizzie, Six and Shooting Stars by Carol Ann Duffy and Requiem for the Croppies by Seamus Heaney. The poems are all linked with suffering by the hands of an oppressive force. Lizzie by her abuser, the Jewish heroine by the Nazi’s and the Irish by the English. The poems offer vivid and individual style to describe mutual suffering within varied circumstances. The titles of each poem are intended to capture the reader’s attention from the start. Lizzie, Six, is laid out as such to show the youth of the character of Lizzie. Not only in her name being abbreviated in a youthful manner, but the placement of the comma slows the reader down, forcing them to contemplate the purity of a child that age. She is able to establish an immediate sense of dread. In Shooting Stars, Duffy provides us with an ambiguous beginning. ‘Stars’ is representative of the Star of David and ‘Shooting’ in the literal sense of the ‘stars’ being shot. Alternatively, Duffy may have been using the title metaphorically as a shooting star, representative of fleeting life for the Jewish people throughout the Nazi regime. The alliteration in Shooting Stars, is also a mind rhyme for Saal-Schutz, the Nazi SS Army. In Requiem for the Croppies, ‘Requiem’ defined as ‘a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead’ is intended to offer peace to the thousands that died at the hands of the English and those that died; being the ‘Croppies’, the Irish men defending their land who cut their hair into a cropped fashion as a sign of rebellion. It is a gesture of praise and thanks and a wish for restfulness for those men whose lives were taken in the uprising of 1798. Samir Raheem describes it as ‘a poem that romantically commemorates the Irish rebels’. (Rahim, Telegraph, 2013). The word ‘Croppies’ is also a rhyme for ‘poppies’, a symbol of remembrance. The form and structure is indicative to the main themes of each poem and as a further notion; the suffering the characters, cultures or countrymen have endured. Representative of this is in Lizzie, 6, Duffy lays out the poem in a series of five stanzas with a call and response from the abuser and the abused narrative, typical in nature of a nursery rhyme and resonant particularly to the story ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Critic Stan Smith describes â€Å"Lizzie, Six† as a ‘plangent, Lorcaesque song†. Barry Wood stated that ‘Duffy knew Lorca’s poetry or at least drew on similar traditions of popular child’s songs and rhymes’ (Wood, Tusitala. org. uk, 2007). The structure is repetitive and creates a feeling of tension. The repetition is also significant in the nature of the prolonged abuse, loss of innocence and suffering Lizzie is subjected to. The abuser also remains unidentified as it would be too uncomfortable for the reader to relate to the suffering the abuser inflicts (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). In Shooting Stars, Duffy keeps the four line stanzas to create a similar notion of repetition of abuse and more likely to emphasize the routine and the standard, desensitised, rhythmic executions carried out by Nazi soldiers. Shooting Stars is written as a first person narrative and similarly to Lizzie’s abuser, her character is unidentified. This however, is to ensure the reader grasps the point that so many other Jews died namelessly during this period of persecution, highlighting the suffering. Heaney in Requiem takes a completely different approach in the structure of the poem and instead lays it out in the form of a sonnet. This is a mark of respect and love for the Irishmen who suffered and a juxtaposition to the ill respect shown by their oppressors. Written from the 3rd person narrative from the perspective of the Irish Rebels. Each line has roughly 10 or 11 syllables to it or just over, dictating the pace and the solemn, valiant story telling sentiment of the poem, an element similar to that of Lizzie. Six. Lizzie, Six uses dark and negative lexis throughout to increase the feeling of the suffering inflicted and the dialogue between the characters is disturbing. The doubling of the words ‘moon’, ‘fields’, ‘love’, ‘wood’ and ‘dark’ in lines 2 and 3 of each stanza are offered primarily in the view of the innocence of a child, i. e. In literature, the moon is commonly linked to imagination and fields to that of freedom etc. Secondly the words are manipulated by the adult abuser, effectively stripping the original association of the word and replacing it with a horrific alternative showing the intention of emotional abuse. Wood says that Duffy presents ‘a poignant example of â€Å"broken listening†, of – in this case — the adult listener refusing to hear or misinterpreting what is heard and of the child destroyed by being unheard and ignored’ (B Wood, 2006). It also represents consistent and worsening abuse as the words start with a lighter, childlike tone ‘moon’, ‘fields’ and literally end with ‘dark’. The use of language in Lizzie, Six is vulgar, particularly