Surrealism - The Movement and Artists Who Defied Logic

Surrealism - The Movement and Artists Who Defied Logic Surrealism defies logic. Dreams and the workings of the subconscious mind inspire art filled with strange images and bizarre juxtapositions. Creative thinkers have always toyed with reality, but in the early 20th century Surrealism emerged as a philosophic and cultural movement. Fueled by the teachings of Freud and the rebellious work of Dada artists and poets, surrealists like Salvador Dalà ­, Renà © Magritte, and Max Ernst promoted free association and dream imagery. Visual artists, poets, playwrights, composers, and film-makers looked for ways to liberate the psyche and tap hidden reservoirs of creativity. Features of Surrealistic Art Dream-like scenes and symbolic imagesUnexpected, illogical juxtapositionsBizarre assemblages of ordinary objectsAutomatism and a spirit of spontaneityGames and techniques to create random effectsPersonal iconographyVisual puns  Distorted figures and biomorphic shapesUninhibited sexuality and taboo subjectsPrimitive or child-like designs How Surrealism Became a Cultural Movement Art from the distant past can appear surreal to the modern eye. Dragons and demons populate ancient frescos and medieval triptychs. Italian Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo  (1527–1593) used trompe l’oeil effects   to depict human faces made of fruit, flowers, insects, or fish. The Netherlandish artist Hieronymus Bosch  (c. 1450-1516) turned barnyard animals and household objects into terrifying monsters. Did Salvador Dalà ­ model his strange rock after an image by Hieronymus Bosch? Left: Detail from The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503-1504, by Hieronymus Bosch. Right: Detail from The Great Masturbator, 1929, by Salvador Dalà ­. Credit: Leemage/Corbis and Bertrand Rindoff Petroff via Getty Images Twentieth-century surrealists praised The Garden of Earthly Delights and called Bosch their predecessor. Surrealist artist Salvador Dalà ­ may have imitated Bosch when he painted the odd, face-shaped rock formation in his shockingly erotic masterpiece, The Great Masturbator. However, the creepy images Bosch painted are not surrealist in the modern sense. It’s likely that Bosch aimed to teach Biblical lessons rather than to explore dark corners of his psyche. Similarly, Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s delightfully complex and freakish portraits were visual puzzles designed to amuse rather than to probe the unconscious. Although they look surreal, paintings by early artists reflected deliberate thought and conventions of their time. In contrast, 20th-century surrealists rebelled against convention, moral codes, and the inhibitions of the conscious mind.The movement emerged from Dada, an avant-garde approach to art that mocked the establishment. Marxist ideas sparked a disdain for Capitalist society and a thirst for social rebellion. The writings of Sigmund Freud suggested that higher forms of truth might be found in the subconscious. Moreover, the chaos and tragedy of World War I spurred a desire to break from tradition and explore new forms of expression.   In 1917, French writer and critic Guillaume Apollinaire used the term â€Å"surrà ©alisme† to describe Parade, an avant-garde ballet with music by Erik Satie, costumes and sets by Pablo Picasso, and story and choreography by other leading artists. Rival factions of young Parisians embraced surrà ©alisme and hotly debated the meaning of the term. The movement officially launched in 1924 when poet Andrà © Breton published the First Manifesto of Surrealism. Tools and Techniques of Surrealist Artists Early followers of the Surrealism movement were revolutionaries who sought to unleash human creativity. Breton opened a Bureau for Surrealist Research where members conducted interviews and assembled an archive of sociological studies and dream images. Between 1924 and 1929 they published twelve issues of La Rà ©volutionsur rà ©aliste, a journal of militant treatises, suicide and crime reports, and explorations into the creative process. At first, Surrealism was mostly a literary movement. Louis Aragon (1897–1982), Paul Éluard (1895–1952), and other poets experimented with automatic writing, or automatism, to free their imaginations. Surrealist writers also found inspiration in cut-up, collage, and other types of found poetry. Visual artists in the Surrealism movement relied on drawing games and a variety of experimental techniques to randomize the creative process. For example, in a method known as decalcomania, artists splashed paint on to paper, then rubbed the surface to create patterns. Similarly, bulletism  involved shooting ink onto a surface, and à ©claboussure involved spattering liquid onto a painted surface that was then sponged. Odd and often humorous assemblages of found objects became a popular way to create juxtapositions that challenged preconceptions. A devout Marxist, Andrà © Breton believed that art springs from a collective spirit. Surrealist artists often worked on projects together.The October 1927 issue of La Rà ©volution surrà ©aliste featured works generated from a collaborative activity called Cadavre Exquis, or Exquisite Corpse. Participants took turns writing or drawing on a sheet of paper. Since no one knew what already existed on the page, the final outcome was a surprising and  absurd composite. Surrealist Art Styles Visual artists in the Surrealism movement were a diverse group. Early works by European surrealists often followed the Dada tradition of turning familiar objects into satirical and nonsensical artworks. As the Surrealism movement evolved, artists developed new systems and techniques for exploring the irrational world of the subconscious mind. Two trends emerged:  Biomorphic (or, abstract)  and Figurative. Giorgio de Chirico. From the Metaphysical Town Square Series, ca. 1912. Oil on canvas. Dea / M. Carrieri via Getty Images Figurative surrealists produced recognizable representational art. Many of the figurative surrealists were profoundly influenced by Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), an Italian painter who founded the  Metafisica, or Metaphysical, movement. They praised the dreamlike quality of de Chiricos deserted town squares with rows of arches, distant trains, and ghostly figures. Like de Chirico, figurative surrealists used techniques of realism to render startling, hallucinatory scenes. Biomorphic (abstract) surrealists wanted to break entirely free from convention. They explored new media and created abstract works composed of undefined, often unrecognizable, shapes and symbols. Surrealism exhibits held in Europe during the 1920s and early 1930s featured both figurative and biomorphic styles, as well as works that might be classified as Dadaist. Great Surrealist Artists in Europe Jean Arp:  Born in Strassburg, Jean Arp (1886-1966) was a Dada pioneer who wrote poetry and experimented with a variety of visual mediums such as torn paper and wooden relief constructions. His interest in organic forms and spontaneous expression aligned with surrealist philosophy. Arp exhibited with Surrealist artists in Paris and became best known for fluid, biomorphic sculptures such as Tà ªte et coquille (Head and Shell). During the 1930s, Arp transitioned to a non-prescriptive style he called Abstraction-Crà ©ation. Salvador Dalà ­:  Spanish Catalan artist Salvador Dalà ­ (1904-1989) was embraced by the Surrealism movement in the late 1920s only to be expelled in 1934. Nevertheless, Dalà ­ acquired international fame as an innovator who embodied the spirit of Surrealism, both in his art and in his flamboyant and irreverent behavior. Dalà ­ conducted widely-publicized dream experiments in which he reclined in bed or in a bathtub while sketching his visions. He claimed that the melting watches in his famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, came from self-induced hallucinations. Paul Delvaux:  Inspired by the works of Giorgio de Chirico, Belgian artist Paul Delvaux (1897-1994) became associated with Surrealism when he painted illusionary scenes of semi-nude women sleep-walking through classical ruins. In L’aurore (The Break of Day), for example, women with tree-like legs stand rooted as mysterious figures move beneath distant arches overgrown with vines. Max Ernst:  A German artist of many genres,  Max Ernst (1891-1976) rose from the Dada movement to become one of the earliest and most ardent surrealists. He experimented with automatic drawing, collages, cut-ups, frottage (pencil rubbings), and other techniques to achieve unexpected juxtapositions and visual puns. His 1921 painting Celebes places a headless woman with a beast that is part machine, part elephant. The title of the painting is from a German nursery rhyme. Alberto Giacometti: Sculptures by the Swiss-born surrealist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) look like toys or primitive artifacts, but they make disturbing references to trauma and sexual obsessions. Femme à ©gorgà ©e (Woman with Her Throat Cut) distorts anatomical parts to create a form that is both horrific and playful. Giacometti departed from Surrealism in the late 1930s and became known for figurative representations of elongated human forms. Paul Klee. Music at the fair, 1924-26. De Agostini / G. Dagli Orti via Getty Images Paul Klee: German-Swiss artist Paul Klee (1879-1940) came from a musical family, and he filled his paintings with a personal iconography of musical notes and playful symbols. His work is most closely associated with Expressionism and Bauhaus. However, members of the Surrealism movement admired Klee’s use of automatic drawings to generate uninhibited paintings like Music at the Fair, and Klee was included in surrealist exhibitions.  Ã‚   Renà © Magritte. The Menaced Assassin, 1927. Oil on canvas. 