The topic can be proposed by the writer Assignment - 2

The topic can be proposed by the writer - Assignment Example This is the reason for having proficient computer skills in Microsoft office. Derrick has excellent leadership skills from his ability to handle issues step-by-step; that is, prioritizing urgent and most important issues first. This he has proven from his capacity to balance school and work while ensuring that efficiency is not compromised. His leadership skills surpass his organization skills. For this reason, he acknowledges that job delegation is part of the working environment. He appreciates that everyone should create a suitable working environment to maximize their capabilities. His ability to handle difficult situations is an indication that he can work in a team and has team leadership skills. His knowledge on how to handle difficult situation in the working environment indicates that he can work under minimum supervision while maintaining a high level of discipline and professionalism. Derrick understands how to perfectly perform tasks. He explains that he once surpassed his supervisor’s requirements by adding value to an assignment that involved contacting customers using a spreadsheet. Derrick attributes his diverse skills to his educational background. He acquired an Associate Degree of Business Administration as he was working at a full-time job: Again, an indication of his capacity to balance school and work. He agrees that combining school with work can be a hectic undertaking. However, that does not deter him from doing so. He has proven to apply effective techniques on how to handle pressure. He attests that he is slow to react and ensures that he is calm when prioritizing tasks. This ensures that important tasks are carried out first, and meet the required standards. Such a technique is an indication of his ardent leadership skills. Derrick’s attitude is built around patience, honesty, and humility. Such qualities are what

Food memoir Essay Example for Free

Food memoir Essay For all of us, there are several kinds of food in our deep memories. These foods are different from others because they are not only what we eat but also what we experience. Last week, when my teacher asked us which food existed in our deep memories, the first one came to my mind was Mung rice noodle. Each time mentioning Mung rice noodle, I will think of my wonderful childhood and sweet home. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people, and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people are used to add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, my grandmother soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded them into slurry by the millstone. Then, she brushed little colza oil in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. That was my first time knowing how to make Mung rice noodle and I can still remember that the fresh smell of it jumped out just in one second. After it was done, my grandma put it in the hot water and added ginger, scallion, garlic, peper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"babe, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. ThereisasweetstoryrelatedtoMungricenoodle. WhenIwasintheprimary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to make Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always make new flavors to surprise me. I was extremely curious that why she could make so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, especially after studying abroad, I realize that the primary reason she made different flavors is that she loves me. Up to now, in my life, my mother is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. Eating istheeasiestwaytomakeussatisfiedandfoodistheeasiestthingwewill remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, or the party dinner in a special holiday. No matter what it is, the memory for that moment will exist in our whole life. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will remember the feeling of surprise, warm, satisfied, happy and even pain till the end. 2nd draft Food memoir: Mung rice noodle Ifyoucanchooseonlyonefoodasyourlife-longfood,whatisit? Forme,itis definitely the Mung rice noodle. IbelongtoTujia,oneoftheChineseminorities. Mungricenoodlehasbeen produced by Tujia people and most of us are used to make it our breakfasts. Simply, from the name, it comes from the marriage of mung and rice. However, Tujia people usually add soybeans into the mixture of mung and rice. Mostly, we buy original Mung rice noodle and add flavors as we like at home. To be honest, I have never made it by myself, instead, I saw my grandmother made it when I was in the primary school. Firstly, she soaked the soybean, mung and rice in the water one day before using them. After one day, she grinded all ingredients into slurry by the millstone and mixed them with the potato starch. Then, she brushed little colza oil, similar to the corn oil, in the iron pan and circled the slurry evenly in the pan. Imagine what! Just in one second, the fresh smell of caramelized starch jumped out. After taking a breath, I touched the beans aroma in the air. Grandma was excited: â€Å"Come on, Joey, look at the grey-green circle lines here, are they like tree’s growth rings. † Yes, it really was! That was my first time knowing how to make fresh Mung rice noodle. After it was done, grandma put it in the hot water and added sliced ginger, scallion, garlic powder, white pepper, chilli oil and meat sauce. She smiled at me: â€Å"girl, you gonna finish it! † After eating it up, I understood why my grandma was so confident that I could finish it at the beginning. Frankly, I cannot describe the flavor correctly now. However, one thing I am sure about is that, when eating it, I felt nothing else matters. Similartomanyyoungsters,Iliketogotobarsandenjoyhavingfunwithmy friends in the night. However, no matter how late I sleep, I will get up the next day to eat the breakfast. This habit is related to the Mung rice noodle. When I was in the primary school, my mother usually got up half an hour earlier than me to cook Mung rice noodle as my breakfasts. She could always create new flavors to surprise me. Gradually, the new flavor of the Mung rice noodle became my impetus to get up. Even more, I deem a tasty breakfast as the beginning of a great day. Once, I was extremely curious that why mom could create so many flavors, and I asked her. She looked at me mysteriously: â€Å" if I make the same flavor all the way, you will be bored at breakfasts, that is not a good habit†. At that time, I did not think too much on her answers. But gradually, I have realized that the real reason she made variable flavors is that she loves me. After studying abroad, the most frequent questions from my mom is: what is your breakfast. Up to now, in my life, my mom is the only one who genuinely cares how is my breakfast. For all of us, there are some foods in our deep memories. These foods are unique and unforgettable because they are not only what we ate but also what we experienced. Eating is the easiest way to make us satisfied and food is the easiest thing we will remember. They may be a certain birthday cake, the dishes we ate with our first love, and the party dinner in a special holiday. When we are old, we may forget the flavor itself at all. However, we will keep in mind the feeling of surprise, warmth, satisfaction, happiness and even pain related to these foods because they are part of our lives.

Monte Verde :: essays research papers

After long, often bitter debate, archeologists have finally come to a consensus that humans reached southern Chile 12,500 years ago. The date is more than 1,000 years before the previous benchmark for human habitation in the Americas, 11,200-year-old stone spear points first discovered in the 1930s near Clovis, N.M. The Chilean site, known as Monte Verde, is on the sandy banks of a creek in wooded hills near the Pacific Ocean. Even former skeptics have joined in agreeing that its antiquity is now firmly established and that the bone and stone tools and other materials found there definitely mark the presence of a hunting-and-gathering people. The new consensus regarding Monte Verde, described in interviews last week and formally announced Monday, thus represents the first major shift in more than 60 years in the confirmed chronology of human prehistory in what would much later be called, from the European perspective, the New World. For American archeologists it is a liberating experience not unlike aviation's breaking of the sound barrier; they have broken the Clovis barrier. Even moving back the date by as little as 1,300 years, archeologists said, would have profound implications on theories about when people first reached America, presumably from northeastern Asia by way of the Bering Strait, and how they migrated south more than 10,000 miles to occupy the length and breadth of two continents. It could mean that early people, ancestors of the Indians, first arrived in their new world at least 20,000 years before Columbus. Evidence for the pre-Clovis settlement at Monte Verde was amassed and carefully analyzed over the last two decades by a team of American and Chilean archeologists, led by Dr. Tom D. Dillehay of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Remaining doubts were erased by Dillehay's comprehensive research report, which has been circulated among experts and is to be published next month by the Smithsonian Institution. And last month, a group of archeologists, including some of Monte Verde's staunchest critics, inspected the artifacts and visited the site, coming away thoroughly convinced. In his report of the site visit, Dr. Alex W. Barker, chief curator of the Dallas Museum of Natural History, said: "While there were very strongly voiced disagreements about different points, it rapidly became clear that everyone was in fundamental agreement about the most important question of all. Monte Verde is real. It's old. And it's a whole new ball game.

Essays --

In my thesis, I would like to analyse the representation of football stars in two iconic British magazines. My aim is to show how two distinct magazines contribute to the ongoing narratives of football players and managers. The first is one of the most famous football magazines around the globe, the authoritative FFT and the second is the original lad’s magazine, Loaded. Naturally, the proper investigation of this complex topic requires knowledge from various fields of cultural studies. In the following, I will introduce the theories and ideas related to my study. First of all, the term ‘football star’ should be examined closely. Although stars permeate the media, the meaning of sport star is not necessarily self-evident. Everyone has a rough idea about stars and stardom, but as I concentrate strictly on football stars in my study, a precise definition cannot be omitted. The main reason for this is that sport news is not only about sport stars but also players and managers who are not part of the star system. Smart states that the foundation of becoming a sport star is a unique sporting moment which shows the player’s exceptional talent. In order to keep this status, the player has to demonstrate his special skills repeatedly under pressure, against opponents in a highly competitive field (Smart 2005, 156). In addition, he has to grab the audience’s attention through media coverage and promotion. Cultural intermediaries and the audience together elevate the player to the star level. When this happens, exceptional qualities and original characteristics are being attached to the player’s name (Smart 2005, 156-157). Smart points out that appearance strongly increases media attention. He supports this point by claiming that David Be... ...hat Europe is a collection of individual nations. Even when discussing teams and fans of other nations, national reference points are frequently used. Pan-European identity almost exclusively appears in conjunction with references to the nation. Typically, Europe is only imagined as ‘self’ when it is dominated by English culture and fits into the framework of the English nation, otherwise it is considered to be ‘other’. The author concludes that the nation is essential to the sports media industries, as football basically relies on the idea of national ‘us’ and ‘them’. Moreover, the concept of nation is at the centre of fan cultures and popular culture surrounding football. In football culture, national stereotypes are a key source of humour. While all Europeans seem to celebrate football similarly, they are divided into national collectives (Inthorn 2010, 791-798).