towards the end of the poem; Duffy uses this to show how the level of abuse and suffering worsens throughout the poem and over time and transitions from mental to physical suffering. She shows this in the penultimate stanza when the abuser says ‘I’ll give you wood, when your bottom’s bare’. ‘Wood’ is a disturbing metaphor and the literal intention the abuser becomes apparent here. The abuser asks in stanza five ‘Where are you hiding? ’ Duffy uses this to allow the reader to see the abuser demonstrating his menacing mental control over Lizzie as she is powerless to hide from him. In the sixth stanza, the abuser asks ‘Why are you crying? ’ – a physical display of an emotional response. (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Duffy shows a similar representation of the emotional and physical realms of suffering in Shooting Stars. ‘I heard the click. Not yet. A trick’ – The Nazi soldier at the time of the speaker’s execution uses excessive cruelty and mental torture in toying ‘with his victim and the short sentences at the end of the line create tension and a sense of the real experience of the woman and the power wielded by the soldier’ (MissGrant, 2015). Duffy demonstrates physical anguish in the third stanza at the fear of rape from the Nazi’s ‘My bowels opened in a ragged gape of fear’. Duffy’s word choice here is extreme but emphasizes the sheer terror that a woman would go through in this situation. The ‘gape’ is representative of a screaming mouth (MissGrant, 2015) and is intentionally inversed as ‘gagged rape’. The effect it has is it to double the meaning and subsequently intensify the horror of the suffering she endured in this situation. Heaney represents the emotional suffering in the form of their love of the country, not necessarily the Irishmen individually but as a whole, due to the oppression from the English – ‘we moved quick and sudden in our own country’. Heaney demonstrates the resentment of the Irish in this sentence and ‘the priest lay behind ditches with the tramp’ – Heaney juxtaposes the holiest man with the lowliest man, neither had any advantage over the other when it came to slaughter from their oppressors. The personification Heaney offers upon the Irish defeat on Vinegar Hill ‘The Hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave’; Provokes the emotional and physical in the form of slight embarrassment at their being ill equipped to deter the English attack ‘shaking scythes at cannon’ but also the physicality or their blood staining the green of the fields to red. The first and last line include the imagery of barley, a symbol for revolution and independence (Morgan, Classnotes, 2015). Heaney uses Irony from the barley that the Irish rebels carried in their pockets for food, was in fact the very same that enabled the barley ‘to grow up ‘out of the grave’ fertilized by the blood of Irish souls. Critic Paul Hurt says that the first line ‘The pockets of our greatcoats full of barley’ and the last line ‘And in August the barley grew up out of the grave’ â€Å"are contrived. They belong to the world of ‘self-consciously significant details’ which are routine in many war films, in films of all kinds† (Paul Hurt, 2015). But Critic Blake Morrison said that Seamus Heaney is ‘that rare thing, a poet rated highly by critics and academics yet popular with ‘the common reader’ and as a common reader, I’m rather inclined to appreciate the majestic quality and symbolism of the re-birth of an army ready to fight and again. All three poems have a common feature with the echoed sadness and ill treatment and respect imposed from their oppressors with mass and shallow graves in Shooting Stars and Requiem ‘they buried us without shroud or coffin’ and ‘between the gaps of corpses I could see a child’. And in Lizzie, Six, the abuser’s final statement ‘I’ll give you the dark and I do not care’. The sentence and grammar structure in Lizzie, Six, is rigid and unchanging. The first line of each stanza is a question from the abuser, the second a response from the abused and in the third and fourth lies a demonic manipulation of Lizzies answer; Wood says ‘The child’s fear is answered only by a distorted or distorting â€Å"echo† from the adult world which, if less brutal and punitive than the world of â€Å"Lizzie, Six†, is equally isolating and disquieting. ’ (B Wood, 2006) Possibly Duffy used this sentence structure to emphasise the unrelenting suffering in the emotional, and physical that Lizzie faces. In Shooting Stars, Duffy takes an alternative approach and to represent the last thoughts of a dying woman offers a certain level of enjambment within the text. The punctuation is free in that ‘Rebecca Rachel Ruth Aaron Emmanuel David’ are listed without breath to exaggerate the extent of the ‘nameless’ people that have suffered. This is also a juxtaposition. This continues later in the poem with ‘Sara Ezra†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Duffy has done this to show