Cannondale essays

Cannondale essays 2-.Indenty key issues from the Broad Environment and discuss how they might impact this industry in the future We can differentiate the following key points: 1. Federal Legislation. During the 1990s the US government enacted legislation that requires communities to include cycling in local transit infrastructure plan (for example Clean Air Act, set standards for air quality). So, people use more the cycle than before, and they spend more money in it. (more money more profit). 2. The appeal of mountain biking. The number of mountain bikers in US grew from 200.000 in 1982 to 85 million in 1997. So the sales has increased considerably; three factors contributed to the popularity of mountain bikes: They were more comfortable to ride than typical touring or racing models. The bikes greatly increased the terrain available to bicycles. More adults were turning toward outdoor activities in their leisure time. 3. Technological Innovation. Cannondale was the first firm in selling mountain bikes. They have based his strategy in technological innovation. They were the first to offer affordable large-diameter aluminum-tube bicycles in the early 1980s. This is an important competitive advantage, because they can sell the products to high prices (new differentiated product can be sold to high prices). Nowadays all the bikes manufacturers, including companies that manufactured inexpensive bicycles, it is using aluminum; so they have to use new raw material like Carbon or Titanium to innovate. The same has happens with full-suspension system. 4. Mature industry. The growing of cycling industry has decrease after 1995. The revenues had been growing exponentially during the 1980s, so Cannondale the leader of the high-performance mountain bike segment had grown greatly. Nowadays, the market is growing but more slowly than before. We can say that the market is saturated, so to keep the growing levels it will b...

1984 Summary

'1984' Summary There are few novels as influential as George Orwell’s 1984, which permeated pop culture with concepts like Big Brother and doublethink, while exploring the bleak future Orwell saw in totalitarianism. Part One 1984 begins with Winston Smith coming home to his small, run-down flat. At 39, Winston is old beyond his years and takes his time walking up the stairs, greeted at each landing by a poster stating BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. In his small flat he can dim the wall-sized telescreen and lower the volume but cannot turn it off. He keeps his back to it because it is a two-way screen. Winston lives in what is known as Airstrip One, formerly Britain, a province of a large nation-state known as Oceania. He looks out his window at the Ministry of Truth where he works revising historical records to conform with the new versions of history the government is always producing. Winston works hard to appear a dutiful and fervent member of the Party, but privately despises it and the world he lives in. He knows this makes him what is known as a thoughtcriminal and assumes he will inevitably be exposed and punished. Winston has purchased a diary from a shop in a proletariat (the lower class of people referred to as proles) neighborhood, and has discovered that the placement of the telescreen in his apartment allows for a small area where he cannot be observed. He skips lunch at the canteen in order to come home and write his forbidden thoughts in this diary out of the telescreen’s range. It is a small act of rebellion. Winston admits to a sexual attraction to a woman at the Ministry of Truth, Julia. He has not acted on his attraction because he thinks she might be spying on him, and suspects she would inform on him. He is also paranoid about his superior, a man named O’Brien whom he suspects is part of the Brotherhood, a resistance movement led by the famous terrorist Emmanuel Goldstein. Part Two When Winston goes to work the next day, he sees Julia with her arm in a sling. When she stumbles, he helps her, and she passes him a note that reads I Love You. He and Julia begin a sexual affair, which is forbidden by the Party; Julia is even a member of the Anti-Sex League. Their first encounter is in a rural area. Later they begin renting a room above the shop where Winston purchased his diary. It becomes clear to Winston that Julia despises the Party as much as he does. The affair sparks memories in Winston of the civil war and his ex-wife, Katharine. At work, Winston meets a colleague named Syme who tells him about the dictionary he is working on for the new official language, Newspeak. Syme tells Winston that Newspeak is designed to make it more difficult for people to think in complex ways. Winston expects that this sentiment will cause Syme to disappear, and a few days later Syme is gone. Winston and Julia create a private sanctuary in the rented room, and tell each other that they are already dead. They believe that the Party will discover their crimes and execute them, but that it cannot take away their feelings for each other. O’Brien contacts Winston, confirms his involvement with the Brotherhood, and invites him to be a part of the resistance. Winston and Julia go to O’Brien’s large, well-appointed home and take an oath to join the Brotherhood. O’Brien gives Winston a copy of Emmanuel Goldstein’s book. Winston and Julia spend their time together reading it, learning the truth behind how the Party maintains its hold on society. They also learn about the use of a technique called doublethink, which allows Party members to believe contradictory concepts with ease, and how history has been changed to support perpetual warfare, which is used to keep a permanent state of emergency in place for crowd control purposes. Goldstein also argues that a revolution would be possible if the proles rose up en masse to oppose the government. While in their rented room, Winston and Julia are denounced by the shop owner, a member of the Thought Police, and arrested. Part Three Winston and Julia are taken to the Ministry of Love for punishment, and learn that O’Brien is actually a loyal party member who poses as a supporter of The Brotherhood in order to expose the disloyal. O’Brien begins torturing Winston. O’Brien is very open about the Party’s desire for power, and tells Winston openly that once he is broken and forced to change his thoughts in support of the Party, he will be placed back into the world for a time as an example, and then killed when his usefulness in that capacity is exhausted. Winston endures horrific pain and psychological stress as he is forced to adopt obviously untrue positions, such as stating that 2 2 5. The goal of the torture is to force Winston to abandon logic in favor of absorbing and repeating whatever the Party tells him. Winston confesses to a lengthy list of imaginary crimes. Winston breaks, but O’Brien is not satisfied, as Winston defiantly tells him that he still loves Julia and O’Brien cannot take that away from him. O’Brien tells him he will betray Julia in Room 101. Winston is taken there, and O’Brien reveals that they know everything there is to know about Winston- including his greatest irrational fear, rats. A wire cage is fitted over his face, and rats are placed in the cage. O’Brien tells Winston that the rats will gouge out his eyes and Winston loses the last bits of his sanity in terror, and just as the rats are coming for him he tells O’Brien to substitute Julia. Having betrayed Julia completely, Winston is truly broken. He is re-educated and released. He spends his days drinking heavily at a cafe. A few days later he meets Julia in a park, and they discuss their torture. Julia admits that she broke as well, and betrayed him. They both realize that their love for one another has been destroyed. They no longer care for each other as they once did. Winston goes to a cafe and sits there alone as the telescreens report an important victory for Oceania in the war against Eurasia. Winston is happy and has no more thoughts of rebellion, thinking that he loves Big Brother, and cannot wait to finally be executed.