Evolution of Folk Music

The Evolution of Folk Music Almost all of the music that we hear today can be traced back in one way or another to folk music. The evolution of folk music is rich in history and it is easy to see how the current events and the times created the changes that were to occur. Folk music got its roots from Anglo-American Folk Music and later evolved into what was known as the blues and continues to influence much of the music that is written to this day. Many artists have had major impacts on the music industry some of which are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. Their individual styles were essential in the evolution of music. By taking a closer look at Anglo-American Folk Music and each of these artists we will be able to understand the role that each of them played in their specific genres. Anglo-American Folk Music occurred during the time that the original thirteen colonies were being created. It got its start from what was cal led Psalmody which is the rendering of the 150 psalms of the Old Testament; however they were present in the form of songs. Psalmody is one of the oldest traditions of western music.Psalm tunes were carried over from the old world through the found of the colonies by the English and Dutch. They were often kept in a psalter which is a book that contained psalm tunes. Pilgrims were the first to bring psalters to Plymouth when they arrived in 1620. The religious reform in the 16th century that started in Europe had the greatest impact on the subject matter of Anglo-American Folk Music which was mainly focused on communicating religious matters. Over the course of 100 years we find that two different styles of communicating the old testaments.One of those was in the written format and the other was in what was called â€Å"the usual way† which was through oral communication. The oral tradition is where the Anglo-American Folk style evolved from. It involved what was called  "lining out† which is basically one person singing or reciting lines of psalm tunes. There were many critics of the oral tradition who said that there was not enough variation in the tunes and that there were too many changes in pace. The answer to these criticisms was found in singing school during the American Revolution here we see an increase in the musical abilities of our new nation. Of course these schools mainly resided in more highly populated areas. Out in the country you would often find what were called singing masters and composers who often were no more than just common people like craftsmen or small business owners. It was in these singing masters that we found a return to the lack of variation in tunes which was given the name â€Å"strophic form† which simple means that the music is the same for all lines. Strophic form is very common in folk music.The American folk singer Woody Guthrie lived from 1912 to 1967. Woody grew up in Oklahoma and decided to t ravel out to California during the great depression in hopes of finding better opportunities. However, all he found was more heartache. The economy in California was no better than the rest of the United States. Many of Guthrie’s songs reflect the trials and tribulations of the people he met in his life and of his own life. He is one of the few artists that was truly able to connect to the common people in ways that other artists could not.His music is about the things that happen in people’s everyday lives. He sings about people packing up and looking for better opportunities in other places. His music also varied in its tone. Some of his songs are upbeat and cheerful while others have a more sobering tone to them. In addition to singing and performing Guthrie also had a passion for writing. It is said that he made use of his G. I. bill after the war and attended a college where he took philosophy and writing along with a few other classes. However, he decided to drop out before he finished because he decided he needed to hit the road.Woody Guthrie was unique in his style and lyrics. He never felt the need to alter his style in order to fit in with the changing fads. His style is the epitome of what folk music should sound like. We often hear him make use of the strophic form in his songs. He was an inspiration to many musicians that followed him, which included the well known Bob Dylan. Guthrie enjoyed working with other musicians as well like Pete Seeger. Many folk singers including Woody Guthrie had strong political views which often came through in their lyrics.Much of folk music emerged during times when people felt that government was being unfair in the way the common people were being treated and that changes needed to be made in order to bring equality back. I think this is perhaps the one commonality that many folk singers had in common when it came to their music and what was driving their lyrics. Guthrie, Seeger and Dylan were all ve ry popular during times of war which had major affects on their careers and the choices they made. A fellow folk artist who Guthrie was known to perform with from time to time is Pete Seeger.Like Guthrie, Seeger was another folk activist who often sang songs that called for changes in political matters and more equality for the common people. The Almanac Singers was the name of the band that Seeger was a member of. Seeger formed the group in 1941 which was made up of a group of left-wing New Yorkers. Although the group made drastic efforts to try to create a band where everyone was equal they had difficulty battling the media in attempts to keep Seeger out of the spotlight. The Almanac Singers often found themselves in the company of Woody Guthrie.The group got along easily because they had the same political views and shared the same musical style. Seeger and Guthrie were also known to write songs together. One of their most well known songs is â€Å"Pittsburg† which was a c ompilation of their feelings about the war, environment and corruption in the steel industry. The subject matter of Seeger’s music gave him the title of most boycotted performer in history. There have even been accounts of attacks by people at his performances because of the lyrics his band chose to sing.Right before the Nazi’s invaded Russia the CIO had approached the Almanac Singers to go on a national tour with them. The news of the attack was released the day before they were due to leave for their tour. Since most of their song were anti war people could not make the decision to continue to support their music when it was against something that was now a necessary evil. One journalist said that the grouped â€Å"lacked the true politicians facility for changing overnight and the group soon found themselves in trouble† (Dunaway 91). This came to be the end of the band.Another folk artist who came to be well known because of his songs of protest is Bob Dylan. It seems fitting that one of his major influences and all time idol is Woody Guthrie. Like Guthrie, Dylan wrote songs about â€Å"general human conditions such as poverty† (Lorenzo and Kingman 76). One of his most well known songs is â€Å"Masters of War† which was originally written because of the cold war. However, after the release of the song it was found that the feelings that the song was able to create within listeners was the same during the time of the Vietnam War and even later to the War on Terror.Accounts of a concert that Dylan performed at on Veterans day in 2002 said that the crowd had the same feelings and sentiments that was felt by people during the first release at similar performances. Unlike Guthrie who kept his style consistent throughout the years, Dylan was known to change up his style, sound, type and even material of his music. These changes often caused fans to feel like they no longer could relate to the music of Dylan because they had just grown accustomed to the latest styles of his music. Others were suspicious of his constant changing and often accused him of chasing trends.However, Dylan’s compositions usually stayed true to the original style of protest songs in that they used barrow tunes from older songs with an ostinato found in the accompanying guitar while Dylan did his best to show authenticity in his voice. Regardless of how people feel about Dylan he still is seen as one of the major players in the folk music industry. Another form of music that originated from folk music is the blues. While it is said to be related to Black folk music from the south it is safe to say that Black folk music was highly influenced by American folk music.Black folk music was well known for use of antecedents in the form of hollers and cries which was still present in some forms of blues. The blues relates very closely to folk music by means of their subject matter. It was common for â€Å"some blues to speak of a nam eless depression, work or lack of it, poverty† (Lorenzo and Kingman 76). While some blues tells of hardships it also speaks often of personal lament of the relationships between men and women. One of the best known blues singers is Bessie Smith who is often referred to as the â€Å"Empress of Blues. By the end of her first recording year she was said to have sold over 2 million records and at one point in her career was responsible for saving Columbia Records from going bankrupt. Bessie Smith is most famous for her performances in which she was able to master the use of idioms and delivery her songs with such forcefulness that there are not that could surpass her in the industry. Towards the end of Smiths career she refused to adjust to the more modern tones which eventually led to her falling out of the music industry.Even though she was one of the most highly purchased recording artists she managed to spend all of her earnings without saving anything for her later life. It is said that when she died in a car accident in 1937 that she died without a penny to her name. A major reason for her lack of financial stability could be attributed to her life long battle with alcoholism. Bessie Smith was lucky to have worked with and learned from the Mother of Blues, Ma Rainey. Ma Rainey got her start as a young child in the minstrel-show business. However her music was always closest resembled rural folk blues when compared to other blues artists.Many of Ma Rainey’s song were found to empower females, which was often the opposite of the image that was portrayed by Bessie Smiths lyrics. I think it is important to make a connection between more traditional folk music and the blues that were sung by Smith and Rainey. It is important to remember that many folk singers were inspired by the changing times and unfair poverty that was being forced upon the majority of people during those times. Similarly, the blues era occurred immediately following the abolitio n of slavery.Much of the blues was focused on the expression of individual emotional needs. Considering that blacks had just been given their personal freedoms they were still imprisoned by their social and financial standings. It seems to make sense then that the music would focus on the one thing that they really did gain freedom in which was their love lives and the ability to choose who they would have relationships with. â€Å"Freely chosen sexual love became a mediator between historical disappointment and the new social realities of an evolving African American Community† (Davis n. ag). Many of the songs by Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith were about the changes in what was believed to be the â€Å"place† of women in the world. They were singing for more equality and for people to realize that the sole purpose of a woman was no longer to please her husband and to care for a household but that she could be independent and earn a living and take care of herself and her family if need be. Both the blues and folk music had important messages to communicate in regards to the changes occurring in society. Another well known blues singer was Muddy Waters.He was actually born with the name McKinley Morganfield but he was given the nickname Muddy by his mother and later decided to legally change his name. Waters musical style helped blues to transform into the next style of music which would be names rock and roll. Waters was responsible for introducing amplified music to blues. He is often referred to as the father of modern Chicago Blues which would be in the urban blues category. Urban blues introduced the use of more instruments of which included the piano and drums along with many others. Waters was strongly influenced by the more traditional gospel tradition.However, his own style was not so traditional in any sense. He gained his notoriety by his mastery of a guitar style that is called bottleneck. When Waters was discovered a scout was sent to fi nd a man that worked in the same field that Waters worked in. When the man got there he found that the person he was looking for had passed away and instead he discovered Waters. Race records were common during this time and it is most likely that Waters was discovered during an expedition to record race records that would be able to turn some quick sales.Because Waters was a man with such great talent the scout came back looking for him again and eventually Waters moved to Chicago and make music his life. Waters did not find it easy for him to make a name for himself in the music industry. It was not until after he had toured in England that he was able to return to the U. S. and was finally being seen for what he really was by the American people. Waters has been a major influence on many of today’s artists. Another blues artist who helped to pioneer the change from blues to rock and roll is B. B.King. King experienced the loss of his mother at the age of four years old and has been said to have had the blues running through his veins ever since that day. Like many artists King was able to use the pain and hardships in his life as inspiration for his music. However, his music also covers issues of the Civil Rights Movement and even the complicated politics that surrounded the music industry. His greatest success would have to be the part he played in pushing the limits and finding huge success in changing over from blues to rock and roll.It is often a difficult task to get people to change from their old ways and try something knew but King was able to win over fans and help give birth to one of the greatest musical eras to this day. After looking back at the history of where folk music originated and then taking a closer look at some of the artists of various eras of music it is easy to see how even the songs we hear on the radio today can be traced back to folk music roots. The one thing that music seems to keep in common in all eras is that there w ill often be songs that relate to the current events of the time.Especially when there is an unusually hardship or major event that has shaped society. After the war on terror began there were many artists from all genres that began to sing songs about our soldiers and their families and the heartache and pain that people were experiencing from the loss of loved ones of loneness of being apart. I think that music will continue with this oral tradition of communicating events and problems for the rest of time. Works Cited Candelaria, Lorenzo, and Daniel Kingman. American Music: A Panorama. 4th ed. Schirmer:Cengage Learning, 2004, 2007, 2012.Print Cray, Ed. Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie. New York: Norton andcompany, 2004. Print. Danchin, Sebastian. Blues Boy: The Life and Music of B. B. King. Mississippi: University Pressof Mississippi, 1998. Print. Davis, Angela Y. Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. Print Davis, Francis. The H istory of the Blues: The Roots, the Music, the People. Cambridge: Da CapoPress, 2003. Print. Dunaway, David King. How Can I Keep From Singing? The Ballad of Pete Seeger. New York:Villard Books, 2008. Print.

Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essays

Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essays Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essay Comparing Mintzberg and Fayol Essay Management is a vital component to be recognized in every organization. Without an effective  and  an efficient management, an organization will not run successfully. Throughout the years development of management theories have been characterized by different beliefs from various people about what  and  how managers need to fulfil their specific tasks in their own dynamic business environment. These management theories have been applied on humans daily activities and  decision making. Two of the most prominent theorists who have attempted to define management are Henri Fayol and Henry Mintzberg, both of which have similar and contrasting views of management. When discussing these two theories, one of the most commonly asked questions is: â€Å"Is the work of managers’ best described by the objectives of management or the roles one undertakes as a manager? This is a question posed since 1971, when Henry Mintzberg established his contemporary theory on Management roles, which evidently differed to Henri Fayol’s 1949 classical theory on Management Functions. Henri Fayol is the  founding father of the administration school, and  first to describe management as a top-down process based on planning and the organization of people while Henry Mintzberg articulated  his  fundamental belief that management is about applying human skills to systems, not apply ing systems to people. Fayol theory about management and administration was built on personal observation and experience of what worked well in terms of organization. His aspiration for an administrative science sought a consistent set of principles that all organizations must apply in order to run properly. Fayol argued that principles existed which all organizations must follow in order to operate and be administered efficiently. This type of assertion typifies a one best way approach to management thinking. Fayol identifies five functions of management all of which he believed were necessary to facilitate the management process; they are planning, organising, co-ordinating, commanding and controlling Mintzberg on the other hand considers management activities as roles and classify them within three broad groups, they are:-interpersonal, informational and decisional which encompass his ten management roles of figurehead, leader, liaison, spokesperson, disseminator, monitor, resource allocator, entrepreneur, disturbance handler and negotiator. Although due to their differences, these theories can be treated as competing views, both can also be perceived as reinforcing the other as many parallels and similarities intrinsically exist. Consequentially the term ‘managerial style’ combines the two theories. Mintzberg obtained his theory as a result of research based on observation of actual managers operation instead of the organization. Hence, his roles directly depict what managers do. He argues that Fayol’s functions ‘do not describe the actual work of managers at all; they describe certain vague objectives of managerial work’ (Mintzberg 1971). As he observed the managers in his research, he found that all activities captured at lease one of his ten roles in practice whereas they could not be simplified to be known singularly as one of Fayol’s functions. For example, a manager sending a memo out to subordinates informing them of the outcome of the mornings meeting is directly taking on the informational role of disseminator- providing internal personnel with information obtained either external or internal of the organisation. Expanding on Fayol’s five functions which describe management as firstly to forecast and plan: This includes a plan of action the result envisaged, the line of action to be followed, the stages to go through, and the methods to use is at once the chief manifestation and most effective tool of planning (Fayol 1949:43). It is in taking the initiative for the plan of action that managers carry out the managerial function. He also sees planning as a process requiring important personal and interpersonal competencies, including those related to managing the organizations internal stakeholders The second function is to organize: Fayol describes organizing as to provide the undertaking with everything useful to its functioning: raw materials, tools, capital, personnel (Fayol 1949:53). Fayol (1949:53-54) divides organization into material and human organization and focuses on the latter. He then lists the managerial duties associated with organizing as ensuring the plan is judiciously prepared and strictly carried out; matching the resources to the plan; leadership (a single, competent energetic guiding authority, unity of command, control, supervision); harmonising and coordinating activities; decision making; job analysis and design; staffing selection; empowerment (encouraging a liking for initiative and responsibility); performance management fair and appropriate remuneration; maintenance of discipline and sanctions against faults and errors; subordination of ndividual interests to the general interest; and fighting against excess regulations, red tape and paper control. To command refers to setting the organization going (Fayol 1949:97). The object of command is to get the optimum return from all employees, while the art of command rests on certain personal qualities and knowledge of general principles of management (Fayol 1949:97). To the extent that managers aim at making unity, energy, initiative and loyalty prevail among the personnel (Fayol 1949:98) modem writers would more properly describe this managerial function as concerned with motivation, leadership and empowerment. In co-ordination, it is found that Fayol is committed to the principles of balance and contingent action. For Fayol , to co-ordinate is to harmonize all the activities of a concern so as to facilitate its working and its success; to accord things and actions their rightful proportions, and to adapt means to ends. Coordination is achieved, inter alia, by the precious instrument of team meetings (weekly conferences of departmental heads). It is effected generally by combined action on the part of general management which supervises the whole, plus local managements whose efforts are directed towards the successful working of each particular part To control means seeing that everything occurs in conformity with established rule and expressed command. Fayol’s theory of the functions of management also includes a synthesis of 14 principles for organizational design and effective administration, they are, Specialization/division of labour, Authority with corresponding responsibility,  discipline,  unity of command,  unity of direction,  subordination of individual interest to the general interest,  remuneration of staff,  centralization,  scalar chain/line of authority,  order,  equity, stability of tenure,  initiative and esprit de corps. The principle of work allocation and specialization is in order to concentrate activities to enable specialization of skills and understandings, more work focus and efficiency. If responsibilities are allocated then the post holder needs the requisite authority to carry these out including the right to require others in the area of responsibility to undertake duties. Authority stems from that ascribed from the delegation process; the job holder is assigned and given authority to act as necessary to carry out the task delegated. The job holder is authorized to use the necessary resources needed, such as budgets, assets and staff members to carry out the responsibilities. The person should have the requisite expertise to carry out the responsibilities and the personal qualities to win the support and confidence of others. A manager should never be given authority without responsibility and also should never be given responsibility without the associated authority to get the work done. It is viewed by Fayol that discipline is essential for the smooth running of a business and without it the standards, consistency of actions and adherence to rules and values would be absent and such the organization could not prosper. It is said â€Å"in an essence obedience, application, energy, behaviour and outward marks of respect observed in accordance with standing agreements between firms and its employees 1916, is necessary for good results in the firm. Unity of command is based on the idea that an employee should receive instructions from one superior only. This generalisation still holds even where we are involved with team and matrix structures which involve reporting to more than one boss or being accountable to several clients. The basic concern is that tensions and dilemmas arise where we report to two or more bosses. One boss may want X, the other Y and the subordinate is caught between a rock and a hard place. The unity of command idea of having one head (chief executive, cabinet consensus) with agreed purposes and objectives and one plan for a group of activities is clear. Fayols beleif was that one employees or one group’s interests should not prevail over the organisation as a whole. There should be clear outlined directives as to the mission, goals and guidelins of the organization and all employees must be guided by that. Ethical dilemmas and matters of corporate risk and the behaviour of individual chancers would be mitigated by this. Fayols work assumes a shared set of values by people in the organization, a unitarism where the reasons for organisational activities and decisions are in some way neutral and reasonable. The general principle is that levels of compensation should be fair and as far as possible afford satisfaction both to the staff and the firm (in terms of its cost structures and desire for profitability/surplus). Centralisation is essential to the organisation and a natural result of organising. It is important that information and resources are centralized and are easily accessed by all levels of employees. The modes of control over the actions and results of devolved organisations are still matters requiring considerable attention. The scalar chain of command of reporting relationships from top executive to the ordinary shop operative or driver needs to be sensible, clear and understood. There should be equal amount of respect regardless of the level of command. Orderliness implies steady evolutionary movement rather than wild, anxiety provoking, unpredictable movement. Essentially an organisation should provide an orderly place for each employee along with their assigned activity. The ultimate product of the organization should be as a result of coordinated activities involving orderly steps from one employee to the other, with each contribution critical to the next. Employees should see how their roles fit into the organisation and be confident and able to predict the organisations behaviour towards them. Thus policies, rules, instructions and actions should be clear and understood. Equity, fairness and a sense of justice shouldpervade the organisation in principle and practice. Time is needed for the employee to adapt to his/her work and perform it effectively. It is important that the employee feels some form of security in their current position in the organization, which is usually achieved through permanent appointment to the organization. Stability of tenure will motivate employee and can result in loyalty to the organisation, its purposes and values. Here Fayol emphasises the need for building and maintaining of harmony among the work force, team work and sound interpersonal relationships at all levels of the organisational structure, zeal, enthusiasm and energy are enabled by people having the scope for personal initiative. Henry Mintzberg is an internationally renowned academic and author on business and management with over 140 articles and thirteen books written. He came up with the roles of management, which he believes cover most of the hings a manager will encounter in their job. These roles are split into 3 interpersonal roles, 3 informational roles and 4 decision making roles. Mintzbergs (1973) key contribution to notions of management is given in The Nature of Managerial Work, where he poses the question What do managers do? and then answers the question in terms of what he describes as the ten working rol es of managers. As he does so, he quotes approvingly from Barnard (1938/1968) that Executive work is not that of the organisation, but the specialised work of maintaining the organization in operation. Mintzberg (1973) defines managers as those persons formally in charge of organizations or their subunits. This excludes many of those in middle management'. He identifies the following basic reasons why organizations need managers, they are to: * ensure the organization serves its purpose the efficient production of goods/services. * design and maintain the stability of the organizations operations * take charge of the organizations strategy-making system, and therein adapt the organization in a controlled way to its changing environment. ensure the organization serves the ends of those persons who control it * serve as the key informational link between the organization and its environment. * operate the organizations status system. Mintzberg three groups of managerial activities as previously mentioned are concerned primarily with interpersonal relationships (interpersonal roles), the transfer of information (informational roles), and decision-making (decisional roles). The 3 interpersonal roles are; the figurehead which helps reinforce what the company stands for and reinforces the organisational culture, the leader who provide their employees with a sense of mission and the liaison who mixes with others outside the business to represent the needs of their group. The 3 informational roles are; the monitor who collects information form within the group and finds out what is going on in the business, the disseminator who shares the information with others who would not find out the information and the spokesperson who represents the views of the group in the wider environment. The 4 decision making roles are; the entrepreneur who make decisions to improve the contribution of their subordinates to the performance of the business, the disturbance handler who deals with any problems that might occur within the group, the resource allocator    who allocates resources throughout their subordinates and the negotiator who negotiates to secure contracts, budgets etc. These activities are derived from the formal authority of the manager office. From formal authority, and the attendant status in the organisation, comes the interpersonal roles, which place the manager in a unique position to get information. This access to information, combined with the authority and status, place managers at the centre of organisational decision- making. Mintzberg states that each role is observable such that, one can witness a manager handling a disturbance or acting as a figurehead. At the same time, although the roles are described individually, they cannot be isolated. Rather, Mintzberg argues, they form a gestalt, where the manager is an input (information) output (information and decisions) system. Given Mintzbergs contention that the basic content of all managers work can be described in terms of these ten roles, it is necessary then to account for the differences as well as the similarities in managers work. Mintzberg states that the size of the industry or sector within which the organization operates; the managers level in the organization; the units function (production, marketing, etc); the managers personality and style; and changes in the job over time all contribute to differences in the managers work. It is important to note however, that, in discussing the differences in managers work, Mintzberg is concerned with the emphasis of different roles rather than the differences in operationalizing the behaviours attendant on each role. He goes on to outline eight managerial job types that emphasise different roles, for example, the Team Manager whose key role is Leader versus the Expert Manager whose key roles are Monitor and Spokesman. Mintzberg (1973:10) argues that these categories are not useful because they cannot be linked to specific activities: Which of these activities may be called planning, and which may be called organizing, coordinating or controlling? Indeed, what relationship exists between these four words and managers activities? These four words do not, in fact, describe the actual work of managers at all. They describe certain vague objectives of managerial work.