the list could go on and on without pause. Almost as if those that have suffered spring to mind too easily for the sheer number of victims. Duffy uses repetition in the use of the word ‘Remember. A resounding theme of the poem is to remember the suffering of an entire race and to relate this lessons of history to modern day struggles. Duffy uses Anaphora in the fifth stanza to reiterate this theme. â€Å"After immense suffering someone takes tea on the lawn. After the terrible moans a boy washes his uniform. After the history lesson children run to their toys†. ‘Tea on the lawn’ refers to how normal life can resume so quickly after horrific events have taken place and can be forgotten as easily as ‘a boy washes his uniform’ symbolic of the cleansing of the Jewish race (MissGrant, 2015). Heaney uses enjambment to slow the pace. It is used to represent the Irish Rebels speed of movement; ‘A people, hardly marching – on the hike-‘, common folk, pacing themselves and climbing a hill, probably wounded, weary and hungry. Enjambment is used where the sonnet breaks form and introducing their demise; ‘Until, on Vinegar Hill, the fatal conclave. ’ Heaney uses this sentence structure to slow the reader and to emphasise the fall of the rebels and their devastation emotionally and physically. It adds a dramatic and magnificent tone to their sacrifice. In a similar sub-theme to Shooting Stars, remembrance is also a theme in Requiem, highlighted throughout the poem by Heaney’s word choice. Sound, sight, touch and sensation feature regularly in Shooting stars to evoke emotion. Straight away we are greeted with silence from the Dead Jew ‘After I no longer speak’ – a tradition of remembrance. We have a glimpse into her life that she was married, Duffy displays this with the ‘wedding ring’, the dear that caused the sensation of ‘urine trickling down her legs’ – a physical display of an emotional response. And the brutal and callous touch of the soldiers to ‘salvage’ what they see as the only valuable part of her when they break her finger to retrieve her wedding ring. Duffy uses the element of Marriage to re-inforce human emotion as a juxtaposition against the desensitised Nazi’s. Duffy also uses onomatopoeia in the word ‘click’ to highlight the mental torture the soldier imposes on the Jewish prisoner. Assonance and rhyming are used continuously through Requiem to promote the feeling of a steady struggle. ‘kitchens’ and ‘stricking’, ‘sudden’ and ‘country’ in the opening lines. ‘camp’, ’tramp’, ‘hike’ and ‘pike’ are rhymes used every other line. Heaney does this to re-inforce the military tone of the poem, introducing a steady drumming for the rebels to march in time to. Heaney breaks the rhyme momentarily to create a sense of doom. He shows this in ‘the final conclave’. Heaney returns immediately to the rhyme to emphasise the re-birth of the soldiers and the importance of the remembrance for the those who suffered so they could live. Duffy uses a similar technique in Shooting Stars in ‘opened the ragged gape of fear’ to re-inforce horror of the statement. She also uses alliteration in ‘Rebecca Rachel Ruth’ and uses traditional Jewish names to heighten the exhaustive list of those who suffered. In Lizzie, Six, Duffy uses consonance rather than assonance and alliteration, closely implied to Anaphora to accentuate the nervous disposition of the reader ‘What’, ‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘Where’, ‘Why’ at the beginning of each stanza and consonance in ‘I’m afraid of the dark. I’ll give you the dark and I do not care’ similar to the techniques used in Shooting Stars in the first line uses consonance and an imperfect pararhyme ‘speak and break’ in the first line. an All three poems have a common theme of rhyme, but the intention is different. Lizzie, Six and Requiem show tail rhyme and holorime both in an effort to make the poem memorable, but Duffy uses this in Lizzie, Six to exaggerate the loss of innocence of a child. Rhyming the poem in a simplistic child-like manner emphasises the haunting suffering. Whereas Heaney uses this technique to signify the remembrance theme of the poem, taking the literal of making the poem memorable and easy to read. All three poems have a common connection to the suffering imposed from an oppressor. For Lizzie, Six, Lizzie is suffering at the hands of her abuser. For Shooting Stars, the Jewish women and the Jewish race are suffering from the oppression of the Nazis and for Requiem for the Croppies, the Irishmen suffering for the loss of their land to the English. Shooting Stars and Requiem have a sub-theme of remembrance and Lizzie Six, the loss of innocence. Though loss of innocence can be found in Shooting Stars and Requiem, their sufferance is predominantly for a race, and land rather than innocence. Regular assonance and consonance are used throughout all three poems, but to different ends, similarly with intentional use of rhyming. The poems vividly highlight suffering