Describe a picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Describe a picture - Essay Example In particular, the use of red, black and dark blue serves to show how urban lifestyles leave individuals feeling secluded. The juxtaposition of dark and light hues gives the illusion of cramped spaces - both in geographic terms and as a metaphor for the state of mind of a city-dweller. We can also see in the painting how a cityscape is illustrated through the use of straight lines, sharp edges and angles. They could be interpreted as representing the rigid racial and class divisions that prevail in modern societies. They also stand for the harshness and monotony of contemporary livelihoods. It is instructive to look at the artist’s broader interests to better comprehend the painting. To note, Scarlett has had an active interest in art forms other than painting. These include jewelry designing and deco designing as well. As a result, his understanding of sense of space as a three-dimensional construct is unique. This is amply brought to bear in the Bird’s Eye

Changing Hand Hygiene Behavior at the Point of Care to prevent the Dissertation

Changing Hand Hygiene Behavior at the Point of Care to prevent the spread of clostridium difficile utilizing CDC's WHO model f - Dissertation Example Nosocomial infections  are preventable through proper hand hygiene.   C. PICO question: For RN’s, LPN/LVN and NA  (nursing assistants) working on patient care  areas, will changing hand hygiene at the point  of care prevent the spread of C.difficile D. P=Population-RN’s, LPN/LVN and NA’s providing  primary patient care. E. Intervention: Scheduled educational classes  introducing CDC’s â€Å"WHO model for Hand Hygiene.   F. Comparison- Comparison: RN; LPN and NA  knowledge pre and post training. â€Å"A  comparison of pre and post-tests will be  conducted to determine the participant’s  understanding of the WHO model and the impact  of hand washing technique on the incidence of  Clostridium difficile.   G. O =Outcome-Nursing staff will demonstrate and  utilize CDC’s:†WHO Model for Hand Hygiene†Ã‚  thereby preventing the spread of Nosocomial  infections such as Clostridium difficile. III. Methods-    A. Sampling strategies (examples-search process,  databases accessed, year restrictions, types of  studies, key terms used in the search).   B. Data evaluation (criteria you considered when  deciding to utilize a piece of literature).   IV. Findings-   A. ... standards, lack of  published empirical studies on the topic,  rationale for using non-empirical studies,  lack of studies in nursing but did locate  studies in another discipline)   V. Discussion   A. What has been concluded from the findings   B. Advantages and disadvantages of findings   C. How the findings could be utilized in nursing  practice   VI. Conclusion- Hand washing (soap washing and water), contact precaution and meticulous environmental cleaning with an EPA-registered disinfectant are effective in preventing the spread of the organism. Abstract Background The World Alliance for Patient Safety launched by The WHO in 2004 advocates a â€Å"clean care is safer care† program, in which health care leaders sign a pledge to take specific steps to reduce hospital associated infections in their facilities. Hand hygiene is the first focus in this worldwide initiative. Recognizing a worldwide need to improve hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, the WH O produced Advance Draft, launched its â€Å"Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care† along with the â€Å"Implementation Toolkit† that have been available since 5 May 2009 on the occasion of the launch of the â€Å"Save Lives: Clean Your Hands† initiative. The WHO regards hand hygiene as an essential tool for the prevention of nosocomial infection, but compliance in clinical practice is often low. Methods Relevant scientific literature and international evidence-based recommendations (Meta Analysis Sources) were studied. Results Hand washing (soap washing and water), Hygienic hand disinfection, contact precaution and meticulous environmental cleaning with an EPA-registered disinfectant are effective in preventing the spread of the organism. Compliance can be improved by training, and by placing hand-rub dispensers at