Ten Facts About Cells and Cell Function

Ten Facts About Cells and Cell Function Cells are the fundamental units of life. Whether they be unicellular or multicellular life forms, all living organisms are composed of and depend on cells to function normally. Scientists estimate that our bodies contain anywhere from 75 to 100 trillion cells. In addition, there are hundreds of different types of cells in the body. Cells do everything from providing structure and stability to providing energy and a means of reproduction for an organism. The following 10 facts about cells will provide you with well known and perhaps little known tidbits of information about cells. Cells are too Small to be Seen Without Magnification Cells range in size from 1 to 100 micrometers. The study of cells, also called cell biology, would not have been possible without the invention of the microscope. With the advance microscopes of today, such as the Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscope, cell biologists are able to obtain detailed images of the smallest of cell structures. Primary Types of Cells Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are the two main types of cells. Eukaryotic cells are called so because they have a true nucleus that is enclosed within a membrane. Animals, plants, fungi, and protists are examples of organisms that contain eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic organisms include bacteria and archaeans. The prokaryotic cell nucleus is not enclosed within a membrane. Prokaryotic Single-Celled Organisms were the Earliest and Most Primitive Forms of Life on Earth Prokaryotes can live in environments that would be deadly to most other organisms. These extremophiles are able to live and thrive in various extreme habitats. Archaeans for example, live in areas such as hydrothermal vents, hot springs, swamps, wetlands, and even animal intestines. There are More Bacterial Cells in the Body than Human Cells Scientists have estimated that about 95% of all the cells in the body are bacteria. The vast majority of these microbes can be found within the digetive tract. Billions of bacteria also live on the skin. Cells Contain Genetic Material Cells contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid), the genetic information necessary for directing cellular activities. DNA and RNA are molecules known as nucleic acids. In prokaryotic cells, the single bacterial DNA molecule is not separated from the rest of the cell but coiled up in a region of the cytoplasm called the nucleoid region. In eukaryotic cells, DNA molecules are located within the cells nucleus. DNA and proteins are the major components of chromosomes. Human cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes (for a total of 46). There are 22 pairs of autosomes (non-sex chromosomes) and one pair of sex chromosomes. The X and Y sex chromosomes determine sex. Organelles Which Carry Out Specific Functions Organelles have a wide range of responsibilities within a cell that include everything from providing energy to producing hormones and enzymes. Eukaryotic cells contain several types of organelles, while prokaryotic cells contain a few organelles (ribosomes) and none that are bound by a membrane. There are also differences between the kinds of organelles found within different eukaryotic cell types. Plant cells for example, contain structures such as a cell wall and chloroplasts that are not found in animal cells. Other examples of organelles include: Nucleus - controls cell growth and reproduction.Mitochondria - provide energy for the cell.Endoplasmic Reticulum - synthesizes carbohydrates and lipids.Golgi Complex - manufactures, stores, and ships certain cellular products.Ribosomes - involved in protein synthesis.Lysosomes - digest cellular macromolecules. Reproduce Through Different Methods Most prokaryotic cells replicate by a process called binary fission. This is a type of cloning process in which two identical cells are derived from a single cell. Eukaryotic organisms are also capable of reproducing asexually through mitosis. In addition, some eukaryotes are capable of sexual reproduction. This involves the fusion of sex cells or gametes. Gametes are produced by a process called meiosis. Groups of Similar Cells Form Tissues Tissues are groups of cells with both a shared structure and function. Cells that make up animal tissues are sometimes woven together with extracellular fibers and are occasionally held together by a sticky substance that coats the cells. Different types of tissues can also be arranged together to form organs. Groups of organs can in turn form organ systems. Varying Life Spans Cells within the human body have different life spans based on the type and function of the cell. They can live anywhere from a few days to a year. Certain cells of the digestive tract live for only a few days, while some immune system cells can live for up to six weeks. Pancreatic cells can live for as long as a year. Cells Commit Suicide When a cell becomes damaged or undergoes some type of infection, it will self destruct by a process called apoptosis. Apoptosis works to ensure proper development and to keep the bodys natural process of mitosis in check. A cells inability to undergo apoptosis can result in the development of cancer.