throughout, with careful word choice, simplistic yet vulgar in Lizzie, Six to make the suffering more haunting, Grim and factual in Shooting Stars to exaggerate the horror of the suffering and militant and simple to aid the remembrance of the those who suffered in Requiem for the Croppies. References Gardiner, M. (2015). Summaries of selected poetry by Seamus Heaney (Higher School Certificate 1998). [online] Files. puzzling. org. Available at: https://files. puzzling. org/wayback/hsc/heaney [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015]. Grant, M. (2015). [online] View. officeapps. live. com. Available at: https://view. officeapps. live. com/op/view. aspx? src=http%3A%2F%2Fmissgrantenglish. wikispaces. com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FRevision%2BPack. docx [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. Hurt, P. (2015). Paul Hurt on Seamus Heaney’s ‘The Grauballe Man’ and other poems. [online] Linkagenet. com. Available at: http://www. linkagenet. com/reviews/heaneypoemcriticism. htm#requiem [Accessed 18 Nov. 2015]. McMahon, D. (2013). A quick reading of Seamus Heaney’s â€Å"Requiem for the Croppies†. [online] pulpteacher. Available at: https://pulpteacher. wordpress. com/2013/03/13/a-quick-reading-of-seamus-heaneys-requiem-for-the-croppies/ [Accessed 17 Nov. 2015].

Nike Supply Chain Essay

Nike has been able to become a global player in the industry of sports apparel and athlete endorsements because of many different factors that are outlined in the way they manage their company. By analyzing the business plan of Nike we can see how their supply chain is set up as is illustrated above. The supply chain is very important for the transfer of their goods from the supplier of raw materials to a manufacturer, then to a distributer, then to a retailer, to then be available for the customer. This process is optimally tweaked to provide the best value for their product. One factor that Nike has strived to make as a standard for their company is the idea of reverse logistics. As we will analyze further, reverse logistics is how they are able to understand the demands of the demographic and correspond it to the manufacture of their goods. This is seen as a vital tool for product research and development at Nike. As we explore the different parts of the chain, it is important to keep your mind on the big picture and how this process comes together. 1. Contract Suppliers What Nike has implemented into their system with outsourcing the production of raw materials, has been done by many large apparel companies and is seen as something that can be highly profitable rather than producing the materials within the company. So what Nike has done, is brought in contract suppliers from all over the world like Vietnam for instance. To help visualize this part of the process, we must understand that the supplier has its own supply chain and it ends with exporting the products to Nike, which is where Nike’s supply chain begins. In the 90’s there were serious allegations of unethical practices carried out by Nike in terms of their Asian suppliers and how services were being carried out. In an effort to get away from this image that was painted of them, Nike has taken strides to implement disclosure to how the supply chain is run. Over the years, they had been using a â€Å"push† system to measure sustainability based on compliance from overseas suppliers. As of recently however, Nike has turned to a â€Å"pull system† which is focused around incentives for a well carried out process from their contract suppliers. With this system in place, Nike is closely watching the performance of their  suppliers and rating them in colors with the best being gold and descending from silver, bronze, yellow and red. Colors from bronze to gold are seen as successful and are given benefits and opportunities that would not be accessible to suppliers given a rating of yellow or red. These benefits and opportunities are seen as incentives for these suppliers and form the system they have created for managing sustainability. 2. Logistics This part describes the movement of the raw materials from the contract supplier to the manufacturer. This is usually done by either boat or plane and this step varies due to the fact that Nike’s manufacturing plants are located all over the world along with the suppliers. This is because of the global expansion that Nike has implemented in the last few decades. The parties responsible for this transportation are also measured on this new system of incentives. Nike closely records each transaction and is in touch with the supplier and manufacturer to get the best idea of how the transportation was carried out. These third party transporters are rated in the same way as the suppliers and are given rewards for timely deliveries of material. 