A Clean, Well-Lighted Place Essay -- Literary Analysis, Ernest Hemingw

Ernest Hemingway captures the essence and origins of nihilistic thought in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place†, written in a time of religious and moral confusion shortly after The Great War. The ideas expressed in this short story represent the post World War 1 thinking of Hemingway, and the notoriously nihilistic Lost Generation in Paris, which was greatly influenced by the many traumas of war. Learning from his unnerving experiences in battle, Hemingway enforces the idea that all humans will inevitably fade into eternal nothingness and everything valued by humans is worthless. He develops this idea by creating a brilliant mockery of two coveted religious documents, revealing authority figures as typical, despicable, human beings, and reducing life into the most raw, simplistic, and frightening reality imaginable. He states that all humans will naturally die alone and literally be â€Å"in despair† about â€Å"nothing† (494), and that people will either seek a â€Å"calm and pleasant cafe† (496), or a self-inflicted death simply to escape despair. Undoubtedly, Hemingway destroys any existence of a higher meaning because, in reality â€Å"[life is] all a nothing, and a man [is] nothing too† (496). By viewing the actions of three different generations, Hemingway’s â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† elaborates on the idea that life is not continual enlightenment and growth, but gradual despair, and an inevitable death into â€Å"nada† (497). The youthful and confident waiter, representing the youngest of the three male generations, is the only apparent spec of existentialist thought in the story. However, this young man is simply an unconcerned person due to his age; he is not in despair because the end of his existence is not breathing down his neck at thi... ..., Well-Lighted Place†, represent the opinions and views of one typical person, in one ordinary life. The theme of a world of nothingness is overwhelming to the human brain, and almost inconceivable, and everything we do in this life is simply designed to help us take our mind off of death; suicide is the ultimate escape from â€Å"despair† over â€Å"nothing† (494). Hemingway’s brilliant transitions in time explain how life eventually grows worse with age, and humans will succumb to suicide, drunkenness, or something comforting and safe, much like a clean, well-lighted cafe. Further, Hemingway has shown the world that man has created many bogus ways to cope with the insurmountable fear of nothingness, namely religion. People can try to kid their selves into feeling soulful, genuine, or meaningful, but there is no need to â€Å"fear for [the human] soul†, as it is non-existent.

Adult Attachment Style

Adult Attachment Style Relationships are complicated enough without having to worry about what your attachment style is. However, the type of attachment style a person is greatly influences what kind of relationship they will have later on in life. When children are young, they develop a unique attachment with the parent(s) or primary caregiver. This attachment is the basic building blocks that help determine what type of attachment style will dominate the different dimensions of relationships throughout adolescents and adulthood.I have recently completed a questionnaire designed to determine specific aspects of adult attachment style. This type of research is designed to measure the range of attachment as related to anxiety and avoidance associated with adult attachment theories. According to the questionnaire, I scored 2. 60 for attachment related anxiety on a scale of 1-7 one being low and 7 high. My other score was 2. 33 for attachment related avoidance using the same scale rangi ng from 1-7 one being low and 7 high. My combined score classified me in the secure quadrant.What this means is that for myself and those who scored in the low range of anxiety and avoidance, and falling in the secure quadrant are more likely to have satisfying relationships, are comfortable expressing emotions and tend not to suffer from depression and other psychological disorders. One other component is that people with similar attachment styles tend to partner together. I found this to be very interesting because I had my husband take the questionnaire and to my surprise he scored 3. 83 attachment-related anxiety, 3. 8 attachment-related avoidanceonly a few points higher than me and he also fall into the secure quadrant. Whatever adult attachment stylesa person is there seems to be a link between the infant and their parent(s)/caregiver relationship, and how it will impact future relationships. Research, theorizes that secure attachment in infancies is the result of the parent s eeing to every need of the infant and establishing a loving and safe environment. Psychologist Mary Ainsworth developer of the procedure, known as â€Å"Strange Situation† provided research offering explanations of individual differences in attachment styles.She identified three main attachments, secure(the category I fall in), insecure avoidant and insecure ambivalent concluding that these attachments were the result of early interaction with the mother. I believe that a child has a better chance at becoming a secure and emotionally sound adult when the parent(s) or caregiver(s) establishes positive attachment patterns such as a nurturing relationship anda sense of security. McLeod, S. A. (2008). Mary Ainsworth | Attachment Styles. Retrieved from http://www. simplypsychology. org/mary-ainsworth. html