150.4 x 195.2 cm (59.2 Ãâ€" 76.9 in). Colin McPherson via Getty Images Renà ©Ã‚  Magritte: The Surrealism movement was already well-underway when Belgian artist Renà © Magritte (1898-1967) moved to Paris and joined the founders. He became known for realistic renderings of hallucinatory scenes, disturbing juxtapositions, and visual puns. The Menaced Assassin, for example, puts placid men wearing suits and bowler hats in the midst of a gruesome pulp novel crime scene. Andrà © Masson: Injured and traumatized during World War I, Andrà © Masson  (1896-1987) became an early follower of the Surrealism movement and an enthusiastic proponent of  automatic drawing. He experimented with drugs, skipped sleep, and refused food to weaken his conscious control over the motions of his pen. Seeking spontaneity, Masson also threw glue and sand at canvases and painted the shapes that formed. Although Masson eventually returned to more traditional styles, his experiments led to new, expressive approaches to art. Joan Mirà ³. Femme et oiseaux (Woman and Birds), 1940, #8 from Mirà ³Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Constellations series. Oil wash and gouache on paper. 38 x 46 cm (14.9 x 18.1 in). Credit: Tristan Fewings via Getty Images Joan Mirà ³: Painter, print-maker, collage artist, and sculptor Joan Mirà ³ (1893-1983) created brightly colored, biomorphic shapes that seemed to bubble up from the imagination. Mirà ³ used doodling and automatic drawing to spark his creativity, but his works were carefully composed. He exhibited with the surrealist group and many of his works show the influence of the movement. Femme et oiseaux (Woman and Birds) from Mirà ³Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Constellations series suggests a personal iconography that is both recognizable and strange. Meret Oppenheim: Among the many works by Mà ©ret Elisabeth Oppenheim (1913-1985), were assemblages so outrageous, the European surrealists welcomed her into their all-male community. Oppenheim grew up in a family of Swiss psychoanalysts and she followed the teachings of Carl Jung. Her notorious Object in Fur (also known as Luncheon in Fur) merged a beast (the fur) with a symbol of civilization (a tea cup). The unsettling hybrid became known as the epitome of Surrealism.   Pablo Picasso: When the Surrealism movement launched, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), was already lauded as a forefather of Cubism. Picasso’s Cubist paintings and sculptures were not derived from dreams and he only skirted the edges of the Surrealism movement. Nevertheless, his work  expressed a spontaneity that aligned with surrealist ideology. Picasso exhibited with surrealist artists and had works reproduced in  La Rà ©volution surrà ©aliste. His interest in iconography and primitive forms led to a series of increasingly surrealistic paintings. For example, On the Beach (1937) places distorted human forms in a dream-like setting. Picasso also wrote surrealistic poetry composed of fragmented images separated by dashes. Here’s an excerpt from a poem that Picasso wrote in November 1935: when the bull–opens the gateway of the horse’s belly–with his horn–and sticks his snout out to the edge–listen in the deepest of all deepest holds–and with saint lucy’s eyes–to the sounds of moving vans–tight packed with picadors on ponies–cast off by a black horse Man Ray. Rayograph,1922. Gelatin silver print (photogram). 22.5 x 17.3 cm (8.8 x 6.8 in). Historical Picture Archive via Getty Images Man Ray: Born in the United States, Emmanuel Radnitzky (1890-1976) was the son of a tailor and a seamstress. The family adopted the name â€Å"Ray† to hide their Jewish identity during an era of intense anti-Semitism.  In 1921, â€Å"Man Ray† moved to Paris, where he became important in the Dada and surrealist movements.Working in a variety of media, he explored ambiguous identities and random outcomes. His rayographs were eerie images created by  placing objects directly onto photographic paper. Man Ray. Indestructible Object (or Object to Be Destroyed), Oversized reproduction of 1923 original. Exhibition at Prado Museum, Madrid. Atlantide Phototravel via Getty Images Man Ray was also noted for bizarre three-dimensional assemblages such as Object to Be Destroyed, which juxtaposed a metronome with a photograph of a woman’s eye. Ironically, the original Object to Be Destroyed was lost during an exhibition. Yves Tanguy: Still in his teens when the word surrà ©alisme  emerged, French-born artist Yves Tanguy (1900-1955) taught himself to paint the hallucinatory geological formations that made him an icon of the Surrealism movement. Dreamscapes like Le soleil dans son à ©crin (The Sun in Its Jewel Case) illustrate Tanguy’s fascination for primordial forms. Realistically rendered, many of Tanguy’s paintings were inspired by his travels in Africa and the American Southwest. Surrealists in the Americas Surrealism as an art style far outlived the cultural movement that Andrà © Breton founded. The passionate poet and rebel was quick to expel members from the group if they didn’t share his left-wing views. In 1930, Breton published a Second Manifesto of Surrealism, which riled against the forces of materialism and condemned artists who didn’t embrace collectivism. Surrealists formed new alliances. As World War II loomed, many headed to the United States. The prominent American collector Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) exhibited surrealists, including Salvador Dalà ­, Yves Tanguy, and her own husband, Max Ernst. Andrà © Breton continued to write and promote his ideals until his death in 1966, but by then Marxist and Freudian dogma had faded from Surrealistic art. An impulse for self-expression and freedom from the constraints of the rational world led painters like Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) and Arshile Gorky (1904-1948) to Abstract Expressionism. Louise Bourgeois. Maman (Mother), 1999. Stainless steel, bronze, and marble. 9271 x 8915 x 10236 mm (about 33 feet high). On exhibit at the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Nick Ledger / Getty Images Meanwhile, several leading women artists reinvented Surrealism in the United States. Kay Sage (1898-1963) painted surreal scenes of large architectural structures. Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) won acclaim for photorealistic paintings of surreal images. French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) incorporated archetypes and sexual themes into highly personal works and monumental sculptures of spiders. Frida Kahlo. Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on My Mind), 1943. (Cropped) Oil on Masonite. Gelman Collection, Mexico City. Roberto Serra - Iguana Press / Getty Images In Latin America, Surrealism mingled with cultural symbols, primitivism, and myth. Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) denied that she was a surrealist, telling Time magazine,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.† Nevertheless, Frida Kahlos psychological self-portraits possess the other-worldly characteristics of surrealistic art and Magic Realism. The Brazilian painter Tarsila do Amaral (1886-1973) was midwife to a unique national style composed of biomorphic forms, distorted human bodies, and cultural iconography. Steeped in symbolism, Tarsila do Amaral’s paintings might be loosely described as surrealistic. However the dreams they express are those of an entire nation. Like Kahlo, she developed a singular style apart from the European movement. Although Surrealism no longer exists as a formal movement, contemporary artists continue to explore dream imagery, free-association, and the possibilities of chance. Sources Breton, Andrà ©. First Manifesto of Surrealism, 1924.  A. S. Kline, translator. Poets of Modernity, 2010. http://poetsofmodernity.xyz/POMBR/French/Manifesto.htmCaws, Mary Ann, editor. Surrealist Painters and Poets: An Anthology. The MIT Press; Reprint edition, 9 Sept 2002Greet, Michele. â€Å"Devouring Surrealism: Tarsila do Amaral’s Abaporu.†Papers of Surrealism, Issue 11, Spring 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/63517395/surrealism_issue_11.pdfGolding, John. â€Å"Picasso and Surrealism† in Picasso in Retrospect. Harper Row; Icon ed edition (1980)  https://www.bu.edu/av/ah/spring2010/ah895r1/golding.pdfHopkins, David, ed. A Companion to Dada and Surrealism. John Wiley Sons,  19 Feb 2016Jones, Jonathan.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Its time to give Joan Mirà ³ his due again.†Ã‚  The Guardian.  29 Dec 2010.  Ã‚  https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2010/dec/29/joan-miro-surrealism-tate-modernâ€Å"Paris: The Heart of Surrealism.† Matteson Art.  25 March 2009 mattesonart.com/paris-the-heart-of-surrealism.aspx La Rà ©volution surrà ©aliste [The Surrealist Revolution], 1924-1929. Journal Archive.  Ã‚  Ã‚  https://monoskop.org/La_R%C3%A9volution_surr%C3%A9alisteMann, Jon. â€Å"How the Surrealistic Movement Shaped the Course of Art History.†Ã‚  Artsy.net. 23 Sept  2016  Ã‚  https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-what-is-surrealism MoMA Learning. â€Å"Surrealism.†Ã‚  https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/surrealismâ€Å"Paris: The Heart of Surrealism.† Matteson Art.  25 March 2009 mattesonart.com/paris-the-heart-of-surrealism.aspxâ€Å"Paul Klee and the Surrealists.† Kunstmuseum Bern - Zentrum Paul Klee  https://www.zpk.org/en/exhibitions/review_0/2016/paul-klee-and-the-surrealists-1253.htmlRothenberg, Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris, eds.  A Picasso Sampler: Excerpts from:  The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, Other Poems  (PDF) ubu.com/historical/picasso/picasso_sampler.pdfSooke, Alastair. â€Å"The Ultimate Vision of Hell.â €  The State of the Art, BBC. 19 February 2016  bbc.com/culture/story/20160219-the-ultimate-images-of-hell Surrealism Period. Pablo Picasso.net  pablopicasso.net/surrealism-period/Surrealist Art. Centre Pompidou Educational Dossiers. Aug  2007  http://mediation.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ENS-surrealistart-EN/ENS-surrealistart-EN.htm#origins