Theme Parks Essay Example for Free

Theme Parks Essay As I was young and growing up, traveling is something that I enjoy doing and still do today. I have traveled all around the country; however, the most exciting thing that I like to do is to go to an amusement park. Amusement parks are filled with rides, people, and excitement. The children are so excited and the adults feel as if they were young again. For example, Carowinds, Wet N’ Wild, and Disney World are all great amusement parks that I have been to. The number of people in amusement parks continues to grow as most amusement parks create new thrilling rides and activities to all people throughout the country. Carowinds is a very amusing place to go, which is located between Charlotte and Rock Hill. The amusement park is filled with people, food, rides, and excitement. Most people wait in long lines to get on a ride, while others walk around and get on another ride. Some of the rides that Carowinds have include: Wayne’s World, Vortex, and The Cyclone. These rides are breath taking, making people scream, and acquire a strong stomach to get on them. The amusement park has great food; however, the prices are a little eminent. They also have an all day buffet which is located in the middle of the park. Carowinds is a great amusement park to go as excitement continues to grow. The second amusement that has a lot of excitement is Wet N’ Wild. Wet N’ Wild is located in High Point, NC. Wet N’ Wild is an amusement park you just can not wait to get in. The park is filled with water rides and excitement. One of the rides I love to get on when I arrive is called The Twin Twisters. The Twin Twisters are two tunnels that loop you around four times at approximately 80 miles per hour. This ride is breath taking if you have not ever got on it before. The Twin Twisters is not recommending for children or people with high blood pressure. There are more water rides for people to choose from. The people that do not like water rides choose to go to the swimming pool which has approximately three hundred people. Most people that come to the park bring their own food because the prices are really high. Wet N’ Wild N’ Wild is the best water park in the state of North Carolina as more people continue to come. The last amusement park that has a lot of excitement is Disney World. Disney World brings excitement to all ages as it is like a dream come true to children. It is not normal to see Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny walking around in an amusement park. Once you enter the amusement park, you see children running around all over the place and playing with the people dressed in funny costumes. Most adults like watching plays with their children, take pictures, and collect souvenirs for memories. As many children are not able to see this exciting place, Disney World is a great place for children. Amusement parks are great to be as they are known to carry excitement. Children love to travel to amusement parks because they enjoy it. Most adults love to go to amusement parks because they relive stress and are very amusing. Amusement parks are very entertaining and amusing as more people continue to go to them all across the country.