Black Canyon Coffee Essay

Company Background Black Canyon Coffee (BCC) is a Thailand based coffee shop which has grown to become the largest coffee shop chain in Thailand. BCC opened their first store in 1993 in Bangkok and since then company has experienced 15 to 20 per cent annual growth with very little debt. Though Thailand is a low coffee consuming country but with the help of strategic marketing BCC has been able to penetrate the market. Presently BCC had 78 locations in 2002, and nearly 100 locations in 2003. BCC was founded by Pravit C. Pong who also is the managing director of the firm. Currently BCC has about 1000 staff members, 500 of which are direct employees and rest being joint venture partners and franchisees. BCC considers Starbucks, Coffee World, Au Bon Pain as their competitors and believe that by focusing on their core competency BCC can outperform their competitors. Problem Analysis As the articles states, BCC founders had no prior experience in restaurant business and were not even coffee drinkers. Coming from an IT background, founders of BCC wanted to start a business of their own. BCC follows an industrial organization (I/O) model because the company was formed by strategically analyzing external environment and factors. Realizing that food is one of the basic necessity of human being, Pravit along with his colleagues without any prior experience in the food sector saw that coffee was soon becoming a popular drink in Thailand. Because founders were new and naà ¯ve in the business, financial institutions were not ready to invest in the business and so mostly they had to work around with what they had out of their own pocket. BCC came out with a vision of being the best coffee house and international cuisine restaurant in Thailand by focusing on customer relationships and the quality of food that is being served to them. Their mission is to satisfy BCCâ€℠¢s consumers with both the products, services, and  personnel of Black Canyon. BCC operated three different types of outlets namely kiosks, mini-restaurants and full restaurants. All these outlets differ from each other in the services they offer and the revenue they generate. Company is expecting a growing emphasis on kiosks in location such as gas stations and other grocery stores. Though kiosks only sell coffee, beverages and snacks while restaurant serves coffee, beverages, snacks fast food and other continental food dishes. Hence, one of the issue in hand with Black Canyon Coffee is which franchise they should focus on in its expansion (kiosks, mini-restaurants, full-sized restaurant). Different franchise options have different benefits and drawbacks associated with them and having an Industrial organization model in place they have to make strategic decisions based on external environment. Another issue that BCC is facing is that of expanding globally or change their business model. Since, BCC has captured the Thai market they are looking for newer ways to gain market share. BCC has considered two opportunities for change in business model. First option was to sell branded Black Canyon Coffee beans in supermarket and other retail outlets. Second option is to get expertise in food service and develop a separate restaurant concept. BCC is not sure about which option should they work in to because they don’t have efficient managerial skills to work on it. BCC has also planned to go global and expand in different countries. They have opened few stores in other countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia and they are planning to open shops in Australia and North America. Though BCC has started expanding globally but the shops are all joint venture operations with other foreign outlets because BCC does not have enough capital to fund investments in multiple countries. Another reason of why BCC is interested going through franchise route is because BCC wants a local partner who understands culture and tradition of the county and its people. Local business partners carries more understanding and knowledge of the culture and traditions people follow as they are one among them. Another issue with opening shops in foreign locations is that of lack of efficient human resource. Experiences staff who speaks English in BCC are very few and hence if they are one place planning the start-up they cannot function someplace else and so the expansion rate slows down. Another challenge with the expansion is that of increased complexity of supply chain. Having foreign outlets scattered across the  world, BCC needs