German V-2 Rocket in World War II

German V-2 Rocket in World War II In the early 1930s, the German military began to seek out new weapons that would not violate the terms of the  Treaty of Versailles. Assigned to aid in this cause, Captain Walter Dornberger, an artilleryman by trade, was ordered to investigate the feasibility of rockets. Contacting the  Verein fà ¼r Raumschiffahrt  (German Rocket Society), he soon came in contact with a young engineer named Wernher von Braun. Impressed with his work, Dornberger recruited von Braun to aid in developing liquid-fueled rockets for the military in August 1932. The eventual result would be the worlds first  guided ballistic missile, the V-2 rocket. Originally known as the A4, the V-2 featured a range of 200 miles and a maximum speed of 3,545 mph. Its 2,200 pounds of explosives and liquid propellant rocket engine allowed Hitlers army to employ it with deadly accuracy. Design and Development Commencing work with a team of 80 engineers at Kummersdorf, von Braun created the small A2 rocket in late 1934. While somewhat successful, the A2 relied on a primitive cooling system for its engine. Pressing on, von Brauns team moved to a  larger facility at Peenemunde on the Baltic coast, the same facility that developed the V-1 flying bomb, and launched the first A3 three years later. Intended to be a smaller prototype of the A4 war rocket, the A3s engine nonetheless lacked endurance, and problems quickly emerged with its control systems and aerodynamics. Accepting that the A3 was a failure, the A4 was postponed while the problems were dealt with using the smaller A5. The first major issue to be addressed was constructing an engine powerful enough to lift the A4. This became a seven-year development process that led to the invention of new fuel nozzles, a pre-chamber system for mixing oxidizer and propellant, a shorter combustion chamber, and a shorter exhaust nozzle. Next, designers were forced to create a guidance system for the rocket that would allow it to reach the proper velocity before shutting off the engines. The result of this research was the creation of an early inertial guidance system, which would allow the A4 to hit a city-sized target at a range of 200 miles. As the A4 would be traveling at supersonic speeds, the team was forced to conduct repeated tests of possible shapes. While supersonic wind tunnels were built at Peenemunde, they were not completed in time to test the A4 before being put into service, and many of the aerodynamic tests were conducted on a trial and error basis with conclusions based on informed guesswork. A final issue was developing a radio transmission system that could relay information about the rockets performance to controllers on the ground. Attacking the problem, the scientists at Peenemunde created one of the first telemetry systems to transmit data. Production and a New Name In the early days of  World War II, Hitler was not particularly enthusiastic about the rocket program, believing that the weapon was simply a more expensive artillery shell with a longer range. Eventually, Hitler did warm to the program, and on December 22, 1942, authorized the A4 to be produced as a weapon. Though production was approved, thousands of changes were made to the final design before the first missiles were completed in early 1944. Initially, production of the A4, now re-designated the V-2, was slated for Peenemunde, Friedrichshafen, and Wiener Neustadt, as well as several smaller sites. This was changed in late 1943 after Allied bombing raids against Peenemunde and other V-2 sites erroneously led the Germans to believe their production plans had been compromised. As a result, production shifted to underground facilities at Nordhausen (Mittelwerk) and Ebensee. The only plant to be fully operational by wars end, the Nordhausen factory utilized slave labor from the nearby Mittelbau-Dora concentration camps. It is believed that around 20,000 prisoners died while working at the Nordhausen plant, a number that far exceeded the number of casualties inflicted by the weapon in combat. During the war, over 5,700 V-2s were built at various facilities. Operational History Originally, plans called for the V-2 to be launched from massive blockhouses located at Éperlecques and La Coupole near the English Channel. This static approach was soon scrapped in favor of mobile launchers. Traveling in convoys of 30 trucks, the V-2 team would arrive at the staging area where the warhead was installed and then tow it to the launch site on a trailer known as a Meillerwagen. There, the missile was placed on the launch platform, where it was armed, fueled, and the gyros set. This set-up took approximately 90 minutes, and the launch team could clear an area in 30 minutes after launch. Thanks to this highly successful mobile system, up to 100 missiles a day could be launched by German V-2 forces. Also, due to their ability to stay on the move, V-2 convoys were rarely caught by Allied aircraft. The first V-2 attacks were launched against Paris and London on September 8, 1944. Over the next eight months, a total of 3,172 V-2 were launched at Allied cities, including London, Paris, Antwerp, Lille, Norwich, and Liege. Due to the missiles ballistic trajectory and extreme speed, which exceeded three times the speed of sound during descent, there was no existing and effective method for intercepting them. To combat the threat, several experiments using radio jamming (the British erroneously thought the rockets were radio-controlled) and anti-aircraft guns were conducted. These ultimately proved fruitless. V-2 attacks against English and French targets only decreased when Allied troops were able to push back Germans forces and place these cities out of range. The last V-2-related casualties in Britain occurred on March 27, 1945. Accurately placed V-2s could cause extensive damage and over 2,500 were killed and nearly 6,000 wounded by the missile. Despite these casualties, the rockets lack of a proximity fuse reduced losses as it frequently buried itself in the target area before detonating, which limited the effectiveness of the blast. Unrealized plans for the weapon included the development of a submarine-based variant as well as the construction of the rocket by the Japanese. Postwar Highly interested in the weapon, both American and Soviet forces scrambled to capture existing V-2 rockets and parts at the end of the war. In the conflicts final days, 126 scientists who had worked on the rocket, including von Braun and Dornberger, surrendered to American troops and assisted in further testing the missile before coming to the United States. While American V-2s were tested at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, Soviet V-2s were taken to Kapustin Yar, a  Russian rocket launch and development site two hours east of Volgograd. In 1947, an experiment called Operation Sandy was conducted by the US Navy, which saw the successful launch of a V-2 from the deck of the  USS Midway (CV-41). Working to develop more advanced rockets, von Brauns team at White Sands used variants of the V-2 up until 1952. The worlds first successful large, liquid-fueled rocket, the V-2 broke new ground and was the basis for the rockets later used in the American and Soviet space progra ms.

Service letters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service letters - Essay Example In addition, a good friend of the family was talking coffee with us, and she commented about the young man to me, claiming that he had once stayed with her when one of the machines broke down until it was repaired. Your juice stores have always given me excellent service and acts, as a place for me to meet my friends. I always feel comfortable even when I am not having a drink because the waiters know that I am a regular visitor. I have noticed that the waiters, including Mr. Rodman, always try to make the customer’s experience much better, which must be difficult with all the diverse people who visit the store. These groups always want different flavors, as was the case with my nephews. One of them wanted a Pina Colada, while the others wanted a Strawberry Julius and an Orange Julius respectively. Even with the long line behind us, Mr. Rodman pulled more than fifteen colored cups out of the sleeve until he had the right ones, after which he made beverages for all of us, chatting up my nephews. We were all very grateful. I find his attitude brilliant because it is not possible to train understanding and empathy, which means that this is one of your requirements for potential employees, especially as I have heard the same complements from my friends. I felt like Mr. Rodman showed maturity and understanding from his experience of serving families and small children. Even though, buying juice is not the most memorable moment of anyone’s day, I always remember to visit it every time I come to the mall. I have also learnt a lesson from this experience, which is that understanding and maturity may be more costly and elicit more opinions, but it creates loyalty for customers. This is not in any training manual, but I feel that many stores have a lot to learn from you. I know that I will stay a loyal customer to your business. Thank you. I am writing this letter as a complaint about the terrible service

The Global Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Firstly, the credit crisis played a significant role in determining the global financial crisis. Kolb (2010), brings out the point that, as at mid 2007, a great number of investors in the USA had lost trust in the value of mortgages as the government had offered loans to too many people that could not manage paying back the debts. In response, liquidity was evident, which resulted to the US disbursing more funds to the financial market. By 2008, the situation worsened, as the stock markets had totally disintegrated. Nanto (2009) argues that the stock markets were extremely unstable. For fear of the worst, the investors did not have any trust in the government and opted to withdraw. This argument concurs with that of Keynes theory that specified that, spending by the government is the major reason behind UK’s crisis. In the case of employment, Keynes (2006) reported that employment rates increase the amount of spending and that wages must be kept constant. Secondly, yet another factor that led to global financial crisis is that, the US government had granted loans to many individuals, even those who could not pay the debts, which put the market at a higher risk of collapsing. Igan et al (2010) uttered that the value of the mortgages dropped with the borrowers being left with losses to count. The banks were faced with a lot of deficits to deal with, forcing them to repossess their assets that were of lesser value. Chacko et al. (2011) attribute excessive lending to the major contributor of the global crisis, as the banks found it tasking to deal with the liquidity issue, and the low lending rates due to misappropriate lending by the banks. Lack of proper regulation measures in terms of lending - unethical behavior, cost the globe financial crisis that could not be solved in a day. It is vital that Fredrick’s thoughts are applied in the case of solving the crisis in UK. In his work, he notes prices must be well monitored so as to avoid inflation in a country. However, his thoughts do not match with those of Friedman (2004) who believes in a free market, devoid of barriers from the government. Thirdly, the collapse of Lehman Brothers on 14th September, 2008, marked a new phase of the financial crisis (Savona, Kirton & Oldani, 2011). Due to their collapse, net capital inflows in the financial market reduced, as well as in the domestic stock markets. Griffiths &Wall (2008) attest to the fact that, the concerned governments, just like business economics states, had to come up with solutions to rescue their financial institutions. The housing and stock markets were in a terrible situation. Furthermore, Doyle (2008) notes that, though the Lehman failure had no direct implication on the domestic financial status, massive changes were experienced in the external market status. Large capital outflows were experienced, external commercial borrowings decreased, and acquiring credits became more difficult. Statler & Shrivastava (2012) reve aled that by December 2008, the US reserves recorded losses of an approximate thirty three billion from fifty four billion. On another point of view, Aizenman & Jinjarak (2010) emphasized that UK is one of the countries at its peak in terms of spending on reducing the impacts of the 2008 crisis. The government employed the fiscal policy approaches in an endeavor to handle the crisis, as well as a free floating exchange rate to curb inflation. Maximilian (2009) accentuated that fiscal policies spare the country from a decrease in the demand for domestic goods. The UK government in addition, reduced its expenditures and increased the taxes from seventeen