Reasons Youth Join Gangs Essay -- Why Young People Join Gangs

Deviance in Gang Involvement Reasons Youth Join Gangs The problem of gang activity is not a new one facing our country. Ever since the beginnings of human existence gangs have served as a means of protection for humans. The issue of gang activity has recently, however, come to the forefront of dilemmas facing our nation. While cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are chronic gang sites, other cities such as â€Å"Miami, Portland, Columbus, Dallas, and Milwaukee have only recently (within the last decade) had what they termed as a gang problem† (Conly 7). Gang numbers have, without question, skyrocketed over the past 10 to 20 years. Los Angeles, for example, has recently been estimated to have as many as 90,000 gang members (Conly 14). The importance of these numbers cannot be overlooked. However, to fully understand the problems that gangs may pose to society, the term gang must be defined. Without a definition the impact of gang maliciousness on society may be lost. Throughout its history the term â€Å"gang† has possessed a diverse usage, being linked to outlaws in the â€Å"wild west† and organized crime groups among others (Decker and Van Winkle 2). Due to this, a clear-cut definition of a gang does not exist. However, most agree that a gang is a group of mostly males that engages in delinquent activities. However, the definition goes much further than that. A police officer, for example, may call a gang â€Å"an on-going, organized association of three or more persons who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in criminal activity† (Conly 5). Notwithstanding, this definition is terribly obscure. That definition could include a group of boys who occasionally drink alcohol. On the other hand it could also includ... ...bliography: Conly, Catherine H., et al. Street Gangs: Current Knowledge and Strategies. Washington: Dept. of Justice. Office of Justice Programs and National institute of Justice, 1993. Decker, Scott H., and Berik Van Winkle. Life in the Gang: Family Friends and Violence. New York: Cambridge Up, 1996. Dickersen, Debra. â€Å"Cease Fire in Simple City.† U.S. News and World Report 16 Mar. 1998: 22-25. Korem, Dan. Suburban Gangs: The Affluent Rebels. Texas: International Focus Press, 1994. Sanders, William B. Gangbangs and Drivebys: Grounded Culture and Juvenile Gang Violence. New York: Walter de Gruyter Inc, 1994. Spergel, Irving A. The youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach. New York: Oxford Up, 1995. Trump, K. S. Youth Gangs and School: The Need for Intervention and Prevention Strategies. Cleveland: Urban Child Research Center, 1993.

An Exploration of Morality and Privacy Essay

Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure is a play that is hard to like. It is stark, structured, and monotoned in dialogue and plot. The characters within the play are overwhelming disgusting specimens of humanity who are one dimension characters which seem to not be fully developed. Central character, The Duke, is a cruel and calculating leader that is more like a puppet master than a living, breathing man. He is responsible for manipulating the characters’ and free will within the play, Measure for Measure. The Duke’s actions are morally wrong. While The Duke claims his motivations are pure and he is trying to observe the governance of Vienna, there are other motives. The Duke likes to control people, by pretending to be a Friar is able to emotional rape and manipulate people and their free will. The Duke, who lives Italy, is in charge and it is his civic duty to maintain order. However, he seems unable to do so on his own. He employs the indifferent and unemotional Lord Angelo to carry out the gruesome work as punisher. The Duke, instead, decides that he should go out and mingle with his citizens. He decides to dress like and pretend to be a Friar. Lord Angelo, like many corrupt official, becomes intoxicating with power, using it for his own gain. The Duke shrugs off his duties to another individual which is obviously not trust worthy. He does this because he is lazy and is not entirely comfortable with enforcing the law. The Duke believes that he is incapable of enforcing the law himself and therefore his authority is reduced. He comments, to Thomas, â€Å"our decrees, / Dead to infliction, to themselves are dead, / And Liberty plucks Justice by the nose† (1. 3. 27-29). Thomas responds â€Å"It rested in your Grace / To unloose this tied-up Justice when you pleased† (1. 3. 31-32). It is clear that Thomas also believes that The Duke has intentionally stop doing the job he is responsible for. The Duke acknowledges Thomas’ point and explains that he wants to remain a kind leader and not one known for punishment. He states â€Å"‘Twould be my tyranny to strike and gall them / For what I bid them do; for we bid this be done / When evil deeds have their permissive pass, / And not the punishment† (1. 3. 36-39). Instead of completing his civic duties, The Duke chooses to go down to the prison and pretends to be a Friar. In pretending to be a religious figure he breaking the trust which individuals place in God and the people who are chosen to represent God. His behavior is questionable and his motives are clear — he wants to be a voyeur. He claims he wants to be closer to the people he was chosen to lead however, this is the ultimate control. The Duke is supposed to be civic minded and ethical yet he easily chooses to deceive the people, in prison, that need him, whether a Friar or a Leader, him most. As he takes people’s confessions he taunts them. For example when he speaks with Juliet who has conceived out of wedlock, his approach is callus. The Duke informs her that it is her fault the man, Claudio, she loves will be punished by Lord Angelo through execution. Then the Duke talks to Claudio, and advises him that he should just give up hope of life and seeking Juliet again and hoped he is â€Å"prepared to die† (3. 1. 4). This is followed by a long, unemotional speech about how life is not worth living and that nothing in life really matters, as way to encourage Claudius to be thankful for his early demise. The Duke is not done yet, he continues to make people believe he is a Friar and uses this power to manipulate them. The Duke becomes aware that Claudio’s sister, a virgin, has agreed to have sex with him. In doing so, Lord Angelo has agreed that Claudio will not be killed. Isabella explains the situation to her brother. However, The Duke insists on listening. He requires the prison to offer him a â€Å"concealed† (3. 1. 53) spot. Eventually, The Duke reveals himself and claims that Lord Angelo was never serious and â€Å"had never the purpose to corrupt her; only he hath made an assay of her virtue to practice his judgment with the disposition of natures† (3. 1. 161-164). Once again The Duke is manipulating the lives of the people he is supposed to protect and look after. He creates situations and causes people to react in certain ways. He is amused and satisfied with himself. The Duke then tells Claudio that his execution will happen. Then The Duke changes his mind and decides that he will sleep with Lord Angelo’s ex finance instead of Isabella. The Duke insists that this is a good thing because â€Å"the doubleness of the benefit defends the deceit from reproof† (3. 2. 262-263). The Duke’s manipulations continue when Lord Angelo demands that Claudio be executed and The Duke suggests that they should just substitute another inmate for Claudio. Even after Claudio’s live is saved, The Duke insists on telling Isabella that Claudio is dead. It is morally unacceptable that The Duke pretends to be a Friar. While The Duke claims that he is monitoring Lord Angelo’s virtue as a governorship it is clear that The Duke has his own motives in pretending and ease dropping. He believes that he has the power to a be a puppet master and pull the strings of everyone below him. If The Duke’s true motive was in measuring how well Lord Angelo is doing his job, he would have confronted him much sooner then he actually does. The Duke inflicts unnecessary harm on people for his own pleasure and feeding of his own ego.