Free Essays on The Stranger - Mersault As The Absurd Man

The main character, Mersault, in Albert Camus’ The Stranger, has a detachment from everything in life. He is a private man who lives by himself in an apartment. Mersault accepts life as it comes and is not dynamic enough to change the ways of the world, a characteristic that aids in classifying him as an â€Å"absurd man†. As he said himself, â€Å"I’ve always been far too much absorbed in the present of the immediate future to think back†(127). However, Mersault’s realization of his coming death caused a transformation of the character’s perspectives, as the definition of an absurd man indicates. Mersault reveals much about himself in the opening of the novel when his mother dies. He does not grieve over her loss, and doesn’t cry at her funeral, a factor that would later send him to the guillotine. His present physical condition would contribute to his attitude at that point. At the funeral, he was sleepy and â€Å"the sensation of someone posted at my back made me uncomfortable†(7), thus responsible for his sour attitude. At the point and time of the murder, Mersault was feeling hot and miserable from the intense heat, and his physical condition beat his non-existent spiritual conscience that would tell him it was wrong to murder someone. To reiterate the absurdness of his proclivity to not be worried about morals that are important to the rest of society, he even told his attorney that he had no reason to shoot the Arab. There are times in the novel when Mersault even realizes his own absurdness. During the trial the judge was â€Å"brandishing a crucifix before his eyes†(85), yet all he could think about was the stifling hot room and the big flies buzzing around his head. Yet, he says, â€Å"I realized it was absurd to feel like this, considering that, after all, it was I who was the criminal†(85). However, when Mersault learns that he will be decapitated by guillotine he comes to terms with thoughts of hi... Free Essays on The Stranger - Mersault As The Absurd Man Free Essays on The Stranger - Mersault As The Absurd Man The main character, Mersault, in Albert Camus’ The Stranger, has a detachment from everything in life. He is a private man who lives by himself in an apartment. Mersault accepts life as it comes and is not dynamic enough to change the ways of the world, a characteristic that aids in classifying him as an â€Å"absurd man†. As he said himself, â€Å"I’ve always been far too much absorbed in the present of the immediate future to think back†(127). However, Mersault’s realization of his coming death caused a transformation of the character’s perspectives, as the definition of an absurd man indicates. Mersault reveals much about himself in the opening of the novel when his mother dies. He does not grieve over her loss, and doesn’t cry at her funeral, a factor that would later send him to the guillotine. His present physical condition would contribute to his attitude at that point. At the funeral, he was sleepy and â€Å"the sensation of someone posted at my back made me uncomfortable†(7), thus responsible for his sour attitude. At the point and time of the murder, Mersault was feeling hot and miserable from the intense heat, and his physical condition beat his non-existent spiritual conscience that would tell him it was wrong to murder someone. To reiterate the absurdness of his proclivity to not be worried about morals that are important to the rest of society, he even told his attorney that he had no reason to shoot the Arab. There are times in the novel when Mersault even realizes his own absurdness. During the trial the judge was â€Å"brandishing a crucifix before his eyes†(85), yet all he could think about was the stifling hot room and the big flies buzzing around his head. Yet, he says, â€Å"I realized it was absurd to feel like this, considering that, after all, it was I who was the criminal†(85). However, when Mersault learns that he will be decapitated by guillotine he comes to terms with thoughts of hi...

Management 380 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management 380 - Essay Example can founders and that considers itself a direct or an indirect part of America by identifying that ‘there is no difference between New York and Chennai since one can do the same work in both the cities’. In fact, they chose this country to make the people react like their partial slaves (training and recruiting programs) through the covert colonialism compared to the overt colonialism of Britishers. This manipulation and exploitation of Indian workers for personal gains and benefits (in the name of competitiveness and free market system) can’t be explained, justified and supported because it’s against the ethics principles of business. Secondly, Office Tigers have also been involved in taking the jobs away from American workers because their Outsourcing business and its marketing to other businesses of providing the work at cheaper rates compelled the American organizations to cut down their labour force that later resulted in mammoth job losses in America. So, it was also against the greater well-being of US workers and economy. Thirdly, the management says that managers must take care of societal values, standards and norms but Office Tigers adopted an open door policy in India by disregarding the traditional cast system and did not place any restrictions on employment of low caste workers. Theoretically, they violated the societal norm that says that an Upper Caste Hindu can not work with one from a lower caste but surprisingly this didn’t go against the firm’s long-run objectives. Chennai is the fourth largest city of India, an underdeveloped economy, where a great number of people are still deprived of basic living/health and quality (plus cheap) educational facilities (universities and higher education institutions) compared to United States, which is a developed economy, an industrialized nation and an economic super power where people have access to all basic necessities and they are not deprived of education. This difference among Indians and

The Glass Menagerie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Glass Menagerie - Essay Example Amanda is caught up in the pleasant memories of her youth and the dreams of the Southern belle, hoping to find the same kind of young adulthood for her own daughter and is incapable of considering that her own daughter’s circumstances are vastly different from the circumstances of Amanda’s own youth. Laura, a shy girl with a decided limp as the result of childhood illness, is extremely shy and considers herself incapable of facing the outside world. She prefers to live in the world of her childhood with her music and her glass figurines despite the fact that she needs to find some means of supporting herself in her future. All three of these characters can be seen to live primarily in an internal world of their own creation that directly conflicts with the world outside and makes it difficult for them to confront real-life issues. Despite his attempts to escape his past, Tom tells the audience at the end of the play that he followed â€Å"in my father’s footstep s, attempting to find in motion what was lost in space. I traveled around a great deal †¦ I would have stopped, but I was pursued by something† (VII, 237). That something turns out to be the images, smells, sounds and other reminders of the sister he left behind, proving through the very act of telling the play that memories cannot be escaped regardless of how hard or fast you run. While Tom is now a member of the merchant marine and an accomplished traveler, living out the internal dreams of his youth in a way he had never thought possible while living in his mother’s apartment, this outward show of personal dream fulfillment is revealed as little more than an illusion of its own. In truth, Tom’s heart remains trapped within the small apartment he shared with his mother and sister. In Tom’s case, rather than helping him hide from reality, his memories serve to force reality upon him at odd moments throughout every day.  

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 12

History - Essay Example However, as former peasant, he was still sympathetic to the plight of the poor and so he kept taxes low and the granaries stocked in order to be prepared to meet famine (MNSU, n.d). He also established military superiority over the civilians both as a means of control over the people and as a means of defense against the Mongols continually threatening its territories. Hongwu also sought to control all aspects of government and he was able to keep the social order through the military and through his rigid administrative process (MNSU, n.d). Based on their values, the Aztecs maintained a socially stratified society and the family were considered the most important unit in that society (Rodriguez, 1994). They also emphasized on women or girls learning feminine duties like cooking, cleaning, and sewing. They also valued personal discipline, respect for the law, diligence, honesty, and respect for others (Rodriguez, 1994). Ming China, on the other hand, valued change within tradition, one which was â€Å"stable but lacked dynamic development† (Reich & Cunningham, 2005, p. 374). This resulted to economic decline among the people as the rulers also became corrupt; they also faced growing unrest among the people who were highly inclined to participate in rebellion and banditry (Reich & Cunningham, 2005). On an economic plane, the Aztecs and Ming China more or less experienced flourishing economies during their era. The Aztecs mostly bartered their wares with each other through marketplaces which were bustling areas of economic exchange. The currencies used were mostly cacao beans and cotton capes and through these currencies, the Aztecs experienced economic progress (Microsoft Corporation, 1999). Economic progress was also seen in China during the Ming Dynasty through increased food supply on account of the agricultural revolution

Critical Analysis of College is a Waste of Time and Money Essay

Critical Analysis of College is a Waste of Time and Money - Essay Example It is clearly identifiable from the article that Bird has not expressed her views about college based learning for shock value merely, rather she actually has a firm conviction at heart that colleges in majority of the cases turn out to be a mere waste of wads of cash and many hours and she actually makes every effort in her article to defend this viewpoint. Though this article managed in satiating the minds of many thinkers out there who believe that earning a bachelor’s degree by making big commitments to the colleges in terms of time and money is an ineffective and rather clumsy way to get the real training, still many teachers and students themselves have reacted strongly negatively to Bird’s take on college based learning which is quite understandable. Now, there are two important things worth considering before getting all judgmental in this regard. First, if we think about the established reality which projects that the kind of role played by a teacher or scholar holds monumental importance and value for behavioral modification and general wellbeing of a student, the approach used by Bird to assess the importance of colleges immediately gets discarded. Next, it cannot be said that Bird’s article should be totally condemned or agonized since it lacks ground because concerning the common practice active presently among parents and students to waste wads of cash only after colleges’ or universities’ names, the possibility of a college to turn out to be a waste of cash and time may arise. This is because many times the real purpose of learning is lost when more attention is paid to the college’s name than on a student’s individual personality. It is an undeniable reality that a student who has the tendency to maintain lazy or defiant attitude and bad habits will remain just the same and behave as pathetically as a student even if he/she be enrolled at some of the most prestigious institution. In such cases, go ing to college does turn out to be a futile effort and a college definitely becomes a waste of time and money for such students, but Bird does not antagonize the conventional method of college based learning on this basis alone as she is seen going to different lengths in her article to nullify the concept of colleges for acquiring knowledge. Now, a college is seen by the vast majority of people as the central pillar or the support system upon which the whole building of learning could be supported. Bird disagrees openly from all such thinkers here. The argument used by her to antagonize the established thinking approach is that most of the students enrolled at different colleges in the present times have absolutely no sense of purpose as to why they are there in the college in the first place. This means that a student personally rarely ever has any strong motivation about staying in a particular college to learn. Most of them are just there because their mothers or fathers wanted them to be there or because their families wanted to show off to other relatives or friends about their son or daughter learning in some prestigious institution. Now, this can be passed off as a justified point brought up by Bird because students should personally be strongly motivated for going to colleges to learn and not only should they acknowledge this motivation but should also know how to defend their choice of going to colleges for learning. Next major point addressed by Bird in her article is that special attention should be paid to the real reason behind the

Gun Control and Crime Problem in the US Research Paper

Gun Control and Crime Problem in the US - Research Paper Example Gun control has always been a very debatable and a complex topic, law-abiding citizens are expected to follow the law but these days law has become a donkey on which the rich people ride. In several Asian countries people get away with gun crimes because of their influence and authority, there have been several cases in the US also wherein the guilty have gotten away with heinous crimes. There are many who just cannot handle firearms safely and it is quite obvious that firearms are not meant for those individuals. It is also a fact that firearms can be used for protection and guns can be useful provided they are in the hands of right individuals but it is very difficult to determine who is right and who is not became many a time the so called right people end up doing wrong things. This is exactly why this topic is very debatable and complex. Mental illness is also a very big factor when it comes to gun control, mentally ill people can easily go and purchase guns and run riot in the street, the very same happened in Norway a few months ago, a mentally ill person had easy access to firearms and the same resulted in a massacre. It is extremely important to place restrictions but this is something which is implausible, there are hardly any laws when it comes to purchasing a firearm, yes, one needs a license to obtain it but everyone these days is fully aware of the fact that licenses can easily be obtained by bribing officials and this is especially true in several Asian countries.