to fight with stale inventory or stock shortages. With these challenges and restraints in place BCC has to take corresponding steps to expand globally. Solutions Analysis Coffee consumption is increasing not only in Thailand but also in other Asian countries which provides BCC a great business opportunity to expand. According to me BCC should plan on expanding throughout Asia initially through kiosks. They should also go ahead with selling branded Black Canyon Coffee beans in supermarket and other retail outlet. For expansion in America and Europe they should focus into the niche of high-end restaurant business. Cost of goods sold at kiosks is twice that of a restaurant and so is the productivity. Though range of services available at kiosks are little less compares to a restaurant but the setup expenses, franchise fee and other expenses are lesser compared to the restaurant. Kiosks provide the highest profit margin to the company and hence will help BCC to generate revenue. Opening multiple kiosks not only in Thailand but throughout Asia will help company to expand and increase company’s potential growth and since kiosks are much easier than a restaurant to open it would be more feasible for BCC staff to work on it. Though rent of a kiosk is more than that of a restaurant in Thailand but different countries have different cost associated with it and so kiosks is the most efficient way to expand in Asia. Selling branded coffee across the globe would allow BCC to enter into new market and make an impression on coffee consumers. This move will provide a product for customers to consume in the comfort of their homes. This would also act as a response of how consumers find the product and whether or not BCC should invest more in the country. This would also increase the revenue for the company while avoiding high costs associated with operating a kiosk or restaurant. Once the above expansion plans work successfully BCC needs to expand its marketing efforts and let people know that they offer both western items and other Asian specialties. Black Canyon Coffee will benefit the most if its strategic implementation consists of franchising opportunities coupled with selling braded BCC beans in supermarket s and other retail outlets. BCC headquarters should take control of the location of new franchises and provide adequate training for new franchise owners so that vision and mission of BCC should be reflected  throughout the organization. Creating locally owned and managed franchises allows each location to add specific menu items that are appropriate for each region they are serving. BCC should continue its reliance on its Bangkok headquarters as a distribution warehouse which provides quality control of all the offered products. Centralization helps in better management of the organization. Since, BCC is incapable of self-packaging on a large scale level, it needs to ally with a packaging company in Bangkok for near future production. The low cost associated with instant coffee production and BCC’s high brand recognition and perceived quality will make for a smooth and highly profitable expansion with lowest risk. For first two years, BCC should focus on selling beans in Thailand and other countries of Asia. Once this generates capital BCC needs to manage three year expansion plan of kiosks in Thailand and other Asian countries by partnering with local entities so that necessary changes could be catered. Once the initial expansion plan is met company should be able to generate market value and show its existence in the Asian market. This should attract various other investors who are ready to invest in further expansion of the company. By this stage BCC should have gained much needed experience and exposure to enter American and European market. Conclusion BCC is an industrial organization before expanding into other countries they need to transform their skills from external environment to internal environment. Training employees is one of the most vital key of BCC’s success. They need to polish their work force so that implementation phase can be worked in smoothly and efficiently. To summarize BCC should first focus on selling the branded beans across Thailand and other Asian countries as this would help generate capital. Next step would be to expand in other Asian countries through opening kiosks which would be the safest bet to start with as it requires less setup expenses and less time for the setup. Success with this step would help in further expansion in American and European markets.