Clyne’s Revision of Grice’s Maxims Essay

Grice’s Maxims have been criticised for being too Anglo-centric. Michael Clyne proposes revisions to the four maxims in his 1994 book Intercultural Communication at Work. Do Clyne’s revisions of this model go far enough in universally accounting for intercultural conversation? Why or why not? Grice’s General Cooperative Principle has been under continuous debate for the past three decades. It is mainly through the maxims that Grice’s paradigm has been challenged as highly ethnocentric, however such readings may tend to take the maxims too literally rather than as â€Å"reference points for language interchange† (Allan as cited in Clyne, 1994, p. 11). There is some agreement in this, but as suggested by Mey (1994, p. 74), the principle and maxims are â€Å"always defined relative to a particular culture†. It is this idea of cultural values underlying communication that has caused the contention of Grice’s cooperative principle and its subordinate maxims. Many linguists (Keenan, 1976; Wierzbicka, 1985; Clyne, 1994; Bowe & Martin, 2007) have criticised Grice’s Maxims for being too ethnocentric – claiming that its assumptions are based on Anglo-Saxon norms and culture. This Anglo-centric nature is problematic for intercultural communication as the maxims are inapplicable to many cultural values systems; namely European and Southeast Asian cultures where harmony, respect and restraint play a key role (Clyne, 1994, p. 192). In an attempt to better reflect intercultural conversation, Clyne (1994) has proposed a set of revised ‘maxims’ to make Grice’s principles more universal. His revision of Grice’s model certainly accounts for a wider variety of contexts and cultures, however it cannot be said to universally account for intercultural conversation. As conversation is unique to its context and participants, in reality no single theory could universally embody real life language use. Although people of all backgrounds generally do attempt to facilitate successful communication (if it doesn’t conflict with their purpose or cultural values), factors unique to each participant can affect any given conversation. Thus, it c an be said that while individuals are conditioned by their culture and environment, discourse patterns will always be influenced by personality factors (Watts, 1991) and pragmatic and intercultural competence. On the surface, Grice’s cooperative principle seems to provide little  difficulty for intercultural analysis; its degree of uncertainty is certainly appropriate for discussions of cultural diversity. Making a contribution â€Å"such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged† (Grice, 1975, p. 45) seems to allow for the acceptance of different purposes and requirements in different contexts, and does not exclude the influence of norms associated with a variety of different speech communities. Although intercultural analysis was not Grice’s main concern, he has defined the discourse of his cooperative principle as â€Å"concerted enterprises† that allow â€Å"a high degree of diversity in the motivations underlying quite meagre common objectives† (1989: 369). Grice himself makes no explicit claims of universality, using characteristically modest language to refe r to a â€Å"first approximation of a general principle† (1989: 26). He is extremely careful not to overstate the case for ‘cooperation’; suggesting that â€Å"each participant recognizes in them (talk exchanges), to some extent, a common purpose, or at least a mutually accepted direction† (1989, p. 26). It should be pointed out however, that Grice’s maxims depict an idealised and simplified language use, whereas reality is much more complex and multi-dimensional. In everyday conversations, telling the entire truth might be seen as impolite or inappropriate in certain cultures. There also tend to be intercultural differences that do not always follow a universal principle. Some cultures and languages (i.e. Chinese) often dictate that their speakers use indirect speech in conversation, which means they are unable to follow Grice’s maxims of quantity and manner. In such cases, there is a clash between Grice’s maxims and the pragmatic rules of conversation, which are culturally sensitive. For example, when being offered a drink, a typical Chinese person would automatically say no the first time, while expecting the offer to be made at least two or three times more. This resembles a kind of phatic language communication; saying no, but not really meaning no. In this sort of situation, if someone doesn’t adhere to the cultural norm – choosing to follow Grice’s maxims instead, then they would sound odd and out of place. The above example demonstrates that Grice’s maxims aren’t relevant in all contexts as they clash with certain cultural values systems. Many linguists  (Clyne, 1994; Hymes, 1986; Loveday, 1983; Walsh, 2009) have picked up on this