The Boston Beer Company Essay Example for Free

The Boston Beer Company Essay The Boston Beer Company has had amazing success in its transition from a small scale microbrewer to a large scale national brewery. Almost all of the company’s success is due to the Samuel Adams Lager product line, which has hardly changed from the founding of the company in 1984, to the IPO in 1995, to the present day. In fact, much of the appeal of Samuel Adams comes from its microbrew image and the founder, Jim Koch’s, commitment to the brewing process and a premium beer. In recent years, however, the company has implemented a new strategy for growth which has included introducing a light beer that will have more mainstream appeal. While this has increased profits for the company, it has also left the company vulnerable to entry by diluting its brand name. For this reason, the company’s strategy for the immediate future has to make a significant shift, from a strategy of growth to a strategy of protection. It must focus on maintaining its current profits by preventing entry both from small breweries looking to copy the BBC’s strategy and from large breweries looking to use their expansive resources to steal some of BBC’s market share. History of Boston Beer The Boston Beer Company began as a microbrewery in Boston, Massachusetts in 1984. Its first cases of beer were only sold to Boston bars, but the company quickly branched out geographically. Fueled by awards and recognition from prestigious beer festivals, Samuel Adams Boston Lager was available on much of the East Coast by the late 1980’s and nationally by 1992. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995. The Boston Beer Company’s strategy for growth was one of differentiation. The company created a higher quality beer than the majority of American beers by using more expensive ingredients and less water, and it used its packaging and its commercials to advertise this commitment to uality. In fact, because of its use of only barley, hops, yeast, and water as its ingredients, Samuel Adams won the honor of being the first American beer to be sold in Germany, a distinction that helped its image in America even more. One business strategy that the company employed as it started to grow was using extra brewing space in other company’s breweries to brew their beer. Since the company was growing at a double digit rate, it didn’t have a lot of extra capital to build its own breweries, so this was a good strategy for them during their period of growth. And, since these breweries were distributed throughout the country, this strategy allowed the Boston Beer Company to maximize the freshness of the beer it sold. In fact, the now famous practice of printing a freshness label on bottled beer was started by the Boston Beer Company on its Samuel Adams Boston Lager. The company ensured quality production in these disperse breweries by hiring experienced brewmasters to oversee the contract brewing. The company also brewed some beer on its own property, both in Boston and later in a plant they purchased in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2002, the company took a risk by introducing Sam Adams Light, a light beer version of their Samuel Adams Lager. They had never produced a light beer before, and it was Koch’s stance that the company couldn’t brew a light beer that would be up to their standards of flavor. The expanded customer base that the company would target with the sale of a light beer was too lucrative a market to ignore, however, and the light beer market was almost devoid of any Better Beers, so after three years of development Sam Adams Light was born. The advertising expenditures for 2002 increased by 25. 7% or $20. 6 million over 2001 due to the promotion of Sam Adams Light2, which magnified the financial risk of producing and selling it. The new beer had the short term effect of attracting new consumers to the Samuel Adams brand, although the long term effect has yet to be seen. The growth of the Boston Beer Company was very impressive, and can be attributed to a superior product, good business strategy, and an unsaturated market for high-quality beer. But now there are new challenges facing the company. There are always new fads in the beer industry; current trends are low-carb beers and fruityflavored malt beverages. The Boston Beer Company needs to decide which of these trends to respond to, and how to respond to each. Above all the company needs to continue its strategy of differentiation that allowed it to achieve its current profitability. It is its image for quality above major American beers like Budweiser, Coors, and Miller that allows it to keep its prices, and its profits, high. Current Industry Analysis The Boston Beer Company’s product is a â€Å"better† beer. A better beer is defined as either a craft beer or an import, and is characterized by higher prices and quality. A craft beer is defined as one which is brewed with 100% malted barley as its grain. The major American beer companies typically use a mixture of malted barley along with other grains such as rice or corn, since these are less expensive and have less full-bodied flavors. Rivals in the better beer industry include such foreign companies as Corona, Heineken, and Guinness, as well as domestic companies such as Sierra Nevada, Pete’s, and a number of microbreweries around the country. While the beer industry overall is very rivalrous, the better beer industry is not so, as evidenced by high profit margins (the Boston Beer Company routinely posts profit margins of over 50%). The rivalry that does exist tends to revolve around quality competition rather than price competition. There are numerous substitutes for better beer. All alcoholic beverages are substitutes for the Boston Beer Company’s product, although the two closest substitutes are major American beers and flavored malt beverages; wine and spirits are less relevant substitutes for the purposes of this analysis. Budweiser, Coors, and Miller are all large brand name beers which have low prices and low quality compared to better beers. Price sensitive consumers typically buy these beers. Smirnoff Ice, Skyy Blue, and Bacardi Silver are all similarly priced to the better beers, but they have fruitier flavors and therefore appeal to consumers with a different taste preference. The suppliers for the Boston Beer Company are similar to the suppliers for any brewery. Supplies that must be purchased include the ingredients like water, barley and hops, the equipment for brewing, and the transportation for distributing beer around the country. The ingredients are actually very inexpensive compared to the other two costs, and suppliers of barley and water don’t have a lot of bargaining power since these industries are fragmented. The hops industry, however, is more centralized. In order to ensure adequate hops supplies at prices known in advance the company regularly purchases hops futures. The company also employs an aggressive contract brewing strategy. Under this policy almost 60% of the company’s products are brewed at noncompany owned breweries. By utilizing the excess capacity of geographically distributed reweries, the company can keep equipment and transportation costs low while providing a fresher and thus higher quality product. This brewing approach carries inherent risks by giving potential rivals some control over the company’s production capacity. Indeed the company is currently involved in a lawsuit with Miller after Miller’s attempt to back out of a brewing contract early. To protect itself from these risks the company enters into contracts with a diverse set of brewers for a much larger amount of beer than they actually produce. This redundant capacity is meant to shield the company from any number of contract brewers defaulting on their contracts. Buyer bargaining power doesn’t have significant influence on the Boston Beer Company since their buyers are grocery stores and bars. The grocery industry and the bar industry are both fragmented, so each store or bar that buys from the Boston Beer Company comprises a very small amount of total company sales, and the loss of any one buyer won’t significantly hurt the company. Complements in the better beer industry include the popularity of bars, snack foods like pretzels and nachos, and sporting events like football games. While the Boston Beer Company doesn’t provide any of these complements, they do provide some amount of customer education. Customer education includes advertising awards the company has won, advertising their brewing processes, and calling attention to their premium ingredients. This serves to convince people of the superior quality of Samuel Adams, thereby convincing them to pay a premium price. Customer education is a fairly clever and successful strategy for a number of beer companies, but it benefits better beers more than lower quality beers, so the Boston Beer Company could probably take advantage of this by focusing more on customer education. The BBC also has an advantage over small high-quality breweries because its economy of scale allows more customers to be reached per dollar spent on customer education. Any company in the beverage industry has the potential to enter Samuel Adams’ market, and it is always crucial for a company to be aware of possible entry from all sides. Companies that make wine, spirits, or malt beverages could all enter the market, and we have actually seen in recent years that spirits companies have been expanding into new markets by producing malt beverages under the name of the parent spirits company. However, the most dangerous potential entrants would be other beer companies. Other craft breweries that sell their beer on a small scale might attempt to copy the BBC’s strategy to grow into a national brand and steal some of BBC’s market share. Also, major American breweries could use their expansive resources to brew high quality beers that could compete with Samuel Adams on a national level. A third, and even more threatening possibility, would be the combination of these two forces; a major brewery could buy a high quality microbrewery and use their national advertising and distribution infrastructure to market the microbrew to the public on a large scale. Given the Boston Beer Company’s high profit margins and the relatively low level of rivalry within their market, it is very likely that entry will occur and erode away at BBC’s profits if BBC is unprepared. We believe that responding to this possibility should be at the forefront of the company’s business strategy for the immediate future. The Boston Beer Company’s Strategy: Using Reputation as an Entry Barrier The BBC’s initial strategy was one of growth. This was fitting for it when it was a microbrewery looking to gain national and international sales. During its expansion in the early 1990’s, the company took advantage of the fact that consumer demand for craft beers was increasing, while there were few other companies doing the same. Since the new market was unsaturated, the Boston Beer Company was able to earn an inexpensive reputation for its Samuel Adams brand name by being the first large scale mover into the national craft beer market. By the late 1990’s, the BBC’s growth rate had begun to decline. In an effort to keep up growth, the company switched to a strategy of trying to increase the demand for craft beer. It did this through large scale advertising, and most significantly through the introduction of a light beer that brought light beer drinkers over to the better beer market. The Boston Beer Company’s strategy was an effective one for many years, and enabled it to become the profitable national company that it is today. However, if the BBC wants to maintain its profitability, it will need to find a way to protect its market share from entrants, and this will require a shift in the company’s strategy back to increasing its share of the Better Beer market rather than of the mainstream market. The biggest threats to the BBC are the major American beer companies, which have massive resources that would allow them to compete with the BBC. The BBC’s two advantages over these major companies are experience and reputation, and the major companies could easily gain experience by buying an existing craft beer company and utilizing its brewing procedures. Therefore, the BBC must protect its reputation at all costs, since its reputation is the only formidable entry barrier preventing Budweiser, Coors, and Miller from successfully invading Samuel Adams’ market. The company’s best strategy would be to slow their growth in order to work on strengthening their Samuel Adams Boston Lager brand name. Additionally, if the BBC diminishes its focus on growth, it could very well have the effect of reducing the incentive for these three major companies to enter the craft beer market, since the BBC will not be seen as so significant a threat. While there is a risk that slowing growth will leave the company vulnerable to entry by smaller companies, it is the large companies that have the most resources to compete with the BBC, so reducing the incentive for large companies to enter is worth the possible risk that more small companies will enter. The uniqueness and integrity that allowed the Samuel Adams brand to gain popularity are starting to be overshadowed by the company’s attempts to gather more mainstream consumers, and this is hurting the company’s brand name. The strategy for the future needs to focus on building back customer loyalty for the company’s core product line, i. e. Samuel Adams Boston Lager. First and foremost, the Boston Beer Company needs to continue reducing its expenditures on Sam Adams Light. During the introduction of Sam Adams Light in 2001-02, revenues and gross profit increased, but expenditures on advertising Sam Light were extremely high, and much of the sales of Sam Light were thought to be due to cannibalism of Samuel Adams Boston Lager. In 2003 when advertising of Sam Adams Light was decreased, sales of the light beer dropped significantly. Although Samuel Adams Boston Lager sales increased during the period between the fourth quarters of 2002 and 2003, overall shipments dropped 6% during this period3 because of the lowered demand for Sam Light after the decline of the Sam Light marketing campaign. However, even though sales were lower, net income was higher after the end of the marketing campaign4. The company should therefore continue to keep its advertising levels for Sam Adams Light low. In addition to the high financial cost of advertising Sam Adams Light, it is likely that the large-scale marketing of Sam Adams Light could hurt the company in the long run by diluting the Samuel Adams brand name. The purpose of Sam Light is to appeal to mainstream beer drinkers, but the company’s consumer base is comprised of individuals who pride themselves on drinking a beer that is not mainstream. With potential entrants looming from above and below, the Boston Beer Company can not afford to lose its reputation for uniqueness. Still, Sam Light is a good revenue stream as a supplement to Samuel Adams Boston Lager, but it should cease to be the company’s main focus. The â€Å"Twisted Tea† and â€Å"Hard Core† products are malt beverages that the company produces on a small scale. These brands are unnecessary for the company’s success, and if the company adopts a strategy to focus on Samuel Adams Boston Lager then it would be advantageous to eliminate these products. While the products dilute the company’s brand name in a similar way to Sam Adams Light, they don’t provide nearly the revenue that Sam Light does. By either selling or closing down these brand names, the Boston Beer Company can distance itself further from the malt beverage industry and improve its positioning as a Better Beer company. Dumping these products would help the BBC’s image of integrity in the eyes of their consumers, and this image will be crucial if the company is to protect its market share from entrants. There have been a number of attempted entries into the Sam Adams market which demonstrate the need for quality and reputation. Coors owns Killian’s Irish Red and Anheuser-Busch owns Michelob and has a stake in Red Hook, all brands that have had poor success in the Better Beer Market. Most consumers are well aware of the fact that Michelob is just another domestic beer sold at a high price, and so it’s a brand without much of a quality image. On the other hand, it’s not well known that Coors owns Killian’s since it’s brewed in Canada and has an import label. While this abel might signal some quality in many consumers’ eyes, Killian’s has no reputation and no customer base. Finally, Red Hook was a quality microbrew ale with a good reputation and customer base that was bought by AB. Since this purchase in 1994 the stock price of Red Hook has plummeted from ~30 to 2 and sales have been poor. While the reason for this is not exactly clear, it’s possible that this failure is due to a loss of integrity that occurred when the microbrew became owned by a major domestic brewer, or that AB simply wasn’t able to operate that type of brewery. AB’s failure in this attempt doesn’t indicate that they will give up on entering the craft beer industry, however, especially if craft beers grow to be more of the national market. With such high profit margins and a strong market position, the BBC might be tempted to increase sales by decreasing prices, but this strategy should definitely be avoided. The high prices for Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Sam Adams Light signal to consumers and other companies that these beers are of higher quality, and since demand in the Better Beer market is relatively inelastic, there would likely be no increase in net income if prices were reduced. Reducing prices would cause the BBC to appear more of a threat to the three major American beer companies, and could therefore expedite the entry of one of these companies into the market. Due to the nature of the Better Beer industry, the company needs to strive for quality competition over price competition. With the introduction of Sam Light in 2002 the percentage of BBC’s sales comprised of bottles vs. kegs increased since most Sam Light is sold in bottles, and since Boston Lager sales declined slightly. While revenues are lower per barrel of draft beer, profit margins are higher due to lower costs per barrel. Additionally, beer served on tap is usually able to retain a higher quality than beer served from a bottle. For these reasons and others, it would be a good strategy for the Boston Beer Company to increase its emphasis on selling its beer in kegs to bars. While most grocery stores already carry Samuel Adams Boston Lager, there are still a large number of bars that don’t have Boston Lager on draft, and this deprives many consumers of being able to drink the beer in its highest quality form while also depriving the company of the added revenue that bar sales bring in. Since the company’s new focus needs to be on emphasizing the quality of its beers, increasing the availability of its draft beer is in line with its strategy. An added benefit of increasing prevalence in bars is the opportunity for bartender education and consequent consumer education. The company should seriously consider providing literature about their beer along with the kegs that they sell to bars, since educating bar owners and bartenders about the premium ingredients and freshness standards that the company holds will have a trickle-down effect to the beer drinkers.