Professional Aspirations and Personal Statement

T Professional Aspirations and Personal Statement I truly believe that every individual on-this earth is called to help one another. It may be something so-simple- as to-tell a-friend that they matter when they're having a-bad day, or something huge as in dedicating your life-to tell people- that they matter. The latter is my goal. The-Christian faith has been a-passion- of mine since I was young, and now a senior in highschool I have-come- to the-condusion that the faith I have-must be shared with others.To-love when love-is needed, to care when-care is needed, to give a-sense of hope when life seems hopeless, and to-inspire when inspiration is no more. That is why I am choosing the-career of Christian Ministries. Yes, it is broad, but I believe- the-broadness to be-extremely inspiring and motivating for I can love, care, motivate, inspire, listen, teach, and-help humanity in a vast amount of ways. I believe that often- ministry is not necessarily â€Å"preaching† but just se tting themereexampleof love, For actions speak louder than words.I-am attending Azusa Pacific University next fall with a-major of Christian Ministries. I also-am considering of studying Intercultural Studies and Theatre; for theatre is a passion of mine, and-I believe- that Intercultural Studies with guide-me in my Ministry major, Azusa- is aprivate- Christian University that will give me-the education, and tools I need to-go-out a-helpothers. I also- plan on-doing mission trips in the summers, and study abroad for a semester so I can reach other cultures and countries. By the-word â€Å"reach' I mean to-simply love.I have- a passion to simply serve-other people, for I believe it to be the-most rewarding experience- on this earth. A Christian Ministries major will provide me with the-essentials needed to-go out into the world- with a sincere love-and passion for people, my goal is to serve, and I believe this major is one of the best for serving. Philanthropic Aspirations: My prof essional aspirations completely co inside' with my philanthropic aspirations for career aspirations is to increase' the well being of humankind in everyway.It is hard for me to specifically address one-humanitarian issue' for I want to impact all kinds of people- in diverseplaces; One-issue that I believe to-be increasing is the shallow idea of beauty. Women today are often driven to-make themselves on the outside lookbeautiftd; when inside they are hurting,and feel terribly insignificant and ugly, Now of days beauty is ali about the outside. The-media has a way of promoting theperf. ect hair,skin, body-type, etc in a way that women who do not have theperfect skin, hair, or body feel useless;I would like-to dedicate- my time-to showing these women the beauty inside them; beauty that doesn't come from anyone else; but a beauty that makes them who they are; I want topremote the-idea that women are-truly and-significantly beautiful the way they are. For this confidence will help many w omen with serious problems such as depression, anorexia/bulimia, lack of self confidence, and so many other problems women deal with. For by women knowing the-beauty they have they will be able-to embrace- who they are; and make-a direct impact on so many other women around them.I want to give-women the oopportunity 10 choose- a life of innerself, a life of love, hope; and happiness because- they love-who they are; I believe- that through my educational plans that I will be able to have-a direct impact on many women. For Christian Ministries is' all about people, so therefore- I . can be able to encourage- women at not only my University, hut through my church, missions; outreaches; and in everyday life. For life-should be about telling others that they matter,and let's face it women matter. And they matter not because of their outer appearance, but because of their inner goals, desires, and passions. ——

AFRICAN HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AFRICAN HISTORY - Essay Example In a social context, when it comes to social behavior, to begin with it was limited to a few single individuals with children that began to live together to better their chances of survival. These small groups eventually gave to bigger groups evincing a higher degree of social complexity (Berger 1). Thereby the humans felt an increased need for a better and efficient communication, and the need for language was felt (Berger 4). The earlier usage of limited oral expressions to solve the limited problems gave way to much complex lingual constructs (Berger 4). The early humans realized the advantages of using language for the sharing of information. The first convincing stone tools were developed by human about 2.5 million years ago in East Africa (Berger 5). As the early human realized the efficiency that stone tool ushered in their daily activities they started using select rock materials to craft and fashion tools (Berger 5). The humans accepted the importance of tools in butchering activities, as human teeth and nails were quiet incapable of slicing pieces of flesh and tough skins. Gradually the proto humans also learnt to fashion tool from perishable materials like wood (Berger 5). Eventually, with the enhanced preference for group formation, the early humans became more of hunters and farmers than being mere scavengers. This led from human populations confined to small groups that were far scattered to social organization and thereby an enhanced human capacity to fight against the vagaries of nature. This eventually gave way to larger human populations. 2. The relationship between the land, people, and climate has always been a complex issue on the continent. Discuss agriculture, domestication, and pastoralism in early ancient Nile Valley and Southern African communities. Cite techniques used to control plant productivity, livestock domestication, and responses to climatic changes. There is no