3. Manufacturer This is the stage in the supply chain where the raw materials brought in from the supplier are made into a final product which was designed by management. This is an important step in the cycle because this is where the ideas set by the research and development team, which are influenced by the target demographic, are made into reality and are kept until further movement of the product. Most Nike manufacturing plants aren’t designed to hold a large amount of products as once which brings us to the following step. Nike has also been known to use manufacturing plant from a third party. Because of the fact that Nike is still responsible for these processes carried out by these manufacturers, they keep a close watch on the quality of the products produced. This is a very important part of the supply chain because it is where the product is built that will eventually be sold to the customer so it is important for Nike to know that these manufacturers are  worth using. For measuring this, they have also been rating these manufacturers in the same ways they rate their other third party contracts for the different parts of their supply chain. 4. Logistics The second time that logistics comes into play is when the final product has to be moved to a distributing warehouse. This step also depends on the location of points A and B for each situation due to how global the Nike Company has become. This transport of products is a crucial part in the flow of the chain to move the manufactured product to a place where it can be stored. Again, we are able to see the rating system built around incentives at work when we analyze the logistics between the manufacturer and the distributor. It is highly possible that both the distributor and manufacturer was third party companies used in Nike’s supply chain and so they have to be closely in tune with the two stages of the supply chain as well as the transportation in between. For this reason they record timely deliveries of products and of course look for damage and inconsistencies that the transportation company may be responsible for. 5. Distributor This stage in the chain is composed of either Nike warehouses set up to store their finished goods until it is demanded by a retail store or other vendor or a third party distributor which would serve the same function. Oftentimes, a third party is used for this step but this all depends on the most cost effective and logical method of distributing the products at hand. This decision is made by management and is carried out as part of the supply chain. The warehouse would hold the product for as long as it is needed but due to how well measured out the manufacture of each product is carried out compared to their well estimated demand for the product, it is usually moved fairly quickly to continue the flow of the chain. Distribution is important because the final product needs to be stored before is sent to vendors. For this reason, Nike also works in monitoring the companies that work with them for warehousing purposes. To do this they closely analyze the inventory of their products being held at these  distributors and make sure everything is kept by the books and reported back to Nike. The rating system is also in place for distributors to better measure this stage of the supply chain to make future decisions regarding what third party distributors they should use. 6. Logistics For the third time in the supply chain, Nike has to move their goods to another part of the process. This time, the product has been stored in a distributing warehouse and is now ready to move to a place where it would be available to the customer. Nike is available all over the world and uses many different systems of transportation for bringing the product to the vendor. We have noted that the â€Å"pull† system in place for rewarding third party companies on merit which serves as incentives are very much used by Nike to handle their logistics. This is no exception with the transportation of the finished goods from the distributor warehouse to the vendors. They are graded on the condition of the products when they arrive to the vendor and how efficiently and timely the delivery was just like in the other parts of the supply chain where transportation of either materials or the finished product were needed. 7. Nike stores/ Retail stores/ Online stores This is the first and only time in the cycle where the finished product becomes accessible for the public. In today’s world, there are many people whom shop online for most of their needs so it is important to mention the distribution of the products to online vendors such as Amazon whom keep the product in their own facility until it is ordered. Retail stores are still a big part of this step because many purchases are still made in stores around the world that are licensed to sell Nike products. Finally, there are specific Nike outlet stores which get direct shipments from the distributor and exclusively sell Nike products. From here, the products are purchased by the customer, but the cycle does not end there. 