discrepancy between theory and data, claiming that the maxims are only relevant to the English speaking Western world. In particular, Clyne (1994) has pointed out that they have limited relevance to cultures where content and knowledge are core values. For example, speakers of Malagasy, â€Å"whose form of co-operation seems to consist in making their contributions as opaque, convoluted and non-perspicuous as possible† (Keenan as cited in Mey, 1994, p. 74) could be seen as flouting the Maxim of Quantity. This is because information, especially ‘new’ information gives the holder a certain amount of prestige, thus Malagasy people tend to use indirect, evasive language. It is obvious then, that environmental factors, social interaction and cultural norms need to be considered when interpreting conversational implicature. This is reinforced by Hymes (1986), who notes that Grice was correct in assuming that any culture will have some sort of orientation towards telling the truth (quality), being informative (quantity), staying on topic (relation), and being clear (manner), but that this orientation and how it is articulated cannot be assumed to be the same in all cultures. It is necessary then to recognize that each language and/or culture will have its own settings for each of the maxims (Bowe & Martin, 2007). In an attempt to reduce the cultural bias of Grice’s maxims, Clyne (1994) has proposed revisions to the four maxims (quantity, quality, relation, manner) by considering different cultural norms and expectations. An example of this is the modification of the maxim of quality so that it reads ‘do not say what you believe to be in opposition to your cultural norms of truth, harmony, charity, and/or respect.’ This revision accounts for situations in which the hearer may not want to respond truthfully in order to preserve face or harmony (Lakoff, 1973). This cultural value of harmony is especially prevalent in Chinese and Vietnamese cultures. Nguyen (1991) claims that communalism and collectivism has enforced harmony as a central cultural value in the Vietnamese people. Because of this emphasis on harmonious relations, Vietnamese frequently utilise ambiguous communication behaviours in order to avoid conflict. Although this language use could flout one or more of Grice ’s maxims, by introducing cultural parameters such as truth, harmony and face, Clyne’s (1994) revisions can better account for  intercultural conversation. Clyne’s (1994) revised maxims for intercultural analysis certainly have more regard for the communicative patterns of non-English cultures; however, they don’t altogether meet the needs of intercultural communication. In intercultural communication a high level of pragmatic competence is central to an interlocutors performance. As Thomas (1984) points out, it is commonly the differences in pragmatic competence that are problematic in intercultural conversation. Furthermore, it is possible to have achieved a very high level of linguistic proficiency, while having a relatively low level of socio-pragmatic proficiency. This can result in speakers using a language, which for some reason is deemed inappropriate, incomprehensible or even offensive (Thomas, 1984). This will be demonstrated by the following example: An Australian manager has been reassigned to the Athens office of his organization and is assigned a Greek secretary. On a daily basis, he assigns work to her by using conventional indirect requests such as ‘Could you type this letter?’ One day, she complains to a colleague, ‘I wish he would just tell me what to do instead of asking me. After all, he’s the boss and I’m here to do what he wants.’ In the above example, we have a mixture of assumptions about the rights and obligations of two parties in a relationship characterized by asymmetrical distribution of power, and the way this power will be exercised and acknowledged. The Australian boss attends to the face wants of his secretary by attempting to minimize the power distance between the two. This is done by the use of politeness strategies that seemingly give the subordinate the option not to perform a requested act – ‘Could you type this letter?’ Thomas (1995, p. 161) observes that ‘allowing options (or giving the appearance of allowing options) is absolutely central to Western notions of politeness’. An Australian secretary would presumably know that a direct, on-record refusal of this request would be face threatening to her boss – as well as threatening to her own job. She could potentially employ indirect refusal strategies (i.e. hints), which would avoid on record refusal and  sustain the appearance of harmony. As Green (cited in Thomas, 1995, p. 147) points out â€Å"the speaker is really only going through the motions of offering options or showing respect for the addressee’s feelings. The offer may be a facade, the options nonviable, and the respect a sham. It is the fact that an effort was made to go through the motions at all that makes the act an act of politeness.