Critical Analysis of College is a Waste of Time and Money Essay

Critical Analysis of College is a Waste of Time and Money - Essay Example It is clearly identifiable from the article that Bird has not expressed her views about college based learning for shock value merely, rather she actually has a firm conviction at heart that colleges in majority of the cases turn out to be a mere waste of wads of cash and many hours and she actually makes every effort in her article to defend this viewpoint. Though this article managed in satiating the minds of many thinkers out there who believe that earning a bachelor’s degree by making big commitments to the colleges in terms of time and money is an ineffective and rather clumsy way to get the real training, still many teachers and students themselves have reacted strongly negatively to Bird’s take on college based learning which is quite understandable. Now, there are two important things worth considering before getting all judgmental in this regard. First, if we think about the established reality which projects that the kind of role played by a teacher or scholar holds monumental importance and value for behavioral modification and general wellbeing of a student, the approach used by Bird to assess the importance of colleges immediately gets discarded. Next, it cannot be said that Bird’s article should be totally condemned or agonized since it lacks ground because concerning the common practice active presently among parents and students to waste wads of cash only after colleges’ or universities’ names, the possibility of a college to turn out to be a waste of cash and time may arise. This is because many times the real purpose of learning is lost when more attention is paid to the college’s name than on a student’s individual personality. It is an undeniable reality that a student who has the tendency to maintain lazy or defiant attitude and bad habits will remain just the same and behave as pathetically as a student even if he/she be enrolled at some of the most prestigious institution. In such cases, go ing to college does turn out to be a futile effort and a college definitely becomes a waste of time and money for such students, but Bird does not antagonize the conventional method of college based learning on this basis alone as she is seen going to different lengths in her article to nullify the concept of colleges for acquiring knowledge. Now, a college is seen by the vast majority of people as the central pillar or the support system upon which the whole building of learning could be supported. Bird disagrees openly from all such thinkers here. The argument used by her to antagonize the established thinking approach is that most of the students enrolled at different colleges in the present times have absolutely no sense of purpose as to why they are there in the college in the first place. This means that a student personally rarely ever has any strong motivation about staying in a particular college to learn. Most of them are just there because their mothers or fathers wanted them to be there or because their families wanted to show off to other relatives or friends about their son or daughter learning in some prestigious institution. Now, this can be passed off as a justified point brought up by Bird because students should personally be strongly motivated for going to colleges to learn and not only should they acknowledge this motivation but should also know how to defend their choice of going to colleges for learning. Next major point addressed by Bird in her article is that special attention should be paid to the real reason behind the

The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three Dissertation

The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period - Dissertation Example The company ranked within the Top 20 of all the online businesses. In the category of fashion clothing, footwear, jewelry, and accessories, ASOS has claimed the number 1 spot and now believes itself to have no competitor. Most probably, the management means that the other companies have stores while ASOS does not maintain stores. The organization is guided by its desire to give importance to people and the environment. To achieve acceptable working standards towards providing quality consumer goods, ASOS joined ETI or Ethical Trade Initiative, a business alliance of trade unions, and NGOs (non-government organizations) that try to improve people’s lives. It has its own â€Å"ASOS Ethical Code of Conduct†. (See appended key principles in Exhibit I) The economy is presently still recovering from the effects of recession after two years. ASOS is one of those corporations based in the UK that faced a great challenge against the recession, except for one big difference. As o f April 13, 2011, this fashion retailer which operates online far exceeded the performance of UK in terms of recovery from the economic recession. â€Å"In the three months to the end of March, international sales rose 161% to ?48.4 million compared with a year ago.UK sales were up 24% to ?44.9 million.† according to BBC (2011b). ... This provides an opportunity to utilize Financial Accounting tools and the Qualitative Techniques for a careful analysis of the business operations in order to discover how the company performed its business operations. It helps to identify the various sources of funding the business has used and its ability to takeout any more loans, the costs it’s incurring and its returns. It also allows to assess the risks involved in its operation and to make an estimate for its future performance. It will be a challenge to unravel the mystery of ASOS performance. There was no news about how the company arrived at an excellent result of operations. But there were praises. First of all, the company Annual Reports are available online. Secondly, this is a modern way of doing business in the fashion clothing industry, because most retailers are selling mostly through departments stores opened in many countries, while ASOS focuses more on online fashion retailing. Knowing more about financial management for such operations will add more education and insights for the eventual readers of this formal paper. Studying the financial data, strategies, and other aspects surrounding the business of ASOS will also lead to discoveries about the risks involved, the opportunities of investing by buying stocks of ASOS in the near future, and factors or indicators about the prospects of good or bad future performance. Finally, this kind of business is new to most people. The hope is that by analyzing the available information, something new will be added to the field of knowledge. 1.2 Project objectives The objectives are: To be able to review and analyze the Annual Reports using the qualitative and

Ethnic Literature Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Literature Essay The term â€Å"ethnic† when in conjunction with the word â€Å"literature† in the academic discourse community of students, often brings out mixed feelings of excitement and dread. On the one hand, students understand that they will be getting away from the canonical American literature – which can equal boring in their eyes; on the other hand, students interpret the term â€Å"ethnic literature† to mean distinctive – which can equal confusing or ambiguous – and perhaps at times not relatable because it is outside their scope of experiences. Perhaps before jumping into why it matters, the term â€Å"ethnic literature† should be defined first and because I am still learning how to interpret this term myself, I searched for a suitable one I could agree with. I found one in an article entitled â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†, and the article actually used another source themselves to come up with a workable, layman’s definition. Ethnic literature as defined by D. E. Norton (as the article’s source) is, â€Å"Literature about racial or ethnic minority groups that are culturally and socially different from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the United States, whose largely middle-class values and customs are most represented in American literature† (qtd. in Hager Thompson 22). I think this definition works well to define what ethnic literature is on a surface level, but the more I dig in, I feel that this idea goes much deeper. I asked myself, who can write about ethnic literature? Can anyone just pick up a pen so to speak and tell a story about a young Japanese boy, or a Hispanic family? Can an African-American writer write about Hispanic or Chinese people and claim it is ethnic literature? And the answer to myself is no. Why? Because unless that African-American has been submersed in the Hispanic or Japanese culture from the time of childhood, how are they going to capture the very essence of being, thinking, and living day-to-day in that culture? And even if that African-American had, they would still most likely have a different perspective from the average Hispanic or Chinese person because of being different themselves (i. e black) and perhaps are treated different by the community at large which corrupts the â€Å"normal† cultural thinking. At this deeper level I am trying to get at, I find John M. Reilly’s article â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story† helpful in acquiring this. He states that, â€Å"the assertion of ethnicity in literature can be made only through a procedure by which the writer resolves formal problems what moves from recognition of identity to creation of a strategy for handling reality still is not literature until the individual author sustains her or his ethnic identity through a sequence of formal choices† (4). I am interpreting this to mean that as a reader of this literature, I should see and feel throughout the story (perhaps subtlety) that in some way, the characters mindset (and perhaps actions) in the story differ from my own specifically because of the culture they have grown up in in, which has shaped that character’s thinking. There are thoughts and feelings – ideas, I don’t understand without further explanation from the author, which is sometimes provided, and sometimes not. An example of this is in Brando Skyhorse’s novel The Madonnas of Echo Park, I find myself wondering what the significance of the jacaranda trees mentioned in different parts of the book. Looking up what they are, it becomes apparent to me as jacaranda trees are native to Central America – roots back to their homeland. The blossoms from the trees fall and are scattered everywhere. Felicia in chapter 2 states that â€Å"there’s no way getting away from them† (25). Basically meaning, you cannot escape who you are and where you come from. I would not have understood this had I not explored the history of that tree to uncover the significance in the book. Another example is in Seventeen Syllables in the story â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†. The story about a Japanese family is easy to read, but is hard to connect with as I don’t share the same philosophies about a woman’s place in the Japanese culture. A specific instance in the story was when Mrs. Hayashi, Rosie’s mother received her the first place prize for her stellar Haiku. When the man from the newspaper presented her with a package, Mrs. Hayashi, stating she knew it was unorthodox, asked if she might open it because she was very curious. (Yamamoto 17). At this point, I am thinking to myself, â€Å"I don’t get it – why wouldn’t she open it? † but upon reflection, I considered the patriarchal society that is dominant in this culture, and perhaps it is the wife’s obligation to consult or have the husband open the gift, even if it is not specifically for him. Yet another example is in Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. To come specifically to the point, I do not understand this idea of why it is understood that Dominican men are supposed to be these â€Å"manly men† that women flock to and fall on their knees for. That the sexual appetite along with innate sense of charisma from Dominican men is expected, and when it’s lacking, it doesn’t go unnoticed. â€Å"Anywhere else his triple-zero batting average with the ladies might have passed without comment, but this is a Dominican kid we’re talking about, in a Dominican family: dude was supposed to have Atomic Level G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands† (24). Why is this idea so indoctrinated in this culture according to the book? This is perhaps something I will never understand, except that it is a part of their culture. All of these examples are all good and well, but the important question is why is ethnic literature important? What can be gained from reading it? From a most basic viewpoint, it is a highly effective vehicle for helping people understand themselves and the world around them. Thompson and Hager in their article state that, â€Å"multi-ethnic literature mirrors and validates the experiences for minority groups and juxtaposes the familiar with the less familiar for mainstream children† (22). In other words, through reading ethnic literature, readers can find ways to connect with others around them that are different. The article also states that when readers are exposed to divergent thoughts, language patterns, value systems, and different ways of living, that it can open up awareness about others and create compassion and understanding towards them that might not have happened without the literary exposure (23). To sum it all up, I will never argue against the instruction of ethnic literature in the school setting. In fact, I think teaching it should begin right from the beginning in kindergarten, and perhaps one day we won’t need the designated term â€Å"ethnic literature† – perhaps one day it can just be â€Å"American Literature† and part of the regular American canon of literature. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. Reilly, John. M. â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story†. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. 5. 1 (1978): 2-13. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. New York: Free Press, 2010. Print. Thompson, Deborah L. and Jane Meeks Hager. â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†. Yearbook of the American Reading Forum. 1990. 21-29. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Print.