8. Reverse logistics/ Customer feedback An important part of Nike’s supply chain and business plan is being in tune with the demands of their customers. This helps them to design new products  that they hope will sell efficiently because of the feedback they received from their target demographic. This process is known as reverse logistics and can be implemented through blogs, ratings, customer support, and other services set up by Nike for this purpose. 9. Product Development/ Management Even though this is the last step which I am describing, it is right in the beginning of the process where it comes into play and is where the cycle of reverse logistics and the supply chain meet. This is because the information collected from the customer feedback is researched by management and in turn is used to form a new design or designs. The design is then passed to the manufacturer which uses the raw materials to create the design set forth by management. This way, the cycle is continuous and efficient. This is the part of the cycle where innovations come into play. Ideas like switching to a â€Å"pull† system of managing sustainability are a prime example of what management is tasked with. Nike is constantly looking at ways to improve their processes. An example of this is how they’ve worked on a shoe made to be lighter for athletes but also optimized to produce the least amount of waste as possible. By utilizing a single thread to basically make the entire shoe. By doing this they were able to not only cut waste but also cut costs and therefore became optimal in multiple ways. Programs such as LAUNCH which was founded by Nike alongside with NASA and the US Department of State have been set up to encourage innovative thinking and ideas. These are just a few examples of the work being done by the people in charge of product development and supply and Nike says that their ultimate goal is â€Å"a fully sustainable supply chain†. Nike also hopes that their new rat ing system for parts of their supply chain will help them to soon have all the companies working with them to be rated a bronze level or above. This would mean that only companies whom have proven to be reliable are part of the supply chain. Reference Nike, Inc. 2011. Sustainable Business Performance Summary. Available at http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/report/files/report/NIKE_SUSTAINABLE_BUSINESS_REPORT__ FY10-11_FINAL.pdf Paine, L. S., Hsieh, N., Adamsons, L. 2013. Governance and Sustainability at Nike. Harvard Business School Teaching Case. Porteous, A.H., Cohen, S. A., Lee, H. L., Rammohan, S., V. 2012. Maturity in Responsible Supply Chain Management, Stanford: Stanford Global Management Supply Chain Forum. Available at: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/scforum/sisscr Schifrin, D., Carroll, G., Brady, D. 2013. Nike: Sustainability and Labor Practices 1998-2013. Stanford Graduate School of Business Teaching Case.

Soviet Downfall essays

Soviet Downfall essays This essay concentrates on two representatives of the dissident movement in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and in the 1970sAndrei Sakharov and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The essay introduces the history of the dissident movement in the Russian Empire under the Tsars and in the Soviet Union under various leaders, mainly under Nikita Khruschev, Leonid Brezhnev and Michael Gorbachev. It presents the historical conflict of Slavophils and Westernizers that began in the time of Peter the Great and discusses its impact on Russian thinkers over the years. The essay proposes that Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov are representatives of two branches of Russian philosophy, modified with time: Slavophilism and Westernism. Solzhenitsyn is presented to be a person with Slavophilic tendencies, while Sakharov is presented to be an advocate of the Western model of development for Russia. The essay discusses their paths to dissidence and their opposition to the Soviet regime. It also provides a comparison of their views and ideas. The essay attempts to follow the chronological order of their lives. In the end it provides a brief overview of their recent actions, based on their ideas, drawn from Slavophilism and Westernism. After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 the world changed dramatically. The Cold War ended and the threat of communism ended in Europe. Such Eastern European countries as Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and others stopped being Soviet satellites. "East and West Germany, meanwhile, were moving rapidly toward unification."[1] But this was not the end. In November 1991 the Soviet Union, "the evil empire" that had kept the democratic and non-democratic world in fear and strain for almost seventy years disappeared. It left fifteen independent republics, with Russia being the largest one. Russia, out of all the former Soviet bloc states and the former Soviet Union, was the fir...