Are there innate differences between women and men Research Paper

Are there innate differences between women and men - Research Paper Example Some of the areas that many people have posited men to be smatter than women include the field of science and mathematics and physical mightiness. However, feminists tend to disagree with such deliberations, citing that men and women are equal by nature, and that the only differences are as a result of how the society deals with women differently from men. The rationale for the differences While researching on the root cause of the differences between men and women, studies have attributed the differences to the fact that men’s brains are built differently from women brains. Men’s left and right brain hemispheres are linked by less neurons than are women’s. In addition, women brains are networked while me’s brains are compartmentalized (Greene, 2008). Studies have shown that men are aggressive, women are passive, in regard to personality, even if they are both intelligent. However, in many societies, men dominate especially in many areas of leadership posi tions. Studies have also documented that, for example, at an average age of six years, boys have about 7 percent more vital energy than girls of the same age. In fact, as they grow, at an age of 13 or 14, boys have 35 % more than girls. Biologically, the main male hormone is testosterone, while that of female ones is an estrogen and progesterone (Jacklin & Maccoby1987). In light with this, it is widely contented that as boys continue to grow, they start taking the personality of physique of a man while girls increase traits of a woman. In another dimension, some cultural theorists believe that the differences seen between men and women are as a result of socialization, not biological. In their argument, women are conditioned to meet men’s conditioned thus they tend to accept a patriarchal structure (Fritz, 2004). Although feminist theorists tend to be united in their view of gender differences, they argue that this should not be equated with women inferiority. Behavior, which is considered to be dysfunctional by the society, is a reflection of less privileged minorities, such as women. The environment Many feminist theories are person-in-environment oriented. The major point of focus is on interaction between personal traits and surrounding. In fact, this is what is taken to mean that politically, these differences exist between men and women are. This is attributed to the interrelationship between different events on private and public sectors. In light with this, some feminists believe that the future can witness a genderless society because it is apparent that the traits labeled to be masculine and feminine are as a result of social construct, which is a custom that is derived right from childhood as children grow (Carroll, 2010). For example, little girls are introduced to cuddly dolls and gossip while little boys are encouraged to play with other boys mostly on games that signify on superiority and leadership traits. In addition, however, differenc es noted as being contributed to human biology are responsible for the inequality between men and women, which are exhibited in all societies (Riley & Clausen, 1972). A further example is that men, in almost all cultures are take part in warfare, which is an indication that they possess biologically based traits of aggression than women. However, not all researchers agree with such arguments. According to Shaffer (2009), some believe that the level of aggressiveness varies widely between

Introduction to Marketing Business Report Essay

Introduction to Marketing Business Report - Essay Example It is basically collection of data by conducting market surveys, questionnaire, focus group interviews and telephonic interviews. Sampling techniques and statistical tools will be a prerequisite for Abercrombie and Fitch. Secondary data is basically library research, wherein data already present is used for references and analysis. It includes company reports, annual reports, articles, government reports etc. These are readily available and come in handy during research. a) Abercrombie and Fitch fall in the category of apparels and accessories. It is a lifestyle and retail catering sector for men, women and kids in the age group of 14-22. The audience from this category looks for a comfortable and casual clothing line which is trendy and stylish and at the same time flaunts a luxurious lifestyle (Plunkett, 2008). The consumer buying decision process is essentially the stages a consumer goes through while making choices regarding which products and services to buy and use (Ferrell and Hartline, 2010; Dibb and Simkin, 2008).There are five steps in the identification process of consumer purchase behaviour (Rohan Academic Computing, 2011). The marketing research done above will help in evaluating the buying process of the customers targeted by Abercrombie and Fitch. For repeat purchasers, the experience with the brand will decide their choice of sticking to the brand or looking for something new. For first time buyers, marketing of the brand such as website, promotional activities, advertising will decide how much time and effort the consumer is going to put in that particular brand. The consumer will look into what other brands are offering. The style, latest trends, design, availability, discounts and sale offers are few of the factors which will influence the decision process heavily. Once the consumer has decided to buy Abercrombie and Fitch brand, this decision can be influenced by conditions such as store