† It is clear that in this example the two parties have not yet negotiated a shared set of norms. The secretary acknowledges and accepts the power difference between herself and her boss. She is dependent on him for work, and she accepts that he has the right to tell her to carry out various secretarial duties. To her, the Australian boss seems insincere when he requests her to do something for him, because as far as she is concerned, the power relationship admits no options. That is; she does not interpret the deference that her boss displays towards her as an act of politeness. There are obviously socio-pragmatic differences between the two parties. The Australian boss has carried his socio-pragmatic norms into the Greek setting, where they violate the expectations of his Greek subordinate. Each party is defining and acting within the situation differently. Despite this, their encounters are not entirely unsuccessful: the boss makes requests for work that the secretary completes. However, the Greek secretary feels dissatisfied with her boss’s politeness strategies. It can be said that neither party is completely interculturally competent. That is; communicating in a culturally competent way requires interlocutors to learn about the ways culture influences communicative utterances of individuals concerned. After all, if the secretary constantly doubts the sincerity of her boss, the relationship is threatened. And if the boss is unaware of the effects of this, he may experience a rude awakening in the near future. Based on what has been discussed, it can be concluded that Grice’s maxims cannot be taken as absolute rules; this would be neither right nor practicable. Language is not as clear-cut as mathematical formulas; it frequently integrates with culture and society. Thus cultural and pragmatic considerations are vital to successful intercultural communication. Moreover, linguistic competency may not always cause a breakdown in  communication; very often when language form and cultural norm clash, culture supersedes language form. Clyne’s (1994) revisions of the conversational maxims better reflect cultural variation, however they do not universally account for intercultural communication. The examples aforementioned demonstrate that factors such as pragmatic and intercultural competence also play a key role. Intercultural communication then becomes something that is negotiated at local level by participants, involving mutual adaptation. Difficulties may arise, of course, in the process of negotiation through limitations in the socio-pragmatic and strategic competence of some or all participants. After all, there are individual differences in these competencies, and as Agar (1994) points out, we have to remember that in any intercultural conversation, ‘it’s persons not cultures that are in contact’. References: Agar, M. (1994). The intercultural frame. In International Journal of Intercultural Relations 18/2:221-237. Bowe, H. J. & Martin, K. (2007). Communication across cultures: Mutual understanding in a global world. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clyne, M. (1994). Inter-cultural Communication at Work: Cultural Values in Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and Conversation. In P. Cole & J. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and Semantics 3: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press. Grice, P. (1989). Studies in the Way of Words. London: Harvard University Press. Hymes, D. H. (1986). Discourse: Scope without depth. In International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 57, 49-89. Keenan, E. O. (1976). On the universality of conversational implicatures. Language in Society 5.67-80. Lakoff, R. (1973). The logic of politeness, or minding your p’s and q’s. In Papers from the Ninth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. 292-305. Loveday, L. (1983). Rhetoric patterns in conflict: The sociocultural relativity of discourse organizing processes. In Journal of Pragmatics, 7, 169-90. Mey, J. (1994). Pragmatics. An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell. Thomas, J. (1984) Cross-cultural discourse as â€Å"unequal encounter†: Toward a pragmatic analysis. In Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 226-235. Thomas, J. (1995). Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. Harlow /Munich: Longman. Walsh, M. (2009). Some neo-Gricean maxims for aboriginal Australia. Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/docs/alw/Walsh09.pdf (accessed 22/10/2013) Watts, R. J. (1991). Power in family discourse. Berlin: Mouton. Wierzbicka, A. (1991). Cross-Cultural Pragmatics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter Wierzbicka, A. (1985). Different cultures, different languages, different speech acts. In Journal of Pragmatics 9.145-78.