Royal Library Of Alexandria History Essay

Royal Library Of Alexandria History Essay The Alexandria Library was the largest and most complete library of antiquity and certainly the greatest before the invention of printing. Only fragments and minor comments in ancient authorities are extant in current times. However, the history of the Alexandria Library [Library] remains of central importance in the intellectual history of the classical world as it is thought to contain the best-kept collection of classical literature.  [1]   With the help of historians and theorists as well as texts and historiographies, it is possible to retrace the founding, patronage, and operations of the Library; relate estimates about number of scrolls housed in the Library; and examine legends of its ultimate demise. The purpose of this essay is to review and synthesize the current knowledge of this most famous Library and reconsider its place in classical intellectual history. Alexandria, Egypt: Crossroads of Culture Scholars at the Center of Hellenic Studies at Kings College, London, view Alexandria of Ptolemaic Egypt as a city that was multi-cultural from its beginnings and a focal point for international trade and cultural development.  [2]  Situated between Africa and Europe, the meeting place of all races and creeds, Alexandria was the center of learning in the ancient world. It was a city of Greeks, Macedonians, Egyptians and Jews with the latter group making up about a third of the population. During the height of its power, Alexandria was said to have most abundant and helpful resources and be a nursing mother to men of every nation.  [3]   The Creation and Patronage of the Royal Library of the Ptolemies After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, his empire was divided into three parts with the Ptolemies dominating Egypt. Under the rule of the Ptolemies, Alexandria housed a Greco-Macedonian court ruling an Egyptian kingdom. Green explains that the Ptolemaic dynasty ran Egypt as a private estate and at a profit which supported scholarship, mercenaries, processions, etc.The Museum and its library played a fundamental role in justifying the rule of the Macedonian-Greek dynasty over Egypt.  [4]  The Library and its community of scholars flourished during the Hellenistic era of the Ptolemies. It has been thought to survive through the Roman Empire, but this finding is a source of debate among scholars. Historian John Marlowe describes how the Library at Alexandria emerged during the period roughly contemporary with Platos Academy, Aristotles Lyceum, Zenos Stoa and the school of Epicurus. Aristotles school in Athens, the Lyceum, had a shrine of the Muses and a library and promoted a universal concept of studies.  [5]  The Ptolemies envisioned Alexandria as a meeting place where scholars of the earth should extend the scientific horizons of man, suggestive of the Lyceum itself. Based on research from historian Edward Parsons, the foundation of the Museum-Library is attributed to Ptolemy Soter and/or his son Ptolemy II. The foundation and continuing support of the Museum and Library owed much to the pioneering work that Aristotle, and, to a lesser extent, Platos Academy, had already undertaken.  [6]   The Alexandria Museum (Temple of the Muses) was a gathering of scholars from all over the world. A Museum (Mouseion) was a shrine or center dedicated to the Muses and often associated with literary studies. The Muses been connected with thinkers and philosophers at least as early as the time of Pythagoras. According to Green, by the time of Aristotle a Museum embodied the features of an intellectual community including cult center, residence buildings, common meals, library holdings and research, and surrounding cloisters and garden. Timon of Philus, lampoonist, wrote of Ptolemys Alexandrian think tank: In the polyglot land of Egypt many now find pasturage as endowed scribblers, endlessly quarreling in the Muses bird cage. For the first three generations of Ptolemies, at least, relations with the Alexandrians were good. This, then, was the atmosphere in which Ptolemaic scholars, poets, and scientists operated.  [7]   History of the Royal Library Operations Information about how the library was run is subject to speculation. According to Parsons, scholars do not have a great deal of information about where and how the papyrus scrolls were stored; the dimensions of the collections; what role the other library, the Serapeum library, had in Alexandrian cultural life. Even the information about the demise of the library refers to a space of six centuries, from the age of Caesar to the age of the prophet Muhammad.  [8]   It is likely the first Ptolemies acquired and stored papyrus scrolls in the Museum. In order to manage this huge and increasing collection of texts, scholars devised a way to classify and order them according to various criteria, the most important evidence for which is represented by the work of Callimachus of Cyrene, who was a leading figure not only in the history of the library of Alexandria, but also in the tradition of Greek scholarship. Historian Roger Bagnall has described that despite volumes of scholarship, both the historical evidence and archaeological remnant of the Library and Museum at Alexandria are rather scant: The disparity between, on the one hand, the grandeur and importance of this library, both in its reality in antiquity and in its image both ancient and modern, and, on the other, our nearly total ignorance about it, has been unbearable. No one, least of all modern scholars, has been able to accept our lack of knowledge about a phenomenon that embodies so many human aspirations. In consequence, a whole literature of wishful thinking has grown up, in which scholars even, I fear, the most rigorous have cast aside the time-tested methods that normally constrain credulity, in order to be able to avoid confessing defeat.  [9]   The position of Demetrius (ca. 384-348) of Phaleron is more secure, as he was a prominent figure in the foundation of the Museum and Library. Aristeas, writing 100 years after the librarys inception, records that Ptolemy I handed assigned Demetrius the job of gathering books and scrolls, as well as letting him supervise a massive effort to translate other cultures works into Greek.  [10]  Demetrius recommended that Ptolemy gather materials on ruling in the style of Platos philosopher-kings. An estimated 30-50 scholars were probably permanently housed at the Museum, funded by the royal family, and later by public money.  [11]   Demetrius had been a pupil of Aristotle and Theophrastos at Aristotles Lyceum. The practice of getting the best scholars or poets to educate the crown prince was something that Ptolemy had had occasion to observe in Macedonia, where the young Alexander had been taught by Aristotle himself. It became a common practice for the Librarian also to serve as royal tutor: Apollonius and Aristarchus certainly did so. Parsons describes Demetrius as an orator and philosopher who dyed his hair blond and rouged his cheeks and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦anointed his person with Eastern salves. He ruled Athens for ten years à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦with moderation and without disaster is an achievement. His critical judgments of ancient texts were much admired.  [12]  Green describes the responsibility that Demetrius had to the Library which included a strong sense that the literary heritage of archaic and classical Greece was in danger of being lost through indifference and neglect.  [13]  Looking at the subsequent history of the transmission of texts, the fear seems well justified. According to Green, the scholars who staffed the Library saw their mission as the rescue of past Greek literature, and set themselves to obtain copies of every known work. Royal purchasers combed the book marts of the Aegean and Asia Minor, the best of which were located in Athens and Rhodes. It was inevitable that numerous forgeries began to circulate. With such an influx of material, the Librarians first major task was to organize accessions and cataloging.  [14]  In about 25 BCE Vitruvius writes about how Aristophanes of Byzantium earned the job of librarian after memorizing most of the Librarys contents  [15]  . Parsons describes how the Ptolemies and their agents ransacked the Hellenic, Mediterranean and Asian cities for literary manuscripts and records. At the port of Alexandria, vessels were searched and books that were found were confiscated with copies made for their rightful owners.  [16]  These rolls, known as the salvaged material, were not (says Galen) delivered directly to the Library, but consigned in the first instance to warehouses, where they were stored in heaps a description.  [17]  Based on sources from Ellis, Ptolemy III wrote a letter to all the worlds sovereigns asking to borrow their books.  [18]  Legend has it that when Athens lent Ptolemy the texts of Euripides, Aeschylus, and Sophocles, he had them copied, returned the copies, and kept the originals. Another of the Librarians responsibilities was the establishment of sound texts purged of scribal errors made during the process of transmission.  [19]   The librarians were reputed to include some of the great figures of ancient scholarship. Bevan refers to the first recorded librarian in Alexandria as Zenodotus of Ephesus, holding that post until 245 B.C.E. His successor Callimachus of Cyrene, may have been Alexandrias most famous librarian, created a subject catalog in 120,000 scrolls of the Librarys holdings.  [20]  The Greek alphabet with less than thirty symbols was learned by almost everyone. An improvement took place in handwriting and developed a more elegant, flowing script, which made both for easier copying and quicker, and more comfortable reading.  [21]   According to Marlowe, librarian Eratosthenes (275-194 B.C.E) amassed a catalog of 44 constellations complete with background myths, as well as a list of 475 fixed stars. Eratosthenes, drawing on Egyptian and Near Eastern observations, deduced the length of the year to 365 1/4 days and was the first to suggest the idea of adding a leap day every four years.  [22]  The last recorded librarian was Aristarchus of Samothrace, the astronomer, who took up the position in 180 B.C.E. during dynastic struggles between two Ptolemies. From that time onward no librarians are mentioned by name in any historical record. Marlowe maintains that the Museum excelled at producing great geometers by assembling the geometric principles of earlier Greek mathematicians, and had access to Babylonian and Egyptian knowledge of geometry.  [23]  Archimedes was one of the early Alexandria scholars to apply theories of motion to mechanical devices. Among his discoveries were the lever and as an extension of the same principle the Archimedes screw, a hand-cranked device for lifting water.  [24]   In the second century C.E., Galen drew upon Alexandrias vast researches and his own investigations to compile fifteen books on anatomy and the art of medicine.  [25]  Herophilus, both collected and compiled the Hippocratic corpus at Alexandria. There has been some conflict about the fate of Aristotles books, once thought to be at the core of the collection, may have been carried off to Rome by Sulla  [26]  . Size and Scale of the Library at Alexandria Alexandrian scholars were provided with a library containing a huge collection of papyrus scrolls and entrusted them to explore every field of human knowledge. The Library may have been reserved for scholars of the Museum just as many modern research libraries are closed to people not affiliated to a scientific or academic institution. In addition to the great Library, located in the Bruchion district of Alexandria, there was a smaller library, called a sister or daughter library that still existed at the time of Caesar and was situated inside the temple of Serapis.  [27]   The manuscripts gathered by Demetrius and his successors were bundles of writings forming high piles in the Museum warehouse. Mixed rolls must have contained many duplicates. Parsons reports that there were 532,800 rolls, of which 132,800 single rolls were considered premier finds. The sister library may have contained 42,800 rolls, probably copies of the writings shelved in the bigger library. The brittle and frail paper of Egypt was à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ fragile media indeed on which to confide the precious knowledge and wisdom of the ages. They were subject to damage by fire, water, rodents, and worms.  [28]   Johnson describes the physical stacks which consisted of pigeonholes or racks for the scrolls, some of which were wrapped in linen or leather jackets. From Roman times manuscripts were written in codex (book) form, and were often stored in wooden chests called armaria.  [29]  According to Bevan, Callimachus cataloged 400,000 mixed scrolls of multiple chapters and 90,000 unmixed scrolls.  [30]   Bagnall has studied the size of the Alexandrian library, and he concludes that either more than ninety percent of classical authors are not even quoted in the surviving Greek literature, or that the Ptolemies acquired a dozen copies of everything, or some combination of these unlikely hypotheses.  [31]  Seneca quotes Livy that over the 40,000 volumes were housed in grain depots near the Alexandria harbor, which were supposedly incinerated when Julius Caesar torched the fleet of Cleopatras brother and rival monarch.  [32]   However, Hannam argues this would likely be the number of papyrus scrolls and many of these were needed to make up an entire book. He believes that Senecas figure of 40,000 is more reasonable and still makes the Royal Library much larger than any of the later classical or medieval libraries.  [33]  Using Gellius as a source, the figure reaches 700,000 books. It is clear that ancient figures vary by wide margins.  [34]  The higher numbers have been accepted by many modern scholars, in spite of the fact that lacking modern inventory systems, ancient librarians, even if they cared to, scarcely had the time or means to count their collections.  [35]   How the Royal Library was destroyed In 48 BCE, Caesar was pursuing Pompey into Egypt when he was cut off by an Egyptian fleet at Alexandria. Outnumbered and in enemy territory, Caesar ordered the ships in the harbor to be set on fire. The fire spread and burned down part of the city where the great Library stood. The earliest account of the destruction of the Library in The Civil Wars by Julius Caesar who states he had to set the fleet in the harbor on fire for his own safety and that some ports arsenals also went up in flames. Plutarch, writing his Life of Caesar at the end of the first century CE, refers that the renowned library was burnt down by the fire Caesar.  [36]  Aulus Gellius, a second century author, included in his Attic Nights a brief passage about libraries where the destruction of the Royal Library is mentioned as taking place by accident during the Romans first war against Alexandria when auxiliary soldiers started a fire.  [37]   In a later book The Alexandrine War 1, Caesar does not mention setting fire to Alexandria but does state that the city was made of stone and would not burn.  [38]  Some scholars argue that Alexandria burns as well as any city and perhaps Caesar was attempting to hide his actions.  [39]  Cicero is silent on a fire in Alexandria in his Philippics.  [40]  . The second story of the Librarys destruction is more popular, thanks primarily to Gibbons The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Theophilus was Patriarch of Alexandria from 385 to 412 CE. During his reign the Temple of Serapis was converted into a Christian Church, and it is likely that many documents were destroyed then. Legend has it that Hypatia, a fifth-century scholar and mathematician of Alexandria, was dragged from her chariot by a mob of monks who burned her upon the remnants of the old Library.  [41]   One of the most famous legends about the Great Library is that of it being burnt down on the instructions of the Caliph Omar after Alexandria had been captured by the Arabs. However, Edward Gibbon reports this is not true.  [42]  In 640 CE the Moslems took the city of Alexandria although this story is attributed to a Christian who spent a great deal of time writing about Moslem atrocities without much historical documentation. Unfortunately most of the writers from Plutarch (who apparently blamed Caesar) to Edward Gibbons (blamed Christians) to Bishop Gregory (who was particularly anti-Moslem, blamed Omar) may be biased. It is possible that the collection ebbed and flowed as some documents were destroyed and others were added. For instance, Mark Antony was supposed to have given Cleopatra over 200,000 scrolls for the Library long after Julius Caesar is accused of burning it. It is likely that even if the Museum was destroyed with the main library, the outlying daughter library at the Temple of Serapis continued on. Many writers seem to equate the Library of Alexandria with the Library of Serapis although technically they were in two different parts of the city.  [43]  Historian Canfora is skeptical and her interpretation is that Plutarchs passage is an interpolation  [44]  . Hannam interprets Plutarch as merely reporting a list of slanders against Antony made others.  [45]   Hannam maintains that the Royal Library of Alexandria was not standing during the Christian era. It is his theory that a major library was founded at the Serapeum during its rebuilding in the second century CE and that this library became confused in the minds of various writers with the Royal Library of the Ptolemies that had disappeared over two centuries before. The Serapeum ceased to be when a Christian mob tore it down to the foundations under the leadership of the orthodox patriarch Theophilus after he had received word from the Emperor Theodosius. The year this happened is generally fixed to AD391 and it is one of the best attested events in late antiquity. The Serapeum library was probably founded as an adornment to the new Roman temple. Although there are no details as to its size, it would have been quite large enough to be confused with the earlier Royal Library.  [46]   The Library is often portrayed as the repository of all ancient wisdom and that its loss meant that science would progress at a much slower pace. Hannam believes the truth of the matter is that the Library was an important institution in the history but that its destruction in the first century BCE did not spell the end of ancient scholarship. In fact, Alexandria remained the Mediterraneans intellectual capital for seven centuries afterwards due to the library in the Serapeum and patronage of Roman Emperors. Hannam goes on to explain that in the final analysis, the Arab invasion ended the story of the Alexandria library. A that point, the cultural inheritance from the ancient world would be preserved in Constantinople and Baghdad.  [47]   Historian Luciano Canfora explains that placing the Librarys disappearance in the first century B.C.E., as opposed to four centuries later or even later at the end of the seventh century, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦necessarily alters our perception of the quality of the Greek literature that has come down to us. Canfora recounts the major theories: the catastrophe is blamed either on Julius Caesar (48/47 B.C.E.) or on the fanaticism of the Arabs who conquered Alexandria in 642 A.D. Canfora supports the latter theory because the flow translations from Greek flowing through Egypt came to a halt at the end of the seventh century. Roger Bagnalls theory is that the disappearance of the Library is the result of the end of the impetus and interest that brought it into being and of the lack of the kind of sustained management and maintenance that would have seen it through successive transitions in the physical media by means of which the texts could have been transmitted. The library of Alexandria began to disappear when the community of scholars for which it had been created was broken up; or when, as Bagnall says, the generative impetus of the first centuries ended. Conclusions Repeatedly rebuilt, modified, and burned, the few facts that can be determined about the Librarys long history convey its semi-legendary status. Delia has underlined the literary and romantic character of these traditions, which are not more reliable, from a historical point of view, than the novel.  [48]   The central place of the Alexandrian library in Western cultural memory derives from a combination of several factors: the foundation project; the connection between the library and the Museum; the capability of the Alexandrian library to generate knowledge, and not only to accumulate it; its destruction, a symbol of countless similar tragedies. Each of these elements concerns the present and future of our civilization, no less than its ancient roots.