"This I Believe" Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

"This I Believe" - Essay Example hen I was in elementary class fifth division I made a decision that I was going to start leading in my class although many people did not believe in me including my class teacher. Going as per my performance in previous exams nobody could believe that I could even manage to appear among the top ten. I had to put my faith into practice and demonstrate to everyone that nobody could limit me. When the results for the mid-term exams were released I was not the first but I was among the top five and I could see everyone could then believe that it was possible, from bottom ten to top ten. When we sat for the end of year exams I did it passionately with a lot of conviction in my heart that I could make it. When results were finally released it was not a surprise for me that I was named as the best student except for the few Doubting Thomases’s who had refused to believe in my hard work, commitment and dedication. I continued to lead in class right from the fifth division until when I completed the elementary education. When I joined high school competition became extremely high but I could still appear among the best because I continued to believe in myself. Some of my friends and relatives call me a go-getter while others say I am too aggressive but what I know is that nothing is impossible in world. I am a true believer of self-motivation and inner drive. Many a times people said negative things trying to discourage me from getting whatever I want in life but I have never listened to their discouragements instead I have continued to believe in what I know about myself. Holding on to my belief has not been easy. At times I may desire to achieve something that is beyond my ability. It then becomes a problem because it means I have to strain. However, I learnt a lesson that sometimes life may not go as we wish but we should always demonstrate resilience even though we fail at some point. I learnt that even greatest men and women who have made a huge impact in this

Export Final Project - Malaysian fashion retailer wishing to expand Term Paper - 1

Export Final Project - Malaysian fashion retailer wishing to expand its business into the African Market - Term Paper Example In this presentation, international, export fashion competitors to Africa have been analyzed. The top twenty economies in Africa, representing the African market, have been analyzed. The presentation also provides ways in which international, financial and business risks can be managed, and defines the relevant criteria for exporting fashion products to the African market, where the market opportunities/business opportunities are of interest and risks may be acceptable. International Competitors The major, international competitors in fashion product’ export to Africa includes Guangzhou City Clothing Business Company Limited, Qingdao Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited and Shenzhen USD Pack Production Limited. Brogan Sakutu International LLC also competes in exporting fashion products to African Countries. Guangzhou City Clothing Business Company Limited and Shenzhen USD Pack Production Limited are located in Guangdong, China while Qingdao Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited is located in Shandong, China. Brogan Sakutu International LLC is situated in Florida, United States. Turnover Qingdao Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited has a turnover of US$ 50-100 Million while Guangzhou City Clothing Business Company Limited has a turnover of US$100 Million. ... Guangzhou City Clothing Business Company Limited’s primary markets are North, Central and South America, Middle East and Africa. (Guangzhou City Clothing Business Co. Limited). The main markets of Shenzhen USD Pack Production are Limited Northern Europe, Eastern Asia, Central America and Africa (Shenzhen USD Pack Production Limited). South East Asia, Europe, America and Africa are the primary markets of Brogan Sakutu International LLC (Brogan Sakuti International LLC). Product Range The product range for Qingdao Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited includes used clothing, used clothes, used bags and used shoes while Guangzhou City Clothing Business Company Limited markets used shoes, used clothing and used clothes, among other commodities. Shenzhen USD Pack Production Limited deals with wooden boxes, jewelry bags and jute bags. Brogan Sakutu International LLC sells used clothes, used shoes, used purses, belts and toys. Strengths and Weaknesses These companies have vari ous strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Qingdao Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited uses agents in exporting fashion products to Africa. It uses its no torn, no dirt slogan to offer the best quality to customers. It also sorts, packs and loads clothing promptly to ensure efficiency. In addition, the company helps buyers from Africa to find other goods like computers and bicycles. Shuoyuan International Trade Company Limited has a superior geographical advantage because it is located near Qingdao Port, facilitating import and export procedures. The company has cooperative relationships with the international business community. However, the