Media Control essays

Media Control essays As citizens of a capitalist society we need to consider the dangers that corporate media imposes on democracy. Big corporations interest lies in the betterment of the corporation. So what interest does big corporation have in the media? This discussion usually begins with the question: What purpose does the media serve in a democratic society? Society currently faces a controversy over the definition of democracy. Democracy (di mokr sà ª) n., pl. -ies 1. government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. 2. a state having such a form of government. 3. a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges. 4. political or social equality; democratic spirit. 5. the common people, of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power. There are two forms of democracy widely discussed yet only one is acted out. The first is a democracy for the people, where people take part in the political process. The second is the idea that the masses lack the superior qualities needed to make good decisions; we elect individuals who have the superior decision making qualities to make our decisions for us. These two interpretations run parallel in some cases but there is much discrepancy in the role the people should take in democracy. Should people take an active role in the decision making process? Or do we refrain from letting our ignorance get in the way and let our leaders do their job? In this country we let the leaders take the power. Theoretically speaking, it makes sense. Some people are better leaders than others, so they should be in charge. But what happens when the people in charge do n ...

Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man

Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man Andro- The Prefix Thats All Man By Sharon Andro- derives from the Greek andros (man) and denotes anything thats male or masculine (and you thought that was testosterone 🙂 ) Its given us several words, many of them scientific or biological: andranatomy the dissection or structure of the male body androcentric regarding men as being primary or central androcephalic having a mans head upon an animals body androcracy political rule by men androcyte a male sex cell androgen a steroid/hormone that promotes the development male sexual organs and characteristics androgynous having both male and female characteristics; also applies in botany. Dont confuse this with androgenous, a biological term which means producing male offspring only android a robot that looks like a human andrology the study of diseases that affect men (sometimes called andriatry or andriatics) andromorphous having a mans shape androsterone a steroid hormone produced by men Find many more examples here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases16 Misquoted QuotationsHyphenation in Compound Nouns

Leonardo da Vincis Work Mona Lisa Personal Statement

Leonardo da Vincis Work Mona Lisa - Personal Statement Example To a large degree, the formal analysis revealed these characteristics of the work to me for the first time. Now upon examining reproductions, I recognize that in large part there is a distinction between the linearity in the woman’s hands, as well as in bodily elements. I also recognize the painterly elements in terms of the sfumato effect, specifically in an articulation of the woman’s mouth. One element I disagree with is the mystery surrounding the woman’s expression. While I recognize art critics popularly argued this feature of the painting, I believe that to a degree such perspectives are overblown and the work can be appreciated simply for its power and depth of creation.  Now upon examining reproductions, I recognize that in large part there is a distinction between the linearity in the woman’s hands, as well as in bodily elements. I also recognize the painterly elements in terms of the sfumato effect, specifically in the articulation of the woma n’s mouth. One element I disagree with is the mystery surrounding the woman’s expression. While I recognize art critics popularly argued this feature of the painting, I believe that to a degree such perspectives are overblown and the work can be appreciated simply for its power and depth of creation.              

Effect of Internet on Fraud and Identity Theft Essay

Effect of Internet on Fraud and Identity Theft - Essay Example The number of adult Americans with Internet access was expected to increase from about 88 million in mid-2000 to more than 104 million at the end of 2004. (Claburn, 2004)The Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce approximated that in the fourth quarter of 2000, online retail sales amounted to $8.686 billion, a boost of 67.1 per hundred from the 4th quarter of 1999. (Haeberle, 2004) Total e-commerce sales for 2000 were an approximated $25.8 billion, accounting for 0.8 percent of all sales. Bankers, for instance, who conduct online banking transactions are particularly vulnerable to fraud and identity theft (Sullins, 2006). Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the rise in e-commerce has become fertile ground for fraud, resulting in a loss of billions of dollars yearly worldwide (Bolton & Hand, 2002). Apparently, the fraudsters are quick to realize the potential of a new technology or system to propagate deception and identity theft, and early on exploit it to their benefit. Long-distance telemarketing became the channel of such criminal activity when it was first introduced in the 1970s. So too the pay-per-call service when it became accessible in the late 1980s. Internet technology is the newest attraction for opportunistic fraudsters who take advantage of it for personal gain. The problems facing law enforcers is the rapidly evolving techniques used by the fraudsters (Acoca, 2008). The rapid increase in the number of complaints associated with online deception and fraud bears this out: in 1997, the Commission obtained less than 1,000 Internet deception complaints; the following year, the number had expanded eight-fold. Although most Internet deceptions arise from customary scams, the variety of techniques ingeniously devised to exploit the new technology is quickly proliferating.