The Republican Party: Overall Issues, 1860-1868 :: essays research papers

The Republican Party: Overall Issues, 1860-1868 The Republican party during the 1860's was known as the party more concerned with "civil rights" and the common American. This came about through a series of sweeping changes in the party that occurred during two major time periods: the 1860-1864 and 1864-1868. The changes in the party reflected the attitude in the North as opposed to the confederate, democratic South. The main issue that divided the two was slavery and its implications for control of the nation. The best illustration of the party's anti-slavery sentiment (as contrasted to abolitionism) in 1860, is the fact that although the party was against slavery , it refused to attempt to stamp it out of the regions it was already present. For example, in the Republican Party Platform for 1860, the party states its abhorrence for slavery and declares that slavery should not be instituted into new territories, but it never tries to outlaw it from Southern states. "That the normal conditions of all the territory of the United States is that of freedom...and we deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislature or of any individuals, to give existence to Slavery in any Territory of the United States." In the first four years of the 1860's, the North and South waged war over these issues, with the Republican North emerging victorious. The Republicans took charge of the national political power. Although he worked with an anti-slavery platform, President Lincoln attempted to make a generous peace with the South, with hopes of expanding the power of the Republican party with support from the South. Examples of this can be found in the fact that Confederate officials were not barred from public office, compensation for lost slaves was not ruled out and Lincoln hinted that he would be generous with pardons to rebel leaders. With the Emancipation Proclamation, the Republicans gained freedom for slaves, but not social or political equality. During the years of 1864-1868, the Republican platform again changed with the public opinion in the North to one of abolition. In the platform for the National Union Convention, the party affirmed its support for an Amendment to "terminate and forever prohibit the existence of slavery within the limits or jurisdiction of the United States." The 13th Amendment confirmed the death of slavery. However, the so-called "Black Codes" that Southern governments implemented forced abolitionist Republicans in Congress to clash with President Andrew Johnson over the passage of a new Freedmen's Bureau bill and a Civil Rights Act. This clash signified a division between the old Republican values of tolerance and the new platform of slave rights. The Republican Party: Overall Issues, 1860-1868 :: essays research papers The Republican Party: Overall Issues, 1860-1868 The Republican party during the 1860's was known as the party more concerned with "civil rights" and the common American. This came about through a series of sweeping changes in the party that occurred during two major time periods: the 1860-1864 and 1864-1868. The changes in the party reflected the attitude in the North as opposed to the confederate, democratic South. The main issue that divided the two was slavery and its implications for control of the nation. The best illustration of the party's anti-slavery sentiment (as contrasted to abolitionism) in 1860, is the fact that although the party was against slavery , it refused to attempt to stamp it out of the regions it was already present. For example, in the Republican Party Platform for 1860, the party states its abhorrence for slavery and declares that slavery should not be instituted into new territories, but it never tries to outlaw it from Southern states. "That the normal conditions of all the territory of the United States is that of freedom...and we deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislature or of any individuals, to give existence to Slavery in any Territory of the United States." In the first four years of the 1860's, the North and South waged war over these issues, with the Republican North emerging victorious. The Republicans took charge of the national political power. Although he worked with an anti-slavery platform, President Lincoln attempted to make a generous peace with the South, with hopes of expanding the power of the Republican party with support from the South. Examples of this can be found in the fact that Confederate officials were not barred from public office, compensation for lost slaves was not ruled out and Lincoln hinted that he would be generous with pardons to rebel leaders. With the Emancipation Proclamation, the Republicans gained freedom for slaves, but not social or political equality. During the years of 1864-1868, the Republican platform again changed with the public opinion in the North to one of abolition. In the platform for the National Union Convention, the party affirmed its support for an Amendment to "terminate and forever prohibit the existence of slavery within the limits or jurisdiction of the United States." The 13th Amendment confirmed the death of slavery. However, the so-called "Black Codes" that Southern governments implemented forced abolitionist Republicans in Congress to clash with President Andrew Johnson over the passage of a new Freedmen's Bureau bill and a Civil Rights Act. This clash signified a division between the old Republican values of tolerance and the new platform of slave rights.

Internship

They basically wants to ensure that HASH branches which are in the right locations for their customers and on occasions this means that they need to close those branches where customers foot fall has fallen dramatically or there has been a shift in customer shopping patterns. And also raise the transaction cost from E to E. 0 In he name of the new fees were part of a providing â€Å"clearer and more transparent pricing. † The bank also said behind of cost cutting bank want to switching to be ‘hassle-free' , standard IS- turn on free accounts and free banking claim is ‘ridiculous'. They also said the closures branches were a result of customers using the branch network less than they used to â€Å"we are seeing a shift to customers using phone, Internet and mobile devices. † For this kind of reasons the HASH cope with cost cutting Q. 2. The Impacts of cost cutting on overall Financial Performance of HASH (comparison with past year)?Answer: For the Impacts of cost cutting they have closed about 70 branches in the I-J last year and more than 50 in 2011 and in 2013, 9 branches has been closed and declared with 85 closures in UK towns and cities so far this year. The bank has closed more than 200 branches in the I-J over the last three years and Derek French, of the campaign for community banking services, expressed some surprise at Hash's plans â€Å"These figures suggest that after a pause, they are now galloping ahead with closures, as in previous years. † It is thought a further 20 closure announcements will e made before October.When the branches of HASH at Alongside Penumbras and Conway- which is the only bank in the town with a cash machine are due to closed in February, 2013. Town leaders criticized the decision and called for the bank to reconsider the closing branches. Some of their state PM And Alongside the town mayor Bob Label said the closure was â€Å"terrible news† for residents, business and tourists. And he E xplained the impacts over economy by saying â€Å"l am very surprised by what the bank is claiming about the economic viability of Alongside branch in IEEE of the huge number of tourists who visit our town, especially during the summer months. So, all of them when the bank branches are closed their political members realized the regional economical condition is under threat. Also the impact on increase its charges for 700,000 small business customers, with many losing their free banking service. They said new fees were part of an overhaul of accounts aimed at providing â€Å"cleared, more transparent pricing. † Minimizing plan for cost cutting they increased fees of transaction as a result the small business customers is effected. They also said some customers would see their charges reduced.So called Free banking ‘Myth' the bank impose some extra charges on each small business transaction. The issue of â€Å"Free banking† system sparked controversy from last ye ar. Q. 3 The Benefits of cost cutting on the performance of HASH (I. E. NYSE and ELSE). The share pence of HASH (ELSE: HASH) (NYSE: HASH. US) fell by APP to IPPP dung early expectations. The 3% fall in its share price made it the leading loser among FETES 100 blue-chips. The bank reported profits of $22. Ban (EYE. Ban), compared with $20. Ban in 012, boosted by a range of cost-cutting measures.In total the bank made $1. Ban in savings by, among other things, reducing Jobs as well as cracking down on the number of staff taking business-class flights. The bank currently employs 254,000 full-time staff, down from 295,000 at the beginning of 2011. In total $4. Ban has been saved since 2011 , exceeding targets set by the bank. Revenue was stable, coming in at $63. Ban compared with $61. Ban in 2012, underpinned by a â€Å"resilient† performance in the global banking & markets business, as well as growth in the commercial banking division.Pay for chief executive Stuart Glover incre ased last year from $7. Mm to $mm while the bonus pool increased 6% to $3. Ban. The chief executive commented: â€Å"Our performance in 2013 reflects the strategic measures we have taken over the past three years. Today the Group is leaner and simpler than in 2011 with strong potential for growth. In 2013 we grew underlying profits by US$6. Ban, generated US $10. 1 ban in core tier 1 capital, achieved an additional IIS$I . Ban of sustainable cost- savings and declared IIS$9. Ban in dividends in respect of the year.Our strong capital generation continues to support our progressive dividend policy and reinforces Hash's status as one of the best capitalized banks in the world. † Earnings per share increased from app to app while the dividend was increased from app to app. Therefore, taking into account the hit to Hash's share price earlier, the shares may therefore trade on a PIE of 13 and offer a potential income of 4. 5% Of course, the decision to ‘buy' ? based on those ratings, today's results and the wider prospects for the banking sector ? remains your own decision. Internship Internship is an official program for the undergraduates or graduate students who work between certain periods of time which has a benefit to gain practical work or reason related experience. (www.internship.com, n.d.) In the other hand it is a way which helps to bridge the gap between â€Å"Academic† & the â€Å"Real† world. (Spring, 2011) And also internship can be defined as the opportunity provided for the students / undergraduates to link with the industry & upgrade the knowledge about industrial practices. This may become a practical and compulsory fulfilment of the degree program. Internship helps students to identify whether the career of interest is a â€Å"good fit† and also it will indicate the understanding about what career that suits you. In other words, internships can help you to decide if a particular career is something you're interested in or not. Internship program provides the opportunity for students to clarify career objectives and verify career choices. (Spring, 2011) Internships are a great way to prepare students for their future career. It gives them a deeper understanding of the path they want to take, and puts them in a situation in which they can learn first-hand what it feels like to work in their chosen Profession. Before University Students graduate they often need to complete the internship Program. (Carniol, 2018) Internships provide students with an opportunity to test abilities and attitudes toward particular material or career possibilities for the future. Students who has decided to participate in internship program can broaden their future career opportunities through networking ; establishing positive working relationship with their employers. These relationships can't build only through academics but, useful applications of the knowledge gained from the academics is a determinant for the real life career. (Spring, 2011) Students who took part in the applied learning of the internship had a greater consciousness about the issues in the society. (Seon-Young Lee) When the students have their own motivation for the community service through internship, personal growth can be increased greatly. (Wilson J. Gonzalez-Espada, November,2006) An Internship program involves different parties such as Students, employers/supervisors, program coordinators, sponsoring university ; the Government Authority related to the internships. Everyone involved in an internship program should have specified roles and responsibilities. (Jackel, December 2011) And also Internship Program Expectations are varying according to each parties that involved. A student expects an internship program should be stimulated intellectually and also it should be supported to enhance the skills needed for future employment. The program coordinators/departments expect that internship will be an opportunity for the students to apply classroom knowledge to the real-world setting. The employer/Company hopes the internship program partnership to be a path to determine hiring ; retaining talented students seeking permanent employment after the internship program. The university expects that an internship program will create a community partnership with a potential new employer, or to keep an existing partnership through productive and effective work done by university students which are interns.(Roger, 1979) Universities take a major role of in making internship program more appealing to and productive for the undergraduates by giving course credit for internships and also it is a way of facing the competition for the jobs. (Jackel, December 2011) General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University also has started providing internship opportunities for the day scholars since Intake 29. Upto now, Intake 29,30,31,32 ; 33 has already participated in their Internship Program. KDU has linked with National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) and introduced comprehensive internship program for the KDU undergraduates to bloom their talents with the industry. KDU moves undergraduates as interns and it is a partial fulfillment of the degree program that nearly go for 6 months Industrial Training and the most of the undergraduates work as permanent employees after the Industrial training. Sometimes, due to the involvement of NAITA, KDU can't control the overall process of the internship program. Therefore, KDU has to fulfill the requirements of NAITA such as Documents, Reports and Guidelines. We have conducted an exploratory study among KDU past undergraduates (Intake 31, 32, 33 -Logistics Management). According to the study we identified that the employment rate among the undergraduates have not achieved 100%. It means it may be personal reasons or the internship program has not supported for them. For example, some students may be faced some problems such as sexual Harassments or any other harassments from the company Supervisors during the internship program. Although the students want to quit the organization due to those reasons, students can't quit because of the NAITA requirements. So the students will suffer from stress. It means that the Internship program objectives couldn't be able to achieve as expected. That may be a practical problem of the internship program. And also there is a doubt whether the internship program has enabled the students to secure in the job market in the competitive environment. Although there are some researchers conducted in global context, There is no single research conducted in Sri Lankan Context and even in the KDU to measure and identify the student perspective affect for the internship program. So to overcome the issues and implement the changes, we conducted this research by finding the students' perspective of successful internship program. We took the population as the day scholars of KDU in Intake 31, 32;33 Logistics Management as follows; Population Intake 31 †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 52 Undergraduates Intake 32†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 71 Undergraduates Intake 33†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 55 Undergraduates Total population †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 178 Undergraduates We selected the sample size as 80 Undergraduates from the population. 1.2 Scope of the study The scope of this study is to give an understanding about factors that affecting for the successful internship program on students' perspective with special reference to undergraduate day scholars of Intake 31, 32, 33. It will be helpful to become success in the internship program. According to our conducted Exploratory study we identified that the employment rate among the undergraduates have not achieved 100%. So to overcome the issues and implement the changes, we are conducting this research by finding the students' perspective of successful internship program. Therefore, this study will beneficial for undergraduates who are willing to enter in to industrial training to develop their qualified characteristics. 1.3 Justification of the problems The internship program has designed by the involvement of administrative lecturers of the Faculty of Management and NAITA. So they are making the internship program according to their ideas and perspectives. Therefore, the lecturers' perspectives are different from students. But the benefits are gained by the undergraduates, so they have the ability to look closely at the internship whether it is useful or not. If the internship program is successful then it doesn't occur a problem, but if the internship program is not successful there should be a change. As there is no single research conducted in Sri Lankan context and even in the KDU to measure and identify the student perspective of internship program, we decided to do the research based on the internship program by considering the undergraduate day scholars of Intake 31, 32;33 Logistics Management, KDU. 1.4 Objectives of the study 1.4.1 Primary Objectives To examine the student perspective of the internship program. 1.4.2 Secondary Objectives To examine factors affecting on successfulness of internship program 1.5 Research Questions This study tries to answer following research questions. †¢ What are the student perspective of the internship program? †¢ What are the mostly influenced student perspectives of successful internship program? 1.6 Research Hypothesis H1: Skill Development, Self-confidence and Attitudes developed through Internship Program affect the success of Internship Program. H2: Academic Preparedness and Evaluation is positively associated with internship successfulness. s H3: Career Development is a factor which affect for the successfulness of the Internship Program. H4: Compensation of the Interns is a major factor for the Internship Successfulness. H5: Experiential Education developed through Internship Program affect the success of Internship Program. 1.7 Significance of the Study The significance of this study is to identify the factors affected on successful internship Program on the perspective of KDU students and to identify the requirements of business industries. Also, this will able to provide better understanding about industrial training to the undergraduates and this will help undergraduates to improve their performance in academic studies and extracurricular activities. To identify the student perspective of the internship program, we have conducted an exploratory study among KDU past undergraduates (Intake 31, 32, 33 -Logistics Management). According to study we identified the employment rate among the undergraduates have not achieved 100%. It means it may be personal reasons or the internship program has not supported properly. And also there is a doubt whether the internship program has enabled the students to secure in the job market in the competitive environment. If there are any changes to do for the internship p rogram we can identify and it will be helpful to do the implementation. That's the reason why we are doing this research. CHAPTER 02 Literature review 2.1 Introduction When we consider about the global context, there are some researches which have conducted regarding the factors affecting for the successful internship program. The competency and motivation of all parties involved are indispensable for a successful internship programs â€Å"Being a valuable component of higher education academic program, Internship is believed to create win-win situation for the students, organization as well as the university. (Coco, 2000).Therefore we can identify three perspectives which divide the factors affecting for a successful internship program according to the previous researches.Organizational Perspective (to take advantage from the intern offering a least compensation)University Perspective (to give a good internship program and secure the job)Student Perspective (To have a secured job and good compensation)Therefore, we discovered the following factors under the above three perspectives.Organizational Pers pectiveEffectiveness of the SupervisionTask clarityUniversity PerspectiveEffective Design of the Internship ProgramInvolvement of the University regarding the Evaluation of Internship ProgramStudent PerspectiveSkill Development, Self-confidence and AttitudesAcademic Preparedness and EvaluationCareer DevelopmentCompensationIndustry ExposureTherefore, we can describe and justify the factors with the reference to the previous researches. 1. Organizational Perspective Effectiveness of the Supervision The strategic role of supervisors may determine the internship experience is positive or not. Interns' perception of supervision effectiveness is significantly correlated with job placement success and overall job performance. (Gabris, October 31, 2009) Effective supervision during internship such as â€Å"being supportive, demonstrates high work standard and competence, provide frequent feedback, provides more opportunities for individuals to explore career interests and resolve conflicts† are very important. (Taylor, 1988). The support from the supervisor is a commitment to the employee by the organization. (Mowday, 1998).It means a supervisor is helpful to make the commitment of the employee by showing the interest and as a representer of communicating and valuing of him or her in the organization. (Dixon, 2005) From the above previous researches we can identify that the Effectiveness of supervision is positively associated with the successful internship program. Task clarity In the task Clarity it includes the task outputs such as task goals and standards and also task activities which mean by how work is accomplished. The organization expect that the certain goals and standards from the intern. They expect that the intern will fulfill his or her task in the organizational goals and achievements. (Sawyer, 1992). Sometimes, poor planning of work assignments caused frustration among interns. (Rothman, 2007) And also unclear roles contribute to stress and poor performance of the interns. (Kahn, 1964)Therefore, developing a proper job description, (Crumbley, 1998)), providing a reasonable time frame for accomplishing tasks of the intern and establishing a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished can be helpful to the interns to fulfill the given tasks. (Rothman, 2007). From the above previous researches we can identify that the Task clarity is positively associated for the successfulness of the internship program. University Perspective Effective Design of the Program Designing an effective internship program may involve many different factors. When a program coordinator is developing Internship In considering the Internship component I feel Ilke there are a lot of opportunities In Quito that support a wide variety of my interests. want to work with a non-profit that works on a grassroots organizing level with the populations that do not fit into the mainstream of Comment: Make sure you specify what sector you would like to work in (business, arts, non-profit, government, etc. ) Comment: Once you have chosen a sector, Is there a specific focus that you would Ilke to work with?Education, grassroots, public service etc. Ecuadorian society. Specifically, an organization that works with internal migration from the Comment: The more specific you are, the better! Andes or Colombia due to Plan Colombia) or with prison populations would be perfect for me. I have significant experience with solidarity organizations but more limited experience with groups that function squarely within marginalized groups and I would like to be able to transfer those skills.Another interest of mine tha t I have done some academic work around but that I would really love to engage further is to look at the gender/race/class implications of the coca industry and the War on Drugs. Populations that are Involved In this are often Indigenous and very poor, and omen occupy a unique position In this ongoing struggle. while In Peru In 2005 1 worked with female prisoners, who were overwhelmingly there because of drug trafficking. Comment: Do you have any past experiences that you feel will prepare you for this internship?Working with people who are struggling to Integrate themselves into cultural norms which they do not naturally fit will compliment the work that will be doing In St. Paul with recent Comment: Mention any on-campus or summer experiences that relate immigrants over the summer and will give me further insight into how race and other identities shift in transition and migration. According to Its website HECUA offers internships with organizations that work with Comment: Do rese arch on past internship!Talk to 1 OF3 tne organlzatlon, or 100K on tnelr weDslte Tor information on past internships – include specifics on the logistics of the internship migration and prisons. Both Casa del Migrante (House of the Migrant) and CEDHU (a Human Rights, Prison Rights group) are on the list of possible placements incorporate education into their framework which is something that is very important to me. Through courses I have taken such as Experiences in Education and Urban PoliticalChange and also work I have done in high school I have come to highly value education as a means for social change. I have worked at the Comment: Discuss past internships that directly relate to your chosen field International Center of New York, and will do similar work at Neighborhood House and both these institutions have developed a commitment to adult education and a desire to connect adults with educational opportunities that will give them both survival skills but also a greate r insight into their situations and the world around them.I also want to work with indigenous populations, specifically the Quechua people, ho Comment: Incorporate your specific academic goals and relate them to your chosen internship make up a large percentage of the populations in both Ecuador and Peru. When I was in Peru I was in an almost entirely Quechua city and I would be very interested in juxtaposing that with a more diverse city in terms of race and class.I am very interested in how indigenous culture transitions into the city. In addition to having worked with Quechua communities in Peru, I also Comment: State your learning goals for the internship have many Quechua Peruvians in my family, and through watching their experience ave developed a keen interest into how that identity is somewhat malleable and how it plays out after leaving a majority Quechua world.Not only do I have personal connections to this group but I have done a considerable amount of research around the Quechua Indians as a social movement in Indigenous People's Movements last year and thus working in an organizing situation side-byside with this population would really compliment my academic research. Comment: Discuss your educational goals and trajectory – what classes have you taken that prepare you for this internship? In closing, tne perTect nt organization Tor me would De one tnat comDlnes polltlcal organizing with community work, i. . one that addresses both the structural and the personal sides of an issue†migration, drug trafficking, etc. An organization like this is what I have trained here at Macalester to admire and I feel like the combination of real world solutions and social critique would teach me a lot and give me an opportunity to contribute. Comment: You should also include any information you have about how the program will grade you on this internship – are you required to keep Journals, write a paper, do a presentation etc?

Effects of Alcoholic Drinks to College Students Essay

Although alcohol may give you a feeling of elation and aroused senses due to a lessening of inhibitions during the early stages of alcohol intoxication, alcohol is a depressant. It depresses the central nervous system—leading to slowed reactions, slurred speech, and ultimately, to unconsciousness. Alcohol progressively affects different brain areas. Alcohol first affects the part of the brain that controls inhibitions. When people lose their inhibitions, they may talk more, get rowdy, and do foolish things. After several drinks, they may feel â€Å"high,† but really, their nervous system is slowing down. Alcohol acts fast because it is not digested like food. Instead, it moves directly into the bloodstream from the stomach and small intestine. It takes a long time for alcohol’s effects to wear off—as it takes approximately one hour for the liver to process the alcohol in one drink. ALCOHOL’S DAMAGING EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN Difficulty walking, blurred vision, slurred speech, slowed reaction times, impaired memory: Clearly, alcohol affects the brain. Some of these impairments are detectable after only one or two drinks and quickly resolve when drinking stops. On the other hand, a person who drinks heavily over a long period of time may have brain deficits that persist well after he or she achieves sobriety. Exactly how alcohol affects the brain and the likelihood of reversing the impact of heavy drinking on the brain remain hot topics in alcohol research today. We do know that heavy drinking may have extensive and far–reaching effects on the brain, ranging from simple â€Å"slips† in memory to permanent and debilitating conditions that require lifetime custodial care. And even moderate drinking leads to short–term impairment, as shown by extensive research on the impact of drinking on driving. A number of factors influence how and to what extent alcohol affects the brain (1), including * how much and how often a person drinks; * the age at which he or she first began drinking, and how long he or she has been drinking; * the person’s age, level of education, gender, genetic background, and family history of alcoholism; * whether he or she is at risk as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure; and * his or her general health status. BLACKOUTS AND MEMORY LAPSES Alcohol can produce detectable impairments in memory after only a few drinks and, as the amount of alcohol increases, so does the degree of impairment. Large quantities of alcohol, especially when consumed quickly and on an empty stomach, can produce a blackout, or an interval of time for which the intoxicated person cannot recall key details of events, or even entire events. Blackouts are much more common among social drinkers than previously assumed and should be viewed as a potential consequence of acute intoxication regardless of age or whether the drinker is clinically dependent on alcohol (2). White and colleagues (3) surveyed 772 college undergraduates about their experiences with blackouts and asked, â€Å"Have you ever awoken after a night of drinking not able to remember things that you did or places that you went? † Of the students who had ever consumed alcohol, 51 percent reported blacking out at some point in their lives, and 40 percent reported experiencing a blackout in the year before the survey. Of those who reported drinking in the 2 weeks before the survey, 9. 4 percent said they blacked out during that time. The students reported learning later that they had participated in a wide range of potentially dangerous events they could not remember, including vandalism, unprotected sex, and driving. Binge Drinking and Blackouts| †¢ Drinkers who experience blackouts typically drink too much and too quickly, which causes their blood alcohol levels to rise very rapidly. College students may be at particular risk for experiencing a blackout, as an alarming number of college students engage in binge drinking. Binge drinking, for a typical adult, is defined as consuming five or more drinks in about 2 hours for men, or four or more drinks for women. | ARE WOMEN MORE VULNERABLE TO ALCOHOL’S EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN? Women are more vulnerable than men to many of the medical consequences of alcohol use. For example, alcoholic women develop cirrhosis (5), alcohol–induced damage of the heart muscle (i. e. , cardiomyopathy) (6), and nerve damage (i. e. , peripheral neuropathy) (7) after fewer years of heavy drinking than do alcoholic men. Studies comparing men and women’s sensitivity to alcohol–induced brain damage, however, have not been as conclusive. Using imaging with computerized tomography, two studies (8,9) compared brain shrinkage, a common indicator of brain damage, in alcoholic men and women and reported that male and female alcoholics both showed significantly greater brain shrinkage than control subjects. Studies also showed that both men and women have similar learning and memory problems as a result of heavy drinking (10). The difference is that alcoholic women reported that they had been drinking excessively for only about half as long as the alcoholic men in these studies. This indicates that women’s brains, like their other organs, are more vulnerable to alcohol–induced damage than men’s (11). SUMMARY Alcoholics are not all alike. They experience different degrees of impairment, and the disease has different origins for different people. Consequently, researchers have not found conclusive evidence that any one variable is solely responsible for the brain deficits found in alcoholics. Characterizing what makes some alcoholics vulnerable to brain damage whereas others are not remains the subject of active research (34). The good news is that most alcoholics with cognitive impairment show at least some improvement in brain structure and functioning within a year of abstinence, though some people take much longer (35–37). Clinicians must consider a variety of treatment methods to help people stop drinking and to recover from alcohol–related brain impairments, and tailor these treatments to the individual patient. Advanced technology will have an important role in developing these therapies. Clinicians can use brain–imaging techniques to monitor the course and success of treatment, because imaging can reveal structural, functional, and biochemical changes in living patients over time. Promising new medications also are in the early stages of development, as researchers strive to design therapies that can help prevent alcohol’s harmful effects and promote the growth of new brain cells to take the place of those that have been damaged by alcohol.  ¦ As well as damaging their health, university students who drink too much alcohol may also be damaging their academic performance. Alcohol: The Benefits of Moderate Drinking Drinking alcohol in moderate amounts can have positive influences on physical and mental health. While alcohol is one of the most widely abused substances on the market, it is also one that features certain benefits for drinkers who consume it in safe amounts. For individuals who consume low levels of alcohol, benefits like reduced stress, increased cardiovascular health and decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes offer a wealth of reasons for consumers to drink in moderation. Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Tension. Research shows that the consumption of alcohol in moderate amounts can lead to certain psychological benefits. Low levels of alcohol can trigger stress reduction, easy feelings of anxiety and help consumers to reduce tension. In addition, low levels of alcohol consumption can also cause the consumer to feel more pleasant and relaxed. Studies on sleep show that people who drink in moderation get more sleep on average than do those who indulge in excess. These psychological effects of moderate drinking are positive ones that can be beneficial to the consumer. A Longer Life The positive psychological effects of drinking in moderation can be associated with the studies that show moderate drinkers tend to love longer than people who don’t drink at all or those who drink in excess. Studies from a number of different countries including China, the United States and England indicate that longevity is highest among groups of people who drink alcohol in moderation. Increased Cardiovascular Health Several studies have shown that drinking alcohol in moderation has a positive correlation with certain aspects of cardiovascular health. In particular, the risk of developing coronary artery disease is significantly lowered in conjunction with moderate consumption of alcohol. Another link between alcohol and cardiovascular health shows that moderate consumption of alcohol has a positive correlation with survivability in the event of a heart attack. Those who drink low levels of alcohol are more likely to live and less likely to experience another heart attack. Alcohol produces several positive effects on the body when consumed in low levels. For example, it increases levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). Alcohol also acts as a blood thinner once it enters the human body, much like common aspirin does. Thus, when consumed in moderation, it can reduce the likelihood of developing blood clots in arteries. Decreased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes While consuming alcohol in large quantities has been proven to put drinkers at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, some studies show that drinking in moderation might have the opposite effect. The relationship between alcohol and type 2 diabetes is the focus of a great number of ongoing studies. Findings show, however, that moderate drinkers are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than heavy drinkers. All of these health benefits associated with moderate drinking serve as an incentive for consumers to limit their levels of alcohol intake. Too much alcohol eliminates the health benefits described above. The best way to maximize on the health benefits of alcohol is to consume it in low levels. Negative Effects of Drinking Alcohol on Physical Fitness While occasional alcohol use may not have a major impact on physical activity, there is a clear link between sports, exercise and drinking alcohol. In fact, alcohol is the most widely used drug by athletes which is why alcohol related difficulties seem to be more common among those who exercise regularly. It is clear that drinking in excess can negatively influence exercise. Studies done to determine the influence that alcohol has on exercise Studies have shown that consuming alcohol has the following influence on exercise: *Diminishes the use of amino acids and glucose by the muscles of the skeleton *A detrimental influence on the supply of energy *An impairment in metabolism while exercising In addition, persuasive evidence implies that continual use of alcohol is connected with unfavorable effects on systems of the body and organs, including the liver, brain, heart and blood vessels. Exercising while under the influence of alcohol Drinking alcohol has a negative influence on motor skills, stamina and aerobic ability. Alcohol has the following effects on motor skills: *Delayed reaction time *A decrease in hand-eye coordination *Less precision and balance Alcohol has the following effects on strength training and short term athletic functioning: *A decline in athletic performance as a whole. *Decreased times in cycling and running *Weakened pumping power of the heart *Impaired temperature control while exercising *Weakening of grip strength *Decreased jump altitude *Lower 200 and 400-meter running performance *Becoming tired more quickly while participating in high-intensity workouts Alcohol has the following effects on aerobic performance: *Dehydration *Considerably diminished aerobic performance *Hindered 800 and 1500-meter running speeds *An increase in health risks after working out in hot atmospheres for an extended amount of time Working out with a hangover. A hangover is caused by a number of factors including, dehydration and toxicity from the alcohol. The symptoms include a gloomy mood and headache. Unfortunately, these side effects can cause a decline in athletic performance. Working out with a hangover has been shown to considerably decrease aerobic adequacy by as great as 11 percent. Long term effects that alcohol has on exercise performance Long term, heavy (more than two drinks each day) alcohol use can impair exercise in the following ways: *Hindering the cardiovascular reaction to exercise *Cause nutritional deficits from changes in nutrient consumption, digestion and metabolism. *Cause muscle injury, wasting and feebleness in several muscles, including the heart. *Changing the body’s hormonal atmosphere It is also important to note that women might be more susceptible to the toxic results of alcohol on the heart. It is clear that drinking in excess can negatively influence exercise. Alcoholism is a growing problem in the United States and is even a problem in teenagers, too. Unfortunately, there are a variety of negative effects that are associated with the consumption of alcohol. While the negative effects can either be long term or short term, all of them start with the first drink of alcohol. Negative effects may not become apparent immediately, but as time goes on, the adverse effects of alcohol will become more and more noticeable and, in some cases, they can even lead to death. Diseases One of the negative effects that alcohol tends to have is the increased risk for multiple serious diseases. Increased consumption of alcohol can lead to serious medical problems such as cirrhosis of the liver, which often results in death. Infections, sleeping disorders and sexual dysfunctions can also be caused by consumption of alcohol. Recent studies have also shown that consumption of alcohol can actually raise the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer, throat cancer and intestinal cancer. Consuming alcohol can be very serious and there are many grave negative effects that are caused by alcohol. Avoiding alcohol can help you avoid these adverse effects and perhaps even save your life.

Stalin and Idustrialization essays

Stalin and Idustrialization essays Stalin and Industrialization in the 1930s For many countries in Europe during the early nineteen hundreds, industrialization had already left its mark and was considered widespread. Other countries were several steps behind such industrial powers as Great Britain. Their economies still depended on rural markets and there had been no influx of people to urban areas. One country, Russia, had such an economy. Joseph Stalin would soon change this, however. So, in hindsight, the Industrial Revolution was necessary and eminent for the Soviet Union but Stalin forced it on his state in a horrific manner, which only worsened living conditions and created negative tensions among his people. In order to better comprehend the negative aspects of Stalins industrialization, first it is necessary to put the circumstances into perspective with a brief summary of Stalins rise to power, then an overview of the two Five Year Plans will be provided, and finally the effects of Stalins industrialization will be outlined. Stalin first came out of the woodwork during the October Revolution in the early 1900s, with the rise of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. Stalin became general secretary of the Bolshevik party's Central Committee. He was also the commissar of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspectorate and the commissar of nationalities (McCauley 3). The two apparent heirs to Lenin's regime were Josef Stalin and Leon Trotsky. After Lenin's death, Stalin gained power by allying himself with the moderates to fight off his rival, Leon Trotsky, who was a radical and another member of the Central Committee. Although Trotsky was better suited for the position (with his strong political inclinations towards reasonable social adaptability), Josef Stalin assumed control and subsequently ordered the exile of all opposing cabinet ministers, including Trotsky. Anyone in the Union who objected to his decisions was sent to Siberian prison camps ...

Converting Text to Numbers Using VBA in Excel

Converting Text to Numbers Using VBA in Excel Question: How do I convert cells filled with character numbers to numeric values so I can use the values in Excel math formulas. I recently had to add a column of numbers in Excel that were copied and pasted from a table in a web page. Because the numbers are represented by text in the web page (that is, the number 10 is actually Hex 3130), a Sum function for the column simply results in a zero value. You can find a lot of web pages (including Microsoft pages) that simply give you advice that doesnt work. For example, this page ... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291047 ... gives you seven methods. The only one that actually works is to retype the value manually. (Gee, thanks, Microsoft. I never would have thought of that.) The most common solution I found on other pages is to Copy the cells and then use Paste Special to paste the Value. That doesnt work either. (Tested on Excel 2003 and Excel 2007.) The Microsoft page provides a VBA Macro to do the job (Method 6): Sub Enter_Values()   Ã‚  Ã‚  For Each xCell In Selection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  xCell.Value xCell.Value   Ã‚  Ã‚  Next xCell End Sub It doesnt work either, but all you have to do is make one change and it does work: For Each xCell In Selection   Ã‚  Ã‚  xCell.Value CDec(xCell.Value) Next xCell Its not rocket science. I cant understand why so many pages have it wrong.